#dont know if that tag is still in use but might as well

[laiqualaurelote]

tagged in WIP Wunday (I guess it's Wonday now?) by @dont-offend-the-bees! at the time I was in the rare position of having zero active WIPs but a few days later I was possessed by the singularly deranged idea of a BEOWULF AU hwæt up y'all it's time to Make Anglo-Saxons Gay Again

(with apologies to Maria Dahvana Headley)

Bruv, tell me we still know how to speak of heroes! In the old days, the bold days, everyone knew what real men were: a bloke could bootstrap his way out of a basement with no blazon to his blood, beat down every bench-brother who stepped up to bat, splinter-swing his way to glory till every mouth north and south of the whale-road carried his name. He rode hard, they’d say! He stayed thirsty! That was a man! That was a good man. “That’s all very well,” says the lord of the hall, “but who the hell are you?” Every head in the hall turns to look at the stranger in their midst, the lad with the borrowed sword and the burnished skin. His armour’s too big, his helm don’t fit right, yet there’s a history of violence tattooed in the scars on his knuckles. He grins like he’s got God’s candle gripped between his teeth. “The name’s Charles, son of Rowland, and the party don’t start till I walk in.” “He mocks us, my lord Simon!” comes the shout from the floor. “He makes light of our nightmare!” “Look, mate, everyone knows Hilarion Hall is cursed. They’re swapping stories up and down the swan-road about the horror that haunts you. You’ve got a monster, they say. Bit naff, innit? Bunch of strapping blokes like yourselves, cowed by some creature in the dark?” Hollering in the hall, hammering on mead-benches, hands on hilts. Lord Simon rises, raises a hand for silence.  “It is true we are plagued by a fiend out of hell, a marsh-marauder, an outcast exiled from the light of Heaven. The sound of God-fearing men raising their voices in revelry drives him into a devouring rage. He is monstrous to look upon, and his skin turns any blade. The man who brings me his head shall sit at my right hand, receive from me the rarest rings.” “Brills,” says Charles. “I’ll kill your monster.”

thanks for the tag Newt! I tag (with no pressure, and apologies for any double-tagging!) @wordsinhaled (who has Enabled me horribly), @dearheartdont, @likemmmcookies, @tumblerislovetumblerislife, @c-rowland, @linearao3, @leupagus, @justplainsalty, @eisoj5, and anyone else who might find sharing a bit of writing helpful in these present times.

[solar4seekstron]

Ending 5: Deadlock (Extra Special Ending)

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Optimus Prime Ending, Megatrons Ending, Elita Ones Ending, B-127 Ending

Tf1Deadlock x Cybertronian!GN!Reader

TW/Tags: possessiveness, bit of fluff- kinda, Deadlock wants reader so bad omg.

After the battle and everything Y/N would visit the hospital. Though because of other bots getting hurt Ratchet couldn’t come see them. During one of their check ups they stayed in the room after accidentally opening their wound again and badly hurt their arm after practicing with their swords. When they’re all patched up they remember what they promised to Deadlock. After they’d make their way to the club Deadlock worked at the front of the line. As they got there Deadlock has walked out and was waving the other bouncers bye.

You noticed the bouncer seemed annoyed as he crossed his arms. You assumed he’s one of those animalistic bots given he has large antlers. And he was tall. Honestly you didn’t realize that you were staring until Deadlock noticed you himself.

To say he was a bit jealous would be an understatement. I mean all the dudes who worked at the club were all fine gentleman.

”Y/N you finally visit right as I’m about to leave.”

”Yeah sorry ‘bout that Deadlock. Working with our new Prime and all.” Deadlock would then notice their wounds and grab their arm along with looking at the wound on their waist

”Is this from that battle.” They would nod and try to pull back a little.

”Yeah- well this wound on my waist is but this on my arm is from earlier. Was training with my swords and got hurt at some point.” Deadlock would stay quiet and then sigh. His cervo moving from their arm to thier cervo and then start walking, taking them along.

”Come on lets talk and walk.” He says. Y/N following along.

”Is our new prime…Real??” He’d ask you not looking back. Y/N then nods to him.

”Yes he’s more….Real then our “last” one. I’m sort of his bodyguard now….although I have today off since I got injured.” Deadlock seemed to get irritated and pulls them with them to an alleyway. Careful to not pull them too hard and Y/N let out a small gasp as they follow him.

As they make it to the alley way Deadlock stops and his cervo on theirs tightened a little as he stands there.

”Any of them try to make a move on you? Cause you know I’m “your” friend right?”

”No Deadlock they haven’t done anything like that.” They then stand next to him putting their other cervo on his chest as they look at him.

”I came because I made a promise. And with my new job I can’t really visit as much as I might like. But maybe if I speak to Optim-“

Deadlock then pushes them against the wall. Making sure not to hard to hurt them and their wound. He then gets close still being very tall. His chest touching theirs as his cervos hold firmly on their arms. He then spoke. His voice deeper.

”You finally have a cog. The leader we once had betrayed us. We finally get a new one so we don’t starve. You are finally able to live as you are meant to be. Up here without being looked down at. And Now…I can’t even see you even as much when you were still a miner!”

They would stare up at him as he spoke. Him staring down at them.

”Deadlock-“ He then leans his helm down to next to theirs. He sighs and leans closer his cheek touching theirs as he whispered. His voice low making you almost shiver.

”I prayed to Primus he would give us a chance. I waited and waited.” He would then lift his helm and then rest his forehelm against theirs. Staring at them

”I’ve been wanting to ask you to be my Conjunx. So that I may spend my life with the one bot who gave some higher class like me a chance for having a cog..But the fact that you’ll be even more busy then before…” you listened as he spoke.

”Deadlock….why dont you join us….Become part of our team to stop and fight against the Quintessons. You can fight with me as we-“ He then interrupts them by kissing them.

His cervos moving to their hips. Pulling their lower half closer to him. Y/N would put their cervos on his arms. Only leaning into the kiss for a moment but when they remember their plan.

Causing them to try to pull back. Struggling a bit until he finally pulls away back to staring down at them

”Deadlock the way our paths went isn’t what we planned but if you join me and we can fight together. Finally spend time together…Like we both want. Leave the club and work with me. Optimus would love your spirit and strength for the team.”

Deadlock thinks for a moment before looking down to the side.

Y/N would then put their cervos on both sides of his face. Gently cupping his cheeks to make him look at them. He would stare at them and then closes his optics as he leans into their touch.

”A new path could be right for us……get hurt actually protecting a life…..and not fight because of others pettiness…” They would use their digit to gently wipe over one of the cuts on his cheek. He would sigh and lifted one of his cervos to hold theirs. The one that touched his cut.

Gently turning his head a bit to kiss their palm. Then turning his head to face them fully again. He stared down at them.

”I hope your words aren’t just giving me false hope, sweetspark….” This time Y/N was the one to lean up. Kissing him as their cervos stay holding his cheeks.

This time the kiss a little more gentle. He leans in a bit more after a second as he closed his optics. Putting his cervo around their upper back as the other stayed at their waist. After a couple moments the two would pull away and open their optics. The two stare at each other and then Deadlock gently nods as a smile shows on his dermas.

The two then kissing once more, more passionality as Y/Ns arms wrap around his neck. Soon both of their chest plates glow within their sparks. Luckily being pretty deep in the alley no other bot can see their glow as the two enjoy each others embrace staying together for a moment longer.

Oh yeah final ending! Loved writing for him. I def should write for more deadlock content like in IDW but I never know what story I should go with. Sooo…go to my request prompt lmao. Help me out people 😂. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this and will enjoy reading My Bumblebee movie story that I’ll release in a few days. That’ll be all!

[cerealmonster15]

[vibrating a little too fast] Do You Understand My Vision Yet

[k-yujin]

read the tags !! // officially quit

[autisticlee]

sometimes people who struggle like to make jokes or find positives about their condition that causes them to struggle so they can escape the constant negative and struggle. sometimes autistic people will say things like "the 'tism" or use the "autism creature" or say their autism helped them have a *positive trait* to feel better about their struggles. because living your life only focusing on the struggles and negatives is depressing and makes it hard to want to live, even if those struggle take up 100% of your life and you can't actually escape them. sometimes any little seemingly positive thing can help a lot.

but there's so many other autistic people that hate when we do that and call it "reducing autism to a cute trendy thing" and say it takes away from *their* struggles and is bad and shouldn't be used. maybe *you* want to only focus on your struggles, but some people can't live in constant negative and need some positive or to find ways to make their condition more positive so they can feel better about living with their struggles. life is hard. I take anything I can get.

I cant get jobs. I can't make and keep friends. I can't get help and support for doing "normal" things so sometimes I go weeks without being able to shower and without eating more than a bowl of cereal a day. most times can't even do things I like. struggle to communicate. have meltdowns. i'll never be able to live independently. I struggle a lot. but instead of sitting here always depressed and having no motivation to live, i'd rather try to joke about "my 'tism is acting up again" when i'm struggling (just an example. don't think I ever actually used the 'tism thing but i saw others use it) or say "i'm just being a creature" when I need to stay in my dark room because everything is too much and I personally find it cute to be a little creature meant in a positive way. i'm not actually downplaying mine or anyone else's struggles. I still acknowledge them and that silly jokes dont make them go away. i'm not trying to be trendy. i'm not doing any of the things people say we do by making silly little jokes. i'm using the silly little jokes to convince myself life can be a little more than pointless, painful garbage all the time.

(continue in tags)

[agirlinthegalaxy]

It's been rolling around in my brain the last few days for some reason, but I still hate the family backstory reveals for Sophie and Eliot. I've seen some of the meta for it, but quite frankly, it still makes no sense. If it had been something actually thought of and intentional in the original, I think it could have been so fascinating. I mean, Sophie's willing abandonment of Astrid to contrast with Nate's loss of Sam or Eliot's adoption in contrast with Hardison's and Parker's? Could have been excellent! But they came out of nowhere in Redemption and don't work with these characters.

Sophie was still actively using the fucking alias that she met Astrid under! She met with someone from her past on the show! Like. Quite frankly, that one is unequivocally bullshit that they made up and threw in and pretended could fit with the established canon. (And I'm sorry, but the idea of Sophie abandoning Astrid and never telling Nate about her just... So much of Nate's trauma was rooted in the loss of Sam, and I think that introducing this element after he's gone and unable to respond to it taints Sophie and Nate's relationship in a way bc I'm not exactly sure how Nate would've responded to learning about this but I think that it's something he'd have needed to know. I don't know how to fully express my thoughts on that but yeah.)

As for Eliot, I don't like the adoption aspect literally at all. The way that he would interact with his family and the memory of his family would be different, and I think that it's flat out ridiculous to think that he'd have never mentioned it to the team in the original show, especially when dealing with the kid cases. (I also dislike the biracial adoption as its own element because if Eliot was actually raised by Black parents in the... idk what 80s/90s? That just. doesn't feel congruent with how they write Eliot interacting with PoC, not necessarily in a bad way, but babe, he's written like a white southern man raised in a specific kind of culture that does not jell with that. It also makes Eliot look... really bad that he was apparently raised with the knowledge of how fucked up the military was and his parents' history and made the choices that he did.) Like the show may not have explicitly stated it but the implication of that relationship was vastly fucking different throughout the original show.

Just. These were not backstories that were congruent with their depiction and characters in the original show, and they're also just moves that I don't particularly like or find interesting directions for those characters. There's also something to be said about how it was apparently unacceptable for a woman to not have kids or someone not reconciling with their biological family when that was something that the original show handled a lot better. Out of all the directions to take Sophie and Eliot's stories, that's just not really one that I think was a good idea.

[genekies]

tag vent

[everythingsinred]

Natsume Is a Cat (pt. 1)

Hi guys. This was a long time coming. I've kinda always planned on making a post like this, for fun. It's not exhaustive, and it's not intelligent, but these are some musing about Natsume being a cat. Maybe I'll find new examples and add them, but for now, this is what I've come up with. Enjoy.

Now, Natsume being a cat is not connected to him being the Black Cat and wearing the cat mask. That's incidental. We'll discuss it anyway. Natsume is the Black Cat because of plot and relationship reasons. Mikan is told in Chapter 2 to "Beware of black cats," specifically in relation to Natsume and his mask. Black cats are bad luck. Natsume is bad luck. I think Higuchi Tachibana chose the mask because his personality was already catlike and the mask just cemented it in a visual form. The superstition adds fun and spice to the NM relationship.

But I won't be bringing up examples of his mask as proof that he's a cat because, in my opinion, that's weak evidence. Instead, we'll go into detail about what exactly makes someone a cat person vs. any other kind of person and why Natsume is a cat person, or more accurately, a person who is a cat.

Typically, the term "cat person" or "dog person" refers to which animal a person prefers to keep as a pet. Though Natsume clearly likes all kinds of animals (he's best friends with Ruka, and this will come up again), I think a cat would make the best pet for him because of his personality and what exactly cats require of their owners as opposed to dogs or other animals. Surprisingly, cat or dog people have actually been shown time and time again to have certain traits associated with them. For cat people, they tend to be as follows: neurotic, creative, open-minded, introverted, sensitive, non-conformist, and intelligent. I won't get into all that here, because I'm actually not trying to prove that Natsume is a cat person; rather, I'm making the point that Natsume is a cat who just so happens to be a person. I hope that makes sense.

Essentially, this post will be a claim that Natsume is a cat, particularly a feral cat, particularly a stereotypical feral cat. Cats have different personalities, and sometimes act opposite the way I'll be describing here. I have three cats who all have different personalities so I know that there's no one-size-fits-all traits to be ascribed to an entire species. This is a post for fun.

(Special note: cats are innocent creatures and thus should never be subject to violence or cruelty the way they so often are, especially black cats being viewed as bad luck, or by neighbors leaving out catfood soaked in antifreeze because they're bothered by a neighborhood cat. Cats are victim to a lot of violence, which is why it's often recommended you keep your cat indoors to help prevent them from being hurt or killed, either by accident or on purpose. Unlike dogs, cats as an entire species have always been negatively depicted throughout history and those superstitions still persist today. Also if you hate cats, I don't trust you. I don't think we can be friends.)

Let's begin.

What's a feral cat?

A feral cat is a cat that has not been socialized and is thus not accustomed to interacting with humans. I would actually argue that Natsume as he is in the manga is more of a stray cat that has become feral over time. That particular definition would be a cat that was once socialized, or perhaps had an owner, but was abandoned somehow until it lost trust in humans. These cats have the potential to be resocialized, but only if someone is willing to be patient and work with them. So. Natsume.

Did you know that cats only meow to communicate with humans? They do not meow with each other. Thus, a feral cat that is not accustomed to interacting with humans is not likely to vocalize much. Why do I bring this up?

Natsume doesn't talk much.

Natsume's most common speech bubble is as seen above. "....." He doesn't talk, doesn't feel the need to communicate, doesn't have much to say at all. I have indoor cats, who are all vocal when they're trying to talk to me, but most of the time they're quiet. Even unferal cats tend to keep quiet.

These instances are great examples of that, where people are talking to him, maybe asking questions even, and he doesn't say anything. In the second example, the most he says is, "what." In the first, all he does is glare. Cat-core.

Feral cats don't really trust people. They can be aggressive towards those they perceive as threats. Living on the streets can make you wary of any potential dangers.

Have you ever tried to approach a cat, only to get scratched? It's because they're scared! (Yes, I do think Natsume is scared here and that's why he reacts like this; he is also wary and even--dare I say--scared of Nobara, who is timid and means well, just because he thinks of her as Persona's tool. A girl may look helpless and innocent, but at the Academy, anybody could be a spy or a threat meant to cow him into obedience.)

Even further--they don't appreciate being hugged without their consent. (This is actually a reason why people hate cats. Can you believe?? The absolute stupidity of cat haters. Cats have boundaries and aren't afraid to stand by them. If you pull a cat's tail or try to hug it when it doesn't wanna be held, they will scratch. This isn't a sign that cats are evil; this is a sign that you don't care much about others' boundaries.)

I'm not saying Tsubasa doesn't care about Natsume's boundaries, but he's trying too hard and isn't patient enough to act on Natsume's terms. (Also, Tsubasa is a dog person.)

Meanwhile, cats like to be the one to come to you, and to demonstrate affection on their own terms.

They actually like snuggling from time to time, but they don't like when it's forced on them.

In fact, even for people they like, cats can get irritated when affection is forced upon them in any way, or if it isn't entirely on their own terms.

Natsume stays put in the first example because Ruka is drunk and sleeping, but it's clear he's not happy to be trapped like that. Meanwhile, in the second example, Mikan has pet Natsume too much! Cats get unhappy when they've been overstimulated (also she called him cute and cats think they're bigger and cooler and tougher than they actually are).

Meanwhile, sometimes you give a cat affection and they don't really react at all, for various reasons.

Cats react like this to being kissed in real life actually. They can't do anything about it and they don't get it. Just O.O. That's all.

I titled this image "cats react like this to being hugged jsyk" which is usually true if the cat is used to you and permits your touch.

So how do cats show their love if they're so picky about affection? Easy! For one, they love gift-giving, particularly with food! A cat might bring you prey it's caught.

Or you might have heard that cats convey trust and affection through eye contact and slow blinking.

But cats often like to be by themselves. They don't often relish large crowds and uncomfortable stray cats will even hide themselves from humans.

Cats actually don't do very much. They like to sit around and do nothing. You know who else likes to sit around and do nothing? That's right!

He is sleepy! Cats sleep 12-16 hours a day, and my cat Phoebe sleeps way more than that. Natsume probably doesn't sleep enough at night considering his missions, but let's pretend he's just sleepier than the average person.

In particular, you'll often find a cat sitting and looking out the window. They love to watch through the window.

Such a big world out there. They don't necessarily wanna be a part of it, but they sure do like looking at it.

And they LOVE to climb! Trees are a big part of this. They love to be tall.

Trees allow for cats who are otherwise small to feel tall. They're also an excellent hiding space from dastardly humans. Cats don't so much get "stuck" in trees as their owners just desperately want them back down. The cat will likely come down when it feels like it.

Okay. Dang it. Tumblr told me I reached an image limit. Be patient with me. There will be a part 2! I'll link to it when it's done. Which will be soon. Like, within the next hour.

Update: As promised, the next two parts are available here.

Part 2. and Part 3.

[hallufabrication]

It's a small world

A fic about various things I wanted to write about instead of rambling about them; focuses on Manta and Hannah. The whole thing is under the cut.

Manta didn’t expect his and Hannah’s connection to fizzle out the way it did.

Not that he was expecting anything specific; She wasn’t someone he would really consider a friend. At the same time, though, he couldn’t deny that they weren’t exactly strangers, either. They hung out sometimes, she tried to help him during his illegal race against Corto, and they bonded over how great they thought Teach tech was – something that left a bitter taste in his mouth now.

He would have expected some kind of a lukewarm goodbye, or an awkward wave as they stepped onto the boats meant to take them to their homes. But as the boat steering towards the Solar Sea took off, there was no exchange between them - in fact, he wasn’t even anywhere nearby, instead preparing for his and Shino’s attempt at getting a better life for themselves.

He did think then if he should have approached her outburst the day before the way he did. Back then, he didn’t see it as anything more than a show of weakness; she wouldn’t have lasted a day in what he had to live through on Polaris. Why should she get sympathy for being a double-crosser? For only feeling bad now that it was too late anyway, now that Gavinda’s plan was in full swing?

But it wasn’t too late. Not to her and the Tikis, anyway. And she did her part in fighting against Teach…

Unlike him, at first.

No, Hannah wasn’t weak. After everything, Manta could tell that much.

Maybe he shouldn’t have underestimated how cruel Teach could have been to her. Maybe that shouldn’t have been his last words to her.

“Oh well. Too bad”, he thought, going back to packing his stuff. What’s done is done.

He hasn’t really thought about this, or anything related to the Mirages, for the next few months. He had more important things on his mind - building a new life from scratch with Shino (and Debbie) on an entirely new island was challenging enough to take away any time he could have had for reminiscing about his old acquaintances from the Whale Cup.

They weren’t on his mind these few months later, as he was walking through one of the lesser known alleys of Tortuga to his boat, either - at least not until he saw a familiar looking silhouette walking through one of the streets he’d usually pass.

“Hannah?” He called out instinctively, more out of surprise than anything else.

“Oh– hi, Manta.” She replied, turning around to face him. “Been a while, huh?”

“Yeah, but– What are you doing here?”

“On Tortuga? I came for the Rotor Punch, obviously.” She shrugged. “But, I wanted to see how you’re doing with my own two eyes while I’m here, too.”

“You heard of me?” He asked, squinting his eyes.

“Duh. It’d be harder to not hear of the famous White Tiger, honestly.” She said, leaning on the wall next to her. “You’re taking Aquagram by storm– You know that, right?”

He shrugged and made an indecipherable hum. Debbie did tell him that he was getting more popular day by day, but he never really got interested in how popular he was outside of Tortuga, exactly. His winning streak mattered to him more than whatever she was doing over on her hologlove.

“Wait, but– Rotor Punch? You’re competing?”

“What, you think I can’t handle it?”

“It’s just– I didn’t know if you’d still be racing after… Everything.”

Hannah frowned for a short second, but quickly smirked instead.

“It takes more than that to make me quit, you know. I managed to get into Solar Empire’s drone guard.”

She crossed her arms, still leaning on the wall.

“So, I’m the one representing the Empire this year.”

“Oh, wow. You got yourself a solid position, huh?” He said, walking over and sitting down on the stairs next to her. “How’d you even do that?”

“Eh, turns out getting to the finals of the Whale Cup was good enough of an achievement to sign up. Only had to climb a few ranks after that.”

“Pshf, sounds easy.” He teased. She only hummed in response.

“What about Adam? Is he participating with you?”

A slight grimace showed up on Hannah’s face. Manta wasn’t sure how to decipher what emotion it was supposed to show.

“...No, he’s not. He hasn’t reached out to me after Teach’s defeat.”

“Oh.” Manta said. “...Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Hannah sighed, sitting next to him on the stairs.

“...I haven’t tried to reach him, either. At first I thought I should, since Teach manipulated him, too, but… He was always more invested in her plans than I was. It seems like we both picked our sides.”

“...I see.”

“Yeah.”

A moment of silence fell upon them.

“And you’re…not worried?”

Hannah glared at him for a few seconds before deciding on an answer.

“I… don’t know. I have mixed feelings about it all.” She stated, resting her chin on her hand.

“Teach was cruel to him, too. She’s not going to suddenly do a 180. But, if that was his choice, then–”

She suddenly waved with the same hand in the air, leaning back.

“--so be it! I’m not going to chase after someone who made up their mind!”

She let out something between a groan and a sigh, hiding her face with her hands for a moment.

“...What’s it to you, anyway? I didn’t take you for the type to talk about this kinda stuff.”

Manta shrugged, looking somewhere else.

“You were the one who said it’s been a while.”

“Heh– yeah, that’s true.” She chuckled. “I guess it did a number on you.”

“Hmm.”

They sat for a moment in silence before Hannah stood up from the stairs.

“...Well, I should go. I take it you’re taking part in the Rotor Punch too, right?”

“Of course. Who do you take me for?”

“Yeah, thought so.” She smirked again, turning back to go about her way.

“I’ll see you around, then. Just don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“Psh, as if I’d need that. But yeah. See you around.” He replied, also getting up from the sidewalk.

As he got back to walking to his boat, he felt a sense of a relief he didn’t expect.

Turns out, he was sorta glad to see her again.

[mayo-is-an-instrument]

I made a boo oc!! I'll make more drawings to use them for when I start making "serious" YouTube videos :3

[killjoy-prince]

aaaaaaaaaaaa my legs are sooooo sore

[zoppzoop]

GAAHAHHHHH

[databent]

talking about having a circadian rhythm disorder is so odd because it is so hard to pin down where it falls as a disability. its like. im able bodied but its not as though it isnt still a physical disability. am i making any sense there idk. just. whatever. you know

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

My mom just sent a message to the family group chat suggesting that my siblings download the 'For the Strength of Youth' magazine on their Gospel Library app and talked about how much the youth magazines helped her testimony growing up and like, cool. Fine. Don't know why the 'sending random spiritual thoughts in the gc' thing started out of nowhere when it hadn't been a thing for a decade but this is just another one of those, and you're ofc allowed to talk about things that are significant in your life.

I don't think sending the 'What I Did When Someone Close to Me Challenged My Faith' article right afterwards was strictly necessary though 🙃

[always-a-joyful-note]

Thinking some fandom thoughts and then about ORV's portrayal of an author-character-reader relationship with the story and realising how....lacking at times the whole death of the author perspective on media can be.

(Turned out to be long and rambly so I put it under a cut. If you like death of the author, probably not for your worldview? Also, beware major ORV spoilers if you care about that)

Like, perhaps I'm misinterpreting something here, but in ORV, we had these three characters plus an entire system that gave us a look into the relationship between author/reader/character. And focusing on the Han Sooyoung, Kim Dokja, and Yoo Joonghyuk dynamic, I realise that none of them really died. Pushing asides Joonghyuk and Dokja for the moment (as I am talking about death of the author), we have Han Sooyoung whose consciousness faded after finishing Ways of Survival.

However, I don't know if we can really call that death of the author, really. Because Sooyoung's whole purpose in writing ORV, her authorial intention, was to save Kim Dokja's life...which she DID. And even after the story left her hands, her intentions were imprinted into the story itself. Yes, Dokja realised that the system was lenient to him because of (spoiler alert) his status as the OD. But at the same time, I think that Han Sooyoung's authorial intent to keep Dokja alive with WoS can also be taken as a factor in the system's leniency towards our reader.

And just jumping from that back to my original point, while death of the author IS fun and can be awesome for reinterpreting stories that the author may have intended as problematic (to our modern standards, at least), to separate the actual story itself from its creator seems just....a tad disrespectful to the author.

Or maybe disrespectful isn't the right word. Like, say, even if said author is objectively the worst of humans, there remains the fact that the story in essence has part of them embedded into it. It doesn't make sense, at least to me, to only give "morally okay" writers the allowance of people who put a part of themselves in their works. Any writer, even those who are writing for money imo, can't help but put part of their own selves into their story...and to separate the story from the author just because we hate the author or hate their beliefs seems a bit counter-productive. You can't just say, after all, that this author's vulnerability in their writing is okay because it's Correct but this other guy's vulnerability should be ignored because it's chalk full of Problematic Content.

But again, that's not to justify authors you dislike or the deeply wrong messages implied in their works. Especially those that could easily be shooed away by employing death of the author. But I think I'd consider fanfic or analyses that ignore authorial intent and their message to be something...new entirely? (Best way I can say it is something something death of an author employed to help the reader create their own narrative inspired by someone else's story rather than it being used to ignore author intent and claim our interpretation is what canon actually meant).

I think there's a saying in music as well as writing that you could play the same exact score or write the same story, it's just that things will come out different depending on the player or writer. (That's not a perfect comparison because the player/musician who WROTE the score could be considered a reader/author relationship...the point is more that the same thing will look different in the hands of different people. And that just as the reader will interpret something in their own way when reading/re-reading (another ORV reference), the author also has placed in their own interpretation and intent in that own work...which should at worst be respected because they DID make that content (and then we proceed to brutally revise it to make something we like better xD) or at best be taken as "word of god" for lack of a better term)

Not sure if any of this makes sense, and I definitely don't have any factual evidence to back up this opinion, but it was just something I was thinking of.

TL:dR? Death of the author is FUN and actually pretty cool but I think the things coming out of it are new(ish) things/works entirely, and og author's beliefs/intentions are important to consider for that text they wrote in of itself.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

very slowly we are working on the maximizer plushies outfit. unless i suddenly have to do something i should have her shirt/skirt done tomorrow & then i have to do her coat & headphones