#but yeah this is always so fascinating for me. i'm no pro but i also sometimes think the people who did the translations did the best job

[vonlipvig]

because hbo doesn't let me put subtitles in english, all the stuff i've watched there (all of succession, veep, etc) i've watched in english with subtitles in spanish, just because i like having subtitles in case i miss anything. but the thing with understanding both english and whatever language i have the subtitles in is that i keep thinking about how translating is such a fascinating thing, and how easy it is to miss the meaning, tone, and charm of what is being said (and how difficult it is to match them, of course).

when my parents and i were watching succession, they kept telling me how they didn't really find it funny. and sure, maybe what they find funny isn't what i find funny--that's a given, really--, but i also kinda understand them. if you're only getting what the characters are saying through translated subtitles then you're bound to miss a lot of what makes it so funny. sure, a good translator will find a way, but still, how do you translate all of roman roy's weird ass sayings? sometimes you really can't.

(sometimes i feel like translators give up, cause man, you completely missed the meaning there. i was watching veep the other day and when that bob guy called ben "buttfucker" they translated it to "imbécil" or imbecile/fool/moron, which...like, that's wrong.)

all of this came to me because while watching veep yesterday, one of the characters was reading a tweet president meyer wrote, and he said her twitter handle, which is obviously @POTUS. now, a twitter handle wouldn't need to be translated, cuase it's not a word, but POTUS is an acronym, a concept that someone who isn't familiar with the language wouldn't necessarily understand, so they did translate it to @LAPRESI, which is kinda funny, because it's so informal, which in turn kinda takes away from the fact that she's tweeting jokes from the official president of the united states twitter account. it's as if joe biden's twitter handle was @DAPREZ or something like that.

so yeah, translating is fascinating.

[broodwolf221]

been thinking about which of the companions - from all games - would join solas

now, for reference: i do not think his plan will literally destroy the world. i think it will destabilize the world on a social, cultural, and political level. i also think it likely that the evanuris will be a threat, but even if they weren't, war is likely throughout thedas.

with that said...

dao:

morrigan - she wants more magic in the world, and to preserve what is already there; she is fascinated by elven/elvhen history and power

wynne, maybe? she's experienced circles and their oppression, but also she's bonded with a spirit - the latter may sway her (obv i'm ignoring some relevant canon here to even give her the option of joining)

leliana but not really this leliana, more dai era

da2:

merrill - wants to restore elven/elvhen history; respects but does not fear magic; respects but does not fear spirits/demons; is willing to go to extremes

fenris - deeply anti-slavery which i tend to see shifting over time to being more broadly anti-oppression; he'd still be a tricky one to get on solas' side, but if he was approached just so, i could see it happening

anders - his whole Thing is working against mage oppression - the idea that magic could thread through the entire world, that many, many more mages may occur as a result of this, so many that the chantry/templars can't possibly stop them all - yeah, he'd be on board with that. he's also willing to take extreme measures when he sees no other choice. plus, i mean, justice. anders knows personally that spirits =/= evil, and justice would want to join as well i think

isabela... maybe? tbh i've always struggled to get my head around her character, but she is opposed to slavery and appears to be pro mage freedom. i could also see her being wary of the massive disruption this would cause, though. would need a very particular approach and may end up leaving - although i don't think she would betray their location/plans even if she did leave

dai:

cassandra - i know, i know. just hear me out for a minute. she always does what she thinks is right, is willing to change her mind, and is repeatedly willing to move against convention. after the whole seeker reveal, she begins working to see if tranquility can be reversed. yes, she's wary - yes, she doesn't necessarily trust mages. but she listens to cole, she listens to solas, and dorian, and probably vivienne altho now i realize i've never played with them together (to be rectified....). another one that would require a very careful approach, but i could see her being swayed over time

leliana - she's openly pro-mage and values many mages more than she values herself. she also values elves, although she can sometimes have a... savior-esque attitude towards them. but if she could help to recreate a thedas that saw those two groups uplifted rather than oppressed? i think she'd be willing

dorian - he's a mage who comes from a culture of mages; yes, tevinter is bad in other ways, and he openly protests that they make for a good example, but i think he'd be willing to see it through - and frankly, he'd be so intrigued by the idea of a joined world, of magic everywhere, in everything. he also increasingly questions slavery as a practice throughout the game, and values elves; i think he'd be wary, fascinated, and ultimately willing

non-companion bonus round:

calpernia - she's staunchly anti-slavery, is a mage herself, and seems to have a perspective of intense disruption/change and manipulating the way things become afterwards. she saw the venatori as the best route forward to a tevinter without slavery - i think she'd see solas' plans as the best route forward towards a world without slaves, and magisters without a unique power and iron grip on tevene society, and she'd want to be part of that and have input

[thegeminisage]

it IS tng update time. saturday we watched "relics" and "schisms" and last night* we did "true q" and "rascals."

*times altered bc as usual im typing this up late at night

relics:

oh boy. ohhh my god

so like, i'd like to preface this with: i am not a scotty stan or anything. don't get me wrong i love the guy and i'm fascinated by the way he tricked me into thinking he had all ten fingers. like he's v fun and all. but im not like Extremely Emotionally Invested In Scotty. all right. that said

I CRIED. LIKE A BABY. no one was more shocked than i was. actually i'm sure catherine was not shocked at all

i didn't cry when he first showed up which is what i suaully do when i see spock. no, no, no, no. it was when he went to the holodeck and created the fucking BRIDGE OF THE ENTERPRISE. and they played the main theme!!! the sound effects were even the same!!!!!!! and like all his friends are dead now except spock and bones and bones frankly has one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel!!!!!!!! I'VE NEVER BEEN SO UPSET IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

chronologically, this is also the last time we'll ever see a tos cast member coming back to reprise their role except for aos spock and um. an appearance which i do not wish to discuss now or ever. anyway it's definitely the last time in tng proper. and like yeah we have aos and snw and everything but those guys arent the OGs. AUGH.

also wah him saying the doctors are prettier on this enterprise. thats SO MEAN TO BONES………………….i miss him so bad and he's WAY prettier than beverly sorry beverly

i definitely wanted to kill geordi for yelling at scotty when he tried to tell his old man stories. im glad they hung out for the rest of the episode and that geordi treated him really niceys but it still felt a teensy bit patronizing of him at first like he was just doing it because picard told him to make scotty feel useful

THAT SAID. for once, i am pro picard, because picard is a giant nerd and he wanted to listen to scotty's old man stories as much as i did. not that i got to enjoy them while being blinded by tears. i'm actually genuinely tearing up right now while typing this just thinking about it. i think it was genuinely compassionate for picard to want to give scotty something he could genuinely help with in a way that WASN'T patronizing. like old people are just regular people you know. we all get old one day if we're lucky

spotted scotty's missing finger twice, which is two more times than i spotted it in my original watch of tos.

he remembered how to hide the missing finger (mostly) but forgot how to do his fake scottish accent. in his defense it's been ages and he was old but it was still funny

synthehol is wack. it's just another way in which there's no work-life boundary in tng. you're always on call, so you can never get drunk. you will NEVER have personal time aboard this ship. they can call you in your son's parent-teacher meeting. they can call you during birthday parties. you cannot raise your children here. but they do. anyway.

IT'S GREEN!!! i remember seeing a gifset of data floating around saying that to somebody, and then later i saw a gifset of scotty saying it in tos, but i didn't realize data was talking TO SOCTTY i thought it was just a reference!!!!!!! there were actually sooo many tos references in this episode, i was so pleased to hav caught them all <3

looooooved the dyson sphere. that was genuinely so fucking fascinating and it was the b plot!!!!! why can't it be the a plot!!!! it was so cool looking

i thot for a sec they were gonna kill scotty at the end and got REALLY worried but they didn't and he decided not to retire after all and good for him <3

anyway. that cry felt like a full-body workout. horrific.

schisms:

OFF GOES RIKER TO THE COFFEE SHOP

i waited so long to see the episode that gifset is from and it did NOT disappoint

my one sour note re: this ep was the beginning with data's poetry. can we please be nice to him and not loudly fall asleep in the front row. i know the circumstances are highly extenuating. i of all people understand sleep deprivation, which i am currently experiencing even as i type. but that was just rude!!! could he not have simply explained he was unwell and unable to attend!!!!!!! the crowd being restless was terrible. if you simply tell him that he has to have a limit on his poems he would understand. i'm glad geordi was an honest critic when data asked later but i would have liked to see data's results after incorporating his feedback. ok anyway

firstly, i loved when a little guy is sleep deprived. it was great when sam winchester did it and also great when riker does it

SECONDLY, that whole sequence with the table was fucking insane. everything getting darker and darker both literally and metaphorically and deanna starting to look uneasy near the end and riker's eyes being ABSOLUTELY HAUNTED and that table was basically like a chair, anyway

when they were like "yeah the aliens cut off your arm and reattached it" READER I HOLLERED. you can't just put a guy on a chair and tear his arm off and then make him forget stuff. please. it's been nearly 10 years.

when he's like theyre gonna take me again whether i want them to or not. yeah man they sure are. this isn't quite riker roulette but it is definitely adjacent

i think the best cure for insomnia is to be absolutely terrified of going to bed because you're still in uniform and have a tracking device on you because you are about to get abducted by fucking aliens. who could resist sleep after that.

i did wonder why he laid on the table so long before attempting his escape when time was precious but i doubt i could have done any better in his shoes. i sure did love the way that knife thing hung right above his neck though. i'm pretty sure we spent that entire scene hollering DISMEMBER HIM. TRAUMATIZE HIM!! and then they didn't <3 but i'm not even mad about it

anyway. 10/10 episode they need more space horror in star trek bc it's always fun. i remember reading that tos was originally meant to be space horror-y, but i found the pacing of those earliest episodes waaaay too slow. i want a star trek show with more dismemberment though.

true q:

mistakenly thot this episode was named qpid (got it mixed up) and was hoping for more of q wanting to fuck picard to so bad it makes him look stupid but all we got was one little arm around his shoulder. which was REALLLY funny because picard instantly made a face like he'd eaten sour lemon but we deserved more. to reiterate i do NOT want them to fuck i think the dynamic of q wanting to fuck and picard preferring to die first is the funniest possible set of circumstances

instead, q constantly displays predatory body language towards this EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL. he leans really close to her and whispers in her ear and all that stuff and i did Not like it

i kept waiting for this girl to secretly be his child, or for her parents to have once been friends with him, but they literally were just randos to each other. disappointing, especially after he vanished while she was having her emotional moment on seeing their faces

where do the puppies go when she vanishes them? do they cease to exist?? did she just kill 12 puppies on screen???? too horrible to contemplate. i wish i could make kittens out of thin air though. actually that would be a terrible power the world is overpopulated with kittens as it is but STILL.

i want to know more about the weather altering net. we could have an entire episode about that alone. you just...got rid of tornadoes? and forest fires? did you fix climate change??

riker almost being killed by an empty barrel sent me into fits. they didn't strap them down after what happened to worf? this spaceship gets jostled horrifically EVERY EPISODE. what are they thinking!!!!!!!!!

RIKER ROULETTE STRIKES AGAIN. her bringing him to the alternate dimension and trying to lay on the moves was bad enough but using her powers to MAKE HIM START KISSING HER? HELLO???? i'm still mad they wrote an episode about rape and just used it for deanna fetish fuel instead of actually discussing what this poor guy goes through. why is it somehow ok/not noteworthy when it's men. come on now

it was kind of silly to have this girl go "no way im a human forever" and then immediately solve climate change on this other planet because her lil crush (/VICTIM???) was down there. like that was so rushed and weird

ultimately not a very good episode. i only like one thing about q and they did NOT deliver. he was also a misogynist to beverly once...like, die

rascals:

this got a 1 on letswatchstartrek.com and i simply disagree. i would have given it a 2 or mmmaybe 3. well no probably a 2 but STILL. first of all, tng's children are ALWAYS charming, and these guys were no exception, save possibly the kid who was playing picard, who was fine until the tantrum scene/riker's son bit, at which point i wanted to die

i never want to hear riker say daddy again.

i HAAAATE the ferengi theyre racist theyre misogynist i HATE THEM.

i felt like there was a missed opportunity with obrien and keiko to have him be cool about it, instead of awkward like everyone else. like i obviously dont think they should be canoodling or anything, gross, but there's nothing wrong with a little platonic compassion. he got there in the end ig but idk it would've made a nice contrast

how old is their fucking baby??? i just looked it up and she was born at the beginning of season 5...her ass is NOT old enough to be talking yet let alone full complete clear sentences??????

anyway speaking of compassion............GUINAN AND RO

i actually unironically loved ro's little arc here. anyone who had a shitty childhood will tell you they'd cut off their arm before going back, but she had to go back anyway, and guinan neither pitied her nor minimized anything she'd gone through. instead she got to occupy that space in a totally harmless way and receive a little closure. while the rest of this episode was okay-ish to maybe less than okayish (i NEVER want to hear riker say daddy EVER again) ro's little bit was so so so good.

re: ro...i love that we don't constantly bring her past and situation up as if it's the only thing about her but nor do we shy away from it and how it's shaped her and the narrative has never once suggested she's too harsh or too angry or whatever. of course with a season and a half left there's still time to ruin it but so far her whole thing has been one of the very few instances where tng is doing everything wonderfully.

NEXT TIME: "a fistful of datas" (noooo it's a holodeck episode) and "the quality of life."

[blastintriumph]

wishlist!

this is just a simple collection of stuff i really want to write. i'll update it as time goes on so please feel free to check whenever and even approach me if you're interested in some of these ideas <3 i promise i do not bite :3c as always, under the cut for length

post-canon, pro-hero settings would be really fun! we're approaching that point fast in the manga (i think) but idk there's still time to imagine and explore now

villain au? idk i LIKE the idea i'm really really fascinated but yes i do need to flesh it out still...

AU THREADS in general!! i really REALLY love fantasy so ideally that's probably at the top of my list. like with dragons, witches, all that fun stuff. maybe like ffxiv/got/lotr-esque? yeah that sort of thing i love that shit

not inherently linked to fantasy au but potentially... i would also really love to do some royalty setting stuff! i can see katsuki as a mean ass lil prince or a knight or smth. i think it'd be fun so if you like that vibe! heyyy

shipping 😳 i know it's difficult to do with katsuki because he's just... focused on other stuff but idk smth set after the war... he's a person too! and idk i see him as a tsundere and he'd just have no idea wtf to do/how to deal with a crush lol i think it'd be super cute and funny so 🥺 please i need it

goofy crack stuff/nonsense. this has always been one of my fave parts of roleplaying on tumblr lmfao

[masonscig]

different anon from the 'writer rant' one but it did bring up a topic i find fascinating in fandoms like this re: copaganda and the like. prefacing this by saying that i in no way support cops or think this is a realistic way of portraying them. with that in mind, i feel like there's this common hang up in series like twc where the MC is some sort of law enforcement equivalent - whether its an actual cop or some ancient/medieval/future/alternate universe equivalent - people get frustrated when you aren't able to rebel against that enough. and this isn't just a twc thing either, i've seen the same kind of points made for all kinds of IF games. and like, i get the desire to and how most people would make their OC's decent enough people to recognize that kind of corruption for what it is, but if you're signing on to be a character that by default is in a law enforcement/adjacent position, and has some sense of pride in it, i'm not sure how the author is expected to properly account for that perspective that completely opposes all that.

like, in twc the MC almost always willingly signs on to the force, and even in the 'do it or go to jail' origin they still take pride in being able to help people now despite the circumstances of them joining up - any option to be extraordinarily wary of the agency or cops in general contradicts that unchangeable part of the MC's backstory and identity. and i get your point about mish/ka making an idealistic utopic version of things, but i don't really know what else is to be expected in a series that's effectively set up to be a supernatural crime romance? i don't want to make it sound like the frustrations/concerns are invalid because they're not at all! but i feel like by now the role law enforcement and the like plays in the detective's life is so established people have to suspend some of their beliefs about it to play a series that's always had a pretty pro-law enforcement concept/theme. idk if that makes any sense but thanks for letting me ramble

hey yeah no problem! my inbox is always open for rambling – i love to read it!

i see what you mean and i agree w you to some degree, but also, like i don't think it's a lot to ask of mis/hka to both be critical of c*ps in the story while also allowing the mc to be critical of them too. my criticism is less that this is c*paganda, because yes, any media that humanizes c*ps functions as that, but regardless of that, there should be some level of scrutiny from mis/hka's end.

the point i'm making is that mis/hka could've made ab*se of power an overarching theme connecting humans and supernaturals alike, by leaning into the idea that "c*ps are corrupt, and so is the agency – no matter if you're human or supernatural, any structure meant to protect the people is going to be corrupt because people naturally ab*se power" but she's not doing that. i highly doubt that she's playing the long con.

she's teasing the idea that the mc can have thoughts about hating their job and their position, can be afraid of supernaturals, can be reluctant to join the agency – so, if mc is allowed to do that, then what's the point? is it leading to anything? is the agency corrupt? are the c*ps corrupt? from mis/hka's asks, she insists that the agency are good people (and by default the c*ps too). so then, 'why even give us this road if it's not leading anywhere?' is my question

like regardless of if she wants us to read this as a utopia, it's not. if mc shoots a du mortain, it's just "more paperwork" – don't really spend too much time thinking about the fact that what mc perceives to be is a human was shot by them. just as example. mc can literally choose in b3 to wipe bobby's brain – a c*p actively silencing a journalist (whoa we haven't seen that anywhere have we!). not to mention the like military grade stun volts that agents can just have and use on people. (also the t*rture.) i could go on forever but you get what i mean

again, i really do get what you're trying to say, but saying "this is c*paganda, what do you expect" and shutting down all discussion about expectations of the series isn't really the best way to approach it imo. you can and should examine media past the surface level thought of "this is c*paganda" – yes, we know that. you should counter with, and here's why! and as for what i expect – nuance. i expect a nuanced approach.

[zillanovikov]

indie pub, trad pub, and space

I publish indie/self pub - for the non-writers of the world, that means my books are published by me, my friends, and maybe one or two professionals. The publisher's logo on the spine looks legit, but it's nowhere you've heard of.

I have some friends who "trad" publish - traditional big 5 publishers. If I said the name of the press, you'd say, oh yeah, I've heard of them.

They each have their pros and cons. But recently I had a fascinating conversation about intersectionality and space for marginalized people, and part-way through we realized we were talking at cross-purposes because of how indie vs trad think about publishing books with protags from marginalized demographics. For reference, we're both marginalized on some axes and not others.

Me: I want to get out of my comfort and write characters who I don't share their marginalizations. I'm scared that I'll do it wrong, but a lot of people who indie/self pub look and sound like me (white-passing, educated) and if we only write books about people who look and sound like us, books will be less diverse.

Me: We also need to raise up people who aren't like me to be indie/self pub authors, but a lot of that issue is structural. Indie/self pub is a somewhat expensive hobby unless you strike a gold seam, and it's hard for people without my privileges to participate in that. I will always uplift the voice of other authors, but I think part of increasing diversity needs to be increasing diversity in what I write.

Them: I will write a diverse cast, of course, but I wouldn't want to write a protagonist who doesn't share my marginalizations. Trad pub has space for X number of books of different types a year. If I write a book with an Asian protag, they sign it because they know me and like working with me, but then they might turn down an Asian author writing about an authentic Asian experience, because they're already marketing one Asian book and they don't want to dilute the marketing by doing two of the same type that year. If I publish that book, I am taking away space from someone else.

And this idea of space was so strange to me, but it explains everything. Trad publishing has only so much room on the bench. Every book they publish is a different book they say no to. This author was protecting the spot of marginalized people by not filling it themselves.

Indie publishing widens the bench. There's always room for more stories. The gatekeepers are structural inequality that makes it hard to find time and money to publish. Protecting the spot of marginalized people is me using my voice to promote their books. But maybe it's good for me to use my voice to tell a wider range of stories.

Or maybe not. We didn't come to any kind of agreement at the end of the conversation, just a deeper understanding of the issues. It was a conversation that was worth having, and that I'll have again and again, hopefully finding more wisdom in each iteration.

[ziskandra]

I posted 3,294 times in 2022

That's 3,140 more posts than 2021!

130 posts created (4%)

3,164 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mxkelsifer

@ithoughteventheboneswoulddoot

@ziskandra

@illusivesoul

@ultraviolet-ink

I tagged 3,177 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#the unreliable q - 2,029 posts

#dragon age - 1,352 posts

#ace attorney - 579 posts

#meredith stannard - 519 posts

#orsino - 225 posts

#mass effect - 171 posts

#about me - 152 posts

#miles edgeworth - 139 posts

#anders - 138 posts

#franziska von karma - 127 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#especially the pro tip about being about differentiating between having empathy for one’s friends and acknowledging that they’re being mean

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Reply to this post for a DRUNKEN EFFUSIVELY COMPLIMENT okay

20 notes - Posted December 3, 2022

#4

you are SO right for autistic Manfred lmao that is also my hc. This dude once screamed at the top of his lungs in the middle of court cause someone interrupted his routine. He's so fucking relatable unfortunately

TRULY. I too want to scream aloud when things don’t go as I’d planned in my head!

Like, there’s the other obvious things: law is clearly his special interest. He’s the kind of person who has a place for everything and everything in its place.

Then there’s the just fucking off-the-wall things, like, he retrained the parrot. Even thinking to ATTEMPT it doesn’t seem like allistic behaviour to me, and by god, Manfred succeeded.

But the biggest thing to me is just how … rigid he can be when things go wrong, and how he really struggles with emotional lability in times of crisis. I know relating villain’s crimes to autistic traits can often be controversial, but I believe in most cases with villains I personally headcanon as autistic, it’s the lack of support in their life and society that contribute to the crimes, not simply being autistic.

Which is why the part about the tragedy of it all — how it hurts more — if Manfred had been trying his best in your meta really hit home to me! I know for myself one of my autistic traits is obsessing over what people tick and what makes them do the things they do. I don’t think anyone’s truly evil, but I do believe that people so often act in the preservation of their own self image and … yeah, it that doesn’t explain Manfred’s actions … perfectly (ba dum tsch).

OH, and there’s also just like, his sense of humour? It’s so arrogant but dry: “My PIN is 0001 because I’m number one!” “My granddaughter’s dog is named Phoenix, are you saying you’re her fiancé?” “Defense attorneys are like bugs to me, needless things, to be crushed.”

God, I love this man.

21 notes - Posted November 29, 2022

#3

introduction!

BASICS. Asha. Late 20s. they/them. autistic & adhd. brown. biracial. bisexual. shift-worker. Fascinated by fictional villains. FANDOMS. Primary: Ace Attorney & Dragon Age Dabbling in: Mass Effect, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Suits, Schitt's Creek (see fave characters and ships list here) LINKS. ziskandra on Ao3 ziskandra on Twitter ziskandra on Dreamwidth ziskandra#7191 @ Discord

Dragon Age Fanfic Masterlist [Ace Attorney & Mass Effect Masterlists TBA] ABOUT THIS BLOG.

I'm a fanfic writer and occasional art doodler & cosplayer from Australia. This is a personal blog, which contains everything from my own rambles about daily life, to reblogs of content I enjoy, to my own fandom creations.

I enjoy fannish meta but am generally disinterested in discourse. To clarify, I'm always down to read other people's takes and interpretations of media, but dislike being told what to think, or that there's only one valid way to perceive something. I'm more than happy to be friends with people who disagree with me over fandom things, if the same courtesy is extended to me in return. As a general rule, I don't talk about international politics in this space. I do, however, talk about Australian politics (#auspol) Big fan of curating one's own space. To that end, if there's anything I'm not tagging which you would like tagged, please feel free to ask! Caveat: I might not agree to do so, but would not hold any hard feelings for the request and/or if you needed to unfollow or block me as a result! Do what you need to for your best experience, as will I.

21 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

#2

ngl but rewatching the first season of the handmaid's tale after watching season 5 is so funny. one of the first things serena says to june is 'i want to see as little of you as possible'. followed up with basically 'if i'm given trouble i'll give you trouble back'

and now they're going to be raising their babies in exile together and you know what. good for them.

22 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fanfic Author Self-Recs!

@haljathefangirlcat tagged me to rec five of my own fanfics with you all — thank you, friend! 💖 I've tried to go with a variety of different fandoms and have mostly focused on older works. I also purposely haven't recommended any of my Dragon Age works as I feel DA has been occupying a lot of my brain space lately, and I wanted to give some of the spotlight to my other fannish interests! I'm gonna tag @mxanigel, @barbex, @joiningthefandomeightyearslate, @chocochipbiscuit and @fandomn00blr to share five of their works with us (if you so desire!) Without any further ado, I present my self-recs: 1. Retrospect - Mass Effect: Andromeda - Alec Ryder/Ellen Ryder (10k, rated M)

They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die and he's about to find out just how right they are.

A series of vignettes exploring Alec Ryder's relationships with his nearest and dearest, and the faltering steps he took to bridge the gaps between them.

Every time any sort of self-recommendation meme comes up, Retrospect is always the first fic that comes to mind. To this day, I still consider it my magnum opus, as I feel it really captures my strengths as an author. Character study of a morally grey, controversial character? Check. Non-linear narrative? Check. Experimental prose? Check. Vignettes? Check. Themes of family and struggling to fit in? Check check. If anyone ever wants to make my entire fucking month, please read this fic and tell me your thoughts on it. You will have my undying gratitude! 💖

2. Grounded - Mass Effect Andromeda - Calvin Kosta/Joelle Kosta (2.2k, rated M)

Calvin remembers the first time he held Liam in his arms. Big baby, nine pounds. His son is an ugly, wrinkly thing and yet also the most beautiful sight in the world. He smooths down the infant’s hair, kisses the soft spot on his head and whispers, “You’re gonna do great things." During the Reaper War, Calvin Kosta reflects on his relationship with his son.

This fic did really well on Tumblr (one of the few times I'd ever gotten over 100 notes on a post), but didn't quite get the same level of traction on AO3, which was quite interesting to me at the time as I'd never had that happen before (or since!) Honestly, it covers a lot of similar themes as Retrospect, but this time focused on Liam's family and how they deal with the Reaper War when they're left behind on Earth. IDK, I'm just obsessed with examining the human drive to live and survive, and what we struggle for, and how both our past experiences and our hopes for the future shape our actions, whether we're willing to admit it to ourselves or not.

3. Best Served Hot - Ace Attorney - Miles Edgeworth/Franziska von Karma (2k, rated E)

Franziska's gloved fingers seized Miles's jaw, digging into the sides of his face. "We were never siblings," she said. "Papa made sure of that. But if I can't best you in any other way, then I will have this."

If Retrospect is my ultimate magnum opus, then Best Served Hot is my franmiles manifesto. It truly is all of my feelings about this complicated and messy relationship dynamic carefully distilled into a fanfic! Anyway, I'm obsessed with the fact that Franziska regularly refers to Miles as her little brother, but Miles never refers to her as his sister.

However, the way that Miles acts with Franziska is SO sibling-like, whereas Franziska's a bit... weirder. She never really had normal familial relationships modeled to her (Miles, on the other hand, at least had something of a normal upbringing before his father's death).

Franziska is also a character who, for lack of a better term, weaponises her femininity. She's so young but she's built this whole aesthetic around tight miniskirts and kitten-heeled boots and carrying and using a fucking bullwhip. So, I 'm particularly fascinated by the cross-section of Franziska's obsession with Miles Edgeworth and her insecurities (and how she over-compensates for them).

Of course, if she stopped to think about it for a minute, she should have realised that Miles Edgeworth is perhaps not the ideal target for her feminine wiles, but Franziska's not exactly known for keeping a cool head in a crisis.

Finally, this fic also explores another point in Franziska's life that I'm fascinated by, which is her reaction to Phoenix Wright's disbarment. Phoenix is the only lawyer who has ever bested her (if she can even admit that much), and I think she would be INFURIATED by the insinuation that he owes his career success to forgery. Franziska von Karma would NOT be bested by a fraud! (And also she would be furious that Klavier Gavin got the chance to do what she's always wanted to do -- that is, defeat Phoenix Wright -- but that's a topic for another fanfic.)

4. Intermission - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Audra Levine/Greg Serrano (2.3k, rated T.)

Recently divorced Audra Levine visits West Covina to provide moral support during her frenemy’s open mic night. Greg has always had a type.

While gregaudra (graudra?) might be something of a random ship, I was really surprised by how well they worked together (although in hindsight, it should have been obvious -- Greg really has a type, huh). I love Audra as a character, and I'm always obsessed with giving her room to grow and move on as a character and determine the shape of her own life, the way she wants, much as Rebecca (and Greg) got to do in the course of the series. (Also, its sequel, Realization, still has one of my favourite lines I think I've ever written: Audra's been busy filing away the parts of her life that don’t spark joy while retaining the parts that do, like she’s Marie Kondo-ing the weight and burden of everyone’s expectations instead of her household possessions.

I so rarely write in contemporary fandoms that it was a fun exercise to write stories where the popculture references actually help ground it in time and place.)

5. Sink or Swim - Harry Potter - Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood (12k, rated T.)

Percy has always struggled to keep his head above water.

(Or: the story of Percy Weasley, from his youth, through to his estrangement with his family, to the end of the war.)

It feels weird to be recommending HP fic in this day and age, but my complicated* feelings towards the fandom aside, I'm still really proud of how this fanfic turned out and how I was able to cram all of my Percy Weasley analysis into a coherent story. I particularly loved delving into how Percy was pushed into positions of responsibility from a young age (and then simultaneously derided for the very same qualities his parents reinforced), and how he struggled with his conflicting desires to fit in but also to succeed and be recognised for his talents and efforts. There's a couple of sentences from the fic which really encapsulate how I see Percy's relationship to his family, which I'll quote here:

In bits and pieces, Percy tells Oliver all about the estrangement to his family: how he’d always gotten along with his dad best growing up, no matter how his mother had doted on him. How when he was younger, he’d wanted nothing more than to be the next Arthur Weasley. How he’d always thought that his dad deserved more.

How it was easier to blame his father’s idiosyncrasies and personality for his family’s struggles with money, than to acknowledge it as a failure of the society he’d been raised in.

How he’d foolishly thought that if he studied enough, worked enough, succeeded enough, he could change it all.

Percy's story really is that of every working-class child who's sought to improve their life (and their family's life) through education and I just... relate to that a lot!!

25 notes - Posted November 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[mr-independent]

EP 8 DIAMOND DOGS LESSGO

-- Rebecca fucking that hot young thing from the hotel.... You go girl

-- Ted is so fucking uncomfy after his night with Sassy you can just tell his words ring hollow. He doesn't seem like he regrets it necessarily, but it certainly didn't help his fucked up life. He signed his divorce papers like. 5 hours before sleeping with someone new.

-- Roy's noises when Gail gets to his hamstrings?? As a former semi pro athlete, yes. That's absolutely what happens. No disagreement here that shit is brutal but so fucking worth it

-- Ted is apparently an old school gentleman who 'doesnt kiss and tell' and is also not 'nuts for butts'. Which yeah sure is pretty meaningless in the long run but i just love the juxtaposition in the dialogue

-- Higgins dropping the truth bombs here, calling out Ted's tendency to beat himself up over every little thing, and the triple pass from Higgins to Beard to Nate? Beautiful

-- Jamie starts maturing way earlier than I remember, coming up to Keeley's and telling her everything she taught him like a thank you? Growth

-- every glimpse we get of Isaacs inner life is fucking fascinating. He can only write his name with a light up duck pen that quacks. He hates candy but loves rolos and has a particular hatred for sour patch kids. He's an amateur barber. He's an enigma.

-- the fake press conference thing between Roy and Keeley is the cutest fucking thing in the whole series and I'll stand by that till i die.

-- Ted dealing with Roy's wordless anger by playing charades is just fucking golden i love it

-- Ted advising Roy not to allow his feelings to control him is so fucking hypocritical and the lack of self awareness is astounding

-- can we just get a whole blooper reel of the milk based puns that didn't make it into the show? Bc i want more and i know they're out there somewhere. Gimme.

-- 'I forgot I'm left-handed. This is gonna be a hoot.' I just. He's so endearing i completely understand how people ship him with everyone bc everyone falls in love with him so fast, me included lol

-- his fav quote is by Walt Whitman......Ted Lasso i love you so much

-- the first of the Mr Lassos tragic backstory....you can see Ted grieving in that moment, however briefly, just before he throws that last dart. AND he says bbq sauce, the thing that 'always reminds him of home' and this is a sports comedy I'm not supposed to be Feeling Things

-- right when Rebecca gets happy, it all comes crashing back down. I mean, she couldn't escape without some form of karma dropping down on her but just one happy episode? Is that too much to ask of a so-called comedy show?

[bonolewis]

#hi adam #fascinated by the fact that he's seemingly at every race now....much to think about

he was also at almost every race in 2023.

it could just be coincidental, but i choose to believe it's not because i'm a sentimental wimp. there was a podcast lando went on in late 2022 where he was asked like, if he enjoys living in monaco or if he'd rather live at home. and he talked about some of the pros of monaco, but then he just started spilling his feelings about how he had only seen his family a handful of times a year since he first moved away from them at 16 and how much he missed them and how much he looked forward to silverstone every year specifically so he could visit with them and how it would be a long while yet, but he hoped to move back closer to them when his f1 career was finished.

it was kind of wholesome, but also kind of gut-wrenching. i did a quick look because i know i have this specific clip saved somewhere but i cannot find it and have to leave for work soon, but i will do a deep search for it and link you soon because i want to listen to it again myself.

thanks so much for the insight!! it did feel like adam went to a lot of races last season too but i wasn't sure since i missed basically half of it and my memory isn't the best. it's been nice to see him around, hanging around the garage and doing his little social media posts (hashtag pure electric lmao), knowing he's there to offer support and comfort. the way him and lando keep hugging after the races.....augh. AUGH.

and god, you're right, it's gut-wrenching indeed. as someone who's spent a significant amount of time away from her family and never quite managed to shake the feeling of missing them, like an undercurrent that shapes everything you experience.....yeah. yeah. if you have time to find that link i'd appreciate it deeply!! even though it'll probably make me cry. anyway! many thanks for this, i'm always ready to be a sentimental wimp about family feelings <3

[foxymoxynoona]

I have to preface this by saying: I’m writing this but I’m VERY drunk, like a Negroni and a Bourbon drunk, so yeah my ask is maybe all over the place? But we love to see it drunk Alex is the funny Alex so enjoy🌸

Thank you for this Halloween treat with Tell me What Changed! I love love love this story and when I got the email it said “ 6/9” chapters and I am sure it was “/8” before. I love when that happens!🥰 please make this 72827 chapters long (just kidding don’t I’ll die if the burn burns any slower😃)

I want to start off by addressing the obviously most important and dangerous part of this chapter: “But like who the fuck didn’t know Kings of Leon!?” Not singing along to their songs is a deal breaker. Hobi is a red flag. Twin Alex, dump his ass. Alright honestly the more I read this fic the more i know I’m gonna suffer. Because okay we’re gonna end this in a happy way but HOW? ONLY DESPAIR AND DRAMA AHEAD. Because I hate/love the fact that Hoseok is not a bad guy. How are we supposed to hate him rationally? How is Alex supposed to hate him?? I mean I get why he’s not an asshole. That would be way too easy🥶. My man jk risking it all aaaaaand his ways of trying to get her attention were pretty petty not gonna lie (you can blame him but also… he doesn’t really know what he’s doing lol not an expert with the feeling side of relationships or relationships in general) But… BUT! Of course she’s not gonna believe you! It’s as convenient for her not to believe as it is for him to confess while she’s in such a vulnerable position. I mean it’s a whole sentimental friendship and soulmate-ship thing (is that a word? No? It is now) you’re putting at risk! See?! This I why I hate feelings! They put you in shitty position and you have no control whatsoever and if you try and gain control you just feel shittier🫠. I read an anon’s ask that said she has some sort of resentment from liking him for so long and him never reciprocating so now she’s reacting like this. I mean I kind of agree! Maybe the whole time being asked “are you in love with him?” over the years gave her a subconscious boundary of her feelings for him. Like “I can’t really admit that everyone else has been right all along so no! I don’t feel a thing!” Or maybe I’m just going crazy. Either way I’m sorry as always for rambling and making no sense✨✨

🌸

I love the confessional quality of your asks always, I'm so flattered that an increased blood alcohol content brings you back to my blog 🤣🤣

It did say /8 before! It's gone up to 9 officially now and I'm 95% sure this number is reall because the whole thing is planned out now. But that 5% remains because I may have been known to change chapter counts every once i na while.... 🤣

It's fascinating to me that in some ways fanfictoin is such a great avenue for exploring identities, choices, feelings, situations and relationships, etc, and in other ways it really primes us to expect simplicity. People have to make decisions like Alex is making alllll the time in real life, and there's not always a cheating asshole or job in another city or major personality clash to make it easy.

You definitely aren't the only one who's been on 'who is evil and selfish here, Hobi or JK?" watch since the story began. In something like Amended, Landon's inferiority was obvious. Pippa was obviously the better choice for Jungkook than Lin to the readers. My intentions for this story may be very clear by now: sometimes we have to make decisions we don't want to make in situations we tried to avoid and there may not be anything that can make it easier. Someone else may make the opposite choice than you, or think you're stupid for making your choice, because at the end of the day there are pros and cons to each decision and the deciding factor is just YOU and your feelings and how you evaluate those options.

I don't know, that's really hard and scary to me! We want the "right' thing to do to be obvious. Sometimes even figuring out what you actually want can be really frightening, and then acting on that when you may hurt one or multiple people you love in the proces. Alex worked really hard to keep everyone happy and not have to make a decision until we got to here, where she feels she no longer has a choice because to do nothing will still hurt 1-3 people.

Ok ok look you make me ramble too! And I didn't even have anything to drink! Except cold medicine!

[gffa]

Btw I only got sucked into the prequels fandom a couple months ago, and I was super fortunate to have found your blog rather early on... It meant I quickly realized I had some misconceptions and internalized weirdness from just western / Christian society and growing up on Legend's New Jedi Order stuff. (It's not that I ever disliked the Jedi, but I definitely didn't understand the difference between love and attachment and was otherwise mostly apathetic about them as a Culture... If they weren't Mara Jade, Jaina Solo, Corran Horn, or Luke Skywalker, I didn't particularly care about them at all).

Anyway my point is that I'm super thankful your blog came up soon because I am now very firmly in the Pro Jedi camp and am glad I only got a minimal amount of sw fandom toxicity about the Jedi before having my eyes gently opened to reality.

Best part is tho, I had a friend ask me a week ago for some star wars information. Her brother apparently was assigned to write about the differences between the Jedi, Grey Jedi, and Sith in a class about differing religions and ideologies (which... In and of itself is actually a rather fascinating concept for a school paper). Anyway I had fun linking a whole bunch of your meta posts and going "Respect the Jedi, they're absolutely wonderful! Grey Jedi aren't actually a thing - it's just video game mechanics and misconceptions! Sith are evil and if you write them as anything but I will hard-core raise eyebrows at you and want to throw hands!!" And such... Probably went more than a little overboard but she was appreciative.

My point in all this word vomit (dang my adhd is really prevalent rn isn't it) is that I wanted to offer some encouragement because I've learned the pro Jedi camp is a lot smaller than it should be and maybe sometimes feels like it's the same 20 people on tumblr? Your collective efforts as the Jedi Defense Squad are successful and I know that, personally, my life will forever be changed for the better. Bless y'all and keep fighting the good fight!

You didn’t even know it was my birthday yesterday and yet you sent me once of the nicest things I could get despite that! I admit that the pro-Jedi corner of fandom feels very small sometimes, especially because Tumblr is generally the only place where we’ve gotten together (COME HELP ME LOVE THE JEDI ON TWITTER, YOU GUYS, I NEED PEOPLE TO HAVE SILLY LOVE BOMB FESTS WITH), that sometimes it can feel very overwhelming the second I step one inch off my dash, but also I wouldn’t trade this corner for anything. I hope that I can not just explain why I love the Jedi and why I see them as being perfectly in balance with the core themes of Star Wars, but that I can help make being a pro-Jedi fan a fun experience.  I hope I can make meta about them interesting, jokes about them fun to play with, the pain of their slaughter and the genocide of their culture dig into our feelings the way the best of Star Wars does. If I can help kindle love for the Jedi in you (and I am certain I did not do so alone, there are so many really incredible people, every time I get to reblog Jedi content from more than a dozen people now I get this shimmer of joy in my soul, I didn’t always have that! I get to reblog art and fic and essays! people have such good thoughts and incredible ways with words! they’re coming up with adorable skits and AU scenarios! so many in this fandom work so hard to give us these delightful things and I am so overjoyed to get to reblog them), then I have passed on what was given to me and that makes it worth it. I am further delighted to help provide framework for writing papers about the Jedi, because one of the things that surprised me when I first started really digging into those Lucas interviews and behind the scenes/making of books is: Yeah, Star Wars is often silly, but it has themes and George Lucas stuck to them.  He thought about his mythology and what messages he wanted to convey, and whatever things he tweaked along the way, the core themes have always remained consistent. Star Wars is often imperfect, no creator is ever going to be perfect, but Lucas knew he wanted to tell a story about letting go and about good vs evil and choosing the light made the world work better and that we should care about each other and our communities, not just break the rules and do whatever we felt like, that you’re supposed to love people but you have to accept that life is impermanent, because you’ll suffer if you try to hold on too tightly. And everything of his Star Wars stuck to those themes and I really, really like those themes. My life has been made better by getting to know the story of Star Wars and getting to meet so many kind, thoughtful fans and getting messages like this, and so please know that this is incredibly uplifting and encouraging.  To be able to spark joy in someone else about these silly space psychic wizards, to be able to share that, it makes the whole Being A Fan Of A Thing a great experience.

[ihatebnha]

I know there seems to be debate back and forth on whether Bakugou would do casual hookups or not. I dunno, he seems to me like the type where if he didn’t have feelings for you before, fucking you would certainly seal the deal. Just seems to be the type to catch feelings no matter how hard he’d try not to (which may be why he doesn’t do casual hookups/one night stands lmao).

I dunno. Is it just wishful thinking on my part? 😅 He just seems too old fashioned for one night stands. Like he craves that peaceful domestic life with his one and only way too much for that kinda thing.

But everyone’s got their own interpretations of his character! It’s always fascinating to read different takes.

UGH emme katsupeach actually had such a good fic surrounding this idea but as far as I'm aware it's gone... regardless, THIS MY FAVORITE CONVERSATION, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING IT UP!!!!!!!!!!

I think... God. I could talk about this forever. I really could, but. For the most part, I don't think it's wishful thinking even remotely and I totally agree with you!!!

Bakugo really doesn't seem like the casual sex type, like, at all. 100% too old fashioned for reasons you mention, but also just... kind of uptight and picky at the same time. Sex has a lot of factors involved, such as finding the person, setting a time, actually doing it, the aftermath, etc... and with his schedule??? And attitude? Honestly... even if he wanted to, finding the right person every. single. time. would probably just be too much work.

That being said... I can see him trying the whole hookup thing maybe once or twice in his life, mostly because it's probably expected of him (as a hero) and he also thinks... Idk. It's doable for a guy like him.

The problem probably just becomes when he realizes that that... type of relationship isn't what he wants. Alongside the actual effort of making it happen, it bleeds into what you said about him craving something else. Something more. And I think that's when he ends up getting really fed up with the people who just want to say they've fucked a hero, or the media who constantly speculates things about him that really aren't true (pushing him to be even more reserved about his personal life)...

So is he a casual sex guy? Absolutely not. But has he had casual sex in the past? Depends on what you think, but probably.

I honestly think his sexual life probably goes something like...: nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, he becomes a sidekick/pro and wow! People wanna fuck him casually! He fucks them, it's TERRIBLE, he goes back to nothing, nothing, maybe has long term relationship and gets broken up with, DAMN! He's broken hearted so he goes back to casual sex, he remembers that hookups are terrible, and then goes right back to nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, etc... rinse and repeat.

But you know! There's so much that could happen, too. Like hate sex, because he thinks he could NEVER like you no matter how hard he tries... being fuck buddies because he thinks it's the closest he'll ever get to you.......

And my favorite.......... jaded Bakugo... who dates you after a long ass dry period so he surprises himself by being extra needy... UGHHHAIUFDASDKJFA...

Yeah, though. He's a soft, loyal man on the inside. Just like his daddy.

[rapha-reads]

Block the tags : Eurovision 2022 is in two months ! (may 10th)

Time to rate the songs - part 4

Serbia, Ireland, Romania, Switzerland and Moldovia

(Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3)

Let's jump right into it.

Serbia : Konstrakta, In Corpore Sano

Oooouh, title in Latin ?! We're getting sexy right away... (Yes, Latin is sexy, don't @ me).

Oh. My. Gods. Right from the very first fraction of second!!!! Wow.

Holyyyyyy Shiiiiiiit. No, you don't get it, Serbia. Always. Brings. The. Heat. An epic, vocalized song about the goddamn absurdity of the health system with funny lyrics and a goddamn perfect imagery (wash your hands dammit)? Y'all get my 12 points already.

"A sick mind in a healthy body, a sad soul in a healthy body, a desperate mind in a healthy body" : YES, YES, YES.

Pros: perfect voices, perfect lyrics, perfect choreography, I know how to say "to be healthy" in Serbian now. Cons: ... could have some more beats? Overall: 10/10.

Ireland : Brooke, That's Rich

Dua Lipa said "next time just call me in, yeah". "You're getting sick of them", I'm getting bored with ya.

Pros: nice voice, she pretty. Cons: basic. No originality. No Eurovision stamp of crazy. Overall: 6/10.

Romania : WRS, Llámame

Romania either pleases me a lot, or disappoints me. Let's see which one it is this year !

Hmmmmm, spicyyyy. But will it be enough...

Pros: leather! pr0n stache! spicy bi! dance moves! Cons: they must have used all their braincells for the chorus in Spanish because the rest of the lyrics in English is just reheated and overheard. Overall: 7/10.

Switzerland : Marius Bear, Boys Do Cry

... I haven't even hit play yet but Marius dear. Are you trying to challenge The Cure ? Don't. Just. Don't.

*deep sigh* This is the 5th song at least about a kid who's different from the other but can still become whoever they want. I'm not saying it's not an important message, believe, I'm a children's librarian, it's like my whole agenda, to promote diversity and believing in your dreams. I'm saying, is this the best way? A slow, sad, classic ballad? Again, it's not that I hate ballads. It's just that when it's the 10th in a row, with basically the same lyrics...

Pros: nice voice. Cons: everything else. Overall: 5/10.

Moldova : Zdob şi Zdub & Fraţii Advahov, Trenuleţul

Can I ask someone for a how-to-pronounce guide please and thanks.

*wheezing* Oh ho ho ho ho, I love this. I love it.

I'm allowing myself a slight aparté here, because I really love linguistics and I'm currently fascinated by the interconnections and similitudes between Indo-European languages. Moldovan/Romanian is an Italic language. Yep. Just like French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese... It belongs in the Eastern Romance branch of the Romance languages, but it is a Romance language. Hence why people who speak either French, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese will sometimes feel like they're understanding parts of the lyrics without the subtitles. I know you guys don't care about this, but I love languages and I love being able to sort of kinda understand a language I don't speak just because it descends from the same roots as ones I do speak.

Okay, back on track (like a train, ha ha!).

Pros: Folklore! I love trains. FUN. Cons: nothing. Overall: 10/10.

And a very special "boooooo" to Switzerland who takes the last place of the competition ! Sorry, guys. But a very special HELL YEAH to the Balkans for bringing the Fun and the Fire, you guys rock ! Huge fan of the Balkans.

***********************************************************************

See y'all after I've slept 12 hours for the next five : Belgium, UK ( do I really have to...), North Macedonia, Ukraine, Austria.

ALSO, I'm always down to speak about linguistics! Especially Indo-European and Afroasiatics languages. Just so you know.

[neitherlightnordark]

seam. tell me about them. please. maybe about their eye if you wanna. or just in general. seam good.

i was actually saving this ask for a bit to think on- it it was just very nice! but as i don't want to forget about it, i think it would be appropriate to use this for the "send me a character" thing!!

1. so seam is aromantic and this is very funny to me because like... maybe one day, after the two slashed each other into near-unconsciousness in a sparring session, they're collapsed on the ground and jevil turns to seam with an enormous giddy grin and is like "we could run away together you know, you know" and seam is like "what?" and jevil adds "in a romantic sense!!" and seam weighs all the pros and cons of this and after a moment says "oh yeah sure we totally could :)" to see how it goes. eventually they figure out what's going on and their romance sort of peters out into a very calm and playful sort of thing they remind each other about on tuesdays (they add "divorced" to their extensive catalogue of experiences with each other, which include "roommates for 57 hours, the longest anyone other than jevil has ever stayed in jevil's room" and "unofficial and only coworkers at queen's hell basement supermarket")

2. seam's gender sure is a gender. it is gender. all and nothing. seam, personally, could not care less. seam is also one of the most gender characters in deltarune. these statements can and will always coexist. after the infamous anniversary stream i became really giddy using they/them pronouns for seam, but i am very fond of seam using no pronouns!!

3. i diagnose seam with go outside and sit in some sunlight. a while ago a few of us discussed seam having a spa day, having a nice day to think about things... and productivity!! seam working on the shadow mantle for the lancer fun squad despite outwardly saying they'll fail is just... gosh :) (although seam immediately giving up once the shadow mantle disappears is also really funny to me)

4. *slams hands on table* queen and jevil once being seam's friends oh my GOSH. like the. oh all tragedies need comedy in them don't they? none of them would ever say so to each other because they're just like that but gosh they cared about each other so much back when they were living in card castle... they took refuge in each other's goofiness and resoluteness and bantered with each other and did really elaborate pranks and then queen disappeared and it's like something in the other two quietly... broke? this is a lot of headcanon stuff about three people who have only acknowledged each other in traces yes. Aaaahaaughh

also i'm writing about this- ralsei being mad at seam is so funny and fascinating in concept you guys

5. oh i have nothing for this yo!

6. seam's missing an arm! the left one. it sort of looks like there's a nub on their overworld sprite, and after living and being played with for so long it sort of makes sense yknow? jevil's also missing an arm, queen's body was all wank until she reinstalled her core, seam's perpetually exhausted all the time... Buddies

7. !!! <3333 <3 <3 :D <33333

[imonthinice]

The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 18/?

Word Count: 2.5k

Author's Note: Y/N - your name, A/N - any name (your best friend's name)

Warnings: Mentions of court, mentions of Jason's injuries, swearing, No beta bitch we die like Jason Todd

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)

Jason walked out in a few minutes, just in his boxers. She looked at him before letting out a slight laugh at the absurdity of it.

"Don't laugh, you're the one who tore my clothes."

She sighed, "And you're going to have to go home in torn boxers, Bruce is going to kill you."

"God, don't remind me," he said before sitting beside her.

She laughed, "You could just not go home?"

"I wish. But I have a life. You have a life."

"It's unfortunate, isn't it. Can't spend all day with you but you're all I want to do."

"Funny."

"Thank you, I really tried," she thought, "You remember how I seem to have a fascination with vigilantes?"

"Yes, why?"

"I remembered why. So, when I was in high school, graduating year, I had law class. I was bored, so I did law, don't question it," she laughed. "Anyway, in my law class, they split us into groups. Specifically, Pro-Justice-League-Association and Anti-Justice-League-Association."

"Pro and Anti?"

"Yeah, apparently it was relevant? I guess the JLA doesn't use conventional methods to get evidence? Don't care though. Anyway, I was on the side of Pro, obviously."

"Obviously."

"Wait I'm not done! By the end of the class, I had debated every member of the Anti team and converted them. It actually introduced me to the Robin-Forums, which is just smack dab full of conspiracies."

"Robin-Forums?"

"Oh my god? You don't know those? You're all over them. Some people are convinced you're Kid Flash, some are convinced you're Robin, it's crazy."

"That is crazy but seems funny. What about my family?"

"Someone in my class posted "Why Clark Kent is Batman: An Essay" which has like, 20k likes? It's very popular."

"Well, I swear he isn't Batman. He's just very fond of the night."

"That's what I said, but that man is convinced otherwise."

"You would know if any of us were vigilantes. We're not good at hiding secrets."

"I'm sure you have your secrets, I just find it funny people think you have time to be Kid Flash."

"People spend all their time worrying about me, when will it end?"

"Ha! That's fair. Tabloids running your name probably doesn't help the conspiracies."

"I remember one of my ex-friends from high school mentioned me being Kid Flash, I was so confused, I guess it makes sense now. I'm going to have to show everyone that. They'll get a kick out of it."

"I bet they would. I'm waiting for the day I'm on it as someone who's a hero. Hoping they say I'm Wonder Woman or something. I think it would be funny."

"You get Miss Martin because everyone thinks you're too beautiful to be human."

"Aw. That's so corny that I hate it! Well done."

"Thank you. I learned it from Dick."

"Of course you did."

"Where else would I learn it from?"

"If you're genuinely asking, the internet, probably."

"That's fair. That's completely fair. I think Dick learns a lot of his lines from the internet, honestly."

"Oh yeah, there's no way he comes up with everything on his own. No way."

"So, what other dumb stories do you have?"

"Well, I think my sister is either a vigilante or really, really, weird."

"You think your sister is a vigilante?"

"Okay so, she's a businesswoman. No big deal, right? Wrong. She's always out, more often than she has to be, she's always spending nights away from home."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Okay well Adrianna, Aria, whatever you want to call her, she's being suspicious."

"I'm sure you're looking too far into it."

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

The Night Jason Was Stabbed.

Aria clutched the scythe in her life hand. She had failed. She had worn her best dresses that she could hide beneath her capes, she had drugged him, she had stabbed him 6 bloody times, and he had still survived!

She was angry. She walked up to the Red Hood on his time off while he was catching a drink, looking stressed. She didn't care if he accepted her offer to go to her room, she just cared about that moment. The one where she could slip in the crushed-up pills and no one would stop her.

And she had done it. She waited until after he chugged the whole drink to strike. He was stumbling around, like an idiot. She hit his head with the back of her blade, knocking him to the ground where she proceeded to stab him 6 times in his right side.

She kissed his forehead before leaving, which required her to removed her mask a bit, saying "Goodnight, sweet Prince," before running into the darkness.

But the blue one, Nightwing. He got to the Red Hood before he could die. And she was pissed. All that hard work, just for him to not even die.

The scythe was still bloodied from the Red Hood. Her lips were still warm from his forehead. But now, he had possibly seen her face! Her plans were foiled every way when of her goblins came up to her.

"Ma'am, your weapon."

She passed it over without second thought. She wanted it rid of the blood of a living man, she wanted it soaked in the blood of a dead man.

Her plague doctor mask fell a bit as she began to tear up. She had failed. She had never failed at knocking "Heroes" down a peg.

Call it crazy, but she knew the fights between her and the Red Hood were far from over. She even felt as they'd grow closer.

As she looked at the walls covered in the photos of the vigilantes of the world, she knew this was only the first battle. The war was hers. They didn't know what was going to hit them.

But there was an issue. Her sister, Y/N had become close with one of the Waynes. She needed the Waynes to get to the "Heroes" which meant possibly hurting her sister.

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

"I hope I'm looking too far into it."

She wasn't.

One night when they were both 17, it was just Aria and Y/N in the house when Y/N was awoken by a loud crash from the downstairs window.

She went to investigate, bat in hand, to find her sister, stumbling over the coffee table. Bleeding out and clutching her side from the blood. Stabbed.

Y/N took no hesitation to take care of Aria. Stitching her up like they had as kids when Y/N would sitch up Aria after shut cut herself on skates, or if Y/N ran straight into a car.

Those images still dance in Y/N's mind to this day. Something was up with the way that her sister had a mask, a long bird-Esque plague doctor mask. A cloak. Knives. Guns. A scythe.

The best outcome would be her sister was attacked while LARPing in the park. The worst? She was a villain. Midway? A hero of the night, a vigilante. Anything was better than a villain.

If only she knew the pain Aria had caused her until this point. The fact that Aria was the one who drugged and tried to kill Jason. The pieces of the story were unravelling in front of everyone's eyes, they just needed to connect them properly.

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

Aria had a plan. Kidnap her sister and her lover's family. Get ransom. Get them hurting. Locate the "Heroes". The only issue was that Y/N would recognise the cloak, the mask. She knew the get-up.

Aria was not about to redesign her entire outfit for the sake of not alerting her sister. She figured it would be unlikely that Y/N would focus on the cloak when she's being used for ransom money.

Or at least she hoped. She wasn't certain her plan would even work. Breaking into the Wayne Manor, after one of the kids had been stabbed, in a mugging was going to be difficult.

They had employed security, something that was never common at the Wayne Manor before this moment. She was upset. If only her sister had met the Waynes before the stabbing.

Then she thought.

Red Hood is a Wayne?

It made sense, sure. They got stabbed at the same time. But was it reasonable? She didn't know. Why would an 18-20-year-old be a vigilante? He couldn't even legally drink?

She thought it didn't make sense. That the Red Hood was never, could never be the Wayne kid. But if he was, what could that mean?

She was certain he wasn't. But the thoughts swirled in her mind as if beckoning her to come to the conclusion.

She was crazy, she knew that. She was obviously crazy, she became the villain, the opposite of her twin in every way. She was insane. Arkham would like her. But there was something about the Red Hood being a Wayne that kept coming back to her. Haunting her like the night she was stabbed by Green Arrow back in Metropolis.

She was on their radar. They knew her. They would come to get the Waynes.

She knew the Justice League Association knew of her. But the people didn't. This stunt would make the people know of her.

The name Hour will ring through the streets of Gotham. The streets of Metropolis. Smallville. Anywhere she could get her hands on. She would begin her reign of terror.

No one could stop her now.

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

Jason had left after Bruce had called him. She assumed he needed to work or one of his siblings did a dumbass move. It was upsetting that they couldn't spend every moment together, but she knew that it was par for the course with Jason.

She was bored. She didn't have a job, her parents paid her bills if she focused on school. But she wasn't something to do, a reason to be having down days. She knew school gave her this, but it wasn't like it was every damn day.

A job would be every damn day. Hopefully. A reason to do so much in her life.

She figured she could work at Wayne Enterprises. But she didn't want to be that girl. The one who's fucking the CEO and is subsequently untouchable. You can't befriend her and talk sit, she'll tattle.

She wanted to be a normal working person. A colleague, not a boss.

Wayne Enterprises was a last resort for her. If she couldn't get hired anywhere else, she'd go apply thee. You don't fuck company property, she thought.

But she also thought fucking Wanye Enterprises "Property" was fun. and no one was really going to stop her, not even Bruce. Even though Bruce tried to lecture her and Jason, there was only so much he'd do. Barbara and Dick both worked at Wayne Enterprises and hadn't been reprimanded for that.

And obviously, they were having sex. They had been together for a while, Jason said.

Which, obviously they were having sex if they were together for that long.

She scrolled a little while for jobs, marking down a few she'd look further into. Not really anything exciting, she was still young, 1st year in college, a freshman. Not many prestigious places would hire someone her age. Especially while they're still in school.

There were only unpaid intern jobs in her field. And she wasn't about to fuck with not getting paid, even if it was her line of schooling. She didn't think it was worth it to put all of your efforts into a job that you weren't getting paid for.

A lot of kids thought her way, including her sister. Both of them grew up thinking that getting paid for work was necessary, her parents had always told them that. Even if her parents had strict religious views, they would still back her up if someone wasn't paying her, even if they fell out.

She thought if Bruce felt the same, that kids should be paid for what they do. He figured he did since he employed all of his kids once they were old enough to work at Wayne Enterprises.

She noticed Lexcorp, who had recently put up a building in Gotham, was hiring. She thought it would be funny if she went to work for her boyfriend's dad's competitor. She was tempted.

Worst comes to worst, she'd be a Lexcorp employee.

She, of course, would have to dress up for these interviews, and she had the clothes to do so, but she didn't, per se, want to wear them.

She also didn't want to go outside when trials were still raging. So, she figured she'd call Christopher's parents about getting him a lawyer and then scroll the pages for shopping. His parents finally had the time to deal with their son, because Christopher didn't want to interrupt his parents with him being an idiot.

She dialled.

"Hello?" his mom asked.

"Hey, Laura. It's Y/N."

"Y/N! Sweetheart, we've been wondering about you ever since, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. We can talk about it later I swear. So, I already told you about what Christopher did, right?"

"You did."

"He needs a lawyer, the man is pressing charges."

"Well, that's stupid. He has no right."

"Apparently he does."

"We'll get Christopher a lawyer. But how are you, darling?"

"I'm okay. Could be a hell of a lot better. I have faith in the court system."

"We're all worried about you, kiddo. You've wrapped yourself up in a lot of a mess recently."

"I know. It's weird. But I swear I'm strong enough to pull through, you've known me for what, 13 years? Give or take? I know how to handle myself."

"That doesn't mean we can't worry."

"I know, new city, new people. I swear behind the scandals I'm in that I actually have friends."

"I assume we'll meet this Jason eventually?"

"Eventually. We need to find the time between court dates, work. Adulting."

"You don't have a job?"

"Jason does. And I'm thinking about getting one to pass the time."

"Working to pass the time is a new thing, fascinating, you kids are."

"Nothing can make sense of all these things I've done, I know."

"Those sound like song lyrics."

"Sometimes songs are the best way to get all your thoughts compiled into one place, you know. I starred as Katherine Howard, Laura. I know how to convey emotion through art."

"I know. That's still one of the performances Metropolis holds on to, you know."

"I wish they didn't. But it is what it is."

"It's a good performance, kiddo."

She laughed, "Anyway. You get onto that lawyer. Christopher needs it right now."

"I will. Be safe. We love you."

"I love you lot."

Click. She thought about Christopher, and the bullshit he went through to save her.

She brushed the thoughts off and pulled out her journal. Scribbling down her sister's bird mask. She couldn't get that off of her mind. She could have sworn her sister made the thing out of actual bone.

It was like she threw a steampunk aesthetic into a plague doctor. She was certain there was more to it that she didn't know.

Literally Aria LMFAO

[alirhi]

This is oddly fun lol

Let's see how many of these I can churn out before I get distracted or need a break! (pff. like I need an excuse to watch the show again. Despite its flaws, I really, really love TFATWS, guys)

Without further ado, let's get down to it!

Episode 2: The Star-Spangled Man

I'm pretty sure I'm on record when it comes to my undying hate for John Walker, yes? So obviously, Bucky's grumpiness 100% stays 😂

I'm not really a fan of how much emphasis they put on the shield. I can see it as a catalyst for Bucky to go confront Sam, yes, but he wouldn't keep going "shield shield shield" like a broken record. Bucky has consistently been shown to be an empathetic man. I can't believe for a second that he'd be barking at Sam about having no right to give up the shield; he'd ask why. Sam's got shit to do, so he'd get impatient and not answer.

"Why'd you give up so easily? If you were overwhelmed, I could've helped you-" "You've been ignoring me. Like now, how you're ignoring me walking away from you." "Well, you weren't texting me about this." "You think I needed your permission?!" "No, but I was right there with Steve while he was learning what it meant to be Cap. I wouldn't mind helping you get used to-" "Then go teach him." A vague gesture toward the "Cap is back" posters. Bucky makes a face. "Steve passed the mantle to you. You fought with him. You earned it. That little shit didn't." "What do you want me to do about it?" "Just tell me why, Sam. I mean it. I just wanna understand." "Not now, Buck. I've got shit to do. You see me heading for a plane right now, right?" "This is important!" "So is this." Sam tells him about the Flag Smashers, we get our silly Big Three/Gandalf conversation.

I'm sorry, but that whole jumping from the plane scene is funny as hell, and I love all the nods they added in to jokes from the press tours that brought us this show in the first place (like ripping the sleeve off his jacket lol). I don't think I'd change a single thing from the Big Three convo to Bucky joining Sam in the warehouse.

"You're doing the staring thing again." "You're staring at your watch," Bucky points out. He knows it's linked to Redwing, he's just pointing out how dumb that line is in that situation. They're there for recon lol. They're meant to be looking around.

I don't...particularly care about the other common gripe here? Meaning, "Bucky's a civilian, so why is he allowed to randomly jump in on a military mission?" Bucky's also known in this universe as an Avenger, just like Sam, so I don't think anyone would really bat an eye at him joining. Also, I have my own agenda related to Bucky's apparent freedom to walk in and out of military/government things.

What does bug me (as funny as it is) is Bucky's animosity toward Redwing. Again... Bucky is a certified nerd. Always has been. If anything, he'd be fascinated by Redwing and Sam would constantly have to slap him away because he's leaning in too close trying to see the tiny watch monitor. "I don't trust Redwing" is just old man griping "I don't trust your newfangled technology" and that... that's not Bucky.

And that "we're not assassins" dig, and then laughing when Bucky gets upset? That's not Sam. Both of these men have shown a remarkable amount of empathy, and Sam has a background in helping traumatized vets. If he cared enough about Bucky to be texting him after Steve left, he'd care enough not to make callous jokes about his time as The Winter Soldier, whether he knows the full story or not.

The fight on top of moving trucks looks cool, but makes no logical sense. I keep trying to think of a way to explain this from a story perspective, rather than a lazy "it looks cool!" filmmaking one, and I'm coming up blank. Anyone with half a brain would have pulled over, had the fight, and then taken off. It was a fun sequence, though... Eh. I'll leave it.

When Karli breaks Redwing, Bucky doesn't say "I always wanted to do that." Again, it's funny - I love the jabs about that stupid robo bird XD - but not Bucky. In my version, he smirks and says "You're so gonna regret that."

"You were kinda getting your asses kicked before we got there." Is immediately followed by Bucky staring him down and asking, "And... how did that fight end for you?" Sam adds, "I don't see them in custody. Are-are they following in a van?" He looks around, sarcastically searching for another vehicle. Walker and Hoskins grimace at each other, grudgingly conceding that point.

credit to @dailycelebs

Seeing Walker, and having to listen to his stupid pro-government rhetoric, makes Bucky think about Steve. When we cut from the Flag Smashers back to Bucky and Sam and the closeup of Bucky's pensive face, we hear 1940s Steve angrily telling 1940s Bucky about how the higher ups in the army had already written off the POWs and were going to leave them to die. "I love our country, Buck," he laments, "but what do I do when I'm not too sure anymore about the people who run it?"

"What you always do," is young Bucky's answer, "stand for what's right, not who's in power."

Perfect lead-in to the conversation about handling things themselves.

When Sam meets Isaiah, and hears his story, not only is he horrified and heartsick for him, but he also begins to see Bucky in a new light. He's seeing Bucky's face, the way he tries to hide his emotions and not make this conversation about him, and he's putting things together. He's still upset at being out of the loop, but he's seeing more of the situation than just "omg black super soldier". When Bucky says "he'd already been through enough," Sam asks quietly, "like you?"

The racist cop comes back before Bucky can answer, to arrest him for missing his appointment with Raynor.

ngl guys, I was so moved by the difference in how that cop treated Sam (before knowing he's Important) vs how he treated Bucky (knowing that the government views him as a violent, if pardoned, criminal). He approaches Sam with his hand on his gun, eager to defend Bucky; "is this guy bothering you?" Just because they're having a heated conversation. Then, when he sees that there's a warrant for Bucky, he approaches timidly, apologizes, treats him gently and politely. By "moved," btw, I don't mean "it was so sweet." I mean "this is fucking sick, and very, very realistic." White cops see a white guy and treat him with respect regardless of his actual criminal record, while being openly hostile towards an innocent black man without even knowing who he is, just because he's black. Moments like this made me applaud Spellman.

"You, too, Sam - That wasn't a request" is Sam's first sign that there's something off about Raynor.

Look, again... The couples therapy banter is funny because Sebastian and Anthony are funny, but that scene, from a storytelling and a mental health standpoint, is atrocious. Without some underlying reason behind her actions, Raynor is just a pointlessly terrible therapist.

Rather than insulting Bucky from the outset, Sam is angry with Raynor for violating Bucky's privacy by not only introducing herself as his therapist, but forcing a "couples" session without her patient's consent. With his background pre-Avenging, he knows this shit shouldn't fly. He immediately points out how unprofessional she's being.

Raynor doesn't bother listening - the fuck does she care, really? She shrugs and casually admits it's "slightly unprofessional" but proceeds anyway.

"Whatever's eating at him?" Sam scoffs. "Did you really just say that to a WWII veteran and the world's longest-serving POW with complex PTSD? Did I hear that right? I've had, maybe, like five conversations with this man since we met, and even I know he's been through some shit and-" "Sam," Bucky tries to interrupt, looking uncomfortable. With his crushing guilt, he has an easier time dealing with insults than someone coming to his defense. "No," Sam snaps. "If the HIPAA Slayer over here wants to drag me into this, she's damn well gonna hear what I have to say!" He turns back to Raynor and demands, "Is this how you've been treating him this whole time? Downplaying what he's been through and making a grown-ass man sound like a sulking teenager?" Raynor keeps her cool, but barely. Visibly frustrated and annoyed, she ignores Sam's tirade and tries to force the conversation back onto the track she wants it on. Bucky's embarrassed and doesn't know how to react to any of this, so he still makes that little "he would talk less" jab. Sam, seeing that he's not going to get anywhere with him until they're away from this bitch, glowers and plays along. We get our silly/angry banter.

After their argument with Walker, Sam finally confronts Bucky about what really happened to him.

"He meant HYDRA; HYDRA used to be my people." "Were they?" Sam asks, stopping him and looking him in the eye, not letting him look away or deflect. "Steve was under the impression that they were your captors. I was under the impression that the Wakandans spent two years deprogramming you so no one could use you the way HYDRA did ever again." "I-" Startled, not expecting that, Bucky stutters a little and admits, "Yeah, I... That's true, I guess." "You guess?" "Does it matter? Sam rolls his eyes. "I dunno, does it matter that you were a slave for most of the 20th century?" "I doubt it matters much to my victims." "HYDRA's victims," Sam corrects firmly. "Just like you." Bucky fidgets; he doesn't know what to do or say. No one since Steve has even so much as insinuated that Bucky wasn't 100% culpable for what he did while under HYDRA control. "Look," Sam sighs, "I don't particularly like you. I don't hate you, but I'm not your biggest fan." "...Thanks?" "I just need you to know where I stand-" "Yeah, got it-" "-So you know I'm not biased like Steve when I say you had no choice. I don't know your story, but I know no one flips on a dime from docile and plagued with guilt to an unstoppable killing machine and back without some serious psychological damage behind that. I'm not saying you're an innocent little bunny, but I don't think you're a monster." "Thanks," Bucky croaks, more sincerely this time, and a bit choked up. He clears his throat and looks distinctly uncomfortable as he grumbles, "but to catch these guys, we may need to talk to a monster." Sam cringes. "I was afraid you'd say that."