#i'm also gonna link this on my rules page

[hobiebrownismygod]

Researching Characters so you don't have to Part 1: Hobie Brown & His Accent

Art above IS NOT MINE! Click for the link to the original art! Artist: @Jay19

A lot of people write Hobie Brown like Tom Holland, but this just isn't accurate if you want to write a good fan fiction. Hobie is a homeless black teen from the 70s, who was born in Cambridge, and is also a punk. He's not gonna sound like Aaron Warner or Tom Hiddleston. Just because he has a British accent doesn't mean he's going to sound like your average British movie star.

British English is a dialect, not technically an accent. An accent is how someone pronounces words, while a dialect includes pronunciations, but also includes general vocabulary and grammar. This means that despite Hobie speaking English, he won't use the same vocabulary that American-English speakers use, so if you write him that way it won't be accurate.

The British accent that most people are used to is called Received Pronunciation, which is considered the "upper-class" British Accent. However, Hobie does not have a a Received Pronunciation accent. He's cockney. They do not sound the same as upper-class British people, and have a completely different set of vocabulary.

How do you write a cockney accent?

Rule 1: Never pronounce the "H"

For example, house becomes 'ouse. Hat becomes 'at. Hello becomes 'Ello. By writing the words with an apostrophe in place of the "h", it would read more accurately.

Rule 2: -ing becomes -in

For example, running becomes runnin'. Helping becomes 'elpin' (because both the h and the g are silent). Walking becomes walkin'. Those speaking in a cockney accent don't pronounce the "g" part of the ending -ing.

Rule 3: Words starting with "th-" are usually replaced with "f-"

For example, thing becomes fing. This becomes fis. However, don't overdo it. If you write out every word starting with an f, it'll become difficult to read. Only do it if you're trying to enunciate some words over others. Even if you're trying to write an accent, it should still be comprehensible.

There's other rules as well, but these were the main three I saw during my research!

How do you write a cockney dialect?

Cockney rhyming slang

Hobie consistently uses Cockney rhyming slang in ATSV. For example, he calls Miles, "Peter Pan" which is Cockney rhyming slang for "Little man". Using Cockney rhyming slang can make your writing seem more authentic

Some other examples are "Apples and pears" for stairs. "bees and honey" for money, etc. You can google other ones for any words you want to use!

As always research is your best friend, so while writing Hobie, make sure to have another page open with lots of slang and other words available for you to use in your writing to make your character sound as authentic as possible!

Note: I'm not cockney nor British, so if you see any mistakes with my writing, please let me know <3

[styllwaters]

KNIGHT ETHNIC GROUPS, ORDERS AND CULTURES: A GUIDE

MAP OF ETTERA (Knight Homeplanet)

Standard map [continents shown]

Regional map [territories shown]

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

I have here a weeks worth of writing and art because I for some reason enjoy torturing myself! I've been slaving away at this for so long but it's finally done and polished. So! As promised, I'm gonna talk a bit about the different Knight cultures/ethnicities, territories and general social structure.

Knights are one of my alien sophont civilisations from my Vivere 44 headworld. Here are more links from my previous posts:

Introductory post

Knight deities

Knight languages and names

With that being said, worldbuilding textwalls below the cut!

____

First, an explanation of the maps.

CONTINENTS

There are three main continents on Ettera. The two polar landmasses are Thannoeh in the northern end and Nahrui in the southern end. Thannoeh is divided by east and west, and is home to the two major Polar Knight nations. Nahrui is not occupied by any, aside from explorers or scientists. For many Knights, it is a strange, enigmatic land and a topic of great curiosity. In the middle is Val-srat; the central continent inhabited by Mountain and Plains Knights. The landmass is named as such because it is often represented in folklore as a Knight, with Valazear (the ‘Host’) being the southern Plains territories and Srati (the ‘Helmet’) being the northern Mountain territories. The Ihmna Stretch is the section of land connecting the two countries - ‘Ihmna’ is the Ferhahti word for the Integrator organ which joins the host and helmet’s consciousness.

Plant life on Ettera takes on hues of red and orange.

____

Before I get into the different ethnicities, I should elaborate more on how Knight Orders are structured and the different titles; some of the clothing articles are specific to status.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Most Knights live in groups called ‘Orders’, which I talked more about in this ask.

The standard roles for an Order are as follows:

Commander - Makes decisions, protects and supports the group. Commanders lead the Order across difficult terrain, plan out hunts, and take care of their members. A Commander might be chosen based on generational succession, experience, or strength. Depending on the rules of the Order, a Commander might be challenged by a Knight who desires their position, although only an elite or lieutenant would be permitted to do this. In more traditional and conservative orders Commanders are always Pike-forts.

Lieutenant - Second in command. The Lieutenant is the Commander’s primary advisor and runs the Order when they are unable to. A Commander may train their lieutenant to one day take their place as leader, or a lieutenant might serve multiple generations of Commanders without ever challenging them.

Elites - A selection of Knight soldiers who are exceptionally experienced, strong and fast. Highly respected by the rest of the Order and carry out important duties such as organisation. They have the highest chance of being the next lieutenant or Commander. 

Soldiers - The main body of the Order, fully grown Knights who are proficient in all the skills necessary for survival. Soldiers are tasked with a variety of jobs to keep the Order healthy and running: they are also farmers, medics, entertainers, strategists, builders, etc. 

Scouts - Scouts are Knights who make reconnaissance trips for the Order. Their job is to gather information about a potential area to settle or travel through. Scouts also have a range of other responsibilities, such as acting as lookouts, messengers, and taking care of Pages.

There are two types of Scouts - temporary and permanent. Temporary scouts are Squires (16-17 years) who have completed their training and are performing Expeditions, which they are required to do before becoming a full soldier. On Expeditions two or three Scouts will travel a certain distance away from the Order, sometimes miles away, to deliver goods to other Orders or to simply evaluate an area/route. Permanent scouts are lower-ranked Knights who are unable to become Soldiers, prefer a caretaker role, or have been relegated to the position.

Squires - Knights in training. Squires learn from a Soldier assigned to teach them. They may be tutored one-on-one, or taught in a group. They learn the ways of the Order and the world around them. Squires will often be assigned small hunting trips with their tutor, or cleaning jobs. Typically aged 7-15 years.

Pages - The youth of the Order, Knights aged 0-6 years. The pages are fiercely protected by every member of the Order. A newborn Helmet or Host will stay with their birth parent/s until they have assimilated, in which care duty is passed on to a permanent Scout. The Scout raises the Pages alongside several others until they are ready to become Squires.

This structure originated from Mountain Orders and spread to Plains and Polar regions a long time ago. Of course, not every Order follows this plan exactly, and there are countless variations. Some Knights don't live in Orders at all, and may live in pairs (which is common for travelling merchants and explorers) or small groups. Very rarely, a Knight may travel alone. This is the case for exiles.

____

You may already be familiar with the Mountain, Plains and Polar Knight regional varieties, but within these subspecies are various ethnic groups.

THE ETHNICITIES

✦ MOUNTAIN ✦

✦ Ferhahti [Ferhaht]

The Ferhahti Knights are an ethnic group located in the Ferhaht territory of Srati. Their thick fur is of various shades of grey and grey-blue. Their clothing styles are typically beige and tan, often complete with rectangular tassels and red accents. The Ferhahti have a ‘New Years’ festival called Khulaam in which they call upon Etteran spirits to bless them with good harvests, hunting and rain. During these festivals there is music, food, dancing and socialising with others. Allied Orders, usually 2-5, will come together to celebrate. Celebrations last five days. Alliances may be temporary or long-lasting, but the Orders will go on a hunt on the final day to bring down a large quarry. Oftentimes there will be a ‘Herald’ dancer who bears a flag on their horn, depicting glyphs of good fortune. 

Since the Ferhahti and Kaata territories are neighbouring, and have no physical borders, Orders from both lands will often meet to trade goods and information. Many Plains-Mountain hybrids are of Ferhahti and Kaata descent due to the close proximity of the nations. 

NOTE: Plains and Mountain Knights are capable of producing hybrid offspring, although they will be infertile. Neither Plains nor Mountain Knights can produce viable hybrids with Polar Knights.

✦ Fejga [Fejg]

Fejga Knights (pronounced Fej-ya) make their home in the Fejg archipelago. They are generally of a bulkier physique than other Mountain Knights, have a coat of thick fur and are well adjusted to chillier climates. They also sport a ‘saddle’ marking on their backs and are likely to have mottled/freckled patterns and blue eyes. Their Orders are partially seafaring, with many sailing from island to island in magnificent ships. Fishing is a large part of their lifestyles as the sea provides a stable source of food. 

Their clothes are frequently made from leather and wool from domesticated animals. It is deceptively thin, as their pelts already provide natural insulation from the cold. Fejga Commanders wear three silver piercings on their Helmets.

✦ Svunacht [Svun]

Svunacht Knights live within the mountain-bordered territory of Svun and the island of Naahek. Orders have a special ceremony for choosing their Commander. The next in line, usually a chosen Host and Helmet born of the previous Commander and their partner, must journey across the Asall mountain range which borders Svun. It is a treacherous, long passage, and requires the Knight to wear a mask to block out the searing winds. They must also wear a spiked collar as a traditional accessory and safety measure to deter larger predators which roam the mountains. They are forbidden from carrying firearms, only armed with a knife, their wits, and natural defences. Ceremonial garments are required, passed down through generations, and three slips of fabric are worn on their horn for good luck: representing strength, wisdom and tenacity. The journey, called the Meha, is the final step in a long series of rigorous training for future successors. 

The painting of Helmets is also a large part of Svunacht culture. It is typically only reserved for Commanders, Lieutenants or Elites. 

★ PLAINS ★

★ Kaata [Kaat]

Kaata Knight Orders inhabit the deserts of Kaat. They are perfectly suited to desert life, their tan coats reducing heat absorbed from the sun. Kaata Knights make their clothing from woven fibres of plants that are garnished with gold pigments derived from a natural mineral found in the sands. They are especially known for their proficiency in fine crafts, and often trade jewellery to Ferhahti Orders across the Ihmna Stretch connecting Kaat and Ferhaht. Kaata clothing tends to be highly detailed and ornamental, with shiny beads adorning arm cuffs, necklaces, mandible rings and horn sleeves. The many gemstone and fossil deposits in Kaat are also incorporated into their styles. Like the Svunacht Knights, Kaata also paint their Helmets, although the practice is not restricted to any particular titles.

★ Saisala [Saisal]

Saisala Knights live in and around the deltas and rivers of Saisal, the southernmost territory of Val-srat. The area is filled with marshlands and everglades, and the weather is more wet and humid than the dry plains of Kaat. Saisala forts sport a dark reddish mane that grows right down their backs and bears some resemblance to maned wolves. Their pikes have hooked horns and sloping spines, as well as more ‘splotchy’ red stripes. Their Helmet eyes also have a pale ring around their pupils.

Saisala clothing styles are characterised by draping, ovular shapes and translucent sections of fabric. The green and gold drapes in the drawing are traditional wedding garments, complete with rounded tassels and a horn extension for pikes. The hanging ‘coins’ have engravings which tell a short but sweet poem.

★ Yaemioui [Yaemiou]

Yaemioui Orders live in a similar environment to Saisala Knights, in the wetland territories of Yaemiou. Their coats are pale like Kaata, but come in a greater combination of hues such as orange, grey and vermilion. Fun fact: all Plains Host pups are born with faint spots to help them camouflage, like lion cubs. Most lose these markings as they grow older, but Yaemioui hosts retain them even in adulthood. Their patterns are similar to painted dogs. The Yaemioui have a rich storytelling culture and have records dating back thousands of years.

Their clothing styles utilise dusky, non-bright colours that are usually two-piece. The outfit in the picture is worn by an elder Pike-fort who has carried and sired many offspring. The spine extensions are an indicator of age and experience, and a mark of high respect. The scarf around their neck depicts circles symbolising their Helmet children, and the circles on the larger cloth represent their Host progeny. 

★ Balkzaiinu [Balkzaii]

On the island of Balkzaii reside the Balkzaiinu Knights, who have dark stripes on both their Hosts and Helmets and short curly fur. Unlike other Orders, Balkzaiinu communities rarely ever hunt - they were one of the first countries to develop farming and agriculture, and import a lot of domesticated animals to Saisal and Yaemiou. They are also the only country that has no Commanders in their Orders, and decisions are made by a council of higher-ups. They live in a tropical climate which receives lots of rainfall and cyclones. They are also masters in boat making and sailing, and contacted the mainland several centuries ago. Balkzaiinu have different decency standards than other Plains Knights, and in their culture it is considered proper to cover the neck area. Their clothing is generally layered and contains colourful, square designs.

✧ POLAR ✧

✧ Aikka [Ehtte Thannoeh]

Aikka Knights have domain over the Eastern section of Thannoeh. The polar word for East is Ehtte, and West Uesse. Since the country is so close to the Fegj archipelago, the two have been in contact for a long time.

Aikka have pristine white fur and a slightly bluish tinge to their Helmets. As with all Polar Knights, they are much smaller than their Plains or Mountain relatives, but are incredibly tough and hardy as a result of surviving in one of the harshest biomes. Ehtte Thannoeh is associated with scientific prowess, discovery and knowledge, and many famous Knight explorers are from Thannoeh. There are several research stations on Nahrui that are run and managed by Aikka; they have no difficulty working in the icy environment. Aikka Knights are also experts in carving, sculpting figurines and charms from the ivory tusks of marine animals. The outfit depicted in the drawing shows an Aikka Scout wearing a pendant with a carved basilosaurus-like animal for spiritual protection. These pendants are often given by parents to children. Their coat has six pockets for navigational instruments, goggles, knives, a spyglass, medical equipment and more. 

✧ Myet [Uesse Thannoeh]

Myet Orders have less contact with other regions than Aikka. Residing in Uesse Thannoeh, Many of them live further inland. Myet Hosts have a more yellowish tinge to their fur and their Pike Helmets have a tan stripe. The Helmets also have a more rounded 'snout'. They have managed to domesticate a large predator which defends their camps and is used as a mount/companion. Like the Balkzaiinu, Myet Orders have a different structure than most, having two Commanders, usually a mated pair, and no lieutenants or elites.

Myet clothing is more minimal than Aikka styles. They usually cover the back with a ‘saddle’ and manipulators with gloves. The outfit drawn is of a Commander, distinguished by the ring of fabric around their horn and eye makeup. In their backpack they carry hunting weapons, and wear a knife sheathed at their side.

_________________

And that's a wrap! Thank you for reading, this project is truly a delight to work on. I leave you with some messy concept art I did a while ago for Mountain Knight clothing styles.

[alchely]

My Top Gallavich fics

So, under the advice of the lovely @iangallagherisadeadman I've decided to compile a favorites Gallavich fic list along with a brief rec of each, this won't be a strict top 10 cause I'm not gonna torture myself into excluding some of these stories on some made-up self imposed arbitrary rules.

A bunch of disclaimers: most of these fics are long fics, going from 30k words up, I'm not purposefully excluding shorter fics, I have read plenty of them, but they do have a harder time sticking in my head months after reading.

Most of these fics will be explicit, just read the tags on the fic itself if you want to find out more.

Some of these fics don't have links because the authors chose to lock them and as such make them unlinkable, in order to read them you will need to go through the author's page while you're logged in your AO3 account.

This ended up ballooning out of control and is A LOT longer than ten fics, I apologize in advance :p.

YOU'LL NEVER SEE US AGAIN – spoonfulstar - 231k words

Mickey and Ian have been students at Marceline boarding school their whole lives, as their time at the institute draws toward the end they will start to discover many things, about themselves, about each other and about the world they live in.

THIS FIC! I CRIED! The number of fanfiction that are able to make me cry can be counted on a singular hand, the emotional stakes get higher and higher as the story goes on, leading to a beautiful and bittersweet climax.

This story will make you think and feel deeply about topics you'd never think a shameless fic would delve into.

I am obsessed with Mickey in this fic, he and Ian grow up in an environment that could not be more removed from South Side Chicago and yet his personality is still so recognizably and distinctly Mickey.

The story goes very dark at times, and the fic itself could be considered lengthy, but I assure you the author has made sure to not make you feel it. Those 200k words flowed so well the story did not feel long at all.

HELP ME (TEAR DOWN MY REASON) – wehangout - 34k words

Mickey is a detective and Ian becomes a suspect in an investigation except Mickey already knows him because he's his favorite dancer.

This fic falls under the umbrella of fics where “Mickey is so in love with Ian he does something unbelievably crazy”.

Oooh boy, this fic, it's written in second person (yes you've read that right), tbh out of all fics I've read from this author I think this one was the easiest to adjust mentally to the change in perspective.

I loved Mickey’s “love” in this, just… This raw connection to Ian, the perfect cocktail of feelings, I could read that all day long.

IN ANOTHER WORLD – Roryonic - 249k words

Mickey does not get sent to prison at the end of S5, what happens after and how his presence influences future events (mostly Ian, but also every other Gallagher as well as his own family).

As far as I'm concerned this fic is the closest to a perfect S6 and beyond fix-it. The dialogue writing in this story is so close to canon Shameless that I could picture entire scenes in my head with the actors playing the characters, with their body and personality quirks.

Sometimes I find myself describing this fic like it's the actual show's deleted scenes, “Look, Mickey has his own storyline! And Mandy is here! And the existence of Yevgeni does not become a plot hole!”

There are some Mickey lines in this fic that to me are as canon as if they'd been in the show. Absolutely iconic writing.

I love this author so here's a rec of some of their other longfics, however I highly suggest a lot of their other much shorter stuff as well:

BATTLESHIPS AND LOVE BOATS: Ian and Mickey start their “no strings attached” kind of sex relationship a little later than canon but their attraction and love is just as strong. This is a sort of High School AU that turns into a Prison AU that turns into something else and every shift is just as lovely as the next.

YOU SMELL LIKE LOVE: Ian and Mickey are childhood friends, to the point that the rest of the Gallaghers might as well consider Mickey a seventh brother, mmmh, I sure wonder how things will start to change. Look, I never thought I'd love a childhood friends AU for Gallavich yet here I am, if it's good it's good.

ME AND THE DEVIL: Mickey unconsciously calls for a vengeance demon and Ian Gallagher shows up at his door, because Mickey is a stubborn dumbass they fall in love instead. This story has a lot of twists and turns and the premise is only the very beginning of the story. I LOVED it!

THE INCREASINGLY POOR DECISIONS OF IAN GALLAGHER – Shamelessquestions - 309k words

Ian is a dancer in a club, he accidentally gets involved in the affair of a dangerous mafia don, but the true danger is the attraction he and the mafioso’s right hand Mickey feel for each other as soon as they meet.

What. A. Classic. Truly, an unforgettable story, and I don't mean this in hyperbole, I read this story around… 2016/2017 during my second round in the Shameless fandom, then I read countless other fics in a lot of other fandom and yet this story was the only one that my mind retained from back then, to the point that I could still remember some of the finer details as well as the final plot twists when I came back to reread it.

The plot is constructed beautifully and the original characters (part of the Shamelessquestions fanfiction universe, as they come back time and time again in every one of their AU to fulfill their role in the story) are just as vibrant.

What a story, truly.

Favorite original character in this AU: Sal, his downfall is so satisfying and yet so pitiful to read.

TEENAGERS SCARE THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME – Mellow_Yellow - 221k words

Ian finds something scary and calls Mickey for help, even though they had only reconnected that very day after two years of not seeing each other. Together, they get sucked into a situation they weren't at all prepared for. Can they even admit that they're in over their head?

The very beginning of this fic is SO cinematic it grabbed my interest from the very first scene and didn't let go until the end, DO NOT search for spoilers.

The only warning I'll give is that it does deal with a bit of gore and what I'm personally gonna define as slight psychological horror. That's it. Enjoy!

BROKE STRAIGHT BOYS – dancermk - 66k words

Mickey becomes a porn actor for a site where he has to pretend he's straight and not enjoying the copious amount of gay sex he's having on camera, enter Ian, another actor under the same agency and their off the chart physical chemistry.

This story has, needless to say, some really, really good smut. I especially loved their first time together, but every sex scene in this story is seared in my mind.

ETHERIZED AGAINST THE SKY – Snarfle - 213k words

So, I debated whether I should add this fic or not, but I think if there is one fic that will stay in my mind long after this Shameless binge of the past couple of months it's this one, and it should absolutely become one of those fic that everyone in the fandom should read.

After Mickey gets shot by Kash his life takes a completely different direction and he ends up in a group home where, through many difficult times, he turns his life around.

So many iconic moments in this fic, some funny as fuck, some sad, some so absurd that I'm surprised they weren't lifted straight from Shameless, one so gruesome in the very first chapter that I was surprised to have such a visceral feeling from just words on a screen. Yeah, this story will stay with me for a long time.

OLD RULES FOR NEW SIDE PIECES – Shamelessquestions - 217k words

Ian is a Fed and he spots Mickey looking suspicious in an art museum, the mutual attraction is overwhelming, Mickey is not what he seems and Ian is already with someone else, but that's not gonna stop him from pursuing what he and Mickey have.

Putting it as bluntly as I can, this fic made me face the realization that I love cheating fics (if the cheating happens to someone else to bring together the endgame couple). I have already reread this fic twice and I could probably go for another one and not get tired of it, it's that good, and out of all this author's fics it's probably my favorite.

Favorite original characters in this AU: It's a three way tie between Dre, Ivan and Carrie, they're all very captivating in this story.

Other fic from this author I'd recommend cause I really love their style:

LOST IN TRANSLATION: Ian meets a very attractive man while he's in Ukraine who doesn't speak English, a mere language barrier won't stop him from flirting for hours. (adorable)

YOU MAKE ME FEEL HUMAN – Dragona - 66k words

Ian is an assassin, he meets Mickey and thus begins a very sick love story.

To say I'm obsessed with this fic is an understatement, I suggest to everyone to just go read the original author’s own description of the fic, it sets the tone of the story magnificently.

This is an Ian Gallagher that almost resembles Jerome (also played by Cameron in Gotham) but like… a slightly more subdued and saner S1/S2 version of him. I love the layers that get peeled right in front of my eyes, the madness that creeps in a bit more every chapter. I LOVE this story.

DRIED INK - 87k words

This fic combines my two favorite Gallavich-specific tropes, one being ‘Mickey comes back from prison after s6, Ian is with someone else’ and ���Ian cheats on that someone else for Mickey’

I love the Gallaghers in this and how unsurprised they are at Ian going back to Mickey right away. It's a little jewel of a fic.

Mickey tries SO hard to stop himself and Ian in this but their love is too magnetic, they're irresistible to each other.

THE QUESTION OF NORMAL – blue_newman - 92k words

Ian is a prison counselor, Mickey is in prison, they fall in love and it's beautiful and Ian is incredibly devoted to Mickey in this fic and I fell in love with them both in this.

KINDA RAW – catgrassplantdad - 6k

Quite simply this is my favorite short pwp fic.

Illustrating those “five times” in one night that Mickey references in 11x01.

This fic is so hot, I love it <3

QUATERVOIS – DodgerBear - 51k words

Soldier Mickey gets stationed in the middle of nowhere and meets a farmer called Ian who makes him question everything.

Falling under the same umbrella of “Mickey does something crazy for Ian” fics and this is why it stuck in my mind even if it's been a while since I've read it.

I LOVE this story, their dialogues and everything that happens in it. The setting is lovely and you will fall in love with the description of Ian’s farm.

Other fic by the same author that I also loved:

BURDEN OF PROOF: Cop Mickey gets caught in a legal battle between the two oldest Gallagher brothers, something doesn't feel right though…

THE WORDS HE DOESN'T SAY: Mickey is released before Ian in s10 and has to meet a court-mandated therapist. The story is from the therapist POV and goes AU from the beginning of s10 in that Mickey gets involved back into Yev and Svetlana’s life, the dialogue is, quite obviously, the main attraction of the story and it's really well done. (Also, written in first person).

THE MENAGERIE – CrossMyDNA - 147k words

Ian decides to re-explore his bdsm preferences at The Menagerie where he meets sub extraordinaire Mickey on his very first visit.

Shameless is undoubtedly the fandom that opened my eyes to what bdsm could be back in… approx 2016? When that other popular bdsm fic was still around *ahem*.

So it definitely feels like a sign that coming back into the fandom this fic now exists and is SO GOOD.

Obviously it's very explicit, the smut in this fic is one of the best I've ever read.

The chemistry between Ian and Mickey sizzles off the screen and can absolutely be felt even in moments not of the nsfw variety, absolutely recommended!

MICKEY MILKOVICH’S GUIDE TO FLIRTING – whatwouldmickeydo - 40k words

An s2 “missing moments” between Gallavich, completely canon compliant, all under the pretense that Mickey is following a step by step guide to flirting.

I wish this fic was describing canon moments, not kidding a single bit, I wish I could somehow magically manifest these scenes into existence they're that good and fit that well into canon.

M8TE – gallawitch - 53k words

Omegaverse fic where Ian and Mickey both start using an app and end up matching with each other, even though a connection is made almost instinctively, coming to terms with it with a sound mind will take a bit longer…

Hey,had to have at least one of these on here lol

I love omegaverse and this was everything I wanted from it, couldn't have asked for anything better really <3.

SHACKLED – MyRelapse - 19k words

Ian has a change of heart and he decides that Mickey IS the one he wants, even if he's still in prison, so he keeps in contact and goes through every hoop imaginable to have him back as soon as possible.

Reading this made me so happy like I could burst, love it.

WAITING ON MY OWN TOO LONG – Ride4812 - 266k words

This rec more than any other on this list is what I'm gonna consider self indulgent because it covers the trope I always craved to read in such a satisfying way: Canon AU where Mickey comes back from prison after 8 years, Ian has found someone else but the moment the two meet again they fall back into each other right away.

The series is made up of 4 smaller fics:

One more night

Something more this time

No more lonely nights

Ain't this life so sweet

(I will point out here and nowhere else that the last installment of this series has some segment that probably needed to be re-read a couple more times, but by that point I was too invested, and the quality fluctuates a lot only in certain parts)

The writing style is very direct and to the point, which I love, the smut is very present and written beautifully and most importantly never boring.

Ian is a MESS in this fic and had me Stressed™, mostly cause for some reason I can't handle too much casual depiction of drug abuse and addiction (I know, ironic considering the fandom).

Conflicts and resolutions are never clean cut, they don't necessarily resolve quickly or definitely or the way you probably imagine they should and I find this level of realism very satisfying.

Taking a bit of space here at the end to also rec a couple other Ride4812 fics that I also loved:

COUP DE FOUDRE - A model/photographer AU where Ian and Mickey fall in love the instant they meet and do some crazy things because of that.

HOPE HE MIGHT - A lawyer AU where Ian and Mickey are on opposing sides for the same client, an interesting murder mystery steeped in a religious cult.

Generally I feel like this author is really good at depicting just how unapproachable Mickey can be to anyone that isn't called Ian Gallagher and I eat it up every time.

WHAT THE NIGHT DOES TO THE DAY – andchaos - 9k words

A Gallavich childhood friends AU with a quite original arrangement for the story and the various segments of their lives. Very satisfying read.

RANSOM – BeckyHarvey29 - 112k words

Terry sends his sons to kidnap a Gallagher child to force Frank into paying back the money he owes, unfortunately for him Mickey and his brothers kidnap Ian, and a whole other kind of story unfolds.

Mickey and Ian falling in love in this fic is such a good read. I don't wanna spoil anything of how that or the kidnapping plot goes, since the two are so intertwined. Just know that it will be worth it.

UNDER LOCK AND KEY – Suzy_Queue - 106k words

Ian is assigned the night shift at his new job where he provides spare keys to his fellow college students stuck outside their dorm rooms. To make matters worse his shift coworker is the oh so infamous Mickey Milkovich.

I am magnetized by the way this author writes their pining for each other, their attraction and obsession, how it blooms and unfolds. This fic in particular had me develop a very bad case of tunnel vision, couldn't really turn away until I finished reading it all.

I still haven't read everything this author has to offer, but so far I also loved:

INHUMAN: A mysterious force starts attacking people close to Mickey and it all seems to lead to a mysterious redhead Mickey is oh so coincidentally obsessed with. Very cool paranormal story.

THESE FOOLISH GAMES: Mickey takes over as the boss of the local branch of a trampoline park, where Ian is one of the employees, they annoy each other to no end but what they don't know is that they're secretly texting each other.

IS THERE SOMEWHERE – andchaos - 48k words

Mickey is born with no words on his skin, convinced he's going to live a life of misery cause no one will ever say the words he's destined to hear, he's not a very happy guy. Here comes mute boy Ian who crashes into his life and won't let go.

A classic Soulmate AU, I love that like in a lot of other Gallavich fics their physical connection and compatibility usually comes before their emotional one, it is one aspect that I feel distinguishes their relationship to many other fandom’s ships.

LAST NIGHT AT THE VERONA GRAND HOTEL – the_rat_wins - 27k words

Mickey starts working at an ancient hotel who's supposedly haunted. Mickey doesn't believe in ghost stories, he is much more interested in this one guest he meets at night during his shift.

What a cinematic experience this fic is! Absolutely recommended, the length of it makes it so you can read it in the same time it would take to watch the same story in movie format.

Other fics by the same authors that have impressed me:

FADE THIS ONE TO BLACK: Ian dies of overdose in a pile of snow outside the club, when Mickey finds him there he vows to do anything to get him back.

I don't know why but this fic in particular gives off the vibes of being a pilot for a ya urban fantasy TV series, except we gotta imagine everything that comes after the first episode lol

NO LIE: Ian and Mickey are Soulmates and as such they can't lie to each other. This series is short and sweet and full of feelings, perfect

PARAGRAPHS – pink_ink - 100k words

Ian becomes a reading tutor for ex-convicts, Mickey is among them and Ian starts paying him more and more attention.

This is a story where they meet under very different circumstances and where they've lived slightly different lives compared to canon and yet they're still able to find each other in the end.

Also, sign me up for every fic where Ian has to work just as hard to help Mickey and care for him as the opposite, where Ian's brand of stubbornness is the only way to get through to Mickey.

I'm also adding a couple of ongoing fics, just two to not overwhelm too much.

NONE THE WISER – Loftec - ~218k words

Ian starts visiting Mickey’s diner, it takes a while and yet no time at all to warm up to each other.

I'm captivated by the author's writing style. I love Ian's and Mickey’s relationship. I love how they sort of take their time and yet pine helplessly for each other.

I'm obsessed with the fact that the whole point of the fic doesn't appear until two thirds of the way in cause the diner scenes were just too good to pass up on lol (and I 100% agree with them).

INTRO TO QUANTUM DATING – spoonfulstar - ~563k words

Canon Mickey and Ian meet in University. A college slice of life but drenched in the casual (and not so casual) darkness of canon shameless.

The dark humor in this is fenomenal and left me gasping laughing so many times.

Unexpectedly Ian in this fic is pursuing a linguistics oriented degree, which was what I studied when I tried university, the topics are explained in such an accurate way I have to assume the author studied them themselves and that this story is somewhat a reimagining of their own college experience because if not this would be an absurd amount of accurate research to make.

Reading this fic feels like living through the American college experience from the comfort of my home lol.

As I said before, this author's way of writing does not weight you down even with its length, the story flows perfectly from one scene to the next and before you realize it you've reached the end and you have to accept that 500k words weren't even enough.

Let's end this list with some quick recommendations

WHILE WE'RE MAKING OTHER (PEOPLE'S) PLANS - kyasticlikestea

Mickey is volunteered to organize someone's else's wedding after he managed to salvage his own so well, he'll do it, but his own Southside way.

THIS IS THE ROAD TO RUIN - bricoleur10

Ian and Mickey never go to rob Ned, the story unfolds differently from there. A fix-it with a lot of Gallavich longing , very good smut and some really good dialogue.

HEY, HONEY MINE (I WAS THERE ALL THE TIME) - serveteas

Mickey talks about his crush with Iggy and accidentally pronoun-slips. Short, to the point, funny af and I just really love it. Takes place after their fight at Kash’n Grab in s2.

AGAINST GLASS - AllThatMatters

Ian gets traded from one club to another as a dancer (and more) and ends up in the Milkovich family's club. This is a Mafia!Mickey story with some pretty tight sub-plots, I love his brothers in this.

ONE OF A KIND - fckyeahgallavich

Mickey breaks his finger and it has to be set in the hospital, chaos - of the homophobic kind - ensues. Protective!Ian, I wanna hug Mickey in this.

IAN THE FRIENDLY GHOST - Ravenheart

Ian is haunting an apartment and Mickey starts living in it, Ian is maybe starting to have a crush on him. This isn't angsty!

BLOOD IN, BLEED OUT - brewrosemilk, Whatsastory

Historical AU. Perfectly innocent bystander Ian Gallagher is thrown into the affairs of the Ukrainian Mafia back in 1954, his relationship with Mickey will span decades and he won't remain innocent for long, the mafia can corrupt anyone.

TEENAGE RUNAWAY - sadwhales

Ian comes to live and finish high school with his half siblings on the South Side, he's immediately captivated by a boy sitting under the bleachers, maybe his North Side naivety will catch his attention too.

GARDEN SONG - melwrtiesthings

A glimpse into their lives in their West Side apartment, a lot of initial angst due to a manic episode and then a lot of recovery and healing and learning more about themselves.

[majorproblems77]

Hi, Linked Maze fans! It's me again!

Ohhhh boy we are cooking and I am excited. Let's do a late-night ramble with yours truly

When I tell you I looked at these panels for a reasonable amount of time I was lying and it was longer than that.

Now a link to the comic page can be found Here! Please go give it some love :D

For the important stuff!

Linked Maze belongs to @linked-maze and its wonderful creator @frulleboi. (You should follow them, they are wonderful) And as a heads up, Linked maze is for more mature audiences! :)

As usual, you know the drill, Grab some water, Grab some popcorn and prepare for me to ramble at you for however long it is!

Here we go!

Oh lordy it's the sun (you'll see why later.)

He sniffin. Sniff Sniff

Now, Everyone remembers the first rule of exploring. Dont run off! That includes you Wolfy!

Now I have a theory. Which I'll come back to in detail later. But just, Remember the shadow behind four for me. We'll get back to it.

Warrior is the group Dad at this point. also, I love this side shot of him thank you.

Also

Warrior. Speaking to Wolfie like he is a kid rather than a wolf.

WARRIOR KNOWS SOMETHING IS UP YOU CANT CHANGE MY MIND

I dont think It'll be Sky. I think it'll be a hero we haven't met yet!

We interupt this comic analysis for unhinged analysis :D

Ready? Me too, lets go

Because, that shadow?

this one?

I dont think it's wolfy, It can't be.

Wolfie's shadow has a definition to it. It has a shape.

You can see the outlines of his tail, which is what we would see if it were him.

Where this one is a blob. Closer to a person.

Ie Winds's shadow

the blob

In fact, if I had to give you a position for Wolfy right now. It's not there. Let me explain.

Shadowssssss

Remember the sun? (Me too, I miss it;-;)

The sun can tell us a bunch about time and stuff. But also where a person is (Because fun angles and maths that I know way too much about tbh)

Anyway

So Wolfy's shadow hits another wall

This wall looks flat so it can't be a corner. (Taking the grass as reference)

And his face isn't shadowed at all, So he himself isn't behind a wall. He's approaching one tho. So in this case I reckon Wolfie isn't visible at all to wind and Warriors at the point Four turns to them.

So who is this mysterious shadow?

It ain't angel. No way.

I reckon it is another Link group. And we are either going to meet the last of the Links we are yet to meet. Or we are pulling groups together.

You know what....

I think it's World or Spirit. And we are gonna see these guys interact before they meet the other larger group of heroes.

Though im leaning towards Spirit just because of the shadow's shape. (And the lack of Sheerow)

Let me know what you think because I'm not 100% sure and I'm interested in what you think.

Okay ramble over, but to be fair that's why your here right?

Oh windddddd

the poor boy

I feel so bad for him he didn't deserve this. He probably tried to open his eye cause he was excited. :(

:((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

The boyyyyyyy

He's trying to be a strong hero in front of these other heroes again. This poor kid i feel so bad for him.

ALSO THE EARS :(

They have expressive ears and it kills me to see wind sad like this.

AHHHHHH

BIG BRO WARRIOR

I LOVE HIM

And his little ear lower of worry for the small I love him sm okay.

Excuse me?

bhdjlhsafdnsajkfndas;nfdas

You can't leave it like that

Where's wolfy

Wheres four?

Will the small boy ever not be in pain?

I have questions!

Ahh okay okay I loved this update it was very fun. Im excited to see what's coming up in the next chapter.

Thats all from me!

Have a great night all! :D

[imomisoplays]

Long story short

...I survived. Or at least, that's how the lyrics go. Hi again, tombler -- I guess?

Long story:

It's really long, so scroll down for the short version!

Earlier in the month, Tumblr wrongly terminated my previous blog at misoplays. It could come out as a funny accident if only it's (a) the first time this kind of termination happened to misoplays, and (b) Tumblr gracefully reinstate the blog again. I've waited for almost a month and sent two e-mails (they did say spamming e-mail would just push my request back on the queue) while keep trying to refresh the page every day, yet the result is the same "There's nothing here" page. That's that me depresso.

To elaborate further on point (a), the first time I decided to start a sims cooking blog, I created it under my OG e-mail address; the e-mail I used to apply for job etc. which also happened to be linked to my OG tumblr account. It's an old account that now acts like a Wayback Machine of memories for me, but as you know, if a blog is already linked to your e-mail, it will be your main blog, and any additional blog you create under that e-mail would act as side blogs. So, the OG misoplays started as a side blog. However, three posts in, the blog got wrongly terminated. I was sure I didn't break any rules, but maybe Tumblr thought my sudden activity in that ancient account was suspicious, which I could understand. So I sent a request to Tumblr, and the blog was reinstated in under two weeks. The blog first looked like this:

Understandably no one liked or reblogged me, and it was totally okay -- because once again, I just started and posted my first three posts.

When the OG misoplays blog was under, I created a new Tumblr account under my other e-mail address, this time the blog becomes my main blog. The username was misomain, because misoplays was unavailable (apparently, you can't use a username from a suspended/terminated blog) at that time. Misomain was a puny name, because 'main' means "a principal of others in the same kind" in English, but it also translates to "to play" in Indonesian. I quite like misomain, but I went back to misoplays the moment Tumblr reinstated that blog.

The blog you might be familiar with looked more or less like this, of course without the silly Squidward booty profile picture 🤣

Everything went smoothly for a couple of months until early November. To be honest it kinda gets blurry what I was trying to do, I think I was trying to change the password or something. Tumblr sent a verification e-mail, and when I clicked on the link, that fateful "There is nothing here" page appeared. It was at that moment I knew something is wrong. My blog got wrongly terminated for the second time.

I sent a request to get my blog reinstated, and as patient as I can be, I get more anxious as the days went. Another fact is that my blog got yeeted away right when I was about to post my Halloween party posts -- which you'll see later, is quite time-consuming to take pictures of. I stopped playing The Sims 4 because I was sad, mad and somehow bitter at the situation. I mean, tell me why it keeps happening to me, @staff? The only possible explanation (and I don't want to keep making excuses for Tumblr because duh) is because sometimes I use VPN and some other times I turned it off. And if that's so, I already sent e-mails explaining the situation -- so far receiving no reply. None; nada!

I didn't think I would recreate another blog; I was done with it. That's when I absent-mindedly tried to google "misoplays" and the search brought me to this post.

I'm not gonna lie, I choked up and almost shed a tear 🥹

To think that someone out there -- someone who I look up to! -- knows that misoplays is gone and is wondering where it is... Bro, the tears are right there. Thank you, @charlypancakes, your post really bring my spirit up. I decided that I will create another blog, and I will start posting again. From now on I'll diligently back everything up, so if Tumblr yeeted this blog, I'm gonna create another one. I'm gonna live up to that one popular Indonesian proverb: Mati satu tumbuh seribu -- for every thing that was lost, a replacement will appear.

This current blog's name imomisoplays is another play on word: In English, 'emo' would refer to the sad, emotional side of me after experiencing this termination (as I would tell my friends, I'm "currently on my emo phase" once again). But in Korean, the word 이모 (read as ee-mo) means "aunt". I'm an aunt myself, and maybe, with my sims cooking content, I can be that cool auntie on the internet, conquering one recipe at a time 💃

Short story:

Phew, you just saved yourself a whole sob story!

My old blog at misoplays got wrongly terminated earlier this month. Tumblr hasn't returned it yet, and I have long lost hope. I saw a hopeful post and realized that I still got that spirit to keep on posting, so I created this blog. I lost my following, my followers (all 20 of you, please know I appreciate each one of you!), and the drafts to my old posts (only managed to save some), but I would love to continue simblr-ing again as imomisoplays 🙇‍♀️

[cuties-in-codices]

Where do you find these manuscripts? Is it like a website or do you find it randomly??

hey, thanks for the curiosity! lenghty answer below the cut :)

1)

medieval manuscripts are typically owned by libraries and showcased on the library's websites. so one thing i do is i randomly browse those digitized manuscript collections (like the collections of the bavarian state library or the bodleian libraries, to name just two), which everybody can do for free without any special access. some digital collections provide more useful tools than others (like search functions, filters, annotations on each manuscript). if they don't, the process of wading through numerous non-illustrated manuscripts before i find an illustrated one at all can be quite tedious.

2)

there are databases which help to navigate the vast sea of manuscripts. the one i couldn't live without personally use the most is called KdIH (Katalog der deutschsprachigen illustrierten Handschriften des Mittelalters). it's a project which aims to list all illustrated medieval manuscripts written in german dialects. the KdIH provides descriptions of the contents of each manuscript (with a focus on the illustrations), and if there's a digital reproduction of a manuscript available anywhere, the KdIH usually links to it. the KdIH is an invaluable tool for me because of its focus on illustrated manuscripts, because of the informations it provides for each manuscript, and because of its useful search function (once you've gotten over the initial confusion of how to navigate the website). the downside is that it includes only german manuscripts, which is one of the main reasons for the over-representation of german manuscripts on my blog (sorry about that).

3)

another important database for german manuscripts in general (i.e. not just illustrated ones) is the handschriftencensus, which catalogues information regarding the entirety of german language manuscripts of the middle ages, and also links to the digital reproductions of each manuscript.

4)

then there are simply considerable snowball effects. if you do even just superficial research on any medieval topic at all (say, if you open the wikipedia article on alchemy), you will inevitably stumble upon mentions of specific illustrated manuscripts. the next step is to simply search for a digital copy of the manuscript in question (this part can sometimes be easier said than done, especially when you're coming from wikipedia). one thing to keep in mind is that a manuscript illustration seldom comes alone - so every hint to any illustration at all is a greatly valuable one (if you do what i do lol). there's always gonna be something interesting in any given illustrated manuscript. (sidenote: one very effective 'cheat code' would be to simply go through all manuscripts that other online hobbyist archivers of manuscript illustrations have gone through before - like @discardingimages on tumblr - but some kind of 'professional pride' detains me from doing so. that's just a kind of stubbornness though. like, i want to find my material more or less on my own, not just the images but also the manuscripts, and i apply arbitrary rules to my search as to what exactly that means.)

5)

whatever tool or strategy i use to find specific illustrated manuscripts-- in the end, one unavoidable step is to actually manually skim through the (digitized) manuscript. i usually have at least a quick look at every single illustrated page, and i download or screenshot everything that is interesting to me. this process can take up to an hour per manuscript.

---

in conclusion, i'd say that finding cool illuminated manuscripts is much simpler than i would have thought before i started this blog. there are so many of them out there and they're basically just 'hidden in plain side', it's really astounding. finding the manuscripts doesn't require special skills, just some basic experience with/knowledge of the tools available. the reason i'm able to post interesting images almost daily is just that i spend a lot of time doing all of this, going through manuscripts, curating this blog, etc. i find a lot of comfort in it, i learn a lot along the way, and i immensely enjoy people's engagement with my posts. so that's that :)

[orangeblossoms7]

Addressing a Few Things (hopefully for the last time)

Please don't look down on creators who make 'decorative things and texture packs.' Just because my mods are mostly cosmetic doesn't mean they're any less valuable than the 'mechanical value' you're talking about. We may not know each other, but with the disrespect you're showing to aesthetic creators, I sincerely hope we never meet.

The screenshots are from the SDV Discord server.

Maybe leaving Nexus was a really good idea because of people like these. 🥲 Thanks to the one who spoke up for me though! 🥹

For the record, while my Ko-fi shop items and Patreon download links are marked 'members-only,' I've clearly included a link directing followers and free members to my CurseForge profile where the mods are also available. See below:

'|⬇| FREE DOWNLOAD' is there in capital letters. The same is true for all of my 'public release' mods.

You can see that almost all of my mods are in this new site.

'DOWNLOAD MY MODS HERE' is highlighted in bold, capital letters in my pinned post.

On my about page, 'FREE DOWNLOADS HERE' is also highlighted in bold, capital letters.

I initially marked my Ko-fi and Patreon mods as for 'everyone,' but later decided to change them to 'members-only'. To offset this "inconvenience", I made sneak peeks and polls of my 'to-be-public' mods free for all, as communicated in my welcome post below:

The same is also written in my Patreon welcome note.

It's frustrating to be reproached and get derisive comments for wanting compensation for my work when others literally do the same with commissions. I'm not even one of those modders who paywall sneak peeks and then upload the finished mod on ad-heavy, pop-up-heavy sites where they earn revenue.

Regarding the limited-time mod (like my September 2024 Milk Door), it's simply a fun bonus for my members—a way to thank them for supporting me all this time... and still being there for me all throughout the bad times I've experienced at Nexus and the SDV community there. I didn't think it would be an issue since it's a tiny little mod that won't even impact anyone's gameplay except for roleplaying(?) purposes of having a milkman deliver milk to your milk door...

I'm trying to balance 'members-only' and 'free for all' mods without making anyone feel left out. Admittedly, some of my mods are for members only (around 8) but I think the amount of free mods (34 to be exact) I've already shared with everyone offsets this "imbalance."

(I'm not trying to hold this over anyone, but I'm adding this little disclaimer just in case someone tries to twist my words.)

If you disagree with how I do things, feel free to unfollow. I'm gonna be sad to see you go because of this, but if you feel uncomfortable, then I understand. My content and rules may not be for everyone, and that’s okay. If waiting to download my mods for free isn’t for you, I suggest exploring other modders.

As for those who are still here despite everything else, you have my eternal gratitude. Always. ♥︎♡♥︎

love,

🍊🌸

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2024-08-15

(Previous post - current page 605)

I'm a bit bleary but I had an early-morning appointment cancelled and I literally HAVE NOT been able to get Homestuck out of my head, so I'm gonna do YET MORE liveblogging and keep up my storm-rush to catch up-- or at least get back to the Candy timeline I already care about so much more than this one!

But first (as evidence of my obsession), before we hit that next link, I have some THOUGHTS I typed up in the middle of the night on my phone after recovering my wits from that huge binge of liveblogging yesterday that I'd like to go ahead and paste, then I'll hit the link and continue as usual after that under the cut. Ahem:

I belatedly realized that AL is glowing rainbow because of the power she stole by devouring Lord English, and we don’t know what that power entails beyond “she’s immortal and massively powerful and could perhaps even curse others” (and/or has some extra command over the narrative perhaps, gone into below).  Dirk is still confident that he can destroy her or stop her from stopping him in time to thwart his ambitions, somehow, which is arrogant of him but also interesting and probably right because there’s no way thematically she’s going to win all on her own… the last two times she was knocked out of commission, Alt Calliope was a victim of **TIME** delaying her by knocking Jade out or knocking her out of Jade, Time serving as SPACE’s vulnerability.  All Dirk needs to do is use ploy after ploy to STALL her and dilute her power until his work is done, and once he’s responsible in sort for the creation of all that will ever exist in Paradox Space, securing his spot in a piece of the puzzle as part of the canon story writer of “FOREVER” and its Paradox-Space-spanning loop, he will have won in his eyes.  But if Sburb and its world-devouring sacrifice system of reproduction are CREATED here inside Canon, that also means that OUTSIDE OF CANON, the system of creating universes can be WRITTEN DIFFERENTLY, more kindly and without Dirk’s judgmental and character-traumatizing nature, a new game that births non-doomed timelines and universes of promise WITHOUT destroying what it came from just for “fairness’s” sake, a new game without Dirk’s need for such draconian challenge that teaches its players to become Heroes but doesn’t have to follow such punishing, destructive planet-wrecking and eliminationist rules as the original or give Gods too much control over the universes they create… a system of Orchids instead of Mistletoe, which uses the freedom of being outside Canon for possibility to bloom INDEFINITELY.

Calliope and Roxy were about to describe or debate a plan of their own to fix the broader problem, but any plans the two of them had went interrupted and unsaid… which means they possibly HAVE plans in play already which they wanted to help discuss with Kanaya and Jade but were interrupted before they could describe.  The Plot Point is happening over in Candy’s timeline… and if it’s a story that Callie is writing, that could mean that Original Calliope’s plan to save the Meat timeline, a plan appropriately assisted and thought up in part by Roxy the Rogue of Void from BOTH TIMELINES, is the way Calliope is WRITING INTO EXISTENCE an action that will influence Canon from within (Candy) of crucial importance that both Dirk and alt!Calliope are discounting!!!!

Roxy's comment on how he thought new overgrown house wasn't as ugly as alt!Calliope saw it— as a Void player, just how he thinks the and finds Calliope cute where those not infatuated with the unusual and absurd and impossible might write the cherub off as monstrous— was a thematically appropriate expression of the idea that ROXY DOESN’T HATE THESE NEW STORIES WE'RE READING.  The Epilogues and Homestuck^2 seem grotesque and sprawling to many readers and characters from a perspective on the outside, which perhaps ISN’T STRANGE or unjustified for them to think!  But as an appreciator of the Void, Roxy still finds beauty in it just as he finds beauty in what everyone else thinks of as shitty or silly or disturbing.  For both gender-fluid parts of Roxy on the inside and outside of Canon to work with the original, oft-discounted Callie to make all external fanfiction essential to the nature of reality’s existence as the final tie needed to close the loop and allow for both freedom from the competing authors inside Canon and even TRUER freedom and survival for the timelines OUTSIDE CANON, is the truest plan to this story’s meaning and themes beyond even what alt!Calliope has planned and beyond what Dirk Strider can stop, giving life to the timelines outside the Breach in ways both aspiring narrative-hijacking authors deemed unimportant and useless, and helping prove that they don’t have to be Canon to matter, once and for all.  To grow the sprawling, splitting house into a beautiful tree with two branches of promise, the canon resolution versus the unbound infinity of possibility.  Lord English’s flashing colors that AL inherited also represent her flexing her LORDSHIP OVER THE CANON TIMELINE, that intoxicating and toxic control that trapped the characters before and is trapping them back in the story now, and Roxy and Callie’s plan to bridge Canon with Non-Canon is like the ultimate refutation of that power.

(Does Terezi’s role as contest judge have an important role in the rules of the game of Sburb’s creation that will have the characters balanced at the fulcrum of disparate wills, and/or even the criteria determining the Heroic and Just death of god-tier players encoded into the very game itself?  Does her caliginous fling with Rose represent some clue as to the game’s relationship with the Horrorterrors in allegory?  Hmm…)

I've also thought about how due to his writing style and nature and the havoc he's already proved more than willing to wreak in the Epilogues, Dirk is going to try to cause the characters serious pain.  The Candy side of things has shown that even in their own before the timeline split, what the characters have gone through hasn’t been without a great deal of emotional pain themselves, though Jade seems to have suffered more than we thought in (Candy) proving that the extracanon storyline knows how to be serious when it needs to be, and did so masterfully.  Jade feeling so trapped by her Godhood that Yiffy’s birth was literally her only escape was rendered chillingly in that panel with the shadowy hands reaching out for her, enough to haunt me with her hopelessness after the fact once I was through the high of active liveblogging for the day, and I hope that after all she’s just divulged that Candy Jade can find a new way and learn to BE HAPPY FOR HERSELF too… although on top of everything, on a plot note instead of a character note, I forgot to acknowledge that the way she says Yiffy is the future (Time stuff aside) is very much in line with Yiffy and the others being the heroes of their own universe-creating session soon enough, perhaps even only at the very end of the story to demonstrate the path to the unknown multitude of futures outside of canon unfolding wherever the fans might take them.  Beautiful.

But it does make me afraid, too… afraid both on the Meat and Candy sides, Meat especially, of **who is going to DIE.**. Because this isn’t going to end without at least a few god-tier characters dying or getting soul-trapped or some other cruel fate, especially Davebot’s likely choice at self-sacrifice, but others too, possibly even one of our Jades like Candy Jade if we’re really, REALLY unlucky… except there is one more wildcard to be contended with, one last wrench in the works to wrestle a happy ending out of the dark story Dirk Strider is trying to write.

And that is the three copies of the Ring of Life in play.  Two of which are in the hands of versions of Callie… who might be willing, their stories written, to finalize their ultimate roles as the Muses who bring happiness to all of their favorite characters for the rest of their time, by giving up any of their Rings of Life to bring back someone who has passed on from the story… like the taxidermied Dave from Jade’s sylladex in Candy to bring him back to meet Karkat again and rescue that piece of Davebot back when Davebot thinks his sacrifice is finally made and over, or like John’s corpse in Terezi’s wallet still waiting for resurrection, or any other character who might die too in the upcoming struggle who deserves a second chance… although for the most part side from those who deserve it, I think Homestuck^2 is aiming for an even less traumatizing ending than the original Homestuck, and a future of promise where the rest of them don’t have to suffer as much.  Rosebot and her Ultimate Nature are thwarted and/or sacrificed to create the Game, but Rose’s life-support body is saved for Kanaya to finally have her back after they were unjustly torn apart by the Prince of Heart’s manipulation and lies and power.  John is given an opportunity to find happiness living as Nune that he was never able to before.  (Candy) and it’s Earth survive, and become a starting ground for the expansion of new realities no longer trapped in the Cherubs’ (LE and AL) or Dirk’s or Andrew’s stories, and in fact *Callie herself* by giving up her Rings, the author of (Candy), is the symbolic Death of the Author used to finally free them, one last tragic self-sacrifice that she knows she’ll be happy with because of the infinity of unbound stories, fanmade and otherwise, that the characters outside Canon are now fully free to make for themselves from the initial bedrock of her Fanfic brought to life, allowing her to finally step out of the way and infuse it with life via the Plot Point to allow it to bloom ON ITS OWN into whatever futures it may without her intervention.  Tragic and beautiful, but in a way that would allow Callie to die truly happy knowing the wonderful possibilities she created for all of her favorite friends.

I might tear up a bit!  But it’s only a possibility, right?  Yeah… only a possibility.  The rings sitting in Callie’s hands, waiting for her to take off to repay the Life that was so graciously given back to her by Roxy after her death at her brother’s hands, as thanks and out of pure love for everyone she’s ever written a story about.  A better and more honest and just author than either AL or Dirk.  The story’s last martyr.  :’C

Dave's taxidermied corpse being in Jade's sylladex is a serious promise of hope for the happiness of those in the Candy timeline, no matter which way you look at it, even if Jade and Dave's relationship is toast. If Dave is resurrected at the end of Candy from his taxidermied corpse… perhaps it’s to have a potential future with Karkat or June instead, while Jade — long after having confessed her real feelings as we just recently witnessed, and after even more heart to hearts — finally might find love again by dating Rose and Kanaya? What a self-indulgent potential future… but what would (Candy) be without a little self-indulgence?

(Side question I’m pondering, who **IS** Aradia ACTUALLY dating as was implied?  It can’t still be Candy Sollux right, she can’t go back to him through the Black Hole Barrier even by rewinding her personal timeline can she?  So it has to be another “he” we aren’t acquainted with, or don’t realize we’re acquainted with, who she capriciously visits whenever she wants to……)

Okay let’s get back to the story and distract ourselves with the lore and speculation inevitably born by their choices of new alien races.

Oh my gosh it just caught up to me that Homestuck^2 isn’t anywhere near over just yet, and when I catch up it’ll still be in the middle of things and I’ll be waiting on upd8s to liveblog them.  That’s going to be torture after the joys of all this bingeing.  XD  And there is so much author and artist commentary I’ll have to at least skim in the bonus material, especially the author commentary for that AMAZING HEART WRENCHING SCENE of Jade confessing her insecurities and her hatred of her Godhood and how Yiffy is the only thing she feels like she’s done that she can be proud of since coming to Earth C…!!!!  Holy SHIT I NEED CANDY JADE TO FIND MORE HAPPINESS THAN THAT, I’m starting to get some of my old “Jade has been through too much trauma” trauma bubbling back up and I have to fight it back down because I JUST KNOW they have to do right by her this time, I KNOW IT, she was screwed too hard in Homestuck original and put through too much pain, screwed too hard and put through too much pain in the Epilogues, is finally FINALLY VENTING all of her pain to her friends so it can FINALLY BE RESOLVED AND SHE CAN FIND COMPASSION for her insecurities, and… and god I can’t wait for Hade to be happy but the story isn’t finished yet, I hope the path to happiness for EVERY VERSION OF HER becomes clearer than ever to me soon enough!!!!!

But I’m enjoying the story too much, I’m one of the readers who dragged them back into the spotlight with my need to know what would have happened to them, and I will absolutely enjoy the SHIT out of this winding journey they’re in because it keeps getting better and better and mixing comedy and pain in the perfect cathartic blend and giving me theories to chew on and I can’t help myself, this is the exact same narcotic thrill I got from the original Homestuck and I’m finally confident again that it is and will continue to AMAZE and satisfy me.  I’m so excited despite the butterflies in my stomach.  SO EXCITED.  Excited for everything but the alien races this piece of trash is about to show us, in fact...

(MIDNIGHT PHONE TYPING ENDED ABOVE)

To continue with more stuff I thought about since last night, just this morning... (Candy)'s Rose Lalonde last time was clearly dipping into some of the complacent thoughts of her Ultimate Self, of which she is a part, and I'm glad Jade's confession of her feelings is going to serve in part to begin shaking her out of, though it will take more talks and some time. Oh, and also the Red Flickering that Vrissy and Harry saw may have been the battle alert and not Yiffy setting everything on fire, but... I'm pretty sure Yiffy is setting things on fire after what she just witnessed. There is no possible version of the gleefully-malicious-toward-the-proud-and-neglectful Yiffy that we saw sneak into that vent who wouldn't have been EXTREMELY disturbed by her mother's honest confession, more than enough for her to start breaking things. In fact with her black dog-ears and tail giving her a slight resemblance to Bec Noir, perhaps we should view her destructiveness as in part a reflection of Spades Slick's somewhat similar attitudes to her? Although Yiffy's attitudes are MUCH more based focused on the abuse of power of the proud and laying that hypocrisy low, a very political sort of view against the whims of the Gods and Goddesses that has been sorely lacking as anything but an undertone in these stories so far and SORELY NEEDED a voice serving to deliver it as an overtone instead of an undertone, to speak to the inherent JUSTICE of Just deaths and object like Jasprosesprite^2 was doing to canon President Crocker on the way the denizens of the world and universe deserve to determine the direction of its future more than its celebrity creators.

Oh gosh these are still new thoughts I'm writing this morning, not last night like I'm still dreading how the commentary on that AMAZING scene with Jade confessing the feelings she had behind choosing to have Yiffy and the toxic attitude Rose was taking and the attitudes behind it is going to be something I'll need to read and comment on... that moment as amazing as it was is becoming retroactively a little more painful for me to scrutinize but I won't let that control me. I'll charge ahead right back through to Candy if I have to and fill my thoughts on Candy's last left-off goings-on with FRESHER thoughts on the goings-on in that timeline continuing, even if I don't have time to get all the way forward to where commands are in different sorts of brackets yet that I glimpsed at the beginning of the log accidentally from time to time from the most recent updates.

Let's get back to business. I'm not at 100% capacity right now but I need to make some progress forward, I'll do what I can until I start noticing I'm missing things or out of mental energy to think clearly (because of the rocky sleep I had needing to fast despite my stomach condition only for my medical scan to get cancelled by insurance at literally the last minute), and then get some makeup midday sleep and come back to it. I've still got enough in me for a few pages though, and once I've napped I'll doubtless want to do more later today!

==>

Holy fucking shit. That is... I mean I guess that is "A LOOK" for poor Terezi here. The lankiness, adult-style curves and clothes... augh. It doesn't suit her very well, at least maybe because she isn't grinning and she's wearing the AWFUL suspenders outfit Dirk tricked her into Lil-Cal-ing it up in, but... bluh. Maybe it'll look better with one of her wicked grins on soon.

Now all that remains is to- TEREZI: D1RK Ahem. All that remains is to- TEREZI: *D1RK* Sign. DIRK: What. TEREZI: YOU 4R3 DO1NG TH3 TH1NG, *4G41N* TEREZI: 4ND WH4TS WORS3 1S TH4T 1NST34D OF 4T L34ST H4V1NG TH3 D3C3NCY TO SPOUT OFF 4BOUT SOM3TH1NG N3W OR 1NT3R3ST1NG TEREZI: YOU H4V3 1NST34D CHOS3N TO W4T3RBO4RD TH3 R4W N3UR4L T1SSU3 OF MY TH1NKP4N W1TH 4N 4CR1D 4ND SUP3RFLUOUSLY OV3RC4RBON4T3D N4RR4T1V3 R3C4P DUMP DIRK: Well, it's a recap for *you*. DIRK: But for those who haven't checked in on us in a while, it's more of a stage-setting thing. TEREZI: 1TS B4S1C4LLY 4 R3C4P FOR TH3M TOO, 1D1OT TEREZI: YOUR 1N4B1L1TY TO SHUT UP 3V3N 4S YOU 4CT1V3LY CH4MP1ON TH3 N33D TO G3T TH1NGS MOV1NG WOULD B3 4LMOST 4W3-1NSP1R1NG 1F 1T W4SNT SO 4STOUND1NGLY OBNOX1OUS

Yeah all told, it felt a little soon for a recap, but it HAS been a couple years since most of the events he was describing after that HS^2 authorswap megapause!

Terezi, as you can tell, is still decidedly less enthusiastic about this whole shindig. Maybe she's feeling a bit unheard and insignificant confronted with the reality-shaking splendor of two gods deep in their genesis bags and with little time to entertain her trivial mortal misgivings. Maybe the magnificent gravity of this is lost on her entirely, as she seems to spend all her effort these days avoidantly trudging through a mire of self-pity and principles deadlock, instead of getting into the fucking spirit of the moment a little bit and appreciating not only the opening lines of a stupendously important chapter in the history of Fucking Everything, but her privileged role in it. Maybe she'd prefer we just in-media-res'd this shit and skipped right t-

Dirk is more smug and shitbag and like his part-Doc-Scratch portion of his soul by the passing minute, except less charming.

TEREZI: Y3S, YOU P3TTY V1ND1CT1V3 J3RK, 1 WOULD V4STLY PR3F3R TH4T TEREZI: 3SP3C14LLY G1V3N TH4T 1T 1S SOM3TH1NG YOU 3XPL1C1TLY PROM1S3D M3 TH4T W3 WOULD B3 4BL3 TO DO DIRK: And we will. DIRK: After Rose and I release our progeny into the Deltritus wilds, the three of us are going to timeskip forward ten thousand years or so, so that we don't have to sit around twiddling our thumbs like assholes and waiting for our respective species to become sufficiently advanced. DIRK: Even I'm not so much of a micromanager that I'd be able to keep myself entertained for millennia with only Deltritus to play with. DIRK: Nobody has the patience for that. DIRK: Besides, we have other important shit to get to. DIRK: Also, you'd probably die of old age.

That makes plenty of sense... though it also means that except for perhaps for what Rose's Seer of Light vision shows her without his knowledge, their species might evolve to coharmonize or even interbreed in ways they hadn't expected, even with Dirk's narrative powers trying to control the outcome...? (Again half-predicting their unique traits get smoothed out to turn them into the White and Black Chess People here or something.)

TEREZI: 1M 4BOUT TO D13 OF BOR3DOM *R1GHT NOW* TEREZI: SO 1F YOUR3 F1N1SH3D MONOLOGU1NG 4ND L3CTUR1NG 4ND G3N3R4LLY B31NG 4 S3LF-S4T1SF13D P4PR1K4 PR1CK TEREZI: 1TD B3 GR4ND OF YOU TO DROP YOUR K1DS OFF 4T TH3 D4WN OF TH31R C1V1L1Z4T1ONS, F1R3 UP YOUR BULLSH1T M4CH1N3, 4ND L4UNCH US TO TH3 B3G1NN1NG OF TH3 N3W S3SS1ON L1CK3TY-SP1T DIRK: It's "lickety-split". Yuck.

That'd be pretty nice, please! Get this show on the road!! (So we can get back over to Candy!)

DIRK: Anyway, I'm pretty much done monologuing, but I've got a bit more lecturing and self-satisfied paprika prickery in me, so you're going to have to sit tight for a bit longer. TEREZI: BL3GH DIRK: Don't you BL3GH me. DIRK: You think you can just roll up to my grand commencement speech and interrupt my triumphant expository flex-sesh without taking some of the heat? DIRK: Lest you forget, you've actually got a pretty important role to play in all this.

Oh? How is Terezi actually going to be DOING the judging and such?

DIRK: Taking up the helm at the command terminal, guiding the Deltritan civilizations slowly but surely towards the Game. DIRK: A role Rose tells me you've chosen to automate. TEREZI: Y3P DIRK: ... TEREZI: ... DIRK: ... TEREZI: WH4T >:[

Excuse me, automate? AUTOMATE???!??

Did Terezi create an immortal auto-responder-like AI CLONE of herself like Dirk did in his youth which might subsequently be corrupted or co-opted into serving the judgment/balance role for all future sessions?????

==>

Oh Terezi has learned to fucking HATE this dude even more than before.

DIRK: It's just a little disappointing, is all. DIRK: Rose and I put so much work into whipping up some zany, adorable, kind of fucked up little dudes. DIRK: The least you could do is attempt to give a shit about how they turn out. DIRK: Or was all that hand-wringing about how worried you were that Rose and I were becoming big bad cosmic tyrants with no regard for the poor little mortals buffeted to and fro by the vicious momentum of our designs just virtue signaling? DIRK: Or worse... foreplay? DIRK: Wow. DIRK: Pretty low, Terezi. DIRK: I expected a lot better of you.

Why would Terezi even TRY to control these two, when she knows full well that thanks to Dirk overembracing his role and his ultimate narrative powers and smoothing out any of Rose's moral qualms and objections, he's already proven that he won't let ANY JUDGE control him in any way?

Why not standardize the process of Sburb tempting its players to inevitably play the way it always naturally ended up doing in every subsequent instance?

TEREZI: TH4T JOK3Y-BUT-NOT-R34LLY F4M1L14L GU1LT-TR1P MOOSH1T M4N3UV3R M1GHT WORK ON ROS3 DIRK: It doesn't. TEREZI: BUT 1T DO3SNT M34N SH1T TO M3 DIRK: It does. DIRK: Not that I needed to bust it out for you. DIRK: I know you wouldn't just abandon the Deltritans to the cruel march of time and whatever scant preparation you imagine we gave them. DIRK: You don't trust Rose or I to give enough of a fuck about them, and despite your occasional protestations, you are, for the most part, too good a person to just turn your back on them and let whatever happens happens. DIRK: I trust that the automated suggestions you put in place, and the conditional map that prompts them, were thought through with an honestly touching amount of care, considering your misgivings.

This makes it seem even more as if she's ended up making a core component of the way Sburb/Sgrub works in the first place, intentionally or no.

DIRK: There's no doubt in my mind that even if Rose and I hadn't already basically knocked this creationism shit out of the park, the sons and/or daughters of Deltritus would make it to the Game just fine with even the barest phantom of your counsel.

DIRK: That's why I'm allowing you to do this at all. TEREZI: 1 DONT N33D YOUR P3RM1SS1ON Wrong. TEREZI: OH FUCK YOU DIRK: And for the record, you're also wrong in your assertion that we don't care about them. DIRK: We do. DIRK: I do, at any rate. TEREZI: Y34H YOUR P4T3RN4L G3N3ROS1TY KNOWS NO BOUNDS TEREZI: 4NYON3 WOULD B3 GR4T3FUL TO H4V3 4 B3N3VOL3NT CR34TOR L1K3 YOU TEREZI: ON3 TH4TLL ULT1M4T3LY 3NSUR3 TH31R 3NT1R3 PL4N3T 1S ORB1T4LLY BOMB4RD3D 4ND TH31R SP3C13S 4LL BUT DR1V3N 3XT1NCT S4V3 FOR 4 F3W "LUCKY" JUV3N1L3S DIRK: That's just how this shit goes down for species *lucky* enough to fucking *matter*, Terezi. DIRK: Circle of life. Hakuna Matata. Que sera, sera. DIRK: And you know it.

Terezi is objecting to the very injustice in the STRUCTURE of Sburb here, essentially! To the canon system of universe creation itself and the demands it puts on species and players, the annihilation and threat it poses as payment for the creation of a universe! In ways that reinforce my theory at the beginning of the post and a bit in my previous blogpost that the Orchids versus Mistletoe metaphor is going to be extremely important in differentiating how Universe-Creating Game Sessions work OUTSIDE of Canon as opposed to INSIDE, that there's a better way of doing them that is less traumatic and ruinous than Dirk-- and for that matter, initially, Andrew-- believed the plot demanded, and perhaps DID demand, but is no longer NECESSARY for those who have escaped the brutal confines of "Story" itself and its necessary conflicts, outside the fabric of Paradox Space.

DIRK: Originally, the plan was to pop in every couple hundred years to check on the Deltritan races' progress and to give you a bit of time to guide them manually. DIRK: Which I maintain would have been pretty fun, and would encourage you (probably fruitlessly) to consider giving a go. DIRK: But hey, you say you aren't feeling it? DIRK: Fine. DIRK: I can make concessions. DIRK: I've got other agents in play, and as I've said, I know you aren't going to risk fucking your end of the work up.

Other agents in play? Did he create servants like the Midnight Crew or Felt to do his bidding that those who arrive at Deltritus and its session will need to contend with?

TEREZI: HOW C4N YOU B3 SUR3 TEREZI: M4YB3 3XT3ND3D PROX1M1TY TO STR1LOND3 D3LUS1ONS OF GR4ND3UR H4S DR1V3N M3 TO TH3 BR34K1NG PO1NT TEREZI: M4YB3 1M JUST L4Y1NG LOW TEREZI: 34RN1NG YOUR TRUST SO 1 C4N COMPL3T3LY RU1N YOUR PL4NS FOR 4NOTH3R S3SS1ON TEREZI: DO1NG 4LL 1 C4N TO TURN SK414S 4TT3NT1ON 3LS3WH3R3 4ND D1SQU4L1FY TH1S PL4N3T 4S 4 C4ND1D4T3 TEREZI: NOT ONLY TO PROT3CT TH3 UNTOLD M1LL1ONS OF FUTUR3 D3LTR1T4NS YOU PL4N TO PULV3R1Z3 TEREZI: BUT 4LSO FOR TH3 S4T1SF4CT1ON OF SH4TT3R1NG TH4T STO1C D34DP4N OF YOURS TEREZI: 1F JUST FOR ON3 D3L1C1OUS MOM3NT

Sburb code already exists on the planet; they confirmed it before they landed, at the end of the Epilogues. It's already too late for the denizens of Deltritus unless they have only one dead session, and that seems unlikely. Plus, that isn't Terezi's plan, either. Whatever she plans for John's corpse, or for making this right, it's likely after getting into or involved with the active session with these beings somehow. And she knows that if she WANTED to try and stop Dirk from murdering the civilizations they're creating for the sake of a session, she couldn't. She's just voicing her frustrations, really, about what she knows she can't do-- an Injustice that for the moment she has no ability to stop.

Her views on Justice have evolved, to the point where she'll likely be able to pontificate at least a little bit on the way Sburb ITSELF views Justice as they create the first ever reproductive session and the way it works.

==>

Ugh, this framing showing him throwing his power and influence around is so unsettling and disgusting, it's perfect.

DIRK: Must feel pretty good to imagine, huh? DIRK: But you won't. DIRK: I'm sure, Terezi, because if you did, I'd just have to take you out of the picture and start again. DIRK: Not that you value your own life that much right now, though you really should, but you and I both know you aren't here because I need you. DIRK: You're here because you need me. DIRK: You need this session to happen. DIRK: You need a chance to fix the mistake you've got in that wallet, burning a hole through your pocket.

Ah yep, it's not just how I said, but he KNOWS it's just how I said.

DIRK: You've made a lot of those, Terezi, but you know that besides being important, what we're doing here is a chance to rectify one of them. DIRK: And you aren't going to let that chance slip. TEREZI: ... DIRK: I know what it's like to make hard choices for the people you care about. DIRK: To run your brain raw thinking about how to make things right. DIRK: I've been doing it my whole damn life. DIRK: The choice you're presented with here is pretty fucking easy, and you're a very smart person, so I trust you to make the right decision. DIRK: That's all. I don't really feel like pontificating at you any more. TEREZI: ... TEREZI: GR34T

"Trust" is a loaded word here. Dirk knows Terezi's Heart well enough to "trust" that Terezi will be Terezi. That's not the same as trusting her as a person.

DIRK: We're getting ready to kick this thing off, so all I have left to ask you is DIRK: Do you think you've done everything you need to do to prepare the terminal? DIRK: We're counting on you. DIRK: He's counting on you. TEREZI: Y34H Y34H >:[ TEREZI: 3V3RYTH1NGS S3T UP TEREZI: 1 DONT F33L L1K3 B31NG PONT1F1C4T3D 4T 4NYMOR3 31TH3R SO 1M L34V1NG TEREZI: ONC3 YOU 4ND ROS3 G3T DON3 PH1LOSOPH1Z1NG 34CH OTH3R L3T M3 KNOW SO W3 C4N G3T TH1S BULLSH1T T1M3SK1P OV3R 4ND DON3 W1TH TEREZI: 1LL B3 1N MY FUCK1NG CH4MB3RS DIRK: These are shared chambers, but whatever.

Alright, looks like all we need is a talk with Rose Lalonde bot and we'll probably get this show on the road. Plus we'll get to view her "adult" bot art too likely enough.

==>

*angry brush past bunp*

Strilondes: Banter.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT we are approaching Supergiant's Hades games levels of godhood art here.

ROSEBOT: Looks like you're getting pretty good at motivational speaking. DIRK: Well someone needed to shake the rust off of her. DIRK: She's getting nerves. DIRK: Right before the big game. DIRK: We're never gonna make it to nationals at this rate. ROSEBOT: Ah, fuck. The sports. ROSEBOT: How quickly I forgot them.

And in so many ways they still haven't frickin' changed. XD

DIRK: There's gotta be some kind of sports penalty, for forgetting the sports. ROSEBOT: Oh, definitely. ROSEBOT: I've been very bad and I need to be punished, to preserve the integrity of the sports. DIRK: Let me just slip into my jackass sports judge mime outfit and get to laying down the fucking sports law. ROSEBOT and DIRK: Let's stop saying sports. DIRK and ROSEBOT: Agreed.

Okay the way that appeared on the page to emphasize that DIRK WAS PROBABLY CONTROLLING HER and/or they were just so similar that they jinxed each other and said the same things at the same time was super creepy and I like it.

DIRK: Speaking of outfits, though, look at you. ROSEBOT: You like it? DIRK: It's chic. DIRK: I dig the return of the hood. DIRK: You could deliver a whole hell of a lot of cryptic prophecies out from under that sucker. ROSEBOT: Yes, well, I figured that if I'm to appear before our chosen peoples as a harbinger of their simultaneous doom and salvation, I may as well look the part.

Damned good looking and very appropriately dramatic, yes.

Okay I know this was short, but you at least have my midnight pontifications and post-pontifications up top, so I'm going to pause here to nap and recover some mental energy before I get back to the reveal of these final civilizations we're presumably getting in-medias-res as promised or what have you. So I'm posting this very short liveblog post now but you can likely expect MUCH more in the afternoon/evening unless I indicate otherwise.

[nanomooselet]

Visual Motifs: Tesla

So, one of the benefits of an adaptation like Stampede - a retelling, rather than just lifting from the page - is that they know where it's leading, and they can add context or foreshadowing. For some characters, they can even add presence. In addition, Stampede is required by the limits of the medium to do some streamlining. From all I've heard about their consultations with Nightow, their concern was with themes first.

But there an issue arises in Tesla. What is there to say or do for her? She isn't a presence; she's an absence. There's not much you can add without undermining the gutwrenching horror and thus the thematic impact of her character.

But Orange found a way. In fact, they found multiple ways.

Tesla can never let anyone know what she wanted because she was so thoroughly stripped of action or speech. While she lived no one cared to listen to what she had to say, and she's forever silenced by death. Nightow had to bend the rules to give her a last, ambiguous word.* Memories and assumptions are all that's left. Those are all undoubtedly themes in Trigun. I think it's all still true in Stampede, with an obvious exception.

After all, silence is a statement.

Congratulations to Orange on making it even more horrifying. Though I'm at least reasonably sure that she wasn't conscious in suspension... I hope she wasn't. I suppose it adds to the argument to suggest her fate in the manga was kinder.

It also opens the question of what happened to her in the Fall, but helpfully (?), Nightow had already introduced a means of resolving it. It tidily both suggests a possible future plot point and further characterises Knives in the way he protects what he loves. He says her discovery was to him "but one grain of sand", and he's a fucking liar. (Also, note Dr. Conrad in the picture on Tesla's file. Nai had to learn he was involved somehow.)

My trash boy never disappoints.

Personally I do believe it's jumping the gun to assume Knives actually bears her consciousness, but she had a profound effect on him, much as red geranium petals are now foundational to Vash's identity. While the icon of the Eye of Michael represents a number of things (I'm gonna talk about them too, if I ever get around to it), the variation on it used in the Windmill Village isn't so ambiguous. The arrangement turns up over and over.

Behold the single most obvious way Tesla's made more "present" in Trigun Stampede. (It's sure beholding you.) The motif of Tesla's eye is as central a symbol in Knives as geranium flowers are in Vash. Tesla might not literally be a ghost, but she haunts Knives anyway. He's determined that she'll haunt everyone else too, though they may not know it's her. In his mind, he's her avenging angel.

But he isn't the only one who holds onto her.

And a certain panel in Maximum...

Though those particular eyes actually represent the eyes of humans. Eyes weren't prominently linked to Tesla in the manga, but this may have been the inspiration.

Speaking of the manga... what about Rem? Though we know it or something like it occurred, in Stampede we don't see the confrontation with Vash where she confessed to her anguish over failing their sister, and how far she was willing to go ensuring he wouldn't be hurt. I understand feeling that it flattens her. The narrative is being dictated by Knives in that moment, who wasn't there to witness it and had a vested interest in removing Rem from the story.

That doesn't mean there's no sign Tesla haunted Rem. If Tesla hadn't suffered what she suffered, maybe Rem would have served an uneventful term as Navigation Officer before going back into cryosleep, while the SEEDS fleet peacefully continued on its journey. It was still because she failed Tesla that Rem adopted and raised the twins. Knives's anger/fear at the perceived betrayal by both Rem and Vash still led to him crashing the fleet, Rem's death, and all that happened in its wake.

It's an interaction we never witness - it may not even have been a direct encounter - and yet Tesla, through Rem, instigated the plot. And that's also still true.

Comparing the discovery scenes in Stampede and the manga directly, there's a change. The flower Rem left as a memorial for Tesla in the manga (looks like a white lily, which represents innocence and purity in the Japanese language of flowers and is often used for funerals) is instead a red geranium.

I'd chalk it up to reinforcing Rem's connection with the flower and minimizing the 2D background painting budget, except...

Almost every time the twins as children are together on the screen with Rem, a geranium in a glass dome is there too. The only time it's not present somehow is when they're visiting the Plant room at the start of ep twelve.

And when they find Tesla, there's a shot where this happens:

The red petals are almost invisible in the darkness... and then pop out when she's revealed, like a wound. As if they emerged along with her.

The geranium, to Rem, represents Tesla. When she can, she has it accompanying the twins. The presence of this small, red, glass-bound thing - suspended, mute, so easily stripped of its petals - is perhaps an inadequate gesture, just as Tesla herself never grew to be what she could have been, and adopting the twins may not make a difference. But Tesla can be with her family in spirit and her baby brothers will get a chance to grow. That's all that Rem can do for her now, a regret she bore until the end of her life.

In Stampede, Rem and her successors are positioned as Knives's most direct ideological opposition in a number of ways, and I think one of them is in how they honour the memory of Tesla. Would the twins' older sister have wanted the vengeance Knives wreaked in her name? Or would she have had the grace to hope the humans would learn better? Would she have been happy those who came after her were given the love and the choices that she wasn't?

She can no longer choose. No one will ever know.

And that brings me, finally, to how Tesla haunts Vash.

Unlike the manga, in Stampede it's not as though Vash has any reason to fear being abused, or dismembered, or consumed, or exploited. In the manga he very much feared all those things, and accused Rem of raising them to continue the experiments. He was very angry and frightened to realise he was surrounded by humans and he was "not like them". But in Stampede Vash might as well be a human.

That's definitely a way Stampede thematically diverged from the manga. Nai's the one who's perfect and more like a Plant, because of his powers. Right?

It's Vash who tends to be physically closest to the geranium.

In the SEEDS database, Vash and Tesla are in the same folder, while Nai has his own. There are all sorts of potential reasons, but in my mind it'd be because their colouring matches (yellow-blonde hair, blue eyes). It's Vash (his hands on the left) who notices there's an extra file and starts scrolling through them. He unlocked the database, and he caused the jars of what was left of Tesla to be revealed.

He wears red. Specifically his outfit is red over black - his shirt and pants. And his eyes are the first ones in which Plant patterns are highlighted.

Ever noticed that Tesla's missing both arms?

But it's hardly as though Vash is in any position to understand what Tesla felt, or what she wanted.

And it's not as though Knives, in his loneliness and fear and denial of responsibility, would puppet his sibling for the power to take revenge.

Right?

* Don't get me wrong. Nightow's relaxed approach to worldbuilding could have made her reveal in Maximum a plot hole, but it's not. Plants really are weird enough that just about anything seems possible. Nightow created the impression that discovering her remains was so painful for the twins they came to a mutual, unspoken agreement to avoid mentioning it, let alone using her fate as a rhetorical tool. When Knives finally does bring her up, it's just before trying to meld with and then imprisoning his brother aboard the Ark. To me, it feels like his declaration of total war.

[makerofmadness]

What's with Balloon Boy and the Daycare Attendant?

The Balloon World arcade machine exists, it's in the DA's room and both characters are involved in it. It's probably one of the most cryptic minigames in the FNAF series as a whole, but while we could ponder what exactly it's supposed to mean (maybe I'll do that for all the security breach minigames eventually), the main question I have is this:

WHY Balloon Boy specifically? Why is the minigame about HIM?

Is there a connection between the two characters? Or was it a completely random decision?

Out of nowhere, thinking about Balloon World, I came to a realization:

The Lights.

Balloon Boy's entire gimmick in FNAF 2 was that if he got into your office, he would disable your flashlight and vent lights (...somehow. I know we all make the jokes about him taking the batteries [and then that FNAF 57: Freddy In Space thing in FNAF World said he just straight-up steals your entire flashlight], but you never see the battery icon disappear or appear empty in FNAF 2 itself when he gets into your office. And the vent lights also stop working, so unless they also operate on batteries, then... does he actually take them from you?).

What's the one rule in the daycare?

Keep the lights on.

His mechanic is the antithesis to what Sun wants and exactly what Moon would want. Balloon Boy doesn't keep the lights on. He prevents you from turning them on at all.

(which also makes me kinda sad there wasn't a Glamrock version of BB. Then again, I don't know how exactly he would've uniquely affected like anything. Regardless I am hoping for the day someone in the fandom makes a glamrock bb who is arch-enemies with sun and gets along well with moon skseijdndndnd-)

It feels kinda obvious and I'm guessing I'm not the only person to think about this, but I have never seen anyone else bring this up. Not on YouTube, not on tumblr, nowhere. Maybe if I go looking for it I'll see, but i'm surprised I haven't bumped into anyone else saying this just naturally. I go into the BB tags a LOT, surely SOMEONE would've said something, right? I don't even see it noted in the trivia on the page for the arcade game on the fnaf wiki.

...but is this supposed to mean anything? Or is it just a cute little reference or callback? it's hard to say, especially with how ambiguous the minigame is.

Though I DID think of ONE thing... (possible minor spoilers for Ruin under the cut):

Saw this pointed out in a youtube video that the BB World screen (with Eclipse, who makes their proper debut in Ruin after effectively being foreshadowed by the minigame in SB's base game) can be seen on the ceiling in the DA's room. Which makes sense, obviously, but also take note of the pirate-themed windows in the hallway leading to it.

...now, which character do most of us tend to associate with Balloon Boy? His "tag-team partner," of sorts?

Foxy. The Pirate.

With this, I found that there's more Foxy-related stuff associated with the daycare area than I had previously realized because I had never made any connections before. I mean, Kids' Cove is directly linked to it for god's sake.

Like. I hope i haven't forgotten to mention anything (I've been writing this post over the course of hours 'Cus I had stuff to do in the middle of it all). My brain's kinda starting to fry. But basically: Was Foxy originally meant to be the Daycare Attendant, in-universe? Was there gonna be a Glamrock Balloon Boy with him, like as his first mate or something??? Were they gonna be connected to Fazbear Theater????? (Uh basically Sun/Moon to my knowledge from confirmation in the books and a lot of more subtle implications in-game mainly involving environmental pieces were originally meant to be in the Fazbear Theater as a stage animatronic but got moved to daycare duty instead and being reprogrammed. Which actually explains a lot about them when you think about it-)

Like. Ok I'm forgetting where I was going with this, I'm sorry, but I guess it's food for thought/adds to the weird connections between DA and BB, I guess. Idk. I can't focus that well right now to keep making new ideas.

felt like sharing my interpretation of the Balloon World minigame itself at least since earlier I did kinda finally get it down concretely:

I kinda developed a theory that Eclipse is Sun/Moon's "safe mode" and that rebooting DA reactivated Eclipse as a result. Like, they're their own AI that was at one point implemented. but then Vanny happened and locked them out thanks to the whole Glitchtrap virus thing (albeit it only seemed to reach Moon, while Sun remains seemingly unaffected. Guessing it's because they're different AIs [finally implied/basically confirmed by their Ruin dialogue). Eclipse has seemingly not been active for some time, or at least never post-pizzaplex closure, given how they're seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that this place is closed with no signs of opening.

So the minigame was foreshadowing Eclipse's existence and implying their "trapped" nature, which also could be seen as paralleling Vanessa's whole "Vanny" situation, especially given how iirc one of the messages related to princess quest can be found near the arcade machine.

[daytaker]

Master Post! (One Post to Rule Them All!)

About Me:

You can call me Day! Or daytaker, or taker, or pretty much anything else. I'm an adult (over 25) from North America, and I use she/her pronouns. English is my first (and functionally only) language. I'm a major history nerd, especially when it comes to Ancient Greece and Rome, but also like... literally anywhere, any time. History is just so cool.

Fandoms:

Primary: Obey Me!, Genshin Impact (I will create and reblog content for this fandom!) Others: Arcana Twilight, Cult of the Lamb, Twisted Wonderland, Hazbin Hotel lately, plenty of others... (I will rarely create or reblog content for these fandoms, but I will like related posts!)

Requests:

Headcanons: FULL Drabbles: INACTIVE, but feel free to submit! Fanart: INACTIVE, but feel free to submit! Anything NSFW: Please inquire at my sideblog, @dayfinisher!

Ask/Request Guidelines

Important to remember with requests: there are no guarantees I'll actually get to them.

Commissions:

Fanfics and Fan Art: DM me! I've never done writing commissions before but knowing me I'll probably make 'em pretty cheap. You're free to ask about commissions at any time, even when requests are closed.

Masterlist of Content (Or, here are links to my fanfics, my art, and my headcanons, sorted by tag.)

Let's All Be Shadows - Honestly, I made this blog purely because I was so excited about writing this thing, I wanted to share it more. So I'm gonna put a link to its AO3 page on my pinned post. Satan-centric, endgame Satan x MC (kinda?), set in the Nightbringer timeline. I think it's pretty good. Lots of stuff happening. Hijinks and invented lore and all that.

[voidedmuffin]

Hey Systems!

Mostly directed at the Quotev refugees, but obviously anyone is welcome! Also, if you're a kinnie, there's also stuff in here for you regarding sourcecalls and fun blogs!)

First of all, hi. I feel weird doing this on my main blog since I'm not exactly public with it, but I figured it'd be less confusing. Yay

Feel free to ask questions in the comments/reblogs/notes on this post or in my blog inbox(you can do so anonymously as well, but you won't get a notif for it). Lemme know if I missed anything

This is a Lot of ground to cover, and therefore a long post!

System related tags, blogs and sideblogs, source/canoncalls, system-related blogs

Basic system-related tags and what they mean:

#sysblr General system tag for when you're just talking about assorted system stuff, or being yourself and would like the system community to see. Alt related #system stuff, #sys stuff, #system, #plural, #plurality

#actually did, #actually osdd Posting about the disorder itself. Whether it's studies or your specific experiences with it

#syscourse System-related discourse. It's common courtesy to leave the other sys-related tags off syscourse posts because it's rude to drag people in who are casually scrolling through a tag not wanting to see syscourse

#endo safe + #anti endo Endogenic systems are ones that form without trauma. Have whatever opinion on them you want. It's just a tag to welcome/ask them to leave. Alt related #anit endo, #pro endo

#[system/introject/etc] positivity Your usual positivity posts!

#sourcecall If you have fictives that are wanting to reach out for sourcemates from their piece of media, you're gonna wanna tag with this! You can also find blogs that allow you to submit to them anonymously to find sourcemates. Alt related #canoncall

#fictive, #factive I think this is self-explanatory. Posting about fictives/factives--being one with experiences, or looking for others. Related to source calls, you'll also want to tag with #[media] fictive, #[character] fictive. I'll get into how to go about making these posts later, along with those blog reqs. Alt related #introject

Blogs and sideblogs

Obviously, you'll have your main blog that you make when you get Tumblr(mine is @voidedmuffin, as you see here), but Tumblr allows the unique ability to have multiple sideblogs completely separate from your main. Some people use this feature to make a spam blog, art blog, interest blog, ask blog, etc. A common thing with the system community here is alter-specific blogs and/or a general system blog for catchall stuff. I'll be using some of ours as examples

Starting with comparing them. @legsystem is our general catchall system blog that our alters can post to publically or anonymously. I tend Not to post system-related things on my personal blog, just cuz I'm a little private about it. @timdrakesstaff is a fictive alter of Tim Drake from DC(he's a loser, lol). He made his own blog to interact with others as himself without needing to mask as the host. Some other alters Also use his blog because they like encroaching on others' property, lol

Our immediate bios aren't very descriptive because of our private nature, but it gets the jist across of pronouns and age. Some system blogs will link their Carrd or Rentry here, or do that in a different post.

The reason Tim's blog has two URLs listed is because if you view it on desktop, you can see a very personalized page! Very cool Tumblr feature that you can find layouts for!! That means you layout makers have enrichment here still! In fact, you have a lot more wiggle room!

Now, if you scroll down on Legsystem, you will see a pinned post

... Ignore that typo, lol

It just lays out some more information and ground rules. This is often where people will put their DNI's and stuff. We didn't use a lot of tags on it just out of preference. These can be as short or as long as you want. You don't even have to have one if you don't want to!

Sourcecalls/Canoncalls

The main difference between these two things is that the system community tends to not use the canoncall tag, as that's primarily used by the kin community, cuz it's a spiritual multiversal connection thing? I dunno, my knowledge on kinning comes from 2017-2020 Qutev kinmunity and uhhhhh, that was just a large group of systems who Didn't Know Yet, lmfao. Sourcecalls are just for finding fictives from the same source as you!

Like I said, there are lots of blogs out there that let you submit anonymously for a source. @findinyourkin @findthebae @kincalling @problematickincalls1(specifically for problematic sources or characters, or specific timelines. They don't tag triggers, so be mindful) among many other blogs, I just know that these are popular and active ones to use!

These blogs will often have their own criteria for sourcecalls, but it usually follows Character-source-age-age range you comfy with-contact with added option of adding in memories you have to make your distinguishable or who in particular you might be looking for. Some blogs ask you to specificy if you're kin/fictive and if you're okay with the other interacting As for contact, you can link/@ a blog in the call, reblog the call to said blog, or add a "interact(like/rb) this post and I'll reach out to you!". You can turn on notifications for a post, but it doesn't always work

When you go to look for sourcemates, you'll want to look up the #[media] fictive or #[character] fictive. (Alternatively #[media] kin or #[character] kin). The former is Everything, the latter is for a specific person. This can be used to find that specific guy you might be looking for "I'm a X fictive looking for Y fictive from Z source. I will go into the #Y fictive tag to see what I can find. Or I will see all the different/unsorted people by searching #Y fictive]"

Here's a couple examples from our system! (Click on the second image to actually see the full thing, lmao)

On the left is a sourcecall post anonymously to a search blog. It follows the basic criteria I listed above. In the blog's post, they'll end up tagging it with #canon calls, #lance mcclain fictive, #voltron fictive, #fictive some blogs will tag a little differently or more in-depth. Lance ended up reblogging his sourcecall post to @legsystem so people could find him/the blog easily

On the right is a sourcecall post made by the alter on their own blog. It's very direct. Tim lists more stuff in his post than Lance did in the anon one, but ultimately they're very similar! Tim also made his in 2022 and still gets interactions(like, 2 in the last week alone, lol). So, if people look for you, they will find you!

Let's look at the tags he used...

#fictive#introject#dc fictive#dc kin#dc introject#tim drake fictive#tim drake kin#tim drake introject#canon calls#source call#kin call

This is a very wide net. He's fine with kins interacting as well, so he included the kin call tag. He tagged the relevant fictive tags, as well as his own character tag. Since it's his main/permanent sourecall, he didn't tag specific fictives he's looking for, but he's done so in other posts in the past.

System-related blogs (And kin-related!)

They're are plenty of blogs besides sourcecall ones that engage with the system community at large!

@funnier-as-a-system Will reblog posts that can be read as a system, even if that wasn't the original intent of the post. Always makes me laugh

@fictive-culture, @pluralcultureis and @systemcultureis Are both blogs that post submissions with Relatable content on general fictive and system culture. There's also more specific versions of these blogs out there. Like demifictive, factive, little, etc culture

@fictionkinfessions And other related blogs post submitted (usually anonymous) confessions. You can be as up front about who you are an/or who you might be talking about. There are also related blogs for venting

@findinyourkin @findthebae @kincalling @problematickincalls1 Previously mentioned source/canoncall blogs! They're great

There are also plenty of system-related and friendly Discord servers around. You'll be able to find them easier on Disboard, but you can find them on some of those above blogs, in some of those source fictive tags, and just through the people you meet! (Tim always throws an active comic server at all the DC people he meets, lmao)

Good luck and have fun!

[kirk]

hello do you have peterick fic recs

OH BOY DO I anon i love you i am a child of fic rec lists, i miss those livejournal pages that were like just 50+ links to fics from all over so this is scratching an itch for me, even if ill only link a few. so heres a good mix of like ratings/plots and none of them are AU's as thats not really my thing though a few play with the rules of reality which is fun though

a peach so ripe that even breath would bruise it by auralcosm (E) - 4.3k

the sunshine of my lifetime by auralcosm (M) - 2.5k

all the wrong things i can do (and everything i love about you is a mess) by carbonbased000 (T) - 7.1k

ice cream headaches and sweet avalanche by withahumanheart (T) - 2.7k

the life of the party by pyrchance (T) - 2.2k

don't dare stop by intocooperstown (T) - 1.5k

itchin' on a photograph by emeraldcitydowntowngirl (G) - 1.8k

the way out is through by carbonbased000 (E) - 18k

i'm not gonna lie, i want you for mine by derridoid (E) - 5.8k

time capsule for the future (trust me) by earlgreytea68 (M) - 22k

and these next two literally changed my fucking life i love them and theyre both surprisingly similar concepts at the base of the plot? except ones pete pov and ones patrick pov

the antidote to everything (except for me) by snitchesandtalkers (E) - 22k

love, and other toxins by wanchor (E) - 11k

oh and also, my friend atlas is writing a fic that i am going insane seeing snippets for that is... ouppy :-3 that's all i'll say AND my friend spi is writing a forced closeness soulmate AU that i am ALSO eating up the snippets i see, so, when they finish those... imagine they are here amongst some of my faves, too

[fledermausbend]

@feroshgirlsims I hope you don't mind me answering this publicly but I've gotten a few new followers lately and I figure some others may also have this same question!

To explain for newcomers, Shadow Moon is actually supposed to be a gameplay legacy challenge, not a story. However, as I started playing Gen1, I got really into the storytelling aspect over the gameplay and ended up pivoting, with the gameplay rules being more guidance for the plot than anything. Because of this, though, the first ~half of Gen1 is a bit of a slog to get through as a reader because it's not really clear what's happening (and also I put dialogue in the captions instead of the pictures themselves, oops). I'm currently going back and fixing the dialogue to be in-image/adding prev+next links to ameliorate this, but it's gonna take a bit to get through and isn't a fixall.

I would personally suggest, especially if you want the full context/setup for things that happen in Gen2, that you start from HERE (link is to a specific page of the SM story in chrono order, so you can just click and scroll on - works best on desktop but should behave on mobile too). The only info you'd be missing is that Eddy Nash, my founder, was Turned into a vampire by Vlad and is bf/gf with Lilith Vatore/has two twin girls with her, while Caleb has been magically turned back into a mortal so he can be a Spellcaster with his partner, Morgyn Ember. Everything else is much more clear from this point in the story (I do change how the dialogue is shown partway through lol).

If you don't care about the setup from Gen1 and just want to read from a good starting point, I recommend you pick up from the beginning of Gen2 HERE, but you might be missing some context. For people who prefer this, I will put the necessary details from Gen1 under the cut (to avoid spoilers) below.

Thank you all again for your interest, I'm so grateful for all the positive feedback I've been suddenly getting!! ♥

Read on for Gen1 spoilers (long, cw for described violence, miscarriage, and general bad decision-making):

As mentioned, Eddy was Turned into a vampire by Vlad and is currently in a relationship with Lilith, having two kids with her (baby Annabelle and Alice). He plans to propose to her, but with the looming threat of Vlad at all times, Caleb (upon finding out Lilith is pregnant again) becomes overprotective and asks her to leave Eddy and stay with him and Morgyn. Eddy overhears this argument and vows to deal with Vlad then and there despite protests from the others.

Upon barging into Vlad's mansion, Vlad offers to leave Eddy's gf and kids alone if he agrees to be Vlad's heir. Eddy, having issues with negative father figures, rejects this deal, and promptly gets his ass handed to him in a battle. Dying and with no chance of escape, he tries to take the deal now, but Vlad is having none of it. Instead, he comes up with a new deal - Eddy's firstborn son in exchange for his life and his family's safety. Eddy protests, but realizing that he's on death's door and with him gone no one will be there to stand between Vlad and Lilith/the girls, he begrudgingly agrees to the terms despite how awful he feels. Vlad spares him, bringing him inside to heal before sending him back home. Eddy lies and claims he beat Vlad and thus he won't bother the family anymore, earning the respect of Caleb. Much to his relief, the ultrasound Lilith gets later reveals her upcoming baby is a girl.

Unfortunately, things go wrong (for reasons we shall reveal later), and Lilith miscarries the baby. Obviously everyone is devastated, and after some time, Eddy gently proposes to Lilith, bringing her spirits up. They get married, but Vlad subtly reminds Eddy the deal isn't off. As his daughters grow older into teens, Lilith eventually becomes pregnant yet again much to Eddy's horror, and this time she doesn't want to know the gender until it's born. Eddy still can't bring himself to tell her the truth, and thus doesn't mention the deal. During this, a now teenage Annabelle starts hitting on a teenage Sofia Bjergsen, while teenage Alice gets with teenage Lucas Munch. Annabelle's relationship with her parents is already tense due to her unserious, sarcastic nature, while Alice is seen as the golden child.

After Lilith has the baby, it's revealed it's a boy. She names it Adrian, while Eddy continues not to tell her that Vlad will come knocking soon. One night, when both Alice and Annabelle are supposed to be home watching the baby while their parents go out, Annabelle instead sneaks off to the Bluffs with Sofia to piss around, while Alice brings Lucas home and the two get frisky. Lilith and Eddy come back early from their date unexpectedly, finding Adrian crying and Alice busy making out with Lucas. Not long after this, Annabelle also comes back, after having given Sofia a promise ring and telling her to meet back at the Bluffs the next night. A huge fight breaks out between the three women, each one blaming the other while Eddy panics - only for Vlad to finally show up looking for his heir.

Vlad tells Lilith the truth about Eddy's deal much to her horror, and then throws her against a wall when she tries to prevent him from taking her son. Vlad whisks Adrian away, leaving Lilith heartbroken and her daughters horrified at what their father has done. Lilith is furious, ignoring Eddy's desperate explanations, and packs up her belongings/kids and leaves to Caleb and Morgyn's. Eddy is left alone in the Vatore house, Adrian is now growing up believing he's Vlad's son, and Sofia was left abandoned at the Bluffs waiting for Annabelle who never came back (hence the anger we see from her in Gen2).

The rest of the story follows from the start of Gen2!

[dotthings]

Back on my slow, full series rewatch of SPN and noticing some things in S4 about the theme of Sam and Dean’s specialness and Dean’s love/hate relationship with hunting and the nature of Sam and Dean as heroes.

Sam post first. I’ll post the Dean one separately.

In season 4 leading up to 4.15 Death Takes a Holiday (written by Jeremy Carver) Sam’s been training with Ruby, drinking demon blood, and developing his demon-related powers more strongly. Dean’s been uneasy about that. And running alongside this is Sam increasingly growing drunk on power, as well as his detachment and sense of specialness.

SAM Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order. DEAN You're kidding, right? SAM What? DEAN You don't see the irony in that? I mean, you and me, we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death. SAM Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they? DEAN stares. DEAN We're no different than anybody else. SAM I'm infected with demon blood. You've been to hell. DEAN looks away. SAM Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. The sooner you accept that, the better off you're gonna be.

It’s not that Sam is 100% wrong. Their job, their lives, are unusual, they do have to deal with weirdness most people don’t, in a highly dangerous, unpaid job, Sam does have demon blood powers, Dean has been to hell. But there’s also a bunch of things in Sam’s pov here that is linked to his S4 overall arc of going off the rails, moving away from who he is.

Way back in S4, there’s in-story comment on how Sam and Dean have plot armor while other characters don’t. Via Sam expressing an alarming sense of superiority—rules don’t apply to them, if other people die too bad it’s the natural order, they’re special. This isn’t Sam (and I really appreciate Sam’s sense of horror during the S14 reveal about the plot armor). Sam’s got his head twisted around here. Sam’s talk about specialness screams of Sam falling for Ruby’s cosmic trap, priming him to get where he needs to be to set Lucifer free.

One of the things that was so appealing to me about SPN is Sam and Dean’s ordinariness as heroes. They’re just a couple of guys from Lawrence, Kansas yanked into the world of the supernatural. They’re both the everyperson pov, while they’re also both outsiders and “freaks.” Sam and Dean often have to reject “great destinies” that cosmic beings try to force upon them, they rebel, tear up the pages, make the story their own. Free will was always a big theme on the show. Rebelling against the cosmic being manipulated system.

[darkestrellar]

Hello everyone! As you can see (or may already have seen), I changed Svern's url, after at least a year of thinking about doing so.

I've endeavoured to go through and update all links on the blog and information posts, but there's always a chance something slipped through the cracks. If you encounter a broken link, let me know.

Over the past three or so weeks, I have also:

Updated the on-blog muse page (updated page/section formatting, revised and rewrote information, added new stuff, added a trivia and misc section at the bottom of the page);

Updated the on-blog verses page (updated formatting, revised and rewrote verse descriptions, fleshed out some a little better);

Done a Major and quite overdue update to the Carrd. I updated the url to match the new one on the blog; overhauled the rules page to bring it in line with the most recent version on the blog, then did the same with the muse and verses sections, and I updated their formatting/layout, which I had been dissatisfied with for a while. As I threatened hinted earlier, there are a lot more words than there used to be, but it also looks much nicer (imo).

There are still a lot of other things I want to/am considering doing:

New blog avatar because this one is STILL old and outdated

Possibly make a new icon border! If I do do this, it will be a pain, because my icon bases are horribly organised or need remaking due to how I've gone about editing/making them in the past.

Update the many and various other information posts on the blog to do with verses and meta.

Revise Pokémon roster page (idk how much will need changing).

Finally, an update on my life goings-on:

I'm doing better now, although I'm not quite back to my usual self. This month was the first decent month where I didn't have any major anxiety episodes since March-April. I still have not gotten to have counselling like I was supposed to because (gestures in an annoyed manner) the waitlist is taking forever and I regret not taking the doctor's offer months ago to get a different referral but oh well.

I still haven't recovered all my mental stamina and my imagination isn't working as well as I would like either, but it's mending, slowly.

My IRL life is probably going to get busier, but now that I'm no longer so prone to feeling like I'm gonna go crazy or spontaneously die for unknown reasons, I can cope with that and juggle it better too. I'll probably still focus on maintenance (across all of my blogs) over writing for now because of the fact that my creative inspiration is still kinda like fog, but at least I'm not completely on hiatus anymore.

I'll be working on things in the background.