#also probably every other fandom but I love monk so much

[treefish815]

I've talked about this a lot on other sites, but as a queer man and OG fan of Kingdom Come Deliverance, I really want to talk about the canonisation of Hansry in KCD2 and just how healing it was for me as someone who escaped through this game and the ship hard as a young teenager.

Look, I just need to put out into the world how much it meant/means to me, and I think of all places, Tumblr will probably appreciate it the most. I also just kinda want to write it for myself because I've never written ALL of this out and it's something I've been thinking about for nearly 2 months now, so it's a little long, which is why it's under the cut.

So, I've been playing KCD pretty much since it released, which was when I was about 12. Living in a conservative area as an effeminate, sensitive, very obviously and loudly queer little boy, at around the age of 11 or 12 I reached a point in growing up when I think the people around me realised it wasn't just a weird little kid phase, and that I really was a faggot, and, as I'm sure you could guess, I suffered a significant amount of bullying over the next 3 years.

But, as silly as I feel saying this, KCD was an escape from that for me. I was miserable in my own life, so, between the ages of 12-15, I threw hundreds of hours into KCD1 dedicating myself to Henry's life instead. And I think there 2 big reasons why I latched onto that game in particular over others- the world was so immersive and beautiful that it was easy to get lost in it, and Henry and Hans's relationship. (It's also just a great game- but there are dozens of great games that I played in that time that never quite captivated me in the same way).

Putting aside the fact I had a fat crush on Hans, his and Henry's relationship was something I always looked forward to watching the development of every playthrough, and I would often spend a good chunk of my playthrough not actually advancing the main quest to instead make up (usually very angsty) little scenarios where their relationship evolved into something more. I'd follow Hans around Rattay and pretend he and Henry were secretly in love but could never show it, lest they be beaten and ostracised, or have conversations to myself while sitting with Theresa where I would imply that Henry had to be with her for his own safety or to distract himself from Hans, that type of thing. Considering I never thought to write KCD fanfiction until this year, I would've had a LOT of material if I'd started then, but I digress.

My point is that Hansry was something that, in a way, I think I used to cope with the homophobia I was facing. They were characters who lived in a time where they could never openly love each other, Henry was a character who could stand up for a queer monk who was being ostracised in the monastery when no one else would, Hans was a character who put on an act of arrogance and "I don't give a fuck" that we can see in more serious end-game moments isn't 100% true to his personality much as I did at a younger age to pretend what was happening to me didn't bother me, and I just... connected so strongly with them.

I've been waiting for KCD2 for 7 years. In those 7 years, I always wistfully hoped for there to be a possible Hansry path to go down, but never in a million years did I think it would ever actually happen. I'd been to KCD Twitter. I'd been to KCD YouTube. I knew the anti-woke and by extension mildly homophobic section of the fandom was far larger than I'd have liked it to be, so as much as I yearned, I knew in the bottom of my heart that Hansry would forever just be a silly little daydream of mine.

But, that brings me to 2025. I'm nearly 19, I've been living in arguably the most progressive and queer-friendly city in my entire country for 3 years, I'm openly queer and haven't heard a negative thing about it since I left my hometown, I'm happier than I've ever been and have almost no anxiety in my day to day life, and I cried for a good few hours when I watched the Hansry romance scene for the first time.

I'd seen a spoiler that Hans was the main male love interest a few days earlier, and that had WORRIED me. I thought either 1. it would be a drunk fuck that was played entirely for laughs and that ultimately meant nothing or 2. it would be a tragic story that no matter what you did, could only end badly as an attempt to uphold historical accuracy (which... could be done well, but I thought it would probably be hard for me to play through and could spark its own form of homophobia in the fandom wherein people specifically had that outcome happen to stick it to the gays, or whatever. I'd seen someone on Steam complaining that Hans was the male LI because it meant he couldn't kill him and "protect Henry from the potential of sinning" and it really stuck with me.)

Holy hell was I wrong. Daniel Vavra, you may be kind of a cunt on Twitter, but I will sit back and let you cook from now on before I make a judgement.

I cannot tell you what an incredible feeling it was to see those two characters, who I escaped through and who I adored with my whole heart not only both canonically be bisexual, just like me, but also actually have a loving, and intimate romance scene (seeing the intimate naked making out when I'd been so afraid of a drunk, no strings attached fuck was such a strange feeling of relief) after 7 years of desperately wanting that even while knowing there was no way Warhorse would ever go through with it considering their target audience. That alone would have made my year, even if they did have an unavoidable tragic ending no matter how hard Henry tried to salvage it.

But there was another thing about their romance that really really stood out to me, and that was so unbelievably healing. Their romance is generally... quite happy. They never experience homophobia first hand. They never go through the whole "it's a sin... we should stop seeing each other..." rigmarole. They're never found out and outed to the wrong people who try to tear them apart.

Sure, Hans is engaged to a woman against his will, but as a noble, that was always a strong possibility regardless of whether the person who truly has his heart is a blacksmith's son or a butcher's daughter. And it's never even a suggestion that his marriage would end his and Henry's relationship- Hans's angsting over the marriage comes more from the fact it's out of his control and will give him less freedoms than he currently has. And yes, their story is filled to the brim with angsty moments, and so much death or near death, but that's completely separate to their love story- they suffer just as much if they're best friends as they do if they're lovers. The queerness is not the angst, the war they happen to be living through the beginnings of is the angst.

Henry and Hans are two men, in love in a time when they could never openly be together, in a time when most people around them would object to them being happy together and living true to themselves, and yet they have a happy love story anyway. And, as silly as it sounds, I don't care, I'm going to say it anyway- that positive portrayal of their love felt like telling my 12 year old self that everything would be okay, and he wasn't doomed to be miserable for the rest of his life. Because if those characters he identified so strongly with could be happy in their queerness when living in arguably worse circumstances to be queer, why couldn't he? As much as I processed the trauma of the bullying I was going through through angsty plotlines involving Henry and Hans, and as much as I'm an angst lover period, that... that healed me. It was like hugging my younger self.

As much as KCD is just a game and Hansry is just a gay ship, it's always been something that means so much to me, and this silly little video game romance made me realise just how far I've come and how different things are for me, while simultaneously comforting that past version of myself who still lives deep inside me somewhere. I feel him less now than I did in January 2025, and that's insane.

"No one asked for this!" the snowflake conservatives cried on the steam discussion boards in their 1 star reviews of a game they boycotted and never bought. The 12 year old boy who processed and coped with traumatic homophobic experiences through those characters did.

Representation does matter, and always will.

[spocksmulder]

yay, new blog

I cannot wait to reblog every Monk (2002) post on the planet Earth

thank you and goodnight (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

[chronicalpal]

stsg fic rec list (2023 edition)

I’ve skimmed through every single stsg fic published on AO3 in English in 2023 and here’s my humble rec list.

disclaimer: I strongly prefer goge dynamic in fics (top Gojo/bottom Geto), so in explicit fics this dynamic is implied. all works are completed

something you can hold on to. by saffrontea 

this fic was accidentally the first one I really enjoyed when I started going through the tag and the one that left the most lasting impression. simultaneously it is a good example of what to expect from this list: our tastes in fiction probably align if you find this fic as beautiful as I do. it’s one of the better stsg fic out there and hands down the best Geto character study I’ve had a pleasure to read. very thoughtful and heartfelt piece about acceptance in its many forms, that is also beautifully written.

the eater, my birthmother, was speaking by No_Ir

this author have a very distinct style of writing which is just not my cup of tea, but I really liked this reflection on Gojo’s relationship with his mother.

i steal a glance, you steal my heart by fromthefarshore

a heartwarming canon compliant getting-together story, I loved that one for the banter that felt very natural and endearing characterisation. I also love fics where author portrays them as best friends that really enjoy each other's company (a feat not as simple as it might seem).

one solitary day by chuuyasoup

I feel like you must know this author if you ever read stsg fics before, they are very good. this fic is an exploration of mourning, there’s nothing bombastic going one, just a boy slowly coming to accept that his best friend is gone.

empty spaces by HamsterQinghua

I’m a sucker for fics with outsider POV, this one has absolutely delivered on it. fun and easy read (until it isn’t).

Heartstrung Ghosts by CharmPoint

another outsider POV, but this time reflecting on Geto’s death. I loved how author portrayed Gojo, Geto and Shoko relationship (none of this “trio” dynamic that is very much prevalent in the fandom). Yaga’s part was also extremely satisfying to read.

now & forever, time will tell by valisse

this fic is soft. the best kind of soft. it’s so very delicate with a touch of angst. I feel like the author also did an immense work with the text itself, the mood of the story and the style of writing are meshing together perfectly.

Paradise Calling by PreseaMoon

sensuality captured in a text like a lightning, I love how it’s not explicit, but it reads very much so. the fic is a real treat.

light a match by fromthefarshore

a rare AU fic, but I loved it a lot. again, the author did a lot of work to make a fic set in modern Japan read authentic. characters are easily recognizable, the romance is sweet and the plot is captivating, despite being just a description of day to day life basically. Geto is a monk in this one (not really), that was the premise I couldn’t resist. author also touched upon the subject of homophobia very delicately and tastefully, which left me pleasantly surprised.

The Spider's Bride by Anonymous

another AU, Geto is a chosen sacrifice for a Spider deity. tags say all you need to know about this fic, I can just add that it’s extremely well written. highly recommended if you are not put off by extremely dubious consent warning (and, well, everything else it has to offer).

symphony, coda by medicinal

one-shot about Gojo accidentally meeting Geto some years after his defection. I loved characterisation a lot, can easily picture it happening exactly like this in canon.

compulsion by aloera

multiverse kind of fic, with stsg being the doomed yaoi couple in all those different universes, it was a fun read (if your definition of fun is suffering).

catch it like lightning by pennydaniels

I feel like you must know this author if you ever read stsg fics before [2]. though they have a very peculiar characterisation, it’s really a hit or miss. but since in this fic Geto loses his memories, I wasn’t too distracted by it. it's one of those fics you simply can't put down until you finish it. and the next thing you know is you pulled an all-nighter and it's time to get up for work.

on the subject of misfortune by haysel

sentinels AU, which I didn’t really see before in English (basically it’s a soulmate AU, but edgy). this fic, however, is everything but. It’s subtle and clever in how it implements this particular AU in the canon setting. I’m a sucker for exploration of their codependency and all its implications, for these purposes this AU is just perfect.

[arcielee]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you so much for the tag @poetic-fiasco @babyblue711 @lord-aldhelm @moris-auri ! This was nifty 💜

1. How many works do you have on ao3 (or masterlist)? - On my masterlist here, 45. I only have 19 on my ao3, including a Sailor Moon fic I abandoned.

2. What’s your total ao3/tumblr word count? - I am only doing ao3, which is 218,594 so far.

3. What fandoms do you write for? - Whatever inspires me, to be honest. Lately, I have been dabbling in Jujutsu Kaisen help me, and those are all under my ☆ Other fandoms masterlist.

4. Top five fics by kudos/notes - On ao3, The Sapphire Prince and lost in a haze, the second being a Hazbin Hotel piece I wrote. For this hellsite it is my Call It Dreaming series, then dōna mandia 😈 and Silver Coins.

5. Do you respond to comments? - I try my best too, but Tumblr sometimes fails to notify me. I love them all, though! 💜

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - That might be a toss up between Dancing in the Dark and Ours never knew peace.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - I think my Farewell Wanderlust story that I wrote solely when I learned that Bernard never killed off Osferth in the series. I was determined for that baby monk to get a happily ever after.

8. Do you get hate on fics? - I got a lot of grief for dōna mandia and I do get a lot of hate anons, but those I report and be done with it.

9. Do you write smut? - I literally only started writing smut when House of the Dragon came out. It changed my brain chemistry.

10. Craziest crossover? - Oh man 😆 I have been writing since I was 13 and I did this crazy LotR x wrestling crossover that was a hot mess. This was on fucking FF.net, but they deleted my account. I was devastated at the time, but now I understand this was a mercy killing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? - I sure hope not.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? - I have been asked, but since I am not on the platform requested, I declined the offers.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? - I have not.

14. All time favorite ship? - I am keeping the prior answer because A Red Dawn Rises by @avonne-writes is the rarepair of Aemond x Aethelstan and it has me chewing on my furniture.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - Gosh, I keep swearing I will return to them, so please allow my incessant denial. 😂

16. What are your writing strengths? - Um... probably that I always put my whole bussy heart in every piece?

17. What are your writing weaknesses? - I forget to add adjectives a lot and I also abuse the fuck out of the semi-colon, but all I can do is reread my work, boo and hiss at what I created, and try to do better with my next story.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - As long as a translation is close by so I can follow along. I hate scrolling up or down so I can figure out what is being said.

19. First fandom you wrote in? - Lord of the Rings! And it was terrible! 🥰

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? -

Anyway, here are my top 3:

♡ She Walks in Starlight really pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me hone my prose style for whatever genre I am writing for. Plus, Aemond is so very Hades code.

♡ Ours never knew peace. This one is not very popular, but I really loved it. It was supposed to be how The Sapphire Prince was going to end, but my OC in that was very determined to go another route. I started writing this after watching The Princess Bride and it sat in my drafts forever... but I just love the idea of being warned of what happens and being doomed to repeat it.

♡ Dancing in the Dark was an ode to my oma and my grandfather, but thankfully they don't do the internet and/or are dead. 💜

no pressure tags: @itbmojojoejo @sylasthegrim @flowerandblood @bhxrdy @troublesomesnitch

@inthedayswhenlandswerefew (please pretend it is another IWAW segment) @aemonds-fire @squirmhoney @namelesslosers @targaryen-dynasty

@anjelicawrites @st-eve-barnes and anyone else, if it comes across your dash, tag me pleaseeee 🦝💜

[s-misaki]

Hello I’m new to the monk fandom but not the show, and while I don’t necessarily ship Leland and Adrian, I can totally see why others do.

On the topic of these two old men and their ✨interesting ✨ relationship, I just wanted to hear your thoughts of the episode “Mr monk goes to the hospital” and the fact that we didn’t get to see Leland being overprotective over monk being in the hospital and literally being inches from death.

I enjoy the soft Natalie and Adrian moments, but I wish for seeing protective Leland more often and I feel like that episode was a perfect chance for a moment like that and it didn’t happen and it makes me sad.

Anyway would love to hear your thoughts, platonic or romantic, I don’t mind :)

Sorry to bother you, bye ✌️

Heey! Thank you so much for the ask & you’re never bothering me :)

I appreciate the acceptance towards seeing the different interpretations of these two that people have! really cool of you 🌟

And the question – I thought about your question too and also consulted the expert @mr-stottlemonk and we’ve come to the following conclusions:

Leland tends to be more of an action guy : there’s a chance he was questioning everyone off camera like he did when Adrian got shot in the leg

It was initially a nosebleed, even then he urged for Adrian to go back home and rest

To be fair, he probably had no idea his man would almost die 😭 imagine he sent Adrian home and the next time he meets him, the only reason he’s still alive is Natalie ?? cannot leave him alone even in a hospital

Honestly I can imagine him arriving to the hospital room like “what the hell happened”

focus being more on Natalie

I love everyone in this show equally and dearly, but I’ll tell you a little more since you asked me specifically >:)

I first watched Monk as it was airing and even when I was a kid I remember picking Leland as a favorite for some reason – I didn’t watch every episode just the ones I caught sometimes, so I didn’t even see him a lot lol

So now on my rewatching turns – even without intentionally doing it – I see things through my “where is Stottlemeyer” glasses ajskx. love protective Stottlemeyer

+ In honour of this ask, I made a little video about the episode you mentioned! 🫶 I will upload it separately if you’re interested & I’ll tag you! the episode is such a chaos omg.

Thank you sm for the question again & letting me talk a bit here. Have a great day!

& Thank you @mr-stottlemonk again mwah ♡

[mr-stottlemonk]

I LOOOVE your blog, I'm watching Monk for the first time and I'm in love with Leland and Adrian <3 . Also I really love the aesthetic of your blog <3 I don't know if you have been asked this before but.. which stottlemonk scene would you say is underrated and why? :p

aww, hehe :3. THANK YOU DEAR <333. sksks, i'm ngl, i didn't try much with the aesthetic so i'm glad it looks pretty enough.

ohh!!! welcome to the fandom/series brain rot then <3!! i'm glad you're enjoying it; it's definitely a gem of a series that deserves all the love and attention!

It is so hard not to love both of them so hell yeah, join the club dear.

*long post so more under the cut!

i haven't been asked this! i think... but i'll answer repeat questions anyway, so no problemo there. ANYWAY, let's see... underrated episode huh. i have a couple actually: Mr. Monk and The Missing Granny [S02E13], Mr. Monk and The Other Detective [S04E01], Mr. Monk Stays In Bed [S04E03], Mr. Monk and The Big Game [S05E03], Mr. Monk and The Class Reunion [S05E06], Mr. Monk and The Bad Girlfriend [S06E04] and Mr. Monk and The Magician [S07E15].

Okay, let's dive into it. With Mr. Monk and The Missing Granny there's that scene where he's just finished taking his test (not really lol) and he's locked himself inside Leland's office. it's very short, if you blink it you miss (i just spotted it like,, a couple of days ago during a re-watch) but he's trying to coax Adrian to open the door and he, so very fucking softly, says: "Adrian." before launching into this small, supportive spiel -> his constant support, even in slivers, of Adrian is so freaking beautiful.

With Mr. Monk and The other Detective. it's more funny "guilty hubby energy" than cute. he looks so GUILTY giving the job over to Marty Eels. like, pls. like @s-misaki once said:

the utter act of betrayal mixed with guilt he must be feeling towards Adrian lolol

In Mr. Monk Stays In Bed. I just liked the little scene of where Leland is Adrian's bedroom... that's it. lol. BUT THIS ALSO REMINDS ME. in Mr. Monk and The Very, Very Old Man - Leland was sitting in Adrian's bed and i'm just like??? ADRIAN?? he's sitting in your bed... gosh, i giggled sm. like sure, he'll probably change the sheets - but there's that hint of him always feeling like Leland is one of his 'safe' people. Physical Touch, closeness, sharing things is tough but it's there!!!

the little football rugby match in Mr. Monk and The Big Game has like,,, quarter of my heart (the rest have been divided lol) - cause?? the?? trust?? teamwork?? is SO NATURALLLL. ahhhhh.

the main thing that blew my mind in Mr. Monk and The Class Reunion was how Leland drove all the way (sure, it was for a case) but i'm just,, he would go anywhere on earth for Adrian, wouldn't he. it's so freaking heart-warming idek (╥_╥)♥️.

Mr. Monk and The Bad Girlfriend,, that ep,, i swear. it was just. it was a good hint of how Leland sometimes DOES get fed up of Adrian and how Adrian always wants the best for Leland. it was equally heart-warming and heart-breaking. the underrated scene there though was how Leland shoved Adrian...

it's a very raw moment where the both of them do not seem to get along at all because they want something good and dont see it right in front of them *cough*... and it's just,, Leland's words there: "I have what you want..."

like gahhh, it's visceral if you come think about it. they never want to hurt each other but sometimes what you want isn't what you get and you have to settle and look for something else to fill in the gaping hole :).

Mr. Monk and The Magician is simply me loving Leland wanting to toss anyone out the window and smash them in the face for even hurting a hair on Adrian or loosing sight of him. What a man, XD.

anyway, WOW. i feel like i rambled off your ear here (for sure lol) more than you likely expected me to >,>.

thank you for the ask dear 💕💕!!! i absolutely love rambling about every scene i can get my hands on <3.

[hymns-across-the-stars]

RAIN WORLD .... AND HOLLOW KNIGT .. for full circle

Send me “📝 + (fandom)” and I’ll reply with a character I would RP from that fandom

---

// oh boy this will be a little long.

i've written for survivor, monk, hunter, and five pebbles to some extent before downpour released, and of them, i liked writing for survivor most.

where monk is softer and kinder and arguably a lot braver, survivor is... a very neutral force i think. neither kind nor cruel, they just do what they need to survive. they must survive if they want to find their family again. they know exactly what their goal is and it gives them a sort of doggedness to keep going and going in hopes that maybe this is the path that gets them back.

the world doesn't care about them; that's how nature works. but they don't care about the world, either. friends and family will be cared for just as they would themself. they can be sympathetic. but at the end of the day, the greater going-ons mean little beyond the immediate impact it has on them or those close to them.

and even then, i feel like they're different from arti (who took all of two dream sequences for me to be like. "oh. oh. you're someone i'm going to write"). they wouldn't get caught up in revenge. they would grieve, of course; they do love a lot, and if they had pups and lost them like that, they'd hurt too. but they wouldn't turn to revenge. maybe avoidance, seeing how dangerous scavengers are. but they live, learn, and move on. single-minded in a different way, you know?

then amongst the other downpour cats... rivulet is theoretically fun? i see them as hyperactive and playful by nature and generally a helpful soul, but definitely capable of being a menace. probably hyper aware of how short their cycles start off and just doesn't stop moving until they're safe in a shelter again. probably hates the exterior (leg and underhang) because it's a lot of sitting there and waiting waiting waiting hoping the daddy longs legs move before the rains come in and helpless otherwise.

after taking the rarefraction cell, i think it'd be neat to explore the sort of... adjustment, to have the time to stop and think? they don't have to beeline for the next shelter and make do with whatever little morsels they snag on the way there. quick movements are done less out of necessity than play.

in that way, my brain lumps them with v1, just with little to no drive for violence. they're capable of some crazy movement and they want to show off. kind of a menace. silly thing.

as for hollow knight, i've written... just about everyone, once upon a time back in about 2019. ghost was the one i was primarily known for, though.

ghost is in also in the rivulet-v1 bucket for just kinda being a silly menace. they've offered people rancid eggs because they thought it was funny to watch others react to that. they tag along and twack people's ankles if they're bored enough. they don't mind reminding others they're a skilled combatant, either.

but they also care so very much for every one of their siblings. the hollow knight. hornet. the countless dead. they find friends along the way. and, after watching myla deteriorate from friend to husk that they killed (they didn't mean to kill her, they were just attacked and they reacted and—), i think they just want all of them to be safe.

it's a thing, i think, that the ones i write just want that.

[kataraslove]

Hi! I hope you have a good day! I love your meta about Katara!

I can't explain the exact reason, but all these concepts of sun\moon, night\day, red\blue, fire\water as symbolism applied to zutara irritate me so much. it just seems so wrong and seems to erase the canonical personalities of Zuko and Katara, reducing them to the level of some boring concepts. What can you say about it?

thank you so much! and well, you’re going to find symbolism in every single shipping fandom, because that’s ultimately what attracts people to ships: symbolism and imagery and aesthetics.

for instance, i LOVE katara and aang’s symbolism and aesthetic. i love fanart and official canon art that highlights their symbolism. i love motifs like sky x sea, water x air, blue x yellow, etc, because i just find them so unique. i can’t think of any other ship that genuinely has this type of symbolism because everyone overhypes fire x water, light x dark to death. how many popular fantasy novels can you think of that already has this symbolism? give me something UNIQUE. give me something that’s never been done before. bryan konietzko dropping these two pictures dripping with symbolism - no matter if it was intentional or not - changed the trajectory of my life forever:

also, i don’t give two fucks about what people say - i love kataang’s aesthetic. i love the fact that aang is a bald pacifist monk, whose design is inspired by tibetan culture, at odds with his identity of being a messiah figure to the world. i love that katara is a revolutionary warrior, whose design is based off the indigenous peoples of the circumpolar region, who jumps headfirst into helping people. i love that they are two genocide survivors who have parallel character arcs. i love that she teaches him waterbending and that they share an element together. i love all of that, because like i said, it’s never been done before. try to find me a story that’s similar to katara and aang’s. try to find me characters that are similar to katara and aang,

zutara and it’s associated imagery, symbolism, story, what have you was definitely unique for its time in the 2000s. as a result of that, everyone attempted to copy the ship’s formula to the point where some authors wrote their knock-off versions of zuko and katara much better than the original, while others probably destroyed the reputation of the trope enemies to lovers forever and doomed us all to some of the worst enemies to lovers relationships known to man. but at the end of the day, all of zutara’s symbolism has been overdone so many times. there was a whole movie based off fire/water just because the creator of the movie thought the idea of fire and water would be harmonious.

fandoms love familiarity, so they will cling onto these concepts and tropes without any interest in exploring other relationships that are outside of their realms of comfort. this is why so many people will froth at the mouth over fire/water, night/day, sun/moon, because people are under the belief that forces of nature that are opposing to each other make for the best stories. fantasy authors are so heavily attached to these types of symbolism because they are convenient and marketable in the form of tropes.

you’re right that it’s overdone to death and quite frankly, boring. I find myself rolling my eyes every time someone’s like “fire and water!!!” what does that tell me, other than the fact that you enjoy opposing dynamics? it lacks all nuance, and fails to capture the true essence of katara and zuko’s characters and dynamic within the story. it just tells me that you’ve seen some pretty art of these characters and at a very surface-level decided to ship these characters. in all fairness, it’s the same argument as someone saying “i like [insert ship] because it’s canon.” okay, but why? “the creators said so” isn’t always the best reasoning and makes for terrible defence when you’re in a debate with someone who thinks that your canon ship shouldn’t have been the endgame option. i’ve encountered one too many kataang shippers who could easily debunk or refute an anti kataang argument with support from the text, but instead they deflect with “well, it’s canon. I don’t really know how to point out why your argument sucks. but just know it sucks because kataang is canon and canon is the sacred text.”

at the end of day, however, i recognize that shipping is a matter of subjectivity. people in fandoms are attracted to characters and ships that they are comfortable with, and characters and ships that are aesthetically pleasing (I think adult kataang is aesthetically pleasing. but I recognize that not that many people will hold my viewpoint). so i can’t really dictate why people are interested in ships because of certain fan-favourite symbolism, other than express my opinion that sometimes concepts and symbolism and imagery and tropes overhyped and overplayed in fandom spaces aren’t as interesting as the less popular and less explored ones.

[spotsupstuff]

What do you think about the RW ships? just curious is all.

hmmm.. well! first i do wanna preface this with the obligatory "i'm not hating on anybody with this, u do u and i do me is my genuine philosophy. i'll respect u from the distance if you do the same for me"

aight so i'm not gon list every ship in the fandom that has spawned in outta the stardust n give my specific opinion on it, cuz i'm not exactly keepin up

the only two ships i don't mind n find cute on the paper are NSH x Moon and Arti x Gour cuz both of them have that Old People Love Each Other in Easy Peace Despite The Circumstances Surrounding Them kick to them. i'm a weak bitch for that type of troupe for romantic relationships. not gon do anythin with 'em in my own stuff, though

i find myself more interested in the entirely and wholly platonic interpretation of everything in the game. platonic love is a matter of course, makin the story flow feel more smoother to me for that while also stayin nicely close to that religious narrative of the game (u can fight me on this but the Ancients' religion isn't *wrong*. the bad thing that happened with it is that it was taken to extremes and variety wasn't allowed. i could tell you why riddin oneself of the third and fifth sin isn't a bad idea at all- afterall, i kind of live by that myself!- and what they probably meant by riddin yourself of the sins without the extremist approach)

for the other ships... 🤔

well, the iterators are far too rooted in my head as sibs to vibe with ships with them, but more properly told: • Suns and Pebs are too much of "teacher and naive student" to me and i also find this dynamic more interesting to explore. uuuuu how spicy it is to think of Suns brainwashing Pebs but meaning it well uuuuuuuuuu • Suns and NSH are... let's just say that if i was in NSH's place and Suns talked to me like that i'd slap them so fuckin hard n if i WAS in a romantic relationship with them i'd dump them then and there (not in a bitchy ex kind of way, i'd be still down to talk, but i can't imagine bein in a relationship where the other half calls the most likely inevitable death of your closest friend a "setback" to their brainwashing of that friend's little brother would be Very healthy) • n i think what is the only other iterator ship left, Sliver and Moon... i find it kind of silly, honestly? like as far as *i* know the main reason why that exists is cuz Moon remembers what happened with Sliver after being given her own pearl about some notes she wrote herself on Sliver despite being baround three gazillion bagillion braincells short. i don't really see that as a strong incentive to start shippin 'em cuz like. you give Moon a very solid memory jogger and right in her second set of monologue she states that Sliver is literally a legend among the itties-titties. the best i can compare it to a real life thing is asking an american if they have any idea who Abraham Lincoln was at all. or asking a slovak if they knew who Finally managed to solidly establish our language after centuries of oppression. like of Course you're going to know That even on ur deathbed??? those are incredibly important historical figures for you n your home!!! also c'mon she remembers the feckin bug pupae, if THAT stuck in there this big boy info is def gon be kickin around

as for the slugcats... well ehh..... you can probably guess from what i mainly draw that i'm not Too focused on the slugs, only maybe Hunter so my slugshippin lore knowledge is p weak. when i first saw the slugshippin take off before i started postin bout RW again i thought it was silly to ship animals n still kinda do? 🤷‍♀️ doesn't help that canonically they have no business meeting each other except Monk n Surv (that is a strong No to shippin) and Hunter's writhing corpse n Gour (we are Not ducks we do not support necrophilia). i generally like to stick to the timeline, personally. good world-building. i respect good world-building too much to deviate too hard

BUT! i am going to use my status as pre-Downpour RW veteran and tell you to not listen to the whiny wrinkly babies in the tag that wail about how slugshippin is ruining the fandom. fuck 'em bitches, you do what u wanna (within moral common sense)

[nerendus]

tell us a lil abt ur ocs <3

On it, boss!

I don't know what fandoms little anonling is a part of, but I'm going to use that as an excuse to talk about all of them.

However probably the girlies that I am most obsessed with I can't talk about since they are part of, like, professional projects and I very much do not want this account to be associated with that in any way. But I can say that pretty much all of them are either morally dubious medical practitioners or just really, really sad cyborgs.

I'll start with my D&D characters since those girls are just, so good and tasty.

There's Zia....something. She had a very long name and an even longer italian surname.

She is a Drow multiclassing with wizard and monk, and everything terrible that could happen to her happened to her. The...condensed version is that she had a chronic disease that was quickly killing her, and a god traded her death with her twin brother's soul so she got a get out of jail free card. And during the whole campaign which sadly ended prematurely, her whole entire quest was trying to approach her brother and explain that she is implicit in the murder that has yet to happen. Great lady. She had emotional issues and I spun a wheel at the beginning of each session to see how mentally disturbed she would be.

My other D&D character never got to see action (one day...maybe) and that is my beautiful lass Andlyn. She's a tiefling warlock with a minor degree in Bard. Her whole thing was that she was born into a cult worshiping a devil that forced her hand into killing her fiance. As such, she began her Rebellion Arc and begun killing cultists and she was therefore kicked out of the club :( But luckily for her, the devil she had worshiped didn't like all the attention the cult was giving him, so he turned her into his warlock under the pretense that she would seek out the cultists and kill them. She also liked singing at taverns.

And my last D&D character...is my first one. My lovely half elf blood domain cleric Atheleisia (not sure if that's how its actually spelt, I forgot its been so long). I love her so much, she is so over the top. She is a cult leader that liked to abduct children and make herself their mother while she experimented on their bodies. Specifically, she had this delusion that they were all riddled with sins, and as such, she had to craft them into monsters to remove the sin within them. She was also in love with her god that was a dragon that she deluded herself into thinking they were engaged when I don't think he ever even knew her name. She was great, I definitely need to bring her back in some other project.

So...now on to, like, fandom OCs, feel free to skim around to your own little fandoms.

Given that it's my current obsession, I'll start with my beloved Rogue Trader Alwena von Valancius (not to be confused with my other OC, Alwena EldenRing). Her whole thing in detail in on the RT discord server and that's too many words to copy and paste here, so condensed, she is an Iconoclast pyromancer that forged her sanctioning with the help of her cousin Mianno (not to be confused with Mianno EldenRing, look I use the same characters for every game ever) who she was slightly in love with. Her unsanctioning ended up making her thoroughly fucked up, and after the events of the game, she turned herself into something of a war saint and declared war across the other dynasties that refused her rule. She eventually is assassinated by her son due to her last few years of life barely able to register reality.

For Bloodborne, I have my little girlie Magdalene. She's a Vileblood knight that deserted her post during the Cainhurst massacre and didn't return until the events of the game. There...isn't much to it after that. She had a lesbian thing going on with Fake Iosefka and Amygdalas around the Unseen Village because she has superior taste over us all.

I have a few for the Elder Scrolls, one being my dark elf Nerevarine Arcanea. I don't remember much of her lore since it's been awhile since I played Morrowind, but she was a petty criminal in the Imperial City who came to Vvardenfell and immediately began several different polycules. She probably was really big in the Greater Vivec City Polycule. Despite what Azura wanted from her, she started relationships with both Dagoth Ur and Almalexia but don't worry! She does kill them in the end, just because Azura asked really nicely. IDK, she probably had the hots for Hiricine as well, but I don't think that would've ever worked out.

I have...a lot of dark elf OCs in TES, they're my favourite race, but I do have one Nord OC that I am greatly obsessed with. She's Vahkulass--draconic for Spring Princess--a dragon priestess that escaped the fate of her fellows and lived a life of seclusion in Skyrim while awaiting the return of her lord Alduin. Specifically, she married a dragon priest, and when a rivaling priest killed him, she took his place and declared war on everyone who had tried at some point in overthrowing their rule. But after all that, she stopped being a warlord and just lived a silly life as the weirdo lady in the mountains that didn't seem to age. However, she also worshiped Akatosh, and when she was made Dragonborn, despite her sadness, she did not hesitate in fulfilling her destiny in killing the World Eater. She probably fucked Odahving in the process, but that's something else.

And uh...I think that's it? Yeah probably, my Tarnished OCs have absolutely, no lore. They are just pretty women.

But yeah, thanks king. 🫡 I am not proofreading any of this because this is way too many words.

[windsweptinred]

Thank you to @tickldpnk8 and @just-cosmere-fan for tagging me. 😁

Currently Reading

You know I answered a question very similar to this not long since. And the book pile on my bedside table hasn't changed much 🙈. But fanfic wise, after some chats about ships last week (one with your good self @tickldpnk8). I've been revisiting his soggyness Dream on A03, but reading ships with him I haven't delved into yet. And I have found it utterly fascinating how his overall character (besides being a hot mess) is presented. And how his dynamic with his partner changes from ship to ship. In Dreamling, generally Dream is usually presented one flick away from shattering, while Hob is on standby, with duck tape and super glue , shit together and the man's got this! In Corintheus, which I've been having a riot with, Dream is usually presented far more in control and eldritch, while the Corinthian does his homicidal, sex fiend version of pulling at his pigtails for reassurance and love. With Dream x Calliope, they're protryaed on a much more even playing field emotionally, they both know each other, and yet are also rediscovering each other. So there's an interesting mix of hesitance and the complete assurance of knowing someone as well as you would know your spouse. It's a beautiful ship. I'm going to try some Dream x Lucienne next. But I'm really loving seeing this full picture of Dream you get from seeing him from every angle shipping wise. Highly recommended!

Favourite Colour

Red. One of the few areas in my life where I have an out and out favourite in anything. 😅 But red. I dress in it, I deck my wall in it. Pretty much any gift I'm ever given is it....It's a surefire path to me loving it.

Last Song

The Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham. It's the theme to the movie Crazy Heart. If you ever have a few spare minutes... Give it a listen. It's a stunning song that never fails to stir the emotions.

Last Movie

The house that dripped blood. It's a 70s horror/comedy and my god it was so truly bad it was epic. Once scene featured satanic monks going from singing something diabolical in Latin to singing Daisy, Daisy... The other had Vincent Price telling someone to piss off. 😆 My absolute favorite was the local pub rendition of five gold rings but about murder victims. 🤣😂

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury

Any. It really depends on my mood and what I'm craving. But I'm generally a sweet touth. If I go spice, I go burn all my taste buds along with it spice. And savoury, well I'm English. If it doesn't have a pie, sausage or slab of meat, is it even food? 😅

Currently working on

Oh, well this is a tricky one to answer. I don't really class myself an official fanfic writer, or fan artist... Or fandom analyst. I'm just an overgrown, excitable toddler of a fan. Who blerbs and doodles with abandon 😅. But, I guess things that could be classed as WIPs 🤔. My young Destiny AU. I want to explore how the relationship between Destiny, Death and Dream differed at such an early age, maybe throw in the Archangels for the funsies. I'm sat doodling a little Daniel pic... My quest to cover him in dandelions (and the Corinthian 😏) continues! So that. And I really need to revisit my Time!hob Night! Dream AU stuff. I just always seem to get distracted by something else. I'd like to revisit Desunity as I feel I've been ignoring them as of late. Probably some more Destiny stuff is to come as he's taken up residence as my current muse. I still have no idea how that happened. 😆. And I really really want to hyper focus in on Death at some point. I'm all for the campaign to give that Endless a girlfriend!

Tag 5 mutuals you want to get to know @misanthropic-geek @moon-andstardust @maelstroms-blog @pettydreamer and @marvagon ☺️

[tiny-smallest]

things I Did Not Expect from Journey To The West, a summary by an lmk fan whose wife is reading and sharing EVERYTHING:

Wukong is basically baby in the beginning? Like my god he’s just so excited and eager to learn??

The jokes about ‘ANOTHER MOUNTAIN’ and ‘ANOTHER RIVER’ Were Not Exaggerating

it really is a monster of the week format, which is neat; I wonder if this novel is where that trope started

Wukong is incredibly polite... most of the time

there is actually some basis in the book for things I saw circulating in fandom which is kind of cool

there is also some basis in the book for things I assumed were made tf up, like Wukong being a hero to the people of mortal realm as told in Macaque’s shadowplay backstory (found in the Slow Cart Kingdom chapter, where The Gold Star Of Venus tells the captive monks that Wukong is “a person of vast kindness” who “will avenge injustices, assist the oppressed, and comfort widows and orphans”

Wukong doesn’t dispute this, either, which means he’s actually done it

Wujing is very quiet at first, but slowly starts coming out of his shell and is kind of sassy sometimes! I love it but I wish he had more screentime? more time in his head?

the author really did just forget the horse is a dragon I wish that bro did anything at all

Bajie is... surprisingly awful for awhile, and in ways I can maybe see are supposed to be him acting out because of the whole ‘let me force you on this trial on pain of something probably worse’ thing, but it’s frustrating the novel doesn’t give him the same depth it gives Wukong by giving us more insight to his thoughts

speaking of which I’ll be honest, when I first poked into the lmk fandom and saw people who had ready jttw there, I was expecting their accounts of Wukong and a lot of the awful shit that happens to him to be exaggerated some because he’s their favorite and sometimes you just quietly inflate the facts to make your favorite less problematic c’mon we’ve all done it but- no. 

Holy shit, they were not kidding this monkey really does just get put through so much shit. 

The BOOK takes MULTIPLE instances to DIRECTLY SAY he’s in tears, and not the ‘noble, poetic’ kind of tears that a lot of old epics give to their heroes (minus maybe the Flowerfruit Mountain revelation in the WBS chapter) but like- very real tears. 

He has a few instances where he’s a bully and he steals some shit but none of that warranted what happened to him, there’s the MOUNTAIN AND THE FUCKING CIRCLET, there’s him taking blow after blow for Tripitaka (sometimes kind of rightfully, since there’s a couple instances so far where it’s his fault the situation exists at all), there’s him being set on fire and drowned and Bajie constantly turning Tripitaka against him in the beginning, Wukong is constantly saving them all from danger after they do something he told them not to or walked up to someone he told them was a demon, and like at least two or three times Tripitaka promises they’ll listen next time, or thanks him, and then PROCEEDS TO NOT DO THAT, there’s the fact that Tripitaka uses the circlet WAY too many times, and in situations where nobody’s life is in danger, there’s the fact that Tripitaka always resorts to name-calling when he’s angry with Wukong, there’s multiple references to Wukong looking sick and starved, there’s watching in real time as he internalizes the idea that he’s ugly and scary and his only worth is what he can do for other people- holy shit this monkey has trauma, and he really, honestly doesn’t deserve it compared to what he’s actually done.

like no seriously I don’t have all the time in the world to hunt all these quotes down but here’s one that happens when Wukong tries to prevent them from discovering a demon who had disguised himself as an innocent human child in trouble:   "You wretched ape! How villainous you are! You don't have the tiniest bit of kindness in you! Every thought of yours is bent on making mischief and working violence! I told you that it was a human voice calling for help, but you have to spend countless words to claim it was a monster. Look! Isn't that a person hanging on the tree?" Seeing how the master was putting the blame on him and also the form before his face, the Great Sage lowered his head and dared not reply, for there was nothing he could do at the moment and he was afraid that his master would recite the Tight-Fillet Spell. He had little choice, in fact, but to permit the Tang Monk to approach the tree.

like bruh that one made me straight up feel murder as an emotion

(also ‘Wukong isn’t the main character’ MY ASS)

in that same vein Book Tripitaka is just... so unlikable

like I see there was a definite attempt at making him interesting- it’s clear that some of his reactions are borne from the trauma of what happened to him right at the start of his journey, and it’s intriguing to me that as the novel goes on he outright regrets ever agreeing to this quest- much different than most characters on A Hero’s Journey, and especially given that he’s a monk on a religious mission

also worth noting that it seems the gods almost deliberately set it up so that he and Wukong would have instant friction

but my god the way he treats Wukong when Bajie is infinitely more trouble and disrespectful is just... infuriating; he’s downright vicious to him

I did not expect to hate Kuan-Yin so much but I super do fuck her

what happens to Red Boy is so very fucking DISTURBING FUCK KUAN-YIN

also fuck Erlang

THERE’S JUST A CASUAL GENOCIDE? OF FLOWERFRUIT MOUNTAIN? THAT’S LARGELY GLOSSED OVER AFTER WUKONG FIXES THE ISLAND AND KILLS THE HUNTERS?? LIKE BRUH THAT’S PRIME ANGST MATERIAL CAN WE MAYBE DIG INTO THAT A BIT MORE??

certain chapters I saw hyped up really are Actually That Good, including the White Bone Spirit chapter, the Slow Cart Kingdom chapter, the Red Boy chapter, and the (very bizarre) Macaque chapter

it probably wasn’t the author’s intention but Tripitaka comes off as super aroace

on that same note, Wukong says a thing or two that gives a range from which to pick your favorite personal headcanon; mine is demi

Bajie keeps losing it over women but also knows what Wukong’s ass looks like which is bruh okay

the tiger slaughtering I saw referenced really does happen just immediately after Wukong is freed, and then Wukong makes that skirt just... part of his outfit forever

Wukong really does utterly adore his monkeys it’s so cute

the Macaque chapter is indeed weird, but very good; also super cool to see what might be fiction’s first instance of the evil doppelganger trope

that part where the three disciples sneak into a daoist temple to eat all their food and hang out? is really cute, and I wish we had more moments building up to that kind of development in their relationships

but interestingly, we DO see developments that happen as a RESULT of this chapter!

Bajie is way less trouble, for one thing, making more jokes with the others and causing far fewer headaches

and Wujing is more talkative! as well as sassy!

as for Wukong, when Tripitaka starts panicking over obstacles in their way, he starts saying “we’ve got this” and “you have the three of us” instead of “you’ve got me” and “I can handle this.”

Wukong is disturbingly So Ready to show off how unkillable he is and I’m glad the lmk fandom has agreed this is a self-harm behavior because YIKES

the amount of times Tripitaka falls off his horse or experiences his soul yeeting itself from his body is both relatable considering the circumstances, and really frustrating

Wukong seems to agree actually because most of the time he’s surprisingly kind and cheerful when assuring Tripitaka but every now and again he snaps and says or does something mean

Wukong and Tripitaka’s relationship is by far the most explored one at this point (just finished the Macaque chapter) and somehow there is still wasted material THERE’S MORE YOU CAN DIG INTO BOOK PLEASE

the fact that Wukong and Macaque fight like feral cats to each location in that chapter remains hilarious and is especially funny without the lmk context (of which we still have none)

so much of this book explains so much about lmk Wukong but like we still need to know exactly how much of the book they’re making canon to their universe skjfnslkdjfnsdf

[shinidamachu]

I’m actually convinced Kikyo’s role in the later parts of the manga was influenced by the anime. It’s no secret that if an anime adaptation becomes popular the manga artist will take note and talk to the animation director on which episodes gets more views.

I was actually a fan of the early depiction of Kikyo, such as the scene of her reappearing after supposedly falling to her death the first time and meeting the shinidamachu (which didn’t get animated). Also the part where she straight up murdered a monk in front of the child, which did get depicted but glossed over as the series went on. (Would’ve been a good atonement arc.) It had the appropriate horror feeling, just like the manga depiction of the man-eating Noh mask. This all got toned down or forgotten in the anime and later in the manga. Like compare early Naraku’s gross true tentacle form to his mega-ultra-super-eye-power-up-form.

which begs the question, if RT’s current series MAO is animated and becomes popular how will the anime affect the manga…

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know shit about the professional animation world, so please take this for the personal opinion that it is. Also keep in mind that I haven't reached the later parts of the manga yet, so knowledge is limited by fandom meta.

As a viewer who enjoys consuming media critically, however, I can't help but agree with you. Kikyo’s role in the later parts of the manga was probably influenced by the anime. I guess the real question here is: how much? I fear that is almost impossible to reach a right answer, or even a satisfying one.

But the influence the anime had on the original story wasn't limited to Kikyo's role. Take the toned down horror elements you mentioned, for instance.

But to be fair, we still have other factors to consider, Takahashi's tendency not to reread her own series once they're finished, regressing character development as a consequence, for example.

In Kikyo's specific case, the issue lies in the fact that the whole concept of her character is brilliant but Takahashi dropped the ball executing it and that reflected in Kikyo's relationship with Inuyasha, which ended up lacking substance.

Sunrise picked up on that and tried to retroactively fix it in order to milk the nonexistent love triangle, knowing ship wars equal money. However, they took the easiest, chepeast route, toning down Inuyasha and Kagome instead of truly building up on Inuyasha and Kikyo.

They told us when they should have been showing us and gave us quantity when they should have given us quality, failing to address the real problems with the character and the relationship in question: execution and development.

That's why every change they made in this regard was shallow at best and blew up in their faces at worst. It didn't solve anything, only created inconsistencies that ended up negatively affecting the characterization of other characters and consequently the story itself.

That being said, Inuyasha is the only series of Takahashi's I've ever took interest in. And after 2020™ whatever tiny chance of me engaging with another one of her works was annihilated, so I most definitely don't care about what happens with MAO.

Maybe I change my mind in the future, but currently, I think you'd be better off discussing MAO with someone else. I'm sure plenty of people in the Inuyasha fandom also loves it and will be able to contribute more to the conversation than I ever could.

Thank you so much for your ask, though. I hope you have a nice day.

[taki118]

SuyaLight Master Post 2

I really like these two there’s not a lot of content for the fandom as a whole soooo her’s my submission as I get every moment of these two royals who literally share a braincell (and I love them for it) First up this is just on the manga if you are anime only its going to have stuff you havent seen yes even with what the anime covers (so read it) and there will be spoilers so beware. If you prefer Demon Monk/Cleric/Leo (which I don’t really get) I am sorry this isnt for you. Lets go! Part 1 is here

Suya shows up at meeting to talk about her nightmare after trying to get rid of her Twilight relents.

Suya needs a bathroom knowing Twilight has similar needs in that area to her she follows him to his.

Too prideful or embarrassed to just say she needs to pee she says something way worse and confusing. So she uses violence to get her way.

After doing what she needs she falls asleep leaving Twilight in pain.

I just find it funny he finds her fiendish

Suya doesn’t like it though, and to stop her kicks he’s willing to make some changes.

Which leads to the weapons downfall cause he’s such a pushover.

Suya used magic to make herself big and well Twilight is the most observant to catch on.

She decides to carry them and its kinda cute.

Again Twilight tries to see the best in Suya believing she was just as lonely as him growing up (which is later proven true) so he lets her join a schools trip to the demon castle to join in fun she missed out on.

But the chapter makes his belief had to justify. 

Though He was wrong in the end she just wanted to play and have nap time, she wasnt as malicious as the other demons feared. Still its a misunderstanding between the two.

They get the princess to act like a proper hostage and its too much for Twilights conscious to bear.

Twilight recognizes that they probably caused more problems for themselves in the long run meanwhile Suya starts a real arc for her, countering the notions she’d be taught about Demons with her experiences and wondering just why they hate each other?

So Suya is trying to escape and no one can stop her so Twilight lays a trap.

No one thinks it’d work but obviously he gets her just a little better than most.

After getting her to tell them the reason for her escape (being she wants to buy something) they try to dissuade her before she says this.

It catches them off guard especially Twilight who’s weak to compliments. 

After following Suya around the human town all day and dealing with her nonsense they win tickets to a fireworks show where Twilight lays some lore on us. 

He reveals a bit why he does what he does and I do think Suya is taking it all to heart. 

They think she wants to leave but instead she shows what she would prefer, offering them alternate designs to the less than demon friendly ones on display. This also shows what her long term goals likely are, to bridge the gap between humans and demons. 

But its undercut by Suya falling asleep on the way back and Twilight having to carry her with her new vibrating pillow in high.

Suya shows up unexpectedly in his room. 

Suya’s logic is unflappable. 

Twilight is so scared though its adorable.

Suya wants to know what will happen at a slumber party and Twilight does his best to explain to the best of his knowledge. He’s so cute in this chapter.

(part of me thinks Suya might be Asexual or Aromantic but thats another post) 

Anyway after nearly bombing the room cause she doesnt want to think of the hero Suya has Twilight look more into the party but mostly ignores him.

Suya proves that she does actually pay attention and wants to know more about Twilight.

He tries to dodge and it leads to his downfall.

Suya asks an interesting question that leads to pain for Twilight.

At the actual party Suya recalls Twilights explanation.

It’s Halloween and Suya is shown to be pretty face blind though she mostly recognizes them.

Twilight is pretty numb to Suya’s nonsense, but this prompts them to start their own tournament. 

It blows up in his face when Suya joins.

However Twilight has learnt how to deal with Suya pretty well. 

He offers her a special item for the hero knowing she’d immediately fall asleep. Thus avoiding being stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

 This still takes place during the anime though there’s segments it didnt adapt.

[malaismere]

Campaign 3 Predictions - Compiled

So, as a fan of compiling statistics, I've been keeping track of race/class predictions for campaign 3 for the past...at least a year, from tumblr, reddit, and twitter. with EXU over, and my spreadsheet hitting 400 (?!), I figured I'd share the fandom's current predictions

Travis

Human (30), Dwarf (29), Elf, Shifter (11), Half-Elf (10)

Cleric (103), Bloodhunter (63), Wizard (50), Fighter (49), Druid (46)

Lycan bloodhunter (41), Forge cleric (26), War cleric (16), Eldritch Knight fighter, Bladesinger wizard (14)

Marisha

Elf (16), Genasi, Tiefling (14), Dwarf (13), Dragonborn (11)

Paladin (112), Rogue (53), Fighter (43), Cleric (40), Warlock (37)

Eldritch Knight fighter, Glory paladin (14), Artillerist and Armorer artificer, Battlemaster Fighter (8)

Liam

Dwarf (25), Halfling (18), Tiefling (13), Elf (12), Warforged (11)

Druid (77), Cleric (72), Bard (71), Fighter (59)

Stars druid (16), Dreams druid (10), Eloquence bard (8), Alchemist artificer, Whispers bard, Twilight cleric (7)

Sam

Dwarf (34), Kobold (24), Goliath (17), Warforged (15), Kenku (13)

Sorcerer (106), Cleric (98), Druid (63), Wizard (47)

Wild Magic sorcerer (61), Wild Soul barbarian (14), Twilight cleric (8), Life and Forge cleric, Wildfire druid, Divination wizard (7)

Laura

Elf (21), Human, Tabaxi (19), Genasi (15), Gnome, Aasimar (10)

Barbarian (75), Sorcerer (74), Bard (64), Warlock (60)

Wild Soul barbarian (14), Wild Magic sorcerer (12), Glamour bard (10), Shadow monk (9)

Taliesin

Warforged (16), Elf, Changeling (14), Gnome, Genasi, Tabaxi (8)

Sorcerer (68), Rogue (65), Warlock (55), Bard (45), Wizard (43)

Aberrant Mind sorcerer (18), Whispers bard, Phantom rogue, Soulknife rogue (11), Mastermind rogue, Clockwork sorcerer (9)

Ashley

Elf (26), Human (18), Tiefling (17), Half-Elf (12), Dwarf (11)

Rogue (95), Bard (91), Monk (43), Ranger (41), Warlock (38)

Swashbuckler rogue (21), Glamour bard (13), Mercy monk (9), Drunken monk, Wild Magic sorcerer (8)

I also (although less consistently) collected continent/setting predictions. Marquet was the top (49), then Issylra (29) and the Shattered Teeth (22). For non-continent settings, some form of Spelljammer was the top (19), followed by the Age of Arcanum (17), and Planescape/Planehopping (15). Underdark, Ravenloft, Blightshore, and a return to Tal'Dorei were also suggested multiple times.

Much longer and rambly discussion (and my own predictions) under the break.

Top predicted races were Dwarf, Elf, and Human (~100). Dwarf and Elf haven't been played before, so that tracks, and I don't think it's out there to assume we'll get at least one human again. Also, post the whole thing with Essek and long rests, people really started jumping on Elves (which, fair). Warforged, Dragonborn, Tabaxi, Genasi, Tieflings, and Changelings all are pretty prominent (~50).

Of the races not yet established as existing in Exandria, Warforged and Changeling were the most popular (Warforged now dubiously canon post-Aeor, and Changelings dubiously canon with the LoVM bartender), followed by Shifters, Leonin, Kalashtar, Fairies, Grung, Ravnica races (Loxodon, Simic Hybrid, Vedalken), Van Richten's Races (Dhampir, Reborn, Hexblood). Locathah and the other Feywild/Strixhaven races are the only officially published races at 0 suggestions. The lowest previously seen race is Gobins at 2, one of which was for Sam again, and the lowest PHB race was Half-Orc at 17.

Class wise, Sorcerer was actually the most predicted class (which kind of tracks, as it's the one that hasn't shown up even as multiclass), followed by Cleric (generally assumed as compulsory), Paladin (only as a multiclass), and Rogue (also assumed as compulsory, but way less so. Not surprisingly, Bloodhunter, Ranger, and Artificer were the lowest.

Wild Magic Sorcerer was far and away the most suggested subclass, the only one to break 50, although it hasn't hit 100 quite yet (I think it will by the time the final characters are announced though). EK Fighter, Lycan Blooodhunter, Forge Cleric, Swashbuckler Rogue, Wild Soul Barbarian, Stars Druid, Glamour Bard, Bladesinger Wizard, Eloquence Bard, and Echo Knight Fighter are the other top subclasses.

Every official subclass has been suggested except for Berserker Barbarian, Grave Cleric, and Transmutation Wizard (previously played), Battlerager Barbarian and Banneret/Purple Dragon Knight (SCAG subclasses, which are widely unpopular), and the dubiously-official Planeshift subclasses. Open Seas Paladin is the only Matt homebrew to not be suggested at least once. For dead UA, Satire Bard, Brute Fighter, Giant Soul and Stone Sorcerer, and Raven Queen Warlock have all been suggested, usually only once, although many of the suggestions were collected while classes were in UA for Tasha's, Van Richten's, and Fizban's which is technically still UA but announced so...

With Travis, the predictions bounce between two main ideas - a melee spellcaster (Forge/War/Tempest cleric, Bladesinger/War wizard), or going back to a melee class (Bloodhunter, Fighter) but with a bit more mechanical interest (Lycan, EK/Echo/Rune/Battlemaster). I think those are both solid predictions, and while I really, really doubt we'll see a Lycan bloodhunter or a Forge cleric, I think the general vibe is probably spot on.

My own prediction is one of the more out there, but still in line with the general thinking - Artillerist Artificer. Travis is definitely a very tactical player, and it would be cool to see him get a turret for the battlefield, plus all the general utility/versatility of the artificer. Alternatively, I really could see a rogue, although more like what Mastermind or Inquisitive is trying for as opposed to how they actually turned out, if that makes sense.

Race wise, the top guesses are fairly plain, outside of shifter (which is mostly tied into the "werewolf" vibe). None of them would shock me, but I don't have any predictions.

I think that everyone's right on the money with Marisha as a paladin. Her next character being high charisma seems spot on, and I think moving to a half-caster also tracks. EK/Echo/Rune/Psi fighters would also fit, although they don't lean towards high charisma, or a warlock, maybe a more melee one.

Rogue seems unlikely purely due to the fact she's played one before, kind of. Matt and Marisha have both talked some, but her first game wasn't Vox Machina, but a previous game Matt had run where she'd played an assassin. You can do non-assassiny rogues, but still.

(Other fun facts about this game because it's wild: apparently the session she sat in on before playing involved half the party getting eaten by ghouls. the party joined up with another half-tpk'd party (marisha and the replacement characters) to get the raven queen to bring their dead friends back, and a fate-touched rogue swore service to the Raven Queen in order to bring the last party member back.)

My prediction for Marisha is also paladin, although I don't have any thoughts on the subclass, with genie warlock as a second because they are fun. No real thoughts on race other than I too would love to see tiefling Marisha.

Most people are going with a support caster for Liam, which I totally buy. Caleb definitely leaned towards support caster, even if he usually did end up played as DPS. Druid has taken the top given the polymorph->wildshape vibe, although it's still very yclose with Bard and Cleric. Suggestions for fighter dropped after EXU, and while Liam does play a lot of fighters, I doubt we'll see it for C3.

Honestly, Liam is the one I have no predictions for outside of 'support caster'. I'd lean away from Cleric and towards Druid or Bard, but it's hard to say. I also think Artificer deserves to be in the running, as it seems like something Liam would really enjoy, but also...might not want to go Int-caster to Int-caster. My only real thought on race is that I want to see whether Marisha and Liam choose the same again.

Top guesses for Sam is, far and away, Wild Magic Sorcerer. This was also the top guess for C2. I do not think Sam will play a Wild Magic Sorcerer. In general, though, the vibe is going back to fullcaster - Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Wizard. I think full caster is probably right.

Sam is so hard to predict because it isn't what he'd choose, but what Liam chose for him. I think it's either something really standard or something really out there, and since I can't guess the really out there, I'll go for the standard - Elf Wizard or Dwarf Cleric, leaning towards Dwarf Cleric, due to the support class and the fact that Sam's mentioned never playing a religious character.

The main vibe for Laura is definitely "DPS" which is understandable. I don't know if I agree with it, but I understand it. Aside from Barbarian, the rest of the vibe is spellcaster - and I don't think we'll see a completely no magic character from her either.

Prediction wise...I understand barbarian, but I'd actually go with Ancestor or Beast over Wild Soul. I could actually see a Bloodhunter from her too, although leaning away from Vex vibes. I think I'd want to go with Wizard, though I'm not certain on that. I would bet Tabaxi but idk, I could see her avoiding that for Travis' sake.

Everyone always names Taliesin as the hardest to predict (he had the lowest count at 354, under even Ashley at 365, to everyone else's ~380/400) but I don't think he's harder to predict than Sam. The thing that makes him hard to predict is that he likes to build characters to fit the party, which he (probably) won't be doing, same as with Molly. The other main thing he tends towards is mechanical complexity in a way that suits his characters.

The main driving influence in the top suggestions is Eldritch Weirdness. Aberrant Sorc, Whispers Bard, Phantom Rogue, Warlock in general. I don't disagree with any of the subclasses, but I really don't think he'd go eldritch for eldritch sake, if for at the very least being...he has always been this weird and it's yet to be a driving force behind any of his characters before. Like the Taliesin-is-an-elder-god thing, I think this is mostly people who don't hang out around occultists. Look, I've had multiple people sell me their actual souls, and you don't see all my characters being warlocks.

That being said, I don't think I disagree with the top classes, just the subclasses. I definitely agree with Sorcerer as a good choice for him, although I'd actually go Clockwork, as I think it has a fuck-with-the-DM vibe. Taliesin is the most heavily suggested for dunamancy subclasses, which wouldn't surprise me, but I think he might avoid on the sole point of not wanting something too tied with the last campaign. A lot of people also name the psionic subclasses, which I'd be more likely to second if they had kept the weird mechanic from the UA, but don't disagree with, excepting my issue with Aberrant Mind.

My out there guess is that he's going to choose a multiclass build. He definitely enjoys playing around with weird builds (Owlbear, he did a non-CR oneshot as a monk/stars druid). On the one hand, a lot of these builds work best for oneshots or starting at higher levels, as they can take a bit of time to come online, but with such a large party, I think it will still function.

(my actual prediction for Taliesin is that his character is weirdly reminiscent of either the aasimar echo knight or the elf blood cleric from the exandria game I'm running.)

Ashley is being predicted as a Dex/Cha build, and I'm totally here for it. Pre-Fearne, I was leaning Ranger, especially Fey Wanderer for a fey build, but post-Fearne, I'm going Rogue, especially Swashbuckler. I agree that seeing a high Cha Ashley would be great, especially to let her be more center-focused than Yasha had been, and swashbucklers are just...really fun. Also, the whole Aeor arc really left me wanting to see Ashley as the go-ahead-and-scout character, just to watch her push buttons.

For continents...I understand why people are guessing Marquet, since it's currently the most explored. I think that if they're going to do Marquet, then Matt will sit down with a cultural consultant. I say will over should, because I won't make any value judgements, but I think it's in line with what Matt and CR would do in that situation.

I can't really tell whether this is a prediction or what I'd like to see (the two are distinct but often difficult to untangle) but I'd actually go with Issylra, and specifically playing up the (at least initial) set up of explorers and adventurers heading out into the wilds. I will also place my bets on them having some sort of more steady home base, and my hopes on that they get an airship. My wildest out there guess is that the plot will move towards either planescape/spelljammer in the upper levels, tying into some of the seeds from the end of C2.

I have seen a handful of people predicting table seating order, which is both very minor and also the thing that I may be most interested in. A while back, someone made a post pointing out that the main romantic relationships were all cross-table, while the strongest platonic relationships were same-table or side by side. Because I am the sort of person that I am, I did statistical analysis on ao3 fics....and it's statistically significant. So I am trying to see whether or not, based purely on C3E1, I'll be able to predict what the top ships for the campaign will be.

This rambling has mostly gotten out of hand because I don't have much opportunity to talk about this, but, you know. If you send me predictions I will give you the current odds gambling style, so that you'd know how much you'd win if you'd place a bet, because I did the tables up as a joke for something else and now I kind of want them to be used for something.

[fullofsunsetwhispers]

Hi! I love your blog, thank you so much for keeping the fandom alive, i just joined this year!

I want to ask you if you think Omi has reading disability, dyslexia? I want to hear what other people the the fandom think. Cause it feels like he has, and to me all four of the monks have ADHD, they just fit the charts.

Hello there! Oh my gosh, thank you for such nice words! Well, I’m here to infodump and throw ideas here and there sometimes with additional drawings, so knowing some folks pay attention to it makes me really glad and it encourages me to post more.

As for your question, usually, I’m not into coming up with disabilities’ headcanons mostly because of my fear that I can get something wrong. However, since you come to me with such a request I’ll try my best to present my outlook on the matter. I may be oblivious to some things so anybody who reads this post – please correct me if something may sound disrespectful/ improper/ or simply wrong from the scientific point of view.

If that’s cleared up, let’s move on to Omi’s dyslexia. Ok, I see your point – cheeseball surely shows some tendencies that may be attributable to such a condition. The most notable one is present in every episode, that is Omi’s failed slang. When someone corrects his mistakes his reactions vary from acknowledging it was something ‘off’ with the word choice/order or simply he refuses to accept the correction, brushing the issue off by telling the others ‘that makes no sense’.

The most troublesome thing in assessing whether it’s a case of dyslexia is the fact we don’t know how advanced Omi is in his native language.

But my assumption is - he has already accomplished fluency in Chinese. He can read and understand what is written and he can talk about it without making mistakes. The additional issue is that monks most probably communicate with each other in English so Omi has to translate the contents of the scroll to his friends.

To my understanding, a dyslectic person has problems in:

dividing words into syllables

spelling

phonetics (they can't differentiate similar sounds, hence the word they want to pronounce may turn out to be a word with a different meaning)

there may occur an evident overactivity, speech defects, writing words in reverse, no ability to apply interpunction rules in writing

there may occur some neurologic problems such as memory loss, and dysfunctional space orientation( for example confusing the left side with the right). Sometimes the easiest puzzle game can't be completed.

and the matter of our discussion: inability to understand idioms. We may also include the inability to understand jokes, math, and reading a-loud.

So, it seems as if only overactivity and inability to understand idioms track in Omi's case. I can also add confusing lefts and rights and directions whatsoever but as far as I can remember Omi can tell lefts and rights in battle. Only when he uses directional words in a conversation, he utters something like 'upside up' 'I won't let you up' etc. As a consequence, we can assume Omi can't grasp the metaphoric and idiomatic meanings, but I would not take that for granted either. Because we have Master Fung's sayings, Chase's riddles and not to mention that official language presented in old scrolls and... aren't they metaphorical to some extent too???? And on top of that Omi proved he can say a lot of puns to their enemies to mock them.

Y'know, I'm no expert but the fact there is so little evidence in the show isn't helping either. It's a cartoon - rather old cartoon and who would have thought about proper representation back then?

This analysis can't go further until I tackle the issue of dyslexia and bilingualism. In one source, it is said if the child is dyslectic it is almost certain it would show these symptoms also in learning L2. However, the other source states bilingualism enhances many abilities such as problem-solving as well as the capacity to analyze different aspects of language (a skill that is needed for reading and writing). And tbh if Omi has dyslexia this clearly applies to him. Because I get the impression he's also fluent in English and he figured out the rules quite successfully (apart from idioms and some phrases, of course).

I've made a list of Omi's mix-ups.

I smell bad = stink

in your head = in your face

it’ll be cold, dude → Kimiko says ‘cool’

rutted timing = rotten timing

remove the led = get the lead out

push your arm = i’m pulling your leg

piece of pie = piece of cake

skating = surfing the Net

obtain game = you’ve got game

peace on = peace out – saying goodbye

check me in my friend – check me out

dilly our dallies – dilly dally

it’s time we get to the top of this – (the bottom of this)

but you’re going up – he means you’re going down (you must be defeated)

event turning - turn of events

do we look as if we were born next week? - last week

I’m in heat – No Omi you’re on fire!!!

I’m very much top-tip – correct – tip-top

I won’t let you up = I won’t let you down

Jermaine: You must be tripping! Omi: I’m not taking a trip!

I order you to spill your internal organs – spill your guts

The luck is spitting on us = the luck is shining on us

blond leading the blonde = blind leading the blind

we punish their watches = clean their clocks

you’re gonna chew on that sentence =you’re gonna eat those words

Oh that thing is very icy – very cool

spoon over the wu = fork over the wu

The majority of mistakes are the result of Omi confusing English phonemes OR he uses synonyms to compensate for a lack of the appropriate word. However, what is interesting, is his word choice in several instances relies more on imagery and association. For example, in 'The luck is spitting on us' Omi associated shining with the way light can cover all of our bodies, just like the spit. 'the thing is very icy or heat-fire? - the same elements that remind Omi of the feeling of coldness or warmth but used in a more metaphorical sense. My boy may have made a mistake but he was close anyway. Spoon instead of the fork? They are both kitchen appliances. Tripping and trip? Almost the same words but with the -ing ending so in this instance Omi couldn't recognize the category of the word (verb vs noun). What I'm trying to say, Omi has developed a certain pattern that only he can understand to make his communication slightly better and I'm proud of these attempts.

So, I totally agree with flycotte these speech patterns are connected with dyslexia. Omi mixes the phonemes (rutted vs rotten or blond vs blind), and confuses the order of elements in phrases. The top for him is the bottom, so he also confuses directions, and sometimes he adds to the words wrong prepositions.

But you know? he makes those mistakes IN ENGLISH. Omi is quite young, so what if these errors arise because he can't accustom to L2 yet? I've read somewhere that for Chinese speakers English is difficult to learn. You have to switch from the pictorial alphabet to the English one. Reading problems in L2 acquisition arise due to inability to match sounds to letters accurately. If you're Chinese and want to learn English you have to develop an entirely new sound-letter mapping. Omi is rather a fast learner but what I admire about him is his dedication to learning and I hc he would practice writing in English for hours. I really like the last sentence from that article because it sums up Omi's approach to being understood by others

'You don’t need to have perfect grammar in order to communicate. In the beginning, making yourself understood is what counts.'

In Omi's case, he mastered the grammar but slang and minimal pairs are yet to be learned. Taking into account English isn't his first language, he's doing good.

On another note, I do believe Omi's failed slang is to some extent attributable to that there are no Chinese equivalents of these phrases/sayings. Or Omi has never learned the Chinese slang expressions because of the fact before meeting with Raimundo, Clay and Kimiko he has never left the temple? Considering how Master Fung speaks in a formal manner along with Master Monk Guan, you kind of see where Omi picked it up from soooo maybe Omi overuses English Slang expressions to appear more knowledgeable (and impress) his friends!

The last thing I wanted to analyze is his handwriting. He wrote one and only letter in the show so let's focus on that.

As you can see, Omi isn't confident enough with lowercase letters. He prefers to write in uppercase, in some places he's not sure how to divide words, and sometimes letters are too close to each other. More drastic errors are the lack of the pronoun (I think 'I must leave would be more correct) and that weird line that is supposed to replace 'R' in some words (orderR and futuRe). Omi also forgot about the letter 'i' in 'friends'. Overall, Omi tries to remain punctuation but my little dude could've made a couple of shorter sentences instead of one long one.

This piece of writing could belong to a dyslexic child but I wonder if I saw the same message in Chinese (and most importantly knew Chinese) and compared it with the letter written in English, would there be the same amount of mistakes?

So, yeah I would rather opt for the possibility ‘Omi isn’t dyslexic. He’s in a process of learning English and his errors are failed attempts to recreate a more ‘lively, casual’ type of speech.’ However, there are, in fact, many hints he might be dyslectic as well. In fact, it's a matter of his motivation and the guidance of his fellow monk friends whether he manages to eliminate these speech/writing habits. The results of his efforts will all be revealed in Omi's adulthood but since there won't be any XS continuation with the main cast as adults we can only speculate.

To wrap things up, Omi is one determined fella who tries his best. Dyslectic or not, he takes learning very seriously so I do believe he will keep on improving his English in the same way he's fixated on improving himself as a warrior regardless of his disability. In fact, that would hype him up even more to be better at expressing himself.