#i'm sorry this got ranty

[smalltownrobin]

I'm actually so tired of these surface level readings and interpretations of Vickie.

I'm not about to argue Vickie has been developed well so far, okay? We barely saw her, and we still haven't been told much explicitly about her, and I hate that, I wish they payed more attention to her since she's their only canonically bi character (so far) and she's going to be partnered with one of the main cast, not to mention she's half of their only sapphic relationship. It SUCKS.

HOWEVER.

Calling her just a carbon copy and saying Robin "deserves" a better romantic plot is ridiculous??

How can she deserve a better romantic storyline when we haven't even seen all of it yet? We are at the beginning of their plot, we know there's more to come and we can be pretty certain they're going to progress into a proper relationship, or at least admit feelings for each other. I wish we saw more of them in s4, but we can mostly gather where they're going with the next season based on circumstance and how the characters have interacted with each other so far. That kind of Joyce/Bob dynamic of one of them not knowing anything about the upside down I think is such a sweet concept for Robin? It could bring out new sides of her if she's the one guiding Vickie through all of it, or even trying to keep her away from it. Obviously if you don't like that you don't have to, but saying she should have something "better" really sounds like you've not even thought about it.

Then saying she deserves better because Vickie is just a carbon copy of her is actually so silly to me, she deserves better than someone who understands the way her brain works and can relate to her? Robin's friends love her and care about her, but ultimately they don't know how to handle her sometimes. Vickie sharing one trait with her that will make both of them feel seen and understood is not lazy or boring, it's normal and even beneficial for partners to share traits like that.

The "carbon copy" thing really needs to stop because you sound five years old I'm sorry. They both ramble and they're both in band. Yet they dress totally differently, have different taste in movies (or are we all forgetting Robin likes classic black and white movies while Vickie watches raunchy movies about teenage sex), even speak and act differently despite sharing the rambling thing.

Most of Vickie's character is in the subtext (which I hope will be expanded on s5), but from what we've seen of her she does have some traits that don't seem to be in Robin's character (some things Robin does or the way she acts being a direct result of upside down monster hunting capers, whereas Vickie just does it on her own). To me they're pretty distinct from each other while sharing some essential traits they can connect on.

If that's just not what you like, that's okay! Ship what you want to ship, like who you want to like, but just put a bit more thought into it if you're going to tell people why you hate rovickie for the millionth time. It's okay to have a preference, but don't speak as if you're making a profound point about sapphic representation when you yourself aren't looking that much into it.

[14dayswithyou]

💖 Day 3.5 is now available! 💖

For the last couple of months, only Server Boosters had access to the 3.5 update... Buuuuut now it's available for everyone to play in the 14DWY Discord — and soon itch.io once I'm happy with the QA and state of the game — so please don't feel pressured to join unless you want to!!

The full devlog + even more screenshots are under the cut ^^

What's been added to the 3.5 version?

📺 Streamer Mode!

I've been told that it's difficult to stream and monetise age-restricted videos on YouTube and Twitch, so I added an option to remove the sexual content and strong language used in the demo.

Now y'all can invite Ren into your bed for cuddles without putting your streamer career on the line /silly /lh

This won't affect the 18+ rating or dark themes/elements of the game, however! Although Streamer Mode will prevent you from seeing any "gruesome" CGs in the future, most of the core elements of the game will still be tied to the choices and decisions you make. So you won't miss out on the overall experience by using streamer mode!!

⚙️ Custom Pronouns!

It only took me one entire year to get around to it, but you can finally choose your own preferred pronouns (or use a set of pronouns instead)... At the cost of being able to change them mid-game ^^;

Since the original pronoun screen wouldn't update until a new scene was displayed, I temporarily disabled the feature. But once I find a workaround, I'll bring it back!

💗 Choose how others perceive you!

You can now choose how the cast and narration perceive you! Originally, the narration was kept strictly gender-neutral (outside of pronouns and genitalia picked by the player), but this will soon change in future updates.

For more clarity: you don't get to choose the words specifically, but you can choose between masculine, feminine, and androgynous terms!

📋 Separate top and bottom genitalia!

You can now choose your tatas and pps separately! >:3

Alongside that, you can also choose your preferred body type!

I removed the "both" genitalia option because a few players still assumed it was an obscure version of "intersex". That wasn't my intention and I don't want to mislead anyone, so I took it out for now ^^;

I also didn't want to include a screenshot of the new genitalia choices in action (because it's NSFW), so y'all get the same character menu screen for the nth time instead lmao

📱 Relationship Screen Overhaul!

You can now change your own status for more immersion, and long-term Server Boosters will eventually be able to submit and use their own icon within the game as well!

Stalking finding your friends has now become easier by using "Buddy Maps"; a new app that allows you to see the location of all the cast members!

I want to offer players more incentive to check the relationship screen since they tend to miss the status updates, so hopefully this might help ;v;

It also says it "updates every few hours" so folks don't go overboard and check every 5 seconds to see where Ren is gdsghf (also keep in mind that he's a hacker lol)

🖤 Additional Scenes Update!

Day 2 received a brand new CG!!!!! Originally, I planned on only adding a few CGs sporadically throughout the game, but it didn't feel right to leave Day 2 so... empty... so I added a brand new CG to (hopefully) make things feel more balanced and natural!

If you decline Teo's offer on Day 3, Leon will now call and try to convince you to reconsider. However, players are still allowed to decline, and if they do, they'll reach a dead end.

After listening to feedback on itch, I changed some of the dialogue during Days 1-3 to make it seem more consistent! They're only small changes though, so it's honestly not worth looking for sdgjssga

🎶 Updated BGM and SFX!

I wanted to try out a different style of music to see if it fits the vibe of 14DWY more! The BGM features more acoustics to suit the "beachy" theme of Corland Bay, though I made a conscious effort to include piano elements as well to stay true to the original!!

I figured it'd be better to give players a live example before I make a poll (to see if they prefer the change or not) and publish it to Itch.

Some new SFX have also been added, though it's very minimal and honestly not that noticeable.

How to download and play the update?

(warning: clicking on the following links will open Discord!!) To download the Day 3.5 update, simply join the 14DWY Discord server, verify your age, and visit the "14dwy-updates" channel!

Alternatively, you can also wait until the update is publicly released on Itch to play it as well!! (It normally gets released shortly after a round of QA testing/getting feedback from the server, though I may release it earlier if I feel like it hehe ^^)

Enjoy!!

[koka-mi]

I wish my sister would stop making fun of my music taste :[

"your music taste is so basic"

"this song sucks/this is boring"

"ofc you would like this song"(/neg)

"why do you like *genre/general songs* they're not even good"

"hmm I think this is one of *music artist*'s more weaker songs"

"turn this trash off oh my god I'm tired of it"

GIRL. just let me listen to songs I like in peace. I don't talk about your music taste!! I never judge you for what you listen to and I never tell you your music taste is bad. So why do you keep treating my music taste as inferior??

It's just.frustrating. It's gotten to the point where I don't wanna listen to songs I like near her anymore. Anytime I hear her coming upstairs or I feel like she's going to come in the room, I immediately stop the music I'm listening to because I know once she hears it she'll start saying a buncha negative stuff about it. LIKE BESTIE. IT'S NOT THAT DEEP IT'S A THREE MINUTE SOUNDWAVE. JUST LET ME ENJOY IT :(

[lookinghalfacorpse]

it's okay, take your time, we will wait for you as long and you need 🫂🫂🫂

<3 ty for the kind messages

[tapedsleeves]

🫂🩷anonymous mutual support!🩷🫂please pick one of the following:

•share a link to a fic youd like some comments/kudos on

•take a moment to say one nice thing about yourself

•vent! what's going on that you need to talk about?

•any other random thing that would make you feel supported right now.

you are loved!

if you have the mental space, send this to 5 others who might need the same support

•share a link to a fic you'd like some comments/kudos on (and a little it of a vent, oops)

ok listen. I know it's a rarepair & not even my normal fare so my regular readers prob won't read it, and then it's kinky on top of that, so it's not like. i know it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. but it's almost criminal that teach me to breathe (break me in half) has the second most hits for any of my fics this year and only 2 comments.

I've got a whole rant about, not specifically this fic, but smutfics in general and how *little* engagement they get when the amount of work that goes into them is so high (for me) and like. how it's barely not even worth it? Shoutout to @lurlur straight up tho for cheerleading this fic entirely bc it was written 100% for her and i'm almost to the point where I don't care what anyone else thinks about it lol.

[mp3minded]

okay, so. I've been stewin' on this thought for a hot minute now, but I think I'm ready to just come out and say it—I genuinely headcanon Marshall as autistic.

Now, I know what you may be thinking—Marshall? Yes, him.

I know when neurotypicals usually think of autistically-coded characters, they think of someone more nerdy like season 2's Carl. Not that there's no merit to that, but autism absolutely comes in more forms than that, and I think I've finally found my words for this, because I know most people would need more than just my deep intuition on this alone (speaking as someone who is autistic).

When you're high-functioning, the experience can feel like the equivalent of being in the uncanny valley when it comes to social integration. You'll never be as fluent socially as a neurotypical, and that can easily couple with self-awareness, when high-functioning. When you're on Marshall's route, you get a really good glimpse of how self-aware he is, and he's (refreshingly) honest about what he sees in himself.

More on his honesty—yes, he does lie at times, as most people do. But the moments where he is honest speak the loudest volumes for me. A HUGE example of this to me, was when he walked off on Amelia even when she stepped into an argument on his behalf, because as he said, he couldn't be bothered, to even play-pretend the role of Amelia's #2 anymore, because this was when MC was playing on his mind more, and that mattered to him more than anything.

Okay, now the big one—his strained relationship with Ozzy before they reconciled things. Let's dig deep into the why, when it comes to his choice of going off on his own brother to MC in Casa Amor. He felt slighted by Ozzy (even if it was a misunderstanding) in such a way that, it didn't matter that he was family, he wanted to get his thoughts off his chest. I don't know if I'd have gone to the extent he did if I were in his shoes (I'd wait until I was back in the villa so Ozzy could defend himself) but, I've felt slighted by a family member like, numerous times, so I understand the place he's coming from. For neurotypicals, it can be seen as a more taboo thing, but I just don't agree with the notion that you should give family the benefit of the doubt, if they haven't given you a reason to, just because they're family, and I think Marshall would agree with this, by his actions. And, by his own words, Marshall felt absolutely betrayed by Ozzy.

And again, before Ozzy cleared up the misunderstanding, Marshall was telling the/"his" truth, as much as he was left aware of. To quote @practicemyfall here,

"Feels like neurotypicals forgive that easily because their experience with family is way different to that of a neurodivergent person."

And, I don't know how to end this post other than to say, this headcanon of mine is one reason why Marshall's one of my favs, if not the fav, because I feel connected to him on this level 🥺

(note: after I wrote all this out, he did become my fav-fav 🥺💗)

[anothermonikan]

I think. I'm so sorry for complaining about a silly tumblr bracket but like. The worst ships poll, obviously I feel like some of the ships on there were so unjustified, because they don't even fit most of the terms of qualification, asides from the first one of 'Fans and/or creators being annoying about it' which I feel is such a subjective opinion, you could say that about literally ANY semi-popular ship, if someone ships something that isn't said ship, they had leway to say that people are annoying about it, and gosh, it gives me such whiplash to see ships like Natsuri and ChellDOS on there alongside fucking Onclercest

[pinkestsorbet]

"Can you submit another report next week when we have the USB voltage readers delivered 🥺 though tbh those chargers aren't very good in the first place..."

m8... buddy... pal... If these chargers were 'always rubbish' then I wouldn't be complaining half way through my tenancy

My phone battery has started going DOWN while using these chargers the past week

[ellecdc]

Okay, it is way easier to be your authentic self on the internet with strangers so plz no judgment 👍

But I was hoping to put in a request, which is entirely up to you to do, obviously. I started my period this week and it's really the only time I feel like not myself (I don't have any of those specific gender-neutral boxers so I have to wear panties cause I use pads sorry if that's tmi) So I wanted to request a piece with Darksun comforting a non-binary reader during their period? With like the dysphoria and all that?

Sorry if this is ranty, I don't talk about my gender on here much cause it truly terrifies me but I trust you. (I've also spent the last two days crying while trying to pick out clothes for work. I'm going through it in the most first world problems way I can apparently and I feel silly for it)

Anyway! Sorry again for the rant, I'm nervous and over-explaining. Hope you have a great day!

first of all, thank you for trusting me [I hope I did this request justice, please tell me if I did not]. secondly, thanks for your patience seeing as you sent this back in July 🥺

poly!darksun x non-binary!reader who's on their period [876 words]

CW: non-sexual nudity, discussion of gendered clothing and society, body & gender-identity dysphoria, my first attempt at a non-binary reader so please let me know if I've mucked it up at all

You felt heavy; your shoulders ached, you were bloated, it took all the strength you had just to lift your legs to climb the stairs up to James’ dormitory (why did this school have so many sodding stairs!?) and your head felt like it was quickly filling with cotton as a migraine threatened to take over.

All you wanted to do was fall into James’ bed, maybe curl up in one of his quidditch jumpers, and force Barty to act as your weighted blanket for the next foreseeable future.

So by the time you’d finally made it up to James’ dorm room to hear him and Barty snickering to one another, you felt tears prick at your eyes believing that your dreams of cuddles and jumpers were all for naught. 

“Hurry up, they’re going to be here any minute.” You heard Barty hiss.

“Barty, I’m moving as fast as I can but- fuckin hells, Merlin and Morgana both; no wonder they’re so tetchy right now. This is a torture device.” 

“It’s not a torture device, they’re knickers.”

“They ought to be banned.” James grumbled. “How come you got the comfortable ones?” 

“Green really is more my colour, James. Besides, you look great in pink.”

James let out a sigh that sounded like agreement before he groaned again. “Where’d the string go?” 

You heard Barty chuckling.

“Barty, where’d the string go? Stop sodding laughing! Where’d it go?” 

You slowly - cautiously - pushed the door to the dormitory open to expose both of your boyfriends standing in the middle of the room, each in a pair of your more feminine knickers and a jumper each.

“What in the actual fuck is going on right now?” You deadpanned as you let your bookbag fall from your shoulder and hit the ground with a thud.

James had the grace to look somewhat abashed, but Barty simply turned and beamed at you. “There you are, my lovely Treasure! How was your day?” He asked as if he wasn’t standing half-naked in women’s underwear. 

“Terrible. Barty, what are you wearing?”

Barty looked at you like he was genuinely confused by your question. “What? This?” He said as he plucked at his Slytherin jumper. “It’s my favourite jumper.” 

“Uh huh…and the panties?” You continued.

“Well, it’s not really my style to go commando under my uniform, Treasure.” He scoffed.

When it became clear you weren’t getting anywhere in this conversation with Barty, you turned your sights on James. 

“What are you doing in..my knickers?” You asked, more than a tad reluctant to take ownership of an article of clothing that left you feeling horribly dysphoric. 

“Well…I- we just figured, I don’t know, maybe you’d like some camaraderie?” 

“Camaraderie?”

“Well, s’no fair that you have to be uncomfortable all on your own.” He mumbled awkwardly, and you felt your heart squeeze at the sentiment. 

“I think they look good on us, no?” Barty asked as he gave you a spin whereas James simply crossed his legs and looked at you worriedly.

“I, erm, I don’t want to turn around. I-”

“It’s okay, Jamie.” You let out with a sigh as you made your way over to him. “You two didn’t have to do this for me.” You murmured into James’ jumper where he had you cradled against his chest.

“We know that; of course we know we didn’t have to do this for you.” Barty agreed readily. “But you’re our sweetheart, and we love doing things for you.”

“We hate that you don’t feel like your best self when you get your period.” 

You grumbled as you rubbed your face into James’ chest as if you could physically burrow your way into his sternum. “I don’t think anyone feels like their best self when they get their period.” You argued.

Barty let out a noncommittal hum as you heard him shuffling behind you. “No, but we understand that it causes you some extra hurt, Tres.” 

At Barty’s soft tone, you turned to see him pulling back the sheets of James’ bed and holding one of James quidditch jumpers - no, your favourite of James’ quidditch jumpers - though he paused when he saw your face emerge from James’ chest and shot you a sympathetic smile. 

“I know…it’s different, and I know that this isn’t really what it’s about, but…us stepping into ‘feminine’ underwear doesn’t make either of us any less of a boy.” James started slowly. “In the same way that putting them on doesn’t make you any more of a girl.” 

“Society might say otherwise, but knickers aren’t boys or girls…they’re just cotton.” Barty added, and you couldn’t help but huff a laugh at that.

“Speak for yourself, Barty…” James grumbled as he shifted awkwardly. “Pretty sure mine are made out of devil’s snare; I still don’t know where that string has gone.”

“I love you, both of you.” You blurted; James tightening his hold on you and Barty making a sweet cooing sound from behind you. 

“We love you too, angel.”

“It’s true, I never went through this much trouble to help Reg feel better about his periods.” Barty added solemnly as he plopped down on James’ bed and patted the mattress. “Now come on, I plan to rot in this bed alongside you for the next foreseeable future.”

[agoldenblackbird]

i'm gonna be a ranty bitch for a minute.

tbh i'm turned off even reading new buddie fic despite being a multishipper and have unfollowed a bunch of buddie accounts because i'm sick of the smug attitudes. one ask that i am otherwise not going to publish or respond to ended with 'sorry you don't understand media literacy bestie :)' fuck off. listen INFANT, i have been writing fanfic and original fic AND watching, reading and analyzing queer media since before you were born, i understand how character and story development works, and i know the difference between 'storyline i personally disliked' and 'bad writing.' this was BOTH, and it also was marketed to us as 'carefully crafted bi rep' and 'queer love story that is not about a bunch of pain and conflict FOR ONCE' so we have every right to be upset at the bait-and-switch.

the fact that i'm seeing the same exact posts - 'bt bones buddie CANON' that i saw three seasons ago after the bucktaylor breakup, or every time they thought buck and taylor MIGHT break up - says something. the fact that so many fans seem genuinely convinced (STILL!) that buddie is inevitable because there have been so many 'signs,' and then they rattle off a convoluted theory that would make the most hardcore taylor swift stan say 'wow, that's a bit of a reach,' honestly weirded me out a little when i first joined the 911 fandom. i have never been in a fandom where so many fans are insistent that their ship will be - not might be or could be, but WILL be - canon. i am skeptical both from past experience with other shows mishandling queer storylines or ship-baiting, and tim minnear's proven track record with this one of not really knowing what to do with buck's LI's. but i didn't want to yuck anybody's yum, so i let them have their theories and squee in peace, and unfollowed or blocked certain tags if i was seeing too much of it and getting annoyed. it's too out there for me, but i'm glad they're having fun!

yet they can't give us the same courtesy. they deride us as delusional for thinking that a canon pairing that was presented to us both in promo and the show itself as different and important (eg the bobby approval convo and 'buck getting off the hamster wheel') might last, and we're stupid to have ever liked tommy or lou or be disappointed at how the breakup was written, and if we point out the biphobia it's just sour grapes.

the bucktommy breakup is not the first time 911 has started out strong with an interesting storyline and fumbled it in the 4th quarter either because the writers got bored or in the name of needless drama/a 'gotcha' sudden twist. amir & bobby, eddie's fight club arc, the sperm donor SL, hen vs councilwoman ortiz, whatever the hell is going on with harry, the whole mess with shannon/kim, just to name a few. and especially the past couple of seasons, for me since 6b, the pacing has been off. they seem to have too much happening at once and many of the storylines don't have enough room to breathe to be narratively satisfying, or they get resolved in ways that feel lackluster.

if the toxic buddie stans who have been attacking lou on sm and sending death threats (wtf!) actually get what they want, which i admit is possible, but it's certainly not guaranteed….i don't know why they think the writers won't fumble that just as badly. it's not going to happen precisely the way they want it to because it is impossible to please everybody, that's what fanfic is for. but at this point i have zero faith that it would even be well done at all, and zero trust in the writers not to just sabotage or regress a character for funsies, and that's an excellent reason to stop watching the show. in most of my other fandoms i regard canon as a jumping-off point or a blurry outline at best, and i can have just as much fun in the 911 sandbox without any further input from canon at all, once i'm less angry.

[greatprotector-if]

Hi everyone! It's been a while and I hope you're all doing well :] I have realized that 99.99% of you are not on my personal Tumblr so I should probably update here too. Hey! Hi!

Going to start off by saying that no, The Great Protector has not been abandoned! I am still working on it!

Details under cut. A little ranty, sorry HAHA

So yes, I am still working on TGP! But no, I have nothing to show for all the months I've been gone.

Essentially the plot got way out of hand and in the end it was so messy I felt it would be faster to just start from scratch instead of trying to prune all the unnecessary parts. It was that bad.

I'm currently making my way through the new outline slowly but surely — but I know this isn't the update you all wanted. I literally have less than I had before... haha... and after all these years I completely understand that this is disappointing for all of you, and I'm really sorry about that.

I think I'll always regret putting up that initial intro post for this game as early into production as I did. While the community has been wonderful and I appreciate so much all the support I've received, it's also sort of paralyzing to have so many eyes on you, expecting great things you aren't sure you have the means of providing!

I've sort of just been too scared to work on it because I know that nothing I make could ever satisfy all of you, and then the impostor syndrome in me is telling me that means nothing I do will ever be good enough. Yeah. Brain. Funny guy, the brain.

If I had a time machine I'd go back and force past me not to post jack shit on the internet until he had at least a full chapter written and coded, but alas! Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

But taking this time away from the blog and restarting the story from scratch has made the pressure feel a lot less intense. I really, really do appreciate everyone who's shown interest in my silly little project so far, but I will likely continue on with my break away from this blog until I have an actual demo. It makes me feel guilty to post here with my hands empty haha

I have no idea how long it will be until said actual demo is ready, but I sure hope it won't take another multiple years!

Again, I'm sorry about how this has gone. The next time I post something on this blog, it'll probably be less depressing I promise 🙌

With love,

Cassian

[liauditore]

ADVANCEMENT UNLOCKED: Participate in Hermit a Day May 2024!

I tried putting them to scale best as I could while still keeping them all relatively in frame (bdubs is standing on a slab). Sorry for the awkward crop the full png was too powerful for tumblr and I didn't want to separate gem and pearl.

Shout out to @hermitadaymay (asked to tag) for hosting and the really awesome tags I got to experience and what felt like increasing concern for me or perhaps a need to study me like a animal in a lab expressed through them. (collected some of my favourites below)

(no but genuinely very insane of you to do personalized tags on so many pieces during this event AND read some of my long ranty tags too. I think I may have had a light heart attack when I learnt you were one person running this thing and even if you weren't this level of care is so above and beyond what you had to do -- also very funny and fun please continue studying me at your leisure it's very awesome)

I don't know about everyone else but i frequently scrolled down the hermit a day blog mainly for the art (and seeing everyone's designs and styles!!) but I loved just reading your tags too lol. Always fun when there's a little back and forth. Was really proud of myself when I begun to recognize specific artists' styles who I hadn't encountered before, felt like I was earning video game points I have no idea why.

Amazing event. I'm gonna go try to fix my sleep schedule now o7

[thedevilsbckbone]

It almost felt foreign now, the idea that the man standing in front of her was once upon a time a man that she had held in high regard and had even considered a friend. He had made Aleida so happy for a time and Desiree could only appreciate Graham for bringing that to her sister's life and giving her the most precious thing she'd ever loved; Penelope. That version of Graham was gone now, tainted by Penny's death. Now when she looked up Graham, he was just a person who brought nothing but death and despair. While Aleida had not blamed him for what happened, Desiree could not say the same. He had meant to keep them safe and keep them happy and he had failed.

She stood there, staring daggers at the male as he rushed the woman who was in his company out the door. She was too upset to even think to spare the thought that she'd interrupted something. Truthfully, she didn't care if she had. She wanted answers. She watched him look back over the article, noticing the way he seemed to have been completely clueless about this whole situation. There was a brief recollection that Aleida had mentioned once that she'd heard Graham had left the force but Desiree still couldn't quite believe that was the actual case. However, his expression made it obvious that until this moment, he was not very privy to the case. Somehow that thought only served the piss the brunette off even more.

She shook her head as she rebuked his statement. "How is it a fucking mistake, Graham? Read the damn article, the agents on the case themselves have mentioned they believe there is a connection. Open your fucking eyes," she said as she smacked her hand onto the section of the article that pointed out their statement. She could feel her anger rising with each passing second, like a pot of water ready to boil over at any second. She could see the hurt swimming in his gaze and the guilt dripping from his words was evident but in that moment she was too upset to care.

"I want you to do what you promised!" She nearly barked out in accusation. "You told my sister you would protect her and Penelope. You promised and yet you brought that man into their lives and it's your fault Penelope died! Then come to find out some bullshit about how you up and quit going after him -- allowing that monster to remain free to do the same thing to others. You were suppose to protect them and instead you ruined their lives and gave up!" She was ranting, her voice rising with nearly passing second as she stepped closer to him. Her hands were balled into fists at her side and it took everything in her power not to want to slap him across the face and tell him to fucking do something about this. "How could you do that? How could you live with yourself knowing he's still out there after what he did to your daughter? To Aleida?!"

Graham couldn't recall the exact last time he had seen Desiree. Memories of the weeks after the Day blended up in his head, taking one bloody fragment from here and a scathing scene from there, mixing it all together to form a grotesque picture that could rival one of Picasso's masterpieces. But the scene in front of him looked oddly familiar. It was hard to think once upon a time they had liked each other, been close even. The woman barging into his office despised him. And rightfully so. That didn't keep the puzzled expression from taking over his face. He blinked, confused, trying to follow her string of accusations. But she was talking as if he was on the loop and Graham didn't have a clue. Nonetheless, a shiver dashed through his body.

A quick glance at the newspaper shoved against his chest told him things were about to get deadly serious. "I'll call you soon." He turned to the client, plastering a tense smile on his face, and all but shoved her out the door. And when he closed it behind her, he took a second too long than acceptable to turn back to Desiree. He needed to breathe. He needed an interlude to compose himself and steady his pulse. But he didn't have a second. And he didn't have answers.

"I -" Words died on his lips. His mind was racing, trying to process all the new information, aiming to work out what to prioritize. A reread of the article, this time in-depth, had his ears ringing with his heartbeat. It couldn't be happening. Not again. Not to Aleida. They had promised him that the killer had gone dormant. The investigation was stuck because there wasn't any trace to follow. Aleida wasn't even his type. "It must be a mistake," Graham concluded out loud but was speaking to himself. "They must have the wrong leads." The next question cut like a knife. His dark eyes stared at her intently, a mix of hurt and guilt shining in his irises. "What do you want me to do? I'm not in active service anymore."

[ladykakata]

I just saw your post about ian’s disorder and how it distorts his reality and makes him question why mickey remains in his life and you really hit the nail on the head. people rarely talk about gallavich’s relationship battles from ian’s perspective unless it’s to criticise him and I think a lot of people find it difficult to relate to his issues ig? but mood disorders go hand in hand with anxiety, identity and confidence issues. but I also think its a writing issue because so little of ian’s experiences with his illness comes from his own perspective. so it makes sense the audience tends to sympathise more with mickey because we don’t get to see ian’s personal struggle or his reasoning for certain behaviors and s10 is one of the rare examples where he got to explain his issues and the audience still couldn’t understand. sorry this is ranty lol but I’m just happy to see more meta that defends some of ian’s actions 😊

Thank you <3 It makes me sad to see so many comments practically demonise Ian, and while Ian DOES do questionable things, he's no more or less blameless than Mickey.

A comment on my post mentioned that Ian fought for Mickey just as much as Mickey fought for Ian ... in the early seasons. Remember, Mickey literally beat Ian up in frustration over the situation with Svetlana and the forced marriage. Does him attacking Ian get him off the hook for what he did? No. Does it justify it? No. It's context, not justification, which can be two entirely different things. Ian refused to let Mickey go, he loved Mickey and was visibly heartbroken at the idea his man was slipping away, even if Mickey was trying to cover up his own upset by acting aggressively. Stans might paint Ian as in the wrong again, saying he should have been supportive of Mickey going through the forced marriage and understanding it's not as 'easy' as Ian makes it sound for Mickey to just deny his father. But bearing in mind, their relationship was still very young, Ian knows Terry is a disgusting and violent man, but the sense of doom and horror is not the same unless you've grown up with it and lived it like Mickey.

Ian fought for Mickey. And Mickey fought for Ian during his bipolar struggles. Keeping score is NOT wise in relationships, so I wouldn't call this keeping score, more them trading places in who is asking the other to stay or saying they love the other during dark times.

Another point is that this was all before Ian's bipolar condition really started to manifest, so Mickey must have been even more confused that the man who was distraught over him entering a meaningless marriage was suddenly pulling away and questioning his devotion. Emotional permanence is difficult in a lot of conditions, again I am not bipolar myself but DO have pretty erratic emotional issues that mean I can go from feeling adored to feeling like the scum of the Earth everyone hates, and there's the persistent background hum of feeling unwanted that's lifelong. Ian gets a triple-hit in that he's a middle child (younger than Fiona and Lip, older than Carl, Debbie and Liam), he's inherited Monica's bipolar disorder and his chronically unstable home life tends to lead to the idea of feeling wanted by his parents and forgotten by most. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt like his mother just rejected him/abandoned him considering how often she is gone, Frank has literally attacked him unprovoked and it was only when he grew in height and gained some confidence he really started to push back, and he is neither the baby of the family nor the parent figures that Fiona and Lip were forced to be. The people he tends to form relationships with tended to lean towards lust with no real chance at a stable, happy relationship (Kash, a married man with children, and Ned, who is the same albeit Jimmy is an adult) before Caleb and Trevor, which wouldn't surprise me if he again subconsciously thought he was disposable.

I guess I'm picking up on the side effects of Ian's neurodivergence, and it pairs with a comment remarking on how people are supportive of mental health disorders until their effects affect them, then suddenly everything is unacceptable. Again, some of Ian's actions are not justified - I'm once again referring to him baiting Mickey into a physical fight by calling him slurs - but he himself explains why he did it. Mickey looked past it, and I do wonder if he's realising that yeah ... Ian, the man HE knew and who was proudly gay with very little tolerance for homophobia, suddenly turning around and calling him slurs was incredibly out of character and likely another moment of Ian's brain lashing out.

Ian did negative things to Mickey, and he should apologise. Just as Mickey has done things to Ian and should apologise. One is not better than the other. Mickey's reasons for doing things can lie with his upbringing, PTSD and circumstances, Ian's reasons can lie with bipolar disorder, his upbringing and circumstances. But they are still well-intentioned for each other, and I think they do help bring out the best in each other.

[miquella-everywhere]

Miyazaki said in an interview that he read the fan theories during the two years of development of the DLC. Now no one can convince me that it happened like in GoT and someone actually managed to deduct the original plot of Miquella's story and Miyazaki had the entire thing redone just for shock value l, and in doing so spit in the face of all Miquella lovers who actually paid attention to the clues in the base game.

Seriously, when a writer says they read the theories, I get a bad feeling because the culture now is to pull "something unexpected" instead of the beautiful relationship between mystery writer and attentive reader; there's a certain trust between them: the writer has to leave clues trusting that the reader would play detective, and the reader follows the mystery because they trust that the mystery is solvable.

But now, with the internet, the writers have access to fan theories and instead of being proud that their readers are invested enough to solve the mystery, they instead seem to use it to write completely out of the blue endings just to say that "nobody got it, I'm a master of mystery!"

Sorry if I got a little ranty, but I needed to get it out of my chest

So

As someone who absolutely ADORES storytelling, writing, narratives, themes, you name it and wishes that they had the energy to be an aspiring writer.

The stance of redirecting and retconning what you've written because fans managed to piece together your story makes no sense to me and FUCKING PISSES ME OFF

Like

HELLO????????

There is absolutely no shame as a writer in fans figuring out your story or piecing together the puzzle pieces you've left behind. It means that they are invested and they love your story, and imo if I were in that position I would consider that to be a fucking HONOUR.

I just..,,.. I do not understand the idea of butchering your whole story just to prove that your audience isn't smart/doesn't really understand what's going on???? By doing so you are left with a unsatisfying, disconnected, contradictory mess that alienates and drives away your audience and fankly ruins your stories reputation along with your own credibility as a writer.

Just look at Game of Thrones for godssake.

I do not understand why this had to happen to Elden Ring and Miquella when everything was set up perfectly and Fromsoft had a good reputation for DLCs. But now all of that is ruined 😞

[aelfgyvaa]

Period Drama Costuming - a (ranty) review

I love period dramas. I watch them like my life depends on it, and as a result, I have Thoughts. Period dramas are arguably where costuming becomes most important - here, costume isn't solely a storytelling device, it's a reflection of the specific place and time in which the narrative is taking place. Sometimes it's done well. Sometimes it really - really - isn't.

It's reductive to try and make any sweeping, general rules about how costumes in period dramas should be done. Every show has its own tone and style, and this is important to consider. However, some productions can take this in... interesting directions. We can really only judge each attempt at historical costuming on an individual basis, which - spoiler alert - is exactly what I'm about to do. Below the cut, I've had a look at some bad costumes, some good costumes, and some that don't really seem to fit in either category.

DISCLAIMER!! - This is simply an opportunity for me to rant about something I have a lot of (subjective) Feelings™ about, and is in no way supposed to comment on the overall quality of any of the pieces discussed. I'm also NOT claiming to be an expert on this topic. There are lots of people on here who undoubtedly know more about this than me, and if you're one of them, I'd really love to hear your thoughts!!

The Bad

Reign (The CW, 2013-17)

I've just gotta get this one out of the way. I made it through an almost-entire season of Reign before the atrocity that is its costuming got the better of me. If you'd shown me photos from this show without telling me it's about Mary Queen of Scots, I couldn't have guessed what period this might be set in. Reign's costume designer has stated "I wanted gowns that kept some kind of Elizabethan element, whether it was a nipped waist and extreme silhouette, or if it had a bit of a medieval feel" and uh. Yeah. By and large, that didn't happen. From what I can tell, a somewhat historical silhouette does begin to appear in the show's final season, but at what cost?

Perhaps Reign wouldn't have been as bad if the dresses were at least nice to look at. Instead, they're generally reminiscent of prom dresses - the fabric looks cheap, and the details look so tacky that I can't even endorse the costuming for this show from an aesthetic standpoint. Sorry to any Reign fans out there, but this is almost certainly going to be my most scathing review of the lot.

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The Musketeers (BBC, 2014-16)

I love The Musketeers. I really do. But what the costume department was thinking - especially when it came to the women's costumes - I really have no idea. I mean, a Peter Pan collar?? On the Queen of France??? IN THE 1620S???? Truly something. Constance always looks like she only half-finished getting dressed that morning (why is her hair down. she's married.), and Anne sports some of the most outlandishly ridiculous collars I've ever seen. I don't even want to get into what Marie de' Medici is wearing. It's belts - as a necklace apparently! She also appears to be hiding some kind of gourd under her hair, but alas.

Yes, the men wear pleather. Yes, it does upset me.

The Musketeers' costumes perhaps wouldn't sting so badly if they didn't dress numerous background extras in significantly more accurate clothing. I've spent too much time watching this show and sighing in despair because Noblewoman Number 3 has a more accurate 1620s dress than the literal Queen.

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The Spanish Princess (Starz, 2019-20)

I haven't properly sat down to watch The Spanish Princess through to its conclusion yet, but I do intend to - when she's not fawning over Richard III, Philippa Gregory adaptations can still be good fun, despite having about as much historical authenticity as the Fiji mermaid.

Nevertheless, no one in this show seems aware of what time period they're in, with dress styles spanning from early 14th-century surcoats to some fairly Elizabethan-looking silhouettes. The fabric choices are all over the place, and similarly - although not quite as egregiously - to Reign, often don't even manage to look good. Even from a modern standpoint, this show is colour- and pattern-clash galore. There is also practically no layering whatsoever, with the dresses going on as single pieces without a panel in sight. Admittedly probably easier from a production standpoint, but still.

Don't even get me started on the headdresses. Weird, pudding-cap-esque padded crowns and tiny scraps of fabric like the ones seen on Mary Tudor (an attempt at a French hood? I shudder) are fairly constant, although I have spotted a few passable attempts at a Gable hood.

They do get points for giving Arthur Tudor a fuck ass bob. Thanks.

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The Buccaneers (Apple TV+, 2023-)

When I first started The Buccaneers and saw what its costuming had to offer, I audibly sighed. If you're a fan of visible back-lacing, cheap quality fabrics, and poorly fitting bodices, this is the show for you. The 1870s look is not a difficult one to emulate, and yet The Buccaneers fails rather miserably with its main characters, half of whom appear to be walking around in their underwear, with untied hair and single-layer dresses. Poor Nan only seems to own about two outfits that aren't visibly too big for her.

But by far the greatest crime committed by The Buccaneers' costume department comes in the decision to have multiple instances in which characters appear to be wearing corsets as tops. Yeah. I had a rough time with that one too. Mabel seems a particular victim of this - in both of the images above she looks as if she's been rushed out of the house before she got the chance to even button up her dress. A State of Affairs indeed.

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The Good

Becoming Elizabeth (Starz, 2022)

Although I was slightly underwhelmed with the execution of Becoming Elizabeth's story, this was absolutely overshadowed by its costuming, which is probably one of the most historically accurate depictions of Tudor clothing I've ever seen. With the same costume designer as Shardlake (which is also very well done - a big day for fans of Anthony Boyle's codpiece), it's remarkably clear how much research went into the pieces worn on this show, with some directly recreated from portraits, and others visibly inspired by surviving clothing from the period.

I won't pretend that Becoming Elizabeth's costuming is without flaws - I'm not a fan of Elizabeth's hunting/riding clothes, and she wears her hair down far too often (Catherine Parr appeared at times to have access to a Dyson Airwrap). However, the positives definitely outweigh any gripes I have. We have dressing scenes in which we see the separate layers and panels that comprised Tudor dresses, and the French hoods actually have hoods, as opposed to simply being the semi-circular headbands we see far too often. The royal women wear ermine fur on their sleeves, and I was also a fan of the jewellery.

The care that went into the costumes for Becoming Elizabeth is so clear - I truly wish I'd enjoyed the plot more, if just so that I could spend more time staring at those dresses.

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Emma. (Autumn de Wilde, 2020)

I adore Emma, and its costuming is honestly perhaps the biggest part of that love. The waistlines! The hairstyles! The bonnets! Emma's costumes are proof that you don't have to sacrifice historical accuracy for the sake of stylization - it's by far the most zany and colourful of any direct Austen adaptation, and yet its visuals remain strikingly faithful to the Regency period.

Like Becoming Elizabeth, many of the pieces worn in Emma bear a striking resemblance to surviving pieces and fashion plates from the era. The only problem I've noticed in this was the alarmingly strange detachable ruff-thing Emma is shown wearing in one scene, but frankly, it still manages to fit the tone of the piece.

I'm usually not a huge fan of the Regency fashion depicted on television - I find it rather dull - but the costumes in this movie are gorgeously distracting in every scene. Turns out historical accuracy actually can make things better - who knew!

Is this enough to make me forgive Alexandra Byrne for the costumes in Mary Queen of Scots (2018)?

No.

(I do not forgive ANYONE who worked on Mary Queen of Scots for making Mary Queen of Scots.)

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Firebrand (Karim Aïnouz, 2023)

Firebrand hasn't even been released outside of Cannes yet, and already I am so, so down with everything it's giving. This movie could end up being the dullest two hours of my life, but I'll still sing its praises for one very simple reason - CHIN. STRAPS.

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS!! The French hoods FINALLY have chin straps!!!! It's only been in virtually every well-known painting of them ever, no big deal.

Although we only have one trailer and a few promo photos to go off of, the costumes in Firebrand look fantastic, with enough layers, fur, embroidery, and hoop skirts to keep me happy for perhaps the rest of my life. We'll see how the movie itself turns out, but it already has a lot going for it in my eyes.

Also shoutout to Henry VIII's absolutely manky leg ulcers in the trailer. That's what I like to see.

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The Outliers

Right. Here is where the hypocrite accusations are about to come flying. But frankly, I said it myself at the start that every period piece deserves to be judged on an individual basis, and the tone and intention of each piece is important in how its costumes are perceived.

That being said, if you think any of the 'bad' costumes deserve to be in this section - maybe they should've tried not being ugly, idk.

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Bridgerton (Netflix, 2020-)

Bridgerton's excuse for its inaccuracy comes not from its lack of effort, but rather from its deliberate rejection of the historical narrative in any form whatsoever. We have two Real People™ in Queen Charlotte and King George III, but even their spin-off opens with a disclaimer that their story will be utterly fictional. Bridgerton does not present an issue like some of the other pieces on this list because it is actively opposed to being historically accurate to a degree that few other period pieces have arguably ever achieved.

Literally nothing about Bridgerton is consistent with history, so it does not disappoint when its costumes aren't either. The clothing does take visible inspiration from the Regency silhouette, but even then it is not consistent, with Queen Charlotte's costumes still firmly Georgian-esque (and honestly, marvellous wigs aside, they're not... bad?). Bridgerton is a historical fantasy before it's a historical drama, and as such it's easy to just sit back and enjoy the costumes for what they are - even when what they are is garish.

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The Great (Hulu, 2020-23)

The Great is first and foremost a dark comedy, not a historical piece. Yes, Catherine the Great and Peter III were real people, and yes, much like in the show, Catherine did overthrow her husband in real life, too. But the similarities end here, as none of the characters in The Great have any intention of resembling their real-life counterparts.

Set roughly in the 1740s, the costumes in The Great are clearly far from reality, but they still resemble the silhouettes we know and recognise as 18th Century. The show is a satirical means of poking fun at the opulent aristocracy, and as such every costume conveys a distinct appearance of luxury. Every single item of clothing worn by the nobility looks absurdly expensive, and the exaggerated ridiculousness of many of the looks we see onscreen are an intentional way of conveying how utterly disconnected the people at court are from reality. From Peter's leopard skin jacket to ladies wearing powdered wigs as hats, The Great's costuming is purposefully elevated from its historical source material, and that is precisely what makes it so good.

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The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018)

Sandy Powell's work on The Favourite is perhaps one of my all-time favourite pieces of costuming. Similarly to The Great, The Favourite utilises clearly recognisable aspects of 18th-century fashion - with ermine fur trim, half-length sleeves, and periwigs - but stylised so that everything conforms to a solidly black and white colour palate.

The Favourite's costumes are gorgeous and evocative of their time period - with well-portrayed mantuas, riding habits, fontanges etc. - all while conforming to Lanthimos' characteristically off-beat style. The shared colour palate really puts the three leads on equal footing in a visual sense, which is key in exploring the relationships that Abigail and Sarah are able to manipulate Queen Anne into developing. Had the colours and fabrics been historically accurate, I believe the movie would have risked making Anne too visibly above the rest of her court, but the striking congruence among the cast successfully solidifies their ability to exploit one another, regardless of status.

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I don't know if there are any conclusions to be drawn from this, I just love talking. If you've made it this far - thank you for reading! I hope you found at least some of this interesting.

I'm always open and eager to discuss this topic, so please do let me know your thoughts - What are your favourite period drama costumes? What piece of costuming made you go OH JESUS WHAT IS THAT???

Anyway, thank you for going down this little rabbit hole with me - my asks are always open! <3