#but that doesn't lessen the value of my work or my time

[izloveshorses]

sometimes the stupid soft-spoken midwesterner in me makes me feel like i'm overcharging for commissions and then when i sit and do the math. when you charge a professional hourly rate ($40 per hour) alone. you realize i am severely Undercharging! and we haven't even factored in cost of supplies, additional revisions, price of labor,,,,,, someone shake my shoulders and tell me to toughen up pls.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Ok so, I love all the shorts you post on here, you are building up a background of Competent Officer but Emotionally Stunted Price and Emotionally Intelligent and Badass Nik. Cool, fabulous.

But I've got to ask; what is Nik's sore spot?

With the extra decade it does make sense that he is more sure of himself and his relationships generally but you did touch on it with the body image/food one and mentioned it in passing with the how they met bit. Does the age gap get to him sometimes? All the loud machines (and guns) is he worried about his hearing going?

Or, his English is pretty good but does he sometimes get lost with fast speakers/strong accents?

What about something more silly? Is he fine with spiders but gets freaked out by daddy long legs (like me)? Is he wildly afraid of moths? Is he fine with big injuries but if he get a papercut is it the end of the world? Does he suffer terribly from Man Flu?

On a more domestic note, what irritates Price about him? I mean, no one is perfect right?

Does he always leave the bathroom in a state? Do all the broken noses mean he snores like a bear with a head cold (admittedly that might apply to Price as well)? Is he like my Dad and has very strong opinions on adverts and regularly go on rants about how the ad has nothing to do with the product? Does he like Marmite and Price hates it (or vice versa)?

Some excellent questions. I think Nik's weaknesses or vulnerabilities are tied up with his strengths, which I know sounds weird, but hear me out:

- This man is mad intelligent. He speaks eight languages, he canonically can fly pretty much anything (from what I've seen). He was significant enough in knowledge and skills for MI6 to go for him twice. Weakness: his intelligence can sometimes make him coldly logical. Look at how he didn't even blink twice at terrifying Butcher's family; I think that feeds well into Price's ruthlessness. He cares deeply about those he loves, but if you're not "his"? He won't even blink when pulling the trigger if it will help meet his goals.

- Linked to the above, he values his physical strength and his intellect. They make him worth something and he doesn't feel he has any intrinsic worth just as Nik. (Overbearing and demanding Soviet General father made it clear Nik needed to earn his place in the world.) If he feels they are declining or lessening, this is going to throw him through a loop. Big time. (Well noted from the food ficlet.)

- I think he was hugely, perhaps even suicidally, depressed when he turned informant. That conflict of loyalty and morality would have been difficult for his mind to process. I think that explains his apparently unflinching loyalty to Price and Laswell. In his eyes, they saved his life by giving him a purpose. (Nik you stupid fuck you literally set up Chimera and you're a hugely wealthy arms dealer off your own back wtf mate.) Nik never really had time to heal from that, he papered over it and got on with the job. I think as he settles down with Price, he will need to go to therapy. A lot of it.

- He is untidy (not unclean) at home. Laundry on the floor by the basket, never puts books away, gets fixated on a project at the expense of other things. It's like he left the military and his psyche rebelled against the bits he hated the most. Price can't compute how he can be so clinical at work and yet a complete clusterfuck at home. The garage is full of vehicles and appliances he disassembled and never put back together. Man's lucky he's dynamite in bed.

Nik is a "good" man in so far as he can be in a morally grey position. I write him with Price, through Price's lens, so we see "hero protagonist Nik" because that's who he is to/with Price. However, I do have a little ficlet tucked away when a jealous Ghost confronts him in Paris, and he tells Ghost, "If you take a shot, boy, you better not miss, because it will not happen again", and Ghost realises just why Price chose this man as his life partner. He's exactly the same level of ruthless.

[gojeto]

How Gojo and Geto are examples of well written prejudice and character arcs

Just rambling here since it has been on my mind.

Both Gojo and Geto have shown prejudice towards non-sorcerers in jjk and how that directly influences the arcs they have. And in many ways, they swap morals/ views on life and non-sorcerers.

But first we have to establish implicit and explicit bias.

Implicit bias is where the bias is not obvious to the person who believes in them, but is implied and inferred through their words and actions. Early Geto is a perfect example of this. He clearly wants to help and protect non-sorcerers, but he is is often unknowingly condescending towards them. He looks down upon non-sorcerers, even though it is unintentional. Geto, and many other sorcerers, most likely learned such an outlook at a young age. It is shown many times that many sorcerers look down on non-sorcerers, though each sorcerer varies in how explicit they are in their bias.

Explicit bias is where it is obvious to the person who believes them and they make no effort to sugarcoated or hide it. Early Gojo fits into this. He shows few morals and is blunt about how he sees non-sorcerers as less than and believes they don't deserve protecting. How it is rooted in a weak versus strong narrative that has been force-feed to sorcerers for years, only for it to be reinforced even more into Gojo since he is "the strongest among the strong." That he came to believe that protecting them is just a waste of his time and potential, as well as the time and potential of other sorcerers.

If their mission with Amanai never happened, or if it didn't go so sour, they could have ended up in very different places in life. Geto could have worked out his biases, and so could Gojo. Or Gojo could have experienced something else that would lead him down a dark path. But the mission did happened and it permanently affected where their arcs would go.

This is where we must cover positive versus negative character arcs.

A positive character arc is where a character starts in either a dark or average place and experiences growth throughout the story. This applies to Gojo. A strong yet exceptionally flawed teenager who grows into a stronger and less flawed man. Since the mission, Gojo worked tirelessly to better himself and his abilities. As an adult, Gojo has values and morals, and his prejudice towards non-sorcerers, while still there to some degree, has lessened quite a bit. While as a teenager, he wouldn't have cared if a non-sorcerer got killed, as an adult he actively tries to avoid death as much as possible. However, unlike his teenage years, he is exceptionally more lonely.

A negative character arc is when a character starts in a good or average place and goes to a bad/ dark place throughout the story. This is what happens to Geto. He went from a strong student with a bright future ahead of him to a genoc!dle racist. Since the mission, Geto spiraled into a depression, giving into the dark thoughts he had about killing all non-sorcerers to end curses. His implicit bias became explicit bias and he embraced it with open arms, to the point where it almost seems forced. Almost as though, once he reaches adulthood, he knows he cannot turn back and as to constantly remind himself and others how much he hates non-sorcerers by calling them monkey's 24/7. He has to justify it to himself constantly to ensure he never reconsiders, bathing in the darkness of his soul, allowing any and all formerly repressed darkness dictate every aspect of his life. If you're familiar with Carl Jung's map of the soul, it is like he has given into his shadow and it has merged with his ego (shadow = the bad parts of ourselves we don't show others, ego = our true selves). But he doesn't view himself as a villain. As the saying goes, "every villain is the hero of their own story."

While my stgu shipper self is sad we didn't get to see more of them together and never had the potentially romantic part of their friendship explored (ie any romantic feelings they might have had for each other), I still do like that Gege explored how trauma can influence peoples preconceived biases. Not to mention how he tied it in perfectly with the many flaws of Jujutsu society, such as its heavy prejudice. And how it is an allegory for our society and its flaws and issues.

[wisheduponastar]

*･༓˚✧ ❝𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞❞ ‧͙⁺˚༓˚✧ « Whumptober Day 9 »

Wordcount : 1.7k / Read on Ao3

Obsession | broken window | bruises | “frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble”

Summary : Boromir would do anything for his younger brother; hang the moon and stars, hold him forever, promise that he'll always be by his side. That he'll always be there to protect him. That he'll always love him. And Boromir makes those last three promises, and he's determined to always be there - no matter the foe. He will value Faramir above everything else.

Or, Boromir learns that some promises can't be kept. Even when you want them to be.

TWs : Child abuse, angst, helplessness, bittersweet ending

With a smashing sound, loud and harsh against the joyful noises that had been heard, Faramir's sword collides with the window - Boromir's pushing into it. Instinctively Boromir pulls his little brother back, away from the danger and towards him. The sword falls to the floor and he can hear Faramir tense beside him, taking a small step towards him.

"Are you hurt?" Briefly checking for glass, Boromir sheaths his sword before looking to his little brother.

"Only shaken." Faramir gives a quick smile then turns to gaze at the window and shards on the floor. "Which is more than can be said for the poor window."

At his brother's quip Boromir laughs, "If you can wield that sword half as well against our enemies, you'll soon be Gondor's best."

Ducking, both to pick his sword and to avoid his brother's attempts at ruffling his hair, Faramir clears the glass of the blade. "D'you suppose father will be angry?"

Boromir thinks back to his own youth, the trouble he got into. "No. Still, it is best you alert someone of the mess."

Faramir gives a non-committal hum, and there's a moment of silence before Boromir begins to move his brother away - not willing to have him near the shards. Faramir tries to protest before eventually giving up, promising to come back quickly with a maid. As Boromir gathers some of the larger glass shards he tries to suppress a wince. It's entirely his fault the window is broken, although he knows Faramir will blame himself.

The skill with which Faramir wields a sword, dancing with the blade and almost becoming one with it, easily makes Faramir one of his best soldiers. But it also makes Boromir forget his brother is still young, isn't strong enough to parry one of Boromir's blows. He could probably outsmart Boromir in combat, however, and that's something they should work on. Most of the shards are cleared when a servant comes to him and takes over.

He doesn't get too far before running into one of his father's aides, a small smile on their face. The grin is knowing, and Boromir is reminded of the times he's sparred with them, as well as the accidents that have occurred. "Next time, if the two of you could spar in an appropriate place."

"We will."

"Good." The smile lessens slightly and they speak again, “Also, Lord Denethor wishes to speak to you about it. At the earliest convenience.”

‘The earliest convenience’ is a longhanded way of saying now, and Boromir can never figure out why they don’t simply say that. He knows that, in proper court, it should not be used - but he is around people he has known for years, talking about someone he has known for years. Still, he bows slightly and then begins to walk in the direction of the hall. “My father is still in his halls, I assume?”

“His studies, sire.” 

Boromir simply nods, although inwardly he’s not sure why his father is there. He knows there’s some meetings today, perhaps he has simply caught him at a lucky time. Or an unlucky time, depending on how he is to view it. Still, when Boromir knocks on the door to his father’s study he is greeted well, and bade to come in. “You must stop indulging your younger brother as you do.”

The words are said mildly, but matter-of-factly, and Boromir knows there is little leeway. “It was not he who suggested we spar there, father. But I will be more careful.”

“I trust you to be. Although I understand it was his sword that went through the window.”

“Only by the forcing of my hand.” Boromir does not like to give up the fight, and so adopts his father’s tone - that he will not move on this issue, on his beliefs.

“Very well.” His father lets out a small sigh before smiling at his eldest, “You are good to him, Boromir.”

There’s a moment of silence, and brief moment of melancholy - in which Boromir knows he is missing something but cannot figure out what - before his father speaks again, this time of a different matter. Informing him of the meeting he has had today, what that could mean for larger Gondor, and then a brief congratulations on Boromir’s progress. It is only a small advancement, but the fact his father knew to comment on it makes him smile. When Boromir does leave it is in better spirits, almost enough for him to forget about the window - or at least lose the negativity from it.

It doesn’t cross Boromir’s mind for the rest of the day, or at least until he sits down to eat dinner. It has been awkward for a long time, the concept of a family meal when it’s so obvious that the whole family isn’t there. Even the way the table is designed makes it about that they’re all missing her. Some days are better than others, and today is worse. The little conversation Boromir tries to make is only picked up by his father, and even then the answers are short. Any other talking isn’t about how people’s days are, but merely to schedule things and make sure what’s going on. Faramir finishes his food quickly and asks to be dismissed, briefly dipping his head to his brother before leaving. 

Boromir struggles to go to bed, the thought of his brother sitting silently at the table and the broken glass playing on his mind. The contrast between the warmth his father spoke to him alone and the curtness that he spoke with when they are all together. As he goes to sleep he resolves to talk to Faramir about it, to make sure his brother knows it was an accident and no-one blames him. When he wakes up that is the first thing on his mind as well.

Faramir is not there at breakfast, although that isn’t entirely surprising. He isn’t in the library either, which is more unusual. Or his room, or even the main training grounds. But eventually he does find his younger brother, in one of the smaller training rooms - silently running through basic training drills, alone. The sword goes through the air again, almost perfectly.

“Well done.” The words immediately break the silence and Faramir jumps, sword slipping out of his hand.

He immediately takes a step back before looking at his older brother and then the training sword, “I. My apologies, you startled me. I… should have been paying more mind to my surroundings.”

“There is nothing to forgive.” Crossing the gap between the two of them, Boromir picks up the sword. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s a training sword.” A hint of exasperation enters Faramir’s voice, but his eyes don’t light up as they usually do. “I didn’t even hit me.”

Noticing the difference, Boromir takes a second to look over his brother. To see that he’s holding himself slightly more rigidly, with slightly less eye contact. “Faramir… how are you hurt?”

“I’m not.” Faramir is trying to sound reassuring, Boromir can tell that much, but his eyes glance to his wrist and he speaks too quickly.

“If you’re sure.” Boromir holds out the sword, placing it slightly in his little brother's hand. Then he guides the hilt up, placing his hand against his little brothers. Enough to put force on, but not enough to suddenly cause pain. Except Faramir winces.

They both stay silent for a second, and Faramir takes in a deep breath that’s far too shaky for Boromir’s liking. Gently, Boromir takes the sword out of his hands and lets it slide to the floor. “Faramir?”

His little brother freezes slightly more, then stays still and silent. It’s up to Boromir to probe again, “Faramir, may you show me your wrist?”

“Promise me.” His voice is shaking and Faramir takes a pause. “Promise me you won’t do anything, that you’ll only look at it.” “Faramir.” Boromir feels his heart break, to hear his brother so afraid. Looking into his eyes, Boromir speaks again. “I’m the Steward’s son. I promise, whoever has done this, I can deal with them. I swear I will help.”

“You-” He cuts himself off, and then Faramir gently pulls up his wrist. There’s the etchings of a bruise there, a handprint a little larger than Boromir’s own. It looks painful, recent, and it’s on his brother's skin. Boromir feels sick, slightly, and angry. But most of all he feels a mixture of protectiveness and heartbreak, that Faramir didn’t feel safe to go to him. And that he will do everything in his power to keep this from happening again. He takes a breath, and tries to remember how young Faramir still is. That it makes sense he wouldn’t act entirely rationally.

“Faramir, I promise I can help. You… you don’t need to be afraid of whoever did this to you. I will protect you.”

At that, Faramir begins to shake his head before rushing into Boromir’s arms. He can feel Faramir begin to cry, shaking and burying his head into Boromir’s chest. The sobbing continues for only a second, before Faramir begins to try and taper them off again. Then he looks up at Boromir, a look of utter defeat in his eyes. “You can’t. He-” The admission brings fear back into his eyes, but Boromir nods again. So his little brother takes a deep breath, “He… outranks you.”

At first Boromir’s mind goes to different military commanders, and what reason any of them would have to hurt Faramir. And then his mind slows for a second, and he realises that Faramir doesn’t mean to outrank him in military power.

Boromir looks down at his younger brother, his own flesh and blood he loves so much, and feels his heart break slightly. As something changes forever, something he’ll never get back again. And he pulls his brother back into his arms. “I am so sorry.”

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hi, I’m INFJ. I need to ask: 1) what I should improve myself to feel less put off at Ts in general, to lessen the T & F difference 2) Tips on communication w Ts, especially INTJ.

Ik you said ppl’s strength underlie their weakness & vice versa, so they have a set of advantages to offer. As much as I’d like to dismiss it, I suck at Ti (I’m improving by learning critical thinking). I need to view Ts less judgmentally.

I had personal motivations for handling immaturity, but that wasn’t the only drive. The other (great) one is my feelings for my childhood INTJ friend, who I’m having a crush on & is asking me out. I’ve had feelings for him since childhood.

I used to think we couldn’t go out because of my immaturity. I suck at handling personality setbacks/criticisms/etc. (all date back to bad Fe & Ti lol). Later, I became more honest w my feelings, better at expressing genuinely, finally more logical than before (some positive changes for my own sake). But I still feel unable to bridge the gap w the Ts (esp TJs).

I hate this state, it robs me off chance for a greater relationship w the guy I’ve loved for years. I’m better than before, but I still fear this won't work. Our friendship is great, time passed but we still share many central values like how close we are to our family, definition of independence, pet peeves, political spectrum. I used to suck at not making a disagreement a heated argument, but with time, I got better at It. We had found the way to disagree while still being able to fully understand the others’ POV. I got more grounded thanks to him, too. But our growth was platonic.

Communication challenges are still considerable. I never used to tell him my feelings and I’ve never been in relationships before. But he’s already been in a few. I’m into this possible change as much as I’m willing to stay the same, because I’m so scared whether being his girlfriend will actually be a good choice. Help :(

------------------

You say you get the idea of everyone having strengths/weaknesses but it doesn't sound like you really do. On the surface, it's not a bad thing to want to improve upon your weaknesses, but your approach to it is problematic. You still haven't understood that the first step must be to accept and embrace weaknesses, because proper self-improvement has to come from a place of love - not hate.

You are standing in front of someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses and still loves you and wants to start a life together. Yet you cannot accept being loved by him. Why? Because you haven't yet learned to love yourself, so you can't imagine that others can, either.

It sounds to me like it is lovingkindness you need to work on. Critical thinking isn't going to help you accept and embrace all of yourself, is it? When you finally learn how to approach yourself, your life, and others with an attitude of love, the relationship problems you've described have no reason to arise.

For example: If you can accept your insecurities, own them and talk about them openly and still love yourself, who can trigger them? If you can accept and love him both for his strengths and weaknesses, why would they cause you any conflict? And when conflicts arise as they inevitably do in intimate relationships, if you approach them with a reconciliatory attitude, why wouldn't they get resolved?

At the heart of your question is not personality but your self-worth and self-esteem. Until you address those issues, your attempts at function development are at high risk of getting twisted up. Ni+Fe should allow you to envision beautiful potential for love, but you are using them to invent more ways to hate and punish yourself.

Relationships aren't about being perfect and being able to handle everything perfectly. If that's what you're unconsciously aiming for, then you're imposing a very unreasonable burden on yourself. Failing to achieve false images of perfection only exacerbates self-hatred in a vicious cycle.

[tangent101]

The Ethics of Empathic Powers in LiS:TC

One of the big selling points for Life is Strange: True Colors was that Max CaulfieldAlex Chen's magical powers would be empathy - more specifically a combination of Object Reading (through the strength of emotions felt concerning those objects), Emotional Intelligence (being able to manage your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you), and Emotional Manipulation. Of these, the most questionable would be Emotional Manipulation, and it's an ability that Alex uses several times... with two significant events where that ability ends up with significant repercussions.

The two moments include a moment when Charlotte is feeling intense anger at her son, whose actions indirectly led to the death of her fiancé Gabe (Alex's brother), where Alex can... take in Charlotte's anger, and in the fear being felt by Officer Pike (where Alex again can take in the fear and help Pike overcome his paranoia and fear of the mining corporation Typhon).

Interestingly enough, this was an area where I disagreed with my spouse, as they chose not to manipulate Charlotte but did take in Officer Pike's fear. My reasoning was that if it is unethical to take in Charlotte's anger, then would it not be unethical to do the same for Officer Pike? What's more, Alex was in the wrong. She had stolen property from a Typhon employee and recruited someone to break the encryption on it to get evidence of potential wrong-doing by Typhon. Legally, the evidence is not admissible in a court of law as it was stolen and not a whistleblowing event from an employee.

(The smart thing to do in this case would have been to copy the data and then return the flash drive as "found when I was cleaning up" as it would lessen suspicion, and then deliver the evidence to a news organization as they are not a court of law.)

Here's the thing. Is it ethical to use emotional manipulation/control on a person to save your life? I would say yes. But is this to save Alex's life? No. Alex is threatened with arrest (and rightfully so), though the value of the flash drive is minimal. It would be a misdemeanor at best. The evidence on the flash drive is embarrassing and reveals that the company was covering up malfeasance but the financial value of the stolen property is... most likely under $100. What's more, if news organizations learned that Typhon had had arrested the sister of a man who died because of mining activity Typhon was involved in, especially given that it would be easy to access satellite phone records that reveal that Gabe did in fact call Typhon? It would most likely result in an investigation that causes Typhon a lot of trouble. Typhon was just trying to scare Alex. And it works.

So it's unethical to use Alex's abilities to influence Officer Pike. Using her Emotional Intelligence aspect of empathy to learn more about his fears of Typhon are allowable (if borderline questionable) as anyone with sufficient emotional intelligence would be able to determine this sort of thing just by reading body language and the like. (A lot of empathy is subconscious emotional intelligence rather than anything psychic, and people can unfortunately allow that psychological perception of a person to influence their own emotions - which makes me suspect emotional intelligence has two separate elements which are not necessarily equal - someone may have control over their own emotions and yet not be able to easily understand the emotions of those around them... and vise versa.)

One of the nice things about TC is that we actually see repercussions for Alex unethically using her empathic abilities - she flies into a rage if she chose to take in Charlotte's anger, and Charlotte refuses to side with her against Typhon because it doesn't matter to her now, and she suffers a bout of intense paranoia and fear if she takes in Pike's fear and likewise, Pike starts acting in a... unprofessional manner during the final confrontation with Diane and Jeb.

This is also one of the nice things about True Colors over the original Life is Strange... that we see actual ethical issues in play here. With Max and the Rewind, there is little actual ethical issues in play here over her use of her abilities. Even the ending choice is not a matter of a "Good End" and a "Evil End" (no matter what certain folk working for Deck Nine might claim) as we never had any evidence that the Rewind caused the Storm and the person who does accuse Max of causing the Storm also thought the Storm was a Category 6 Storm (which doesn't exist) (and he was also a 16 year old boy whose knowledge base came from watching movies - and his choice of movies that he enjoyed were... questionable.) The second Life is Strange game did start wandering down the road of ethics, but this was more building on what was more important: family or following the law (even when the law was unjust).

[monstersandmaw]

i saw your post about feeling like it isn't worth it to write cuz of reblogs lacking etc and wanted to let you know that even if they're not interacting with it, somebody out there saw it and enjoyed it, or even needed it.

i feel a bit bad for dragging my feet on this, am sorri, but i wanted to say thank you for your writing, the way you build up your little worlds and scenes and characters, and fill them with this genuine little warm and cozy feeling that you can just curl up in. (and pull off plot beats and subtle hints like a pro. :})

because i stumbled across your stories when i was at a severe low point, trying to patch myself up mentally after an abusive mess. and your stories, your writing, all the warmth and coziness and genuineness and just how sweet and intimate you craft relationships- it helped. deeply. it helped remind me what a good healthy and loving relationship looks like, what i should look up to and gauge a future one on, what i shouldn't bend on just because someone doesn't like it - and yes, i know, you're not the sole arbiter of relationship standards, please don't worry - but it still helped so much then. it reminded me that the hell i went though wasn't normal, wasn't on me, and i kept going thru your stories to remind me on the worse days. and those bad days kept coming less, because reminding me eventually gave me a small little constant flame of understanding and hope and relief with all this. and so your writing means and represents so fucking much to me. so thank you. so much.

obviously one person's experience doesn't make up for that work-to-appreciation ratio, or even a tiny number. but i hope knowing that for someone, (maybe even many someones), your writing represents more than just regular reading fodder- helps lessen the feeling of writing not being worth it for you. even if it's a tiny tiny bit.

I don’t have enough words for how lovely and kind (and brave) this is of you, Anon. Thank you.

I never mean to guilt trip people into reblogging, and only ever mean it as a general rule to encourage people who don’t know or aren’t sure about the etiquette, or to remind people who just comment ‘more pls’ without any other effort/nuance.

For those like this sweet Anon who don’t have the spoons or the energy or the time or whatever, you absolutely carry on as you are. It’s always so hard making posts which try to get people fired up about reblogging because I know it’s also going to look like I’m pressuring the quieter folk to do something they’re not comfortable with etc.

Know that at the heart of it, you’re all welcome here, whether you’re lurking and chilling out, or reblogging left right and centre.

Thank you for taking the time and effort out of your day to reassure me with this, Anon, and I hope you know you’re as treasured and valued as anyone else who contributes to this community simply by being here with us to enjoy all the creations people share.

Take good care of yourself, and goodnight from a very warm room somewhere in the south of England :). 👻💤

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

And to all the people who complained about Danganronpa being liner, Last Defence Academy supposedly has 100 DIFFERENT ENDINGS. I’m fairly sure this is a joke, because if not, hooo boooyyy that’s gonna massively add replayability to this game.

//No, knowing Kodaka and Uchikoshi, I take them with a certain degree of seriousness.

//However, I've never minded Danganronpa's linear story, and even if pulling off something like that is possible, which it definitely is with enough effort, there are some issues I have with it.

//For one, 100 Line would have to be a relatively short game for that to work, because that many endings encourages copious amounts of replay value. It makes me worry that it'll affect the normally brilliant character writing that we're used to from Kodaka and Uchukoshi.

//Also, players run the danger of becoming overwhelmed since too many endings could lessen the relevance of each outcome and lessen the impact of the finale. And it creates a sense of unease and oftentimes annoyance if things don't end the way people want it to.

//PLUS plus, there's a pretty probable chance that each of the endings will only differ slightly, and that makes it feel like the choices lack weight, or that we're being made to replay the game for minimal reward.

//Kind of like how Sonic Heroes makes you play the main campaign three times, with the only real difference being the dialogue that happens from the four teams, who all play the exact same.

//The point is maintaining a coherent, engaging story across so many conclusions is incredibly difficult without risking repetition or narrative bloat.

//Now, I don't know much about video game development personally, but one of my biggest concerns about it is a game like this seems to require a massive amount of content creation, testing, and narrative balancing, which can lead to inconsistencies in quality. And that stuff is expensive, evident by the fact that TooKyo games have gone into LITERAL DEBT over this game.

//If The Hundred Line doesn't sell well, it could be the end of their company.

//Now, I'm pretty confident that with both Hundred Line AND Tribe Nine in development, it won't come to that.

//But regardless, I do have to say something here that's been quite heavy on my mind since recent things.

//Please, if you can, support Kodaka and his company, and stop bitching about getting another Danganronpa game. That's out of his control, and the man has openly said that his goal in life is to make the games that he wants to make.

//So let him, or better yet, HELP him.

-Mod

[julietcpulet]

Strong Female Leads

Let me say this. As much as I like Artful Dodger and will probably watch it a few times and adore the romance as whole, Belle's overall character I do have my issues with. This idea that the 'Strong Female Lead' basically just means she's rude and dismissive of anything the man has to say is not my cup of tea. I don't think to be a strong woman you have to dismiss or belittle men, nor do you have to take over and be apart of every profession and sphere a man is a part of to show that a woman can be an equal. Equal can mean other things besides sharing the same skills. Relationships are about balance and not always about two people who share the same pay, the same skills and the same job to prove they are equals. The way the show belittles Fanny for wanting to be a wife, liking homemaking skills and things like art and culture is a sad commentary that you aren't allowed to like those things because they don't make you a strong woman. I disagree. You can be a strong woman and a homemaker. You can be a strong woman and not ambitious professionally, they're not mutually exclusive. And even if you are a woman who seeks professional ambition, that doesn't mean it's right to demean others who don't want the same.

I stated it in a reblog of an earlier post but the caricature of the 'Strong Female Lead' is that she's sexually liberated, strong-willed, more intelligent than men and usually a bit of a brat. Several times during the show Belle says rude, out-of-touch things to Jack but when he says anything back to her he's deemed by her to be the one ignorant and mean. The biggest instance of this is when she has him to go the dinner mostly for her own ambitions, gets him humiliated and then when he has the guts to tell her as much she feels slighted that he wouldn't go along with it. She later apologizes, somewhat half-heartedly, but confronts Jack expecting him to as well, which he does, when honestly there was actually nothing for him to apologize for. The same problem goes for her wishing to ignore status only in certain circumstances but then expecting it to be recognized in others. She wants her status as a woman to be disregarded so that Jack will allow her to practice medicine but then expects him and others, including severely ill patients to call her "Milady" due to her status as Governors daughter.

In this way the 'Strong Female Lead' archetype gets on my nerves because instead of trying to show the importance of men and women learning to work together, using the strengths each has to benefit the other, it becomes an us vs. them power struggle where it's about seeing who's the best and how one can outdo the other to prove their worth. Being a strong woman shouldn't come at the cost of a man's dignity. We shouldn't have to tear down a man to build ourselves up. Men should be allowed to have spheres and places they inhabit that women don't, not because it's sexist but because it can be recognized that there are different strengths and there are spheres of strength only women can inhabit that men cannot.

One of the most pivitol moments of the show where Belle showed some strength of character was in saying she would not sleep with Jack until she was married. The idea that a strong woman means she must be sexually free is a prominent one but strong women can be ones that hold out for marriage as well. Of course the show decided to go back on this declaration not one episode later, undoing all of the impact this boundary could've had. Instead of teaching that the 'Strong Female Lead' is only this one type of woman, wouldn't it have been more interesting if Belle had learned to lessen her criticism of everyone, use her intelligence to lift people up not tear them down and hold on to her principles of wanting marriage before sex even if she passed before that could be achieved? This could show that a strong lead is someone who can understand their value doesn't come from needing to prove yourself at every turn and it's okay to not know everything all the time because you can respect others who have different skills than yours. So let's respect that 'Strong Female Lead' can mean more than what writers these days like to tell us it means. You don't have to be brash to be a strong woman, there are many facets to us so let's stop showing only a few.

[rkwritingprojects]

Fisk the Rabbit

Warning for multiple possibly triggering things in this. Fisk is one of the MOST fucked up characters in my personal roster due to her past, along with her current scenario. Please keep this in mind.

Fisk is a brown, mobian lop rabbit with dark brown spots on various parts of her body. The tips of her ears, a thin border around her eyes, and lightly spotted on her arms and legs. This also matches her hair, usually pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Her muzzle color is extremely pale, and that color matches the oval that consists of the midfront of her body, as well as underneath the little pom-tail she has.

While her eyes were naturally a color that would've matched her darker brown features, they now are, instead, ruby red. Though, at times, some could swear that they look more like a glowing crimson.

If anyone where to ask about her, little would be exactly. . . Known about her. She had appeared one day, randomly, and just kinda. . . Stuck around. While initially a bit of an asshole, she's softened up over time. Despite being far from the best person in the world, she still cares about others. . . 'Moral obligation', she calls it.

She is not in any databases, and no one recalls her any time prior to her arrival to various areas and doing certain things. This makes her seem like an anomaly to most. She also never directly talks about her past to most people, with very few exceptions.

She, most of the time, can be seen spending her days around various GUN buildings, being a general pain in the ass, but also causing GUN members to quit on a regular basis. The rabbit quite enjoys the irritation this causes the higher-ups, and doesn't intend to stop anytime soon. After all. . . She can't help it if GUN is a bunch of useless assholes-

In truth, she had been kidnapped when she was but a small kit, by a being she doesn't know much about, even to this day. She was almost always out of it, unable to comprehend reality from fiction. Made to go into various highs and lows over the years.

Her very being was look upon, tweaked and changed in ways that most tests had failed before this point. One would question. . . How does one change the essence of a soul? Is the soul ever the same after? Or is it still. . . Mobian?

She was meant to be the answer to these kinds of questions for the being that had ahold of her. Surviving out of pure willpower, and even just the instinct to survive even when it ran out. Her pure ability to live though such things was what made her one of the favorites, the preferred of the subjects that they had obtained over the years.

Or, at the very least, the most recent one until she got away.

This time when her soul was tweaked and tormented like this caused permanent effects on both her mind and body. The least of the issues would be the identification marker, drilled and screwed into her left hand's bones so it could never, truly, disappear. A constant reminder that she wasn't ever quite alone.

Many nerves in her body no longer work as they used to. Most of them are prolonged or lessened, with the worst being her ears. under extreme duress, they can twitch and try to perk up, but it tends to be painful if anything.

She finds herself constantly needing a particular kind of release, at least once a day. More if she's stressed. She never takes it forcefully, even when she's unable to get the release she needs. Despite it all, she cares about the consent of others, and will always make sure that is reached before doing anything with another.

She values little of herself and constantly questions her existence because of the things that had happened. Wondering what she did wrong, or how things could've been different. And so, she finds herself wanting to help others out, but also not be noticed at the same time. Usually, this lets her end up looking like the bad guy most of the time, even with her good intentions. It doesn't help she's willing to dig deep to ultimately do some good for the world.

However, the most notable thing is the fact that she can now commit gravity manipulation and has a constant excess of energy.

She seems to draw it from people and things around her, but never enough to make notable damage occur unless she is in the same exact spot for a prolonged period. The most notable way to think of it would be akin to how the world was drained in Lost World. However, due to this being so slow in general, this tends to never actually be seen.

Her gravity manipulation has been mastered over the years, and she uses it for various things. From being able to simply move things, to boosting herself forward when running. From simply being able to make a person slow or stop moving when she focuses enough. . . To being able to make their breath get taken away if she so wished. Both a blessing and a curse, one she rarely uses unless she feels the need to.

However, this is how her energy gets dispersed, seemingly back into the world around her like she had taken it. And with it constantly building, it can grow into an uncontrollable amount, even for her. This is what the intended purpose was for the capabilities. . . When under an extreme amount of stress, and she has been unable to release her energy via this manipulation, she will. . . Blow up.

Literally.

She does her best to contain this when it happens, but there has been evidence, by the one who had taken her, that she could go as far as to be able to blow up Station Square in its entirety, if not further.

She can live through this, much to her horror, but she does tend to be exhausted and unable to continue on herself. This makes her view on herself even worse, as she doesn't understand why someone would want another being to be able to do. . . That.

Her ultimate goal is to get rid of the facilities that are all over the planet that he uses to test on others. She never wants another person to have to suffer under his hands if she can help it.

[austinslounge]

There are innocent people who still think they look serious and angry because they don't like being paparazzied lol. It's weird how Austin can go to theaters with famous people, go out to dinner and party with other actors and we only find out about it through fans or because he tells us about it in an interview, but Kaia touches one foot in NY and we go on walks almost daily. I don't know how the paparazzi thing works and correct me if I'm wrong, but I've noticed that when it's a "casual" situation and they actually run into the celebrity by surprise we can see several photos (not just 2 or 3 as Kaia and Austin usually do) and the celebrity is harassed more or they make videos asking things, I mean that to stop them from taking photos they have to go somewhere or leave, a situation that doesn't always happen when they see Austin and Kaia, in fact usually 2 photos appear that the source is not well known and that are published in the magazines that Kaia frequents, this gives me to understand that the paparazzi is given an address and time, he complies with taking the photos and does not make the effort to follow them through more streets, then the famous person chooses which are the photos that will be published, because another thing that calls my attention is that there can be 10 photos of the walk and in all the portals they publish only 2 and the same one that has already been seen everywhere. From what we have been seeing Austin is using his cap to cover his face and "not be recognized" added to his uncomfortable body language that makes us all pay attention to that relationship but in a bad way. The truth is that there are days when I laugh at his walks with Kaia and others that make me doubt if something is really wrong there and we are the crazy ones, but we will never know for sure.

I've noticed the weird stuff regarding the paparazzi and Kaia and also Kaustin as well Anon.

Nobody can tell me with a straight face that this girl is this interesting that she's papped nearly every single day just for breathing, yet, other actresses far more famous (and interesting!) than she is, can easily frolick through major cities on a regular basis with no problem.

The math isn't mathing.

I think Austin hides his face for many reasons, but I think that some celebrities don't want their photos selling for that much, so they cover the face to lessen the value of them. Austin and Vanessa used to do the same thing at times.

I suspect that's also the reason why Austin wears a towel over his head at the beach when with Kaia rofl 🤣

Maybe he just doesn't want those types of photos of him and a significant other out there anymore. Your guess is as good as mine lol.

The last thing I'll say is in response to your last sentence: If your gut is sensing something is wrong or off, always ALWAYS trust your gut. It's usually not wrong. 👀 It's very rare that your gut senses something wrong, and it's incorrect. Just saying!

One thing about me also is that I'm pretty upfront and straightforward. If I actually thought that Austin and Kaia had a very loving and romantic sweet relationship with each other, and was just feeling jealous about that, I would be honest and upfront about that. I might even make a joke about it. 😅

But in reality, I don't envy what she has with Austin at all. I wouldn't want to be with a man who looks this disinterested in me. (No offense 👀)

Most non-shipper fans aren't jealous of what Austin and Kaia have together lol. Most people just sense the weirdness of this relationship and think he could be happier with someone else.

[rosehippiefield]

Shin AI's words can't be taken at face value considering the only cg we have of Shin and Midori under an objective light is of Shin looking incredibly relaxed, on top of all the pictures Midori seemed to take of him being of him smiling in a way that Kanna is mournful of. Regarding his behavior in the death game, Shin says that he looked up to Midori specifically as an anti-hero, and when he took on his Sou Hiyori persona, he used that to justify treating others the way he did. But comparing the words Midori gave him in the past, of not putting himself down and relying on his own power, to how Shin treated Kanna at present, undermining her perception of her own capabilities and attempting to distance her from the group, all so she could keep working with him under the excuse of him protecting her, it's much more apparent that the persona Shin used embodied his anti-hero ideal of Midori rather than any actual traits that could be observed from Midori during their time together. Also it seems like a far reach to consider Shin keeping things like his mecha builds- extremely delicate items that would take an immense amount of trust to keep in somebody else's space- in Midori's house to be a result of Midori pressuring him into it. Especially since, again, the only interaction we see between them was of Midori encouraging Shin to become the kind of person who can meet his younger sibling proudly,

As per usual, long post, and I repeat myself on some occasions

First of all, I wouldn't dismiss AI's experiences so easily. While it's true he could differ from real Shin, in theory he has same memories of events so his feelings about the matter could be taken into consideration.

As to that CG and how peaceful Shin looked, I admit he could feel some level of comfort, he did consider Midori a friend after all. But while we have one flashback with them and happy photos, I think it's not right to base everything on it. Moreover, at that moment Midori was likely exploiting Shin's feeling to get him sign consent form, which lessens level of wholesomeness. If we are talking exclusively about how Shin himself viewed that scene, yes, he could appreciate having such brother figure at that point of life. But upon reconcideration and reflection he could change his mind. The fact that his photos show him genuinely smiling and not sweating bullets are primary because:

Midori was the one deciding when to take a photo. He only took photos of what he liked, that doesn't strictly mean Shin only was happy and comfortable even if physical evidence doesn't cover it.

Shin indeed felt comfortable at times, because he did trust Midori after all.

Nevertheless, I still think that during their relationship Shin had double impression of Midori. While liking support, he disliked other sides of their friendship, for example being caught on camera or being afraid in general. It is something Shin tells Sara, so I take this into account, I believe his reactions display what he thought all that time ago. If their relationship could be summarised by that one lone flashback, I don't see how Midori could be considered anti-hero and not hero by Shin. Yes, his actions came from his perception of what Sou-Midori would do. But as far as I can tell, it is not that different from reality. That fleeting moment of kindness is not the only thing that happened. Even in toxic or abusive relationship there are moments of peace, they are the reason why victims give another chance, they still see the best, trying to disregard all red flags. Perhaps that's what happened to Shin. He still cherished his friend despite being uncomfortable (I think he did feel uneasy due to his memories where he says he was afraid of Midori and, once again, his AI. Not to mention his reactions now, but it is also due to Midori being with kidnapppers). But, as I mentioned in previous posts, then he potentially learned more about how suspicious it all was and grew distrustful.

Also, about toy robot, I admit my assumption is far-fetched, though we know quite little about their actual relationship, so I could picture Midori telling something along the lines "Come on, aren't we best buds, let's put your mega-robot in my house". Not the highest probability, but still. Or Shin indeed could do it of his own volution, but it doesn't cancel out all red flags.

In conclusion, I still stand by my opinion that Midori had negative impact on Shin, and I am not persuaded by Midori supporting Shin as I don't believe it was truly genuine or that Midori was exclusively kind and caring.

It seems we keep discarding evidence of one another as unreliable enough, so I suggest to stop this discussion altogether. I liked reflecting on their friendship with you, but I think there's no point of continuing as we just end up in a stalemate.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter though!

[lightaflametoburnmethrough]

April 29th marks the anniversary of this YunaAki scene in episode 16.

The moment doesn't last more than 2 minutes before Kaito's uncharacteristic slip-up causes him to rewind time but it's enough to show how much he cares about Akiho's well-being and how highly he thinks of her.

He goes out of his way to meet her as she's walking home. Even though the neighborhood seems relatively safe and it's still light out, he's concerned for her safety. Understandable since at this point, the magical artifact hasn’t been removed yet so her clan and the Association are still targeting Akiho. She has no powers of her own and therefore, no means to protect herself so Kaito can't possibly leave her alone and vulnerable to being kidnapped.

But Kaito is always careful not to alarm Akiho so he greets her with a distraction. Yet even that distraction is heartwarming because it's a compliment of Akiho's voice. It would've been sufficient to say he was worried or use that same old line "I'm just doing my job (to take care of you)” but instead, he chooses to tell her how beautiful her singing is.

The fact that Akiho wasn't even singing but humming and he could hear her "quite clearly" says a lot about how much he admires her.

However, due to the harsh criticisms she often received during her early childhood, Akiho can't even begin to accept an honest compliment without feeling uneasy about it. Her instant reaction is to want to deny it, like she feels she doesn't deserve such kind words or any form of approval.

It's so sad that the abuse inflicted upon her has conditioned her into always having a low opinion of herself ("I'm clumsy", "I can't do anything", "I'm useless") and it must hurt Kaito a lot to see the person he cares about most think that way when none of it is true. Which is why he is often reassuring her that she has many great qualities, hoping she would one day see herself the way he does.

At the same time, he knows that Akiho is particularly sensitive to any comments regarding herself so he doesn't push it and steers the conversation to a topic she's more comfortable with: her new friends.

Akiho brightens immediately at the mention of them and the troubled expression on her face disappears. Kaito was able to cheer her up but again, it's sad to see how difficult it is for Akiho to accept value in herself as opposed to how readily she praises other people for theirs.

But it goes on to show that if anything, Kaito is ever the determined type (haha, oh yea)

Their conversation leads back to another sensitive subject for Akiho: her clan.

The clan that always thought poorly of Akiho for having no magic. The clan that jumped at the opportunity to turn her into a object that they could use to store all their greed in.

Even though it's their fault that Akiho's self-esteem is so low, she still directs that blame towards herself.

"if I wasn't so shy, if I was more capable, if I could just do better"

It's heartbreaking. For both of them.

Because Akiho is further chipping her confidence away, little by little, and it must be all Kaito can do to hold back his anger at those magicians for causing her to turn out like this.

But even if he were to berate them or curse them, it wouldn't make Akiho feel any better. It'd just make her sadder than she is now over her circumstances.

It would be counterproductive to his goal of wanting her to be happy.

And for her to be truly happy, she needs to be free of them.

The only way to do that is to lessen the hold the clan has over Akiho, to replace that negative influence with something stronger for her to believe in.

Every time she's about to put herself down, Kaito gently counters her with encouragement and support.

"(That's not true) You're a wonderful person, Akiho-san"

"Akiho-san will surely be able to achieve it (I believe in you)"

"You're better than they can ever hope to be (and I love you for that)"

And by the way Akiho smiles even just a tiny bit at his words, you know it's working. It's been working since the moment they met all those years ago. Gradually and carefully, he helped her repair and build up her self-esteem to the point where she can now make friends with no problem.

It won’t ever be perfect because her trauma runs too deep for those scars to be erased completely… but Akiho has come so far from the little girl who would run away whenever someone approached her because she was afraid of being criticized, of getting hurt. And that's all thanks to Kaito being there for her when nobody else cared.

Akiho would not be the person she is now if it weren't for Kaito refusing to give up on her. He defied everything that would deny her the happiness he repeatedly said she deserved. Including, occasionally, Akiho herself.

If someone put in that much effort for you, to fight so hard for your sake even on a level where you're just simply exchanging words with one another on the way home...what is that if not love?

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Do something with this that isn't Ganondorf

Not GANONDORF? Alright, lets go, my first love, Transformers-

How would Megatron (Generation 1) and Galvatron (Generation 1) deal with sharing a sparkmate? Galvatron is from a different timeline, got trapped in the past, Galvatron (when he was Megatron) never made a move on his sparkmate in his timeline, and lost her to the war. Now he has a chance, but Megatron of THIS timeline doesn't want to share and goes after Morningstar. Galvatron and Megatron start bickering, yelling about who was the superior sparkmate and starting to physically fight, but the fem, Morningstar (a black dragon Decepticon who is more kind and understanding than most Decepticons) is willing to be bonded to both.

Megatron and Galvatron would initially have a difficult time sharing Morningstar, given their strong personalities and competitive nature. Here's a possible progression of their relationship dynamics:

Initial Reactions:

Jealousy and Competition:

Both Megatron and Galvatron are intensely territorial and possessive, leading to frequent bouts of jealousy.

They would likely try to outdo each other in displays of strength, valor, and affection, vying for Morningstar's attention and approval.

Morningstar, being kind and understanding, might mediate between them, attempting to soothe their egos and reduce the tension.

Escalation and Conflict:

Bickering and Fighting:

Arguments would be a daily occurrence, with each trying to assert their dominance.

Physical altercations might break out, especially if one feels the other is overstepping boundaries.

Morningstar would have to step in to prevent these fights from escalating, using her wisdom and empathy to calm them down.

Attempts at Resolution:

Stealing Moments:

Megatron and Galvatron might attempt to steal private moments with Morningstar, leading to more jealousy.

They might plan elaborate schemes to keep her to themselves, only for these plans to be thwarted by Morningstar's desire for balance and harmony.

Establishing a Routine:

Finding a Balance:

Over time, they would start to realize that constant fighting is not sustainable and is distressing for Morningstar.

They might reluctantly agree to a schedule, taking turns to spend quality time with her.

Morningstar's ability to see the good in both and her willingness to be bonded to both would be a crucial factor in easing the tension.

Long-term Dynamics:

Mutual Respect and Cooperation:

Gradually, Megatron and Galvatron might develop a grudging respect for each other's abilities and strengths.

They could start working together, combining their efforts to protect and cherish Morningstar.

A routine might be established, with clear boundaries and agreed-upon times for each to be with her, ensuring she feels loved and valued by both.

Possible Scenarios:

Jealous Moments:

Megatron might interrupt a tender moment between Galvatron and Morningstar, sparking a heated argument.

Galvatron might take Morningstar on a secret mission, causing Megatron to fume with jealousy.

Collaborative Efforts:

They might team up to defend Morningstar from an external threat, realizing that cooperation makes them stronger.

Morningstar could propose a joint activity, like a mission or a celebration, to help them bond and see each other's good sides.

Conflict Resolution:

Morningstar mediating a truce, speaking to their shared history and potential for greatness if they work together.

A situation where one sacrifices something for the other's happiness, leading to a deeper understanding and lessening of tensions.

Over time, with Morningstar's guidance and the necessity of their shared bond, Megatron and Galvatron would learn to coexist and even thrive in their unique relationship dynamic.

[pebblysand]

Hi pebbly, I hope work, life, and all the things are going well. Big fan of castles.

Question: What is your opinion on male readership of HP fanfiction/guys reading your works?

Sincerely, a male reader aware of his odd demographic status within the fandom.

aw, thanks anon! hope all is well for you too!

to be honest, i don't really have an opinion! i mean, i'm so glad you (and maybe others) are reading this fic - thanks so much for your support! that being said, i don't think i have any particular hot takes on this! i'm just happy you're there!

i am - of course - aware that my audience (and the fanfiction community in general) is majority female. that's been established by many studies on the topic. but, assuming that the audience for my fanfiction podcast is somewhat representative (even if it doesn't entirely line up with my readership), it appears that around 10% of our audience is male. around 20% is non-female. so this isn't negligible.

[sorry this is in french, idk why/how to change it. it says: women, men, other, non binary]

i've spoken about this before but i think the fact that men aren't super present in fanfiction communities is down to two big factors:

men (sadly) aren't encouraged to read. i feel like this is particularly true for straight men (although, to an extent, gay men as well): for some reason, in the past 40 years, someone somewhere decided that reading/writing books wasn't "manly". that somehow, sitting at home watching sports on the sofa was worthy, but not sitting at home reading a book on that same sofa - which, when you think about it, is basically the exact same activity. it's especially bizarre because when you look at literary history, a lot of our "great writers" are men - to the point that many women writers, at the time, were completely ignored/disregarded. so, like many things, it seems that writing/reading was a worthy pursuit for men, until women started reading/writing as well and being successful, which somehow lessened the appeal of the activity. i think it's a real shame and i feel like it's a chance that's missed by a lot of men who might actually enjoy the activity, if only they were given more of an incentive. anecdotally, i was once talking to a (female) friend of mine, saying that to me, if a man i could potentially date does not own at least one book, that's a bit of a red flag. she said to me my standards were too high (😆) and i think that's a bit sad. but, it does explain (partially) why men aren't in fanfiction spaces. they're (mostly) not in original fiction spaces either.

men are also socialised (at least in western culture) to value the pursuit of activities that will yield the most monetary returns. there is still, to this day, a lot of pressure put on men to be the main breadwinners and fanfiction, famously, is anything but that. writing fanfiction is a lot of work, for - guaranteed - no money. i think women are used to working for free: in the home, but also because of the gender pay gap. so, they're more likely to accept this situation than men who are like: 'what do you mean i need to spend a hundred hours writing a fic for no money?' when i was unemployed during the pandemic, i freelanced as an editor and you would not believe the number of men who sent me novels where they were like: this started as fanfiction for [x] (usually video games) but then i filed off the serial numbers because it didn't feel worth it to work on something i couldn't publish. then, fanfiction gets ridiculed as this thing that's only for teenage girls/women with no ambition, and men are even less likely to participate.

so, i think, naturally, this reflects in the readership (and writership) of HP fanfiction. it's unfortunate, but it's kind of an undeniable fact. and, this is worsened because when it comes to entertainment, men and women are also socialised to like different things. and thus, because fewer men write fanfiction, men who would only be readers don't necessarily find content that "speaks" to them, and thus don't read it. especially because studies show that men, because they are often cast and shown as the main protagonists in media, find it harder to project themselves in women/works written by women. they feel like they can't relate. so, it ends up being this chicken and egg situation of: women make up for most fanfiction writers, thus men feel left out and don't read, leading to fewer men writing it, etc.

and, to be honest, i feel like castles (and my works in general) is a perfect example of that:

i don't think i write for women. i think i write for humans. but also, i'm not dumb. my fics centre around themes and characters which mostly speak to women. i'm a hardcore, bra-burning feminist. my harry is definitely a man-written-by-a-woman (although, jkr is a woman too so i don't think i'm changing much, there). i write a lot of strong female characters. i write at length about violence against women. a lot of men don't want to read about that, because they don't think it's "for" them.

we all know and have seen in the past that the issue of feminism and women's rights is mostly owned by women. sure, some men are allies, i'm not denying that, but most of the campaigning and the shouting and the screaming is still the burden of women. we're still at the point where in order to get men to care about women's rights, we need to tell them: 'what if it was your sister?' 'what if it was your mother?' as though women don't have value unless they are part of their family. so, i'm not deluding myself into thinking that i have a large male readership because i know a lot of men don't relate to the things i write and aren't interested in trying.

that said, knowing that some of my readership (even if it's only ten per cent) is made up of men, fills me with joy. it fills me with hope that things might eventually change for the better. that men are starting to care/get educated, and also maybe see that feminism can benefit them too. the idea that some dude on his sofa is reading my very feminist fanfiction makes my day, really. i write about feminism and politics because i hope to see a change in the world and part of that is broadening my audience to people who might not be familiar with these themes. do i suspect most comments i get giving me pointless nitpicky/unsolicited criticism or telling me ginny is slut come from men? sure. but these are a minority and it's the price to "pay" when you write about these things.

so, my opinion on guys reading my works is that i don't really have an opinion, aside from the fact that i think it's amazing that you're there and my only hope is that there will be more of you in the future.

thank you so much for reading, and for being part of this community. it really means the world! 💚

[destinyc1020]

The way Kaia gets photographed for breathing least we'll know get a photo of Z if their together 😭

Similar to what u said, i think Z will always keep it cordial bt she knows who she wants in her circle. i think Z really lives by "do the work n go home," we see her at fashion events, work (tv/film) obligated events and occationaly fans will film her in her personal life with tom vs Kaia, who really isnt that known that well outside the fashion world, bt is somehow photographed on (what seems like) a schedule wit the daily mail. Nothing wrong with that bt different values in regards to what privacy means to them.

We'll never know if JE actually was talking to Kaia while he was with Z, bt im i personally think he did. I wuldnt wanna b close to a woman who MAYB was talking to my current bf at the time and who KNEW we were together (and then got with him after), its just seems kinda sneaky. Even with both moving on.. ppl can forgive bt nt forget lol.

i think Z really lives by "do the work n go home," we see her at fashion events, work (tv/film) obligated events and occationaly fans will film her in her personal life with tom vs Kaia, who really isnt that known that well outside the fashion world, bt is somehow photographed on (what seems like) a schedule wit the daily mail.

LOL! 🤣 Girrrl I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed this lol. I DEFINITELY think Kaia calls the paps, for sure. There's def something fishy with the DM. You can't tell me that paps can just find her randomly at all of these random places in LA, but when it comes to THEE Zendaya (who's 20x more famous and talented), she's hardly ever photographed in LA herself?? Look, the paps know exactly where she lives. If they wanted to, they could be catching her outside of her house lol.

Z definitely is a work and go home type of gal. And that's fine! Just like it's fine if some celebs prefer to be out and about all the time and getting seen. I kinda feel like when you DON'T have a lot of fame, that's when you call the paps on yourself lol. But when you already have a ton of fame, you kind of don't want any paps around. They become more of a nuisance than anything lol.

Hey, whatever it takes to bring you more fame and notoriety right?? I remember Z saying that when she was starting out, she and Law would purposely have her walk the red carpet at events that she wasn't even invited to JUST to get her name and fashion out there. That's what you do when you are trying to get your star to rise and get your name out there and be SEEN.

Now? Z doesn't have to do that! I figure once Kaia finally gets the level of fame/success/"in" with the acting and Hollywood world that she's seeking, we will see her lessen and ease up on all of these pap walks/obvious attempts at trying to get her name and face out there in the acting world. Just my guess! 🤷🏾‍♀️

We'll never know if JE actually was talking to Kaia while he was with Z, bt im i personally think he did. I wuldnt wanna b close to a woman who MAYB was talking to my current bf at the time and who KNEW we were together (and then got with him after), its just seems kinda sneaky. Even with both moving on.. ppl can forgive bt nt forget lol.

I kinda think he was too, cuz it's just waaaay too coincidental that he was hanging around her and her friends, and then, later on, when he and Z split, all of a sudden, Kaia then becomes your gf? Like, c'mon.... 🙄 There was DEFINITELY some overlap there, and no...I too don't trust women who do that....seems kinda sneaky to me too tbh. But oh well.... 🤷🏾‍♀️