#i like to pretend it's a panel and i'm being interviewed

[bunnygirl678]

20 questions for fic writers

i felt like doing one of these lmao

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

30! Which most of them are for Nameless lmao

2. What's your total A03 word count?

304.751, about to go up again lol, probably another 80k in this month, 268,863 have been in 2023, lol. I spent a large portion of time not writing, but after my breakup this year I've started writing frequently again.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now really just pokemon, if something else comes to me I'll write it, I'm working on a dragon ball z fic, but I don't touch it a ton.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

This is sad for me cause they all suck. I wrote them late high school early college, and they're all based on the Avengers movies (although one i think may have been the comics) it's a huge fandom, and I've had them up for 10 years so (god it's been that long already???) All of my good marvel 616 fics are missing, buried in a discord that I don't have access to anymore and word docs from a computer long since recycled

But in order, I feel Salem, Astronaut, Almost Honest, Wicked Games, The Whole World Was Moving But I was Standing Still (God what was with my names then lol)

Please don't read them haha

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! Sometimes I miss them, but I try to respond when I see them, even a few weeks/months later. I really appreciate comments, and I feel like I've made some friends through them, or at least they comment on stuff I write, and I can reference my other fics to them lol, though they can totally make friends on here or discord, happy to talk to anyone. I've had people tell me I inspired them to write which is seriously the highest honor.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

ummmm prolly the one where Tony dies after Steve cheats on him, I think that one is 616 based, but don't quote me, or go read it, the writing is...undeveloped, I think at that point I just started writing them, my characterizations weren't great, they got better but none of that is available lol

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ummmmm maybe Ode to my Soulmate? I can't do sad endings for the most part, my philosophy is real life sucks so I always try to make happy endings, Frank Left has a nice ending, that one gets almost no love, but I adore it.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'm not good enough/big enough to get hate, lmao. Smaller fandom now, i think there might be some negative comments on the marvel ones but I haven't read those in yearsss.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I'm trying, Oral Fixation is my most recent published, but I'm working on one where Green gives Red a blowie in his Neo Champ uniform from masters, i've been writing that since the neochampion uniforms came out months ago ahha. I'm not great at smut, but I'm practicing, fun fact I learned how to give a bj through fanfics, and used to get compliments all the time in my younger sluttier years lol (Pre-kid haha)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not anymore, I used to do 101 dalmatian crossovers lol, i doubt any are published, maybe on fanfic.net but i don't even remember my username haven't touched that since like 2011, i used to do x-men crossovers where various characters would have mutant powers, but i doubt those are published either.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so? I'm probably too small to get that kind of notice. I always welcome people to steal my aus and write their own fic with it (not copy paste my stuff, but write out the au the way they come up with with their own words)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I doubt it, but anyone can, I might end up translating one or two when I finally start learning a new language, or maybe improve my output on spanish (i can read it but not write/speak/listen well lmao)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah but this was high school and I don't think we ever posted them, again might be on fanfic.net, but like I don't even remember my username

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I don't have a favorite, maybe reguri, or 616!stony which i don't read much anymore but will always hold a place in my heart, my oldest ship is probably rougexgambit

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Blood Bank- but only because there is no ending, I'm going to continue that thing for the rest of my life, (at least quarterly updates lol although working on a new chapter now), there's also a reguri one that i wrote like 10k words on after i first started writing again, but it sucks ass, I don't love the plot to rewrite, I've written a lot more better stuff for them

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I do pretty well with hints/twists. Certain characters I'm really good at writing, feel like I've gotten really good at world building, and coming up with off the wall aus. IDK i'm not good at pointing out my strengths.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Everything not listed above? Lol. No, probably missing edits and not noticing them until I'm reading the fic months later, I'm getting better at pacing and general flow, sometimes I overdo it on dialog, and leave out movement. Smut too, but i'm working on everything, the key is to just keep writing, also too many fics going at once,

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I typically don't do it unless I know the language, I'll just put it in english and say they said it in whatever lang. So like for Kalos I just say they're speaking Kalosian lol

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I used to tell stories with 101 dalmatians, but the first I ever actually wrote was from Stargate SG-1, I was like 10ish, I didn't post it, it's long since been trashed, but I was obsessed with Carter/O'neil and wanted them to adopt Cassie (i think that was her name, it's been years since I watched that show), first published is probably x-men i remember writing phoenix's force fics and posting on fanfic, might have done a ginnyxdraco for harry potter. These would be on my old fanfic.net or possibly livejournal, i don't remember,

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I write all my fics for myself, so i really love them all, and go back and reread them often lol

Unfinished, Under the Alolan Sun and Blood Bank, those are my passion projects, I have fun writing them,

finished, either The Most Expansive Collection of Champion Red Merch in All of Kanto (probably one of my least angsty lol) or How to Beat Champion Red at Something (my silly little ficlet about Red being a picky eater, i just giggle when i reread it)

Ode to My Soulmate is also up there.

[periwinklekryptonite]

hey hi how does travis parallel common feminine tropes? i need to hear from the travis expert

Okay, so the "Problem" is that there's a preface and conclusion that's, like, way longer than just my bit about Travis's funny little parodies and then genuine relationship with femininity. While answering this ask, I realized just how big it is and I don't want to unload all of it here because I am just. Too tired all of the time to have all of it done in one swipe, and my attempt to do so ended up frustrating me more than anything LMAO

I write this with the promise that I'll expand on it and actually get to the meat of your question. I have a lot of it written, already!

The preface is easy: what's up with Travis and his relationship with gender?

Travis is trying to present as a very masculine, powerful character. It's an easy defense mechanism when he's alone in a crowded room. The thing many people fail to consider is that he doesn't know any of these people, and he probably dislikes most (if not all) of them on principal. The girls have a bond that existed in the before times, and Travis doesn't. He's an outsider. He's trying to grasp for some semblance of control by playing a sort of parody of the stoic, macho man... and it doesn't work.

Because of how he does this, a lot of people into the show are not into Travis. He's one of the only characters that are overtly and loudly misogynistic. It makes sense that people don't want to look past that when he acts so nasty. This means many write him off as exactly what Travis wants people to think he is.

Kevin Alves says it best in his Boys by Girls interview. I suggest reading the whole thing, it says a lot of what I'm saying and more.

So, even though he's pushing this masculine agenda when he's in the wreck with all the girls, my assumption in him has always been that he's never been the most big or the most masculine of guys at school. This is him really trying to pretend to be someone that he is not, this is not him.

This dramatized, fictional version of him is how he thinks he'll find a place within the group. The alternative is getting Coach Ben-ed and slowly being ousted from the group. Sitting in the back room and rotting in complete solitude just seems like a downer.

(Here he is looking sad for emphasis)

Travis was never the top dog. The girls do not take him seriously when he acts like this, and he probably wasn't taken very seriously in school. His insecurities lead to a lot of failures in his relationship with Javi and Nat, and no relationship with anyone else. If it continued any further than it did, he would've died for this. Like with Jackie, he'd be frozen out.

What Travis learns, and we learn as well, is that to be part of the in-group, you must also be a part of the dominant culture in the cabin and Wilderness itself. For Travis to be a part of the Yellowjackets, Travis must also be one of the girls.

Travis's story, the link between season 1 and season 2, is one of transition.

Some interpret this as a social transition, but I believe it to be literal.

The surviving group is not "the Yellowjackets and also Travis." By the end of season 2, (actually by the end of Qui,) Travis is indistinguishable from the rest. He's eaten Jackie with them, he's given blood to Shauna, he's taken blood from Lottie, he has led the group in their second act of cannibalism. Travis is a Yellowjacket.

Credit where credit is due:

@monstrousgourmandizingcats really helped me grind out these ideas and has a lot of cool YJ takes in general, and most of the screenies were given to me by @nicothecowboy.

Now, for YJ Fic Writer's Weekend I should hopefully have the part of this that you asked about ready. Until then, I have some interviews, and I cannot recommend the PaleyFest panel more. It has a lot about Travis in S2 and his relationship with Nat and Lottie.

[ladylooch]

Since David is Connor’s teammate, how/when does he officially meet Mack

AN: This was in the Queue for DAYZZZZ. bless my heart this was supposed to be out last week. My b!

Mack and David first meet when he is 26 and she is 22.

She comes over to NY right after graduation for a job interview in the US with Travel + Leisure as a full-time travel blogger. She had her own travel blog throughout college and impressed the interview panel with her content. So, she got her dream job right out of school. Mack moved to NY that summer. She stayed in Connor and Lucie’s apartment over the off-season while they split time between Massachusetts and Switzerland.

David lives in the same building as the Wood's. He had come back early that summer, knocking on the door to ask for some milk.

"Hi?" Mack had asked, peeking one eye out at him. He had been shirtless, shorts hanging low on his hips as he smiled charmingly at her.

"Mack?"

"Who are you?" She scrunches her nose at him.

"I'm Connor's teammate, David." Yeah, she figured. Everything about this guy screams hockey.

"He's not here."

"Yeah." He smiles larger, rubbing at his thick mustache with the pad of his thumb. "He said you might be willing to lend me some milk? I got in late last night and am trying to make some oatmeal before I go on a run." Mack looks him up and down, deciding he seems relatively harmless despite his sculpted body. She opens the door farther.

"I only have almond milk."

"That's cool. Anything is better than water." She waves him in.

David strolls to the fridge like he's familiar with the walk. He looks in, finding the almond milk after a few moments. He stands there, looking over the contents of the fridge. He has never seen so much chick food in his life. Not a single beer or cold pizza slice in sight.

Meanwhile, Mack goes back to the counter, curling a leg under her as she goes back to editing. David grabs the milk, then shuts the door, standing on the other side of the island, staring at Mack. She ignores him, continuing to sift through her layers in photoshop to grab the right boost for the turquoise blue water she just left behind in Hawaii.

Eventually, the silence and his insistent, green-eyed stare become awkward. Mack connects their eyes, then deliberately works her gaze down to the milk in his hand.

"You good?" She asks. "Cause I'm kind of working." She twirls her finger. "Some of us aren't millionaires." He nods, then shrugs his big shoulders.

"Where do you work?"

"At a magazine." She clicks a few times on her computer, then looks at the settings. David walks around the island, curiously looking over her shoulder.

"Wow, do you mind?" She asks, grabbing the screen of her laptop and pulling it down. The picture is not ready for any type of public consumption.

"Did you take that picture?"

"Yes."

"Pretty good. Although whatever you're doing to it makes it look fake." An iterated scowl glosses over Mack's face.

"Thanks for the unsolicited feedback. I'll make sure to critique your game after one shift." David chuckles.

"I didn't mean to offend you. Just being honest."

"Yeah, I'm sure. You hockey boys never do."

"Well, I'm half hockey boy, half farmer."

"Oh! Even better! That explains everything." She smirks, thinking about how small and closed-minded his world view must be.

"Wow, beautiful but snotty and judgmental. No one told you to leave that better than thou attitude in Switzerland?" Mack scoffs, rolling her eyes. He was the one who interrupted her morning.

"Again, I ask: are you good?" She points towards the door. He smiles widely at her, grabbing the carton off the counter.

"Thanks for the hospitality, Miss Hischier." He pretends to tip his hat at her while he works his way back towards the door. "Enjoy manipulating people out of their money with your photoshop."

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

destiel!steddie brainrot pt. 2

Here's the second part to this destiel/spn themed au (first part here, which has updated and made a bit longer!!)~!

i'm brainstorming titles for this, may keep going with little snippets from this universe as they come to me and post them to ao3 too :)

tw/cw: mentions of suicide and suicidal ideations below; nothing described/graphic, but mentions of characters wanting to/who have died by completing suicide (has to do with this part's monster of the week and Real Steve's story from the first part!). and said monster of the week originally died by overdose; again, not said directly, just alluded to. please read with caution!

Do two different cases of vengeful spirits make him lucky? Or unlucky?

First it was the damn ‘witnesses’ that Steve told him were part of the demons’ (yes, those demons, but from what he gathered from Steve, were different on the whole from crossroads demons) plan to release Lucifer.

“Ah, Lucifer. Of course.”

“Why do you sound unbelieving?”

“Oh I believe you, I’m just surprised that I’m not surprised by it. Because of course, angels, demons, hell, Lucifer is a given. He’s like THE angel, right?”

“He was the first of my father’s children and the first to fall from heaven if that is what you mean.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m getting at.” Eddie goes to pull his hand through his hair, which gets stuck on his rings and on his hand in general because somehow he forgot that he’d put it up about five minutes earlier.

Now, after dealing with those motherfucking ghosts, helping Wayne put together a pyre for one of his good hunter friends who was killed by her own ‘witness’, they got word of a long string of suicides at a high school in a small Indiana town that had the kids’ parents convinced it was some sort of pact.

“Y’know, I grew up here.” Wayne says as they pass the ‘Now Entering Hawkins’ sign.

“Really?”

“Yep. Good ol’ Hawkins, Indiana. Surprised we haven’t been through here yet, there was always weird shit happening here when I was a kid.”

It’s late morning when Eddie’s van rumbles to a stop outside the motel.

“Boy, we really need to get you a new set of wheels if you’re gonna keep pretending to be a professional at anything.”

“What’s wrong with my baby??”

“Ed, you’re about to put on a suit and pretend to be a professional that works with children, and you’re gonna pull up in an late 70s panel van. What do you think is wrong with your baby?”

“...okay, you’ve got a point. You gotta new set of wheels for me at that junkyard of yours then, old man? I’m not exactly flush with cash.”

Wayne thinks for a moment. “I think I might, got it from a hunting buddy of mine after his brother died.”

Eddie just nods, “Whatever you say, Wayne, now c’mon lets get changed and get to the school.”

This time, they’re pretending to be mental health counselors sent to work with the families of the students who’ve passed. The two of them get through a few interviews each, but it’s one of the students’ little sister that has the first inkling of what they are really dealing with. ‘Best thing about young minds,’ Eddie will tell Wayne later, ‘they are sensitive to, and open to, way more than adults are.’

He and Wayne are in this one together, last one of the siblings at the school, and the snarky redhead calls out her mom’s practiced answer of ‘I never saw anything wrong’, calling her out for never being around and putting the pressure of being the parent to her.

Eddie looks at the young girl, then back to her mother. “Ms. Mayfield, may I have a word with Max here, alone?”

She looks unsure, so he continues “We’ll be right here, you can be on just the other side of the door and watch us the whole time, I promise.”

Ms. Mayfield nods her head shakily, and stands, Wayne accompanies her out, to give her some semblance of security.

“So, Max, Max right?” She just eyeballs him incredulously. “I’m going to just start talking, and you stop me if I’m way off base, ‘kay?” She looks away, but doesn’t say anything to the contrary. 

“I think you know the pattern already, that you know this isn’t just some stupid pact, huh? I think you know who may be a target next; that if this thing, this whatever it is, can wheedle its way under your brother’s skin, that it may get to your…” He looks her over “...friends next. Right? Obviously no one in particular, just your friends, huh?” Her head whips back to him and he leans back in the seat he was given, knowing he’s got her pegged. She’s worried about a crush or a boyfriend, or something. He can tell.

The look she has tells him she’s already putting seemingly impossible pieces together on what he and Wayne are doing here.

“Whatever it is, it’s a bully. It’s going after whoever it thinks it can sink its claws in. Like it’s finding those with the biggest insecurities and driving them to their deaths.”

“You’re very astute, you know that, don't you.”

“Duh.”

“What do you think it is then, Red?”

“My friends have been calling it Vecna.”

Eddie’s brain stalls. “H-how do you know that name?”

“Ah, so you’re a nerd too, huh?”

“Your friends play D&D.” Eddie breathes; Max just smirks at him, but her face falls just as quickly and that just won’t do. “Hey, don’t worry Red, my uncle and I got this covered. We’ll get this bastard taken care of.” And he means every word. Not one shred of this motherfucker is going to lay a finger on this girl’s friends as long as he has anything to do with it.

She looks down at her feet, “Please hurry,” she mumbles “I can’t lose them too.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but she’s up off the little couch lightning fast and heading to the door. He shoots up to follow, “Thank you Ms. Mayfield,” He says when he exits. “She will be just fine. She’s just worried about her friends too.”

“Thank you.” She says, still a bit out of it as her eyes follow Max down the hall.

“Just make sure she knows you’re there for her, and get some more permanent help for the two of you, real help, not just us temp guys.” Wayne smiles at her.

All she does is nod, then moves to follow her daughter.

“What’dja find out, Ed?”

“Super-powered, cartoonishly evil, bully of a ghost named after a D&D villain?”

—-

He and Wayne split up after that, Wayne goes back to the motel to whip up some extra salt rounds for them, and Eddie heads to the Hawkins Library to do some research on deaths in the area.

After some searching, he comes across Jason Carver. Seemingly the small town’s golden boy tragically killed by an overdose. He seems to match the fleeting glimpses that all the witnesses to the students’ deaths were able to give. Cropped blond hair, 6’2” or so, a flash of green that seemed like it could be a Hawkins High varsity jacket.

The dealer that gave him the drugs was found guilty of manslaughter and he got 10 years and a permanent shun from the town. He, Fred, still lived in Hawkins though, in the Forest Hills trailer park.

Eddie calls Wayne at the hotel, “Whatcha find out, Ed?”

“Looks like a good contender for a high school bully ghost, does the name Jason Carver mean anything to you?”

Wayne scoffs, “Sure does, that kid was horrible to me and my buddies back in the day.”

“Not a golden boy?”

“Didn’t say all that. I think I know who we can talk to.” Eddie can hear him shuffling around and the jingle of keys.

“Is it a man named Fred Jameson, lives out at F–”

“Forest Hills, yeah. Be there soon for ya.”

“How’d you– aand he’s gone.” he says into his receiver to only silence.

—

“Of course I knew where you were talking about Eddie, I grew up in this park, Fred was one of my best buds back in the day.”

Wayne pulls into Fred’s drive, behind a well-loved red pickup. The rattle of Eddie’s van must’ve alerted Fred to their arrival, because he met them outside before they could even get all the way out of their seats.

“I thought I recognized that rattle, still haven’t hocked that hunk of junk yet, eh Munson?” Fred folds Wayne into a hug, giving him a couple of pats on the back for good measure.

“Hey, that’s my baby you’re talking about.” Eddie grumbles.

“Damn, that you, Teddy?”

“Teddy? Who in the hell–”

“Yeah, he really looks like Margie, huh?” Wayne crinkles a smile at Eddie’s disgust at Fred's nickname.

“You knew my mom?”

“Of course boy, I knew you both back when you were just a little bean. There were a good few months there, after you were born, that Margie and you were living with Wayne.”

Eddie doesn’t really know what to say to that, but luckily Wayne gets right to it.

“Fred, I hate to do this to ya, but we’re here on business.”

The other man’s face falls sickly and pale in an instant.

“I shoulda known you’d be comin’ ‘round. What do you need to know?”

“It’s about Jason Carver.” Eddie winces at how much worse the man’s expression twists.

“C’mon D, you can’t’ve believed that suicide pact shit.”

“I never believed it. He’s been…” Fred pauses, seeming to look for the right words “He’s been haunting my dreams. Nightmares really, telling me all the things he did to those poor kids. Says it was my fault.”

Wayne and Eddie share a look. “D, it wasn’t yo-”

“Sure it was, Wayne. I should’a just stood up to him and said I ain't had shit.”

“You know what he would’a done to ya if you had.”

“Well now there’s six lives lost, not just one!” Fred snaps. “If I had just stuck with it, told him I couldn’t get it until Reefer Rick was back, I wouldn’t’ve gotten that bad shit, he would still be around, and so would those five other kids!”

“Fred–”

“I gotta get going, Wayne, y’all should too.” He cuts him off “Good t’see ya Teddy.” and with that, he turns and heads back inside his trailer.

The two Munsons are frozen in Fred’s driveway for a moment longer, before they turn back to their van. They drive in silence on their way back to the motel. It’s only when they’re parked in front of their room again that Eddie says something.

“Fred’s next.”

Wayne’s face sets itself further into its frown. “I think you’re right.”

—-

They go out to the graveyard as soon as night falls, finding Carver’s grave easy enough. They run a salt line around the site, and start digging together, but Wayne’s back has him dropping off only about two feet deep.

It’s just after Wayne settles himself onto the handle of his shovel to rest for a bit when they hear something crunching through the dark towards them.

Eddie hops up immediately, Wayne tossing him one of their shotguns. He skirts off between the taller granite and marble stones around him, getting closer to the intruder’s unskilled footsteps.

He peeks around the base of a way-too-large angel statue and whips up his gun. He’s face to face, shotgun to pistol, with a petite woman in a high ponytail.

This woman looks human enough, definitely not ghost-y, probably just wondering why she just caught a couple guys grave-robbing. Better safe than sorry, though, so Eddie tests her.

“Christo.” There’s no extreme reaction to the word, only confusion. “Who are you and what are you doing here?? It’s not safe!”

“I should ask you the same thing! Are you the one causing all these deaths?” her grip on her handgun does not waver.

“Jesus H. Christ, I don’t have time for this.” Eddie says under his breath, dropping his shotgun and walking back to the grave. “Hawkins High has a ghost in it. We’re trying to kill it before it can convince someone else to do it to themselves.” He hops back down into Jason’s grave and tosses his shotgun to the girl who’d followed behind him, gun still raised. Smart. Eddie thinks, then also notices she was able to cross their salt line easily. Human, then.

She catches it easily, blinks once, and says, “Fine, say I believe you. Now how in the hell do you kill a ghost, also how is a ghost causing these deaths?” she un-cocks her revolver and tucks it back in her waistband.

Eddie’s about to answer when the loose hairs around his face are blown into his mouth with an invisible flap of wings “Eddie, I need to speak with you.”

The girl goes pale at the sight of Steve.

“Steve?”

“Yes. Do I know you?” the angel cocks his head at the absolutely bewildered woman.

Eddie has to look between Steve’s confused face and the woman’s heartbroken one a couple times before it clicks.

“Are you kidding me!? You’ve just been using your vessel’s real name? That’s fucked up.” Eddie says around the last few hairs stuck in his mouth.

“It was as good a name as any.”

“Uhm hello? What is happening right now? You’ve been missing for months.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Eddie interrupts, “Eddie, Wayne, you apparently know Steve,” He gestures to the three of them. “Shoot anything that is not us, while I salt and burn this sucker.”

To Eddie's surprise, she steels herself with a roll of her tiny shoulders and cocks the shotgun in her hand, immediately turning her back to him and watching for that damn Jason.

“So, how does a shotgun protect against a ghost?”

“Our own creation, the buckshot is replaced with rocksalt.” Wayne explains, not turning from his vigil.

“Salt repels ghosts?”

“Amongst other things.” Eddie shovels up another pile of dirt. “Steve, my man, I know you needed to talk to me about something, but can you maybe help with this?” Eddie looks at the beautiful man through his bangs, sweaty despite the November chill.

“How would you like me to help, Eddie?” 

Eddie continues shoveling, “Well, there’s another shovel up there, otherwise do you maybe have some special grave-digging angel powers I don’t know about?”

“Angel powers, what are you–” the girl starts as Steve lifts his hand and snaps his fingers.

Eddie’s suddenly standing above a completely cleared out grave, un-sweaty, hair pulled back neatly again from the shambles his bun had been in when he’d started digging, shirt straightened, and his jacket back on. Both shovels are sticking out of the pile of soil nearby.

“Wow..” Eddie breathes.

“Damn, why didn’t you show up sooner? Could’ve saved myself the stress of watching Ed do all that work..” Wayne deadpans to the angel.

“Can it, old man, now help me lift the lid off this thing.” Eddie bites back at his uncle, and jumps back down into the grave. “Stevie, watch her back, make sure Jason doesn’t come barreling in.”

“Her back is fine, Eddie.”

“That’s not what I–you know what, thanks Steve, now watch the opposite side of the grave that she is and make sure Jason doesn’t sneak up on us. Stop him if he does.”

“Oh..” Steve’s voice is quiet at that; he’ll learn eventually.

Eddie helps Wayne climb down and they get to work prying up the coffin lid. 

It’s simple enough work after that, salt, fuel, torch, burn.

Except it never is when you want it to be.

As soon as the first grain of salt hits Jason’s crumbling body, there’s a wail from above them.

“Every time..” Wayne grumbles.

“Everything okay up there?” Eddie calls.

“Yes, we can see him, but he can’t cross the lin–oh shit.” the girl says.

Fuck, he should’ve known this’d happen. Jason has been torturing the poor sensitive souls at his old high school and has thrown things and people. He should’ve known he’d be strong enough to blow a crack through the salt ring.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Damn, why’d he think it’d be okay to leave a random girl that just happened to walk up and what is basically a baby in a yellow sweater to defend against something this strong??

Eddie scrabbles up the inside of the grave out of sheer will, and Wayne tosses one of their pry bars up to him.

“Keep shooting him to keep him back, we just need to stall him while Wayne makes sure he burns!”

Steve and the woman–damn, he really should’ve asked her name–nod at him, and Steve suddenly has some long silver stake looking thing in his hand. 

“Steve! Silver wont work on him, it has to be iron or salt!” Eddie tosses his crowbar to the angel, who catches it easily, turning back to take a swipe at Jason who’d come up from behind him. 

Eddie snatches up Wayne’s salt rifle and takes the third section of the circle, willing the fire to burn faster.

Their new party member seems to be holding her own. She’s found their spare cartridges and makes sure they’re in reach while she keeps aim at the poltergeist’s head.

He only comes at her once, and she fires. That keeps him away long enough for the body in the coffin below to burn enough, banishing him from the mortal plane for good.

Finally, Eddie can relax. They watch as Jason burns down to nothing. “Are you a hunter?” Eddie asks the woman.

“I’m assuming you’re not talking ‘hunter’ in the traditional sense?”

Eddie smirks at her, shakes his head, “You’d be correct.”

“Then no. I have been trying to figure out what’s been happening here for a little while now; I heard there were a couple guys running around asking weird questions so I followed you out here. And NOW I want to know what’s going on with not-Steve.” she directs to Eddie, then turns to said Steve. “Robin is going to be so pissed at you.”

Steve opens his mouth to respond but Eddie cuts in before he even thinks about it “His girlfriend?”

She scoffs, “As if; she’s his best friend.” She looks at Steve with sad eyes, “And Dustin too.”

“Dustin?” Steve cocks his head to the side again. This time it seems like there’s sadness behind his confused look.

“Okay, dinguses, sounds like thi’should be a conversation held over a good meal, not over a fried corpse.” Wayne cuts in. “Name’s Wayne Munson.” He holds out one dirty, time-gnarled hand to the girl.

She smiles and takes it readily, “Nancy Wheeler, sir.”

“None’a that now, Wayne is jus’ fine.”

“Stevie, would you be a dear and fill that back in for us?” Eddie sighs, feeling the adrenaline dropping out of his body, fast.

Steve nods once and snaps his fingers. The hole is refilled and the salt line is gone. The three of them are also cleaned up and straightened out.

“Thanks, Angel, now let's go get some burgers, gotta get our energy back.”

“I do not need to consume anything to replenish my energy.” Steve’s cocks his head.

“I know you don’t, big boy,” Eddie pats him on the shoulder, taking the spare shotgun from Nancy and heading back down to his van.

“I am not much bigger than you in this form, Eddie.” Steve deadpans, as usual, then actual curiosity colors his tone “Have you seen my true form?”

“Can’t say I have, are you much bigger than Steve?” Eddie can feel the double meanings closing in.

“My true form is approximately the size of your Chrysler Building.”

Eddie trips over a divot in the soil. Definitely not over his own feet at that implication.

“Oh, definitely a big boy.” He manages to say, turning to smolder at Steve (What? It’s not like the angel knows the nuance of human facial expressions..) but catches Wayne’s disgusted face and Nancy’s fully amused one (hand over mouth to keep from laughing), over Steve’s adorable confused expression.

“Yes, that is what I am inferring. Eddie, are you alright? Your face is flushing.”

Nancy, the jerk that she is, bursts out laughing. 

“Shut it, Jerk!” 

“Don’t you call me a jerk, Bitch!” she calls back easily.

He grins. Damn, having her around is going to be fun.

—--

“Okay, lemme get this straight.” Eddie says around a mouthful of fries. “You used to date Steve, this Robin chick is his best friend–”

“Platonic soulmate, correct.”

“Right, that, and Dustin is his brother.”

“That’s the best description, yes.”

“So what did you think happened to Steve?”

Eddie sees Steve’s mouth open and claps his hand, that’s not full of burger, over the angel’s mouth, who looks at him with as much anger as he’s learned to express in these couple months on earth. It’s not much.

Nancy gives them a weird look, but starts speaking. “Robin just told me that he drove off one night, one of his bad nights. I don’t know the full extent of what makes a good or bad night, but Robin insists he had been getting better….

“There’s not much more after that, Robin knew where to start looking when he goes off on his own like that, and she found his BMW out at the quarry. Of course, she thought the worst, but they searched every inch of the bottom and no Steve. It was like he disappeared into thin air.”

Eddie nods sadly to himself, thinking as comforting of thoughts he could muster upwards to where Steve had said Real Steve had been brought. Damn, this religious shit being real is really throwing him for a loop. “Nancy, I—EW WHAT THE FUCK??!”

He whips his hand back from Steve’s mouth, now slick with spit. He looks at him incredulously, wiping his palm on his thigh, but his face falters at the absolute dopey look on the angel’s face. Stone-cold blank still, as usual, but his tongue is hanging out between his lips.

Fuck, he’s cute. Damn it! No! Bad Eddie! He’s dead! The real him!

“Where in the hell’d you learn that?”

“The angels have watched humans for a long time, one would pick up a couple things.” He shrugs. Like actually shrugs. “I thought this might get you to remove your hand.”

Eddie doesn’t have a response for that.

“Nancy, Steve was–”

“Wait! Hold on, Stevie, you don’t know this is something she wants to hear.” Eddie murmurs.

“She does; She said as much back at the graveyard. Do you not remember?” Steve retorts in a normal volume.

“Steve. These things are difficult for humans. They’re called emotions. At least ask her first.”

He nods once, still seeming to be confused. “Nancy, you want to know what happened to Steve, correct?” Eddie elbows him, and he feels like concrete against his arm. Steve looks at him confused again, but seems to get what he’s trying to get at. “It may be difficult to hear..?”

Eddie nods, and Steve turns back to Nancy. 

She just looks between the two, confused as all hell. “Uhm, yes?”

“Your Steve did not wish to be of this world any longer.”

Eddie throws his hands up in exasperation. Well, there goes being sensitive about it.

Nancy’s eyes are wide. “...Ah.”

“He offered his body as a vessel, and I brought him to my father’s kingdom of heaven.”

“Oh…Steve..”

“He is being well looked after, I promise. If he would like to return when my mission is complete here, he has the option, I swear it.”

Eddie thinks Nancy is going to be more upset at that, but she just smiles sadly, and nods. “I should call Robin.”

Eddie splutters, “No! No, bad idea Nance!” She’s out of the booth and at the door before he can even say her name. “Damnit, remind me to not sit against the wall next time.”

“Okay, Eddie.” Steve nods.

“Dude! Move! I gotta stop her! Or do you want to explain to this person too why you aren’t her best friend.” Eddie shoves against the shoulder closest to him.

Steve blinks at him once and is suddenly outside the booth, leaving Eddie to fall onto the bench where the angel had just been.

He scrambles up (finally) and heads to the door, only to meet Nancy there, already coming back in from calling this Robin character.

“She’ll be here in about three minutes. Tops.” She grins.

“Jerk.” Eddie grumbles and follows her back to their booth.

“Bitch.” she retorts happily.

He slumps back down into his spot in the booth, wracking his brain about what to tell her.

“Eddie, would you like me to go?”

He snaps his head up to the angel “Hell no! She’s coming here to see you, you gotta be here for that!”

Steve blinks once, then his eyes dart to the door.

“Don’t you even think about i–”

“I will return momentarily.” And with another soft brush of wind and feathers, he was gone.

“That absolute mother fu–”

“So, tell me about this hunting thing.” Nancy says, and tosses a fry into her mouth.

Notes:

Edancy sibling vibes?? Jerk?? Bitch??

Jason having Vecna powers = vengeful spirit in spn land

Wayne calls his friend "D" 'cause, y'know, Fred > Freddy > D

In my head, this is modern AU too so maybe Wayne and his friends dealt with upside-down stuff back in the day and maybe possibly Nancy and current day party have seen some shit too (that's why Nancy's basically unbothered about there being a ghost problem in Hawkins now, too)?

Bobin and Dustin (maybe more?) in the next part!

lastly, i haven't watched spn in what must be a decade now, so continuing on may not follow the show, but just the spn vibes.

Part 3 here! | NOW ON AO3

[basmathgirl]

Hi there! Can I just mope for a moment? I had to work today (Sunday) so I was unable to go to the con in Dallas to see DT and CT. I was off Saturday but once they took CT off the Q&A panel for the Doctor Who companions (don't know why they did that) I just couldn't justify spending $65 to walk around the floor and check out the vendors (who I'm sure were awesome, I just don't have the expendable money). They never put CT on the schedule for another panel (which I couldn't figure out because when you have both DT and CT at the same event it seems rather ridiculous to not put them together, but I digress) but I kinda figured she'd turn up at DT's Q&A. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get off work. I'm so grateful someone posted the full video, so at least there's that. But I just needed to be mopey for a little bit about how close I came to seeing these two together in person 😥 sigh...perhaps one day...

Anywho, I hope you are having much better luck than me this weekend!

Hello kind Anon

Oh no! How awful for you *offers you a non DT & CT hug*

The only time I ever got close to Texas was Austin Airport so can sort of guess how that being so near yet so far feeling can be. Work being unavoidable like that is certainly one of the irritants of modern life. I hope your manager knows how much you've sacrificed for them (because I'd want to shove that fact in their face at every single opportunity).

By all means come by and mope for a while. I understand perfectly.

I've queued a video or two and some photos, but I haven't had a chance to watch any of them yet. Didn't really have the time to wait for the tumblr app to let me add tags either, as I'm about to rush out the door to go to work. Ironic, eh?

Perhaps you could watch the Q&A video on a large TV screen (or sit with your nose squished up against it if the screen is small) and pretend you are there. Yeah, all the goodness and none of the trauma of actually travelling there.... okay, that's me sorted out later on even if you decide against it. ☺ Then again, I often listen to the Chain Reaction radio interview to cheer myself up, so I am easily pleased.

Aww, thank you for asking about my weekend. I managed to dodge the rain long enough to sit out in the garden in the sun, sipping a cold Coke Zero and writing some fanfiction. I thought I was living the dream; right up until I found out I'd missed a DT&CT Q&A panel. Oh well. Proof you can't have everything.

Anyway, I hope you get Employee of the Month/Year/Ever, because you deserve it. 💖

[its-moopoint]

During the S7 panel in Austin with Maril, Cait said that there is a sequence in ep. 711 that for the first time she was at a loss how to approach it. It was right after her dad passed away, hence, she was grateful to have the IC there. Without knowing details, shippers wrote the following script and of course the plebeians immediately asked if this conversation really happened. At least others realized that it's made up.

Anonymous asked:

A conversation with Caitriona and the intimacy coach about Claire and LJG scene:

Cait: I can't do it. It feels strange doing this with David, I mean... It's uncomfortable like I'm doing something wrong. Feels like I am being unfaithful to someone I love.

IC: It's just acting, Caitriona. Normal acting. Like you do when you're with Sam in that intense and passionate scenes where you just forget you both are friends and pretend you are a married couple.

Cait: !

IC: it's just Acting. Right?

Cait: !

sgiandubh - Is this for real?

snowy-winter-11 - Where is that interview?

khccbc1745 - Did this conversation actually take place? Where can this be found?

sleepwakerepeat3 - Please tell me this conversation is real

gabysachs - We understand, Cait. It must be hard to have intimates scenes with another co- worker other than the one who plays your husband. You're so comfortable with him that you don't need an IC.

They wish.

This is how they go on. They make something up that they pass as real then others repeat it like parrots until it's made canon.

They've been doing it for ages. Remember Fife?? Shippers had the gall to claim there was no JC kiss on the docks like the one captured by the photographer. Except there is. You watch the episode and you find the exact match. So much for being "caught".

[beyond-dusk]

Paranormal Lockdown - S3E4

I figured since I've already done posts featuring Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost Adventures, I figured I would keep the ball rolling and find other shows that investigate Bobby Mackeys.

As a side note, to keep things brief I cherry pick the moments I can discuss using established facts. I don't like spending time making fun of people like this when they pretend to feel a ghost in the room, its just not worth it.

---

Oh my god! I looked for a picture of the rooftop to help identify the different additions to the buildings over the years but I couldn't find a good picture. I should have watched these ghost shows as a visual reference!

---

So it turns out that one of the men who was on the Ghost Adventures episode covering BM's is the host for Paranormal Lockdown. Not only that, it was the was the dude who said that a spirit that followed him home after the hunt ruined his marriage. Ghost Divorce.

---

I do want to thank this show for not bringing up satanism when they first introduce the story of Pearl Bryan. They did slip up by saying the murder followed a botched abortion, which Scott Jackson planned to do, but it never actually happened (the coroner made note that there was no trauma beyond her decapitation and cut hand, and that her baby was healthy when she died).

---

"But as Nick and Katrina dug deeper, they found that the facts of Pearl Bryan's death may conflict with the rumors."

Wait so they ACTUALLY did research? Is this going to be a nice post and not me getting angry over dumb satanic rumors???

---

So this nice looking gentleman is said to have done extensive research in to Pearl Bryan's murder and I'm already in love (intellectually, though if I was 40 years older...). They don't show much of what he says but now I'm determined to find a way to contact him to compare notes.

---

So they clearly establish that there is no factual basis for Pearl Bryan's head being thrown down the well! I only used that idea as part of the Dusk comic to give the story a short plot, but in reality it's very, very, VERY unlikely that her head ever entered that building. My personal theory is that Jackson threw it into the Licking River like he did with her luggage.

---

So during the clips of the Ghost Adventures episodes, Bobby Mackey mostly talked about what he's heard happened at the club but he says he doesn't believe in ghosts. Here, he seems to say that he heard rumors of the building being haunted all the way back when he bought the building in 1978. This is the first time I've heard this and I'm intrigued.

---

OH MY GOD THIS WOULD HAVE MADE A GREAT PANEL IN THE COMIC. I NEED TO WATCH SHOWS LIKE THIS TO GET VISUALS

---

Okay, so I did make fun of this guy for blaming ghosts on his divorce, but I have to give him credit that he climbed into the fucking well and looked around inside it. I don't believe its a portal to hell but damn, its unnerving.

---

So this show did much, MUCH better dealing with the facts. Instead of interviewing some asshat author who claims Scott Jackson was a satanist and killed Pearl Bryan as a sacrifice, they met a real historian and asked him about the case. I learned that there were already rumors of the building being haunted before Bobby Mackey took over and that makes me happy.

Nick Groff, I'm going to stop making fun of you for your ghost divorce. You went back and dispelled some of the rumors and I always give people who do that credit.

[imsodishy]

It should already be on YouTube (if its not just keep an eye on Monopoly Events) but I beg of you, when its available, watch the 2023 April Comic Con panel with David Harbour. He's with Matt Smith and I think like two other actors, but obviously he answers Stranger Things questions, and my man was sweating trying to sound excited for the final season.

It was like watching someone's appendix burst live on stage while they desperately try to pretend everything is normal. What's even more comical is it was literally only like a month later that he gave that interview where he said he was ready for it to end so he could move on, and that he wouldn't do a spin-off unless it was a few projects on down the line.

He just could not be bothered. Every answer was a feral clutch at enthusiasm. It was so funny to witness in person because you could just see the HD emptiness in his eyes. He loves Jim Hopper and he loves the people he works with, but you can just tell he is done with how the show is being written and handled.

lmao, him and Joe all through S4 were booooooored, and it fucking showed.

This is what I'm talking about, when the bosses are asleep at the wheel it's a nightmare working environment, it sucks all the joy out of it. Which is a shame, because those actors gave their characters life.

[mysticdragon3md3]

CANONICALLY QUEER ANIME CHARACTERS THAT I REMEMBERED BUT WEREN'T ON THIS ARTICLE'S LIST:

Date Masamune Daley Wong Motoko Kusanagi Jakotsu Toru Shiro & Saya Monou Toya Kinomoto & Yukito Tsukishiro Tomoyo Daidouji Subaru Sumeragi & Seishiro Sakurazuka Utena Tenjou & Anthy Himemiya Juri Arisugawa & Shiori Takatsuki Suletta Mercury & Miorine Rembran Kenjiro Hato Sailor Uranus & Sailor Neptune Fatora Venus & Alielle

Have these poor otaku not heard of Date Masamune? Famously bisexual historical figure with MANY anime and videogame portrayals? Half his dialogue with Sanada Yukimura in "Sengoku Basara" (2009-2011) is just flirting. Heck, last year, I saw a little kids' anime with a Date Masamune cat whose whole gimmick is having a crush on the male main character cat! I just watched episode 6 to refresh my memory, and Masamunya is daydreaming about marrying Nyanpire!

And what about Daley Wong? He is canonically gay. Do otaku these days not know about "Bubblegum Crisis"???? That was standard issue anime watching when I got into anime! A fundamental scifi series! It even got a remake, "Bubblegum Crisis 2040", which didn't change Daley's openly gay status.

Motoko Kusanagi from "Ghost in the Shell" is canonically gay. The movies may skip over that, but the longer format series usually show her girlfriends or have her coworkers mention what a womanizer she is. I'm a little confused about that episode where she talked about having a childhood crush on a boy---the one who was hesitant about getting a prosthetic body because they weren't dexterous enough to make origami cranes at the time---while the rest of the series seems to portray her as a lesbian. So I'm not 100% sure if she's gay or bi.

There's also Jakotsu from Inuyasha. Not a regular character, but part of the Shichinintai (Band of Seven) who were reoccurring antagonists for several episodes until they were defeated. Maybe a little stereotypey, but a canonically openly gay anime character.

CLAMP has several gay couples. Unfortunately they do like to use them for tragedy, unrequited love, and the "bury your gays" trope.

We've got "X" (series known as "X/1999" in English localization) with Toru and Saya. A lesbian couple so in love that when it was prophesied that Toru would die, giving birth to the Sacred Sword at the Togakushi Shrine, Saya found a loophole, married the Shinto priest at Togakushi Shrine to ensure she would constantly be at that location, and thus became the one who died instead of Toru, giving birth to the Sacred Sword. I think the anime changed things so that Saya said she fell in love with her husband Kyogo Monou instead, or downplayed her feelings for Toru, or something I'm misremembering, but I grew up with CLAMP's manga, and that's what I go by. Besides, the plot later explains that the whole reason Saya's spirt ended up in the Sea of Tears is because she married a man she didn't love, while fully knowing that she was in love with another woman instead.

"Cardcaptor Sakura" has several queer couples. We've got Toya and Yukito. The teacher Toya dated before Yukito, could see the future, and she specifically broke up with Toya because she foresaw he would fall in love more deeply with Yukito in the future. And when she and Toya met again, she asked Toya if he was happy (being with Yukito), and he said yes. Unless I'm misremembering, the manga also has a panel or 2 explaining that Tomoyo was coincidentally repeating her mother's unrequited sapphic crush on Sakura's mother, by she herself having an unrequited sapphic crush on Sakura. But I just checked the Wiki and there was apparently a lot of weird editing mistakes in the manga that made Tomoyo seem straight, and then CLAMP had to use several interviews and future manga issues to clear up that Tomoyo's crush was actually on Sakura. O.o

I've had "Tokyo Babylon" on my shelf for years, but haven't finished the manga or the anime disks that I bought. lol But from my understanding, that whole series is steeped in the crush between the male leads, Subaru and Seishiro. And then it culminates in "X", because that series was a crossover continuation of several CLAMP series. During "Tokyo Babylon", Seishiro has this hidden omen running in his family about being destined to be killed by the person he loves the most. Within "X", Seishiro is killed by Subaru.

And how can we forget "Revolutionary Girl Utena"? Even if the series doesn't outright state them as gay, the whole series is built around their romance and then the movie has them out-right kiss. And it's not an accident situation or an animation that happens for only 2 frames, or something. It's an actual, romantic kiss, center-frame, as the resolution of that movie. Also Juri and Shiori are doing some unrequited things that I can't remember. But I remember Shiori being kind of toxic in the movie, like she was trying to make Juri jealous?

Speaking of Utena, "Gundam: the Witch From Mercury" is often compared to following Utena's outline, right down to the sapphic couple at the center. The series is still going, and I haven't been able to watch all the episodes so far, but if they truly homage Utena, they will advance from all their romance tropes between Suletta and Miorine, into hopefully an outright declaration of queer love. Here's hoping. <3

Can we count Kenjiro Hato from "Genshiken: Second Generation"? Because I don't know if they're "canonically" queer or not. Do we count them as "canonically" queer if they don't state they're queer? So much of that series is Hato still trying to figure out how they feel about crossdressing, about Harunobu Madarame, and being a fudanshi. I can't remember if Hato ever came to terms with any conclusions about themself. I can't remember if Hato ever definitely stated being in love with Madarame, or just spent all that time not quite understanding their own feelings. Is Hato a trans egg? Or is Hato genderfluid? Or did they just never figure that out about themself? Does Hato still identify as "male" by the end of the series? I don't remember! (But I'm sorry the series framed how Yoshitake treated you as a joke, because that was really uncomfortable.)

And how did I forget Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune? So famously gay, that when the first English dub tried to censor their relationship for the localization, it just turned into awkward "cousin loving cousin" dubs.

Almost forgot Princess Fatora and Alielle from "El Hazard: The Magnificent World". One of the first isekai genre series I watched. Fatora doesn't appear for most of the series, since she is a prisoner of the antagonists. But her girlfriend, Alielle, is in most of the OAV series. I remember them being very clearly lesbians, and after Fatora is rescued, I think they spent a lot of the sequel series chasing around the other girls in the cast.

[genericpuff]

Ladies and gentlemen... we got 'em.

Every now and then, Rachel will post a sketch to her IG story or her page, oftentimes accompanied with a caption that states how hard at work she is.

Now, some of my pals and I in the UnpopularLO Discord have been taking note of the time stamps of when these get posted, so we could keep an eye out for when they inevitably show up in an episode. Normally I wouldn't be hyperanalyzing a creator's posting habits like this, but there's been a unanimous suspicion among the LO community that Rachel's buffer for LO is only a couple weeks ahead at any given time. So, we waited. We kept our eyes peeled for these panels to show. And hoo boy, are the results of this little experiment pretty damning.

The sketch on the left was posted to Rachel's IG about 4 weeks ago. It showed up in Episode 219, posted last week on October 29th.

The sketch on the right was posted to Rachel's IG story on October 27th. It showed up in this week's episode, November 5th, just a little over a week later.

I'm not gonna pretend like we know all the facts from this evidence alone, but again, people have been suspicious over this for a while now so seeing these finished drawings show up in the new episodes anywhere from a week to a month later tells us a lot. To lay out some of the brunt of it:

Whatever buffer Rachel has is small and shrinking fast. There was a 2 week break at the start of the season to "rebuild LO's buffer", and from cross-referencing the HxP make-out sketch and when the episode went up, we know that the buffer at one point was around 4 weeks. Most Originals creators are encouraged to have a buffer of 9-15 episodes, not episodes in progress, but actual finished episodes that are ready for posting, so that the series can still update with new episodes even if the creator needs to take a break for a week or two or if an emergency arises in their life. With the proof of last week's sketches showing up in last night's episode, I think it's highly probable we'll be seeing another 2 week break by the time December rolls around, but it will likely be presented under the guise of a "holiday break".

Rachel does the roughs at the last minute and nothing more. It's basically been confirmed at this point that Rachel's only contribution to the comic is the roughs and script. From former interviews and Patreon chit chat posts that allude to this, to the fact that the only progress pics from Rachel that we ever see are roughs, to the credits in every episode that feature upwards of five separate assistants working on each episode but somehow the comic still manages to have incredibly inconsistent plot threads and art that looks like it's been rushed, Rachel is basically just doing the roughs for her comic, writing/drawing one panel at a time, and passing them along to her assistants to finish at the last minute. This would account for the art being so inconsistent (Rachel's roughs likely aren't very polished and don't feature any sort of referencing or direction for the team), every episode now being made up of mostly copy+pasted panels, as well as it feeling so rushed, because the assistants literally don't have time to draw different shots or put the episode through any rounds of clean-up before submitting it.

Considering there are ALSO sketches of HxP fluff that haven't made it into an episode yet*, Rachel may as well be working on fluff content before she works on anything else. Just because that H x P panel was drawn 4 weeks prior to it being uploaded doesn't mean that's the buffer. She could have just as well drawn it first because it's what she felt like drawing and either shoehorned it in somewhere or just saved the 'boring' stuff for last. So either her buffer was only a month ahead of time at one point and has since shrunk back down to 1-2 weeks, or she's working on new episodes a week at a time and saves the 'boring' stuff for last hence why each episode ends up with so many repeated copy+paste panels and drawn out dialogue. Both scenarios are terrible and indicative of a creator who is both clueless and doesn't give a shit.

Rachel spends an absurd amount of time on social media. Between her Instagram and Twitter (both of which are often chock full of re-shared fan content that has the Lore Olympus hashtag on it) her new Tiktok account, her VERY strictly moderated FastPass FB groups (that she is an administrator for so she can lock any thread that has a hint of criticism in it**) and her Discord, Rachel seems to spend the majority of her time stalking her favorite hashtags and retweeting them (I've literally had some of my own fanart pieces retweeted within SECONDS of me posting them). But she'll still put out Tiktok videos talking about how behind she is and how hard she's working - literally working on episodes the week they're due as we've proven - videos that she's clearly spending time away from her comic to make and that she's sticking around in afterwards to check the stats and respond to comments from her fans. It's great that she's sharing fanart from her readers, but not so great if she's doing it so much that it's eating into her time to develop the very comic they're creating fanart for.

Hot take, but I can't help but feel that Rachel can only afford to not give a shit about her workflow and how she manages her team because she's in the top 1% of creators. Believe me, I've seen the stress building up in the WT Originals community from creators who are being vastly underpaid and overworked. None of them can afford to be so lazy with their work, because a single week without an episode for them means not paying the rent that month. They don't get mid-season hiatuses, they don't get 2 week 'buffer build' breaks, it's a constant grind of 12-18 hour days because if their series doesn't perform well, not only will they not get renewed for another season, but they likely won't even receive any FastPass revenue due to not hitting the 'threshold' they need to hit to receive it. This is not a problem for Rachel who is someone with millions of subscribers and thousands of regular readers checking in each week but also someone who we speculate got in on the FP program before they introduced the Minimum Revenue Threshold around 2020. Hence, she likely does not need to hit that threshold in the first place to receive her earnings. Every other Originals creator who is subject to the MRT system has to work their ass off and hope that Webtoons will give them enough promotion to draw in traffic to hit that threshold and not get cancelled - but those beneficial front-facing slots are often given to Lore Olympus every time it updates, often for an entire weekend at a time, while its creator fucks around on Twitter, gets mad at 'haters', talks about how busy and 'behind' she is, while she visibly miffs around with non-comic-production-related-things like making memes or rigging Vtuber models.

Let's just say, there's a reason why whenever there are Webtoon controversies concerning the state of their working conditions, you never see Rachel say a word. She is simply not affected by WT's current state of affairs so does not feel the need to speak up against it. I'm willing to bet the only time we'll ever see Rachel talk 'bad' about Webtoons, it will be after she's inevitably driven her own image and comic into the ground.

Concerning *: Here are some sketches that haven't made it into any episodes yet. It's hard to tell if they will, I can assume the one on Twitter will show up but the other two could very well just be Rachel faffing about for fun. Either way, these exist and are still publically viewable, so if they DO show up in any future episodes, we can cross-reference them later.

Left: Oct 28th Middle: Nov 4th Right: Oct 29th

The following Hades panel will very likely show up in the upcoming November 12th FastPass episode. If it does, that not only tells us Rachel truly is only working on these episodes 1-2 weeks ahead at a time, but also that she's working on them out of order as this FINISHED drawing showed up BEFORE the UNFINISHED Persephone sketch from above showed up in her IG story - with its respective finished drawing showing up literally a week later.

Concerning **: Rachel is literally an administrator in the official LO FastPass group on Facebook, which wouldn't be an issue if she weren't so anal about any perceived slight against her work. She will literally lock any thread that doesn't make her look good.

And her own interactions with these fans posts may as well be borderline psychotic. She'll either immediately refute any amount of fan theories on the spot (destroying any semblance of discussion or fun theorizing to be had) or just... comment really messed up shit that says a lot about her and how she writes her precious cinnamon roll protagonist.

Fun fact, she got banned from a FB group that memes on LO because she tried to harass the administrators of the group to ban all criticism. The admins banned her instead. It's not really relevant to this post but I wanted to say it anyways because it's fucking hilarious.

***EDIT TO ADD: She didn't just get banned, she was so butthurt over it that she apparently bitched about it in her Patreon, which her cult accepted as permission to go after members of this same FB group. All just for not kissing the ground RS walked on. Literally psychotic cult behavior.

Let's Play creator mongie has done similar things, so this seems to just be a general attitude among the top-earning creators on WT (yikes), but that's another topic.

Concerning the actual topic at hand, the last thing I'll mention is, save for the credits at the end of each episode, Rachel barely ever gives her assistants credit when she goes on rants about how "busy" she is or how "successful" she's become. You'll never see her thank her assistants or give them credit for how easy they're making her life that she can get away with doing the roughs at the last minute and spend the rest of her time talking about her dog, showing off her new gel nails, or talking about how much of a workaholic she is. But she sure as shit will throw her assistants under the bus whenever she has to come up with an excuse for the sloppy inconsistent art.

TL ; DR: Rachel is not 'busy'. She's just incredibly bad at managing her deadlines and team of assistants and would literally rather whine about how behind she is to make it sound like she's pressed for time. Which, she absolutely is. But it's not because of Webtoons or because LO is a hard comic to put together, it's literally her own undoing. You know what they say - it takes way more work to pretend to look busy than it does to actually do your job.

Rant over.

[bunnyweasley23]

STACKIE X ACTRESS!READER

You're an actress who has recently starred in the MCU movies as Steve and Bucky's super solider friend from the 40's

Chris sent you a video link with the comment

'You guys are hilarious🤣'

You clicked the link and a YouTube video titled Every Time Anthony Sebastian & Y/N proved they were the most chaotic trio in the MCU

The first clip was a video of you and Anthony walking up behind Sebastian while he was doing an interview on the red carpet you remembered this it was hilarious to the three of you but definitely fueled the dating rumors between you

"Oh my god! Look who it is!" You smiled to Mackie

"Oh my God! Sebastian Stan!"

"Man you're looking good! Don't you agree?" Anthony asked as you put your arms around both of them with an over exaggerated nod

"Man oh man! Let me tell you! He's just the hottest guy ever." You laughed at how red Sebastian's face was getting

"You ever see a guy this handsome walking the street he's gonna get arrested!" Anthony joked

"Because he's killing all the ladies!" He continued as you pretend to swoon and faint into Anthony's arms

"Look at that! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!" The three of us laughed before I was pulled away by Scarlet to do an interview

_

The next clip was a video from when the three of you were reading thirst tweets

"@Y/Nsleftfoot says, I can't tell if I want to be Sebastian or Anthony or Y/N most days because damn they're hot as fuck!" You read with a laugh

"Thank you...that's very kind." Sebastian smiled awkwardly while you pinched his cheeks

"Who wouldn't want to be Mr. Stan! He's best friends with us!" You winked at the camera as Anthony wrapped his arm around you with a smile

"And he has an amazing couch!" He added and you nodded

"He denied it but I was there when he bought the couch! It's a nice couch!" You joked

_

The next clip was you crashing their panel with Tom Holland

"Have to talked to Y/N?" A fan asked

"She never answers my calls if I'm being honest." Tom joked

"Because you're annoying." Anthony laughed

"I talked to her this morning, she's doing good I think-"

"Are you talking about me?" You asked walking on stage to sit on the arm of the couch next to Sebastian

"Always!" Tom joked

"We get it kid! You have a crush! Why don't you stick to your juice boxes and let the big kids talk." Anthony laughed as Tom jokingly crossed his arms over his chest

"Oh that reminds me, here you go love." You laughed pulling a small bottle of Apple juice out of your jacket pocket and giving it to Tom making everyone laugh

"Jokes on you guys! I like apple juice." Tom laughed

_

The next clip was a more recent screen recording of Sebastian's Instagram story from the day you were late to set

"This video is for Y/N L/N who woke up late and now we have to wait for her to get her make up done." Sebastian said into the camera rolling his eyes

"Yea, I love her but girl is always holding us up." Anthony joked with a straight face

"First of all! I was late because you two asked me to get you coffee and I being the lovely best friend I am agreed to do so and I got caught in traffic." Your voice called from off screen

"Busted!"Daniel Brühl laughed walking past the three of you

_

The next clip was another behind the Scenes of falcon and the winter Soldier of the three of you goofing off on set

"Ahhhh!" You yelled running away from Anthony and Sebastian for absolutely no reason. Sebastian followed you also yelling as Anthony stayed behind to talk to the camera

"This is their first movie..."

"Is Not!" You yelled running back to jump into Anthony's arms

"Children,your all children!"Erin laughed from somewhere off camera.

[sweetnsour1]

9:10

Fluff, Mirio x g/n reader

Part of the Hero Interview Panel Series

"Cute-cumber."

You tapped your fingers against your chin, staring out at the packed auditorium. You could hear Nejire Chan at the other end of the stage, answering questions that hadn't been asked yet. You double checked that the red light of your mic was still safe and unlit. You frowned.

"Ummm...sounds like you used that one at a farmer's market." You turned and squinted at the wide smile of Lemillion. "...or a mom in the produce section." He laughed loudly, earning a stern glare from the erasure hero beside him. Mirio leaned towards you so he could whisper.

"You give up?"

"Never!" Another glare from Aizawa landed on the pair of you. You bowed your head to your old homeroom teacher for a moment before switching to a whisper as well. "Ummm something about vegetables right?"

"Mayyyyb-" You straightened up in your seat and your eyes widened.

"Oh! If you were a vegetable, you'd be a-"

"Yes! My turn, make it good." You heard a soft slap and bit at your cheek to stop your laughter at the sight of Aizawa slowly running his hand down his own face. He looked exhausted. You allowed a small giggle to escape your lips. It was like being back at UA. You pitied the veteran pro hero enough to return to a whisper.

"Because you're super hot and I want s'more."

"Hmmm. You must be-" He didn't even pretend to think before reciting the beginning of the pickup line. "-a campfire."

"Well, I thought it was good. It's not my fault you memorize these in your free time." You crossed your arms, sliding down in your chair and pouting until a throat clear from Eraserhead reminded you where you were.

"Another?" You both glanced at the end of the stage where Nejire Chan had flown away with the mic, directing questions into the crowd faster than they could answer. The moderator had found a chair to sit in and didn't look like he planned to take over again anytime soon.

"Yea yea, let's go."

"Because I find you apeel-"

"You must be a banana!" You were too excited to feel guilty when Aizawa rubbed at the bridge of his nose. To be fair, his headache could easily be from Nejire.

"You've learned a lot more since last time we played this." You grinned at the praise from Lemillion, not that he was stingy with his compliments. Everything he said was just so enthusiastically stated as a fact.

"Well, I really wanna win this time." His smile widened when you wriggled in your seat before squaring your shoulders.

"Okay, I'm ready." You glared at him, hoping this one would mean victory.

"You'd...be impeccable." Your cheeks puffed up with air when you saw he was already reciting the beginning.

"If you were a chicken." He leaned towards you, resting his elbow on the table and his chin against his fist. He poked your cheek with his other hand. You puffed the air into his face and he chuckled, but he didn't move away.

"Dammmmit! Okay go."

"Go out with me." You scrunched your nose and your brows furrowed, while you let the words sink in.

"That's...not a very good one." You tilted your head when he blushed. Was he embarrassed to be losing this time?

"Aw geez, you're totally right." He straightened up and scratched at the back of his neck, but left his gaze on you. "Yea I should've saved a better one for you."

"...for me?"

"Well, yea-"

"Oh." You turned to watch Nejire spin back to her seat. You had a wide grin when you turned back to the flustered hero. "So I won this time then?" He threw his head back when he laughed.

"Yes, y/n you're the Punniest Hero. Congratulations." Your smile softened as you leaned closer into him.

"Great, so where are you taking me to celebrate?"

I’m so sorry, but I CANNOT remember who requested him. I think anon. Hope you like it 🖤

Interview Panel Mini-Series

Masterlist

Join the taglist

[monstersinthecosmos]

I know I said this yesterday but I want to repeat myself: Daniel *being older* isn't the issue on an aesthetic level, and some of the people who aren't bothered by it are treating it like it's an aesthetic choice. Daniel *surviving adulthood* is the issue. Daniel *not ruining his life over vampires* is the issue. Daniel *being a respectable older gentleman with a career* is an issue. Daniel is not meant to be a recovered, productive member of society LMAO. This implies some universe where he either doesn't meet Armand when he's supposed to (and I don't care about what was said at the SDCC panel bc it's irrelevant LOL) or he went through that experience and recovered. And he wasn't so traumatized and heartbroken that he had an actual life. Hate that for him tbh!!! I don't care what Daniel *looks like* and neither will Armand. And even in canon (not that canon is relevant to the show 😅😅) Armand chose Daniel because of the interview. He could still do that. But literally none of the characters in this adaptation are canon so far, and the team keeps framing it like "oh it's not a big deal we just changed x y z" without caring that the things they are changing (age, race, time periods) are actually HUGE deals in this universe!!! And as character writers I wish they would've respected that, because all of these elements are huge when it comes to dictating who a character is, how they navigate the world, how people treat them, how much time they've had to grow, etc. Like I am not expecting anything on this show to resemble canon at this point, it is what it is, but I wish they'd stop acting like they're being true to the characters. And like, Daniel being old isn't an aesthetic issue, it makes him a c o m p l e t e l y different person who has had difference experiences, will have a different sense of value for his own life, will have different resources for coping with the inevitable drama. I'm still gonna ship it though LOLLLLLL but people gotta stop pretending it's not a big deal bc when I tell you i am fucking devastated

[wenellyb]

Why Stackie is the greatest bromance of all time

Well for starters, they’re hilarious, so there’s that!

What I also like is their ability to make any interviewer go “???”, wonder what they’re doing there and reconsider all the life choices they made that led them to that very moment in front of the Stackie Duo, including their decision to study journalism.

But one of the things I really like about Sebastian and Anthony's relationship is that you can really see the evolution of their friendship throughout the years, and how they adapted to each other's personalities.

Everyone has their own way of expressing their love, including these actors: like Paul Bettany is a kisser, Chris Evans is a toucher I guess ( I don't watch enough of non-Stackie interviews to draw conclusions), and Anthony is a joker/comedian, if he likes you, he will tease you, make fun of you and make it his personal mission to make you smile/laugh. He doesn't seem to like being affectionate type etc, he looked like the kind who would accept affection but doesn't really initiate it. He would rather make jokes,  hit your arm playfully or do a fist bump with you. 

Sebastian is a little bit more "Extra" when expressing his love: we all remember the Instagram birthday post, his unprompted "I love you" in the middle of an interview, "Why aren't you looking at me as much in these interviews?" "I want to spend all my time with Anthony" and he also seems to be a little bit more affectionate, and also like to touch his friends (at least the way I see it).

At least that was the situation in the beginning: Anthony, the hilarious guy who had all the jokes and all the punchlines, and Seb the shy guy who liked affection, and adored Anthony for making him come out of his shell.

And as the years passed, we saw a shift in their relationship, where both of them made efforts to go in the other's direction and accommodate to the other's personalities.

During the first years, Seb wasn't even that funny. A lot of Sebastian Stan stans get mad when I say this but Seb was only funny when Anthony was around to make the jokes. I'm sorry and I love Sebastian but that's the truth.

Now, he's much more comfortable, and is so open when joking with Anthony and has a few punchlines on his own:

First we had successful attempts: "which way is the beach Seabass, which way is the beach" "Down there" "PapiChulo".

And now, he's much more confident in his jokes and always manages to make everyone laugh, even Anthony, "You ready for the Falcon?", "I'm sorry but Chris Evans he ain't got nothing down there".

Sebastian is almost a comedian now!

One thing I've also noticed and I love is that whenever Sebastian starts making a joke now, Anthony will start laughing even BEFORE Seb starts talking, as if he already knows what Sebastian is going to say or as if he knows that whatever Sebastian, it’s just great to see how they’re used to each other now.

And from Anthony's side, he also seems more in touch with what Seb likes and doesn't like: 

One example that comes in mind is that I've noticed that fist bumps aren't really Seb's thing 😂, so'll he'll fist bump Anthony if  Anthony initiates it, but other than that, he'll prefer hugs or literally anything else, and I've noticed that Anthony doesn't really do the fist bumps with Seb anymore and will adapt to Seb's needs, praising him or touching him.

Also Anthony seems to be more affectionate with Seb: Seb recently complained that Anthony doesn't show his soft side with him, but Anthony disagreed. And I kind of agree with Anthony because it looks like he shares his soft side with Seb all the time. 

Side note for Seb: For you to know that Anthony has a soft side, he would have had to share it with you in the first place!

Why I think that Anthony is super affectionate with Seb:

Exhibit A: He'll put his hand around Seb because I quote " [Sebastian] likes to be close"

Exhibit B. Anthony will put his arm around Seb so they can walk together for literally 10 meters.  (The gif quality is bad but after a panel, Seb really waited for Anthony, even though they were probably headed in the same way just so that they could walk away together, top right of the gif). Why do they have to be this dramatic all the time?? 

Exhibit C: Anthony putting his arm around Seb to share a mic (I don't know Sebastian personally but I know that that man pretented his mic was broken so he could share it with Anthony. I just know it)

He's also more expressive in his love for Seb: “I love you man” "I want to keep Sebastian all to myself" in the Kelly Clarkson interview.

I don't really know if Seb is Anthony's best friend because Anthony looks like the kind of guy who can get along with anybody, and has a lot of friends but it sure looks like Anthony IS Seb's best friend.   

They really brought out the best out of each other, and maybe Sebastian wouldn't even be where he is today without Anthony. Who knows if he would have had a leading role in a Marvel show with Anthony if it weren’t for their dynamic. 

But also maybe Anthony wouldn't be here today without a friend who hypes him up and makes him laugh so much that their friendship became iconic and inspired a multi-billion company to make a show about them.

I think one other reason I like that duo is that in friendship, I'm both of them at the same time! I will tease my friends whenever I can but I also need to be hugged at all times.

I won't pretend I know them or their personalities, I'm just sharing what I think based on the interviews I've watched, so, of course I could be wrong. This is just an observation.

I love to tease Sebastian on his "extraness" with Anthtony (and i’ll never stop), but the truth is the two of them adore each other and it's very heartwarming to see a friendship like theirs!!!

[eisforeidolon]

So Misha revealed that the confession scene wasn't even talked about to him or the writers before S15, and even then (according to someone on Twitter) Berens didn't actually pitch it until the S15 hiatus. At which point, some of the writers/TPTB pushed against the idea, because that wasn't the direction that they were planning. So, really it was most likely approved because RB was an EP, and had some power and because the last two eps were just not even going to acknowledge it.

Well, this is also if we take Misha's word as trustworthy, which as a rule? I don't.  Edit: here’s a link to video of him attributing the idea of doing it to Berens on twitter thanks to @alignallofthelights [X].

I'm starting to think that after the pushback he got when he told them he was proud of Castiel's ending during the Spanish translator debacle [X] and how completely dissatisfied the minions and hellers still are with it? He's now trying to downplay his involvement in orchestrating it. I don't have the link*, but I remember seeing an interview or panel with him saying well before this past season that he wanted Castiel’s ultimate final ending to be confessing his lurve to Dean and immediately dropping dead. What I can find is him talking up how happy he was with it and that it was "exactly what I would have hoped for" before it aired [X][X]. He also definitely said previously that he wanted Castiel's ending to be a death that felt final [X].

So I find it suspicious he's trying to put emphasis on Berens being the one to pitch it to him and everybody else now. Like Berens all by himself just happened to come up with the exact ending Misha said he wanted - now that his walking wallets fans loathe it? Give him a few more months and we'll see if it doesn't turn into Cas' death scene having been entirely Beren's idea that he didn't like. He just had no choice but to do what they told him, like the poor downtrodden abused third lead he was! Here's a keychain/t-shirt/shoelace set to commemorate what he really wanted to happen after Cas confessed his 100% gayest gay sexual romantic lurve (Jensen would have totally been into it). Every item you buy proves D/C is real!

We pay attention when his stories change, but when the changes are to something the minions and hellers like better? They happily pretend he never said anything else. (Ex. his changing claims about whether he knew he was coming back in season 7, pretending to be ignorant of/grossed out by Wincest when he used to make jokes about shipping it, what he says at cons with J2 there versus at Randopalooza in Timbuktu, etc.)

*Does anybody have a link or even a lead on where this is from? Attempting to find it when tumblr search sucks and google is full of articles about Castiel's many many many deaths throughout the show is a fucking nightmare.

[curioskitty]

THE・Rarest Bakugou

Given Bakugou-kun's description as a "juvenile delinquent" (Horikoshi sensei uses the term 不良少年, or furyou shounen, meaning juvenile delinquent boy), it's expected that he wouldn't conform to standard. So obviously, it's not possible to find Bakugou-kun wearing a tie properly................

What is up with this perfectly tied nonsense right here?!

Bakugou-kun, I thought I knew you!!! THE LIES! THE BETRAYAL!!!

But, it's probably just a fluke. You didn't mean it, right Horikoshi-sensei?

WTF?! WHY?!!! Horikoshi-sensei?!

Yep. Contrary to expectations, Bakugou-kun wearing a tie correctly only ranks at Ultra Rare status: difficult to find, but not impossible.

So, what's rarer than a tie-wearing Bakugou-kun? Go Beyond, Plus Ultra Rare Bakugou!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In fact, it's even harder to find Bakugou-kun wearing a tie improperly. Given proto-Bakugou's loose tie design, I would have expected that to be the likelier delinquent-esque tie option. But I've only seen Horikoshi-sensei draw him like this once:

(Horikoshi-sensei's one year celebration illustration. This is still fairly early in the publication.)

On top of that, Bakugou-kun consistently wears his uniform tie-less and with at least one button undone on his shirt collar. His pants are always slung low on his hips and legs bunching up at his feet (except when he had to wear jeans for Best Jeanist). You can even see panels where Horikoshi-sensei drew in the rips at the hems near the heel where they drag on the ground.

So why the inconsistency, Horikoshi-sensei? I see you over there, stop pretending you didn't notice. I know you're paying attention.

Horikoshi-sensei gave proto-Bakugou a loosened tie, so what is the reasoning for taking Bakugou-kun's tie away?

Some No-Tie Theories

Fan Theory #1: HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW

//Like Midoriya-kun, Bakugou-kun came from a middle school with gakuran uniforms. They never learned how to tie them. Midoriya-kun messes up his tie, while Bakugou-kun doesn't even bother to try.//

I actually think this is the least likely reason. Bakugou-kun was designed to be a naturally talented genius. I think this applies to anything he wants to do. If he does something, it's always perfectly done.

Bakugou-kun can (and does if you look above) tie it perfectly when necessary.

CONCLUSION: If Bakugou-kun doesn't do something, it's completely out of personal preference or because he doesn't see a reason to.

Fan Theory #2: REBELLIOUS NATURE

//Bakugou-kun is a delinquent and maintains that image because he thinks it looks cool. Or maybe he is rebelling against fashion designer parents. Either way, because of his family background he knows how to tie a tie, but wants to be a rebel.//

I'd give partial points for this one. I'm pretty sure he wears his pants loose at least partially because he thinks it looks cool. However, Bakugou-kun's parents were noted to be designers and not specifically fashion designers.

Despite appearances, this is the kid that sleeps at 8:30pm, doesn't break school rules, and yells at his friends for smoking.

He zips up the collar on his gym track suit all the way. Both the summer and winter versions get the same treatment. He doesn't feel the need to "make a statement" by wearing his track uniform incorrectly. Outside of class, he can and does sometimes wear his track jacket unzipped, but during class he always wears it properly.

So then why does Bakugou-kun refuse to wear the band T-shirt and Christmas party Santa outfit? Because he isn't cooperative. In Ultra Analysis, his Cooperativeness Stat was the lowest rank: E.

CONCLUSION: Bakugou-kun may be non-conformist and uncooperative, but he isn't a rebel.

Fan Theory #3: TRAUMA/PTSD

//This is one of the more popular theories. Between Dabi grabbing his neck, the Sludge Villain and being restrained at the School Festival, our boy has been through the wringer. As a result, he just doesn't like stuff around his neck because it gives him anxiety.//

The Western Fandom is definitely concerned about the mental health of the kids. But I don't actually think this is the reason. Not that I don't think they all need some therapy and self care, especially right now, but there just isn't evidence for this specific trauma in Bakugou-kun.

He wears scarves and even turtle necks without a problem.

On top of that, Bakugou-kun ALSO unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and gakuran in middle school; even from before the Sludge Villain incident. There isn't any evidence Bakugou-kun changed his dressing habits due to trauma. He wore a scarf to the entrance exam for UA, too.

CONCLUSION: Bakugou-kun has ALWAYS worn his shirts with the top button unbuttoned.

These 3 theories are inadequate, too. Even if they did explain the reasons Bakugou-kun doesn't wear a uniform tie, they don't factor in the reasoning for why he DOES wear his other ties properly sometimes.

HC#1: Bakugou-kun's preference

Bakugou-kun doesn't seem to care about his image and how "extras" see him. Even during the press interviews after his hero debut, he wore the same style of open collar look. He's not shy about being nude or taking his shirt off.

But what he hates is being uncomfortable.

He is "explosively brawny". Just look at how thick Bakugou-kun's neck is when compared to Midoriya-kun's. It isn't just that Midoriya-kun is supposed to be scrawny, but also that Bakugou-kun has a thicker than average neck.

Bakugou-kun doesn't like to button up his shirts all the way because it's uncomfortable. It's reasonable that he zips his track suit and everything else up because those are looser at the neck or made of stretchier materials.

As for why he doesn't wear the uniform tie at all... Don't forget Bakugou-kun is a perfectionist and a bit of a neat freak.

He always tucks his shirt in. For the band performance he wore a collared black dress shirt. From what we saw of his room, it's minimalist and clean. I don't see him wanting to look like a slob.

A sloppy loose tie would probably irritate him more than just not wearing it (which is even funnier when you think about Midoriya-kun's chonk tie. It probably makes him want to strangle Midoriya-kun, or maybe just tie it himself...)

Bakugou-kun has difficulties compromising when it comes to his high standards. So if he has to wear it, it's going to be either 0% or 100%.

HC#2: Explosiveness

Why draw Bakugou-kun with either 0% tie or 100% tie? If Horikoshi-sensei is going for a delinquent image, wouldn't the 50% tie option make more sense?

Taking a look again at Bakugou-kun's profile page, Horikoshi-sensei describes him to be explosive in every way. That includes his whole body being "explosively brawny", but also adds a note that he looks slender in clothes.

Horikoshi-sensei put an effort to make every element of Bakugou-kun's character in some state of either fully compressed or explosive.

His slimming clothes, general appearance and even his speech patterns are highly compressed (blunt/terse) and loud. The extremes of his attitude are compressed too; if Bakugou-kun is not loudly raging, then he's quietly observing.

This contrast is key to his character. You can't explode if you aren't compressed first. It's supposed to be shocking to see how brawny he actually is under his slenderizing clothes. And I always feel shocked whenever I see this kid compressed into a tie.

HC#3: Deku & Kacchan

These two are set apart from the class by design and very much on purpose. Horikoshi-sensei designed them to be at opposite ends of the same spectrum.

If Bakugou-kun has muscular arms, then Midoriya-kun needs muscular legs. If Midoriya-kun buttons up his shirt all the way to the collar, then Bakugou-kun's collar has to be loose. Their designs reflect their connection.

So if Midoriya-kun has a poorly tied tie, the opposite of that is either non-existant or perfectly tied. If it's perfectly tied, he'd just blend in with the class.

The no-tie option just makes more sense.

Plus Ultra Rare Bakugou

Horikoshi-sensei only ever draws Bakugou-kun with a tie in specific scenarios. Costume events that require the neck tie as part of the costume or "fancy" events where everyone is in formal wear. And even in those, Bakugou-kun manages to not wear his tie 90% of the time.

So, I just imagine that when Horikoshi-sensei makes Bakugou-kun wear his tie, he's super grumpy! Just look at his face in every illustration he's wearing a tie in. He's probably hot, uncomfortable, and really not enjoying himself at all.

Ultimately, the "Plus Ultra Rare Bakugou" is a Bakugou-kun who wears the tie and SMILES while doing it.

(Yes, I know that's NOT actually a tie. Shut up Bakugou-kun. You're only smirking in this one because you won the Popularity Poll for the 5th time in a row...)

(Well that's random, you say? Welcome to my blog. Considering the stuff going down on canon, I figured I should give fans, and myself, a break from angst to talk about something silly.

Please note that this applies only to the manga. I've found that the anime isn't quite so strict about how Bakugou-kun looks.

Regarding the headcanons, I just want to clarify that everyone is free to think whatever they like. I enjoy all headcanons and support your right to have them.

I wrote this a while ago and then debated posting it because it's such a huge meta about... Bakugou-kun's tie. I had regrets. But now it's become my new years post. Regrets were for 2020, it's already 2021!

Demons out, fortune in!!! I know it's not setsubun for another month, but 2020 was such a demon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!)