#and the people who understand all this and understand the context of making TV in the early 2000s (to present tbh!) aren't 'delusional'

[chosetherose]

This message from 🫚 will be so interesting to look back on with hindsight… For now, here are some of my initial thoughts and questions.

—————

a minute breaks, a second bends / the story loops but never ends / she built the house from past to wrath / some growth, a smirk, in the aftermath

Maybe “a minute breaks, a second bends” suggests time is malleable. Maybe more so in the short term since the minute broke and the second bent. In the context of Taylor, time can be bent with how she crafts her remaining vault tracks (keep reading this will make more sense).

“The story loops but never ends” makes me think of Taylor’s discography. You can listen to music on a loop. And perhaps the story never ends because the crowd will always be chanting “more!”

“She built the house” reminds me of the Lover house, which tracks with my thoughts above.

she didn't erase the country roads / just laced them through her darker codes / and when the countdown hits its mark / she'll meet herself inside the spark

Stay with me here but the first two lines could relate to my thoughts below that debut vault tracks (country roads) could be exploring sexuality. And people will be able to link this idea to rep vault tracks (darker codes).

“and when the countdown hits its mark / she’ll meet herself inside the spark” reminds me of “meet me at midnight” which a lot of us have taken to mean that TS 12 could be more truthful / revealing to a wider audience.

if you blink, you'll miss the trick / a crown of curls turns venom slick / one giggle, two burns, three chords played / but the heart stayed woven in the songs she made

“a crown of curls turns venom slick” makes me wonder if debut TV will drop first, followed by rep TV. I think Taylor’s curls are famously aligned with debut and obviously venom references a snake. The “slick” here could also refer to how Taylor still had her curls for the rep album photoshoot but there were slicked down a bit.

the twelfth hour struck, she spun the dial / and every mirror cracked with style / she said debut was naïve, all lace- / and answered back with claps of bass

Does “the twelfth hour struck” mean “when TS 12 drops”?

What kind of dial is being spun? My mind goes to rotary phone but a watch dial makes more sense. Taylor spins the watch/clock dial to release TS 12?

She said debut was naive and answer back with claps of bass like Rep (BAM BAM BAM are you ready for it? Etc.) … Maybe debut vault tracks are coy and exploratory, get people thinking. While Rep vault tracks are undeniably loud?

timelines braided with guilt and glitter / sweet sixteen and snakebite slither / a laugh, a dress, a shattered throne / woven strands between the comb

“timelines braided with guilt and glitter” could be reference to how much Taylor and her team have weaved a fictional public narrative together over time. There is guilt associated with it to a degree but fans can’t see that through all the glitter.

“sweet sixteen and snakebite slither” are obviously references to debut (Taylor was 16 when debut was released) and rep.

Woven strands between the combs like “combing through the braids of lies” (loml)

all roads return to the girl on the stage— / compare, contrast, page by page / line by line, it's all the proof— / she wrote her karma upon her youth

I think this could be saying everything will point back to Taylor Swift™️ in that they want everybody combing back through the music - page by page, line by line. It’s the “proof” people will need to get closer to the truth. Think about it, most of us are here because we followed that same journey. We just needed a lot less handle holding to get there.

“she wrote karma upon her youth” because Taylor has a unique opportunity to travel back in time with her vault tracks. If she is loud in them, people will understand this is who she always has been - but wasn’t allowed to show it. It’s genius and an incredible opportunity for her. I really hope she can seize it.

a minute breaks, a second bends

the story loops but never ends

she built the house from past to wrath

some growth, a smirk, in the aftermath

she didn’t erase the country roads

just laced them through her darker codes

and when the countdown hits its mark

she’ll meet herself inside the spark

if you blink, you’ll miss the trick

a crown of curls turns venom slick

one giggle, two burns, three chords played

but the heart stayed woven in the songs she made

the twelfth hour struck, she spun the dial

and every mirror cracked with style

she said debut was naïve, all lace—

and answered back with claps of bass

timelines braided with guilt and glitter

sweet sixteen and snakebite slither

a laugh, a dress, a shattered throne

woven strands between the comb

all roads return to the girl on the stage—

compare, contrast, page by page

line by line, it’s all the proof—

she wrote her karma upon her youth

🫚

[angelsdean]

I need people to understand how S&P (standards and practices) works in television and how much influence they have over what gets to stay IN an episode of a show and how the big time network execs are the ones holding the purse strings and making final decisions on a show's content, not the writers / showrunners / creatives involved.

So many creators have shared S&P notes over the years of the wild and nonsensical things networks wanted them to omit / change / forbid. Most famously on tumblr, I've seen it so many times, is the notes from Gravity Falls. But here's a post compiling a bunch of particularly bad ones from various networks too. Do you see the things they're asking to be changed / cut ?

Now imagine, anything you want to get into your show and actually air has to get through S&P and the network execs. A lot of creators have had to resort to underhanded methods. A lot of creators have had to relegate things to subtext and innuendo and scenes that are "open to interpretation" instead of explicit in meaning. Things have had to be coded and symbolized. And they're relying on their audience to be good readers, good at media literacy, to notice and get it. This stuff isn't the ramblings of conspiracy theorists, it's the true practices creatives have had to use to be able to tell diverse stories for ages. The Hays Code is pretty well known, it exists because of censorship. It was a way to symbolize certain things and get past censors.

Queercoding, in particular, has been used for ages in both visual media and literature do signal to queer audiences that yes, this character is one of us, but no, we can't be explicit about it because TPTB won't allow it. It's a wink-wink, nudge-nudge to those in the know. It's the deliberate use of certain queer imagery / clothing / mannerisms / phrases / references to other queer media / subtle glances and lingering touches. Things that offer plausible deniability and can be explained away or go unnoticed by straight audiences to get past those network censors. But that queer viewers WILL (hopefully) pick up on.

Because, unfortunately, still to this day, a lot of antiquated network execs don't think queer narratives are profitable. They don't think they'll appeal to general audiences, because that's what matters, whatever appeals to most of the audience demographic so they can keep watching and keep making the network more money. The networks don't care about telling good stories! Most of them are old white cishet business men, not creatives. They don't care about character arcs and what will make fans happy. They don't care about storytelling. What they care about is profit and they're basing their ideas of what's profitable on what they believe is the predominate target demographic, usually white cis heterosexual audiences.

So, imagine a show that started airing in the early 2000s. Imagine a show where the two main characters are based on two characters from a famous Beat Generation novel, where one of the characters is queer! based on a real like bisexual man! The creator is aware of this, most definitely. And sure, it's 2005, there's no way they were thinking of making that explicit about Dean in the text because it just wouldn't fly back then to have a main character be queer. But! it's made subtext. And there are nods to that queerness placed in the text. Things that are open to interpretation. Things that are drenched in metaphor (looking at you 1x06 Skin "I know I'm a freak" "maybe this thing was born human but was different...hated. Until he learned to become someone else.") Things that are blink-and-you-miss-it and left to plausible deniability (things like seemingly spending an hour in the men's bathroom, or always reacting a little vulnerable and awkward when you're clocked instead of laughing it off and making a homophobic joke abt it)

And then, years later there's a ship! It's popular and at first the writers aren't really seriously thinking about it but they'll throw the fans a bone here and there. Then, some writers do get on the destiel train and start actively writing scenes for them that are suggestive. And only a fraction of what they write actually makes it into the text. So many lines left on the cutting room floor: i love past you. i forgive you i love you. i lost cas and it damn near broke me. spread cas's ashes alone. of course i wanted you to stay. if cas were here. -- etc. Everything cut was not cut by the writers! Why would a writer write something to then sabotage their own story and cut it? No, these are things that didn't make it past the network. Somewhere a note was made maybe "too gay" or "don't feed the shippers" or simply "no destiel."

So, "no destiel." That's pretty clearly the message we got from the CW for years. "No destiel. Destiel will alienate our general audience. Two of our main characters being queer? And in a relationship? No way." So what can the pro-destiel creatives involved do, if the network is saying no? What can the writers do if most of their explicit destiel (or queer dean) lines / moments are getting cut? Relegate things to subtext. Make jokes that straight people can wave off but queer people can read into. Make costuming and set design choices that the hardcore fans who are already looking will notice while the general audience and the out-of-touch network execs won't blink and eye at (I'm looking at you Jerry and your lamps and disappearing second nightstands and your gay flamingo bar!)

And then, when the audience asks, "is destiel real? is this proof of destiel?" what can the creatives do but deny? Yes, it hurts, to be told "No no I don't know what you're talking about. There's no destiel in supernatural" a la "there is no war in Ba Sing Se" but! if the network said "no destiel!" and you and your creative team have been working to keep putting destiel in the subtext of the narrative in a way that will get past censors, you can't just go "Yes, actually, all that subtext and symbolism you're picking up, yea it's because destiel is actually in the narrative."

But, there's a BIG difference between actively putting queer themes and subtext into the narrative and then saying it's not there (but it is! and the audience sees it!) versus NOT putting any queer content into the text but SAYING it is there to entice queer fans to continue watching. The latter, is textbook queerbaiting. The former? Is not. The former is the tactics so many creatives have had to use for years, decades, centuries, to get past censorship and signal to those in the know that yea, characters like you are here, they exist in this story.

Were the spn writers perfect? No, absolutely not. And I don't think every instance of queer content was a secret signal. Some stuff, depending on the writer, might've been a period-typical gay joke. These writers are flawed. But it's no secret that there were pro-destiel writers in the writing room throughout the years, and that efforts were made to make it explicitly canon (the market research!)

So no, the writers weren't ever perfect or a homogeneous entity. But they definitely were fighting an uphill battle constantly for 15 yrs against S&P and network execs with antiquated ideas of what's profitable / appealing.

Spn even called out the networks before, on the show, using a silly example of complaints abt the lighting of the show and how dark the early seasons were. Brightening the later seasons wasn't a creative choice, but a network choice. And if the networks can complain abt and change something as trivial as the lighting of a show, they definitely are having a hand in influencing the content of the show, especially queer content.

Even in s15, (seasons fifteen!!!) Misha has said he worried Castiel's confession would not air. In 2020!!! And Jensen recorded that scene on his personal phone! Why? Sure, for the memories. But also, I do not doubt for a second that part of it was for insurance, should the scene mysteriously disappear completely. We've seen the finale script. We've seen the omitted omitted omitted scenes. We all saw how they hacked the confession scene to bits. The weird cuts and close-ups. That's not the writers doing. That's likely not even the editors (willingly). That's orders from on high. All of the fuckery we saw in s15 reeks of network interference. Writers are not trying to sabotage their own stories, believe me.

Anyways, TLDR: Networks have a lot more power than many think and they get final say in what makes it to air. And for years creative teams have had to find ways to get past network censorship if they want "banned" or "unapproved" "unprofitable" "unwanted" content to make it into the show. That means relying on techniques like symbolism, subtext, and queercoding, and then shutting up about it. Denying its there, saying it's all "open to interpretation" all while they continue to put that open to interpretation content into the show. And that's not queerbaiting, as frustrating as it might be for queer audiences to be told that what they're seeing isn't there, it's still not queerbaiting. Queerbaiting is a marketing technique to draw in queer fans by baiting them with the promise of queer content and then having no queer content in said media. But if you are picking up on queer themes / subtext / symbolism / coding that is in front of your face IN the text, that's not queerbaiting. It's there, covertly, for you, because someone higher up didn't want it to be there explicitly or at all.

[markrosewater]

I want to speak out against the whole push towards DEI. I feel that ever since you made the push to make identity the forefront of a character it has hurt the stories you tell. Captain Sisay's race was never the focus of her character and she was a complete badass! And I fear if you did it over again Gerrard would be trans, black and disabled just because. It also cheapens the stories of world devastation when characters worry more about their gender than Bolas destroying everything.

The reason I started this blog is so we can have frank conversations about things, so please let’s talk about this.

Imagine if every time you turned on the TV or watched a movie, no one looked like you. For some of us, that’s never happened. We see ourselves constantly, so it’s hard to truly understand what not seeing yourself represented in media is like.

I do have a personal window to this experience. While I am white and male, there’s an area where I am the minority - my religion. Jews are just under two and a half percent of the US population. I have had many experiences where I’ve been in situations where everything is geared towards a group I do not belong to, and zero consideration is given that not everyone at that event is part of the majority.

You just feel invisible and like an outsider. It’s not a great feeling. And I just experience it a tiny portion of time, only things that are geared specifically towards something religious. Most minorities have this feeling all the time, whenever they’re outside their personal community.

Now imagine, after years of not seeing yourself ever, you finally see someone that looks like you, but nothing about the character rings remotely true. They don’t sound like you, they don’t act like you, the facts about their day-to-day life are just wrong. It’s clear whoever wrote the character didn’t truly understand the lived experience of the character, so the character feels fake.

You bring up Sisay. Michael Ryan and I didn’t technically create Sisay (she played a small role in the Mirage story), but we did do a lot to flesh out her character as the creators of the Weatherlight Saga. We turned her from a minor character into a major one.

And while I’m proud, in general, of our work on the Weatherlight Saga, I don’t think we did justice to Sisay as a character. Neither Michael nor I have any knowledge of what it’s like to be a black woman. Nor did we ever talk to someone who did.

And if you’re someone like us that has no knowledge of that experience, you probably didn’t notice. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.

Imagine if we made a movie about your life, and we just made everything up. We invented people you never knew, we gave you a job you never had, and we had you say things you’d never say. The movie might even be a good movie, but your response would be, but that’s not my life - that’s not me.

Now imagine we put the movie out, and people that never met you assumed that was what you were like. When people met you for the first time, they assumed things, because, you know, they’d seen the movie.

That’s what misrepresenting people does. It not only makes them feel not seen, it falsely represents them, spreading lies, often stereotypes, making people believe things about them that aren’t true.

Our move towards diversity is just us trying to better reflect the world and the people in it. We’re trying to do to everyone else what a certain portion of people get every day without ever having to think about it.

But why are we “making it the forefront of their character”? We’re not. We’re making it a part of their character. But in a world where you’re not used to ever seeing it, it feels louder than it is. Things that are a natural part of the world that you’re used to feel like the background of the story because you understand the context to it.

If a man kisses his wife before going off to a battle, that’s not a big deal. It’s just a thing a husband might do to his wife when he leaves. It’s not the forefront of his character. It’s just part of his life. But you’ve seen it hundreds of times, so it feels normal.

When someone does something that isn’t your lived experience it pulls focus. It seems like a big deal, but only because it’s new to you. It’s just as mundane a thing to that character as the man kissing his wife is to him.

Even the turn “pushing” implies that it’s unnaturally here, that we’re forcing something that naturally shouldn’t be. But why? That thing exists naturally in the real world, and it doesn’t make the real world any less. Maybe you’re less aware of it, but is making you aware of how others live their life “pushing” something on you?

How you live your life is represented constantly, everywhere. Why isn’t over-representing your experience at the expense of everyone else’s “pushing” it? Why is media only being the experience of those in power the “proper way”?

Having more depth and variety doesn’t lessen stories. It makes them deeper, more rich, more nuanced. In short, it makes them better stories. In my former life, I was a professional writer. I took a lot of writing classes. One of the truism of writing is “speaking truth leads to better stories”.

There’s another famous quote: “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” You’re used to being over-represented, so being a little less over-represented feels like something has been taken from you. But really it hasn’t. Having a better sense of the rest of the world comes with a lot of benefits.

I’ll use food as an example. Let’s say all you were ever exposed to was the food of your heritage. Yeah, that food is really good, but sometimes isn’t it nice to eat foods of other nationalities? Isn’t your life better that you have a choice? Isn’t your exposure and access to the food of other nationalities a positive in your life?

Exposure to variety is a positive. It allows you to learn about things you didn’t know, experience things things you’ve never experienced, and get a better sense of understanding of your friends and neighbors.

Our actions are not to harm anyone, and if you think that’s what we’re doing, please take a minute to actually absorb what I’m saying. You’ve spent your whole life metaphorically eating one type of food, and we’re just trying to show you how much you’ve missed out on.

And while this might not impact you directly, we’re making a whole bunch of people felt seen. We’re bringing joy. Think of it this way. We make a lot of cards. Not every card is for you. But if it makes someone else happy, if they get to include it in a deck, and it makes Magic better for them, how is it harming you that we include it? You have so many cards that you can play.

To this poster or people that share their viewpoint, the narrative that a gain for someone else is an attack on you is just not true. As I just pointed out above, you play a game all about personal choice, about players getting to choose how they play and enjoy the game. Why should life be any different than Magic?

Thanks for reading.

[gachagon]

I think this new update is about Julie becoming the new "face" for Welcome Home (the TV-show and possible merchandising) For starters, this is the first time ever that Wally is not the main one on the website.

Aside from the fact that he's missing in two separate art pieces featuring "everyone", this is the first time that a different character has been on the front cover. That, and in all of the extra material we found even when Wally is there, he takes on a much more passive and observant role in the story. Normally, the story revolves around the Neighbors putting on a show of some sort, or Wally going around the Neighborhood to gather people for the next activity of the day.

However, here, Wally is not the one who finds the solution to any sort of problem and is only really mentioned once or twice. There is the cool radio show, but again Wally isn't the most proactive host. Most of the speaking time is taken up by Frank and Julie.

Another thing I noticed is that because Wally isn't really in the spotlight this time around, We the reader (and subsequent viewer of this non-existent show) are not included in the activities at all. Nobody, not even the narrator, talks to US about what they're all doing that day.

Which is a bit strange when you really think about it, because all of the Looky-Loo story books are told with the context that it's a play being put on by the others, and the show is much more inline with something like Sesame Street or the Electric Company where the viewer is sometimes an active participant at home.

This says to me that Wally truly is the only puppet who can see "us" both canonically within the shows universe, and in the context of the Restoration Project. Julie, even though she is the "star" this time around, does not seem to have the same level of control or even awareness that Wally had. So being the "star" of the show doesn't grant you the ability to interact with the viewer (you).

Another thing about this update is that it seems we're trying, but failing, to really define what Julie Joyful is. Like, we know Julie is a Rainbow blush monster and that she makes flowers bloom, however I am of the opinion that this update reveals that Julie actually doesn't know what she's doing or how to make flowers bloom on her own.

I said earlier in a different post that Julie doesn't want to join her families band as the drummer, and we know from this Looky-Loo storybook that singing is the key to making a flower bloom in the first place. So it stands to reason that all Julie would have to do is just sing to make the flowers bloom. So why doesn't she just do that?

I think it's because the narrative wants Julie to join the band with her siblings and has been nudging her in that direction. But Julie doesn't want to for whatever reason unknown to us, my personal theory that has no basis is that I think Julie used to be a character that appeared in the background but who got popular with kids so the company brought her to the forefront eventually.

And now in this update she seems to be the main attraction of the whole show, and is even on the front page. But I think she's desperately afraid of having to return as the drummer for the family band because then she won't have a place in the neighborhood anymore.

There's also items like the soda that was advertised here that seems to be strictly Julie themed. Alongside this Storybook featuring Wally:

There's a distinct theme of "joy" being this mystery element that can't really be defined as easily as one wants. The soda is so vague about what Joy is, and Wally's painting is so abstract that it's hard to understand what he meant when he painted it. All of this says to me that Julie tried to be the new face of Welcome Home, but that it was incredibly difficult either for the writers or herself, because she wasn't sure deep down what her own purpose was.

All of the characters on the show have a defined purpose or job or skill, but Julie's only purpose seems to just be "happy". She reminds me of a lot of girl characters in childrens shows who happen to only exist to fill a market for young girls, but who are so shallowlly written that they don't really have much use narratively like the other characters.

The way she's paired with Frank it is clear that she has a two-man comedy type of routine with him where he's straightforward, blunt, and frowny and she's the super happy go lucky type, so maybe eventually the writing team for Welcome Home paired them together all the time because they couldn't exactly figure out what to do with Julie by herself.

[shouts-into-the-void]

Just read screenshots of the Aaron extra chapter and I have so many thoughts, so here they are:

It's always so funny to me to be reminded of the fact that the animosity between Aaron and Neil is mostly one-sided. Like, Neil finds Aaron frustrating, but all the antagonistic stuff he does to him is ultimately in service of helping him in some way and while he's angry when Aaron provokes him, he otherwise regards him with disinterest and even expresses the desire to see what he's like when he's relaxed and enjoying himself during the party with the Vixens. Meanwhile Aaron just really hates that man.

I really appreciated Nora using this chapter to clear up some of the gripes a lot of the fandom has had with Aaron's character in the past and confirm that Aaron's comments to Nicky have to do with his cousin making graphic and unwanted sexual advances on their teammates, and his accusations towards Neil were from a place of concern for his brother. I also liked that it was pointed out that of course he would have at least some internalized homophobia due to being raised by religious zealots in a conservative area, but is unlearning it due to Nicky.

On a similar note, I'm glad that we were provided the context that Nicky's inappropriate behavior is a defense mechanism to weed out people who might hurt him rather than legitimate advances, because I think the fandom tends to forget that he is also a character with extreme trauma written outside of the "perfect victim" stereotype. His actions aren't okay, but the entire point is that they are the result of what he's had to endure just like every other member of the team

The implication that Andrew specifically signed with the Foxes so Aaron could go to college

Aaron and Andrew have the same nervous habit of picking at loose thread

It causes me physical pain to see Andrew clearly trying to open up to Aaron about his self-harm, but because his way of communicating is less straightforward (he doesn't lie, but he because he stuggles to confront and be open with his emotions, he presents the truth in flowery, vague language) and because the two dont really know or understand each other, Aaron can't fully grasp the implications of what he's saying

On the subject of things that cause me physical pain: baby Aaron telling his mom that he wanted to be a neurosurgeon like the people on TV and her laughing and saying he'd never make anything of himself. Fuck Tilda Minyard, all my homies hate Tilda.

Andrew is so uncomfortable, someone Get Him Out of There.

Going off that and his nervous habits (that Aaron mentions he did often enough to be noticable as a habit premedication), I am highkey wondering if the reason Sober Andrew doesn't talk to anyone outside Neil is because he's just. Socially Awkward.

We get a little bit of insight into Andrew's "misogyny" (I personally think distrusting certain people as a result of extreme personal trauma is a little bit different than just being sexist, in the same way women distrusting men because they're used to being harassed and belittled isn't misandry, but that's up to your personal opinion) and that his distain for Katelyn comes from the fact that he thinks she's stringing Aaron along and will turn out to be awful like his previous girlfriends (there's also a notable implication that Aaron has the same self-destructive tendencies as Andrew, and may be why he went out of his way to get him into college and on the straight-and-narrow) also see that this extends to Bee as well despite their close relationship, with him being so afraid that she'd reject him for being gay that he can't even look at her while talking about Neil, probably made worse by the fact that she's a maternal figure for him, which is where this trauma response originates.

Aaron is the only person on the team who's aware that Andrew hasn't slept with Neil, and the only one to grasp the significance of the fact that they've gotten close to that point already despite Andrew's trauma, outside of Renee

It was overall really interesting to see inside Aaron's head (I actually wouldn't mind a book from his perspective, he has a similar way of thinking to Neil but much more grounded) and to see Andrew through the lense of someone who just views him as Just A Guy

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hi ms raven :D i was playing through vil's dream in book 7 and i was wondering if you could explain a little more about his character? i remember struggling to understand his motivs leading up to his overblot. the current understanding i have now is that vil wants to be the best or the most beautiful but is constantly getting blocked by neige probably because hes not perfect and it makes others lean towards him and want to support him while vil has reached a level where hes seemingly flawless on the outside making it hard for people to get close to him the way they do with neige? does he crave the validation from others and is that why there was an emphasis on him declaring that he himself is the most beautiful like in b6 and b7? i dont think i really understand him enough and its just been on my mind for a while now TT

I think Vil's got one of those backstories and motives that's easy to misunderstand if skimmed. This can lead to misinterpretations where fans assume he's vain and only seeking to take Neige down for shallow attention. It's a lot more complex than that!

The first thing to note about Vil is that he is a child star. His father, Eric Venue, is also a very successful celebrity, but the public does not know about their familial relationship. Vil has worked very hard to achieve his level of stardom all on his own, without relying on nepotism or riding on the coattails of his father. However, that also means that Vil was under an intense amount of pressure and scrutiny since a young age, and that can really mess with one's self-perception.

Since the start of his career, Vil has only ever been casted in villain roles. His post-OB flashback shows Vil asking his dad "Why do I keep getting picked to play the bad guy? Do I really look that mean?"

And though his father reassures him and calls him cute and charming, the vast majority of other people Vil interacts with judge him and assign labels to him. Children Vil's age "hold [him] accountable for work(s) of fiction", equating him playing villainous roles on TV to him actually being a villainous person off-set.

Similar things occur in his professional life. Film crew members praise Neige for his friendliness and wholesome vibe, but also express that Vil is just too perfect and hard for audiences to relate to, so Vil apparently isn't suitable to play the hero.

So on one hand, you have Vil's peers, who assume that he must be an awful person, just like all the characters he plays. Then you have Vil's colleagues, who put him on a pedestal, calling him "special" but also saying he's not relatable. Both viewpoints isolate and dehumanize him. They indirectly tell Vil--a young, impressionable kid--that he's not capable of goodness or of being a normal person. You also have to keep in mind that because Vil always has eyes on him, he has to maintain a cool, mature, and perfectly curated public image. He has had to grow up extremely fast in order to handle himself in the entertainment industry. That's an INTENSE amount of pressure to be under. So how does Vil react to all this pressure? By pushing himself to work even harder to prove everyone wrong. "I would do anything to be beautiful. The most rigorous training. The most tedious hair and skin care regimens. I would shy away from none of it." This is later repeated in the Tapis Rouge event: “[…] looking for the easy way out. Something I detest. […] I love to see someone with a lofty goal who’s not afraid to work for it.”

At this juncture, I'd like to point out a vital area where Vil's story and that of Snow White weave together. In Snow White, physical beauty is used as shorthand to indicate the goodness of a character. Snow White is pure, beautiful, and innocent because she has a good heart. The Evil Queen is more accurately depicted in her hag form because of how her jealousy twists her into something hideous. When Vil speaks of beauty, it's also in a similar context. He's using "beauty" as a metaphor for "goodness", hence why he fixates on Neige being the "fairest one of all". Neige is the one always playing the hero, and he is also the one the internet considers the most beautiful--so if Vil can become the most beautiful, then surely he, too, can be a hero.

If beauty = goodness, then the opposite is also true to book 5 Vil: ugliness = villainy. And if he is always assigned the villain again and again and again, then its telling Vil that he's “ugly”, that he is a bad person and can never be anything but that.

Not only that, but Vil's worries about permanently being labelled a villain relates back to how his peers and colleagues perceive him. "[...] villains never stay on stage for the whole play. Once their role is finished, all they do is watch from the shadows as the happy ending plays out. [...] All I want is to stay on stage until the end of the show." Vil wants what has always been denied to him: the ability to stand on stage and take a bow with the other actors, to be treated like a normal person that's a part of the group, to have that humanity handed back to him. Why should he be the only one languishing backstage while Neige and other heroes get to soak up that spotlight? He wants to be a part of it, too. He wants to be included.

Let's get back into book 5, present day, now. Vil spends much of this book driving his teammates VERY hard to achieve his vision. To this end, he is imposing harsh restrictions on them, such as new diets, new skincare, new practice routines, and more. This of course garners many protests, but Vil insists on having his way and admonishes those who complain. In these moments, Vil is very much acting like a "villain"--but to him, it's all worth it, because he wants to win against Neige fair and square, earning that victory through his own efforts. "[...] I have no interest in spells that fade when the clock chimes midnight. What I seek is genuine, authentic aesthetic perfection."

Recall that I said earlier that beauty is used as a shorthand for goodness. Because Vil is stating that he wants to win fairly, he is attempting to demonstrate his own beauty--his own goodness--in this bid to triumph over his rival.

But what ends up happening? Vil sees Neige's practice performance and realizes right away that NRC is destined to lose. He tries to take matters into his own hands by cursing a bottle of apple juice and offering it to Neige. While book 5 is vague about what the consequences of drinking that cursed juice would have been, book 7 implies the worst--that Vil had intended to kill Neige with it. Vil went against his own principles (which he stated earlier in book 5) and used a dirty tactic to get Neige out of his way. He can only win if he harms others in the process. I would argue that what triggers Vil to snap and OB isn't his failure to poison Neige (although that's certainly a part of it), but rather Vil realizing he just... proved what everyone has always said about him right. That he's rotten to the core (ie "ugly") and will never be anything else but a villain.

Vil fixates on the eyes of his teammates, perceiving them to be staring at him and judging the moral ugliness of his actions. Like in his childhood, he derives much of his image from public feedback--from the eyes on him. "Please. Don't look at me... Don't look at me with those eyes! Why? I wanted to be the fairest one of all, so why am I so... so... ugly? Ugly?! UGLY?!"

Kalim and Rook try to reassure Vil and remind him that Neige didn't get hurt, so it's okay. But Vil only gets more upset and continues to berate himself. "What does it matter who forgives me?! I can't... I can't forgive myself!" This makes sense for Vil, who is a character that has consistently held the people around him, as well as himself, to high standards. He has betrayed himself, and he is ashamed of how ugly his envy has made him.

After Vil's OB, Rook pretty succinctly states why Vil fails to be "beautiful": because he doesn't believe in himself. Throughout his entire life, Vil has been relying on the words of others to affirm his identity as someone "beautiful", as a "good" person. You can even argue that Vil being so strict with himself is to earn the approval of others, to be seen as the "most beautiful". But Vil never truly believed he was "beautiful" ("good"), and that lack of confidence is ironically what is keeping him from realizing his full potential. "Nobody should believe in your beauty more than you yourself [...] No amount of validation from the rest of the world will ever leave you fulfilled. Even if you wind up old, emaciated, grimy, and stooped over... If you were to truly believe that you are the fairest of all despite that, even the Magic Mirror of legend wouldn't contest your claim. The strength and pride to believe in yourself is what marks the true fairest one of all. Roi du Poison. Fair Vil. I implore you to believe in yourself more than anyone else. Beauty is always with you. At this exact moment, you are the fairest one of all."

In book 6, we get to see how far Vil's character has progressed. When Idia taunts Pomefiore, calling them "wannabe heroes", Vil responds with, "You know, I've always wanted to be cast as a hero, just once. But there are no heroes or villains here. This time I'll be the one who stays on stage till the very end!" He now disregards the notion of labels and is only committed to being the one that puts an end to Idia's machinations.

This point is even further driven home when we see old!Vil, the result of him diving into Tartarus to pull Idia out. Though his dorm members are shocked to see their glamourous leader in this state, Vil laughs it off and announces, without hesitation: "Even though I'm grimy, withered, and emaciated... At this exact moment, I am the fairest one of all." This parallels the words Rook imparted onto him at the end of book 5. ("Even if you wind up old, emaciated, grimy, and stooped over... [...] At this exact moment, you are the fairest one of all.")

It's a complete reversal of Vil OBing. Back in book 5, Vil went mad because he realized his jealous actions made him hideous (even if he still physically looks young and conventionally attractive). But now, in book 6, Vil is content in knowing that his heroic actions make him absolutely beautiful (even if he stands there, old and grey). It doesn't matter what he looks like on the outside, or what other people think of him--because Vil has learned to love himself and to stay true to his principles.

He is deserving of standing on that stage with everyone else. He is human, like everyone else. He’s not THE Vil Schoenheit anymore, he’s… just Vil. This also shows in vulnerable moments late game, like him squealing from excitement at the end of book 6 or screaming in fear in book 7. He still has the image of a celebrity to maintain, but he’s now allowing himself to be less of that “perfect” person, at least around his peers. I believe this is what Vil’s dream in book 7 reinforces. This is most exemplified when Vil faces his OB self and announces, “Oh… This is deplorable. I’m so steeped in envy and resentment there isn’t a trace of beauty to be found. But I won’t turn away from it any longer. I accept this nauseatingly ugly part part of myself. This is… the real me.” I won't get into the details of that dream, since I assume you've played it + it would just repeat what I've already gone over in this post. That’s honestly what most (if not all) of the book 7 dreams do, try to summarize their personal issues, how the dream attempts to placate them with convenient falsehoods, and then have the dreamers confront those falsehoods with what they’ve learned through their own arcs.

[emptyjunior]

Still in hunger games analysis mode, do you guys ever think about what Seneca did Wrong. About where he failed at the job he was given.

Because I think what his true fatal flaw was, was he believed it. He believed in the game and all of the propoganda surrounding it.

And this was something that was bound to happen in Snow's kingdom eventually! He made citizens that were clueless and lost in his little cloud nine. You can't make killers out of your arrogant, privileged sheep population!

Seneca Crane believed that the games were about the great show, about making stars and entertaining the masses.

The cold truth that you and I and Snow are aware of, is that the games are one part of the great oppression machine. They're a good political tool to be in control of, they can be used as a punishment to target whoever you need to, you can manipulate the big show on screen in a crude mockery of what's going on in real life! You can crush the spirit of certain districts, you can keep other ones loyal to you. And the victors are an extremely valuable Product that you are endlessly creating, idols and mouthpieces for your horrible propaganda machine.

So that's what the games do! A good tool for a dictator to have, and if you're aware of all the context, then being in charge of them gives you a lot of power.

But Seneca?? Seemed to genuinely believe he was there to put on a big fancy show😭 He was so excited about it, he chatted to sponsors, he did the interviews, he picked themes😭

Like of course he gave Katniss a 12 after her stunt, he wasn't worried about the fire outfits or her popularity at All. Because he thought it'd be good ratings, and it was! That's what he thought the goal was: Get the best, most entertaining story possible.

All those talks in the Rose garden?

This was not Seneca checkin in with the boss, that was the boss saying Hey what the Fuck are You Doing.

Because Seneca truly did not understand at all! How dangerous it would look for someone from district 12 to rise up that fast! (And Snow most definitely understood Very Quickly because he has been dunked on before by a black haired girl from district 12😭)

But even after that Very explicitly clear talk, Seneca kept allowing Katniss chances to tell the Mockingjay story. Because he is a fool, who thought he was there to make tv😭 And did not realise that the silly story they tell in the games, has very real effects on the districts.

Like the metaphor for it could be you hire someone to make you maybe pro-military, pro-war, propaganda films, and that goes great for years until they get a few generations in and the new guys are like "oh we're just making popular films here right?" And let your direct rebel enemy, star in a touching depiction of how great rebellion is😭 And then your movie guy goes "how was that boss? Lots of people watched!" ☠️

[delphi-shield]

OLD FOLKS HOME ↪ age gap hcs

the people you love & the shit they do that reminds you of the dreaded Gap (tm). characters included: leon kennedy, chris redfield, jill valentine, claire redfield, rebecca chambers no warnings to speak of. remember kids, if you're gonna date people in their 30s and 40s, you're gonna have different cultural contexts and, most likely, different senses of humor.

Leon is eight levels of irony deep. He started doing Old Guy Shit just to mess with you, and now it's all come full circle. 

It turns out he actually likes watching the weather channel. He’s monitoring storms that are miles and miles away from you, pointing out the feeder bands like it’s some kind of sporting event. 

He's genuinely invested in Ice Road Truckers. He asks you to TiVo it for him when he's gone. You do not have TiVo. In fact, you're pretty sure no one still has TiVo. 

Or you were, until Leon once again committed to the bit and got TiVo.

Really, genuinely annoying about old movies, actors, and directors.

”What do you mean you don’t know who Robert Redford is? The Candidate? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? C’mon. He was even in an episode of The Twilight Zone. You’ll know him when you see him.”

At least you get movie dates out of it.

Movie dates that he will pepper with trivia about the film, by the way. You don't need the commentary track. He is the commentary.

I'm so, so sorry about this. 🤪 is his favorite emoji. I know. I'm sorry.

Chris cannot fucking hear. To be honest, I think most of them have some degree of hearing loss - but Chris in particular seems to have very subjective hearing loss.

Yes, you were just having a full-fledged conversation. No, he didn’t hear you ask him to take out the trash. He didn’t forget, he just didn’t hear you. Sorry, you were standing on his right - come on, you know that’s his bad side.

Explains basic technology to you because he’s not sure if you know what it is. Then, in the same breath, crams in so many military acronyms he may as well be reciting the alphabet. Does not explain the acronyms.

Like, yeah, Chris. I know what a landline is. Dial-up internet, too. Now, what the fuck is an ORE?

Have you ever gotten ‘ok’ in response to a nude? You’re about to. Completely demoralizing, by the way.

He didn't know you wanted him to compose a poem dedicated to your beauty, okay? He tries to get better, but winds up sending shit like 'wow 👍'

Does the dad thing where he insists he's not interested in watching what's on TV and then stands with his hands on his hips in the middle of the living room, enthralled by the show.

Jill does not understand your music. She will not make an attempt to understand your music. If you see her tapping her foot to the beat, no you do not. She is not interested in expanding her musical horizons.

She only bought you tickets to that concert because she knew you would love it. She only went with you because you’re cute when you’re so into this stuff. She only bought that t-shirt because it would be a good souvenir, and eventually, a good grease rag.

Generalized distrust of social media. Do not show her a tiktok. She will ignore the video and lecture you about data safety. Jill, please. Just watch the fucking cat video.

And then she turns around and opts in to literally everything on the McDonald's app.

If there’s a rewards program, she’s in. Already sold. Didn’t even read the fine print. All that shit she was telling you about how you need to be more careful is right out the window for some free fries.

Anything for the thrill of a good deal. If she had more time on her hands, she would be couponing.

Buys in bulk. No, it doesn't matter if the two of you could not physically eat that much rice. It's cheaper to buy it like this. It's fine. It's good for you.

Gotta stock up on non-perishables, too. You gotta be prepared in case something happens. "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

Claire cannot stop shopping from QVC. She's in the kitchen with David. It Takes Two with Mary and Sandra? Wrong. It actually takes three. Mary, Sandra, and Claire.

Infomercials have got her by the throat. You have so many gadgets and gizmos around your home that are just collecting dust.

Gets wine drunk and goes online shopping. Legitimately does not remember what she’s bought.

Absolutely will not let you open the packages. (“Some of this stuff could be for you, you know.” “Claire, last time it was a 10,000 count package of googly eyes.” “And I used all 10,000. You still haven’t found them all.”)

Uses every piece of technology until it’s about to fall apart. Absolutely not interested in having the latest and greatest. She’s one of those people who insists that as long as her phone can make calls and send texts, she doesn’t need a new one.

Speaking of texts. Somehow, she got it into her head that a read receipt is equivalent to a reply. She doesn't get what the problem is. You know she saw your text. Why does she have to reply?

Genuinely doesn't mean anything malicious by it - but also, if you did that to her, you would never hear the end of it.

Rebecca legitimately has facebook humor. They all have some degree of facebook humor, but she's got it the worst. 

Will blow up your notifications tagging you in shit that is just straight up not funny. I’m talking full on tagging you with “😂😂😂”

Unironically sent you a minion meme once.

It's not that she's disconnected. She teaches undergrads. She knows what’s in, even if it’s only from the periphery. It’s just that she doesn’t care. She has no interest in keeping up with trends just for the sake of it. She’s so used to being the youngest person in the room and having to keep up expectations that she just absolutely does not care anymore. She's glad she's not one of the kids anymore.

If it made her laugh it made her laugh, her enjoyment isn’t shackled by feelings of shame!!

If you have a group chat on any platform with your friends please invite her. She's just happy to be included. She'll make a discord if she has to, and she'll brag about it to her students.

Yeah, she says pupper and doggo. She does. Look at her.

[detective-pancake]

Hey, so I don't want to be that guy, but when are we going to acknowledge that Akechi was right?

No, I obviously don't mean about the things he was very clearly wrong about. I'm referring to the things he says in interviews about the Phantom Thieves. I hate how many people switch up after playing through his betrayal who previously agreed with his views, because nothing he said is wrong and nothing he did changes that fact. He speaks in the TV Station on the objective facts that he should know about, and with or without the context of his form of justice those facts stay true. It's a fallacy to claim that his form of justice being universally less approved of makes the Phantom Thieves better by comparison, or discredits anything he said. I don't think the Phantom Thieves are evil, or that they should necessarily be imprisoned, but I do think that they are not morally sound. They're kids. Prior to his betrayal I think he served his purpose well, but it's easy to disregard the validity of his words when you find out that he's a murderer. With the knowledge he SHOULD have had (and that many DID have), everything he says is true. And honestly? It still can be true for basically the entire plot of the game. Mishima's confidant tests the thieves in that way. They could have changed the hearts of anyone who's not a persona user, for any personal reason. It's a slippery slope.

I'll use these three options as an example for why he's right:

"They're justice itself" is just subjective and incorrect, because justice as a concept is individualized and given how each Phantom Thief has different reasons for being one it's ridiculous for even them to say. Their first target was before they even formed a group, and Ann was ready to kill Kamoshida. The others were not even going to step in, and they were going to respect her choice either way. All the members are so different, so this is an insane claim to make.

"They're necessary" is wrong because to say they are necessary is pretty disingenuous to all "justice" that has ever happened BEFORE they existed. I don't believe that the Thieves were a necessity per say, and personally I think their actions can only be judged on a case by case basis. Some Mementos targets for example have issues that stem beyond what they have done. Now they have their desires stolen but still have the issue that pushed them to immortality in the first place, plus a shitton of guilty baggage. The Thieves only help with the atonement, but not the push. How many of those people didn't just go right back to their past behaviors? How many of them got worse in other ways? Think about Futaba, she felt so guilty for something she thought she did, she formed a palace to condemn herself to die alone. To claim the Thieves are necessary to reform society implies that their method is the most effective, and I think that's a lot to claim for something they don't understand.

"They do more than the cops" I almost agree with. Legally the police in Japan in this game anyway (yes I'm aware it extends to reality in many ways, but I'm referring to just the game right now) are corrupt and flawed for the most part, but the thing I don't agree with is that this makes the Thieves a better alternative. They're not. For the same reason Yoshizawa says later, the Thieves can only do so much as vigilantes, and to imply that society should rely on these faceless nameless flawed people to fix society is not any better than what they have now. Especially with the method being unknown, potentially unsafe, and easily exploitable. I cannot be the only one who if the Phantom Thieves were real, would be extremely alarmed by the prospect of a group of vigilantes "changing hearts" right? It's so vague, and the pattern is dystopian. At least police methods are familiar

What I'm saying is that they're kids, and it's kind of insane that this game places Akechi as the narrative foil for the Thieves in their message and then makes it so easy to disregard because "he's an assassin so how could he know anything about justice". The Thieves don't either, and Ann was nearly a murderer. If the bar is "don't commit murder when you're infiltrating someone's mind" then it's far too low. I wouldn't trust a group of adults with this power to reform society, even less a group of teenage vigilantes. I'm 19, and I find this odd. And Strikers frames them as even more righteous, and it bugs me even more in that game. At least Royal has the third semester to give a bit more nuance to how big of a responsibility Ren was given, but that's also very frequently misinterpreted.

I love this game, and I love this fandom, and I have thoughts that get weird and ranty. I apologize, but I hope you all found this as interesting as I did.

[schemmentisimpasours]

The Protectors

Summary: Ava and Mel step in to protect you from your mother in different ways.

Warnings: Mentions of toxic family relationships, hospital setting momentarily, word dyke used in poor context, cagna (bitch in Italian), stitches, physical violence, poly relationship[Use of nicknames such as sweet girl, baby girl, princess, angel, babe] Soft! Ava, Protector! Mel Hurt/Comfort

Pairing: Melissa x Reader, Ava x Reader, Avamel x Reader, Avamel

Thanks for the encouragement to write this @milfjuulpod and @panerasbox

Masterlist

2k

--~--

You knew the walls of the hospital better than your own home at this point. You had spent your childhood here- learned to read here, cried here, became smaller chipping away at yourself until you were more manageable. Something that didn’t have to be dealt with because there were already so many other problems to deal with. Your own needs were buried so deep down that you weren’t sure you had any. Not really. You were merely a pawn in the game between life and death. 

That had been what you thought before you had met them. Now you understand what it means to stand up for yourself. Especially to protect the ones you love. You walked into the room knowing you should wait but it was simpler to do it this way. By yourself, where the words only had to cut you instead of those you loved.

“Hi mom,” You said barely above a whisper.

She was stretched out on the hospital bed tv remote in hand scrolling through the channels, “About time you got here and alone for once.”

You bristled at the jab but tried to remain calm, “What did the doctor say?”

“Just that I am dying. Like I have been for years and no one seems to care to make me feel any better,” She shrugged not even looking at you.

“They have been trying Mom. They have ran every test in the book and you have done multiple second opinions..”

“So you are saying that I am crazy then?” Your mother hollered at you and you instantly flinched, “That I am just some looney toon making it all up in her head.”

“I never said that,” You replied even though it was a thought that had been lingering in your mind for years. 

“You have always been a terrible liar,” She scoffed, “I swear to god they have been poisoning you. Turning you against me.”

“Who are  the they you are referring to?” You questioned because honestly it could have been anyone at this point. 

“Those women you drag with you everywhere.” “Oh my girlfriends. You know their names. I have been dating them for almost two years now.”

“Well whatever you want to call them. You used to be so obedient before they came around. Now you are full of snide comments and sassy looks. That is not the daughter I raised. A dyke who can’t decide between two women. A disgrace.”

You laughed bitterly, “You didn’t raise me. This hospital did. You were always making yourself sick so you could be here instead of out in the real world actually being a mother. You never wanted me in the first place. I ruined your good looks, career, and marriage. Isn't that what you used to tell me?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that little girl,” She yelled anger making her face beet red.

“It’s all fake mom. You make yourself sick so people will pay attention to you. You narcissistic bitch.”

You felt it hit before you even realized what was happening. The flower pot shattered against you a large slash going down your cheek. You immediately used your hand to cover the gash blood already running through your fingers. 

“Go to hell,” Your mother said through gritted teeth.

“Save me a fucking seat.”

You rushed out of the room, tears already streaming down your face mixing with the blood from your cheek. You burst through the doors of the hospital as your breath began to quicken and your body began to shake. You sank down against the outside wall until you hit the ground with a thud. Knees curling into your chest, you placed your head down and let the panic attack take control. Nails dug into your biceps as you clutched yourself as tightly as you could. You rocked back and forth your back hitting the wall, propelling you back forward. You didn’t know how much time had passed before you heard them. 

“I think that is her right there Red,” Ava pointed out an anxious undertone in her voice, “I thought you told her to wait for us before she went in.” “Yeah well, you know how her mom can be. She probably thought she was protecting us by going in alone,” Melissa hissed, the anger evident in her voice, “Looks like we are at stage five disaster already.”

They dropped on either side of you, and the smell of your girlfriends filling your nose. Stale cigarettes and vanilla screamed Melissa. Ava was a mixture of expensive flowery perfume and a touch of whiskey. Together they made a perfect balance of hard and soft that already eased your broken nerves. You were so far in your panic however that no words came out as they blocked you from the outside world.

“Angel, we are here now. We got you,” Melissa whispered, slotting her thigh behind you so that you couldn’t hit the wall anymore.

Ava laid her hands over yours, her thumbs running across the back of your palms, “Come on, sweet girl. Open up a little so we can breathe together.”

You tried to uncurl your fingers, but when it didn’t work, you merely shook your head and tried to rock again. You could feel the blood still running down your cheek seeping into your jeans.  Melissa picked you up as if you were lighter than a feather placing you between her legs. Ava sat on the other side of you, wrapping her legs around Melissa to create a cocoon for you to hide in.

They held you like this for awhile. Ava’s head resting against your arms and Melissa’s against your back. With them protecting you like this you felt that you could conquer anything. They didn’t push you to open up, allowing you to uncurl in your own time. However, when you finally glanced up at Ava her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and fear. 

“Baby girl you are bleeding, a lot.”

“What do you mean she is bleeding?” Melissa asked tipping you back just slightly. 

At the sight of the blood still dribbling from your face a dark fire filled her normal green eyes. You had seen this side of Melissa before but only once. It had been right before she had flipped out hitting a man who had been attempting to flirt with  you and Ava. She had lifted up the nearest chair slamming it down on his back when he didn’t get the hint that both of you weren’t interested. It had knocked him against the bar head hitting the top before he crumpled to the floor. That had been jealousy. This look on your girlfriend’s face was one of protective rage and somehow that seemed ten times scarier.

“This has gotten out of hand. Imma go give that filthy cagna a piece of my mind,” Melissa roared rising to her feet, “Take Y/N in to get that cut looked at. This won’t take long.”

“Red,” Ava said grabbing Melissa’s hand, “Make her fucking regret it.”

Melissa’s face turned into a wicked grin as she stalked back into the hospital. Ava placed a gentle hand on your uninjured cheek. She rubbed her thumb across it gently and you leaned into the contact.  Pressing forward she placed a gentle kiss on your forehead. 

“I am so sorry this happened to you baby girl,” She whispered and you could see the tears threatening to form.

 Melissa was always the one to fight for the both of you. Her rage pouring over into a bear type protectiveness. Ava was the other side. A mask of hard armor but soft on the inside. The first to cry when the ones she loved got hurt.  They balanced each other out in the simplest of ways and it made your heart swell.

“I am sorry I went in without you,” You mumbled filled with guilt.

“No baby girl, this isn’t on you. None of this is your fault,” Ava promised, “Now come on let’s get you checked out.”

Fifteen minutes later you were on a gurney getting stitches with Ava holding your hand. Quiet tears were falling down her face for every time you flinched in pain. As the last stitch was being put in Melissa came sauntering over a security guard following close behind her. 

“See I told you Danny boy. My girls are right here. As soon as they patch up my Angel I'll leave,” She said wrapping a protective arm around Ava before kissing the top of her head.

“Okay but you have to leave immediately after Schemmenti. I'm only letting this slide cause that woman has been terrorizing the whole floor for weeks,” He relented.

Melissa promised she would and then turned back to you, “Always good to have friends in high places. How you feel Angel?”

“Better now that you both are here,” You said and flinched when you went to smile.

Melissa wiped away the tears from Ava’s face, “See princess she is okay. We got her.”

The doctor gave follow up instructions to Ava and Melissa who listened intently. Ava was scrawling notes on her phone. She wanted to make sure she didn't miss a single thing. You left with Ava and Mel each holding your hand their bodies pressed close to your side. Sandwiched between them you felt safe and like the world wasn't going to crumble in.

“Princess can drive you home and I'll get some supplies for dinner. I'll make your favorite,” Melissa instructed and went to kiss your cheek but stopped, “Of course it is my cheek that is hurt. Guess I'll have to kiss you somewhere else instead.”

She placed a soft kiss to your forehead, then to your nose, and finally your lips causing you to giggle. She pulled away just enough to send you a smile that melted your heart, “There she is.”

You blushed, “You know I can drive myself home right?”

“No you can’t,” Your girlfriends said in unison.

“Let us take care of you sweet girl,” Ava replied with no room for argument.

You relented and handed your keys to Ava. Melissa gave Ava a goodbye kiss promising to be home soon. Both of you watched until she disappeared around the corner before you navigated to your own car. Ava opened your door leaning to buckle you in before kissing your nose. During the entire car ride she gripped on your thigh. It was like she was trying to ground herself into you. Making sure you wouldn't disappear before her eyes.

“Babe,” You said as you pulled into the house you all shared, “I'm really okay, I promise.”

“She hurt you… physically harmed you. And we weren’t there to protect you,” Ava shook her head, “We promised we would always protect you.”

“You are protecting me,” You promised leaning over to kiss her, “With you and Melissa I will always be safe.”

Ava grinned, “Wanna dance it out?”

“With you? Always.”

Which is how Melissa found both of you when she returned arms full of groceries. The coffee table was pushed to the side allowing for a dance floor in the living room. Ava’s music spilling from the TV. Nothing was louder however then the laughter that came from you and Ava as you danced and jumped around in the clear space. She smiled at the scene before her heart so full with love that it felt lighter. 

“Red!” Ava smiled, “Put down those groceries and come dance.”

She didn't even go to the kitchen just dropped all the bags onto the couch before taking your extended hand. You pulled her close to you Ava cirling around behind you. And pressed close between them you knew that you would be okay. No matter the day. Or situation you had the loves of your life. Hard and soft. Yin and yang. Ava and Melissa.To protect and cherish you.

[ovaryacted]

Idk, maybe I am too woke but calling people miserable for pointing out that the second season of TLOU uses trauma porn as a plot mechanism involving the deaths of characters of color that’s associated with Zionism when it’s a very known critique since the second game is just tone deaf as fuck. I know that people who just want to stick their head in the sand and engage in this content don’t want their experience to be ruined, believe me I do, and talking about these things isn’t done with the intention to do so. But for the love of god, if poc are telling you very valid and very real moral justifications to acknowledge that a tv adaptation relies on the context of ethnic cleansing from a known Zionist, listen to them. I love Joel Miller, I do, but sitting here and pretending not to connect the dots when we’re watching him being played by a man of color who’s tortured to death by a character intended to be seen as a white savior followed by most poc right after is just insane. People are actually dying, the administration is stripping people’s first amendment rights and testing the constitutional limits of revoking citizenship to people who criticize the ethnostate of Isr@h3ll, and they’ve already done that by making an example out of Mahmoud Khalil and sending him to a detention center in Louisiana knowing the judge will not rule in his favor, which they did just last week. It’s all going to set off a domino effect that targets anyone this administration wants to harm and disappear, and that is a very real threat people have to go through under an authoritarian government.

I know that at this point it doesn’t matter what I say, how much I educate people or even explain that multiple things can be true simultaneously with all of the nuance. But it won’t matter because people just want their old man on the screen and they’ll block out everything else, and I know people will still miss my point after this and will be more reactionary than anything and that’s fine. Honestly, I’m glad y’all find enjoyment in TLOU, I know I used to, but for many people they can’t, not in this political climate, not anymore, and that’s valid and true too. My frustration with all of this comes from a place of genuine hurt with the reality me and many others live with, and I just wished some of you weren’t so quick to dismiss critiques and shut people out when you take disagreements so damn personally. Whether or not you actually care, just because you don’t understand the implications of media like this doesn’t mean those who do are automatically wrong or are purposefully trying to ruin something for others.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

do you have any tips for writing in-character fanfiction?

Writing Notes: In-Character Fanfiction

Fan Fiction - a type of writing that responds to something else like a book, a TV show or a film.

People write fan fiction typically because they are big fans of their chosen story, and want to create more of it.

They might imagine what happened before or after the story's main events or imagine other scenes in the lives of their favourite characters.

Fan fiction is a great way to get started with writing, because a lot of the work has been done for you. Characters, settings and plots are already there to be customised, changed and adapted. The possibilities are endless.

Fan fiction usually falls into 2 big categories: in-universe and alternate universe (AU).

In-universe fan fiction takes place in the same general setting and plot line as the original story. It could be, for example, a prequel or a story that follows characters that aren’t focused on as much in the main plot.

Alternate universe fan fiction explores different settings or plot lines for characters within a fandom. This can be anything from a fanfic where a character who dies in the original story lives or an alternate setting where all of the characters work at a coffee shop. AU fanfics are great for if you want more control over your storyline or want to explore an entirely different setting with characters you already love.

Writing Tips for In-Character Fanfiction

Know the Canon. In fan fiction, the original story, characters and world you are responding to is called the canon.

Know the story you're responding to.

Read it a few times and make sure you have the detail straight.

Make your story make sense for the existing story world.

If the protagonist can't swim in the original story, don't start yours with them doing the front crawl across the British Channel unless you can explain when and where they learnt the skill (and how it's relevant).

If characters act out-of-character, or the world has changed in your version, make sure there's a good reason for it.

Consider the Past. You aren’t inventing new characters, and you can’t change the lives they’ve already lived unless you’re writing a prequel. So, you must be familiar with the lives your characters have already led and can work their lived experiences into your story. It can be helpful to ask someone who is also a fan of the series you’re pulling characters from to read your work before you publish, as they’ll be able to let you know whether you’re on the right track when it comes to sticking to the story’s canon. 

Consider a New Approach. While it can be fun to dig into the lives of everyone’s favorite characters, fanfiction can take an exciting turn when the writer provides context for the behaviors of a not-so-beloved character. For example, describing a character’s difficult home life can help readers understand why they act in an undesired way in the original story. This doesn’t just help readers engage with the material you create – it can also help them to see their favorite stories and characters in a new way.

Ask "what if"? Fanfiction is, by its very nature, speculative, which means that every piece of fanfiction starts with this very simple question: What if?

What if this happened?

What if this didn’t happen?

What if this character and this character got together?

What if everything changed?

What if we knew what happened next? 

Ask yourself “what if” questions about your chosen media, and follow the most interesting answer.

Once you’ve picked your favorite simple version of the question, start asking questions again.

Think about how the answer to that “what if” affects the rest of the story - do the characters change? Their relationships? The setting?

This will help you build out your plot more effectively.

Identify the Gap. Many fanfiction writers choose to focus on aspects of the story that were left unexplored in the original work. Look for gaps in the plot or characters of the story that you can use as a jumping-off point for your own story. Typically the concept for a fanfiction will be some gap you see in the source material’s story—or just something you’d have rather happened.

Revise, Revise, Revise. When you write an excellent fanfiction story, it can be tempting to publish it immediately, especially if you have an eager audience to read your work. However, taking the time to revise is critical. After you finish your work, take a day away, and then come back and reread it. Don’t just keep an eye out for spelling and grammar mistakes. You’ll also want to ensure that you don’t have plot holes, facts that go against canon, or characters acting in a way that won’t make sense to your readers.

Get a Beta Reader. Fan fiction writers often work with other fans called beta readers, who read their work before they post it online and edit it or suggest changes or improvements.

Reading your own work aloud to yourself or others is a good idea; alternatively, ask a friend to read it through for inconsistencies or points that need clarification.

Doing either (or both!) of these will help make your writing the best it can be before you post it on a fan site.

Out of Character: Make sure you keep true to the personalities of the cast. Even if something about the starring character is being changed, it should be changed accordingly. Also, even if the canon characters never do anything to contradict their personalities, if they never do anything distinctive to their personalities, that's generally a bad sign since it makes them seem too generic.

Interact with Your Readers. You’re going to get plenty of comments when you publish a fanfiction story that becomes popular. Interacting with your readers is key to keeping them coming back for more. Engage in conversation, ask them questions about what they’d like to see next, and remember – your readers are there because they love the characters just as much as you do.

"Original Flavour" - a Fanfic that attempts to emulate the tone, atmosphere and style of its inspiration as closely as possible.

The goal of the Original Flavour fic is to seem as though the original production team could have thought it up.

Even if it heads off into previously unknown and unexplored territory for that property, the story will emphasize the use of existing gimmicks and devices rather than introducing totally foreign ones.

If you are writing an Original Flavour fic, you (usually) don't introduce or kill core characters, revise continuity, or do anything that is non-canon beyond the events of your story.

To an extent, it is possible to pull these off and still maintain this trope, but only if it's in a way that the canon itself could have evolved (as opposed to anything drastic). Original Flavor is exactly like writing a spec script you could submit to the showrunner, but not necessarily in script form.

Examples for inspiration:

Alice Through the Needle's Eye is a Fan Sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that perfectly mimics Carroll's style.

Peter Pan and the Only Children is a Fan Sequel to J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, that perfectly mimics Barrie's style.

Zootopia: A Tail of Two has been regarded as having the definite feel of the original Zootopia movie.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hope this helps with your writing! Do go through the sources for more information and examples I wasn't able to include here.

[buskingalbatross]

AmazingPhil channel marathon musings

during a pre-show q&a back in november, in response to a question about what show someone should binge next, dan said they should watch all of the AmazingPhil channel from the start. I was not the person who asked this (nor was I at this show), but regardless I did decide I wanted to take dan’s suggestion seriously. just a few days ago, I finished watching all of AmazingPhil in chronological order. and now i really want to talk about what it was like and why I would recommend marathoning his channel to pretty much anyone—because it was a blast.

I watched all of the 369 currently public AmazingPhil videos over the course of 35 days, which is from my perspective a pretty casual marathon. 369/35 = roughly 11 videos a day, though due to algorithm and monetization policy stuff, phil’s videos became longer in duration around 2015-2016; for many years, most of his videos were around 4 minutes long or less, which for me meant that early on in this marathon I was watching more videos per day, and then later on my pace slowed. phil’s videos with dan are usually pretty long as well, so if I had something like a baking video or wdapteo up next to watch, I might have only watched one or two videos that day. 

unsurprisingly, watching all of phil’s videos in order in a relatively short span of time gave me a really cool perspective on how phil has grown as a person and as a YouTuber over the past eighteen years. surprising to me, though, was how I felt like watching his channel in such a linear way felt a bit like coming to know who phil is for the very first time, again. despite having watched his videos for over a decade, i feel like i understand his style and creativity and personality more fully, and in general better, than I did before. watching 2007 phil become 2009 phil become 2011 phil and so on in the span of a few days or a week meant seeing clearly how his sense of humor evolved, how his editing and creativity developed, how his perspectives on life and relationship with his audience shifted. much as when you binge an entire tv or book series and immediately afterwards feel like you’re brimming with information, and have all the context, that’s sort of how I felt. and it was new for me because I’d never done that with phil’s content before—I’d never followed the course of his life the way you might a fictional character’s. 

AmazingPhil is also an incredible capsule of 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s Western internet culture, obviously. it’s like an anthropologist from the future with a very hyperspecific thesis topic’s dream treasure horde. what a person can learn about one corner of the world, and one corner of society, from AmazingPhil’s videos is, well, a lot. I see so much cultural value in AmazingPhil, it’s insane. his videos are not sketches, essays, and commentaries on society and life like Dan’s, but I’d make the argument (as I’m sure most of you would) that they’re just as important and critical to helping people understand themselves and the world they live in. and the kind of people they want to be, too, perhaps.

there were also certain videos that stuck with me more than they had in the past. I discovered new favorite videos and videos that I considered more interesting than I previously had. (I tried just now to make a list of some of these but it rapidly got too long, so instead I’ll restrict myself to mentioning only one, a new favorite, from 2021: “I Got Catfished.” - which i think is a fantastic example of phil’s storytelling style). dnp have both said before that they view life as a performance – and phil is without a sliver of doubt a magical and incredible performer. he knows so well how to tell stories with words, pacing, structures, and effects that are hilarious and entertaining; he turns anecdotes from his life into these amazing whimsical pieces of art made in a way no other person has ever made things. YouTube has from the beginning presented him with the perfect way to be creative in a way that suits him. and more than that, i found that it was never even remotely unpleasant to watch his videos every day for over a month. there is simply not an AmazingPhil video that doesn’t bring me joy and make me sit there smiling like a fool. my cheek muscles are probably stronger than they were 35 days ago. 

so, to you I say, go: watch all of AmazingPhil, draw your own conclusions from his current oeuvre and deepen your parasocial relationship with Phil Lester in ways you cannot yet comprehend. I really recommend. 

(final notes: one side effect of watching all of phil’s videos was being unexpectedly yet thoroughly convinced he does indeed possess psychic talents. even though i don’t believe in magical anything, i do now believe phil lester inherited prescience from his grandmother.) 

(also dan is completely right that every time phil changes his hair, he regenerates into an entirely new man.)

(also also I made an AmazingPhil spotify playlist that is highly specific to my music tastes but that anyone is welcome to listen to all the same) ✨🐗💙🥱

[autisticlenaluthor]

do you have any post-rescue jackienat headcanons in mind?

these are all presuming they’re already in a relationship - this post gives some context to how i see it developing

in the hospital, they have a habit of sneaking into each others rooms. after 19 months in constant forced proximity - the sudden isolation is terrifying and disorienting. nat seeks jackie out first (she’s always been more comfortable breaking the rules) and jackie asks if she can stay.

they would sit in silence or try to remember how to use technology (the two of them laying in bed together, jackie with her head on nat’s shoulder, staring wide eyed at the new tv - unable to comprehend how clear the images are) and just enjoy each others company. that first night, nat sits in bed with jackie until one of the nurses catches her and makes her go back to her room.

nat comes back to jackie the next night. they don’t talk about what happened out there, but they talk about what they’re hearing inside. jackie’s the one who tells nat about lottie being moved to psych, and tries to keep her from shutting down when she hears the news. nat’s the one who tells jackie when taissa gets discharged - the first of their group to go home.

when they finally leave the hospital, jackie struggles a lot. her parents are more overbearing then ever and it feels suffocating being at home. she doesn’t fit in (she never did, but now it’s worse) and they don’t seem to make any effort to understand her. they just want her to be normal again. but jackie’s miserable, and feels even worse when she thinks about nat - who went home to absolutely nothing.

jackie also doesn’t want to go to rutgers anymore. it’s too close to wiskayok, bad memories, and wouldn’t feel right anymore. so she ends up taking a gap year instead. she asks nat if she’d want to get an apartment together - somewhere far from home and all the reminders of what happened. nat immediately says yes

jackie’s parents don’t support this. they don’t think she’s ready to leave wiskayok and they definitely have some unchecked ableism in assuming jackie wouldn’t be able to handle living independently. at this point, she’s partially deaf from losing her ear & struggling with her balance from toe amputations/her vestibular system being messed up from said ear-loss. they also don’t like the idea of her living with nat.

so in an effort to keep her close (read: control her) they tell jackie they’ll cut her off financially if she leaves, but that she’ll have everything she wants if she stays home. jackie’s furious; all she wants is nat & for the two of them to be safe. for the first time in her life, jackie puts her foot down with them and adapts.

her and nat end up moving to new york - probably to a tiny dingy apartment in the west village or something. they have next to nothing but they both kind of love the stress of it. “normal” people worries are a privilege and after 19 months in the wilderness, they know they’ll figure this out too. i think they (nat, especially) would almost enjoy it. it feels like a game trying to figure out how to get a job and pay rent after what they had to do to survive

their first week in new york, they go on their first real date and experience what it’s like to be a real couple. jackie finds a cute little coffee shop that she likes and drags nat there every weekend. nat finds a record store she drags jackie to, and eventually gets a job at

they both struggle a lot in their own ways (too much for me to get into in this post) and i think they’d have a hard time talking about it. at least, in direct words. but they have an understanding that most others don’t. nat knows why jackie spirals and starts bolting the windows shut when it snows and the wind starts creeping in. jackie knows why nat gets really fucking mad when people at work question or diminish her authority, implying her voice doesn’t matter.

jackie is the one who touches up nat’s bleached hair and nat takes jackie to get her first professional tattoo (nat def stick and poked her in the wilderness). jackie also drags nat shopping every other week. they hardly ever buy anything but jackie likes the ritual of it all. she definitely makes nat try things on. nat is whipped enough that she can’t fight it anymore, but she spends most of her time sitting with the other husbands on the bench by the changing rooms

they’re just so sickeningly in love

[phantombegruvia]

Rewatched Sorry About My Nan yet again, I have several more thoughts, mainly about Jaime. So I'm going to ramble! Again!

I've seen a lot of people point out his absence in the final scene, and say he's dead. But I don't understand why he would be. He seemed to have fallen for Ethel's manipulation by the end of the trials, even chanting "STAG" before Jim does, so why would she want him dead? (Unless the Jaime we see at the end of the third trial wasn't the real Jaime, and was actually Tom's Cabaret character (I'm calling him Emcee again), but that's another can of worms that we can deal with later)

I want to build on @cook-a-little-chicken 's theory a little, who says that the wedding was part of the trails, but also that Jaime had become part of the show. I just want to provide a little bit of evidence before we talk about that.

First of all, when Emcee asks for Jaime's name, he messes up and says "Michael". And secondly, he thinks that Emcee is Ethel. This is obviously a mistake on Sam's behalf, but in the context of the theory, it's pretty grim; Jaime is losing himself. He's seeing Ethel in places where she isn't, he's forgetting his own name, choosing a common one in hopes that he's right.

Emcee never introduces himself, never addresses himself - he may not remember ever having a name. Wilhelm introduces himself, maybe he's not been there as long as Emcee? Or maybe he chose Wilhelm because of the Wilhelm Scream - a classic sound effect many movies and TV shows use, and have been using since the 1950s. (I can't put into words why this makes sense to me and why I believe it's relevant, it just does)

Back to Jaime, he cared when Wilhelm "died", staying with him before getting dragged into the next trial. Maybe this was the first time in a while that somebody had shown them kindness? Maybe it was Wilhelm and Emcee who wanted to keep Jaime there.

And if anything, Jaime was the one to pass the trials, not Jim. Jaime was the one who wanted to save their friendship, choosing to not attack Jim, or admitting how he really felt about Jim's wedding. Jim, on the other hand, was ready to kill Jaime, not caring about the consequences.

Maybe Ethel doesn't have as much control over that world as we thought. She still controls everything, but still the inhabitants of that world have some sort of autonomy, they can go off script if they want (Wilhelm pushing himself in front of the sword, Emcee saying that he didn't like Jim and Jamie's performance). They decide who stays with them, who stays on stage, who watches the show. The audience of 403 may have become 404 by the end of the play.

Anyway, that's all I can coherently type before my mind melts, so.. (I say as if any of this makes sense)

Also! I have a theory/headcanon about how some of the longforms link together if anybody wants to know that let me know hehe :D

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey Raven! I'm not sure if you got this question already but I'm curious, are there any twst OC's that you like? Or interested to find more about? Could you recommend some even? Thank you for your time if you're reading this !

(Just so you know, I’m not counting Yuusonas or Yuu stand-ins for the sake of staying short and sweet ^^;; Only characters that are non-Yuus and specifically twisted from some Disney counterpart are considered in the context of this post.)

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHhHHHhhhhh Finally, an excuse to talk about Twst OCs, my beloved... Some Twst OC creators I enjoy (and send all my love to!! ^^):

@loojii — They have a lot of cute girls!! My favorites are Yina (twisted from the hyenas, shipped with Ruggie), Elisa (twisted from the white singing flower, shipped with Trey), Shari (twisted from the magic lamp, shipped with Kalim), and Amari (twisted from Zira, shipped with Leona). They all have interesting or funny interactions with their respective love interests and other characters (I believe they attend an all-girls arcane academy). Yina in particular is a riot; she's so lovey-dovey even though Ruggie doesn't seem to give her the time of day OTL Looji's character designs in general are very easy to understand and appealing. They make the occasional comic page featuring them, which I always eagerly eat up.

@cozymochi — Technically an exemption to the "not going to talk about Yuus in this post" thing I opened with (since they do have a Yuu based on Tiana that's hard-working and warm). But Tia (their Yuu) aside, they have 3 (I think going on 4 now) OCs that are twisted from very underrated villains from Disney kids' TV shows. Nyoka (twisted from Ushari) is their most popular and most thirsted after one, but I find myself partial to Emilio (twisted from Esteban), who's sort of pathetic, and Cecil (twisted from Cedric), who is also sort of pathetic, myself. One plus is that cozy is in the habit of rambling a LOT about their lore, personalities, and how they bounce off of their peers + dorm members, so there's a ton you can read up on them if you're interested.

@yaoyaobae — I think a lot of people may already know this name, as they're a pretty well-known Twst fan artist. While I do enjoy their art of canon characters, I think I like their RSA OCs even more. Jaseem (twisted from Jasmine) and Alison (twisted from Alice) are my favorites! Their OCs are usually introduced in a very detailed manner (with a profile, alternate outfits, and even a few panels showcasing how they speak or interact with their peers), and I love reading up on them.

LaizyBoy (their Tumblr’s deactivated but you can find them on Twitter) — They have many Twst OCs but my favorites are their Octavinelle ones, which I believe depicts the Octavinelle to follow Azul + the twins. There's Vert (Azul's little brother), the stingray twins Cloak and Dagger, and Gale, the tiger shark. The four of them are based on Morgana (Ursula’s sister) and her minions from The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea. They have such fun dynamics with one another and with Azul nii-san 😂 Good to browse if you’re a fan of little doodles with blips of dialogue.