#but at the same time their characters are so very different too

[jayrockin]

Store Update

So sadly these got here way too late for holiday shopping, but I'm pleased to announce that there's two new merch items in my online store, baby Talita keychains and Bip pins! Two very different flavors of troublemaker, now both wearable.

Additionally, while I was busy grinding out chapter 6 for Patreon I sold out of, like, most of the books in my shop? So because I can't really afford to eat all of those reprinting costs at the same time, I'm doing reprint preorders. Order any of these books right now and they will be shipped to you in February 2025:

Growth Chart

Almost Real Volume 5: MYTHOLOGY

Almost Real Volume 5: MYTHOLOGY (with poster)

Airsled Color Edition

Character AMA Trio

That's all for now!

[klarolinexluv]

Something has really stuck with me that some Anti Regulus Black person said and I want to share my thoughts on it.

Basically, they said that we, or people that like Regulus have been giving Regulus Lilys characteristics and traits and relationships instead of giving them to Lily and are using this to replace Lily.

From my pov, I can understand how that comes across. Moonwater, in canonical type universes, usually come together over their love for literature, something, that as far as I understand was how Lily and Remus used to become friends in fics.

When I think of this situation, I don’t see it as Lily being replaced, I see it as Remus having more friends then just the Marauders and Lily. I see it as Remus making friends.

In all the fics I’ve read, majority of them, Lily and Remus are always already friends! 9 times out of 10, if Remus has a POV and he is interacted with Lily or thinking about Lily, he refers to her has his best friend.

Idk who needs to hear this but Remus can have more friends than just Lily and the Marauders! In fact, EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. Can have more friends then just the friend groups that they have been assigned to from the fandom.

I personally love the idea that Regulus and Remus get close because of their shared interest in books and knowledge. In fact, I love it so much when this happens. I also love when Remus is the one to introduce (formally) Lily and Regulus. Because they have shared interests! They all have shared interests and that’s what they bond over.

If we just forget about ships for a moment - Jily/Jegulus - Regulus and Lily would and could actually be really close friends. At their cores they are very similar and have similar morals and codes.

Like my girl Lily defeated Voldemort the first time. You cannot tell me that she did not have some deep interest and understanding of Dark Magic that is really not talked about enough. I mean, she was friends with Snape for a LONG time! Even against all her Gryffindor friends and dorm mates advice and opinions. She was friends with Snape for a long time and they definitely studied dark magic together. The only reason they stopped being friends was because Snape called her a slur and began siding with people that would have gladly seen Lily and people like Lily 6 feet under.

And then Regulus! He may not have made the best choices but when it mattered the most, he chose to do the right thing and go against Voldemort. He is the first to have done so! My guy was smart. He definitely knew so much magic that he has likely forgotten more than anyone would ever even know.

Regulus and Lily are both so smart and they would have bonded over their shared intelligence, their love for knowledge and books. Remus was probably terrified the day he realised he was the reason these two evil geniuses even started talking.

Maybe instead of saying that Regulus is being given Lily’s characteristics and traits, maybe think about how this would affect the two characters when put in the same room.

I personally think that they would argue for a long time and then Lily would probably say something that gives Regulus pause and then Lily would gently press on that and then Regulus would go have a long hard think and then come back and hesitantly ask Lily questions that Lily would happily answer and then they would be tentative friends!

Regulily have so much in common but they also have a lot of differences and I don’t think enough people see that because they are too focused on ships rather than the characters themselves and their motives and actions.

I’m not shy in admitting that I fuck with romantic regulily. They are my guilty pleasure ship and I am not shy about saying that.

Regulily, platonically, romantically, it doesn’t matter. They have the biggest grounds for friendship and growth.

Regulus and Lily can teach each other so much and I honestly think it’s the biggest missed opportunity when they are pinned against each other rather than working together.

I fear I’ve gone WAY off topic.

In the context of relationships, the jily vs jegulus idea. I feel like I need to hold people hands when I say this because the two ships are very different.

WARNING! OPINIONS!

To me, Jily is a rivals to lovers relationship. I don’t think they are grumpy/sunshine purely because I don’t see Lily as the grumpy trope. I very much think that Jily are academic rivals. Where James just naturally understands everything and gets good marks whether he studied or not and Lily has to study heavily before she understands a topic enough to pass, like Lily to me has to study throughly before everything sticks and she understands the topic so much more than is really required for her coarse work.

I also don’t think Jily was James falls in love at first sight and Lily hates him for years until she gives in and goes on a date with him. Sure it’s a bit cute but i definitely prefer James developing a crush and not telling anyone other than his friends. I very much fuck with James being uncharacteristically shy about his crushes on people. I fuck with James losing his ability to talk or function around the person he fancies and it comes off as arrogance and a bit of a joke when he is actually being genuine.

I love the idea that Lily falls for him slowly, like initially, she thinks she hates him, she loathes the fact that he doesn’t need to study and he can just goof off and do whatever and still get perfect grades, I think Lily gets jealous of James and thinks she despises him because she thinks he is trying to make fun of her when all he is trying to do is talk to her and get her attention.

I love the idea that Remus is constantly trying to talk James up to Lily, “he’s really not that bad once you get to know him.” And “He’s harmless, Lils.” And things like that but Lily has NONE of it!

I think Lily starts to fall for James when they are paired together for a project that is a big mark on their finals. I think Lily goes into this thinking that she is going to hate it when actuality, James is kind and thoughtful and helps her when she struggles. He doesn’t make fun of her, he sits down quietly and gives her tips and tricks that he discovered when he studies privately, (this would be when she finds out that maybe it doesn’t all come as naturally to James as she thought) and then they end up getting the best grade in their year on the assignment but they don’t stop hanging out, they don’t stop studying together. Lily slowly falls for James because of his mind and they form a friendship and then James would ask her out one day and Lily would find herself stunned because if he had asked her a few months ago, she would have harshly declined but in the moment, she finds herself blushing and agreeing without a hint of hesitation.

And that’s how I imagine Jily.

Now, Jegulus.

Jegulus is enemies to lovers, they are grumpy/sunshine. I very much think that they did hate eachother. They did not like eachother for many reasons and they would argue and fight in the halls.

I’m very much into jegulus but I don’t think I’ve seen a fic that has written them as actually enemies to lovers in a canonical setting.

Jegulus to me is very push and pull. One step forward, two steps backwards.

I honestly think that sure, when they met at 11 and 12 when Sirius had his little brother trailing after him and introduced them to each other, they both had the moment of instant connection that they both immediately denied and dismissed and buried under hatred.

James and Regulus see each other as competition. Regulus sees James as the one that stole his brother. James sees Regulus as the brother that doesn’t deserve Sirius.

Because Sirius told James all about his little brother all through first year and James was exited to meet him for a long time until they met and instantly realised that Regulus is a two faced snake and doesn’t deserve Sirius.

Because Sirius told Regulus all about his best friend in every letter, in every stolen moment during the holidays. Regulus was exited to meet James for a long time until they met and instantly realised that James isn’t the golden ray of sunshine that Sirius claims him to be but a brother stealing asshole.

I honestly think that Jegulus is THE enemies to lovers.

I don’t think Jegulus even had a civil conversation until after Sirius ran away. And even this conversation started as an argument. I think that they only reason the argument stopped and they started genuinely talking to eachother is because Regulus’ mask broke and James saw the hidden emotions underneath that Regulus was trying to hide.

I think that James held onto prejudice for a long time. He saw all Slytherins as evil and then didn’t think about that for years until he sees Regulus crack and then James has to rethink everything he has ever thought.

That’s how I think Jegulus starts and I don’t think they ever really talk about what they are or what they are doing for a very long time, to the point (if we are talking in a canonical sense) that they break and fall apart. To the point where they end up on different sides of a war.

ANYWAY! (this is really long and if you've read this far, just know that you are my favourite person in the entire world and I adore you to the ends of the universe).

Regulus and Lily, though they share many characteristics and traits and fundamentally different people. Even in the context of the people they are shipped with, even in the context of their friendships.

I love them both so much and I think saying that Lily is being replaced by Regulus is incredibly wrong and also perhaps a little misogynistic.

They are both incredible characters, who should not be defined by their relationships.

Like I said before. In the context of war, both Lily and Regulus were the first. Regulus may have failed to complete his mission and Lily may have succeeded in killing Voldemort… but at the end of the day both of them did not do anything in the long run. Voldemort was still able to return, the horcruxes still need to be destroyed and Harry still had to finish what the people before him started, Harry still had to fight a war he had no part in starting.

[idkplzhalp]

The Admin in TF2 comic 7 was so GLaDOS and Caroline coded. Her character has made me tear up multiple times, there's such complexity to her I'm so upset.

Anyways. I think it's Caro/GLaDOS coded because of keeping up this cold facade and then being the pettiest woman on the planet. GLaDOS' cut voice lines are so petty, I posted some earlier but like the way she tries to guilt Chell and makes stuff up... oh girl. Admin put up a big fake idea of what she was doing and then turns out she's trying to keep one single guy alive for an event she cannot even remember.

Pre-australium Helen was more Caroline in my mind, mainly in her appearance, but also the section about Zepheniah dying? The frame of Admins absolute apathy for life? She lost all her purpose now that he's dead and she feels like she didn't win.

^ Her appearance in these, like okay you look just like Caroline (similarish hair & nose shape).

^ The feelings that come from the panels of Admin are so strong, you can so easily read what state she's in. Caroline coded in my heart. The way the mansion is left uncared for while Admin sits depressed in bed was just. So emotional for me?

I don't think Caroline felt that way about Cave, the hatred Admin did for Zepheniah, as it was very implied they were besties at least for awhile. Though I feel she'd hold the grief that Admin did for Zepheniah in a different way. Admin is grieving because her purpose in life was lost, she has no one to focus revenge on anymore. Caroline lost her friend and was forced into a fate she didn't want, mistreated by employees, left angry and isolated forever. She lived to be the highest assistant of Aperture, working as one for 40 years prior. So in a sense, her purpose was lost as well. We don't hear anything from the Caroline CEO era so I'd like to think she took a step back as she awaited her fate. She probably was barely keeping things together from the stress (though not to undermine how good at her job she was, I just think she'd be depressed for at least some of her CEO time). That's more headcanon territory though, and I wish there was a way we could get more confirmation on how she acted then.

Both were fated to live basically forever and forgot the reasons why they feel the way they do.. GLaDOS didn't remember Caroline/her being a human while Admin forgot how her parents died/that Zepheniah likely killed them.

They are wasting their time forever. GLaDOS is testing and evolving science for NO ONE but herself. Forever. She's alone. Implied to feel lonely in the Lego Dimensions song + her VA thinks so too. Eventually she'd run out of materials and there's no people left to either help her or torture her. Admin admits herself that her plan was a waste of time and for a moment shes sad. Both characters are so focused on their goals, they were mistreated and became separated from humanity, there was no reason for either to be rational towards who they were hating. Such a big effort for something miniscule in the end!

While Admin initially didn't want to live, she got stuck in a cycle of trying to spite this guy forever and it was for nothing, she ruined people's lives in the process (Mainly Pauling, ohhh she was so betrayed, someone SAVE HER).

And both are voiced by Ellen McLain, nicest woman on the planet. Wow.

Really gives same character different universe, doesn't it.

[dammit-tazmuir]

@grievingbovine I am always happy to gush about Paul ;w;

Also I feel like... I'm not sure if it's more "codependency isn't always bad" or "codependency is a term we've grown to use too liberally when what should actually be the defining factor isn't the behaviors involved but whether or not those are actually hurting the people involved" or something in between or adjacent to that. It also feels like there might be kinda two definitions people use interchangeably? One being the more medical term and the other a looser thing of like, deeply dependent on each other.

But semantics aside I know what you mean, and yeah.

It is, generally speaking, unhealthy to be SO dependent on a SPECIFIC person that you can't live without them. Cam and Pal post-explosion had a very unique situation, whereas for most cases in real life, it's better to at least like... need SOMEONE, a purpose, a cause, but also be capable of seeking a new one if you lose that, after time to process and grief. A Camilla whose whole life revolved around Palamedes but didn't get him back learning to live again for Nona, as a hypothetical, or Harrow who would not let herself survive alone but can live for God and for Gideon and for Alecto and for the memory of those lost to conceive her and who may find other purposes still. Ofc no one is arguing Harrow is healthy about that, but like, if you CAN'T find an internal sense of worth, a purely external one is still infinitely better and healthier than none!

It feels very silly but a straight up life-changing thing for me as someone who does the same shit was the anime Gurren Lagann throwing around the phrase, "believe in the me who believes in you." Over time it morphed into "believe in the you that I believe in", and ultimately into having genuinely self-assurance, but taking even one or two of those steps is like... YEAH? Yeah! You know? External validation can be so meaningful and powerful, and isn't antithetical to internal by any means. If you can find it in even a handful of different sources, even better. A thing I try to tell people a lot when it comes to mental health too is you don't have to Get Better to get BETTER. It's not "you're unhealthy and must be fixed" or "you're 100% healthy in all ways". Less unhealthy and more functional than you were is amazing and to be celebrated actually!!!

But at the same time?

Ya know, no, I agree, I DON'T think it's a bad thing to need to NOT be ALONE. I understand the importance of being capable of surviving alone, at least long enough to seek new connections. And living for a person or cause is always easier than dying for them ("you could have lived for her, but you didn't know how"...), especially if you're living for their memory after they're gone, but people should try to do it anyway! But to just..... want to be devoted to someone? To thrive on supporting or caring for other people???

That's not what I'd call "toxic codependency", that's humans being a social species. Hell, that's looking at stories and seeing how many supporting characters are vital to helping a hero succeed and deciding "that sounds awesome actually! Not everyone needs to be the hero, I would love to be a supporting character!" Especially when you're not losing sight of your own needs in the process.

Like... Sacrifice and martyr mentality can be horrible destructive things that do more harm than good, but sacrifice is also objectively a major way people show love. Parents doing without a little more to make sure their kids get something nice, someone doing a chore they don't like because they know their partner hates it more, etc. The difference between "my needs aren't important, I'm not important, I'll always prioritize others because I don't take care of myself in general" and "I have weighed the pros and cons and decided that I can handle this and wish to put someone else first in this situation" is not always apparent from the outside but it's an extremely important distinction. There's a difference between being needlessly reckless and hard on yourself versus making a decision to achieve an end you want even though it costs you something.

Cam trying to hide how rough carrying Pal was on her wasn't her being needlessly reckless, it was her being a stubborn bitch who knows she's tough as hell. If anything people have more grounds to criticize her going against Pal's interests and wishes by not giving him information he needed to make properly informed decisions! To think that he was in any way taking advantage of her when she'd have found a way to kick his ass if he'd tried to force her to stop is wild lmao. (Not to mention Pal literally killing himself— he was still Around but objectively dead all the same!— in the "dying for someone is the cruelest thing you could do to them" book. Like he ain't making big sacrifices fueled by his love for and trust in her too smh.)

And honestly? Yeah that does sound like the kind of thing that could save the world. Our world would be a better place with less people striving to be main characters and more people eager to support each other. More people should be saying "No you will let me help you, you son of a bitch. Don't you dare tell me it's Too Much." >:( So many people are afraid of Being A Burden but more people need to understand— from the perspective of the person with that fear and as friends wishing to help someone who has that fear— that only the person offering help can decide what is A Burden to them! It's not the other person's decision to make!

Palamades didn't have a right to tell Camilla not to push herself to keep him around when that was her choice, and anyone fearing their loved ones sacrifice too much for them don't have a right to tell them to love them less, either. Sometimes— often, really— the alternative is worse. And part of me has to wonder if some people are averse to acknowledging that because if they did, then they'd have to acknowledge that letting someone else help you can be actively beneficial to them, and constantly refusing to ask for or accept help is in turn actively depriving them of something that would help them too. <.< Too bad everyone, gotta let people love you.

Locked tomb hot takes:

Insisting that the birth of Paul is only a tragedy because of the uneven power dynamics between Palamedes and Camilla as Necro and Cav invalidates Camillas autonomy and undermines her as a character capable of making her own decisions. It also undermines Palamedes constantly checking for consent. He understands more than most that there is an uneven power dynamic and actively works to respect her autonomy as much as he can while also respecting their bond/positions as necro and cav.

In a world where those who identify as men have no natural power over those who identify as women or neither, we can not apply the same cisheteronormative expectations of male behavior to male characters.

Camilla made every. Single. Choice. Willingly. She had reasons for it, and Palamedes respected that more than readers seem to. We get plenty of examples.

"What would you do if you discovered Camilla was a murderer?”

“Help her bury the body,” said Palamedes promptly.

“Sextus.”

“I mean it. If Camilla wants someone dead,” he said, “then far be it from me to stand in her way. All I can do at that point is watch the bloodshed and look for a mop. One flesh, one end, and all that.”

GtN chapter 30

NtN chapter 17

The relationship between these two may be codependent, but it's predicated on trust and consent. The whole way through. This is the life Cam wants to live. Becoming Paul was what *she wanted*.

I find it strange that some people think they know what's best for her more than she does, just because she's a cavalier.

[heliomanteia]

Kind of adding on to my previous analysis bit about Davrin's arc, but I'm gonna say I'm concerned about media literacy within the DA fandom if Davrin's arc was hard to comprehend for people.

A little rant-like so I'm putting this under the cut:

VG has a strong and consistent narration that is mirrored or reflected within each companion's quest line: it's all about the bigger picture of personal choices and regrets and change and the inevitability of alteration and the need to live with the consequences — it is also somewhat about mortality and carpe diem. Pretty much every companion's line has something to do with death, coping, trauma, fear, and a big and important personal choice that would alter them as a person — it's always a "neither is better" choice and it calls upon your personal judgement to be made. There's room for criticizing the necessity of the black-and-white nature of some choices (i.e. Taash's culture question, for example) but overall they all have a consistent and equally important narrative line.

Claims that Davrin's arc is about Assan are actually hilarious. I assume people saying that have never in their life encountered a story where the main character had an animal companion, or just less sentient companion, that reflected their personality or some of their inner conflict. You know, the staple Disney/fantasy trope. This is an incredibly common narrative tool, it's bizarre to me that people saw that Assan has a lot of screen time and immediately assumed it's no longer about Davrin just because of that. I guess I could say it's not particularly shocking to me that DA fandom of all places had an issue of keeping their focus on a Black man's story. Moving on.

As for the claims that Davrin's arc is about Isseya, I'm a little shocked that was even a talking point. Because just as "animal companion reflecting the character's struggle" is a narrative tool that's up there among the ten most frequently used in media, "antagonist that reflects the main character's pathway in an inverted, perverted manner" is just as frequently applied. In fact, it's concerning that people missed Davrin vs. Isseya mirroring in the game based around the concept of recognition through the other and mirrors of self (Solas vs. Rook). I think it's safe to say that if someone did not catch anything about Davrin's arc and how it's entirely about him, I don't trust their general opinion on DATV overall. Because they're fucking stupid/didn't pay attention.

I don't think it's any surprise that at certain points VG gets a little too exposition-heavy, because apparently just giving people a good storyline with consistent and repetitive narrative that breaches the same narrative points but reflects it differently depending on the character it's about is not enough? Some people will be given the most direct mirror narration there could be without spoon-feeding it and they will still miss the whole fucking point? I'm not shocked that a large bit of "criticism" on VG writing/narrative/what was kept and what was omitted from being mentioned has been genuinely shit. And has consistently offered "fixtures" that would just make the stable narrative of VG a mess without a main theme.

Anyways, Davrin's storyline is very directly about him in every aspect mentioned; every person within his story reflects back on him and fleshes him out.

[enbyfvcker]

["Merry Christmas, Honey Badger!"]

𝙒𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙭 𝙇𝙤𝙜𝙖𝙣 (𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩!𝙬𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚)

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩: 0.6k

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮/𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩: Wade sets a Christmas Party.

𝙏𝙖𝙜𝙨: Fluff, comfort, just them being all cute and domestic and Logan not being used to affection.

Wade always made a point to decorate the apartment on holidays and celebrate them properly. He didn't had that on his fucked up childhood, so it's important to him. Althea told Logan that, so he was playing along even though he didn't really care about those things. He cares about Wade.

Wade gave him really cheesy matching Christmas sweaters with their faces on them, and he hated them. But he wore it anyway. Logan wearing the one with a little Deadpool and Wade wearing one with a little Wolverine.

It was stupid, but it made Wade happy. Logan liked him smiling, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"We look so cute, peanut! Don't you think, Al? Oh, right, you can't see."

"Fuck off, jerk." The old lady spat.

"Well, I wish you could smell how adorable we look right now."

Logan grinned and shook his head. He was doing this more often, he realized. Smiling.

Mary Puppins walks in with her tongue out and Wade quickly scoops her up, the dog licking his face excitedly.

"Come to daddy, baby!"

"Oh, god. You got one for the dog, too?" Logan scowl when he sees dogpool wearing a little Christmas sweater just like them.

"Of course I did! She's our daughter!" The merc replies, holding Mary Puppins up as she wiggles. "Aren't you the cuttest little thing? Yes, you are!"

...

Wade invited the whole gang over: Laura, Yukio, Ellie, Peter... other side characters who didn't have any lines... And he may have cooked a feast - wearing his little "Kiss the cook" apron - and got gifts for everyone. He's cheesy like that. He's got a family now, and he doesn't take them for granted.

It was opening gifts time, and everyone was exchanging presents and there were a lot of "thank you's" and hugs.

It was still all foreign to Logan. He lived the past years all alone, and holidays like this used to be all the same to regular days where he would just drown himself in bottles of whiskey and be miserable.

But this family was nice. He felt like if Wade did, then he could belong, too.

Maybe he wasn't the Wolverine he should be, but Laura still seemed to like him and wanted to bond with him despite how fucked up he is. Wade adored him, and his friends were all kind to him.

Maybe he didn't have to be miserable forever. Maybe he could put his past behind and make a future in this new universe.

"For you." Wade announced, holding out a small wrapped box in front of Logan who was sitting on the couch. "Open."

Logan took the box and Wade sits beside him, tapping his fingers excitedly on his knees.

He unwraps it and when he opens it he sees dog tags that looked very alike the ones he had. He lost them in his universe while he was black out drunk.

But as he grabbed to examine them, he noticed this one's different.

On one side, it read: 𝙇𝙤𝙜𝙖𝙣, and when he turned it around, it read:

"𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙒𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚"

He could feel his heart aching as he grabbed the tags tight.

"Did you make this?"

"Yeah! I didn't really know what to get you, so I- Oh my god- Are you crying?!"

"No." Logan lied, fighting back an insistent tear.

"Oh god, I can't believe I made Wolverine cry!"

"Shut up."

"Come here, honey badger." Wade coos, hugging Logan in a soft embrace.

Logan doesn't hug back, but he also doesn't pull away. He wouldn't admit, but he needed it a bit. So he just sniffed as he let Wade hold him.

And he may hide it under his shirts, but after that, he never took the tags off. Rubbing them affectionately like he used to do with his old ones. Except these were so more meaningful.

[End.]

Hope you liked it! I wanted to make a cute poolverine holiday fic, so he ya go! Them being all cute and domestic it's so important to me.

[mosneakers]

My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 24 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 2024🎉

Thank you to the absolute legend @kari-sims for tagging me, your whole post was a magical treat ♥

-> tagging @ravingsockmonkey @lilamausmaus @beebeesiims @bananzerssims @echoweaver @simgnomeful @cinamun @salemssimblr @nova-kim @myopiccc @surely-sims @pixelsinmyveins @pixelshary and anyone else seeing this, don't let the the confines of tags stop you from joining in on the fun ^.^

obvs no pressure to participate, just for fun <33

January

From this chapter from Many Moons Ago- Erik and Agnes Darling 🥺

February

Oh god, it has to be this one. You know the one. My heart sinks seeing it. 😭

March

I really love all the shots from this post— Erwin's close call. I'm very proud of how they turned out, despite how his fate turned out 😥

April

This is when we were introduced to Mackenzie and his very short and very... brutal arc, but it was fun while it lasted. I also loved building a vampiric office lol

May-July

VOID August

Ahhh, the Salient Recollection documentary. By this point I had finally gotten access to a working computer and my creative juices could no longer be contained. It was time for the season 10 finale, and we were going out with a baaaang 😫 This post introduces two new characters interviewing Tycho as he reveals his alien identity in the documentary. September

Hopefully this isn't too much of a spoiler right? Lol hoping everyone is all caught up at this point 😄 But seriously this entire scene was so much work. Working with Coraleye's dress and hair alone, plus trying to capture movement during action shots like this? took hours to edit— plus multiple different versions of the same shot all merged together to get what we see here. It was really important that I captured the fear and desperation and also drama! of the moment though

Also another favorite of mine personally, is this one from this post! By this point I had made probably a million individual glove/suit wrinkles, tears, and hair strands in these edits alone and I think this edit reflects that lol— I also love the lighting and the eeriness of the glow from the TV static behind them, and the desperation and frustration they're both feeling, definitely one of my favorites probably of the year.

October

Oh geez lol October is always a big year for me creatively, so expect a bit more than just one :p

This whole post was so hearbreaking to make for me. Coraleye and Tycho (while incredibly toxic and problematic at times) were my favorite couple I've ever written, and breaking them up was so incredibly painful 😢 I loved how all these shots came out and I'm super proud of them. Take note of how Tatiana's winning the election was foreshadowed in that last shot 👀

Somewhat separately (although stay tuned for season 11, js 👀) from the main story, there's no denying this gifset was undoubtedly my most popular post. I've been in a liminal spaces kick for months now and needed to bring that to my safe space, and let's be honest, the most liminal space of all- the sims!

November

In the finale of season 10, the very last post- Coraleye recounts her mental breakdown. The flashback of cutting her hair at her bathroom sink, tear stained cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and then lying on the ground mourning her friend in front of the house the whole group used to room together at in Britechester—I felt—was pretty powerful. Then the juxtaposition of her months later, seemingly bounced back to her regular flirtatious self while interacting this filmmaker, clearly having him wrapped around her finger, I found quite eerie but also just compelling. Another very proud moment for me. I genuinely just love writing and exploring this character.

December

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A render I made to show off some cc- but for those who get it, get it.

[distractedvoid]

remember those sonamy for sonic 4 ideas? here they are i couldnt wait

So, now that Amy is definitely confirmed, based on the after credits scene in Sonic 3, I have some silly thoughts about how Sonic and Amy's relationship could unfold in Sonic 4.

So, first, I think their general dynamic would definitely change. In pretty much every other form of Sonic media, while it has changed a bit recently, Amy is shown as constantly chasing after Sonic despite him avoiding most of her advances anyway.

Now, movie Sonic is definitely not as mature as the Sonics in other medias. A huge part of his continuous character arc is that he's still a kid, a kid that doesn't really know what he's doing.

And here, we have Amy, which, from the very small amount of her character that we've seen, at least seems like less of a damsel in distress. (It reminds me of how they changed Princess Peach's character in the Mario Movie.) In contrast to the story of Sonic CD, we see Amy saving Sonic from the many copies of Metal Sonic.

Now how exactly does this make their dynamic different? Well, if you take an immature Sonic, and put him in the same room as an Amy that needs less saving than the usual, the firsthand difference is undeniable. Thus why I think their dynamic would be reversed in a way, at least, that's what I want to happen.

I have a feeling Sonic would be "chasing" after Amy, but more so in the way that he's constantly trying to impress her. He'd probably get into some unsavory situations due to his most likely failed attempts at this, prompting Amy to have to make sure he doesn't keep doing stupid things.

Amy herself wouldn't understand why Sonic kept getting himself into trouble like that, much less that he did it for her, until she sought out some third-party information.

Speaking of (I never really mentioned anything related but just go with it), I haven't talked much about Amy's own feelings yet.

So we know about a possible tiny fraction of her character, and while that's not a lot to go off of, I don't see any harm in forming early ideas based off it.

When Amy, presumably, met Sonic by saving him from the Metal Sonic copies, I don't think she would really think too much of him at first. As soon as he actually started talking, though, she'd find interest- I wouldn't wanna take away the part of her that probably falls in love way too easily.

Unlike the usual Amy we're probably all used to, she wouldn't show her feelings that much. She'd have the occasional giggle at Sonic's attempts at impressing her, even if she didn't know that was why he did it. For all she knows, that's just what he's usually like! Until she inquires with Tails- she learns that she's somewhat special to the blue blur.

I might just be projecting, with the weird way my own feelings work, but I think Amy's little crush on Sonic would skyrocket at that information. Sonic, the guy she only really had a small crush on, was trying that hard to win her over? Admittedly, that was pretty cute in her eyes.

After that Amy would definitely be more forward with Sonic, causing the latter to be a little confused and wonder if a certain two-tailed fox said anything...Guess you can't even trust your best friend with secret crushes anymore, sigh.

If they ended up together, if we were to ever get so lucky, I don't think either would really change how they act around each other, other than holding hands occasionally and maybe a few kisses here and there. Sonic is still adventure focused, though how much he likes Amy is sometimes painfully obvious. He'd gain a little confidence boost if they became official, but overall, if they went on any dates, they'd be dates to kick Eggman's ass for the thousandth time.

That's all I have for now, I'm gonna let the brain worms rest LOL. Thanks to anyone who actually went and read my yapping session

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Elrond’s Arrival at Eregion in 2x07

This is a not so minor detail from the “Elrond = Sauron in the tent scene in 2x07” theory that has not been properly addressed, yet: was Elrond and the Elven army truly charging at Adar in 2x07? And if it was Sauron in the tent with Adar, what was the real Elrond doing?

Me and @rey-jake-therapist have been brainstorming possibilities and have came up with one conclusion that seems to be most logical and more in line with the foreshadowing and build-up present in the show.

In 2x07, we see the Elven army arriving at Eregion, led by Elrond. Then, Elrond orders the army to begin charging, with Gil-galad silent approval.

Next, we see the Elven army charging at Adar and the Orc army. Or so we assume, because that’s what the show wants us, the audience, to believe.

But what’s the problem exactly?

A legion of Orcs was already attacking Eregion’s walls, and near to succeeding in tearing down the wall and infiltrating the city, like Celebrimbor tells the audience: “This is the thinnest part of the wall. We have to brace the foundations! Quickly, now!”

The problem is: why is Elrond and the Elven army charging at Adar? Why are they not charging at the walls where the battle is already happening? Adar is miles away from the walls of Eregion; he and the remaining Orc army are in the middle of the field.

The edit of the scene itself makes it seem as if Adar and the Orcs “block” Elrond and the Elven army path into Eregion. But do they, really?

1) The Elven Army Arrives At Eregion

What is happening before the Elven army arrives?

Celebrimbor and Sauron are at the walls, and the soldiers are about to take Celebrimbor back to the forge tower, because Sauron wants him to finish the Nine rings of power. Once the Elven battle horn rings, all characters look in the same direction:

These characters see the Elven army arriving, and the Elven army is facing them, too. That’s the direction they are taking, as established by the camera work.

Is the Elven army really charging in Adar's direction, though?

The Elven army appears to be closer to Eregion walls than Adar himself. He and other Orc legion seem to be in a entirely different location on the walls, because we don’t see these towers behind Celebrimbor and Sauron, like we see with Adar (and the show established that Sauron and Celebrimbor see the Elven army arriving).

What could be the explanation for this?

Our proposal: it’s not the actual Elven army arriving in front of Adar, because the real army is charging at the walls of Eregion. This would mean, the real Elrond never saw Adar nor Galadriel in a cage (but more on that later).

This is Eregion: it’s completely possible for the Elven army to be arriving from an entirely different direction, and for its arrival not to be seen by Adar and the remaining Orc legions, because they have the entire wall under siege.

And as we see here, there’s two bridges into the city, in opposite directions. The Elven army doesn’t know the Orcs have dried out the river, so they will follow the path into one of these bridges.

And due to editing, we, the audience, are also assuming these events (the Elven army charging and Adar flaunting Galadriel) are happening at the same time. But are they really?

2) Why does Elrond stops charging?

And why does he appears so worried? What is he looking at? And more importantly: why is he looking up instead of down at Adar? Adar is on the ground, Elrond is on horse back. And Adar just addressed him before this: “welcome, commander Elrond”. Why is Elrond looking up?

And now we need to look at the foreshadowing put in place by the show:

Eärendil’s Prophecy

This prophecy has been mentioned twice in “Rings of Power”, and, coincidentally, in the fourth episode of each season:

For a moment, standing there, you were the very image of your father […] Do you know, I remember once, he said to me, one day, my future would be in his son's hands. He said it quite casually, as if one might speak of tomorrow's rain. And I've... I've... I'd forgotten that until... Till this moment. Isn't that odd? Celebrimbor to Elrond, 1x04

My father foresaw that, one day, Celebrimbor’s life would be in my hands. I will choose the path I must to give me the best hope of protecting it. Elrond to Galadriel, 2x04

This prophecy weights down on Elrond’s character and is also his main motivation in his desire to protect Eregion: he’s fiercely determined in saving Celebrimbor. And so much so, he even talks on Galadriel’s behalf with Gil-galad in 2x02 for her to join his company, despite them being in bad terms at the time.

Gil-galad: You have new orders, Commander. You depart for Eregion at first light, with five of our bravest Elves. Galadriel: I… Thank you for reconsidering. Gil-galad: It is not I, you ought to thank. Galadriel: Elrond. I am very grateful you have decided to join my company. Gil-galad: I’m afraid you misunderstand, Galadriel. Elrond’s task is not to join your company. But to lead it. 2x02

Indeed, “Rings of Power” has established that saving Celebrimbor is Elrond’s main priority in Season 2.

And Galadriel reveals his intentions to Adar in 2x06: “As we speak, Elrond hastens from Lindon with an army of Elves. And Nenya, my Ring. Once he arrives, he will seal off the city, loose Celebrimbor from Sauron’s grasp, and then together, Uruk, you and I will eradicate all trace of Sauron from this world. Never to return […] Any Rings that have known his touch must be destroyed.”

In short, what was the story of Season 2 building up to concerning Elrond’s character?

He takes his father’s prophecy to heart: one day, Celebrimbor’s life will be on his hands;

His main priority is to save Celebrimbor and Eregion;

He’s determined to defeat Sauron above all else (as he says to Galadriel in 2x04);

His plan is to go straight to Eregion and enter the city to break Celebrimbor from Sauron’s influence.

However 2x07 decided to ignore all of this and have him acknowledging Galadriel instead of Celebrimbor? And saving her not once, but twice; because it’s (the real) Elrond who saves her life in 2x08 using Nenya. We have evidence that might not be case.

The show put a lot of emphasis on Elrond’s determination and will to save Celebrimbor, but we weren’t given any interaction whatsoever between these two characters in 2x07.

We propose: Elrond looks worried and stops charging because he sees Celebrimbor at the walls, looking badly wounded and a prisoner to the soldiers that are meant to serve him. Sauron has also pretty much took the city for himself, at this point, too.

This would make sense with all the foreshadowing of Season 2, and would also explain why Elrond is looking up (at the walls) instead of down (to Adar).

It would also add more emotional tension to Elrond’s character throughout the episode, because he witnessed first-hand what he is up against. It would give his “Durin will come” moment more emotional weight; because, in that moment, he thinks he has failed both Celebrimbor and his father prophecy, and is trying to hold on to any bit of hope.

This would also be a reference to Tolkien legendarium. In “Unfinished Tales”, Sauron uses Celebrimbor’s body as a banner while he faces Elrond’s host, during the battle of Eregion.

In “Rings of Power”, we had the banner in 2x08, however it was left on the forge. And it wasn’t used to demoralize Elrond while he was trying to defeat the Orc legions, either. Having Elrond seeing Celebrimbor at the walls with Sauron next to him, would, indeed, align with this version of the lore.

No, Uruk! No! That is the full record of Celebrimbor’s works. The wisdom of all who ever dwelt in this place. Its value is beyond jewels or even blood. Take our lives. But leave it be, I beg you. Elrond pleas with the Orcs not to burn Eregion records, 2x08

Why does the army stop charging? We can’t come up with a conclusion for this. If Elrond, indeed, does see Celebrimbor with Sauron at the walls, did they interact? Or only exchanged stares?

Either way, the battle begins afterwards. And this also makes sense with what we see of (the true) Elrond after the tent scene: the battle is already on, and the two armies are already fighting. In this scene in particular we don’t see Elrond arriving. He’s going through the woods on horseback, and urges his soldiers to “protect the city” and “go to the walls” but we don’t actually see him arriving. We, the audience, assume he is because of we are influenced by the previous footage.

In conclusion; the real Elrond and Elven army were charging at the walls of Eregion, saw Celebrimbor and Sauron, and the battle begins.

What was the real Elrond doing instead of being in Adar’s tent? He was already fighting the Orc army. And that would explain why the battle was already on when the “tent scene” is over, and the armies didn’t wait for their commanders to finish whatever hypothetical negotiations they were making in that tent.

3) What about the army that arrives in front of Adar and Galadriel?

Enter Sauron the cunning and powerful sorcerer, who has already slithered inside of Adar and Galadriel’s minds. And the Orcs, well, he pretty much created them, so he probably can enter their minds at will.

This particular shot has always strike me as odd, ever since I first watched this episode. The way it’s filmed, it’s very weird. It’s almost as if it’s strange on purpose, for the audience to recognize something is not quite right here.

Anyway, let’s recall Gil-galad advice to Galadriel, in 2x02: “You cannot face Sauron again. It is said that once the Deceiver obtains a being’s trust, he gains the ability to sculpt their very thoughts. To deceive not only their heart and mind, but their eyes and ears. To alter their very reality. You have already been affected once.”

We saw Sauron doing this with Galadriel in Season 1 finale; which explains why Gil-galad is saying she has already experienced it. But he’s talking about the future here, and after he talks about the visions his ring, Vilya, has given him: “I have seen mountains crumbling. Waters running dry. And clouds. Black. Gathering over white towers.” (Battle for Eregion)

We saw this with Celebrimbor, when Sauron creates an entire illusion in 2x06 to conceal the siege from him, and to make him finish the Nine. Sauron altered Celebrimbor entire reality: he saw Eregion at peace and sunny skies, while the Orc army was already attacking the city.

However, this warning from Gil-galad didn’t pay off with Galadriel in Season 2… or did it?

Sauron had previous trust with both Adar and Galadriel, so he’s completely capable of shaping their reality to his will. Like he did with Celebrimbor, he can make them see whatever he wants them to see. Even an entire army in front of them. Which isn’t a big deal when we think about how Sauron managed to pull a 180 degrees on how Celebrimbor experienced reality in 2x06 and at the beginning of 2x07.

Galadriel: And I promise you, there will be more painful sacrifices […] Promise me, Elrond, you will put opposing Sauron above all other considerations. Even my life. Elrond: I will make no promise whose asking is borne of that Ring. But I swear to you… defeating Sauron will come first. Even before you. 2x04

Is this foreshadowing for Elrond choosing not to save Galadriel over defeating Sauron? Not exactly, because “Rings of Power” would never do that to Elrond’s character; he would never ignore her in a cage. It can be foreshadowing, however, that Elrond won’t be the character that comes to save Galadriel.

Nevertheless, rescuing Galadriel is not really Sauron’s goal here. As I’ve talked about in this post, Sauron main purpose is to make sure his masterplan doesn’t get wrecked by Elrond and Adar hypothetically teaming up against him; which is what Galadriel proposes to Adar in 2x06. And Sauron has no guarantee that wouldn’t happen unless he’s the “Elrond in the tent”.

In conclusion: the Elven army and the Elrond, Adar and Galadriel saw was an illusion created by Sauron. And he’s the one in the tent, and leaving it, too; when Adar orders the Orcs to follow him (R.I.P. Orcs, they were never seen again after this).

We can’t forget that both Galadriel and Adar’s character arcs in Season 2 revolved around finding and destroying Sauron. And even considered a temporary alliance in 2x06 and 2x08.

Sauron being in the tent with them both makes far more sense with the story of Season 2 than Elrond’s character (that’s connected with Celebrimbor and his fate).

Conclusion

This would be another case of the show deceiving its audience with a massive red herring; in this case, it would be the editing of the scene that would be misleading.

“Rings of Power” pulled this off in Season 1, with “The Stranger” character, by giving him several red herrings to make the audience believe he was Sauron: they not only had his “landing site” look like “eye of Sauron”, but characters addressing him as such at the finale, before the real Sauron was revealed. Also: the whole "Halbrand is the lost heir to throne of the Southlands" plot.

Now, let’s imagine, if this theory is true and was to be revealed to the audience, how would this happen?

If “Rings of Power” hypothetically reveals it was Sauron, and not Elrond in the tent scene with Adar in 2x07, in Season 3, they have to address what the real Elrond was doing, and at what he was truly charging at. Otherwise we would be looking at a major plot hole.

Elrond whereabouts at Eregion can be easily revealed if Season 3 prologue is about him. And like Season 2 Sauron-centered prologue ended with his point of view of meeting Galadriel in the raft; the Elrond prologue would end with him arriving at Eregion.

[rrezshifts]

theodorian, the son set to inherit a multi-million dollar wine company, made headlines for bringing a date to a grecian celebration. it’s not common for the son of one of the richest men in athens to bring dates to these types of events. when he had though, it was his friends and clearly stated as such. most of the man’s quote-on-quote relationships, never made it past the bedroom according to gossip articles.

the last the public had heard of these relationships was through gossip that the man had found a new paramour, a different person than who theo is seen with now. however, the greek was said to have been seen leaving parties alone less than a week after that gossip came out. more weeks went by as social media pages were dry with any gossip on theo and who he may or may not be with.

now, not too long after the celebration, theo has come out as in a relationship with the date he brought that night. that date has no reports of being a long past partner of the man either. theo and this man have graciously agreed to do an interview on their relationship with me, in hopes of satiating the fans need for gossip and information.

< interviewer > hi! it’s great to meet the both of you!

< theo > you too!

<???> great to meet you too!

< interviewer > let’s start with what everyone wants to know, who are you?

<???> my name is chrysanthos of athens, you can just call me chrys though.

< interviewer > do we get any other information on who you are?

< chrys > um… go ahead.

< theo > he is an actor! and a damn good one. he’s so incredibly talented! he’s a kind man, caring, and determined. he’s also very honest and he’s a hard worker!

< interviewer > is that so?

< chrys > he’s better at describing me then i am. i gave him permission to answer those kind of questions before hand.

< interviewer > to start, theo is a well known name in greece, but especially in athens. did you know about him before you met?

< chrys > not much… i would see newspapers with his face on it and a headline talking about his love life. i had assumptions, but i didn’t think of those assumptions too much. i was more focused on my career, and i was never one for gossip.

< interviewer > did those assumptions affect your first time meeting him?

< chrys > *chuckles* very much so. i met him at his family’s party, i’m rarely invited to parties, especially ones this lavish and big. and i had caught him staring at me numerous times throughout the first couple hours of this party. i had assumed he wanted to sleep with me. so when he approached me, i was expecting confidence and boldness. but instead i was met with awkwardness and stammering. he shook my hand, introduced himself, and when i introduced myself back he said, and i quote “i know.” i raised an eyebrow at him and he rambled out an explanation before making up an excuse to run away. i was shocked to say the least.

< interviewer > do i get an explanation on how you knew chrys’ name?

< theo > why not! a week prior to this party, i had gone to see a play at Dionysus’ theatre as i do regularly as a devotional act for Dionysus. it was a play i’d seen many times before. and every time the same actor played the main character. that night however, chrys had taken his place. i was entranced by him and his talent and the way he performed on stage. i had grown a crush in those first 5 minutes he was on stage that continued until the end of the show. i ended up looking in the plays program to find the slip of paper that explained the veteran actors replacement and what his replacements name was.

< chrys > he had looked me up on social media too.

< theo > no stop! that sounds creepy *covers his face with hands*

< chrys > *chuckles* and i later found out he was the reason i was included in the theatre troupes invite to his family’s party that night.

< theo > me staring at him for two hours straight was me just trying to work up the courage to talk to him.

< interviewer > from the stories the public has heard about you, some would say that’s very unlike you.

< theo > it is! he just made me very nervous. because this time i cared if i fucked it up… shoot! can i swear?

< interviewer > *nods* yes you can theo

< theo > oh okay good! he was one i couldn’t risk fucking shit up with in any way. and it felt like i did! i was terrified! i just ran away convinced i ruined everything!

< interviewer > so how did that first meeting turn into where you are now? or another way to put it, how did you find out you didn’t ruin everything, theo?

< theo > after about 15 minutes of me panicking and anxiously rambling to my best friend, i had felt a tap on my shoulder. when i turned around it was chrys. he wanted to know if we could continue talking somewhere. i looked to my friend and she just motioned for me to go. i told him yes, and he asked if there was somewhere more quiet so i took him to the balcony, which is usually locked during our parties.

< interviewer > chrys, were there any plans going into asking theo if there was somewhere more quiet? sounds very risqué.

< chrys > oh my god, no! it was just really loud and i think i was starting to hear moaning, and i’d never been to a party like that before, so it was more of just a chance to escape.

< interviewer > theo did you think he was trying to get you into bed with him?

< theo > honestly i don’t know what i was thinking other than panicking, trying to focus on my breathing and be as calm as possible. but i believed him when he told me he had no plans to try and seduce me.

< interviewer > so what did you guys talk about on that balcony?

< chrys > i asked him about himself, he asked me about myself. we talked about our family and our childhood. we talked for what felt like hours, but the party still had not died down. half way through someone brought us wine, i barely noticed, didn’t ask. but we both drank away. he asked me about my dreams, offered to talk to people and pull some strings to get me a better leg up but i refused. told him why-

< theo > and i fell for him ever harder because of it.

< chrys > *chuckles* yes, he tells me all the time how much he adores my ambition, and my need to succeed on my own.

< interviewer > and how did the night end for you two?

< chrys > it barely did if we’re being honest.

< theo > *awkwardly laughs* well as you can expect after numerous glasses of wine, and mutual interest, flirting began between us. nothing raunchy more so just…

< chrys > romantic. i would say at least!

< theo > yes very romantic. we would compliment each others appearance in soft ways, compliment each others personality even… then he escalated the flirting to more than just romantic, and next thing i knew i was grabbing his hand and leading him around the corner of our wrap around patio, down the stairs that led to the second floor wrap around patio, and brought him straight into my room.

< interviewer > so you two slept together that night?

< chrys > yes… to be fair though, he did tell me we didn’t have to, that we could just talk in his room. though, fun fact, when i asked if he took all his hook-ups to his room this way, i also found out that his hook-ups think they’ve seen his room, but in reality only see a guest room on the fourth floor.

< interviewer > oh wow! so chrys was important to you, huh theo?

< theo > very much so! he spent the night, ate breakfast (or more so brunch) with my family, and stayed a little into the day until i finally let him leave muahaha !! though i was scared he wouldn’t want to see me again. i brought up seeing him again at breakfast, and he told me, “i was hoping i meant more to you than just one night given that i’m sat in your sleepwear eating omelettes with you at 12pm.”

< interviewer > so i assume you two saw each other again due to our current setting *laughs*

< chrys > *laughs* yes, we saw each other again.

< interviewer > how did you two view your relationship prior to the red carpet event where you, theo, took chrys as your date?

< theo > from the beginning i viewed him as so much more than what any of my past encounters have been. the goal was never just sex with him. i just wanted him in my life, no matter if it was just friends or if it was more. when things evolved, i don’t think there was a label that could be assigned to it. but i basically viewed him as my almost boyfriend, i mean if he asked me to be his boyfriend any time after we woke up the night after, i would have said yes… which some say would’ve been dumb. *laughs*

< interviewer > and you chrys?

< chrys > at the beginning, i was worried i was just one of his conquests. i knew his hook-ups were never just one night for him, and i thought that was my fate. i viewed it this way until, not long after, he asked me to hang out. not have sex, but hang out. then i thought… maybe he wants friends with benefits? which then got quieted down as theo began singing my praises in the most romantic ways, as well as when i began noticing how he looked at me in the most heart wrenching ways. and these actions were consistent, he told me he was seeing no one else, and that he didn’t plan on it either. it was just me. and soon i saw it the same way he did… we were almost boyfriends! until he asked me out the same day he asked me to be his date to the event.

< interviewer > so what was the timeline of you two first meeting and then becoming boyfriends?

< chrys > i would say… theo saw me preform. a week later we met. three to four weeks later he asked me out.

< interviewer > that’s so short! i can’t imagine how sure you two have to be with that timeline! it’s very cute. are you worried about what people may say when they see that timeline?

< theo > personally i am not because i’ve lived through this kind of attention and constant scrutiny from the public my whole life. but i understand chrys has not had that kind of attention and i know he’s worried. which makes me worried for him. i wish i could make that shit not affect him, but that’s not how it works, so i’ll be there for him when it does.

< chrys > there’s so much i know i have to be ready for, and i know it’ll suck. but it’s worth it to be with theo, truly. as long as we’re happy, i don’t care.

< interviewer > that’s very sweet, i wish the best for both of you! thank you so much for speaking with me!

< theo > thank you so much, it was a pleasure.

< chrys > yes, thank you.

genuinely thank you if you read all or any of this !! i’m also genuinely so proud of this even if it’s a bit ass. so thank you if you gave it even a little of attention 💕🫶

[latibulater]

i love think tank honestly i think he would have been better than a one-episode arch like his design? first of all is so fun. love his hover chair! love having another huge-head character (i wonder if billy knows of him at all). he such an emotive guy

he seems to really love teaching his non-interested students, and it's honestly very sweet imo how he reaches out to dean and suggests he avoid the tower during the time of his father's arch, and i mean you could interpret it as him saving his own reputation, but i think it's because he doesn't wish for dean to be harmed. and its funny and genuine to me the way he says to dean the essay is shit but he is one of the best students of the semester. ik when i went from home school to real school i struggled hard at first with writing papers, so i wonder if dean is the same like he's enjoying the class and is kind of grasping the concepts but he is plagiarizing by accident and has lots of run-on sentences (like this one). but it's sweet that nidaba still calls dean "one of the brightest" (even if you interpret this to be buttering up which i do not)

and he seems to be a moriarty without a sherlock from this little scene where he deducts dean's home life from different clues. i like that he says "i interpret the data" because that's much less wishy-washy then bbc sherlock. he's so handsome here genuinely

and his nietzsche quote "all great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity." honestly is so relavent to the show and the way he is so exasperated no one knew that. professor dr. nidaba, i swear you just need a tumblr girlie in your class.

the tank just goes up? the wall?

imminent doom detected

i love how he gestures with the tank...nozzle(?) like the machine is really an adapted living device. and literally he has this awesome killer entrance to set up some chess like he literally just wants a nice game night

i feel so bad for him look

sweetheart 😭 his whole plan for the evening just got blown up like that wall. i feel so bad for him his little "who are you calling" like he's gotten in trouble 😭😭😭

but brock will play!!!! he's so excited now

and he can create a force field??? thats literally so cool. this scene with brocks arm is so funny like brock is acting a little unhinged but think tank is literally so bewildered

and who else got flirty undertones from this

and this was such a great scene him getting shot out the window while rusty's getting scammed by watch&ward. and then when warriana called think tank a "pompous son of a gorgon" a) love the insult b) their previous fights mustve been so funny think tank would use a lot of greek myth references and warriana would be like SHUT UPPPP *kicks him across the street*

look brock had so much fun with this fight and nidaba, while annoyed by warriana busting in, i think enjoyed it too! also i like this pic of him with just the undersuit.

i feel so bad for him he literally got his night fucked up by rusty's annoying silly ass and then got beat up by someone not even supposed to be there and now he's just trying to hail a cab bc his tank got trashed and then he gets WRECKED by a VAN. and what's this? stars n garters literally singing at nidaba's bedside?????

i loved this scene so much its so silly and off-beat, i love knowing that think tank's colleague/arch-rival cares enough about him to lug a guitar down to the hospital while nidaba's unconscious. WHY COULDNT WE HAVE HAD THINK TANK IN COMA TOWN?!

anyways thats about it :^) i just think it's a shame hammer&publick didn't develop or bring back think tank he's such a great and underrated character. also he doesn't even have a first name like wtf!!! i'm naming him dr. nathan (not nate!) nidaba

[theflyingpimphat]

Very late reblog, I know, but that is a type of story I'm very much interested in, to the point of having started to write one myself because regular book outlets rarely deliver. Generally, vintage sci-fi is often better on that front, as it tends to be way more creative with its settings. Accordingly, most of my suggestions will be older stories. I'd be glad to see more recent suggestions, too, though.

As for the suggestions:

Humanx Commonwealth, and Pip and Flinx novels, by Alan Dean Foster

Both series take place in the same setting, the former being more or less standalone novels, the latter following a young man with empathic abilities and his winged snake pet on a meandering road to fulfil his destiny to save the galaxy from an unknown "evil" approaching it. These novels feature the best ecosystems I've seen in sci-fi books so far and there's great attention to detail in regards to that. Usually, there's one planet per book, which allows for a more in-depth exploration of the places visited. The sapient species present across the books are not overly interesting from a design standpoint (ant-mantises and lizardmen), but they are fairly interesting from a more cultural standpoint, and it's great that the ant-mantises are allies of the humans rather than being in the cliche role of Evil Bug Aliens. Sometimes, the aliens are also the POV characters. There are also way more interesting sophonts with one-time appearances, fitting into their worlds' ecosystems.

Wellworld series, by Jack L. Chalker

While it's not a space opera due to the majority of the stories taking place on an artificial planet, its makeup also allows for a high density of different species and environments in close proximity. However, it reads more as fantasy than sci-fi, due to many species resembling mythological creatures (in this setting, the universe's sophonts are all artificial, created by a precursor species that did a lot of intellectual theft while designing, several of which have visited Earth in the past and inspired the myths) and the premise is based on powerful computers being able to rewrite reality. The plots usually hinge around a group of humans ending up on the Wellworld through one of the portals strewn through the universe and ending up in a random environment, turned into a member of the intelligent species present there, then trying to find each other in an attempt to leave the Wellworld.

Tangentially related:

Sector General series, by James White

The earlier books are collections of shorter stories about medics, both human and alien, mostly taking care of survivors of spacefaring accidents of uncontacted alien species, the later books are longer stories, often from the POV of an alien, dealing with their own issues and issues of the hospital. There is not much in the "planets" department due to the majority of the books taking place in a hospital space station, an ambulance spaceship and spaceship wreckage, but the aliens are definitely diverse and creative, with the nature of the stories the aliens' physiology and psychology is explored at a greater depth than usual. It's also as far away from military sci-fi as one can get, since the author was a pacifist and wanted to avoid "tension by war" plots.

Galaxy Cruise, by Marcus Alexander Hart

A regular guy gets "rewarded" for saving the president of a failing cruise ship company by being given the role of captain for the newest and biggest ship, crewed by aliens who appear to be most unsuitable for the job. Not much in the "planets" department either due to most of the plot taking place on a cruise spaceship, but it has some decent aliens. It's more character-focussed than the other suggestions and the characters and their interactions are definitely one of the novels' strong points, and it manages to be pretty suspenseful at times (especially the fourth book). It's also hilarious.

Last Human, by Zack Jordan

A girl, supposedly the last human in the universe and raised by a giant spider alien, has to leave her home station with a ragtag bunch of misfits when the station gets attacked. Also not much in the "planets" department, but since Books of the Raksura was brought up, I think this is one of the closest to it in regards of having a protagonist seeking a place to fit in. There's also an episodic prequel comic that can be read online.

Shameless self-promotion:

A to Z

A collection of short stories about two aliens with conflicting traits and personalities traveling the galaxy in a run-down spaceship, taking on all kinds of jobs to pay for fuel and repair. Very much born from me missing the older more adventurous sci-fi with aliens in it, being an adventure series with nothing but aliens. Each story takes place on a different celestial body or space station, filled with a variety of aliens. It also has simple illustrations.

Rec me books, O Friends! I’m in the mood for sci-fi, preferably of the space opera sort, with lots of alien species and bouncing around from one cool planet to the next. I want a fun and light book though, definitely nothing that could be described as military sci-fi. The Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy movies are good examples of what I want, but in a book. Basically I want the equivalent of those fics that are like ‘it’s our fave characters, but now they’re iiiiin spaaaaaaace!’. 

The closest thing I can think of to what I’m looking for is Martha Wells’s Books of the Raksura, which is not space opera, but does have all the awesome worldbuilding with many cool species and tons of fantastic imaginative settings. So, more stuff like that, please!

Things I’ve already read and so you don’t need to rec them to me: the Vorkosigan Saga, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Dune, N.K. Jeminsin’s books, Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis series, the Mars trilogy (all of KSR’s books, really), and The Left Hand of Darkness. Most of these are close to what I want, but way more serious than I’d like right now. I’m in the mood for fun!

Help, please?

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Long Christmas Fics Masterlist

10x10, a hundred images of loving you (ao3) - silentOrator

Summary: Dan and Phil at Christmas through the years.

A Christmas Miracle (ao3) - alphapavlikovsky (orphan_account)

Summary. Dan’s Family ditch him for Christmas so Phil invites him to Manchester to spend it with phil and his family. Phil never corrects his mother when she calls them a couple and they decide to play along until after Christmas.

A Christmas Pharol (ao3) - Merrydith

Summary: Dan Howell hates Christmas.

On the night of Christmas Eve (2014), Dan Howell is visited by an old coworker who claims she will show him the meaning of Christmas. They take a journey through his past, get a peek into who he is in the present and then glimpse the future Dan desperately wants. Dan learns to appreciate what the holiday means to him and accepts who he is in his heart.

A Festive Quest (ao3) - manchestereyes

Summary: Phil has a plan. After their incredible 2016, he wants to make this the best Christmas he and Dan have ever had. And how does he intend to do that? By customising 24 different Christmas crackers, each one a hint leading up to a Christmas neither of them will ever forget.

A Toast to Now (ao3) - melapplesphan

Summary: It's Christmas Eve, 2016, and Phil Lester's plane home for the holidays has been delayed due to snow. In a fit of boredom, he finds himself taking an uncharacteristic leap and striking up a conversation with "DanielH."

Meanwhile, Dan Howell can't quite believe that AmazingPhil - the same guy who ignored his messages 7 years ago - just started chatting with him on Grindr.

A Phantastic December (ao3) - NiniMeggie

Summary: December sure is a busy time of year. It seems like Dan and Phil have a new adventure every day. Somehow they find themselves in a whole host of holiday cliches as the days go by. This is stuff you'd normally do with the love of your life... Is that what these two men were? Both wanted it but neither knew how to go about telling the other.

Adphant Calendar (ao3) - Phantje

Summary: Dan works in a small and cosy café in London. He loves his work but even more so, he loves Christmas.

Phil works in a big and anonymous bank in London. He hates his works and is annoyed to see anyone happy at Christmas. Dan and Phil's paths meet, bringing two men of very different character together. Before they spend Christmas together there is a lot to learn about each other, a task they both willingly complete.

Air Hockey (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Christmas fic where neko!dan, who has a horrific past, faces his greatest challenge yet: meeting his fiancé’s family…

begin and never cease (ao3) - palomeheart

Summary: Dan is a grumpy second year law student living with reclusive, perpetual grad student named Phil. When the holiday season brings out a side of Phil that Dan’s never seen before, Meanwhile, when Phil finds out Dan hates all things festive, he makes it his goal to change Dan’s mind before Christmas. And also to find the perfect mince pie.

Christmassy Selfies (ao3) - Phantje

Summary: Dan and Phil spend Christmas at their parents' houses, exchanging presents just before they go. They text each other realising just how much they miss each other. However this very thought frightens them, being scared of being too close as they claim to be "just friends".

When they get home they have a long overdue talk to figure things out.

How Dan (Almost) Stole Christmas (ao3) - skygremlin

Summary: “It was a serious oversight, in stealing from the rich, that you couldn’t really tell if they were unbothered because the money never mattered, or unbothered because they had so much cash they were using it to insulate their walls.”

For thirty-three years Dan’s lived up in the hill districts outside Who-ville, watching the wealthy elites celebrate their Christmases in the valley with glitter and food and an unfathomable amount of expensive gifts while the rest of the world was left cold and hungry, completely ignored. Between the off-key choir concerts and the way he could feel the icy wind through his uninsulated walls on Crumpit Lane, he had enough of it. It’s time for Who-ville to see what Christmas is like for everyone else, even if that means taking it by force.

A How the Grinch Stole Christmas AU

I Became We (This Christmas Eve) (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Hanging from the ceiling above the counter, in probably the only space in the store that didn’t have icicle lights dangling from it, was a glowing sign that read:

SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER

or,

Dan is an Instagram influencer, and the only thing he takes as seriously as his carefully crafted aesthetic is his hatred of the holiday season. That is, until a certain Christmas elf breaks through the walls he has built.

maybe they're seeing something we don't, darling (ao3) - phantasizeit

Summary: When Phil invites Dan to the Lester family Christmas, Kath can only assume that they’ve have finally gotten together. Dan and Phil don’t realize Kath’s misunderstanding until it’s a little too late. But, how hard can it be to fake a relationship between them? (AKA: The fic where Dan and Phil are already dating, but have to be put in a fake relationship situation to realize it. Also, they do fluffy Christmas things with the Lesters.)

Since We've No Place to Go (ao3) - tellsfromhale

Summary: Christmas 2020 is unlike any that's come before and (hopefully) any that will come after. Dan and Phil have to learn how to adjust to the year as it comes.

song and story (ao3) - kay_okay

Summary: In this universe, Dan, a music composition grad student working on his thesis, and Phil, a novelist trying his best to get over his sophomore slump, book the week before Christmas in a bed and breakfast nestled against snow-covered mountains in France. They're tapped out creatively and need the week to work on their projects.

In this universe, Dan and Phil don't know each other. At least, that's how it starts.

When the Weather Breaks (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Sitting across from Phil on that worn out velvet Starbucks sofa, sharing sickeningly sweet coffees and what they would like to think were hushed giggles, was the first time Dan felt a glimpse at what real love could feel like.

or

Perception checks, pining, and peppermint mochas.

Winston (ao3) - CallofTheCurlew

Summary: Dan gifts Phil a corgi for Christmas but the trouble of keeping it a secret until the 25th is harder than he thought.

[iwasnotaslasher]

Oh great the newest Superman movie isn't out and Superman fans already have to tolerate horrible characterisation from Batman fans who ship them but don't care about Superman

Dear Anon, are you up to a real discussion?

First: how old are you? And I don't mean it in a condescending way, I'm just curious.

See, I turned 40 this year and I'm writing this while on break during my shift as a grocery cashier.

I'm in the fandom since I was in my early twenties, when I was a college student with a lot of free time and mental energy. Now I'm married with two children, a mortage, a potpourri of both physical and mental health issues... I swear I got so many commitments that sometimes I'm on the verge of a burnout.

Still, it's a pretty normal life with a pretty normal amount of stress, and I Iove what I've achieved. Only, the time for engage with fandoms and writing fanfics is now very short and very very cherished. Some days I wish I can turn back time and be carefree again, just for a little bit, so I would be able to truly enjoy the fandom life like before. Though I would do it in a different way: I wouldn't care in slightest about other people opinions.

Because now I can see it: such a waste of time and energy! Who cares about what some stranger enjoy to write or read in their spare time? Does this affect my life in any way? Nope! So why should I give it any fuck?

Why should you give any fuck to me and my  personal view on some fictional characters and their dynamics?!

Anon, I'm giving you this advice with the same spirit of an old wise auntie: do yourself a huge favour and enjoy your time in the fandom without giving a shit about others' preferences. I should be a no one to you. Anyone should be no one to you. You are choosing to give us a relevance that we don't have and don't want, and I'm begging you to stop.

Do it for yourself, since nobody else is gonna do it for you.

That being said, if anyone is actually interested engaging a honest conversation, feel free to submit an ask. But since I'm really too old and tired for any kind of anon hate, I'm unabling the anonymous asks.

Sincerly,

A well seasoned, grey-haired, presbyopic veteran fangirl

[ilikekidsshows]

I've seen people said Adrien doesn't have motivation to be a hero but Marinette does, which is weird because I feel like it's Marinette who doesn't have a motivation to be hero beyond "people listen to Ladybug". Her lack of motivation is what confused me because as a protagonist, she's inevitably become a role model for the young audience and I find nothing about her is likeable, even more so after she become a guardian. It's as if being a guardian inflate her ego and she forgot that everyone else is a human with feelings, not just a pawn or a doll for her to play and ordered around.

Recently I found out a website that contain the concept plot and it confused me more because I feel like concept Marinette is a more grounded character than she is in the show.

Marinette's goal isn't just to be Adrien/Felix's girlfriend but she also need to collect the kwamis that she accidentally releases and she become a guardian not because of luck or favoritism like how it is in the show, it's because her grandfather is the guardian. Adrien/Felix doesn't even become Chat Noir because he's chosen by the guardian, it's Plagg who chose him. It's actually much better than the whole "I choose you but also I'm not going to do anything with you" that Fu pulls in the show.

i don't understand why the higher up/the sponsor reject this plot because I think this much better than whatever we have now. If they have a problem with Chat Noir being an anti-hero, then why do they accept Marinette being written like one while also hailing her as a hero?

---

“Adrien isn't motivated to be a hero” he actually likes being a hero, unlike our role model protagonist, who’d rather do anything than be Ladybug even when she's being lauded for her heroic deeds. Is this based on Adrien trying to quit when Fu or Marinette is making his job needlessly more difficult to do? Because, like, that's the only thing that he seems to dislike about being a hero, which, like, makes Marinette an even worse hero. She’s so bad at her job, she makes otherwise eager heroes lose their motivation.

I’m gonna be very honest here; Marinette becoming Ladybug because she accidentally released a bunch of magical creatures and Adrien/Félix being more of an anti-hero rival than a full-on ally would have been copied straight from Cardcaptor Sakura’s starting setup. Like, I’m not surprised that even the rejected ideas for Miraculous are copied from other properties, but it just proves that regardless of any other variables, Astruc’s creation was always going to be highly derivative. Regardless, I do feel that Fu being her grandfather instead of a stranger would have gone a long way in justifying Marinette’s special treatment both in-universe and to the audience, but that’s probably why it was rejected.

Like, we can mock the fact that Marinette isn’t actually within spitting distance of being a “normal girl with a normal life” all we like, but that doesn’t change the fact that, from a purely on-paper angle, she is pretty average. She’s a middle-schooler with pretty average hobbies who deals with normal teen problems like bullies and a crush on a boy she doesn’t know how to deal with. There’s a reason it’s the opening line for the show’s opening. It's marketable. A special chosen one from the start wouldn’t have been as marketable in the same way. Especially when we take into account how hypersensitive Astruc is to Marinette being less liked than he’d want. He’d do whatever he can think of to make sure Marinette isn’t immediately judged a “Mary Sue”.

The thing with executives is that they don't watch the shows they fund. They read the pitch, synopses, and maybe the scripts if they can find the time. And even then, they might not want to put in the money to get a script revised even if they paid enough attention to tell it was dogshit. They wouldn't be interested as long as the different Miraculous bedsheets and shampoos keep selling and as long as the show isn’t too gay to sell to other countries. Like, the show bible that Gloob leaked? The one full of inaccuracies because it was outdated? That was what the executives were most likely given when the retool went into development. In addition, corporate oversight on the show has actually decreased the longer it’s gone on, because the show’s proven itself to be a success. I’m pretty sure the higher-ups were not asked: “hey, is it okay if we make Marinette an entitled jerk who gets validated at every turn while she starts treating people worse and worse?” I’m pretty sure no one okayed Marinette’s “villain arc”, it was just allowed to pass because it didn’t make the show less marketable.

That’s the thing with any property that becomes “too big to fail”. Less oversight means less quality control. It’s like one anonymous Gamefreak employee said about making Pokémon games: “It’ll sell anyway, so it doesn’t matter if it’s bad.”

[dallasgallant]

Time period post: Christmas part 2 , celebration

This’ll be part 2 of my little Christmas time period series! This post will be more focused on what people did, received and watched/listened to. Very generalized as holidays vary from family to family, person to person even today.

Crafts-

As mentioned in the previous post, there were a lot of crafty decorations at Christmas. Paper chains, paper snowflakes. A lot of ‘do it yourself’ fun upcycle (not called so then) ideas from womens and home magazines. As well as displaying whatever a child made at school, there were also sold kits or guides like what’s commonly referred to as “melted popcorn plastic”

Toys and gifts -

Was specifically requested to include popular toys in this post, the 1960s had a lot of the same style of toys that were popular in the 40s and 50s too, timeless toys. Tinker toys, Barbie (and her friends, which were new and not wiped out yet), Lincoln logs and other building toys. Guns and army men and cowboys for boys and kitchens and stuffed toys for girls… the usual, it was very gendered but at the same time there were always toys in the neutral (play-doh for example)

Train sets! American staple for ages and stuck with a good many from Boyhood to manhood, there’s the sort of trope of a guy having a full on room dedicated in his basement. (My grandpa didn’t have a set up track but collected a LOT- Lionel is king) if not trains other model kits like cars or planes, for the older demographic. You go from push toys to scale model as one ages.

The primary difference is the 60s saw a BOOM in “electronic” toys, real battery eaters or ones that needed to be plugged in. The first lite brite for instance,

Now the characters in the outsiders are teens and beyond toys, so I do want to emphasize what they’d know more from their own childhoods in the late 40s-50s would be the more “classic” and basic toys. Another interesting fact is that radio shows and tv shows has their branding and merchandise since basically the inception of the concept.

There would be special catalogs at Christmas time thick, if not thicker than a phone book filled with deals and all the items these stores had to offer. Toys to lingerie all in one great big book. It’s just as major a part of the holiday season as any, though these big books have fizzled out alongside department stores themselves and catalogs even in the holiday season now are pretty small (I still remember circling what I wanted in the early 2000s but it was a nothing size compared to what they were)

If you ever come across old catalogs or magazines I greatly recommend looking through them as they can tell you so much about time period (for any you’re looking for) from what people bought, what price, how they were advertised to, what demographic, how they dressed, spoke, what was happening etc.

Traditions and games-

Holidays have always had a bit of commercialism to them but the 1960s was really the edge of it when it came to Christmas, in fact several iconic specials even mention it being commodified. For many, it’s the last time Christmas felt truly special and magical… and I do think the season changes as we age there is some truth to that- in decoration and how the holiday was treated. Not just two days but a season, a spirit - feeling in the air.

Thanksgiving ends, December first hits and the Christmas bomb explodes. Family comes, traditions are had and cherished. Shopping, cooking, eating, card sending, photo taking etc. or you go somewhere else- usually to other families homes typically a larger gathering. It’s about that togetherness more than the gifts (though greatly appreciated lol) a chance to relax in an increasingly busy, modernizing world.

Hard candy! Bowls of it placed strategically about the house, Christmas was the time for grazing sweets and other finger foods constantly. Some families would have a appetizer/horderves Christmas Eve— constantly eating and picking and present opening and tv watching, family enjoying. Then your large meal Christmas Day, like thanksgiving usually earlier in the day. Turkey was still common but ham is a runner up (personally, ham is Christmas and Easter.)

Citrus as gifts and treats and candies were also common, apparently it traces back to the civil war when they were more uncommon. Also it’s a seasonal thing, and post ww2 a lot of fruits we now consider normal we’re still new and exciting to receive (so like getting a apple at Halloween it was actually a good thing! Depending on the kid anyway lol)

Homemade cookies, pies, gingerbread and other deserts as well. Now there were more cake mixes or premade things to be bought from bakery’s but when you could it was still a preference to make and gift homemade.

Eggnog. Spiked or otherwise, alongside a myriad of punches ranging from the great sherbet and sprite(or 7Up) to booze that would make your aunt stay another week there’s so much.

Movies, specials and music-

First mentioned this here, going over the family and limited channel aspect. Some movies we consider holiday staples, like It’s a wonderful life had some complicated copyright and weren’t played on tv yet- though might get a re-release. The 1960s also saw many of the classics we now watch release, though the Santa Claus Rankin Bass specials weren’t until 1970 and 1974.

- how the grinch stole Christmas 1966

- Rudolph the red nose reindeer 1965

- frosty the snowman 1969

- the little drummer boy 1968

-a Charlie Brown Christmas 1965

There were also new takes on classic Christmas tunes, the Ronettes sleigh ride particularly took off.

60s releases but also generally good songs-

Little Saint Nick - Beach boys 1964

Christmas (baby please come home)- Darlene love 1962

Someday at Christmas - Stevie wonder 1967 (he also sang ‘Stay gold’ for the movie)

Santa baby

Baby it’s cold outside

Here comes Santa Claus, I saw mommy kissing Santa , holly jolly Christmas , rocking around the Christmas tree, marshmallow world

Need a little Christmas

Burl Ives, bing crosby, Johnny , Perry como, nat king cole- notable classics singers

Ones gang would particularly like-

Run Rudolph run - chuck berry

Mary Christmas baby - Otis Redding 1967

Blue Christmas - Elvis (all Elvis christmas songs)