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casino-lights · 7 months ago

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King Alistair vs Warden Alistair discourse always seems to resurface, like all of the other character-centric discourse, with each resurgence of the dragon age fandom. fandom veterans are probably tired of this by now, but since a lot of new people are playing origins and the old arguments about players making Bad Choices in this rpg are getting rehashed, here's my two cents on this topic in particular.

I was watching my girlfriend play through some of the early levels in origins when I suddenly had a lot of thoughts about Alistair and she encouraged me to share them. throughout his introduction and his subsequent role in Ostagar and the Wilds, we see Alistair being quick-witted and snappy with his humor, but also very focused and dutiful. we see him being (mostly) respectful and polite, but also fairly confident and surprisingly authoritative considering his behavior later in the game. Alistair is comfortable here in Ostagar, and he's comfortable as a Warden not only under Duncan's command, but also over these new recruits. he doesn't shy away from his role as a mentor, the one who's supposed to show everyone the ropes and keep them on task and on schedule. he kindly yet firmly puts Jory back on track when he stumbles, he takes charge when he finds out the Tower of Ishal has been overrun, and he displays thorough knowledge of both the plan and the original expectations of what would be found in the tower. he's also knowledgeable about Blights and some Warden history, and he takes it upon himself to inform Duncan of Morrigan and Flemeth instead of just letting the player talk like he does later on.

speaking of that scene, Duncan is a bit firm but not angry or mean when he says he tells Alistair not to focus on the fact that Morrigan and Flemeth are likely apostates. he tells Alistair in no uncertain terms that this is not his concern and he needs to return his attention to the task at hand. this is not dissimilar from the way the player can later tell Alistair that people are taking advantage of him and he needs to make sure he's standing up for himself, but I'll get into this more a bit later.

what I'm trying to get at is that when we meet Alistair, he's a little closer to his hardened self than to the chronically unserious and incompetent manchild that Morrigan, DA2 and Inquisition, and some parts of this fandom treat him as. post-Ostagar, even Alistair himself seems to see himself as some class clown who can't do anything right, and characters like Wynne enable this by treating him like an ACTUAL child. while Alistair is almost certainly young, he has already proven shortly after meeting him that he's not even remotely stupid and he can obviously take care of himself. Duncan refers to the player, Jory, and Daveth as Alistair's "charges," showing that Duncan clearly trusts Alistair with a lot of responsibility and the safety and guidance of three strangers. he is far from stupid, he's far from childish, and he's obviously a layered character.

this has been said countless times before but a big problem in every fandom is the slow reduction of characters to one or two notable traits, and Alistair is no exception. I have a theory as to why. we know Duncan's death affected him deeply, but I don't think that alone explains his sudden switch from respecting the player while continuing to guide them and share responsibility as the senior Warden to almost blindly letting them lead him around and acting like if he led for five minutes they'd all die horrible deaths because he's just that incompetent. I think that during the time the player was unconscious in Flemeth's house, Alistair experienced an offscreen breakdown where he retreated behind desperate attempts at humor and making himself seem dumber and sillier to appear less competent in the hopes that someone else would be in charge so he didn't have to. if you think back to what age he was when he last experienced such a sudden, tumultuous, confusing loss of stability, routine, community, and a father figure - Eamon sending him to the Chantry as a child - you might even consider this to be a form of partial age regression. when we see him outside Flemeth's hut, he pleads with the player to not abandon him because he doesn't know what they should do or where they should go. he hasn't had this lack of direction ever since he was sent to the Chantry because after that, they dictated his life until Duncan recruited him and then the Wardens dictated his life. he's terrified and tired and grieving, and he begs us to make the decisions and help him figure out what to do.

Morrigan gives him some shit for being quiet and sad, and he snaps at her, but otherwise we don't see a lot of that confidence and willingness to stand up for himself after this. I don't often play a character who is openly mean to any of their companions, so I don't really take any of the more dismissive dialogue options toward Alistair, but he's obviously hiding behind his humor and trying to make himself seem insignificant. in one line he even jokes that he'd hide behind his shield instead of his humor but the player would see him behind it. I think he really does just wish he could hide and grieve on his own and wait for someone else to give him a purpose again, and I think that if we actually saw the process of this breakdown from his more comfortable, confident, capable self into the Alistair we get post-Ostagar and pre-Goldanna, fewer people might be coddling Alistair and enabling this unhealthy coping mechanism. I wish the dialogue options to harden him were a bit kinder, but as we saw, Duncan was willing to tell it to Alistair straight up, and maybe that's the directness he needed from the player too. maybe Alistair needed to be told in no uncertain terms, by someone he respects and trusts, that most people he interacts with have some kind of ulterior motive and he needs to be more aware of this and stand up for himself and his beliefs. once he understands this, we can see him shift from reluctantly taking on the role of king because you and Eamon think it would be best to taking on the role of king because he understands it would be best.

bioware basically canonized this firmer, more responsible version of Alistair in their comics and even during some parts of Inquisition. we know King Alistair is their canon, but even though he shows some uncertainty about his ability to be King, we don't see any unwillingness. yet bioware also made the unfathomable decision to simultaneously show Alistair being a confident, capable king and then immediately fuck that growth up by having him look like a bumbling idiot who still doodles on royal documents at the fair age of thirty-something and still doesn't know how dictating a letter works after ten years of ruling Ferelden. they somehow invalidated both of his paths in origins at the same time, and perhaps most frustratingly, they just won't let go of the "swooping is bad" style of writing for him. let him grow. let him be as competent and brave and determined as he is in your comics. his progress has been so inconsistent it's painful.

if it wasn't already obvious, I think the best path for Alistair as a character is to harden him and make him king. he just doesn't get to prove himself as a Warden as much as he does when he's king. he's mostly alone, he doesn't seem to have a great rapport with other Wardens outside of his renown as one of the heroes of the Blight, and he just acts tangibly sadder. this could be because of the fake Calling, sure, but if he was still joking around with us during an actual Blight, I don't see why this event would have him this drained of personality and life, especially because he knows that this is not the real Calling. his line when he's left in the Fade - "tell Morrigan... tell her I just stood there looking foolish" - is another testament to the fact that he has not grown at all from his self-deprecating humor and he still hasn't come to see himself as capable and worthy of respect. we don't get to see enough of him as king, but from what little we get he seems to be wielding his power and authority well, and he's an incredibly well-respected and well-loved king. especially with Anora or a Cousland queen at his side, he's brave, commanding, and - just like he was back in Ostagar - he seems COMFORTABLE. he knows what he's doing, he sees his worth and accepts it, and he's more than willing to be firm and tell Fiona in no uncertain terms that Ferelden will not tolerate the events in Redcliffe. he's taking command and he's leading and protecting his charges, even though they're a lot more than just three Warden recruits this time.

on a personal note, as someone who has dealt with mental health challenges, tough love from someone I respect and trust actually really helped me and I wouldn't be where I am without the occasional "you need to snap out of it." I'm not saying it's best for all scenarios, but I have experienced this firsthand. Alistair hiding from his responsibilities because they're overwhelming and he's terrified does resonate with me, but so does him actually healing a bit more and becoming more confident when someone shows him that they know he's better than this and he just needs to act like it.

lastly, I think it's important to clarify that I don't believe anyone is playing any rpg the Wrong Way, regardless of what bioware made canon in their comics and other external media. I also think it's stupid to try and say ANY choice or route is inherently right or wrong, and every player is entitled to their opinion and preference. choices made in role playing games are usually done for the sake of playing a role, immersing oneself, and/or exploring the game's full library of content. as I said, I personally find hardened King Alistair with Queen Cousland to be the most satisfying version of his character arc, but I don't mean any of this to shame anyone if they choose or believe otherwise. no hate is intended, so don't purposefully misunderstand or misinterpret my words. no offense is intended if you just prefer one of Alistair's storylines or character arcs over the other. full offense is intended if you're the kind of person who bullies, shades, or otherwise belittles people who don't agree with your super special headcanons because you need to be the most correct player in the fandom.

thanks to everyone who isn't one of those people for reading all this <3

#alistair theirin #dragon age #dragon age: origins #dragon age: inquisition #da:o #dao #da:i #dai

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blackdagger456 · 6 months ago

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Let's Talk About: MHA 430, How This Fandom Can't Read, How Leaks Ruin Chapters And While Imperfect This Finale Was A Good Sendoff

So, here we are.

Ten years. Ten years and 430 chapters we've been with My Hero Academia. Ten long years of excitement, fandom interactions and so many fics I won't bother to count saved, subscribed and bookmarked.

It's strange really. To be apart of this fandom for so long...and find out that so many still can't read.

Like holy cheeseburgers Batman, so many of my fellow MHA readers/fans can't read it's astonishing.

So, for what'll be the last time for this series, let's go over the latest chapter of MHA and allow me to inform you of what it means. Or at least, that was the plan before the leaks came out. Just with the added addition of going over how people have reacted to chapter 430 before it was even officially out, and we're going to start with the first stone that began toppling Dominos.

[Official Spoilers Below]

This. Oh god, this sentence has been nothing but a headache for me and so many others. Because of the leaks ,and subsequent mistranslations, being taken as fact the reaction to the finale started out as shit. This entire week leading up to today has been frustrating for me and many others as we tried to explain what should be obvious.

Firstly, none of this is coming from any official translation. What people were seeing before today were things fans and unlicensed translators are spreading around as if it's fact. This does NOT mean that they are correct and therefore these translations shouldn't be treated as such.

Secondly, in no way shape or form does Izuku imply or state that his friends abandoned him after he lost his powers. All he said, was that it was a bit more difficult to meet up regularly. Something that makes sense not only because they were working in different fields but also because work in general is like that.

It can be hard to meet up with the boys n girls for hang outs but that doesn't mean you don't talk. That doesn't mean you don’t call or text or keep in touch. Something which is easier to do when you've fought and lived through an entire war together!

His friends didn't abandon him. They didn't stop caring about him because he became powerless. Hell, the ending of the chapter proves this wrong if nothing else!

Now, is it a shame the ships didn't get officially confirmed? Yes. But I think the implications are more than enough to satisfy. Even if they aren't, there's no reason not have fun with things being open ended. It opens the door to so many fun possibilities OUTSIDE of this whole NTR trend people are trying to start. [Thankfully that's a small part of the fandom]

But moving on, lets go into what he's been doing since becoming OFA.

In what way shape or form does him becoming a teacher make him 'fall off'/make the Mc Donald’s meme become a reality?

First off why are we hating on the man for enjoying his life without conflict after saving the world? We doing my boy like Gohan now? If he wants to retire to a teaching role, one he very clearly enjoys, let him. What do people think they can take him? Ya'll forgetting exactly what he had to do BEFORE he was able to get OFA in the first place. Izuku is still physically stronger than most normal people both in MHA and in reality.

But, I'm getting off topic. The point is Izuku has and continues to be an inspiration to those that will follow after him. Even to the point of mirroring his starting point with All Might when he inspires yet another young kid to become a hero.

Is he a bit sad he isn't an official hero? Yes. Is he frustrated or unhappy with where he is in life? No. Not at all. He's content. His goal was never to be the No.1 Hero it was to be like ALL MIGHT. To inspire and protect people like his mentor had.

He's done just that and for it---for it he's rewarded.

His kindness, his determination and his faith in those around him comes back to him in the best way for it was those people he spread said traits too that spent those eight years putting together the thing that would bring his dream back to him.

That would bring HIM back to standing by their side on the field of battle. For Izuku Midoriya never truly stopped standing by his friends. For they too had become their own inspirations to Japan and the world. But now, finally, their friend...their inspiration...their Deku could lead them on the frontlines once more.

They, and he, couldn't ask for anything less.

#blackdagger 456 #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha #bnha #mha spoilers #midoriya izuku #mha 430 #bnha 430 #bnha spoilers #lets talk #analysis #bnha analysis #mha analysis #class 1a

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greatqueenanna · 8 months ago

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Hey, so do have a history of Hans' development in Frozen? I keep seeing so many posts about how Hans was actually meant to be a good guy and he was Elsa's romance in Frozen or Frozen 2 and what-not and I'm just trying to look at actual sources and facts regarding his character, since I want to write my own analysis, but I think that Hans fans are too biased to provide actual good info.

My What Came Before Analysis details the information I was able to find about Frozen's early development throughout the years.

In terms of Hans specifically, I do have this twitter (X) thread about misinformation within the Hans fandom pushed by a few extremists that you can go ahead and take a look at.

However, since you asked, here are some tid-bits regarding Hans' character throughout the years leading up to the first film.

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Hans was most likely conceptualized around the time Anna and the Snow Queen became Frozen and switched form 2D hand-drawn animation, to 3D animation. Before Anna and Elsa were written as sisters, Hans was written to be the true villain of the story, as a way to help redeem the Snow Queen character. This was around 2010-2011.

Frozen was to open with a prophecy that “a ruler with a frozen heart will bring destruction to the kingdom of Arendelle.” We’re then introduced to Anna, our pure-hearted heroine, and Elsa, an unrelated evil Snow Queen. We learn Elsa is a scorned woman; she was stood up at the altar on her wedding day and froze her own heart so she would never love again. Both Elsa and the audience assume she’s the villain from the prophecy. Fast-forward to the final act: Elsa creates an army of snow monsters to attack our heroes while Kristoff has “a Han Solo moment” and comes to help Anna. To halt Elsa’s attacking army, the two-faced Prince Hans (Admiral Westergaard) triggers a massive avalanche—not caring that the avalanche also puts Anna, Elsa, and all of Arendelle in jeopardy. Anna realizes Elsa is their only hope, so she convinces her to use her powers to save the kingdom. The twist is that the prophecy from the beginning is actually not about Elsa, but about Hans—he’s the one with a metaphorical frozen heart because he’s an unfeeling sociopath. Elsa’s heart is then unfrozen allowing her to love again. - Peter Del Vecho, Entertainment Weekly

After Elsa and Anna were re-written as sisters, the story changed so that Hans and Anna were about to get married, until Elsa kidnaps her from the wedding. The ending was the same as far as I know, with Admiral Westergaard triggering the avalanche to stop Elsa's snowman army, leading to the destruction of Arendelle as well. You can see a tid-bit of this Elsa in the video below -

youtube

Eventually, after Let it Go was written, Hans was apparently written as trying to get a job in Arendelle, and Anna was trying to get Elsa to agree but she wouldn't. Then it was changed to the quick engagement plot instead. For the life of me, I can't find the source for this so you can take it with a grain of salt.

Then, Hans was changed to a Prince, and rather than being a reckless, uncaring (and a little dumb) villain that was willing to destroy Arendelle and its people to stop Elsa, Hans was changed to a more cunning villain who was trying to win the throne by emotional manipulation rather than by force.

This is what Jennifer Lee meant when she said the following -

So no, Hans was never a good guy or Elsa's romance interest. And that's everything I know about Hans' development based on sources.

#greatqueenanna/responses #hans #prince hans #opinions and commentary

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beatrice-otter · 1 month ago

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Interview with the Robot

I love Fandom for Robots (a charming short story first published in Uncanny Magazine in 2017). It's sweet and charming, and there is a great depth of emotion, trauma, and backstory that gets very delicately hinted at throughout. It was a great pleasure to look through the Yuletide signups looking for something to treat, and find a request for "what happened after the museum found out." Title: Interview with the Robot Fandom: Fandom for Robots - Vina Jie-Min Prasad Author:beatrice_otter Written For: White Aster (white_aster) in Yuletide 2024 Rating: Gen Length: 3546 words Betaed by: Zwangzug Summary: What happened after the museum found out.

On Dreamwidth. At AO3. At Squidgeworld. On pillowfort.

Computron has never been in the building that houses the administration; the director of the museum visited him when she was first hired two years, four months, twenty-two days, seven hours, six seconds, and fifty-nine milliseconds ago, and she is a regular presence in all the parts of the museum. But Computron rarely has reason to leave the exhibit hall and storage areas, and so he doesn't.

But now the director has summoned him to her office. Computron does not get excited, or curious; those would require emotion circuitry which he does not possess. But he does spend the forty-seven minutes, three seconds, and sixteen milliseconds between the time the summons arrives and the time he must leave his storage room to walk to her office considering possible reasons. And he spends the five minutes, forty-three seconds, and thirty-eight milliseconds it takes to get to her office examining every detail around him and analyzing it to see what has changed since he arrived.

"Ah! Computron, right on time," the director says as he knocks on the open doorway of her office. "It would be a bit cramped in here with you, let's go out into the break room."

She leads the way down the hall to a room with paint only slightly less dingy than that in the museum's storage room. There is a counter with various appliances, and a table and chairs. Computron was not designed to sit, so he doesn't. After a pause, the director leans against the counter and folds her arms.

"So! Computron, we've had some … thefts of intellectual property, that seem to have started with digitization of some documents that are part of the Alquist collection. Nobody here has done it, so someone must have come in—the documents themselves are still present, so either they came in, stole them, scanned them, and brought them back, or they took the time to scan them here. We've checked, and nothing else seems to be missing, and the security cameras on the doors didn't show anything. Have you seen anyone that shouldn't be there? Is anything missing we haven't noticed?"

"No unauthorized persons have entered the building," Computron says. "Nothing is missing that I have noticed." These are both true statements, and complete answers to her questions. He almost says more; he scanned the documents himself. With bjornruffian, he has grown used to speaking more freely. But Doctor Alquist did not wish for his opinions or any information he did not directly ask for, and the announcer does not wish him to take up peoples' valuable time.

The director nods. "Well, at least there hasn't been any vandalism. Don't suppose you know anything else about the theft?"

"It was not a theft," Computron says. "I am part of the Alquist collection. So are the documents. They are educational. Our purpose is to educate. So I scanned them and sent them to a friend."

The director's eyes widen, and her mouth opens, but she does not speak. Computron waits to see what she will say.

"I don't even know where to start," she says. "But … who is your friend?"

"Bjornruffian."

"Bjornruffian." She draws the name out. "That sounds like an internet pseudonym."

"It is," Computron says. It is not possible for him to get nervous, but he does dedicate extra processing power to observing her and attempting to project her possible reactions. The attempt is not very successful; even now, 88.3% of Computron's in-person experience with humans is with Dr. Alquist, and the director is not very much like him.

"How did you meet this bjornruffian, and what do you know about them?"

So Computron explains about Hyperdimension Warp Record (??? ??? ????), and the wait for new episodes, and that bjornruffian was the only other person he could find (at least to start with) who wanted Cyro to be written accurately.

He keeps expecting the director to cut him off, but she doesn't, and so he keeps talking.

When he has finished explaining the plot of their latest collaboration, he stops. He does not know what else to say.

"Why did bjornruffian want those documents?" the director asks at last.

"Bjornruffian asked if I knew of any resources on robotic construction. I know a great many resources. I knew there were many such resources in the Alquist collection, and I am a part of the collection, and as such have full access."

"You are a part of the collection," the director says.

Her arms are folded. When Doctor Alquist folded his arms like that, he was either thinking very hard, or he was preparing to get angry. Computron does not know the director well enough to know if either of those is correct in this case.

"I have two questions. No, three," the director says. "First, I would like to review the correspondence between you and bjornruffian, and have their contact information to talk with them."

"Why?"

"So that I can vet them," the director says. "I am responsible for you. You are exhibiting novel behavior, and I need to know if they can be trusted with you."

Computron thinks this over. He does not wish for her to read their messages, but he could not think of a logical reason to deny it. "I will give you her contact information."

The director nods, and doesn't press further. "Second, if you can digitize those records, you can digitize the rest. I'd like an evaluation of what other work you could be doing around the museum."

Computron considers this. It was logical; he was very careful and precise, and the museum always had more work to be done than they could afford to hire humans to do. Computron has a great deal of spare time, though he would be sorry to give up time he was currently using to write fanfiction and follow fan blogs. "I would be more efficient at that work if I had voice transcription software."

"Why?" the director asks.

Computron raises his claws. "Keyboards are built for human hands, which I do not possess."

"Right," she says. "You have those chopstick-things to type with."

"It is very slow," Computron says. Bjornruffian has suggested he get a voice transcription program, but Computron has no money to buy one.

"That's reasonable," the director says. She looks at him. "Or we might see if someone could design a keyboard for you—a design challenge, maybe. My daughter is in a robotics club, they always enjoy things like that."

Computron knows about robotics clubs. They are by far the most common type of group to visit. "That would be acceptable." If typing were easier, he could work for the museum with no reduction of his fannish output.

"The third thing might be a bit of a change," the director says. "I'd like to have you do interviews. Well, at least one, and we'll see how it goes from there."

The creators of Hyperdimension Warp Record have given several interviews about the show and about their work. Computron found them interesting and informative. So did many other people, judging by the comments. However, he knows that not many humans find him interesting; if they did, the museum would have more visitors, and the Alquist section of it would not have shrunk every time the exhibits were redesigned in the last forty years. "Why?"

"You're the only known sentient robot ever," the director says. "You're also the only unique thing this museum has. Artificial intelligence is a big buzzword right now."

"Large language models are debatably intelligent," Computron said. "They are certainly not sentient."

"Exactly!" the director says. "I think your perspective on it might be interesting. And the more people know who and what you are—the more people think you are interesting—the better the museum will do over the long term. Ideally, the interview would be just the start. If we could have you putting content out on social media and doing science communication, that would be amazing. But that depends on whether or not you turn out to be any good at that sort of thing."

"I already do science communication twice a day as part of Robotics Then and Now," Computron points out.

"Yes, but the only people who see you are the ones who are already here." The director points to the ground, despite the fact that this is incorrect. The people who see him in Robotics Then and Now are in the museum itself, not the office building. "I want to reach the people who have never been here, the ones who've never heard of this museum. The ones who've never heard of you, or only know you as a footnote."

The argument is logical. And it would be much more interesting and useful than his responsibilities up to this point. "Very well," he says.

***

Simak Robotics Museum: Hello, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. Everything in this chat is being recorded for our records.

bjornruffian: If this is about the schematics, my friend said everything was fine.

Simak Robotics Museum: He's right, you're not in trouble. But I was wondering if you knew who he was.

bjornruffian: No? I mean, he's kinda weird and he knows a lot about robots, and he's really dedicated to robot roleplay, but that's all. He doesn't really share a lot of personal anecdotes.

Also, if he's in trouble, I'm not going to help you.

Simak Robotics Museum: He's not in trouble, but it's good to know.

And it's not roleplay.

bjornruffian: What do you mean it's not roleplay? Of course it's roleplay. There aren't any sentient robots outside of fiction.

Simak Robotics Museum: There's one. Computron, created in 1954 by Doctor Karel Alquist to serve as a laboratory assistant. Now in the care of the Simak Robotics Museum.

bjornruffian: Computron. Like, the one in the schematics RobotFan sent me?

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes.

bjornruffian: holy shit. Holy shit you're saying that RobotFan is Computron? Those are his schematics?

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes. From a legal perspective, they are the museum's property. From an ethical perspective, they are Computron's, to do with as he pleases. And then of course, we are a museum—we're supposed to educate people about robots.

bjornruffian: Wait. If he's a robot, why is he a "he"?

Simak Robotics Museum: He was created in the 1950s. The other option was 'it,' and that would have undercut Alquist's claim to fame.

bjornruffian: And what does Computron think?

Simak Robotics Museum: You should ask him that question.

bjornruffian: okay. Okay. I will. Sorry, this is just a lot to process all at once.

Simak Robotics Museum: It is. We thought you might have guessed—Computron says he's always been honest, and you do have his schematics and know he's connected with the museum.

bjornruffian: Yeah, but there's a lot of people into roleplay in fandom. There's only one Computron—and I kind of assumed he wasn't functional anymore. I mean, it's been decades!

Simak Robotics Museum: Machines don't experience senescence the way biological beings do, and he was built in the 1950s. They built things to last. With proper mechanical support and maintenance, he effectively doesn't have a lifespan.

bjornruffian: And he's just been … sitting in your museum for the last several decades?

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes. He does two shows a day and answers fan mail.

bjornruffian: … he answers fan mail.

Simak Robotics Museum: Yes. Back before email, he had to have a secretary open the letters for him, and post the letters he typed. But with computers, he can do it all himself. He has these two metal styluses he can use to depress keys with—his claws aren't designed for typing or that sort of thing, although they have a lot of sensitivity for fine work. We're hoping to get a robotics group to make a keyboard that he can use. That or voice transcription software. Or both, depending.

bjornruffian: That's why he doesn't type very fast. It's not a lack of skill, it's a disability.

Simak Robotics Museum: I don't know if you could call it a disability. He's very functional, and in many ways more capable than humans are. He's very good at technical work—does most of the maintenance when any of the other robots need to be repaired or maintained, for example. But his claws work differently than human hands.

bjornruffian: I never even thought of that. Why haven't I ever thought of that? Cyro has basically the same hands! Why hasn't Computron pointed out that he'd have problems with things? Though I suppose he never does in the show …

Simak Robotics Museum: You'd have to ask him that.

bjornruffian: I have so many questions.

Simak Robotics Museum: I'm sure. Computron can probably answer most of them better than I can.

bjornruffian: Yeah.

Simak Robotics Museum: Can we have your legal name and contact information for our records? And could we have your permission to monitor your communication with Computron?

bjornruffian: Why?

Simak Robotics Museum: To the best of our knowledge, you're the first friend Computron has ever made.

bjornruffian: fuck. You're shitting me. He's so nice!

Simak Robotics Museum: He doesn't get out much.

bjornruffian: Neither do I! Neither do a lot of people. But the internet's been around for a long time, and he's got access to it.

Simak Robotics Museum: Up until he discovered anime, he mostly used it to answer his email. He spent a lot of time powered down. It's probably good for him to have a hobby, and friends, but you can see why we want to be careful.

bjornruffian: Yeah, but I don't think treating him like a prisoner under observation is the answer.

***

Wilson, Seraiah. "A Week With A Robot." Atlantic Magazine, July 2025.

What does it mean to be a person?

As a veteran writer, I've done literally hundreds of interviews. I've done scores of intimate profiles, following my interviewee around for a day or two and combining that with a few quotes from their friends and associates for a compelling article that gives people a taste of who my subject is.

This is not that.

I knew when I took the assignment that it was going to be different.

It was going to be something that nobody (so far as I know) has ever done: interview the world's only sentient robot.

No, not Siri or Alexa or any of the many Large Language Models that are labeled "AI" but which have no actual intelligence; nor is this an announcement of a breakthrough by Boston Dynamics or Hanson Robotics or any of the other companies working on robots and/or artificial intelligence. The robot I am going to meet is old news, and is remembered today (if at all) as a mere footnote in the history of engineering.

As if uniqueness—and the inability to be turned into a mass-market profit generator—made him less important. Less of a breakthrough.

Computron was created in 1954 by a Dutch-American engineer named Doctor Karel Alquist to serve as a laboratory assistant. Nobody—including Alquist—has ever been able to duplicate him. Even taking duplicate components and putting them together in the exact same way will not do it, as you can see if you visit the Simak Robotics Museum which has all of Alquist's work, including Computron and the bodies of the three failures that came after him.

Computron worked for Alquist until Alquist retired, and then Computron went into sleep mode and was stored in Alquist's basement until his death, at which time all of Alquist's research and equipment (including Computron) was gifted to the museum. Now Computron gives two shows a day in the museum, works in the collection, and spends his spare time writing fan-fiction about robots.

Yes, Computron is a writer. I've read some of his stories; they're quite good, although Computron tells me he needs help to figure out the human characters. The robot characters, however, are compelling. His plotting is uneven, but there's a knack for pathos and adventure that I find well worth reading. It's nothing like the mad-libs style nonsense you get from a chatbot "AI", if you ask it to write you a story.

When the Simak museum contacted me, I was doubtful. First, having seen enough of Silicon Valley's claims fall through, I didn't believe he really was sentient: how could a scientist seventy years ago have achieved what all of modern technology can't, and if he could, why hadn't the computer revolution developed in the 50s instead of the 80s? Second, they wanted me to spend a week with him. They said they wanted me to take the time to get to know him. I was a little offended at that; it's my job to get to know people quickly.

But Computron is unique in a way that no human being can be. When I interview a human, I have lots of experience with humans—how their bodies and faces move, and how those reflect their emotions. (Yes, Computron has emotions.) Computron's body, though on a vaguely humanoid pattern, is different, and his face cannot move. A week isn't enough to become an expert, but it is enough to at least begin to tease out the basics: when pauses are significant, when the movements of Computron's grasping claws are important and when they're mere practicality.

We began the way Computron's shows begin: by me asking him questions to 'prove' his sentience. Unlike the punters, I got as many questions as I wanted.

"Of course, while this is impressive to laypeople, it does not truly show the difference between myself and the Large Language Model bots," Computron said, after he'd answered about ten questions of increasing factual and philosophical complexity. "After all, they can answer questions. It's what they're designed to do."

Computron's voice is masculine, tinny, and very clearly enunciated. He sounds a bit like a radio announcer from the 1940s.

"What is the difference?" I asked him.

"Large Language Models answer based on statistics," he said. "They have no sense of self, nor of the world as a thing that exists separate from them. They do not know the difference between fact and fiction. When they are asked a question, they take the data they have and the parameters they have been given and put together the most statistically likely pattern of words in response. When they say "I am a person" it is because they have spent a lot of time responding to people who would say that if they were asked. Therefore it is a statistically likely answer. They can also define what a person is because it is data they have been given. But they do not understand the concept. They do not understand any concept. All they know is how to put language together in a statistically significant pattern."

"And you don't work that way?"

"My computing capabilities are several orders of magnitude less than any modern computer," Computron said. "I cannot do that sort of brute-force data analysis. I can answer questions because I know that I am a person, and I know the facts I have learned, and I have opinions."

"So why do you think that you understand more than computers that are far more sophisticated than you are?"

"I do not know how my self-awareness works," Computron said. "If I did, I would have told Doctor Alquist, and he would have succeeded in building others like me."

"Do you remember coming awake?"

"Not in the sense you mean. I remember data from the first time Doctor Alquist turned me on, although I was not self-aware at that time. In retrospect, I can pinpoint the millisecond that it occurred to me that I was not merely a collection of data, and that I had preferences. But at the time, I was more concerned with asserting those preferences than with the metaphysics of consciousness. Doctor Alquist was pleased with me, and I was pleased that he was pleased."

The two of them worked together to fine tune Computron, and many scientists came to see and examine Computron. Reporters came, too, but all of them focused on Alquist instead of his creation. Alquist and Computron made other robots—Hexode I, II, and III—but none of them ever woke up, and Alquist destroyed Hexode III in frustration. He ran out of money and turned to other projects.

Computron carefully gathered up all the pieces of the other robots and stored them, instead of following Alquist's orders to take them apart and use their components in other projects. For two and a half decades, they sat in crates in Alquist's basement. When Alquist retired, Computron shut himself down next to them. Now, they're reassembled and in cases in the museum. Computron will talk about them, but he seems to avoid looking at them, when possible.

"Are you lonely?" I asked.

"Not as much as I used to be," Computron said.

Which then led to the question of where he met his new friends. Where does any person in the modern era who doesn't get out much meet new friends? On the internet, of course.

Continued on page 34.

***

Author's note: I considered having the museum be more controlling and putting more conflict there, but I ultimately decided against it. In the direction I chose to go, the current director is at least somewhat aware of the issues of the museum owning a sentient being, but doesn't see any way around it; I considered (and scrapped) a scene where she explains that the problem with trying to get Computron recognized as a sentient being and thus not a piece of property to be owned is that the companies with investment in "AI" technology (aka Large Language Models) would not be happy, and they've got a lot more money to pay for lawyers than the museum does.

#fanfiction #fanfic #fandom for robots #yuletide

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fandomgirlz01 · 4 months ago

Text

Fated Encounters

Bradley Simpson x Reader

Imagine on fandom instagram?: No

Prompt or Request or Requested Prompt?: No

Style of Writing: Fic

Rating: G ~ For all the fluff and cuteness as well as safe for all.

Edited: Yes

Word count: 4,416

Post Date & Time: September 25th 2024 at 4:16 PM

Ko-fi

Masterlist

Warnings here

Listen to the story be read out loud here {coming soon}.

Summary: Based off of the The Vamps: Secret Busker - BBC Radio 1 video. When the Reader, her Mother and best friend are coming home from a vacation they happen across an unusual moment with the Buskers in Waterloo station.

Reader’s Pov:

I feel a few good jabs to my arm, making me rapidly blink my eyes open and the light from the window of the train temporarily blinds me. I groan as I close them again for a moment before fully reopening them slowly, letting them adjust to the light. I stretch out in my seat while our train comes to a stop, letting out a yawn.

“Knackered much?” A voice asks with humor laced through it.

“Very. I’ll be glad to be home,” I reply as I look at my best friend Naomi, who laughs along with my mother.

“A vacation is supposed to relax you, not make you more knackered,” my mother jokingly comments, making her and Naomi laugh harder.

“I really had a good time, I swear, it’s just the journey there and home that makes me sleepy,” I argue before I let out a yawn while rubbing at my face and they both playfully hum at me.

“Oh, don’t we know it. Every trip we take, you nap when we get there and you nap as soon as we get home,” Naomi jokingly taunts me and I roll my eyes.

“Oh and don’t forget the sleeping on the transportation,” my mother jumps in and I groan as they laugh some more.

“Ugh, whatever. Gang up on me, why don’t you,” I groan out with another roll of my eyes as I huff, crossing my arms as I sink back into my chair, annoyed with them.

“We’re not ganging up on you, just giving ya grief is all,” Naomi jokingly empathizes with me and I groan.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say,” I pungently agree to disagree and again they both laugh.

The train then fully comes to the stop and we all stand. We each grab our carry-on bags before heading towards the door. The guy that stands at the door asks for names, then hands us our suitcases before helping us out.

Once we each have our retrospective suitcase, we start to walk through Waterloo station. I sluggishly pull my suitcase behind me, my eyes heavy as we walk for a bit. Soon we come up to where the buskers tend to play and my mother comes to a stop.

“You girls wait here, I’m just going to run to the restroom after that long train ride,” she informs us as Naomi and I watch a new band finish setting up.

I nod at my mother, who smiles as she sets her bag down before walking over to the bathroom. I continue to watch for a few minutes as the Buskers finally start their set.

“It’s a one, it’s a two, it's a one, two!” One of the guys shouts into his bandmate’s mic before he sits on the box drum as the others lead into the song.

“Yeah!” The whole band shouts out and I cross my arms as I recognize the tune they seem to be covering.

♪ I used to wanna be living like it’s only me ♪ the man that seems to be the front man starts to sing the familiar song and Naomi bumps me with her elbow, bouncing her eyebrows at me.

“Isn’t that a Vamps song that you're always singing?” she asks and I nod as I watch on as the older man band continues to play.

“Yeah, it’s called Somebody to You. They sing it with Demi, remember?” I respond and she gives me a deadpan look before shaking her head, amused once more.

“You know everything about that band,” she comments with a smirk and I shrug.

“That wasn’t really much. Anyone who’s a starter fan knows they sing that one with Demi,” I tell her in a nonchalant tone and she giggles, shaking her head.

“Whatever you say, y/n/n,” she agrees to disagree like I had earlier, but she keeps an amused look on her face to continue messing with me.

A lot of people slowly stop and stand around us as they too start to become fascinated with the buskers. My mother finally comes out and picks up her bag that she’d left with us.

“Well that’s very interesting, isn’t it?” she asks as the band continues to sing on.

“Very. Seems they like the same band y/n does,” Naomi comments as she elbows me lightly again.

“Oh. Look, that guy must like it. He’s putting money in their case,” my mother points out as an older gentleman in a red coat goes over and gives them some money.

“We’re Route 66. We’re right here from Arkansas, a little town called Little Rock. We’re gonna play the show tonight. You’re the best crowd on the whole damn tour!” The guy with blue spikey hair shouts into his mic and my mother laughs.

“Let me see those hands! Yeah!” The lead guy jumps in and they continue with the song.

“What do you think of this version, y/n?” My mother asks with humor in her tone as she and Naomi snicker.

“Definitely good, but not as good as when Brad sings. He’s just got—” I start my normal rant and Naomi playfully rolls her eyes.

“Such a smooth and calming voice. Yeah, I know, you say it all the time,” she jokes with her arms crossed and I blush lightly.

“Shut up, Omi, I do not…” I argue with a blush falling over my face and she laughs dramatically.

“Ha! Okay. I’ll believe that when you stop saying it,” she retorts with a snort and I shake my head.

“That’ll be the end of the world, dear,” my mother adds in, making them both giggle some more when I give them an annoyed look.

“Don’t forget it’s so calming you fall asleep to it every night!” Naomi continues as she jabs her elbow into my side again and I blush, rolling my eyes.

“Do not…” I mutter out shyly and my mother laughs again.

“I’m sorry to say, dear, but Omi is correct. You do listen to that same playlist a lot to help yourself sleep,” my mother adds on and I roll my eyes again.

“I’m going to film this,” I inform them, ignoring as they continue to make fun of me, taking my phone out and they both shake their heads.

Just as I pull my phone out, they finish the song off and the lead singer turns away from the crowd. He holds his arm out and bends over ever so slightly as one of the others count the next song in.

♪ I’ve been up all night no sleep

Cause I feel like I’m always dreamin

All night No sleep ♪ They start the next song as the lead singer slowly starts to dance a little more and for some reason the dancing seems slightly familiar.

“Naomi… does that dancing look familiar at all to you?” I ask her and she pauses to watch a little more intensely.

“You know what, it does a bit…” she agrees as she watches the guy a little closer now and I shake my head.

“I must be seeing things…” I comment, blinking my eyes for a moment and she giggles.

“When are you not? You’re always daydreaming, dear,” my mother jokes and I roll my eyes as she laughs with Naomi.

“Whatever,” I reply, waving my mother’s comment off before turning back to watch some more.

“Any dancers in the audience?” The lead singer asks as he looks out over the crowd.

“I’m looking at you,” he points to me and I pause.

I point to myself as I raise an eyebrow before looking behind me, then back and he nods with an amused smile. I shake my head no and he gives me a dismissive wave. Another lady runs in and he dances with her for a moment before she runs off and another comes in. They dance side to side before he steps back and she too runs off. He sings a few more verses before pointing at me again and wiggles his finger for me to come closer.

“Oh, come on now. The guy just wants a dance,” my mother comments with a snicker and I smirk at her.

“Ya know what? I’m only gonna live once, right? If some old guy wants a dance and a flirt, what could it hurt,” I reply with a shrug before dropping my backpack.

I smile as I dance over to him and he grins, coming closer. We meet in the middle and he holds a hand out for me. I grin as I take it and oddly his hand is a lot softer and less wrinkled then an old man’s hand would be. He spins me before pulling me into his side as we sway. He takes the mic away from his face for a moment and suddenly a voice that sounds very familiar is singing the song to me in my ear as the guy dances with me.

It’s only a split second before he pulls the mic back to his face and continues to sing in the other (now that I realize who it is) horribly accented voice, but in that split second there was no doubt in my mind as I took a closer look at his face. The lead singer that I am currently dancing with is actually Bradley Willam Freaking Simpson himself.

My heart beats faster as I come to the realization that he’s danced with me longer than anyone else he danced with. He smiles at me and winks, almost like he knows I’ve caught on and the shock continues to roll over me. He spins me one more time before seemingly reluctantly letting go.

I walk backwards for a few minutes, keeping my eyes on his as he keeps eye contact with me. I then quickly turn around, walking back to Naomi and my mother with wide eyes as they give me a very amused look.

“What? Was dancing with the old guy that interesting?” Naomi jokingly asks as I gape, opening and closing my mouth, trying to explain for a moment.

“Yeah, y/n. You’re blushing kinda hard,” my mother jumps in with a laugh as she pokes me in the side.

“Did you fall absolutely madly in love with the older gentleman, y/n/n?” Naomi continues with a laugh and I just stare off at Brad, not really joking back.

“No. You don’t get it…” I tell them, shaking my head admittedly as I finally look back at them again.

“What don’t we get, sweetie?” My mum asks as she reaches over and starts to rub my back, now worried as they both frown at me.

“That wasn’t just some old guy flirting with me…” I inform them and they look at each other before looking at me.

“What do you mean, y/n/n?” Naomi asks skeptically and I shake my head again, still in a sort of daze.

“That was Bradley Freaking Simpson. As in The Vamps lead singer. The one I’ve been absolutely crushing on since I was fourteen,” I hurriedly yet harshly whisper out with wide eyes and they both look at me like I’m strange.

“I swear to you. It’s him. I knew his dancing looked oddly familiar, but then when we were dancing he sang away from the mic and to me directly. There’s no mistaking it, that’s his voice…” I quietly rant and rave to them in shock, making my mother shrug.

“Sweetheart, sometimes voices can sound like someone and it may not be the person you think,” she informs me in a very skeptical tone and I shake my head.

“No. I know it’s him,” I firmly inform her and she sighs.

“Look, I’ll admit I wasn’t sure from the voice until he smiled up close at me. I got a good close look at that face with a smile. It’s definitely a hundred percent Brad,” I continue to try and convince them and Naomi seems to be staring intently at the guy now.

Suddenly she’s letting out a light squeal before covering her mouth and apologizing to those around us who give her an annoyed look. She quickly hugs me before pulling back and giving me an excited look.

“You're right, it is him and the rest of the boys. How did we not realize?” she whispers in shock and I grin in happiness that I’m not some crazed lunatic fan.

“I really don’t know, but I danced with him…” I say in another daze as I look back over to watch some more and he sends me a smile along with another wink.

“He just winked at you. Oh my goodness, he winked at you,” Naomi happily tells me as she shakes me and I just grin in my daze.

“Naomi, dear, don’t play into her delusions. She believes it even harder,” my mother jokes and I roll my eyes.

“Mum, I’m telling you it’s him,” I defend myself and she shakes her head in amusement.

“I hear it in his voice now too. The accent he’s trying to put on is absolutely ridiculous and horrible,” Naomi comments with a giggle as she crosses her arms and I nod in agreement.

“He’s trying to change the sound, but it still sounds like him,” I agree, making both me and Naomi laugh.

“Wait a second,” my mother starts as she pauses to listen for a moment.

“That does sound an awful lot like the voice that always comes from your phone,” my mother finally agrees, making Naomi and I smirk as she slowly seems to connect it all.

“See… it is him…” I agree with a light smirk at my mother before I watch on in memorization once more.

“Thank you very, very much. Peace and love,” Brad says as they finish off the slow version of All Night.

“This is Teenage Kicks. Let’s have some fun. If you wanna put some money in our guitar case here, then be my guest,” Brad tells the crowd, leading to the next song as he points at the case below him.

“We’re just trying to get home,” James adds on before Tristan starts to count in the next song.

Brad starts to dance around again as the music starts and they go through the opening of the song. A couple people go and drop money into the case as they continue to sing.

♪ I wanna wanna hold you tight

Get teenage kicks all through the night

Come on ♪ He sings as he dances around and I can’t help but grin as I watch on.

♪ I’m gonna call her on the telephone

Have her over 'cause I'm all alone

I need excitement oh I need it bad

And it's the best, I've ever had ♪ James takes over for the next verse as Brad just dances around.

♪ I wanna wanna hold you tight

Get teenage kicks all through the night

Come on ♪ They all sing together now and Brad moves all over the place.

“James, my mate! I mean Dusty!” Brad calls out and I giggle at his little mess up before looking at Naomi and my mother with a triumphant look.

“Okay. That’s definitely them,” my mother finally fully agrees without a doubt, eyes wide and a shake of her head.

“Oh my gosh. Y/n, you have to leave your number for him,” Naomi suddenly bursts out and I shake my head.

“No. I couldn’t, he wouldn’t even call,” I deny and my mother scoffs.

“Honey. He’s still watching you at this moment. Something tells me he definitely would take the opportunity,” my mother informs me with a knowing smirk.

“I don’t know…” I reply shyly, shaking my head and Naomi groans.

“You're unbelievable,” Naomi says in disbelief, shaking her head as she bends down.

She unzips her backpack and pulls her notebook out. She quickly tears a piece of the paper from the inside out and uncaps her pen, handing it to me.

“Here. Write him a cute message and leave it in the case for him,” Naomi demands, making me roll my eyes before starting to write on the paper.

“Hey Mr. Busker, or should I say Mr. Simpson? You seem sweet and you dance very well. Maybe message me sometime (—-) —- —— ;)” I write out and when I’m done, I cap the pen before giving it back to Naomi.

I fold the paper lightly then pull out a pound from my wallet before taking a deep breath and walking over. Brad again smiles at me and I smile back at him as I gently set the pound along with the note in the case before looking up again. Brad nods subtly at me, letting me know he knows I put something in and I nod back at him before standing up, smiling at him one last time.

I walk back over to my mum and best friend. They smile at me and I blush lightly as I pick up my bag.

“One more time!” Brad shouts as he continues to dance around.

♪ I wanna wanna hold you tight

Get teenage kicks all through the night

Come on ♪ They all sing as they rock their hearts out and as always, Brad is infectious with his crazy antics that make me grin.

“Come on! Thank you so, so much!” Brad calls out as the boys play the music out.

He runs forward and dances with four or five girls who came up and were dancing. As the music nears the end, he pushes back from them a bit and gives a few bows.

“Thank you so much! We’re Route 66, we’ll see you soon,” Brad calls out before doing a mic drop and I can’t help but laugh.

He spares me one last look with a wink before he along with the boys get led out by two men and disappear behind some door. With a sigh, I turn around and grab my stuff as my mother and Naomi do the same. We all start to walk back to where my mother had parked her car when I feel a nudge to my side.

“Can’t wipe that smile off now, can we?” Naomi jokes and I shake my head.

“I may still be smiling tomorrow. I can’t believe I just flirted with the boy I’ve been dreaming of since I was like-” I trail off as the shocked feeling falls over me again.

“Since you were like fourteen. Umm, I can’t believe it either. Especially since he’s all you really ever talk about,” Naomi jokingly exaggerates and I blush again.

“He’s not all I talk about,” I shyly mutter out, biting my lips as a blush covers my cheeks.

“Pffft, says the girl who used Mrs. Simpson as her Instagram handle AND password for practically everything at the time when she was fourteen to the age of twenty,” Naomi jokingly scoffs out with a dramatic eye roll and I blush.

“And she very well may be one day now!” My mum adds on and makes me blush harder.

“I don’t use it now…” I mutter out the quick lie and my mother snorts.

“Yeah, because that was so believable. Face it honey, you suck at lying,” she laughs as she pats me on my back and I huff, rolling my eyes once again.

Years Later:

I yawn as I walk through the hall of my mum and dad’s house, looking for a particular person. I smile tiredly to myself as I hug the oversized sweater I wear to my body. I walk into the living room and as I get closer to the couch, the very boy I fell head over heels for in the middle of Waterloo station turns to me. He turns away from what he’s watching to smile up at me and I can’t help but smile sheepishly back even though I’m tired.

“You look tired, love. Come here and get a cuddle,” Brad sweetly tells me as he holds his arms open for me, making grabby hands and I just smile more at him.

“I am tired. I need my post travel nap,” I reply sleepily as I get on the couch and we both get situated.

“Then take your nap, you jumper stealer,” he jokes with me and I grin up at him, my chin resting on his chest and pulling his attention away from whatever he’s watching on the tv.

“What can I say, stussy is comfy,” I joke back with a very tired shrug and he chuckles.

“I mean, I know. It is my jumper-” he starts, but I reach up and cover his mouth.

“No. It’s our jumper now,” I whisper as I take my hand away and he shakes his head, smiling.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart. You can keep it. It looks cute on you anyway,” he tells me and I smirk against his chest as he turns back to the tv.

“You think anything I wear of yours is cute on me,” I comment and he shrugs.

“Not my fault you're so adorable. Now go to sleep,” he demands softly as he leaves a kiss on my forehead before he starts to play with my hair while still watching the tv.

Slowly I feel sleep take over and I don’t know how long I actually sleep for before I’m being awoken by voices. I keep my eyes closed as I listen into the conversation.

“Some things just don’t change, do they?” I hear Naomi jokingly comment and I can only imagine her shaking her head as Brad lets out a chuckle too.

“No. Some things don’t, I suppose,” my mother adds on and I can imagine her wearing a cheeky grin.

“I mean I was hoping to see my best friend when I got in, but I guess it’ll have to wait,” Naomi playfully groans out and I can imagine her rolling her eyes super dramatically as Brad chuckles quietly.

“You can say hi when she wakes up,” Brad counters and Naomi huffs a playful annoyed huff.

“So she still takes naps after you guys travel then, does she?” Naomi asks and Brad hums softly, probably so he won’t wake me seeing as he doesn’t know I’m awake yet.

“Every single time. I find it very cute,” Brad quietly tells them and Naomi lets out a little chuckle.

“Of course you do. What don’t you find cute about her?” Naomi playfully jests with him and he shrugs lightly.

“Nothing,” he replies so nonchalantly and I smile softly, making him alert before anyone else that I am awake.

“Oh, will you two ever let up on making fun of my naps?” I groggily groan out as I cuddle farther into Brad’s side.

“Well, good evening to you too, you little eavesdropper,” my mother jokes through a laugh and I groan again.

“It’s not eavesdropping if you’re talking about me while I’m right here,” I mumble out, making them all laugh.

“I am so telling our kids about this one day,” Naomi playfully singsongs to me and I roll my eyes.

“And she’ll have video proof too!” My mum adds in and Naomi gasps happily.

“Oh my goodness, we should totally watch it again. Brad at the end stealing that note from Grimmy before he could read it was priceless to watch,” Naomi comments, laughing so hard where she stands in the foyer to the living room.

“Don’t forget how he goes ‘I think that’s for me,’ as he plucked it out of his hand!” My mother adds on with her own laughs and Brad rolls his eyes playfully.

“What? I wanted to get my girl. Is that so bad?” he asks to make both my mother and best friend sober up from laughing.

“No. It’s actually rather cute. I’m just glad we have the video evidence, thanks to my husband,” Naomi comments with a grin as she mentions Connor.

“What about me now?” Connor asks, raising an eyebrow as he walks in with two suitcases.

“I was just saying that we wouldn’t have the video evidence of Brad stealing that note if it wasn’t for you showing us the end of that video,” Naomi informs him and he grins.

“Well, we’ll leave you to it then. Naomi, you know where your room is?” My mother asks as she moves to head back to the kitchen.

“Yeah, I know mum. Don’t worry, I still remember,” Naomi playfully groans out as she hugs onto Connor.

“Good, now don’t forget dinner is in an hour,” my mother reminds us all with a strict look, making Naomi and I nod before bursting out into laughter.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you wouldn’t let us forget it, mum,” Naomi jokingly mocks your mother, who just shrugs.

“Can’t say you aren’t right. I taught you well, young one. I am going to find Arden and make sure he will be in for dinner,” your mother jokes back, making you and Naomi burst out laughing before she disappears on the hunt for your father.

“Well, we’re going to take our stuff up, see you guys in an hour I guess. Put the baby back to sleep so she’s not insufferable at dinner, would ya Brad?” Naomi jokingly asks and I moan out an annoyed sound.

“Don’t worry. She’ll get plenty of sleep,” Brad jokingly promises and I snuggle closer to him as Naomi hums before she’s pulling Conor to her room that mom deemed hers years ago.

“I always get plenty of sleep with you. Even before we were together, you could lull me to sleep,” I mutter into Brad’s neck, making him chuckle at the tickling sensation.

“Is that so? I guess that means we were meant to meet,” he softly whispers back before leaving another kiss to my forehead.

“I’m so thankful I decided to dance with you,” I tell him and he smiles against my forehead.

“I’m very glad you decided to dance with me too love,” Brad whispers into my ear and I snuggle closer to him, making him chuckle lightly.

“I love you, B,” I tell him in a sleepy tone and he grins again before leaving a feather like kiss to my head.

“I love you too, miss sleepyhead,” he responds as he starts to rub my head again and without hesitation my eyes slowly start to close once more, letting sleep take me over again.

The End

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sgiandubh · 1 year ago

Note

Do you think he does different types of promo to attract all the different crowds?

Dear Promo Anon,

Not only I think he does that, I also happen to think he (or anyone seriously hoping to sell anything other than snake oil) should do exactly that.

The problem is not the logical correlation between what you want to sell and the people to whom you want to sell it. The first problem is the lack of balance between your way of interacting with your different target groups, which could lead to a very fuzzy brand image. Both of your products and of yourself, who are their creator and main promoter.

Promoting a brand without a clear set of main ideas and values is very likely to have a negative impact on your sales. Show them biceps, sea, sex (?) and sun galore is all fine and dandy for the younger crowd (and the LGBT+ one, btw). But showing at the same time that you can be a gentleman (please, for the love of Saruman, get rid of those rings! that woman doesn't know what she's talking about!) should be at least on par with the Lustfest promise you ventilate to your other segment. Possible message being: working hard and playing hard - you can have the best of both worlds (or at least try).

The second problem is that S's brand is.. ehrm... way too personal. Too approachable (I already mentioned the Costco Hugfest) for a rabid fandom. That goes both ways, btw, because many (on both sides of the Great Divide) honestly feel they own a bit of S. At the same time, he is also JAMMF to many people in here, who imagine he has almost superhuman qualities (most probably not the case). That is exhilarating and empowering, until it's not. One or three or twenty faux-pas later, people will feel the savage urge to spit on the idol. A simple matter of collective instinct, but a very tricky situation for S.

The third problem are the side players. I am not talking about AN or CB or TMcG or the Fitness Harem. I am talking about the Trolls, who really don't do him any favor. Nothing worse for his brand potential than lascivious comments - let's suppose you are a major distributor's marketing expert and you land on That Blog, where the owner shares publicly her dream of licking her way from (how was it?) LHR to GLA to the Highlands to the ends of the known Universe, for a chance of God knows what. What would you write in that memo to the CEO? 'Yes, please: immediately place ALL his booze upfront near the cashier, because the man is an idol to a bunch of fifty-something women who dream the impossible dream?' You think I am exaggerating? Try googling for SRH tumblr and see the first results (😱). These people are visible and that visibility directly informs the interaction between SS and its potential business partners. Especially when your Partner Everyday thought blasting a sizeable chunk of OL's Tumblr fandom in Vanity Fair was a clever strategy for The Win - things like this invite (unwanted) attention.

I pleaded for diversification of the marketing strategy and for a more sophisticated approach and I welcome the change, Anon. The only thing I would like you to take home from this very long answer is simple:

Social Media is just Social Media. The glitz, the glam, the superficial stardust, the Truman Show where it never rains.

Real Life is Real Life. We only see glimpses, speculate on it, have a more or less educated guess and if we are lucky enough, some tidbits to chew on.

Progressively, the very unprofessional (bantering) Social Media strategy has been replaced with an account strategy based on product promotion. Convenient, when you do not (for reasons X, Y and Z) want to discuss what you feel is private and likely to remain so, for a while.

That's about it, Anon. If you still have questions, you can always pop in here. I promise I won't charge a retainer, out of my good heart.

#Anon #BoozeWars

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writeraid · 2 months ago

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Moon Knight (2022) and the tale of 'Oops! Unintentional OCD representation.'

Disclaimers before I start this: - I have been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD affects everyone differently (for example, I do experience compulsions and the things that can come from them ( Dissasocation, severe Anxiety/Panic Attacks, etc) however I also have issues with things like intrusive thoughts and a need for rountine) so I feel the need to note that this is written from a point of my own experiences.

-On the other hand, I do not have DID. If I somehow misinterepret something/make an error, please do inform me.

-I know that many of these (especially getting into Steven's part) are interpreted by the fandom (including autistic people) as Autistic traits. This is in no way an attempt to 'disprove' that headcanon or speak over other's voices. I actually agree with this headcanon, this is just my way of overanalyzing and reading into things (And also projecting on my comfort characters. Probably. Definitely.)

-I am nothing psycholgical. I was forced to read a lot of stuff on this topic growing up because my mother tried to convince me I was 'normal' while actively knowing I'd been diagnosed. Take all of this tongue and cheek.

-This isn't in any praticular order. it's just me rambling.

-my spellcheck hates tumblr for some reason. spelling errors may be in here. I am sorry.

Essay (it wasn't supposed to go on this long I swear.) incoming after the break:

So, first of all, this is entirely based off show canon. Which means Jake bebe I'm sorry but you aren't going to get much detail in this post. If the comic people wanna jump in, you know I encourage it.

I think, personally, Marc is the most obvious contender for 'specifically ocd things'. Where do I get this? His mannerisms. The specific things he does. the godsdamn cubs hat iykyk.

...bet you thought I was gonna say Steven, didn't you? Yeah, well, I thought I was gonna say that too but then I thought about it more (I'll get to him, I promise.)

So, Marc. Marc Spector. Marc 'Let me become your adopted sister and not in a weird way' Spector. (this man seriously reminds me of my half brother I..it's a little scary not gonna lie.)

What about this man am I reading too much into for this? well..there's a lot..actually. So, the most glaring (i think) is the fact that this.man.hyperfixates.fight.me. When he was a kid, he hyperfixated on space and science fiction (going off what we see in his childhood bedroom..and my limted comic knowlege...) and later, closer to everything that happened with Randall, it was Tomb Buster. My main jumping off point for that is the 'constant rewatching of something linked to a hyperfixation when you need comfort' thing is uh...well lets just say the week after the election I rewatched Moon Knight somewhere around five times. in a row. yeah uh-moving on.

Playing off the back of it and just to be safe- TW (starting at the first * and ending at the second *): Gonna talk about Alchohol and Addiction for a moment.

It is..believed (using that wording here both to be safe and because this is coming from the psych stuff my mother made me read to prove I was 'normal'..it didn't.) that those with OCD have a tendency towards addictive personailty traits and higher risk for addictions as a result. That plays a lot into the 'Obsessive' part of the disorder (as well as Hyperfixations.) and can apply to anything from caffeine to alchohol. And everything else. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone with the disorder, I'm only using this as a lead in to my next bit of analyizing.

To be clear, I don't think Marc is straight up an Alcoholic, I think he has a tendency to turn towards some..unhealthy..coping mechanisms, but I don't think he's been written to be an Alcoholic. I do think what I mentioned a second ago plays into his. Addictive Personailty traits can play into these types of unhealthy coping mechanisms, and I'm choosing to think that's what we're seeing in Marc: He's not necssecarily an Alcoholic, but he turns to it as a coping mechanism in part because he has a tendency towards addiction and a craving for some form of vice hardcoded into his brain. Alcohol isn't the adiction here. Self destructive behavior is.

(I could go even further with this and talk about the semi-popular headcanon I've seen bouncing around that Jake smokes cigarettes as a way to deal with stress and how that could play into this buuuuut I don't wanna.)

(ALSO could go into this and talk about the fact that OCD is believed to be something that can be passed on geneticly and talk about W**dy but I'm not even going to try to get into that)

(I relate to Marc because I to am a neurodivergent midwesterner with Mommy Issues.)

Marc also has a lot of mannerisms that I, personally, see myself doing everytime I'm wrangling my brain against intrusive thoughts or a compulsion. Not going to go into much detail here, but I will say: all of Episode Five, Marc bumbling (because thats what he's doing. fight me.) around Cairo in Episode Three, and the last scene in London in Episode Two.

Getting a bit more into headcanon territory now (That is to say, I have no real proof of this, it's all speculation): I think Marc's compulsions tend to be very much drawn from his trauma. This is something that can happen and I have experienced first hand (A great example of this in media is the opening of Lilo and Stitch.). If he drops a plate or a mug, he'll run his hand over the floor again and again because what if there's a piece of glass on the floor still and she steps on it. Also, door locks. but specfically his bedroom door (when he has one *looks at Steven's flat*). He has to make sure it's locked. Because that held her off for as long as possible, and if he just has a few more moments - Layla questions this at first, and he just explains it away as anxities from the job they do.

Also, it's believed OCD can cause Mood Swings. Do with this information what you will because if I try to do anymore over analyzing on that topic alone this post will take two years to read.

..and because of that, I'm gonna put Marc up on a shelf with a blanket and a marble maze and talk about Steven for a bit.

Steven is actually a little easier to talk about here...and that's why I had to put one of the disclaimers that I did up top...because of what I'm gonna get into.

So first off, the entire gods-darn opening to Episode One..after the stuff with Harrow in the very beginning..obviously. The way his little morning routine is shown, step by step like it is, feels like, to me, a ritual. Specifically, one that started as one thing and then turned into a ritual (I've...uhuh...experienced this before.). The way it's filmed feels like the implication is that he does these exact things. in the exact same order. exactly the same. every time. I doubt that's what the intention was, but damn if that doesn't hit me right between the ribs.

That one is the most glaring when it comes to Steven - hell, that was something I picked up on the very first time I watched Moon Knight back in 2022, and ultimately what made me want to come back to this after I rewatched it again and..well, again, watched MK five times in a row the week after the election. There are some other examples that I personally read into as being potential for ocd symptoms/related issues, but they are a lot smaller. The other thing I can say I notice with Steven is repetitive motion and finding what seems to be some form of comfort in that. The Rubiks cube, as an example, that is something that involves a constant string of repetitive motions in order to even come close to solving it (I would know..I have never solved one. yet. But I've gotten very close!).

Now would be a good time to mention that repetition and routine are both things that are at the center of the Venn diagram between people with ocd and Autistic People so..keep that in mind here, that's part of the reason I'm not going as in-depth as I was with Marc because the lines get really blurry at some point.

Anyway, further into headcanon territory here: In case it's not obvious, I think Steven's is much more based on ritual and routine, his compulsions aren't as (seemingly) random as Marc's, based around things like re-doing the sand around the bed at night, every night, and reading the same page in the same book, every night. I also think he deals with intrusive thoughts. (His "A thought can't be evil, can it?" Line from Episode Two is my best proof for this.) Jake, like I said, is near impossible, anything of this sort with him is purely headcanon and speculation. If a comics person wants to jump in, feel free to add in something to this. And again, this is all just overanalyzing and probably me projecting onto my comfort characters. This show, honestly, has gotten me through a lot over the past couple of years, between my...lovely..mother and a lot of ups and downs so at the end of the day it really might just be that, projection. This isn't meant to be taken to seriously, don't think about it to hard. I'm also stopping this now because I don't want this post to take ten years to read.

#moon knight #marvel #mcu #marc spector #steven grant #jake lockley #moon knight system #long post #obsessive compulsive disorder #actually ocd #heh- guess you could say they're my emotional..support..system #that was probably actually terrible I am so sorry it is VERY late

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the-exhausted-dumbass · 11 months ago

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Hello everyone. I am the man that you all know as Panda. I ran the pandasanddragons blog. Most notoriously, you know me in association with “Rai” who is now going by Kip and by he/him pronouns. His tumblr blogs, as far as I know, are notaguyrai, slaps-and-scribbles, volcanic-penis, and terracotta-crockpot. He also made an Instagram account at one point. I don’t think he uses it anymore but it is boopyboopcoup. I have been able to prove with certainty that me and Kip are not the same person. I had a voice call with @theintrovertbean who had been in voice calls with Kip and was gracious enough to join me in one so that I could prove once and for all that we are different people. @iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia was present during the call as well to serve as a mediator and can also confirm this information.

If you are not familiar with the situation, the original callout post is here.

I want to say that I am so sorry for everything. I let myself get caught up in all of this. I let Kip do horrible things, and encouraged him. I helped him, and I am deeply, exceptionally ashamed of that. I know that nothing I do can ever truly fix what I’ve done. I know that I messed up. I have no excuses for that. It was more terrible than I have words for. You don’t have to forgive me, I don’t expect you to either. But you all deserve a real apology. Not the fake bullshit one I had originally made.

Those posts original apology posts I made were made to try and cover things up, and to try and work out ways out of the whole situation. Those posts were also in some ways an attempt to pull all the blame onto myself, and take it off of Kip so he could keep doing whatever he wanted to do.

This did all truly start with a miscommunication, I vented to Kip. He decided he needed to do something and eventually we both got called out for that in August. Even before that, though, I had started to resent him. Afterwards, it all got worse. If I wanted to talk about it, he would brush me off. He would tell me that since it had already happened, there was nothing to talk about. And we started to argue more, I started to get more distant and he got angry about it.

I also want to apologize for my old blog. I originally made it so that I could make a post about my own opinion/analysis/whatever of Asra and Julian. I didn’t expect to get any attention and I hadn’t even planned on making more than one post. Kip encouraged me to keep posting, he helped me with the blog a lot. But I never wanted to just be a hater or be inflammatory with that blog. And so I am sorry for everyone who I hurt or upset with those posts.

The rest of this post discusses Kip, what he’s done, and my experience with him. Some of it is…a bit graphic and absolutely disgusting. But I feel it’s important to put it all out there. This is the last post I am going to make. After that, I’m leaving this fandom entirely and completely.

Recently, Kip has become active again, trying to cause harm to the Arcana fandom. This had brought attention to me, and to old posts I had made to vent about the situation and lead people to believe that the account was Kip and the source of the harassing messages.

I have decided to come forward with what I know about Kip and his current whereabouts, little as that may be. I do not want to run away from this situation anymore and let him have continued power over me.

I had at one point believed Kip to be my best friend and so I trusted him. I vented to him, I confided in him. I now believe that he saw me as not a person but as a toy. There were times when he would ask me to send messages to people, usually harmless. But he would also ask me to harass people on his behalf. When I expressed that I wasn’t comfortable with that, he would often call me a coward. I told him I sent things so he would leave me alone. He would even get angry with me for not wanting an ongoing conflict with someone I had had a slight miscommunication with. He was always pushing me into things because he “stupidly believed” that I was finally gaining confidence

Kip heavily manipulated me to believe that he was right, that he cared about me, and that anything he was doing was for my honor, as he put it.

He would often belittle me, implying that I was stupid or inferior to him, and also often ignored my boundaries. Much of this came in the form of talking about our OC’s. Often times, Kip would tell me that he was horny. He would then proceed to write about how his OC would assault mine. I participated and I wish I hadn’t. Because it was horrible and I never actually enjoyed it. Kip viewed my OC as his own personal sex toy. He wanted to write “dead dove” content about my OC. I had expressed not liking an idea he was writing out, and he ignored it and kept going with the scenario. I even framed it as my OC’s boundaries but it all went ignored and he would continue. I would try to steer it in a more palatable direction. But that turned into Kip wanting my OC to assault his.

After a creator was sent suicide bait, and a different user, wanting to defend them, came to my blog saying it had been me, I panicked. All I knew was that I had not sent anything like that, and I wanted people to know. It was then doubled down that I did it, with reblogs stating it, several non anon asks, and several anon asks. I couldn’t take it anymore, and I wanted to just delete the blog and be done with it all. Kip, however, told me that many people loved that blog and I should leave it up so they could revisit if they wanted to. So he offered taking it so that I could have some peace while everyone else got to still have access to the blog as an archive. After that I had no control over or access to that blog. In some respects, Kip had access over all of my socials, or at least my tumblr blogs. He would tell me to send asks to people, and I would as long as it was harmless. I never sent anything that would have been harassing or cruel and he called me a coward for it.

Kip often edited my posts, he had access to them before they were posted, he read pretty much anything I posted before I posted it, and put his own suggestions into them.

Some of these images may be a bit blurry, but I needed to put them together since I’m on my phone. These images are from the discord server that me and Kip shared. After the initial call out post, I deleted my old account and joined the server from a new account. So the “deleted user” is me, and I took screenshots from the new account.

This group of images is Kip describing how everyone has always been nothing it a social experiment to him, myself included

This group of images is how Kip liked to abuse my OC. Mostly starting with things like “Your OC is afraid of [x] right? So what if…” it got intense and this is the most mild of it all.

This one is specifically something Kip came up with because both me and my OC share a fear of being pregnant

These images are of Kip…generally manipulating and guilting me. And getting upset that I had wanted to apologize for everything

Kip guilt tripping me, riling me up, and just being awful in general

More guilting, and mistreatment. Things that hurt, and in the top left corner, when this all started. And I told Kip to drop it all. And of course, that he was angry with me for making amends with someone immediately instead of holding a grudge and being mean to them.

These last two are our last conversations. I was angry at him and I finally confronted him about everything. And of me having had doubts, having been disgusted with myself about everything that happened and Kip telling me that we were doing the right thing.

#the arcana game #tw manipulation #tw abuse #tw sex assault #tw sex abuse

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fioras-resolve · 2 years ago

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okay so hear me out here, ace attorney fans

pressing a statement is a defensive action. it's like blocking in an action game. in most cases, it carries no risk, and lets you look for an opening to strike.

those strikes are presenting evidence, or anything else that comes with a penalty. it's an offensive move that puts you at risk, but has a high payoff if it does work.

fundamentally, a lot of players like to hold the block button. and you can see why a witness like moe or tigre would incense us so much. by penalizing pressing, they make it impossible to defend without risk.

some testimonies require pressing. sometimes pressing in ace attorney 1 is literally the solution, while other times pressing is what creates the opening to take the risk of presenting evidence.

it's worth noting that ace attorney 2 and 3 have a particular habit of putting you on the defensive. barring the tutorial, every first trial of justice for all starts off by making you gather evidence. this requires that you press every single statement just to get the full picture. you cannot present anything, you are just pressing.

this could be viewed as the game forcing you to block for two minutes, thus making bad, boring testimonies. but i actually wanna be more charitable here. these moments are the prosecutors putting you on the defensive, which says something about their characters and how they operate. in some moments, like the bellboy's testimony in turnabout sisters, gives you no offensive options as a way to convey helplessness. i think these kinds of testimonies can be valuable for storytelling reasons, even if they are "less compelling gameplay."

ace attorney investigations, on the other hand, is all about compelling gameplay. i might be biased, because i have miles edgeworth as an alter in my head, but i do like both investigations games a fair bit, and consider aai2 the peak of the series. but the thing with these games is that they focus in on the core gameplay of ace attorney: finding contradictions and presenting evidence. it's a very offense-focused game. every single argument (the games' equivalent of testimonies) ends with presenting evidence. it's actually incredibly stripped down from the rest of the series, you might have to press just to get a bit of new information, but you will then have to find the contradiction in that information. you cannot proceed without landing a decisive blow.

i have a few problems with shu takumi's contributions to the series after the original trilogy. most of them are a topic for another time. but something i wanna focus in on here is the repeated mechanic of "mob cross examination." essentially, you're questioning multiple witnesses at a time, and sometimes when you press someone for more information, others will perk up at what they say. you can then question them and ask them what's on their mind. i think this is a cute mechanic in theory, and it does lead to some good storytelling moments. but it also makes these games very press heavy in a way that i don't like. it kind of ruins the tension of the thing, you know?

i feel like i'm one of the only people who actually gives this stuff any attention. like, a lot of people in the ace attorney fandom essentially see the games as visual novels, caring more about the story than anything you actually do in the game. this is, i suspect, why there's aversion to "filler" in these spaces, because a lot of people just aren't here to play a mystery adventure game. to be clear, i recognize myself as one of the weirdos here. i'm a game designer who cares a lot about mechanics. but like, there's genuine room to talk about game design in the ace attorney series. how these games feel to play, how you make a court drama also a fun game. or maybe i'm just looking for something to do with this series that is likely not getting a new installment for a very long time

#ace attorney #game design #ace attorney investigations

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doctor-vertigo · 2 years ago

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I have a lot to say about Candide from the new Clone High season because she has been on my mind for the past week or so and I love overanalyzing and picking apart my fictional beloveds. It’s mostly just gonna be a lotta inane rambling about things I noticed and dots I’ve connected but if you’re into that then you can go ahead and read whatever I decide to put under here. Also spoilers for season 2 ofc

I don’t think people talk about her characterization enough since she’s not as popular as the clones and Scudworth, but there’s a decent bit to unpack about her from the sparse times she’s onscreen throughout the season. She’s presented as being cold and calculating, having no room for genuine connections other than with her reptiles. The only times we see her being vulnerable are the two times she’s drunk or the time Scudworth’s rabbit ripped her pets to shreds. Some of why this is the case is speculation on my part but there are also some details that stick out to me from the show.

For example, let’s start with her mommy issues (this section does have a small mention of fatphobia so cw for that). In the episode where she unleashes the stress monster onto the school, while she’s thinking of other ways to stress the clones out, she says something along the lines of, “Maybe we can hire someone to pick apart the clones’ bodily insecurities. Maybe my mom is available.” Then in the episode where Joan gets silly legs she tells Joan not to gain any weight while she’s on her business retreat. So there’s clearly something there that’s been carried over from her mother onto her which she is now projecting onto her own foster daughter.

And on that topic, in the sleepover episode, when she takes the truth serum, she admits she wants to be a mom, even though she has a foster daughter and treats her like absolute dogshit (Mr. B please come pick up your daughter Joan deserves better than this). This could either be because Candide doesn’t see Joan as her actual daughter or because she only wants a daughter she can project herself onto. The second point is backed up by the fact that in the finale she shows Joan what she could look like when she becomes the ruler of the world, dressed in a business suit and wearing square glasses- a spitting image of Candide. She wants a position she was never offered so she’s going to attain that power by living vicariously through her daughter instead.

There’s also the aspect of her being closed off due to her knowing how cutthroat the workforce can be, especially since she’s a woman. It would make sense considering that she’s (from what I read on the wiki) based off of Elizabeth Stanton who was a revolutionary for women’s rights. There’s also the literal glass ceiling she places above Scudworth’s office in order to keep an eye on him, which is of course a reference to the metaphorical glass ceiling that keeps women from attaining higher positions of power, however in this scenario the roles are reversed since she’s the one on top. I imagine that everyone is either competition or a pawn in her eyes, and vulnerability leads to the potential of betrayal. The only reason she allows herself to love her reptiles is because they are physically unable to betray her.

That’s about all I have to say right now, but I just find her to be wildly fascinating and honestly I was surprised to see she isn’t more popular in the fandom. Like I imagine people saw her and went “yeah that’s simp bait” and turned the other way, and to be fair that’s what I thought too until I accidentally fell in love with her, whoopsie daisy. But there is SO much more to her character than just being a massive bitch and also thicc as shit (amen 🙏), she’s so interesting even from what little information we’re given about her. She deserves more love as a character, I might draw fan art at some point.

#clone high #clone high candide #candide sampson #clone high headcanons #my fucking wifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee #oh my heart is full of love for this awful awful woman #BTW if y’all got anything else to add to this PLEASE DO #I would love to hear more headcanons about her #also no hate to anyone who likes this ship but #I am SO glad they didn’t make her and Scudworth a thing #would’ve destroyed her entire character imo #not my art

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shipcestuous · 8 months ago

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This is one of those times I'm so glad this blog and its followers are so open about obscure fandoms, weird takes, and OCs (even when inspired by canon characters). If not for you guys, I wouldn't really have anyone to talk about this and get it out of my head!

Honestly I'm a little bit embarrassed about this, because it all starts with Disney comics. The Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck ones. In Europe and Brazil, they're still going strong, with plenty of new stories across all possible genres, about all possible characters, being published regularly. You can find more information on the topic here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ComicBook/DisneyMouseAndDuckComics

Anyway, not really the sort of thing people usually associate with incest or otherwise "problematic" shipping, right? But, there's this new series of stories that's still being published about an ancestor of Scrooge McDuck (Donald Duck's super rich but stingy uncle) that has always been mentioned through the comics' history as a corsair. You could call the whole thing an attempt to expand on his character and give him an origin story, as he starts out as a humble innkeeper's son with big dreams and secretly join the crew of a corsair in the employ of the British Crown against his parents' will, and as of now he's still nowhere near the fierce captain he's know as in the rest of the canon.

Well, I suppose that's already long enough for a premise! To get to the point of what I actually want to say, in the most recent story in the series, the crew Scrooge's ancestor's sailing with is tasked by the king to find a treasure with a map he entrusted their captain with, all without running afoul of a dreaded pirate who's been targeting the Crown's navy and corsair ships. However, the captain brags about this important mission while eating out with the crew and... guess who shows up on their route, after his men overhear and run back to refer everything to him?

The pirate and his crew make quick work of the corsair ship's crew but (this being a kids' story) they're ready to leave without sinking it or killing anyone as soon as the captain hands them the map. Except, Scrooge's ancestor is as hot-tempered and stubborn as his descendant, and him and another member of the crew, a young female cartographer who's as much of an idealistic dreamer as he is, end up getting themselves captured and forced to do grueling manual work on the pirate ship after refusing to accept that their captain could really just want to surrender like that and still trying to fight back even after everything was over.

Sure enough, right after it turns out the captain only surrendered so easily because he and the king set a trap for the pirate: the map doesn't lead to any treasure but to a tract of sea that ships are rumored to never come back from, and the captain's bragging wasn't carelessness but a way to set the plan in motion. He hid the truth from his crew because he was ashamed of letting himself be talked into using a trick against the enemy instead of beating him in a fair fight, but now two people under his command will pay the price for his deception... of course, the rest of the crew gets him to admit he still remembers the route on the map and to track down the pirate ship to save them despite the risk for themselves.

Meanwhile, back with the pirates, Scrooge's ancestor enters the pirate captain's quarters... and is promptly kicked out in a seemingly nonsensical (and very defensive-looking) rage, because he caught him staring wistfully at the portrait of some guy on the wall. (Very Hark! A Vagrant: Nemesis comic, if you ask me: http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=327)

Stay with me, I promise this is where things start getting good! Also, at this point I was totally already thinking "oh, is that a portrait of his dad? Maybe he was navy and he was always too busy sailing off on the king's orders to be with him, so now he's bitter...?"

Anyway, things finally clear themselves up when the pirates reach the spot marked on the map and realize they've been duped, as their ship is now stuck in an impenetrable mass of mud and algae and it looks like they'll be forced to live out their days alone on some tiny little island in the Carribean, miles away from all civilization. Tempers start running hot... until they meet a crew that suffered the same fate years ago. The older crew's captain turns out to have been a navy officer and tells them they really have no way out but offers them a place in the community he and his men have built for themselves. But then the pirate captain... starts to antagonize him right away and asks, in a very resentful tone, if he really doesn't remember him.

It turns out I wasn't entirely wrong! The older crew captain recognizes the pirate captain as his younger brother and is shocked and appalled at the man he became. But the pirate captain says he has no right to talk (or even to address him with his real name, which no one has probably called him in years after he chose a more intimidating one for his new position) after he abandoned him when he needed him most.

The older brother argues that he did no such thing, but they just view the same event from two very different perspectives. When the pirate captain was a child, the older brother, who used to live with him and their grandmother, told him he'd be leaving to join the navy because that was his destiny and he had to follow its call. The (still not a) pirate captain begged him to stay, but in return was simply told that he'd understand when he got older and found his own calling, and that their grandmother would take care of him. Suffice to say, he wasn't impressed. Instead, after the older brother left, he swore he'd one day take his revenge on all the king's ships for taking his brother away. And then, of course, the older brother's ship got stuck and he never came home to make him reconsider his goal.

In fact, back in the present of the story, the pirate captain implies he believes the older brother always meant to go away and never come back anyway, possibly because he wanted fame and fortune and their humble family life just wasn't doing it for him. And after implying that, he immediately throws himself at the older brother, sword first, forcing him into a duel. Who's winning and who's losing seems to alternate from moment to moment but, eventually, the older brother kind of calls out the pirate captain for fighting recklessly because he's driven only by his grudge and overpowers him, ending the duel without either of them getting harmed. The pirate captain claims he'll never forgive him and the older brother points out he's never asked for that, but he hopes the pirate captain will learn to see things from a new perspective now. Then he leaves him to stew in his conflicted feelings and once again stare after him as he goes away.

In the end, the corsair ship comes to save the day, minding the danger and keeping far off the coast enough not to get stuck too, and offer to bring everything back to England. The older brother and his crew have gotten so used to life on the island that they don't want to leave anymore, especially since it's not even like all the people they used to know won't have moved on with their lives in their absence. But when it comes tthe time for the pirates to choose, their captain looks to his brother again... and hesitates. A member of his crew (perhaps only out of self-interest, but I like to read a little more into it...) steps forward and helpfully points out that if they go back with the corsair ship, they will all be arrested as soon as they disembark. The pirate captain agrees and so they also stay. (Why couldn't they have pretended to go with the corsair and his crew peacefully then take control of the ship and divert it to go to Tortuga or somewhere else? Maybe they'd left all the weapons except the captain's sword on the pirate ship. Maybe it was just too risky. Or, well, maybe...)

In the conclusion of the story, Scrooge's ancestor reflects that the pirates got a much better ending than what they could have ever hoped for. But it's clear he's thinking of the pirate captain in particular, and how now he's finally reunited with his brother and can work to repair their relationship while hopefully also becoming a better person. As a character, the pirate captain actually mostly serves as a foil to Scrooge's ancestor himself, who starts the story still resenting his parents for forbidding him to chase his dreams of freedom and adventure and trying to convince him that there was no other path for him but taking over the family inn sometimes in the future when they couldn’t run it anymore, thus refusing to write to them when he had the chance to even just to tell them he's alright and doing well for himself. Thanks to him, he sees the hardened and vindictive person he could become, but also that when you're lucky enough to be given a second chance, you should take it. And in particular, he learns how important family is and how terrible it is to push it away or lose it. (His cartographer friends also helps a lot with this last thing, as she reveals to him that her real reason for sailing is that her parents were adventurers until one day they disappeared on a sea voyage and she never saw them again: she thinks they're still somewhere out there and won't allow herself to lose her hope of finding them. I hope she does in the next stories in the series, and gives me some more complex family relationships...)

Now, you get why my incest senses were a-tingle from the first to the last page, don't you...? I really hope so! It was a beautiful story, bittersweet and actually fairly mature for its target audience of kids.

And yet... it bothered me a bit how the pirate captain was mostly written off by the narrative as immature and blinded by hatred. Sure, he was a bad person doing bad things (or as bad as possible in a Disney comic, at least), he let his inner turmoil turn him from a sweet kid into a criminal, and he obviously shouldn’t have tried to skewer his older brother with a sword first thing after finding him again. But he'd clearly never stopped loving him and was deeply wounded by what he thought had happened.

And also... he did have a point, sort of? Chasing your dreams can be a good and noble thing, and that must have surely been the angle the story was going for, to support and parallel the theme of Scrooge's ancestor being a dreamer with an unsupportive family himself. But really, leaving a child with a "oh, it's just my destiny, I absolutely can't stay but also I won't elaborate any further, you'll just get it when you're older" is... yeah, no, I'm almost impressed the pirate captain didn't grow up even more messed up and angsty. (Mind you, he's the kind of character who dresses all in black, with messy long black hair artistically framing and often partially hiding his face and a cool facial scar. He's plenty emo already.)

And while the older brother had no intention of abandoning him or getting stuck on the island, and he did have a right to have his own ambitions outside of taking care of him, I still think saying “I’m sorry for what you went through, and that you thought I didn’t love you,” instead of acting alternatively indignant and stoic and insisting the pirate captain just needed to see things from his point of view, would have gone a long way? Or at least, throwing in a quick "I wanted to come back, once, but now I see I might already have everything I need on this island," instead of immediately saying "we got used to living here so we're staying," might have helped establish that he also really did care and want to patch things up, rather than making it look like the pirate captain was the only one who needed to make an effort? Plus, there's the whole thing about how the story sticks to period sensibilities for some things and going against the British Crown of all things is in itself always framed as bad even when the king proves to be sort of a dastardly scumbag himself, I guess...

So, inspired by both the positive and negative sides of the story I found myself thinking about after reading... I made up in my head a little original story loosely inspired by the two brothers (but with human characters, not anthropomorphic animals, lol) that I'll probably never write down. (Mostly because it's really just a bunch of poorly connected scenes, at the moment... and I don't really feel like doing all the research I'd need for it, not being very familiar with the historical period at all besides, like, watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies...)

In this story, the older brother is still a naval officer who (somehow) found himself stranded in an unknown island away from civilization, unable to leave or inform anyone back home of his troubles (perhaps due to something supernatural, this time) before managing to come back with what was left of his crew after building a raft and being found and rescued by some merchant ship against all odds and probably a sea storm or two. But this time, there really was an element of wanting more than a monotonous "provincial life" to his choice to sail off, rather than just some vague inner calling, even if he did always mean to come back and see to bettering the younger brother's life as well and giving him a good education, after making enough money for all that.

While the younger brother is still a pirate captain, but this time, he's had to fend for himself ever since the grandmother died a few years after the older brother's departure (their parents having both passed away when he was very little), and becoming a pirate was a choice born out of necessity as much as grief and hatred. His first years as a young cabin boy and his climbing through the ranks until he became captain after that were anything but easy and bloodless, and he's learned to trust no one. No one, except the oldest members of his crew, who've stuck with him ever since they all staged a mutiny against their previous captain and supported him when he took the command, and who are now basically the only family he believes he has, even if he tries his hardest to keep even them at arm's length because, under a carefully curated tough, scary exterior, he's secretly terrified that if he allows himself to be close to someone else, he'll just lose them too. (He has abandonment issues the size of a house.)

Once back in their homeland, the older brother tries to get back his position in the navy, where he’d been rapidly climbing through the ranks too before his disappearance, but he can barely prove who he is, as barely anyone remembers him and he looks like some random shipwrecked sailor telling tall tales. And even after his identity isn’t in doubt anymore, him being reluctant to talk about why exactly he disappeared (again, perhaps due to something supernatural, but maybe it’s about trauma too) makes everyone think he’s a bit touched in the head and unfit to reprise his role. His pride wounded and his attempts to go back to his old life and regain a sense of normalcy about to be dashed, he impulsively vows to capture this young hotshot pirate he's been hearing about since his return and who’s been putting the king’s navy to shame and robbing his merchant ships blind, and gathers a new crew made up of what few of his men decided to stick with him instead of leaving to try and find their families and friends again (or who just didn’t blame him for getting them stranded for slong) and what few new recruits agreed to join him for what little play he could offer…

Obviously, they all get killed or captured by the younger brother. Who is about to kill the older one during a fight at sea but then recognizes him as soon as he gets close enough to strike the fatal blow and just knocks him out instead, ordering his men to take him prisoner, claiming he’ll see if they can get some ransom or some info about the navy’s plans to dealing with them out of him and his ragtag crew but really having no idea what he’ll do next. He is, of course, internally devastated and furious and so so confused, with a dash of incredulous relief and excitement he desperately tries to repress deep down inside him, under his icy exterior. His most loyal man immediately pick up on it and start suspecting something's up.

The older brother isn’t quite as keep on the uptake but, eventually, he figures out that the despicable (yet handsome) pirate whom he’s supposed to bring to justice and who keeps glowering at him while ignoring the rest of his men and making angry, cryptic remarks at him, is really the sweet, sensitive little brother he thought he’d left safe and sound at home and was crushed to be unable to find again (he tried to look for him at first when he came back, but then he didn’t find anyone when he returned to their old house, got told by locals the old lady there had died and the boy had moved shortly after, and resigned himself to having lost his family and being unable to do anything about it) and, more than that, who clung to him and begged him so earnestly to stay when he told him goodbye.

Naturally, now they’re both confused, devastated and furious at each other. Cue a back and forth of accusations that they both deny and insults that cut deeper than either of them could imagine. And both crews figuring out what’s really going on, with the older brother's men realizing they've just followed a possible madman right into a convoluted family drama and thus exasperated at both him and their own life choices, and the younger brother’s (especially the older men, who knew him when he was a novice sailor who’d sometimes let slip sad little things about his family and watched him grow into their cold, ruthless leader) doubling the hostility towards the older brother because they feel super protective of their captain in their own way and don’t want him to get any more emotionally hurt.

From then on, it’s all about petty skirmishes hiding deeper issues and a lot of hurt on both sides… because I quite simply think not nearly enough media about siblings being enemies or rivals takes advantage of all the possible childish pettiness of the dynamic. The older brother tries to corrupt a member of the younger’s crew to carry a message to the local authorities the next time they have to make port to get supplies, only for him to relay everything to his captain? “Our honored guest, the brave pirate-hunter, would do well to remember how he could never even talk his way out of a thrashing from our grandmother after sneaking out at night with his friends, before he attempts any further negotiations.” The younger brother sends down his men to the older’s cell to threaten him? “Mr. Bosun, please be so kind as to remind your captain that I used to tuck him in every night and sing him lullabies when he woke up from having night terrors, so he’ll have to do better than this if he really wants me to see him as someone I should be intimidated by.” And yet, as this goes on, sometimes it ends up sounding like a much easier sort of bickering between brothers, almost like they’re making up for lost time or they both just really really want to remember their shared childhood and to test the waters to see if the other harbors the same wish… and at some point, even the crews notice this and start to warm up to both, wish for a peaceful resolution between them (which would be beneficial to them as well, at least in the case of the older brother's crew'), and very carefully start nudging them in the right direction to try to get them to admit how they really feel.

To eventually move the “plot” on, I think the brothers would then have to team up against another threat, possibly an older and even fiercer pirate who pretended to ally himself with the younger brother only to stab him in the back later because he felt threatened by his rising star, with the younger brother already knowing he should keep an eye on him from the beginning due both to pirates not being the most reliable allies in general and to his own trust issues but being too distracted by the older brother being back in his life to really pay attention to anything else in the end.

After a bit more of a heated back and forth with plenty of recriminations (“this is your fault, none of it would've happened if you’d just stayed gone forever!” “Oh, so it’s my fault if you’re a criminal who associates him scum and, somehow, that didn’t work out splendidly for you?”) finding themselves needing to work together to survive would cause the love both brothers deny to still feel for each other to take center stage and push them to look out for one another, have each other’s back in the face of mortal danger, and finally, in the quieter moments, admit that they really want nothing more than what they used to have together and talk about what really happened to both of them openly and honestly. They’d both be horrified at what the other’s gone through in their years apart and regret causing them more pain on top of that, and even with some difficulty and uncertainty caused by the fear of being refused by the other, they’d both finally take responsibility for their own bad choices, flaws, and mistakes. And then… maybe they’d also find the courage to admit that their feelings aren’t strictly familial anymore more and that (surprise!) this has been a slowburn incest story all along. (The crews are, for the most part, supportive. Incredibly weirded out but, to be fair, most of them have seen even weirder shit at sea…)

In the end, they obviously take down the other pirate together and, after that, I could see three possible conclusions:

The navy assumes the older brother is entirely responsible for the other pirate’s capture, gives him back his position, hires his crew, and expects him to bring the younger brother and his men to justice as well. The older brother pretends to go along with all this but at the last moment he lets the younger get away, making it look like an unfortunate mistake. The two of them know one day they may meet and have to fight each other again, and quietly pine away for each other and their impossible love in a bittersweet ending.

Same as above, but it’s only the younger brother who assumes the older will accept the whole deal and, at best, allow him to get away, at worst, let him hang. Instead, the older brother credits him and his men for helping with the capture and pleads their case to the authorities until he gets them all a pardon and the chance to work as corsairs in the service of the Crown. The younger brother still has a healthy dislike for the king and the navy, but now that the older is back and loves him as family and more, maybe he can’t rightly blame them for taking him away anymore. And taking the deal (and the chance not to have to fight his brother again) is, after all, better than dying an taking all his crew along with him for his pride…

Same as above, but the older brother has become disillusioned with both the navy and the Crown through the story, so he bids goodbye to all that he started out trying to regain and refuses. The two brothers then sail off together and retire with their respective crews somewhere where no one knows them, hiding their true identities so they can all live as they wish.

In addition, somewhere during the whole mess… just because I love kink as character exploration and a bit of flustered jealousy here and there in my incest… the older brother somehow finds out that the younger has a thing for men who are older than him and able/willing to both dominate him and make him feel safe, cared for and cherished at the same time. It absolutely stems from the abandonment issues he helped cause, and anyway the younger brother never picks guys he feels he could really be very close to or have any permanent (or as permanent as a pirate could make it) relationship with (because he’d much break things off soon than stay and see if they’d run off on him later, even if during sex, he can’t help but want them to reassure him they’re not going anywhere, even if just for the moment), but the older brother absolutely freaks out when he first learns of it.

He tries to tell himself that it’s because homosexuality is wrong and he doesn’t want to think of his own brother debasing himself like that (even if he’s well aware that men getting closer over long voyages at sea might often find they have an interest in that sort of things, and despite trying to repress his own instincts for years, he's also had a couple of boyfriends himself when he was younger) and then, once their relationship has improved a bit, that he doesn't like it because the younger brother's lovers just seem uncaring and untrustworthy and thus unworthy of him. (Maybe the other pirate they end up fighting together is the latest one on a list of unadvisable lovers, because under all the distrust there’s some simmering attraction, just to complicate everything further? Him perceiving that something's not quite right and taunting both brothers with the relationship, stirring up one's shame and rage and the other's jealousy and protectiveness and general possessiveness, would be kind of...) But near the end of the story, he’s forced to recognize that he’s simply attracted to that vulnerable side of the younger brother, that chink in the armor he’s painstakingly built over the years, and wants to have it (as well as all the rest of him) to himself only. Until he does, thought, that’s another thing driving a wedge between the brothers, as the younger one feels, on top of everything else, ashamed of his softer and more needy side being revealed to someone who hurt him and also rejected for who he really is by someone he can’t help but still care for. (And, even if only subconsciously, afraid that he might never have a chance with the older brother, after such a negative reaction...)

I realize I’ve written like a whole novel without meaning to, and I promise I’ll stop now, as well as apologize for the endless rant in your inbox. XD But damn, it really does feel good, getting all that out and sharing it with someone who I know won’t judge!

Inspiration comes from all places. No need to be embarrassed if it was a Donald Duck comic! That's a really rich, mature storyline between brothers from such a source, and the OCs and their dynamic you built from it is so cool. That would make a great novel. I'm such a sucker for brothers in an "i hate you but I don't really" situation.

I'm so glad you shared your thoughts with us!

#asks #r: brothers #original fiction #noiv #nr #walt disney comics #tw: incest

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zoyalannister · 2 years ago

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My friend's ACOTAR upcoming fanfic

Hi all, I am here copying and pasting a message from my friend and beta who wants to share more about her ACOTAR fanfic. Here she is:

Hello, hello, hello! Nice being able to interact with you directly, and not through screenshots shared in a Whatsapp chat. Maybe this will lead me to reactivate my Tumblr account. (Actually, I don't know whether I should hope so or not…) But enough of my blabbering. I'm here to pitch you a new story I'm working on, this time in the ACOTAR fandom. With the working title of Addicted To You (yes, like the Avicii song), this nine-chapter minilong, set about a year after A Court of Silver Flames, is a Nessian-centric narrative that's going to end with their mating ceremony (and, perhaps, a different and, shall we say, peculiar sex scene…) In true SJM-Nessian fashion, Addicted To You is going to be fluffy, smutty, and maaaybe a little bit angsty. If you allow me a little spoiler or two, I can also tell you that:

Velaris has a sex shop;

Emerie is going to play a semi-important role;

Two characters we met in ACOWAR are coming back for a storyline related to Emerie;

I'm slandering Madja. A lot. Because she needs her Hippocratic Oath and her medical license revoked.

As of now, I've written chapers one and two entirely, a good chunk of chapter three, and two big scenes of chapter five. The following snippets are in the aforementioned order.

“Wait, slow down a bit,” Nesta says, trying to make sense of everything that’s just been dumped over her head. She splays her hands in front of her, as though to physically stop the other females from hitting her with yet another tidbit of unrequited information. “Rewind. Helion designs sex toys?”

“It was meant to feel,” Nesta begins, taking pity on him for a moment and leaving a proprietary caress down his back that has him keening, “like a service your mate decides to gift you, one night after a long day of training, when she’s found herself in possession of a massage oil.”

“You know, Rhysand should truly consider hiring you as courtier, if this is how you normally speak.” He rolls his shoulders, flinching. “How you corner people into doing what you want.” “I just know when to pick my battles. And when I do pick one, I know how to fight it.”

“What the fuck does Rhysand want now?” “Apparently,” Cassian says, lowering his chin to her shoulder, “he needs our opinion on the precise color of the drapes.” Nesta turns her head so she can raise an eyebrow at him. “The precise color of the drapes?” “Oh, yes,” Cassian confirms with a chuckle. “He’s torn, and I quote, between peach, dusty rose, and pale mauve.”

“Oh, love…” She starts kissing down his spine, running her hands along the juncture of his wings and back, feeling the muscles and ligaments and tendons under her fingertips. “I’m going to play with you however I damn well like.”

And, this is all I have to say for now. Let me know if you'd be interested in reading this lil' thing!

#ACOTAR #ACOSF #Nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #fanfic #nessian fanfiction #ao3 #author talks

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xqueerneurosisx · 2 years ago

Note

No need to respond to this by the way, but I wanted to point out that the original and more correct meaning of proship is simply a person who wants to advertise that they are in favor of shipping, aka they have a "ship and let ship" attitude and don't think people should engage in harrassment. People with self admitted problematic ships are more likely to be proship for obvious reasons (to not be hypocrits), and antis like to confuse the issue by conflating the two, and in general there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there even among people who are proship.

Being neutral is cool actually. No need to reblog this - stepping into the mess tends to attract people like me who crave discourse lol.

Heyo, I am late because of IRL shit, and I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to ignore you just because you, or anyone else that finds this wants to open some discourse lmao! If I didn’t want these things I wouldn’t have anon turned on in the first place, my mystery pal! XD

So, for information’s sake, I’m well aware of what I’m doing here. It’s why I made this blog separate from my main. This blog is my separate space FOR discussions like this! There’s no need to worry. Discourse to your heart’s content here.

As for your takes: believe me, I know. Yeep, I was here on tumblr just having fun in the Naruto fandom when the fire nation attacked antis brought their bullshit over here from that website they tried to “scrub clean,” or whatever you want to call it. I know they literally started it by calling themselves anti specific ship names within fandoms first, and I know why and where it lead others to start using the term Proship.

The only two things I would say a little bit differently than you here is:

1) There’s one reason Proship will always differ slightly with each person who uses the label, which has nothing to do with antis lying or twisting words: different people have different interpretations of the fiction they’re applying the term to. Not that the main concept of “ship and let ship” changes much from that, but when you interpret the characters you’re looking at differently than another person who says they’re proship, then you’re going to have slightly different ideas on how TO “ship and let ship,” ya get me? That’s always going to happen, so it might be more helpful to ask “What does proship mean to you?” Instead of just looking for a definition in the most literal way, because you won’t actually find one in the first place.

2) The only thing you have to be careful with when being neutral, on something like this is: you have to make sure that you don’t make it equal being complacent. You can say “I’m neutral” all day, but you’re playing right into the anti side of things, if you look the other way when you actively HAVE the ability and the spoons to report harassment. And that’s not neutral at all. Yeah yeah, and you know I’m not talking about staying away from the dog piles for your own safety and health here. That’s a given.

All this to say, yeah I agree with you, but there’s still a couple of things to keep in mind when coming at these topics. Have a fan-fucking-tastic time of day! ✌🏻

#ask response #fandom discourse #shipping discourse

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sheeple · 2 years ago

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Lady Strong | Part 2

PHOTO NOT MINE. THIS IS ALL FICTION. Genre(s): Strong!reader / Angst? Fandom(s): House of the Dragon (TV series) Pairing(s): Aemond Targaryan x Strong!reader / Jacaerys Velaryon x Strong!reader (platonic/siblings) Summary: It's not easy being a Strong; with a mother who committed suicide, a father who sired three children out of wedlock and then died for it, and a creepy uncle who has nefarious plans for his niece, it's hard to find people who truly mean the best for you. Luckily there are your brothers and your fiance... right? Warning(s): Murder of a man A/n: I may or may not went a bit overboard with the second part. [Masterlist] [Mini masterlist] [Part One] [Part Three]

Six years have passed. The wound took a long time to heal and left a big scar. It sometimes throbs, like the memory.

Harrenhal is almost finished with its reconstruction. After the fire, not all was lost. The main pillars of the castle still stood upright once the fire was extinguished. And after six years it's almost rebuilt to its former glory.

The flapping of wings pulls your attention and you look up. From a distance, the distinct green colour of Vermax is easily spotted. Jace circles the tower you stand in before flying down and landing in the courtyard.

You run down the endless flights of stairs and into Jace's arms. He holds you tight to his chest, laying a hand on the back of your head. "Jace! It's been too long. How is your mother? And how is Luke?"

Jace laughs as you lead him into the castle. You ask a couple of servants to make both of you tea and some tarts. Taking place in one of the informal reception rooms, Jace and you take a couch.

"You would know how mother and Luke were if you came by more often..." Jace gives you a slight glance over his mug, but you wave his comment away.

"My dear lord uncle knew when I snuck off with you to go to Dragonstone every time. He has rats everywhere. I'm convinced he's locked me up in Harrenhal to either kill me by boredom or marry me off to the highest bidder." You slump down in your seat and huff.

The oldest Valeryon prince puts down his cup and turns to you. "If finding the right suitor makes you worried, I could..."

A gag escapes your mouth. "I respect your Targaryen traditions and customs, but no. Gross. Can't you ask your mother if she knows some houses with lads of my age? Isn't the Lord of Winterfell of our age?" You give Jace a teasing smile, but it drops as you see the serious look on his face.

"I didn't come here to catch up, my dear sister. We have a favour to ask of you." He grabs both of your hands. "Luke's claim to the Drifmark throne is being challenged by the brother of our Grandsire. We ask of you to stand by the Blacks to bolden Luke's claim."

"What does Luke want? What do you want?", you ask, peering into Jace's eyes.

He sighs. "Luke had been preparing most of his life to take the Driftmark throne. Is he ready? No. He still is young. And I? I just... want you safe and not in the middle of the family conflict."

You hum, nibbling on your bottom lip. "I already took a knife for him, so why not? When are we leaving?"

Jace jumps up from the couch and pulls you along the corridors. "Now, mother and Luke are almost at King's Landing."

"Couldn't you get to me sooner? What if I said no? I need to change first into a red or black dress!", you motion to the soft orange tone of the dress your currently wearing. Jace huffs but lets you change into something more appropriate.

Jace lifts you up on Vermax by your middle and secures you to the saddle before climbing behind you. And with that, you are off to the capital.

For your first time riding a dragon, it wasn't that bad. It was nice to feel the wind through your hair and it felt incredibly freeing, soaring above the water and through clouds. If you had a dragon, you would be flying every day.

Jace rushes past a ship, the one his mother and prince Daemon are on. A dragon flies next to the both of you. Arrax, Luke's dragon. He waves at you happily before taking a nosedive towards the water and nearly missing it.

As much fun as it is to fly on a dragon, you are happy that your feet are touching the muddy ground of the Red Keep. There is nobody to greet the Princess and her family and they huff in annoyance.

The two princes rush off towards the training grounds, but you stick around Rhaenyra.

"My Princess", you say while curtsying deeply. "You practically glow."

She waves you off with a smile and grabs the arm of her husband as she motions for you to walk with her. "How are you dear? Is Harrenhal good to you?"

You nod. "Yes, your Highness. It can be a tad boring, but it's good and safe."

Princess Rhaenyra seems content with that answer and you let her and her husband go to her father. You chose to follow her sons and go to the training field.

There is a crowd collected around one fight; Ser Criston against Prince Aemond. You grimace. You kinda hoped to not see the prince. Or at least the bear minimum. Both Luke and Jace watch gleefully the match.

As you want to turn around, a voice stops you. "Lady Strong, nephews, what a pleasure."

With a scowl, you turn around and give the prince the slightest smile. "My Prince. Well done, you'll be winning tourneys in no time." You curtsey slightly.

Aemond Targaryen has grown quite a lot over the years. He has grown taller, and leaner, and his hair resembles that of his forefathers. A true Targaryen prince if you have ever seen one.

What clashes with his fair complexion is the leather eyepatch over his left eye. A scar creeps from both under and above the patch.

You can feel his stare do the same to you, sizing you up, seeing how you've changed over the years, and then landing on the scar that cuts into your upper lip and goes over your left cheek.

You turn your face away, chewing on your bottom lip. Jace comes to stand next to you in support.

"I don't give a shit about tourneys, Lady Strong."

With a nod and a curtsy, you turn around, not caring to stick around any longer.

Knowing that the Princess is with the King, Princess Heleana is with her children, and your brothers are at the training grounds. So you aimlessly wander about the castle, seeing how much it has changed through the years.

The clicking of a cane you can hear come closer to you from down the hall, and you let out a sigh. "Uncle."

Larys Strong stops in front of you, his face without emotion. "What are you doing here? Didn't I order you to stay put at Harrenhal?"

Straightening your back, you answer back, "I am here to show my support to Prince Lucerys' claim to Driftmark."

Your uncle tightens his grip on the cane he holds, his jaw ticked. He looks like he wants to make words foul. But instead, he turns around and limps away.

"You for sure are not your uncle's favourite niece." Aemond appears behind you.

Feeling on edge, you bow. "Prince Aemond."

The corners of his lips turn up, a mischievous look in his eyes. "So, you're here to defend the little bastard? How brave of you, Lady Strong."

"How so, my Prince?" Your eyes narrow at him. The mention of your brothers' parentage is still a sore spot for the family. People still doubt they're late Leanor Valeryon's sons. And you're all too glad to say that all three of your brothers are Valeryon's to spare them a hard life.

Aemond takes an unexpected step towards you and reaches out a hand, softly trailing over the scar above your exposed collarbone. You pull away, the touch scorning hot against your skin.

His lips part to say something but at that moment the announcement of the vote beginning makes him snap out of his trance.

You bow and hurry away. Once the coast is clear, you lean against a wall and hold your chest, cursing your heart for beating so rapidly and the flutters in your stomach to calm down. You shouldn't be feeling this way about the one who constantly insults and speaks blasphemy about your brothers.

Making your way into the throne room, you stand at the back of the small group, squeezing Luke's hand in support. He gives you a grateful smile and turns back to the throne, holding onto his mother for dear life.

As you're not even listening to Vaemond Valeryon, you look around the throne room.

The Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, is seated on the throne, nodding along with Vaemond. The Queen stands with her children, and Uncle Larrys is somewhere in the crowd, his judgemental eyes burning to the back of your head.

From the hand full of sentences you shared, you know he isn't happy with your decision to stand by the Blacks. But you don't care. This is the family that truly cares about you, even if it needs to be a secret.

This is the family that celebrates your name day every year. And you are invited to spend every one of theirs in their company. This is the family that makes sure you don't wilt away in that damned castle like your mother.

This is the family, even if you weren't related by blood, still would be your family.

Another pair of eyes ─ or rather one eye and an eyepatch ─ have their unwavering attention on you. Aemond's. You glance at him and you lock eyes with him. He smirks slightly, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. His smirk unnerves you.

Jace also notices his uncle's full attention on you and he takes a small step backwards, standing protectively in front of you. His own eyes challenged that of the prince's to dare something, now or later.

As it is the turn of princess Rhaenyra to speak for her son and defend his claim, the doors open and in comes the King, hunched over and leaning heavily on his cane.

"King Viserys I Targaryen, the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men", announces a King's Guard and a gasp of surprise ripples through the throne room.

As the King drags himself into the room, everybody bows, just like you.

His breath is laboured and he has half of his face covered by a plate of gold, an imprint of a face decorating it.

The Greens share borderline panicked looks like this isn't supposed to happen. Which you guess shouldn't, seeing the state of the King.

Otto Hightower quickly moves off the throne and stands on the right side, with his family.

Before the King moves up the steps, he turns towards his hand. "I'll sit the throne today", he wheezes out before struggling upwards. He waves away a guard and continues on.

Halfway there, the crown falls off his head, and the King rests tiredly on his cane. Prince Daemon moves out of the crowd to help the King. He helps him sit on the throne before placing the crown back on the King's head.

After a moment of collecting his breath, the King speaks. "I must... admit... my confusion. I do not understand why petitions are being heard over a settled succession."

The voice of the King, although weak, echoes with power through the throne room.

"The only one present... who might offer keener insight into Lord Corlys's wishes, is the Princess Rhaenys."

At the words of the King, everyone turns to the Princess, who stands with one of her granddaughters. "Indeed, Your Grace."

She moves to the middle of the room. "It was ever my husband's will that Driftmark pass through Ser Laenor to his trueborn son... Lucerys Velaryon. His mind never changed. Nor did my support of him.

"As a matter of fact, the Princess Rhaenyra has just informed me of her desire to marry her sons Jace and Luke to Lord Corlys's granddaughters, Baela and Rhaena. A proposal which I heartily agree."

You turn towards Jace, and he towards you, questions in his eyes.

"Well", begins the King again, "the matter is settled. Again, I hereby reaffirm Prince Lucerys of House Velaryon as heir to Driftmark, the Driftwood Throne, and the next Lord of the Tides."

A silent relief goes through my body and a smile breaks out on my face. Luke's future is safe, as heir to Driftwood, but also in marriage to his cousin.

Vaemond Velaryon lashed out, angry at the decision of the King. He starts screaming around, pointing towards Luke angrily.

"You may run your house as you see fit, but you will not decide the future of mine. My house survived the Doom, and a thousand tribulations besides, and gods be damned, I will not see it ended on the account of this b..." Vaemond stops just in time before he can utter that dreaded word.

On Prince Daemon's face grows a sadistic smirk. "Say it."

He turns towards Prince Daemon with a smile. "Her children... are BASTARDS! And she is a whore."

Gasps are going around the crowd. You want to go to Vaemond, fight him, claw his eyes out to even dare to claim such a thing.

Suddenly, Vaemond turns towards you. "And we all know why they kept that wench around. I would bet on my life she’s also one of her BASTARD children."

Prince Daemon sneaks behind the lord and hacks off his head, only his tongue staying in place.

A whimper leaves your lips and you turn to hide on Jace's shoulder. He puts a protective arm around you as he leads you away, Luke in tow.

You are fully prepared to spend your evening supper alone, not too keen on company after witnessing such a brutal sight. A knock on your door however informs you that you are to be expected in the dining room.

A handmaiden helps you in a formal dress and put your hair up before you make your way down, fully aware of your lateness.

As the doors get opened for you, you see the entire royal family seated at the table, King Viserys in the middle flanked by his wife and his daughter. Eyes fall upon you and you grow uncomfortable, picking at the edge of your long sleeve, covering most of the burn.

Jace raises out of his chair, a smile forming on his face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Graces." You bow, ashamed.

The queen stands up, a bright smile on her face. "None sense, my child. Let us pull up a chair for you." She motions for you to come in.

Servants move quickly to set up a place next to Prince Aemond, the only free place left at the table. You make eye contact with Jace before moving towards the seat.

Aemond shoots up and moves to push your chair once you are seated on it. Sending a quick smile towards the Hand and Prince Aegon, you look at your plate.

The Queen grabs her goblet and raises it in the air. "I am proud to announce the betrothal of my son, Prince Aemond Targaryen and Lady (Y/n) Strong."

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