#i can do whatever i want because its MY STORY!!

[wrotebymii]

MAYBE ITS ME? … | Date Everything x gn!reader

Summary: After leaving your house because you can’t handle being hated in your very own home, Sam talks with you while your house becomes quiet…

Warning: minimal angst, honestly it’s a little fluffy with you and Sam. The objects are miserable now. There will be a part three and four!!

PART ONE | MASTERLIST | READ ME

Sam has been the most understanding friend what felt like your only friend she tries her hardest to bring you out of your slump and rationalize while simultaneously making fun of you as to why your relationships within your home have a burning hate for you.

She’s pointing fun yet logical, allowing you to rant about what you did and where you possibly went wrong with each. She sat across from you, leaned forward with her elbows on her knees in full concentration. You were sat back practically melting into the furniture that didn’t despise you, moving a hand around to exaggerate your speech with the other stuffing your face with food like you haven’t eaten in weeks. Lowkey, you haven’t.

“When I talked to Hoove, being nice and supportive while telling him not to work too hard—I thought I was being sweet ya’know—“ You stuff your face and swallow.

“—but apparently NOT?? He got angry with me, when I tried backtracking and apologize which crazy by the way he said he HATED ME?!” You shout, you can feel your face heat in anger at the thought before tears well up.

“Or how I tried to speak with Daisuke—“

“Who’s that one?”

“Oh my tableware, he’s like tall about yay-high with black hair a portion of it in a bun with like dishware themed robes…I heard from others in rhe kitchen that he’s into taking things seriously” You explain with a wave of the hand.

“I actually…heh I thought that we’d get along, he likes taking care of the dishes and even tries to fix them if they crack due to me but that’s not the point I too like fixing things, I want to fix things…but I guess unlike him or fake it till you make it like Tony…I just make it worse…”

“I…I just wanted to be friends or the I don’t know? Date? The whole reason of the damn glasses.” You mutter, you push the snacks away and use a napkin to clean yourself.

Dating them, any of them wasn’t the main goal. Sure it’s interesting but realizing the things around your home have their own lives in the house was so cool!

Being a hermit, a homebody it felt like a this was a way to help you as well, to get better with being social and maybe let you learn that the outside wasn’t so scary and not everything was out to get you.

But, you messed it up—perhaps you tried too hard, pushed too much, didn’t push enough, didn’t flirt when needed to, too flirty for some, or didn’t have enough specs for the correct dialogue and it came out lame. Now, you’re both miserable in the house and out of it.

Sam was trying, really was. As you spoke she’d occasionally glance around her apartment as if the ranting was making her paranoid about her house. Sighing she runs her hand down her face. She should’ve said something about the weird black stuff in that bathroom, maybe it was the fumes getting to you, but she shook her head.

“What else happened?…”

“The breaking point?”

“Yeah, what made you take off the glasses?”She asks, you groan, slumping back and wiping away a few stray tears as you remembered.

“I was going to the Breaker Box Club, ‘cause Eddie and Volt were still nice-ish from our previous conversations—I hadn’t talked to them in a bit by then cause I was trying to salvage whatever was going on between Harper the hamper and Dirk dirty clothes. I wanted to catch up and help Eddie with some of his work like last time.” You shift in your seat uncomfortably.

“When I entered it was packed, I was happy for them that their business was getting bigger but I knew it was gonna be a lot to take on so I went to find one of them to offer help…”

“…you try and help a lot…”

“I do, it’s…the only thing I can give to them—“ you stop yourself, continuing the story of the night prior.

“But, I knew I wasn’t welcomed. Everyone avoided me, whispering around like I was back in school. Again, Volt saw me. I remember waving at him as he walked over way too quickly. We talked as he pushed me along the way I came from, when I noticed I was confused and…worried I lost another person again…” You take in a deep breath.

“I did…the gossip around the club didn’t go unnoticed by the owners he wanted to get rid of me so it didn’t disturb the customers. I tried talking to him saying that I wasn’t a bad…person…” You don’t sound convinced yourself by that statement.

“He wasn’t having it, his…skin almost turned this light blue? His hand gripped my arm to drag my away from the prying eyes, it hurt…not to make him anymore mad I let him, throw me out…” Voice trailing off, Sam looks stunned, like this was the most juiciest soap opera ever.

“You got kicked out of your own break box—“

“YES, I GOT KICK OUT” you yelled but not at Sam, yelling at the absurd thought of being thrown out of your own break box.

“Crazy…” She elongates the ‘zy’ in the word, unsure how to handle the rest of this.

“Do you think there’s a way to start over with them? All of them I mean?”

The sun was setting, making the silence seem light and comforting. You’re tired, and don’t know where to tread next, so many ideas run in your mind that you—wait…

There might be a very dubious way to get your life back to normal. The thought felt terrible, too personal and guilty, but you don’t seem to have any other option. At least not right now. So, you’ll pin the idea with Keith in the back of your mind. And let it fester or wilt as you and Sam brainstorm together.

Back at the house.

The ones that cheered for your leave are quiet, basking in the dullness of the house. Sure they can talk to one another but…that’s uneventful. The house is missing apart of itself the part of you. The human part. The fragile, unpredictable, unproductive, and lonely ways of you has gone missed.

But everyone refuses to say it out loud. They’re all still bitter and angry with how you treated them—wait…why exactly are they all mad? Some can’t remember but feel justified, although, looking back they just remember you trying. No.

No. You hurt them. They think…

…

…

Okay—well they aren’t sure…not anymore.

The lights are off because there’s no need to see, the sinks and baths don’t run because there’s no one to draw it for, the wall creaks and settles sadly, coffee pot remains unused along with the beauty products, television, books, sofa, stove—all of it. All of them are…completely bored?

Maybe, making your life inconvenienced and almost down right harassed in your day to day life after you stopped interacting with them wasn’t the right way to express their anger. A day turned to four then a week then two weeks.

Dorian can feel the worry in every room about when you’ll return, he huffs. Bedroom Dorian stands still, looking up at the ceiling then down to the floor, watching Florence quickly scramble around her time book with all the new complaints and meetings for Celia.

He reluctantly…steps forward. Away from his position to stand right in front of the poor woman. He rather be doing his job, the thing he thinks so highly of. However, he too is miserable more miserable than laundry room closet Dorian because what is his purpose now that the one who he open and closes for…is gone?

But he’s convinced himself that speaking with Celia will help.

Or so he hopes.

Taglist:

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[peri-bytes]

wereramb design i was toying with last night...

[wemlygust]

I'm playing it safe and putting my whole dang post under a spoiler warning. Do not proceed if you have not played Slay the Princess.

I'm reblogging this because I love the art, and I love Slay the Princess, although my own playthrough of Slay the Princess ended in me deciding to, well, Slay the Princess. The game was not a love story for me; it was more like a domestic abuse story, and the ending was coming to terms, letting go, and finding freedom and hope. I actually have so much respect for the devs for making the game in a way that allowed me to reach a very different conclusion than the one I believe they intended to be the "best", and while still giving me an absolutely phenomenal experience from start to finish. The game remains extremely satisfying even if you reject the intended meaning and find another. Like, I could still tell "ah, this is for sure not what they want me to do..." but the game let me do it anyway, and the outcome was satisfying and didn't feel like a punishment or a scolding. In my experience, there really aren't very many games that can absorb that kind of disagreement with their own narrative. Usually, games either shove you kicking and screaming into the "good" ending, or they hand you a "bad" ending that is unambiguously awful. Or they express no significant opinions on anything, no real themes, and are only permissive because they are bland and noncommittal. This one, though. This one is afraid of no theme, never hesitates to introduce a strong opinion or idea or moral position. And it yet it also fucking "no, but-" or "yes, and"-ed all my disagreements with it, and then somehow managed to give me an ending that actually fit well with my interpretation of the story. I cannot, CANNOT, get over how fucking incredible that game is. It's like the game is an extremely intelligent and philosophical horror improve partner with the player. I can't ever even talk about it without wanting to go play it again. Yet it's so hard to sell people on, too. 😅 But at least the surprise of discovering what this game is, under its title and marketing and genre expectations, is a joy as well. Anyway, my point, though I wandered far afield of it, is that yours is a really fun crossover idea, but I think I'd prefer it be wildly AU in execution, because the game ending that I think is intended by the devs is one I cannot accept, and the ending I got.... Is way too sad for Danny. >.< Also, I just have trouble imagining Danny committing that much murder and torture, tbh. :P Ultimately, though, this is only a me problem! Write and/or draw whatever ya'll want to, of course. :) Aaaaanyway, you really nailed the Slay the Princess art style, on the dot. Like, I would have known exactly what it was even if you hadn't included the title, or the writing underneath the image, or anything else but Danny chained to the wall. That's really impressive to me. In part because I cannot visual arts, and I don't have a handle on what it is about the Slay the Princess art that makes it so distinct, though I'm now finding it to be an interesting thing to think about. /long rambly post. Your art is great, though. Keep on keeping on, even if you end up slaying Danny or whatever.

”You’re on a path in the woods. And at the end of that path is a cabin, and in the basement of that cabin is the Ghost king.

You’re here to slay him.”

I like Slay the Princess a lot, and I feel like Danny and Valerie could work in this dynamic. This also gave me an excuse to focus on my line art cause that’s my favorite part, and I hate coloring.

[she-who-is-two-sizes-too-big]

I don't think Toby Fox would spend so long building up the idea of a relationship between Noelle and Susie only to have it end with Susie pulling a "I'm not gay but we can be friends :)" thing (because he is actually a competent writer and not one that assumes subverting expectations is inherently quality writing on its own by virtue of existing) but if that was the resolution to the plotline that would be...bad writing, actually?

Part of what made Undyne's relationship with Alphys in Pacifist hit so hard is because it is incredibly rare for wlw relationships in fiction, especially video games, to have unambiguously happy endings. And most of the other examples we do have for games are in Mass Effect or Dragon Age style Player/NPC romances that are completely optional. But if you want to do the full Pacifist playthrough of Undertale, you have to make sure these two NPCs confess their feelings and get together. To go from that, to the 40 billionth "Oh the only queer woman in the main cast had unrequited feelings for her straight bestie" drama would be an objective downgrade, because that's been the only way mainstream media has been willing to represent our stories. It would be building up the hopes of a still underrepresented minority only to do a 180 at the last second and go "syke you only get cliche angst this time haha no homo :)", especially if the next chapter delivers on the threat of something bad happening to Undyne (who is, to my knowledge, the only textually explicitly confirmed to be lesbian character in either Undertale or Deltarune aside from maybe Noelle herself).

I know the fandom (rightfully) praises Toby Fox for writing his LGBT+ characters as people first identities second, and that he treats us the same as he does everyone else, but...there are limits. Good representation isn't just the writer doing whatever they want with a character regardless of the character's identity. When you're writing a character from an underrepresented marginalized minority group (especially if you yourself are not a member of the group) you have to make sure you don't play into narratives that are at best cliche and at worst active obstacles to positive representation. You have to remember how your work fits into a broader representational context in the wider media landscape.

[alethialia]

Hi, hello, I'm a frequent reader and commenter on your Rabbot fics! While I'm over here twisting in the wind with longing for the next chapter of your current WIP (for which I very lovingly shake my fist at you) I decided to reread all your other fics and I noticed a sort of general trend. And so I thought I would come and bother you about it.

It's about the yearning. Excellent job on making some of the tastiest yearning I've ever read for this pairing. But I did notice a sort of... difference? Between how you write Abbot yearning vs Robby yearning.

Okay. So Abbot POV is like: <hi I'm Jack Abbot I'm a doctor and a veteran and Robby's best friend. I'm in love with him. It's fine.> He's more settled about it. Like, it aches but he's accepted it and his primary driving desire is to be around Robby and to take care of him in whatever way he'll allow. In one fic (the one where Abbot gets offered a Colorado job) he's so certain about Robby's friendship being enough for him that he doesn't even clock it at first when Robby asks about them having "more." When Abbot gets a clue that Robby might want what he wants, he grabs hold with both hands, pushes past all hesitance, but he's generally not on the lookout.

Meanwhile, Robby seems... constantly on fire? I mean the man Suffers beautifully and you've really brought that out in your writing. Even when it's Abbot's POV with Robby pining (the one where Jack speedruns a sexuality crisis) I can just *sense it* that Robby over there has NOT been having a good time, with a couple of failed relationships as collateral damage. In the current fic, he tries so earnestly to be "it is what it is" but he keeps crashing up against Jack's... everything, in close proximity. This is HARD, for Robby.

This all makes instinctive sense to me, it feels right for your versions of Robby and Abbot, and I have my reasonings for why this difference feels so satisfying to read. But maybe my own characterizations are influencing my reading? So do tell me if I'm (generally! broadly speaking!!) on the mark, dear writer, and please spill your authorial thoughts on why you've written them this way.

And thank you, as always, for the soft places to land 💕💕💕

Hi there! Thank you so much for this incredible question. (And I hope you enjoyed the end of the story!) You are spot on here! In my head, Abbot and Robby do yearn differently. Let us discuss...

As I see it, Abbot's already had a great love. With his spouse, whom he lost. So he knows both the joy of it and the agony of a love ripped away. Because of that, he's careful about minimizing loss. He knows he and Robby could have something great, but the friendship itself is also a special thing that he values on its own. He's careful not to push too hard, lest he break that. (Sometimes this is even to his detriment because if he did push a little harder he could get what he wants; but there's a risk in that.)

When Abbot says their friendship is enough, he's telling the truth. Their connection is a rare and special thing; he'd be content leaving it there. He wants, of course, but he wants not to lose Robby even more. And this is a man who knows loss. He will do what he can to avoid inviting it in. He's also deeply aware of all Robby's issues, he's watched Robby's relationships crash and burn, he knows this guy's MO. He recognizes that he already has something amazing, and there could be something more to it, but he can be patient and wait until the time is right, if that time ever comes.

Robby, otoh, has not had a great love and oh, how he wants it. His yearning is hungry. He knows the connection with Jack is special and he wants nothing more to grab hold and burn with him...while at the same time being terrified that he's going to fuck it up. Convinced he's going to fuck it up. He always fucks it up. With an added dash of Robby being so hard on himself for his failures, thinking Jack should really be with someone Better because that's what he deserves.

Robby knows he's flawed and his need to protect his partners from himself puts a wall between them. He doesn't do that with Jack, though, and that instinctive trust and sense of safety makes him ravenous - for more, for all of it. He knows Jack could handle his shit and that idea is just...intoxicating. When Robby says the friendship is enough...well, he thinks he's telling the truth. But the desire plagues him, always there, this thing he's never had, and shouldn't he get to? But because he hasn't done the work, he doesn't have the tools to handle it well, so he just stews in the agony of it.

These aren't set in stone, btw. When I start writing a story, I first figure out where they're at emotionally. So sometimes I play Robby's desire for Abbot as a thing that messes up his other relationships, other times it's his inability to be vulnerable, sometimes they go hand-in-hand, it really depends. But in every version, they're well-matched - equals who deeply respect each other, with perfect trust and instinctive understanding of the other on a fundamental level. Which is why it will always work out. Because, at the end of it all, they're willing to do the work for each other. <3

[riemanifests]

Put your feelings aside.

watch my thought process and me random writing from my mind

i can just assume that i'm the only girl he talks to and reality would show that to me because its the law of assumption i can just assume that i got the internship i wanted and get it despite not knowing how i would get it because that's the law of assumption i can just assume that i have my desired appearance and it would reflect because that's the law of assumption the law doesn't care who i am or what i look like. it doesn't care about my history or what my 3d looks like and what that would say about me. it just cares about my assumptions and reflecting them through reality. the law is impersonal. the law states whatever i assume to be true mentally will end up true for me physically as well, just because of my mind. the law doesn't care for hard work or effort, it just cares about what you assume. i'm the one who assigns meaning to things and that's why it feels so personal, because i have an opinion on myself and from what i think about my situation i feel there's only a certain way things could work, but the law doesn't care for that. it's impersonal. there are no rules with the law, just that whatever you assume to be true will end up true. it doesn't care about what assumptions you're making, it just cares about reflecting those assumptions ( good or bad and illogical or realistic ). there are no impossibilities with the law because you can make any sort of assumption, right now, because there are no limits to the mind. so if my desires mean so much to me, then how i can remove these self-imposed limitations? stop making it about my feelings and my low self concept and just start assuming what i want to be true. all i have to do is assume in my favor, continue to do so, and it will end up reflected by reality. and reality can't stop me either, reality is impersonal. even the people in it they must conform to my assumptions since they're in my reality. what matters is the assumption i'm holding. reality is just my loyal reflection. i am capable of manifesting anything even if i feel i'm not or my past hasn't fully proven that to me. it doesn't matter, because i am. just because i may personally feel i'm not does not make it a full truth, since at my core i'm an unlimited being. the law doesn't need time either, i can just assume it instantly and manifest it instantly. so i must put my feelings aside and see the truth for what it is: i can assume anything and whatever i assume will manifest in my reality. i do not need to overthink, overdo, effort, or constantly hustle to make the assumption or to even manifest my assumption. an assumption is something that you accept as true without proof. the key to an assumption is acceptance. acceptance does not mean resisting, overthinking, or overdoing either, it just means accepting that statement to be true and just letting it be without anything else. i do not have to worry about the manifestation part or in other words the "how". i honestly don't need to care about the "when" either, because if i am truly assuming something then that is my truth now. as for the how there are infinite ways something can happen and the only thing that matters is that it can happen for me, so if i assume it has then it has / will. it doesn't matter what reality looks like because again my mind has dominance over it always, and reality must rearrange itself at all times to match me. reality is my loyal reflection. it really doesn't matter what might've been true for me a second ago, because either way i am always experiencing the present and not the past. i can completely let go of all of previous moments and assume a new story for me and that would continue to be my new story. i have led myself and my mind to the conclusion that it doesn't matter how i personally feel about something or myself, i just have to assume and it will end up true for me in reality. so put your feelings aside and see the law for what it is: whatever you assume to be true will end up true. start assuming and truthfully assuming that you have what it is you want and it must manifest.

[sylvieserene]

Not really. There is no implication for this ship in a romantic context mainly because the korean dialogues are written in a platonic tone. At best, it's left ambiguous. However in Korean version, there is nothing much to suggest they had a "romantic" relationship. All the available material points to a platonic but close relationship. Nothing intimate just close.

Firstly, EF merely offered her guidance when she needed it the most. He is way too older than her, older than her ancestors even, saw the creation of Earthbread, has the ability to foresee future. He def even saw the ancients coming into power or taking birth in their forms, their journey etc. There's a reason he allowed them all in his kingdom just like WL cuz he knew the kingdom would need saving from someone like her. That is exactly why I also feel it's platonic and at the end, a Father-Daughter relationship because EF offered her something that no one did.

Understanding and guidance.

He intentionally tried to withhold information from her just so she doesn't push herself to destruction because he knew.

Second of all, as I said, this is MY take on it. Third of all, the post isn't about this.

It's about serious issues inside the fandom community which involves misogynistic views towards WL and objectification of her.

It is also weird to me that you came to point about your ship instead of talking about the literal attacks and toxic mentality ongoing in this fandom which is the main point here.

Anw, as said in the post itself, Im not bashing anyone. I'm coming off from what the translations told me and a few other folks who were unbiased in their translations (whom I consulted) cuz often times, the translations circulated amongst fans have a biased take in them such as the midsummer night declared as a story which isn't romantic but when I talked with two other native korean speakers on the actual korean texts, they made it clear that the texts don't just have romantic undertones but it's outright romantic story. Infact it's mutual because both of them understand that they can love eachother but only for a night. The story is written via an unreliable narrator. It is not clear if PV really is high or its what the faeries think trying to make sense of his attitude towards the Queen's story.

I feel like more ppl need to understand that just because a character cares for another character doesn't mean they love them romantically.

This basically:

Platonic love exists.

It's ShadowVanilla situation pretty much. PV is offering to help SM not because he developed feelings but because he genuinely wanted him to get better. Same situation here. EF wanted to help WL because he cares about her and didn't want her to do something stupid that may harm her which is why he gave her a moonstone as a back up.

Still, feel free to believe whatever you like. Live and let live. Feel free to share your views but don't force your views on others. This was simply my take from what I've learnt first hand on a post not about it. The point of bringing that was even with that mentality, I still would never say that my ships/takes are more "meritous" or "superior" than the rest, let alone go out of my way to wishing someone bad things or even threatening them because they don't agree with me.

That's it.

Something weird I have noticed in the CRK fandom when it comes to ships ESPECIALLY Purelily

I recently saw a tweet on twitter talking about Elderlily and ShadowVanilla on how people should give new ships a shot instead of shooting down them down instantly which IS a valid point BUT the problem starts when they assert the fact that these two ships hold more "merit" and "intimacy" than "other ships" (which in comment section they directly agree it's aimed at Purelily)

This is a HUGE problem I see both in the Elderlily fanbase + ShadowVanilla fanbase. The sheer hate for Purelily.

Like have a look:

Pure Hatred and unwillingness to accept that opinions can co-exist.

Unwilling to see reason when tried to be shown. Only answering in hatred.

Further more...

From starting with generalising Purelily shippers to accusing all Purelily shippers to misinterpret/misrepresent/mischaracterisation PV and WL to accusations of the entire fanbase being bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic or accusing the entire fanbase of being bad including whataboutism posts stating "oh yeah? I wonder which shipper base sent actual death threats and doxxed someone?"

For the record, Im gonna say yes, a few people from specifically the purelily base have done these BUT generalising the entire shipping community as bad and labelling them as problematic is NOT okay.

THE ACTIONS OF ONE HORRIBLE PERSON DOESN'T DEFINE THE ENTIRE FANBASE!

Misrepresentation/Mischaracterisation/Misinterpretation of characters have happened in ALL of CRK shipping communities. That very much includes ShadowVanilla and Elderlily.

So accusing one fanbase of doing those and pretending that it doesn't exist in your space is kinda hypocritical I believe?

No fanbase is exempt from controversy. Every shipping space has had atleast ONE problematic individual (Eg: N*zi ShadowVanilla controversy from Twitter) but now if I start saying "*gasp* I wonder which base drew those horrific things?" Would it make any sense? No. Cuz one person doesn't define an entire fanbase.

So let's make one thing clear, none of the shipping communities are "pure" or "innocent" of anything. All of them have problems and individuals with issues depending on how far you're willing to dig.

So accusing a single shipping community of being horrible while saying others are not is not okay.

Not all ShadowVanilla and Elderlily shippers are good people, same as Purelily shippers.

Which brings me to the point, "It's 2025, grow tf up and stop shipping purelily" mentality which also brings me to my original point lol

These were sent to a purelily artist on Twitter (redbeanyearnin).

Their crime? Shipping purelily.

Look at the civility, ladies and gentlemen! /s

This is also a side of shippers who actually aren't purelily shippers 😊 how naive and innocent messages 😍❤️ /j

But this is the great evidence on how all of these shippers aren't angels. They are the same people accusing Purelily shippers and the ship itself as being horrible.

Im not gonna comment more on this.

But this just proves my point on how no shipping base is angelic. All of them have screwed up individuals.

Anw...

What does year/time have anything to say about what you ship? I see this comment thrown across very frequently in the fandom which does confuse me quite a lot but seriously um why? Is there some sort of subscription that's getting over in these recent years which denies me the right to enjoy something niche? Or I MUST ship what the popular ship is atm?

Just why....? Where does this mentality come from?

More importantly, why does one ship has to be "superior" or have to had more "merit" than the other?

Just why?

Why can't we simply accept our differences in preferences and move on?

Like...I personally don't ship mutual ShadowVanilla, I find the one sided part more compelling but that doesn't mean I will say it's "better" than the mutual one. I can appreciate the mutual one too. Same for Elderlily. I see it as platonic, a familial sort of relationship between a Mentor and Mentee or yes I'm gonna say it Father Daughter.

Personally, I find their age difference extremely uncomfortable which is why the moment I learnt this guy was older than her ancestor's ancestors, I shipped it as platonic. Same for ShadowVanilla cuz age is a factor for me personally but I won't blame others who look past it cuz firstly these are fictional characters and secondly, all of them are immortals so I can understand it although I find it uncomfortable myself.

But even with that, I would NEVER say that Purelily is "superior", has "more merit", better "intimate writing" than said ships irrespective of if they are popular/canon or not.

If you ask for respect towards your shipping preferences, the least you can do is GIVE that respect to others as well. If you don't, then how come you keep the expectation that your opinion will get respected when you can't peacefully co-exist with another part of the fandom who may hold different views than you?

In simpler words, I kinda find it highly disrespectful and hypocritical that some people out here can't keep themselves from attacking others for shipping things differently than them? Like...why?

Why can't we all ship whatever we want instead of shooting down each other's ships and calling one more superior/inferior than the other?

Like for me as an example, I don't like a lot of ships but I either don't share my opinion on it or tend to ignore it instead of going "omg MY ship better! HUH HOW DARE YOU SAY MY SHIP IS BAD"

At the end, Shipping is subjective and we're all here to have fun so instead of playing the blame game on who is worse, who has done more horrible things, why can't we simply focus on the positives?

All ships have merits and demerits. All of them have issues. Heck, even the characters aren't perfect and they also have a plethora of issues.

WL isnt a perfect person, she's morally grey and a highly complex character. PV isn't a baby or a simp who gets jealous everytime someone breaths in WL's direction. EF isn't obsessed with WL as people in the fanbase make him to be. Just like PV, he chose his job over following WL and even when he knew he had a choice to revive her, He didn't instead he kept guarding the tree. SM isn't a good person and has caused several wars, genocides, torture and murder.

NONE of them are as perfect as people make them to be. NONE of the fanbases if considered in majority truly get them.

So it really makes zero sense when ppl say "PV should stay the hell away from WL", "WL is getting between them!"

People really need to stop objectifying these characters just cuz they don't fit their shipping preferences/agendas.

All of these characters and their ships have certain merits and demerits to them so why must we say that one is better than the other?

Why can't we all enjoy what we simply like?

Why can't we just agree to disagree instead of shitting on other's tastes?

Why must ONE particular shipping fandom get the brunt of it?

So tldr, I just wanna say, While it is true, people shouldn't shoot down new things without even giving it a shot but that doesn't mean the new thing is "superior" than the old thing suddenly just cuz one likes it more. If you find it great, that's fine but Idt anyone has the right to say that one thing is more inferior than the other.

Please give the respect to others that you expect. If you get insanely defensive about your own ship but shit on other's shipping preferences then expect to get that back.

You can't be like "Nooooooo don't say bad about my ship! You're a hater" and then be like "damn your taste in shipping SUCKS. This ship is so trash. MY ship is SOOOOO much better :)"

Sorry for this rant. I just find the entire situation of the fandom highly frustrating.

[ultrabean]

Hi.

I just want to preface this by welcoming all my new followers, and to also apologise for your subsequent disappointment upon reading this. I also want to thank all of my past followers for all the love and support, happy 2k. It'll probably stay there after this, I bet.

Now, I know many of you have seen my vent posts, especially those where I thought of comitting suicide. I thank you for the concern, I apologise for upsetting a lot of you and I think I owe you some kind of explanation for why I felt that way and also the lack of updates. When I'm stressed or anxious I tend to crash out impulsively. One of those ways is just blurting out my frustrations somewhere until I calm down.

One of the main reasons I've been holding off of Redeemer's Path is because I lowkey want to wait until Deltarune is fully completed, because with the new lore in chapters 3 and 4 it's given me some ideas on how I can continue my AU but the unfortunate part of that is that now there's a lot of plot holes in my comic that I have to retcon. That and also my impostor syndrome has been leadng me to think I'm a bad writer and an artist. If it's not perfect then it's nothing.

So in the meantime that's why I've been trying to work on another part of my AU. Still the same story, just a different point in time.

I know a lot of you have said that I don't have to please you guys by constantly posting updates of redeemer's path and that I should focus on my life, prioritise my mental health and whatnot. Now, I completely understand that what you mean.

However.

It's not just you that I want to make this for. I'm also doing this for me.

I have a lot of high expectations for myself.

If my quality and output doesn't live up to my standards then I am worthless.

A while back I recieved an anonymous ask that got me thinking.

The anon said that I didn't need to earn my place in fandom through art and writing, and while I understood what they said, that statement also deeply terrfied me. To an almost absurd and irrational extent.

You see, when I first discovered Undertale in mid to late 2022 I was 16 at the time. I was going through an extreme mental rough patch at that time and it brought me so much joy and levity, not just the game itself but also watching comic dubs, and all the art that came from the fandom.

I loved it so much that, then and there I staked my entire mental wellbeing, my happiness and sense of self on enjoying it to it's fullest extent, and that to me, meant engaging in everything and anything I could possibly do in the fandom. Making fanart, shipping, making AUs, whatever. To 16-year old me, I had basically convinced myself that I had found "my calling". I MUST enjoy doing anything UTDR related, I HAVE to create something and express myself rather than just... sit on my ass and do nothing about it.

It's because of those feelings I got that I genuinely wanted to create something for myself. A story I (and my teenage self) would have wanted to see. Not only to bring myself a sense of fulfilment by proving I was here but also giving others the same feeling I got when first getting into this game and its fandom.

I, stupidly, selfishly want to effectively cram a decade's worth of human experience into my output because I feel like I missed out on so many things.

It's stupid.

It's not possible, and it's never going to be.

But you have no idea how fucking badly I want it.

It's because of this that I forced myself to think that doing this can and should make me happy, and without it I basically have no purpose.

I love to draw.

I HAVE to draw.

I am no one if I don't draw, because outside of strict obligations just to live I don't think there is anything I actually, from the bottom of my heart, truly want do do more than just create. If I stop drawing the person who typed this out is effectively dead. A literal ghost. Nothing. I am nothing without creating.

When I was a kid I was like, ass-deep in fnaf. And I also wanted to make comics for it, it's just that at that time I had no social media, nor did I have any proper methods of digital art.

I made them by drawing in random notebooks with a pencil. They were probably really shit, but I remember I loved doing it. Then, the moment I hit a roadblock where there was a panel I couldn't draw due to my skill level, I'd just... give up entirely. And then forget about it. Which probably speaks to the quality of the ideas I had, which is to say I had no ideas. I would literally just write it at the seat of my pants with vague ideas of important scenes I wanted to include. Basically like how Scott himself wrote fnaf lol.

The main issue is that now, I have a great idea. A genuinely amazing one that I love so, so goddamn much. And that thakfully, a lot of you seem to as well.

It hurts, because it feels like I'm scared I might not be able to execute it. I'm terrified, because I fear that as I am approaching adulthood I may never be able to find my 16-year old self's fulfilment.

I'm worried that I won't be able to achieve hapiness before my soul is utterly eviscerated with college, work and adulthood (that part's happening already, I wish I never woke up again after 2019). Before I get too old and creepy and it's considered problematic to write romance between teenagers.

It's also the reason I get so frustrated whenever I hit a wall during production. It's because I know it will take time. And I don't think I have time. Not before I start feeling miserable.

And I know this sounds selfish of me, but seeing so many other unfinished AUs gives me such existential dread. Those which were never completed because their creators either moved on, or got sick of the thing they used to love so much, or just life itself getting in the way. Those AUs which never could have reached their fullest potential simply because the people behind them burned out from doing it.

It reminds me that despite everything, even in the face of my hopes and dreams I am not a machine. I am not a god. Fate will come for me too, and I will never find that lovecraftian sense of fulfiment.

The problem is that I imagined my audience as myself, with my own expectations. I wanted so badly, to never make my younger self feel disappointed that the thing they enjoyed consuming so much was suddenly cut short, or fell short of his expectations.

The main issue is that, after both breaks from my pre-university foundation year I found myself too burned out to properly get into the full swing of working on Redeemer's Path. And I fear that once uni starts it will be the same. And I'll be stuck forever.

I don't want to admit I'm losing interest.

I don't want to admit I feel miserable while making this. I'm not supposed to feel this way, I'm supposed to be happy.

Because if I do admit it it's acknowledging that I've lost.

That I've failed you.

That I've failed myself.

That I am a disappointment.

That in the past one and a half months, during this gracious second chance I'd been given to actually lock the fuck in, I have been sitting on my ass and doing nothing.

What if I never come back?

What if I just up and leave without ever perfecting everything I'm supposed to do?

I look at different AUs all around me, all made just by regular people but loved by millions. I don't know how some of them even manage to break 200 pages. I don't even know how some people even manage to finish doing this shit.

I know so may of you think I'm being ridiculous.

I know so many of you have told me to be kinder to myself, to think positively and keep going.

I know so many of you have told me "there is no set pace, only the pace you go at."

I know this is a byproduct of a childhood growing up under a capitalistic grindset, forcing me to think that I NEED to make more, and make it faster.

But I'm really struggling to do that when the perpetrator of these thoughts lives inside your own skull. Thinking positively usually works for a short while until my brain stops believing me and I need external proof that what I'm thinking has merit to it.

So... blabbering aside, what does this all mean for Redeemer's Path?

Well, this is a word I hate using of because the way I've seen it being used it usually means bye bye forever.

I'm going on a hiatus.

I don't know how long.

Or if I'm even coming back.

I may work on things behind the scenes a little, but I don't know.

Again I would like to apologise, not just to all of you for this disappointng news, but also to my younger self.

I failed you.

For all your daydreams and enthusiasm I failed to give you a fulfiling release.

To all the uh, comic dubbers who have reached out to me (especially you, Paramasquerade, it's been damn near an eterinity since our last chat) I'm sorry that you caught wind of my AU at a really bad time. Pun somewhat intended.

I think, as stupid and as wish-fulfilling as this sounds I genuinely wish I got into undertale when I was a kid, with all the skills, tools and knowledge I have now so that I'd just have more time.

I feel ashamed to keep the masterpost up like some sort of fucking clown, but if you want it, here.

So, this is goodbye for now. I really don't know what more I can say.

[gin-juice-tonic]

Bit of a weird question but do you have any advice for writing transmen when in couples with fankids? (Moreso referring to the handling of bio fankids themselves)

I’m aware it’s uncomfortably common for characters to be headcanoned as trans only so they’re capable of children so my fankids tend to be a mix of adoptive or bio and i do have transmasc characters/hc’d characters with no kids at all but i feel like i could still be doing better with this. I want to avoid implying mpreg in any of my stories cuz i’m not down with that but also i don’t want it to feel like some transmasc characters are only hc’d that way so they can have kids.

Do you have any advice?

Disclaimer: The world of fanfiction and to be honest fandom culture at large is one I do not know a whole lot about. My advice may be completely irrelevant and I would not know.

I think this sounds like it kind of depends on what you're doing though. If you're just asserting the existence of fan-kids, I do not think a backstory of how they were conceived is all that necessary. Even if you've already stated one of the parents is a trans man/masc, you do not have to explain anything. And you genuinely might run into less pitfalls of doing something potentially offensive by leaving that area alone entirely.

I am going to put the rest of this under a readmore if you really do want to go further with the idea though:

That being said, if you are set on trying write a transmasc person who had a kid in any further depth than just saying "he had a kid", I suppose I would recommend reading real-life accounts of trans men/mascs who did that. However, again, I would only really do this if it is something you *want* to learn more about and want to do justice by, as opposed to just doing it for the sake of feeling like you have to. It's a very stigmatized and sensationalized topic, and a topic that's relentlessly joked about on the internet.

If you are going to write a transmasc person who adopted a kid, just handle it the same way you would if they were any other type of person, since anyone can adopt kids. Though funnily enough as an adopted kid myself, I would say being adopted is its own character trait. Our experiences are different from kids who were raised by our bio parents. Do you want this kid to have that as an aspect of them? Again, this is just a question of "how serious am I going to take this thing?"

There is also a third thing you didnt mention, which is Surrogacy. AKA - A third person volunteers to carry the baby. (If you wanted to be hilarious you could also make that person a trans masc/man. People might not react well to that though lol.) Unless you live in one of the many countries where it is illegal, then you can just skip this one.

Something else that might work for whatever you're doing or might not - if your setting you're writing in is more outlandish, you can get outlandish with the way the kid exists too. Maybe its a clone, maybe its a miracle of modern science. (The powerpuff girls were science-babies, for example.) (Magic baby is also a variant of science baby)

Uh, in the end though, you said you wanted to avoid having it seem like you're only headcanoning a character as trans so they can get pregnant, but you also want to avoid the idea of mpreg. This kind of sounds to me like there ARE some cis-cis couples you kind of would like to have kids. In which case, I would keep them cis-cis and go the surrogacy or adoption or science-baby route. Any couples that might involve a trans guy and someone they could have a bio kid with organically, you can choose whatever you want. But they should be trans because you feel that way about them generally, not just to solve the kid problem.

I really want to re-iterate though that you don't have to explain things just for the sake of showing off your fun kids. Or you could do a barebones explanation of "[X] carried the kid, the kid's adopted, there was a surrogacy" if you thought it was important to say. It's fine to leave things at that.

I hope any of that made sense.

[silverwhittlingknife]

hi Silver! o/ because that fanart made me wonder - would you happen to know when/where Dick's stuffed elephant plush Zitka turns up in the comics?

GREETINGS CAM <3333 THAT ART WAS SO CUTE

Yeah, I think your instincts are right - it's a truly adorable bit of transformative fandom, but I'm 95% percent sure it's not comics canon. Barbara has canon plushies, but I don't think anyone else does.

I got kinda invested in the investigation (it's hard to prove a negative!) and I ended up typing out an entire History of Elinore/Zitka, so, uh, if you're curious, meet me below the cut for:

Where does Elinore / Zitka - the animal - appear in comics?

Did Dick ever have a stuffed elephant toy in comics?

Where does Elinore / Zitka appear in comics?

We're gonna go in chronological order!

Dick's circus elephant friend was first created for practical reasons: in Batman 436, Marv Wolfman does a big expanded flashback to Dick's circus backstory as a way to subtly show us Tim before officially introducing him (so that we can have a technically-solvable mystery-of-Tim's-identity in LPoD). In this comic, there's an elephant named Elinore who loves Dick:

Aww. Such a cute elephant!

Batman 436 comes out in August 1989. New Titans 60 comes out a few months later, in November, and guess what? When Dick visits the circus, he is suddenly surprised by an unexpected blast from the past! It turns out that even though it's been years, Elinore still remembers him!

Here's the part where Elinore remembers Dick:

SUCH a cute elephant. I love her.

(Guess who else still remembers Dick even though it was so long ago. Guess which other character is about to be an unexpected blast from the past. Guess which character Elinore is directly paralleling guess guess guess sorry everything is about Dick and Tim in my mind but I can focus I swear)

Four years later, in 1993, Batman: The Animated Series retells Dick's origin story. They like and keep Wolfman's elephant, but they change her name to Zitka:

Wolfman doesn't return to the elephant beyond those two appearances, and a few years down the line, New Titans gets cancelled and Wolfman's not writing Dick anymore anyway. So the animal gets abandoned for a while, until Devin Grayson, a fan of both Wolfman and B:tAS, revives the Wolfman-era Titans team in JLA/Titans and then the ongoing series Titans 1999.

Grayson then brings back the elephant in a flashback to Dick's past in Titans 16 (Jun 2000), where she imports the B:tAS name. Sometimes I'm skeptical of TV-to-comics imports, but honestly, I endorse this one. You lose the alliteration, which is a shame, but IMO Zitka is a better elephant name than Elinore.

Here's Dick with the newly-christened Zitka in Titans 16:

Grayson also briefly references the elephant in Gotham Knights 20 and - in a final angsty callback - in Nightwing 88 (Feb 2004), where Zitka tries futilely to comfort Dick in the midst of his trauma conga line:

... And... honestly, I think that's it for comic appearances? The two Wolfman comics plus the three Grayson comics.

Both Wolfman and Grayson are writing multiple titles - Batman, New Titans, Titans, Gotham Knights, and Nightwing between the two of them, spanning a big chunk of Dick's post-Crisis canon - and both writers use the elephant for heartwarming moments of nostalgia, which means if you're doing a post-Crisis readthrough for Dick, Elinore/Zitka feels memorable. But I don't think she actually shows up that much.

For post-2011, I am not as well-informed - throwing this out to the dash? anyone know? - but I feel like Zitka the heartwarming symbol of Dick's heartwarming circus past is, uh, thematically very at odds with the Court of Owls evil!circus vibes, so my instinct is that this story element was almost certainly dropped in the reboot.

Did Dick ever have a stuffed elephant toy in comics?

In WFA, yes; in main comics continuity, no. Technically, I have not read every comic ever published, so I could be wrong!! But I don't think so.

Below, find my rambling reasoning on the tonal vibes of pre-Crisis, post-Crisis, and post-2011, and why this particular story element doesn't seem right to me for the first two.

Pre-Crisis (...okay, mostly the Silver Age): stuffed animal, yes or no?

tl;dr no, requires too much background knowledge on the part of the reader, plus the elephant wasn't a thing until later

Elinore doesn't get created until post-Crisis, but also just generally, pre-Crisis callbacks are more along the lines of this reference in Batman 129 (published in 1960), where, wow, Batman and Robin are hunting jewel thieves - and it turns out Robin recognized this strongman! BUT HOW?!

The comic goes on to recap Dick's entire origin story in flashback, on the assumption that you may not know it.

(BTW, if you'd like to know more about Haly's Circus throughout the years, nightwingology has a great post here summarizing a lot of fun plotlines and characters!)

Basically: Silver Age comics are very self-consciously episodic and kid-friendly; they're not generally gonna do overly-elaborate callbacks because they don't know what comics their kid readers may have randomly picked up or remember.

By the time of post-Crisis, comic books were being written for an adult audience buying from the direct market, i.e. readers who are collecting whole runs & don't need or want Dick's origin story to be recapped to us in full every time it's referenced. That's why in post-Crisis, we get stuff like "hey, neat, this particular soda brand is getting mentioned in several different books!!" or "in order to understand this story arc, buy SIXTEEN DIFFERENT COMICS in FIVE DIFFERENT RUNS and read them ALL ACCORDING TO A NUMBERED ORDER and also you better be following the individual plotlines and recognize these five minor characters who we don't bother to introduce!! Good luck!!" But the elaborate post-Crisis plotlines - and subtler worldbuilding like a stuffed animal callback to Dick's backstory - don't make a lot of story sense UNLESS you're imagining your readers as completionist adult fans.

So IMO a stuffed animal wouldn't be a pre-Crisis thing unless it was The Episodic Story Of the Week, and I don't think a stuffed animal is action-adventure-y enough for the fast-paced storytelling of the Silver Age. (Unless it, like, came to life and tried to eat you or something.)

Post-Crisis: stuffed animals, yes or no?

tl;dr: no, Dick's a manly tough guy, he's not gonna have a stuffed animal, that'd be lame, like something Tim might do

Part of the edgy grimdark adult vibes in 80s/90s comics is that some characters who used to be kinda silly & goofy & lighthearted - like Batman and Robin - get reimagined as Serious and Angsty and Edgy in a Tough Cool Manly Brooding Way. This massively affects characterization for Bruce, Dick, and Bruce and Dick's relationship.

(I obviously love this change & love the tense Bruce-and-Dick interactions, but plenty of fans of the earlier fluffy comics really disliked the edgy retcons of Miller / Wolfman / Starlin / et al.)

The upshot is that post-Crisis is a period when you could have a recurring reference like a stuffed elephant, but you wouldn't have a stuffed elephant, not for Dick. I think a toy like that would be too cutesy / childish / effeminate to give a male character in post-Crisis, unless you were poking fun at him.

Now, you could probably let Tim have a stuffed animal, because Tim is sometimes cool but also sometimes a tryhard loser who is faking being cool and not entirely pulling it off (see e.g. the Robin comic where he practices tough-guy faces in the mirror, or the Teen Titans comic where Conner discovers his cringy Enya CD, or when he's fanboying over Connor and it's awkward, etc etc.). A stuffed animal would be deeply embarrassing, and you'd have to be careful to compensate by having Tim do something cool afterward - but Tim's character concept allows for "he's kind of a loser sometimes."

But Dick isn't!! In post-Crisis, Dick's a tough / impressive / "cool guy" character, the kind of guy anyone would want to be, even in the flashbacks where he's Robin, and even in the stories where he's more lighthearted than angsty. It'd be kinda lame for Dick to have a stuffed elephant, so he wouldn't. I feel like Dick would be more likely to poke fun at it if someone had one, like when he's making fun of Wally for liking the Hardy Boys. Dick could have a Batman action figure, at most, and if he had one he would have it ironically.

Basically: in post-Crisis, a male character hugging a stuffed elephant feels more likely to be a punchline to me, not something poignant. (Even with Tim, Tim could have an embarrassing stuffed animal, but he couldn't hug it when sad - that's too far. Maybe Booster Gold might do this. Probably he wouldn't, but spiritually, he would. Sorry Booster ilu! <3)

Instead, Dick instinctively deals with his inner turmoil like the TORTURED ACTION HERO he is: by punching things and brooding and yelling and joining the mob and sleeping on rooftops and going on obsessive secret missions and acquiring Angsty Stubble!! Just like Batman!

(Technically I don't know if Bruce ever joined the mob but you know he would.)

Anyway as you know this is my favorite continuity and I am poking fun affectionately, but uh, yeah sdfsfdsfs. No stuffed animals.

Post-2011 / Infinite Frontier / Wayne Family Adventures: stuffed animals, yes or no?

tl;dr it's in WFA! Probably not anywhere else, but it could be.

Post-2011 stuff tends to be cutesier overall, most of all in the current Infinite Frontier era. So I don't feel like this would be tonally out-of-line with IF comics. Taylor tends to go for more meme-y references rather than fanfic references, though.

So the obvious best fit is WFA, which is aiming for a rough approximation of Silver Age family-friendly vibes - wholesome, episodic plots, Teaching Good Moral Lessons For The Youth, etc. - plus lots of Easter eggs for fanfic readers and some comic references.

And look, here we are:

Aww.

Whew - that's everything I could find!

Anyway as you can probably tell, I LOVE the elephant, so this was a very entertaining rabbit hole to go down, thank you <3

[the-amber-droid-dreams]

look, overall you can do whatever you want in fanwork forever. this isnt about individual instances of aspec characters being headcanoned as something else. the ppl expressing frustration w this are probably noticing a pattern :

1) ace (and aro !) characters identities are more frequently overwritten than those of gay characters

straight characters ofc are overwritten the most, but that hits less hard because THE GRAND MAJOROTY of characters in media are straight, whereas gay ppl and esp aspec ppl are sorely lacking in representation. sometimes it suck to see the Only character like you being changed

and yes, fanwork doesnt change canon, but ppl go to fanwork because they want More. if an acespec character is only allowed to exist as a side character in 5 out of 15 episodes of a single season show, ppl are gonna wanna see more of that meager representation and theyre gonna turn to fanwork for it

2) building off of that, fandom spaces are saturated w shipping content and nsfw content. this is ofc not an inherently bad thing, but obv theres gonna be ppl who want to read different works that they feel represent them or their fave characters better, whether that means romance without sex or no romance at all ! and yes, they can ofc just filter out explicit tags : its your responsibility to curate your own experience and avoid stuff you dont like

*but*, can we acknowledge it might be a bit disheartening to, for example, click on a character tag for an ace character, and have more than half the results be explicit ? even in spaces that we figure are for us, ace ppl are often *not* the focus. this can suck to experience !!

3) ace ppl can indeed have sex ! but as an acespec who feels sexual attraction, i find that my experience w sexuality is quite different to someone who is allo. i find it somewhat dissapointing when i read supposedly ace smut and the only reason i can tell its ace is bc of some throwaway tag. theres ways to write compelling ace smut stories ! i think more ppl should try

BOTTOM LINE : no its not inherently evil to hc am ace character as allo, and its not an individual problem. its just that theres *so little stories about us*. and theres so much to tell ! asexuality can add as much interest and complexity to a story as smut can ! so why is it such a hugely widespread phenomenon for ppl to ignore acespec identities in canon ? societal aphobia probably.

I mean this with sincerity bc I'm confused, but why is it bad to ship an asexual character? (I am also ace but I like to see my fave ace characters fuck in fanfic sometimes). I see people saying 1.) it's wrong because you're removing their canon sexuality-- BUT isn't that the heart of shipping? Most of ships are turning straight characters gay. And 2.) it's removing representation-- BUT fanfic *isn't* removing anything or any rep from canon, it's just a fan retelling??

-

[stiffyck]

"i dont like animated movies" okay but why. like i genuinely would like to know WHY. and id like to hear literally any other reason besides "animation is for kids" or "its childish"

[riemanifests]

You don't need a method.

you really don't have to do anything but just assume / decide / claim / whatever you want to call it. like methods are just to help you but you don't need help, now some of you waver a lot and you are so resistant so in that case you might need the help but you don't need need the help. all you have to do to manifest what you want is accept that you have it now and that's it. yes i mean accept it even if the 3d shows you opposite or if you don't have proof, because that's what an assumption literally is something you accept as true without proof. the law of assumption is literally telling you that you don't need proof that your statement is true in order to manifest it, because it'll manifest anyways. but noo yall would rather trip over it still... ok you don't need time, proof, or even effort to make an assumption. that is something you naturally do as well as manifesting. you just have to accept whatever statement you want to be true as true now and that's it. and accepting it means you're not overthinking it, you're not contradicting it, and you're not even trying to prove it either you're just accepting it and letting it be. you just let it be and you do not do anything to or with it. and i get it, for some of us that is hard especially with doubts and when we're so tied to the old story or maybe the 3d is in your face, that is why you would then use methods. i think affirming is the best just because all you'd have to do is anytime you think about your desire is affirm the same statement that you're assuming, just to remind yourself like hey this is my truth now. one thing that will really help is knowing the basics of the law and the true true basic is just what you assume to be true will be true for you and that's it, it's that simple we just make it so complicated just because of how personal shit feels to us and even our old programming of thinking that you have to put in effort or do something to get something, but no in this case all you have to "do" is fucking decide that you have it and accept that decision. so just live your life, play those games, and do whatever you want. you don't need some routine or some super strict method either, like it's fun right but some of you don't even enjoy doing that shit so stop forcing yourself to do it. here's an example of how to go about assuming what you want to be true: 1. Ask yourself: What do i want to be true for me in my reality? ex: i want a new plushie of my favorite animal 2. Ok now time to tell yourself that what you want is now true i have a new plushie for my collection 3. Now accept it. Accept it to be your truth and just let it be. 4. Anytime you think about the desire reaffirm that statement and that is it. you don't need methods, they're just there to help you if you need that extra help with step 3 and 4 otherwise you're okay to just assume and move on. and if you think constantly doing your method just to see it in the 3d is actually helping, then idk what to tell you but im sure its much easier to just assume and live your life. also you do need to detach from the 3d for this because this isn't about immediately seeing it in the 3d or obsessing over needing it in the 3d, no shit you want it in the 3d too but you're going to have it because you now have it in your mind so you can just relax and trust. a lot of you do not have that trust you're scared and honestly sometimes you just need to be scared and do it anyways sometimes you just need to be willing to let go of the fear and go all in on assuming what you want. so assume, detach, and watch it manifest.

[toast-in-a-cowboy-hat]

I like to think that Felix looks exactly like his dad did, there's just so much potential there, from current time on into the future like. Imagine you're a child, a young teen, your dad is your idol, the Most Important Person in the World to you, you meet some of his friends, relatives, and they look at you and they go "Oh, you look just like your dad did at your age!"

And you're thrilled, because of course you are, you look up to your dad so much, you wanna be exactly like him, and now people are telling you that you even look the same as he did, it's great!

Then he dies.

And now, you see those same friends and relatives and they look at you and there's pain there now and they say "You look just like your dad did when he was alive when he was your age."

And they're trying to be nice, and there is comfort to that, he's always with you in that way, but it also means you can never get away from it, no matter where you go, it's always there.

You try to go out with friends, to relax, to try to forget about everything for a little bit, and someone comes up and "Oh, you look just like your dad did."

You go away to college, you come back for holidays, "Oh, Felix, good to see you, its been a while! How are you enjoying school, god, you look just like your dad did back when he was in college..."

You move away, to an entirely different country, no one who knew your dad is here, there's no one to comment on the similarities. One day, you catch sight of someone and, for a few moments, you're very confused, because 'Huh? Why is your dad here? What's going o—Oh.'

That's you. It was just a reflection.

Turns out there is one person here who knew your dad.

Time goes on, one day you're back home for a visit, someone sees you and says "Hey, wow, you look so much like your dad did."

...

So much.

Only so much.

Because you don't look just like your dad did anymore.

You can't.

He never got to this age.

Now they say "You look so much like your dad did" and all you can do is wonder.

Would you have looked just like him?

Would it have still been exact? Would your dad have looked like this? Would his hair have gone grey at the same time, would he have gotten the same wrinkles in the same place at the same time, would he have had the same aches and pains, would he—

It doesn't matter.

He didn't.

He never will.

And you'll never look just like your dad again.

[riteliso]

OKAY, WHAT WAS

what was I gonna say I didn't return at 9pm because I wanted to glue my headphones back together

uhhhhh

Prolly just that this is explicitly how to defeat the rebellion and she's an idiot

Does she think Shadow Weaver couldn't possibly make the time in her busy child abuse filled schedule

Unusually weak hiss from Catra here smh and I spend so much time praising the voice direction

Again, some girls just know how to talk to girls

Can you believe this is what it looks like when she uses sympathy

Can you believe this is what it looks like when she tries to be a good person

'sfucked up

She is genuinely acting outside of selfish interests for once, here. I mean, she certainly undoes all this good will later when it comes to Entrapta, but she's making the effort to try and stop someone from fucking themselves over.

We haven't seen her do that yet. And she's not doing this because of some pragmatic want for Entrapta continue working on the weapons. I'm sure if you pushed this version of her she'd CLAIM that was what she cared about, but she just doesn't want bad things to happen to Entrapta for no reason. I don't think she thinks of Entrapta as a friend, because I don't think she likes to believe she has friends right now. But I think she sees Entrapta as someone with value outside of what she can offer to the fight, and tries to protect her accordingly.

Kitty takes promises seriously so

This might not end well.

It's important to notice the motifs that this show uses. There's a lot of repetition, and I'd say a LOT of it is intentional.

Hands being held, dangling off a cliff, promises, double-entendres-- the show teaches you its language and then speaks it to you.

I don't wanna seem like I'm blowing smoke up its ass here, this series has PLENTY of flaws, but in using that tactic it does stand among many of the best pieces of art out there.

Writing is extremely difficult, but working with parallels and repeated motifs to illustrate secondary meanings to what is being literally shown on-screen, or to illustrate other things the characters are unwilling to vocalize is wonderful.

I do genuinely think it's kind of a shame this show isn't celebrated as one of the "greats." I mean, for what it's worth, there's not MANY shows celebrated as "one of the greats" when it comes to western serialized animation. It's really mostly Avatar. But I'd say that She-ra can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with Avatar, and that's no small feat.

There's certainly extenuating circumstances that lead to this-- it's using an 80s toy ip, it's a netflix original, it's a primarily female cast, it's a cartoon not explicitly aimed towards adults, etc.

But I do worry too much of it may have to do with the fact that it's seen as-- "Gay." In this weird HALF-pejorative way.

Like, in a way that straight people would feel like they're not ALLOWED to watch it for whatever reason. Well, okay, that's giving a lot of credit. There's a lot more straight people who just wouldn't be INTERESTED in it because it's seen as an LGBTQ+ show, but also--

Look, I can only speak for myself when I was a kid and the hang-ups that specifically I experienced, but I was scared to watch powerpuff girls because I thought I wasn't ALLOWED to because it was for girls. Like, not just that people would judge me, I felt like I was INTRUDING. Same goes for a lot of other stuff that didn't feature predominantly white male characters.

Listen I know like 2 straight people total and I wouldn't even consider either of them my friends but if they felt like they'd be INTRUDING by watching She-ra, I wouldn't want them to miss out on a wonderful story just because they felt that way, you know?

And of course, a layer on top of THAT, that's not to say that this isn't a heavily gay piece of media that should be celebrated any differently by its predominantly gay fanbase. It's a complicated topic and what-all-- I just wish this show got the fanfare that it kind of deserves. It's sad to see a QUIET masterpiece, you know? A golden needle in the haystack.

Either way that doesn't really matter. Just make sure you download it if you value it. It doesn't have the kind of following that garuntees it'll stay easily accessible. And still, it got to live its life and tell its whole story. That's a lot better than-- arguably MOST shows get at this point.

How many shows do you see get cut down a season? How many get dropped after one or two? How many need to crush a whole season down into a special 1.5 hour movie instead?

There's an alternate world not far from our own where this show ended up being bad. Rushed, and careless, and only a whimper in regards to what was dreamed up in the minds of its creators.

Celebrate that we're here, where this series tells its tale with all the grace it could have dreamed for.

Of course, there is ANOTHER interpretation of her defensiveness between Entrapta and Hordak. I personally see it as partway between the two, but she also doesn't want to be blamed for Entrapta's actions the same way she used to be blamed for Adora's. I mean, this time it'd even be arguably fair, since Entrapta is seen as under her direction, instead of the other way around. So it makes sense as a fear.

Still, I think it's somewhat of a "If she gets killed I'm gonna get hurt at the very least and I don't really want any of that"

Oh right the ghost plot

this is boring

And ALSO swift wind is here

Swift wind has to stop being involved with the B plots dude it makes me skip talking about them

I could make jokes here but considering how she is it is genuinely important that we see that she at least gives HALF of a fuck about going back on her promise seconds later

She is both right and important

To the story and also as like a lesson

Do-- do any kids-- I mean I guess I wouldn't know because they'd still be kids right now

Since this show isn't over a decade old I don't know if kids watched it at all or if it was literally just lesbians

I mean I learned a LOT and I'm just a lesbian

Even lessons we've already learned, like this one, having them told back to us in no uncertain terms helps us remember and value those lessons a lot more than just experience on its own.

Lessons are best learned through both experience AND sentiment, not just one or the other.

This B plot sucks and is boring

Also worth noting it's hard making be believe it's the first time a character has ever been fucking told "no" seriously and I believe it here

Because he's a violent sociopathic murdering asshole who looks like he's every single one of those words

This is a very impressive heel-turn we've seen, though. Hordak was untouchable, until he wasn't. He wasn't possible to be reasoned with, and then he was.

Immediately we see the side of him that drives his personal arc, and his complete and utter inability to form connections.

In one way, though this one is a bit of a stretch, he mirrors Catra's worst case scenario, where she gets all the power she wants, but with all that power and all that anger it's impossible for her NOT to be alone forever. Cared about one person once, and never again.

Entrapra's autism is the valuable kind where she treats everyone as an equal. There's people she's happy and impressed to meet, but she doesn't believe anyone is more or less valuable than another. This inherent belief, not just present in her system of beliefs but built into her way of seeing and understanding the world, is what makes her a perfect foil for Hordak, a villain who opened this season telling Catra she had very little value and would be killed if she lost any more in his eyes.

She wasn't trying not to get caught because she was concerned about Hordak, she was trying not to get Caught because Catra is her friend and she doesn't want Catra to know she broke her promise.

Entrapta because of just-- how she IS is able to see that she should be treated as an equal, treat Hordak as an equal and with respect even when the favour isn't returned, and ask all the questions she wants because that's just-- who she is.

I don't think she's necessarily something to strive for, she has plenty of flaws, but I think everyone could learn a lot from her.

You won't be able to internalize her views on the level she does unless you happen to have that flavour of autism, but you can watch how she acts and understand how to apply aspects of it to your own life.

She was really hoping for a screaming match

Alright a lot of layers to this

First of all, I've goofed about it, but Shadow Weaver herself mentioning it in this way makes me realize it's more than a goofy BIT that the "second in command" position is casually called Shadow Weaver, even when not referring to her.

That's right folks we've got another metaphor, one you'd THINK I wouldn't need to be beaten over the nose with before I'd notice it, but eh, whaddayagonnado.

Catra is following the steps required to fill Shadow Weaver's shoes, she's obsessed with being her equal, and even potentially ABOVE her, but clearly there's more to it than that.

I'll spare you the cycle of violence lecture because at this point I've heard people talk about it enough that it makes me nauseous, so we'll focus on the more personal part of this metaphor.

Catra does not want to BE Shadow Weaver. But she doesn't really know how to be anyone else. She was taught by Shadow Weaver, raised by Shadow Weaver, TORTURED by Shadow Weaver-- Catra doesn't know how to be herself because being herself doesn't even feel like an option anymore, especially when anytime she shows the slightest hint of vulnerability or pain she gets punished for it IMMEDIATELY.

Once we see her start to improve, start to get better-- we see that she's still-- HER. She's still got bad habits, an unstable temper, an infatuation for making jokes at others' expense--

But they fill different roles. She stops using those things to hurt other people, and they stop hurting herself as much, too.

Catra was never going to grow into being Shadow Weaver in the way that Shadow Weaver was.

But she was going to hurt people just as badly for the same reasons.

Whether it's claws or lightning, she would have ruined people the same way Shadow Weaver has.

Whether it's yelling or screaming, her words would be poisoning people the same way.

Because that's what Shadow Weaver's job is, just as much as ordering around troops and filling requests.

I don't think Catra would have ever been cut out to follow that path all the way to its end. But if things had gone different, she might have ended up a lot closer. She might not have left the Fright Zone with her sense of self.

A rose by any other name is not a rose. But the thorns hurt the same, and draw just as much blood. Even if that's not why they were grown, that's why they were raised.

Catra would never be the rose that Shadow Weaver was. But if things had gone worse-- who knows.

SEASON 2

Hey sorry to everyone who hates how long that last post is when you're looking for fanart and shipping tidbits instead of a dissertation

But here's another

Shut the fuck up

ALRIGHT SO

we cold open on violence and fighting to bring us back into the setting, and we're quickly introduced to a miscellaneous status quo change that throws some people off

Frosta is nice now

Some people I've seen, it throws them off enough that the show kinda loses them, and I can understand that.

This is a show that lives by strong character writing, so an immediate tonal shift DOES feel strange. I'm not gonna deny that, and I'm not gonna say that the version of Frosta we get for the next little while isn't my least favourite version of her.

I think we end UP with a happy median. Where she's childlike, but she takes things seriously, and doesn't like to be talked down to. That's why she makes such a good character foil for Micah. I personally believe that's her at her best, but she also had a very strong introduction, so I can't BLAME people for getting attached to that version of the character, and disappointed when they take things in a different direction.

It's strange, and it's something that this show doesn't really-- DO. I get that it can be explained away in universe with her putting on a brave and uncaring and rough exterior for the ball she was hosting, but we also literally JUST saw her at the very end of season 1 and she was acting the same.

It's not a bad change, this version of her is fine, but it's unusual and in a perfect world the transition between the season 1 version of her and the version we end up with as the character gets more depth would have been smoother.

The splash screen is still the same >:(

I don't remember when they start changing I was hoping it'd just be once each season (with one exception) so that it'd be easy for meeeeeeeeee

Now I have to pay ATTENTION

UGH

VOICE DIRECTION

First off, it's odd that this isn't the first time that we've had a fake Catra.

Secondly, she sounds weird here in a way that's kinda hard to explain. She sounds kinda like a caricature of herself, which makes sense?

It's a tiny detail. But it kinda falls flat on your first watch because we just saw Frosta acting weird, anyway.

As with all holodecks in sci-fi, this one's primary use is lesbian sex

Also it's an amazing fight scene, I won't show YOU the frame-by-frames, but they're good frames

The amount of times she will be fighting Catra and we get to see her expression soften the moment she gets ANY amount of upper hand

If you pay enough attention to take a shot each time you'll be more of a wine mom than Shadow Weaver

We hear this in not strictly Catra's voice, it's distorted, because it's Lighthope speaking THROUGH Catra, not just EMULATING Catra.

Lighthope wants this cat dead. I mean I don't blame her I just don't agree with her reasoning of "I want this cat dead so that this lesbian follows my orders better"

Yeah :(

Also I don't believe her when she says it's meant for total accuracy

I think it's probably PRETTY accurate

But also it's based off of ADORA'S memories which is why Catra actually has the troublepuffs to hold her hand instead of being a whiny little baby.

Somehow Adora is under the impression that Catra is brave which is fucking insane

She's not brave she is just filled to the brim with unimpeded violent hubris

Catra thinks that the point of the myth of Icarus is that "at least his wings melted from the sun and not the sea"

Also it's been a month take note

Not for any particular reason, it's just good to know how long these breaks in time are

Girl me too and for equally stupid but very different reasons

As we learn later they weren't mistakes they were being a decent fuckin person

Do you think when nobody's around Catra puts on the glasses and kisses this robot

Or does she not because she doesn't like She-ra she still just likes Adora

You are such a pathetic show-off

MOUSE

Nah but fr the fear of stepping on a mouse is too real I don't wanna FEEL THAT

PEOPLE JUST POINT AND LAUGH AND SAY IM AN ELEPHANT WHEN I TELL THEM THATS MY REASONING

She really is bored

She needs a hobby besides vengence

Y'see when they actually fight she gets into such a slump and she's so ANNOYING about it

The moonstone is super-charged by the way

It doesn't hold much relevance and I guess that shows that due to the princesses uniting all of their powers have improved

Everyone is a bitch and they all hate each-other

[sparklecarehospital-archive]

Sometimes I wonder how I'm ever gonna be able to work on the other Spinch stories I have, I have so many ideas for things but only so much fixation power