#it’d be one thing if it was all subtext

[harbingerofsoup]

people who claim nbc hannibal was “queerbaiting” or “not explicitly queer” lack basic media literacy

[fangsforiris]

hello can you do this but with the sakamaki brothers please and thank you so much if you do 💙https://www.tumblr.com/fangsforiris/754832768603750400/mukami-jealousy-hcs?source=share

Sakamaki Brothers Jealousy HC’s

— — — — — — — — —

Shū:

• He wouldn’t be as outward with his jealousy, if anything it’d be subdued.

• But if he is jealous, you wouldn’t know it.

• If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s feigning ignorance and placing a wall.

• Canonically in the HDB and MB Anthropology Manga, Shū gets jealous by stupid things, and is in a sense, comical with it.

• He wouldn’t get fussy like Kanato or Ayato.

• More so annoyed that he’s finding himself attached to someone at this level again.

• All of the boys have a certain level of possessiveness, so it’s not shocking if Shū displays his in lethargic and apathetic fashion.

• He values those close to him, so he wouldn’t want to give away what’s his so quickly. That’s where a lot of the motivation towards being jealous can come from.

Reiji:

• Definitely stern and set with it.

• He takes his jealousy seriously, and wouldn’t want to find himself jealous over anything ‘stupid’ or ‘over the top.’

• Reiji will 100% pull his S/O aside and confront them head on about what bothers him.

• Although, at times he can choose to let it linger, waiting for his S/O to figure out what’s bothering him themselves.

• Almost like a game if anything, all at his S/O’s expense.

• He has no problem with punishing his S/O and blaming them for any unwanted advances or attention being made at them.

• His jealousy is more so triggered by Shū and anything to do with him.

• It sends him into a bit of a frenzy, since it’s all linked to his underlying inferiority complex. Which results in his own diminution of his own talents, which can come off as borderline masochistic.

Ayato:

• You’d know right off the bat if this man was jealous.

• He makes no attempt at concealing his true feelings when it comes to his S/O.

• If he’s upset, don’t be shocked when he does take certain things into his own hands.

• That being, if his S/O is being flirted with in front of him, he has no problem with exhibiting violence to show he possesses someone.

• Ayato is all about possession, and is easily one of the most possessive characters.

• So if he thinks his placement is being threatened, he will react in earnest.

• His jealousy can border the lines of unhealthy and obsessive.

• He’d try his best to resist the urge of marking his prey to showcase his property, but at the end of the day, what good would it do if not even his prey can see the faults?

Kanato:

• Easily one of the most explosive individuals to come into contact with.

• You’re threatening his place in his S/O’s life? It’s like alarms and warning bells going off in his mind.

• Due to his extreme mental instability and heavily implied bipolar disorder, he will switch up instantly if Kanato feels attacked or under heavy scrutiny.

• He has no problem with playing pouty and creating a fuss to appeal towards the ‘lolita’ and ‘cutesy’ side he likes to portray to the outside world.

• But in private? He’s a blamer or victim blamer 100%

• He will pin it all on his S/O, even if the circumstances were unavoidable towards his S/O. Kanato does not care.

• He will get physical. As seen within his routes, he does have temperament issues.

• So even if he does subdue himself from having any physical reactions, his S/O is in no way getting out of the heavy verbal abuse coming their way.

Laito:

• Laito is known to put up a wall, almost like Shū, in terms of concealing his true feelings.

• If he’s jealous, it’ll be in the subtext that one would have to take out to fully understand him.

• Laito is someone who, when jealous, wouldn’t want to admit it.

• With his horrible track record with others, he has a slight fear towards true love and the feelings that come with it.

• So for him being jealous, it would subconsciously tear him apart more than his S/O, if anything. That is, if he was to pursue punishment.

• He’d be sure to make his usual perverse remarks, doing anything to not seek out of the ordinary.

• As seen within his routes, he can switch whenever, keeping the Player and Yui on their toes. Expect that for his S/O.

• He’d keep more of an eye on his S/O, lest he becomes left in the past of his own ghosts and worries. It’ll all come in a full circle with Laito, with whatever he does, he knows to expect it to come back at him. Almost like karma.

Subaru:

• Subaru is quite aggressive. Just as an individual and how he can come off at times with his reactions and over the top emotional moments.

• So he wouldn’t take to it kindly with being placed in a position where he’s to be the jealous one.

• There’s two ways it can go. Either he’s flustered and embarrassed about feeling this type of way for his S/O, or he’s viscerally upset at the notion.

• As an individual, it depends on the situation and if he were to get physical with the person/object that is creating this feeling of jealousy within him.

• He’d subconsciously resent himself for feeling these emotions.

• As if someone like him didn’t have the right to even love, much less feel the need to have ownership over someone who didn’t feel the same way back.

• If he’s questioned about it by his S/O, he’d either respond with anger directed towards them for allowing it, or simply shut off and ignore their complaints/queries.

• Subaru tries to be complicit, but with his internal inferiority complex and hatred towards himself, it acts as a conduit for his conflicting feelings.

[eddiediazismyhusband]

(Please don't apologize. You may call it pessimism but I see it as realism and I truly appreciate it. I've seen people SO excited to see the cast back this week and all the excitement about the new season, optimism for canon buddie, what hair/tattoos/wardrobe might look like. And I feel bad because I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. But I cannot be bothered about whether Oliver will keep his fluffy hair or have any new tattoos or Ryan's mustache because I don't want another season of boring, repetitious storylines that don't do anything to the characters, especially those of color (thinking of the cartel and Mara right now)

I'm hopeful that because season 8 will be a full 18 episodes things won't have to be as rushed or thrown together at the last minute as season 7. But yeah, please don't apologize for your opinions because you're not the only one thinking similar thoughts <3)

im moreso apologetic because i dont WANT to be a debbie downer but its like…. ive been burned by shows (this one included) far too many times to be super optimistic and excited over things that could very potentially not be good for us… like i’ve said, most of the people i know with that mustache are awful human beings and when you add in the fact that gerrard also has a mustache like that AND that tim has been showing so little care for eddie as a character/care for poc characters as a whole it doesn’t seem far fetched to me that tim could very easily commit one of the most egregious acts of character death by veering eddie so far off the natural path simply to create cheap drama

like im so glad we seem to be getting fluffy hair buck… unfortunately fluffy hair buck doesn’t negate the fact that he’s currently in a relationship with a racist and that they’re ignoring 6 years of subtext built between he and eddie to try and further reiterate their “totally platonic dude bro” relationship, on top of giving eddie a look that exudes macho straight republican man…

(and don’t get me started on the fucking cartel plot or the mara plot bc what the actual fuck is wrong with tim minear 💀💀)

i just want them to stop dragging their feet on buddie while seemingly writing everything else as this whirlwind of convoluted messy nonsense drama plots and actually decided if they’re gonna commit to just ship/queerbaiting or to the subtext and plot theyve infused into the story since eddie’s literal first episode.

like personal feelings aside for the mustache, i think we’re giving the writers too much faith in portrayal of queer characters to actually say that it’s eddie “embracing queer culture” simply bc it looks like eddie mercury… we’re talking about the same writers who gave the main wlw couple a cheating plotline, have boiled down buck’s sexuality to just sex, and have relied on playing into stereotypes of mlm/wlw side characters rather thsn actually putting time and thought into it… like it’d be one thing to say “it’s a nod to freddie mercury” if the show has actually shown any kind of care beyond using sexuality plotlines for cheap drama (henren) but the reality is that they haven’t shown us that we can trust them in that way yet.

and who knows maybe it IS a nod to freddie mercury, but we don’t know for sure and im not going to set myself uo to be disappointed yet again when its just as likely to be s nod to them making eddie an antagonistic character with gerrard… yeah, that plot wouldn’t make sense for eddie as a character but neither did the vertigo plot so who’s to say tim wouldn’t go for it?

at the end of the day, i am just not looking forward to s8. nothing yet has given me any inclination to actually watch it until we are shown that they are making strides to actually tell a meaningful story that doesn’t rely on minorities for tokenism plots or putting them through needless pain again. yes this show is a drama, but there are other ways you can create drama (hell it’s a show about first responders) than putting poc characters through the fucking wringer time and time again, profiting off their pain, while simultaneously telling lowkey racist stories that involve the fucking cartel coming out of nowhere to burn down a LA fire captain’s house???

so yeah, i’m just not feeling great about it. i also don’t wanna rain on anyone’s parade but i don’t wanna get my own hopes up when i would just be setting myself up to be let down yet again by these writers

[joanyio]

TOP 9 DRAMAS I WATCHED IN 2023

inspector koo (2021) - everyone here is a different flavor of fruit, crime show exclusively made for girls and gays and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me

when i fly towards you (2023) - this is what happiness is all about

doom at your service (2021) - “love me to the point that you want to destroy the world for me” that’s it that’s the line

love all play (2022) - wfkbj for people who aren’t annoying

little women (2022) - second half felt like a makjang damn the writers were spiraling and i couldn’t stop watching (gay little women i love you)

twinkling watermelon (2023) - worth the hype

bloodhounds (2023) - i remember my letterboxd post for this saying you can almost smell the testosterones through the screen but it was absolutely binge worthy, kinda homo if you ask me!

daily dose of sunshine (2023) - park boyoung is the loveliest human being

law school (2021) - is it insane to beg for a season 2 the chance is low but nonzero… right?

HONORABLE MENTIONS

hidden love (2023) - im tired of people saying the word chemistry about the main couple but it’s true they invented it

designated survivor: 60 days (2019) - maybe political dramas aren’t always badly written, also han nakyung please give me a chance

celebrity (2023) - user joanyio stop finding invisible gay subtext in every show you watch challenge failed

the good bad mother (2023) - such a gem *continues to ignore mommy issues*

time and him are just right (2022) - cute and perfect for mindless watching in the background while you do other work

the worst of evil (2023) - instead of forcing the love triangle turned love square the writers should have made all four hot main characters make out with each other it would have been perfect

and because of love all play (2022), see also:

castaway diva (2023), witch’s diner (2021), and unlock my boss (2022) (although i haven’t finished this one yet) chae jonghyeop is my new lee dohyun (read: male actor i enjoy watching multiple projects of simply because he doesn’t give me the ick). i also rewatched hot stove league (2020) for park eunbin and jonghyeop after castaway diva, still one of the all time best dramas i remember it used to be my twitter handle years ago baseball is so cool i wish it was real

DRAMAS I STARTED LATE DECEMBER 2023 AND FINISHED EARLY JANUARY 2024

shining for one thing (2022) - please don’t watch this show it was made only for me and i’d like to gatekeep it forever

reset (2022) - never watched a drama execute time loop plot device as perfectly as this did

UNFINISHED BUT PLANNING TO CONTINUE SOON

derailment (2023) - i was baited by a tiktok i thought it’d be a cute silly little high school drama but boy was i surprised

one day off (2023) - she’s living the dream

[troperrific]

/ekuoto chapter 52 spoilers/

Warning: discussion about sensitive topics, usual ekuoto stuff.

Hahaha, holy shit, hahahaha!!

This chapter was just about as horribly wonderful and wonderfully horrible as I’d expected and hoped it’d be!

First things first, dang Mr. Priest is terrifying this chapter. He turned the tables on Asmodeus in so many ways and there’s so, so much to unpack.

The way Mr. Priest echoes and throws Asmodeus’ words right back at her, the way he aggressively ignores her choice (her “consent”) to retreat/get away from the fight (he slammed the door!!) and forces her to “take” his anger anyway- it all mirrors what Asmodeus put him through in the best and worst way possible.

Mr. Priest’s violence towards Asmodeus isn't sexual (as in, this isn't rape in a literal sense), nor is his enjoyment of getting back at her (as in, this isn't sexual gratification). But the mirrored actions/words and the one-sided “pleasure” of violence should still evoke, in part, the horror of Asmodeus’ attempted rape towards Mr. Priest.

It’s very reminescent of domestic violence too, which, if you remember Mr. Priest's flashbacks and what "Aria" told him, make this even more fucked-up than it already is.

Of course, there is a certain sense of catharsis to be found in this mirrored violence, in seeing Asmodeus get a taste of her own medicine. The reader can see where Mr. Priest is coming from, and after an entire arc of seeing Asmodeus’ manipulation, anticipating the worst AND witnessing the worst in chapter 51, one can appreciate the irony applied here, even while simultaneously feeling horrified.

Rip Asmodeus' thighs. And she even did her leg days properly too...

I think Arima-sensei manages to achieve a good balance in their writing, when it comes to making “revenge scenes” both cathartic and horrifying/fucked-up. I also like the way they use innuendo and subtext in the narrative- it’s great! I liked how they did those things in the Beelzebub arc/Part 3 and I like how they did it here. And both aspects are enhanced with Fukuyama-sensei’s art- the facial expressions were particularly good in this chapter.

(something something the interplay between violence and sex and hunger, something something primal urges and passion, life and death, something something)

Speaking of expressions…!

I really love these two in particular.

Just what do they mean, I wonder… the first one takes place between two maniacal, rage-fueled grins. It appears alongside Mr. Priest’s new halo (which I’ll get to in a moment) and it’s such a curious expression.

Is it a sad, resigned smile? Has he come to accept and embrace his role as the “Child of Hope” because he’s “learned” what “wanting a normal life” leads to? Maybe he’s thinking “Well, what did I expect?” regarding the good things that happened to him this past month, all a trap laid by Asmodeus.

Is it a regretful one? Does he regret believing another fake victim? Does he regret his good intentions and well-intentioned actions and trust, as they’ve backfired on him again?

Is it a relived one? Did something click and he’s convinced himself he no longer needs a normal life? Is this relief a future one? Has he gone full-circle into wanting to martyrize himself again?

Whatever that expression means, it looks like whatever Mr. Priest felt or realized at the moment allowed him to (temporarily?) reach new heights regarding his holy powers.

(And right as he’s at his most violent too… Mammon would be proud.)

Also, his halo… that’s one fancy halo. I tried to research a little and found some interesting facts about different artistic depictions of halos.

From what I can tell, his halo looks a little like a dodecagon (a polygon with 12 sides) or maybe a tridecagon (polygon with 13 sides). It also has multiple rings within it, with little… arrows/rays of light(?) and stars/particles(?) adorning it.

According to these sites, a polygonal halo (usually an hexagon, and sometimes referred to as a Nimbus a Pans) is often used to depict allegorical figures, many times a personification of a Virtue.

The little arrows cutting through the halo could very well be rays of light. In this case, it could also be a rayed halo. This type of halo is apparently often combined with others, and is usually attributed to a member of the Trinity.

Finally, the number twelve and the presence of what appears to be a bunch of little stars could be a reference to the starred halo. This halo is almost solely drawn on the Virgin Mary, depicting the Immaculate Conception or being a reference to Revelation 12:1.

(As if the line about reviving people and Beelzebub mock-crucifying him wasn’t enough lol. Makes me wonder about Mr. Priest’s mom though. Since we’ve only vaguely seen his father.)

But who knows. Maybe it's a reference to a piece of art?

It’s just something to think about. Maybe there’s a deeper meaning. Maybe it’s just rule of cool. Hopefully it’ll be both.

Also, this has nothing to do with this chapter’s commentary, but this small research made realize that Leah’s triangular halo wasn’t just an aesthetic choice to go with her cubes forming circles (lol).

The triangular halo is also used to indicate a member of the Trinity. She’s invoking their power, so it fits. But y’know, makes me wonder if there’s gonna be a third…

Back to Mr. Priest’s smiles. I wanna talk about this:

Friendship ended with Mammon, Mr. Priest is the funniest ekuoto character now.

Just what is “beautiful”, Mr. Priest?

Is he marveling at his own strength? Is he glad he’s reached a new height like Mammon did? Is the fact that he’s so strong he could “end up destroying everything” beautiful?

Is this self-acceptance, something similar to Leviathan’s own epiphany back at Part 2?

Or is this a new-found joy in seeing the fragility of life? Maybe he’s seeing beauty in the fact he’s “feeling almighty” as he’s “earned the right to end another’s life” (and promptly give it back if he chose to), something akin to Beelzebub’s thoughts on human nature.

Is it all of the above? Something else?

Hm.

It’s very worrisome. Even moreso because it’s followed by this:

It’s okay, guys! Mr. Priest has gathered all seven Dragon Balls, he can just wish Kuririn back to life!!

Coldest line in the story so far. What the actual fuck, Mr. Priest? (No jokes, I love this, please continue to freak me out more, Mr. Priest).

Also, this is quite in line with the way the Demon Lord’s have acted so far, isn't it? Who cares?? He’s gonna do what he wants right now, who cares about casualties? He can just bring everyone back??

Ah, but it also echoes what he probably heard in his memories from his father and from Abbot Nicholas (chapter 31). “So? You will heal anyway” and “So? You won’t starve”.

Mr. Priest is very funny, actually.

And speaking of funny…

No high-school romcom manga is over without a good ol' kabedon!... Er, doordon...? Gates-of-Hell-don...? Rodindon...! forgive me

Mr. Priest invented a new memetic kabedon.

But really, this has been kinda of a pattern with the Demon Lords so far: they approach Mr. Priest out of their own accord, hurt him (by deceiving/fighting /triggering him) because they want something out of him (a challenge, a friend, a hunt, an answer) and then they usually try to leave, on their terms, once they’re satisfied.

It almost went like this at the end of his second fight against Mammon. It did go like this at the end of his first fight against Beelzebub.

(It also went like this when he fought Leviathan, but considering we don’t know how he feels about her and the fight after the arc, I hesitate to add her in this ‘list’).

You see, I do think that the Demon Lord’s did/do want to help Mr. Priest in some way or another, whether that’s by teaching him their “wisdom” or “freeing” him from his duties/Church-aligned morality. I do! I genuinely do!

But just as they want to help him, they also want something from him. Their motivations do have a certain selfishness to them.

I’ve seen lot of readers joke that the demons want to give Mr. Priest therapy, but I’d argue it’s more accurate to say that the demons are using Mr. Priest for their therapy.

The Demon Lords always seem to want to prove something to themselves while fighting Mr. Priest. They want answers. And it’s because Mr. Priest is the “Child of Hope” (the strongest exorcist, the most righteous, the purest soul) that they seek those answers.

And part of their fondness towards him, to me, seem to hinge on that title and on the expectations and projections that the Demon Lords seem to put on him.

In short: they also have used Mr. Priest for their own benefit, despite whatever good intentions they might’ve had or whatever connection they might’ve felt, and then they dared to refuse him any sort of satisfaction.

Or at least, that’s probably how the boy sees it.

No wonder Mr. Priest is pissed.

On that note, the scene where Mr. Priest goes all creepy between Asmodeus’ (literally) thunder thighs…

I take it that this can be interpreted both figuratively and literally.

Figuratively, in the sense that the Demon Lords project so much shit on him, they don’t know him as well as they think they do. Yes, even when they’ve been briefly inside his head. But also because he really isn’t in the “right” state of mind.

And literally… well, because he has a head buddy, apparently.

I’ll just leave these cool theory posts here. Go read them, they’re great.

To finish these very short thoughts about the chapter (sarcasm), about Asmodeus and Sarah…

I also love this panel. What a great expression. She looks like she’s about cry. She makes me want to cry. And slap her. And cry.

There’s a lot to be said and analyzed about this relationship (which I will do, a bit more throughly, later): about how Asmodeus wanted Sarah to fight back and to defy her fate and her family, about how Asmodeus seemingly couldn’t fathom the idea of having a consensual physical relationship with Sarah (or anyone?), about how Asmodeus equated Sarah retaliating against her first abusive husband to Mr. Priest (and Sarah too) retaliating against her…

But I want to focus on Asmodeus’ “epiphany” about what she wanted to confirm to herself.

…I really do enjoy how the 7 Deadly Sins are written in this series. It’s not just that the author wants to say something with their portrayal and that they’re thematically consistent and interesting…

They’re… very entertaining and complex characters, I think. There’s always a good balance between all the characteristics one can expect from memorable antagonists. Like, they’re charismatic and fun and charming, they’re scary (in all kinds of ways!!) and awful and really fucking vile at times, and, deep, deep down, they’re… pitiful. Pathetic.

They’re very, very pathetic. And I like that.

And this… this has kinda proved to me what I’ve suspected for a while.

The Demon Lords, against all odds, have very little to no ambition when it comes to a relationship with a human, don’t they?

They’re willing to settle for the barest scraps. I wouldn’t say that they’re completely okay with things never working out… but if there was a bare minimum of love there, then maybe it’s not bad that it didn’t work out…

Even Leviathan, who desperately wants friends and readily admits her loneliness, is okay with ending things with Mr. Priest with a fight.

As a Demon Lord should.

I mean they’re monsters!! They’ve accepted that they’re monsters, and it’s not something they can help anyway, right?! They can’t help their monstrous nature, their monstrous bodies, so it’s better to embrace them!! It’s not something they can help, right, so it’s better to give up, right?!

Right…?

(It's at this point that you gotta stop and wonder about their incessant babbling about the nature of men/women/humans/demons... they're originally angels- or in Leviathan's case, a being blessed by God- after all...)

It’s a form of comfort, I suppose, to realize that no matter what you did, things wouldn’t have changed for the better. Sometimes, wondering about “what-ifs” can be the greatest torture of all.

Sometimes giving up, specially on yourself, can be the greatest sin of all.

Asmodeus originally wondered if, had she taken those men’s places, had she been the one to rape Sarah (because, again, Asmodeus can’t seem to be able to separate any sort of sexual relationship/act from sexual violence/rape/sin, and likely because, to Asmodeus, if Sarah’s being forced to marry, it’ll be rape anyway, so Asmodeus might as well have been the one to take Sarah) if she could’ve made Sarah happy.

Asmodeus wondered if she could’ve made Sarah chose her over her filial duties.

But she didn’t. She wouldn’t.

It's insane!! Actually, it's not even about Sarah choosing Asmodeus anymore! She can't even imagine that!! I wonder, does Asmodeus think that, because Sarah didn't "fight hard enough", that meant she didn't want her? That it meant Sarah would never have been with her willingly?

Of course she wouldn’t, why would she? Asmodeus is a monster, right? She would’ve hated her anyway, right? Even if Asmodeus had ripped away Sarah's ability to choose, she still woudn't have picked Asmodeus. Sarah would never have been hers, no matter what Asmodeus did or didn't do!! So it’s better that things ended how they did, right?

After all…

…

Anyway, with the arc coming to an end real soon, I wonder how things will wrap-up.

…I’m reaaaally dreading the fact that we haven’t gotten “Masses of Trash- Part 2” yet. Is it gonna be in this arc?

…….Is it gonna be in another future arc?

“Erase all with a flick of the wrist”, indeed.

[aemiron-main]

They Don’t Remember Him- How Could They? He Never Existed.

So, I talked in this post previously about how there’s frequent references to people not remembering Eddie Munson and how that connects to the subtext that Eddie Munson is delivering about Edward Creel.

And now that I’ve been watching Fringe, I noticed something else:

And

(Those screenshots of the bald dudes in fedoras are from Fringe, and they’re called Observers.)

We have all of these references to Eddie “Edward” Munson, who constantly delivers Edward Creel subtexts, being forgotten/not remembered by people (which then gives us the subtext that Edward Creel has been forgotten/people don’t remember him) versus the Observers talking about how Peter Bishop was forgotten/people don’t remember him.

And then we also have the reason why Peter Bishop was forgotten- it’s because he never existed, because he’s been wiped from existence/from both timelines. And we also have one of the Henwards (likely Henry) talking during NINA about how 001 supposedly never existed/Brenner claimed 001 didn’t exist, but he did.

There’s some sort of connection here!!!!

Peter Bishop was erased from existence- he was originally from an alternate timeline but was kidnapped as a young boy and brought over to another timeline/the main timeline and raised there. Long story short, this caused major issues/holes between the two timelines and the two timelines were trying to destroy eachother, but Peter combined them so that they could work together with eachother- and then, Peter immediately disappeared from existence.

And so, I’m wondering what the hell happened with Edward Creel, and why nobody seems to remember him, and why there’s a.) so many references to people not remembering Eddie Munson and b.) Henward’s line about 001 not existing.

And to top it all off, we have this line regarding Peter Bishop:

And yknow who else has traces of him bleeding through into the timeline?

Edward Creel.

(and it’s also worth noting that California Dreaming, which plays in S4 EP1 of ST, is also playing during rhat Fringe scene about traces of Peter.

And also, going back to that that line about Eddie saying that he wouldn’t even remember himself, it’s haunting me because of what I’ve talked about before with the idea of Edward believing that he’s Henry (and therefore not remembering himself/not remembering Edward Creel).

But yknow who likely would remember Edward Creel/who remembered 001 during that plinko scene with El?

Henry Creel.

Wouldn’t it be perfect if the only person who remembers Edward Creel is Henry Creel, and the only way for Henry to prove that he is, in fact, Henry (especially in the context of Edward believing that he’s Henry) would be for him to remember Edward?

It’d be perfect/ironic because you’d think that if there were two identical boys, one Henry, one Edward, but both claiming to be Henry, and one of them remembered Edward, the initial conclusion would be that the boy who remembers the name Edward must himself be Edward, right?

But because Edward’s forgotten himself/because that initial conclusion is wrong, the only way for Henry to prove who he is would be for him to remember somebody else’s name/identity/prove that the other boy is Edward. Like. Wouldnt it be ironic/right in line with the way ST enjoys subverting things if the only way for somebody to prove who they are was to remember who somebody else is? If proving their identity, the one thing that should be solely tied to them, was inextricably tied up with somebody else’s identity?

I think it would be perfect, especially considering the details of MKultra brainwashing/the way they tried to strip victims of their identity and individuality vs Henry being a MKultra victim who has his identity inextricably tied to somebody else’s identity.

[shcmook]

I think the story and worldbuilding of TOTK would be overall much better if more of the champion successors had NOT been Sages. As it is, 3 of the main characters of the game end up with this problem where it feels like they’re the only useful person in their entire respective races, and the game seems to be implying they HAVE to perform their multiple roles within their cultures due to their bloodlines.

Tulin stands out as the GOAT of the four main sages for several reasons. One is just that his ability is so constantly useful that I dread going back to BOTW bc I’ll miss those gusts. But also his story is the only one that feels unique to this game. It’s not a sequel to a story in BOTW it’s focusing on a minor character from that game who doesn’t have to now juggle multiple roles in his society. The older members of his tribe are struggling just to get food and take care of the village. Teba can’t take time away from his duties as chief to be the sage. Tulin stepping up and going through his arc feels SO natural and works so well both as a story on its own and as a follow up to the Revali / Teba storyline.

Sidon may be an exception to bc my thesis. It’d seem incredibly out of character and ruin a good arc if this guy didn’t feel in his heart that his place is joining the fight alongside link. It would probably eliminate the queer subtext of sidons inner conflict as well but we’d still headcanon it no matter how it was written. But as is it’s still weird that he feels so torn between being king and being Sage and being with Yona and purifying the water for the domain and helping Link and part of him still mourning Mipha when like. Why can’t Yona do some of those things for him? The idea that he’s worried about losing Yona like he lost Mipha would be much stronger if she was the one going to the temple with Link and Sidon wasn’t ok with it. Yona being the Sage would also still have the three of them had to work through this complicated relationship, and probably just add more layers to a poly reading of that dynamic. Idk. I just think it’s weird that they went to the trouble of creating Yona so that she could be the wife of a guy who is a sage and a king and the Hero’s best friend instead of her having an actual identity or a role of her own. I lied when I said Sidon was an exception, Yona should have been the Sage.

The Gerudo having a weird heirarchy and multiple leader figures within their culture is part of why I love the Gerudo so much in other games. In OOT, Twinrova, the leader you fight in the Fortress, Nabooru, and Ganondorf all fill leadership roles in their society. So why is Riju chief AND sage? Why not make Buliara the sage? Rijus main thing in the other games was her sandseal, she didn’t have thunder powers before this game. Buliara is literally a Guard so it’d give failing the town defense missions more emotional stakes if you losing means she fails her duty. I love Riju but. It’s make more sense for her, as Chief, to be busy managing her tribe’s underground affairs while Buliara feels ashamed at not being able to defend her Chief from the Gibdo threat and then *she* gains lightning abilities while training in the ruins.

I’ll be honest I haven’t actually played the Goron quest yet. But was anyone really hoping for more yunobo after the first game? I like the idea of him getting corrupted by Ganon I like the whole marbled rock roast concept. But why not introduce a new Goron who helps us free Yunobo from Ganon’s influence? And then that bro becomes the Sage instead? Doing this relieves us of having the bit in the story where the Sage of fire kind of ruins the lives of a bunch of his own people, and then still gets to be their Hero. It’s waved away too easily and I don’t like it and also I just don’t like Yunobo. If any of the Champions’ successors should’ve been replaced it’s him.

In conclusion: Tulin’s story I s the BEST, and more of the Sage quests should have been based and Tulin pilled.

[nightmarist]

Decided not to leave it in the tags so:

Flemeth and or Morrigan being part of or connected to the Elvhen pantheon while being visibly human / round eared is a little ridiculous tbh

The context of romance locked lore w Solas you find out the Vallaslin are actually slave brandings and there are brandings dedicated to Mythal, and Flemeth being (carrying?) Mythal makes it particularly worse. Let alone Morrigan’s dalish knowledge is really patronizing.

Like. A really quick fix would be to just make them elves. ESPECIALLY as Witches of the Wild. People already think both elves and the witches are evil baby killing demon summoning monsters. It’d also make sense for them to be Separate from other elves the way Solas is, neither city nor dalish but a literally secret third thing (Gods / Gods Possessing Mortal Form).

Like. There wouldn’t need to be any overhaul change to their design or personalities maybe just one or two dialogue like “are you elves? Why aren’t you in the alienage or w the dalish?” And they can very easily dodge the question or make up a lie and that’s that.

Itd help set up the god reveal. Especially when the first game is setting up the lore for all of dragon age as a series AND it could help foreshadow Solas without revealing his nature too soon. It’d make Morrigan less patronizing. It’d make Flemeth’s worship and tie in less weird. Just. Little pointy elf ears could fix so much weird subtext…..

[sleeplessinunova]

Sleepless Movie Reviews!! I’m a bit of a sucker for horror movies, and with so many coming out this month, it’d be a disservice not to do a review of the most popular!

#1 - Venom Drench - 3/10

We follow 29 year old Amy Sash, a rookie detective investigating several disappearing people in the kanto region. And the posters give away the culprit. For the most part, do not watch. The writing is lazy, schlocky, and contrived all at once, creating some horrible amalgam of Pokestars Studio’s worst habits. I’m a big fan of practical effects and the cgi in this film just does not do it for me. Theres almost nothing in this film to like, but its not so heinously insulting for me to give it anything other than a 3/10.

#2 - Shadow Sneak - 8/10

Scare-tourists Brad, David, Lila, and Mary decide to camp out in an abandoned amusement park. But in the middle of their stay, the entire park whirs back to life and the tourists are picked off one by one by the ghost of a dead magician and his ghost type pokemon. I didn’t think I’d like this movie nearly as much as I did. But the characters aren’t just meat bags to hunt, they’re real, fleshed out people and you feel a sense of dread whenever one breaks from the group. Shadow Sneak ends up being surprisingly emotional for a horror movie, but the ending and ugly cgi effects drop the ball enough to keep it from 9 or 10.

#3 - Howl - 6.5/10

In a small fictional Kantonian town of Canvasville, a young boy’s rockruff begins acting strangely. But by the time the townsfolk learn whats wrong with it, its far too late. A reboot of the FANTASTIC classic 1989 film “Growl”, Howl fails to live up to its predecessor in almost every way. Not to call the film bad, its alright. But you will have a significantly worse time with this movie if you HAVE seen the original Growl. The only thing it improves on is dated terminology and practical effects. But the director misses almost all the subtext and meaning the original Growl gave us. And for that, I can’t give it anymore than a 6.5

[johnandrasjaqobis]

woe more random out of context durgetash be upon ye, will I ever write anything that's not Joseph suffering through the Subtext who's to say (this one immediately after killing Orin/rejecting Bhaal)

Joseph ran both hands up over his face and through his hair with a low sigh – and gods, there was still a lot of blood in his hair, that was going to be a pain in the ass to scrub out.

“I need to get back,” he said. “Gonna sleep for a tenday now that those fucking dreams are done, I swear…”

The trek back to the inn wasn’t a particularly long one, but it felt incredibly daunting given how literally every muscle ached. He decided firmly that the toll of being yanked back from the dead was the entire reason for the hesitation to stand, and also decided not to notice what might have been a very brief flash of disappointment across Gortash’s face.

(Politicians, Banites, didn’t let anything so inconsequential as emotions slip without a purpose.)

“Of course.” Gortash glanced over his shoulder toward what was likely some kind of timekeeping device. Joseph didn’t want to know how long he had been awake at this point. “I imagine killing Bhaal’s own Slayer warrants at least a partial day off.”

“Don’t forget being killed by a god not even a minute later.”

Gortash actually laughed – hells, what a thing to be able to laugh at – and Joseph blamed his own grin on the exhaustion.

“Absolutely, I would be remiss to forget that.”

There was a brief flare of paranoia when Gortash picked up the blade that had sat on his desk for the entire conversation; it looked no less menacing without the stone slotted into its pommel, a shine to the edge like the blood hadn’t fully dried even hours later. After a moment’s consideration it was flipped around and held out hilt first.

Still a familiar feeling, Joseph noted as he took it. At least now he knew why.

“I have a good deal of loose threads to tie up myself,” Gortash said. “Without their general, the army moves slowly, and having all of the stones accounted for grants us at least a modicum of leeway. For now. Get as prepared as you can, and then we will be right back on plan.”

Joseph gave a weary scoff. “Minus one chosen. And two gods.”

Gortash just shook his head and held out a hand. It didn’t seem worth looking into why it was instinctive to take it – you know why, you know exactly why – even as it was more of a firm grip on his forearm than a handshake. Joseph let himself be pulled a step closer as the other hand went to his shoulder.

“We don’t need Myrkul,” Gortash said firmly, dark eyes sharp and steady. “We don’t need Bhaal. They needed us, because we are brilliant. Don’t forget that we were the ones to come up with all of this at the start.”

Joseph felt his breath catch for a split second. It would’ve been nice to blame that on the exhaustion as well, but even he couldn’t lie to himself that well.

It’d be so easy, was the problem, it was such a small gap to cross, and just as infuriatingly instinctive.

Instead he managed to nod sharply and step back, arms folding across his chest the moment they were free.

“I’ll be in touch,” Joseph muttered as he turned to the door.

He’d managed to get rid of the urges Bhaal had pushed on him.

Now it was just a question of how the fuck he got rid of these.

[ankhlesbian]

sentai yuri be upon thee

Fandom: Super Sentai

Pairing: Umika/Shiho (lightly)

Rating/Length: G, ~1k words

AO3 Link: here

Three small scenes to expand Episode 17 to give Umika bit more focus (and to add a bit more gay subtext).

Umika becomes friends with a girl who is infatuated with Keiichiro and agrees to help with her crush, but first, they must face a Gangler with the power of trapping people within their dreams. Umika is reminded of better times, and of why she fights in the first place. (The timestamps are for where in the ep it’d go)

(8:40)

Umika checked her phone. 4:21. She slid it back into her apron pocket. She scrubbed at a table aggressively. She dried the table aggressively. She checked her phone. 4:22. Umika groaned, collapsing onto the table and pressing her forehead to the cool surface.

“What’s taking them so long?”

Kairi snickered at her plight, as unhelpful as always.

“There’s still plenty of time,” Touma reminded her coolly, unruffled even as he worked diligently to make the romantic meal Umika had begged him to cook. Mana would confess as planned, and then the two of them could have at least one short date together before Mana had to dash off to the airport.

“Don’t you guys even care what happens? You’re as heartless as Keiichiro is!”

“I think you just care too much,” drawled Kairi. “They barely know each other, and she still has to leave whether she confesses or not. It won’t change anything.”

“It could! Mana deserves the chance to see where her feelings could lead her.”

Mana’s empty house, with the garden tended to so carefully, with that record-player to fill the silence, with that piano she sat at all alone… Mana was lonely, she could tell. Umika had been lonely too, until by random chance she had been assigned to sit behind a girl named Shiho in elementary school. If they hadn’t started talking, Umika didn’t know where she’d be today. Well, Shiho might be somewhere better, but Umika certainly wouldn’t be.

Kairi pursed his lips. “Just don’t get your hopes up, okay? I really don’t think Kei-chan is the right kind of man for this sort of thing.”

She turned to face him, cheek plopping onto the table. “He could have hidden depths.”

“Anything is possible.” agreed Touma.

Kairi squinted at him. “Say, aren’t you agreeing to all this a little too easily?”

Umika perked up. Yeah, it was a little strange. Especially since she had made him shoo all the other customers out of Jurer early for this.

“Ah, you were engaged weren’t you, Touma? So there must be a romantic bone in your body somewhere.”

Touma turned away to stir something on the stove.

“I’m simply doing Umika a favor.”

Kairi clearly smelled weakness. “So, Touma, who proposed to who? Did you do something cheesy for her? Something embarrassing? Something like-”

Touma was freed from interrogation by the door clanging open, an eager Sakuya shoving at a confused Keiichiro’s shoulders. Right, she had a mission here!

(13:00)

Umika looked around, confused. Grassy green hills, trees, and… her uniform. 

“Why am I in this uniform?” 

That wasn’t right, was it? She had been doing something important, but she couldn’t remember what…

“Umika!” Umika blinked. Shiho was waving a hand in front of her face. “Don’t space out! The restaurant’s gonna fill up if we don’t get going. It’s not every day you get a free meal.” Shiho grabbed her hand and pulled her forward into a run, pigtails bobbing behind her.

Right, they were going to celebrate Shiho’s manga debuting. Except… “Hey! I’m the one who’s paying, got it?” She puffed out her cheeks. Shiho turned back to look at her and smiled, pink lips barely visible behind her rainbow colored scarf.

“Alright, but I’m covering it next time. I’m gonna have an income, after all.” Shiho tugged them onwards, winding through the woods along some sort of path known only to her. They passed by a man eating ramen, a woman hugging stuffed animals… it sure was a strange place. She almost wanted to stop and see what was happening, but they had something important to do, and Shiho’s hand was just so warm.

But that… wasn’t right, was it? It had been winter when she had won her award. Shiho even had her scarf on. Umika stopped.

“Eh? Umika? What’s wrong?” Shiho turned around and leaned in, pressing the back of her free hand to Umika’s forehead. “Are you sick?”

Shiho’s hands shouldn’t be so warm. An image flashed in Umika’s head. A block of ice, encasing Shiho. Shiho, in the ice, frozen, shattering into a million pieces. Umika jerked away, sucking in a breath of air.

“Shiho-chin. It’s not really you, is it?” Her voice cracked. She knew deep down that it was true, even without a reply. She had watched it happen. It had been all her fault, after all. The fake Shiho tried to speak, but Umika remembered now. The Gangler, the dream world.

Shiho faded away into a wave of yellow energy. Umika wiped at her face and slapped her cheeks with both palms.

“Wake up! This is no time to be dreaming!” The pain didn’t wake her up, unfortunately. That’d be too simple. She’d probably need to break her way out. She checked her pockets, but there was no VS Changer on her in this realm. All she had on her was her wallet and other equally useless odds and ends; a pen, a charm, a ribbon. She would have to hope one of the Patrangers had a dream that included a weapon. Relying on others to save her once again…

Well, she couldn’t help it this time. It wasn’t her fault this Gangler had such an inconvenient ability. She gathered her thoughts and scanned the horizon. The people they had passed… that had definitely been Tsukasa, right? The others couldn’t be far off. She took off running.

(21:00)

Umika couldn’t believe him. And after all that work she had done to end things as quickly as possible, too!

She shoved the flowers and the bag with the record at his chest.

“Why didn’t you go to the airport? Mana was waiting for you.”

She wasn’t sure what answer she wanted. She wasn’t sure there was one that she could accept. To his credit, Keiichiro didn’t flinch. He looked directly at her.

“I can’t pursue two things at once.” He declared. “I’m too awkward.”

Kairi had been right, in the end. Umika looked away first, frowning.

It didn’t make sense. Fighting for something as intangible as public safety and world peace… Umika didn’t think she was a bad person. It’s not like she wanted others to get hurt. But she wanted to be safe. She wanted her friends to be safe. She had wanted to go to dinner with Shiho, to read the next chapter of her manga over her shoulder as she drew it, to attend graduation together, maybe even to go to college. If that was selfish of her, so be it.

Not wanting to pursue two things at once, she could understand. She was really only after one thing herself, just like the other Lupinrangers. But to choose the path where you had to stand alone, to choose a path where you pushed others away, didn’t even give them a chance to reach out to you… it was so unbearably lonely, so unfair to Mana.

“I don't understand! You’re terrible!”

She turned away. This was just another thing that separated them from the Patrangers, no matter how well they all got along out of uniform.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

My apologies for the stupid question: What if Capcom left who Nero’s father was ambiguous? How do you think this would have affected the game/story? (My apologies I’m not good at writing sentences)

You’re fine! And tbh it’d have probably had no major effect on the story (save for the obvious reveal in 5) aside from making it a lot less juicy/dramatic and causing Dante’s character to take a bit of a hit.

Like. There’s little breadcrumbs here and there that make you think Nero already suspects he’s related to Dante and is curious about him, but he doesn’t bring it up for fear of rejection/wants Dante’s approval/etc. Plus, Dante all but spells it out for Nero in DMC4, so Nero would have to be an idiot not to put 2 + 2 together. So it’s way more of a one-two punch to have the guy you consider a father figure (and probably want to be your actual father) call you dead weight only to turn around and reveal that your suspicions are confirmed — you’re related but he’s just your uncle… and the asshole you that ripped your arm off is your dear old dad. It’d also probably be a lot easier for Nero to disregard/want nothing to do with Vergil if he doesn’t have some kind of confirmation — it’s easier to emotionally detach from a relative (especially a shitty relative) you may or may not even be actually related to.

You could totally have fun with that kind of ambiguousness with the right writers, though, ngl. But like… I personally don’t think DMC is the a series that’s deep enough/coherent enough for that lol. No point it muddying the waters even more, imo.

The only thing I can think of being affected isn’t even in the game tbh. Because there was a period of time from DMC4’s release in 2008 to 2015 (when the 3142 artbook released that confirmed Vergil and Nero’s relationship for the first time) where some fans loudly refused to acknowledge any blood relationship between Nero and V or D despite it being spelled out for them and it was just… a super fucking annoying experience when you’d run into them, to put it mildly. It was kind of the equivalent of running into one of those people from the ‘Vincent Valentine is Sephiroth’s REAL dad’ crowd that are convinced they’re correct because they straight up can’t fucking read subtext is hard, I guess. Leaving V&D’s relationship to Nero ambiguous would have just let the DMC version of that crowd chug right along.

[bprdmyers]

@thenightmareofyourdrems​​ asked:  “ i’m not going anywhere.” ~ Jack

she had been impulsive. still reeling from a tension filled conversation-- or rather argument-- with ash following a mission. for whereas once they had been mirrors of each other, always in sync on missions, they hadn’t been since she’d requested their partnership dissolve even though it had been the last thing she truly wanted. this had marked the longest they’d ever gone without speaking to one another and their lack of an ability to seemingly work well together had nearly cost the success of the mission. by the time she had arrived back at headquarters, emotions had been at an all time high, her storming past agent sato and out of the building once she’d debriefed. georgie had wanted to be anywhere but there. wanted to be as far away from anything bprd, or with the title agent or paranormal as she could be. and so, she had formed what should have been the stupidest idea she could, in hindsight. there was only one person that she spent any decent amount of time with that met those criteria and the house would be free of parents. she also had no active assignments for that weekend. she’d sent the text before she could think about it. want to spend the weekend in new jersey? parents are away for the weekend. had she been more well-versed in well, subtext and normal social dynamics perhaps she’d have considered that a text like that could come off very differently than how she intended. however, she’s not. and so she awaits his answer as she drives toward her house, almost shocked when he responds in the affirmative. 

it’d taken time for him to get there from where ever he had been, no doubt making his excuses to the others he kept company with. she’d thought jack had mentioned not long before that danny had one more show planned before they’d part ways for a few months, let the eye come up with their next trick while they went underground for awhile. georgie and jack didn’t talk a lot about what he did with the horsemen but with the fact they often found themselves having to hide each other from either them or those georgie worked with, some things came up in conversation such as the reason jack’s hideout had switched locations again being in preparation for a new show. the time it took for him to get there served to be beneficial, since davina had to return for something she’d forgotten before being off on her way, georgie’s father having already left that morning. once jack had gotten there, the rest of the friday evening had fallen into a rather typical hang out for them, albeit, it happening inside a house rather than in a public setting and without the tension of worry that plagued them of someone finding out. sure it could be thrilling sometimes, but always being stressed just to spend time with someone, wasn’t good for anyone and them spending time together had started to become a regular thing. she’d forced him to watch the little mermaid despite their ages and his protests, compromising with letting him pick the second movie, they’d ordered a pizza, and she’d shown him to the guest room commenting that she’d have to clean it before her parents noticed it’d been used. and that’s when it had struck georgie that this was a little weird of a situation because firstly, they’d never hung out for more than a few hours at a time before, and secondly, her parents weren’t there and she’d invited a boy to spend the weekend in her house. wasn’t this what parent’s were afraid of when they went off on trips? well, that or their kid throwing a party. then again, it wasn’t as if there was anything to worry about. he was just taking over the guest room for a few days. 

it’s a few hours later, with the moon filling the sky and georgie falling into a deeper sleep which finds trouble starting. it’s something georgie had failed to consider when she’d impulsively invited him over which had been an oversight on her part. or perhaps it had simply been her belief that she could somehow control something that was out of her control. that it wouldn’t be an issue because she didn’t have night terrors every night, even if nightmares plagued her on most of them. it begins with what sounds like thuds on the floor of her room, books and pictures falling off shelves as she tosses and turns in her sleep. then comes the muttering, which for it’s part couldn’t be heard through the wall shared with the guest room next to hers. but the glass of water she had on her nightstand shattering? that’d made a decent sound. then it’d paused for a few minutes until she’d begun to let out some strange combination of a scream and a cry that’s only partly muffled by her pillow that’s now drenched in sweat. it’s not a night terror at least. she’s not moving out of her bed or trying to open her door even if she is squirming in her sheets. she’s still like that when her door gets opened, it taking the use of her name and a forceful shake to awaken her. she lashes out immediately arms flailing at whoever was there with her to push them away from her, still not registering she’s awake. though, it’s not entirely effective and it only takes her a few more seconds to realize it’s jack making her freeze, a maelstrom of emotions playing across her face. she’s thankful she hadn’t unleashed her powers on him but it’s difficult for her process much else considering her body is still shaking and her face is still wet with tears. she takes a deep yet shaky breath, embarrassment still finding it’s away past her other emotions.  

“i’m sorry for waking you, i-- i’m fine you shoul--” go. he should go, out of her room where he can’t see her like this, vulnerable and unmasked. where he can’t see the way she’ll break down further the moment the door closes behind him as the memories she always tries to force away rage back into her until she eventually pushes them back down and remains awake for the rest of the night. except, he cuts her off, stating he isn’t leaving and georgie isn’t sure what to do with that because she’s never been in this situation before. her father knows about her dreams, comforts her when he can. but no one else has ever seen her like this and a part of her doesn’t want to be alone, even if that part battles with her pride and need to seem strong in front of others. “i-- ” she doesn’t know what to say, suddenly can’t form words in the way she wants to and so she quiets, refusing to make eye-contact and bringing her knees up to her chest as if it’s some form of armor that’ll shield him from seeing that she’s still crying even if she wants to force the tears to stop. 

[sanguinarysanguinity]

2022 Fanworks in Review

In 2022, I published:

1. With Surprising Quickness (Bush/Hornblower, Hornblower TV, 3.7K, pwp) Two impoverished lieutenants share a berth.

2. A Peaceful and Beautiful Spot (Ewen & Francis, The Flight of the Heron, 1.4K, gen) Ewen brings Francis, Lord Aveling, to visit Keith's grave.

3. Heron Feathers (various pairings, The Flight of the Heron, ficlet collection)

4. [vid] Some Things are Meant to Be (Keith/Ewen, The Flight of the Heron 1968, major character death) Take my hand / Take my whole life too

5. Hornblower's Lost Honour (Bush/Hornblower, Hornblower novels, 107K) #no one leaves this island until I see some kissing

6. Seaweed and Apple Blossoms (Laurent/Aymar/Avoye, The Wounded Name, 4.3K) Four missing scenes in which the subtext is made text.

~

Total number of completed works: Four stories (one with a prologue), one ficlet collection, and one vid.

Total word count: 117K, which is roughly twice my usual annual published word count. A lot of that is a result of Hornblower's Lost Honour having been written over the course of three years, thus pulling a significant chunk of previous years' unpublished words into this year's published wordcount. (But even if I didn't write all those words this year, I sure did edit them all! Getting that sucker published was a significant chunk of work.)

Fandoms created for: Hornblower, The Flight of the Heron, The Wounded Name.

Looking back, did you create more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected? All of the above. My dad's death back in January knocked me out of my usual run of spring exchanges, and for a long while there I was writing nothing more than alibi sentences. Consequently, in terms of total works, this seems like a very short list for the year, even given the behemoth of Lost Honour. Flipside, my big goal was to publish Lost Honour during 2022, and I successfully pulled that off, even bringing me to a record high wordcount, which I was very much not expecting given the way the year started.

What’s your own favorite creation of the year? Maybe "A Peaceful and Beautiful Spot" -- I like the energy and some of the prose is very well. I'm not claiming it's my best work of the year -- it was written in a day and shows a consequent lack of polish -- but my feelings about it are uncomplicated, and it has a pleasing accomplishment-to-effort ratio.

Did you take any creative risks this year? I typed this sentence --

His passion could no longer be restrained; it must find expression, or he must die.

-- and had a moment of extreme self-consciousness about what I had just written. I ultimately decided not only to leave it in, but to let it guide the tone of the piece. Happily, several commenters said they liked the OTT emotionalism of that story, so I'm gonna say it worked out.

Do you have any goals for the new year? To finish Langstroth on Bees, my ACD Holmes retirement longfic that I started in 2014, and which currently sits at 70K. Also, very tentatively: now that I'm doing a Holmes canon re-read with Letters from Watson, I've picked up "Sixty for Sixty" again: a collection of sixty-word ficlets for the sixty canon stories, which I first started during my last readthrough of Holmes canon as a part of sherlock60 on LJ. I'm not gonna commit to doing ficlets for all the stories (that way lies madness!), but it'd be cool to knock out another chunk of them. Beyond that, just the usual: to keep making things for as long as I'm getting pleasure from making them.

Most popular creation of the year? "With Surprising Quickness". Yes, it's probably one of my stronger PWPs, but more significantly, 1) I wrote it at the beginning of the year, giving it more time to accumulate kudos, and 2) I wrote it for a large exchange, bringing it before more eyes. It might also help that it's in the TV tag and not the novels tag; I sometimes get the impression there are more readers in the TV tag.

Creation of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: No. Within this question lies madness.

Most fun thing to make: The vid. It came together very quickly, and making it was hella iddy and immersive, in that way that vidding often is.

Most unintentionally telling thing: Hornblower's Lost Honour. I came out in the early 90s into a society more comprehensively and reflexively homophobic than the one I live in today, and Lost Honour draws on those experiences. Most especially how society's hatred gets deep down inside your head and you can unpack it and unpack it and fucking unpack it and then you turn around and discover that no, society has still got you unwittingly doing their dirty work for them, punishing yourself on their behalf. Like a rat proactively giving yourself electroshocks because you can't imagine any other way to live, ugh. That experience (plus how it shapes and stunts you and damages your relationships) is threaded all through that story.

Biggest disappointment: Again, madness.

Biggest surprise: FANART. Three people made fanart for Lost Honour! Plus another art for one of my Heron Feathers ficlets! Behold:

@chiropteracupola for HLH chapter 1

@cedarboots for HLH chapter 7

ljm for the AU where Horatio bakes Bush and Brown an apology cake

@chiropteracupola Heron OT3

I am flat aback with astonishment and pleasure.

[antigonewinchester]

Ok, but what about - and, yes, it's a thing,

Sam/Jess/Dean?

Hmmm this one is a bit tough because Jess really isn’t much of a character—her narrative role really is to be Sam’s sweet, supportive blonde girlfriend and then die—so it’d definitely have to be an AU where Jess lives and is more 3-dimentional. Does have funny ‘incest lite’ vibes, in shying away from straight up Wincest by still including Jess. Checked AO3 and it only has 133 fics, which isn’t all that surprising, considering how most people went right to Wincest from the start. 

What seems most interesting to me is an S1 AU where Jess goes along with Sam & Dean in their quest to find John. Already that would give Jess more of a personality (it would take a certain type of person to drop out of Stanford to go chasing after her boyfriend’s dad, plus the getting in the middle of two brothers aspect) and would be a way to explore Sam and Dean from a 3rd perspective. Since both of them have such different views of each other and their childhoods in S1, adding Jess to the mix would be compelling in that she wouldn’t have the same view of the situation as either of them. And there’s how she’d react to learning about hunting and that Sam kept such a huge part of his life from her for their whole relationship, and how she’d reevaluate Sam and Dean both as she got to know them both more. Sam & Dean dating the same 3rd person might also solve some of the relationship drama and jealousies between them, weirdly enough.

(I guess one could also do an S1 AU that didn’t involve Wincest explicitly, with Jess dating both Sam and Dean but the bros not directly involved. There’s definitely an American gothic novel to be written in that vein if it hasn’t been already, about a young woman who gets pulled into a dysfunctional relationship w/ 2 brothers as they travel across the US, the incestuous subtext lingering in the background... looking at the horrors of incest & the American family from an outsider pov and all that.)

[send me a ship and I'll give you by (brutally) honest opinion]

[04tenno]

Well goddamn, Daigo. I can only guess that was a part of his all-around terrible behavior that emerged when his world felt like it was crumbling. Of course, though, that’s still an awful way to act. It reminds me of the substory for him in 0 when he’s being a much more toned down kind of awful to that lady, and Kiryu points out that it’s not normal for him to act that way. It’d be interesting to see how he’d be with woman when he’s more levelheaded.

If you don’t mind me asking, what are your thoughts on Daigo and possibly being gay, anyway? It’s an area of intrigue for me in a way I can’t properly explain 🫠 Maybe due to being queer myself I wind up thinking about stuff like that.

Choosing a heartthrob type actor who doesn’t seem to do a lot of stuff like Yakuza and has a multitude of suggestive photo shoots makes me wonder so much. He’s not the usual choice compared to a lot of the other actors here. And what they used him for in the original version of Ishin is also just ???? There’s too much stuff in this series that my brain hooks onto and rotates endlessly. Even when it’s a character that doesn’t get thought about much 💀

Sorry I’ve been rambling so much. I really appreciate what you’ve shared with and done for the fandom, and it really gets my curiosity going.

How Daigo acts in Y0 is definitely in line with him ending up that way, because he's clearly begun to internalize certain beliefs about how he should act and what what he should want. It's very much not normal for a kid his age even if he doesn't fully understand it.

So, you know, there's stuff to chew on, but at the same time constantly showing that a character's hit his "lowest point" by having him victimize a female character gets old, and I'm glad Yokoyama stopped relying on that as shorthand.

I'm queer as well, so I think it'd be pretty cool! A huge draw to the series for women and queer people is the homoerotic subtext (which is, on occasion, text). And the subtext with Daigo really is intriguing, of course in terms of what we've talked about with Mine and with women, but also with Shinada and with Nick, for example.

When I've got the time I'd like to talk about it in a separate post (or in an ask to Snap in all likelihood lmao) but I'm like, 98% sure Mine just assumes he's gay and it's incredibly funny to me. Mine is certainly not Free of Projection, but still.

I honestly think Daito fits the casting pattern, though! There's at least one standout "heartthrob" in the cast of most of the games since faceclaims were introduced. Out of the actors I'm familiar with, Shota Matsuda (Kenzan), Hiroki Narimiya (Y4), Daito (Y5 and Ishin), Arata Iura (Y0), and of course Takuya Kimura, Shosuke Tanihara, and Hiroshi Tamaki (J1 and LJ) all had that reputation; even Tsutsumi did in the past. I think there's an understanding that the female fans are here to stay and are worth catering to.

Uhhhhh only tangentially related on the topic of queerness and faceclaims, honorable mention to Peter (Dead Souls) who is just straight-up one of Japan's most well known gay and GNC performers. Honestly. Slay. I love that he got to work with RGGS (even if, as usual, he plays a villain...)

With Ishin, it's definitely an interesting case, because with how Takeda and Todo are portrayed, it carries implications for whoever is "cast as" those characters. Because there's the acknowledgment Hayashi and Awano are, y'know, fruity, and there's also the acknowledgment Baba and Zhao could believably be desirable to gay men.

I suppose it kind of had to happen though. While Ishin does a LOT of original things with its concept, Takeda has to be Takeda, and Todo has to be Todo. In real life, Takeda did prey on younger members of the Shinsengumi (some believe Hijikata had Saito assassinate him after receiving complaints of this), and if one wanted to acknowledge that within the main story, well, Todo is the youngest captain.

In terms of casting, I think it's a mix of being dead-set on having an "all-star" cast (for the time) and needing the cast to fit "the image" of who the historical figures were. So Todo would naturally need to be someone who's boyishly handsome (even though Baba is 30 lmao). And hey, turns out we've got a really well-liked character that fits the bill right there in Y5, which was the best-selling RGG game by far in Japan until (I think) YLAD.