#david i fucking love you and you better write more books

[burntotears]

Vic: You came for me. Even hurt you came and found me. Adam: You had to know I would. I will always find you, Vicente Martinez. Vic: You came to hell for me, baby. Adam: It's really corny when you call me that. Vic: You love it, don't even try to lie to me. Adam: Like I could.

[sabine-smitten-obviously]

And now i will never again hear a certain song

without thinking of a certain demon and his angel 🩷

I know that i have read a wonderful book when i dont want to start the next story right away. This is what exactly happened - again - with this wonderful fanfic.

Find the light

by klikantuna

This is the second book i read from @klikandtuna, the first one broke my heart - you absolutely have to read it. She promised me her other books are more fluffy and she absolutely kept her promise.

Whats it about?

Its a human AU with Crowley being a rockstar and Aziraphale the headmaster of a private school. So basically they don't have anything to do with each other - except that they go back a looooong time. 😉

What i love about it!

The author interweaves past and present again, as i already know from another story of her. So it slowly unfolds on 2 different timelines and it will grip your heart, i promise! 🤍

And this story is so so so romantic that its very likely going to break your heart too, but in a good way.

I know some people out there are into watching reactions to GO, well mine would have been actually crying, deep deep sighs, sometimes stopping to read the book and press it to my chest with teary eyes, going back to reread some scenes several times and twice i actually fetched my diary to copy some passages in my journal.

The tenderness the 2 characters show each other is absolutely breathtaking. And i do hope i dont spoil too much (STOP READING HERE IF U DONT WANT TO KNOW) but there is a scene when Aziraphale is picking out clothes for Crowley, that is SO thoughtful and careful and attentive that i absolutely want someone to do that in exactly the same way for me. Read it and come back to scream with me!

This book also gave me a lot to think of.

Her characters tend to cry a lot - this irritated me in the beginning. Until i realised: i would have cried in all those scenes myself - hell, most of the time i absolutely did. It was just my (toxic?) picture of men simply not or at least only rarely crying. I really had to let this belief go, it was time. Thank you for this wake-up-call.

And secondly its the way they treat each other. i don´t know if that even is possible in real life, if the author draws from her own experiences or a brilliant imagination. But i absolutely fucking want that kind of romance and love and care in my life, too. oh and if i ever should get married, if think i want the author to write my wedding-vows. 😂 least i can say "i have standards" now that are probably unreachable ;)

There are other really really important messages in this fanfic, on how to treat kids in school, on gender-topics and it couldnt be a better coincidence (was it?) that it was completed in pride-month.

All in all - this fanfic is incredibly written and for anyone who has seen David and Michael on Stage at "Pub in the Park" - this picture is literally the book!!!

So there is also fanart with the fanfic and from what i understand even a printed version available.

So if you are into big big big emotions, go read the book and come back to sing with me 🤗

[catbountry]

It's been a year since the premiere of Trigun: Stampede. The series, despite the fears of the fans of the '98 anime, actually turned out really good; Yasuhiro Nightow is a big superhero comics nerd, and wanted to have this new anime adaption be an adaption similar to the adaptions of the MCU, back when those movies were consistently enjoyable, and I daresay a bunch of the people watched Trigun probably were either already anime fans, or they were nomad fans who may have been really into the MCU at one point.

I have a lot of thoughts on an American perspective on Vash the Stampede as a character, with a lot of comparisons to American comic book superheroes. And while Trigun wasn't my first anime, I was hooked on it, as someone who grew up around Batman and Spawn's 90's popularity. During my first Otakon in 2001, I must have seen a dozen Vash's and Wolfwoods. I remember the year there was a Wolfwood cosplayer whose Punisher gun was shaped like the Star of David instead of a cross, making him a rabbi. That shit was amazing. The larger point is that I've loved this character for more than half of my entire time being alive, and I haven't seen a lot of discussion of Trigun viewed from a more political lens, and why it resonates so much with Americans (or at least me, who is an American) in particular

Buckle up, kids, this is gonna be long and rambly.

There was a period of time where I watched nearly every single new MCU movie in the theater. It was exciting seeing adaptions of comic books that would have probably never gotten a movie before the success of The Avengers. And I don't think it's a mistake that the most comic book-y of the movies are usually the best; Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel remain as probably my favorite MCU movies. Nightow was working directly with the studio making a new Trigun anime and reportedly got the crew to watch a bunch of Marvel movies to set the tone for the anime as an adaption; it's why Vash got a completely new redesign that freaked all us old fans the fuck out. Though it appears that once again, Trigun tried and failed to get that massive Japanese audience that most successful anime have. But boy, oh boy, do us westerners fucking love Trigun, especially us Americans. Nightow's love of superhero comics bled into Trigun, and it just so happened that he was incredibly influenced by Spawn, Hellboy and Batman as much as he was influenced by Akira Toriyama and mechanical art. McFarlane Toys released a Vash figure that is McFarlane'd the fuck up. Nightow loves all superhero comics but especially the Blade trilogy.

Just look at this and imagine being 13 years old and seeing this on a screen for the first time with the instrumental hard rock opening.

Also, I wouldn't actually get around to reading Spawn until I was an adult, but you know what? It's pretty good. The writing is definitely weaker than the art, but holy shit, that art goes hard and I still think that shit's cool as fuck.

As stated before, around the early 2000's Trigun was considered peak anime, though it's been more overlooked in recent years in favor of Cowboy Bebop, an anime that has aged gracefully by comparison. But while Bebop has that sort of timeless cool and level of quality that drew the attention of filmmakers like the Wachoski sisters, Trigun has that very specific kind of adolescent sense of coolness that comic book fans get, especially back in the 90's before this sort of thing would be smothered to death by MCU's Joss Whedoning of superheroes. Spawn, Hellboy and Batman are still cool. And Trigun also has a shitton of guns, obviously, given that Vash being an incredibly OP gunslinger in a world where everybody has guns.

And America loves guns.

I think the contrast of Vash's pacifism while still wielding a gun is extremely interesting because it's not something you see very much (I bet if I watched more westerns, I'd have a better idea if this is a trope in them at all). Batman does not use guns and doesn't kill people, which is why there's still discourse around Tim Burton's Batman films to this day still; I don't think Kevin Smith has budged on this. Other more morally grey superheroes will use guns (by this definition I'm counting The Punisher even if he doesn't have any superpowers, unless you count severe PTSD as a superpower). And a lot of them had huge surges in popularity in the 90's around the time Nightow was making Trigun. Vash posed like Batman or Spider-Man looking brooding (like the gif above) happens a lot in the earlier issues even though that's not really his character.

Several years ago, there was an attempt by a conservative thinktank to discredit a bunch of Hollywood actors saying that gun violence in America is a serious issue and contrasted their statements scenes of them shooting guns in movies, but if we're being real here, gunplay in movies can be really fucking cool. Again I invoke The Matrix, or movies by Robert Rodriguez and John Woo. Look at video games, and compare the decline in violent crime that's been happening here since the 70's and 80's, as culture warriors bemoan movies and video games for becoming more violent. Remember when Wayne LaPierre, vice president of the NRA, brought up fucking Splatterhouse as a reason why Sandy Hook happened? Do you know what Splatterhouse looks like?

It looks like this.

You know how these guys constantly say the only way to counter a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? Usually, the inference is that if the "good guy" with a gun shoots, he's shooting to kill. Deadpool and the Punisher would shoot to kill. But Vash is constantly trying to avoid it. And I remember as a teenager finding that really cool? And the manga and anime don't shy away from how impractical Vash's pacifism is. It's a bit more realistic than Steven Universe's ending, but also Steven Universe was made for children.

I know Avatar: The Last Airbender is often invoked when criticizing Steven Universe's philosophy, but I haven't really seen Vash's similar philosophy criticized in the same way, and I think a lot of that has to do with the presence of Wolfwood, who is the "I think we're gonna have to kill this guy" guy. I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen art of this yet. I may have to get on that. I already drew Vash horrified at the Trolley Problem.

Vash is a character designed with maximum coolness in mind, but also an overpowered being who is capable of killing millions, and in the anime, he somehow destroys July City without killing anyone directly, but the destruction of the city led to a bunch of people dying. He's so deeply committed to not wanting to kill anyone that he's probably killed more people than he would have if he just shot Knives. The best Batman stories acknowledge that Batman's refusal to kill Joker has similarly results in the deaths of people Batman could have prevented if he killed one guy, and this could also apply to Vash's relationship with his brother Knives, who was kind of destined to be a mass murderer with a name like that, let's be real.

Online, we tend to joke about bringing out the guillotines, or justify not feeling an sympathy for billionaires who die in a sub trying to view the Titanic. But if you were given a gun and a real human person begging for their life, what would you actually do? Do you honestly think that you would be the ethical Death Note user?

Vash has guns but he chooses not to kill people; he prefers to not even use them unless he has to, instead opting to run away and look cool doing it somehow.

He really, really doesn't want to kill people. He doesn't become numb to people dying. It hurts him every single time he watches someone get killed. In reality, most of us that aren't sociopaths would be distressed at the thought of killing someone. The only reason armies in real life work is that they become inoculated to the idea of violence and dehumanize the enemy. Vash is no soldier. He is idealistic, he is empathetic, and he sees every human being as a person worthy of life. Batman refuses to use guns, as that's how his parents were killed in front of him. Vash has to use guns in order to protect people from getting killed. He has the ethics of Superman but the tools of a comic book antihero. He's the logical conclusion of an shonen anime protagonist in a world that chews up anyone with that kind of optimism and hope and spits them out. And yet... he still keeps going. He remains committed. He's still cheery, goofy, lovable Vash.

Batman used to kill people, in the earliest comics. With the Comics Code Authority, no superheroes could kill people. In the 80's, comics were getting darker and edgier, taken more seriously. While Alan Moore's Watchmen delved into the moral complexities in a world with superheroes that was similar to ours, Frank Miller was keeping Batman consistent, even as Gotham got darker and uglier.

Batman is a vigilante. The police can be helpful or they can fuck up everything, depending on what's needed for the story. In Batman Year One, there's a scene where Batman crashes a party attended by the elites of Gotham, politicians and mobsters mingling.

Seeing this during the Bush presidency blew my mind. I don't want to get into just how perfectly the members of his administration seemed to resemble a rogue's gallery of sorts with the shared goals of making a lot of money and bombing the shit out of Iraq and Afghanistan. I was extremely anti-war even before the 2000 election as a very opinionated 14 year-old watching, Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and feeling relieved that a grown-up was able to see through all the bullshit; it helps when the guy who's against the war and killing people is funny. I remember writing in my diary at 12 years old after Columbine happened that I wanted to take all of the guns and melt them down in a pot, similarly to that scene in Superman IV where he throws the entire world's nuclear arsenal into the sun. But also that same year I would fall in love with The Matrix... and not long after that, Trigun.

Again, we come back to the idea of someone using a gun, a weapon designed to kill people, and using it in pursuit of the exact opposite. That resonated with me. I myself was very idealistic, and the political climate of my teenage years seemed to do almost everything to stamp that out of me. Things feel just as fraught two decades later, but in slightly different ways. Pacifism is looked down upon, as indicated by the backlash to the ending of Steven Universe, and how one crazy lady called Rebecca Sugar, a Jewish person, a Nazi for writing it that way. But for Steven, things worked out. For Vash? Well, he still has hope somehow, despite everything. I think the fact that he strives to protect human life, even when someone is a complete monster, is admirable in that it cuts to the very basic desire to not see people hurt. But we're also selfish, and scared, and sometimes it's hard to conceive of a solution to a problem that doesn't involve violence. Seeing dead bodies on TV or the internet upsets us, but we're often paralyzed by feeling like we can't do anything, and even if we tried, we'd likely perish in the attempt. We desire revenge, punishment for those who transgress by inflicting violence, and we can rationalize using it against the right targets. Vash the Stampede would have a fucking breakdown dealing with the state-backed violence that's been a part of geopolitics pretty much as long as there have been states and geopolitics. Vash would try and solve the bombings of Gaza with an impassioned plea for both sides to stop fighting before he would somehow wind up making things worse and it would eat away at him inside, no matter how brave a face he puts on as he tries to find some kind of hope in a hopeless situation. And... you know what? I kind of wish more people would be like that. Maybe if there were enough people like that, these sorts of things wouldn't happen in the first place. I wish more people could look at human suffering and feel compelled to try and stop it, not discriminating against one side or the other, trying to understand why people are doing what they do. Seeing anti-war protestors in Tel Aviv brings back memories of protests against the start of the War on Terror, and how hated America was internationally during those years, even when most Americans approved of the war. Michael Moore was booed at the Oscars for condemning George W. Bush and the War on Terror. It's terrifying that those in power want us killing each other and have conditioned us to support it. I want so badly for human beings to come together to just stop the violence, but it feels impossible, like we're destined for failure, like we might somehow make things worse or become worse versions of ourselves full of hatred and ugliness. But we should want to try, even if it's hard or unprofitable or we have no idea how to even do it. Somebody actually dedicating themselves to trying to fight our violent impulses out of love is appealing, and if they're more powerful than use, and can do more... well, I want the biblically accurate angel with every mental illness willing to martyr himself over and over again. But it is more fun when he's Bugs Bunny about it.

[khaleesiofalicante]

A Word of Thanks

I hope you all enjoyed(?) LBAF 5 and 6. I really took some risks with this storyline, challenging myself with the world building and the characterizations. This was also a very different experience because this is a new gang and all the dynamics are fresh too.

I was so anxious that you wouldn’t be able to follow the plot or you won’t be interested in the new characters and dynamics. But as always, you surprise me and support me, and as always, I am oh so grateful.

LBAF will be back later this year. The next couple of installments of LBAF will be the last. There is a big possibility that LBAF 7 will be broken into two (because it’s huge) and then there will be the final collection of short stories before we conclude the series.

Until then, here are some things to keep you on your toes. Some of the things I’m REALLY looking forward to writing/exploring in the next instalment.

Dark Magnus - Woot Woot! This is going to be more traumatizing than sexy 😅

Mikkel Knightstorm’s quest to destroy the downworld - and the impact it’s going to have on the shadow world 🥲

One of the next gen gang trying to rebuild the Alliance with Joseph’s help 🥹

Atlas becoming Christopher Lightwood’s intern (?) - and maybe a love interest for Atlas 👀

Joan being trained by Jonathan Shadowhunter 😳

Joan and Régine 🛳️🛳️🛳️

Antoine and Régine getting to know Joseph 🥺

Asmodeus being Asmodeus 🤬

Vampires from Paris 🇫🇷

Lance finds his parabatai 👯

Lance and Theia trying to figure out their uh sex problem 😀

Kincaid’s coming out 😍

Kincaid trying to win Arthur back 😎

Lance and Arthur figuring out the true extent of their powers - Literally my favourite part 😭

Lance going to Paris - 😘

Cami figuring out what she wants to do with her life 🫡

Cami, Harry, Miguel love triangle - I have no comments at this time 🫠

Rafael (trying to!) taking back control of the Council 🤧

Arjun makes a new friend 🥰

Devlin Corp and Mikkel Knightstorm😬

Harry building some pretty cool shit 😌

Alec bonding with Lil Max 💙

Another seashell 🫣

Antoine’s book about the Ressurected leading to some pretty shocking findings 🙃

Iris’ figuring out what happened between Hermes and Mikkel 😥

David and Victoria bonding over terrible parents and wanting better for their children??? 😱

Other Max trying to earn David’s forgiveness 😔

Lots and lots of battles 🤩

Lots and lots of death 😶

Prince of hell drama 🤪

Lucifer’s final steps to defeat Michael 😶‍🌫️ (my man out there playing the long game and being patient af - TAKE NOTES)

PS - These are only the things I can share without spoiling! There is so much more! Hope to see y’all again in this fucked up world with our faves :)

[shockyeahmiguelohara]

Hello! I love your blog and find your posts really insightful I was wondering, what do you think is a key aspect of Miguel's character that makes him challenging for writers outside of Peter David to write? Some people told me that the key part of Miguel’s essence that ATSV failed to portray is that he’s a rebel is that true? I hope I'm not bothering you with the question I'm just fascinated by your perspective

what do you think is a key aspect of Miguel's character that makes him challenging for writers outside of Peter David to write?

The short version: I think a lot of writers try to make Miguel O'Hara a version of Peter Parker that works for them or that they grew up with. It falls in line with the idea that there is only "one true Spider-Man" of the franchise that fuels the backlash to Miles Morales. But instead of overt racism, you end up with a milquetoast version of Miguel that's closer to Peter Parker than a genuine iteration of Miguel.

Some people told me that the key part of Miguel’s essence that ATSV failed to portray is that he’s a rebel is that true?

I think Miguel is a collaborator by nature, but rebels when something directly opposes his principles' and moral compass (and usually after he cannot ignore it any longer).

Take for instance, the catalyst that led to his becoming Spider-Man. Alchemax experimented on a human being without any real authorization, and Miguel's cooperation led to the senseless death of Mr. Sims.

The only way he felt he could hold himself accountable for his part was quitting and putting distance between himself and Alchemax. Tyler Stone undermined that by spiking his drink with an addictive drug that would eventually kill him. The aftermath of an deliberate attempt to murder him basically gave him the means to fuck up Stone's corporation and make some kind of amends for his complicity. But it also left him with disabilities (extreme sensitivity light being one of them).

So, in general, I think Miguel is a team player when it counts, but prefers to do things his own way (which, I guess is a rebel depending on the context).

Other elements that make Miguel 'difficult' for other writers is

1): Generation Gap and the Passage of Time

In particular, Spider-Man 2099 came around the time of the much derided "extreme era" of Marvel Comics, and comics in general. Which was nothing, if not a reaction to the Comics Code Authority and its particular brand of censorship (ah-la BS&P), and the desire to cater to a much older audience of readers.

So, the end result was overcompensation and a lot of antiquated ideas that remain fairly prevalent within the modern industry's of comic book publishing (see: Ultimate X-Men, Ultimatum, One More Day, Dan Slott, Comics Gate, etc.).

Spider-Man 2099 is very much a reflection of that "extreme era" ethos, from its character design, writing, and particular depiction of the future. It's Robocop or Judge Dredd flavored, so to speak. I also think it's easy to forget that Spider-Man 2099 was apart of a larger comic book series that included Ghost Rider 2099, Hulk 2099, Punisher 2099, and etc. It was beta Ultimate Comics.

The original Spider-Man 2099 debuted in 1992, and ended in 1996, officially putting the character on ice. Even as one of the better received titles of their 90s catalogue, with a cult following, it's hard to ignore the fact that Marvel treated their 2099 titles like damaged goods, something they had to run away from to recuperate their image.

As a result, they intentionally never did anything else to really promote Spider-Man 2099 so that he'd become a household name.

A similar thing happened to May Day Parker and the Spider-Girl franchise. Despite being relatively well received, Marvel as a company did its best to basically make sure she'd never become a household name.

So, by 2014 you've got 22 years of nothing happening with Miguel O'Hara. Then Dan Slott's Spider-Verse title debuted, and introduced a bunch of a Millennial and Gen Z era readers to all of these Spider-Mans they've never heard of, or only knew in the vaguest concept.

Almost immediately after, Peter David gets to write two more volumes of Spider-Man 2099. Except this time, he more or less does away with original continuity and all its narrative ties to cater to newer readers.

2): He's treated like a novelty or an aesthetic

The cancelled Spider-Man Unlimited series from Fox Kids, a reaction to Batman Beyond (Kids WB), was initially shopped around as a Spider-Man 2099 series. But because the general audience didn't know Miguel O'Hara (a consequence of the lack of promotion), Marvel decided to use the trappings and ideas of 2099, and created another Spider-Man series with Peter Parker. They treated the series like a spiritual sequel to Spider-Man: The Animated Series (a show they cancelled).

Prior to Spider-Verse, we got things like Timestorm 2099, Shattered Dimensions, and Spider-Man: Edge of Time.

Like an extension of Unlimited, with instances like Marvel's Spider-Man that uses Miguel's costume as an alternate skin to unlock in the PS4 game. It's why The Amazing Spider-Man production process wholesale lifted the design scheme of Miguel's costume as a possible final costume for their version of Peter Parker (see: the film's concept art), but never considered, maybe, making Miguel an actual character. (But honestly, given that its TASM, that's probably for the best.)

Thirteen years after the original comic, Timestorm 2099 was some kind of an attempt to introduce Miguel O'Hara to another generation of readers (Ys and Zs). I guess, to see if they could turn a profit with him. It's one of the few SM2099 titles not written by PAD. It solidified my belief that no one at Marvel, except PAD, really considers Miguel a unique character, just a reskin of Peter Parker.

Timestorm 2099's Miguel is a really bland version of teenage Peter Parker, whose dad is a genius scientist, and no elements of his family and life from SM2099 vol 1 (Gabri, Conchata, Xina, Dana) exists in different/alternate forms. The story basically exists just to get Peter to meet teen Miguel, and not much else. It's a less entertaining version of Spider-Man 2099 meets Spider-Man.

Exceptions to the rule are Edge of Time, a story co-written by PAD. It treats him like a whole and fully realized character, it uses an iteration of his universe as part of the stakes for Miguel and Peter, whose futures are altered by Dr. Sloane. It builds on their back and forth through dialog that doesn't just fill game-time space, but informs their character. And they do this with, arguably, the most recognizable Peter Parker voice actors of their time (Christopher Daniel Barnes, and Josh Keaton).

Were it not for the game's less than stellar performance, I'd argue that was a solid selling and starting point for newcomers to Miguel that Marvel could've really pushed. If I can say anything about Dan Slott, he kept trying to make his "fetch" idea (Spiderverse) happen, and it was, in part, the reason why we ended up with more PAD-helmed 2099 stories for Miguel.

But even with that in mind, the novelty aspect of Miguel's universe as one that Marvel constantly reinforces. It refuses to give 2099 its own space to exist outside of sporadic moments. To a large degree, Across the Spiderverse is very much a representation of how Miguel is treated like a niche or kitchy idea.

And you'll notice, with Miles (the one alternate/legacy Spider-Man they're capitalizing on, however disengeniously), the way they legitmized him is by keeping him trapped within the sphere of Peter Parker (specifically, alternate or cloned versions of Peter Parker).

[comicalarchitect]

Samantha Reads Comics #1

I used to liveblog comics a lot on Twitter, and people enjoyed that sometimes, but once Twitter went to shit I mostly stopped doing that, so I'm gonna experiment with doing it in a longer format (though still keeping it pretty cazh) here on Tumblr. Lately I've been going through the comics bibliography of one of my favorite writers, Peter David, in chronological order, and rather than filling anyone in on the stuff I've already read, I'm just gonna pick up where I'm at now, dumping my thoughts in this post as I go through. (If people enjoy this, I might eventually go and do a catchup post with my thoughts on David's early Spider-Man stories, his first Phantom miniseries for DC, and his first year on Hulk.) This post is gonna cover the first few issues from David's second year writing Hulk, out of a pretty definitive and influential stint on the character. My thoughts, carrying over from my time writing Twitter threads, will be pithy and discontinuous.

I like that David brings out this aspect of Bruce--that he has the potential to lash out and be cruel to people even in this aspect. It makes the whole Hulk-as-repressed-id deal seem a lot more authentic. (Also love the absurd way Todd McFarlane draws Bruce's hair.)

"Bruce being petulant and jealous of Hulk" is another weird side of that dynamic that David teases out, and again, I'm very into. Hell, Hulk's hatred of "puny Banner" makes a lot more sense when you don't make Bruce a saint, but instead make him kind of a whiny hypocritical nerd. "Puny" as an insult works a lot better when it's not just an assertion of might-makes-right superiority, but is instead an observation of the way Bruce almost egoistically weaponizes his weakness, making himself an object of toxic pity who never really has to face consequences. (That's not really all contained in the page excerpt here, but it's definitely present in David's ongoing characterization of Bruce. If you want my analyses to be laid out more predictably, pay me to write a book.)

Rick, I think Mar-Vell's answer would involve some degree of "I would use the Power Cosmic on them," which means it would be pretty unhelpful to you right now.

Solid gag, and very much augmented by Rick Parker's work as letterer.

okay go to Writing Jail now, Peter David

I kid, though. This page right here, this is the deft, subtle, absolutely original level David was working on. This kind of psychodrama is why it's worth writing a Hulk comic in the first place.

I love how David always drops in these shitty little side characters whose petty, disingenuous lives get utterly trampled by the main plot--this kind of guy right here is why Hulk hate puny humans.

Oh FUCK this is a good development. Both a left-field move with possible dire consequences, and also completely in-character for Betty, which makes it the best kind of plot twist.

Betty is such a fucking good character.

McFarlane's style, especially with faces, is just getting goofier and more caricature-ish as he grows into his confidence (Image Comics wasn't even a twinkle in his eye yet), and it really is a good match for David's writing.

owned

it's about ethics in gamma journalism

what a bunch of clowns

okay but now I really want a "Teenage Idiot" epitaph (even though I'm 25)

[godihatethiswebsite]

Books Tag Game!

Tagged by @dragonnarrative-writes.

Point of order: I'm a picky bitch. The amount of books I've read vs the books I'd actually put on a bookshelf are like.... maybe 20, taking into account most of them are part of a series. Tho tbf most of the 'good books' I want aren't on KU and I'm kinda fucking broke. Also yes, the early days of booktok got me back into reading after a 10+ year slump in case that wasn't about to become insanely obvious.

1) The last book I read:

Fake It Till You Make It by Flora Quincy. Been on the hunt for more omegaverse books, but this one was terrible >< DNF'd.

2) A book I recommend:

I don't know how not to sound like a basic bitch broken record, but for the love of god go read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. Just stop after book three in the series.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout. Binged the first three books (that were out) in two days. Wish I could afford the rest.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

Hi. Basic bitch again :) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. You have no idea what this book meant to me the first time I read it and the strength it gave me to open my eyes and see that I was worth so much more.

5) A book on my TBR:

Currently there are about 28 of varying excitement to read (most of it is what I refer to as 'junk food'), but I've got an upcoming release in September for the fourth book in the Beasts of the Briar series by Elizabeth Helen called Broken By Daylight I'm looking forward to.

6) A book I’ve put down:

Exodus by Kate Stewart. I was prepared to put this series as one of my all time favorites with the way I felt falling in love with Sean and Dom, but after that... refused to read more. Genuinely devastated, still not over it. Haven't looked at rainy days the same ever since.

Also just because it still bothers me - House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas. What the fuck girl?! The first one was so good and I praise so much of your work! But it's like ever since ACOTAR book 4 came out you've just dropped the ball...

7) A book on my wish list:

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Hopefully it's better than some of the other dragon books I've tried recently.

8) A favorite book from childhood:

The Sight by David Clement-Davies. It's a fantasy book that follows a pack of wolves and their daughter who has visions. Have tissues on hand.

9) A book you would give to a friend:

Depends on the friend >>; We talking a cute hockey romance like Weak Side by SJ Sylvis... or is the freak flag flying with Shantel Tessier's The Sinner?

10) A fiction book you own:

Death: A Life by George Pendle. Not my usual fare, but it's a fun 'autobiography' about the grim reaper.

11) A nonfiction book you own:

Does a high school yearbook count?

12) What are you currently reading:

Just cracked open Baby + the Late Night Howlers by Kathryn Moon, but I'm expecting to probably close it within the first few pages (seriously, my kingdom for a good omegaverse that I haven't already read 😭).

13) What are you planning on reading next?

God, idk. Most of the books on my list either cost money, aren't out yet, or are titles I know are most likely gonna be mid at best.

No pressure tags: @cosmicpro, @void-my-warranty, @all-purpose-dish-soap, @stuffireadandenjoy, and @rememberwren

[thatdesklamp]

hi maggie !! i really really really love IW and just wanted to ask how you got inspired to write a gojo x reader fic from reading one day? you’ve also convinced me to buy the book and now i’m patiently (not really) waiting for it to arrive.

also i find it kinda funny that gojo became a huge comfort character of mine because of IW, like if i never read it, i wouldn’t have been THAT attached to him.

i hope you’re feeling better, make sure to rest lots !!

HUZZAH!!!! My plan is a success. The ‘One Day’ + Gojo conversion has begun! But jokes. The inspiration for IW is such an interesting question.

Funnily enough, I kind of approached the ‘One Day’/IW/jjk inspiration the opposite way: I watched season 1 of JK and kept thinking about the bare bones of a story idea, or, at that point, a vague, self-indulgent self-insert of a love interest for Gojo: a girl who couldn’t touch people, hands behind her back, wearing black gloves. I couldn't tell you why I thought of that, but I just thought it was cool as fuck. I had this badass mental image of this cool asf woman removing her gloves with a powerful flourish in the climax of a sick anime battle sequence. Idk, man. And then, when I started taking myself more seriously, I figured that because I love childhood-friends-to-lovers, I decided she’d be Gojo’s childhood friend.

But I wanted to explore that childhood first: I think the main reason most people don't like friends-to-lovers is because most authors don't put in the time to establish the characters as friends first. Why should a reader care about the protagonist/childhood-friend-love-interest's relationship when all they've been given is a blithe attempt at exposition in which the protagonist tells (not shows) the reader that 'yes we've been friends for so long and we really care about each other so yippee root for our relationship!'? I knew that friends-to-lovers works best when there is so much time spent to flesh out the 'friends' relationship first, and that I wanted to show that, preferably chronologically, and not just rely on flashbacks that are just a general pet peeve of mine (they're so difficult to do right, I can go on about it for donkeys).

That's why I came up with using 'One Day' as an inspiration: I wanted to go through years of these characters' lives--genuine decades--and use a chronological narrative, without doing crazy time jumps, and still being able to focus in on the day-to-day, moment-to-moment aspect of a relationship, to really foster that intimacy I wanted to convey. And, so: boom! The 'A concept shamelessly stolen from 'One Day' by David Nicholls' tag was born.

You've got me thinking more about how 'One Day' has influenced IW. Give me a second and I'll write it up fully.

(And thank you! I’m on the mend. Sending out thoughts n prayers to Alexander Fleming, my absolute g, antibiotics are fire 🔥)

[roseharpermaxwell]

RWRB FirstPrince Single Parent & Parent Recs

My favorite single parent or parent recs below!

I Dissent! by Mel_1999. G, 1.4k. A police officer is coming to give a safety talk at school and, as a lawyer, Alex has a lot of things to say about it. Those things include planning an entire presentation for their son's class about their constitutional rights.

Henry is horrified, but supportive.

The Evening Routine by TuppingLiberty. T, 1.8k. Henry comes home late and joins Alex and their daughter, Isabella, in their night-time routine. Domestic fluff with a fade-to-black sex scene and adult language, so rated T.

(even though you want to) please try to never grow up by @coffeecatsme. T, 1.8k. “You better have a good fucking reason for sending me to voicemail, Hen.” He glares at the phone for one second before he actually sees the screen, and then his face melts into something Henry can only describe as fond. “Oh,” he whispers, dropping his mug of coffee onto the counter so he can lean in closer to the phone. “Look who’s there.”

“Yeah.” Henry keeps his voice so low he isn’t even sure Alex can hear him. He doesn’t seem to mind, eyes taking in the picture in front of him with parted lips, the edge of his finger covering the camera when he undoubtedly reaches to caress his daughter’s head.

Or, Alex misses his daughter when he goes back to work after a long paternity leave.

(We) Loved Her First by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf. G, 2k. When I thought about all of the things I wanted to say to you both today, my initial urge was to write a letter. I could borrow Dad’s fountain pen from his top desk drawer and watch the ink soak slowly into the cardstock paper, to blow it dry and carefully crease it in three places before sliding it into an envelope and sealing it with the wax seal Papa bought a few years back, that he said we could use to send our Christmas cards to Sandringham in a more formal way so that Uncle Pip wouldn’t expect to find us wearing matching Christmas tree onesies inside.

But then I realized, a letter isn’t your style. It isn’t our style. Your story, the same story weaved together countless times throughout my life into a tapestry of your love that blanketed me at night whenever I needed comforting, was told through a series of pixels swirling through the air and crossing the void of space and time within moments. So, I decided it was only fitting to continue that tradition and to follow in your footsteps…an email, it is.

OR

Alex and Henry's daughter sends them an email just before they walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

Teachable Moments by @everwitch-magiks. T, 2.1k. Alex is a single dad. His daughter, Elena, is as curious as she’s clever and quite a handful. Luckily, Alex has a solid support system—he can always count on Elena’s aunts, as well as on her kindergarten teacher. Her very wonderful, very attractive kindergarten teacher.

But kindergarten doesn't last forever.

even children get older by blueberriesandcream. G, 2.2k. on her grandchildren's first day of school, ellen claremont looks at alex and has some regrets. (alex makes it better for everyone.)

Giving Yourself Grace by TuppingLiberty. T, 2.9k. Isabella is very young, and Alex is home alone with her for the first time while Henry is away for the shelter. He learns some dark truths about himself when he struggles to help Isabella.

fully booked by riversdeep. T, 3.2k. A hand tugs at Henry’s sweater as he’s rearranging the Austen section, and he smiles, abandoning his books and crouching down. “Hello, Sophia.”

Today, Sophia's decked out in a Spiderman costume, complete with a matching tiny backpack and camera.

“Hi, Mister Henry.”

“Yeah, hi, Mister Henry.”

Henry laughs, heart impossibly warm. “Hello to you too, Alex. The books are on the counter, I’ve had them set aside for you.”

A little off the top by @clottedcreamfudge. T, 3.4k. “How old's David? Mine's almost 4 and she's cute but a lot of work.”

“Oh! He's 5 – it was his birthday last week, actually.”

“No kidding? Did you have a party?”

God, this man sees right through him. “With cake and invitations and a themed piñata, for my sins,” he confesses. “Does that make me awfully gauche?”

“Nope,” Alex says, popping the 'p' and winking at Henry's reflection. “But that might mostly be 'cause I have no idea what that means.”

Henry has literally never had such a good time while having his hair cut.

look in the mirror (and show me who you see) by blueberriesandcream. G, 3.5k. henry comes home to find alex in a predicament when their daughter gets bubble gum in his hair

Lost and Found by @sherryvalli. T, 3.9k. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I distinctly remember telling you to stay.”

“Sorry,” she said, not sounding very sorry at all. Henry made a mental note to teach her how to at least pretend to be contrite.

“You’re… she - you can speak English?”

Henry looked up. The man was turned towards him now. His eyes were the first thing Henry noticed. Wide and a deep brown, with impossibly long and dark eyelashes that seemed to touch his cheeks every time he blinked. And his mouth - it was open now in surprise and disbelief, but it was perfectly curved and bitten pink, and Henry had no problem picturing it curled into a smirk. A handsome serial killer, then.

Single dad Henry loses his daughter at the Met and ends up finding more than he bargained for.

kiss me on this cold december night by blackrose1002. M, 4.7k. “Hey, can I get an Americano to go? With double espresso?”

Even though he’s not working the register – because he’s making the bloody gingerbread nightmares – the simple order is enough to catch Henry’s attention and he looks up.

He immediately wishes he didn’t.

Right there, currently paying for his normal, boring coffee, is a man that’s possibly the most beautiful man Henry has ever seen. With his dark curls and beautiful brown eyes, eyelashes so long they don’t seem real and a smile lighting up his entire face, the man is simply stunning.

Henry would make anything for him.

Any coffee, including the goddamn gingerbread latte.

Or his bed, after getting thoroughly fucked into his mattress.

(Or the one where Henry works as a barista and one day the most beautiful man in the world orders the most boring coffee and saves Henry's sanity)

Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful by Liloandbitch. M, 5.6k. No one will ever believe him when he tells them Henry said the word DILF.

that's the way love goes by @waterloolovers. M, 6.3k. “Daddy. I want a little sister,” Dani had announced one day. Henry choked on his tea while Alex dropped the spatula straight onto the floor. “Um.” Henry cleared his throat. “Your papi and I will have to talk about that, okay?”

The Eternal Struggle by Celaestis. T, 6.7k. "Love, we can't put 'gender is a social construct, bitches' on an official royal birth announcement."

Five times parenthood beat Henry and Alex, and one time they won parenting.

Secret Ingredient by floatingaway4. T, 8.2k. It’s not unusual for the shelters to call each other when they need temporary space. Henry doesn’t normally take children that young, but he can accommodate them in an emergency. He just has to make sure the staff keeps an eye on this kid. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Oh what a laugh it would have been by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf. E, 11k. When Alex dresses as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, their five-year-old daughter makes an extra special, last-minute Christmas wish. AND

Alex leaves his Santa suit on for a private evening with Henry while everyone else is snug in their beds.

in paper rings, in picture frames, in latte art series by coffeecatsme. T, 15k. “You little menace,” a voice says from the door, entirely too fond to be anything mean. “I told you to wait by the car, not go inside.” The man steps inside, shaking the rain from his hair, and Henry is treated to the sight of the most beautiful man he’s seen in his entire life, standing in the middle of his shop with clothes dripping to the floor and raincoat bundled up around him. He notices then the umbrella clutched in the little boy’s hand, the innocent wide eyes watching his father, and the picture forms in his head.

Or, five times Henry makes a piece of art for Alex's son on his drinks, and one time he does it for Alex himself.

Confidential Memorandum by sherryvalli.  T, 17k. "Hello, Mr. Fox-Mountchristen's office. How may I help you?"

"Hello, can I speak to Mr. Fox-Mount-krishen, please?"

Alex blinked. After two weeks of hearing nothing but the voices of snooty men and frazzled secretaries calling in, the person on the other line now sounded decidedly neither snooty nor male nor in any way adult.

It was a little girl.

"Mr. Fox-Mountchristen's unfortunately in a meeting right now,” Alex began slowly, “but I could take a message?"

"Oh." The girl paused. "You're not Mr. Hunter."

Alex starts a new job as Henry's new assistant. Henry's daughter keeps calling the office and leaving him messages.

Longer Than Most by @happinessofthepursuit. E, 26k. “Oh,” Alex says. “Sick.”

Henry can’t help but grin. He can’t believe he’s so bloody gone on a man who says sick and dude, who he’s slept with all of one time and proceeded to knock him up. Henry’s a cliche, honestly.

“It is, indeed, sick, as you say.”

Alex rolls his eyes, but his cheeks darken a shade, giving him away a bit. “Listen, the closest I get to poetry is your fucking face. Excuse me if my vocabulary doesn’t quite compare to yours.”

Or, Alex and Henry have a one night stand. That is, until a baby’s involved.

Family Lines series by @cultofsappho. T, 41k. Henry turned his attention back to the girl in front of him, she seemed to be pivoting from star-stuck to actual distress. “Are you okay?”

"I'm gay!" She blurted the words out before slapping a hand over her mouth like she couldn’t believe what she’d just said.

Henry chuckles, his cheeks flushing pink. "Me too."

Henry and Alex had been thinking about fostering for years now, they were just waiting for the right kid to (aparently literally) fall into their life.

True Love Stories Never Have Endings series by @historicallysam. E, 69k. “The beauty of love is that you can fall into it with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time.” - Ritu Ghatourey

Henry expects the coming school year to be much the same as the previous ones. He couldn't be more wrong.

orion in your fingertips series by acastle. E, 168k. “She truly is your daughter, Alex,” Henry sighs, defeated.

“Fuck off, sweetheart,” he laughs, a soundbite of the sun. Henry forces himself not to physically react, the term of endearment sweet and menacingly familiar coming from Alex’s lips. It’s been years. “You know they’re useful.”

“Ah yes, eyelashes, truly a formidable instrument in managing international relations.”

Alex grins, and Henry is too late to catch the slightest downward lilt on the corner of his mouth, “Worked on you once, didn’t it?”

Oh, did that ache. 

(Much had happened since the time Henry had told Alex to leave. Alex had passed the bar, gotten married, had the most beautiful daughter. And Henry, well. He stayed right where he was.)

*And podfic of a flicker, a spark by the incomparable RattleandHum @thirdeye1234.

I only tag an author once per post, but I'm still figuring out firstprince author handles. If you see one I may not know or find a broken link, please give me a heads up!

Master List of RWRB FirstPrince Recs

Master List of Recommendations

[bloodgulchblog]

Have you seen that YouTube video where some guy reads every Halo novel back to back and then reviews them? If so what did you think

The Brian David Gilbert one? Oh yeah, all my friends showed me it when it came out. (It was honestly kind of cute seeing how many people thought of me immediately.)

Rewatching it to refresh myself because it's been a couple years and a full-novel reread for me since the last time...

High fiving BDG because the Master Chief parts of The Flood were definitely the most boring parts.

He didn't have anything to say about First Strike which I think is a shame because I think it's better than The Fall of Reach and actually has A Theme I Find Interesting.

Rightful recognition of Contact Harvest as pretty damn good.

Rightful recognition of the Forerunner Trilogy as dense oldschool-style SF with deep worldbuilding. (Also the San'Shyuum thing.)

I disagree with him about, and have significant problems with, Kilo Five. He is correct that Kilo Five actually delves into some of the dark places in Halo in a way it really needed, and I would even say that its writing is extremely engaging by Halo novel standards. However, while he does notice the obvious parallels between what ONI is doing post-war and the kind of shit the CIA has pulled again and again irl, I think he misses some of the subtext I see where it feels like it justifies some shit a liiiiittle too much if you know the author's irl politics re: the military. He also doesn't seem to notice the character assassinations (particularly of Catherine Halsey) that I and a lot of other fans see/object to in those books. I kind of gaze into the middle distance with a haunted expression at the suggestion that these are the ones to read if you don't touch any of the others just because they are, ironically, so heavy-handed and feel like they treat certain kinds of evil as inevitable in a way that actually feels way worse to me than the excuse plot offered by the earlier/lighter Halo novels. (But idk, that's me? Nobody is committing a crime if they disagree with my frenzied insane person red string diagrams about Kilo Five.)

I'd swap Pariah for Dirt in the Evolutions anthology if it were me, but I think these are solid standouts.

Broken Circle is neat but really nonessential he's not wrong.

A one-sentence review of New Blood is probably not enough space to get into how fucked up the Spartan-IV program is, but yeah. New Blood is fun if you don't find Buck's first person narration annoying. (It comes and goes for me in that one.)

BDG you're an absolute sweetheart, I think Hunters in the Dark is kind of goofy in a way I cannot in good conscience ignore if I'm gonna review it. But it really really is so much fun and I love that one a lot anyway. The "it's like Halo 3... 2" observation is solid.

High fiving him again because I also found Last Light disappointing. And it is also a me problem.

Fractures!

Hell yeah these are all good pulls from Fractures, I would say Shadow of Intent is the pick of the litter in that anthology for me. Interesting that as a Kilo Five enjoyer he didn't single out Rossbach's World, which is the last we've heard about Osman and Black Box. (Also, that one is good.) I think Oasis is worth an honorable mention because I'm an Envoy stan, and the Forerunner stories are interesting but I wouldn't go for them if you don't already have a healthy interest in the trilogy.

This tangent is so fucking funny now that we know more things:

Oh BDG, oh buddy, it's really not for the people like you and me huh. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if BDG likes the Halo tv show or not and I have no desire to dig up evidence about it.)

Also, while you're here, this is the bloodgulchblog origin story:

Smoke and Shadow is fun so it's a little sad that when he ends that sentence with "whatever," I can't actually say he's wrong to. (Sorry Rion your part of the lore just.... hasn't... touched anything that touches anything else anymore.)

ENVOY IS GOOD AND EVERYONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT IT okay okay I'm cool I'm normal, anyway. Envoy is the Halo novel that restored my faith in reading Halo novels and reminded me that authors can care and know how to do nuanced, interesting themes in this space. It's great. Everyone in this book has war refugee trauma (except the Spartans which have Spartan trauma) and that's incredible to me. Please care about Envoy if you have spare room in your heart for Halo side characters.

I am cheered to see someone indifferent to the Veta Lopis stories, but I still feel petty for feeling it.

I don't have a lot to say about Legacy of Onyx here but it's always so fun seeing someone else suffer and care.

Bad Blood, the Blood is Bad now is a fun joke but lol yeah. It does have this very vital moment where Chief and Arbiter talk, though. For the first and only time in years.

PROPS FOR NOTICING THE YA NOVELS they're actually pretty nice.

"The Master Chief is the protagonist and boy does he shoot some people" is most of how I feel about Silent Storm and Oblivion too, I know they have their fans but Troy Denning's Chief books don't do much for me personally.

Renegades hadn't had its followup Point of Light yet but yeah, Spark stuff is interesting.

I had to remember that oh yeah, there are multiple books now that didn't exist when this was made. I wonder if he read them?

OKAY I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY as always if y'all want specific book opinions, I might have a tag for them. Or just yell in my ask box, I'm sure I can scrounge up some thoughts.

[ca-suffit]

Hi!! I would love your thoughts on this,I read the books years ago, but kinda got the gist that Marius and Lestat were besties and kinda similar, like Lestat looked up to Marius a lot, but the show has already painted Marius in not a very flattering light, totally fair, also Jacob wanted to vomit talking about Marius lol, so how do you think the show will portray Lestat/Marius relationship, it could be potentially disastrous ://

Well.....Marius has always been terrible tbh. One of Anne Rice's favorite type of character was some pompous old white man who everyone knew was a pedophile (with a side order of misogyny) but just accepted him anyway and let him in a lot of spaces without question. Bcuz it's always someone who has "knowledge" somehow.

Fans argue constantly about these ppl, especially Marius, bcuz a lot of ppl read these books too young. Obviously ppl can write whatever they want but usually there is a purpose to the writing. Anne Rice put a lot of ideas out there that just kind of....do nothing. There's a lot of abuse in the books that just sits there. She's usually having the victims stifle their reactions to abusers and eventually convincing themselves it's all about love. It's a real pattern of behavior in abuse victims but it does nothing to add anything to the stories bcuz she writes it poorly. It's not like u *have* to criticize abuse in fiction, it can serve a lot of purposes, but hers is just.....there. It's treated as if the correct thing to do is *never* look at it at all, just get along with everyone without question. This is why ppl think the books teach "empathy" but tbh all it shows is that she couldn't write conflict or even navigate real relationships at any adult level.

The ugly truth about a lot of what she wrote is that she idolized rich, white, and abusive European men. Every single one of them is like this, no matter how much anyone wants to tone down Lestat or Marius or whoever. The show could bring attention in a more critical way to a *lot* of things. That would be amazing if they did tbh. Lestat is always seeking a father figure / mentor and Marius and David are the main men he looks to. It starts off fine but then becomes blurred in this sexual haze that isn't rly necessary for anything?? Marius isn't as sexual as David but it's still there a little....and his history with Armand and Lestat's relationship with Armand p much goes unexamined, which is insane. A lot of the reason the fandom is fucked up too is bcuz she kind of made a lot of serious things come across like a fun Daddy Kink. It's....rly weird. It's like she couldn't look a lot head on, she had to start blurring it into "is the character bothered rn or is this a fun, sexy time??" I think she could have benefitted from a lot of therapy or at least a clearer vision of her writing goals before she wrote most of any of this.

Anyway, my main point was that it isn't rly gonna be that shocking if a lot of rich, white men who do shitty things stick together. It depends how honest the show is gonna be. So far they've been a lot more critical of things Anne Rice never looked at, so the potential for a much better story is there. I think the point that a lot of book ppl insist is in the books is a good thing to pull more to the surface than she did. Awful ppl exist every day and how do u draw the line on interacting with them? What happens if other ppl like them and ur alone in it? Especially if it's ppl u trust and respect? What if the person is rly beautiful? Rly talented? What if it's the partner of someone u love who doesn't see abuse happening? What if ur all immortal too, how do u deal with having issues with someone u might have to see forever?

Since we've seen some of Marius through Armand's version already, I expect that they're going to be more up front on things than the books were. I also expect he's going to still be someone that Lestat looks up to in some way. How it works in the long term, idk, but it's one of the main things I'm looking forward to.

[1800nosleep]

STUDYING WITH THEM !!

all of my characters I write for + my ocs !!

pt two

warnings;; gn! reader, age of reader will depend on character, high school/ college student! reader, fluff, slight angst, cig smoking, underage drinking mention, maude isn't dating vin in this scenario, but they live together for rent purposes,

(a/n) since it's back-to-school season, I'm terrified for anyone and everyone in school, so have this as a soft reminder that school is coming or is already here !!

THE OUTSIDERS

Dallas;

nuh uh, do not ask him for help

he is so unhelpful, he is too similar to david (tlb) in the way that he will distract you and bother you

he is begging you to stop studying because he is bored

"please y/n, I'm so bored!" "please!"

anyways, if you can force him to help you, he will try to help you but he will fail successfully

just ask him to read you your study notes or your fact cards, and he will read them but in the most monotone ass voice possible

he'll stop helping you, just to invite johnny over to help you, that way dallas can go fuck around

what did I tell you, useless as fuck over here

honestly its a shocker if you actually learn anything from him because of his unwillingness to help you and his monotone as voice

"y/n this is so stupid, why are you studying" "dal, i have a huge test soon, stop complaining and help me."

constant begging and pleading for you to quit studying will leave his mouth so you've got two options

tell him to fuck off and leave or attempt to study with him around, your choice

since dallas isn't in school, he doesn't study, and he never studied while he was in school

in conclusion, do not go to him to help you study, you'd have a better time going to darry, pony or sodapop. he will distract and bother you the entire time.

Ponyboy;

he is a blessing, out of everyone in this part of my hcs

like he will make sure, that you will pass whatever class or exam you have

you and him can have study sessions where you help each other

so go down to the library with your books and notes and get down to business

"alright y/n, lets get this done and over with"

he is reading your notes and asking you questions, taking questions directly from the book and asking them, that way you can be prepared for anything

you'll do the same for him because, for one, it is common decency when studying with someone, and for two, why wouldn't you

he wants to make sure both you and him pass your classes and tests so he is determined to help you study

if you smoke, he'll invite you out for a smoke break, but even if you don't he'll still invite you because you deserve a break from studying

in conclusion, he is probably the most helpful when it comes to studying and learning.

love him frfr, i'd study with him, idk bout yall

Johnny;

LORD HELP ME, johnny is such a mixture of pony and dal

like he'll help you if you really need help, but he's definitely calling in someone for things like math, science, and anything that isn't social studies

social studies johnny <3

I think he's definitely an english and social studies type of learner

that doesn't mean he absolutely sucks at math and science but lets just say, he definitely needs to study for those classes

if you suck at math and science, yall are gonna need some assistance from pony

but if you're really good at math and suck at english and social studies, you'll get all the help you need from johnny

he loves reading and learning about history, so get your textbook and study notes cuz he's gonna make sure you pass those classes

unlike pony and dal, johnny is a believer of rewarding good things so he's giving you little kisses and hugs and once you finish all of your studying, he's defo gonna cuddle you and AHHHH

although similarly to pony, he's also having some small smoke breaks so either you can follow him out or stay and study a little bit more when he's gone

"y/n come here, we finished all of our work, time for cuddles"

if you don't give him cuddles, i swear to god

he's actually so sweet, he's bringing snacks and drinks to the study session, which most of the time takes place either at the curtis' house or in the lot

he asks darry to help him make desserts as rewards

don't even get me started, like AHHHHH

in conclusion, johnny is so sweet and he cares about you passing but he can't help with certain subjects and that's okay

(a/n) tbh, i suck at math and most science so...

Vincent;

don't. he has never successfully passed any classes or tests on the first try, not in a two bit type of way

but in a he never paid attention in high school way

anyways if you have a different type of major in college like art, art history, or something that doesn't require basic high school skills he might be able to help you

if you need help in like advance math, english, social studies or any science besides forensics, he's calling in maude or lydie

fortunately for you, forensic science is the only class vin enjoyed and paid attention to while he was in high school

vinnie is probably smoking a joint or bowl while you study, and don't worry, he'll offer you hits every so often or he'll half-ass shotgun it to you

but mostly he'll just allow you to sit on his lap so he can sort of help you, but i just wouldn't ask him for help unless you desperately need it

he wants to pass and succeed but he just cannot help you with it

in conclusion, you can ask him for help but you'll probably be better off not asking for it. at least you get to sit on his lap?

Verano;

again, don't

on one hand, verano did pass high school, does that mean he did it with all A's? no.

anyways, the only classes he did well in were art classes and electives like shop class and health

so, if you have a medical major or some creative major, he can sort of help you but otherwise... just don't bother

he's sweet though, hes sort of like dal where he acts all tough and mean out in public but once yall are alone, he's all over you, touching, kissing, cuddling I mean lord

esp when you're studying, he's not helping you in a way thats very helpful but he's defo rewarding you after you get all your work done

hypothetically I wont him so bad

anyways, he isn't all that caring about your education in the way that he is "not another brick in the wall" and he doesn't want you to end up like the thing he hates

there's definitely been some arguments about it but thats for a different time, but he wants to succeed and he just needs to get over himself

in conclusion, he isn't all that helpful but at least you get rewards after. just don't go to him for help, that's it.

THANK YOU FOR READING !!

likes and reblogs are appreciated

please do not repost or steal my work as that is plagiarism and a crime !!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Hey CJ, you mentioned that you disagree with a lot of your old TWDG opinions, any that stand out you wanna share? Also i agree with what you said about wanting to play the series for the first time again with no prior knowledge - i would love to meet louis character for the first time again.

Yeah, some opinions have changed with time and moving on from being a hardcore, active fan in the fandom. I'm pretty sure I've talked about some of them more recently, like how I used to not like Jane but now I've become something of a "Jane apologist," if you will.

I was also super vocal about hating the Clementine comics when the 12-page comic dropped, and I'm pretty sure I was shitty about Tillie Walden... which I look back on now and feel embarrassed. In fact, I specifically remember calling attention to the fact that Skybound turned off comments on the first book trailer and on their instagram, twitter, etc. and being like, "look at these COWARDS! they know we hate the comic and that Tillie's a bad artist, they're trying to shut us up!" ........but then I heard they turned them off because Tillie was getting threats, and it caused me to dig around and see the vile shit fans were saying.... It gave me pause to think things through and I feel very differently about it all now.

I've also changed my mind on Minerva. Like Jane, there was a loooong period of time where I didn't like her, but now? I think she's great. A real tragedy.

In fact, real talk, I think my perspective on most of the female characters in TWDG has shifted dramatically. I've done a lot of thinking on this just in general; I'm much harder on female characters than male characters. I can pretend like noooooo I was always soooo fair... but no, not always. I'm sure it's from some deep-rooted, internalized misogyny I have that I'm working on, but I also think the games sometimes neglect those characters, too. Which makes it easier to brush them off as just "poorly-written" and "bad characters" if I don't like them when that's not always the case.

Or let's be real, we all know how this goes; the games give us a flawed male character and fans are like "he's my blorbo, here's a 50k essay about why he deserved better and a list of my headcanons and the twenty AUs I've written for them-" but then a female character's just as flawed and fans are like "lol she's poorly written, here's an essay on why-"

Don't look at me like that. I know I'm guilty of this. I know y'all remember Mitch. Back in the day, Mitch was my boy and I used to write about him all the time but like... god forbid I put that much effort into writing about Violet or Minerva, right?

Or even look at Kate, for example. Past CJ would've talked about how much she doesn't like Kate and she hates the forced romance with Javi, she's just there as a way to make David and Javi fight, etc. But you ask me about Kate now and I'm like, "Girl, ANF did you so dirty, you didn't deserve this."

Or how about Bonnie in S2? We all love to hate on Bonnie, but like... she's such an interesting character?? She's a recovering drug addict so desperate for a place, and you can see Carver's manipulation at play in the way she talks about him to Clementine. It takes seeing him physically beat Kenny within an inch of his life before she's like "Yeah no, fuck this, we're leaving tonight." And we give her shit about Luke's death and being mean to Clementine but frankly? Yeah, she's mean to Clementine and that's fine.

What, it's okay for Kenny to lash out and call her a stupid kid when Sarita dies because he's your poor meow meow and it makes his character soooo morally gray and complex? But Bonnie lashes out about Luke's death and suddenly she's just a massive piece of shit? No complexities or anything? There's no grey morality? No underlying motive or emotions behind the choice to abandon the group with Mike and Arvo?? She's just a bitch??

And do I even need to talk about Sarah? Hmm? We all know how Sarah was received and how fans still talk about her. Again, Sarah has a complete meltdown over losing her father and people get hurt, and fans wish death upon her... but Kenny has a meltdown and brutally beats up Arvo or threatens to smack Clementine or a number of things.... "that's fine, he's just really upset, he lost his family, y'know? everyone keeps trying to GASLIGHT me that he's bad but if you really think about it, Arvo totally deserved to be abused and it's actually Clementine's fault Kenny hit her because she tried to stop him-"

I just... the lengths we go to justify and defend this violent, toxic character but then act like Jane is the worst, I can't-

It's so funny to me whenever I see someone in the fandom complain about wanting more morally grey, flawed female characters because like... y'all couldn't even handle Jane. Or Lilly. Or Sarah. Or Bonnie. Rebecca. Eleanor. Christa. Minerva and Violet, in a lot of cases. So like... what do you actually want?

Note that I'm guilty of this, too, and I've asked myself that question... haven't fully worked out the answer yet.

That's the major thing that comes to mind about opinions I had that I've changed my mind about. I think a big factor in that is letting twdg go and getting invested in other fandoms, doing a lot more reading, getting back into writing, etc. Obviously I've really gotten into the Dragon Age fandom and that's what triggered this "journey of self-reflection~" when it comes to how I perceive female characters. Like, you want flawed, morally-grey ladies? That's your series... assuming you can actually handle it.

But I also recently finished a playthrough of Fallout New Vegas and remembered my love for Veronica Santangelo, like... I don't care that the game doesn't technically have romance, that's my girlfriend, I love her. Then the other night I finished my first playthrough of Life is Strange True Colors [I know, where the fuck have I been, right?] and I spent 40% of the time looking at flowers, 10% being sad about Gabe, and the other 50% trying to figure out who I liked more, Steph or Ryan.

I've also been reading a lot of wlw novels which is just..... THAT'S a whole mess I won't get into because this is already long enough and you didn't ask. Just know that's also another factor in this reflection.

And to answer the other part of your ask: I miss Louis. I would love to play TFS again for the first time again, that was a fun time.

[originallypoki]

Our Flag Means Death S2 Spoilers!

Something people doesn't seem to realize, is that pacing has a key impact to a story. Yes, the tale you want to tell can be the best someone has ever come up with, but if your pacing of it is awful, it pulls the whole story down with it. To rushed pacing? It loses meaning and impact, because there's no time to become attached. To slow paced? It becomes boring and uninteresting, finishing the book, show or movie feels more like a task than actual fun.

The first 4 episodes of season 2 of OFMD were awesome. The pacing was perfect, we had enough time to register what was happening and to sort out our emotions. I was a bit thrown off by ep 5. Because, while still good paced, you can start the see the problems because of the missing 2 eps ( for example the skipped fight, instead choosing to tell, not show. )-

Then episode 6 and 7 happened. And oh boi, I wanted to drop the show, only my love for it keeping me going.

I know that it isn't David Jenkins and the production team's fault, since the 2 episodes got cut, giving us the total of 8. But I can't excuse the decision to cram the plot of 10 eps into 8. If you have so little time left, why don't just cut some 'unimportant' storypoints?

Like Ned Lowe, he was introduced and died in the same episode. His purpose was to give GentleBeard development I know, that still doesn't give him enough importance to let him stay in the shortened version. Just like the second break-up from GentleBeard we got in ep 7.

Instead we got very out-of-character characters, Stede for example. I can see why he acts the way he does in ep 7. It would make sense, had he more time to have proper character development! Instead he feels weird, plus the very very uncomfortable second-hand embarrassment scenes (like the fight with Zheng). And sadly after ep 3, I couldn't feel the same chemistry GentleBeard had in S1. While there were cute scenes, like the end of ep5, I felt like something was missing to make me actually care. It's just my feelings, so not very important, but it was a bit disappointing.

The end of ep 7 gave me hope. Because it was a perfect way to introduce a villain, who's a genuine threat to our heros. And I maybe like Prince Ricky a bit to much. Then ep 8 came crushing down while drowing my love for OFMD, that made me ignore everything wrong with the second half of S2.

I like ep 8, well the first few minutes. It felt like I finally had time to see what's happening and David Jenkins didn't leave us completely clueless. ( Let's ignore the logic holes since it was is a comedy show and they were always there. ) And I was way to busy squieking like a pig of happiness to think critical.

I have many criticism points, but will only focus on one;

Izzy's death. And by god, I. Am. Pissed. Killing a character that is beloved by the fandom isn't the problem. While I love him, he's my favorite, I also love a good ol' angst. But he was in the middle of his redemption arc, and ending this with death is just such weak writing. I have nothing against killing a character off for development. Iron man for example, his whole story is about becoming a better person and jumping over his ego. And it ends just like Izzy in death. But Tony was through his arc, his death was the final, showing he has changed, showing he would do everything to save the universe and more important, the people he loves.

If Izzy died at the start of or before S2 I wouldn't complain, because it would've been perfect for him. Maybe if he died a more impactful death I wouldn't write this. But you can't make a character finally change and then destroy the meaning of it by killing him off in the fucking middle of the change. It would've had so much more impact seeing how he becomes a part of the crew he loathed not even a few weeks ago. Episode 5 did that great, while a bit fast. I like how he and Stede get along. Growing closer. It was a bit too fast paced, and I hoped for them to finally communicate, not talk. The same with Ed, I wanted him and Izzy to finally talk to eachother and not through eachother. However, giving us acutally communication while Izzy's fucking dying is not how you give impact. (And credit where credit's due; I really like that dialog, it was beautiful and the right words choosen to explain how Izzy feels)

Not to forget what a meaning it conveys. Izzy always did what he thought was right, even when it was completely wrong. But when he finally grows and begins to do actually what is right and let's go of Ed, he dies?

Still, I wouldn't say that they shouldn't have done a season 2 at all. It has great potential and I can see what they were going for. So, while it has it's problem's, it's nothing what a good fanfic can't fix. So I look forward to the amazing works that will build up on this hot mess and / or 'correct' it.

So bye, I'll go cry and give the last three episodes of S2 of OFMD, the last 20 minutes of S2 Go treatment T^T (except that GO S2 was fucking fantastic through the whole season)

[clairedelune-13]

Just to be clear, Destiel did NOT come first. Good Omens predates it by nearly twenty years. The book was published May 10, 1990.

People were shipping Crowley and Aziraphale way back then even before the TV series aired on Amazon. And that’s back in the 90s, and they were clearly written as a love story. So props to Neil and Terry for that.

I’m glad the love story was made more blatant in the show though, without taking away from the book’s story and humor and nicely added to the Ineffable Husbands without being forced.

I truly don’t understand why there is even a debate on “which is better”. Destiel would simply cease to exist if Good Omens had never been published. It was thee book Eric Kripke read over the ‘07 Strike that inspired him to bring Angels into SPN.

I may have started shipping Destiel upon my first watch of SPN on Netflix (based off my own interpretation) cuz I came to Tumblr during 2020. I was CONVINCED they were written as a love story and gave up after season 11, cuz it just didn’t seem to be happening.

I still love Destiel, but its “canonization” is BARELY there. If you queerbait an entire fanbase for twelve years, give them what they want in its last fucking season by having one half of the ship say The Words and promptly drag him to Super Hell and on top of All That, erase his entire existence from the narrative, I’m sorry, that’s just shitty. Fuck you, CW.

Good Omens is a Godsend (heh heh) cuz not only is the writer not homophobic, but the ACTORS are 150% on board. It’s god damn refreshing to have MICHAEL SHEEN and DAVID TENNANT just go with it, that their characters have been married for 6000 years and not be obviously told to shut up by the network like I know CW definitely did with Jensen and Misha.

Anyhoo, this turned into a bit of a rant. Just lettin off some steam. Not here to attack anyone or squash anyone’s ideals.

If you’re happy with how Dean and Cas were canonized, I’m happy for you. Write your fics, draw your art, express yourselves.

I’m just shouting into the void cuz the alternative would be screaming on a street corner.

TL:DR Destiel and Ineffable are both great and don’t pit them against each other.

[gayporcelain]

9 people you'd like to get to know better

tagged: @the-tenth-arcanum

tagging: @sexy-sapphic-sorcerer @oleryn @kissme-withyour-cherrylipstick @cwilbah @kairenn-n @agapantoblu @sentinel-babes @greyhoundsix

three non romantic duos:

1. Abby and Lev (The Last of Us: Part Two) - they are EVERYTHING to me. It's about the found family. How they should hate each other and they did hate each other but they saved each other's lives? They learn so much from each other, overcome their fear and ignorance of the other side - and they help each other so much. It's how Lev sees the good in Abby when Abby thinks she is nothing but a killing machine, and that it's all she's good for, and how protecting Lev becomes Abby's new focus and actually saves her life, makes her want to live for them both. (the fact that she learns this lesson FAR quicker than Ellie does - and she gets to keep her new family because of it - just kill me) Their dynamic is SO fucking excellent. Lev not getting any references and Abby teaching him. They BOTH lose their homes and their families and become each others again - like come onnnnn - this line kills me offff

I could write a separate essay about these two. I'm really trying to keep this short.

2. The Doctor and Donna Noble. Listen - David Tennant and Catherine Tate's dynamic is unmatched and I cherish their episodes together. They're best friends! It was probably one of the first on-screen platontic male & female duos that I'd seen as a kid, and that was so refreshing.

3. Ellie and Joel (The Last of Us) - I was trying really hard not to do another one from TLOU but. Here we are. Again I'm a sucker for found family and fuckkkkkk does this go hard. I could talk for days. Traumatised killing machine unwillingly adopts rebel child and finds reason to live again? Don't talk to me about the parallels between these two and Abby and Lev

honourable mentions to Merlin and Gwen but you guys know I love them.

a ship that might surprise others: idk man. don't think there is one

last song: probably something from my beloved, hand-crafted 6 hour long halloween playlist. that thing is like a child to me I LOVE it. I birthed it

last film: LONGLEGS. been trying to watch a fuck load of horror to make up for the fact I've not watched that much over the past few months. also rewatched Us and Get Out, and watched It Follows for the first time

currently reading: the book I was reading before sucked so I've given up on it I'm yet to choose my next one - will probably be either Under the Dome (Stephen King) or an arthurian one

currently watching: a LOT of dan and phil. shut up

currently consuming: again I don't know what this means. I'm making pasta for tea?

currently craving: MORE TIME. i have too many fic ideas and art ideas and too many wips and my job keeps expecting me to go to it? gross