#but young writers will not have the confidence that more experienced ones have

[kjthenbee]

The more I think about the Nandermo interview scene at the end of S6E3, the more I realize just how significant that entire scene is for Nandor as a character.

These first three episodes have told us multiple times that Nandor is not the person he used to be - he is no longer a purely violent, apathetic, selfish man (though he obviously retains some of those qualities). He's changed - he's softer. And Guillermo is the reason for this change.

We've seen how Nandor used to treat Guillermo early on in the series. I can imagine that when little 19yo Guillermo first came to him, Nandor was dismissive, thinking of him as nothing more than another familiar that he was going to string along for years - and, of course, bright-eyed young Guillermo, who was willing to do whatever it took to become a vampire, wouldn't have cared how he was treated.

But now, 15 some years later, everything is different. Guillermo isn't his familiar anymore. They aren't bound by the power imbalance of that relationship any longer. Guillermo has become someone important to Nandor, possibly more important than anyone has ever been before. No matter how much shit they've gone through, or how much Nandor has fucked things up, Guillermo has always stayed, and he has always cared. Even when he does leave, he never stays gone for long. Nandor has never experienced this type of a relationship with someone before - a relationship with someone who loves and cares for him unconditionally.

In the interview scene, Nandor totally could have messed with Guillermo, could have just... not taken him seriously. He could have done the interview in the main room with all the other vampires and had a laugh about the whole thing, but he didn't. He specifically took Guillermo to a private room to conduct the "interview". And the entire time, he treated it with the utmost sincerity- and you can see it in the way he looks at Guillermo with such attentiveness, such fondness. He lets him talk, and just listens. When Guillermo talks about not having many friends as a child, Nandor sympathizes and tells him that that must have been hard even if he himself does not know what this is like. He smiles with him, and laughs with him.

On top of all of this, Nandor very much could have left Guillermo hypnotized - he could have had his former meek, obedient familiar back by his side. The Nandor from just a couple of seasons ago might have done just that. But now, he's learned. He knows that he can't do that to Guillermo. He can't do that to someone he genuinely loves cares about deeply. The Guillermo that he knows now - confident, competent, and sure of himself - is the Guillermo he loves. Nandor does not want to take that away from him for his own selfish reasons. So, he just lets himself have one thing: Guillermo can sleep under the stairs one last time, then he'll unhypnotize him, and things will be back to the way they were - with them at a distance. But at least Guillermo will be himself.

Soooo yeah. I really hope that this is not just fanservice or whatever and that the writers are actually setting something up between them this time. I want so badly to believe that we might actually get some payoff to this 5 season long will-they-won't-they setup. I mean, seriously - what do the writers have to lose with this being the final season?

I'm trying not to keep my expectations too high just because of how many times we've been burned in the past, but this scene (along with the shed scene where Nandor was still talking like Nixon lmao) have gotten me hopeful again...

So here I am, back in Nandermo hell, one last time...

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About Only Boo!

*kicks down the door* I'm a few weeks late but I have arrived and I am here to yell about this fucking adorable show. Have you heard that it's the cutest shit you've ever seen in a fresh new package of all your favorite silly old romance tropes? Besties, this is truly the Sunday Serotonin we need. Here are the top 10 things I love about it:

The main romance is between a confident sunshine protagonist and a kind older boy working through his grief and an artistic block. Mok (Moo) and Kang are such nice boys, two cinnamon rolls too sweet and pure for this world, and I loved them instantly. They have a nice crackly chemistry between them and really solid communication right from the start.

The setting is rural and refreshing. Moo moves to Nakhom Pathom to attend school for a semester because his mom wants him to focus on his studies before she will allow him to pursue a career as an idol. Little did she know she was delivering him to a cute boy who would become the new distraction.

The crushing and flirting starts immediately, and it's mutual. They just like each other, man. Kang is (slightly) older and trying to be responsible about keeping Moo focused on his studies so he's putting up some token resistance, but it's very very token. They both find excuses to keep seeing each other after they meet.

There's a side couple with a long-term pining friends to lovers arc. The way I squealed when they revealed that photo wall. I support you, Payos, you will get your boo. These two also have a lovely, easy chemistry and seem so comfortable around each other. Their characterization also gets a fun twist in the beginning of the story.

The writing is strong and assured. This was written by the same screenwriting team as Cooking Crush, aka the best written original Thai bl of last season. These folks know their way around a smart romcom. They know how to deploy classic tropes so they feel fresh, build authentic character arcs, and make all the beats of the story feel confident. We are in good hands and don't need to worry about any out of left field conflicts or weird plot turns with this one.

A fresh new cast brings a ton of energy. I really love all four of the main actors for this show. They're young and bright and breathing some new life into an old formula. And both pairs have solid chemistry and seem comfortable in their scenes together.

Some of our old favorites are here too. They've made the smart decision to bolster the young main cast by surrounding them with more experienced seniors like our lady Milk, here playing Kang's friend and neighbor who is all up in his crush on Moo. Louis and Book are also going to show up at some point.

The show incorporates music and dancing in such a charming way. Moo is one of those kids who just has to dance, and the show mines a lot of comedy around his efforts to stifle the impulse as his mom ordered. I don't think he'll hold out for long, though, because Payos and Tae are on him to train with them. And of course the music supervisor is having a great time working in some classic GMMTV music gags (yes, Love Score and Too Cute To Handle both make memorable appearances).

It's a high school story brimming with youthful energy without being mired in immaturity. The tone of this show reminds me of My School President in the best way, in that it has all the sweetness and innocence of a high school romance without making the characters so immature and bad at communication that it's annoying to watch. As expected from the CC writers, these characters may be inexperienced but they are going to talk to each other and honesty will prevail every time.

We are only three episodes in and the romance is already well underway. This is the kind of show where we will see the main pair flirt and date and face obstacles together. The swoony moments started immediately and Moo is already throwing around the faen title. We know from the synopsis that the core conflict will come when Moo is forced to choose between his relationship with Kang and his dream of being an idol, and I expect he will be finding a way around that choice. I'll be strapped in for the ride because I already believe in these two.

[delusionalwings]

Omg I was thinking abt how the OB boys would be with an MC that has a beautiful voice. Like Lucifer would never admit hoe much he loves hearing them sing, Mammon would ask them to have a little concert so he can charge people even tho he thinks no one else deserves to hear their voice. Levi would want them to repeat his favorite characters voice lines, or the way Satan would love sharing them read books and how Asmo could sit and listen to them talk for hours. Ofc Belphie would want them to sing him to sleep and Beel would always invite them to his workouts, because sometimes he gets lucky and MC sings along to his music (he purposely plays songs he knows they like for that reason)

ohmigod buddy, you are so right! I especially love the mammon one for some reason. TvT LUCIFER IS A PIECE OF SHIT, ISN'T HE?! i would flirt with levi till he passes out XD. as someone who loves to read, i love the satan one ;-; asmo, yaassshhh let's get the gossip going. he definitely wants to become an idol with mc. he also starts a channel called "the voice of the devildom" or something where they ulpoad music videos. it's pro level. ah another day of belphie getting an excuse to be closer to mc ;) beel also loves it when you sing after he finishes eating. it's sweet.

mc would ace seductive speechcraft like a breeze if they have the confidence to say flirty lines-

i wrote for luci and some side characters TvT

― synopsis -> when mc has a beautiful voice

― characters -> lucifer, diavolo, simeon, barbatos

― gender neutral reader

― headcanons

― warnings -> yandere content

LUCIFER

The first time he catches you singing, he hides his presence and gets lost in your melody. That is when he decides that your voice must be his alone.

“Hmm. Why would you stop? Did I give you the permission to do so?”

Unbeknowst to you, he sometimes hums the songs that you are fond of singing when presumably alone. He never admits that he actually enjoys those. He lets on that it’s all his scheme to make your life miserable.

SIMEON

That sounds like the call of the divine, the voice of the angels! What lovely music it is to the ears!

“[Name], could you say the prayers today too? After all, your voice seems to be formed for this reason...”

Whenever he faces a writer’s block or feels frustrated in general, he asks you to read to him. Your voice has a quality that helps him visualise better. If you read any of his recent works, you will find how he writes about prophecies in enchanting voices, sirens calling out to bewitch angels or even a whisper in the dark. Your voice calls out to him in more ways than one.

DIAVOLO

What beautiful voice you possess! After this discovery, he decides to update his schedule to include an hour of you singing human world songs. Daily. What can be better than experiencing human world culture by enjoying the voice of his love?

He is enthusiastic about holding festivals and nudges, almost subtly forces, you to sing in those. After all, the entire Devildom must witness your talents and realise how amazing the various realms are. What potential healthy bonds can hold!

BARBATOS

Your voice reminds him of the soothing aroma of fresh tea. Even though the word ‘cunning’ perfectly suits Barbatos, he feels that you have a better claim to that title. You would speak innocently yet the words would pierce hearts. The moment you open your mouth in Seductive Speechcraft, even the Young Master is charmed.

Barbatos notices and knows that you do not have any ulterior motive but he can’t help but try to be on his guard and... ultimately fails. You are so cunning, aren’t you? Cunning and clueless... The things that you do to those around you and him. Can’t you see?

He has found that your voice helps his spirits to an extent where his efficiency improves too. How can he let you go after that? You will indulge him, won’t you?

[smaeemo]

On the topic of s8 buddie speculation, I think that it’s important to recognize that they are actual adults.

Like these are fully grown men, who are inherently recovering and still mentally growing, but they are not teens or even young adults at this point. With Tommy specifically, my guy Tommy is a fully grown 40 year old, comfortable stable person who is experienced and confident within his identity and relationship. And while Buck has always been a little more immature, he is growing and getting healither and healthier as the seasons progress.

So as of right now Bucktommy is ideal for the two of them, but when it comes to Eddie it is a completely different ordeal.

Eddie’s emotional and mental states are in crisis mode, with chris, SINCE shannon, PTSD, all of above. And with adding in Marisol, and specificlally his relationship with God, this is now a perfect avenue for his queer identity. HOWEVER, With the Chris timeline, there has to be closure on one before the other, most likely chris first.

Here’s what I think will happen BRIEF IDEA

Chris -> Eddie Queer -> Eddie realizes he loves Buck -> Bucktommy break up due to TOMMY realizing this -> Buddie fight -> Eddie & Tommy talk + Eddie and team talk (or carla)-> Buck realizes/eddie tells him(but not fully establishedor resolved) -> DRAMA UNRELATED -> Big emotional AGGHH (Possibly to do with Chris) -> resolve that issue -> Circle back to the topic of their love -> Buck talks to peeps -> DRAMA -> Buddie Canon

(Buck and Eddie can be interchanged in specific parts due to the general theme of the dramas or perhaps the “confession” of sorts)

However my point is…

- Tommy will not be a bad sport and is NOT a bad person or bad for Buck. Wrong person wrong time, but a lovely couple as of right now. Specifically for Buck’s development. (I really hope they strengthen and continue Tommy’s character because I love him, and because I don’t think he should be known exclusively as a catalyst for Buck’s identity, kind of like Taylor was :()

- For Buddie to go canon, the Chris issue has to be resolved first WHICH could come before or after Eddie’s queer realization. Specifically after, perhaps due to his repressed feelings and idenrity becoming a prominent figure in his self care, and willingness to change. AND let go of Shannon IN A HEALTHY WAY. (also parent stuff)

- This is not high school, they are adults. BUCK HAD HIS ARC!! Eddie needs to figure out his shit.

- They are flawed and complex characters, so while yes, this is 9-1-1 so it will be theatrical, it will not be immature.

- It will be MESSY and DRAMATIC and with REALISTIC (ish) themes

-> Think of Bathena, Henren, Madney

- Buddie is a longstanding want from the Fandom, ergo, if executed wrong, there will be an actual outrage (look at how they reacted to Tommy) so this was/will be a very complicated and complex writing!

- OR casually dropped in (I highly doubt this option)

- Most of all, Chris is the main priority within Eddie’s life, so the Chris Arc and EDDIES arc need to take place PRIOR to canonical Buddie.

- Buck has suspiiously not gone through anything this seaosn.. so keep an eye out for that…

- TOMMY IS NOT BAD. I REPEAT TOMMY IS NOT BAD.

-> Not the right longterm relationshup for either of them, but a HEALTHY one

- Buddie may not go canon this season, but it’s still possible THEY HAVE ALL THE BUILDING BLOCKS

- But on a more media related note, please take into account:

-> Actors comfort

-> ABC’s policies

-> And of course, plotline: due to the NATIONAL/GLOBAL want and demand for Buddie, this arc would over shadow most other arcs, so other character arcs need to take place, and really develop before canon buddie

-> Also, please be respectful of other people, actors, and of course writers. As viewers we don’t see so much, and of course all media can be intperetted in many various ways, and even if you don’t agree, please respect and have compassion for your fellow 9-1-1 enjoyers (specifically regarding all of the listed items).

Ok, Stay safe, stay respectful, stay on the watch for potential buddie themes, be patient and most of all, have compassion for all parties involved, fictional and production wise.

[edalynn]

hii hope you don't mind me asking but why do you hate huntlow?? (genuinely curious) I personaly love the owlhouse and kin hunter and it's one if my favorite ships :0

I was just going to not answer this ask as I feel like I've repeated the many reasons I hate hunt/low in the past, but I realize I've never put it all in one place. I'm going to start by linking some asks or posts of mine that are a smorgasbord of things I or others have pointed out regarding what's wrong with the ship itself for some reference points.

X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X

And I'll add my "Hunt/low Trope Bingo Card" that gives us a fun diagram of multiple problematic tropes that Hunt/low falls under

Let me start of with the ship itself. Hunt/low quite literally makes both characters' arcs irrelevant. Willow's entire arc about learning to be confident in herself, overcome her bullying, and be strong for herself and her friends is basically entirely erased when you put her with Hunter. Her whole arc is that for a lack of better words, she saved herself and is her own person. Yes, she had the help of Luz and Gus, and later Amity after they began mending their friendship, but her whole thing was being strong and confident on her own. In concept, giving Willow a pretty boy boyfriend immediately makes her arc less impactful than if she's never paired with anyone in the story, because her story is about her own self growth. Not being saved by having a conventionally attractive boyfriend. And in practice, we actually see it happen. Willow is dumbed down and made insanely out of character in almost the entirety of the third season, particularly in FtF. She's shown multiple times throughout the end of the season (Actually, in S2 as well) needing to be physically saved by Hunter specifically when she's always been shown she can stand up for herself before. And, yes, you could argue that "Willow doesn't always need to be the strong one!", and you'd be right! But the fact that the second she becomes friends with Hunter, the way her character is written changes dramatically. We see her need to be saved over and over, and it is literally only by Hunter. If this wasn't the case, I would agree with that, but unfortunately it's not. Her growth and "revolutionary" strong-on-her-own arc is entirely negated if she is put in a relationship with Hunter.

On the flipside, Hunter's arc is just as equally, if not more, irrelevant. Hunter's arc is also about finding himself and finding a group of people that are his pseudo-family. His growth is his journey to becoming his own person, away from his abusive parental figure. In concept, Hunt/low makes all of Hunter's trauma, abuse, and loss meaningless by falling into the trope of "romantic love heals all", which is both dangerous for young fans who will believe that and a slap in the face for every abuse victim that relate to Hunter. It's like saying that nothing bad he experienced mattered or had any lasting impact, because you give him a strong girlfriend and poof! All the problems go away and are solved! And I shouldn't have to explain why that message is insanely harmful. As with Willow, we see this happen in action as well. Any time there's a nod to Hunt/low in the show, Hunter's trauma immediately doesn't seem to matter. This is shown the clearest when he is literally not allowed to grieve Flapjack's death because it "upsets" Willow and he has to run after her to comfort- and later save- her. The writers actually made it so that Hunter is made to feel guilty for showing sadness about Flap because it made Willow feel like she "can't do anything right", making the entire scene about how he had to save her and put his grieving of Flapjack to the side. I think as an abuse victim, this is the one thing about Hunt/low that makes me the angriest. And to dip my toes into a later point- fan creators that ship Hunt/low also do this in their fanworks. Moringmark is a BIG perpetrator of the Hunter abuse denial rhetoric.

The way they are intended to be written, these two arcs contrast each other, not complement them. It makes no sense for them to be shipped. And further, the context & content we get in the actual show has a staggering lack of depth or intention. Every interaction they have feels out of character and as if their personalities have to be entirely re-worked for them to even interact- and those are just the miniscule amount of times they actually interact. There's almost no actual content for Hunt/low in the show, it's never acknowledged by other characters how they do with Lumity and Raeda, and they literally almost never interact in the show until FtF. There is no logical reason that anyone should assume they were even interested in each other (aside from Hunter's blink-and-you-miss-it blushes) and you could probably count on both hands how many times they actually interacted with each other on screen both before the Day of Unity, and until FtF. And I'd go as far as to say that when they do interact, they barely even act like friends. Willow spends almost the entirety of TtT ignoring Hunter (assumably unintentionally, but they almost never interact and the episode was literally based around Hunter as one of the main characters in it) aside from the hair cutting scene- which contextually made no sense to be done by Willow- and the after-possession scene- also made no sense contextually for him to have his head on Willow's lap. She literally makes fun of him at one point, with Amity being the one to basically say "guys that's mean, Hunter I don't want you to get made fun of by others please change". How does any of that read as a healthy or loving ship? Much less even a friendship. By the time they get to the Human Realm, Willow and Hunter have interacted, what, maybe three times? Once during ASIAS (Where Willow forgives him way faster than she should have for her character, when she literally took months to fully forgive Amity- and Ami didn't kidnap her), Once during LR (Where Willow literally is shown as not caring, liking, or trusting Hunter until he says something that proves he was with Gus), and then on the mission with Luz & co. to rescue Amity leading to the Day of Unity. The ship both in context & in practice completely obliterate not only both characters' arcs as stated above, but also wreck their personalities, making them every other generic girl and boy in a generic m/f ship.

Moving onto the fandom in relation to Hunt/low. Let me set the scene. This show, The Owl House, in and of itself is for a Queer audience. That doesn't mean cishet people cannot enjoy it, but it is a silent "stay in your lane". TOH was REVOLUTIONARY for Queer mainstream media with the main character being the first main character on an animated show by Disney to be openly Queer. Luz is openly bisexual and has a girlfriend! She comes out to her mom! Her adoptive mother, one of the other 3 main characters, ends up in a canon relationship with her Highschool Sweetheart, a nonbinary person, and is ALSO openly bisexual! So why is Hunt/low treated as if it is the "third main ship" on TOH, when it ISN'T EVEN CANON. Why is it treated as if it's on the same level as Lumity and Raeda!? Why are there fanartists and other creators that ONLY draw or write Hunt/low!? It's insulting honestly! And I, as a queer person, am being so dead serious. it's fucking insulting. And the way Hunt/low shippers treat people that don't ship it is disgusting. Their go-to defense tends to be "Crying Wolf", or claiming any kind of "-phobia" they can to make their ship seem "more valid". You have no idea the amount of times I and my mutuals have been called "biphobic" or "fatphobic" or any number of other insults. When more often than not, It's Hunt/low shippers that I see ignoring Hunter's bisexuality, or worse, disparaging people for shipping Hunter in a mlm relationship. Or worse- saying certain ships (Huntric/Goldric) are inc/estuous because of Aladarius, which also is not even canon (And neither is "Dadrius" while I'm at it, but that's a totally different argument for a different day.). I see them use his bisexuality as fodder constantly. And I won't even mention the mischaracterization by every single Hunt/low fan I've ever seen, making Willow anywhere from Girlboss to Tradwife or Mom Girlfriend, and Hunter from Malewife to Wet Cat to Protector Boyfriend.

The crew also did not help the situation at all. Multiple Storyboard artists or other crew members have openly admitted to attempting to (or succeeding to) force Hunt/low into the storyline, always at the scolding of Dana who would make them remove it or tone it down as it didn't fit her vision of the show. I've seen multiple crewmembers say this- it's not just a one off thing. Or the crew member who once said she didn't care that the ship name "Winter" (the crew's ship name for Hunt/low) made it hard to block/tag because she liked how it sounded. It's just. I've seen so many instances of Dana's crew being that disrespectful to her and attempting to push their own personal feelings and ideas into the show against her wishes.

I could probably go on forever, so I'll stop here. But yeah. That's the basics of why Hunt/low is a shitty, harmful ship.

[sincerely-sofie]

Have you ever wanted to draw something but you fought due to your skill level at the time you decide not to do it

Ohhh man. I’ve got so many projects that I want to make but haven’t because I view my current skill set as lacking— and they’re almost always drawing related, because I’m very insecure about my drawing skills— even moreso than my writing skills. To go on a tangent and paint a picture of how severe this visual art insecurity is, I will list off how many people I have directly permitted to read my major written pieces once I passed my mid-teens:

My older sister, because she was my co-writer for the project and not letting her read my work wasn’t an option

My mother on one occasion

My aunt, who has experience with writing and publishing, and I have only ever sent two pieces to

Look at that number of people. The number of pieces I shared with them, in total, was four out of the hundreds of projects I’ve made over the years. I was so precious about my writing because I’m insecure about it. I’m even more insecure about my art. I couldn’t list off all the drawing projects I hesitate to make because I think it’s impossible with my current skill level, not even in a thousand years, but I’ll give a few examples that are always in the back of my mind lately.

A semi-animated pilot to a fantasy-comedy cartoon parodying The Office, starring a goblin secretary who’s trying to assassinate her employer and take over as the final boss of an RPG-esque dungeon that operates like an office building, while her employer is a lich who misinterprets all her efforts to kill him as her being flirty, leading him to develop a very severe crush on the goblin. The project is titled “Boss Fight”, and I have all the resources I need to make it, but I drag my feet because of my art insecurity… also I would be doing all the voice acting myself, and I don’t find my voice very appealing even when I change it to fit different characters.

A webcomic about a fantasy world populated by bipedal bug people that features a very brief “save the world” plot, then focuses the rest of the storyline on how the characters recover from the events of their backstories and the trauma the experienced while saving the world. It’s titled “The Creeping Chronicles”, and I love the project but am so insecure about being able to do the story justice with my art skills that I’ve tentatively pivoted to making it a book series instead. It’s got 21k+ words across 10-ish chapters because I’m too insecure about my art to draw it fully.

A slice of life comic titled “Welcome to Wayside” that’s basically Gravity Falls meets Stardew Valley where a young girl saves a cryptid’s life and now he’s stuck helping her until he repays the life debt he owes. The story features a vaguely men in black-style evil secret agency called G.L.O.O.M. (Gents for Ludicrous Oddity Organization and Management) who have various ranks are named after facets of fashion (khakis are their grunt labor and pocket squares are researchers) and they use a threat-ranking system based on dress codes (i.e. “WE HAVE A BLACK TIE DOWN ON SOUTH STREET, REPEAT: BLACK TIE DOWN ON SOUTH STREET”), and I adored G.L.O.O.M. along with the cast of characters featured in the story, but I don’t feel confident in my ability to design interesting-looking original cryptids.

I could leave this post at that, but I’ve got an important thing to say on this subject—

If you want to make something but are hesitating to because your skill levels are lackluster, make it anyways.

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever can. Let yourself make the thing, and let yourself make the thing badly. Love it and how ugly it is. The perspective is all askew in this part, and that character is horribly off model there, and isn’t it all amazing? You made that! You made a thing! And you wouldn’t have this thing that you made if you waited until the conditions were perfect to make it and refused to create the thing before your skills were sufficient.

There’s this terrible thing about creative projects— one that is very noticeable in drawing projects especially, in my experience. As your artistic skills develop, your artistic vision also develops to become more and more detailed and masterful… and it’s always going to be outside of your grasp. If you wait until you’re ready to make the thing, you will never make the thing, because you’ll never feel ready no matter how much you build your skills. But if you make the thing before you feel totally prepared, you’ll learn and grow artistically as well as personally, and will be able to feel more confident in future thing-making efforts.

[zahri-melitor]

On the subject of Fitzmartin, I think sexism and homophobia are factors in why people have negative reactions to her, but I’m unsure that they are THE reason. I think in her early works she was more cautious with what she wrote as she was new, but then she grew (over)confident and began including what she wanted, except people weren’t buying what she was selling, literally. I think her works appealed more to the fandom audience which doesn’t buy comics rather than those who did.

I’m also sure you can’t discuss why she draws such ire without mentioning DC:YJ and TD:R for the reasons she had a short career, though I do think for the latter the art is a major reason for its fail.

Well as I haven't read either Dark Crisis: Young Justice or Tim Drake: Robin yet I am holding off on commenting on them so far, yes.

I think it's probably a combination of factors more than any one thing. Being a woman and having gone out on a limb (and committing to a story where the A plot is Tim discovering his sexuality)

I also think part of it is that while fans have always overreacted to stories, their overreactions are more immediate and direct to creators and in far higher volume these days. There’s a difference between ‘we got a lot of letters complaining about this’ and an orchestrated harassment campaign on social media where people DM telling the writer to kill themself. (I do not know whether this happened to Fitzmartin but I do know what social media harassment claims look like).

And because those reactions are more immediate and in your face, DC are also clearly less willing to give titles a chance, if they’re seeing bad reactions, especially if they are not from one of their superstar writers and they’re about to do a cancel/relaunch cycle.

I don’t think Fitzmartin became overconfident, but I do think she slipped into the trap where she was responding to the loudest voices, and I also think it’s probable what she experienced as the loudest voices does not match what outsiders would consider as so.

I think she’s a decent writer and old like to see what she’s do if given more opportunities for range.

Her Penguin backup in 'Tec #1038 felt like it had pretty solid characterisation of Cobblepot.

Future State: Robin Eternal was not particularly compelling or memorable.

She had "My Family" in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #4 which is a sweet little reflective Bruce internal narration piece (while he is busy dying during a fight)

[wosomarvel]

communication - 01

a/n: alright, here's the first chapter! this story has been in my head for a while, and it is nice to get it out into an actual piece of work. i'm not the most experienced writer, so bear with me here. i'll also be slow to update because i start college tomorrow and i've got a full course load!

feel free to send me any comments or feedback! i'd really appreciate it.

warnings: none

-----

sim sighed, mustering up any remaining courage she could.

"go on," the soft voice of the team's head coach urged, nudging her gently. tightening her grip on the knob of her crutch, sim pushed the door open and took a few tentative steps into the locker room. she let out the breath she was holding, realizing that none of them had yet noticed her presence.

sim took a moment to absorb the sight in front of her. the lionesses, in all their glory, having a laugh as one millie bright held a training shirt out of the reaches of ella toone, a smirk on her face as the younger (and shorter) footballer jumped up and down.

"hey, girls," sarina called out to the room, gathering the attention of group. a hush fell over the group as they turned toward the locker room entrance. "we've found someone to fill the position of social media manager. this is sim," the woman said, motioning for sim to step forward.

taking in a deep breath, she waved shyly, letting out a soft "hi" in greeting. the weight of the team's gaze rested heavy on the young girl, speculative eyes analyzing her figure. though sim wasn't going to actually play on the team, she was aware that her role as the social media manager meant she'd be spending quite a bit of time with these girls, following them around training and travelling with them to matches and camps. she desperately wanted to be liked by them, if not for her own personal sense of validation, then at least for the fact that it would make her job much easier.

ella toone was the first one to speak. "what's with the crutch?" the question was quickly followed by a sharp squeak, as millie elbowed the girl in her side, the rest of the girls letting out an exasperated sigh at the invasive question.

sim's lips quirked up in a smile, the worry in her chest easing a bit. this will be a riot, she thought to herself.

"jesus, ella, we told you to be normal," sim heard someone speak out.

"no, no, it's alright. honestly, i'd much rather you ask me to my face instead of just whispering about it behind my back," she said, a hint of confidence projecting her voice around the room. "i took a bit of a fall playing rugby a year or so back. haven't been able to walk right without the crutch or a knee brace since."

"see? at least someone here appreciates my curiosity!" ella threw her hands up in the air.

"lack of tact, more like," rachel muttered under her breath.

"hey, if i'm going to be following you lot around with a camera all the time, it's only fair that you know a few things about me as well," sim defended.

ella rushed up, throwing an arm around sim's shoulders, pulling the girl into her side. sim tensed slightly at the contact, but relaxed when ella called out to the room, "see, i already like this one."

"alright, that's enough," sarina interjected. "ella, since you're so taken with sim, you can show her around the practice facility and help her find her office. alessia, you'd better go with. i'm not sure i trust tooney on her own." ella whined at the dig, but steered sim out of the locker room without much protest. "rachel, millie, leah, follow me. i need a quick word."

the three girls shared a confused look as they followed their coach out into the hall. "look, i don't know what we're supposed to have done, but-"

"you're not in trouble," sarina cut rachel off. "you three are natural leaders on this squad so i'm coming to you first. one of sim's professors from her last year of university referred her for the position. she's not very... experienced. she's only a year out of university, but her professor and i go way back and he asked me to pull a few strings." sarina paused for a breath, not missing the increasingly confused looks the younger girls shared.

"right, what's that got to do with us?" leah queried, cocking her head to the side.

"her professor, thomas, asked me to look out for her. he didn't say much, but just make sure sim feels welcome, alright? i know she's not going to be on the pitch with you, but it would mean a lot if you just put in some effort." the manager didn't say anything else before walking in the direction of the pitch.

"she's so cryptic sometimes," rachel groaned.

"are we meant to babysit her or something?" added leah, leaning against the doorframe into the locker room.

an inquisitive frown took over millie's face. "coach was definitely being weird just now, but it's not a big ask. you guys know how important every role is on the team, from equipment manager to captain on the pitch. let's just show the kid a little extra love, yeah?"

the others nodded before turning to head back into the locker room to don their training kits.

-

"so you said you took an awkward fall, but i still don't quite understand how that leads to an injury so severe-" ella was cut off by yet another elbow to the side, this time coming from one alessia russo.

"she just got here and you've already started an interrogation!" alessia exclaimed.

"why is everyone so determined to punish my curiosity?" ella demanded. sim chuckled at the banter between the two blondes.

they were currently walking along the sidelines of one of the many practice pitches. she was enjoying taking on a more passive role at the moment, listening to her two tour guides bicker as she took in the environment. occasionally, they would point out attractions and talk about different parts of the facility. sim was content to feel the grass crunch below her feet and the light breeze on her face. she longed to be back on the field, passing a ball around or running tackling drills. she silently cursed her bad leg before deciding to put an end to the ensuing argument going on around her.

"it was raining quite a bit that day. it would've been fine, but we also happened to be playing on an absolutely shit pitch. i turned to offload the ball but my boot was stuck, so it was like the rest of my body pivoted while my right knee and down stayed put. add to that the fact that the defender slipped in the mud and landed her tackle below my knees instead of above, and it was a recipe for disaster. meniscus, ACL, MCL, all of it was just wrecked," the new hire explained.

sim saw the two forwards cringe in her periphery. "i'm so sorry," alessia said softly, reaching out to set a hand on sim's shoulder.

"it's not a huge deal. no point dwelling on the past right?" sim replied, sending alessia a tight-lipped smile as she shrugged her hand away.

in actuality, it was a massive deal. sim had loved rugby for as long as she could remember. the pitch was her refuge. when she was out on the field, nothing else mattered except getting the next try, making the conversion, getting good hits, and supporting her teammates. but it hurt too much to think about her nonexistent rugby career, so sim carried on as if nothing had changed. as well as she could with a permanently fucked up knee, anyway.

alessia couldn't imagine the pain sim had had to go through, physically and mentally. recovery from an injury like that couldn't be easy, and she couldn't fathom not playing the game she loved so dearly.

the two were pulled out of their thoughts by ella's next question. "so want to see the meal room or the recovery pool next?"

-----

contigo jenni

[twistedsimmer]

Without further ado...

One fine day, Mayor GilsCarbo was busy at work in his office when his receptionist called. A prominent businessman was here with a proposal, she said, one that he claimed the Mayor wouldn't be able to resist. Finding this more intriguing than the city planner's reports that he was reviewing, he replied, "Send him in, Sheila."

It turned out to be none other than Richard Morris, the founder of EveryTech Technologies, and one of the city's top business tycoons. Instead of building seaports or buying trucks, he had a better idea: to send a team into the unexplored fringes of SimNation, establishing a new settlement and scouting the area for valuable resources.

"Sounds good so far. What kind of people are you going to send?" the Mayor asked. Richard grinned, handing over a thick folder. "I'm glad you asked.."

"We've assembled a group of volunteers, each selected for genetic compatibility and expertise in their respective fields. We hope that they'll not only be able to serve the short term goal of taming the land, but also growing a brand new population of tax-paying individuals."

"Very interesting! So, who are these people?"

"First we have my son, Jake Morris, leading the expedition. He'll be the liaison between the new settlement and SimCity. If provided a job in your office, of course."

"That I can arrange. Who else?"

"Mona Lott will be in charge of entertainment and morale, due to her work as an actress."

"Her name sounds very familiar, what was she in?"

"Minor independent productions of a mature nature, as she claimed on her application. Probably some avant-garde, artsy films, but many of my men on the selection committee vouched for her skill."

"Ah yes, I hear she's been praised for her..flexibility."

"Next we have Solomon Utes, a freelance writer of some renown. He regularly contributes to the SimCity Times, and will be authoring all of the status reports."

"I still remember that scathing article he wrote on Landgraab's nightclub, Malcolm sold the business a month later after that went public. Then he sued Utes, and lost."

"Brigette LeRoux here is an experienced midwife, and purportedly good with animals. Her skills as a Douser should also come in handy."

"From these satellite photos, it looks like there's a decently large lake in the area. Surely you don't need a psychic to find that."

"Next we have Amayata Nairi, the civil engineer of the team. She's quite young, she's proven to be quite competent as well. We're confident she'll be able to set up the infrastructure in the settlement, and help connect it to SimCity."

"I'll do what I can to help on my end, if the area proves to be worth the effort."

"Marf Foobar is a volunteer from my own company. He's quite the convincing salesman, which is why he'll be in charge of public relations and tourism."

"Hmm, I'm sure he'll sell it better than a used Smord."

"And finally we have Emi Uzuki. She immigrated from Takemizu to attend Sim State University, where she became the youngest Sim to hold a biology degree."

"A prodigy, I see! I'm sure she'll make a fine doctor."

"So, what do you think?"

"You have a pretty solid team, albeit an odd combination of people. The region you chose looks quite promising, and your requests are very reasonable for a project of this scale. I approve."

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that day..

"Citizens of SimCity, it is my pleasure to introduce the Littlesprings Project.."

-> Next Chapter..

[seriouslysam8]

The only time I find teenage sex weird is when it doesn’t fit the character. For example I read a fic once where Ginny lost her virginity to Dean and didn’t enjoy it but did it because it made him happy. Previous to her relationship with Dean she allowed other guys to feel her up, because according to the writer she wanted to make a name for herself and didn’t want to be known as “(insert name of Wesley brother) little sister” (the writer was a male… surprise, surprise). She doesn’t tell Harry until it comes out as in the daily prophet and Dean was the one who leaked it out.

First off, it’s made clear canon Ginny is a romantic at heart, I cannot see her sleeping with someone she doesn’t love. I don’t think her and Dean were ever in love as there’s lots of problems within their relationship, and I think she started to notice around Christmas time Harry was starting to pay attention to her. There was probably some denial and a few attempts on her end to make sure it was true, but I think when she finally acknowledged it and that was then when her and Dean’s relationships fell apart. He became one of those guys who is a really nice guy and you don’t know how to call it quits so you find the smallest reason to end it.

Secondly, Ginny saying she’s going to make a name for herself by snogging, copping a feel, with a bunch of guys seemed like lowkey trying to slut shame a girl and do you really think that’s the only way a girl can make a fucking name for herself? There was so many different avenues that make Ginny great like her mental strength is phenomenal, her bravery, her heart, her personality, her intelligence, and her quidditch skills.

Even though Harry and Ginny’s relationship was for 6-7 weeks in canon, you can tell that it was a lot more intense than either of them had experienced. I think it’s equivalent to finding the missing piece in your life. I don’t think they had sex then, but I do think they did other things. With teenage hormones and how intensely they felt about each other (they were basically in love) I could see it happening if they spent another month together.

Now with Brumous, I think Harry’s biggest fear is Voldemort is going to see what is happening through his eyes if they do take their relationship further or try to possess him at that moment. I think that would be Harry’s biggest fear because that would traumatized Ginny in a way that he would fear she wouldn’t be able to separate Tom from him. I don’t think this will stop their hands from wandering and doing other things, but I don’t see them having sex until the Horcrux is removed or until Harry feels confident about his ability to block Voldemort out (even though I don’t think Voldemort can penetrate his mind when he’s snogging Ginny because of the love he has for her makes it that much harder for poor old Voldy). If they can’t remove the Horcrux by the time Harry has to leave for the hunt I could see them taking the next step in their relationship. I think at that point it would be something they both need to get them by all the time they’ll be spending apart. I don’t think it would be gross or awkward because of their age. I think it would kind of fit into their characters and would make sense. I know they are teenagers however, I think mentally they’re a lot older than anyone their age.

Anyways that’s just my two cents, sorry for the long post 😅

I love the long thought out posts!!

I think I’m just old and it’s weird for me to write Hinny that young, ya know??

[shewhopats]

Omnics and Sexuality

I've posted about omnic characters' gender identity, so now let's talk about sexuality. I know lots of fanartist and fanfiction writers will give them genitals or make it so that playing with their wires will achieve something like an orgasm. My hc is that omnics can't feel physical pain or pleasure. Some like the emotional closeness of sex acts, some have no strong feelings about it and will do it for their partners' sake, some are actively grossed out by it, and everywhere else on the sexuality spectrum.

Zenyatta: Maybe Demisexual or Asexual. If my memory of the lore is correct, him becoming a wandering guru meant that he is not officially a monk anymore? So if he wanted to, he could try intimacy. But I hc that he's never really thought about it or experienced a want for that sort of intimacy. So, at this point in his life, his sexuality is very undefined. I don't think he's even seen a human naked. His anatomy knowledge is that guys have a penis, girls have vaginas. What actually are these things? No idea!

Ramattra: would die before having a human partner. So I hc that his sexuality would just be a copy of his omnic partner's. If taking off their clothes and touching each other is what they need to feel connected, Ramattra will oblige. If physical intimacy is completely out of the question, that's great. As long as they can still cuddle, hug, and hold hands.

Bastion and Orisa: despite being war machines created for combat and bloodshed, I hc they are mentally very young and probably don't understand what sex is. Maybe in a couple years, they'll mature and do some self-discovery. But right now, they have no more sexuality then a human child does.

Lynx Seventeen: Pansexual. Attracted to confidence, reliability, generosity, and loyalty. When their partner, omnic or human, trusts them enough to be vulnerable and intimate with them, they take it VERY seriously. With an omnic partner, they will ask 20 questions about how best to satisfy and make them feel loved. With a human partner, they take it as a mission of utmost importance to figure out how to give this particular human the best orgasm of their life. Lynx will have a stopwatch in one hand and a spreadsheet on the nightstand, archiving data on what actions get the desired responses. After they shatter your world, be prepared to take a survey on how good it was for you.

Bob: idk if there's a word for it, but he is attracted to femininity, regardless of the actual gender or gender identity of the person. On omnic rocking heels and a backless dress? Yes, please. A male human with makeup on point and nails perfect for running down his body? So sexy. A tiny waist to grab onto? Long, slender legs? Soft, sweet hair? Be still, my beating heart!

Luna: bisexual. Sees beauty in masculinity and feminity. Her type is short, sweet, energetic, and friendly. LOVES a short king that isn't scared to let her take charge. Has to be good with PDA and lovey-dovey stuff.

Maximillen: Straight. Wants feminine women. Considers it an ego boost to be the one to enjoy a beautiful woman, and be chosen by her over a male human.

I think omnics would be very close to the LGBT+ community because they both experience similar hate and being told how to live or identify.

[swiftpascal]

as a Pedro writer, I’m so confused as to why you blocked me because I don’t even write age gap 💀 how are you gonna complain about “lack of creativity” when you’ve blocked half the people who are providing you with fics lmfao

How can I explain? I think that, I'm a bit confused, I'm twenty-eight years old, almost twenty-nine years old, I still read fanfics with age differences, because I still can't see myself experiencing or seeing myself as a forty-something years old falling in love with a character from Pedro. If I'm going to read fanfics with no age difference, I'm going to see the same things, like Narcos fanfics, the reader being a DEA agent in the field, could some writer think that, the person who's going to read it wants to be a DEA agent in fields? There were so many ways to work at the Embassy. Or The Last of Us fanfics, the ones I like to read the most, girls need to understand that not everyone their age, in their twenties, will want to read the same things as them, like being the daughter of Joel's best friend or Joel's son's girlfriend or brother's, or Joel's student (my friend wrote a story like that, I read it, because she's my friend) or who has a daddy fetish. Or worse, being friends with Sarah. I blocked most of them, because even, if they write fanfics that I like... Or you guys ask us to give feedback or if we ask something about a story, you guys ignore what we say, some people may not even have time to respond, but some seem to thinks they thinks they are too big for having a big blog to respond to someone who apparently has a small blog. And I don't want to see certain blogs either, have you ever thought like that? It's not, because I like Pedro that I have to love everyone in his fandom. Rethinking these last few days, I blocked the person I thought I was friends with, I just continued following people who like Pedro and make me feel comfortable. In Pedro's fandom, it's so hypocritical, you guys say you're open-minded or accept people as they are, but that's a pure lie. I think it's funny, how young women and older women treat each other, I don't know who is more immature, the twenty-somethings or the forty-somethings? Are they in high school or in Mean Girls to judge each other? And there are few people in Pedro's fandom, who will try to understand or understand what you need, they won't always think that what you're talking about is about them, but something that the person wants to understand. American women, especially white women, seem to have such a big ego, always thinking it's about them. I definitely left Pedro's fandom, I thought I would feel bad, but I don't, because as always it's a fandom full of toxic people, unlike Pedro. I'm going to keep loving Pedro and reblogging or talking about his characters and him, but I don't feel comfortable saying that I'm in the fandom, because it's almost 95% of the things you guys say, think or do that I don't agree with... I'm confused, can't I block people, who write fanfics in Pedro's fandom? You guys have an ego that I really wish I had.

For people who don't find fanfics on my blog, as I said in the tags, I wish I had the courage to write and post fanfics, but I'm not that confident, and I seem to have a block of ideas when trying to write.

But I'm going to leave anonymous ask inactive, because there will always be people, who are easily offended, and will want to say what they think, but don't have the courage to show their face or are blocked for some reason that, I THOUGHT it was right to block.

I'm tired (taking from @whiskeyncoke-redux, one of the sweetest people in Pedro's fandom) from people who post paparazzi photos, Instagram photos of Pedro's family or friends, or Pedro's fans who take photos with him, and may not know that their photos are on another social network. Who talk about his sexuality or talk about his clothes. People who talk about our ethnicity as if it wasn't racism. And especially from people who think they are bigger than they are and don't like interacting with small blogs.

I hope I've made it less confusing now.

[creampuffqueen]

You absolutely don't have to answer this one if it's something you'd prefer to keep to yourself, but... was there any particular reason why you struggled with your confidence as a writer? It's a little funny, a little sad, that no matter how good someone is at what they do, at certain times they're unable to perceive their work that way

yeah i don't mind at all! i've been in a very good place confidence-wise for a while now, so i'm definitely able to look back on some of those moments more objectively. i think it's very important to share that everyone struggles with confidence at times, no matter how "good" their work seems.

i think my struggle with my confidence as a writer, both then, occasionally now, and always, stems from the fact that i have never been a super confident person as a whole. i have always had very bad imposter syndrome, ever since i was young, in pretty much all that i do. school, work, hobbies, anything really. i always have had this underlying feeling of 'i'm just faking being good at [thing], i was only good at [thing] because of dumb luck, one day i'm gonna be super bad at [thing] and then everyone will Find Out'.

find out what? idk. but that is something i've experienced for a very long time. most of the time i'm able to ignore those feelings, but every now and then they really rear their ugly head and i sort of get stuck in a rut.

as for the writing itself. i actually can pinpoint what i was specifically struggling with at the time. for starters, i was still finishing up school when i was beginning to plot out my fics for yangvik week, and my spring semester was rough. my adhd became incredibly unmanageable and my overall mental health was probably at the worst it's ever been. not super conducive to writing.

the other part of this struggle was actually because of my other fic, 'the push'. i love that fic and i am very proud of it, but it BLEW UP, becoming popular beyond my wildest imagination. it's only been out for a few months but it is one of the most popular things i have ever posted. last time i checked, it is the most popular work in the entire yangchen/kavik tag on ao3, which is just crazy to me.

unfortunately, the downside of this is that i began to feel like nothing i wrote would ever be as good as that fic. the imposter syndrome appeared full-force. i began to wonder if i should even bother writing for yangvik again. i mean, i had created the most popular fic by dumb luck. there was no way i could create something of that caliber again, right? and if i wrote something that wasn't as good, then people would know that i'm secretly a terrible writer.

this was also extremely exacerbated by my outside mental health struggle. i would struggle to write because of my adhd, and then would beat myself up about it because 'oh i just trekked through that mental block before, i should be able to do it again'. (spoiler alert, no i couldn't).

but somehow, the stars just seemed to align for yangvik week. by some miracle, i had both the free time to write AND working medication that actually let my get my ideas down. i published my fic for day one and it was very well received, and i was able to focus on that rather than my own imposter syndrome, and finally feel some confidence in my writing again!

so this is just my message to other artists: everyone struggles with their confidence at times. it isn't always mental health related like mine was (though you should always prioritize your own mental health! making art is so, so much harder when your brain is out of whack) but everyone feels a lack of confidence occasionally. your art deserves to be seen, no matter if you think you've just created the second mona lisa or you think it's a dumpster fire. someone out there is going to love it, i promise <3

thank you for the ask!

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: A young magazine writer in Mumbai must prove her matchmaking skills—and contend with growing feelings for her close family friend—in this debut desi romance. “A delightful friends-to-lovers romance that will curb your sweet tooth and leave you feeling warm and happy!”—New York Times bestselling author Sarah Adams

Confident fashionista Jia Deshpande spends her days writing cliché-ridden listicles for Mimosa, Mumbai’s top women’s magazine. When she can, Jia dishes about the messy truth of real love on her anonymous blog, attends her family’s weekly game nights, and ignores her true feelings for her childhood friend. If that wasn’t enough, Jia needs to successfully set up a coworker with her perfect match to get the green light for her new matchmaking column. Thankfully, organizing meet-cutes has never been difficult for her.

 Local pub owner and cocktail genius Jaiman Patil can’t help but be enamored with Jia and her meddling spirit. He’s always been an honorary part of her family, but even more so since his own moved to America. Life with the Deshpandes is chaotic and loud, but it’s also more loving than anything he experienced growing up, and he wouldn’t risk losing that for the world. It feels manageable—until his pub begins to struggle and his long-hidden feelings for Jia grow deeper. 

When Jia’s attempts at office matchmaking go haywire, risking new friendships and her relationship with Jaiman, she must reevaluate her own thoughts on love. For the first time, Jia Deshpande realizes that love may be a lot more complicated than she thought. Luckily, happily-ever-afters are never in short supply in Mumbai.

Review:

A modern day Emma retelling about a romance advice blogger and her childhood friend, a local pub owner? I loved this! This was such a cute and fun fresh take on the classic story of Jane Austen's Emma! Jia Deshpande spends her day writing listicles for Mimosa, Mumbai's top women's magazine and her free time writing about the messy truth of real love on her blog... and trying to ignore her feelings for her childhood friend. Jaiman Patil is a local pub owner and a cocktail genius who has been in love with his childhood best friend, Gia for the last 15 years. Ever since they kissed each other during a wedding he's known that she's the one for him... except she ran away and then told him to pretend it never happened and he's willing to do anything to just spend time with her. Jaiman is struggling to keep his pub open and to make it... and his feelings for Jia are only getting harder to control... and since she only wants him as a friend he's begun to secretly write to her under a different name. Jia begins trying to matchmake at her office and things take a turn. Her friendship with Jaiman is also changing... and she's beginning to realize that love is more complicated than she could have ever imagined and that maybe her happily ever after is right next to her, if only she would talk to him and finally talk about what happened on the night they kissed. This was a really sweet and fun read and as a huge fan of Emma, this was such a delight. I loved how it had elements of the classic but also was a fresh take on it as well. Jaiman was such a swoony and amazing love interest for Jia. I loved their dynamic, how they were both so in love with each other but just couldn't take the leap just yet. I would absolutely recommend this for fans of Emma, the friends to lovers trope, and just a good romance book!

Release Date: June 4,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dell for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[stars-n-spice]

FLUFFTOBER 2023 // Day 11

I am incredibly late with this prompt,, um,, I originally planned to do this at the start of the month but then got sidetracked with school shit whoops.

Then I started having bad days so I was like, "Let me write something to make me feel better" and I hit a writer's block so I turned to the prompts for @flufftober and found this one and threw up on a document over the course of two nights.

Anywho- more Khea and Wrecker because I have no self control and I love them. Enjoy!

Title: Sickly Sweet Rating: Gen Warnings: None Summary: Khea starts to suspect something is up when Wrecker's kisses constantly taste like her favorite candy, because surely it couldn't be a coincidence, right? Whatever the case, she needs to figure out what's going on before she finds herself falling deeper and deeper in love with the man.

PROMPT: "Sweet Tooth"

If you told Khea a few years ago that she’d be falling so hopelessly in love with a giant teddy bear of a clone with an affinity for explosions, she would’ve rolled her eyes and told you to ‘kriff off’ because there was no way that she was ever going to find someone she’d be willing to get that close to her. There was no way that there was someone out there that could possibly make her feel safe enough to want them close, to let them see who she really was underneath the beskar. Someone who could put up with her in her entirety, who could deal with and even love everything that made Khea, well, Khea. There simply wasn’t a way for that to be possible. 

But how the Force works in mysterious ways. 

One day he shows up at her shop in need of repairs and within a few months, it’s like they've known each other for the entirety of their lives. He was everything that Khea could ever want in a friend, a confidant, a partner; he was incredibly kind, funny, helpful, considerate, and so, so patient with her. He made her feel safe, made her feel seen and understood on levels others couldn’t hold a candle to. He was everything to her. 

Even if on the outside he seemed like an intimidating force of nature, loud and brash, explosive and excitable, who tackled things head on with such overwhelming passion, Khea came to learn that that wasn’t everything the clone was. At times, he was soft, he knew how to express his feelings and share them with her, he knew how to give her space when she needed it and be patient with her as she slowly opened up to him. He was reassuring and so incredibly willing to do anything and everything for her, no matter the cost that Khea couldn’t help but fall in love with him, despite the consequences she knew that it would bring. 

But her favorite thing about him? He was incredibly sweet. Literally. 

From a young age, Khea had always had a sweet tooth. She blamed it on her father who had a notorious sweet tooth and was always bringing home different treats and snacks, regardless of how much Khea’s mother despised sweets. It was how her and her father would bond really, while time spent with her mother were all to mold her into the Mandalorian warrior Khea was today, her time spent with her father was in the garage, working with tools and enjoying whatever sweet treat he brought home. Even after everything, she never lost that sweet tooth, even if things weren’t like they used to be. 

Then here comes this big clone who was sweeter than anything she’d ever tasted, both inside and out, showing her a love that was soft and passionate, and just completely unlike anything she ever thought she would experience. A kind of love that terrified her to no end the first time she experienced it, a love that made her want to hide and push it away until it was no more because she didn’t want to admit to the way that he made her feel. 

But you can only hide those feelings for so long. 

Especially after Khea picked up on a particular habit Wrecker seemed to have, one that at first went completely unnoticed until Khea started to piece a few things together. It took her some time to realize just what exactly Wrecker was doing, but once she did, it was nearly impossible to deny that he was the one. 

It started off on an unassuming evening. Khea was just about to close the shop, when Wrecker wandered in, back from a successful mission with a list of a few parts and tools that they needed to keep the Marauder up and running. One thing led to another and soon the list was discarded for a later time and Khea was sitting on a work table with her arms around his neck, his hands on her hips, and their lips locked in a needy embrace. 

Wrecker’s tongue brushed against her lips and she happily let him in with a soft sigh before a sudden sweetness hit her tastebuds the moment his tongue entered her mouth, making her widen her eyes slightly and pull away in surprise. 

When she pulled away so suddenly, Wrecker nearly whined, frowning a bit as he looked back at her in confusion and slight fear, as if he was afraid that he’d done something wrong. He titled his head and watched as Khea ran her tongue over her lips, her face a little flushed as she glanced back at Wrecker with an equally confused look. 

“Are you…” Khea stammered, her voice just above a whisper, “.. is that…?”

Her voice trailed off as she tired to find the words, not sure how to go about asking this question. She smacked her lips as Wrecker tilted his head further in response, looking more worried by the second. 

“What?” He asked, his voice a little strained as he ran his hands up and down Khea’s sides, a nervous fidget he developed that ironically was quite comforting to Khea. “Is…is something wrong?”

Khea’s eyes widened in realization and she quickly shook her head, not wanting Wrecker to get too worried or spooked by her sudden, strange actions. 

“No, no,” she assured, shaking her head and giving him a reassuring smile. This seemed to put him at ease a little bit, but he was still noticeably tense and Khea could understand why. So even if she wasn’t sure how to go about it, she owed him at least something of an explanation. 

With a small sigh, she managed to stammer out; “It’s just…You…you taste like…like Tepasi taffy.”

Wrecker blinked, seemingly caught off guard by this response before he broke out into a large, goofy grin. 

“I..I do?” He asked, any worry or concern suddenly replaced with excitement. 

Khea raised an eyebrow in response, slightly confused at his enthusiasm, but it was at least better than him thinking she was weird or something to compare the taste of his kisses to her favorite candy. 

Slowly, she nodded her head, glancing over his features before leaning in, her voice dropping to a whisper, “Yeah, you…you…” 

She pursed her lips for a second, studying Wrecker’s own lips for a second more before she pressed another kiss against his lips, letting her tongue poke between them and explore around his mouth before she pulled away, leaving Wrecker blushing and breathless.  

 “Huh, you do,” she muttered, smacking her lips and tasting the faint taste of honey and ginger of the taffy treat she loved so much. 

“Sweet!” Wrecker beamed, licking his lips eagerly, his whole face flushed red from Khea’s kisses. 

Khea couldn’t help but laugh softly in response, shaking her head fondly at the clone’s endearing reactions, “Yeah…no kidding…”

“It’s good, right?” Wrecker asked, giving Khea an almost sheepish look as he tilted his head, as if checking if she was alright that his kisses tasted like her favorite candy. No matter what it was, he always double checked with her to make sure she was comfortable with things and it made her love him all the more. 

“Yeah,” She whispered, nodding her head as she moved her hand to cup his face, gently caressing his cheek as she rested her forehead against his, “it’s wonderful, actually…” 

“Good,” Wrecker grinned before leaning up and pressing a tender kiss to Khea’s lips, the lingering taste of the Tepasi taffy’s zesty orange flavoring and sweet honey syrup filling Khea’s senses and making her long for more. 

“So back to what we were doing, yeah?” Wrecker chuckled, pulling away just enough to take a breath and speak, though Khea’s lips chased after his to get a little more of that sugary taste. 

“Mmh…” Khea hummed softly, nodding her head before she slowly opened her eyes again and flashed Wrecker an innocent, yet cheeky smile, “you mean getting the parts you need for the Marauder or…?”

Wrecker laughed and shook his head fondly, giving Khea a chaste kiss before hoisting her up into his arms with an equally innocent yet cheeky look, his smile melting Khea’s heart as she looked back down at him.

“Yeah, sure, mesh’la, something like that,” Wrecker chuckled, giving her a wink before pressing yet another sweet kiss to her lips. 

With a smile, Khea eagerly returned the kiss, her limbs wrapped around Wrecker as the list stayed on the worktable, unread until the next morning. 

READ THE REST ON A03!

[denimbex1986]

'Have you experienced a strange kind of delirium right before waking up from a dream? Especially when a dream is so lucid and visceral that it feels real. There’s even a stretch when one is simultaneously aware they’re dreaming, but also immersed in it like it’s really happening. A majority of Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers takes place in a delirium like this.

Adam (Andrew Scott), a lonely screenwriter residing in a ghostly apartment building in London where he’s one of the two occupants, spends a large part of his day gazing into a distance. He’s either staring at a blank word document on his laptop whose blinking cursor is measuring his time wasted, or mindlessly watching TV while chomping snacks. It doesn’t seem like he has friends (not nearby, at least) and he looks accustomed to microwave dinners and leftovers.

His solitude is threatened when his only neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal) shows up at the door, visibly inebriated and slightly on edge. He asks Adam how he copes with the silence of their area, without throwing himself off the balcony. When Harry invites himself in, Adam turns him away politely, almost instantly regretting it. Adam is battling writer’s block, and it seems like he’s also spent a lifetime running away from relationships. A spot decision to look at his childhood things (for inspiration) causes him to visit his parents’ home in the suburbs. While walking around in the neighbourhood, he bumps into his father (Jamie Bell), who invites him to come pay his mother (Claire Foy) a visit. What makes this meeting out of the ordinary is – Adam’s parents died when he was 12. “A car crash,” Adam tells Harry, the writer in him groaning at the cliche.

Haigh’s film is an adaptation of a 1987 Japanese novel by Taichi Yamada called Strangers. As much as it traverses the supernatural/magic-realism path, the grief and longing here is deeply personal. Having missed out on living his teenage years with his parents, Adam becomes a recurring visitor at his parents’ home. Note the obedience in Scott’s eyes, like he suddenly transformed into the shy, awkward adolescent they left behind.

He comes out to them as a gay man – resulting in two exceptionally touching scenes. Foy is exquisite as a mother grappling with memories of unconditional love for Adam’s 12-year-old version, her ‘80s mindset clashing with contemporary progressive values, while still concerned for her son’s loneliness and health. Her immediate question is around a disease she heard about on TV. Similarly, Bell is measured as the ‘alpha’ Dad, who smokes like it’s a fashion statement. But who also surprises his son with his generosity and introspection. It’s almost like Adam is concocting his own revisionist version of his growing up years, to overcome the pain of growing up isolated – which probably played a part in making him an even more isolated adult.

The more he reconnects with his parents, the more Adam finds himself opening up to Harry. Haigh’s film creates the perfect time capsule, as the 80s music becomes more and more prominent (Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood), almost as a way of indicating that telling his parents about his unspoken desires, might have freed him enough to profess being attracted to another man. Mescal, in another haunted performance (after last year’s Aftersun) of a man putting up the confident, assertive act while being completely shattered within, is a sight to behold. As Adam’s young lover, Harry brings a recklessness to the dynamic, which the former never allowed himself. Haigh films the sex scenes between Adam and Harry with a directness, as they explore each other’s bodies without the shame that’s been conditioned into them from a young age.

Haigh, who made the similarly devastating 45 Years (his economy could be mistaken for him being distant), brings his fleeting touch here too. He maintains the plot’s ambiguity till the end – is Adam’s writing assignment resulting in him visualising these hyper-real conversations? Is he ‘healing’ through these conversations? Or is he losing his mind? Will these visits take a toll on his relationship with Harry – who, in one scene, realises he will have to step up as the caregiver.

All of Us Strangers is brimming with great performances, but it’s best described as an Andrew Scott showcase. Best known for playing Moriarty in Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and a priest in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag – Scott brings his most pared-down version for the part of Adam. He almost physically contracts himself around his parents, and gets comfortable in his own body beside his lover. It’s the best example of body-language acting I’ve seen in the last year.

Haigh knows exactly how to leverage the school-boy kindness in Scott’s eyes, and tip him over during the film’s eerie scenes. And yet, a certain kind of love and longing permeate through a majority of the film’s 100-minute runtime, even when it turns into a fever dream. Would you lose your mind to speak to your dead parents for a few more minutes? What does unconditional love really mean – would you embrace a partner consumed by their loneliness? Would you lie beside them and offer them comfort when there’s little to no chance of this effort being reciprocated? All of Us Strangers marinates in these questions, not pretending to fully know the answers.'