#even if it happened to my ship I would still want to see that (e.g. caskett)

[alicepao13]

Here's to hoping that the Hudson and Rex writers aren't watching The Rookie, and if they are, that they would choose to keep the "dog acts as a go-between" only in case Charlie wants to propose or something. In a joyous occasion.

[i-swear-its-only-ironical]

MAKE JAR-SHIP A THING!!!

sure. i'll ship that. in the manner of maritime warfare.

[kiwii-11]

sinking ship!

in which . . . darlin’ could heal the world and still think that they’re not doing enough.

or . . . a heavily overworked fool! darlin’ comes face to face with an 'on the brink of death' fool! sam.

cw . . . gn reader, they/them pronouns, third person pov, depictions of injuries (e.g blood, wounds), mentions of throwing up, angst, DID SOMEONE SAY FOOLIVERSE! INVERSION ???? I THINK SO !!!! (idk how long the inversion lasts tbh), might do other characters in this teehee FOOLIVERSE HAS ME IN A VICE GRIP RHAGAHAGAHAH, healer! darlin’, kinda darlin’ focused bc i love them :(, when you get to a certain part, you can kinda' guess who in the prime universe i am linking this story to hehehe

talbot security was getting popular — popular enough to be hired for the e&e games.

when sam told darlin’ that he and milo would be attending per his friend’s request, a vampire studying at d.a.m.n. who would be participating in the games, they told him that they’d be there running security too. they had also told him not to be too stunned by how they look in the security uniform; he grumbled something about them being an idiot, all the while with a smile on his face.

when asher had accepted the task, he made it a point to his team that they had to be on their a-game, and that with all these energetics and elementals grouped together in one area, there’s bound to be something happening.

what they never expected was for the sky above them to tear apart and flood the stadium with the strongest enemies known to the empowered population. shades littered the stands and showgrounds, and some even made it backstage to where the winners were waiting to receive their medals.

when asher, david, anton and tank were all grouped up together after asher gave the word for the ward to be put down, it was made known that the telepathic link between all the pack members was faulty, so regular checkups and known locations were required.

“i’ll establish a first-aid station underground where they keep the extra furniture and stuff, okay?” tank states, looking towards the backstage area, “bring me any injured person, and if you find any healers, send them my way.”

“that’s a good idea, but… i want you out when you have enough people who can heal, alright?” asher says as he looks them dead in the eye.

“what? why?” they asked, baffled.

“there’ll be people up here that won’t have enough time to be brought downstairs, so we need an on-field healer that we can rely on,” asher tells them in a serious tone, “help the first people and then find someone who can take over for you. got that?”

tank nods their head, going to leave before they stop again.

“if you see sam and mr rebane—”

“i’ll let them know where you are. don’t worry, they’ll be fine; vampires has nerves of steel.” asher assures them. he nods at them to go, to which they do, and turns to the other in order to discuss their plan.

the underground safe haven was established quite easily. it seemed that people trusted tank as soon as they saw they were a shifter saving multiple people at once, and telling them where to go to hide and to heal people. finding healers proved easier than initially thought — they were helping fellow students become well enough to run. when tank managed to get at least a hundred people in the basement to heal and hide, they tasked the healthiest and strongest to go and find some more injured to bring back.

their hands pressed against a large scratch from a shade on the back of an air elemental.

“take a deep breath for me,” tank hummed, surging their magic to repair the wound slowly, “that’s it. just relax.”

“i need a healer over here!” someone called out from a few feet away.

“stay seated, okay? don’t touch it, it’ll heal itself.” they say, standing up to go help.

“thank you.” the air elemental mumbles out in tears.

tank stares at their glossy eyes for a moment before they give a tight smile. “it’s no problem.”

their heavy boots trudged along the concrete. it was cold down here, and they had given their jacket to a contestant whose shirt was clawed at by a shade and was facing death when tank saved them. the sounds of crying and yelling filled their ears. it was like thousands of people were calling for their attention as they were the most skilled healer in the basement. their chest heaved — they needed to go find their pack mates as soon as possible.

asher needed them out there, his most trusted medic. david is squeamish whenever someone other than tank tries to help him. they knew all the tricks to get anton to stay still during the healing process. there were people up there that were in danger, even more so since tank was down here.

“she’s losing too much blood. i—i tried to stop the bleeding, but my magic is…” a man wept to tank once they drew near, “i… i can’t do anymore than this…”

“hey, it’s okay, you did great stabilising her,” tank replies, gently letting him sit back, “i’ll handle the rest. you need time to gather your magic again.”

he sniffs, wiping his eyes, “okay…”

tank’s fingers brush gently along the open wound on the girl’s neck. she’s passed out, but she’s breathing quietly. taking a deep breath, they begin to heal the deep cut, watching as the blood stops pouring from the split skin. it repairs itself, magic growing within her core. once she takes a deep breath in and stirs awake, tank removes themselves. their head is reeling.

“oh my god… oh my god, thank you!” the man says, engulfing the young woman in a hug, “i’m so sorry…”

“please rest, the both of you.” the healer says, standing up on wobbly knees.

tank’s eyes scan the rest of the room. more and more healers were gathering together. one of the first ones they found comes to them.

“we’ve handled all serious cases that are coming through. more and more people are being brought in,” he claims, rubbing his forehead, “you said you need to find the rest of the security team?”

“yeah… do you guys have this covered?” tank sighs.

“of course. thank you for everything,” he says, patting tank’s back, “we won’t forget all your hard work.”

the shifter becomes eerily aware of the rest of the people trapped in this basement. they can feel the way magic flows like a wave, where in some places its dim and in others it flourishes. in little parts of the basement, it’s completely gone.

‘the best healer in the pack’, ‘good old reliable tank’. all their hard work, and they can’t even save the people in front of them

what a joke.

they show a tight smile. "thank you all for helping."

tank starts on their way back to the surface. two hours have passed, and chaos still runs through the stadium. the stands had grown empty, save for some shades and fire, air and water elementals taking higher ground to avoid clashing with the earth elementals fighting at the floor. energetics run around, trying to avoid shades and bring others to safety.

the shifter healer is almost overwhelmed by the magic coursing through the sky. everyone was forced to use their powers to their limit here, or it meant ultimate death. the ward above them darkened the area, meaning that some of the other magic users weren't able to see as well as tank was right now. they all needed their help.

"ash!" they call, spotting the alpha a few yards ahead in his wolf form. after shifting and getting close enough, the two of them return to their human forms. "there's enough healers downstairs, i can—"

"what... happened?" he mumbles, chest tightening, "where's your jacket?"

"what...?"

"your core, it's..." asher begins, staring at the dishevelled healer, "how many people did you help? go back down and rest."

"what? no," tank replies, shaking their head and looking around them, "i can do this, let me help these people."

"you're already weakened, you need to recuperate." asher states, tugging them by the arm.

but they yank it out. furrowed brows show on their face. "asher, it's okay—believe me. where's david and anton? did you find sam and mr rebane?"

asher stares at them even more. he could feel their core weakening by the second, he could see the way their breathing quickened, the way their eyes scanned every person within a 20 mile radius. they were running on adrenaline.

but... tank was their best chance at keeping the highest amount of people alive. they were talented at what they've been doing for nearly 20 years. if he was thinking about the good of the people, then tank needed to be out here. he couldn't be selfish and ask them to stay hidden.

"david took the west wing and anton's in the north. sam and milo said they would be helping people stuck around the ward," asher states, clenched fists, "you need to be careful. send as many people to the basement as you can. only heal is it's absolutely necessary."

"understood," they nod their head, ready to go, "when we get out of here, we're meeting back at carpark 2."

asher confirms that, the both of them separating and heading to help whoever they could.

the first couple of people that tank aided were sent straight to the healing station below the stadium. tank managed to find more healers to go there whilst they helped above ground, being physically faster than the average healing magic user. the next twenty people were in critical condition. then the rest were scared, not listening.

tank could handle this, being one of the only healers up in the stadium while the rest were safely downstairs. they needed to do this, for all the lives lost.

taking down shades proved harder at the start than presently, as they'd unfortunately gather enough life force to be physical. one swipes at their face, narrowly missing their eye by an inch. it's a deep cut into their cheek. after dealing the last blow to a trio of shades, tank lands back onto their paws and shifts back. however, unable to use their strength properly, they fall to their hands and knees, spitting out blood onto the ground. their chest heaves, and their fingers are twitching in the grass they clutch to.

their elbows suddenly buckle as they try to lift themselves up, and they fall face first into the dirt. all of their joints hurt, their muscles are giving out. how much longer were they expected to keep this up? how much time has passed now?

they curse under their breath, slowly standing up to see people continuing to run around. they spot a familiar face in the crowd.

"mr rebane," they say once close enough, holding onto their bruising side, "what—where's sam?"

"huh? oh, it's you," milo replies, wiping shade remnants off his face, "i don't know, we split up about an hour ago. he said he was gonna' go looking for you."

tank begins to look around.

"look, don't worry about him, he's a big boy," milo huffs, "go 'n worry about the people who're hurt. you're a healer, yeah? so go heal people. preferably yourself first… you look like shit.”

with their security vest torn across their chest and the long sleeves of their shirt showing multiple scratches and bite marks, tank looked devastatingly tired. their magic had managed to stop any bleeding, and they healed a gash on their shoulder. but still, here they stood, bruised blue and purple.

they blink at the vampire prince before they part ways again. he was right; vampires are well known for their accelerated healing — sam was not supposed to be tank’s priority.

they’d lost count of how many shades they took down now. once or twice they spotted anton and david, and healed as many of their wounds as they could. their core screamed out to them, begging for a break, but tank pushed forward.

shifting to and from a wolf form was harsh on the body and the brain, constantly going back and forth from human capabilities and wolf ones. being a healer as well as a shifter meant that tank had to endure that difficulty as much as others needed them to.

“hold them off so i can heal your friend!” tank ordered, voice hoarse from yelling.

the muscular earth elemental begrudgingly listened. he was at first unwilling to let tank heal the fire user behind him, but when they began the healing process, he could feel the magic surging through their veins.

the fire elemental beneath tank shot up, coughing out blood onto the ground as he held his head.

“fuck…” he mumbled.

“get to the underground centre, there’ll be more healers.” tank said for the millionth time today.

“what…?” the elemental mumbled, watching as the shifter then helped the earth elemental take down another two shades.

exertion found tank’s body and dragged them to the ground once the enemy disappeared. the fire user, now stable, rushed to their side, trying to help.

“no, please…” they huffed out in broken tones, “get to safety, i need to find more people.”

“you’re about to pass out! we have to help them!” the fire user frantically looked to his friend, but he seemed to agree with the shifter.

“we can do more damage when we’re fully healed. the security team has been doing a good job keeping shades at bay. we need to go.” the earth user states, picking up his friend by the shoulder and escorting him to the healing station.

he once last look to tank slowly rising from the floor, hands on their knees, and ran.

their throat hurt, their head was pounding, their skeleton was aching. they couldn’t feel their legs or arms, or even tell which way was up. but what they knew was that they could spot about a thousand more people that needed their help.

“shit. fuck.” they curse as they stared at their red hands, painted with the blood of too many people, only some making it out alive.

their magic was being recycled. they needed more.

a shade had come across their tainted state and took the time to strike, landing an diagonal cut from hip to shoulder. the hiss of pain that tank let put was enough to fuel them to shift and take down yet another monstrosity, dragging them through the dirt before clasping their neck between the shifter's teeth. when it disappears, tanks returns to their human state, on their hands and knees with their head hung low. everything was blurry now.

the number of people that needed help seemed to be multiplying by the minute, and tank had sent nearly every single healer they found downstairs to help with the rest of the wounded. they could practically feel their heart trying to pump more blood into their body.

what time was it? how long had it been since the inversion had begun? how many people did they save? how many more did they let die?

the thought made their stomach churn. they were gonna' throw up all their nerves, and it felt like their magic was going to fade too.

but all that took the backseat when tank lifted their head and spotted a familiar red flannel some yards away. he was on the ground, on his back, holding onto his stomach after kicking the shade that had tackled him to the ground. tank could feel it; that was sam.

the shade he knocked off of himself stood back up, towering over the vampire. the sheer sight of the vampire took hold of tank's head and as soon as they knew it, they were shifted again and rushing towards him. when close enough, they bite down on the shade's limb and drag it off of sam once again.

"i—..." he begins, staring at the sight of a big wolf gnawing at the shade's body, "darlin'?"

they shift back once they have the upper hand and reel back a fist, clenching tight as their energy pulses in their grip. in one last fatal swoop, tank launches the heaviest punch they've thrown today, making the shade vanish into thin air and release its life force. hefty breaths leave them as they wobble on their feet before finding their ground, blinking at the now empty space in front of them.

did i get it? is it gone now?

"that's what you look like as a wolf?" sam sits up from his spot as he calls out, still holding his bleeding stomach, "that's huge..."

as if drawing them out of their daze, tank turns at the sound of his voice. when their eyes focus on his face after a few seconds, they're frozen at the sight of him.

while tank themselves looked the absolute worse for wear, they didn't know that. they had completely forgotten about their security vest, or their shoes that were covered in mud and blood, or how they had prominent eyebags and hands riddled with small cuts and scratches. using all their magic to heal people, and then to shift back and forth and fight in both forms against some of the deadliest beings, meant their candle was burning down wax even quicker than the average shifter. but they didn't care about how they looked or felt, but how sam did.

his jacket had tears in it and he had a bruise on his cheek. his hair was a mess and he looked like he had been fighting for hours. not to mention, he had a giant, gaping wound on his stomach that he was trying to cover up. it was enough to make them panic.

"s—sam!" they stammer out in pure dread whilst dragging their feet to be at his side, "i've been looking everywhere for you! oh my god, i'm... i'm sorry..."

he studies their sluggish movement and how they fall when they get on their knees beside him. their hands are frantic to push away his covering his injury so they can see what happened. they looked like they were about to...

"i'm so sorry, i should've been out here from the start," they mumble out to him in a shaky voice just as they gentle put their fingers against his skin, "i should've done more for everyone up here. i should've known i—i would be more useful here than underground, hiding from everything. let me heal you—"

"wha—hey, relax," he grumbles as he tries to stop their hands, "i'm fine. you, however, look like you've been dragged to hell 'n back. i... i can barely feel your core—"

they weren't listening.

"deep breath please," they said, almost as if they were put on autopilot, "hold still."

"darlin'—"

they begin to force all their magic through their fingertips, trying to close up the wound on sam's stomach. they breath in heavily, and almost let out a burning wheeze when they begin the process. but something wasn't right.

tank opens their eyes to see that nothing has changed.

"no..." they begin, pressing further against his stomach, making sam hiss, "no! shit, give me a second... c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, fucking work!"

the vampire only stares at the overwhelmed shifter who was crying over his lap. their tears fall upon his shirt and their shaking hands try, desperately, over and over and over again. but it's like their magic refuses to perform.

"not now, shit, i need you to try harder. please, just heal him," tank cries out in hopelessness, "please... please don't die, i can't lose you..."

a rough yet gentle hands wrap around one of theirs, lifting it off the wound.

"i'm not dying," sam states as he tries to catch their attention, "look at me, darlin', hey... i'm right here. you got me, see? i'm already healin' up."

his regenerative powers kick in, so tank watches as his wound disappears.

"but... i didn't..." they begin, lips pulled into a frown.

"you did so much," he says with a thumb brushing the tears away from their face, "don't worry. i'm okay."

the sky above them clears. it is now 11:42pm. tank can barely see the fretful look on sam's face, even though he was right in front of them. but they notice the ward going down.

"is it over?" they mumble against his hand.

"i think so," sam says, standing up and helping tank do the same, "let's get you home and have your mama heal you up—"

tank's knees buckle almost instantly as they try to get up, nearly falling to the ground before sam lifts them from their waist.

"hey, hey, hey, c'mon now," he whispers, as if he himself wasn't scared shitless at the sight of them, "let's find asher and let him know what happened. darlin'?"

all the adrenaline had left their body. the shifter in his arms was knocked out cold; maybe it was for the best, so that they didn't have to deal with the pain from their various wounds. their breathing slow and belated, hardly even heard even with sam's hearing.

"shit..." he curses out to himself before he heaves his darlin' in his arms, "rest for now."

it seemed like everyone tank had encountered was right; they were doing too much for their body or magic to keep up. something wasn't adding up, something wasn't right.

their core was weakening.

[black-butler-meta]

Why Ciel Being a Minor is Crucial

Something that constantly catches my attention as I read Black Butler is the emphasis on Ciel being a child. It’s brought up constantly in how other characters perceive him, and it also presents itself at times within his behaviors, particularly during traumatic events. It’s intentional and vital to the story and the themes and messages within it would not be the same if Ciel were an adult.

Ciel’s childlike nature and presentation is an integral part of the overall story and his development as a character. It serves three purposes:

It symbolizes that he is not yet past the trauma he endured when he was younger.

It serves to contrast against his more mature qualities and how others underestimate him because of it.

The presence of both mature and immature qualities provide symbolism for the transient stage of adolescence and how adults respond to it.

For the first point, Ciel’s persisting youth serves as a symbol of being stuck in one’s past trauma. He is thirteen years old, and yet he looks younger, likely due to his time in captivity where malnutrition was one of the many cruelties he endured. Additionally, he maintains some child-like characteristics within his personality and actions, such as being carried often by Sebastian, having Sebastian watch over him as he falls asleep, and an avoidance/ignorance around sex/sexuality. His childlike behavior is heightened during traumatic events, such as witnessing the slaughter of children within a replicated space of where his trauma occurred (Book of Circus arc), his near-death experience with Sebastian where he had to be forcibly restrained to receive treatment (Green Witch arc), as well as when he has PTSD nightmares. He comes across as very sheltered and avoidant of topics around sex, which at least partially correlates to his cultural upbringing within Victorian era England; however, his blatant lack of awareness of sexual topics/concerns pushes even beyond his cultural restrictions into the atypical (this will be expanded upon in a separate post).

Most, if not all, of these moments show a behavioral age regression in response to trauma. He may be 13 in the present, but the scared 10 year old still lives within him.

Age regression is typically divided into two types: voluntary and involuntary.

Ciel demonstrates both of these. He demonstrates voluntary age regression by allowing Sebastian to carry him around, as well as explicitly ordering him to watch over him while he sleeps. Although I’m not entirely sure on what are considered typical butler duties, one might even see the act of dressing and washing as babying, although this also seems an appropriate duty since I’m sure Ciel never had to dress himself as a young child. Still, none of us can deny that the act of dressing and washing are an intimate and personal form of care between Ciel and Sebastian, regardless of what side of the ship/no-ship fence you’re on. The number of frames/scenes of Ciel being dressed/undressed are evidence enough that these moments hold weight for both characters. Within all of these situations, Ciel is in control; he decides how he wants to be treated, and anyone who oversteps that boundary is met with hostility (e.g., Sebastian attempting to spoon feed him). By contrast, the involuntary age regression occurs during moments of trauma, which was already described above.

Either way, the childishness of Ciel communicates the message that while trauma may happen in a specific place and time, the impact of it is lifelong and takes years to overcome.

For the second point, it’s also important to recognize that while Ciel is childish in many ways, this youthfulness of him is always put in contrast to other aspects of him that are very mature. He’s an earl and has the responsibilities of an adult, the heaviest of which is to fulfill the Queen’s orders as her watchdog. Additionally, his intelligence and wry humor are very mature for his age, partially thanks to Sebastian’s influence and education - we saw on the flashbacks how little he knew at first and how much Sebastian had to teach him. If it weren’t for the childlike aspects present (physical smallness included), he could easily pass as an adult character.

The fact that he is technically a teenager and not a preadolescent is an important one. He knew early on that he would be perceived as a younger than he was due to his small stature. In order to carry out his vengeance, Ciel knew he had to integrate adult society. He had to work particularly hard to grow up as quickly as possible, which was why he allowed Sebastian to educate him so strictly. It worked; the queen recognized his position and maturity and allowed him to take his place as her watchdog, granting him the ability to pick up his father’s mantel and become part of the dark, seedy (and very adult) underworld.

However, it goes without saying that his youth is never forgotten amongst the adults that surround him. He is constantly looked at/treated as a child by others, including his enemies, and as such, they think they can either manipulate him or don’t see him as a threat. Ciel uses this to his advantage to best his enemies with his superior intelligence and Sebastian’s supernatural skills. He’s throwing their assumptions of him back into their faces. He isn’t a child; not anymore, and especially not after what he went through. Within the world of Black Butler, children are often treated as less than human, not worthy of respect or autonomy. They’re often compared to tools, dolls, or animals. Children are ‘things,’ created by adults and for adults. It’s a beautiful irony that it’s the cruelty of adults that has transformed Ciel into the very thing that’s going to destroy them (i.e., the adults responsible). Their hubris and the fact that they underestimate him due to his youth will be their downfall.

Of course, the conversation of whether Ciel is a child or adult is, in a way, a false dichotomy. The reality is that he exists somewhere in the middle; Ciel is neither fully a child nor fully an adult, and it’s this power struggle between his trauma and the world he lives in that provides symbolism for what it means to be an adolescent. Adolescence is a transitory period that is often overlooked or de-emphasized, particularly in western culture. Adolescence is often lumped in under the category of “child” with emphasis on the younger years of childhood, especially when it comes to topics of sex/sexuality (again, this will be discussed in a separate post). As such, there’s an invisible divide that exists in western culture between being a “child” and being an “adult.” This, of course, does adolescents a disservice, as adolescents are also going through major physiology changes, as well as dealing with a change in expectations from those around them. It’s a combination of adults restricting personal autonomy and self-identity for the adolescent paired with the pressure/expectation of the adolescent to behave as an adult and provide adult-level results.

This is what makes Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship so interesting. Due to the nature of the contract, Ciel is the one in control, rather than Sebastian. It’s a strangely balanced relationship between them, where Ciel is the master and Sebastian is the servant; and yet, at the same time, Sebastian is the mentor/guardian and Ciel is the mentee/apprentice. Sebastian is able to teach and establish rules that follow his role as his butler and play along with the game of upholding Victorian values (mostly), but in the end, Ciel is the one who has the final say on what happens. In this sense, their dynamic grants Ciel the autonomy and control that he craves, while also providing him with the support that he continues to need. In this way, Ciel is able to exist in both spaces at once: being a child in some ways, and being an adult in others. Both are central to who he is, and both are important.

[mementoshay]

I read in a document saying that you are longer going to be involved with anything to do with Hazbin ever again, is that correct? If so, why?

Hello there, I will answer with my own experience.

Keep in mind, however, that the fact that a friend died in the name of this show is already reason enough for me to not want to hear about it again, if only to preserve my own sanity.

For now, the only one who still somewhat engages with the fandom is Eden. I think the reason is that she made many friends along the way in the years she took an active part in the fandom (all the way from before the pilot I think, so many years), and can't quite cut the cord yet.

I, on the other hand, came along after the pilot and belonged to the HuskerDust "side" because of the Instagrams. I'm gonna admit I loved their banter and seeing Angel flirt with him with Husk acting like he didn't care, when he actually did. I found it cute. And also the way Angel blushed in the pilot when Husk was introduced.

I did know about the Hunicasts and about the interactions between Ed Bosco and Michael Kovach (Alastor and Angel's old VAs) on stream, and I found them amusing although not as endearing as the Instagram interactions between Angel and Husk.

I was fully aware though that these streams were the ground upon which the pilot (and fandom) was built, and the "RadioDust" ship carried the whole thing for years before anything was even produced. If you even typed "Hazbin Hotel" or "Alastor" or "Angel Dust", they were the thing that would come up on Google first.

What I liked about it all, however, was the passion and "camaraderie" this whole thing came with. There was passion from the VAs, there was passion from the writers, there was passion from the fans themselves. The fan created so much content it's insane. Every single fan awaited the arrival of the show for so long it was absolutely wonderful to see every character move when the show was announced.

We all believed in this project, it was amazing.

Yet, fast forward to the winter of 2023, my "side" of the fandom became increasingly aggressive. They wrote callout posts, leading to ship and content wars. They expected and almost demanded that the ship would be canon, because of an endless list of clues they collected over the years. And when the ship was confirmed to be 'endgame' the self-entitlement went from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. It was beyond insane.

Seeing the way my "side" could as much as maul people on other "sides" (may it be RadioDust, ValDust, RadioHusk, NifftyHusk, you name it, as long as there's either Angel or Husk in the equation) already made me grimace a little. When all that happened, I was taken aback.

Then, Shay died. And with all the names involved in the fact (which I won't name) that I really looked up to and followed for years, I felt sick to my stomach. I unfollowed them all and took a break from everything.

All I was hoping for was a show about redemption, with fun shenanigans between a bunch of misfits... instead we got drama after drama, ship war fuel directly from up above, and a dead fan.

I still watched the show when it came out, but I felt utterly disappointed by it. Extremely poor pacing, terrible writing with bits and pieces completely useless to the plot, characters that no longer feel like what they were advertised as (e.g Husk, Alastor or Cherri Bomb) and an overall waste of precious minutes for such a short runtime. I felt a bit betrayed as well, given the amount of time we all waited since we saw these characters on screen.

But worst of it all, the passion that fueled the original plan was completely gone, as well as the camaraderie we lived with for so long. And a friend, who dedicated time, money and passion is now dead for this.

There is to say that every community is made out of people that should be taken individually. I can name plenty that would never ever wish what has occurred to Shay and that still belong to what was my "side" of the fandom. But I can also name plenty that to this day still shout death threats over different ships and opinions.

Things change, of course. For me, they didn't change for the better. And neither did for Shay.

So you'll understand if I don't wish to be involved not hear about Hazbin Hotel (or HuskerDust for that matter) again.

Thanks for your question!

- Liv

[thecoolerliauditore]

THE SHEPSCAPADES COMIC! That was to me (and from my perspective to the fandom) the turning point of “ok, im not imagining this”. It doesn’t change any dialogue or anything, it just gives the characters facial expressions and yet it’s almost impossible to interpret the interaction in any way other than the relationship not being good.

The dl era, to me, was a lot of trying to ignore the implication of ranchers fanon lore being that, for once, someone is being nice to Jimmy. People could see the difference in their interactions, which made the abusive behaviour all the more difficult to ignore, and yet acknowledging this directly would be labelled shipping discourse and no one wants to be THAT fan, right? But the tension growing was palpable.

I also would like to add that once I decided to scroll through anti-toxic fh blogs to try and understand why they think like that and… a lot of it was just “well it makes me feel gross”? And I get it. Cannibalism and mass murder are, to most of us, a very distant concept, so it’s more comfortable to engage with than the horrors of the mundane, especially when applied to a queer character. But that doesn’t mean it’s any better than talking about domestic abuse.

The last paragraph is phrased weird but i don’t know how to write it better so i hope it’s understandable.

That comic was patient zero in "oh my god other people see it too" for so many of us, I think. And yeah like you said it sticks very close to what happened taking into account tone of voice and everything. Adaptations of that sequence are like an almost surefire test to figure out what someone's interpretation of FH's relationship is and I think that's wonderful.

Big agree on the ranchers lore and I would argue Pearl's POV also has a similar effect where it forces you to acknowledge Scott not being the best ever. Funnily enough I watched the ranchers pov before the FH pov and didn't really see any of the post-FH horrors until I watched FH. I just kind of assumed when people said Tango was the first person who treated Jimmy as an equal they were putting "and Scott too but that was a season ago" in footnotes. But no they meant full-time and they'd be right lmao

My favourite example of Jimmy expecting the worst is this interaction he has with Bdubs where he essentially gets a bucket for free when the ranchers were struggling for iron and tells him to not tell Tango because he's scared he'll get yelled at. Like there is literally nothing Jimmy has done here that would be remotely considered reasonable to yell at him for but he's so afraid of having agency and making his own decisions at this point he just defaults to assuming his partner will be upset at him. (FYI I think this is more a result of how everyone treats him - Southlanders certainly did not help - but getting mad at Jimmy for doing literally anything except sit still was something Scott was especially privy to)

Don't worry I think your point was clear enough on that last paragraph, I kind of roll my eyes when people try to use distance as an excuse to justify why some dark topics are okay but others aren't, but I can't talk too much about this because I find it annoying and will probably end up saying something that feels mean lol.

Redirecting this once again to Bree's post about how hostile the language people use when talking about this discourse is to abuse victims e.g. "why can't you be NORMAL and write about NORMAL relationships and let them be NORMAL" which I think partially comes as a direct result of refusing to engage in abuse storylines and thus not being sympathetic to these portrayals or the people who write them.

And aside from that it's not even like. abuse and toxic relationships themselves are the issue sometimes. Obviously generalizing here a bit but I see a lot of the same people who find toxic fh "gross" gas up interpretations where Jimmy cheats on Scott or otherwise treats Scott horribly. Not to mention Pearl and her storyline getting turned into "girl who is mad gay man won't date her".

It just uh. sometimes feels as though the "grossness" is coming from a need to defend Scott's honour than a need to disengage with these themes entirely, which rubs me the wrong way.

(not to mention that I do think calling abuse storylines "gross" in of itself might have some unfun implications attached but I've said enough)

[katatonicimpression]

Hi!

Z for the ask game please!

Send me asks!

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go

Ok you asked for it.

Shut up about queerbaiting. You're all a bunch of liars or idiots or lying idiots.

That was deliberately harsh but I'll explain.

"Queerbaiting" is an alleged marketing practice wherein the makers of a commercial piece of art (usually a serialised medium such as a tv show, film series, or comic book) strongly indicate that said art will depict queer characters or queer relationships, and then refrain from doing so. It's implicitly a perjorative term, usually accompanied by a criticism of those behind the decisions. The accusation is that they have manipulated the queer segment of their audiences, drawing them in with the promise of representation, but ultimately are uninterested in following through (hence "bait", as in "bait and switch"). This may be due to homophobia, or an unwillingness to alienate straight audiences, or a combination of both... or a third thing who knows.

Now, does this happen, has this happened? I think so, yes. I think the most clear-cut examples are in marketing material itself. E.g. both Thor: Ragnarok's and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's promo tours featured interviews that attested that a character was indeed queer, but that fact was ultimately cut from the final version of the film. This is manipulative; it's a bait and switch. The countless "disney's first gay character" articles also qualify. Hell, I'll even throw in the Avengers: Endgame thing, where they promoted the idea that the film would feature an lgbt character, and it turned out to just be a Russo brother in a support group at the beginning of the scene. See also: the easily removeable lesbians in Star Wars episode ix.

But, as you might have noticed, we've already hit a snag. Some of the best examples of manipulative "bait-and-switch" marketing towards queer audiences, are not from media that lacks queer representation. Many of them do have queer characters, they just don't do anything. The corporation collects its flowers for Doing A Gay, and then carries on with its usual programming. The box is ticked.

So, this is my first thing, ways in which the idea of "gay rep" is used to bait audiences are, in my experience, not often captured by the definition of queer bait. Exploitative marketing, lazy rep, box-ticking exercises are all really shitty, and can happen when there are genuine lgbt characters in the text.

But, you say, that's very 2025 of me. Many accusations of queerbait are about tv shows from the 00s and early 2010s. They mostly didn't have gay characters at all! To which I would say, I think the "queerbait is too narrow a definition to capture most exploitative treatment of queer audiences" still applies. The practice of using homoeroticism as humour, as schtick, as an attempt to make things more arty and intense; all accusations you could levy at these shows people go on about. And, yeah, i think you can call that manipulative sometimes, and even say that that manipulation has some flavour of homophobia too it a lot of the time. Certainly the fact that the showrunners of, say, Sherlock, thought that the prospect of a gay character was so obviously a joke that no one would take them seriously? Yeah, that's homophobic.

But to say that queer audiences had a reasonable expectation that a character would be queer in a show/film/etc? That it was strongly and intentionally indicated that there would be gay characters or a gay relationship? Sometimes. Sometimes that's happened. But it's very rare. Most of the things that get called queerbait are things where fan expectations were the opposite of reasonable.

What gets called queerbait? Ships that aren't canon.

That's a lot of ships, which ones specifically? The popular ones. The ones where a large number of fans wanted them to be canon.

What makes a ship popular? Eh. Luck? Popularity of the source material. The extent to which that source material feeds the ship. The attractiveness of the characters, their genders and their skin colour.

Yikes. Why do some fans get so insistent about a ship being canon? A lot of things. Age/maturity is a big one. They feel owed it.

Would it better to describe some of what these fans are talking about as ship bait? Yes, but often it is not even that. Many of these ships are not being baited in the source material.

Is baiting a ship problematic? It depends. If you're actually toying with peoples expectations on purpose, then yeah maybe. But if you're just including the two bffs as bffs, and people take that as bait, then no.

Do fans that claim to have been queerbaited have reasonable expectations of the canon? They will claim to have superior media literacy. In practice, these subfandoms tend to be awash with trutherism and conspiracy-brained thinking. They have terrible takes, and are often completely failing to engage with the text as it is. So... no.

So, people are just calling things queerbait regardless of whether any queer storyline was implied or promised? Yes. Yes they are. It's basically a meme at this point.

I am genuinely so fed up with people declaring themselves to be the victims of a homophobic trick by the makers of every series they watch/read. At this point, post-sherlock, post-supernatural, we should all know that the majority of the actual "baiting" is done by fans tricking other fans and giving them false expecations. Even when the writers deserve criticism, this whole conversation and accusation is just embarrassing.

And I guess my other gripe about this whole topic is that so many essays about queerbait start with a little history of queer-coding and a summary of the Hayes Code. They do this because Sarah Z did it, because Rowan Ellis did it, because -insert tumblr blog with an english degree- did it. And, while queer-coding could be discussed in tandem with these topics, it's so often irrelevant to the point. Especially the hayes code and censorship stuff. Hell, a lot of these popular "bait" ships do not involve any textual queer coding.

Anyway I just find it funny. A game of faux-intellectual telephone while random bloggers keep copying people with actual expertise until the point is unrecognisable. And that's what it is in the end. It's trying to find an academic way to say it's problematic that you didn't get what you wanted.

[shinozaki-ayumi]

made my tumblr acc just so i can scroll through your page :] Thank you so much for gracing us with your art! Super surprised to see such a cool account still talk about corpse party (Ayushiki specifically, IM SO SOLD) What do you like about Ayumi and Yoshiki's dynamics: could be them as characters, the relationship between each other, their relationship with the others of the cast? Love your writing, hope this isn't a boring ask!

This is such a nice ask, not boring at all!! 😭 (I’m sorry for the sort of late response, I don’t check Tumblr that often lol). Probably very long post under the cut!

So to be honest at this point Ayumi and Yoshiki are the primary reason I’m still invested in CoPa at all :’) I’m a huge sucker for so many aspects of their dynamic:

- There’s something really compelling to me about the whole “you were the only person to show me basic decency and now I would die for you without hesitation” thing Yoshiki has going on.

- I’m actually not usually much of a “shipper” in general but I LOVE “shared trauma” ships, probably stemming from Ayushiki. I really love the concept of them being very different people (who may not have ever really interacted more beyond an unreciprocated crush!), but now they’re the only ones literally in the world who understand exactly what the other went through. Like I always felt a bit of a disconnect between the Ayumi/Yoshiki sections of the game versus the Satoshi/Naomi/Yuka sections — Ayumi and Yoshiki seemed to have so much more of an “isolated” feeling, maybe because they didn’t have the established relationships of the other group, nor did they have a “leader” figure like Satoshi? So I always imagined they’d be more drawn towards each other when it comes to processing wtf happened to them rather than processing it as a group. And that’s fun for angst purposes but also comfort purposes lol.

I think how much they contrast as characters is also so much fun to work with. Some canon, some headcanon, e.g.

- Yoshiki having a disjointed and strained family life, versus Ayumi having stronger familial ties, and both of them having to awkwardly adjust to the other’s family dynamics.

- Yoshiki living on his own and being good at cooking, cleaning, decorating, etc. versus Ayumi being a bit of a wreck at any of those things. This one is just fun because it breaks each of their stereotypes (“delinquent” is actually good at/enjoys domestic chores but the seemingly perfect straight-As student is a bit of a slob).

- In my head they’re very much a “me letting my hot witch gf do whatever she wants” ship, but more realistically I also enjoy that Yoshiki is basically Ayumi’s impulse control. She’s very self-destructive, especially post-Blood Covered, and his more cautious approach to things is a good complement to her.

In terms of their relationships with other characters:

- I’ve always liked to imagine Ayumi being quite close with Mayu, and wished we got to see that a bit more in the games. I feel like Ayumi wouldn’t really be very “into” things like makeup and fashion (I mean look at that hoodie/skirt/socks combo she wears at the convenience store in the Missing Footage OVA 😭) and I think Mayu would be the kind of friend that gives fashion advice and helps her have fun with that stuff once in a while. Plus if they were particularly close it would add a lot to Ayumi’s guilt after the events of the game which is a big part of her character development.

- Come to think of it I also like Mayu to have a friendship with YOSHIKI, purely because of that one chapter in Book of Shadows lol. They meshed so well and I love that. I think outside of the Heavenly Host scenario, Mayu would be a good wingman for him lol. She also strikes me as the type who would’ve invited him to group activities even before they all got to know him a bit better, just because she likes to give everybody a chance.

- In a perfect world I think Yuka should’ve had an innocent crush on Yoshiki instead of… yknow… I think it’s more realistic for a young girl to feel awkward/shy around her older brother’s friend. (Kedwin you will pay for your crimes)

- Yoshiki and Ohkawa’s extra chapter was so fucking good and I wish it was just part of the main story!!!! That’s another one of those relationships that probably would’ve never progressed beyond niceties had it not been for Heavenly Host.

And finally some headcanons I have about them as individuals (all assuming Blood Drive never happened):

- Yoshiki is musically inclined and plays guitar, collects vinyls, etc. I like to think he’d run a music store of some sort instead of going to college (to Ayumi’s initial disappointment, but eventually she understands that traditional schooling was never his thing lol). He gets a motorcycle at some point. He’s more of a cat person than a dog person.

- Ayumi is actually an introvert despite her tendency to take on leadership roles in school; she frequently needs alone time or just one-on-one time. She’s also 100% a gamer imo, but she doesn’t openly discuss this lol. I’m probably projecting here but I love the idea of her being a fan of classic survival horror stuff like Resident Evil, Fatal Frame, Silent Hill, etc. (but maybe having a hard time enjoying that stuff post-Heavenly Host lol).

I’m on mobile so I can’t tell quite how much of an essay this is yet but thank you for asking!!! I love talking about this stuff 🥲 Even though I’m kind of drifting away from Corpse Party as a whole I’m 100% invested in Ayumi and Yoshiki still lol.

[silmawensgarden]

Stages of acceptance

Maedhros x reader

Prompt: Hi! I loved your young Maedhros request/fic and I was wondering if I could request Maedhros x reader and they are reunited in Valinor after the destruction of the Ring and Sauron (e.g. reader had remained in Middle Earth and only left with Elrond once the ring was destroyed)? Thank you!

Requested by anonymous

A/n: I know it's taken long for me to get this one out. Though I tried my best to imagine a good scenario for this one so I hope you enjoy it! → It has some hurt/angst in it but its hurt with comfort. I hope the end is sweet enough to make up for it. ❤

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: angst/hallucinations/mentions of death

The time has finally come for you to return to valinor. Three ages have passed and the fourth was about to begin. The reign of the elves has waned into nothing. You are standing at the front of the boat, greeted by the salty air of the sea. This is the last ship to depart from the grey havens. You feel a mixture of joy, anticipation and fear. Your stomach churning uncomfortably from the feelings.

Your arrival in Valinor means that you must face someone you haven't seen since the earliest age. He's bound to be there, watching by the shore like a hawk for a sign of your existence. You don't know if you even want to face him after all these years. His death was like a poorly aimed arrow to the heart; a supposedly fatal blow, but instead turned into a curse you had to live with for the rest of your life. The nightmares made his death seem like it happened yesterday. The hollow look in his eyes as he fell into the flaming inferno remained fresh in your memories. The nightmares have subsided to some degree these days, but occassionaly you would still need the help of Elrond to be grounded into reality. Those days are the worst, in those moments dream and reality fuse together into horrible hallucinations that take days to recover from.

It took some convincing from Elrond to get you aboard the ship. Your hesitance was peculiar to them because you hardly ever divulged any information about your past. From the time you spent fighting in the first two ages of the world to a good while before your impromptu arrival in Imladris. They only know that you are one of the elves who left valinor in the first age. Not exactly an ideal amount of trust you gave them, but at the time it felt like the safest option.

What else could you have done? Tell them you'd been the ever faithful companion to a kinslayer? It would've been a far too harsh pill to swallow for a first meeting. Occasionally your story would fray at the edges, it made you wonder if any of them ever noticed the minor discrepancies between each recollection of the tales you told them.

Now that you thought about it, you haven't been truthful with him either. The one person you felt like running to and from at the same time. Especially now..... the thought of facing him was excruciating. You hadn't bothered to write to him, let alone use osanwe....the spiritual link between your fëar had remained all these years. Yet you refused to participate in the ages long tug-of-war your souls had been playing. Was it better this way?

You felt a firm hand on your shoulder, drawing you out of your spiralling thoughts. "Y/n, what is the matter? You have been completely mentally unavailable during our journey."

It was Elrond. A deep frown etched into his face. You felt a bit guilty about all the silent stewing but you weren't so sure if you should come clean right this instant or not. You were willing to take the bait in the end, after all you'd be spending quite some time together in Valinor. Even more so, Elrond was a trusted friend and companion to you, one you didn't want to lose.

"Elrond....I believe it is time for me to have a lengthy conversation with you. I have not been 100% truthful with you these past years."

You turn around to look at him and see an expression of surprise with thinly veiled concern on his face. Elrond nods and the both of you sit down a little further away from the other elves for privacy. "What is it that you wish to tell me y/n?" He asks.

"I have not told you the full truth of my identity. I believe you are aware of the Fëanorians? Specifically Maedhros...."

After a good hour of talking it had become clear that you had been involved with Maedhros quite closely. In return Elrond had shared with you his own interactions that he and his brother had with the eldest Fëanorians. Fond memories, but also the hardships that came with the turbulent times they had to live through. Elrond was not happy with you keeping the information to yourself all these years, it upset him that you never gave him any insight on your horrible hallucinations. Because now he also knew the reason behind them, had he known sooner he could've helped you earlier and easier.

However despite your silence he was not angry at you. Most of the upset had come from a place of wanting what was best for you, not because he had felt cross about your involvement with Maedhros. In the end you and Elrond remained good friends if not even better friends now that he knew who you were.

It wasn’t long before it was announced that the shores of Aman were in sight. The news made you freeze up. You knew that you would now have to face Maedhros face to face. So you braced yourself for the conversation ahead of you.

The moment you stepped onto dry land your soul felt like it was being squeezed tight by something, a tight grip that told you it wouldn’t let go. Within seconds after you felt this feeling you caught a sliver of fiery red hair in the back of the crowd.

Him.

Anxiety pooled into your stomach as you felt yourself being pushed forward by the people behind you. It seemed like every sound around you had become dull, save for your own heartbeat. The fast paced thumping in your ears was the only thing you could hear. You saw Elrond speaking to you for a brief moment, but your mind did not register what he said. You set out towards the last spot you had seen the tiny speck of red hair. Partially hoping for the confrontation.  

When you arrived at the spot there was no-one to greet you. He had apparently already left. The thumping had alleviated some but you were still processing your surroundings as if through a blanket of thick fog. Everything felt slow and dull. Your feet dragged you over towards a pathway that was all too familiar. You followed the road towards a familiar place mindlessly. Your feet stopped short by a riverbank. There he sat on a rock, his copper hair now long and swaying in the wind.

“So you have found it in you to return home, y/n.” He spoke slowly. It was deeper than you remembered and a little bit raspy, as if he had been screaming the night before. You stepped closer to him, now standing right behind him.

“Let me then simply state what is on my mind, why have you never bothered to send me letters y/n? You even refused to use osanwe with me, despite our status…….” He said solemnly. It was clear he was unhappy with your lack of communication.

“Maedhros….. I was so caught up with the destruction of the one ring and finding a way to defeat Sauron that I haven’t paid anything else any thought…..and I was also deeply wounded by your death. I was unable to respond to anything properly since. Including your bids for connection.” You fumbled over your words here and there during your explanation, partially knowing that it was a rather weak excuse that he may not accept. After all he was known to carry on until he could no more.

“Was it worth it?” His words stung like a papercut. You knew by the tone of his voice that it was meant to sound cold and removed, but his true feelings shone through underneath the façade. Saltiness. Maedhros the tall was feeling salty.  You pondered for a moment on what to do, you still loved him dearly and didn’t want to give him up. So you made up your mind.

“Maitimo….I am sorry for my lack of heartfelt response in those times when you reached out to me. I was unable to move past my own issues to reciprocate what you had given me all those years before and I am ashamed of it. I hope that you are perhaps still willing to give this another chance….I would be most grateful, if you’ll have me…” A lone tear slipped from your eye. You felt cross with yourself for your cowardice, maybe even your horrible dreams could’ve been eased if you had leaned into him back then. Unfortunately many things we only realize once we have been pushed onto the end of the road.

Maedhros’ form stiffened up at your confession, slowly turning around to face you. His face was stoic. Forcing yourself to make eye contact with him you saw the slightest flash of a deep heartfelt emotion in his eyes. You were now so close to each other that you could feel his breath on your face. In a moment of madness induced confidence you threw your arms around him into a bone crushing hug, refusing to let go. The lone tear now turned into full fledged waterworks. You felt your body being slowly pulled closer to him, a soft kiss was pressed to your cheek. In that moment your fëar had finally reconnected after two ages of separation.

A relieved smile graced Maedhros’ face as he whispers close to your ear; “Welcome home, melda…”.

[mzannthropy]

Hi! I like your opinions on different topics. I am a new fan of Sam Claflin, I didn't know him before I watched Me before you, only because I was scrolling my Pinterest and I saw one of his pictures from Love Rosie, He was looking too handsome in that picture, I didn't even knew his name, Look how underrated he is nowadays, I searched for the film and got to know about him. Then I started watching his films last Summer. I became his fan, I appreciate his acting talent and his good looks😌 I have never watched The Hunger Games before but for him I watched the entire franchise in just a couple of days. Recently I watched Daisy Jones and the Six. I watched the show first and I was so hooked by it, that I just started to live in that show. But when I reviewed it on YouTube I saw people recommended to read the book too, I read it, and now My whole perspective just changed, I used to Ship Billy and Daisy before reading the book, And when I filled my brain with original Djats stuff, I started hating my shipping and Now I'm worshipping Camila like a Goddess. I have no question actually I just wanted to share my feelings with someone so I write it here.🤗

How come he never selected as a sexiest man alive for People magzine??😫

Have you seen the things I say, lolololololol. No, srsly, thanks for stopping by.

I've been a Sam Claflin fan for 4 years now, so not that long, considering his career. I already knew he was a good actor before I truly got into him (I had already seen him in Peaky Blinders which is one of his best performances). Some day I will write my history, maybe.

What you say about shipping in DJATS is interesting. The show went all in with the Daisy and Billy ship which made me feel like I wandered in from a different dimension by mistake. Maybe I just don't get the story, or idk, but not only did I never see anything there, I don't understand why I should. I didn't know anything about Fleetwood Mac or that relationship either (I still don't know what went on with those two bc I intentionally keep myself ignorant, but at least I've listened to the music, and I saw Stevie Nicks live a couple of weeks ago). I was really surprised, not only by the widespread popularity of the D/B ship, but also the rabidity of the shippers. I think it must be the music that makes people so insane (I heard that shipping wars were very bad on Glee). As you've read the book now, you will know that it was much more ambiguous and it was up to the reader to decide whether anything happened or not. I always took it at its word, bc 1. I didn't think it was the type of the story that was supposed to be ambiguous and 2. I don't think TJR is that great a writer to pull it off. (She's not bad, don't get me wrong, she's just not that outstanding). Like, DJATS is not a gothic novel like, e.g. My Cousin Rachel, which never answers the mystery with regards to Rachel's guilt. As you know, Sam starred in the adaptation of this book and if you've watched it, you will know that the films is faithful to this--which proves that a screen adaptation can remain as ambiguous as the book it's adapting, so people who say the DJATS the series showed what really happened are talking out of their ass. Basically, the DJATS writers wanted to serve the D/B shippers so hard they screwed up the story. And Billy's character, bc how the hell are you going to present a married man having an affair with his coworker positively. I still have a lot of resentment over all of it, and I honestly think that show broke something in me (it got to the point that I had to question whether I still should be following Sam) but I weathered that storm and better things are coming. Billy Dunne was a transformative role for Sam and it was life changing for him on a personal level, as he said in many interviews, that's why I keep saying it doesn't matter that he didn't get nominated for an Emmy. He would never have scored the Count of Monte Cristo role had he not gone through the Billy Dunne role.

Worshipping Camila as a goddess, as it should be, lol. Two of the changes I liked were 1. the way they met, I've always wanted to write a meet cute at a launderette and 2. that they made Camila a photographer. Sure, they ended up doing fuck all with it, but that's what imagination and headcanons are for. Also she had such nice outfits.

I'm afraid, though, that I have some very unpopular opinions. I think I need to re-do my pinned post and put a disclaimer there to make it clear from the start, bc although I avoid posting hate (I try to concentrate on love instead), I cannot not express myself when I need to and I don't want there to be any confusion and I can't lie, so... oh dear... inhales... so, I have some... actually a lot... of problems with the other media you mentioned. Finnick's cool and all that, but I can dunk on Hunger Games till the sun goes down and then start again when it comes up. As for the other two... let me just say there is a reason I call myself a heretic of the Sam fandom (and why I keep to myself like the outcast I am).

My tag for everything Sam related is #samblogging, so you can check that out if you want to. I talk about him a lot.

[kenjiyabuki]

so here are some thoughts about DMD Friendship the Reality while we are nearing the end

yeah yeah its not that deep but actually no one caring/talking about a show makes me want to write a LONG ASS POST bc i cant get gratification from going through the tags and reading opinions lmaoooooo so HERE damn okkk i will make the content i want to see in the world i guess dont mind me......😞

im not even the biggest Domundi fan but i was intrigued by the premise of this show. i mean it's a basically fake dating show (like one of their challenge rewards was getting to sleep in a suite together as if they are there to date for real) and the end prize isnt just an acting opportunity as it comes w the big decision of choosing a looooooong time acting partner. so i wanted to see how they would do it. BOC did a similar thing w The Hidden Character which i dropped halfway in bc it was too long and i found the challenges to be irrelevant to the ending goal. this show is the opposite of that and thats why ive been enjoying it.

it is edited to be concise (only 5 eps) and honestly, is quite tranquil. all the challenges were about things they will be required to do in the future as DMD actors/idols and stakes aren't even that high. You could always guess who would win before they even started (((like of course broody model guys won the photoshoot challenge and guy w two series under his belt won the acting one, DUH))) but it was still enjoyable to watch. show's goal isn't to generate tension and competitiveness. it is more of a workshop/chemistry building camp and also a way to introduce the new generation and get the fans warm up/attached to them.

as i spent time in bl fandom sphere, i've come to realize introducing a new gen is tricky. i thought everyone would be ecstatic to see new blood and a lil bit of mix and match but BL fans are reaaaaaaaaaaally attached to their faves and generally see newcomers as threats who will take opportunities from their already neglected (!) precious babies (e.g. just couple weeks ago FortPeat fans were protesting the new lesbian side couple in the upcoming show for stealing screen time from their faves, which is a joke in itself). this kind of show is genius way to get people to warm up to idea of new faces. at the end of the the day, these fans' weakness is two beautiful boys indulging in sweet moments they can be delulu over and considering how ships were already born from the first episode, DMD FTR succeeded in their goal.

LETS TALK ABOUT THE BOYS :-) *this starts playing*

I had to make this during first ep bc they are all dark haired boys w similar builds so I kept confusing them lmaoooooo (Tle not pictured as he joined later)

i will firstly talk about the fan favorite possible "couples";

KengNamping, the quiet visual couple and yes I love em!!!! they were kinda the only "conflict" in this very conflict free competition.

is Keng the CALMEST person I've ever seen? Latte is laid back too but Keng is just seems zen. sometimes (in the face of conflict) he just seemed hard to read but mostly he has such a calming presence. honestly, he should open an ASMR channel if this acting gig doesn't work out.

Namping also comes off very warm and graceful. him being "wow I'm finally in the winner suite" to Keng after finally getting chosen in ep4 made me laugh like DAMN he really was offended by what happened in ep1 and kept letting it slip. Idc, you are so right my prince and don't ever let Keng forget what he did to you...

when it comes to the possibility of them as a couple: i am kinda here for it while also not knowing if i actually believe in their "moments" in the show? Namping definitely set his sights on him from the beginning but Keng seemed nonchalant about it. Keng finally choosing Namping after his win, their sweet moment on the bed etc. seemed to me like classic reality show moment prompted by production to fit a certain narrative WHILE ThomasKong's pseudo-date-night chats seemed very real and spontaneous.

they do visually have chemistry, i'm not gonna act like i wasn't blushing when Keng trying to flirt during dinner or Namping softly touching a sleepy Keng's chin in the bed etc. Or even in ep2, when Namping tries to confront Keng about his pick but they are too timid and just unable to talk about it openly!!! arrghhh it's a hard to watch moment but still, made them more intriguing because they had such a tension between them. it would be a shame if it wasn't explored more. that tension can be channeled into an angsty series, just saying...

So, they def have a long way to go in their bond and arent comfortable like LatteFirst or ThomasKong but still, they are a strong contender and I would be glad to see them as a couple in a show. Namping already got my attention in the acting challenge and wonders can be achieved w a lil bit of workshop. they got the juice already!!!

Now, lets talk about ThomasKong.............

me watching Thomas relentlessly chatting Kong up since THE FIRST EPISODE

so I knew LatteFirst are set be a side couple in upcoming Love Upon a Time but i was confused to see why everyone on Twitter was already going cuckoo over these two random boys until i saw them interacting... Wow, like Thomas really came here w one mission: get Kong and leave.

because Thomas is such a flirt like DAMNNN😳😳😳😳he needs to be jailed for carrying lethal amounts of charm... IT MUST BE SAID: I love his fits w those thin glasses, he should've been wearing those in those office BLs he was in because he has been serving "office siren". Tiktok girlies eat your heart out.

while Kong isn't the best at acting or singing (he is the best KengNamping shipper tho and i LOVE a fudanshi BL actor), he definitely would win Mr. Congeniality if they were giving that title. he naturally and effortlessly has great on screen charisma. he is a certified cutie and the only one who can get real full belly laughs from Thomas!!!

i think what they managed in the acting challenge is the testament to their palpable chemistry. acting wise they weren't perfect (naturally, their uneven acting experience levels were apparent) but they were the only one who managed to tonal shift in their scenes. it's because they were the only ones who played into the romantic subtext of the scene. they also held eye contact for the longest (because they are comfortable w each other and not shy!!!), which elevated their chemistry and made me AND the judges giggle and roll our hair and kick our feet and shit!!!!!!!!!!!!

they are obviously the most likely to win the show and they deserve it too. no matter the result of the show, i want see them carrying a series as mains because they can and should. i also believe DMD won't fumble their bag, so i am not worried about it.

to conclude, I will quote Zee,

then we come to LatteFirst, the kinda established couple: in the ep5 preview, we see First trying to choose between Latte and the newcomer Tle, which seemed random to me and could be a production touch to create conflict in this very smooth sailing show.

i loved seeing Latte being nonchalant about the possibility of First choosing someone else, what a laid back guy. like Mio in THC, every BL reality show needs a half asleep and occasionally funny dude.

now i am thinking; what if First chose Tle, would he also replace Latte in LUAT bc DMD doesn't really fuck w mixing matching their couples. i honestly don't know where did all that come from but i feel like the result wont be too shocking, First and Latte are already really close and comfortable and got The Chemistry. need i remind of Latte punching the air a la Judd Nelson at the end of The Breakfast Club when it was announced they both chose each other for the dinner date? and their sweet and comfortable banter on that said date??? let's put our pens to work and write a friends to lovers rom-com for the boys based on that material please...

i dont think they are likely to win but might be strong contender. i just want to see them as a side couple in LUAT (hopefully this year!!!!) so they can develop themselves and their bond a little bit more before getting to a main couple level. their sweet friendship shouldn't go to waste!!! (is it obvious i am more drawn to BL couples who are besties in real life?)

damn this post is about to be a novella so i will make it short about Gems, TeeTee and Tle, i hope Gems won't be too upset about getting slighted again 😥 like i said, stakes aren't high on this show and results are always obvious: these guys are going back home empty handed, we all know it. they are all charismatic and VERYYY talented but i just felt like none of them really focused on "getting a partner" part of the show, not just the main challenges. even TeeTee who was picked by Thomas and Keng seemed kinda uninterested about partnering up. but you cant really force chemistry and i am sure they will get many more opportunities in the future. they already started their fanbase!!! i cant stand to see Gems so upset, i hope he wont be too sad.

these are my opinions. maybe the ending will do a whole 180 and idk, GemsKeng or TleKong or some other random couple will win, who knows???? cant wait to watch the new overly airbrush filtered, Cheewin directed DMD show up to like 5 episodes and then get bored and drop it and follow the rest from gifs!!! good luck to the boys <3

[evilpenguinrika]

For that ship-or-character ask game…as mutuals, I get to see your wide variety of interests on a daily basis, and in some (many?) ways Hosie seems very different from a lot of your other fandoms/ships, so I’d like to hear your Hosie origin story and whatever else from option 001 🙏

001 send me a ship and i will tell you

Haha that's incredibly true--to be fair to Hosie, I think that's the only sapphic live action ship I talk about/reblog consistently. Whereas my other ships are 2D (I'm not counting my Critical Role ships in the live action category since CR is an actual-play D&D show and I feel like that's a whole other category in of itself, but I'm putting CR ships in 2D to just simplify things for me) and I think I've mostly been reblogging achillean ships too--well, aside from Imodna of course.

But I think some of my other sapphic ships teeters a lot into rarepair category (e.g. Lightning/Vanille from FF13) or the fandom has died out that there isn't really a lot of content for me to talk about. I also passively ship things where I ship something but I don't actively search out content for them.

So Hosie is definitely one of the rarer sapphic ships of mine where I'm like very active in. And it's nice to see others also being active in the ship so I can reblog fun content!

Although I feel like there are some ships I've reblogged/talked about that are similar-ish to Hosie, but it's escaping my mind right now lol

.

when I started shipping it if I did: So I went into Legacies for Posie after seeing a trailer for an episode that showed Josie and Penelope's relationship and I was like "oh? sapphic? guess I'll watch this". But I ended up shipping Hosie during the twin's 16th birthday episode and the whole "makes quiet things heard" bit. Like that episode itself solidified my shipping of Hosie since I did get a small vibe from them I think in the pilot episode but thought nothing of it since I was still hooked on Posie. But since "make quiet things heard" episode, it really sold the Hosie ship for me! my thoughts: I guess I really love the brooding/loner and sunshine dynamic LMAO at least that's how I see Hosie. But aside from that, I wish the show explored more of their requited crushes on each other--albeit at different times/stages in their life. It would have been really cute to see Josie's reaction that, yes, Hope did have a crush on Josie when they were younger. But hey, that's what fanfiction is for! What makes me happy about them: Oh geez... I mean, aside from the broody/sunshine dynamic, I like how--not just in canon--but even in fics where people interpret their dynamic from how they see it. And that's the thing I enjoy about fanfic sometimes, is seeing what other people see and think about a ship and their dynamic that's totally different from how I view them. What makes me sad about them: that they never got together in the show or talked about their requited crushes on each other :(

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I don't think there's really anything that annoys me in fics when it comes to Hosie? Not unless you count the technical stuff where it's just one huge text block and there are zero paragraph breaks so you end up getting confused/lost on what's going on. But that's just a technical thing in general that I tend to find (and it always saddens me when it happens because the summary and premise would be SO amazing but then it would be difficult to read because it's just one massive block of text) and not really a Hosie thing.

things I look for in fanfic: honestly it depends on what I'm in the mood for. If I'm in the mood for smut, I'll try and find some Top Hope/Bottom Josie. If I want to read some darker, potentially dead dove: do not eat, fics then I'll search for some of that and browse around to see what catches my interest (I enjoy darker fics because they explore darker themes in a controlled environment and if it gets too much, I can always just exit out of the story no question). Rarely I'm ever in the mood for fluff--but when that does happen, I just look for something sweet to read.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Now, if we're talking canonical events via the show/end of s4, then it would be Hizzie and Posie.

I've already explained that I got into watching Legacies because of Posie, but in terms of Hizzie, this is a funny thing that requires a bit of a tangent. So, I don't really ship Hizzie, but I understand and can see why people do! And the reason it's funny is because Hizzie's dynamic is pretty similar, if not the same dynamic, to other ships I do like (Klance being one of them, I feel like there has to be another ship with that similar dynamic but I cannot for the life of me remember). It's very, at least how I see it, very rivals-to-friends/lovers. Although I may not ship it, I think Hizzie makes the most sense in terms of this question, especially because of the whole Lizzie drank Hope's blood and came back as a Heretic thing. And for Posie, well, I mean. Josie's in Belgium. Penelope's in Belgium. Very scorned lovers reignite that flame for each other vibe. Or maybe not scorned lovers, sorry that's a bad choice of words. But like, it's that vibe, you know? Like they're rekindling their relationship/love for each other. I'd like to think that both of them have grown from how they were in s1 and have decided to give it another shot.

My happily ever after for them: On vacation far away from Mystic Falls

who is the big spoon/little spoon: I'd like to think that Hope's the big spoon and Josie's the little spoon, but I also like to think they both switch up being whatever spoons they want.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: I think it's probably just sitting around the living space doing their own thing but still being near each other and in each other's company. They don't have to talk or anything, they're just vibing with each other in silence and I think that's beautiful. Where you and your partner don't have to always interact but can just be in each other's company while you both do your own thing--like parallel play I think that's the word--but like. Yeah. I think it's beautiful and I can see them do that. With Josie maybe reading or tending to her plants while Hope watches a movie or whatever.

[loveislandthegame]

thoughts on todays volume ! no pics today luvs, i’m too lazy

first up, MC and kane are sent to a private sleepover as her prize. what was the point of this ?😭 i mean, i do see the appeal, but they might as well have opened the hideaway again (and wlw players could actually spend time with their LI, not the guy they’re forced to be with 😒)

during the sleepover we also have to choose one person from each couple to be tested. i don’t think it actually matters but i chose anna, jace, reid, kenzo, and sonya. my rationale was just picking the messiest person in each couple (side note: i wish LIs had their own thoughts on these kinds of situations, like in season 2. kane just went with whatever MC said. the only time LIs have differing opinions nowadays is *holding the opposite view of MC* for some cheap “i don’t think we’re compatible!” drama 😭)

we return to the villa & have to talk to the girls separately. apparently zac and anna just left ?? these past few seasons have had issues with important events happening off-screen. however, it seems FB’s new thing ("thing" as a shorthand for “last minute bullshit to wrap up the plot because they’re using AI to write this drivel”) is that MC is never able to get proper revenge on those who've wronged her because they’re just dumped off-screen, e.g. sofia and tristan. i miss when LITG had competent writers. imagine if cherrygate and operation nope were off-screen events you had to pay to learn about

anyways, RIP zac, what a waste of a sprite. his dino themed clothing was so cute

it all kicked off because sonya was trying to flirt with kenzo. dominic didn’t GAF because he’s still obsessed with MC (can we talk about this season’s issue with boundaries and consent ⁉️ i won’t get into it right now, but maybe in my overall season post)

next up is some love in the fast lane challenge. im not even gonna question how dominic knows all of MC’s answers. (my fav ice cream is mint but shout out to kenzo for the basil & lychee flavour. it’s unfortunate that one of the few guys i’d actually vibe with in this game isn’t an LI)

what was the point in having a diamond scene to motivate our partner/boost our chances at winning, only to have a second diamond scene, aptly named “cheat to win,” to actually win. 😭 at least they’re self aware, i guess

i chose to spend time with ruby in the diamond scene ! we talked about our hypothetical dream wedding (her dream wedding is at the beach, if you choose the beach for your honeymoon she mentions how it ties in with her dream. very cute) somehow MC and ruby pulled the ingredients for their hypothetical wedding cupcakes out of the ether

i think the whole reid letter thing is adorable…if you aren’t romancing ruby 😭 we can’t even tell him to back off. it felt like FB remembered she’s our LI at the last second and threw in that “i could be friends with this guy, and not want to block his number” line. so yeah, this was annoying as hell for me, but i like his character development. (if only FB put this effort into our partners. i feel like i learned more about reid in that scene than i have about kane and ruby in this entire season…)

all this discussion about weddings has me thinking that jace/esme will upstage MC with an actual proposal at the finale 😭 (unless there’s gonna be a wedding spinoff, but among all the recent seasons, this one definitely does not deserve it)

esme has us play some bowl game. i actually ship reid and dominic. (maybe one day i'll churn out some fan art) anyways, dom and sonya win for having the exact same answer. nobody acknowledges that MC and ruby’s answers were very similar (outdoor wedding & forest wedding…i would complain about how that conflicts with what ruby said in the kitchen scene, but to be fair, maritime forests are a thing !)

that whole fake wedding thing was odd...and the fact that it was happening to the objectively worst couple in the villa made it even more strange. i did object “just to be funny.“ i was actually a little bit jealous, heavy emphasis on little bit. dominic leaves sonya at the fake altar to confess his feelings for MC, ruby and kane end up confessing to MC as well. i’d just like to point out how the LI convo with esme didn’t lock us out of dominic’s route, but it locked us out of maisie’s 🙄🙄🙄

MC makes a gesture in the treehouse for ruby, but i was staring at the scroll on the bed the whole time 😭 unfortunately my laziness means i can’t show a screenshot of what i’m talking about, but i was like, “is that kane’s map ??”

final recoupling time…except not really, because it’s a cliffhanger 😭 first of all, the fact that we only have 2 or 3 options is absurd. even EX IN THE VILLA had more love interests. considering that we’re going second, there’s literally no reason we shouldn’t be able to choose anyone besides jace (let me remind you of the most hilarious route in season 2, where you can couple up with ibrahim after he asked jo to be his girlfriend)

overall…thank goodness this is almost over, because this is genuinely the worst season i’ve ever played. the only aspect in which it's better than s5 is that MC isn’t constantly a punching bag. 🫠

everything else, from the harassment, to the delusional rivals, to the poor LGBT rep, to the villainised black women, to the half assed attempt at suresh 2.0, to the unresolved plotlines, to the lack of love interests on love island, to the fact that we, the MAIN CHARACTER, are completely sidelined, makes this 100% worse than ex in the villa

[varian-secretportals]

What makes a good Varian love-interest?

For my upcoming coming-of-age adventure story for Varian I have plans to give the adorable alchemist his own love story. While I'm certainly not implying that he needs a love interest to be happy, it's something I imagine he does want someday.

I imagine that Rapunzel and Eugene are an example of the kind of romantic love he wants, e.g. a best friend, partner and someone to grow old with. Even his father's undying love for his (supposedly) late mother gives him hope that maybe it could happen for him. At the start of the story I imagine he has a lot of insecurities when it comes to love, partly as result of Cassandra rejecting him (though he's accepting of the fact they'll always be "really good" friends) and the other part because he wonders if he's deserving of it. While he's mostly forgiven himself for his past sins, there's still a scar there and it still stings when he faces rejection from anybody who is not willing to forgive or trust him (I imagine Nigel is one of these people). So throughout my story I imagine he's still learning to forgive and accept all these parts himself and learns how much more he could be.

While I certainly don't ship Cassandra and Varian, I do admit I found Varian's unrequited crush to be very cute. Plus, their friendship was very cute as they truly have a mutual empathy and understanding of each other. Plus, I loved their amazing duet.

I kind of wish we saw more interactions between these two in the series finale. It would have been good to see them apologise to each other for attempting to hurt and/or kidnap the other in order to get to Rapunzel. While they clearly didn't hold grudges against the other, I just wish they could have had a moment like that. 😔 I'm certainly writing a flashback moment like this into the story for the sake of showing they forgive each other and that they want to build a healthier friendship.

I know a lot of people believe Varian was attracted to Cassandra due him being an Amazon Chaser, e.g. is attracted to strong, warrior women, but @o0whiterabbit0o made a good point that Varian's attraction to Cassandra began as a result of her "choosing him" in choosing to save his life. He was attracted to her because she kindly and selflessly made the effort to protect him, and therefore he felt she was really something special.

While I'm certainly not against this headcanon of Varian being attracted to (or at least strongly respecting) strong women, I think it's safe to say he's attracted to selflessness, kindness and loving devotion in potential partners as well.

I also think intelligence would be an attractive feature for a potential partner. She doesn't have to be at Varian's level of intelligence or even have an interest or skill for alchemy. Still, I think having her own intelluctual interests and hobbies would certainly make her stand out as a potential romantic candidate.

No offence to Varigo shippers (Varian and Hugo V&7K AU ship) but I personally imagine Varian with a girlfriend rather than a boyfriend. I certainly think we need to be respectful of each other's opinions on the subject of Varian's sexuality, but in my opinion I think he's interested (or at least more interested) in women romantically in canon. Therefore I plan for his love interest to be a girl.

So far some of my favourite Varian love interest OC's include Lashanie by @o0whiterabbit0o and Instagram and Cara writer/artist dlimpy's (Links to her accounts can be found below) OC, Danielle. I love their designs and the fanwork these amazing artists/writers have done. Both girls sound like well-rounded and likeable characters with very different but nonetheless fleshed out relationships with Varian. I hope my own OC love interest will be as fleshed out and likeable.

dlimpy's Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/dlimpy?igsh=MW52OXlpZ3R2ZzJlNQ==

dlimpy's Cara account:

So far I have two OC's that I am considering as potential love interests for Varian, though I'm currently trying to flesh out their character and story arcs for the sake of making sure they don't fall into the Mary Sue or Satellite Love Interest territory. I want them to be their own person and have other goals to simply being Varian's love interest.

I will eventually introduce you to my OC's in spoiler-free character profiles once I'm done writing them. Maybe eventually I'll share more fleshed out spoiler profiles with backstories once I actually get to writing and publishing my story.

For now I am curious as what you think makes a good and fleshed out Varian love interest? Do you think Varian has a type or least an idea of what he wants in a romantic partner? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[bismuth-209]

previously on this conversation on wild blue yonder (doctor who) featuring @rowanthestrange, @timetravelingsherlockian and me, we discussed things like "did the creatures turn into the ship?" "why was the tardis there?" "to what extent would the captain's plan have worked?" and mainly exploring the Captain's appearance as similar to the mari lwyd, but this post is trying to move the more creature focused discussion separate

SO.

The Doctor has ended up places where they don't save anyone/instead make everything worse (e.g. the First Doctor expanding the scope of the Daleks,"Waters of Mars", I'm pretty sure Five ended up in a few serials where his job was to witness everyone dying around him). I could see TARDIS logic of "I want those two to spend more time together, so I'll drop you off in a spot where there's double the Doctor and Donna!" Or even "we need you to start emotionally processing what happened with the Flux sometime this century." So it's possible all they were there to do was to hang out with their bestie and witness these beings' destruction. That being said, I'm not sure I'd conceptualize "nothing" as anywhere near "dead". A tree could fall in a forest, and it'd cease being a living tree—but one still would need to step over its trunk, ants would nibble and skitter under its bark, fungi spores would sneak between its growth rings, foxes would huddle under the exposed root ball. The tree would no longer be able to impose its will of "grow as tall as possible for as long as possible and photosynthesize"—yet a new forest would emerge from it. (Forestry experts tell you not to remove downed trees from the forest for this reason.) The fungi spores were there when the tree was alive, but living trees release antifungals to keep them from growing, imposing the tree's will of "protect the living bark and wood" on other creatures. The tree's death releases this will, and the fungi can now prosper from the wood. The problem of the mirror-beings wasn't that they were copies or existed—Doctor Who has loudly and proudly been shouting "clone rights!" for at least 15 years—it was that they couldn't see beyond a mission of destruction of all things. The universe didn't need the edge-beings to stop existing as much as it needed to break the sway of their will—i.e. death.

you are RIGHT saying that death isn't the end. like the being said in the episode: "things keep existing when they're gone". it was a realisation, but i think they might've been like "when i'm gone i keep existing too, so of course the tie itself would too"

the edgebeings want destruction. does that mean eviscerating the trees of the universe? or does it mean cutting them down to let a different form of life take root? to let something else grow?

and @timetravelingsherlockian also said this in the replies of that other post:

I am deathly (pun intended) curious if/how/whether the entities dying relates to the salt (given the ghosts/vampires/undead connotations of the superstition). Your proposition that they could be mirroring the ship itself is still making me crawl through the walls.

which is a GOOD point. the entities got scary teeth after being called vampires etc. would that have altered their mortality as well?

my initial theory that they were a bit of Becoming from the birth of the universe that hadn't Become yet also feels worth mentioning somewhere on this new post.

they also worked with expectations initially. Donna expected to see the doctor walk back into the room, not that soon, but she did, and she expected him to talk.

the doctor expected Donna, and expected her to listen (the most basic function of a companion is to be explained things, even if the doctor knows each is so much more than that, that's the basics), and the edgebeing that was donna said very little.

also something i think is important, wild blue yonder, the song, is a war song, or a jolly exploration song. the doctor sees the universe as something to jolly-ily explore, the edgebeings saw it as war

[canmom]

read about 40 chapters of One Piece (up until they get their ship), inspired by all the One Piece fever in the air.

[actually the impetus for this was my boss talking about Netflix One Piece being very successful, to which I thought, it's against my religion to watch a Netflix live action adaptation of a manga without first reading the manga. so I guess I finally read some One Piece.]

it would be absurd to judge it on <0.5% of the run, but my general impression is that so far... it's solid but conventional, kinda old-school shōnen. each arc so far has mostly seemed to set up... some characters for Luffy's party to protect, a new party member, and some suitably wacky antagonist with a gimmick worthy of a weekly toku show. which, to be fair, is completely fine - I love Berserk, but it sure has a lot of chapters that are just 'a scary guy shows up and Guts fights him'.

it feels very confident - it's kind of hard to believe it's so early in Oda's career, actually! there are a lot of manga storytelling devices that by now feel like old friends - ah, you have a 'treasure' that's precious to you, a place or object that stands as a material symbol of your connection to someone? ah, you're a wacky and weak guy but you're willing to die in a futile battle to defend your home, inspiring our nigh-invincible protagonists into action? lo, a flashback to the definitive moment that lays out your motivation? and i'm not complaining, this stuff works, it is used over and over for a reason! but I sometimes feel like I can hear the Final Fantasy XIV 'a flashback is happening now' music kicking in and it's like hehe, here we go...

I guess this feeling is sort of like the people who watch Citizen Kane and don't see what's so special about it. but then, One Piece began mid-90s - I haven't read enough old shōnen to have a sense of what was new in its formula. if you wanted to be very reductive, you could say Berserk's big trick was to mix a heavy dash of shōjo storytelling into a gritty seinen battle manga, so you have affects of tragedy, wistful longing, even light BL to ground the action chapters. as yet I don't have a sense of how to sum up One Piece's 'thing'.

mostly what i feel like it's missing for me is perhaps a certain level of bleakness and nihilism to counterbalance all these classic romantic devices. it feels kind of like a panto - indeed some of the villains feel like they could launch into an oh no you didn't/oh yes you did routine at any moment. but then as far as shōnen goes, I have perhaps been a little spoiled by Tatsuki Fujimoto! I'm not sure at what point you would say One Piece 'really gets going', its 'Golden Age arc' if you will.

honestly it could just be that I don't super get on with Oda's art style lol. it's definitely not bad on any technical level (well ok there are some funky arm proportions in places) - he's got a clear set of artistic focuses, like big grins and very rounded character shapes, that gives it an instantly recognisable identity - but it's just not my thing. although I still like it a lot more than the later style seen in e.g. One Piece Film Gold.