#imo obviously lo

[castelobyers]

Hey, let's have some fun?

So... I'm gonna put you in a situation that the characters had been and you are going to tell me how you would proceed, okay?

So now you are William Byers. You are in your bedroom in Lenora with Mike. He just told you that Hawkins isn't the same without you, that he wants to be best friends again. You answer with "cool" and he says it back. You are looking into each other's eyes, smiling. Suddenly Mike seems to pay attention in something else. He got up from the bed, catch the painting and says "Oh, is this the painting El told me you made for a girl? Can I see it?". Before you can stop him, he opens it. When he sees the painting, he looks confused for a while but then he seems to realize something. He turns to you...

How do you proceed?

I'm not the best fanfic writer you're putting me in a rough situation lmao but I'll try

"El said it was for a girl?"

"yes, in her last letter, she said you're acting weird and was probably liking some girl..."

"this is not for a girl Mike... i made it... For you"

"me?"

"yes! I was willing to give it to when you arrived but..."

"Oh! Oh... I'm sorry... I'm sorry i was- i was being an idiot"

"it's okay, don't worry. It's yours now! You're allowed to open it"

He open the painting just like in the van scene

"Wow! This is amazing! Did you paint this?"

"yeah! yeah I did"

"this is really cool! You're the most talented person i know! And i know that this is nothing because i don't know any real artist beside you but you understand... I'm trying to say that you're an amazing artist and-"

"i think got it, thank you Mike"

Thank you for the ask 🤍🤍

[genericpuff]

Genuinely curious as to if you asked permission to use Rachel’s characters and she said yes or if you just decided Lore Olympus is popular enough to make a fan comic of and are hoping you don’t receive a cease and desist? Can anyone create a remake comic of original content and just change what you don’t like about it and it’s considered legal if you say the characters belong to the original creator? There is plenty of disappointing media out there that could be remade. I understand you cannot use their characters for profit so is just posting it ok?

Yes, anyone can, because it's called fanfiction lmao Obviously in my case the term "fan" is being used loosely here as at this point it's more like "foe"fiction LMAO but the same principles apply. Unless I try to claim LO is my own creation or make a profit off Rekindled, I should be in the clear. If legal action was taken against me then it would set a precedent against all forms of fanfiction, rewrite, redraw, etc. content around LO which are all essentially doing the same thing Rekindled is doing. I think people tend to view Rekindled as somewhat of an "exception" that's vulnerable to legal action because it's an actual weekly comic put into practice in the same playing field as LO (though they're on massively different bases obviously LOL), but there's not much more separating it from the LO redraw accounts or even the genuine fan accounts that have learned how to draw in Rachel's style (and use it to make their own LO self-inserts and whatnot). I had the time and resources and experience to do what I do through Rekindled, but every redraw, rewrite, fanfiction, etc. account are making the exact same statement I am, whether intentionally or not - "I do/don't like the canon, but/so here's what I think it would be like if it went like this".

There is definitely plenty of media out there that could be remade, and a lot of them are by the fanfiction writers out there who are filling that niche within their respective fandoms. LO is the one I want to do because it's the one that interests me and compels me the most to rewrite.

Not to mention, it's already a bold statement in and of itself to say that I'm "using Rachel's characters", a statement that likely wouldn't hold up in court LMAO Her "characters" are literally just stylized self-insert versions of public domain figures. She did not write The Hymn to Demeter. She did not create Hades, or Persephone, or Hecate, or any of the other characters she writes about. She does not own an entire religion or its deities. The only thing that she really "owns" is the licensing rights to the name "Lore Olympus", and while the style of LO is very unique and identifiable, you can't trademark/copyright a style because that uproots the entire foundation of what art is (ironically no one has had an original idea SINCE the Greeks, we all just learn and adapt our styles based on other artists that we get inspired by and learn from).

Shit, there are series completely unrelated to LO that get harassed or otherwise warned that they could cross into "legal territory" with LO just because they're Greek myth comics. Punderworld, Theia Mania, H x P Ficlets, all of these are comics that also tackle the H x P myth, and while they aren't attempting to do the same thing as Rekindled (as they exist on their own terms) it's really disappointing when I see people talk about these comics purely through the scope of Lore Olympus as if LO invented Greek myth. If WT/Rachel tried to pull rank over the story's "characters", they'd be picking a fight with every other Greek myth comic, book, movie, etc. and they oughta know that's not a fight they're gonna win lol

So everything beyond LO's branding is, in and of itself, fanfiction. Rekindled is just another level deeper by being fanfiction of a fanfiction. As long as I'm not profiting off Lore Olympus' namesake or distributing my work with the misconception that I created LO, it's legally fine. Morally, I'm sure it doesn't exactly make me a saint to do it, it definitely took a lot of hubris for me to say "yeah I don't like how you wrote your story enough that I felt the need to rewrite it completely" and I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking doing so is icky. There are certain lines I won't cross - I don't use the general LO hashtags because my content is very critical and my work isn't really for the fans, I don't encourage anyone to "show Rachel" what I do here because none of what I do here is obligated to be seen by her (and I know it wouldn't be in her best interest to see it anyways, she's literally said that she doesn't like criticism so why tf would I wanna show her a comic that exists to criticize her work lol), and I'm not planning on posting it to Webtoons because that's Rachel's territory. I don't want to overstep both in the legal sense and in the moral one. I think it's more than enough for me to just post my stuff here for the people who are seeking it, and not profit off it or directly affiliate it with LO/Rachel beyond crediting.

All that said, in a moral and legal sense, what I'm doing is literally the basis of fanfiction, and I wouldn't be going to such lengths and spending this much time every week putting out episodes every week if I never cared about LO and how it made us all feel, even if some of us don't love it as much as we used to.

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Why are we fighting over Luckity vs. TNTduo, the real pairing we should all be gunning for is q!Quackity / Luzu / Wilbur x therapy. None of us are winners here

[chronic-reveries]

MCD Headcanons:

-Laurance and garroth are 100% Malechi and Levins father figures

This isn’t even a HC imo but malechi is laurances adopted son and levin is garroths and that’s all there is to it honestly

- Travis is flirty completely by accident.

Due to his isolation from the village for their own safety, Travis had to find other ways to spend his time. Eventually, he started reading various books from his mother’s old collection as well as from various townspeople and the occasional abandoned ship. Most of these novels just so happened to be romance novels and as such he began to start speaking like the dialogue in the books he read. He obviously knew the townspeople didn’t speak like his books had, but they were the closest thing he had to an outside perspective given the cursed seas and the demon warlock kept him there. So it’s no surprise that he used the same flirtatious personality he had developed upon meeting both Aphmau and Laurance. Later along the line he just kept it up because it was funny to him. (Later season 2 goes against this and I’m well aware but I just try to think the best of Travis)

-the jury of the nine willingly surrender themselves to memory suppression magicks

In s2 ep34 Katelyn says “he wasn’t even supposed to keep his memory of Abby, but he did and look where that got him.” I’d like to think that this implies that most jury members allowed Zane to use memory suppression on them that also makes it so members aren’t emotional so that they aren’t vulnerable. Unlike most members Jeffory did not undergo this process as it’s not entirely mandatory but Zane likely strongly suggested it. However because he knew Abby would be utterly alone without him, Jeffory refused to allow his memories to be repressed. Other than Jeffory, all other jury members did undergo this process but it only lasts as long as they are a member of the jury. Hence why Katelyn slowly became more and more emotional post losing her position.

- Janus the Silver Death uses They/He pronouns

When Katelyn talks about Janus in season 2 episode 79 she fluctuates between they and he pronouns. There was a fluctuation between the two and I’m not sure if it was on purpose or not as like a writers choice, but it happened enough times for me to conclude that Janus uses They/He pronouns <3

-Katelyn and Ivy dated

In season 2 episode 91 ivy says “did you miss me love?” And while she says things like darling to anyone using specifically love stuck out?? Idk? But if they dated it was definitely for a short span and with a messy breakup that was likely caused by ivy taking things way too far. She also further added onto this behavior post breakup.

-Lo is the descendant of Kul’Zak or Menphia

I know Lucinda looks a lot like Menphia in a lot of ways, but honestly with Lo accompanying Aph to the Tu’Lah region and it all lining up the way it did it makes sense? Honestly though I don’t feel like he aligns with her title of the fury which is where kul’zak comes in. His title was that of the wanderer and honestly I could fully see Lo meeting that title, but that’s just about all I can say for him. Maybe there was more we never knew? Maybe his defense of his girls was representative of his “fury” but honestly it’s up for debate. I definitely believe he was tied to one of the relics though in some way shape or form.

Finished my MCD rewatch and heres everything I made HC’s for from season 1 to season 3 🎀

(I don’t make these often but I wanted to write these ones down)

[qfitpac]

Lately I've been watching a lot of foolish bcuz he's pretty good (imo) at balancing between the emotions in roleplay while still being lighthearted out of it. He's my favorite pov of dia de los muertos because he was obviously affected by the saudade but still made jokes and laughed a lot. In purgatory he screams a lot but he's actually pretty chill, and his ability to match whatever the vibe is really quickly is awesome. He'll join and be like alright are we trying today or he'll join a cult and make gas mask noises idk I've just developed a lot of affection towards him due to qsmp.

[elvensorceress]

You know how the music team literally never misses? Obviously, this choice is because of the episode title, but take a look at the lyrics because we’re going to talk about them lol

Some of this is me digging into my musical theater background, but generally? When you perform a song, you want to do it in character. Music like this is telling a story and lyrics are basically poetry. You can be playing yourself and your own thoughts, feelings, history, etc, but singing is done for an audience. At the very least, you want to convey the meaning of the lyrics through phrasing and styling and emphasis and expression and etc etc…

You want your audience to feel the emotion, to understand the story and the intentions of the music and lyrics. It’s theatrical. Which means you want to analyze what your interpretation of the lyrics are, what you think the story is conveying, what you are going to portray as you sing.

Love is in the air Everywhere I look around Love is in the air Every sight and every sound

And I don't know if I'm being foolish Don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes

Love is in the air In the whisper of the trees Love is in the air In the thunder of the sea 

And I don't know if I'm just dreaming Don't know if I feel sane But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when you call out my name 

Love is in the air In the rising of the sun Love is in the air When the day is nearly done

And I don't know if you're an illusion Don't know if I see it true But you're something that I must believe in And you're there when I reach out for you 

Love is in the air Everywhere I look around Love is in the air Every sight and every sound 

And I don't know if I'm being foolish Don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes

Love is in the air

Now, if we break it down and consider the message as a whole as well as in the context of the episode… 

For this song, imo? These lyrics are primarily describing Uncertainty and Confusion. Capitalized, italicized, bolded Uncertainty. The POV of this song is someone who is trying to understand love but is absolutely not understanding it at all. 

The verses are all structured, “I don’t know, I don’t know, but I must believe.” The chorus is, “[what I am perceiving as] love is externally around me.” It has nothing of true emotion other than, “I must believe.” What this character has, if they have it, is minimal and barely noticed.

This is not a love song you would want to sing as someone who is deeply, confidently, happily in love. This is not a song where someone is saying, “I am so in love I’m bursting with it and I need to tell everyone how much I am in love.” It’s not a song I would sing to someone I actually love. There’s no actual feeling of love in it. 

This is someone looking around at the world (every sight, every sound, in the trees, the sea, the sun, the air) and deciding they have to believe in this. Maybe because they are surrounded by it and want to have it? Maybe because it seems like it’s everywhere so they have to have it since everyone else does? Maybe because they feel Something but don’t know what that Something is other than confused. 

Putting the rest under a cut because I talk a lot sorry. 😘

If I were performing this? I would say this character is desperate to convince themself or desperate to convince someone they are talking to that they know for sure what love is because they can see it. See it, not feel it. Nothing in these lyrics describe actually feeling any sort of emotions. It’s primarily external and conceptual and overwhelmingly, “I am confused / I don’t know if this is real / I don’t know if I’m sane.” 

You can say falling in love (for real) makes you feel foolish and crazy and whatnot. That is likely the song’s original purpose. But the lyric story still comes from a very unsure, doubtful sort of place. It doesn’t read as a love song the way we would typically think of something categorized as, Love Song. It’s not really an expression or declaration of love. It’s one of, “I don’t know what is happening, I’m making a guess.”

I think it could be a good character soliloquy for Anna from Frozen when she’s just met Hans and thinks he’s the one and she’s in love and they have to get married. You know? That is the feeling I get from this. 

The singer POV character is picking out random surroundings while they are mired in confusion and saying that they MUST BELIEVE in love because of these things… things that are not connected to their person/relationship.

For the most part, the “love” that this person is seeing is described through vague setting imagery. Whisper of trees, thunder of the sea, the sunrise, the sunset. Which is cool and fine if you are talking about love for the world, or love in general, or love that isn’t for another person. 

If you are expressing love for another person, you are probably not going to talk about the sound of the sea. You’re going to talk about how the person is funny or pretty or kind or how happy they make you. Something about them or your relationship or how they have affected you. 

Sure, you can say the world around you looks different and brighter and more beautiful but that’s not what this song is doing. (I suppose you could interpret and perform it that way if you wanted but given the lyrics as a whole, I’m not sure why you would.) 

The descriptions here aren’t someone looking at the world differently. It’s someone seeing things and wanting to believe they are what they think they are. 

This song is someone seeing “love” all around them (and misunderstanding the assignment) and making the assumption that what they are seeing has to be love. 

It has a very repetitive, “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know,” emphasized with foolishness, dreaming, insanity, illusions. All things used to describe a rather negatively skewed perspective on falling in love, or are typically used to describe pining and sudden infatuation. You feel crazy for someone, you feel different from normal, you feel like it can’t possibly be true. It’s all firmly in the, “this is a fantasy / this is not solid concrete fact or foundation / these are not necessarily happy or beneficial occurrences.” And it’s all concluded with, “I must believe, I must believe, I must believe.” 

Idk about you, but it makes me think of “trying too hard / the idea of us / I want love so badly I will take anyone who says they want me and love me and will stay with me / clinging and settling Evan Buckley / stick it out Eddie Diaz.” 

It could also be describing initial attraction and the rush of meeting someone and developing a crush on them. Which might lead to something like real actual Love. Because there is a bit of hidden potential. There are three little pieces that speak to something real and something that might hold or turn into love. 

when I look in your eyes / when you call out my name / when I reach out for you

These are the only solid tiny snippets that actually illustrate this character’s relationship and the person they are saying they love. But they are kind of flimsy without context. And also easily misinterpreted. Case in point -

What is the person actually seeing when they share a look? Is it accurate to describe it as love from the other person’s perspective? If so, what kind of love? What kind of look is it? Is the other person feeling the same as the narrator? How is the person calling out their name? Is it in fear? Is it in joy? Is it sexual? Why are they calling out? Why are they reaching out? Is it for attention? Is it for affection? Is it for help? Is the person they love reaching back? In what way are they reaching or accepting?  

The song doesn’t answer any of these questions. It says, “the love is there,” but we don’t know how reliable our narrator character is especially because what they are seeing as “love” is not anything that is associated with their person or their emotions. Except those little lines that have no context or depth and come out as an afterthought. 

The fact that there is any potential in this relationship and that there are any references to this supposed love is coincidental. It is something the character is not paying attention to and is not understanding as love until after the fact. The whole song is essentially saying, “I think I am seeing love everywhere around me but I don’t know for sure so I have to believe, and by the way, this happens and it [might be] is love.” It feels like someone who is so close to getting it but still so far from actually getting it.

If love is “in the air” and in everything around someone, it’s not something yet possessed by this character. They are seeing and wanting (and might have it somewhere they are not quite focused on?) but this is not love that is, “when you’re at your worst and they’re at their worst and you try anyway.” This is still, “I found something and it’s probably readymade or at that stage where it isn’t real yet.” Not, “I built this with blood, sweat, tears, and hard work.” It could be a beginning, but it is a long long way off from anything of substance and doesn’t even hold much emotion or attachment. It is very disconnected from the supposed love the character might have. 

This is, “love is everywhere and I want it, but I’m distracted and don’t know what I’m feeling and I’m missing what I do have.” 

If you know what I mean?

[i-write-sin-not-tragedy]

O! It's actually really interesting question, what insects would the cast be? Cause I never thought in depth about it before, so please share your ideas and thoughts! — the bird anon

I have just the core four thought out so far, but!!

Angel - Jumping Spider (obviously)

Everytime i see someone say he looks nothing like a spider i lose my mind bc yall clearly have never seen a Regal Jumping Spider before!!!!! Viv based him off a jumping spider, and as soon as you see one, you go . Oh, okay! Yeah suddenly his design makes sense. They're fluffy! Covered in stripes! With two big main eyes surrounded by smaller ones! They can even be pink and white!!!

Charlie - Monarch Butterfly

I feel like this one speaks for its self, a butterfly overall is incredibly fitting for her, but especially a monarch. The royalty reference as well as the color pallette!

ALSO in certain Mexican cultures, they're often used during Día de Los Muertos to symbolize the spirits of the dead, or in some as a guiding figure who leads souls to the afterlife!

They symbolize transformation, strength, and endurance.

Vaggie - Wasp

everyone says moth (i could go on a rant about that bc she was never a moth. The "moth demon" thing was part of her beta design and clearly isn't canon anymore yet everyone keeps using it for her and its one of my little pet peeves lol) but hear me out *a Wasp*

It has the sorta army/drone association that the Angels have, as well as being nearly all female!!! And the territorial/protective aspect suits her really well

Alastor- Preying Mantis ( a red orchid mantis to be specific!)

Mantis are lowkey kinda fucked up LOL cannibalistic (although thats not that uncommon in the insect world) but these ones can be particularly brutal. This ones a little more based on vibes than anything else, but i think it really suits him. (Also the whole killing males on sight thing is hilarious and very in character imo)

Some places as view them as a sign of bad luck or as an omen, which i think he would love lol

They're rare to see, loving to stay hidden. I've only seen one once! Which considering Alastors love of staying in the shadows, seems fitting to me!

[this-machine-runs-on-coffee]

"DEAD GAY SON" THIS IS NOT AN EXACT TRANSLATION, THIS IS AN ADAPTATION (AND ONE THAT STILL NEEDS TONS OF FIXING AT THAT)

Now, you're seeing the word "Dead" for the third time in my adapted songs. Am I obsessed with death? No, JD is, that's why it's there. I should also say I don't really like how this one came out, but I had to give you something in theme with pride month, even though this song isn't exactly the best (and I'm sorry for that but I would've had to adapt this song eventually and idk how but many people seem to find this song funny on YouTube so here you are). I should specify I could do way better with other songs and that I dislike how this one came out but it's very close to the original meaning (IMO) so here you have it, "Dead Gay Son". I'm also sorry for keeping the slur, but it was in the original song and adapting songs is (at least for me) keeping them as close as possible to the original meaning while keeping them singable. Also I fucked up the syllables and rhymes so bad

ASK ME FOR PERMISSION BEFORE USING THIS, DO CREDIT ME IF YOU EVER USE THIS (I doubt you will it’s impractical and still needs so much fixing it’s unbelievable) AND TELL ME/LINK WHATEVER YOU USED IT FOR USING REBLOGS (because for some reason Tumblr doesn’t like comments with links and while I do think I understand why I don’t always like it)

(the apostrophes [or however ’ is called] are used to shorten the number of syllables often in poetry so I’m obviously abusing that power.)

[PAPÀ DI RAM, parlato] Aspetta solo un minuto, Paul! È parlare in modo ignorante e odioso come fai tu che rende questo un posto che i nostri ragazzi non sopportavano!

(cantato) Non erano sconci! Non era una svistina! Eran due versi solitari Nella grande canzone divina!

[PAPÀ DI KURT, parlato] I nostri figli erano finocchi, Bill!

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Sì! Mio figli'è un omosessuale E di questo non mi vergognerei— Voglio che il mondo sappia... Amo il mio morto figlio gay!

(parlato) Sono stato a pensare. Pregare. Leggere un po' di riviste. Ed è tempo di aprire le nostre menti!

(cantato) Beh, il buon Dio l'universo ha fatto Dio ha creato l'umanità E penso che sia parte del suo piano nella sua immensità So che Dio ha una ragione Per ogni oceano ed ogni goccia E perché ha deciso di lasciar i ragazzi farsi nella doccia! Non erano sconci— Non erano animali! Eran due lacci isolati nei divini stivali! Non m'è mai'mportato tanto di gay ma ora me ne interesserei

[PAPÀ DI RAM & CONGREGAZIONE] E ora ho imparato ad amare…

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Amo il mio morto figlio gay!

[CONGREGAZIONE] Ama suo figlio Ama suo figlio Il suo morto gay figlio!

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Ora, dico che mio figli'è in Paradiso! E che s'abbronza in piscina Il cherubino cammina con loro e, Gesù dice ch'è 'na cosa carina! Non hanno crimini o odio, non ci sono bigottismo o'nsulti - Solo persone amichevoli vestite come i loro compaesani preferiti! Non erano sconci—

[CONGREGAZIONE] No, no!

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Si sentivano rimossi!

[CONGREGAZIONE] Whoa!

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Nei lunghi capelli di Dio eran due elastici rossi Prima quando vedevo un gay avrei detto "Gli sparerei"

[PAPÀ DI RAM & CONGREGAZIONE] Ma ora ho imparato ad amare…

[PAPÀ DI RAM] E per di più! Quei due, eran coraggiosissimi! Quei due, ne erano coscientissimi! Quelli li avrebbero giudicati, eran disperati d'esser liberi! Si son comportati da ribelli, nudi quasi ai gioielli! Paul, non posso credere Che continui a rifiutar di capire Quest'è quel che eravam destinat'a fare—

(parlato) Parlo di me e te! Nell'estate dell'83!

[PAPÀ DI KURT, parlato] Quello è stato un viaggio particolare

[CONGREGAZIONE] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Whoa, whoa, whoa! Non erano sconci— No! E non solo una percossa— No, no! Erano dello strass Sulla divina borsa!

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ] Il nostro lavoro è di fare quel che da tempo pensavo: "Lo farei"!

[CONGREGAZIONE] Perché ora amiamo, amiamo, amiamo Amiamo i vostri—

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Sono sù là al battito delle ali angeliche a ballar!

[PAPÀ DI KURT] Un compagno prendono…

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Verso l'un l'altro si tendono—

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ] Mentre Judy Garland sta a cantar!

[PAPÀ DI RAM] Vivono una seconda vita spensierata e spericolata!

[PAPÀ DI KURT] Si dondolan sul cancello incastonato—

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ & CONGREGAZIONE] E hanno una collana incastonata!

[CONGREGAZIONE] Whoo!

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ] Non erano sconci!

[CONGREGAZIONE] No!

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ & CONGREGAZIONE] Eran bravi uomini! E ora son felici cuccioli nella tana dei divini!

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ] Andate avanti e amatevi ora Come avrebbe fatto mio figlio Insegneremo al mond'ad amar...

[CONGREGAZIONE] Al mond'ad amar...

[TUTTI] Al mond'ad amar...

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ sovrapponendosi con la congregazione] Amo il mio morto gay figlio! Mio figlio! Mio figlio!

[CONGREGAZIONE] Non tanto male, il tuo morto figlio gay! Vorrei aver il tuo morto figlio gay! Grazie, papà, per il tuo...

[ENTRAMBI I PAPÀ & CONGREGAZIONE] Morto! Figlio! Gay!

So, direct translation! (used in this to specify the meanings and explain certain word choices)

[RAM'S DAD, spoken] You wait just a minute, Paul! It is this ignorant, hateful way of talking like yours that makes this world a place our boys could not tolerate!

(sung) They were not dirty(but as in filthy/indecent)! It (I mean as in their "love" but can't find a way to specify it) wasn't a small oversight! They were two lonely verses In the great divine(/heavenly? I don't really know how to translate that but it's as in God's/Heaven's) song!

[KURT'S DAD, spoken] Our sons were pansies, Bill!

[RAM'S DAD] Yes! My son's a homosexual And of that I wouldn't be ashamed (for the rhyme)— I want the world to know... I love my dead gay(those two got inverted [gay and son])son!

(spoken) I've remained to think. To pray. To read some magazines. And it's time we opened our minds!

(sung) Well, the good Lord made the universe The Lord created humanity And I believe it's all a part of his plan in its immensity I know God has a reason For each ocean and drop And why he chose to let our boys do each other in the shower! They were not dirty(/filthy/indecent)— They were not animals (it fit for the rhyme)! They were just two stray laces in the divine(/Heaven's/the Lord's) big boots Well, I never cared for homos much but now I would be interested [RAM’S DAD & CONGREGATION] And now I've learned to love…

[RAM’S DAD] I love my dead gay(inverted in this part [son and gay])son!

[CONGREGATION] He loves his son He loves his son His dead gay son!

[RAM'S DAD] Now, I say my boy's in Heaven! And he's tanning by the pool The cherubim walks with them, and Jesus says it's cute! They don't have crime or hatred, there's no bigotry or insults - Just friendly fellows dressed up like their fav'rite fellow village Person! They were not dirty(filthy/indecent)—

[CONGREGATION] No, no!

[RAM’S DAD] They felt removed (for the rhyme)!

[CONGREGATION] Whoa!

[RAM’S DAD] They were two bright red rubberbands in God's long hair Before(,) when I saw a homo(/gay) I would've said "I'd shoot him" [RAM’S DAD & CONGREGATION] But now I've learned to love…

[RAM’S DAD] And furthermore! These boys were very brave! These boys , they were very conscient of it! Those folks would judge 'em, they were desperate to be free! They behaved like rebels, stripped almost to their jewels(/balls/testicles)! Paul, I can't believe That you keep on refusing to understand This is what we were meant to be doing—

(spoken) I'm talkin’ you and me! In the summer of '83!

[KURT'S DAD, spoken] That was one particular trip

[CONGREGATION] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Whoa, whoa, whoa! They were not dirty(/filthy/indecent)— No! And not only a hit (because they were bullies and hit people and that's what they were recognised from? Would that make sense?)— No, no! (Damn ok thanks for the confirmation) They were rhinestones On the divine(/Heaven's/God's) purse!

[BOTH DADS] Our job is now doing what for long I thought: "I'd do this"! [CONGREGATION] 'Cause now we love, love, love! We love your dead—

[RAM’S DAD] They're up there disco dancing to the thump of angel wings!

[KURT’S DAD] They grab a mate…

[RAM’S DAD] And lean(more like tend/stretch) toward each other—

[BOTH DADS] While Judy Garland is singing!

[RAM’S DAD] They live a second life that's fancy-free and reckless!

[KURT'S DAD] They swing upon the gates with gemstones set inside them—

[BOTH DADS & CONGREGATION] And wear a necklace with gemstones set inside it!

[CONGREGATION] Whoo!

[BOTH DADS] They were not dirty(/filthy/indecent)!

[CONGREGATION] No!

[BOTH DADS & CONGREGATION] They were good men! And now they're happy cubs in the Gods' (yup the apostrophe placing is intentional and not a mistake, that's what I mean, I'm hinting at the trinity) den!

[BOTH DADS] Go forth and love each other now Like my boy would have done We'll teach the world to love...

[CONGREGATION] The world to love...

[ALL] The world to love...

[BOTH DADS overlapping with congregation] I love my dead gay son! My son! My son!

[CONGREGATION] Not half bad, your dead gay son! Wish I had your dead gay son! Thank you, dad, for your...

[BOTH DADS & CONGREGATION] Dead! Gay! Son! OG LYRICS (if you’re seeing this I doubt you don’t know them, but here they are anyway):

[RAM'S DAD, spoken] You wait just a minute, Paul! It is ignorant, hateful talk like yours that makes this world a place our boys could not live in!

(sung) They were not dirty! They were not wrong! They were two lonely verses In the Lord's great song!

[KURT'S DAD, spoken] Our boys were pansies, Bill!

[RAM'S DAD] Yes! My boy's a homosexual And that don't scare me none— I want the world to know... I love my dead gay son!

(spoken) I've been thinking. Praying. Reading some magazines. And it's time we opened our eyes!

(sung) Well, the good Lord made the universe The Lord created man And I believe it's all a part of his gigantic plan I know God has a reason For each mountain and each flower And why he chose to let our boys get busy in the shower! They were not dirty— They were not fruits! They were just two stray laces in the Lord's big boots Well, I never cared for homos much until I reared me one

[RAM’S DAD & CONGREGATION] But now I've learned to love…

[RAM’S DAD] I love my dead gay son!

[CONGREGATION] He loves his son He loves his son His dead gay son!

[RAM'S DAD] Now, I say my boy's in heaven! And he's tanning by the pool The cherubim walk with him and him, and Jesus says it's cool! They don't have crime or hatred, there's no bigotry or cursin' - Just friendly fellows dressed up like their fav'rite Village Person! They were not dirty—

[CONGREGATION] No, no!

[RAM’S DAD] They just had flair!

[CONGREGATION] Whoa!

[RAM’S DAD] They were two bright red ribbons in the Lord's long hair Well, I used to see a homo and go reachin' for my gun

[RAM’S DAD & CONGREGATION] But now I've learned to love…

[RAM’S DAD] And furthermore! These boys were brave as hell! These boys , they knew damn well! Those folks would judge 'em, they were desperate to be free! They took a rebel stance, stripped to their underpants! Paul, I can't believe that you Still refuse to get a clue After all that we been through—

(spoken) I'm talkin’ you and me! In the summer of '83!

[KURT'S DAD, spoken] That was one hell of a fishing trip

[CONGREGATION] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Whoa, whoa, whoa! They were not dirty— No! And not perverse— No, no! They were just two stray rhinestones On the Lord's big purse!

[BOTH DADS] Our job is now continuing the work that they begun!

[CONGREGATION] 'Cause now we love, love, love! We love your dead—

[RAM’S DAD] They're up there disco dancing to the thump of angel wings!

[KURT’S DAD] They grab a mate…

[RAM’S DAD] And roller skate—

[BOTH DADS] While Judy Garland sings!

[RAM’S DAD] They live a playful afterlife that's fancy-free and reckless!

[KURT'S DAD] They swing upon the pearly gates—

[BOTH DADS & CONGREGATION] And wear a pearly necklace!

[CONGREGATION] Whoo!

[BOTH DADS] They were not dirty!

[CONGREGATION] No!

[BOTH DADS & CONGREGATION] They were good men! And now they're happy bear cubs in the Lord's big den!

[BOTH DADS] Go forth and love each other now Like our boys would have done We'll teach the world to love...

[CONGREGATION] The world to love...

[ALL] The world to love...

[BOTH DADS overlapping with congregation] I love my dead gay son! My son! My son!

[CONGREGATION] Not half bad, your dead gay son! Wish I had your dead gay son! Thank you, dad, for your...

[BOTH DADS & CONGREGATION] Dead! Gay! Son! THE ONE I NOW COMPARE IT TO (29/5/24)

[bg-sparrow]

Introduction

Hi! I'm Erica (BG), and I write fan fiction! I've been writing fic since 2004, and you can find me on AO3 and FFN! As you might have gleaned, I predominantly write Back to the Future fanfic, but I have written for many fandoms over the years!

Side Blogs

This is my main blog, but I have side blogs, too.

@juneofdoom - an annual whump challenge I host because some friends were sad another whump challenge wasn't happening, so I made them a list. Obviously it snowballed.

@piratepianist - Moodboard blog. Colors make me happy, and I express that best through moodboards since I can't draw.

@nopinestimeline - a sideblog I made for my version of Evil!Marty

@bgsbracelets - NEW! Thanks to the #bttfbff friendship bracelet exchange, I've gotten so into bracelet making that I'm giving my creations their own sideblog while I set up an Etsy store. This is still very under construction and the blog is blank at the moment, but if you want to see all the fun fandom bracelets I make, give me a follow!

The Heaviest Back to the Future Trilogy Test

The amount of knowledge I've compiled in researching BttF media for a trilogy rewrite is beyond extensive, and I decided to put some of it to use in this BttF quiz that is actually challenging compared to every other BttF quiz I've ever taken. Have a go! Good luck!

Back to the Future Fan Fiction

Series:

The Time Circuits Series - a trilogy rewrite featuring my OC, Emma Brown, as Doc's daughter and Marty's love interest. This sucker took nine years, but, five works and 273,000 words later, it's done!

Once Upon a Time in the West Series - my version of the "stuck in 1885" AU where Marty's depression and association with Buford Tannen are explored. Nearing completion, this series has four works and will clock in at around 65,000 words in total.

The Boy Who Leapt Through Time Series - my ongoing McFly July drabble collection.

The Meta of Marty McFly - originally made for the June of Doom whump challenge, this series is an ongoing foray into the ridiculous world of self-insert where I brainstorm fic ideas/ vent at/ torment Marty in my imaginary, infinite office building. It's utter nonsense, and that's why I adore it.

Bhagavad Gita Duology - a history-heavy look at Doc's time on the Manhattan Project, the toll it takes on him, and the mysterious "friend" there at every turn. These two completed stories come in at just under 17,000 words, and they are 17,000 of some of my best, IMO.

BG's Back to the Future Drabbles

This AO3 collection houses all of my bite-sized BttF moments from various challenges on Tumblr and Discord.

The Boy Who Leapt Through Time - McFly July 2022

The Man from the Future - Doctober 2022

In a Kingdom Far, Far Away - Friendship February 2023

The Boy Who Leapt Through Time Again - McFly July 2023

The Boy Who Leapt Through Time Yet Again - McFly July 2021

The Man Who Traveled Time - Doctober 2023

Stand There and Bleed - Whumpril 2024

Multi-chapter

Let's Do the Time Warp Again - Marty's past self gets jumped by Biff's gang at the dance, and Marty has no choice but replace himself at the clocktower, creating a time loop.

Sons and Scientists - an AU in which Marty, stranded in 1940s and living with Doc in Los Alamos, gets drafted into service and there's nothing Doc can do about it. This one hurts, guys. I'm warning you.

By Accident or Design - my version of "the duel goes wrong." This one also hurts. A third and final chapter is being entertained but not certain at this time.

Pennies from Heaven - an Elf/BttF crackfic for Discord Secret Santa 2022. I'm not gonna lie, I had a blast with this, and I'm hella proud of how it turned out. Just go with it!

One Shots

A Fracture in the Space-time Continuum - a sickfic/ injury fic with so much Doc and Marty friendship it's a wonder it hasn't exploded yet. Also affectionately refered to as "Broken Leg Marty".

The Manner of Giving - a 5+1 fic in which Marty tries and fails five times to give Doc a gift (and one time he succeeds).

There's a Time and a Place - No Pine Marty's debut one shot, in which he tells the terrorists where to find Doc the night of the DeLorean Reveal.

Midnight Hour - No Pines Marty visits George in the dead of night to convince him to take Lorraine to the dance.

Stuck in the Stuck in 1885 AU - a silly meta glimpse in which two different Martys from two different “stuck in 1885” stories — daryfromthefuture’s “Until I Get Home” and BG Sparrow’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” — are locked in a room together by their authors to air their grievances. Art by Dary!

Survival is Insufficient

Time Trap

Crime Traveller

The Mystery of the Missing McFly

Roleplays with @daryfromthefuture

These beloved fics feature Dary as Marty and myself as Doc in wholesome, angsty friendship/ sick fics. :)

Lean on Me (When You're Not Strong) - The masterpiece that is Doc seeing Marty through scarlet fever in 1885.

I'll Be There For You (Like I've Been There Before) - Marty glitches, objects at Doc and Clara's wedding, and has a heart-to-heart with Doc about his fears for their future.

I'm Only Me When I'm With You - 1955 sickfic!

Collaborations

Friends Through Time(lines): Chapter 6 - Judge Doc Brown is on the verge of retirment when he meets the child genius renting his garage for the last eighteen months.

Stuck Through Time(lines): 1950s - some first-person Marty reflection on what he's going to do now that he's irrevocably stranded in 1955.

Back to the Future: Discord - a blind writing game irresponsibly played by the members of our Discord server.

Challenge Masterlists

McFly July 2023

McFly July 2021

Sicktember 2023

Doctober 2023

Comfortember 2023

Whumpril 2024

June of Doom 2024

McFly July 2024

Notable Works in Other Fandoms

Pirates of the Caribbean

Principles of Compromise - Rated T, 64K, drama, Sparrabeth

The Captain - Rated G, 8K, pre-canon Norribeth friendship fluff

Unprecedented Youth - Rated G, 10K, humor, found family

Iron Man (MCU)

These are all Pepperony (Tony/Pepper) and all rated T.

What to Expect When She's Expecting - 4K, pregnancy fic

Extra Dry, Extra Olive - 2K, Tony returns to the roof

For a Decade - 8K, drunken humor/ fluff

Of Toothpaste and Pancakes - 5K, food fight humor/ fluff

Star Wars (Sequel Trilogy)

A Mercy, Tolerant - Rated T, 1200 words, Reylo AU after TFA

Free Space - Rated T, 5K, Reylo bingo card drabbles

National Treasure - Another Clue (Riley/OC, sequel incomplete) Mary Poppins - Under the Weather (sickfic fluff) Jurassic World - Perignon & Paleobotany (pre-canon Claire/Owen) Copying Beethoven - Vibrations on the Air (Anna/Beethoven) Station Eleven - The Pursuit (Kirsten/Tyler) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - As Promised (Major Character Death)

BONUS: Multi-Fandom - FFHQ (currently featuring Pirates of the Caribbean, Iron Man, BBC Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy)

A lot of my older/ other fandom fics on FFN are in the process of being edited for AO3 and will be posted here when that happens!

Thanks for stopping by! And don't be a stranger - feel free to reach out! Have an awesome day! :D

[genericpuff]

oh boy it's that time again

when rachel posts 'video progress' of her work and we proceed to dissect it like a frog in 9th grade science class

like ok first the caption of "is persephone the chicken and hades the egg" makes no fucking sense except to anyone who overthinks it and goes "wait is that a reference to the popularly-perpetuated version of the myth where persephone went down to the underworld willingly and hades didn't actually exist???" because if it is ima scream lmao

but MORE IMPORTANTLY-

Here's the transcript of what she's saying in the video:

"I think I've always wanted to write Hades' and Persephone's story because obviously I really like them. It's like very much a chicken and egg situation because I think in the beginning I thought that I was going to use a very abstract black and white style, and I realized it wasn't very enticing or fun for me, um... and I started drawing these very like vibrant characters and as I drew them I understood more about the story the more that I explored the art style, um and I guess an example of that is, y'know, Persephone is like a very bright color um, and the Underworld, is a very dark dark blue, and so when she says she really sticks out so it's just environmental uh processes like that that really helped inspire the direction of the story."

(despite her expanding on the "chicken and the egg" bit it still doesn't make sense imo lmao)

But what we're seeing isn't S1 LO, it's actually from S3 of LO:

But um... you notice anything interesting about the screenshot I just showed you?

That literally looks NOTHING like what we see in the final panel. At the VERY least I think this goes to show how overcooked it becomes in post-production, when they add the canvas layer and hypersaturate the shit out of the colors, but even the blending technique just isn't matching up?

A lot of what she's doing in this video also feels very... non-existent, like she's brushing her pen around but very little is happening so it feels more like her just putting down random brush strokes to try and make it seem put-together but really she's just kind of pushing colors around and/or doing nothing. Especially when, again, what she's painting here looks nothing like the final picture (so at best it's a lot of wasted work??)

And knowing what we know about the assistants drawing the characters separately so that Rachel can rearrange them in the final episode layout... I don't wanna call foul play here, but this feels like yet another attempt on Rachel's behalf to make her process seem more involved than it is by simply redrawing a scene for the performative aspect of it all. It's like the "sketches" in the books looking way too 'clean' for the final product and giving the impression that she just sketched over the final panels to make them look pretty enough for print.

I also wanna mention that for some reason she's drawing this on her iPad when she owns a Cintiq. It could be because she was drawing this while abroad in the US for her conventions last fall, but despite clearly being ahead of schedule, she still wound up drawing the final episode the night of-

Oh yeah and btw there are like a million clipping layers for what looks like just a simple drawing of Demeter. And this lines up with our previous theories about her using like 128549021809 layers for literally one character.

And aside from all that her commentary, as always, is very nothingburger, just a bunch of word salad. Like she's literally trying to explain LO's color theory as "well Persephone is bright pink and the Underworld is dark blue so she sticks out! That's all you need to know!"

IDK, I'm not coming to any sort of ironclad conclusion based off this one video, but it does feel like yet another desperate attempt to prove that she does work on LO and doesn't just leave it all to her assistants to do at the last minute. But like... she's kind of screwed in that argument either way, because even if she draws the majority of panels in LO, that just further proves the argument that she's stopped trying.

[resizura]

hi, i am putting this on anonymous because i am shy. what are some themes you would like/wish the remakes to expand on?

I'm answering this late I am very sorry

SO this is a lot for me to think about and hopefully i can keep it concise because I tend to ramble

Put under a 'Read More' because this will be super long

To start, I think that I just wish Capcom wouldn't be so lukewarm with its themes. This is probably the biggest problem because (to me, at least) it can't focus on what it wants to tell the audiences.

They are obviously trying to make the series way more "serious" and yet they completely tone down its foundational messages. Sure some of that has to do with the more actiony tone it took after RE4, but let's just back up to the original trilogy.

RE1, RE2, and RE3 were essentially a three-part and yet self contained story that followed a small cast of police officers (save claire and carlos) during the zombie apocalypse. An apocalypse that was caused by corporate greed and the need to capitalize and profit off of scientific research for militarization purposes. While a little silly and outlandish in the final product, the three games (especially 2, IMO) have great storytelling and execution of its themes. Umbrella and Raccoon City Police are corrupt, and there are terrible ethics surrounding BOWs.

Now compare that to the remakes. Now, RE1make is my favorite remake because it kept the original feel and look to the game, kept the story relatively the same, and improved on it in terms of voice lines, graphics, and gameplay. The only major change is adding Lisa Trevor, who I think is a great addition because we get to follow the Trevor family through the game and get a look at how Umbrella exploited them and made them into monsters, a personal touch on something hard for us to comprehend.

RE2make and RE3make on the other hand.... well now we have around 20 extra years of Resident Evil to influence these and if you're familiar with my blog, you'll know that story wise, I do not like these games (especially RE2make). These games changed so much of the original story to make them more "realistic" and in the process, sort of lost the plot. Too many times in the modern remakes, things happen that hint to something from the original games but overall? It's not there.

As an example, I want to go over specifically how the police chief Brian Irons is portrayed. In the original game, the player learns little bits about him through files. We know he's dangerous, violent, and has been taking bribes from Umbrella. The bribes are to help him have control over the city. He was highly influential in the Spencer Mansion cover up, where his main role was shutting down STARS so they wouldn't be able to investigate the incident. He worked directly with William and Annette Birkin and took bribes to prevent police from investigating the sewers so their lab work was undisturbed. In RE2, we see him spiraling because "Umbrella destroyed his beautiful town." He traps and kills police officers and innocent civilians, basically rants to Claire about how power hungry he is and he is the one who gets to choose who lives and dies in his police station. Basically, we see point blank that Irons is egotistical and wants nothing more than to keep that power for himself. A corrupt police chief who shows how money and power twist a person for the worse.

In RE2make, he is reduced to just a sick man who physically beats up the young female characters and just wants to torture people. While the bribes are still (briefly) mentioned in this game most of Irons' character is now "Look at how sick this guy is! Isn't he scary? Wow! He's so scary isn't he?" There's nothing about his need and desire for power and control over his city and police station (hell, he leaves the police station 3 seconds after he's introduced!). Sure, you could argue it's implied, but this is a perfect example of Capcom not really committing to something it strongly depicted in the past.

Looking at RE4 Remake, a similar issue occurs! The original game was vehemently anti-American. The file "Our Mission" is the most explicit you can get. Yet the remake tiptoes around it and honestly ends up more patriotic! Leon's role as a government agent is glorified, Ashley wants to be an agent, Krauser gets told off by Leon for not trusting the American government, and the lack of Saddler appearances all contribute to this! Death Island and Infinite Darkness had similar problems of Capcom calling out the American government but then backtracking at the last second. I want them to just stick to a theme for once! Not alluding to one or tiptoeing around it. Say it!

Next on the list is one that I've stated before but the actual ethics and humanity that organizations like Umbrella toy with. A lot of the BOWs feel just like monsters you fight when a lot of them were real people with their lives taken from them. This is also why I liked Lisa Trevor from the first game's remake since she was a human experimented on and we got taken through her and her parent's journeys. OG William Birkin and Remake William Birkin are also perfect examples of this. In the original game you feel like you're fighting Birkin, but in the remake it just feels like a depersonalized monster.

Similarly, I do wish some of the themes were done more tastefully, such as the whole eugenics stuff with Spencer and the Wesker projects. I don't think it should be completely scrapped but I feel like you can't just throw that into your games and barely talk about what it means lmao

This is not really a theme but better perspectives on the female characters. This is purely a personal opinion but I think horror with female protagonists is way cooler than ones with male protagonists, and weirdly enough I think this shift happened when RE4 came out. Jill and Claire were more fleshed out and important characters than Leon and Chris when the OG trilogy came out, but now their roles have been greatly reduced to practically nothing. And why was RE6, a game where a creepy man cloned Ada Wong more about Leon, Chris, and Jake than it was about Ada herself? Also, I wish we could've had either of RE7 or RE8 actually have Mia be the protagonist instead of Ethan because I think either of those games from her perspective would be super cool to experience.

Now that I think about this, I blame this purely on the action shift because even for the male characters, I greatly prefer OG2 Leon, OG2/CVX Chris, CVX Steve than OG4 Leon, OG5 Chris, and DSC Steve (although Remake Carlos is definitely above OG3 Carlos). I want to learn more about Jill, and Claire, and Ada, and Rebecca, and Mia, and pretty much most of the female characters, and I'm so sick of seeing the male characters who are only there because they're cool action heroes.

I wish RE focused more on small communities and small isolated things. I think RE is too big now. Like starting out in a small suburban town affected by murders and experimentation and now like we've gone to multiple parts of the globe and now there's a mold baby with mold superpowers in the future and that mold is actually what started everything (totally not retconned)?? Like let's dial it back.

For the last thing I'll mention is that I wish the remakes focused on the themes of horror rather than just the aesthetics of it. Like yeah, the games are a bit darker and scarier, but they're still more action games now. I loved RE7 because of this, because the Bakers were a good horrific family both in the looks and what they represented!

I think all in all I have a lot of wishes for the franchise and I know it's completely unrealistic to wish about them and sorry for bombarding everyone with this huge wall of text! I have a lot to say lmao

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

Halfway through Staged 3 and pretty sure the reason it doesn’t “work” is the reason why Good Omens 2 does work: the natural progression of David and Michael’s and Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationships respectively is codependence. One show understands this, but the other doesn’t

tl;dr At bottom

Aziraphale and Crowley simply cannot exist without each other. They are “on their on side.” They have trauma bonded for centuries. When the external obstacles tearing apart Aziraphale and Crowley are removed, they’re left with their unaddressed trauma and can’t communicate their feelings

This internal conflict, which is long established, tears them apart. They are codependent yet can’t see eye to eye. This is a real conflict that feels natural

The big “a-ha” emotional moment at the end of Staged 2 is David and Michael realizing that (after every other character basically screams at them) they love and need each other. They are the only ones who understand each other; they are “on their own side”

When their external obstacles are removed, instead of exploring the intensity of their relationship and implied codependence, it forces conflict. Georgia messes with the room; Michael seems irrationally angry from the jump; the script relies on the meta nature of it for the humor. Everything feels “off,” and, well, “staged” for lack of a better word

The moment when Michael decides to go back into production because he’s jealous David did a role without him, there’s a bit of a throwaway line where he says “I can’t believe you’d do something without me.” It’s framed as jealousy of David working, but at face value, it’s, “How could you ever do anything without me?”

Exploring their codependence would have been more narratively sound and have a better baseline for comedy to come from it. However, this was never going to be possible, because while Staged isn’t “real,” inherently, because it’s meta, it kind of is

(Tinfoil hat time!)

This sounds sacreligious, but Michael Sheen is not convincing at all in this. He holds this resentment that seems to come from nowhere and feels hollow. The script isn’t helping much, but this is far lower quality wise than other performances he’s given. He does not want to be doing this shit again

Michael’s a (self-admitted) sensitive actor. He drowns himself in every role, especially Aziraphale, who he says “lol he’s literally me.” He cried on the last day of shooting; there’s absolutely no way the Breakup ™️ in Good Omens 2 didn’t affect him deeply, especially considering a 3rd season still isn’t confirmed

Imo he drags his feet because this entire season is the Breakup ™️ again, and he’s emotionally exhausted and doesn’t want to do it. If the script were better/had more levity/allowed for improv then maybe, but as it stands, it’s just a bummer, and everyone who watched it agrees

But I don’t think a plotline exploring David and Michael’s codependence would have ever happened anyway because, well, it would be really fucking awkward

Staged 1 is about them becoming friends, and, lo and behold, they actually did become close friends while shooting

Staged 2 is about them realizing how much they need and care about each other, and by their own accounts, they became much closer during this time as well

So, if Staged 3 were about them examining the closeness of their fake selves and the possible unhealthy aspects of it, that would force them to be incredibly vulnerable, not just as actors, but to their real relationship, because the events of Staged have mirrored how their friendship has developed

They are obviously not their characters on Staged, but there is a distinct pattern of a blur of real life and fiction. They run the risk of people falsely thinking they have a codependent dynamic and judging them accordingly, or, even worse, having to confront actually having a codependent dynamic, and in a very public way

I haven’t finished, so maybe their codependence is addressed, but right now it seems like it’s entirely avoided, which was a huge aspect of the ending of series 2. It makes the conflict feel forced and any interesting character exploration is blunted by antics

tl;dr In Good Omens 2, Crowley and Aziraphale are codependent, which is established, and creates conflict. Codependence is addressed in Staged 2, but barely acknowledged in Staged 3. A real point of conflict that could be interesting is ignored while forced situations are pushed instead, which aren’t as funny nor compelling

I believe personally that the ideas dried up for Simon, Michael was emotionally exhausted from the ending of Good Omens 2, and a plotline centered around David and Michael’s codependence in Staged was avoided because it would hit too close to home

Still haven’t finished it so it could turn around, but right now it feels like a big missed opportunity which came out of uninspired writing and avoiding self reflection

[opinated-user]

Lily's opinion on the stupid fucking incest game whenever she brings it up has been bugging me so I gotta get this off my chest. Disclaimer: my experience is watching one friend (actual fan) do the most incest route and letting them point out some of the stuff that can be subtle.

The main thing this friend pointed out is that even though the brother acts passive and let's the sister make the nasty decisions, the game frames him as having the power to stop it if he actually wanted to, and shows that he is actually more receptive to the nasty incest shit than he appears. So he actually ranges from enabler to active participant in all the nasty shit his sister does, but let's her take the blame because she's more obviously toxic and he doesn't want to be seen as a bad person.

I think the game is still bad but believe this reading makes the most sense, and when I see Lily's reading of pure victim and abuser, I think she's just reading the most convenient thing she can for her own projection. Because of course she has to read herself into anything that's about incest.

it's not up on your face, but it's implied that Andrew is just as horrible as Ashley, if not worse exactly because he wants to be seen as a good person... and imo, that's what makes their dynamic interesting. they're both horrible people who make each other worse and, at least to me, that causes a trainwrech effect in which i have to know where all of this is going, how bad the crash is actually going to be. i'd argue that Andrew is even more into the incest than Ashley, who does not care one way or another as long Andrew stays with her, so i agree with your friend on that interpretation. but if LO really wants to go with the idea that she feels more for Andrew and he is the victim that she, as also a poor victim who "did nothing wrong in her entire life", pressumably identifies with... then that doesn't really speak good to how much she's over Courtney, because Andrew goes out of his way to want his girlfriend to resemble Ashley... and LO is roleplaying Imoen and her sister with MO... after repeatedly trying to insist that Courtney is the one with a incestuous obsession.

ironically enough, her terrible media literacy to not recognize Andrew for the type of character that he is actually is revealing a uncomfortable amount about herself that i don't think she realizes.

[atthebell]

1, 12, and 13 for the ask game

1. Favorite theory and least favorite theory (If you have one)

favorite theory: brazilians landed on the island by accident. incredibly funny to me, has implications for all of them & for richas (the rushed thing becomes even more relevant), extra funny that cellbit is literally from the island but they didn't bring him back on purpose.

least favorite theory: that roier is also from the island. i hate the idea of everyone being secretly actually from the island, i think the more every single character is involved in the federation, the messier it gets, and i truly think roier should just be some guy who ended up there. also i do not like the idea of spiderbit knowing each other as kids and it being some kind of destiny bullshit. they chose each other based off meeting each other when they did, under those circumstances, and that makes their story better imo. also i just don't see it happening it makes no sense to me

12. Top 3 events done of the SMP (Lore or cultural)

answered previously; in no particular order: dia de los muertos, blue bird mission, & this time i'll add festa junina and spiderbit wedding bc c'mon iconic

13. Favorite build(s) on the server

also answered previously, obviously i've gotta say cellbit's castle, and i love the bone mansion now as well. i also adored bobby fields, i never would've expected spruce and roses to be such a gorgeous combo, and besides the aesthetics the meaning behind the build is so devastating and so beautiful.

[qsmp ask game]

[nekrophoria]

Fruity Asks! 🍉🥭 for Serena and 🍌🍇  for Mabon

Thank you so much for the asks! And I'm sorry it took me half an eternity to answer them >_&lt;

Serena

🍉  :    which of the four seasons suits my muse best,  and why?  

Definitely Summer.

a) She was born in Summer

b) It sorta fits her personality best imo, since summers can be harsh but are usually warm and welcoming and carry a sense of liveliness

and c) She's the kind of person who thrives in warm and sunny weather, plus she loves going swimming which is infinitely more fun in summer

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🥭  :    how important to my muse is their hometown,  or where they’re from?  are they proud of it,  or considered a hometown hero?  did they move away,  or do they wish to?

Already answered here!

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Mabon

🍇  :    how would my muse describe their childhood?  how much has it impacted the person they are now,  or will become as an adult?  around what age did they or will they start to mature,  and why?  do they wish to go back to their days as a child,  or have they embraced adulthood?  

How Mabon would describe his childhood? Simple. "None of your business."

Mabon would never disclose anything he remembers about his childhood to someone he doesn't trust 200%. And even then he really wouldn't see any good reason to talk about it with anyone.

He's an Alter of a Dissociative Identity Disorder System. Dissociative Identity Disorder is caused by prolonged early childhood trauma. Based on that alone one could say that his childhood is the reason for him existing the way he does and that it had a huge impact on him.

Although he doesn't have an emotional attachment to his childhood and perceives it more as Mel's childhood than his own for the most part, he holds a lot of negative and traumatic memories of that time, and his outlook on the world, other people, Mel, and himself was shaped by it.

Whether or when he matured through that is hard to say . For the most part I think he was forced to mature way too early in life. In other aspects (especially the more emotional and interpersonal ones) his upbringing stunted his natural process of maturing quite a bit.

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🍌  :    is my muse inclined to help others,  or will they only do it when it benefits them,  if at all?  what makes them this way?  has it ever gotten them into trouble,  or inconvenienced them?

That one was more difficult to answer than I initially thought.

Generally...he wouldn't be inclined to help, not really.

Mabon's number one priority is himself and his or the body's well being. He's got a bit of a tunnel vision when it comes to anything beyond that.

Based on the context and situation if he benefits from it however he is more than willing to help someone, although for pragmatic reasons.

There are other alters in the system who are more prone to be triggered and front when Mel finds himself in situations where people rely on him or need support, which (so far) has kept Mabon from many scenarios where he could've been put in front of the moral dilemma "Do I turn a blind eye to someone who obviously needs help?"

I think if Mabon would for whatever reasons find himself in a situation like that and he could somewhat safely assess that the person in need is truly helpless/harmless or wouldn't screw him over in the process, or if lo and behold he actually cared for the person he'd have more trouble turning a blind eye than he'd like or might be aware of at this point in time

[esther-dot]

Have you read GRRM's In The Lost Lands, the story that Leitmotif meta is based on? Because that's not a romantic story, the red hair character and the white wolf character aren't "in love" and they don't end up together.

(about this post)

I’m guessing many meta writers enjoyed English class in which they might have taken works from different authors, even different centuries, and used them to argue about the meaning of something like say, a color, so to find similarities in an author’s own works is a valid approach when writing about writing.

A lot of meta writers look at an aspect of one of Martin’s other works, a theme, a scene, the look of a character, and connect it to ASOIAF to try to guess at where his head is/where he’s going. It’s pretty routine in this fandom, or was last I looked, and the idea has never been it’s all a complete redux. Actually, I just googled and there’s a post on Reddit tying things from the story to ASOIAF (here). This is just a thing our fandom does. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The animal, color, food etc doesn’t have to be used the same way or mean the same thing each time for us to recognize that it’s recurring in the author’s works and look for it to happen again.

And no, I haven’t read that story, but OP didn’t claim the story was a grand romance? I didn’t feel misled by their selected quotes. Pretty sure the two characters mentioned were no heroes and weren’t happy, but that wasn’t the argument. OP just noticed the similar descriptions of the wolf to Ghost and that his skinchanger got together with a red haired / blue eyed person. For this kind of analysis, the rest of it doesn’t undermine that similarity, the idea is simply to notice something that is obviously stuck in the author’s mind as it keeps popping up. The post also talked about an incident of a character being sexually involved with someone before killing them. That’s something most of us want to believe Martin wouldn’t write into Jon’s future, but lo and behold, he has written a protag doing just that. Neither observation proves anything, it’s just good background info.

Anyway, to me, the post was what all the ASOIAF meta writers do, find some pertinent quotes, connect it to some larger idea, make a case. OP made some interesting observations imo, but each of us is moved by different ways of approaching a text/making an argument. I’ve read posts, backtracked, had to reread, and still didn’t follow the train of thought and had to conclude, it simply wasn’t for me. It’s no biggie!