#and i used to care more about getting attention in fandom than being accurate

[necrotic-nephilim]

@sasheneskywalker i love when you enable me to ramble about things because oh my god do i have thoughts.

so recently, i made a post discussing the phenomena of DC x DP and DC x MLB crossovers and why they exist and part of that post was discussing how largely speaking, at least half, if not more of the Batfamily fandom doesn't read the comics. if they interact with canon DC material, it's adaptations that are their own sequestered universes and oftentimes not remotely comic accurate or seeking to be. the most obvious example is the Young Justice cartoon. i'm adding a cut to this post because it just got so long i'm so sorry.

a lot of times, when people are discussing the "why" of this oversaturation of fanon-only fandom, they blame Wayne Family Adventures. and i think, to a point, i agree WFA is responsible for a boom in this fandom. but as someone who's been in the fandom long before we had WFA, to me it's the other way around. WFA was DC's way of meeting the demand for this easy-to-get-into, easy-to-consume content about the Batfamily that predicates itself on the comics just enough to be vaguely the same characters, but has a more sitcom, slice-of-life sort of vibe so DC could profit off of this section of the fanbase that otherwise wasn't consuming its primary material. and well, it's definitely worked. not only that, but i have a weird theory that the decline in the MCU also led to the rise in the Batfamily fandom. when you consider the fan content that made the MCU popular within fandom, it's that 2012 "they all live in Avengers Tower and Thor is eating poptarts and Clint is in the vents and there are movie nights every Friday" sort of vibe. those were the fics that were a hallmark of the fandom. and as the MCU has strayed from well... quality content in general, but specifically well-thought-out crossover content where characters can have their own arcs but also exist in a wider story where they clearly care about each other, that fandom was sort of homeless. so where do you go, if you like a superhero found family where you can have villains for angst but also stick them all in one big family-like home for silly crack and have a plethora of options for gay ships? well. you go to the Batfamily. if you write a crack/fluff Batfamily genfic with silly vibes and low stakes instead of say, a fic about a very specific comic issue even if it's a popular comic, you're *going* to get more traction for the former. because the fanbase largely just isn't reading the comics.

and i feel... complicated about this. because on one hand, Don't Like Don't Read has been a tenet of my fandom experience. i'm very pro-fandom and that includes fandom content i don't like. and to an extent, i do think this sort of should apply to Batfamily fanon. i enjoy having my moments with other comic purists, giggling over exceptionally painful OOC headcanons or even facepalming in pain over some content but it is on me to not interact with that content. you don't make fandom a better place by being hostile to fans who engage with canon in ways you don't approve of. and frankly? we as comic readers are not going to get non-comic fans to read the comics by being asshats to them. no one is going to want to pick up any comic if we get a superiority complex about it. and also, i feel like we're all lying to ourselves a little bit insisting comics are so, so easy to get into. they're not. we can just all agree, they're really not. i've been single-handedly helping my sister get into comics, specifically Wonder Woman and no matter how simple i make it, i watch her get frustrated trying to understand what pre-Crisis and post-Crisis and New-52 and Flashpoint and all these things mean and what a retcon vs a reboot is and what a Crisis Event is and what the hell Diana's current backstory even *is*. sure, you can give someone a beginner list of comics to start with and slowly dip their toes in the water but sooner or later, *something* is going to confuse them. comics as a medium straight up aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea. and if someone *just* wants to read silly fluffy fanfiction about the Batfamily, i can't entirely begrudge them for not wanting to take the hours and hours out of their day to understand this medium. it's not an accessible medium to get into. "read this and this, but this run is out of print and this run wasn't collected in trades at all but also make sure you read that event in order and this is a good comic but the backstory in it is retconned and you *have* to read this it's so important but it's also really bad because the author kind of sucks" sounds. ridiculous for someone who like. just wants to read some stuff about Nightwing. sometimes, we all make reading comics sort of sound like a chore, not a hobby.

so my point is, i do extend some grace to Batfamily fanon for existing. i think my biggest gripe is, as i said in my other post, misuse of tags (if you're not creating content about comics, maybe you don't need the comics fandom tag on Ao3, just the all media types umbrella tag) and my far bigger gripe: when panels are taken out of context to support fanon only headcanons. if i could impart *anything* onto the Batfamily fandom as a comic fan it'd be this: if you haven't *read* the comic, don't spread the panel. if you don't even know what comic it's *from*, don't spread the panel. it's fine to use comic panels to discuss your headcanons, but so often i see someone spreading a comic panel from a comic they haven't read, and when asked where it's from, they can't source it. a silly example that comes to mind is a post going around, taking a panel where Dick, in his internal monologue goes "here comes the sun. do do do do." and the post is claiming it's from him getting buried alive. when that panel comes from Nightwing (1996) #140, and he gets buried alive in Nightwing (1996) #127, two completely different moments frankensteined together. if you're going to not read the comics, that's completely fine, but unless you're sure of the source and the context, panels shouldn't be spread around. i'm sick of this specifically happening to Red Robin (2009), with ppl claiming Tim has totally killed people because he blew up some of Ra's' bases, when those panels within context, make it clear he gave everyone time to escape. and in a later arc in that very comic, Tim grapples with the idea of murdering Captain Boomerang, and *specifically chooses not to*, because he doesn't agree with murder, even against the person who has hurt him the most. if you'd like to write fanfiction where Tim is pro-murder and has done some sketch things, i'm totally on board and would probably like to read it. but there's no need to pretend it's canon from a few panels you saw out of context.

beyond that, i think it's not *entirely* correct to say that fanon is harmless. whenever i see very WFA-positive posts, they often default to the argument that WFA is fun and silly, and comic fans are killjoys for not liking it. which. i think is complicated because the issue is, WFA and fanon don't exist in a vacuum. if you like WFA power to you, i don't think it's the worst thing ever, but i do think it's degrading to these characters because honestly? they feel incompetent in the webtoon. it's one thing if WFA was solely a slice-of-life sort of deal, just having silly episodes where Bruce is taking on a PTA mom or they're all fighting for the last cookie. but when WFA attempts to take on more serious plots with these characters, it *fundamentally* falls flat in understanding them. i get it, Bruce comforting Jason having a panic attack because a noise reminded him of the crowbar felt cute in a microcosm, but i'm so serious when i say that storyline destroyed how like. half of this fandom understands Jason Todd's relationship to his trauma. it doesn't understand how he reacts when he's triggered, what coping mechanisms he seeks out, and how he would handle Bruce comforting him. even if i can believe for a brief moment Jason *would* be triggered by something like that, him running and trying to hide and then getting a hug from Bruce to make it okay is just. painful. WFA needs everything to be wrapped up in a nice, neat little bow. so even when it starts to tackle interesting concepts, it makes them fall flat with its need to be soft, low stakes, hurt/comfort. there was a two-parter episode that dealt with the complicated mutual hatred/jealousy between Tim and Damian that *almost* really interested me because for once, it felt like the webtoon wanted to explore canon messy dynamics. but of course, it had to be fixed with one conversation and a hug. you don't mend the *years* of issues these characters have like that. WFA isn't in character because these characters are hyperbole cartoonified versions of themselves to fit within the medium and be a cute happy family.

because that right there, is the crux of it. the Batfamily fanon seeks to simplify the Batfamily and force them into a nuclear family. there are so many fantastic posts on here discussing how the nuclear family-ification of the Batfam is eroding decades worth of complex histories so i won't go too far into that. but what i will say is that there's this need, in the Batfamily fandom, for the Batfamily to exist as a unit. they are a *family*. (honestly i think calling it the Batfamily is a misnomer and has been for years but we're in too deep now.) they exist to each other first, and any teams or friends they have come secondary to this family unit. you can *specifically* see this demonstrated in what headcanons are becoming popular these days. i have an entire lengthy meta in my drafts about how i *loathe* the "the Batfamily meets the Justice League" genre of fanfic because it makes no *sense*. in order to have this genre of fic exist, you must operate under the assumption that no one in the League, or adjacent to the League, knows the Batfamily exists and are thus utterly shocked to discover Batman has kids. and to make *that* work, you have to strip *every single Batfamily member* of such important dynamics and friendships so you can lock them all in Gotham for their whole lives. Dick can't have the Titans, Tim can't have Young Justice, Duke & Cass can't have the Outsiders, Jason can't have the Outlaws, Damian can't have the Supersons, Babs can't have the Birds of Prey, and so on. because if they had these relationships, they would be known to the League. the Batfamily fandom doesn't care about this, it's just "silly fanfiction", it's not trying to be serious. but how can you say you like Dick Grayson as a character if you don't understand the Titans *are* his family? at some points of his life, moreso than the Batfamily even is. it is constantly repeated to us in most comics with Dick how much the Titans mean to him. he *needs* them to be who he is. the same extends to every other Batfamily member, most of which have been full League members at this point. but in fanon, that doesn't matter. the Batfamily are a sequestered unit first, and all of those side relationships are secondary and easy to toss away, if it makes your fanfic work better.

and because they have to be a unit first, you have these forced relationships that dump years of actual canon material for the sake of making them get along. the Batfamily fandom has its favorites and well. it's no secret it's usually the boys. Jason and Tim by *far* stand out as fandom faves so, their dynamic is a heavily explored one. it does matter that in canon they don't tend to get along and especially don't see each other as family. what matters is that you can push dynamics onto them. and so fanon gets all twisted up about which Robin Tim actually idolized as a kid (Dick) and what member of the Batfamily is pro-murder but still an older sibling figure to him and looks out for him (Helena, or if you want the dynamic of once tried to harm Tim but they've reconciled, Jean-Paul) in favor of who's the most popular. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian are always going to be the standouts for popularity, but it's specifically Jason and Tim who are getting fanonized the most. and that's because really, we don't have much canon content of Tim that *isn't* the comics. for Dick you've got Young Justice (tv), for Damian you've got the DCAMU, for Jason you've sort of got the Under The Red Hood movie, but Tim sort of lingers in this limbo. (yes, he's in Young Justce (tv) and Titans (live action) but in neither is he the main character nor given much depth) so, he gets a *lot* projected onto him and has become fanonized. and even with Jason's animated movies, you don't see him interact with Tim, so people build it from the ground up how they want to see it, disregarding of canon comics. i think it's what makes him so popular in the first place- he's malleable into whatever you want or need him to be.

and of course, the fanon ignores other characters in the Batfamily it doesn't know about. i feel like you could create a tier list of Batfamily characters by their popularity, going from the fandom main characters: Tim, Jason, Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Damian. to the underrated: Steph, Duke, Babs, Cass. to the forgotten about unless they're convenient for a story: Kate, the Foxes, Helena Wayne, Carrie, Selina, Harper Row, Maps, Minhkhoa Khan. to the absolutely unknown: Helena Bertinelli, Jean-Paul Valley, Onyx Adams, the Clovers, Julia Pennyworth. it's not lost on me that the ignored characters tend to be women and people of color. which is both a canon and fanon problem, DC will continue adding interesting characters to the Batfamily, play with them for a few years, then drop them to default to the "Batboys" again. and it's a vicious cycle of the fandom only caring about the "Batboys", and thus people entering the fandom via fanon osmosis won't have content about the other characters, therefore, they won't be interested in those characters enough to create it, and it's just this ouroboros consuming itself, no matter how much canon content we have of these other characters. and it's ridiculous just how large the Batfamily is becoming because of this, which is why i'm a pre-Flashpoint fan, because then the Batfamily was contained enough to actually feel like a family with every character having nuances relationships with each other, but i digress because those thoughts could be their own post.

and the thing about fanon is it doesn't exist in a vacuum. DC has started turning the comics to accommodate for what fans are asking for, because fans will beg and beg for content they're not going to consume. Tim Drake: Robin had Tim as a coffee drinker because that's the fanon accepted headcanon. and the resolution of the recent Gotham War arc was for Bruce to buy this new manor for everyone to move in and call him. nevermind that most of these characters have their own homes and have zero reason to be moving in with Bruce. Tim had his marina in Tim Drake: Robin, Dick has Bludhaven, Cass and Steph have their little side of town in Batgirls (2022), and so on. these characters are being forced together as a unit, as one big happy family living together, to appease what non-comic fans want and it's damaging comic relationships. Robin: Knight Terrors saw Jason and Tim team up and working together, which i've seen varying opinions on but i personally despised. their interactions made zero sense for any of their canon history, but it appeases them being this close sibling relationship that fanon acts like they are. also the fears they faced in their respective knight terrors didn't make sense for either character and *only* worked as a moment of bringing them together so they could reassure each other and have this weird dreamscape bonding moment. the canon is bending itself to the will of fanon rather than building on the pre-existing complex relationships. Tim barely even gets along with his most important team in Dark Crisis: Young Justice because it seems the only important relationships the Batfamily can have is with each other. and when we do see them outside of the Batfamily, it only seems to be to relive the glory days like with World's Finest: Teen Titans, instead of developing them as they currently exist. this isn't recent in the comics, it feels like you can trace it back to the New-52, but it does feel a *lot* worse over the recent years. WFA is fine when it exists in its own bubble, but the simple truth is, DC content never exists on its own. the adaptations will reflect back onto the comics. (the damage the Young Justice cartoon has done to some characters should honestly be studied) and so it does frustrate me a bit when fanon-only or adaptation-only fans act like we're being nothing but killjoys for being frustrated with this. since they don't read the comics, they don't see how the comics are suffering as a result of this.

people argue about what's out of character for the comics they don't even read. i'm sorry, but "bad dad Bruce" is consistently canon. that man is just kind of shitty. when you take someone who has the drive he has, who has this need for the Mission first, who needs a teenager in spandex next to him to keep him off the ledge, that guy is sort of going to be a shitty father figure. he just is. not on purpose or with malice, but when you compare him to any other dad in a big DC family, he sure takes the cake. it's why characters like Oliver Queen tend to *really* fucking hate Bruce for how he treats his kids. Bruce loves fiercely, but he doesn't do well with putting that love first. and his love is a controlling one, he is very particular about controlling how others in the Batfamily are "allowed" to operate. it's what drives the wedge between him and Dick, it's why Steph is never a true daughter to him. (besides the reason of her needing to be a love interest to Tim first, anyway-) i've never understood the massive outcry of people reacting to Bruce kinda being shitty in comics they're not reading. there are some moments that get ridiculously OOC with how cartoonishly evil he is (the whole Gotham War arc and that... complicated mess with Jason) but largely if you want sitcom loving nuclear father Bruce, you have to accept that is a fanon thing, not a canon one. the Batfamily being a nuclear family in *general* is fanon. most of the "Batkids" don't actually see Bruce in a particularly fatherly light and begging for moments where he calls them his kids or they call him dad outside of incredibly specific circumstances is just OOC.

it's getting harder and harder to exist peacefully in this fandom it feels like, if you don't comply to the standard fanon has set. i'm happy people are having fun with their blorbos, even if in ways i dislike, but that "harmless fandom fun" does ripple it's way back to canon, eventually. so i end up pretty tangled with my feelings because are fans at fault for DC making these poor decisions? probably not, but it certainly feels like an unfortunate cause-and-effect situation whether at the end of the day, nobody is happy. and of course, i know some fanon-only fans are striving to be more canon accurate and care about canon dynamics more than others, but for them it's always going to be an uphill battle with the above-mentioned out-of-context panels thrown around and ever-pervasive fanon overtaking anything that's truly seeking to be canon compliant. so really, it sometimes feels like we're all losing.

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Would you be willing to do relationship hcs with any of the following from Blue Exorcist? :0

Juzo Shima, Satan, Shiro Fujimoto, Yuri Egin, Mephisto?

Hi Anon! Thank you for your request! I hope you like the headcanons.

Fandom: Blue Exorcist

Characters: Juzo Shima, Satan, Shiro Fujimoto, Yuri Egin, Mephisto Pheles x gn! Reader (separate)

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General dating headcanons for the Blue Exorcist characters.

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Juzo is an interesting balance between a super caring partner who would never hurt a fly and someone who would fight entire wars if you asked him to.

In the same vein, he’s more than willing to do anything you ask of him, even if it’s something as simple as getting rid of a bug.

A really good listener. Anything you want to talk about, he’s setting aside whatever he reasonably can to put all of his focus on you.

I feel like he can be a bit overprotective at times, even to the point of smothering you but if you ask him to back off and let you do your thing, he’ll respect your wishes.

Juzo just doesn’t want anything to happen to you. He’s already lost a lot of his friends and family to demons, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing you too.

Satan’s a challenging one to write relationship headcanons for, mostly because the only “relationship” we ever saw him in was his obsession with Yuri. So I’ll try to write these as accurately as possible without making them completely toxic.

Very willing to learn from you and listen. He’s a curious being after all and, while the number of people he trusts or cares about is very small, he does value their opinions.

Definitely the kind of person (can I call him a person if he’s a demon?) to cherish quality time. He can be a bit clingy sometimes, but he just wants to spend time with the person he cares about most.

He’s also very into gift giving but be warned, his gifts may be a bit erratic at first. He’s sort of like a stray cat that’s taken a liking to you. You might end up with dead bugs and sticks beside your bed.

All of that being said, a relationship with Satan is almost certain to be toxic in some way shape or form. He’s never had a “normal” relationship and doesn’t know where to start since he doesn’t see anything wrong with his way of thinking.

Shiro is a lot like Juzo in that he’s got two sides to him in a relationship. And I don’t mean this in a bad way!

On one hand, he’s the most caring and protective partner you could hope for. He’s always paying attention to what you’re talking about and will do his best to support you in everything you do.

On the other hand, he will tease you mercilessly and play minor pranks at every possible moment. It’s one of his love languages.

Having said that, he respects you deeply and will always back off with his teasing if you’ve had a bad day or ask him to stop.

He’s also amazing at helping you relax after a long day. He’s drawing you a relaxing bath, adding some decorations (if the Vatican didn’t want him using those exorcism candles and salt for baths, why did they work so well for just that?) and cooking your favourite meal. It’s really the least he can do.

Yuri is a very caring partner. She was able to show kindness to Satan, even after everything he did so she’s certainly capable of caring deeply about someone so close to her.

She loves spending quality time with you. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, as long as you’re able to sit together.

As part of this, she loves twining one leg around yours while you’re sitting together if that’s something you’re comfortable with.

She didn’t have the best childhood, so she does sometimes have doubts about your relationship. Just give her some words of reassurance (or acts of affection if words aren’t your thing) and she’ll be feeling better in no time.

Yuri would love it if you’re interested in exorcism. She’s got a lot she wants so talk about, especially regarding demons not being as bad as everyone makes them out to be, so please let her ramble about her thoughts.

Mephisto is an interesting case. If you’re in a relationship, that means you’ve caught his attention. And that means he’s going to protect you with all of his demonic powers.

However, sometimes he can seem as though he’s only with you because he sees you as a curiosity.

If this ever gets too much or you’re doubting the sincerity of your relationship, just tell him and he’ll set aside his piles of paperwork to talk to you about his behaviour.

He loves entertaining you with his magic, as well as going on fun dates. Mephy Land is always a hit and, since he owns the place, you’ll never have to pay for any of the food or rides.

He’s surprisingly attentive when you’re talking about your day. He wants to learn more about humans and their behaviours and what better way than to study the person he cares about most.

[stoopid-turtle]

On the Acceptance of Unsteady Ground

Throughout this whole dive into turtle world, I've been very conscious of just how LITTLE access to information I have. I'm relying so heavily on English translations and platforms, and most of these are from turtles, so I'm fully aware I'm getting a biased perspective.

I've tried to read stuff from solos or even just neutral third-parties. The neutral parties don't have much depth of information, though, and I found solos heavy on accusations and declarations but light on actual...evidence. And they sometimes use some really nasty rhetoric against the idea that gg and dd might be gay.

Don't get me wrong, turtles get weird too. There's plenty of clearly false rumors, deceptively edited videos, silly stretches of logic, weird ideas of what how people in a relationship would act, etc. But there's at least enough English-speaking turtles that I can find some who are giving open and, as far as I can tell, accurate information (honestly, I find tumblr turtledom better at that then other platforms). I haven't really found a similar pocket of solo fans.

I'm also aware that there's always going to be a limit on how much I can know. I don't speak the language, so I'm always relying on translators. I have limited access to Weibo (even putting aside the language barrier, I'm in text confirmation limbo in actually getting an account), and I have little familiarity with the culture. I don't get a lot of the jokes or references, and stuff may strike me, an English-speaking American, differently than it would someone in China.

Add on top of that the fact that I'm trying to find out purposely obscured information about two celebrities, and, yeah, I'm fully aware that I'm on unsteady ground here. I can do my best, but I'm never going to know anything for certain.

But I've become okay with that.

It took a while. The dissatisfaction with the unknown (and unknowable) is what drove a lot of my early fixation and subsequent fall into the turtle pit. But now, especially after laying out my thoughts, I've reached a zen place with it. I'm 100% certain ggdd were together during filming/promo, and I'm 95% certain they're still together (I had this at 85% originally, but then the whole dd being sick and gg changing his schedule thing happened and I'm just...welp, guess I'm in this confidence interval, then).

Just having that certainty means I can enjoy updates from them without anguishing about "proof" or uncertainty. Oh, gg took the day off on dd's birthday? That's really sweet! I'm not gonna fuss about if it's coincidence ENOUGH to convince me, because I'm already convinced. It's a good place to be.

I typically don't care about celebrities. In fact, I've long been bewildered by celebrity culture here in the US, and I've often been actively annoyed when people assume/expect me to have opinions on things celebrities do. I'm the nerd who doesn't get why the actors get all the attention when the writer or director would be much more interesting.

So the fact that I've gone all fangirlish over two celebrities is bizarre to me, and I appreciate the irony. Well done, me. I attribute some of it to just being able to watch the bts and see their early interactions play out like a story. I find stories compelling, and both gg and dd are charismatic, attractive and have great chemistry. Whatever disdain I have for celebs, I do love a romance.

In my foray into the ggdd world, though, I've also had to learn more about c-ent, and y'all. It's nuts. Like, US entertainment is nuts too, but c-ent ratchets it up to 11. I've been in fandom a long time, and I thought I'd seen some weird stuff, but it's got nothing on c-ent. Just wrapping my head around the culture these guys are in took a lot of learning.

But I appreciate being able to dive into this culture and this country, because I knew very little about China beyond the antagonistic politics. It's been refreshing to get a view on life on the ground in China to humanize the folks there and get a clearer picture of the country.

I started this thing bc I had been spending so much time on Youtube watching clips, and I had thoughts and opinions and nowhere to put them. I already had a tumblr that I use to lurk on some fandoms and I had started following turtles too. I figured tumblr would be a decent place to splurge out my thoughts, so I set up a throwaway account to do so.

I get the vibe that a lot of new turtles come to bjyx through the same route I took? They watch The Untamed on Netflix. They get curious about the show and start watching some clips on YT. Next thing you know, they have 3 playlists full of purported "proof of love" and they need a whiteboard to connect everything together and their wife thinks they've gone completely bonkers supports them in all their oddities.

Like, I was really confused by turtles at first. I was just trying to watch bts videos on YouTube and I didn't know what bjyx meant, but the videos with the label were weird and had strange disclaimers that they were "only for turtles" and I had no clue what that even meant.

My confusion continued as I tried to read more. The fake story disclaimer convention is hella confusing as an outsider, and my first impression was that turtles were kinda crazy. The videos I saw gave overviews of candies without context, and some of them explicitly said they were proof of Yizhan love while still having that fake story disclaimer. Basically, it was a big confusing environment, and it's why I resisted buying into bjyx so hard for so long. It all seemed delulu.

But in reading more, I guess part of that is the point? Recognizing that gg and dd are in a vulnerable position should their relationship ever come out, having so much noise to muddy the waters makes a twisted, clownish sense. I don't know who came up with that convention or if it just kinda happened (is it a normal thing in c-ent? I don't know enough about celebrity fandoms), but hats off, I guess.

With the supertopic recently hitting 4 million active fans, there's something heartening about such a depth of support for the guys. I'm not naive enough to think all 4 million (plus international fans) are allies to LGBT folk in general, but it surely means something to ggdd to have that sort of support for their relationship. Honestly, it means something to me, as a random gay chick on the other side of the world, to see a gay couple get that kinda of support behind them.

I started watching the bts because I was afraid there'd be a lot of cynical homophobia on the set or some evidence of all the male cast being icked out by the whole thing. Instead, I got gg, who was so passionate about WWX being gay. I love that everybody knew they were telling a love story with as explicitly as they could get away with. I love that the guys wanted more Wangxian scenes and that the cast and crew made "everyday is everyday" jokes in a non-mocking way. I'm glad that the whole shoot seemed like such a positive environment for the cast and crew to being themselves and tell a type of story that they may not be able to be involved with ever again.

So, yes, this is my zen turtle place. When I set up a soapbox for myself, I didn't think too much about the fact that people would respond, but I'm so grateful to have had a chance to talk to some other turtles! Everybody is lovely and thank you for sharing my enthusiasm.

Like I said in the beginning, I don't have the time to keep super-active in the long-term. I had intended to write up my thoughts and poof away. But I do also plan to keep up with gg and dd and turtles, so instead I'm just gonna leave off with the potential for further posts down the line.

I'm not gonna be incredibly active, so please don't expect frequent updates or interactions from me. But if I have more Yizhan thoughts I'll pop up again with a post (I mean, I do have lots more thoughts, but nothing energizing enough to write about), or I'll leave a comment somewhere if I have something I simply must say. I'm also open to responding to asks about the timeline or anything else. And if I ever do stumble across anything groundbreaking with regards to the timeline, I'll probably add that in, because I'm particular about things being complete.

So thanks for being so welcoming! It's been a joy to clown around and make up completely fictional stories with everybody here. 🤡🐢🙇🏼

[plus-size-reader]

Safe

Richie Kirsch x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2816 words

Warnings: the reader gets stabbed, fandom-typical violence, romanticizing a known serial killer

Summary: Richie “saves” the reader from Ghostface, and she doesn’t want to leave his side after that.

@armyangxls​​ requested this forever ago, and I just got around to finishing it. I hope you enjoy it darling!

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You almost didn’t believe it.

Not that you had been attacked. You had sort of figured that at some point or another, you would end up on the chopping block due to your close proximity to Sam Carpenter, your best friend.

What you couldn’t believe was that you survived the encounter.

By some miracle, or more accurately by Richie Kirsch, you were still breathing even after coming face to face with that fucking ghost mask.

He had saved you, and even more impressively, he was made it out too. He had survived and so had you, with little more than a flesh wound to speak of.

It wasn’t bad, considering how it could have gone. Still, that didn’t make the whole being stabbed in the side hurt any less.

It hurt like a bitch.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay” Richie cooed, trying his best to be comforting in the aftermath of what you’d just gone through.

You tried your best not to scoff at that, finding it hard to be positive with a stab wound leaking all over the floor.

The only thing that kept you quiet, really, was the knowledge that he had just tried to take on a masked serial killer for no other reason than to save your life, and he didn’t deserve any attitude.

Even if he wanted to say stupid things like that.

“I can’t believe I got fucking stabbed” you groaned, resting your head back against the cabinet and letting out a huffy breath.

Richie hummed at that, only half paying attention as he took in the scene in front of him. Honestly, he couldn’t believe you got stabbed either, considering it hadn’t actually been part of the plan.

Not that he could tell you that.

It wouldn’t bring you any comfort now.

“How bad is it?” you wondered, not entirely sure if you wanted to know, but doing your best to say something, anything that would fill the empty space between you.

You were flushed, and panting but if you asked Richie, you still looked pretty…in a just-got-attacked-by-a-serial-killer kind of way.

Though, considering you didn’t ask him, he chose to keep that little fact to himself. Instead, he forced himself to grimace as he glanced down at where the blade had pierced your flesh.

There was a lot of blood, and from this angle, he couldn’t even really tell how bad the killer had gotten you.

So, after a careful glance back at your face, he decided to just tell you that. “I’m going to look at it, okay?”

With careful hands, he lifted what he could of your bloodied t-shirt to take a look at the damage Ghostface had managed to do before he showed up.

It wasn’t pretty.

The soft skin of your midsection was marred, and you were sure to have a pretty gnarly scar once they stitched you up. Thankfully though, it didn’t look too deep and he was sure you’d live.

Richie was a lot of things, but a doctor was not one of them.

All he could tell was that the bleeding wasn’t too bad, a steady trickle more than a gush, which meant that you would recover. He might not know much about surviving stab wounds, but he knew enough to know that you weren’t dying.

He would definitely know if you were dying.

“So, what’s the verdict, Doc?” you questioned, trying to laugh though it was cut short with a hiss as his fingers met the hole in your abdomen.

You weren’t sure what he was doing, but considering it was either trust Richie or bleed out on the floor, you kept your mouth shut.

“You got stabbed,” he laughed, his eyes not meeting yours as he focused on the task at hand. Using the hole in your shirt as leverage to tear the bottom part off, he started, doing his best to pack the wound with some of the cotton.

It wasn’t pretty, but all things considered, that couldn’t have been the furthest thing from your mind.

Maybe under different circumstances, you may have blushed or attempted to tug the edges of your shirt down further to cover the exposed pudge of your lower stomach but that seemed silly now.

Besides, Richie didn’t even seem phased at the appearance of your usually hidden skin, much less disturbed by it.

“Good news is, we’re already in a hospital” he teased, his eyes flicking back up to you for a second, a smirk playing on his lips as he attempted to joke with you, just to make sure you caught it.

You smiled, a small nod letting him know that you both got his joke and appreciated his attempt to make light of the situation.

Getting stabbed hadn’t been on your to-do list, but it seemed that if it had to happen, you could do a lot worse in terms of first responders than Richie.

“Aright. What do you say we get you some help, huh?” he suggested, standing from where he’d been, kneeling over your crumbled frame and offering you a hand.

It was going to hurt, standing up, but there wasn’t exactly a good way to get around it. So, you bit the inside of your cheek and pushed through the screaming of your abdomen until you were on your feet.

Richie held you there until you were ready to take a step and even then, he didn’t let go of the hold he had on you, his arm secured around your back.

This hadn’t been part of the plan, and it certainly wasn’t in his script, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.

After all, everybody loved a little bit of romance with their gore, and a pretty girl on his arm could only make him more likable in the end. It was a win-win, as long as you healed up well enough to make all those public appearances with him when everything was said and done.

~

The doctors made quick work of the wound you were sporting.

After Tara, they knew exactly what they were dealing with and your injuries were nowhere near as severe, so they were done relatively quickly. Of course, that didn’t mean that you could go home.

You had to spend at least a couple of days under observation, just to make sure the knife hadn’t caused more serious complications, or knicked something internally that they hadn’t caught yet.

Which was just fantastic.

You had almost been butchered a few floors down, but somehow you were supposed to feel safe sleeping here all alone? Hardly.

“You awake in there?”

The sound of Richie’s voice from behind the closed door startled you from your brooding, and you couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on your face as you thought about seeing him again.

He had saved your life, after all.

“Yeah, come on in” you called, confirming that you were, in fact, awake and more than willing to have a visitor.

Your parents weren’t going to be able to make it, and with them out of the picture, you were pretty much looking at a weekend here all by yourself. Staring at the ceiling tiles was entertaining, but somehow you thought actual conversation with another human would top it.

Richie did as you suggested, careful to close the door gently behind him. The doctors told you he waited the entire time you were in surgery, but when you woke up, he was gone.

Evidently, getting some stitches of his own.

You winced as you took notice of his bandaged forearm, “Did they do a good job getting you patched up?” you wondered, thinking back to the moment he’d burst into the room and saved you from certain death.

It felt like a dream now, but the sharp pain still radiating in your side confirmed it was real. You had almost been butchered downstairs, and had Richie not shown up, you wouldn’t have been here at all.

The sequence of events had been coming back to you more and more as you sat here, trying to put it all together in your head.

You had gotten a text from Amber asking you to meet her in Tara’s room and assuming the worst, you headed that way.

At some point in your journey, the killer had come at you from the back and knocked you from your feet, resulting in you both hitting your head and ultimately getting stabbed, when you rolled over to fend off another blow.

You didn’t even realize you’d been stabbed at first.

It wasn’t until Richie came rushing into the hospital room and drew Ghostface’s attention away from you that you noticed the blood pooling around you.

Your hand slipped in the crimson when you went to stand, and you fell back to the tile floor. That was where you were when he screamed, the killer’s blade slicing clean through the skin of his left arm.

It wasn’t a terrible injury, all things considered, but you still couldn’t believe that he’d just done that. That he’d gone out of his way to put himself between the killer and you, someone he’d only met a few days prior.

“I think so. What about you?” Richie wondered, not bothered by your faraway look as he moved to sit down beside your bed in the visitor's chair.

He had a little bit of experience with wounds like yours, but he was never putting them back together more than he was making them worse.

You nodded in reply, watching as he filled one of the paper cups on your side table with water, and offered it to you, in a gesture far more caring than you ever would have imagined from him.

Though, after today, it would seem that you had been too quick to judge him. Richie had to be a good guy, or else he wouldn’t still be here.

“Are you headed home?” you asked, trying to make small talk as you finished up with your water and handed it back to him.

You couldn’t imagine anyone willingly spending time here if they didn’t have to, and considering that he was up and around, you figured that meant he was probably on his way out.

Just checking in before he went out to Sam again.

“I have a little time, you know if you’re lonely” Richie shrugged, a little too quickly to be considered casual though you didn’t really catch it. All you heard was that you didn’t have to be alone for a little while longer.

Which, after everything that had happened today, felt like a wave of relief washing over you.

“We can watch Stab 5. It’s on Netflix, and trust me, it’s the best one” he assured, not even giving you a chance to reply before pulling out his phone and searching for title in question happily.

You may not have known how deep his love for the franchise went, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t enjoy a movie together regardless.

“You don’t think that’s a little morbid? Y’know, with Ghostface running around” you countered, immediately forcing Richie to rethink his whole plan. If you didn’t like these movies, you really weren’t going to like the rest of his movie.

Though, as soon as he met your gaze, he melted again.

You were messing with him.

Even though you were tired and recovering from a pretty nasty wound, you had this soft smirk on your face that told Richie everything he needed to know.

“Don’t be scared. I already proved I can protect you, didn’t I?” he grinned, pressing play and listening as the opening score met his ears, after scooting his chair closer to where you were laying so you could enjoy it too.

You two stayed like that for a while, not really saying much to one another, aside from the occasional muttering of facts or repeating of lines from Richie when his favorite parts would flash across the screen.

It was nice.

It had been a while since you had been able to just enjoy sharing space with another person, and you never would have guessed you’d find that with someone like Richie.

Not that you could deny it.

He was different than you thought, and for once, that seemed like it was a good thing.

You smiled, thinking back to the way you’d refused his handshake the first time he’d introduced himself. He just seemed too nice, and too put together, that kind of thing always put you on edge.

Richie caught sight of your soft expression from the corner of his eye, the movie forgotten now as the end credits rolled. He started to say something, to ask what you were thinking about or how you liked the movie, but he never got the chance.

Before he could even consider what he wanted to ask, a bell chimed through the hospital letting you both know that it was nearly 8 pm.

It was time for him to go home.

…and time for you to accept your fate.

Richie was the first to speak, breaking the silence between you as he stood from his chair, moving it back to its original position. “I guess I should get ready to go”

He spoke slowly, like it was his turn to be lost in thought, contemplating whether or not he should really leave you here all alone.

The entire time he’d been here, no one else had called or texted to check on you. It seemed like you were completely alone, and he didn’t really want to just abandon you here.

“Yeah, you should go home, get some sleep” you agreed, not even trying to hide the disappointment in your tone.

You needed to get ahold of yourself.

This was your best friend’s boyfriend, and just because he saved your life from a serial killer, packed your wound with his bare hands, and then spent the evening keeping you company didn’t mean there was anything between you.

There couldn’t be.

Again, Richie faltered, clearly not ready to go but not able to come up with a good enough reason to stay either.

It felt like there was something else to say like the right words were right there on the tip of his tongue and his brain just couldn’t access them.

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then” this time, the words came out more resigned, sort of how a huffy child would react after being put in time-out.

Wordlessly, he gathered his things and headed toward the door, looking back at you only once before pulling it open, intent on taking his leave.

Fuck it.

“Hey Rich,” you called, watching as he jolted back at the sound of your voice, too much hope and expectation evident on his face. “Will you stay with me?”

Your voice was far sweeter than you’d ever heard before as you practically pleaded with him not to leave, ignoring the nagging pain in your side as you shifted toward where he was standing.

Visiting hours were over, or at least, coming to an end.

Luckily, since you didn’t really have much family to speak of and no one else had come to visit, it wasn’t like he’d have any competition for your overnight visitor's slot.

If he wanted it, that was.

The second you spoke, you wondered if you’d made a mistake. That was a pretty bold move, and no matter how much you ignored the facts, he was currently taken which added a layer of complexity.

So far, you hadn’t actually done anything wrong by Sam, but you were certainly in the grey area.

“You can if you want, I mean, I’d feel better if I wasn’t alone” you added, hoping that this wasn’t too much pressure all at once. He’d already saved your life today, so you could understand if he wasn’t exactly looking for anything else.

It wasn’t as if you could expect more than that.

Still, any resistance that may have been there washed away as soon as you offered, and Richie grinned. As if he was going to actually turn down a chance to spend more time with you.

“Yeah, I can do that” he decided, almost all at once. “We can watch 6 and 7 too, so you can tell me which one you like best”

You knew it was wrong, to want his attention as much as you did, but right now, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You had nearly been butchered earlier and the only thing that saved you was Richie.

So, if you wanted to keep him by your side a little longer, you doubted anyone would blame you for that.

Besides, Right now, Richie was the only person you knew for sure could be trusted and you needed to know you were safe.

Even if only for one more night.

[kaija-rayne-author]

Review 3 for Dragon Age Veilguard

13 hours in 11 actual playtime

Spoilers for Veilguard

Disclaimer the same as on the others. Skip to the cut if you've already read it.

I'm not an asshole disclaimer (same as the first one, if you read that, you can just skip down to the cut.)

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Review 2 is here.

So I'm waiting for my kids to go to freaking bed. I've gotten a few hours of playing in so far today.

It got a little more interesting after seeing Solas again. (And not just because I'm Solavellan. I honestly hate how he looks.) I mean just in the storyline.

It might almost be feeling like there might be a story somewhere in this mess? Aaaand it still hasn't caught me up. But at least I'm not cussing at it and wanting to rage quit anymore? (not holding my breath that that's gonna last.)

Saw some things I don't want to spoil that I was hoping to see in the game. But dude... did they have to go right along the middle between red and brown hair? Way to completely pander to everyone. Have some courage Bioware.

I used to think of Bioware games as interesting and groundbreaking fun. Starting to think they're going the way of milquetoast. Bland. I'm still holding off my complete opinion. I'll finish it first. But so far? The best parts of this game? Are the sets, environments, and backgrounds. It's about the only thing that feels like Dragon Age.

Did get a chance to meet some of my favourite characters from Tevinter Nights. So there's that at least.

I do love what they did with the characters from my favourite stories in that book. At least the ones we met so far. (And I absolutely called it on TN being a prequel book for this game.) You don't need to read it any more than you need to read any of the other supplementary materials. But those materials do give you a greater depth of enjoyment of these games. Just because you get to see characters you met in different formats in the games. And catch a few jokes you wouldn't otherwise.

Met Lucanis. Reserving judgment. Lolz. Anyone following me for a while will understand why. But as of this moment, I still like Illario better. In case you're curious, here's why.

Oh and I've absolutely decided I hate Lace Harding. This is not the Lace Harding I wanted to romance in DAI. And yeah... it's been eight years game time (Ten if you count Trespasser) and people change. But that much? I doubt it. The way she's depicted in this game is much closer to how the comics depicted her. Judgmental, close-minded, and just... unpleasant. If you're a Solavellan... you may not want to take her to some of the things in the Crossroads. She says things that anyone with freaking eyes could see aren't accurate.

She can just sulk in the Lighthouse for the rest of the game unless I absolutely need her for something.

Review part 3.5 here

[matan4il]

So, I’m a fandom blog, and I made a rule awhile back that I will not post about politics. I will use other platforms to do that, but this is my blog I do for fun, to de-stress and escape the world for a bit. But with how Tumblr has been going, spreading anti-Semitic lies fed to them by groups like Hamas? I’m just not sure it’s ethical to keep quiet. Every time I log on and scroll through my dashboard, I am unfollowing multiple people because of their anti-Israel posts. I will continue to speak on other platforms, but I feel like I can’t keep tumblr as my separate “fun” blog anymore. I might make another account to post about this, so I don’t have to deal with what I don’t doubt will be a lot of hate on the account I post content on the Jewish massacres. The whole ordeal makes me sick.

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for this ask.

I empathize so much. I didn't get on Tumblr 'coz I wanted to talk politics, I came here 'coz I wanted to yell together with others about fandom stuff. Because we ALL need a distraction. And it's not like life in Israel was exactly easy before Oct 7. An online respite was very much needed.

But yes, I feel the same. I might not have planned to do the daily updates, but the disgusting reactions to Jews being massacred, or to us simply mourning our dead, convinces me I have to speak. The way one person put it, and it feels very accurate, is that I don't care about losing followers more than I care about losing so many of our people.

Of course you do what feels right for you, how it feels right! I'm PROUD of you for speaking out, despite how hard and scary it is. For me personally, I'm not sorry that, despite not planning it, I ended up speaking about this on my personal account. I hope a few people who might not have listened otherwise, have paid attention because I'm someone they know. But more than that, this is a part of who I am as a person. I am fiercely Jewish. It's not divisible from who I am as a human being, fandom silliness included. If people like my meta, for example, they get into how my brain analyzes subtext, or compares scenes, then hopefully they get that that's the same brain that has studied and analyzed the conflict, and which is capable of holding a complex and nuanced view of it, which is worth listening to. So I'm not sorry. But I totally get why you'd want to make a separate account. And honestly, the fact that we're being driven to even have to make that choice, be scared of the abuse we will get for speaking about what happened to our people on our own blogs, it is precisely a part of the issue, so thank you for making others aware of it, too!

Please, don't hesitate to update me or let me know if I can help with anything! Sending you lots of hugs and love! And take care of yourself, okay? xoxox

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[tofautisawa]

Hello‚ KuraMonody's author here. First of all thanks for mentioning Hasani in that hyena character post, it made me really happy :3

I wanted to jump in this lion "discourse" because I'm salty haha. I only have watched a few clips of My Pride but never fully watched because I picked up some red flags even before the drama came out so I'm surprised it was promoted as "realistic" lion media. I Hope So handles the same concept way better I think.

I'm getting off track here‚ what I wanted to say is‚ when it comes to lion media I think people tend to be obsessed with the idea that it should be 100% realistic even if what they believe is actually fake. If people belive MP is accurate then they will stick to MP. There's a pattern to this‚ with TLK for example‚ there's this wild belief that Scar/ Mufasa's is 100% Nala father or that Scar should be the atractive one of the brothers even tho those movies are about singing lions and you can tell it's purely fictional‚ but for some reason people are convinced some stuff should be super accurate to real life.

Then there's the fake widely known facts. I got a bunch of comments about how male lions don't hunt even tho they DO and they were nomads so it's logical that they would hunt. People tend to have those facts as completely true‚ just like saying hyenas are pure scavengers or something. Also they once forget things can be different in xenofiction.

I think another problem that contributes to the Tau slander is that the lion is a symbol of strenght. The King of the Jungle‚ all that thing. Is such an ideolized animal that people just get pissy when someone like Tau gets introduced. It also doesn't help that sensitive‚ anxious and shy male characters are seen as weak and not desirable which is totally stupid. I have watched a lot of comments insulting male characters like that‚ also complaining about why a strong girl would like that kind of male character even tho having a good heart should be enough. So between Tau being a lion and a shy male character‚ he gets double hate.

This is all kinda sad honestly.

Thanks for reading all of this if you did‚ I only have a fandom account so that's why Im going anon. I had to spit out my frustration.

Yo! I had to mention Hasani, he is such a cute character. I love him!

As for the whole realism stuff, I think people consider My Pride as "realistic" is mostly because of how brutal it can be if you ignore the advertising. Whenever fans defend the "realism", they mostly mention the infanticide and act like people can't question it's inclusion or think it doesn't make sense considering the circumstances and kind of ignore everything else. I seen this a lot with DetectiveCalico's review of the show as well as one of the shitposts of Proud killing the cubs while the lionesses shrug. Personally, I am not bothered by the fact that infantcide was included in the story in general ( and also I would be a massive fucking hypocrite if I did), but mostly on HOW it's presented in the story that bugs me more than anything.

I honestly don't care if things aren't 100% realistic ( I'm not 17 anymore) because let's face it, you HAVE to take liberties in order to tell a story. I try to get as much accurate behavior and information as I can in my comic because hyenas are some amazing creatures, but it's not gonna be 100% realistic because let's face it, a lot of shit that happens in Tofauti Sawa wouldn't happen in real life and I have kind of broken out of certain things over the years because I am not nearly as jaded as I used to be. Tofauti Sawa is actually the only story I want to do that operates like this. But I feel like if you are gonna have a completely fantasy story like My Pride that features things like actual goddesses, curses, and lion gods controlling the weather-the creator really should act like this is some grounded realistic story because it isn't but you have now bought attention to how the lions and their behavior is gonna be portrayed and people will most likely point it out when it's incorrect. I think this is pretty much why I tend to rag on The Lion Guard whenever it tries to be educational but would then get it's information incorrect. "Common Knowledge really." is so funny when Ono says something wrong. lol

(I had another whole ass example right here but decided to remove it because this post is getting too long.)

Though I must point out no matter what, people will often question things in universe or point out things related to the real life animal to how they are shown in fiction- it's pretty unavoidable but I don't think a majority of people are being malicious about it and treat it more like trivia than anything at least I hope. Like how Clownfish work in comparison to Finding Nemo for example. Some people will mention that while also being aware that there is no fucking way they are gonna put parent-child incest in this movie for the sake of "realism".

And honestly, I never really thought of Tau's species being a contributing factor to the whole thing other than the whole "role" aspect of it all. So that is another interesting way to look at it.

But yeah, thank you so much for your insight and input on the matter and keep up good work with the comic!

[sacredpit]

HEADCANON GENERATOR   (   KAKYOIN’S VERSION   )

it would not take much for kakyoin to turn evil .

WELL   . . .   technically it took a fleshbud .   but leading up to that ,   there’s a lot of speculation about why   /   how kakyoin didn’t escape from dio like avdol did ,   &   i think the logical explanation for that is just that avdol was very lucky that he encountered dio in the place he was born   &   knew how to navigate the backstreets to get away from him .   but even if kakyoin had that same advantage ,   i don’t think he would have gotten away .   he was drawn to dio ,   &   even when he realized that he was in trouble ,   he was already paralyzed with fear   &   unfortunately became a victim .

    also ,   it depends on where in the timeline we’re talking about .   kakyoin is definitely   ‘   good   ’   in the sense that he has a righteous heart   &   is motivated by things like compassion   &   empathy for others ,   but he is not opposed to doing some fucked up shit if he thinks it’s for the greater good .   he has   &   will   kill people without hesitation if he thinks they deserve it .   he’s different from jotaro in that sense that he isn’t as merciful   &   can be pretty vindictive when he wants to be lol .

    but i don’t think he’d go   evil   at all .   dio is the most disgusting   &   vile creature ever born in kakyoin’s eyes   &   the idea of being anything like him would make him physically ill .

kakyoin gets road rage .

    accurate lmfao if you cut him off prepare to die .

kakyoin is a theatre kid .

    literally ,   no .   but at heart ??   absolutely .   kakyoin puts on entire musicals in the shower .   &   he’s got quite a voice ,   too !!   he could have made it on broadway in another life .

kakyoin knows fnaf lore .

contrary to what some people in this fandom think ,   he actually doesn’t know anything about fnaf .   but his son does   &   since jotaro often makes the excuse of having some paper or something to work on ,   kakyoin is often the one on the other end of jouta’s fnaf infodumps   ━━━━   but in all honesty ,   he really doesn’t mind .   he’s not gonna remember half of what jouta is telling him because he kind of doesn’t care but he knows how important it is for a kid to feel like they’re being listened to by their parents ,   especially when it comes to something they’re passionate about ,   so he does genuinely give him his attention   &   listens intently even though he will flush the information out of his brain later to make room for useless trivia to annoy jotaro with .

kakyoin is oblivous to any and all romantic interest someone may show them .

this is true for him as a teen ,   but not so much when he’s an adult .   as he gets older ,   kakyoin becomes very aware that he is attractive   &   that he gets attention from people of all genders ,   especially men .   &   though the only man he wants is his jojo ,   he is not opposed to using his attractiveness to get what he wants when the opportunity presents itself ,   lol .

    the only exception is with an oc of mine ,   yong ,   who he trained with at spw   &   had sort of a friends - with - benefits arrangement while kakyoin was trying to   ‘   get over   ’   jotaro during their breakup / not together for whatever reason era ,   but well .   we all know how that ends .   &   kak thought the fwb   ‘   relationship   ’   was purely physical   &   separate from their friendship ,   but that couldn’t have been further from the truth .   &   by the time they reunite in morioh   &   kakyoin   &   jotaro are together   . . .   things get weird   &   awkward real quick lmfao because while kakyoin has no idea that yong is interested in him as more than a friend ,   jotaro notices   immediately .

kakyoin wears hello kitty socks .

he is partial to keroppi but hello kitty socks are not off the table .

kakyoin is the gay cousin .

a few of his cousins on the himura side in morioh are also gay but yes ,   he is   thee   gay cousin .

kakyoin bullies kids on roblox .

if he ever played roblox he would absolutely be arguing with twelve - year - olds   &   would probably get banned from playing by jotaro .

kakyoin has a diary that they write in with a glittery gel pen .

he does keep a diary !!   but kakyoin is very serious about all things stationery   /   office supplies   &   would hate glitter gel pens because they’re not neat   &   look tacky .   he definitely does use colored ink though   &   color codes his diary by everything from day to emotion to people mentioned lmfao .   &   he loves highlighter pens   &   stamps   &   makes use of those a lot ,   too .   you best believe their family calendar in the kitchen is immaculately organized   &   color coded to the gods .

    on that note ,   once he’s living in florida with jotaro he is like constantly shipping in this stuff from japan because american stationery stores simply do not go as hard .   jotaro doesn’t even blink when he sees like forty dollar shipping on their credit card statement .

kakyoin has an incredible spice tolerance .

he does !!   kakyoin has always has a diverse palate thanks to his parents being well - traveled   &   relatively open - minded ,   but he really built his spice tolerance when he was living in korea during his spw training years .   he went from barely being able to finish the super spicy dishes there to adding gochujang   &   gochugaru to everything he cooks ,   lol .

[gwandas]

it's insane when e/riels claim to like emerie when they only mention her when it's time to hate on nesta and gwyn. they're using that "a boy will be the son of france, but you'll be mine" sound on tiktok and put nesta and gwyn as the fandom favorites (lol) and emerie as "you'll be mine" and like?? and each time it's posted by an e/riel lmao

literally if gwyn had 0 connection to azriel, they would either "like" her or ignore her (just like they do with emerie) until it's time to shit on nesta

too much effort for a character they claim is irrelevant while simultaneously being the next villain whose sole purpose is keeping elain and azriel apart for ? reason

No bc let's talk about it

I don't believe for a single second that #those people gaf about Emerie. They literally only bring her up to chastise Nesta/Valkyrie stans for "sidelining her," call people racist for "ignoring her," etc.

If I'm being honest... yes. Emerie is sidelined by the fandom. Emerie and Gwyn have about the same amount of page time (Valkyrie stans look away for a second), but neither of them have that much character development. The only reason Gwyn gets more attention is because of Gwynr*el.

I like to call the Gwynr*el/Eluc*en vs. Elr*el ship war a thinly veiled proxy war since Elr*els normally hate Nesta and are rabid F*ys@nd stans while Gwynr*els/Eluc*ens... idk are generally more likely to like Nesta and aren't up F*ys@nd's ass. Not entirely an accurate analysis since I avoid the ship war but I say it to make my point that YEAH you are absolutely right about them only bringing Emerie up to shit on Nesta.

Like these people say they have to "save her" from Valkyrie stans (lmfao) and pretend to care about Em0rie as a ship despite them never having a conversation while calling Gwynr*el a crackship. I don't ever see them talk about Emerie outside these contexts.

What I have seen though? Whining about the Blood Rite/Valkyrie plot, calling the Valkyries cringy for the friendship bracelets, saying Nuala and Cerridwen are more interesting than Emerie and Gwyn (have they ever even had spoken lines like ??? be FOR REAL). Like NO y'all clearly do not care about Emerie if you're going to shit on literally everything she's involved in 💀

So they see Emerie getting sidelined (because I'm sorry she absolutely is sidelined by the fandom) but they don't actually care about that. It's just an opportunity for them to start posturing and claim moral superiority in a stupid ship war and also shit on Nesta stans at the same time.

[theoneandonlygothicrainbow]

Why the Amity and Willow B Plot in Labyrinth Runners Has More Meaning Than You Think

Labyrinth Runners is a well liked episode in the Owl House fandom. In fact, for me, it’s my absolute favorite episode in the whole show. Many people love it because of Hunter and Gus’s friendship and the way it fleshed out it’s characters despite this episode being the only one without the main trio. However, there is one part of this episode that people seem mixed on or at the very least, think it’s the weakest part of the episode: the Amity and Willow B plot. A lot of people dislike this B plot, saying that it was rushed and didn’t conclude Amity and Willow’s conflict very well. But I beg to differ.

The B plot is basically about Amity being ignorant to Willow’s magical abilities and progress as a witch. She hasn’t payed attention to the progress Willow has made and still thinks Willow is as weak as she used to be. So Amity tries to protect Willow and encourage her progress as a witch.

I liked seeing Willow and Amity having this lack of communication. We know that they care for each other, but so much has changed since they’ve had a deep interaction with each other, and Amity hasn’t seen the full potential of Willow’s magic until this point. This is something I think many fans don’t realize. There are only three episodes where Amity saw Willow’s magic power: I Was a Teenage Abomination, Hooty’s Moving Hassle, and Wing it Like Witches. The first of which was very uncontrolled, the second one was about a conjuring rather than direct magic, and the third one didn’t show a lot of very powerful stuff (not to mention that we don’t know if Amity outright saw it). Alas, none of them accurately show Willow’s true powers as a witch.

In their past encounters, Amity shamed Willow for being bad at magic. In this episode, Amity is trying to be there for Willow and not bully her like she used to. She wants to let Willow know that it’s ok to not be a super strong witch, and she wants to protect her because she thinks she has failed her as a friend. But Amity failed to see that Willow has changed, and doesn’t let bullying get to her anymore. She’s strong as she is, and she sees that when Willow lifts a bookcase off her back, metaphorically lifting a burden that has been weighing Willow down: this perception of weakness.

Willow is a kind person who puts others before herself. She feels a need to prove herself and put on a tough personality. She doesn’t want anyone to think of herself as weak, and I like how she doesn’t want to outright call Amity out on being wrong. She understands that Amity is struggling with the friendship as well and is trying her best, although it still hurts that Amity doesn’t see her as how she wants to be seen: strong. But her one line saying she’ll need some help is also important towards her growth. She is strong, but Willow also understands that strength isn’t necessarily just brute force. It’s also being able to let others help you. Willow has not only had some development in brute strength, but emotional and mental strength as well.

The main highlight is Amity wanting to protect Willow, but we also see that Willow feels incredibly independent and that she doesn’t need any help at all. They reach a healthy compromise because too much help and not enough help can both be bad. They learn to cooperate. By the end, Amity trusts Willow’s abilities and Willow is open to Amity’s help. It’s a lesson for both of them, not just Amity. And once they learn that lesson, they’re able to perform at a more powerful level than they were performing before.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hey, so I saw this post screenshotted on Twitter and being discussed among some Jikookers who are not fond of Tae and I realized something. I think your a safe space for the Jikookers who don’t like Tae but don’t want to publicly mingle with known fandom ‘Tae antis’ or criticize him in a way that would get them cancelled. I know you aren’t a shipping blog and your reasons for not liking Tae are not exactly the same as theirs but I feel like there are these in between Jikookers (they wouldn’t fit in with full blown Tae antis but they are not OT7 either) who find some relief in your blog. Most Jikook blogs here are OT7 and would never tolerate any negative asks about Tae so it seems to me like they’ve found some form of comfort in your words because your blog is not labelled as an anti but at the same time you have no issue sharing your strong opinions on things you don’t like about the boys. I don’t know if I’m making any sense but I’m trying to say that even though you aren’t a shipping blog, many Jikookers seem to be attracted to your blog because you speak favourably about Jimin and Jungkook, you sometimes entertain carefully worded shipping asks, you sometimes clown Taekookers and you aren’t afraid to speak negatively on Tae, all this without being seen as an anti by the vast majority of people on Tumblr. This is basically what the Jikookers I saw on Twitter were saying about your blog.

Please don't get this the wrong way, I'm aware of what the internet is capable of doing in online discourse, but my blog is not a safe space. That term was coined for minorities who actually need it. Sharing some opinions about BTS does not require a safe space. I just want to be clear from the start. I fully understand what you actually mean, but before we're going further, it's best to establish accurately what this place is.

I am aware jikook shipping blogs follow me and I guess some twitter jikookers pay attention. I see the thumbnail photo. I don't think they are a majority, but since I do talk about JM and JK (even from a non-shipping perspective), my posts are in their area of interest, so to speak. Do I know what each and everyone believes about the BTS members and Tae? Nope. I don't check, I don't care. I've said it before, everyone is welcomed here as long as they act reasonable within the parameters of this fandom.

Your description of how my blog is regarded is something that I don't think about. I have no idea what reach it has, let alone to those on twitter. I run a small blog. Definitely smaller than the shipping ones. I see the numbers in notes. I am nowhere near that and that's fine for me. More than fine, actually. With the type of platform such as tumblr, is difficult to know exactly where one is situated within a specific space. All that you described is new to me. I had no idea. And I also thought I'm some certified anti anyway, so I can do and say what I want.

I've been seeing bts related blogs long before I made this one. And I know the ot7 jikook shipping blogs. It's hard not to come across them when my focus has always been on JM and JK. I know they don't tolerate any sort of negative talk. That's their policy and their own space. I don't subscribe to that mentality, but that's me. I believe that being open and more truthful is better. Some of them are actual ot7s, while others not so much. But when you have a high engagement, you don't wanna lose that. Tumblr may not show the number of followers, but if you look at the notes, you can easily figure out the type of influence they have. The space is sort of monopolized, compared to what I used to see in early 2020. A lot has changed. So I can see why others use my blog to talk openly because I allow that. I don't tell people what to think. I want them to do that for themselves. And I don't discriminate instantly. I had perfectly reasonable talks with RM fans, Tae lovers, taekookers, yoonminers, jikookers. I've been blocked by jikookers and called out by pjms and jjks at the same time, which is so ironic.

All in all, we should remember that at the end of the day, we're nothing but a bunch of fans talking daily about men. It's enough coming to terms about that, fighting over it is next level waste of time.

P.S. I still want to know that twitter account though 😊

[reel-fear]

While I won’t deny that misogyny definitely plays a role in it, I also feel like one of the reasons people tend to want to focus more on Blitzwing than on Blackarachnia in fanworks is the same reason people are so obsessed with the secret bosses in Deltarune: the overall mystery surrounding his character.

Blitzwing and Blackarachnia are both unique, one-of-a-kind models, so people are naturally going to have three questions running through their minds upon their debut: what happened to them, what led up to that point, and who they used to be beforehand.

However, despite Blitzwing making more appearances than her, there’s still so little we know about him in comparison with Blackarachnia, who basically has her entire backstory revealed to us in her first spotlight episode. Even the information we do get regarding his past raises more questions than it answers, and that information’s Schrödinger’s canon at best. Fans are naturally drawn towards mysteries, so of course they’re going to be more interested in making content exploring and trying to solve those mysteries rather than just restricting themselves to stuff they already know.

I feel like the writing team showed their cards too early with Blackarachnia and left people with much less of a mystery to play around with other than “is techno-organicness reversible” and “will she cure herself or accept herself for who she is”. I think that maybe if they had had her make more appearances and held off on revealing her backstory until much later, while maybe dropping subtle hints of her knowing Optimus and Sentinel from somewhere and having once been an Autobot, people would feel like they had much more to work with.

(Also, from what I’ve seen, most Blitzwing fans are well aware of the ableist portrayal of his character but are usually neurodivergent themselves and thus have reclaimed him in a sense, alongside portraying him in a much more accurate manner to real-life DID and OSDD in fan works while still acknowledging that he’s an alien robot whose processor is much different from a human brain and thus would logically not be a complete one-to-one regarding analogous disabilities and mental disorders.)

So, I have been admittedly sitting on this ask for while bc it's been hard to digest and fully think about the points being made here. I don't want to get defensive on an impulse so I wanted to kinda stew on it a bit and read it over and over to see how my thoughts change. But really my thoughts are the same as when I first saw it which is most of this? Really just reads as excuses for Blitzwing's popularity that distract from the real causes being sexism and fandom's bias towards conventally attractive characters.

I want to go through this point by point but the TDLR; almost everything said here is also true for other characters who are very much not as popular as Blitzwing usually bc of sexism or not being the kind of characters the fandom cares to pay attention to. Sure you could point out all the things Blitzwing has that BA doesnt and say 'those are the things that make him more popular' but that ignores all the things BA has that Blitzwing doesn't. [Motivation, a personality, complexities, story relevence, she's not a horrible potrayal of the mentally ill, narrative focus etc] That the fandom just pretends don't exist and barely awknowledge, you can't just shy away from the reality that Blitzwing massively benefits from the misogyny present in this fandom because he's ur fave and you like him. That's only being complicit in it and turning a blind eye to it. Sure you could project a lot onto a bland male character and say you like him but you should also keep in mind the female characters who are ACTUALLY complex and interesting characters you tossed to the side to focus on him. I get that you 'awknoledged' the misogny in the first bit of the ask, but when you follow that up with... That it really doesnt come accross as genuine.

Anyways I'm gonna disect this message and talk about why I simply do not buy it.

Firstly

"While I won’t deny that misogyny definitely plays a role in it, I also feel like one of the reasons people tend to want to focus more on Blitzwing than on Blackarachnia in fanworks is the same reason people are so obsessed with the secret bosses in Deltarune: the overall mystery surrounding his character.

Blitzwing and Blackarachnia are both unique, one-of-a-kind models, so people are naturally going to have three questions running through their minds upon their debut: what happened to them, what led up to that point, and who they used to be beforehand."

I'm going to be blunt, this is something SO many characters in TFA have going on. Lugnut is a great example of a character who has way more screentime than Blitzwing [remember Blitzwing disappears by S3 and is replaced by Shockwave as an evil minion but Lugnut stays] but is still almost entirely a mystery in terms of backstory motivation etc. But Lugnut is almost NEVER the center of fan content unless being made to be the butt of the joke and when he does appear hes usually just used as a tool to progress Blitzwing's character, someone to pressure him abt being in the cons, someone to be mean to him, etc.

But Lugnut is an entirely unique design with a helm look no other character has and claws that resemble the ones given to empurata bots in IDW. We don't even know why he hates the autobots so intensely but seeing how fucked up the autobots are in TFA why isn't there more theorizing about what exactly they did to make him need to see their downfall so badly? To the point where Lugnut is constantly at the feet praising someone who he doesn't even know would throw him to the side and leave him for dead the INSTANT it was convient for him.

You could say people don't explore it bc its played as a joke but so is everything about Blitzwing's character, esp his DID which is in increadibly poor taste. No, it's because Lugnut is fat and 'ugly', the fandom has no interest in him, same way they have so little interest in Bulkhead compared to other characters. He's just not hot enough to become the little sexyboy of the fandom. So he's tossed the side same way Bulkhead is. Not to mention characters like Arcee also have a ton of mystery surrounding them but they're women so...

"However, despite Blitzwing making more appearances than her, there’s still so little we know about him in comparison with Blackarachnia, who basically has her entire backstory revealed to us in her first spotlight episode. Even the information we do get regarding his past raises more questions than it answers, and that information’s Schrödinger’s canon at best. Fans are naturally drawn towards mysteries, so of course they’re going to be more interested in making content exploring and trying to solve those mysteries rather than just restricting themselves to stuff they already know.

I feel like the writing team showed their cards too early with Blackarachnia and left people with much less of a mystery to play around with other than “is techno-organicness reversible” and “will she cure herself or accept herself for who she is”. I think that maybe if they had had her make more appearances and held off on revealing her backstory until much later, while maybe dropping subtle hints of her knowing Optimus and Sentinel from somewhere and having once been an Autobot, people would feel like they had much more to work with."

Gonna be honest these paragraphs really piss me off LMAO, BA's mystery goes so much deeper than the two questions provided here such as the fact when trying to cure herself it's almost always potrayed as painful and life THREATENING! The mystery and tension of her character isn't' will she cure herself and can she?' its whether or not she will KILL HERSELF trying to cure her disability. Will she leave the cons? Will she grow to become a better person or keep spiralling down into evil? Fans are drawn to mystery sure but only when that mystery involves a sexy man, when it involved a woman character whose biggest mystery is whether or not her self loathing will kill her, its uninteresting and not worth their time, if they even bother to awknowledge it instead of just making her a scary villain/abuser for their male faves to be sad.

I also have to ask on this point too, fans tend to HEAVILY ignore any canon Blitzwing has either way, nobody awknowledges the bigotry towards organics/techno organics he displays, nor the levels of cruelty so why does canon even really matter in this discussion when as far as fanon is concerned it doesnt? It's excuses. It only matters now bc now people wanna justify the reason BA is a mean evil woman and Blitzwing is a sad puppy boy with so many complexities in fanon without facing the actual reason that is.

And while we're talking about things Blitzwing has that BA doesn't let's talk about all the things BA has that Blitzwing doesn't.

She's not a horrible potrayal of DID

She has complexities to her character beyond being an evil minon for the sake of being evil whose also 'the Crazy one'

She has narrative importance

She got told she should fucking die by one of her friends bc he hated her scarring so much.

She is shown to at least somewhat care for others when she spares Prowl and Bee despite not having gotten her part of the deal.

She has likely faced that sort of bigotry all the time and had to flee her home bc of it.

She has so much mystery behind how she joined the cons, why she joined the cons when they seem to show the same disgust to her as the autobots.

She's an interesting character.

I could go on but I'm not going to. F- on this point.

Now the last point which to me is the most BS

(Also, from what I’ve seen, most Blitzwing fans are well aware of the ableist portrayal of his character but are usually neurodivergent themselves and thus have reclaimed him in a sense, alongside portraying him in a much more accurate manner to real-life DID and OSDD in fan works while still acknowledging that he’s an alien robot whose processor is much different from a human brain and thus would logically not be a complete one-to-one regarding analogous disabilities and mental disorders.)

this is just not fucking true, 99% of content of Blitzwing I have seen either has people declaring him good rep [I have seen this several times] or is just talking about how sexy he is, its very very rare the horrible potrayal of his disability is awknowledged. Hell Blitzbee has such a deathgrip on the fandom and one of the nicknames Bee constantly uses in that content is BLITZBRAIN, literally making fun of his disability more. Not to mention how much of it is purposely making the scary disabled character scary on purpose. I'm not saying you cant enjoy or consume that content but you seriously have to be dumb to think the fandom is aware of or cares about this issue.

Also on the 'making him more accurate' I've never seen fanon do this truly and honestly. Where is the childhood truama? The awknowledgement that DID doesn't work the way Blitzwing shows it? I almost never see any fan content that wasn't just copying what TFA potrayed with him. Where are you finding this?

And lastly you can't just say youve 'Reclaimed' something and suddenly its okay, Hasbro knows how much this fandom loves TFA Blitzwing, you guys spend money on him you praise him you dont talk about how bad rep he is. If Hasbro rereleased TFA Blitzwing right now so many fans would flock to get him not even thinking about the fact THAT ENCOURAGES HASBRO TO THINK THAT THIS POTRAYAL OF THE MENTALLY ILL IS OKAY. This is just an excuse to consume content of Blitzwing uncritically to produce content of him uncritically! What about all the times DID swag polls esp ones involving good rep for them INCLUDED BLITZWING?? Did the runners of those who might not even know what TFA is say it was okay to send in a character who is clearly a mean spirited potrayal of them?? You can't just say Blitzwing is reclaimed and therefore its okay, you guys haven't even properly awknowledged all the things wrong with his character being a horrible potrayal of DID enough to get the sense to not fucking submit him into polls abt it. Let alone to produce half decent content of him.

Anyways thats it, I dont mean any of this aggression directly towards you anon, writing and posting a bad opinion on the internet does not justify harassment or hatred, but I dont feel a need to pull my punches when the fandom has been justifying this for so long, therefore. I didn't. I said what I thought of this message and if others agree then maybe I have a point.

Either way this is a discussion long Long overdue so Im putting this in the tags bc I think this fandom seriously needs a wake up call.

[hard-core-super-star]

okay, it's not. take care of yourself 😔 agsjakak yeahhh but we can still talk after you take said own time. look at you, getting good at guessing the time. so bossy...🙄 lmao okay, that was the last time- I think. the clarification is: the jury likes me too much to convict me or something like that, there is literally no way to clarify more than that. that said, I'm not going to take advantage of the jury's kindness.

doesn't count!! There's no way it counts as an unfinished sentence if it means I was literally speechless 😭 stop it kwhskskwkdks I won't admit anything. I'm fine.

can I tell you maybe another time? maybe another day? or maybe in another life? this is like... a secret 🤫 I mean, yes?? I thought unfinished sentences were unfinished but they conveyed the right message- learning a new language by listening to music is so good, and definitely more enjoyable tho. I thought I could handle this “little star” thing but I really can’t, jesuswjskak also, yes, maybe? maybe, just maybe I can think of something for you. yup, pain can definitely show that we are alive, but we must be careful not to seek it just for the sake of feeling something (totally a warning for Isabella Swan and that obsession with putting herself in danger just to see Edward's ghost)

I just wanted to say that it's funny, not that I find your pain funny ksjskskak okay, I don't know how to explain it, you can send me to jail now. WAIT A MINUTE HDHSJAKA “beebo” is a reference to that toy that became the god of war in legends of tomorrow??? but the cat's side is where I really belong.

I'm almost sure that the warnings say “smut with plot” or something like that kshsjskskk if there is, that explains it. yes, you can see how much she just needs someone to give some attention to her, just like a puppy 🥹 I didn't complain and I'm sure literally no one complained about you bringing up the puppy thing again. and I blindly agree, both divinely good. (YES, IT IS- I think this time I won't be stubborn about it, this time 😑 good morning! It's no longer morning here, but still)

– 🌟

thank you! i'm so glad you're finally on my side for once. yeahhhh but these messages are the highlight of my day. thank you, i'm skilled like that :) i'm both offended and impressed by your audacity rn, smh. but i guess since it's the last time, it's fine but you're on thin ice 🤨 the clarification is very much appreciated and incredibly accurate. the jury will keep this in mind.

uh, nope, they certainly count! but i'll accept them only because you admitted to being speechless. hmm, idk, i'm pretty sure you already did admit it with these reactions but go off, ig.

i'll accept another day, this secret has got me intrigued. they did but i thought i was jumping to the wrong conclusions so if you had finished them in the first place, you would have saved me some time. it's so fun! except when i attempt to sing along and realize i can't pronounce anything lmao. i've noticed lmao but i like your reactions to the nickname too much to not use it as often as possible. i have complete faith in you, i'm sure you'll come up with something that will make me react the same way you react to "little star" and all its, cute, variations. yeah, that's a good point. i think i might have sought it out a bit too much when i was younger, chasing after all the wrong people and stuff like that 😶 [yeah...i totally got that reference...]

i know, i just wanted to be a pain lmao. you're alright, you won't be sent to jail...yet. sljgajhdgj YEAH, it's also a really stupid reference to the lead singer of panic! at the disco because the day beebo showed up at my house, i got in the car and ME! by taylor swift was playing so...beebo seemed like the way to go. [and no, i still don't know why the fandom calls him beebo lmao] i want to be upset but i do understand 😔

yeah, i think they do lmao. i usually put that warning because i get very carried away lmao. she's so puppycoded for real, i just want to hug her close and give her head pats 🥹 i really hope you're right because there's no way the puppy thing won't be coming back in other fics lmao. i'm glad we agree. [lmao, too bad i can't offer any real help. aw, thank you, i appreciate it <3 it's about to not be morning anymore here either lmao]

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Anymore general observations about differences between the JP and English fandoms?

[Referencing this post and this post!]

***Please note that the observations in this post are just that: personal observations. They are not, in any way, meant to reflect ALL individuals, and nor are they entirely accurate.

I am also not saying any difference necessarily makes one part of the fandom “better” or “worse” than another; I am only pointing out what differs between them.***

Well 🤔 besides the differences in character popularities, demographics (EN has younger fans, JP has older fans), and Yuusonas (EN tends to have more detailed ones, JP has more simple ones)…

JP fandom tends to “keep to itself” (that’s the best way I can describe it) or has different ways of expressing their enjoyment of TWST than EN. In the EN fandom, it’s not too uncommon to see several threads in all caps just screaming nonsensically about the story and the characters. From what I’ve seen, EN is a lot more overt, loud, and sometimes heavily sarcastic about communicating about their favorite (and least favorite) aspects of TWST. That’s not to say that JP fans don’t, but they’re more “quiet” or infrequent about it, or they’re more careful to denote (when they go on longer rambles) that they’re just joking.

This is true of Asian vs Western fandoms in general, but JP uses a tagging system to make it easier for fans to find content they like/want to see and/or to block content they dislike/don’t want to see. There are tags for characters, ships, type of content, etc. However, this is much less commonly done in EN, and there is significantly more confusion about how the tagging system works. Sometimes the tags get spammed to increase visibility even if they aren’t relevant or tags are unknowingly misused (usually due to the EN poster not knowing Japanese).

There is definitely more misinformation circulating in EN over JP; this is likely due to the language barrier and some mistranslations or localization choices fan translations or the EN game makes which fails to communicate the lore or the characters as the original does.

JP has much less judgment of content; if there’s something they don’t like (ie a character, a ship, a genre, etc) they block and move on. That’s what the tagging system exists for; so fans can readily avoid subject matter they dislike. In EN, I feel like it’s more common to openly renounce the content they disagree with and to even share that opinion with others (including strangers and people who hold opposing views). In other words, JP is more “find the content you like and enjoy that”, while EN is more “this content should cater to me”.

This may harken back to cultural differences I already mentioned in an older post, but JP fandom is more community oriented whereas EN fandom is more individualistic in their content creation; again, EN has a strong emphasis on personal Yuusonas and OCs, as well as churning out new content to match updates and/or to get the most attention. JP creators will make content to express their excitement for the game (ie fan art for birthdays, events, anniversaries, main story updates, etc), but there is much less of a “grind mindset”, and usually the content is general enough that fans of a particular character can still enjoy it (even without being invested in a particular OC or Yuusona; for example, Japanese Yuusonas tend to be eyeless or have “blank slate” personalities whereas non-Japanese Yuusonas are more “colorful” and unique overall).

The last major thing I’ve noticed involves shipping of the characters with each other and/or with OCs or Yuusonas. JP has much more BL (“boy’s love”/men loving men) content (especially involving shipping the canon characters with one another), whereas EN shipping is centered on heterosexual ships (usually involving a canon character being shipped with a female OC or Yuusona).

[houxe]

The Misuse of the Dark SBI Tag

For the past few months, there’s been a blatant misuse of the Dark SBI tag. From popular authors using it in a too light setting, to constant physical abuse being labeled as ‘Dark SBI’, and to people who are (and admitted to) using it for more hits instead of using it to accurately describe their work. 

So I’m here to tell you all what Dark SBI actually is! This way, people can correct any improper use of the tag. This can also be used as a reference for those who genuinely don’t know how to use the tag, and are accidentally using it wrong. 

Also, I've been made aware that ‘Dark’ is often used as a blanket term in other fandoms, so I can understand the confusion some people might have! However, this tag was created with a different intention for this fandom and so this post was made to clarify that for those who don’t know! There are also more specific tags for certain topics (such as Neglectful SBI or Bad Family SBI) that should be used, instead of being put under an umbrella tag. Especially when those tags themselves already describe what content readers will be seeing.

Friendly reminder: This is entirely about the characters and not the content creators! Again, this is about the characters! Thank you!

. . .

Dark SBI is a tag that was made for platonic-possessive and obsessive SBI. They’re morally bad and awful people. They’ve often kidnapped each other (usually Tommy), and that is the point. 

Think of it like this: Dark SBI is similar to Mother Gothel from Tangled, but SBI actually love and enjoy each other’s presence instead of using each other for their own gain. (And with a side of Stockholm Syndrome depending on who was kidnapped.)

They won’t let each other (or a specific member) go. They are constantly thinking of them, and want their total attention and love. To the point where they’ll get upset if someone else gets that attention and affection. (NOTE: intensity varies based on how dark you want to go—the darker you want to write it, the more clingy they are. Dark SBI doesn’t mean they have to be completely obsessive and possessive, but it does mean they are more clingy than regular people.)

I’ve compiled a few examples of what is and isn’t Dark SBI, to make this more clear for everyone. Please note, the authors of early Dark SBI fics (where the tag originated from) have weighed in on this!

What is Dark SBI:

Dark SBI = Morally Dark gray/black FAMILY SBI

Strictly PLATONIC relationships

Possessive behavior

Over-Protective SBI (Usually goes hand-in-hand with Possessive behavior, but they are Protective to an unhealthy degree. Depending on how Dark the fic is.)

Obsessive behavior

Stockholm Syndrome (With SBI genuinely loving and liking their victim.)

Kidnapping

Forced Adoption

Codependency

Unempathetic/apathetic to people outside themselves (However, if the fic has kidnapping, they do care for the victim they intend to take.)

Forced Found Family if SBI isn’t Blood Related (NOT dehumanization! This has never been a tag for stories with pet/master themes that know a character is sentient and don’t care. For reference, this would be tagged as Evil SBI.)

What is not Dark SBI:

Neglectful SBI

Physically Abusive SBI (Constantly hitting a character or using violence for any small slight.)

Bad Family SBI

Evil SBI (They don’t care about each other and/or actively try (or succeed) to kill a certain member and never change their mind.)

SBI using one of their Members for their Own Gain (They do not love the character they’re using and don’t care for them.)

Remorseful SBI (Regrets kidnapping or being possessive/obsessive.)

Only being Dark SBI because they Kill People (SBI actively kills in canon, so there’s no need to label them as ‘Dark SBI’ just because they commit murder.)

Good Villain SBI (Where SBI are villains, but aren’t horrible people.)

Vampires who are Only labeled as Dark SBI because they’re Vampires.

Heavy/Constant Dehumanization (Where the character is obviously sentient, but their kidnappers don’t care and treat them like a pet, object, or tool. This is literally slavery and abuse. Tag it as Evil SBI)

Ranboo and/or Tubbo replacing Tommy (Dark SBI is for morally messed up Philza, Tommy, Wilbur, Techno as a family. Having someone else be a member of SBI, instead of Tommy, needs to have its own tag. Many people search up Dark SBI content specifically for those four, so it’s rude to tag it if it won’t actually be included.)

[dukeoftheblackstar]

@frostycatblr-fandom-files

First off, I've pushed reading this for so long because I'm a picky reader in a way + the busiest of schedules lately. I've also had vision problems (I think) so I've recently stopped reading as much until I get my eyes checked. However, I have had this bookmarked on my 'to-read-post-haste' folder.

That said, apologies for the late review and the fact that this requires more than just kudos but notes and praise because this was just such a 'darling' read.

Also, sorry because this review is long and I cannot be stopped. Cheers ♥

Master Plo has decided that the best use of the day today is to do… nothing at all.

Yes. I don't even have anything coherent to say about this because the truth is too evident in this statement, all I can muster is "Yes".

The Triumphant looms imposingly above, just out of reach of the planet's atmosphere and gravitational pull.

Megapoints because my love for the Triumphant knows no bounds. Big boy absolutely did not get obliterated. Thems just be idle gossip ♥

Surely the Commander was being a little overboard about all this…

Love the whole vibe of just being so familiar with Wolffe's usual briefing that you get the hint just by some passing words within earshot or probably even reading his lips if the bucket's off.

You let him take one of the pencils to examine, noting how Master Plo takes such care with your personal property. "These were a gift to you, you said?"

By now you should know my attention is solely on Plo Koon, so excuse me if I'm reviewing bits about my husband than Wolffe. I am as sorry as I am not ♥

But yes, Plo being very curious and reverent on your personal property is so Plo. ♥ Man's perfect ♥

I'll probably be a little rusty. That's okay. Just give it a shot. Maybe I'll surprise myself.

This is so adorable though!!!

The General repeatedly invites him to have a seat and clear his mind for a moment, but he is turned down time and time again, politely but curtly. "No thank you, General Plo."

AHHHHHH. MY KINGS. I love this. You know Wolffe can't relax for a hot minute and Plo just out here not giving two fucks ♥ LOVE 'EM TO BITS!

ALSO. SCREAMING BECAUSE ALL THE BOYS BE HERE.

We got Sinker and Boost. Looking forward to see Comet come up here but doubtful you would have included my Warthog

"Am I in your way, Arcadia?" he asks, one of his eyebrows lifting just slightly with the question.

SIR. QUIT BEING SO HOT. OKAY? YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS BUT LIKE, TONE IT DOWN. SHEESH.

The General is enjoying himself, and looks to be spending a little time with some of the other troops, showing them how to calm their minds with meditation. You heard one of the shinnies ask Master Plo about it not too long ago, and he was happy to oblige.

I know, I know. He's not the main boo in this fic. But.. dreamy sigh Plo just.. hnnng.

"Unfortunate." "Mhm…"

THE UNRELENTING SEXUAL TENSION IS SO PALPABLE AND SO SHARP, IT HAS CUT ME INTO A PLETHORA OF FROZEN GOO.

"… it does have maroon."

EXCUSE ME. EXCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME. I DID NOT EXPECT HURT FROM ALL OF THIS, OKAY? THERE IS SO MUCH HURT NOW. SO MUCH. HURT. LIKE HURT. IS NOT EVEN THE CORRECT WORD.

Let me just cry over the fact that this was such, as I have stated above, a 'darling' fic. We all know the boys need some wind down and when the opportunity presents itself, you just can't switch solider mode off — which was so beautifully included in here with Wolffe being overly himself, briefing the troops, and the fact that it takes him a good hot-fucking-minute before he sits his stressed ass down.

I'm also screaming at you with how you portray Sinker and Boost to be so accurate because they're pretty lax compared to Wolffe and would definitely indulge beloved, beloved, ever-present, ubiquitous Plo Koon and him just being cute AF — sorry, I am unhinged for my Kel Dor King ♥.

The overall sketch-concept and the tension you've so deliciously added between Wolffe and Arcadia is bliss for me. Absolute, please-just-kiss-but-also-angst-me-tf-up-with-your-mysterious-reserved-persona-Wolffe.

I also adore the fact that she doesn't know about the color vibe. That that simple interaction of asking about his scar wasn't so detailed and overwhelming in this fic and that 'just the right amount' of tidbit to make sense of it all is perfectly balanced. It did not give away that the ending would lead to that, it did not give a predictable assumption of sorts that 'oh, it's gonna be one of those fic', — rather, it kept the mystery in tact.

I also love how you portrayed Wolffe here because you have to write him in a way that he's not overly doting, he's not overly intimidating, and he's not overly social, but enough to indulge or at least TRY to be social with his troops.

This is one of my favorite aspects to look for when I'm reading 104th-based fics or Wolffe-based fics. I'm all for not following cannon because it's fiction, but the closer you get to making it seem canon even in the smallest of gestures, the faintest of meticulously selected words, and even the situations you put him into gives that satisfaction and implication that it was indeed Wolffe who did all that and "not the writer" — the whole "a story writes itself, the artist just did the writing' vibe.

And now for the ending.

An alternative is quietly pointed out. "… it does have maroon." Your heart hangs heavily in your rib cage knowing what you do now. You can only imagine his own heart will be heavier still. You have never seen the 104th battalion in that color of paint; only ever heard the tales of their escapades and exploits when their armor must have gleamed in that handsome and deep, warm red. But tragedy and loss has stolen the color out of their coats, and they move in shadow. Now when the Wolves run and hunt and fight, it is only in gray.

I love angst. So much so that I ship Plo to characters that would give me such a heartache that'd last a month. Be it bad or good angst, smutty, or any kind of angst because it's the comfort that comes with. The more dire you angst shit up, the greater the return is be it comfort, or just plainly seeing how it unfolds.

And in this case, the comfort or return is the understanding Wolffe more than the grumpy boy that he is. The return is having that deep reverence and new found admiration for how the boys in red became the boys in grey and the tribulations they went through; the heartaches, the heavy burden, the forced laughter and smiles they had to indulge themselves, the need to cope, the retention of sanity, the deepened bond, and the fact that this is not the end.

Not the end of strife and possibility of losing more of his men, his General (cause you know, Order 66 — which totally didn't happen <: ), all things encompassing the unknown and yet the only choice is to move forward and not abandon the now.

And in more ways than written, the only choice was to pick maroon in the absence of grey; to pick moving on in the absence of surrender.

Add that fact that all of these will be immortalized in Arcadia's sketch and @frostycatblr-fandom-files, let me just say that the entire thing is just beyond-beyond beautiful, tragic, and one of the fics that will definitely in my recommendations for anyone who'd ask.

A bajallion kudos is not enough to convey my thanks for the experience of reading this masterpiece.

Love, love ♥ - Duchess ♥ Plo Koon's Toxic Little Bitch Wife

Poets and Painters (Early Morning) - Wolffe x Reader [Mature Fic]

Warnings and Information: In desperate need of just one day to take his and his men's mind off the war, Plo Koon orders that everyone make a stop on a relatively uninhabited planet in a peaceful sector of the galaxy to… have a picnic? Just what does he have in mind? A certain flint-gray Commander is finding it hard to believe that they're just on the planet for a day of R&R in the middle of a war, so he isn't letting his guard down. Perhaps someone will help Commander Wolffe find some way to help him relax before the day is over… 2nd person POV. Reader is undescribed save for minor details like personal touches to a uniform, and has a gender-neutral alias. Allusions to canon-typical violence, mention of injury and loss, and Plo just being a dad to the 104th Battalion in the background. Swearing. Discussion of more adult themes and some lewd jokes the more the fic progresses (this is not an Explicit fic but it is Mature; Minors please DNI). Takes place on a fictional planet.

Word count: 4,390

Early Morning

It's unclear if someone perhaps made the suggestion to the General, or if he devised this idea on his own, but Master Plo has decided that the best use of the day today is to do… nothing at all. You are drifting through space in an area of the galaxy that has been seldom touched by this war. You didn't even recognize the name of the planet when you regarded the astronav aboard the bridge of the Jedi cruiser. Small, and relatively unpopulated according to what the scanners had picked up. There was hardly any record of this planet being here, in fact. It was puzzling to mostly everyone. 

"Yeah, well it was the same for Big Stormy in the Jedi archives according to the General, but Kamino was still very much there…" one trooper complains to his brother in the chair beside him with an unimpressed roll of his eyes, his arms laced tightly across his broad chest. "Who's to say other planets won't show up on the kriffing maps if not a lot of people come here?" His neighbor glowers at him in warning, hissing back under his breath to shut up or he's going to distract the General. 

To this, Plo Koon encourages the two young troops to settle themselves before Sergeant Sinker tells them to cut it out. "Come now, young Tack. Orchid is right, in a sense. There are perhaps even other galaxies we do not know about, or have a way to get to. This planet… Little Archossi… seems to be safe. We'll set down on the planet, away from what appears to be one of the settlements, so as not to disturb the inhabitants." Inhabitants that are assumed to be humanoid and sentient, but they have no way of making contact with them. Everyone is cautioned to not appear threatening to them should these Archossi (Archossian?) make an approach. 

They would surely notice a ship of this size over their home planet. 

The Triumphant looms imposingly above, just out of reach of the planet's atmosphere and gravitational pull. 

Disembarking the gunships, you step into the soft, springy grass of the large clearing on this forested planet. The atmosphere is breathable, and it's welcomed after so long in the presence of oxygen recyclers. 

The air is cool, and fragrant with a diverse bouquet of blooming wildflowers. Some are familiar, others are surprising and entirely unknown. Clone researchers, though they are not asked to, task themselves with determining these botanicals out of caution. "Just being preemptive, General Plo." Tack explains when the Kel Dorian Jedi comes to remind him that the Clones and crew of the Triumphant who joined him on the surface of the planet are here and meant to relax. "Just in case these flowers turn out to have irritants or strange pollen. Don't want any surprises, sir." 

Plo hums thoughtfully, the sound a deep, warm rumbling. "Very good, Tack. I hope you find what you are looking for soon so you may join your brothers." One of his steady hands makes a slow, sweeping gesture out to another part of the clearing, where several other brothers of the 104th battalion have gathered around the Commander.

He appears to be laying out a few ground rules with his men, from where you sit on a small, grassy knoll here in this break in the trees. You can catch words and small fragments of what he's saying, but you don't pay him much attention. Being just one of the crew aboard the cruiser, words like emergency flares and what must be the word holster don't pertain to anything you've brought along with you. There's no expectation of danger from the native people, but they say you can never be too prepared. Well, you're not too sure about that when you hear what was definitely the words stun setting and do not stray far. 

Surely the Commander was being a little overboard about all this… 

But that's not your business. You turn your attention back to the small canvas bag at your feet and root through it to find the personal belongings you've taken with you for today just as the researcher named Tack assures his General once again that he's perfectly content to spend his day like this. 

"Don't worry about me, General. I never mind spending a day researching things. Besides, I'm not the only one who's brought my usual gear with me. Looks like Arcadia brought their own datapad." Hearing your name, you pause just as you're pulling out the datapad since putting the spiral-bound sketchpad and graphite pencils you've thrown in the bag in your lap, meeting Tack's eye. 

"Oh this is just in case I want to read later," you explain with a laugh. "My, uh, older family members gave me some serious art supplies to take with me before I joined aboard the Triumphant and I just haven't had a chance to use 'em yet. Figured while we were on Little Archossi I'd give them a try." 

"Cool, cool. Have fun with that." Tack replies, smiling as he turns back to a dazzling blue flower with thin, silky petals. You've caught the interest of the Kel Dor, and he makes a request to sit beside you for the moment. You've been told by others that this Jedi Master makes a point to try to get to know as many people who serve alongside him as possible, that he's polite and seems to just radiate calm and wisdom.

"Yes of course, go right ahead." you tell him, moving the bag to the other side to make room beside you on the knoll. "Here." 

"Thank you," he starts, dipping his head in a slow gesture of gratitude, "I won't take up too much of your time Arcadia." 

"I don't mind if you do, General. I don't really know what I want to do with… all this." you assure him with a mild laugh, indicating the spiral-bound and the pencils resting on the thighs of your slate-gray, form-fitting uniform. You chose not to wear any of your casual-wear today, though it would be more comfortable in the long term. You were due to wash your uniforms soon enough, spending a day on a strange planet would expedite the need to do so in case of any contaminants.

You let him take one of the pencils to examine, noting how Master Plo takes such care with your personal property. "These were a gift to you, you said?" 

Your head bobs in answer. "That's right. I guess they thought I'd have a lot more opportunities to get back into artwork or something while I was stationed with the one-oh-fourth on the cruiser. But maybe I'll break in the new sketchbook today, with a little, uh… oh, what do they call it? Plein air sketching." You imagine the inquisitive blink of his eyes under the anti-ox mask and eyewear worn by the General when he does not say anything at first, and can only guess there is some sort of smile before the pencil is returned to you. "Most intriguing. Perhaps I will have to come by another time when you have made some progress." 

"You're certainly welcome to." 

"Thank you, Arcadia. I believe I should warn young Soapsuds to remember the Commander's warning about not straying too far…" There's a shared chuckle between you. Soapsuds is a darling, and a very courageous soldier for what are nicknamed "shinnies", but he can be a little bit forgetful. Perhaps with the Force, Plo Koon can sense what you can only assume: Commander Wolffe is having some difficulty with the primary objective for today. "Until later." 

You bid him farewell for the time being, too, and tuck back the cover to the sketchbook. The pages are surprisingly thick, and if you had a more serious artistic inclination, you could guess that the pages of this book could take a variety of mediums. Graphite pencil, for certain, and perhaps a number of other dry mediums like pastels or charcoal or coloring pencils. You're not certain it would do well with wet mediums at first glance. Maybe a layer or two of gouache? Looser styles of watercoloring? But probably not oils or acrylics, they would likely warp the pages and make everything tacky. 

It's admittedly been some time since making any use of traditional supplies for anything other than scribbling down a note to pass to a colleague, or taking records of serious instructions on the bridge. Before putting the pencil against the page, you mentally coach and coax yourself to take the plunge. 

I'll probably be a little rusty. That's okay. Just give it a shot. Maybe I'll surprise myself. 

The lead within is buttery-soft, and lays down a bold line without any skipping after it sweeps over the fine, toothy hills and valleys in the texture of the page. Oh. Oh wow. That's quality. You'll have to thank the gift giver for their generosity, and you promise yourself in a moment of wishful thinking to never use this for anything but artistic endeavors in the few fleeting chances you'll get for it.

(Would you keep this promise in a standard week from now, or a month at most? Unlikely.)

There's a groan of great annoyance from Tack to your left, still studying the beautiful blue flowers. "Not having any luck, Tack?" 

"No. It's not showing up on any of my catalogs." 

You frown sympathetically, lifting your head to meet his eye. "I'm sorry." 

"I'll figure something out…" Tack grumbles, lightly raking his nails along the back of his neck. "I just don't want to find out that this can make anyone sick, or something, before it's too late." 

"That's very sweet of you, Tack." you tell him with a kind smile as you continue to sketch loose shapes and lay down lines to break in this first page. Tack was rough around the edges, and could frustrate easily, but did not back down from a challenge just because he met a little resistance. "Say, can I ask you something?" 

"Shoot." 

"Does the Commander seem on edge to you this morning? I have to admit I'm having trouble telling." You feel you need to tread a little cautiously with this question. If you express that you think the leader of the 104th with a silver, cybernetic eye and a prominent stripe of scar tissue down his face is being a bit overbearing or uptight in any way when you don't know him quite so well, it would not make for a great first impression should word get back to him. 

Tack shrugs after a moment of thought. "Oh, Commander Wolffe? Yeah, I suppose so. He's a rather diligent man. Nothin' wrong with that of course-" 

"Of course, no." you cut in hurriedly. "I was only curious." 

"Don't know him so much, I'm guessing?" Tack makes a sound of understanding as you shake your head, "Ah, well, you haven't been here that long. Not many of us have been either, truthfully." He lays down a short summary of the battalion's history to you, answering questions best he can. Things changed dramatically after the Battle of Abregado; they lost so many brothers, there were only a few survivors of that encounter, and they were not always the flint gray they are now. 

"Maroon? Really."

"Mhm." 

"I see… And, his scar?" 

Tack suppresses a deep wince, but only just. "Sith." 

Your veins turn to ice momentarily in spite of the gentle warmth of the nearest star. "Maker." 

You've had your fill of the questions for the time being, wishing him luck as he tries his hand once more at identifying his mysterious flower. You're going to do your best not to stare at Commander Wolffe as he paces the perimeter of the clearing, keeping a vigilant watch for trouble. The General repeatedly invites him to have a seat and clear his mind for a moment, but he is turned down time and time again, politely but curtly. "No thank you, General Plo." 

The trooper you know to be Sergeant Sinker thanks to the pale, silver hair leans in closer to whisper something to the General, which only makes Jedi shake his head almost pityingly. "I was afraid of that… Thank you, Sinker." 

"Don't worry, General. He'll probably only pace for so long," Boost says in an attempt at comfort, "if the people of the planet were gonna come and investigate, they'd've done it by now. But we know to show them we mean 'em no harm." 

So was the Commander pacing the perimeter because he wanted to see any approachers before it was too late? Would he be keeping this up all day when they were meant to clear their heads for a change? Yes, they were advised to be aware of their surroundings, but securing a boundary might be a little much. What was driving him to be so watchful and defensive on a sparsely inhabited planet? 

Paranoia? Selflessness and love and concern for his brothers? Was this perhaps a sacrificial gesture: pacing and patrolling the circumference of the clearing to ensure that his soldiers, and some of the crew of the Triumphant, could be out here largely undisturbed without any rest for himself? 

If that was the case, it did not tug at your heartstrings gently. 

For someone with such a gentle name, Orchid has one of the worst swearing habits in the one-oh-fourth. "Oh karking Maker, the Commander finally sat the kriff down." Tack warns him to keep his voice down in a sharp-ish manner, and to take it easy on the language. 

You were glad that the man did finally decide to rest his legs and perhaps finally enjoy the day with the rest of you, but not so much where he decided to sit. 

You'd been trying to draw one of these interesting trees here on Little Archossi, where the sprawling crown of the canopy cascades down in thick, full plumes of leaves in multiple shades of red and orange. You had a few pencils for coloring in the bottom of the bag, and a decent pen that you could add a little ink to the page to outline some of the details, but now Commander Wolffe has plunked himself squarely in the middle of what you have been trying to draw for the last hour and a half. 

Of all the hills in this clearing, this is where he decided to sit? In front of the one tree in this entire area largely free of them? Everyone else has stayed clear of it when they realized they would be getting in the way of your artistic subject, apologizing and instead coming to sit beside you to watch for a few minutes. But he doesn't seem to notice you just across the way, just on the other hill. 

Well… it's not what you had in mind, but, maybe you could make this work, still. The armor and the anatomy won't be perfect by any means, though. You're thankful you kept your pressure light on the page, making it easier to erase a large area of the trunk you'd drawn previously and fill that space with the Commander. You just had to hope he didn't get up anytime soon.

Most of his body and the basic shapes of his armor are sketched out before the ceaseless skritch of the graphite must finally catch the Commander's attention just as you're warring with yourself on the matter of the codpiece. 

How much detail do I include here? Oh Maker if he sees this he'll probably realize I've been staring at his crot-

"What are you doing over there?" The voice from across the other grassy hill jolts you from your thoughts, and you are grateful you did not have your drawing implement against the page in that moment.

Oh, Maker, please do not let your face be red. "Ah, just doing a little outdoor sketching, Commander." Please do not let him ask you what you're drawing���

"What of…?" The Commander draws out his question, pausing when he probably does not remember, or know, your name. That's not super surprising, you tell yourself. You're just a crew member, and not one of his many men he interacts with on a regular basis. He not knowing your name is by no means personal. 

"Call me Arcadia. And the tree, sir."

"Am I in your way, Arcadia?" he asks, one of his eyebrows lifting just slightly with the question. 

"No, sir. You're not. You're included with the tree." you answer, stretching the truth. You have to hope that it doesn't come across in an unsettling or creepish fashion to the Clone Commander. Good impressions. Good impressions were important. "I, um, hope you don't mind." You don't want him to get up when he's just sat down. You don't want to feel like you're doing something unwelcome either. Something that would disrupt his enjoyment of this rare occasion in wartime; a peaceful day, among flowers and a grassy, hilly field surrounded by trees on all sides. His brothers are enjoying themselves, laying on their backs in the grass, faces warm in the golden sunlight with the day just beginning. 

The General is enjoying himself, and looks to be spending a little time with some of the other troops, showing them how to calm their minds with meditation. You heard one of the shinnies ask Master Plo about it not too long ago, and he was happy to oblige. 

Commander Wolffe should get to enjoy this day, too. 

"I don't mind." he answers. The tonal quality of his voice does not suggest begrudging agreement, a thinning veneer of patience, or complete indifference. "How long do I need to hold still?" He asks, the same eyebrow as before lifting again. 

"Not very," you reply, quickly returning your pencil to the page to begin sketching him again now that you were assured he would not be opposed to this, "the idea is to be quick when drawing outdoors, for the most part." 

"And why is that?" 

The graphite continues to skritter and skritch along the surface of the page, you do not stop what you are doing to answer him this time. You will get this done quickly, and you will take your work somewhere else to add color to it. "No two days will ever be the same, sir. Plein air painters and artists only have one day to complete what they work on." One day that you did not want to force being a live subject upon him. Agreeing to let you sketch his likeness into the sketchpad is one thing. Asking him to stay there as you added layers of color and ink to the page would be taking advantage of his agreement. His "day off". 

Resting his head back against the scale-patterned bark of the tree, Wolffe nods slowly in contemplation, closing his eyes. "And which are you, Arcadia?" You missed the question, so absorbed in the general shape of his face, and recalling that in order to draw eyes you need to keep them an eye's distance apart. 

"S-sorry, sir?" 

"I asked which one you are. A painter, or a different kind of artist." 

You shake your head softly, doing your best not to stammer terribly in shame for not hearing him. "Oh. I-I'm not much of a painter."  

"So a different kind of artist then," he suggests, tilting his head back just slightly for a moment while adjusting his legs in front of him, "a sketcher, perhaps." 

Your eyes meet with his for a fleeting moment when you glance back up from the page to finalize a few details of the position of his legs, the width of his tights, and once again do not linger on the codpiece. "Um, I suppose? It's been a long time since I…" you trail off and shrug half-heartedly, unsure how to explain. Or if he even wants to hear it and is just making conversation to be polite. A man of his position and status in this war is busy, his mind must always be occupied with stratagem and contingencies and, recalling what Tack has said… loss. 

The Republic did not win that battle, and Wolffe lost so many brothers on top of it all. And an eye to a Sith. How much more would he lose? How much more would this galaxy take from him?

You frown, brow furrowing, at the thought. 

"What's the matter?" the man on the other hill asks you, expression neither puzzled or concerned. 

Quickly, you look back down at the page in your lap, and you choose something to lie about. "The detail on your shoulder plating. Unfortunately I think a lot of the finer details will be lost in the sketch." 

"Unfortunate." 

"Mhm…" 

You are thankful that you got most of the details down already. What you are not expecting is that when you look up again to make sure you have what you're looking for, you are now almost eye level with the white codpiece and the belt which his kama hangs from. Your heart is now hammering madly in your throat, and the rush of blood pounds steadily against your eardrum. Much like the silhouette of the Triumphant above Little Archossi, Commander Wolffe stands above you, and you feel small and almost frightened. (Almost.) 

You hadn't meant to, but you flinched to find him looming over you. He frowns. "Did I scare you?" You admit that he had, yes. You didn't even hear him move from under the tree on the other hill and come up to the top of this small knoll for all the armor he wore. "You need to pay attention to your surroundings at all times." Wolffe replies coolly, now dropping to sit next to you on your left. He removes the shoulder pad from his right upper arm, and holds it up beside your sketchpad. 

It feels a little insulting to be talked to like that, like one of his soldiers, when he told you to pay more attention. How dare he? "Sorry..." you mumble as you use the sharpest side of the pencil to try to copy down the wolf icon from a side-view on the graphite likeness of the man now next to you. "I didn't think you'd be moving so soon." 

More like at all. 

Maybe he can sense the subtext, and he becomes slightly apologetic. "Only thought it might help you to see it closer, Arcadia." Wolffe explains. He does not watch you, or respond in any way when you give a short sort of oh sound in reply to that; instead he visually sweeps the clearing for dangers or signs of trouble. You know he's listening to you, at least. The sound of short and terse scratches and more drawn-out, fluid, sweeping marks against the page keeps the moment from completely collapsing into uncomfortable silence. 

"...thanks." 

You've done the best you can to capture the face of the wolf, and the crescent moon-like shapes of the pad closest to you. You could probably stand to fine-tune Wolffe's face on the page, but that seems daunting to ask him to return under the tree on the other hill now just so you could get the proportions right. It wouldn't exactly come across well, you imagine. 

Thank you for showing me your shoulder pads up close and all but could you kriff off, now?

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else, Arcadia?" 

"No sir." you lie to the Commander through your teeth. You're just going to have to make do. This hill is taller than the other, and from here, you can see the whole clearing. This probably makes for an excellent vantage point with his strategic inclinations. "Thank you. I think I've gotten the right amount of detail, now, before I want to add some color." you continue, praying to all manner of galactic deities that you can now excuse yourself without any issue. But no such luck: you start to gather your datapad and other things, and he puts a stop to it with a single, simple question. 

He'd like to watch for a moment, if that's alright. 

Shit. 

"Sure." 

You put aside the graphite, and root through your bag for the coloring pencils. The bag has been largely untouched since it was given to you, but through one mishap or another the package of coloring pencils has been damaged, and the contents are now scattered in the bag. You have to hunt down all the necessary colors you need before any progress gets made. Sage will have to do for the grass, and Fawn will be your closest match to the color of the bark. For the leaves of the tree, Terra Cotta, a deep Marigold and Sunflower are your best choices. Regarding the Commander's armor… 

There's no gray. There is not a single gray pencil in the entire package. There's Lamp Black. But no gray. 

"Oh, kriff me sideways." you swear under your breath, forgetting the man beside you for the moment in your frustration. "Are you kidding me?" 

Wolffe just believes for the moment you can't find something, and takes the canvas bag from at your side without a word of permission. "Are you missing something?" 

You let it go that he's taken the bag to look, it's not that big of a deal. He's only trying to help. "Yes and no. I need gray for your armor, but the package doesn't have it." Giving him the broken carton, you let him see for himself that trying to look in your bag is a kind, but ultimately fruitless effort. 

An alternative is quietly pointed out. "... it does have maroon." 

Your heart hangs heavily in your rib cage knowing what you do now. You can only imagine his own heart will be heavier still. You have never seen the 104th battalion in that color of paint; only ever heard the tales of their escapades and exploits when their armor must have gleamed in that handsome and deep, warm red. 

But tragedy and loss has stolen the color out of their coats, and they move in shadow. 

Now when the Wolves run and hunt and fight, it is only in gray.

Note from Frost: I, uh... hoo boy. I don't know how to explain where this one came from. I feel a little out of my element, here, knowing what's coming and how under-practiced I am when it comes to writing more mature themes. Any pointers and/or feedback at all would be appreciated, honestly. Appreciate anyone who took the time to read this, too!

Don't have a fic taglist for the time being, but I'll likely start one soon if I can figure out how to make those forms some people have since I write a variety of stuff. For now, though, if you'd like to join a taglist for specific types of fics (example: just TBB-centric or just TCW-centric (or both)) don't hesitate to ask. 🩷

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