#also I feel like an important factor in this is that. the writers didn’t really understand how DID works

[mangora]

I’m a big proponent of the whole “Mike is an asshole sometimes” thing, I really am, I think it humanizes him a lot and just makes him a lot more interesting. He’s shitty towards his alters at times, he has his bitchy moments especially towards Scott, and he clearly has some anger that he doesn’t know how to express (hence Chester and Mal existing). But I really don’t like when people are like “Mike is a villain” or “Mike is actually a bad person” or “Mike is a manipulative liar” tbh. And I’m aware that it’s probably kinda my fault that that’s become a sorta popular sentiment because I’ve written fics where characters like Scott or Mal call Mike a bad person, and I do think that’s something they believe (or at least, I think it’s something Scott would say to get under Mike’s skin and something that Mal would say to push him away, and something that they’d both sort of convince themselves of to comfort themselves)— not saying this as a like “you guys don’t understand my writing thing” like genuinely I wrote a lot of that when I was just a worse author because I was like 16-17 and I wasn’t getting my point across well. But I just think people miss some of the complexity of Mike’s character when they reduce his worse traits to “Aha! See! Mike sucks!” because his reasons are pretty understandable I feel. Mike’s a teenager with trauma, it’s likely he doesn’t trust people easily and has had issues making or keeping friends in the past. Of course he’s worried about people finding out he has DID. Of course he hides it and of course that will negatively affect his alters. Of course he might have issues understanding that his alters are fully formed people. Of course he has issues opening up to close friends, because what if he loses them. Of course he gets upset when Scott is obviously fucking with the people he grows close to, and of course he doesn’t trust him. Of course he gets annoyed with and mad at Scott after he literally blackmails him— hell, Mike’s kind of a saint for not just throwing Scott off a cliff for that one, he’s the one person I can’t really blame for laughing at Scott in the trauma chair even if it’s still kinda out of character imo. Of course when Mal comes back he’s afraid to tell anyone about him and puts himself in danger to protect others, and of course when Mal traps him he’s angry at him. Like idk obviously this doesn’t make Mike a perfect flawless angel, these are still character flaws, it’s not good that he’s resilient to communicate these things— but also I don’t think it makes him a bad person really because it’s ultimately self-preservation done in the only way he really knows how, without the intent to harm anyone and without doing excessive damage in the process. He just wants to feel safe and loved man, I think that’s a lot better of an angle than “Mike’s actually a bad person and hates his alters and he’s a control freak and he’s just as bad as the villains”, like maybe Scott would think that or like, Chris might, but I feel like it’s kinda reductive to look at him that way. Does this make sense wtv my brain fog is like disastrous atm

[starbuck]

final rating: 10/10

entirely canon compliant, very fun and in character, sex is believable, short and to the point, third person limited pov where the character just sits around and thinks and nothing happens just as i like it, there’s vomiting involved, she has everything

you don’t even understand. there is ONE (1) fic in existence about the guys i’m being weird about right now that i vaguely trust to be good and i REFUSE to read it because i’m afraid it will be Bad and i’d rather live in the world where i can at least BELIEVE it might be good. i already agree with it on principle. that is enough.

[ggswaywardgifrepository]

Man am I in my thoughts on Khaos Reigns. Spoilers, obviously. And fair warning that I disliked far more than I liked about it.

I appreciate how much attention Bi-Han was given in the narrative. However, overall, I think he was terribly written. I’m just not interested in projecting meaning and depth onto his behavior anymore. I did, and still do, see his time and behavior as Sub-Zero during the main game as more subjective than how he behaved at all in Khaos Reigns. Pre and post being Noob’d.

I’m a pretty big base game Bi-Han apologist, and can apply meaning to some of his choices. DLC Bi-Han, though… I apologize and make excuses for main game Bi-Han; I want the writers to apologize TO Khaos Reigns Bi-Han.

I’m still pleased he was so important to the plot but the character was still shafted. And that’s a pretty impressive feat. But he is just a balls to the wall asshole through Khaos Reigns, and I’m just struggling to find the reason for it. Like, his base game beefs had some merit. I guess the best I can come up with is that he’s shed the last of his restraint by the time, especially once he’s transformed.

His one—ONE—truly selfless act ended up being him going through the portal after Havik. He acknowledges that something happening to Geras will be disastrous and does what needs to be done. It’s unfortunate it was so overwhelmed by shitty things happening to him, or him just choosing to do terrible things. Who’da thunk it that that would be the smartest and most sensible thing Bi-Han did in the whole story?

Well written characters don’t drag us by the feet from plot point to plot point. A lot of this came off as shallow, rushed, inorganic.

Bi-Han being the one to defeat Titan Havik was satisfying, but Liu Kang suddenly caring about what killing a Titan would do their timeline? Like we didn’t just wreck Titan Shang Tsung’s shit??? Even if Titan Havik was potentially connected to more timelines, Johnny, Rain, and Tanya proved that even in the most fucked of timelines goodness existed. He surely damned decent people in Titan Shang Tsung’s timeline, too. He couldn’t be any surer there was no one but his minions left, right?

IDFK. One of many inconsistencies in this new timeline’s story.

Noob’s time as Havik’s henchman was pathetically short, too. And the person who drops his henchman self isn’t Kuai Liang? Or even Sektor? He doesn’t even have a real fight against Scorpion? Because Scorpion didn’t get a chapter and it wasn’t worked into Noob’s chapter. (He was shameless and aggressive enough it honestly could’ve been.)

Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Empress Tanya, but the single playable character per chapter structure really, really hurt this installment. There were multiple instances where the wrong character got the playable fight against the enemy onscreen/impeding the heroes’ progress.

The tower endings for both Sektor and Noob also seem to shit on Liu Kang’s plan to keep Bi-Han safe while he attempts to restore him fully. And that pisses me off. Because the thing that gave me hope about this whole charade was that we’d finally get a Bi-Han redemption story. He may spend the rest of his days disfigured for what Havik did to him, which is fine, but his spirit would be pure. He’d feel remorse and care to redeem himself. It may still happen; I know tower endings aren’t 100% canon, but there tend to be snippets there.

I can only hope that Sektor becoming involved with Quan Chi leads to Sareena being a part of the story and a key factor in Bi-Han’s redemption.

I honestly thought all of his restoration, or the hints thereof, were going to be part of the ending. I expected him to consciously choose to fight against Havik before Liu Kang “restored his mind”. (If that is what Liu Kang considers Bi-Han with his mind resorted roflmao).

Smoke was robbed, as were several characters who deserved to play a larger role (Kitana, for one). Did Tomas even have a single line? I truly can’t remember, he was there so little.

I’m annoyed that Emperor Rain and Empress Tanya were written better as a couple than Tanya and Mileena, because the series is sorely lacking in queer representation. They’re it at this point and they’re sadly, canonically, a kinda boring and neglected ship.

Cyrax is adorable and I loved her. I know some people don’t like her voice or her look, and I’m still lukewarm about the genderswap, but I really liked her. I think her characterization was closest to its roots of any of the DLC characters.

Boy was I wrong about Sektor. I liked her but the trailer cleverly implied she was more of a team good guy player than she is. She openly cooperated with the good guys but it was entirely motivated by her loyalty and personal affection for Bi-Han.

It was extremely refreshing to see Harumi, period. She not only lived but was portrayed as a competent and sympathetic character. One of very few things the DLC did well with.

Several of the skins are fantastic. I love Khaos Takeda, Kitana, and Mileena. Khaos Shang Tsung is awful though. Absolutely hated his look for all 12 seconds he was there.

Overall, though, the DLC was a massive disappointment. It cost $$$, only lasted a couple of hours, and there was no post credits scene to give me anything to look forward to and make the underwhelming story experience more palatable.

And if you loved it, congrats. If you have all the “this is actually a lot deeper because” metas and headcanons, go you. I’m happy for you. I wanted to like this enough to at least try to rationalize what I didn’t like. I really thought I would.

[kaithonks]

So I’ve had some Thoughts about Christopher Chaos and Designs

In preparation for the new Cassandra Cain Batgirl run, I decided to try The Oddly Pedestrian life of Christopher Chaos, since Tate Brombal is writing both. I honestly didn’t do too much looking before reading this, so I wasn’t expecting a Queer story, but I was very pleasantly surprised. My instinct is to say that the Christopher being gay and Jordi being a trans man aren’t really the focus of the story, but they are a key detail that gives a clue to on the story benign a metaphor for Queerness and finding queer communities. And while this part is important, there is something I think that holds a little more value in that regard, and that’s Miquel Muerto’s colors.

The thing about a comic is that while people talk about the writers, the artist tend to get less focus. Which is a shame because a comic is a visual medium. There is even less attention on letterist and colorist, and those are still key jobs in the comic. Even if the comic is in black and white, that color choice is still essential and has a factor into the story. In Christopher’s case, he has bright colors. And the gut reaction might be “Oh look who’s the anime protagonist”  it’s more then that here. Yes, Christopher's bright colors make him stand out, but Him standing out isn’t what he wants. Early one he says he wants to be normal but feels like a monster and these points are communicated through his design and even in his colors. Even in his “blending in” design, he sticks out. I’m sure someone with more knowledge on what colors mean could draw more conclusion here, but I don’t have the knowledge, I just know that Christopher is distinctive. He pops in every panel, emphasizing his differences, even when he is with other “monsters” Viv and Jordi both stand out like Christopher but to a less extent. Which they can blend in better. And In Jordi’s case and his recent top surgery he’s actively passing as a male and which his focus on a single color he's passing more as “human”. I think with the design choice to focus on having the character be so bright really helps focus on the story on its narrative about being other and feeling isolated, and it isolated the character in a visual sense.

What also add to this effect is the Helwing’s blanked white, specially as a metaphor for Heteronormativity. It feels a little on the nose to me having the story on a very basic visual level being about emptiness and white verse bright color, but it works and is fun to look at. Also, while on the Helwings I can't help pt point out Elias’s pick for red. Specially as he is relieved to be a demon, so again you get that isolation with color. 

There is also a point with Adam being very mundane in his browns. He and Hayden both have an interesting point, where design wise they are the most monstrous. Adam being literally stitched together and Hayden being well a werewolf, but they both able to blend in better with their more subdued colors. This doesn’t end up good for Hayden, but it doesn’t work out well for Adam either, as his method of running away from everything isn’t working out. But all of this leads to a story that is about Pride, the value of queer community and reaching out and protecting that community. 

So yeah, Christopher Chaos's queer theming is at its core. It’s not going in my favorite of comics. I think it moves a little fast and I wish we had more time with just Christopher. Though I will pick up volume 2 when it comes out next year, and I’ll be trying the Halloween special, so some of this might get washed away as I keep reading. It’s still something I enjoyed, horror has a long history of queer and minority coding and this is actually a nice little spin on those concepts to be a bit more whimsical and hopeful. 

[zayadriancas]

@maya-matlin I just had to respond to these tags cause SERIOUSLY. There are honestly a lot of parallels between season 3 and NC season 3. I think I made a gifset at some point but I honestly never thought about Ashley’s role in it until recently. Both her and Maya had boyfriends that cheated which even though Mayas downward spiral didn’t come till later, it definitely was something under the surface and was just one of many things that caused everything to go downhill for her come season 3. With Ashley it was more of the main thing that caused it but at the same time there were more factors from before season 3 as well. Everything with the party/ecstasy, being shut out by Paige and everyone, but what Craig did is what caused it all to come to a head, like how with Maya it was the bus crash. Tristan being in a coma clearly affected Maya too just like how Terri being in a coma affected Ashley though we don’t really see that until this episode when Terri’s already awake. At this point her and Terri had mostly drifted apart just like how Maya and Tristan had but it still clearly affected them. Though this episode is really the only time it was heavily focused on for Ashley and it’s clear the writers judging by how Paige and Spinner reacted is that they wanted it to look like she was just being over dramatic and that really is upsetting…So many people in real life already treat people with depression that way and it’s such a shitty feeling. I get that people weren’t nearly as open with mental health back then as they are now but I mean they handled it with Ellie this season so they could have went more in depth with Ashley’s. Not even just in this season but in season 2 when it was clear she (Ashley) was struggling. Honestly other than Maya and Esme (I’m not really gonna count Ellie cause it wasn’t that heavily focused on outside of one episode) I feel like they mainly focused on guys mental health which was great and important of course, but after Craig, I feel like it was mainly done so that the male character could be let off the hook for shit, mainly Eli and Hunter. I don’t think they did it with Cam and Miles intentionally but looking at the fandom you wouldn’t know that. Not saying that these characters stories weren’t well done or important cause they all were compelling, but compared to how they treated the female characters mental health (again, outside of Maya. With Esme they never got the chance to go as in depth with it as they could have, but also I only can blame the show getting cancelled so much cause they could have gone more in depth the first 3 seasons but they waited till the last minute. But like, even Maya was looked at as a bitch or annoying by the fandom cause of her anxiety, same as most people thinking Ashley was just annoying. Meanwhile characters like Eli, Cam, etc are just seen as misunderstood and poor little puppies, even when they’re behaving like assholes. It’s such a double standard.

I think I got off topic a bit lol but anyway I completely agree 100% with your tags.

[roguestorm]

So me and my friend were discussing characters we didn’t like, and Scott came up and my friend really doesn’t like Scott…BUT something I wanted to ask you about was a point my friend made. He says one of the main reason why he doesn’t like Scott is because he feels like he is lowkey misogynistic/is often written that way. The examples he brought up is that Scott leaves/cheats on women when he doesn’t need/want them anymore. like how when he was married to Maddie in X-factor and Jean came back he cheated on her with Jean. He then cheated on Jean with Emma in New X-men, and now in the Krakoa era Scott left Emma to be with again Jean. I just wanted to know your opinion on it because I’ve never thought about it in that way before sksksk

Well, first of all, that’s just textually not true. He absolutely did NOT cheat on Maddie with Jean. He also did not leave Emma for Jean; he and Emma broke up back in like 2013 while Jean was still dead.

The one that is textually true is the Jean/Scott/Emma situation in New X-Men. And here I’m going to pin it on the writer, because Morrison is a misogynist and I think it absolutely permeates their writing. Thinking about what Morrison has said about the Jean/Scott situation just makes me so, so incredibly angry. It’s a deeply misogynistic story written by a deeply misogynistic writer in a way that makes Scott look deeply misogynistic!!! I hate it.

And that’s where it’s like actually possible to make a case for Scott as a misogynist, because different readers are going to put different weights on different comics runs. For me, NXM is an aberration that goes against everything the X-Men stand for and the misogyny is only part of that. For me, the fact that Scott is written for much longer as a supportive partner to Emma and Jean and as someone who generally respects his female teammates and friends is going to be more important than the bad characterization in a run written by someone whose writing I have very little respect for.

(Sorry, I’m incapable of objectivity or civility when it comes to NXM, it just upsets and angers me so much.)

But for other readers, especially for people who’ve read less of the Claremont run or who started with the Morrison run (a common recommendation, for some goddamn reason), that characterization of Scott might colour their perception of the character overall.

I have my opinion and biases, of course. I happen to like uptight leaders who are no fun most of the time but sometimes smirk really sexily in private. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But a big part of being a comics fan is negotiating different interpretations of a character (or an event) and trying to come up with a coherent understanding. And because it’s always a negotiation, people are going to come up with different understandings, and that’s just part of being a fan of the medium! It certainly gives us plenty of things to argue about online. :)

[ectonurites]

No hate meant towards him at all, but ngl I really kinda didn’t think Tim and Bernard would make it this far as a couple or like, last this long? I’m not even sure Meghan Fitzmartin thought they would, because I remember an interview or something where she was asked why she chose Bernard and rather than it being something about his character or relationship with Tim, she said it was because he was from the time period in comics she wanted to evoke, iirc. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Ah yes, so first of all I do know exactly which interview you're talking about, I had gone and transcribed the section you're referencing myself a while back! I'm not gonna copy & paste all of that, but here is a link to the post where I did it so you can see her exact phrasing.

One thing I do want to note is that Bernard's relationship to Tim was at least kind of part of her reasoning—specifically that Bernard was a friend of Tim's who existed outside of the hero life: "[...] it really was important for it to be like, ya know, not in a superhero space but like in a- in a very Tim personal space. Like, this is who Tim Drake is and this is a person who knows Tim Drake."

Also, funnily enough your paraphrasing ("because he was from the time period in comics she wanted to evoke") actually kind of... sounds more like it's based on a line in the commentary I made where I was explaining how I interpreted what she said ("A seemingly big factor in why Bernard was chosen was to evoke feelings of that specific time") rather than her actual words ("I, um, I really sort of wanted to get back to that particular emotional space for Tim.") Maybe we just make similar word choices though lmao.

But anyways: I did specifically link the version of that post where I had made that additional commentary talking through my thoughts on the reasoning behind picking Bernard—tldr being that imo the story of Sum of Our Parts was about 'Tim figuring out his identity' above 'Tim finding the ultimate romance', so picking Bernard as a supporting character from Tim's old solo run to solidify and support the theme [rather than an extensive history with Tim being the deciding factor] made plenty of sense for the story being told and worked effectively.

Now, that post was written in 2021 so obviously things are in a different place now—but I do say something there that I wanna bring up, because I think it captures what my opinion on the future of the relationship had been back when it was new:

"From here on they could either further develop the relationship to be something with a lot of romance, or maybe Bernard just serves his purpose as the guy Tim realizes he likes guys with and they part ways to go on to date other people, either thing could work and make sense depending on what stories future writers (either Fitzmartin if she gets to continue with Tim after Urban Legends #10, or anyone else who picks him up for content focused on him in the future) are trying to tell."

I was always in a 'this could go several different ways' camp! Kept an open mind, lmao. And I do think that like, from the ending point of Sum of Our Parts, that was probably the intent—while having one bit to continue the story in Urban Legends #10 was obviously secured by the time of publication for #6, the vague end note of #10 (which just states the fact that Tim would get content in 2022, not specifying what) definitely implies that beyond that/at that point in time things were less certain about his upcoming direction. Having things end in an open enough way where if Meghan didn't get to continue with Tim there would be a complete story, but that if things did get to continue with her she'd have a plan/path to go down, yk?

And I think it's clear now that they did end up going down the 'further developing it' path since Meghan stayed on as Tim's writer for a while (between Tim Drake: Robin and Dark Crisis: Young Justice). And frankly, despite the reasoning behind Bernard being chosen seeming more theme-related than anything else, I think it's also clear Meghan just had a fondness for him/that timeframe he came from, hence why she took the opportunity to explore things further with them when she was given it. Like, idk maybe this is just based on Vibes™ but I feel like Meghan's intent was always to keep going with the Tim/Bernard thing as long as she was the one writing Tim.

I do feel like if anyone else had ended up as Tim's primary writer after the Urban Legends story, things may have turned out differently and the relationship may not have lasted the way it has—but it's hard to truly say since that's not what happened.

Now that she's not currently slated for anything upcoming with Tim (at least not that I'm aware of, frankly Tim doesn't have much coming up at all aside from a general 'he'll likely be showing up in some capacity in batbooks' sentiment) I think the future of the two of them is a bit less steady. Not that I think they're immediately doomed or anything, but just that next time Tim gets solo content it could easily be from someone who doesn't want to deal with a civilian boyfriend element, who knows. But now that they actually do have some content under their belt in Tim Drake: Robin, it could be something someone else wants to pick up and explore even more, too. It's simply... hard to say!

But basically: I definitely understand being surprised they've lasted this long, because a part of me is surprised about that too/didn't expect it to last this long—but another part of me is less surprised based on some factors of the situation (namely just: who has been doing the majority of writing of Tim).

[newx-menfan]

Interesting analysis of Prodigy’s appearance in X-Factor…if anyone wants to give it a read.

*Honestly…I don’t know HOW I feel about that plot point, if I am being honest.

It’s obvious Williams ending was rushed and she was hurried to explain how Prodigy died. Would more care have been made if there had been less pressure to tie up all the loose ends? Probably.

On the “Battle of the Atom” podcast, Williams more or less admits writers and editors were making changes to the last issues (basically more or less saying the same things Kelly Thompson/Sina Grace/Jeff Lemire have said over the years about lack of control writers really have with the X-Men line).

It’s not like real world stories HAVEN’T popped up in X-Men before- Chance’s church in Fallen Angels Vol.1 was very clearly based off of the Unification Church. Magneto is a concentration camp survivor….just to name a couple examples.

Still- using the name “Buck” Thatcher, essentially making it a very clear it is meant to be Ed Buck…felt and feels a little bit questionable, since we don’t know how the family members of the victims would feel about this…

When reading this issue the first time back in 2021, I did find myself thinking about Rosenberg’s representation of Wolfsbane’s death as an allegory for violence against trans people a few years ago…and the question of whether comics SHOULD be the space to talk about honestly a pretty complex and sensitive issue…

But I do also see the other side of it- in a world where there’s a LOT of debate about LGBTQIA+ rights- isn’t it important to talk about the reality that LGBTQIA+ identities often face a higher likelihood of being victims of violence?

(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/nation/study-finds-lgbtq-people-much-likelier-to-be-crime-victims)

(https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/ncvs-lgbt-violence-press-release/)

But I also see fans feeling tired of every LGBTQIA+ story focusing around depression, violence, death, suicide, and repression…

The originally planned but ultimately shelved story of Anole killing himself, IS, I think a good example of this problem. Anole HAS been pretty positive representation and the idea of using Victor’s death as a wake up call for Elixir when looking at it now- IS pretty problematic…

I am personally GLAD editorial cut the Anole story and I prefer the direction D+W took instead with Academy X.

I personally didn’t find the issue as graphic as many were critiquing it for online, when it first came out…but I do feel a tad bit uncomfortable that it is based on a real case, in a situation where again, you don’t know how people close to the victims would feel about it being incorporated in fiction….

While I definitely don’t think Williams meant any harm with issue #10…I think the reality is there isn’t a clear answer on this issue of representation, other than if you ARE going to tell these kinds of stories…make sure you are doing it in the most sensitive way possible.

[thelocalmuffin]

Hello everyone.

For those of you who know I took a hiatus in April, I have an update. This is also a massive life update. Read more below.

To start off, I feel a lot better. I’m not 100%, but I am functioning and have found some passion in writing again.

Though, this does come with some very bad news. After a really horrible situation that happened this week, I realized I have to get out of my state as soon as possible. I won't get into details as to why it's come from moving out of state to fleeing since it’s personal, but things are getting very bad where I live.

Due to the status of the economy and the fact I need to save up money to flee my state, I had to make the difficult choice I really didn’t want to.

I won’t be pursing freelance writing as a career anymore for the foreseeable future. Due to the crushing reality of finding out how much authors make, especially for news articles and shows: two things I eventually wanted to go into, are just not safe careers.

This does not mean I will stop creating. Creating is just a part of me by this point. I will still run zines, participate in them, and I plan to write on my own free time, but I am no longer in a position where writing for the sake of practice and getting an audience will help with my current situation.

In short, things won’t change much, but it’s more likely it’ll take me longer to write something.

Though ultimately, I’d like to get my passion back. I want to able to enjoy writing for the sake of writing again. I really love writing for those who love my stories, but it has been an incredibly difficult year for me. Most of my new fics are not doing well and though that can factor for a lot, it has weighed down on me a lot more than it should have. 

Though, this brings me to the important point. I need some help.

First off, kudos do mean a ton on Ao3 so I ask that if you find a fic you actually enjoy, please leave a kudos and/or a comment. Even though I may not be able to move forward as a freelance writer for now, it would mean a lot that I still had an audience.

I’ll be shameless and tag my own Ao3 so you can check out my stories.

As a side note, it doesn’t even have to be me: just any story that you ended up enjoying reading. It’s really the only way to let us know as writers that you do enjoy what we are doing. A lot of authors are going through this, so I’m bringing it up again. It’s been proven ChatGBT is wrecking multiple writing careers, so please stop using it.

Secondly, and the one I’m a bit nervous to ask about is that I could use a bit of financial help. You can donate to my ko-fi if you have a few dollars to spare. I’m willing to craft personalized art or writing for you if you do end up donating, just please DM me if you are interested in taking that up. Finding work that I can handle in the corporate world is a bit more difficult than I thought, so this will help keep my head afloat. Just note that you absolutely do not have to do this if you do not want to or cannot at this time. We’re all struggling, so I understand completely.

Finally, please understand that I will probably be drawing a bit more. I actually enjoy being able to draw again and not feel weird about it. I already have gotten some great support for my art, which has helped.

That’s enough rambling from me. I’ll probably make an actual donation post eventually but I wanted to keep you all updated.

[harrytheehottie]

TTDS is some of the best pieces of Harry fics I’ve read on this app.

I don’t know how you managed to craft it so beautifully, but there was this comforting feeling of familiarity - when I first started reading part one - between the reader and harry.

I was so worried when you posted a sneak peak for the third part, and I was mentally preparing myself to see them part ways lmao.

I love how you didn’t write angst for the sake of it and the reader had so many valid points to say no; I was agreeing with everything she’d said at their fight at the bar.

And the way it ended was chefs kiss!!! You managed to injected that comfortable familiarity between the two of them as you wrapped it up.

I don’t know if you’d every write check in blurbs on the two of them at some point but if you would, I would love to read it. If you think that their story ended, I respect that too.

Thank you for sharing this with me. I appreciate all the hours you’d put in writing it, thinking about it, and thinking more about it <3

On a completely unrelated note, I just wanted to ask why you choose to make it a self insert rather than an oc…

(I also have so many questions I’d love to ask you as a writer -I’ve opened the chat many times to do so-but I don’t know if that would be a bit much😬)

Hi hi hi!!! First, I just want to say thank you so much for this message, it’s soooo sweet that you think so highly of my story/writing and truly don’t think thank you is enough to say how much I appreciate this :’) 

Yes! I think it was a really important to show how they weren’t really communicating and how sometimes even when your relationship is supposed to be progressing forward - one person might be way more ready than the other and that doesn’t always have to result in a breakup! I would loooove to do check-in’s with them :) I actually have been toying around with something about Wembley week! If you have any other ideas I can def try! 

As for choosing to do reader insert vs an oc, it’s honestly sometimes easier for these shorter stories to do reader inserts - with an oc there are a lot more factors into like how you want them to look and even something as simple as naming them. I’ve done oc for fics before and it’s not like one is better than the other for me. It’s kind of like, I have an idea and I want to write something and then suddenly I am inspired to write multiple parts but since I started with a reader insert it just stays that way :) also! I am always open to answer any q’s to the best of my ability! And again, thank you so so so so much. <3 

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

https://www.tumblr.com/0nlythrowharrybeaux/719878735690612736/what-about-picture-4-for-an-angst-to-fluff-type-of

this should’ve just stayed as a sad ending bc it just got confusing and they didn’t end up together anyway lol

plus idc what excuse my friend has they are dead to me if they fuck the person they know i’m in love with

TBH I think you’re right about it ending after the first one. Maybe I just need to stop caving on people asking for continuations of stories I’m initially satisfied with.

Because I think anyone who has read a lot of my work knows that I write from a perspective that recognizes that not everything is so black & white in life. And I personally love that about life and people and relationships! But more than that, it also presents plenty of opportunities for characters to show growth and personal development, which I enjoy writing. And I feel like that’s the distinguishing factor of my writing and why I even started to write my own fics in the first place! Because I found myself not agreeing with the way some writers would develop their stories. And while I do believe in constructive criticism & feedback as well, there are just elemental attributes that really define a person’s writing & story telling style. And instead of me telling those authors, “I don’t like how you executed this” I just decided to write my own stories so that I, and other people who might have a similar taste as me, could read stories that resonate better with us.

Like your second statement for example, I don’t see myself ever writing anything with an ending like that where it’s like “fuck you all you’re all dead to me” lol like that’s so opposite of everything I stand for. And I’m sure there are writers on here who feel the same way you do and would write the story that way. But again, this is all personal experience and preference, so there’s nothing wrong with thinking that way if it’s worked for you. But I don’t write that because I jut don’t see how that would be good for anyone or help anyone heal/grow from that experience - which in my opinion is the point of relating with others, to grow and learn from our shared experiences whether they be good or bad experiences. I believe in grace, redemption arcs, second chances, and that all people are capable of good and bad simultaneously and that’s what I personally enjoy writing:)

And there are stories of mine where the MC has been hurt multiple times and they do put their foot down as well because boundaries and self-respect are important as well! But I don’t think that this particular scenario was one of those cases where it needed that kind of ending - I hope that clears something’s up.

[apoombeam]

Hello poompoom (Not sure what to call you, a-poom-beam?)

Thanks so much for the update! And please don’t feel bad if it’s not as long as you would like, you give this for free and without payback. I’m the anon who asked about Mickey and when you replied and then later posted that chapter I was so happy!! Whenever I needed a break or felt overwhelmed I sought shelter in your stories, Anders and Keir are comfort characters at this point. And I know you didn’t do it for me specifically but it still felt so nice and gratifying, it’s also satisfying when other readers show engagement and share their POVs! Your writing has such a lightness and silliness about it, like you don’t take your characters and plot too seriously and come up with the funniest sentences, I love that. The way you made James answer his phone made me snort out loud, it‘s moments like that where I think to myself: “How do you come up with that?!?” And it fits perfectly. Your writing just has the It-factor for me.

P.S.: Theres joy in small things, like a new chapter or a sunny day, and I know (I know) it’s difficult and feels wrong to look there when darkness dominates but it ALL exists and you ARE allowed to feel joyful, even in moments of heaviness. Even when there’s others who can’t. (We are strangers but you don’t strike me as the narcissist/sociopath type who should practice the opposite of this) And this comes not from a place of sheltered ignorance but lived experience and survival. It’s NOT selfish to refill your well. And while it’s true that we consider peace a privilege, we are MEANT to live! Are meant to live and take joy in life! It keeps our hearts healthy and full, so that we can go out in the world and do good for others. This is not meant as disregard for the important topics, but an attempt to soothe a guilty conscience; we NEED to nurture our peace first before we can nurture it elsewhere. Hope you (and anyone reading this) see where I am coming from.

Take care x

Call me whatever you want! I took "apoom" from the word for "yawn" in Korean, which is actually "hapum" haha. No special meaning behind it, I just think it's a cute word.

Thank you so much for your kind words, you have no idea how happy it makes me! As for how I come up with things, it's actually not so hard now that I have a good grasp of the characters. The only one who is still mysterious to me is Anders. Which is why I always avoid writing from his POV. I wonder what's happening in his mind?

And wow! YOU need to be a writer! If you aren't already. Thank you so much for your ending message. I think I really needed to hear it, and I'm sure a lot of others do too.

Please take care, and thank you for brightening my day!!!

[bllsbailey]

There Is One DOJ Official That's Feeling Pretty Good After Biden's Debate Implosion

In February, Joe Biden escaped charges for mishandling classified information after a lengthy investigation conducted by Special Counsel Robert Hur. It was a James Comey 2.0 moment for Democrats: Biden was charged but the reasons offered were due to his advanced age and memory issues. That summary sent the Left into a tailspin, especially the White House which was aware that most voters viewed Biden as too old to be president. 

Hur was dragged through the mud since he was a Republican and partisan—two things that quickly faded when he was summoned to the Hill to testify about his report. Hur, like the IRS whistleblowers, was credible, unwavering, and unapologetic about following department policy which is to outline mitigating factors regarding potential trial scenarios. 

Democrats shrugged this off until the first debate last Thursday, where the president imploded. He looked his age, sounded his age, couldn’t string two coherent thoughts together, and got outright demolished by former President Donald Trump, who arguably didn’t need to do much. He let Biden hang himself. Mr. Hur’s assessment was right, and he deserves an apology (via Fox News): 

Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report described President Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" — and numerous political analysts said that was exactly the impression that the president left on viewers of the debate on Thursday.  In the February report, which noted that Biden's "memory also appeared to have significant limitations," Hur said he would bring no criminal charges against the president after a months-long investigation into his improper retention of classified documents related to national security.  […]  "You know who’s looking really vindicated tonight? Special counsel Robert Hur," Jim Geraghty, National Review's senior political correspondent and a Washington Post contributing columnist, said amid Biden's performance.  Echoing Geraghty, Charles C.W. Cooke, a British-born American journalist and a senior writer at National Review Online, wrote in a post to X, "Robert Hur deserves an apology."  […]  During the interview with Hur, Biden, according to the report, "did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended ('if it was 2013 — when did I stop being Vice President?'), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began ('in 2009, am I still Vice President?')"  "He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him. 

The materials Biden illegally took all centered on the 2009 Afghan surge, which Biden felt was a mistake. He wants history to know he had the better argument which is dubious coming from a man whose been incorrect on every major foreign policy initiative over the past 40 years. 

This interview has been the subject of congressional inquiry since the Biden White House refuses to release the audio tapes, citing executive privilege though there’s no legal standing for doing so as the transcript has already been released. Like Trump, Biden is trying to delay its release for obvious reasons. He probably sounds like he did on Thursday night, but Mr. Hur is probably the only Justice Department official that’s sitting pretty right now and totally vindicated.

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[notoriouslyboring666]

How do I review books?

I review books based on three factors, Accessibility, Fun and Reliability. And I realized it might not be obvious to everyone what these stand for, so here is a quick explanation!

How I Review Accessibility

Accessibility to me, is about how easily the text is to follow. If you’ve never ever read about this topic before will you understand whats going on? But also how hard is the language? How high is the bar for understanding? 5 stars here, then means that the text is super easy to read and follow. You won’t have to know anything about the topic at all. 4 stars means, the text is not as easily read, and you need to know a little. 3 stars, the text is okay to read, and you need to know something to be able to follow the text easily. 2 stars the text is not for beginners in this topic, it is a harder read and you will have a harder time following along without any knowledge. 1 star, this book is for experts on this topic, nothing is explained, and the text is exceptionally hard to read.

Of course, this is just a guide. Sometimes the text is super hard to read, but easy to understand because everything is explained really well. So, take this as a guide and read the review, where I will explain the reason for the rating.

How I Review Fun

This is probably the most subjective of the ratings (not that anyone can ever be entirely objective!). This rating is about, how fun the book is to read. Is it enjoyable? Is the writing interesting or do you just want to do anything else, but read this book? The subjectivity of this rating also means that these examples are even more varying than the others as well. But here we go anyway! 5 stars means that this is just an amazing book to spend time with. It doesn’t feel like you spend any time reading it. It’s just a good book! 4 stars means, that by far the most of this book was super enjoyable. You might have noticed the time you spend reading, but you didn’t mind. 3 stars means, that this book is okay to read, there are time that are less enjoyable, but you still don’t regret reading it. 2 stars means that this book is starting to feel like work, its not enjoyable and you’re starting to question why you read this book. 1 star means that you don’t want to read this book. It is boring, it is badly written and omg why don’t they teach writing courses to historians!

How I Review Reliability

This is the most important rating, at least to me. Reliability means that you can trust what you are reading. Do other historians acknowledge this writer? Does she reference her sources? Are those sources any good? And so on. Mostly this rating is the one most likely to change. And this is because, the further we get from a book’s publication, the more likely it is that people will find issues with the text. Keep an eye on my Instagram for updates to my reviews and other writing. 5 stars here means, that every historian I could find agrees with the entirety of this book. The sources are on point and “my god how did they do that”? 4 stars means that there are some historians who disagree with some parts of this book, but it is minimal, and the sources are still on point. 3 stars means that there is discourse about this book. Historians can’t agree on whether this book is good or not, there are some questionable sources. 2 stars means, most historians don’t agree with this book and there is starting to be too many questionable sources here. 1 star means, don’t read this book! Most historians agree that this book is wrong in most, if not all, its conclusions. The sources are entirely missing, or they are all questionable. This is probably fake history or pseudo-science.

The Overall Look

These ratings are then put together form an overall rating, which shows whether or not I would recommend this book, based on these three ratings. This one works mostly the same as other book reviews. I will probably recommend the book if it has three or more stars. But even I have to acknowledge that shitty history is sometimes super entertaining, which is why I have decided to use this method. This way, you can see if a book is reliable or not and go into everything with open eyes. You will know a book is super entertaining, but bad history. I hope this will help people to navigate between entertainment and fact.

If there is any book you wish for me to review, please leave a comment here or on my Instagram account!

[lesbianmarrow]

ok so it irritated me a little how much it was about bwahhh wolverine look at him we need to follow him and see what he’s up to. bc this is the jean grey series and i want it to be about jean. but it’s kind of fun in a meta sense bc so many stories involving jean are not stories about jean but are stories where she’s a supporting character. even simonson’s x-factor was often like this. so this feels like a version of one of those stories but self-aware and told from jean’s perspective, which is kinda cool.

the other thing that disappointed me frankly was that ororo was barely there. like i get that this was the issue to delve into the jean & scott & logan stuff, and since jean doesn’t rlly have as much conflict with ororo, it’s not as juicy or relevant to highlight that relationship. but the jean/ororo bond is such an important part of the shuttle going down/jean dying & rising story to me. so it just didn’t feel true to me to have an exploration of that story brush that relationship aside like that.

that stuff aside i did rlly enjoy this issue. i love whenever writers highlight the similarities between jean & logan. i like that jean totally understood why logan would her brutal revenge on the weapon x guys. actually that was kind of an amusing surprise to me, the heavy allusions to weapon x, since that obv was not a louise simonson story. but it was fun to see her put that in.

like you said i was apprehensive about logan becoming phoenix but i like that it’s smth that happened because of jean, like it was jean who tore down logan’s memory blocks around weapon x, and logan’s hatred of weapon x is what sustains the phoenix presence in him. and like you said in your other post, jean was in logan’s mind when the phoenix came to him, and it came to him as he sought to save her. so in that way it feels like the phoenix really is drawn to jean but is just kinda taking the long way.

i was also kinda astonished by what scott says when the phoenix possesses him, about how it is sustained by scott’s love for jean, bc that’s the most explicitly homoerotic the phoenix force has been in a hot minute LOL. i rlly liked it. i liked seeing that neither of these tough men can host the phoenix force but jean can. and i liked seeing them try to kill each other bc it was so silly. i think this issue did a good job of exploring the scott/jean/logan love triangle and saying like yeah jean cares deeply for them both but it’s scott whom she would want for a partner but also she is her own person and is more than just these relationships. i also adored jean being kind of a shitty girlfriend LOL and reflecting on it too like damn why am i brushing scott off like this? it was one of those moments louise simonson is so good at where she has jean be petty or just kinda awkward about feelings or relationships in a way that is so humanizing.

oh also i enjoyed how logan’s phoenix form kinda sucked LOL it’s like in steven universe how the more unstable fusions are the weirder looking ones it’s just like ya you can tell smth went wrong there. and i loved the jeanscott stuff aughh ms simonson gets it. ALSO i must say i did not realize bernard chang was this good but he truly is amazing. ummm and those are my thoughts @wellnoe 😊 excited for the next issue!!!

have you read jean grey #2? what did you think of it? i remember you being concerned about how the wolverine-as-phoenix plot might be handled

i just read it and i need a moment to gather my thoughts but right now my primary feeling is this: auuuggghhhhhh

[nepolabotomy]

c!dapduo are absolute excellence. And for reasons a bit more complicated than may you think.

they are one of my all time favorite friendships and dynamics to come out of this server. i mean considering I’m gonna have to tell my therapist about the numerous dreams iv had about them that has to mean something right. Maybe it’s just the autism. I’ll get back to you on that.

More importantly: you’re probably thinking right now “but cherry! c!dapduo arnt that complicated! Why are you here about to write some extensively long meta about them when you could devote that time to more meta about the Deep, complex, Intricate, Muddled, (insert more neutral but negative leaning adjectives here), probably unhealthy dynamics on the server instead!!” And to the imaginary person iv just made up I say: maybe I want to talk about a nice friendship.

In a borderline grim dark world like the dream smp, there’s something very refreshing about two people who love and care about each other, bring out the best in one another, have a genuine desire to protect one another they express Honestly and Openly.

I like thinking so much about these two because it makes me Happy. Shocking for this server I know.

Also quackity and Charlie are damn good writers!!! I wanna talk about it. People have this idea that only ‘sad’ things can be deep and it makes me really upset. And hey maybe I’m proven wrong in a few days when Quackity’s final lore stream comes out and c!Charlie was evil all along or some shit but until then I’ll happily die on the hill that Things don’t need to be sad and negative to be complex and thought out. Just because c!Dapduo have a healthy friendship doesn’t mean it rules them out of being well written, meaningful and overall complex. And I think it’s a silly sentiment to have regarding the two both individually and in regards to their friendship.

I think truly what I love about these two comes down to what their friendship does for c!Quackity. I remember discussing them recently with someone and made a comment about how important it is c!quackity sees his past self in c!charlie- and they had replied that ‘c!quackity also sees his past self in c!tommy and c!tubbo as well and it’s reflected in the advice he gives the two of them’.

The important distinguisher, and what makes c!dapduo so important is that their dynamic isn’t just c!quackity giving advice he would to his past self- such as what he does with c!clingyduo. It is him learning to accept and love his past self all the same.

Something important about c!quackity is his hatred of his past self. His regret and bitterness is present in his distrust for others yes, but a portion of his distrust comes from hating his past self.

He views past him as being weak, pathetic and he hates him so much for putting up with hurt. For rolling with the punches and being willing to come back for more. He hates his big heart, he hates how trusting he was with it, he hates how he has to hurt so much now because he was a ‘coward’ back then. Why is he suffering consequences from a coward who’d stick by someone for a bit of validation and feeling of importance?

These are all common thoughts abuse victims have. (Especially ones who are coded with BPD, this isn’t a ‘c!Quackity has BPD’ dissertation so I won’t get too into that for now). To be angry and upset regarding how they didn’t leave when they could.

His last straw wasn’t even about himself and his mistreatment; was about the thing he made.

And This isn’t even factoring in the abandonment that happened later.

Long in short of it is that c!Quackity hates his past self. His advice to c!Tommy and c!Tubbo comes from a place of hating what he was and wanting to ensure these two don’t have to deal with those repercussions in the future. His advice is rooted in exactly what he’d say to his younger self: Don’t trust anyone. You only have yourself.

And that’s where c!Charlie comes in.

c!Quackity extensively spends his time with c!charlie drilling the lessons he’d give his past self into c!charlies head. He tells him to not trust people, don’t form attachments, bind your self worth to the nations and power you achieve from them, etc. But the problem is everytime c!Charlie questions them; he grows guiltier of doing it.

It starts to feel *wrong* to imply c!Charlie should be punished for his kindness, for his trust, for his heart. He feels almost guilty about it, it reads in his tone.

And that’s what makes c!Charlie different. Their friendship is not just c!Quackity giving advice he’d give his past self to c!Charlie. This is reconciliation with the past self. 

c!Charlie’s whole journey with c!Quackity is not just reopening his heart to friendship or reminding him what Las Nevadas was built on (c!Qs love and care for his loved ones). It is a gateway for c!Quackity to reconcile with the past him he hates so much.

to look himself in the eyes and say “It isn’t your fault. You should’nt blame your heart and your care for others as the reason people took advantage of you. It’s not bad to trust others, it’s not bad to love, it’s not *your fault* you were taken advantage of.” 

That is one of the biggest pieces of development c!Charlie brings out in him: forgiveness of the past self. And it’s reflective in their journey together.

c!Quackity wants to protect c!Charlie just as he wished someone would protect him too; without having to shun c!Charlies kindness or make him feel inferior for his trust.

But unfortunately he fails.

He fails and there is no denying it is In part his fault. Sure. He’s grown and learned to move past vengeance but you can’t op out of the cycle of revenge you started. And c!Charlie pays to prove that.

But he doesn’t let his anger fester. Or grow Bitter. And Hateful towards himself because he grew attached and someone punished him for it. He wouldn’t throw away his friendship with c!Charlie for the world. Even if it hurts now. It’s the happiest he’s ever been. So whenever c!Charlie may be, in life or in death. c!Quackity will work to placing them together in history. As a final statement to how caring about things and loving other people is always worth it. That casino is to say to the world, and maybe to the guy who hates his own heart, and who hates the love he holds for others: it really was all worthwhile to love in the first place.

You can see this reflecting into what he tells c!Tommy. His initial advice of ‘don’t trust anyone’ turns into:

“If there's one thing I found out, it’s that it doesn’t hurt to have a person who has your back. I'll be that person for you, Tommy.”

It’s good to trust. It’s good to love. Yes, be wary of who you trust and value yourself first but to love and trust others is a great thing. And I’ll be here for you if you need someone to Trust.

That’s what his past self would have wanted to hear. That’s what his past self should have heard. Someone say

“I will be here for you. I will protect you with everything I have, be it my sword or my words or the people I know.”

Just as he told c!Charlie just a bit ago.

Ah this got me a bit teary to write. c!Dapduo’s friendship really is so beautiful and important. This theme of an abuse victim reconciling with their past self and coming to learn a lesson that can heal a heart as bitter as it is full.

I like it a lot. And no matter what happens on Saturday, their friendship will always be so important to me. It makes me happy. It makes me smile. It makes me cry. And anything that can do that will always hold a special place in my heart.

No TL;DR;im not reading all that; congratulations; or I’m sorry that happened; this time. You are legally obligated to get the full c!dapduo realness. But I hope you enjoy