#disney will always fail this apparently

[bisamwilson]

why do none of the rebels characters or ahsoka have actual personalities anymore,,,,,

[ellestra]

Tribute

I laughed almost non-stop watching Deadpool & Wolverine. The crass and gross and the ridiculous are mixed in with just a bit of clever. And then there's the pure joy of watching to almost indestructible dudes killing each other in violent ways (it's a WB cartoon kind of fun).

But as always it's the layer below the humour that really hits. And in a prefect Deadpool way this one worked both in the movie but also on the meta level. It's the story of a failed superhero that the Avengers didn't want and whose girlfriend left. Here trying to save his world to save his friends. He gets a second chance at being who he always wanted to be but the price is abandoning everyone he came up with. MCU and Sacred Timeline is one person deal. But this is where Multiverse pays off. It means he can keep his friends and timeline. He just has to fight cybernocracy that would rather dismantle it instantly first.

And it's a story of a fallen studio which movies lost the audience and couldn't find the right way to tell it's stories (with extra layer of Disney's Marvel being on precipice of that too now). All it's properties buried and replaced for a new shinier thing. We could move on and only acknowledge the pieces that haven't been tarnished. And yet, this movie looks back at it all, and brings back the discarded ridiculed. Including the ones we never even got. Using Void to discard them and Alioth to eat them into oblivion is such a prefect metaphor you'd think it was invented for this Film. It's a prefect integration of MCU ideas for the plot of this one story.

The whole movie is practically a tribute to the early days of Marvel and superhero movies that created the momentum that MCU then built it's 30 billion empire on. This is what makes each cameo count. It isn't there just for a joke or Easter Egg moment but it ties to the theme of the story, We are revisiting the forgotten heroes, the fallen ones, the ones who never got to be. And if we are lucky the ones who still might be (please, please let us keep Daphne Keen).

It's also a reminder of how long both Jackman and Reynolds have been in this. The first X-Men movie came out 24 years ago. Reynolds was in Blade: Trinity 20 years ago. I don't think it's an accident a lot of those cameos went to the beginnings with Pyro and Electra. And even with the MCU actors reminding us they started in Fox as Evans came back as Johnny Storm. Even Jon Favreau cameo as Happy Hogan was a reminder he was once Foggy Nelson in Daredevil. This was reunion movie in more ways than one.

And the behind the scenes of those movies, the whole history of Fox Marvel films really hit you in the end. Even the failures like the last Fantastic Four. Even to the X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the Deadpool abomination there. This is what got us here. This is for all the fun we had over the years with these characters and superheroes in general. This was the start.

Of course, Deadpool wouldn't be Deadpool if they didn't desecrate and made fun of the very thing they were paying tribute too. Both the initial fight and any reference to Fox made sure of that. Reminding us that even the best parts of the past shouldn't be sacred. You should build new stories and not be afraid to change. There will be new Blade. And a new Johnny Storm. And maybe a new Deadpool and Wolverine one day too (long, long time from now apparently 😋).

And new universes give you new opportunities to meet people. Maybe even find a romance like B-15 and Peter. Or become a villain. I'm not sure how I feel about the Doom Announcement but let's see. This movie reminded us it's just one more "same face - different person" case in this multiverse.

[cookinguptales]

Can I ask you to do a post about Disney & disability please? You mentioned it and I’d love to know more!

Well, my notifications can't get any messier, so why not?

This post got very, very long because I ended up talking about a lot of the accessibility solutions in detail (and... ranting about how accessibility at Universal was so bad that I got physically injured there) so I'm putting it under a cut for you.

To preface this, I have mobility issues (as well as a lot of food intolerances/allergies) and general chronic illness, my sister is Deaf, and I have friends who regularly attend the park with autistic family members with high support needs. These are the disabilities I have experience with, so while I've heard a bit about others (such as portable descriptive devices for visitors with visual impairments) I can't speak as much about those accommodations.

I have also traveled quite a bit, mostly as a disabled adult. I can work from anywhere and my family enjoys traveling, so I've been very lucky in this regard. I also used to live in central Florida, not too far from Disney, and benefited from their FL resident rates.

So I'm coming at this from a person who has a lot of experience traveling while disabled and a fair amount of experience going to WDW, though I haven't been nearly as often since I moved out of Florida.

(Good fucking riddance.)

So know that I am speaking from experience when I say I have never, without exception, been to a single place half as accessible as Walt Disney World. It is literally the reason my family would go there; it was one of the only places we could all safely go together. One of the only places I've been on earth that even approached their level of thoughtful accommodations is Barcelona, which apparently did significant renovations throughout the city in order to prepare for the 1992 Paralympics.

(Hey, if anyone is reading this from Barcelona: I teared up the first time I used one of your curb cuts in my wheelchair, just so you know.)

Going through those parks in a wheelchair is a breeze, though you will probably have to fight a lot of clueless parents with strollers who are hellbent on using resources intended for wheelchair-users and then glaring at you when you try to use them yourself. Level ground, spacious sidewalks, accessible transportation, well-kept gradual ramps, roomy buildings, lots of accessible restrooms, alternate entrances at many rides for wheelchair users, special wheelchair rows in movie theaters that we're loaded into first, accessible queues in most rides designed or renovated in the last fifteen years, special viewing areas for shows/parades/fireworks so you don't end up staring at able-bodied butts for a half hour...

Like, structurally-speaking, the parks are very easy to get around in if you're a wheelchair user. That was built in and you can see a lot of very mindful design choices. As far as the rides go, most of their rides actually have special cars that you can load into while still in a wheelchair. They're pretty neat. I can transfer, but that means often leaving my wheelchair and/or cane with a cast member during the ride. They are always, without fail, waiting for me on the other side of the ride, no matter how far the exit is from the entrance. I have never once had a problem with this. A cast member will be there to put my assistive devices in my hand before I even have to think about getting up. Guaranteed.

Wheelchair users always used to be able to skip the line, but there was unfortunately a problem with able-bodied people pretending to be disabled to skip lines (because god forbid they not have access to a single thing we have to make our lives livable) so now there's a system where if you cannot wait in a line, they'll basically give you a special time to come back that's equivalent to the length of the line. Which feels fair to me as someone who often cannot be in even an accessible line for extended periods. (I have problems with sunlight, heat, and often need emergency food or restroom.)

More important than all this, though, is the fact that cast members are impeccably well-trained in all of this. Any disabled person can tell you that the most accessible design on earth isn't worth shit if the people working there aren't well-trained. (More on this later, when I take a giant shit on Universal Studios.) But Disney trains their employees, many of whom are disabled themselves, incredibly well.

Every employee will know where the accessible entrances are. Every employee will know the procedure for getting a return time. Every employee will know about first-aid centers, and every employee will know where the quiet areas are for people with sensory issues. Every time you make a reservation for a meal, hotel room, transportation, etc. they will ask for all accessibility needs and they'll be ready for you.

Every waiter you have will be incredibly careful and knowledgeable when it comes to special dietary needs, and chefs will often come out to discuss them with you. They often have specific menus for different dietary needs, and they are scrupulous when it comes to allergens. I have a few intolerances that suck and allergies that could kill me and I have always felt very safe in their hands. This ranges from fancy sit-down restaurants to quick service burger places.

And -- honestly, I have just always been treated with respect. I know that sounds like a low bar, but most people do fail to clear it. Disney has their employees very well-trained on how to interact with disabled guests. People speak directly to me, never to the able-bodied people over my head. They never treat me like I'm a child. They never ask invasive questions or make uncomfortable jokes. They never, ever get impatient with my accessibility needs.

The few times I have misjudged things and have injured myself or gotten extremely ill, they were professional and caring as they provided much-needed first-aid. It's kind of embarrassing to be doted on by a costumed character while you wait for a doctor to come help you sit up again, but also kind of endearing, I'll admit.

They also, in addition to captioning all videos in the park, have some of the best sign language interpreters in the world, bar none. They're very personal and professional, they're easy to reserve, they will always be in a visible place during shows, and they're incredible performers as well as being very technically proficient. In addition to the professional interpreters, many cast members, performers, and characters can sign as well.

In addition to that, and this brings me to my next point, you'll meet a lot of disabled employees throughout the park. In front-facing positions. Deaf employees, employees using mobility aids, etc. They're well-known to hire disabled people and treat them well. This is. Fuck, this is incredibly rare, I say as someone who was never able to find a job in Florida with my health conditions. It's the moral thing to do to hire disabled people, but also -- selfishly, there's something so heartening and normalizing about seeing people who look like you working at the park. I'm happy every single time.

I have a little less personal experience when it comes to accessibility for neurodivergence, despite being neurodivergent myself, but I've been told that Disney is very, very accommodating for people on the spectrum. A lot is done to lessen crowding, waiting, sensory overload, etc. for autistic guests. Cast members are usually super good at this; finding designated quiet areas, helping autistic guests avoid more crowded areas, keeping them out of long lines, making sure they have access to any particular experiences that are special to them, etc.

For folks who need help from their group, whether that's an autistic child who needs to be with a parent or a disabled adult who needs someone to push their wheelchair or anything else, Disney has a rider switch-off model. In other words, if you're there with both of your able-bodied parents, for example, and you need one of them to be with you at all times and you don't want to be on the ride yourself, Disney will allow one person to go on the ride while the other waits for them to finish, then will allow the second person to go on without any additional wait. This makes sure that everyone in the family gets equal access without leaving disabled people alone. (Which... can be a very shitty feeling, I assure you.)

I know that Disney has also pioneered a lot of assistive technology. The accessible rides, obviously, which can be ridiculously cool (like Toy Story Midway Mania has an accessible car with alternative "guns" for people with dexterity limitations so they can play the carnival games as well) but also handheld assistive devices for visually impaired guests, etc. Like they are literally inventing new forms of accessibility technology, which is so cool.

And honestly, I'm always learning about new ways they assist disabled guests. I've stayed in Disney's accessible hotel rooms before (they're very nice!) but I don't like to swim so I've never been in the pools. But even just this week, someone told me that Disney has pool lifts for disabled guests, which I had never even considered. That's so cool.

The best part about accessibility at Disney is that in some ways it's very casual. A lot of their design decisions are so intuitive that you never even notice how accessible the parks are until you go somewhere where that's... not the case.

Like -- just so you don't assume that any of these things are industry standard, let me tell you about the two times I went to Universal, a park very close to Disney. I went there once for an event and once with my family.

The first time I went was for an event at the opening of the Harry Potter park. (This was before JKR made her most appalling views public, to be clear.) It... was frustrating. Guests asked if there would be food and drink available for people with special dietary restrictions (such as sugar-free butterbeer) and were pretty much told that no, that was not something they were interested in pursuing. It became very obvious very quickly that the park itself was so narrow that it only barely fulfilled ADA standards -- when empty. We were told that JKR had actually specifically insisted that it feel "cramped". Which is a nice way to say that I couldn't actually get around in any of the stores while people were in them.

It was overall a frustrating experience, but it was like. One night. I figured it was probably a fluke and they were still ironing out all the details. So I ended up going back with my parents later.

Y'all, it was a shit show.

Broken elevators that prevented disabled guests from accessing rides. Performers being up on raised platforms/sidewalks so disabled guests couldn't get to them. Sidewalks being made inaccessible by putting movable signs directly in the middle of them. Stores (even outside of the HP part) that were so damn narrow that I actually ended up getting hurt trying to navigate one of them. And no -- it was not easy to get first aid.

And my god, was the training bad. We went to one of the new HP rides, asked if there was a specific entrance for disabled guests. We were told no. We waited for a very long time in a line that honestly I shouldn't have been waiting in, but I wanted to be a good sport. I was pretty sick by the time we got through it, and the line itself had some very dangerous inclines/turns for wheelchair users. We get to the front of the line -- and the employee asks why we didn't just use the accessible entrance. 🙃

(Side note: several of their rides are also just unrideable if you don't fit within a pretty narrow body type of thin and able-bodied, so... there's that.)

We'd asked repeatedly and gotten incorrect answers, and I'd been put in physical danger as a result. Wild. I started to notice that if you asked different employees, you'd get different answers about almost anything, really. Just exceptionally poor training. Even stuff that should've been a no-brainer, like loading wheelchair users into a stationary movie theater, ended up creating chaos when they did it incorrectly and we had a giant wheelchair pileup.

Like -- let me stress to you that many of the things that happened could have caused actual injury to people. Some of these situations were dangerous. And some of them were just alienating, like when I'd have to wait outside a store while my family could go in.

I never went back after that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We just kept going to Disney.

One thing that'll probably show how good Disney is at accessibility is the whole Make-A-Wish thing. A lot of people know that it's a popular Make-A-Wish request, and you're likely to see at least a couple kids with Make-A-Wish buttons during your visit if you keep an eye out. One reason for this, is that, y'know, Disney World is fun. Kids want to go there. But more important, I think, is that Disney can accommodate people with at-times severe medical needs. Those kids can safely go anywhere and do anything in those parks that able-bodied kids can, and that's important.

All in all, the parks are just so accessible and you will never, ever be made to feel like you're lesser for needing those accommodations. You will be treated so well and you will not have to worry about accessibility because the cast members are always doing it for you. They'll usher you into the correct entrance as soon as they see a mobility device, and they'll do it with a very warm welcome. It's one of the very few places on earth where I have never felt like a burden.

Again, y'know, I know that Disney does not have a perfect track record on a lot of issues. I would never defend them from rightfully earned criticism. I strongly support labor action against them, and I do think they should be criticized whenever they fuck up. I have been uncomfortable with the sheer amount of power they have both in Florida and in the entertainment world just because no one should have that much power. But I am far more uncomfortable with that power being stripped away for blatantly discriminatory political reasons.

I do have some loyalty to Disney just because there is no other place on earth where I've been able to safely have fun with my friends with so little agony. That's... I mean, it's important, really. To be able to just exist in public without getting grief for it. And I have some loyalty to them because they were a safe space for me as a young, queer kid who was not safe being out in other areas of my life.

(Like, I am talking about actual literal safety. I kept seeing notes on my post saying that Disney didn't care about creating a "safe space for queer people" but as someone who lived in Florida for the entirety of my teenage years? It was the safest goddamn place there.)

I do not have enough loyalty to defend them when they do immoral bullshit, but I do have enough to make sure that people know the good that they do as well.

I want other businesses to follow Disney's model for disability. I will praise them forever for what they've done in that regard because if I don't, there's no reason for other companies to follow suit. I want to praise them for the good things they've done so they have incentive to keep doing it, and other companies have an incentive to do it as well.

Like bro, I just wanna be able to move around and be treated with some dignity, y'know? My bar is so low. lmao

But yeah. That's why you always see so many disabled guests at Disney. It's literally the only place some of us can go to have fun.

[waynes-multiverse]

Plastic Hearts – Part 25

Pairing: Director!Dean Winchester x Actress!Reader

Series Summary: Los Angeles, 1985. Y/N’s a young actress without any success, hopping from one failed audition to the next until one desperate mistake brings her to her breaking point. Dean Winchester, on the other hand, is a grade A asshole and washed-up director at the end of his career, known for his godawful slasher movies in the 70s and his love for blow, booze, and women. Lost in the toxic Hollywood life, their paths cross when one hopeless little wrestling show changes their trajectory.

Chapter Warnings: +18, a tinge of angst, FLUFF

Word Count: 5.7k

A/N: I'm not sad... 🥲 Honestly, I don't have words beyond gratitude and cliché goodbyes, so let's end this journey together 🤍

<< 24 || Spotify Playlist || Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

25. Dare

“Ugh, I can’t believe you convinced everyone to come out here,” Jo groans and raises her flat palm to her brows, shielding her eyes from the scalding desert sun. “What the fuck is wrong with Palm Springs, huh?”

“C’mon, we’ve always wanted to go to Joshua Tree together since we moved to LA. This is like the perfect time,” Y/N argues cheerfully and nudges her friend with her elbow. “Look! It’s so peaceful.”

“There’s a dead carcass over there. Looks like a symbol of my marriage,” Jo deadpans.

Y/N purses her lips before compelling another positive smile to her face. “We can get rid of that. The girls really needed this after the whole Crowley debacle.”

The group left straight after the network meeting in Dean’s office this morning, which didn’t go as planned, to say the least. While several executives were surely interested, Crowley and H-ELLTV put an abrupt end to it. Apparently, they sold their fucking souls by signing a contract with the devil. Crowley’s words still rang in her ears on repeat.

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, ladies, but H-ELLTV owns your characters, which means you can’t sell them to another network. You all signed a contract and made a deal. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, fucking asshole…” Jo huffs her agreement but then throws her friend a suspicious sideways look. “What’s up with you, though? Why are you so chipper and cheerful like a fucking Disney princess? I thought you of all people would be fucking depressed and devastated about the stupid show ending.”

Y/N shrugs. “I am. I’m just trying to make the best of our last weekend together. Can’t I be happy?”

“Fuck no.” Jo shakes her head. “Something’s up with you. Usually, when you’re like this, it’s overcompensation ‘cause you’ve fucked something up. If I were still married, I’d think you’ve fucked my husband all over again. So, what did you do?”

Y/N shrugs once more and keeps her eyes trained on the sprawling desert landscape in front of her. “Nothing.”

“Dean also was a bigger asshole than usual this morning. So, I’m asking again, what shit did you fuck up now?”

“Nothing, okay? Dean’s always an asshole,” Y/N deflects defensively. Although, even she has to admit – those were some spectacularly icy green eyes this morning. Not that he ever looked directly at her or spoke with her even once. She probably would’ve turned to stone if he did.

“Fine, don’t tell. God knows I don’t fucking care,” Jo says indifferently and joins the other women as they set up their tents on the campground.

Y/N lets out a small sigh as she stares at the bluest sky she’s ever seen while the hot desert sun beams down on her. She watches the girls for a while, her heart slightly cracking at the thought this might be the last time they all hang out together. This year has been the best one she’s ever had.

But then, her heart stings even more when she thinks about the one person who isn’t here, wondering what he’s doing right now. If anything, she owes it all to him.

Dean nurses his beer with a sigh, his green eyes barely paying attention to the half-naked girl who’s winding herself up and down a silver pole in front of him. This used to bring him joy – day-drinking at a strip club and watching tits bounce. But now all he thinks about is how that girl looks nothing like Y/N. None of them do.

“Hey, son. Startin’ early today,” Bobby notes with a chuckle as he sits down next to him.

“Yeah, they canceled the show.” And while that’s certainly true, it’s not the reason why Dean’s sulking at a titty bar.

“Too damn bad. I loved the show!” Bobby tells him enthusiastically. “It was insane. Good insane. It had everything – comedy, drama, heartache, tits, violence, a fucking wedding? There’s something for everyone there.”

“Well, uh, thanks, Bobby. Really appreciate it,” Dean tells him politely. He likes the guy, but he’s not in the mood for chitchat. He’s barely in the mood for naked women, for crying out loud. This is a deep fucking depression.

There are only two promises he’s made to himself: One, he won’t slump like he did after his last divorce. There will be no excessive drinking, which leads to excessively pathetic crying, which leads to a myriad of bad choices out of sheer desperation. Remember that awful dating videotape he made? Yes, there will be no more of that. And then there’s of course two, no drugs – no matter how much he tells himself he wants or fucking needs them. A tiny dot of hope seems to be still dormant in his plastic heart, reminding him that she might come back, and he doesn’t want to risk disappointing her once she does.

Dean has worked fucking hard to be the best version he can be – a version she doesn’t seem to give a shit about. But even he has to admit: He likes himself a lot better now, so he refuses to turn back to old comforts, albeit it’s the hardest thing he’s ever had to do.

“You guys interested in doing a floor show?”

Bobby’s words pull him from his reverie. Dean arches a brow at him, straightening a bit in his seat. “What? Here?”

Bobby rolls his eyes. “No, idjit. My wife Ellen has some stakes in a club on the Vegas Strip. She manages the hotel there, too. They’re looking for a new headliner. Just do the exact same show, night after night, 300 miles east. Vegas is where the money is. Headliners make at least 25 grand a week. You think that gym is big? We have to fill 1,100 seats.”

Dean stumps and blinks at the old man a bit baffled. “Well, uh… I’ll think about it. Talk to my partner, the girls…”

Bobby smiles and pats his shoulder as he gets up. “You do that. I’ll call you tomorrow. Now, how about a lap dance? On the house. Can pick any girl that fancies your heartache. You ain’t foolin’ an old man like me.”

Dean chuckles. “Nah, I’m good. But thanks. Think I’m gonna head home and drink myself into a coma there.”

“It’s getting dark soon. How much longer?” Jo’s brown eyes dart to Y/N as she drags her feet over a rocky path. The sun stings less than it did when they started their little hike, but her skin feels perfectly tanned by now and the water is running low.

“Uh, I think it’s supposed to be just up ahead that hill,” Y/N muses and swirls her head around the formation of rocks that all look the same, squinting her eyes into the distance.

Jo sighs, and her stare intensifies. “You’ve been saying that for over an hour. Are we lost?”

“Noooo…” Y/N doesn’t sound convincing and surely doesn’t fool Jo with her reply.

“Alright, gimme the map.”

“I don’t have the map. I gave it to Meg.”

Jo groans and rolls her eyes, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

“What? Meg’s the trail leader. Trail leader gets the map,” Y/N defends her faux pas with reason.

“Great! So we’re fucking lost in the desert,” the blonde huffs.

Y/N chuckles lightly, mostly out of uncomfortableness and panic she tries to hide behind it. “No, there’s a trail marker right over there,” she says, pointing to a pile of rocks. “That looks manmade.”

Jo quirks her brow. “You mean like that pile of rocks? Or that one over there?”

Y/N follows her friend’s gaze, only to realize that there are lots of piles of rock that all look too fucking similar. She purses her lips and scratches her head before resting her arms on her squared-off hips. “I think we’re lost.”

“Yeah.” With an exhaustive sigh, Jo plops down on another pile of rocks and watches as the orange sun dips behind the horizon, shadows of blue slowly crawling across the desert floor and swallowing the light.

Y/N clumsily lowers herself down next to the blonde. Her leg hurts like a bitch, and the desert sand that has wound its way into her cast itches a good deal. Her hands and arms hurt as well from clinging to her crutches all afternoon. Maybe Dean was right, and this was a bad idea, after all. Why does he always have to be fucking right about everything? How can one person be so annoying and frustrating all at once?

“Well, you finally get your wish,” Jo deadpans. “We’re gonna die together.”

“I’m sorry,” Y/N says ruefully and looks at the first stars appearing in the night sky. “Maybe the stars will guide us home.”

Jo just looks at her, unamused and unsurprised. “You’ve never been camping, have you?”

Y/N twitches her shoulders apologetically. “It was only supposed to be a three-mile moderate beginner’s trail to a beautiful vista. It’s what the guidebook said.”

Jo shakes her head and blows a raspberry, hugging her knees. “Joanna Wesson, 27, found dead near a random cluster of rocks that might have looked like a trail marker. She was best known for playing Beth Crowne on the soap opera Paradise Bay before trying to revive her career on an unsuccessful wrestling show. She is survived by her son, Sammy, and her bitter ex-husband Sam with his secretary Jessica.”

“Well, at least you get an obituary,” Y/N quips. “Mine would just read: Soap Star Found Dead Next to Unidentified Woman in National Park.”

Jo even snorts at that. “Well, I’m sure Dean would cut and edit an adorable video tribute with a bunch of B-roll about you at your funeral.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Y/N pensively licks her lips, her heart doing those painful twinges again whenever she thinks of him. “You know yet what you’re gonna do next?”

“No, I-… I think I wanna produce,” Jo announces with determination in her hazel eyes. “I don’t wanna ask permission. I’m so tired of it all. For once, I wanna boss people around and tell ‘em what to do. You know, you were right.”

Baffled, Y/N raises a brow. “About what?”

“Men,” Jo says simply and then spits with fire, “I fucking hate them all. The Crowleys and the Dicks and the Cases and the Sams and the Deans… They make the choices. They dictate the terms… I’m sick of it all. I just hate asking them for anything.”

“Dean’s not so bad,” Y/N says quietly but doesn’t look at Jo. Her heart stings for the millionth time. “I got that role for the Sondheim musical. They called this morning.”

Jo’s lips curve into a soft smile that reaches her eyes. “Congrats. I’m not surprised. You were really fucking good.”

Y/N’s heart flutters a little at the compliment. Tears begin to sting her eyes. She can’t remember the last time Jo was nice to her. “Thank you.”

“You don’t seem happy about it,” Jo notes attentively.

“No, I am,” Y/N manages to choke out, but the sniffling betrays her intentions.

“But?”

Y/N bobs her head, swallowing. “I think I’m ready to talk about it now.”

“Fucking finally,” Jo huffs and rubs her cold and goosebump-littered arms as the heat disappears, the nightly air bringing a fresh breeze.

“Dean told me he loves me,” Y/N confesses. “He’s in love with me.”

“Yeah, no shit. Kinda obvious,” Jo says without a twitch of surprise. “Don’t feel bad for not loving him back. That’s what they want… For us to feel bad about every single fucking thing.”

“That’s just it. I don’t think that’s how I feel,” Y/N replies and lets out a jittery sigh.

Jo’s head turns to her, eyeing her friend up and down. “And how do we feel about that? I can’t tell. It’s too dark to see your face.”

“I-, uh, I don’t exactly know,” Y/N says, which is partially true. She might know how she feels about the green-eyed director, but not how she feels about the situation overall.

Jo purses her lips and nods. “Alright, here’s a couple of options: happy, excited, scared, or… repulsed?”

“Well, uhm… scared,” Y/N admits slowly and gulps. “And excited… happy.”

Jo throws her arms up, shaking her head at the stars. “Jesus fuck! Then what the fuck are we doing here?! Is that why you dragged me all the way to the fucking desert? Because you’re running from your feelings?”

“Kinda. I thought the peaceful quiet and beautiful nature would bring me some much-needed clarity,” Y/N explains.

Jo lifts a brow but tries not to seem too annoyed. She’s accustomed to her friend’s theatrics, after all. “And? Did it?”

“The hike didn’t, but facing death kinda does,” Y/N jokes and begins to laugh a little, Jo soon joining her. When their laughter dies down and the desert sounds of chirping crickets and screeching eagles remain, Y/N exhales a shaky breath. “I’m in love with him, too. He makes me really fucking happy. But… I finally feel like I’m on the right track with my career. I am where I’m supposed to be, you know? I don’t wanna throw that away for a guy.”

“Who says you should?”

“I don’t know… Isn’t that how it goes? You did it,” Y/N argues.

Jo licks her lips and clicks her tongue. “Yeah, ‘cause I chose the wrong fucking guy. Sam made me give up everything I ever loved and told me what to love instead. If you pick the right guy, he won’t make you do that.”

“How do I know it’s the right guy, though?”

Jo smiles softly. “Look, I’m not Dean’s biggest fan, but he’s yours. You know that, right? He’d never hold you back. He adores the ground you walk on. Yes, he’s an asshole with so many fucking issues, and he’s goddamn annoying most of the time, but he’s always had your back, even when he pretended that he didn’t. The guy would probably sell every limb and his fucking soul to see you get everything you ever wanted, Y/N. He wouldn’t be a mistake. You know what would be a mistake? Not trying because you’re too scared of making one. Don’t be fucking stupid.”

Thoughtfully, Y/N nods in agreement and grabs her crutches, rising from her rocky seat. “I need to see him. We have to head back to the city.”

“Finally! Thank fucking God.” With a grunt, Jo jumps to her feet and helps Y/N to steady hers. “Maybe the girls made a fire bright enough, so we can find our way back.”

“Shit.”

“What? They have matches, don’t they? I’m sure these bitches can manage a simple fire, right?” Jo then notices Y/N’s hand curling around her bicep, her grip tightening. And then, Jo glances in the direction of Y/N’s eyes and sees the same damn thing. Her brown eyes widen.

“Mountain lion.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” the blonde hisses and holds on to her friend as well. Both women freeze on the spot. “What-, uh, what should we do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should throw a stick?”

“A stick?” Jo arches her brow. The big cat snarls and stalks a little closer, making the two women jump back. Their hearts are thumping in their throats at this point. “It’s not a fucking dog, Y/N. It won’t play fetch with you.”

“I know that. How about you come up with a better idea, then?” Y/N snaps through gritted teeth. The lion hisses again, causing the women to tremble down to their bones and hug each other tighter. “I think I should jump it.”

“Are you nuts? No!”

“Look, while it eats me, you can flee. I can’t run with my cast anyways. This is the best option,” Y/N insists, but Jo vehemently shakes her head.

“Fuck no! You’re not sacrificing yourself. We die together. You’re not leaving me behind,” Jo maintains. “I always knew my death would be your fault. Don’t ask me how, but I knew you’d get me killed somehow.”

The wild cat takes another step forward and lowers to the ground as if to get ready to jump its prey – them. But then a few tumbling rocks and breaking twigs draw its attention behind the women. Is there an even bigger cat here?

And suddenly, Meg leaps forward from above them with a loud howl and snarls at the cat, which hastily tucks its tail between its legs and flees down the hill into the dark night. Y/N and Jo expel a big breath of relief and a shaky laugh as they find Meg.

“Meg, what the fuck? Did you just scare away a mountain lion?” Y/N gapes at her friend in utter disbelief.

Meg only shrugs her shoulders. “I hate cats. What are you guys doing out here so long?”

“We got lost. Couldn’t find our way back to camp,” Y/N explains.

Meg furrows her brow and thumbs behind her. “It’s just over there. You guys have been hiking around the same hill for five hours.”

Jo shoots Y/N a small glare of annoyance and blows some loose strands of blonde hair out of her face. “Of course we did…” she mutters.

“We have to get back to LA!” Y/N declares eagerly, trying to climb the small rocky hill with her crutches, foregoing the more suitable pathway.

“Right now? It’s probably 3am when we get to Burbank. Can’t this wait till tomorrow?” Jo says as she attempts to climb after her friend.

“No! I almost died! Twice… Dean needs to know how I feel before I get bit by a rattlesnake, too,” Y/N reiterates passionately.

“It’s probably for the best,” Meg chimes in. “We kinda forgot to pack food. I was about to hunt something for us when I ran into you guys. We have tons of drugs and booze, though.”

Y/N’s knuckles thunder persistently on Dean’s door and conjure up a storm. She has jumped out of Ruby’s limo so fast, the girls are still scrambling out and flooding Dean’s front lawn one by one. They’re loud and obnoxious, but the ringing in her ears makes their chatter barely noticeable.

The lock clicks and the door opens. Dean stands in front of her with weary green eyes, heavy with sleep, tousled bed-head, and a furiously scrunched brow. He half yawns and half grumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Once he feels clearer, minus the soft buzz of whiskey remnants in his bloodstream, he blinks at the young actress in front of him and then tilts his head at the circus show behind her.

God, between his punk rock daughter and this, his neighbors must really hate him.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you guys supposed to be camping in fucking Joshua Tree?” His voice is a gravelly bark. He doesn’t mean to sound so harsh, especially when he just woke from a dream about her, but he’s not as masochistic as he used to be. He’s not a fan of torturing himself with the image of her any longer.

Y/N’s heart somersaults as soon as she sees him, even though his apprehension hurts a bit. “Look, I almost died tonight. We got lost in the desert and then a mountain lion almost fucking ate us.”

Dean licks his lips, nodding. “Yeah, I’m not fucking surprised. Told you Palm Springs is the better option. So, did anyone fucking die? What’s the head count?”

“No one died.”

“Huh. Then why the fuck are you here in the middle of the night, Y/N?” Dean bites, his brow creasing in anger. He can’t even fucking look at her for a second without his heart being on the brink of an explosion. Even saying her goddamn name hurts like needle pricks in an abused vein.

“I–” Y/N swallows thickly. Her drumming heart is stuck in her airway along with her words.

“She’s here to tell you she loves you!” Ruby hollers behind her before several girls tackle her and clasp her mouth shut.

Dean’s heart twists upon the sick joke, his frown deepening. But then he glances at Y/N and thinks he can spot the truth in her eyes. He thought that once before, though, and was terribly wrong.

Y/N gives a shrug of one shoulder with tears brimming in her eyes. A small smile forms on her lips. “What she said.”

Dean nods and drags a hand over his freckled face, feeling the tears well in his eyes, too. Fucking whiskey. Always renders him goddamn sentimental. “Look, uhm, you kinda gotta tell me this yourself. Otherwise, I won’t believe it, okay?”

Upon his request, Y/N takes a deep breath and looks him into his eyes. “I’m in fucking love with you.” As soon as the words are out, she starts crying and the tears fall down her cheeks. Meanwhile, Dean’s heart tumbles into free fall, and he’s sure not even a parachute can stop it. “I’ve never said that to anyone in my life. Is-, is it too late?”

Dean snorts and shakes his head, grinning brighter than the California sun on the longest day of the year. “Fuck no. Even if it had taken you thirty years, I still would’ve taken you back. That’s kinda how once-in-a-lifetime love works, sweetheart.”

“Okay. Sounds like a good movie,” Y/N jokes between her tears, her fingers tingling to touch him.

“Yeah, best one there is.”

His hands grab hold of her and pull her into his embrace. He claims her lips, Y/N eagerly parting her mouth as his tongue slips between. The kiss is rushed and fervent and perfectly desperate. They’re both so gone they can’t even hear the girls cheering and applauding them in the background.

“You’re gonna come inside?” Dean asks in a murmur against her lips, barely letting her breath.

“Uhm…”

“Hey, Lothario, you got space for us, too?” Cassie shouts with a wide smirk.

“Yeah, we’re fucking starving,” Ruby adds with an impatiently arched brow.

“We, uh, forgot to pack food,” Y/N explains with a chuckle.

Dean sighs and smiles knowingly. “Of course you did.” He then turns to the women waiting on his lawn. “Alright, get in. I’ll order some pizzas.”

The women then proceed to brush past the couple and filter into Dean’s house. Missouri pinches his cheeks, Ruby pats his head, Cassie fist-bumps him and sends Y/N a flirty wink, Meg tousles his hair, Charlie shrugs apologetically, and Jo offers an annoyed eye roll.

“I’m never gonna get rid of them, am I?” Dean looks down at her and tightens his jaw, even when a grin is visible.

“No, I’m afraid not. It’s like you’ve adopted twelve strays. One of which actually turned out to be your long-lost puppy. They’re gonna be here until you die and then eat your corpse,” Y/N quips.

“Funny.” Dean clicks his tongue, his dimples itching to form a grin.

“Oooo! Let’s call the guys!” he hears Ruby exclaim from inside his living room. “It’s a fucking wrap party at the boss’ house!”

“No! No party! Guys, c’mon!” Dean storms inside after them, leaving Y/N giggling on his doorstep.

“Let’s call Garth, Kevin, and Benny!” Donna suggests, ignoring his protests. It’s like they can’t fucking hear him.

“I’ll call my husband, too!” Bela adds and eagerly dials Cas’ number on his landline.

“Oh, right, Cas…” Dean mutters with an eye roll as he remembers the impromptu wedding. “No fucking Benny!”

Y/N joins his side and rubs his back in comfort as he watches his house sink into female doom. “You okay?”

The deep trenches in his brow flatten into soft valleys as his green eyes lock on her. He dips his head and pulls her to his lips, kissing her slow and reverently. “Better.” He smirks. “Just gonna have to sage the whole house tomorrow.”

That earns him a playful slap on his chest. He laughs and pulls her closer with an arm around her waist.

“Hey, uh, speaking of party…” Dean mumbles before he addresses the whole room, grabbing their attention with an authoritative clear of his throat. He’s still got it. “You guys wanna do shows in Vegas?”

“What?!”

Dean’s eyes find Y/N’s gaping face. He chuckles a little. “Yeah, uh, Bobby offered me a deal. There’s nothing in the network contract about live shows. I already went over it with Cas this afternoon. It pays well, too. You guys interested? It’s not like any of you have actual jobs lined up, right?”

Y/N closes her mouth. “I got that Sondheim musical in San Diego. It’s a workshop production, but if it goes well, it could go all the way to Broadway. I could end up in New York.”

“Good,” Dean says and smirks. “You’re fucking fired.”

“WHAT?!” Y/N’s mouth falls open again. “You said you’d never fire me!”

“Yeah, well, this is for your own good,” Dean reasons. “You think I’m gonna let you quit Sondheim for some stupid wrestling show in Vegas? You gotta be fucking nuts! This is what you fucking wanted. Don’t make me kick your stupid ass onto that stage. It’s gonna look embarrassing for you again…”

Y/N bites her lips to conceal her grin. Her eyes meet Jo’s, who mouths ‘I told you so’ at her. “Thank you,” she tells Dean and kisses his cheek. He furrows his brow at her in suspicion. “But rehearsals don’t start until June. Still gonna need a job till then.”

“Oh.” Dean’s brow shoots up in realization. “The June in nine months?”

“Yeah, the June in nine months,” Y/N confirms with a laugh.

“Whoops. Well, consider yourself rehired till June, then,” Dean relents.

“So, if I ever have to work in New York–”

“Then we’ll go to New York. Big fucking whoop-dee-doo. You know I hate LA.”

Y/N giggles, nodding. “What would you do in New York?”

“Same I do here, just on a little balcony instead of a backyard. I sit with my typewriter by a table and smoke and drink,” Dean retorts. “I’ve actually been working on a new script. I’m moving away from horror and into Western.”

“Got inspired by the motel’s wallpaper, huh?” Y/N teases. “What’s it about?”

“Father-daughter storyline. Thought I’d give that a shot…”

1990, 5 years later…

“Dean! We’re gonna be late!” Y/N reminds him and holds the blindfold in place over her eyes as he drags her somewhere by the hand. Her heels can barely keep up with his fast pace. “You know, check-in at LAX is the worst. Our flight departs in two hours. I’m nominated, Dean! I can’t reschedule! The girls are all flying in, too…”

“I know! I’m fucking hurrying, okay?” Dean assures. However, she can hear the stress and tension in his gravelly voice. He then suddenly halts and positions her into place by her shoulders before carefully taking off the blindfold. “Alright, here we are.”

Y/N blinks her eyes open and recognizes blurry shapes of purple and gold. She lifts an eyebrow as ornaments on the walls and a big stage come into view as well. “The Aztec porno theater?”

“Mayan,” Dean corrects her and wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he gets down in front of her on one knee and tries to fumble out the too-big ring box from his too-tiny suit jacket pocket. “Son of a bitch!”

“Dean, wait!” Y/N stops his endeavor with raised palms, her eyebrows meeting her hairline when she realizes what he’s about to do.

“Oh, c’mon, Y/N!” Dean frowns in frustration and rises to his feet with a huff and a shaking head. “I know you’re against marriage and the patriarchy and all that bullshit, but c’mon… We’ve been dating for five years. We have a good thing going, right?”

After spending a whole year in beautiful Las Vegas – the Paris of Nevada – the two of them moved to New York. Dean sold his house in Burbank and opted for a Brooklyn apartment instead. Claire also studied film at NYU before she graduated last Spring. But every few months, the couple finds themselves back in LA – for interviews, for business, for friends.

“Dean–”

“No! You know me. I’d make a great fucking husband. You love it when I make reporters laugh on the red carpet. I’m an awesome trophy husband, okay?”

“DEAN!”

“WHAT?!”

Why the fuck is she angry now? He should be the one that’s angry. She’s turning down the best opportunity of her life. She should consider herself lucky he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He even had an amazing speech prepared to knock her right off her feet, but does he get to say it now? How he wanted to grow fucking old together and support each other? How he wanted to marry her all those years ago when she told him she was pregnant? Nope...

“I’m fucking pregnant!”

Dean blinks at her in confusion before his eyes begin to wander around the familiar theater. Did he take something? Drink too much? Did he actually travel through time or is this a weird fever dream on his deathbed?

“What’s it with you and this theater? And why do you always yell that?”

“Because you never listen.” Y/N giggles and bites her lower lip. “And I’ll gladly marry you if that’s what you were going for. I just figured I’d tell you before in case you wanna change your mind and bail.”

“Why the fuck would I bail?” Dean’s brows knit together, close to offense.

She shrugs and holds up her palms in surrender. “I don’t know! I didn’t want you to feel trapped.”

“Why? Isn’t it mine?”

Y/N rolls her eyes, a grin twitching on her pink lips as she slaps his arm. “Yes, of course it’s yours.”

“And you’re keeping it? You sure?” Dean throws her a quizzical look.

Her brow furrows. “Why, you aren’t?”

“No, I am!” he assures her swiftly, realizing how it sounded. “Hell yeah, I want another kid! You know I always wanted to make up for missing out on Claire so much! I finally get to change a diaper, go to the park, or the fucking zoo while my wife works… It’ll be so fun!”

Y/N tries to stifle her laugh. He seems happy, judging by the joyful glint in his green eyes. They resemble sparkling emeralds.

“But are you sure, y' know?” Dean checks with a deep look into her eyes. “I mean, I do what I can to support you and keep the thing alive in your absence, but you know you’re still gonna be benched for a couple of months, right? I’m not a fucking seahorse.”

Y/N laughs a little at that. “I know. I’m fine with sitting on the bench for a little while. I’m kinda exhausted. I did two Broadway musicals almost back to back, three off-Broadway shows, all the workshops and the rehearsals and Matinees and the dancing and the singing… Not to mention I’m nominated for a fucking Tony tonight,” she says and is close to out of breath by the time she finishes her list of accomplishments.

“Which you’re gonna win,” Dean reassures her persistently. He’s been telling her since the nominations were announced (and even before that when he first saw her in the role on the first night).

“We’ll see,” she brushes him off, although her blushed cheeks betray her words. In her heart, she hopes so as well. “Anyways, I could use the break,” she admits and takes his hands in hers, interlacing their fingers. She places a loving kiss on his lips. “Right time, right guy, right baby,” she says, smiling.

Dean squeezes her hand happily and pulls her to his lips for a searing kiss. “So, where did we land on that whole marriage thing?”

“See? You’re never listening,” she teases, laughing. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Under one condition…”

Dean smirks. “I've had the same exact thought – Vegas. It’s perfect!”

“What, no! I don’t wanna get married in filthy Vegas, you dork!” Y/N frowns playfully, shaking her head. “I wanna get married in Nebraska. I want my dad to marry us."

Dean’s brow creases. He chuckles in amusement. “What, like a shotgun wedding? Could be fun… Pastor marries pregnant daughter to older man. Is this gonna make headlines in the townie paper?”

Y/N snorts, shaking her head at him. “No, it’s a shotgun wedding. It’s very common,” she deadpans.

“I’ve never met your parents,” Dean realizes then. “Why have I never met your parents? It’s weird they never come visit you,” he ponders.

“Oh no, they do,” Y/N tells him, pursing her lips as she twirls her hair around her finger. “They’ve seen me both in Into The Woods and Gypsy.”

“Really, when?” Dean narrows his eyes at her.

“Whenever you were in LA, visiting Claire,” Y/N admits ruefully. She never told them she was dating the director, not sure if they’d approve – not that she gives a shit, but she wanted to spare herself all the sermons and the exploring of the Sunday school dating pool. Whenever they asked who owned the men’s clothes in her apartment, she lied and said she had a gay-but-in-the-closet roommate. “But you can meet them now,” she promises with a reassuring smile on her lips. Thank God she’s an excellent, Tony-nominated actress. “I’m sure they learn to love you just like I did.”

“Learn to?”

“I love you.” Y/N smiles mischievously and shuts up any further comments by kissing him.

Dean grins and relents with a blissful sigh. “I love you, too.”

THE END 🌅

Thank you all so much for reading and making me laugh with your comments and screams throughout! 🤍

Are we done with these two for good? Probably not. I've left gaps and doors open on purpose, so I'm sure they'll make an appearance again at some point in the future 😉

TAGS:

Everything Jensen: @alwaystiredandconfused @xlynnbbyx @lyarr24 @deans-spinster-witch @blackcherrywhiskey

@deansbbyx @foxyjwls007 @ladysparkles78 @roseblue373 @zepskies

@agalliasi @yvonneeeee @hobby27 @iamsapphine @globetrotter28

@mxltifxnd0m @lacilou @feyresqueen @suckitands33 @onlyangel-444

@syrma-sensei @perpetualabsurdity @deans-baby-momma @yoobusgoobus @jessjad

@hunter-or-the-hunted @k-slla @just-levyy @mrsjenniferwinchester @illicithallways

@muhahaha303 @ultimatecin73 @nancymcl @leigh70

[ratcate]

I'm here to admit that I may have developed a hyper fixation on your OCs (especially on Zerion and Sir. Valentine) so can you perhaps tell us more about them? (And other OCS)

oh hey!! great selection of characters. Makes me really happy you wanting to know more about them! I love them a lot, but Sir Valentine more, as Zerion's personality and setting is pretty nebulous still. info about them both under read more!

Zerion is some sort of cartoony super villain, heavily inspired in the night of the bald mountain monster interpretation from Fantasia(disney)

(art from 2020)

I think he's a very strong dark mage or something. Right now I have him reduced to a joke. A cartoony villain living his slice of life, but always awaiting action, the smallest spark chaos, to join in, in a world where nothing ever happens. He has his sidekick, Vampina (I think that was her name). A vampire chick who lives in the moment and is Zerion's servant, as long as he provides him with some blood every now and then

(2023)

(2021)

she almost never pulls off that relaxed smile from her face, her brain usually has no thoughts more than "can i eath this?" "I can eat this" Both of them are pretty evil. I remember once i tried to sketch out a first chapter, where they had a visit of income tax department agents, coming to remind Zerion he hadn't paid his taxes, and both Zerion and Vampina made a whole intricate plan on how to get rid of them and torture them, to show the government they're not to be fucked with. Though, all their scare tactics were just confusing, failed magic tricks for the men, now tied to apparent non functioning electric chairs, looking at each other through their sunglasses, stoic faces, while confused to what Zerion is yapping about in his villain monologue, while Vampina eats a stale bread in the BG. ---------------------------------------------------------

I don't have much about Sir Valentine either, but I certainly have drawn him more. For now, His name is Sir Cannon Valentine, but we'll get to that in a bit.

(both from 2020)

This is the first art ever I made of him, and that's a lot of his vibe. (2019)

This MAN, is some warrior who died in his armor but is back by some whack magic, and he's impatient, easily irritated, screams instead of talking, and I've always imagined having him a strong accent. He's here to fight and go headfirst into everything bc he really cannot die.

As of 2024, Sir Valentine is Sir Cannon Valentine (you can still call him the first version), BECAUSE, besides him being reborn and inmortal, angry and ready to fucking obliterate anything in his way, now his body works as a canonball

He went through my manic episode of redesigning many of my characters, after getting a taste of Pizza tower's cartoony characters, and became this. Much more functional, easily drawn, flowy. he just works, i can animate him in a snap of fingers. Still consistenly working to improve his design even more.

I will probs change the story, but this guy is resucitated as a last resort for a war between kingdoms, as a mistake, bc they wanted to revive some other guy, but got mistaken and went to his thomb. This guy revived him, after a ritualistic dance and some lightning

and then he is like "oh wait I fucked up", and Valentine is like "TOO LATE BITCH I'M FREE!!" and blasts away from him, as a cannonball, fueled by his own fire and methane gas from the catacombs he is in lol. This story is very not much constructed, but I love Sir Valentine a lot, and the characters I can surround him with. I see him falling for a bourgeoisie woman, or a princess even, bc all my stories need the romance, I'm nothing without the romance. I am also thinking of including another character of mine, Sayen, as the daughter of this death guy

Sayen previously appeared as a participant in a nsfw comic in my twt alt account lol. I love her and her design very much.

[percheduphere]

people saying, oh it wasn't intended from the beginning so it wasn't intentional thus has to stay fanfiction bug me. like, shows can develop organically based on chemistry. they can surprise you and take you in a direction that wasn't planned but now just works. like, fucking, chandler and monica wasn't planned from the beginning! but the actors had chemistry and the writers tried it out and it became iconic. you don't throw something away just because it surprised you instead of being pre-planned; you cultivate whatever gold you find!

With Hollywood entertainment in particular, I think there is a lot of ignorance regarding how the creative process, production process, post-production process, and business all work. It is readily apparent that in Hollywood, there are many hands in the kitchen when it comes to creating a movie, documentary, or show. The "Original Intent" argument is weakest when it comes to Hollywood art, and in fact fails to be a viable argument in multiple areas. I will discuss how the "Original Intent" argument fails in Hollywood in more depth under the read more, using what I know from having worked in the industry myself as a writer. And to be honest, the fact I have to pull my private professional history out online, just to prove I'm not being delulu when it comes to the importance of queer subtext in film, pisses me the fuck off.

To be clear, since this whole discourse mess on my Tumblr is likely the result of someone thinking I'm an anti-sylki: I AM NOT AN ANTI. I have an extensive analysis on Sylvie as an integral character to the Loki series, Sylki in canon, and her relationship with Mobius here.

I agree with you: a lot of amazing art deviates from the original intention, especially writing. If deviating from original intent in the writing process did not exist, we would not have DRAFT REVISIONS, we would not have IMPROV, we would not have EDITORS (whose entire job hinges on giving the writer not only grammar corrections, but feedback on how to IMPROVE character, plot, and pacing, which inherently means making changes from the original intent!). This is to say nothing of the thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of media scholars--with actual PhDs--who spend years of their lives performing meta-analysis to write academic papers on subject matters like this. Papers that become formal publications and contribute to how queer history is taught in universities! This is no different than academic scholars analyzing women and race representation and resistance in film. Why should analyzing queer representation and resistance in film be treated any less?

LET'S TALK ABOUT ORIGINAL CREATIVE INTENT VS POWER HIEARCHY & POLITICS IN HOLLYWOOD

For context with respect to this ask, a different Tumblr user critiqued against queer subtext in one of my posts using the "original intent" argument for the Loki series and Lokius specifically. By this logic, if original intent is always honored, then the original script for Loki's S2E5 (written by Eric Martin) would not have been NUKED by the executive powers that be at Marvel. [source] But no, the original intent was not honored, it was rejected. So how does one square the primacy of original intent with original intent being rejected by people who are not the artist but the people who manage Disney's finances?

In television, "Executive Producer" (i.e. Tom Hiddleston, Michael Waldron, Eric Martin, etc.) is a title that can be given to a writer or actor who has more creative say in the execution of a story than a regular staff writer or actor on crew. It also indicates that the writer or actor is in a much higher salary range compared to their professional peers. It does NOT mean the same thing as a CORPORATE "Producer" of Kevin Feige's level, who ultimately has the FINAL SAY on what does NOT end up on the cutting room floor. The corporate Producer must take into account the wishes of corporate's shareholders and board of directors, who are often multi-million if not multi-billion global investors who need the distribution of the product to succeed internationally in countries like China, which is very anti-LGBTQAI+. This is how a script like Eric Martin's S2E5 can be nuked and the writer can be contractually gagged from talking about its specific contents by Disney, lest they be SUED TO HELL for breaking their non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

This doesn't even take into account politics.

In 2020, Ike Perlmutter, Chair of Marvel, "gave $575,000 to Trump For Victory, $35,500 to the Republican National Committee in April, $5600 for Texans For Ronny Jackson in February. 2019 saw him donate $248,000 to the Republican National Committee, $466,100 to Trump For Victory, $5,600 to Donald Trump For President." His wife, Laura, mirrored those donations. "In late 2016, he also gave $5,000,000 to the Great America PAC." [source] Ike was only recently laid off from his position in March 2023 [source]. Perlmutter was in a power-struggle at Marvel with Kevin Feige for years. Feige was promoted to Chief Creative Officer in 2019, which brought the power struggle to a head, ultimately contributing to Perlmutter's departure.

There is also Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, who was famously quoted during the Writers Guild of America strike for saying, “It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption”

This is the worst time in the world to negotiate to pay your writers, YOUR CREATIVE LABOR FORCE, who entertained millions of people while they were stuck in their homes for 2 years, fairly?

And these are just two men in executive power at Marvel and Disney. We're not even talking about all the other board members and shareholders. You think Tom Hiddleston, Michael Waldron, and Eric Martin have any real power compared to these guys? They do not. They are peons by comparison. And these artists (despite their "Executive Producer" title) are always at odds with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who are ultimately not artists but FINANCIERS.

Here's another quote from a studio executive that occurred during the writer's strike:

"Receiving positive feedback from Wall Street since the WGA went on strike May 2, Warner Bros Discovery, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount and others have become determined to “break the WGA,” as one studio exec blatantly put it.  

To do so, the studios and the AMPTP believe that by October most writers will be running out of money after five months on the picket lines and no work.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil.”" [source 1] [source 2]

Fortunately, this negative press and the WGA members' solidarity led to the WGA getting everything they demanded. I still have friends in the industry, specifically in the WGA and MPEG. A lot of them were indeed starved out. My friend who's a film editor is still unemployed because pre-production has only recently started to ramp up again and her profession is all in post. She has to wait for production to catch-up and finish in order to get work.

If the AMPTP is willing to use clearly unethical tactics to underpay their writers and actors (don't forget the SAG-AFTRA strike that joined later), do we really think members of the AMPTP (the studio execs) are willing to honor artists' original intent if the original intent may be "offensive to some viewers" and therefore can potentially cut into their financial bottom line?

We're not naive. We know the answer to this.

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, KILLING EVE, AND GOOD OMENS

But what about OFMD, KE, and GO? These shows are on MAX, BBC, and Amazon Prime respectively. These corporations have a different branding image than Disney. Disney touts itself as "family friendly"; (read: on-screen LGBTQAI+ affection between two lead characters is "not family friendly"). MAX and BBC's branding type also affords them the luxury of creating content for niche audiences. Disney, on the other hand, makes additional revenue through using their plethora of licenses to make toys, additions to their theme parks, and other merch. If a parent is offended that a canonically queer character like Loki has romantic love not just for Sylvie but also for Mobius (a same-sex relationship), what are the odds of parents like them not buying Disney's merchandise? We can apply this same question to Star Wars, Pixar, and any of Disney-branded animation or live action movies. How deeply can audience offense potentially cut into Disney's bottom line? If there were no discrimination taking place, we would have LGBTQAI+ representation through a lead character in any one of their licenses already. We do not, and that is a huge red flag.

In addition, these entertainment corporations (who do not tout themselves as "family friendly") generate other sources of revenue elsewhere. Netflix generates international revenue through the production of international programming like "Squid Game" and other K-dramas such as "The Glory" or Mexican shows including, "The Surrogacy" and "Haunted: Latin America". MAX is struggling. They were bought out for that reason. With AppleTV and Hulu, their target audiences are more diverse, they offer a variety of media product, and their business strategy is ultimately different from Disney. All of this grants them more freedom in what kind of characters they choose to represent, including LGBTQAI+ characters.

Remember House and Wilson from House M.D.? That show was on FOX. We know the political alignment of FOX. Dean and Castiel from Supernatural? WB Television. Both shows came out before streaming became dominant, and thus, these shows had to cater to anyone who might happen to land on their channels. When the market demands that you cater to the widest possible audience in order to generate the largest revenue, the creatives are forced to create relatively conservative artistic product. Hence, creative censorship and our long history of queer subtext.

At Nickelodeon, the artists actually had the support of corporate to move forward with Korrasami because the final season Legend of Korra was only available online. It did not air on their channel. If that had not been the case, corporate would not have approved Korrasami. However, that approval was contingent upon the artists being subtle subtle about Korra and Asami's relationship. Even in this canon ship, the animators relied on subtext for queer romance.

Not helping Disney's case is the cancellation of "The Owl House". Why was "The Owl House" canceled? It didn't fit Disney's "brand". [source]

THE FAILURES OF THE "ORIGINAL INTENT" ARGUMENT IN HOLLYWOOD

The "Original Intent" argument fails when it comes to art in Hollywood because:

Original Intent can change, and often does change, during the creative process. This applies to all forms of art, not just Hollywood.

Multiple artists are involved in pre-production, production, and post-production. At any point in this 3-part process of filmmaking, original intent can be changed for a variety of reasons.

Studio Executives, Boards of Directors, and Corporate Shareholders have more power than the artists in Hollywood. If they think a product will not make money, they will order changes accordingly.

Disney specifically touts itself as "family friendly". Its lack of a lead character (in ANY of its live-action licenses) being in an openly queer relationship with someone who presents as the same sex, is the direct result of not wanting to lose conservative audiences.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are common in Hollywood and prevent artists from providing specifics regarding original intent. This is done not only to safeguard corporate's intellectual property (IP), but to also safeguard their public relations image.

THE ORIGINAL INTENT ARGUMENT WEAPONIZED

The "original intent" mindset can be either very naive or very cynical, depending on the thinker's motives for choosing this belief. Naive, in that thinking creative purity actually exists (it does not) or that oppression does not still occur in Hollywood (it does). Cynical, in that either the thinker doesn't believe in artists intentionally finding ways around mass produced arts' media censorship, which has in turn created our rich history of queer subtext in film, OR the thinker wants the "original intent" argument to invalidate a change they do not like.

The last motive is the same strategy used by fans who reject Miles Morales as being a real Spider-Man. The same strategy fans use to deny that Shuri is indeed the new Black Panther. Both are tactics used to mask racism and sexism beneath the veneer of "creative purity". Fans who have internalized racism, sexism, or queer-phobia may also use this tactic at a subconscious level to protect themselves emotionally from disappointment. Finally, there are fans who use this argument to invalidate another ship, usually a queer ship that cannot be formally canonized because of corporate studio power.

Regardless of the reasoning, using this argument is frequently insidious because it perpetuates straight white male dominance in media representation.

PERSONAL LIVED EXPERIENCE

I'm an old poc queer and have worked in Hollywood long enough to know that the writers' original vision rarely ever--IF EVER--pans out as originally intended. If you ever sit through a movie and wonder why the story feels so weird in certain parts, I can guarantee you that about 2/5ths of the time, a corporate producer stepped in and messed with the original story in post-production (usually in an poor, over-worked editor's dark editing bay) and ordered reshoots the director may not have agreed with.

I've also worked in the industry long enough to know that it is an absolutely toxic work environment in which women, people of color, and queer people still struggle to get a creative foothold anywhere. My first experience pitching a script to a prospective agent involved being asked to meet at a hotel for drinks. We didn't talk about my writing at all. What I thought would be a pitch meeting was actually the writer's version of the "Hollywood casting couch". Yes, I was propositioned. No, nothing happened to me. I walked out. This happened to me in June 2008. It was not my last experience. The "Me Too" movement that came years later in 2017 was in response to situations I have encountered like this.

Those of us who succeed are very rare, and 97% of the time, the executive staff is very, very white and male. There is absolutely oppression and exploitation of all sorts still happening in Hollywood. I fucking lived it and continue to have nightmares about it.

QUEER SUBTEXT STILL EXISTS

Thus, to deny queer subtext's validity as an art form and to only accept the words of those who are either in power or limited in what they can say because of those in power, undermines not only the artists' efforts to tell the story they want to tell but cannot tell explicitly, it also undermines queer joy and queer resistance in cinema. And yes, sometimes those artists are cis straight white male allies who want to tell these stories because they simply make sense for the characters. These people are the artists, not the financiers.

It's more mature to embrace, or at least leave alone, the loud joy others experience from shipping and performing meta-analysis instead of publicly pissing on them with the profoundly weak and ignorant argument of "original intent". Don't mess with me on this. The number of scripts I have worked on that completely warped from what I wanted, and then to have my writing credit removed or stolen, still makes me sick. Yes, I'm bitter, but I'm also glad I left.

[woodsfae]

B5 S04E07 Epiphanies previous episode - table of contents

The denizens of B5 have an aerial show to go along with their party over the Vorlon-Shadows proxy war being over. On episode seven! I have only vague theories about anything they might get up to by the end of the season. 

John Sheridan watches the party and has heavy thoughts till he sees Delenn and is immediately turns his mood around. Cute. 

Bester!! Is back! Thrilling. I have my fingers crossed for him to acctually achieve his telepathic society on some secret colony. 

It's awfully obnoxious that he's taking orders to dismantle B5 instead of off stealing all of PsiCorps. The threat of the great powers may be over, but Earth's government is still its own biggest threat. 

Bester wants to know why they don't just do a military takeover. Minister says...we tried and failed. Gotta do this blackops style. 

I now have high expectations for shenanigans, but I hope it's a multi-episode arc rather than wrapping up in this episode. Bester vs B5 could be a great seasonal arc. 

On Centaur they need to pick a new Emperor, but putting off the decision for awhile. By appointing a Regent for the Emperor, which is the guy Londo is telling all this to. 

Huh, Londo's skipping out to B5 now. I did not expect him to dump all the homeworld issues on a patsy and flee, but that very much in character for him. Dealing with problems is not Londo's strong suit. Unlike causing problems. 

G'Kar has phanton itch in his missing eye. Oh how I hate how he can never catch a break. Dr Franklin wants to try to adapt a human prosthetic for G'Kar so he can have partial vision back. And the medical update also serves as exposition for Dr Frankin to remind the audience that G'Kar was offered rule of Narn and turned it down. 

Garibaldi struggles with not remembering, then his sleeper routine activates! badadada! Bester-level shenanigans engage. Huh, and he resigns. 

There's a Disney planet. That tracks. But, interesting gambit. Demoralize the senior staff by having his secretly implanted trigger be disillusionment in the conflict and want a chance of pace that's more peaceful. 

Does this mean Chief of Security Zack Allen? Please no. ugh. If this happens, I will try to be sanguine with it, but whyyyy. 

I mean I don't believe Garibaldi is leaving leaving, but I would prefer more Garibaldi than Zack Allen.  Who is checking Londo back into B5. 

Bester and his jackbooted thugs have arrived. And his banter remains delightful. They're always on point with his script and he's such a good antagonist. It's funny but I almost think of his as fae....he allows himself to be trapped by logic battles and legal snarls, he's very precise with his wording in a way that feels a bit otherworldly, and he's threatening as shit. ergo, fae. Just him though, the rest of PsiCorps doesn't strike me as fae at all, very mundanely human. 

Garibaldi is very happy to see Garibaldi. Garibaldi says he is sorry G'Kar had to go through a lot of shit. G'Kar says no, thanks to Garibaldi for being his friend so much that he risked getting, and got captured. And in his captivity was able to help save his people. Garibaldi says o.O what.

Another mirrored arc with Londo, who curses the narrative and denies anyone's ability to choose. G'Kar thanks the narrative and chooses to see the best of the current circumstances.

Yeah, Zack Allen's Security boss now. The news announced that Earthforce has banned all travel to and from B5. Big moves. 

Zack goes to get Lyta and we see she's starting to replace the belongs that not-Kosh forced her to get rid of.  

Apparently Lyta has been shunned by basically everyone on B5...and it's because no one quite trusts her due to the time she spent in close proximity to the Vorlons. But Zack Allen offers to help her unpack her new stuff. They gotta stop making him be so considerate or I'll stop being irritated by him. 

G'Kar casually threatens Londo. I'd want to disappear Londo so bad in his shoes. 

Bester is difficult because it's in his nature, while also being very helpfully informative. lol. 

Bester wants to go loot Higher Beings tech from Z'ha'dum and see if they can use it to free the Shadows-wired-in telepaths, including Bester's forbidden lady love. And has quite an uncontrolled telepathic spasm of visions! Lyta? Susan? Something he did to himself or PsiCorps did to him?? 

Bester tells them that Earthforce sent armed patrols to maintain a B5 blockade, and a second force to destroy the first force and frame B5 for the hostilities. That's ice fucking cold. 

I notice Garibaldi may have resigned but he's still in what look like pretty spacious officer's quarters. Zac is hanging out and trying to persuade Garibaldi not to resign. 

omfg. Garibaldi says mistakes are a part of life and in fact, he took on Zack Allen even though he had a terrible record. And says he's the best second Garibaldi ever had. Um.!!! He totally told them out to Earthforce sprang at the first and every opportunity, and only felt a little bad about most of it till he switched sides at the literal last second. They can't make me forget that with a few episodes of him being considerate and intelligent. They gotta put in more effort for him to win me over. 

Sheridan and Delenn being cute again on one of the White Stars, heading to Z'Ha'Dum. Sheridan says he wants a little chill and Delenn says lol, you love nothing more than a problem. And if you had to spend ten seconds relaxing on a beach your head would explode. 

He thinks her deducing that is hot. It is. 

Ivanova gets to go out on a space battle in the little fighters! Good for her, she almost never gets to go flying! She and the B5 fighters save the sacrificial force and establish some cred as nonaggressors. 

Bester admits respect for Lyta, but tries to convince her to share what has given her an increase in telepathic ability. The Corps is mother, the corps is father. Lyta turns him down and he immediately jumps to threatening blackmail. How very Bester. He isn't so much an iron fist in a velvet glove, more like a ceramic-coated frying pan on a long handle. 

Z'Ha'Dum blows up. No high level tech upgrades from that angle. Bester has a regretful heart-to-heart with his beloved's stasis chamber. He really acts the shit out of it. "I'd do it again." shivers! And he blames B5 for not having her back and swears his personal animosity for B5! That's a little bit of a leap, but I suppose the next most logical person to blame is himself and he can't afford to take that onto his cracked shell of a psyche. (affectionate)

Sheridan also comes to visit Lyta, really thoroughly ending her long drought in visitors. Bummer that it isn't positive - he thinks she set off the Shadows' self-destruct of Z'Ha'Dum! Sheridan is interestingly not angry about it. Just acknowledges that she must be very powerful and skilled. And wonders why. Lyta gives several answers as hypotheticals, ranging from buried command triggers to personal grudge. 

Ah, and now Sheridan's mad comes out. If she does anything audacious like that without orders again, he chucks her straight into PsiCorps' custody. pain of death threat, basically! Be good or face being effectively murdered through mindwipes or controls. 

Really, PsiCorps is such an existential threat I find it to be overly harsh. Threat of general exile from B5, sure. But PsiCorps is a really brutal threat for Lyta as a rogue telepath in possession of secrets of power boosts. More ice cold choices made by people in authority! 

Epiphanies this episode is called...but bearing down on cold ruthlessness is rather a depressing epiphany to give the main players in the human political scene.

And the Centauri Regent has a...vision? And/or a growth? It's unclear. 

Much to think on, much to try to start to fit together into plausible theories! This has definitely been a highly expository episode but it was still well done and managed to be engaging while also doing a lot of telling-not-showing.

Onwards!

[dani-luminae]

Look, I know how you feel about arise of Red, but lemme just say that I watched the movie and it’s a mess. The new one is coming out 17th of July 2026 and this movie scored poorly. What I’m not understanding is the new book, World of Auradon, states that everything is connected, but if that’s the case then why Evil Queen doesn’t go to school with Maleficent and Hades? What’s the point of Uliana if Ursula goes to school like the others? Why isn’t Jafar with with them like how Jasmine and Aladdin is at school?? Rise of Red is more confusing and got rid of all logic than the first three. The most messed up part is there’s a deleted script where Chloe and Red traveled back in time to find teen Beast who is a alpha male and rocks a pompadour hairstyle and morphs back into a human as he wished. Also, Brandy’s Cinderella isn’t even canon in Rise of Red, as confirmed by the producer, it’s not even canon to the og 1950 one either, it’s the third Cinderella created by the producer herself and just bring back Brandy and Paolo for bait. Like…just why? Descendants should have just done at D3.

Every new thing I learned about this movie just makes me question my sanity, and you have my sympathy anon for having to sit through that nonsense.

The thing is. I feel like the plot could have worked. Time-travel to prevent some disastrous event? It's worked in previous ideas! It has a lot of potential! I just can't put my finger on what exactly ruins this idea. I feel like the idea of Merlin Academy itself is the issue. Like going back in time to a past Wonderland maybe? That would be so cool! But no, we're just dragged back to another boarding school which promptly becomes a "okay, why did they have to bring in the whole time-travel thing if they're just going with this again?" I feel like they tried to make it exciting like "oh! This time it's actually teenage Disney characters and not their kids! oh and a few OCs too" but like you said, all it does is ruin the timeline even further and introduce a whole lot more convoluted nonsense.

And there were so many characters introduced/hyped up that did absolutely nothing. Aladdin, Jasmine, Zellie (who apparently wound up named "Meadow" in the final bit and also got cut), Morgie, Hook, Hades, Maleficent. Literally the only people from the past that mattered eventually were Uliana, Merlin, Ella, Bridget, and teen Charming. Everyone else could have been nameless backgrounders and it would have been no different. It feels like they wanted a School for Good and Evil vibe but even then they failed, because at least the SFGAE movie had various antagonists, allies, mentors, and minor characters (and... better costumes.)

The confusion gets even worse with the guide books. Morgie's home kingdom is listed as "Isle of the Lost." HOW? It doesn't exist in his time! Unless we're going with the idea that the island existed long before Auradon was united? Was it always just a haven for villains?

(And oh god. I don't even wanna think about teen!Beast there. Genuinely sounds like he's supposed to be Gaston more than Beast.)

[yuurei20]

Sebek Info Compilation part 7: Sebek and Lilia

Sebek refers to Lilia by his first name on NA, but in his original dialogue he actually only ever calls him “Lilia-sama”, with Lilia apparently being on a similar level to Malleus from Sebek’s perspective.

Sebek was entrusted to Lilia by his grandfather when he was six years old and has been under his tutelage for the past decade.

He is quick to defend Lilia when he thinks that Lilia is not being paid proper respect, such as when Ace asks them why they led the ghosts to where he was during Phantom Bride.

Sebek scolds Ace for taking “an aggressive tone” with Lilia, insisting that he “learn (his) place”.

Sebek also becomes angry when Eliza rejects Lilia for being too cute, insisting “You’re even cuter than the ghost herself!”.

Sebek scolds Silver for interrupting Lilia when Lilia was speaking with Malleus, and scolds Idia for failing to “smoocharoo” Eliza at Lilia’s request.

Sebek is also an adamant supporter of Lilia’s musical endeavors.

Sebek often references having to survive in the wild with Silver as part of Lilia’s training.

Sebek is also capable of reciting “basic lessons in survival that Lilia was kind enough to teach me”.

During his second birthday vignette we learn that Lilia once took Sebek and Silver out to one of the mountains that border Briar Valley and, without any forewarning, disappeared. He left only basic tools and a note that said, “Let’s Survival ♪”.

Sebek says that, at the time, neither he nor Silver actually had any survivalist experience, whatsoever.

Lilia left the two alone on the mountain to survive as best they could for a week.

Sebek obeys what Lilia says over Silver’s instructions and, in some cases, even over Malleus, such as when he was ordered to apologize to Leona and argued the point with Malleus, but when Lilia follows up with “I think you should do as Malleus says” he responds with “Ah…yes, sir!”.

Sebek, Silver and Malleus all insist that Lilia can be terrifying on Halloween, but when Ace says that “Sebek is just a scaredy-cat” Lilia replies with, “no comment on that” and he has a voice line of “Silver and Sebek used to be scaredy cats, you know. I’d always have to do laundry the morning after Halloween”.

Silver describes scarecrows in a central plaza and Sebek says that “the terrifying part is what Lilia looks like as he dances in the light of the fiery tribute” (Lilia insists he “simply got in touch with (his) inner child and let loose a little.”)

(There are further descriptions of burning scarecrows, dancing in a circle in firelight and giant ogres, which may be in reference to multiple Disney properties such as Night on Bald Mountain, Sleeping Beauty and Nightmare Before Christmas.)

[dapurinthos]

the facts were these (/pushing daisies narrator man i miss pushing daisies):

jedi facts: in this nebulous '5th quarter', a skirmish broke out on felucia, sifo was assigned to negotiate peace talks. peace talks ‘failed’, he was ‘killed’. there was a 2nd jedi present when he ‘died’. sifo’s body was cremated.

valorum’s facts: it was a senate committee working on the syndicate matter but shame shame drugs shame valorum himself contacted sifo to ‘stabilize’ things sifo AND silman were killed on felucia no bodies

pyke facts: we know nothing masters jedi sirs. honest. okay we saw him but we didn’t see anyone else. okay okay we saw him AND the advisor. we shot ‘em both down over our moon because we made an alliance with this guy calling himself tyranus. we retrieved the jedi’s body and snatched up the advisor, didn’t tell tyranus. u want him? u can have him.

silman’s facts: they TRICKED US precious the pykes killed sifo because tyranus wanted to use his identity

dooku's facts: sifo-dyas understood he saw the future that is why he helped me

the floating timeline of sifo goes like this:

tan divo & the coruscant police’s racist investigations (prior) unhelpful; investigations into hutts go slightly better (35BBY)

other syndicates threatening a full-out gang war in the coruscant underworld due to the pykes’ almost complete control over the production of raw spice (kessel, etc.)

senate committee goes uh-oh

valorum goes uh-oh, calls sifo for a meeting

sifo departs coruscant w/ silman, in a jedi t-6 shuttle

sifo & silman (the delegation) arrive on oba-diah

council messages with orders to attend to flare up on felucia

sifo leaves oba diah with silman, reaches distance of oba diah moon before being shot down by the pykes. silman is taken by the pykes.

dooku arrives at jedi temple (to delete kamino data), talks with jocasta, qui-gon, yaddle

battle of theed (45.04.19 hurrah an actual date)

at least one night passes; news of qui-gon’s death percolates.

dooku goes to confront sidious, has already ‘dealt’ with sifo-dyas, precise dates of 'dealing with' unknown.

what the fuck is a fifth quarter? it’s the time of year between black friday or christmas and the end of january in the us apparently. it’s a fiscal term. or, legally, the three full calendar months of the thirteenth calendar month from the final closing date. whatever the fuck THAT means in this gffa. HOWEVER we know there is calendric fuckery because this is star wars there is ALWAYS calendric fuckery. judicial uses the 10 month calendar. coruscant reckoning uses a (supposedly) 365 day calendar (i make this work by saying there are 3 uncounted days, the way the 10-month calendar is both 350 days AND 368 days).

possibilities: ‘the fifth quarter’ refers to those days in the 10-month calendar that aren’t counted; it’s the time between the festival of stars and new year (both one-week holidays). HOWEVER HOWEVER they also totally screwed up how the dates go by putting the battle of yavin too late in the coruscant reckoning year that it necessitates the phantom menace taking place in 33BBY so that’s what i think of THAT calendar (i did figure out the equalisation tho because i am like that. the crc has to start on 11.33 of the 10-month calendar). it can ALSO be the summer if you're talking in terms of school. ffs.

or, since the crc was done BASED ON VIBES we can go based on MY vibes (which are objectively correct) and place sifo-dyas's death date on 04.04 because:

four is death

it's before all of naboo, which puts it in line w/ tales of the jedi

it's recent enough that dooku's still doing to be a complete scribble over it

it works with disney AND legends in that it takes place post-perlemian gathering/kamino-informing and before naboo

the nitty-gritty (but not the nitty-nitty gritty) timeline (brackets are my own personal timeline, the / dates are how far through the year they are, counting down, so 32.9BBY is the 2nd month of 33BBY):

42.??.??, 35BBY: tan divo’s investigations into pyke spice trafficking begins. he fucks this up by giving into racism and believing all pykes are involved in this spice trafficking. 33BBY/32.8 (44.05.26): yinchorri attack on jedi temple; two killed; proposed point at which sifo leaves the council (final attempt at getting council to believe in his vision of the necessity of an army in the wake of the yinchorri incident, in the wake of the yam’rii incident) 32.5 (08.26): eriadu trade conference; assassination of trade fed. leadership 32.4 (09.23): passing of prop 31-814D, taxing free trade zones ???: trip to kwenn (unknown date, only that sifo is not on council) 32.4 (09.31): finis valorum under investigation for corruption 32.4: mas amedda appointed vice chancellor; valorum’s powers limited (10.01): valorum appears before court to answer corruption charges 32.3/10.05: election day, standard day each year; amidala elected queen 32BBY (45.03.23): chommell sector summit announcement 32 (03.35): gathering on perlemian orbital facility (plagueis drops the anvil about kamino to sifo-dyas) (04.02): valorum calls meeting with sifo, he and silman depart later that day (04.03): arrival on oba diah (04.04): message from council, re: felucia; departure from oba diah; shot down (04.05): blockade of naboo begins; 1 week since perlemian gathering

31.9BBY/04.14: the phantom menace begins.

04.18: arrival on coruscant; dooku & qui-gon speak during the day after the first high council meeting, before qui-gon goes to collect anakin from palpatine’s residence; departure for naboo that night; flight takes overnight. 04.19: v. early morning on coruscant is ~ mid-afternoon naboo time; occurrence of deaths: plagueis (early CR) > qui-gon (aft NB) > maul (aft NB); naboo is about 12+ hours ahead of coruscant in terms of time; result of no-confidence vote daytime on coruscant (evening naboo) 04.20: swearing-in of chancellor palpatine (coruscant day), jedi ready to leave for naboo in afternoon (early morning 21st naboo > arrival late 21st naboo). dooku confronts sidious at the limerge building in the works just before sunset. kills yaddle. there’s probably a sloppy attempt at sex here because dooku just wants out of his own head sorry not sorry 04.21: sidious departs for naboo, early coruscant morning 04.22 naboo: funeral of qui-gon jinn held 3 days post-battle of theed in naboo evening (coruscant morning)

[will-come-a-poet]

So after playing "The Remembering" update of Disney's Dreamlight Valley, I really wanted to write a piece where my player character kind of confronts Gothel.

Anyway, this is that piece. Obviously, spoilers ahoy! Also, content warning for (minor) references to subjects such as gaslighting, emotional manipulation/abuse, and childhood trauma.

“Mother Gothel?”

The woman stopped what she was doing to look towards the source of her voice being called. In the small part of The Valley that she had claimed as her own stood the ruler of Dreamlight Valley herself. The monarch in front of her stood tall with an apparent put-on confidence that the younger woman wasn’t yet used to wearing.

Gothel took this moment to scrutinize what had changed and what had stayed the same in the time the girl had been away. Their ruler was still disgustingly kind, incomprehensibly altruistic, and unbearably good. Gone was the naive child that Gothel could sweet talk into running errands, the confused preteen seeking her guidance, and the damaged teenager who finally snapped. Sure, there was still that beautiful thread of insecurity that Gothel loved to tug on and the desperate need for validation just waiting to be exploited. But…no…no, the ruler before her was different now. For one thing, her expression was much harder than the older woman had ever seen.

“We need to talk-” the monarch spoke after a beat of silence, voice bare of any emotion “about what you did to The Forgotten; about what you did to me.”

Oh, right. That. Of course, how could she forget? Their ruler had, oh so, bravely jumped into their memories, redeemed The Forgotten, and saved the valley they had once destroyed and abandoned.

“What I did?” Gothel retorted, admonished. “Oh please, darling. You did all of this-” she gestured to a few stray night thorns “yourself.” It was a dirty trick, sure. But the ruler had always been good at taking on blame that wasn’t hers.

“No” “No?”

“No,” the monarch repeated, “I’m done playing your games, Gothel. I was a child. I was hurting. I was lost and confused, and you used that. You used me to hurt the place that was meant to be an escape from that sort of thing!”.

For once, Gothel was silent.

“Merlin says he has half a mind to trap you in that tree again, and considering that The Forgotten, no, that my Inner Child is back in the valley, I can’t say I blame him.”

The ruler paused. Her stance of unsure confidence had morphed into one of hunched shoulders and old hurt. She maintained eye contact with the older woman for once instead of taking breaks to look at the floor, sky, or anything else.

“But…I’m not going to do that. And every day you get to walk free, I want you to thank whatever higher power you believe that you failed to erase the kindness in my heart. You just… made it hide away for a bit”.

Another pause as the ruler…no… the Queen of Dreamlight Valley composed herself. In the distance, Mother Gothel heard a certain wizard call for assistance. As the Queen turned to answer her mentor, she looked back at Gothel one last time.

“And stay away from The Forgotten. You’ve done enough damage there already”.

[tomwambsmilk]

Sooooooo much to unpack this week I'm obsessed I'm in love this episode was made specifically For Me. Can we talk about bitey and how apparently Shiv had done this with other people but never with Tom. Can we talk about "body-snatching" and Logan being digitally manipulated to say whatever someone wants him to say. Can we talk about how the 'episodes of honesty' which were Chiantishire and All the Bells Say continue to ripple out, and yet now we find the problem that an ugly truth might be better than a beautiful lie but it is still ugly, and what are you going to do about it? Can we talk about Logan's last pitch (delivered via Kendall) basically being Walt Disney's failed dystopian capitalist hellscape cities. Can we talk about "I've always been thinking about money" and how it parallels "There is something about money and security here, yeah" and how it's simply impossible to have a relationship uncorrupted by capitalism in these societal circles. "It's almost enough to make you stop believing in capitalism" Jesse Armstrong I am in love with you

[okaystoptellingmetomakeanaccount]

Pov youre trying to get information about poe de spell but mission failed impossible because there is literally zero lore abouthim. Apparently he didnt even do anything in the original ducktales. He was just kinda there. I dont know why. It seems no one knows why. Those ducktales people were just like nehh i dont like Ratface but i still want a raven so they named the raven poe and gave him a little hat (kinda based) and why not hes magicas brother too now. They could not have thought more than 10 minutes about this. They just decided that the raven is magicas brother and now thats just a thing everywhere (except for in comics). Your choices have consequences guys.

You know at this point he could have just always been a raven and magica lied about it. There is so little lore on him i can make up the lore myself. What if he isnt biologically magicas brother but actually the son of the servant of magicas aunt and they grew up together so magica sees him as her brother? What if? What if thats just his backstory now? Now imagine that huh. It doesnt contradict the previous poe backstory, because there is none! Imagine that that backstory was created by disney and made into a graphic novel huh! Imagine that! Would be crazy! Now imagine if it would be currently widely published by Egmont as a separate release! Imagine that would be happening!!

[rjmhereunderprotest]

Shocking News: Ubisoft Does What Every Developer Ever Does to get Positive Free Marketing for Upcoming Video Game! Rando CHUD Gamers In an Uproar!

This has been fucking bothering me at this point, okay? So I'm using this opportunity to vent because ignorant stupid people don't know how the gaming industry works and/or are exploiting the fact people don't for clicks. And I'm so fucking sick and tired of this shit at this point so I'm going to rage for a second.

Try not to see this as me defending UbiSoft, fuck them, I have no love for any video game company ever and feel that cheerleading corporations is fucking stupid, either for or against them. But this sudden attack on them is less about actually shitty gaming industry practices that HAVE valid problems associated with them and more about the ridiculous culture war that this Space Wizards IP is trapped in. If this was any other game by UbiSoft no one would care, but it's a Star Wars game, so some idiots do care. Here's the run down.

UbiSoft recently sent previews out to various gaming news websites and major YouTube Gamer Influencers concerning the impending release of "Star Wars: Outlaws." A bunch of them got to go down a private preview event where they got free merch, hung out, played the game for a few hours, that sort of thing. They supposedly even got a trip to Disneyland out of it and a Boat Tour.

Finding out about this, every single right-wing culture warrior on YouTube instantly pounced on this and declared that UbiSoft was bribing people to give good reviews for "Star Wars: Outlaws" to convince people to buy it! Because the game is actually terrible and no one would actually like it on its own merits, and they know its terrible despite not getting to play it because... well... uh... it's Disney-Era Star Wars and that's always bad! Kathleen Kennedy made their wives leave them and shat on their rug! It wasn't them, it was Kathy! She did it! She snuck in during the night and shat on the rug! Then she took their last can of gamer fuel and broke their waifu figurines!

If you must know, the real reason "Star Wars: Outlaws" is in the crosshairs this go around is simple enough. The lead star of the game is a woman you see, a not fair-skinned woman, and people got pissy over this. How dare they not make the most basic ass video game protagonist design for this one game! Brown hair and eyes with four o'clock shadow white dudes are the only heroes that should ever appear in any video game ever, says they. "Why can't you just let us pick our gender?" they cry. You couldn't pick your gender in "Jedi Fallen Order", where was your crying then? Oh? Was the protagonist a dude there? Gee, I wonder why you found Cal Kestis being your only option as a player character okay, but Kay is an awful choice forced onto you?

So Kay Vess being a woman means "Outlaws" must be opposed, must be bad, and therefore must fail in order to stop the horrible scourge of DEI Gaming Development before all our precious white male protagonists are gone forever! Boo hoo! We don't get to play a dude in this one game out of the several dozens that will allow us to! If we don't stop this now, gaming is ruined!

And of course, anyone who plays the game and has something nice to say about it? Well obviously they're corporate shills, who were bribed by Disney to say positive things and there can be no other possible answer. No one can legitimately like a game that has a g-g-g-g-girl as the lead character! That's insane! And to prove how not sexist they are they'll list all the female characters they actually like in games, mostly all the ones that make their peepee hard.

They even went after GManLives, a respected independent gaming critic, just because he apparently played and liked the game. And they're still going after him even after he took the video down because he didn't want to deal with that shit. Accusing him of selling out his principles for a trip to Disneyland.

It's ridiculous and not just because it's a bunch of people complaining about a video game that isn't even out yet and hasn't been properly reviews. It's because critics and influencers getting special perks and shit for previewing games is nothing new. It's been going on forever.

Publishers of video games want to maximize their chances of getting good reviews. But they don't bribe people for them. They try to butter them up a little by inviting them to big marketing events, but that's just standard. You always try to give the people looking at your product a good time. Especially if they are critics with the power to sell it for you for free.

What they generally do is promise you exclusive coverage, behind the scenes details, access to developers, hands-on demos, interviews with the cast, inside information. And they provide it to the critics and influencers first who they feel will best promote and be favorable to their product at no extra cost to them.

If you decide to not be fair or NOT provide positive feedback, well then next go around they won't invite you to the big marketing event party. They won't give you hands-on demons. They won't get you access to developers or the cast. It's a major misbalance of power, but it's been a thing in gaming since forever. Nothing "Outlaws" is doing in the lead up to its release is that different.

And no one is actually hiding this anyway. Gaming websites and the influencers in questions regularly admit they were provided these previews by the publisher or developer of the game. That they were invited to check it out directly. That this is a preview that they scored under the watchful eye and with permission by the developer. They admit to the sponsorship element of what is essentially a commercial advertising something. They can't be too harsh or they won't get invited back, but they also won't withhold criticism if they find fault in something. In fact, sometimes to convince people they're not being too positive, they will force themselves to say something negative in some way to prove they aren't biased. It's usually something extremely subjective concerning the article writer's or content creator's personal taste.

Being driven out to Disneyland or given a boat tour aren't what I'd call major bribes. They're at best, the company trying to cozy up to an interviewer or influencer in order to keep them in a good mood and retain positive feedback. It's about maintain the relationship between their halves of the industry, putting on a show, treating the guys who help you sell your games right. Is it a problem? Oh yes, it very much is, it makes a lot of gaming web sites rather unreliable given how they'll go softer on a game to retain that relationship. But it is nothing new and Outlaws hasn't been the first game to do it, nor will it be the last.

And all the same, if the positive feedback as that consistent overall, it's not because they were bribed to say it. It's because they genuinely enjoyed the slice of game they were given and allowed to play around in. Even then, in those positive looks, I noticed complaints about this or that, minor quibbles, about what I'd expect from a preview event that went well but isn't ready to call it just yet.

My opinions on UbiSoft are fairly simple, they make some pretty good games overall. But they're still a gaming company, and that comes with a lot of baggage. Especially given Ubi's recent sexual harassments scandals and poor working conditions. They're not special and deserve to get ripped open when deserved. But not for letting a bunch of influencers run around an organized event where they got to play a game, get a plushie alien salamander and then run off to Disneyland when they were done. Because that's not a UbiSoft problem, that's an industry problem and one not easily solved. If you're a major gaming company, is it wise to keep giving exclusive peeks into your stuff if the news site was unfair to you? That's money better spent on someone who doesn't have an axe to grind. And gamers can hold grudges worse than anyone. I should know, I'm a gamer. I tend to hold a grudge.

Everything I've seen so far about "Star Wars: Outlaws" suggests it is, at the very least, a solid open world action game with UbiSoft and its stable of developers is fairly good at creating. And Massive Entertainment, the developer, has made some of my favorite games in the past. I believe Outlaws will be good, nothing I've seen suggests it's a bad title, let alone a bad entry in the Star Wars brand. I just don't see the justifiable reason to cry foul play here. This isn't like "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League" where the red flags are obvious from the word go. This isn't even head-tiltingly worrisome like Cyberpunk 2077, which kept getting delayed and delayed and problems were apparent even in preview builds that news sites raised eyebrows over. Nothing Outlaws has done suggests this impending disaster. At worst, it will be a fairly okay game, but nothing that's going to completely collapse a company under the weight of its failure.

But that's not the point. This isn't about any of that. It's about a stupid culture war and it's pissing me off how some idiots are pretending they have anything legitimate to complain about. Fuck, if they thought they could get more money out of it, they'd all be lining up to go to Disneyland for Free and take a boat tour themselves. But they're pathetic, loser, dipshit little fuckwits who can't cut it as real journalists. Because then they'd have to actually fucking do real work instead of shitting out 12 videos about how Brie Larson is evil incarnate in a day.

And at this point, I'm seriously rethinking my plans here. I was intending to get Outlaws at a reduced price through some Microsoft Rewards points. But now I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just pay for most of the game or something, if only to piss off the fucking CHUDs who want to convince me it will be a horrible failure. But I don't like the idea of playing the Capitalist Cheerleading game just to own some fucking douchebags on the internet. So I'm not sure at this point. I know I don't like playing $90 for a fucking video game. Wish they'd complain more about the increase in prices for Triple A titles than bitching about Girls existing in their Space Wizards Media.

Fuck it, I don't know what I'm gonna do at this point. I just know that stupid people are given way too many platforms these days to spew stupid shit and no one calls them out on it. It's fucking infuriating. Pre-Order or don't to your heart's content folks, stop listening to fucking idiots on the internet.

[bluezey]

Sharing cause had to. It's nice to see people admit they're wrong, and that Elemental didn't flop. It's not a smash hit, but it's a hit

It does hint that Saberspark is going over what's ruining Pixar. And my two cents is, it's not ruined. It's not a failing company, and their films are not bad. With exception of Cars 2, and Lightyear I take with a pinch of salt. But, I do admit that there's a shift in the company since John Lassetter left. Now don't get me wrong, if the allegations are true, and I don't have confirmation of that, Lassetter needed to leave. But, company wise, he was a big piece of Pixar, and something has changed since Pete Docter took over. Now it's not a bad shift, they're still making good films. I'll even admit, Lightyear was fine. Flawed, bit fine. But, I do see one difference with Pixar films after Lassetter left. But, it's difficult to describe it, so bear with me.

With exception of Soul and Lightyear, the films after Lassetter left aren't as big or grand. They're still great stories with great animation, and everything we like about Pixar. But, they're mostly simpler stories. Onward had a deep story, but it was not big or grand. Luca was a nice slice of life story, but it was not big or grand. Turning Red, great story, still simple. Elemental is a little different, as it's a simple story, but the concept, world and racial overtones gave it a big scale, but not big enough

If you want to know what I mean by big, we'll, compare it to Up, or Coco, or Finding Nemo, or Incredibles, or Wall-E. Something about those films had everything on a grand scale. The story, the animation, the characters, the innovation. Just everything clicked in a big way. Now I admit, there were some smaller films in the Lassetter era, such as Ratatouille and Monsters University, heck even Monsters Inc was kinda small (but gets a pass as I think the first three Pixar films and the Toy Story sequel are automatically big because it was during Pixar's infancy). But, in the Lassetter years, there were bigger films with bigger spectacle. In the Docter years, there's more simpler films than grander films. They still deliver what people love about Pixar, but to the average film goer who's not in it for the Pixar magic, it doesn't wow people. And losing that chunk of the audience could lead to a problem.

Which could explain why the films are a little simpler: Pixar hasn't been doing so hot financially. It's mostly due to covid, but covid did happen around the time of the shift from Lassetter to Docter. Pixar are gamblers, and did some gambles such as doing something innovative such as the animation style in Luca, the deep plot and abstract great before in Soul, going meta like Lightyear, or going big budget wise with Elemental. Some of them did well like Soul, some failed like Lightyear, but mostly they're breaking even like Luca and Lightyear. And breaking even is a safe result for gambling, but apparently not in the animation film industry

With exception of Disney, I don't think Pixar has much issues with competition. Unless Sony can find another big franchise to go with Spiderverse, DreamWorks and Illumination can make films that can be upsets in the awards season, but they're few and far between. I think the big issue is somewhere in the Pixar company itself, but as a viewer looking in from the outside, I can't exactly pinpoint the precise problem. All I can find is that it involves the shift from Lassetter to Docter, followed by the films getting simpler but still Pixar quality films. It's just, they're still Pixar quality films, so I'm not sure what's missing other than they're not as epic as Wall-E or Up or Coco. And epic doesn't always mean good, but to some film viewers, it's important.

Thankfully, I see Elio having a chance at being a grander film. I mean the teaser doesn't exactly show it, but it does show it's in space, and what little we saw, it looks far better and grander than Lightyear. So hopefully the official trailer will drop and show us something as big as Wall-E with the style of Luca. I also have high hopes for Inside Out 2 as well. Granted, Inside Out 1 had a simple story from Riley's perspective: she just moved across the country. But, through her emotions, it was a big, epic deal, that led to a deep story and a big adventure. I'd love to see what kind of problem will become a bigger deal in the sequel.

So long story short, I wouldn't count out Pixar. While it may have a stumble and a shake up, I don't see them hurting their final products, which is the films themselves. But, there is something small affecting them between the audience and the film production, and they need to find and resolve it before it snowballs into a bigger problem.

[shipmistress9]

20 question for writers tag game

tagged by @taumoebaa Thank you! 🥰

1. Total number of ao3 works?

105, apparently.

2. Total ao3 word count

1,154,048 That... a lot of worde o.O

3. Fandoms I've written in

Fandoms I've published in are: How to train your dragon Zelda Miraculous Ladybug The Empyrean - Fourth Wing Pokemon Stardew Valley But I also wrote many unfinished fics, for fandoms like Final Fantasy VII & VIII, Crescent City, ACOTAR, Starcrossed (Josephine Angelini), and Divergent.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

Okay, this feels a bit ridiculous... 😆 1. When Three Wrongs Make One right. (1449) (ML) 2. For The Love Of A Princess (709) (HTTYD) 3. Keeping The Facade (701) (ML) 4. Resurrection (615) (HTTYD/MCU) 4. My Kingdom. My Throne. my Queen. (317) (The Empyrean) 5. Part of our 'us' (311) (The Empyrean) I crossed out Resurrection because I didn't write this one, I was just one of the alpha-readers. But this shows so well how little Kudos really say about a fic. The two Miraculous fics there? I love them, but especially Keeping The Facade is just a cute/angsty little smutshot for a (relative) rarepair. That fandom is/was just so huge that the hits/Kudos catapult it up there to the top. In comparisson, FTLOAP is my big epic story, close to 400k words, many years of planning and writing. That just doesn't measure up.

5. Do I respond to comments?

I try to, yes. I just have this thing where I only respond to comments (in longer stories) when I'm about to post the followup-chapter. Which leads to... some comments never getting answers when I fail to keep writing. Or comments on previous chapters getting lost in my inbox. 😶

6. What has the angstiest ending?

Thats's difficult. 🤔 I don't even remember all my fics anymore. 😅 But I think that must be 'Follow Your Heart', at least without the (optional) sequals.

7. What has the happiest ending?

I feel like all my fics (with few exceptions) end on a lovely happy fluffy note. That's just my thing, and trying to pin down which is the happiest doesn't work.

8. Have I received hate?

Oh, yes! Some years ago, there as a dedicated Anon in the HTTYD fandom, who methodically attacked every writer who didn't write their fav couple as 'pure' as they wanted them to be. They would write loooong and elaborate comments about aaaaaaall the things we as writers did wrong and how that clearly reflects how awful people we are in RL. The fandom banded together to drive them away, but... those there some rough months.

9. Do I write smut? And what kind?

YES! I love writing (and reading) smut. 😁 There's always an underlying tone of emotions and devotion and love in my smut, even or especially when I dive into BDMS and D/s dynamics.

10. Do I write crossovers?

Not really. There are fics in my list that are 'tagged' as crossover, but they're really just characters from one fandom slipping into the world of another. Like modern AUs, in a way, or the [Hiccup=the doctor, Eret=Capt. Jack Harkness, Astrid=T.A.R.D.I.S.] thing I once wrote. Or random (disney) characters showing up as background characters in some httyd fics.

11. Have I ever had a fic stolen?

No, thankfully not. Or at least I'm not aware of it. But someone once stole one of my AMVs, and it felt awful.

12. Have I ever had a fic translated?

Someone once asked me for permission to translate one of my fics. But in the middle of it, their government shut down the fanfic platform they were using, so they never finished the tranlsation.

13. Have I ever co-written a fic?

I have! Though never in an equal share. I've helped and received help in the form of alpha reading, which at some points feels like co-writing (but isn't). And I wrote a fic with a friend (though not under my general name 😅) where I would contribute full chapters here and there after we talked about the general plot points. That was so much fun! 🥰

14. What is my all-time fave ship?

I don't think this is a question I can answer. Maybe I can say that Hiccstrid is the ship that had the biggest influence on my life, for various reasons, but naming them my all-time fave would diminish what I feel about other important ships.

15. A WIP I'll never finish

Uh... probably too many to count. But I can say for certain that I'll never finish 'Astrid's Diary'. It was a POV fic, the first HTTYD movie and the TV show from Astrid's POV. But the background story I had in mind died a quiet sad death with the release of more seasons, and I lost interest in either writing my version or adapting it to the new canon.

16. Writing strengths?

Dialogues and emotions, or so I've been told.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Descriptions of places, how something looks. My brain works 100% non-visual and that makes it hard to a) imagine how a place or a person looks and b) to describe it once I made the effort to build the look up in my head. I just go by vibes.

18. Do I like foreign language dialogue?

Not really. As English is already a foreign laguage for me, bringing in others feels weird to me. Except for that one time I had a multi-lingual character who'd always slip into cursing in other languages during sex. That was a lot of fun. 😁

19. First fandom I wrote for?

I... have no idea. Maybe 'Saber Rider and the Star Sherrifs' or maybe 'Detective Conan'. Though in both cases, I didn't even realise something like 'fanfiction' existed, I was just writing for myself. Then I wrote half of a Divergent fic after reading a few others. The first fic I ever published was for HTTYD.

20. Favourite fic I've written?

I can absolutely not answer this question. Sure, I might like some of my fics better than others, but I also 'love' all of them. But generally, I think I like my longer fics the most. The entire 'I Should Go' series, NOOT, WIMTBC, and FTLOAP for HTTYD. WTWMOR for Miraculous. MtO and the Violiaden Series for Fourth Wing.

tagging @taketheshot21 @heathenvampires @athingofvikings @dayeongi @drakaina-amore64 and everyone who else might want to do these. 🥰