#i think if friendship was a major theme in canon i would be more normal about this but unfortunately this doesnt seem to be the case

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

lying face flat on the floor passed out, vatican trio and their "if i get news of you dying another time i'll fucking get you" and "please take care of my friend this time as well".

the way that their designs are both archetypes that suggest they're not super in touch with their emotions (aloof black-haired guy and airheaded jock) but they're in fact both so casual and vocal about how much tesilid means to them

[torturecave]

Just in case you still check here, I was wondering, the other day I was thinking about your art and how beautifully and canon (to me at least haha) you managed poppy and branch, especially poppy (like seriously I feel you get her as a character so much) as she's usually never despicted as amazing as you did at least for me, your art and content is legit sooooo GOOD,:) Anyway, my question actually was if you thought TWT and TBT carried on with the way you see these 2 as characters/their dynamic? I remember especially with TWT people thought they were a bit softer and stuff lol Also really curious if you liked the movies in general besides this, is the first one still your favorite? I have a very soft spot for it but I liked the rest too. Sorry for the long ramble, loved your new TBT related art a lot, you're my favorite jelly bean guys artist : D thanks for reading if you do and have a good day!!

It's very sweet you think so highly of my depiction of Poppy and Branch's relationship from so many years ago... While I'm quite sentimental about it, and I felt strongly when I made that art / those posts, it HAS been long enough that I feel as though I've developed so much as a person. I mourn not being more thoughtful...! Subsequently I've been kind of hesitant to use this blog too seriously, I'm posting on it in a capricious manner for now, so as to not think too hard about my old art and posts that embarrass me,,, >>;

With that self-consciousness out of the way... Wanna start by saying: I love World Tour and Band Together-!! I remember being agog in 2017 that we mysteriously had a sequel already confirmed with an exact date and everything. Really... I was perfectly in suspense for TWT and it lived up to it's hype, I was so excited until the day of release and it lived up to all expectations, expanded on the world so hugely aououuu!!! Amusingly enough I was more hesitant about TBT, just that wariness that... it's hard to ask for a series to make 2 good sequels. Also the trailer gave me the impression that it would be more of a "roadtrip with your annoying blowhard older brother"... worrying that JD was lying or creating a contrivance to get Brozone back or something along those lines. The movie itself though was great, again expanded on the world and showed me wonderful colors and textures and environments, yes thank you trolls... Beyond that I actually like the themes of both movies and agree with how they handle it. (Much like the 1st movie...!) So... really, a glowing review from me.

Though to get into Poppy and Branch's relationship progressing in each movie... It is an interesting journey really, I ah, used to tell myself I never wanted Poppy and Branch to be "more than" friends... Wanting to emphasize the beauty in friendship alone being intimate and capable of complexity. But well, times have changed, and, I'm normal-style married now, to the girl I would RP poppy and branch kissing with for 8 hrs back in 2017. So. I'll be real and say, I'm really basic now, and I like the trajectory of canon. The boyfriend-girlfriend-ification of pranch... the marriage tease... I stan.

Hmm... It's amusing if fans thought the dynamic was 'softened' in TWT, it's not exactly how I would describe it? I feel as though things have definitely been tempered from the first movie, because they've gotten to know each other, and the major hurdle of Branch's singing trauma was revealed. Part of why Branch was so prickly and resistant to Poppy was, being incompatible with the village's lifestyle, way of thinking, stuck being endlessly paranoid and set off... Once you remove that conflict, you can't really get their bickering to be on the same 'level' as in movie one... But they're still playful and teasing, for sure? You'll always have Branch's dry humor and Poppy's incessance, her exuberance. One of my favorite things is when she gets all, hehe I know branch like me ❤ (The poppy cutting the tether to the hot air balloon....)

Anyways, if anything I, find it extremely funny how unchill Branch is in TWT. He's all. Incel. .. .. . ? WHICH... is really funny for a troll to feel kfjhshdg... At the very least, pop troll village is so, mmm everyone love and hug each other, that ��� the fact that Branch can feel, friendzoned, is just so funny to me... He is struggling with wanting their relationship to be 'more'. Subsequently he spends a lot of the movie jealous and sad when she isn't listening to him...

(this is a brief aside that, I'm kinda obsessed with the opening number of TWT being a cover of Girl's Just Want To Have Fun. song about that fun-lovin' fun-havin' girl that you can't tie down really... What's up with that? The humor reaches full circle when you have Branch's verse having originally been this:

Some boys take a beautiful girl And hide her away from the rest of the world [...]

... while in his scary underground bunker with a million locks and industrial steel doors. OK...)

I mean, I always got the impression that Branch was uniquely infatuated with Poppy, despite all his, foosiness, as seen by his hoarding the invitations + his poetry that comes out while counseling Bridget... Which paints this picture of him being uncontrollably into Poppy but at odds with his own trigger, can't not act shitty. But mnghh [stares longingly at...] <- this is so funny... Anyways TWT basically confirms to me, that Branch has been pining for Poppy for a long time, since Branch is restless about their rship advancing. He's only just become her best friend but, wants more-!

Somehow this is the elegant segue for TBT to be about... Poppy finding out Branch was in a boyband she's always been obsessed with... So not only is she learning more about Branch, she's like. Obliquely thirsty about, over, him, like screaming and pulling her hair and shaking around dancing on her feets. I SUPPOSE it balances things, if you create a reality where now Poppy is infatuated with Branch, and has been for years... .. ... It makes Branch's incel phase even funnier... (Though, now he's thinking about marriage-! ! When will you be satisfied branchie...)

My wife (@fearbunker) — who, for lore purposes, is the person I was frequently collabing/talking to on this blog, making posts and AUs together. My best friend back then... — she's joked that World Tour is about Branch being obsessed with Poppy, while Band Together is about Poppy being obsessed with Branch. This is the simplest way to put it.

At this point Poppy and Branch feel like a slow burn that's taken many many years to culminate... Allured by one another, but kept apart by circumstance... eh, it's too much for me actually, I can't handle this romance...

Personally I don't feel much character integrity lost per movie, I am pleased for what is introduced and explored... I think Poppy and Branch deal with a reasonable amount of interpersonal conflict, with Branch struggling to be open and honest (naturally a defensive, easily defeatist sort...) while Poppy's enthusiasm and tendency to rush into things causes issues. I like it though... we never really berate Poppy for being hopeful, optimistic, which I like best. She's capable of being perceptive in her own way, ahh I mean I love the little moments in TBT where she's really... taking Branch's hands and looking into his eyes, offering counseling. Such a good girlfriend.. and you feel like we've come a long way to get here.

As for where I rank the first movie... Deep down it feels impossible to pick an absolute favorite, because they all have their strengths. 9.9 My wife just described it as 'painfully sincere' and I have to agree. There's a quality in the first movie the sequels lack, and perhaps they can't really be expected to recapture; there's more quiet lulls, really chewing the scenery with these two. Since it's about them bonding, you get a lot of time where it's just the two of them, and I love that... There's many exchanges I like, find profound still. I'll always die over the True Colors scene......!! ;; >< ////

So I feel the same as you, there's always a special place in my heart for the first movie...

Thanks for this lovely ask though, it was fun to reply to. I hope this is satisfactory as an answer... ^^

[cadybear420]

#literally the same problem i had with mtfl #it had potential to have serious discussions but they're all brushed over to have mc make her jacob/edward decision

"Her Jacob/Edward decision" is the most perfect way to describe it honestly and I'm probably going to be calling it as such too from now on. This book really is just if Twilight, Glee, and The Kissing Booth got drunk and had an unholy orgy resulting in The Kissing Booth giving birth to the Choices story we have before us (no I will not let go of the TKB comparisons, the base similarities between between it and MTFL are just too uncanny)

#and ofc the sidelining of ava #she had a whole arc on how she wanted to open up a dance studio not wanting to go to college and so much more and it is all thrown away #or shoehorned in to make some room for “drama”

Yes! OMG, I forgot to mention it in the list I had of all the other subplots– but on its own, I loved it in concept. Ava is searching for colleges but eventually comes to realize she's not yet ready for college– and that's something we should normalize more!

But this book sidelined it so much that I forgot it even existed until you brought it up. Like, Jesus Christ. God knows how many other people forgot it existed.

Just shows how much this book was "wasted potential". Like, something like a plotline about how it's okay to not be ready for college right after graduating high school, should feel a lot more impactful and memorable. Something like a character realizing they are or might be queer, should feel a lot more impactful and memorable.

But the way they're handled is just so... cheap. They threw in all these subplots with serious themes, but just barely scratched the surface's electrons and ultimately failed to make them feel truly impactful. But it seems to think by just doing that bare minimum and simply having these themes in their is enough to make it meaningful.

#and ofc just when ava starts dating someone else mc is all gutted and jealous and THAT is the so-called “bi revelation” seriously? #pb stop using cheap plot tools such as love-freaking-triangles to have conversations about sexuality challenge: impossible

PB really thought pure jealousy and indecisiveness was the best way to portray their canonically bi MC. I get teenagers may have these feelings, but that's all that MC's bi-discovery arc had to go by.

I probably should have put this in my original review, but... Ava and MC are supposed to be best friends, right? PB clearly has them set up as being best friends. Yet we know next-to-nothing about their relationship for some reason, and we barely get any chance to see their relationship develop leading up to MC's bi awakening.

Like, PB, if you're gonna nerf our choices and player agency and have a MC that's mainly their own set character rather a flexible wildcard playable character, then at least have the decency to commit to it. Correct me if I'm wrong (it has been almost 3 years since I last played the story after all), but I don't think we ever learn how long Ava and MC have been friends for. They bothered to set up this whole childhood backstory between MC and Mason, but not for MC and Ava who are also supposed to be close friends? PB clearly said they're best friends, so you'd think whatever relationship they have would be a major factor into MC canonically realizing she's bi and attracted to Ava.

But no, instead all we get is MC being jealous that Ava is dating Mason, Ava takes MC home after homecoming, then MC gets jealous that Ava is dating Bayla. That's all they make MC feel towards Ava. I could maybe get a better feel for MC feeling this way if they actually elaborated on Ava and MC's friendship like they did with MC and Mason's, but... well, at this point I'm just gonna be repeating myself now lol

Cadybear's Reviews- My Two First Loves

Welcome to the twenty-seventh official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about My Two First Loves, which I have ranked on the "Rotting Flesh Tier" at 2 stars out of a possible 10. My last and only playthrough of this was back in April-June 2021.

Oh boy! Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I could write a whole essay on everything wrong with this…  

So I will. 

To put it briefly: this story feels like it was adapted from a Wattpad story that was written by a 12-year-old whose only ever exposure to high school media and depictions of teenage sexuality was Glee, and then had serious queer and mature themes slapped onto it in order to make it seem better. Y’know, the equivalent of trying to polish a turd.

Or, heck, it’s probably PB’s attempt at ripping off “The Kissing Booth”, seeing as both have a MC in a love triangle between her childhood best friend and a bad boy named Noah, after all. Which, funnily enough, was also originally adapted from some tween’s Wattpad story. That’s about the equivalent to a dog eating some rotten food, shitting it out, then another dog finds it, eats it, and then shits it right out again. And THEN that second dog’s owner comes along to try to polish that double-toured turd. 

Number 1: The LGBTQ+ tag is clearly an attempt to appease the queer players that they probably think are being whiny. 

Ava’s arc about realizing she’s a lesbian who had been experiencing compulsory heterosexuality is pretty solid in a vacuum. But her being an LI was so blatantly only a last-minute decision PB made during the writing process, and it shows because Ava’s CG just uses her game sprite while Mason’s and Noah’s are fresh art. 

MC starts to fall for Ava sometime around at least 30 chapters in, but we don’t get to officially pursue her as a romance option until about 70 chapters in. I get delaying her as a love interest a bit because of the whole thing with MC realizing she’s bi, but even then, there’s just so few opportunities for building any kind of relationship with her that it hardly feels authentic. 

Speaking of, MC’s supposed bi awakening is completely rushed and treated with about as much value as a Family Guy cutaway gag, even outside of Ava being sidelined. As someone who realized I wasn’t straight three years ago and is still questioning if I’m bi or straight, I understand that people take different amounts of time to figure out their sexuality. But this MC does not spend any period of time figuring out her bisexuality. She basically just goes “Welp, guess I’m bi now”, and then it’s back to being indecisive as per usual except now there’s a female love interest in the mix too.

To add insult to injury, "discussions of sexuality" is placed in a "player discretion" warning, alongside "racial tensions" and "occasionally violence" to boot. How the fuck is discussion of sexuality even remotely on the same level as either of those? If they meant discussions or depictions of homophobia then maybe I could understand… but I don’t even recall seeing any depictions of homophobia in the book, so including this in the freaking warning tags is pointless at best and kind of insulting at worst. 

Not to mention, plenty of other Choices books like MOTY, ILS, D&D, etc. have had discussions about sexuality/LGBTQ+ stuff before, and didn't have to warn us about it. Not even MAH, a later book which had discussions about freaking conversion therapy for Christ’s sake. Sure, some of those books did have content warnings, but they were generally vague and/or mainly warned for violence, and didn’t warn specifically for depictions of queerphobia or discussions of sexuality. Yet for some reason, MTFL feels the need to include a player discretion warning for sexuality discussions, even though it contains far less harsher queer themes. 

Number 2: The portrayal of teen sexuality in this does not feel earnest. 

Let me just say, I found it very jarring how this one was much more sexually charged compared to PB’s other high school books. PB is usually way more ���safe” and PG-13 at most when writing high school characters. Even in books like ROD and WEH, where the characters are 18+ and do have smutty scenes, it’s clear that those books are a lot more restricted compared to the adult cast books.  

I mean, with WEH, the safeness makes sense– it was meant to be a serious and tender story from the start, and it does actually follow through on those themes. But ROD feels like it could have easily been as horny with its writing as MTFL was, what with being about a studious “good girl” who goes rebellious. In fact, the story’s loading screen was pretty infamous at first for looking “steamier” than other covers and loading screens.

In actuality though, ROD had only, what, one smut scene? And despite a lot of MC’s outfits being revealing or arguably sensual, there are practically no moments where MC fawned over how “sexy” a revealing diamond outfit looked. Like, I’m pretty sure there were just little to no sexually charged scenes in general. 

My point is, whatever compelled PB to make MTFL *this* sexualized is beyond me. My guess is the fact that PB called this one a story about “navigating sexuality” and thus wanted to focus more on the aspects of sexuality, but if that’s the case… hoo boy, did they do a terrible job at it. 

I don’t really care about the hypersexualized writing of the teenage characters on its own, or how the characters were initially not confirmed 18+ when the earlier smut scenes were written. What I find far more important is the fact that this sort of cliche and formulaic hypersexualized writing is in a book that markets itself as being about “a young woman navigating love and sexuality for the first time”.

Teens do indeed have sex and can be all over the place with their hormones and sexuality. A lot of us have been there in some way, myself included. And there are ways to talk about that type of stuff in a manner that is silly and/or exaggerated, but still earnest and respectful. But the particular way that MTFL handles super-horny teen sexuality, specifically while claiming to be a coming-of-age story, is neither earnest nor respectful. 

The way this story handles these sorts of topics is the writing equivalent to doing a surgery with Fisher-Price toy surgery tools. It’s genuinely difficult to take MC “navigating her sexuality for the first time” seriously when has to constantly blubber about how Mason and Noah are so muscular or how a diamond outfit has “naughty little thigh highs” or how she wants to do a “down and dirty” cheer routine with Ava for Mason and Noah. 

That last one especially feels like the kind of stuff we’d see more in a campy chick flick that doesn’t take itself seriously. Honestly, if this was a more campy high school book with the tone of DLS or the 2023 movie “Bottoms”, it probably wouldn’t be as glaring. But in a book that markets itself as a coming-of-age story, the tone feels completely off and the whole book honestly felt like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. 

(Also, while we’re on this topic of MC’s premium outfits, I really fucking despise how MC gets so upset about wearing "mom clothes" if you choose to wear the free modest clothing instead of the revealing diamond outfit in Chapter 2. Ugh. Yes, the dad was being shitty about not letting MC dress how she likes, but all it does is it just makes you feel like shit for not wanting to dress in more revealing clothes. Stop making me feel bad for wanting to wear simple non-revealing clothing. Same goes for you, Chris Romantic Getaway story with your “the regular jerseys aren’t cute enough for girls to wear, we have to cut one up into a cleavage crop top in order to make it good for us girls to wear” bullshit.) 

And it just slaps you in the face with these sexual moments too, placing them in frequently whenever it feels like it, and the amount of it that actually contributed to any coming-of-age navigating-sexuality are few and far between. Honestly, it felt like it was trying way too hard to look "mature" with how it handled sexuality (as well as some of the other stuff like them drinking alcohol). Like it maybe was trying to portray teens realistically, but it only does so at a very shallow level. 

It's literally just "Look at the teens that talk about sex and like doing sexy things and having sex and doing grown-up stuff like drinking alcohol, see how MATUUURRREEE they are!" and they don't do anything more with it. It's just tacked on so they can pretend their book is a realistic story about maturing/being mature, when it fails at actually doing so.

I mean, I guess you could argue that the MC is meant to be seen as more messy and hormonal. And in that case, I could give it a pass. But, again, MC’s supposed arc of “navigating sexuality” never goes anywhere from that until the very last few chapters where you choose which LI she ends up with. It’s pretty much the same crap all throughout the book. MC doesn’t navigate sexuality, she just runs around aimlessly in it like a chicken with its head cut off.

Number 3: All the serious themes they try to have in the story are overshadowed by MC’s stupid indecisiveness plot. 

I’ve already said MTFL tries way too hard to make its story seem “mature” with the trashy way it sexualizes its characters. I’ve said it feels like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Honestly though, this just sums up MTFL’s writing in general. 

MTFL has quite a handful of subplots, and I will admit, all of them are pretty compelling. You have Ava figuring out she’s lesbian, Mack dealing with gang drama, and Mason and Noah dealing with their past and Mason’s dad’s abusive behaviors. And an admittedly decent arc about MC discovering her love for photography instead of cheerleading. 

And then you have MC going on about how she can’t decide between her love interests, which is just the bad apple of the bunch that ruins the rest. It just makes it very hard to take everything else seriously. You ever seen that one meme where the Power Rangers put their hands in a circle but then a Teletubbie tries to join in? It’s the writing-equivalent to that, and MC’s indecisiveness plot is the Teletubbie. 

And maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if MC’s indecisiveness wasn’t the main focus plot of the whole book. I want to take these other storylines seriously. I want to take this story as a whole seriously. But how can I when the main focus of the story is so god damn shallow? No matter how many "soft positive heartfelt" piano tracks and “so sad and tragic sad” piano tracks from WEH they try put over it, it doesn't change the fact that the focus is MC going on and on about being unable to choose between Mason, Noah, and Ava. 

I get teens are shallow and can have shallow issues, but did we really need it to be that big of a focus of the story? Especially when the way it handles it is completely empty? Something like OG HSS was great because even though a lot of the issues the characters had were seemingly shallow and basic (such as the band fighting over which song to play), they do give a little more depth to it and reason to care about it (ie. Aiden starts to feel like a failure at music because of the band infighting). MTFL just throws MC’s indecisiveness at you for 95 chapters and expects you to take it seriously with nothing else surrounding it. 

And they try to pull the twist on the title at the end where it’s all like “LI and photography, the two greatest loves of MC’s life”. Which is an interesting idea in concept, except it feels so artificial and non-earned when MC’s romance plot was spending 95 chapters being unable to decide between the LIs. 

Number 4: It reuses way too much from HSS. 

I know this is a less severe issue, but I just can’t get past it. Sprites, backgrounds, school colors… even plot points like the corrupt principal embezzling from the school, or MC and LI(s) being locked in a large school room (remember when HSS:CA MC and Ajay were locked in the auditorium?). Heck, even MC having lost her mom and having a photography passion connected to that, rings way too similar to one of Autumn’s arcs from the freaking HSS PRIME GAME! Oh yeah, and both of those characters have a love triangle with a golden boy and a bad boy. Holy hell. 

Easily the most noticeable part is the sprites. In my playthrough, I counted 7 whole HSS sprites that were used in MTFL: Sydney became Iris, Payton became Toni, Frank became this random kid in a flashback for Mason and Noah's past, Morgan became a kid in Elijah's gang named Lucy, Lorenzo became Chad, Aiden's mom became Asian Noah's mom, Skye's dad became White Mason's dad (PB really said use that sprite for abusive dads huh). And there’s probably more, I’m sure. 

And the worst offense? They even reuse the iconic bird's-eye view of Berry High in MTFL. Call me petty if you must, but that's just criminal. It's one thing to reuse and alter a bunch of the sprites, uniforms, and backgrounds from the series but to reuse another book series' iconic background like that? Honestly, it feels rather insulting. They couldn't even be arsed to change the "Go Tigers!" on the football field, that’s how little sense it makes to use that background outside of HSS. Fuck’s sake.

I know it’s kind of the norm for Choices to reuse assets throughout different series, but the fact that they do it so much here and majority of it is from HSS just rubs me the wrong way. At best, it’s jarring and lazy. And at worst, it comes off as trying way too hard to be a “more mature” version of HSS. When in reality, it makes HSS:CA’s side characters look like Citizen Kane in comparison. I mean, at least Clint and Natalie and MC stopped whinging about Rory ⅓rd of the way through the series. 

At least when other high-school-setting books like ROD, WEH, and ILITW were made, they at least somewhat bothered to change up a few things and make it feel like an actually different school. They changed up the backgrounds a bit, used different school colors and uniforms, and didn’t reuse nearly as many sprites from HSS.  

In MTFL, all they did was make new cheer uniforms for the non-reused sprites and remove the Berry High logos from everything HSS that they used. Yeah they made some changes, but it’s clear that they didn’t put nearly the same amount of effort into it as they did in the other high school setting books. 

All it does is just make me miss HSS. Like, stop toying with my heart by piggybacking off of a better series (that has better queer rep too) so much. It’s to the point where it feels like they should have just used the time making this book to instead make a HSS senior year (Which, y’know, would be nice, especially since the sendoff we got in HSS:CA 3 was absolute flaming fucking garbage). 

So… in all honesty, I don’t hate this book. But it had a lot of things that annoyed me to no end and it sure as fuck is disappointing wasted potential. It had a great opportunity to be a nice queer coming-of-age story. But instead it felt like a Kissing Booth rip-off with serious themes only hamfisted in order to make it seem more “mature”.

[octaviasdread]

one thing i really appreciate about dead poets society is that the boys are awkward teens and that is shown over and over again in the little details.

We get to see a largely 18-21 yr old cast with acne and awkward hair cuts. We see them in pyjamas and we see them in the showers but none of this is sexualised. Instead of gratuitous bedroom shots we get cosy flannel pyjamas, and where the boys are shirtless the focus is drawn to Charlie combing his hair into a ridiculous style, or the contrast of Todd sitting fully dressed in the changing room and no one giving him shit for it. In fact, not one of the poets makes fun of Todd’s anxiety. They make accommodations for his preference not to read.

We get normal levels of teens exploring their sexuality through crude jokes and crushes and pining and the beginnings of first relationships (excluding that creepy Knox scene). There is no hypersexualisation and by the end of the film there is only one canonical relationship. Oh my god, do you know how rare that is? Yet the majority of teens in a friendship group irl are single. Usually only one or two people are in relationships yet media has us believing everyone has consistent high school romances.

And adventures? The dead poets have plenty of those but you know what else they do? Study. There are so many scenes of them in class and then voluntarily in study group while other students play darts or chill. How many films set in school actually show the characters keeping up with homework or not running out half-way through class? These are the grounding details that make this film so real, like we could actually go to that school and make these friendships and have these adventures in an old cave.

And the party? Well, we all have a friend who jumped into drinking without knowing their limits. The portrayal of Knox and his behaviour (as is the case with many 80s romance harassment plots) is wrong for many reasons but his naive approach to his first - ultimately disappointing- party is something worth considering.

Media hypes up teen house parties as a wild and essential part of the high school experience. But to be honest, very few big parties were thrown in my town and they usually turned out to be over-hyped or solely for substance use. Enjoyable house parties, in my experience, are more of a university thing or a smaller gathering with only friends. Rewatching with this knowledge makes me appreciate Knox having a terrible time (his behaviour aside) and his awkwardness navigating interactions with the drunk football team. I didn’t realise when i first watched dps, but it’s one of the few times alcohol and underage parties haven’t been over-glamourised.

Also the theme of rebellion. As much as the film is a warning about the impact of stifling individuality and dismissing the autonomy of teenagers, it explores what the teens can do in secret to free themselves and to educate themselves outside of the prescribed curriculum. It recognises that not everyone is willing to get expelled and it recognises that sometimes dysfunctional environments and strict authority has to be lived in (however wrong it may be) as a minor. Not all teens are in a position to, or are comfortable, taking drastic action to assert themselves; for example, the difference between Charlie and Cameron, but also the other poets who still sign the document. Even without drastic action that would get them kicked out it’s made clear that these teens are now thinking for themselves and developing as individuals, even as they live under the authority of Welton and their parents.

We, the audience, love these boys and these actors. We barely notice the acne and the imperfections erased in social media/ads/movies and we enjoy the goofiness and the cringe moments. We flock to the nyc home movie to see more of the cast just existing as young people being silly and having fun. I’m not saying stuff like ‘Skins’ or ‘Euphoria’ are bad (i love that too) but we need balance in the frequency of these portrayals. So give me more content like dps. ‘Derry Girls’ and possibly ‘Stranger Things’ are the only current example i have of this softer and more goofy portrayal of teens and people love it. So why is it so rare?

[sneezemonster15]

For 10+ years I've been from one fandom to another, seen more than dozen of crack, doomed, one-sided, toxic and/or dysfunctional ships. Yet I've never seen a fandom like Naruto's that just cant be normal about those things. It's like half of fandom people's brain got stuck developing in some teen years, like caged animals that got unleashed. As a bypassing person who loves exploring characters,dynamics and both problematic and non problematic themes in meta and fics it makes me uncomfortable that vast majority of folks can't use rational thinking and look at things objectively. Tbh I sometimes hope they're younger than 16 and would know better one day.

Shipping wars, stan culture, lack of reasoning, projection onto characters - yes none of that is exclusive for Naruto fandom but this one seems to be lasting for years and years and in no sign of slowing down (likely due to Boruto and gaidens). Also this idea that 'x did nothing wrong' and ' x is an <insert> icon' is so damaging, there's no character who did no wrong ever or had no flaws, especially about Sasuke, Sakura, Itachi, Hinata, Konoha in general ect. Things are most often than not gray, not b/w. If you say so you get eaten alive and actually if you say anything (even state the canon) you'd get burnt like a witch and in that way it's both tale telling and ironic that this has to be sent on anon.

Hmm. I feel you. I haven't been in this fandom for very long, less than a year actually. Even so, I have observed the patterns in this fandom, as a result of various interactions and consumption of content.

This is my first fandom experience, even though my work and interests have a lot to do with media. I think it was fated that someone like me who puts a lot of effort in staying away from unnecessary complications in life, would one day get invested in Naruto fandom of all the fandoms. And like you said, Naruto fandom is just... unbelievably complex and aggravating. So many fans have so many opinions about so many things, most of them come from projection of oneself and not an objective outlook, whether it's about shipping, narrative, characterization, idea of politics, relationships, friendship, love, nationalistic values, historical context, cultural aspects or understanding of visual language and text.

People don't want to even listen. Not even to facts. I have interacted with many shippers and fans who just won't subject themselves to rational thinking or logic, even if they are otherwise capable of it, no matter how you appeal to their senses - facts, comparative analysis, appeal to emotion, text, nothing works.

I think it's hugely because Naruto universe features and breeds so many diversely controversial and even contradictory messages, those who are emotionally young, suffice and even enjoy themselves with what appears on the surface. Like you said, I also wish deeply that they are young, so that at least there is a chance for them to grow up and see things differently.

I won't deny for a minute that there are many problematic themes, ideas and their very problematic 'resolutions' or lack thereof, in the story of Naruto and Shippuden.

The whole - Is Sasuke good or evil, did Naruto do right by his core ideals, is Konoha accountable for its actions, was Tobirama in the right or wrong, was Hiruzen right or wrong, did the Uchiha clan deserve what they got, were Hyuugas in the right or wrong, was it right to keep the truth of massacre under wraps etc etc.

I usually keep away from talking about the more political themes in Naruto on my blog because honestly I don't want this blog to become a source of negativity in my online life. That isn't the purpose of this blog and I have enough trouble with Sakura and Hinata stans. But I am just bowled over by some of the takes in this fandom. Especially about politics, the notion of a village, a nation, Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto. However, since my readers send me asks about it, sometimes I talk about it. Mostly I don't. I keep those discussions for Twitter and Facebook, about actual real life events.

Most of these takes are just.... unbelievable. I wonder how people come to such conclusions without any context and information, and it's even more disheartening to see how many people agree with such takes. And these are heavy themes, important themes. They say so much about a person and their belief systems.

A lot of time I think fans just don't wanna admit they could be mistaken. Sometimes I have an inkling that they might know in their hearts they are wrong but they don't wanna look that way to their peers. Fandoms act like any other community where fake news and bad takes travel faster than truth or reason and get established as the truth, despite evidence to the opposite. Take NH and SS stans. The moment you analyse their ships, they will bring the same four panels they always do that shows Sasuke blushing or leaves flying. You put a hundred other panels and text and subtext and nuances, and you will get zilch. Nada. They will abuse you, and disappear.

I didn't have any experience of fandoms but I honestly thought they were about sharing ideas, generating content and community building. But a lot of times, they aren't. Even with subsets in a given fandom, I had imagined fandoms as a concatenation of these subsets. But no, they are completely divorced from each other, there's hardly any common ground. They can't even agree on the most basic themes that a blind person can see.

A lot of fans also don't understand causality in characters. I don't like those takes that try to prove Sasuke did wrong or Naruto did wrong. Especially with Sasuke, because the way his character is written in the story, he already has a lot going against him. The way he is established through his own actions and resultant response of other characters towards him. The way Kakashi or Sakura or other Konoha shinobis would talk about him. Kishi actually tries to show repeatedly why Sasuke did what he did, his actions cannot be thought of in black and white, like you said. But would I say, he did wrong? Just like that? Just that simply? No. Is there cause and effect in what he does and how he does it? Absolutely. So would I attach value judgment to his actions willy nilly? I won't. Same with Naruto, although I will agree that some of it is just bad or rushed writing. Kishi has a certain pattern of writing arcs and narratives, like he talks in his interviews, and it becomes clear to a perceptive reader when he isn't doing justice to his own themes.

But I can see that not everyone understands these themes or examine their resolutions with an unprejudiced head. And that's okay. All I try is to encourage or avail, at least on this blog, a dialectic.

I have come to understand that all fandoms have their faults, and having interacted with veteran bloggers and fans here, I also understand Naruto is one of the worst fandoms out there.

All I am hoping to do here is encourage healthy dialogues. It's so easy to despair over what's wrong with this fandom, and I do it all the time. Heh. I also give my frustration a vent by generating sharp or sassy content. It helps sometimes.

But just like you said, sometimes it's very disappointing and demoralising to see whatever else goes on in here.

I am hoping to generate some more content, and maybe widen my ambit of discussions a bit more. Talking of issues that I usually keep away from. Since media (and our takes on it) is a reflection of our lives. Let's hope to have more healthy and productive dialogues, without prejudice and preconceived notions.

[smolfailure]

FUCK IT, DREAM SMP HOMESTUCK AU

but it's only half shitposts and there are actual Thoughts in there.

You don't need to have read the comic to understand because I tried not to spoil anything major, but it'd help if you knew basic stuff about classpects, SBURB and the hemospectrum.

disclaimer: i'm not a good pixel artist and this is my first actual sprites ever so please be kind to my weird pixels

The Kids:

Tommy

Fundy

Techno

Tubbo

tommy, tubbo and fundy one of the kids because they're the kids in dream smp canon (with fundy being son of wilbur)

techno's there because i want to make a dave strider reference (haha get it because techno's name is also da-- *gets shot) and also because they are both coolguys except instead of using irony, techno has adhd

The Trolls:

Wilbur Soohte (fuschia)

?????? Ehrret (violet)

J????? Shlatt (purple)

Nihacu Niikki (indigo)

Skeppy Diamon (cerulean)

Quacki Tthiey (teal)

Philza Myncra (jade)

Dreame Wastkn (lime disguising as olive)

George Notfou (gold)

Sapphe Nahfpe (bronze)

Badboy Haelow (burgundy)

don't come at me saying only females are allowed to be jades and fuschias; gender is fake and this is an au

more of the AU and the talksprites are under the cut:

Tommy

Lunar sway: Derse. Types in: Red

chaotic. the first person to be introduced.

when he gets introduced instead of the “Zoosmell Pooplord” bit, Tommy is initially going to be the name inputted but then backspaced it and decided that Tommyinnit was better and he was fuming until he’s named Tommy.

Gives me big Blood/Hope vibes. Blood because a lot of the conflict of the dream smp connected to someone breaking his trust or harming the things he cares about, Hope because a lot of the plot of the dream smp stems from Tommy starting shit based on his ideals and what he thinks is right.

the first to instigate fighting against the trolls

bbh contacts him once and tommy keeps cursing until he disconnects from frustration rip

wields Gunkind and his only strife weapon at the beginning is the Vlog gun. He has Gunkind as his strife specibus mainly because he looked up at schlatt and he imitates him.

Fundy

Lunar sway: Prospit. Types in: Orange

it was his idea to play SBURB but only through Dream.

he talks to dream the most among the other trolls fwt stans getcha juice this is the rosemary of the session

dream’s the one giving him exposition about the game so that’s how he knows how to play SBURB.

wilbur trolls fundy once and instantly adopts him.

“You’re my son.” “How does that even work??” “I was one of the people who created your universe. It’s basically the same thing.”

Fundy relents anyway.

Techno

Lunar sway: Derse. Types in: Pink

dave strider but dead-inside voice + rose lalonde english major vibes

he slices the text box when you try to name him "Dave " like in

techno gives me time player vibes (contantly on the move. his skyblock series, his “stays in the pit” monologue,) but also rage vibes (anarchy,  the “theseus” monologue, political alignment is Chaos) alas i am not sure what class

uses Tridentkind and claims "it came from god"

 it was dream, he accidentally transportalized one of wilbur’s weapon while he testing the transportalizer.

Tubbo

Lunar sway: Prospit. Types in: Green

the jade harley of this session. the only thing keeping them from going apeshit. where would they be without him.

but also jade harley in a sense that he seems nice and wholesome but also don’t fuck with them they can mess you up

Heart/Life vibes??? someone good at classpecting help

i put them in prospit bc of the "tubbo third eye" instead of tubbo having a sixth sense or smth, they see the future from the clouds of skaia when they sleep

wields Stress-relieverKind at some point

bonus: everyone’s actual hair colors

Ideas about the Trolls

no i haven’t done their sprites yet bc it would take so much time and i’m not even sure if people wanna see more of this au skjdkdsakdfkl,, but i have Design Ideas.

events of the dsmp revolution are just a FLARP session drawing parallels to how the homestuck trolls had a FLARP session that spoiler alert: destroyed friendships. dtrio, eret, will are involved. eret betrays will's faction and wilbur's still Bitter over that.

on the context of alternia (highbloods and lowbloods) lmanburg and dreamsmp have their roles SWAPPED.  the emancipation theme thing is completely gone since highbloods are in more power than the lowbloods (the dream team) . 

wilbur made a faction called l’manburg because he wants a place where he and his fellow highbloods could make drugs vibe.they take a piece of land that was owned by the dream team. in normal circumstances, they shouldve stood down because lowbloods aren't supposed to start shit with highbloods (especially a group of highbloods that has the alternian heir among them)  but dream turned it into an activism thing about lowblood rights. the story plays as close as possible without tommy or tubbo in it (which is pretty hard ik but this is the best can do).

like in the dreamsmp revolution, dream kinda let wilbur do what he wants but this time he has more reason to because he’s in a lower caste. dream really only fought back when wilbur announced that he’d be building lmanburg on their land and calling it theirs.

eret betrays wilbur by supporting the lowbloods and wilbur and co. technically won but only because he finally called the drones in, as a reference to how lmanburg absolutely got crushed by the dream team in the smp but technically won. l’manburg keeps the piece of land and the dream team scatter away to find a new home.

wilbur soot's a fuschia because a) he's in a position that has a lot of power, b) yknow how he wrote a song about squids and his thing with sally… yeah.

eret's a violet because nobility!! dream looks down on him because he's ambivalent on fighting for lowblood rights when he's in a power to do so "you just sit there, and you look pretty that's it"

also like eridan he has a minor aesthetic mutation (herobrine eyes) that won't classify him as a mutant.

jschlatt is purple because it makes sense thematically because of the gamzee parallels (a. substance abuse b. if you know what happens in act 6, you know this already but spoiler alert, he ruins the main protagonists' lives) also he's a funnyman he deserves the clown caste

 quackity's a teal because he’s a law student. moving on--

 ok but for real it also makes sense thematically because he's the one who wrote the thing that tricked schlatt into agreeing also he gets manipulated by schlatt which also draws parallels to certain events in the comic

skeppy and bbh are BEST FRIENDS despite being highblood and lowblood respectively. initially, skeppy just wanted to bother bbh but they grew to be good friends in time. y’know like how they actually becane friends :D

philza minecraft is a jade because dad friend. also works thematically, because spoiler alert he gets to murder a seadweller for going batshit crazy. 

he also god tiers early. he dies fighting his quick undead denizen (haha baby zombie) but the consorts of his land carry him to his quest bed because he’s treated them all so well.

dream was initially going to be another caste but then i realized that means i have to make his hoodie something other than green which is unacceptable so its a good thing the fact that he's a lime works out

dream was the one who thought of playing sgrub in the first place- initially only planned to have gogy, sap, and bbh in the session but then realized that they four won't be enough so he invited more into his session

he’s also the first to go godtier ez clap blind speedrun not sure what classpect tho

the only reason why dream avoided being culled at birth for being a limeblood is because his rng is That Good. he quickly picked up the fact that he’s not supposed to exist and masqueraded as an oliveblood and kept mostly to himself to avoid suspicion.

george is still colorblind but he has lazer eyes along with it instead. dream lives with him in the same hive since being a mutant means dream doesn’t get a lusus of his own (dnf fans getcha juice “and they were roommates”) 

despite living in the same hive, he never really figures out that dream is a limeblood. possibly because a) he’s colorblind and when he sees dream bleeding he just sees yellow b) he’s just that fucking oblivious and it’s so valid of him.

sapnap’s a bronzeblood mainly because i know he’s the instigator of the pet war with tommy also because i associate him with the color orang in my mind so bronze it is

that’s the end of this long-ass post!! if you have other ideas PLEASE i want to hear them. i don’t know the other streamers i mentioned in here very well so if you have ideas that would be fitting to them like with classpect or lunar sway that would be GREAT. 

the only thing i’m confident about in here are the kids’ lunar sways. i’m not an expert in classpects and homestuck lore so there’s that too!! i just wanted to make this post because adhd means that the idea wouldn’t shut up until i finished it. This initially started as a single shitpost edit of tommyinnit talksprite but then the hiveswap 2 trailer came out and that means i have to combine my two hyperfixations.

also i have ideas about potential quadrants but idk how much of that is breaking some streamers’ boundaries about shipping (even the non romantic quads such as kismesistude, morallegiance and auspisticism) so i decided not to include it.

edit: apparently people want more so i made a discord server as a place to brainstorm!! please pm me to join!

[beevean]

SEGA and its most recent Sonamy side – more canon than ever

[Translator’s note: this article was originally written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik​]

Hello again! Today we’d like to discuss about something that’s been happening recently, and probably taking Sonic fans by surprise: what is going on with SEGA and its stance about Sonamy?

At the beginning of this year, to celebrate the 200 articles on Seaside Hill Paradise, I finished what I call “the Sonamy trilogy” of articles that I started in 2018 and which cover different themes, such as:

SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonic-Amy dynamic

“I love you” – Forbidden words in Sonic

SEGA and the eternal issue of “Sonic’s girlfriend”

The idea was to offer a more-or-less complete analysis about the many facets of their dynamic in the last 27 years; a dynamic that, you may have noticed, is not that easy to pin down, and that we’ve been updating almost regularly (although I also intended to investigate on other dynamics, like Knuckles and Rouge’s for example, and write about them). Generally speaking, in these articles I don’t draw objective conclusions about the status of the ship in canon (despite the fact that the available information tends to confirm it in various occasions). I also like to repeat myself and say that shipping is supposed to be for fun, not for tearing each other’s hair in that black hole of misery that is Twitter, but recent events left us slightly perplexed, and this is why we’re here once again.

We left the status of the Sonamy canonicity with these two peculiar instances back in August: Sonic mentioning his “girlfriend” in the Japanese version of Sonic Battle, and the Twitter account of SEGA of Europe saying Sonamy is their “favorite videogame romance”. Now, let’s recap a bit…

Sonamy in Sonic IDW... Round 3

[SPOILERS ALERT FOR IDW SONIC #14-#35]

In 2018, when IDW just started, I decided to study a little how the Sonamy dynamic worked in this new universe. To our surprise, the comic didn’t waste time in dropping its biggest bomb, in one of the cutest scenes we had seen in ages. Since the very beginning, IDW proved that it didn’t intend to deceive those fans that looked for a bit of development of both characters.

I wrote an article about it in June 2019, and it coincided with the beginning of one of the most infamous arc I’ve seen in a Sonic comic for a long time: the Metal Virus Saga. The question is, what has happened since then?

Well, in 2019, with the same accuracy of an aimbot, I said “We’ll probably see some new interactions between Sonic and Amy sometime around IDW #20”. And wouldn’t you know, as misery and tragedy settled in that arc, it was exactly around IDW #20 that we saw some Sonamy interactions: both exhausted, to their limit, with a Sonic that couldn’t even touch Amy to soothe her pain, due to him being infected with the virus.

The arc developed like this in what felt like an eternity, to finally conclude in one the most absurd ways in Sonic history. But it wasn’t a complete disappointment, as, after months and months of asking and discussing on the internet about how much Sonic and Amy deserved a hug at the end of the arc… it actually happened.

Since that moment in IDW #32, we shippers thought that it was what both of them deserved after so much time spent separated and pushed to their limit to survive, but also that after the end of the arc everything would go back to normal. However, what we didn’t know was that the Sonamy train had no intention of stopping, not in IDW, nor anywhere else.

A recurring detail in IDW Sonic is that Amy’s tail starts wagging every time she sees Sonic, as if she was a happy dog. I swear, it happens every time.

Come IDW #35, once again we have some hugs and bits of dialogue between our hedgehogs. For sure, the question here isn’t their relationship itself, as it was for IDW #2, but rather the issues this arc is slowly dealing with. But it’s really nice to see them again, sharing that closeness that they’ve had in the comic since the beginning– be it with some gestures of affection, a wink, a gesture, a private joke.

My favorite image is the first one, Belle’s reaction to seeing Amy hugging Sonic. It’s like she’s thinking “oh, is she his girlfriend?”, and she wouldn’t even be wrong in thinking that.

It can’t be denied that IDW Sonic provided us the conversations and the emotions that the games seldom do. Certainly, the comic has its share of issues and it’s not really a story that I personally follow for its own merits (it’s more because it’s still Sonic, for my interest for things like this, and Belle’s existence… whom I already ship with Tails, sorry not sorry), but what it does well it does really well.

For now, we have to see how IDW Sonic will follow the development of the characters, especially in view of the closure of the current story and beyond. And we may be done with this part of the article, but there is still a lot left.

Sonamy in merchandise

Taking us completely by surprise, recently SEGA launched, in collaboration with Hot Topic, a series of Sonamy-themed t-shirts. No, seriously.

So many people told me this as soon as the voice spread (you know who you are, thank you guys for thinking about me <3), and I can’t help being still surprised that this is actually a thing. T-shirts with lines like “You’re my favorite”, “Love in the fast lane”, and my personal favorite, “S&A Forever”, with drawings of Classic Sonic and Amy… in SEGA-approved products. I don’t know if you realize how much of a big deal this is, even more than “Celebrate the 25 years of Sonic’s girlfriend” from 2018.

One of the things that surprised me the most (aside from how explicit they are in officializing the relationship, and the fact that there are still 2 months left before Valentine’s Day 2021), was the decision to use Classic Sonic and Classic Amy. I tried to understand this decision by analyzing the simplicity and easiness with which the Classic designs convey a message (let’s not forget that Classic Sonic was so iconic because it was specifically designed to convey his expressions without words), besides the fact that they’re inherently cuter than their modern designs. There’s also the controversial aspect of post-Adventure Sonamy, with all the dubbing and weird interpretations that the fandom made over the years… By comparison, the Classic design are a much simpler choice.

What is actually going on?

Well, let’s take a step back and think about what we just saw. The way SEGA has been recently trying to push Sonic and Amy in front view (and for the entirety of 2020, based on the articles I mentioned in the beginning) tells us the harsh truth we all have to accept sooner or later: Sonamy sells, and it sells a lot.

From a strictly business point of view, the ship is so iconic and popular, with fans and detractors alike, that it would be absurd for SEGA to ignore the chance to print these two characters and get a load of money. As I said in my 2018 article, despite the fact that in Japan Sonic isn’t as big of an icon as it is elsewhere, they know pretty well that Sonic + Amy = love, and they have huge amounts of merchandise to back it up. It’s in the West that because of different cultural values, of which we’ve already talked about, along with some internal resistance, left this aspect of the franchise a little on the side. But they’ve been trying to fix it… and how…

Let’s not forget that a decade and a half ago Sonic Team seriously favored Sonamy. They officially said it, Sonic X was their purest view of Sonic they had at the time.

Outside of the business perspective, I believe we’re facing the moment that we’ve been waiting for: it’s time they’ll establish once and for all the dynamic of these two characters, following more closely the original Japanese vision of Sonic. I said many times that, in trying to change canon, the West, especially SEGA of America, did nothing but confuse fans and generate more discussions than needed, by introducing different data and portrayals that contradict the canon established by Sonic Team.

We’ve talked about Unleashed and emotional support, about Sonic X, about the major moments that opened the door to interpreting this dynamic as something more. We don’t threaten at gunpoint those who would rather stay away, but we respond to those declarations that still try to violently discredit the simple fact that Sonic and Amy, who are most of all close friends, form in some measure a couple that, even with its imposed limitations, manages to captivate fans and not fans everywhere in the world. Even the Simpsons used it as a joke, and that says a lot.

What the future has in store for us.

Unless something else happens in this last month of 2020, this is the most complete compilation I can offer at the moment about the status of Sonamy in the fandom and in the official canon. Yes, canon.

It’s impossible to ignore the signals. As you may have noticed, I’ve been considering Sonic and Amy as an official couple, with its clarifications (for example, that at the end it’s more of a friendship, that it’s not a romantic relationship in the most explicit way, that it’s more of a personal perspective to justify a more mature vision of the relationship in the future, not right now), but nowadays I think that SEGA has spoken loud and clear. I think canon is ready to negotiate the idea that Sonic and Amy, apart from being excellent friends who would risk their lives for each other in a heartbeat, have something else on their hands (probably the other’s hand). This won’t automatically translate into a kiss, or a complete love declaration (although Sonic X came close…), or a commitment to a formal relationship like we know them in real life. SEGA canon affirms that Amy is “Sonic’s girlfriend” and nothing more. Outside of that detail, they still pretty much function as friends interacting with a little flirting here, and a little Sonic running away there. It’s the basis of their dynamic, now enhanced by the fact that SEGA is giving us a clearer message.

I think that this all may culminate in a game or an animated series, but I wouldn’t completely count on that. It is good to recognize how far the official position goes on this issue, but at the same time I want to reaffirm that there are things that are better left in the hands of the fandom, and in the meantime that IDW or any other continuity gives us hugs, winks, gestures and words of encouragement, we as the fandom will take care of exploring other avenues and hypothetical scenarios.

This is all I have to say on the matter for now, and I hope you’re happy with this wonderful Sonamy experience we’re going through – I certainly am. See you next time!

[volfoss]

how about ranking bucciarati's team?

regret to inform you that ur gonna get a very long answer bc i have passionate feelings about them all! also trish is in this bc she is part of the team and no one will tell me otherwise and will also include some rambling bc it is me and i have so many feelings towards these characters and none of them r cohesive

under the cut just in case (post writing yes it was long)

Giorno Giovanna:

way way more complex than ppl normally give him credit for (i will not go into feelings on how a majority of the fandom treats him unless ppl want me to then i will in fact make a very long ranty post and will not be stopped)

mildly op (esp at the beginning with how hes kind of able to just use his stand really well w no problems altho i think thats true of most of the jojos that we have seen animated?)

i am emotionally attached to him and want to give him a big hug

hes just a kinda goofy kid and is maybe a bit not good with figuring out hey this is a semi dangerous situation maybe i shouldnt be taunting him (leaky eye luca for example)

has the actual best theme

i love how he works off the rest of the team so well (even w members who do not like him)

is in my top 3 jojos i love this kid sm i would adopt him if he was real

7/10

Bruno Bucciarati:

the fucking way his character develops from licky man to best dad material is my favorite thing

his outfit is so so so good i would die to wear it

in general this man is one of my fave jojos characters and i get a lot of comfort from him

hes just really neat and has a good taste in music

he did his fucking best and i will always love him for that

imo the way that his death was drawn out was genuinely one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the entire series and fucks me up each time i think of it

i feel like he really is the one to hold the team together in a way that everyone feels cared for and saved

def has a savior complex tho for sure

dilf but im ace

also manga superiority bc he either makes the stupidest faces or looks very nice (anime has a lot of weird animation in regards to his face) and also because its lingerie there instead of a tattoo that changes thickness and placement every second

10/10

Leone Abbacchio:

guilty pleasure liking man

i am obsessed with his vibes and wish to become him

i cannot physically express just how much i love him but hes one of my faves of all time (not obvious by my theme at all wdym)

i miss his manga palette but also the colored manga isnt my beloved but also black lipstick abba

hot take maybe but anime abba looks better than manga minus the lipstick debacle

hes so so tall and i will steal his height in a nice way

his past man his past it fucks me up

his death fucks me up normally but when i was rewatching recently, i saw he gave this tiny lil smile after helping the kids get their ball and i could not take it anymore

him and brunos relationship (canonically and out of canon too) is one of my favorites in the series

also fandom hot take as i guess i am doing those for everyone- but ppl either have him as cosntantly trying to murder giorno or being like good son and v out of character, and it is really weird? not sayign that ill do better when i write them but also like im convinced some ppl havent seen the show or smth

i will steal both him and bruno and marry them both <3

this man is beloved i love him to death

10/10

Pannacotta Fugo:

i cannot spell his first name to save my life

also fandom take- ppl make him constantly only angry boy all the time and it really irks me. ik araki did not give him 2 much to work w in terms of canon personality but its frustrating

the light novel purple haze feedback is so so so good and adds sm to his character and i really like it for that!

fugo is one of those that imo deserves a lot and didnt get that

genuinely the vibes between how he treats narancia is v interesting to me, like its clear he cares about nara but nara not doing great w math really frustrates him

i love their interactions and how he is genuinely a kind person at times

the manga colors r superior here, my strawberry boy <3

i just really love and appreciate him a lot and wish that ppl gave him more love

i keep getting assigned him on kin quizzes

very smart good boy

ALSO ok fugo did not do any wrong by leaving

unsure if thats a hot take but i genuinely dont blame the character one bit for leaving and again purple haze feedback really delves into that and why he did it

if ur a fugo fan go read it

his past is really upsetting esp in the anime i will cry over it

his stand is adorable and i wanna hug it

his vibes r fun and i wanna gift him strawberry dangly earrings

8/10

Narancia Ghirga:

this boy i am also adopting (i am adopting most of them sorry)

i really hate how ppl act as if hes stupid bc bad math skills do not equal stupid like did ppl not see the fight w formaggio??

the way he just fucking dove into the water after the boat and how brunos face went all soft and happy it will never not make me cry

he is constnatnly making me wanna cry if i think too much about him for 2 seconds i love him sm

how can anyone not adore him when he set an entire street on fire yk

hes just happy despite his past and it makes me sad i love nara sm

torture dance is one of my favorite memes from the show

ALSO ok the way he died so suddenly absolutely broke me bc the remaining team members r really just seeing everyone die in front of them so quickly

his goofy and laid back moments r my fave

i love just how loyal and caring he is to his friends

his stand is really cool and again the fight w formaggio was so fun to watch

8/10

Guido Mista:

probably my least favorite member of the team for a semi good reason:

the jokes towards trish are really really uncomfy and how fugo doesnt wanna be involved but he is pushing him to do something that makes him uncomfortable did not make me like him a lot

hes goofy but not goofy enough for me to be ok with the repeated jokes about that esp in the body swap episode (ik it was supposed to be funny but it just felt off)

his vibes r good but i wish we got to see his hair

the fandom interpretation is normally pretty good of him overall?

despite not loving him a lot, i really enjoying writing for him (one day might open up headcanon requests or smth but unsure)

hes someone id wanna watch movies w but his taste in movies and mine r very different

love how he and his stand get along

honestly has very very good comedic potential

i really like how he and giorno interact as the series goes on (in a platonic way i need to clarify that i love their friendship)

again him in purple haze feedback was really interesting

probably a 5/10?

Trish Una:

beloved and deserved better

her first outfit in the manga > outfit in the anime

actually in general i believe in manga trish superiority like her hair in the manga looks so cool

her stand her stand her stand i love sm

if u dont include trish in the group i am murdering u <3

HER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!! IS SO GOOD!!!!!!

fandom gripe is how people either pretend she does not exist or has the trish first introduction thing where shes using her defense mechanisms and acting a bit spoiled

OK but her in purple haze feedback!!! mild spoilers but how bruno was taking care of her post the ending of vento aureo makes me so happy each time i think of it

very mad that she canonically didnt really get an ending and yet again PHF my beloved actually gave her that

how spice girl starts out as a stand thats helping her thru a very stressful situation is so cool and i love it

DAD BRUNO DAD BRUNO DAD BRUNO *frothes at the mouth*

but more seriously how she leans on bruno and begins 2 trust him and nearly point blank is referring to him as a father figure always fucks me up

esp because of the resulting fight afterwards

and the very ending of the arc that ends w bruno being like bye gonna go in the clouds and look ethereal now, oh man it makes me so sad

bc giorno is the only one that knew what happened and people that were closer to bruno due to knowing him longer didnt

i wanna see how trish coped w that personally

despite being introduced not at the beginning i think her arc and character in general were as well paced as it could be!

9/10

finally done! sorry that took so long but oh man i have so many feelings towards these guys its not even funny

[be-not-afeared]

Black Sails fic recs

Working titles: 12 fics for christmas? 12 days of ficmas? 12 fics none of which actually have anything to do with christmas?

OKAY, so I love nothing more than a fic rec post, and I’ve seen a few Black Sails rec posts floating around but they mostly seem to be a couple of years old and they all recommend a similar bunch of fics (and deservedly so! they are all amazing!). But I thought I would make one to highlight some newer or less shouted-about fics, because I may have only been here for a couple of months but jfc there is so much talent in this fandom and more of it deserves to be hyped. 

So, here are 12 of my favourite fics for the 12 days of christmas! (i.e. an excuse to put an arbitrary number cap on the list or we’d be here all day)

The majority of these are Silver/Flint and the ones that aren’t still all feature Silver prominently because that boy owns my soul, sorry for who I am as a person.

we should rip it straight out by minormendings

45K (Silver/Madi, Silver/Flint, Flint/Thomas)

Madi has always wondered if Silver understands what is between him and Flint as well as she. To her, it has always been obvious, from the way the two of them had fit together, had worried about each other, had acted as one. She had tried to bring it up with Silver back when they were together. But Silver had shaken her off, too enmired in the idea that he or Flint would prove each other’s downfall. Or perhaps just unwilling to open his eyes to the fact that he had loved Flint.

It was, unfortunately for the both of them, even more obvious after the thing between them had broken. Just as Silver had thrown away the war out of love for her, Flint had let Silver take away the war rather than kill him.

God. What a group the three of them were, showing love by betrayal.

Post-canon. Madi and Flint find their way back to Silver.

This fic diverges from canon right at the end of the 4x10; Silver has Flint held in a cell in Port Royal and Thomas delivered to him rather than taking him straight to the plantation. It is a BEAUTIFUL character study of how Flint and Madi could both come to forgive Silver, and has a great FlintMadi dynamic too. It also centres Madi’s struggle between wanting to provide for her people and wanting to experience the freedom of piracy, and fleshes out Julius’ character in a way the show never did. 

we can lose and call it living by I_wouldnt_be_one_of_them

31K (Silver/Flint/Thomas, Silver/Flint, Flint/Thomas)

It's been twelve years since everything fell apart, and John Silver is settled in New England. He has a nice house and a job he likes, and he's gotten used to the loneliness. It's a good life, he thinks, but of course that's cast into doubt when James Flint and Thomas Hamilton show up to find closure and, apparently, to see whether he's happy.

This is an inverse of the ‘silver arrives on flint and thomas’ doorstep’ trope and has Flint and Thomas instead being the ones to interrupt Silver, who is living a sad and lonely existence post-series. I love the ThomasSilver dynamic here. And this Silver feels so true to canon he makes me want to WEEP.

Tell me we're dead and I'll love you even more by Craftnarok

21K (Silver/Flint)

In the year 1725, or thereabouts, John Silver finds himself driven by a storm into an inconsequential little port town, barely a speck on any civilised map. Returned to the life of a drifter, tired and rough around the edges, he is resigned to waiting for the weather to pass before he can sail on again to the next town, and the next, and the next. That is until he overhears a conversation in the inn about a local fisherman, one Captain Barlow, and his tall tales of tempests and becalmings, devils and sharks, and Silver finds a new future opening up to him, haunted by the spectres of his past.

All of Craftnarok’s fics are amazing but I am particularly drawn to this one; it’s set 10 years post-series and is a delightfully angsty exploration of how Flint and Silver could find their way back to each other in a scenario in which Thomas wasn’t at the plantation. It doesn’t let Silver off easy and I love that.

armed with the past and the will by whimsicalimages

3K (Silver/Madi, Madi & Julius)

The language of winning and losing, this language that men favor – Madi can speak this language, though she disagrees with its precepts. Success takes different forms, and failing once does not mean failing forever. It does not even mean failing the next time.

Post-series, Julius teaches Madi how to fight. This fic is BEAUTIFUL - give me anything that centres Madi post-canon - and it explores Madi’s relationship with both Julius and Silver so well in so few words. 

Always In Season by mycapeisplaid

60K (Silver/Flint, past Flint/Thomas, past Silver/Madi)

Towering sand dunes, crystal-clear water, miles of forest, vineyards, orchards, and very spotty cellular service -- John Silver finds himself in a part of the state he's never been before and decides to take on seasonal work. Meanwhile, back from his yearly wintering in Florida, James Flint thinks that perhaps he'll take on a new business venture, even though it means he might have to interact with people other than his two close friends. Their summer employment fosters a friendship that could become something more. Like construction season in Michigan, the two must navigate through their own obstacles in order to seek an alternative route toward happiness.

This is an AU and so much fun!! Silver finds himself in Michigan and takes on some seasonal work at Guthrie Dunes. The whole cast features and the setting just WORKS SO WELL. And this Flint feels brilliantly in character despite the difference in setting.

to make a life by gone_girl

53K (Max/Anne, Max & Silver)

“What am I going to do with your name?” Max asks, a little incredulous.

“Whatever you want,” the salesman says. “Didn’t you want something real?”

Max heard a story once about the importance of answering questions like that carefully. If something emerges from the forest and asks for your name, don’t give it up, the story went. Offer only what you know you can live without. She’s never heard a story that tells her what to do when something emerges from the forest and offers its name to you.

I literally only finished this this morning but holy shit this fic is amazing, it’s a Max-centric AU set in Missouri the early 00s and it’s all about found family and building community and platonic love and it has a brilliant SilverMadi dynamic. And there just aren’t enough fics out there that focus on Max & Silver!! 

the straight walk home by vowelinthug

73K (Silver/Flint)

Let me tell you a story, about a vaquero named Vasquez…

Obviously vowelinthug’s fics are recc’d all the time and rightly so as they are AMAZING, but one that I don’t see featured as often as the more prominent ones is this incredible Western!AU. It’s 73K guys!! It adapts the canon narrative into the Western setting SO well!! It has background Vane/Billy which I was not at all sure about going in but just WORKS!! Go read it.

The Truth about Eros by Aisalynn

21K (Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi, Flint/Thomas)

Silver understood one thing very well.

Being Fated did not mean you were safe.

It did not mean you were loved.

This one is hot off the press! I am not normally a fan of soulmate AUs but this is such an interesting take on the trope, and the world building fits around the polyamory theme of the show really effectively! And it is SO well written.

With Nothing on My Tongue by RosieTwiggs

13K (Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi)

"Silver thinks: Maybe God likes it when I fight with him.

He wonders now, whether he’s been playing into God’s plan all along. Because no matter how angry he gets, how defensive, how many “fuck you”s he flings to the heaven, isn’t it all just proof that he still believes God is there, despite it all?

Silver doesn’t know how to counter that.

Maybe he doesn’t want to anymore."

An incredibly well written (and angsty! read the tags!) Jewish!Silver character study. This one has really stayed with me.

Maybe in Another Life by samedifference61

31K (Silver/Flint/Madi, Flint/Madi, Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi)

At the rail of a ship James doesn’t command, they stand shoulder to shoulder.

“John still thinks you’re dead,” James states, because it’s something that needs to be said aloud before they continue.

With eyes unblinking toward the rolling sea, Madi says, “And he still thinks you should be dead.”

James’ lip curls in anger. The wounds of betrayal are too fresh for either to say anymore.

Canon-divergent from 4x09, this is a brilliant MadiFlint centric fic exploring their relationship post Silver’s betrayal, and how he could find his way back to them both whilst acknowledging the weight of his actions.

in a vault of starlight by whimsicalimages

7K (Silver/Madi/Flint/Thomas)

The distance between Nassau and Savannah can be measured as: six hundred and thirteen nautical miles, five thousand pounds’ worth of pearls, or four extraordinary lifetimes.

Alternatively: in the aftermath, Madi writes her own story.

There aren’t enough Madi centric fics out there! This one is a lovely extension of canon with a great MadiSilver dynamic in particular.

the aftershocks remain by pdameron

31K (Silver & Miranda, Silver/Flint)

For as long as he can remember, John Silver has been able to see ghosts. He has no trouble keeping this secret from Flint - until Charlestown. Until Miranda.

Again all of pdameron’s fics are brilliant but I loooove this SilverMiranda centric one, plus who doesn’t love a ghost!au.

[recurring-polynya]

What comparisons can be made between renruki and Ichiruki? I often wondered about this.

This is such a hot button issue that as soon as I received this (perfectly polite) ask, my body tensed up and my brain went Am I being trolled?

It’s honestly a shame that there is so much bad blood behind this, because it is, in fact, a very interesting thing to talk about, and I am going to attempt to do so in good faith, because I love thinking about this kind of thing. Even though I am very openly a Renruki shipper, I love all three of these characters very much, and I think that Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship is very important! I am doing my best to be neutral, although I have not read very much Ichiruki fanfic/meta, so please give me a benefit of a doubt. Obviously, I can’t stop anyone from reblogging this and putting their own comments on it, but I have no interest in getting in debates over it, so don’t be surprised if I don’t engage.

This is both long, and I am sure some people don’t care, so I’m gonna put the rest under a cut. I have tried to hard to write this in a way that will not make anyone mad, but if you think it will make you mad, please give yourself the gift of not clicking on it.

So, what is the same between Ichigo and Renji? Lots, actually. Physically, they are both tall, strong, and have ridiculously colored spiky hair. They are outwardly grumpy, but secretly have soft, gooey centers. Neither one of them is dumb, but they are both dumbasses. They are protectors: they would rather take any amount of pain or damage onto themselves than see a loved one hurt. Their friends are everything to them, and that goes triple for Rukia.

How are they different, then? There are three major bullets:

- Ichigo is alive. Renji is dead. Perhaps this is a little flip, but Renji belongs to same world that Rukia does, and Ichigo does not. This is not a value judgment, it is just a fact: If Rukia ends up with Renji, she stays where she is. If she ends up with Ichigo, either Rukia or Ichigo have to make a huge change. I will get back to this.

- Youth vs. Experience. Ichigo is a 15-year old boy, as we are told about 1000 times. There is some mystery over how old Rukia and Renji are, but they have graduated from secondary education and are currently employed. I think it’s safe to assume that they are roughly close in age to each other, but I think Rukia may perceive Renji as seeming older than herself-- he graduated from school, and she didn’t; he’s on his third squad transfer, whereas she’s hasn’t budged from her initial, entry-level job, and he’s now middle management. However, the arc of the story we don’t get to see, is that over the timeskips, Rukia not only catches up to, but surpasses him. Also, not for nothing, but I think that in the same way Rukia is immediately drawn to Ichigo because of his resemblance to Kaien, I think she is also drawn to him for his resemblance to Young Renji-- a grumpy, prickly young man, leaking self-doubt from every pore, whom she is more able to be generous towards through the lens of age and experience. (And I think this comparison could support either ship)

- Ichigo is the protagonist. Rules don’t apply to him. Fate breaks on his sword. He represents the triumph of love or hard work or dreams or what have you over the cruel millstone of the world. Renji, on the other hand, is firmly bound to the rules of the world in which he inhabits. In fact, that is arguably the entire purpose of his character. Renji’s fights are often used to set the stakes of the conflict-- ah, Renji got mangled, this guy must be tough. In the Soul Society Arc, he is an antagonist because he is doing what he is supposed to. In the TYBW, Kubo literally throws the two of them in a pit to fight some asauchi just to make the point that Renji is a shinigami and Ichigo is something else.

Let’s jump over to Rukia for a moment. Rukia is a great character, one of my favorite characters in any media. Rukia contains multitudes. She is tough and strong, but often melancholy. She can be beautiful and elegant, but she also lies and breaks rules and tried to put Kon in a dead cat once. Emotionally, she likes to present a cool front, but she has a big, loving heart, and she feels deeply. As a character, all of this makes her very easy to project onto, which is why I think so many people OTP her with someone, no matter who.Some people choose to try to make her into one of these things or another, and some people try to keep her as the full bundle of contradictions that she is.

There is no romantic content in canon Bleach. There is no romantic content in canon Bleach. There are many, many scenes that can be interpreted romantically, but no one goes on a date, no one kisses. Ichigo gazes longingly into the eyes of all his friends, it’s just a thing he does. Orihime does explicitly proclaim at one point that she loves Rukia, although I suspect that in the original Japanese, it’s the word for “friendship love” and not the very-rarely-used “romantic love.” I have seen a scene-for-scene comparison of IchiHime “romantic moments” only it’s Chad and Uryuu (which I choose to believe supports IshiChad, rather than negates IchiHime, but we may all choose for ourselves!) My point is that shipping in Bleach is a DIY craft, which, when we’re all having a good time, is what makes it so fun.

So, bringing all of this together, given that Ichigo and Renji are fairly similar characters, why are the ships so different, and what makes one appeal to some people and be abhorrent to someone else?

I think about romance stories a lot. I actually took a class on romance novels in college and I just really like to think about the mechanics of stories. In the truest sense of the word, “romance” is about extremes-- about sailing the high seas and wearing ostentatious shirts and shouting off a cliff in a rainstorm. When we talk about romance as a genre, the characters tend to behave in a way that we would not prefer our actual romantic partners do, but the over-the-top nature of it makes us swoon and our hearts drop -- except when it doesn’t. What is heart-breakingly romantic to some people can be a huge turn-off to others. The biggest fight my husband and I have ever had was over a kdrama. The male lead was hiding his identity from the female lead in order to help her, and I found it all to be deeply, deeply romantic, and my husband turned to me and said “He is being dishonest with her and I think it’s morally wrong” and I almost died.

So, let’s break down some of the themes of the two ships, which I think gets at the meat of what you were asking. Now, like I said, shipping is very participatory, and anyone may have their own ideas of how these relationships would be, and I am a big fan of “a great writer can get away with anything”, but in broad strokes, I think that these are the themes of the two ships:

IchiRuki:

Love conquers all/ Love is enough to overcome differences of class, age, lifestyle, geography, etc.

Instant connections/Love at first sight

Love is a force of the universe that cannot be denied or defeated

Young love

Grand gestures

Your partner changes you (in a positive way)/You effect change in your partner

Your partner is the center of your world

Your partner is the one person who can get through to you/You are the one person who can get through to your partner

Banter

Dumbassery

RenRuki:

Love takes work

Best friends to lovers

Second chances/Broken things can be repaired

Love is a choice

You improve with age

Shared experiences build love

Pining

Working together with your partner to create a mutually satisfying life together

Your partner enriches your world, but your independence is maintained

Banter

Dumbassery

There is also some degree of character interpretation at work, too-- there seems to be a huge degree of disagreement between fans as to whether:

a) Ichigo enjoys his normal, human life, and even though he do anything to protect what he loves, he would prefer to live a human existence with his human friends and family. He credits Rukia will helping him realize his strength and powers.

b) Ichigo is unsatisfied with his human life and that meeting Rukia opened the doorway to a life of excitement and adventure, on top of being given the strength to protect his loved ones.

As far as Ichigo pairings go, I think that most IchiHime people fall in category (a) and most IchiRuki (and GrimmIchi) shippers fall in (b). In both cases, peoples’ ships align with their view of what makes Ichigo happy. Most IchiRuki content I have seen  seems to feature Ichigo moving to Soul Society, rather than Rukia moving to Karakura. Rukia pretty explicitly indicates at the end of the Soul Society Arc that she wants to stay in Soul Society, plus she’s got a pretty established life there. Contrast that to the story of Isshin and Masaki-- Isshin seems pretty flippant and disaffected about his life in Soul Society; it doesn’t seem like it was a particularly hard choice for him to give up being a shinigami. Also, it’s pretty clear that what Isshin did was illegal, and I’m not sure there would be an easy way for Rukia to just say “WELP, I’m off to live as a human, smell you jerks later.”

To try to wrap things up, I think the actual dynamics of an IchiRuki or RenRuki relationship would be very similar, actually. They would banter a lot and dive headfirst into danger and support each other no matter what. Byakuya would treat either guy with the vaguest, most grudging amount of respect. The primary perpetual, unresolved argument between Rukia and Ichigo would be “The Living World is dumb/Soul Society is dumb”, whereas with Rukia and Renji, it would be “Squad 6 is dumb/Squad 13 is dumb wait no I didn’t mean that Captain Ukitake is an angel.”

Personally, I headcanon Renji as being more able than Ichigo to step back and be the support person in the relationship (see that bullet about Ichigo being the protag), so I think that RenRuki could manage to run a functional household, whereas Ichigo and Rukia would just go on adventures until they got arrested for tax evasion.

*For the record, I am very pro-IchiRenRuki, except that they would be even worse at running a household. It’s just Renji trying to explain how a chore wheel works while Rukia and Ichigo walk out the door on him.

[zhuhongs]

Since rewatching the guardian drama after reading the novel has made me mad about how bad and good both of them are I am Obligated to write out a list of what I think the perfect merger btw both versions of canon are. This will be in list format otherwise I’ll end up writing like 6k words again. 

TLDR: the genre stays as supernatural from the novel and not Sci fi, bc that was rlly not fleshed out well. Shen Wei is a ghost king, and all the dixingren are ghosts or demons like originally intended. The ghost race naturally exists and wasn't born from kunluns shoulder fire or anything. They just exist separate from humans. Not all ghosts are former humans, some people are just born as ghosts, like Shen Wei. Zhao Yunlan has the guardian whip and all the cool stuff that comes with the Guardian order.  Overall, i’d keep the novel’s plot and relationship progression and ending without the backstory. Instead the backstory is a merger of both canons. From the drama I’d keep the characterization and themes as well as like half the extra cases and omit the other half. 

I’ll be elaborating much further on my ideal backstory and other stuff under the cut bc the rest is 1.5k and I don’t wanna clog the dash 

Okay SO In my ideal backstory there are two timelines just like the drama but the mythology of the book. The god Kunlun is actually zyl that went back in time and became a god. But the one that went back isn’t the current Zhao Yunlan. There has to be an original timeline where the god Kunlun never existed. Thus the great seal nor the separation of the three realms don’t exist either. Zhao Yunlan must go back in time to become a god, meet Shen Wei in the past, and create the current timeline where the separation exists but isn’t perfect. The current timeline is the one that the majority of the series takes place in.

In the original timeline, Zhao Yunlan is just some dude living in a world where ghosts, fairies, and all other beings just live in a giant free for all and it's kinda just a mess. 

Like there’s government in modern context and all and all races live with each other but there's constant tension. ZYL works at some equivalent of the SID (same staff and side characters, but novel vers. Lin Jing is a monk, CSZ a zombie, etc) to protect people and all that and their job is rather hard. One day encounters the thousands year old ghost king Wei (who isnt shen wei yet bc zyl gave him that name in the future) who works alone as like a rouge cultivator of sorts. He lives on the surface undercover as a professor still bc he’s trying to not catch Yezun’s attention but does all the stuff he normally does as Heipaoshi. The two ally together for a case and bc they both have the same goals of getting all races to live in peace. At current, there are forces working together to decimate the human race, all lead by Yezun

As they work together they become closer and all that. Shen Wei tells him about how he was unable to prevent the great war 5 thousand years ago and neither could the gods so  he’s spent the past 5 thousand years trying to make up for it. As they search for ways to stop Yezun, they gather the 4 hallows and learn how to use them to manipulate time so ZYL can go into the past and stop the great war and separate the three realms (living, dead, ghost).  Shen Wei wants to go back with him but he can’t because he was alive all those years ago so if he goes back it will create a paradox. ZYL promises he’ll find Shen Wei in the past and create a timeline where they could be together in peace (that is the current timeline)

When goes back he becomes the god kunlun because there needed to be a new god born at the time to prevent the war.  Also this time traveller looked promising to Nuwa, Fuxi, and Shennong. And I know in the guardian universe gods are usually born and ppl don’t become gods. EXCEPT this can happen when a god passes on smth from their body onto them bc that did happen in the novel with Kunlun making shen wei a demigod. And since fu you and ma gui are supposed to be gods Nu Wa and Fuxi I think that when they die, they should make ZYL a god and that's how this stuff happens.

So like ZYL explains to the gods the time he came from and how he wants to save everything and they make him a god and he works to save everything just like he did in the drama but this time with the novel plotline. During this time he meets young Shen Wei (he’s still like a hundred or so years old) and they get close and all the stuff from the backstory happens. He gives him his name, all that good stuff. The entire time doesn’t let him know that he’s from the future or that his real name is ZYL. He just poses as kunlun. 

The two of them alongside the other gods (who still die at the times they do in the novel) work together to end the war and establish the great seal and set up the cycle of reincarnation, per the current timeline. Although the seal and cycle of reincarnation aren’t perfect. Gods can’t reincarnate, and ghosts still don’t have souls. And just like the novel, doing all of this kills ZYL bc it takes a lot of energy to create the seal even though it isn’t perfect.

Shen Wei of course doesn’t want ZYL to die and zyl says it's alright because he fixed the timeline so there must One day they will meet again and ZYL reveals the truth about the timeline to shen wei before he dies. This becomes the promise that Shen Wei mentions to meet again. Before he dies, ZYL gives him the shoulder fire as a memento ( i still like the candy wrapper necklace deal but i’ll take this too. Maybe both.. The pendant is still just rlly cool.. Gay ppl)

Shen Wei knows gods can’t enter the cycle of reincarnation and still makes the deal with Shennong to strip Kunlun of his godhood and let him reincarnate. This sets us into the novel timeline where isn’t allowed to meet any of zyl’s reincarnations before he becomes zyl otherwise he will die and also fuck up the timeline. The same 5 thousand years of pining still ensue bc Gay Ppl and i love making Shen Wei suffer but he doesn’t have the shrine room thing bc i think thats weird and yea.. Bad. 

In the meantime Shen Wei does a lot of things mostly just protecting the great seal and working for Hell to keep the peace but still does other stuff. He still watches out for ZYL’s reincarnations but doesn’t do much besides make sure they don’t die a premature death. They meet again finally at the beginning of the series and the timeline resumes like canon. And that's my master plan that merges both drama logic and novel logic while making a much better timeline. (I hope that makes some sense)

Da Qing is still Kunlun’s pet cat and important. Novel backstory applies to him. And I already mentioned him kinda but as for Yezun (Gui Mian in the novel) his deal is similar as in the drama but just a ghost. And he is a big player in the great war, he thought Shen Wei abandoned him as a kid but they were just separated. Shen Wei doesn’t know it's him till the end of the war and couldn’t stop him in the OG timeline and vows to bring him to justice and make amends. Shen Wei continuously tries to explain things to him but he just won’t listen and is imprisoned in hell bc yk… war criminal stuff and yeah he’s the main antagonist trying to break the great seal bc he’s still made about the past. Idk. Yezun wasn’t well written in the novel OR the drama so like… honestly he just needs to be completely rewritten and I don’t care enough about that. He can just be a weak villain idk

the drama characterization stays the same for everyone else bc found family go brr. However for Lao Chu i… hmm… i think he should still be a zombie but the reason he killed someone should be related to his brother. I like that addition and then shen wei realized his sentence was unjust and exempted him. i like that storyline merger. bc the brother thing and him admiring Heipaoshi was drama only. in the novel lao chu just murdered some kid for a rlly whatever reason.

uhhh in terms of the cases… id make adjustments to most of them. i think the li qian case should be like the drama bc the novel just had her as a murderer and it was boring. 

For the mountain river awl one was fine… novel version was funnier and more interesting action wise tbh… rip zyl and his exorbitant flirting. uhhh the whole reveal that shen wei was the soul reaper thing was kinda… ehh in the novel but i did love the comedy of afterwards Shen Wei pretending he went into cardiac arrest when he actually just… has no pulse bc he's a ghost. 

ID KEEP THE WORTH IT SCENE AND RAIN SCENE… THOSE FUCK SO HARD… I love the drama for adding those every damn day. the novel version of zyl losing his sight sucked and was sooo boring.  Keep the drama version on that.

also id keep dr. cheng. i'm very pro dr. cheng and her friendship with shen wei it adds so much to his character imo. keep the fruit seller man and his wife for the merit brush..omg it adds SO MUCH the way the drama did it.. like the drams build up with the novels pace of that arc.. mwah. it felt like it dragged a bit in the drama but if it went faster and without the hospital ep and with sha ya (sorry sha ya) that would've been so good. tho keep novel version of da qings memory loss and lao li. that was rlly impactful.

id say keep some of the cases like the mirror one, the eyes doctor one, etc. just to like.. yk have more to fill in general.. novel pacing but drama characterization without the bs that wasn't fully realized. and novel ending ofc. And that’s it!!

I hope most of this makes some amount of sense  but it probably doesn’t. In my head it all tracks but like ik most of u don’t know anything about the novel so this sounds like gibberish. Also I know this would literally never happen but this is MY ideal merger of the two canons that I feel compelled to expand on for some reason. Anyways, as io said,, we need to rebuild guardian. Like literally let me and the mutuals write Guardian and it will be 500 times better.

[synnefo-nefeli]

I really love the scene in Heard Your Heart Beating when Apollo and Klavier sleep after drinking and Apollo wakes up at some point and looks at Klavier and thinks about him and Daryan and Kristoph. Idk I really like the vibe of it and also Apollo is really fond of him and you can see it lol

This is for the DVD Commentary Author Ask if there is a scene from any of my works you’d like to see a DVD commentary on, send me an ask!

Yesss this one of my favorite scenes so far in HYHB.

So there are two things going on in this scene- one is a payoff moment when Apollo figures out the significance of Valentine's Day is to Klavier, and the other is the emergence of the theme of " Safety". This chapter also functions as a transition point from Klavier and Apollo moving from work colleagues into a closer friendship. There is still a giddy nervousness at the beginning of this chapter that is usually associated with moving to the next step.

I wanted to express that almost frenetic nervous energy when inviting a new friend/date/etc into your personal space for the first time. And Apollo, despite him stating repeatedly that the hangout is platonic/feeling guilty about appearing to move on from Clay /trying to keep that boundary that’s existed so far between them, allows that boundary to fall.

By the end of the chapter there is now a comfort and deeper trust between them so that their relationship can continue to develope organically over the next few chapters without Apollo being constantly flustered every time Klavier teases him or there still being awkward feelings between them. They’re still in the “getting to know you” phase of their friendship but they’re at the point where coffee breaks and after work drinks no longer suffice. They now want to hang out as much as possible.

More under the cut so I don't spoil people for this chapter

Before I get back into the Safety theme I want to reiterate the meaning of the story’s title. It comes from Florence + The Machine’s song, “Cosmic Love”. The lyric goes:

“ I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too-So I stayed in the darkness with you”

This lyric aside from Comic Love being a big mood inspiration for the story, this lyric refers to Klavier and Apollo finding eachother after going through a really shitty and traumatic year and a half.

They recognize that the other is a source of some comfort as each of them understand what the other is going through a little bit better than the others around them.

This scene is the first confirmation to the reader that yes, Klavier is actively seeking out Apollo for comfort.

So far in this story we know *something* is bothering Klavier- he’s actively avoiding someone and he’s been kinda timid in reaching out to people without having his glimmerous persona constantly on. In the following chapter, Klavier mentions that he’s been asked to be in Edgeworth’s wedding.

Apollo attempts to commiserate with Klavier about this as Phoenix has just asked Apollo to be his best man.

Klavier tells Apollo that Apollo shouldn’t be shocked about being asked to be Phoenix’s best man- considering how much Apollo means to Phoenix. He has to point out to Apollo how much Apollo means to Phoenix and Trucy as well as how Apollo impacted Klavier’s choice to return to the legal world full-time.

And while Klavier is honored that he’s been asked by Edgeworth, his being asked is more of a surprise than Apollo being included in the Wright-Edgeworth nuptials. There is no way that Apollo wouldn’t be included after all he’s done for Phoenix and Trucy and how close he is to the WAA. Klavier had a different dynamic with Edgeworth. Part of this because, well, it’s Edgeworth. But Edgeworth has formed close bonds with Gumshoe and Kay...but Edgeworth just spent the last few years chasing down a Phantom Criminal in order to save Simon from Death Row. So Miles and Simon had a closer dynamic.

Klavier unfortunately comes with a lot of baggage-most of it being from things beyond his control. It was his debut that resulted in Miles’ partner from being disbarred and disgraced. There is everything with Kristoph. Combine the canon stuff along with this story establishing that the Gavins and the von Karmas have a bit of a family feud going on, it’s no wonder why Klavier admits to feeling that he’s still needs to figure out if and where he belongs.

He’s always looked up to Phoenix and Miles and wants to spend his career under them, but he thinks he needs more chances to prove himself to rebuild trust.

Of course- the obvious signal Klavier is missing, is “Hi, the Chief Prosecutor has asked you to be in his wedding party. If the grooms didn’t like you, you wouldn’t have been invited let alone asked to be IN THEIR WEDDING PARTY” ...and he misses it right after he’s finished telling Apollo, “how could youthink you’d wouldn’t be included, Herr Forehead. Jeeze.”

Like I said- Klavier is shit at taking his own advice. I’m not being mean to Klavier, but because Klavier is anxious about trusting people and letting people in, he prefers to do things on his own terms and under his control just in case he needs to get out if he gets rejected.

And even though he reached out to Apollo first with his condolences for Clay’s death he didn’t expect anything more than a thank you note, but Apollo not only acknowledging him, hunting him down to his apartment and even offering his company to Klavier, was a happy surprise to someone who has been very lonely.

He’s been wanting to get to know Apollo but he’s felt awkward due to the fallout with Kristoph and the continuing dark age of the law of which he was apart of the two major catalysts.

Apollo over the last few weeks is appearing to be a safe space for Klavier.

However Klavier wants more confirmation and a chance to suss things out (re: Kristoph). So when Apollo says he doesn’t have plans and was oblivious about Valentine’s, Klavier pounces on it. He spent Valentine’s alone the previous year and it spiraled his depression so he was not in the mood to again this year.

This scene was meant to be that very comfortable state between two people with a budding friendship. Once you get drunk with someone while having deep conversations, it tends to push you more into the friendship category.

It was also important to get some of the serious topics out rather than dragging it out. Having this quiet evening is something they both needed, and it allowed them be vulnerable. Especially since Apollo was already upset from the phone conversation he had with the Terrans earlier in the chapter.

Apollo needed a night in with the only person who has never treated him with kid gloves, even before Clay’s death. And Klavier needed a night in with the only person who has never put him on a pedestal.

When discussing Kristoph, it was important to remind the reader that Kristoph is a human being- it’s what makes him a compelling villain and why his betrayal of both Apollo and Klavier’s trust strikes an emotional chord with the player. Before the events of AA4, there was a time where Kristoph gained Apollo and Klavier’s love and loyalty, where he was a normal boss, a dog-dad, a good older brother. There were good times and happy memories- which is why when Kristoph is exposed, Apollo and Klavier are disillusioned- Klavier moreso. But another reason as to why Klavier finds Apollo to be a safe haven, is because, Apollo knew the Kristoph Klavier loved. They both wanted Kristoph to be proud of them. They respected him and wanted Kristoph to be proud of and acknowledge them.

Klavier has been wanting to talk to Apollo about this for awhile and I believe so has Apollo. Apollo is never going to say to Phoenix, “hey Mr. Wright, Mr. Gavin was a good mentor to me too-“ it wouldn’t go over well, even though Kristoph was a good mentor to Apollo-his only flaw was thinking that Apollo would happily be a lickspittle and easy to manipulate. So when Apollo gives Klavier that reassurance that Klavier can talk about those happier moments of his life involving Kristoph, Klavier sees that Apollo wants to take that awkward stress away from Klavier but also Apollo wants to get to know Klavier better.

Klavier is so used to people researching his celebrity persona and forming opinions based off of his former lifestyle, that it’s refreshing to find someone who wants to organically grow their relationship without preconceptions.

Yes, Apollo initially wrote Klavier off as being a fop and glimmorous- but those thoughts were due to Apollo being self-conscious. By the end of Turnabout Serenade, Apollo admits that Klavier is pretty cool and in DD, Apollo remarks that Klavier is different than most prosecutors and how dedicated Klavier is towards his job.

It was also important in this chapter to allow for Apollo to discuss Clay and his relationship with Clay’s family. You’ll notice in this story that Klavier is the only person Apollo will share anecdotes about Clay with and freely grieve about Clay. It’s not that Apollo hides it from The WAA, he does share some things with them, but right now, Klavier is the only close peer Apollo has, and this comfortable vulnerability they’ve trusted eachother with allows Apollo to express himself with out him fearing that he’ll appear fragile. He’s tired of people walking on eggshells around him, but Klavier hasn’t and never will.

Likewise, I made sure to have Klavier fish for information about Apollo. Yes they’ve been hanging out for weeks at this point and worked a case together (sorta), but those coffee dates have been more talking about work, general topics like Trucy’s shows, etc.. they’ve been light in topic. So dinner and drinks at someone’s home gives way to deeper conversations about value-systems, love lives (even though Apollo isn’t entirely truthful lol), etc. And it works really well to the point they get more comfortable than either had anticipated.

I loved writing the discussion about how Klavier will never ever do a performance of “The Guitar’s Serenade” where he’s singing Lamiror’s words. It was such an organic moment while writing too- Klavier just started talking about how he’s feel like an imposter to sing those words because he’s never experienced a lost true love...and he hopes that he’ll never know what that feels like. It’s an honest moment that puts to rest any assumptions Apollo may have had about if Klavier is just a flirt not to be taken seriously in the romance department.

Hearing that Klavier is pretty private in his love life, isn’t a player, and has pretty much admitted that he tries to date with the intention of marriage, shows Apollo more into Klavier’s serious and introspective side. A side that Apollo’s only known in the context of their work. It makes Apollo realize that Klavier is human and is wanting of things like love and companionship. More importantly, Klavier will take those things seriously should he be so lucky to receive them.

There is also a bit of humor here- because c’mon Klavier lives to be playful when he can, and he wants to know more about Apollo’s views on love and relationships. Apollo is adorably flustered because he doesn’t want to admit he’s still a virgin. But in this portion I wanted to start laying down the idea that Apollo is demisexual. Part of the reason he hasn’t fallen in love or felt desire is because he’s fullfilled by his relationships with those he holds dear, but also no one has been interested in Apollo and stayed long enough to bond with Apollo in a way for desire to to bloom.

Because they’re starting as friends-particularly a friendship made as adults- this is going to give Apollo that chance to realize he wants more from Klavier. And for Klavier who wants a true friend and companion after the betrayals he’s suffered, Apollo is a perfect match for him.

The most important thing for me while writing this scene was to show Apollo and the reader that Klavier is suffering and grieving just like Apollo is, (and to establish early that Klavier is super bad at taking any of his own advice) and for Apollo to start drawing parallels to himself while wanting to dig into what’s going on with Klavier.

Apollo is interesting because he’s more likely to say what’s exactly bothering him but fails to realize his feelings about others.

Whereas Klavier is very aware of his own feelings but will hide what’s bothering him from others.

They’re also two people who now need reassurance about where they fit in and how others consider them in their lives.

And if you were wondering: yes, at this point Klavier does have a crush on Apollo haha. So getting invited to sleep over was a bonus for him...despite it being labeled as a “platonic sleep-over”, because at this point in the story, it is a platonic sleep over. Klavier is good at reading the room (even when drunk) to know that Apollo isn’t making a move on him and neither should he.

The comment Klavier makes about Apollo’s bed’s size is a homage to my favorite BL manga, FAKE. In the manga, Ryo who has just started as a detective at a new precinct and met his new partner, Dee- has Dee over that same day for dinner and Dee winds up staying the night. Ryo has a large bed for a single guy (according to Dee) and Dee makes a comment “that’s a big bed you got there, do you have a girl to go with it?” because Dee the little shit that he is, is trying to see if Ryo is single (and yes, they sleep in the same bed that night. How is that fir team building haha...it’s totally platonic. It takes Dee 7 volumes to get that. Please read it it’s a classic). Klavier is totally asking to get a rise out of Apollo because Klavier suspects that Apollo exaggerated his experience because Apollo’s pivot was not smooth at all XD.

Finally the last aspect of showing safety is them sleeping in the same bed together. We know from descriptions of Klavier that Klavier has not been sleeping well. Something is keeping him up at night and his mood has been less glimmerous. When he arrives at Apollo’s that evening; he wasn’t able to really conceal the dark circles under his eyes. Apollo has been missing Clay, who would usually sleep over and share the bed with Apollo,’s company.

Sleeping next to someone, especially falling into a deep sleep in a bed that is not your own, is a sign of trust. Yes they were sleepy from the alcohol, but they went to bed together easily, slept for hours, had brunch, and went BACK to sleep. Neither minded, nor did Klavier feel that he should leave after they ate. They are comfortable and too hungover to even think about anything except getting more sleep XD Also it’s not as if Klavier is in a hurry to get home when he eventually saw the text from his land lady.

Sorry if that was a rambling response but I have a lot of love for this scene in particularly and I’m so excited to give a behind the scenes look at it!

[gayregis]

how do i ignore all the misogyny in the witcher books? they're much better than the netflix show storywise but there is so much gross stuff compared to what i usually read/watch

hi!! thank you for the ask, this is a very important topic to address, though i believe you are asking the wrong question. the matter is not how to ignore the misogyny in the witcher and other pieces of media, but rather how to confront it and face it head-on.

i don’t believe in making excuses for the media i consume when it has “problematic elements” to it. this isn’t meant to be taken as an excuse to “consume anything you like,” because i would not engage with something insidious in its nature (such as media that revolves around and is based upon harmful stereotypes or insensitive jokes and cannot exist without this, some examples of this are infamous things that i’ve seen discussed on this site like captive prince, cmbyn, and hazbin hotel). instead this is about when a piece of media is good overall in nature (the witcher has many anti-war, anti-violence, anti-imperialist themes and messages relating to family, childhood, friendship, and love) but has elements that are the results of the author’s personal biases.

i think before i address how to deal with the misogyny, i’ll actually define what misogyny exists within the witcher books, to be more specific about what we are talking about, and also to do the work of addressing the misogyny in the books:

how the women in the witcher are treated as characters and how they are depicted by the author.

there are a few good points in this subject. characters such as yennefer and ciri are very strong characters who receive a lot of development over the course of the series, and are main characters that are integral to the plot. they demonstrate both strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices. they have depth and are not one-dimensional characters, especially as they become more and more complex over the course of the series.

blatant sexualization of women when it’s inappropriate or irrelevant, descriptions of female characters’ looks or bodies that male characters would not have received.

bizzare standards for what is beautiful for a woman, including body descriptions (“triss’s waist measured 22”) and extreme focus on youth and the age cusp of around 15 to 18 as being the most attractive for a woman (stated in-universe, even though this could be excused as being what is normal in the 1200s, keep in mind that this is the author’s decision to impliment this standard into their society). 

descriptions and scenarios of extreme violence towards woman that are gratuitous in nature and do not add to the story or have any relevance. (geralt being paralyzed with his knee during the stampede at the refugee camp in bof is NOT on the same level as yennefer being extremely tortured at stygga or ciri meeting “forest gramps” in lotl). some of this violence towards women is related to the male antagonists being misogynistic (such as leo bonhart) but a lot of it is just pure filler and is not necessary for the story.

majority of female characters do not get the depth they deserve, and some are pretty one-dimensional. the sorceresses are a good example of this, as the majority of them are shallow and manipulative. female characters are also just generally not given as much “page time” as male characters, for example compare how much depth and backstory regis and cahir receive to how much milva and angouleme receive. regis’ backstory is entirely irrelevant to the main plot but it’s extremely long, and angouleme’s backstory is more relevant to the main plot (she was born of cintrian nobility) yet it is extremely short. (one could make the argument that this is an effect of their characters because regis talks a lot and angouleme is still processing her trauma, but more could have been given to angouleme even if she is not extremely talkative).

the only canon lesbians in the witcher are not good people and are manipulative in nature, and the only canon f/f relationship (ciri/mistle) is representative of a turmultous, vicious time of violence, and is based upon sexual assault.

the gender non-conforming female characters who ARE good people,never have their gnc-ness treated with any depth, and it is insinuated that they are heterosexual.

male protagonists such as geralt and dandelion are both misogynistic at various times in the books, especially in the short stories. this is unlike when male antagonists are misogynistic, because it is represented as something wrong and is intended to characterize them as vile people. instead, geralt and dandelion say or do misogynistic things and it is treated like a joke or something normal, and not a flaw or something repulsive.

how to confront all of this?

the first step is to address it, just as the above list does, and discuss things that stood out to you and are definitively wrong, that the author should not have put in the story because it is useless and only serves to further misogyny in the real world. it would be a grave mistake to think of these things as “fine” and continue to view the witcher books as some kinds of perfect scripture. so many people feel that just because they enjoy something, they are not allowed to critique it and discuss parts of it that are uncomfortable or plain wrong. 

to continue with this point, i think it is important to put the witcher into context as a fantasy series written in the 1990s by a white man who did not (to my knowledge) intend this series for such a broad audience and franchise that it has become. this is not an excuse for sapkowski at all, but rather i think it’s important to understand the origins of the witcher and how it came to be in the first place. this wasn’t a series made to be inclusive and diverse, it wasn’t intended to be “for us” in the first place. 

i do not believe that there is MEANT to be any “positive representation” in the witcher because i don’t believe it is something that sapkowski was actively considering when he wrote the books. just because there isn’t good representation in the books does not mean they and everything related to them are not worth your time, but if you are someone desperately searching for good positive representation or someone who NEEDS to see representation of someone like them in every piece of media they consume, i don’t think the witcher books are necessarily a good place to start. this isn’t meant to deter you from reading or interacting with the books/book canon, but rather a fair warning about what the intentions of the books are. 

i don’t think the books are a groundshaking work of art that are meant to inspire concepts such as diversity, rather it is a very specific work that in its true nature is an argument of a critique of popular fantasy tropes with additional commentary on themes of violence and family. so this is basically meant to say ‘understand what you are getting into.’

how to move on?

the main question which i answer is “is the root of this thing (a piece of media/a character/etc) something that revolves around the bad part, or was the bad part just thrown in there and is incongruent with the rest of the thing?”

the biggest example i think of tackling the misogyny in the witcher and still managing to enjoy it is with dandelion (lol). i think it’s every day that i have to reconcile with the fact that i genuinely enjoy dandelion as a character and hold a conversation with myself about which parts from canon i enjoy and which parts i don’t. his character at its core is not a bad person, he is meant to be an inversion of the trope of the slovenly and lecherous comic relief, and sapkowski succeeds in turning the trope on its head. dandelion is very loyal and committed, he demonstrates his worth in the narrative and doesn’t act with pure selfishness and greed. he is an inversion of all of the negative traits of his trope, but sapkowski also wrote in, like, a literal rape joke for him to say in the bounds of reason. how do you get over that? personally, i just go back to “is this congruent with the rest of the character or not,” and my answer at least for dandelion is no. the rape joke in the bounds of reason seemed entirely out of place to me, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of his character.

similarly, why does geralt sleep with girls who are barely 18 within the events of the witcher? how do you get over that? well, i don’t believe that’s congruent to the rest of his character, the POINT of his character, which is to protect young girls. 

so i go back on my word of what i begun this answer with, and i tell you that i indeed DO ignore some parts about the witcher. but it is not a blind ignorance, an ignorance in which i do not consider the effects and i pretend like they do not exist at all. it’s a choice which i make and a process of logical steps that i follow, an understanding and an agreement i come to with myself and the media i interact with. i acknowledge the context surrounding the creation of the media, i acknowledge the effects that these elements had on their readers and how they relate to the real world, and how i know that these things are objectively wrong. i understand why they exist in the canon, and why i feel justified for choosing to take them out of what i regard as part of my experience.

it’s tempting to proclaim “canon is dead and we have killed the author,” but understand how the author’s personal experiences and biases have influenced the media that they created and which you now consume. you can’t take the personal biases completely out of the writing of the witcher and you have to acknowledge that they still exist in the text. even if you make up your own headcanons, it is still imperative to consider the issues that originate in canon.

what does this look like?

complaining to your friends who also like the witcher / on social media that you hate these parts of the books and explain why you hate them and why they are unnecessary

thinking about why these parts were written in and the context surrounding them

making your own rewrites / headcanons around these parts (ex: my idea for the rewrite of a little sacrifice)

making your own headcanons to establish what was not (ex: my headcanons for angouleme’s trauma and how it affects her in the present, headcanons about how the hansa becomes a family)

tldr: acknowledge why these elements exist in canon. choose to follow a process that will allow you to salvage the parts which speak to you while still understanding that these elements exist in canon and will never disappear. continue to like the canon without the parts that you understand are rotten.

edit: also the netflix show has some pretty misogynistic parts to it as well, yennefer and ciri have way less agency as characters than they do in the books. geralt literally coerces yennefer into sex in twn and treats her with absolutely no respect, and ran from fathering ciri solely because he was a dick. obviously this isn’t the point of the ask, but i think it’s important to acknowledge that twn has misogynistic elements as well and not pretend like just because twn was led in 2020 by a wealthy white woman that it’s progressive in any way.

[geek-gem]

I want everyone to know what you’re about to read, is utterly all fan fiction. This was something I remember thinking about years ago. Mainly December 2015 to early 2016 I think possibly. Or it might of gone through that whole year. Including I won’t tag this as Star Wars. But it will pop up in my main blog. I want to finally share this.

You know years back, I had these ideas of a tv show taking place between episodes 4 and 5. With an epilogue season taking place between episodes 5 and 6. It’s practically a sequel to Star Wars The Clone Wars, the 2008 show.

The premise of the show was to showcase what the Rebellion and Empire were doing those three years. It would of focused on both the Rebellion and Empire.

I am done writing this. Be warned, it is long. Again, don’t take this very seriously. This is all again, fan fiction.

Edit I forgot to say this. This was all inspired years back when playing Star Wars Battlefront 2015. Including I was playing it recently. I thought back to those ideas. This is almost like if the game became a show. It’s basically kind of like, “Star Wars Battlefront the tv show” mainly the 2015 one but whatever.

From the Imperial side of things. You have a young Stormtrooper and a squad of his that survived an ambush on a planet(I’m strangely thinking of Endor. But this might break canon. So have it be another planet). This victory is noticed by Darth Vader and other Imperial officials. Which results in the Stormtroopers being promoted to higher ranking soldiers. Maybe something such as joining the 501st AKA Vader’s Fist. Taking on more serious missions, or when normal Stormtroopers need help.

On the Rebellion side of things. You have have Luke and the others trying to face the Empire. With Ahsoka Tano joining later and meeting Luke. With the possibility of trying to train him.

But from what I’ve been thinking. I seemed mainly focused on the Imperial side of things. Where this young man and his friends(Who become sort of brothers strangely to him) try to fight the Rebellion. Along with this strange developing friendship with Darth Vader. As for some reason, Vader seems to put trust in this young man, and takes him under his wing. But not being too personal, still making this rather about business.

Yet there is one scene I think about that mirrors Anakin and Palpatine’s scene in Revenge Of The Sith. Where Palpatine talks about Darth Plagueis. But it’s Darth Vader and this young Stormtrooper. Who I strangely thought of Dane Dehaan playing him.

The show ends with these two things. The young commando Stormtrooper who had fought for his Empire for years, starts realizing he’s on the wrong side. With the added addition I feel now he lost his friends along the way. Who were practically brothers to him. He tries to make up for everything he’s done for the Empire.

Including there is an idea he’s force sensitive. With the idea of I’m thinking of Vader trying to have him under his wing whenever they can betray the emperor. But it’s kept secret he’s force sensitive. 

It ends with the man doing something probably major for the rebellion. Which results in a fight against his former friend Vader. Then it ending with Vader killing him. The story of the Imperial side is almost like a tragedy. Slowly showcasing working with the Empire is horrible.

The second thing is it ending with a fight between Vader and Ahsoka. Which mirrors Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s fight in episode 3 Which results in the death of Ahsoka, and Vader learning he has a son.

With the epilogue season focusing on Luke’s training on Dagobah, and his friends trying to locate Han Solo. With I guess some cases showcasing Vader before the events of Return Of The Jedi. With the epilogue season as a lead up to that film. The final film in the saga.

Now some added things, and why I find this...fan fiction flawed.

Marvel Comics practically did some similar stuff that could of been a tv show. So this idea of a tv show is somewhat useless. Basically, Marvel was already showcasing what was happening. Which actually did some things such as Vader finding out earlier after A New Hope from Boba Fett that Luke is his son. Which is honestly a powerful moment. Along with other things that I’ve seen.

Now I just wanna talk about some additions I’ve been thinking of recently. Or what this series idea seemed to showcase. 

1. I feel like this weird friendship between Vader and a Stormtrooper is unrealistic and again, fan fictiony. But after Tarkin’s death in A New Hope. Vader hardly has anyone to trust, and the Empire is kind of falling apart. But it is soon repaired a bit. He finds this young man that for some reason, reminds him of himself when he was younger. Which is why he isn’t so bothered by him. 

So there is the idea that he sees himself in him. Which is why he trusts him. A young man who isn’t full of himself, and can get shit done. But I also learned and from what I’ve seen. Vader seems to show subtle care for men who are actually on the battlefield instead of officers who are trying to stab each other in the back. But still, don’t piss off Vader.

Including during the idea of that scene between him and this man. The crazy idea is that Vader reveals who he is to him. Which I think wouldn’t make sense. But I think it’s this idea that somehow, even as Vader, there is someone he could trust. As long as he didn’t betray him or didn’t piss him off.

2. There seems to be this theme of tragedy like I said. But also with Vader. The fact even during his time as a Sith Lord. Vader losing someone like this young man who reminded him of himself, betrays him. Along with finally killing Ahsoka. It’s like this tragic lead up to Empire Strikes back and Return Of The Jedi. That even in his darkest times he is simply alone with the Emperor. Until Return Of The Jedi where Luke tries to change him.

3: I wonder if I tried to make the Deathtroopers story canon. Basically a novel featuring undead Stormtroopers and all that. A horror story in the Star Wars universe that takes place before A New Hope. Including there is an idea where during this three year gap, this squad of Stormtroopers and Vader would take on groups of these zombies on a ship. Maybe have some of the Rebellion characters do that too as well. But I feel I’m just being weird, because I like horror. So me trying to make that horror novel canon is me just simply adding stuff.

4. I have wondered if I tried adding Durge I think. Such as the times I tried adding into this idea of expanded material for the sequel trilogy when we were all waiting for episode 8.

I’m talking about Durge from the 2003 Clone Wars show. Amazing I keep trying to get this character back because how utterly amazing he is.

I just wanna admit this. But I find it admirable that somehow after everything, somehow Ahsoka made it through not just the Clone Wars and Order 66. But even the Galactic Civil War after Return Of The Jedi. I find it amazing they could of killed her off. But they didn’t. In fact, I’m strangely glad they didn’t killed her off. Which I find actually cool. Such as her appearing on The Mandalorian. 

Also this was thought of before the Ahsoka and Vader meeting Rebels...you know I find it nice seeing after the mess that happened with the sequel trilogy. Good things seem to be happening now...

I think I’m gonna be done making this. I’m gonna put the keep reading option.

[angels-heap]

Uhm all we're asking is the adults in the hl fandom should stop being fucking weird bc there's kids here! like if all the minors think something is sus then maybe it's... creepy... and you should stop

I’ve addressed this issue multiple times before so I’m not going to write another dissertation, but it sounds like a few important points bear repeating:

1. The Half Life games are rated M. They are not for children. Children are welcome to enjoy them if they want to and their parents/guardians allow it, but they have no room to complain about mature themes in the games or the fandom because they are not the series’ target audience. I recently discussed this in more detail here and here, when people tried to give me shit for writing (fairly vanilla, properly tagged, healthy) ns/fw fanfiction; the asks themselves are sfw. And while we’re on the topic, HLVRAI is clearly not intended to be “children’s media” either; it’s full of ns/fw humor and older pop culture references. 

2. The core of the Half Life fandom has always been comprised mostly of people in their late teens to mid-30s. It was also a pretty chill, calm, healthy community for the 16 years preceding the influx of HLVRAI stuff. It’s nice to see that new, younger people are getting into the series, but y’all can’t just barge into a new fandom and demand that people stop doing harmless things that have brought them joy for over a decade because you personally don’t like certain ships or characters.

3. I’m assuming this is about freemance, and as I’ve said a thousand times before, there’s nothing wrong with freemance. Also, one glance at AO3 or the tumblr tags (prior to the avalanche of HLVRAI content, anyway) would have made it quite clear that the majority of the fandom ships (or at least doesn’t loathe) freemance, so it’s not like this was some creepy little secret that we started subtly pushing on minors after we lured them into our evil adult lairs. 

4. There is a difference between “this thing makes me personally uncomfortable” and “this thing is morally wrong.” Please learn to recognize it. If you don’t like a ship, here are some healthier suggestions as to how to deal with those feelings, because sending accusatory anons to random content creators isn’t helping anyone.  

5. There are plenty of minors in the HL fandom who ship freemance. I’m obviously not going to list them all here because I don’t trust trolls not to harass them, but here’s a relevant anon ask I received from a 14 year old a while back. This isn’t a minors vs. adults debate so much as it’s a “people who know shit about Half Life” vs. “people who don’t know shit about Half Life and/or have done extensive mental gymnastics to interpret canon in the worst possible way” debate. 

6. To my knowledge, nobody in the “old” tumblr HL fandom is being weird to minors. (If anyone’s heard otherwise, please let me know and I’ll do what I can to help address it.) Especially in light of the recent drama, a lot of “old fandom” folks have attempted to make their blogs 16+ or 18+ and started doing a lot of their socializing in age-restricted spaces away from tumblr. Even those of us who don’t go out of our way to preemptively block minors have been careful to establish boundaries when we do occasionally chat with them. Not to mention, as a grown-ass adult, I don’t really have a desire to form close friendships with minors in the fandom; like, some of y’all are awesome people, but I just can’t relate past a certain point and I prefer to socialize with people closer to my own age. You know, like a normal person. 

If you’re worried about people over the age of 18 doing sketchy shit like... oh geez, I dunno, promoting their discord servers to minors, offering cash incentives to minors to get other minors to join those servers, forming uncomfortably close personal relationships with minors, encouraging minors to engage in age-inappropriate discourse, and creating an isolating cult of personality around hating a large subsection of the fandom over a total non-issue... I hear that’s a thing that’s happening, but it’s definitely not the freemance shippers who are doing it. 

[tonystarkbingo]

TSB MIV Week 25 Roundup!

ONLY 6 MORE DAYS TO GO!  Time to scramble!  Finish up those last squares! 

Title: fireworks Collaborator: Becca Card Number: 4029 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K1 - Image: Working on Bucky’s Arm Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Moodboard Summary: in which bucky subtly asks tony out on a date Word Count: N/A

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Title: Knitting Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S4 - Fabrication Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Knitting, extreme amounts of fluff thanks to Alpine ;) Summary: When Tony and Bucky moved in together, the most appreciative of Tony’s knitting habit was actually Alpine. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Love at first glance Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Love at first sight, Modern AU Summary: Inspired by this poem:I will look at youacrossany roomand thinkyou are the most beautiful person I'veever seenfor aslong as Ibreathe.a.r.asher Word Count: N/A

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Title: Cat Adoption Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S2 - Adopting a Pet Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Alpine, feral cat adoption Summary: Even though Alpine have been adopted a year ago, sometimes she still liked to draw blood. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Tech Support Collaborator: newnewyorker93 Card Number: 4042 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K4 - Image: So Smart Ship: Tony & Clint Rating: Gen Major Tags: Cross-stitch Summary: Cross-stitch of Tony and Clint from a scene in the Fraction/Aja Hawkeye comics. Word Count: N/A

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Title: You’re My Best Friend Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - First Time Ship: M’Baku/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: M'Baku wants his first architect job to go well. As the one who commissioned the building design, his boyfriend Tony thinks he should relax a little.   Word Count: 570

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Title: The Chametz Removal Squad Collaborator: newnewyorker93 Card Number: 4042 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Humour Ship: Tony & Pepper & Morgan, Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff & humor, Passover, Jewish Stark family Summary: The Stark family prepares for Passover. Word Count: 1053

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Title: Tangled AU Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T2 - Improvised Weapons Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: cast iron pans are dangerous Summary: what it says on the tin - Poor Bucky gets conned into taking Tony to see the lanterns at the Capitol, where Bucky coincidentally is also wanted. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Prosthetic Arms and Impossible Things - Chapter 1: Spring Collaborator: rebelmeg Card Number: 4034 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Disability Fic Ship: Tony & Bucky & Sam Rating: Gen Major Tags: disability, recovery, friendship, supportive friends Summary: Sam and Bucky return from a trip to Wakanda with something for Tony. Word Count: 580

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Title: Equal Footing Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Backrubs/Massages Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Iron Man 2 - Canon Divergence, POV Pepper Potts, flirty!Tony, Summary: Tony keeps offering to rub Pepper's feet and she keeps saying no - until she doesn't. Word Count: 879

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Title: P is for Pepper Collaborator: newnewyorker93 Card Number: 4042 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T3 - Bedtime Stories Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Cross-stitch Summary: Cross-stitch of Pepper in the Rescue armor, styled like a page in a children’s alphabet book. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Part of the Family  Collaborator: Gavilan Card Number: 4092 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R2 - Forcibly Adopted Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: Thanksgiving, food, images of food, moodboard  Summary: Rhodey had told Tony he didn’t need to be nervous about coming with him for Thanksgiving. Sure enough, Mama Rhodes took one look at him and adopted him permanently. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Collaborator: Gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R4 - Image: Driver’s Suit Ship: Suggested Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: The trip to Monaco wasn't supposed to turn out like this. Word Count: N/A

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Title: No Minions Allowed Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Canon: Avengers Academy Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Established Relationship, injury, self-esteem issues Summary: Tony is determined to hide his injuries, but why? Word Count: 679

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Title: First Kiss Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T5 - Journalist Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: kiss in the rain Summary: Fanart for @anthonyed's story Word Count: N/A

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Title: My Love is Vengeance Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - WinterIron Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: canon divergence, Winter Soldier POV, double agent, young!Tony. Summary: As he regains consciousness, a good chunk of Bucky’s memories return as well. Unfortunately, he and Tony are now prisoners and mostly likely on their way to Hydra’s headquarters. Word Count: 1211

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Title: Worth of an arm Collaborator: Sogana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A5 - Missing You Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Canonical Character Death, Fix-It Summary: So I was playing with an idea of EG!Bucky going back in time to make amends with Tony and save his life and then @rise have thrown this prompt into the WinterIron server, and I have decided to run with it.No one knows that Rocket got awfully attached to that weird human, you know, the one that was worth talking to? Tony something? No one except Bucky anyway, who knows exactly what that looks likeSo when Bucky decides that he isn't going to let Tony Stark stay dead, it's the weird space racoon that he goes to for help. He'll be down an arm if they succeed-the racoon knows how to negotiate-but that's just the cost of doing business. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Would Robot Eyes Rust If They Cried - Chapter 5 Collaborator: Jacaranda Card Number: 4064 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Polyamory/Open Relationship Ship: Stuckony Rating: E Major Tags: Established Relationship, Sexual Content, Angst, Robot Bodies Summary: Steve tries again with Tony. It doesn't go a whole lot better. Word Count: 2513

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Title: Shock of Waking Up Collaborator: periwinklepromise Card Number: 4053 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch Ship: Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Steve froze, staring down at the young woman curled up in the crate. This day had gone from bad to worse, and he wanted just one moment to ponder on that. And then she woke up and started screaming. Word Count: 661

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Title: Creepy, Wiggly, Icky, Gross Collaborator: rebelmeg Card Number: 4034 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - Tentacles Ship: Tony & the Jarvises, Tony & Rhodey, Tony & Happy, Pepperony + Morgan Rating: Teen Major Tags: tentacles, crack and humor, tiny teaspoon of angst, brief mention of porn Summary: The five times Tony hated tentacles plus the one time he still hated tentacles (and you can't change his mind). Word Count: 2820

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Title: Always In My Mind Collaborator: Nicnac Card Number: 4048 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Music Ship: Tony Stark x F!Reader  Rating: Mature Major Tags: Suggestive Themes, Dancing, Feelings, Kissing, Touching, Music, Early Mornings, Lazy Mornings, Morning After, Developing Relationship Summary: Tony goes to the reader’s apartment and they decided not to go for a drive and stay at home and have a little fun instead. Word Count: 2099

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Title: Keep Us Flying Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - AU: Cyberpunk Ship: IronWidow Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Cap changes their flight plans, and it's up to Natasha to tell Tony-- Steve always makes her do it because he thinks them being married makes it easier.  Word Count: 359

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Title: Experiment Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Space Ship: T’Challa/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Normally, T'challa would impress the cute guy in his class by being smart, but he didn't know what had gone wrong with their experiment. The fact that Tony had already loudly proclaimed to the professor that he didn't like group projects didn't help.  Word Count: 1692

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Title: Basic Principles Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Jealousy Ship: Johnny Storm/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Johnny loves love. Hell, he's made a career out of helping other people find love, and he has no regrets. Then he meets Tony, who's absolutely perfect, but the problem is that Johnny doesn't like men. He's trying to help Clint get the woman of his dreams, so he doesn't have time to worry about whether or not he's as straight as he thought. (Hitch AU) Word Count: 6740

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Title: Dream Sharing Rec List Collaborator: SierraNovembr Card Number: 4033 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K1 - Dream Sharing Ship: WinterIron, Stony Rating: N/A Major Tags: N/A Summary: A rec list of my top five favorite Dream Sharing fics. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Honeymoon Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K3 - Marriage Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Honeymoon Summary: Even after 30 years of marriage, both look fondly of their honeymoon pictures. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Early mornings Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - Art Format: Neutral Colours Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Early morning, sleepy Tony and Bucky Summary: Neither Tony or Bucky were morning people. Tony never woke up before the 3rd cup of coffee and Bucky liked to cuddle. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Throes of Heat Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Kink: Pornstar/Rentboy/Sexworker Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Oral sex, Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, Alpha Bucky, Omega Tony, Summary: While Tony had enjoyed the company of several Alpha heatworkers, Heatworker Bucky was exceptional even among them. Word Count: N/A

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Title: PoliZ’s Stuffed Marvels - Peter Quill/Starlord Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R3 - Peter Quill/Starlord Ship: N/A Rating: Gen Major Tags: fanart, character sketch, Stuffed Marvels, Summary: Stuffed Marvels sketch of Peter Quill/Starlord - outfit based on the first film. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Returned to the Fold Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - AU: Angels/Demons Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Alternate Universe: Angels & Demons Summary: God had made it perfectly clear that any demon who wanted to return to the fold would be made welcome. All they had to do was ask for forgiveness. So it wasn’t that the Fallen weren’t able to return. It was just that none ever had. Word Count: 561

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Title: Skips a Beat Collaborator: periwinklepromise Card Number: 4053  Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Missing Scene Ship: IronWidow Rating: teen Major Tags: None Summary: After the disastrous party, Natalie was the only one still there. Word Count: 374

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Title: Matchmaker Bots Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Matchmaker Bots Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Winter Soldier themed dildo Summary: Dum-E tries to matchmake. After some embarrassing and awkward explanations he succeeds. Word Count: 100