#Plus I just like exploring these guys’ dynamics within my story

[sketchingstars03]

do Dream and Blue compete for title of best uncle when it comes to Ink’s kids. this is very important, I must know how goofy these two get.

Oh, goodness

Well, Dream does find himself getting a bit jealous whenever Splatter talks about how cool Blue is. She does view him as the coolest among her uncles (because Blue truly is that cool 😎). Whenever that jealousy happens, Dream sort of, jumps at the chance to show that “he can be a cool uncle too!�� more frequently, which leads to some occasional shenanigans and silly moments of course.

“See? I can shoot my arrows very long distances and with precise aim! That’s cool right?” Very Hello Fellow Kids of him.

He pretends he’s not jealous.

He’s not good at hiding it.

Though he holds no malice or frustration towards Blue or Splatter for this. Blue is one of his closest friends, and him and Splatter are family. He would never be mad at them for something so frivolous as jealousy over the title of “Coolest Uncle”.

Blue does bring up how he’s the “coolest uncle” sometimes to playfully tease Dream (and Cross if he’s there). He wears the title with honour, it is truly a mark of prestige 😌. One could expect nothing less from The Magnificent Sans after all!! Not many can be as cool as he is (though his family, both multiversal and in Underswap, comes quite close!).

With all that being said, the idea of Blue and Dream deciding to compete one day to determine who truly is the best and coolest uncle out of the two is VERY entertaining and silly to think about. Maybe Ink helps to oversee it and organize some challenges they need to complete (he wants in on the fun lmao). Stuff like, who can bake the best cheesecake (Splatter’s favourite food)? If this story was a TV show I feel like this would make for a fun filler episode, lol! At the end of the day though, they’re both the best uncles in Splatter’s eyes! Being “cool” isn’t everything after all, they both contribute equally to Splatter’s life, and she wouldn’t replace them for the world!

[butchvamp]

i'm working my way through the final companion quests and i finished Bellara's last night. i feel like my criticism of her story is the same, broader critique i've already discussed which is that she's never really given any time or space to reckon with the truth of the elven gods, she's never allowed any real sympathy or a crisis of faith or even just a genuine conversation about having to literally kill her gods that she's spent her entire life studying... this quest almost gets there, but it's once again... hindered by racism.

i would have loved this quest otherwise, in general Bellara is one of my favorite companions and her character is one of the strongest in the game. plus i like a good sibling dynamic, and i loved her scenes with Cyrian and even the final funeral procession. but the context they're in is frustrating. we don't need to teach Bellara the dangers of pursuing elven history, we already know, she already knew even before this, and now the game has completely demonized the Evanuris beyond a doubt and even blamed Bellara for it herself. we don't need Bellara to "learn her lesson." it's redundant and racist, especially the final choice!

this choice (Destroy the Archive or Preserve It) should NOT be up to Rook. this is when faction and companion approval could have come into play, but unfortunately the reputation system in this game is basically nonfunctional. if it did actually matter, then maybe if Rook has high reputation with the Veil Jumpers, Bellara could ask their opinion, but otherwise, why would she leave the fate of a priceless link to elven history up to Just Some Guy? especially if Rook isn't even elven!

Dalish culture is still valuable, it's worth respect and worth preserving regardless of the Evanuris. this confrontation with Anaris should have made her even more determined to do exactly that, to embrace and protect her culture and explore the truth of their history within the Archive, to share it with her people and keep them safe, rather than just blindly destroy it. this could have been her big emotional catharsis moment, with Rook there to encourage her but otherwise let her be the one to make her own choice and ultimately stop Anaris and save the Archive. maybe Cyrian does always die, but he's her link to the Archive that strengthens her resolve regardless. and depending on how Rook approached it (insisted that she would have to kill him versus encouraging her to try and get through to him) it could result in Bellara either opening up and sharing more about the Archive or hardening and closing herself and the Archive off completely. the funeral procession could change depending as well.

i don't know how the funeral procession changes currently, if you destroy the Archive, but if you save it, i do really appreciate those final scenes with her. we even get actual acknowledgment of the Exalted Marches and the reality of the current elves and their enslavement. Bellara finally gets to express herself and participate in her culture without having to feel guilty or apologize. i just wish she was given this respect beyond this single scene, and that she had more of a voice overall and could challenge both Harding and even Solas, and that the game didn't have to punish her before we got here.

[18jewels]

Hello sweets,

I just wanna say that, along with my adoration and absolute dedication to Jelsa (Jack frost X Elsa), I share a safe space for Blackice (Pitch Black X Jack Frost), Hijack (Hiccup Haddock X Jack frost), Fear (Pitch Black X Elsa) ships as well. The order of preference kinda decreases as it goes though, if I'm being brutally honest.

Whether it's a romantic or platonic ship, that is secondary. For me, it's the dimensions and dynamics which I care for the most. Which is boosted by the fact that this is all a "fan's work". I can explore and navigate their interactions with the freedom of "just doing it for fun" and also learning how to write and design various characters. And this can be implemented when creating my ocs, and their worlds and stories as immersive as possible, too.

Sorry for the small rant post. Kinda wanna yap about idk, "after effect for an individual after spending some time in some 'x' Fandom".

As an official all time tumblr newbie and lurker, who has only been signing in using Google accounts until this year, I've been in the ROTBTD X Frozen Fandom for most of my time here. (I MEAN 7 years is no joke, unless it's considered one, idk).

And I just have to say, in a way it is a good thing, you know, to atleast know a tiny bit of each Fandom, EXCLUDING social demographics, and just floating around. Just enjoying for the sake of it while being interested in the way their respective stories unfold within the audience and devotees of the Fandom's ships and crossovers. It's all fine. You need not involve too deep and still enjoy the delicacy. Each to their own.

And then there're people like me. Who just have the feral urge to know about everything even from the most basic interactions, between NPCs even. Every nook and cranny has a hidden treasure and a new concept ready to be discovered. The concepts that mend your reality and answer questions, while allowing you to stay in own pace of discovering, genuinely speaking to your soul. Instead of just enjoying the end product, the meal brought to the table, I need to know whether the kitchen chefs have made a deal with the vendor for early access to fresh portables, or are they just making it out of magic (it's a metaphore guys, I'm not THAT crazy). You know, that sorta thing. Plus I love to design and make compositions, colour palettes, shape languages, based on these factors alone, I'm afraid. The factors that I've come up with and the lore that was unearthed and was documented under the aid and guidance offered by the Fandom, and it's talented and dedicated members, to make the end product as best as I could and to do the whole concept of "fan's work" justice. So thank you so much creators for being an inspiration by just being you. Love you all.

✨️💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞✨️

✨️🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔✨️

[artofmyraid]

Hi hi! So my sibling and I got into a conversation about in stars and time, their super mentally drained starting school again, balancing life stuff and with the general exestinatlisim of in stars and time, sooooo...

... Good chance we will not continue for a long while, if ever.

(From here on, this is about to turn into a decently long ramble about in stars and time (spoiler free) , so yeah!)

So, on a related note, this line of thought brought up an interesting question. They were wondering why this game was harder on them mentally to play than omori. They just weren't sure why.

I mean, the thought process does make sense, omori leans waaaay more into the horror aspect , its placed in real life, and focuses on the extreme topics more than in stars and time does, so they weren't sure why in stars and time has been harder to play. (Despite this, they do absolutely love the game, even if they may not finish it)

Which got me thinking cause yeah, in stars and time emotionally destroyed me way more than omori did(/postive)

A decent amount of the especially heavy trigger warnings are optional for in stars and time while their required for omori. (Which is a part of why it hit harder, I think)

This led me to the conclusion that I had realized at the very start of the game, with the very first few conversations with the party members. It's the same moment I realized this game was going to be different from others. For me, at least

Which was that these characters are absurdly human. Their unique despite fitting into some classic tropes.

I don't typically have favorite characters, I'm often fairly neutral. Sure, I'll have guys I'll like more than others, but even that's rare for me. Similarly, I don't ever hate characters either.

And that's because their just that. These fictional guys are characters to me. Subconsciously, at least they don't really come off as human?

Which isn't really that big of a deal it's hard to write characters that come off as human, because humans naturally don't make much sense in general we're a complicated mess of personality, motivations and generally contradicting traits so yeah fair enough. It's really hard to articulate a persons being into writing, and even if you feel you have that, a lot of it can just get lost in translation?

Plus, even if they dont come off as human, they can still be fun and interesting characters for one reason or another, its not really a mark against other stories, but a positive tally for in stars and times writing.

ANYWAY! Got a little off track there. The reason in stars and time has become so special to me is the characters.

Omori is great, the story is good, and the characters are likable. It explores its topics well, in general. it's a good solid game. Don't mistake this as me being against the game, Omori is cool, I'd been interested in the game for years before it came out.

But the characters from in stars and time are just... written really well, the dialogue is fun and enjoyable, you get a good understanding of the dynamics right off the bat, and all the options and responses are fun. And you just learn so much about everyone.

I like to put it like this, most characters from the media I find I struggle to name their personality traits, maybe I'm just experiencing poor media, or im just clueless, but I find that it's really difficult to name personality traits, or summarize who they are outside of their stories or "roles".

And literally, within the first conversations with the party members, including siffrin, I just didn't have that problem... I loved them all instantly I could name traits despite knowing little about them, I even clocked a favorite character instantly and I can name my favorite characters from all media on one hand, even then I often don't decide a characters my favorite until reaaally experiencing the media, I might not even decide their my favorite because of the media provided!

And that's not really the fault of the media itself or even the writer of it, but in my eyes, it really is a testament to just how good in stars and time is. Loveable cast of characters that make the story hit super hard, even in the small moments.

So anyway, yeah, in stars and time is an incredible game that means a lot to me. The characters are just... exemplary, and they really make the story. Which just makes this game stand out to me when compared with the other things I enjoy.

Maybe it is just me that feels like that. Who knows! Either way, it's the reason that in stars and time has come to be so special to me. My reason why this game hits so hard when similar games haven't managed to hit the mark in quite the same way.

Goodness, I wonder if this made any sense to anyone other than me, I do not usually put my long ass personal ramblings in text posts. But my sibling seemed interested in me posting this, so i decided why not, lol.

TL;DR In stars and time has incredible writing, the characters are so human in ways that I just can't find in other media. The game has such a huge emotional impact, even more than other games, that have a bigger focus on similar topics or lean more into the horror of this kinda stuff.

Also, if you manage to stumble upon this and haven't played in stars and time, I'd REALLY suggest giving it a try. The anniversary is soon, too! (Make sure to read the games warnings, though)

[spaceorphan18]

Honestly, I agree that this attitude started with Twilight. Those books actually did glorify some really fucked up behavior, but that's not why a lot of people didn't like them. But they pretended it was so that their hate looked noble rather than petty (or problematic, for those who only hated it because teen girls liked it). Then that carried over to other fandoms, and any ship someone disliked became "abusive," regardless of whether or not it actually was. It's too bad, because it (cont)

(cont) makes real discussions of abusive behavior in fiction more difficult to have, since people are going to assume that the all criticisms are baseless hate. What people miss in these discussions is that real abuse involves a power dynamic that is just missing in all the Glee ships. Plus Klaine is a bad choice for people complaining about problematic depictions of romance, because all their unhealthy behaviors were treated as unhealthy within the text

Okay, wow, there's kind of a lot to unpack here. I'm not even sure where to start.

I don't know how much I want to get into Twilight discourse, but those books are both trash and relevant. As someone who was an adult when they came out and have no emotional ties to them, and as someone who works in the book industry, I can say that they are poorly written books with, yes, a lot of problematic elements within them.

I do also know that those books were well read and adored by a lot of young women. Yes - I do think that there may be a few of them who may have unrealistic expectations of relationships or will endure unhealthy relationship habits in an attempt to aspire to be like the couple in Twilight. But - I kind of wonder if, more so, the one thing Twilight does do pretty well is capture what it's like to be a young, angsty teenage girl. And many times I have to wonder if that's what people latch onto more so than the questionable romance?

That all aside, which probably deserves a much longer conversation, there's a problem with internet culture in that things are often broken down into black or white - right or wrong. And are you standing on the correct line of these discussions. The problem is real people, the people making the art, are flawed, and inherently, no matter how fantastical, art is flawed, too. And that's okay?

I mean - fiction would be rather boring if everyone is perfect within the pages. Fiction and art isn't about being on the correct end of a discussion about about exploring such complicated situations and not looking at a situation that is black or white.

Now - there are things that end up at one end or the other of a spectrum. If you have a story - that is well constructed - but is vehemently racist and misogynistic, etc, yeah, it's important to call that out. If you have something that's terrible written but upholds every 'correct' value - then it's fine to call it boring or bad art. The thing is - most things end up in the gray area in the middle. And that's where discussion and conversation can really begin.

The problem begins, though, when it's less about the art and more about ships becoming like sports team. If I'm on the blue team and my opponent is on the red team - what can I do to discredit the red team's values, etc, etc. And unfortunately internet discourse often strays into this kind of thinking - which instead of having a nuanced conversation descends into a glorified pissing match of who was right.

Anyway, this is such a big topic that it probably deserves, like, books of study written to it - so this is all I'm going to say for today. But as always - guys, feel free to keep the conversations going! :)

[solace-saphylos]

Next generation(s), go!

Wyll starts off piss poor and newly moved in to San Myshuno. I immediately set him onto the Agent career path, but he had to do more than just that, right? He was an expert dancer, a social butterfly like no other, but he had no hobbies besides making friends. It just so happened that the celebrity awards in Del Sol Valley were happening soon, so I sent him off to enjoy them...

To be frank I as a player didn't know how it worked. All the famous people walked in, while he hung out and made friends with fellow fans outside. On the way in, on the way out, he saw the world superstar Judith Ward and tried to make introductions. It didn't go through. How could it? He was a nobody, and she was a movie star!

A little miffed about the mechanics I kept him hanging around the area, exploring mildly. He admired the star tiles on the street. When I found that Judith's plaque was right there, next to some guy I had him look at both, for that good roleplay pondering.

Then the COOLEST THING HAPPENED?? Judith appeared in a less formal dress, only to come and cry at the guy's star tile. She was inconsolable. Wyll wanted to be the hero, since she seemed so alone <3 I spammed her with the fan interactions I could do, just to remind her that she was loved as a celebrity. This made her happy, and she CHOSE TO TALK TO WYLL despite him not being able to do any social interactions back due to the fame disparity. The love story was set in motion...

I did spend a lot of time trying to meet her again and make a real introduction go through, but it didn't happen. During that period New Years happened, and Wyll had great chemistry with Lilith Vatore, flirting with her. I think she's pretty, so I figured she could be the soulmate later? Well, Wyll was leveling his chess skill in his apartment, on triple speed, and all of a sudden Lilith superspeeds in like the vampire she is and asks Wyll to be her boyfriend. I shit you not, but as a player that was a fucking jumpscare! After laughing my adrenaline off I accepted it.

Throughout this time Wyll effortlessly completed his Friend of the World aspiration. After a second celebrity award with no luck (although Judith Turned up in funny clothes, so that's a plus) I decided to go on the offensive. After scouting out her house, unable to enter the clebrity mansion, I saw through a window... SHE HAD A BABY?? My way of leaving ageing turned off has made a lot of these twilight zone infants that just clog up the world, so I'm debating undoing the curse soon...

Right when I found this out, Wyll got promoted to a secret agent. I made up a roleplay scenario when famous Judith asked for a very secret babysitter to help with her baby, and Wyll volunteered within the agency since he had feelings for the sad lonely movie star. I joined the households in time for love day! That date went from 0 to 100, having Judith pregnant on the first woohoo they ever did. She got more than a babysitter, she got a boy-toy and a second baby!

It was strange to play out a domestic family scene in her huge mansion. Wyll struggled to do everything he could, while walking miles from place to place. Judith helped with her own fatherless baby, but cared less for Karlach, ensuring the roleplay kept Wyll in a constantly stressed state. Their relationship went from fiery passion to arguments and insults. Soon enough, Judith had tired of her toy and broke up the entire arrangement.

Once again Wyll was completely broke, now a single father with a toddler in a new shitty apartment (you know the cheapest one). He hadn't gone to work once while living with Judith, but now he returned to his career out of necessity. He got a permissive family dynamic with Karlach, letting the toddler run free and make a mess all around the apartment. He didn't have time for much else.

Remember Lilith? She had remained Wyll's girlfriend while he went MIA and returned with a baby. I entertained her for a while, but I just couldn't handle the way she used vampire superspeed. Wyll broke up with her, weighed with guilt from cheating on her so bad. Their relationship remained complicated.

A relationship that wasn't as complicated? When Karlach had her birthday party in a public park, Lae'zel called Wyll and asked to help with her grandchild? Was she coming to the park? I accepted. Once I went home I found out the mother who Wyll was still very much on bad terms with had come over to stay over! It was thrilling, a bit nerve wracking, and at the end of the adventure Wyll and Lae'zel had made up ; v ;

It was a new new years, and I had to find a new soulmate for Wyll. I had purchased the observant reward trait, meaning he sees all traits as soon as he introduces himself to someone, therefore knowing their compatibility. He decided on a bartender named Miho who was cheerful and artistic. Their first date was at the art museum. Wyll can make anyone fall in love with him, princely as he is~

Karlach's childhood was rambunctious as expected. It was honestly hard to keep Karlach from doing her homework? The will to be good in sim children is really strong. I got a lot of tantrums out of trying to win at videogames while not liking videogames. I want her emotional control to be trait-worthy in the red! Barbarian times! Another detail about Karlach is that I really didn't care to make more than one baby with Judith, so the first try genderwise what I took. She's trans :) I wish I could change her pronouns before she became a teen, but in the end I mostly dressed her in girly sporty clothes. The important thing is that she won her childhood aspiration!

With a good engagement to Miho, a bunch of savings saved up, I moved to a big plot in Henford on Bagley to build my generational home. I already had plans for Shadowheart to enjoy the lands. But first I got a surprise brother! Miho was a single mom, and I neglected to ask about that before moving in together. Karlach was a teen, and Shigo was a child, so free little brother? Well...

So here's the thing. I decided to lift the curse of no ageing when Karlach became a teen. Next time I loaded my game, Shigo had a sudden birthday, presumably from being locked in child-stasis throughout both Lae'zels and Wylls life. He became a teenager, he became an adult, all in one go? So the little brother now became an elder brother? I have no idea how this happened, but I think it was his now active sim being adjusted to how many days he had actually been alive. Strangely this didn't affect Miho at all.

Speaking of, I made Miho be a stay at home artist and mom, painting while Wyll kept being a superspy. Each paycheck i kept renovating the house. Wyll still got to keep a secret spy closet where he had his spy computer, and some artefacts of Judith Ward from when they were in love. It's behind the bookcase door, obviously.

I went with Karlach to highschool to be a menace, complete my aspirations for the challenge, and nearly got expelled from trying to fight with a janitor. Surprisingly, her grades were a steady C despite skipping class and never doing homework. Being captain of the football team was won just in time before she became an adult.

Marcel Price finally died. He had kept showing up unannounced until the last of his days. Wyll and Karlach comforted each other through the loss of a father and grandfather. It was bittersweet. Wyll was an elder now, and I got to see the staggering how-many-days-lived instead of until-next-stage. Wyll was my first from cradle to the grave sim. Still, he kept everything up, going to work, he was workaholic after all, and being a genuine joy to everyone in the household.

Even Shigo. The extra child, aged too soon, had gotten a role in life. The mean uncle who hates kids, who will be saddled with Shadowheart. In order to keep it roleplay-like, I made Shigo join the Crime career for real. He's also paranoid, so he lives in the Sharran basement. It's pretty funny to have both a super spy and a rising criminal crook live in the same household!

Karlach's comedy career flowed easily thanks to the training she did as a teen. Timely enough, as soon as she reached the comedy branch she also got a fear of a dead end job. I quit that and took her out to find a baby mama! In the end meeting people normally didn't work out, same stupid randos at every lot, so I picked Ulrike Faust from the Free Spirits household. Dream-sim Karlach showed up, stargazed, flirted, became girlfriends, and tried for baby in one night. The pregnant hot goth gf soon moved into the generational home.

Shadowheart was born in the hospital, a lovely baby girl on the first try. I got emotional as I easily furnished a cute nursery with no worries about money, remembering how hard it had been for Wyll and Karlach where I made them start over. Wyll's death was approaching, and I made sure to have lovely times, lovely holidays, just lovely days all around.

Until I failed to kill Karlach. Right after the baby joy, I threw a surprise birthday party to make Karlach an adult, and I swear, she was hysterical for hours on end, but she refused to die of laughter!! I think she made too many other people laugh instead of laughing herself?? I felt stressed, since this death type would be nigh impossible if Karlach was mourning Wyll's passing. After three more days of trying, the newborn Shadowheart grown into an infant, I gave up.

I don't have the heart to burn Karlach to death in the Sims. The opposite will do.. Winter arrives just on time. I send her outside into the cold. I lock the door. I make her look at the rabbit-statue in the garden, one of the few decorations she had as a toddler. It feels symbolic. I let her cloudgaze. She's inspired. It feels poetic. She's cold.

Death takes her. Only Wyll can rush outside to cry over her passing. The very moment she's done being reaped into a gravestone, Wyll GOES TO WORK, AAAAAAAAA, MY CRYING RUINED OVER LAUGHTER.

He's not retiring. Both Miho and Ulrike got a fear of death. As the resident elder both can talk to him. Ulrike "decides" to live her life to the fullest and leaves Shadowheart in her late girlfriend Karlach's home, moving back in with her roommate in the Free Spirit household. Miho also hits old age, so for a moment it's two kind grandparents and an indifferent uncle caring for the little baby.

The full of winter passed. Remember me being stressed about Wyll dying of old age? Well, the more time went, the worse I suspected him to be glitched to live forever. As spring rolled around I made him and Miho try an elder's-lover's-suicide, only for him to live and Miho to die? He pleaded, and she got away. I was wondering if the active trait he had gained had something to do with it, so I got a re-traiting potion.

BOOM! The moment he drinks it (after having sex in the shower) he's ready to go of old age. Miho was already out of the bathroom, and Wyll's fallen body blocks the door. Nobody can plead. At least he died happy? I will make Miho follow him out of overexertion soon, all to leave little Shadowheart alone with Shigo...

This got really long, but these two generations really stuck together through thick and thin, just like canon Wyll and Karlach <3

So I was surprised that there hasn't been a Baldur's Gate Sims 4 Legacy Challenge made yet, so I made one. This only includes the BG3 companions and custom characters. You're welcome. Let me know if I forget a pack.

Required packs: Get to Work, Realm of Magic, Strangerville, Snowy Escape, High School Years, Cottage Living, Get Famous, Seasons, Get Together, Cats and Dogs, Discover University, Growing Together, Spa Day, City Living, and Romantic Garden Stuff (optional)

Generation 1: Laezel

Socially Awkward, Genius, Active

Start as an Alien; you are not allowed to disguise yourself

Complete the BodyBuilder aspiration

Reach max Fitness skill

Reach level 10 of the Military career, either branch

Become Woohoo Partners with a sim and achieve Best Friend status without any romance bar

Have at least one Science baby with your best friend (No Try for Baby or Adoption)

Generation 2: Wyll

Self-assured, Proper, Good

Complete the Social Butterfly childhood aspiration

Complete the Friend of the World aspiration

Complete the Diamond Agent career track

Reach max Charisma and Dance skills

Have a negative relationship with Lae'zel and leave the house as a Young Adult

Have one child with an Evil, Mean, or Jealous sim, who will be Karlach.

Achieve soulmate status with another sim and stay with them until you die.

Generation 3: Karlach

Goofball, Hot-headed, Self-assured

Complete the Rambunctious Scamp childhood aspiration

Join the Football Team and become Football Captain

Complete the Joke Star aspiration

You must reach the Comedian branch as a Young Adult, but quit for the Manual Laborer part-time job until your death

You must have at least one child with a friend or lover in your household

Die as an Adult having completed all requirements

Generation 4: Shadowheart

Gloomy, Noncommittal, Snob

Be raised by a sim that is not your surviving parent. You are not allowed to interact with your original parent until you become a Young Adult.

Complete Friend of the Animals aspiration

Reach level 3 in the Criminal career, and then max out the Detective career

Own at least one barn and one chicken coop

Have at least one child

Optional: Have your child through the Wishing Well

Generation 5: Halsin

Love the Outdoors, Romantic, Animal Enthusiast

Become a Master Llamacorn Scout

Complete the Serial Romantic aspiration

Have at least 5 children with all different sims, one of them a spellcaster (Gale)

Own at least two barns, one chicken coop, and one garden plot, including Shadowheart’s barn and coop

Generation 6: Gale

Ambitious, Bookworm, Good

Must be born a spellcaster

Complete the Creative Genius or Whiz Kid Childhood Aspiration

Join the Chess team as a Teen and become Chess Team Captain

Become an A Student in Grade School and High School

Go to the Magic Realm as a teenager and train with a spellcaster. Have a romantic relationship and break up with that spellcaster as a Young Adult.

After the breakup, perform the Rite of Dissolution. (RP that this was forced.)

Complete a University degree

Max out the Professor career track and have at least one non-spellcaster child with a different sim

Optional: Become a Spellcaster again after completing your studies and reach Virtuoso rank before your death

Generation 7: Astarion

Paranoid, Kleptomaniac, Unflirty

Complete the Slumber Party Animal childhood aspiration

Join the Drama Club and become a Junior Artiste as a Teen

Join the Law career track and reach level 3

Be turned into a vampire by Straud as a Young Adult and move into his household

Seduce 10 sims and lure them to Straud’s mansion, turning at least 5 of them into vampires. You can only control Straud to turn sims; otherwise, you must primarily control Astarion. You cannot have a job and can only leave the mansion to pursue victims as long as Straud lives.

Make at least 3 friends

Kill Straud in your lifetime and take over his mansion

Achieve soulmate status with a non-vampire

Max out Vampire Lore skill

Have at least one child

Cure yourself of vampirism OR turn your soulmate into a vampire

Generation 8: Minthara

Self-absorbed, Evil, Ambitious

Can be a vampire or human, but must identify as a woman

Finish the Mind and Body Childhood Aspiration

Join the Cheer Captain activity as a teen

Complete the Leader of the Pack aspiration

Only women can be members

Reach level 10 of the Business career

Have at least 5 enemies

Generation 9: Dark Urge

Erratic, High-Maintenance, Gloomy

Complete the Public Enemy aspiration, then the Friend of the World aspiration

Max out Mischief and Wellness skills

Make 5 enemies, then repair all the relationships to Friendship level

Reach level 10 of any career

Have at least 1 child

Generation 10: Tav the Bard

Cheerful, Good, Creative

Complete the Artistic Prodigy Childhood Aspiration

Complete a University degree

Complete the Bestselling Author Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Acting career

Max out Guitar (Lute) skill

Write 9 novels that correspond with each previous generation

[radiosandrecordings]

Something I really like in the interpersonal dynamics of TMA is the portrayal of ex’s. There are a few mentions scattered throughout the statements but I wanna talk specifically about Jon and Georgie, and Tim and Sasha.

Jon and Georgie. Oh boy, where do I even start here. I have so many feelings about their relationship in general so it’s kind of difficult to untangle how I feel about them as a whole and the role they serve within the whole show’s examination of dynamics from their actual former romantic relationship. But, along with TimSasha, I think the thing I like about it is how little it’s brought up? I think it’s possibly only mentioned once, in 106, with Melanie telling Basira about it. At that stage we’d known Georgie for 26 episodes, and had Jon living with her, and they never mention it. I mean, we only get glimpses of their conversation on tape, maybe they did, but we don’t know for certain. The important thing is our experience as an audience and how they’re portrayed to us. 

They have this extremely fraught and complicated dynamic and it’s my favourite in the whole show, because each believes themselves to be right in the actions they’re taking, because they each are very stubborn and have these deep-seated mindsets, plus Georgie is working with imperfect information about what exactly is happening in Jon’s life. And it would be so easy, expected even for a lesser show, to have this culminate in a conflict where one of them yells “This is exactly why we broke up!” or “This is just like you, you’ve always been like this” or “This is just like (x y z time)!”. 

But that never happens! I don’t think we ever get any references to what they were like as a couple. We just have to take their dynamic as it is, because whatever they were like in the past is something they’ve put behind them. It ended on bad terms, but for regular Young Adult Break-Up reasons. They’re adults now, they have new problems like Being Framed For Murder, and The Apocalypse. And it’s just really refreshing to see them deal with new problems and not stale ones from the past that they’ve buried. 

This extends to how Martin interacts with Georgie as well. When they first meet, Georgie is aware that Jon is in love with him, and Martin clearly knows they were staying together, if not that they used to be together from him calling her “Jon’s Georgie”. And yet they conflict for how the other treats Jon, not because of any dating based tension, especially surprising considering Martin has a whole list of people he’s been jealous of in regards to Jon. Which means it’s allowed to become a trait which, while not good, never leads to any actual conflict. I really like that because that would just feel out of place in the narrative, to have all this massive complicated web of dynamics and grievances going on and then have “You dated the guy I like 10ish years ago, and that’s why I hate you” as one of them. It would feel a little immature in a story about people closing in on 30 if it was allowed to grow beyond something brought up in minor scenes as flavour text and become a  whole dynamic definer, especially in a show where each dynamic is supposed to be a specific type of exploration of relationships.  

The same could be said of Jon and Melanie. The two famously don’t get on, finding any reason really to go for each other’s throats a lot of the time, even when it can be taken more literally as ‘scalpel to the shoulder’. I’ve made jokes about this scenario’s hilarity before, but in actual fact I’m glad that there’s never anything made of “The girl who hates me stole my girlfriend”. Because Georgie doesn’t belong to either of them, she’s not a pawn in any of their fights. She’s a woman who can make her own decisions and form opinions independent from who she’s dating. 

And then there’s Tim and Sasha. Something they were so chill about, we, the audience, didn’t know about it for 162 episodes. It’s a lovely little scene really, it tells us so little but also so much. They have an “Ill-advised hook-up” and Tim is convinced something more will come of it. Sasha laughs and tells him that she doesn’t agree. And then the conversation continues on. He doesn’t push her on it, doesn’t even ask her why, just lets it go. From Sasha referencing that she’s “pretty sure we already established it’s a ‘wont they” it might hint that this is a conversation they’d had before, but honestly from the light tone I want to give Tim the benefit of the doubt and say Sasha is just referencing the general fallout of their fling that made it, to Tim’s own description, ‘ill-advised’. And unlike Jongeorgie, after this breakup, Tim and Sasha remain close friends and co-workers. Tim continues to care about Sasha even when it’s clear she doesn’t have any romantic interest in him and no longer any sexual interest, because he genuinely cares about her as his friend. He jokes around with her and curses out both Jon and Elias and they’re just good to each other. They platonically care so much that Sasha is literally willing to risk her life to save Tim when he doesn’t notice Prentiss in episode 39. 

And again, jealousy never comes into play. When the Not!Sasha starts going out with ‘Tom’ - Literally one letter away from his own name! - It would be so easy to have some of Tim’s anger in season two manifest in jealousy about that. About wondering what this guy has that he clearly doesn’t when Sasha has moved on to someone else. But that never happens, at least as it’s presented to the audience, because Tim is genuinely a nice guy and respects her decisions (Aside from the fact that isn’t Sasha but y’know. He thinks it is). 

Overall it’s just very, very good to see a show where characters are allowed to have (had) romantic/sexual relationships but these not define their dynamics or for this to extend to how other character’s perceive them. A lot of media will often introduce the ‘evil ex’ because for some reason I feel like people tend to forget sometimes that whatever happens later, we date people because in the first place there was something there that we liked? And not every breakup has to ruin our ability to see that. It’s also maybe a little reflective of the fact that every relationship I analysed there involved at least one queer person? (Well, every person I mentioned is queer except canon Sasha. Sorry love) Because just from my experience and my friend groups that’s how it can often be. It’s just another way in which TMA has my favourite character dynamic writing and really knows how to give it’s characters complex connections without letting them fall into stereotypes. 

[grittyreadsfic]

hello my friends, one singular person asked for this weeks ago so i’m here with my most unhinged rec list yet: tk and nolan.

now, this one was hard to reign in, so i really didn’t. this pairing had maybe 230 fics in the tag when i first started reading hockey fic, and it’s now over 900, and i’ve read far too many of them, and that makes it so hard to parse it down. so i just...didn't!

so with that said, please enjoy so you want to get into tknp: a beginners guide to a classic case of idiots to lovers

i told myself that i couldn’t rec an author’s entire body of work but then i remembered this is my blog and i do what i want, so i did some consolidating. here’s a list of the quintessential authors for this pairing, you can start at any of their profiles and pick any of their fics at random, and it’ll be one of the best ones for the pairing, hands down.

therainbowsedge: i’d start with the summer camp fic, or the sex toys one, as both beautifully capture the true idiots to lovers nature of this pairing, but just top tier writing all around

manybumblebees: the wedding fic is so tender and port stanley is a classic, but literally pick any single fic and you’ll have a perfect tknp fic. i’m not kidding

jamesvanriemsdick: their tknp fics in their series are some of the hidden gems of this pairing (the tk heartbeat fic makes me LOSE it) but the delaware fic or the seattle fic…..there’s really something for every mood

catchascatchcan: start with era of gods because i could write literal essays on how it’s some of the best fantasy worldbuilding i’ve ever read, but then just read everything else on their account, including non tknp fics. you won’t regret it

hackysack: ao3 user hackysack has written one of two timeloop fics that i absolutely adore, and i thought about just calling that one out in particular, but all of their work deserves the attention

canary: nothing to prove was the first tknp fic i ever read and i was immediately hooked. all of their fics are a good starting place for the pairing, and just really give you a feeling for the pairing

and now, for the fic recs!

to be, despite it all by smudgedfreckles

summary: or, nolan patrick’s gender thesis, by travis konecny.

why i love it: there’s not a lot ofo nonbinary characters in media, even in fic, but this fic’s treatment of nolan and their path to figuring out their gender just feels so real and made me feel so seen. tk’s characterization is also just top notch, and it’s just a super sweet story about two people who love each other

last ones standing by makeit_takeit

summary: If you’re committed to finding your future spouse, reads the last line of the ad, and are ready to look at yourself and your love life in a whole new way, apply now.

At the bottom of the ad there’s a link, and Travis finds his finger hovering over the screen, lip still caught between his teeth.

“I mean,” he says very reasonably, speaking out loud to his empty apartment like some sort of possibly-crazy person, “just applying doesn’t mean anything. Maybe I just fill it out, and see what happens. It’s not like I’m really gonna get picked to be on TV, come on.”

He snorts out loud, just to show his apartment he hasn’t lost his grip on reality or anything; he fully understands how ludicrous that would be.

Then he clicks the link anyway, because yolo or whatever.

why i love it: what part of a married at first sight fic doesn’t make you want to immediately dive right in? the concept is fun, the execution is absolutely flawless, and it captures their dynamic so well while letting it develop naturally

motivation by connectknee

summary: Kevin knows when to back off, the article said. He knows just when to shut up and leave Patty alone, something Travis has never known how to do.

why i love it: the thing i love about this pairing is that tk is loud and in your face, and nolan’s more reserved, a little quieter, a little harder to read. this fic does a really great job of exploring how tk could feel like maybe he’s just a bit too much and is one of my favorites in terms of miscommunication

a tenderness grows by rusesdeguerre

summary: Nolan wouldn’t say that landing a job as the Philadelphia Flyers’ psychotic and probably clinically insane mascot was a childhood dream of his. Maybe tangentially: playing pond hockey in –30°C weather and pretending to be Sidney Crosby is practically a rite of passage when you grow up in Manitoba. That, and experiencing the distinct displeasure that is thousands of mosquitoes sucking your blood out when your father drags you on a father-son camping trip into the backwoods of the northern Canadian Prairies.

why i love it: this was the first fic i recced on this blog, and i stand by that decision. a fic where nolan is not only not a hockey player, but is in fact the person in the gritty suit? absolutely perfect, and so charming from start to finish

meet me at my window by springsteen

summary: Travis has lived in Philadelphia for a few years now, long enough to know there isn’t a major city in America where superheroes don’t destroy an entire city block trying to save humanity or whatever. He can deal with all the super-shit, but Travis did not sign up for getting woken up from a deep sleep because some fucker’s trying to break in through his window.

(5 times the super-villain known as "The Cat" breaks into Travis's apartment, plus 1 time Travis invites him in.)

why i love it: there’s a lot of things to love here, but the concept is just absolutely one of my all time favorite aus ever. it’s fun and charming and the perfect glimpse into a world where heroes and villains exist, and what it’s like just to be a run of the mill kind of guy existing in it. tk and nolan’s back and forth in this make it so engaging, and it’s such a top tier fic

body’s in trouble by cloudsandpassingevents

summary: “Oh, sorry,” someone says. “Didn’t know anyone else was here.”

Nolan freezes, then turns around very slowly. When he looks up, Nicklas fucking Backstrom is standing behind him in a hoodie and baggy sweats, holding the biggest bag of Swedish Fish Nolan’s ever seen in his life in one hand.

“Uh,” Nolan says around the pop tart between his teeth. “Yeah.”

What the fuck, his brain helpfully supplies.

why i love it: from nolan’s inner voice, to the way the author explores all the dynamics within the team, to the way they write the unexpected but actually, it kind of makes sense friendship between nolan and backstrom, is just absolutely fantastic. there’s a lot of moments that circle back and build on each other in a way that really just makes it super compelling

rhizomatic foundations by lighthousetowers

summary: Twenty days after he moves in with Kevin Hayes, twenty days – three months, five months, depending on how you look at it – after not talking to TK, TK shows up at the front door with a plant the size of a basketball in his hands.

TK grins. "Patty, meet Reginald." He lifts up the plant. "Reggie, meet Patty. He's going to be your new - caretaker."

"What the fuck," says Nolan, not moving a single muscle.

Or: That Nolan can hear the plant talk might as well just happen.

why i love it: this is probably my favorite magical realism fic just about ever. it’s fun and charming and a little weird, but in the best possible way. there’s such a wonderful narrative in it, and lighthousetowers always has such beautiful writing, and it really shines in this one. the dialogue and nolan’s characterization are also part of what set it apart for me as one of the best tknp fics

in the dark of any town by mengetpegged

summary: If the voice has an accent at all, it’s a flat prairie Canadian, with none of G’s French-Canadian softness at the edges. But mostly, the accent is just ‘pissed off,’ which TK believes is a default setting for ghosts.

“Who are you?” TK asks, and he doesn’t like how strained his voice sounds, doesn’t like the tinge of anxiety tinting the rise of his question. He tries to regulate his breaths—in through his nose, hold, out through his mouth—but it feels like he’s not getting enough oxygen, which makes him panic even more.

“Someone with a fucking migraine, dickhead,” the voice says. “So keep the lights off and shut the hell up.”

(or: Nolan Patrick, Hotel X Ghost)

why i love it: i’m usually not super into ghost fics, both the spooky kind and the nonspooky kind, but this one is a rare exception. it’s charming and fun and tender and it’s got some of, in my opinion, the best characterization of tk and nolan in any fic. the way the author writes their dynamic and their dialogue is just unmatched

lets_make_this_moment_a_crime.mp3 by honeydripping

summary: Travis meets Nolan at a Midtown show in 2002 when he punches Nolan in the face. He can’t help it, “Like A Movie” just goes off.

But he does feel guilty about it.

or

TK and Patty work at a bakery together. They go to punk shows to pass the time.

why i love it: idk if anyone asked for an early 2000s emo/punk/alt au but wow! i sure am glad it exists! really the vibes of this fic, as silly as that sounds, are absolutely unmatched. i love the structure with the music, the development of their relationship, and just everything about how the author wrote the setting (there’s this whole thing with tattoos in it that makes me feel absolutely insane)

you’re ripped at every edge by you’re a masterpiece by conformityissuicide

summary: “Ugh, look, this yoga teacher has it out for me, man. And I can’t go back there without at least having some of the basics down. I’ve got to win this battle.”

“Yoga isn’t really something you win at,” Hartsy starts.

Travis cuts him off, “You can win at anything if you try hard enough.”

+++

OR that time Nolan's a grumpy yoga teacher and Travis realizes he wants to bone him and prove him wrong about Travis' non-existent yoga abilities.

why i love it: listen, if you want tknp, at least one of them has to be an idiot, and this tk absolutely captures the obliviousness i love to see in him in fic. it’s such a great characterization of them both and such a great concept (and even better execution)

you form a terror pack (and i’m aware of that) by dalmatienne

summary: “Can I help you?” TK snarks, both eyebrows hiked up in a way that has earned her many elbow checks to the ribs.

The chick looks down her nose, long thick eyelashes fluttering. Red-bitten lips part to blow a florid pink bubble and TK can smell the chemical sweetness when it pops.

“Yeah,” she says in this monotonous voice that seems almost at odds with her bubble gum and neon skates. She jams her stopper into TK’s thigh again, literally inches away from where it’d really hurt. “Tie ‘em.”

why i love it: to be honest, i generally don’t read rule 63 within hrpf, but this one is just absolutely knocks it out of the park. the concept (i fuckin’ love roller derby), the characterization of nolan, the pacing, the rituals, the tone of the entire fic, it’s just all around a perfect read from start to finish

thrills and grills by bitter_leaf

summary: Travis can’t even begin to wonder what he did in a previous life to incur the wrath of this fucking cook. Travis thinks he’s a nice person, doesn’t conduct himself in any way that could be considered particularly dickish, and unless this guy has some sort of issue with hockey bros or people from the boonies, he’s not sure how he started shit without even knowing.

__

Patty has a vendetta. Travis just wants to eat his eggs in peace.

why i love it: honestly this is the enemies to lovers fic i’ve been waiting for. i remember seeing the reddit post when it first went viral and thinking it would make such a great fic premise, so stumbling across this one was just so wonderful. super engaging and fun and so hilarious to read!

nothing but room for you by fightingfuries

summary: When his agent tells him he’s going to be traded to the Devils, Nolan isn't sure how he feels about it. Might be easier if he was going somewhere farther away, like California or fucking Florida. Somewhere sun-soaked and foreign. Someplace so different from Philadelphia that he can forget he ever played for the Flyers, forget everything that happened there.

Or Nolan fucks up, gets traded, gets his shit together and falls in love. Not necessarily in that order.

why i love it: i cannot stress to you how much i love trade fics, and this one is one of my absolute favorites. the trade to the devils-so close to philly, still, but there’s more to distance than physical miles-was such an excellent choice and the split timeline adds so much to the narrative, and the emotions are real and messy and complicated in the best way

a couple of runaways (i’m glad you stayed) by overturnedgoal

summary: The person in the video he’s watching is super annoying. Some obnoxious holier than thou granola type who keeps talking about their environmental impact as if they aren’t driving a gas guzzler around, but the basic idea of living in a van, driving around wherever, camping all the time, just going hiking and swimming and seeing the whole country? It sounds pretty dope, honestly.

why i love it: i like to watch tours and conversions of vans/buses into tiny homes as a self soothing method, and this fic has the same impact that watching those do. it’s such a fun concept, and it’s so fuckin’ soft, and the dialouge between tk and nolan is just *chef’s kiss*

all candor and style in the crook of your smile by p3trichor

summary: It’s a photo of Nolan on his knees with someones’ fingers in his mouth, lips slick with spit. Travis flicks by it almost too fast and he’s only got seconds to decide if he wants to screenshot it, if he wants to just give up the ghost right then and there. Except Travis’s phone freezes momentarily and then the group refreshes, sidcros87, Bert59 and 14 others took a screenshot!

It’s gone before Travis even has time to process it and he already wasted his replay of the day on a stupid video of a stupid fish that Hayes caught.

Can you send me that screenshot Travis texts Bertuzzi before he can overthink it, his dick already stirring in his sweats. Tuzzi sends back the cry-laughing emoji and then the screenshot before Travis can be too annoyed at him.

Or, Nolan is being weird about Travis's break-up and TK is maybe not straight.

why i love it: i genuinely don’t think i have words for the amount i love this fic. it took me forever to actually read, but it’s absolutely one of my favorite fics, and it’s an absolutely riot to read. carter’s meddling and the presence of tyler bertuzzi both make it extra fun, in my humble opinion

[mittensmorgul]

Since the finale aired, I’ve been yammering on about how it would’ve only worked as a finale to s2, and now that I’m actually rewatching s2, I stand by that even more staunchly. The finale doesn’t work in a post-s2 supernatural universe.

This is the version of Dean we saw in the finale-- the one whose only mission in life was to Save Sammy, to help him get his revenge and allow him to go out and live a Normal Safe Life pretending that hunting and monsters don’t exist. The one who just wanted some pie, to drive his car, and had no real connections beyond Sam in the world outside of Bobby. Even Dean’s characterization in the finale is this far younger Dean who’d never allowed himself to crack open and truly understand love. It would take me years to plow through everything I’ve ever written about him as a character and his long struggle to emotional maturity we saw evolve over the next 13 years beyond this episode, but the tl;dr will always be “this s2 Dean is the same as the Dean in the finale.”

The goal of s2 was saving SAM from his “destiny,” too. In this era of the show, Dean didn’t have a “destiny” the same way Sam did. The ONLY thing that mattered was freeing Sam from “becoming evil,” and being manipulated into terrible things. What Dean wanted, what he was “destined” for by the narrative was irrelevant, because all of his choices and emotional burdens were tied only to saving Sam. To freeing Sam so he could safely return to his “normal life.” Go back to college, have a family and the white picket fence life.

This was before Dean truly began fighting for HIMSELF. Which only really and truly began after he sells his soul to resurrect Sam. That’s when Dean truly begins fighting for himself. Sure, he’s angry with John during s2 for trading his own life for Dean’s, for putting the burden of “if you can’t save Sam, you’ll have to kill him” on his shoulders with his dying breath, but Dean is still fighting against John’s authority and the complicated tangle of feelings of his own childhood and not actually coming to terms with his own wants and needs and wishes out beyond that yet. He’s still unwittingly confronting the “destiny” John had set up for him, and hasn’t moved beyond that yet. It’s only trading his soul for Sam’s that finally brings Dean into the cosmic narrative that will fuel his introspection and personal growth for the rest of the series.

And out beyond that point, his entire character arc explodes into orbit.

Dean’s entire character arc in s3 is confronting this very basic fact: he doesn’t deserve to have been sacrificed just to save Sam. He doesn’t deserve that burden, and he does deserve to live. This is the realization he comes to before eventually being dragged to Hell and then rescued by an angel, who literally tells him, “you don’t think you deserve to be saved” in the aftermath of that. From that point on, we have TWELVE SEASONS of Dean struggling with what he “deserves” versus what is “fate” and “destiny” and eventually confronting what he WANTS if he truly could choose his own destiny.

Plus, out beyond that point, he has Cas. And nothing changes Dean, pushes him to grow and understand himself, and accept himself-- all of himself, from the good to the horrific-- than the pure and unflinching acceptance of Castiel. Cas never looked at him and said “you are evil,” or “you are worthless.” (well, they’ve both said some pretty awful stuff to each other over the years, but there was either brainwashing or other deeper issues pushing those things on them, and they have ALWAYS eventually come back to one another, and the awful stuff was dealt with). Point is, Dean and Cas both began running these parallel arcs of duty versus desire, and for Dean, the duty was always framed around “taking care of Sam” versus pursuing any sort of ambition or goals for himself. They would fight for this for most of the rest of the series, until eventually the goal for ALL of them would be about discovering what they would want for themselves.

The show explicitly dealt with this, repeatedly, over later seasons, asking all of the characters the big questions: is this what you would choose for yourself? What WOULD you choose for yourself if you could?

And then they made the narrative of the final season, of the final Big Bad, the fact that they had NEVER had real freedom, and that their entire lives (and the entire history of not only this universe but every parallel universe) had been Chuck’s Puppet Theater, and true free will had been a lie all this time. Pushing all of the characters to confront their own choices and understand what about who they were as people was separate from what Chuck pushed them into choosing and doing all these years. The main thing that Dean (and also Cas, and to the extent she was included in the narrative this was Eileen’s issue as well) were being pushed to come to terms with what really was real, and were their feelings and choices their own or imposed on them for the furtherance of Chuck’s story.

At the end of the road, finally free and out from under Chuck’s control, they knew what was real. For Sam and Eileen, they had chosen each other. Cas had chosen Dean, but Dean hadn’t yet had a chance to reply, but anyone with two eyes and a brain knows what he would’ve said in return. It’s what Cas stopped him from saying even back in Purgatory in 15.09. And yet, for some reason Sam and Dean forgot all of that, as if none of it had ever even really happened at all, and we went right back to who they were right after they finally defeated the YED, before we even knew Azazel had a name, let alone the fact that the ultimate boogeyman of their entire lives to that point had been nothing more than a fanatic pawn in a much larger destiny for both of them.

The end of s2 was the last time Dean sacrificing himself so Sam could have a normal life, where Dean really felt there was nothing more for himself than fulfilling his father’s orders to save Sammy, even feels remotely plausible. It’s the last time we can feel like Dean might find peace and contentment in a Heaven where John is nearby to be proud of him, and where Dean would actually feel like that validation was even relevant to his own life.

And that finally brings me back to s2, where that was actually addressed through John’s self-sacrifice to save Dean, to serve Dean up to the narrative and provide a stage for this self-transformative journey INTO being a version of John himself. Only... Dean DOESN’T choose that. He fights to save Sam at all costs, even when it seems clear that the right answer would probably be to KILL Sam instead. When not only the ghost of John Winchester plaguing Dean’s mind would make him doubt his own drive to save his brother, but the John Winchester Insert Character of s2-- Gordon Walker-- basically put Dean’s own doubts out there in plain words in 2.10:

GORDON: I'm surprised at you, Dean. Getting all emotional. I'd heard you were more of a professional than this. Look, let's say you were cruising around in that car of yours and, uh, you had little Hitler riding shotgun, right? Back when he was just some goofy, crappy artist. But you knew what he was going to turn into someday. You'd take him out, no questions, am I right?

DEAN: That's not Sam.

GORDON: Yes it is. You just can't see it yet. Dean, it's his destiny. Look, I'm sympathetic. He's your brother, you love the guy. This has got to hurt like hell for you. But here's the thing. It would wreck him. But your dad? If it really came right down to it, he would have had the stones to do the right thing here. But you're telling me you're not the man he is?

This, the episode where Dean finally confesses John’s final orders to Sam, where Dean has decided that saving Sam is all that matters, even when circumstance and everyone else is practically screaming at him that this could all be over if only he gave in-- be it his own self-sacrifice OR killing Sam. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, the universe doesn’t care (and neither does Chuck... especially at this point... and the proof of that is Sam’s s15 nightmares where one of Chuck’s alternate universe endings for Sam and Dean was Sam actually going Darkside on demon blood and killing Dean... any iteration of the old drama, Chuck has explored all potential endings-- oh, except the ending where TFW gets to just be happy and live... that’s the one ending they never get and the only one they deserved in the end).

also from 2.10... loads of chat about “destiny” and one of Dean’s first “we should just lay all this shit down and take a vacation” moments when he suggests they go to Amsterdam and enjoy some of the not-coffee-coffee-shops, which Sam counters by doubling down on the fact that Dean has a destiny in all this as much as Sam does:

SAM: Well, come on, dude, you're a hunter. I mean, it's what you were meant to do.

DEAN: Ah, I wasn't meant to do anything, I don't believe in that destiny crap.

SAM: You mean you don't believe in my destiny.

DEAN: Yeah, whatever.

SAM: Look, Dean, I've tried running before. I mean, I ran all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me.

DEAN: I can try.

And that’s it, right there. This is the “neither of you can try for a normal life outside of the other while the other is still alive.” This is Sam pinning a destiny to Dean that’s just as inescapable within Chuck’s narrative as Sam’s demon blood and psychic powers. 

This is the core essence of Chuck’s story about them. The sibling dynamic that Chuck failed to free himself from, and that Sam and Dean failed to free themselves from after Chuck’s demise in 15.19.

Destiny. One must die so the other can live.

And considering the next 13 seasons of the show and the long and emotionally grueling character arcs Sam and Dean proceed through where they truly confront the core of who they are as people-- as individuals outside of their duty and destiny-- the finale ceases to make any sense outside of Chuck’s narrative for them. If 15.20 really happened exactly as we saw it on screen, then Chuck still won.

And they had to loop Sam and Dean all the way back to where they were emotionally at the end of s2 in order to make it seem plausible. Which, for those of us who actually care about what they endured after s2, makes the finale entirely implausible as a whole.

[yusuke96universe]

Turles and Lord Slug Team Up Pitch

Introduction

Hello guys, after watching MasakoX's What If Turles Turned Good parts 1 and 2 [which act more like an origin story for him within the frameworks of modern Dragon Ball similar to Super Broly] I thought I would share an old headcanon origin I had for another Dragon Ball Z movie Villain, Lord Slug and how it could make for an excellent part in this What If story that has captured my imagination. Also, it opens up a lot of potential avenues for ood DBZ storytelling.

I know he's considered one of the most uninteresting Villains in the franchise since he is essentially King Piccolo from space, but rushed in an hour long movie. Let's face it, a lot of DBZ villains aren't inherently interesting characters and usually are introduced as Pure Evil tropes

Trope Talk: Pure Evil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-XprjlATEo

Irrelevant backstory

very simple motivation

enthusiastic, zestful villainy

Pure self-confidence

Third -Act Breakdowns (where they are faced with what they truly fear and usually fail)

Afterward, they could be open to becoming a more nuanced character to explore as we've seen done time and again with cast of redeemed or evolved villains in Dragon Ball

A lot of the movie villains from the franchise would be more interesting if they weren't rushed or were expanded on and boy does Lord Slug bring a lot to the table if he is expanded on.

1) You could have Turles and Lord Slug form a dynamic duo that counterparts Goku and Piccolo. Turles is a trouble-making youth-filled underdog who has taken a shine to the crabby old man that is Slug. Turles could use a lot more modern methods to contrast Slug's far more traditional warmongering that he's developed over the centuries. (They did it a little in Xenoverse 2, but you could really expand upon it in a MasakoX styled What If) Plus, the Tree of Might likely has the ability to restore Lord Slug's youth since it canonically resurrected fossils, so Turles literally has the solution to Lord Slug's main problem plaguing him and is an open-minded businessman by nature. This hypothetical team-up of working together to gain more power, invade planets for their resources and overthrow the Universal order by killing Frieza before returning to enemies, acts as an inverse counterpart of Goku's and Piccolo's initial alliance against the Saiyans invading the Earth interfering with Piccolo's own conquest, but opened the doors for change in him and others.

2) Most likely these 2 would start off as enemies and have their forces face off against one another, but this struggle is a good thing in the long run because they could potentially provide each other, their own personal Third Act Breakdowns or at least teach each other recognize their own flaws and weaknesses to help each other grow as characters.

Lord Slug's backstory, retooled

Planet Slug

The most fun thing I found was that they gave Turles a proper origin story to build a character around, well I have a suggestion for a similar concept for Lord Slug that I think you guys could use in many different ways, but before that. Here are the facts. In the backstory I found in supplemental materials, it is stated by Guru that Lord Slug and other Evil Namekians could have possibly escaped the crisis on Namek and moved to far-flung planets in other parts of the Universe. One Super Namekian named himself after the Demon inhabited world he found himself on, known as Planet Slug. And judging from the movie, Planet Slug is most likely an icy or snow-covered planet since the Demons needed special suits to withstand the Earth's temperature.

By the way, I imagine that Planet Slug and its people could have a Mongolian theme. (I have a sketch I did for an alternate costume for Slug, but I don't remember how to post atm)

If say Lord Slug came to this planet and eventually took it over in the King Piccolo style, then I could see him having birthed a clan of Evil Namekian children to help him in this endeavor. So let's say there are about as many Namekians children as Guru or King Piccolo birthed, then they are likely different clans of Namekians on the Planet, including a Dragon Clan member capable of creating their own set of Dragon Balls. In this way, Planet Slug could act as an alternate substitute for Planet Namek, but one closely resembling how the team initially pictured Namek as a planet full of evil Piccolos, instead of the peace-loving farmers of Namek. Now, why would Slug be in space expanding his Empire and searching for Dragon Balls when his planet likely already has a set? In the movie, it's best not to think about it, but here is my idea.

Why Lord Slug is REALLY in Space

One of Lord Slug's offspring usurped him from the throne due to his old age and sickly body. So Slug was humiliatingly forced to flee his home or was looked down on as a non-threat banished him and his most loyal men off-world to live in shame and to never be seen again. So he is conquering other planets, partly because he is a refugee, but mostly because he is overcompensating for his lost and trying to help his ego by living in denial and reassuring that He is the Baddest Baddie who ever lived and terrorize/kill those weaker than him as he ever expands his empire, lamenting his old age and sickened body. He believes that if he was in his prime, he could take his throne back no problem and make them all pay for wronging him. Luckily, Slug doesn't need the Dragon Balls to regain his youth. If the Tree of Might's Fruit is capable of reviving fossils, it should be able to restore the Super Namekian to his former glory once again.

Turles's Crusher Corps vs Lord Slug's Army

A fun way they could introduce the factions to each other is as competition for a lush planet. Turles wants it for the Tree of Might, and Slug wants to freeze it for them for their conquest. They both are in each other's way, so they all fight it out. I think Slug has stronger minions, but Crusher Corps have better teamwork, and with Turles being in prime fighting condition, he would tip the scale in their favor much like Goku did in the movie.

At first, I thought Slug wouldn't be much of a match for Turles in his old and sickly state, a little trouble sure since he is the strongest, but that aged body wouldn't do him any favors. However, the first Google search result I got on Old Slug's Power level said he was at 79,000 so he's stronger than I first thought. (I thought he was around Nail's power level roughly in the 40,000) I also heard that Turles was around 19,000 but by the end of the movie was like 300,000. These power levels don't mean too much when reimagining the stories, just that Turles might have more of an uphill struggle. So, Turles would first have to eat some Fruit to win in a landslide and hopefully, the Terrafreezing process didn't ruin the Tree of Might's process.

Right before the killing blow, Old Slug might've mentioned something In desperation to save his own life. He could've brought up the Dragon Balls on his home Planet Slug/ Namek could grant any wish he wanted. This is just enough to stop Turles from following through with his attack, but it takes a little more coaxing for Slug to sell the legitimacy to Turles. A part of Turles thinks this might just be hogwash, but if this is anything like the Tree of Might, this could be a huge find. Another game-changer. He has his men take Slug with them as he checks in with the Heaters' database and finds there could be a kernel of truth to this tall tale. So Turles generously spares the old Slug's life for this useful tip which is met with some impatient ire.

If you hate being old so much, why don't you just use these Dragon Balls of yours to make yourself young again? -Turles

I would if I could, but... but I can't. I've been banished from my homeworld by my own children after they usurped me from my throne.-Slug

hahaha So you're just some washed-up old geezer trying to feel tough by throwing your power around at a bunch of weaklings. -Turles

Watch it! If I was in my prime, I wouldn't have ever let that rebellion get that far and even made short work of you and your men. If it weren't for that Fruit of yours, you'd be nothing. -Slug

WHAT WAS THAT. (composes himself) Interested in the Fruit are you, well I am not naive enough to let you ever sink your rotten teeth in one. At least, not for free. We, the Crusher Corps, are branched off of the Heaters' group who are known to deal in intelligence. If you have some more valuable information to pass on then, I could be convinced to trade off a leftover Fruit from our latest venture. Do you have anything else to offer me, old man?

(Slug’s low growling sounds are giving Turles just the biggest shit-eating grin on his face)

Slug could tell Planet Slug's coordinates, could act as their guide, or how to use their Dragon Balls, or even that they need a native speaker to use them and a password.

Turles throws him a Fruit as he is a businessman and honors his deals. This not only works in reviving the Elder Namekian, but the results are far better than expected by restoring Slug to his prime. Turles is both impressed and a little unnerved by this so he opens up a dialogue as he scans Lord Slug's new power. (he thought it would add a few decades back onto his old life since he seemed ancient, but it straight up made him young again) They discuss what had just happened and Turles's operation using the Tree of Might's Fruit to amass enough power for him and his men to kill Frieza and possibly overthrow him. Lord Slug in the meantime has been enjoying his youthful appearance and renewed vigor during the conversation, not looking Turles in the eye, but still expressing interest in this operation and compliments the plan. Turles offers a proposition to Lord Slug to join them on this endeavor if he helps them get those "Dragon Balls" he mentioned right before.

That's right. You're interested in the Dragon Balls, are you? Well, I am interested in that Tree of yours. It could keep someone young and strong forever, and this whole operation of yours is simply remarkable! -Slug

So you're in? -Turles

Remarkable enough for me to take it for myself! So I'll be doing just that! - Slug

Round 2 Super Namekian Rampages

The Super Namek overwhelms all of them, even Turles, after just eating a bunch of fruit, the gap is just too wide. He sadistically tortures them and strikes fear into their hearts. Turles isn't just put on the backfoot, he ends up on the brink of life and death. He needs to reach down deep, and something in him snaps, could be his Saiyan pride, could be becoming helpless and at someone else's mercy, could even be one of his men, that unbeknownst to himself, he had grown fond of perished, his regret for overly relying on outside gains to accomplish his ambitions. Don't know, don't care, but something doesn't sit right with Turles and this something acts as the catalyst for him to transform, but not into the traditional Super Saiyan we've all come to know. No, Turles goes into the False Super Saiyan state and overwhelms the Super Namek almost beat for beat like FSSJ Goku vs Slug from the movie, but this time, it lasts the duration of the fight. It's more of a SSJ Goku vs Frieza kind of fight with Turles's victory.

Turles diet of Tree of Might fruit has affected his body's genes and so when he transforms it's not the traditional SSJ form like everyone else, but the False Super Saiyan state that Goku used against Lord Slug. (The Saiyan loses their pupils and also uses SSJ's original color scheme with the flickering red and black hair and the orange skin with a lingering Aura effect) They could have a lot of fun with the benefits and drawbacks this form and its potential evolutions could have. False SSJ potentially falls into the theme of using Fruit as a shortcut to power vs earning the power legitimately or as a simple means to contrast with Goku.

Post Fight ~ Alliance?

Slug doesn't die though, or if he does, Turles is smart enough to revive him with the Tree of Might's extract in a similar way as the fossilized twins were. The reason is simple, Turles believes that Slug's knowledge of his people is going to be essential in the nearby future, and since he's shown whose boss by dominating the Super Namekian, they can now work together to overthrow stronger enemies like Frieza by using his Planet's Dragon Balls. The Crusher Corps gets a guide and an ally; Slug gets his revenge and the prospect of taking Frieza's empire for himself by joining this operation is too much for him to pass up. This is a temporary truce to defeat stronger opponents and gain power, but once that is over, they are going back to killing one another similar to how Goku and Piccolo formed an alliance against the Saiyans invading earth.

1) A Super Namekian could exploit their race's fusion ability through some method of Mind Control like in the original Broly movie. So Slug or his evil offspring could literally absorb one another or even someone as powerful as Nail or Piccolo if the influence is strong enough to join together. And Turles with the Heaters' resources might just be able to provide a means to provide Slug this, with some precautions of course.

2) Slug might have knowledge of Kai and Demon Realms considering he is both an older Namekian like Guru, and the fact that he Planet Slug is literally inhabited by Demons, a different breed of Demons, but still Demons nonetheless. In the games, the Tree of Might's Fruit had its effects amplified in the Demon Realm, but the same might be said if the Tree is planted on the World of the Supreme Kais or Beerus' planet. It's just a possible option for later down the line, but if there was ever a planet that could sustain that Tree and boosts its effects it would be one of these places.

This is it, I know MasakoX likes to do the space opera thing with multiple factions and also like to mix things up from the original story from time to time, so I thought Planet Slug would be an interesting means to do so and giving Turles a partner to bounce off of is typical Toriyama writing, could even open up new avenues to explore.

Am I expecting this to happen. Honestly, I have low expectations MasakoX and his team would do this and they got their own plans of inserting Turles into the main story likely connected to the character in the hood (who is probably Zamasu for some reason like in the Gero What If) or one of the Saiyans from Turles' team or even eager to get him into the main story with the Z-Cast, possibly trying to win Gohan to his side, but getting converted by him like what happened to Piccolo, but I don't mind. My expectations are low, but my hype is through the roof, and needed to share my fan theories with someone.

[dutchforstrangers]

EXTRA! DIGIWEEK DAY 5 - CROSSOVER

Let's do some headcanons, shall we? Last week @imaginedigimon posted these headcanons of a mixed Asian/Hispanic Sora and it led me to this:

In the Heights... I LOVE this musical so much <3 All the latino and dancing and vibing and yes! Here's the trailer:

And like I said, those mixed Asian/Hispanic headcanons gave me the reason to think of In the Heights x Digimon Adventure crossover headcanons. And what better day to write such a post than on Crossover day 5 of @digiweek! So here goes.

The story

The story here is basically the same. There's a guy (Usnavi) with a store, inherited from his deceased parents, who has this dream to go back to the land he was born in, thinking that's his dream. However he was raised on this block in this city he's living in now, so eventually he's torn between leaving or staying. Simultaneously all the other characters have their own aspirations and dreams, but they shouldn't forget where they came from. That's the main theme and story, the characters will be quite the same from the movie/musical, but with some changes here and there suiting the Chosen Children and the relationships between them (for now I will only cover the 8 Digimon Adventure 01 crew members).

I want the set up to be a little different though. So it's not like a latino block on the Island Manhattan in NYC, but it's more like a city or village on it's own. Something like Big Hero 6's 'San Fransokyo'... Maybe 'Santo Dotokyo'? Could be. Anyway, it's a mix of Latino and Japan (that's actually a very weird combination. I like it!).

How about pairings you may ask?? You'll find out when you proceed reading ;D

The characters

Usnavi / Taichi Yagami: Of course my boy is the lead! He's smooth yet awkward, fierce yet cute, determined yet clueless. Sounds like our goggle headed fella right? So Taichi owns the store, like a true work-a-holic works very very hard. He's friendly, always supporting and beaming positivity. He knows the whole community and the whole community knows him, everyone well aware of his father's dream to patch up the bar on the exotic island they came from. Taichi though is still figuring out his dream and is torn between staying for the community (and his love interest...) or leaving for his (father's?) dream. Plus let's not forget he has some very serious salsa skills like a true latino! The dancing is on, gosh how much I love my Taichi swaying...

Nina / Hikari Yagami: Taichi's younger sister, kind and innocent, who followed their mother's dream to study abroad. The community believed in her and fully supported her like the little light she is, she being the first one to 'make it out'. However during her time abroad she starts to feel lonely and left out, gets homesick and travels back to her hometown and brother with the idea to never go back abroad. Though she just needs the courage to go through and that convincing might come from her community, her brother and her lover.......

Sonny / Koushiro Izumi: In this universe Koushiro, who works with Taichi in the shop, is a 'cousin' from Taichi and Hikari! He has been abandoned by his own mother -who probably was someone with a drug addict- but then he was taken in by Taichi's and Hikari's aunt and uncle..! Yes, this makes Kae a blood relative to Taichi and Hikari, being Yuuko's sister (I love that idea, although it makes both Taishiro and Koukari impossible...). Koushiro is a smart kid, quiet, but always there with his words right on time. He wants to go to college or university badly, the smart kid he is, but because he was never officially adopted and therefore isn't fully registered, his chances are low... Taichi and the community might be of help here.

Vanessa / Sora Takenouchi: WEPA VANESSA SORA! In the musical Vanessa aspires to become a fashion designer. Oh hey, that's such a Sora! Where Hikari wants to come home, Sora desperately wants to leave everything behind to start anew. She works in Mimi's beauty salon only to make money so she can move to a bigger city. It's kind of like a rebellion against her traditional mother who wants her to stay in the community and take over the flower shop. However she might be staying as fashion inspiration can also come from within the community and a certain someone she loves *cough*Taichi*cough*, but doesn't want to admit (this is a very self indulgent Taiora AU thank you very much).

Daniela / Mimi Tachikawa: The salon lady! Or boss is better. She is an entrepreneur pur sang and makes sure everyone looks good with beautiful nails and shiny hair! She's fierce, doesn't take no for an answer (no nonsense policy yup) and always has her eyes and ears open. And her mouth too, because the girl looooooves to gossip! Especially with her two salon companions (from which one HAS to be Miyako -and yes Mimi and Miyako are the lesbian couple-), ¡No me diga! Also: she absolutely loves to tease employee Sora by telling untrue rumors about Taichi just to see how Sora reacts. So sly Meems.

Benny / Takeru Takaishi: This might come as a surprise, because to be honest Taichi would fit Benny so well. But I went for Takeru as Benny, because Takeru can be just as smooth -and kinda sly-. Takeru is one of Taichi's best friends if not thé best friend (I love to explore that dynamic)! A best friend with a love interest in the best friend's sister a.k.a. Hikari. They are secret lovers who are not as secretly in love (Nina Kari and Benny Keru sitting in a tree... k i s s i n g) as they think they are. Takeru works across the street in a record store (yes, this is a big difference from the musical itself) where he takes over the community radio station in the morning. There he has a story telling podcast, telling fictional stories based on the stories of the community (Mimi always informs him with the latest gossip). Eventually he wants to go to college, just like Hikari studies abroad, to become a writer.

(Graffiti) Pete / Yamato Ishida: This is even more of a stretch, but bear with me! Graffiti Pete is a true artistic lone wolf! Spraying art on walls through the whole city and it's absolutely fabulous. He's Takeru's older brother, but was raised by his father after their parents splitted up, and also friends with the gang. Though he may have made some art on the window shutters from Taichi's shop... However, Yamato is not only a graffiti artist, he's also a musician, always 'borrowing' stealing records from the shop Takeru is working. Yamato is just a very mysterious guy, but also a very nice friend with artistic and deep emotional help from unexpected corners.

Piragüero / Jyou Kido: Haha okay, this is weird..! Actually this is great role for Daisuke, but because we're here giving the roles to the Adventure 01 cast, this one goes to Jyou. Simply because piragua (which is shaved ice) guy has a heart of gold and is super reliable, one of the oldest ones on the block, one who has seen it all. He's also a bit silly, doing this horrible work on the street, while he failed to become a doctor (so sad), but he brings joy to others! And also great advice, especially when it comes to following dreams no matter how big or small. Jyou is the one who doesn't let you forget where you came from!

And there are so many more headcanons I could come up with, so this might gets a continuation eventually. But for now, this is it (:

[life-rewritten]

SKAM ESPANA- The characterisation/villainization of Kasim

The choices of episode 4 of Skam Espana has caused another polarising reaction, some people feel frustrated and annoyed at some of the actions of some characters, whilst others feel insulted and upset about the lost potential of the show with Kasim and others. I've seen many comments insulting the writing of the shows villainising some of the characters and just overall dropping the show for the decision to make Kasim's storyline replace the Even/Mikael storyline. These reactions are the reason I've decided to break down the choice the writers made when going with this storyline and why it shows excellent understanding and writing of the message of Season 4. Also you can check out my previous post on the choices of these writers and why it’s brilliant to make Dani Yousef here: 

THE MESSAGE OF SKAM

When people choose to watch the Skam universe, it still confuses me about the reactions of surprise or anger when the show tells the story. So before I break down the character dynamics of Isak and Kasim and how they're mirror characters/shadow characters. I want to focus on the meaning of Skam.

 Skam in Noweirgian is shame. Basically, the insecurities that surround this generation's teens as they grow up with perspectives embedded by societal norms. The topics discussed usually revolve around self-discovery and how these insecurities/fear affect the chosen character in a world that disagrees with how they want to express themselves. We've had alienation, depression and self actualisation with stigma from cheating, we've had topics of feminism vs sexualisation, violence and prejudice and stigma of being a  sexual harassment victim, we've had conversations on LGBT, internalised homophobia vs the stigma of having a mental disorder, and lastly, we've had religion, culture and race vs the stigma of feeling cultural dissociation on some of the rules/agreements within these aspects. 

Each character in Skam goes through the arc where they make mistakes due to their perceived skam; they hurt, use, or judge because of their own opinions and perspectives on the issue and they realise that they are hypocritical or also wrong when they fall in love with someone who represents a foil to their own insecurity. The need to be with their romantic interests is what catalyses them to make drastic decisions and finally gain self actualisation, but it also ends up having a hopeful outcome, that with love and treating people equally and right,  that these insecurities can be overcome and everyone can be who they want to be. It's what made this show so relatable, reliable and also crucial for our generation youths. It's what made this incredibly written; humans who make mistakes and learn and grow from it whilst also causing the audience to think introspectively about their own skam and their own journey to self actualisation and self-love. 

It makes no sense why people go into this show expecting perfect characters who make no flaws or see things wrongly and make decisions on those wrong perspectives. It makes no sense why people feel so triggered when they know what the skam of the character is. They know that at first, it won't be represented correctly because the show is in our main character's perspective, they need to learn about their flawed views on their skam and overcome it. It's only until the ending; the issues of the show are resolved. So why are people so triggered when scenes show the reality of the world and these characters ? Especially when we're just in episode 4? It makes no sense to me.

So  this is why I want to talk about the Villanisation of Kasim and what the writers want to achieve with this character.

SKAM SEASON 4: DISCUSSING THE EFFECTS OF RELIGION AND INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA ON THE YOUTH

In Season 4 of OG Skam (Based on Amira's counterpart Sana), one of the main storylines interweaving with her questioning how people view her religion is connected with her brother, his friends and her new friendship with Isak. (the main character of season 3). The mystery surrounding how the relationship of Isak's boyfriend was damaged with Sana's brother's friendship group and her and her love interests perspectives on how religion played a part of it, culminates into a fight between the two worlds when Sana's brother punches Isak. This leads to Islamaphobic comments from people who like Sana judged her brother on his religion, and it's the stereotypical link to homophobia. As the story unveils the truth is that due to fear and perspective of religion plus internalised homophobia, Even (Isak's boyfriend) was hurt when he kissed Mikael. He ran away after that leaving both his friends confused and also some (Yousef) having a new perspective on the rules of religion. At the end of the season Even reunites with the group, and Sana realises that she also had adopted the mindset of the world when it comes to her religion and learns to communicate and trust that people aren't against her faith and beliefs.  Her skam mostly throughout the season is her guilt for her religion and conviction's perceived laws/opinions.  So how does this link to Skam Espana and its own message towards this topic?

SKAM ESPANA: KASIM BECOMES ISAK

This storyline is explored in Skam Espana by putting its Sana, Amira even more affected and connected to the source of the message. Amira's best friend brother Kasim going through his own internalised homophobia and flawed perspectives of religion (Just like Mikael and Even in OG), uses Amira as a way to run away from his skam. However Amira's own beliefs on the truth and the fact that she has a different love interest ends up causing her best friend to misunderstand her as someone who is using her brother and is going against her true beliefs/faith (Basically going against her culture and religion for a white guy) - From this already you can see the topics of Skam S4 already showing up here, the same flawed perspectives/ guilt of religion is placed on Kasim, the outcomes of religion and internalised homophobia actually affects Amira more because it's affecting her own reputation as an excellent Muslim friend, and the questions of being torn between two worlds stem from the fact that Amira is in love with her other best friend's brother who represents the non-religious aspect in her life, vs the world wanting her and Kasim  (another brother of her best friend) to be together which connects the religious part of her life.  Stay with me.

In a way Kasim's storyline connects to other characters as well; He represents Isak's internalised homophobia journey in OG S3 when he met Even (Kasim is in love with Lucas), he represents Elias (Sana's brother) dissociation from his culture and his pressure to be a good Muslim older brother, he presents Yousef as well because of his perspectives on religion and LGBT, he also represents even Sana for his own skam, which is his religion and feeling torn between two worlds/ideologies as he falls for someone who is not of his race and beliefs.

But this is what's so brilliant about this choice, he's POC character who is a representation of a POC Muslim Gay character, with his own skam, and is written with depth, and characterisation and is also given a leading role in this season. This decision to write him this way does not villanise him but actually makes the audience pay attention to him and learn from him like any other skam main characters. He's important and human, and he's a well-written character. That's why it makes no sense to me why people think Skam Espana is villainising and not representing this message well. But let's continue breaking down this character:

Kasim as Isak: The journey of a LGBT’s self actualisation whilst dealing with internalised homophobia

In season 3 of OG Skam, and also towards the end of the first season, we see a story of Isak as he deals with coming out to his peers and accepting his sexuality. Isak makes many mistakes from the first season because of his internalised homophobia. He breaks up the relationship of his best friend and girlfriend (due to jealousy and feelings for the guy), he ends up running away from his problems and enters fake relationships with girls using them as beards. He also later forms a relationship with Emma as he falls in love with Even. See the similarities with Kasim, when we watch Isak's season? We feel for him because we understand the choices he makes whilst wrong is a human thing to do, especially dealing with his skam, and we cheer for him as we watch him overcome all this to choose Even. By the end of his journey Isak is proudly gay, in love and happy. And he has become one of the most loved characters in Skam due to his relatability and message he represents.

Kasim is the same, he makes mistakes hurts the ones he loves because of his internalised homophobia, he lies and hides behind other people especially Amira who's been dragged into it as his beard (even though she hates lying and is in love with someone else) and he manipulates situations to keep on avoiding his skam. He's doing precisely what Isak did; he's being a normal teenage LGBT boy going through coming out and dealing with internalised homophobia. For him, the pressure is the same as Isak. Isak also deals with religion as a barrier in his season (he perceives his mum and Sana at first as homophobic, he also feels pressure in coming out to his friends and he lies to his loved ones about Even for a bit as well.)

Kasim's own issues stem from the fact that he's also religious, even more, pressured to follow his traditions and culture figureheads the 'figure head' of his household now his father is dead, and so has a lot expected from him by many people in his family. It makes sense why he's going through what he's going through and even though it's not right since we see the outcomes of his skam on others like Amira, we understand why he does what he does. In the end, you guys are watching an Isak season told from the perspective of an Emma/Sarah (his beards) in this season. Emma being Amira in this case despite not actually having feelings for Kasim. In the end of the day, Isak was not a villain,  just a teenage boy who makes mistakes, Skam Espana has done the same for Kasim.

Kasim as Elias: The journey of a POC's self-acceptance whilst dealing with the pressure of Cultural expectations and tradition

In  Season 4 of Skam OG, we look at Elias Sana's brother. At first, he seems to get away from the constraints of religious expectations because Sana thinks he does, (she thinks he gets away with more stuff because he's a man) and yes this might seem so. Still, we do see that Elias is also going through pressure, it causes him to drink and act out, and when he speaks to Sana, later on, he admits he also feels in the middle of religion and what he wants to do as a teenage boy. This is also explored more in Skam France Season 4, Elias's mirror character is shown to be seen as a failure due to not meeting the expectations of his parents and also is quite secretive about what he does outside of the household like date a racist for example. (yes that was a snide remark but it had to be made.)  

But what I'm trying to say is Kasim is also based on this character, first from Amira's perspective we see how he can get away with following religious and cultural expectations by hiding who he really is, and by acting out secretly still keeping his reputation intact. But also from his own admittance and Dounia's (his sister and Amira's best friend) perspective on the character. We can see that he's under a lot of pressure to be perfect for people. Dounia especially looks up to him and is so grateful for his presence in her life when their dad died, she replaces him as the father figure in her life who can do no wrong, and he's expected to uphold religious and traditional beliefs of his household because he's the main figurehead. It's incredibly stressful, so he acts out, he lies about Lucas which Lucas hates, and he uses ways to manipulate situations like using Amira (a perfect beard to make him look macho and 'right')

Kasim becomes the Elias representative but with more depth, more focus and more characterisation. Skam Espana has actually given a new POC more priority than his counter representatives, he's actually more than just a brother to one of the characters, he's just like a main character with his own self-acceptance journey, and that's incredible for this writing team.

Kasim as Yousef: The journey of a Muslim POC's  self discovery whilst dealing with stereotypical perspectives of religion

Yousef is the love interest in OG Skam. He is the reason for why Sana has to overcome her own prejudices, and skam and learn to love her self. He's also the connection to her torn between two worlds dilemma that she goes through with her arc. Kasim starts off as a perceived Yousef by the audience; he's perceived as a perfect POC, Muslim and love interest. But like Yousef, Kasim has his own flaws, his overall close-minded perspective on religion is similar to how Yousef's own opinion to the religion is, instead of actually still wanting to embrace his self as a Muslim, Yousef removes himself from everything to do with it (we could argue this since he does always follow the values of behaviour and morals), but he does seem negatively biased against religion even though he falls in love with someone who is very religious.

I'm not saying Yousef is wrong in his opinions, I see him like every other character human with his views and his own beliefs, and that's great. But Kasim is an exploration of that close-minded perspective on how religion divides people, how religion is discriminatory and closeminded. Kasim chooses to do what he does because of his own opinions on religion; he never really thinks there's a hope that religion doesn't have to be an issue in his life. It makes sense, but as we see from other characters in the show, religious perspectives do not mean entirely close-minded, homophobic or discriminatory opinions, in fact, Amira is the accurate representation of what religious people are like nowadays, a love for the traditions, and rules which every Sana has a speech about this opinion on religion and homophobia in Isak's season, religion should not be an excuse for treating someone awfully etc., Amira and Sana show that you can be openminded, can agree with love is love despite customary laws from ages ago saying it's wrong. It's about the person's own character, not the religion its self. But this is why I love this addition of this character mostly because he causes conversations like this, about the message of the show, the flawed perspectives of society on religion and the moral dilemma it faces with how people treat this topic.

It's not making religion a problem. Actually the opposite it's only Kasim's point of view that there is no other option if he comes out as Muslim LGBT, but no one else on the show has agreed or shown evidence that his perspective is correct. Like Isak, he will learn that with love and hope there are parts of the world that are religious that will love him for him, and that part will include his sister. So again Kasim isn't being used a device to villanise or stereotype religious perspectives, its the opposite it's to teach about that issue. So also this show is brilliantly smart with how they used this character despite it seeming like it's not the right choice.

Kasim as Sana: The journey of a teenager towards self love  whilst dealing with insecurities and romantic idealisation vs reality

Lastly, because I think I've tried to make my point clear in this essay. But Kasim is also representing Sana, as I said before in Skam falling in love with a foil of their insecurities makes the main character typically to act out, make mistakes and then learn about their hypocrisy and flawed perspectives and grow. They realise that they are loved and appreciated for who they are. And they come to love themselves fully by the end of the show. Kasim has fallen in love with Lucas, and like Sana, he goes through the angst and questioning of what this means to fall for someone who represents the opposite of what she believes, he acts out by lying and manipulating (miscommunication is also a device used in Skam especially by Sana). He messes up and learns from his mistakes.

Sana's choices in season 4 of OG makes her hurt people, she hurts her friends, her love interest and also Isak as well because of her skam, but she learns that her perspectives on the issue are wrong. Kasim will learn that lesson because Amira is the person he's hurt and is affecting, he might get punched before that (still think Dani or someone will do this because it causes that message of being torn between two worlds to be genuinely explored) but he will learn and grow.

And that's why his character, making him a brown POC who does what he does, is not to villainise race, or culture or religion, but actually to make him just as crucial as Sana in her season. He's just like the main character in Skam. So this season actually has two POC Muslim prominent roles that really delves deeply into the question of religion, love, homosexuality, culture and race both stories just as in-depth as the other, both lessons just as essential and truly relatable and needed in our society.

And for that I can't help but commend these writers, Skam  Espana truly is an excellent remake of Skam it takes all of the messages and just goes more in-depth, it brings those questions to the surface in a right way, whilst teaching its own audience about their own insecurities and flawed perspectives. And to be honest, that is just incredible.

[happymetalgirl]

Album Chronology - Death

The whole ranking-albums-from-worst-to-best has been done to death to the point of staleness at this point, but mostly due to the format, at least to me. I’ve read so many damn worst-to-best lists at this point that they’re all kind of predictable even when they’re seemingly trying to force some kind of novelty or surprise factor by putting a fan-favorite or highly revered album really low in a ranked list. It’s all gotten pretty dry at this point, plus, to me, I can’t help but see a little bit of futility in compiling lists for active artists whose next release will render such a list so quickly obsolete. I honestly had the idea of doing something tier-related to make it less rigid a year or so ago, but lo and behold, tier-list videos are the newest horse getting beaten to death. So rather than jumping around an artist’s catalog and tossing in some spicy hot takes, I figured why not take the chronological approach and trace the story of the artist’s creative trajectory, and not spoil the #1 spot by revealing the #2 spot.

So why do these kinds of lists? Also, why Death?

I make this little chronology to offer my insight into Death’s discography partly for the reason so many others have made similar rankings: to appreciate Death’s music and the huge legacy Chuck Schuldiner left through it. But I also make this because I do think my perspective on Death is a somewhat unique one, at least among Death fans. Chuck Schuldiner was an incredibly talented musician and a beloved figure within the world of metal, and that aspect of his legacy has undoubtedly been enhanced by the untimeliness and unfairness of his passing. The guy certainly had a strong presence on the stage and a certain charisma off of it, and his cherishing of animals surely resonates with me as well. Death was also hardly my first death metal band, so I do think that gives me a bit less of a nostalgic perspective on their legacy. I still enjoy a lot of the same things about Death that most fans do, and at the end of this list, it might not really end up being all that shocking or controversial, just a slightly tempered version of what most fans would make. I’m pretty long-winded, so I’ll cut the intro and get into the music: Death.

1987 - Scream Bloody Gore

I have to reinforce my position right from the get-go about having a more measured view of the band’s catalog because the spicy takes come right out of the gate with Death’s debut album, Scream Bloody Gore. The sour really isn’t all that sour and it comes with a little bit of sweet right afterward too: I think this is Death’s worst album. But that just means it only gets better from here, and I do still really like it. It’s a classic in its own right that started Death on a more solid footing than the average debut project in very new territory at the time and I again do genuinely still like it a lot; I own it, along with the rest of the band’s catalog, on vinyl. But it is, as I mentioned, a first step into new territory, and rather naturally primordial, which indeed has its own appeal in the context of the era it came from and for which it deserves tremendous appreciation. There is indeed a lot to appreciate here. I love the persistence of the bass line in the title track, the hooks of songs like “Zombie Ritual” and “Baptized in Blood”, and the amped up Slayer-inspired extremification of thrash metal that would only snowball further as the band and the genre they helped pioneer progressed. But the primary role Scream Bloody Gore served was to lay the groundwork for Death to expand upon in that early era that would itself later become the groundwork for their more ambitious progressive tilt during the second half of their career. I’ll throw it out right here just to get it outbid then way, it’s not exactly a hot take, but some Death fans are partial the other way; it’s probably already evident, but I prefer the band’s second era from Human to Perseverance. Personally I think bands like Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corspe were more suited to this primal gory form of early death metal, and I think Death would have wound up being seen as merely a pretty good band in a tier below those guys if they had stuck with what they were doing with their debut and the two albums that followed for the rest of their career. Again, Scream Bloody Gore is by no means a bad album, or even a rough start, kind of a Kill ‘em All sort of debut that laid solid foundations and allowed for greatness to follow but indeed stands well enough on its own.

7/10

1988 - Leprosy

The band’s sophomore release just a year later showed immediate signs of improvement. The trimmed track list with more meticulously groomed songs (and a greater density of sick riffs) produced several live staples for the band, like the title track, “Left to Die”, and especially the ever-traditional concert-closer “Pull the Plug”. But there was more than just better riffs and more focus on perfecting the songs here. The production on Leprosy was clearer than the band’s debut the year before, and the writing was generally more sophisticated too, incorporating a bit more flashy technicality that would soon escalate to an echelon that would end up characterizing their sound more comprehensively. Soon-to-be vestigial characteristics of the debut album still remained: tons of wailing Slayer-sequence guitar solos, thrashy blast beats, the focus of palm-muted tremolo riffing, and more fantastical, brutal lyricism. But Leprosy presented these more mid-brow elements in a more impressive arrangement than its predecessor.

8/10

1990 - Spiritual Healing

My personal favorite of the band’s grittier first half of their career, Spiritual Healing was really just a more consistent continuation (to my ears at least) of the refined early death metal sound of Leprosy. The band were starting to develop a more signature style of riffing, as well as soloing that they would take with them into their next four albums. By now most of the gory detail was taking the backseat to Schuldiner’s psychological analysis of certain “Defensive Personalities”, parasitic religious manipulation by televangelists, and prenatal cocaine exposure. The more high-mindedness of Spiritual Healing also ushered in another ramp up in the band’s technicality that made the progression into the heady technical death metal of Human a rather natural one. The band’s last album in their so-called “traditional” or “brutal” or “classic” death metal era played around a lot more with the dynamic range of the genre and it really ran the gamut of what Death had done up to that point within that style of death metal and beyond, the title track being my personal favorite example of this ability the band had to contort the genre to fit their more expansive needs while keeping everything in the confines of death metal. It’s my favorite song on the album and of this era of Death’s career. At this point, Death had pretty robustly demonstrated their ability with the genre in its more primitive form, and evolved it along the way quite a lot at that, to the point where they really had nothing more they had to say with the style, an impressive feat after three albums. Sure they could have probably spun their tires in the mud for a few more albums (knowing now that Chuck Schuldiner sadly only had a little more than a decade left), but the direction this album had the band heading in was pretty apparent. The only question was if the band would take the leap into the upper echelons of technicality and explore the new frontier that they were headed toward. Thankfully for us, the band had plenty of ambition left in them. As for the last album of their first half of their career, it’s hard to find many complaints with, and one that capped off this era of Death in complimentary fashion.

9/10

1991 - Human

After reaching their peak with bruntly aggessive death metal, Death’s fourth album began a second act for the band, one that sought to elevate their style to a more progressive form of death metal. It was a change that was pretty strongly indicated by the direction the band had been heading in and the step up in technicality on Spiritual Healing. Human takes the solos and the fast-paced guitar passages and bass lines to new extremes that the genre had never seen before, and the lyrical shift to more heady, cerebral, existential themes fit well with the significantly increased musical complexity that the album introduced. The technically dazzling yet infectious riffing of “Together as One” and “Flattening of Emotions”, the still-tasty hooks of the former and “Suicide Machine”, and the tasty percussive rhythm of “Lack of Comprehension” made those songs live staples. The band were still kind of finding their footing with the compositional aspects of this new realm, but the grounding in the aggression of their previous work with the voyage into the techy unknown was a good thing to start with and a good way to explore some new sonic territory while safely tethered to what was effective for them previously that produced some pretty impressive results.

8/10

1993 - Individual Thought Patterns

Carrying forward the ambition for significantly increased technicality that began with Human on to their fifth album, Death were still getting the hang of things with Individual Thought Patterns, which isn’t all to surprising or something to impugn the band for given the difficulty mode that had selected to play the creative game on, and the band still made some significant improvements with the integration of the hyperspeed technicality into their sound. Even more than the subsequent Symbolic, Individual Thought Patterns made the technicality so much more of a focus where, to me, this was Death’s first bonafide technical death album. Human was definitely pretty technical, but on Individual Thought Patterns, Death cut the cord and let themselves float off into the dizzying cosmos of instrumental technicality and tailored their compositional practices to fit that need. If there was any contingent of fans struggling to keep up with Death’s progression or hoping for a scale-back to the more brutish early albums, they were left behind with Individual Thought Patterns, save perhaps for the consolation of more traditionally groovy closing track, “The Philosopher”, but rampant speed-fests like “Overactive Imagination” and odd-timed melodic groovers like “Trapped in a Corner” quickly became fan favorites. If there’s one thing Individual Thought Patterns lacked, it was balance, but that wasn’t going to be a problem for very long...

8/10

1995 - Symbolic

Ah, Symbolic, there’s not gonna be any surprising bucking of the trend or “bold” underrating here. In a catalog that so many fans regard as perfect, Symbolic stands out as the most common fan favorite, and for good reason. The album synthesized everything that had made Death such a force to be reckoned with in the death metal world. Weaving together the early era’s delicious primal grooves, the elevated technicality that had become a solidified facet of the band’s style, and their newly blossoming progressive inclinations, Symbolic remains the band’s most comprehensively representative and accomplished work, the best place for any newcomer to the legendary act to start, and the best album in their acclaimed discography. The song-writing is tight and interesting from start to finish, seasoned with both tasty riffs and captivating displays of technicality that enhanced the songs rather than the players’ appetites for indulgence, and kept consistently interesting with frequent tasteful dynamic shifts and surprising twists and turns. I would undoubtedly go on forever if I were to detail the brilliance of every song on here, the majestic melodies and winding structure of “Crystal Mountain”, the catchy commentary on mass surveillance of “1,000 Eyes”, the invigorating double-bass of “Misanthrope”, and the iconic riffing of the opening title track. Instead I’ll quickly highlight two songs that seem to go unnoticed that I find particularly beautiful for the unexpected compositional moves Death makes on them. The first is the song, “Without Judgement”, which abruptly drops its techdeath winding to hypnotize with a gorgeous and emotive melodic solo that seems rather uncharacteristic for Death that I just love, and the second is the closing track, “Perennial Quest”. It’s the longest song in the band’s discography up to this point, only to be just marginally eclipsed by “Flesh and the Power It Holds” on the subsequent album, and it embarks on a similarly proggy and melodic odessey to that of “Crystal Mountain”, but it’s the somber and mournful electric/acoustic outro that would soon become all too tragic for Death fans to listen to that concludes the album on such a heartfelt note in such beautifully fitting fashion. There’s no other moment like it in Death’s catalog, and it’s always a solemn, conclusive reminder of just how much light Chuck Schuldiner and Death brought to this world and how lucky we are to have albums like this. I’ll end my sentimental bit here and conclude by briefly summing up my thoughts on the album. Symbolic is Death’s magnum opus and a masterpiece among masterpieces that captures nearly everything that makes Death and death metal appealing and that had made the genre so predominant for decades since, and beyond being their best, to me, it is a perfect album.

10/10

1998 - The Sound of Perseverance

Death’s final album seemed to set them on yet another new musical course after the second run through the steady improvement over the course of a three-album cycle. The longest album of the band’s seven and including the longest songs in their catalog on average, The Sound of Perseverance took Death on quite the progressive joyride, and surprisingly (to me at least) it kind of split and confused some fans who had just gotten used to the band’s digestible technicality on Symbolic. Granted, I was just a little baby bitch boy when this came out, but personally I don’t see why this was such a shock to the system for so many fans (apparently), the band had always been pretty ambitious and this was a pretty logical next step for them to expand their continually expanding sound. The structures on the band’s seventh album are less conventional and more packed with extensive technical passages, and the band do pull out a good few more surprises than they ever did in any album previously, like the acoustic/electric guitar-solo instrumental “Voice of the Soul”. But The Sound of Perseverance is by no means any kind of contrived over-indulgence in ideas grander than what the band could accomplish or frothy wank-fest. The band was already developing a bit of a progressive bend in the previous three-album arc and they simply took it to the next level the same way they did with their instrumental technicality on Human. And fans did indeed vibe with plenty of songs on The Sound of Perseverance, with the impressively vocally high soaring “Spirit Crusher”, the angular and unpredictable “Scavenger of Human Sorrow, and even the lengthy, and indeed structurally confounding, prog-techdeath monolith “Flesh and the Power It Holds” making their way into the band’s setlists on their last tours. And of course the album ends on the well-earned, fun, high-octane cover of Judas Priest’s “Painkiller”, which finds Schuldiner incredibly nailing the songs high melody with his high-pitched death shrieking style (and finishing with never-before-heard clean vocals). For the reputation it has for eschewing balance for high-minded progness, The Sound of Perseverance is by no means a hard pivot from or unrecognizable from Symbolic. Its bold expounding upon aspects of their sound that already seemed pretty evolved while remaining musically engaging and not sacrificing what made their previous work appealing, and sheer magnitude and impressiveness of the band’s third venture into new territory again do sometimes make me question whether I like it more than Symbolic. While it did seem to pave the way for another new mind-blowing era of Death that death took away from us, The Sound of Perseverance has become a glorious and aptly titled swan song and a testament to the band’s and Schuldiner’s relentless ambition and, indeed, genius. Eternal cheers to Chuck and to Death.

9/10

And that’s it, eleven years and seven albums that continually revolutionized death metal and paved the way for so much of what we hear today. Anyone reading this of course probably knows most of all of this, but it’s still astonishing to think about how much Death did for the genre in such a relatively short time, and, for me at least, even having already been a pretty big fan of Death, listening to these albums from Scream Bloody Gore to The Sound of Perseverance, it reminded me more viscerally of the quality of the music and respected legacy of the band that I have always intellectually acknowledged and agreed with, which I figured I’d share here. If, somehow, you’ve come across this and you’re not into Death or death metal but you’re open to it and interested, you’re in for a treat. Put on Symbolic and just enjoy the trip down the rabbit hole.

[mustlovemustypages]

Yuletide 2020 Letter

Dear potential writer,

I truly hope all is well with you and yours. No matter what state you find yourself in, my wish is that Yuletide boosts your spirits and gives you the extra jolt we all could use to usher in the new year. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and thank you in advance if you decide to write anything for me!

Below are my desired fandoms and pairings along with story ideas that I would love to see written. Please don’t feel stifled by my prompts; I’ve also listed my general likes and dislikes at the very bottom of this letter if you decide to go a different route.

Little Women (2019):

Characters: Amy March and Theodore “Laurie” Laurence”

The main reason I adore this adaptation is because it made me see why Amy and Laurie ended up together. They had very similar worldviews and fit so well what the other needed. Both deserved to be with someone that valued them for who they are. With Laurie, Amy was not just financially secure but with someone who encouraged her to express herself creatively, politically, or however she chose. With Amy, while she grounded Laurie in reality and challenged him to be the best version of himself, he didn't have to fundamentally change to make her happy.

Story ideas:

These quotes really show how Amy's perspective on life was different than her sister's: "You are your family's hope." (Aunt March) "I’ve always known I would marry rich." (Amy March) That's a lot of pressure on someone so young. We heard some of Laurie's thoughts, mostly that he didn't think Amy should feel ashamed for wanting that. How would some of that pressure continue even after she got married, and what would Laurie say to make her realize they were in life together as a team and she didn’t have to suffer the weight of the world alone?

The conversation between Amy and Laurie in the painting studio showed just how level-headed and intelligent she was. Laurie, while not wholly agreeing, was respectful and didn't discount her thoughts. It would be interesting to see the impact on their story if Vaughn hadn't arrived, and this had played out more. Would the proposal have happened earlier and/or how would later scenes be altered as a result of further conversation?

What did the other characters think of Amy and Laurie's relationship, and how did it change after seeing them interact more as a couple? It would be interesting to read about Meg, Marmee, John, or some of the other characters realizing they were genuinely a good match for each other.

Post-canon, I'd love to get a glimpse of what kinds of conversations they had. Did Amy encourage Laurie to pursue a career and find what he was passionate about (music perhaps as Laurie mentioned writing an opera)? And similarly, did Laurie encourage Amy to pursue her art? Did they continue to have in-depth conversations about societal pressures and expectations of gender in certain economic classes?

Tenet:

Characters: The Protagonist, Kat, and Neil

Tenet is the first movie I've seen in theaters since Star Wars IX. There have been some mixed reviews, but my love for Christopher Nolan sci-fi films combined with the experience of stepping foot in a theater again made it a wonderful experience for me. Sure, the plot could be confusing at times, but it was fun trying to fit certain puzzle pieces together and oh so thrilling when things just clicked into place in the most satisfying ways.

I adored the dynamic between Neil and the Protagonist. The easy friendship, the banter, the suits... everything. I also loved the relationship between the Protagonist and Kat. It started off as each using the other but transformed into one of genuine care on both sides. Ever the romantic, I definitely saw something more than just friendship between the two and was slightly disappointed the movie didn't explore that aspect more.  

For pairings, I’m interested in friendships between all of the characters. I’d be interested in seeing a romantic relationship between Kat and the Protagonist if you’re up for that, but not between Neil and Kat, nor Neil and the Protagonist. If you really want to give a romantic partner to Neil, I'd be fine with Laura (or an original female character if she’s not the focus of the story), but please, no slash. While I’d be ecstatic to see all three characters together, if you can only find a way to fit in two, that’s wonderful as well!

Story ideas:

Even though Andrei Sator is gone, there are still other players in the game, some like Priya, who want to eliminate Kat or even abduct her with the delusional idea she can continue her husband's work. The Protagonist (and Neil, if you so choose) ensures no harm comes to her, and he realizes that keeping her at a distance may not have been the best idea.

I personally don't buy into the fan theory that Neil is Kat's son Max; however, I do find the idea intriguing and would be up for reading about how that worked. The Protagonist breaks his rule and sees Kat, helping to raise her son Max/Neil and eventually teaching him about inversion.

The Protagonist doesn't have to wait quite as long as he'd thought to see Neil again. It can be the Neil who had already met him and knows about Tenet or the Neil who knows nothing about inversion.

What conversations did Neil and Kat have while the Protagonist was asleep after almost freezing to death? Maybe Neil explained the finer workings of Tenet and inversion more in-depth. Perhaps they discussed the Protagonist. 

Clueless:

Characters: Cher Horowitz and Josh Lucas

This movie set the bar high for teen romantic comedies. How can anyone ever beat 90s Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd? Plus, the relationship between their two characters is fantastic. Josh and Cher just bring out the best in each other. Cher shows Josh that he doesn't need to be so serious all of the time and that people are more than their outer appearances. Josh makes Cher want to be a better person, and he believes that she's not just a pretty face. Their banter and playful moments always make me smile.

Story ideas:

Knowing Josh and Cher end up together, this brings a heightened awareness to rewatches. They have so many casual touches and exchanged glances (when did Paul Rudd's eyes get so blue?) that it's hard to miss their natural chemistry. It may take quite some time for Cher's dad to notice anything has changed because they don't act all that different from before. Is there something that makes him finally take notice? How does he react?

Sort of related to the last prompt, there's a moment where Josh decides to go to the dance to keep an eye on Cher and Christian, and you can tell by Mel Horowitz’s smirk he realizes Josh has a crush on Cher. Does he do anything to push it along or play matchmaker just like his daughter?

I've always been curious about whether or not Josh believes Cher's story about being assaulted in the car by Elton and then held at gunpoint. We skip over Josh pulling up to the phone booth and go straight to Cher already being in the car. How did Josh react when she reiterated the story, and does he instantly believe her, or does it take some convincing? I'd like to see if he comforts her and if they both go together to tell Cher's dad what happened.

Cher is obviously very intelligent socially, if not always so much academically. When it comes time to apply for college, what does she major in? And how is Josh a positive influence in Cher's life, encouraging her to be ambitious and not letting negative comments from guidance counselors or teachers dissuade her?

Things I don’t like:

Alternate Universes – For the specific fandoms that I picked, I really like the universes as they are. I’m definitely okay with deviations from canon, but please don’t make Little Women into a supernatural werewolf story or have Tenet take place in a mundane coffee shop setting. (I don’t mind Soulmate AUs or something similar because those can be incorporated into canon with little change to worldbuilding).

Non-Con/Rape/BDSM/Sexual Violence/Graphic Sex – I like my characters to be happy and everything within ships to be 100% consensual, no question about it (mentions of non-con if it occurred in canon is fine). I also prefer plot over porn, especially with one-shots.

OT3s – Two people per romantic relationship, please. Any more than that makes me uncomfortable.

Character Bashing - Unless a character is a bad guy in canon, I don’t want to read hundreds of words about how awful they are, especially if they are one of the characters that I requested. Don’t take it out on the characters. If you hate my pairings, just write gen.

Things I love:

Hurt/Comfort – There is nothing I love more than one character comforting another. The hurt can be physical, psychological, or both.  

Happy Endings – I’m all for the realistic endings… but if they could be plausible AND at least happy-ish, that would be amazing.

Expanded Scenes/Contorting Canon – Feel free to expand scenes and change up the canon to your heart’s content as long as it makes logical sense.

Humor/Banter/Snark – I thrive on this stuff.

Bonding/Building Relationships – Whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, I adore reading about two people growing closer together. When characters know each other so well that they can have conversations with just their eyes or anticipate the person’s next move (especially if it’s to the surprise/confusion of everyone around them), my shipper heart is thrilled.

Dark to Light – Seeing a character come out of a bad mindset or situation and get better is so satisfying.

Happy writing and I hope you get the Yuletide gift of your dreams!

- Maddy @mustlovemustypages (on Tumblr, Ao3, and FF.net)

[optimismrpt]

LIMITED RUN SKELETON RP CONCEPT CHECKLIST

first and foremost, this is just based on my past experiences and it’s easy to say that not all of my successful rps have checked all of these boxes. so this is not to say that your rp must check all or any of these off this list in order to be a good experience. this is just what i’ve been thinking about recently while trying to come up with a new limited run rp plot. so if your rp concept doesn’t adhere to this, don’t worry! i’m sure it can work regardless, i’ve just built this list to make it as easy on myself as possible to know what is more likely to work! 

A TEAM OF HEROES - this one might seem obvious, but it’s actually harder to come up with  an idea for than you’d imagine. since in a lot of stories have a very obvious protagonist, love interest, sidekick, mentor, and supporting cast. it’s important to create a team where each character has nearly equal claim to each role. since people are always going to want to play the hero or the love interest, you need to create a team where no character has more unavoidable focus on them. each one has to have the potential to be ‘the main character’. 

PAST CONNECTIONS - having the rp start off so fresh that no one has ever met each other usually seems like a good idea but i find it actually leaves people scrambling at opening to come up with all new ways for characters to meet and results in less investment in dynamics. so having a variety of connections between characters is best! some of them can just be meeting but it’s always good for a few of them to have years of history with each other. 

VARIED CONNECTIONS - while a lot of good stories work with all stranger, all family members, all coworkers, it’s a lot easier to have a functioning and inspiring rp that incorporates multi-faceted and diverse connection types. so when coming up with an idea see if you can justify the character coming together and knowing one another, without restricting yourself to one type of connection. 

VARIED PERSONALITY TYPES - this is the most essential on this list. some plots will narratively warrant similar people being drawn together, so it sometimes makes sense for a team of heroes to all be . . .  heroic. but if you can find different motivations, personality types, and archetypes to divide your characters into it helps a lot to create tension and keep the group interesting. guardians of the galaxy and avengers is, in my opinion, the best reference to look towards when trying to create a team of heroes who all have the same core motivation ‘save the universe’ but different underlying reasons to do so and very different approaches for how it should be done. 

LIGHT TONE - this is just my personal preference i suppose. but i’ve found that humor and not taking the rp or the characters to seriously is what creates true and lasting inspiration for a rp. it’s all the memes and goofs that really stick in my memory and endear me to the characters. and this is generally facilated by a lighter tone. but maybe it’s just me, and even when i do rps with a darker tone, the comedy appears anyway. really, just don’t take yourself or the rp too seriously. so the concept should be something that you are okay with joking around about.  

MOVING PLOT - i always try to come up with a plot that justifies the characters moving around, jumping from location to location. whether they’re going from planet to planet on a sci fi space adventure or from city to city on a spy mission, it’s a great way to keep intrigue and make the plot feel like it’s moving forward. while there are a lot of good ‘bottle episodes’ of tv shows and great movies that all take place in one room, it can get kind of boring for a rp. so i try to come up with something that keeps the characters on the run, either to or from something. 

MANY ANTAGONISTS - i try to avoid plots where there’s one big bad guy that the characters don’t meet until the end. i think it’s good to have the characters be facing lots of conflict: from within the group, from society as a whole, from an opposing group, and more! that way there can be lots of npcs, sources of tension, and things holding the characters back from achieving their goals. plus, it’s always fun to have a plot where the ‘villain’ they thought was going to be their arch enemy isn’t the biggest problem after all. 

THEMES TO EXPLORE - i remember watching a video where the writer of fight club talked about starting with a theme and writing a story just to explore that theme. i don’t usually do that, but the themes of a story i want to explore are usually the second thing to pop up after general concept. so i always look for a story which has a question i want to answer. for retired it was ‘if the world has falsely believed you to be a hero for all your life, what do you do when you a re forced to become what they believe you are?’ and for my next rp it’s going to be ‘if you’ve been searching for a dangerous truth your whole life and then find it, is that actually a good thing?’. these are the questions that make the plot fall into place and the story seem worthwhile. 

ADVENTURE WITHOUT ACTION - most of my favorite movies like kingsman,  john wick, pacific rim, and kong: skull island rely on a lot of physical action. whether it extended fight combat sequences or big cgi monsters duking it out, the excitement is derived from something extremely visual and difficult to write. this is really difficult to add to a rp without it falling flat. big monsters and long fight sequences are good on screen, but even when adding dice mechanics it’s just not as fun in rps. so i try to avoid emulating stories which rely a lot on these things. 

that’s it! that’s the list of things that i keep in mind when coming up with a concept! i know it’s a lot but when you find the right concept it feels so good! of course, i am always open to follow up questions and general advice!

[kinetic-elaboration]

August 15: 2x03 The Paradise Syndrome

I have seen this episode once before and I remember it being pretty awful... but tbh, I didn’t think it was so bad this time around. Maybe that’s just because my expectations were, like, Spock’s-Brain low. It definitely had issues but there was stuff I liked too!

Hmmm, that’s not the bridge. It appears to be... California?

Wondering what people might be so “blessed by this environment”--what a manly he-man action/adventure guy thing to say, amirite?

How does Spock know the significant markers of all the Native American tribes at a distance, off the top of his head?

(Answer: he doesn’t; all of this information is wrong and also one of those tribes is completely made up lmao.)

Honestly, who’s to say these people aren’t advanced? How do YOU know?

“Just so peaceful... no command decisions.” Oh no, Jim’s feeling Romantic again.

Honestly, imagine this characterization in AOS: overworked starship captain think he wants a break (but is wrong). Beyond made a vague attempt but missed what it is that Kirk finds stressful about command--it’s not that it’s boring, it’s the weight of the responsibility and the inability to find love.

Although funnily enough, even on his Native American Vacation, he still finds himself in a command position. He just can’t be stopped. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Oh no, the obelisk ate him.

Maybe these people specifically built the obelisk so that they could return to this idyllic ““primitive”“ state, hmm? Maybe they like their lives this way. Maybe they experienced "progress" and then decided that whatever era of their development looked like indigenous American peoples had it right. (This is not correct but it roughly is the plot of Errand of Mercy so I’m not without precedent.)

Spock’s using simple tools to explain his point to Bones lol. “Here, let me dumb it down for you, lesser man of science.”

“Who am I? What are these?” Cpine morning voice: “This must be a dream!”

Kirk looks so confused. The god from the obelisk.

“The engines are showing signs of stress.” Seems to me like SCOTTY’S showing signs of stress.

And yet the music is so whimsical.

Honestly Kirk’s expression here = Denny Crane’s when in a meeting

White man brings CPR, is hailed as god. (I wish I were making this up.)

Damn, Salish has been demoted. How embarrassing for him.

This is a VERY interesting Spock. He does all his calculations, but the he takes all the risks. He’s very certain and single-minded, almost obsessed, not afraid of anything. I think it’s IC but I also think you can see some Kirk influence, perhaps... You can see how Spock has grown in his command abilities since The Galileo Seven.

The wise ones = the aliens.

“He died before he could tell Salish the secret” to opening the Obelisk and stopping the asteroid. That IS unfortunate.

“How does this shirt open?” Lol.

“Your name is Kirok?” “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

“I’ve never been this happy and peaceful.” Funny how he looks neither happy nor peaceful. Maybe it’s something like “I’ve never been this happy and peaceful...and I don’t like it.” Or “I’ve never been this happy and peaceful... there must be something wrong.”

“Here there is much time. For everything.” No there isn’t, there’s an asteroid coming.

Kirk’s cottage core fantasy.

Poor Scotty, so stressed out. Maybe he needs some time with the indigenous aliens.

The Joining Day? Lol okay.

Kirk has no chill, at all. “Oh, you want to get married? Tomorrow? Okay!!” Is this how Gary was able to successfully distract with him the blonde lab technician?

The “stardrive.”

“Estimated repair time?” “FOREVER.”

“And you lost Jim.” Cool it Bones, there’s no need to be cruel. Spock’s already in his thinking pose so you know he’s taking this seriously.

Love Spock’s chair. That’s not Starfleet regulation.

“I have found paradise.” Is he high??

Requisite highly choreographed fight scene.

“You’ve barely eaten or slept for weeks.” That’s because he’s worried about Jim. And the giant asteroid. This is a great Spock and McCoy scene though.

I can’t believe this. Spock lies down (barely!) and McCoy just leaves like he actually thinks he’s won, and then Spock immediately gets up again to go back to work.This guy is even easier to fool than Sarek.

You know Spock spent his whole adolescence going "Sure, I'll do the thing" and then just not doing it.

“A strange lodge that moves through the sky...” Well okay.

Okay I’m sorry, is he sensing the enterprise or is he sensing SPOCK? Because most of this dialogue might just imply he’s generically remembering his old life... but he also specifically says that the “flying lodge” was farther away and now it’s closer again, and how he could he know that otherwise?

She’s pregnant? That’s not good lol. AWKWARD.

Also the closest that TOS will ever come to acknowledging people have sex.

Omg he made a lamp. He made a lamp on his first day there. Does this imply that Captain Kirk had an arts and crafts phase?? Like CPR I understand him knowing--I’m sure everyone in Starfleet does. But hand-carving a lamp? That’s a whole other skill.

Various cultures including “certain Vulcan offshoots” use music notes as words omgggggg I love this information PLEASE tell me more.

“The Preservers” is a good concept imo. Nifty sci fi innovation: taking aliens from endangered places and giving them a new place, then setting it up nicely for them.

Stop throwing things guys! It’s not helping!

“I need Nurse Chapel.” Damn right you do.

Spock really doesn’t like that “wife.” He sounds like “Wife?? How dare??”

Then he suggests it’s a hallucination even though there’s a woman right there.

"Naturally, since he did not come from there. He's my man, get your paws off him."

Vulcan mind fusion? What the heck is that? How is it season 3 and they still don’t know what to call it?

“He is an extremely dynamic individual.” Spock was really taken for a ride in that brain.

“The landing party is expendable.” There’s the Captain.

“I have an excellent eye for musical notes.” Brag.

“Just press the right button.”

Looks like Spock was the god they wanted all along.

Okay, that was an uncool ending though. I know they basically had to kill Miramanee as soon as she was pregnant but like, there was also no reason for her to be pregnant??? I would have preferred if (1) Miramanee hadn't been pregnant, (2) Jim got over her as soon as he regained his memory and (3) she lived and they just parted awkwardly.

Also I think it would have been nice if they had ended with the Enterprise explaining to Salish how the obelisk works, and then maybe even a hint that he and Miramanee will get back together. Like, maybe not that, since I’m not a fan of women just being used to, like, make men feel better--though I’m also not a fan of them being fridged because of Inconvenient Baby--but he should have at least gotten his position back and, more importantly, the knowledge he was always entitled to. Also, the very existence of an asteroid deflector, along with the people’s extensive knowledge of what weather signifies Oncoming Asteroid, implies this happens to them with some frequency. So in other words, the threat will return.

Plus Salish never got enough credit for being right, which he was! The whole time!

Oh and also I would have liked some acknowledgement that Jim does like being Captain. If you watch the whole show, you know that he occasionally bemoans the stress and his inability to maintain a romantic relationship, despite his love of long walks on the beach, but that he’s also ambitious, he loves exploration and adventure, he gets bored if left in one place too long, and he believes in the necessity of progress and discovery to keep not just individuals but societies from stagnation. But if you just watched this episode, you’d think he’d never been happy in his entire life, and that returning to command makes him miserable.

Aside from the Native American stuff--which was awkward and rather unnecessary and has aged, as you might imagine, very very poorly--I actually didn’t hate the episode. It had some VERY interesting Spock stuff, which I think is within a reasonable Spock characterization, and some great Spock and Bones moments. Kirk’s story line was surprisingly engaging for him being completely separate from the crew, and the general theme that he sometimes needs, or thinks he desires, a break from command, is definitely in keeping with other episodes. I liked the asteroid as the Big Danger, which was surprisingly dynamic--by which I mean, it did a good job of connecting the very disparate story lines on the Enterprise and on the planet. I also liked the Sci Fi Concept of the week in the Protectors. And it was interesting to see an ep take place over a longer period of time.

None of this is to downplay how awkward the Native American elements are--incredibly fetishistic, and also lazy--like, “I want to show something Simple and Idyllic...I know! Indians!” There was no reason they should look like American Indians. In fact, it makes no sense that they do: the Protectors take peoples from planets that are about to be destroyed and (somehow) discreetly move them somewhere else, but Native American peoples still.... very much exist? And so does Earth as a whole. So obviously these aliens weren’t transplanted from Earth. So why should their culture resemble some awkward mishmash of Native American cultures?

So overall I’d say, the ideas of the episode, the structure, the characterizations (mostly), and the overall ideas were good, but it was just very awkward and unfortunate that it chose the... aesthetic that it did--especially because it was very much an aesthetic choice and not a well-thought-out, culturally sensitive one. Gonna be honest and just chalk that up to it being 1968 though.

Next is And the Children Shall Lead, which I actually think was one of the first TOS eps I ever saw... But I don’t remember it at all.  So we’ll see!