#i mean ok. rivalry is good but i was imagining more along the lines of Friendly rivalry among four men w History

[uniformbravo]

god the new ranking of kings season is so good it's like fun lil side story, cute backstory, silly character short, ouken's tragic descent into becoming the monster he is today and everything his family and friends tried and failed to do to save him, cute backstory in a delightful art style,

[firendgold]

Ok so bc anything i do in this fandon is specifically to piss that woman off, i gotta ask:

Do you have any ideas for fic scenarios for trans!albus and/or trans!Harry? (time travel harrydore or not, you pick)

so funny story anon, my instinctual answer for this question was "no, I've never thought about it, sorry"—but as I was writing that reply a while back, I actually started getting ideas. It was wild. (That's also why this took so long to get out, sorry!)

trans!Albus is easier for me to imagine for some reason. I had this idea where his entire early life could be rewritten just to do a deep dive into the Dumbledore family dynamics when the firstborn prodigy half-blood son is AFAB instead. How that might change Percival's actions on Ariana's behalf (or not), if he doesn't have any thoughts in the back of his mind about leaving his family in his "eldest son's" hands. How that could change the rivalry between Albus and Aberforth, who might not be super tolerant of an uppity older sister who's also queer. We still don't know much about Kendra somehow, after 1 billion years of Pottermore, but whether or not she's accepting of Albus' gender identity and sexuality could be their own spin-off fanfics, they're that fascinating. Her own Native history could then be touched on as well.

All these things together could be a point of personal conflict for Albus, who's already a living embodiment of a taboo Native/European union and might have to wrestle with what's accepted from him as a Good and Proper Woman of English society re: marriage and carrying on some (other) pureblood's line, along with protecting Ariana's secret and "making up" for his father's crimes.

I don't know if Albus' sexuality changes. If it doesn't, I can see him being briefly confused about What Elphias Is To Him when he gets older, and Elphias is getting his own messages from home about How Much Time He's Spending With That Dumbledore Girl. I imagine there would be a lot of conversations between Albus and Kendra, and Albus and other peers, about who he was going to marry and what his "prospects" were since his father's a known criminal. And Albus, beyond not identifying as a girl at all, would find all this discussion about such trivial sexist matters frustrating as hell.

Unfortunately, I see everyone at Hogwarts misgendering Albus while he's a student, or pretty much everyone. Like, he eventually tells Elphias who accepts right away (and is confused about What That Means for Him in private), and maybe a few other students, but none of his professors are Getting It. His stellar academic record probably keeps him from being bullied as much, but doesn't entirely protect him from rampant transmisogyny and slurs when he outperforms people.

But regardless, assuming the "major beats" of history play out the same way, I can see Albus being a lot more proactive re: marginalized rights than he already was in canon, and perhaps moving the overall British Society Needle way further to the left, because it's one thing to talk shit about the powerful, progressive, weird old man that no one really knows is gay but can kick your arse without breathing hard, but another thing entirely to talk shit about your trans, out and proud, progressive Supreme Mugwump who has already freed all the elves, speaks all the magical creature/Being languages, is raising your kids at school better than you are at home, AND is still gay and can still kick your arse without breathing hard.

This is all, of course, imagining that Albus is AFAB and identifies as male. If it's the other way around and Albus is AMAB and identifies as female... I can't even imagine. I'm not cool enough ig

As for Harry, it's weird but I don't have any trans headcanons for him during his Hogwarts years. It's kind of similar to how I don't read many genderbent!Harry fics unless I adore the author, because even though I'm a girl I can't imagine Harry IDing as one for some reason. (I'm very limited, I know.) BUT. For some reason this changes when you bring in time travel harrydore.

With the ship as the parameter, I can imagine an AFAB Harry who's spent his whole life chafing at the clothes Aunt Petunia gets him—because 'unfortunately' (for her), even pre-puberty, she can't just give Harry Dudley's cast-offs unless she wants The Neighbors to start lifting eyebrows and asking questions—because they're girl clothes and along with just not fitting in to the Pristine Pretentious Family with her messy hair and tight clothes and taped-up glasses, Harry has never felt like a girl. He insisted on having people call him 'Harry' as soon as he could talk and get away with it, and only has to hear his deadname from his teachers and with the Dursleys.

This all of course changes once McGonagall is reading names on the Sorting List in 1991 and just barely doesn't stumble over Harry's preferred name being on the list instead. (She is surprised only because Harry is famous. By the time Harry goes to school, there have been many other out trans students in this headcanon. But probably very few under her eye have been quite this famous.)

I've always personally headcanoned Harry as bisexual, but I don't know if that would be the case in this particular headcanon. I can still see him going after Cho, and perhaps even Ginny. I can see him having the same confusion about What Are Ron and I To Each Other that a trans!Albus had about Elphias a century ago, without ever living his Hogwarts life as a girl to anyone but his enemies (and having a lot of friction with canon!Hermione and/or Lavender as a result). I can see Draco hating Harry even more, because he always kept "her" in the back of his mind as a Dark Lady he could serve under in all ways, only to have this... boy being his rival and Quidditch better and wanting absolutely nothing to do with the Malfoys or purebloods or knowing her place.

A thought that sticks in the back of my mind is that JKR (otherwise known by me as That Woman (derogatory)) specifically wrote Harry as a boy for a lot of reasons, and the main one being that she always planned for him to live and pass on his line in the "traditional" way, and having her titular character be a girlboss would've derailed that status quo. In a universe where Harry is AFAB, I can imagine a lot of related conversations with and around Harry about this. How "she" is "the last Potter" that there will ever be, because naturally she'll marry into one of the families and the name will be lost forever. I can see this being a real bone of contention with Harry and radicalizing him, along with Voldemort and the discrimination against werewolves and house-elves and centaurs and veela (which I doubt even one dedicated Dumbledore would be able to get rid of), making him take his place as the next generation leftist magical powerhouse.

And so how does all that change his relationship with Dumbledore? I... don't really see it changing much. If both characters are trans, that's another point of connection for them that bonds them through all the mess the government and society puts them through. It makes Albus a figure for Harry to admire as a young boy ("look, the most powerful wizard in the world is just like me!") and to still anguish about as a young man ("all the choices he made that I don't agree with, all the secrets he kept from me, how do I know I won't make the same mistakes or make no better progress than he did?"). Their relationship could be all the more painful or distant if one of them is out and one is in the closet, like an Albus who never came out or transitioned and is seeing in Harry the upright boy he could have been, or if Harry is resentful of Albus living his truth because he, a knobbly-kneed adolescent girl, doesn't have the power, freedom, or influence to be who he truly wants to be.

But focus! I'm focusing! Time travel Harrydore. The specific scenario I was imagining was one where AFAB Harry never comes out to the general public. His loved ones who are his peers know, but all the adults in his life (yes, including Remus and Sirius) never get to meet him properly. They die thinking of him as "James' daughter". And after defeating Voldemort, Harry just can't take the idea of spending any more time not being the person he wants to be. He's done being the Girl-Who-Lived so he writes goodbye letters to Ron and Hermione and does some ancient ritual without anyone knowing, and instead of changing him at the molecular level it flings him back to the past.

And so unlike a lot of time travel fics (including mine lol) where Harry is grieving his true time and desperate to get back home, this Harry misses his friends terribly, but it doesn't take long for him to see being an unknown in a different time as a golden opportunity. Sure, it would have been better if he'd been flung into the future instead and maybe had more tolerant people instead of less, but no one knows who he's "supposed" to be here. So he can grow into the man he truly is!

And so while Harry is setting up his new life for himself (maybe as some personal tutor, or a backup Quidditch player, or something that keeps him out of the limelight for once?), he runs into trans!Albus who doesn't have many friends and not much else going on for him (depending on who or where Grindelwald is right then), and Harry's nervous but they hit it off and become close friends, and one thing leads to another, and...

*cackles*

Also also, and sorry for sticking this all the way at the end lol, but MUCH RESPECT for hanging around in HPF just to stick in the craw of That Woman. I think I'm adopting your philosophy for the future. ^^

[awellboiledicicle]

You all think the skyrim age au is a creative excersize but the real creative work is me figuring out, with a cork board, how to third option the civil war without the Thalmor winning a bloody inch

This so far involves Balgruuf being put forward as high king, directly petitioning the emperor for skyrim’s independence as he’s canonically in the area at the time, Kain Hawke being named Balgruuf’s champion so any dual challenges fall to her and good luck fighting the dragonborn. Balgruuf securing the political clout should be easy enough if he plays up leading Skyrim to freedom with no more good people dying/no longer having to be under the white-gold concordant, and anyone who doesn’t agree can be swayed either by him or Kain--who is thane p much everywhere except Windhelm. Ulfric obviously won’t lay down arms OR his claim to the throne simply because a man he respects says to-- thus the champion thing. He respects the idea of the dragonborn if nothing else, and would further respect getting his ass handed to him before being told to either live to see a free skyrim or die and get out of the way. I don’t see such a stubborn man leaving it there, but it would give him enough pause to allow a good dialogue about “fuck the thalmor” and “skyrim and her people--all of her people--cannot stand to be weak with the aldmerri dominion at the gates. But if the Empire falls, likely does skyrim. So play fucking nice, Ulfric”. AKA he and Kain get into Shouting matches between peace talks. The empire, for their part, likely will not be easy to sway either, but an order from the emperor and a drawn up contract he’s willing to sign is very compelling. Not to mention the good will built up by Anders/Justice wiping out the dark brotherhood in skyrim, if only because it increases stability if the only threats on your subordinates lives are easily telegraphed rivalries instead of assassins. I imagine Tullius would be steamed at not having Ulfric’s head but he’s necessary for the stormcloaks going along with fucking anything. The problem being that while some would indeed follow someone who beat him in a dual, a good chunk would still cause problems because they truely do believe they’re fighting for whatever cause they assigned to it. Where as having Ulfric--even grudgingly--fall in line with Balgruuf at the persuasion of the Dragonborn will mean a whole lot more of his forces fall in with him.

The good news is being against the thalmor would help, the bad news is Ulfric is probably still convinced the information they tortured out of him was why the empire lost the war. Even showing him documents stolen from the thalmor themselves wouldn’t convince him, but i wager that he’d buy that they’d try to capitalize on any remaining division-- he’s not a stupid man.

Kain has the additional sway of being Harbinger of the Companions-- one of the most nord respected institutions in the country. AND she’s dragonborn, AND thane to almost all holds AND owns property in most of them AND is generally famous for helping people when she turns up. Her charisma on top of that gets things done.

Kain isn’t a political mover and shaker when she can help it-- she prefers doing things. But not doing anything about the civil war just means people are dying in a pointless war, there’s a vampire crisis that can’t be treated or dealt with fully because both the war and the dragon crisis are causing problems. The dragon crisis can’t be properly dealt with unless a solution is found and while a stalemate might help the dragons, it’ll leave a gaping hole for the thalmor to walk right through. Thus a third option, and while the thalmor can grouse they can’t directly shoot down the plan without playing some kind of hand. Meaning the empire and skyrim then have time to plan.

are there things i’m forgetting? probably!! But i ahve red stringed this ok. i have plotted.

[itspufflehuff]

Spidey - Sebastian Stan x Holland!Reader

Summary: Being Tom Holland’s twin sister isn't all that bad. You each live your own lives and have your own successes. You don’t get to visit Tom on set much but when you finally make it to Comic Con will there be a special someone there for you to meet?

Hi! This is my first post in here so please let me know what you think! If you ever have suggestions or you find a mistake in my writing feel free to message me. Thank you and enjoy!

MATERLIST // TAGLIST

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | 

Word Count: 2,840

~~~~

Being Tom's twin wasn't as intimidating as people expected.

Sure he was Spider-Man but you still had your own success. Tom went for the big screen but you went for the big stage, Broadway.

You started with local shows, then you went on to be ensemble on West End. Soon you became an understudy for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It wasn't too long until you got the lead as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked. With the attention you got as Elphaba you were scouted to audition for Broadway.

Seemingly around the same time Tom's fame skyrocketed so did yours. You two were so proud and happy for the other.

You decided to move out to New York seeing as how you were performing eight times a week.

Tom was your best friend so after every show, he called to ask how it went and to update you on his Spider-Man shenanigans.

The years came and went. You were still going strong on Broadway taking up different roles and Tom was still Spider-Man. He always talked about how fun it was being apart of the Marvel cast. You had still yet to meet anyone besides his Spider-Man co-stars like Zendaya and Jacob. Whenever they were doing a press event with the entire Marvel cast you were busy doing a show. Then one day you got a call to play Spider-Gwen.

You were so shocked when you got the call. You happened to be in your dressing room getting ready for a rehearsal. You sat there shocked, "Spider-Gwen?"

"Yes! Sony is making an animated Spider-Man and they think you would be perfect as Spider-Gwen. You wouldn't have to leave New York too long, just for some auditions. If you get the part you can do your recordings there."

"I don't know what to say." You were shocked. This is amazing! Imagine Tom's face when he finds out you're Spider-Man, well kind of.

"Say yes!"

"Yes!!"

~~~~

This was your first time attending Comic-Con. You never had a purpose to go before or even time. Now that you're apart of the Into the Spider-Verse cast you were attending so many different types of events you never did before. It was quite fun.

"Tom!" You shouted as soon as you saw him. You were in the middle of an interview but you didn't care. You hadn't seen your brother in ages. Tom laughed and walked over to you.

You two hugged and the interviewer spoke, "Our two favorite Spideys! Tom, how are you? What do you think of Y/N being Spider-Gwen?"

He laughed, "I'm doing well, I think it's great we have another Spider-Man in the family! But just so everyone knows I am the better Spidey." Everyone laughed.

"Sure you are." You playfully rolled your eyes.

"You're just a cartoon, I actually have to do flips and stuff," Tom argued.

You let out a 'pfft' before you spoke, "I could do the same things you can, you're not that special Tom."

"Alright, let's see it then!" He challenged.

"What? Right now?"

"Yes right now, come on let's go."

"Tom, I'm in heels."

He playfully rolled his eyes, "Heels aren't even that hard to jump around in, Y/N."

You looked to the interviewer who watched you twins bicker, "He did one dance wearing heels and he thinks he's amazing," turning to your brother you continued, "Newsflash Tommy I do that eight times a week."

The interviewer let out an 'ooo' as if you got him good. Everyone laughed as the interview wrapped up, "Well thank you for your time Y/N and thank you for joining Tom."

"Come on I want you to finally meet everyone." Tom grabbed your arm and pulled you along.

He basically ran through the crowd dragging you along behind him. When you finally got to where the rest of the Marvel cast was you and Tom were immediately surrounded by interviewers before you got to meet anyone.

Knowing neither of you were going to get through without at least one interview you both gave up trying to get by and stopped for an interview, "The Holland twins it's so amazing to see you both here today! How are you both?"

You answered first, "Thank you, I'm so excited to be here this is my first time so I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be nervous sis, just watch the pro." He smugly adjusted the jacket he had on.

You laughed and rolled your eyes as the interviewer asked another question, "Has there been any sibling rivalry now that both of have taken on the role of Spider-Man?"

You both looked at each other then Tom spoke, "You know what I was never mad because I know she's trying to be like her big brother which is flattering really."

You didn't notice before but next to Tom a couple of his castmates were doing an interview as well. The only reason you noticed them was because one of them came up to Tom and said, "Seriously Tom keep it down! Man, dude can't even do an interview without being a diva." You recognized him right away Anthony Mackie and next to him Sebastian Stan. Both you and Sebastian laughed at Anthony's obvious joke.

Tom looked down slightly embarrassed as he was trying to act smug before your interview was interrupted. "Y/N were you intimidated to take on Spider-Gwen knowing your brother was Spider-Man?"

"Umm, not really." you laughed, "I was actually really excited and thought it would funny to take on the role. I'm sure the casting directors thought the same thing."

The interviewer nodded, "Has there been a time where you two fought to prove who the better Spider-Man is?"

Before Tom could answer you did, "Well just a few minutes ago Tom tried to have a competition between us to see who was better at doing flips."

The three of you laughed, "And did you?"

"No, of course not! It is way too crowded in here and I'm in heels. I'm used to dancing in them not doing stunts. Maybe we can have that competition another time." You suggested to Tom.

He smiled mischievously, "You're on. May the best Spidey win." He held his hand out which you took. You both shook hands in front of the camera closing the deal to have a competition soon.

You didn't know this at the time but Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off of you for the rest of his interview. He knew who you were but never got the chance to meet you in person. Now seeing you several feet ahead of him he couldn't look away. You were more beautiful in person and your smile was radiating. Even after his interview ended he stood to the side watching you.

His eyes followed you as you smiled and waved to the interviewer. You were headed his way, quickly he turned and engulfed himself into a conversation with Chris Hemsworth.

Tom began introducing you to everyone as his little sister. He was only seven minutes older and always treated you like a kid for it. You were most excited to meet Robert Downey Jr. seeing as how he and Tom were so close. You two hit it off right away, he treated you like you were apart of the family.

You made your way down the line, meeting each member of the Marvel cast. You finally made it to Chris Hemsworth, Anthony, and Sebastian, "Hey guys I want you to finally meet my little sister, Y/N."

They all looked to you at you, well more like down at you. They were all so tall towering over.

Thank God I wore heels today.

"Pleasure to meet you," Chris grabbed your hand.

"Finally the famous Y/N! Now tell me was Tom always such a diva or is it just because he's Spider-Man that he's acting like a big shot?" Anthony asked.

You and Tom laughed. He did tell you about how he and Sebastian always teased him.

"Yeah and what about that juice obsession? Like, come on man you're too old for that." Sebastian joined in.

You looked to him and laughed, "You know what I've been telling him the same thing like come on Tom we're in our 20s and you're still hooked on juice like it's you're only will to live." You joked along and turned to Anthony, "As for the diva attitude he's always been this way like we get it you were Billy Elliot get over it!" Everyone laughed as Tom stood there pretending to look offended.

"Well, at least I never went out on stage looking like the green goblin!" He fought back.

"Hey! Elphaba is a very complex and demanding character. You're just jealous you don't have half the talent I do."

"Oh puh-lease, I totally do. Tell me who was it that taught you to dance?"

"Ok fine you have that but acting and singing was all me! All you can do is act and dance. I'm a triple threat."

That shut him up as everyone laughed at him, "I like this one." Anthony said. He reached out to shake your hand which you gladly accepted. He moved to the side, Sebastian happily took over his spot in front of you.

He reached out to shake your hand and when you grabbed it he pulled you in closer, "Just so you know you're my favorite Spidey." He whispered into your ear. A smile arose onto your lips as you pulled away, "Thank you."

"May I also add I think you have a beautiful voice, I want to one of your shows but wasn't able to catch you after the show."

A blush crept up to your face, "Thank you, again." A nervous laugh escaped, "I would've loved to have met you then. Sometimes I escape through the side exits. I love my job but I don't always love the crowds."

"I know what you mean, sometimes after movie premieres, I sneak out through the employee exit just to get away from the crowds."

Neither of you noticed but you were still holding onto each other's hand. It wasn't until Hemsworth cleared his throat beside you two, "Sorry to interrupt but we're heading to the panel room."

You both looked at him and quickly let go of each other's hands. "I'll meet you guys over there." Sebastian nodded to him. Chris looked over to the both of you, "Ok, well once again it was nice to meet you Y/N. I hope to see you soon." He gave you one last smile and walked away. You turned back to Sebastian. He spoke before you did, "I'd love to see you again late."

"Yeah, I'd love that too. I have a panel in twenty minutes. I was going to meet my brother after and join you all for the rest of the day, maybe we can talk more then." You smiled at him.

"Great, I'll see you then." He grabbed your hand gently, pulled it up to his lips, and placed a kiss there. He walked away to where his castmates went leaving you standing there with your heart beating fast.

You meet up with your cast and took photos with fans. Sebastian took up all of the thoughts in your head. You tried to focus on what was happening but your mind wandered off the feel of his lips on your had and how his eyes looked so deeply into yours.

Surprisingly enough your panel flew by. You were able to get Sebastian out of your head and get lost in hanging out with your cast as you answered fan questions. By the end, you walked out the door to see Tom waiting for you talking to some fans.

"Excuse me, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you all!" Tom excused himself from the group and walked towards you. "Ready to go?" He put his arm around your shoulder.

"Let's go." You said with a bit of excitement and nervousness.

Tom didn't notice, however. "So how many of your questions were about me?"

You were lost in thought once again unable to get Sebastian out of your mind, "Huh?"

"I got so many questions about the new Spider-Man in the Holland household." He chuckled.

Finally understanding him you laughed along, "Oh, yeah, I lost count after five. Someone asked about our rivalry so I started a rumor that we haven't spoken in months and I am actively hiding from you during this event."

Tom laughed, "Lucky for you, Mackie and Sebastian started a rumor that I'm a diva at home, so you're scared to be near me."

You laughed louder than you expected, "What?"

"Yes! They asked me about you and Mackie joined in saying you met everyone earlier and told them I've always been a diva. And of course, Sebastian had to join in," He imitated their American accent, "Poor girl looked terrified to be around him."

You both laughed as you walked into the room where the rest of the Marvel cast was.

The moment you walked in Sebastian's stomach flipped, in a good way. You were laughing when you walked in. It was the most amazing laugh he heard, he wanted to able to keep making you laugh like that. He watched as you walked around the room greeting everyone. You stopped at RDJ and Chris Evans. You all talked, but you were too far for Sebastian to hear what about. He saw you smiling from where he was at and he loved it. He excused himself from his friends and made his way to you.

"So, Y/N, what's it like to perform on stage like that? I mean it's all live and you have so much to remember, lines, songs, choreography, blocking." Evans sighed as if the thought of it made him exhausted, "I mean it's incredible."

"It was hard at first but this is my life. I love going up there each night. Sometimes we make mistakes but as long as you don't let the audience know it was a mistake then it doesn't matter. Plus we get to improve sometimes or make scenes better each night by seeing how the audience reacts."

He watched you talk about your work. The way your eyes lit up he could tell you really did love your job. Of course, he already knew that though. When he saw your performance as Eurydice in Hadestown. You had just happened to be there that night as the understudy, but he was glad to see it was you. He recognized you from the pictures on Tom's phone. He knew you were an actress on broadway so when he saw you he knew it was you. He fell in love with your performance that night. Your voice was so beautiful and the emotions you gave were so raw. Your energy was incredible it was as if you fell into the character.

"You should see her perform," He chimed into the conversation making his presence known.

Everyone turned to him, "I never did ask, which show did you see?" You tilted your head.

"Hadestown."

You broke out into a smile, "I know exactly which performance. You know that was the only time I played Eurydice?"

"Really?" His head hung in disbelief. From that performance, he would've been fooled to think you played that character a million times over, "Well you were incredible if I'd known you would be playing the lead I would've told Tom to set us up to meet."

You both smiled at each other for a moment before Tom spoke,  "Yeah, that's my sister. I don't like to admit it but she's an amazing actress. Maybe even better than me."

"Maybe? More like definitely." You challenged.

"What show were you working on before coming here?" RDJ asked.

"I was doing an off-broadway production of Mamma Mia. I let my understudy take my place so I could tour and do some promoting for Spider-Verse."

Tom excused himself so he could talk with some of his other castmates. Slowly RDJ and Evans left the conversation leaving you and Sebastian.

"You know I live out in New York as well," Sebastian said casually.

"Really? I just assumed all you movie stars lived out in LA."

"Heck no! I'm a New Yorker. I love it there" He smiled looking at you.

"Maybe we can meet up there someday, now that we're acquainted and all." You suggested nervously.

"Yeah, that would be great. Which part of New York are you in?"

"Ironically Midtown," you laughed. It took him a second but he got it, "Ah yes Spider-Man goes to Midtown." He dropped his head with a chuckle.

"38th and sixth." You clarified. He looked up with eyes wide, "You're kidding? I live on 43rd and ninth! That's like ten minutes away from me." You both stood there in disbelief.

"All of these coincidences, you would think we'd met by now."

He laughed, "Well, we have now. I'd like to keep meeting. If that's ok with you?"

You looked up at him smiling, "I'd love that."

[sour-n-salty-citrus]

Do you have any hopes for the season finale? I saw in another ask, you described the dynamic between rick and morty this season as "very weak, distant, and downright frankly boring" and I completely agree with you! I hope that, because this is most we'll see rick and morty interacting this season, it'll have at least a few moments of what makes their dynamic so interesting to watch.

(Ok i started airing my grievances with this season, which ended up being... long, so skip this paragraph (starting at / / /) to get to my thoughts on the finale)

Oh gosh I remember that ask (I think-). And yeah, maybe I'm being a bit overly critical. I'll probably look back on this season with retrospect, and a kinder, fonder view. Ik androgynousblackbox (think thats right) made a great point about it being the season FOR rickorty shippers. And sure, I agree on some bits, like Rick acting all pissy and partying the way you would if your ex got with someone new in the planetina ep. Overall though, i think my problem lies in that I was enjoying more individual moments than episodes themselves, especially the middle three. For example- Amortycan Grickfitti. Like, I really liked the idea of the Ship getting on a crazy adventure with Summer and Morty (and Chutback). I like the idea of a Beth-Jerry-Rick adventure. But put together, it's just kinda... meh? You know? I liked the first half of the Thanksgiving special... but it kinda dragged on after that. I get that they want to give other characters (particularly female ones) more attention, which is completely understandable and i encourage it(!) but I can't help but find it underwhelming. Like, Summer in the voltron ep was like- girl how are you STILL vying for Rick's attention! He's the worst! Haven't we done this already? (I will say though I ADORE how far Beth has come, props to her for continuing to seeing through her dad's BS. I was worried the character would relapse into a more typical s1/s2 Beth, and I'm glad she didn't). Some of these plots, funnily enough, seem more fitting of the comics (they actually had a voltron parody already). Fun and entertaining for two or three-something issues, not so much a 22 minute episode. i think most of my complaints come from the dynamic between our titular characters- ok, I know I'm very biased (I mean you can see it), but I came to the show primarily for their relationship. It doesn't even feel drama-fueled, just that they kinda... can't be arsed. I'm torn because on the one hand, they're unhealthily codependent and this separation is probably a good thing, but on the other... it doesn't feel natural? I'm not sure if that's the right word- it's like, season 4 had them practically joint at the hip, but all that's suddenly flung out the window. It just kinda feels like this "i got better things to do" vibe from both of them and its strange. The only time they both got a solo adventure (I'm classifying "solo" as an adventure where they spent a significantly large portion of time together, without the other family members) was in the sperm ep and Thanksgiving ep. And, well, in the Thanksgiving ep Morty felt like a side character in his own show, and the sperm ep... um. Yeah. I don't think it's AS bad as people were saying, but I was cringing the whole time (the second hand embarrassment for Morty was so strong I had to turn off the episode multiple times and return to it. It's just like- godammit MORTY). And I think there's good reason those two seemed to be the most disliked episodes overall. They're the ones RaM spend the most time together and it's... meh. Meh? Meh. I don't mean to say the season overall is bad (it has loads of good points, and its amazing for Smith family as a whole) just that if we're talking specifically about the dynamic between these two? Yeah, I wouldn't recommend a single episode from this season so far to use as an example of their relationship.

/ / /

There's one thing this season has been pretty good at, though. And it's showing us what happens when Rick is alone.

And that brings me to the finale.

"Who is Rick without Morty?"

Well... we already know the answer to that. Pathetic. Sad. Lonely.

This season has been phenomenal in humbling Rick. (And trust me I'm happy for it- every time someone beats the crap outta this shitty old man I'm like YES!!! IT'S WHAT HE DESERVES!). Ep 1 had his "nemesis" clearly besting him, ep 2 had Beth making constant digs (love her) and overall pointing out his extreme callousness and cruelty towards even himself(ves). Ep 3- when Morty shows interest in a girl and ditches him (like seriously it's not like he's moving out, chill) he immediately goes on a bender and develops a deep attachment to the first person he can (wearing yellow, funnily enough). Ep 4, he devotes himself to becoming an "honest man" for his new child, only for it to instantly be taken away from him. Ep 5 highlights how RICK is the asshole for making fun of and taking advantage of someone well-meaning and honest, if "simple", and how literally not cool that is. Ep 6 has his crazy rivalry with the president, and they both get smacked down a couple pegs for that. Ep 7 shows what happens when he allows himself to get carried away, and that he can end up driving everyone else away in the process (lucky they still wanted to save his ass when he needed them). And episode 8? Hooooo boy. Episode. 8. We see a direct parallel in Birdperson with Morty, and the whole "Rick and [insert] 100 years!" Rick has few people he cares about, arguably only one or two that he truly devotes himself to, but when he does, boy does he go HARD. We see younger Rick, optimistic, energetic, friendly and hopeful. And we see all of that crushed in minutes. Rick is desperate for a companion, someone to see the stars with. He needs someone there, someone he can trust and rely on to stay. Someone like Morty. So without Morty, who is Rick?

No one.

And the thing is, Morty doesn't need Rick anymore. Not like Rick needs him. In season 1, Morty was this bright-eyed kid who was new to the cosmos and the multiverse, who needed his grandpa there with him as they explored all these places together. But that's not him anymore. That's not them.

The promo has Morty using the portal gun to go somewhere w/o Rick's permission (i like to think it's boob world lol). It doesn't matter to me as much where he's going, as much as he's doing it alone. He doesn't just not need Rick there, he doesn't want him.

(Also correct me if im wrong but I've missed that sweet portal gun so much. I think the last ep was like- the first time this season we saw it).

Morty's response to Rick? "Replace me!". And wow. Wow. WOW. Morty doesn't give a FUCK! I think Rick thinks that because he's so smart, that he can offer so much, that Morty will come crawling back, and I don't think he will.

Hopes for the finale! Hmm. I mean, I definitely hope "evil" Morty makes a reappearance, haha. I think we all do tbh ;). I want to see some Morty development too, this season has been very Rick-centric (not that there's anything wrong with that!) so I wanna see what's in store for Our Boy. I really hope we get to see the Citadel again, and see the state it's in, but I doubt it. We know something super big is in store, it's just a question of what? Other hopes I have is some Summer + Beth action (please let them team up Im BEGGING) and Jerry too ahaha. I'd love if some other side characters made an appearance as well. Oh- I'm definitely expecting a dramatic cliffhanger at the end of the first half leading to the second half, with the kind of angsty music that leads into the credits (pls that shit is so good (OH WAIT imagine if it was like, for the damaged coda, but like- the chopin version or smth so it could be more subtle maybe bruhhhh)). Ok haha, maybe that's asking too much, the writers made it clear in the story train ep that they weren't gonna do that big dramatic showdown (... unless 👀). Oh, I'd also love some Premium Angst too, like someone getting kidnapped/nearly dying (like ACTUALLY nearly dying). These stakes better be so damn high I could spear a man on them! OH, also I remember androgynousblackbox (is that right? I hope it is) mentioned something along the lines that they could be driving Rick and Morty apart this season in order to have them come back together stronger than ever in an explosive finale, which, I'm strongly hoping for myself.

Thanks if you made it this far! If you have any thoughts on or hopes of your own for the finale please feel free to share! :D

[pridewhatpride]

ok so I read your view on GX rivalshipping and how things would get messy when johan shows up because I was curious about another GX rivalshippers opinion, and holy you and I have the EXACT same thoughts.

Ive went on and on about how manjoume as a rival (and as someone who could have had the ability to support judai) was tossed aside as soon as johan shows up + turned into the comedic relief chara and nobody ever really knows what the hell im talking about LOL. a big thing for me is just how DIFFERENT that would be for manjoume as well? in the seasons before johan shows up judai is so clingy towards him, always busting into his room and being in his personal space...

then mr. buff arms big smile shows up with his frilly lilac blouse and homo dragon and suddenly judai is like. smitten. which like youve pointed- out who could blame judai? johan is hard to hate and hes kind of perfect in every way. I always imagine what that would do to manjoumes self esteem in particular, because as we all know it IS a bit fragile at times, especially when it comes to being the best he can be.

I think having johan around would make him feel absolutely insignificant not only as someone who LIKES judai, but even just as judais friend. is he really so horrible at being a support that judai needs a stranger to lean on? even though he never asked for judais help much, is he really such a burden when he needs to be saved? why is judai acting like hes never been able to connect with manjoume, who can also see duel spirits, before? whoever said opposites attract obviously havent seen judai and johan! thoughts like that.

I could go on and on but I dont want you to have to read my 2746373 word long ask about them. id love to hear any thought or analysis you have on GX rivalshipping because its my favourite and the shippers are so rare, so I encourage you to post them whenever you feel like it!

Dear anon.

You can't ever know just how happy receiving this in my inbox made me. I can't fully express how grateful I am at the simple fact that you read my long rambles and reached out to me. I respect your anonimity if you want to keep it, but honestly, DM me whenever, if you want to. I think I'd like to talk to you if you're comfortable with it? I really do want to read your "2746373 word" essay on them. For the rest of my life.

I might get a little personal in terms of my view on this, so just... be aware.

The thing is that the way Manjoume is cast aside is just... a big fear of mine. "Sure, we might be friends now, but I'm not all that good and you know it. You won't mean any harm by it, but you'll find someone you like better and I'll be alone again." That kind of line of thought is probably something that goes through Manjoume's mind? He doesn't really... have friends outside of Judai. Maybe Fubuki. And Daichi? Except he disappears into nothingness very quickly. But that's it. And he certainly had none before that: just lackeys who pretended to like him because he was rich and perceived as promising. He lost that and suddenly found himself isolated.

It's nice to think that he bonded with the other members of the gang, but... he didn't. Shou certainly never really stops disliking/making fun of him. You could say it's meant as like... friendly teasing. But it doesn't read that way because there is nothing to indicate actual affection. Kenzan, Aster and the transfer students just... barely interact with him? Like have they actually ever spoken to eachother? I doubt it. Ryo is just the admirable upperclassman. Again, barely any interaction. Asuka is... a mess I don't want to get into, but again, she would probably file a restraining order if she could.

So yeah. Manjoume has one friend and the taller and cooler guy just kind of takes that away. Of course Johan is not aware of this! He wouldn't have been able to do much to change it, either way. It was Judai's own choice and that's what hurts the most, to me.

If shifting the focus and making minor changes to canon is something you like to do, here's a thing I think about a lot. "Teardrop", the Season 3 opening, except it's what Manjoume feels when seeing Judai's suffering and desperation. You know.

As you hang your head and smile, a single tear lands on your cheeks

You pretend to be strong, but underneath You’re hiding sighs; your smile is cloudy It sticks into me Like shattered glass

It’s OK to talk about the pain in your heart

Your smile Has always saved me You can cry now I’ll stay here with you

I can't bring myself to blame Judai or Johan for it, but I think Manjoume- if he'd been written like an actual character past a certain point- would have been quite devastated by this.

As you said, it's not just being abandoned, it's also being indirectly told that he was never truly someone worthwhile, that he is little more than extra weight. What of his supposed status of equal rival and all that? Nothing. Judai is just... on a different level than him. So Manjoume is simply left to stagger behind in a desperate attempt to chase after greatness. He wasn't good enough for his brothers and Judai stood up for him. But in the end he wasn't good enough for Judai either.

I like to think that Manjoume made an effort to get along with the others. He just didn't quite know how and couldn't just... switch off his more prideful persona. And he ended up paying quite the steep price.

I know I'm extra melodramatic when it comes to my favourites, but it's something that bugs me. I understand why the manga decided to approach Manjoume's character in a completely different way and it's the reason why I like to read Manjoume's personality as a mix of manga and anime canon. I really have to mention this- how can one even pretend that the writers gave a shit about Manjoume when they joked about how stinky he was in a scene that could have been... emotional in some way. Judai frees Manjoume from the influence of the Society of Light by reminding him who he really is (I don't want to talk about Kenzan being too strong to be manipulated because that is fucking stupid and besically the equivalent of saying "ahah, the light got you because you're not strong willed enough @ Asuka @ Manjoume. Get rekt"). And like... great! They are actually showing off how much they care for eachother as friends despite the rivalry! But no. Judai ends up basically saying: "You smell and your coat has stains on it!" and Manjoume's just: "Oh yeah, I'm goth I hate wearing white, nvm."

... I swear someone on the writing team looked at Manjoume and went: "Let's bully him!" Ugh ;; Can you tell I'm hyper biased towards Manjoume yet?

This was hilarious to read, by the way: "mr. buff arms big smile shows up with his frilly lilac blouse and homo dragon"

But yes, this mess is now officially over. I will be spouting gx rivalshipping nonsense left and right because we were robbed of their dynamic and I'll never get over that. Also I really want to draw them, so that helps.

Ending this post by saying that this ask made me feel like I didn't waste time writing all that, that someone can get something out of it. I'm really glad.

[mysonisthesun]

hoshihina thoughts

due to my hoshihina brainrot disease i’ve been thinking about them a lot and i have this whole spiel about it but i am going to try and organize my thoughts into this like. essay or wtv. ok so:

here is why i love hoshihina

1. They have many similarities/things in common

They’re both abnormally short for their field, and working through that disadvantage is something that unites the two. Also, they’re both incredibly strong-willed and know that they have to work that much harder to be the players they want to be, and do it anyway.

It’s clear in the Kamomedai vs Karasuno match that they both have great respect and admiration for each other as well, which ties into some of my other points, but basically they have these experiences that link them and put them on equal footing.

They also both jump super high obviously so there’s the whole ‘flying’ thing they have in common which is just. blows kiss magnifique

2. The imagery

i may be biased as a bird lover, but i adore the imagery associated with these two. both kamomedai and karasuno are schools whose mascots are omnivorous birds – both scavengers, both flying animals (like how hoshiumi and hinata ‘fly’ by jumping). Crows and gulls are almost like two sides of the same coin in my eyes. Crows are the scavengers of the land, and seagulls (generally) by the sea – but that doesn’t mean you won’t find them elsewhere too. Gulls are often seen inland and crows can be spotted by the shore fairly often as well. They’re also opposite colors which always gets me like, black and white,, they compliment each other,,,

In a similar fashion, because of the seagull association Hoshiumi also has a connection to the sea/ocean. Hinata also develops a connection to the shore through his time in Brazil learning to play beach volleyball. So in a way they’re also both associated with the beach, which I love. Plus there’s the whole ‘Hinata’s the sun’ thing which is widely accepted and that also tends to remind me of the beach, cuz sun + beach + ocean all kinda go together.

3. The implications of Hoshiumi waiting

god this bit is like. HHH it’s one of the main reasons i love them. When Hinata is taken off the court because of his fever during the Kamo v Kara match, Hoshiumi yells out to him saying “Hinata Shouyou! I’ll be waiting for you!”

His teammate (Hirugami Sachirou) responds to this by pointing out that Hinata’s not going to be back before the end of the match, and Hoshiumi then says (likely paraphrasing bc I didn’t screenshot this part) “Duh, I didn’t mean this match.” So like, here we have Hoshiumi declaring that he has so much respect for Hinata that he will be waiting for his next match against him.

THEN, there’s the implications you get from that. Karasuno doesn’t make it to Nationals the next year, Date Tech does. And because that would be Hoshiumi’s third and final year of high school, he never gets the face-off he’s supposedly been waiting for. So the implication is that he was still waiting for a match with Hinata, even throughout Hinata’s time in Brazil.

When they finally get their chance, it’s during the Adlers vs Jackals match nearly SIX YEARS after that first spring Nationals. It was January 2013 that first spring, and it’s November 2018 when they face off again, so FIVE YEARS and TEN MONTHS. The speculation that comes with that like,,, imagine Hoshiumi waiting all that time. The waiting the feelings,, finally some good fucking food.

5. Other little moments:

“SPARKS ARE FLYING BETWEEN THE TWO SMALLEST SPIKERS!”

SPARKS!!!!! ARE FLYING!!!! CMON!! ALSO LOOK AT HOSHI’S FACE LOOK AT THAT EXPRESSION,, he looks so happy to be in a match against Hinata and Hinata looks like kind of pissed of course cuz he didn’t get the point but he’s still really revved up and like,, sparks man.

this one’s just like. look at the calmness and mutual respect in their expressions,,

THIS ONE I LOVE bc the context is that Hinata told Hoshiumi he could have ‘the little giant’ title, and initially Hoshiumi was like “IT WAS MINE IN THE FIRST PLACE!” (paraphrasing) but then he goes and LAUGHS, and after this panel (look at his face he looks SOOO happy) Kamo’s coach says something along the lines of ‘wow, i’ve never seen kourai laugh like that on court before’ !!! he’s SO happy because of Hinata that he would laugh loudly like that when he’s never done it before,,,,,,,,dude.

Then there’s these parallels that’re just like. i’ve looked at these for five hours now:

(from the Kamo v Kara match)

(from the Jackals v Adlers match)

these panels are SOOOO similar and it’s just like,, the looks on their faces that are mirroring each others’ from before and those obvious similarities really make it clear that the adlers v jackals match is truly the re-match that they’ve been waiting for all this time. And Hoshiumi in the first panel and Hinata in the second panel both look simultaneously so frustrated yet so THRILLED, and like they’re really truly enjoying and loving the challenge of going up against each other.

THIS is their reaction on seeing each other for the first time in 6 years!!! Hoshiumi literally bursts out of the bathroom yelling his name with THAT look on his face, pure elation and excitement, and Hinata responds in turn by yelling his name with THAT look, also excited as hell,,,bruv.

then hoshi’s first question is this (gotta keep up their relationship built on challenge and rivalry...) and KAGEYAMAS LIKE. BRUH U ALREADY KNO but jhdghjg Hoshiumi just wants to prove to Hinata that he’s worthy by pointing out he’s still a little taller and he wants him to think he’s cool like...that shit’s so cute,,my heart

4. THIS BIT

THE INTERVIEWER ESSENTIALLY SAYS “WOW, HINATA’S A GREAT RIVAL FOR YOU” (PARAPHRASING) AND HOSHIUMI SAYS THIS??? He’s saying here that no, Hinata isn’t his rival, because they can do more as a team. They’re better as a team, it’s them against the world, like ugh it explains itself idk how to make it any more clear that Hoshiumi clearly respects and admires and loves Hinata.

Also just before this panel, Hoshiumi admits to the interviewer that he thinks Hinata might just be a little teensy-weensy bit better than him as a player at this point. LIKE how much do you have to admire someone to admit that??? to the press at that?? i’m losing it bro...

anyway that’s my essay. tldr: hoshihina has amazing themes that i love enough to make a rant-post abt them

[bluntforcefem]

millenial tree cookie and/or hmmm poison mushroom cookie, maybe !

millennial tree cookie more like.... millennial gay cookie. i think he's just a little bit immortal (derogatory) but he slowly grows out of that into immortal (affectionate) when he realizes how fucked shit has actually gotten in his absence. i think frequently about how much responsibility he put on the shoulders of his own (implied) creation with wind archer cookie and like... obviously it's different within that context because they're both immortal and time is different but also like. wind archer and millennial tree should talk i think. (millennial tree voice) ahh the good old gay rivalry with a ghost never gets old (wind archer vc) HUH

also there is definitely something up with millennial tree and whipped cream cookie and sorry for going off on a little bit of a tangent here in advance but. so many of whipped cream's lines are shit like "i want to dance in a serene forest" or "i desire a crystal as green as the forest" and then they go "yeah the millennial tree watched my first performance" AND THE MILLENNIAL TREE IS LIKE YEAH :) I SEE THEM DANCE IN MY DREAMS. can you imagine being any other cookie and finding out that the one cookie who's had contact with the millennial tree in his slumber is a fucking gay little cookie who loves swans. i think that whipped cream and millennial tree spent so much time talking together in dreams that is was only natural to meet up once the millennial tree awakened. they're vibing :) also i think whipped cream's night of reverie costume was a gift from millennial tree

(that one guy at santa image. wind archer vc did you fuck my dad, whipped cream cookie)

with poison mushroom cookie i love them so much its unreal. firm believer that they aren't stupid they're just vibing (their immunity to poison mushrooms means that while they know which ones are good to eat and not good to eat generally speaking, they assume that all cookies are relatively immune to SOME of their poison mushrooms at least. and the ones they know cookies aren't, well. you know what happened to pure vanilla.) i also don't think they mean for cookies to EAT every mushroom they hand out but people assume and they're like..... ok! well! have fun! more of a show of friendship than anything. i think if licorice ever left the cookies of darkness poison mushroom would follow along soon after (they are siblings i promise. that's their brother) also i adore the fall camping trip story where pancake and poison mushroom are friends i think they deserve it so many. it makes me really emotional that poison mushroom started crying for pomegranate (i cannot imagine she has MANY soft spots and if she does then poison mushroom is one. the adoptable little sibling vibe is strong.) i think that group of cookies should hang out again. (poison mushroom, to purple yam vc why dont you eat this mushroom and maybe you'll be able to sleep better! purple yam vc fine (it works!)) and also poison mushroom gets a little shelf in herb's garden where they can grow mushrooms

[tumble4rpdr]

Ok so I just watch Brookes Podcast with Sibling Rivalry and I had some takeaways/tea

Brooke mentions how 2 months after filming s11 (time B&V were still dating) he got asked to do a WOW series (we kinda already knew). I doubt that the series didn’t have anything to do with those two. I ain’t saying anything but... imagine if somewhere lurking inside WOWS computer is ideas or videos of them doing couples for cash, or some other series together 👀

Monet mentions how she moved to LA and went out with Brooke and Vanjie. So they were together, all together, and we got no content?? Or at least I don’t remember and they are no obligated to give us content... but still lmao. So Brooke and vanjie were already together probably hanging on the couch when Monet said she wanted to hang out. Then later silky joined them.

Brooke said after that evening the next day Vanjie FaceTime her and they were laughing about how insane Silky was and how shook Monet was.

Brooke gave her cats sparkly nails. She is actually insane

Brooke talks about her dating life and how she’s gone on a few dates. She mentions seeing someone in the summer (Puerto Rican mr clean) but then breaking up. So I guess that’s confirmed but I still think it was very strange how flirty Brooke was with vanjie during that time... BUT IM NOT GONNA GET INTO IT

Sorry it took me so long to reply to you nonny but I wanted to listen to the episode first so I could give a better answer💜

I remember Brooke telling that story and I know she describes it as her being in talks to do a WOW show but I don’t know if anything ever came of that or if they had her do Canada’s Drag Race instead. But I completely agree with you that they definitely had B and V do something together at the time (it wouldn’t make sense for them not to get as much footage of the two of them together and we know they were likely there at the same time since V was in B’s makeup tutorial). I’ve thought along exactly the same lines as you that there’s very likely a Couple$ for Ca$h episode with B and V that WOW has hidden somewhere and who knows what else and you know that there’s at least some B-roll footage of the two of them being cute and smiley and flirty that WOW is hanging onto😊

And as soon as Monet mentioned that I was so happy because even though (like you) I would’ve wanted some content from all of them being together, I just love knowing that B and V are regularly spending time together because that means that they’re likely hanging out and talking (and FaceTiming) much more than we know (I’ve always suspected that so I don’t really worry when it gets quiet between them) and I always love hearing how close they are and how they continue to be such great friends. And I’m thinking that maybe that video that was posted (I forget if it was by B or Silky) of B filming Silky in what I think was a parking garage and we thought we heard V’s voice in the background was likely the four of them hanging out (though I’m just speculating). And I love your thought process anon and I love the thought of B and V already hanging out at one of their houses and then one of them gets a text from Monet so they just both show up to see her😁

Then of course Brooke bought her cats sparkly red claw covers😆I had to look up exactly what they are and B was right when she said they look like you painted your cat’s nails so of course B had to get her kitties the most extra claw caps there are but that truly is such a Brooke thing to do. This makes me think of when she dressed them up in Christmas themed outfits because she thought it was cute or when she put Apollo in a tie or even buying leashes for her cats so I’m honestly not surprised at all🙈

And I think from all the information we’ve collected from these different interviews with Brooke that her and Andres dated for about 2-3 months over the summer (and she really did like him) but then she broke it off and they’re now very good friends (like she seems to be with most of her exes/people she has been sexually/romantically involved with). I do agree with you though that she was being very friendly/flirty with V around that time but with B you honestly never know🙈I had mixed feelings when it came to Brooke talking with Bob and Monet about her dating life because on the one hand it reinforced (to me) about why she liked/likes V because she was talking about how she likes a guy to make the first move and be a little forward since she doesn’t like doing all the work (and that definitely sounds like how V was with her on Drag Race-and how I imagine V continues to be with her now) but then on the other hand B talks about going out to Beaches WeHo and a guy giving her his number there and that was the bar her and V went out to together (that night that we got all that content of the two of them) and then V later asked B in a live about how the dates were so I’m wondering if the guy gave B his number when she was out with V 😬 (and that makes me have so many other questions too but it could’ve been completely different nights)

I know you didn’t bring it up but I also loved hearing B giggle throughout the episode since B’s laugh is definitely one of my favorite things and I love B’s endless pageant knowledge. And I super appreciated Bob telling Brooke that she thought that she should be the main host because she can relate the most to what the queens are going through (like when she tells them to lip sync for their life) and I was glad B agreed with them. I’m not entirely sure when this episode was recorded but I’m wondering if it was around the time when B changed her Twitter/Instagram bio to say host of Canada’s Drag Race (instead of judge) so maybe B actually knew that she was being promoted to host but couldn’t reveal anything (so she just agreed instead)

I wanted to thank you for this ask nonny because I truly could hear about/talk about Brooke all day, everyday so it was great hearing your point of view on the podcast episode😊

[isafms]

tag dump is coming soon and all that, just wanted to churn this out before i go out for the day FDLGJSD

hey y’all, i’m lia and i’m excited to be here ! ngl i only found the group yesterday but i Had to join since i’ve got a slight obsession with obx, not to mention i’ve been boring myself with bold, no nonsense muses and isabella seemed like the ideal switch-up. i’ll get straight to the point and give y’all a brief summary of isa since.. i haven’t fully fleshed her bg out and i typically let musing posts explain the little things i can’t put into words sdflgkjds so without further ado:

[ jang yeeun , cis female , she/her ] do you hear [ EVEN IF IT HURTS BY TEI SHI AND BLOOD ORANGE ] coming from the beach ? oh, that has to be [ ISABELLA “ISA” KWON ] . they are a [ TWENTY-THREE ] year old [ COLLEGE STUDENT ] from the outer banks, and they’ve been living there for [ EIGHT YEARS ] . they were chosen to be on the show because they are a [ KOOK ] , but really , i heard it’s because they can be [ CONFORMIST & INSECURE ] . if you get to know them though , they’re pretty [ BENEVOLENT & FAITHFUL ] . they might become a quick audience favorite due to their [ COLLECTION OF WHITE BLOUSES, EASY SMILES ON GLOSSY LIPS, HER TREASURE TROVE OF VINTAGE ACCESSORIES ] . ooc – lia, 23, ast, she/her.

tw: alcohol and drug mentions

the basics

isa’s the only child of first ( papa kwon ) and second ( mama fka kwon, mama nka greene ) gen korean-american citizens and spent her early years in charlotte, where her dad worked as an orthopedic surgeon and her mom an event planner

she didn’t have to ask for much between her mom naturally spoiling her only daughter and her dad’s income, though she was pretty content with the little things like a dainty necklace or the newest, inexpensive fashion fad that swept through her grade

anyone else remember silly bandz being a big thing ?? bc yeah, she had TONS, i’d imagine GDSKFLJ

at fifteen, her parents decided to move to the outer banks after years of it solely being their vacation hub when family friends wanted to get together — well, her mom decided to move there while her dad dragged his feet at the prospect of leaving his practice, so a compromise was reached so he could stay in charlotte whenever an operation was taking place

though i think from their jobs alone y’all know where this is heading, and considering isa’s the step-sister of the greenes so i mean ??

they divorced when isa was seventeen and it was a hard pill to swallow for the poor thing; her dad stayed in charlotte while her mom stayed in obx and going back and forth while on the cusp of adulthood and college was a tiring but necessary endeavour for the daddy’s girl herself

not to mention she had a slight issue with assimilating to the more scrutinizing behaviours of kook territory, going with the flow that her friends had established before her arrival, but i’ll expand on that a little later lgfsdjk

let’s just flash forward to the present — isa’s got a step-family, she’s wrapped up her post-secondary and is just waiting to officially graduate ( honestly.. major is also tba fgsldkg ) and she’s among the newest cast members of outer banks.. suffice to say the poor girl’s overwhelmed !

tbh i’m losing steam bc it’s BOILING hot and it’s noon, i’ve gotta head out soon, so lemme insert what i put in my app to explain a few things that might have a gap or two in them

i view isabella as a bit of a sheep in the kook world based on the traits she’s been given; she has a good heart, however she follows many of the standards set by the longtime, affluent residents of the island. it makes her appear naive or held hostage by a feeling of inadequacy as her own person, something she’s sure that others have felt at times but believes she feels it far too often in comparison. that doesn’t mean that she hides facets of her personality so readily as she doesn’t feel nearly as confined when away from the island or with her trusted loved ones, rather it has to do with keeping up appearances for her parents’ sake — gossip among the country club boomers can cut DEEP, after all

i’m sure isa believes the rivalry is unnecessary as adults — not to mention that she doesn’t see someone’s socioeconomic standing as the most divisive factor one could consider — however she plays into it in her own way. whether it’s by dodging some pogues at parties because her kook friends are doing the same or because she doesn’t want to be caught in the brunt of the crossfire of tension, she keeps a distance and only hopes that it doesn’t come across as cold to everyone else

the show opens her up to the criticism she tries to avoid in her day-to-day life, being under the microscope ultimately making her anxious, however she tries to pull through; any publicity is good publicity, she supposes her friends would say, though that doesn’t keep her from dwelling on what certain subsets of people might think about the raw sides of herself. on the other hand, it’s an opportunity for her to branch out and eventually explore new avenues beyond what kildare county can offer her, let alone the outer banks. nonetheless, isa’s motivated to put her best foot forward and follow the script that she always has, albeit with slack on her leash as her televised coexistence with the pogues means leaving her past approach and her friends’ influence to the wayside

ok back to the current!me typing this intro, that last bit wasn’t to say she’d have no pogue pals, but more that she doesn’t branch out so easily and stays on the straight and narrow of what she’s done over the years. now onto her as a person GFDLK

personality and such

she’s baby

a given with yeeun as her fc especially, but i see her as a very tender and thoughtful person

y’know, ignoring her anxieties over public image and all

the type to pay it forward for purchases both big and small, is a shoulder to cry on for her friends and tries to be courteous with a smile per her dad’s advice when she was younger

sentimental and in some ways free-spirited, so again..... baby SLGJLKSDF

however, she’s a follower a lot of the time, doesn’t break rules or promises unless they’re totally out of line and even then, she either handles the matter gently or tries to shrug off her discomfort and go along with the rest

and with that, she doesn’t think her authentic self is all that special, hiding away certain traits or hobbies because they don’t reflect when she’s SUPPOSED to represent nor what those around her represent

she LOVES dressing up, opting for flowy or lightweight clothes during the summer months that are either crisp and white or whimsical and vibrant

she has vintage and thrifted pieces that she cherishes, locally made jewelry that she pairs with dainty gold bracelets and such that her parents have given her over the years.. she’s just a chill little fashionista jgfdlsk

isa isn’t the heaviest drinker, though that’s partially due to her being a lightweight as it is; doesn’t drink beer or straight liquor, one due to personal preference in taste and the other bc she can’t deal with much of the burning sensation GSDFJL

has had edibles a couple of times and doesn’t write them off as a one and done kind of thing, but she only touches them when offered in a social setting with her friends

so i mean.. she’s far from what some would consider a buzzkill for someone who’s as in her head as she can be

uhhhhh lemme jump to wcs bc i’m really pushing the time here but that comment about musing posts a while back ?? they’ll come into full effect later on so y’all have a better idea of her personality dgfslkg

plot ideas

people in her main friend group, but not necessarily a part of the kook conversations that mess with isa’s head that i’ve mentioned earlier. i’m sure there are a couple of people who she trusts most in that bunch and i’d love for her to have that kind of support and assurance that she needs for.. well, anything fsldgj

college friends/potentially a roommate ?? i’m gonna assume she attended college within nc, haven’t narrowed down where just yet so i’m flexible for this one unc to be specific ! they may or may not have been close before post-secondary started ( assuming they’re a long-time obx resident ) but they stuck together for the first week of their first semester and have been good friends since ! ( 1/? )

give her a pogue friend or two who tries to get her to get her head out of her ass and ignore the few things the rivalry’s instilled in her so she can ease up, and so they can hang out more

ex-friends, ex-fwbs, just give me some drama ! that’s all i ask !

crush(es) from years back or recently, pogue or kook, doesn’t matter bc this chick would hesitate on making a move on ANYONE 90% of the time so this is super flexible slfdkjgdf

also she’s bi, so have at it y’all !

maybe a secret relationship in the past ?? we love a good opposites attract love story with unresolved feelings, shove these two together in front of the cameras and watch them squirm to keep it all private SLGKFDJS

[hyphypmic]

HypMic: BNHA

Anon asked: How about the characters being students/teachers in Boku no Hero Academia as a part of the universe? And please, take all the time you need, honey.

Well well well, let’s go

—

Let’s get one thing straight first, all TDD members (with the exception of Ramuda which I will explain later) are part of the top 10 heroes, Jakurai being the closest to number one followed by Samatoki and Ichiro interchanging every once in a while)

Ichiro

He wouldn’t be a teacher I can tell you that

But he would have his own agency

And honestly, he probably did graduate from UA, but one of the top of his class and is like really known

And he’s in line to being the youngest top pro hero

As for quirk… he’d basically have the hypnosis mic quirk where he would be able to summon speakers, hypnotise people n destroy their minds with music

The downside is though that

Anyway, yeah the Buster Bros Hero Agency is really out there booming you know

Omg the buster bros would be related to Present Mic because he’s Hizashi Yamada but he’s more of a cringe uncle than anything but he did take care of the bros when they were younger… but Ichiro was basically still had the whole Ichiro Yamada arc n all

Im pretty sure he became like an official pro hero after he graduated, but a young hero long before that

(Ok you know the buster bros + hizashi Yamada need a post of their own)

Jiro

Ah well, like in my past post, he would have the same quirk as Ichiro (summoning speakers, hypnosis with his voice, using hypmics as an extra tool to control his quirk etc etc)

Wants to become like his big bro obviously, but kind of on the reckless side

Would be a year above Midorya and the gang (so I guess 2nd Year), but he would be friends probably with Jirou because no doubt both having music quirks makes things interesting

Also a delinquent holy fuck like, troublemaker tm hahah

Anyway, he helps out with present mic and with his brothers sometimes take over the radio show because why not

But he and present mic get into the biggest shouting matches because why not

Ichiro is the strongest out of the three n doesn’t really need a microphone to amplify his voice (but of he does use his mic goodbye)

Jiro prefers to use the mic because he aint that confident yet, but he’s more skilled in like arts and stuff so his costume designs are lit

Saburo

Wants to be like Ichiro obviously and the quirk runs in the family

Except though that Saburo as a first year in the hero course in UA, is gifted also in gadgets

So even if he has friends in the hero course, you can probably find him hanging out with support course people because inventing and tinkering is his jam

And hella smart, with like midorya levels of strategising and Momo level intelligence

Also bumps heads with Bakugo a lot but has a good healthy respect for him

Anyway, he’s the most quiet out of the Yamadas and is most of the reason why Ichiro decided that when he was old enough (like what, 17-18?) he would get an apartment somewhere else away from Mic’s place so that Saburo would be able to be quiet in peace and what not

Likes using the fucking mic because he feels like he has more control and his mic is totally decked out so it’s awesome

Samatoki

I don’t think he would be a teacher like, he would be a pro hero and he has a squad (he refuses to call it agency but it really is

I think he would be more vigilante vibes and tbh his quirk would be some sort of fire quirk, not like an endeavour kinda thing but more of like a fire bending thing where there literally has to be flames (even the smallest spark) so he could make it more n stuff

Which is why he always has a lighter and cigarettes

Literally, do not piss him off while he’s smoking

And of course he and Ichiro are fighting for like a slot on the top hero ranking thing, but mostly they have this petty rivalry

But he and Ichiro are actually friends its just… well maybe not a Kacchan-Deku kinda level but something that used to resemble that and now is a p solid brotherhood

He protects the weak and all that, but he has that of course Samatoki attitude that just happens to go uwu sometimes

Jyuto

Would probably still be in the police force except with like a quirk

Which tbh I think he’s an invisibility guy but not like hagakure, kind of like the invisibility he can control

Because looking n basing this a bit on my past superpowers post, he would be invisible

But the catch has to be like he has to hold his breath so he could sneak around

And he would prefer to work with the police, but his go to call guy is Samatoki (because tbh, with all the trouble Samatoki personally goes searching for, jyuto won’t run out of a job)

Anyway yeah, invisibility is pretty fucking amazing because h can search for info (as long as he doesn’t run out of breath) and sneak where he needs to sneak

So covert operations always work out for him and what nit

Riou

I think he would like teaching, but he’s more of a combat training and strategy more than anything

I personally think he wouldn’t have like a super powerful quirk, like he wouldn’t have the explosion quirk or a sound quirk, he would just be kind of like Captain America where he just has an enhanced overall physique which helped him with like the army and what not

But the thing is, he’s honed his body to near perfection, enhancing the strength and speed that was enhanced with him to begin with

And he uses tools and support items to his advantage, like metal knuckles or weapons or guns or whatever honestly, he knows what to use and how to use it, which is what makes him very, very dangerous

Gets along with Aizawa because he’s very cool under pressure

But lord god, them sparring together is such a thing to watch

Ramuda

Okay he wouldn’t be part of the top 10 because he’s like not that interested in that kind of thing

He would probably be content doing his own thing, having a fashion line that rivals best jeanist

But, he would be really famous, but for some reason never on the top 10 pro heroes thing because I think he would love to take over and be known in a different way

Like yeah he would save people when he encounters it, but not necessarily like go on patrol and whatever, he would have his own agenda

But anyway, yeah his fashion line would be really hawt and whatever

As for his quirk though, he would be a shape shifter like really, I can see Ramuda just kinda designing clothes while being a talking cat and whatever

He’s limited only  moving objects, so he can’t do still objects but he can do for example cutting scissors

But they can never be completely motionless that’s the catch

Gentaro

He wouldn’t really be a pro hero or a teacher, im sure he’s content with being a writer

Because okay, his quirk which would be like writing where his imagination never runs out and he can even control the pen so that he just has to say what he wants to be written

Or even think of what wants to be written

Like he could close his eyes and imagine scenarios and the whole story unfold before him and the pen would be able to articulate those thoughts

The downside is that it depends on his vocabulary and knowledge, so gentaro has to study too

If he were to teach though, he would teach literature in any school or just a freelance class in which he would allow his students to imagine and write properly

Dice

Ah his quirk would be luck, except it never works when there’s money involved

And he unfortunately has a gambling addiction

Like he could just persuade people to give him items, but the dumbass really just loves money and this is why he can’t afford nice things

Anyway, his luck quirk makes him extremely safe, so for some reason he’s good at stunts and running and parkour

And why his shit (except his money) never gets stolen

He has gentaro as a friend because the author just so happened to be writing on the bench in the park where dice stays

Well, he would be a hero, but kind of a small time kind of guy where he helps out… but sometimes with incentive because he’s broke af

Literally nothing can hit him (unless it’s money or coins or gold… just anything valuable really) so he’s pretty fine

Jakurai

Telepathy I mean, fuck hypmics and amplifiers, his amplifier is his mind

Im sure he can also mind control and plant images that seem so real

Like yeah, his way of attacking is using words and rap, but literally it’s a silent fucking attack where you think you’re being overwhelmed with sound but it’s really just Jakurai

And he’s powerful enough that he can create hallucinations

And the scary thing about the doctor is that he’s good at close range combat or hand to hand without his quirk

Like he was an assassin or a hitman or whatever, so he knows that you cannot always rely on your quirk

The catch with him is that he has to be completely silent or at least stay out of the hearing range of the people he’s attacking so that he could use it

But once he uses it, he can get as fucking close as possible and stab you from the back (but remember, he don’t need his quirk to kill)

But right now, he’s happily teaching at UA and helping out recovery girl

But seriously, Jakurai in battle is such a wonderful thing to watch and you’re gonna learn so much from him

Oh yeah, and one of the top pro heroes obvs

Doppo

I see him having telekinesis, but like it gets amplified the calmer he gets

Which is hard because he’s always anxious, so when he’s anxious he loses control, but it’s weak

Its stronger when he’s calm

I think he would be a teacher, but like for a regular subject like accounting or whatever

And he would be bullied a lot for his you know being Doppo, but if you mess with him when he’s in a calm angry spell, good luck to you

He can though save lives because that’s what people with powers do, have certain responsibilities to save people who are weaker

Gets along with Jakurai because the doctor sometimes plays music in Doppo’s head to calm him down which is always cute

He actually gets a calming thing made so he can focus his telekinesis, but his anxiety sometimes overrides it

Hifumi

he can make people hallucinate… however the downside to this quirk isa that he has to drink alcohol beforehand

Like he would always have a flask with him and he has to be high tolerance because the amount of alcohol consumed correlates to how strong his hallucinations/illusions would be

Like it wouldn’t matter how well the person he’s attacking can hold their alcohol, it’s all up to him

He would teach with his best friend boyfriend doppo and would constantly smell of alcohol

Aizawa gets from him a lot

Anyway, yeah that’s hifumi’s quirk, but his part time is also running a club because that’s what he loves doing

But yes, still afraid of girls so he wears his fucking suit to UA and… it’s really chaos if you put Present Mic, All Might and Hifumi in the same room

[bonetrader]

Unusual RPG combinations

I like to tinker with mixing and matching rpg settings and systems. I will try to collect the ones I'm most fascinated with. I haven't found the opportunity to actually try any of these combinations, but I guess it doesn't hurt to put them out there in case someone finds any of them interesting.

Shadowrun redux

Setting: Shadowrun

System: Blades in the Dark

I adore Shadowrun. It takes all the bleakness of reality, amplifies it, but also mixes it with a lot of magic and wonder. And if you read the books selectively, even with hope.

But playing it can get convoluted, especially if your group is prone to overplan. And we know that plans always go sideways. There's no such thing as a milk run. Spending an hour on planning can be annoying in itself. But it's extra painful if it has to be thrown out the window in the first five minutes of execution.

Enter Blades in the Dark that instead of planning ahead encourages to use flashbacks on the spot to reveal how you prepared in advance to get past an obstacle. That makes pulling off daring heists a lot more easier for the players. Infiltration is way less stressful on the player if they can make up any forged backstory on the go, and do a flashback to make sure it's believable. There's still some minimal planning, but it's practically just setting the starting scene of the run. You don't have to specify anything beyond that.

The concept of crew from Blades also fits nicely with Shadowrun. It can tell the GM what kind of runs the players prefer, and gives the players the ability tospecialize their team. Blades was created for a different level of technology and magic. But it mainly focuses on the hierarchy of the criminal underground, and that translates easily even to a modern world. So I expect the same crews to work with Shadowrun, but more thematic options could be added to tie it closer to the sixth world.

The concept of hunting grounds should be reconsidered. In Blades it means a specific neighbourhood the characters are more familiar with and usually target. In Shadowrun it makes more sense to make it a specific scenery they usually operate in. For example it could be a specific megacorporation they often go up against, or a type of gang that's common in the sprawls they operate in.

Blades also offers a nice subsystem for handling reputation, growth, notoriety, and even stress and trauma between runs. Incorporating a specific vice for each PC also seems completely in line with Shadowrun's concept.

The biggest difference will be in character creation. Blades' system is more abstract than Shadowrun's. In Blades you have to pick a specific playbook for your character. I think that's OK. While Shadowrun allowed building characters skill by skill, it always encouraged working toward specific archetypes like face, rigger, or adept. Your playbook determines your starting stats, but you can still somewhat specialize it. Blades also allows crossing from a playbook to a new one, but that's long term character advancement.

Adding some elements of Shadowrun might not be trivial. Spirits could be more or less handled as the ghosts in Blades. But magic and technology would have to be specifically addressed. Some of it could be treated like fluff, making it mechanically irrelevant whether your efforts are more effective because of training, because of an implant, or because you are infusing them with magic. But at least mages, riggers and deckers would probably need their own playbooks.

Twisted Houses of the Drow

Setting: any fantasy setting with drows, but I have a specific campaign idea for Spelljammer

System: Houses of the Blooded

This is a re-skin of Houses of the Blooded. The ven and the drow have different values and cultures, but I think they share a similar style. Decadence and intrigue runs deep in their societies. I'd replace the virtues (attributes) of the original game with corresponding vices. And each vice would be linked to a drow god instead of the totem animals of the original game.

Instead of the romance mechanic there would be rivalry. It would work the same way, just with a different flavour. Drows could pick someone as a rival, driving each other to greater feats. Instead of creating art drows could develop schemes. Same as the art mechanic. The scheme could give a bonus to those it was shared with. Seasons, regions, holdings, and blessings would have to be reworked, but I think renaming them would be enough in most cases.

My campaign idea is for a group of drow renegades employed by the elven admiralty as covert agents. They would be sent for long term infiltration missions to places where surface elves are not welcome. Each of them would have an affiliation with a drow god as well, and each would have their own hidden agenda. It might even work if not all characters are drows. I could imagine one or two elf, half-elf, or shapeshifter mixed in.

If I ever got to it seasons of the campaign would include: Building up a career of piracy in space (remember, Spelljammer) to get on the good side of a notorious and elusive pirate king, and lead the elven navy to its hideout. Instead of holdings the players could manage trade routes they raid, and their ships. Another would be infiltrating a drow city to stop an invasion. I think this would be the closest to the original Houses game. And finally I'd drop them in a mission to arrive as inmates to Elfcatraz, the secret prison of the admiralty (named by one of my players) to find out who's really in control there.

Around Cerilia in 80 days

Setting: Birthright

System: Primetime adventures

This one is kind of cheating, because Primetime adventures is quite setting-independent. So I rather mean it's a better fit for the kind of stories I'd like to run in this setting.

Birthright's setting works on a comprehensible scale for me. Most fantasy worlds have gigantic continents with dozens of large countries. They are too large for me, and I end up with a vast countryside where everything's the same for weeks to go. But Birthright has a small continent, maybe more like a large island with five distinct cultural regions. And each of those regions have a dozen provinces, each province described with its own flavor. It's not complicated, but colorful.

I guess it was done this way to accomodate the strategy aspect of Birthright that was one of its main features. While the concept of ruling provinces sounds great, the setting really makes me want to have a game about just travelling through this world. Not with adventurers, but rather with tourists, merchants, travelers who are going there to see a foreign place, or do business with the locals, and not just to explore a dungeon that happens to be there.

Ever since I saw the Roman Mysteries TV series I've been particularly fascinated with the idea of having a bunch of kids as player characters who are brought along by one's aunt/uncle on business trips to foreign lands, and get into trouble there. For example a trip from a frontier barony to the capital city, traveling through the woods of wary elves, then sailing down the river, stopping in a few more interesting port. Or a journey to the magnificent kingdoms in the east, although there are many perils both natural, and man-made on the way.

Thinking in Primetime adventures terms each province or city could be a separate episode. And the peculiarities of the place could be used to decide which character's spotlight episode should happen there.

Even domains of awnshegh (people and animals infected by the power of a dead god of darkness, becoming "monsters") don't have to be off limits. Some of them were quite sociable, and even more ruled over people whose perspective could be interesting.

Crown of Wings

Setting: Council of Wyrms

System: Birthright's domain management

Council of Wyrms focuses on playing dragons from various clans who work together. Despite the central role of the council, and the politics between the dragon clans, Council of Wyrms didn't touch much on the actual politics and realm management. It was the same AD&D, just scaled up to dragon PCs.

But I think there's so much more potential in the setting. I could easily imagine dragons ruling the land, managing guilds, and churches, and building out ley line networks to cast spells affecting whole realms. So everything that Birthright's system offered.

The setting isn't fully fleshed out, but it lets us fill in the land with fantastic locations. Some cities and towns were mentioned at unusual places, full of various races. So players could run wild with ideas when they create their own domain. Should their be trade routes with a merfolk city, and underwater ley lines? Absolutely. Could there be a church based on promoting the halfling lifestyle? Why not?

And then there's the Council. Domain Power could determine the character's status in it. Regency Points, and Gold Bars could be used as bargaining chips.

But what should be its purpose? I have seen enough of the trope of warring factions who have to be unified against some common threat, maybe with a traitorous faction thrown in the mix. I mean it makes for a fine story, but I'm getting a little tired of it. This time I'd rather see a council as a way to trade, to exchange ideas, and to help everybody improve their own clan. It doesn't make for a strong narrative, but I think it's a more positive message overall.

I think the biggest restriction in the setting is that dragon clans are too homogenic. Like, each clan consists of just one kind of dragon. That doesn't help in putting together a game with diverse characters. The original game concept solved that by making the PCs agents of the Council who may come from various clans.

For a more political game we could introduce mixed clans. So the characters could be part of the same clan, while still coming from various places. Maybe they are outcasts or survivors who created their own clan. Or maybe their clan was open minded, and was located in a central place, so it naturally lead to it becoming more diverse.

Or we could say that they are from different clans, but their clans are neighbours and allies of each other. At least if you're like me, and you don't want to set the players up for PvP by putting them to opposing sides of a clan feud.

Custom Quest

Setting: Your long-running campaign

System: Fiasco

I think any campaign that went on for a while should be an easy source for creating a Fiasco playset for a one-time play. Fiasco is about nobodies trying to pull off something bigger than they are. It's about petty people, and half-baked ideas going wrong. And while that might still sound like your average adventurer party, here we know they can't win. They will be lucky if they don't end up in a lot worse situation they started in.

For convenience I will refer to the PCs of the original campaign as heroes. It's okay if they are not actual heroes. That happens pretty often. But they had the greatest influence on the campaign this one shot is based on, so we have to heavily rely on them.

So the player characters in this one-shot are probably just background noise in the original campaign. I think this is a great way to explore how the actions of the heroes might affect the common people in unexpected ways. Objects driving the character dynamics could be things the heroes brought back, created, or just used in a memorable moment. Maybe an artifact they sold off is making its rounds on the blackmarket, and someone sees an opportunity in it. Or evidence surfaced that could incriminate one of the heroes.

And it's not just Objects. Their shenanigans might have brought the unwanted attention of a powerful cult to the city. Or the local barkeep loathes the heroes because they trashed his place one too many times. And he's just looking for some idiots to exact his revenge. Really, just look for whomever the heroes might have ever slighted or aided to get a plethora of petty plots and strange driving forces in the community. This can give you the Needs and Relationships between the player characters.

Locations could be places well known by the players, preferably close to a place the heroes frequent. The heroes, and the more memorable NPCs could give some enjoyable cameos. And finally they could become part of the Tilt table to turn a bad situation worse in the middle of the game.

[pass-the-bechdel]

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Ant-Man (2015)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, once.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Four (22.22% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Fourteen.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

It’s delightful. 

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Maggie passes with Cassie as she puts her to bed.

Female characters:

Peggy Carter.

Hope Van Dyne.

Cassie.

Maggie.

Male characters:

Howard Stark.

Hank Pym.

Scott Lang.

Peachy.

Luis.

Dale.

Kurt.

Dave.

Darren Cross.

Frank.

Paxton.

Gale.

Mitchell Carson.

Sam Wilson.

OTHER NOTES:

Dave calls Scott a pussy, and Scott is not fussed at all about accepting the attempted insult.

Ah, the old ‘wish you’d call me dad’ cliche, the most worn-out lazy way to establish an antagonistic parent/child relationship. 

“a sustainable environment of well-being”, what an excellent fascist euphemism.

Maggie is very reasonable with Scott about the conditions for seeing Cassie; it’s refreshing to not have this played as ‘harpy ex-wife refuses to let man see his child because she’s just the worst!’ Maggie has a child to look after - and has been doing so for years now while Scott was in jail - and she has every right to impose rules on how things proceed, Scott doesn’t get to just march in and have things his way ‘because she’s my daughter!’ Children are not possessions or status symbols, and this movie does a nice job of recognising that and having the adult characters recognise that and behave in reasonable and understanding ways for Cassie’s benefit rather than their own egos. Other films should take note. Also, real people.

“Yeah man, it killed DiCaprio.”

Turning lambs into goo is worse than kicking puppies. What a monster.

They do a pretty solid job with the reason for Hope not being allowed to don the suit instead. It has strong potential for seeming like flat-out sexism, the idea that a woman can’t get the job done (in universe) and that a female hero won’t sell (out universe), and while that may indeed still be the core reason, they still pull off the reasoning as if it’s genuine.

Pym’s excuse for why he never told Hope the truth about her mother’s death, on the other hand, is pretty fuckin’ weak. Tell people to stop pretending ‘I was trying to protect you’ is a reasonable explanation for lies. It’s super-high - easily Top 5 - on my list of Worst and Most Tedious Cliche Lines.

Kurt suggests that the suit is the work of gypsies and it’s...not the best line they could have picked. Something less racist instead, maybe? No?

Cross is really fixated on Pym as a father figure. It’s different. I like different.

“That’s a messed-up looking dog.”

Scott and Paxton making peace is so great. Paxton peeing in all the corners and Scott being all jealous and threatened by Paxton ‘usurping his place in the family’ would have been such a predictable cliche for them to use, and this very palatable mature adult behaviour is sooo much better. This is how you stop normalising petty possessive rivalries. 

Luis is magical, and also, mad cultured. I love it, but I love even more that they don’t hang a lantern on it, they just let it be part of his character.

Ok, I confess, this is probably gonna be a weird sort of meandering review, because I’ve had this post sitting in my drafts for two months gathering dust while I deal with the mental and physical fatigue of the first trimester of a pregnancy (it’s FUN), and now the due date for this post (pun definitely intended) is right on the horizon, so...I’m just gonna get it done, and it’ll be whatever the heck it is in the end. This is not a complex film filled with deep nuance, it’s basically just an action-y heist movie with some hand-waved scifi on top. And there’s ants. It’s not a hard film to talk about, so you’ll excuse me if it doesn’t get my very best effort. I’m kinda busy growing a human over here.

I remember a lot of grumbling and even some outrage in fandom, back when this film was announced; a lot of people upset that the MCU was bringing in a comparatively little-known and perhaps little-loved superhero like Ant-Man when they still hadn’t bothered with a single female-led film yet, and various complaints about the problematic nature of the Ant-Man character from the comics (referring, I believe, to the Hank Pym version). And then, of course, there was the doubt about whether or not an Ant-Man story was just a fucking idiotic idea in the first place, what with the questionable application of science and the even more questionable appeal of a tiny little man running around playing with ants. Expectations were not high. And yet, Ant-Man pulls through, not just with a great fun romp, but with what I consider one of the more entertaining films the MCU has churned out to date.

I have made my fair share of sour comments about previous films in the MCU and their unimaginative paint-by-numbers plots, and so what I’d like to talk about with Ant-Man is how it manages to be such a success to me despite an essentially uncomplicated story that follows a predictable narrative arc the likes of which we’ve all seen a hundred times before. The basic tenets of a heist movie are all there; the basic tenets of a good vs evil story play straight, alongside a low-key but typical redemption plot, and some plight-of-the-regular-guy vs corporate greed and warmongering, and the leading man hooks up with the leading lady in the end and proves himself as a hero to his family and all that jazz. We know every one of these story and character beats. So. Why do they work?

Let me back this up a second to talk about a couple of major-league pet peeves of mine, the one a microcosmic version of the other: firstly, when people say ‘all Marvel films are basically the same’, and secondly, the Advanced Level Faux-Intellectual Douche version of that sentiment, when people declare that ‘there’s no such thing as originality anymore! There are only seven types of story in the world anyway! Everything is derivative!’ It’s an obnoxious absence of a viewpoint that betrays a lack of imagination and a use of such broad-strokes surface-level comprehension as to be essentially meaningless. Sure, if you break down story concepts to their most fundamental core drives, you can summarise their arcs in a relatively small number of ways, and familiarity with these core concepts can provide a degree of predictability in the way things play out. But that doesn’t mean that every single version of, say, the classic Hero’s Journey is the same damn story, and therefore a useless derivation from which no entertainment or message can be gleaned. If someone asks you to tell them the plot of a movie and you just go ‘oh, it’s a Hero’s Journey’ and leave it at that, you’ve told them almost nothing about what to actually expect. The Matrix is a very, very different Hero’s Journey to The Lord of the Rings, which is a very different Hero’s Journey to Finding Nemo, which is not at all the same as Iron Man. And which of them is closest to The Odyssey, anyway? One of the most obvious differences with all of those examples is genre, and the traditional trappings which often (but not always) follow from them. Sure, the MCU films tend to all fit superhero-comic genre conventions, and some of them (particularly origin stories, as with Iron Man and Thor) may employ a lot of the same tropes while they’re at it. But does anyone really, genuinely think that Ant-Man is ‘basically the same’ as Captain America: The First Avenger? Is Guardians of the Galaxy almost indistinguishable from Black Panther? Does anyone who says ‘Marvel movies are all basically the same’ actually believe the words out of their own mouth, or do they just hope it makes them sound smart if they imply that they’re ‘above’ enjoying mainstream popcorn action?

All of this is to say, what makes Ant-Man work where other trope-heavy films fall apart? The same thing that makes literally any story ever work, and be worthwhile, whether it ‘breaks barriers’ or ‘teaches something’ or is considered ‘high art’ or not: details. Some films are too light on details, which makes them boring because they never really bother to build anything on top of those core foundations we know so well. Sometimes, the details - numerous as they might be - are too generic to have an impact, and the dull result is the same. Sometimes the details are too absurd to land, or there are too many to keep track of, or they require too much extraneous qualification to fit into the flow of the rest of the story, or they’re irrelevant to the rest of the story anyway. The thing about details? There are countless options. People come up with new ideas all the time, through the exercise of imagination or through developments and innovations in the real world. Basic, core plot arcs may be distilled to a handful of options, but story details are limitless, and the possibility of fun new combinations is always there, whether you’re inventing something entirely never-before-seen or not. The idea that you have to be shocking and unexpected to be worthwhile is ridiculous, and shepherds illogical contrivances and gimmicks without narrative cohesion or purpose much more often than it achieves something genuinely surprising with merit (and storytelling that prioritises ‘shocking twists’ is usually so busy trying to look clever it forgets to actually be clever, but, that’s another conversation). The point is, Ant-Man being a delightful film isn’t rocket science. It’s as simple as just a little forethought in the construction of its details.

As noted back near the top, the whole Ant-Man concept and its wobbly science was something that drew some doubt regarding whether or not it could be pulled off in a convincing manner; the solution to achieving that is to do more than just lean in to the idea. The film throws itself whole-heartedly into its core conceit and its tropes, and it drags us along with it to gleefully delight in the act. The story is not embarrassed by itself, it doesn’t try to keep its distance; instead, it gives us a flying ant named Antony, and a dramatic death scene for that ant. What is the point of the Pym particle science conceit if we don’t enjoy the comedic potential of an epic battle inside a briefcase, or on a child’s train set? Relevant to this also is the subject of casting choices (as much a detail-of-interest as anything; a single casting choice can legitimately make or break a film). Paul Rudd has a perfect blend of leading-man charisma and affable comedic chops; he plays Scott as a beta-personality, which is always a refreshing change-up for a lead, and one which invites other refreshing changes around him. It avoids tedious masculine antics in his interactions with other men, while encouraging balanced and respectful interactions with women; Scott never asserts himself as the boss or leader in his relationship with Luis and the rest of his crew, allowing for a smoothly-cooperative dynamic; no time or plot is wasted on pointless jostling for control of the operation with Pym; the idea that Scott needs to prove himself to the three female characters in his life - Hope, Maggie, and Cassie, each for similar but different reasons - is given legitimate weight, instead of implying that Scott and his perspective is inherently superior and correct and the onus is on the other characters to realise that, rather than being on him to live up to other people’s reasonable expectations. It should come as no surprise that the latter element is especially interesting and heartening in the context of this blog.

This is particularly good news when it comes to the kinds of relatively minor details which can make a huge difference in whether or not one reflects on a film in a positive or negative manner; the fact that the narrative supports and validates Hope’s anger, her frustration and resentment and her all-business-no-fun attitude, is vital to keeping a viewer like myself on-side with the film. Hope is never presented as someone who should ‘just loosen up’, or ‘have faith in her father’s plan’, the fact that she is denied the Ant-Man technology because Pym ‘can’t bare to risk losing her’ is offered as a reason but not as an excuse for something deeply patronising, and Scott proving that he can get the job done despite Hope’s misgivings about him is not framed as her being ‘wrong’ - her concerns were legitimate, as all her emotions across the film are, and the story never compromises on that in order to bolster another character. Whether or not Hope is well-handled is not important to the operation of the central narrative plot in a technical sense, but it means a lot in terms of delivering strong characters with satisfying arcs, and a central plot can easily fall flat if the characters participating in it don’t work well, individually or together.

I’m trying to wrap this up coherently, but it’s just as well that I disclaimered myself in the beginning because all I’ve got are frayed pieces of, probably, five other paragraphs I could waffle about. It’s not a complex film, no, but it has a surprising amount of quality details, the more I think about it, even regarding aspects of the movie that I liked less than others (Pym, for example, I did not love, but I like that the movie never tried to pass off his ‘genius’ as an excuse for him being a significantly flawed figure in the lives of most people who encountered him, often with bitter consequences. I’m also a big fan of the fact that both he and Scott have complicated but loving relationships with their daughters, considering that Hollywood has a hyper-obsession with the idea of ‘A Man And His Son’ as the beating heart of family narratives). I’m going to close this out with what may be my personal favourite refreshing detail of this movie, and that’s the mature adult relationship between Scott, Maggie, and Paxton. I mentioned it already in the notes, but honestly, how many times have we seen that toxic cliche, with the shrewish ex-wife and the terrible new man in her life, where the main character (who is Doing His Best!) has to prove through [insert plot heroics] that ex-wife is WRONG and should have stayed with him, the father of her child(ren), because did we mention, her new man is terrible and the main character is always right and good and better! In the end, ex-wife almost certainly leaves her terrible new man to get back together with the main character, because he is Doing His Best and that’s more important than actually being a stable/responsible person! The American nuclear family is the ideal! Divorce is for heathens! Y’all know that toxic plot. I can think of three different examples of it in action right off the top of my head, with no effort required. Point is, the degree to which I was utterly thrilled by this movie subverting cliche at every turn of its family saga really cannot be overstated. Maggie is a reasonable person! Scott respects that Cassie’s needs are more important than his wants! Paxton cares about his family and genuinely wants Scott to land on his feet, for the benefit of everyone! There’s no jealous posturing and Scott acting all hurt about being ‘replaced’! HE LITERALLY THANKS PAXTON FOR EVERYTHING HE DOES, WHEN HAVE I EVER SEEN THAT BEFORE?! Honestly, you don’t have to tell the most original story in the world to tell a story that resonates. You don’t even have to avoid common tropes, you just have to think about what you want to do with them. It’s not rocket science. It’s just good honest storytelling.

With ants.

[questionofdarkness]

some things I noticed during the latest chapter (aka you all knew this was coming because 199 was made for me!)

So, why did this take me so long? Well, obviously, there weren’t only a handful notable panels for me this time! Also I was really busy and I wanted to do this on my PC so that I don’t have to split it up in multiple parts again. So… chapter 199, huh? What a great time to be alive for all my fellow birb boy stans out there! Though I must say, I am a tiny bit disappointed in one aspect: I don’t think they brought across Toko boy’s character as well as they could in this chapter. Where were all the angsty one liners? Where was the edginess? There was a lot of hood Hawks and more amazing pictures than I ever imagined, but… yeah, it just didn’t feel as much like my boy as I hoped it would. Nevertheless, I am obviously really excited that we get to see so much of him - I’ve been waiting for some insight in the Hawk’s internship since it was first confirmed that Toky also had taken one and all the fanons that became canon! But let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

Starting off strong with a beautiful Hawks! Amazing! 10/10!

My poor boy, look at his little legs! 

Wheeze wheeze indeed! Again, confirmation that Tokoyami really wasn’t in the best phyical shape (compared to the other 1A members that is!). I really like how they subtlety show us development in characters like the bird boy through panels like this one. Also don’t you think these two sidekicks look like half a Tokoyami each? Like, we have the “beak” and the black clothes. That means the whole group is actually more like a 1.5 bird, right?

Tokoyami, starting to stand up for himself! That’s the good stuff!

I think we all lost our shit at this panel, right? I mean. Holy fuck! I think horikoshi just goes to the bnha tag on tumblr when he runs out of ideas and goes like “Yeah, that’s stupid, let’s put that in!”. Also Hawks giving no single shit is my aesthetic. 

What kind of response is that???? Also Toky is so fucking done I’m crying 

(Did anyone else notice the braclets? Do they serve a purpose? I don’t think so. Oh boy. Also the choker. I was kinda hoping he had painted nails as well, but I guess we can’t get everything straight away, right?)

So first of all - yes, yes he does! 

Secondly “birdman”? Man? Really? You wanna call this 5′2 goth teenie a man?

Fierce! 

Poor boy, I feel you though.

I love how this is phrased. “He decided to take me again”. Because to my understanding, the students have to seek out their employers themselves - they don’t get offers like they did during the week long internship. That means Tokoyami was the one to contact Hawks and ask him to take him under his wings again (pun intended). Although he said he had learned nothing last time! Although he went into the internship with the mindset, that Hawks was just interested in his connection to class 1A. 

So Tokoyami conciously sought him out to prove him and himself how much more he had in him than Hawks had realized! And I love this aspect of my boy, because it has never been shown before. He always was trying his best, but he never really displayed such a direct, stubborn will to prove himself. Again, I love how subtly Horikoshi lets side characters grow. It’s one of the things I love most about bnha.

TENEBROUS ABYSS BODY!

No but seriously, look at his eyes, look at that determination! How can people not love this boy? Also at least we get an edgy “nay” here, so good job!

Recognition!

Look at them smirk, I fucking love Hawks!

You know what I really like about this panel? Normally, when Tokoyami uses his Black Ankh, you don’t really see his eyes but mainly those of dark shadow. But here it’s the opposite. For me, that again represent his growth - he isn’t hiding behind Dark’s strength anymore! That goes along really well with the overall message of this chapter. Gotta love hero aca for it’s story telling.

And the next second he looks like a tiny precious bird again. His beak is so round! Ugh, i wanna hug him so much right now!

And again, everyone looses their collective shit.

one whole bird!

But i’ve literally seen fanarts exactly like this before this chapter came out! What the fuck, Horikoshi??

I do not like the implication that Hawks might not have asked for Toky’y permission and just picked him up though. But then again I guess we just weren’t shown. I can’t wait for this to get animated!!

Also “We’ve become one with the wind!” is also a respectable Tokoyami line.

“!” “?”

Hawk’s using Tokoyami’s real name while everyone else calls him Tsukuyomi is also great. I wonder if he has done that before or if this is the first time. But I also wonder what it might imply. Maybe it shows that he doesn’t see him as but a trainee, or maybe that he can’t really recognize him as a hero yet. I’d say I hope to see more of their relationship in the future, but to be honest, I doubt it.

I can’t wrap my mind around the way my boy is drawn here! On one hand I love it - look how fluffy his feathers seem! - but it’s also a tad strange. But again, fierce Toky speaking his mind!

Mentoring!

Also look at how tiny Tokoyami is!!! God I love this boy!

Why does it make me laugh every time when Hawks talks about them being birds?

Hawks looks so damn cool here! 

But aren’t we gonna talk about how Toky clings to the mast? I mean good decision, but I still find it funny. Hawks is all dramatic, staring into the distance, and Toky’s like “yeah I really appreciate the advise and all but if I fall I will die!”

Still dramatically raking off his cape!

Also same, it sounds fucking awesome!

Momo, could you please stop being so gorgeous? Also please change your costume, it’s winter and this is very impractical to begin with! But still, I will always love that they actually give my girl some fat rolls!

Still at it with taking off your cape? Also again: cape buddies!

And Tokoyami looks hot from this point of view as well. Does that make me a furry? Am I being a furry? 

Oh, and Toru gets some lines! Not gonna lie, kinda forgot she was there for a second.

The edgelords are back at it!

I absolutely love how they show that fighting isn’t only about punching stuff and strategy isn’t only observing. The manipulation factor is fascinating and I love how they give this trait to a side character like Kuroiro. He’s generally an interesting guy this far - I hope we’ll see more of him in future chapters.

They didn’t even try to add Toru to the picture! Poor Toru stands, hoping she’d get some more screen time during this arc…

Also I love how for once it isn’t Aoyama who’s being eccentric. 

And my boy still looks so fierce and those arms!

PHAHAHAHAHAH THIS IS BLOODY AMAZING I LOVE THIS PANEL SO MUCH OH MY GOD!

Cue to me crying in the background

(Same)

Ok but this panel is hilarious. I can’t even fully tell while but just… look at his pose!

I love seeing my boy improve (obviously) and it’s again a nice reminder of how much happens behind the scenes in this story.

Ambitious!

Also every Tokoyami/Aoyama shipper is probably crying right now as is Aoyama because his cape got ripped in half

Up up an away my boy!

More gorgeous Momo! Her eyes! Her hair! God I’m so gay!

Quod erat demonstrandum!

Also “Keep flying around freely” is a line I never dared to hope to hear in relation with my birb boy. This chapter is a dream come true.

I will never get tired of seeing Dark and Tokoyami interact. I wish we knew more about those two!

RRRRMMMBBBBBBB

Aoyama is so pissed look at him! My poor dude!

He just… plops out of the shadows. Yeah, how’s life going?

Ah, my girl, my beautiful girl! You sure do think of everything - one of my favorite traits of you. Also it’s nice that Hagakure gets some lines. She has really been neglected this chapter. Then again, I assume 200 will be about Momo’s fight with Kinoko (which I find really surprising - I was sure 200 was going to be Midorya centered! I’m not complaining though), so maybe Hagakure will get to show off against Manga? But then again, there’s also Kendou who I think will be a Momo opponent as well (seeing how the two got history and, as even mentioned last chapter, have a friendly rivalry). I sure am excited to see how this arc will develop, though I am still scared that this group of class A might have to loose in order to maintain a balance to make the final battle and therefore the clash of Izuku and Shinsou count. 

Looking foreward to next week and thank’s to everyone, who stuck around for this rant :D

[momestuck]

Epilogues: Candy, Ch 16-21 [Epilogue 4]

So we’ve lost (spoilers will remain below the cut). This section starts progressing a lot faster, as the couples we’ve established all very rapidly start adopting kids. Jane’s whole eugenic vision, and fucked up relationships, starts coming much more to the forefront.

I call this the “we live in a society” chapter. Or perhaps the “edelman” chapter.

Chapter 16

At this point we get a six month time skip. Or for Terezi, a single day timeskip, because apparently there’s heavy time dilation between Earth C and the Furthest Ring.

The wedding itself is handled by recap, emphasising anecdotes. Of note is that Terezi is continuing to ghost basically the entire cast apart from John, which she claims is because he’s the most annoying.

In fact this entire chapter is text convos between John and Terezi, which is a nice return to early Homestuck when typing quirks were actually, well, typing quirks lol. Jane, it turns out, is now dating both Gamzee and Jake, which, well, ok.

ok.

ok.

anyway, there’s some wonderful dialogue on kismesis relationships at least:

TEREZI: Resentment can be fine in a short term black affair if the gaol is just to fill pails and avoid culling.

TEREZI: But in a sustained romantic rivalry it will always spell ruin.

TEREZI: Just like in a caliginous relationship, how it’s important for you to be able to communicate with your kismesis.

The rest of Terezi’s dialogue, talking a bit about Vriska, is a joy to read. I miss Terezi.

Oh yeah and Roxy’s pregnant. That’s important! Their wedding was 6 months prior, though it’s not clear from the narration when their baby was conceived.

Chapter 17

Another three month timeskip. That means nine months from the wedding - just about long enough for John and Roxy’s baby to be born.

Rose and Kanaya have outright named their child Vriska, which is... ok she may be a clone but that’s one hell of a thing to put on a kid, fucking hell.

Like, just wow. Imagine knowing Vriska and deciding to not just adopt her clone but name her clone after her! I take back whatever dumb shit I was saying about Rose and Kanaya being well adjusted. Poor kid.

There’s an amusing conversation in which Kanaya has misconceptions about how human children are born - from Karkat, via Dave. This is really going hard on the whole reproductive futurism angle huh.

The question of Vriska’s name comes up. Rose says that Vriska defeated Lord English - apparently having entirely forgotten all the things she said before, about how that whole plot point of how he was ultimately defeated was unresolved.

JOHN: rose, no one knows what happened to lord english.

ROSE: Of course we do. Vriska used the juju and her accompanying ghost army to defeat him.

ROSE: Why else would we be here?

JOHN: i don’t think that’s what actually happened though!

KANAYA: Then What Did Happen John

JOHN: i... i JUST said! JOHN: no one knows!

So uh... it’s like there’s some all-encompassing force, pushing the kids towards a “happy ending” defined in terms of pairing up and raising kids, editing their memories to leave nothing unresolved... and only John seems to be immune?

And moreover, whatever this force is, it seems to have robbed Roxy of her independent will. She’s going along with whatever John wants - much to his consternation.

Everyone is contorting themselves into a standardised template of “adulthood”, focused on reproduction above all, telling themselves it will make them happy... even the lesbians!

(Is this all one massive attack against the Harry Potter epilogue lol)

Chapter 18

In this chapter, Jane explains the need for eugenics to Gamzee. She insists that, if trolls were allowed to outbreed humans, the ‘natural’ Alternian social order might assert itself. It’s not racism! Some of her best friends are trolls!

Gamzee suggests this might get her ‘cancelled’, and she calls him ‘a literal insect in clownface’. Because she’s totally not xenophobic or anything. They have kismesis-hatesex, which includes...

In spite of Jane’s protests, Gamzee makes a desperate play for a lusty squeeze. Jane puts up a valiant show of resistance, but Gamzee knows she has no real intent of fighting him off—it’s all part of the kismetic dance. He has his big clown mitts right on her busty bags, honking away.

...what feels to me like a dangerous blurring of consent lines. Bottom line: this relationship is all kinds of fucked up...

Also why did I have to see the words “busty bags” with my actual eyes.

Not sure what the story is going for with this troll eugenics plotline. Jane explicitly tries to draw a line between this and actual racism insofar as there are, she says, actual biological differences between humans and trolls such as birth rate, unlike human ‘races’ (the story does not deviate from the idea that the kids are ‘aracial’, incidentally, though it’s hard to take Jane as anything other than white the way she acts). But why does the narrative feel the need to go there? I guess it’s about Jane’s character specifically; the not-so-subtle fascism in her whole image as a ‘proper’ businesswoman. She’s just doing what needs to be done!

I recall that ‘prison camps’ was up there in the content warnings list.

The latest Homestuck Baby is named Tavros. Naming babies after your dead friends is all the rage these days!

The narration stays with Jake as he leaves the room, but we still hear more than we’d like of Jane and Gamzee fucking.

The subject of kids - the REPRODUCTIVE IMPERATIVE - comes up. Jade explains that merging with Beq has done something to her bits, so she won’t be getting pregnant. And nobody’s really feeling ectobiology. Though that’s probably not the biggest issue with her and Dave...

She says she’s discussed surrogacy with Rose, and neither Dave nor Karkat would be ‘the father’ in this scenario. Ah, I think I see where this might be going. Beq was a male dog, as I recall.

(so this is basically... V Homestuck, apopros of nothing: do you know i think jade probably has a dick)

Chapter 19

In accordance with our headlong rush into families and reproduction, John has started working on becoming his dad I guess? He has a moustache, and even carries a briefcase.

New world, new social order... or not, I guess.

Anyway, the troll racism/eugenics metaphor is really speeding up:

KARKAT: JADE, DON’T YOU READ THE NEWSPAPERS?

KARKAT: THE NEW ADMINISTRATION IS CRACKING DOWN ON CERTAIN KINDS OF INTERSPECIES ADOPTION LAWS.

KARKAT: IF YOU’RE SO INTENT ON IT BEING “THE THREE OF US,” WE LITERALLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ADOPT A HUMAN CHILD BECAUSE THE HUMAN ADMINISTRATION IS AFRAID THAT I’D...

KARKAT: I DON’T KNOW.

KARKAT: TEAR INTO IT, AND FEAST ON ITS ORGANS.

KARKAT: AND IN THAT KIND OF POLITICAL CLIMATE? WELL, I’M NOT SURE IT’S A WORLD I WOULD WANT TO RAISE A TROLL CHILD IN RIGHT NOW.

Later on they outright call Jane a fascist. Not beating about the bush here. And John has apparently described Jane’s treatment of Jake as outright rape, which his friends generally assent to.

Thinking I should have picked up more of that dynamic when I read the earlier Jane/Jake scenes. There was a line...

It’s not the most rousing speech Jake has ever given, but it seems satisfactory enough for Jane. He releases a tremendously relieved sigh when Jane breaks into a smile.

JANE: Oh, Jake!

He flails when she kisses him. But this time, there’s no doubt he hasn’t said no.

Yeah that pretty much made it clear didn’t it. Jane has absolutely no regard for Jake’s will; and Jake is in no way in this situation able to assert how much this dynamic is harming him, without Jane pulling out the same manipulative tricks, playing hard on his ridiculous ‘old-timey gentleman’ thing.

Anyway, any discussion of their own relationship is forestalled when a dead body of Jade falls from the sky! Apparently it’s a much younger version of Jade - the origin is utterly unclear. (Perhaps we’ll find out in the Meat storyline?)

Whatever the cause, it prompts Jade to go to Jane - whose Life powers could bring the dead Jade back, in theory.

Chapter 20

But Jane’s powers... don’t work at all. (Also her relationships are pretty dire and she’s exerting fascist influence behind the scenes). Apparently whatever’s afflicting this Jade is more fundamental than poison: a ‘metaphysical’ rot. Meanwhile, it’s heavily implied (as was more or less said outright earlier) that Rose’s Seer powers don’t work anymore.

Jade wonders if her presence in Earth C implies the other selves across other timelines can no longer exist. But this is maybe only brought up to dismiss it.

Instead, Roxy brings up the whole fascism thing - as a political divide pushing them apart (metaphor ahoy). Which prompts an impassioned - and justified - rant from Karkat. Gamzee steps in, and Karkat has a go at him too, and the way he’s exploiting his claimed ‘redemption’:

KARKAT: NO.

KARKAT: NEVER IN THE WILDEST DREAMS OF YOUR SOPOR SOAKED PEABRAIN WILL WE BE “MOTHERFUCKING GOOD,” GAMZEE.

KARKAT: BECAUSE YOU’RE SLEEPING WITH THE GODDAMN ENEMY.

KARKAT: BECAUSE I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT WHAT YOU DID.

KARKAT: AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK YOU EVEN DID WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE!

In the framing this story has developed, he’s not wrong, obviously. The words ‘redemption arc’ are thrown out again by Roxy and Jane in Gamzee’s defense, and Karkat storms out.

Karkat is good in the role of moral authority, directly confronting cruelty and hypocrisy that his more ‘polite’ friends would rather sweep under the rug in the name of unity. We see their reactions:

Karkat leaves a stunned silence in his wake. Jane fuming silently to herself, Kanaya and Rose exchanging a knowing look about World Politics, John chewing his lip and mulling about how Karkat is probably right, and how if he were braver, he would have backed him up.

Kanaya and Rose - on the ‘right side’, but in many ways, the middle class, above-it-all. John, the coward. Jane, put on the spot, soon falls back on her ideals of propriety...

Karkat’s ancestor was the Signless/Sufferer, who led a rebellion against the Condesce. Perhaps he’s stepping up to fill a similar role...

Chapter 21

As was discussed in the prior chapter, Roxy insists on holding a funeral for the dead alternate-universe Jade... for the sake of unity, or something. This works about as well as you might expect.

Oh, and, on the subject of Jake and Jane, well.

You gave it the old college try chap, Jake said to him earlier as he waxed his mustache in the mirror. But its better for a man to just let his wife do whatever she wants. I promise youll experience less pain that way old boy.

yeesh

Also Calliope is here! She gives a little speech about death, and shares a tender moment with Roxy... so... still playing into that ambiguity huh.

Then Aradia and Sollux show up?? I guess they were, technically, still alive! They have not, indeed, been absorbed by the big black hole... and they certainly liven things up.

Honestly, the massive pileup of characters leads to them playing off each other in ways I’ve really missed. It’s like a good old classic homestuck group chat feel.

Roxy gives a speech that’s ultimately all about Dirk - about the ways things might have been different, whether it’s even meaningfully possible to compare. Good old Homestuck themes. Then she has her actual baby because why not.

As if this isn’t enough melodrama for one chapter, Jade’s ‘corpse’ gets up, and reveals it’s not actually Jade in there at all, but... someone who speaks in red text, and is known to Calliope. Alt-Calliope perhaps..?

Sure enough, it is... the Calliope who predominated over Caliborn in an alternative branch of that timeline, who created the big black hole, and who has now arrived ‘to protect your world’.

Phew.

Epilogue 4 as a whole

Bloody hell that was something.

So Jane’s gone full fash. For significant chunks of the comic she was mind-controlled by the Condesce, but I guess within this story she’s capable of going fash on her own devices.

The awful relationship between Jade and Jake is well-realised, I think, for all its awfulness. It comes across as a believable, ugly dynamic.

The whole redemption arc thing, that keeps coming up - it’s about fiction, but perhaps also more broadly about transformative and restorative justice; the kind of difficult conversations that I struggle with a lot, of how we collectively and individually respond to instances of cruelty, abuse and violence, and how these things arise in the first place.

At its best, this story is challenging a perspective that people who have been hurt in terrible ways should be obliged to grant forgiveness and absolution; a ‘too easy’ story where all pain disappears and everyone can just be friends again. But we must avoid two failure modes: one is a model of the world which takes it that some people are just bad, justifying any extent of “retributive” violence, and systemising that in a way that can and will inevitably be directed as a further weapon against those who are vulnerable to it, rather than in any way that prevents harm. All expansions of prisons are justified by appealing to the worse “predators”, but they do basically nothing to prevent sexual violence (rather, they concentrate it) and instead conveniently provide slave labour.

But there is still an obvious danger in the presumption that someone who has learned to be abusive and controlling has ‘reformed’; of refusing to act when someone needs help. Any system can be exploited.

Note that, of course, there is a considerable gap between imprisoning Gamzee in a fridge, and welcoming him as part of the friendship circle. When practised on a community scale, exile is an instrument of violence, but no individual person or small friendship group is obliged to maintain a relationship with a particular person...

So that’s what it’s dealing with. Only with ‘lol this clown is gross’ jokes; Gamzee, as presented here, is a repulsive person in every way possible, and those who defend him are painted as idiots.

The whole thing with the clowns in Homestuck has always been a bit of a weird one. The cultural markers invoked are heavily associated with class: they’re dirty, they drink a lot, they’re literally juggalos. But they’re also declared to be the ruling class, relating to other trolls as oppressors. And of course, haha, it’s only jokes, right...

(That’s not to get into the extent that clown imagery is racialised in the US, because hoooo boy that’s a complicated one. Discussions of ‘coding’ in media can get horribly oversimplified, and I think I’ve put my foot in that elsewhere. Coding is never just one thing)

Anyway I’m probably like, going on too much about this. Tell me I’m full of shit lol.

Alt-Calliope is hopefully finally going to explain wtf is going on as a result of John’s dubious decision at the start.

[kjs-s]

The senior trip

Pairing  Leonard McCoy x reader

Fandom Star Trek Aos

Summary Leonard and the reader are rival teachers who are the only ones to accompany the students on a field trip 

Teachers AU

Word Count: 2500

Warnings: none

A/N: This is my entry for @goingknowherewastaken birthday challenge.Happy early birthday.  I hope you like it.  I have no idea how the American educational system works so it can be all wrong.

@writing-journeyx   @sprinkleofhappinessuniverse @ohyesmarvel​ @agentpeggicarter  @buckys-fossil @romantichen @once-upon-an-imagine @locke-writes @lucetheding @marveliskindacool @captainrogerss   @jurassicbarnes @uncomfortable-writers @theassetseyeliner​ @sgtbxckybxrnes​ @thetherianthropydaily @dresupi @caplansteverogers @captainrogerss @dirajunara-archive @musikat18 @imamotherfuckingstar-lord @outside-the-government @thefanficfaerie @admiralamott

‘’Miss (Y/LN) I hope you have cleared your schedule for the week before the finals. We are not going to Hawaii without you. It’s going to be the most memorable and fun thing of our time here. We need our favorite teachers to be a part of it.’’ one of your students said.  

''Favorite teachers? You mean to tell me that I'm not your only favorite one?'' He looked nervous trying to find a way to answer that question without insulting you or hurting your feelings. ''I'm joking Adam. Who else is coming on the trip?''

''Does that mean you'll come? That's great. The principal said we will need two teachers but we asked both Mr. McCoy and Mr. Kirk alongside you. You three are the coolest and more laid-back adults here. We are still waiting for their answers though. The other students started coming it and Adam decided to share the good news.

''Hey guys, Ms. (Y/LN) said yes to chaperone us to Hawaii. This trip is looking up every day.''

''It's going to be great since we are the most awesome senior class in this school. That's why we are the only students here Mr. McCoy likes. I heard last week he corrected one of the freshmen so much, he made the boy cry. I think I picked up something about the grumpy teacher who would punish him. The poor boy was sobbing so hard and in an ugly way.'' Jessica told before defending Leonard. She used to be one of the students to get on his nerves because Leonard could see how smart she is yet she couldn’t apply her intelligence to study. Leonard McCoy showed her a better way of studying and made her into a valedictorian. Apart from that, he was one of everyone's favorite teachers seeing that he cared too much for them and he had a fun way of teaching biology.

When you first started working at the school, you knew nobody there. You had just moved to San Fransisco because you wanted to finally work as a teacher somewhere instead of the substitute jobs you had your entire career. The first two weeks you became friends with the other teachers, mostly with Jim, the drama teacher. You two clicked immediately and even sometimes helped each other with your classes. With you being the creative writing teacher, you often wrote scripts for him or had the students' ideas made into plays.  

The only person you haven't met was Leonard. However, you have heard everything about him. Not just because Jim was his best friend and insisted that the two of you would get along but from literally everyone in the school. Apparently, he was, from what you have heard, a little cranky although mostly at the people who didn't take their studies seriously. He gave the students interesting projects and his tests were all in trivial pursuit style in groups. On top of that, all the girls in your class seemed to have a crush on him.  

His reputation intrigued you for the handsome coworker you haven't met yet. However, it also made you a little competitive because you were used to being the most loved amongst the faulty in your old schools. You made a mission to be as liked as him. And you succeeded it that. Leonard senses your competitive vibe towards him and that made him a little hostile towards you. The fact he just had an unpleasant trip, trying to spend some time with his daughter, but ending up having fights with his ex every day didn't help his mood.  

''Please tell me you agreed to come on this trip with us Jim. I believe I will need you there.'' You went to lunch with him hoping he would come to Hawaii with the rest of you.

''Don't be silly (Y/N). You won't need me. I know you are not worried about handling the kids since they are all well-behaved. So, if this is about Leonard you two will be fine on your own, I bet you will have fun together.'' Jim wasn't even subtle about how much he wanted you and his best friend to get together. He was vocal about how good you will be from the beginning.

''I am not so sure about that. I mean, we are not in each other's throat anymore, but a whole week in Hawaii taking care of so many kids? We might end up arguing a lot. Besides, why don’t you want to come along? You have something interesting to do here?'' You smiled at him ready to gossip about his life for once.

''Yes, something exciting thanks to you. He laughed at your bewildered expression.

''Nothing like what you imagine. I took your advice about the final exam to be improv based on ''Whose line is it anyway?'' and I will spend the week watching it so I can come up with ideas. The students were over the moon to hear they didn't have to study and they were thankful for your creativity. What about your final exams? Are you done?''  

''Almost. I just have to write the epilogue of the story. I can't believe writing so terribly would be such a challenge. The kids will need a painkiller after editing that thing. Seriously I wrote it with so many mistakes they won't believe it came from me.''  

''They will curse you under their breaths. Yet again, they know you are soft on them. Listen I have to go back to school to prepare my classroom ok? Talk to you later.'' He pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek and hurried away.

The days leading up to the trip went by in a flash. You finished writing the horrible story for the finals and packed your bags. Much to your surprise, Leonard was civil towards you and even sounded friendly on occasion.

The days in Hawaii were relaxing and fun. You loved spending time on the beach and you ended up sunbathing for hours every day. It was entertaining to experience being with your students in such an environment and Leonard was enjoying himself a little too.

On the last night the student government president, Kelly had the idea to built a bonfire on the beach and stay up all night to finish the trip with a party.  

''Miss (Y/LN) why don't you come with us at the beach? We were staring at Mr. McCoy looking for the perfect place for our party and now he is gathering wood.'' You reluctantly went with the girls only after you made them promise to help you buy food.

When you were at the beach, you couldn't help yourself from admiring the view in front of you.  

Leonard couldn’t find any pieces of wood on the ground so he found an ax. Seeing him tearing down branches of trees made you feel a little flustered. Having focused on your rivalry and how you wanted to beat him for the most liked teacher in the senior year, you failed to notice how good-looking he is. His muscles were visible under his top and you assumed his arms were strong enough to lift you.

You shook yourself out of the trance of daydreaming about Leonard and you gathered the girls to help you buy food and set up a picnic. You had barely enough time to prepare before the night fell and you would start the party. Kelly wanted to begin with smores and scary stories. Afterward, they would move on to other games.

After the scary stories, you and Leonard left the students to play truth or dare by themselves and sat down nearby just the two of you.

You sat down next to him drinking out of your cup.

''I was hoping you would bring me a drink as well. You know, as a peace offer to stop this ridiculous rivalry between us.'' Leonard seemed somewhat apologetic. He had spent the day thinking how he has been towards you from the day you met. Also, he kind of heard Jim's voice in his head that you two would be great together.

''I would bring you one, I just assumed you don't like fruity virgin cocktails. If you want, I can get you one. We are out of anything else at the moment.'' You were surprised he expected you to try to mend things between you but you decided that this party would bring the two of you closer.

''I thought it was light beer, thanks for the offer though. Besides, we need to stay vigilant to watch these kids. Who knows, what kind of trouble they can get themselves into. I didn't go on my senior trip. And I spent the one in college making sure Jim wouldn't die from any of his allergies.'' He rolled his eyes and you smiled at the idea of how the two teachers would be when they were younger.

''You're telling me? I still remember a few about mine. Like the fact I woke up wearing a pineapple costume because I was too tired to change. And my classmates back home have a video of me dancing and singing the theme to SpongeBob SquarePants.''

''Let's hope embarrassing themselves is the worst that happens to them tonight. Otherwise, we will be the parents' least favorite teacher regardless how popular we are with the students.''  

''I believe your reputation will never be ruined. From my first day at the school, all I hear is how great and determined Mr. McCoy is. You have helped out so many students figure out what they want to follow as a career and how to work hard to get it. You are like a rock star in our school.'' You hated to admit it but deep down you admired him for how passionate he is about his job.

''You are like that too. I have overheard students talking about how awesome your class is in the hallway. And how you not only encouraging them to write, you try to make their ideas work without criticism. Not to mention that Jim was thrilled after you helped him make his class more interesting. It just occurred to me that maybe our rivalry was just jealousy. Sorry I was rude to you.''

''It's ok I was competitive towards you too and I sometimes don't like people being better than me at something. I'm sorry Leonard.''  

Leonard then spotted that one of the kids bringing more of the free beer, Leonard was happy it tasted almost like the real one even without alcohol, and he left to grab a cup. He offered to refill yours too.

''So, I don't think I have no idea where you are from.'' Leonard tried to get to know you better.

''Originally from a small town a few miles north from here. My parents still live there. After my graduation, I started moving around anywhere I could get a teaching position. It was mostly substitute work. The last place before I came here was Atlanta Georgia, I loved it there.''

''You're joking, right? The look on your face gave away your confusion so he elaborated himself.

''I'm from Atlanta I lived there all my life up until a few years ago.''

''If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave?'' You were focused on him and at the same time sneak glances to the kids partying. Thankfully nothing was out of control.

''I went back there after graduation to be with my then-girlfriend. We ended up marrying each other and everything was peachy up until she decided to leave me. She got everything in the divorce and I moved here to San Fransisco to start over. Thank God Jim had moved here and he let me be his roommate. I owe him a lot.  

He drank a little thinking how much he had been through.

''And now I try to go back every chance I get to visit my daughter.''

''You have a daughter? I had no idea.''

''Yes, I do. She is finishing elementary school this year. Let me show you a picture.'' He took his phone and gave it to you to see the picture.

''That's Joanna.'' You were stunned at seeing a familiar face.

''Yes, how do you know my daughter?'' He was intrigued to hear the story.

''I used to work as a tutor for elementary school kids when I first started working in Atlanta. I can't believe I never made the connection, Joanna was my favorite student there. I'm sure you already know how brilliant she is. I only tutored her because her mom, your ex-wife, thought it would make her better than the rest of her class.  

I never liked her. Your ex, not Joanna. Joanna was really adorable. And my favorite thing was how she always talked about her dad. She loves you so much. She would tell me about the costume you sent her for Halloween or that you were coming over to go to the zoo with her. She never stopped praising you.'' You smiled and help his hand noticing how much your words affected him.

Before he could reply to thank you for your story about his daughter, your students informed you they were continuing the party back at the hotel because the food was over.

''We should go back to the hotel as well. And maybe talk a little bit more. Maybe we will find out we have more things in common than the love for my daughter.'' Leonard helped you up and offered to link his arm with yours.

''I like the sound of that. I just can't believe we finally talked and buried the hatchet on the last day of the trip after sharing a room for a week.'' You giggled and Leonard started as well.

''But today we will stay up all night making sure the kids are alright. Also, for them to not start any rumors. We both know how much they like us together and they will definitely talk. Not to mention Jim will be thrilled that we get along. I can picture him insisting on us going to more trip together.''

''That I can imagine too. So, let's go inside and try to keep the rumors from spreading.''

Despite your efforts, the rumors of you ending up dating started immediately. You wouldn't really mind. You wanted to know you started it but your investigation was fruitless. It was impossible for you to fathom the fact that all of the seniors had colluded with Jim to make their favorite teachers a couple. And that the rumors were spread even before you returned from Hawaii.