#a. i just wanted a bit of disability representation in my fic as someone who has a friend who's a walking stick user

[sammorallee]

radioapple from my human!au fanfic i'm currently writing!!!

and i'll probably post the first chapter soon!!! in two languages!!! yay!!!

my ao3

[ronanceisintheair]

a post u made a bit ago reminds me of an hoh steve harrington (which, as a hoh person i have... mixed feelings abt but that's another can of worms) fic and it was the single most dumbest thing i have ever read, because the amount of victim blaming is INSANE

basically, jonathan is the cause of steve's fading hearing. not, you know, billy who damaged steve far worse or the literal russian torture. makes a ton of sense. and it essentially makes jonathan out to be an asshole who attacked steve with severe malice who hurt steve unprovoked. oh, also, apparently robin, steve's best friend, doesn't notice he's hard of hearing, but eddie does. how long has he known that guy again?

some steddies are fucking INSANE

Waking up to this ask was truly🤌 you have opened my pandora box

My fuh.king.god! the st*ddies are truly insufferable. Like I'm not here to police having fun shipping obviously but it's just become so sad and pathetic; ultimately st*ddie is just born to make st*ve this pathetic love starved character who is always the victim and has never done anything wrong...

The demonizing of Nancy for not loving Steve romantically even though like... that relationship was doomed from the start. He was not a good boyfriend. His *love* for her was not the love she needed, his *love language* was not remotely close to what she needed. He didn't try to understand Nancy's pain and trauma...anyway I digress.

The way people blame Jonathan for everything when it comes to st*ve is also LAUGHABLE at best if it weren't so pathetic and embarrassing; someone blamed Jonathan for not making sure st*ve left the party before taking home a drunk Nancy?? Someone made it seem like Jonathan needed permission from St*ve to date Nancy??? Like wtf? Please get your head from out of st*ve h*rrington ass.

Jonathan doesn't owe St*ve anything. Also Jonathan deserved to beat the absolute shit out of him. St*ve was so fragile he didn't talk to his gf instead took his friend to publicly slut Shame her THEN accused Jonathan of killing will and amongst being the absolute worst homophobic asshole. So yea he deserved to get his shit rocked.

*Nancy should've got to rock his shit too.

Like st*ve in the case of Nancy and Jonathan is only a victim of his own actions 🙄

Anyway I digress...again... sure hoh st*ve that could be fun. These kids have been through hell and hell again.

But in this case it feels...very...glamorized. obviously I haven't and WONT read the fic but it sounds not good.

Giving him a disability only for the purpose of making him this dude who needs sympathy and coddling. Or to garner a sympathy piece for him... Giving him a disability to push the played out st*ddie agenda of st*ve being this *pathetic*(people with disabilities are not pathetic and are beyond capable and competent) but this is the vibe from what you described. Like they gave st*ve hoh just to make him seem smaller??? Not because they actually wanted to write in representation or focus on how his physical trauma could affect him...

Truly insane when people use e*ddie as this "no one has ever loved St*ve wah wah and finally he's being seen"

We love exploring trauma and self loathing in writing sure sure, ofc! But my goodness if the st*ve stans haven't gone far beyond. It's like if I said give me a paragraph and they wrote an entire thesis filled with bs.

(I'm not hoh so my opinion may be not but I don't see st*ve as hoh I definitely see him more as someone with a vision impairment. But also would love to hear your other can of worms about hoh st*ve if only you wanted to share anon. Thank you for this message <3)

[apricusapollo]

hey crys I just wanted to thank you for your representation of lgbt people who stay religious in fics! My religion means so much to me, especially as a disabled girl it gave me all my strength in life and it pains me so much too see people online and especially in fandom hating on it yknow.

I feel like religious folks can’t win. Bigoted people in their communities hate them for their existence and in fandom religion is called a mental illness - I’m tired of people who have no concept of theology aside from US evangelical racist shit making the most shallow assumptions about it. You representation really healed (especially my inner child) and showed me I don’t have to pick sides ❤️

this is. This is. *takes a deep breath*

the thing is, this is exactly what i was trying to achieve when i decided to make regulus (a trans gay man) religious in paper rings but Every Single Time someone tells me something like this I tear up it just means so much to know that people find comfort in something i wrote BRB GONNA CRY

I've been christian for my entire life, whole seventeen years, and the way people treat religion / religious people not only in this fandom but in social media in general makes me so fucking sad because it's something that gives so many people strength in hard times and they just refuse to see that and decide to make jokes about it instead. my uncle passed away almost three months ago and i think one of the very few things that gave my grandma strength to literally keep living is our religion. it might not mean a lot to people and i don't give a shit what random person on twitter has to say about that but as her grandchild it means So Much to me.

like you said, lots of people don't even bother to even understand what Christianity actually preaches and they just make assumptions based on some, exactly US evangelical racist shit, and what pisses me off the most is that they even refuse to listen yk?? like i know that if i tried explaining someone on social media what i said in previous paragraph, they will either not pay attention or they will laugh it off.

and don't even get me started on being queer AND religious- no matter where you turn, people will act like you don't belong there either because of being queer or because religious and it's so tiring like goddamn can't we catch A BREAK?? I could get into a heavy detail about this, speaking from personal experiences especially, but I am actually planning on (hopefully) making a whole chapter in paper rings about this and we will see everything from regulus's, as a queer religious person's, point of view (which is just gonna be me projecting and ranting but ykwim!!)

ANYWAYS sorry i went a bit insane here lmaoo but i am so so glad it means so much to you and no matter what anyone tells you, don't think for a second that you "have to pick a side", you truly do not.

love you anon<33

[sugar-spice-everything-vice]

I usually write OC fics because OCs are fun, but I don't like to have more than one or two cause it's hard to manage so many threads but shameless has me in a chokehold and there are way too many things i want to address/fix so I've gone and made a whole family so I can address all the different things but also keep that same family sticks together and supports each other vibe that is core to shameless

#1 thing for me is hispanic representation; the show gave me a taste with anne and then shot me right in the chest; thats fucked up, man; as of 2022, chicago's hispanic population makes up 28% of its demographic which mexicans being the most prominent hispanic population in that percentage. now, i know the southside specifically is predominantly white--jewish, polish, and irish, hence the Gallaghers and Milkoviches; but still the representation feels uneven

all that to say my OC family is Mexican--The Vázquez Family; there's 4 of them--they all share the same dad, but they don't all share the same mom.

the oldest is Nora; she's gonna help me deal with some of the Fiona stuff I really didn't like in the show; namely, 1. Fiona should've been bisexual, idc; i'm giving Fiona a bi awakening; i also wanna address the biphobia of some characters 2. Fiona didn't need to leave the south side; the south side wasn't the problem; the problem was the people around her; all she needed was someone to actually support her and be there to pick her up; she was always there for her family, but then they weren't there for her in the same way--which makes sense because of the mother/children dynamic they have, but like she deserves that support from someone; also i really like when there's a friend trio so V, Fiona and Nora are gonna be savage together

next is Alessandra; she's trans representation because I don't think they did the best job with that; they didn't do the worst job; but some of it was kinda weird? i dont have all the words for that yet; but also im adding a Milkovich OC too and she and him are gonna be a bit messy at first but wholesome like V and Kev because we need more of that

then the main one, Ximena; I'm saying from the bat that she's autistic, but she doesn't know it at the beginning; she's gonna be what Carl deserves; but also just two different types of autistics understanding each other; she's kinda fucked up and a mess so her relationship with Carl is going to be messy; buuut Carl needs someone who supports him, yes, but also listens to him, understands him, helps him communicate, is patient with him, doesn't judge him or look down on him for how he is, etc. I also want to explore him having a disability; do more with white boy carl and give that arc depth;

and last is Marko; he and Ximena are the same age, but not twins, they just have different moms; he's gonna be the friend Carl needed to help with his character development and give him someone else who isn't a love interest to support him and be there for him

The Milkovich OC is Avgust, known as Aggy; and I created him cause I don't feel like the show did a good job with certain things re: the Milkoviches; I think an older brother figure that is not a piece of shit would be good to help spur on certain character development for Mickey and also Mandy (who I am going to have leave, but then come back and actually come back and rekindle her friendship with Ian). Though I'm unsure what to do with Mandy outside of this; but maybe her become a secure independent woman is what her growth should be about

Am also thinking about Svet because I like her a lot and she deserved better; learning toward keeping her, v, and kev together and just choose to ignore the cringe ICE mini-arc situation and V's out of character lack of empathy

Still working out what I'm going to do with Lip; I want to give him the character arc he should've gotten where he gets humbled; but I'm still deciding the best way to go about that and then I have to think about what that would end up changing in the overall plot; but I'm pretty inclined to have him get beat up at some point cause he deserves it

Also still working out what to do with Debbie; Ximena is definitely going to be friends with her cause she needs a friend! I thought I was going to like Sandy and I was thinking of doing something with that but I didn't so I'm in limbo here; although part of me wonders if a relationship is what Debbie needs; she's spent so much of her life chasing for a relationship and love that maybe the best end point for her is to be single, but have a strong group of friends that support her and are there for and to learn to be okay with being single because she can get love in other forms?? still thinking about it.

And Liam; still thinking about what specifically to do with him too, but I want to make him a well fleshed out character with complex relationships with his siblings, which the show really didn't do well at all; definitely want more sibling bonding with him and Carl they are so cute together and I think Carl could be a good role model for Liam cause Liam is too much like Lip and he doesn't need to go down that path to being a dick

i did say it was a lot!!

am open to suggestions and questions!!

Carl Gallagher deserves a good girlfriend

100% ! im working on it lol got a fic in the works but its !! a lot!!

[anna1306]

Hello,

Do you think you can right a poly!lost boys x gn reader who's deaf? Not a lot of deaf representation and I would love to see a fic. Love your work <3

I know very little about that theme, I'm sorry if I wrote something wrong, but I really hope you will enjoy this c:

Poly!Lost boys x Deaf Reader

Not gonna argue about that. That's something new for the boys.

They are used to loud and obnoxious people on the Boardwalk, who doesn't know what personal space is. Who goes out for fun, music and noise.

And there is you. Sitting in the middle of the noise without any care in the world, looking at people. You were in the centre of loud music, yet you didn't even wince when something screechy was screaming in your ears.

Paul tried to sneak up on you. But his scream at you from behind didn't work. He was getting anxious and impatient. Bending over, he looked right into your face, making you finally shiver and look at him strangely.

"Why the hell didn't you get scared?" He asked you angrily. You furrowed you brows and took... A notebook? He watched angrily, as you scribbled something in it. When you raised the page he felt dumb.

"I am deaf, can you talk slower?"

Now it all made sense. You were deaf, that's why you didn't wince from music and didn't hear his scream. Paul sighed, sitting near you. He tried to speak slower and face you so you could read his lips, but it was a challenge for him. He was too restless, too fast. So in the end...

"Tell them I am sorry that I tried to scare them, they can't read my lips." He literally dragged you to the boys. Marko laughed at you dumbfounded expression. David observed the situation from the side, while Dwayne was the quickest to understand the context.

He knew sign language a bit, so he signed "He is sorry." And pointed to Paul. You giggled, scribbling in your notebook.

"He could write it himself."

"He's dumb." Dwayne signed back, and you laughed. However hard Paul tried to pry out what he told you, Dwayne never did answer him.

They kinda adopted you to the group. Whenever they saw you at the Boardwalk, they were near you, helping you or showing you something. It was hard for them to communicate with someone who doesn't hear them, but they managed. Paul still couldn't speak slow enough for you to understand, so he always went to Dwayne. David just lied about his words.

And if we are being honest, it's easier for them with their secret. When you start hanging around them, you can't hear talks about blood, hunting and everything else. Well, if you don't look at them.

David probably the most easy-going with this. He loves quietness after living with the boys for so long. He doesn't care about your disability, it is unique for him. Even in his years he hasn't seen much of it. Plus, David can perfectly talk slowly. And while he doesn't know the sign language, in his book it's even better. You watch him so attentively and closely... Yes, he enjoys it a lot.

Dwayne is the easiest one in terms of communication. He can sign a bit, he speaks little, but slowly. And when he wants to speak to you, he always alerts you, so you could see his face. He is the one the boys are going to for the advice or for some lesson in ASL. He learned only some of it, but when he gets closer with you, he resumes his lessons. This way is even better for him. He doesn't like to talk around people and now he can just sign if he wants to without getting much attention or getting understood by others.

Paul is often frustrated. More with himself than with you, but still he is tensed up most of the times. He can't learn this ASL for the sake of his life and speaking slowly... No, he just can't do that. He has too much thoughts to talk in a calm manner. One time, when he got especially anxious about that, you just pushed yourself into him and pressed your face into his chest. You liked the vibrations of his voice in his chest, so in the end you finally found the way to calm him down. And he was eager to hug you. No matter if you hear him or not.

Marko is the only one who prefers to communicate with you in writing. He constantly drawing in your notebook, wasting your pens, pencils and paper. You collect all of his art at your house. He even crafted your notebook and upgrading it. He liked to scare you with jumping at you, but with time you learned how to guess it.

If anyone talks shit about you or giving you hard time. Even if it is slight disrespect, they are onto it. No one dares to do that. Even if you don't hear them, they do. And Paul is just tugging you to cafe, while the others "explain" grave mistake of your offenders.

They are wondering what you would be, when they turn you. Would you hear anything? Or just be very sensitive? Still they are very cautious about the truth and keep it hidden as long as they can, so they won't scare you away.

They are supportive, each in his own way. But they learn how to properly communicate with you. Because they are deeply in love with you and that means you are with them forever. Even if you don't hear that for now.

The Lost Boys Taglist: @minafromasgard @starmullet @iloveslasher @twistedharper @ichorixm @promptsforstuff @collieflower215 @henhouse-horrors @smenny @id-rather-be-in-middle-earth @lazuli-leenabride @panickinanakin1 @thatonedeadbride

[zarvasace]

I AM SO HOOKED ON YOUR DISABILITIES AU AND I REALLY WANT TO HEAR WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO SCREAM ABOUT IT

THANKS IM STILL FIGURING A FEW THINGS OUT BUT IT HAS GRABBED MY BRAIN AND WONT LET GO

Seriously considering doing a November writing prompt but only with this AU. Fluffvember, yeah? Maybe with vague continuity. I dunno yet. I wasn't originally going to do much with this but the possibilities are blooming before my eyes.

So far, we have Time missing his eye, Twilight casually missing an arm, Wild with his hypertrophic scars, Hyrule being mostly blind, and Wind with a prosthetic leg. I definitely have ideas for the remaining four boys, but I'm still doing research and determining exactly whats going on.

There's a good balance in the group, I think, between injuries and things they're born with. Wild, Wind, Time, and Four were injured, but the rest of them were born with or naturally developed whatever it is. Four in particular is gonna be difficult to draw, which is a shame because he's the one I'm projecting the hardest onto. XD You'll see em soon! Anyway.

I'm doing my best to be respectful and informed, this kind of thing is super important to me. Every time I write a disability into a fic (like once I wrote Teo from ATLA being an Airbender XD) someone's commented somewhere with something like "I'm disabled too, and this is great." We have so much push for representation of race, gender, sexuality, body types, but I don't often see it for mental or physical disabilities. This kind of thing is super important to me.

That being said—this is an open invitation for people that have these disabilities to reach out for whatever reason. :) I have experience with some but obviously not everything.

In terms of story?

Wind gets phantom pains like he gets growing pains. He's mostly annoyed with them, and is at first kinda confused that Twilight doesn't get them. Missing limbs is not super uncommon in Wind's world (hooray for pirates!) and most of the other amputees he knows get them.

Twilight is still excellent at hugs. These are full-body bone-crushing hugs. I just want to be clear that not having an arm does in ninway diminish his cuddliness. Or his awkwardness. He's been assured that his missing arm is a birth condition, but since he's not sure who his parents were, the possibility of it potentially being an injury, purposeful or accidental, haunts the back of his mind, as does the possibility that he was abandoned for it. He's pretty comfortable with the whole thing, though, by and large.

Both Twilight and Wind have a plethora of good answers when it comes to "how'd you lose your arm/leg?" They range from the deadpan "raccoons really will eat anything" to "did you know sharks are drawn to the smell of wet socks?" It's become a bit of a game for the two to answer for each other when someone asks, doing their best to come up with the dumbest, funniest stories.

I mean, just wait until Time gets in on that, too.

Hyrule got lost in someone's city once. That was a little terrifying for everyone. The others found him in an alley petting cats and snacking on stale bread. Like most people, he's not entirely happy if someone touches him without warning, but as soon as the others figured that out, they have 100% become the Hyrule Protection Squad.

I have so many more thoughts, but they'll have to wait until I draw the rest of the boys and definitely figure out what their conditions are!

[casualcloudlighttrash]

RNM fandom:

Tyler Blackburn isn’t disabled! He should be recast or Alex shouldn’t have a disability! So much outrage!

While writing so many fics that are very inaccurate towards a variety of disabilities and positing lots of assumptions about what disabled people can and can’t do and do and do not feel while being absolutely terrible and rude when actual disabled people raise issues.

Also Roswell random in later seasons:

The show never talks about Alex’s disability! They never show his leg! This is terrible! The writers are clearly ableist assholes!

Y’all I’ve been in this disability game for 30 years, most of you aren’t doing any better than the show. I never expected them to do an amazing job with disability rep. It’s the CW. I was so jazzed to see a main character with a disability who is portrayed as generally competent and fully human. I didn’t really give a rat’s behind that the actor wasn’t disabled because often the experiences of another disabled person don’t really lend a role much additional connection to *my* experiences. I would love to see more disability rep in the writer’s room. I think that’s where a lot of improvements could be made. I don’t care about “authentic” so much as *good* acting that hits the right notes and a lot of that comes from the writing not an actor’s lived experience. And maybe if there was less performative outrage (often from people without a disability themselves) and more calm but constructive dialogue we’d actually make some progress. Yell about disabled actors getting ring fenced into disability focused roles! Make noise about accessibility in the the audition process! Don’t get so wrapped up in whether someone checks a box that may or may not make a bit of difference in a truthful portrayal of a roll just so you can pay yourself on the back for being woke.

And while you are at it start taking a look at how you write fic because sometimes it’s downright odd or disturbing in regards to the variety of disabilities seem on the show (of which there are more than Alex but rarely is that brought up). I love this mess of a cotton candy, brain rotting show. I love the beautiful stories the fandom creates and have seen so many amazing authors put a great deal of work into filling in where the show is lacking. But please people, take a look at your own works before you start screaming about topics it’s clear you don’t really understand. And if someone who is actually disabled gently brings up something problematic or concerning, have a conversation instead of shutting them down. A few of you have actually talked with me and even made some changes to your fic or decided to make changes in future fic and I greatly appreciate that. I appreciate the people who took the time to engage even if they ultimately decided that they did not want to make changes in their representation. There is no monolithic viewpoint that represents all people with a disability so I don’t expect my word to be taken as gospel but when I see the same people who are sometimes the loudest on Tumblr treat me like absolute garbage because I raised one small issue with their disability rep while also saying how much I love their fic then it’s pretty clear to me that those voices don’t actually care about disabled people at all.

[the-dragongirl]

Hello tumblr. I have returned from a long period of inactivity, because I must bring the good word to the corner of the Star Wars fandom that used to be my main fannish home: there is a new era of Star Wars canon that was made just for our taste. It is called the High Republic.

WHAT IS THE HIGH REPUBLIC?

The High Republic is an giant multi-media project being carried out by the Lucasfilm story group to create a brand new era of Star Wars canon. It is set a few hundred years before the prequel era (so, a long time after the Old Republic era), in a period of peace and stability within the Republic. It currently includes several English language adult novels, a YA novel, two serialized comics, a manga, some short stories, and some short video blurbs published on facebook and youtube. A TV show for Disney+ has also been announced, but is a few years off. This project is unique in Star Wars, in that all of the different parts are being written together by one writing team, and are coordinated to tell a cohesive story. Also, what has been announced is just the beginning – they have stated that there will be three different sections of the High Republic, and everything we have had announced so far is just part one. As a note: this is an era for which there was NO pre-existing canon in Legends, so it is totally new territory.

OKAY, THAT’S NICE, BUT WHY SHOULD I BOTHER TO CHECK IT OUT?

There are SO many reasons why the High Republic is worth your time to explore. I will try to outline some of them here below the cut (without any significant spoilers).

IT IS A LOVE LETTER TO THE JEDI

This is the era for everyone who loves the Jedi and wants to understand how they got to the point they did in the prequel era. It shows Jedi at their best: saving people, working together, being completely in tune with the Force (in so many beautiful and original ways), demonstrating creativity and flexibility and being rewarded for it, actually thinking through the ethics of things like the mind trick, and DEALING with their emotions rather than repressing them. It shows us how the rigid Jedi culture was saw in the prequels was a corruption of something that was originally healthy and uplifting. Jedi in this era are allowed to be flawed, and to grow, and have a community that supports them in doing so. This is the Jedi culture so many of us created as fix it fic for the prequel era, but made canon.

IT IS AN ERA OF HOPE

There are some serious problems in the High Republic Era. Without spoilers, the era opens with a terrible humanitarian crisis, laid over the Republic equivalent of the New Deal from US history.  We see a lot of examples of people doing their best to be good to each other, and working for a more just and kind galaxy. They acknowledge that things are not perfect, but people from many different backgrounds (Jedi, politicians, farmers, pilots, business people) work together to try and make things better. I don’t know about you all, but with the darkness we see in the world today, I NEED some of that optimism in my escapist media. The High Republic provides that.

IT WILL GIVE YOU FEELINGS

The existing material so far is structured to really let you emotionally invest in the characters and their struggles. Unlike with many eras of Star Wars canon, characterization is not sacrificed for the sake of plot (though never fear, there is PLENTY of plot). That means there is huge scope for empathy. I’m not going to lie; I cried within the first three chapters of Light of the Jedi, as did several other people I know. It is POIGNANT in a way that feels truly genuine.

IT IS FUN

The writing team understands that, in the end, Star Wars is space fantasy. If your space fantasy is nothing but serious, gritty grimdark, it becomes pretentious and unbearable. So, for all that there is some heavy content in the High Republic (VERY heavy content – the Nihil should really have their own content warning), it has many moments of levity that keep it from taking itself too seriously. For example, the High Republic made Jedi bodice rippers canon. Also, characters like Geode exist (yes, that rock there is a CHARACTER). The result is something which honors the spirit of Star Wars, and keeps you engaged without being tedious or ridiculously depressing.

THE WRITING TEAM HAS DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

The main writing team consists of five people: Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Daniel José Older, and Cavan Scott. You will note that includes two people of color, two women, and one out Queer person (in fact, one of the writers is all three of those things). This is a far cry from the white-cis-straight-man-dominated writing teams we have seen in the past. And when they bring in other people to the project, they make a point of looking for perspectives that aren’t represented on their team – for example, the manga is being co-written between Justina Ireland and Japanese writer Shima Shinya, and Ireland has stated in interviews that Shinya is taking the lead on the writing.

IT VALUES MEANINGFUL REPRESENTATION

That diverse writing team means a cast that looks WAY more like the real world than any other era of Star Wars we’ve seen, in terms of representation. There are multiple characters of color, who are both heroes and central to the story. There are at least five canonical queer characters to date (a MLM couple, an Ace character, and two NB character).  [EDIT: Thank you @legok9​ for letting me know about the NB characters]. Among binary gendered characters, there is a very even balance of men and women. The writing team has also stated that they will be incorporating more representation of disability in the works to come. And the story is so much better for it – representation is included here BECAUSE it makes for more creative, believable, and original storytelling.

IT IS ACCESSIBLE

Because of the multiple formats, and the fact that it doesn’t rely on you knowing any prior lore, the High Republic offers many avenues to engage for people with all kinds of needs. Know nothing about Star Wars canon and feel intimidated about catching up? The canon is all new in this era anyway, so you’re fine. Can’t handle flashing lights? No problem – the little bit of video content that exists is totally free from the strobing effects that caused seizure and sensory issues. Need purely audio content? You can still have a full experience of the High Republic with the gorgeously sound-scaped audiobooks. Don’t have the attention span for books or long movies? Then the comics are your friend.

THERE IS SOMETHING FOR ALL

Between the books aimed towards adults and teens (and their respective audiobooks), the kids books, the comics, the manga, the short stories, AND the eventual TV show on Disney+, there is going to be content in the High Republic that suits most audiences. And that is just what has been announced so far – there is still more to come for phases II and III. This isn’t Star Wars written towards one group or demographic – it is Star Wars for everyone.

DID I MENTION THE FANCY JEDI UNIFORMS?

Because cosplayers and fanartists? This is the era for you. We are getting Jedi in silks with elaborate gold embroidery. Jedi with jewelry other decorative elements. Even the practical field uniforms have tooled and embossed leather. If you want to draw or make Jedi that have some of that that sweet LoTR-esque high fantasy aesthetic, the High Republic has your back. (Not going to lie – I am ALREADY imagining the time travel AUs. Put Obi-Wan in fancy clothes!)

OKAY, YOU’VE SOLD ME. WHERE SHOULD I START?

I strongly recommend everyone looking to get into the High Republic (who is old enough to be on Tumblr) start with Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. I alternated between the physical book and the audio book, and found it delightful in both formats. After that, you have a lot of options. You can read or listen to the audio book of the YA novel A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland. You can check out the currently running Star Wars: The High Republic comic from Marvel, or the Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures comic from IDW. Or you can skip straight to Into the Dark by Claudia Gray. Honestly, there is no wrong order to try out most of the High Republic.

IN CONLUSION

The High Republic is Star Wars written for people who DON’T want Star Wars to be a good ‘ol boys club for salty white dudes who don’t want to see anything but more of Luke Skywalker. It offers broad representation, and optimistic narrative, and whole bunch of awesome Jedi content. If you are someone who fell in love with Jedi in the prequel era, the High Republic will give you more of what you loved. And if you are totally new to Star Wars? The High Republic is here for you too.

So, go check it. And then go write fic for it (please, there are only, like, 14 fics on AO3, I am dying).

[cross-d-a]

Pass the happy!💖 When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications!

(I have decided that Discord notifs count because I love you dearly and wanna hear what makes you happy)

HELLO!!!! I love you and I kinda really needed this and I think you know that so thank you!!!!! I love and appreciate you SO MUCH!!

Also I've literally been thinking about this post for two hours and so I'm not gonna stick to just five- I'm gonna list MORE than that because I wanna remind myself that there are many wonderful things in the world to be happy about and also PICS!! I'm adding PICS bc I CAN!!!!!!!!!

under the cut bc it gets LONG! :)

1) YOU make me happy, Sierra!!!!!!! Also @s1utspeare and @vishcount and of course my bff @haru-tl !!! You guys are so fucking incredible and talented and AMAZING!!!! I love you all SO MUCH!!! You always make my day!!! And all the dmbj peeps!!! I am so lucky to know so many wonderful people!!!!

2) as long as we're on the subject of people- I absolutely can't leave out my coworkers!!! Literally some of the best people I've ever met in my life. I have so much fun with them. I can always count on them making me laugh.

Like today, we were talking about this reptile house a few towns away and my manager was telling us about their cool anaconda exhibit where you can crawl under the glass tank and watch them eat and she mentioned their teeth being scary. So I googled Anaconda Teeth and went WOAH THEY'RE COOL and our Resident Snake Expert came over and went actually that pic is from the movie Anaconda. And then he helped me find Real Pics and the teeth were even COOLER. I left the Google search up on the work computer and a couple hours when I was on lunch I heard Mike exclaim: "I had NO idea that ANACONDAS had TEETH!!!!!!" Which?? MIKE?? WHAT??? Hahaha everyone burst into laughter :)

3) my cat BOOTS makes me happy!! He's always asking for belly scritches and he drools when he's happy. Here's a pic bc I adore him:

4) my new baby boy So Mun from The Uncanny Counter makes me VERY happy!!!!! He's just- the Sweetest Boy to have ever Baby'd!!! I adore his little crinkly-eyed smile and curly hair!!! He's just so GOOD it makes me cry!! Also!! Disabled rep!!!!! LOVE HIM!!!!! Look at his lil' FACE:

and bc he is Unfortunately Very Hot in his mourning outfit:

adding this too bc LOOK AT THAT ADORABLE SMILE I wanna SCREAM

5) my Pangzi necklace makes me happy!!! I have an Iron Triangle matching set, but the Pangzi one I first put on bc of Brigid's Pangzi chapter for Swiftly Tilting and then I kinda just- never took it off haha. It's just so pretty and makes me feel like I've got a bit of Pangzi with me at all times. I love that man SO much and if I can be even a fraction of how wonderful he is, then I can die happy

6) the smell of the sea makes me happy!!! It makes me feel refreshed and relaxed! I live by Puget Sound and on very lucky days I can smell it at my house! Tonight was a lucky night! I came home and it smelled like the seashore, so I kept my window open as I folded laundry :)

7) my new collection of Kpop CDs makes me happy!! It's entirely bc of Vish's influence and I LOVE her for it!!! The packaging is just so pretty and I always love being able to hold things that give me Good Feelings in my hands :)

8) since we're on the subject of COLLECTIONS, I love to collect things!! And one collection of things that makes me happy are my books!! I have- too many. Working in a bookstore makes it too easy to buy them! But seeing the bright spines on my shelves gives me delight. I particularly really like my queer manga collection!! I've got four whole shelves of it! :) I'd offer a pic but I'm too tired to go upstairs, haha but I love the art and the representation 🌈

9) I ALSO really love all the figures I collect! Seeing characters that I love on a daily basis makes me happy. I usually decorate my bookshelves with them. One set that makes me particularly happy are my Pingxie ones. They look like they're getting married and it delights me:

10) another purchase that is entirely bc of Vish (I ADORE you!!) is my Chimmy blanket!! He's just so adorable and bright and coming home every day to see him waiting on my bed makes me very happy

11) yet another bright yellow thing that makes me happy is my dmbj Xiao Ge coaster!! It's so sparkly and fun AND it's a friendship coaster I share with Sierra!! We've got a matching set, babe!! I love you!! Let's just shake them around and be distracted by the sparkles forever!!

12) coming back to work from my weekend to find a bunch of manga to shelve always makes me very happy!!! Buying/pricing/shelving manga is my favourite thing to do at work! I love seeing familiar and new titles!

And it's interesting to see how prices can change if it goes out of print! Sometimes every single book in a series but ONE is the same price. Like last month we had a series where like/ volume 8 was worth $250 vs the regular $7.99 for the rest of them. And someone BOUGHT IT!! Things like that can happen randomly. It can be bc it was a smaller printing for that particular volume. OR something special happens in it (new character appearance/fan favourite story arc/BOOBS), so more ppl want to keep it which means it's harder to come by (and then sellers raise their prices BC it's difficult to come by). You usually see the collectible value go up for out of print BL or older series like Aria or Lupin III. Not everything that's out of print is collectible, but it's always interesting when it is :)

13) DAY6's The Book of Us: Gravity has graciously given me a big serotonin boost the last couple days!! It's just- I dunno! Uplifting! Catchy! Full of energy! :)

14) similarly, I've been listening to Close Your Eyes by Isaac Hong almost exclusively for like- five days now! It's from The Uncanny Counter and it makes me very happy! It's very emotional and just reminds me of my baby boy So Mun :)

15) sunshine makes me happy!! I'm at that point in the year where I don't want rain anymore, just sun! So it's always nice having my windows open at home with the sun shining through. Or the back doors at work propped open while we go about our day. It's almost impossible to feel sad when you get to bask in the warmth of the sun and smell the nice fresh air

16) finding weird random books at work makes me happy! It's so fun seeing the kinds of things people read! And sometimes you find cool ephemera in the things people sell to us that they don't want back. Like- look at this pic from an older fortune-telling birthday book I found. She is 1000% Drowning Him and I love that for her :)

17) reading manga makes me happy. There are just so many wonderful and ridiculous series out there. There really is nothing "too weird to publish" in the manga world. I was reminded of this the other day when I discovered a series about a girl who timetravels and finds out that her soulmate is a Neanderthal. You can literally find a series about ANYTHING in the manga world and I love that about it. There's no limit to the imagination and there's something for everyone :)

18) when I'm in the mood, writing and drawing make me happy. There's just something about creating that really just- fills the soul :)

19) making playlists makes me happy!! I love having playlists for characters and relationships and fics and even specific fic chapters or moods or going to sleep! (And rec playlists! Like Vish's :) ) It's just- so satisfying having the Perfect Playlist on hand! Plus it's fun actually making them- like figuring out the mood/lyrics and what they fit into :) I listen to music almost constantly, so this is essential! :)

So thank you Sierra!! It was nice to remind myself about a lot of different things that bring joy to my life!! I love and adore you SO MUCH 💖💖💖

[mittensmorgul]

I love Eileen. And I love Saileen. I love that they introduced a character with a disability and made Sam happy But I agree with a lot of what you say about Saileen. They’re NOT canon. Yeah, they very well could be. But as of now, they aren’t. They seem more like a “will they/won’t they” relationship rather than a real established relationship. And with everything with Chuck and his control over her... idk. I love hearing what ppl think about it but they need to let you have your opinions

Thank you for this, seriously. I just feel like I’ve been pressured into seeing it differently. And I’m sorry for that, honestly! I wish I could see it as a purely cute, happy, no complications relationship. I wish I could see the parallels to destiel as direct mirrors instead of “spot the difference” mirrors.

I love Eileen as a character, and have seen potential for her to have a relationship with Sam since 11.11. It seemed like the show was seriously considering that in 12.17. And then the show proved they weren’t... Yes I was fully on board the “she can’t actually be dead because that was stupid and terrible” train back then. I was for a good long while afterward. (lol read my fic Winchester 275, with fun happy saileen!) But eventually, when it becomes obvious that the characters have moved on, we have to move on and see reality, too.

But after the show made her return a direct tool of manipulation by Chuck, and after she herself has expressed that because of that, BECAUSE Chuck’s interference in “writing Saileen” into the show as a romantic plot, when she questions what is real, she’s talking specifically about her relationship with Sam. If that wasn’t the case, if Chuck’s plot for her had been about ANYTHING else, I wouldn’t have so much difficulty with the state of Sam and Eileen’s relationship now. But Chuck specifically brought her back to romance Sam.

When Eileen says she doesn’t know what’s real, she specifically means between her and Sam. Between 15.06 and 15.09, Sam repeatedly denied they were like that (when Dean teased and then talked seriously to him about their obviously developing relationship based on what he’d seen of their interactions, and lampshaded by Dean himself as him viewing their interactions through the lens of his own personal issues he was struggling with at the time, having literally projected his own feelings onto their relationship). And I understand the desire to see Sam happy, to see him find a relationship like this. But I will always want that relationship for him to be real, of his own choosing, and with someone who can freely consent to it. And I want the same for Eileen, too. 

I’m doing my level best to look critically at what Chuck wants, at the plots and situations that he specifically engineers, and asking myself why. He’s been Gabriel-level manipulative/trickstery, Lucifer-level “smashing his own toys,” and Michael-level “monster apocalypse ftw,” and Raphael level “it just needs to be over.” I just watched Mystery Spot on the TNT loop, so maybe that’s why I’ve got Gabriel on the mind here, but I’m betting this week’s episode will have some heavy Gabriel style callbacks. What is the truth? What’s their own choices and what have they been “tricked” into believing was their only choice?

As long as Eileen feels that she had no choice in anything that happened between her and Sam, I’m gonna be eternally grateful that Sam had his foot on the brakes regarding their interactions to the point they learned of Chuck’s manipulation. Because it could’ve gone a hell of a lot worse if Sam had jumped into a romance with her, you know? Imagine if he had taken her up on her proposition in 15.07, only to have her doubt if it was even her choice after the fact? That would’ve been so, so much worse. For both of them.

The narrative has at least left them with POTENTIAL. Eileen could reexamine her whole relationship with Sam and decide she really does have feelings for him that are her own, completely untainted by Chuck’s interference. But I really need that to be her freely-made choice. Sam could welcome her back with open arms, ready to proceed with a relationship on their own terms, to build something real between them. If they’d consummated the relationship while Eileen was being controlled/used by Chuck, it wouldn’t even be a potential. Or maybe it would, but there would’ve always been that specter of what had happened to her hanging over the relationship, leaving them both to question if it was actually real or only based on what Chuck had pushed them into, you know? For however cute the potential of their relationship is or could be, it’s not founded in their own free will.

I completely understand why some people refuse to question Eileen’s feelings for Sam, rather than just questioning which of her actions are “real.” If Eileen hadn’t specifically been brought back for a “romance plot” with Sam, I don’t know if she would’ve doubted her feelings for him, either. They did have a history of friendship, at the very least, before Chuck’s incredibly specific plan for her unfolded in s15. We WANT good things for Sam, we want him to be happy, to find someone to love and be loved by in the way he really deserves, and has wanted for a very long time, but heck I can’t stop hearing Charlie’s voice in 8.20 here:

Sorry you have zero luck with the ladies

I need for any relationship that Sam chooses for himself to defy that statement, not to be burdened by Chuck’s incessant campaign of destroying Sam’s love life  over and over again for his own personal entertainment. He uses Sam’s hope as a weapon against him, just like we saw in 15.09. Two of Sam’s biggest character arcs for the entire series have involved his perception/understanding of reality, and hope vs hopelessness. That is, what gives Sam hope, and what strips it from him. It’s been a key metric for him in every season, and it directly affects the choices he’s willing to make, and possibly more importantly, what he’s personally willing to sacrifice.

At this moment, I’m watching Jus In Bello, and this is... exactly the plot of this entire episode. This is Sam’t plot through all of Kripke Era, throughout Chuck’s original apocalypse arc. This was Ruby’s entire purpose in the narrative: romance Sam to manipulate him into Doing The Thing. In 3.12, it’s framed around Sam’s hope vs hopelessness against the army of demons surrounding them. It’s framed as “not having a choice,” and then working together to “find another way.” Only for Ruby to show up at the end of the episode after they think they’ve succeeded, to inform them that because of their choice, everyone they’d been trying to save was now dead. And it was STILL a manipulation on a bigger level of the narrative that won’t be proven out until the end of s4 and Ruby’s Grand Reveal moment as Lucifer rises.

THIS IS A BIG ISSUE FOR SAM, and dismissing it all for the sake of smushing his face together with Eileen’s is... at the very least, a wee bit problematic. 

Obviously, Ruby was conscious of this deception from the start. She was planted with the knowledge of what she had to accomplish, and willingly participated in Sam’s manipulation. Eileen... wasn’t complicit in ANY of the manipulation, at least not consciously. I’m not attempting to frame Eileen as evil here, but just as much a victim of Chuck’s plotting as Sam was.

If Eileen didn’t feel this way herself, if she didn’t directly question and doubt her own feelings for Sam, she wouldn’t have left. She left for HERSELF. I can’t even imagine being in her position here, you know? Saved from the torment of Hell, given a tiny bit of hope for the future (still with the question of whether her soul was still doomed to Hell when she eventually died again, or whether she got a clean slate and could enter Heaven eventually, LITERALLY ALSO BECAUSE OF CHUCK). Only to discover that her second chance had been provided by Chuck because he cavalierly intended to use her AGAIN, not for her own sake, but to drive Sam’s “plot.” Romance-loss-manpain-angst-hopelessness-”Butch and Sundance” lather rinse repeat. That’s Chuck’s plot, and in leaving, whether she sees that bigger picture or not, Eileen has chosen not to participate in it. Not to let herself be used by that plot.

Eileen had her agency stolen from her by Chuck’s BMoL storyline, and she spent three years in Hell because of it. At this point in the story, leaving to regain that lost agency was the best thing she could’ve done FOR HERSELF. And Sam, of all people, who had his agency stolen from him when he was 6 months old and fed demon blood, can understand that.

If Sam and Eileen are meant to be, they BOTH need to come to that decision for reasons other than “Chuck wants to hurt us with each other for plot reasons.” And as important as Eileen as a character is for representation, she’s also elevated herself to another important level in the narrative: She chose HERSELF. She chose her own life and freedom. She chose to walk out of the story and refused to be used by it.

If Eileen comes back to the story again, it will truly be because she CHOSE it for herself. Her entire life up to 11.11 had been the same sort of “revenge narrative” that the Winchesters had endured. She got her win, and then was faced with the question (posed to her by Sam) of what she was going to do next. When we next see her, in 12.17, we see that she has apparently continued her life as a hunter. She’s drawn into helping with an “all hands on deck” situation, in finding Dagon and Kelly Kline, and then her involvement in that hunt directly leads to her death in the most awful and ableist way possible-- literally hunted down by Chuck’s “big bad threat” of the season, to drive Sam and Dean into Chuck’s ever-narrowing maze of choices leading up to their confrontation with Lucifer in 12.23 (and Cas’s death by Lucifer’s hand, and everything that followed... including Dean’s formal complaint of a prayer to Chuck himself in 13.01. I mean, given Chuck’s favored story, he must’ve been wringing his hands with glee at Dean’s hopeless suffering in early s13, you know?). 

I need to go back to Sam’s experiences with the BMoL himself. In Sam’s ongoing, lifelong issues that I’ve been tagging as “Sam vs Reality” for years now, the weapon of torture that Toni Bevell used to manipulate Sam... was specifically a fake/drug-and-torture induced romance plot. After 12.02 aired, please recall the abject horror of the entire fandom over the rape by deception plotline between Sam and Toni-- after spending the entire hellatus wondering if Toni was being set up with a “love at first stab” redemption arc in much the same way Cas had in s4. For folks that hadn’t been in the fandom during the post-s11 hellatus, this seemed to be a serious potential, until 12.02 burned that notion to the ground. Eileen’s suspicious return to the narrative in s15 rang alarm bells in my head for this exact reason.

I need people to understand why I feel so viscerally uncomfortable with Sam and Eileen’s relationship as it stands in s15. Everyone has the absolute right to find their relationship cute, or truly romantic, or to hope that they are endgame together. But I also think I have the absolute right to feel wary of it, considering all of this ^^. 

Plus, to me, all of this *IS* the interesting character stuff we’ve all been here for all these years. We’re all giddily engaging with Dean’s long-standing issues with anger, abandonment, fear, self-worth, and identity coming to fruition in s15. Even the most die-hard destiel shippers haven’t ignored the deep underlying character arcs of both Dean AND Cas as their relationship is finally being defined, clarified, and hopefully resolved in the narrative. Do we not owe at LEAST that much to Sam, and his character’s underlying issues? Because I think that’s what the narrative is pushing us to examine here.

And as you said, I also see it as a potential relationship. Yes, one with a LOT of potential based on their chemistry. As things stand after 15.09, there’s every reason to think that Eileen could come back, could accept the offer Sam made with that kiss. I saw it as him laying a potential foundation, his way of saying “maybe it wasn’t real up to this point, but we could choose it if that’s what you wanted, too.” I also see it as up to Eileen herself if she can lay that baggage down and begin building a relationship based on mutual choice, understanding, respect, affection, and potentially love and romance. If Eileen is Sam’s endgame love interest, to me it would necessitate their choice to give a future together a shot. It would be a beautiful new beginning in life, for both of them, rather than the culmination of more than a decade of emotional relationship issues that Dean and Cas are facing, you know? There is a difference, and equating the relationships on a surface level is fine, but the presumption that we’re supposed to just accept that the two relationships are equal in terms of underlying emotional context is... at least a little disturbing to me, because ^^^^^^.

Heck, I think I’ve officially emotionally wrung myself out typing about all of this again, but I appreciate having the space to actually work through my own feelings about all of this, too.

[pftones3482]

this is probably random, but i need to say it to someone. despite all the truly annoying/awful moments of the vld fandom, i fucking miss it. like when the show was airing, i felt so alive with figuring out theories, metas, and just the influx of art/fics. now i feel like i'm just floating. there are so many good animated shows that i'm watching now, but nothing has filled the void. they just don't compare to what vld gave me. sorry for randomly dumping this on you lol! hope you have a good day

Nah, I feel you fam. Like theres so many new shows I really do enjoy and genuinely love but its been a bit since anything has really captivated me the way voltron did. Its why my writing slowed down so much I think - I'm just not as inspired as I was before. I think the last show before voltron to really capture me like that was Gravity Falls

It just feels to me like ever since Voltron got really popular (around season 3) everyone has just been so negative towards new shows or to the casts or to creators. I feel like I can't escape fandom drama in anything anymore, even when I block and unfollow people, which just makes the show less enjoyable. But I like the content people create, so I don't want to disengage with the fandom entirely. I feel like the reason Voltron felt like such a poignant thing for so many and why nothing now feels the same is because the fandom's have drama from the get go - Voltron didnt really have ANY drama until around season 4 (that could be argued bc of the whole Allura/Keith drama, but that was at least based in universe, not headcanons and theories)

Even now, after the end of the show, the fandom still creates drama, ESPECIALLY around ships. Its just exhausting anymore to be a fan of something on the internet, and it makes new stuff less fun.

Sorry that turned into a little rant, but I fully understand where you're coming from. Some of the animated shows recently that have brought that same excitement for me are: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, The Dragon Prince, She-Ra, 3 Below (and related shows), The Hollow, and Carmen Sandiego.

If you want to dive a little into live action shows, I'd recommend: The Good Place, New Amsterdam, Manifest, the Arrowverse shows (specifically Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman), and Stranger Things (tho I can't think of anyone who hasn't seen that at this point)

All of them have good plots and characters, good rep in multiple categories (really depends on the show, but all of them have some kind of representation for lgbt, poc, and disabled people, ESPECIALLY New Amsterdam), and they're all shows I genuinely look forward to watching.

Hope you find something to satisfy your urge!

[avelera]

Do you think either of the K-Science boys ever lose their body issues? Or their more abrasive personality traits? I've never been a fan of the whole "love fixes everything" trope but at the same time, being in a relationship DOES change a person, you know?

Gosh, I kinda hope they don’t lose their abrasive personality traits, it’s what makes them awesome! I mean, I could see them softening a bit with old age or their Drift, I mean, we’ve got a little evidence Newt(?) is more organized by Uprising and that Hermann’s softened a bit and learned to chill, there’s some clutter and (gasp!) action figures in his office so he’s a bit less uptight and Newt’s a little more focused (if/when it’s him). 

As for arguing, because I think you’re asking with regards to “love fixes everything” if being in a relationship changes how they behave towards each other? I like to think outwardly to others they may be a bit less desperate for validation and approval (see: Newt puffing up to impress Hannibal Chau, Hermann going on a poetic rant about numbers to Stacker Pentecost) because they’ll validate each other a bit more, which may in turn make them a bit less weird and awkward to everyone around them because that emotional need is being seen to.

But I also don’t think they ever stop arguing! Definitely in my fics I love having them argue, Newt can’t even finish proposing to Hermann before they start bickering again in the Kidnapping AU (which I need to update soon, mea culpa, mea culpa). I just think that they don’t misunderstand each other as much? Like before it just kept escalating because they were both speaking different languages (Newt couldn’t see that Hermann criticizing his work also was him trying to protect Newt from himself, Hermann couldn’t see that Newt’s constant goading was because he respects Hermann’s opinion and is trying to get his attention however he can, whether it’s good or bad attention). So they still communicate through bickering, they still have thick skins, they still prefer the honesty of a good argument over false praise or soft words, they’re just on the same page now that arguing and poking fun at each other constantly and being sarcastic little shits between make-out sessions is their way of saying “I love you, you idiot.”  

As for body image....Hmmm, well I will say canonically there’s not much evidence they have body issues. Hermann has a disability but it never comes up in the film as something he’s ashamed of and it’s never brought up by anyone else, which is a relief (as I understand) as far as representation goes. We also don’t know for certain if it’s injury or disease related so while some people (myself included) give him some surgical scars which could be a source of body image issues but those aren’t necessarily there? I always think of Hermann as someone who is in his own head a lot, he may not even register his disability as something he should be embarrassed about, it’s just a reality. When I write him having any issue with it I try to keep it to 1) an annoyance that keeps him from doing some things he wants to do (like have sex with Newt at certain angles without pain) or something that prevented him from being a pilot like he wanted, even if he found success elsewhere, so it’s a sore spot on that count. I headcanon Newt, as punk rock, a biologist and possibly a medical doctor, and just as a progressive having effortless respect for Hermann’s disability that doesn’t mean he coddles him but just doesn’t treat it as an issue but also doesn’t ignore it and you can pry that headcanon from my cold dead hands.

To jump to Newt, we have 2 things which could indicate body image issues, 1) the tattoos (and fashion?) which can mean anything from he’s ashamed of his body and covering it up to he’s proud of his body and decorates it, or he’s proud of it because he decorates it, and I think anyone can go anywhere on that spectrum? 2) The only strong indication we have that he has any kind of issue with his own height is the “Little joke of a man” line which may indicate he’s aware that he’s short and that people mock him for that and for how he comes across as a person but it could also just be the Precursors talking and taunting Hermann with a plausible reason Newt might have gone evil on his own and could just not be true at all and not something Newt has ever believed about himself. I can personally go either way with that, either it’s something Newt thought and the Precursors exaggerated and it is true that he’s got issues with it or Newt doesn’t have issues with it at all but the Precursors know it’s something that Newt could believably be resentful about and in a way the fact it’s false is almost more painful? I certainly think that line twisted the knife in Hermann because he never saw Newt that way, at least not recently, and he’d be devastated that Newt was allowed to live his life not knowing how much Hermann respects him and wants him in his life. And that’s something I think Hermann would be desperate to show Newt once they’re reunited and might soothe that wound if there is one.

[james-senpai]

On Gency

Okay, because some people have issues with Gency, I thought I’d compile a lil list of arguments that I find against Gency and why I think they’re bullshit. Disclaimer; The ship isn’t canon yet, this is refering to fan complaints, and everything below is my own interpretation of the current lore and character dynamics between the two. This is not a case FOR Gency, rather just debunking some of the toxic shit I’ve seen thrown at it. (long post incoming) TL;DR: if you have another opinion, you’re free to have it. Just try to stay on topic and don’t drag anything into it that doesn’t belong (’homophobia in OW’, current real world issues, that kinda shit) Oh, also I’m going to overlook the “It’s a het ship, so it’s boring” argument, because while I’ve seen it enough to tear y’all a new one over it, I’mma let it slide because that would be too easy to destroy (but I’ll get to that later) 1. Gency is abusive  Nowhere cited or stated. The largest asspull I’ve seen. Don’t have much to say about it since the people I’ve noticed who use this excuse can’t provide any other reason than this simple phrase. 2. Genji didn’t consent to what Mercy did to him This is like getting in a car wreck, going to a doctor, them saving your life, and then turning around and yelling at them for doing their job. Genji was injured, Overwatch picked him up, Mercy as chief medic of OW saved him, as per her job description. Genji probably didn’t want to die there either. He was a playboy at the time, so I imagine that that moment was one of clarity for him, realizing that he never truly lived for anything worthwhile and if being brought back as a part-cyborg would enable him to do so, then he’d do it. 3. OW used Genji to attack his family Again, nowhere stated or implied. It’s stated that Genji used his abilities to dismantle his family’s criminal empire, but never that Genji went on a vendetta against his family. Genji’s no idiot and was probably well aware of the things his family was doing to ensure that he lived the playboy lifestyle he enjoyed for most of his life, but never really cared until they turned against him. After being saved from death, logic would dictate that he’d have some resentment against his family for the criminal shit they were pulling and would’ve gone after them anyway even if working for OW wasn’t a part of the deal. 4. Genji hated his body, and therefore hated Mercy Another asspull and something people try to use to demonize Mercy. Genji’s hatred of himself stems from that: HIMSELF. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen anyone who’s disabled to the point of losing a part of themselves, but it really takes a toll on one’s mental state, self-worth, self-image and esteem. The stress of losing his ENTIRE body coupled with the betrayal of his family more than likely left him disillusioned with the world and his place in it. And as common for men, he found peace in something greater than himself. It’s why he’s so willing to write Mercy and keep touch with her through writing. After he has found peace with himself, he realizes how grateful he is to Mercy for saving him and giving him a chance to live for something greater than himself. Even without canon romantics, it’s genuinely touching to see one character grateful for what they once took for granted and were repulsed at. 5. Mercy had no say in saving Genji Mercy’s designation is the chief medical doctor of Overwatch. Last time I checked, a doctor’s JOB is to SAVE LIVES. Angela strikes me as the kind of person who does what she does, not out of obligation, but because she wants to save lives and make the world a better place. Even if you want to go with the excuse that OW MADE her save him, odds are she would’ve done it anyway because that’s who she is. 6. Mercy turned Genji into a killing machine Genji was ALREADY a trained ninja, so also bullshit. While he did indulge in a frivolous lifestyle, he was still able to contend with Hanzo and fight him off to the point where it wasn’t a one-sided slaughter. The fact that Genji lived AT ALL after their fight is proof of his abilities and skill. The cybernetic makeover they gave him had the primary purpose of saving his life, but because they are naturally more efficient than human limbs, they inadvertently BOOSTED his already stupidly skilled body even beyond what he could do before. TL;DR, the cybernetics didn’t suddenly make him a ‘killing machine’, Genji did. also he’s not a ‘machine’, as he still retains morality and free will. 7. Mercy is evil and a white savior The evil part has already been debunked by the creators, but the ‘White Savior’ bit is really confusing to me. She’s a doctor, so her job is to literally SAVE LIVES. LIKE I HATE TO BREAK FLOW HERE, READER, BUT WHERE THE HELL DID THIS EVEN COME FROM? THE BLONDE HAIR AND BLUE EYES?? SHE’S SWEDISH! LIKE ????? Worst asspull and people just resorting to spitting insults at a character. 8. Genji is a self-insert OC so the writer can live out his dreams of fucking Mercy Yeah, because as if implying that an Asian writer wants to plow his character ISN’T racist. ok. Every character that has ever existed is an OC. And honestly, this is one of the most disgusting pulls I have seen to come out of some people’s mouths. Think before you speak, like damn... 9. The writer is homophobic and favors a straight ship over LGBT representation He’s also the guy responsible for making the comic that revealed OW’s flagship character as gay. I’m not surprised that you missed it though because, while everyone else was celebrating this fact, y’all were complaining about Genji and Mercy writing one another. While he might enjoy the ship, he has also gone on record saying that people should enjoy what they love, regardless of canon. 10. Mercy has a savior complex Side note, but I find it funny how people will say stuff like this and then turn around and ship Mercy with anyone else. Like that makes it better... Again, DOCTOR, SAVES LIVES, HELPS PEOPLE. She doesn’t do what she does out of obligation, otherwise she wouldn’t even be active after OW disbanded, but because she genuinely cares about the good of others, even to the point of disagreeing with OW from time to time and helping those afflicted by war.

11. The patient/doctor relationship is weird and gross Newsflash! EVERYONE who has actively served in OW has at some point been Mercy’s patient. So if you go by that logic, you can no longer ship her with ANYONE in the game who has ties to OW.

12. It’s a poorly-written ship Of course it’s going to be poorly written when it isn’t even CANON yet. Look, bottom line is all we have right now for them that’s concrete is canon story connections, sweet fluff in game and out of game, and voicelines that tie into those story ties. No canon comic dedicated to them, no animated short. At the end of the day, that’s what people are sending death threats over: canon fluff and connections. 13. It’s a boring ship This one bugs me and it’s probably where I’m going to close with. I’ve seen this the most, even without the ‘het’ label (because bi, pans, demi people TOTALLY don’t exist yeah?) but that it’s ‘boring’. This, at the end of the day, is an opinion, but a very unfair one.  ANY PAIRING CAN BE BORING. ANY RELATIONSHIP CAN BE BORING, EVEN GAY ONES. WHAT MAKES A PAIRING INTERESTING, A RELATIONSHIP DYNAMIC, AND CHARACTERS INTERESTING ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH A PAIRING IS HANDLED, A RELATIONSHIP FLESHED OUT, AND CHARACTERS DEFINED, ALL OF WHICH OW’S CAST OF CHARACTERS ARE DESPITE NOT HAVING DEDICATED COMICS AND SHORTS TO EVERYONE. They have likes, dislikes, dynamics and themes, stories and agendas, motivations and convictions, and small bits and pieces in between. All of which makes them engaging and interesting characters that we as the audience WANT to learn more about. We WANT to see Lucio get a short because he’s a great and lovable character with a cause that he’s fighting for. We WANT a McCree short because of his past, his convictions in his time with Blackwatch, and want to see what he’s going to do next. And we LOVED the Reflections comic because, for the first time that I can remember, we saw Tracer get revealed as gay and it DIDN’T remove from her being a bad-ass, wise cracking adventurer who believes that the world could always use more heroes. What I’m getting at is if you think ship X is boring, then it tells me two things about you. Either 1.) You haven’t looked hard enough or 2.) You haven’t seen what someone who’s GOOD can do Because I have loved ships simply because of the heart and soul fans put into them. I love Symetrat because someone wrote a hella good fic that fleshed out their characters, explored the dynamics between their differences, and presented them, for lack of a better word, flawlessly. I’ve loved the sheer amount of sweetness in the art I’ve seen in the Pharmercy tag and loved the dynamic of McHanzo, two roamers looking for peace in their own way. I even loved Widowtracer, two opposing forces and ideologies, melding, clashing, and learning. And I love Gency because it’s different from the ‘guy saves girl trope’, it EMPOWERS Mercy, gives Genji a turning point in his life, and creates a dynamic friendship between the two characters that, even if it never reaches romantic canon, will always be one of my favorite character dynamics in gaming. I’ve seen it in and out of Overwatch and to several fandoms beyond. We as fans can do some pretty amazing shit when we’re not engaging in ship wars and tearing out the throats of our creators, things that can genuinely touch and impact other people’s lives in new and profound ways, add relateability  to already relatable characters, and flesh out stories and dynamics and relationships even after the official story is over, all while offering a new perspective on characters we already know and love. What I’m getting at, and will close on, is that the ship isn’t boring. You are

[tumblunni]

Okay have some random AF charon thoughts lol

* Randomly headcanon him as asexual and somewhat gender non-conforming. Like, i think he still identifies as male but i just tgought he'd probably be supportive of trans folk even tgough he's normally an asshole to people in general. And i think he'd definately be one for the 'men should be allowed to wear dresses and makeup' philosophy, and probably could go off on quite a long rant about how there's nothing scientific about gendered clothing, don't go bringing my phd into this dammit! Lol.... I dunno really why i headcanoned it exceot 'hey more representation of people like me" + also the motivational value of seeing older lgbt characters and trying to believe that you have a future beyond a life expectancy of 30. And also i guess it kinda makes sense cos rotom is a genderless pokemon, i mean he grew up with a best friend who defied those gender norms so i don't think they would stick to him, even if he was raised in a super traditionalist environment. Also like.. Lol.. I mean.. Part of wanting to write a redemption fic for a villain involves trying to flesh them out and give them some positive traits, yknow? Ehh i just feel awkward about this cos i dont have any sort of solid Proof that this charactet is LGBT, same as how there's no evidence for my nonbinary cyrus or transgirl mars headcanons. WHY DID I RUB MY QUEER LIL HANDS ALL OVER THESE CHARACTERS

* uhh completely randomly i recently wrote up some plans for an amv i wish i could do for charon if i knew how to animate. Like a full on feelsy thing to a sad song about how rotom misses him and how he's changed over the years and generally self indulgent fluff of this unconfirmed stupid backstory headcanon of mine. And its not very fun cos its just a wordswordswords description of stuff i cant draw. But uhh anyway i showed it to two of my friends and i dunno if anyone else wants to see?? Im a bit embarassed but like.. If people are actually interested i'll make more stuff like this with all the other amv ideas i have for other franchises. Who knows, maybe i can learn enough to someday make them!

* another thing i might post more of: The Gremp Test. This is a thing i've started doing to test the choice variety/sexism in videogame character creators. I ask the question "Is it easier to make Galactic Commander Charon from Pokemon Platinum (tm) than to make a non sexualized female character?" (Or someone who isn't stick thin, or a poc character, and etc) Its funny just how many games have enough choices to create wildly specific characters like this yet only lack the choices in certain areas. Hell, often if there's some sort of grandpa option there isn't an equivelant for grandmas! And in Champions Online the sliders go from wispy elf boy to literally the hulk, but those same sliders are disabled and women can only be hourglass shaped. Charon test exposes the cowardice of these developers! (And also gives us loads of funny pictures of charon. Win win!)

* i think if i go thru with that thing of turning my charon headcanons into an oc in an alternate fantasy setting i might go with calling him Nicodemus. Or Erebus? Something equally as fancy as being an obscure moon, lol. And i might just give him a huge poofy hairstyle if he can't have that complicated crescent shaped nonsense. I cant think of an equally weird hairso i'll go for the traditional einstein look. And maybe use that design i once drew of him with a bowler hat and bolo tie?

*also

*did i mention that

*i really like this character

*is once again reminded of how much i lovv the gramps*

Aaaa minor character appreciation why are u my curse….! Thank u loads to that blog cos srsly this is the most fanart he’s had in a year! Everyone’s probably sick of me whining about my faves tho lol

[karasunovolleygays]

(For the anon confession ask) I actually never thought that highly of my fic writings until I saw some of the motivational/fic-writing appreciation things you reblogged/wrote about in tags. I always just thought of writing as vomit on the screen. Something really gross. Thank you for reminding me to give myself worth.

I’m glad you have come into the light, Nonnie. Fic is a beautiful thing. It can be anything in the world, from the fluffiest fluff to the grimmest dark, and you can get it all for free anytime you like. 

Fanfic is untouched by dusty old white men who urge stuffy, superfluous language and boring tropes, so it’s a novelty in itself that it’s almost always unlike any book you buy in a store. Sure, there are wonky bits, but you also get to follow that author from their shaky first stories all the way through their growth cycle until they begin producing work you would happily pay for a hard copy of if it were ever offered. It’s even better because you know that the work is theirs, and not the product of someone sitting in a room and hacking the writer’s work to bits and shoving it all back together.

However, the reason why it matters SO MUCH is not just because it’s free of the constraints of the publishing industry’s admittedly patriarchal eye, but because it provides what the mainstream publishing industry seems unwilling to do — representation. POC, LGBTQ, disabled, and mentally ill people feature frequently in fanfic because we’re the ones reading and writing our stories in this medium when mass media will not. 

Your fic about a disabled black superhero or a lesbian going about her day because you just wanted her to be happy — those things more often than not find the person who really needs to read something hopeful or adventurous or whatever. It isn’t shielded by the censorship of conventional print or by cost, and if often comes in every language you can think of or at the least can be translated by Google into something mostly readable at the touch of a button.

So if you ever lose sight of what utterly fucking cool stuff that fanfic — that YOUR fanfic — can do this for the world, just remember that everybody starts somewhere. Hell, sometimes I feel like my own fic is word shart on a screen, but then I get a comment or a tag on a fic of mine that says how much it mattered to someone to read it. And I remember why I do it, why I love it, and why I’ll never stop contributing to the fanfic universe however I can.

I hope you can find your piece of the world in there, because you belong in it just as much as it belongs to you. *fingerguns*