#Wally is the kind of character that I like to put in Situations just to see how they'll react

[threewaysdivided]

I love deathly weapons and live for your writing updates. On that note, I do love Wally but I’m very excited to see him get what’s coming to him after messing with Danny.

(writing updates for WIP Chapter 19 of Deathly Weapons)

Awww thank you! 💜

I actually really really like Wally as well. He's a super expressive and responsive character, and it makes him very fun to write. I find the way he talks, thinks and engages with his environment and other characters to be inherently entertaining and charming. He's definitely produced some of my favourite bits of incidental prose/dialogue comedy in the story so far.

He's been coming off as a bit antagonistic and mean for the last few chapters but I promise it's not meant to bash him or make him look bad. He's just a flawed character - I like the complexity it gives him - and this is a situation where he's going to have to face some of those flaws. Speaking of which...

I am so excited to finally be on this chapter, you have no idea. I've been planning this one for ages - the bones of some of these scenes and conversations were plotted out while walking between classes back in the final year of my degree (i.e. yonks ago). I think I've come up with a pretty unique or at least, not very common way of solving this particular character problem and I am so keen to share and talk about it with everyone!

[the-nosy-neighbor]

Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight

As always, I have edits:

This will make more sense at the end.

I came across some theories about this song, and wanted to look at it in depth.

We are reading with the understanding that he may be referring to Eddie.

[A gentle piano and bassoon track begins playing.]

The sun is low, it’s cold and dark,— end of season, but could also be a reference to night and danger after dark

Just wind and snow, I must remark,

The bugs all head to slumberland,—interesting given the use of toyland, also the commercial about remderem/insomnia (some must sleep but Wally is in the opposite state. Too aware?), but could be a reference to death, like “the big sleep”

Some might find it sad, but I understand,—on face value, he will miss his friends, but knows that it is inevitable.

Even if I might not be able to see you,—can’t see Eddie because he is gone/buried

I know it’s for the best, I can’t keep you,—Eddie staying would lead to serious consequences for Eddie

It’s time for all of you to get some rest,—after what we saw Eddie go through, I bet he would be better in a different state

To tuck you all into your arthropod nests,—bug stuff; also Julie's hibernation?

At this point, those last few lines could refer to a sort of death for Eddie. Almost like frank can preserve him in some way by giving him a death in this universe. If we are talking puppet world, which we did see in commercials, most of Eddie’s anxiety happened in that state. So, can Frank give Eddie a suspended or death like state in one of the layers of reality and he is preserved in storybook world or our real world?

With one last check, that nothing is amiss,

I can see you safe into your chrysalis,—this reads that he will put Eddie into a different state of being that he can come back from. The coming back is my interpretation only at this point because I assume frank wouldn’t choose death for him or would for sure be hurt by Eddie’s death. Things would have to be very bad if true death is a better option for Eddie.

Also, it hearkens back to the horror butterfly image. Another also, caterpillar to butterfly, an insinuation of emedging into a new form. I don’t see allusions to Howdy in here, but I suppose it is possible that this could refer to more than one neighbor and Frank is taking them all out.

As you snuggle down into your dirt,—reference to being buried?

I want to assure you that I won’t be hurt.

This clarifies that it is a sleeping type state, not death. Ok, here is we’re Eddie’s Halloween costume comes in. Frankenstein, changed from the Scarecrow in earlier art (presumably from wizard of oz). Interesting thing about scarecrow vs. Frankenstein is that we see scarecrow taken apart during that film and Frankenstein is famously assembled from parts of different people. Interestinger is the fact that they are both afraid of fire. (I love that Young Frankenstein shows up more than the original in a search.)

Frankenstein (and scarecrow) are both put back together, but for Frankenstein it seems more of a new being, not just a reassembling. Frankenstein (aka frankenstein’s monster) is a thinking, speaking individual that was horrified at the situation he was in. Frankenstein in the book murders to punish his creator for the immorality of creating him and the resulting loneliness that the monster feels. As such, the choice is very interesting. If the puppets of welcome home come to be aware or sentient, I wonder how they would feel about Ronald Dorelaine or their situation?

If the movie version is the focus of Eddie’s costume choice, then he would be a potentially thinking and feeling being (he is afraid of fire), but without further evidence we don’t know his thoughts.

Scarecrow is a guy without a brain, with the power of speech, so a kind of opposite. I think they all end up just needing to be confident, which is why some shyster from the Midwest is able to help. This almost seems to be more in tune with Eddie's character--Eddie has a tendency to appear kind of ditsy, is constantly being dismissed by others. In the end, we find out he is actually smart but lacks confidence. I can see that being true for Eddie as well.

If I had to pick out a character for Frank, it would be the Tin Man. Poppy is the Cowardly Lion, Wally is Dorothy. Home is Home. There are more parallels here than I was expecting. Howdy is the Wizard, Julie can be Glenda, and the Wicked Witch...is kind of no one? Sally can be a flying monkey. She works my nerve. Also, the whole spying thing was done by the monkeys in the movie.

But now that I am thinking about it, this comparison makes a lot of sense, in terms of the complex relationships, as well as the levels of reality that you find in Wizard of Oz. A big event leads to a shift in the understanding of reality, and the lead finds themselves in a very colorful world that doesn't much resemble their own, but is very flashy, has songs, beloved characters, and a sense of danger. There are some things when thought about in the context of real life, or the black and white portion of Wizard of Oz, would be truly frightening.

Of course, Wizard of Oz shares a lot of parallels with Alice in Wonderland, which also seems somewhat related. In terms of source material, the Wizard of Oz is considered to be a parable that expresses the thoughts about US economic policy in the 1890's. This is a theory that you can read more about here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_interpretations_of_The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz

It isn't super related, and not everyone believes that this is the case. However, it seems to be a very American type story, no matter what you believe, that touches on the experience of normal people while much larger forces lie and fuck around with everything.

As the holidays begin to approach,

I gently kiss, each and every roach,—kisses for Eddie. We have seen a realistic roach on the secret page with the mishmash of one script where Wally is deciding what to draw

I made sure to keep, my garden cozy,

So you can safely sleep, in fallen posies,—this whole stanza shows a desire to and promise of a quiet death and maybe even a maintained grave. I looked up posies to see where Eddie could potentially be buried. Posies refer to a nosegay, or small bouquet of flowers. It was a Victorian secret code thing, a way to declare love or even reject people based on flower and color. One that sticks with us in the form of red roses signifying love. On the map, there is a cluster of yellow flowers to the side of Frank’s house. Not sure this counts as his garden, since it is on the other side of the house. Julie has a group of flowers behind her house, but once again, not his garden. No fallen flowers that I can ID.

When googling posey, this is what comes up. I felt that there was a flower called a posey, and these do look like the big yellow flowers by Frank’s house. If any flowers fall in updates, I am going to assume someone is buried there.

There is also the ring around the roses rhyme, which could relate, but I don’t really see a correlation.

It’s time to get comfortable in your honeycomb,

take your winter intermission in your garden loam,—dirt, burying again

neatly nestled from the cold in roots and rhi-ya-zomes, — cozy dead

sleeping side by side under stately stones,—2 dead? Headstones is the link I make there--OK, now look at the pic! (I know, it's a reach.)

…And I’ll be inside of my home,—frank is staying to oversee something. It reads like calming the person who will die. This seems to bolster that arguments that I addressed in the post about bugs on the previous website, that Frank is working against, or at least parallel to Wally. With the bugs, the whispering to Eddie, and using his first name, I think it is reasonable to suggest that Frank is working against Wally and/or Home.

Another potential clue is the hidden video with the clothespins where 1 is upside down. I have theorized that it is a reference to Barnaby dying, but it could be Barnaby and Eddie. Only one clothespin is shown upside down though, so Barnaby or Eddie?

Regardless of how I feel you need to go away,

I’ll be the one to tell you, you just can’t stay,—he likes bugs but this is extreme of Frank, if he is talking about actual bugs

Thankfully I lack a sentimental sensibility,—true that, he generally seems calm.

I enjoy my Methodical Mundanity,—why is this capitalized? I looked and looked but I can’t find the origin of this phrase, though it came up a few times in random posts and articles. Clown does have a tendency to capitalize things that seem random. Me below is also capitalized. I listened as well, and I have to wonder why the singing is so bad? I don’t think the voice actors are bad at singing, seems like a deliberate choice to have reedy and unsteady vocals, pitch issues and pacing problems.

Where all that’s left is… Me.

So, this is a bit extreme for a song about hibernating bugs. I think that given our many references to bisecting or otherwise putting people into pieces (Eddie butterfly horror, frank in a pile of body parts, look I made a dog, and slinky Barnaby, now Frankenstein and Scarecrow) that we could be looking at death in a sense that works in one layer of reality. You disassemble a puppet, it is no longer a puppet. So what if Frank = Frankenstein and Eddie is Frankenstein’s monster? Frank can take him apart and put him back together in puppet reality?

If I had to guess, I am sticking with my working theory. Frank, as the smartest guy in the neighborhood, is the resistant force in the neighborhood. Wally/Home is/are the catalyst for the scary stuff. They are central to everything, physically and otherwise.

I have mentioned that in the last update, Sally and Poppy have the appearance of spies or managing Eddie. Given that Poppy doesn’t attend to party, I am anticipating that Eddie was isolated and watched by Sally during this planning period, where Wally and Barnaby walk the neighborhood to find out what Homewarming is. Given that it is said that Wally and Home instigated Homewarming, it is strange that everyone knows what it is except for Wally. It reads more as an attempt to achieve a goal, despite everyone knowing about the holiday. Even Julie is at the party, and she is supposed to be hibernating. Well, they don't say exactly when Julie hibernates (maybe there was something about her doing it after the holiday?) Anyway, Poppy isn't at Homewarming. She could be at home, but the book stating that they are all here seems like an attempt to cover up her absence. What is she doing? Snooping in the Post Office while Sally watches Eddie? Does Eddie want to go home for not feeling well or he has an idea of what is happening while he is gone?

Maybe Frank sees his boyfriend and comrade at arms about to get hit with something bad, so to preserve him and the opposition, he is going to disassemble him (cue Johnny 5) for protection.

In the past, Sonny (the Brazilian bird) was cast as the opposition to Wally, and included in a relationship with Frank. This work in particular comes to mind:

Clown has stated that they removed Sonny from the project due to the story changing from one with a hero, to one without, as that wasn't the story that they wanted to tell. What if, though, instead of Sonny being written out for the hero reason, there was another reason? What if we are seeing Frank taking on being the neighborhood's savior? He is just snarky enough to make it seem less like a hero situation and more because it was impacting his garden.

[starleska]

So what I get is that most fans are spreading rumors about clown being hacked or putting words in his mouth, and some are treating him like a child who needs to be protected at all cost (which is kinda creepy behavior). And this is happening because he made a NSFW tag, right? What a way to wake up to.

hello anon! yes, you've hit the nail on the head - i'm so sorry that this was what you woke up to! it certainly had my heart rate up for a bit 😭💖 here's the situation (apologies for the long post):

Clown has now made an official separate tag for NSFW content, #PlayfellowXXX. this is excellent! much like Toby Fox did with the #Undertail tag, NSFW fanworks creators now have a separate space to place their work, meaning that individuals who don't want to see that content don't need to.

Wally Darling and Frank Frankly Voice Actor F. Frankie Frankenstein confirmed that this was real, and a decision made by the Welcome Home team.

this was quickly corroborated by Clown, who said that they have not been hacked, and he just needed some time to adjust to all of the new attention. they also found the whole outcry quite funny!

after this, Welcome Home team member Anonymous Puzzler also said that this was a mutual decision between the team, and specifically said that it wasn't coerced in any way. she also confirmed that NSFW was never prohibited in the first place - it was just asked to be private while they worked everything out.

during this time, there were a variety of reactions from people. many were elated; some were confused; others were angry and/or upset. some believed Clown was hacked; others believed he was coerced; others acknowledged its veracity, but were saddened/angered all the same.

to recap: NSFW content has never been banned, according to the Welcome Home team: they just wanted time to work out the best way to protect younger people and those who don't want to see that kind of content in an enormous fandom. the team's preference is now for all Welcome Home NSFW content to go under the tag #PlayfellowXXX. this is a decision Clown and the team have reached organically, without coercion, and for the betterment of the fandom.

there is a significant portion of folks who are distressed by this news, and who are assigning thoughts and feelings onto Clown without knowing him personally. i don't think this is terribly healthy. it's okay if you don't like NSFW fanworks; having a separate tag means you can block/blacklist, and not have to see it!

personally, i think this is a wonderful idea. i'm saddened by the backlash NSFW creators are receiving in the wake of this news - especially as someone who received some of that hate, despite never having made NSFW content for Welcome Home!

i'm also baffled by the repeated assertion that Clown has somehow been coerced into this decision by 'porn-addicted weirdos'. the Welcome Home fandom has been extraordinarily respectful of the private NSFW rule...now, it's okay for people to make NSFW content for Welcome Home, guys. we literally got the green light 😅

the creator is an adult, the characters are adults, and it's a horror project which will deal with mature themes. this really is the best way the team could've handled this kind of project suddenly getting an enormous audience with a lot of younger people! no one is 'more deserving' of being in the fandom, and no one is 'better' than anyone else for making or not making a certain kind of fanwork. certainly, no one 'owns' a tag, character, or fandom - it is a courtesy to have a separate space so that people can avoid NSFW content if they want to.

at the end of the day, i hope those who are upset get a chance to rest, and realise this isn't the end of the world. i understand how hard this might be, especially if NSFW content is a real no-go for you. but everyone's fandom experience is different, and i promise you, the NSFW creators aren't making that content just to make you, personally, feel bad! 💖 if you see someone posting in the wrong tag, or who has outdated information, just politely let them know, or mute/block/scroll on as you need to.

now, i realise i'm breaking my own rule about not weighing in on discourse...but i have so many Welcome Home followers and wanted to make this easily accessible 🙏 i hope this clears up any questions people have.

to the NSFW creators - have fun! to those who'd rather not see NSFW content - take care of yourself! i hope you all have a wonderful day :3c

[gonnalosemydougdimmadomedamnmind]

Literally I am so sick of whore dick grayson, himbo dick grayson, fandom bicycle dick grayson, like yall really saw that dick is the canonical pretty boy with the nice ass and then proceeded to give him 'bottom' as a personality and just ran away with that. Dick is not a pretty idiot that loves having sex and only cares about his appearance, for fucks sake. He doesnt need to be rescued by jason todd of all people, who literally willingly burned all his bridges and can't even save himself, or wally west, frankly, who is one of his best friends but not the one he gets emotionally vulnerable with.

He doesn't do casual sex, at all. He needs an emotional connection first, is it so hard to believe that an attractive person actually wants to connect to someone instead of fucking them? Or fucking their problems away? Is it really so hard to believe that an attractive person can also be intelligent? Can also be kind? Can also be selfless? Can also take care of themself? Can also be a functioning adult? Can also be mature? Can also be damn fucking good at their job? Have yall ever met a real person before?

Dick is Romani and one of the most well known stereotypes about the Romani people are that they are like magically alluring people that can't keep their hands to themselves or that they're like thieving, dumb, dirty animals and what did yall reduce Dick down to? An overly emotional, stupid, pretty slut that acts without thinking.

You know just because something is racist in canon doesn't mean you have to take that and amplify it by 100 in fanon, right? Like the shit I have seen on this website alone, the takes that just won't stop, are literally so much more racist than anything you would ever find in canon. And good God, it's not like you have to make his race the forefront of his character! It's not! No one's is, that would be bad characterization. But should his being Romani affect the way you portray him? Should there be certain things you can be considerate about? Should being Romani be part of his identity? Uh, yeah.

And also. Should you maybe consider what he's actually like in canon to characterize him within fandom spaces? Uh, YEAH.

Dick Grayson is a romantic at heart, is extremely private, and cherishes the emotional connections he has with people. He is a good person because he chooses to do good things. He wants to help people! He's literally a genius, I mean this in every possible sense, academically, physically, emotionally, strategically, picking up and mastering skills with ease, being a detective... that doesn't mean he doesn't have problems. He's an extreme workaholic. He will never talk about his own problems to his friends or family, just the occasional therapist. He's so good with people, he knows exactly how to manipulate situations into his favor, to his own detriment. He will never give up on you, to his own detriment. He bottles up his emotions deeply, and yes, occasionally he does explode. He has a guilt complex the size of the sun. Everything is his fault in his head, Everything. He will accept the blame for anything, for his own rape even, because he's Dick Grayson and hey, he should've known, he should've been able to tell. (This is specifically talking about Miriam).

Everyone puts him on a pedastal because he's the guy that can actually pull off the impossible and no one but him realizes just how high that pedastal is. Bruce wants to be him, thinks there is literally no one better than him, no one who could soar higher than him, the ideal hero. His hero.

Goddamn Superman thinks he's the one person in the universe that will almost always do the right thing at the right time across every universe. And I don't mean that he will BE the right person at the right time, I mean he will DO the right thing at the right time, because Dick believes in the power of choices! Of free will! He could do bad things just as easily as the people around him, he could choose to be cruel because that is literally so. much. easier.

But he doesn't.

Almost ever.

In nearly every universe.

Do you know how much pressure that is? He drowns under the weight of his own perfection, truly. He can't fail.

He can't fail.

Isn't that so unbearably sad? You spend your whole life reassuring other people that everyone gets second chances, and that you are not your worst moment, and that you deserve compassion even at your most despicable, and that everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes things are inevitable, and sometimes all you can give is your best.

You are the only person. Who does not receive that same mercy.

He can't fail.

His family treats him as an emotional punching bag, sometimes a physical punching bag. Occasionally, so will his friends. It's hard to see the person behind the legend. And Dick's legend is truly titanic in proportions... the first child hero. No one could've done it, if he hadnt done it first. If he hadnt done it so exceedingly well. And then he had his own hero team. And then he became his own hero, again. And then he had his own city. He did it all first. The literal trailblazer, lighting the way for everyone else, not letting anyone stop him. Not waiting for anything. A force of nature.

Everyone wants to be him, be liked by him, be acknowledged by him. They all rely on him, the linchpin of a universe. Dick really is like the sun. Warm, encouraging, revitalizing. He is the light in the dark, illuminating and intense. Focused. Powerful. And they are all caught in his gravitational field.

Dick is so much more interesting than anything fandom will spare him. God, what I would give for fandom to give even a 10th of actual attention and critical thought to him or any other poc character in this franchise, that fandom gives to the white characters. I mean, we've all seen it. The narrative fabricated through lies that 95% of fandom takes as gospel because they refuse to engage with canon or simply don't care because it favors their favorite characters. In case you don't know, I am in fact talking about fanon jason todd- aka meaner Dick Grayson with Helena Bertinelli's lifestyle and fanon tim drake- aka less athletic, more victimized Dick Grayson. The white fandom darlings, extremely woobified, you know how it is. Sigh.

[sleepingdeath-light]

s/o who stays with him hcs ; lovesick!wally

requested by ; anonymous (06/05/23)

fandom(s) ; welcome home

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; wally darling

outline ; “Sweeet! Could I get Lovesick! Wally x reader where reader realizes that Wally is aggressive when he's ignored and most of his love is focused on them so they decide to stay inside Home, getting sick too but Wally is calm and stops trying to escape, just wanting to be around reader now”

warning(s) ; lovesick au, reader succumbs to the same sickness as wally, self sacrifice, references to reader losing their mind, author is new to writing for welcome home so characterisation might need some tweaks in the future

you were doing this to protect the others — everything you had done was for them and if you kept on reminding yourself of that then, maybe, this whole situation could be that bit more bearable for you

but, then again, there was only so much one could do to ease their mind when you were spending every second of every day trapped inside of the same four walls with someone who was sick

so very sick

and you knew you were too

you could feel it in your mind, warping your perceptions and thoughts — making your mind feel less and less like you

you wondered if this was what wally felt before he became too far gone — before the aggression and obsession kicked in and he started to jeopardise the lives of everyone in the neighbourhood to get to you

spreading this disease through words and a phone line that nobody could bring themselves to cut off no matter how many times you begged them to

so, with no other options in sight, you gave in

gave him exactly what he wanted

gave up the potential for a cure or salvation

gave up your freedom

gave it all up because they deserved better — they didn’t deserve what wally was putting you all through

julie deserved to keep wandering through the neighbourhood and styling her hair and her clothes in ways only she could pull off

frank deserved to keep chasing butterflies

sally deserved to keep on pursuing her passion for performance

barnaby deserved to keep on entertaining everyone and being himself

poppy deserved to be able to keep on baking the foods she loves

howdy deserved to keep on tending to his business and multitasking with an expertise only he could have

eddie deserved to be able to keep on doing his job and pursuing what he loves

they deserved better than this

they deserved freedom, and that was your last gift to your friends — the last act of true kindness that you were allowed before you too became trapped in home

trapped with the man who had been incessantly calling you, preaching his adoration and affection and obsession through the speakers every day — moving on to others when you stopped picking up

calling once then twice then dozens and hundreds of times a day when he realised you weren’t answering intentionally and he started to become frantic

desperate for your attention, your affection, your adoration

to hear your voice, to see your smile

he wanted you — needed you

and now he had you

and now you realised just how far gone your old friend was — how wally hadn’t been wally in a very long time

it was his eyes, they’d changed and you couldn’t help but notice how drastically they had when you had nothing else to do but look at him

they were filled with hearts

no

they were branded with them, like he was filled to the brim and bursting with this overwhelming feeling and it was starting to warp even his appearance

but that wasn’t the end of it

his usually perfectly styled hair had been left to flop over his face — an ocean of messy, tangled blue only partially obscuring his painfully dilated warped eyes as he stared at you all day long

a small part of you wondered how much your own appearance had changed — a larger part of you was terrified to find out

the small consolation that you had was that wally had become completely docile once he’s realised that you were now staying with him

the escape attempts stopped and as did the constant calls, as he had no reason to keep on doing either

you were right here, after all, so why would he ever need to leave?

most of the time he just sits and stares at you, love ringing clear in his dreamy expression as he looks at you like you yourself hung the stars in the sky

like you were an art piece to be admired

like he could see you for exactly who you were

you felt exposed, naked, vulnerable

but you couldn’t leave so you just grinned and beared it

making sure to cut all of the phone lines the moment you settled in to your new, comfortable prison

other times he’d actually talk to you, his words well considered and his tone oddly airy and light — carrying like a dandelion seed in the breeze, more whisper or hum than words really — and hanging so dearly off of every word you said

he treated your statements like gospel, your syllables like sermons, your words like the greatest philosophical constructs — considering each thing you said heavily before responding

sometimes he’d just touch you, grasping your hand, running his fingertips along your face when he thought you were sleeping

like he couldn’t believe that you were really there

like it was all a dream and he was going to wake up and it would all go back to the nightmare he was living before

and through it all you were coping with the reality of just how sick your friend was — how horrifically obsessed he’d become with you and how it would ruin him if you left

and you could feel yourself slipping

bit by bit; slowly at first

your eyes would linger on him for a few seconds longer than you meant to

you’d catch yourself smiling whenever you stumbled upon his restful form

but over time these changes became so significant that you could no longer dismiss them

you were sick, really sick, and you could feel yourself slipping away

and in a sick and twisted way you couldn’t find yourself caring — the small part of you that did being massively drowned out by the larger not-you part that was already too far gone

you were sick and you were changed but you were in love and you had your wally

and in much the same way that wally lost all of his aggression the moment you relented, you lost your will to fight before it had even formed

because you had him and thus, really, you had no reason to leave

your neighbours would get over your loss eventually, you were sure, but for now what you really needed was to give your love a hug

it had been far too long since the last…

[aangelinakii]

YOUNG JUSTICE LOVE LANGUAGES.

characters written about in this piece : conner kent, wally west, kaldur'ahm, m'gann m'orzz, artemis crock

not proofread !

note : if you're looking for dick grayson, as he was a member of young justice ( obvi ) he and the other batfam members are written about in this post ! <3

CONNER KENT — quality time

i can't see conner as an overly (physically) affectionate person, as his other stronger emotions are often more evident within him. he doesn't feel comfortable with physical touch; he's been through a lot, just not his kind of thing. he has a lot of suppressed rage, so doesn't know how to express himself through words in a charming way, poor guy. so i think he finds quality time most peaceful. he can control the boundaries of it; how close you are together, how long you spend it together, what you guys do. obviously he is receptive to your boundaries, too, but he feels most at peace just being in silence and spending time together, even if just doing separate things but in the presence of one another.

his favourite ways to spend quality time : doing separate things, like chores or hobbies, whilst in the same room , cooking together , reading the same book, nodding when you've finished the page so he can turn to the next one , sparring or working out together

WALLY WEST — physical touch && words of affirmation

the way i see wally, he's quite a casually touchy person, implementing physical touch into daily situations with his friends and loved ones. he loves a good, even short, hug upon seeing someone, or a high five, handshake, dap-up with a friend. literally anything, he will take it in stride. i also think he can be quite hormonal and touch-starved, especially as a teenager, so he enjoys casual physical intimacy. i don't think there's a reason for this, he's just that type of person. loads of people are just touchy people, and that's okay.

he also is a talky person, can't shut up, won't ever shut up. sometimes the things he says can be a bit.. off putting, but we all know he's just a lovely guy. without realising, wally will give compliments, or give praise to those he loves. another love language of his is words of affirmation, done in a casual way, not meant to be taken seriously. but when he's in love, or crushing on someone, they're definitely meant to be taken more seriously.

favourite forms of physical intimacy : a hug when he sees you again , a high five after winning a team game , slinging an arm over your shoulder or around your waist as you walk side-by-side , legs tangled as you lay in bed watching a film together

words that he means : "you look so amazing right now" , "you did great!" , "you need to teach me that next time, i want to be just as good as you" , "you have the best smile. you know that, right?"

KALDUR'AHM — words of affirmation

he's reserved in a group setting, even with close friends, but i feel as though kaldur would be extremely romantic, but not outwardly so. he keeps his romantic gestures behind closed doors, away from prying eyes, meant only for the two of you. he doesn't show off, he has nothing to prove. but when it's just you two, he cherishes and adores to no end, but not in an overwhelming way; he knows his boundaries. i think he most likes to use words of affirmation to show affection. he has a great voice, just imagine him praising you and reassuring you. i feel like he also likes to receive affirming words, too, since often his motives are wrongfully questioned. he likes feeling trusted, and being shown that he is.

words that he means : "i'm so proud of you" , "i'm so lucky to have you in my life" , "the universe really took its time with you" , "i would choose you in every lifetime"

words that he appreciates : "do you know how handsome you are?" , "i trust you" , "you're so important to me, i hope you realise that" , "i feel so safe with you"

M'GANN M'ORZZ — acts of service ( && close proximity. )

m'gann is the type to feel like she needs to prove herself, even to those she loves; especially to those she loves. she wants to be enough, feel like enough, seem like enough. and so she tries to show her love, through acts of service. even something as small as picking lint off your clothes, to something as grand as making a whole roast dinner for you to come home to. part of her does these things out of hopes that she will receive the kind acts, too, but part of her does them because she wants to show you what love feels like, because she exists, and she is full of it.

i don't see her as an incredibly touchy person, but i feel that, because she is so positively consumed by a person when she falls in love with them, she just wants to be near them all the time. m'gann can be overly aware of boundaries, and doesn't want to do anything wrong to make anyone uncomfortable, so that's part of the reason why she isn't touchy, as well as her own preferences. but she absolutely adores close proximity, just being in the presence of the one she loves as much as she can be.

ways she likes to show her love : cooking you food , tying your shoelaces , taking off your makeup for you after a long day, if you wear it , starting your day with a warm cup of your favourite drink , peeling the skin off your satsumas

ARTEMIS CROCK — quality time

similar to conner, i don't see artemis as an incredibly touchy or affectionate person. she's private, as shown by the lengths she goes to in order to keep her family background a secret, and would want to keep any romantic relationship under wraps as much as she can. instead of showing her love through hugs or icky sweet words, artemis likes to share quality time with her significant other. she thinks it has a wide meaning; you can do pretty much anything with another person and call it "quality time." she likes that it's not too committal, and she feels like she can leave at any time (not that she would want to, but not that she would say that.)

her favourite ways to spend quality time : playing video games together (she's a naughtydog lover) , sitting in the car or on its hood eating something from your favourite food truck , stargazing , exercising together , calling you when she's on her way home

[chronicbeans]

I wonder how the others from the puppeteer fic would react to puppeteer reader accepting their new life and trying to make the best out of the situation they've been forced into.

Yippee!

Reactions to a Puppeteer Reader who Accepts Living in Welcome Home:

📽️ Well, the first thing to note is that everyone in the neighborhood will be so glad that you are not going to try escaping! You just kind of chill out, trying to adjust to your new surroundings. Wally is there to help you every step of the way, showing you around the neighborhood and even a few parts in the forest. Apparently, there is this waterfall nearby that has rainbow water or something. You just try going with the flow of the neighborhood's shenanigans.

🎥 Outside of the show, however, Angela is panicking. You LOOK fine, but are you really fine? Are you just going along with it to prevent them from hurting you, or something? Henry is trying to stay calm, but you look too chillax in there. Why aren't you running or crying? What if you grow to accept it too much? If you start to grow more relaxed and, maybe, happy in there... he might end up worrying that you prefer to live with the puppets instead of him. Did he do something wrong?

🎥 Back at the studio, they would still plan to cancel everything. However, the Boss would most likely keep a few VHS tapes of the show and watch them at home to observe you. You see, if you grow accustomed to the landscape of the show, you could be exactly the type of person the Boss is looking to recruit.

🎥 Wally's voice actor is going to be very conflicted. Everything that has happened has put their mind in a daze. From getting hit with a paint can, you being stalked by the puppet of a character THEY created... Now, you are suddenly chilling with them? You aren't running? Screaming? You are trying to make the best of it? They try to think of how they would react in that situation, but they can't think of anything. The situation is too odd to them.

[theneighborhoodwatch]

i have been trying to make this into a coherent post for days and have gotten Nowhere so you will have to put up with this borderline incoherent trail of thoughts instead. okay here we go:

dorelaine sounds like it was meant to be a mondegreen of darling (or vice-versa depending on what perspective you're seeing it from) which lends some credence to the WHRP's insistence that ronald dorelaine Must be the creator of welcome home (again - "must be," not "is," which is odd.)

wally as a self-insert for dorelaine? this information sponge who kind of exists to learn from his friends/loved ones on our behalf, the audience surrogate, a slate so blank he didn't know what a clown was until someone asked him to draw one. what about a character like that would cause someone to draw on their own traits to write him?

in that same vein, wally being not only a self-insert but an Ideal Self? if so, what about the above traits would have been Desirable to dorelaine? wally being representative of a desire for some kind of "fresh start"? or perhaps of flawlessness by way of (initially) not knowing there are flaws to be had? ignorance is bliss and all.

y'know. i was talking about this in a metaphorical sense and was gonna go on about how like i wonder what it will look like the further things progress and wally deviates more from this aspect of himself (assuming he hasn't already. dorelaine probably was not quite so attached to his house, for one thing) but i think this might be one of the only contexts in which a literal(ish) possession story could work - i.e. how far do you think someone would go to discard their original identity and become their ideal self?

i was gonna elaborate on that but then i realized i was just describing the season one plot twist from surviving romance.

[spoilers for surviving romance, obviously] by which i mean: yknow how it turns out that the protagonist, who is now the MC of the novel the entire story takes place in, actually used to be the author of the novel? and the whole thing was written in an attempt to justify her own suffering (without actually unpacking any of her trauma or the defeatism that was beaten into her by her circumstances) by giving her idealized self-insert (the original MC) a happy ending after a series of borderline comedic acts of cruelty - something she felt she would never be able to achieve herself? and how she only remembers this after repressing it long enough to form relationships with the other characters in the novel after being thrown into a life or death situation and realizing that they all have a lot more depth and interiority than the original novel's narration afforded them? yeah? Yeah.

that's not the Whole plot twist but it is the part of it that's the most relevant to this post.

but hey, maybe there's no literal possession/reincarnation/transmutation/Whatever stuff going on. in fact, for now i'm confident in that not being the case, at least not literally. but i still think if wally being some kind of self-insert or at least being based on ronald dorelaine in some capacity is canon, then it is worth noting bc like. wally As We Understand Him so far exists to absorb and reflect the world around him and the people in it in order to guide us, the audience. if he turns out to be a self-insert on top of that, then he also exists to reflect his creator in some form. for as much as everything seems to revolve around him (even when we Know for a fact that whatever happened had an effect on the other neighbors as well) it's kind of hard to imagine wally existing as his own guy; he always exists in relation to something or someone else.

one has to wonder how he feels about that. he seems confident that it will all work out in the end (whatever "it" is) but, well. this Is a horror story.

something about what i said a while ago, about the puppets being more affected by unconscious decisions - "things left unsaid," in particular.

still think about Metaphorical hauntings in welcome home though. that one guillermo del toro quote - "What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? A moment of pain, perhaps. [...] An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber."

"ah but doesn't home also lend themself to a good possession story?" so close! i think whatever's going on with home is closer to necromancy/a state of Undeath than anything else. i will not be elaborating at this point in time <3

..... possible future holy trinity imagery with dorelaine, wally, and home? father/son/holy spirit? unlikely but Could you imagine.

ah. i think here is when the thoughts run out. thanks 4 reading.

[bombcollar]

I was tagged by @go-go-devil!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I currently have 151.

2. What is your AO3 wordcount?

327,526

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently the most recent fics I wrote have been for Cadence of Hyrule but I've also recently written for Iconoclasts and Pokemon.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Ferris Wheel (Bugsnax, Snorplo) - 248

Gemini (Bugsnax, body horror) - 169

Imitation Beef (Bugsnax, continuation of a canon scene) - 165

Imago (Elden Ring, Miquella wakes up as a big bug) - 154

Field Notes (Bugsnax, AU, cosmic horror) - 148

5. Do you respond to comments?

I always try to, even if it's just to say thanks.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh god probably one of my bugsnax fics... bugsnax really was ripe for angst. Both One Last Dance and Weary end in the implication that everybody has succumbed to the snax. I tend to leave things on more ambiguous notes than angsty, so even if the characters are in a sad or desperate situation it's uncertain what's going to happen to them next.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Sleep is Dark Souls III fic that implies the age of dark is actually a good thing and Lorian and Lothric survive to see it after all they've been through. I know I have written other happy things but this one is very hopeful.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten a couple shitty comments or ones where I was just like, I have no idea what you're trying to communicate to me, but they're extremely rare and I just delete them if I do get them.

9. Do you write smut? If so, which kind?

I do not write smut. Just not my thing.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest crossover you’ve ever written?

Not often, I have a few Fromsoft crossovers but I did write a Bugsnax/Nier Automata fic that never got finished. That's Between My Teeth.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, quite a few. Ao3 user Dashana in particular has translated a number of my Iconoclasts fics to Russian. I will probably never say no to having a fic translated if it helps it reach a larger audience, especially because I tend to pick niche fandoms or subjects.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have, with @malicious-fisheeves and with @wheeled-jack as well as some other friends who don't really use tumblr.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I really don't feel that strongly about ships much of the time but I do really like Wally/May from Pokemon RSE/ORAS and Gwyndolin/Darkmoon Knightess from Dark Souls.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ugh I have this Mochi Mayhem rewrite thing in the works but I just can't seem to make any progress on it. I may put it out there unfinished but the problem is I have a big chunk of the beginning done and then a scene at the very end and nothing in the middle lmao.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I'm really good at building dread. I personally think I'm good at writing platonic and familial character relationships, and writing characters who might be antagonists but who are complex and sympathetic.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I have some trouble when it comes to writing incidental side characters that might serve a purpose for one scene but aren't really that important.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I really enjoy writing dialogue, it's one of my favorite parts of the process.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I wrote a Rayman 3 fic about some OCs of mine probably back in 2003 or something. It was about these griffin-like creatures that had the powerups tested on them and it fucked them up because they were flesh and blood rather than made of cloth like the Hoodlum enemies are. They were trying to escape the facility they were kept in. Unfortunately I do not think it's still posted on my old ff.net account so it may be lost media.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I'll always be extremely proud of Monarch Sunrise (the bugsnax timeskip cruise fic) for the sheer scale of it (as far as my fics go) and for all the help I had plotting and editing it.

This is a tough question to answer though because I'm really happy with many of them. I'd say my favorite thing I've written lately is Lyre Lyre, my Octavo backstory fic, because I think it does a good job of laying out his situation in a concise and entertaining manner, like he's telling this story to a crowd.

as for tagging folks uhhh how about @wheeled-jack @mumagi @disco-descent

[lov3m3darling]

Just Some Thoughts on the WH Situation...(Kind of an angry rant)

So lately there's been a lot of talk about people s*xualizing WH despite Clown making it very clear that they are not comfortable with this. They're also facing a lot of harassment, it seems. Apparently, it's even making them consider stopping the arg altogether.

Frankly the disrespect is absolutely disgusting, and those involved should be ashamed of themselves for using this awesome project and its characters for their own sick wants.

Personally, I do admit I have a crush on Wally. He is the rizzard of oz after all. He's a cutie and I wanna squish him. But there's nothing even remotely s*xual about it. It's all just dates and affection. Maybe a little bit of yandere sprinkled in sometimes, but nothing more extreme than that. A pure kind of thing, ya know? So I understand that view of it, but I wanna know which one of you sick fucks looked at these children's show puppets and said "damn Im horny"

For gods sake get some help. Do you even know how unhinged and perverse you sound?

Aside from all that, Clown has enough to deal with. From what I hear, they are trying to get out of an unsafe living situation. I am in exactly the same boat right now, so I can honestly tell you, all this harrassment bullshit and s*xualization is so unnecessary and hurtful when this person is just trying to put their project out for us to enjoy and hopefully get out of a tough situation.

Write in your private diary about how you wanna screw a puppet all you want, but stop putting it out there. You are upsetting people and we are about to lose WH because of you.

Get a grip.

Anyway, I'm sorry about getting so mean and heated ya'll I just really fucking hate this. This situation is really gross and Clown deserves better. They have places you can donate if you'd like to help them out and support the arg! Please do if you can and are willing, they absolutely deserve it ❤️

In other news, I'm working on my own OC right now! I've named her Stella and her thing is that she loves to dance. She has sort of a ballet-like outfit.

Got a ton of stuff planned for her! In the meantime, I'll be writing more reader insert soon. Promise >.<

💙🍎💛🍎💙🍎💛🍎💙🍎💛🍎💙🍎💛🍎💙

[hajimedics]

Its nice to have someone i can chat to over asks! Because none of my friends actually have. Proper intrest in welcome home.. And honestly i can see why because theres a lot of questionable media going around, especially with the aus and the rf au.. The rf au is probably the au I dislike the most, if any video has it I just click off, because of the amount the sexulized audios and videos of him even though the creator of the au is a MINOR and uncomfortable with it.. EGH people freak me out man..

Anyways.. Do you have a favorite au? I only have a few an they are rather uncommon ones, that are based off of already existing shows and stuff, for example the nighmare before Christmas au, i love frank's, eddie's and juile's designs in it! And homes, and howdy's- I like all of them! I've found the spooky month au and i like the wally isn't the main character for once/lh, and it puts a spin on things which i like, i stay away from most popular au medias since of the controversy and some of the questionionable videos-

I wish i had a big or even just a small teddy of a welcome home character to add to my uh.. 'Collection?' Dunno if that's the right word though, unfortunately I can't afford a peanut (the Wally's that clown is selling)

Ngl clown would make bank off of welcome home colouring books and stuff

I've seen a glimpse of the rf AU from a screenshot I saw on twitter DX sounds really far from my alley. and from what I've seen based on quick youtube search is that he's portrayed really differently from what wally's personality is supposed to be.

I usually steer clear of welcome home AUs that portray wally darling as a tall suave sexyman and his hair is loose and not in his usual pomp. probably because it sets off a pavlovian response in me that his character is about to be butchered to cater to ""the simps"". eh, each to their own. I'll just ignore things I dislike and won't police anyone. no hate to people that enjoy them. though I'm a bit surprised to hear that the creator of the rf AU is a minor... this is the welcome home n*fw situation all over again from june where people disrespect clown's boundaries and he eventually made a separate tag for it. I hope the creator of the AU is doing okay, gosh, that's terrifying.

I do like some of the AUs here! I love the AU where wally and friends go to the real world and meet a playfellow co ex-employee called fionn and live in a chaotic housemate situation. I also like the royalty AU where wally's a childish king, howdy going against wally's regime, eddie as a knight, thief sally.... it's so fun and goofy. I love it!!!!

basically I enjoy any AU where the themes of freedom/control and puppetry and humanity are prevalent because my mind is so hungry for any theme analysis in the welcome home community. I remember a comic where frank tries to remove the strings on his hands and has to keep the horror hidden from his loved ones. I couldn't stop thinking about it. that's the kind of content I crave!!!

I also did think of an AU back in july! it's called "human wholeness" (their human depiction can be seen in my art tag) where the puppets turned into humans and slowly realize that the fredom wally envisioned for them is not all sunshines and rainbows.... look at the screenshots for context.... hope you enjoy

[cosmic-herbal-tea]

Batman vs Robin #1 Proves Why The General DCU Needs To Distance Itself From The World Of Batman

Its been a while since i’ve ever posted any kind of content relating directly to comic books but today’s issue of Batman vs Robin just was too much to be kept in silence. As much of a Batman fan I am, there’s also many things I favor in the DC Universe and its very irritating to be reminded of DC’s self-fulfilling prophecy.

(Spoilers ahead)

I'm just going to say it; Damian Wayne's issues with Batman are not compelling enough to have a possession storyline with him that includes wrecking up the entire mythos of the mystic side of DC Universe as a way to showcase the stakes involved with him being possessed and on the side of the Devil Nezha.

Firstly, I find it ridiculous there’s another storyline with Damian acting as an antagonist. Never mind the fact his heritage makes re-treading this murky territory and his fans are tired of it (some even find it racist) but my problem with him is that he’s Batman’s biological son so he’s gonna be pushing the bar. Of course he’s empowered far above Jakeem Thunder & Tim Hunter. Of course he thinks the literal most powerful mystic objects in DC are insufficient to taking down Batman. Of course Batman finds Damian to be a credible threat and not a 15 year old he can put in his place. Im tired of Damian (and by extension, Batman characters) getting into situations that narratively props their conflicts far moreso than general DCU character that hardly get to do shit.

Secondly, Nezha and Damian's actions (possessed or otherwise) having this wide of a effect on the DC Universe's magical verse is precisely the reason why Batman's world needs to stay in it's own corner. You have Justice League Dark and God's former agent of vegance all compromised and incapactiated to showcase the stakes Damian is involved in with Nezha. Why is this important you may ask?

If your defense for this is because Batman sells, well you're right. You want a cookie for an obvious answer? But here's the dealio: it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Batman's stories are the only time where DC has any REAL stakes on par with actual events like Dark Crisis. The mere fact that this story is taking place at the same time as Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths should tell you something. How can anything else sell if nothing really matters or Batman matters more? Thanks to a empowered/possessed Damian, the world of magic is turned upside down. It's one of the selling points of it being a big stake event for Batman. Now what is the Justice League Dark title having going on in their own corner? NOTHING BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A TITLE. IT GOT REGULATED TO A BACKUP BEFORE JUSTICE LEAGUE GOT CANCELLED.

One also has to ask WHY the magic characters and Justice League Dark in particular? The answer is pretty simple: it's a easy way to make the event look large AND make people look good. Dark Crisis did the same thing where all the magic characters are already aware the Great Darkness was up to some shit and just hid away. Part of their role is to showcase the continually larger stake at hand while also hinting towards said Darkness perhaps being manipulated. Just like Dark Crisis, Batman vs Robin uses magic characters to show off just how powerful Nezha is and how much more powerful he has/can make Damian. Just look at how the Justice League Dark is incapacitated. Look at how Nezha resides in the Tower of Fate, implied to have beaten Doctor Fate in his own place of power and uses it as a makeshift base of operations and can offer artifacts that ordinarly serve as plot mcguffins themselves. Even titles like Flash are guilty of doing this, as there was a JLD crossover with them fighting Eclipso. Wally got to save the day after finding out the bad guy's plan because of SCIENCE (the current Doctor Fate literally had to get a bachelor of science but I guess magic characters are stupid outside magic), saved the JLD from possession, and was immune to Eclipso because God loved him and is proud of him (nevermind the fact a Muslim character was involved in the plot heavily).

It's writing and portrayals like this that gives Marvel Comics an edge. While I'm not saying they're not above pulling this off themselves, it's pretty notable that Marvel has various books covering different characters potentially getting coverage that can impact their future on the big screen that may not inheretly step on other character(s) while DC/Warner Bros have to rely on Batman-centric books and events to sell things because they find it difficult to capitalize on their own comic book characters for anything. My Flash example also showcases this idea that in order to elevate something, someone has to be pushed down is a common thought process and it seems the JLD are contendable targets for years to come.

You'll notice that in all this, I didn't focus on Damian much or Alfred or any of the plot-relevant details. That is the case because I'm not wanting to put full care into that even though I read this to see Alfred's return. Not everyone wants to care about what's happening in Batman's world. There are people yhat like to see other aspects of DC be respected and treated with care and some don't even want to be involved in Batman's stuff. But books like this is what we get when those who want to follow magical-related characters are somewhat interested in a crossover; disrespected.

I wrote this because despite this happening, people are praising the issue because Damian/Bruce conflict and Alfred and I'll be damned if I can't raise awareness on the nonsense happening in this book. It is things like this that has significant limited my purhcase of ongoing series. The only Bat-related book I support is Sword of Azrael. It is sad that my favorite titles like Aquaman and Justice League Dark no longer gets ongoings while Batman's stuff can keep going even in it's medicority to bad stories phase. I think DC Comics, as a whole, needs to start seriously respecting their non-Batman titles if they hope to captialize on anything else not Batman.

[cyanityinsanity101]

I'm gonna be going on a rant about a specific welcome home au I keep seeing, so I'm putting it under the read more to not make the post take up the whole tag.

So I saw that one welcome home hypnosis au again and, it's just gotten worse. Like, I just don't get good vibes from it. I know the creator has said it's not meant to glorify sa but, that looks like what it's doing. [ It's put in the Barnaby x wally tags including the normal character tags for God's sake. ] I'm not gonna be vague about the au I'm talking about anymore, it's the hypnotic addiction au. I'm sorry to anyone who genuinely likes it but, I just really think the au is kind of problematic.

I do believe there's ways to portray sa in fiction a respectful way but idk the au just feels really wrong to even look at, and the fact it's tied to welcome home just makes it unavoidable. This feels like the pizza tower hypnosis au situation all over again but I haven't seen anyone talk about this situation so far. Idk if I'm just being sensitive or something but I just really don't want to see what's basically a glorified r*pe au when I'm just trying to look through the tags of my favorite character.

And it doesn't even seem like they treat the au seriously. They say that it's meant to be serious but then make jokes and memes about said au. I just feel like if it's so serious, why would you make jokes about it? Like, jokes about the abuser getting hurt ok yeah those are good and I can at least see why they exist, but they've made jokes about the entire situation in the au [ ex. The red flags meme, and doing a matching profile picture meme ] It just feels really wrong.

Just to clarify this though, I don't mean to hate on the creator themselves. I am willing to believe they didn't make the au with any alternative motives other than just exploring dark themes, but I'm just stating my opinion on the au since I've seen it so much.

[starwritesficsandstuff]

To keep up with your Epithet Erased hype, what is your favorite cartoon or anime to crossover with EE?

Kids Next Door for certain! I don't update the crossover fic for it anymore (that's not to say I don't still have a plan for it; I still chip away at the next chapter every once in a while), but I still think about it constantly. It's hard for me to think of one without thinking of the other tbh. I hope I get the burst of inspo/motivation to finish it someday, since I have some fun epithet ideas for Fanny and Chad, as well as a planned epiphany for a character. I also just really enjoyed exploring the friendships between Molly and Kuki and Abigail, Trixie and Wally, and Pheonica and Harvey. If I ever finish it, it would also explore friendships between Giovanni and Kuki and Wally, and Sylvie and Chad. There was even going to be a friendship-adjacent scene between Molly and the Delightful Children having a 'bonding over having a bad dad' moment. Heck, I had big plans for the TND/AND b-plot that was steadily building with Trixie and her older brother Xerxes. Just in general, I think Kids Next Door makes for a great crossover, especially if you enjoy Neo Trio content. And all that is without getting into villain team-ups, like my crossover fic's Zora and Father duo, and Lorelai, Cree, and Chad working together (albeit, Lorelai had motivations besides actually wanting in with the teens that was going to be revealed later on). As more villains are shown throughout EE, the list of villain team-ups would only get longer.

Besides that, just to bring up something new, I've been watching a lot of Villainous lately since we finally got the US release a few days ago (I didn't realize how far behind I was in terms of supplementary material!). Its hard not to think of how the Banzai Blasters and Giovanni and his minions would fit into that universe, especially since I figure that a LOT of villains in that universe would be very unappreciative of Giovanni's philosophy of losing as a bad guy to make the heroes happier. I'd love to explore how Bliss Ocean would fit into that kind of universe as well. I figure that Bliss Ocean would cause a lot of divide among both heroes and villains due to their end goal (Which hasn't been revealed in Epithet yet apparently? I kinda forgot they're more mysterious now than they were in the OG campaigns). If you know, you know. I can see the Bliss Ocean situation being something that either brings villains and heroes together or puts an even bigger strain between them. Probably at an individual level between arch rivals and such. And honestly, with the team's whole deal, I'd say that by Epithet universe rules, Flug and Dem would be mundies (and obviously 505 is a bear so he couldn't be inscribed either), meanwhile most heroes would be inscribed to get their powers. That would mean that the most feared villain organization/team in the world would consist of mundies, and that feels very funny to me.

[robboyblunder]

Just read your ROTW fic. Absolutely loved it!

I have a question though: How did Wally and Shaun got out? Did they go through the same as the others?

Hi there! I’m glad you enjoyed it, even after all these years it makes me happy people are still reading it even if my interests have moved on :) that story was a huge project that I still cherish!

When it came to Wally and Shaun, it was a mix of I wasn’t sure how I wanted to fit them in because like a lot of the other minor characters they didn’t have a ton going on so it was hard to figure out where to put them! So I decided to give them a really important “later” role I felt fit their situation: reintegration of the others as guiding Shepards into the real world! They sounded like they were some of the first who might’ve left or gotten fired or something anyways due to their audio logs- at least in Wally’s case because he had the wedding card and such. I threw in Shaun with him because some people had the idea it was them that married haha.

They kind of “got out” in the beginning a long time ago in a sense where the machine spat them both out before they could get fully sucked into the simulation studio- Wally’s funny catch phrase I felt made it appropriate that he would be the escape artist who got out first on technicalities and took a friend with him. If I had to make up a real reason I guess his pure soul and determination made the machine unable to hold him I suppose, but I haven’t entirely considered the details to be quite honest haha. Just picture it this way: when everything went wrong, those two got spat out from the start partially on purpose part on accident and they spent their time figuring out how to be ink people in the real world while also trying to figure out where the others went!

Wally never gave up on trying despite Shaun being quite over it having been quite some time passed after they were freed, but hey Wally’s patience paid off :) hope that gives you something of an answer! It’s been some years since I wrote that story but again I thank you for reading it 💕 take care!

[finitevoid]

i thought about writing thad into hummingbird heartbeat, but i ran into this interesting roadblock wherein i had realized that by writing cartoon bart (or, as i have begun calling him in my head, Discount Barr Torr) i had already written thad. hh bart is a lying used-car salesman struggling with his own authenticity. while i dont think comics bart and cartoon bart are, like, inherently different people (in the same way thad and bart arent either), they differ pretty intensely on this issue of authenticity. the whole point of comics bart is that he is who he is, and who he is is rebellious and obnoxious and unpalatable to people, but hes never going to change, not for anyone. cartoon bart shows up to lie and tell lies and manipulate jaime and then to generally just kind of be present at the end of the season. also hes gay i guess

but that's thad's whole... thing, at least in my head. hes definitely more antagonistic about it; hes putting more of a persona than hh bart is. hh bart is playing a character, sure, but ultimately, that character is him. the persona is the more authentic expression of self than his bitter flat affect is. whereas if i were to conceive of thad in a post-redemption situation (or any situation where hes trying to integrate into society) i really vividly imagine that he'd be like omg i love your outfit right up until the persons back is turned and then hes like GAG i hate that motherfucker. so he's a little more of a liar, a little more childish, a little more angry about it all. he would crave that positive validation a lot more than hh bart, who absolutely hates it when people believe him when he lies, and hates it when people compliment for being a well behaved nice young man. he knows its all an elaborate lie and it makes him feel slimy and gross. in his heart he yearns for that freedom of expression that comics bart has, not that he quite realizes it.

but to write thad majorly into that story would be to, inevitably, retread a lot of the ground ive already covered with bart. there is something compelling, somewhere in there, about a story where thad thrives in the deceit in a way bart never did. but i kept coming back to the question of how I would even begin here.

i conceived of a plotline where, during an interdimensional, world-bending crisis (i cant elaborate for spoilers purposes, let me have this), bart is scouring the speedforce for traces of his original timeline. this shouldnt be possible, but weirder things have happened, and bart is a grieving young adult. in his emotion-fueled search, he touches something familiar--

2060. a boy with a burn scar crawling up his neck blinks baleful eyes at bart. he stands, framed by ash sky and dead land, holding a gun.

a world in which bart allen never went to the past, never saved jaime from being on-mode, and never saved the world. instead, bart is nineteen, having escaped from blue beetle's prison camp with blood on his hands and burns on his neck, and spends his days eeking out a future for humanity by freeing prisoners, stowing them away to free parts of the planet, and killing bugs. he's-- well, he's a superhero. he's... the fastest man alive. he's the flash.

except he's inexorably jaded, angrier than bart ever was, and crawling his way out of a hole that leads to him, dead at twenty, a skin-and-bones corpse. and bart-- the main timelines bart-- does what superheroes are wont to do, and offers him an out. he gives him his hand and says, "i can feed you. every day."

alt-timeline bart considers this. he knows he is dying. for him, "superheroing" (if it can be called that) isn't for any "world saving". he will never be able to scavenge enough food to adequately survive with his advanced metabolism, and this is a truth that has lived over his (both of their) head(s) since infancy. but with most human settlements gone-- killed when wally was-- and outside of the camp-- which was at least a meal a day-- he is left to rot and starve. he doesnt want to do nothing-- he doesnt want the world to rot the same way he is. he is the dying legacy of a dead world, and he knows this, but he wants to give that world a fighting fucking chance.

but he also... doesn't want to die. the selfish urge for survival that trumps all else lives inside of him, overactive now after years of self-imposed suicide. the other-him is probably lying, but if he is, what difference is it, if he dies this way, and not by starving? and if the impossible is true? if he can feed him?

so alt-bart takes his hand. and main-bart drags him through the speedforce, past the rushing insanity, and into his world. which is falling apart, of course. but bart leads him to a supermarket, empty-- the world is ending-- and ripe for the pillaging. and alt-bart realizes the breadth of where he's been brought.

anyway, the idea was that alt-bart was gonna call himself thad and bleach his hair, after the crisis was over and all that was left is for him to integrate into society. it was a fun subversion because thad would be staking his entire identity as being different from bart, despite the fact that they are the same person who came of age in entirely different circumstances. there would be no persona, no happy-go-lucky exterior, instead a flat affect and meanness and irritability.

and then i was like. you know, outside of how those personalities manifest, main timeline bart is more like thad, in his deceit and his avoidance of authenticity, and his antagonism. and alt-timeline bart is actually more like comics bart, in his staunch authenticity, unpalatability as a result, and the rock solid sense of identity.

and then i questioned why i chose to write hummingbird heartbeat the way i did, and if the main character is even slightly recognizable as himself, or if ive just made a weird oc, as i do every 3 days