#i think there was a lot of nostalgia goggles

[chizucore]

the casting for the KNT netflix live action was genuinely so perfect because everyone is like "sawako is so creepy!" and then you look at sawako and she's the most strikingly beautiful person you've ever seen, and meanwhile everyone is like "kazehaya is so perfect!" and you look at him and he's really just some guy. this is exactly how it should be!! this is biblically accurate sawakaze!! i love them like this

[welcometogrouchland]

Does life ever get so bad that you want to start hanging out at church/mass again?? Like not really for spiritual reasons (kind of but not really but maybe but no) but more for nostalgia reasons

[tigergendermoved2tigergender]

I miss RC Pixelmon so bad like it's still around but it's changed. I feel like it's the only server that's really captured that pure pixelmon essence. There weren't a ton of events and guaranteed shinies and server exclusive forms taking over the experience and even the paid tiers of the server only offered slight benefits. You could even use GameShark and RCRadar </3

[multiheadcanons]

REQUEST- TF2 MERCS AND VALUED TRAITS

i want to make sure this doesn’t get lost in the tags, so i’m gonna put it up top so it can’t. i don’t even know if i got the prompt right, i had a WONDERFUL time writing these and i didn’t stop until i was done. that’s why it’s so stupidly long. i listened to dentures out by the proclaimers as i wrote these, and in my head i couldn’t stop repeating “nostalgia, i love you”. this was such a tender writing experience, to cradle these characters in my hands and write them with a gentleness i don’t give them anymore in my decade of thinking about these fictional men. this is my 14 year old self’s daily imaginings, mature and manifest. i hope the requester likes it. i LOVED getting to write it!

scout: scout likes a sense of humor. anyone he can crudely (or rudely) joke with without it devolving into a fist fight is okay in his book. and he’s so cocky, he needs someone with a good head on their shoulders to keep him in check. it’s hard for him to register when he’s pushing himself, or a situation too far. needs people who can keep up with him. he’s not particularly interested in, nor capable of metaphorically slowing down to keep pace. he is a tone setter. you can either get with it, or get out of the way. if you yourself are a tone setter, or the immovable object to his unstoppable force, you might butt heads. but he appreciates it for what it is. he actually really likes it. he enjoys a mentally stimulating conversation as long as both sides keep it respectful. generally, it’s really hard for scout to vibe with someone that is his total opposite. if you don’t see eye to eye on your views, he can get past that if you both have the same ferocity about your respective things. if you have the same views, it’s okay if you go about it differently than he does. you just have to agree somewhere and he can be flexible as needed. and understand that sometimes he sounds like an ass and is really not meaning to. he can’t be around sensitive people, his brain is not wired for them. and i would like to state the difference between someone with empathy and sympathy and someone who is sensitive. if he is worried about everything coming out of his mouth hurting you, very specifically you, he is going to resent you. that’s not to say if he genuinely says something out of pocket he’s not going to listen, but he knows everything he’s saying can’t be out of pocket.

soldier: soldier is, well, a soldier. there’s two ways to go about it. you can either fall beneath him, or rise above him. both of these are essentially the same thing with one key difference. if you are reliable and trustworthy, and he knows he can tell you something and it’s either going to get done or handled, you are a valued member to soldier’s battalion, regardless of rank. the difference as to whether or not he’s going to see you as an equal is through your battle sense. don’t think he’s not watching. he’s checking your verbal, mental, emotional, and physical battle sense. if you can’t cut someone down within minutes, he will probably not trust you with his largest issues. but he does know that you’re willing to try, and he does give credit for trying. he doesn’t register this himself, but he gets along a lot easier with people who are not high energy. he is really good at carrying conversations, and not very good at fostering social relationships. if you give him an inch he will take that mile, and it makes it easier for him to move at his pace, which is lightning speed. and don’t be afraid to put your foot down if it gets to be too much. he likes moxie.

pyro: pyro, in all reality, past the large flamethrower and flame retardant suit and the abyss of the mask’s goggles, is a very soft person. they do best with people willing to play along with their softness. they register, and don’t really care that they currently have multiple charges they’re fighting the united states government on. they need softness. they need kindness. anyone willing to show that for them consistently, without abandoning them when things get bad (or when the feds come knocking on the door), will always have a best friend in pyro. gift giver, and loves to receive gifts in return. it’s the fastest way to start on the right foot. they’re looking for a partner in their crimes. or at least someone who’s willing to lie to the police about their whereabouts. and this might seem obvious, but if you’re averse to fire they’re not gonna like you; and it’s not you, it’s the fact that your aversion to fire is spitting in their face, ripping their heart out of their chest, throwing it on the ground, calling all of your friends, stomping it into dust, and laughing about it as you walk away, is all. you might be able to offset that with a stellar gift though. have you considered ten gallons of kerosene? or a new ignition for their flamethrower? oh, or maybe some of those packets of dust you put in campfires to change the color. they would love that for battle.

demo: tavish i love you so much man. demo is a fun loving guy with a sharp wit, and a decent balance of his work and home life. he can’t really hang out with anyone who isn’t at least on a similar wavelength. like if we’re using the metaphor of being on the same page, you can’t be any further than a couple paragraphs ahead or behind him. in all forms of his life, really. demo spends a lot of time having to justify to his loved ones that he’s doing right by himself. if he can come to you, tell you something, and you take the moment you need to register what he said, and say “well, alright then. no more information needed. got it.” he might kiss you right there. likes people with the same zest for life. doesn’t have to be bombs, but it helps if you’re also in a dangerous job that kills you and brings you back regularly. you’ve got bonus points if you love the proclaimers. chatty cathy, loves someone who can’t stop talking. he’ll listen to you for hours if you’ve got something worth talking about. which could genuinely be anything. you just have to know what you’re talking about. this man has his what, masters? in chemistry. come at him with a masters degree worth of knowledge at minimum. in something. in anything. unload something on him in an hour or three that took you years to get to the point you arrived at. leave nothing out. you’ll leave him breathless and connected to your hip. expect the same in return. he likes pictures. he will take pictures with you. for the memories. he’ll write on the back, instead of a date and a name, what you spoke about.

heavy: heavy is a big guy, and heavy likes to cut loose sometimes. he needs someone who can handle accidental rough treatment. literally. and sometimes metaphorically. he does his best to not injure the shorter members of the team, but they know at this point that heavy is a man and a half, and to brace themselves if he’s approaching them, in case he’s decided to let loose. he stays away from anyone who is a third of himself or less unless you’re buffering that somewhere that counts. it’s why he likes scout. he might crush scouts lungs, but he has to catch scout first. and he will rarely, if ever, catch scout. and he can never catch scout the same way twice. same reason he has a fondness for pyro. he has no idea what pyro is. just knows pyro is one of the few teammates who can beat his damage output fairly regularly if they’re strategic on the field, and when he’s staring down a gas mask that has bloodier hands than he does, the cat plushie being offered as a gift seems really nice in juxtaposition, and he feels a lot more inclined to be softer when pyro seeks softness. needs people that can take care of themselves, he already has enough responsibility with his family. and he loves his family! that’s why he protects them. you need to protect yourself, you cannot rely on him. if you can show that you are something else if you are not strong, you’ll make a beginning mark at warming him up to you. if you are weak, but dexterous; frail, but strategic and vicious; frightened, but accurate in your judgement all the same— those are all giving him things to rely on with you. a relationship with heavy is a relationship of trust. mutual trust and self-trust. you have to be your own rock before he’ll consider helping you with your weight. or, you can also take the unconventional route and yknow… talk to him. tell him what your plans are. he’ll work with what you give him. he’ll tell you what he needs to see before he’ll give you the results you want. heavy is an easygoing guy! heavy does not invite difficulty where it is not needed! if you want something from him, ask! he is happy to talk! now, he’ll probably get flustered if you approach him and say “i want to date you give me the step by step instructions in detail also i’m a visual learner” but he’ll definitely sit down and chat with you about compatibility, and even if one of you find that the other may not truly be what you want or need in that sense; he might still like you enough to be your friend! he kind of likes being worn down over time.

engineer: engie’s dream idea of a partner, in any sense of the term, is a fresh brewed mug of coffee with a splash of milk on the coaster of his desk every morning and a list of some side quests he can do to get away from his desk and out of his workshop. he is looking for a fort he can take shelter in, metaphorically. engie builds machines because they’re reliable and consistent. his teammates, his friends are reliable and consistent. he is reliable and consistent. he is not someone who considers himself often. so if he’s watching everyone else’s back, he needs someone watching his. he needs someone who’s not gonna bend to his texan charms, or his anger, or his annoyance, or his condescension, and give him a frank reset when he needs it. he needs people who can not only weather a storm, but stand out and scream in it. he needs someone with his best interests at heart. but he doesn’t want a caretaker. he just needs someone who keeps a closer eye on himself than he does. it’s why he can’t entirely hate medic when the doctor can look at him and make an accurate assessment that he needs rest, or sunlight, or to get the fuck out of the base, or protein, or a word of comfort. you can’t be underhanded about trying to look out for him, because he’s from texas; he knows the southern hospitality game much better than you do and he’ll use it to deny deny deny. it’s why scout makes headway with him with his lack of any charisma to circumvent. he is almost never expecting a direct approach from anyone. you can’t buckle to his massive fucking brain and the 5D chess he’s playing in it. you’ve got to be strong, a confident decision maker, unwilling to play semantics with him, willing to bare your arm to a lunging dog and push in further to get the dog to let go when he latches. and don’t question yourself because he can sniff fear out of you like a bloodhound. he almost likes feeling like a robot, of going through the motions he knows. but he likes a firm reminder to look out for himself.

medic: medic is a man who has the world eating out of his palm. handsome, intelligent, charismatic if you don’t talk to him for long periods of time. medic can hate a trait in someone and love it in someone else. and almost everyone he’s met is itching to get in his good graces, so he’s oddly attracted to people who seem to not give a shit about him. he wants to know what’s rattling in that empty peanut head of yours. if he can actually get to know you at your worst first, he’ll be more approving of you at your best. likes someone who’s willing to lay their cards on the table, he will reciprocate. also a chatty cathy. this man is a literal doctor. went, graduated, got the license, subsequently got it taken away and everything. he has so much information running through his brain at any time, he’s always willing to add to his expansive knowledge. unlike demo though, he fact checks. so if you need to know what you’re talking about with demo, you sure as fuck better know with the doctor, because he’ll clock you on it every time, and you can only be wrong so many times before he thinks you’re an idiot. he hates idiots. on the opposite end, he LOVES people who are pathologically passionate. if you don’t have the flair to get down get away from him, because he’ll make you feel bad. gives real “HEY EVERYONE, BOO THIS GUY” energy. if he’s dancing and asks you to join, you dance with him! dance worse! the way his face lights up is euphoric. if you’re mad, go ahead and take it up a notch. scream at him. shove him! medic wants to see what you do. you like him? tell him you love him. whisper it in his ear during a meal as you pass by. he loves being treated like a lab rat. loves being the experiment as much as he loves being the experimenter. people fascinate him in that sense, that relationships are just a big game of doing things to one another and seeing how it unfolds.

sniper: snipes is a guy who can get lost in everyone’s eyes with enough time, but doers will always take him fastest. loves someone with a fire under their ass. take firm grip on him and don’t let go. don’t let go unless your arm is being cut off. then grab on with the other one. his own energy is normally so low that someone who can bring him up to speed is greatly appreciated. and affirming him you’re not going anywhere helps, but he is a man of action. don’t flinch if he asks you to hold the piss jars. don’t hesitate taking his rifle if he’s handing it off to you. don’t hesitate letting off a shot if you can handle it, because he’s watching. he’s noticing what you do and how you react. and the second he gets a whiff of “mmm actually i don’t know if i like this” those walls are BACK UP. you can always be friends though. he likes people with the urge to take initiative. he swoons for anyone who spares him enough “how are you, really”s. he just gets lost in vulnerability so easily. he’ll lose himself when you’re alone together. in your hands. in your eyes. he can’t help how red he gets, he’s living in la la land. he’ll have rom com soundtracks playing in his ears as he envisions what your kids would look like, and you’re just asking if he’s had lunch yet. and all of this would be so cute if he wasn’t staring at you like you’ve whispered knowledge unknown to man in inconceivable language in his ear. but all one on one interactions lead to epiphanies with snipes. it’s easy to become the one person he can’t stop thinking about if you’re around enough. but it’s hard to stick it out with him. he’s on the road a lot, for one.

spy: he’s so messyyyy he loves a manipulator. human relations to him are a very large game of chess. he loves a conniving, cunning, genuinely evil person. loves being used as a pawn, it happens so rarely for him that when the tables get turned baby he is BARKING LIKE A DOG WHERE IS HIS COLLAR. he wouldn’t even like you otherwise! how is he supposed to trust someone who’s not willing to turn on him? he just needs to know where you draw your line in the sand. what is enough for you to toss him to the wayside? because he guarantees he can accomplish it and more. it’s his insane confidence in himself that attracts him to people who could genuinely hope he gets hit by a car and dragged under the chassis for fifty miles without a stoplight in sight. and he plays it so coy. because he knows with enough time he will get the jump on them too. loves people he can play mind games with that won’t negatively backfire on what’s public about whatever character he decides to play. really does best without fluffy emotions getting in the way. those are harder for him to cope with. someone who is just unyieldingly kind to him is a fool. and he distrusts them greatly, because they don’t know the danger they’re in associating with him, and that puts everyone not only around them, but those with confidential identities around him in danger. and hates to mention it, but his son does work with him? and he won’t willingly state this either, but he does consider everyone on the team a… friend, in some sense of that word, except his son, and he will not be happy if foolishness gets them into a situation that’s bigger than he can handle on his own. at least if he is the pawn there’s nobody to ruin in that case but himself. and he willingly and knowingly takes that risk. it’s a vice he genuinely can’t help it he just loves sinister people. loves a villainous vibe. people who are too good should go get someone nicer. and when these doomed romances with literal supervillains implodes in his face, he is not crushed. he is not upset. he is exhilarated. remember how i said with enough time he’s gonna get the jump on them? yeah, he loves to be the beginning of the end like that. he gets a rush from being the omen. it’s not fun when the pawns are nice. someone’s trust will always, eventually, be betrayed with spy, and if you don’t betray him first… that’s on you. and even if you do betray him first… just wait. he’s got something for that.

[omegastation]

I've seen a comment that has been on my mind a lot lately, that the fandom was dead and that there was some gatekeeping. And to be honest, I have no idea if it's true or not and I want to reflect on it.

I've been away for two years, and for sure Tumblr is different. It's not about people, because they are always lovely fans no matter what. I also don't think I have nostalgia goggles telling me "things were better back then" lol I think it's just that Tumblr, for all its flaws, used to have more public fandom discussions. For better or worse, because posting a reply could encourage discussions that were better left alone - but now it seems like nothing is really public or fandom-wide. It's no longer the norm. Replies are left in the post itself so you have less reblogs with discussions. It's very self contained, which, in my humble opinion, might lose a bit of a sense of community.

The main tag itself used to be filled, and now it's not, clearly because a lot of people aren't active anymore. But it's not just that? I find that I discover more posts using the search function, so I'm always a bit confused about how people tag or intend their posts to be found. Maybe it's just me, but it's unclear to me. And I'm at fault too, I've been very intent on not tagging the main tag for a while, and I don't know why. It's not like I'm hiding, but it felt like my playthrough ramblings didn't belong there. Which is ridiculous, because I wouldn't feel that way about posts like this made by other people. I would want to find those in the tag.

I have a feeling a lot more discussions are now happening on Discord, which is not for me. I don't have the mental capacity for now to check a server every day, see new messages and reply. I tried and it's too much. I would feel the same about fandom boards, though they're less instant, so who knows.

Then you have other apps, which don't always encourage discussions. I've been trying to find vids on TikTok, some are great, but the algorithm fed me a lot of ranking companions type of vids with character bashing so I just paused the whole thing.

Then the gatekeeping, I don't know. I think I learned a lot and matured a bit, so I hope my own behavior in fandom is better and more chill than it used to be. But if I am gatekeeping one way or another, you have to tell me. I mean it. Just flat out tell me and explain, because I would never try to be like this on purpose, and I would need to know what I'm doing wrong to do better.

Lately there have been some DA fans who are experiencing ME for the first time and I'm happy for them. There's a lot of joy in discovering this universe, and I would hate for anyone, me included, to take that away from them.

I'm happy when I get to fill the queue, when people are involved, when there are discussions, when we have fun. That's what I want for Appreciation Weeks, even if I know it will be smaller than other years. It's in a few days and I would hate for anyone not to participate because they worry about how they will be received. If there are ways I can make it more welcoming, tell me!

[relaxxattack]

old ass homestuck here (been reading since 2013, read with it all the way until the end of act 7 but i consider that the true end and never plan to read the epilogues) but i gotta agree i didn’t care for the squared sprites when they first appeared late in act 6 and i really don’t like them much more years later. i found davepeta slightly interesting but at the end of the day they’re the only one who even stood out enough to even pay attention to and unfortunately looking at them was visually very unpleasant due to the constant color flashing.

random disclaimerrrr this is really just my personal feelings, i'm not trying to make a statement about what is "true" or moral or whatever. i want to stress that i'm not against people making meaningful interpretations of davepeta... i understand the appeal of a trans/plural character. it's just hard to feel like any of that was intentional?

power to hussie for making jokes; but it's kind of confusing sometimes to frequently see davepeta - what felt like a really obvious joke made at the expense of the audience - touted like they're the most genius, intentional, meaningful, well-thought-out character ending or trans representation

especially with nepeta in particular... i guess it's left pretty up to the viewer to decide whether or not she was really done dirty at the end, but. personally i still think she was done fucking dirty. the death -> fefeta -> davepeta pipeline was not very rewarding in my opinion. she also never had a choice in any of these? it was not a consensual fate. she wasnt allowed to explore her own identity or choose this, her identity was simply shafted once again after a long pattern of it being shafted and mocked

davesprite is a suicidal character who gets made to end himself. and i guess thats empowering as a metaphor for some trans people but for me it was like ??? physically absorbing another person and then ceasing to exist didn't relate to me heavily but maybe it does for others! i've heard some talk about it being plural too, which i can also see, but they don't act like that's at all intentional in the story. i've heard a lot of "dave struggles with not being the alpha dave so he gets to stop being dave! :)" but why does he have to? he was dave first and longer, shouldn't the meteor dave change his name? 'dave gets to finally stop being a boy and embrace being a trans girl' does she do that? or is her individualism taken from her and regifted to a catgirlboy that is not actually trans at all but textually stated to be identifying as half of one cis girl and half of one cis boy?

guh i am trying so hard to not sound invalidating to how other people feel empowered by this character. while also explaining how its Not for me. once again disclaimer i LIKE what people have done with davepeta it just feels like, strangely un-empowering to me for these two characters to have their agency taken away in such a manner.

rose's dead corpse who literally just watched the love of her life die in front of her face gets dug out of her final resting place and immediately starts throwing herself at every women in the vicinity

arquius in particular is one i see get completely nostalgia goggled too because every moment they were on screen was painful dialogue-wise; but these days arquius is thought of like a vehicle for hal and equius gender thoughts. which is a concept with merit because of course both hal and equius have stuff going on gender wise and it makes sense to combine those but like. the character wasn't like that in canon and it never felt like they were meant to be like that. most of the time they were.. jokes. insulting jokes.

i get WHY its read a trans or plural narrative. just as a trans and plural person i did not read it that way or think that was what the author intended... and i find it a little uncomfortable in that regard

[joannerenaud]

The Lady Serena review

I think, quite possibly, this was the first ever historical romance I’d ever read. Little did I know that it was written by Virginia Coffman— yes, THE Virginia Coffman, Gothic novelist extraordinaire, who was to become one of my favorite authors. In the late 1970s, under the pseudonym of Jeanne Duval, she wrote two historical novels set in ancient Rome, specifically against the reign of the Emperor Nero. I was so obsessed with this book, I read it over and over and over again. Years passed, and I lent it to a friend, who was much less enthused about it than I was. Then I read other negative reviews, and I began to think this book wasn’t so hot, and I was viewing it through rose-colored Nostalgia Goggles. Had the suck fairy come for Lady Serena?

Anyway, at last I decided to sit down and reread it. The back copy sells it as a lurid bodice-ripper about a Vestal Virgin, Serena, who has a forbidden romance with Tigellinus, Nero’s dark and sinister prefect of police. It definitely has bodice-ripper elements, but compared to many romances of the time, like The Flame and the Flower or The Wolf and the Dove, it is a masterpiece of subtlety and nuance.

Serena, a proud, practical aristocrat who’s taken vows as one of Vesta’s sacred priestesses, is increasingly tempted by Tigellinus’s masculine charms as she finds herself pulled into palace intrigue— specifically, she is called to tend to a sickly Emperor Claudius, who dies shortly after, from a surfeit of poisoned mushrooms or… possibly something else? Soon, she’s caught up in a shadowy conspiracy and a power struggle between the impulsive, lovable but erratic young emperor Nero, and his competent and frightening mother Agrippina. The depiction of these historical characters is so good, so assured and so accurate, and so free of the usual nonsense from Suetonius, it’s as if Coffman had actually met them. It’s impressive work.

The first half of the book has this languid, beautifully written atmospheric slow burn going on, which is very typical of Coffman— but the ending is exciting and cinematic, complete with battles at sea, riots, chariot chases and a gripping palace showdown. As for Tigellinus, the hero— he’s fine. He felt a bit undercharacterized— I felt that he and Serena needed a few more scenes together, but given how abysmally low the standards of romance heroes from the 1970s were, I didn’t mind him. The sex scenes are pretty short and not especially detailed, but that also seems pretty typical for the time. I did not especially buy the romance at first, but I felt much more convinced by the end, after the couple had been on the run together (which is always one of my favorite tropes).

As for Serena, at first I found her underwhelming, but I grew to like her a lot. She’s pretty naive at first, but over the course of the book she proves herself to be tough, clever, observant and in some respects, ruthless— she fends off two attempted rapists, and towards the end she coolly rescues herself from a particularly sticky situation in a way that had me pumping my fist into the air. I found her arc satisfying. She does have a lot of internal conflict, about betraying her religious vows for a relationship with a man; but she still loves and reveres Vesta. How can she reconcile these two parts of herself? The senior vestal priestess, Lady Maxima, plays a key part too: it’s great to see an older woman play a major part in a historical romance, and I loved seeing how her and Serena’s relationship developed. I thought it ended in a rewarding place— and I don’t want to spoil too much more! But yes, this aspect is definitely something I could not have appreciated as much as when I was a teenager.

The Lady Serena is also interesting in that it walks a fine line between historical-novel-with-romantic-elements and historical romance proper, which I liked. There’s a lot of Gothic elements too— misty temples, flickering torches, ominous villas and cabals of sinister senators abound— which I found to be a treat. This approach is so unusual for this setting. Also, the fact that the author is really affectionate towards Rome as a place and a culture really stands out, and the research is mostly well done.

As for the downsides, the writing is lovely, but there are some repetitive bits that could have been trimmed. Some of the plotting also can feel a bit redundant. For example, there’s two attacks (one on Serena, and another on Tigellinus) by two separate guys who lost all their money betting on some sports event and who became deranged as a result. Once is fine, I guess… but twice? Really? There’s also a few typical Roman tropes that came from old movies that have since been debunked, like galley slaves (not a thing until the early modern era), or people using chariots to travel from one place to another (they were only for races and ceremonial use, not for ordinary use). There’s also all the borked nomenclature, but that’s so typical of 90% of ancient Roman romance out there, that my eyes skim over it at this point.

Anyway, even with all that said, I love this book, and I recommend it! It’s an engrossing Gothic epic set in the ancient world with a cool and competent FMC, a respectable hero, a vibrant supporting cast of characters, and some incredible action. Sadly, there’s no ebook of this available, but paper copies abound, and the curious can find it on archive.org.

[cer-rata]

damijon or damian/chris kent for the ship ask!

(This got long, I apologize--)

So this is for Damijon, but I want to talk about Chris too a bit, so I will also do that.

So the Super Sons right. I think that despite all of the nonsense behind both of their creations, and the hot mess way they both entered the canon, and the honestly kind of cynical expectation that they would be a pair...they manage to actually be really compelling. And that's not just because they're cute together, though they are, and it's okay to appreciate that, I sure as hell do. But they have a lot of the same issues, actually, both personal and familial, in ways that aren't super apparent, and may not have even been intentional, but are kind of fascinating, I think. Because if you strip it down to bare bones, they both struggle with autonomy in a way that is very common for children of controlling parents, just on a scale that's ass fantastical and all-consuming as everything else in their world. Neither of them are each other's first friend or connection, neither of them are the only person that sees them. But in the time they had together in publication, they got to be themselves outside of their legacies for the first time. Their book wasn't about them being Superboy and Robin as much as it was about them being friends, it wasn't about legacy, it was about them being kids, and it was a refreshing break from the rest of their narratives, and I think gave a look at what was and is still being taken away from them. They both made choices their parents would never, and wouldn't approve of and they got to live and die by their choices, and learn to trust each other, which I'd argue was as much of a hurdle for Jon as it was for Damian. I think they represent freedom to each other, and I think with narratives so choked with expectation and foregone conclusions and narrative convention that it's important and engaging to see them be little sparks of chaos in an otherwise monotonous and agonizing slog as they're pushed down a dark tunnel to be something that neither of them really got a chance to refuse to be.

I think whatever the case may be--platonic, romantic, some other thing that's more confusing but probably makes complete and total sense--that they're important to each other's narratives in a way that their fathers never were, and I'd argue their predecessors weren't either. I think it's special and the tension of that relationship inspired a lot of my extrapolation about other characters in their grouping and honestly my AU probably wouldn't exist without them, or at the very least would look very different.

So Chris Kent right, I love the kid. I think he's ripe for exploration, and that his plot clearly would have gone somewhere if it wasn't for the devil of N52. But see that's actually a problem when it comes to thinking about him in relation to other characters, because in canon, he never got to be one? Not really. He was a sweet kid, that experienced every kind of abuse possible honestly, and continued to be an angst sacrifice until the timeline reset. He never got to have friends, or personal relationships outside his adult wife despite the fact that the book made it explicit that his mind didn't age with his body--

So he was a plot device, used well I think, at least in Last Son, and his only moments of autonomy were used to sacrifice him for the characters in the narrative that really mattered. That's not to say I don't like him, I do, I have a lot I'm writing for him. But most of his character exists in fanspace, where he gets the actual time and focus to develop a personality. A lot of older fans who reject Jon in favor of Chris are looking through nostalgia goggles and also not actually reading Jon, because of the two of them, Jon has(had) a fleshed out, 3 dimensional personality and flaws that were unique from the other members of the Superfam. Chris had all the set up for that, but never got the payoff that he paid for in blood and tears. The Chris I've developed for my writing deals a lot with those same questions of autonomy, but from more of a horror angle than Jon, and I think they're actually really interesting together. But I can't reasonable say what his relationship with the Damian of his time period would have been like, because we don't really know him outside of his trauma, without the trauma, we have very little to actually go on, and with it, it's kind of impossible for them to be in a position to connect, so anything there would complete fanfiction, and fanfiction that I haven't written. And I think that's unfortunately the fate of a lot of these younger characters when handled by writers that don't care about them personally, and don't understand children, or the appeal of narratives centered on them generally.

[spuirrelwiththeletterp]

did not think it was gonna be this severe-

so...

I decided to do @nandosplush13's challenge (I blame you /pos)

I knew I was gonna feel embarrassed looking back at the oldest art I have, but still wanted to do it cuz fun! so I dug around the boxes and found a lil folder of cut out drawings I made over 4 years ago

picked the only non full body one, that I also decided I wanted to re-draw (and redesign) too, and like I

I...

I did not realize how much nostalgia and joy I'd feel drawing these two GOOBERS again

here's an extra behind the scenes C:

I had a whole Steve Saga PHASE, that stuff was my damn CHILDHOOD, I should have known I was gonna go through a damn rollercoaster with this!

and like

I'm beyond happy that I decided to do this challenge

I

...

dear moot, you have re-awoken my childhood phase 👁👁

so you guys know how I said I was making doodles in the previous post?

and I was having a blast with them?

yeah?

well

I SWEAR TO GOD NANDO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME 😭😭 /POS

NOT ONLY AM I BACK TO BEING (hopefully momentarily) OBSESSED WITH STEVE SAGA, I'M BACK TO BEING OBSESSED WITH RAINBOW QUEST AND EVEN TWISTED RAINBOW (never really got into Steve Legends. I do like Goggles tho, even if he's just pre-Rainbow Quest Professor Red)

I WANTED TO DRAW MORE OF THEM

- I WANTED TO DRAW TR (Twisted Rainbow) SABRE FIGHTING TR SHADOW SABRE WITH HIS COOL TIME SWORD (did draw full power Shadow tho) - I WANTED TO DRAW ASSISTANT STEVE SAYING HIS STUPID LIL "YOU MORON" AND I'M DEPRESSED I COULDN'T DRAW HIM (my beloved why u so difficult to draw) - I WANTED TO DRAW SS (Steve Saga) TIME AND ELEMENTAL STEVE FIGHTING BEHIND SS GALAXY STEVE, AND MAYBE SS HYPNO STEVE TOO - I WANTED TO PERFECTLY CAPTURE THE ORIGINAL I'M LITERALLY RIGHT BEHIND YOU IT'S LIKE HE'S RIGHT BEHIND ME SCENE BUT I JUST COULDN'T CAPTURE SS SABRE'S CONFUSED JOY SO I KINDA TWEAKED IT AROUND A BIT - I WANTED TO DRAW SS GALAXY STEVE'S EXPLANATION OF WHAT A BALLOON IS AND BUTCHERING IT IN THE MOST GALAXY WAY POSSIBLE - I WANTED TO DRAW A COMPARISON BETWEEN HOW SS ELEMENTAL STEVE IS A STUPID (not actually stupid) VILLAIN AND HOW RQ (Rainbow Quest) ELEMENTAL STEVE IS OBSESSED WITH PUMPKIN PIES - I THOUGHT OF DRAWING BLUE RAINBOW STEVE TO SHOW A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RQ RAINBOW STEVES - THOUGHT OF DRAWING M (my second beloved) OR GERALD TOO - THOUGHT OF DRAWING FRICKING NIGHTMARE STEVE AND NIGHTMARE SANS BOTH BEING LIKE "THIS GUY'S HELLA WEAK LMAO"

ooohhhh BOI sorry I went on a whole tangent

MY LIL NOTES ON THE DOODLES THEMSELVES

- love how I only drew like 5 Steves (2 SS Galaxy Steves and 3 Rainbow Steves (1 SS and 2 RQ)), and the rest (excluding 2 sona doodles) is just Sabre/Shadow Sabre variants - I love the lil designs I came up with for RQ Rainbow Steve and his infected form - I want to go into detail on the design quirks I chose, but am choosing not to unless someone is interested for whatever reason - y'all can guess who's the crush - and y'all can ask me about the doodles themselves (don't know why anyone would but if anyone wants to ask, go ahead)

have SS Galaxy Steve's design that I made cuz I love it a lot (yes I made the space effect myself and yes I tried to subtly make his hair in the shape of a star)

now I want to dig out my old laptop to see what kind of art I used to make of these idiots (and maybe re-draw some) and see what kind of redesigns I had (I 100% had redesigns for some Steve Saga characters like Sabre, Rainbow Steve, and Time Steve. actually the current redesign of SS Sabre I made is based somewhat on what I remember from the previous redesign I made of him!)

now if y'all excuse me, I'm going to bed as it's 4 in the damn morning where I am

[williamnfms]

Silent Hill 2 Remake Review (No Major Story Spoilers)

Silent Hill 2 Remake was a blast. I was someone who really had no knowledge about Silent Hill before this past year. Unfortunately, and I say this because of future context, I had just played and beat in January, Silent Hill 2 Enhanced Edition, which is a fan made remaster of the original game. It is incredibly cool and is worth checking out. I had such a good time on my own experiencing the atmosphere of Silent Hill. Experiencing the story of Silent Hill 2. I enjoyed a LOT about the game. But, the gameplay is lacking and I personally felt it held back some of my enjoyment. I didn't grow up with the game, so no nostalgia goggles (which I absolutely have for games I grew up with to be clear). This brings me to the remake. I'm gonna be honest, I was pretty interested when it was shown during the first intermission. I thought it looked good. Not that I didn't understand that huge fans of the original game in particular were very protective of it, and didn't want it to get ruined. But it looked cool to me at the time. Obviously, time went on and I played the original and gained some perspective on why some were so eager to criticize even if I think a little bit of it reached a bit too far into just hate. Well having beat Silent Hill 2 Remake, one of my conclusions that I had was that, I wish it had been my first experience with the story. I had a blast with the remake. There were some advantages to play the original first with just noticing the differences and where things were moved, changed, added, and removed which was cool. But the story plays such a large part, I wish I wish I had just waited for the Remake because I would have thought it that much better had it been my first experience. I think Bloober Team did such a great job, and even took some criticism from the initial reveal to change some things to improve and created a really well-done modern remake. The gameplay is much more fun playing than the original, and I think they nailed a lot of the redone designs and aesthetic. Some will disagree and that is fine. I haven't really listened to anybody else's review and am going based off of my own experience. Either way, very cool game, loved the remake, wish it had better optimization. 😅

Also as per usual, here are the thumbnails from the finished playthrough of the game that you can find on my YouTube channel. Unfortunately, and also maybe fortunately, I am changing how I am doing thumbnails from this point forward with the channel art rebrand. Taking note from some smaller creators I watch, and cool looking edited stills don't really stand out if you aren't a big channel already. I still want to put work into thumbnails, but if I post them here again they likely won't be as wallpaper-esque as I will be working around a new thumbnail border. I probably wouldn't include the thumbnail border on here so they might end up looking a bit off as a result. Time will tell.

[seaglassmelody]

I’m trying to turn my frustration with bad Veilguard takes into positivity. But man is it hard when I just wanna argue. But here’s an attempt.

Today I’m thinking about the romances and how they’re executed.

(Under the cut because this got way longer than I intended)

I’m going to couch this in the context of the fact that I am currently replaying the entire series. I just started Inquisition this weekend after playing DAO and DA2.

I cannot comment on the DAI romances because I’m still in Haven, but in my opinion the DAO and DA2 romances are incredibly heavy-handed. They often boil down to “I have trauma-dumped on you and you do not find me violently repulsive so I will shove my tongue down your throat now”.

ESPECIALLY Anders and Fenris. Zevran doesn’t even wait to trauma dump on you, though I understand the difference between having sex with him initially and building up the romance (after he’s trauma-dumped on you).

I’m not COMPLAINING about this fact- the games are shorter, older, and iterating on the roleplaying systems that get us to Veilguard. But you can see the age that these games have, and the change in cultural attitudes (honestly, the amount of “but I’m a man??” In the m/m romance with Zevran…)

Versus in Veilguard, I love that a lot of the “flirt” options come out as subtle, personal statements that aren’t coming on too strong and express a deeper interest in the person as an individual. It makes things build slower and more purposefully.

But I also love that there’s a range! Lace’s flirting is sweet and a little awkward. Davrin’s is more obvious but still more natural than Hawke and Fenris’s flat-out “you’re very hot” conversations. Lucanis’s flirting is very much rooted in showing him that you aren’t scared OF him but FOR him, which is important to him!

And the biggest thing- romance or not, I love that a lot of the companion quests are just “hey go to this place and hang out with me.” Rook actually gets to build friendships, see characters outside of crisis situations, and have some moments of peace in between saving the world. That breathing room between plot points is very valuable to me- it’s fertile ground for fanfic and character building! And you don’t have to find a way to cram it in between crises because the game shows you it exists.

I guess for some people this approach doesn’t work (I can’t really imagine why not, but maybe that’s the aroace talking) but for me it’s incredible. The team is a TEAM and the romances feel like actual adults navigating relationships.

For a more contentious point, I really cannot get on board with the idea that the romances are “lacking” compared to the older games. DAO is basically throwing gifts at companions, a romance confirming conversation, minimum one sex scene, and then some endgame dialogue. Even then, by the time I got to Zevran’s “uhoh I guess I love you” convo I did feel like it was earned. But you don’t get a lot of individual romance time and you REALLY gotta dig into those dialogue trees to get places. It’s not very natural-feeling.

Now DA2? It HAS to be nostalgia goggles. I LOVED Fenris’s romance when I first played the game (Fenris was the reason I started playing DA at all) and replaying it was honestly a letdown?? He’s so angry through the entire game It’s very difficult to make sense of why he would love Hawke so much if they’re a mage supporter. The scene where he leaves after they sleep together in Act 2 was sad, but it was impossible to react in the way I wanted (which was understanding sympathy, of course a personal relationship is overwhelming when you’re suddenly getting over amnesia!). Getting back together immediately after killing Danarius feels rushed.

At this point I’m just rambling but I can’t help but feel that people are using 10-15 years of fanfic and daydreams to fill in gaps for the older games and when they’ve only sat with 1 playthrough of Veilguard for 2 months and spent most of that time angry about it, I can’t help but feel they’re missing the beauty of the execution of natural-feeling adult relationships.

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

Hi hi, I was wondering if you had any recs for movies that had good Shaphne interactions or that you just enjoy in general?

Number one answer to be WELL fed is The Legend of the Phantosaur. That movie is so on top of showing you how good their dynamic is and shows how much she cares about him. It is a peak scooby movie as well so even if you don't love Shaphne you WILL love this movie TRUST.

I know that they aren't good movies but I do think that Shag and Daph's dynamic in the CN live action movies is so cute they are very heart eyes if you look through your shipping goggles 🤡🤡🤡. The theatrical live action films are fantastic and in my heart I think they are the best characterization of the gang but they aren't very Shaphne heavy. The first one is pretty Frelma heavy though so def watch it if they're your cup of tea.

I'll rapid fire a few more off the top of my head:

- Mask of the Blue Falcon (they have a fun antagonistic dynamic this movie which I ATE UP but the actual plot is lowkey boring 💀)

- Frankencreepy (random homage film to hot fuzz but it contains THE HUG)

- the KISS one (not a lot of Shaphne because Fraphne gets the b-plot this film but omg this movie unironically SLAPS)

- Stage Fright (I think this one is so funny but Fraphne also get the b-plot in this one)

- Music of the Vampire (I'm a sucker for random musicals)

- Camp Scare (they played this all the time on CN when I was a kid so this may just be for nostalgia)

I'm sure there are more but my mind is drawing a blank. Feel free to check out the movie posts on the blog because you best belive I combed every movie for even a CRUMB of content for yall (and mostly myself). If any of yall have faves feel free to add them on 👏👏👏

[tomsmusictaste]

Biggest scene hot take ?

Okay, here it is:

'California' haters are too blinded by their Tom nostalgia goggles and went in too ready to hate Matt Skiba's part in it - I truly believe if it had been recorded note for note, word for word, beat for beat exactly the same, with the only difference being Tom's vocals where Matt's are - but otherwise, exactly the same — it would be heralded as their best album since the Untitled.

Now, to be clear, I do love Tom and I'm glad he's back; I also agree that Mark and Matt's vocals were a little too similar, where a lot of the fun of Mark & Tom is the contrast between their voices — but that doesn't stop the fact this is still a Top Five album for Blink and I think the haters are just lying to themselves.

Boom. There you go, that's my hot take.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

When you say that Meghan is "manipulating" Harry you are giving her too much credit and him too little agency. by u/OldMenAreGross

When you say that Meghan is "manipulating" Harry you are giving her too much credit and him too little agency. I know some of you Brits (and many non Brits too) might have some feelings of nostalgia because you saw this man grow up and had all kinds of hopes and well wishes towards him but I think you need to be a bit more rational. He never saw you as anything other than paypigs for his lifestyle. He never had any intention to dedicate his life to the wellbeing of your country. He "served" in the military for just a few months 10 years ago and even then he was left in the camp playing Call of Duty while other soldiers put in real work in the field.You need to get over the fact that "old Harry" is not coming back because he never existed. "Old Harry" was a petulant spoiled brat that just didn't yet realise he could make money by airing his dirty laundry in public. Even before Meghan entered the picture he always had envy towards his brother particularly in the matters of money and privilege. When you say that Harry is being manipulated by Meghan you are giving her too much credit.Meghan could not manipulate herself into having any meaningful career in the showbiz (despite being part of it for more than a decade and having all kinds of connections) but all of a sudden she is able to masterfully manipulate one of the most protected people on the planet? If anything her failed career is a testament to how little she could manoeuvre the people around her.I read a lot of comments that go more or less like this: "Poor Harry is forced by Meghan to be an axxhòle! He's just an innocent victim!! If he divorces her he will go back to being a good person!!!" Guys you need to remove your rose-tinted nostalgia goggles and realise your opinion of him was wrong all along.The truth is it wasn't Meghan that "manipulated" Harry into being an idiot. He always was and idiot, Meghan is merely the catalyst for this newly revealed side of Harry. It isn't new, it's just newly revealed. She is a grandiose narcissist who happened to find a fragile narcissist. Two peas in a pod. post link: https://ift.tt/emul1Iq author: OldMenAreGross submitted: November 21, 2023 at 08:38AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[olderthannetfic]

Oh man, magical girl fandoms are a dumpster fire for antis. I was shocked at how many are in Sailor Moon. You know, the anime where a 14 year old's true love is a dude in college. Yes they are closer in age in the manga but many of these are anime fans. A lot of UsaMamo fans will go after anyone who ships Seiya X Usagi because he's supposedly a stalker who doesn't respect her boundaries, a fact that is WAY over blown and exaggerated in the fandom. Keep in mind these same people stan a ship between a 14 year old girl and a dude in college. Now I don't care if they ship it just let me ship my non canon ship in peace and don't write an essay on how my ship is problematic. (Yes even the Diamond/Usagi ship, I am fully aware that the stalkery rapey prince is in fact a bad dude, that's not stopping me from writing my kink fic).

And there is so much wank in the fandom. It feels like you can't do a damn thing without upsetting someone. You like one thing about the DiC American dub? You just have nostalgia goggles on and think it was way better than it was. Uh no I just like it in a so bad its good sort of way and for all the 90s cheese. That and what's wrong with nostalgia goggles for a cartoon? Some fans go as far as calling anyone who uses any of the Americans disrespectful to the creator. Even for like a very minor character.

There are also manga purists who will come at you for preferring anything in the anime.

The other annoying thing. In the manga, Naoko drew a picture of the four Sailor Soldiers paired up romantically with each of the four main bad guy minions. In their past lives they were good guys that were brainwashed to work for evil or something like that. In the Crystal anime (that follows the manga more closely than the 90s anime) they even confirm the romantic relationships between them. (It lasts for like five seconds because the guys are quickly killed off because they all do die in the anime and manga). So people want to ship the Sailor Soldiers with their respective Dark Kingdom general.

So why does the fandom have an issue with this? Well in the 90s anime, there were no such relationships hinted. Instead two of the Dark Kingdom generals were in a gay relationship. (The 90s anime turned one into a woman to censor it.) Instead of just seeing the manga and anime taking place in separate universes, people will call you homophobic for shipping Sailors/Generals. They will say that you are erasing two gay characters even though the creator of the original manga never intended for them to be in a relationship with each other. Of course, the word heteronormative gets thrown around to try to discourage people from shipping them.

I guess at the very least, Haruka/Michiru is still a very beloved ship and my experience with them in the fandom has been very pleasant. But since Sailor Moon is an older fandom I was hoping it would be very ship and let ship. This unfortunately does seem to be common in magical girl anime fandoms. So much purity culture!

--

[woundworship]

i really dont get people saying that the new series is so "dark" and "gritty"... like, the source material has always been dark for something aimed at younger kids. i know it may not seem like it because you have those nostalgia goggles on, but it was!

mallory literally was kidnapped by gnomes because she was 'too pretty', then drugged and almost turned into an actual metal statue. the elves would have kept jared with them forever if he hadnt outsmarted them. the creatures have always been murderous, people-eating beasts. the movie just made them feel silly and not that scary for well. obvious marketing reasons. though i will admit i wasnt expecting them to have one of the main characters commit cannibalism without his knowledge and not even mention it, but! its in the folklore!

but even though the story was always a bit darker, i really didnt find the show that dark? if anything, i found the fae in it goofy a lot of the time. and if by "dark" people mean the environmentalist angle, that 1. has always been there lmao and 2. is the natural progression of things. you literally cant make a story about fae without talking about the environment.

im not saying it's perfect. i do agree we shouldve gotten more creatures, which may sound weird since the show was so mulgarath-focused, but everyone was always in their human form. thats boring! i want critters!!! little guys!!!!! i think a second season is unlikely, but if it does happen, id love it if they got tony diterlizzi to do the character design and even brought holly black in to help with the script.

anyway. literally no one cares about this and only me and idk, other 25 people have even watched the show, but as always I Must Yap