#i love tropes and imagery and symbolism

[raymoohackery]

what i wish i saw more people talk about in robot related transhumanism is maintenance. shit breaks down. every machine ever has needed a mechanic to look after it. the robot as an ideal of immortality should not be seen as an ideal of independence - so long as there are parts to keep you running, you will live, but you will need people to look after you to reorganize your cables and oil your joints and tighten your screws. you will outlive everyone but not if they help you do so first. and the inability to escape being cared for by others even as you are no longer made of flesh is what makes robot transhumanism loop right back to being human

[onesidedradiostatic]

On one hand I get why Mammon might be problematic aroace rep but on the other. I genuinely cannot imagine him going out of his way to form ANY kind of relationship that isn't inherently exploitative of his partner. It's just not in his nature. Like the word 'mammon' literally means money/wealth/profit 😭 there is no room for someone else with a person like that

okay anon I know you mean no ill-will with this but like… the reasons you listed is precisely why mammon as aroace rep is kindaaaa problematic (although again granted we don't know for sure AROace is the intention, but if the ace of spades asexual symbolism was intentional it seems that way)

exploiting every relationship you're in is completely independent of attraction. anyone can do that regardless of whether they are attracted to the person they are exploiting.

a character shouldn't be aro simply for the reason that they're too compassionless to have or want a partner, because that's just feeding into harmful aro stereotypes. that's kind of exactly what the "no love for the wicked" trope is.

and okay some may wonder "oh but what about alastor", admittedly even with alastor I was kind of skeptical going into hazbin since I was under the impression he was a full-on villain, but going through all of it, despite his immorality he still shows the capacity to care for others with mimzy, rosie, niffty and some extent the hotel. so he doesn't fully fall into "oh he's too evil to care of course he wouldn't feel romantic love" because he does care in certain cases, but I worry mammon falls into that category because we haven't seen any instance of him caring about anyone but himself yet

it's okay for an evil character to be aroace but they shouldn't be aroace because they're evil

also I do wonder if octavia is intended to only be ace or specifically aroace too, because unlike mammon she doesn't have the ace of spades imagery, it would be cool if she was though, she would at least balance out as being the only non-evil aroace in the hellaverse LMAO. but I also wish vivzie played around more with different type of aspecs and didn't have every ace be aro (or even GASP. include an aroallo character), honestly if it were between mammon and octavia I'd prefer for octavia to be aro over mammon, but obviously if mammon is intended to be aro I wouldn't deny him of it I'd just be… silently judging but accept it because we have so little aspec rep as it is I'll accept anything.

[jayceshammer]

The subtext in Jayvik

Viktor has now changed, merging with the Hexcore. He admits he doesn't feel "coldness", but rather senses an electric pulse. This could indicate he doesn't experience emotions, but this is contradicted by what happens in the later episodes, so I won't comment much on it. Regardless, Viktor doesn't feel positively about this change of events:

"I was supposed to die, you were supposed to destroy the hexcore"

This is the final breaking point of their relationship. The truth is coming to light, and Viktor finally confesses that the Hexcore killed Sky. We see a vision of her in Viktor's point of view. Some people point out that it’s the Hexcore manipulating Sky, I’d argue there’s still a piece of herself that remains.

In response, Jayce tries to salvage what he can by telling Viktor he'll resign from the council. He affirms he "understands now" that his true place was always in the lab, alongside Viktor.

"I understand now. We'll make this right, together"

This is a pivotal part in their relationship–Jayce is acknowledging, for the first time out loud and to Viktor, how important Viktor is for him. So much so that he doesn’t need anything else, cementing Viktor’s irreplaceable role in his life. It can be seen as a declaration of love because there’s a romantic motif; the idea of finding home or belonging in another person.

The word use is also peculiar. The use of “always” makes the viewer feel as though there’s an inevitability, implying that their connection was destined to be. It also plays into a common romantic trope, where a character realizes their romantic feelings for another when faced with their absence.

Jayce’s willingness to give up his political position is a selfless act, akin to that of Viktor’s in season 1. He’s giving up everything he’s worked for and his position of power to prove to Viktor that he’s someone worth sacrificing personal ambitions for.

However, Viktor's far too gone and proclaims his final goodbye. When confronted with their partnership, we get a hint of something we have suspected was there all this time:

"Our paths diverged long ago"

"It was affection that held us together"

This can be analyzed in a platonic light, but it can also be interpreted romantically. Jayce's finally coming to the understanding of his faults with Viktor, and he’s ready to sacrifice everything for him (in exchange for forgiveness). It could be said that his feelings for Viktor are deepening as he's faced with his departure, realizing a little bit too late what he's lost. 

It's also worth mentioning that he calls Viktor his "best friend" in this instance, drawing distance from the word he used in season 1 (brother). This shift in language marks an evolution in their relationship.

"You think it’s so easy? To turn your back while your city looks to you for salvation? To cling to principles while your best friend bleeds out in your arms?"

"I never asked for this"

This can be read as an apology. Jayce might be indirectly addressing his neglect towards their relationship; he’s finally expressing the pressure he has felt to take responsibility and lead the city, which  has distanced him from Viktor. 

In Viktor's scenes, we can hear Sky's voice guiding him. In my opinion, she symbolizes Viktor's guilt, and is used as a way for Viktor to "redeem" himself in his own eyes through the act of saving others. Sky presents herself in a different way at this point. As others mentioned, it could be because she’s a projection of Viktor's idealized memory of her, shaped by his collection of her notes and her book. This is quite a different Sky from the one that we got in season 1, much more assured and confident. Of course, this might have to do with Hexcore's influence as well. I do believe there’s still parts of her true self in there.

We can see he’s seeking her approval as a way to alleviate the burden of her death. It's also worth noting the religious imagery that's used with Viktor, which I feel there's no need to explain because the iconography is evident. Regardless, here are a few images for reference:

Episode 3

Ekko, Jayce and Heimerdinger are transported to different dimensions after the Hexcore is corrupted, encountering a "wild rune" (according to Ekko). There is no Viktor scene in this episode. I will not be discussing the episode as there isn't much to say in regards to Viktor and Jayce's relationship.

Episode 5

Fast forward to this episode, Jayce is teleported to the Hexcore again, where he encounters Viktor, now in the form of Salo. We can see how disheveled Jayce is, in comparison to Salo's pristine form. After a brief talk, Jayce kills Salo.

Scenes

When Jayce confronts Salo, we can see the visions he gets from being in his alternate dimension:

He asks him how he's able to walk, to which Salo responds with: "Who do you think could mend such a broken creature?"

There's a certain subtext within this line of dialogue. First, Viktor is positioned as a saviour in Salo's eyes. He also uses particular words: mending the broken. This is what Viktor believes he's doing: fixing the brokenness in people. 

The brokenness and faults he perceives within himself is something he seeks to heal, and this drive to "mend" is extended to those he considers flawed or in need of salvation.

Then, Viktor takes control of Salo's body in order to speak with Jayce. 

"I'd feared I wouldn't have the chance to speak with you again"

We can see the marks in Salo's face. Jayce's reaction to hearing Viktor's voice is somehow hopeful and defensive at the same time: though the tone of his voice sounds like disbelief, he grips his weapon tight. Jayce longs for Viktor's return but is also wary of the changes that have taken place.

While they “catch up”, Jayce asks Viktor this:

"Is salo's still in there?"

We know this is just setting up their future arc in regards to Viktor taking people's autonomy away after "curing" them. Salo himself shows a deep devotion to Viktor, declaring he "owes him everything". 

We also get these lines of dialogue:

"I thought you were done with Hextech"

"And me"

In this instance, the word “me” is being emphasized as it’s set apart by a noticeable pause. This pause conveys Jayce's remorse towards Viktor abandoning him; he’s implying that Viktor's abandonment goes beyond their Hextech partnership (which is why they're separated grammatically). Somehow, Viktor leaving their partnership feels synonymous with Viktor leaving him. It’s not uncommon for this to be a trope in romantic rivals to lovers relationships, where one character yearns for the other. We’ve seen it before.

"Because you left me"

Even though in the previous episodes Viktor has said he didn't feel much but an electrical pulse, he uses a different excuse this time:

“I was clouded by emotions”

Jayce attempts to confront Viktor, trying to reach a peaceful resolution, which doesn't work:

"We have to end it Viktor"

In regards to this, Viktor notes that Jayce is different, and deduces he has touched the Arcane. Jayce's response?

Episode 6

Summary

Viktor tries to heal Vander. After Jayce comes back from his alternate dimension, he attempts to kill Viktor.

Scenes

In one of the first scenes, we can see Viktor replaying the moment Jayce killed Salo. He appears concerned, saying:

"That isn't Jayce"

He doesn't really mention anything about Salo, like Sky. This is another point where we can see he’s no longer in touch with his humanity, or his past morals.

He claims there's another will at work within Jayce, which he describes as a "singulation (...) simultaneously self-replicating and self-annihilating". He doesn't realize at this moment that he's talking about himself. Sky mentions they've never seen complexity like this, to which Viktor responds:

"Flawless, exquisite chaos"

Near the end, when Jayce arrives at their commune, Viktor leads him with the help of one of his followers, a child. The child's actions are marked by confusion, yet unwavering acceptance towards Jayce. These could be interpreted as the child's actions on their own accord, without Viktor's influence; regardless of the case, Viktor probably knew that Jayce was coming, as we've seen he's aware of everything his followers sense.

Parts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

[c-l0wnery]

Two popular headcanons about Sophia's character suggest she was either a love interest or a big sister/mother figure to P. While both interpretations hold value, I personally believe she served more as a big sister/mother figure to P, and here's why:

Sophia and Geppetto:

One notable difference is their approach to P's transformation into a human. Sophia encourages P's choices, even if they involve lying, recognizing his progress, while Geppetto often demands obedience and no lies from P (I am certain he is well aware that lying is what makes him human), even so that he becomes distressed over the occurrence that P's hair is growing and not knowing how to deal with his metamorphosis of becoming human. Sophia's supportive nature contrasts with Geppetto's rigidity, indicating a maternal influence.

Granting Life:

Both Sophia and Geppetto played roles in giving "life" to P, akin to parental figures bringing a child into the world.

Carlo:

Sophia's long-standing connection with Carlo reveals her nurturing demeanour, which was made clear at black seaside, akin to a big sister comforting him in times of distress. (Yes, I am aware that P and Carlo are in fact not the same person, but I do believe that Carlo has influence on P his actions because Carlo his ergo is infused with his heart, we have seen this with multiple puppets such as, the puppet maid Camille, Romeo The King of puppets and even Sophia when P decides to fuse her ergo with the doll, it did not create an entirely different being, Sophia stayed Sophia because that is what ergo makes possible.) This dynamic parallels her relationship with P, suggesting a maternal influence.

Statue:

The imagery of Sophia cradling P mirrors the Madonna della Pietà (the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary cradling the mortal body of her son Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross.), symbolizing her maternal role in P's life, particularly evident in the True ending.

Original Story:

Sophia's multifaceted portrayal in the original Pinocchio story aligns with her nurturing and maternal characteristics, further supporting the big sister/mother figure interpretation.

Appearance:

Sophia's mature demeanour contrasts with P's youthful innocence, emphasizing her role as a guiding figure rather than a romantic interest.

Record Shadow Flower:

While Sophia's record hints at a love story, it is not to be forgotten that Alidoro, brother of Eugénie, gifted his sister a record with a song depicting a love story about a wolf who went an a journey to propose to a girl.

In essence, Sophia embodies the parental guidance that Gepetto fails to provide, making her a more fitting parental figure for P. While the romantic interpretation is valid, viewing Sophia in a nurturing role offers a refreshing perspective, highlighting her depth beyond mere romantic tropes.

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

Remembering how Game of Thrones tried and failed to make a convincing argument that Jon Snow was “the true king all along !1!1”, mostly because they removed all the myth and wonder that makes this trope land in the books. Because, don’t get it twisted, I absolutely believe the books are getting to this in some way. But it works because GRRM is intentionally recreating King Arthur’s origin story, with all its magic and whimsy front and center. GRRM knows and intends for Jon to be the clichéd fantasy protagonist: he’s got a magic pet, a magic sword (that’s about to be even more magic soon), magic powers, a magic lineage, and an obvious magic destiny. Book!Jon is the very idea of fantasy, the quintessential fantasy character - and like, THAT’S THE POINT! It’s why he’s literally every classic fantasy trope mixed into one. But none of this is present in the show. He’s got no magic, neither does his very normal pet, his magic lineage means nothing, and his magic destiny is laughably pushed to the side because the writers need to subvert expectations. Show!Jon is just some guy whereas book!Jon is meant to be THE guy. All signs in the narrative point to this.

And I think one of the biggest indicators of the show runners just not getting itᵀᴹ is the Tower of Joy sequence, which is meant to serve as a masterclass for fantasy protag myth building 101. The book version has: the most legendary sword known to man, the most legendary knight of all time, the leader of a legendary band of white knights, a powerful noble, a princess queen of love and beauty in a tower, a newly risen king, the shadow of a dead prince who was heir to the throne, obvious messianic imagery (e.g., three wise men witnessing the birth of a promised king), several metaphorical falling stars (Arthur, Ashara, Dawn disappearing for years afterward), etc, etc. So when the narrative beats it over our heads that Jon is “le true king”, it makes sense because the imagery and symbolism has been injected into the story to back this claim up. From a genre perspective, it’s not so much avoiding a trope but reinforcing it (though with several twists). The show version of Jon’s birth is some random dudes (names not provided) fighting for vague reasons (they cut out all the meaningful, character building dialogue). Show!Jon’s birth is not a mythological event heralding a king. But the show runners want to cheat and claim Jon to be the true king without doing any of the legwork. It just doesn’t land at all, and this pattern bleeds into them trying to claim Jon as tptwp…except show!Jon has no magic powers to back up that claim, unlike book!Jon who is a walking power plant. So even if they did come to a (mostly) correct assumption - that Jon is the king - how it’s written is so mind-numbingly bad that it doesn’t even matter anyway.

[incesthemes]

For day 31 of @spnficrecfest's event! All-Time Favorites or Free Space

American Myth by candle_beck

As long as you have a car, you are free, and other lies my country taught me.

SamDean // Mature // No Warnings Apply // 11,524

Tags: First Time

My Notes: This fic literally changed my life. The Sam characterization in particular is so on-point and insane that it fundamentally altered how I interact with him as a character. Jesus Christ.

Camdon Inn by dragonspell

In the backwoods of Northern Michigan, Sam and Dean are on the trail of what they think might be the area's fabled 'Dog Man.' What they find instead in the small town of Silver Lake is a suspicious sheriff, a shady innkeeper, a closed mouth town and a lot more than they bargained for when the supposed overly large wolf that they were hunting starts hunting them back. And, much to Dean's horror, he can no longer seem to keep his hands off of Sam.

SamDean // Explicit // No Warnings Apply // 44,412

Tags: Dubious Consent, Something Made Them Do It

My Notes: I'm convinced this author lives inside my brain to make all of my dreams come true. I can't believe they wrote my favorite kind of trope, wrote it well, AND gave it a satisfying ending. This is the fic that convinced me Sam has been in love with Dean for as long as he could love. I also enjoyed the struggle Dean had with his repulsion toward pursuing an incestuous relationship; not my exact headcanon, but it's developed well and I enjoy the strange, needy ambiguity and dubcon of it all. The author has a tendency to skip over words, but while it's confusing enough to make note of, it's not so confusing that it hinders the reading.

watch you weigh your powers by according2thelore

“Is this…You couldn’t speak because I told you not to?” Sam asks. “Like Ansem?” Dean’s face twists, and he looks at Sam guiltily. “No, c’mon.” He scoffs, shifting so his legs slide away from Sam’s into the passenger footwell. Sam blinks at him. Sam then looks straight ahead, at the steering wheel, uncomprehendingly. Sam’s mind spins, unhinged from its moorings. He tries to think of every order he’s given Dean in the past six months. Hand me that. Scoot over. Shut up. Pass the remote. Go talk to the coroner. Turn it down. Kiss me.

SamDean // Explicit // No Warnings Apply // 8,266

Tags: Codependent Winchesters, Blow Jobs, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Season/Series 02, Sam Winchester Has Powers, Mildly Dubious Consent, Established Relationship, Dom/sub Undertones, Mild Breathplay

My Notes: Incredible fic that has made a home in my brain forever. The focus on Sam's emotions, the fear and guilt and horror of what he's been doing to Dean, really makes me feel insane.

[filmcompanion]

Park Chan Wook + Jeong Seo-kyeong when making The Handmaiden (2016): juxtaposes objectification with genuine representation of sex, in a way Sarah Waters said is true to her novel Fingersmith that the film took inspiration from. Male entitlement is rejected as violent and unwanted a contrast to love between women being embraced as a means for liberation. Films sex between two women as actual sex - the full-bodied, passionate union between two people, without objectifying the women by keeping a distant, neutral frame that has the body parts men want to leer at out of focus. Shows women having active desire for each other, with love and sex being two sides of the same coin for those characters, as a contrast to men's cold view of women as objects. Uses abundant POV shots and spends a multitude of scenes building up the sexual tension and emotional intimacy before going explicit. Fills the scenes with narrative motifs and symbolism, emphasizing Hideko and Sookhee as equals despite their class disparity, as well as creating the imagery that two women can fulfill each other without a man. Focuses on the women's faces, includes dialogue and lots of humor. The scenes sex are literally so emotionally charged and revolutionary for the characters they are ready to change their entire life course after - it's the only time they can be completely honest with each other, and that emotional journey is conveyed. Writes Sookhee reclaiming the Count's fake fuckboy line of "spellbindingly beautiful" with literally the most genuine emotion after seeing Hideko's *****. Films cunnilingus as equivalent, or even superior, to penetration as a sex act. Asked an actual lesbian what sex would make sense to include in the movie, and from her request includes scissoring while making the point is it's an advanced sex move. Addresses the complexity that while men can objectify sex between women, the concept can at the same time be appealing to women and it's possible to reclaim it for yourself. Visually spells out that men thinking something is for them doesn't mean it is (their entitlement leads to the men literally dying). Explicitly dismantles pretty much all lesbian tragedy tropes with intent, such as suicide/death/torture/mental institution, lesbian relationships as inconsequential or ending in betrayal, lesbians having sex with or being objectified by men. Literally makes the whole movie about lesbians reclaiming narrative tropes used against them, and has them Win Everything with the most happy ending ever.

People with gender and film studies degrees who make a living out of writing intelligently about these topics: two women naked so for men :) only men like lesbian sex, please cut to black next time bc my brain cannot comprehend anything important happened, as I associate women having sex with p*rn and nothing else :) it's "performing" for men when it looks pretty! (in a movie something is Real and not performing when it looks Ugly). we as a society can only move on from the dichotomy of lesbian dehumanization as either desexualized or hypersexualized by diving all wlw media into the pure a-touch-of-your-hand-made-me-cry-alone-in-my-room-for-10-years with endlessly obsession about chaste Gazing from a distance versus the icky icky sex stuff that only men want to see!

[porcelaincvnt666]

🫀 intro ⊹⋆.ೃ࿔*

hi <3 welcome 2 my blog , i'll post here like a journal, i'm just looking for somewhere to drop random thoughts and girlblogs i make. i'm veryvery not used 2 tumblr but i'm an avid pinterest user and i'll try 2 figure out things here

basic introductory details ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

my name is porcelain, but u can also call me pj [she/her] . not actually my real name but it's my online persona name since my name's unique and i have the largest irrational fear of any1 finding me on here. i just rlly love the word and the metaphors that can derive from it and its connections to art. i like the nickname because of its other owners, pj harvey and pj from bottoms (2023)!

teenage grrrl

lesbian? idfk anymore it's complicated but I love love women very much and i can find men pretty but i don't know if I actually want to be with 1

cancer sun, scorpio moon & rising (i'm not a hardcore believer in astrology but i just think it's cool)

interestsﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

in general, i just love art and creation like ur telling me we have access to all these beautiful forms of expression that show who u are as a human being that'll last longer than your own soul?? the three most important things to me are film, writing and music, but i also love visual art things like painting and drawing, as well as literature, fashion and sewing, makeup, and theatre.

some music artists i love;

hole, fiona apple, mitski, jack off jill, bikini kill, pj harvey, mazzy star, bratmobile, dazey and the scouts, amy winehouse, veruca salt, cocteau twins, lana del rey, radiohead, katie jane garside, nirvana, caviar noir, nicole dollaganger, strawberry switchblade, fleetwood mac, the cranberries, kate bush, tori amos, the smiths, björk, slowdive, my bloody valentine, the breeders, poison girlfriend, lesley gore, lunachicks, lebanon hanover, jeff buckley, garbage, janis joplin, ethel cain, babes in toyland, japanese breakfast, the dresden dolls, strange boutique, scary bitches, the cure, siouxsie and the banshees, and black box recorder

movies i like; welcome to the dollhouse, but i'm a cheerleader, girl, interrupted, ghost world, may, amelie, carrie (1976) ,the addams family (1995), the royal tenenbaums, buffalo '66, eeaao, smiley face, little miss sunshine

[ i don't claim to be a cinephile!! also even though i will dedicate my life to film i haven't watched nearly as many as i want to so here are some on my watchlist!!! ]

possesion, perfect blue, tvs, women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the young girls of rocheport, the belladonna of sadness, snakes and earrings, audition, daisies, mysterious skin, the cook, the thief, his wife & her lover

misc interests; sylvia plath, lipstick shades & eyeshadow palettes, anything red, human organs, calico critters, porcelain dolls, the nineties, alternative fashion + fashion from 20s-90s, aya takano, japanese literature, religious imagery, cannibalism, witchcraft, christina ricci, pen15, poetry, riot grrrl feminism, mark ryden, the sims, weird girl and manic pixie dream girl tropes, glee (embarassing), stardew valley, clone high (also embarassing), the moon, electric guitar, and niche weird accesories (jewelry and tights and shit like that)

hobbiesﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

i like reading books, watching movies and listening to music. those are my main three of media consumption. i'm learning 2 play electric guitar ( i have a sick red one). i love to paint and i journal a lot. i want to get into jewelry making and sewing. i take walks for reconnecting with nature. i collect a lot of childish shit and also things related to my interests. i write poetry and i'm working on a book. i may or may not post about any of these.

other little thingies about me that i felt needed to be included.

red + black is my personal dear favorite color combo

i like overusing little emojis and symbols because they feel like doodling in your journal

i have to elaborate on everything possible for some reason so i'm sorry for the big blocks of text

weird girl 4ever, manic pixie nightmare grrrl official title

very passionate feminist!!!!!!!!!!!

https://linktr.ee/porcelaincvnt666

started a blog because of depression, bpd, and maladaptive daydreaming killing me slowly, tired of everyone i know, and no place to share my thoughts with the world 2 find like-minded people and also to feel famous and universally loved by my target audience

looking 4 moots!

🫀🫀🫀

[ninadove]

7 and 11 for the ask game! :)

7. Your favorite tropes to read/write/draw

I love hurt/comfort so dearly! There’s something that always gets me about characters growing and overcoming adversity together. Combine it with found family and SIBLINGS and you’re basically pouring liquid sunlight into my heart. It doesn’t get better than that!

Interestingly enough, I was always more of a friends-to-lovers/medium-to-slow burn person when it comes to shipping, until Feligami happened and rewired my entire brain. And because they get most of my romantic fics fastburns are basically all I write now. Feligami fastburn in Shadow Strike. Feligami fastburn in Glitter and Gold. Feligami fastburn in Escape the city and follow the sun. Feligami fastburn in the Black Cat Felix AU and the Black Cat Kagami AU when I get to them. It works because their childhood was stolen from them, because their life could end with a snap of fingers or the crack of a ring, because they’re both touchstarved and lovestarved and don’t want to lose a single second… It works because their love is always a choice and an act of defiance… Feligami Argami Ryargos Relix… Where was I?

OH YES. Redemption arcs followed by the reformed antagonist taking care of the hero who saved them. Reformed antagonists holding a mirror to the good guys and forcing them to confront their flaws. Reformed antagonists with imagery that is typically associated with heroes. Reformed antagonists in general. It’s about the growth.

I also apparently love bird imagery very much. Clive Felix Edelgard Yang Weiss Sasha —

11. If you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

I’m very proud of the progress I’ve made in the past year when it comes to pacing and imagery in my writing! And since we were just talking about subverting symbolism, today I want to highlight this fic:

They make me so happy 💚💜

Thanks for the ask, Anon! ☀️

[burn-the-retcon]

I've already mentioned that Zebruh Codakk is a queerphobic stereotype, as described by my friend Dolly who called him the "Prince Charmless archetype"...

A man who acts entitled, often to women… but who is also portrayed as “overly” femme. So like..: Prince Charming in Shrek, Blueblood in MLP, etc… the issue is their horrible behavior but the media portrays it and their femininity as being intertwined.

... and it occurred to me that overlaps a lot with antisemitic tropes even though Zebruh doesn't have any other Jewish coding. I quote from this post:

It’s like this: sneaky, underhanded, physically weak, insufficiently masculine, a poisoner rather than a fighter, manipulative, wants something they do not deserve and why they do not deserve it is emphasized narratively by either their physical disgustingness, if he “thing” they want is a woman (long hooknoses, greasy, “"sallow”“, deeply hooded eyes, weird, often unusually thick lips) (think here jafar) and/or, if the thing they want is power, their undeservingness of it is symbolized by their sideways methods of approaching "winning” or “losing” – their refusal to just fight someone, their “two facedness” etc etc etc. [...] This character is often genuinely creepy in his interactions with women particularly the woman who he wants to ~acquire~, but the issue with it is usually presented as his interest being inherently disgusting, with his actual actions being secondary, and the hero is incapable of being undeserving of a woman, regardless of his actions. This is pretty basic. Ppl often mistake this coding for “queer coding” – and it is not that there is no overlap – but the Jew’s insufficiently masculine nature has little to do with a disinterest in women and in fact often is emphasized by his inherently predatory interest in the “pure” female character, who is often the love interest of the Hero .

It also probably overlaps with the fact that Tagora, the most extreme example of antisemitic imagery among the teals, really is queer. It really is all one horrible cultural stew, huh.

[morethanwonderful]

Rereading and really thinking about page 82/the title page after not looking at early Homestuck for a long time makes me feel unhinged. I know the page has been analyzed to death but god there really is just so much in there thematically to unpack.

From more or less the first moment that both concepts come up in Homestuck, wind and loneliness are tied together. It's partly a joke about John being melodramatic about the desolation of his empty mailbox, but it's also the core of his entire character.

John is the Heir of Breath. He's all about freedom and individuality on a symbolic level and wind on a literal level. And as we see time and again, the inherent price of his power is that achieving freedom also cuts him off from others. He's the opposite of blood and bonds. He becomes unmoored from reality and can retcon his own story, teleporting to where and whenever he pleases across the multiverse, but it comes at the cost of relocating to a new timeline where his friends have all shared a reality different than his. And that's just one example.

For John, the aspect of freedom and wind comes at the cost of isolation. Wind is the space that keeps neighbors apart.

Hell, you could even say something about the fact that it's specifically the wind in the gaps between suburban homes that brings up the imagery of desolation. On one hand, talking about loneliness alongside suburbia is an old trope, and for good reason. American suburban architecture and city planning is designed to put people in nuclear family bubbles and isolate them from their communities (and god forbid, anyone outside their immediate community). So the isolating wind in the gaps between picket fence houses is a classic image.

But also, it's really fitting for the specific sense of loneliness that John experiences.

Lots of Homestuck characters have loneliness as a major recurring theme. Even among just the beta kids, Jade's isolation is even more iconic than John's. She spends most of her life alone on an island with just her dog, and in the retcon, she spends three years alone on the ship between realities. She's constantly isolated by great gaps of physical space (heh) between her and the people she cares about.

John's isolation is different. He's never so cut off as Jade from the people he loves, but there's always some gap between them. He has a loving father that he often feels adversarial toward as a kid, and their conflict circa John's thirteenth birthday is in large part because of the harlequin misunderstanding. Dad Egbert is right there in the same house loving John, but there's a fundamental disconnect, and he fails to understand something major about his son.

Plus, we never see any mention of John having friends in his offline life. From his attitude toward himself (constant self-mockery) and the lack of any reference to him having friends that die in the apocalypse, he probably lives a pretty lonely life at school. He's a goofy nerdy insecure kid that can't connect with his peers and has to turn to faraway friends on the internet. Classic suburban isolation.

And it's the same in post-canon! John doesn't have to be cut off from his friends! He can fly and teleport and call/text them any time he wants. There's nothing subjecting him to physical isolation. All the loneliness of his depression is social and psychological. He's living on an empty suburban street—lonely while surrounded by people.

Genuinely, I don't know if there's a better image for him and his arc than the wind that blows through the gaps between cookie-cutter houses. The breeze keeping neighbors apart.

[zenkindoflove]

R and Y for the ask game!

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

Most of my big influences are fanfic writers from my previous fandoms. People who I spent a lot of time with, who I co-wrote stories witch, who were apart of my community. They are long out of fandoms now, but they really shaped me when I was a young writer.

There are two Elucien writers that definitely stand out in my mind for people who inspire some of my own style when writing Elucien fics.

@infinitefolklore writes amazing tension in her fics. You can feel the electricity between Elain and Lucien when they are near or interacting through her writing. I try to infuse that in my own fics and hopefully it comes through even half as good as hers.

@crazy-ache is always an inspiration to me and why I work so closely with her. Her prose is simply divine. It amazes me how naturally symbolism and imagery come to her. Anytime I try my hand at it in my own fics, the first thought I always have is "Will Ari like this?" We also just share a lot of head canons and she is my go to person to work out new fic ideas with. So she an all around inspiration.

Y: What are your thoughts on your personal satisfaction with something you’ve written vs. the popularity of your stories?  Do you tend to be most satisfied with your most popular stories?  

Oh, this is tough question to answer. I think for anyone writing fanfic, the constant pull of "I write for me" and "I would like people to like my fics" is always a see-saw.

I don't think I am most satisfied with my most popular stories. But I do love the fics of mine that are the most popular. I did really good stuff in those fics, and I see why they are popular. But I'm also doing great stuff in the fics hardly anyone is reading, which there are plenty. And there are of course a lot of reasons why certain fics I write are more popular than others. I don't think it has anything to do with how well written they are or how good the story is. I really do believe all of my fics are great in their own way and have something special and unique to offer. And I'm satisfied with the work I put into them. They're not perfect, but I can say I am happy with all of them.

Reading fanfic is about escapism primarily. We are spoiled for choice, and people have their own niches of what they prefer to read. They also have hard no's of what they won't read. I'm the exact same way. So I understand that certain tropes, character pairings, or tags are going to turn people away from my fics. That is natural. I would of course love all the love and validation on all of my fics that people who read me can offer, but that is an unrealistic expectation and one I don't hold anyone to.

Fanfic writer ask game

[clownsalot]

OKAY SO DEEP COVER IS OUT AND IT IS SOOOOOO SICK TO ME THAT THEY GAVE KOTOKO A WEREWOLF TRANSFORMATION

like. i am SO excited that they took kotoko's wolf imagery from trial 1 and took it to its logical extreme in trial 2 by giving her an honest to god werewolf transformation it is so damn cool i am SHAKING

most of us are probably already familiar with the trope in monster fiction of werewolves representing the kinds of monstrous emotional aggression you're supposed to repress but bleeds out and wrecks everything around you right. so like. the fact that kotoko applies this symbolism to HERSELF??? IT'S SO COOL TO ME. it's her acknowledging her own monstrosity!!!! that's so damn cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and like. she's so HORRIFIED by it looming over herp

LIKE. SHE LOOKS SO HORRIFIED BY HER OWN MONSTROSITY. BUT SHE GOES ON TO DO MONSTROUS THINGS ANYWAY

just. i am SHAKING and SCREAMING because this is so damn interesting for her characterization. ESPECIALLY with her association to red riding hood im so excited i feel ill. i love kotoko so much

[celestialvexation]

ig the reason why i'm having trouble writing nowadays is cause i haven't rlly used my emotions for it. like...when i write something, i do it with all of my soul poured into it. sure, i have ideas that'd be good to write down, but i'm an emotionally driven guy. i want to pour whatever strong emotion into it -- that's why i like to write in so many details, put in symbolism and imagery and metaphors, rlly put into what the characters are feeling and how certain events affect them

the state of the world has me feeling kinda numb. beyond exhausted that i can only say "eh" while everyone's panicking and fearful for their lives ( and rightfully so ). i hate that i'm just...put down by such a numbness. whatever characters being put on the spot helps what i'm feeling. how they can weep and sob about failing those you love, perhaps even yourself, even if the events taking place are generally out of your hands or just happened regardless because fate / life / god / whatever said so

i also want to show that they aren't alone. that they can be happy in spite of it all...

idk i'm just rambling on my lunch ahsjsj and that's not getting into writing cause i'm fucking horny for a trope or concept but that's for another time

[jasontoddiefor]

Love your fandom asks! 6, 7, 8?

you know what, going with SCTIR for this one!

6) something you see in art a lot and love

this is gonna sound so weird, but I love the way people use monster/animal/cage imagery to depict Han Yoojin's relationships to other S-Classes and speicifcally his brother. It is so intriguing to me!!!

7) your favorite tropes to read/write/draw

i'm a canon divergence person at heart so I really enjoy reading things that fuck around with HYJ and HYH's relationship in the context of like, what could've pushed them back together earlier? what symbols define their brotherhood, what memories are they haunted by. also kid fic. I'm forever a fan of kid fics.

8) you hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

that one god damn chapter where HYJ just does a little murder after being kidnapped. I need people to start treating the way he's obsessed with his brother's safety just as insane as the way they act about HYH's complex over him. Like, until that point, I didn't quite realize just how ruthless HYJ could be??? and then I was like "oh. oh, my boy is a mess mess. love that"

Send me a positive fandom ask!

[novelconcepts]

One of the things I love so much about Yellowjackets and its use of sex scenes—and one of the reasons I balk at puritan culture claiming sex scenes have no place in media—is how much character gets across in these moments. The scenes are rarely, if ever, just about the sex.

It’s Van and Tai in the woods, this moment of pure intimacy, of letting someone see you when you’re at your most broken and realizing you can still be beautiful and present and whole. It’s recognizing love transcends what you look like, and that there is safety in trusting someone to really look under the mask.

It’s Jackie trying to prove something to herself and to Shauna, that she can be an adult, that she can catch up to this perceived finish line Shauna already crossed, and it’s Travis being so distant that he barely even knows where he is, that this physical act that feels like everything to Jackie is nothing to him. It’s a microcosm of that young adult fear of being left behind, of not fitting into the right tropes.

It’s Shauna and Adam in this primal, teenage courtship that is so about immaturity and spontaneity, where it’s entirely about her getting to reclaim the childhood she lost, even at her own detriment. And it’s Jeff and Shauna, where it’s entirely about trying to reclaim something damaged beyond repair, about the desperate need to hang onto something that maybe wasn’t ever yours to begin with.

It’s Natalie and Travis with this Lottie imagery hovering between them, an encapsulation of Nat trying to show him that reality is tangible, and Lottie being a symbol of hope and spirituality, with Travis being caught between. It’s building on this traumatic space they’re living in through the lens of distraction and escapism, and whether those things can be enough when real life is so deadly.

This show is so good about deploying these very human moments through physicality, and pushing the character arcs forward. Sex can genuinely be such a beautiful and painful way to explore character, and it’s such a fundamental feature of this story which is rooted in hunger and desire and collaboration. It’s so interesting to me.