#it’s not that i dislike the love triangle it’s just the focus on it is inadvertently pointing out the massive flaws of this show

[kerryweaverlesbian]

I know you've wrotten meanstiel yourself but I was wondering if you had any other recs for it? Althought I do still need to read 2 of your ones too

Unfortunately going to have to come out as a fake fan because I haven't read ANY other meanstiel and even my megstiel is limited enough that I can't recommend any off hand. There's a very. Particular dynamic that I like for meanstiel. And I don't want to read bad takes on Meg because she is my blorbo and I feel this would make me unduly upset. So I haven't delved into the ao3 tags even a little bit.

I went through enough "trying to find decent throuple fics where my favourite is the least popular and there is a significant fandom shipping the other two" in the captain america fandom (where my favourite was Sam Wilson AKA the falcon and my primary interest was samsteve but people claiming to write "samstevebucky" were in fact writing stucky wearing a "sam is their therapist and has no plotlines or negative feelings and is functionally a sexy extra" trenchcoat). I've done my time in the fandom mines...

(This isn't meant to disparage or discourage people from writing meanstiel!!!!!!!!!!! Please do!! More thinking about Meg more better! I just probably personally won't read it lol)

[poebrey]

to post something positive I am really happy about what snw is doing with T’Pring and it makes so much sense and just in general I love the material they gave her in this episode

[tossawary]

Regarding "The Hobbit" film trilogy, even if I ended up personally disliking and resenting how much time and focus the elf characters (and others) ended up taking away from the dwarves whom I think deserved more focus as rich internal characters (I know that studio pressures are a factor in that terrible love triangle and so on), I still... vaguely appreciate the effort to create and include named female characters like Tauriel, when the book is sadly lacking in them. I think she's fine, actually. Comparatively, there are many other elements in these adaptations that I think are much, MUCH worse.

But still, if you want to add female characters to this story, the obvious answer to me seems to be to just make half the Company into dwarf women? (With similarly fancy beards and other facial hair! Because I think that's fun.) It's just... so much easier?

Do NOT come at me with that "dwarf women are rare" bullshit. Unreliable narration. Logistically unlikely. Also, if you believe that "men are the warriors and craftsmen, the women stay at home" is how dwarf society strictly functions (boring, honestly, on top of being incredibly sexist), I could argue that the Battle of Azanulbizar and other struggles probably left a significant dent in this dwarf group's male population, leaving behind many widows and mothers without children to pick up the work. The battlefields have come to and TAKEN both Erebor and Moria from the dwarves. I see no good reason why dwarf women would not have equal investment in reclaiming their home and the gold. Many of the Company are not presented to be formally trained warriors, anyway.

Now, ideally, we could do way queerer stuff in terms of both romance and gender here, but we know cowards with veto powers would not let this happen. Still, I feel like basic genderbending would have been a very doable move and is, actually, a very reasonable ask of an adaptation that would have added some depth to the story even if you didn't acknowledge the change at all.

Like, preferably, this would be an adaptational change that would be directly addressed. Maybe all of the Company appear male at first due to traveling that way (and assumptions made by humans and hobbits), then Bilbo might learn that some of the Company are dwarf women when he becomes closer to all of them. We could have a brief scene acknowledging that dwarf women are fighting these battles for their pasts and their futures too. It doesn't have to be a big thing! They can just be there. Existing. Participating.

I even think it would be fun if two of the dwarves were actually an older married couple traveling together, instead of brothers or cousins, because loving married bickering and battle couples are fun. You can have running jokes in the background about how Smaug's invasion ruined their wedding day, and going back and forth with "you never take me anywhere nice" @ each other whenever they're stuck in Goblintown or the Mirkwood dungeons. (I like seeing good marriages & partnerships in fiction and established couples going on fantasy quests together. I just think it's neat.)

But another (sillier) direction is that you could just cast some actresses in beards to play some of the dwarves, then leave the fact that some of these characters are probably dwarf women (traveling as men) as a fun detail for the audience. Bilbo is either too oblivious to notice or much too polite to bring it up at all. It's canonically compliant to the text this way!

Now, obviously some few people would have complained that Tolkien's work was being ruined by "political correctness", but they complained anyway about Tauriel (when there are MANY other bad choices in these movies), and what worthwhile arguments could they have possibly made against genderbending some of the THIRTEEN dwarves? Like, most casual fans I know cannot NAME the entire Company, who get so little character development in the book that the films had to come up with unique designs and backgrounds for most of them anyway. Bro (directed towards someone objecting to the idea of including female dwarves), be real, there's no way that you honestly cared this much about "Nori the Dwarf" before right now.

[mangowillow]

last to know | ch. 1: haunted dreams

pairing: jungkook x (f) reader / kim woosung x (f) reader

summary: you and jeongguk got together at 16 years old, married at 20, and divorced at 21. what was once love ever after turned into nothing but pain and unfulfilled dreams. you keep going despite the pain in your heart that never really went away, until one day, jungkook comes back— to seoul and in your life.

general story tags: divorce au, childhood friends, angst (who am i without it), hurt & eventual comfort, kind of a slow burn, OC is an adopted child in this fic, a lot of flashbacks later on because context is important; and the others that a lot of people seem to dislike: a love triangle and a LOT of miscommunication. look away if this isn't your thing. tags and warnings will be updated as we go along with each chapter!

warnings: nothing really; well, maybe except seokjin's intrusive thoughts about an axe k*ller— but it's tame, i promise! oh, and jeongguk gets slapped. be nice and let me know if i miss anything! there's a mini flashback in this chapter in all italics marked by a ♥!

word count: 3,900

author's note: i am very nervous about this first chapter because it's been A WHILE since i last wrote ~something~ so anyway! here you go, enjoy!

fic masterlist

New York, 2023

It was right when the DJ turned up the volume that Jeongguk felt the impact of a palm hitting him square in the jaw.

Jeongguk doesn’t know what stimuli to focus on: should it be the loud music blasting through the speakers or the sting of the slap that he probably deserved. It doesn’t take his brain too long to piece together what just happened 5 seconds ago. He knows what’s coming and he is also very much aware that he did see it coming sooner or later.

“Fuck you, Jeongguk,” Ae-cha grits through her teeth. Jeongguk swears she’s about to cry, tears threatening to spill amidst the blue glow of the lights above them. “We are dating, how can you say that—”

“We sleep together when it’s convenient for the both of us, Ae-cha.” Jeongguk downs the rest of his scotch, along with the remnants of his pride. “I never said anything about dating.”

“You are such a jerk!” Ae-cha turns a shade of red, tears in the corners of her eyes. It isn’t the first time Jeongguk has ever made a woman cry, but oddly enough, he doesn’t feel that hollow ache in his chest; the one he felt the first time he made that mistake. He should feel bad, he thinks, but then again, he also doesn’t.

Does that make him a bad person? 

“I didn’t listen to my friends when they said you were trouble. I wanted to prove them wrong—” Ae-cha starts, but Jeongguk cuts her off.

“Why? Why do you have to?”

Ae-cha’s eyes grow wide as she watches Jeongguk stare at his empty glass.

“You should have listened to your friends.” Jeongguk says, matter-of-fact. Ae-cha scoffs and Jeongguk knows now is the right time to probably shut up.

But he’s a jerk, just like Ae-cha says he was.

“I told you right from the beginning… we just use each other because we’re both lonely,” Jeongguk feels his throat turn dry, “I think somewhere along the way, you misread my actions.”

Ae-cha doesn’t move, doesn’t speak. She closes her eyes for a minute and Jeongguk looks at her, waiting for her rebuttal. Or maybe a second slap. Whichever comes first.

Ae-cha speaks in a voice so low, it’s perplexing how Jeongguk is still able to pick up her words— “Your problem is that you do not care about other people’s feelings, Jeongguk. You only care about your own.”

Jeongguk tightens his jaw; now he feels his heart aching.

“You hurt people. You ruin good things. You keep your heart under tight wraps and you do not let anyone in. If you keep that up, you will end up with no one.”

Jeongguk stares at Ae-cha, wanting to say something, but failing completely. Maybe this is what he gets for sleeping with a psychologist— a rude awakening.

Before he can say anything, Ae-cha turns on her heel and walks away. Jeongguk remains at the bar for a bit more until the song changes into a slower tempo. It feels like a chore walking back to the table where his best friend Yoongi was— like walking on lead. 

“That must’ve hurt—” Yoongi starts, fingers reaching out to the peanut bowl and putting some into his mouth. Jeongguk plops down on the chair with a sigh. “What a shitty night,” he quips.

Yoongi hums, “And whose fault is that?” 

Jeongguk looks at his best friend in annoyance. Yoongi chuckles, putting more peanuts into his mouth. “What’d she say?”

“That I’m a jerk who hurts people and ruins good things.”

“Is it true?”

“You tell me.”

“I don’t think I need to do that, kid.” Yoongi concludes, glancing at Jeongguk. He takes a swing out of his beer bottle before continuing, “You know damn well the answer to that.”

Jeongguk clicks his tongue and takes the beer from Yoongi. He takes a swig himself, letting their conversation die out by drowning it into the same old music he’s used to hearing almost every night. 

Jeongguk comes home to his apartment that night, tipsy and his heart in pieces. Walking into the living room, the corner of his eyes catch the stack of luggages already packed and loaded. He didn’t feel like sitting on the couch so he opts to sit on the floor, his fingers grazing the carpet absentmindedly. A beat later, he allows his heart to bleed once more— as he always seems to do every single night for the past few years. Leaning his head back against the edge of his couch, he cries himself to sleep, wishing, praying the ache in his chest—and the words you hurt people—would go away in the morning.

Seoul, 2023

Your eyes try to take in the art in front of you— The Artist’s Garden in Giverny, Claude Monet, 1900. Usually, many emotions overwhelm your system and you cannot help but discuss any painting with the next person willing to listen. 

And once upon a time, you were enthusiastic about your craft and love for the arts. It was almost always too easy, too often that you could come up with pieces to add to your gallery. But that hasn’t happened in over a year�� maybe more than. 

In the stillness of the room you are in, you hear light footsteps coming closer to where you are. You keep your eyes trained on Monet’s painting until your brother Seokjin sits beside you.

For a while, you and Seokjin just sit beside each other— no words, only a quiet understanding that close siblings seem to share and empathize with. Seokjin’s parents adopted you when you were eleven; a year after you and your parents met a horrible car collision. You are five months older than Seokin, yet that fact doesn't deter him at all, and more often than not, he usually ends up acting like your older brother. When he first met you at the orphanage, he grew fond of you real quick— already asking his parents when he’d be allowed to play with you. He doesn’t mind that you were once part of the system, that you are his half-sister— not really. He never treated you any differently. He loves you with his whole heart and he will always protect you. 

This is why he also cannot stand stillness at times, especially when it involves you.

“Have you been waiting long?” Seokjin asks.

You have a habit of kicking your right foot into the air when you don’t really know how to respond right away. You take a sharp inhale before shaking your head. Seokjin follows your line of sight— you were still looking at the painting.

“Does it make you feel better? Looking at this, I mean…” 

Seokjin’s question makes you look at him instead, like you just realized he had been sitting there this whole time and you never knew. He meets your eyes, sees the sadness in them. He will always know no matter how hard you try to hide it.

“Happy birthday, ____”

You don’t respond. 

“Taehyung and the others are waiting down at the cafe. Do you still want to meet them?”

You nod once before giving Seokjin a smile, “Of course.”

Seokjin slides into the gap between the two of you and instinctively, you rest your head on his shoulder as he envelops you in a side hug. He rubs a hand up and down your arm before planting a light kiss on top of your head.

“I know it doesn’t get any easier, ____. But I just want you to know that I love you… We all love you.” 

With shaky breath and tears that threaten to spill from your eyes, you whisper, “I know.”

As Seokjin gets into the driver’s seat, you hand him an envelope. Seokjin has an inkling what it is, but he asks you anyway as he squints his eyes at you.

“What is that supposed to be?”

You push the envelope towards him a bit more, just humming, “It’s the last payment.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes as he presses the ignition. He doesn’t take the envelope, “Oh come on, Seokjin, just take it.”

“And for the nth time, you shouldn’t have to pay for something I willingly helped you out for. We’re siblings, for gods sake, ____.”

You lower your hands, setting the envelope on your lap. Eyes cast down you mumble, “I know that. I was able to sell a painting again after a long time and it felt good… But I already told you this before— I’d feel better if you just please take this.” 

Seokjin lets out a sigh— usually he makes that sound when he’s already defeated. 

“Please don’t tell me you’re giving me all the money you worked hard for,” Seokjin starts and you shake your head as soon as you heard the word all. “No, not at all, I— I had some saved up and the rest of it will be for rent.”

You look at Seokjin who still looks suspicious. You playfully roll your eyes and Seokjin sees you smile for the first time that night.

“I promise.”

Seokjin sets his eyes on the parking lot, placing his hands on the steering wheel, “Fine—” you squeal as soon as he gives in and you place the envelope in the glove compartment. “—but this is the last time, all right?”

“Yes sir, that’s the last of the payments,” you respond a tone higher than your usual. Seokjin chuckles as he sets the gear into reverse.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help moving some of your stuff?” Seokjin asks as you fasten your seatbelt.

“Not really, I think I can manage just fine.”

You expect Seokjin to be backing up the car right now, yet he remains unmoving. You chuckle.

“I’ll be fine, Seokjin. Movers will help me move some of the heavier stuff.”

“Listen, ____, I was beyond ecstatic when you told me you were moving out of… there. I just don’t understand why you need to move in somewhere else when you can just stay with me.”

“Seokjin—”

“And it’s not like you have any problems with money or anything, I mean, you are doing okay right?”

“I am,” you answer with a smirk.

“Yah, don’t give me that look, ____. I’m serious, I really don’t understand why you have to stay somewhere else.”

“I already told you. I don’t need a big apartment, I just need a place to sleep. And isn’t it weird if we live together— people are going to think we’re co-dependent.”

Seokjin opens his mouth to argue, but you cut him off, “And I know what you’re going to ask next. Why did I choose to move in an apartment on the other side of the city? And I already told you a dozen times— I need to learn how to be on my own for real this time. And it’s much cheaper compared to all the other apartments in the city center, I mean— have you seen Seoul?”

“Don’t get cheeky with me, woman. Sure yeah, valid, but have you met your neighbors?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” you ask confidently.

“Well, they could be an ax killer or something—”

“Or they could just be an ordinary person with a normal life, Seokjin.” You laugh at your brother’s catastrophic thoughts. You completely understand where he’s coming from— he just wants to protect you.

“That’s only hypothetical,” Seokjin snarks as he stops at a stoplight. You lay your hand on top of his on the console.

“I know you’re worried about me—”

“I am, you brat.”

“And I will forever be grateful… but I need to do this,” you reply calmly, almost like you were whispering. “I hope you understand.”

“I’m trying, ____. It’s not exactly easy to do that when you’re not giving me the grace to understand exactly why you need to do this… when you can just stay with me. The house is too big. And the cafe is right next door!”

“And we will get to that someday… but not right now, hm?” Seokjin sighs in defeat. “I will call you every single night if that will make you feel better.”

“Yah, those kinds of things have to come from the heart, not because you’re forced to do it just to appease me.”

“I’m not… I actually really want to talk to my little brother every day,” you tease as Seokjin scoffs.

“Fine, you have to call me every day, okay? Promise?”

You grin wide, “I promise.”

“And I am not your little brother, we’re only 5 months apart.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m older than you.”

Seokjin grumbles under his breath but a smirk was on his lips, “And you’re always going to be my brat.”

The coffee shop you and Seokjin run together has been passed down by your parents. Ever since Seokjin could utter the word, “coffee,” everyone in the family knew he was destined to manage the coffee chains. Even though you were technically the older one, your parents were more lenient and allowed you to forge your own path. Seokjin understood that and he wouldn’t have it any other way despite your pleas to help him with all the major business work. It has been a few years since the original coffee shop in Seongsu-dong expanded into different branches across Seoul. When you flew back from New York, you immediately put up your own artist studio right beside the cafe. Seokjin even pitched in on the idea of a gallery where people can choose to paint while drinking their favorite latte. Four years later, people now come for the art displays and occasional indie music performances, at times poetry nights. 

Four years later, you were also making a name for yourself as an artist. Seokjin once told you you were a jack of all trades, master of everything because you were crafty with your hands— painting, dress-making, cooking. And you brush him off every single time.

Because if anything, one of your greatest weaknesses was believing whether or not you were good enough for anything or anyone.

Seokjin opens the door for you as you both enter the coffee shop. As soon as you come in, you are greeted by your long-time friends— Taehyung, Hoseok, and Jimin. You met Taehyung and Jimin in New York because you were all fine arts students. Hoseok came into the picture as Taehyung’s lover not long after the three of you came back home to Seoul. 

“There she is, our little star,” Taehyung greets you with his signature boxy smile. His arms are wide open, ready to engulf you in a tight embrace. Jimin and Hoseok follow suit, each with a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s about time you show your pretty face, ____. It’s been ages since we last saw you,” Jimin quips.

“But I text and call you guys almost every day,” you defend. Hoseok pushes a plate of strawberry cake towards you and adds, “It’s not the same as seeing you in the flesh, ____. You look amazing, as always.”

“Thank you, Hobi. That’s reassuring, considering the fact that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in ages.”

“Too many commissions?” Jimin asks.

“More than that, the gallery show at Seojung Art is in six months, and I still haven’t started on my piece.”

“Do you already know what you’re going to create?” Taehyung asks as he takes a bite of his croissant.

“That’s the problem… inspiration isn’t coming. It’s a bother,” a frown now evident across your face. Jimin holds your hand.

“You know you’re really talented, right, ____? You’ll pull through.”

“Thanks, Jiminie,” you smile at him. 

“Maybe one of the customers’ paintings here could ignite a spark?” Taehyung starts. “I mean, sometimes the best kind of inspiration hits when you least expect it.”

“You’re right. I’ll sleep on it tonight… if I do get to sleep,” you chuckle, but they all know it’s more than that.

Seokjin comes back to the table with your hot mint tea— a drink that almost always helps you fall asleep.

“What’s with the dead atmosphere, guys? It’s been a while since we all got together like this and you’re all moping,” Seokjin jokes. He has always been the life of the party contrary to his very introverted nature.

“It really is a good night, isn’t it?” Taehyung replies as he eats up the last bit of his pastry. “Hoseok and I actually enjoyed the night breeze on the way here because it was just the right amount of chilly.”

“Always the romantic, this one,” Hoseok laughs.

Jimin carefully watches you as you sip your tea in silence. “Are you all settled to move in tomorrow, ____? Do you need help?” 

“I’ll be fine, Jimin. I don't have as much stuff to pack, anyway.”

“Oh yeah that’s right, tomorrow’s moving day. Are you excited?” Taehyung jumps a bit on his seat, suddenly interested in the conversation.

“Not really, I mean, it’s going to be pretty boring moving stuff around, don’t you think?”

“But it’s also the start of a new beginning.” Taehyung supplies.

You smile after taking a bite of the cake, “That is very true.”

Seokjin opens his mouth to talk, but then closes it. He changes his mind anyway, “Her neighbors don’t own axes or something, right Taehyung?”

Taehyung giggles, “I don’t know, hyung, It’s not like I went into every apartment on her floor.”

Seokjin turns pale and Taehyung laughs. Taehyung used to live on the same floor as the one you’re about to move into— before he moved in with Hoseok.

“Seokjin is so worried about the neightbors that he couldn’t stop ranting about it on the way here,” you chuckle. “But as I told him, I’ll be fine.” You placed emphasis on the word fine as you held Seokjin’s hand for reassurance under the table.

“Are you telling that to us or to yourself?” Seokjin starts. He has a way of being so upfront with you that there were moments when it became the cause of your fights and misunderstandings. Seokjin sometimes does not know when to stop, yet you know he always means well. You love and dislike him for it at the same time.

“Hyung…” Jimin readily interjects.

“It’s okay, Jimin…” you put your fork down and paused before looking at Seokjin. “I am telling all of you and myself… that I will be fine. I am honestly really thankful that you’re all here now to keep me company.”

You’ve been saying the word “fine” and “okay” a whole lot that night— you started to doubt if you really are or if Seokjin was right— that you’re just trying to convince yourself of it.

“Are you holding up okay, noona?” Hoseok asks, worried.

“Of course—” you take a sharp exhale before continuing, “It also means that time is helping me get past it. And I am okay with that.”

None of your friends respond. 

“We love you always, ____. You’ll always have us.” Taehyung said.

“Happy birthday, noona,” Jimin smiles. 

Your friends sing you their greetings as Hoseok brings out their surprise birthday cake and flowers. As you try not to cry at their gesture, you try to give them the most genuine smile you can muster. Yet in your heart, you know it’s not enough to convince them. Or yourself.

♥ “You do not get to tell me shit because I have done everything for you—”

“I didn’t ask for any of this, Jeongguk—”

“And yet you still came here with me. If you are really that resentful about moving here… about marrying me— then why did you stay? Why are you still here?”

“I never said I resented you.”

“Yeah? Well it feels like it. You make me feel like shit whenever I can’t help you! God I— you know what? I’m done. I can’t do this with you anymore.”

“W-what do you mean you can’t—”

“—I’m saying we should end this. I want a divorce.”

Yoongi gently shakes Jeongguk’s shoulder to wake him up. “We’re almost landing, Jeongguk-ah,” he whispers.

Jeongguk slightly jerks from his sleep. His body feels heavy, his brain foggy but at the same time trying to recover from the dream he just had.

“It’s the same dream again, isn’t it?” Yoongi asks, knuckles turning white as he holds on to the arm rests. Turbulence has always been a bitch— well, at least to Yoongi. Jeongguk doesn’t answer him; instead, he looks out the plane window, thinking the plane couldn’t land fast enough.

“You keep calling out for her, you know? When you dream, I mean. Did you know that?”

That gets Jeongguk’s attention. He bites down on his lip ring before shaking his head, “No. I didn’t know.”

From baggage claim until Jeongguk and Yoongi exit through arrivals, there has been nothing but silence. Yoongi notices how Jeongguk’s hands couldn’t keep still: he’d take them in and out of his pockets. As they walk to the car that awaits them, Yoongi asks once more— “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?

Jeongguk lets out a long breath before looking at his best friend: “I will be.”

“This is the last of the boxes, ma’am.” One of the movers holds a medium-sized box. “Where do you want me to put it?”

You get up from one of the boxes you were opening, “Oh, that’s okay, I’ll take it. Thank you.”

“I just need you to sign one more thing before we wrap up.”

“Of course,” you take the pen and sign on the dotted line.

“Have a good day,” The movers gave you a small bow before they went on their way. Looking around the room, you let out a sigh. The apartment is bigger than you initially thought but you are happy about that. There’s an extra room spacious enough to set up a painting studio. 

Your eyes land on the last box that was given to you by the mover. Inside it are memories that you don’t feel ready to touch just yet. Despite everything else scattered around your room, you pick up the box and shove it into the back corner of your closet. Maybe someday you’ll have the heart to open it again, but right now, it stays out of sight.

You were about to start opening one of the other boxes when a soft, melodic voice comes up behind you— “Hey baby.”

You turn around quickly, your heart and body naturally gravitating to the owner of the voice: Kim Woosung, your boyfriend.

“Hi,” you softly respond, heart happy upon seeing your boyfriend’s smile. He sets the take-out bags down to hug you. Woosung then gives you a long kiss on your forehead, mumbling, “I missed you.”

You don’t lift your eyes to meet his right away, but your hands reach out for his as he cradles your face. When you finally look at him, he gives you that warm smile you have always loved. With Woosung, there is peace, the kind that secures your heart. As he aligns his forehead with yours, you feel all your worries melt away. 

With Woosung, everything feels safe, so right.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Woosung apologizes. You shake your head gently and wrap your arms around his neck.

“You’re just in time.”

[mcdgarroth]

Ok, so it’s pretty well known that what divides most of the fandom is your view on Aaron’s character. I’m personally on the side that dislikes him (I mean no disrespect to people who do like him, however) but I never really see anyone delve in on why he is such a disliked character. (I apologize if you have) Maybe it’s because most are like me and sort of just ignore his existence lol.

But today, I felt like talking about this, because I love storytelling and hope to be an author one day and finding out the reason why a character that’s suppose to be the main love interest is so ill-received seems pretty important to know.

I think we should start off by looking at his character story-wise, and from the beginning. I think initially, he was never suppose to be as big of a character as he is now. Maybe he was suppose to be one of the guys that fall for Aphmau, but I don’t think he was meant to be endgame and especially not to this extent. I think it was only until Jason voiced him that they made him a self-insert that Aphmau falls for, who is Jess’ self-insert.

However, this was a change that they made late into the story so it seemed rushed and forced. I know many speculate that the reason why was because Jason was jealous over people shipping Jess’ self-insert with Garroth and Laurance, but since that’s only a rumor I won’t talk much about it.

Now, because of this sudden shift in the narrative where Aaron was this important character that Aphmau was just so in love with, it probably gave the audience a bit of whiplash since everyone was expecting either Garroth or Laurance.

I know for me personally, I was (and still am) a Garmau shipper. However, I was also perfectly fine with Laurance and Aphmau being endgame. Hell, I was fine with Laurance and Aphmau AND Garroth being endgame. So, when Aaron and Aphmau essentially adopted Lilith together, I got nervous, but thought maybe it was like Aphmau and Zoey. And this happened after Aaron confessed he used to have a son, so it made sense why he would step into a fatherly role. But then it was revealed at the end of season 2 that she was pregnant with his child, and I was disappointed.

Now, this leads us into the effect he has had on other characters, including himself. Many talk about how he ruined Garroth and Laurance’s characters, as they were then pushed aside in favor of him. I don’t think their characters were “ruined” but they definitely didn’t approve due to his presence.

The love triangle between Aphmau and the two of them was something very big in the story. Laurance displayed his feelings straight away towards her. Not only that, but expressed multiple times how he didn’t care who she ended up with, as long as she allowed him to stay by her side. And with Garroth, we only see hints on his true feelings up until it’s finally revealed in the season one final that he has loved her all along. I thought this was all done pretty well, especially since the whole love triangle thing has been used so much.

And what I especially like about this love triangle that stands out to me is the relationship between Garroth and Laurance. Usually in love triangles, if the two guys are friends, it’s because they were friends before they met the girl. However, in this instance, the two became close after they both met her and on top of that, they still managed to become friends even knowing that they loved the same girl. They even called each other brothers, and Laurance would even constantly urge Garroth to confess his feelings.

Me personally, I have never seen that done with a love triangle before. Maybe the guys were friendly with each other, but never devoted to each other like Laurance and Garroth were, on top of being devoted to the girl in the triangle.

Which makes it all the more disappointing when all of that seems to amount to nothing once Aaron was made center focus, especially since he did not have that connection to the other guys who were love interests like Garroth and Laurance did.

I don’t think their characters were ruined, because they are so much more than just love interests, but they were definitely negatively impacted by Aaron.

On second thought, however, maybe they were ruined to an extent since they were sort of made into even less than love interests, even though that is NOT how they started out. In season 3, Garroth seemed pushed aside, and Laurance was barely in it.

Now with Aphmau, her character, on the other hand, was ruined without a doubt. Especially in the eyes of many viewers.

I loved character Aphmau. She was one of my favorites from the very beginning, and when I take out Aaron, she is still one of my favorites. HOWEVER, (I’m saying that a lot) because of how rushed and out of no where Aaron appeared and became a love interest, it has made Aphmau’s actions and feelings become rushed and out of nowhere, and just flat out don’t make sense. This has caused many people to dislike her, especially when it was previously established that she had feelings for both Garroth and Laurance (ie the talk she had with Laurance after the wedding massacre)

Like Garroth and Laurance, Aphmau is also so much more than just a love interest. She started off as this woman who was so curious and excited about this new world despite knowing nothing of her past, to this mature leader who just wants to protect her people.

Throughout the series, we see how all she wants to do is help. A huge part of her character is just trying to be as helpful as she can. I remember crying when it was shown she missed Levin and Malachi growing up. I always loved when they showed the relationship between her and her kids.

I do think at times the hate can be too much (I’ve seen someone call her a s!ut, which you shouldn’t do. Don’t s!ut shame.) However, I don’t think it’s completely unwarranted, and I do get annoyed with her actions as well when it comes Aaron. Unfortunately, she’s one of those characters that fall victim to bad writing. When her and Aaron became center focus across all roleplays, not to sound dramatic, but it ruined both their characters, and, not to sound even more dramatic, the story overall.

This brings us to Aaron himself. Another character who has fallen victim to bad writing, but to an even larger extent. We never got much of a chance to get to know him individually outside of his tragic backstory before he became all about Aphmau. With Garroth and Laurance, they have connections outside of Aphmau. They love each other, and they love Dante. The three of them call themselves brothers. Garroth loves his mother and brothers, and Laurance loves his dad and sister. They both love Aphmau’s kids, Malachi even looks up to Laurance. Everyone in the village knows them and cares about them. But the same can’t be said about Aaron. Only Aphmau knows him, and cried over his death. He had that one cute moment where he saved Nekoette and she gave him an apple, but that was it. Katelyn even said herself that he just… doesn’t speak to any of them. Like he was just there. Except for moments with Aphmau. Once he became Jason’s self-insert, he was just a love interest who only did things for Aphmau, including literally dying.

We never really see them fall in love, we are just told that they are. In season 3, Aphmau says they were more than lovers and Shad, impersonating Aaron, says they’ve been through so much together in which Aphmau agrees… been through what?! Everything they’ve been through together, they gone through with everyone else. It was nothing that was really all that personal.

In Mystreet, things are a bit different in which they are developed more… just not well. Like Aphmau being a freshman and Aaron being a super senior… yikes. I know many think it was ok because they didn’t date until they were adults. But me being a 19 year old, I know there should be no reason why Aaron had a crush on Aphmau.

I want to point to a scene in particular in pdh in which they are babysitting together. Aphmau says Aaron should give her a baby using the stork, in which Aaron blushes at the idea of making a baby with her. This scene implies Aphmau doesn’t know how babies are made? Aaron was a legal adult who was in love with a 14 year old who didn’t even know how babies are made. Gross. And kids, including myself, watched this.

Sorry, off topic, I mean to only talk about Minecraft Diaries since I am a Minecraft Diaries account but felt I couldn’t talk about his character without bringing that up.

I feel like I could have liked Aaron if he was more than what he is. He’s such a huge character to all the roleplays, but at the same time, he isn’t all that. I wish the roleplays had gone into a different direction, but they didn’t and we are just gonna have to work with what we have.

I feel like there’s so much more I want to say but I can’t think what that could be, so I’m gonna end this here for now.

Thank you so much to whoever read this dumb essay about an almost decade old Minecraft roleplay series, lol.

And if I offended anyone, I apologize sincerely. That is never my intention. If you disagree with anything I said, I would be more than happy to hear your side of things.

[panlight]

can I be anon pls? i saw an old post where you said you weren't 'shippy' and i'm just wondering, not to be rude, but what's the point of fandom if you're not shipping characters? that's like . . . the whole thing isn't it?

Not rude at all! It sure seems to be the way a lot of people engage in fandom!

For me, though, what I mean about not being shippy is that I personally tend to not get super invested in romantic pairings. Tell me the story, and then I'll decide if I like it or not, but I very rarely find myself screaming at the TV/Book/Whatever "JUST KISS ALREADY!!" If I am going to 'ship' something, it's usually me being like "oh, this Established Couple is very cute" but the "will they/won't they" pairings or love triangles don't interest me much. So in Twilight or the The Hunger Games it was never like, "omg I hope she picks Edward/Jacob/Peeta/Gale!!" I was curious about where the story might go, but I wasn't ever actively cheering for one over the other.

I really loved The Good Place, but got just the tiniest bit annoyed in later seasons when most of the mains got paired off because I liked the ensemble. But it didn't ruin it or anything, I just didn't super care about any of the pairings. I wasn't watching it for romance, I liked the unique setting, the lore, the characters as individuals and as a group.

Another example is Good Omens (what's with the 'Good' theme?). I loved the first season. Loved the lore, loved all the fun characters, loved Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship over the millennia, all great. I was kind of bored with the second season, though, because it became much more insular, much more 'the Aziraphale and Crowley show,' which a lot of people already saw it as, but I hadn't seen it that way previously. I missed the bigger plot, higher stakes and larger ensemble of the first season.

In fandom spaces I'm just generally more interested in lore, in backstory, in characters as individuals or ensembles than I am in romantic pairings. I don't dislike the romance! But I tend to prefer it as part of a larger overall plot rather than the main focus. "Why did you even read Twilight, then?" you ask. I was reading it as a vampire story, not as a romance. I sort of naively thought after the first book established E/B as a couple the other books would be more about their adventures navigating the vampire world. It didn't really go that way, obviously, but by then I was invested in the (mostly secondary) characters so I persisted, and the lore is interesting, even if I interpreted the vampires as darker and sadder than the happy ending suggests.

[indieyuugure]

Hi I love your art it has so much emotion and detail! But I was wandering if the turtles from 2018 will learn about the 2012 love interests, and what would be their reactions?

Thank you! I try my best to put as much raw emotion into the pictures as possible!

So the Donnie-April-Casey love triangle disaster has been brought up a few times in the comic (mostly as a joke)

The first time it’s brought up is Colliding Worlds part 2, where the Donnies find Rise Leo, 12 Casey and April. Donnie and Casey throw each other’s their favorite insults (Gap Tooth and Cave Mouth) hinting at the tension between them and April. Leo and Donnie definitely acknowledge the tension as Rise Donnie then says:

“Not to intrude on your conversation that is apparently of extreme importance, but perhaps we could pick this up any other time!?”

The next time their love triangle is mentioned is in Eye of the Storm Part 2, where if you look closely you can see this interesting little scene while the others are recapping the book so far.

Later in Eye of the Storm part 3, you can see that Rise Casey has taken notice to the 12 Casey and Donnie’s tense relationship.

He asks why Casey and Donnie dislike each other so much, but is cut off with a harsh “No.”

A few pages after, Rise Casey sees 12 Casey flirting with April and Donnie walking in very upset. Rise Casey sees what’s going on a puts it together out loud, to which 12 Raph says:

“‘Love Triangle’ makes it sound so romantic. It’s more like what happens when you add water to hot oil.”

And of course in the most recent update, you see while the 12 boys are hugging it out, Casey and April flirt, April asking “What’cha thinking about Jones?” And Casey delivering the corniest one liner, “A red and yellow sunset.” (Give Casey a break, his two brain cells worked really hard to think that one up!)

As for Leo, There’s some scrapped dialogue from Retribution Part 1 where the Leo-Karai debacle was going to be brought up.

As you some of you probably noticed, Rise Leo is accidentally quoting Karai. In some of the ideas for the dialogue, it looked something like this:

R!Leo: You always talk to yourself when you’re alone?

12Leo: Ka-L-Leo? *sigh* Gosh you sound like my sister…

R!Leo: Wait! You have a sister!?

12Leo: uh…well um, it‘s…kinda complicated…

Later on the next page:

12Leo: thanks…I…I needed that…

R!Leo: Hey! I’m just returning the favor! But, by the way, you seem really awkward talking about your sister, you didn’t like accidentally fall in love with her because she was adopted by your enemy and so thought she wasn’t related to you and you thought she’s super hot, right?

12Leo: … … …

R!Leo: WHAT!? Wait Seriously!? That was like the stupidest thing I could come up with!! Ohmigosh that’s priceless! What’s she like? Is she super into martial arts? Is she hot? Is she-

12Leo: I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!

R!Leo: *snicker-snicker* (so he still likes her, lol)

As for Raph’s relationship with Mona Lisa, I’ve posted this concept Art before, but I’ll post it again. Mona was meant to appear earlier(probably somewhere in Corrupted Logic) however, that was scrapped, and while I would like to put her in later, I don’t think it would work.

I do, however plan on doing some shorts that’ll go in the back of the comic, much like the holiday specials I’ve done and the Behind the Scenes Potty Mouths short. I really REALLY love Ramona and I think if any of the ships get a special, it’s that one.

Mikey and Renet or Shinigami(whichever you were thinking of I guess) haven’t been mentioned at all. I don’t plan on either of them showing up or it really being mentioned at all. Sorry Mike.

The vast majority of the romance(what little there is) in the comic, is played out in the background, as I don’t want it to take the stage as the main focus. The plot is not about the Donnie-April-Casey love triangle or whatever the heck is going on with Leo and Karai, it’s about the turtles defeating the Krang and learning to work with their counterparts and be a better team along the way. So sorry if it’s a little hard to spot/doesn’t exist in the canon, lol

Good question! :]

[fmluder24]

Someone Worked Hard On This: Thoughts on Fandom Etiquette and Criticizing Problematic Fan Work

This is a very long post. There is a TLDR at the bottom.

I posted about a TikTok edit I had seen recently and mentioned another in the tags that was set to the Taylor Swift song “Timeless.” Someone replied that I shouldn’t talk that way about fan edits, because they take a lot of work and if I don’t like an edit I should just ignore it.

Here’s the thing. I cannot just forget about this edit because it was very well executed. And very hurtful. I have gone back and forth about whether or not to include the edit in this post, but I wouldn’t want to lead to some type of pile on on the creators TikTok page. Regardless, I think it is important to talk about how we balance current fandom etiquette with room for criticism and disagreement when fan creations perpetuate harmful ideas or tropes.

For some background about myself, I have been pretty heavily involved in fandom across a variety of fandoms and a variety of platforms for the last 15 years. Some fandoms are very self aware and open to critically evaluating the source material, other fandoms (Star Trek lmao) can be very obnoxiously up their own asses about their source material. Like everyone in the world, I come into fandom with all of my various identities and baggage, which inform how I engage with media and with the fandoms that come up around it. I write fic and I used to make a lot of edits, so I have some experience on the fan work creator end of things.

Back to The Edit, which is really just one example out of countless times someone in a fandom has created something that has intentionally or not harmed someone.

This edit took clips of Mulder and 1940s Scully interacting during the episode “Triangle” and set them to the following lyrics from the Taylor Swift song “Timeless.”

“even if we'd met

On a crowded street in 1944

And you were headed off to fight in the war

You still would've been mine

We would have been timeless.”

The edit then goes on to show clips from Season 9 showing the emails Mulder sends to Scully, set to lyrics about love letters. That part of the song is not the issue. It’s the lyrics about the 1940s that make me cringe.

I am not the first nor the last person to dislike those lines in the Taylor Swift song, as it shows a real trivialization of history. Taylor Swift isn’t unique in doing this. It is very common to see media created by white people, especially white people with pretty insulated and privileged lives, where the past is this beautiful transcendental playground, a beautiful oil painting to slide into for a few hours and not a place full of unimaginable suffering for anyone that wasn’t a super rich white man. In Swift’s song, World War II is the backdrop for her meet-cute, not one of the most bloody conflicts in human history, with a level of industrialized brutality worldwide that, if you really sit with it, is breathtaking.

One of the atrocities that comes to most people’s minds when you bring up the year 1944 is the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the topic most relevant to the problems I have with the edit, so that is the particular atrocity and insensitivity I as a Jew will be focusing on in this post. Of course, of course, there are many other historical atrocities experienced by other communities that are also routinely trivialized in fandom spaces and elsewhere. (The one that springs to mind for me immediately is the entire existence of plantation weddings, and those Interview with the Vampire cosplayers who got in major shit for creating content while on a tour at a plantation. To me, I find trivializing and romanticizing slavery and the suffering of Black enslaved people disgusting and I don’t support people who would do a wedding or cosplay at a place that should be a space for education and mourning.)

But forgive me for the purposes of this example if I focus on the Holocaust in the context of this edit. As stated, this problem isn’t unique to Taylor Swift so hopefully no Swifties come at me. The trivialization of World War II is also on peak display in the very X Files episode we are focusing on today— Season 6, Episode 3, “Triangle.”

In “Triangle,” Mulder goes looking for a ship lost in the Bermuda Triangle and winds up trapped in the 1940s on a cruise liner where Nazis are trying to find a scientist that is going to be essential for the development of the atomic bomb. This episode was an intentional homage to, of all things, the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Rope.” The movie is done in three shots and the episode is meant to look like it was shot in three shots, strategically edited to hide the edits. It’s a fun aesthetic goal, but it is just an aesthetic goal. It’s clear to me that the plot exists as a vehicle for the chance to edit an episode in that way. For me, the aesthetic choices a creator makes should forward the story they are setting out to tell, not the other way around. But “Triangle” is style over substance all the way down.

I have been talking at this point about the trivialization of World War II in the episode; now I will turn to the trivialization of the Holocaust. What most fans I have interacted with seem to see when they watch the episode is a fun time travel episode. I see a character that faces antisemitism on the regular, whose ambiguous Judaism (accused Judaism, more like) is frequently used to heighten the stakes in episodes like the one immediately prior to this one— “Drive.” I see that character played by a patrilineally Jewish actor, whose family left what is now Ukraine in 1918. I see someone who, had the twists of history twisted in a slightly different direction, would not have been born because of the Nazi villains that are beating the crap out of him in this episode. It takes privilege to not see that upon viewing this episode. But, I cannot blame people for missing it, because the episode was fundamentally written from a place that completely deracinates World War II, Nazis, and Jewish victims of Nazis. This all becomes the playground for the writers to have Mulder and Scully finally kiss. For me, the escapist fantasy doesn’t work because I cannot decontextualize the history.

This edit married the privileged escapist fantasy of “Triangle” with the privileged escapist fantasy of “Timeless.” In that way, and in the technical skill involved, it was truly a solid edit. But, the use of Duchovny, in both the fantasy of the edit and the fantasy of the episode, draws attention to the real world victims of the violence both pieces of media trivialize in ways that the creators likely did not intend. The privileged escapist fantasy then takes on additional bent, where it is not just the 1940s as the setting for a love story, but the 1940s as the setting for a Jewish person to be put in peril by literal Nazis. In my less charitable moments, I believe that is an unconscious feature—a fetishization— and not a bug for Carter and the fans alike.

This edit perpetuated the trivialization of World War II and the Holocaust present in both the source song and the source episode. What are we to do when fans create work that intentionally or not chooses to perpetuate something harmful? I do not think refusing to ever criticize something just because it was made by another fan and not the official creator is healthy. I say this all as someone who writes fanfic and used to do a lot of Star Trek fan edits and memes on TikTok. I understand the “gift economy” model of modern fandom, but some gifts should be criticized.

Where do we draw the line between criticizing something for being harmful and being nit picky towards people creating art in their free time? I don’t think it’s always an easy line. I’m not going to pretend I know the best way forward in every case. Refusing to give any room to criticism of fan works allows for shit from the source material to seep uncritically into what could be a community where we really transform the source material for the better. The general rule of thumb of not dragging down other fans is great, but it can easily be used to silence marginalized fans disagreeing with the fans from more dominant cultural groups.

TLDR— I watched an edit on TikTok that combined the worst parts of “Triangle” with the worst parts of “Timeless” and I think sometimes it’s healthy to dislike something another fan made. Taking the gift economy model to an extreme silences diverging points of view.

[arlovegood]

Are the Bridgerton showrunners going to push the every Bridgerton male is a playboy every season (and the love triangle thing too, don't think I didn't notice that miss Rhimes)? I don't know if the rumors of Colin coming back a rake in S3 are true, but if they are I don't understand the point of having made him a virgin in S1, he was not in the books and if that change wasn't to make both him and Pen virgins then what was the point? To make him seen less responsible in the eyes of Anthony? (and let's not even talk about the fact that to think that not going to brothels or having a mistress is being less responsible is garbage). I know that canonically some of the male leads are rakes, but if they changed the show to make Colin not one then why change that in his season but NOT with Penelope? I mean, they literally alluded in the series that Edmund was a rake when is CANON in the books that he had never done anything before Violet? If it goes like this they'll make Phillip (a man that canonically hasn't slept with anyone in 10 years since that one awful time with his wife) a playboy.

I feel like I went on a rant but I guess it comes from my recent found frustration and growing dislike of the "all male leads have to be playboys" trope in books and series, plus the fact that is not even them just being playboys, is the fact that we're constantly reminded of that. Like, I don't wanna be constantly blasted in the face with the fact that he has slept with half the world population when I'm supposed to be following his love story with this one person. It's not that the leads have to be virgins (although I'll be honest, would love more of this trope), is that I don't see the necessity of reminding the audience all the time of what is the ginormous body count of this supposed sex god, like....okay, what does it matter to his romance with the one he's gonna end up with? Do you need to focus on his past and how he sleep with this one and that one so much while you're trying to sell a romance with another person to me?

anyway, sorry for the rant but I spiraled this evening and this is the best place to let go of my thoughts.

always reminding that these are my opinions, I'm not imposing them on anyone and therefor do not wish (or deserve) to be attacked for it if you don't agree.

[pascaloverx]

To Begin Again

TWELVE

Summary: You're a new teacher at a large and influential school. It's a risky step for you, as you've been running from your ex for almost two years. But when Dumbledore asks you to take on a class at the renowned Hogwarts, you can't refuse. However, your life as a newly arrived teacher won't be easy. Especially when the other teachers don't seem eager to make friends. Or rather, two teachers in particular: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

Author's Note: Welcome, dear readers. Please leave your comments if you enjoy fanfiction. This fanfic takes place almost in the real world (with the addition of werewolves) and is not a wizarding fanfic. There will be some differences and changes in things from the Harry Potter story or other fanfics in the HP universe, but I promise to do my best writing this fanfic. There will be a love triangle coming in this fanfic. So, dear readers, just as in this fanfic it's meant to imagine Remus Lupin as being Andrew Garfield and Sirius Black as being Ben Barnes, now I present to you the fancast of Severus Snape as being actor Enzo Vogrincic. Imagine him as Snape if you can.

ELEVEN THIRTEEN

A week later, things haven't improved. You managed to convince McGonagall that it would be best to change rooms, at least. The current issue is your emotional connection with Lupin. He feels too much, always intensely. For a man who barely expresses his feelings, he feels too much. And even by avoiding him physically, his feelings seem to have an absurd strength in reaching you.

"Are you sure this box isn't too heavy?" You ask Bellatrix, who as your new bathroom mate, is helping you with the move. McGonagall decided to switch you and Peter Pettigrew's rooms. So Sirius will have Peter as his next-door neighbor, and you'll have Bellatrix. It's better than having to avoid Mr. Black every day.

"I'm stronger than I look, sweetheart. I believe this is the last box. I said it would be quicker if I carried the boxes and you organized the room, right?" Bellatrix responds proudly, pleased to have been right. Thanks to her, you'll soon be able to go teach without worrying about organizing anything when you return to your room.

"Pay me back by coming over for a glass of wine tonight. They say it's good to have company for a nice wine on cold nights. What do you think?" Bellatrix says with a mischievous smile, and you can only think that drinking might help you forget your troubles.

"I think it's a perfect idea. I'll stop by your room later for wine," you say, kissing Bellatrix on the cheek. Strangely, she purrs when your face gets close to hers. She immediately kisses the corner of your mouth and leaves with a victorious smile. Unfortunately, you don't even have time to process what's happening in your life because you have to teach your students. So you rush towards the classroom.

The classroom has a distinct atmosphere. Ron and Hermione are sitting apart from Harry. Draco is relatively close to Harry. Pansy is sitting next to Luna. It seems different but not so bad. You had an idea of how your class would be. However, seeing your students like this, you thought of a more unique artistic dynamic.

"Today, we will work on ourselves. Before anything else, know that art resides within the artist. So everything you produce in this class will be a piece of yourselves. The main task is to create a painting that captures your essence. But before you worry about that, understand that the painting itself will be a project that will take several classes to complete. Today, we will focus on yourselves. I want everyone to think about something you like and something you dislike about yourself. One thing you admire about yourselves and another you despise. Does anyone want to start?" You ask the class of students in front of you, hoping someone will raise their hand and spare you from the awkwardness.

"I like being dedicated. Knowing more than most because I'm capable of it. What I don't like is how that can come across as arrogant or overly ambitious. I hate overthinking things." Not surprising anyone and saving you, Hermione Granger responds first. You look at her with pride, nodding as if to reassure your student that her account is important.

"I like how easily I can become attached to someone. Just give me a bit of affection and I can latch onto you. But unfortunately, I tend to develop expectations, and when those expectations are shattered, I become a mess," Ron Weasley opens his heart while holding Hermione's hand, as if she's supporting him, and looking towards Harry.

"I like being fearless. I enjoy adventuring, especially with my friends. And I don't like being aggressive, having a short fuse," Harry says, looking at both Draco and Ron, as if justifying his attempt to be less aggressive towards Malfoy. And so almost all the students went on pointing out what they liked and didn't like about themselves, until only Draco Malfoy was left.

"I like being better than most people I know. But I don't like the fact that it bothers me that feeling superior doesn't actually make me better," Draco admits reluctantly. You're pleased that he managed to share this. You speak to your students, observing them carefully as the school bell signals the end of your class. Everyone seems at least to be trying to take you seriously. As your students file out of the classroom for break, you begin packing up your things when you hear a knock on the door. Turning to look, you find Snape and Sirius standing side by side. Snape looks like a lost puppy who just found its owner, while Sirius appears genuinely furious.

"He wanted to speak with you, the one who helped him the day he lost his memory. Conveniently, now he has no idea what happened," Sirius replies sharply and straightforwardly, clearly in a bad mood. You understand that Snape is a risk for him, but the truth is, the Snape before you seems clueless about what transpired.

"I actually wanted to thank you. I have no idea how I ended up here or why I was in that forest, but I have a feeling you were the angel who saved my life. Right now, I'm going back to the United States to reclaim some of my life, and I wanted to say goodbye with my gratitude. Thank you so much, beautiful lady. If I ever come back here, you'll be the first person I visit." Snape speaks so passionately that it seems he has developed an extra fondness for you. Perhaps his heart holds more memories than his head. He catches you off guard by gently holding your face and kissing your cheek. Then he pauses in front of you for a few moments, gazing at you kindly. Before he can try to kiss you, Sirius pulls him back.

"I'm sure your brain hasn't forgotten basic manners. You don't just kiss someone like that, especially if you don't know if they're single. Can you imagine if you made the mistake of kissing her without her consent in front of her boyfriend? I think it's better if you show your gratitude by leaving." Sirius speaks impatiently and defensively, as if he were your boyfriend or something. Snape apologizes again, looking frightened, and quickly runs off. Clearly, he has lost his memory. Sirius would never scare him off like that if he were the Snape with memories intact.

"Expecting me to thank you for this is a waste of our time. Nice performance—it almost seemed like you were jealous, by the way," you say as you walk, followed by Sirius, who from your peripheral vision doesn't seem pleased at all.

"Were you going to let that repugnant man put his hands on you?" Sirius questions angrily, as if you were about to allow something horrible to happen.

"We both know what he did, but he doesn't. I wasn't going to let him touch or kiss me inappropriately. But that's hardly any of your damn business, Sirius. Go take care of your love life and personal affairs and leave mine alone." You turn, looking directly into Black's eyes, who huffs at your words. He's furious, but you don't care. You warned him that you wanted to stay away from him and Lupin.

"My love, it's hard to believe what comes out of your mouth when your eyes say you want me. I'm flattered that you want to play cat and mouse with me and Lupin. He might obey you, but I won't. Do you know why? Because I know there's a flame inside you that burns for me. And as long as I can, I won't let that damn flame go out." Sirius says, coming so close to you that you feel he could easily become a part of you. He seems angry but determined. You look at him for a moment, then place your hand on his chest for no apparent reason and lean in.

"You're going to end up hurting yourself by doing this. Because I can guarantee that even if I become a blazing inferno of pure desire for you, I will never let you get close to me in the way you imagine. Do us both a favor and give up." You speak so fiercely that, in the back of your mind, there is even a desire to bite Sirius's face. You particularly think this is the werewolf part of you speaking. You turn like a storm and head to your room, leaving behind an aroused and disappointed Sirius.

When you get to your room, all you can think about is how much you'd like to lie down on the bed and sleep. But soon you'll have to go drink wine with Bellatrix. So, you spend some time finishing tidying up your room and taking a good bath. When you get out of the bath and put on your robe, you hear someone knocking on the door. You find it strange because you're almost certain Bellatrix is supposed to be giving a lesson right now. But after tying your robe, you open the door. Remus Lupin stands in front of you, wearing only jeans and a shirt. You think he looks sexy, and unfortunately, from the little smile he gives, he knows you think that.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, leaning against the door and watching Lupin continue to stare at you as if you were a statue to be admired.

"I need you to let me in." That's all he says, while his feelings are too jumbled for you to understand. Something must be wrong. You move your head pointing into the room and let him enter.

"Your feelings are a complete mess. It feels like you can't focus on anything." You say looking at him after closing the door. He looks at you like he's in conflict with himself. That's when you realize you need to make him focus on something. Going against your own words, you do an impulsive act after waiting for him to organize his feelings. You approach Remus and kiss him. It should be a peck on his lips and you should walk away. But something pulls you closer, making you give Lupin another kiss. He leans you against the door, holding your waist, while he supports you against the door. There is a lot of excitement being felt. You know that every second the kiss intensifies, you want more and so does he. And then you throw Remus onto your bed.

"I'm being sabotaged. I had this theory since I transformed on a night that wasn't a full moon. But now it's concrete. The night you arrived here, someone let me out of the safe place where I should have been locked up near the cabin. Sirius and I thought it might be in our heads. A few nights later, I transform outside of the full moon. And now, I discovered that the lock on my little private prison was broken from the outside." Lupin speaks eloquently, and you're glad the kiss served some purpose. It seems crazy to think he might be sabotaged by someone, but it makes sense.

"Do you have any idea who it could be?" you ask, approaching Lupin, who looks distraught. You crouch in front of him, running your hand through his hair. Then the memory of the last time you saw someone crouched in front of him, looking at him the same way and with the same care as now, hits you. Instinctively, you fall back onto the floor, feeling embarrassed.

"You saw me and Sirius the other night. That's why you feel like we don't belong to you, isn't it? That's why you're running from us as if we were a disease? You're afraid of being left out," Remus questions with such confidence that it feels like he can understand you completely. You look at him, confused, while still on the floor, wearing only your robe. Lupin extends his hand to you to help you up. You take his hand and stand up. The two of you stare at each other while he waits for a response.

"If you want verbal confirmation, yes. I saw you two, I witnessed your love and how devoted you are to each other. You can't expect me to get in the middle of an already built relationship." You still speak very close to Lupin. He smirks, as if he finds what you just said adorable.

"If he and I are accepting you in the relationship, you're not getting in the middle of the relationship. Can't you see that we both want you?" Remus says and you put your finger on his mouth to make him shut up.

"You came here to talk about someone sabotaging you. Focus on what's important." You talk changing the subject. While you doesn't want to do romantic things right now, you are intrigued.

"My main suspicion is Bellatrix." Remus Lupin speaks, catching you off guard. You never thought Bellatrix could do anything to Lupin. However, you don't know their story well, and personally, you're a newcomer here. At that moment, someone knocks on your door a few times, distracting you.

"Who is it?" You speak loud enough for the person to hear, while also placing your hand over Lupin's mouth to prevent any misunderstanding.

"Hey, it's me, Bellatrix, your next-door neighbor. Just letting you know I've finished my last class of the day. I'm heading back to my room to take a shower, and then I'll be ready for your company. Sound good?" Bellatrix speaks loudly, and as you deal with Lupin's disapproving look, you begin to consider how to respond.

"Agreed. I'll be in your room as soon as I get ready here," you reply. After hearing Bellatrix enter her room, you remove your hand from Lupin's mouth.

"Are you really going to meet her?" Lupin asks, judging you while also appearing concerned. You look at him slightly uncomfortable.

"I know you believe she might be messing with you now. But to find out for sure, you'll need someone close to her to gather information. Unless you want Sirius to seduce her, I think I'm a good option," you say, being rational. Besides, playing detective could be fun.

"I feel uneasy about both possibilities. And you know that," Remus says, sounding like an overprotective boyfriend. You nod in response, assuring him that you'll be careful despite his concerns.

"Let's find out who's messing with you. Together," you say, a bit awkwardly. Remus gives you one last once-over and quietly leaves. You can't help but think that the hunt for the saboteur is officially on.

[theheightofdishonor]

ok so final thoughts on high school frenemy, going backwards from the ending to the beginning. I think the ending was significantly weaker and also i'm just a negative person who has to get stuff I dislike off my chest before I can discuss the positive aspects so- I swear I didn't hate this show but

the Jan plot at the end annoyed the fuck out of me, I won't lie. While Jan's trying her best and she's a sympathetic character, she did in fact choose to go along with the principal's ideas and select Peeta instead of Eve and thus, act as another cog in the machine that's always going to give preferential treatment to kids who have wealth and power at their disposal. Her actions have a direct impact, they have consequences, and her inability to acknowledge the violence that SHE had part in perpetuating irritated me so much. It does in fact look like she's giving preferential treatment, like she's spinelessly bowing down to what the administration and parents' association wants- and the kids ask her, their initial response even is to understand that forces above her probably forced her hand and Jan's the one who insists on taking responsibility for the decision and seriously, how can she blame them for not trusting her afterwards. And then the girls having to apologize to HER instead of her at any point apologizing to them for betraying their tentative trust?

also like 3 different groups of people had to come to her house to get her back, I was so sick of this nonsense

the dragon fang(?) ending fight was so lame. I expected Saint with his steel body and reputation to have gotten some more fighting done. Sung singlehandedly beating the entire gang felt soooo teacher ex-machina, like yes his backstory involves him being part of a gang back in the day but idk, I don't think he had the credibility to pull this off even though I did expect some involvement from him

I also wanted the whole thing about Jung's brother to be brought back in that jung-sung confrontation, like I was anticipating some kind of devastating emotional attack from sung yk and was sorely disappointed

ken's final arc, the saving him from the gang or whatever was fairly good, I liked how resistant Ken was, Kay did some fantastic acting in that section.

the whole 'oh we're all friends now' shtick didn't really work for me

i think this is one of those shows where i'd be ok or even encourage them to have ambivalent or slightly hopeful endings instead of 'happy ever after'

andl I got fatigue from all the dramatic resolutions happening back to back for like 3-4 episodes straight

especially because the plot distribution up to this point was like 85% shinsaint 15% everyone else and then tipping that so much so suddenly made the unevenness stand out more? if that makes sense?

let's talk about the girls now because man- first of all, who told these writers that girls can't throw a punch and instead solely fight through pulling each other's hair? Let's please stop this

secondly- i've never said this about view but I didn't like her character. She's pulled characters that are very reminiscent of this before- 23.5, I think trainee from the little i've seen of it, my precious to an extent, home school I think, but in this genre and setting, it felt so fake and unrealistic. No one acts like that. (this was so painful to me because view's my favorite actress at gmmtv and I have never once criticized her)

viewjune as a whole felt like echoes of their 23.5 dynamic but like not in a way I can describe, rather just the vibes

i also felt that the focus on them as a 'ship' meant that they had like 0 interactions with anyone else except peeta

we see eve and saint be friends at the beginning and earn's character also be friends with them as a little trio and never see that again

they could've also leaned into the love triangle aspect with peeta/eve/airey? more

overall I think the way they depicted the school ecosystem and all of its players and how they interact w/ each other was fairly decent until the last act

i liked in the beginning how Jan was trying to do good and it wasn't working or it wouldn't turn out how she wanted

i liked how Jung and Jan played off of each other

like it touches on the systemic and cyclic nature of what happens at the school even if lightly and similar to every other school-based drama out there, I still liked it (initially)

ooh Took! I love Took, I think she needs a gl, like a slice of life where she's a single mom and idk falls in love with her kids teacher or someone at the convenience store next door etc. Tons of possibilities. I thought it was hilarious whenever she slapped Saint and also very understandable. I wish we just got more of her in general?

also- that scene where shin and saint basically come out ab their relationship or whatever reminded me soooo much of in something in my room where her son also comes out about about his relationship

the way that shin was like "I know he broke my leg and destroyed my dreams and left me traumatized and depressed but I LOVE him mom" = phat in simr saying "I know he's literally dead but I LOVE him mom". Took's always having to deal with shit like this I swear

ok now for Shin and Saint

I think Shin's by far the more likable and sympathetic one? Is that just me?

like even in the beginning when saint's doggedly following him around with dejected puppy eyes, it's so clear on shin's face how affected he is by saint's presence and how the fear of getting left behind and hurt by saint still haunts him

even when you don't know exactly what happened you can't help but chafe a bit against saint just barging past any boundaries shin tries to set (which in hindsight was one of the few things saint did right but still)

Shin in general is just sooo precious

He absolutely cannot hide anything on his face

I just love characters where they're super snarky and sharp on the outside when they care deeply on the inside

It's just such a vibe. So I LOVE shin

I love saint possibly more but it's because I find him to be such a flawed annoying little thing

Saints just so frustrating that it makes him interesting

Like I'm just as annoyed as shin when he tries to goad saint into fighting for him, into being possessive and resolute, and then saint starts the 'oh I'm not good enough to stay by your side but I still want to' shtick and I'm sighing in tandem with shin (which btw, that whole little routine is so funny because by the 10th time, shins so fucking annoyed and it bleeds through the screen)

Saint just keeps shying away from his own decisions and being wishy washy and it's so funny the way that it's in total misalignment from whatever shin wants and is feeling at any given time.Like these two have dogshit timing and I love that for them

Unrelated but it's hilarious whenever they keep getting sucked into their own little world and people have to remind them that other people exist too

Overall, I think the show was fairly solid if a bit repetitive and even it's weak third act wasn't unforgivable compared to some of the horrid third acts gmmtvs given us this year

And I def enjoyed the toxic codependent nonsense that shinsaint had going on

[the-eeveekins]

The 18th Day of G-Witch: Precious Things

So, off the bat I get to address a complaint I saw about Miorine pop-up later in the show: Prospera never manipulates her into her bad choices, she makes them on their own.

And that's true, to an extent. Nearly every bad choice Miorine makes starting in this episode and into the next few were ultimately decisions she made. But in every case, it was Prospera's words that pushed her towards making those decisions. Prospera doesn't actually have to heavily manipulate Miorine into playing into her hands, she doesn't have to actually convince her to do these things, because she understands Miorine so well that she knows just what to say to make Miorine make those choices herself.

This is a perfect example of that. Prospera wonders aloud if Suletta will really give up Aerial and stay uninvolved in her schemes, thus pushing Miorine to concoct a plan to forcibly separate Suletta from Aerial. Time and again, Prospera hands Miorine the rope and she hangs herself with it.

These scenes make this episode so tough. You can tell Suletta has been waiting for Miorine, you can tell how excited she is to finally be reunited with her. And you can tell how excited she is that Miorine is about to turn 17 and they can officially get married. Look at her face, Suletta is so ready to marry Miorine as soon as possible.

This was essentially Miorine's last hail mary attempt to avoid something drastic. I think if she would have gotten a positive reply from Suletta, she would have asked Suletta to simply give up Aerial to Prospera/The Benerit Group and tried a different route of breaking Prospera's grip on Suletta. But Suletta's answers combined with Prospera's earlier words push Miorine into drastic measures.

Look, ultimately I don't like Guel and I disliked his character development and how much focus he got in S2 at the cost of more important characters. But at least the guy handles being rejected properly and accepts Suletta's response. Which makes the way parts of the fandom and even Bandai itself continuing to try and push this relationship so annoying and frustrating. He got rejected TWICE, accepted Suletta's rejection and moved on with his life. I feel bad for fans of his who keep getting stuck with merch trying to push that aspect of his character.

Also, there's nothing complicated about this scene, there's no love triangle going on. Only homophobes desperate to downplay a same-sex relationship would turn a scene where a girl clearly rejects a guy while explaining she has feeling for someone else (Miorine) into some sort of complicated relationship situation. Looking at you, Anime Trendz.

As if to drive home the fact that Suletta was talking about Miorine in the last scene, Miorine also reiterates that she doesn't want to lose the things precious to her (Suletta). I know it was frustrating when the show was airing that they never said "I love you," but given what we know in retrospect, I'm glad the staff still found ways to show that these girls loved each other. I'm so tired of people saying they had no chemistry or their relation was a weak one because they never said those exact words, when we now know that Bandai would have never let the staff do that.

Miorine is doing everything for Suletta's sake, even going behind her back and making decisions for her because she thinks it's for the best (just like her father did to her). This also begins the very frustrating trend of Guel silently sitting back instead of speaking out, because he clearly sees that what she's doing won't keep Suletta uninvolved. And considering his feelings for her, you'd like to think he'd push Miorine a bit harder towards a less drastic course of actions than the one that would hurt her so much.

This is a duel Suletta detractors love to point to when they say Suletta isn't skilled and is carried by the Aerial. "Override is cheating and Suletta was only about to win this fight because she cheated" was a common argument I saw. Setting aside that it's not against the rules, by the same vein, Guel is also cheating by using the AI assist to basically do most of the piloting for him. Funny how people are quick to disparage Suletta's skill as a pilot because they think Ericht controlled the whole suit (it was just the bits), but when Guel literally has an AI program pilot the whole MS for him, there's suddenly not a peep out of those people about Guel being a bad pilot. And sorry I know this is kind of a pointless rant but I've had to read too many sexists on Twitter and Reddit tell me how good Guel is and how bad Suletta is to not say anything.

Anyway, even though Guel had a newly repaired and upgraded Darilbalde against Suletta's damaged Aerial, Suletta still basically had Guel beat easily before the AI saved him and put Suletta on the defensive.

Like, I know Suletta doesn't literally say "Will you marry me?" but look at this dialogue and tell me with a straight face it's not a marriage proposal. If you think this scene is anything but Suletta asking Miorine if she'll marry her, you're either homophobic or have a horrible case of heteronormative you need looked at.

Miorine is a stronger woman than I am. After hearing that I don't think I would've had the strength to push that button, and you can even see her hands shaking in that moment. The anguish she must feel hearing Suletta say those words and knowing what she's about to do must have killed her inside.

Also...we saw what the GUND-BIT Rifle does to a mobile suit even in school regulation mode. Suletta was so determined to win and marry Miorine that I think she was seconds away from accidentally straight up murdering Guel here.

Honestly, this scene probably hurt me more than any Gundam death ever has. I was depressed for a long time after it aired, and it absolutely made in so much worse that there was a one week delay until episode 18 aired, making this the last thing we saw for two whole weeks until the next episode (which was more pain!) Even though this is my 4th time watching it, it's still difficult to sit through, and it's only made bearable by knowing there's a happy ending waiting for them at the end of this.

Lynn said in an interview that Miorine had to be as cruel as she possibly could in this scene because if Suletta had detected even the slightest hint of kindness or care for her in Miorine's words and actions, she would have held onto that and not let go.

I definitely agree that Miorine's actions here are awful to Suletta and I understand it when people say they wouldn't personally be able to forgive her after something like this. But also realize that:

Miorine never expected Suletta to forgive her or come back to her, and she was fully prepared to throw away her own happiness and her relationship with Suletta for the chance that she could break Suletta free of Prospera and let her live an independent, happy life.

For better or worse, as horrible as this is, it does work. This puts a massive dent into Suletta's belief that listening to her mother and following her motto will always lead to gaining positive things in life. And that dent is important in the next episode.

[coraniaid]

Character asks:

Xander, 1 and 21.

1 Why do you like or dislike this character?

Going to focus on the why part and avoid coming to a firm conclusion about the implicit binary choice.

Season 5's The Replacement posits that there are two Xanders -- one suave and self-confident, one a bumbling walking punchline -- before revealing that both of these Xanders are equally real and exist as aspects of the true and singular Xander, with neither having primacy over the other. However, while there are indeed two diametrically opposed versions of Xander Harris, real fans of the show know that they don't exactly correspond to what the show suggests here. The true distinction is between, on the one hand, the Xander who grows up miserable and alone in an abusive household and is determined not to become his father and who loves and supports his friends unconditionally and is maybe/probably/definitely bi but doesn't seem to realize it yet and, on the other hand, the Xander who makes frequent gross sexual comments about all the women he knows and visibly and bitterly resents the ways they outshine him and who considers it his moral duty to give them terrible, patronising, unsolicitied advice about their personal lives whenever he can.

As in The Replacement, both versions of the character have equal claim to be the 'real' Xander. The much more irritating one is perhaps more present in the early seasons (especially when the writers genuinely seem to be trying to set him up in an actual love triangle with Buffy herself, but also throughout much of his 'romance' with Cordelia) but he never really goes away, even after the writers started trying to find new things to do with his character from The Zeppo onwards. He shows up in Season 5 to explain to Buffy how it's all her fault that her boyfriend metaphorically cheated on her while she was selfishly worrying about her sick mother and he's actually a really great guy Buffy never properly appreciated (he doesn't say "can I have sex with Riley too?" in this episode, but he might as well have done); he shows up in Season 6 to sulk about the fact that the woman he left at the altar dared to sleep with somebody who wasn't him and how much she "disgusts" him as a result; he shows up in Season 7 to help kick Buffy out of her own house.

But, equally, the sympathetic, loyal and, yes, even heroic Xander isn't just some post hoc fandom creation either. There are hints even earlier, but Season 3 and especially Season 4 really do make it clear that Xander's home life is horrific. He does risk his life to save Buffy's in Prophecy Girl, even when Angel wouldn't, even after Buffy had been clear she didn't reciprocate his feelings toward her. He does eventually admit to some of his worst behaviour (his jealousy about Angel, his betrayal of Cordelia). His treatment of Anya, while horrible, really does make sense as an attempt to do the right thing for somebody he cares about by somebody almost utterly consumed by self-loathing.

His speech to Buffy in the second half of The Freshman ("when it's dark and I'm all alone and I'm scared [...] I always ask: what would Buffy do? You're my hero.") is, despite what he says immediately afterwards, genuinely touching. The way that, in The Replacement, even the cowardly incompetent side of Xander is willing to risk his life to protect Anya from what he thinks is a demon is honestly kind of sweet. His speech to Willow at the end of Season 6's Grave ("I'm not joking [...] I can't imagine the pain you're in [...] You're Willow [...] I love you") and to his speech to Dawn in Season 7's Potential ("You gave her your power [...] You're not special. You're extraordinary") both feel like genuinely well-earned moments in light of everything we've seen of Xander so far.

The fundamental tension inherent to Xander is that he doesn't smoothly and effortlessly develop from one version of the character to the other. It's not as simple as the grating Xander from the early seasons "getting better". Both sides of his character are present -- and either side can be dominant -- from the very beginning of the show and right until the end.

21 If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

Well, I am a fic writer and I have, technically, written for this character (he is the POV character for one fairly short chapter of Coexist.) I think he is a very hard character to write well (especially in the high school seasons) and I'm not at all sure I managed.

Honestly, I think well-written fanfic takes on Xander that actually treat him seriously as a character are incredibly rare. (Off the top of my head I can think of exactly one example. I'm sure there are others -- and I'm sure part of the issue is that I only really read a particular subset of Buffy fanfic -- but I doubt there are many others.)

I think a lot of fanfic writers really just don't like Xander at all (and so only write the horrible Xander, if that, and only so they can have the characters they like call him out on his worst behaviour), whereas other writers lean too heavily into the sympathetic Xander (and either have him explicitly realize and denounce his own poor behaviour early on or just write a meek and mild 'Xander' who just needs a hug and who has never even thought about saying anything inappropriate to any woman ever, which ... well, that's not the character that appears on screen, is it?).

I think the trick to writing Xander well, such as it is -- and the approach I tried to take myself -- is to try to treat him as sympathetically as possible without pretending he isn't often prone to jealousy and making mean-spirited comments, that he isn't a bit of a massive hypocrite at times and that he doesn't often say "funny" things that aren't when he shouldn't. That's harder than just playing up the angle that Xander's parents are awful and he's trying his best and suggesting he'd be much happier if he just followed Anya's advice to Buffy and found a "nice, boring, boyfriend", but I think if you don't try you're not writing a sympathetic version of Xander Harris so much as you're creating a whole new character.

Yes, Xander (mostly) is trying his best, and his parents (especially his father) are awful, but very often Xander's best is far from good enough. He will say awful things sometimes and he probably won't apologize for it, even if he does secretly feel ashamed by it. You have to try to write both versions of Xander -- both the one that makes sense as one of Buffy and Willow's best friends and the one who really doesn't seem to have anything in common with them at all -- if you're going to write the Xander.

That being said, the absolute worst thing you can do to Xander is give him magical powers or superhuman fighting skills so he can Help Buffy Patrol. That's not who he is! That's not true to either version of the character!

(... sorry, I lied. That's the second worst thing you can do to Xander. The actual worst thing is what the comics do with him and Dawn. No super-powered fantasy fanfic could be more horrible and ill-advised than that.)

[shewolf-sinclair]

making this a full post because i’m realizing not enough people understand this (this was something i commented on another post)

Regarding all the information we have on S2’s lack of romantic interests or themes for wednesday, it’s not to say there will never be any romantic elements especially in later seasons. But a lot of people, jenna included, don’t think it makes sense for Wednesday’s character for that to be a main focus right now. People hated the s1 love triangle, and while I see why (i am not referring to shipping wars) it was at least beneficial to the plot. (I say all of this as a multishipper) Wednesday (character and show) isn’t opposed to romance but it’s just not a priority which makes a lot of sense when you do the character work/study. I think to an extent the writers realize this, and the main reason they added it in the first season was plot development, and trying to cater to a gen Z audience. Such attempts made a lot of people, even those of us who love the show dearly, call many parts of it cringe. Because it was gen z culture but not in a natural way. it was over the top and forced. And I think they’re finding the same issue with how they wrote the romacey stuff. so they’re gonna dial it down. it may be added again later, but if so it’ll be laid back. not the forefront and main focus, and it will occur gradually as to be more realistic and representative of our generation which is what they are trying to achieve. You have to keep in mind that while all ages watch the show, it is YA and initially intended for people in and around highschool age. And I love them for making this decision (I say this as a hardcore shipper)

yes wenclair shippers this includes you too (while i personally dislike wenclair this is not a dig at the ship. but y’all need to realize it is equally unrealistic as any other ship rn)

That being said, while the show is trying to add less romance centered themes and plots, I need y’all to have some media literacy. It’s one thing (and perfectly ok) to headcannon wednesday as aroace for whatever reason you like. but please also understand that doesn’t give you the right to force that interpretation on other people. “but look at wednesday she hates everyone no way she could ever love someone/be in a relationship!” I beg you to look at any other Addams family media ever and learn her character. I made a whole post about it here.

However that post never really went in depth enough. It also didn’t mention the addams family musical (my beloved).

Wednesday has a stone cold demeanor but that is strategic. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t have feelings. We even witnessed them in the show several times. She felt anger in episode 1 when her brother was bullied. Disgust with her parents. Fear with Rowan. Intrigue as well. We later see exhibits of excitement with Fester and sadness and loneliness with Enid.

So now that we’ve established she actually feels things lets dig deeper. “She’s disgusted by her parents she hates romance!” wrong! She hates watching her parents suck face. no teenager wants to see their parents do that. its gross. She also has a strained relationship with them which makes it worse. We know she doesn’t like things she can’t understand, and in this iteration she hasn’t really experienced romance or romantic attraction before. So she likely doesn’t fully understand it (yet) and this outwardly rejects it. Which is partly why she is so skeptical when Enid gushes about Ajax. However throughout the season as she experiences similar feelings firsthand in regards to Tyler, she becomes less put off by others expressing affection. Though I do standby the idea she likely despises PDA.

She may not explicitly want it but she is in fact capable.

[flameswallower]

Briar's Favorite First Time Reads of 2023!

I read sixty or so books (start to finish) for the first time this year, which is pretty average for me. I liked most of them pretty well, since if I dislike a book I usually won't finish it. But there were some stand outs, which I'm going to list here.

First up: NOVELS!

Pseudotooth, by Verity Holloway (2017) is the first portal fantasy coming of age novel I've read in a long, long time that I found genuinely charming. It has a very dark Gothic edge to it, with shades of Gormenghast and Edward Gorey making for a uniquely unsettling and bleak fantasy world. The novel also deals frankly and seriously with themes of ableism, eugenics, medical abuse, xenophobia, socio-economic class, rape/sexual abuse, and the psychic fallout of rape/sexual abuse. But it's got a lot of whimsical absurdist humor to it, too, and a deep humanist compassion for its characters. The three young adults at the center of the story are all quite likeable, and though they are involved in a kind of love triangle, I found the particulars of it refreshingly queer, strange, and not the primary focus of the story.

The Marigold, by Andrew F. Sullivan (2023) is a pitch-dark, stone cold bummer that is also frequently hilarious and emotionally moving in tender ways that took me by surprise. In this dystopian satire, a bunch of down-and-out relatable characters and one horrible rich guy struggle to survive as near-future Toronto is engulfed by "the Wet"-- a sapient mold-based hive mind accidentally created by the depravity and greed of big business. The residents of the titular condominium/apartment complex feature in short vignettes that demonstrate the despair and alienation people suffer under late stage capitalism, and the way the Wet calls to these people, lures them in, hunts them.

The Open Curtain, by Brian Evenson (2006) is a harrowing nightmare about madness, violence, possession, Mormonism, and the destabilization of one's known reality (well, see also "madness"). It's a type of story that could easily feel shlocky and exploitative of people with certain mental disorders, or just predictable (there are some plot twists you'll guess very quickly if you've ever like...read books or seen movies before...), but Evenson's unornamented yet masterful prose, his meticulous attention to detail, and his non-condescending empathy for both victims of violence and people struggling with delusions, violent impulses, etc. make it rise above those potential problems. At least in my opinion! This one's very disturbing, will definitely leave you feeling like shit.

Hummingbird Salamander, by Jeff VanderMeer (2021) is very emotionally moving and a suspenseful, well-plotted eco-noir page turner! Also a bummer, but leaves one feeling awe and hope and determination as well as mourning the devastating loss of life that climate change has wrought. The protagonist is great, a truly unusual and unlikely detective. I loved her voice-- like any good noir hero, she can throw off a legitimately funny sarcastic quip with the best of them, but she's also prone to astute social observations and flights of breathtaking lyricism.

How to Get Over the End Of the World, by Hal Schrieve (2023) is a TRAGICALLY under-promoted and underrated punk rock magical realist YA masterpiece about trans high schoolers, and their dysfunctional adult mentors, putting on a rock opera to save their community center. This one, unlike most of what I read, is NOT EVEN KIND OF A BUMMER. It's delightful and hilarious from start to finish, though it's definitely not saccharine-sweet or afraid of conflict. In fact, it deals quite bluntly and refreshingly with topics ranging from the relationship one character has with his violent, abusive father, to sexual relationships between teenagers, to the ever-looming awareness of climate change. Every major character is trans! Every single one!! This is kind of a spoiler, but, like, not really lol

Sudden Glory, by Hal Johnson (2023) just goes to show that guys named Hal can really write comic novels. This book has perhaps the highest joke-to-paragraph ratio of anything I’ve ever read, and also probably the most varied types of joke: a person whose sense of humor runs to preposterous situation comedy, slapstick, and lowbrow sexual humor will find a lot to like here, and so will someone whose sense of humor runs to moderately esoteric literary/historical references, social satire, five-layer wordplay, and Wildean bon mots. Since it’s set in the New York City of 2003, there’s even room for a few 9/11 jokes, which could not have appeared without controversy in a book actually published in 2003. This slightly "politically incorrect" edge comes off as good-natured and in keeping with Johnson's commitment to absurdism-- there's never a "laughing at" vibe, more one of "laughing with" human folly, futility, pretensions, etc. At base, this is a story about a person who feels he can't tell the truth or be himself for fear of social rejection, and all the trouble that gets him into.

Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke (2020) is fucking gorgeous, probably one of my favorite books of all time now, this hole was made for me, etc. I can't reasonably expect that most others will have as intense a response to it as I did-- I felt it perfectly conveyed some very important and difficult to articulate things about, like, my personal experience of consciousness, and my experience as a person with certain types of neurological/cognitive/developmental disability navigating the world, through a kind of fabulist prism. But it got great reviews, so, you know, give it a shot! I think it's better not to know anything about it going in, but let me just say, if you're into weird, massive labyrinthine buildings, this hole might also have been made for you.

Devil House, by John Darnielle (2022) is exactly the novel you'd expect "the Mountain Goats guy" to write, in all the best possible ways. It's a story that elevates the inner lives of neurodivergent outsider teens to the mythic heights they deserve. It's a story that brutally critiques the true crime industry. It's a story about the problems of defining people exclusively by their victimhood, or exclusively by the worst thing they ever did. It's a story about the importance of having a little space to oneself, a shelter from the demands and threats of an often cruel world, and the lengths to which a person will go to defend such a shelter if it's broached. Also, there's a long, nauseating section about how it's actually really difficult and gross to chop up a human corpse for disposal.

[innocentimouto]

Honestly if Jet joined the Gaang, the shipping wars would be between Jetara and Zutara.

I think Jet would shut down some of Aang's "antics" regarding his behavior and his relationship with Katara. He'd probably would have Aang keep a distance from Katara in order to feel focus ( such as when he had to choose to let Katara go or not in the Guru episode). He'd probably be in favor of Aang letting go if it meant the Fire Nation's war would be over.

I'm not sure Kataang would even be able to develop as it could with Jet being right there.

I'm not even sure Kataang would happen if Jet and Katara developed further romantically. Although I don't ship it - I prefer my crackship of Jet and Haru lol- I'd probably be in favor of them over K/A and even Z/K.

Also, if Jet joined earlier, it might've made Zuko's redemption more shallow as Jet would've already fulfilled that role.

Outside of Aang kissing Katara in the play episode, nothing about his behavior seemed wrong to me. He always supported Katara. When she stole the waterbending scroll, Sokka was lecturing her over it while Aang laughed at how she contextualized it. For the fandom claiming he's incapable of seeing her anything other than perfect, he didn't have a problem with her stealing.

That episode is a prime example of how kind Aang is to Katara. And it even shows how the narrative makes Katara apologize so many times for

stealing a waterbending scroll that's actually useful for her and Aang.

It helped her get better, which is possibly the only reason she even lasted against Pakku, meaning Aang probably would have had to stay at the North for longer if Katara hadn't got a chance to learn.

She was able to help Aang in fights after that.

reclaiming a part of her culture that was stolen from her

Zuko being at the island because Iroh wanted a game tile, yet Iroh blames her

Sokka has many lines of blaming her, her being obsessed with waterbending, endangering all of them, and yet when on Kiyoshi Island, when Katara told Aang they needed to leave soon because it wasn't safe and then was proven right, Aang admits he was wrong, Katara doesn't blame him, and they leave. End of story. Sokka isn't even in the equation here.

The writing is very different, but ironically the only one who actually judges Katara is Sokka. Aang has always been supportive, except when she was planning on killing someone in a clearly upset state.

The whole thing about Aang having to let go of Katara to activate the Avatar state doesn't make sense to me because this was never true for any of the previous avatars. And he activates it again later anyway.

I lean more toward Jetara than Kataang, but it's not impossible for Kataang to happen with Jet in the group.

Sorry when it comes to shipping culture and the like, I'm the worst because I'm that one person who will read a major shipping fic just to see good writing of my favorite character, and good friendships, and skip every romantic scene. I have a few ships I like yeah, but romance as a genre doesn't work for me, despite me trying to enjoy it. So if there would be a love triangle if Jet was there, or jealousy or drama, any of that doesn't appeal to me. The drama and messiness of romantic tropes can make for really entertaining stories but I am not the intended audience.

I don't think Jet having a redemption arc would make Zuko's shallow because Zuko was on the side of the oppressing nation and was desiring his "rightful place on the throne" for a long time. Jet was entirely different. Besides even if say Zuko actually had a redemption arc, it's not like they're all written the same way.

Not all of them have to end with befriending the main cast, or with complete forgiveness. I enjoy when characters rightfully dislike someone for some injustice, but have to work together for a common goal and still don't become friends. Just because someone has apologized, or has helped, doesn't mean the character deserves forgiveness. It's also a more interesting dynamic than all is forgiven, to me at least. Especially because then it truly emphasizes the person wants to change not for someone's forgiveness or good graces, but because they recognize they did wrong and want to change.

Besides Zuko joined right after a failed invasion. That is EXTREMELY suspicious. The kids just got separated from their people and fathers, and now the prince of the Fire Nation shows up. Zuko joined at the worst possible time. My first question, if I didn't attack immediately, would have been why didn't Zuko help during the invasion?