#i feel like i could still articulate my point better than this but idk

[wander-wren]

i’m still trying to formulate Thoughts about 17776 but chiefly the one i keep coming back to is how it comes off, to me, especially at the last chapter, as sort of….forcefully positive? thinking of juice’s rapid-fire answers to all of nine’s questions. the way there’s no explanation, or things are only glossed over. humanity solved war? really? we developed technologies that fix any disease or injury, prevent them from happening at all, even, and they’re just everywhere? no one has to work, but money is still at least partially a thing? whole cities and states and countries are underwater, but it’s okay, they all lived and relocated and continue their cultural practices?

this sounds like criticism. it’s not intended as criticism. i find it endearing, honestly. i feel as though jon bois is telling me “shut up. shut the fuck up about realism and violence and selfishness for one second. humans are creatures of play. humans are good. this is a story where humans are fucking good, and there is fucking joy, for once, so stop asking questions.”

so, okay. i’m not questioning. i’ll live in 17776 with him. and i’ll even take an interest in football

[opens-up-4-nobody]

:-P

[loves4ge]

Hello, could you possibly write a Megumi x reader fic (or could be gojo x reader, idk, as you prefer), but the reader, in terms of personality and behaviour, is a bit like Megumi? Like rather quiet, serious and reserved, and has trouble expressing their emotions? And could the characters just be asexual please ? Anyway, I really like your work, it's always great and fun! Hope you have a nice day

"are you sure about this? you know it's bad luck." your mother says, worryingly. it's sweet how she cares but you don't believe in omens like those. these superstitions would get in the way of your comfort. megumi doesn't mind though. and neither do you.

"i'm sure. plenty of couples do private first looks. it'll make us feel better, alright? now, which room did you say he's in?" your mother sighs, a frown still etched on her face. still, she relents and points to a closed, brown door down the end of the hallway.

you kiss her cheek, smooth her eyebrows to erase the frown. you poke the corner of her lips to get to her to smile, turn and start moving.

you feel your heart growing heavier, nerves rattling as you try to calm your breathing. you don't think it's working. you're at the door too quick. would it be weird if you circled the area a couple of times before you came back? probably.

you raise your hand to knock, your knuckles softly knocking against the hard wood twice. there's a muffled "come in" and you twist the doorknob, swallowing your spit and hope your fears went down as well.

you open the door to see megumi turned around, with his back towards you. ah, his suit is a grey charcoal because you were adamant on him not wearing black.

his hair is styled perfectly even from the back and the emotions overwhelm you. though you're sure it doesn't translate across your face; you've always had a little bit of a poker face, almost always unintentionally.

"you can turn now," your voice is soft, steady as you stand behind him, hands clasping rosy-hued flowers. his turn is slow, dramatically so, until his gaze fixes on you.

for a minute, there's silence. you look into his eyes and he looks back. there's not a lot you can say. you want to, but it doesn't come out. you've never been very good at this affirmation thing.

but it's easier with megumi. it always is. he knows you; the thought brings a smile to your face and you set the bouquet on a nearby table.

"you're so gorgeous," he whispers, though his hands stay by his sides and you don't rush to hug him. it's nice to stare at him like this.

"i can't believe i'm going to be upstaged by the groom." he believes this to be wholly untrue, smiling at your words. you wish you could articulate the feeling you have right now.

you feel like you're fifteen again, seeing him for the first time when he did his hair spikier than what he does now. god, you loved his eyes, and they're staring at you right now, swirling with nothing but love and admiration.

your sentences are caught up in your throat, and your voice is scratchy. instead, you step closer, take his palm in your hands. tracing the lines; love, fate, career. you turn his hand gently, and bring it up to your mouth, softly brushing a kiss against his knuckles.

he warms. straightens his back. his free hand snakes across your waist to the small of your back and he pulls you close. the sudden movement makes you jump, dropping his hand.

he touches your forehead with his own; you're both warm.

"i know." you want to ask what he knows but you already know.

i love you. i would break the sun and the moon and the stars for you. i would cross an ocean, climb a mountain, venture a forest for you. my heart, my soul, my love. you are the reason i breathe, the reason i live, the reason i love.

[sea-buns]

hey to a gorgug liker what do you think about his nightmare section from sophomore year? cause I feel like the horror there is less “ah my grandparents were racist” and more “fuck am I being a stereotype? are the people who hate me right about me?” cause wrt to his having to modulate between barbarian and artificer in fhjy it’s like. idk

oh boy do I have thoughts

Tbh, I had zero recollection of the racism stuff until reading this. It was just SO MINOR. His trial in the forest felt really lackluster to me. I feel like everyone else's really dug into an issue at the core of their character and his felt more like "everyone is getting a trial, what do we do for gorgug?" And idk if that was just a bad delivery/call on Brennan's part or if it could have been helped by Zac engaging more in it but it just. Didn't feel like anything. It was a lot more about the dice than the horror of the claustrophobia and the bugs and you've never fit in anywhere you live to make yourself smaller wherever you go you're just the loser who hits hard. Like yeah I guess there was an overarching theme of Gorgug gaining confidence in himself but it was done very poorly imo.

And I think his trial in the forest was wrong for putting such an emphasis on his intelligence. I think that would have been much better suited in fy, back when he was still being heavily bullied, but beyond that it felt like a quick and easy thing for them to grab. Yes, he had insecurities about his intelligence with all the complications with Zelda. But, to me, the focus of fhsy was his HEART. It put a spotlight on how his social circle has grown, and his bully is his friend now, and he's not alone anymore. His interactions with Ayda, the friendship book, trying to help Fabian, I believe in you spring break, it's Gorgug keep going. I made a post earlier in the season (including a great addition by another user) that I think articulates that emphasis on his emotional intelligence very well.

Fhjy HOWEVER. I think it's doing everything that sy failed at. It's giving him space to have an inner conflict. It's addressing lots of little issues and conflicts he's had over the campaign and combining them into one coherent piece. Like, guy was in a relationship pretty much all of fy, and then dealt with the fallout in sy, but I don't think we've EVER seen as much quality relationship development with Gorgug as we have in jy. He and Fig spent an entire summer together trapped in a tour bus and no season has indicated that bond and friendship more than this one. He and Riz have found something to bond over, meanwhile in previous seasons there was pretty much zero one-on-one personal interaction between them. Fabian expressed sadness over Gorgug leaving the Owlbears, because it was the only thing they had that was just for them to hang out and be friends.

Just with that, we're already doing leagues more with Gorgug's character than we ever have. And I haven't even STARTED on his barbificier journey, oh dear god lmao.

Gonna preface this bit with a post I made before the season even started. It was about Zac's steady improvement in his performances with every PC, and how I was predicting that it was gonna culminate into a Gorgug that does him the justice he deserves. It was initially supposed to be a criticism, but I got a little lost in the sauce of loving my boy lol. Still very relevant to the topic of this ask!

God, where do I START?? Addressing his relationship with rage? I'll be honest, I didn't think that would ever be used as a character arc. And I'm not even sure why I've felt that way. I just didn't think... I didn't think about how he might've had a dislike for his own rage. Like, the WAY he rages isn't bad by any means, but I don't think it ever crossed my mind how actually harmful his lessons to sing to combat rage were. No, I did not like the way Porter went about teaching him (a bit too unsupportive of his capabilities and reminiscent of shitty teachers for my liking). But his point about EMBRACING anger; that rage is not bad and does not— should not— need to be stifled. THAAAAT. That opened up such an interesting dialogue for Gorgug.

I do appreciate the beginnings of Gorgug's interest in artificing in fhsy. I think the crumbs of it back then did a great job of leading into his larger commitment to multiclassing. And I think what he's been doing with it this season is exactly what was lacking in his section of the nightmare forest. His trial was a puzzle, based entirely on die rolls, where his solution after failing even when he's assisted by the enemy is to essentially give up. I understand that facing their fears was the whole point of the trials, but his section came off as incredibly anticlimactic and unfulfilling. Just the fact that it was a trial based on stat numbers more than the development of the character itself.

Where junior year succeeds in actually showcasing his intelligence and the evolution of the worth he holds in himself is with the hands-on approach it takes. Yes, the academic rolls are still dice and stats, but there's a physical manifestation that wasn't there before. Gorgug is smart when it comes to getting his hands dirty. It is in the practical applications of his skills that his brand of intelligence shines the most.

And while, once again, I did not LIKE Porter's heavy resistance to multiclassing....I have to admit that I don't think Gorgug would have had such a boost in confidence without that struggle. Even if my boy had trouble expressing it to Porter verbally, HE STOOD UP FOR HIMSELF. Instead of simply rolling over and agreeing that he wasn't built for a technical class and it was stupid to try– he was DEFIANT.

The kid who said "I'm a dumbass. Eat me you stupid bug." took on FOUR CLASSES. Three school years worth of artificer simultaneously. AND stayed with the Owlbears. AND went along on party missions to help Kristen's candidacy. AND was always on deck to help the party with the overarching plotline.

AND HE ACED IT!!! THE FIRST BARBIFICER THAT THE AGUEFORT ADVENTURING ACADEMY HAS EVER SEEN!!!!! He is paving the way for every unprecedented multiclass that follows.

Just in comparison to who he was in the previous season, the amount of drive and self-worth he's gained is astounding. In my eyes, it's done more than enough to makeup for the way his development fell flat in sophomore year.

i hope this fulfilled the ask in the way you were hoping! i told you i'd get carried away lmao. writing a bunch about any of zac's characters is always such a joy. gorgug had always been my favorite of the bad kids but i always found myself wishing he went deeper, y'know? and now it's real. my precious anxious boy has been handled so well. and watching zac's growth as a performer has been such a blast.

thanks for the ask! :D

[tentoohasamortgage]

i was trying to explain this to my boyfriend the other day and i’m having a hard time articulating it just because i feel like it’s a really like nuanced conversation that i don’t feel fully qualified to speak on (mostly because i am a cis woman) but i’ll try for yall because i love you guys and i want to make my viewpoint on this discourse very clear.

i absolutely loved the star beast. i loved how it felt like a true RTD special, and i loved how fourteen’s character is so wonderfully different than ten’s while still being so uniquely “the doctor”. i loved donna and her family and i really loved how the episode answered most (if not all) questions i have had for YEARS regarding how donna’s life turned out.

that being said, i loved rose noble. i am so happy that this show i love so much has finally recognized trans people in this way, and i’m so, SO happy that they are openly using terms like “non-binary”. i feel like this is especially important for trans people in normalizing the term. again, i am a cis woman living in america, and in my every day life, people don’t say words like that. i was so warmed to see the doctor using it in respectful and correct dialogue.

THAT being said, i did think some of the dialogue was corny. i feel like it could have been tweaked just a tiny bit to make it flow a bit better. however, that’s just a personal opinion, and i don’t have any huge issues with it. i still absolutely loved the episode.

the thing is, i keep seeing people who claim to support trans and LQBTQ+ people saying that the special was too “in your face”. i just have to point out that the doctor themselves literally switched genders twice in the last few years and considering everything going on in the real world (like trans people being murdered just for existing) i would find it mildly insulting if RTD didn’t say anything about it, especially after putting in a trans character. i think that rose is such an important character for bringing about good conversation in terms of doctor who, and we’ve already established that the doctor is some level of non-gender conforming. if you think the special was too much, you have to remember that we have to start somewhere to normalize trans terminology and trans people in media.

idk maybe this doesn’t make sense but i had to say something about it just to make it clear where i personally stand.

TLDR; i loved the ep. cringed at a bit of the dialogue, but recognized that it wasn’t really meant for me. i think it needed to be said. i’m here for it

[batsplat]

everybody is rightfully excited about the upcoming season but whilst i think if he adapts well and keeps his head on straight marc will win the title, i do think people on this platform (and reddit) are highly underestimating pecco and honestly if marc does any marcism like last season where he just crashed and crashed and kept on crashing, the title could just as easily go to pecco. also pecco’s racecraft is very good and the victor of their wheel to wheel battles will not be a given. the cutbacks alone!! plus on his « specialty » tracks he is very very fast. and he’s younger. i also get the feeling ducati will not let marc try any mind games or whatever and he’ll try to be cordial as he’s the one going into an established team and he won’t get preferential treatment which would kind of be a first. not to meantion pecco will be his toughest teammate to date (except maybe pedrosa but a lot went right for marc when he was racing pedrosa before he literally started sabotaging bike development slow him down). i kind of want pecco to show how good he is and if marc has to win then like i beg it’s at least not a walkover haha

welllllllll idk I was kindaaaaaa there mid-season, I'm not sure if I'm still there. it's not even as much the wins that I find a bit spooky as I did the sepang/catalunya ii performances, admittedly with the proviso you only get limited prop points for going fast and then crashing. idk, I do think at a basic level the case for the prosecution is pretty compelling. the gp23 was a lot slower than the gp24, marc was still adapting to the ducati and was that fast anyway, marc's crashes were often explainable by having to push the package too hard.... does all sound reasonable yeah

that being said, it's not an open and shut case for me. I think it's a bit tricky because my sense is the commentariat is basically united in thinking it's a slam dunk situation next this year, and I am more inclined to defer to their expertise than I would be in a sport where I know what I'm talking about. idk, I don't think it's quite as cut and dried (to continue to mix metaphors) as they do that marc's going to wipe the floor with pecco - I think that's a completely plausible scenario, but not a foregone conclusion. my open questions are based more on like,, logic than they are on understanding motorcycle racing. but this is what I would make the case for the defence:

while marc's speed of adaptation is undoubtedly impressive, that doesn't mean there's any reason there's more adaptation to come - this is probably roughly as good as it gets. this is low-hanging fruit and I don't feel like many people are arguing that marc will dominate because he'll get even better with the ducati, but I thought I'd get it out of the way

this is a bit trickier to articulate but... let's see what we can do. so we know that the gp23 was slower than the gp24. but we also know that a marc-level talent could ride the bike close to its theoretical performance ceiling, which is closer to the gp24 than other gp23's made it look. 'outperforming the bike' is one of those stock phrases that are useful but obviously not true, like you can't LITERALLY outperform your machinery, that's not how physics works. what you're basically denoting is that a rider is outperforming what we believe to be its 'natural' place in the pecking order, often by riding very close to the limit. given the michelin rear tyre, the peaks of the gp23 were very hard to access this year, which is of course where marc's immense natural talent comes in. but that does mean that... I kinda feel like,, logically, surely there's a problem with the idea that you can just rub off another three tenths or whatever to estimate how fast marc theoretically would've been on the gp24? like surely it is at least possible that pecco and jorge and occasionally that other guy were riding very close to the ceiling of the gp24 - it's just that this ceiling is a lot easier to access in a controllable way. so in that sense, a better bike might just... take that last extra bit of talent out of the equation a little bit. I guess the comparison I'd make is... so I think we can probably safely assume that nobody, including any of casey's rivals at the time, could have done with the ducati anything like what casey did. but when casey moved to the honda, at the time a more rideable package, casey wasn't completely brutalising dani on the rare occasion where they both had all their limbs intact. so in a way, a 'better' bike does at least somewhat neutralise that particular strength. pecco readily admits he needs a well-sorted package to be good - but crucially, when he does have such a package, he does seem to be very fast. idk, I just don't feel like it works to pretend like we can talk about a uniform swing here, like surely it's more complicated than that

yes, I do broadly agree that people underestimate pecco. I also think, and I know this probably isn't a great time to voice this opinion, that it's still possible for pecco to become better as a rider. idk man, I really would struggle to say that I felt his 2024 campaign was worse than his two title-winning seasons. if anything, his edge in raw pace felt more pronounced, and not just because of the bike factor. now, look, I do think he was an idiot at times and there are some forms of idiocy that are incurable but... I'm not sure pecco's malaise falls into this category. first off, I think he's clocked that he needs to take sprints more seriously - which, okay, yes, does feel a bit belated but fine. secondly, the racing incidents thing... idk, I live in hope. if he has another clash with marc then this time round it's fine as long as you're taking both of you out, because now he's your title rival so whatever. if it's another rider... I mean maybe this is just in his dna as a rider but it doesn't HAVE to be. valentino please, I know you think sports psychology is fake but I could fix him. and thirdly, the other crashes... y'know, some of that is inevitable, but something like the misano ii crash where it's not a riding thing as much as it is a decision-making thing, I do again kinda feel like you could probably tackle that. idk, one thing about pecco is that he does have the capacity to Get Better, which is rarer than you'd think really and maybe he'll do it again

the marc crash thing. yeah, idk! it's super feasible to me that this was just a function of marc over-riding a poor package and that he goes back to posting prime!marc numbers of crashes - which with the exception of 2015 were mostly like... okay in races, less okay in practise but idk clearly his body must be built different. but also, maybe not! maybe you just crash this generation of bikes more when you're pushing hard! maybe there's just a lot of races and inevitably you're going to crash a few times when you're constantly riding that fast! marc assembled a decent number of dnf's for himself this year - and while a few had Something Odd attached to them, some of them were just ... crashes. again, it's plausible marc gets it completely under control and pecco doesn't but... yeah. foregone conclusion? idk man

*wiggles hand* nebulous age-based/worn-down-by-injuries factor plus the qualifying question. idk I just won't entirely believe the marc raw qualifying pace is back until I actually see it. just feels like the thing that goes with age so you're kinda primed to be on the look out for it anyway. and also say what you will about pecco as a complete package, but that man is fast over one lap. personally I do kindaaaaaa suspect pecco will win the qualifying h2h this year - doesn't mean it'll matter as long as marc can regularly qualify in the same general bit of the grid. which feels likely. but still. idk, in general there's still a few unanswered questions about how this marc compares to 2019!marc, and obviously you'll never get definitive answers to that but this year will make some things clearer on that front

anyway, I still think marc will win the title, and if you put a gun to my head I'd probably say with a pretty comfortable margin without getting to a ridiculous territory. I actually think you're completely right about pecco's strengths - I think he's going to be dominant some weekends and I even think that pecco might come out and win most of their extended wheel-to-wheel encounters. but the thing about marc is that neither of those things necessarily matter. if you look through prime!marc's title winning seasons, he generally either wasn't posting a) all that many wins OR b) a great h2h in direct w2w duels. exception is 2014 I suppose. wins titles despite losing silverstone 2013, catalunya and mugello 2016, austria and motegi 2017, qatar and austria 2018, qatar, austria and silverstone 2019 - ofc he also wins a few but it tends not to be a positive h2h... big exception really is 2014. and with the ducati margin over the field I would be expecting him to post more wins than in a 2016-type chaotic season

where marc really gets you is relentless pace and a degree of consistency in that pace. so you get a 2018-type season where marc can afford to have an argentina *gestures* whatever that was - but all his rivals are so busy tripping over their own feet that you get to half season and turn around and his only 'title rival' is five hundred year old valentino, who is in pee two in the standings on the sheer power of not binning it every other race. or, okay, vinales also wasn't crashing but he did that trick where he just doodled around in the shadow realm for a whole stretch of races. and this is where pecco's problem is - he just lost a title in a season where he won eleven races. I'm not saying I think that'll happen this year, but like,,,,, this is the issue right, there's a world in which pecco's raw pace is extremely respectable in comparison to marc's but the title winning margin is still comfortable,, because marc's bad days are mostly pee two and pecco's bad days are... remember that aragon sprint where you blinked and he was suddenly fighting with fabio? that. idk, I basically think that if pecco rides a perfect season, he has a fair shot, but there's just more plausible paths to the title for marc. which doesn't mean it's a done deal but does just make marc very much the likely winner to me

about the ducati box dynamics, idk man, who knows. I don't actually have much faith in ducati's skills at rider management, not least since I did watch them get bullied by marc like half a year ago in a completely avoidable situation. I mean ideally they just completely lose control and it becomes a bloodbath, but seeing as that's fairly unlikely... you are right in that idt it'll be as easy for marc to steer ducati's development direction because there also just won't be the same dependency relationship (unless some stuff changes a lot in the near future). does ducati's tolerance for mind games really matter? ducati seems good at figuring out how bikes work in recent times, less good with human beings since basically forever. I do like the idea of another portimao situation, preferably with them 1-2 this time, just to see the ashen faces in the ducati box. but also, some stuff can't be reigned in!! yamaha TRIED with valentino and jorge, they also would've loved to tell both of them 'no mind games', but you'd have to say it didn't really work. pecco and marc aren't valentino and jorge, but they will inevitably play mind games. you play mind games with your competitors, it's part of the game to some degree or other. worst case scenario is that marc doesn't really bother since he's winning so clearly, so. hopefully we can avoid that

(also as a fan of Narratives I do kind of want to see marc pushed. like the whole charm of 2008-09 is that valentino is having to operate from a place where in at least one of those years, he probably wasn't the 'faster' rider compared to his title rival but managed to win anyway. poured his heart and soul into the psychological warfare front because that's how he had to win. and he almost pulled off something far more drastic in 2015 with quite a radical pace deficit, where at best he was the third fastest rider that year and by a comfortable margin. idk, that's fun! I like that kind of arc where ideally the older rider doesn't have this massive raw pace margin anymore, or has SOME kind of limiting factor - even if it's that marc can't afford to crash a million times (though going by the 2024 season apparently he's not too worried about that) - so they have to use other skills to win the title. ideally your wits and nerve. but obviously that only works if you don't have a massive pace advantage over your opponent, which is objectively very nice for you but also is kinda.... idk, it's more satisfying if marc actually has to draw on something new and interesting to win the title, something he's learned since the last time he won the title. if marc dominates the title, my response will be 'wow, marc sure is a very good rider', which I think we all already knew. if marc slips pecco poison to win the title decider, THEN we're talking)

in conclusion. I too would like the margins to be kept respectable. the way I usually operate in title fights is I kinda automatically at least casually root for whoever's currently in second, because there's something wrong with my brain and I don't like winning. I mean, mainly I am hoping for a) a competitive title fight, and b) good racing. since (b) seems like a bust at least for another year, we do kinda need (a). idk I think a lot of fans can just kinda enjoy winning for winning's sake and I envy them but... the thing about 2019 is that it was just about watchable because the quality of racing was consistently very high. qatar, mugello, austria, silverstone, misano, thailand, phillip island... even ones that aren't 'classics' like cota or argentina or catalunya generally had interesting stuff going on. this stuff matters!! it mattered that valentino back in the honda days had a principled aversion to being in the top five at the end of a first lap, just to spice things up a bit. this year we had a competitive title fight and a lot of godawful races. the action is almost always concentrated in the first half of the race or even the first few laps, after which it becomes exceedingly processional. and, look, none of this is the fault of the riders except insofar as they're not testing michelin tyres, but it's still bad! next this year could become a real slog if the title winning margin is massive and the races are dull as shit. but also, what can you do. hopefully pecco will try not to roll over and die

[silverview]

Thank you for that analysis from my last ask! :D

I (kind of lol) collected my thoughts together since and I also wonder if how Chas handles the Mick situation possibly reflects a way as to how Joe was able to get able with this for so long; if Chas had internalised issues like these prior in that kind of manner.

A potential example could be the holiday to Iceland that Joe mentions Chas booked but had to be cancelled because Joe was "ill" (presumably related to the faked illness), which may have been referenced earlier in the Anger argument part as Chas drops about the holidays he could have been on if he wasn't taking care of Joe. Is there a possibility that he also internalised the scrapped holiday for Joe's sake, which inadvertently helped him to get away with it?

Or maybe the bit early one where he asks if Joe could give up working so they could spend more time together at this point in his "illness". It seems to be something he's bothered by but something he drops easily at slight protest from Joe. Which, at least to me, was kind of similar to how he accepts the Mick explanation without any evidence, despite it actually not covering up much (e.g. the kisses and aubergine emojis).

Side note: I find it interesting that the work conversation immediately follows the bit where Joe gives him the bracelet that's meant to represent malleability in their relationship and how they're willing to bend for each other before shutting down any notion of change on his behalf but idk.

I'm sorry I'm not that good at articulating my ideas so hopefully this isn't too half-baked!!

no you are making total sense!!! especially the thing about the work conversation immediately following the copper bracelet bit. god. "please don't ask me to change." with hindsight that is such an INCREDIBLY clear red flag, not necessarily for murder but at least it tells you right up front that joe's a complete hypocrite and chas is just. letting him get away with it

which makes sense i guess because he thinks joe is terminally ill. but still :/ chas is genuinely such a sweetheart and has sacrificed so much, willingly, he deserves so much better even than the relationship he thought he had, let alone the relationship he actually had. you're 1000% right that him habitually just accepting things & swallowing his feelings was essential to joe getting away with the deception for so long. the fake illness was genuinely such a smart move to encourage that tendency.

[keepmeinmind-01]

rewatched the ministry corridor scene and while it does have its flaws (i.e., what the hell is going on and how come this doesn’t really matter), i really like how they made newt prickly and theseus (awkwardly) affectionate there. I think it’s so interesting. like newt is compassionate and friendly to everyone but a bit standoffish to theseus. theseus is distant from most people and pretty reserved but affectionate towards newt. the contradictions!

like i know i write them with a bagful of problems that complicates this, and this scene was also charged by the credence discussion—but hey, let’s pretend for a moment it’s just set neutrally, and forgive me for writing my own subtext that’s actually not subtext.

I love prickly newt and affectionate theseus.

in short, I like the idea that maybe newt just doesn’t like theseus very much at that point, because i sort of relate to placing distance between myself and other people for no tangible reason. it feels like such a good character flaw. being sweet and compassionate but also just that little bit defensive. and even more interesting for newt’s psychology if it’s not a cut and dry situation and perhaps it’s even a little arbitrary, rather than super deep. like maybe he just doesn’t want to be around theseus, he just wants to leave; it’s not because he has a history where he hates theseus or because he loves leta. it’s just that he doesn’t like theseus in that moment, even though theseus is (according to david heyman, which you’d have to squint to see) finding middle ground. like maybe theseus is doing all the things that are technically right, but newt is just being prickly because at that moment, he /is/ prickly.

I feel like a core thing in their relationship is a certain amount of irrationality because of the distance. like newt pushes theseus away for /some/ reasons but he also doesn’t know why. and theseus keeps persisting in this very limited way with this somewhat one track mind and still doesn’t /quite/ break out of it. maybe they have many other reasons, but when it comes to a quick interaction, this is just “what happens.” perhaps not because theseus has ever been particularly mean, or newt has ever done whatever that equivalent is back, but just because they’re both so unsure with one another.

idk…i wish i could articulate it better, but i really like it, I don’t know why. I feel somewhat represented by the fact that newt at his core is compassionate and gentle, but doesn’t come across as “nice” all the time when he’s uncomfortable or unsure, and perhaps sometimes that’s just how he is. like maybe newt is being a little “mean” to an observer, because he’s not perfect, but theseus keeps pushing on: because in the end being a /little/ prickly and mean sometimes is /okay/. you can be a cinnamon roll-style character and not always extend eternal love and sunshine to everyone all the time, because it’s hard to work like that.

this part is slightly tangential, but, like, i think i am autistic, and sometimes, even though my family are fine, i can’t bear to talk to them, or anyone at all. i like to think newt has days like that, where he’s snippy and a bit unfair/resentful and quietly prickly and desperate to retreat, but we (and all the characters) love him anyway. :,)

[taylortruther]

not to be too parasocial but...the denial playlist is giving very much 'it is nothing now, but it was everything then'.

sure, maybe taylor is beyond the point of acceptance and obviously has moved on from that part of her life, but she definitely had to revisit it repeatedly whilst making this album and the playlists. thats the thing, when you reopen a wound after a long time, you have a better understanding of it. but it still hurts.

ig that's pretty much it ; taylor realises she was screwed over, wasted a lot of time etc. let's say she's even angry about it. she categorises those phases of her life based on how she feels bout them NOW rather than how she did then.

she has healed ; she's indifferent at best and disgruntled about letting herself be wronged at worst. that utter lack of positive feelings about that time in her life compels her to overlook the positive aspects of those songs.

its always been "all's well that ends well" for her, and that one didn't end well at all. so, she applies the opposite logic on it - it must have always been bad.

memories of intense periods in our life often tend to decieve us and twist the true version of events - omitting important info and planting fake ones. it might make us think that everything was black and white, either complete bliss or pure agony. but it was neither, and that's why those songs were conceived in the first place. that's why she struggled so hard to salvage the relationship. that's why it hurts.

"i can't make it go away by making you a villain" but our brains tend to subconsciously dilute the details of such moments, sparing us the heartbreak or atleast make it easier to digest.

taylor feels right now that those songs were written in moments of delusion and perhaps she's right, but what's more likely is that it WAS good once upon a time. she just wants to forget it, and that's okay. it's her songs at the end of the day.

its always been "all's well that ends well" for her, and that one didn't end well at all. so, she applies the opposite logic on it - it must have always been bad.

with respect, anon, this feels like too big of a big conclusion to jump to. we haven't heard the album, we don't know the full story, and she's probably going to be processing it/her feelings about it for a long time. (or maybe she won't!) they could change tomorrow, next year, 10 years from now.

idk how to articulate why this is rubbing me the wrong way, sorry. this is giving when joever first happened and my feelings were getting hurt the way people talked about relationships and breakups and the shaming and the "she should've KNOWN" of it all.

[rescue-ram]

hawktrap, and if someone got there before me, beejhawk

(⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠) TrapHawk ✨

Ship It

1. What made you ship it?

Waugh, the first MASH episode I remember seeing was Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde, and the funny-turns-touching caretaking instantly set off the little shippy bulb in my brain. I love best friend ships, I love the love and affection between them, I love that they're a paired set and the support they show, and I feel like there's a really special quality to their friendship that makes them feel Very Important to each other. Plus they have great chemistry.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Kfksjsj low key got ahead of myself there. But the thing that keeps me hooked is how flexible they ss characters and their dynamic is. I feel like there's lots of angles you can take and lots of scenarios to explore while still keeping the characters in line with what we see in the show. I love that they're in sync 95% of the time, but those little gaps leave just enough room for drama or angst. I love that they're inveterate kinksters AND softboys who care for each other. They're just great.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I mean there are certain common takes on both characters, especially Trapper, that make me cuckoo bananas rageful. The whole Trapper Abandoned Hawkeye and Broke His Heart thing 🔪🔪🔪 I will also die on the hill that Trapper Is Much Softer Than People Give Him Credit For and Hawkeye Is Much Stronger. Trying to think of how to phrase my gripes and opinions such that I don't come off as unnecessarily bitchy lol. But like, it is SO HARD to find stuff for these two that Works for me. I think they're more interesting and complex than they're given credit for.

Annnnd BeejHawk 🍵

Don't Ship It

1. Why don’t you ship it?

I feel like you articulated this at a deep level beautifully in your meta a few days ago lol. I mean fundamentally I am a Trapper Girl TM and TrapHawk is my One True Pairing, so this was always doomed to at best second tier "I like it fine" ship status tbh. But there's just too much friction in the relationship on screen, there's some genuine meanness and anger, they misunderstand each other at key points, and I don't see the chemistry between them. Being extremely petty and subjective for a second, I just don't like BJ as a character very much, I find him frequently mean and petty and annoying and unfunny. Hawkeye can do better.

2. What would have made you like it?

Augh. Okay, I think in a lot of BJHawk interactions that others read as shippy, I see an edgy clinginess that makes me Uncomfy. So BJ being less "repressed neurotic" and a little more ease in their relationship. Also the fundamental biggest barrier to BJHawk is BJ Loves His Wife and Child, and I don't want to like. Get rid of that aspect of his character because it's vital to him, y'know? But maybe more of Hawkeye corresponding with Peg and building up a friendship with her- it could even be comedic, where he's planning a surprise for BJ who's getting increasingly suspicious then is amused/embarrassed/fond when he figures it out, but just like a sense Hawkeye could be included in the family dynamic without being wildly unfair to Peg, or even just BJ being a little more liberated sexually such that it's easier to imagine them conducting an affair that doesn't IMMEDIATELY implode his marriage. I mean, BJ is the deuteragonist for 2/3 of the show, obviously I have thoughts on their dynamic and how it would change with a romantic or sexual element to it, but I frankly don't see Gay BJ at all, I don't see Bi BJ at all, he's sooooo heterosexual to me, so a more sexually ambiguous or chill BJ is necessary lol. Also more BJ taking care of Hawkeye, more buddy vibes and funny coziness! And like this is probably me ragging too much on BJ... IDK it's hard to say how Hawkeye would need to change, he's already trying to be a good friend given the circumstances... I mean, for my subjective ship tastes 90% of my personal turn offs come from BJ, so Hawkeye is not really the problem in this ship for me. I guess something that really bugs me about the BJHawk fic I've tried that turns me off the ship is Sad Sack Hawkeye, so maybe more content with spunky prankster Hawkeye and co-conspirator BJ, or a proactive seductive Hawkeye pursuing BJ, romancing him, making it more of a "I want this because I want you" than a "I'm clinging to this because I need you" thing, which isn't sexy to me.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Jfkdndkdn. Yeah, I guess. It's not like. A bad ship. I get it. They were The Pair for 8 seasons, they have many many moments to build a ship on, it's not without merit or something. They're friends who've been brought together in horrible circumstances, they go through a lot, they're close, there's some great scenes for them. I think you can get some interesting scenarios out of their dynamic, though my brain runs a little darker and angstier than shippy. But it is just so very much Not My Cup of Tea in either the show or in the fan works I've tried. Even fics that were otherwise interesting and well-written and in character, the BJHawk elements were pure 😬 to me. Truly truly "Your ship is not my ship and that's okay" situation.

[bunglegaydogs]

Hiiii I'm just sending an ask because they're all different posts (read : I'm lazy) so please don't mind me lol

First and foremost, YOU ARE AMAZING AT EXPRESSING YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR ESSAYS ARE ALWAYS SO NUANCED?? SO YOU SAYING THAT WAS A HUGE COMPLIMENT OMG- I love reading your bsd essays so much and it's just now that I realised that they're all your essays abaammw some of the best in the fandom really. I'm always baffled when in the middle of an essay you go "I may not be articulating my thoughts right" or "this is kind of just put together" because girl you're amazing! Never stop writing these please ajajahsbw ALSO! Hearing your little thoughts and feelings pop up in the middle of an essay makes it so endearing to me. Like, that's a whole ass person writing these many words just to express how much they like this show and they're so adorable! (So sorry if that's offensive idk if calling someone adorable is)

Also, completely unrelated lol but this is exactly why I prefer to ask people questions instead of googling! Knowing that the person explaining is a human has their own opinions and hearing their feelings and experiences is so much more better and relatable than reading stuff off a Google website. Also your pfp is the cutest everyone has cute pfps nowadays 😭 anyways yes cute pfp :D

Actually getting to the point now:

1) yes yes Oda and Dazai's relationship is so dear to me I love them sm and I adore seeing Atsushi all caring for his mentor 😭 he's basically Dazai's emotional support cat!! Dazai let the boy in please I'm begging you he can purr probably and it would melt away your stress pls pls (Maybe everyone in the ADA sees Atsushi as their emotional support cat...)

2) Mori is a piece a shit, and you should be allowed to say it. I'm never biased in my writing but I loathe that guy with my very being and the whole people who like Mori thing really got me reconsidering...was *I* the bad guy for not liking a character when I actively liked a character very similar to him? Then I realised, I completely respect and treat equally all the people who don't like/hate Dazai. I don't treat them any different just because they don't like a character. And that's what I should expect too!

There's no post defending Dazai, and yet I still like him because I accept his wrongdoings and want him to keep getting better, like Oda told him to. Yknow, the argument would be MUCH different if Dazai was a woman and not a man, imagine bashing someone for liking a teen girl and not liking the guy who groomed her to be his heir. Yeah, really puts things into perspective. I'm not sexist, I treat (respectful) men and women equally, but Mori is just. No.

3) I haven't see it before in any canon source material but I feel like it's definitely true. It's clear that Dazai WANTS to want to keep living, but he can't bring himself to want it because of all the pain he's endured. He literally said in dark era that the reason he joined the mafia was to try and seek meaning in life by being close to death and violence. It's ironic, Dazai feels the most alive when he's about to LOSE that privilege. It could also mean that Dazai only realises the "value" in living when he's about to lose it. Perhaps he thinks of things he could've done, things he'll regret, and that helps him to stop before he actually does it. But in my opinion? I don't think he finds anything of worth in that time. He just convinces himself that he does. This is a personal hc but it's probably likely to be the case.

If you've listened to the song My R, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.(totally recommend btw!).The girl in the song speaks to herself about her woes and the 'other' version of her comforts her telling her about all the things that she DOES have, but by the end of the song, she has lost everything of meaning and she can't comfort the "girl". It is only revealed that the girls she comforted are different versions of HERSELF that she stopped from jumping.

Anyways, in conclusion, SOMEBODY PLEASE GIVE THIS BOY A HUG HE DESERVES IT

oh my god oh my god oh my god

i am sat here on the verge of TEARS in my goddamn chuuya cosplay

okay okay give me a second i need to collect myself

you are singlehandedly the SWEETEST person ever im sobbing

literally i cant- thank you so fucking much! you dont understand how much this all means to me WOWOWOWOW <33333333

literally, my brain doesnt let me consume my content positively and so i always think that theyre quite bad or that im the only person who thinks that or that im saying all the wrong things lol

i have so many words and thoughts floating around in my little brain that i just cant find the words for, so thats honestly what those rants are, my delusional 4am thought processes when i deep things too much

and YOU THINK??? genuinely, thank you!!! i love reading people's essays and thoughts, so hearing you say that genuinely just warms my absolute heart <3

and yes yes i do get quite sidetracked very often and start just rambling and adding my own personal twists- genuinely i thought that was annoying for people to read, but you're just putting a big smile on my face right now :) and PLS DONT THINK CALLING ME ADORABLE IS OFFENSIVE I LITERALLY GIGGLED READING THAT SHIT FR. <333

i like to add personal experiences and thoughts into it, just to get my point across, put it into an irl perspective and let people also relate and see what im getting at. (unfortunately) i have the same experiences as most of these characters, and so that is why they're so dear to me and why i get very defensive and passionate writing about them!

and yes! getting your answers and stuff from irl people instead of strange irrelevant responses is much more preferred lol. it's more raw and in depth and definitely a lot more personal! and thank you so much!!! it's genuinely one of my favourite dazai panels istg hes such a pretty mf

1.) i love love LOVE their dynamic, i think it's one of my favourites in the show along with skk and ranpo and yosano. it really fucking hits hard, as all family dynamics do with me fr, idk what it is about them, they just get me. and yes!!! i love when atsushi shows that he cares for dazai it MAKES ME FEEL NICE <3 and that's so real oh my god hes a tiger please PLEASE he can fucking PURR (there was a tumblr post i saw, i can try and find it but it made me actually cry laughing)

THIS ONE i was fucking howling but yes! their relationship is also one that really really gets to me! and yes, he is just the ada's support cat, it's canon, i'm ranpo's sweets

2.) thank you thank you THANK YOU mori is an actual degenerate human being. he's not made to be liked or appreciated or revered, it's just fucking AEUGH. i'm not going to demonise the people who enjoy him as a character, but seriously, it's a big red flag to overlook the canon pedophilia. i saw someone make a defense against him saying "yes, but he's never actually touched kids, so that doesn't mean anything" SORRY? they also went on to say that he "restrains himself" from having pedophilic thoughts with elise, and basically praised him for that. needless to say, it got me feeling fucking icky. and yes! i feel exactly the same. i always think that "oh, maybe i'm the awful one for not liking him? am i bad?" even though, no, i'm perfectly fine thinking that way and i am allowed to think that way. and exactly again! dazai is my favourite character, but i recognise his flaws and his mistakes and don't forgive them. but he's actively trying to "be a better person" (i say this in quotation marks because dazai sees everything he does as inevitably pointless, but still wishes to uphold oda's dying words. i am definitely going to make a post about this in the near future lol) and i dont make my analyses biased towards him, and i stay on neutral ground UNLESS personal opinion comes up, to which i then say that it's my personal opinion, not fact, and that it's anybody's choice to think however they want. if somebody doesn't like dazai; okay! i'm interested in talking with them, and we can both talk about things we're very passionate about and have healthy conversations! unlike some people i have seen on reddit, goddamn. but no, we're not the bad people for hating that knobhead fr. we should all treat and be treated the same as any other fan in the fandom and get along, and i wish we could ALL do that in non-toxic ways. 99% of this fandom are the loveliest people ever, but that 1% just needs to get a grip like omg. we should treat others how we want to be treated, regardless of who favours what ship and who likes what character. and real!!! if gender roles were reversed for dazai, this would be much more problematic, and that's upsetting! dw dw, i dont think its sexist, i think its putting things into perspective bc, either way, its shitty how he was treated. i fucking hate mori. whenever i see people defending him to like, the bone, like not getting into a decent discussion and being civil but instead bashing everyone who says otherwise and completely overlooking the abuse, manipulation, grooming, pedophilia and just him as a sick and twisted person in general, it just really irks me. as someone who has in fact had to deal with separate strands of abuse including many fucking counts of sexual abuse and pedophilia, it disgusts me seeing people overlooking it and it makes me feel fucking sick. that shit is not just something to be overlooked because of the fact that you enjoy mori as a character, he's not supposed to be a character that's consumed positively, he's a bad guy. a lot of characters in bsd are morally grey, but mori is just fucking morally black. he's downright evil.

(TW for suicide and self harm next btw :) )

3.) yes yes yessss!!! again, bringing personal stuff into it, i deal heavily with the whole topic of suicide and self harm. i've attempted twice and still deal with thoughts of it every single day, as well as self harm. so, this is one of my main reasons of dazai being my absolute favourite character, because of the representation and actual presentation of these topics. at first, we're shown them in a whimsical and whacky way, then it gets so much darker once we get into the dark era. it's a complete tonal shift, and it really sets in the gravity of the situation for him. and, as you said, he wants to have that ability to want to keep going and living, and he wants to be able to put the effort in, but he can't/ he physically cannot. as much as he would want to try, he can't. and yes, when he said that it fucking BROKE me fr. just at the chance that he's not able to keep living on anymore as a human is the one thing that keeps him alive, i fucking love asagiri's writing, it's so complex and beautiful. and its so so so real!!! youre literally right idc lmao. youve so eloquently said it im crying, youre putting all my thoughts into words <3

and yes!!! i have listened to the song, i absolutely LOVE it! and i never fail to think of dazai whenever i listen to it </3 and, i also think it's very very much like dazai, because of the multiple different versions we see of him too. chuuya hasn't exactly changed much, but he has gone through some very very complex and deep character developments, such as in fifteen and stormbringer. hes a lot more "tame" and respectful now, and a lot more mature. (except with dazai lmao) aku, we see he's changed slightly thanks to atsushi, but still no major character fucking flip arounds. all these characters we've watched slowly become better and more complex throughout the series. dazai? he just does 180s every single fucking year. hes different at 14 and 15 than he is at 18. hes different at 18 than he is at 20-22. and the different faces he puts on for each and every person, all his masks that he has. there's much variety to dazai; you never know what you'll get. there's so many different sides to him, because he doesn't know who he is. as odasaku saw him, "a lost child crying out". no matter the age, no matter the state, dazai is always going to be harbouring that broken child with him, trying to hide it and build up walls around it, because the only time he's ever shown it, he's gotten hurt or betrayed and lost some key figures in his life. trust issues much?

anyways i am sorry i am sorry i rambled too much lmao

in conclusion, YES, GIVE HIM A FUCKING HUG OH MY GOD PLEASE I JUST NEED SOMEONE TO HUG HIM PLS GOD LET ATSUSHI GIVE HIM A BIG HUG WHEN HE COMES OUT OF MEURSAULT I SWEAR-

thank you so so so SO much for your kind words!!! sweetest person EVER fr <333333

thank you my love!!! /p have a lovely day/night :) <3

[tiredhermitgirl]

Buddy Daddies Finale Spoilers

Ok this is going to be a long post because I have so much I want to say about this particular scene so I am sorry in advance! If you read it all than WOW you are awesome! If not you are still awesome and I understand why you don't want to read all of this!

ANYWAY LET'S A GO!

Ok so the scene I am talking about is when Rei confronts his "dad. "There was something so vindicating as well as heartbreaking about it that I don't think I will be able to articulate properly but I am gonna try. This was written and directed really well in my opinion and there is just so much symbolism in this one scene that my brain was analyzing the shit out of.

But like right off the bat, I love how firm Rei is. He says that he is leaving the organization and when his "father" tries to give him some spiel about how his fate is to take over the organization, Rei immediately interrupts him and re-emphasizes that he is leaving the organization. Like I love that for him so much because we all know for a fact that interrupting his "father" was something that he was too afraid to do because you know... ABUSE.

But what I also noticed was how the anime framed it. Like when Rei re-emphasizes that he s leaving it goes from his "father's" eyes to his eyes and idk I feel like there are trying to say something but i don't know what!!

Then what does his "father" do? He tries to shoot him. We obviously know that he is not trying to kill Rei. He is trying to get him to submit but Rei sees it coming and shoots him in the arm. Rei doesn't even look surprised which really begs the question... Has this happened before? Has his "father" shot him before to try to get him to submit. I wonder how many of Rei's scars are because of a mission and how many are because of his father? Like the implication of what his father just attempted and the fact that Rei doesn't even look shocked about it really pisses me off as much as it breaks my heart.

The fact that his "father" continues on by threatening Rei and those he loves... like sir... fuck off. But we have seen him do this before. This emotional abuse an manipulation to try to get Rei to comply.

But my brain also began turning because of what follows after that threat. His "father" says "Kill me, Rei. You can't escape your bloodline." Like his "father" is so doggedly determined to make Rei as much of a monster as he is. I feel like Rei's "father" killed his own father in order to become the head. That's what I visualized when I heard that line. I know we all wanted Rei to kill his "dad" but hearing him basically order Rei to, all I could think of was "no Rei don't do it. Don't give him what he wants because you are better than that." Because by killing his "dad" he would be proving that bastard right in that it is in his blood to be a killer no matter who it is, which is what Rei stated way back when it was his birthday episode. I can't remember the exact phrasing but basically Rei says he killed whoever he was pointed to and it didn't matter who it was.

Rei choosing not to kill him. Turning his back on his dad, who still had a gun within reach. Rei telling him all the things he experienced while being away from him just shows how much Rei has become human. It is basically a declaration to his "father" that he is not a weapon. He is not a tool. He is a human being. He was his son. And because he has come to realize that; because he has changed, he is worthless to his father. Because his father wants a tool, wants a weapon and Rei is telling him that he refuses to be that anymore.

He is telling him that blood means jack SHIT because it was Kazuki and Miri that showed him that he is allowed to want things, he is allowed to show emotions, he is allowed to BLEED. (visualize Rei shooting his arm and seeing the blood splatter on the floor. I think there is meaning behind that visual). His father can keep stating that he has Suwa blood and that it is his fate to inherit that organization because of that blood but the bond Miri, Kazuki, and Rei share is stronger than any actual blood ties that he has with his bastard of a "father."

But like... the frame after he shoots his arm. The way he looks when he says "I am worthless to you now. Aren't I?" like I am gonna be honest I teared up. Because while I do believe that he means he is worthless because he wants/ is choosing to be human, I think the way he is addressing this to his "father" is more along the lines of superficial. Like what i am hearing is "I am damaged goods now so I am worthless right? You can throw me away, right?" Because to me, I feel like Rei was using this method and saying it in that way because he knows his "father" does not care about his emotional wellbeing at all. He has to convey his message in a way that only his "father" will be able to understand. Like it is heartbreaking. The fact that Rei had to go to such measures to convey what he WANTS. And his face... He is not standing with his back straight, his face is not blank nor does it have a stoic scowl. It looks pained both probably because of the literal wound he just gave himself but also emotionally pained. It is a HUMAN expression. It is raw and unfiltered and to me it screams "look at me for who i am, not who you want me to be. I am not a robot. I am a person." And showing his "fathers" eyes narrow makes me believe that he understood both the underlying as well as the superficial message."

And then the ending. The way Rei drops the gun and turns his back to his father, as if saying I am leaving you and anything associated with this life behind. The way he allows himself to be physically vulnerable in front of someone who has shown they are not above hurting him. And the way he says "Farewell, Father." Like we haven't heard him call his "father," father since the flashback in episode 3. And we all know his "father's" response to him using that term. But the fact that Rei uses it one last time. As if to emphasize that from this day forward, he is gonna live as the person he is and wants to be rather than the robot/weapon his father made him. The fact that despite everything his father put hm through, Rei has enough humanity to still see him as a father even though his "father" probably never saw him as a son. Like this scene was so amazing to me and it was so beautifully done and directed.

Ok this rant is OVER! I am so sorry for those who had to suffer through this! Thanks for those who did tho! Can we be friends?

[astridthevalkyrie]

soph, have you seen the diskhorse? 👀

if you mean the x reader stuff, i've seen the og post and anything my mutuals have reblogged, although i saw it pretty late (relatively) because i only found it last night before i went to bed.

(if you didn't mean that i'm so sorry lol because this post is really long)

idk i have thoughts here and i'm sure people have already articulated things better than i could, but there's two separate points the post is talking about—how a reader character is described looks wise (+ gender), and then everything else that makes up them up, ie personality, backstory, skills. there was also something about a mary sue, i think, about how most readers have not been trained as super soldiers or aren't celebrities and so they become hard to relate to.

so! here is things i think factor in for people when deciding whether a chracter is a reader or an oc. feel free to disagree, these are my thoughts and how i classify them. i'm gonna try to avoid saying "imo" this whole thing is my opinion lol.

1. giving the reader a name

i've seen both sides of this now. some people are completely taken out of a story seeing y/n or f/n or just ____ while reading, and others (like me) are taken out when they see a name that the author has assigned. authors can also do a range of things when it comes to name, and there's a difference between, say, the story starts with the reader meeting the character while eating a cookie and so he calls them cookie the whole time (any pet name, sweetheart or darling or whatever is in this catgeory as well) versus the character just being named avery.

the former is much easier to read for me because, y'know, that could still be me, someone could call me cookie if they saw me eating a cookie (sidenote if anyone called me cookie i would jump off a cliff) but my name's just not avery in any way shape or form so it suddenly becomes really hard to self insert (and reminder that the entire appeal of x reader fanfics for most people is to imagine they're the one in the story).

both things are valid! now that enough people have expressed their fondness and disdain for both, they clearly have their merits to different readers and it is completely up to someone which they prefer. anyone making complaints about either (usually the name crowd talking about how much they hate y/n from what i've seen) or anyone who says "y/n isn't me" or "katie isn't me" is just not reading fics that make them happy. in a subgenre all about making yourself happy and being self indulgent, you're letting yourself be taken out of a story by something that will keep other people very invested in it.

have your preferences. indulge in them. surround yourself by them!

SO. a reader being named does not make them an oc (and while i don't think people need to tag it, it would be nice if they did) until we get to the second point.

2. first person vs second person vs third person—and POV!

first person gets a lot of bad rep in fanfic, even when it's NOT an x reader fic. why is that? aside from how it's associated with wattpad one direction stories ("i woke up and threw my hair into a messy bun"), reading first person to many many people feels like reading out of someone's diary. even if it's from the reader's point of view, there's a disconnect that's there that simply does not let people self insert because it reads too much like the self insertion is meant for the author only. and because of the aforementioned connotation people have with it, it comes off as childish or cringy.

STILL. first person does not an oc make (didn't expect the wiseness here didya). i feel bad because first person takes me out of a story too and there are definitely more than several first person stories that aren't childish or cringy at all, BUT here's where i think the first and second point start to meet.

first person pov with f/n—still an x reader fanfic. first person pov with a named character—oc.

the same goes for third person. i've written third person reader and though i tried to avoid saying the reader's name at all (it becomes exceptionally awkward in third person), i did still use f/n everytime it came up.

second person pov is the only one that works with a named character and is still an x reader fanfic.

excuse me! someone calls out. what if i write from the character's point of view and not the reader's?

i'm so glad you asked! pretty much the same rules apply. this is when we get into how second person can be used without us seeing the reader's thoughts, and fanfic authors do it all the time. "he wanted to kiss you so bad, he thought of nothing but your lips the whole week" and "'i want to kiss gilda so bad,' he groaned, thinking of you" work, while in the same vein "i wanted to kiss ashley so bad" or "he wanted to kiss martha so bad" doesn't work.

the character's pov is easier to write in some ways because:

3. reader's personality

there is much much MUCH less to worry about when writing from the character's POV now that you don't have to write the reader's thoughts. (third person omniscient writers, y'all are so brave.) of course that's why smaller headcanon or sexy posts are easier to write (which doesn't make them any less enjoyable or valid), it's because they center on the character and how they would act while having very little to do with the reader. they do well on tumblr because tumblr favors shorter posts that are easy to consume, not because they're particularly better. if you ask people what their favorite reader fic is, most will give you a fic in which the reader most certainly has a personality.

it is highkey impossible to write a fullfledged story without giving the reader a personality, even if you write from the character's POV, which no one should feel obligated to anyways. everyone has already said this, but yeah, it is also impossible to create a character that will relate to anyone.

but do they have to be super competent or kickass or the biggest flirt or a ninja warrior gymnast superhero?

uh, yeah, they kinda do. here's where the hard truth comes in—these fics are meant for readers to self insert, but they're primarily meant for the authors of those fics to self insert into. you might not want to read a story in which everyone and their mothers think you're the greatest thing since sliced bread, but escapism is different for everyone. if someone following the pov and name rules i mentioned above, their reader could have all the personality in the world, coupled with a tragic backstory and a career that would put barbie to shame, and it would still be a reader fanfic, and "personality" does not need to be tagged. it would be extremely goofy if it was.

(although, a lot of fandoms DO tag features their reader has in case you want to block them out on ao3—think mha with their "reader has a quirk" tag.)

and finally, the most hot topic issue.

4. giving reader a set look/reader's gender identity and pronouns

yes. "your pale skin" takes me out. "your slim waist" takes me out. "your blue eyes" takes me out. pronouns that aren't mine take me out. any descriptor that wouldn't apply to me takes me completely out of a reader fic. unlike personality, it's not impossible to write a story without putting physical traits on a reader.

....that's not to say it's not hard, though. i hope people recognize that. if you're writing other characters interacting, flirting, kissing, or having sex with your reader, there's going to be at least some instances where "she looks up at you" just has a different effect than "she looks at you" and you don't wanna not include people who are shorter than the character and sometimes you have to sacrifice the picture you're trying to paint for inclusivity or vice versa. many authors are picturing either themselves or an oc in their heads as they write, and it's extremely difficult to check yourself after every sentence to ensure that absolutely no physical description is present.

(in a much smaller picture before i go on, i'd like to specifically mention the word "blush" because people bring it up a lot. unpopular opinion, but i really don't see a problem with the word, mostly because i think despite its dictionary definition, blushing is not limited to cheeks being red, it's synonymous with blood rushing to your cheeks, which can happen to anyone. my skin tone is dark enough that people can't tell if i blush, but i do blush regardless, just, y'know, discreetly. it becomes something else if the narration or a character points out a reader's cheeks are red, but otherwise i really think anyone can blush. if people want to avoid it as i mostly do to just not ruffle feathers, i usually stick with "you feel your cheeks heating up" and that has about the same effect.)

so, yeah, it's difficult. it's also not wrong—and i don't think it creates an oc. people can write a reader that looks like them and have it still be self insertable to other people or even have their works read by people who don't mind physical descriptions when reading x reader fics.

obviously there is an issue with how poc are treated in fandom and representation in general with the lack of dark-skinned readers and male readers, which is, as pointed out by others, because there are simply more white female authors. so what's the solution, so as to not alienate poc or ppl with pronouns that aren't she/her who are reading fics that contain afab she/her readers or descriptors?

(ik that's wordy, shh, i'm tired.)

tagging! everyone cries simultaneously. tag your stuff!

yeah, pretty much, exceeeeept. it's one thing for people to tag their fics with black!reader or afab!reader or variations of those, and it's an entirely different thing to say white!reader. you know why you don't see that? because it would leave the same bad taste in people's mouths if, say, netflix had a category about white empowerment. with basic historical and social context, it's not a great idea.

the better idea is probably to tag something like "Reader Has A Physical Description" or something along the lines that someone else could word better than me. then either in the tags or in the author's note (in the beginning) mention the types of descriptors, i.e. "reader will be described as having pale skin." that's it! go ahead and make the reader pale to your heart's content. pale readers and people who don't care will be able to read and others who hopefully make the effort to read the tags (always read the tags!) will just scroll and find a fic they like more. on the opposite side, "Reader Has No Physical Description" could also work as a tag to assure people that your reader will not have their physical traits described. that covers skin color, eye color, hair length and texture, height, etc.

and if something does not exist for you, if you want more amab readers with they/them pronouns or if you're like me and you're south asian and want a reader that jams out to bollywood music then you're always, always free to write one of your own or request from authors who allow it. as most poc readers know, having someone who is of the same race or ethnicity as you write something with their experience clearly woven into the story can be very personal, as it is for them to write.

so! tldr: pov matters a lot when determining oc or reader, and names, personality and looks less so, but everything is about what shapes your experience and preference. tags are important, as is keeping in mind that x reader fics are meant for self insertion both for the author and the reader. write what you want, but let's be conscious of alienating people who are already lacking representation in fandom. happy reading, happy writing, hope those characters love you like you deserve!

[machihunnicutt]

[falls out of baby it's you finale] Hello I'm Here To Ask You To Please Talk Some About The Extended Knight Metaphor I'm Feeling Super Normal About ("There he was, a knight in armor, lingering at the front steps, haunted by closed doors.") PLUS ⭐ a selection of your choice (if you'd like!!!)

YEAH OF COURSE ! long thoughts under the cut

I think BJ as The Knight works in a lot of ways for his thoughts/feelings/position throughout baby it's you. In flashbacks, I see him presenting this very protective/loyal/rigid/chivalrous persona to mask his insecurities/discomfort he feels trying to fit himself into straight manhood (and fatherhood & marriage). For example, with Peg (in chapter 4):

Alone together. The phrase rattled around in his head. He’d been alone so long that he didn’t know how else to be. Every time he reached for her he felt selfish. He felt like he’d grafted himself to her, or that they were passing through each other. He felt like he wasn’t supposed to feel so intensely. He felt like the words husband and wife should come more easily. He felt like he could sit there on the church steps for hours, rubbing her feet. “Should I carry your shoes? Or are you going to put them back on?” he said. She laughed, chin dipping. “Carry them. Just don’t step on my toes,” she said.

The attachment/devotion/service & the intensity of his feelings despite his lack of attraction to her...carrying her shoes, idk. BJ's internal conflicts, for me, always come back to the tension between who he is, who he feels he should be, and how he can reconcile & articulate his identity after repressing everything for so long. He's always coming back to these questions of duty & the roles he plays in other peoples' lives.

And, where you point it out in chapter 12:

“Do you let anything get under there?” Hawkeye muttered. “Under my armor?” BJ said, eyebrows raising. He could play along. He was good at it. He was better at it with Hawkeye than with anyone.  “I wouldn’t be much of a knight if I did, would I?” BJ said. “You’re no knight,” Hawkeye said, yawning. “You wound me,” BJ said, letting the smile win over his face.  “See, if you were a knight, it would take more to wound you. They’re stoic,” Hawkeye said. “I’m stoic. People tell me I’m very stoic,” BJ said, though his tone contradicted his point. “Hmm,” Hawkeye said.

I think it's significant that Hawkeye immediately sees through BJ as The Knight, and more so that he's interested in what's under the armor/persona. For Hawk, it's not about what BJ does for him...he loves BJ for who he is. (He's warm, under all the armor!! He's easily wounded!!)

BJ in 1970 is certainly in a less precarious position than he is in the 40s/50s, but I think he still plays The Knight. Particularly in the scenes in Le Cafe, he's always got an eye on Hawk (protecting him from his own actions? protecting him from Trapper? serving him by fulfilling all his wishes wrt the wedding??) Like Hawk describes in this bit in chapter 10:

Hawkeye thought about what Beej said at the bar. He thought about his hand on his waist, steadying him, holding him too tight. He thought about the space he’d given. He thought about BJ hanging in the margins: on the couch in the living room with a magazine, pretending not to eavesdrop, watching Hawk’s face in the bar, keeping track of Trapper’s comments at dinner, pacing, hiding his hands, talking a minute to cool off, managing his temper like he managed difficult surgical cases. It was like there was an invisible boundary between him and Beej. BJ always knew where the lines were, and had been trying, ardently, not to cross them.

I wanted it to take a while for Hawk to notice the way BJ positions himself the whole Vegas trip (and how hard it's been for him). BJ The Knight is always on the outside. He's got a job to do. He can't get too close. He can't get inside. He's got to be stoic.

AND, I wanted to use Knighthood to connect BJ & Erin. They really don't get much time together at all in baby it's you, but I wanted there to still be clear similarities in their thought patterns. She takes after him in good ways and in bad ways. They're both very hard on themselves. They both wrestle with these questions of belonging & duty & bravery & purpose. In chapter 11:

Erin had never gotten so much sun in her life. The summer’s activities had bleached her hair and tanned her arms. She’d be unrecognizable at Berkeley, come fall, she realized. It was a thought that made her insides squirm. It was like she’d been picking at a scab all summer, to get to the fresh, new, pink skin underneath. She was about to cast off this wild, reckless, ragtag version of herself. They couldn’t stay kids forever. “Why are you so afraid of what Fern thinks?” Benny said. “Don’t say it like that. It’s not as if I…well, it isn’t like I’m afraid,” Erin said. “It sounds like you are,” Benny said. “Well, I’m not,” Erin said, sharply. 

I like this idea of the dual purpose of armor for Erin & BJ: protecting/serving/being brave for others while simultaneously shielding/masking/hiding themselves from the judgement of others. Erin's picking at the mask/armor like a scab...she's got to cast it off in order to be herself, but letting other people under the armor comes at a price.

And, like Hawk, Benny sees through the persona (while at the same time understanding its function for Erin). In chapter 12:

“I’ve been acting like it’s us against the world. I never stopped to think about how that weighs on you,” Benny said. Erin sat up.  “You were right, though. I want to be the kind of person that you think I am,” Erin said. “You are,” Benny said. He shook his head vigorously. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you are.”

Benny believes Erin is as brave as she pretends to be. He still knows she's pretending.

Also...motorcycle/bike/noble steed??? The Hunnicutts are Knight coded.

[blackjackkent]

Minthara for the character meme!

(Character questions meme)

How I feel about this character

Ahhhh, Minthara! I love her. :D Full disclosure, of course - I haven't yet finished Rakha's run so I don't know everything that happens with her in Act 3. But what I have seen of her in Act 2 so far fascinates me. c:

Minthara has a lot of layers. She's got the capacity for incredible, methodical cruelty and she has survived what sounds like an incredibly harsh upbringing in drow noble society. She's also extremely observant, articulate, and has a very strong sense of her own philosophy and beliefs.

She's also terrified, which I find fascinating. The discussion about Orin in the Act 2 denouement threw me for such a loop. (Props to Emma Gregory for her VA on that speech, as well as whoever animated her Big Sad Wet Eyes, which were at their biggest, saddest, and wettest.) I feel like it's relatively rare to show the Tough Stoic Evil-Coded Warrior so overtly frightened, but she is SCARED of Orin, as well she should be because Orin is terrifying.

IDK I just really enjoy the dichotomies that Minthara has going on and I'm excited to see what happens with her in Act 3.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I haven't really actively shipped her with anyone at this point but I could see there being potentially interesting dynamics with basically any of the origin characters.

I also gather that she and Orin have some sort of history? Which is obviously a TERRIBLE match for everyone involved, so I don't ship it as like a happy/good/healthy relationship, but I am intrigued to learn about the clusterfuck.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

As I mentioned before, I really like the idea of her and Lae'zel getting kind of a mentorship relationship going on. I'm not entirely sure Minthara would make Lae'zel a better person, but Lae'zel is very young and could benefit from Minthara's comparatively steady approach. And both of them share a fear of insignificance.

Also my standard answer, Karlach, because Karlach should be friends with everyone. Minthara speaks very highly of her right from the beginning, to a greater degree than she does of any other companion; she points out that Karlach lives in the moment and isn't afraid of mortality ("perhaps because she cannot afford to") and compares it positively to her own fear of all becoming dust and bone in the end.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Once again, I'm not quite plugged in enough to know exactly what qualifies as popular/unpopular.

I've seen discussion about the possibility that Larian will reintroduce, in the final major patch, the exclusion between Halsin and Minthara - i.e. that they will retain the ability to recruit Minthara on a good run which was officially added in a previous patch, but you will stop being able to keep both her and Halsin at the same time regardless. And I've seen a lot of arguments about whether that is a good thing or not.

Personally I'm on board with them adding it. I do like that we're able to recruit Minthara without being evil ourselves, but I also think it makes a certain amount of sense that there might be interpersonal fallout from making that decision, given the conditions under which we initially meet her.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I think Minthara should have the opportunity to comment more on all the nonsense you got up to in Act 1. XD For example when the gith jump you near the road to Baldur's Gate. She wasn't even there for all the creche craziness but she still has to deal with the fallout and I feel like she would have something to say about that. :P

[jechristine]

To elaborate a bit, so Jaime Llyod I think wanted to create something modern, so he had his actors speak in a more contemporary london esque accent which isnt an inherently bad thing but I feel hiw jaime llyod wanted to his actors to deliver his lines was very monotonous of not slightly monotone and as result I felt it disrupted the rhythmic aspects of shakepeare. The use of microphones I think exacerbated things in the sense that it sounded like people were mumbling (mumble core) rather than clearly articulating the words. Now I think tom I think was the biggest victim in the sense b/c his romeo is more imposing so to speak he tends to act through his teeth so he gritting his teeth which is designed to indicate to the audience hes angry rather than just being angry. B/c hes clenching his teeth hes struggling imo to say some lines clearly.

I understand to an extent the use of whispering b/c it supposedly heightens the tension and in some scenes it works and think there is an element to romeo and juliet have secretive relationship, so he kinda wants to audience to operate with that space as if we are intruding on the characters personal space ( auditory voyeurism so to speak) but it doesnt work when its used for the full run time b/c I think it stifles any emotional depth or that emotional release so to speak. Whereas the other actors I think have better volume control I feel as if tom doesnt and just ops to fully to whisper into the microphone. The problem might also be the microphone b/c actors are so focused on projected into the microphone it feels disconnected to the audience

I juat think the decisons made between actor and director I think were kinda poor

side note: i hate single tear crying it feels genuinely inauthentic.

Sorry If im being confusing b/c Im still processing whether I hated the production or whether I missed the point thus invalidating my perspective or whether I liked what I saw but hated some choices.

Thanks, Anon!

Shakespeare mumble core😭

Idk I get you. I usually like some things and dislike others in about everything I see! I think it’s fair to critique choices around how the lines are delivered (sounds like a directorial choice) especially in Shakespeare where it’s so important for modern audiences to hear the early-modern verse clearly.

As for the single tear cry (lol): I don’t think that I could ever make myself cry on demand like actors do. I’m always genuinely impressed that they can get even that one tear!