#but i have a feeling that they're not a writer

[thatluckybear]

I don't have the capacity to respond to this fully but artists will still find their way to the work. It's worthwhile and necessary to teach people they need to do the work and I do NOT expect this to solve itself passively... buuuut people /will/ find their way to the work. Artists who want more control, writers who are tired of their stories feeling flat, musicians who can't seem to nail that "sound" they're imagining.

If anyone wants to actually come close to the vision in their hearts they'll find out that hard work is the only way. Lots of people will quit because it's hard but they've always done that. I do that. Chat GPT didn't make me quit being an animator, or learning a language, or drawing, or writing, or the hundreds of other failures I've experienced. I'm not alone in this, neither are the thousands of people who are artists professionally and as hobbies who work hard despite their shortcomings.

My point isn't to refute what these posts are saying. I agree with them. I'm just pointing out the hope in the corner that will always be there and will always produce people who are willing to, against all odds, do the hard work of making things the hardest way because it will be better than any cheat could produce.

Please don't act like I said "don't do anything about this." or assume I'm diminishing the issue, I'm not. I'm just saying when things are dire "look for the helpers" or maybe in this case: "look for the artists." In the meantime teach everyone who will listen that shortcuts (all of them) can only create a shadow of what they're capable of without them if they do the damn work.

Something I don't think we talk enough about in discussions surrounding AI is the loss of perseverance.

I have a friend who works in education and he told me about how he was working with a small group of HS students to develop a new school sports chant. This was a very daunting task for the group, in large part because many had learning disabilities related to reading and writing, so coming up with a catchy, hard-hitting, probably rhyming, poetry-esque piece of collaborative writing felt like something outside of their skill range. But it wasn't! I knew that, he knew that, and he worked damn hard to convince the kids of that too. Even if the end result was terrible (by someone else's standards), we knew they had it in them to complete the piece and feel super proud of their creation.

Fast-forward a few days and he reports back that yes they have a chant now... but it's 99% AI. It was made by Chat-GPT. Once the kids realized they could just ask the bot to do the hard thing for them - and do it "better" than they (supposedly) ever could - that's the only route they were willing to take. It was either use Chat-GPT or don't do it at all. And I was just so devastated to hear this because Jesus Christ, struggling is important. Of course most 14-18 year olds aren't going to see the merit of that, let alone understand why that process (attempting something new and challenging) is more valuable than the end result (a "good" chant), but as adults we all have a responsibility to coach them through that messy process. Except that's become damn near impossible with an Instantly Do The Thing app in everyone's pocket. Yes, AI is fucking awful because of plagiarism and misinformation and the environmental impact, but it's also keeping people - particularly young people - from developing perseverance. It's not just important that you learn to write your own stuff because of intellectual agency, but because writing is hard and it's crucial that you learn how to persevere through doing hard things.

Write a shitty poem. Write an essay where half the textual 'evidence' doesn't track. Write an awkward as fuck email with an equally embarrassing typo. Every time you do you're not just developing that particular skill, you're also learning that you did something badly and the world didn't end. You can get through things! You can get through challenging things! Not everything in life has to be perfect but you know what? You'll only improve at the challenging stuff if you do a whole lot of it badly first. The ability to say, "I didn't think I could do that but I did it anyway. It's not great, but I did it," is SO IMPORTANT for developing confidence across the board, not just in these specific tasks.

Idk I'm just really worried about kids having to grow up in a world where (for a variety of reasons beyond just AI) they're not given the chance to struggle through new and challenging things like we used to.

[digi-diareis]

Teen MC snapping at Caleb

Context: Yk how when you're teenagers, guys think the only way to flirt with the person they like is by teasing them? Well, imagine if Caleb had an era like this until it went too far and mc finally snapped at him.

Beware: this is gonna be SO BAD. im not a writer at all and english isn't my first language either. its just that i've had this scenario in my head for a few days now and i needed it out of my system. Also, I decided to use they/them pronouns for mc. So its more inclusive that way and also bcs even I personally don't always refer to my mc as she/her. So yeah, for the bitches, bros and non binary hoes.

Imagine this, Caleb and you bantering like usual on your way home but you're having an off day which makes it easier for you to get pissed off and fed up with all the teasing. Unfortunately, Caleb doesn't notice this and keeps teasing you until you just snap.

So mc, exasperated, scoffs at him and turns around to leave with their arms folded across their chest and eyebrows scrunched so hard they almost look like a unibrow.

"I'm done talking you. Go find someone else to pick on, Caleb. I'm not in the mood."

Sensing the sudden shift of mood, Caleb is speechless for a bit and left floundering, looking for the right words to say. He thought this was just your usual banter so why were you suddenly taking the jokes seriously? Hell, he can't let you stay in a bad mood for the entire day because that means he's getting the silent treatment and he'd rather die (well not really but he almost feels like it) than have you completely ignore his entire existence. Again.

He approaches you slowly, using a gentle voice to not alarm you the same way one would with a hissing kitten.

"Pipsqueak? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry... Tell me what it was and I promise I won't say it again. Don't be mad anymore, we don't want you to develop any more wrinkles, do we?"

And oh, the way you stiffened up, very much reminiscent of a stray cat on full alarm against anybody trying to steal its food. Caleb gulps, knowing somewhere along the lines, he triggered a tripwire and a bomb's about to blow.

"Uhm! You know what, nevermind me! How about we go buy your favorite snack? Oh, what a coincidence your favorite stall is right around the corner-"

You turn around with a glare that makes him immediately shut up, looking like you're about to rip him a new one.

"WRINKLES?! First, you make fun of my height. Calling me pipsqueak around everyone and never shutting your damn mouth about how not a day has passed where I was taller than you. Then you start being weirdly aggressive towards my other guy friends, which by the way, what the fuck? Now most of them won't even talk to me anymore! What is your problem?! And now, you're calling me OLD and UGLY?!"

"I-I never said -"

"Shut your damn mouth and listen to me, Caleb! You have been getting on my nerves lately! I've been trying to convince myself that this is all just friendly banter but sometimes, you go too far that I don't even know if I can still laugh it off! We used to be best friends but now, its so easy for you to make fun of me. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this but oh my god, if you hate me this much then just stop hanging around me!"

Mc is heaving by the end of their entire speech, extremely worked up and upset that they're red in the face. They had been bottling this up for the past few weeks so letting it out almost felt cathartic.

Caleb is stuck in place, throat dry and mouth open but words won't come out. Was that how it's been like for you? Had he taken the jokes too far recently? Maybe it was wrong to listen to the other guys in his class who said that teens tend to fall for guys who act terrible, the bad boy stereotype is popular nowadays.

He looks down, feeling guilty and pathetic that he ended up making you feel like you hated him when you were the person who embodied everything he loved. You made him feel like flying and falling, all at the same time. So how could he hurt you like this? He had to make things right before it was too late.

"I'm sorry. Its all my fault. I shouldn't have said all those hurtful things to you, even if it was a joke or not. At the end of the day, they hurt you and that's not right. Please believe me when I say that I could never hate being around you. That couldn't be more wrong, not when all I ever want to do is be by your side. So please don't tell me to stop hanging around you, just thinking about it feels like my chest is being squeezed that it hurts. I promise I won't make the same mistakes again, so please forgive me?"

He's nervous, fiddling with his hands while he looks you in the eye. He reminds you of a wet puppy under the rain, begging you to bring him home with you. You knew the moment he pulled those puppy dog eyes that you would eventually lose, you could never say no to him. Not when you were kids and not now.

You sigh, shoulders slumping and the frown gone from your face. Now you just look tired, which only makes him more worried, maybe you're tired of him? No, that can't be. What would happen to him if you decide he's not worth keeping around anymore? He just might stop functioning all together.

You turn your back and start walking home, he feels his heart drop thinking this is it. You're leaving him behind– that is until you turn your head to the side, side eyeing him with a blush on your face.

"What're you standing there for, I thought you were going to buy me my favorite snack? Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not forgiving you just yet. Not until I've had my fill."

After that day, Caleb completely changes. Or maybe its more accurate to say he reverted back to how he used to be when you guys were kids. Doting, attentive and extremely supportive. He still banters with you from time to time but he never goes out of his way to start one. Although, there is one thing that doesn't change and that's how over protective he still is, he's still acting like a guard dog and being threatening towards all the guys in your class but at this point, you're just happy to have your best friend back again.

And just like that, Caleb's popularity spikes in your class because suddenly, every girl wants a guy who comes at their beck and call and attends to their needs. No more bad boy persona for them, they just want someone who worships the ground they walk on the same way Caleb does for you.

[alynnia]

Sylus x Rafayel (x MC) ramblings

The fujo came out of me with this one. After my little karaoke blurb I had an epiphany and had to get it out of my system. I'm no writer but I like to write. The below is litterally brain vomit of ideas and situations spilling out as they come and they're free to the public to play with. These two have quite a bit in common and potentially have chemistry? I dunno, could be my fujo goggles.

MDNI because the last section is lewd. Nothing explicit just options of how I think the sexual part of their relationship might be.

Both bonded to MC

•Sylus, through a shared soul and Raf through an eternal bond. Both of these continue through lifetimes. So imagine Rafayel's shock when courting MC he gets two instead of one. Does he just love half of her soul or all of it? Now we don't know the exact timelines of the myths if they all share the same universe and same Philos, but let's say they did. Sylus' soul sharing with MC came first so when Rafayel bonded with MC, he was unknowingly bonding with Sylus as well. He would be reluctant in this set up, believing that MC was the one he is tied to and only her (this is true of course but we are playing pretend here) but why does he feel a similar pull from Sylus? The fiend is nonchalant about it outwardly but I can see him teasing the fuck out of fish boy. " I guess that makes me your 'beloved' as well but...I don't bow to gods, puppy. I end them. " and then gives him a few smug paps on the cheek. This likely results in a fight MC has to break up and it happens often.

•They would both try and show each other up with showing affection to MC, but Sylus would always include Rafayel in his gifting. If he buys a dress for her, he's buying a suit for him. If she gets a ruby necklace, he gets ruby cufflinks. While MC can have any color jewels she wants, he defaults to red gems. After a while, Rafayel takes notice that the crow boy likes to "mark" them with rubies as a subtle way of telling the world the two of them are both his. It's hard to say if he's doing this as a show of dominance or something more but the way Sylus gives him a satisfied smirk/smile when he sees them both wearing matching onyx and ruby brooches makes his eye twitch and his heart skip. Sensing danger between them, MC would excitedly suggest that Sylus wear one too so all three could match, a subtle way on her part to say they are all equal here.

•When talking to MC about Rafayel, he uses "our".

"I think our husband is throwing a tantrum again~"

" I am NOT your husband. "

" Tch, aaw. Tough luck, you're stuck with us both. "

" Then I want a divorce. There's got to be some way to break out of this, a loophole or a spell to break this curse... "

" You hear that sweetie? Our husband wants to break up with us. Maybe he's not as devoted as he says. "

" N-not her! JUST YOU! You are the curse that defiles our sacred bond and I will not stand for it! "

" And how do you plan to do that? Hm? Rip our very soul asunder? That can't be good for either of us, puppy~ " And he's just smirking the entire time with an arm around MC. " But if you insist, I may know someone who can help you. Very experimental, has not had one survivor yet. But! You seem to be very set on tearing her apart...are you willing to take the risk~? " He just loves challenging gods and seeing Rafayel seething is just too precious.

Both rich as fuck

•As someone else here on tumblr mentioned, Rafayel is spoiled prince rich and Sylus is mafia rich. Raf seeing Sy spend money like it was nothing takes these acts as a challenge on his own wealth. He'll offer to pay for things with a smug smile and Sylus lets him do it without a fuss, merely raising an eyebrow then smirking. Neither let MC pay for anything. This ends up frustrating Rafayel after a while. Why doesn't he say anything? Is he just going to let him pay for it all? Greedy crow. ):< Finally fed up, he confronts Sylus saying that he should pay him back with interest. Raf doesn't need the money but it's the principle of the matter! Sylus is just…

"Alright, if it will shut you up." and points him to a page of restraunts on a tablet he was looking over. Rafayel figures he's being asked where he wants to eat on Sy's tab so he chooses the most expensive establishment. The kind you need to make a reservation for a year in advance. He's already planning to order top shelf, the highest priced items on the menu and exclusive private seating for all of them. Sylus looks over the selected place and scoffs, " Pompous. " A little later when Rafayel is expecting to go out, Sylus just slaps down paperwork in front of him and tells him to sign it. What is it? Essentially the transfer of ownership of that place he chose. Apparently it had already belonged to Sylus and now it's Raf's. " This should cover it, yes? "

Both are mythical creatures

• Raf being a mermaid (God of tides) and Sylus being a dragon (Bringer of Ruin) Gods create, fiends destroy. Sy is for the skies and Raf for the seas. They're both beings of power and forces of nature.

• Being the dragon he is, Sylus would likely keep all of the art he doesn't put away or keep track of. It comes from the need to hoard treasures and because the fish is terrible with leaving his work all over the place. Don't get him started on the paintbrushes he keeps stepping on. Thomas would think him a life saver for keeping things organized and available but Sylus would charge him every time he wanted to retrieve work from him. So Thomas is left with the choice of dealing with Rafayel or paying a stupid amount of money to Sylus to bypass the anguish.

•On the flip side, After Raf has seen Sylus' treasure trove of gemstones, he would also just so happen to pick up jewels from museums to add to his own collection. Ones Sylus possibly have never seen or heard of due to their connections with Lemuria. Sylus would make a comment about Lemurians crying pearls he heard once, baiting Rafayel and of course the mermaid can't help but confirm he's able to do this. (They both know what they are by this point) But isn't that a dangerous thing to admit to a greedy dragon? Perhaps Sylus should lock him up and force him to cry to obtain such beauties. But he figures he doesn't need to. Rafayel himself is enough of a rare treasure to keep after all. He would say this right to his face without flinching, as if it was just common sense. He pins another ruby trinket to his lapel to which Raf would find himself blushing then storming off somewhere. He would like to see those scales though. They sure are shiny and our Sylus likes shiny things.

• Sylus walks in on Rafayel in the bath and sees his mermaid tail for the first time. He's enamored but doesn't show it on his face. The mermaid is squawking, telling him he shouldn't enter when someone is in here without knocking but Sylus just ignores him, grabbing what he needs and is about to head out. The mermaid did catch those eyes looking at him in a particular way, wondering why he doesn't ask about the tail.

" So...you're not going to say anything about this? "

" Should I? "

" You've just bore witness to a rare sight, the scales of real Lemurian in his full glory. You would be a fool not to admire. "

" Oh, in that case do forgive me~ " turning around casually he takes wide steps and looms over the tub, his shadow cast over the Lemurian's form, " Then allow me take a closer look... " That's when Sylus runs his hands over the glistening tail, face unchanging as he studies it's quality. This envokes the wrath of Raf smacking his hand away, " No one said you could touch! " Sylus removes his hand but smirks in response. His gaze lingers on the glittering on the mermaid's face before rising up and heading back to the door, " I've seen better. "

" ......WHAT? Where?! No you haven't! Who else has-! " the door is already shut and he's gone.

• What if Sylus took MC's place in Rafayel's myth? A fiend finally captured, tied up and thrown into the ocean. We have hints that Sylus may not know how to swim so perhaps this is his weakness. Rafayel comes across this strange drowning creature who isn't quite human but curious to know more. He cuts him free and planned to just let whatever happens to him, happen but Sylus is quick, desperate to live and be out of this water. Having heard of the Lemurian tales he grabs hold of his savior and tries to steal his breath with a kiss, biting his lip in the process just like MC did. And you know the rest after that. Would make an interesting AU I think but would divert from the myth a looot from there. Still could be a fun ride. Raf can show him the ocean and Sy could show him the skies.

A weakness and a fear

•I don't think Sylus can swim. There's an Abyssal Chaos situation that hints at this and it's living rent free in my head but he does have a pool so who knows. I'm going with the idea that he can't swim for this. So...Sylus would almost always get the one-up on Rafayel, teasing and bullying him but when it comes to water, the fish finally has the upper hand here. Sylus would never admit this weakness out loud to anyone but MC. If they went to the beach he would just stay out of deep areas and Rafayel would take notice. Being a cheeky one and in his element, he'd somehow get the drop on him and pull Sylus over into the deep side to see what happens. Also for revenge. But Sylus isn't reacting the way he thought? This big tough guy is actually going to drown if he doesn't do something. He could be rid of him finally, let the man drown and have MC all to himself. He watches him sink, feeling a twinge of satisfaction but just as he's about to take off, the mark on his chest lights up. It can't be helped, can it?

After "saving" him, Rafayel tells him it's about time he learned how to swim. It's an essential skill and it's a crime to not beable to appreciate the beauty of the ocean. Sylus, surprisingly to Raf, agrees. " Then you should teach me. It's the least you can do after trying to kill me. " Not that it would work I think. How far does his immortality go anyway? Que montage of the two of them in the water together.

• Rafayel has a fear of cats. Sylus likes cats. After all, their beloved MC is their kitten and he's raised a lion cub before. The Lemurian god is offended that he would call MC such a horrid nickname as it's essentially calling her a demon. Sy quickly picks up on the fear and like the earlier scenario, tries to tease him with it. Though it's to a lesser degree in the form of just bringing strays for MC to take care of in front of him. If she's loving the cats, there's no way Rafayel can say no to her. Sylus knows this and pushes it further holding a kitten to his face, " To think a mighty god could be felled by such a small creature. " This prompts Raf to suck it up and slowly but surely start to confront his fear of cats, Sylus happily "helping". Que montage of the two interacting with cats from kittens to tigers.

Break out?

• Sylus doesn't believe beasts should be in cages and Rafayel hates the way humans treat animals. One night, after getting drunk and arguing which leads to a bet, they set local zoo animals free or something. They will never be caught.

Music

•They would share playlists and talk shit about each other's taste but still give genuine listens. Sylus prefers records and buys one for him just to prove how much better it sounds in this format instead of digital.

•They go to the opera together. Sylus is enjoying himself but Rafayel has some harsh critisms. He can do better. Sylus would ask for a demonstration and he says it would kill him. Crow boy sees that as a challenge because well, he can't die. So perhaps he could be one of the few who could listen to his death song without dying and appreciate it. It'd still probably hurt, but maybe it's worth it? Would be funny to see Sylus wheezing in Rafayel's arms, bleeding from his ears and still tell him his singing was shit just to rile him up. It's a lie, but picking on him is too much fun.

•Singing together. See the Karaoke blurb.

If they were in a relationship (Lewd bits)

•OT3. MC is far too important to them and their own connections would be their shared loved for her. They'd prefer to be seperate with her at first but over time Sylus would be the first to invite him together with MC. Rafayel is going to say no the first couple of times (it's not offered often) but eventually warms up to the idea if only to prove to the other that he can perform better than him. Then it becomes another game of chicken when Sy leans in closer to Raf with MC in the middle. Sylus will give looks, light touches in passing but won't be the one to give in. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he wants Rafayel to be absolutely sure he's into it and he gets a kick at making him buckle. Which he will and of course, Sylus obliges letting Rafayel think he's the one that "won" in this. MC is happy to see them get along.

•The longer this OT3 relationship goes on, the more likely sometimes it would be just the two of them while MC is off on a mission somewhere in the world that takes days to complete. At this point they're used to it and the roughness becomes more gentle and tender. Well, Sylus almost always had been the more gentle one and Rafayel the more agressive and it only took them being alone for Rafayel realize it.

• They would be competative in bed but even when bottoming, Sylus more often than not has control and directing Rafayel. Telling him there's no need to go easy on him. Raf will always fight for control and sometimes "win" but he melts too easily and loses himself in the moment. His most dominant side comes out during a certain season which is a pleasant surprise for Sy. They're both waking up with scars but Sylus more so. He doesn't let them heal quickly just to show off the result to Rafayel when he wakes up.

" Are you not proud of your work? " Oh he is proud. Embarrassed seeing what he's done to him and the memories of the night flashing in the back of his mind, but proud. Another win for the fish, "conquering" such a large man. Snatching Sylus by the chin, he'd give a warning with a hint of slight concern for his bird boy, " It would be wise not to forget what I can do to you. "

" Do what? These little marks? " He brushes them away with his evol, " Oh no. Look, they're all gone. I guess you'll have to try harder. "

And now I wonder if Rafayel could end up leaving a mark on him that not even Sylus can heal through his god mode. 🤔

•Playing with the headcanon of Sylus' draconic habits and urges being active in his current life, I wonder if they would "sync" up. Honestly it sounds dangerous, Sylus may very well eat the guy. Literally. That's for the tragedy enjoyers. For the degenerates…4 swords, eh? Okay on the tamer side of things, I can see them taking it out on each other to spare the worst of it from MC. Locking themselves away just to go all out. But back to degeneracy, she'd probably end up peeking out of curiosity and end up dragged into it. Rest in Peace girlie. 🙏

•So what would a dragon/mermaid kid look lik-

OKAY OKAY I'M DONE. IT'S OUT OF MY SYSTEM. DO NOT PERCEIVE MEEEE!! But really though, this was fun. Is this 1k words? I have no idea.

I think this is how you tag people? @crutoyu @turkeysamwichh

[casscainmainly]

is cass closer to tim or duke as a sibling??

As much as I love Duke, it's 1000% Tim.

Cass and Duke is a relatively recent relationship, mostly contained in Batman & The Outsiders (2019). I think in certain instances Cass might like Duke more than Tim because they don't have as much history, but in terms of closeness, Cass and Duke have never had the depth of relationship Cass and Tim have.

We have their interactions in Batgirl (2000) #18:

This issue opens with Cass dreaming that the Batfam turn on her after finding out she's a killer. Tim in this issue serves as proof that they can accept her, which makes Tim pretty important to Cass' feelings of belonging in the family. Cass associating Tim with being in the family is something that continues for most of their relationship.

Then we have the iconic team-up in Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood:

There's a lot of tension between Cass + Tim in the wake of Stephanie's death, particularly in their attitudes to Bruce. But there's also a sense of shared grief - here, Cass opens up to Tim about David Cain shooting her, something she talked about with Steph before. She's not exactly secretive about her past, but I don't think she opens up like this to any of her other brothers, even Duke. I think it's important that Cass knows Tim loved Stephanie as much as she did (and possibly more). It's a source of tension, but also a source of connection.

Although he's a little out of place, it's why Tim is there during the adoption scene in Batgirl (2008) #6:

Following from #18, Tim kind of symbolises Cass' acceptance into the Batfam (which makes sense, since other people have talked about Tim essentially creating the idea of 'Batfam' in the first place). In Fresh Blood, Cass' break from Gotham + the Batfam is shown through her and Tim deciding to go separate ways, which is why her induction into the Batfam has Tim there and smiling. Tim also repeatedly defends her in this run, which could mean something if any writer ever referenced this series beyond the adoption.

Their most poignant moment for me though is Red Robin #17:

It's obviously editorial shenanigans that stopped other writers (particularly Bryan Q. Miller on Steph's Batgirl run) from using Cass, but as it stands Tim is the only one who kept in touch with Cass during her stint in HK. We have this really lovely scene where Tim hands her a Bat symbol and says they're still family, no matter what she's called. Black Bat is arguably a big homage to Red Robin, and certainly at this time she was closest to Tim out of literally everyone.

They have more moments Rebirth onwards, but basically Tim is a really really important part of Cass' journey into the Batfam, and sometimes was her strongest (and only) link. Though Cass' relationship to Duke is maybe the smoothest of her brotherly relationships, Tim is undeniably the brother she's closest to, the one who knows her best and who's seen her through the toughest times. So although Cass might say Duke is her favourite brother, her real favourite is probably always going to be Tim.

[chocolatepot]

I'm not sure this is about straight authors vs queer authors, because not everyone writing The Good Shit is queer and I've read tradpub romance by queer authors that was as mediocre at this as your basic het writer. I think there are two different things that are playing into this:

One - Trad romance is really, really focused on cliches and formulas. Descriptions of bodies and faces are formulae that can have the handful of appropriate cliches filled in. Men are muscled, broad-chested, tall, with piercing eyes and chiseled faces. Women are slender but full-bosomed with soft pink lips and determined chins, or maybe they're plump enough to have bigger boobs and wider hips (but are never actually fat or even appreciably average). While I don't think readers would be mad about the cliches being left behind, it's easier for authors who need to get books out on a pretty tight schedule to keep repeating the same descriptions instead of having to visualize totally new characters and think about how to describe them.

Two - In fandom, we elevate and ship characters of varying levels of conventional attractiveness all the time, so we're focused on adoring characters who just can't be described with these cliches. Even when we're talking about Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan, the characters are real humans (or real drawings/computer-animated figures) and they have individualizing features. Some ficwriters do fall back on romance novel "generic hot" descriptions, but for the most part there's a correlation between fics that make you feel these are the characters you love and fics that you generally want to read.

IMO a lot of queer professional writers/professional writers of stories with queer romance are coming out of fandom these days, so they have this skill.

i've been reading a lot of het romance in the past year (here distinguished from m/f as a whole because i want to speak specifically to how straight people write*) and i really, really need straight romance authors to read how gay people talk about the people they're attracted to and learn from it.

(*which doesn't mean i think 'they're both bisexual' inherently makes an m/f couple more interesting but that's another post)

there's this way of writing that like, is very clearly making sure the characters actually Like each other and Enjoy Being In Each Other's Company which is fantastic i do love that. But, there's a real training wheels set of tropes to writing attraction between these leads that always highlights the same features (i don't have to enumerate the fixation on men having broad shoulders we're all familiar) without any sense of specificity. i do not care about this man being generic brand hot, i wanna know what insanely granular detail only our heroine has noticed that shuts off her higher brain functions.

now i appreciate that i, as a lesbian, am not the target demographic of het romance--but i also know that my mom (a certified 100% heterosexual) has been complaining about the protagonists of romance novels being generic brand hot for years. even As A Dyke, if you write with enough particularities about what your heroine is into about this man i should be able to see what she sees

specificity is the key to eroticism!!! straight authors need to be writing their characters like horny posts about alfred molina and i'm NOT kidding

[thranduel]

in will’s room in 4x04 during their heart-to-heart conversation, mike mentions how he was upset because he thought he lost will, says that hawkins wasn’t the same without him (in other words, he needs him and is afraid of losing him) and emphasises that he wants to be a team with will again, once again showing us that they have always been on the same page as each other, understood each other, made each other feel safe and comfortable, given each other strength, and most importantly, that they feel like equals.

in mike’s monologue to el, he mentions how he is afraid of losing her and other very similar things that he said to will first, both earlier in this season and even in his season 2 monologue for him (i’ve spoken about how a lot of what mike says/does for will is then used later on for mike and el, but it’s only “romantic” when it’s mike and el because the writers forced them into a romantic relationship in season 1) and then he refers to her as a superhero, once again showing us that he views her as though she’s above him, and that he feels inferior to her (things he also confirmed to will in the van when he was talking about her). we also know el feels insecure around mike, as seen during their fight scene where she says she’s different, doesn’t belong and thinks everyone thinks she’s a monster. both mike and el are extremely insecure in their relationship, constantly lie to each other and pretend to be people they're not and they do not feel like equals. this results in both of them suffering mentally individually, and also (unintentionally) hurting each other’s feelings and other people around them too.

keep in mind, before mike's monologue to el, will confessed that he's afraid to lose mike too (even though he used el's name as a disguise, these were still HIS feelings). we have direct confirmation on our screens that will’s painting + monologue in the van is the only thing that gave mike strength and truly made him feel loved, which resulted in him actually being able to say his monologue to el. yeah, will used el’s name, but it doesn’t change the fact that those are HIS feelings for mike, not el’s. mike wants to be loved and needed the exact way will loves and needs him.

all 3 scenes i mentioned above quite literally would not have even happened at all if it weren't for mike and will's relationship.

[rius-cave]

This is a Adam character question. Do you think Adam was really a misogynistic? All we see him around is women, his best friend was a woman, he took orders from women, ect. While he did call women the b word, that really had nothing to do with his character since everyone in that show swears.

I don't even personally think he was rude to Lilith because she was a woman. But because the angles told them what their roles were and Adam was probably like. "Alright, do whatever you say!" But Lilith just wasn't having it. 😭

See this is a hot debate, and I feel like not even the writers are really sure about it lol. They wrote him being around a lot of women and, like you said, showing like a decent amount of, I guess respect? towards them. But then I think he undoubtedly comes across as someone who *would* be misogynistic.

There are a bunch of threads on Twitter talking about how no!!! Adam is not misogynistic!!! He says Lute is badass and this and that!! And I feel like we forget that misogyny can look differently and even manifest differently in people.

I think Adam has what I'm gonna call (and don't cancel me for this lol) externalized misogyny LOLOL let me explain

I think if you talked more to Adam about the "concept" of women, he'd spout some pretty awful stuff LOL, mostly he would just be reciting back a lot of classic misogynistic comments that he's heard and that he's SUPPOSED to believe, that also align with his fuckboy persona or whatever you wanna call it. And of course, let's not forget how he calls women bitches and, probably worse, the c word LOL so there is DEFINITELY SOME ISSUES THERE I'D SAY

However! Yeah, he definitely seems to at least value Lute and the exorcists, he thinks they're capable killing machines, and he does take orders from his boss who is a woman. But I think that's where Adam doesn't even realize these women break the "mold" he's supposed to believe, and thus, doesn't even think of them as "women". He knows they're women, of course, but in his mind they're "his girls" or "the exorcists" and "my boss/my manager/Sera". It's like he has misogynistic views about the idea of women, but when it comes to the actual women he knows, he sees them as much more than that.

It could honestly also just be that he's a misogynist only to the women he doesn't like lmao, which is a very real thing that happens in the world lol

I think there are arguments for both sides and I have somewhat of a mixed view on it, I'm not married to either position, I tend to write Adam as just a general dick in all ways possible LOL. The only thing I don't think he is is racist because that's personally funny to me LMAO.

Sidenote, yeah I don't think it was him being sexist that drew Lilith away, like you said I also believe that he was just following what Heaven told him to do

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

Now that I've slept on things and the high from the Reruns announcement is out of my system I gotta say... I can't be excited about this. All I see now is yet more proof of Paperfold's greed and their lack of care for their players, as well as for the longevity of LADS.

I don't want to be a party pooper. Truly, I don't. I want to be unreservedly pumped and happy about this. As someone who came relatively late to the game, Reruns are something I've prayed for since late October when I ordered my Tablet specifically to play LADS (yes, that's how much of a Sylus simp I am). But this is not the way to go about it, imo. It's a slap in the face to F2Players and low spenders, as well as to those of us who spend a fair amount.

Just think about it. Assuming the rerun banners will have the same pity system as the regular banners, we'll need 140 wishes to be guaranteed the card we want. Now run that banner alongside a new banner, and in worse case scenario you'll need to cough up 280 wishes, in the span of a week or two. That's a lot of dias/money. And now imagine you want to rank them up...💀

And the company does this whilst giving us no additional ways to farm dias. It's a fact that at present we don't have ways to grind dias or mats regardless of whether you spend money or no. Orbits and abyssal chaos are finite. SHC is the one renewable source of dias we have and as we all know SHC is hard as shit. Especially if you main Sylus or Caleb b/c they just do not have enough cards nor Stellactrum. In Sylus' case, his one yellow four star was locked behind a paywall in the form of a Promise card, which is now no longer obtainable. As for red, he only has one. Single. Card. That's it. So basically, you will need to brute force with him not only in SHC but in Orbits which require tons of mats and stamina. Leveling up one card in this game is hella time consuming and hella expensive. Same goes for protocores. Those are also expensive af to level up.

So what I'm saying is that the game is now throwing additional banners at us whilst giving us no way of keeping up which is a HUGE issue. Hell, we can barely keep up as is. This is not conducive for longevity. The moment a competitor comes out, one with equally pretty graphics and appealing LIs, a lot of people are going to migrate to it. Because why stay with a game that does not care about its playerbase? That does not give you ways to grind or keep up? That does not even communicate with us?

And don't come at me with "Is this your first gacha?" It's a moot point. What I've written above still stands: we aren't given enough resources. Not even the bare minimum. That's a fact. And look, neither I nor anyone else is saying that this game should be free, or that F2Players should be able to obtain every single card of every single LI. Of course not. But I truly do believe that obtaining every card of your favorite LI is not unreasonable. Paperfold would not lose out on it. Whales are gonna whale anyway, and those who want to increase affinity will go for R1 or above of their fave LI regardless.

The thing is, Paperfold make tons of money. They're not a small fresh on their feet indie company. They are a multimillion company. They can afford to be more generous to their players. They can afford to give us more resources and additional ways to grind. But they do not. Because they are greedy and they do not care enough about us to even give us the bare minimum in return for all the time, money, and free marketing we give them. It's as simple as that.

(Note that when I speak negatively about Paperfold it is always directed at the execs, management team, CEO etc. The devs and the writers are amazing and deserve nothing but love and praise)

So yeah. I feel very sad and disappointed by this, especially so b/c Reruns were one of my biggest wishes for this game. But the issues and greed are too blatant for me to ignore :/

[thealexchen]

On sapphic rep in "Lost Records: Bloom and Rage"

Online, I constantly see Lost Records and games like it getting dunked on for daring to represent anybody other than the cishet white man majority. People were clowning on the original LiS and calling it "SJW garbage" back in 2015, but between our recent global political climate and the rise of violent hate crimes against marginalized populations, it's not as easy nowadays to handwave them off as baseless complaints.

That's why it's still a big deal that we have Dontnod out here self-publishing a game about four unambiguously queer women who meet and spend an unforgettable summer together. A game that they want to turn into a new franchise, and they start with the supposedly "harder to market" demographics instead of playing it safe and diversifying after a successful first entry. It's a big deal that DN intentionally centered these four girls and their relationships with each other, away from school and judgmental eyes-- aka, away from the culture of '90s Midwestern homphobia, as much as possible. Their little paradise in the secluded, impossibly beautiful Michigan woods and talks of running away are clearly evoking common queer tropes of secrecy and escape, but the difference is they are so damn happy when they are alone together.

The romances are adorable, but it's obvious how much having genuine friends means to all of them, but Swann and Kat especially. This is a game that truly celebrates female friendship and subverts the cliched cattiness, gossip, and petty drama. If you choose to have Swann admit she's afraid of being unlovable, Kat will simply respond, "We love you." Their platonic bonds don't undermine the validity of their possible romantic feelings, but provide a solid foundation of love and companionship for it instead. Their queerness feels believable because male characters are simply irrelevant to their personal lives. Even in BtS, with two women staff writers, Eliot was still shoehorned in as a Warren clone (except even creepier??) to convince Chloe that Rachel was manipulative.

In Lost Records, these girls are written like any other ordinary teenagers, not eye candy for the implicit male gamer gaze. When they ran down to the lake, I was actually worried we'd get some needless fanservice of the girls stripping to swim in their underwear like in LiS1 episode 3, but nope, there's a cut and the narrative just implies they went swimming off camera in their swimsuits. They complain and chat openly about their periods, they make gross jokes, they giggle about "mating squirrels," they have acne and insecurities, they get excited about each other's ideas, they're ride or die-- because they're teenage girls.

I have to shout out the two women on DN Montreal's writing team-- Desiree Cifre and Nina Freeman, because I was so excited when I found out that women helped write this game. In short, DN deserves their flowers! Please support this game!

[amethxxt]

so... what do we think of the new D5 characters?

Look at me ranting again :)

I wanna start off by saying that this is no hate towards the actors. My problem is with the writers.

Am I excited for Red to have a younger sister? YES. My personal headcanon is that Red has 3 younger siblings (y'know, in a universe where the Queen of Hearts isn't an absolute tyrant), and now I can't wait to see what dynamic the two of them are going to have.

My problem with Pink, is that her name is Pink. WHY? WHAT WAS THE REASON?? It took me forever to get used to "Red" and now that's what they go for when Rosa/Rose was RIGHT THERE????

I seriously don't understand why Disney's so lazy when naming Descendants characters. Sometimes, we get absolute bangers like Calista Jane and others we get shit like Pink/Li'l Shang/Herkie/Hadie and I'm like… couldn't you have at least tried? Couldn't you go to a baby name website like every author in the world has done at least once and look for something better?

How do you expect us to care about the story of those characters when you couldn't be bothered to give them a decent name?

And speaking of Hook, we have a Hazel now :)

This one surprised me because I don't think I had ever expected them to come up with another child of Captain Hook. To me, Harriet, Harry and CJ are perfect and enough.

My problem isn't even that I think it's out of character for Hook to have four children. Actually, he seems like the type that adores the sex part but doesn't give a shit about his kids and is an abusive parent. My problem is that WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH HAZEL NOW????

I have such a perfect idea of how Harriet, Harry and CJ's dynamic is and now I have to worry about introducing a brand new sister. My second problem is that I love the idea of CJ being the baby of the family for more than one reasons.

Of course, I could just ignore her, but I'm actually curious about Hazel's character and love writing about the Hook family, so I've been trying to come up with my own headcanons for my version of Descendants in case Hazel lives and in case she doesn't and we're left with the original 3.

Max is... whatever. I hate that they're gonna have him be Red's love interest because she seemed so close to Maddox that it's weird to think she'd ever see him as anything other than a friend/brother figure. Also, I'm sure he only exists because they can't have Ace in the movies because it would contradict the book or something.

I just want glassheart to be canon, is that too much to ask????

Now (just let out the biggest sigh of my life), Luis Madrigal. He might actually be my new nemesis.

Again, no hate to the actor, but seriously?! They had to throw Encanto into the mix?? I would have no problems if their new character was like, Moana's son, for example, because I can see Moana existing in the Descendants universe.

Encanto, though? I love the movie, but no. Absolutely not.

It almost feels like those skits people post to make fun of Descendants with children of characters like Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear.

Luis is not ever going to be a part of my fics but at the very least I hope Disney isn't so lazy as to make him have super strenght when that's not how gifts work in Encanto. It's not hereditary.

Honestly, I can't believe someone came up with his character and it got approved.

Everything points out to the new "core four" being Red, Chloe, Pink and Hazel, but since Rise of Red didn't do such a good job at developing Red and Chloe's friendship, I'm worried about how they're going to do that and introduce two new main characters and develop Red and Pink's dynamic because I'm sure Red isn't going to start off as the perfect older sister.

I think it'd be interesting if she felt resentment and jealousy towards Pink, because she didn't have a sister before the timeline change, but now not only does she have one, but Pink got to grow up with the good version of the Queen of Hearts and all the love Red never got.

Really nice room for angst, especially since Red and Chloe are the only ones who remember how things used to be and can't just go around talking about it.

Well, I don't know what else to say right now because I just needed to vent a little. At the end of the day, we can only hope that D5 turns out to be a good movie.

[svt-ivy]

SEVENTEEN's S.COUPS and IVY Sparks Dating Rumors after Series of Pictures Have Been Released

Do you think it's true?

Recently, a series of posts made by an anonymous user on X sparked dating rumors about the two eldest members of SEVENTEEN.

Posts which consisted of photo's of the pair taken late at night without the company of any staff members. Two can be seen holding hands in some of the pictures and being affectionate with one another.

The anonymous poster have captioned each posts with the same caption:

❝ 세븐틴 에스쿱스(S.COUPS)와 아이비(IVY)가 공개 데이트를 하며 애정을 뽐내고 있다. 그 팬들은 어떻게 생각할까 궁금하네요... ❞

(SEVENTEEN's SCOUPS and IVY have been going out on dates and showing their affection publicly. I wonder their fans would think...)

— Anonymous Poster

Carats (SEVENTEEN fans) have come to the couple's defense with some even claiming that fan's have known that there is a possibility that the two have been a couple for a long time.

❝ We've been known that they are dating and there's nothing wrong if they are. Period. ❞

— Fan

❝ 작가님 질투하시나요? (Writer, are you perhaps jealous (of their relationship)?) ❞

— Fan

❝ ㅋㅋㅋ 우리는 이미 알고 있어..... 세븐틴 행사에 가면 굽스가 보는 건 모두 아이비에요 ㅋㅋ (Lol we already know..... When you go to a SEVENTEEN, all COUPS sees is Ivy lol) ❞

— Fan

Though there still some netizens who dislikes and criticizes the idea of the pair possibly dating.

[ 혹시 아이비가 멤버들과 데이트하기 위해 이 그룹에 합류한 것은 아닐까? ㅋㅋㅋ (Could it be that Ivy join this group to date the members? lol) ]

[ 그녀는 단지 돈을 원하는 것 같습니다 ㅋㅋㅋ (Looks like she just wants money lol) ]

[ I don't understand why she's even in the group the first place. ]

The anonymous account has been banned and fans have started a massive support train for the potential couple. Negative comments and posts about the two on different social media platforms are being deleted and reported by fans.

PLEDIS Entertainment have yet to release a statement about the matter.

Click the link below to see more SEVENTEEN contents!

[+82 10 I don't get why anyone should care who they date.....]

[+1 not the K-Carats clapping back at the anonymous poster and asking if they're jealous of Ivy and S.Coups lol]

[+82 10 Did she plan to date one of them lol]

[+82 10 It's true lol S.Coups only see Ivy on events lol]

[+63 Didn’t S.Coups already confirm their relationship on a live before]

[+82 10 She does look like someone who's only out for money]

Requests are now open! Feel free to send your requests and questions for Ivy.

Comment below or send me a message to join the taglist.

[cherienymphe]

I enjoy your work and have read all of (and only) your long obx fics on ao3, so I was surprised to hear that you’ve written multiple fics where they’re siblings of black characters. Of all the obx fics of yours I’ve read I was only once certain that reader was black (WTPO) and that was solely due to her being Pope’s sister.

To someone previously commenting that Rafe is usually shipped with Kie, that is true and I can acknowledge that I suppose, but at the end of the day Sofia falls far more under white than black so that was irrelevant.

But you are right it is fanfiction so I will be more creative with my imagination lol, I wasn’t even meaning for you to be as overt and direct as ‘chocolate thighs’ but I just thought brown/tanned skin and curls wouldn’t have gone amiss.

I never once criticised you or your work, but I’ve got the impression you and some others are offended, I assumed this was a safe space to voice my opinion as it was out of curiosity more than anything

To be fair, your follow up ask definitely came off weird because like I said, how are you reading fanfiction and can't allow yourself to imagine a world where Rafe is with a black girl? Furthermore, comparing me to white writers who go out of their way to alienate certain audiences was...a choice lol. I'm not going to do what they do bc I don't want to be like them and I feel confident in saying I've collected the audience I have because I'm not like them

I get asks from woc in general all the time thanking me for creating a space where they can relax and enjoy a fic and live out certain fantasies without feeling like they're somewhere they're not wanted

You discovering me through AO3 probably plays a huge part in this bc I treat ao3 like the archive it is. Tumblr is where I thrive and through my tumblr it's obvious I'm black, and as a black woman, it wouldn't make sense for me to write fics about white readers. I'm imagining myself first and foremost 😭 all of my moodboards feature black women. I've made gif edits that only feature black women. As you've just discovered, I have multiple fics where the reader is the sibling of a black character/character with black parentage.

Everywhere you look on my page you will be confronted with the facts of who my target audience is

[nalyra-dreaming]

i just started reading the books after the show and i think one of the biggest changes is how in the book, it's clear lestat didn't deserve to be killed, whereas in the show, he very much did. that sets up all their conflicts from the first book onward, how they're both mutually awful to each other and constantly misunderstanding each other. that's the core of their conflict and i feel like that changes completely makes their whole dynamic different in the show. what do you think of this change?

(You must be new here :) *waves*)

No, Lestat did not deserve to be killed.

But the show had to make it seem so. That is why they amped up the abuse, amped up the aggravation within the tale.

It comes with the basic change they did in setting and age, to an extent, because Lestat is a lot older when he meets Louis, a lot more jaded.

And... it comes with the arc they want to do, namely "get" Lestat to the "Prince Lestat" state, as Rolin has already hinted at several times.

The route they are taking to get there... is a very different one to the books, let's put it that way, and it is not one I like all aspects of.

And it changes the dynamic, yes! But... given how much of a caveat they gave themselves with "Armand's tinkering"... it still remains to be seen how changed the Loustat dynamic actually is.

Because we have not seen the "real" Loustat dynamic yet. We have seen glimpses.

Supposedly we have seen ONE scene with the "real Lestat" so far - namely this:

This.

This is supposedly the real Lestat, with the real Louis. In a scene with a supposedly objective camera lens.

And THAT is a whole different thing to the "tale" we were fed - Armand tried to feed "us" - over the last two seasons.

It will remain to be seen, just how much... of the tale will still stand by the end of the series.

The writers have said in November 2022 they would revisit murder night, and that has not happened yet, so I'm expecting that for s3.

Because Claudia's words in her diary do not match what we saw... and so a lot of THAT will change what we currently know, too.

We will only be able to... judge what to make of the changes after the series has run. Some of them frustrate me, because of the repercussions, fandom-wise. But I don't think we have had any final word on them, tbh.

[group-dynamic]

The Pitt Episode 9 Spoilers Okay, processing that scene with Santos and Langdon. At first, it felt SO good, but now I'm thinking about the writing and trying to figure out: what's the plan?

I find it hard to imagine that we're NOT meant to enjoy that scene. Santos has been pretty unlikable: cruel to the other interns even when they tell her to stop, manipulating them / using them for personal gain, being a loose canon, but the writers are also pulling out all the classic stops to make us sympathize with her, like:

highlighting her history of abuse

having her give Dr. Mohan credit for her save

And I, unfortunately, do think they're trying to make us like and understand her, not just continuing to create a fleshed out unlikeable character, because the abuse backstory and self-sacrifice are classic cheap tropes used to garner audiences sympathy for a character when they were accidentally made too unlikable.

I sincerely felt that Santos saying Mohan actually saved the patient was an eye-roll worthy attempt by the writers to paint her as secretly good and selfless. I even considered that maybe they were suggesting that she was "taking the fall" in a way that an abuse victim might to protect a sibling, but honestly, it still felt . . . selfish and manipulative. She's a professional. Her lying seemed to have no purpose other than creating further discord and unnecessary drama. I don't doubt her emotion (which was conveyed spectacularly by the actor), but I couldn't sympathize with her even when Langdon was way over the top. I mean, let's be fair, he didn't give her any credit or support her like he would Mel in the question and answer portion of the scene. If he only likes the "unproblematic interns" then Robbie's right, he's not a great teacher.

But I still couldn't feel sympathy toward Santos. So I watched again to sort out my feelings and caught that she specifically said, "Dr. Mohan made the save by choosing to treat her even before her labs came back" and suddenly her phrasing sounded like a test of Langdon. And by congratulating Dr. Mohan and yelling at Santos, he confirmed exactly what Santos thought: he just hates her. He doesn't like her as a person, and he treats her differently because of it. (Earned or not, true or not, that's what she saw in that moment). Santos had just suggested that Mohan was the one who made a decision without him and without lab results, and rather than getting yelled at the way she would have, Mohan got praise for it. Santos doesn't even actually need to prove that she would have been yelled at if Langdon thought it was her idea, because he yelled at her anyway.

Also, having Langdon as her enemy is interesting, because it doesn't seem like we're supposed to dislike him. He's poignantly great to Mel in that same episode, he's usually in the right, gets the job done well, etc. so his attacks on Santos feel jarring. I don't know how complexly the writer's are thinking about this, it's possible they're just fumbling the story line, but it's deeply interesting that they made sure Dr. Robbie called Langdon out because Robbie's the voice of the show, you know? He's the teacher. We're supposed to listen to him. (But honestly, Santos has been painted so negatively by the writers that we even find ourselves as an audience getting mad at him for defending her!)

NOW! Theories:

There's no grand plan, here. They want to be sure every character has flaws and positive qualities and it was just Langdon's turn to be wrong / over-stressed / spin out and Santos's turn to be somewhat vindicated.

Santos is being set up as the "boy who cried wolf," who even the audience won't believe over the conventionally attractive white boy when it turns out she's right about (the drugs or something, take your pick.)

Santos and Langdon are being set up as parallels in an "when I was her age, I was a maverick and people died, I'm trying to course correct my younger self" way

The audience's hatred of her is intended and moments like her yelling at the intubated potential abuser is not a poor attempt to paint her in a heroic light, but actually further evidence that Langdon is right about her: she's going to kill someone before the end of the shift or seriously hurts herself.

They're trying to flesh out Santos's mental and emotional landscape by demonstrating how a history of abuse impacts how she thinks and reacts to men like Langdon. This one's hard to accept without insulting both characters, honestly, but he really got out of control insulting her when he was yelling at her, and she put herself in a situation to be yelled at. Cycle of abuse / revictimizing, something something??

I am ready to be surprised by whatever direction they're intending to take this, but if they want the audience to start liking Santos they shot themselves in the foot with her characterization early on. Langdon's yelling at her was way over the top and undeserved in that moment, and he's definitely picking on her at this point, but. . .we grew impatient toward her at the same rate that he did, so the audience is going to be on his side even in inappropriate moments like this.

[the--highlanders]

Hii, I'm trying to think Jamie-related thoughts. And I guess I'm thinking about how he's often characterised by his limitations as a young 18th century man, but he travelled with the Doctor for so long. How much do you think he ever got used to technology?And what are some other things that he would've got used to in his travels or other time zones that he never thought he would?

oh I absolutely think he gets very used to technology!! he's probably never quite as fluent with really futuristic stuff as, say, zoe is, but I almost think he might take to it more easily than ben and polly do - because they're working with a 60s expectation of phones, computers, etc, whereas jamie has no expectations whatsoever. and also seems to be happy enough to press buttons until something works.

the writers' occasional insistence that he stays fairly oblivious to technology or things from other time periods, and so the implication that he's not very bright, is. a bit of canon I'm willing to handwave away honestly. it does him such an injustice. & it doesn't even hold up with other bits of canon! sure, the dominators write him off as having a 'simple brain' (which honestly feels more like it's because he's human than anything about him as an individual - they also complain he has only one heart. zoe might also have been dismissed as having a simple brain if she'd been in his place!), but they also say he shows signs of rapid learning.

we also see that he's very adaptable and good at figuring out /that/ things work, even if he doesn't know /how/ - for instance, he gets out of the krotons' machine by putting together what two and zoe must have done, even though he doesn't know the science behind it. he takes to the radio he's given in the invasion immediately, works the communications part of the rocket in the seeds of death, works the target training machine in tomb of the cybermen without anyone showing him how.

in the end I think he just winds up with a very patchwork knowledge depending on what he's been exposed to and what he's interested in. he doesn't know what a train is in evil of the daleks, but he can probably explain the engine of a specific spaceship to you because it was critical to some adventure they had last week. he likes recorded music and documentaries and things that make life easier.

in terms of other things he adapts to... jamie's interesting because he's very flexible and open but also still puts a lot of stock in his own culture and values. I think he'd be very open to different sorts of people and alien cultures and how they live, even if it confused him. again I think a lot of it sort of washes over him, and he carries that knowledge with him but otherwise nods along and just carries on being himself. but I also don't think anyone could travel for as long as he does and end up changed by it somehow!

food from different places and times is probably a big one - he may or may not like it, but he'll always give it a try, and the things he likes he probably winds up trying to cook for himself as well. (the food machine is something I don't think he ever adapts to, just on principle. maybe the tardis' milk detector was put there for him because he wanted the real deal.) again, music - it's such a big part of his life and identity and I think he'd be really interested in other people's music. he jams quite happily to whatever is playing on his radio in the invasion, and picks up the closest thing he can find to bagpipes in the wheel of ice. he probably winds up with a whole collection of different musical instruments he's picked up.

being able to read and write is probably something that takes him by surprise, once he's used to it - he would never have considered it a skill he's /missing/, just one he wouldn't expect to have or need, and I think it takes him a while to come around to actually wanting to learn. but once he does it obviously ends up being useful for him, but also I think he reads a lot in his spare time, just because he's a curious person. he still likes to get information by listening, hence the documentaries thing (he'd probably also like audiobooks even more than actual books!), but he'll quite happily read as well.

reading is probably the thing that comes most as a surprise to him, honestly! everything else I think he just sort of. takes in stride. it might be unexpected just because he never imagined it existing, but he'll give anything a shot.

[there-are-many-ways-to-smile]

I love Castlevania. It's a great show. I love Trevor and Sypha. I love Richter and Annette. I stan both ships. I do, truly.

However with that said...

The writers for the show can't write romance to save their lives. It really feels like it's coming out of nowhere.. like I'm watching Castlevania nocturne s1 right now, and Annette was legit shit talking about Richter for running away and like the next episode they're blushing at each other. They at least could have sprinkle the romance around a little bit more.