#honestly! so weird the progression of their relationship tbh

[muirneach]

well i think connie should’ve killed carlo.

[c1trvswurld]

Analyzing the Dethklok boys and their relation to Gods

So I've recently gotten into Metalocalypse and was kinda upset that no one in my vicinity has either not heard or cares about this show enough to yap and analyze it with me but then I remembered that I have a Tumblr just collecting dust and this is a perfect place to just...talk. But anyway going back to the whole purpose of this post I wanted to touch on the boys pretty literal godhood presented in the show and how it reflects on their character and their backstories starting with...

Toki Wartooth

Starting off with one of the easiest to analyze since he arguably has the most lore present to the viewer. Throughout the series, toki is presented as the most childish as well as the most emotional of the group with parallels to the angle of death sprinkled everywhere. It's prophesized that anyone he loves or finds dear kicks the bucket with the boys being an exception (since IMO their prophecy and own godlike powers kinda cancel it out). Whether it is that child fan whom he was unironically doing the favor of declining her until the last second or his own father- everyone he loves either dies or never progresses in life (i.e. Dr.Rockso). By nature he is a bad omen who particularly gets canceled out by another member- I'll get into that shut up- but also has weird relations with the big man upstairs, Jesus Christ. His appearance is even similar to that of him and in scenes of his childhood where he's being heavily abused by his parents, you can see parallels of the lashings on his back. When being tortured by Magnus alongside Abigail they are crucified and put into the position Jesus once was in. [Also, sidenote I find it interesting how he deals with stressful situations either by tweaking or age-regressing by having Pickles be his caretaker. Since you can see him slowly regress through the series (no he did not regress all of a sudden after being saved you can clearly see how he regresses throughout the series, and I stand on that bruh) but regresses hard during the aftermath.]

Skwisgaar Skwigelf

Being the adonis he is, I think Skwisgaar represents life to counter Toki's roots in death. His appearance replicating common ideals of angels paired with his height and canonical attractiveness, Skwisgaar is truly a seductress of all sorts. To the point, I get huge Zeus feelings from him (hell it was kinda pushed into our faces during the episode showing how many children he's fathered). His learned skill contrasts itself with Toki's raw talent and has a constant clash- going back to the fact that they represent death and life respectively. I think their constant fighting kinda represents the back and forth between life and death, and those small tidbits where they do show compassion towards each other are a display of how one couldn't exist without the other. It's the fear of Toki possibly getting better than him that pushes Skwisgaar to be on top of shit and it's Skwisgaar's superiority complex and constant snubbing of Toki that pushes the other to battle for the same position. It's another interesting thing how they both deal with their traumas differently. as I truly believe Skwisgaar is prolly hypersexual due to being constantly exposed to well.. sex. And when he's not pondering on that aspect of his life then he's parading around his guitar skills as another coping method. I mean his guitar is LITERALLY part of him 24/7.

Nathan Explosion

Saw a bunch of discussions/debates on what Nathan could be, ranging from power, love, and rage (tbh that's more William than anything). And I think it's a mixture. Nathan is the only member of Dethklok to actually seem to have a stable background out of all of the band, also being the only member consistently in non-one note relationships. And while he does divulge himself groupies he seems to be genuinely interested in having long-term relationships as seen with him getting ready to propose to Abigail (which I honestly think he didn't really want to, he just felt something was missing and hoped a woman he had something with could fulfill that purpose). All of this makes me think he has some domain/relation to love as well as power seeing his influence of thousands being the head of Dethklok. His power is so insanely strong that whenever he doesn't deliver or even when he does via performances the area goes to shit and he strikes up chaos. A little part of me wonders if that's because all of the boys performing is like some Leviathan event but I digress. And in this role, it is Nathan who counters...

William

William arguably has the least info bout his background other than how his two parents died and how he was treated harshly in school, there's not jack about him. However, I do feel like he has domain over hate, pride, and chaos. I mean this man's hatred is so intense that it extends to every part of himself and is an essential part of Dethklok's sound. Without him, they are positive, which funny enough is pretty reflective of the role of bass in a band. It's the link between the drums and everything else. So no matter what the rest of the instruments are doing at that moment the bass sets a tone and is fundamentally dictated by him. He's a mean, vulgar, and brash force that in a weird way counters everyone a tad bit. (love lil bro for that tho).

Pickles

Quite literally being dubbed the mother of the group by fandom and cannon I think Pickles represents the maternal figure of the group kinda. But at the same time he neither counters nor has a specific role in the group that isn't being the drummer. (though drummers act like the temporal glue i.e. wrangling his stupid bandmates to the right path) He takes on this id personality yet also acts brash. The closest thing I could compare him to being a Dionysus figure. Specifically how he represents overindulgence which can be seen in his multitude of addictions but his insanely high tolerance, other than the relation to alcohol Dionysus also has 2 sides just like pickles. One minute he is the most stable and mature of the group and the next he is thrown into a jealous or petty rage. (which can be seen in fatherklok of with Abigail and Nathan)Most often being spurred on by his family history of being the scapegoat for all their problems. And if you subscribe to the pickles is trans propaganda (which I fully am fucking down for) then the weird parallels between Dionysus's split presentation between femininity and masculinity interacting with each other is interesting to see. Especially when he becomes a maternal figure for toki, Skwisgaar, and William- but a pseudo partner for Nathan who also kind of represents the patriarchal power in the home. Paired with Dionysus having domain over theatre and entertainment is interesting with his roots in glam metal being the frontman for Snakes and Barrels.

anyways little shitty rant is OVER! I love this series so very much and I'm sad I just got into this fandom.

[stormyoceans]

i woke up in a depressed mood bc no one needed the trainee and i want to say where are you people? you are accused of a lack of taste.😔

the fandom HAS been fairly quiet about the trainee, hasn’t it????

i actually had the same thought yesterday when i had to hunt down a single gifset of the show in the tag, but i wasn’t sure if i simply wasn’t following the right people ;;;;;; it just feels weird to see my dash being so quiet about it, especially considering it’s an offgun show and it features a lot of artists people love (view and poon at the very least are current fan favorites)

i personally enjoyed these first two eps A LOT tbh, i think they did a great job setting up all the different characters and the dynamics between them, and not only it’s very interesting to see how a production company works, but the more administrative part of it (if we can call it like that) feels very realistic to me in a way that a lot of other office BLs don’t. like i’ve been ryan and i’ve been jane and i think both sides are very relatable because the director actually took the time to depict the different struggles in their current positions. also as someone who LOVES slow burn im really liking the pacing rn, it feels like they aren’t rushing into jane and ryan’s relationship but are letting their progress flow with the story, which i honestly appreciate a lot. last but not least the comedy is well incorporated into the show without being too much and the colors are POPPING

but you know, i think the first 2/3 episodes of a show are often like..the assessment stage, where people don’t engage as much with it because they’re trying to figure out if they actually like what they’re seeing, so hopefully now that the story has been put into gears the fandom will start being more active too!!!!

[wanderingwomanwondering]

Is it just me or does tim fabricate the most outlandish ooc character beats JUST to engineer weird ass plot points for shock value? That was a vibe in seasons 1-3 for sure but it honestly seems so much worse now in seasons 7 & 8.

805 Examples: henren fight about working on halloween JUST to try to murder denny, athena traumatizing a classroom full of teens with excessively gory pics JUST to say i told you so and call them stupid at the hospital, buck being totally unhinged about billy boils (as opposed to merely lowkey superstitious) JUST to set up a ‘curse’/affliction (my money is on ‘curse’ = tommy/wrong relationship) that buck has to overcome, bobby failing as a captain JUST to ensure hen is there to cry over denny while delivering less efficient care because she’s (reasonably) worried about her son…

I could go on but I’m tired. Please tell me i’m not the only one who thinks these ooc character beats are deeply ridiculous and actually kinda problematic. There’s legit problems and issues that the characters ALREADY HAVE that can be creatively addressed in the narrative. Tbh I’m not interested in wholesale childish drama that’s resolved by the end of the episode when these 8-seasons-old characters/actors have paid their dues already. They deserve real storylines and character development and progress, not petty fights that make zero sense plus a few barely funny one-liners.

I know this was the Halloween episode and meant to be ‘just good fun’ to a degree but my point about tim’s overall approach to the show and the characters stands I think. I could list similar examples for every episode in s7 and s8.

Am I losing it? Am I wrong? Is s8 (or even s7) better than I realize?? Seriously bc I’m struggling to enjoy Tim era 2.0 and I need to know if I’m just off?! I desperately WANT to love this show again so all constructive insight is welcome 💜 thanks

[aliennazero]

hi, your yoshiden posts are making me go insane at midnight. thank you so much for the good food! i was wondering if you have any personal thoughts on the reason(s) why yoshida would be romantically interested in denji? (or have the potential to be?) and if you think there's anything in the manga so far that does/could point to that?

Thank you for your question, yoshyoshy! Sorry for my late responses.

About why Yoshida would be romantically interested in Denji... honestly I have no basis for that, it just from VIBES and my feelings alone like- In my eyes, they have this weird gay tension that's only shounen mc and his *completely opposite designed* "rival" could have.

HOWEVER when we talk about CSM style of foreshadowing, I think yes, their relationship progression is already hinted since chapter 103 and 104. We, as the readers, just don't know exactly how it will ends up to be. We have the puzzle pieces, but not knowing the bigger picture. It could be platonic, it could be romantic (either one sided or not).

CHAPTER 103 SYMBOLISM

In chapter 103, there's so many details set up for both of them that I will show one by one. May be a reach, but knowing Fujimoto, we can't really predict or ignore anything tbh.

When the crowd cheered for Chainsaw Man, Yoshida saw and interested in Denji only.

Yoshida seems to be more relaxed (leaning in) and comfortable sitting with Denji than Fami (in chapter 122).

There are metaphor using their drinks to showcase their personality. Yoshida is iced coffee: bitter, dark, tired, and more mature-like. Meanwhile Denji is orange juice: sweet, sour, and more childish-like. Both standing next to each other (with height differences too). Which is very cute in my opinion.

Lastly, the famous background scene full of paintings with each different objects and symbols. Which I might try to debunk later on, but it's for another post.

CHAPTER 104 REVISITED

Now we go to the next "foreshadow" chapter, which is my personal favourite because we get teased by the probability of new trio. But we will focus on yoshiden this time.

"I'll stop you by force if I have to." Yeah, he already did. But what interesting about that is, he never *actually* try to hurt Denji. He always try to minimize the impact of his force method and tries to make Denji understand (the problem is, Yoshida is really just that BAD at giving reasonings and excuses).

Yoshida's memory is hinted to be weirdly strong. He remembers so many details even from small talks months ago, talking about Denji and "10.000¥ is 10.000¥"

"If there's anything I can do, I want you to come to me" has the same energy with "It's save through cloth, right?". It's not just a random empty words. It must be relevance in the future, right? RIGHT???

IN MY CONCLUSION

I think that's it. If you think there's more evidence to foreshadow their relationship, feel free to discuss about it! For me personally, their dynamics is very interesting and it would take much more effort to develop them into nothing than something.

I am VERY positive that their relationship would go deeper beyond what we have now. Honestly let's be real, it would be more interesting if their relationship develops romantically. Not only it would break shounen rules, but it also will be a major character development for both Yoshida and Denji. And apparently it suit the subplot we had right now, conforming your real identity. However I don't hate the idea of them being platonically too.

Also their dynamics goes from "haha funny comedic duo with gay jokes sprinkles" to "I could see you for who *you* are, but our traumas and our limited social abilities has shaped us to threaten each other, we understood everything yet we understand nothing (also let's blame the government)" in exactly 30 chapters after their first meeting in part 2, crazy.

[1eos]

May I have some lovely book recommendations on this day <3 😁😁 I'm trying to read more this next year

you sure can!!!!! i'll list my fave reads of the past few years:

convenience store woman by sayaka murata -one of my fave books of all timeeeeee. its basically about a woman who just doesnt fit in into 'normal' society and even tho she's happy ppl feel like she shouldnt be bc she's not progressing w everyone else. if you've been the weird girl ever this book will

ring shout - p djeli clark. a historical fiction novel where the kkk are like demons and theres this organization of black hunters. its action packed but what makes it so amazing is the emotional growth of the characters :') an all time fave

the vanishing half - brit bennett. another AMAZING historical fiction book. its abt family lines....and colorism and twins and what it means to be white passing and privilege and generational trauma. it honestly has toni morrison core vibes where there's a lot of pain but thru love all is healed!

there's no such thing as an easy job by kikuko tsumura. a bit of an eclectic read. this woman takes on different jobs and they each give her grief in a new way. very relatable esp if you hate your job 😭

the vegetarian by han kang. THEE GOAT. i will recc this book until the day i DIE. and even then. its technically a horror story abt the fallout after a woman has a dream/vision and decides to stop eating meat but its sooo much deeper than that. its such a great look at how, as a woman, everything abt you is subject to critique down to what you eat

parasite eve. thee classic scifi horror the video game was inspired by! think frankenstein but there's a love story underneath. but also you question if it was love at all bc what if the mitochrondria inside of us are just manipulating everything we do? i loved it! writing style is a bit clinical but idc

my sister the serial killer by oyinkan braithwaite...i read this one in a single day it was THAT GOOD. sister is a serial killer and the fucking implications and fucked up shit that comes from lookism and family expectations and misogyny tbh. love it~

annihilation by jeff vandermeer. the first in a series but you can just read the first one. its sooooooooooooooooooo good. its a scifi book about this mysterious barrier off the coast that's slowly expanding and inside nature is reclaiming its space and most everyone that enters the barrier never returns.....another quick read bc it will have you HOOKED

yellowface by r f kuang. i don't usually enjoy satire but r f kuang really TOOK IT THERE. this is the most infuriating book you'll ever read but in the best way. this white author w an inferiority complex objectifies her friend that she secretly hates and then steals her friend's book. only thing is the friend is proudly asian and her book is abt specific cultural history so the white girl does diet yellowface and is just a massive bitch

beloved by toni morrison. how do you sum up beloved? i cannot sum up beloved. if i had to sum up beloved i would say 'love is a haunting but not every haunting is love and the only thing that can clear a haunting is love'

in the dream house by carmen maria machado. god probably the best prose i've read all year. a really beautiful but bittersweet autobiographical novel about a bisexual woman's experience with a fucked up abusive relationship and how subtle abuse can be. heavy subject matter but handled soooo beautifully.

the only good indians by stephen graham jones. WHEW. this is a horror......and this book will take you for a fucking ride i'll tell you that. its abt a group of native american men who were childhood friends and due to one mistake they're all haunted by...something that wants to get revenge on them. this book had me going 'DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?' multiple times

[nothorses]

hi! this is a question about pansexuality that i fear asking. tbh i don't really care what anyone identifies as. everyone's part of my community to me. i am trying to wrap my head around bi v pan stuff as someone who is neither. i know bisexuals who are critical of the pan label because to them it distinguishes bisexuality as starkly Not being pansexuality. when definitions of bisexuality have included "attraction regardless of gender, or to all genders (and including trans and nb people)" for many bisexuals since like the 70s which is how i see pansexuality defined a lot of the time

i know that bi and pan have always been concurrent labels and they have a lot of overlap and that some ppl use them interchangeably. and i truly don't care that ppl id as pan. but i do feel weird seeing it juxtaposed to definitions of bisexuality that aren't inclusive of all bisexuals? (ie that bisexuals aren't attracted to ALL genders, just two or more.. when many bisexuals Are attracted to all genders! part of bisexual history is that people have been fighting to let others know Bisexuality is more inclusive than the literal like latin meaning of bi = two). i don't know where to stand on this divide. i love pansexuals and the pan label and the right to self determination in identity but i do understand the argument that it feels hurtful in a biphobic way to say it is inherently a distinct sexuality from being bisexual when it's. like. many bi and pan ppl would define their sexuality in the exact same way other than a difference in specific label. i feel like people hate this opinion lmao!!! please help! even if you hate my opinion too i literally feel like i need guidance KDBDBS

Tbh I think there's a lot of historical context to this whole convo, and I don't think you're alone in being confused. And honestly given the amount of info you have, I think you're in a pretty respectable spot about it. (And I say "historical" here in the sense that I am. 25. and I'm mostly talking about the things I have either seen firsthand, or read about/heard about from others.)

So like- when I was a Young Queer, it was very common for people to define "bi" as meaning "men and women" (or even "cis men and cis women"), and thus "pan" rose to popularity as an alternative to essentially mean "everyone, including trans and nonbinary people".

This was like, early 2010's? And I'm talking about other Young Queer spaces and interactions. And you kind of have to remember that in that time, it was kind of radical to tell people not to call things "gay" if they didn't like them. Joking that people were trans (usually in terms like "lol Justin Beiber is a lesbian") was common even in progressive spaces. I was stunned when a friend of mine asserted that they were just gonna stop using the r-slur, like, at all.

So I can kind of understand why "pan" might have felt like a needed thing at the time. I think it felt like a kind of shorthand for "I'm cool with trans people", and at least from my perspective, that was something you very much needed to state back then.

I think there are a lot of people my age who, if they don't still understand "bi" and "pan" that way, at least kind of "get" where that definition is coming from. And yeah, it's ahistorical as hell! "Bi" has always been inclusive of trans people. Not to mention people have been defining it all sorts of ways for a long time now; there are a ton of definitions out there, and how the word is defined often depends on who you ask.

But then you ask: if we know "bi" is and has always been trans-inclusive, why does anyone still need the word "pan"? And I think the answer is... complicated. And extremely personal, tbh.

This happens with queer language all the time; as terms are cycled out in favor of new ones, people who've been using them hang on regardless. Sometimes they don't know the language has been updated, but usually it's more than that. Usually they have more of a personal relationship with the word, and the community, that they can't just give up in favor of a new word.

Maybe some people who do understand that "bi" is not actually a transphobic term also still view "pan" as shorthand for "I'm cool with trans people", and that's important to them. Maybe they grew up with that word, formed relationships under it, and came out with it. Maybe the pan community impacted them in some profound way, and rejecting it over shifting definitions just doesn't feel right. There could be any number of reasons.

The other part of this is that much as people have come to understand the original definition of "bi" more widely now, the definition of "pan" and "bi" both have taken on multiple definitions as well. I've seen a lot of definitions that seem to exist just to differentiate the two. For example:

Bi: attracted to multiple (but not necessarily all) genders Pan: attracted to all genders

Bi: attracted to all genders, but in different ways, or with preferences Pan: attracted to all genders essentially the same

Bi: attracted to multiple (or all) genders Pan: attraction regardless of gender

I've also seen people use "bi" as the umbrella term, and "pan" as a more specific label beneath it (often with one of those pairs of definitions).

And you mention that "bi" has a lot of different definitions and understandings- so does pan! How a person understands those words, particularly when they identify with them, is going to be deeply personal and very likely very different from the next person. I think a good rule of thumb is to assume that whoever you're talking to may just have a different definition and understanding of the word they're using than you do, and try to ask them about it if it concerns you.

[finchers-ipad]

GODDD I LOVE HEARING UR THOUGHTS!!! Do I have any other soapshipping hcs u haven’t shared yet?! >:D or like, if u want a specific type of question to answer… how do u think the narrator and Tyler apologize to each other :0 & do u think there is certain times/situations where Tyler shows his softer side?? And what is he like when he’s like that and what causes it.. sorry I just wanna hear any of ur thoughts about them LOL

YES OF COURSE, i love hearing your thoughts also!! btw i am on public transport for a minimum of 3 hours every day so never worry about spamming my inbox or anything because i am always so bored lmao!! <3

- i think tyler does show is softer side, but it comes gradually with the progression of their relationship, like it probably takes them FOREVER to start telling each other when they like or don’t like when the other does something. because it’s usually just carried out through fights. i feel like he gets sensitive when watching movies a lot, he hides this from the narrator a lot of the time, but the narrator catches him sometimes. i also think the time he is most sensitive is when they are lying in bed. the main thing that upsets him is when the narrator has to leave to go on work trips. because he can’t be more than 6ft away from this man at all times.

- honestly i think the way they apologise to each other is by using the others love language if that makes sense? for example if tyler was mad at the narrator for doing or not doing something, he would just do what tyler would have wanted (i have no idea if that makes any sense) because i think tyler’s love langue is acts of service.

for example if the narrator bought something for tyler, because he thought it would be something nice, and tyler fucking went off on him for how he’s just contributing to the consumerist american culture blah blah blah, maybe smacks him around a little just to get the point across, the narrator would get his money back for it and then steal something from the store. (and then coming home and letting tyler fuck him senseless) sorry my keyboard got possessed there that was so weird, anyway.

- but if the narrator was genuinely mad at tyler for something (which tbh i think would be very hard to do) he would want tyler to affirm him and have tyler show how much he means to him?

an example is like if the narrator was mad because tyler showed someone a bit too much attention in fight club, the narrator would just kind of sulk on the way home and not speak to tyler (because he is a jealous little bitch). and he would do this until tyler got the message, i think tyler would then, in a sarcastic tone but be deadly serious, tell him how much he means to him whilst hugging him from behind?

-yeah idk how accurate they would be, and both of those would be how they act in like the first year of their relationship :))

OTHER RANDOM HC’s!!! (some of them are ooc but this is how they act in my head OKAY?!):

- tyler EXCLUSIVELY chews bubble gum or fruit flavoured gum, specifically like strawberry or watermelon. when he eats some weird ass food like anchovy pizza or something, the narrator is like “you better fucking brush your teeth before you kiss me 😤“ and tyler just sighs and reaches into his jean pocket and pops a huge peice of bubblegum in his mouth and says “that’s the best you are getting” and then shoves his tongue down his throat.

- tyler would NEVER tell the narrator this but he likes the narrators penguin tie out of all of his ties, when he comes downstairs in the morning wearing it, tyler smiles into his coffee. he also pulls on it to give him a kiss as he leaves for work.

- the narrator has a polaroid of tyler in his wallet

- THEY HAVE MOVIE NIGHT IN THEIR LIVING ROOM EVERY WEEK!!! the theatre that tyler works at throws a shit ton of popcorn away because it’s going stale, so tyler carries home these HUGE bags of popcorn that they just have in-front of them to graze on when they are watching. tyler is spread out of the sofa with his head in the narrators lap :))

[xmoonlitxdreamx]

Notes/thoughts/interpretations/critiques on p. 1-7 of the junker short story "a friendly rivalry"

I'm not much of a reader but I thought I'd try to read the junker short story since it's available for free now. I took page-by-page notes on my thoughts/impressions while I was reading, which I'll put below. :0

This is only the first 7 pages because the latter half of the story was kind of confusing for me (a lot of combat that wasn't making sense to me), but I'll try to give those a proper read some time too.

(Please note that I'm critical at times because it's easier for me to write about things that don't work rather than do work, so if you don't like reading critique this might not be for you. I try not to be too negative or upset sounding but idk not totally sure how I come off in these notes. personally I'm like Extremely Neutral™️ about the story because I don't really care much about reading in the first place so lskdfjlsdfj)

This will prob not make much sense unless you have the story open at the same time, just a heads up;;

Page 1

Narration is 3rd person mostly limited to Junkrat’s thoughts/impressions (aka narration is in 3rd person but comments/etc made in the narration is indicative of Junkrat’s perception of things)

The cover art made me think it was gonna be from Roadhog’s POV but nah it’s mostly Junkrat

Narration refers to Roadhog as Junkrat’s “best mate” (implicitly Junkrat’s thoughts, so Junkrat thinks of Roadhog as his best mate)

Roadhog possibly nervous & Junkrat is able to pick up on it OR Junkrat is nervous & projecting his nervousness onto Roadhog (as the story progresses, it becomes clear that it’s the latter)

Junkrat calls Junker Queen “Queenie”; can be interpreted as affection for her or disrespecting her

Junkrat thinks he and the Queen have a mutual respect; Roadhog disagrees; indicative of Junkrat’s inability to accurately assess his relationships with other people I guess

They sell boba at a bar in Junkertown apparently LMAO?? I always interpreted it to be that Junkrat picked up the taste for boba from traveling around the world during his heist spree (tho honestly Junkrat’s boba interest was just a fun thing they added based on a fan question about Junkrat’s canteen iirc so I kinda get not taking an earnest route with this lmao)

Sludge pit = some sort of punishment for criminals in Junkertown I guess. Also Junkertown has a jail. I guess there is some sort of criminal justice system in Junkertown idk.

Footnote on p. 1 is kinda funny (meant to emphasize that Junkrat’s a blabbermouth) but tbh I always took Junkrat’s “secret treasure” to mean “Junkrat has a treasure but no one knows what it is,” not “Junkrat has a secret and it’s a treasure.” (Junkrat telling everyone/bragging about having a treasure is in line with my headcanon though)

Unclear if this story takes place before or after their heist spree. Honestly continuity-wise it doesn’t make much sense either way; it kinda more feels like the heist spree never happened.  (If it was before the heist spree, its weird that Junker Queen would try to execute them here but then just exile them later. If it was after the heist spree, it’s weird she let them back in Junkertown just to execute them since they’re not her problem anymore.)

Page 2

Roadhog’s “worried look” was apparently just him waiting for Junkrat to shut up, cementing that Junkrat’s perception of Roadhog’s emotions was just Junkrat projecting his own worry onto someone else

This is a formatting thing but I don’t like when books have big blocks of text on the page from stuff that hasn’t happened yet LMAO why are they showing me spoilers.

It’s reveal on this page is that they’re here to be executed. Tbh this is kind of tonally weird to me, like I know Junker Queen wants Junkrat and Roadhog killed but it’s kind of at odds with the kind of cartoonishness of how the story’s written. (cartoonishness elaborated on in later bullet points)

Anyway the execution reveal also reveals that Junkrat’s perception of him and Junker Queen having “mutual respect” is something he made up

Junkrat is social in Junkertown and he seems to likes the people there, but he isn’t liked by the people (exemplified in part where someone throws an egg at him); apparently has some sort of sentimentality for living in Junkertown even if no one likes him

Scrumbo Wigley is a ridiculous name.

Scrumbo Wigley’s name & someone throwing an egg at Junkrat = cartoonish tone of the scene

Roadhog taps Junkrat on the shoulder to get his attention -> kind of a light touch from Roadhog which is cute to me, but tbh it’s probably meant to just shift the attention of the scene lmao

Page 3

Idk why “look” was italicized here, it felt kind of unnecessary since “gave him a look” already means “gave someone an irritated look.” (I’m just an italics hater in general tho dslfksdjfsd)

Junkertown has a premium sausage stand

The Outback Bill bit kind of emphasized the cartoonishness of the scene again; entire listing of the crimes bit intended as humorous. (Outback Bill part in particular felt so random to me, like trying to do an “avatar cabbages guy” bit in like 3 sentences)

Outback Bill crime suggests Junkrat and Roadhog blew up some people for fun (I guess the sausage stand was their target but some customers also got blown up; unclear if just injured or killed, but given the intended humor in the scene it’s probably not supposed to be anything serious)

Cartoony tone makes it feel kinda wild that they’re getting executed but I guess it’s more of a Colosseum battle than an execution

Junkrat is apparently not intimidated by Junker Queen given that he banters with her about her not wanting to fight them herself (though later he’s scared of her when she comes down to the battlefield thing so maybe that was just fake confidence.)

Junker Queen apparently finds Junkrat and Roadhog funny/entertaining (biscuit incident) which tbh makes it all the more random to me that they’re getting executed imo

This doesn’t exactly work tonally imo (again, hard to tell if there’s any gravity to this battle or if it’s just supposed to be wacky silly) but Junkrat getting pissy and saying “unbelievable” like a disappointed grandma about having to fight Wrecking Ball is pretty funny

Footnote on this page says that city factions (demolitionist, wrecker, etc) apparently work together or something I guess. Not really sure what they’re trying to suggest with this footnote; I guess it emphasizes the idea of Junkertown being self-sufficient or something. Or that they’re all destructive and violent, but like. In a community-building way.

Page 4

Roadhog pulls Junkrat out of danger (this isn’t new, he did this in Going Legit)

Junkrat eagerly joining in with the bantering/heckling conversation (?) in the crowd -> emphasizes his chatty/friendly personality, wants to make friends

Junkrat largely unaware of what Roadhog does during combat & focuses more on himself; incorporates Roadhog into his plans when it’s convenient for him; possible that it usually works out/Roadhog usually does what Junkrat asks given that it seems to be a regular occurrence (“Roadhog, catch me!” happens at the end of the story too)

Junkrat uses “wicker basket” as a swear. (???????) Again, this kind of just highlights the cartoonish/silly tone of the story

Page 5

Wrecking Ball’s reveal is also very cartoonish/unserious. Personally I don’t really know what to do with Wrecking Ball’s reveal in this story; it’s kind of not cohesive imo but I guess it’s sillay which seems to be the main goal of the story so it’s like fine I guess

Junkrat saying “It’s alright, Roadhog!” is another instance of him projecting his fear onto Roadhog and comforting himself in the guise of comforting Roadhog

Idk I’m not an action story reader (or a reader at all LMAO I never read) but the action feels kind of slow paced. Maybe because it keeps getting interrupted by jokey cartoonish things

Writing kind of too literal at times for my taste (eg: “He threw the grenade.” -> not much rising tension to this moment, almost seems like he does this casually. For example maybe there could’ve been a tense moment between the heckling from the crowd messing with Junkrat’s confidence or something (knowing that he seems to value the approval of people in Junkertown or is at least affectionate to them) but idk the scene ended up feeling very literally like “the crowd chanted -> Wrecking ball started spinning -> Junkrat aimed at Wrecking Ball -> Junkrat threw the grenade” without much investment)

Outback Bill gag happens again on this page (more cartoonish tone) but like he’s not bothered by it so good for him I guess

Junkrat’s scared of Junker Queen on this page; wasn’t much explicit indication of his worries or fears about Junker Queen before this (mostly just the implicit stuff with him projecting onto Roadhog which was very light), so idk to me this felt kind of out of nowhere for him to be explicitly scared especially since he bantered with her earlier. There’s also been like very little feeling of gravity through the whole thing (see: cartoonish moments) so it was hard for me to feel scared with him.

Apparently no one cares about Junkrat’s treasure. This suggests that Junkrat hires Roadhog just to protect him from the Queen’s men who want him dead since he’s a troublemaker. Tbh this is totally at odds with Wasted Land, where the Queen’s men are threatening him to give his treasure to them or something. Personally I think it’s just better drama for Junkrat to be wanted by the Queen and other greedy people in Junkertown for his treasure, with that being the main reason he hires Roadhog. Plus I think it just kind of ties in with his apparent theme of wanting to be liked by people: there’s something interesting to the notion of a guy that no one likes or wants to be around being literally wanted/coveted for his treasure

Junkrat’s kind of hurt when the crowd groans at him in annoyance but acts proud about it; suggests he’s not oblivious to people’s opinions of him and does get bothered when people find him annoying and don’t like him

Page 6

Crowd kind of feels like a studio audience or something at times LMAO kinda just emphasizes the cartoony/silly tone of the story

The reason given for Junkrat finding the final door is kinda wild lmao like he just fell in from holes in the roof??? Guess it’s again just supposed to emphasize his ~zany nature~. Either that or he like maneuvered his way in like a rat, but the phrasing makes it kind of unclear exactly what he did imo.

Junkrat’s “saucy wink” at Junker Queen meant to emphasize the importance of his eye and also make him flirt with Junker Queen I guess

“The crowd considered this” again kind of literal writing; I guess here it’s especially supposed to be snappy comedy but idk if it was working for me

There’s an abrupt free-for-all for Junkrat’s eye, which is kind of at odds with earlier where no one seemed to want or care about Junkrat’s treasure. I guess they’re all that curious to know what’s behind the final door? Idk the free-for-all would make more sense if the previous part about no one caring about Junkrat’s treasure wasn’t included.

Point of the free-for-all idea here that Junkrat revealing his treasure was supposed to be something he used to get the upper hand, but instead became something that gave him the lower hand (?); aka shows Junkrat is not able to read the room, is poor at manipulating/negotiating, and is always flubbing things

Page 7 (last page I read carefully)

“I thought you were gonna say idiot” -> suggests Junkrat values Roadhog’s opinion of him, insecure about himself (overcompensates when he suggests “Junkrat you’re a genius?” because he’s insecure)

Junker Queen saves Junkrat from a knife, so I guess his plan to reveal his treasure to Junker Queen did kind of work as leverage to get her on his side

 Junkrat never told Roadhog what his treasure is or where it is; not sure what’s meant to be implied here, it’s kind of weird that he’d never tell Roadhog especially since this story emphasizes Junkrat being a blabbermouth. It’s possible that he was saving the details specifically for a situation like this so he could use it to his advantage. Initially I thought maybe Roadhog said he didn’t know either as a lie (because he doesn’t trust Junker Queen) or because he forgot (suggesting he doesn’t actually care much about Junkrat’s treasure), but the end of the story makes it seem like he really just didn’t know anything about the treasure.

Roadhog agreeing about looking forward to Junkrat dying was kind of mean-spirited imo LMAO like I guess supposed to be just a joke given the overall cartoony tone of this story + the unserious atmosphere it’s created surrounding execution, and I usually don’t mind when Roadhog’s kind of an asshole to Junkrat, but that was kind of out of pocket for me lskfjldsf

Other misc notes:

2nd half of the story is kind of action-heavy (since there’s no heckling from the crowd anymore) which is kind of at odds with the cartoony tone of the first half imo.

Specific detail I liked: the idea that Junkrat projects his fears/worries/nervousness/etc onto how he interprets Roadhog and that he talks “Roadhog” through his “worries” as a way for him to verbalize his own fears and work through them. Basically this quirk allows him to believe he’s still a cocky, self-confident person when he actually has worries or insecurities. (Like “These aren’t MY problems or worries, they’re Roadhog’s!” but like they’re clearly his.) I guess it is kind of a selfish reading of Junkrat in that it seems like he doesn’t really understand Roadhog but idk for me I think it makes sense for him to be kind of a self-centered person most of the time.

I also kinda liked Junkrat being chatty with some people in the crowd and him being sentimental for Junkertown and its people. Honestly all the details I liked were so minor; I kind of wish they were somehow expanded on a little more. Especially think there could have been a lot more tension between the crowd & Junkrat’s desire to be liked or whatever vs how that might affect (and distract) him in combat. I mean it was literally a crowd, they could have very explicitly made him try (and probably fail) to be a crowd-pleaser. (Like there was a little of this but not much and not in a way that I found super compelling while reading. imo)

I think the main thing for me is that the writing was very straightforward or literal so most of the time was spent describing things that were literally happening instead of writing with a particular theme or goal in mind. Unfortunately I don’t really have a ton of examples of what I mean so. Whatever LMAO;; I think this kind of story just isn’t really my taste in the first place since I like moody/introspective stuff more than combat-heavy stuff. The lightheartedness was like fine I guess but I did feel like it was frequently awkward when couched between the combat scenes. Again I don’t have examples/evidence of this off the top of my head so I may be totally off here but the writing style felt a bit like describing an action movie or cinematic rather than being a work that utilizes writing to portray action scenes. That’s not really a big deal to me because I’m not expecting like amazing writing from Overwatch (it’s primarily a fps not prestige literature) but idk maybe it would’ve worked better for me if it was animated or a comic or something.

Sorry for the Junkrat-heavy notes; the story was mostly from Junkrat’s POV in a way so it was easier to write notes about him than other characters. maybe I'll have more to say about other stuff when/if I try to reread the last couple pages of the story.

Anyway thanks for reading if you did! Hopefully it was interesting to someone!;;;;;

[silkscream]

ahhh dang i saw that weird ass anon and then i felt bad dsfglkhsdfg i've been meaning to leave a comment or smth on capacity for ages but i never got around to it

i really love the fic bc like. there's soooo much interpersonal drama. miscommunications is a trope i love and hate to death and you do it so well there. it's so believable. gojo is just a stupid fucking teenage boy. he's soooo constipated. who's emotionally intelligent when they're that young? but you all still hurt the same anyways :(

i can see why you'd have writers block because aside from the potential upcoming drama of suguru's death, a lot of stuff is like,, ironed out now. suguru is out of the picture so it's just you and satoru, and the past couple chapters are just about the agonizing tension between you.

like dang it's not even sexy anymore it's just emotionally heartrending and angsty. satoru can't put forth .1% effort and he acts like he's DYING for it. and you're so in love, too, you're just miserable :( gojo get some FUCKING therapy already

i love how you do the emotions from these characters like just. man. satoru feels SO pathetic and he still somehow manages to be the cause of all the drama in the relationship. absolutely incredible. you like gojo SO FUCKING MUCH and he still manages to grind it all to a halt anyways.

tbh i thought the drama with satoru fucking other people (and now you also messing around with naoya etc.) would be more of a plot point - maybe that's upcoming? god knows satoru is not progressing the relationship values on his own. he'd have to be held at gunpoint sfhgsg

anyways sorry if i'm being weird, i hope you enjoyed my ramblings and i hope i conveyed well enough how much i liked the fic,,, u deserve better than bomb anon, thank you for your work sfdghskldhgf <3

honestly gojo fucking other people was more of a thing when suguru was around because he just. likes to stir the pot. but when he fucks other people while mc is in kyoto she’s kinda oblivious? plus he only does it to blow off steam but no one ever sticks.

thank you for rambling i love rambling :,)

[majachee]

HIIII ok so I have a question about the power ranger TD au!!

Are there gonna be any ships? (I’m mostly interested in Noah ships (totally not my favorite character)) likeee is there gonna be Noco? Nowen? Is duncey gonna be canon?

(Also is Gwen gonna show up? IF SOO will there be gwourtney or gwent instead? Is the Duncan, Courtney and Gwen triangle gonna come?)

ALSO I CANT WAIT UNTIL THE DRAMA BROTHERS SHOW UP GANSNKSBAKAKAAH

ok that was all thank you very much good person 🫡

CRAWFISH SPOTTED YEAHEAHHHHHHHH

As for relationships... 😈

Since this is a self-indulgent AU made primarily for enjoyment, I'm pretty lenient when it comes to romantic pairings! If someone suggests a ship and I feel fine towards it, I'll give them some crumbs to work with lmao

Focusing on the pairings you brought up, though...

Noah - I headcanon Noah as being on the aroace spectrum, meaning he rarely feels attraction towards others. This identity is brought up several times in the AU, though not exactly by name (I don't think Noah would use specific labels, tbh)...

HOWEVER, he is not immune to the ship-bait crumbs! Noah and Owen are close in this AU, and can be read as romantic or queerplatonic. Nowen is explicitly canon in this AU, and most TD related things I'll write or draw! But, whether they're romantic or queerplatonic is up to the readers, I've decided. I love both interpretations equally, and I love Nowen because of how both interpretations work almost perfectly!

As for NoCo... I have mixed feelings towards this ship, but that's usually because nobody ever interprets it the way I interpret it: and that's Cody fucking sucks /aff /derogatory.

He had a weird one-sided situationship with Noah for 3 days in October of freshman year, said something FOUL and KINDA CRINGE about rizz and women, and Noah just got up and left. No hesitation.

Let Cody be a loser... genuinely. He gets mauled by a bear at least once. Other than that, no hints of NoCo in the main plot. Cody's out there freakin it loser style, and Noah is gay married to Owen in every universe.

Now for the questions about Gwen and Courtney - No for the love triangle, I felt that entire thing ruined all three characters. Like, Duncanis suppose to be a "punk with a heart of gold" and yet he's down to cheat??? Gwen, the anxious yet very progressive goth who's like... genuinely nice??? And bro what'd Courtney do to deserve that??? ... She did help carry WT tho

As for Duncey and Gwent? I'm on the fence. I don't think Duncan and Courtney are good for eachother. And Gwent was really cute in season 1, but the way they handled Trent's breakdown in Action just felt... off. I think I prefer both of them being single, unfortunately. Might have Trent and Gwen be exes on really good terms though? For world building and lore? Because both characters are revelant to the plot due to their connections with Courtney, Duncan, and Harold (primarily Trent for that last one but yk)

Qwourtney is a maybe, I did promise some Heather/Courtney crumbs for an anon so I'm down for that lmao

Honestly, if you wanna write or draw ship art for this AU, even if ifs not explicitly "canon" then go for it. I'd love to see it! This is a self-indulgent AU, and I'm chill w/ letting you guys get self-indulgent with my self-indulgent AU lmaoooooo

And to finish this off...

I'M GONNA USE THE DRAMA BROTHERS AS AN EXCUSE TO REFERENCE BUFFY, LET ME TELL YOU... DUDE. THE SCENES AT THE BRONZE AND THE COLLEGE HOUSE PARTIES WHERE INDIE/ROCK BANDS ARE PLAYING LIVE AND SMTH INSANE HAPPENS... CHANGED ME FUNDAMENTALLY. Omg i love buffy the vampire slayer hashtag feminism

[icanseethefuture333]

Kate middleton and meghan markle relationship reading please?

The dynamic between Kate Middleton & Meghan Markle

I believe there was an event that caused their relationship to be sabotaged? I overall feel this is regarding Meghan and Prince Harry's royal wedding. Someone was pulling the strings in this dynamic (I more so feel Kate, but someone superior to her as well. It could be Prince William or someone else who is close to Kate). It was like Kate was the chess piece in this situation and used her to cause harm and anguish to Meghan. Which caused a complete tower moment and a travesty for everyone in the family. This caused anxiety and turmoil for the both of them. Kate could have felt guilt or shame for her actions (more so for being caught?), while Meghan felt humiliated and bullied by those around her. They felt Meghan's marriage to Prince Harry was breaking traditions and would tarnish their image (I literally heard the word "moor" wow, I- 💀). "It's either you or me." I feel Kate was more so apart of the people who wanted to run Meghan out of the family and prevent the marriage before it could happen. The energy is very passive aggressive though from Kate in comparison to the other people I'm picking up on. The energy reminds me like of high school bullies tbh. It's like the type of passive aggressiveness where they seem nice and calm on the outside but they humilate you with their words. Despite all this drama, I feel a divine intervention happened. So the marriage was able to succeed and the wedding was able to be completed without any complications.

How does Kate feel about Meghan?

I feel her energy towards her is very weird ngl... Kate doesn't hate Meghan but she would have no problem fucking her over for the sake of keeping her position and a high level of status in the royal family, which comes off very malicious to me. "It's nothing personal, just business." Kate is also very aware that Meghan was black/a biracial person so her approach to her could of been different from others. She was most likely one of the few people in the family who approached her first with this intention to get to know her better and learn about her culture. Learning about her family impressed her and exceeded her expectations. Kate also believed a person of color being in the royal family would have made things more progressive and modern, attracting attention from foreign or younger crowds. (Clarified by Prince of Pentacles & The Fool) Kate also believed that Prince Harry's attraction to Meghan was impulsive and out of the blue... "He's been dating all of a sudden?" She most likely expected them to date for a short while but after realizing they were both serious, her perspective changed. Kate also believes Meghan would of been a suitable duchess if the circumstances were different. "She's young, pretty, and makes a great connection with the children." (I literally heard the word "moor" again and I'm officially annoyed with channeling messages from this lady 🙃). Kate also thinks Meghan is a great business woman as well. Tbh I truly think she's racist 😬... and that's the only reason that makes her dislike Meghan. Otherwise she feels that they would be actually very similar when it comes to morals and personality. Both are devoted women who care about their family and do well in business.

How Meghan feels about Kate:

I'm cracking up because these cards have nothing to do with Kate and I honestly can respect that 😂 its giving "first of aaaaalll biiiitch". Meghan wishes to state some facts (take this as it resonates because I only know a little a bit about Meghan and Prince's beef with the royal family) because she's sick of people treating her as if she manipulated Harry and purposely took him away from his family. "Let me make this clear - Harry pursued me first! We've been in love ever since we first met. If he wanted to leave me he could have, I was a actor, he was a prince, what power do I have over him in comparison?" Meghan wants it to be known she is happily married to her husband and that's all that matters. She got what she wanted in the end and endured a lot to get to be with the person she loves. All that matters to Meghan now is raising her children and maintaining a happy, healthy relationship with Harry.

What is the outcome for Kate and Meghan's relationship?:

They do not fuck with each other LMFAO. The damage is done there is nothing in their relationship that can be salvaged. Kate feels she doesn't owe her an apology and she is just like 🤷🏻‍♀️. It feels narcissistic to me. Kate purposely went out of her way to hurt someone for the sake of "business" but it doesn't make sense because she got nothing out of it financially... The only reason Kate did it was so she could fit in with the other members of the royal family and be in their "good graces". In other words, she's just as fucked up as them. So now that Meghan spoke up about what she did, its like people are viewing her as the "dramatic" one or a "crybaby". Meghan wants absolutely nothing to do with her unless it's for family matters or to support her husband. She is aware that even if he left the royal family he will always be related to them by blood and will have to attend certain events out of respect. I believe they have a mutual understanding and level of respect that when attending these events they will be courteous to one another.

[arsene-ee]

I’d really like to hear about your Lone Wanderer if you’re up for it. 🙂

OMGGGG YESSSS

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING <3 (fyi she is very self insert bc I want james to be my dad too T-T) Sorry if this is all over the place my brain just goes nyooooooom

So basically her name is Briar, I'm still not sure about her last name, I don't wanna give her a weird last name but I also don't want to give her a basic american last name (I'm not from the states so i have no idea what a good last name would be)

She is a work in progress character, I may have been playing fallout 3 since may but I just kept repeating the beginning lol so I didn't have a lot of character development for her until recently.

I gave her the same s.p.e.c.i.a.l. as james bc I thought it would be adorable outside the vault so

s-5 p-8 e-4 c-7 i-9 a-4 l-3

but recently I have been thinking about lowering intelligence and perception and raising charisma and luck, because I think that would be funny.

in every playthrough I do with her she gets the child at heart perk, so yeah she's a child at heart. her favourite settlement is actually Little Lamplight because 1: it looks cool af and 2: she likes teasing Mayor Maccready.

she's bisexual, but she never was in a relationship before or really felt anything towards her fellow vault inhabitants or anyone she met outside, how she discovered it shall remain a secret to us all (it were the gronak the barbarian comics)

she doesn't have any companions because they are very annoying when it comes to sneaking around (looking at you dogmeat and star paladdin cross)

she her favorite colour is pink.

She carries the teddy (the one from the toy box in "Baby Steps") around with her everywhere, as well as a bible which once belonged to Catherine and then belonged to James until finally she took it with her into the wasteland, although she herself is agnostic it means a lot to her.

I would love to be self indulgent and give her a phobia of dogs but i'm still unsure about it, and it would add a lot to her character because the wasteland is a scary place with actual monsters and her biggest fear being dogs would be interesting to say the least.

She definitely takes like 100% after james lookswise, well structure wise some of her facial features come from catherine but for the most part she's just james' mini me.

her birthday is the Lone Wander's canon birthday 13th of July 2258.

she is very high Karma (i legit cannot be mean to NPCs, I was so upset when I got low Karma for helping that one guy impress Sienna Pretovia)

she wears Jonas' glasses, she doesn't need glasses, but it's a sentimental thing...as well as a fashion statement.

speaking of jonas, he and her were up to mischief quite a lot, he was like an older brother/cousin to her and everytime she got into a fight with Butch she hoped it was jonas that would treat her because she loves to trash talk her classmates (and the overseer) and he tolerates it. (I LOVE JONAS SO DAMN MUCH!!!!!!!)

she scored clinical test subject on her G.O.A.T., which, in my understanding, is really cynical because it would force her dad to experiment on her (I have no idea what a clinical test subject actually does), she wanted to be a pip-boy programmer, she always thought Stanley's work and talk was interesting, she was really dissapointed with her result (honestly I'm pretty sure the results of the G.O.A.T. are actually predetermined by the overseer but that's just my opinion)

she ends up sacraficing herself for project purity, not because she doesn't like the botherhood of steel or something (actually she thinks they are sus but that's not important rn) and she also doesn't want someone else to sacrafice themself for it...her family started it so her family should end it to, that's kind of her way of thinking about it.

this sacrafice is also kind part of my idea of implementing her into fallout 4 (idc about nv tbh), thank you dr. li for becoming part of the institute, I mean Madision must feel horrible first two of her closest confidants die and then their daughter sacrafices herself for their life's (???) work, that must have left her with severe survivor's guilt so her creating a synth version of briar could be kinda her way to cope I guess, but I'm still not sure about this one lol (i just want my girl to interact with the now older maccready because i think that would be funny)

Like I said she's still a work in Progress character. ALSO ALSO I WANNA HEAR ABOUT YOUR LONE WANDERER TOO!!!

[femmesandhoney]

i have a genuine question. what is your friendship like with your trans man friend? i have people that i care about who have come out as trans but i always find myself emotionally withdrawing because i have gender critical beliefs and feel inauthentic hiding my beliefs/being silent when those discussions come up.

well i've known her since middle school and she started socially transitioning then too. i go back and forth between male and female pronouns for her when i speak of her tbh just because i've always known her to be trans and have respected that for as long as i've known her, but i also at the same time don't think she's a man so it's weird when i speak about her to others lol if i use male pronouns its just bc i've used them for her since we were like 13 sorry.

our friendship is fine. any areas of disagreement i've had with her throughout our friendship have never been about her gender dysphoria or identity, she's always been the first to acknowledge she's female with gender dysphoria and that transitioning has eased a lot of her dysphoria for the most part. she's not wholly better mentally, but she's happy and engaged and she is one of the better success stories for women who've transitioned socially and medically. i do not honestly think she's a good representation of all tifs experiences now that i'm learned more about the medical institution and its preying on children and girls, but i'm personally happy my friend at least doesn't seem likely in the future to be regretful.

we really don't discuss gender identity and trans rights and stuff when we hang out or talk, just because we've known each other so long we have a lot more in common to talk about that isn't discourse-y. i do try to just stay away from the discourse stuff though because we're not like best friends lol, but we're good long term friends and i don't see a reason to ruin that relationship by trying to fight her about stuff we rarely discuss anyways. i want her to remember our relationship with kindness, no need for her to think i hate her out of the blue. i know she would react out of hurt and anger rather than try to have any discussion with me (she's always been the type) and so i would rather just treat her gently with all the love i have for her rather than confuse her and make her think i hate her and women like her, which just isn't true. does that make sense? like there's a point where a white lie keeps the peace because you know how someone else will react since you've known them so long. she knows i'm a lesbian and progressive and politically where i stand, but since trans rights are so personal to her, i know she wouldn't be able to hear me out calmly. i have no wanting to make her think something i don't of her, so yeah.

[haybuhay]

i am asking you about dermabrasion by pennydaniels 👀

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION!!! IM NOW GOING TO GO CRAZY !

DERMABRASION BY PENNYDANIELS is a canon divergent BNHA fic focusing mainly on Todoroki Shouto and Dabi’s relationship if Shouto had figured out his identity and tracked him down at the start of the UA school year. It is over 400k words, 41 chapters, and is one of my favorite BNHA fics (or just plain fics) ever. I cannot recommend it enough.

I will try SO HARD not to spoil anything in this rant/essay in case you haven’t read it… But minor spoiler warning anyway in case I mess up.

Some of the stuff I’m going to talk about is waay down the line (like 40 chapters out of 41 chapters type of down the line) but the fact that you know it’ll happen won’t take away from the joy of reading it because the execution is just that good. Probably. The build-up to these moments is just as good as them happening, if not better, I SWEAR.

OK. RANT BEGIN.

For reference, this fic began December 2020 and finished January 2023!! We got the Dabi is a Todoroki reveal November 2020 and then more about his backstory February 2021.

So this means that Dabi’s characterization and backstory here aren’t 100% canon compliant. Despite the fact that it’s in AU territory, the fic handles Dabi’s character and motivations really well?? Arguably, its because it’s not canon compliant that the fic is able to give us such a good insight into his character... Wow… When authors can expand on existing narratives while staying true to the essence of the characters… 😍…

Dabi’s motives, which I think are actually super close to canon (!!!), and how they inform his choices within the timeline of the fic and in his backstory make me so crazy. I am going to be cryptic and just say that the glimpses we get of young tweenage Touya in this fic is everything to me. His whole relationship with Endeavor at literally at any point in the story is especially well done…

A large part of this fic’s appeal to me is how it handles Endeavor. I am a huge fan of the Todorokis’ whole plot and since Enji is the dead centre of that fucked up family storm, I think getting him right is probably one of the most pivotal points in writing fics that puts emphasis around literally any Todoroki. Not even just how Enji himself is, but also the way other characters think about and act around him should be given thought and written with care... Dermabrasion does him, his affect on his kids and his wife and his development so much justice.

The fic begins with Season 1 Shouto’s Endeavor hatred. His vehemence for the guy is so obvious even in just the first few paragraphs where he dubs him ‘that fucker.’ He does this consistently throughout the fic LOL

Tbh. This put me off the fic a little, since I’m not interested in reading Endeavor-bashing fics (no matter how deserved they are HAHA) but I just got over myself and realised no, yeah. This is in character, it is completely understandable and a little hilarious...

What I like here is that his feelings towards Endeavor (negative or otherwise) aren’t a static thing — it progresses not just as Endeavor changes, but as he grows closer in understanding Dabi and the rest of his family and as he, himself, grows up. It’s so rewarding to see it unfold throughout the storyline little by little. I want to say that it happens in the background but honestly Endeavor haunts this entire fic. It’s not that he’s always there. Honestly, he doesn’t show up that much, but it’s only by virtue of his actions that this storyline exists at all so it’s like every action taken is an echo of his. Something about how even when he’s not there, everything is always about him and what he’s done. It’s great, and I mean that genuinely. I love this so bad.

Shouto’s character here is perfect for this sort of fic, I think. He’s stunted and it’s openly acknowledged by other characters how… weird?? he can come across. I think it just makes his arc all that more apparent... He becomes somewhat of a moral paragon and I’n not even upset about it. His development as a character is thoroughly explored and so hard-earned that his transformation from a dead-faced, dead-eyed kid to who he is at the end of the fic is just. rewarding.

AND ITS NOT JUST HIM… Almost every main-focus character goes through some sort of gratifying journey and are made to reckon with parts of themselves that in Dabi’s case, would mean redefining his entire identity. You can tell that all the characters in this fic want to be better, not just for themselves, but for the people around them. It’s one of my favourite things about this fic, how personal improvement is such a huge part in it. This is definitely the Mob Psycho 100 lover in me speaking.

(Side tangent: MP100 being a story about an overpowered, stoic, repressed kid who, with the company of a dubiously moral older brother figure, learns how to become a better version of himself and by doing that, he inspires those around him, including that dubiously moral older brother figure. This is Dermabrasion in a different world. If you love MP100, I will eat my entire shoe if you don’t enjoy Dermabrasion too.)

While the focus is definitely mainly on Shouto and Dabi, the entire family has their part in it. Natsuo, Fuyumi, Rei and Enji all get their moments to shine and show their growth and unique personalities. A fun thing about this is how similar Shouto and Enji are… I think it really drives home that they’re family.

I don’t think this is a huge spoiler, since it’s kinda implied in the premise, but when Natsuo reunites with Dabi the interaction is so. Real. And the fact that it takes time and effort for their relationship to be built back is so poignant and crazy and SICK. Everything in this fic is earned through a lot of tears and pain and misery. It’s a cathartic read.

Okay, now that I made it sound like the entire fic is just one huge therapy session, let me mention humour once then immediately go back to doing that HAHAHA I think this fic is funny as hell. Humour is subjective, yesyesyes, but it grew on me and it WILL grow on you. The back and forths between characters, Shouto’s natural temperament making him predisposed to being absolutely Comical, the inherent comedy of being in a Hero Society... As someone with siblings the way the Todoroki siblings interact here, fights and messy reuniting shit notwithstanding, has so much of the annoyed love and care that you get from the people you grew up with. I particularly like Fuyumi and Natsuo’s dynamic together.

They’re outcasts in different ways than Dabi and Shouto are outcasts. The guilt and remorse they feel not just from not being able to step in for Shouto, but for leading their own lives is GAHHH. The entire thing about being in a different world to their brothers and dad is … Augh. Heroes and Villains.

Rei. Rei… I am GUTTED by every scene she is in. I reread ‘when your love has always been enough (for me)’ by classicequinox to cope. That is a different post to make one day when I have the energy.

Idk if I said all I wanted to say. There’s definitely more to this fic. DabiHawks, for one. I think they’re great here. Somehow they AREN’T horrifically toxic, WOO!! The details of this I will leave for you to read… Another thing I like about this fic is how 1A reacts to Todoroki family lol. LOV also has its part in this fic, I think it is sweet what happens to them but ofc since they aren’t really the main focus, it’s more a fun bonus to see what happens to them.

Ok I need to wrap this up. One day I’ll write a proper spoiler-full essay about this with a thesis statement and everything but yk. Life.

To conclude I’ll just talk about the ending of this fic. It’s my favourite, absolute favourite thing about it. The author themself quoted a comment they received in the last chapter that I am going to quote here too: “Even at the end there's the clear sense that the character's lives will continue and that this is only the beginning for them.” That is literally the best way to sum up this fic. These character’s will continue growing and bettering and it gives me so much real, genuine hope in myself that I can change, too. So yeah. Read this fic and if it changes your life let me know.

[dutchdread]

Rebirth Update 10a

85 Hours played and I finally got to see what I wanted to see for 27 years XD. First things first though, Nibelheim was a god send after Cosmo Canyon and Gongaga. Being able to actually comfortably navigate the map really cut down on annoyance and on the time required to do intel. As much as it pains me to say it Rebirth does a bad job at pathing. In general there are too many quests and moments that feel intentionally slowed down as to artificially bloat the run-time of the game. Like walking behind a bunch of black robes at 1 mph. I enjoyed the story content in Nibelheim, and except for the proto-relic quests (which feel slow in all areas to be honest) the intel gathering was a lot easier to swallow than in former areas as well. I wonder how the Nibelheim segments feel to someone who hasn't played the original game, it sort of feels like they might be making the solution to mystery a bit too obvious, but could just be because I KNOW the twist. I do worry however that rebirth loses a lot of the mystery that makes the original telling so effective. When you first get to Nibelheim in the OG you have no idea why the town is back. Any talk about them rebuilding is just speculation, the player has no idea what the deal is with the people in town, it could just as easily be that Cloud is full of shit. Here though it is immediately outright stated that "yes, Nibelheim burned down, we were hired by Shinra". This removal of mystery is lessened somewhat by the addition of the Zack interludes, but those run the risk of just making the entire story feel less cohesive and more convoluted, although we can't say for certain until part 3 wraps up. The Black robes also seem less scary to me but that might just be a result of modern graphics as well as the inevitable increased information about goings on that comes with it. Apparently the black robes are just handed out by Shinra, ok, who knew. That doesn't really change anything and yet it does make it a bit less creepy for some reason. The scene with Aerith on the water tower could already be seen as an LTD killer tbh. So apparently "staring at Tifa from the water tower" sounds just like Cloud, and that's a good thing since that scores you points with Aerith. Sounds like Aerith is cheerleading Cloud and Tifa again. Also, Tifa straight up calling Cloud out about staring at her as kids, cute as heck and just more to throw on the pile of cloti moments that together just make this entire game feel like the story of Cloud and Tifas relationship. Seriously, Aerith so far has seemed like a minor character, it's almost weird, I feel like I would have put more focus on Aerith this game than the developers did. Every scene feels like Cloud and Tifa and their children, it's not even an LTD, it's the story of two couples. One that is up and coming, and one that is in tragedy. The explicit insertion of Zack into the story as someone that Cloud remembers is really interesting, and when it comes to the LTD it is another death nail, but I do worry whether it was the right choice by the developers. I do love seeing Zack so I suppose I can't complain too much, but I am just a little on edge. Unfortunately one of the best segments of the game was followed by the worst. The Cait Sith segment of Nibelheim was dreadful and felt more like artificial bloating than anything in remake, even worse than deep ground. Apparently there is an underground lab that we have to traverse by very slowly throwing boxes around. I know having a bunch of needless mini-games was a staple in the OG and that they're trying to pay homage to that, but it shouldn't be in the way of story progression. The simple mansion layout with the quest to find a few codes honestly had ten times more atmosphere than this series of portal rooms that ends with the code lazily written on the wall. Definitely a low point.