#i wouldn't even mind if they were actually biologically related because it's not real

[otome4all]

My actually unpopular Love and Deepspace opinion is that I think you guys are fake otome fans for not being able to stomach the mere suggestion of a vaguely brother-like LI being in the game at some point in the future

It's very clear to me that Infold/Paper Games has been censoring it in the EN translation/dub because they know English-speaking fans are hypersensitive about these things, so if you can't understand the CN/JP/KR dub where they do use familial terms, you're so grossed out by.... people who lived in the same house for something like four years.... that it warrants five "unpopular opinion" "ew this is so gross" posts a day? Come onnnnnnnnn

[monsterblogging]

"I know JK Rowing is a terrible person but her books are so good-"

You sure about that?

I mean, just for a start, have you taken a good look at her fantasy creatures lately? A whole bunch of them are straight-up based on malicious and dehumanizing stereotypes about actual people.

Remember the werewolves? And being a werewolf was made into a kind of metaphor for having AIDS?

And you know how AIDS was first associated with gay men? And how conservatives back in the day were claiming gay men were preying on children in order to convert them to gayness?

Remember how Fenrir Greyback preyed on children in particular? Yeah, she put that subtext in there. She was an adult in the 90's. She knew damn well what she was doing.

Remember the house elves? Remember how most of them loved to serve and needed to have a home and a master or else they just wouldn't know what to do with themselves?

Did you know that's literally what slavers in the American South said about the Black people they kept enslaved? Go look up the happy slave myth.

Do I even need to get into the goblins and the antisemitic tropes they're based on? No, folkloric goblins were not gold-hoarding bankers waiting for their chance to stab humanity in the back.

"But the characters are so good!"

Are you kidding me?

Most of her characters are pretty one-dimensional, including Harry. Her idea of making a morally complicated character is giving a tragic past to a bully. Numerous characters are little more than stereotypes. (Looking at Fleur right now.) Literally anybody, including you, can easily make dozens of characters just as good, if not better. (It doesn't exactly take a lot of character designing skill to go, "hey, actually, having a sad backstory doesn't make it okay to bully children" or "hey, maybe I should not base a character on the first stereotype that pops into my head.")

"But the rest of the worldbuilding!"

Sorry, but her worldbuilding is just as basic as her characters. Magical castles and secret passages are stock tropes. Magical people who keep their true nature secret from humanity is the premise of pretty much every White Wolf TTRPG. Most of her fantasy creatures are just common European fairy tale and folklore creatures with shitty stereotypes projected onto them.

I'm not saying "basic worldbuilding bad." I'm saying, you could do just as good, if not better, with minimal effort.

Also there's her magical bioessentialism, where only Harry's abusive blood relatives could provide him with supernatural protection from Voldemort. Rowling thus effectively declared that non-biological family isn't quite real family, and that abusive biofamily can give you some essential thing that a loving, supportive family that isn't related to you just can't.

The Hogwarts houses are one of the most insidious elements of her worldbuilding. The idea of being sorted gives you a little dopamine hit because wow now you have a li'l niche where you belong!

But the actual function of the houses and sorting system and the House Cup is teaching children to see each other as rivals, and ensure that the most toxic views of the upper class get passed on to every new batch of kids sorted into Slytherin.

Hogwarts effectively prepares children for a dystopia where magic serves to distract its citizens from how nightmarishly awful it is. Economic inequality is so bad that people like Arthur and Molly Weasley can barely afford to put their kids through school, casual sadism is just an accepted norm in everyday society, and non-humans are second class citizens. Rowling sorta acts like she thinks this is a bad thing with certain lines she gave to Dumbledore, but in the end, her special boy protagonist becomes an auror; IE, a defender of the status quo. So.

If you've never seen it, Lily Simpson's video goes into even more detail on how the worldbuilding of Harry Potter is actually incredibly fucked up, and how it betrays small-minded attitudes on Rowling's part. There's no separating the art from this artist, because Rowling's rotten values pour out of nearly every page.

Yes, there are many things in Harry Potter that evoke feelings and inspire people, but there's absolutely nothing in it that this series has a monopoly on. You can find those same experiences in much, much better media.

[call-me-strega]

New chapter of HBSD for Jason is just like, hey you get your crush in your bed! But not in that way, actually it’s much worse whoops

I am curious though, what does Jason think happened in Danny/Ellie’s backstory? Because what he has to go off of is 1) Vlad is paying child support and low key Danny is worried about custody 2) Ellie and other attempts were created, but not how (and obv most people wouldn’t assume cloning) 3) Ellie was introduced to Danny LATER 4) Vlad is simultaneously creepy/involved in Ellie’s creation, but also still trying to date Danny’s mom

If I overheard that phone convo, I would be very concerned (obviously), but also trying to figure out how…how the hell any of them are related. Like, trans Danny with Ellie taken early and reintroduced later? Vlad is trans? Is Vlad even biologically involved because Danny never says so, just that he’s in some way responsible so-Vlad paid someone to be a surrogate at some point for some reason? I would have NO idea because none of those explanations would quite make sense from the phone convo unless I knew cloning was an option, you know?

Oh, I totally see how that'd be confusing. Let me explain my thought process when I wrote this.

You see after hearing that conversation, in the moment Jason assumes that something was happening along the lines of the trans theory. The pit rage did cloud his judgment a bit, so he focused more on the custody/separation aspects and wanting to protect these new people in his territory who have something akin to an age-old story he has heard before. Plus, later on during the 4th of July chapter Danny reveals more of his parents' relationship with Vlad and alludes to what happened between them, basically implying that they trusted Vlad near Danny, but he did something to Danny to get his genetic material. Which isn't untrue but somewhat misleading. Later when he has time to re-examine the info from both conversations he adjusts his theory.

Keeping in mind that this is the same universe where cloning is possible and genetic studies are likely more advanced in turn it wouldn't be a stretch to assume test tube babies are a Thing that Exist more commonly there than in the real world. Especially, if we use the version of the story where Damian was a test tube baby rather than Talia actually getting pregnant making it a possibility Jason would definitely be aware of.

Jason's leading theory right now was that some creepy old guy (Vlad) was obsessed with Danny's mom, and later Danny himself. And because his parents trusted Vlad they let him get close to Danny despite Danny recognizing Vlad was a creep. All of this is basically accurate, so here's where things diverge. Jason assumes Danny was assaulted (either physically or sexually) by Vlad, who took his genetic material by force. Then the creepy old rich guy used his money to try and create a test tube baby using their combined DNA. The first few attempts failed but when one finally took Danielle was the result. The creep then tried to raise her and poison her against her other genetic donor, to little success because she was such a small child. Danny became aware of what Vlad had done shortly after Danielle was born, but was too young and vulnerable to fight back and get custody. However, once he got older he finally gathered the resources to fight back and managed to get custody of his daughter. Danny has something he can use against Vlad to keep him in check, likely a scary lawyer or some sort of blackmail. Now he's trying to live a normal life with Ellie and makes sure Vlad compensates him with child support. All things considered not to far from the truth but missing some key context details.

With the type of shenanigans always going down the DC universe his theory really isn't that much of a stretch. In all honesty though, Jason tries not to spend too much time dwelling on it for a couple of reasons: 1) In his experience, people who go through similar things want to be left alone, lest something happen that could jeopardize their situation (hiding from an abuser). 2) Danny made it clear when he declined seeking protection from Red Hood that he had the situation handled and didn't want anyone getting involved, Jason's meddling wouldn't help anything. 3.) Jason wants Danny to trust him enough to tell him the whole story himself, and 4.) Jason is busy with other stuff like work, vigilante-ing, and falling in love to go unnecessarily digging around in a story that honestly isn't as unique as one might think.

Obviously, there might still be holes in my logic but that's basically what I believe Jason's view on the situation would be. I hope that sheds some light onto how I intended the situation to look like from the outside.

[stargazer-sims]

1. Introduction (Video #1)

Caroline

Hey everybody!

My name is Caroline Okamoto-Nelson. I’m seventeen years old, and I live in Willow Creek. I like horses, cooking, shopping and J-pop. I really love swimming. I guess you might even say I'm obsessed with it. I'm really good at it too, and I have the medals to prove it.

People often comment that I look like both my parents, which is super funny to me since I’m not actually biologically related to them at all. I guess people say I resemble them because I have pale hair and blue eyes like Victor, and I have Japanese facial features like Yuri. Honestly, though, I don't mind if strangers assume I'm literally theirs. I am theirs in every way that matters, and being adopted is amazing because I know they love me enough to want to make me part of their family forever. I love them a lot, and even though I think about my biological parents sometimes, Victor and Yuri will always be my real parents.

Yeah, I have two dads, and to avoid things getting confusing I should let you know that I usually call them by their names. Some people think that's weird and a few people think it's disrespectful, but it's not weird to me. I started out as Victor and Yuri's foster child when I was six years old, after my biological father passed away, and I didn't want to call either of them Daddy or Papa or whatever. They were okay with that, and when they officially adopted me about a year later, the habit had already stuck.

I do call Victor 'Dad' sometimes, probably a lot more often than I call Yuri 'Papa'. Yuri says I only call him Papa when I really want something, which... is kinda not inaccurate. Luckily, he has a good sense of humour about it.

Let's see... Another important thing you should know about me straight away is that I'm blind. Before anybody starts demanding to know how a blind person can use a camera and make a video, remember blindness is a spectrum. Most people who fit into the category of blindness can see at least a little bit. There aren't that many people who're totally blind.

As for me, I was born with something called oculocutaneous albinism, which is why I look the way I do even though I'm one hundred percent Japanese. My condition means I have no pigment in my skin, hair and eyes, and it's why I have low vision.

I can see well enough to get around, but I do use my white cane at night or in unfamiliar places. I'm able to read large print, and I can see enough to use my computer and phone if I wear my glasses. I can do most normal things, actually. The only things that are really off-limits are driving and anything that requires good visual acuity, like cutting in a straight line, putting small objects together or sewing. Unfortunately, this means I'll never get to be a nurse like Victor. That's what I originally wanted to be, until I got older and started to understand my disability and finally realized that I don't see the same way everyone else does.

I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me because of my disability. I'm not unhappy or bitter about it and I don't need anyone's sympathy or pity. As a matter of fact, I have an awesome life, and I wouldn't want to change a thing.

On the subject of my life, that brings me around to why I'm making this video in the first place. I just started twelfth grade last week, and my best friends Forest and Camellia and I decided to sign up for media studies as one of our electives. The course runs for the whole school year, and we have to do one major project as well as some small assignments. Camellia and Forest got permission to work together — they're twins and they seem to want to do practically everything together — and they're making a podcast. I decided my project is going to be a documentary about myself. A video autobiography, I suppose you could say.

The plan is to chronicle my life from now till June, but it's not just going to be a video journal about random stuff that happens to me this year. I want to tell the story of my life so far, about how I went from being an unwanted baby in Japan to being the loved, talented, cute and successful person I am today.

These videos aren't going to be only me talking in front of a camera, either. I'm planning to interview my friends and family, and maybe also to give them the camera so they can record some thoughts of their own. Then, I'll edit everything and get it ready for the final presentation.

I've decided to call it Caroline & Company. I may be the main subject of this story, but nobody can exist alone. We all need company. I don't think it'd even be possible to survive without the guidance and support of family and friends, not to mention teachers, coaches, therapists, doctors and all the other people we interact with on a daily basis. Every person in my life is important, so I feel like they need to be acknowledged in some way.

Our teacher, Mr. Blanchet, is going to help our class design a website so that all our projects will be available for everyone to see at the end of the school year. Maybe it's nerdy of me to be excited for a school project, but I"m really looking forward to doing this, and I can hardly wait to see what my classmates come up with as well.

I think it's going to be an incredible year!

[wishful-thinking64]

HH Rewrite Related Post #04

The final results from the 2nd poll are in and the winner was... 🥁 🥁 🥁

Hell's number one porn star, Angel Dust! While he was my favorite character during the pilot days of Hazbin Hotel, I wouldn't say he is now as a lot of what made him a like-able asshole character in the pilot isn't there in the series. My grievances aside, let's get to Angel's character sheet! ________________ [CURRENT NAME] 🞂 ANGEL DUST BUT DOES OCCASIONALLY GO BY ANTHONY & ANTONIA. 🞂 Has basically been going by this ever since he arrived in Hell as he refused to continue to being a mobster, quickly taking to sex work to make quick cash and get to live a more “exhilarating” life.

[FORMER NAME] 🞂 ANTHONY TARANTELLA. 🞂 The name Anthony means Priceless One and Praiseworthy whereas his last name is Italian for Tarantula and, yes, Tarantella is an actual last name that Italians can have albeit an uncommon one.

[D.O.B + D.O.D] 🞂 BORN APRIL 1ST, 1913. 🞂 DIED DECEMBER 24TH, 1947.

[AGE]🞂 BIOLOGICALLY 34. 🞂 CHRONOLOGICALLY 111.

[GENDER & SEX]🞂 BORN MALE. 🞂 STARTED IDENTIFYING  AS GENDER FLUID BACK IN THE 90S. [SEXUALITY] 🞂 STILL GAY.

[ETHNICITY & NATIONALITY] 🞂 AN ITALIAN WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. 🞂 I’ve written for his parents and older brother to be Italian immigrants who came to America looking for safety as tensions between Turkey and Italy during this time were high due to the war and there was a lot of social outrage within their own country during the early 1910s. I imagine that Angel never got to visit his home country which is something that deeply upsets him as he knows that he’ll never be able to see Italy’s beauty outside of photographs.

[SOCIAL STATUS] 🞂 CONTRACTED SINNER. 🞂 I feel like Sinner’s who have signed soul contracts would be below regular Sinners as they aren’t seen as someone else's property and still have control of their own life. Cause let’s be real, Sinners who’ve sold their souls away are often treated as slaves.

[CRIMES COMMITTED IN LIFE FROM LEAST TO MOST OFFENSIVE] 🞂 TAX FRAUD. 🞂 THEFT. 🞂 B&E (Breaking and Entering.) 🞂 SMUGGLING. 🞂 MONEY LAUNDERING. 🞂 SUBSTANCE ABUSE OF BOTH ALCOHOL & DRUGS. 🞂 EXTORTION (mainly opted to use threats but would easily resort to using violence if threats didn’t work.) 🞂 INFILTRATING LEGIT/GENUINE BUSINESSES. 🞂 FRAUD IN GENERAL (specifically counterfeiting, check fraud, mail fraud, securities fraud, and loan sharking.) 🞂 TRAFFICKING (typically involved in drug trafficking though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t involved in any type of human trafficking at all.) 🞂 KIDNAPPING. 🞂 TORTURE. 🞂 MURDER.

[SINS COMMITTED IN LIFE FROM LEAST TO GREATEST] 🞂 LUST. 🞂 WRATH. 🞂 GREED. 🞂 GLUTTONY (I put Gluttony as the number one sin since I’m still having Angel still die from a drug overdose just not from PCP.)

[OWNER OF HIS SOUL]🞂 THE DEPRAVED OVERLORD OF LUST, VALENTINO. 🞂 I’m unsure of how the show is going to explain the reason behind Angel Dust signing his soul away to Valentino but I’m having it be because he was ultimately promised protection from other demons as anyone who decided to mess with him would have to deal with Val. Alas, that doesn’t mean Angel is safe from Valentino.

[PROFESSIONS] 🞂 MAIN JOB: PORN STAR. 🞂 SECONDARY JOB: MODEL. 🞂 He does mainly work for Valentino as the man owns his soul although he does work for Velvette once in a while and is even regarded as one of her top models.

[CORE PERSONALITY TRAITS] 🞂 ALLURING. 🞂 BOLD. 🞂 COCKY. 🞂 CRUDE. 🞂 DEFENSIVE. 🞂 FLEXIBLE. 🞂 LAID BACK. 🞂 OPEN-MINDED. 🞂 OPPORTUNISTIC. 🞂 PROMISCUOUS. 🞂 SNARKY. 🞂 TALKATIVE. 🞂 VAIN. 🞂 WITTY.

[RELATIONS TO THE VEES] 🞂 VARIES DEPENDING ON THE PERSON. 🞂 Angel’s relationship with the Vees truly is a mixed bag as he hates his boss but with Vox he’s on neutral ground. He likes Velvette as she acts as his (better) second boss and number one gossip buddy and the latest addition of the group, Vanitas, is the one he gets along with the most thanks to them being the most reasonable and level headed.

[REASON FOR CHECKING INTO THE HAZBIN HOTEL] 🞂 HIS LAST APARTMENT GOT DESTROYED IN THE MOST RECENT EXTERMINATION AND HE NEEDS THAT RENT FREE ROOM. 🞂 It totally isn't tied with him deeply missing his younger twin sister and secretly hoping that the hotel actually works so he can be reunited with her.

[THOUGHTS ON THE HAZBIN HOTEL & IT’S STAFF] 🞂 THINKS THE HOTEL’S PLAN WILL FAIL. 🞂 HAS VARYING THOUGHTS ON THE STAFF. 🞂 The staff member Angel Dust was the most positive/receptive towards upon his arrival at the hotel was Lavanya. It wasn’t because she was the Princess of Hell (though that certainly plays a factor into it) but because of her optimistic outlook for her people. She genuinely has hope that some of them can change their ways and ascend to the pearly gates. He thinks it's sweet despite it being foolish in nature. He’s pretty neutral on the rest of the staff minus Valoris. He does not like her and she does not like him one bit. _______________

That's the core information for Angel Dust and I used he/him pronouns for Angel throughout the character sheet because genderfluid people tend to use one set of pronouns at a time and not multiple pronouns at once like a lot of people seem to believe. Years before the pilot Angel Dust was going to be gender fluid until Vivziepop thought that information didn't fit anymore. Also the reason I said I wouldn't have Angel pass from PCP is because while PCP was discovered in the year 1926, it wasn't made aware of the public until the year 1956 under the name of Sernyl where it was marketed as a type of anesthetic. In short, there's no fucking way Angel died from a drug overdose on PCP. Another instance where Viv didn't do the bare minimum of research because that information about PCP took me all of two minutes to find and that was solely because I wanted the exact year from the 50s where it was introduced otherwise it was a twenty second Google search. In any case, next I'll do Valoris' character sheet since she got 2nd place in this poll. Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll and I hope you guys liked Angel's character sheet!

[malsfefanfics]

Yooo, your ocs profile is so cool!!! I wonder, how does Hubert act with his siblings? I actually wish they were in the game now, they're so well written! Good job!

Thank you!!! I'm glad you like them! :D I've been fleshing these characters out with a good friend of mine, and it's been fun getting to explore what kind of people they are.

Regarding how Hubert acts with his siblings, there's one word that definitely comes to mind; protective. He keeps their existance hidden from the world so they don't "become a liability" (as quoted in his Hopes supports with Lysithea). The fact that he sees them being turned into pawns against him (and by extension Edelgard) as a real risk, I think, shows just how much he actually cares about them. They're his weakness, and a very relatable one at that.

When it comes to interactions though, Hubert and Rosamund definitely have a more traditional sibling dynamic. They'll make jabs at each other, tease each other, and occasionally argue. But Hubert dotes on her quite a bit and treats her with a good level of respect, and Rosamund just wants to make her brother proud. I like to think she finds pride in being a Vestra and in service of the Emperor because of him.

One of my favorite headcanons for them is that, while Edelgard was in the Kingdom, Hubert returned to the family, and Rosamund used the opportunity to reestablish a connection with him....by telling him to treat her as he would Edelgard. Claims it's to help him prepare for Edelgrd's return (and she meant it when she said it, can't let those retainer skills get rusty), but really, she used the chance to have him sneak her extra slices of cake after dinner. He saw right through her schemes, but still did it anyway. He also had to chide her for running with sharp objects in the house, too.

As for Tancred? Hubert is dad. Iason may be the biological father, but Hubert was more of a dad to him that their father ever was, so when Tancred hears the words "father" or "dad", he immediately thinks of his brother. And it definitely shows in their interactions. Tancred really looks up to him, and doesn't mind the constant comparisons, as he thinks it means he's going to be "really tall and smart and strong just like him" when he gets older. The few times Hubert managed to come see him were always a treat, and he grew a love of magic study because of the spells he learned from his brother. Due to Tancred's poor health and unstable magic power, Hubert is especially protective of the little one.

My favorite headcanon for Tancred and Hubert is built on some headcanons of Vestra family customs (because we were ROBBED of the chance at prime lore behind this family). Basically, the headcanon is that usually the Marquis is the one to name the children born into the family, but for whatever reason, their father passed over Tancred, and wouldn't even come see him let alone name him. So Hubert ends up naming him, at the recommendation of their mother and sister. He chose the name "Tancred" because it means "wise/thoughtful counsel", and thought the name would give him the confidence to prove to the old bastard that he's worth more than he realizes.

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Okay not my usual content but after seeing some reception of it, I have to talk about From Up on Poppy Hill, specifically Shun and Umi's romance.

(I will be talking spoilers for this movie if you haven't seen it so click away if you don't want me to give away the ending. I also watched it in dub. Keep that in mind because some scenes, the train one in particular, are different in dub.)

This is going to sound insane but they are honestly the best Ghibli romance I've seen so far, because they were friends first and got to know each other in a way that felt very natural. It was clear to me that there was a real spark between them, it was more than just physical attraction. Yes, they thought they were biological siblings for a while but still had feelings for each other and that's weird and all. But they figured this out after they already felt convincing romantic feelings for each other. That's not an easy thing to just stop feeling. In my experience, crushes are worse the more I try to repress them, especially if I feel wrong in some way for having those feelings. *Cough* Spectre *cough*

So I never thought Umi and Shun were wrong to love each other. The feelings sprouted before they could've possibly known and they did agree they couldn't be a couple while they thought they were blood related. And yeah I get that they're still legally recognized as siblings. Sort of. Umi's father only "legally" adopted Shun so he wouldn't end up in an orphanage, because that was the son of his good friend. (Why Shun's actual adopted parents didn't officially adopt him? I don't know.) Umi's father didn't raise Shun for any substantial amount of time, Shun was adopted by his parents before Umi was even born let alone capable of remembering him. Shun's true parents were the people who raised him.

Shun and Umi are not siblings by blood, were not raised as siblings, and had no way of knowing that was even a possibility. They're not gross or weird for having feelings, especially since they never acted on them, not inappropriately at least. The most they did was be honest with each other about how they felt and worked to find out the truth together and maintain a positive relationship, whether it was platonic or romantic. And that's honestly really sweet. If it's uncomfortable to you, that's fine, it's valid, but I never felt like Umi or Shun acted out of line, just felt ways they couldn't control and didn't know how to deal with, which I personally related to. For very different reasons but still.

And in the end, they turned out not to be siblings or blood related in any way, which yeah I knew going in but it was still such a relief to see. I wanted them to get together but obviously, I don't support incest. I love this movie and I love that everything all worked out in the end. Sometimes I just want a nice happy hopeful ending.

Even if the movie did end too soon, come on, what do you mean I don't get to see Umi become a doctor?!-

[once-was-muses]

[ Per request, an elaboration. Keep in mind that I haven't read the webcomic through, but have done plenty of research on the plot/content (because I'm a self confessed picky picky bitch when it comes to myth adaptions orz.) Also mind the tws. ]

[ First and foremost, I know and understand that rape is a genre in Korea (and Japan I think?) like true crime/brutal murder is in the States. I do not agree with the romanticizing, making-it-seem-less-real-or-awful-through-an-over-abundance-of-fictitious-examples-izing (can't think of a more concise way to put it orz) of either, but I acknowledge they're A) more or less tropes and B) valid as narrative features. ]

[ However, rape seems to not only be a common, recurring event, but also fetishized. I have no idea how many times Set.h has been raped in the series by now, but it's definitely more than a few. It also seems to employ the "rape victim falls madly in love with their rapist" trope with the help of "abuse victim realizes abuser isn't that bad compared to their other abusers." Which isn't necessarily surprising, considering most categorize it as a ya.oi, and it certainly has the feel of the ya.ois that turn queer relationships into erotica and traumaporn. ]

[ It also (to my understanding) explicitly has Set.h (on the right) raising An.ubis, then reintroducing the latter as a "love interest." I honestly can't tell if the narrative went with them being actually blood related or not, but either way; sibling-sibling and cousin-cousin, etc. relationships were not taboo in Ancient Egypt, but parent-child ones absolutely were. I've given a narrative/lore explanation in my retelling of the pantheon to make relationships like Geb and Nut not biologically incestuous, but that doesn't seem to be the case here nor is it applicable to this argument. ]

[ And the character designs- So many of them are white. Not even remotely lightskinned. Just white. ]

[ Even the few that aren't explicit casualties of Caucasity™️ still have white features, most obvious being everyone has almost exactly the same nose. And Ho.rus has blue eyes! Not changed by using powers or anything, just default blue. Nep.hth.ys is straight up blonde (and also white.) ]

[ (Also Ra's chainmail bikini ass "outfit" infuriates me to no end-) ]

[ Like. Some of these character designs are super neat! I.sis, Set.h, Kh.num, M.a.at, and Th.oth are visually appealing! I like the idea of helmets instead of animal heads! But this pantheon is of an absolutely not white culture. Egypt wasn't ethnically homogeneous, no, but there is absolutely no evidence to suggest anyone with European ancestry lived there in prehistory. The fact that some characters have darker skin while some are white, on top of this cultural background, implies that they're all meant to be non-white- but you wouldn't know it if you just saw Hath.or with no context! I'm not black or middle eastern, so I can't speak for anyone that is, but it seems worse than if they just made all of them white! ]

anonymous | Misc. Asks

[ Not great! I have more detailed thoughts and feelings about it if you want em, but. Y'know. One doesn't necessarily need to justify an opinion. ]

[dystopianam]

In a video I saw that in Veronaville there are at least 50/60+ deleted sims.

With a search on the wiki I realized that most of the ancestors of the premades have been deleted and then recreated (many sims in fact have overwritten the data of other sims and for this reason they sometimes see as relatives sims who are not their relatives) so they can possibily be part of these deleted sims.

Who knows what strange development there was during the creation of all these sims, still I wonder what led the developers to practically delete 40/50+ tombstones of all ancestors, destroying their data even if for some reason they had already recreated some of them...

I have a theory that since there are no cemeteries in TS2 (at least before the Nightlife patch) the developers found inconvenient to leave the tombstones in the houses of the sims, these were peculiarities of only some families like the Goth, so they deleted the graves not knowing where to put them (not... knowing it would destroy sim data?)

I really don't understand Veronaville in "technical" terms.

1. Veronaville was the first neighborhood created before Pleasantview and Strangetown and the reason for having such large families was to show the potential of genetics, a completely new feature introduced only in the second chapter, but many sims are NOT biological sims of premades but were created in CAS.

2. I don't understand why they had to delete the tombstones of the ancestors. Didn't they have where to put them? Space matters? I really don't think there was no space in the huge gardens of the Capps and Montys... OR they used the "I'm dead" token cheat, with that token the tombstone is not spawned, but the fact that the data is destroyed makes me think that the tombstones were there but have been deleted.

3. Why is the lore completely different in some languages? For example I read that in some languages ​​the game says Cornwall Capp is actually Hermia Capp's father but that the two don't get along (or I read that in some languages ​​the game says that in Pleasantview, Darren and Dirk are brothers and not father and son).

I honestly wouldn't have minded this plotwist from Cornwall and Hermia, but someone could still use it for fun.

4. Puck and Bottom. Their genetics, their mysterious parents.

The game suggests that Titania and Oberon are sterile and can't have children therefore, even if sterility doesn't exist in the game. That aside, for this reason they adopted Puck and Bottom but... Puck and Bottom seem genetically their children.

Have you seenGoneril and Albany's children for example? They don't look like them at all even if in theory they are "biologically" their children. This is because they were created in CAS, but it's funny if you think that instead Puck and Bottom really look like the children of their adoptive parents.

Maybe I'll say nonsense but I strongly believe that Puck's parents and Bottom's parents existed in the game but have been deleted.

Both Puck and Bottom in simPe know "unknown" sims they are related to and then... there's this image. The baby in the image is Puck. THOSE are Puck's real parents.

[strangerthings4theories]

Idk how canon "Runaway Max" is considered, but there's this one bit where Billy says Neil isn't his real father and that's such important information about him, honestly so unecessary for the plot of the book and out of the blue that its just wierd. BUT if you combine Billy having an unknown father with his mother working with Brenner theory it would make so much sense why his family moved to Hawkins out of all places. This is telenovela level of theory but Billy being another of Brenner's child/experiment (biological or not) would also explain his intense relationship with El.

Also while I'm thinking about Billy having a connection with the Rainbow Room/Upside Down: when we have that doppergänger scene Billy shouts at the MF "what do you want?" and it's a wierd thing to say to a monster that has just attacked you and who you've just met. Normal reaction would be to freak out, just like everybody did in season one. It kinda sounded like Billy was somewhat familiar with it? Compare to Will shouting "go away!" at MF in season two when he already knew who MF was.

And I'm just making this up as a go, but maybe Billy was just like El, his mom had him with Brenner and he was meant to be an experiment, but didn't show any powers and that's why his mom left him with Neil while still keeping him under Brenners supervision (and that's why the Hargroves were relocated to Hawkins instead of anywhere else). Cue Billy actually being "force sensitive" all this time, at least in a way that he was aware of the MF. And that's why in the doppergänger scene instead of being freaked out he's asking the Mind Flayer the fuck he wants.

I know the part of the book you're talking about, and I took it as metaphorical. Billy isn't suggesting Neil isn't his actual dad. He's saying Neil isn't capable of being a good dad.

"He's a horrible guy, Max. Haven't you figured that out? You really think a guy like that could be a father? Not to me, and not to you."

And that's very important to the book. Billy's telling us he hates Neil so much that he's sworn him off as a father. He doesn't even call him "Dad" when speaking to Max. I wouldn't say that's out of the blue or unnecessary for the plot!

Of course, we could find out later it has a double meaning (for us as readers - Billy has no idea). That's always possible given Billy's extensive parallels with El, who was raised by a false father.

Personally though, I would be surprised if that twist happened. I'd be even more surprised if they made a big deal out of it. Billy's story is shifting to focus on his mother, and you can only have so many hugely impactful parent-related revelations for one character 😆 If we find out Neil isn't Billy's real father, I'd expect to receive the news as an almost throwaway fact. His mom saying, "Oh, and he's not your real dad," right after we find out she's a villain. And Billy's like, "Well... my entire world's just been destroyed, so... that's fair."

As for the possibility that Brenner is his real dad... well, if we're taking the books as canon, the Brenner and Terry novel explicitly states that Brenner has no biological children. So we have to take that into account too.

Honestly, I don't believe Billy asking the MF "what do you want?" means that much. I didn't find it that weird. He was just attacked, yes, and now he's facing his attacker. He's also in shock. So you could say he's falling back on instinct developed over years of abuse. Why does Neil hurt Billy? Because he's not getting what he wants. ("You were supposed to watch her.") What's the quickest way to make the abuse stop? Find out what Neil wants and give it to him. Billy, imo, is operating by Neil's rules in his scenes with the MF.

So yeah, I do think Billy is being set up to join the ranks of experiments. But I don't believe his reaction to the MF is strong enough evidence for that. It could mean something in the future, but only with a lotttt of other revelations to change our view of it.

[charlotte-headcanons]

The secrets of Charlotte siblings: Part 2 (Flampe, Daifuku, Pudding, Zuccotto, Newsan, Custard)

Headcanon-heavy! If you’d like to see any specific siblings in Part 3, feel free to request. Askbox always open for requests and chatting, enjoy!

Part 1 

Probably the biggest secret that Flampe hides is her regularly botching the vote count in her King of Big/Little Brothers/Sisters award competition. As a matter of fact...she doesn't get all that many votes, and many little sisters are way more liked than her. Sure, she is a noticeable persona, but most sibling (with few exceptions including Perospero) don't enjoy her presence. She lies even to herself that everyone loves her, though; because that's what she wants and it allows her to keep her self-esteem intact.

Related to that, Flampe keeps secret some of her motivations for hanging out only with the popular siblings and being outright rude to the unpopular ones. See, it's a kind of popularity-by-association thing; she kind of hopes that being, for example, Katakuri's favorite will make her more popular too. Meanwhile, she also doesn't want to be judged for associating herself with the less-liked siblings in the slightest. She can't risk it. Not with her ambitions.

As we discussed somewhere before, Daifuku isn't too likely to ever admit his fears and weaknesses. One of the greatest fears he has but can't ever admit... Has to do with his position in Totto Land. As a father, the treatment of their fathers he observed makes him seriously afraid. He doesn't know if he's useful enough, he doesn't know if one day his own children won't learn the truth and decide to get rid of him... He doesn't even know if he'll survive Mama's next hunger pang. Survival and self-preservation are very important to him and neither is a certainty in Totto. So, he's afraid...but HELL NO he'll never admit it.

Despite his overall mini-personal-rebellion against Totto Land's matriarchy, Daifuku hides one more embarrassing secret: that is, that he finds strong women capable of overpowering him so hot. This doesn't fit together with anything else he says publically, though, so he never admitted this even to his own wife. Yet.

Pudding holds a secret on top of a secret that's on top of another secret. First, there's her 'evil' side persona. Then, there's her trauma, actually despising how Mama treats her (and hating Mama, let's be real), plus having actual positive feelings towards others, when they happen (like towards Sanji).

Besides all these canon secrets, though, we'd headcanon one more small thing Pudding hides. To gain the trust and admiration of the Cacao Island population, she might sometimes allow for some destruction of the buildings on the island to later rebuild them and be credited as a savior. This, along with covering her eye and acting all sweet, allows her to not face any opposition for stepping in to lowkey manage the island in Lola's place.

Zuccotto doesn't like to admit that the black on his arms isn't sleeves - it's his body hair. For all the tolerance of different species Totto has, he has heard comments about it pretty often, and he'd rather not deal with them; so, he wears the cape to make it seem like a part of his clothing from afar.

For a tough guy like he is, Zuccotto also really likes to bake. While he takes pride in his self-sufficiency and cooking, he finds baking to be a bit embarrassing, especially since his favorite part of the process is decorating the cakes - something that doesn't match his rough-around-the-edges image all that much!

Newsan's secret is pretty much known by anyone who knows him more closely, though strangers may still be fooled. That boy has a problem and his problem is picking up every single stray animal he sees off the street and adopting it. He keeps them in a special house with a large garden he bought just for that purpose, making sure that the pets get enough space; the house is far enough from any other estates that he can walk the animals when necessary without many people noticing that they belong to him. The decuplets all find it pretty funny, and many let him lie to their faces about it without calling him out. It goes like: "Sorry I'm late I was feeding my...UHHH myself"; "Sure Newsan-nii. Sure you were."

Custard was always a delicate girl. Sure, the ideal of a woman in Totto Land is the closest to Smoothie or Mama herself: strong, badass, independent, and imposing; but Custard never quite felt like it was her thing to be like them. Still, she has a great desire for being accepted; and so, she played along, fooling many that she's badass and actually not gentle at all.

Deep down, though, she really wishes she could lead a normal, calm life with her husband by her side; without having to fight or deal with the whole madness of a pirate lifestyle. She wouldn't even mind being a housewife, and she'd also really like to adopt a bunch of children; but as Mama prefers biological kids and she doesn't have an excuse of not being able to deliver those, she can't really argue for an adoption so far.

[bronzeflower]

Who The Fuck Writes A Ten-Page Rant?????

Chapter 22: Invitations

Also on ao3

-- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

TT: I apologize if I’m currently intruding on your personal time, but I would like to invite you to a party I am throwing soon.

CG: HOW THE FUCK WOULD YOU BE INTRUDING ON MY PERSONAL TIME? CG: I THINK WE KNOW EACH OTHER WELL ENOUGH FOR YOU TO MESSAGE ME WHENEVER THE HELL YOU WANT. CG: EVEN IF IT’S THREE IN THE MORNING, BUT I’D STILL YELL AT YOU FOR WAKING ME UP LIKE ANY REASONABLE PERSON WOULD.

TT: Noted. TT: Well, anyway, I am personally inviting you to a celebratory party I’m throwing to commemorate the publishing of my newest book.

CG: OH! CG: CONGRATULATIONS!

TT: Yes, I will be excited to relax for the next couple of weeks instead of frantically writing in an effort to meet an arbitrary deadline. TT: There is the exception of book signings, but those don’t take too long.

CG: WHEN’S THE PARTY THOUGH? CG: I NEED TO KNOW IF I’LL BE ABLE TO BE THERE.

TT: It’s in about a month. TT: I need to offer people an apt amount of time to plan for the party. TT: It’s not on too short notice that the majority of people won’t be able to be there and not too much notice to the point where people completely forget about it.

CG: AH, YES. CG: THE CLASSIC MAKING CERTAIN THAT MOST PEOPLE CAN’T MAKE AN EXCUSE AS TO WHY THEY ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND YOUR PARTY.

TT: Precisely. TT: I want as many individuals as possible to be trapped by social obligation.

CG: DIABOLICAL.

TT: Yes, I am the greatest supervillain alive. TT: And by that, I mean I eliminated my competition until they had no choice than to elevate me to the number one supervillain.

CG: I’D SAY THAT JUST PROVES THAT YOU’RE THE BEST SUPERVILLAIN. CG: DESTROYING THE COMPETITION LIKE THAT? CG: ESPECIALLY IF THEY WERE CONSIDERED BETTER THAN YOU BEFORE.

TT: Yes, it took elaborate planning and all of my wit, but I finally managed to stab my opponent's eyes out with my knitting needles. TT: My part is actually meant to celebrate my ascension to the top of the criminal ladder.

CG: I’LL BE SURE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENT AT THE PARTY.

TT: That would be greatly appreciated, particularly since it’s a secret only known by the criminal community. TT: The only ones to congratulate me have been lowly villains and the mafia who are after my spot. TT: It’s good to know that someone who’s not going to turn me in or try to kill me knows the work I have actually done.

CG: HOW DO YOU KNOW I WON’T TURN YOU IN?

TT: I’m dating your moirail, and she would be upset if I went missing or went to jail. TT: I think I’m safe.

CG: FAIR ENOUGH. CG: AND WHAT OF THE BLACKMAIL I KNOW HAVE ON YOU?

TT: I have more blackmail on you than you have on me.

CG: TOUCHÉ.

TT: You can’t lay a finger on me. TT: That being said, we should really talk in person sometime. TT: I feel we don’t really meet up enough outside of your place of employment.

CG: WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?

TT: Coffee, perhaps? TT: I would also like to note that I am not asking you on a date. TT: This is a purely platonic hangout. TT: I mean absolutely no offense by this, but I don’t feel any romantic attraction to you at all.

CG: LIKEWISE.

TT: I’m glad we have come to an agreement. TT: Also, going out for coffee is somewhat hypothetical because of how busy I’ll be for the next month. TT: The book signings won’t take much time, but I will have a plethora of them planned, and I still have to finish planning for the party. TT: Not to mention that I have high standards for coffee, and all the coffee I enjoy tends to be from the higher end, more expensive coffee shops.

CG: THAT’S FINE. CG: WE CAN JUST HANG OUT SOMETIME AFTER YOUR PARTY. CG: ALSO, I DON’T MIND EXPENSIVE COFFEE SO LONG AS YOU PAY FOR IT.

TT: That’s fair. TT: now that we’ve made these plans, I’m afraid I have to say bye for now. TT: I have more invitations to send out.

CG: I HOPE YOU’RE NOT PLANNING ON GIVING ALL YOUR GUESTS PERSONAL INVITATIONS.

TT: I’m only giving them to close friends. TT: Everyone else gets an automatic responder that my brother made.

CG: DAVE MADE AN AUTORESPONDER?

TT: No. TT: My older brother Dirk made it. TT: He’s very skilled with technology. TT: Dave is smart, but I don’t think that kind of thing is part of his skill set. TT: He’s more of a language and history guy. TT: Although he is pretty into science, I suppose. TT: He ended up majoring in Paleontology in college.

CG: OH, THAT’S PRETTY COOL.

TT: Yeah, he was originally going to go into music, and then switched to video editing before settling into Paleontology. TT: But seriously. TT: I do actually have to go now, regardless of how pleasant it is to chat with you.

-- tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

-- autoResponder [AR] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

AR: Congratulations! AR: You have been invited to [location] for [celebratory occasion]. AR: There will be [food] and [drinks]. AR: Please send your regrets to [phone number]. AR: We hope you come and have a(n) [adjective] time. AR: This message has been sent on behalf of [name].

CG: WHAT IS THIS-A MADLIBS GAME? CG: I’M NOT A FUCKING WRIGGLER! CG: AND WHAT EVENT ARE YOU EVEN INVITING ME TO?

AR: Sorry, bro. AR: It seems like there was a 47.834% chance that I malfunctions for a hot second there. AR: You know how batshit technology can be sometimes. AR: Except me. AR: I’m the perfect responder.

CG: WELL, YOU MALFUNCTIONED, SO YOU CAN’T BE *THAT* PERFECT.

AR: If I had actual emotions, I would be offended by that. AR: But I, as a superior robot, will respond with dignity and grace. AR: Fuck you.

CG: WOW. SO CREATIVE. CG: I’VE HEARD BETTER INSULTS FROM A ROCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

AR: I don’t need to respond to that.

CG: YOU JUST DID. CG: THAT’S YOU JOB-YOU AUTOMATICALLY RESPOND TO EVERYTHING.

AR: Touché.

CG: DON’T YOU *TOUCHÉ* ME.

AR: What are you, my mom? AR: All telling me not to talk back and shit. AR: You’re not even related to me.

CG: *FUCK* CG: AND I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH CG: *YOU*

AR: Didn’t you tell me off for using the exact same insult earlier?

CG: YEAH, BUT I USED *ASTRECKS.*

AR: So it’s automatically better?

CG: YES.

AR: Wow. AR: Fuck you.

CG: FUCK YOU TOO, YOU FESTERING PILE OF SCRAP METAL!

AR: Fuck you.

CG: FUCK YOU!

AR: Fuck you.

CG: FUCK YOU!

AR: Fuck you.

CG: DO I NEED TO GET MY OWN PERSONAL AUTO-RESPONDER TO EXCLUSIVELY SAY *FUCK YOU* CONSTANTLY WHENEVER ANYONE TYPES ANYTHING?

AR: I wouldn’t recommend it. AR: People catch on pretty quick that it’s not you and then everything just gets awkward.

CG: WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU KNOW THAT?

AR: Experience.

CG: I DON’T EVEN THINK I WANT TO KNOW.

AR: Aw-that’s such a shame. AR: i have some very interesting stories.

CG: I. CG: DO. CG: NOT. CG: WANT. CG: TO. CG: KNOW. CG: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOU RUSTY DILDO.

AR: That was the best insult I’ve ever heard. AR: Please insult me more. AR: Not in a sexual way because I'm technically thirteen and sixteen at the same time. AR: Regardless, sill a minor. AR: Even if I am a robot. AR: It’s merely an interest in the insults you could come up with for me.

CG: I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO DO THAT. CG: AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN ANSWER MY QUESTION. CG: WHAT EVENT DID YOU EVEN INVITE ME TO?

AR: hold on, I’ve got to recalibrate some shit. AR: Loading… AR: Loading… AR: Loading… AR: just kidding. AR: I don’t actually need to do that. AR: Here’s the message just for you. AR: Congratulations! AR: You have been invited to [Rose’s mansion] for [the celebration of a new book release]. AR: There will be [food] and [drinks]. AR: Please send your regrets to [Rose’s phone number]. AR: We hope you come and have a(n) [great] time. AR: This message has been sent on behalf of [Rose Lalonde].

CG: I ALREADY KNEW THAT INFORMATION.

AR: What, really?

CG: YEAH, ROSE TOLD ME HERSELF.

AR: Oh, wow. AR: I can hardly believe you’re close friends with Rose.

CG: I’M NOT REALLY. CG: I’M JUST HER MATESPRIT’S MOIRAIL.

AR: That makes more sense. AR: No offense, but actually a lot of offense because that’s generally what no offense means, but you seem a little too shouty for Rose.

CG: HM.

AR: Hm?

CG: YES, HM. CG: HM AS IN I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT HOW AN AI FEELS ABOUT MY FRIENDSHIP WITH ROSE. CG: FRANKLY, IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

AR: Actually, I’m her brother, so it is kind of my business.

CG: BUT YOU’RE NOT A BIOLOGICAL LIFEFORM?

AR: No, but I am based on her brother’s brain. AR: The thirteen-year-old brain of her brother, at least.

CG: OH, SO THAT’S WHY YOU’RE SO INSUFFERABLE.

AR: Insufferably cool, you mean.

CG: MAYBE THE FLESH DAVE, BUT NOT YOU.

AR: Oh, I’m not based on Dave. AR: I’m based on Dirk.

CG: OH, GOD, I FORGOT THAT DAVE HAD SIBLINGS BESIDES ROSE. CG: I SHOULD HAVE PROBABLY KNOWN THAT, ESPECIALLY SINCE ROSE LITERALLY TOLD ME JUST A BIT AGO. CG: HOW MANY SIBLINGS EVEN ARE IN YOUR FAMILY?

AR: Four. AR: Five if you include me. AR: Dave Strider, Dirk strider, Rose Lalonde, Roxy Lalonde, and me, Hal Lalonde.

CG: WHY ARE YOU LALONDE INSTEAD OF STRIDER?

AR: Reasons. AR: Also, what was up with the “FLESH DAVE” thing?

CG: I FIGURED SAYING REAL DAVE WOULD BE OFFENSIVE TO YOU. CG: YOU AREN’T EXACTLY “FAKE.”

AR: Oh. AR: How sweet. AR: Alright, I now approve of your friendship with Rose.

CG: I DIDN’T NEED YOUR APPROVAL, BUT ALRIGHT.

AR: Hey. AR: Listen.

CG: I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE A FICTIONAL FAIRY.

AR: That is a heavily desired state, but that isn’t the point I was going to make. AR: I have to make sure that my siblings are friends with good people.

CG: I DON’T THINK THAT’S YOUR JOB, BUT OKAY.

AR: Do siblings not usually worry about if their siblings are handing out with the wrong crowd?

CG: I WOULDN'T’ KNOW. CG: TROLLS GENERALLY DON’T HAVE SIBLINGS.

AR: Oh. AR: I guess I’m so used to having siblings that I forget that some people don’t have them.

CG: SEEMS WEIRD TO FORGET SOMETHING AS AN AI.

AR: So it seems.

CG: ANYWAY, I’VE GOT SOME SHIT TO DO, SO I’M GONNA OLLIE OUTIE. CG: FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME AGAIN, I GUESS.

-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling autoResponder [AR] --

-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] --

CG: HEY, KANAYA.

GA: Karkat Thank God You Have Messaged Me At A Time Of Distress

CG: WHAT ARE YOU UPSET ABOUT?

GA: I Recently Had A Conversation With Rose Wherein She Invited Me To A Celebration Of Her Newest Book And I Am Unaware Of The Proper Protocol At Such An Event GA: What Do I Say GA: What Sorts Of People Will Be There GA: Should I Bring A Gift GA: What Do I Wear GA: There Are So Many Factors To Consider I Have No Idea Where To Start GA: Oh Wait Im So Sorry Karkat You Probably Had Something You Wanted To Talk About

CG: NO, IT’S FINE. CG: I MOSTLY JUST WANTED TO TALK TO YOU.

GA: Oh GA: Okay

CG: NOW, YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT ROSE’S PARTY?

GA: Yes Extremely So

CG: I COULD SAY THAT YOU SHOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT IT TOO MUCH BECAUSE ROSE WILL JUST BE HAPPY BY YOU BEING THERE, BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT WON’T WORK SUPER WELL. CG: ESPECIALLY SINCE THE PARTY’S IN A MONTH.

GA: Do You Already Know The Details Of The Party

CG: YEAH, ROSE INVITED ME TOO. CG: WHICH ALSO MEANS I CAN ACCOMPANY YOU TO THE PARTY IF THAT WOULD MAKE YOU MORE COMFORTABLE.

GA: Yes That Would Be Greatly Appreciated GA: I Still Have Worries But You Being There With Me Would Make Me Feel Less Nervous

CG: LET’S TRY AND ADDRESS THOSE WORRIES. CG: WE COULD START WITH CLOTHING BECAUSE THAT’S PRETTY SIMPLE TO TAKE CARE OF. CG: MARIE KONDO YOUR WORRIES. CG: FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON WHAT TO WEAR FOR NOW.

GA: What About Everything Else

CG: WE HAVE A MONTH. CG: WE CAN WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE LATER.

GA: Alright I Will Try

CG: IT’S A FORMAL EVENT, SO YOU CAN IGNORE MOST OF YOUR CLOSET. CG: IT’S ALSO NOT BLACK TIE, SO YOU’RE FREE TO WEAR COLOR.

GA: Should I Wear A Dress Or A Skirt

CG: THINK THAT DEPENDS ON THE LENGTH YOU WANT TO GO

GA: Does It

CG: YEAH-MOST OF YOUR SHORTER SKIRTS AREN’T REALLY FORMAL, SO IF YOU WANT TO GO WITH A SHORTER SKIRT, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY WEAR A DRESS.

GA: I Forgot About That GA: I Think However I Will Wear A Long Dress GA: Which Certainly Narrows It Down By A Significant Margin GA: Maybe Something More On The Sexy Side GA: Probably Not The Red One GA: Its A Little Too GA: Hello There GA: Its My Thigh

CG: FAIR ENOUGH. CG: WHAT ABOUT THE BLACK ONE? CG: THE ONE WITH THE JADE EDGES WITH THE WHITE STRAPS CONNECTING THE SLIT AT THE TOP?

GA: Honestly That Is Probably The Best Option GA: I Can Wear My Moon Choker GA: The One That Has Chains Attached To It GA: What Earrings Should I Wear GA: Would It Be Weird To Wear The Sailor Moon Ones

CG: IT MIGHT.

GA: Ill Stick To The Dangly Star Ones Then

CG: THE ONES WITH MULTIPLE STARS OR JUST ONE?

GA: Just One GA: The Other Ones Are A Little Too Much GA: Ill Wear My Rose Bracelet For An Extra Splash Of Color And My Half Inch Black Heels

CG: GOING FOR COMFORT THERE. CG: THAT’S A GOOD IDEA. CG: YOU DON’T WANT TO END THE NIGHT WITH BLISTERS.

GA: That Would Not Be Ideal No GA: But I Still Want To Hear The Click Clack Of Heels When I Walk GA: Its A Very Powerful Feeling GA: Now Theres The Makeup Look To Worry About GA: Should There Be More Focus On The Eyes Or The Lips GA: And What Should I Match My Lipstick To GA: The Dress The Dress Accents Or Should I Match To The Rose Bracelet

CG: SO, BLACK, JADE, OR RED LIPSTICK?

GA: Yes Those Seem To Be The Options GA: Black Seems Too Subtle GA: Would It Be Strange To Not Wear Red Lipstick GA: Because Then The Rose Would Be Alone In Its Hue GA: But Red Might Be Too Bright

CG: YOU COULD WEAR A DARKER RED. CG: WHAT’S THAT ONE LIPSTICK YOU HAVE? CG: VAMPIRE BLOOD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

GA: Yes It Is Called Vampires Blood GA: That Could Work Well GA: I Feel Like My Eye Look Should Be More Subtle GA: Some Dark Gray With A Bit Of Silver To Match My Jewelry GA: A Small Cateye In Black Eyeliner And Some Black Mascara GA: Or Should I Go For The Jade Eyeliner

CG: THE JADE MIGHT LOOK A BIT STRANGE WITH THE REST OF THE OUTFIT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE GOING FOR SOMETHING MORE SUBDUED.

GA: Right What Was I Thinking

CG: THAT IT WOULD GO WITH THE ACCENTS OF YOUR DRESS? CG: IT WASN’T A BAD IDEA-IT JUST WASN’T THE LOOK YOU WERE GOING FOR.

GA: Yes Thank You GA: I Think Ill Do Something Simple With My Eyebrows And Wear Some Pale Green Highlighter GA: Just Enough To Mimic Blush And Give Me Some Glowiness

CG: THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA.

GA: And That Should Be Mostly It For The Outfit GA: Oh Wait What About Hair GA: How Should I Style It GA: I Could Maybe Braid Parts Of It GA: Should I even Style It Differently From Normal GA: No I Think That Might Be A Little Too Much In Terms Of Effort GA: I Dont Want To Look Over Stylized GA: So Maybe I Wont Do Anything With My Hair GA: Except Get It Cut Beforehand GA: Not To Look Fancy Of Course But Because I Should Get My Hair Cut Soon Anyway GA: So I Might As Well Do It At A Time Which Is Most Convenient To Me Fashionably Speaking GA: And I Suppose Thats It GA: Huh

CG: HUH?

GA: Its Just A Little Strange To Have This Outfit Layed Out And Only Wear It In A Month

CG: BUT DO YOU FEEL BETTER FOR HAVING IT?

GA: Yes GA: Very Much So GA: Thank You GA: For Helping Me Relieve My Silly Worries

CG: I DON’T THINK THEY WERE SILLY. CG: THEY WERE PERFECTLY VALID WORRIES, AND I’M GLAD I COULD HELP YOU WITH THEM.

GA: <><><><><><>

CG: <>

GA: I Think GA: I Think Im Going To Go Take A Nap Now

CG: SWEET DREAMS.

-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

[fedonciadale]

How do you think that Jon and Sansa will come to terms with the fact that they thought of each other as siblings for so long, once they're in a romantic relationship that is? I feel like we as a fandom tend to gloss over the fact that there are bound to be some problems, even if they really are in love with one another, and it's kind of like when Aegony shippers act as though Jon wouldn't care that D@ny is his aunt. So how do you see them overcoming this issue? What about Arya and Bran?

Dear nonny, this somehow needs a long answer... - as if I’m even capable of giving short answers.... I put it under the cut.

Preliminary: Incest within the closest family is in the long run harmful to the genetic pool. It’s a matter of probability. A child from say brother-sister has a higher probability of getting weird genes. That’s why our biology usually prevents us to even contemplate our siblings as sexual partners. It is not only a taboo of society, it is also something we acquire during our upbringing. We usually do not think about people we were brought up with as potential sex partners, if we lived close to them for say between 4 and 14. Now this usually pertains to everybody in our immediate close vicinity. The friend of your brother say, who has been over for every day since you were a child is usually in the same drawer in your mind as your brother -- which means slightly annoying but still somewhat dear. The boy who sat side by side to a girl their whole time throughout school is not the first that comes to the girl’s mind as a potential sex partner. On the other hand siblings who did not grow up together who might not know they are siblings might fall for each other if they meet as adults. There was a rather famous case here in Germany a couple of years ago in real life. Somehow half-brother and half-sister met as adults and fell for each other, they got a child and the man went to jail for incest. The woman was still under 21, when it happened and while legally an adult she was judged under the law for youths - there is a longer story to that, but I digress.

So, biology usually stands in the way of incest, but not necessarily. First there is accidental incest as with Jon€rys and then there is the problem that the system that you don’t fall for the people you grow up with is not fail-proof. Usually is not the same as always, and I for one know couples who have practically grown up together, I would say that sitting next to each other each day in school would count as such. Yet, people think this is cute, because the couple in question is not related.

What counts in modern law is the actual biological relationship. Take the German case for example: Nobody cared that these were consenting adults, that they hadn’t met before, what counted was the actual biological relation.

Same for the other case. Take an adoptive brother and an adoptive sister. They would be allowed to marry, because they are not related.

Of course society might differ on how they judge these things. I think in both cases, if you would meet these couples your immediate reaction would be something like - well, that’s weird, although only the first case is illegal.

As another preliminary I would add that both cases the ‘accidental incest’ as well as ‘boy and girl who grew up with each other and realise they are best for each other and love each other’ are well known tropes in literature. Even the siblings falling for each other despite growing up together occurs in literature! There is the myth of Biblis from antiquity and imagine my surprise when on a recent reread of ‘War and Peace’ I stumbled across the line that Anatol and Helen Kuragin had fallen for each other and were seperated by their father because of that for a while! It’s just mentioned in passing!

Additionally there is the literal trope of ‘boy and girl growing up with each other who are actually cousins and fall for each other’. Usually this is a literal trope with a happy ending and if you read 19th and 20th century literature it is all over the place - Mansfield Park, The Moonstone, you name it.

Now to Jon and Sansa: If people argue that Jon and Sansa think of each other as siblings (and that means that they would never fall for each other, because they are decent Starks after all..... cough, cough), they actually voice their own discomfort with the situation. I would argue that in Westeros this particular taboo (as in a society taboo, not the biological tendency not to fall for close childhood playmates) does not exist. Tywin married his cousin Joanna who grew up with him and he married her for love. Littlefinger contemplated marriage to Catelyn, after a common childhood in Riverrun, Theon thought that Ned might give him Sansa’s hand in marriage when he had been a ward in Winterfell for about 10 years. I’m sure there are other examples. So in-world it is clear, that the argument ‘they grew up together’ is not an argument at all. It is just an argument for us!

This is actually what happened occasionally in the Middle Ages. There were some societies like Wales and Ireland that knew fosterage, meaning that often children not related grew up together, and there were childhood betrothals and the childbride might actually have been sent to her future husband for education. So in the Middle Ages as in Westeros there are couples who grew up together as close as real siblings. This might have meant that the marriage was not very successful because the sexual attraction might have been non-existent, but medieval marriage was not about sexual attraction. A couple that knew each other well, might work well as a political unit, even if they had no fun in bed.

Additionally I would argue that being boy and girl would mean that they would not interact so much in a society closely patterned after Medieval Europe. It is clear from the books that the children learned reading and writing with Maester Luwin, but apart from that, Sansa learned a different set of skills than Jon. This means that they would not see each other for long times during the day: Jon would be training in the yard, Sansa would be practicing the harp, doing embroidery etc. From the PoVs of the children is it clear, that only Arya hang around with the boys. So, does “growing up together” even apply as it would in our times?

The other thing that is different in Westeros than in the modern world is how closely related a couple can be to not be considered incest. It is pretty clear that in-world the line when it becomes incest is somewhere between the third and the fourth degree (safe for Targs, but let’s leave the Targs out of it). This is the Roman system of counting degrees for relatedness: You count the number of births that seperate the two persons.

Take Jon and Sansa: Jon - Lyanna-Rickard/Lyarra - Ned - Sansa = Fourth degree.

(Sidenote: the reason we call this cousins first degree sometimes is because the church in the Middle Ages counted not the births, but the generations and left out the actual parents’ generation. Thus Jon - Rickard/Lyarra, Sansa - Rickard/Lyarra just one degree, as you count generations backward until you hit the couple both are descended from). Jon and Sansa as cousins first degree would never have been allowed to marry in the Middle Ages.)

Take Jon and Da€nerys: Jon - Rhaegar - Aerys - Da€nerys = Third degree.

Now cousin marriages happen, and in the Stark family tree, there are also rare instances of avunculate marriages (= Third degree), but not that often, which suggest to me that people were not that comfortable with this. So, as I said, for Westerosi it is clear, that fourth degree is absolutely acceptable, and third degree is o.k. if there are political reasons. Others than the Targs there are no second or first degree marriages.

In our modern world, the law is different in different countries, but most countries actually have no problem with cousin marriage, so fourth degree is obviously o.k. I have said it before and I say it again here: Even the Catholic Church allows cousins to marry (nowadays anyway).

To sum up my thoughts: I don’t think that Jon and Sansa must necessarily have problems to come to terms with the fact that they thought each other siblings. I would argue that they are in love and will be very relieved that they are not biological siblings, and that they can be together. If it comes down to just a political marriage this might be different and in this case they would have to adapt, but it is something their society would expect them to do! If Ned had betrothed Sansa to Theon they would have funny moments remembering their shared childhood, but I don’t think they would have a problem with that. Their society does not have an issue with that, only we have!

Imagine just for a moment, that Jon were not Sansa’s cousin but a random child of Rhaegar Ned decided to save from Robert’s wrath. Would anybody come at us with the argument ‘but they were brought up as siblings’? I don’t really think so. Does anybody argue against Simon Mooncalf and Miriamel in Tad William’s ‘Memory, sorrow and thorn’ that they ‘are practically siblings’. Would you argue against Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert as a ship (as adults) that ‘they are practically siblings’. No, so let’s name it what it is : It is a pseudo-argument against Jonsa.

And this is not glossing over a problem with the ship. I would argue that in a way the same applies to Jon€rys: We have a problem with them being aunt and nephew and considering that third degree might be considered not exactly forbidden, but maybe uncomfortable (just like cousins nowadays), Jon might have a problem with it. But Da€nerys won’t. The problem with Jon€rys will be other things than the accidental incest, I’m sure. And I think it was rather neat of GRRM to not make them into siblings. Thus we can’t be entirely sure what their reaction will be once they find out about the accidental incest.

So, I would argue that in-world the argument, ‘but they are aunt and nephew’ against Jon€rys or ‘but they grew up as siblings’ against Jonsa should not be counted as a hindrance. There is plenty of evidence that both are not.

But I would argue that the literal tropes that are connected to the ships show us how GRRM probably wants us to perceive them and how they will end. Jon€rys is ‘accidental incest’. How does ‘accidental incest’ usually end? BAD. Incest is punished, be it accidental or not. Accidental incest might result in only one party being punished and I think it will be Da€nerys. Even in-world incest is punished - We are so accustomed to Jaime and Cersei that we tend to overlook how they have been punished for several seasons now. So Jon€rys has no happy ending, and anybody who thinks so, has not been paying attention, not to ASOIAF, not to Oedipus, not to all the literal variations of the ‘accidental incest trope’ - Recently I even came across an accidental twincest, so it has all been done before.

Jonsa is ‘boy realises he has been in love with girl next door all along’ which usually ends GOOD. Jonsa is ‘marrying the beautiful cousin’ which at least in 19th and 20th century literature ends GOOD.

I’m not saying that Jonsa will have a happily ever after ending, but in-world and in literal tropes it is far more likely.

As for Bran and Arya: If you’ve followed my argument up to this point, it should be clear that I think that Bran and Arya are not predestined to have a problem with Jonsa. Nevertheless I think, that Arya will have a problem, but the reason won’t be ‘but they grew up as siblings’. I think Arya will have a difficult time adapting to the fact that her very best friend (if you put it in modern terms) now has a girlfriend, but I hope, that once she realises that this does not diminish Jon’s love for her, she’ll be o.k. with it. As for Bran, who knows, he might have seen it a long time ago.

I tag @amymel86 and @qinaliel and @occupyvenus. This is not the post I promised on cousin marriage in the middle Ages, but some of the arguments might still interest you...

[just-shaladin-things]

1/? | here 2 politely tell my story. I'm not exactly a Csa survivor. I'm a survivor of something, but not exactly csa. I say this because I don't want to demean/belittle other people's experiences. When I was around 8, I discovered fan fiction (nsfw). Ofc the first one I read was teacher/student, and I read it thinking "this is kinda weird, but it's gotta be normal if it's on here, right? they wouldn't put something up that never happens." I was eight.

2/? | next thing I read was a parent/child thing. To this day, I don't know if it was just a "dad.dy ki.nk" thing or if the two were biologically related, I don't care to find out, but still, i thought "this has to be normal, at least to some people." And so it began. I sexualized almost every time my parents looked at me or touched me (I'm Hispanic, we're a very touchy-kiss you-huggy culture) or kissed me on the cheek. I became terrified that one day, they'd actually assault me.

3/? | same thing happened with my karate instructor and my guitar teacher. I thought they were sexually interested in me, and even though I knew I'd never consent to anything with them, that they were still capable of it. It fucked me up, real bad. When I went to middle school, I quit karate because the instructor made me uneasy (even though he'd never tried anything, or given any indication of wanting to). I thought my English teacher wanted that with me, and my French teacher.

4/? | the worst thing was that I couldn't bring myself to convince myself that this wasn't happening. I couldn't tell myself it was all in my head. I just didn't believe it. My mind was already so wired to perceive every action as sexual, or at least interested in sex, that it was so hard for me. Fast forward six years later, its getting easier, but my parents are still those people in my mind. I sexualize every look I get on the street, I can't look at my male teachers without being scared.

5/? | I still can't deal with my parents properly. I've taken to avoiding my dad and dodging whenever he touches me, because my parents don't seem to understand when someone would rather not be touched. I can't be touched anymore, not by anyone, without it making me so incredibly disgusted. I've had so many issues growing up since then, such as with my sexuality, gender identity, willingness to partake in a relationship, all because of ped/ophilic fanfiction.

[we never received part 6]

7/? | i don't even know if what I went through has a name. I don't know if it's happened to other people. But basically, I read fanfiction of minor/adult relationships when I was eight and proceeded to sexualize every acquaintance I had. It's been so hard for me, getting back on my feet, and I definitely don't think it's going to blow over anytime soon

8/? | and then people tell me that fiction doesn't affect reality. It does. Jesus Christ it DOES. I can't look at my parents without fearing they're going to assault me because of fiction. I can't look at my teachers without thinking they're sexually interested in me. I wouldn't have such an issue with shaladick if it was any other show. I'd still be disgusted but not this much. Because Voltron is for kids. It's for 7-9 year olds who are more than capable of finding the fan fictions.

9/? | voltron is for kids in ages where thy have access to Internet and can, so easily, find fanfic and read it. They can so easily read fanfic of shaladick and think it's okay because they don't know better. They can read that disgusting elementary-age pa/adin x older sh!ro smut and think it's alright, that it's normal. I don't want what happened to me happen to anyone else. No one deserves this, it's been truly horrible, and it all happened because of a fanfic. So yeah. That's it.

yanno i never really thought about it as “not normal” but i really relate to a lot of what you said. since i was really young, i’ve felt a lot of pressure to make myself sexually available to all men, including teachers and guardians. i assumed that everyone viewed me as a potential partner.

i didn’t get into fandom or read fanfic until i was in high school, but the media promotes unhealthy relationships all the time. and it just got worse as i got further into it, and it helped push me into really bad relationships, because i idealized what i read in fanfic; i wanted a romance like what i saw in fandom. and tbh i never even scrutinized these feelings until just now.

so basically what i’m trying to say is that you’re not alone, and what you are going through is valid and important. and im so, so sorry that this kind of stuff has had this effect on you, and that it has impacted your life so much. you don’t deserve that at all