#and it would lose so much of what makes it unique and compelling

[fictionadventurer]

"If the structure of your world ever evaporates, I will still be here."

I think The Q might contain one of the greatest declarations of friendship/love ever.

[gigglesandfreckles-hp]

okay so full transparency: i've never really read much fic. i don't have a ton of free time set aside for creative/recreational purposes and the time i do have, i use to write because that just fills me up a lot more. however, i made a commitment to consume more fan-created work in 2024 and i succeeded in that!!! there were still periods where i wasn't able to read much, which has lead to an ever-growing tbr, but i wanted to take a moment at the beginning of this new year to share a hodge-podge of some (completed) fics that wow'ed me this year. a great deal of these are several years old and likely 'old news,' but i got to experience their magic for the first time in 2024 and want to spend some time showing them some love!!! in no particular order:

in losing grip by @keep--driving - 2024 was the year of me learning to love a good second chances au. this fic has all the trope-y goodness you could ever want, along with toe-curling kiss scenes, the perfect kind of humour that makes you squeal into your pillow or porridge or wherever you find yourself, and characters that you just love and root for so easily. i especially loved her take on james and lily's mums and the ways they navigate the world with and beside their children. i read a large chunk of this fic on my kindle as i pushed a stroller this autumn and i will forever associate it with peace and calmness. i'll be re-reading it soon!!!

i love you (ain't that the worst thing you ever heard) by lizardcookie - enter: the other trope i fell in love with in 2024—failed friends with benefits. the way this fic deals with grief in such a poignant, devastating, incredible way had my jaw on the floor. yes there is sexy jily, but there is also giggly jily and insecure jily and scared jily and earnest jily and oh mannnn this is the good ish. the small detail of lily coming around to sirius and james both through her help with the flying motorbike. i love the minute breakdown of lily's thick walls until they come tumbling down and james is right there, waiting, as he always is, patient and Good.

i would drink a case of you, darling by treacherous_talks - one of the tags on this fic is "a good old fashioned 'lily and james get together fic' because there aren't enough of them" so obviously i was in from the jump. this magical fic does such an excellent job at highlighting exactly what it means to be a teenager with a crush on another teenager who you think has a crush on you but you're not completely sure and so you can't ruin it because what if you're wrong. that is such a jily sweet spot i don't often see done as well as it is in this fic!!!

poison of trust by soopsiedaisies - not a jily fic! gasp! in fact, it's remus and sirius (not wolfstar) who are actually not usually as compelling a relationship as some of the other marauder era possibilities. but this fic made me eat my words because it is delicious. the part that i literally included in my ao3 bookmark and that i think about all the time is when remus tries to accuse sirius of equating harry and james and sirius says, oooooh i have chills thinking about it, "i dare you to finish that sentence." YES guarddog sirius black! his position as sole protector of the potter family will never not be important to me and this fic highlights that in such a unique and compelling way.

bad day wall by @apalapucian - there's nothing i could say about this incredible fic that hasn't been said, and recently, but truly—jayne is such a phenomenal wordsmith. this has a dash of 'texting fic,' but make it canon compliant and so beautiful it makes you wanna diiiiiie. the blackevans is unmatched, of course. but james's head-over-heels-ness for lily also has to be mentioned. i love every single one of his batty contributions to the bad day wall as he mopes and wades through all the chaos of trying (and failing) to get over lily evans.

The Guide to Becoming a Better Man for Lily Evans by bronzeagepizzeria - the shirtless james potter agenda is quite special to me, which needs to be stated right out the gate, really. the shirtless james potter who is shirtless on purpose just to get under his dream girl's skin agenda is an ascension i have yet to come back down from.

Of Chrysalism by @maraudersftw - i shall give you this, line, dangling on a stick as a perfectly buttered and garlic'ed (??) carrot, enticing you to cast your cares aside and come read this fic: "He’s spoilt, and persistent, and endearing, and she’s hopeless." like??????? yeah. okay. sure. i'll pretend that i'm capable of returning from that in this lifetime. but actually: james "my feelings matter, too" potter is so important and i love the agency this fic gives him!!!

Scenes from a Hogsmeade Pub by @bcdaily - i think i read this years ago. perhaps. idk i was basically a baby when it was published in 2012. but i recently stumbled upon it (again? maybe?) and just absolutely devoured it. this is quintessential jily to me, in each iteration, as they grow and learn each other and finally, finally, finally choose each other. each of these scenes is so carefully crafted to showcase really important moments in their relationship, but does it using really unimportant moments, which is genius. it's the grand fromage of showing, not telling, and this would absolutely be the first week assigned reading on my syllabus if i got to live out my dream as a professor on jily.

say goodbye to my heart tonight by spinawren - my bookmark for this was literally just "SQUEEEEEEE" and i don't exactly know what i meant by that, but i think it's more eloquent than anything i could come up with here. the premise of this fic is genius: james and lily repeatedly having 'one-night stands' with each other until they realise they've accidentally started dating. but james potter's devotion to being in lily evans' presence is what makes this fic belong on the top shelf!

Bluebird by ocean_away - whewwww, this fic knocked me back in a way i didn't expect. it's a second chances fic of a different calibre all around, but what stands out to me the most in this particular fic is the way james and lily are both shown to so seamlessly grow. they begin as two broken, purposefully hurtful individuals (read: teenagers) and become young adults who choose goodness and each other over and over, even though it's not easy. i feel proud of them, when i read this fic. what a labour of love for our favourite couple.

The Way the Light Looks by @stonecoldhedwig - i have nothing more to say about this fic than this: BEST KISS SCENE I HAVE EVER AND WILL EVER READ!!!!!!!!!!!

Whispers in the Dark by @yallthemwitches - okayyyy so it's difficult to choose just one of tay's fics, but this is such a stand-out to me. friends to lovers!!!! james "but i've never lied to you" potter, i want to kiss you on the MOUTH! he's so earnest, so pure, so "no actually i just wanted to see you" when he has no business being such a sweetheart. honourable mention: the beyond-precious proposal scene at the end.

Love is Complicated by @theesteemedladydebourgh - this fic feels like sitting in the most beautiful library in the world watching rain trail down the ornate, darkened windows—and then the hottest professor on earth walks up to you and snogs you without preamble. except it's made better by the fact that he is somehow both james potter and an indiana jones variant? listen. just read it. then squeal and kick your feet with me, okay?

Sunshine in my Eyes by monroeslittle - another fic i devoured on my kindle this year (but definitely not during standardised testing at school when i was supposed to be actively monitoring teenagers for academic integrity and technically signed an oath that i locked all my electronics in the closet). ahem. this is some of the most rewarding angst i have ever read, which is genuinely some of the highest praise i could ever bestow on someone. lily going to james for lessons on how to kiss and the entire scene that follows will follow me forever. they're so endearing and sweet and did not deserve all they went through. but. angst with a happy ending xx

[blacktabbygames]

What’s been the biggest change in Scarlet hollow from its design concept/beta script to how it is now?

I can think of quite a few! • In the earliest concept stages of Episode 1, you met EVERY romance option on the way to the woods. A bit of a quest with Stella to get everything you needed. This felt very "game-y" and a slog to write, so we instead chose to introduce characters one-by-one over the course of the next few episodes. I want to say Wayne originally didn't show up in episode 1 either!

• There was originally going to be a worst of both worlds Fourth Option for the major decisions (i.e. losing gretchen and duke in episode 1.) Scrapped because it was unfun, went against our core design philosophy (no wrong choices) and would be a ton of extra work for something people would just re-load and undo anyway!

• In the first draft of Episode 2, originally it was Stella who went deeper into the mines, thrilled at the chance to finally film Tommyknockers. Becka would make Alexis stay behind because "chasing after ghosts for youtube clout" was super lame, and Street Smart players would be able to convince her that it was cool actually. When the collapse happens, you would have to choose between going out of a *closer* exit, or going back after them. It was sloppy and not good. I believe discovering the carving in the mines was also optional in that draft! The whole situation made Stella, IMO, Too Much™, so we did a rewrite.

• The ghost hunt in Episode 3 was originally more of an active puzzle where you'd have to go back and forth between different rooms until you actually pieced everything together. This was: 1.) Not very fun* 2.) Hard to write 3.) Again it violated the no-wrong answers thing. Likewise, if there was no real consequence to getting things wrong, it would just be solvable via brute force. Much more compelling to leave folks with lingering questions and have them piece things together on their own.

*One of our longstanding rules of writing is that if something isn't fun or interesting for you to make, it isn't going to be fun or interesting in other people. Cut it and move on. I genuinely think this mentality is a large part of our Secret Sauce™ as a studio. • Avery was originally not a romance option and also a total dweeb instead of hot. Now they're a total dweeb (confident version) AND hot.

• We scrapped an alternate version of the clinic in episode 4 where a romanced Kaneeka would accompany you — we even did a bunch of unique art for it which you can find in the game files. Can you guess why it was cut? (IT WAS NOT FUN (also it felt like her presence undermined so much of what makes the clinic interesting — there was too much familiarity with her there. Too much comfort. We wanted players to be more uncomfortable!))

[thydungeongal]

https://www.tumblr.com/thydungeongal/769949043465093120/i-often-see-this-when-people-air-out-their

What do “dramatic, personal stakes” look like in tabletop gaming? What games center them in their mechanics and how?

Alright, so there are lots and lots of games out there that do this in very different ways, so this is going to be a very long and meandering answer.

Starting with the most "trad" example, Pendragon, the game of playing knights in Arthurian Britain that freely mixes history and myth, is for the most part a very traditional adventure game, but it also introduced the idea of Passions and Personality Traits to give mechanical heft to characterization. These are effectively measured on the same 1 to 20 scale as regular skills and attributes in the game, meaning that they can be "tested" just like skills, but they also have the potential for putting the player character into trouble. A character with the "Hates Saxons" Passion will have their hate actually manifest in play, whereas a character who is high in Lustful and low in Chaste will find themselves entangled in lots of romantic drama. Character personality will thus actually have concrete game mechanical effects. The Passions system has since been ported into more recent editions of RuneQuest and its descendants, including Mythras.

Fate is a more modern indie RPG that is less concerned with measuring out Exact Statistics and more about modeling narrative convention. Fate characters are, more so than their skills, basically defined by their Aspects, which are effectively narrative tags that define How a character should behave in a story and What sort of stuff should be happening to them. Aspects can be invoked (using Fate points, the game's main meta currency that the whole game operates on) for bonuses on actions that relate to that tag, but they can also be compelled to put the character into trouble in a way that makes sense for their Aspect, thus granting the player a Fate point if they accept the compel. Aspects are pretty much at the core of Fate and they are utilized for much more than just characterization: new temporary aspects can be created on the fly to represent things in the environment, aspects can be used to represent things in the world and the wider narrative, injuries and consequences of losing conflicts are effectively temporary aspects, and so on. This way the game is largely one where the meta resource management game ties heavily into things that matter in the fiction.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy (by @anim-ttrpgs) is another very trad RPG and a game that is very much a "going on an adventure" game (but the adventure is a mystery that needs to be investigated), but the game adds a bit of extra mechanical heft to characterization of make it clear that the game is about regular people investigating mysteries: the Trait system is one of the most important mechanical dials for character customization and Traits are effectively packaged options with both benefits and drawbacks, and those mechanical effects also inform characterization very heavily; Truths are unique to each investigator and are something I would compare to Fate's Aspects but much more precise and personal and less meta, giving investigators minor bonuses on actions in a scene when they are acting according to their Truth; and finally, Tiers of Fear, which are also very personal to each investigator, define how an investigator reacts to various fear stimuli that exist in the world and thus also heavily intersect with the game's Composure mechanic. All of these mechanics interact with an investigative game with a very clear intended gameplay experience to further influence characterization and add personal stakes into the narrative.

Getting back to the more avant garde, Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine is a game that I still struggle to wrap my head around because it's a game for smart people, but as far as I have understood: the gameplay largely revolves around player characters choosing personal goals called Arcs which are further divided into Quests; each Quest is defined as a number of experience points that must be accrued towards the quest for it to be completed, as well as specific actions that characters can do to gain bonus experience on those quests, and then you basically just. Let your characters loose on quests. The important thing is that while quests can be shared among a group (for a more traditional "Group of Heroes Going on an Adventure" narrative, which Chuubo's does also support) they are also personal (so each character will have their own personal quests they will be working towards) and asynchronous (a character may pick up multiple quests over their arc and not complete them in the same order as they started them, as some will be shorter diversions on the path towards victory). Again, this is a very broad-strokes, top-down view of how the game works, because it is a very heady game that I have yet to wrap my head around. If any Chuubo's fans notice any egregious omissions or mistakes here, please let me know.

Finally I'll finish with something a bit broader, the World of Darkness "series" of games, while not having anything quite as in-depth as personality mechanics, do all have various mechanical frameworks for tying characterization into gameplay: the Classic World of Darkness games had their Archetypes, effectively defining a broad personality archetype that the character needs to act according to in order to regain Willpower; the Chronicles of Darkness games have Vices and Virtues, with characters having one of each, once again defining how they regain Willpower; and I'm sure the newer Paradox White Wolf titles also have something to that effect as well. Basically, little carrots dangled in front of player characters to encourage characterization and acting according to a specific archetype. It's neat!

[moonmaiden1996]

Zoro as a romantic partner- My thoughts

Alright, hear me out.

Zoro, the stoic, sword-wielding badass of One Piece, doesn’t show the slightest interest in romance—at least not in any of the arcs I’ve read or watched. He’s far too focused on his goals, his loyalty to Luffy, and his never-ending quest to become the greatest swordsman in the world. But... what if?

I’ve been thinking about what kind of partner Zoro might have, and honestly, the idea that keeps popping into my head is less “typical romance” and more... Tatsu from The Way of the Househusband. If you’re unfamiliar, Tatsu is an infamous and feared yakuza boss, nicknamed "The Immortal Dragon," who (after literally defeating all his enemies) leaves the crime world to become a devoted househusband to the woman who once cared for his wounds.

Now, while Zoro definitely wouldn’t go full Sanji mode (because, let’s be real, Zoro cooking is a kitchen fire waiting to happen), there’s something about that protector-turned-househusband energy that feels surprisingly fitting.

Let’s pause for a second on the Sanji comparison. Sanji is all about charm, flirtation, and over-the-top devotion to every woman he meets. He’s a master chef who pours his heart into crafting meals and showering people with compliments. Zoro, on the other hand, would never lower himself to something he might see as “cooking duty.” It’s just not his style.

But here’s the twist: if someone did something genuinely kind for Zoro—like how Miku cared for Tatsu in The Way of the Househusband when he gets injured—I feel like Zoro would be smitten (or at least, as smitten as Zoro can get). He’d show his appreciation in his own gruff way, and his feelings would manifest through actions rather than words.

Zoro’s approach would be much more subtle, quiet, and honestly, a little rough around the edges—more of a “guard dog” than a “gentleman chef.” He’s the type of guy who lets you sleep on him, beats up Sanji to make sure your favorite meal gets cooked, and stares down anyone foolish enough to think they have a shot at you. It’s that unspoken but undeniable protection that makes the idea of Zoro as a partner so intriguing.

Zoro strikes me as the kind of person who wouldn’t even notice someone as a potential romantic partner unless they demonstrated qualities he deeply values—like loyalty, strength, or determination. He’s stubborn as hell, and most attempts at flirtation would probably fly right over his head. But the moment someone proved their worth to him in a way that resonates, those blinders would come off so fast, and suddenly... boom. Enter Zoro, househusband—but with a twist.

I see him as a fiercely protective presence—the ultimate guard dog for his partner. He’d be the type to wordlessly handle problems before they even reached his significant other, standing as an unshakable shield against the world. Whether it’s physical threats or emotional support, Zoro would embody dependability and unwavering commitment. And let’s not forget—if his partner is equally supportive of him, this man would be unstoppable.

In this hypothetical scenario, Zoro doesn’t lose his edge; instead, he channels his loyalty and protective instincts into a new kind of role. And honestly? That blend of strength, dedication, and quiet care makes for a dynamic that’s as compelling as it is unexpected.

What do you think? Could Zoro be the ultimate househusband in his own unique way? Or is he just too much of a lone wolf for any of this to work?

[musicfranchisetournament]

propaganda under the cut !!

ensemble stars :

what can I say. it's the no.1 highest earning joseimuke of recent times for a reason. i wouldn't say it was the founding father of male idol franchises but it's undoubtedly important for them and the popularization of them. the characters are enjoyable and the story writing is (sometimes) done pretty nicely. when the songs hit well they hit GOOD. with a cast of over 50 characters you're pretty bound to find someone you'll enjoy, you know. there's a nice variation on unit archetypes that is great for music variation :]

There's just soo much happening in this goddamn idol thing I hope it loses bleehh

Idol game except the plot is NOT what you would expect of an idol game. Notably : murder, the War, vampires, and a guy who lives in the vents.

"oh it's just a silly little idol game" and then the silly little idol game has some of the craziest lore you've seen

milgram :

it's very cool and interesting !! idk !

SUCH a unique concept. I love it so much. Delivering insight into characters crimes and psyches through music?! Genius. And the music all slaps too. The VAs are all super talented, the voices all sound different from one another, and even when a character's music style switches between T1 and T2 to reflect their mental state, there are still things making it obvious it's the same character. Also the VA for Haruka (best character in MILGRAM) is the guy who voiced Linhardt (best character in hit turn-based strategy RPG Fire Emblem: Three Houses for the Nintendo Switch) in the JP soooo. Awesome and based, Fire Emblem fans vote for this one. (Also I think there's other overlap of VAs with Fire Emblem but like Natsuki Hanae has been in everything so of course there is)

genuinely so sooo interesting to me from a standpoint. not only is a franchise that runs and happens in direct response to what the fans decide to do with it but also the songs and mvs are sooo good and it's such a nice thing to see coming off of deco, feeling like a passion project with all the different song style and experimentation going on in them. ive been there since the beginnings and its a great feeling to see just how much everyone involved in the project be it art, music etc has improved. the moral experiment point of it is something very curious to follow for me and see people discussing their votes or takes on things as to why they voted for x thing or another is nice! the deco song remixes that always come with the characters album release are (mostly) fire too. milgram my best friend milgram

The songs are absolute bangers!! And each character is so compelling and it's really interesting to see how the audience's votes impact the story and the characters!

[kyoteugly]

This rambling is about buddie prediction for the rest of the season assuming there will be a season 9. 

I don't have any inside information, it's just my gut feeling. I'm not describing any potential scenes, just what average viewers should take away from the episodes for buddie to make sense to them.

After talking to my friend, we came up with a kind of “buddie road map”. These are only our assumptions, I have nothing to support what is below, but I am sharing it here just to see in a few months how much of it has come true.

Once again, this is based purely on intuition and the logic that at the end of the day it's all about money. Because no matter how you look at it, buddie equals profit.

What's missing in 911 right now is a love story. All couples are stable and offer beautiful stories about how strong love is and how wonderful partnership is. But there is no story about falling in love in this beautiful and exciting way with turbulence leading to a happy ending. People want to feel in love even indirectly through the characters, people want to watch it, it sells.

The last three episodes are really getting the general audience used to the idea that there may be something between Buck and Eddie. During the last episode, the average consumer of this series questioned Buck's feelings and Eddie's sexuality at least once, creating the idea "what if…?" This question will attract GA to watch the next episode.

The compelling and natural path to buddie has already begun. 

At the moment, the series has a momentum that it needs to maintain, so I think the next episodes will go as follows:

12-13 - Eddie's story. His relationship with Chris, his dispute with his parents, his will - these elements are obvious. To keep viewers hooked these episodes should also include his relationship with Buck. For example, the fact that Eddie misses Buck as much as Buck misses him - this will at least water the idea that the potential feelings between them could be mutual. But the idea won’t keep an average viewer engaged for long, something solid is needed. And here comes Eddie's sexuality arc (this needs to be addressed, either in 8x12 or 8x13). The fact that Eddie is in Texas creates an incredible opportunity to expand on this theme beyond his relationship with Buck. Eddie is a full-fledged character in this universe, his aspects are unique to him, other characters can only complement his storylines. Eddie doesn't need Buck in this arc, to accept his sexuality, and for compelling character development it would have been better if this storyline had been resolved away from Buck.

And once again - momentum. It would be a mistake to leave the issue (I don’t like this word) of Eddie's sexuality aside now. Coming to an understanding of his own feelings may be a slower development (and Buck is needed for that), but at this point Eddie has been "accused" (if you want to call it that) of not being straight and the audience is waiting for the answer from Eddie himself.

(additionally: episode 12 is the 118th episode of the series. 13 - Ryan's 100th episode - personally, I have very high expectations as to what we will see in them.)

14-15 - we know that there will be some kind of major disaster. My private concern is that Eddie will still be in Texas. However...

1. Keeping Eddie in El Paso makes no sense. His storylines will quickly become unattractive, boring even, because either his reconciliation with Chris or the dispute with his parents would have to be stretched (unnatural for 911). As a result the audience will lose interest in Eddie and buddie.

2. Momentum - I know, I use this a lot - episode 11 questions Buck's feelings. Episodes 12-13 should show that Eddie is not straight (no label required) - this creates tension among the audience = it sells. So Eddie's absence in LA in episodes 14-15 would be like a speeding truck colliding with a concrete wall. Because now the GA knows where Buck and Eddie are in the buddie storyline - uncertain of their feelings but with clear information about their sexuality, so there is a possibility, there is “will they/won’t they” tune playing… and they (GA) want to follow them, especially into danger.

I have no doubt that whatever disaster Tim cooked, it will be intense and interesting, but the tension will increase x100 when we throw into the whirlwind of all the chaos characters who are probably in love with each other. 

That's why I think Eddie should return to LA at least at the end of episode 14. It would be a great idea to lull the audience's vigilance. Whatever terrible thing happens to 118, Eddie's safe, right? Wrong! Eddie is at the center of it all (bonus if he’s with Chris - a perfect cliffhanger - a perfect reference to the absolute hit of  911, tsunami). 

Episode 15 should arouse in viewers the same emotions as the firetruck and the well collapse, as the tsunami and the shooting and the lightning strike. It doesn't mean that one of the boys should have a near death experience. This is not necessary. Just show how Buck and Eddie react when one of them may be in danger - these are the primal reactions to which the viewers will react strongly, i.e. momentum, i.e. money. 

I repeat. It doesn't have to be an NDE! But if it is, it will not lead to the feelings realization. 

This is not a movie, but a series, so there is more time to develop the love story between characters that is not triggered by NDE in any way.

So to this point average viewer saw how Buck and Eddie deal with the fact they have to part ways (9 and 10), how they miss each other, and the seeds of Buck's feelings and Eddie's sexuality were planted (11, 12, 13), how much they care for each other regardless of whether they are a couple or not (14 and 15 - those primal emotions).

16-17 - the pace should be maintained or it can slow down. Show the boys' partnership again, how well they fit together, how they understand each other, without directly touching on the issue of feelings - basically keep a very strong "will they/won't they". Deceptively, on "they won't" the guys should live separately - for this relationship to evolve naturally and healthy they can’t be roommates (I mean, they can, for short moment, but in 17 or 18 one of them should move out - that's what I mean by "they won't") . And because they won’t act on their feelings when they live together (I know, tragic, but this will be important for season 9).

18 - in the last episode we should get a bomb in the form of an unfinished kiss scene, they kiss and fade to black, without resolution, without explanation... it may even be the last scene of the episode.

Why such a road map?

The pace set here attracts viewers and the ending encourages people to follow the next season.

An additional element is the break between seasons. If it turns out that the general audience is not satisfied with buddie, the creators can withdraw from it in the next season. This ending gives the opportunity to either explore their relationship or focus the story on rebuilding the status quo of their friendship.

What about the time gap in the plot between seasons? We want to see the beginning of their relationship!

Yes, it can be done very easily. 

Season 9 starts with the guys feeling awkward after the kiss. Fortunately, they don't live together, so they are able to function to some capacity. Their feelings and emotions are shown, and more importantly, it is shown in flashbacks why it is awkward between them - that is, we see the rest of the scene (from the end of season 8) after they kissed, what was said, where the misunderstanding occurred, etc.

And of course we have the opening of disaster, which puts them in a high adrenaline state, where they themselves notice that this kiss has not changed what they have, what they are together. That they are still partners, that they understand each other without words - this is what we, as viewers, see primarily in episodes 15-18 of season 8, and what Buck and Eddie did not pay attention to. The awkwardness disappears, 9x03 they kiss again and that brings us to the actual beginning of their relationship. The rest of season 9 is establishing buddie as one of the power couples.

In my opinion, this pace for buddie is not rushed, it gives the highest viewership and time to research the audience's opinion (and it gives the loophole to back out of buddie if necessary). This is primarily dictated by money. This scenario is the most optimal in the above-mentioned aspects - but this does not mean that it is the best. 

If the show decides to go all-in on buddie, the kiss will happen earlier to secure Buck and Eddie as a couple before the end of the season 8.

I have no doubt the creators are committed to give buddie a shot. The narrative is clearly going in this direction and the media buzz around it is loud. Transferring the TV series formula for male-female relationships (often for the main couple) to a queer relationship in a series intended for such a wide audience is a bold move. And a risky one. A kind of precedent is being created for presenting this type of story, m/m slow burn, friends to lovers, with sexuality arcs, with deep personal growth. This exists in fanfiction, not television. There is no rule book here, everything is new, fresh, unexplored - that's why it's so exciting, that's why it captivates the viewers. 

So when buddie happens, they will automatically become legendary.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Josephine Baker (The Siren of the Tropics, ZouZou)— Josephine Baker was an American born actress, singer, and utter icon of the period, creating the 1920s banana skirt look. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion film. She fought in the French resistance in WWII, given a Legion of Honour, as well as refusing to perform in segregated theatres in the US. She was bisexual, a fighter, and overall an absolutely incredible woman as well as being extremely attractive.

Joan Crawford (Dancing Lady, Mildred Pierce, The Women)— God, where do I start!!! Her face is so UNIQUE and compelling and stands out so much. I love her thick brows and high cheekbones. She has a school-marmy hardness too her that makes her a little scary and therefore sexy. Her low thick voice also does it for me. Despite being an unusual looking woman with an unusual face, she never loses her glamour. Just a gorgeous talented actress, AND she was some sort of gay!!!

This is round 5 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut. the famous banana skirt is mildly NSFW.]

Josephine Baker:

Black, American-born, French dancer and singer. Phenomenal sensation, took music-halls by storm. Famous in the silent film era.

Let's talk La Revue Negre, Shuffle Along. The iconique banana outfit? But also getting a Croix de Guerre and full military honors at burial in Paris due to working with the Resistance.

She exuded sex, was a beautiful dancer, vivacious, and her silliness and humor added to her attractiveness. She looked just as good in drag too.

So I know she was more famous for other stuff than movies and her movies weren’t Hollywood but my first exposure to her was in her films so I’ve always thought of her as a film actress first and foremost. Also she was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture so I think that warrants an entry

Iconic! Just look up anything about her life. She was a fascinating woman.

Joan Crawford:

I just love women that are very mean.

she was a smoke show in every decade, from the 20s to the 60s.

The classic matronly beauty with amazing eyebrows

of course there's a space for MILF joan but i want to just take a second and say she was so cute in her early movies (like grand hotel and the women)! those parts often get forgotten but her stardom shines in them just as much as in her older #queen #icon roles

Misremembered for wire hanger hatred, this original screen queen mastered the art of the comeback and refused to let Hollywood toss her aside as she aged. The term “auteur” is usually revered for directors or writer-directors, but most critics have one actor they’ll give that title to as well: Crawford—anyone who knows classic movies already has a “Crawford picture” in their head. She knew how to style herself and promote herself. She made herself a star and kept herself fixated in the Hollywood firmament. What’s hotter than knowing just how hot you are?

(don’t think about Mommie Dearest right now) Joan was known for being super nice to all the like crew of the movies she worked on and she’d get everyone gifts. Joan would hold movie nights at her house and knit at the back of her home theater. Joan was sooo obsessed with other women including Greta Garbo, whos dressing room she would obsessively and purposefully walk by. She said that while working on Grand Hotel, Garbo grabbed her face and “if there ever was a time in my life where I would’ve been a lesbian, that was it.” But like Joan also probably did sleep with women including Barbara Stanwyck. Joan was so obsessed with Bette Davis, screening multiple movies of hers in a day at her watch party, constantly trying to spend time with her or do a movie together, insisting on the dressing room next to hers at Warners and sending her daily gifts… etc. Once Bette said that sex was gods joke to humanity and Joan said “I think the joke is on her.” Joan fucked a lot. Joan got caught publicly fucking a man and sent a letter to the woman who saw them basically saying “I bet it excited you” and the woman was like you know what. It did. Joan was best friends with a gay man. Joan was an actually genuinely good actress even though people mocked her a lot for being like cheap and stupid (partially because she never finished school because her family was broke). Joan was so insane and so cool that’s all.

[dragonfly0808]

Tecna: The Thesis

This one has been a long time coming I know

First Things First

The first words I have for Tecna in my character profiles are tech nerd child, but she has so much more depth than that, even more than I’d ever originally planned

One of the things I really wanted to get across with Tecna is that is not and has never been an ice queen or unfeeling or cold, just bad with communication and her way of showing affection is atypical

While writing s1, I wrote her as autistic coded but was very hesitant to confirm her as autistic since I really did not want to accidentally write her autistic traits in an offensive or just misrepresentative way, but, after seeing my portrayl of her landed well with a lot of commenters who were part of the autistic community, I decided to do my research and properly commit to portraying her as autistic (whilst of course, never making it her full personality, just a part of who she is)

To me, Tecna is one of the most compelling characters to write, since she has a huge heart and holds a lot of love for her family and the Winx and, over the course of the seasons, we see her get better at communicating that whilst never forcing herself to conform or change to do it the ‘normal’ way

Family Matters

Aside from Riven, I think Tecna is the one who benefited the most from the changes I made to her family

I gave her a big sister and a little brother as well as loving parents who raised them all in a farm on the domestic side of Zenith, that focuses on farming and crops

After I committed to writing Tecna as autistic, I chose to portray nearly her entire family as neurodivergent, her dad is autistic and has ADHD, her mom has dyspraxia, her brother has ADHA as well as dyspraxia, her big sister being the only neurotypical one

The reason for this was because i wanted to portray her parents as always has taking Tecna’s needs/triggers into account and accommodate for all of their childrens needs and never try to change who they are; this is why from the get go, Tecna is unapologetic about who she is and what she needs, having never once been taught or pushed to mask.

Tecna in the OG always had a sense of absolute confidence and in my mind, giving her an understanding family who always embraced her as she was would be a great way of explaining why that is.

Also, I just really wanted to give her a loving, fluffy family since so many other families in the rewrite have issues and problems

SPOILERS FROM HERE FOR SEASON 3, THE OMEGA ARC AND SEASON 4 PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP!!!

A Frozen Loss

Now, from the moment I knew I was going to rewrite s3, I knew the Omega Arc was going to be one of the hardest and angstiest to write

i feel like both in the OG and in the fandom, Tecna can often be underrated and underused and I wanted to take the chance to show why I love this character so much and how she is an integral part of the group and there is no Winx without Tecna

In a sense, yes, Tecna is the brains of the group, she is the strategist and the one who comes up with a 27 step plan and the tech genius. But she is also the glue. She’s probably one of the most loved characters in the group, every single one of the girls and the boys have a very special and unique bond with Tecna, partially because of her odd way of showing affection and love

When Tecna cares about someone, she shows it even if she doesn’t always know how to say it, everyone knows it and loves her for it.

The Omega Arc also gave me a chance to show how resilient and smart Tecna is. Like I mentioned, she’s a strategist and a chronic overthinker and our girl doesn’t know how to back down, she’s determined and a survivor.

After the Omega Arc; surviving by herself for a week in a hostile planet and losing both her right leg and left hand, there is of course a huge shift in her character.

I chose to have her lose limbs to fully push how traumatic and life-changing the Omega Arc is not just to Tecna, but to all the Winx. After Omega, Tecna becomes a bit more comfortable with physical contact and starts to question her priorities and what she wants with her life… which leads us to-

Potential Can be Suffocating

One thing I thought I could do with Tecna was to have her shift her priorities when it comes to her plans for the future, going from being determined to be a buisness woman to realizing that she, while she still wants to be successful, it’s no longer all she wants

I think we all know how damaging hustle culture can be sometimes and, to incorporate smth a bit more personal, as someone who was always seen as ‘the smart one’/‘the one who’s gonna maintain us’ in the family amongst the cousins, I’ve felt the looming pressure of being the one in the family with the most ‘potential’. And as I’ve grown up, I’ve kinda realized that I don’t really want to throw myself into being solely dedicated to becoming this big buisness person like- obviously I want to be successful and be able to provide for myself, but I also want to have time for my writing and my family and myself, and I wanted to give this same kind of quiet realization to Tecna

For Tecna, it’s herself who puts on this pressure since, as a little girl she started seeing the modern side of Zenith as ‘superior’ in her mind and really wanted to leave the farm life to become exclusively focused on buisness, but as she grows up and, especially after Omega, she realized she wants to stay close to home and wants a quieter life, she still wants to be successful and to change the world, but it’s not all she wants anymore

Not sure if I explained that last point as well as I wanted to.

Thoughts Behind Her Main Relationships

Tecna

I love Tecna and Musa, they are very much a friendship between unconventional girls who don’t always come across as they mean to.

They both struggle to make friends for different reasons but the second they meet they realize that they are quite similar and so never push each other outside of their comfort zone at first and that’s what allows them to become close enough to then push one another.

Musa gets what makes Tecna tick and makes sure that she’s comfortable, she makes sure she gets her alone time and makes sure she doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Tecna gets that Musa doesn’t want to talk about herself so instead gets her to open up about her music.

And it’s through this that they start to trust one another and by s2 we see them knowing each other well enough to keep the other from spiraling.

When Tecna’s confused about her feelings for Timmy, it’s Musa who reminds her that it’s okay to not be ready for a relationship. And when Musa and Riven first kiss, it’s Tecna who suggests they take it slow since she knows how skittish they can both be.

At this point, they push one another when they need to.

They are crucial to each other’s growth.

Timmy

Now, my darlings, my softies, my introverted nerdy lovers

I know a lot of you were like- what the fuck do you mean they’re still not dating? Towards the start of s4 but I really wanted them to actually take their time before getting together

Timmy has a crush on Tecna since s1 and it’s in s2 where Tecna falls for Timmy slowly but surely, being a bit confused about her feelings since this is the first time she’s ever fallen in love. They have a talk and decide that neither are really ready for a relationship, Tecna because she’s still learning to communicate and just doesn’t feel ready in general, Timmy due to his anxiety and desire to work on himself before trying for a relationship

Once the feelings are out in the open, they are a lot less shy about being affectionate towards each other, since they know they’re headed for a relationship someday.

After Omega, any subtlety goes out the window for a bit, but they still aren’t official since, they really just- they know what they feel and what they have, that’s enough for them throughout s3, especially with everything going on (the song Tell Em by Sabrina Carpenter I feel really encapsulates how they feel about having a concrete label)

But now in s4, they are finally going to be dating and… honestly not much will change. That’s what I love most about Tecna and Timmy, they’re best friends in love. They act like best friends… who ocasionaly kiss. Love it!

Nabu

Now, Tecna was the last Winx to get her platonic soulmate, and I really loved introducing Nabu into the story through Tecna

These two just click from the very start, they are both have quite cool and calm demeanors that hide the ocasional gremlin behavior beneath the surface

They are each other’s impulse control and they trade a singular brain cell back and forth (Tecna has it most of the time).

I’m not really sure how to describe their relationship since, there are just some people in life with whom you just click for absolutely no reason, they just make sense to you in a way that very few people do, these two click and just want to hang out and protect one another

Who is Tecna in this Rewrite?

In this rewrite, Tecna is a young girl who isn’t the best at communicating

She is a girl who slowly grows, not in the sense that she changes, but in the sense that she grows into herself, learning more about herself, slowly learning how to communicate her love and care

The only thing that truly shifts are her priorities as she realizes just how important her family and friends are to her and, whilst she is a very ambitious girl and that doesn’t change, instead it is re-directed into… I actually can’t quite say how it is re-directed quite yet since that won’t be revealed until a lot later on

But my fave way of describing Tecna is just a girl growing into herself, into her love, into her hobbies, into her ambitions and into a wonderful woman.

———————

Masterlist

Tecna Moodboard

Tecna’s Instagram

Tecna and Musa Moodboard

Tecna and Timmy Moodboard

Tecna and Nabu Moodboard

———————

I know this one has been a long time coming, I apologize for the delay I just could not for the life of me put this into words, but here it is!!!

[alfredstvthoughts]

Win or Lose - A review of the complete mini-series (8 episodes; 19 February - 12 March 2025)

In something of a departure from what I usually do here, I have decided to review the entirety of Pixar's recently concluded Disney+ mini-series Win or Lose. I have felt compelled to do so due to the series' sheer quality, the show has far surpassed my initially modest expectations for it, becoming one of the best shows I have ever watched in recent years and to express how much I've enjoyed it, this review was in order I felt. However, I have decided to review the whole series instead of individual episodes as I do for other shows because each episode is very intricately connected to the others and I felt it would be impossible to properly review each episode on an individual basis.

At a very basic level, the plot of Win or Lose revolves around the Pickles, a junior softball team who qualifies for the state championship after winning a game, with the conclusion of each episode taking place during that state championship game a week later.

But this basic description of the plot hardly even scratches the surface of what really goes on in the series and two episodes are even focused on characters who only have a peripheral connection to what happens on the field.

Each of the first seven episodes focuses on a specific character and what happens to them in that time period starting from the first game to the night of the state championship game, with the events being shown from their point of view. Each of these first seven episodes concludes at a crucial moment for their character during the state championship game. The eighth and final episode, while initially focusing on Coach Dan eventually brings each character's story arc to their conclusion while also ensuring the main plot gets it's ending too.

This unique approach to storytelling helps connect all the individual events that happen over the course of the series very nicely, particularly as several of these events are repeated from different characters' points of view. What can initially be seen as an unsympathetic act becomes more understandable as we experience the same event from another point of view.

To take an example, umpire and teacher Frank catches Rochelle attempting to pass a note to Kai during a classroom test which contains the test answers. While in his episode, the act is seen as poor behavior, with Rochelle and Kai justly punished for it, in Rochelle's episode we understand that Kai was not the intended recipient of the note but was really in the way of the true recipient and that Rochelle was simply doing this to help raise money for her to continue playing softball - she has resorted to running a business where she does other people's homework or helps them cheat on tests for a fee. Rochelle's desperation to raise the required money despite the fact she knows what she's doing is wrong makes the act more sympathetic and less a straightforward case of right or wrong. Additionally, the event is shown once more from Kai's point of view in her episode, showing how she reacts to the consequences.

Each of the characters are superbly written and the fact that each of the eight main characters have plenty of time to show their personalities means that we end up loving all of them and even initially unsympathetic characters like Yuwen (who in the first episode seems like a bully when he uploads a video of Laurie failing to hit the ball and shows it to her) end up becoming more likeable as we experience events from their point of view and share their emotional highs and lows.

My own personal favorite character in the show was Laurie, her struggles to be a good player and anxiety was something I found really relatable and I really wanted to her to do well, while she has a generally sweet and kind personality that made her even more loveable.

Another effective thing the show does is that in each episode, each character's emotions manifest in a unique way. Laurie's anxiety manifests in a creature called Sweaty who grows to ever larger sizes as she grows more anxious, while Yuwen's inner personality is depicted as a smaller, more adorable cardboard figure of himself that shows his true feelings. Ira meanwhile sees events through a sci-fi fantasy filter in which he sees himself as a hero.

After seven episodes of brilliance, the final episode ends the show on a high as we finally see more of the state championship game and see each character's story arc comes to a conclusion. I won't spoil the ending, but it's an excellent one that perhaps proves one thing: win or lose, the Pickles team is always there for each other and that it's the fun of playing and team camaraderie that truly counts.

Overall, I really enjoyed Win or Lose so much, this show has simply surprised me by it's utter quality to become one of the greatest shows of this decade so far. With it's unique storytelling, loveable and unique characters, superb writing and multiple perspectives, this is one show that will go down as an all-time classic. Indeed, I am sad that this show is now over, I would love a further series to see more of these characters one day!

[coraniaid]

Also sorry second unpopular opinion but this one's a lot simpler, for the longest time the only thing about Buffy that had crossed over to me was the term Spikeification from TVTropes now named Badass Decay I think, broadly the term for a character who is introduced as strong and gradually becomes weak. Even today I see people talk about how Spike was introduced as the Slayer of Slayers was cool and strong in s2.

Anyway Spike was kinda always a loser? Like yeah we're told he killed two Slayers but in his first episode he gets sent packing by Buffy's mother? I'm pretty sure his greatest onscreen accomplishment for the longest time is when he manages to overpower a child in the Annointed One. And like he didn't even manage to hold onto Big Bad status in his debut Season he had to pass that over to Drusilla and then again Angel before the end.

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

("Strongly agree but with a very specific minor caveat" isn't an option, alas.)

So, I think this is more or less completely right. I think "Badass Decay" is a pretty silly concept to care about to begin with, and I certainly don't think Spike is an example of it happening.

Yes, while Spike is initially introduced as being a uniquely dangerous vampire ("worse than any other creature [Buffy has] faced") and while School Hard does mostly play that straight (up until Joyce rescues Buffy), this status really isn't something he keeps for long. As early as Halloween, just two episodes later, he's teaming up with a gang of literal children in costumes and is only a threat to Buffy because she has no powers and no memory of being the Slayer; he runs away the minute Ethan's spell is reversed and he isn't even worth chasing after. In the climax of Lie To Me he is outwitted by a door. And as you say, he quickly loses the status of Big Bad (after ... what seven episodes, several of which he wasn't even in?) and never gets it back again.

The Spike of the second half of Season 2 isn't quite comic relief, but he's not presented as particularly dangerous or imposing either. He exists mostly to hang around the real Big Bad (be that Drusilla or the Judge or Angelus or Acathla) and make catty remarks about their plans ("It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends: they don't have a rock this big.") And then the Spike of Lovers Walk is pretty clearly explicitly written to be some kind of drunken loser (which, to be clear, is not particularly meant to be derogatory -- I'm a Faith Lehane fan, I like losers). And -- at least to me -- the Spike of Lovers Walk feels very consistent with the Spike we knew in Season 2. Yes, if Dru dumped him for a chaos demon ("all slime and antlers") and told him they could still be friends, I think Season 2 Spike would be reduced to that. That fits.

I don't think "Badass Decay" makes sense as a description of what happens to Spike on his time on the show at all, and going back to read the TVTropes article I'm not at all persuaded otherwise.

However -- and this is the caveat I mentioned -- I do think it's unarguable that something about how the narrative treats Spike changes between Season 2 and Season 7, in ways that can't be explained solely by Dru leaving him or getting chipped by the Initiative or falling in love with Buffy or spending too much time alone watching Passions or regaining his soul or any combination of all those things.

And well, I mean, of course it does: it changes when Spike becomes a regular on the show. The Spike of Season 2 wasn't ever meant to last for that long. (There is a persistent rumour that Spike was originally going to be killed off after just a few episodes: as with the very similar rumour about Faith I've never seen any source to back this up and I am rather inclined not to believe it in the absence of any compelling evidence.) The Spike of Season 4's The Initiative and beyond necessarily has to occupy a different space in the narrative. Everyone -- the audience and the rest of the cast -- have to relate to him differently. He can't just blow through town and causes problems then drive off into the sunset anymore. He can't just be a catalyst for character development in other people. He has to become a real character; not just from that point going forward but also retroactively: he has to have been a real person all along. (Which is why we start getting Spike flashback episodes and the change to his backstory about who first sired him.)

Spike doesn't magically start being less competent or successful in Season 4, but the show itself increasingly expects you to feel sorry for him when he suffers setbacks. If you're not really paying attention, you can watch Season 2 and think Spike really is the dangerous badass he wants to convince people he is, because at this point of the show Spike is not one of the characters you're meant to take that seriously as a person. You can't so easily ignore how badly things keep going for Spike and how pathetic he often is in the post-Season 4 seasons, precisely because he is now a much more significant character in the narrative (and has correspondingly much more screen time).

Spike being kind of a loser never changes, but how much attention the show expects you to give him does.

And that is, I think, a pretty fundamental change that deserves some sort of name: a character is introduced into a long running show, initially only meant to be there as an antagonist for a few episodes, but for various reasons they end up becoming a core member of the show and start being treated more sympathetically by the narrative than when they were just a random villain. Who they are doesn't automatically change, but the way we are expected to feel about them does. (See also, among many other examples, Root from Person of Interest.)

If I'm being honest, for quite a long time I thought this was what the term "Spikeification" actually meant. The idea that this word and "Badass Decay" were meant to describe the same concept confused me quite a lot when I figured it out.

But since apparently there isn't a word for this idea after all, maybe we need a new name. Perhaps we could go with Anyafication.

[selcouthself]

Reclaiming Leroux's Original Vision | part 1/?

Despite passionate pleas from dedicated Phans who have kept Leroux's original text alive through decades of discussion, fan works, etc., production companies continually choose marketable romance over authentic adaptation, perpetually ignoring the faithful rendition fans have been clamoring for. ***For the purpose of this discussion, I am excluding the 1925 silent film adaptation, which stands apart as perhaps the most faithful adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel, and focusing on the grievances that Phans commonly express regarding other adaptations across various media.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​***

From the 1984 BANGER musical that prioritized spectacle over substance, to the 1990 miniseries that gave us a subdued, sympathetic Erik, to the 2004 film that turned Erik into a brooding, misunderstood hottie with convenient scarring, to various others, each attempt seems to misunderstand that fans don't want a dumbed down love triangle (Though it should be said that we do adore these adaptations for what they are-- Webber's music is undeniably beautiful, Dance's performance is genuinely moving, Chaney's makeup & dedication remains iconic, and not to mention the 2004 film is visually stunning)—we want the brilliant, morally complex, historically textured, genuinely disturbing masterpiece that Leroux wrote.

The recurring sins remain consistent:

The bastardization of Erik's character. Erik's horrific appearance isn't just physical description—it fundamentally shapes his entire psychology and justifies his isolation from humanity, making him simultaneously monstrous and tragic; when adaptations give us a handsome phantom with decorative/minimal scarring, they erase the lifetime of rejection and dehumanization that forged his broken psyche and twisted worldview. Erik is SYMPATHETIC.

The complete erasure of the Persian. Removing him not only gets rid of MAJOR PLOT DETAILS, but it also removes Erik's only genuine human connection and moral counterbalance, eliminating the character who humanizes Erik through their shared history while also serving as the crucial voice of reason who condemns his actions.

Christine's character being reduced to a silly little ingénue forced to choose between two love interests instead of a determined young woman making impossible choices while processing immense trauma and grief, despite the fact that she's a victim of severe emotional manipulation and abuse—which isn't romantic, it's horrific.

Raoul being flattened into a one-dimensional pretty boy when his character is much more complicated than that. He's driven by emotional insecurity, naivety, and a sense of duty. He's young, new into society, and wanting to prove himself. He wants to protect Christine. He's wants to understand the connection Christine shares with this Erik.

Completely abandoning Leroux's "this is a journalist investigating real events" framework that makes the original novel so unique and unsettling.

Philippe de Chagny mysteriously vanishing from adaptations despite his "mysterious" drowning being a major plot point.

The opera house itself losing its character as a place of history, secrets, and genuine architectural strangeness.

Should an accurate adaptation of Gaston Leroux's "The Phantom of the Opera" be considered, I believe it would seek to rectify these recurring issues. It should breathe new life into both dimensions of the original novel: the meticulous journalistic investigation and the heartbreaking tale buried beneath the Paris Opera House. Leroux himself should take center stage at times—chasing leads through dusty archives, interviewing reluctant witnesses, and piecing together fragments of evidence about a masked man who once terrorized the opera. These investigative sequences would illuminate how Leroux blended documented facts (the underground lake, the mysterious accidents, the architectural oddities of the Opera Garnier) with his novelist's imagination, creating a compelling framework that constantly questions where reality ends and fiction begins.

Parallel to this investigation runs Erik's devastating story—a tale of profound isolation, artistic genius, and doomed love that explores deeply human questions about appearance, acceptance, and redemption. By returning to Leroux's original character descriptions and historical inspirations—such as the real-life soprano Christine Nilsson who influenced the creation of Christine Daaé—this adaptation would strip away decades of reinterpretation to present these characters as they were originally conceived.

Through this dual narrative structure, viewers would gain unprecedented insight into what Leroux was trying to teach us about societal cruelty, the transcendent power of music, and the complex nature of love in its various forms—familial, protective, passionate, and obsessive. This dream project imagines bringing the authentic literary Phantom to life as Leroux intended, where the line between factual investigation and gothic romance becomes as murky as the waters of the underground lake itself.

I intend to explore what a truly faithful adaptation might look like by suggesting ideal casting choices, highlighting scenes from Leroux’s novel that deserve proper screen treatment, various references that I would love to see, and debating whether a tv series or film would serve the complex narrative and gothic atmosphere of the original work. My goal is to envision an adaptation that honors the psychological horror and the rich historical context that made Leroux’s novel a timeless classic.

[synchodai]

Does Astarion have a soul?

Even before Larian muddied the waters by introducing their special boy (who defies a lot of conventional D&D vampire rules), there's been a lot of debate amongst players whether undead have souls. Which undead have souls? Incorporeal undead like ghosts and banshees are lost souls, after all, but what about corporeal undead? Are they just necrotic fleshbots (as per Eberron rules)? Does it have something to so with their sentience or power level or autonomy?

A lot of Forgotten Realms source books are contradictory, deliberately vague, and told through multiple unreliable POVs, so we don't really have a definitive answer. D&D vampire lore isn't exempt from this. Usually, the answer is just "DM ruling" since the point of D&D is to twist rules and lore to accomodate the players' stories.

In BG3's case, Astarion clearly still has a soul because he can do the following:

Bargain it with devils

Receive blessings from Astral Plane deities

Attune to equipment (or BG3's version of attunement with the Necromancy of Thay)

Can be revivified and (true) resurrected (unique to Astarion, as other vampire spawn turn to mist when they are lethally damaged consistent with D&D rules)

Unless the mindflayer tadpole re-ensouled Astarion somehow (very very VERY unlikely), this means that vampire spawn retain their souls even after dying.

That being said, I highly discourage turning your PC into a vampire spawn if you're playing D&D. Because they are under the complete thrall of their sire, you will lose any player agency. They will effectively become an NPC and you will have to roll for a new character to continue playing.

This also means a spawn!Tav is not a true vampire spawn since they maintain their free will and cannot be compelled (at least, from what I've heard as I've never gone down spawn-AA route).

Spawn!Tav Implications (aka spoiling your "vampire bride" theories)

I've seen posts going around citing Van Richten's Guide to Vampires (a 2e source book) to explain spawn!Tav's transformation. However, if we were indeed going by 2e rules, Astarion would have to be an ancient vampire (400-499 years old) to be able to make a vampire bride/groom.

In Curse of Strahd, Strahd's consorts function mechanically as regular vampire spawn. As far as I know, there is no special ritual to designate "brides" or "consorts" in 5e. Sources have never specified how much blood a spawn needs to draw from their sire to become true vampires, so theoretically, even one drop should be enough.

And so, here is my more likely theory that explains spawn!Tav: Astarion, either accidentally or deliberately, made his first spawn into a true vampire — into another Vampire Ascendant even. This is the theory I'm leaning towards because it's the funniest and is in-line with Astarion's characterization of not making the wisest decisions and sometimes plain-old just not knowing what he's doing.

But hey, if you still want to use 2e Vampire Bride/Groom rules to explain Ascendent Astarion and spawn!Tav's relationship, feel free to do so. At the end of the day, this is D&D and it all comes down to DM's ruling.

[martialartslover7]

Weird Wednesday Headcanon: Inner Sakura is a STAND!

Let's be honest, guys, the only reason why the female characters in Naruto got held back so much in their overall potential and fighting prowess, was because of Kishimoto's, very likely, and I mean, VERY LIKELY (we don't even really know, all I am saying is, everything that happened so far in his material, and some of the things he said in interviews about the female characters, doesn't do him any favors), underlying misogyny, since...

Off-topic, but c'mon. Demon Slayer would like to have a word with him. The entire IP was written by a female mangaka, and yet she managed to make both males AND females in her story, equally as interesting and compelling. Sure, it was more on the simplistic and straightforward side, it's Shonen after all, but it was really well done, regardless. And even the "housewife" archetype was done in an appealing fashion, with Tengen's three wives, who were more than stay-at-home housewives, they were his bodyguards too, they kept active to not lose sight of their, now sadly, physically handicapped husband. Sometimes, you don't need to make every single aspect of your IP so deep and philosophical to be good. The point, "more is less", exists for a reason. And once again, because this is a mentality I kept seeing on Reddit and Twitter, just to remind you all, who will try to get all smart on me:

THIS. IS. FICTION. YOU CAN WRITE, ANYTHING YOU WANT! NOTHING LIMITS YOU! ESPECIALLY NOT WHO ARE YOU!

Like, this is fucking ridiculous, you really mean to tell me, that, just because you have a penis, all of a sudden, you can't relate to the problems of women, as though, they are an entirely different species from you? WHAT NONSENSE IS THIS? If you write, you write, nothing should be limiting you, unless maybe, you tackle serious, real-life problems, then it's best advised to do a little research first, before tackling them in a tactful way, but aside from that, NOTHING should hold you back.

Anyway, venting over, back to the topic at hand.

You know what'd be a serious buff to Sakura, overall? Outside of gaining access to the 8 Gates, thanks to Rock Lee and Guy?

...taming Inner Sakura, and turning that joke character into a dangerous weapon. And the way it works, at least if you were to go off of what the 2000s PS2 era was showing off with her, Inner Sakura is an inner, astral projection, manifesting in the real world, and making you eat her dust. Not convinced? Check it out:

C'mon, people! There is no doubt about it. Sakura. Is a STAND USER. And that stand of hers, is like if you were to fuse the lady that King Kong kidnaps, with himself. It just makes you ask: Why wasn't regularly used by Sakura? It could just be a unique extension to her Genjutsu toolkit, in that, her Genjutsu, is so painful, it has real-life effects on you. Basically, her anxiety and delusions are so strong, along with her wild, livid imagination, her mind ends up creating this astral projection of her inner turmoil. And with that, Genin Sakura, buffed to hell. And before becoming a healer, she is mostly a wrecking ball.

All she needs to do, is catch you in her Genjutsu raidus, and you're toast. She will toss and punch you around, like a little kid, venting its frustrations on its plushie.

Just imagine how devastating that technique might look for reals, and the reason I am saying this...

...mentally replace Jotaro with Sakura, and just picture Inner Sakura bombarding, her opposition, who might be, hypothetically, Kabuto, who is tormenting Naruto from afar, so Sakura decides:

Kate Higgins. Chie Nakamura. I will pay you, real-life money, just to replicate this, while replacing the ORA with CHA.

PEACE.

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

Just hit me that Episode 1, a big seed of insecurity is planted in Powder when she overhears Mylo and Vi arguing about her, but she leaves before Vi stands up for her, and then in Episode 9 she overhears Silco musing about how he has his dream in his hands and all he needs to do is give up Jinx. It cuts away before we see anything happen next but it can be surmised that she knocked him out before he was made aware of her presence.

At her most tenuous and uncertain of who she was—awkward Powder, frenetic Jinx— Fate decided to have her stumble upon important conversations had by those she loved about her worth and value as a person, and understandably she fled before she could hear the final verdict.

In Episode 1, she ran from the door with the impression that her sister thought she would never be strong enough, never be good enough, and any conversation to the contrary were just lies that family tells you to make you feel better. In Episode 9, she knocked out Silco before he could monologue his decision (lol) because she has been this man’s shadow for 6 years. She knows that he values utility, ruthlessness, and his dream of a free Zaun at all costs. No matter how fond he was of her, how gentle or patient or allowing, it all culminated into her being the powerhouse that would land him Zaun, and now he has it, so what good is she now? By all metrics that she herself has witnessed of him, all signs point toward him favoring giving her up.

It’s a mixture of Jinx’s own insecure attachment and Silco’s almost pathological refusal to not define their relationship as her being an exception to his personal policy of cutthroat zig-zagged loyalty that led to Jinx jumping to very logical conclusion that he would give her up to Piltover. Because he delayed having that very important internal conversation with himself about how important she was to him, he had to have that debate right at the finish line instead of, I don’t know, at Singed’s operating table when he was in danger of losing her?? Life comes at you fast and you don’t have time to sort out your feelings, I suppose. The show is very much a whirlwind of everything happening at once, but moving on…

But it also makes sense, because Silco’s love for Jinx is hinted at having snuck up on him without him fully noticing. He thought he was in control of his fondness for her. He must have thought it was an understandable and unavoidable side effect to raising a protegè that you genuinely respect for her cleverness and usefulness. But he grew to genuinely love her in his unfulfilling, disparate way. It filled some holes, and left others bare. The question of unconditional support and love was broken with Vi, and Silco by his nature, his behavior, his endeavors ensured that Jinx grew up in an environment where social darwinism reigned supreme and that faltering or failing rendered you lesser in Silco’s eyes. Silco never outright said it to her. We never see him denigrate or threaten her, but kids don’t need to be told anything to get the general feel of “how things are”. The general air around Silco was one that encouraged her penchant for gadgets and engineering, but left her suspended in a limbo where she felt compelled to be strong, be the best, be perfect, otherwise he would look elsewhere. He would drop her, because the strong eat the weak and he only values her because she is uniquely strong. A gem in his collection, almost. It’s a girl whose abandonment issues have her seesawing back and forth between cavalier “I don’t caaaaare, I’m irreplaceable and you know it” and “Please don’t drop me, I’m strong, I’m good, I can do this, I can, I can, I swear I can” which, in Episode 9 culminated in her Shimmer psychosis as “How dare you. After everything I’ve done, after everything you’ve lectured me about Topside, you want to give me to them? Who do you think you are? I made you. I’m this broken fizzing-wire thing whose sister gave me up for a Topsider, I killed my childhood best friend with a bomb, and now you want to throw me away for your shiny dream city? You think you can throw me away like trash, don’t you dare look away, don’t you DARE THROW ME AWAY”

Like GIRL. I usually hate the “left before they heard the context of someone’s seemingly damning conversation” but it works here because it aggravated therapy-needed Powder/Jinx’s insecurities.

[baradorable]

Help I was reading Academy X again, and now I'm in a Surge x Hellion mood. Time to gush about my headcanons of them as a couple.

I'm not going to do a write-up about their evolving relationship over time. Not yet, at least. Maybe one day. But let me pitch a hypothetical scenario to you guys. Let me set the scene. I want to just sort of walk myself through how a modern-day Hell-Surge ship could work. (Surgeon? Surgon? Juliko? Norian? JuNo? How about ThinkFast, since Julian is psychic and Noriko is a speedster?) Surge is kinda dead right now, but this is the X-Men. Even with the Academy X curse, she'll be back. If anything, the ship would be much more compelling because of the death.

So here me out on this one, motherfuckers. Remember how upset Surge was when her friends were in danger. She flipped out and hit Julian after finding out he and Laura went on a rescue mission during Mercury Falling.

Surge has mellowed out since then. But even in the current X-Force book, we saw that she won't leave anyone behind. Deep down, she has that heroic nature.

Her concern was not inherently romantic. It definitely wasn't meant to be during the above scenes. But still. I think it's cute and could be a nice building block for a theoretical romance.

Now let's flash forward to the current era, where Surge is currently in a new phase of her life: death.

We deserve to see how all of the Academy X characters would react to this. I NEED to see how David and Sofia react. But this is a JuNo post, so let's focus on our boi, Hellion/The Krakoan.

Julian would be furious. Despite their ups and downs, he respected her. They butted heads, but they understood and related to each other on such a deep, unique and personal level. They both knew the burden of being a leader and worrying about being able to protect others. They were really good friends, even if they didn't have a conventional friendship.

He'd absolutely go after X-Force and Forge. He already hated the adults for letting the kids die on their watch. First thing he's gonna do is fly to their ship, get mistaken for an enemy and be blasted out of the sky, because Julian's existence is only pain.

But AFTER that, he's going to rip into them. Sage might run a little bit of defense for Forge's sake, though we know she was all sorts of raw over Surge's death and Forge feigning his acceptance of it. Forge would probably chew him out for being so blinded by his feelings, he doesn't care that the world could have ended and Surge would have died anyway. Regardless, Julian will be so angry, he won't care how they feel. Even if he could see their pain, he wouldn't care. He would make sure they knew how badly they messed up, how disappointed he was in them, and how they should never forget what had happened.

Maybe Hellion could try and get on the team to continue the mission Surge believed in. Or he could go about his own path, causing chaos and destruction to eliminate some non-mutant threats, so no one else has to do it. Let no one have to sacrifice themselves for the X-Men, or a world that hates them. I like the latter idea a lot, because it gets to a core element of Hellion's character: he cares about others and wants to protect them, but he thinks his path is always the best one. And his logic is colored by his emotions.

But imagine how things would be once Nori comes back to life somehow. He'd be furious at her for sacrificing herself, mirroring how Nori felt after Mercury Falling. Meanwhile, Nori has no regrets about what she did. And frankly, it's not Hellion's, or anyone's decision, on what she does with her life.

As mad as he is at her, Julian loves that she's willing to stand up for herself, flip him off, and do the right thing. She makes him so mad, but he wouldn't want her to change.

And that's when the realization hits. For both of them.

For Julian, she affected him so deeply that his world was irrevocably changed when he lost her. And now that she's back, he doesn't want to lose her again. Not everyone can crack though his tough exterior, but she touched his heart deeper than anyone else did.

For Noriko, she hears about how Julian grieved her harder than most people ever will. Noriko was abandoned by her father and had people see her as an unreasonable bitch. She threw away her relationship with Prodigy to protect him, and it drove them apart. But now, under no one else's provocation, Hellion proved that Noriko had someone who loved her, warts and all. In fact, the very elements that make people dislike her (ie: her rash decisions when she wants to do the right thing; her desire to protect others; her self-sacrificing tendencies) are actually positives in his eyes. Hellion is intrigued as he is frustrated.

A relationship born from animosity and childhood squabbling. Forged by fire, it grew into respect and understanding. And through tragedy, it turns into admiration and love.

Though there's still the elephant in the room: Sofia Mantega.

Julian will always love Sofia on some level. Even if they're not together, they have a strong connection. He could move on from her, but he would never do something to hurt her. And dating one of her best friends could hurt her.

Likewise, Nori's not going to just take her best friend's ex. Even if their relationship was years in the past, Sofia was always there for her. And Surge deeply cares about her friends. She'd especially care about Sofia, since Sofia was one of the people who was always there for her, even at her worst. They lost touch after M-Day, after everything that has happened since, I feel like Noriko would be more paranoid about losing her friend again.

I think that if a romance were to bloom between Julian and Noriko, Sofia would have to be the one to take the initiative. She'd see the attraction and, putting her own feelings aside, approve of it. It could be awkward and painful, but it could work. Honestly, I feel if any of them were to genuinely get over the awkwardness first, it would be Sofia. Like assuming she was genuinely over Julian, she'd be actively pushing them together... while also reigning the two in, if they started butting heads over things.

Then we go the BotA card game route, where JuNo grow up, get married and wear matching costumes.

Oh, another possible ship name: BrainStorm. I wouldn't be surprised if this name was taken by Forge x Storm, and I know Valeria Richards is using it as her hero name right now. But this isn't about them. This is about BrainStorm.

Okay yeah, that's it. Tune in next time, where I go over headcanons for a HellShark reunion, or a Hellslide hookup, or my theoretical X-23 solo run where Hellion and Laura make up two thirds of an incredibly messy love triangle. Honestly, I'd love to write about Hellion x Rockslide, even though I am probably the only person who unironically ships it. But also, the Shark-Girl fans deserve more in life. They should have more.