#is this the gay version of the heroes journey?

[spectreofgreengables]

I've said it before, but I'll say it again

STOLITZ IS JUST DESTIEL IF DESLTIEL HAD BEEN CANON.

Let me explain

We are introduced to character A, a lower-class, hard-working hero type. He's been hardened through the loss of his mother, cruel treatment from an abusive father, and has high expectations for himself, because he always promised himself he'd become a better man. We see that he's an absolute prick at times, because he's developed an arrogant persona to get through life because he knows that nobody will ever be there for him.

Then, all of a sudden, our super-macho Superman needs something. And he can't fight or suppress or drink this need away. Probably something life-saving.

But here comes character B, an upper-echelon never-had-an-unfullfilled-need-in-his-life type with the power to save our hero. Originally, he's introduced as an antagonist to play with power dynamics in the plot, but the audience can't get enough of these two taunting each other. And so we get more of them, and slowly their character morphs into.. a companion role?

As time goes on, we see that lofty character B is trapped and without love (connection? friendship? purpose?) in his position of power as a "higher being," but goddamit spending time with character A just makes him feel alive. Suddenly he's questioning everything about the institution of class and power and race that separates him from his friend. Why should he be safer, richer, or worth more than character A, when clearly character A is a much better person, and deserves so much better in life?

And, at the same time, character A is learning, begrudgingly at first, that he can finally rely on someone to be there for him. He can have a weakness, and he can share his burdens.

Time passes, plots thicken, we race towards the climax of our story, and suddenly character B is forced to give up his power to save character A's life. For better or worse, they're equals now, and suddenly the power dynamic has completely reversed.

In the aftermath of losing his powers (status, rank, money, etc) character B is lost, confused, desperate in a world that makes no sense to him. And now, all of a sudden, Character A, who has never been able to provide anything for Character B, is in a position of power - but not only that - a position of care, as well.

AAAAAANYWAY Stolitz is Destiel and I think the fan artists and fic writers might find this information...potentially useful.

Thanks for reading. :)

[supernaturallyliterate]

I noticed something big about TTPD. I think that it connects to Taylor’s plans for The Eras Tour, the Yellow Brick Road / possible coming out journey, and the New Romantics / Mass Coming Out theory.

If you’re not interested in that type of content, please keep scrolling. But if you’re down to clown and theorize, come on a little adventure with me. 😉

I noticed it first with the song “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”, so that’s where I’ll start in this analysis.

I think that this song is Taylor telling both Swifties / Hetlors and Gaylors that she is tired of all the expectations and obsession with her sexuality and love life (again). She’s been walking a fine line, Easter egging for both Hetlors and Gaylors for so long. She frames it as a lose-lose situation.

DEEP DIVE ON THE LYRICS:

Your hologram stumbled into my apartment

Hands in the hair of somebody in darkness named Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

And I just watched it happen

I haven’t quite figured out the first few lines. Hologram suggests that the person who arrives isn’t real, or isn’t really there. This could be a reference to “Is that your key in the door?” from Hits Different.

First, it’s been noted before, but the switching between female and gender neutral and male names. This suggests not only multiple muses, but also multiple interpretations. And, of course the queerness of the speaker, which is assumed to be Taylor Swift.

As the decade would play us for fools

It’s been ten years since kissgate. I think when Kaylor first got together and schemed about this coming out plan, they never thought it would take ten years to come to fruition.

And you saw my bones out with somebody new

Who seemed like he would've bullied you in school

And you just watched it happen

First, “my bones” is referring to her body. For her body (pun intended) to be bones, she would have to be dead, and been dead a long time. The death of Taylor Swift. This could be referring to how she was dying inside from the closeting. Her true self was unfulfilled. It could also be referring to the beginning of the death of Taylor the Brand.

“Somebody” is still gender neutral, keeping with the ambiguity of the muse’s gender.

Yet the next line has he/him pronouns. Bearding. Taylor is bearding with a football player. We’ve seen football players bully a gay boy in the Taylorverse before.

If you want to break my cold, cold heart

Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'

If you want to tear my world apart

Just say you've always wondered

I think the first two lines are for the Hetlors. This would be their reaction to her coming out— “I loved you [your music, etc] when you were straight.” This has Cold as You implications. To the Hetlors, she would be “cold-hearted” snake who was deceiving them by pretending to be straight when she was queer the whole time.

The second two lines are for the Gaylors. I interpret “always wondered” to be about wondering and speculating about Taylor’s sexuality, with possible ties to “Wonderland”. And the first part about breaking her world—that’s what would happen if she came out as queer. Not only would her brand and public world be broken, i.e. never the same, fractured, skewed, etc. The public “betrayal” and all that toxic shit. But also, her private world would be broken and shattered. The lavender haze she and her love created, their secret moments (even if in a crowded room), their coded language, etc would all be revealed. They wouldn’t be able to hide in their own little world anymore. (Also thinking about this in terms of “escaping to a planet where they could all understand it.”)

You said some things that I can't unabsorb

You turned me into an idea of sorts

You needed me but you needed drugs more

The media, the fans, etc have said things about Taylor that stay with her. That impact her deeply. We (and yes, I’m including myself in that) have turned Taylor the person into Taylor the Brand and Taylor the Anti-Hero, etc. All these different versions of her that aren’t truly representative of her true self.

I interpret the “you needed me” as “you needed me the person” and “you needed drugs more” as the addictiveness of Easter eggs, theories, fandom, media consumption, the need for “MORE” from Taylor. (Yes that’s a callback to ICDIWABH.)

And I couldn't watch it happen

And she couldn’t do it anymore. She needed it to end. But how do you break something so carefully crafted? By carefully deconstructing it like a mastermind chess playing badass and then smashing it with a hammer and setting the whole thing on fire.

I changed into goddesses, villains and fools

Changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules

This section reminds me of Mirrorball—she changed herself into different eras and personalities. She’s been a saint and a sinner. The villain reference is very reputation coded.

She changed plans after the Masters Heist and failed coming out during Lover.

Changing lovers refers to “switching out these Kens”, her PR boyfriends.

It also reminds me of Mastermind the game, how she constantly changed her outfits and the rules for her outfits to keep people on their toes.

All to outrun my desertion of you

And you just watched it

She literally said. I’m leaving you. But I don’t want to leave you, so I’ve been dragging it out as long as I can. But I can’t run from it.

And oh, by the way, you just watched it. You just witnessed it unfold. The duplicate meanings of this line!! “You just watched it.” the heartbreak of “you saw it happening and you didn’t do anything to stop it.” And “just” as a way to tell time—you just watched it, recently. And we’ve all been watching The Eras Tour for two years (well, 1 year 8 months, as she pointed out in her speech). And it just finished.

If the glint in my eye traced the depths of your sigh

Down that passage in time

Back to the moment I crashed into you

Like so many wrecks do

Too impaired by my youth

To know what to do

So if I sell my apartment

And you have some kids with an internet starlet

Will that make your memory fade from this scarlet maroon

like it never happened

This section is so Karlie coded. They met when they were super young, in 2008. And Taylor was too young to know what to do, how to navigate being a famous person and wanting to have this queer relationship. She had to figure out if she wanted to come out or stay closeted. And she didn’t know how it would go, how it could impact their relationship.

I won’t go too in depth but the having kids line refers to her marriage and family. And Maroon the song is 100000% a Kaylor song, so she’s drawing that direct parallel here.

Could it be enough to just float in your orbit

Could it be enough to stay in this lavender haze? Could it be enough to stay in our own little world, circling each other and not caring about the rest of the universe?

Can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses

Ghosts of their past selves, when Kaylor was more open publicly? Like kissgate. But also I think about wild horses as beautiful, but easily spooked. If they know you’re watching, they’re going to run away. “I Know Places” and running from the hunters, the media, etc. So as soon as people started to notice and call attention to her queerness, she got spooked. She got scared, and she returned to the safety of the closet.

Cooler in theory but not if you force it

To be, it just didn't happen

I think these lines are her acknowledging that it is a nice to theorize about all these grand coming out plans, but it cannot and should not be forced on her and her lover by anyone—the public, the fans (hetlors and Gaylors), etc. “It just didnt happen” refers to the times she didn’t publicly come out. It could also be a reference to a Kaylor split (real or perceived) and Karlie’s wedding (which was referenced a few lines above).

And we get a repeat of the chorus, a reemphasizing of the impossible and unrealistic expectations on Taylor, and a transition to the end of the song, where she asks us a question.

If you want to break my cold, cold heart

Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'

If you want to tear my world apart

Just say you've always wondered

Cause I wonder

Will I always

Will I always wonder?

Will I always be in the closet? Will I always wonder about what it would be like to come out? To be free?

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - PUBLICATION SET FOR JANUARY 2025

Hello my dear readers,

WE DID IT! After a few weeks of wait and talks, I can finally announce that Scales of Justice has been officially accepted for publication, both on Hosted Games and on Steam! The current publication date is set for January 2025; however, if that changes, I will update you with new information.

You can now wishlist the game on Steam! Here's the link -> https://store.steampowered.com/app/3089710/Scales_of_Justice/

I am so, so grateful to everyone who has been here for me during these past 3 years. What began as a shy attempt at dreaming has grown into a marvelous project that taught me so much, brought me so many new experiences and skills, and is going to end with my first publication as an author. I cannot be more grateful and excited. I hope this is only the beginning of an amazing journey.

I am currently finishing my degree and working on preparing for the release; however, I will soon be posting a little more of my thoughts about future projects (including SoJ 2), continuing Torn Page, and being a bit more active around here. Until then, please, spread the word, and let's celebrate this together! ^^

DEMO DESCRIPTION:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy story that takes place in a world afar – a place called Therania. Albeit there was some interaction between Therania and other worlds a long time ago, now it’s solely a tale from their lost past… or, at least, that is the most common belief. Regardless, this story does not focus on extraterrestrial connections: its plot revolves around the people of Therania and their lives, their history and – what’s more important – their ‘determined’ future.

There are plenty of species living together in Therania, yet the human race is currently split in two: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controlled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other - here, the fight of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, character development, and the player's choices: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe they want to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

THINGS TO DO IN THIS DEMO:

Set off on a new adventure towards Neutral Lands, to meet a mythic creature of all answers - The Visionary.

Play as a woman, man, or non-binary - straight, gay, or asexual.

Gather up to 3 companions to help you in your quest - befriend, romance, or rival them, the choice is yours.

Buy a horse - we know you want one.

Fight, conjure, support, speak or think - choose your way of handling a tricky situation.

Explore the kingdom of Hero up to Menai's shores, in search for someone - or something - to aid you in your journey.

The DEMO version of the book runs up to Chapter 5 and contains 276K words overall.

USEFUL LINKS:

If you want to know a little more about this project and read chapters 1-5, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile → Heir to the Hero kingdom’s throne, right where your journey starts. Also, your old friend who’s very attached to you. Likes to read and practices magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of sapphire eyes.

Robert/Reina → Order’s Paladin, defender of Hero and Knight of Fate. Brave and honourable, determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis → An Outworlder caught by cultists in the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic. Has long dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria → Leader of Vannais, a recognised “villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious but temperamental. Prefers action over words and so, is always present on battlefields and amidst negotiations, even if in an unofficial manner. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and emerald eyes.

[sparklyshakespeare]

the case for hyper-femme hotspur

this is my tumblr blog and this is like kind of just what we do heresies

OK so basically okay so

first of all i think anytime there is a character who is so strongly associated with an extreme form of gender expression in our collective zeitgeist (i.e hotspur and hyper-masculinity) there’s something not only extremely fun to play with but incredibly valuable about analyzing the story from the opposite end of the gender performance specturm. also canonically there are like 3 female characters in 1h4 and that sucks. also also don’t you want to see hotspur in pink glitter? i know i do and this tumblr is not a democracy!!

in this hypothetical dream sparkly version of the play, both hotspur and worcester would be women. not played by women, i mean textually explicitly women. this is important!! 

worcester should be very nancy pelosi hillary clinton-esque in the way that this is a middle-aged woman who has been taught that to be successful in her field (politics) she will have to strip herself of most of her femininity and perform a certain level of masculinity in order to be taken seriously. this creates a whole other layer to the hotspur/worcester dynamic when all of a sudden this young, hyper-feminine woman is being taken more seriously and being given more praise than someone who has worked and fought through the bullshit and done it all “right”. she hasn’t earned her place, she hasn’t had to struggle - and worcester resents her for that. (there’s like a whole dissertation to be written about how much of 1h4 changes when only worcester is genderbent, i love you queen worcester you are everything not in this version here you kind of suck lowkey)

henry iv is just a misogynist he just kinda sucks but like this is something we all knew screw that guy

ok now we can talk about hal because i know hes like the one all you little gay people care about. 

to me, it’s never made sense why the Henriad is framed as hal’s hero’s journey. maybe it’s because i’m queer (i’m like actually positive that’s why), but leaving home and finding acceptance and family from a group of outsiders who society has deemed as worthless is the path i’ve watched so many friends walk. having to leave that and return to your shitty dad because “duty calls!” and THEN leaving behind and disavowing the same community that opened its arms to you? i don’t see that as an awesome coming-of-age about learning how to handle responsibility, that’s deeply, deeply tragic. and far farrrrr too true a reality for most members of our LGBTQ+ community here (Bible Belt). SO guess where this version of 1h4 is set!!!!!! anyways, its the Medieval Revival of the ‘70s in the Bible Belt south, the Boar’s Head is a gay bar, and hal is trans. 

hal is trans-masc in some way and this needs to be incredibly explicit (like pronouns pin with trans flag on costume explicit). and then when the news breaks, when “I’ll to the court in the morning.” (we’re cutting the text so this is where that scene ends. cool? cool. cool!), hal takes the pin off. it needs to be like A Moment. it should make me cry, and i cry really easily so that’ll probably be pretty easy to do, but this is a gut punch. 

oh and lady percy is still a woman, they’re gay, because i said so. blah blah blah because look hotspur and hal really were so alike all along and look hotspur is fighting so voraciously because she’s hungry for a world where she can openly and unabashedly be with the person she loves but ultimately because i love lady percy and i love lesbians and this play doesn’t need another man. but also because look hotspur is fighting so voraciously because she’s hungry for a world where she can openly and unabashedly be with the person she loves. worcester and vernon should also both be women and have the blossoming of a relationship but be a lot more discreet about it (worcester should be extremely hesitant). now we get a cool split between younger and older generations of activists in both the feminist and the gay rights movement oooo themes oooo motifs oooo lady gagita 

as far as hal/hotspur parallels go, it’s probably pretty obvious at this point. your dad constantly praising someone who represents, at least in his mind, the ideal concept of a woman, disappointed you can’t be more like her, all the while you’re coming to terms with the fact that you’re not a woman, but he’ll never see that, so what the fuck are you supposed to do?!? it’s a LOT! but i think there’s also something to be said about the less obvious parallel. which is that hyper-femininity is NOT an attempt at ideal polite womanhood or self-Stepfordization, hyper-femininity is in fact the extreme performance of womanhood in rejection of that. hyper-femininity is queer in nature (also hotspur quite literally has a wife but i guess hal wouldn’t be able to tell that just by looking at her) there’s something to be said about the moment hal and hotspur see each other, and then the moment hal and hotspur seeeeeee each other. and go hey, you’re just like me. this person who you’ve been constantly compared to and made out to be lesser than  because you dare to be deeply wildly madly truly you is in fact exactly the same. we’re the same. and oh my god, in another world wouldn’t it have been lovely to just like go dancing together? sucks it’s not another world now we’re going to gay fight each other i guess

[marchentraume]

I had trouble sleeping last night so I kept thinking about an Aziracrow Hercules inspired AU

Per usual I bulleted every though I have underneath:

Mostly taking beats from the disney version (with a dash of the TV series for anyone who remembers)

Angels are the Gods on Olympus, not really using the royal caste system but those like Gabriel and the Metatron are higher beings with larger titles

Demons live/work in Hades and go on Earth to make deals with humans to create servants they can use

Aziraphale is the first god "born" in eons and therefore the youngest, he is taken care of by his nanny Muriel

Lucifer meanwhile at the same time receives a vision from his advisor Beelzebub that the young god will grow to be strong enough to defeat him and bring balance to the gods, demons, and earth (spoiler: Luci doesn't want this lol)

Sends his minions Hastur and Ligur to kidnap and remove the god-essence from the little one before taking care of him (plot plot they fail to remove ALL the essence so he looks normal but has his super strength still)

Tiny vulnerable baby Azi is found by Nina and Maggie, a sweet childless couple who raise him as their own

Fast forward: Azi learns of his origins from nanny Muriel, trains for years to be a hero to prove himself, soon is ready to start his journey

Runs into seemingly human damsel Crowley (gender fluid in this version/doesn't mind any pronouns), rescues, and is immediately smitten by them

Crowley meanwhile is only a pawn, using a disguise provided by demons to hide their true Gorgon form

This was a curse put on them as a human servant to the temple of the Metatron, she was found in the arms of a favorite priest and, though it was against her will when it happened, was made to be a monster who's eyesight would turn anyone who sees them into stone

blah blah plot plot out of despair he signs a contract with Lucifer to be a lure on land and especially given the important job of watching out for/bringing down Aziraphale

Has a hard time trusting Gods, Azi is no different in Crowley's eyes at first

plot plot Azi is a hero but not a TRUE hero yet

Goes on a date with Crowley, who realizes he's in love but Hastur so rudely reminds her she's a servant, one who has proven to be useful now

Demons use Crowley to get Aziraphale to give up strength

Azi is heartbroken to learn he was lied to but still loves Crowley enough to save them (after the latter push them aside like in the movie)

Azi brings balance to the world through love/being a real hero (plot plot) and goes to save Crowley's soul in Hades

Azi is offered a place in Olympus as a god, but turns it down and asks to be with his Crowley

Also either 1) Crowley is turned human again either as a reward for being a hero or on Aziraphale's request they are given the form that makes them most happy or 2) Crowley is still a Gorgon and either we don't worry about it or Azi is just immune as a final gift from the Gods

HAPPILY EVER AFTER SMOOCHES

Oh and yes Nina and Maggie love their beautiful gay demi-god son and his beautiful Gorgon wife <3

[the-desert-beast]

OC SMASH OR PASS TAG GAME!!

Tagged by @sleidog ! (ty for the tag >:D)

Rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

ofc im doing this for my main my love of my life Maelgwynnie my bounty hunter with his idiot title of The Desert Beast

PROPAGANDA;

NAME; Maelgwyn (means "Prince of Hounds!")

AGE; In sylvari terms he awoke 1 year after Trahearne. (iirc 33 present time.) Human terms/vibes he is 40s-50s energy.

GENDER; Preferred label: none. Maelgwyn's gender is "I'm maelgwyn. ???" / "what." he doesn't have a label he uses, most people view him as a man and he/him- which he is comfortable with. Present day this hasn't channged but time to time he'll wear dresses/"feminine" things and enjoys being reffered to with she/her pronouns here and there.

PRONOUNS; He/Any. (all through out his life this has been true.)

ORIENTATION; Bisexual! High preference for people with "power" over him, people who are as if not more muscular than him, people who are much much weaker than him. reliable, strong, flirtatious, high sex drive, (doms and tops as well), a list of some of his favorite traits and preferences.

PROFESSION; Ranger. He fights alongside his tiger Paola (her colors are that of a 'golden tiger'!) who is as battlescarred as Maelgwyn himself, and abnormally large for a female tiger like her. Maolmuire his griffon serves as a combat mount and ranger companion.

BUILD; 8 feet and 3 inches tall or 251 cm tall. Shoulders are broad, waist is thin, hips are average (wide in comparison to his waist), thighs are thick. He is very muscular, weighs somewhere in the ballpark of 500lbs. has an 8pack (because im gay and its hot <3) and his body is littered with scars. he also has tattoos across his chest and arms.

OCCUPATION; semi-retired bounty hunter. pact ally. general "hero" around amnoon and the crystal desert. (maintains a positive reputation as a protector/reliable Peoples' Hero.)

PROS;

EXTREMELY loyal; will always be there for You

protective; he'd do anything to keep his starlight (partner) safe. (this sometimes borders on possessiveness but never anything to demand concern; he just gets a little insecure now and again and needs a little reassurance. gradually into a relationship, this fades to something much more endearing/completely harmless.)

Loves animals; if you have a pet they're part of the family now. he'll easily and efficiently take care of any of their health problems and keep them very happy and dote on them. he loves animals, especially cats.

Affectionate; he is so goddamn physically affectionate, he's not good with words so instead he chooses to touch and kiss and hold and snuggle. its his favorite way to show that he loves his partner.

CONS;

Maelgwyn suffers from a few things mentally that cause him to believe he is unlovable and cause him to isolate himself, so long term relationships with him can be demanding. he's making progress on these things on his own slowly but surely; a supportive partner helps him close the gaps much faster,

his insecurities can get the better of him now and again; unfortunately he has to be cornered into having some of the important conversations here and there. this too fades with time as he heals, but its taxing to put up with in the first year.

He is, at his core, trying his best to heal and become the best version of himself he can. joining him on that journey can be tiring and taxing but the good parts make up for it and soon enough; only the good parts remain.

(kinda wrote this like a dating sim and not smash or pass so uh onenight stand traits lightning round real quick? pros: experienced, size difference if ur into that, verse and a switch you can do whatever you want with him, cons: BITEY and scratchy if youre not into that im sorry, he can try his best to be gentle but there will be rough moments still he is very bad at holding back no matter how hard he tries, ThatThang is not fitting anywhere comfortably if his partner is not also fuck off huge stature. uhhh yeah 👍 also hes really into being collared and leashed and hurt and called a good boy.)

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LBGTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 3, Wave 1, Poll 7

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included. 

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Link-Legend of Zelda

Qualifications:

He was legit designed to be androgynous (Nintendo has actually said this) and easily passes as a girl (I firmly believe Link is genderfluid), and also he got his arm yoinked

He lost his arm in TOTK, but ALSO we know that one version of him, the Hero's Shade (seen in Twilight Princess, and canonically is the one from Ocarina of Time) is missing his eye. Aside from that, one version of Link (the one in BOTW/TOTK) is commonly headcanoned as gay/bi (often shipped with prince Sidon of the zora), as well as seen by plenty of fans as genderfluid or nonbinary. People also headcanon him as having PTSD and severe anxiety due to the VERY traumatic things he's had to deal with (particularly BOTW Link, as he's the one who failed in his mission to protect Hyrule, unlike the other versions)

Additional qualifications by @sasybanana : Botw link is also canonically selectively mute due to his very canon anxiety over his responsibilities as keeper of the mastersword before the calamity. This is referenced both in some of his memories with zelda and some of her journals you can find. It was also noted by Robby in botw that link is riddled with scars and burns from the incident that put him in the shrine of resurrection to begin with. I forgot to say: many people also believe link is Asexual or generally Ace due to his overall disposition toward canonical romantic partners and prospective in-game ones as well.

Propaganda:

Link is the best and deserves to be in this

Link is cool, and I want more people to see how cool he is

Anything Else?:

Okay, if you want to see a GREAT Zelda comic that incorporates both the mental health headcanons common with Link, as well as one version missing his eye, look up Linked Universe, it's pretty good at showing those (Submitter 2)

Luz Noceda-The Owl House

Qualifications:

Canonically bisexual and shown in the show, never stated in the show but is also ADHD

She is bisexual and has ADHD.

Bisexual (canon) and neurodivergent (heavily coded)

bisexual adhd queen

Very cool character that shows children that it's okay to be disabled and in the LGBTQ community

Propaganda:

Has been through many of the troubles that I as an ADHD person have also been through, mainly regarding school. (Shown mainly in season 3)

She’s got a girlfriend, which is groundbreaking representation for a Disney cartoon (especially considering how she’s the main character). She’s also really determined and kind, having amassed a massive found family by the end of the show. Her ADHD causes her a number of problems throughout her journey, but it also makes her who she is.

I adore her and she had done nothing wrong in her life ever

SHES THE BEST EVER

People want to screw her for some reason so uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah

Anything Else?:

Canon girlfriend she has a canon girlfriend. And has crushed on both she/hers and he/hims (Submitter 1)

Enchanted Grom Fight was absolute bangers (Submitter 5)

[sometimesraven]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWO AMAZING GAMES

Today marks the 10th anniversary of both Dragon Age: Origins and the 15th anniversary of The Longest Journey — two of my favourite video game series’ of all time and two of the most influential on my writing style. In celebration, here’s a quick rundown on what the games are about, their influence on my, and why you should experience them too!

(read this post on Wordpress linked above, or click "Read More" to continue)

The Longest Journey

TLJ, also known as Dreamfall, is a trilogy of adventure games created by Funcom. It is set in two worlds. The first is Stark: a futuristic version of Earth with sci-fi cyberpunk elements, and the second is Arcadia: the world where magic and dreams come from, which is more of a high fantasy setting.

In this Sandman inspired story, you follow characters from and through both worlds, seeking to save the Balance between these worlds from complete collapse, as things on both sides get more and more unstable and sinister.

Dragon Age

Dragon Age is an ongoing series of fantasy RPGs created by Bioware, set in the world of Thedas. You follow the story of a different hero per game, backed by an ensemble of characters who recurr throughout, as they try to save the world from a combination of fantastical threat and tense political divides.

The story is character-focused but thick with worldbuilding. It contains elements of dark fantasy but also maintains a good level of humour and goofiness as you navigate through themes of oppression, leadership, war, corruption, friendship and romance.

The Worldbuilding

Both TLJ and DA incorporate rich, interesting worldbuilding into their worlds. Dragon Age puts a new and fresh twist into the traditional fantasy world, while The Longest Journey is one of the most beautiful and richly varied takes on the “hidden world” urban fantasy trope I’ve seen to this day.

TLJ in particular has a huge influence on my worldbuilding. The way Arcadia is built to feel so completely alien, and yet homely and familiar, while mirroring the mundane world’s conflicts, fits so beautifully into balance of the dreamlike wonder and gritty realism I want my stories to hold.

The Representation

Dragon Age in particular boasts some of the first and best examples of transgender inclusion in the games, and The Longest Journey series has the earliest examples of casual gay representation I can remember seeing, prominently features characters of colour, and even makes the “manly warrior with a heart of gold” archetype playable character openly gay in the final game.

Even though the gestures are small by today’s standards and some have aged badly (TLJ briefly has a non-passing trans woman as a joke, though even this is presented far less transphobic than most other examples of its time), they impact me to this day. This is what I hope to provide to the underrepresented demographics that exist today, which is why I put extra effort into representing stigmatised identities such as plural systems, aro/ace people, etc. in my stories.

The Characters

Representation is one thing, but it matters very little without a solid cast of characters to go with it. TLJ and DA both have a huge cast of characters that live in my heart to this day. From the playable characters to the prominent NPCs to the villains, it’s clear how much care is put into each and every character, making memorable and lovable even some of the brief roles that are allowed to be forgettable.

While it’s not my place to decide if my characters feel that way, I do strive to convey at least some of that kind of care and love in my work. Everything I write is character-focused and it’s partially thanks to the games I played in my formative years, but especially these two franchises. I believe the characters are the single most important thing about a story — there have been countless stories I’ve consumed that are objectively awful, but the characters and their personal arcs have made me adore them anyway.

In Conclusion

Whether you’re following an art student through two worlds at war, or battling corrupted creatures in Thedas, The Longest Journey and Dragon Age are two franchises that I believe to be utterly unmissable if you’re a fan of beautiful worldbuilding, diverse and lovable characters, and a story that will live with you forever.

(there's even a funny talking corvid!)

I genuinely can’t overstate how influential these games have been on my life, my love for urban and low fantasy, and my storytelling style as a whole. If anyone is interested in what I’ve stated so far, please try these games out! Again, even just watching a playthrough or playing the most recent games to get a ‘feel’ for the story — I just need people to experience these games one way or another.

[sokkastyles]

I agree that zutara is not super dark, it's why even amongst their fans there are people who don't like darker ships (and even get up on their high horse about it sometimes, "I only like healthy ships" crowd). I think it's annoying when people describe every enemies to lovers or villain/hero(ine) ship like it's the same

I actually don't think every ship has to be healthy and I think part of what's so interesting about zutara is its versatility, so I think it's awesome when people like it for its wholesomeness and awesome when people want to explore a darker version of it. But let's be real, it is unique in the enemies to lovers game because it has what most of these kinds of ships rarely have, a canon resolution where the former enemies become friends and allies before any possibility of romance happens. A lot of people like to make the distinction between enemies to lovers and enemies to friends to lovers for that reason, because many people who ship zutara do so for the journey of them becoming friends first. And some people just skip the enemies part and begin from where they are at the end of the series and explore them falling in love from there, in which case the "enemies" part of their relationship isn't even focused on, so it's more like friends to lovers. The zutara dynamic can be vastly different depending on where you put the focus in their narrative arc. It annoys me when people describe it as always having to be so angsty because it %100 does not have to be. At the same time, it also annoys me when people try and say that focusing on the angst is unhealthy or wrong, because it's not.

Me, I like to play around with different aus and I also think it's annoying when people act like there's only one specific way to ship it and then you're locked into that dynamic forever. That idea seems to have gotten more and more prevalent in fandom in general in recent years, the idea of having a specific headcanon on a ship that is forever unchanging, and it's so strange to me because to me, fandom is about creativity. It's why I also think it's strange when people are against multishipping or act like it's a "betrayal" or "cheating" to ship a character with many different characters. Fandom is about possibilities and many can be true at once.

I still don't like KA and MZ though.

I also find this weird when the "but Zuko is gay!!!" crowd rears their ugly heads. Not only because Zuko is canonically not gay, but also because like, who says you have to be locked into one specific headcanon? Zuko is gay when I ship him with boys and straight when I ship him with girls, and bisexual most of the time anyway. What's hard to get about that? Still don't ship him with Sokka.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Do you think that Zutara would be as popular as it eas in its heyday had ATLA come out today? I think it would still be pretty popular, but I don't think it would come to dominate the fandom like it did when the show first came out. A part of it is definitely because people are a lot more educated about toxic behaviors and relationships and colonialism than kids in the mid 2000's were

But I think the bigger part is that people are a lot less patient nowadays. I don't think people would willing to give Zuko a chance after making a bad first impression in season one and as a result Zutara probably wouldn't have gained the traction it needed to domimate the fandom like it had nearly 20 years ago

You rarely see villains like Zuko who are straight up unrepentant monsters and slowly have to learn not to be douches. Sure you do see a lot of villians in the Zuko mold who are bad for like a second then the show or movie beats the audience over it's head to reassure them that this villian isn't actually all that bad and it's ok to root for them. Hell, netflix's live action avatar did this. They couldn't trust the audience to stick with Zuko through his redemption journey and immediately tried to make him sympathetic. Him and Azula. Zuko's journey from horrible little monster to redeemed hero was slow by today's standards. He's completely unsympathetic in the first season and slides back and forth between his ideals. I just can't see today's audiences to be that patient anymore. People are way too fast to judge now, and first impressions are often the only thing that matter to some. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it, and all it takes is being a hot dude to get people to forget you participated in a genocide

Sorry for that tangent, but anyways I think that if the show come out in 2024. Zutara would still be popular but not the most popular ship in the famdom. Honestly, I think Zukka would be the most popular, and I don't know if that would be worse or better

The ship would slightly less popular because it is "woke" prefer gay ships instead of straight ones - hence Zukka's popularity even though it's fans tend to write to be as generic of a ship as Zutarians do with their own OTP, and even though Sokka is from the same tribe and family as Katara, so if Zutara was inherently racist (and it isn't) so would be Zukka, only the fans of it would cope by arguing that it being gay cancels out the racism side.

There will ALWAYS be people latching onto Good Girl/Guy X Bad Guy ships, regardless of it making any narrative sense. That was already a thing before Avatar, and it's still a thing now. "Thing could be problematic if done wrong" has never stopped anyone from having fun with a concept, nor should it, so let's not kid ourselves here.

What I fear would be different if Avatar came out today (and that you seem to agree with me on) is that it would essentially be the Netflix version: cowardly, generic, boring, and with a pace that is both too fast and too slow because the execs insisted on a far shorter number of episodes, but with a full hour instead of half, that force the writting to combine plots that simply don't go together.

And, of course, without the literal years of praise towards Zuko's redemption arc, it'd result in the character being absolutely fucking maimed and turned from his flawed, but interesting self into the boring "Awkward turtleduck" the fandom loves pretending he is - and obvious Zutarians would eat that shit up because they don't care about the real Zuko anyway, that's why he's PAINFULLY out of character in most of their fics.

[romanceyourdemons]

Hi! My friend and I are looking for a new TV show or movie to watch! I thought you might have some cool ideas. Here is a bunch of information that may or may not inspire recs. Throw anything at us! Any language is fine as long as we can find it subtitled.

We enjoyed The Untamed and Word of Honor a lot, enough to delve into the fandoms and the original books. We’re glad we watched Journey of Chong Zi although it had… room for improvement lol. Some other non chinese shows we liked recently are KinnPorsche, Cherry Magic (both Thai and Japanese versions), Our Flag Means Death, The Good Place, Interview With The Vampire.

She really loved reading Scum Villain and is down to check out anything gay. I’ve been on a Guillermo del Toro movie kick and in a Frankenstein adaptation phase lately if that says anything useful. Big bonus for both of us if it fucks around with Magic and Death in interesting ways. We love cool villains and scummy protagonists.

i’m honored by the opportunity! right off the bat i’m going to recommend nirvana in fire, because it’s got the schemes and bad people elements i enjoyed so much in word of honor and the untamed and also because i’m at a point my life when i can do nothing else. for films, i’d recommend painted skin (2008) and painted skin: the resurrection (2012); kung fu monster (2018); curse of the golden flower (2006); ashes of time (1994) and eagle shooting heroes (1994); detention (2019); black sabbath (1963); the exterminating angel (1962); memento mori (1999); and a chinese ghost story: the tsui hark animation (1997). in addition to being movies i really enjoyed, they’re also a good mix of wuxia, queer, parody, and gothic films, so hopefully there’ll be something you like in there

[gayhawkelatehomicide]

I love having multiple different incompatible concepts of canon

I have a worldstate where clan Sabrae was nearly wiped out by the Order of Fiery Promise when my warden was little so she was basically raised by Tamlen's family plus Ashalle, and one where they are one of the strongest and most successful clans in Ferelden so my warden grew up with a great deal of reproductive pressure on her which definitely doesn't help when she falls in gay love with Morrigan, and several where they are almost absent from the narrative because the warden isn't Dalish.

I have a worldstate where the Hawke twins both survive the escape from Lothering, and one where Carver is the one who gets hit by darkspawn and has to be mercy killed instead of Wesley, and one where Flemmeth doesn't catch up to them until way later and instead of fighting an ogre at full strength and slaying it like a mighty hero my Hawke is half starved and has lost a sibling to the rigors of the journey and manages to bring it down through sheer bloody minded stubbornness. And several where it goes like canon, maybe with minor alterations but generally the same.

I have a worldstate where clan Lavellan is recovering from spending a winter on the verge of collapse and starvation due to losing all their hunters but one, and one where they're a leading force in the effort of Free Marches Dalish clans to befriend local human settlements, and one where they're a haven for unwanted mages from other clans because they got lucky and had a dude whose inborn abilities basically amount to being a templar-lite. There are similar situations with Cadash, Trevelyan, and Adaar. 

It's just so fun to play with all the different possible versions of the world and I love hearing about how other people have bent the stories to mutually incompatible lengths.

[hollowwhisperings]

Would that make riku the first gay Disney prince? Mickey has basically become like a surrogate father to him which would make him the Prince while also being the prince to kingdom hearts. And thinking further, then there’s potentially three x-blades. The x-blade of legend forged in the conflict of light and dark, the kingdom x-blade of both keys that might be combined later down the line, and the combined key of their hearts.

There are a lot of "First Gay Disney Character" contenders, even without going into live-action films or Disney Channel shows, and as much as Disney's take on Herakles was painful in its inaccuracies (i.e. using the Roman name 'Hercules' but Greek names for everyone else)... Greek Mythology is VERY GAY.

Like, labels of sexuality are anachronistic to the period but EVERYONE was queer: the gods, the heroes, the IRL poets. Herakles was only able to defeat the Hydra during his Labours because his boyfriend Hylas was there to cauterize its necks before it could grow new heads.

(on a sadder/more ominous note, Hylas is also noted for his role in Mythological Greece's Epic Crossover Event, the quest for the Golden Fleece: his disappearing mid-quest caused Herakles, the strongest hero of all, to ABANDON THE QUEST. Herc left the crossover event to look for his boyfriend... but failed, Hylas having been dragged off by nymphs while fetching water.)

The whole "Mythological Greece was REALLY queer" Thing makes the consistent use of Disney's Hercules within the KH series feel very Deliberate: Riku is alikened to Hercules quite consistently, if only through the Colisseum enabling Sora's competitiveness (with Riku) and his need for Validation (from Riku). Herc, like Riku, is considered the BEST of The Best, the Ultimate Hero, the Peak of Masculine Perfection... this already sounds gay & KH3 dialed that energy up to 11 by directly connecting Riku with Herc & with the Sun.

Onto the matter of x-blades... it WOULD fit within the greater mythos of KH if there were 3 x-blades but I suspect that each "version" would simply act as a stepping stone toward manifesting ONE "true" x-blade that incorporates the Kingdom Keys, the Gayblade, & the "balancing of Darkness & Light". SoRiku only have 4 hands between them after all.

Regarding the Light/Darkness part, I strongly suspect that a big factor in how previous attempts have FAILED by manufacturing a war beyween Light & Darkness is due to a Misunderstanding on what the x-blade is FOR.

The x-blade was never meant to be some Ultimate Weapon (though it can act as one): it was meant to be a Key to Kingdom Hearts. And what is the truest method to 'unlocking' a heart? Love.

That a meeting of 'Light & Darkness' is referenced in the forging of a x-blade seems, to me, something 'incidental' to the x-blade being a manifestation of Love: 'True Love' in the Disney Worlds tends to feature people embracing each other wholly, Darkness & All. The primary "Disney Couple" that the KH series uses when referencing Sora & Riku is Belle & Adam: it is Belle's embracing Beast, his Light (as a man) AND his 'Darkness' (as a beast), that makes their love story so Iconic. It's also how they end up breaking Adam's Curse.

Embracing and Balancing the Light&Darkness in oneself & in one's beloved is an Act of True Love: Love is how Riku was able to balance his own Darkness & Light, Riku's journey through Dream Drop Distance being one of 'Self-Acceptance'. Self-acceptance enabled Riku to be empowered by his love of Sora, to reconnect with Sora without pulling away because of Riku's insecurities & his self-loathing.

If not as an incidental component to 'Love', the Light&Darkness aspect of the x-blade may be in service to its actual Purpose. Not only of 'unlocking Kingdom Hearts' but perhaps also... a Reconciling of Light & Darkness?

Xehanort sought to use the x-blade & Kingdom Hearts to create a [blank slate]. The Master of Masters seems invested in DESTROYING Darkness (and its vessels with it?). Yet the Disney Worlds & the Resolution of the Seeker of Darkness saga have all kind of implied that 'reconciliation' is what everything is ideally building up to: Belle & Adam, Herc & Meg, Eraqus & Xehanort, Riku, Sora, Sora AND Riku.

Acts of True Love often show Light overcoming Darkness but, since Kingdom Hearts was recognised by Sora & Riku (in KH1) as being "light"... since Riku has been steadily taking a thematic role of 'the Sun'... since the WORD 'sora' does not only translate to 'sky' but ALSO to 'void'?

Kingdom Hearts might be a complementary 'Light' (or Sun) to the Darkness of the 'One Sky': the 'sora' shared by all Worlds, the Night Sky that is the void of space beyond each World's atmospheric sky... the quiet Darkness of the universe within which all Light is made visible. Light & Darkness as elements of the universe, not just thematic symbols of love & acts thereof.

Afterall, 'sora' does not just/only refer to the atmospheric [sky] but to the "sky" of space: ENG typically translates THAT meaning of 'sora' to [void]. It's a double meaning that was kind of lost on International audiences but might be explored through Yozora's whole "[true king] of the [night sky]" thing.

This Ask REALLY imspired me! I got pretty caught up in how Riku's Designated World has always been Disney's Hercules (and how Gay that is) but! i think i came back to all the points? I definitely like the idea of there being 3 parts to manifesting 1 x-blade: the 'physical body' of joining the Kingdom Keys, the 'heart' made by love & dreams, the 'soul' made of Light&Darkness... any of these roles are interchangeable, given the whole "keyblades are manifestations of the heart" thing but joining the 3 parts of personhood laid out in KH1 (body, heart, soul) to the forming of the x-blade would be Very Cool. Thank you, Anon! <3

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - GAME SUBMITTED, DEMO AVAILABLE

At last, we’re here, my dear reader. After almost three years of sweat and tears, you and I are witnesses to this book’s full release, the end that lays foundations to the fresh beginning of a bigger journey. I cannot express just how grateful I am to everyone who’s been supporting me throughout this process, to each of you who wrote their lovely messages and useful advise that helped me keep improving with every chapter. The road ahead doesn’t look long, now - we’re now waiting for a decision to be made by Hosted Games. Whatever that may result to be, I’m glad I went through with this project, and I’m glad that I finished this book. This has been worth it.

THE BOOK HAS NOW BEEN SUBMITTED FOR REVISION. A DEMO IS AVAILABLE, UP TO CHAPTER 5.

DEMO DESCRIPTION:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy story that takes place in a world afar – a place called Therania. Albeit there was some interaction between Therania and other worlds a long time ago, now it’s solely a tale from their lost past… or, at least, that is the most common belief. Regardless, this story does not focus on extraterrestrial connections: its plot revolves around the people of Therania and their lives, their history and – what’s more important – their ‘determined’ future.

There are plenty of species living together in Therania, yet the human race is currently split in two: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controlled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other - here, the fight of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, character development, and the player's choices: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe they want to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

THINGS TO DO IN THIS DEMO:

Set off on a new adventure towards Neutral Lands, to meet a mythic creature of all answers - The Visionary.

Play as a woman, man, or non-binary - straight, gay, or asexual.

Gather up to 3 companions to help you in your quest - befriend, romance, or rival them, the choice is yours.

Buy a horse - we know you want one.

Fight, conjure, support, speak or think - choose your way of handling a tricky situation.

Explore the kingdom of Hero up to Menai's shores, in search for someone - or something - to aid you in your journey.

The DEMO version of the book runs up to Chapter 5 and contains 276K words overall.

USEFUL LINKS:

If you want to know a little more about this project and read chapters 1-5, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile → Heir to the Hero kingdom’s throne, right where your journey starts. Also, your old friend who’s very attached to you. Likes to read and practices magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of sapphire eyes.

Robert/Reina → Order’s Paladin, defender of Hero and Knight of Fate. Brave and honourable, determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis → An Outworlder caught by cultists in the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic. Has long dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria → Leader of Vannais, a recognised “villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious but temperamental. Prefers action over words and so, is always present on battlefields and amidst negotiations, even if in an unofficial manner. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and emerald eyes.

[lynne-monstr]

i finished the spirealm show this morning. ramblings, both the good and the bad, under the cut. spoilers ahead!

i guess i should preface this by saying that i don't think most of the stuff I hated was bad. i just didn't like it. that's very much a me thing and i'm willing to own it. also i reference episodes in viki-length episodes.

anyway. i absolutely loved loved adored and am obsessed with the first 26 episodes. all the characters are great, the door mysteries are fun, and i really enjoy the glimpses of life outside the doors. yes, it's a video game murder show but for the most part, it's a fun romp.

super fun, super gay. literally every episode gave me something fun to shout about.

around halfway through i started bracing myself for people dying, but when it didn't happen i dropped my guard. and then episode 27 happened and i was not mentally prepared for cute fave li dongyuan to actually die.

to be honest, the reason i binged the last 12 episodes was because after he died, i lost a lot of interest and investment in the show. but i still wanted to know how it ended so instead of dragging it out for several more weeks, which i like to do when I'm enjoying something, i closed it off in under 24 hours.

that being said, i don't think they way it handled li dongyuan's death was bad. i loved that they kept referencing him afterwards. so many shows forget about characters the moment they die and i appreciate that my cute fave's presence continued to be strongly felt.

and then the more lovable side characters that died, the more i emotionally pulled away. I feel bad that my emotional enjoyment tanked so suddenly because I enjoyed the door with all the boxes and bonus that it was packed full of such good shippy stuff. but I mostly watched it on autopilot.

also it was a bit of a letdown that the big bad villain turned out to be so pathetic in the end. though on the other hand, it's exactly what he deserved.

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion but I really loved all the stuff that happened after the 11th door when ling jiushi wakes up from his "coma." i guess because I love the trope of what happens once the hero's journey is over and they get booted back into normal life. there's so much good possibility there, especially with ling jiushi knowing all of his friends but now they're softer versions of themselves who don't know him.

i have a desperate need for post-canon fic where ling jiushi goes on a befriending mission with all the people who had become his family. together they use the power of friendship and combined financial assets to hunt down pieces of the original world that are still present in the new reality. ljs uses these pieces to bring rnz back to life. the whole team gets up to all sorts of shenanigans trying to get him a real identity and make sure no one else can find the clues to bring back the original murder game.

also i want the chen fei backstory of why he switched from veterinary medicine to people medicine in the new universe.

(the entire 50 Years Later epilogue was equal parts ridiculous and depressing and I'm going to pretend like it never happened. it gave me the sad vibe if ling jiushi never managed to connect with any of his old friends or ruan nanzu again. and so he made fake copies of them that he could play pretend with.)

okay this got way longer than expected so I'll end with my absolute favorite scene of the last 12 episodes that will live rent-free in my head forever. and that's the three-way obsidian group hug that happens after the npc reveal. specifically the way chen fei rests his chin on ruan nanzhu's shoulder. excuse me while i die of happiness. they're a team, they're a family!

[castlebyersafterdark]

you've mentioned you love upbeat pop and 80s tunes... can you speak a little more on what you'd like for musicality in the final season, soundtrack and score?

i personally think that pop culture is missing the sincerity of 90s/2000s film scores like john williams and swelling violins, and if any show could bring back unabashed sincerity (today known as cheesiness because we are still allergic to being genuine instead of ironic somehow) - its ST! the overall themes and story, the 80s ET-esque influences, and they already went there with an orchestral version of eleven's theme in s4. i really want to feel hopeful and uplifted by this story in a way that makes me feel like a kid again, even though edgier endings are seen as cooler. the score has some beautiful classics like the Eulogy motif that played when bob died, when el searched for her mother, and when mike and el broke up lmao

as for soundtrack, people seem to discuss that a lot and im up for almost anything. i think cyndi lauper will return. we know the clash will return too, and seeing as we centre around will i think more alternative and rock might be the way they go instead of mainly the new wave pop classics.

One of the things that made me fall in love with Stranger Things was that it had such a unique, distinctive score. The synths and specific motifs. Super engaging, really different than what a lot of shows were doing. It's always given the show more of a cinematic quality. I'm hoping for more super cool moments like in season 4 - the Journey revamp, Separate Ways?? So good. And listen, as cheesy as it is, I still get chills when I watch the sequence that mixes Running Up that Hill with the Main Theme, like are you kidding?? I was transfixed, hands white knuckling the couch during that whole sequence. The music just took you there, you know?? And that was just the penultimate season, can you imagine what these fucking insane composers are cooking up for the series finale? Whewwww. Because that moment felt like a series ender based on music usage and YET we get 8 more episodes. I'm so excited for the score choices almost as much for the answers to the mysteries and the shipping payoffs. I really really love movie/tv scores. ST has one of the very best. And the influence! You know how many remixes and covers of common songs have been done with synth stuff over the last decade and they're referred to as "Song Name: Stranger Things Mix" despite not having anything to do with the TV show? Her influence. Respect.

One thing that I disagree with the majority on is a reprisal of Heroes - sure, it can return! But I'd really prefer a score track than a song played whenever Byler gets together. More emotional that way. I don't know where it would fit, and I know everyone loves the lyrical connotation of Heroes, but I think this moment deserves something unique. Pinnacle of all the relationships in the show and no I am not exaggerating. Truly.

I have a playlist of potential season 5 song choices! I'll just list some highlights:

Edge of Seventeen - for the Party! When it skips to 1987. Especially for Will. These lyrics are so Will coded they make me insane.

The Breakup Song - This would be so on the nose cheesy fun, but it's a good song, it sets a mood. Mike and El break up and then some danger strike and boom, needle drop.

We need some Judas Priest for Will, since it's 80s, it's rock, and the lead singer is gay!! I never see this mentioned. He came out in the 90s but that would be so cool for future Will to learn that having known this band from his childhood. There's a lot of relevant songs of theirs to use in s5 but even some of the more obvious ones would be cool.

Love is a Battlefield was briefly in s2 but it would be perfect to get a feature in s5.

I honestly love a Billy Idol White Wedding badass moment for Nancy. It just fits her, I think.

I Ran So Far Away for something with Mike, I think this song is very necessary for him.

Only You by Yazoo for the Lucas/Max reunion!! It's so cute and so them.

A friend posted about this before so I'm not the one who came up with this idea, but they predict that Video Killed the Radio Star is going to be featured in promo, using the Radio Station hideout whenever we get the first teaser trailer and I think that's a very possible route. I see the vision so clearly, kinda can't get that out of my head. I think it also ties the 50s/Creel vibes to the present day characters with the radio vs. video imagery for both promotional stuff and the actual show itself.

Listen to Your Heart, Roxette. Again, for Mike. Introspective moments. Figuring out some heavy truths. Facing feelings.

The Man Who Sold the World for Will in some conjunction with his Henry issues. It's evocative, it's dark, it's Bowie, baby! Maybe remixed and slowed and made very creepy.

I don't think Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division has been in the show yet? But, it should.

Self Control - Laura Branigan

Wake Up the Neighborhood - Holland

No One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo

Running With the Devil - Van Halen

Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil (can be used for a scene to demonstrate the absurdity of going about life, going to school, under military lockdown, end of the world vibes etc.)

Shout - Tears for Fears

Break on Through to the Other Side - The Doors (WillEl moment or something, I've heard some great remixes of this song!)

I'm mad they already used Thriller in the trailer for s2 because I've heard some fantastic synth remixes and the lyrics are soooo perfect for a scene where monsters are running rampant in Hawkins or something. It would be so 80s and I eat that shit up.

Eye in the Sky - Henry inside the minds of the town, tormenting our leads. Make it creepy. Make everything with him fucked up and dark.

If we don't get a really poignant needle drop with the core four Mike Will Dustin Lucas gearing up for battle to Kids in America, what has all this been for???????

PLEASE. Will in a pivotal moment very late in the season with Should I Stay or Should I Go! Seems obvious but worth listing. Some big scene is going down. Then quiet. No score. Then those first few notes cut the silence. Willlllllll. This to me is in the same vein as the lead up to the scene in Endgame when Cap lifts the hammer?? Sorry, haha you can take the boy outta Marvel but...🤣