#my opinions are my own and do not represent anyone else

[aurorasulphur]

Disclaimer: none of these answers are official, and may not work for your particular use case. If there is a specific feature that an unofficial app had that you don't know how to replicate on the AO3, let me know in the notes and we might can crowdsource a solution.

A lot of people used the Archive Reader app to access stories on Archive of Our Own, and have been upset that the app is now charging to read longer than an hour a day. AO3 (and its parent organization, the OTW) has made it extremely clear in recent days that this app is unofficial and that there *is* no official app. They encourage people to use the website.

However, there are MANY reasons you might want an app, and in a bunch of those cases, there are ways to do those things without having to provide your login information to a random person running an app. Here is a round-up of solutions to the most common reasons I've seen people give for wanting an app instead of the plain AO3 website.

These solutions are based on the following assumptions:

You know what Archive of Our Own is

You often or primarily access it through a mobile device running iOS or Android

You understand what a browser is

You understand what a browser bookmark is

You understand what a site skin is

Edits:

Edited to clarify that you must be logged in to use custom site skins

Edited to add more tips and tricks from the reblogs

Edited to add new entry about notifications/emails

Edited to add new entry about reading statistics and the tracking thereof

I need a widget on my phone's homescreen, not just a browser bookmark.

You can do this with any website, not just AO3! Instructions here: https://www.howtogeek.com/196087/how-to-add-websites-to-the-home-screen-on-any-smartphone-or-tablet/

I need Dark Mode.

AO3 has a default site skin for Dark Mode, it's just called Reversi. Find it here, or at the bottom of any page on the website. https://archiveofourown.org/skins/929/

If you'd like Dark Mode on your whole browser (and you're on Android), sorrelchestnut has advice here: https://www.tumblr.com/sorrelchestnut/737869282153775104/if-you-want-dark-mode-and-dont-want-to-mess

I need to be able to read stories when I don't have internet.

Every work on the AO3 has a download button, so you can click on that and download the story for offline reading in the ereader app of your choice. More info on how to do that is in the AO3 FAQs: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/downloading-fanworks?language_id=en#accesslater

I need to be able to change the text size of the website itself.

If you have an AO3 account (and you should!!) you can do this with a personalized site skin! There is a simple tutorial here: https://www.tumblr.com/ao3skin/667284237718798336/i-have-a-request-if-you-dont-mind-could-you

I need to be able to change the text size in downloaded stories.

My personal recommendation: Don't download in PDF format. All the other formats you can download in can scale the text size up and down, assuming you open the work in the correct app. For me, I download works in EPUB format and read them on the built-in Books app on my iPhone. I hear good things about Moon Reader on Android as well.

I need to be able to replace Y/N in fics with an actual name.

ElectricAlice has a bookmarklet for that here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34796935

I need to be able to save specific tags and not have to search them up every time.

If you have an AO3 account (which you definitely should) then you can favorite up to 20 tags which will appear on the landing page. The AO3 FAQ explains how that works: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/tags?language_id=en#favtag

I need to be able to save specific filters and be able to apply them to any tag.

Reisling's beautiful bookmarklet has you covered: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33825019

I need to be able to permanently hide certain tags.

The best option is adding this to your site skin. (Must be logged in.) Instructions here: https://www.tumblr.com/ao3css/719667033634160640/how-to-permanently-filter-out-certain-tags-on-ao3

I also hear things about the AO3 Enhancements extension (just for Android/desktop, sorry iOS folks): https://www.tumblr.com/emotionalsupportrats/686787582579851265/browser-extension-everyone-on-ao3-should-know

I need it to save my place on the page and not reload.

This is really mostly a browser error--Firefox on iOS does this to me A LOT. Your best bet is to download the work and read it in an ereader app. A lot of people also will make an ao3 bookmark and write in the notes section which part they were at, but that assumes you aren't falling asleep while reading. (Which is the main reason I have this issue, lol.) For more info on bookmarks, see the FAQ: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/bookmarks?language_id=en#whatisbookmark

I need it to keep track of which stories I've already read/opened/kudos'd.

If you have an account (which you should) then the "My History" page keeps track of every fic you've ever clicked on. No, it isn't searchable or sortable, but it does exist. For fics you've kudos'd, I have yet to find a solution for iOS. For desktop or Android, you can use this excellent userscript: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/5835-ao3-kudosed-and-seen-history

@the-sleepy-archivist and @inkandarsenic have a solution for iOS here to use userscripts: https://www.tumblr.com/the-sleepy-archivist/737895174683885568/this-is-a-great-guide-one-thing-i-can-help-with and https://www.tumblr.com/inkandarsenic/737827438571192320/the-user-scripts-will-also-work-on-ios-there-are

I need an app because the website's search is terrible.

(I genuinely don't understand this one but I have seen it multiple times so on the list it goes!!) The search bar at the top of the screen is a keyword search. If you'd rather search within a specific field (like title or tag) then you'll want to click on the word "search" at the top of the screen and select Work Search or Tag Search. To search users, use People Search. To search Bookmarks, use Bookmark Search. (If this is you, please tell me what the heck you mean by "search is bad" and how an app helped with this.)

I need to be able to sort stories by date posted/number of bookmarks/alphabetical/etc.

You can do this using the filters sidebar. Pick a tag you want to filter on (like a fandom, character, or relationship) and then click on the "Filters" button. The sidebar will pop out and you can sort and filter on a boggling array of specifics. A good filtering guide: https://www.tumblr.com/saurons-pr-department/718665516093472768/if-there-is-something-you-dont-want-to-see-in

I need to be able to mark stories to read later.

AO3 has this feature built in! If you have an account (which you should) there is a "Mark for Later" option on every work.

Edit: Thispersonishuman reminded me that History and Mark For Later can be disabled, so if you're not seeing the Mark for Later option, check your settings.

I need to be able to listen to stories using text-to-speech.

Microsoft Edge web browser has a built in text to speech function. Supposedly it works on both iOS and Android, but I have not personally tested that. iOS also has a native accessibility feature in settings for text to speech that will work on the Books app, so I assume Android has a similar functionality. A bunch of people in the reblogs have more in-depth Android recommendations here: https://www.tumblr.com/protect-namine/737957194510794752/seconding-voice-aloud-on-android-for-tts-my, https://www.tumblr.com/smallercommand/737884523093704704/i-use-voice-for-tts-on-android-its-got-some, and https://www.tumblr.com/doitninetimes/737869463749263360/for-text-to-speech-on-android-you-can-also-check

I need to have in-app notifications for updates/I can't ever find story updates in among the rest of my emails/checking my email stresses me out.

Set up a separate email address using a free service like gmail, and use that email address JUST for AO3. Then the only emails in that inbox will be your story updates. I use Apple's Mail application for all my inboxes, but it's very easy to use the Gmail app instead, and you could log in to JUST the ao3 email and set it to notify for every email.

(Also as a general PSA: don't use your work, school, or military email as your AO3 email. Just don't.)

I want statistics like how many hours I spent reading, how many words I read, what my most read tags were, stuff like that.

So we've finally hit something that isn't easy and that requires a hell of a lot of manual work. Short version: AO3 does not track this data because they don't want to. (Mostly due to privacy concerns.) The lack of this tracking is a feature, not a bug. You can crunch these numbers yourself, but it will take a hell of a lot more effort, and it's something I personally found is not worth the effort the couple of times I have tried to crunch those numbers. If you are willing to download your history to an actual computer (not a tablet or chromebook) using Calibre, you can get a rough idea of your most popular tags via their tag browser, but it won't play nice with typos synned to a Common Tag (Canonical Tag/filterable tag) like ao3 does. (If anyone has used an app that gave you stats on this, please let me know in reblogs/replies/via ask how that worked because I am very curious.)

I need an app because <other reason>.

The AO3 Unofficial Browser Tools FAQ might cover your use case: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/unofficial-browser-tools?language_id=en If not, give a shout and we'll see what other tumblr users suggest!

[walker-lister]

I just have to remind myself sometimes that no matter what anyone else says, the way a piece of media makes me feel and the positive impact it has had on my queer identity is valid, and that tearing myself apart thinking I have to defend it or questioning my own place within queer communities is not at all important when compared to the almost tangible sense of 'rightness' that piece of media helped me to feel about myself.

[homo-house]

seeing some usamerican election discourse in the tl but i don't want to interact directly with it so i will just say here as an outsider that you guys will never get anywhere near real progress before you get rid of that absolutely ridiculous two party system. i am saying this genuinely and not trying to take the piss or anything. most election systems around the world are broken but damn if the USA's isn't one of the worst. this maybe is common sense but i wanted to elaborate on why i think it is beyond repair and needs at the very least a reform or to be revolutionized

the basic premise of a state is that different sectors of society with differing or competing interests have a mediator (not necessarily a single person) and in modern societies usually the 'mediator' spot is disputed by different classes trying to elect their respective representatives, and we find this nice because we think it's nice to have the ability to be represented by someone in a position of power (the state is really centralized, articulated power). but that goes down the drain when the mechanics of the state itself make it so that certain parts of society cannot dispute for positions within the state, can't elect people who really represent them.

as it is what you have is a state that essentially is built so that only the elite can take part in it, and then there is a slight divide among that elite that they infight about and sell that fight as something everyone else should care about, while what people actually care about is not any of the things they propose. if the only two parties you can vote for want to continue going to war while the people want nothing to do with war and it is near impossible to elect someone from a different party or independent, how is that representative democracy? note that i am saying elect and not vote. the whole thing is built so that you can vote for anyone you want, but you cannot elect anyone you want - the ones who can possibly get elected and stay in office are predetermined because of how the system is built, and it has been shaped over the years so that the group of people who already in power can continue there, essentially alienating itself from society, and those who were there when this alienation begun (maybe it even begun from day one, maybe sometime later) were people with some kind of power already (that's what made it easy for them to get there in the first place)

i think this segment of david harvey's (bear with me i know not everyone likes him) "the marxian theory of the state" puts it best:

(his sources are all in full in the linked file, it's free to access)

the state is a machine, a huge, well articulated, valuable instrument capable of making life better or of destroying it. maybe it was built with good intention, so that people could elect the ones who control the machine, but over the years, the people who got inside installed mechanisms inside the control room so that it is literally gatekept, locked with a heavy mechanical steel door which only opens from the inside, and since that was done, no one has been able to make burst through yet.

the way i see it, there are only three ways to get the machine to stop killing and be used for good: 1. destroy the machine and build it anew (difficult, and you will lose almost all it currently offers); 2. use brute force and burst through the door (you need absurd amounts of force to do that) 3. find a way to disable the mechanism holding the door closed and get fucking rid of it (essentially, hijacking, which requires a very good plan- and someone who manages to access it)

anyways thanks if you read this all the way. i know it's kinda weird for me as a brazilian to be talking about this but as a geography major and the nosiest person alive i have a lot of Thoughts and my friends are tired of me rambling already

[aurorasulphur]

And how are the Sherlock readers -- of which I am also one! -- supposed to weed out the random non-Sherlock stuff that's suddenly in their tag because its tag was synned in

So the annoying thing is, the Sherlock (TV) readers can still do this, by manually excluding Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms in the "exclude other tags" section of the sidebar.

However, you can't find JUST the non-specific adaptation works and exclude Sherlock (TV) anymore. You can pull up everything tagged Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, but since this tag is now a synonym of Sherlock (TV), you cannot then exclude anything that is also tagged Sherlock (TV). In some fandoms, this is no biggie. But here, there are 37,000 works tagged with Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, and almost all of them have also tagged Sherlock (TV). Finding the ~5% of works which do not also have Sherlock (TV) tagged has to be done manually and laboriously.

It's not a fun time for fans of 'not based on any one version'!Holmes.

recoiling in horror bc the "sherlock holmes and related fandoms" tag is gone and it got replaced with the bbclock tag and now it looks like I'm a bbc enjoyer on ao3

[mammonscheeks]

pact mark locations - obey me brothers

✎ a/n: here's where my mc would have demon pact marks/my take on where mc's demon pact marks are!

✎ warnings: canon-level suggestiveness, implies that the brothers have control over where their mark goes on mc

requesting rules | obey me masterlist

LUCIFER'S pact mark would be over your heart. it's mostly hidden, showing lucifer's reserved attitude. however, it's so big that it stretches to your collarbone. the edge of his pact mark is visible to the public, a subtle sign of lucifer's possessiveness. even though a demon pact technically gives you control over him, lucifer knows and shows that you belong to him, and he will forever have control of your heart.

MAMMON'S pact mark lies on the backside of your neck, almost curling around it like a shield. every inch of his pact mark is displayed to the world, as if possessively warning others away from his human. mammon loves nothing more than to brag about how he was your first man, so he sulks if you wear a turtleneck or scarf, which covers up his sign. mammon's mark location emphasizes his vow to protect you, as the back of the neck is a delicate and vulnerable area for humans.

LEVIATHAN'S pact mark is on the inside of your left wrist, and is about the size of a strawberry. he's not confident enough to mark an exposed part of your body. when you game with him, he often gets distracted because your inner wrist is visible when holding the controller. he relishes the sight of your mark on him while the two of you are doing something you love (gaming) alone. in his opinion, his mark being semi-hidden on you makes it more special when he happens to catch a glimpse of it. seeing it unexpectedly revitalizes the strong bond that he has with you; his henry. leviathan knows that if anyone else is able to see his mark on you, that means they're too close.

SATAN'S pact mark lies on your right ribs, slightly angled to the back where your lungs are. you barreling into his life was like a breath of fresh air. for once, he felt his rapid waves of wrath slow down enough to where he felt at peace. his pact mark on you represents his desire to protect and care for you, such as how the ribs protect the lungs, which sustain life, but this location also demonstrates his vow to encourage you to continue expanding into your true self, just as you helped him understand that he was allowed to be his own person.

ASMODEUS'S pact mark is in the location of a tramp stamp, no questions asked. it sits on your lower back above your ass. this represents his playful and flirty nature and its importance in the bond the two of you have formed through lighthearted things like gossiping, nail art, and trashy reality tv. asmodeus, being around for centuries of human fashion trends, knows that a tramp stamp is controversial. he wants you to be loud and unapologetic for your attractiveness and presence, in everything that you do, instead of thinking of others opinions. it's also in an intimate spot for obvious reasons.

BEELZEBUB'S pact mark is unsurprisingly on your stomach. this represents his vow to always make you feel content and satisfied with life. innately he is a gentle helper, always sticking up for his brothers and trying to solve conflicts. he wants you to know that he would do the same for you without hesitation. hunger is a feeling of discomfort, and by putting his pact mark on your stomach, beelzebub wants to remind you that anytime you feel any sort of discomfort (not just hunger) you should reach out to him for comfort.

BELPHEGOR'S pact mark is on the left side of your mid-back, near your spinal cord. the nervous system rules over sleep, after all. when you lay down to rest and your pact mark touches the bed, belphegor wants you to know that he is watching over you, as sleeping is a vulnerable state for a human to be in. whether you're turned over on your side or sleep on your stomach, belphegor's pact mark will reside protectively in the middle of your body. the mid-back aims to evenly disperse weight throughout the body to lessen the strain on human energy. belphie knows that he was a source of stress for you when you first came to the devildom. he will do anything to lessen the weight you carry from his previous actions.

[sp-ud]

And while I'm on my Mouthwashing analysis arc, I had some realizations about how I think Daisuke's character plays into the message Mouthwashing is trying to tell about the cycle of rape culture, inaction, and how workplace environments are a key part of why the cycle is in place.

So my realization started with me complaining about how people often go "If Daisuke had known what happened to Anya he would have-" because we don't truly know what he would have done. Then I realized, actually maybe that's the point of Daisuke in Mouthwashing.

What I mean by that is he's the youngest of the crew, not only that but he literally has no other real job experience. He's incredibly new to all of this, he doesn't know the culture and is looking at those around him, his superiors, for direction and guidance. He's a young adult who still has starry eyes and is trying his best to live up to the expectations everyone around him has even though he feels personally directionless and unsure where he wants to go in life.

Things I think a lot of Mouthwashing's audience can relate to those aspects of Daisuke, or at least significant parts of him. And I think that is the key to understanding Daisuke's purpose in a story like Mouthwashing, to be someone likeable that the audience can see themselves reflected in.

Bringing this back to how I think this plays into the message of Mouthwashing. I think the fact that we ultimately don't know what Daisuke would do if he learned that Jimmy raped Anya is important.

Because we can't 100% say that he would do anything. Because his actions within the story honestly indicate it could go either way in my opinion. Specifically what he does when Anya has locked herself in the medical room.

On one hand, we have the fact that despite him having a better relationship with Swansea and being unsure if drugging him is okay or not, he still goes with it as it's what Jimmy, the current acting captain, is saying to do. He questions it but he doesn't protest or take a different action. He deferred to the highest authority in the situation, even though he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, even though it involved tricking his mentor who he clearly looks up to more than he does Jimmy.

But on the other hand, we also see him directly going against what Swansea told him about not going near that vent because he could get hurt, for Anya's sake. Willing to ignore what he was instructed to do just to have a chance at saving Anya. And even after he was hurt he still kept going, he still pulled himself up and unlocked the door.

So, if Anya had told him, what would he have done? Would he have risked his own standing and possibly even his safety with the higher authority figures for her sake? For doing what's right? Or would he be scared? Perhaps see the others inaction and follow their example even if he felt it wasn't the right thing to do?

What would you have done? What will you do if a co-worker/friend confides in you that someone else you know, perhaps even a higher up, sexually assaulted them?

And that's why even though what prompted me thinking about Daisuke's role was me being annoyed at people who focus on "What Daisuke would have done if knew?", I now see it differently. As people reflecting what they hope they'd do if in a similar situation on to Daisuke, and I think that's the point of his character in Mouthwashing and why we aren't given an indication of a clear answer.

To have us acknowledge that no, in reality, it can be hard to do what's right. That sometimes we will play into these toxic and harmful cultures even if we know it's wrong. And sometimes we might do it without even realizing it.

But that doesn't make anyone a bad person. Because we do want to do what's right, we don't want to be compliant in this cycle anymore. And acknowledging that it will be hard isn't saying that we shouldn't even try, it's just acknowledging that it'll be hard.

Daisuke represents the hope that things can improve while not ignoring the uncertainty many people have if it's even possible for things to get better.

[tubbytarchia]

Traffic/Life series roster as dinosaurs

A lot of these don't make for very good hybrids unless you wanna get into freaky territory or full on centaur but... Hope it's a fun scroll nonetheless!

Grian - Novialoidea

A small birdie... The name also means "New wings" which I find fun. New lives and death games to be part of, new wings to accompany him... (Honorable mention to "Shuvuuia" the "desert bird" who unfortunately is not a pterosaur (doesn't fly)) (Yes we're including pterosaurs! Just using "dinosaur" as a conveient blanket term)

Tango - Aratasaurus / Pyroraptor

Fire raptor! Either works just fine and Tango as a skittery little raptor is perfect for a creature like him

Scar - Apatosaurus

"Deceptive Lizard" harkening back to Scar's scamming tendencies. Though I've always liked the idea of him being some larger gentler animal in any hybrid scenario and a long-neck fits the bill well. He can poke his nose into people's conversations easily to start marketing something useless to them and swishes his tail to ward off anyone who's about to stop him

Impulse - Nasutoceratops

Ren - Regaliceratops

Horns. COOL horns. I don't know what else you want from me ceratopses are just way too awesome. Nasutoceratops is a wicked cool dinosaur for having its horns point so forward much like a bull and I for one can jive with some Impulse bull symbolism. Bulls are often viewed as strong, sturdy and loyal, traits also assigned to Impulse a LOT of the time. But though he IS intensely loyal in many cases (+ Ceratopses are also known for how they defend their own!), and he's not very outward about the following traits, he can get quite petty and bitchy and hold grudges. Still, you don't think of that when you look at him and he seems to agree! Eg him feeling like he should be accepted into Cleo's alliance in 3rd life without actually proving himself when Cleo was rightfully hesitant, at which Impulse more or less rolled his eyes. And him proclaiming "betrayal!" when killed by Bdubs when their alliance was as firm as a rat's tail

(And I feel the need to point this out too just in case: "bulls are also known for their temper" yeah but they're not like that! Bulls like many animals become defensive when exposed to aggravating behavior or movement! Which you could work into Impulse's grudge holding and intense loyalty...? I don't know enough about him sorry but do with that what you will)

Regaliceratops! Regal!! Crown shaped frill!!! Need I say more?

Gem - Therizinosaurus

Theris are so bad bitch coated to me and I would love to have one as my wife I mean um I couldn't decide on a less generic specimen so Gem can just be a Theri! A herbivore - often associated with the belief that herbivores are gentle passive creatures, but far from it, especially with Gem! She bares her claws like it's no one's business

Martyn - Stygmoloch

A Pachy with a tough head and a tendency to bonk people - I think it fits Martyn's tendency to perpetuate drama haha. The Stygmoloch's name though more or less translates to "demon of the styx river", the river of the underworld representing loathing of death. To me this makes sense with all the watcher lore (that I have a hard time understanding but whatever!!) especially with how Martyn became in LL. The watchers themselves don't loathe death (??) of course. They're death games. But someone within the game trying to stay alive and win? Probably loathes the idea of themselves dying. I have no clue what Im saying

Pearl - Carnotaurus

Ok maybe a hot take not to make her into a pteradon or even a raptor with wing-like features but those just didn't fit that well in my opinion. Rather I wanted her to have some kind of horn motif in place of her wings as visual symbolism for her character. I'd like to imagine her having fine horns, to then have them damaged (one broken off) and simultaneously the other more grown out. Think of how domesticated goats for example have their horns trimmed. I think human hybrids with horns would do the same to keep them from becoming a bother but Pearl would neglect to after her heartbreak in DL. I was heavily considering the Diabloceratops for this, especially because of the name (Devil horned face - good ostracizing material) but Pearl strikes me a lot more as a carnivore and there are only two horned carnivores out there so... Carnotaurus it is haha. And even now I'm making her horns unrealistically big but.... We can suspend some belief

BigB - Oryctodromeus

"Digging Runner"! I've already talked plenty of why BigB is very rabbit behavior to me and my reasons for assigning this burrowing dinosaur to him are similar. Tldr he is fidgety and cautious yet clever and constantly buries himself underground

Lizzie - Anurognathidae

I don't even fucking know man it made me think of Lizzie and then I wasn't able to assign anything else to her. Lizzie often claims to be confused and if any dinosaur looks to be in a perpetual state of confusion then its this one. I know a lot of people like to portray Lizzie as a butterfly also so there you go, wings!!! And it's quite cat-like too for those who like to draw her as a cat

Mumbo - Leinkupal

I really struggled with Mumbo... So many different dinos fit him imo but I figured it should be at least something moderately large (so "Technosaurus" was out of the question lol). Then I rediscovered this dinosaur whose name translates to "vanishing family" and then I thought about LL and SL and how Mumbo went out quickly after the initial death/s and left a very felt absence in someone's alliance and then I became really emotional and forgot what I was doing

Joel - Nodocephalosaurus

Bdubs - Psittacosaurus

"Knob Headed Lizard"

Joel as an Ankylosaur has been stuck in my head from day one of assigning dinosaurs to the Lifers and I'm frustrated that I can't truly explain why. You'd view an Ankylosaur as a slow and docile creature, even compared to other herbivores, but...

1. Maybe not so much nowadays, I don't know what non-dino nerds think, but I feel like ankylosaurs were largely believed to be HUGE back in the day, much like velociraptors, when in reality they're not that big. The Nodocephalosaurus is especially small even among other ankylosaurs. But, well, we all know what Joel loves to say about himself

2. Joel is or likes to make himself look well in control, just as ankylosaurs have little to worry about as far as predators go. Especially in earlier series where he was content basing mostly by himself. It's always when things get dire and he enters his red life that he becomes very impulsive and erratic like an ankylosaur flipped on its back

3. I know there's a distinction between Traffic Joel and Empires Joel and whatever other Joel but... Even in death games his more charitable traits shine through here and there. He really becomes a dangerous rascal for a large majority of the time and he's very good at it, he's not putting on a mask or anything, but I like to remember that underneath that tough spiky armor is gentleness and caring. His care towards Lizzie and Pearl and Etho etc etc

4. The image of Joel as a hell of a spiky creature is just really fun to me. Yet heavy and blunt ones! And someone once proposed the idea of him having a club tail but having chiselled it to be sharp to mirror him being a menace. (Added benefit also that it's lighter that way haha) To me he's always been an obvious heavy hitter rather than stealthy or particularly creative etc. Him as a carnivore just doesn't work as well for me

The name bares no fitting meaning but when I look at Bdubs I think of Psittaco. All other species close to it in looks are already ceratopsians and we have like... 3 of those already lol. Im sorry Bdubs you look so stupid

Cleo - Lythronax

There's so few predators in this roster lol oops, but Cleo deserves to be an apex one! The name translates to "Gore King" because you know, zombies... and you know, Cleo is very king so true. If any of the Lifers should be able to boast rows of razor sharp teeth to gore others it should be ZombieCleo

Scott - Theiophytalia

I've been really struggling with Scott but how about the dinosaur whose name translates to "Belonging to the garden of Gods". There's only one known specimen of this species and it's an Iguanadon looking dinosaur which I think a lot of people would regard as the most basic, possibly boring type of dinosaur (if it weren't for the Allosaurus which already takes the title of "basic straight white guy") but that further fits Scott imo. It's always been a strong point of appeal to me how MUCH there is to his character that so often goes under the radar or unexplored, and how he's very often portrayed as just some handsome looking guy as opposed to a hybrid etc. He's not at all extravagant yet has mastered his craft of bending fate in his favor, he so often has things perfectly under his control just as he wants them, etc... reflective of the name "Theiophytalia" even if you wouldn't think such a dinosaur to sport one of the most prolific names a dinosaur can have. Also garden something something flower husbans. Basically whatever Bree's take on Scott is lol. I don't wanna blab for 5 paragraphs about that blue mf here but. I hope this makes sense

Jimmy - Yinlong

I struggled with this mf the most because he's another very hashtag deep character. I felt really bad to remove his bird motifs completely because the canary is so essential to him, but a raptor nor a pteradon fit my image of him at all. I spent so much time looking into various species but it just aint it, but Yinlong was possibly quilled and we can still cover him in feathers, even if he has nothing close to wings haha... BUT ANYWAY. Yinlong is a small kind of pathetic looking dinosaur, and Jimmy definitely isn't small but he'd sure be made to feel that way. Yinlong translates to "Hidden Dragon" however, a rather thought-provoking name for such a dinosaur. Given his character, it sure does feel like there's a soul of a dragon laying dormant somewhere in him, buried by all the self deprecation and curse labels. Honorable mention to Tianyulong, a very similar dinosaur who was named after a museum, but "Tianyu" also translates to peace and content. Something that Jimmy can't yet but deserves to be

Etho - undefined raptor

Already made a loong post about raptor Etho haha which I assume yall have seen since the support towards that post is the only reason I'm even making this post

Skizz - Olorotitan

"Titanic Swan" close enough to an angel right. I feel the whole angel thing is a bit overdone when Skizz can become a malicious little creature every now and then, but swans much like angels do get viewed as beautiful and taken as symbolism of love. Much like Skizz is largely viewed as an angel and often as someone who can do no wrong. But mostly I wanted Skizz to be a hadrosaur/duck-billed dinosaur, because those are dinosaurs known for their speculated vocalizations. And what is Skizz good at? Talking and voicing his love and appreciation? Yeah? Yeah... I'm so sorry Skizz btw this hybrid idea does not work out

Again, a lot of these don't work so well as hybrids... Some like the long-neck ones I cant imagine to have more than a spiky spine back and a tail, but! These picks aren't based on hybrid potential but rather what I think genuinely fits. I did really work on this all day looking through a bunch of dinosaurs and research haha, but I do love dinosaurs a lot... If you disagree with any hey thats cool! Feel free to give me your opinions if you've any and I hope this was fun to scroll through regardless

[justwinginglife]

A Man Worth Fighting For

You'd heard the whispers about the Vice Captain of the Third Division when you were in the Fourth. You heard about how he was one of the only sword-wielders in the entire Defense Force but though that statement sounded like high praise to an outsider, it wasn't. No, the whispers were more like- "Do you think he's just desperate to be good at something, anything, because he's so shit with a gun?" or "How long do you think it'll take him to croak at the hands of a kaiju?" or "Who in their right mind would trust a whole division to him?"

But when you'd transferred over to his division yourself, you'd known right then from the moment you met him that all that gossip was bullshit. All that gossip was garbage spoken from the mouths of people who had never met him or met him but couldn't see him for who he truly was. He was an inspiration. A force to be reckoned with. And easy on the eyes as well. In your opinion.

The day you met him, you noticed right away how members of the Third Division rallied around him. How they bantered with him and begged for his advice. How they stood up straight with pride at being able to serve under him. And he was so supportive of them all- he encouraged their strengths and corrected their weaknesses with no judgment, no condescension, nothing but sound advice. You just hoped to god you could be an officer worthy of him one day. And maybe more than an officer to him one day.

It wasn't hard to fall in love with him. Sometimes you pretended that you were the only one he praised whenever you upped your combat power or got the upper hand on him in a fight. Sometimes you pretended not to notice when he'd offer to train other officers, thinking to yourself that you were the sole person he'd spend his time with. And then somewhere along the way, your little game with yourself started to border on reality.

He had stopped training other officers privately, now it was just you. And when the two of you were alone, he'd tell you things that he wouldn't tell anyone else.

You'd both be collapsed on a training mat, panting, and you'd say something like, "God, I could go for a swim right now," and then he'd reveal something like he'd never been to the ocean before or he once almost drowned as a kid, and slowly all of the little bits and pieces of himself that he had been hiding away underneath that tough Vice Captain exterior were being given away to you as little gifts to show he appreciated your time together. And you loved it. You'd give him some secrets of your own, both to make him feel more comfortable about all of his secrets being kept inside you, and because you just wanted him to know you better like you wanted to know him better.

"So you really got a tattoo on your lower back where no one could see it, huh? Interesting. Never pegged you for the type to get a revenge tattoo just because someone said you'd never do it." He says to you now. You both got the late night munchies and decided to skip over the private training session tonight in favor of raiding the kitchen together.

You nod slowly and then say, "Wanna see it?"

His eyes widen and you know he's dying to say yes but he doesn't want to come off as eager so he pretends to think for a moment. "I mean sure, why not?" He says casually. He's not subtle.

You laugh and then turn your back to him, slowly pulling up the bottom of your shirt.

You can't see him, but you hear the way his breath hitches in his throat and you swear you can hear his heart bounding out of his chest. He reaches a hand out before he can even think twice about it and runs it across your lower back.

"Wait a minute." He murmurs, tracing your skin, causing you to shiver. "I know these swords. Did you tattoo mine on your back?"

You nod, glad he can't see your face now.

"Why?" He steps closer, his breath hitting your neck now, while his hand continues to stroke the skin on your back.

"Because you always my back. And I wanted something to represent the person I admire the most. I might've gotten the tattoo to spite someone but I still wanted it to be meaningful."

His breath disappears from your neck and you wonder why he's pulling away and if you said something wrong but seconds later you find his hands gripping your hips as his lips press to your lower back, right above the tattoo. Your head arches back involuntarily at the sensation.

"Sorry." He says suddenly and pulls away, getting to his feet.

You turn to face him and grab his hands. "Don't be sorry. I'm glad you liked the tattoo. Would've been awkward otherwise."

He laughs, glad you're still able to joke about what just happened. Then he looks away. "To be honest... it made me really happy to hear that you admire me because sometimes I wonder if I'm really the right man for this position." He admits.

You notice he won't meet your gaze but he hasn't pulled his hands away from yours. You give his hands a squeeze and then move upwards to start rubbing circles on his forearms with your thumbs. He looks back at you, surprised. He doesn't seem to be disliking it so you continue.

"Hey. Don't ever say that, okay? I knew from the moment I first met you, that you have more right to be here than any of us. In fact, not only do you have the right to be here, but none of us could do what we do without you. Everyone looks up to you, not just me."

He's stunned. "You-you really mean that?"

You smile at him and bring a hand up to cradle his cheek, both to comfort him and to keep him from looking away again as you say this, "Everyone knows how hard you work to support us, so let us support you, okay? You're amazing. Don't ever doubt it."

You think he might pull away from your hand but he relaxes into it, pressing the warmth of his flushed cheeks up against your skin.

"Maybe I'll get a tattoo of you next time." He mutters under his breath, half joking.

You laugh. "Can I kiss that one too?"

He pulls away from your hand, rolling his eyes, but the bright color still clings to his cheeks. "It was involuntary, okay? My body moved before I could even think about it."

You wink at him. "You could stand to do it some more. I wouldn't mind." Then you feel a little bold, having had so many of these little shared moments together that you think you might be able to get away with it. "In fact, if I had known you were going to react like that, I might've tatted up my whole body." You tease.

He coughs. "That's 50 push-ups for improper conduct."

You groan. "We're off duty, Vice Captain."

"I said 50."

You roll your eyes and get down to the ground. "I know you're just doing this to see my shirt ride up so you can get a better view of the tattoo." You mumble in between push-ups.

You can't see him, but you're pretty sure he's blushing again.

"Make it 100."

"Anything for you baby."

He chuckles again but then his voice gets softer. "Hey. Thanks again. For cheering me up."

"Anything for you baby."

[fallingforyouforeverr]

hey I’ve just found your account and I loooove your writing!! could you do some arthur tv with a singer gf hcs?

𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐓𝐕 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐟:

summary: how arthur would react to his partner being a singer

author's note: hey guys! sorry that I kinda disappeared for a while but I'm back now and I've got some ideas im working on rn so hopefully I can finish those soon. tysm for the request anon, hope you enjoy reading :)

please consider checking out my masterlist

-> he's your biggest fan

-> goes to all your important shows/events to cheer you on, and brings along as many of his/your friends and family as he can

-> would seriously contemplate wearing a shirt with a massive picture of your face on it just to see your reaction

-> one of the rare occasions that he refuses to take photos with fans because he doesn't want to take the attention off you. instead, he just tells them to 'take photos of the real star of the show'

-> as soon as you finish your last song, this man is sprinting backstage so he can meet you as soon as you come off

-> genuinely in awe of your voice. god forbid someone lets arthur choose the playlist for a party because it would be 90% your music, 10% songs george or chris forced him to include

-> drives his housemates crazy by having your music playing constantly. if anyone tries to tell him to shut up, he just turns it up louder

-> whenever you release new songs, arthur promotes them all over his socials, and replies to every comment praising you, giving his own opinions on each of your songs

-> always uses your music in the background of his videos or his instagram. he just loves to show off how talented his wonderful girlfriend is!

-> wears your merch all the time, even more than his friends' or even his own merch; he loves having something that represents you on him, even when you can't be there

-> besides, sometimes people ask him about the merch he is wearing, which means he can do his favourite thing – talk about you

-> fans have made so many cute compilations of him rambling about you and always point out his adorable reaction every time someone mentions your name or one of your songs

-> arthur would be honoured if you ever mentioned him in your music, and if you were to write a whole song about him, the poor guy would almost faint from happiness

-> he also loves it when you sing for him. you may sing in front of people all the time, but when it's just the two of you late at night, it feels so much more intimate and special

-> always asks you to sing when he can't sleep or has had a bad day, your voice seems to relax him like nothing else

-> also, you and arthur hill would be instant besties as you both understand each other in a way that your non-musician friends can't. you guys would totally be each other's opening acts for basically every show, and the fans and arthur absolutely adore it

[isaidlandowecanbeworldchampion]

The lack of media literacy in f1 fans is astounding sometimes.

Ultimately it’s the fault of journalists who are misrepresenting quotes from drivers and making them seem to say things they don’t mean. But misrepresentation doesn’t excuse this.

For example, Lando’s full quote after Brazil.

“ It shouldn't have been red flagged but there was the crash in the end which cause it so... that's life sometimes. You take a gamble and it's paid off for them. It's not talent, it's just luck.”

The last 2 lines are being represented as Lando speaking about Redbull strategy as a whole but reading the whole quote shows more as

“{we} took a gamble and it’s paid off for them. It’s not talent, it’s just luck.”

Lando is referencing his own team. He knows that McLaren, and by extension himself, is not in a position yet to win a WDC, and that their Constructor’s title is more luck than pure driver talent.

Many people say Lando’s Miami 24 win was ‘luck’ and a fluke but when Lando is perceived as saying a similar thing it’s the end of the word and a comment towards his moral character.

This isn’t an exclusive defence of Lando. He’s made many comments that I disagree with this year, as an example Austria this year, but the excessive hate towards someone who is just doing his job is unnecessary.

Maybe sit and ask yourself if anyone else in the sport made a comment that was this misrepresented would you immediately be posting hate at that person or would you take time to think critically.

Everyone is welcome to have their own opinions about different drivers, I don’t expect everyone to like everyone all the time, but leaving hate and negativity is completely over the line. In the immortal words of my nana (and probably everyone’s tbh) “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”

[nkjemisin]

Hey there. I'm writing a story set in New York City and am not American. I have few characters, but most of them are arab or white. I can't help but feel a bit wrong about it, given that America is much more diverse than that, and NYC being an emblem of that. Do you think I should force myself to include more representation or should I just tell my story, and leave that more diverse cast to some other story I could write? I know this is a neverending debate and there are many opinions about it, but I've always agreed with everything you've said in matters of representation in fiction, and so I'd be curious to know your personal answer on it.

I'm a little confused by how you're using "representation," here. It sounds like you think representation = "randomly sticking BIPOC everywhere." I think when most people use that word, it means something more like "create an accurate or at least plausible depiction of a group or place." In actual New York, there are plenty of Middle Easterners and white people who live in relatively homogeneous small communities where they might only see someone of a different ethnicity on the subway. If your story is set in one of those communities -- and you do stick some random BIPOC in that subway scene, because that's plausible -- then it sounds like your characters might be an example of good representation.

(Note: if you're not writing something set in the real world, but it features human beings, it needs to represent humanity as a whole, unless there's a good in-world reason not to. But if it's our world? You can get specific.)

Here's the catch, tho: plausibility is relative. If you've absorbed some biases and haven't done enough research, then you might end up writing something that feels plausible to you, but which isn't actually representative or plausible to anyone else. The way to avoid this is to do the research and check (to the best of your ability) your biases. For example, you aren't American, I assume you've at least visited NYC? If not, you should. You can visit some of the communities I mentioned! You can eat in restaurants, visit mosques, have conversations with actual real people who are living the life you're writing about! If you don't have the time, money, or spoons to do that, there are other ways to do good research -- films and YT/Tiktok videos made by people from the communities in question, for example. But you'd need to watch a lot of them to get a good representative sample.

I recommend this book to all the writing students I've taught at Clarion, and other writer workshops: Writing the Other, by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward. There's a particular part of it that seems relevant here, which is a kind of hierarchy of "appropriate" appropriation, I think first mentioned by Diantha Day Sprouse but included in Writing the Other. Basically it says that if you want to write about a culture that isn't your own, you can learn about that culture in one of several ways: a) You can be an Invader, and just go take whatever intellectual and artistic tidbits from that culture that you want, regardless of how damaging this might be to members of that group. Example: non-Indigenous people who write about actual secret practices, or who encourage the desecration of sacred places. b) You can be a Tourist, in which you're still mooching from that culture, but at least you're figuratively paying someone for it and accepting tidbits that the culture has chosen to sell. Example: getting a sensitivity reader. Or c) you can be an Invited Guest, who brings in as much as they take out, and who has formed relationships that are beneficial to all involved. Example: being part of an exchange program, both as a student and later as a host, and maintaining those friendships outside of the program.

The goal is to be an IG, but that isn't always possible. Tourist is still better than being an Invader. (...I feel like I'm leaving out a category. It's been a while since I read the book; any more recent readers want to check me here?) But the closer you can get to actually participating in that culture, the more your work will be informed by reality instead of biases or misinformation, and the more likely your work will read as plausible not just to you, but to your widest possible audience -- people familiar with the culture and people who aren't.

(I'm a little concerned about your phrasing of "force myself to include more representation," note. Why would that need to be a forced thing? A writer's goal should be to write something that feels lived-in and authentic to [if it's a real place] most people's experience -- not to meet some arbitrary standard, but because that's how you master immersion and characterization. If good immersion and characterization feel forced to you right now, that suggests you need more practice. I recommend writing short stories!)

[thedinanshiral]

Inside you there are two wolves..

I recently made a tweet simply sharing a fraction of my thoughts on the Solavellan motif of wolf&halla. I decided to expand on it here.

I never adhered to the whole wolf/halla Solavellan thing. That dynamic is simply not for me, not with them. I think Solas is more likely to fall for an equal; even if Lavellan technically isn't, she's definitely the closest he's met in a thousand years. She's the white wolf [in his romanced tarot card] Adding to this, he respects her opinion and counsel, she inadvertently may help him make up his mind about what he'll do next (woops) aka giving him purpose, and she can also vow to save him from himself. She's both his guide and guardian. This is his romanced card for a reason.

I can understand why many people may like to frame Solavellan in the wolf&halla motif. He's an ancient elvhen, she's literally thousands of years younger than him. He's wise beyond her imagination and she knows by comparison basically nothing of their own history. He's the deciever and she's the deceived. The predator/prey dynamic is right there, at first.

Solas is a proud man, one may argue even arrogant, but he's also a serious man, focused, disciplined, he wouldn't fall for just anyone, he wouldn't open his heart to someone he may consider lesser even in the slightest. While he refused to acknowledge present elves as people and maybe thought of them as little else than a bad dream he had to wake up from at any cost, Lavellan earned his trust, his respect and admiration, through her actions, her own "indomitable focus", and by showing him the respect and admiration other Dalish denied him on sight. She gave him hope for the future of his people and that must have been priceless, she literally changed his whole world.

At that point there was no hunting, no preying, no seeing Lavellan as another chesspiece on the board, even if she couldn't be allowed to be anything else. She defied all his preconceptions and rendered him vulnerable. Their relationship is consensual, up to a certain point it ends when Lavellan says it ends, he doesn't pursue further if rejected. Actually, it's Lavellan who pursues him most of the time, why isn't Solas the halla here? He's the one being chased!

Lavellan is a wolf too, the white wolf.

The Exalted Plains has shrines to Fen'harel, one in particular is flanked by two wolf figures, one white and the other black. His dual nature is always present; in Dalish lore he's despised as the betrayer but also revered and his favour still sought after. As the Dreadwolf he was both friend and enemy to the people, depending on which side they were on. He's prideful but can also be crushingly selfless.

I really like this shrine because of these statues

The white and black wolves also appear in his tarot cards.

When he falls for Lavellan, he's locked in for good; even as he ends the relationship before even giving it a name, his card changes to his romanced one, and there's no going back. Lavellan can't undo it, he won't even though he's the one insisting their love can not be. But it is, and it is for life. Wolves mate for life. This immediately tells me Lavellan is also a wolf, and she's represented in his romanced card as the white one.

At the forefront, walking next to him, watching, guarding him. Colours are light, golden, the scene is calm, serene.

If he's never romanced then the other card of his give us a very different image:

His shadow becomes a giant black wolf that towers over him, right behind him, leaning forward almost as if about to engluf him, consume him. This is possibly a representation of his Dinan'shiral, and more clearly of his Dreadwolf aspect. He's set himself on a journey he can not stop and from which he can not return.

Interestingly enough there's an alternative version of this card that was discarded:

In it his head isn't covered by a hood, he carries no staff and there is no moon. The menacing wolf haunting him remains the same.

While the black wolf walks behind him, the white wolf walks beside him. He considers Lavellan his equal, even in all their differences. While the black wolf seems about to consume him, the white wolf is guarding him, staring at the viewer as if asying "Do not dare disturb his peace". He knows she'd do anything to protect him out of love even as he's decided to destroy himself out of love for his people (and tons upon tons of guilt).

Lavellan made him vulnerable in a way he had not foreseen and so he had no defenses against that love. I strongly believe only a romanced Lavellan can change his mind, at the very least make him doubt at the last moment. As much as he respects and appreciates a friend Inquisitor, it simply isnt' the same. Lavellan is to him a light so bright he had to force himself to look away lest he became blind and lost in it.

I remember people were puzzled at first, why if his romanced card is The Hierophant it had almost all elements of The Fool? There's two simple reasons i can think of. First of all, he's a fool in love. Falling in love with Lavellan is probably the stupidest thing he's done since he woke up, considering he's on a suicide mission to end her world. But that he did speaks of trust, opened up possibilities he hadn't imagined, Lavellan's innocence was contagious and powerful enough that he really had to struggle to turn away from her.

At the same time, the Hierophant is a teacher of tradition, which really had been his role all throughout Inquisition, and the last thing he does before cutting the romance was share more of that lost knowledge to Lavellan, the truth of the vallaslin.

Solas' romanced card is two cards combined referencing multiple aspects of their character and relationship, and we could also consider the Fool to be Lavellan, because the defining element in the card design that can make people wonder which card is it is the white wolf. She's the fool mortal that fell for a god, she's the Keeper who fell for Fen'harel, and she didn't know it until it was too late.

As for his final card, The Tower, it doesn't necessarily have to be so terrible. Much like Death, The Tower is about change. The end of the old to allow for the new, and changes can be positive or negative, they can be gentle or earth-shattering. In Solas' case we know he's aiming for the resurgence of the world he knew by destroying the one he inadvertently created when he put up the Veil, but this card may also symbolize the destruction of all his preconceptions and ideas, the realization that the world he knew was gone and another strange one he couldn't accept had taken its place, the symbolic death of a part of himself as he changed in his time with the Inquisition.

I imagine the white wolf represents his soul, in a way, the thing by which he may be redeemed. And that is Lavellan. No halla, but a wolf that's been tracking him for years, hunting him down to stop him because she and she alone has the power to do so. And he's been running away from her for as many years because he knows this even better than she does, he knows she's his last remaning weakness, the one that makes him vulnerable enough to break his resolve because in the end hers is stronger.

I really don't think he'd be capable of harming Lavellan, and if he does i feel it would drive him mad and cause him to lose whatever control he'd have left. He'd lose his light, his soul, his heart, leaving behind only the shadows. He chose to leave rather than take Lavellan out of the equation here and that tells me he can't bring himself to do it, it's too late now, he feels too much for her.

Now I'm extra curious and anxious to see what role the Inquisitor will play in The Veilguard, if they'll meet Solas again, what effect that would have on both of them.

And I hope neither tries to do something stupid..

[moonstruckme]

Hi my loves! I realize a lot of us use this site as an escape and I don't tend to talk about this stuff on here, but with the election coming up soon and everything going on I have to make a plea to anyone of voting age in the US

Your. Vote. Matters. I know the electoral college system is fucked, and it can feel hopeless, but a lack of faith in our ability to create change is part of what keeps unpopular people in power. Even if your state doesn't go the color you want it to during this election, your vote could tip the scales that little bit to embolden more people to vote in the next. We'll never know if we don't try. As cheesy as it sounds, change really does start with you

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, but don’t let anyone else tell you either!! You can respect the opinions and intelligence of your friends and family without taking their word as gospel, and voting based on those without doing your own research is borderline negligent of your role in all this. Try to research both sides. Take stock of your values. Vote for who you believe can give us all the future you want to see, and don’t tell people who you voted for if that makes you more comfortable. Just make sure you're registered and make sure you're thinking for yourself. Your thoughts are important!

Also, I think it can be easy to forget, but the election in November isn't just about who will be president. Every role is important and shapes our country. Learn what is going to be on your ballot, and do what you can to figure out who you prefer for the various roles. Not all states allow you to use your phone while you vote, so I usually write down a list of names beforehand to go off of. If you don’t feel prepared to do all that, voting for just your presidential candidate is still enough, but these other officials are often the ones making the decisions that affect our day-to-day lives.

I know it's work, and with the systems in place it can sometimes feel thankless, but if you want a chance at feeling represented by the country you live in it's important to be an informed and active citizen. If you care about our impact abroad, if you've felt neglected by the government, if you want to make a difference for minority groups in the US, this is a giant part of that. Do your best. Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you all make the decisions that are the best reflections of your true values <3

[ruinofchimera]

Hi, I'd like to know your opinion. Why do you think Peter betrayed the Marauders and blamed Sirius?

By the way, I hope you are very well.

Thank you for the perfect cue. Time to roll up my sleeves and dissect the bane of the Harry Potter fandom: Peter Pettigrew.

Why did he betray the Marauders? I like the phrasing. Because behind it, the real question to ponder is lurking. Did Peter ever betray his friends, or did he just betray the Marauders, the twisted idea of inclusion that he never really had? Oh, don’t get me wrong—there’s no denying that James and Sirius were practically the poster boys for friendship. No argument there. We’ve all heard that tear-jerking speech from Sirius: “I’d rather die than betray my friends.” And fair enough; Sirius had every reason to be an emotional wreck—he was talking about James, the only person he ever truly gave a damn about. Sure, we don’t know everything about their golden years, but what we do know makes it painfully clear: James and Sirius? They were a two-man act, a bond so tight it was as if they shared the same heartbeat.

But where on earth did this idea come from that someone else—anyone else—was ever part of that special bond? The books paint a pretty stark picture if you care to look. There was the alpha pair leading the charge, while the other two trailed behind, playing supporting roles. Look at how they chose Pettigrew to be Secret Keeper in the first place—not because they thought he was capable or smart, but because they figured no one would suspect him. Translation: “We don’t think you’re much good for anything, Peter, but hell, no one else does either, so maybe that’ll save our skins.” And yet somehow, fans cling to this rose-colored myth of brotherhood. Four souls, brought together by some unshakable bond of loyalty. Let’ get real here. There’s a very good chance that Peter didn’t even see James and the gang as friends. He was just along for the ride, hanging around like a dodgy uncle at a family reunion.

People love to reduce Peter’s Animagus form to a symbol of cowardice and betrayal, but they miss the real significance of what a rat actually represents—survival. And at his core, that’s exactly what Peter is—a survivor. Strip away all the noise, the grand ideals, and lofty heroics that everyone around him seemed so fond of, and what you’ve got left in Peter is raw instinct. He wasn’t guided by some deep-seated belief or conviction. No grand moral compass pulled him one way or another. He’s the embodiment of the quintessential “baby boy” trope—the “please take care of me” type. (Sorry, Regulus, but the Chalamet fancast isn’t enough to hold the title. Hand over the badge.)

What Peter craved more than anything was protection. It didn’t matter whether it came from James Potter or the Dark Lord himself. The man just wanted someone bigger, stronger, meaner to pat him on the head.

Pettigrew was already used to playing second fiddle to James and Sirius, who were so full of themselves they practically had their own gravitational pull. So when Voldemort strutted onto the scene, another powerful, arrogant tosser demanding followers, was it really such a massive shift for Peter? Hardly. It wasn’t life-changing. It was just a change of scenery. He did what he was best at: finding the biggest bully on the block and pledging his allegiance to survive. Sirius and James had been grooming him for it for years without even knowing.

It’s easy work, bashing Peter. Man’s got a face like a rodent and a spine to match—hardly the makings of a tragic anti-hero, is he? Sorry, Peter, but “pretty privilege” isn’t swooping in to save you like it did for Slytherin Skittles. If Pettigrew had even a hint of good looks, we’d have a library of fanworks trying to paint his redemption. But with a face like that? Not a chance. Instead, we get a convenient scapegoat for the fandom to rally against, letting the poster boys soak up all the angst. The sacred friendship betrayed! A tale for the ages, and people can boo-fucking-hoo about it for eternity.

As you can see from my lengthy ramblings, I’m doing just fine—so no worries in this department.

[saintjosie]

hi, i promise this question is in good faith, i genuinely just want your opinion!

as an asian tguy, i've noticed a phenomenon of white tgirls constantly using anime gifs to express their feelings or use to represent their reactions. and while i agree that anime is very cute, it stirs something in me when i scroll through so many blogs that ONLY use anime gifs to react. idk it would make me feel less weird about it if there was more variation i think but. maybe i’m overreacting?

i want to support my people and be anti-racist but i also don't want to end up with a transphobic belief in the process. i figured you'd be a good person to ask as a fellow asian on the "other side" of it all. sorry if this is tedious to read and answer

first, this post on orientalism is a good primer and says a lot of things way better than i ever could.

unfortunately there is no easy answer for this and the short answer is “it depends”.

the root of this issue lies in both objectification and also the difference between appreciation and appropriation. there is absolutely an issue with people in general objectifying asians and appropriating asian culture and this is not limited to just white people or white trans fems; this is a problem with western culture as a whole.

but it is very important to add that i do believe that your singling out of white trans fems is somewhat unfair. there is absolutely an issue of white queer and trans people misunderstanding intersectionality and failing to recognize their white privilege but the way that white trans fems interact with anime is no different than the way that all of western culture treats things like anime and k-pop.

so regarding the “it depends”, what matters is ultimately that each and every person is responsible for dismantling their own privileges and biases. there is no sweeping generalization that i or anyone else can make that says “this is bad” when ultimately it comes down to how each person interacts with the media they consume. are there people who appropriate and interact with anime inappropriately? yes absolutely. but there are others who don’t too.

and so even if this is an issue, we cannot address this issue to an entire community because we don’t know how each individual is thinking, and even if we did, (and this is very important) we cannot do a damn thing to change it other than to provide education.

push too hard, it goes nowhere. if someone isn’t ready to hear something or isn’t in the process of dismantling their own privileges and biases, it goes nowhere.

your discomfort is valid but there is nothing to do but continue to advocate and ask allies to do the same.

best of luck!

[good-vs-evo]

okay i understand the reason why ppl put ivantill and shiguang in the same box (doomed black and white yaoi) but oh my godddd the parallels between shiguang and mizisua make me so genuinely insane and i don't see. anyone talking about it in fact. if you have i'm sorry but i need to do this for my sanity

LOTS OF SPOILERS FOR BOTH LINK CLICK AND ALNST UTC! <3

starting with the fact that i don't think their personalities align perfectly or anything but just the way their relationships operate are Pretty Damn Similar

your ignorance is my bliss

let's start with mizisua for this one!

it's abundantly clear from the fact that mizi was actively looking forward to singing with sua on the stage that she had no idea what had to happen. she was a sheltered kid from the start and she had this innocence and naivety about her that, in my opinion, is part of the reason why sua was attracted to her. mizi essentially represented all of the happiness that everyone else could have if they weren't burdened by the knowledge and the fear of their looming deaths. and sua wanted her to stay that way, she wanted mizi to take a simple kind of joy in just being able to sing with the person she loved the most. because she thought that was right.

the thing that's the worst about this is that she made this decision on her own. she never let mizi decide if she wanted this knowledge, and just as ivan said, it ended up being a burden to mizi.

and now, for shiguang :>

when lu guang decides that he's going to dive back in time to save cheng xiaoshi, he also makes the decision to never let cxs know. his mantra is to never change the timeline, and he sticks to these morals throughout it all, never giving cxs so much as an inkling of what he'd done. to him, none of it mattered without cxs. he refused lose the one he cared most about without a fight, so he fought and fought and hid it all from cxs. second only to saving cxs himself, lg's most important mission was to make sure that cxs never ever found out the true nature of what he did. because the knowledge would kill him, knowing that cxs's life was the direct cause of someone else's life would kill cxs, and lg wanted to protect him from that.

insert quote about how lu guang liked cheng xiaoshi's naive nature. head in hands. goodnight.

2. my god, my universe

i guess this one is more of a minor thing on the part of shiguang, so let's start with them lol

technically speaking, there's no confirmation of what lg's true true thoughts about what cxs meant to him, but there is that one line from the live action opening that's "i don't wanna lose my world". combine that with, you know. All Of Lu Guang's Actions. and you can take a stab at the fact that cxs meant the world to him.

and of course the famous mizisua line(s).

i mean idk what to tell you. repeatedly throughout canon, they refer to each other as soulmates, each others' universes, their gods, saviors, etc etc the list stretches for the eternity that they could've spent together but they were robbed from. thanks. i don't need to say more AHDSHFJSF

3. the meaning of death

this one's obvious i supposed but let's talk about it anyways! first, mizisua

sua's death drives mizi forward. it changes all of her actions in the future, from her lashing out at luka to her full-on rebellion against the aliens, it's all because of sua. she doesn't have the power to bring sua back, so she does everything she can possibly do to make sure nobody ever loses anyone the way she lost sua. in her memory, in a way, for her.

and now shiguang

i mean the entire premise of the end of link click was that cxs's death drives lg's every action. he, unlike mizi, has the power to go back and fix the things that went wrong, so that's exactly what he does! and when he manages to save cxs, he intends to do everything in his power to keep him

i thought i had a lot more to say about this but i guess that's it? most of my thoughts were related to that first part. and the fact that they Liked Each Other HSUHFHSDF (i love ivantill i pinkie promise)

aaaanyways this was so dumb but i'm going to post it because i'm not a quitter and it'll be more embarrassing if i spent this much time writing this out only for it to rot in my drafts so BAM hope you enjoyed this!