#because imho this is all very good stuff

[txttletale]

I want to write stories about exploring space and finding new planets and stuff but I'm so scared of being anti-native and perpetuating colonialist thought/the pristine myth that it keeps me from writing anything. Do you have any advice

i mean like first of all imho you should just write them and if they're suffused with Ideology that is what it is. the world is better if more people make things even if those things turn out to be bad. the stakes aren't actually that high, it's not life and death, just go for it because there are no real consequences for failure!

however wrt space exploration stuff without colonialist undertones (worthy goal) i would just keep an eye out for western frontier mythology and its terminology slipping into your writing--'pioneers' and 'frontiers' and 'wild wests' and so on are very good at slipping into the usamerican creative vocabulary

but yeah idk im a pretty big advocate of just make a thing and if it's bad it's bad innit

[madamscream]

Many people think that the sloth is the slowest moving mammal on the planet. It’s actually me. Anyways, here's that list of erotic fanfiction I promised @trashy-corvian way too long ago. It's not complete but I've somehow become sort of busy and I figure I can always do a part two!

Since we’re talking about my favourites, there’s going to be a lot of Barbatos, monster-fucking, and dominant!reader. I Know What I Am About.

Will offer the pairing(s), a blurb, and information on reader gender if that’s relevant. As for kinks, please check the tags in any fic before reading, I literally have no way of accounting for everyone’s tastes and I enjoy some odd things. 

If a fic covers most of the cast but excludes some, I’ll list that instead of a pairing. None of the links have anything sexual with Luke, but I’ll still list him in the exclusions if I’m listing exclusions.

Lessons in Demonic Anatomy by Sexxica (tumblr)

MC has no gender, their genitals are not mentioned. Luke, Raphael, Mephistopheles, and Thirteen aren’t in the fic, but everyone else is.

One of my favourite, if not my very favourite smut fic because… I like reading about people jacking off, and this is basically a list of my favourite characters doing that. They are all amply aware they’re being watched, it’s all consensual. A+, have kinda wanted to write my own fic along a similar premise since reading it.

—

wear your independence like a crown by Koumine (thesecretsavant) on Ao3

Lucifer x MC

Written in second-person, the reader has a vagina, gender-neutral though Sir is the chosen title for MC.

I’m pretty eh on Lucifer, but people write some really tasty smut for him. A friend sent me this one, and they were correct to do so. By and large, it’s a collection of explicit scenes between the two that take place over time. It’s well written and the author has at very least done a lot of research into BDSM relationships if they don’t partake in them personally, which is always nice to see in a BDSM fic.

—

Mammon's First and Mammon’s Second by Avatar_Saiki

Mammon x MC

Gender neutral MC, no genitals mentioned for them.

Set shortly after the taming of Cerberus in Nightbringer. Mammon gets a blowjob. Genuinely really good characterization of the brothers and the MC is fun. The blowjob is nice, but I like the conversation between Asmodeus and Mammon ABOUT the blowjob best, because it’s honestly pretty cute imho.

Warm Inside and Out by HiddenOnyx

Gender neutral MC, implied to have a vagina in some of them. Luke, Raphael, Thirteen, and Mephisto are not included.

It occurs to me I’m sort of handing out a very public kink list. Anyways, this is a series of drabbles about cockwarming with the cast.

Kinktober: Obey Me Edition by InvertedPhantasmagoria (tumblr)

Possibly varied on the pronoun/genital situation, honestly not sure. Everyone but Luke, Raph, Mephisto, and Thirteen.

I will not lie, I haven’t read every entry because I just don’t like some of the kinks. The ones I do like are very good though! To no one’s surprise, chapter 31 is my favourite. They’re good at capturing desperation, which is something I enjoy GREATLY.

How do you like your tea? by wubzee

SolomonxBarbatos

I’m a sucker for aphrodisiac fics. Barb + Golden Hellfire Newt Syrup + Solomon’s a bastard. I’d say this is pretty non-con. It’s been a while since I read it properly, but skimming through… it’s pretty non-con.

carpe dick-em by wubzee

LuciferxSolomon (though I don’t think that ever happens actually)

Okay… so… to be fair… when I initially asked someone for the link to the Lucifer erectile dysfunction fic they mentioned, I was not actually aware of the clown fetish aspect. I like clowns just fine, but I am not personally horny about them. Despite the fact that there is next to nothing in this fic I would ever seek out, I did end up really enjoying it. And I’ve just noticed wubzee is on here twice so maybe I should read the rest of their stuff.

Arvandus writes really good Barbatos fanfiction. Also other things too, just… I have a particular area of interest.  As far as smut…

Of Love and Pacts the smut is great, of course, but I read this and my brain has not stopped riffing on the concept since. Making a pact mid-intercourse? Fucking amazing, no notes. Other things also, but it’d be kinda wild to put spoilers in my fic rec…

The Divine is fun because the first half of the fic is a date, deals with mortality, and made me cry like a baby. Then the second half hit me with some of the best-written smut anyone’s ever put to paper. Amazing. I wish all fics were like this… or maybe I just wish someone would pay Arv millions of dollars to write fics about Barb as a full time job.

Really can’t go wrong with earthliving, aka another-lost-mc

If I had to pick favourites… 

Angels at the Door tops the list. Something about characters listening to someone fuck the person they’re into and jacking off to it the next room over is entirely too lovely.

For Your Ears Only I don’t have any specific praises for this one, the whole thing is very nice.

Put A Spell On You I may or may not rotate the bit about Barbatos excusing himself around in my head More Days Than Not 

Got Milk? probably isn’t a favourite out of all their works for me personally but it did spark a very long series of daydreams and thus Must Be Mentioned

Human by getosubaru

Barb x MC, no pronouns but MC has a vagina

I asked a friend for their favourite fics and they happened to drop this one in my lap that I’ve been looking for for AGES. It’s pretty vanilla compared to a lot of the other stuff but it kicked down the door and made a home in my brain.

Various things by frenchfry_writes

Special shout out. They no longer write for the fandom, but they wrote good fic for a lot of very niche kinks that I like a lot and several that will make me tap out of a fic instantly. Often wrote AMAB or trans male reader. I’m not really warning for specific kinks in this list, but piss and vomit are a lot for many people (me included and I’m actively into omorashi) so like… they write for various watersports and emeto. Be aware of that. 

---

Special note: There’s one I skimmed my entire Ao3 history trying to find to no avail, to my severe distress. It’s largely about learning through experiencing how courtship works in the Devildom… Mammon leaves MC the heart of a big bird on their bed, then kills a guy for them. Levi kills a BUNCH of guys for them and they do the nasty while one of the corpses is floating in his floor-to-ceiling aquarium. If anyone knows where I can find that one again, I’d really like to have it back, it had some interesting world building :c I really hope it wasn't deleted.

EDIT: cosmicstarlatte comin' in clutch "the levi fic (you can then click the author for the others): https://archiveofourown.org/works/38520418"

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Lesbians WIN & I'm excited about a Thai BL again!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 1 of 12 eps - Adaptation of Chinese novel Professional Body Double by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of KP was the clashing directing styles). The MDL description made it sound complicated af but actually it's not so bad. In fact it's GOOD.

Stuntman Joe dies on the job and wakes up in the body of another Joe who has an entirely different life. But our Joe just gets his new body right back into his old existence, full of friends, enemies, and one troublesome ex. Poom is absolutely killing it in the lead. Mek is perfectly cast as the Actor du Jerk. I’m not sold on Up’s bratty brokenhearted rich kid... yet. The show though, I like it. I like a one (two) night stand starting things off and I like a lot of morally gray characters. Fun fun!

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 8fin - The lesbian moms are the cutest thing in the world and my favorite thing this week. Bar none.

Summation:

It's about a host club and all the gay boys in it and some stuff that's not important because... PEOPLE OF EARTH WE HAVE A HONEST REP OF POLY IN A BL. Stand up and raise your hands in prayer to the Thai BL gods because sure as shit no one else was ever going to give this to us. For that alone this show gets 8/10 from me. Bonus Lesbian moms and great kisses.

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 - Say what you want about MaxNat all these years that they've been paired makes them great onscreen boyfriends. And you know me, I'm a total sucker for linguistic negotiation. Makes my heart go all mushy. That said, now that the leads are together, I’m really uninterested in all the drama around the ex-boyfriend/triangle. I'm glad this is only 10 eps.

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - They gave me the tiniest teaser for the kinky vampire BL that I have wanted my whole life. And now I'm just fucking annoyed with the rest of the show. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 3-4 of 16 - Q & Toey are the only interesting thing going on. I actually didn’t like this pair in My School President, but I’m enjoying them here. The others are all fine but these two have my heart. I have questions like: did Phum ever get his shopping bags back? And why is Phum driving a different colored car half way through the ep?

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - The quality is good (it’s GMMTV) but the acting is... not. Still I loved that Moo just made the confession for both of them. Very in character. Does this plot remind anyone else of Footloose? Just me? Side couple was cute but now a bit too stalker for me. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 10 of 12 - It’s fantastic. Such a great show. We are so lucky. This is basically Taiwan’s The Eights Sense. I didn’t know they had it in them, but I’m really glad that they did.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - As JBL’s go this is way more my speed (than Alaska). It’s just so sweet and awkward but charming about it. The confession was so earnest. 

Blue Boys (Korea YouTube) 2 of ? No MDL link - It’s very sexy this one. Not sure what Korea thinks it's doing, but I’m not mad about it. 

Gray Shelter (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 5fin - summation: About a slacker nursing a crush on the (brief) older stepbrother who abandoned him. Upon finding him again he moves in with him, upends the mans lost suffering life. A dark gritty piece with confusing subs making it too chewy to really grok. It's trying to do too much for its length. The tension is real and the acting is good, it's just everything else stymied clean execution of the core concept. Frankly I spent this show expecting (and wanting them) to just fall into bed together - in a kind of desperate fight sex. It didn’t happen, and I’m disappointed by the non-ending we got. (Whether it’s going to have more in the series or not.) 7/10 I'm open to changing the rank if a part two fixes this one's flaws.

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 1-2 of 8 - Oh dear. Terrible hair. Jock nerd pairing. OCD baby cakes. Cohabitation trope. Killer side couple. Def unhinged. 

At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I’m still genuinely not sure about this one. It’s just a little too awkward for me in the wrong way. I expect all Japanese BL to have a certain aura of awkwardness so I don’t know what it is about this one turnign me off. I do enjoy that we’re getting both stories, the one between the actors, and a little bit of the roles that they’re playing on screen but... yeah

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 7-8 of 12 - The leads finally had a moment but there is negative chemistry. Why am I watching this? 

It's airing but...

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - 6 eps, when it's done, tell me if I should bother?

In case you missed it

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - finished its run but I won't be finishing it. Stays dropped.

GMMTV announced the second half of their 2024 line up. I got excited and picked my favorites, details + trailers here. Basically my ranking is:

The Heart Killers

ThamePo

Revamp

Sweet Tooth

Perfect 10 Liners

The Ex-Morning

Ossan’s Love Thailand

Next Week Looks Like This:

What happened?

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

I have adopted him. He is MINE. I love him, your honor. (The Stand In)

I love them SO MUCH. (Deep Night)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[ladysatoru]

Some thoughts about popular Sanji pairings on the show? 😋

Let's discuss viola, nami, vivi, baby5, zoro, luffy, and pudding

Sanji/Viola : the original i support my girl's rights but more importantly, her wrongs. I love this pairing. I think their basis of connection is so pure and strong. Sanji risking it all for her at first meeting (and understanding her heart even when she was on the enemy side. Sanji didnt judge her for her obligation to act violently towards him at first) also she literally peeped inside sanji's mind AND still likes sanji, a connection can't get more intimate than this one, imho. I love the potential and the strong foundation of trust and loyalty from the very beginning of their relationship. If sanji gets any het pairing I'd want it to be with viola.

Sanji/Nami : the original Malewife/Girlboss pair. honestly, it's a bit hard for me to seriously ship the strawhats with one another because they give off heavy sibling energy T-T like sanji and nami are literally chaotic bestie duo (when they both get scared and jump at the sight of crawly crawly bugs omg). My favourite sanami moment gotta be when the first time sanji saw nami and got amazed was when nami was being loud boisterous and a thug. Also i love how genuinely sweet sanji is towards her but that's just regular sanji

Sanji/Pudding : I've explained my thoughts on sanji and pudding you can find it here

Sanji/Zoro : Shonen so this pairing will never be canon anyway. I love their friendship. I could write endless essays on how sanji and zoro's connection is like a lifeline for both of them. It's not being mushy, it's just the truth. And i think Oda also wrote them like that because they are the wings of the pirate king so they have that fulfilling each other vibe going on for them. Of course i cant takk about zosan without mentioning thriller bark. But not just from sanji's side, i love zosan ESPECIALLY from zoro's side, seeing him being childish and nagging with sanji feels like a breath of fresh air and this bond shows zoro's silly side. I love it.

Sanji/Luffy : Luffy give heavy aro ace im ngl. But i love the Impact he's had on sanji and I've especially started seeing a potential in this pairing after wci and another Lusan dynamic here

Sanji/Baby5 : i know i know baby5 is married or whatever but i really would love to see some baby5 and sanji.

Sanji/Vivi : The power couple. This is really just me indulging and daydreaming about pairings tbh, vivi and sanji do not show that much of romantic chemistry. But Vivi is very very graceful, diplomatic and understanding. She's one of the few characters who can match sanji's charm and elegance (duh she's a princess). She's also caring selfless and a humanitarian. Hell she was willing to delay her own issues (reaching alabasta) to make a stop at winter island and find a doctor for nami - that's some selfless stuff that sanji would've done. Sanji and her values would align and they'd be good as a couple. I love the aesthetic, beauty and potential of this pairing.

[carolkinopf]

been thinking about posting some unfinished/unpolished stuff that i'm pretty sure i won't go back to work on, they are just sitting on my folders and it makes me a little sad

this is gonna be a long post (because I feel like I can't post it without explaining what they were meant to be), I decided to just make a single one with all of them so yea !

This is my Novo Amor propaganda that I never finished. I think this song is very felds-coded, and the animatic was really just to illustrate the lyrics since I think they fit very well.

So it shows feldspar reflecting about their poor choices and mistakes, and wanting to just. give up. But then hatchling shows up, somehow, to rescue them. And with coming back to timber hearth, reuniting with their friends and family, with time they eventually start coming to terms with everything that's happened and readjusting to life in timber hearth.

That entire segment that repeats "but I'll breath, I'm bored of how, bored of now" would be of scenes of that, starting with them reuniting with slate, gossan, gneiss, then being taken care of/patched up from living in poor conditions in dark bramble to then finally enjoying life with others (I ended up only adding rockettrio but I wanted to have them fishing with spinel, going for a hike/walk in the woods with tektite and maybe arkose, playing with hatchlings, joining the orchestra with everyone.... those things)

Slate is also there, because I thought it would be fun to have the transition with the museum photo to feldspar making their way to giant's deep and then dark bramble. And I like some slate angst (shocking)

This is like the most finished one from the post, so it's going first on the list.

(If you like the song i cannot recommend Novo Amor enough. They have many songs with OW vibes imho. And some that are just plain great. If you're curious which ones I associate with the silly aliens feel free to ask)

---

...this is a rather silly one. Not much to talk about it, I had the idea on a random morning of slate fixing one of their model ships (that feldspar accidentaly broke) in a scene analogous to a surgery shdjd

They are young teenagers here (13-14) so that's why slate is using the little cap (which is an accessory I borrowed from process_analog's young slate drawings thank you)

---

This was an experimentation of sorts. The idea was to reference those flashing lights in parties that makes it looks like you are living in a low fps world. Very trippy. But instead of black between "frames", it alternates between slate and feldspar dancing and the moments they had together, from the begging as kids, to teenagers, to young adults working on the OWV and to the final breakdown aka, a fight that led feldspar leaving in a rush and anger to never to be seen again, leaving a helpless slate behind (this was inspired by the first chapter of awanderingmuse's fic Find Your Buddy which I highly recommend!)

Since the song kinda talks about dancing instead of talking your feelings out, I feel like it fits with the fight being drowned out by them dancing in a different moment.

Fun fact: I got hit with The Visions for this animatic the same day I got hit with The Visions for the neujauciu meiles animatic. Which was not fun for my brain, I spent one hour staring at krita not knowing which one to start

cobalt is the one who showed me this song so kudos to him

i like this frame :) huggies

This is a version of only the scenes, I think it's a bit easier to see them progressing. During the fight scene, both slate and feldspar get flashbacks to good times, in poses that mirror their current ones. I thought it'd be a fun addition :)

---

......yet another sad slate (and feldspar) animatic. I was driving home listening to the song and got hit with The Visions once more. I like the colors changing on this one, the very first frame of them as kids is my absolute favorite. Even if it's just a rough sketch.

<3

---

Honorable mention to this one that I sketched an incredible amount of 3 frames

(I'm only putting this here as a cue for you to listen to Years On by Novo Amor. It's good I promise. I wanted to make an animatic for it, with the first half of the songs showing slate/the founders dealing with feldspar's dissapearance, and the second half with riebeck/hatchling - i never decided which one it'd be. But I had just done the Guestbook animatic, and this would be the exact same mood. And I wanted to do something different lol)

---

So, that is it, thank you if you checked all of it! And extra thanks if you did read all my ramblings

Here's a doodle for you:

I always have a lot of thoughts about these, but I don't talk about it because I find it's kinda irrelevant/redundant (plus kinda takes away attention from the actual video on the post). So I hope you enjoyed a little dive into some of them along with the videos !

so yeah, bybye! have a good day

[anorlondo00]

20 questions for fic writers

@panfriedstar tagged me! This was so fun, thank you!

1) how many works do you have on ao3?

ALRIGHT, I’m new to writing and posting fics so some of these numbers might be a little scarce— I’ve published 3 works.

2) what's your total ao3 word count?

91,284

3) what are your top five fics by kudos?

The 3 I have are ranked as followed: - The Apartment Above the Auto Shop - He’s only Sleeping - Good Company Which I completely agree with, Good Company is the strangest by far—

4) what fandoms do you write for?

Just One Piece! I’m into other stuff too but One Piece is particularly comforting right now. I used to draw a lot for Haikyuu!!

5) do you respond to comments? why or why not?

It is deeply moving to me anybody would want to A.) read something I wrote and B.) have such strong feelings about it that they want to take even more time out of their day to write me a comment. I try to answer as often as I can!

6) what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Good Company ends with Ace horribly sick— it’s defiantly not a HAPPY ending and pretty open ended.

7) what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

He’s Only Sleeping has a pretty cute ending imho. I’ve never been a fan of SICKENINGLY sweet happy endings. No hate to the mega fluff fans, I think I’m just crap at writing it haha!

8) do you get hate on fics?

As much as some people really don’t like MarAce (which I get) I’ve been pretty lucky. People have been very nice on A03 especially.

9) do you write smut?

I sprinkle stuff in here and there! I’ve got exactly ONE ☝️full sex scene in my largest fic. I think after the auto shop ends, I’ll do some lighter one shots and I’m sure one will end up being smut. Hah!

10) do you write crossovers?

Nope!

11) have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge! I think I’d loose my shiiittt

12) have you ever had a fic translated?

Translated and posted in a different language? I don’t think so!

13) have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not a published one! But I’ve written thousands and thousands of words with my best friend for our OCs and DnD characters.

14) what's your all time favorite ship?

ALL TIME? Woof, idk. John and Paul?

15) what's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Marco having a full mental break down in front of the WB pirates after Ace goes missing.

16) what are your writing strengths?

Ooh. Dialogue, I think.

17) what are your writing weaknesses?

SPELLING. GRAMMAR. I’ve been rolling with the himbo aesthetic my whole life and it’s worked out okay. I also think I fumble with fluff scenes. It’s not that it CAN’T be done but it takes me longer.

18) thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I would have to do a lot of research!

19) first fandom you wrote for?

Aw, I tried to write a Full Metal Alchemist fanfic when I was in middle school! No ship, I think it was just the cast at the beach having a good time ptshhhhh! Truly, I never posted it because the spell check on Word at the time was not powerful enough to help me.

20) favourite fic you've ever written?

I’m proud of The Apartment Above the Auto shop! It’s my favorite but I’m not sure that’s saying much considering its competition is 2 baby fics written last summer hahah!

@koipalm and @allthatmay you’re next, let’s hear it!!!

[maxiemumdamage]

Pyrrha & Cinder - Achilles, Hector, Patroclus & Paris

I’m in my Homer era once again, so let’s talk about RWBY’s allusions to the Iliad and other Greek myths during the Fall of Beacon.

Or rather, let’s talk about how I think Cinder and Pyrrha both pull triple duty with their allusions when they fight. During their climactic final battle, Pyrrha was Achilles, Patroclus, and Hector, and to each of those allusions Cinder in turn played Paris, Hector, and Achilles.

Obviously there’s a lot to say there, so long post under the cut:

Part 1: Pyrrha as Achilles, Cinder as Paris

So, this one is obvious — Achilles takes an arrow to the ankle, shot by Paris, in the battle where he dies. Pyrrha takes an arrow to the ankle, shot by Cinder, in the battle where she dies. Simple, right?

Except…it’s kind of not. Achilles is classically considered the Best of the Achaeans — that’s why the Iliad is introduced as the story of the wrath of Achilles. He’s the big narrative driver (and as soon as he decides to fight again, it’s over for the Trojans). It’s also why it’s narratively significant that noble Achilles dies to Paris, who’s considered the Worst of the Trojans.

Pyrrha is the best of her generation of Huntresses, in terms of current skill and power. Her being Achilles, Best of the Achaeans, makes sense. But while Paris is considered the Worst of the Trojans, that moniker so doesn’t work for Cinder. She’s not the weakest of Team WTCH — on the contrary, I’d say she’s the most valuable, least disposable member of Salem’s inner circle.

From what we’ve seen, Watts is the Tech Guy, Tyrian is a bounty hunter, and Hazel does the combat stuff really well but is more importantly Salem’s Diplomat, the guy she uses for maintaining good relations with pawns for as long as they’re needed.

Those are all important and necessary tasks, sure, but…not ones Salem would necessarily struggle to find replacements for. We see her do it quickly in the Volume 9 Epilogue, using Jax and Gillian as her new people-persons (Hazel) and Mercury as a new enforcer (Tyrian-substitute/supplement).

But replacing Cinder would be hard. Finding someone young enough to become a Maiden, yet so alone and jaded and broken as to desperately crave the power and validation Salem offers enough to kill for it, would be hard. Salem does need Cinder, in a very real way, hence why she tries so hard in Volume 8 to keep Cinder on side and loyal and performing, rather than just replace her with Emerald or Neo (both of the right age/gender to be Maidens and present to threaten/manipulate if Salem is so inclined).

(Emerald and Neo are respectively harder to manipulate and lacking the conviction/long term motivation to be used as Maidens, IMHO, hence why Salem doesn’t try that even as a backup option. But that’s another post altogether.)

Cinder is also just bluntly the strongest member of Team WTCH. Sure, she probably wasn’t stronger than Hazel or Tyrian pre-canon, but she maybe was once she got half the power from Amber, and certainly was once she became a fully fledged Fall Maiden. Cinder is now the strongest of Salem’s followers.

You could potentially make an argument that Cinder is the worst in sense that she had it the worst — that she suffered the most intensely, lost the most willpower, hit rock bottom the most deeply of them all. But by then…at that point we’re divorced from what made Paris the Worst of the Achaeans.

Paris is weak, cowardly, and weepy, a man at home in bed instead of on the battlefield in a war he caused. He hides behind the walls of Ilion and the sacrifices of his brothers, Hector especially, to stay alive, despite the fact he’s the reason they’re sacrificing, because Paris started the whole war by taking Helen.

And…that might be Cinder’s real connection to Paris. As he took Helen, who was first Menelaus’s wife, Cinder took the Fall Maiden’s powers, which were first Amber’s. The status of a beautiful divine wife and the sanctity of marriage, versus the power/status of the Fall Maiden’s magic and choice to open the vault. That’s how Cinder fits into her role as Paris. It’s in her deeds, rather than her personality, capability, or greater narrative function.

Part 2: Pyrrha as Hector, Cinder as Achilles

As established, there are ways to make Cinder as Paris fit. But upon further inspection…Pyrrha doesn’t quite match up to Achilles. At least, not to him fighting in his primary narrative, the Iliad. (She does align better with him in some sequel and supplemental texts, including Achilles’ death.)

Achilles may be avenging Patroclus, but he ultimately came to Troy as an invader, a conqueror, seeking glory and treasure. He only later gains the motive of helping his friend — initially, it’s entirely for the benefit of himself, for glory and strength and a heroic death, that he goes to Troy.

Granted, Pyrrha does have a heroic death, one that she walks into willingly. But in her grand, final battle…Pyrrha is not the conquering champion who wins the climactic fight, the one with divine power whose victory was guaranteed from the start. That’s Cinder. Cinder is Achilles. Cinder is the one with Maiden powers, the one that no lone mortal Huntress can hope to beat.

Instead, Pyrrha is Hector. Pyrrha is defending her home against a stronger opponent she knows she can’t hope to beat. She’s the loyal and loving friend who sent her partner and loved one (Deiphobus/Andromache, both parts played by Jaune) to safety but herself stayed behind to fight. Pyrrha takes on a battle she can’t hope to win against a divinely blessed enemy for the sake of her school/Troy.

Pyrrha is Hector to Cinder’s Achilles — and after all, Cinder far better fits the profile of a wrathful avenger, even if she’s fighting for the sake of herself and not a loved one.

Cinder is Achilles, avenging the weak abused girl who was failed by Huntsmen by burning Beacon to the ground. She is not noble, not heroic, but we do understand her desire for destruction. We know why she wants to make the world burn. We see her wrath, and it drives RWBY’s narrative almost as much as Salem’s own anger does.

Part 3: Pyrrha as Patroclus, Cinder as Hector

Okay, this one may seem like a reach. But hear me out:

When Patroclus is killed, he’s disguised as Achilles — he took up his partner’s armor (but not spear, as Achilles’ was too heavy for him to wield) — as a way to raise the morale of the plague-struck and ass-kicked Achaean army. He doesn’t have the divine blessings and parentage that Achilles does, though, and as such is killed by the superiorly skilled and more powerful Hector.

And Pyrrha died fighting in place of Amber, of Ozpin, of the magical people who actually possess the power needed to fight a Maiden solo and survive. Pyrrha knew she lacked the necessary strength, she just also knew her loved ones needed her.

That said — people ignore how strong Patroclus was. He kills 27 named characters before he finally goes down (and the way it’s presented sounds like a math word problem, in a way I find funny, but not the point). He didn’t have what it took to beat Hector, but Patroclus was still far more powerful and capable than most of those he fought alongside.

Moreover, it’s the death of Patroclus that drives Achilles back to the frontlines and to kill Hector — and seeing Pyrrha die causes Ruby to activate her Silver Eyes for the first time, maiming Cinder. Not to mention how the loss of Pyrrha drives JNR for the rest of the show.

But of course, for Pyrrha to be Patroclus means Cinder must at least momentarily play the part of Patroclus’ killer — Hector. The favorite and most glorious of Priam’s sons, or the most valued and trusted of Salem’s followers. It almost does fit, doesn’t it?

So, what’s it all mean?

Well, for one thing, I think it’s fascinating that out of the three allusions, each character has, two are shared. The parts of Achilles and Hector are played by both Pyrrha and Cinder. They’re representative of very different parts of those characters, to be sure, but…it does feel like a hint towards how similar they could have been. How good Cinder could have been without her tragic past, or how bad anyone else in her shoes would’ve similarly gotten.

Moreover…well. We do see the ghost of Achilles in Hades, during the Odyssey, and get advice from him. Given that…I think it’s possible we’ll hear from Pyrrha, and potentially Amber, in some kind of Maiden mindscape, perhaps the same one Winter and Penny conversed in.

I also do entertain thoughts of whether Cinder is alluding to any other famed archers — AKA either Artemis as a protector of young girls (and yet the one Iphigenia is sacrificed to) or Apollo as the plague god who shot down many Achaeans in Book 1.

There’s definitely more to say on this topic, but this was most of my thoughts and just what I actually wanted to look into. If you read this far, thank you!

[wildcatblues]

Hello hello!

I’ve recently gotten into Golden Kamuy and I saw some of your drawings for Ogata and oh my goodness your art looks so cool!!

I hope it’s not rude to ask, but what is your overall opinion on the manga, anime and live-action? I’m curious to know what people who have been part of the fandom for longer think of all three!

If you don’t feel like answering, please don’t feel any pressure to do so!

Thank you for making art! I hope you have a wonderful day!

First of all, thank you! I appreciate it! I'm glad that you feel that way, I do like making it so that's nice to hear!

As for the series, I would say the manga is the best way - I prefer the fan translation due to it being closer to the source material as the VIZ translation (and by extension the dogsred translation via viz) is not...very accurate? (Ive confirmed this w several friends who speak Japanese so I'm not just pulling this out of my ass lol) Obviously support the series if you enjoy it, but If you want a more correct read on the characters/dialogue etc the fan translation is better.

I like the live action better than the anime. Unfortunately the GK anime got hit with the low budget stick which honestly isn't fair imho. The CGI bear from season 1 alone has been the sole reason I haven't been able to get more people into GK.

Season 3 is probably the best season of the anime and has the best animation, but overall I hope one day we get a GK brotherhood situation where it gets re-animated with proper budget and including the stuff that was cut because there was a lot cut from the anime.

I haven't found the time to watch the tv series yet, but I enjoyed the movie a lot. I watched it...three? Times? When it first came out. I really enjoy the live action and I'm looking forward to when I can sit down and get some time to watch it.

Overall though, this is my opinion. I always feel like the manga is the best way to engage with the series so if you're going to get into GK reading the manga is ultimately the best way to go about it- whether its the fan or official translation. Whichever you choose is up to you 🌠

[silenzahra]

Hey there, my amazing spiritual twin!

Don't mind me, I just invited myself in to gush over your writing for a moment😁 You'd better get comfortable because this might be a bit lengthy. Here we go!

So that little snippet from your angsty Brothership wip you were kind enough to share with me in your answer to my ask? So good, I was basically reduced to a little happy dog, wagging my tail and all that jazz, because I'm just so excited to read, no, to DEVOUR the whole thing once it's ready! It's gonna be totally awesome, I already know it🔥

Your other ideas you shared with me in the past? Looking forward to those too! Take as much time as you need with them though, I'm happy to know I'll have so much Zahra Writing to read in the future, possibly and hopefully for years to come🥰

And "Without him", the story you wrote based on my art? Oh my goodness, even just thinking about it still makes me so emotional🥹 Not only is it inspired by my art and a wonderful birthday present for me (and that's not even the only one you gave me! The other one was a banger too!), but it was also an incredibly written masterpiece imho. I've been itching to reread it, and I think I'll do it soon!

And you've been writing shorter stories based on my art as well as others', too, and they also deserve love and appreciation! I'm so honored to be among the artists who inspire you🫶 I can only hope to continue to do so!

Now, I know that your Luaisy stories in particular mean a lot to you. I'm sorry that I'm not quite the target audience for those and can't match your level of enthusiasm for the couple😅 But you know that, at least to my knowledge, I've still read them all, just like the Mareach ones. They're all very nicely written, my super talented twin! I think you can write any kind of relationship well, and I would actually love to see more of father-daughter stuff from you about Luigi and your OC Violet🥰

I love how music, usually your favorite band Estopa's, can inspire your writing. I love how you write the Mario characters and especially the Mario Bros. and the relationship between them. I adore the way you portray emotions and thoughts of the characters making it very easy to connect with them. How you describe action, how you can build suspense and atmosphere. I admire and respect the fact that you write your stories in Spanish first and then translate to English, effectively doing both the typical writing + editing work AND translation on top of that. You are amazing, and I wish you'd believe it as much as I, as well as many others, do.

Also, in the light of my recently developed anxiety and problems with sleeping, the comfort aspect of your fics is appreciated more than ever... I remember when Biggest Fear was able to calm me down enough to help me fall asleep as you advised me to🥲

You are an incredible writer whose works I love to reread (as you know, and so does my phone's browser - remember?) and I'm very confident that what you write in the future will be glorious! Please, have faith in yourself, because you know I do❤️💚🫂

I hope you feel better soon! Now, it wouldn't be a complete Emotional Support Ask from your twin without some hug gifs, so:

I love you, okay? Please be kind to yourself☺️❤️

Mugi. My EXTREMELY BELOVED twin bro. I know you sent this ask a couple of nights ago and I couldn't answer it earlier, but as you know I screenshoted it and I've been rereading it over and over again... and it never fails to move me deeply 🥹🥹🥹

My inbox is your inbox, of course!! It ALWAYS makes me so happy and giddy to see I got a new ask from you 🥹🥹 And this time you sent a long one because you knew I'm struggling with my writing lately... Seriously, if I loved you more, my heart would BURST 😭😭🫂🫂

Okay, your words about my Brothership WIP have me wagging my tail like a happy dog 🥹🥹🥹 Oh, Mugi, it means the entire UNIVERSE to me that you enjoyed the snippet so much!! Dnsojgnsripsapkvsedlñ your words are seriously so motivating, holy cow 😭😭😭 I have to say, even if I haven't touched that fic in a while, I'm actually quite proud with how it was turning out. And... the climax of the story will be even MORE angsty than the snippet I shared 👀👀👀 I may or may not be feeling like going back to it TODAY thanks to your supportive and encouraging words, bro. I literally can't thank you enough for giving me the boost that I needed to resume that fic at last and focus entirely on it. You have this power over me and I just can't thank you enough 🫂❤️💚

I'm so glad that you remember all my ideas that I've shared with you!! 🥹🥹 I know I'm taking forever to bring them all to life, but awww I'm so MOVED that you want more Zahra Writing for the future 😭😭😭 Seriously, you loving my writing so much makes me wanna scream and kick my feet and warms my heart so much. I'm over the moon right now 🥹😭🫂 You shall have your wish granted, bro, even if I'll still take some time. But I'll do it for you 💚❤️

Oh my God, you still get emotional just by thinking of Without him??? 😭😭😭 I absolutely LOVED your reblog and I swear I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you being so touched, bro 🥹🥹🥹 I'm HONORED that my story could make you feel this way, Mugi. I kept you in my mind all the time while I was working on it and I wanted it to be as perfect as possible since it was meant for you. I LOVED bringing two of your amazing pieces together and gifting the story to you for your birthday, together with the rewrite of An electrical aura. I'm looking forward to writing more stories for you in the future, and I just couldn't be happier that you enjoyed this first fic that I wrote inspired by your art. I'm seriously about to cry that you consider it a masterpiece, like WHAT 😭😭😭 Thank you SO MUCH, my twin 🫂🫂🫂 I hope you'll enjoy rereading it just as much as the first time you read it 🥹💚❤️

Aww yes, I absolutely LOVE writing short stories for some specific pieces 🤩🤩 Thank you for acknowledging them too, bro!! I know I haven't done it too often but I've 100% enjoyed every single time that I did 🥰🥰 As you can see your art continues to be VERY inspiring for me, and I'm so glad you've enjoyed the short drabbles that I've written so far!! Again I'm looking forward to doing it more in the future, and of course I have my eye on your art 😁😁 I have no doubt you'll continue to inspire me, bro!! 🥰🥰

Oh please, Mugi, don't apologize for not sharing my Luaisy obsession with me 😭🫂 I totally get that you're not into it, and you know I deeply appreciate that you still went and read my two Luaisy fics as well as the Mareach ones. It touches me deeply that you wanna read everything that I write even when it's not your cup of tea 🥹🥹 You're one of my biggest supporters, reading even what you don't fully enjoy just so I can feel your love and support. Believe me: I do feel them 🫂🫂🫂 And I'm so grateful. One of the greatest lucks in my life is having you as my amazing twin brother. You make me feel so good about myself ❤️💚

Also! I DO wanna write more content with Luigi being my little Violet's dad and them bonding together and all that 🥹🥹 Actually, ever since I listened to a certain song that someone showed me a few days ago, I've felt the need to write them together again very soon... 🤭 And OMG thank you for saying that I can write any relationship, that's also such a great boost for my self-esteem as a writer 😭🫂

... Okay, your next paragraph has me ugly sobbing, my twin 🥲🥲🥲 You basically praised ALL aspects of my writing, like... What if I CRY 😭😭😭 Seriously, I feel like printing it and hanging it up in my wall so I can have a constant reminder of what makes my writing so good. And why my beloved bro loves it so much. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. Just, you're helping me remember why I love writing so much. Every single thing that you listed... I love it all. I love doing it all. Even the translation thing as much as at times I struggle, especially with idioms. But I still enjoy it, just as much as everything else. I... I sincerely don't see myself as being amazing, but I'll believe it because you said so 👉👈 I'm so honored that you and so many others see me this way. I promise that I'm working on it, and your words truly are helpful and helpe me believe in myself. I shall listen to my beloved and awesome twin bro. Thank you 🫂💚❤️

Oh, Mugi 🥺🥺 Believe me, I'd do WHATEVER I could do to fully erase the anxiety from your life. It's not easy at all to live with it... so I'm deeply moved and relieved that my fics can comfort you, especially Biggest fear. Even if I can't be physically there for you, my words can, so in a way it's like I'm actually there by your side. And it warms my heart so much 🫂🫂

Guabiedmnglksd there you go again, making me cry once more 😭😭🫂🫂 I know that you love rereading my stuff and I still get so emotional whenever I remember it 🥹🥹 Your confidence in me really is contagious, my twin, because you really make me feel like I'm capable of doing anything. Your faith in me is deeply appreciated, and I shall cultivate mine so I can continue to share more stories in the future that will hopefully be able to bring you more comfort. Just like you've done with me through this amazing, encouraging, and very touching ask that means EVERYTHING to me 🫂❤️💚

I love you so much, my dear brother. Thank you for everything that you do for me 🫂💚❤️

[dekariosclan]

Dear Dekariosclan, (I drafted this before Midwinter lol)

Thank you for blessing Galemancers constantly with your witty and poignant insights! I'm here to join the pilgrimage with some kinky thoughts, and would like to place this Ask in your hands🤲 Of course, only if you feel comfortable answering it.

——— 18+ / mature ask below ———

Related but seperate scenario 1:

Perhaps a relatively shy Tav who wasn't too good at addressing their desires, and Gale noticed his practiced tongue etc. were received with love but a hint of unspoken something. One day, maybe it was some special occasion like an anniversary and Gale has prepared a new set of grand gestures to wow his love, when Tav finally worked up the courage to be like, "Actually...all I wanted is to...try sticking things in your butt...

...

...Youknowwhatnevermind--"

Related but separate scenario 2:

Now, what if this time it's a Tav that has some hard-core kinks, receiving or giving. They know Gale is not into pain and degrading stuff (from the Goblin Camp interaction) way before they started a relationship, so they keep it to themselves well even when they are lovers, never mentioning it once.

But Gale notices that Tav did daydream, or read, or even write/draw about it (and may or may not involve daydreaming Gale in these scenes).

What do you think he'll do??

Thanks for reading this long-ass Ask, have a nice day! I would like to draw something for you in return as well XD

This ask is from the wonderful @inglorionamy-ammy! (I had to resubmit it as an anon because tumblr messed up the formatting of the original submission for some reason).

So, Ammy has given me a cheeky Gale question! Hopefully my answer takes the cake…

For scenario 1, How would Gale respond to Tav’s shy/embarrassed ask?

Here’s the thing: Gale wants nothing more than to shower his beloved Tav in love and affection. He strives to give them the pleasure that they desire, he wants to give them ‘sensations beyond reckoning,’ he wants to ‘wow’ them.

I firmly believe that he reaches his own heights of pleasure from pleasing his partner to the best of his ability. Not only because ‘generosity is a noble virtue’ as he so memorably put it, but because much like his skill as a wizard, he takes pride in his skill as a lover.

And in addition to all that—he likes to be adventurous with his beloved! He likes to explore new cultures, new experiences, new knowledge. Therefore, new sensations—especially potentially stimulating/pleasurable ones—Gale would consider with a very open mind. (As he himself says: it’s one of his finest qualities.)

Now, how would he react to Tav’s flustered admission?

I think, after the first few seconds of Gale blinking and processing and realizing exactly what was being asked (which he would understand quite quickly; he would already have knowledge on this subject from books he’d read) he would be intrigued.

I think beads would be a real possibility for Gale to agree to; the potential for heightened pleasure while making love to Tav would be a win/win in his mind. And of course, he would sweetly and lovingly help Tav through their initial shyness in order to discuss it with them further.

I am sorry/not sorry for this, but I can see him taking this opportunity to say something that is both completely ridiculous and, at the same time, 100% straightforward. Something with a dash of his clever Gale wordplay added in. Something like: “My love, please elaborate on what sort of derring-do you desire for my derrière?”

Which, of course, would work wonders to help Tav open up fully about their desires.

Scenario 2: How would Gale respond to a Tav who had more hardcore tastes/desires?

Now this scenario is really tough, because I do think Gale has some firm boundaries on what he will and will not do for sex and erotic play.

As you mentioned, he is a firm ‘no’ on receiving pain as seen in the Goblin Camp. He’s also a firm ‘no’ on adding other partners (the terribly uncomfortable drow scene solidified that, imho).

But I also believe he would refuse to do anything harmful or degrading to Tav—even if they desired it.

He would not judge them negatively for their tastes at all!—he would apologetically reassure them of that—but I can’t see him agreeing to do anything by his own hand that would leave bruises or gashes on Tav’s skin. He also wouldn’t wish to do anything degrading to them, be it physical or verbal.

At most, I could see him agreeing to LIGHT playful spanking, and perhaps some firm scolding in Githyanki tongue (or any gruff-sounding language). I can’t see him agreeing to choking Tav—even lightly—at all.

However! As I mentioned in the first scenario, Gale really does want to give Tav the pleasure they desire. And so I think he would try to figure out a way to put his amazing illusion skills to work to conjure or create a scenario for Tav that they would enjoy, perhaps with a non-sentient image of himself. That way Gale could still adhere to his own firm boundaries of not allowing even the slightest lasting harm to come to Tav (regardless of what Tav would choose to have happen in the illusion) while still giving Tav what they wanted.

And, as a bonus—during their next lovemaking session I’m sure Tav would repay him very, very generously for his ingenuity.

Thanks for the ask Ammy! And you’ve already drawn me this amazingly sweet piece! I couldn’t ask for anything more, it’s perfect! 💜

[yawping-poets-society]

The Outsiders Musical Pt. 2: Notes on the Cast

for a master post of all of my posts about my outsiders experience, click here. i recommend looking at this before reading the individual posts!

note: i might come back and add some things to this, but i wanted to get it posted while the stuff i wrote about dally's actor(s) was still technically accurate. only two days left until alex joseph gray's debut!! yay!! read on for my thoughts about the outsiders cast! (cast member names and characters are in bold to make it easier to skim, as this post is really fucking long)

edit: i doubt anyone is coming to this post for information, but alex joseph grayson’s debut has been pushed back to march seventh. daryl tofa will play dally all of this week. yay for daryl!! (not changing the original text, just putting this info here so everyone sees it)

okay!! for starters: i saw 4 understudies. 

Trevor Wayne played Ponyboy instead of Brody Grant. I was a bit bummed about this at first but he was very good!! Everyone please pour one out for the teenager in the center front row wearing an “I ♥️ Brody Grant” t-shirt. Trevor did give them a copy of the book during the final number (this happens every show) and my only thought was “Thank god.” because like. I would’ve crashed out if that was me. Poor kid. I hope they had a good night.

Daryl Tofa played Dally instead of Joshua Boone, because Joshua Boone actually left the show on January 26th of this year. I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda upset when I saw this as we walked in (I did not know he had left until a couple days [and a tiktok deep dive] later). I’d been really looking forward to seeing Joshua Boone who I think did a fantastic job as Dally. However!!! Daryl Tofa was phenomenal. He usually plays Two-Bit so I had no idea about how he would pull this off, but zero complaints here!! More on his performance later. (side note: i believe several actors are rotating filling the part depending on availability, who else is out, etc., until February 28th, when Alex Joseph Gray will take over. However, anyone who gets to see Daryl Tofa play him should feel lucky! He is, again, really truly wonderful). 

And Two-Bit was played by Henry Julián Gendron instead of Daryl Tofa and Steve was played by Ryo Kambayashi instead of Renni Anthony Magee. These weren’t very noticeable changes imho, and as with all of these actors, i wouldn’t have been able to guess they weren’t principles if i hadn’t known.

Everyone involved with the show is incredible, and I was happy to have seen understudies, as it really makes the experience unique! I wasn’t sure how I felt at first, as this will very likely be my only time seeing the show, at least on Broadway, but as soon as Trevi walked up the aisle and hopped on stage, I bought in. At the end of the day, I was there to see The Outsiders, not Brody Grant (Again, pour one out for that kid). And the show was wonderful.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it!

My favorite performance of the show was Brent Comer as Darrel Curtis. This came as a surprise to me, but the more attention I paid to him, the more wowed I was. The strength of his voice and his ability to project were pretty much unmatched by the rest of the cast. His voice also had a really rich quality to it that I personally enjoyed, mostly just because of his low range. There's such an openess to it, if that makes any sense.

Darrel hasn’t ever been my favorite character before (I’ve been a Dally fan since day one), but I left this show wondering why that was. Perhaps because the musical gives us more one-on-one time with him, more of the story from his perspective,  I found myself really connecting with him in a way I hadn’t before. He really is stuck with nowhere left to go, and though he does put up a tough front for the most part, we get to see this facade peel away somewhat–especially when Pony is at the church, and Darry is alone with Sodapop.

In the song “Throwing in the Towel,” all of his resentment and frustration from earlier in the show fall away to reveal what it was really all about in the first place–he cares and worries about his little brothers, who he now is essentially raising. And oh, my goodness, Brent Comer just plays it so well. The heartbreak and utter defeat that he’s feeling are so evident. Also worth mentioning–in that song and in the following number, “Soda’s Letter,” there are some three-part Curtis brother harmonies that are pretty cool on the cast album, but utterly mind-blowing live. I wish I could remember exactly how they sang it, but alas, the excitement overrides everything. It was really magical, and I do know for certain that Brent Comer absolutely soared. I think he did some kind of opt-down? God I don’t even know, it was just so fucking amazing.

Additionally, in a scene towards the end including all three Curtis brothers, Darry and Soda are sitting at the dining table, and Pony comes out of his room to join them. He asks to eat dinner, and it’s been stated before that he’s barely eaten in weeks. When Soda asks what Pony was writing, etc. etc, they reach a point where Soda asks if he will be in the story, Pony says Darry might be too. Darry says, “Oh, great. Just make sure to give me fantastic hair.” and he is visibly crying. I think this starts around when Pony asks for food, but I’m not quite sure. Regardless, it is so emotional, and communicates so much about how much Darry cares about his brothers.

So yes! Yay for Brent Comer!

Trevi Wayne’s Ponyboy was so funny. Like, I’m not sure how Brody or anyone else plays him, but he had so many line deliveries that really drove home that he was a fourteen year old boy. 

Standouts were: 

Him and Johnny sizing each other up, and swaggering very slowly over to Cherry and Marcia at the drive-in

His A++ delivery of, after Cherry tells Pony not to take it personally if she doesn’t say hi to him, “I’m not gonna lie, that didn’t make me feel too hot.” This actually got some of the most laughs of anything in the entire show, and deservingly

His and Johnny’s exchange in the church, after Johnny has dyed Pony’s hair. Pony asks, so abruptly, it’s like he’d been fighting it back and couldn’t, if he looks like Julie Andrews. Johnny says no, he looks more like Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry. Ponyboy replies, “Burt Lancaster’s a sissy! And Elmer Gantry is a terrible movie!” And when I tell you Trevi absolutely delivered the annoyance, indignation, and distress that a fourteen year old boy would feel in this situation, I really mean it. Johnny, rather helplessly, offers up, “Paul Newman, then.” Pony pauses, looks at Johnny like he doesn’t quite believe him, and then, mood instantly lifted, says: “...no shit?” Maybe this doesn’t sound funny reading it like this. I PROMISE you, it was so fucking funny live. I loved it.

He just really seems like a kid, it was wonderful and he was great. He also has a lot of vulnerability, especially in scenes where he’s narrating, such as right before the church fire, and when we see Dally’s death, which further drives home just how young Pony is. He had so much sorrow, it was really remarkable. And of course his singing voice is amazing.

Moving on to Daryl Tofa, the man that he is… Like Trevi with Ponyboy, Daryl plays Dallas very young, very playful at times. I loved this decision!! He’s just so so good and I don’t actually know what else to say hmm… His scene with Johnny (new for the show) before the drive-in was INCREDIBLE. He doesn’t push Johnny, he’s careful with him, his delivery of “I’ve got a hershey bar” and him dangling it in front of Johnny was maybe the most adorable thing that happened all show. His whole relationship with Johnny and Pony, actually! The protectiveness and love he feels for them is so evident.

Also! Daryl’s version of - “Little Brother”. I don’t know if other actors do this, or if he does this every time, but he screamed “does anybody care” before returning to singing “when a greaser disappears.” This already hits hard in the cast album, and I was in no way prepared for this delivery of it. I’m pretty sure I jumped, and it echoed around the theater in the craziest way. I started crying right then, it was so powerful.

Dally's death scene, also? Heartbreaking. Devastating in every way. How he dug his feet in just as Pony said maybe he did, but how he eventually winced and curled in on himself, bracing for impact. I'm not crying you are.

Short(er) notes on other cast members, in no particular order:

Jason Schmidt🩷 ❤🧡💛💚💙💜 and yeah that’s mostly what I have to say. I love him, he plays Sodapop equal parts hilarious and tender, and brings all the necessary nuance to his character. His singing voice? You’ll never believe it, it’s also great. I love the roundness of it, I love how much energy he puts into every single note of every song. “544 FUCKING PAGES?” iconic. King shit. The way he comforts Darry in “Throwing in the Towel”....don’t even. Oughhhh Curtis brothers save me…save me Curtis brothers. Sorry this is so incoherent, I just think he’s neat.

Emma Pittman was Cherry Valance and goodness, does anyone exist more perfect for the role? Her voice is crystal clear. She’s strong when she needs to be, but also gentle and sensitive. She holds herself with such poise and grace, just like you would imagine a Soc girl would. In the scene where she brings Johnny’s things to the Curtis house, the way she talks about the sunset, in an effort to get a response from Ponyboy, is just heartbreaking. Incredible. Her inner conflict is clear and I loved her.

Sky Lakota Lynch is Johnny Cade and I do feel like a lot of what I like about Trevi goes for him as well, but a couple other notes; his constant anxious fidgeting is such a great touch for Johnny’s character. He’s always moving, until after the fire, when he’s so horribly still. Plays Johnny very young, and he and Trevi had great chemistry, for lack of a better word. He’s such an incredible, emotional performer. Lowkey he should’ve won that tony but anyway…

Dan Berry was Paul, he was great and would’ve been even better if he’d kissed Darry instead of punching him, but nobody’s perfect.

Kevin William Paul plays Bob and the cop in acts one and two respectively. Frankly I almost laughed out loud at “Eat shit, Marcia,” and I would have if I wasn’t lowkey scared of him. He’s intimidating, both as Bob and as the cop. In “Justice for Tulsa”, when the cop is interrogating Dally? Yeah, that was genuinely frightening.

Melody Rose as Beverly–Speaking of things that were scary, Beverly burning Two-Bit with her cigarette during “Justice for Tulsa” was also just plain upsetting. Melody Rose does it with such sass I honestly can’t be anything but impressed. Go girl go!

Marcia was SarahGrace Mariani, who was very funny in the drive-in scene, but also shows real grit in standing up to Bob. It was really sad to see her not side with Cherry in the end of the split among the Socs. Also, the costume eats? Yeahhhh

Henry Julián Gendron as Two-Bit! Funny as hell, I wish I remembered more about his performance, especially his “Hoods Turned Heros”.  Argh oh well.

Tilly Evans-Krueger’s Ace saying “You wish” lives rent-free in my head. You wish you were as cool as her. What are she and Two-Bit doing under that bench at the drive-in?

Ryo Kamibayashi as Steve was great! He does not do too too much if we’re being so real, but like! He’s still great! It’s the little things, like how devastated he looks after Johnny dies, that really make his performance sing.

Okay, I think I hit everyone I really wanted to! Overall, the whole cast is fantastic!! Every single person is so talented, and they all make the show what it is.

[ennn]

The kiss did kill Agatha but it was because she made it happen. "That's cute, but you know that [absorbing Rio's powers] would kill me" they had that line for a reason and having the line again on the previously on was to remind the audience of that. So a normal agathario kiss wouldn't cause death, but Agatha actually absorbing Rio's powers while kissing definitely would.

That being said, I agree with all the things you highlighted that you liked. May I ask which things you would've done different or didn't love as much, maybe?

Also, from the most neutral point of view, do you think Agatha still loves Rio? Did she ever?

I agree with that read! Note: this also means Rio would have needed to let her magic go into Agatha. Agatha can only take when blasted with magic, not by touching people, so Rio was aware she was killing her but it was Agatha's choice to take it on the mouth

Ooh good questions, time to play editor / script doctor for a bit. This is probably going to be long... and can be negative so I'm keeping it under a cut.

Things I did not love / would have done differently — not comprehensive — just off the top of my head:

For the love of god use a different ghost SFX. I hate the current one with the fire of 10,000 suns. It makes it hard to see the actor's performance, their outfit, and it messes with their body language as well. Outside the fantastical reality of the Road, it's too distracting.

Burn that white-grey wig for ghost!Agatha. Between this and the SFX I was struggling to focus on the scenes and their pathos. I think Episode 5 wasn't so bad because Evanora didn't really do much except float around in a smock and say some mean lines but Agatha's moving around, talking a lot, and trying to land some emotional beats.

The whole showdown in the garden feels weird to me, and I think you can tell that they only Aubrey Plaza for a limited time: she barely seems to be in the same frame except for the kiss? I suspect that's why we have shots focused on Billy hitting the greenhouse, Death on the house, and a very very short magical fight. You also don't get proper reactions from Rio on what could have been a couple of revealing beats like when Agatha initially offers Billy up and walks away.

The big one: I'm not convinced Agatha had a proper arc here. If it was planned I don't think it landed for me. You get a hint of Agatha making some peace with how death just happens at the end of the earth trial: "Sometimes boys die" – beautiful moment -– but it doesn't seem to follow through? Yes, she ultimately makes a choice that allows Rio to continue pursuing her (because Rio would have kept her word if Agatha handed Billy over). But coming to terms with her grief and Nicky's death? Has she forgiven Rio? Has she forgiven herself? It feels unresolved to me imho.

Agatha being protective of Billy is... some development I guess but she was already instinctively protective of him in like Episode 3, and by then she already knew he wasn't Nicky. I needed more growth from Agatha, I think?

I'm not sure about the whole mental messaging power of Billy's. Is it supposed to imply he's also reading Agatha's mind? Did he not say it out loud because then we'd have to get a reaction from Rio and Plaza isn't available?

Cast a younger kid for Nicky lol. I know there are production limitations but to me that kid looks too old for a 6-7 year old. Is it just me? I don't usually hang out with kids.

Streamline the flashbacks with Agatha and Nicky. We get it: she loves him, it's their song, he's not a fan of the murdering, he dies. I'd fit in a scene (it can be a short one) to underline how Rio did care about Nicky (she visits him?) and show Agatha having conflicting feelings about loving but fearing Death.

In an ideal world, not have Billy in his superhero outfit because that should have had some build-up for a reveal. I know it's Marvel and they need to sell merch and stuff but there really was enough stuff going on and how the hell did Billy get that suit anyway? The crown I can overlook but the rest is weird to me. --

For your last question about Agatha loving Rio I'll tackle it in another Anon Ask coming up that's similar!

[absolutebl]

Genuine Question: Given how much people hate problematic topics in BL eg: kp, mame, love syndrome, etc. why is everyone so damn excited about Only Friends? Like we know nothing about the show. It's GMMTV so how sexy is it going to get? you know, like it's GMMTV. I like the cast as much as anyone and particularly FirstKhao but I don't see this 'sexiness' everyone is going so crazy over? Is it some bts thing like I know the director is jojo and he's gay. Is that why everyone so excited? Is it because we just haven't gotten anything really brilliant this year that gets the whole BL fandom together and that's why people are hoping this will, is that what's going on? I like everyone involved well enough but 'sexy', 'crazy', 'problematic', 'high heat'... I don't get it.

Only Friends & Jojo

Genuine answer.

Okay so this question got me invested enough to get off the phone, over to the laptop, and onto hotel wifi, which means typos rather than dictation homophones, but there it is.

I guess what I am saying it...

mistakes will be made

From the tenor of your question methinks you have not watched Friend Zone? It's a 2 part series. Mostly messy hets but...

Also a TON of broad spectrum queer rep (lesbian, bi, ace, demi). Real queers, not sanitized for straight consumption.

Because yeah, GMMTV will get messy and go into higher heat levels in a late night way (not in a KP way).

But actually what has most people excited about Only Friends is it being sourced in this man:

Jojo Tichakorn Phukhaotong

Jojo is a screenwriter (originals) and director, openly gay, multifaceted and a little experimental, naturally talented (on the job trained - he's an archaeologist originally), and he is behind:

The Warp Effect, Friend Zone and MOST importantly (IMHO)...

3 Will Be Free

There are others too, but for the purposes of this post, those are the 3 that count. I think of him a little as the GMMTV director version of Ohm's acting.

Jojo specializes in:

ensemble pieces,

good chemistry (NOT necessarily high heat, so by this I mean actor chemistry with each other all around - couples, cast, team, production)

working with and finding actors within GMMTV's stable who work well together (even if that means busting up a pair),

a queer lens,

queer rep,

and often very messy story (as in he is not invested in the traditional beats of a romance, let alone a BL).

AND he can shoot action (this is a specific skill set for directors and it's NOT easy),

thus he will shoot his sex/intimacy & COMEDY scenes as if they WERE action sequences.

This makes his stuff particularly exciting to watch. It's dynamic, there's a lot of movement, the eye is caught and dragged places. He doesn't use dirty/peekaboo framing or central aperture or manga style (not with INTENT the way trained directors do). In fact he does none of those things I harp on about because I like the romance stuff.

He's not being clever with us. He's being honest, but still applying skill. His stuff not quite raw, but also not really directed. You can tell he gives his actors a script, throws them together and then instructs them to just BE THOSE CHARACTERS. He has a light touch, he trusts them. He's not fussy or nit-picky. He's not doing a million takes to get that sene exactly how he envisions it. His ensemble pieces are just that, group projects.

His eye is wide, even for intimacy, by which I mean: he controls and watches for multiple actors at once when there are a lot of them on screen together, without them feeling stiff.

His style is quite organic but not too gritty.

Struggling to understand what I mean?

For example, watch a Jojo "group of friends chatting" scene where everyone is just standing around then watch the same thing in, say, SCOY. You'll see what I mean. SCOY is also a very queer ensemble piece, but it will feel quite stiff, unnatural, and "planned" (staged) by comparison.

For the giffers out there you might notice that Jojo's stuff is particularly difficult to gif cleanly? This is why.

I find him an exciting director. I didn't cover him in my directors overview because at the time he hadn't done much BL (and frankly, he still hasn't). It's not his focus.

I think Only Friends is actually not likely to be very BL. Queer = yes, BL = NO. He won't hit the tropes and there is no reason to assume it will end happily for all couples (if any). That's not Jojo's point of view.

He doesn't play our game. As a result, some of those excited by the idea of this show (or excited the general enthusiasm & anticipation around it), may be doomed to disappointment.

It's one of the reasons you don't see me getting excited about it.

I'm a fan of specifically the fluffy side of BL, this will NOT be that. And I can appreciate a director without necessarily liking the stories he tells.

I am industry enough to acknowledge Jojo's skill (and I LOVE 3 Will Be Free - just not as a BL), but I don't always like his narratives. No matter how good he is, his stuff is not why I personally watch Thai BL.

It's GMMTV, so how sexy is it going to get?

Again, see Friend Zone. GMMTV has a late night pantheon, mostly for het, but they will get salacious. Lots of cheating and terrible decisions. There will be no archetypes. Characters will exist in grey areas, even the "good" characters. There will be no paladins in this show. No seme/uke.

To answer this frankly?

Only Friends will get soap opera or telenovella sexy but no more. So we will be in Midnight Chicken territory, not Bed Friends.

I think the words being bandied about:

'sexy', 'crazy', 'problematic', 'high heat'

are used here on tumblr (and in fandom) as an attempt to articulate expectations set up by Jojo's style.

Most viewers only react emotionally to the tenor of a director with this set of skills. That's fine, that's what the production company wants: A visceral emotional reaction.

But I hope I've managed to clarify from a film-critic perspective what's bringing this sensation about?

But ALSO seeing a bunch of, essentially, lower heat pure BL pairs, have to push themselves into messy queer spaces? (Notice GMMTV only let the more established actors into this one? No JoongDunk, no GeminiFourth)

This is probably really what everyone is excited about.

They are gonna see their favorites cheat, sleep around, be gay (not BL gay, but actual gay). Some are legitimately excited about this, some are shipper excited, and the BL-stans who don't know Jojo are doomed to disappointment.

I'm mostly excited by how messy this is gonna make the fandom.

Su su na.

(source)

[a-chronic-overthinker]

sinsmas yaps

okay so I was busy all throughout last night and I never saw viv's tweet, so imagine my surprise today when this cinematic masterpiece showed up in my yt notifications!!

overall such a great episode and it leaves me SO. FUCKING. EXCITED for season 3, but more (MUCH more) thoughts below the cut (I tried to make it in order this time ;v;)

first of all, I'm LOVING the domestic Stolitz SO MUCH and soft moments like this is exactly what they need after being in such a hypersexual relationship imho

I didn't even think about how weird eating eggs would be for an owl. Or that stolas eats rats

Stella and Andre are being assholes, what else is new.

It's interesting how they treat Octavia like a child, talking about her as if she weren't in the room with them

The whole scene of them shopping was so cooool

I really like the interesting take on Christmas, also shoutout to blitz flipping the couch over lol

M&M lovingly beating each other up🤌

More goofy moxxie screenshots to add to my collection!!

Stolas has finally fulfilled the prophecy and become IMP's secretary!

Via has such a pretty singing voice, and I love the parallels of her song to "You'll Be Ok" from s1e2

Love how stolas has a fucking mental breakdown in front of the customer

Stolas writing a spicy novel? If we don't get that published into a book it will be such a huge missed oppertunity

Millie being frustrated and wanting to kill the family was especially interesting after getting more background on her after ghostfuckers. After finding out that she's pregnant at the end of the episode, it would make sense if she wanted to kill them because it reminded her of that and she was scared. But it could also connect to her "I'm the muscle and nothing else" insecurity that we saw from ghostfuckers. Even if she's come to peace with that, it's bound to come back on a day all about celebrating your origins.

Laughed my ass off when stolas punched Andre. He def learned that from moxxie and millie

The fight scene was absolute perfection. You can tell the animators said "fuck the budget!"

THE STOLITZ KISS SCENE OMFG

The fact that via saved stolas' life, but still hasn't forgiven him is actually so sad

Yayyy loona has friends to talk to! (I actually didn't think she had any friends other than tex but I'm so happy for her)

Loving all the sinsmas outfits, very bootiful

Millie is fuckin PREGNANT??

That whole scene on the balcony killed me

A little detail I loved was that blitz was actually able to make stolas laugh, even though they are both in such dark places. And I think that's how they are gonna get through it in the end

ill probably post more unpacking this stuff but this is just everything important I noticed. Anyway good job to Viv for another heart wrenching episode!

[shamixlour]

Why is it so good?

Okay...waking up from the dead but Ossan's love Thailand??????????

Believe me when I say i'm not really into gmmtv dramas at all but that never stopped me from being super fond of Earthmix and although i don't necessarily (i don't) follow their stuffs since atots, i've got to admit that they are my dudes and forever will be THE gmmtv pairing to me + ik how talented and hardworking they are and how precious their relationship is so what’s not to like, right?

Having said that, I am a big fan of Ossan's love bcs that shit is hilarious and idk it is such, imho, a trademark of jpn bl and when it came out back in 2018 i was like omg omg omg this is so funny, this is revolutionary bcs of its comedic aspect, bcs it's not serious but still has its moment, bcs it's FUN to watch and the great actors in it. Now, I also do remember being so surprised and very much confused (but happy) upon Earthmix cameo in the recent "season" but never really followed up or even questioned myself as to why they were in that episode to begin with but rather went : Oh Haruta and Maki are in thailand, cuuuuuute, oh a restaurant, huh Earth....... MIX?????? Earthmix, offc earthmix are the owners of that restaurant.....cuuuuute, so good to see you too, bye and that was about it and yes you can boo me all you want bcs i deserve it. Irdk how i didn’t connect the dots or even just went a little huuuum that's suspicious, this cameo probably means there is a very plausible remake of this show in the work with EM but the depth of my slow wittedness is a story for another day. 

Back to the main topic, being how fucking great Ossan’s love thai remake is and most importantly how incredible Earthmix are in these roles???????!!!!!!!! Like I said, bcs i watched the entire OL jpn series as it premiered and I have such a vivid recollection of it, I went into the remake a bit skeptical (and late ofc), not as to the acting bcs for that, i knew EM would deliver but more regarding the plot and how they could interpret in their own way such a jpn work but oh boi how wrong was I for that bcs this remake is EVERYTHING. I love it. I simply love it sfm. It is funny, hilarious per moment in this very Thai way and romantic and warm and cringey and everything it should be. The acting is phenomenal and i’m so happy to see EM in such different roles and dynamics (lowkey who they are irl)...like they are so good and this feels so fresh after atots (don't judge me) like they've grown so much????? i'm emotional and they got better at acting and they are grown and ooooooofff i love it and NO ONE in gmmtv could have played them the way EM did bcs i believe they do be giving HarutaxMaki vibes anyways so yeah, thanks for that but i have to give props to the writers of the remake and the director as well because they ATE and left no crumbs and thanks to them I almost started to like monday, knowing Heng, Momo, Boss and all the gang are providing me with almost an hour of absolute mess. 

So, yeah Ossan’s love thailand is great, like genuinely, no joke whatsoever. That shit slaps so thank you Earthmix for once again providing, you never disappoint <3

[nalyra-dreaming]

Trying to find the best way to frame this question...but do you think they the writers/show runners are divorcing this show or at least attempting to, from real world " human" values/morality? I see so many conversations about DV/infidelity/bad parenting/abuse apologia etc..but to me it's through a lens of real world morality.

If the writers are basically saying " these are vampires...real world stuff doesn't apply." Shouldn't we just take it as that? For me, I have separated my humanity from the show and just let it be what it is.

Thoughts?

Hmm.

The show is intentionally holding up a dark mirror to us - as gothic fiction often does. Their meta level and even story level commentary on social structures and racism is very much deliberate.

But.

That is all there is, a commentary. It is not "the big abuse show", nor out to "point out patriarchial oppression through painting Lestat as the white demon". That's bullshit.

It's color-conscious, very intelligent, and extremely well thought-out gothic horror romance, set up as a multi-season puzzle.

A while ago, there was this biiiiiigggggggggg discussion about the art used for Armand's story - you know, the one they stand before in the "Louvre". Big metas were written about in-story and story-commentary white-washing. Turns out though that Rolin and co went to the Louvre, and were simply happy to find a painting in a style that they wanted with a figure that looked somewhat like a young Assad. No big social commentary. no big in-story white-washing. Just a coincidence they were happy they could use.

Or the thing with the Harlequin, and its presence in the Commedia Del'Arte. Big metas, about blackfacing, and the show making a commentary there about racism. Turns out though that Armand only wanted to present Lestat as a clown. Duh.

And so on. There's many examples like that.

As Sam said - the discussions are good and important. And they are.

But the fandom tends to overshoot the finish line, so to speak. The big discussions on racism and white patriarchy often fail to include the actual stories and their structures for the narrative... and the fact that these vampires, the Ricean vampires, do not turn towards humanity in the end.

They turn to their own monstrosity, to their own state of being.

This is not Twilight, or the Vampire Diaries.

This is not to say they don't struggle. And, as the themes the show comments on via meta or even in-story level, we are allowed - and should - struggle with this, too.

The commentary the show makes is connected to the real world. That is what makes it so special. That is what makes it so exceptional.

But that is not the only level it works on, and in most metas or commentary I have seen the vampiric aspects of these vampires is dismissed. Human AUs galore on Ao3, too, which changes the characters for me(!), completely.

And, imho, you cannot ignore the vampiric aspects for these vampires.

These vampires are not human.

And so their stories cannot (fully) be perceived and understood through a only/reduced human lens either.

All this to say: No, I don't think you can fully divorce the show from the social commentary, because it does make that, deliberately. But not in the depth the fandom experiences (and lives) it.

Which is most evident in the episode 5 discourse, I think, and the actual intentions there from writers and show runner.

Because what happened there, and as it was perceived... was never what they intended for it to be. But it is now.

I bet as we go forward we will see more examples of that.

Maybe the writers will make the disconnect more clear in upcoming seasons, but I actually doubt it - because the commentary itself is very much intentional.