#is the fandom still in the cannibalism era?

[nanaricchan]

DIRKJAKE X VORACITY

CONTENT WARNING: violence, blood, gore, body horror, cannibalism, character death

[pink-pavlove]

Big fucking spoilers babe

Okay I need to dump. I’m actually gagged Rosie is holding alastors leash. Like GAGGED! I would have never guessed in a million years. Rosie x alastor friendship has been popular in the fandom, ive seen it in so many fics and fanarts. Although when i first watched the series i thought the relationship between them was more of a friendship of convenience and mutual interest (cannibalism, power, murder) more than it was that they actually enjoyed each others company. That being said i still would have never guessed she was such an important character. Now that im over the initial shock lol, im pleasantly surprised.

Alastors backstory. First of all the way it’s presented to us; Alastor going to ask a favor from Rosie and being bitchy about it; is *chefs kiss*. I can’t tell you how much I love seeing this side of al. He’s vulnerable in a way I didn’t expect to see but also stays true to himself trying to smooze or intimidate to get what he wants. Love that for him! I loved his human version. Idc what ppl say about the mustache, *captain holt voice* “that mustache was ERA APPROPRIATE!!”

Oh no, he’s hot! Maybe it’s just cuz his voice doesn’t have the staticy overtone anymore (or maybe it’s cuz he just sounds angry) but his voice is HOT. Human al is a maniacal hottie and I will not apologize for saying it!!!

When Rosie laughs about him getting shot and killed the day after making their bond, and he goes “oh hahahahHaHHAHAHAHAHA! Yesssss… SO! funny…” all sarcastically???? Babe… I’m done. His character is so naturally hilarious they don’t even have to do too much with him.

I’m so excited to see more Vox this season. I love him deerly (haha… ha?) Him absolutely trashing the hotel and making Charlie’s life hell is a great plot point and I honestly want to see it the most. Besides a few quick glimpses of him, there was a storyboard with al and angel dust tied up, apparently Vox kidnapped them. 🥵 girl I’m too twisted to think normally about that. I’ll just leave that one alone….

All the scenes of heaven made me SO MAD!! I hate them fr. Tbh it’s such a great and intelligent commentary on our society and how we treat people we deem worthy/unworthy, (An arbitrary concept that is based in opinion not fact) and how we often let our emotions get the better of us. The way they immediately assume sir pentious forced his way into heaven, that it’s a “trick”. They refuse to acknowledge or even consider that their way of thinking, the things they have been doing, the beliefs they’ve based their society on, might be wrong. They would rather make it almost impossible for new souls (worthy or not) to enter heaven out of fear. Fear that the people they’ve oppressed and abused might fight back, and fear that there actually might be consequences to their actions (if one can be redeemed, than it would be right to assume one can also fall (they even have an example that this is already true, Lucifer!)). It’s disgusting to watch them act this way, but only because it’s so REAL! This is really how people are and it just confirms the theory that the people in heaven aren’t that different than those in hell.

I think all this backs my personal theory that people don’t end up in heaven or hell because of what they’ve done in life, but instead they end up where they THINK they belong. Sir pentious went to hell because he never forgave himself for not coming forward when he should have; for not saving people when he had the chance. So when he did have the chance to save his friends, and he acted on it selflessly, he in his mind believed he had atoned for his past mistakes. Therefore! Landing him in heaven, redeemed.

Further solidifying my theory, he hates it in heaven! I fully believe people end up in hell most of the time simply because they would have more fun there than in heaven! Heaven lowkey sucks. Having to hangout with LUTE? Or stupid fucking ADAM?? Yeah, no, fuck them! Heaven might be nice, but no drugs? No porn? Yeah I’d perfer hell too 😅🤭

Lucifer being a guest at the hotel is also an interesting addition I didn’t expect. The dynamic of the show seems much different than the first season, definitely more intense imo. Didn’t see much or any of angel or husk, (I think there’s a leaked Angel song somewhere but I haven’t found it yet) although I caught a glimpse of cherri bomb curled next to Angel on the couch and I’m really hoping that means we get to see more of her!

Anywaysssss I’m off to look for more spoilers, I’m finding all of the leaks on tiktok btw! I wanna hear you vent so come talk to me about it in the comments or dms 🫶

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; rosie

requested by ; anonymous (17/02/24)

fandom(s) ; hazbin hotel

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; rosie

outline ; “imma need some rosie (hazbin hotel) x reader smut and relationship hcs please, i'm over 18! thank youuu”

note ; we’ve only gotten one episode of content with her so this may be a smidge shaky regarding her characterisation — still, hope you all enjoy it ^^

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

rosie approaches your relationship in a way that’s a perfect mix of ‘modern’ dating and ‘traditional’ courtship — or, in other words, she makes an effort to take things slow and properly woo you whilst also not being afraid to have fun with you or do things to leave you flustered and speechless (she’s a gentlewoman for the most part, but she just thinks you look so cute when you’re like that and there are times when she can’t help but be a bit of a flirt)

her pet names for you are also a mix of terms that are considered more ‘modern’ and those that are recognised as more traditional to the era she lived — for example she’s just as likely to call you ‘sugar’ or ‘sweetheart’ when asking you to check on something she’s left in the oven as she is to call you ‘darling’ or her ‘angel’ when you fetch her something she’s forgotten without her having to ask (always followed up with a kiss on the cheek, obviously!)

her main love languages are words of affirmation and acts of service, though she’s happy to indulge in the others as well if those resonate with you a bit more — she’s nothing if not an attentive lover, after all

giving words of affirmation comes naturally to rosie and you’ll rarely go more than a few minutes in her company without her complimenting something about you (your hair, your makeup, your clothing, a joke you just said, a witty comment, or something that you’ve done that she liked) but she also appreciates being on the receiving end of these affirmations every once in a while — compliment her new dress or hat, praise her cooking (especially if you’re gushing to someone else but are still in full earshot of her), tell her how gorgeous she is, laugh at her jokes, affirm how absolutely smitten you are with her, etc.

likewise, as much as she loves to cook and bake for you (even going so far as penning a cookbook dedicated to all of your favourite recipes and keeping note of any textures or flavours you don’t like), she always appreciates you going out of your way to do something nice for her in return, no matter how small of a gesture it may be in the grand scheme of things — make her a cup of coffee in the morning before she’s fully woken up, help her prepare an outfit for the next day, make note of what she has in stock and go out and buy the ingredients in advance to make her day go that bit smoother, go and deal with susan so she doesn’t have to leave her station, do the chores on the days where she’s working late and you’re home alone, etc.

and, as was mentioned before, she’s also receptive to indulging in the other main love languages if those make you feel more seen and appreciated than the two that work best for her

if you thrive off of quality time then you can guarantee that rosie will be going out of her way to leave her cafe and join you for lunch and a lovely little walk and talk around cannibal town everyday — in addition to your weekly more ‘formal’ dates, of course

if it’s gift giving that makes you feel the most loved then she’ll be sure to always set aside a portion of your favourite treats that she’s made each day to bring home to you, as well as making the occasional stop at the various quaint little shops around town whenever she sees something you might like — and that’s not even to mention how much she loves spoiling you with love letters and larger gifts on your birthday and your anniversary (though she does that regardless of whether this is your primary love language — she just loves showing off how well she’s able to provide for you)

and, finally, if you’re someone who finds physical affection to be of immense importance in a relationship then you’re in luck when it comes to rosie because she has no qualms about being affectionate with you in public or in private — of course she’s always going to be a bit more reserved in public but that’s due to her upbringing and, even still, she’s far from conservative or neglectful of your love of touch when in the company of others

a few examples of her go-to types of pda include: linking arms when walking through town, pecking you on the cheek or lips whenever you visit her at her café, resting a head on your shoulder whenever you’re sat side by side, rubbing circles on the back of your hand when you’re sat across from each other, reassuringly squeezing your hand whenever you seem to be nervous, and placing a hand on the small of your back or on your shoulder when you’re stood beside her and talking to someone — nothing too over the top, but just enough that everyone who sees the two of you together knows that you’re an item without either of you having to say anything

she’s not as overtly protective as other overlords may be, but she’s excellent at quietly disposing of anyone who disrespects or harms you in anyway — she is a cannibal, after all, so it’s as easy as can be for her to hide a body

rosie is your biggest supporter in everything you do and is always there to lift you up and to catch you if you fall — ready to offer her congratulations and encouragements as readily as reassurances and her help however she can if she sees you struggling

[thecoolerliauditore]

THE SHEPSCAPADES COMIC! That was to me (and from my perspective to the fandom) the turning point of “ok, im not imagining this”. It doesn’t change any dialogue or anything, it just gives the characters facial expressions and yet it’s almost impossible to interpret the interaction in any way other than the relationship not being good.

The dl era, to me, was a lot of trying to ignore the implication of ranchers fanon lore being that, for once, someone is being nice to Jimmy. People could see the difference in their interactions, which made the abusive behaviour all the more difficult to ignore, and yet acknowledging this directly would be labelled shipping discourse and no one wants to be THAT fan, right? But the tension growing was palpable.

I also would like to add that once I decided to scroll through anti-toxic fh blogs to try and understand why they think like that and… a lot of it was just “well it makes me feel gross”? And I get it. Cannibalism and mass murder are, to most of us, a very distant concept, so it’s more comfortable to engage with than the horrors of the mundane, especially when applied to a queer character. But that doesn’t mean it’s any better than talking about domestic abuse.

The last paragraph is phrased weird but i don’t know how to write it better so i hope it’s understandable.

That comic was patient zero in "oh my god other people see it too" for so many of us, I think. And yeah like you said it sticks very close to what happened taking into account tone of voice and everything. Adaptations of that sequence are like an almost surefire test to figure out what someone's interpretation of FH's relationship is and I think that's wonderful.

Big agree on the ranchers lore and I would argue Pearl's POV also has a similar effect where it forces you to acknowledge Scott not being the best ever. Funnily enough I watched the ranchers pov before the FH pov and didn't really see any of the post-FH horrors until I watched FH. I just kind of assumed when people said Tango was the first person who treated Jimmy as an equal they were putting "and Scott too but that was a season ago" in footnotes. But no they meant full-time and they'd be right lmao

My favourite example of Jimmy expecting the worst is this interaction he has with Bdubs where he essentially gets a bucket for free when the ranchers were struggling for iron and tells him to not tell Tango because he's scared he'll get yelled at. Like there is literally nothing Jimmy has done here that would be remotely considered reasonable to yell at him for but he's so afraid of having agency and making his own decisions at this point he just defaults to assuming his partner will be upset at him. (FYI I think this is more a result of how everyone treats him - Southlanders certainly did not help - but getting mad at Jimmy for doing literally anything except sit still was something Scott was especially privy to)

Don't worry I think your point was clear enough on that last paragraph, I kind of roll my eyes when people try to use distance as an excuse to justify why some dark topics are okay but others aren't, but I can't talk too much about this because I find it annoying and will probably end up saying something that feels mean lol.

Redirecting this once again to Bree's post about how hostile the language people use when talking about this discourse is to abuse victims e.g. "why can't you be NORMAL and write about NORMAL relationships and let them be NORMAL" which I think partially comes as a direct result of refusing to engage in abuse storylines and thus not being sympathetic to these portrayals or the people who write them.

And aside from that it's not even like. abuse and toxic relationships themselves are the issue sometimes. Obviously generalizing here a bit but I see a lot of the same people who find toxic fh "gross" gas up interpretations where Jimmy cheats on Scott or otherwise treats Scott horribly. Not to mention Pearl and her storyline getting turned into "girl who is mad gay man won't date her".

It just uh. sometimes feels as though the "grossness" is coming from a need to defend Scott's honour than a need to disengage with these themes entirely, which rubs me the wrong way.

(not to mention that I do think calling abuse storylines "gross" in of itself might have some unfun implications attached but I've said enough)

[tackyink]

This was supposed to be for @asususasa but in the middle of writing I thought this could be useful for someone else, so here's Tacky's general list of otome recs. It took me over an hour to write so I'm not proofreading it.

DS

Not much to say here because back in those days otome games didn't get localized. The stand outs are Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 1st Love Plus and Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Season, who have English fan translations. Slice of life games where you play as the protagonist through her three years of high school. And if you feel like a student-teacher romance that would make Sakura Kinomoto's mom proud, these are your games.

PSP

Still well into the no localizations era with one exception: Hakuouki Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. Not recommending it on PSP because there are better versions. Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 3rd Story Premium also has a fan translation and should be played over its DS counterpart because it has added functionalities. Sadly this time around the teacher is a secret character and a shota.

3DS

There's Hakuoki Memories of the Shinsengumi. Still not recommended because we can do better.

PS3

Hakuouki Stories of the Shinsengumi includes the original game and the fandisk with some neat animations added. This is the version to play if you want the original experience. If you want even more routes, go for another version.

Vita

Hakuoki Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms, Collar x Malice and Amnesia are the best games you can get for the Vita imo. Some people dig a lot the Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk and Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly (I've only played BB, it was good but wasn't the best; wouldn't rate it as high as the others). There's Code Realize and its two fandisks (Future Blessings and Wintertide Miracles) and many people swear by them, but while I liked the common route in the first game, the rest didn't do it for me. You can find all of these except CxM and the CRs on Steam, and the Hakuoki games get dirst cheap on sale. Best bang for your buck of the saga. The CR games have PS4 ports and CxM has a Switch one, which you already know.

Switch

*rolls up sleeves* LET'S GO.

To get it out of the way: Hakuouki KW and EB are getting a Switch rerelease and a new translation and will be released as a single game, Hakuoki Chonicles of Wind and Blossom, on August 1st.

Collar x Malice fucking nails the mystery and lowkey horror vibes with and excellent plot that's interconnected in every route. CxM Unlimited is its fandisk and only recommended if you really have the CxM itch, because it's mostly fluff and the little plot there is is at most functional. It has a route where Ichika joins Adonis and you get to see its inner workings though. That was very interesting.

Bustafellows is 100% found family vibes with a very assertive protagonist. It's a mystery/action story and the team dynamics are sort of Ocean's 11-ish. Hilarious, heartbreaking at times, I've never felt more dread in a game than heading towards the basement in a certain's guy's route. There are two unlockable stories after you finish the routes of the guys, one of which I thought was glorious, another which sets up a sequel and is a big downer but I also really liked. It gets heavy at times with murder, suicide, sexual assault, human trafficking, among other kinds of violence, but despite it, it's generally a very funny and upbeat game. We're getting the sequel next year. Also available on PC.

Café Enchanté baits you with the premise of being a girl who manages a coffee shop patronized by handsome supernatural beings, so it's a real surprise when the cannibalism shows up. Anyway. Great game, but I'm afraid saying more would kind of defeat the point. Reminds me of Megami Tensei games, so if coffee shop AUs with supernatural world-ending threats are your thing, go for it. Just be warned that the fandom has kind of collectively agreed that poster boy's route never happened.

Birushana is a hidden gem that goes on sale super cheap and is also probably a hit or miss thing. You play as the legendary Yoshitsune, who in this game is a girl disguising her gender, but she's an amazing warrior as in history. It has the best otome couple I've ever seen, bar none, with Yoshitsune and Noritsune. The game is worth the price just to see them fall in love on the battlefield and watch Noritsune chug down Respect Women Juice all the way through it. The thing is... the rest of routes aren't great. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed how utterly unhinged they got at times, but the plot got worse as it deepened. Still. Noritsune. And I loved that most of the guys respected her as a warrior and were aware she was as capable or a better warrior than them and she didn't need a man to protect her. Very refreshing. One of my faves got done dirty by the translation because they started pulling lines out of thin air to make him creepier. Just him. Why. It's not like he needed the help.

Virche Evermore Error Salvation is also a good one if you can handle continuous drama and see egregiously bad science and say, "You know what? It's magic. Humans in this world are just built different." The worldbuilding is really interesting and the characters very enjoyable, though they don't feature a lot in each other's routes or aren't that friendly with each other. The continuous tragedy may tire you out, or maybe it'll work and emotionally destroy you. It didn't get any emotional reaction out of me until a certain point near the end, but I enjoyed the game a lot, nevertheless. We're getting the sequel this November and I'm really looking forward to it.

Variable Barricade: a fun romp where a young heiress has to chose a fiancé among the four disaster bachelors her grandpa has selected. It's not really similar to Ouran, but it reminded me a little of it at times. It's a pretty light game. The BFF is a gothic lolita otaku who has the time of her life shipping you with the guys, and the butler... oh boy the butler.

Amnesia, as I mentioned earlier, has a PC port as well as the Vita version, as well as two localized fandisks for the Switch (Amnesia x Crowd) that I can't speak of because I haven't played them yet. The protagonist has supernatural amnesia and must piece together her life while avoiding that other people realize she's lost her memory. It's a super intriguing game the first time you play, really nailed the being completely and utterly lost in the protagonist's shoes. A required play to get in on the cage jokes. It's sort of a rite of passage for otome gamers.

Jack Jeanne has probably the best group dynamics of any otome I've seen. I think some people have issues with the protagonist because they find her passive, but to me she felt the complete opposite. Everybody is adorable. A sentimental story of hard work, being young and and fighting for your dreams, 10/10, no notes. I lied, there's a note: Tanakamigi deserved a route! Where is our Tanakamigi route! щ(゜ロ゜щ)

Last but not least at all, the two Piofiores. Mafia games where all trigger warnings you can think of apply. Well, maybe not the cannibalism, that's still Café Enchanté's crowning glory. Fated Memories, the first one, has its ups and downs, but has very enjoyable characters, rock-solid worldbuilding, an amazing atmosphere set in 1920s Italy with a jazzy soundtrack that ends up living rent free in your brain. The last routes of the first game, Gil's and Finale, are worth the full price of the game alone. Piofiore Episodio 1926 is a masterpiece of the otome genre. It doesn't have a single boring route, and the final stretch (Advent Calendar-Alternativa-Secret Character route) has the best writing I've seen in an otome. Lots of points of view and situations interconnecting, an excellent final couple, top notch interactions between the main characters. Just the best.

[marichild]

heyheyhey 3 and 4 for the fic ask game ?

*slides in* *puts on peace sign* HELLO TO THE BEST AKU STAN EVER <3

3. Do you have any upcoming WIPs? How fat along are you with them?

QUITE A FEW ACTUALLY! since you're my bsd moot I shall give you a small list of the ones I'm focused on posting at least by January <3

ALREADY BASKING IN THE SUN — kunikidazai canon, slice of life vibes, pining & fluff. teen and up. currently the first scene is written and I hope to have it out next week!

IF WE MUST BECOME SOMETHING — soukoku, dazai & atsushi, festivals, based on that absolutely lethal wan! panel. yk the one. with the fireworks. teen and up. it's half written!! I just need to write out the final scenes and post next week hopefully

WHERE MY PULSE BEATS — soukoku college/high school au, band member!chuuya, soloist!dazai, whatever you can use to describe pre-dark era soukoku to lovers, explicit, I am still plotting this out very randomly

UNTITLED — soukoku canon relationship fix-it, missing scenes vibes, post-dead apple & post-cannibalism arc, explicit. still writing out random scenes to see how well it all fits together

UNTITLED — fyozai, vague college au, straight up just discussions of suicide. ghost!fyodor. mature. making notes for it and reading fyozai fic (giggles my fav bsd ship ever) to properly cement characterization!!

4. Tell me about one of your abandoned WIPs. Why did you abandon it?

AHDHHSHD I'LL COPY PASTE MY REPLY TO THE OTHER ASK!!

hoo boy. so, there was a sort of ambitious au I tried to write once—have you heard of twin star exorcists? I'm an anime enthusiast of it since I got pretty frustrated with where the manga was going what with the constant delays and derailing from the main point and the author not staying consistent with details, etc. that being said the anime doesn't fill a lot of gaps that should have been filled.

so while I was still pretty active in the kpop circles—which I probably will go back to soon lol when I feel less icky about the people I was beefing with—I tried to write a TSE au. while it wasn't my brightest idea to transpose a bunch of Koreans onto a Japanese setting, I also underestimated how difficult it'd be to handle all those canon details.

plus, exorcism is very heavily based on Buddhism, specifically in Japan, so I was just like. well am I prepared to potentially insult an entire faith. (research goes a long way kids! don't listen to younger mari) and I just sort of...let it falter and it doesn't even exist in my wip folder anymore </3

(it also involves a forced arranged marriage and the topic of being forced to have a kid, essentially, and I didn't want to genderbend anyone for it, so my solution was a trans man who was at least somewhat interested in having kids biologically one day, like me. once again, I didn't feel I did a very good job of it, and it was a little daunting to write it knowing that i did want at least a semi explicit scene that, once again, reflected me as a person. being a minor at the time, I let the idea go. and I was also much less confrontational at the time so I didn't think I could handle it if anyone was being weird about it lmao—which I fully can and will at this point.

that being said, I did write a fic about a trans man having a kid for a different fandom earlier this year, so I'm linking it if you're interested! very fluffy and family fun. and not explicit. though be warned, it is rpf lol)

HOWEVER!! I've actually considered picking it up again and rebranding as a soukoku au? once again, enemies to lovers, my transchuu agenda, my dazai can be any gender agenda, EXORCIST PRODIGIES, one of the characters has no idea where they came from and has a whole Bit about questioning their humanity. i.e. arahabaki parallels. there are a few gaps I'm trying to work out but it's definitely an idea haha)

fic ask game

[bearofohu]

forgive me ive been in the hospital for almost a week and im being unwell about professor layton again

yknow being a wretched old man in the layton fandom it has been truly interesting to see how the sexyman ecosystem has shifted

bc like, clive was our onceler for so long. like he was our sad sad shaking lil sopping dead parents british evil orphan man and his chokehold over the tumblrinas was legion for the longest time

and like during the lmda/lmj era before nwos was announced i remember randall was kind of contesting the spot a bit but like a crazed hamster in a petco enclosure clive was still totally cannibalizing the competition

but now that nwos is coming every time i boot up the tumbler and check on my layton mutuals like im an emotionally removed scientist checking on the fucked up mice utopia, all i see is them being aggressively undiagnosed about desmond sycamore

and like call me hershel in the curious village intro scene the way this be piquing my intellectual curiosity. bc like i always figured if any part of that fucked fake french man would be a sexyman it would be descole. like hes always been part of the wretched patheon of sexymen, and imo was tied with randall in terms of ppl who were studying him like a bug

but like now ppl are just in heat like 900k word ABO fic style over desmond sycamore, not his objectively more fucked up and evil frenchman fursona, and its BOGGLING my mind like i dont get it.

how did we go from this is my scrimblo scrumbly clive who massacred thousands of people in his sad parentless fortress to this is my scrimblo scrumbly desmond sycamore who is widowed and such a sad miserable wet geek crying all the time in his failcringe little airship i want to impregnate him like what is going ON

[wide-eyedbrowns]

yellowjackets team (alive by season 2) rating and ranking

1. Misty - 9.5/10

i said she was annoying but like i get her now. in both the crash and adult timeline, she has the best story and characterization. maybe because her actresses are so great, but definitely her whole arc is unrivaled.

2. Nat - 9/10

her storylines in both arcs are extremely good. definitely the most important yellowjackets member along with misty, i love their little tandem. i just don't like her purple era but she did find a daughter there!

3. Shauna - 9/10

make up your fucking mind girl! one minute she's against lottie's weird cult shit, the next second she's chasing natalie so she can kill her for food and say the wilderness chose! however her craziness post-birth must be a sort of post natal psychosis. adult shauna makes up like 7 points of the 8.5, she's the better shauna for me because she's a straight up loser with an equally loser husband.

4. Coach Scott - 8/10

high ranking out of pure pity like i am so worried for this man. i hope he's still alive and he's experiencing time-traveling hallucinations or whatever, since time traveling is a pretty big theory. i wish he does survive and all the paul scenes are his present scenes but he's gone off the rocks and thinks he's still in the wilderness. this dude is the only one not extremely or supernatully fucked up bc he didn't participate in the cult thing hopefully. BURN THEM CABINS DOWN BAYBEEE

5. Lottie - 7.5/10

when your schizophrenic dreams are misinterpreted by the rest of the group and you're forced to be the face of cannibalism 😂😂🤣🤣. robbed shauna of her cannibal crown. was just being un-medicated then the rest of the team decided to honor her like a god. there were times were she was annoying but you realize she quite literally has done nothing but every single sidekick of hers decides to speak for her and it just goes wrong every single time.

6. Taissa - 7/10

tie. extremely curious about the bad tai and the man with no eyes, which serves as the only "supernatural" event in the series shown that is not in the wilderness or post-wilderness. it would be fucking crazy if tai was the one who bought "It" in the wilderness instead of it like actually already being there, like maybe that was their home? with all the cult symbols or whatever. sometimes i do just find her boring im sorry, she's just like shauna she's extremely indecisive and it's pissing me off! only 7 bc FREE SIMONE ❤️ joking

8. Travis - 7/10

i pity this man so much but sometimes he's boring and his season 1 arc had me skipping scenes. but his brother went missing, "died", came back, then actually died and then no one said "sorry we had to give up your brother to the wilderness, it was either nat or him and the wilderness chose him! we honestly could've atleast tried in helping him get out of the ice cold water but we were hungy". like can we please give this man a break? i wouldn't be surprised if him and natalie refused to hunt for them, if they're all just going to pick cards and eat each other, why hunt for deer, right?

9. Van - 5/10

i feel like one of the only people with a dislike for van's character like. lottie dickrider, i get you "owe" the wilderness for letting you live like you're obviously the favorite but the way she treats the other yellowjackets pisses me off, especially when she straight up said to travis she wasn't ashamed for sacrificing javi? why is she a stronger indoctrinated christian than lottie? i wish they reveal more about her because to be honest her character's a bit of a blank slate, it would be amazing if they start showing a more deeper relationship between her and whatever's in the wilderness. i feel like, in both the show and the fandom, van doesn't have much to her character without tai. her only storyline without tai is with her mother, which we were shown barely 30 seconds of.

10. Mari - 3/10

i just need her gone

11. girl with the shoulder length hair aka pit girl contender number 56 - 2/10

i remember one line of hers and she was rude to shauna and i just didn't like it

12. lesbian w the cap - 2/10

rude to shauna! dye your hair black and i'll give you a bigger role as possible pit girl number 57

[weaselandfriends]

You previously mentioned a skepticism of serially-written stories. Do you think the serial format has downsides beyond the obvious difficulty of editing? It seems to me like the backlog you keep lets you edit chapters in the light of ones that will appear shortly, while obviously you can't really remove a chapter that didn't go anywhere if you released it 20 weeks ago; are there other ways that you think serial writing can damage a work?

Yes! You are, amazingly, talking to someone who read Homestuck after all.

Serial writing has an element of a collaborative project, especially in the internet era where it's so easy for an author to receive direct and immediate feedback. This is, I believe, almost exclusively a bad thing (at least in literature). I wrote a story, Modern Cannibals, about the dangers of a fanbase allowed too close to the creator of their fandom, but in that book I didn't touch so much on the impact on the work itself. Ironically, I personally think Homestuck has one of the most interesting and unique author-fandom collaborative elements possible in a serial work, though this interest is developed solely through what I view as Hussie's growing, seeping disdain for his readership, which manifests throughout Act 6 as a series of increasingly bitter and less good-natured jabs at them. (See: Calliope, the Dancestor trolls and especially Hussie's self-insert comments about them, the literal DOTA followed immediately by his self-insert making its most direct influence on the narrative yet, and a generally increasing nastiness that would culminate in the Epilogues, his master stroke.)

At the same time, though, Act 6 succumbed to incredible bloat (not unlike a RoyalRoad Patreon trap? Only with merch instead of Patreon), became mired in ancillary romantic shenanigans, lost focus of what it wanted to do with most characters and instead crystallized them into some fandom-encouraged configuration (Rose and Kanaya both essentially stop having any meaningful character moments the instant they hook up), brought back Vriska???????? (did the fandom even want this? Or just the devil whispering in Hussie's ear?), and ended the story on a saccharine note that sought inoffensiveness above all else. Indeed, the entire crux of the lousy Act 7 animation seemed to be, at least as Hussie explained it, a reference to the fandom meme "Homestuck is anime." A reference that fell hopelessly flat. How many other niche fandom-specific injokes populate the pages of Act 6, now blisteringly incomprehensible?

Several of these problems were possibly caused by behind-the-scenes issues related to the Kickstarter (which is itself an issue that would only ever exist for a serial work). Still, the point comes across, and this is a work I think pulled off its serial nature better than most.

On the flip side, you get stuff like Game of Thrones - or 90 percent of all long-running TV shows. There's a reason you have the phrase "jump the shark." Though now known generically as a synonym for "gets bad," the original jump the shark moment involved Fonzie, a character who started as supporting cast and who, over time, in response to his popularity, nonsensically became the lead. When fans like something, they want more of it. Some good things are best in moderation, however, and an author typically understands that better than an audience.

Serial writing is a good way for a beginner author to kickstart a career, gain confidence in themselves, and gather the drive necessary to pursue a massive undertaking. If Homestuck never took off, Hussie probably would've written it as a much smaller project, for instance. Once you gain that confidence and that readership, though, I recommend authors move beyond the serial format. I think that's the next step toward developing as a writer.

[aunteat]

𝟐𝟎 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

tagged by @lovevamp @leslutdepointedulac @desertfangs @hekateinhell @mothmage THANK YOU!

How many works do you have on A03? 9

What’s your total Ao3 word count? 16,182

What fandoms do you write for? Just the Vampire Chronicles right now!

What are your top five fics by kudos? Morning After, My Boy, Last Cigarette, Handspun Strings, Potash

Do you respond to comments? Yes! I’m behind on my most recent fics but I always try to reply!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hmm... Either Handspun Strings (confirms that Nicki will kill himself in the near future) or To Taste Blood (babygirl Armand is still locked in the dungeon/just beginning the Bridge of Sighs era)

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? My Boy, maybe? Daniel is definitely still going through it but at least he has a bed for the night and knows Armand will be back for him soon

Do you get hate on fics? I don't think so? Not on AO3 at least.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes, but I’m still kind of weird and uncomfortable about it! I have a couple of explicit pieces but only just posted my first fic that I’d call a PWP

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Nope!

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so...

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know of!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but I am curious what that would look like!

What’s your all-time favorite ship? Just one? DM-era Armand/Daniel is probably my favorite to write about but I also love my Children of Darkness era and Theatre des Vampire era ships with my whole heart! I would love to write Armand/Lestat one day but, I don't know, I get so nervous trying to write Lestat

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? JUST ONE? I started writing a True Blood AU with the hopes of making it a multi-chapter piece but didn't get further than chapter one — and have since cannibalized the piece to use chunks for other fics. Maybe one day I'll write something like it but will probably be closer to a one-shot!

What are your writing strengths? ASDFG I genuinely do not know! I only started really writing fics again in December/January so I’m still trying to nail down what makes a fic “good” — but I do enjoy writing them and I usually write a little every day so I’m gonna go with that!

What are your writing weaknesses? I tend to get in my own head while writing and discourage myself LMAO but also titles

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? It's fine! I've done it a few times but I'm always nervous about getting the wrong context, etc.

First fandom you wrote for? Warrior cat girlies (gn) wyaaaa

Favourite fic you’ve written? I think Handspun Strings is my favorite right now! Armand and Nicki's dynamic has been haunting me since I read TVL so it felt good to put it to words!

[aegor-bamfsteel]

Would Victarion qualify as a himbo 😋

Keep in mind that I’m no expert on the study of himbos; for a more thorough response, I suggest asking the community’s local himbologist and resident Victarion era historian, istumpysk.

According to Wikipedia, the most recent definition of himbo is “associated with a positive masculine archetype of being attractive, stupid, but also kind and goodhearted”.

Victarion describes himself as “Though his hair was flecked with hoarfrost, he was as strong as he had ever been, with a bull's broad chest and a boy's flat belly” (AFFC The Iron Captain), so getting on in years but still strong and muscular. He doesn’t consider himself particularly handsome, and you could chalk that up to him being modest, but other male members of his family are considered handsome (Theon, Euron) by outsiders and he isn’t. I guess his attractiveness is a matter of personal taste, as it’s not stated in the text.

The author has said on several occasions that Victarion is “dumb as a stump”, and some of his gaffes are fairly memetic in fandom (wearing plate armor on a ship, not knowing the Dothraki Sea is made of grass, following Euron’s orders, trusting in Moqorro, leaping right into uncle/niece incest when Asha suggests an alliance). Even Victarion himself—despite normally limited self-awareness—seems to understand he’s a little slow, as in “Euron Crow's Eye had oft made mock of him when they were boys. So had Aeron, before he had become the Damphair. Their mockery oft came disguised as praise, and sometimes Victarion had not even realized he was being mocked. Not until he heard the laughter.” (ADWD The Iron Suitor). So we can say he’s not the brightest.

As for kindliness, the author refers to him as “a bully and a brute” and he does demonstrate some of that with beating four men and a woman to death with his bare fists, strangling a man to death with a demonic fire hand for calling him a fool, pretty much everything he did with Kerwin (including having him chucked in the sea because he didn’t heal him), slapping the tongueless woman for hissing at Moqorro, burning 7 slave women alive to Rhllor, ordering a man whipped because he doubted Moqorro, then there’s his attitude toward slavery…but compared to some of the more sadistic ironborn typified by Euron, he’s downright decent (Euron would’ve killed the tongueless woman, along with the enslaved people on the ship, and actively sells people into slavery for gold or forces them into cannibalism). Of course, that doesn’t mean much to the characters he’s hurt/killed, but to readers who are willing to see his…intentions, maybe it’s all ok. I personally don’t see him as goodhearted, but I guess I’m a softy.

Since the modern himbo must combine the traits of stupidity, attractiveness, and kindness, in my opinion Victarion has only one, thus he does not count. A phrase I’ve seen used for his nephew Theon, “squidiot”, seems more appropriate. However, I’m not an expert, and those willing to read attractive and kind qualities in him may consider him a himbo.

[siriusly-sapphic]

3 10 23

choosing violence ask game

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Not tumblr, but I saw a twitter discussion the other day where people were arguing over whether it was more morally bankrupt to like incest or cannibalism. (That was the argument, but it was actually "are you a worse person if you love Hannibal or if you love HOTD") and... that whole debate. Just. Why.

10. worst part of fanon

basing this on the marauders era... honestly anything jegulus/rosekiller? but then I also don't really consider that fanon, per se, it's more "very popular headcanon in this corner of the larger marauders fandom". So I don't know if it counts.

Hmm. Maybe Marlene with a mullet. Idk, I just hate mullets, 90% of people can't pull them off and I don't wanna pretend otherwise. They remind me of trashy Dutch tv lmao and Marlene would never. I like to picture her with some wild curls, personally, but anything except a mullet is good. But again is that even fanon? it still feels like a niche headcanon. I think I kinda like most fanon actually.

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

This is a cheat bc it wasn't the ship that turned me off it was the shippers, but marylily. I kiiinda dismissed it from the get go because I saw some tiktoks by people that kinda gave me the vibes of "only talking about this one wlw ship to prove they don't hate wlw" and then I read like two oneshots and they even read the same way, so I gave up on the whole ship.

Later, though, there was a great discussion in the @hpsaffics server about them and by just focusing on the ship and not the mildly bothersome crowd I first encountered it in, I really turned around on it lmao. There is SUCH potential there to be so so so interesting, so I'm kinda sad they initially left such a bitter taste in my mouth.

[eclipsecrowned]

anyway since i'm going out of my head: muses that would have tiktok presence, and how. any muses listed that are deceased as of canon have a survival au where they are still fucking around into the modern era.

bruce: tiktok's beloved uncle. everyone loves his official account, and the crossovers he does on his kids channels. likes to flex and show off his awesome aging playboy style. sometimes does challenges. stop tagging him in batman videos-- bonus! cryptid footage of the bat around gotham that is shot like a found footage horror film.

jonathan: is not on tiktok, but has seen the horrors due to his fellow rogues finding it hysterical to torment him with the fact he's an internet sexyman. there are fancam edits of him. there are thirst edits. this fucks him up severely because good lord, he is meant to embody fear itself, why are these fools not quivering in fear? he hates everything about this.

kayden: just speedpaints of her commissions or little grwm content. she's not super attached to the platform but it is a good way to get her name out there as an artist that takes commissions. the bonus anonymity of her account in particular means its a safe place to socialize without people connecting her to her father's criminal activities.

jeannie: prolific background event in her teenagers videos. a polite mom who knocks if the door is closed, but if they're shooting in the yard or a communal living space, she will stumble through with impunity. there's an outtake compilation that is nothing but jeannie stepping into the room going 'hiiii <3' at her only child.

mercy: likes to show off her design space or projects or footage of her work on runways on her account. is regarded as a sweet goth mom. sometimes goes live in the dead of night and reveals little facets of her life, like still being friends with the man she thought she would marry after he left her for another man. brewing conspiracy that she looks a lot like a 19th century socialite, as well as a mid-century designer lost in the blitz, so basically Mercy Immortal.

zoltan: sweet old tiktok grandpa despite looking to be in his thirties. records pretty things he sees on his nightly walks -- nice dogs, moths around a streetlight, how the moon reflects on the water, all while he gently waxes poetic or in awe of what he is seeing in his thick accent. his content is so sincere if not as polished as much of the content on the app. his countrymen tend to enjoy his content more than the average user, which is fine by him, he's not exactly doing it for views.

uma: revolutionary content that the powers that be tend to try and block or shadowban. the fools. she has 70 alternative accounts. one of them that doesn't keep getting shadowbanned is just her recording what her lads do on an average day: be pretty and stupid.

mo: revolutionary content that the powers that be tend to try and block or shadowban. the fools. her bestie has made her 70 alternative accounts. like uma, she has one account that doesn't attract attention that is largely about pigeons and architecture facts about places she finds them on campus or at home.

sarah: occasionally takes to tiktok to update younger fans about her work, and has been known to react to fan tiktoks when streaming on other platforms. she's an established and published name, however, so tiktok is just another tool to her rather than her entire fandom or where she began.

daniel: what was supposed to be a business account instead turned into Mr. Molloy Is Arguing With Strangers on the Internet And He's Winning. Largely social justice arguments and censorship debates. He somehow comes across as totally cool while also relatable when arguing with others. Sometimes his husband is heard in the background recommending cannibalism instead of debate.

karin: just scrolls the app for micro-breaks whenever she doesn't have anything to do, and also to like and endorse all of kris' content like a good big sister <3 has had to explain to her boss what a troll is and that no mr. molloy they are not serious.

kris: almost exclusively makes tiktoks about lestat, her favorite celebrity and in a single verse the guy her favorite sister is dating. she is the go-to for content about him on the app. other content includes her and her bestie mahmoud getting into shenanigans around miami.

ariadne: in the modern era, she's known to post dance, party, and taste test content. out here living her best life relatively anonymously and sharing it with the internet.

melinoe: posts uncanny valley footage of her nightly outings that is taken for either very good practical effects or cg horror shorts. sometimes randomly posts a goth boy with the most beautiful voice singing and playing a very small harp by candlelight.

orpheus: is the goth boy that doesn't know he's been recorded.

danae: more likely to appear in ads on the app about her business, but also makes token appearances in her daughters videos. bridget is very passionate about ethics and pharmacology and makes some really impassioned videos or stitches on either subject, and mama will sometimes come in to support her points. more hilariously, sometimes bridget will start recording a video and danae's startled expression proves bridget just goes off when she wants to without warning.

ada: scrolls when she has downtime, makes a new account just about every week.

sheva: runs an account for her chickens :) has made the front page a few times. people just love those fluffy chickens and their mom's great voice.

crowe: glaive shenanigans. fails of the week therein. going to town on lucians that want to clown on her galahdian friends in the comments. best known for her bike videos where she works on her 'babies'

drautos: does not consent to be in his glaives videos. is in his glaives videos anyway.

stray: strictly a professional/lifestyle social media presence. has to rep the royal family in a good light, after all. tends to record messages for her audience on holidays or days of remembrance. deep down in her heart she wants to report her brother and his friends being creatures as men of their age are want to do and make videos about the galahdian plight, but unfortunately, that doesn't fit The Vision the citadel is putting out.

roxas: sick skating tricks with a side of urbex. he's having a good time now that the worst is, for now, over, and likes not just making memories of his own, but recording them for posterity. his friends are regular features.

soap: shenanigans with his peers as well as storytimes. it will become apparent in his content that gaz holds the braincell while soap and roach are just out here living their best lives without brains, shame, or common sense. weirdly knowledgeable about how those intense cleaning videos will make a number of toxic gases.

julia: anonymously posts urbex videos in full gear, and from angles that imply either drone usage or being really good at getting into high, tight corners. has made a small devoted audience to herself. her and pupper's ghost follow one another exclusively for quite a long time.

nikolai: thirst traps or gun content. no middle ground. no clear reason for any of it. man is just out here confusing everyone on the platform.

hana: i chose to believe in the modern era she is either running a momtok account about her mini me and the misadventures that shun's daughter can get into, or she runs a really helpful self-defense channel for those who, like her, are stuck in the hellhole known as k*murocho. has surprisingly great advice and move by move breakdowns if the latter.

homare: repeatedly banned for depicting illegal activities on the platform. still keeps trying. very popular with young men trying to get into the honorable lifestyle.

shizuka: nice defense attorney 'lady' who gives free advice for what people can do at every step of being challenged by the justice system. sometimes does grwm just bc they are so stylish and people keep asking about the routine. like most parent muses on this list, is sometimes a hostage of their daughter hisano's antics. got her back once by stitching into one of hisano's haul videos with the actual receipt of how much said kid spent ON A SINGLE SWEET LOLITA OUTFIT--

yuko: follows her only child in secret. has an uncanny ability to crash his streams or videos by being a sickly sweet and affectionate mom to aki-chan!!! other than her reign of terror over her son, she uses the app to find new recipes and any tips related to her hobbies.

[liesmyth]

i wanna hear the developers commentary for so savage with red desperation !

thank you for the question!!

so savage with red desperation, 1.2k, rated T, Corona and Ianthe at Canaan House

Ianthe’s hand was still on her face. “Oh, baby, I won’t leave you. You’re mine.” You are mine, Corona thought fiercely. She opened her mouth and bit on her sister’s finger, hard.

I wrote this one for Bulletproof, an event where participants request their preferred tropes/kinks and you have free reign to create nearly anything for it (any fandom, any ship). I matched on the tag "Consensual Cannibalism" so u know. Tridentarii

This fic is basically me writing out my headcanons for Corona and Ianthe's relationship around GtN era and how it must have changed when they left the Third. Before that, they were fully committed to carrying out the lie all their life, with Corona as the Crown Princess and future ruler of the House—she was the one benefiting the most from their ruse, and I think it must have been a massive shock to their dynamic when the letter arrived. I think their relationship in GtN was on the brink of unravelling—Ianthe stepping out of her sister's shadow, Corona being surprised that Babs followed Ianthe's orders over hers, Ianthe frantically thinking of a way to make Corona immortal along with her (but not telling Corona, obviously), Corona deciding to throw herself into the cavalier role so at least she could stick with Ianthe.

CODEPENDENCY. Anyway. This fic is a character study in Tridentarii Bullshit and Corona bites off bits of Ianthe about it <3

Also! Title is from Doubt by The Cure. Not for any particular reason, I have bits of lyrics and poetry in a "title inspo" file on scrivener and sometimes I dig out some of them

[lorenfangor]

I heard that #40 was super homophobic :/ so I skipped it. But now your fic is making me want to give it a try. How problematic is it? Are the characters worth it?

Okay.

Okay.

Let’s talk about #40.

The plot of The Other (a Marco POV) is that Marco sees an Andalite on a video tape sent in to some Unsolved Mysteries-esque TV show, and he assumes it’s Ax and hauls ass to save him from being captured. Ax, being Ax, has videotaped the show, and they pull it up and Tobias uses his hawk eyes to figure out that it’s not Ax, it’s another Andalite - one without a tailblade. Ax is appalled at the presence of this vecol (an Andalite word for a disabled person) and we find out that he and others of his species have deep ingrained prejudices against at least some kinds of disabled people.

Despite this, Marco and Ax go looking for the Andalite in question because he’s been spotted by national TV, and they meet a second one, named Gafinilan-Estrif-Valad. The vecol is Mertil-Iscar-Elmand, a former fighter pilot with a reputation and Gafinilan’s coded-gay life partner. The two of them have been on Earth since book 1; they crashed their fighters on the planet and have been trapped there thanks to the GalaxyTree going down. Gafinilan has adopted a human cover, a physics professor, and they’ve been living in secret ever since.

Thanks to that tape, Mertil has been captured by Visser Three, and he’s not morph-capable so he can’t escape. Gafinilan wants to trade the leader of the “Andalite Bandits” to the Yeerks to get his boyfriend back; he can’t fight to free Mertil because he’s terminally ill with a genetic disorder that will eventually kill him, and (it’s implied that) the Yeerks aren’t interested in disabled hosts, even disabled Andalite ones. Despite Ax’s ableism, the Animorphs agree to work with Gafinilan and free Mertil, and they’re successful. Marco ends the book talking about how there are all kinds of prejudices you’ll have to face and boxes that people will put you in, and you can’t necessarily escape them even if they’re reductive and inaccurate, but you can still live your life with pride.

So now that I’ve explained the plot, I’m gonna come out the gate saying that I love this book. I love it wholeheartedly, I love Marco’s narration, I love Ax having to deal with Andalite society’s ableism, I love these characters, and as a disabled lesbian I don’t find these disabled gays to be inherently Bad Rep.

that’s of course just my opinion and it doesn’t overshadow other issues that people might have? but at the same time, I don’t like the seemingly-common narrative that this book is all bad all the time, and I want to offer up a different read.To that end, I’m going to go point by point through some of the criticisms and common complaints that I’ve seen across the fandom over the years.

“Mertil and Gafinilan were put on a bus after one appearance because they were gay!”

this is one I’m going to have to disagree with hardcore. I talked about this yesterday, but in Animorphs there are a lot of characters or ideas that only get introduced once or twice and then get written off or dropped - in order off the top of my head, #11 (the Amazon trip), #16 (Fenestre and his cannibalism), #17 (the oatmeal), #18 (the hint of Yeerks doing genetic experiments in the hospital basement), #24/#39/#42 (the Helmacrons’ ability to detect morphing tech), #25 (the Venber), #28 (experiments with limiting brain function through drugs), #34 (the Hork-Bajir homeworld being retaken, the Ixcila procedure), #36 (the Nartec), #41 (Jake’s Bad Future Dream), and #44 (the Aboriginal people Cassie meets in Australia) all feature things that either seem to exist just for the sake of having a particular trope explored Animorphs-style or to feature an idea for One Single Book.

This is a series that’s episodic and has a very limited overall story arc because of how children’s literature in the 90s was structured - these books are closer to The Saddle Club, Sweet Valley High, Animal Ark, or The Baby-Sitters’ Club than they are to Harry Potter or A Series of Unfortunate Events. Mertil and Gafinilan don’t get to be in more than one book because they’re not established in the main cast or the supporting cast, I don’t think that it’s solely got anything to do with their being gay.

“Gafinilan has AIDS, this is a book about AIDS, and that’s homophobic!”

Okay, this is… hard. First, yes, Gafinilan does have a terminal illness. Yes, Gafinilan is gay. No, Soola’s Disease is not AIDS.

I have two responses to this, and I’ll attack them in order of their occurrence in my thought. First, there’s coded AIDS diseases all over genre fiction, especially genre fiction from that era, because the AIDS epidemic made a massive impact on public life and fundamentally changed both how the public perceived illness and queerness and how queer people themselves experienced it. I was too young to live through it, but my dad’s college roommate was out, and my dad himself has a lot of friends who he just ceases to talk about if the conversation gets past 1986 or so - this was devastating and it got examined in art for more reasons than “gay people all have AIDS”, and I dislike the implication that the only reason it could ever appear was as a tired stereotype or a message that Being Queer Means Death. Gafinilan is kind, fond of flowers, and fond of children - he’s multifaceted, and he’s got a terminal illness. Those kinds of people really exist, and they aren’t Bad Rep.

Second off, Soola’s Disease? Really isn’t AIDS. It’s a congenital genetic illness that develops over time, cannot be transmitted, and does not carry a serious stigma the way AIDS did. Gafinilan also has access to a cure - he could become a nothlit and no longer be afflicted by it, even if it’s considered somewhat dishonorable to go nothlit to escape that way. That’s not AIDS, and in fact at no point in my read and rereads did I assume that his having a terminal illness was supposed to be a commentary on homosexuality until I found out that other people were assuming it.

“Mertil losing his tail means he’s lost his masculinity, and that’s bad because he’s gay! That’s homophobic!”

so this is another one I’ve gotta hardcore disagree with, because while Mertil is one of two Very Obviously Queer Characters, he’s not the only character who loses something fundamental about himself, or even loses access to sexual and/or romantic capability in ways he was familiar with.

Tobias and Arbron both get ripped out of their ordinary normal lives by going nothlit in bad situations, and while they both wind up finding fulfillment and freedom despite that, it’s still traumatic, even more for Arbron I’d say than for Tobias. And on a psychological level, none of the main cast is left unmarked or free of trauma or free of deep change thanks to the bad things that have happened to them - they’re no less fundamentally altered than Mertil, even if it’s mental rather than physical. And yes, tail loss is equated with castration or emasculation, but that doesn’t automatically mean Mertil suffering it is tied to his homosexuality and therefore the takeaway we’re intended to have is “Being gay is tragic and makes you less of a man”. This is a series where bad shit happens to everyone, and enduring losses that take away things central to one’s self-conception or identity or body is just part of the story.

Also, frankly? Plenty of IRL disabled people have to grapple with a loss of sexual function, and again, they’re not Bad Rep just because they’re messy.

“Andalite society is confusingly written in this book, and the disability aspects are clearly just a coverup for the gay stuff!”

Andalite society is canonically sexist, a bit exceptionalist and prejudiced in their own favor, and pretty contradictory and often challenged internally on its own norms. In essence, it’s a pretty ordinary society, and they’re really realistic as sci-fi races go. It makes sense from that perspective that Andalites would tolerate scarring or a lost stalk eye or a lost skull eye, but not tolerate serious injuries that significantly impact your perceived quality of life. Ableism is like that - it’s not one-size-fits-all. I look at Ax’s reactions and I see a lot of my own family and friends’ behaviors - this vibes with my understanding of prejudice, you know?

“Mertil and Gafinilan have a tragic ending, which means the story is saying that being gay dooms you to tragedy!”

Mertil and Gafinilan have the best possible ending that they could ask for? They are victims of the war, they are suffering because of the war, they get the same cocktail of trauma and damage that every other soldier gets. But unlike Jake and Tobias and Marco, unlike Elfangor, unlike Aximili? Their ending comes in peace, in their own home. Gafinilan isn’t dying alone, he’s got the love of his life with him. Mertil isn’t going to be as isolated anymore, he’s got Marco for a friend. Animorphs is a tragedy, it’s not a happy story, it’s not something that guarantees a beautiful sunshine-and-roses ending for everyone, and I love tragedy, and so I will fight for this story. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it deserved better. But it’s not less meaningful just because it’s sad. Nobody is entitled to anything in this book, and it’s just as true for these two as it is for anyone else.

“It’s not cool that the only canonically gay characters in this series don’t get to be happy and trauma-free and unblemished Good Rep!”

This is one I can kind of understand, and I’ll give some ground to it, because it is sucky. The only thing I’ll say is that I stand by my argument that nothing that happens to Mertil and Gafinilan is unusual compared to what happens to the rest of the cast, and that their ending is way happier than Rachel and Tobias’s, or Jake and Cassie’s. But it’s a legitimate point of frustration, and the one argument I’ll say I agree has validity.

(Though, I also want to point out that I think there are plenty of equally queercoded characters in the story who aren’t Mertil and Gafinilan - Tobias, Rachel, Cassie, and Marco all get at least one or two moments that signal to me that they’re potentially LGBT+, not to mention Mr. Tidwell and Illim in #29 and their long-term domestic partnership. There’s no reason to assume that the only queer people here are those two aliens when Marco’s descriptions of Jake exist.)

“Marco uses slurs and reduces Gafinilan’s whole identity to his illness!”

Technically, yes, this is true, except putting it that way strips the whole passage of its context. Marco is discussing the boxes society puts you into, the ones you don’t have a choice about facing or escaping. He’s talking about negative stereotypes and reductive generalizations, he’s referring to them as bad things that you get inflicted upon you by an outside world or by friends who don’t know the whole story or the real you. The slurs he uses are real slurs that get thrown at people still, and they’re not okay, and the point is that they’re not okay but assholes are going to call you by them anyway. He ends by saying “you just have to learn to live with it”, and since this is coming from a fifteen-year-old Latino kid who we know is picked on by bullies for all sorts of reasons and who faces racism and homophobia? He knows what he’s talking about. He’s bitter about what’s been said and done, he’s not stating it like it’s a good thing.

Yes, absolutely, this speech is a product of its time, but it’s a product of its time that speaks of defiance and says “We aren’t what we’re said to be,” and in the year this was published? That’s a good message.

tl;dr The Other is good, actually, and Mertil and Gafinilan are incredible characters who deserve all the love they could possibly get.