#if we want to be annoying canonically it can be assumed she's straight but i digress

[rescuefield-arch1]

Heya, not trying to be rude because I get what you're trying to say, but it's not biphobic for lesbians to hc a char who isn't canonically anything as a lesbian. And if your meter for what characters can be headcanoned as lesbians is "never expressed attraction to or flirted with men" then that's very few girl characters, like, ever, left.

no offense, i actually don't think you get it. i didn't talk about all females characters, but the one i write specifically. look around, all CLAIRE writers write her as bisexual ( or as i said pansexual ). TAKE A WILD GUESS AT WHY ( because between games, mangas, movies and whatnot she's ""flirted"" with both men and women ). in HER case, people are reaching. then since i'm not the police of the claire redfield fandom, to each their own to put their projections onto, other characters are other characters

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Propaganda why Aang is insufferable:

He has some very bad ideas that the narrative never explores and gets rewarded by the narrative for bad behavior.

Mostly just the way he deals with his crush on Katara and kind of forces it on her. It’s honestly really shitty because she never truly reciprocated his feelings and had plenty of moments where she shows she’s just trying not to hurt his feelings with a straight up rejection, but ends up with him in the end just because that’s what he wanted.

Like we know what it looks like when Katara actually has a crush on someone, she wouldn’t let the situation like the war affect how she feels about demonstrating those feelings when she’s so in touch with them. Like how she was with Jet and Haru. I just wish the writing team did a better job of showing Katara developing feelings for Aang way better than they did lol.

Made a series that was otherwise reasonably tolerable impossible to watch. I hate that all the jokes written for his character target 8-year-olds exclusively. Also his little TV show keeps appearing on my dash no matter how many words I block and I hate it

Propaganda why Gregory is insufferable:

This boy is so poorly written, it hurts. In the gameplay, he just acts annoyed and pissed off the whole time. Then, in the endings, he becomes a whole other character who acts scared and sad, which does not match the previous hours of gameplay AT ALL

But that just annoyed me

What really made me hate him was the GGY and Robot Gregory stuff, because OH NO, Gregory could not just be a normal kid who got into this situation by chance, he has to be a robotic recreation of the Crying Child, despite not acting one bit like CC, or, according to the GGY story in the books, he's responsible for multiple murders and is Afton's/the Mimic's apprentice.

Just let this kid be fucking normal!

(Also, unlike a lot of people, I really enjoy what the Ruin DLC did to his character. And don't try to say that's still the mimic, the mimic recycles dialog from the main game. This Gregory uses completely unique dialog, and unless the mimic was able to form new words in his voice all of a sudden, that's still him. He had to make a tough decision, one life or over hundreds and I can respect that)

Suffers from being made into another one of Matpat's ""is actually a robot theory"". It is annoying as hell, especially if its canon. We do not need robot children theories in a game about possession, child murder and serial killers. Especially not dumb theories about him being a 'recreation' of someone with a completely different personality. It has completely ruined any enjoyment I had in that character because we're just going back to the Afton family again

Someone made a good point about how his personality seems to be reminiscent of a certain trend where a video game protagonist has to be snarky even though it would’ve worked better for the horror atmosphere if he was more scared because it would’ve made the player feel his fear. I recall people being surprised about his personality and expecting him to be more scared, and I assume the developers were just afraid of ppl calling Gregory “whiny”, but it still feels like a missed opportunity

[annymation]

Fun facts about “Kingdom of Wishes” characters

I’m bored, so have some random facts about the characters from my wish rewrite!

Random picture just cause I like to have eye catching pics as “thumbnails” for my blogs and also I can totally see my version of Asha making this pose.

Anyway, if you haven’t read my Kingdom of Wishes- A Wish Rewrite then this post might not make much sense, feel free to read it anyway though, there’s no spoilers.

On to the fun facts!

Asha✨

Asha sometimes sits hunched over when she's drawing. Her friends constantly have to remind her to keep her back straight otherwise she'll get a bad posture.

After Simon gave away his wish and became… Well, sleepy, she had to become the voice of reason in their group, the big sister in a way, since she was now the eldest. She wasn’t that good at leading before though so she left most of it to Dahlia.

Asha's favorite color is purple, obviously, and she dresses in purple for her birthday, however, her second favorite color that she also wears often is orange.

She's not very good interacting with kids, believe it or not, of course she likes kids, but she has a hard time knowing how to play with them.

Asha did meet the king in person ONCE before her 18th birthday… I’ll leave it at that.

Aster 💫

Aster is canonically the star Lacaille 8760

Picked this one because it looks like he’s boxed up in the middle of other brighter stars that make up the Microscope constellation, and yeah there is a microscope constellation and it’s straight up just a square. He’s one of the nearest stars to the Sun, at about 12.9 light-years' distance, however his light is so faint it’s almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

2. Aster’s eyes can see what people desire, more clearly if he holds the person’s hand, like an empath, but even without touching the person he can see what they want, but only if he focus, and the way he sees it is like words surrounding the person.

3. I said this once in a ask but I’ll say it again, I see Aster and Rapunzel’s powers as connected, not that all Disney movies are connected with KOW, but Tangled at least is pretty close. So, Rapunzel got her powers from a sun drop, right? Well, the sun is a star, we can assume she has star powers. My point is that if Aster was to sing the Rapunzel’s healing song they’d glow and heal any injured person around, and make the elderly younger, Magnifico sure didn’t know that though because if he did he’d just do what Gothel did and lock Aster up.

4. Aster could hear Asha reading stories with Sabino every night, and that’s one of the many ways they became interested in human culture.

5. Aster often annoyed some stars by complaining that their constellations didn’t look like what humans called them as, like the Cetus constellation doesn’t look like a sea monster, or the Leo constellation didn’t look like a lion, even though the stars had no control over how humans saw them as and they couldn’t change their positions in the sky.

Magnifico 🫧

Magnifico could look younger if he drank his wife's rejuvenating potions, but they taste horrible and every time she drinks them (Twice a year) she screams in agony like her insides are burning, only to then turn to him with a smile and ask "Want some, my love?" and he just replies with "... Thanks dear, but I think I'll stick with my skincare routine."

Most of his "passionate king" persona he got from copying his brother's mannerisms, after all, his father always said he should be more like his little brother.

He kinda hates that little hair strand coming out on his forehead, but no matter how much hair gel he applies on it, the hair strand always comes back... Also his brother had an identical one.

Kings and queens in Rosas usually don't wear crowns, as the culture is for them to feel close to the people, not above them. However, Magnifico gifted Amaya with a tiara, that has a red garnet on her forehead, red garnets are associated with love, passion, and desire, but it has also been known to represent other things such as courage, strength, and protection. Basically he gave her a lucky charm. He also gave her the sash with the drawing of a moon she wears on her waist, it used to be his when he was a prince.

I can’t for the life of me decide which one of these Magnifico would wear to sleep:

I can see him wearing either of them. Same for Amaya.

Amaya 👑

1.Amaya pretty much had to teach Magnifico how to be a likable figure. I implied it a little bit in the story with Magnifico saying stuff like “Well, I did have the best teacher” to Amaya after he made a little acting scene on chapter “When Blue Turns Green”. Point is, before meeting her Magnus was pretty much an antisocial, reclusive prince that avoided even being seen in public. For him to become the larger than life, enthusiastic king we know in the story he and Amaya had to practice his social skills a lot, think of it like Belle teaching the Beast proper manners, Amaya changed him… But for the worst.

2.Like I explained on her backstory, Amaya is from Greece, and she committed some very serious crimes over there. So every time Rosas receives visitors from Greece Amaya puts on the hood of her cloak over her head during the wish ceremonies. It’s kinda funny, any other wish ceremony she looks normal, but whenever Greek people are around she goes:

3.I imagine some fun shenanigans must have happened over the years with Amaya’s potions going wrong, like she tests it on a rat and it turns into a giant rat running around the castle, or she mislabels the potions and drinks one that turns her into a worm 🐛 so Magnifico gotta prove he’d love her even if she was a worn and turn her back to normal.

4.Amaya is kinda like the moon in this story, because the moon doesn’t shine every night, in some phases the moon is barely visible, just like how Amaya is most of the time more in the background while Magnifico shines like the sun, but, when it IS her time to shine, just like a full moon, she outshines Magnifico himself.

5.She likes to feel comfy, she often walks around the castle with no shoes on most of the time but no one can tell because of her long dress.

Aaaand that’s all I got, hope you guys like this additional content, might inspire some fun asks hehe 😜

Thank You For Reading!

[descendant-of-truth]

So, these two pages from chapter 88 have been causing a lot of confusion due to inconsistent translations, and I've decided to set the record straight as best I can with the knowledge at my disposal.

Starting with the first page, this is where Mitsuki says that he and Eida are similar. In the next panel, he says: 「どうしてカワキを好きなのか。。。その理由が自分で分からない」

This is the first point where fan translations and the official VIZ translation differ. Fans generally seemed to agree that he's saying he doesn't understand why Eida loves Kawaki, while the official version has him say that he doesn't understand why he himself loves Kawaki.

And unfortunately, both of those are understandable translations. The first part of the sentence contains no indication of whether he's talking about himself or Eida; the most literal translation I can do is "Why is Kawaki loved... that reason, [I/you] don't understand."

The reason it's "I/you" is because he uses the word 自分 (jibun), which depending on context, can be equivalent to either "my" or "your." It's not really the same deal as 僕 (boku), Mitsuki's primary first-person indicator, which makes it extremely annoying to translate.

So, which is it? Well, as vague as it is, my best guess is actually based on the dialogue of the second page.

Thankfully, this one is much easier to answer. In the largest panel, Eida says: 「あたし達。。。超恋バナしてるね」

The conversation around this line seemed to be, "she clearly said they're talking about romantic love!" "No, she's just using a slang term akin to 'girl talk,' so she only means that they're bonding!" And guess what? They're both right!

I consulted a friend of mine who speaks Japanese natively on Eida's word choice, and he said that while "girl talk" is closer on the basis of it being a casual/slang term, it's gender-neutral and is more about people "talking about their love."

In other words, "we're both chatting about love" or "we're having a love talk" would probably be the most accurate ways to translate it.

At this point, I want to bring attention to Daemon and Mitsuki's reactions to what Eida just said:

Daemon is flabbergasted, only able to say "Huh...?" while Mitsuki blushes for a second, then turns away and says "Well... I guess it didn't matter."

What exactly would Daemon be surprised about, if not the implication that Mitsuki loves someone who isn't Eida (and a guy, no less)? Why would he be showing that surprise now, instead of when Mitsuki allegedly announced that he loved Kawaki a few pages ago?

Likewise, while Mitsuki blushing around Eida isn't unusual, he actually spent the vast majority of this conversation remarkably composed. He only blushed for a single panel when he first noticed Eida was in the area, so having it come back after he's basically called out for being in love (real love, as it was already established that they both knew his feelings for Eida are fabricated) is a very deliberate choice.

While Mitsuki doesn't always emote very much, we can assume he was taken a little off-guard here - and again, if he was already confident enough in his love for Kawaki, why this reaction? Why all the talk before now about how he wasn't sure he'd know what romance felt like without Eida's ability?

The only conclusion I can make is that, in the first page, he's not saying "I don't know why I love Kawaki" like in the VIZ translation. It's much more likely that he's saying "I don't know why you love Kawaki." That's the only way that Mitsuki's feelings for Kawaki can be treated as a reveal, to both Daemon and himself.

And given that his love for Kawaki stems from his love for Boruto, due to the memory swap... yeah, if his side of Mitsuboru wasn't canon before, I think it's safe to say that it is now. Now excuse me while I go be extremely sane and normal about this information

[anime-moreanime-animeagain]

Good news! I can breath again. For the last week I have been absolutely devastated. After reading AoaB 4.8 I was physically ill I got so upset. But then I couldn’t really calm down cause I needed to know what happened to Ferdinand. So I may have….gotten zero sleep and spent every waking hour I wasn’t required to do life things like working and driving, reading nonstop through 10 books straight.

However! I am now on 5.9 and I feel like I can finally breathe and focus and do other things like clean and cook actually food, and make posts for other obsessors to relate to.

All kinds of SPOILERS are ahead for 4.8 - 5.9

There were things that made me less angry with the situation before this stopping point. Moments where I thought “okay…I’m not crazy sad/mad anymore.” Those moments are:

Rozemyne’s declaration that Ferdinand is family and of course she didn’t want to be Zent that’s so troublesome, but of obviously she’d do what she needed to do to save him like duh! And Ferdinand being like I’m sorry what? You think of me as family??? 🥺😭 😭

Please hug him more I cannot! This poor man doesn’t understand any type of love and it makes me SAD! But not going to lie I live for the type of devotion she was showing him. Like yeeeeessss!! Loyalty! Whether it’s romantic or platonic it is fantastic! That’s the personality characteristic I find swoon worthy.

But then there was the interduchy tournament and y’all….THE INTERDUCHY TOURNAMENT! Pretty sure I melted into a disgusting puddle of goo when he gave her the first true “very good” with fond headpat included. I just melted into the couch because okay. Okay. That makes up for a LOT of the grief I was put through. Like a ton. Like at that point I wasn’t even really mad or angry anymore. Not if we were getting THESE interactions in the interim.

And then the bench surprise! I’m not ashamed I definitely cried when he sat down on it and it was soft and he didn’t really say it but everything in his reactions screamed that he loved it and I thought how he’d probably never had anyone go out of their way for him just to make him comfortable and that was beautifully sad so of course crying was done. It felt a little silly to get SO emotional over that but I mean….he likes the bench so much and hadn’t brought it (I assume) cause he thought it would be taken from him like every other good thing in his life and how is that not something to burst into tears over. So yea. Good stuff.

And then things jumped forward again and we got near adult Rozemyne who is so pretty which thank God finally! But then Ferdinand nearly ‘climbed the towering staircase’ and my anxiety shot back up and then there was a whole war and honestly who ends a book in the middle of the battle! I feel sorry for everyone who had to wait and wait for the next volume my goodness.

But it’s okay because we had the mana hall reunion. YA’LL!!! The Mana Hall Reunion!!!! Cue the Aladdin free falling off the balcony onto carpet and taken up into the clouds because ya girl was on cloud 9 that entire scene. It was grand! Supreme! Perfect in every way! Look at this!

Pretty sure I thought this was some amazing fanart when I first saw this and I refused to read the text because spoilers but it’s not fanart it’s canon and I’m just beyond happy that it’s in color too!!! His little ‘when you said you’d defy everyone and everything I didn’t think you meant it’ and her little ‘well it’s your fault you don’t listen when I tell you how much you mean to me sooo your bad’. It’s… it’s everything I wanted. Absolutely everything!

Don’t get me started on their little talk in the gate about how to make their dreams come true together. At this point I’m actively squeeling every other moment I think about it.

I’m a little drained from speeding through 10 books in 8 days but this is fantastic why wasn’t there more to the anime? We were robbed I tell you! ROBBED! Anyway now in the middle of reading 5.9 and I can see I’m going to get super annoyed with people trying to distance my two unhinged shumils. And we still have the loose ends with the sovereignty and Detlinde to fix so I know I need to buckle up but like damn… can my two just chill and get a break?! Can she please finally meet her brother? Can Ferdinand please enjoy being valued without people telling her to stop?

Guess we will see. I should stop…. put on all the breaks until the final volume is out and translated…. yea sure, that’s what I’ll do….

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I made it better

I'm assuming this is because of me getting annoyed at Azutara shippers in my other blog and calling them and Tyzula fans the "Azula fandom's equivalent of Zutara and Zukka" XD

Anyways *grabs a megaphone and gets on a soap-box*

As a bisexual woman that would go crazy with joy if Azula was gay/bi, and that ships her with Ty Lee and Mai, and even Toph and Suki every now and then, let me make one thing very clear here: Azula DOES have a confirmed canon sexuality, and it's straight. Heterosexual. Likes guys and only guys. The idea that ANY gay ship was CANON in ATLA, a show made in 2005 by a kid's Network, is ridiculous.

Azula explicitly stated that she has tried to flirt with boys before and it never worked out because they are scared of her. She was jealous that boys were paying attention to Ty Lee - and while fanfic writers, and even I, like to say stuff like "Oh, you don't like them getting too close to your gilfriend, Azula?" it's VERY CLEAR that the show was going for the classic "Why do they like her and not ME?" aka she wanted attention from GUYS. She wanted to hook up with Chan, and immediately went for "Let's conquer the world together!" after one kiss. Even the up-coming Azula comic has her dreaming of a guy trying to flirt with her and calling her pretty.

For fuck's sake, Grey Delisle already admiting to voicing the scene between Azula and Zuko as if Azula was trying to seduce her own brother. Meanwhile, even though she likes Tyzula now, when asked about the ship her first reaction was the same as the one every actor, writer and/or showrunner had to hearing about popular gay ships: "I did not see that coming."

It might seem surreal nowadays that the Network let the show get away with incest bait but gay characters were out of question, but that's what happened because, surprise surprise, homophobia was still going strong. Hell, it's still going strong TODAY.

Lots of Nickelodeon shows from the 90's and early/mid 2000's tried to get away with implying or flat out saying "This character is gay" and it ALWAYS resulted in banned episodes, some of which became lost media because the Network was just that desperate to bury any evidence of it to avoid controversy. Even characters that never had any love interests ever were assumed to be straight - not as in "treat them as being straight unless we say otherwise" but in "They are straight because that's the only thing allowed to exist in kid's media." There was no "otherwise" to be heard of. Fitting for years that followed the policy literally called "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL."

THAT was the general sentiment around homosexuality at the time, especially on TV (KIDS TV, I remind you): pretend you don't know that's a thing.

Even The Legend Of Korra, that parts of the fandom still pretends did anything for gay representation, had the creators (the same who made ATLA) that they never even bothered to ask Nickelodeon if they could Korrasami happen, and thus kept the whole love triangle, with the girls fighting over a GUY, going. It wasn't until the very end that they had the guts to ask "Can we make them hold hands in the finale?" and Nick said "Sure, the final season will basically not be aired on TV anyways." Bryke even had to state ONLINE that "Yes, they are a couple." Only THEN, with the positive response from audiences, that neither the writers nor the Network had thought could ever gain any sympathy for the show, did they make Korra and Assami have an actual relationship in the Korra comics.

Do these guys sound like the type that would leave a character's sexuality up for debate or even try to write a gay couple into the show IN 2005, years before Korra was allowed to get away with a slight hint of gayness that to be explained on Twitter?

They didn't make Azula's attempts to win guys over fail to show she was a gay teen trying too hard to be something she was not, her envy that Ty Lee was getting a ton of attention from boys while she wasn't was meant to be taken as EXACTLY that, and no cutesy moment between her and her friends was meant to be taken as anything other just gals being pals.

We can, and should, point out that it is unfair that gay relationships were treated as "too adult" while straight romances weren't. We can change any character's sexuality in fanfics. We can ship whatever the hell we like. But claiming Azula was EVER meant to be seen as anything other than a 100% straight girl that just sucked at flirting and thus was struggling to get a boyfriend is just a flat out lie.

She's not bisexual. She's not a lesbian. Her sexuality was not "left up to debate" because THERE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE A DEBATE!

Again, I would love a bisexual Azula (provided that wasn't handled by people like Yang and Bryke, who see her as nothing more than an ableist stereotype), but let's not kid ourselves here.

Nickelodeon is not our "ally", they're a company that wants your money. Bryke, by their own admission, were not revolutionaries who pushed for gay representation and were ready to give up on the idea of same-sex relationship with no resistence if the Network told them "no, only straight romances allowed". Korra was no Steven Universe or even Adventure Time, it was basically Disney with it's 50th "first" gay character that gets five seconds of screentime. Azula's sexuality absolutely WAS confirmed and it is (sadly for me) heterosexual.

And to the people that claim to love headcanons for bisexual Azula, but still insist I should only ship her with women, or make her strongly prefer women, or only have had bad experiences with men and positive ones with women, otherwise she'll be "basically straight": your biphobia is showing, stop hating on bi women everytime they shatter your ilusion that we're just confused/in denial and will eventually realize we're actually lesbians.

[pagesfromthevoid]

Safe & Sound | j.m. | 4

Joel Miller x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Canon levels of violence. Murder.

Author's Note: Listen. All I want is a man who is soft for me and our adopted child, but is also willing to straight up murder someone for me.

Series Masterlist | Talk to Me!

Something shifted between the two of them after Joel admitted what he’d really done to the man beyond the fence. It was an unspoken change; something that she didn’t quite understand because she realized she didn’t quite understand Joel overall. But it was within this change that she realized he cared. 

Joel Miller cared about her. 

He always had. 

The cold, jaded smuggler —who made it clear to her the second time he’d kissed her, for her 25th birthday, that what they were doing was a favor and nothing more. Who told her that he wouldn’t touch her beyond hands in her hair or on her hips. Who insisted that every kiss was careless and simply to give her some semblance of experience. To experience intimacy without strings attached —fucking cared about her. Enough so that he did terrible things to the man that tricked her and got her to leave the safety of her uncle’s fence. 

It wasn’t that she thought he didn’t. She always assumed he kind of cared, just a little bit. If anything, she hoped he had simply because it made kissing him feel less impersonal. But after what happened, with the man from the QZ, she had stopped stealing kisses from Joel. Stopped wanting to feel any kind of intimacy, because it had been ripped away from her.

But now that she knew what he’d done —for her —things had shifted. Frank had always warned her that Joel was not a good person; neither was Tess for that matter. She always knew that neither of them were good people. But knowing that Joel did something genuinely sadistic because someone had hurt her…

It excited her. Made her feel desired, and looked after. But it made her excited to think that Joel —who had insisted that kissing her meant nothing. That he didn’t care if she talked to anyone else because they weren’t anything —hurt someone for her. 

Killed someone for her. 

The end of the world really fucked a person’s perspective up.

The shift in their behavior wasn’t all that noticeable –not really, at least. Joel was still stubborn and annoyed with both her and Ellie whenever they spoke too much. And there was still a semi-permanent scowl on his face as they drove. But occasionally –when he thought she wasn’t looking –he’d glance at her. Glance at her lips, then her hands. And just barely –she could see the tug at the corner of his lips. And it made her heart pound in her ears.

But any moment of normalcy was stripped away when they stopped in the middle of a graveyard of cars, just outside Kansas City. 

“We’re gonna have to go through the city,” Joel huffed, hands on his hips as they looked up at the blocked highway tunnel.

She climbed on top of a car, peering through the rubble the best she could. “It’s clear on the other side. Isn’t there another exit we could go back to?”

Joel glanced at Ellie, who held the map in her hands. “Don’t look at me,” Ellie started, putting her hands up. “FEDRA didn’t teach me to read maps, remember?”

“God, you’re lucky you’re funny,” she teased, hopping off the car she stood on and walking back to the teenager to take the map from her. “Because you’re kind of useless otherwise.”

“Wow, fuck you too.”

“I’m only joking,” she reassured, elbowing Ellie with a grin. The girl still mumbled under her breath, but peered over her shoulder. “There’s an exit like two miles back we can go back to.”

“Might still be quicker to get through the city,” Joel argued, taking the map from her to look it over himself. Their fingers brushed against one another, and she glanced up to see if he even noticed.

“And run the risk of infected? Or raiders?” 

“Runnin’ that risk regardless,” he reminded her, giving her a pointed look as he returned the map to her and made his way back to the truck. 

Ellie and her shared a look, before following after him. The teenager peered into cars, but she grabbed Ellie’s backpack and tugged her along. There were plenty of dead bodies in these cars, and she wasn’t sure what Ellie had seen in her life –but she would rather the teenager not see more than necessary. 

“Okay mom,” Ellie groaned, pulling her arms out of her backpack straps and letting the weight drop. 

“We need one of those leashes parents used to put on their kids,” she mused, adjusting her hold on the backpack before she tossed it into the backseat of the truck. “You remember those?”

Joel chuckled, earning a smile from her as she looked up at him. “Oh, I remember. Had one for my –,”

But he stopped, and the smile he had given her dropped. For a moment, she considered reassuring him –telling him that it was okay to talk about his kid. But she knew better than to try; not right now anyway. Her brow furrowed as Ellie climbed into the backseat, not noticing the sudden shift in Joel. As far as Ellie was concerned, Joel was always like that –it didn’t mean much.

She hopped into the front seat, keeping her eyes on the road in front of them as Joel backed away and moved to find them a better route.

*****

“Where the fuck is the highway?” Joel snapped, looking around the streets. “It’s gotta be right –it’s gotta be –,”

“Joel!” Ellie exclaimed, hitting both her and Joel to point out the window. “Isn’t that the QZ?”

“Where’s FEDRA?” She asked, looking up at Joel in confusion. 

He gripped the steering wheel tighter, realizing what had happened there. As he was about to explain, however, someone started crying out for help. She turned to face the cries, reaching out to grab his arm but he pushed her away.

“Put your seatbelts on,” he ordered, looking back at Ellie to make sure she was following orders.

“Aren’t we going to help him?” Ellie asked, but Joel shook his head as the tires squealed against the pavement and he took off.

The man cursed at them, jumping out of the way, but she grabbed his arm and yelled out, pointing just too late as a cinder block crashed into the windshield. Ellie ducked behind him, and she dug through her bag to pull out her gun as shots rang out around them. Joel cursed angrily, whipping around a turn –only to have nails tear apart the tires. She held the gun out the window, shooting blindly at their attackers, as a barrage of bullets ripped through the windows. He pushed her down, forcing her to duck, as he drove into a storefront. 

Gunfire rang out around them, but he turned to look over Ellie, making sure she was okay. Confirming she was, he turned to the passenger seat, where she was holding a bloody hand covered in glass. But she didn’t seem phased, shoving the door open and sliding to the ground. Ellie followed close behind and she wrapped her arms around the teenager, keeping her close, as Joel joined them outside the truck.

“You see that hole?” He demanded, pulling his shotgun from the backseat and cocking it. Ellie nodded, breathing heavily as a shot shattered another window of the truck. “When I tell you, both of you, get through that hole. Do not come out ‘til I tell you to –understand me?”

Ellie nodded frantically, trying to pull away from her to get closer to Joel. She, however, shook her head. “You’re not taking them on alone,” she snapped at him, reloading her gun and cocking it. 

“Yes, I fuckin’ am,” he snapped at her, pushing her towards Ellie. “You’re hurt, and I need someone to –go,”

The gunfire ceased, just momentarily, and Joel shoved her towards the hole in the wall. Ellie was ahead of her, slipping through the drywall with ease. She hesitated, looking back at him with weary eyes, before finally squeezing through with a bit more effort. He kept his eyes on that spot for a moment, before finally moving to take aim at their attackers.

One shot hit, and silence followed for a moment before the other shooter started screaming at him. Joel moved to reload, ducking back down against the truck, only for the gun to jam in his hands. He made a sound of anger, trying to fix it. Just in time, the other hostile came after him —but a gunshot rang out and his would-be attacker dropped. 

He looked to the hole in the wall, where she was perched with her aim at the hostile on the floor. Chest tightening at the sight, he took a breath as she pulled back, no doubt to check on Ellie. When he went to retrieve his gun, however, someone grabbed him from behind and threw him to the ground. 

Joel kicked out, trying to pry the gun from his throat, to catch his breath. But he couldn’t get a firm grip, and could feel the oxygen rapidly leaving his lungs. Vaguely, he could hear Ellie’s voice, arguing with her about something, before his vision started to get spotty. 

But another gunshot rang through his ears, and the air flooded Joel’s lungs again as he watched through blurry eyes as his attacker was swung at with a pipe and dropped to the ground. Ellie clutched the gun in her hands as she gripped the bloody pipe like a lifeline. 

She stood there, grasping the lead pipe in her hands like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. Blood dripped off the end of the weapon, and a closer eye would notice it was trembling. Joel was pushing onto his hands and knees, trying to regain his breath, though his eyes were glued to her. When he managed to push himself from the ground, he turned to both of his girls.

“Why did that feel so much worse than shooting him?” She whispered, as Joel pried the pipe from her grip. 

“Because it was more violent,” he explained softly, though his voice was hoarse from being choked out. Ellie held the gun out to him to take, but he just stared at her for a moment before tossing the pipe to the side. 

“Oh, yeah,” she managed to say, and he could hear the shock that laced her voice. “That…that makes sense.”

“We need to get outta here before more come,” he commanded, taking Ellie’s arm in his hand to haul her with him. “We need to get higher up; find out how to get outta here.”

Ellie nodded once, reaching out to take her hand. The touch seemed to bring her back to reality, and Joel watched as she turned to look down at the teenager with a glassy eyed stare. Joel let Ellie go, letting the two cling to one another as he motioned them forward and towards the back door of the store. 

*****

It took several hours, but they did eventually get to the tallest building they could find. Joel had spent several of those hours trying to apologize to both Ellie and her for having to shoot and kill people —but Ellie finally managed to get him to stop by telling him it wasn’t the first time she’d killed someone. 

The admission seemed to surprise both her and Joel, but Ellie blew off the concerns and started trekking up the stairs of the building. Ellie, in trying to avoid talking about her first time killing someone, asked if she had ever killed someone. To which she simply said no, and moved on to climb the stairs ahead of them. Ellie wondered if Joel was going to bug her later, when he thought the teenager was asleep. 

In hindsight, having Joel climb forty something flights of stairs was stupid. However, it was his idea and Ellie was quick to remind him of that after they finally made it to the top and he fell against the wall, trying to catch his breath. 

“Finally showing your age, cowboy,” she suddenly joked —the first thing she’d said in hours —as she leaned against the wall next to him. 

Ellie waited for him to scold her for the cowboy comment but it never came. Pretending to not listen to them, Ellie peered into a handful of opened doors, looking around. However, she kept a close ear and eye on what they were saying and doing, even as she moved through the hallway. 

“Guess we’re even now,” she was saying, looking down at Joel. 

“Don’t say shit like that,” he warned, shaking his head as he ran his hands over his face. “You shouldn’t’ve —you didn’t need to —,”

“You were being strangled to death,” she reminded him, and her voice was suddenly shaking; Ellie could hear it clear as day as Joel finally stood up again. “I couldn’t —Ellie needs you, and I…I need you, Joel.”

Ellie’s hand froze on a door knob, listening closely as she realized what was happening. From the corner of her eye, Ellie could see her offering her hand to Joel, who was looking up at her with the nicest fucking look he's had ever and Ellie was genuinely just shocked. She was telling Joel she had a thing for him! In the middle of the fucking apocalypse, while they were being hunted down! 

“Holy shit,” Ellie whispered to herself, and it must have caught their attention because they stepped away from one another and towards her. 

“Find anything?” She asked, hauling her backpack over her shoulder as she joined Ellie at the door. 

“Cleanest room I could find,” Ellie offered with a grin. “Must have been like, a honeymoon suite or something.”

She gave Ellie a weird look as Joel approached, pushing past them and into the room. Ellie gave her a thumbs up, smiling at her knowingly before following after Joel into the room. 

From behind her, Ellie heard Frank’s niece simply ask herself, “What the fuck?”

———

Taglist (OPEN): @aheadfullofsteverogers @jasminedragoon @buzzing-honeybee @garbo-lesbo @pedr0swh0r3 @boofy1998 @taraiell @mymindfuckery @starkleila

[yangscowlick]

You're tags about early hiatus leading to calcified headcanons makes me think about why certain parts of the fandom are so against the idea of yang being butchier and cling to her beacon persona so hard. Odd to me beacon yang's whole thing was she was putting up a front to hide her insecurities, yet early fandom portrayed her as some femme fataleish fashionista that flirted with everyone and talked about her boobs nonstop. But even beacon yang was never like that, and now we have a yang that wears big butch boots and overalls and bomber jackets and likes to manspread and actually it's her gf that likes to get prettied up for their dates while yang watches with heart eyes from afar. Sorry for the essay, I just wonder why early fandom saw a show that telegraphed pretty well that it's about turning tropes on its head and decided "no I want the surface level version of these characters and any change or development that differs from it is bad"

I totally agree and ended up writing an essay in turn!

I think it’s especially annoying when fandom does that with Yang’s V1 “persona” in particular since (1) she got the least amount of development of the girls in V1 (we really don’t “meet” Yang til we get her backstory in Burning the Candle — hell we don’t even get an explanation of her semblance until Painting the Town) and (2) all the girls have grown and changed since we met them, so why are some folks SO stuck on early Yang? But I do think it taking so much longer to really “meet” Yang means there were huge chunks of time between the Yellow Trailer and V1 and then V1 and V2 where people filled her character in how they saw fit and have clung to that.

I think there are sort of two buckets. In the bad faith group are the weebs who saw big boobs and an empty vessel of a character they could project onto. To your point, the show told us from the get-go in her trailer and in her song that she was “more than meets the eye”, but the shonen-brained who are accustomed to fanservice and 2D female side characters saw Yang and assumed she was for Them (and feel betrayed that she isn’t and have made it everyone’s problem). I dont have a lot of patience for those types — they can go watch 99.9% of shonen anime if they want that (though I hope for their sake they expand their media diet…).

I have some more patience for the second bucket who just don’t really understand the lesbian experience and how it can be to re-contextualize your identity once you’ve figured yourself out. Because in some ways you only really “get it” if you’ve gone through it. Yang settling into herself is SO cool to me, because I was similar. In high school, I was pretty femme / assumed I was straight / etc. And even once I understood I liked girls, knowing your identity and integrating your identity are two different things. It’s so normal to me to see Yang “become” Yang as she has (from the way she dresses, her posture, the way she sits, her chivalry, etc) because I lived it. But I think it is lost on some people who just see her “dykeyness” as a retcon and not a development — so to them, I want to try to be patient because I realize what’s obvious to me comes from my lived experiences. (Again, the bad faith folks who wanted surface-level digestible anime waifus don’t get my patience here).

But to those coming at Yang in good faith, Yang coming into herself and getting more butch as time goes on (Yang was always going to be more than her first projection - they spelled it out) is no different than Weiss and Blake settling into their ‘true’ selves (and their color schemes have slowly come to match their aura/soul colors). It’s also a pretty common experience when sexuality is yet another thing piled on top of the identity crisis that is your late teens/early 20s.

I also find it a little silly that people glom onto V1 Yang as this flirty party girl because it’s not even supported by actual canon. Yang plays video games and is like a super-nerd about the table top game they play in V2, but none of those “I miss V1-3 Yang” types are like “why doesn’t she play video games and board games anymore? What a betrayal of her character”? Like why isn’t “gamer bro” Yang part of That fandom’s flanderization of her character? There’s more support in canon for that than her supposed puns…

Anyway, went off on a tangent there, but TLDR: Yang’s butch-ness is completely organic and part of her settling into herself, just as the other characters have settled into their true selves. I dont have time for the folks fueled by entitlement, but I can have time for the folks with empathy who might not have all the inputs to understand it but are willing to listen (and my inbox is open!).

[princess-of-the-corner]

Ok, sending this, cause I sent an ask, and sometimes if I send two in a row, one deletes itself, so we’ll see if this works!

So, I vaguely remember the MHA-Monster AU was Enji/Rei/Hikari, and I had a thought. What if Hikari, in this verse, just straight up said “no”? Like, AfO TRIED to manipulate and control her, and she slammed on the breaks, turned around and bolted? And, like, AfO at first thought, “Oh, that’s kind of cute!” and “let” her get away. Like, he wasn’t that invested at first, she was just there in passing. But then he runs into her again, tries again, and she still goes “nope, not happening”, and books it AGAIN. So, AfO is a bit annoyed, but like, once was chance, twice is coincidence … the third time is a PATTERN, ok, now he’s pissed. AfO spends a while trying to get Hikari to sign some kind of deal, but she keeps refusing, and then she gets into a relationship with a literal Angel and Demon, which effectively puts her out of his reach. AfO is angry now, WHO DOES THIS BITCH THINK SHE IS!? So, because he’s petty, he goes after her family, gets her nephew/third cousin/godson/family member of some kind (Aoyama), but that’s long term, and involved with something else he’s working on, it doesn’t quite have the punch he wants. Then he sees an opportunity with one of her kids (I’m assuming, genetics aside, she’s helping raise the Todoroki kids, she’s Mama Kari), and manages to get Toya under a deal by taking his name, forcing him to become “Dabi”.

(That’s a thing in a lot of literature dealing with Fae, Names being a big deal. The way I tend to think about it best is, have you ever watched Spirited Away? When Chihiro goes to work for Yubaba, Yubaba literally steals parts of Chihiro’s name [symbolized by taking certain Kanji] and says while she works for her, Chihiro’s name is Sen, then gets her to answer to the new name - gifting Chihiro a new name to replace the one she took, and getting verbal acceptance. Through out the movie, Chihiro is referred to explicitly as Sen by most of the characters, and later, begins to refer to herself as Sen, actually forgetting that she’s called Chihiro, until someone gives her a card with her real name written on it, symbolically giving her her name back. I imagine Fae Deals for MHA-Monsters could work similarly, at least for how AfO uses them to control people. He gets them to give up their Name to him, then gifts them a new one, which puts them under his control. If they stay under his control too long, they can start to forget their old name, or even other important parts of themselves, and the easiest way to start breaking the Deal, is remember and try to reclaim your old name.)

-

Oh yeah like!

Honestly I was swinging back around because I debated on this being a Hikari!Lives AU because like.

one of the things about bnha aus is that when you take away the Hero System, things change a lot. And in this AU while all the Hero characters are still being like. They’re still doing good things and helping others and the like, it’s less formal and all.

But also yeah in this AU where while not a Hero exactly she still started looking into some shit and got in over her head. But because of the nature of what AfO does changed....

Because in Canon/CC he’d just yoink her Quirk and kill her. But within this AU, while he could just kill her, if he wants to use her he’d have to force her into making a Deal. So she’d have much more of a chance to escape. Perhaps not entirely unscathed, maybe I could damage her Magic in some way. Something to work with for the later Aoyama deal.

But yeah then we also. Due to both her living and the lack of the Hero System, Enji’s in a much better place mentally. He’s still got some shit to work out but he’s at a point where that can be more easily worked out.

Hell yeah let’s lean into the Hikari lives au and AfO’s a bit annoyed she managed to escape (especially because this absolutely gets Enji on his ass which messes with some other plans)

Aand yeah even if none of the kids are hers biologically they’re her kids. And, well, a very common Deal in folklore is to take the firstborn.

[blitheringmcgonagall]

The most annoying part of the canon v fanon Sirius debate is that canon Sirius never had a romantic partner but people will insist that he does. I’ve seen bullying over this and that’s when the debate stops being a bit of fun y’know?

I think that we need to let people come up with their own ideas! Bullying is never okay. As I previously mentioned, while we get a reasonable amount of backstory regarding Sirius, he’s most definitely NOT the main character in the series.

Just because we don’t get information about his love life, or lack thereof, doesn’t prove or disprove what his sexual orientation was and whether or not he was interested in dating/sex etc?

JKR clearly says that canon Sirius is not gay for Remus. She more or less invented Remadora to prove this point as apparently lots of HP fans were convinced Wolfstar was canon (but it being the 1990s etc, they thought that she couldn’t say it openly) and she wasn’t happy about it.

I genuinely think all options can be defended:

Asexuality/ace spectrum/Grey-A (canon says he had no interest in girls/boys looking at him and no GF/BF is mentioned in the books)

Gay (for RJL - the whole “embraced like bros, Lie Low At Lupin’s, 40 line stare, buying presents together” etc)

Straight (he’s got posters of muggle women and motorbikes on his wall)

Bi/pan (both of the last two)

Personally I’ve read really excellent ace!Sirius and Blackinnon fics. And as you probably know, I personally think of Wolfstar as canon. @plecotusauritus explains it really well in a humerous post:

Plus, they are the star (brightest star Sirius) and moon (Moony) in canon. And JKR herself confirmed lycanthropy = equivalent of AIDS in 1980s etc (yeah I know, it’s not great and in fact terrible/horrible comparison when you add Greyback etc; but anyway the AIDS link unwittingly despite herself gave Remus a non-straight background, in fact the way she wrote Remus and Sirius had the director assume Wolfstar was canon!)

Having said all that, in canon, while the classmate was ogling Sirius, he was completely oblivious of her interest as he was too busy staring at James Potter. Ahem. Make of that what you will…!

I completely respect you thinking he never had a romantic partner. Who knows? JKR says that he was too busy playing hard/messing with his bros on his flying motorbike and fighting a war to want any serious relationship. She doesn’t confirm did he have one night stands or other types of encounters. And most people at this stage don’t really care what JKR thinks of Sirius.

The whole point of fandom and shipping and fanfics is to imagine/reimagine all the massive gaps in our knowledge of a character. It’s ok not to stick to the canon info, otherwise the fics we read would be extremely limited, short, and all very similar and boring after a while. I personally prefer when a character’s personality isn’t changed completely (ie when they retain the features that make them recognisable from the original story). But I am very happy to alter other aspects of them - like their race, colour, sexuality, religion etc. Also if you are writing a comedic piece, the characters will not be written the same way as when you write a more dramatic/in depth/ Angsty fic or a very fluffy one?

Everyone should feel free to use their imagination and also not worry about people bullying them for their alternative views. We should all be secure enough in our views that we don’t feel the need to bully others who disagree with us. I’m sorry if that’s happened to you or to people you know 💗💗💗💗💗💗

[baublekute]

OC Interview Questions: Valerie Rose Barrère

Tagged by @ghostoffuturespast thank you! Love these little games and writing practices. Also needed to think how my V would actually answer these questions...

[Mama Welles' on a Saturday night.]

V (reading a book on the couch with her feet up): "What are you two giggling about over there? It's suspicious and I don't like it." Misty (cuddling with Jackie on the opposite end of the couch): "Oh, we decided to make you a dating profile." V (initial confusion followed by a bit of rage): "A dat… The fuck?" Jackie (with the laptop): "You need some action, hermana." V: "No. Absolutely not. Delete that shit right now." [Jackie gives V his best puppy dog eyes.] V (waiting a moment): "Uggh. Fine… I'm gonna regret this." Jackie: "Heh, wasn't actually sure that was gonna work." (straightening himself out to look more serious) "Nickname?" [V gives Jackie a bombastic side eye.] Jackie: "Oh right!" (Types the letter as he says it) "V." Misty: "Height?" V: "5ft 3in." Jackie: "Gender?" V: "Seriously, Jack?" Jackie: "What? I don't want to assume." V (sighing, realizing he has a valid point): "Sure. Female." Misty: "Orientation?" V: "Straight I guess?" Jackie: "Nationality and… or… ethnicity?" V: "Uhh, my mother was Scottish/French and I think she said something about my father being Finnish. Anyways, born and raised in Heywood." Jackie (speaking the words slowly as he typed his version): "White. Very white. Heywood born and bred." Misty: "Star sign? I know this one already. Sagittarius." [Updating to Libra - forgot it's actually been official, and I stick with a lot of canon] Jackie: "Favorite fruit?" V: "Honeydew melon." Misty: "Favorite season? Autumn, right?" V: "You got it." Jackie (using his most delicate voice): "Favorite flower?" V (sharply): "Snapdragons." Misty: "Your favorite scent?" V: "Oh man… I have so many… cedarwood, jasmine, sandalwood, bergamot, books…" [Misty nods in agreement, thinking of her favorite incense in the shop.] Jackie: "Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?" V: "Tea usually. I'm… selective when it comes to coffee." Jackie (types and mutters): "Psh. I'll say. Can never bring you coffee anymore." Misty: "Average hours of sleep?" V: "9 to 10. I get cranky with less." Jackie: "You sure do." V (annoyed, raised voice): "Do you want me to finish these questions or not Jackie?" Jackie (puts his hands up in surrender): "Alright alright… I take it you didn't get your beauty sleep… princess." [V punches Jackie pretty hard in the arm.] Jackie (rolling over holding his bruised arm, laughing): "Oww…ahah… oww. Heh." V: "Misty, if you'd please take the rest of the questions… unless you want to drag an oversized bodybag out the door." [Jackie flashes V a stupid grin.] Misty: "Dog or cat person?" V: "Hmm… It feels like cheating to say both. Maybe I lean towards dogs. It's been awhile since I've seen one though." Misty: "Dream trip?" V: "Europe maybe? I don't know if there's anything left of my parents over there but I guess I'm curious." Misty: "I'd love to go back to Poland one day. Favorite fictional character?" V: "Probably… Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo. It was one of my mom's favorites." Misty: "Number of blankets you sleep with?" V: "Zero or one… It's just too damn hot." Misty: "Aaand last one." V: "Oh thank god." Misty: "A fun fact?" V: "Uhhh. I guess… I enjoy retro video games?" Misty: "OK. Published." V: "Now will you two leave me be?" [bing.] Jackie (throwing himself at the computer): "Ooh! Look! Matches already, chica!" V (snatching the computer out of Jackie's hands): "Wait what? Lemme see." [V scrolls a bit, the reflection of the screen lighting up her face in the dark room.] V: "No. Noo. Definitely not. No." Jackie (takes the computer back): "Lemme take a look… I'll find you someone... Here! This guy looks promising, huh?" (excitedly turns the screen to face V.) V: "Oh. Damn. Lemme take a closer look… Nah. What a damn shame. He's NCPD."

[cbsghostsmetasandtrevor]

CBS Ghosts - Viking Funeral - Ghosts Are Annoying Part 1

Warning Spoilers May Appear.

So, Sam just got done arguing with her husband - in which the Ghosts sided with Jay (not that he knows it), and she's clearly working - they immediately come to bother her so more.

Side note - in the last episode, Trevor looked something up for Isaac, but he chases Pete into the room as they both decide to ask Sam to look something up rather than have Trevor do it.

I head canon that Pete asked Trevor (because he clearly likes using his power) but Trevor's tired from helping Isaac the other day (and it would take forever) so he goes to Sam.

Alternatively, Trevor attempted to help Pete with the research, but Jay stole the computer from him (intentionally or unintentionally).

Anyway, it feels very clear that there was some sort of conversation with Pete & Trevor that leads to Trevor chasing Pete into the living room to talk to Sam.

Side note - we learn that Pete died roughly 37 years ago (or we could assume since he's asking about the last 37 years). Interestingly, we know (from PW) that he died in 1985, so a guess from this one is pretty good.

Now for Trevor, I like that he walks AROUND the wall into the shot. This is one of those moments where you can see that he has forgotten that he's a ghost.

Also, we can assume they've introduced themselves, but it's funnier if they still haven't and yet, are making requests.

Awww Trevor's interested in his stocks. Really building on that "wolf of wall street".

Interestingly, people give him BS for his top three - Circuit City, Enron and Blockbuster, but we have to remember that he died in 2000 and I imagine that (at least with Blockbuster) that they were pretty popular at that time.

I love his counting hand gesture.

Okay. I love that Alberta just waltz in - right to the center of the room - and completely ignores that Pete, Trevor and Sam were talking to

A) ask about Spotify

B) insult Jay's music choices

and C) ask to listen TO HERSELF.

Alberta - really? You don't do enough singing on your own, you want to listen to yourself? DAMN.

I mean, it's one thing to want to listen to Jazz rather than "the racket" - and I think this is funny since he insults Country music later - but it's entirely another thing to want to listen to yourself when you already sing often enough to bore the ghosts.

This is just a whole different level of self-centered. Pete, Trevor and Sass all display a level of self-centeredness here (hey do this for me despite being busy), but this... is interesting... plus, she completely ignores what's already going on her.

Sam's too polite here. She asks for a minute and none of them acknowledge it - not helped at all about Sass entering the room.

At least they're all minute things?

LMAO - Sass is like "I wanna smell pizza" - Given the interaction here between Mr. I want Pizza Sass and Sam - he CLEARLY knows that she just ate a salad so he wants her to waste food just so he could smell it?

Why not ask when she was making the salad? Why not say maybe later? Or point out the waste it would be?

Anyway, I Love Sass' "What am I supposed to do with that?" Because yeah, Salads don't have a smell.

Side note - Pete and Trevor just like glancing at Sass like "seriously"? Cute.

Since Pete was LITERALLY First, I can't believe Alberta (who straight up ignores that they were OBVIOUSLY there before her) is like "You have to take a number" - SERIOUSLY ALBERTA??

LMAO she's just like "I was here first" despite knowing she wasn't.

I wonder if she thought that being "ghost older" than Pete and Trevor that would make her request first? That would be very interesting and largely unfair.

Too bad the Alexa thing hasn't happened yet because then she wouldn't have to bother Sam. That should come up more.

I love that Trevor stands up to Alberta - even though she's throws a stomp around at the refusal. He's RIGHT, but Alberta thinks she should be first. Alberta stamping her foot is very childlike. (8 idiot children - so fitting).

I wonder if Pete would've said anything - because he doesn't look like he was planning on it and given his crush and his peacemaker side, he likely would've just waited had Trevor not said "you know what - no".

This scene is so much funnier if Sam is learning their names as arguments happen.

Pete's just like "yeah - so back to my request", Trevor's like "cool this will take a second", Alberta starts SINGING and Sass is like "Just put in some toast" - LMAO.

This is too fucking funny.

Well - to me - not to Sam.

Poor Sam.

I LOVE that she finally HAS ENOUGH. She basically told them what terms she needed to make this work - give me a request and leave me alone and I'll do it.

I have to wonder how long it's been since they agreed to leave her alone if she did them favor. Interestingly enough - it's Trevor and Alberta - whose initial requests were denied (even if Alberta's comes back in Season 2) and Pete, who did not have a request bothering her.

Is this because technically they didn't get anything? So, they're like "well, now I want something"? That would be very interesting.

Anyway, I love their face when she stands up for herself - LITERALLY GO SAM - but it is nice for them to realize that there's a problem here and figure that they do need to be considerate of her and what she's doing.

Excited for more.

Thanks for reading :)

If you like it, please feel free to chat.

[inutaffy]

ok so you confirmed that you did want me to info dump about the hateno house so i'm gonna do that sorry. SO. first of all. nintendo never confirms zelink. i need you to know this. it's strongly implied, in some games more so than others, but it's NEVER been canon. and on the one hand i think that's really neat that a "cishet" (NOT TO ME BUT YOU KNEW THAT) pairing that would fit a fairly obvious and cliche trope (princess and her knight) ISN'T canon, (that's also part of an interesting discussion on sexuality and gender in nintendo games) on the other hand. mildly annoying when i find myself invested in it. (NINTENDO. I FEEL QUEERBAITED. BY STRAIGHT PEOPLE. NINTENDO.)

so that's just as a preface, zelink is only ever implied. it's implied in breath of the wild, and it gets way more implied in tears of the kingdom and this whole thing with the house is just one part of that. moving on

in botw there's this one town, hateno, and in this town there's a house. this house is going to be torn down, but as part of a sidequest you can buy it and decorate it a bit. it gets a nice little dining table, a single twin bed (which you can sleep in btw. you can only sleep in this bed and beds at inns. you can't sleep in bed's of the npc's houses. this will be relevant later) with a nightstand with a flower on it, some armor racks, and a nice little picture of link and all his dead friends if you unlock that through the dlc

now. this house is ALSO in totk. reminder, while the sidequest was optional, if you don't buy it, it's supposed to be torn down, so we can ASSUME that in tears of the kingdom canon, link did buy the house. but here's the thing. zelda lives there now. her diary is there, there's more decor, she is absolutely squatting in this house (also not important but the town has a school now and the schoolteacher's journal mentions that the kids love her and refer to her as ms. zelda THAT'S SO FUCKING CUTE SHE'S A SCHOOLTEACHER MY BABY😭😭😭 but also that clearly means she's living there long term, if the state of the house wasn't enough evidence)

and we COULD assume that she just kicked link out, but that doesn't sound like her!!! and HERE'S WHY I THINK THEY'RE ACTUALLY SHARING THAT DUMB LITTLE TWIN BED EVERY NIGHT

a. zelda's journal mentions that link accompanies her everywhere. he's always sticking by her side, which fits him perfectly as her destiny appointed knight and also her friend and also more once i get my hands on the zelda dev team. AT THE VERY LEAST he would definitely live near her. but there are no other places link could possibly be living in this town. i haven't made it through the entire game yet so i can't say for sure that there's nowhere in the entire game that he could be living but my money is on fucking no. also every single time you talk to an npc they're like "hey link :D! where's zelda?" pretty much confirmation that you never see one without the other. they are a UNIT

b. zelda's diary mentions that she had a builder add on a secret room for privacy (there's a well in the backyard with a small study in it) WHY WOULD SHE NEED A SECRET ROOM FOR PRIVACY IF IT'S HER HOUSE AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE LIVING THERE??????? also in her study there's link's hair tie. why is his hair tie in her house?🤨 (also conjures thought of her doing his hair <3333) ALSO in her study she has ANOTHER journal where she mentions that the fact that link sticking with her so much has manifested in wear and tear on his clothes, so she secretly had a new and improved shirt made for him and she hid it at hyrule castle. 1. gift for him!!! 2. she set up a scavenger hunt for him!!! 3. why can't she hide it at her own house????? hmmm??? HMMMM???????🤨🤨🤨 IT'S BECAUSE HE LIVES THERE I KNOW IT

c. the house has lot's of the same decorations, the flower on the nightstand, the furniture is the same, THE DINING TABLE IS SET FOR TWO, and link's picture from the dlc is still there (if you play the game with a profile that has a botw save on your switch, which i can't personally confirm because i'm playing totk on my new switch and my profile doesn't have a botw save on it because i played botw on the family switch) but anyway, link's decor. (the armor racks are gone though) AND. THE MOST DAMNING PIECE OF EVIDENCE. YOU. THE PLAYER. AS IN LINK. CAN STILL SLEEP IN THAT TWIN BED. IN THIS GAME, YOU CANNOT SLEEP IN ANY NPC BEDS. IF THAT WAS TRULY JUST ZELDA'S (AN NPC) BED THEN YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP IN IT. I REST MY CASE. ZELINK CANON BUT THEY WON'T CONFIRM IT. MR. ANOUMA COME OUTSIDE I JUST WANT TO TALK

RORI???????THEYRE NOT CANON?????????????????????????

[viktormaru]

Oh my god those are so specific Id love to hear your take on them as well pls if u'd like

I NEVER THGOUGHT of that but with you mentioning it... do u think he gets a little queasy getting into the Val aircrafts?? thats hilarious

Oh i dont know, Im not too well versed in the phoenix lore. Maybe he played the bass to have the chill vibe to his warm personality (haaa get it???)

I think holidays in general are celebrated only bcs some ppl (mainly raze with the help of breach and anyone else ropped in by her personality) just INSIST in making mini celebrations to keep up the morale (and bcs theyre fun). But Raze will also find out holidays others celebrate and try to organize events to that as well. The most chaotic culture exchange possible, where everything is kinda messy and accuracy is kind of there but what matters is just having a good time. And ppl are invited to join if they want to.

Oooh.. mmm. I think it'd mostly manifest in Killjoy avoiding the hell out of reyna as she'll throw nasty glares whenever she's in her field of view. I dont think Reyna would really like... act on her hatred specially given killjoy seems very young still. Doesnt mean she doesnt act a little petty or mean abt it, better keep KJ on her toes.

ahh its hard to think in general... I do think brim probably likes playing old (at least for valorant times) music in even older music players and he feels all cool and hip about it UAHSDUHAS but also embarrassed abt it in public. We also have Omen's knitting I suppose but thats basically canon.

My cursed brain instantly went "reyna with la chancla"

I'm not entirely sure what a cvs is... google tells me its a pharmacy of sorts?

UASDHDAS ooh gosh thats one I need to put some thought abt.... I am not an avid snack knower even though I DO have a specific time of the day allotted to my snack.... Just off the top of my head I can picture some agents more being more timely like chamber or skye or harbor who will basically eat the same thing at the right times (for chamber is mostly coffee paired with something while for skye its those healthier stuff from protein bars to fruits), while other agents are constantly munching on pastries or baked goods or whatever else like raze or gekko. Then the I Just Need My Coffee When The Need Hits gang like Viper or Kj or Fade. And last but not least the having snacks instead of meals (from reasons ranging from just bcs to forgetting to actually make a meal) which might fit Cypher and jett and others I need to think more abt.

People's digital portrait displays, and he changes the images in it just enough you wont notice it straight away, and keeps making minor changes until the original picture is unrecognizable. (Just because)

For some reason I feel like Omen is a bit picky with textures. For foods, for clothes, just in general. IDK why I just do, like, he barely gets to experience sensations at all, and then hes forced to experience it bad??? absolutely not. Cypher, as much as hes good at adapting probably gets a bit annoyed when his methods are messed with by ppl meaning to help but idk if that counts as being nitpicky.

OOOH thats a good one. They have cleaning bots (or they had maxbot....) so I assume the general cleaning is automated. I would assume each agent is responsible for the upkeep of their own living quarters though the bots are always there for access for that. Now the other types of upkeep.... hmm... I wonder how automated it is.... Maybe there is such a thing as a rotating chores thing that ppl can trade.... Much to think abt...

I would assume theres team training to practice tactics and to develop a well flowing combat dynamic in the field. Specially seeing they are against their doubles, I feel Brim would make them train against eachother's skills a lot to understand them better . And maybe some there are group trainings that arent exactly mandatory but do good to build morale and share some knowledge (sooort of like the impromptu training session in the warm up cinematic). Like, I can see some agents just scheduling some "join if you'd like" training for some specific stuff like hand to hand combat or using flashes properly. But agents are also allowed to just honed their skills alone or in private and are not discouraged from doing so.

He's the weird uncle she never had and never knew she needed (but would never say so outloud). Like, he's the one that comes over and teaches her bad things and then is like "oh but you cant do that though". I loved the dynamic you had in ur latest fic with killjoy actually having a lot to offer in the field of engineering so i think its something definitely mutually beneficial. Cypher has the wisdom and maturity for Killjoy's naïve ingenuity. Like... I think Cypher cant help it but let his parent instinct to its thing around kj, while kj is probably at least very curious abt what Cypher has to offer. Idk, its a fun little dynamic.

I think yes but hear me out... Killjoy sucks at romance. Like, clueless and awkward and very teen like. So when she catches on to whats going on I love to imagine her trying to sneakily give Cypher advice but its the most corny and silly things ever like "you should call Omen over to listen to a playlist" and other stuff of that caliber. But at least she is sweet and wholesome about it.

Thank you for the questions! I had fun writing and again, feel free to share ur ideas too!!!

Ask me about my silly little headcanons please i am starving

[sakuracentric]

1.Hi! Do you happen to have any ideas about Sakura's parents? I'm new to the fandom but wanted to write a Sakura-centred story, but I'm not sure how to handle them. Most stories I've read portray them as abusive/neglectful. I'm still reading manga (and watched anime; prefer manga) but as far as I know, they never appeared there. In anime and RTN they didn't make a good impression on me (borderlying emotional abuse, and her dad seems to be dismissive of her feelings and always makes stupid jokes)

Hey, no worries, anon! Now, for your question, I understand perfectly where you’re coming from. 

I will confess that I’m not an anime watcher and don’t intend on being one, but I understand your frustrations. One consistent thing about SP we can ‘depend’ on is their rather annoying penchant for portraying her as horribly as possible and taking her flaws and dialing them up to unbearably high levels. If her portrayal was more congruent with how she is in the manga, I doubt the bandwagon of hatred for her would be as severe, but I digress. 

On to the topic at hand, but as a fellow fanfic writer who frankly loves Mebuki and Kizashi but hates how SP handled them (considering how Kishimoto-sensei designed them himself, it feels like more salt in the wound for us manga fans), I do have some workarounds on how to approach them, and how their inclusion can actually enhance Sakura’s potential with some Sakura-centric trope staples.

Now, with what we’re given, we do approach some problems with them:

Characterization: One of the biggest issues I’ve been able to discern is that both Mebuki and Kizashi seem to tag-team in being horrible to Sakura. Not only is Mebuki pigeonholed in the domineering, naggy, bossy personality trope that almost every Naruto woman has or eventually comes to exhibit by the time they become a housewife, but she also seems to be quite big on devaluing Sakura, too. We see her rag about how much of a slob Sakura is (let alone how she can’t cook; keep your headcanons, SP, I don’t want them) in front of others, but that doesn’t necessarily make Kizashi much better. Why? Well, he seems like he’s whipped in the bad sense of the word, often agreeing with Mebuki and not speaking out against what she says. His redeeming quality is that he seems more laid back and likes to crack puns/dad jokes (I like it, at least), but together? Well, it doesn’t add up to parents that seem to support their daughter. Hell, if canon is anything to go by, it might not be that ridiculous to assume Sakura might’ve cut ties, if it least is alienated and distant. Not what we want here!

Background: Or rather, the lack thereof. Now, while I see this as a huge positive, others don’t. Why? Well, there’s next to nothing on them while almost all of the Rookies have fleshed out backgrounds. Mebuki and Kizashi, meanwhile, are just run-of-the-mill civilians with no real past. Kizashi seems to be a genin while Mebuki is simply a housewife. Whether she was an active kunoichi at some time or not, I doubt we’ll ever know. 

So, how do we fix this train-wreck? These are just my solutions, at least, and how I’ve come to work around these glaring problems.

Kizashi and Mebuki’s dynamic: From what I’ve seen, I really feel that these two’s personalities could actually be really amusing if redirected, so that’s my first piece of advice: redirecting where their vitriol goes, or distributing it more evenly could really salvage their characters without making them OOC. Mebuki’s a nag? Well, I find softening her blows or inserting some humor can help diffuse any potential toxicity. For example, if Mebuki feels the need to carp at Sakura at how messy her room is, maybe Mebuki can toss in some humor and mention that her pile of dirty laundry is starting to become sentient and that she heard it growl at her while she was vacuuming the hall. With Kizashi, I like to have her actually take part in his jokes as the straight man (like manzai that exists as a form of Japanese humor). As for Kizashi, I think the simplest fix would just not o have him take part in any degrading. However, if you eliminate it entirely (which I do and recommend), he can become an active, jokey participant instead of a doormat (which I absolutely do, too), would help loads. 

Mebuki: Like I stated above, you can keep most of her personality while removing the sharp, jagged bits and not have her be unrecognizable. Instead of making her the one who devalues Sakura, make her the tough love, realistic/brutally honest advice parent. What this means is, for example, having Mebuki sit a pre-series, young Sakura down and tell her that being a kunoichi is really tough and that she won’t have an easy time in the Academy. For Interlude-era Sakura when she’s training under Tsunade, make Mebuki snatch away medical textbook Sakura was cramming at midnight and tell her she needs to sleep and has been looking like a zombie in the morning. After one of her deadly spars with Tsunade, have Mebuki blow up at Sakura out of worry, not because she doesn’t think Sakura can’t do it. Have them get into quarrels about how stressed Sakura is, that she should ask Tsunade to ease up a little. Stuff like this, where it’s still flawed but not toxic.

Kizashi: Like I said above, Kizashi is a little rough, but with a little polish, it doesn’t take much to make him shine. Personally, my favorite thing to do with him is make him the parent Sakura confides in and receives really tender advice and assurance from. I see him as the more affectionate of the two, for sure. The one who gave tiny Sakura bear hugs after really rough treatment by her bullies, who tells her they were probably jealous of her. That kind of dad, really. However, what I really love doing is playing with Kizashi’s background as a Genin and make him the one who actually helped train Sakura in the basics. We know Sakura was really adept with shurikenjutsu, trap setting, genjutsu identification and dissolvement, chakra control, and the like? Well, have Kizashi be the one who helped his kid out! Maybe he helped her memorize the Shinobi Rules, who coached her on her aim, who taught her how to expand her chakra control, stuff like that. 

Background: Now, I know this one is a big head-scratcher for many creators, but it’s what I find to actually be the biggest strength and source of inspiration for Sakura-centric AU’s. Why? Because fleshing out her background is oftentimes a massive component, if not plot point! I go into a lot more depth with it in this meta I wrote awhile back with one of the chapters that explores specific tropes, but some of the most fun you can have with Sakura’s lack of background is fleshing it out. And keep Kizashi and Mebuki as her parents because they, too, like Sakura don’t have explored backgrounds. This can entail everything from fleshing out a clan for her (Haruno clan, anyone?) to making Kizashi and Mebuki the descendants of another (Senju and Uzumaki are popular choices) or even inventing kekkei genkai or other cool jutsu unique to their family. The sky’s the limit, really, with where you can take this!

In conclusion, I hope this can be of help to you, anon! Mebuki and Kizashi are a tricky subject to handle, but with a little patience and polish, can be better reflections of themselves instead of the distorted mess that SP warped them into. 

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

hi I’m here to review the Clementine comic. it’s not good.

Does this even need an introduction? You know why I’ve gathered you all here today. You know the comic exists, and you probably know that it’s not great and we’re all upset about it. 

Myself included. I am not okay. At all. 

Skybound could’ve literally spit in my face and I’d come out feeling better than I did reading this comic, because this comic is an insult to the original Telltale games and Clementine as a character. 

This comic is a fancy fanfic. Glorified fanfiction. It’s not canon, and Skybound and Tillie can pretend that it is, but it’s not. Bold of them to assume we’d just accept this from people who didn’t work on the original games and never wrote for Clementine before, and based on this comic alone, any chance of us taking it seriously is gone. 

I’m gonna go through every single page, every panel, of this comic and give you my review. So I guess if you’re worried about spoilers [though at this point why would you?] then be warned, spoilers for the entire comic ahead. 

I also wanna add that I have nothing against Tillie Walden. I know a lot of dingdongs are harassing her on insta over this comic and that’s not okay. You telling her how much you hate her isn’t going to change anything. If anything, you keep being assholes to her and she’s just gonna block everything out, even things simply critiquing her work in hopes that it helps her improve. 

You’re allowed to be upset about the comic and share your feelings about it, but don’t take it out on the actual human being like that. Besides, like I’ve said before, if Tillie wasn’t gonna make the comic, Skybound would’ve found someone else to do. This was coming no matter what because Skybound wants that coin. 

That being said, I’m not going to hold back my opinions on this comic. Skybound and Tillie made this comic, they put it out there and asked for money for it, therefore I’m allowed to explain why it’s garbage as well as ponder over the questionable intent and whether or not Tillie actually has played these games. Y’know, it’s like how I have nothing against Kent, but sometimes he says things I disagree with and well, y’know how it goes. 

Alright, this is gonna be long, so let’s go--

The first few shots we get are of the school, two people sleeping, and Clementine’s empty bed. Nothing super note-worthy, we have no idea who is sleeping in the beds, it’s just there to establish that it’s early and everyone’s still asleep. 

The drawing of the school looks fine? Not super accurate, but I can give it a pass since it’s a few years later, I assume. What I can’t give a pass is how you managed to already mess up on the first page of your comic. 

Because..... why are you implying that Clementine’s room is upstairs? First of all, seems kinda dumb to put Clem, who has only one leg and has to walk with crutches, upstairs. Also, if you’ve played TFS and paid any attention to where her room is actually located [the dorms] then you’d know there isn’t any stairs leading to their floor. It’s the side building next to the admin building, you walk through the door, go down the hall, take a left and their dorm is right there sooo..... 

Oh right, it’s probably done this way so that we can have such a suspenseful moment where Clementine is sneaking out while the others are asleep and her foot makes a creeeeeeakk that could wake everyone up, thwarting her plans of abandoning everyone quietly so she doesn’t have to deal with any consequences. 

Because yeah, Clementine is sneaking out with all of her supplies because apparently, she’s been planning an escape from this place for a while. 

And just look at how gosh darn happy she is about it. You can’t see or hear me, but know that I’m laughing. Don’t worry, I will talk about her abandoning everyone later.

But first, I have a gripe with Clementine's design in this comic. It doesn’t look like her. This art of her right here is the most accurate we get throughout all 12 pages, and it’s the best looking, too. 

Moving on, she slams the door shut while this walker changes faces and hair between panels, so that’s cool. I will say, I like the idea of the Ericson crew putting spikes on the door. That’s fun. 

Though Clementine slamming the door shut while trying to sneak out seems counter productive but it fits with the theme this comic has of inconsistency, so it works. 

Next we have Clementine going to what I believe is the fishing shack by the river, and she’s going through some things that she’s stashed away, telling us that she’s been planning this escape for a while. 

Oh good, she has a map. Well at least now she won’t get lost out there in the woods while she makes her escape... also that last panel with her profile.... why does it look so funny? Like this page of the comic doesn’t look too bad, but there is something off putting about her eye there and how she has zero expression. 

And it turns out that rustle was a walker, and Clementine is super inconvenienced by this and gives us our first piece of witty dialogue.

Yeah you dumb walker, can’t you see Clementine is busy running away from home and abandoning all of her loved ones without a single goodbye so she doesn’t have to witness the consequences of her selfish actions?? Gosh, so rude.

Just a heads up, the dialogue in this comic is stilted, emotionless, and bland. The words have no flow, no charm, and never feel like they should be coming out of Clementine’s mouth. Then again, the upcoming graphic novels this is tied to are for young adult/middle graders so I guess we have to dumb everything down so their baby brains can process it. 

.....Why does her face look like that? Also, interesting that she decided to move her ponytail to the other side of her head.... which is a thing that happens throughout this comic, her hair will randomly change sides. 

I believe it’s a metaphor for her changing and inconsistent personality. 

So yeah, Clementine is just making off with the supplies she gathered [I’m sure Ericson doesn’t need ‘em anyway] and she’s just so gosh darn annoyed at all these small inconveniences bothering her.... because it’s just too early for this. 

.....Again, why does her face look like that?

I’m sorry, like I get it, Tillie’s style is supposed to be purposely messy yet minimal but it doesn’t work. When you do a comic in a more messy style, usually it has charm and heart put into it. Effort goes into the messy look, and when things are minimal, that usually means more clean, yeah? So you put them together and just..... that is nothing resembling Clementine’s face. 

Can we just--

Look at canon Clementine’s face. Look at the way her eyebrows are shapes, how wide her eyes are with her eye lashes. The dirt on her skin, the lines-- there is so much personality in her features. It doesn’t matter if she’s wearing a neutral expression or she’s expressing anger or joy or sorrow or whatever. 

Now, is it fair to compare a model of Clem from the games to the Clem in this comic? Well, I assume that if Tillie is doing this comic, she would use references from the game to ensure that Clementine is recognizable, especially now that she’s no longer wearing her signature hat. 

So why does she look like this? Why do I look at these drawings of her face and see nothing but a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth? You might as well draw me a simple smiley face. And I get that it’s a comic, and it’s a lot of work to draw the same character over and over again and you gotta cut corners somewhere, but maybe put some effort into the close up shots of her face so that we can actually see it’s her? 

Other fan artists have made comics in their styles that shine bright with Clementine’s personality, so what happened here? 

Anyway, surprise..... it’s not a walker annoying Clementine. 

........Why does AJ look like that??? I’m sorry, I hate to do the same thing I just did but--

Just because you put Clementine’s hat on AJ that doesn’t automatically make it him. I just.... wow. This feels like there wasn’t a single reference involved, like if someone gave Tillie a basic description of AJ and she just did this. 

But appearances aside, what is AJ saying? He says that he knew it, that Clementine’s leaving and I cannot stand this dialogue. It’s unnatural. Again, I know you wanna dumb it down for all of us because I guess we dumb.... but this conversation does not feel natural. 

“I knew it. You’re leaving.” “AJ....” “I’m coming.”

Even if you changed it to, “I’m coming with you.” it would sound more natural. Hell, he doesn’t even question WHY she’s leaving, he just stands there like “I’m coming” like??? I’m sorry, have you ever heard a single word this murder baby has said? I assume you have because I assume you actually played TFS, right? Soooo.... what happened here?

.....whY DO THEIR FACES LOOK LIEK THAT KSAJDLKJAS:LKDJLKASJD:L--

So now we’re getting into it.... into the bullshit. 

Clementine tells AJ to go back to the school, and AJ says that she wasn’t even going to say goodbye..... and then more bad dialogue that sound unnatural when you try to fucking read it. 

First off.... AJ’s reaction to Clementine attempting to leave is barely anything. Again, I hate to keep questioning if you actually played TFS, but AJ would throw a fucking fit if he caught Clementine out here ALONE like this, attempting to leave. 

And then he says “Like last time? You were going to come back?” this sentence makes my brain hurt. I just.... “Like last time, right? You’re coming back?” UGH

Wow, I feel nothing. 

I’m sitting here watching these two imposters with fucked up faces who are supposed to be Clementine and AJ and I feel nothing. 

I’m not even going to comment on the faces anymore. You can see it. You know. 

So yeah... AJ tells her the #1 rule, and reminds her that she promised.

Y’know.... she promised that she would never leave him again? Remember? At the McCarroll ranch? That flashback that was in TFS? The one you would watch if you played the game? 

Why is she looking straight at me when she should be looking at AJ as she says this? Is this Clementine’s way of telling me she’s sorry for what a shitty direction this is taking? I wouldn’t know because her face isn’t doing anything. Just because you draw a couple of tears that doesn’t mean I’m feeling the emotional heartbreak you’re attempting to convey. 

I don’t have enough middle fingers for this.

Well, my hat’s off to you. Ya did it. Ya fucked up everything single part of Clementine’s character in the span of two pages, I’m almost impressed. 

First off, the baby thing is weird. Why is she calling him that? She’s never called him that, which you should know.

Second, she’s not happy and that’s why she’s leaving. Clementine isn’t happy, and AJ can’t make her happy. Ericson can’t make her happy. So she’s going to go out on the road to.... what, be unhappy by herself? 

I’m sorry, but apparently we need a few reminders here of who Clementine is, because this isn’t her. 

This is Clementine. 

Clementine fought for years to find a home, something she hasn’t had since she was an eight-year-old girl before the apocalypse. The motor-inn wasn’t a home, the cabin wasn’t home, the ski-lodge, Howe’s, Wellington, Richmond, Prescott, none of them were home. 

She struggled for years, dealing with trauma after trauma while out on the road. She went from group to group, watching people she cared about die and she was powerless to do anything about it. Whenever she let her guard down and become comfortable, it bit in her in the ass and left her heartbroken.

She was there when AJ was born. She grew close to Rebecca while she was pregnant, she let herself do that even after everything she went through with Christa. Clementine had a bond with AJ even before he was born, and after Rebecca died, she did what she could to keep him safe, despite play choice. 

She cried when she thought AJ died and when she found him in that car again. She swore to protect him, to raise him right and love him. All they had was each other. 

And when she joined the new frontier and AJ got sick, she risked everything to save him and she was devastated when they took him away from her. When she found out he was alive, she is willing to go as far as helping Lingard overdose [INJECTING HIM HERSELF IF SHE HAS TO] to figure out his location. She did shitty things to find him, she killed people at McCarroll Ranch to find him again. 

Clementine raised him and he is her family, do you understand that? She went to hell and back for him, she taught him how to protect himself, and even though she made mistakes she sacrificed everything for him. She promised him that they would have a home of their own one day, she talked about how much she wished for a world where she didn’t have to worry about fighting and killing and AJ could just be a happy kid. 

She fought for Ericson, she watched her friends die or become mutilated by someone from her past. She allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to pursue a romantic relationship with Louis or Violet because she felt safe with them, felt safe at Ericson because it’s their home now. 

And when Clementine was bit, she thought she was going to die but she still fought to make sure AJ would be safe and happy without her and it was heartbreaking. She’s dying and the only thing she cares about is AJ. Not herself, not what’s going to happen to her after she dies or turns... no, she tries to make AJ smile again, she makes sure he remembers the rules, and she tells him that she loves him. 

Then he cuts off her leg, and she survives. AJ saved her fucking life, and she got to wake up at home and live to see her family again. She got to push AJ on a tire swing, she got to eat a hot meal and laugh with her friends, she got to make plans with her lover/best friend for what’s next for Ericson, and she got to talk to AJ and tell him the truth... and she asked him if she did a good job, and he’s honest with her right back. 

Hell, she tells him to keep her hat. Her iconic hat. The one thing she has left of her father, possibly her more cherished item. She lets him keep it. 

The last time we see Clementine, she’s happy. She’s sitting on the steps by herself, staring at her family with such fondness in her eyes and a smile on her face because she finally did it. She finally found a home where she can breathe. She has a bed to sleep in, she has AJ with her, she has a boyfriend/girlfriend who loves her and who she loves back, she has friends she can rely on. 

Clementine smiles, and lets out a small laugh. 

She doesn’t have to run anymore. 

And now you have the balls to tell me that AJ and Ericson don’t make Clementine happy anymore. 

She abandons everything to go back out on the road again, and that’s proof enough for me that you don’t understand a damn thing about Clementine or her journey. 

“ I don't even know the person I'm talking about... It's like all we have in common is the same name.” 

....Anyway.

Wow, Clementine found a car and kept is stashed. How lazy and convenient for this bullshit plot. 

And this is the part where I have to tell this comic to fuck off. 

What, you think if you throw in an incredibly inaccurate flashback next to a current pair of hugging Clem and AJ that I’ll feel anything but anger? That flashback is a slap to the face. It’s snowing, but the only time we’ve seen snow is in S2 when AJ was a literal new born, so why is he that big? Is that supposed to be from ANF because that ALSO doesn’t look like that AJ, and that’s not the outfit Clementine had on... AND there was no snow. This is cheap and meaningless. 

Any fan of the series who has played through the games could tell you this. 

So.... AJ runs into the woods and then we get this garbage.

This comic is awful. It misses the point of everything TFS, and the rest of the series, stood for. There is no heart here. I feel no happiness in reading it, and I don’t detect any passion behind it. It’s a lifeless comic that retcons everything in order to throw AJ away and start fresh with a new adventure for Clementine that makes no sense because the cow isn’t profitable unless it’s milked. 

This isn’t canon, and it won’t ever be canon, and honestly? At this point, I have no faith in the graphic novel trilogy. It will take a lot to do a turn around from this, and I don’t even know if that’s possible. 

Again, to reiterate, I don’t have anything personal against Tillie Walden herself. She’s just doing her job, and from what I’ve seen of her as a person, she seems like a sweetheart. I don’t want anyone giving her shit because I think the comic isn’t good or that you agree with me. All of my anger is directed at the comic itself, her work, not specifically her.... and a little bit at Skybound, because they’re the reason this is even a thing in the first place. 

So yeah.... there ya have it.