#IF CANON STARTS BACK UP AGAIN I HOPE THE NARRATIVE GIVES YOU A BREAK FOR ONCE LOL

[akkivee]

valentines????? who???? what’s that?????? all i know

ITS RAMUDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

[you-remind-me-of-the-babe]

It’s high time I’ve done another rec post, so here I am, coming in hot with six WIPs you should be reading right now.

Before I get into the fics themselves, a word about reading WIPs. Look, I know it’s tempting to wait until a fic is complete. Not to mention the fact that there is an absolutely staggering amount of amazing fics out there. I’m a slow reader myself, and my TBR list, even after reading fics for nearly three years, is so damn long. I could easily sit back and only read older completed fics and probably never finish them all.

But. I love a good WIP fic almost like nothing else. Yes, binging a completed fic in one sitting can leave you flying high. But following a fic as it’s being written, interacting with said fic and cheering that writer on, gives me so much gratification. Getting that email notification for a new chapter, and feeling so eager to read the new update, is an absolute joy. I highly recommend.

Lastly, this is not an exhaustive list of current Carry On WIPs, but merely a small sampling. And if anyone has any good WIP recs for me, I’d love to hear them!

Only Creatures, WIP, currently 52k, rated E by @emeryhall

In this canon divergent story, Simon breaks up with Baz at the end of WS, leading Baz to become a recluse and a poet, growing a beard and hiding out in Scotland. When he finds out Simon is a camboy for a website called Only Creatures, they tentatively start wanking chatting again. Come for Baz’s Unabomber style, stay for the second chances and explorations of intimacy.

Everything Emery writes is amazing, and this fic is no exception. It’s a little absurd, incredibly witty and heartfelt, with a cast of OCs that quietly shine. This story has cracked my heart open and is slowly putting it back together. You won’t regret reading this one.

Hiding Out in the Open, WIP, currently 48k, rated M by @cutestkilla

Another canon divergence story, this time where Simon and Baz never got together after their truce in 8th year. After the SSR debacle, they meet again and this time start connecting over a shared interest in a psychology podcast.

This fic does an excellent job of having these boys dig into their trauma and issues via the podcast topics, letting them heal and connect, while also letting the reader marvel at the heavy Snowbaz vibes of every podcast episode. It’s so smart, I’m telling you.

I Knew A Boy, I Knew A Man, WIP, currently 83k, rated T by @shrekgogurt

This football AU has Baz and Simon ending up on the same premiere league team, years after playing together at school. The author gives us flashbacks in every chapter of their frought relationship as teens, before progressing the story in the present.

I can’t believe I haven’t done an official rec post for this fic yet. Mary writes the sports bits of this story so vividly, and the flashback bookends of each chapter so perfectly tie into the current narrative, you’ll marvel at the complex way it moves the story forward. Seriously, one of my all time faves.

Basil Pitch’s Diary, WIP, currently 32k, rated T by @bookish-bogwitch

Watford-era Baz starts a diary on January 1st, determined to record his progress on various resolutions, namely, getting over Simon Snow.

This fic has the incredible humor of Bridget Jones’s Diary and will introduce you to your favorite version of acerbic, self-depricating teenage Baz. He will own your soul. There is no other outcome of reading this fic.

The Eternal Life of Baz Pitch, WIP, currently 25k, rated M by @monbons

This story watches a three hundred year old Baz, cursed after desperately trying to find a way to be loved on his own terms, wandering aimlessly in present times until he finds a certain blue eyed barista who has an unusual reaction to meeting him.

This AU is based on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but you don’t have to have read the book to become immersed in this achingly sad but thoroughly sweet story of hope and second chances.

Episode 6: Apres la Pluie, le Beau Temps, WIP, currently 10k, rated M by @artsyunderstudy

Another installment in the Star Trek series for the lovely @raenestee, this series is the epitome of following a good WIP story. Several authors have contributed to this sci-fi beast, and the progression of the story through several different writers’ hands is an absolute delight to watch. (And, as one of the authors, to participate in.)

If you aren’t yet reading it, this is a great time to join. We’re right in the middle of the story, leaving the four couples in Ashton’s very capable hands as she expertly guides them through various communication breakdowns. If you know nothing of Star Trek, don’t let that stop you from joining a thoroughly entertaining epic of a story.

[trauma-bot]

ouuuu i need the lore... i love selfships so much.... nuze lore please.... if you want..........

YAY YAY YAY. im gonna try so hard to keep this somewhat brief to leave room for any more questions but we'll see how that goes <3

so to preface this E does have a toyhouse bio that you can look at if you're curious! it has a more in-depth look at his personality and whole deal. you can also look at his gallery if you'd like; thats where his references and other artwork for him are stored!

ALRIGHT. RAMBLING UNDER THE CUT

a lot of it is very much to fulfill my weird convoluted fantasy of "what if i lost all hope for a future that i exist in and was convinced that i was going to succumb to the claws of my trauma and rot there forever (basically dooming myself in my own narrative) thus becoming the absolute worst version of myself in what i believe to be my final moments only for someone (two someones in this case) to love and believe in me so much that, despite it all and despite everything that was done to me and that ive done myself, gives me enough hope to undoom myself". i'm normal i swear.

also just generally im a big big sucker for stories about survivors of trauma being there for each other, and in that way i get a lot of comfort from nuze.

SO. NUZE LORE... (once again shout outs to my bestie night for coining their ship name lol)

i guess ill break it down like this, starting with N/E. (alt. ship name being pupE love (coined by another bestie of mine charlie)) E knew N back at the manor and they were close friends then, N was the first person E came out as trans to (by that i mean. N helped E work through his tumultuous robo gender feelings in real time) and N was the only one E really felt comfortable around. (other than tessa! E was also friendly with V back then as well<3)

however, E was also badly traumatized by his time in the manor, and of course Canon Events happen. E, as a disassembly drone, is now much more muted, detached, numbed, and devoted completely to their directive. he's very very very repressed and his specific brand of memory issues as well as the fucked up memory dreams causes him to dissociate and spiral a lot. he also distanced himself a lot from N for reasons even he isn't entirely privy to. something in his hardwiring just told him that N would be safer the less E stayed with him. and N is!!! really saddened by that!!! its normal! E has to learn to not be an emotionless object and actually let himself feel and need and yearn, and N is a big help with that (uzi is as well ofc!!)

i have to skip past a lot of things for the sake of not making this post so many words long but regardless; N/E is really special to me because they are two people who are in a very similar and scary situation and have had to see each other get hurt or even killed in many clone instances in many reset memory files. and its the just. the willingness to love despite knowing what happened to you and even witnessing it at times, to say "this is not all we are" and break free from those iron chains despite knowing how much it'll hurt and how dire everything is. E is so convinced that its all worthless and he couldn't be anything more than what he's used for, while N desperately wants a better life for himself and those he loves, and he's gonna drag E kicking and screaming to hope and healing. <3

NOW. UZIE :3 (alt. ship name is angelfangz)

E is MIA from the squad until like right after episode 3 canonically happens and is found by uzi and N. uzi does not trust E at first not one bit LMFAO. she doesn't hate him but like. her only frame of reference for murder drones besides N is V and J. and also E is like. he's weird and says weird cryptic things and is not exactly the easiest to talk to due to how off-putting and repressed he is. at first E is like "why is there a worker drone. in the spire. and we're all okay with this" but after actually getting more context behind Everything he's curious about her more than anything. he has to be swayed into betraying his initial directive (kill all worker drones. yknow) only because thats like all he knows how to do and would feel aimless without it, but once he is he's loyal to his new directive (help uzi figure out what the hell is going on with this solver business). yeah he treats himself like an object that can only find worth in being ordered around but we dont have time to unpack all of that right now. he unlearns it later i prommy.

uzi is like. spitefully resistant to getting to know E on a deeper lever, but this is uzi "no bonding thing" doorman and she cannot help but care about E and be concerned about his behavior. she will notttt admit that however and stubbornly holds her ground. it isnt until post-episode 4 when E and uzi are fully vulnerable around each other.

uziE is. so so very important to me. uzi has been outcasted and isolated for so much of her life, she's been treated as a weirdo freak monster by her classmates and becomes outwardly prickly and aggressive to cope with how little affection and reassurance she's been given. i know she's internalized it to mean there is something wrong with her that everyone else can see, and its only a matter of time before those who actually care for her see it too and leave her. and i know that the events of episode 4 confirmed it in her mind, that she is a freak monster and everyone was right to avoid and hate her, even though she never asked for any of this. thats a very familar feeling to me- and by extension E. E recognizes the feeling of being made into a monster against your will, of fearing and being unable to trust yourself, and of feeling like its best for everyone's safety to hide away. E and uzi find solace and comfort in each other for that. they dont see each other as broken irredeemable monsters, so maybe they aren't.

im stopping here because holy shit this got long but THERES A LOT MORE LOLL. tldr nuze altogether is very very important to me and i could talk about them forever and ever. they love each other all so much and they grow and heal and forgive and aaaaughhhgh<3 im normal.

[wetcatspellcaster]

So in the context of Pieces, did the Ascendent originally break up with Rosalie because he didn’t want her at first but then regretted it? He seemed pretty quick to want her back after she shows up 10 years later. Did he ever try to find her and seek her out on his own? Especially with the lines “I was born out of love for you” and “you were the first thing I ever saw and the last thing I will ever see”. I’m curious when his motivations to have her back started.

hey anon. i think i may have answered this elsewhere so apologies if i contradict myself!

the break-up is partially dictated by canon. But at my end, I rationalise it as an impulse decision in a moment of intense betrayal that he then has to commit to. He wasn't expecting her to not want to be spawn - given that in this version of Astarion ascending Rosalie never says anything or speaks out, while it's happening.

So the Ascendent comes out of the ritual, already feeling some kind of way... but it's fine! bc he has his girlfriend, who was supportive of him, 100%! Only then he speaks to his girlfriend that night and she's like "we did the wrong thing, I don't want you" - even though she didn't say anything at the time? she waited until now? when it's irreversible, when he's stuck like this, and she's leaving him alone? I figured that would feel like a massive betrayal, particularly in the tumultuous aftermath of just making a big decision that you're still dealing with the implications of. I often feel like Tav is what makes Ascendency worth it (in a romance route), so getting rid of that would I think cause a lot of hurt, anger, and rage.

He didn't try to seek her out bc after the break up (instigated by him) he was too prideful to do so. If you're the perfect sexy version of vampirism and your girlfriend loves you, surely she'll come crawling back eventually? and when she doesn't, and you start to feel depressed and lonely, what are you going to do? Admit you're sad, and prove yourself weak?

He was excited to see her back after ten years, because he had engineered her return through the murders.

And the lines he says in his final speeches ('I was born out of love for you', etc) are essentially the narrative that the Ascendent has been starting to build for himself since getting Rosalie back in his life again. Life is so exciting! Things keep happening, and all so unexpectedly! He's being kept on his toes! He knew he was right! this is definitely the cure to everything he's been feeling, time to make his entire existence about keeping and controlling Tav.

He may genuinely believe it at the point where he says it, but he hasn't felt that way since the beginning. He thought he would survive fine on his own, and when he doesn't he starts looking for things that might give his existence meaning, and settles on Rosalie as one potential answer.

hope that all makes sense! :)

[sugar-satin]

All Info Regarding Roleplay!

→ Writing Style

Preferred Point of View:

I use third person limited only! I know my characters actions and thoughts and internal feelings, but I do not like when my roleplay partner takes over my oc! Please do not think or act for my character as I won't do that for you either! (This does not apply to us ooc if you are the type to send content because you think it's very my-oc etc.!)

Narrative Tone:

I use a lot of terms and slang that are improper depending on the character I am writing, but for the most part I try to maintain a romantic and whimsical tone. I prefer airy, lofty, flowery uses of words when the scene calls for it! And I'm perfectly fine with a simple, brisk, response as well (if warranted).

Pacing:

Slow burn is my favorite element of roleplay! Feeling like you're waiting for the latest new episode of your favorite show to drop is half the fun of a good plot! I am the type of roleplayer who does not mind making a server for our roleplay, therefore if you start to get bored of the "canon" plot we can start another slow burn that's new, or even create a rushed romance, in the form of an au!!

Detail Level:

I'm very detailed and I don't expect that of any of my rp partners consistently! I would absolutely love if you were, but I am not picky whatsoever! Please just make sure the parts that truly count in our story are accurately detailed and written, so that I can give you a proper thought out reply that makes us both happy!

Dialogue Style:

I tend to write as much as I can! I'm flexible depending on my partner. I've been on a roleplay hiatus for quite some time, so I'm currently getting used to roleplaying with people again. I never stopped writing however, so my hopes is I'll get back to where I was! Typically I can give multi-paragraph responses, when I have the time and privacy I can push the Discord character limit- double it even! But if my partner needs less and less detail, we can arrange for it instantly! Just communicate:)

→ Roleplay Dynamics:

Preferred Roleplay Type:

I stick to 1x1 pairings, because of the tendency to crave that romantic energy in the plot, but that doesn't limit me to creating intense detail for our 1x1! I focus on one pairing, but I put more focus on detail and add many side characters that become canon to the character of choice.

Posting Frequency:

I'm a student in the Midwest, and I'm at school from 8am to 3pm CST! HOWEVER, I am nearly completed and I have 2 hours of break combined up there when I'm bored! Class can sometimes move slow, and I'll have time to communicate ooc with you of course! Once I'm home, I have a lack of schoolwork so I've very attentive to replies towards 3:30pm CST until around 11:30pm/12am!!

Communication Style OOC:

This is important! When we chat I'll be asking for the password to make sure you read this part ^^ Keep reading did it! Please note that I prefer to have rp partners that really get into the plot of our two characters! If we can't have some small talk here and there ooc, AT LEAST about our characters, I don't think we'll be a good match! I'm not forcing you to be my friend, but we have to have some platonic chemistry to write together and enjoy it! Bonus points the password is star if we have our own server (for channels to put ooc, headcanons, memes, future plot ideas, fcs, etc)

→ Content

Content Boundaries:

I will not play any minor with an adult vice versa! I also refuse to roleplay anything medieval, seeing as I have zero experience. I don't like playing fantasy creatures aside from the typical, I'm willing to hear you out but please don't be upset if I don't want to! I'm open to dead dove, just no minors PLEASE.

Trigger Warnings/Topics to Avoid:

I love angst and realness, I have no real triggers or topics to avoid! If you have any triggers or topics I should avoid please make sure you have them listed!!

Romance and Relationships:

I can play mxm pairings and mxf pairings! For men I have a hard time writing more shy/timid/'cute' characters and they're typically flawed (not overly), rougher, men. In mxf pairings I will only write the female character, and I can flesh out the character more compared to her male counterpart. Please do not ask me to play outside of these pairing preferences!

→ Collaboration Preferences:

Plot Development:

I welcome collaborative, pre-planned, and improvisational! We can create it together, one of us can provide one (we can always tweak it), or we can see where things go! I would very much prefer the first two though!!!

Character Development:

If you have an oc ready that is perfectly fine but please know that I am back after a hiatus and I only have a few that I'm currently working on!! I will ask if you have a preference for faceclaim type, but know I prefer realistic faceclaims! I welcome anime and drawn OCs but I don't like picrews. Like I enjoy them for funsies but please don't use soley a picrew.

World-Building:

Please try to be descriptive with how you envision the scene playing out!! I l-o-v-e taking time to build up the world our characters live in. Even if it's just "modern day [insert obtainable real place]", I want to know what the people in that place are like, the goers on the sidewalk, what the scene looks like in detail when it rains, the way the pavement is cracked or not, I DON'T CARE just be descriptive.

Preferred Level of Planning (e.g., detailed plotting, minimal planning):

Both make me equally as happy!!! I'm very fast to come up with plots off the top of my head if needed, I just need to know if you'd like to avoid "dead dove " content and your preference for cliches or not!!!!

→ Technical Preferences:

Platform for Roleplay:

I only use Discord for roleplay! Add me at cemeterydoggy <3 Cold adds and dms are welcomed here.

Language and Grammar Expectations:

Please use capitals and punctuation, correct any mistakes I genuinely cannot understand. I'm really not like anal about any of this, of course just... I don't know... don't do *this* I'm not character ai.

→ Additional Information:

Experience Level:

I'm 20 and I'm fairly confident I've been "roleplaying" since I was like 12 - I will not lie. In middle school I was a beginner, in the beginning of highschool I was plotting and writing ALL the time, and by the end of highschool I had no more time to... and a MASSIVE loss of motivation. I stopped writing OCs and plots, but I never stopped writing.

Interests Outside of Roleplay:

Rick and Morty, BBC Sherlock, Romance Books, Writing, Poetry, Video Essays, Icebergs, Deep Dives, Podcasts, Gardening, Cooking/Baking (from scratch), Bread Baking, Marine Biology, Paleontology, Zoology.

Any Special Requests/Requirements:

I'd like to say that I'm a little socially awkward because I'm neurodivergent, but my experience is still there. I can give you detail and a story I just need my partners to be a little patient and easy going (preferably not dry).

[takeariskao3]

“Ginny nodded and had just started to spin away when Harry caught her around the wrist. His eyes were hard, pinning her in place as his fingers tightened around the exposed skin below her sleeve.

‘Don’t miss,’ he said quietly, an underlying pleading evident in his tone. “

I LOVE the way you convey Harry’s care for Ginny. At the ball, when harry discusses his protection charm and Flitwick is fawning over the intensity of its power adjacent to the bond between that of the castor and the intended protector. When it’s obvious how draining it is to cast it but Harry does so with no qualms because clearly, protecting Ginny is what matters most.

Seriously, love it. I am so curious, what are headcanons you have about Harry caring for Ginny? What are moments in canon that you appreciated? I just enjoy your perspective and just want to read your introspections on this beloved relationship.

aahhhh thank you!!!! you quoted me back to me!! i’m so 🥹🥹🥹 right now.

i think harry’s protectiveness/care/love for ginny is pretty constant, especially through the last two books and it manifests in a very simple way. he fundamentally and consistently puts ginny's safety and wellbeing above his own. you can argue that this is a character trait of harry's in that he would take the brunt of anything for anyone if given the chance, however instead of a passive "i put others before myself", with ginny it is a very active and instinctual need, there aren't any other options. there is no choice to make. he just does.

there are lots of little instances of this in the text (and in my opinion, two very big ones). when he left with dumbledore at the end of hbp he made sure ron knew to give ginny a sip of the felix felicis. when he checks her dot on the mauraders map he's trying to communicate telepathically that he hopes she's okay. when HRH need into the room of requirement he hilariously yells after her as she runs into battle "and then you go back in! you have to go back in!"

the big ones in my opinion are these: after dumbledore died and he realized he was now enemy no.1, harry wasn't taking any chances. instead of leaving any doubt or question, he ends it for real. this is not a pretend break up. he doesn't give ginny a chance to say i'll wait for you or leave anything open ended. its over. for real. because he can't stand the thought of her being hurt/used/killed because of him.

the other big one is the final battle, harry is moments (literal seconds) away from ending voldemort for good but a killing curse comes within inches of ginny and he changes direction. i honest to god am not sure people understand me when i say HE CHANGES DIRECTION. from a narrative perspective this is insane. this is seven books of antagonism, this is the darkest wizard of all time, this is the neither can live while the other survives, this is the conflict of harry's entire life about to be resolved and he. changes. direction. like can you believe that?? can you??????

that kind of feeling to me is so all consuming and so life altering and so deeply intrinsic to who he is and how loves. it gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

so when i realized i wanted to write a harry/ginny fic a little over a year ago, obviously it had to be a ginny is in trouble, let's burn the entire world down to keep her safe kind of a thing. there really aren't any other options for me when trying to weave them back together again. because ginny doesn't know this about him, not yet at least, and i'm a masochist so why not have her find out in the saddest, angstiest, most conflict-ridden way possible.

[ramblings-from-the-ether]

Bloodsoaked Closure (How to break Zora the fanfic concept)

(This rambling was, well, a series of quickfired ideas made into theory of how to narratively reduce a partially reformed Zora into an angsty state while delivering closure to her past. I hope this concept while raw still makes sense narratively even if it was a braindump hastily reformatted.)

So, a few hours ago some friends of mine discussed an idea using a scene from Lackadaisy (minor spoilers) where an injured character, after a particularly rough turn of events, reveals stuff about their backstory while another listens and drives; But instead we have Ramsey in a car with his (now partially reformed) former hunter spilling things no one knew she was bottling up, her past.

And to finish the prompt, I quote the friend who started the conversation with what he thought of it (we'll come back to this later):

"Ohhh NOOO the imagery of Zora breaking down and singing her extended Great At Cowboy lyrics in the backseat of Ramsey's car"

Concept

(Ignoring specifics of the plot before the climax/final battle because this concept is all meant to build up to a specific denouement)

Now the question is, what can cause her to break like this? Massacring and killing a general antagonist would only excite her or give closure to an arc or chapter at most.

But to draw blood emotionally, that must be struck at a major part of Zora's character, where it hurts.

This is also a suggestion to a plot.

Thankfully, we have one:

Her life growing up alone and pushed to violence, because her parents were mercilessly murdered by Banzai Blasters in the name of their greed, probably thanks to weaponized epithets.

Why this specifically?

Through this, we can present an antagonist and conflict, the Banzai Blaster who ordered the killing so many years ago and is now probably of Baron or Senpai rank at least.

We may also identify an oppposing philosophy to Zora's (Epithets give an unfair advantage + skill & merit hold true value).

One that says "Epithets are power, your own usage of them further proves this. Your rejection of potential conquests simply wastes all you have done for nothing / is a disappointment to your parents who too wanted wealth from their careers" (implying greed makes the world turn and essentially Ayn Rand's self interest concept. Also implies that Zora's parents weren't living, talking humans with feelings, hopes and dreams and a moral compass. And that Zora is no better than himself even with her life's goal for vengeance.)

Thus we then set the conflict as a fight between 2* morally terrible monsters.

*Yet we can (through plot or cliche anime flashbacks /s) show that Zora has improved herself (insert previous redemption/reformation arcs) and while still very flawed, is a better person than the Banzai Blaster who just indulges in pervasions without ever thinking of making up for it.

(Even Zora's canon cause is semi righteous).

And when the dust settles

When Zora finally emerges victorious and puts her nemesis down, still heavily scarred both physically and mentally from what this plot forces against her. She is not out of the woods yet.

She keeps doubts of her own moral standing (reformed yet still killing others and all that).

As well as the dread of making closure of The Tragedy that has essentially defined her life (further with her reform implying she has left Bliss Ocean's ideology, thus detaching another pillar of her view of reality and identity).

Which leaves her back to her character development's ground zero: being just a girl who lost her parents, all alone once again.

In the back of a car, Zora might just let her thoughts loose because why not, she has nothing left that really drives her anymore.

And Ramsey becomes the only 3rd party that knows Zora's backstory to this extent, and just listens (probably he is still somewhat cautious because she is still only partially reformed).

But that is enough for his former hunter.

Her singing her theme might be a way to attempt to hold on to her sense of purpose and identity, but as she reaches into the part about her past she only makes the dreadful realisation (closure and loss of identity mentioned above in 'When the dust settles') and loses her composure, her wolfish grin and bloodtinted way of speech. What more justifies her bottling up? So she spills.

Yet for Zora's path ahead she is yet to realise that, the best thing about being at rock bottom or square one, is that you can only go forwards.

Closure allows growing beyond one's past, and hopefully, she accepts this.

[askgoyuu]

Totally ignoring canon because - what the fuck was that? Poor Gojo is getting his corpse puppeteered like a new suit. This is disrespectful to not only Gojo himself but also to Yuuta, Yuuji (I'm afraid the Fraud MC allegations may come back now) and the narrative and us fans as a whole 😭 😭😭

And the only people that cared for his autonomy and personhood are Yuuji and Yuta - even Shoko seems to gives no care about this - like what?!

you're so right tho 😭

like admittedly, i haven't read the chapter, say i've not caught up with it since like half way through the culling games. but i know what's happening enough to know that shit is fucked.

the fact that that happened is appalling on so many levels. many said that shibuya arc was when jjk peaked, and i will have to agree with them at this point, because as much as i liked to keep an open mind about how the series was after the shibuya incident, it's honestly just getting ridiculous.

my heart aches for satoru on so many levels, and i'm disappointed with the other characters as well. just the thought, that he almost expected, hoped, that someone would be against the idea, and then no one was. not even mf shoko. so he just accepted it like that. satoru is so unbelievably kind, putting everyone else before himself.

him realising that no one saw him as anything else as a weapon??? a tool??? that hurts me so so much.

as the MC yuuji should have been present. given his character, i could imagine he'd been against the plan immediately. because remember this page?

satoru was FIRST and FOREMOST his teacher. yuuji wouldn't have let this happened, that's what i want to and will believe.

i've followed this on twitter, from my fellow goyuu moots and also seen some korean and japanese fans be sick, and man. they all raise some valid points. how satoru's body is being defiled like that, how his character has been butchered to something unrecognizeable, and again, i have to agree!

the satoru that's been in the recent chapters isn't the one we met in the beginning of the series.

legit. ended up crying on friday, 45min before work started, because my heart just broke all over again for satoru.

he died, thinking and feeling like he's nothing but a monster and a tool. how there's no one who'd understood him or saw him as a human.

and it hurts me.

it really does.

fuck canon.

and now the bish is on a break?? when i catch you gege---

[banditomojado]

Roberto's Spooky Season Binge 2024: Bones and All

I'm back and boy am I pumped about this one! HORROR ROMANCE! Ahh!!! Yes, I'm a sucker for all things bloody and romantic, so when I stumbled upon Bones and All I was very excited. Cannibalism and angsty young romance? Any lover of the macabre would tell you they go together like peanut butter and jelly, and this is simply one of the latest in a long line of stories that plays with these themes. My spoiler thoughts and review below!

Okay so I have to make one thing clear before we move forward. I'm VERY partial to the themes and narratives in this movie. This is the kind of fucked up tragic romance that I fell in love with in high school, and even now at 30 years old I can't get enough of them. That should give you somewhat of an idea of what kind of vibe this movie is going for. It's VERY emo, idealistic, raw, and disturbing in the ways Stephanie Meyer could only hope to aspire to when she wrote Twilight. So if that's not your cup of tea, this movie will likely not change your tune on YA horror romance. But for fans of the genre, rejoice! This is a superb addition to the canon!

The film is beautifully shot, capturing the sprawling country roads in a dreamy haze throughout this road trip flick. The cinematography works along with the subtle writing and delicate performance to give an almost poetic feel to the whole film. And my god, the performances. Taylor Russell is SCARY good in this as Maren, so good in fact that she even manages to outshine her always magnetic co star Timothy Chamalet, who himself puts on a fantastic performance as Lee, her love interest. Their chemistry is key to this films success. Without the deep connection and genuine love, the story becomes too grotesque to stomach. Make no mistake about it, this is a disturbing movie, but it seldom feels that way due to its sweet protagonists and their growing love for one another in their desperate search for meaning.

Maren is a cannibal who is abandoned by her father shortly after her 18th birthday. The viewers introduction to her, um, condition is shocking, but before we're given much time to react, Maren is almost immediately left alone to fend for herself. All she has is some petty cash, her birth certificate, and a tape recorded by her dad telling her the truth about her condition. Themes of self hate and a desperate search for meaning are nothing new to the YA romance genre, and the correlations between cannibalism and youthful strife draw themselves. The metaphors at work here are nothing new, but where this film succeeds is in its self identity, it's core relationship. And that's where Lee comes in

It's easy to understand why Maren and Lee are almost immediately drawn to one another. Their both sad, loner drifters who hate themselves because of their cannibalism and ,like, they're both attractive kids. So duh. But the film also makes it easy to root for them. Their conversations are crooked and awkward, but also dreamy and dripping with longing. Again, one must highlight the insane chemistry between the two actors. Seeing Lee break down shaking in tears after admitting to eating his father while Maren takes his sobbing face and kisses him deeply until he stopped shaking was intense and beautiful. And don't get me started on my favorite quote of the whole movie:

For me, the climax of the film was Maren finally meeting her mother. I'll be brief on this because I don't want to spoil much, but holy shit that was INTENSE. Seeing what became of her mother, who is also a cannibal, was GUT-WRENCHING and also easily the scariest scene in the whole movie, at least to me. This was Maren's last hope of trying to find answers from those who were supposed to love and care for her, and what she found was horror and a life not worth living. But instead of having this kill the hope inside of her, it only strengthens her relationship with Lee, who she soon comes to realize is the only person in her life who has ever treated her like a person and not a monster.

And now for my least favorite part of the film, Sully, the creepy old stalker cannibal who attempts to befriend Maren early on. Obviously insidious, but confusingly jolly, it's hard to get a good read on old Sully when we're first introduced to him. As a viewer, your immediately suspicious of an old white man trying to lure an 18 year old girl into a house, but I don't know, maybe something about the performance makes it hard to see what the film is trying to go for with his character. He is terrifying, though, and him calling Maren a cunt towards the end I guess firmly cements this confused looking old cannibal as a vile creep. Perhaps he's better fleshed out in the novel this film is based on, but unfortunately I feel like his character distracts from the otherwise great drama. Having him be the reason this tale becomes a tragedy is somewhat underwhelming, but it ultimately serves it's purpose. Of course Maren and Lee couldn't live happily ever after, so having Lee be fatally wounded during Sully's attack on Meran seemed like a logical catalyst for the tragedy of this tragic love story. And I guess I shouldn't be too upset, because holy shit what a way to end it. "I want you to eat me Maren. Bones and all." THIS IS CINEMA.

Final Rating: 9.3

This kind of horror romance is definitely an acquired taste and some may find it cheesy. But for me, this movie hit on nearly every level. Beautiful mixed with grotesque visuals, great writing, and picture perfect performances solidify this movie for me as a can't miss and is a perfect choice for a spooky date night!

[dawllick]

Stranger Things Thoughts

No one asked but after my annual rewatch wanted to share some season 4 musingssss

Okay so first:

I really hope that Nancy ends the series single. I don’t see the writers back tracking to make Robin x Nancy thing (which I’m for and find delightful and hilarious due to their canon dynamic), and I don’t want her to end up with Steve or Jonathan at this point. Jonathan wants something different, and I feel Steve has this idolized version of Nancy. Her character is one I could see still seeking mystery and adventure in the future, if they kill Nancy in S5 I would be genuinely shocked. I truly love the idea of her ending the series single and on good terms with everyone, mainly due to her age. Going through college I saw way too many people that have been dating or haven’t been single since middle school, and it’s be cool to end the show with a character was a focal point in the romance aspect for a good chunk of it single.

Kiddos:

Dustin: I literally just want him to live. I don’t think they’d kill any of the kiddos but like….Max is on thin ice soooooooooo

Lucas: For the other kiddos to give him more love? Season four he gave and gave and gave and gave. Lucas needs more like…appreciation lol

Max: omg girl I need you to live or something pls

Mike: …..they won’t kill him and nothing bad has happened to him. Like no, the worst thing to occur to him was when Billy knocked him out in S3 and he was fine a few mins later. He’ll be fine.

El: my sweet baby angel, I want you to tear a whole dimension apart. I’d love to see her do smth new with her powers…idk what but like if she’s back to full steam I think she deserves some new tricks as a treat

Will: best boy for last, I am still holding out on Will getting powers. He was in the upside down for a week, AND had Vecna in his mind for like…..a few days and managed to still get a message to the gang. Plus! I wanna see more sibling interactions between him an El, I am more interested in that than whatever shipping is going on between the children which I can’t get behind bc….they’re like…13? 14? They’re babies. ALSO I hope Will comes out to his friends as well, but also I hope they don’t introduce some random new character for him to get a crush on. I’m not huge on Will x Mike mainly bc I’m not a huge Mike fan, and again….shipping….

Adults:

Joyce: this woman and her children need a fucking vacation, Joyce should get a gun and like….idk what else Joyce is a great woman and she and Hopper deserve a long nap

Hopper: I hope he has like something go right for him this season. Like have a super good time with something and it not be a direct part of story development let the man have emotional rest. Also get him some lasagna and bread sticks.

Enzo: pls give me more Enzo, he’s a lil daddy also seems like a…character who has more to add to the story

Murray: He’s my baby girl, he has a black belt, he speaks Russian, my father and I both adore him, he’s a bitch, he’s got the biggest heart, he flew out to check on Joyce after she lost the call, he went with her to Russia to get Hopper back, and the funniest guy on there (to me). IF he dies, after making me watch Bob, Aleksi, and my beloved Eddie die I actually become a hater. He is the one character whose death I don’t think I could handle, well maybe Steve but yeah

Teens:

Robin: let her function, like a bit better around Vicky, I still need her to be a disaster otherwise however. Also live, she’s sweet and should not be separated from Steve

Nancy: see above

Jonathan: I hope he and Nancy amicably break up, and be better friends because of it. They do work well together. If they stay together I’ll be surprised because they had some issues in season 3, and then more obvious ones in season 4. Narrative wise they are headed for break up city, I’ll be shocked if they make it.

Argyle: I need him to live, he’s the gentle giant, the Shaggy and scooby, he’s precious.

Steve:

…

Where do I start? Okay SO Steve is babygirl, and I’m over here thinking it would be neat for Steve to work on himself S5. I don’t see Nancy x Steve working again because 1: I’m not a fan of a character ending a relationship and jumping to another. I didn’t like how quickly Jonathan and Nancy got together in S2. 2., Steve had no romantic interest in Nancy in season 3. Literally none, it felt weird to have him pining over her in season 4. Steve has been used to subvert quite a few tropes already, and has become a very kind character because of it. He spends time with Dustin and gives him advice, he went to the basketball game and cheered for Lucas when everyone else was doing something else (Max gets a pass but she wasn’t there tho), constantly put himself between the kids and danger, accepted Robin for who she was when she came out to him, and ran back into danger for Nancy and Jonathan when they first fought the demogorgan.

I think Steve is my favorite character in this entire show, there are aspects of him that I relate to. He’s not the smartest guy there, but he tries, he wants to help his friends. He wants to protect, he wants to love and be loved so bad. Steve looks out for others so much, and I want to see him have a happy ending, but like…a satisfying happy ending. Idk how else to put it.

Hopes/Theories:

Eddie is still alive, because I’m delulu but also it would be fun to have him come back in season 5. He doesn’t have to come back as a bad guy, but I’m not opposed to him coming back with suddenly no memory and to be used against the kiddos and teens as a friend they left to die in the upside down (again), annnnndddd maybe having some more monstrous features about him…that go away as he remembers his friends and humanity. Anyways I really would love to see him again because also…like Eddie / Robin / Steve / Nancy as a group working together had such chemistry oh my God. Like they all had such fun chemistry together, and Jonathan is def better suited to be with Will/Mike/Argyle. Good dynamics.

Will should get powers and rip Vecna apart or at least help El in doing so. See above for more reasons why. But also Vecna put Will through a lot. Will needs some closure from the trauma he had.

Alternatively: Max gets powers from where El brought her back, being connected to Vecna who tortured her mental health, and being “blank” at the end of season 4. Her mind it’s own sensory deprivation tank, and during her “coma” maybe she develops something.

Thats all I got and if you read this, I’m so sorry this is just rambles and I’m not even going to tag it other than long post lol

[likeadevils]

OKAY LETS GO

no body no crime: it just gets me SO HYPED. and i think it achieves a few things. 1) it's obviously not about taylor, in a way that gets you very excited. like we're taking a victory lap folks 2) it establishes that this album is leaning hard into country and folk 3) its embracing an older version of herself, but with a twist. country again, but in a way that she's never done and wouldn't have worked from a teenager

dorothea: i feel like when you surround this song with the heaviness that comes later in the album, it comes off as immature and quiant. which, i understand the artistic merit in that, but slipping it earlier in the tracklist both lets it shine and gives us something to build off of. also, i wanted to put the continuing narrative on evermore in the same slots as the continuing narrative on folklore, and cardigan was track two-- the two players in each that were left behind while their counterpart fucked off outta town

cowboy like me: we have our first slow song! textually and metatextuality, you've been hooked, now it's time to settle in for the long haul. also practically, i just couldn't put another slower song towards in the back half, it was turning into a bit of a sludge

gold rush: practically, we need something with a beat to break up two slow songs. narratively, it's building off the more "this wasn't supposed to happen to me" elements of cowboy like me and leading to the commitment issues of...

champagne problems: cmon. also, i like how so many of the track fives are about being left behind, and this one is about leaving

right where you left me: speaking of that leaving vs being left, it's the answering perspective to champagne problems. it also accomplishes the task of track sixes: pulling you out of the melancholy that the track fives leave you with while still giving you tools to process it

happiness: it starts in the same place as right where you left me, being completely unable to move on, and then it builds into something much more hopeful

tis the damn season: track eight is another continuing story spot-- a summer fling that you thought would never end on folklore, a winter fling that has already ended a million years ago on evermore. this is the placing that i'm most shaky on-- happiness is another song you kinda gotta recover from, and i don't know if ttds quite accomplishes it. it has a slow start but there's a driving beat throughout and it builds to a very shout-y place, so it's giving you space to recover while leaving you on a high, and if it was followed by an upbeat song then i think i'd feel better about it.

tolerate it: this is placed looking ahead at ivy-- cheating is hard to justify, but establishing this feeling of a crushing, inescapable, loveless relationship goes a long way to making it more palatable

ivy: the illicit affairs slot! also builds off tolerate it in a really nice way

coney island: building off the last two tracks, it's the flipped perspective off tolerate it-- looking at a relationship and wondering how it all fell apart without you even noticing. now i'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life -> sorry for not making you my centerfold

closure: mad woman slot! fuck all those sad songs time to be ANGRY

marjorie: epiphany slot. also i think it works better after closure than before it, it's kinda the flip of not getting closure

evermore: betty slot! i know this isn't canonically part of that story, but it just fits so well. where our two main protagonists come together. also it builds off that "there is no closure, you just keep living until you can breathe" theme of the past few songs

it's time to go: do i need to explain this.i feel like this is self-evident

+ long story short: to play off the lakes and the joke of like. long story short, tl;dr, it sucks but it gets better

ok i wasn't going to ask for a breakdown but since you said it was ok, i NEED to know the thought process behind evermore bc omg nbnc being the first track already has me intrigued

OKAY IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG MY PHONE DIED AND I LOST THE WHOLE THING I WILL REBLOG WITH MY FULL THOUGHTS AFTER I GET TO SOME MORE ASKS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING A WHILE

[loorain]

Okay, Not-so-Quick The Last of Us Season Review:

If you want to avoid spoilers for both games, DLC, and the show don't read under the cut.

Firstly as a player of this game since its original debut in 2013, I seriously enjoyed most of the show, even the things that break away from the canon material.

There are a few things I challenge that were changed/not expanded upon:

Firstly, the decision to change the way the infection is spread by omitting the spore system makes sense in some formats (mainly cinematically) but does create some issues setting up for the second game. For example, Dina finds out Ellie is immune when her mask breaks so she offers to share hers back and forth, but Ellie refuses and has to tell her. This is a major point of the game that changes the dynamic of Ellie and Dina's relationship (not to mention Dina's own confession once they're safe), so I wonder how they can make that moment happen without this narrative tool. Not impossible, but it does set up a major issue.

Adding the DLC piece to season one that details Ellie and Riley's relationship was phenomenal, BUT their infection sequence was weak. If the cordycep fungus is triggered into action by sound after being basically on standby, why does the infected in the mall only wake up when Ellie and Riley are there together when Riley was living in the mall for weeks? She would have been making more than enough noise to trigger it awake. I also was just, in general, disappointed with the fight sequence as a whole. They went big on developing the space, but in the DLC the whole event that leads to Ellie and Riley getting bit starts with them being chased through the mall by a bunch of infected and failing to get away when Ellie falls. This brings me to...

I was disappointed about the lack of infected in the show. There are several episodes with no infected whatsoever, and that's fine for episodes like episode 3 (which is completely new lore to the world), but for episodes with Ellie and Joel on the move, it would've been nice to see them actually have to take down the occasional infected here and there. I started to forget the larger issue at hand in some respects, and I understand that of course the game will have more infected to fight or otherwise maneuver around because THAT'S THE CRUX OF THE GAMEPLAY, but I hope in the future they take more liberties with putting them in, especially with the acclaim its gotten, which will hopefully mean HBO throws more money at them.

Now for the finale episode...

While I still overall enjoyed it, it felt rushed. I think the final episode could have easily been two and allowed us to sit in the emotions longer, making the journey of getting Ellie back after discovering the Fireflies' plan more dire and serious. For a longtime fan and player of the game, Joel's sequence was very fun, but I wanted to sit in the action of the fight for longer like you would in say a war film. I also did enjoy the backstory of Anna, but it didn't give everything I thought it would and left me with many more questions. Why was Anna alone in late pregnancy? Where is her partner? Why would her best friend, leader of the Fireflies, not be doing more to protect her friend in this condition? Why was she on the move in the first place, and again WHY ALONE? I'm not sure any of these questions will be answered, which is unfortunate.

Things I LOVED:

I loved the callback to all of the voice actors for the game throughout the show. We got Tommy, Joel, Abby, Marlene (playing her titular character and bringing it full circle), and Ellie (playing Ellie's mother, which was a visceral experience. Seriously, hearing Ellie's voice come out of another person brought so many emotions out of me, I could not process it fast enough.)

I loved the recreation of shots from the game as well as direct rips of lines with no edits to them (I knew we were in for a treat when Sarah and I said "Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs" at the same time). It was such a joy for players to experience again.

I loved the expansion of characters like Sam and Bill and Frank. Bill and Frank's episode solidified this show as its own thing and a competitive, brilliant piece of art. Sam's alterations (aging him down and adding his health issues) meant that his connection to the audience would be that much stronger. Within the first 15 minutes of the episode, I was already bawling my eyes out just from the anticipation of what was to come. I sobbed through the entire episode, and perhaps I still would have if they had not changed a thing, but making him that much more innocent and compromised meant the audience attached themselves to him as a protective role, and when you see his end it hits that much harder.

Overall, I would give season 1 of The Last of Us a 7.5/10. I think the show needed a few more episodes to sit in the events and emotions longer, more infected, and hone down on some of those lore loose strings, especially regarding ones where they deliberately altered something from the game. Bella Ramsey was an absolute powerhouse, and Pedro Pascal created such a bond with them that was so evident in their work together. I already know they are going to win big in the next award season. The supporting cast deserves all the praise as well, all of them were PHENOMENAL and they should all be proud of what they made.

[ghostlight-express]

Y'ALL I JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY RE: GELIDIA AND THE TIME LOOP ULTRA BEAST THING

(And I'm kinda almost completely reworking their character as a result)

Okay so in trying to figure out UB-Ouroboros, even though time loops are a fairly recent trope/narrative device (at least according to the minor research I've done), there are examples of similar things in ancient stories. For example, Prometheus: as punishment for giving fire to human, Prometheus is bound to a rock, and an eagle is sent to eat his liver, which would grow back overnight only to be eaten again the next day. Prometheus is essentially stuck in a time loop!

So! Gelidia could be an analogue of Prometheus, and the UB could be a mix of Zeus and Aion (the latter being a god of time, particularly cycles).

So the UB could be electric/dragon type, and maybe Gelidia was a member of the Ultra Recon Squad but tried to capture this UB in the hopes that it could bring back light to their world. Unfortunately, an Ultra Wormhole opened up and took both of them to the pokemon world.

I kinda want to change what Gelidia's partner pokemon is to a fire type. As funny as it is to just have a shiny Mew, thematically, I think they should have a fire type.

And maybe instead of having landed in Kanto, they actually landed in Area Zero. Maybe to keep just a tinge of humor, their partner pokemon could be an Iron Moth they just kept following them around (which in canon, that pokemon is known to do).

UB-Ouroboros hates Gelidia for trying to capture it, as well as being caught by an Ultra Wormhole and taken to another world, so it puts Gelidia in time loops as an attempt to torture her. Unfortunately, they landed on opposite sides of the world, so it uses all it's energy just focusing on putting Gelidia in time loops and can't prevent Gelidia from breaking out of them. It is slowly but surely attempting to hunt her down to put her in a permanent loop.

Gelidia's short term memory still sucks, but I think I will have it that they do remember bits and pieces of their home world, so they are aware from the start that they're an alien.

They both possessive and generous at the same time. If they buy or are given something, they will despise anyone who tries to take it away; however, if asked for something, there's a good chance they'll let you borrow or keep it (depending on how attached they are to it).

Despite their very sensitive skin & being prone to heat sickness, Gelidia loves to spend time outside in the sun. While part of them yearns for the home they had before, they don't really want to leave this world.

They still enjoy reading romance novels and work as a cashier at Chansey Supply in Mesagoza, but figuring out how they ended up in this world is kinda on the back burner. They are just vibing. *cue that tweet that says "I was put on this earth to do one thing. Luckily I forgot what it was so I can do whatever I want"*

Edit: okay upon further research I may also try to sneak some references to Pandora in Gelidia as well since she was also part of the retribution for Prometheus stealing back fire for humanity (and Pandora is just one of those figures that I'm fond of). Might do this more with Gelidia's design, as Pandora was dressed in a silver gown and veil, although Hermes giving Pandora "lies and crafty speech" and a "deceitful nature" lends itself to Gelidia love for white lies. Plus if you look at pre-Hesiodic myth, Pandora was a giver of gifts, rather than the receiver she's shown as by Hesiod. This duality also lends itself to Gelidia being both possessive generous.

So Gelidia is both Prometheus (the thief who brought a gift to humanity & was punished for it) and Pandora (a controversial figure, known for bring evil to mankind but is not the villain she's often painted to be). Gelidia wished to help her people with a grand gift, only to fail and be sent to another world & punished. I could also put as, she sees herself as Prometheus (as hero unjustly punished) whereas UB-Ourboros sees her as Pandora (bringer of bad things).

Also, unrelated to all that, toying with the idea that rather than being half blind, Gelidia suffers from bouts of temporary blindness due to a rare disease but I'm not 100% sure yet. Idk how to justify it beyond "I felt like it", but the half blind thing also feels just tacked on (which it kinda is, to justify having her hair cover one eye).

[inawickedlittletown]

Queerbaiting and Buddie

(word count: 1,900)

I keep saying that I don’t want to spend any more time on 9-1-1 meta or fic, but the events of this weekend made me open up a document where I had some unfinished meta and in light of the S4 finale airing tonight, I thought I might at least write this: 

“Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ representation. They do so to attract a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion of relationships or characters that appeal to them, while at the same time attempting to avoid alienating other consumers.” 

That is how Wikipedia defines queerbaiting. And I really feel like everyone needs to read that and then read it again and realize that what is happening on 9-1-1 with Buddie is NOT queerbaiting. 

I don’t want to go into the long history of queerbaiting because we would be here all day and anyone that wants to do some research should go and do so. There are a lot of resources out there. Use them. 

But the short of it is this: queerbaiting has a lot more to do with the way a show is promoted, with the way that anyone involved in the show talks about a queer ship, and with the show deliberately scripting scenes that hint at a relationship without any intention of following through. Expectations and wanting a queer ship to go canon and those expectations not being met do not alone equate to it being queerbaiting. 

For any of us that have been around a long time there are a lot of perfect examples and if you compare Buddie to any of them, they are very different. I’ll name a few:

Merlin/Arthur

John Watson/Sherlock

Emma Swan/Regina

Derek/Stiles

Castiel/Dean Winchester (though they did go canon...barely)

Lena/Kara

Buck and Eddie do not fit into that list. Which isn’t to say that someday they could belong there, but I just do not believe that they will even if Buddie never becomes canon. And this all lies in how Buddie as a ship has been treated both on screen and off. I’ll break it down by season. 

S2: 

Eddie is very clearly introduced as a new character, a straight Army veteran with a disabled kid and family drama. He and Buck have immediate chemistry. We can’t deny that, or deny that from that first episode there are immediate sparks. Unintended sparks, but sparks nevertheless. And it is easy to tell that no one on the production team expected that and the story reflects that. 

Yes a foundation for their friendship is formed and yet the season long story focuses on Eddie’s relationship with his estranged wife and Buck is dealing with his own growth after being left by Abby. Their friendship shines and their scenes are great but none of them suggest romance and there are actually a lot of episodes where Buck and Eddie barely interact in S2 aside from in the background or for small work related moments (this mostly happens after Shannon returns). 

S2 does give us the first acknowledgement from the powers that be aka Tim Minear that they know what the fans have seen. This is why the elf scene exists, but it exists in a space where it’s a nod to the fans and not meant to do much more than that. The other moment is during the call with the livestreamer. But S2, places them completely and without question on a strong friendship. 

S3: 

We see a lot more conflict for Buck and Eddie in this season and we see how close and important they are to each other. Those are the two main things. That can be read as friendship easily and it’s a season where both Buck and Eddie deal with their pasts and in one way or another start to get closure while their friendship remains intact. 

Yes there are some scenes that make us squint and go huh, wtf? (I’m looking at you kitchen scene), but narratively we also know that neither of these boys is ready for a real relationship with anyone, let alone each other. But we can bask in how close they are as well as how Christopher fits in into all of it. 

But in S3 we are also introduced to Ana and we see the return of Abby. We also get to see that Buck and Eddie have become closer than ever and that the lawsuit only serves to highlight the importance that they both feel about having the other available to them. I’ll also quickly mention that Eddie Begins worked hard to highlight Buck’s devotion to Eddie. 

S4: 

Without considering the events of the finale (I am avoiding spoilers and know nothing about it or the speculation), we’ve seen Buck and Eddie both grow and get further closure on their past. This season has paralleled them well and their friendship has not faltered, they’re as close as ever. 

The beginning of the season was heavily focused on Buck and we saw him grow as a person and begin to work on himself in a healthy way and we’ve seen Eddie be supportive of that. 

We also have Ana to consider and her relationship with Eddie as well as the return of Taylor and yet the appearance of these women has not changed the Buck and Eddie dynamic. And I find it fascinating that Eddie beginning to date Ana, is the thing that prompted Buck to start dating. The parallels are all over the place but it is the strength of the friendship and the way they care so deeply about each other that remains whether that becomes romantic is still to be seen, but it could still go either way.  

Off-screen by the end of S2, Tim Minear had already addressed Buddie by throwing in that elf scene in a wink/nudge fashion that said “I see you” and in the scene with the girl with the livestream with the comments. During S3 he tweeted about being frustrated by the fans demanding and being hostile and thinking that that would make him more likely to do what they want (I’m paraphrasing what I remember seeing). Tim has never once said that Buddie will happen or shut the door on the ship entirely, but he did say he did not want to engage in conversation about it because he doesn’t want to get into arguments with fans. 

Oliver has always been enthusiastic about Buddie and has even said that he would be perfectly fine with it happening both a while ago and more recently in promo for S4. Conscious of queerbaiting and not wanting to give fans false hope, he has specifically said that he does not know if it will or won’t happen and that he wouldn’t speak on that as he’s not the one making that decision. His support for it happening does not mean he has any sway one way or the other. He’s said this a few times and even wrote a letter to the effect to make it clear to fans that the last thing he wants is to disappoint someone due to something he’s said. 

All in all, it just isn’t a constructive environment for anyone working on the show to interact with fans on this topic because any time that they do, they get attacked by overly enthusiastic buddie shippers that in many ways are making everything worse. 

In all of the interviews from Tim that I’ve seen, he has always been very quick to hint at what was coming up on the show in a way that at times has been misleading on purpose. The number one thing that comes to mind is early in S4 where Buck was said to get a new woman in his life. Tim absolutely made it out to seem like it was a girlfriend while knowing fully well that it was a therapist. This is an excellent example of what promoting and hinting is actually like. No one from this show has done that in regards to Buddie. 

No one has gone out of their way to hint that it may happen in a way that excites the fans. And this is one of my main reasons for knowing that Buddie is not a queerbait. At no point in the life of the show so far has anyone used Buddie in a promotional way to bring in viewers. Because THAT was the whole point of queerbaiting in the past. 

It was a way that some showrunners found to bring in a lot of viewers when they needed to up their numbers in order to show networks they were worth keeping around. Someone figured out that LGBTQ people wanted to see themselves represented so much so that they would tune in to anything that promised an LGBTQ character in some fashion. It was a tactic that worked well in the landscape of tv where there was so little LGBTQ content on mainstream media that anyone wanting it would latch onto anything. And then they just wouldn’t deliver on those relationships or characters. In 2021, that is not the world we live in any longer. 

In today’s tv landscape there is so much to watch and so much to pick from and diversity has grown, it is celebrated. Queer characters are well represented as are queer relationships and queer stories. The times are different. A while back I was listening to a podcast (Bait: a queerbaiting podcast) and something I found interesting was how the hosts both agreed that in today’s tv landscape there is no more real queerbait and that we won’t easily find anything like the ships I mentioned above. I think I agree more with this than I expected to, because I do think that it exists in some spaces, but it definitely isn’t what it used to be. This is a good thing. 

Specific to 9-1-1, this is a show that has that diversity and that isn’t afraid of tackling that diversity and giving us interesting and nuanced perspectives and stories embracing that. We have characters of color, women in positions of power, a F/F relationship, two multi-racial relationships, a disabled character, other queer characters including a M/M relationship. There is so much in this show that embraces diversity and that embraces the reality of what the world looks like. To call it queerbait is to disrespect everything else that this show is and has done and the hard storylines that have been tackled that we would not have seen on tv ten years ago. 

And I get that Buddie would be another breakthrough. It would be a novel way to tell a queer story, and it would be amazing if it were to happen. The set up is there, but it isn’t fully realized, and Buck and Eddie can still be read as just friends if we take off the shipping goggles. But it also isn’t queerbait or likely to become queerbait and people have to stop calling it that. 

What Buddie resembles is one of the many unintended slow burn ships that have frustrated viewers in many forms across fandoms and we just have to go along for the ride and maybe it will happen. Or maybe it won’t. But if we know anything about relationships on tv, it is that a lot of the fun comes from the journey, even if the destination is good too. 

[generalluxun]

I hope it's not untoward to jump in, I think the Adrien angle has been well covered but the OP mentioned other subjects and hey, why not discuss them?

Lila-her transformation is... Meh? Like, she hadn't been fleshed out enough for me to be upset. Her lies were always ridiculous, her plots were always just 'because we said so' and her having 43 mothers 57 identities, and an evil lair? Sure, why not. She's not a person, she's a trope. I figure they wanted to avoid another Chloé mistake(humanizing a hate sink) and just made her so unbelievable that 'Supervillain' is the only thing that fits. The fact that she's a teen girl and only the two teen girls are 'absolute evil' is a whole different discussion worth having bit it isn't this one.

Nathalie- Isn't actually fridged? Fridging involves the injury being for the trauma/motivation of the male/important character. Gabriel cared for like... An episode or two. Her condition is more to play for sympathy in the audience leading up to her 'redemption' and to give her a reason to turn on Gabe. It's 'poor Nathalie, look what she did for love! She's just so loving and good and forget about the fact she hired Cash to kill Sifu and killed Sentibug'

Cat Noir Crush-yeah, they murdered the lovesquare quickfast to get to Adrienette, then retconned in the traumaplot for several episodes. S5 really feels like a final season where they wanted to hit all the points instead of pacing them out. I'm guessing it was written before S6-8 were greenlit. Is it unfortunate? Yes. Elation's Marichat is basically my favorite part of S5.

Zoé- I've talked about her lots. Maybe not on tumblr? She's such a pointless character *who did not have to be* If all they needed was a blonde not-Chloé kinda bratty girl Aurore was *right there* to be tapped in. Unrequited crush on Marinette? Kagami. 'Protection' is basically the perfect setup for a Kagami based 'Adoration'. The *only* narrative purpose for introducing a 4th season half-sister into the Bourgeois family is to *be a catalyst for change* and I don't mean for the whiny rich white man. It even looked like Zoé might... Then they just did nothing with her. She is a character who exists only by what she carves out of other people's stories. The most interesting part of canon!Zoé is how her Wasp-namesake fits how she invaded and took over the hive like a parasite. She could have been so much more.

Cheating- they ignore *both* parties cheating in NYC. Luka drops Marinette off and you can still *see him out the bus window* when she starts gagaing at Adrien. Setting the NYC between seasons was such a weird choice. It was the only time they were both taken. Audrey's infidelity is one of those 'we are ignoring it because we also ignored how Chloé having a sister only a yr younger than her when we already showed her mother leaving a toddler Chloé while not looking pregnant is really weird' it's a hole they're just paving over. Bad? Yeah. Par for the course though.

Weird events-S5 is a mess of 'wouldn't it be cool if' and creator indulgences. Again, if it were a final season it kind of makes sense? I don't *like* a lot of the choices but I can see why you go wild with your finalé material. I expect a big reset for S6. They need to build up a new status quo and somehow break this 'utopia' they created. Utopias may be fun to live in, but they're very boring to watch. There's a reason Star Trek follows the people out on the fringes, not the prople hanging back chilling on post-scarcity earth.

These are all my opinions etc etc. feel free to tag me if you want to split any off to their own discussions.

There does seem to be a trend in the specific sect of this fandom that I circulate where people are only openly against writing decisions that impede Adrien's role in the story. Nothing was ever discussed on my dash about the following:

Lila's bizarre transition from a normal mean teenage girl (a strong narrative antagonist for Marinette's civilian conflict) to a weird Machiavellian criminal

Nathalie's (and Emilie's of course, but I'm saltier about it with Nathalie) role in the story being a prime example of a Fridged Woman

The way Marinette's long-coming crush on Cat Noir was tossed aside after two episodes

Zoe still not bringing anything to the narrative

The weird undiscussed presence of cheating in relationships in this whole show (Adrien apparently cheating on Kagami with Marinette in the NYC special, Audrey Bourgeois blatantly having cheated on her husband)

The increasingly bizarre events in this show that, to me, clearly just exist to make people go :O, not unlike how shows like Riverdale became increasingly bizarre over the course of their run in order to get viewers because they knew they couldn't grab viewers with their mediocre premise alone (Chloe becoming mayor, Felix and Kagami's weird little play, etc)

There's a lot more I wanted to add here, but figured were more my opinion than an actual Thing to be discussed.

Never saw any of this discussed in my circle of Tumblr, but I HAVE seen an absolute ton of discussion surrounding Adrien's screen time, Adrien's family dynamics, Adrien's role as a hero, Adrien's internal struggles, and how the writers apparently don't explore any of those things to their full potential.

And it makes me wonder why people are so fixated on him. Because I'm sorry to say this, but I've personally always seen him as a pretty unremarkable character. Don't misconstrue my words and say I said I don't like him, because I do like him. But I hardly consider him the most interesting character in the show.

My theory? He's just an easy character to fixate on, for the following reasons:

None of his struggles come from his financial, racial/cultural, or other kind of protected background, meaning discussions on his struggles don't have to be "difficult."

The fact that his primary antagonist is his father (as his father, and not as Hawk Moth) means fans can easily take the "I want to adopt him and give him a good home" route of character analysis

He's perpetually positive, meaning it doesn't require a lot of mental energy to like him-- he can just be a lovable "sunshine boy" to people.

On the rare occasion he IS upset, fans become obsessed, because who doesn't love more emotional depth?

When he's positive/nonplussed about something that he morally should be upset at, fans can easily explain it away as a result of his upbringing.

He's cute. There's no way to talk around this. He's got big green eyes and baby cheeks and flippy blond hair and a soft voice and cute habits like scratching his neck when he's nervous. The first three things are traits character designers often employ to get audiences to like their characters. The last two things are examples of things you can do to get people to subconsciously like you irl. This part is just psychology, and it makes me wonder if people would be affected by all the above points if he didn't look the way he does.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing to like Adrien for any of the above reasons. I just want some people to think about their opinions of this show and ask themselves whether they feel as strongly about other writing decisions as they do about the ones that "hurt" Adrien, and, if they don't, why they feel so drawn to Adrien in the first place. Because it's definitely not because the show does him dirtier than everyone else.

[lepidopteragirl]

i think what makes q such an interesting character to me is how karma ALWAYS comes back to him back a thousand times harder for every single thing he does, no matter how hard he tries to do something good.

he runs against wilbur in what he feels like was an undemocratic election because he feels that its unfair? he wins, but is saddled with schlatt who gives him next to no power, treats him like shit and presents himself as a villain in the meta narrative. the butcher army, he tries to bring justice to techno himself for what he did to lmanburg, and fights tooth and nail to do it. his tactics might have been a bit questionable, but did he "deserve" to lose a canon life like that, in such a painful and humiliating way? did he deserve to make his country a target and lose everything he and tubbo had been trying to build? quackity started at the bottom and every single time he tries to claw himself back up he falls even farther, more painfully. he pays for everything he does a thousand times worse.

las nevadas arc is so fun bc he stops trying to be Good, go about his work in a Good way. he hears by any means necessary and takes it alllll the way. he's traumatized and hurt and doing anything he possibly can to finally get a win. and at first, he's succeeding.

but as a viewer, we can see the same patterns coming back, we know his curse is haunting him still, and even as early as the first nevadas streams, we can see how every single fucked up thing he does is going to come back and hit him a thousand times harder. he's almost taunting fate, almost expecting failure come back and hit him again, betting the farm on the chance that he's finally going to break his curse and he'll have the time to be happy, be safe, before what goes around comes around.

and now its coming around.

slime, the only person who he really had left, is dead, directly because of what he did to purpled's ufo. dream has it out for him, and we all know what happens to isolated individuals that dream has it out for, what dream does to countries that he doesn't like. quackity might have done some questionable things in the pursuit of a safe space, but he was 100% percent correct when he said techno would come for nevadas, even before techno really had it out for him personally, and its only a matter of time before techno realizes exactly who was responsible for helping him end up in the prison.

even what happened with karl, which wasn't even really his fault as it stood, quackity's once again getting hit back a thousand times harder now.

and sapnap too. it was interrupted by techno's keyboard, but you could hear the shock, the horror in his voice when dream told sapnap about the torture. its going to come up between them next time they talk. now i believe they can get thru it bc i am high on fiances endgame copium but its going to come around and hit him there too.

i think for me, the ideal ending to quackity's arc here would be sapnap confronting q about the torture, confused about why quackity would do that, maybe they fight, maybe they just part ways.

then cdream shows up to make good on his promise to hurt quackity a hundred times harder than he hurt him. captures him, blows up nevadas maybe, threatens his life. and at the last second sapnap rescues him, kills dream in the heat of the moment, to save quackity, fufill his oath to kill dream if he ever got out. its going to come down to whether sapnap will forgive quackity, or whether he'll forgive dream, and i really hope he forgives quackity. finally being forgiven, the people around him choosing to see what he did and love him anyway, is a very fitting way to close out a story that has been haunted by revenge and karma coming back harder and harder i think.