#no because mc being a anti-hero is so good

[my-maehem]

THAT WOULD BE SO SICK. Auror!Seb hunting down a dark wizard reader who isn't necessarily evil but definitely doesn't care about the rules, like a vig/anti hero...

SPOILERS (also rambling SORRY LOL u got me inspired)

Think about it... reader takes isidora's power and becomes more and more solitary as time goes on. after they leave hogwarts, reader goes MIA. maybe they're trying to find a way to get rid of it for good, or just trying to find as much power as they can get to change the world for the better. either way, arbitrary rules and laws aren't going to stop them, so they use dark magic along the way and play into the evil name they've made so they're not bothered.

The ministry catches up with them, and reader is hopping around and nobody has yet to make contact with them. so, knowing they were close at Hogwarts, a newly appointed auror Sebastian is put on the case.

Reader, with the reputation of the magic equivalent of a boogeyman, can't help themselves after seeing him. they're so lonely, and have been for years. they've had to physically stop themself from saying hi to their old friends, watching them from afar. so, they allow themselves to be seen by sebastian when he (and the ministry) least expect it. sebastian's alone with no backup, facing his first (and only) love, who he's heard will kill him without a second thought. instead, they invite him to sit down and all they have to say is "sorry" and "good luck".

IF YOU DON'T WRITE THIS I WILL (could I try a first chapter or two!?! I will credit if i post ofc!!)

NO BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE SAME THING!! I might write some chapters (never posted any writing before so I’m nervous ngl 👉👈) but I don’t mind you writing about it!

I think I might change a few things based on some comments on my last post (just so they’re said differently if you or anyone else makes a fic about this) but this would be aMAZING!!

here is a cookie for your amazing rambling anon! 🍪

[myfairkatiecat]

okay so shannon giving us a keefe pov seems actually lowkey important and what i would do in the story rn but I'm not convinced she's going to use it to do the things I feel like we need her to do.

let me explain.

Shannon set Sophie up as a character who behaves certain ways. A lot of those ways are very good, and she's certainly a hero, but she also has character flaws that get worked through. For example, she can be a little reckless (personally I would have made all the same choices) (I know we think of Keefe as the reckless one but he's a different type of reckless) she can prioritize the wrong things, she can be disorganized, etc (all things that are super valid and understandable and make her relatable btw. I am a sophie foster defender)

and BECAUSE sophie is the protagonist, we see all of this develop. She has certain qualities that are a little stagnant sometimes, at least if you look from the outside, but there's actually a ton of development going on. She hears others' opinions on her actions, good and bad, and the reader sees how this impacts her and how she grows and changes, even if that change is nonlinear or in many ways she stays the same and just grows more mature.

Here's the thing about Keefe. he wandered out of side character territory and into second main character territory starting at the end of everblaze and peaking in legacy. And Shannon has been INTENTIONALLY writing him with consistent character flaws since the beginning, explainable by his past circumstances in fascinating ways. But we aren't there to see a lot of the falling out for that stuff.

A lot of people complain that keefe never faced consequences for stealing the caches or never had the black swan or adults yelling at him or mistrusting him or his friends avoiding him. And like... we do not know that. It could simply be that that was just not Sophie's problem at the time. Sophie also may have simply not been one of the people giving him a difficult time about it. In fact, we know she wasn't, but boy oh boy Fitz certainly didn't bounce back in less than five seconds. And we don't know what the Council and/or black swan did with him that sophie just wasn't involved in--and bc it didn't become relevant to the plot from sophie's perspective, sophie being the actual MC, it just seems unimportant.

Another thing is that Keefe has a lot of the same character flaws throughout the series, but they do shift somewhat with his experiences, and that's without us even seeing in his head, you know? So here's the thing.

Shannon went and started developing Keefe like a second protagonist (who is interestingly also an anti hero in some ways) and even if you aren't a person who thinks he's the most developed character on the paper (disagree but see where you're coming from) he's DEFINITELY most developed in shannon's brain, and that bleeds through. But then we ONLY see Sophie's perspective BECAUSE THIS IS SOPHIE'S STORY, and everything revolves around what is relevant to the plot from her perspective, and then keefe is just in the background being extremely important and relevant and having all these extra issues that we ONLY ever see from sophie's perspective.

Unlocked was... well, it was half a book, and only half of it was keefe. I actually do think his perspective was enlightening in some ways, but a full keefe book at this point kind of seems necessary to me. Because... he's taken on the role of another main character in this story, but we don't see any of that development happening, and for a lot of people i can see that getting taxing. Now I get that those same people also wish keefe would just. step back from the plot. and i get that! but I think with the way he's involved in the plot NOW, seeing his perspective is important, because sophie's POV (especially with her unreliable narration) doesn't give us enough of a window into the complexity that is keefe's worldview right now, especially with all the ways he keeps impacting things. it's just a really important perspective to have at this point.

Shannon, if unraveled is just keefe trying different human foods and giggling like a kotlc react on wattpad, I will probably enjoy it bc i love your work always, but i will also be shaking you by the shoulders because we need this book and you better spend it doing the things we need

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

The brothers reaction to F!mc being stuck in a wall classic trope it can be nsfw If you want

Stuck in a Wall | Yandere Obey Me

If by brothers you mean the seven in Obey Me then they would love it. So much happens at the house of lamentation that it's only a given that at some point you end up stuck in the wall: your bottom exposed and your flailing hands as you frantically implore your demons to help you. Now whether they actually listen is up to them but it's a given that they all most certainly enjoy it:

Lucifer

“....Mammon?”

“Mammon.”

He’ll tiredly hold the bridge of his nose before moving his hands to release you

But he stops

Letting a coy smile spread across his face as he imagines actually using a spell to see you’re relieved face turns into confusion

“Luci?”

“...Now I don’t have to release you just yet. Heck, I might just let you serve your punishment for joining that idiot.”

“W-what?!”

“Of course, I’ll release you after.”

Better hope you haven’t incurred his wrath previously 

Because even without a clear connection to why this has happened to you he’s chuckling 

He’s generally tame if your rapport is good

Pinching the fat of your waist, your thigh

But if you’ve been particularly naughty he’s letting his hand come down on your unattended behind 

holding your legs so that your kicking does nothing to thwart him

Granted a punishment is given if you’ve been too busy running around with his other brothers

Or actively participating in the Anti-lucifer League’s schemes

Or taking his brother’s sides when they’re being particularly unbearable

It's the least you can do for him

Reminding you who owns you

“Don’t bother struggling now. Taking your punishment is the least you can do after letting everyone but me keep you close.”

Mammon 

“A random butt sticking out of the wall! What do I do? Do I smack it or–”

“Mammon! If you smack me, so help me–”

“Oh- it talks!?”

“Mammon!”

Because he’s Mammon it takes a while before he puts two and two together

But when he finally does

He’s torn between giving into his mischievous side and his immense desire to please you

“Come on, Mammon i just need you to pull me out.”

“Pull…?”

“Yeah grab my waist and pull me out that’s all you have to do.”

“...Your waist….”

“Uhhh Mammon are you okay?”

He’s burning up 

He already knew that every part of you was beautiful but now he’s remembered just how beautiful

Even split in half you’re the sexiest in his whole world

Now how can he let up a chance to touch you now

But it's all up to how well you’ve kept him your dog fed

Have you pushed past his fake+ protests to sit with him while he gambled his earnings away

Or wearing the jewelry he bought

Or rewarding him for being the loyal dog that he is

Otherwise, he’ll have to collect your debt with building interest

“Other than your arms…you can’t really stop me from kissin’ ya anyway right?”

Leviathan

“Ahahahaha, this is–ha–just like that one anime! Now you’re helpless Ruri-chan as I steal the magic fauna.”

“Levi! Just get me out, please.”

“And give up a prime lucky-leecher moment? I’m no fool!”

He’s all talk now 

Because he can’t see you’re angry face

Only your defenseless rump is perfectly defensive as you exhaustingly kick your legs

You can’t see the insane blush on his face 

Or the camera flashes+

“Y-you probably don’t want a disgusting otaku to be your savior, right? So it’s best if I just stay here–”

“Noo…wait Levi…please? Can you be…my hero? A passing adventurer’s side quest…w-will y-you help a fellow adventurer out?”

“Hahaha with a romance benefit and experience points?!”

“...Fine.”

He either wants to chicken out or idly fantasize about your predicament

You have to play his game 

Granted you’ll have to take a few liberties giving him a minute or two free range

“Here I come! With a hero’s reward on the line!”

Satan

“Oh my, what have we here?”

One of the worst 

He’s most aware of what he could get away with at this moment

And he’s going to play as coy as he likes for as long as he wants

You’re helpless prey and he’s pouncing

“Well well, what is a bodiless butt sticking out of the wall?”

“Please Satan I got stuck and–”

“It’s a shame I have no idea where the mouth is to it but it most certainly has a nice shape.”

“Satan! Please! I know you can hear me! Ah~!”

“Fits so nicely in my hands.”

You’re going to barter 

And that’s what he’s counting on

Not only will he be getting to feel you in places

But whatever you have to offer will be wonderful to call for whenever he feels peckish 

Or wants to piss Lucifer off

And if you’re not offering anything of value he wins just as much

“Well if I just stick the end of this cattail in here, we can have ourselves a grand old time.”

Asmodeus

“Ahhh~just for me (Y/n)-baby!”

“What!? No! No!”

The absolute worst to find you like this

He can’t be bartered with, fought off, or tricked

He’s going to have you 

After all, you’re practically giving yourself to himself

“Awww stop struggling baby~it’ll feel great~!”

“No! Asmo stop! Put back on my–ah~!”

“Seee?! Didn’t I say?!”

Nothing’s stopping him from hammering+ bothering both stuck sides of your person

You’re mild frantic attempts to stop him are simply cute demonstrations of your nervousness

But let him wash it all away 

“No worries darling! When we’re done we can have one last sesh in the bath m’kay.”

Beelzebub

“That butt looks a lot like (Yn)’s…”

It is sheer luck that he looks up from whatever he’s eating to notice you

He’ll stand there debating if he wants to get involved

And even when you call out to him

He’s quickly finishing his food before actually coming over

“Beel! Get me out of here!” 

“Hmmm?”

“Beel stop eating and get me out!” 

“Mmm okay.”

Don’t expect him to let you run off now that he’s holding you by the waist

He remembers how much smaller you are to him

And whens the next time he’s going to be able to take you to him and Belphie’s room before someone runs off with you

“Hey, have you eaten yet?”

Belphegor

“Ah there you are I was looking for you.”

This is going to be quick and easy…

If everything’s alright

If he’s not being moody, stressed out, tired, mildly irritated

You’ll be fine

But if not he’ll have so much pent-up energy there can be only one way to release it

“B-belphie a-are you okay?”

“Oh I will be. So just stay still.”

“Wait hold on-”

“Shhh I’ll be quick.”

He means it

This is just to get started 

The beginning of affection is long overdue

‘Why do you have to be with everyone but me!’ 

‘Just because I’m sleeping it doesn’t mean I don’t want you near’+

“We can continue in bed I’m tired of standing here.”

[666writingcafe]

The Adventure Begins

Levi's overacting. Again. The only reason it wasn't obvious during the school play was because Simeon kept him reined in. Levi gets excited quite easily, and it causes him to get lost in whatever role he's playing.

I'll have to ask Simeon, but I don't think he intended the Lord of Shadow to act so...dramatically? badly? I don't know how to describe it, really. It just isn't very good.

Unlike MC. I'm not sure why I like their acting better, especially since they're currently matching Levi's energy. Maybe it's because they're intentionally hamming it up. They did mumble an apology to me before they started talking to him, after all, so they must know that Levi's acting isn't the best.

Satan's isn't much better, either. He's not as over-the-top as Levi, but I don't find him convincing as the "villain" of this story. If anything, he'd make a good anti-hero, but Solomon probably didn't want to make things too complicated.

Solomon's not a very good author.

However, I'm choosing to keep all this to myself, because the point of all this is to help MC get their first star. Lucifer, on the other hand, is having a hard time suspending his disbelief. So, I understand why MC told him to shut up. I just hope they're prepared to get their ass handed to them once Lucifer's back to normal size, because while he has a soft spot for MC, he doesn't like being silenced. Messes with his pride.

Speaking of which...the stars.

They represent the seven virtues, which are direct opposites of our sins. For me, that virtue is temperance. Solomon probably knows this, but he may not realize the full extent of my relationship with temperance.

Once upon a time, I was able to control myself and my urges. Until I wasn't. For my brothers, their sin was triggered by specific events; that wasn't the case for me. It just...happened. And I didn't realize it until it was too late.

Now, it's what most people know me for. They think I'm a meathead that only thinks about food. Even my brothers.

Which isn't fair.

Why are they allowed to have complex personalities, but not me? Why can they participate in mentally stimulating activities, while I'm cast off to the side and dismissed as too dumb to understand any of it? It's never made sense to me.

I think that's part of why I like MC so much. They're the first person in a really, really long time that sees me beyond my sin. They actually listen to what I have to say and seem to value my opinion, even if it's not related to food or sports.

Yet somehow, deep inside, I don't fully trust them. I think it's coming from my subconscious. Somewhere in there lives a hurt angel that feels like everyone he cares about will die and leave him behind. And in a way, it's true.

Lilith may have been the only person in our little family that actually lost their life, but my brothers barely resemble what they were in the Celestial Realm. It's weird. They wear the same faces, but they're completely different people. Sometimes, I feel like they're complete strangers, or perhaps taken over by aliens.

Oddly, the one person I can rely on to stay the same is Satan. Then again, he didn't have his own form until we arrived in the Devildom, so this version of him is all I've ever known.

"Beel?"

Shit.

I missed a lot, didn't I?

"Are you okay? You seem out of it."

"I could say the same to you." Why is that the first thing that comes out of my mouth? I sound like a jerk.

MC merely sighs as they sit next to me on the...bed? I take a proper look at my surroundings and realize that we're in a hotel room of some kind. Lucifer appears to be sleeping on the nightstand, using tissues as both pillow and blanket.

"Wanna go first, or shall I?" Interesting question. They don't seem upset at me.

"Your call." MC rests their head on my shoulder.

"Simeon needs my help making an important decision." Their tone indicates something serious.

"With what?" MC sighs again.

"His future." Huh? Why would an angel need a human's help with that? I know that the two of them are fairly close, but still.

"But that's neither here nor there," they quickly add, sighing. "It's not like I can do anything about it now." They glance up at me. "What's on your mind?"

"My past."

"As an angel?" I nod.

"Back then, the only thing that mattered to people was that I was strong. I wanted to be useful, so I decided to become a soldier and fight for the Celestial Realm. Problem was, I had trouble controlling my powers."

"Like I did before receiving the Ring?"

"You know, I hadn't really thought about it until you said it, but yeah. I suppose we have that in common. In your case, everyone had your back, which is good, because I wouldn't have wanted you to go through that experience the way I did." MC sits up and properly looks at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Every time I would destroy something--even though most of the time it was a complete accident--Raphael would make some sort of sarcastic remark about it. I think he started calling me the Hulk at one point, but it was meant as an insult." I pause.

"At least he had the decency to do it to my face. Lots of angels would talk shit about me behind my back. They thought I was too stupid to pick up on it, but I knew. They acted overly sweet towards me whenever I would walk in the room. Condescending, even. It was like I was a dumb kid to them." MC places a hand on my thigh and pats it.

"Sounds depressing," they remark.

"It was. Oddly enough, the one person in authority that didn't treat me that way was Lucifer. I initially thought he was too busy with his duties to really care about much else, but then one day he approached me and started talking to me. We had a legitimate conversation."

"About?"

"He told me to keep in mind that being a Celestial Realm soldier wasn't about attacking--"

"--but protecting." We must have woken Lucifer up. "You had the power to protect everyone--to keep them safe--and that you shouldn't feel bad because you were special. If you learned to control your powers, I'd recommend you to the cherubim and have you serve as a Celestial Realm gatekeeper. You did, and so I kept my promise." Lucifer beckons MC to pick him up and bring him closer to me.

"MC and I may be connected by the Ring of Light, but the two of you have a strong connection as well," he continues. "You're both motivated by the need to protect the ones you love, even if it means sacrificing yourself in the process. Drawing on that similarity is going to be the key to pass Solomon's test."

"Are you saying Solomon knew we had that in common?" MC asks incredulously.

"No. I did. I simply passed the knowledge along to him."

"How long--"

"The rooftop."

"Of Dogi Magi?" I'm glad MC understands what he's referring to, because I'm completely lost. Must have been something I wasn't involved with.

"You knew that Belphie would hurt you if you went against his order to reject me, but you did it anyway."

"I didn't want to lie to you."

"Because that would have meant hurting his feelings." Asmo may have used his powers to pick up on Lucifer's crush on MC early on, but I knew pretty much from the moment they set eyes on each other. Granted, he was more attracted to their soul initially, but who could blame him? It was bright and shiny, even back then. If we weren't under orders to not eat them, then they wouldn't have made it out of the assembly hall alive. Even Diavolo was struggling to contain himself.

Anyway, the point is MC cared enough about Lucifer in that moment to feel the need to protect him.

Just like I felt the need to protect Lucifer after I became a cherub.

MC's going to get their star.

[inseasofgreen]

Can I get and info dump on Sciosa? What if anything inspired you to create her?

yes, always yes.

Sciosa's name actually came from an old mary sue character of mine from middle school, though the character we know now as Sciosa is are from that character. The OG was a whiny crybaby who couldn't do jack shit to save herself and relied on a toxic lover to do everything for her (ew). Sciosa now is borderline over powered and is a very complex and flawed character.

I've said this before but Sciosa can smite a city from existence, but that's not what makes her interesting. It's what got her to that point that she would even consider it and why she would/wouldn't do it. (I use that example a lot when it's not her who is out there destroying cities lmao *eyes Zemorri*)

POTO's whole theme is power corrupts everyone who uses it, and having the mc be such a powerhouse makes it so fun to write. We follow her though 4 books and with each book the line between between "good" and "evil" grows thinner. She's not an antagonist and never will be, I wouldn't even say she's an anti-hero. She's just someone who has repeatedly had her patience and trust be tested by the gods, fate, and the very mortals she was put on nyrus to protect.

When I first created her, it was for a story that has since been scrapped but her role in that was actually very different. Zemorri was the hero and she was to act as a mentor to him and repent for the sins of her past life. She was very bitter and angry, and rarely had a filter on how she truly felt. That part hasn't really changed too much, though her anger doesn't really appear until POTD. Though she still doesn't have a filter, and if she does filter herself you best better worry.

Sciosa at her core is a young women who laments for a "normal" life. She did not ask to be the Dawn Star but she has accepted her fate to the best of her ability and tries to carry the burden with as much grace as she can. She's 30 at the start of POTO, but that's is so, sooo young for both Zaentri and being born into the bloodline of Duskinfall. Zaentri being half Zaentiraeal from her mother and the bloodline of Duskinfall having an extended life expectancy to help maintain the bloodline until the Dawn Star is born. Mentally she is about 18. Imagine asking an 18 year old to make sure ALL living things on earth are sheltered, with have enough food and water to survive until the Hells are defeated (which could be months or years) that there is enough kindling to keep fires lit as the sun will not rise until the demons are either killed or returned to the hells. On top of that she is expected to rally an army and aid the gods in their fight. Girl I'd be pissed off too, she should be at the club.

Oh and there's a lot that inspired her!! Ciri from the Witcher, Daenerys from ASOIAF and GOT (actually season 8 Dany got me curious of how much would it take to truly break a person to the point of pure destruction. Saying this with my full chest, I'm not mad she went crazy I'm mad it wasn't properly written but I digress) Honestly even a bit of Yen from the Witcher too ngl. There's a picture that I've shared before that was basically the birth of POTO because I wanted to write a scene of it but being me I can't just so one scene I had to do a whole series. Weirdly enough even Lunafreya gave me some inspiration for both Sciosa and the High Priestess' of Zenier. I'd say even a little bit of Zelda, though I haven't played any of the legend of Zelda games in a hot hot minute lol. Last one but it just occurred to me and made me laugh but I think at times she reminds me of Jesus? Bro tell me why so many of these people end up being killed... dany, lunafreya, jesus I swear to GOD Sciosa does not die LMAOOO

Oof okay. That was a lot. but thank you for the ask wyked!! I don't talk about her enough tbh, Zemorri kinda just steals the spot light a lot.

[theerurishipper]

What Marinette did at the end of season 5 is dangerous lesson to internalize to young children because if people are dissecting and going deeply in depth with s5 episodes like Derision and the final two parter episode and mind you these are adults or at least pass the age intended for this show demographic how are young kids living similar lives to adrian or chloe going to be affected? Kids brats or not react differently the whole good victim mentality narrative in this show is disgusting when it comes to the topic of akumas and how it relates to mental health. Like if there is a chloe or adrien child watching this show I feel horrible for them because what hope or closure do they really get from this show what lesson imparted in this show is actually being taught in goodwill like did the producers or whoever behind it not see how bad the messaging with their abuse apologist is how are parents not complaining or at the very least concerned?

I was whirl-winded by the finale in of itself and what I got was Marinette essentially following through with the villains plan and keeping it from her love interest while simultaneously gaslighting about his father decisions and making the parent abuser a hero and his victim Adrien in awe.

If adults are trying to rationalize or do whatever they can to scrap whatever integrity left in Marinette character decisions making theories to salvage the wreckage done in the finale two-parter how are children or middle-schoolers rationalizing this because I deeply sincerely hope they don't ever internalize anything from this show the message they impart especially in one of the episodes revolving from Chloe Father especially and the leak episodes they eventually had to scrap because of the backlash is so damn bad.

Like forget the potential what if or canons or annoyance the fandom didn't get their wants with this show because ultimately the show is for kids not them what lesson do we learn here?

I am actually worried. This is a magical girl cartoon aren't the lesson they're supposed to invoke about to teach love and their is hope to change like Digimon for instance they had a character named Ken and Daiki encouraging him and his belief in the mc made him changed so much into a better person. But no, instead Marinette being like Chloe can never change there is no hope from her mouth makes me want to wrangle the writers and people behind it I hope they aren't parents because wtf? Who behind the decisions there for children to consume this sort of trash messaging in forgiving abuse apologist like Gabe.

She's supposed to be a role model but no instead Astruc uses her as a tool to spout whatever grievances he has with the fandom onto the show and characters inside it especially Chloe. I really don't recommend a show like MLB to anyone honestly unless they are aware of this show dumb messaging and people buying into it.

Exactly. It's so obvious that Marinette just ended up becoming a mouthpiece for the writers to spout their own opinions towards the end, like having her go on numerous anti-Chloe tirades. And I'm not saying that Chloe doesn't deserve to be called out, but it's done so unnaturally, and it feels like the writers are just desperate to get us to hate her without acknowledging any of the character depth they gave her.

And I'm not a Chloe stan or anything, and I do think that it's okay to show that sometimes, people can't change and that victims of abuse can become abusers themselves. But we didn't get that. We got the show telling us, in no uncertain terms, that Chloe is bad because she's evil inside and not because of abuse that we see on screen, and that her father who enabled her and taught her how to be this way is a victim and is more redeemable than her. The fuck is this???

And it just gets worse, because Chloe is evil inside and irredeemable and deserves more abuse as her comeuppance, but the magical terrorist/child abuser gets off scott-free? Gabriel Agreste gets what he wanted and dies happy and content while leaving behind a favorable legacy? What the fuck?

So yeah. I feel bad for the abused children who are watching this show, who are being told that their abuse doesn't matter, that they are just being overly sensitive/are evil inside, and only deserve more abuse. What a wonderfully horrible message.

Thank you for your ask!

[alittledizzy]

Hi, I have zero knowledge of dream and george and stuff other than enjoying you talking about them, Can you explain to me whats going on and why people hate dream all of a sudden?I'm am nosy ngl and also he seems like a good guy from when you talk about him?!

he is a good guy, tbh. i will stand by that unless something happens in the future that gives me genuine reason to rethink my opinion.

as far as why people hate him - it's not all of a sudden, it's been a slown burn over the past year. i have a few reasons why i think it.

but the main theories:

he was very, very, very successful. and anyone that is very successful and ends up on a pedestal subsequently ends up with groups of people that want to see that pedestal crumble and the person fall. i think the anti base simply began with thinking if he got that successful he deserved to not be, out their favorite streamer deserved it instead. he also cheated at minecraft, so there's that. (but if you want a full blow by blow of why the cheating wasn't intentional - and that has been verified by third parties - that's gonna need to be a separate post.) also isn't it a funny sentence to even say. "Cheated at Minecraft." i know i have the perspective of not being in the fandom at the time it happened but it's so unserious. but it did impact public perception.

some streamers just hate him because his audience is full of women and queer people and dream himself is not straight. i would say these are more strictly outside of the mc community but it still also impacted public perception. dream is also very vocally appreciative of the fanbase he does have.

he made the careers of many people and those people became resentful for being known for being part of the thing dream made. they turned bitter wanting to be known for their own projects instead. those people express that bitterness toward dream and the dsmp and then their fans take cues from that and ramp them up to eleven, like it's a personal vendetta it is their responsibility to carry out.

he has been accused of things that are not true and do not stand up to the least bit of scrutiny. but the internet is a game of telephone and sometimes all it takes is one person whispering in the ear of another person for something to be considered fact in the realm of common knowledge, when it's just not and never was true. the most recent example of this is when a small content creator - eighteen himself, and drunk when he tweeted it - said dream took an 18 year old girl to his hotel room to get drunk at vidcon. the facts: the hotel room was a master suite so no one was in a bedroom, it had a living room. they had an open room party for their friends where they played board games. a friend of dream's asked if they could bring a friend of theirs along and that friend of a friend happened to be a eighteen year old content creator. she was not invited by dream, she was not given alcohol specifically by dream, she was never alone with dream, and the most important fact: she herself was not uncomfortable because she asked if she could come back the next night. the girl in question asked the cc that made the accusation to take the tweets down and he issued an apology the next morning saying he didn't have the facts right. but what will people that hate dream remember from this? he had an eighteen year old drinking in his hotel room, with none of the context. so this scenario times a dozen times over the past years eroded his reputation.

upset and confusion over dream's public response to technoblade's death. i think that dream hero-worshipped techno and when he died dream did what dream does and reached out to try and help. he clearly became close to techno's family, including visiting with them and working with them on projects and - according to technodad himself - offering invaluable behind the scenes support. i think other content creators were closer to techno himself and probably feel upset and put out that dream's grief is so public and recieves more attention because when dream cares for someone he just wants everyone to appreciate that person. i don't think that's dream's fault, but i can also understand how someone that knew techno better privately might be upset.

[rose-tinted-kalopsia]

so curious why sylus has you this hooked when he's so different from xavier and the guys you tend to like

RIGHT OK i was going to not be as unhinged over him on the dash as i truly was being in my head, BUT SINCE YOU ASKED.... buckle up anonie bc this is LONG long <3

ok but honestly genuinely i don't account for my lane switch to be official at the moment, bc on account of visually, given what we know? i'm still v much into xavier! and we just. don't know anything else set in stone about sylus yet!

and all this has honestly WAY less to do with how he looks or how he portrays the villain aesthetic, which i know is what like- ive been seeing most people attached to. he has the vibes from that trailer, undeniably, but it's also really not why i'm so interested in him—

as much as the why.

as much as the how.

as much as the how far.

so i guess you could say i'm just hella on my toes rn for the potential?

in my head he has very much of a morally grey anti-hero trope; arguably right intentions, wrong methods, sort of a thing. enough so that he'd become the villain, instead of trying to play hero in some way like the others—enough so that, whether he chose to be this way at first or not, he did grow to the need for there to be a stronger catalyst that can be selfish, that doesn't care so much for morals or being "good".

and when you put that into perspective, it means he didn't start out with that kind of mindset.

so what pushed him so far? what was the breaking point? why did he turn to this path? and how different did he will himself to become just to achieve all of this?

then simultaneously it makes you think, like. what about mc would make him need her so much, love her so much, possibly obsess over, that he would turn his back on those convictions just to love her? and then like,,,,, to think about how his world could come crashing under the realization of his love for her, through all he's done and has been doing? how he'd struggle with his emotions and his actions and how to be affectionate with her in a manner that's genuine yet still acceptable? the intensity of it all that he has to learn to control... and then the gentleness that could eventually be found amidst whatever passion or desperation there probably is in that love?

and you'll find this absolutely the fuck out of pocket from me of all people because "wtf? roxie? being soft on main instead?!" but he does feel like the type to slow dance with in the kitchen at midnight, to walk barefoot on the pavement back home after a long day, shoes in your hands, lamplight flickering above you... and not in like, a goofy sort of way? but just? the vibes of pure, possibly intense, sort of love? like. like running his fingers theough your hair waiting for you to fall asleep first, watching the way the moonlight scatters on your face as you do. or looking into your eyes trying to convey something with such ardor and fervency; maybe it's a plea, maybe it's love or aftection or adoration, maybe it's determined.... you get it.

it's the vibes.

it's the possibilities that come with the vibes. it's the possibilities of how he could be, given that the situation and the set-up and the vibes that we can glean from the trailer open up so many options.

so to me it feels like there's like an 85% chance i might fall head over heels for him.

you say he doesn't have the trope of the fictional characters i tend to like; you have not yet seen me cry over wei wuxian, or khun, or blackwater, or moriarty... 😭✋

and like.

we'll still see, obviously, if this is enough to pull me away from xavier, but—if i like the depth in his character? if i like his development? if i like his backstory? if i like his portrayal, if i like his relationship with mc and how their love story is portrayed? then... maybe. it's still a maybe, because we don't know anything yet, but it's a pretty strong maybe.

[cleverthylacine]

Netflix's bastardisation of Three-Body

Oh yeah. I haven't said anything about this. Probably because I've been screaming at people on reddit about it for weeks.

Extensive spoilers below of why you don't want to watch this show if you like the books and should watch the C-drama by Tencent Pictures instead. If you like both you can have fun screaming at this show except that after about 4 episodes even that stops being fun.

The first problem with this show is that they decided to set it in mostly England instead of mostly China, and then cleverly made most of the main characters nonwhite as well as non-Chinese, so that they could point at that as evidence that they're not racist for turning a book set in China with mostly Chinese characters into a show set in England with mostly characters who grew up in the global west (even Cheng Jin/Xin has been raised in New Zealand).

The second problem with this show is that they're adapting a trilogy of 500+ page books and they shoved the first book into 5 episodes and the first part of the second book into 3 episodes. A lot of important and interesting material got cut.

The third problem with this show is that the main character of the novel and the C-Drama is Wang Miao, who is a very sensitive, nonjudgemental and caring male character, the kind of male MC we rarely get. He's also a good husband and father and he's adorable with his daughter. Wang Miao is able to make many connections between people and information because he is able to listen to people, even when he knows they're dangerous, with empathy and refrain from judging them at least until they've finished telling him the stuff that he actually wanted and needed to know.

The character they replaced him with is argumentative, judgemental, and angry. Auggie frequently storms out of conversations with key people in the story in high moral dudgeon without having learned a thing.

Cleverly, they made her female, so that anyone who dares criticise her for being generally terrible is hit with accusations of Skylar White syndrome and being unable to handle angry WOC.

The fourth problem is that they changed the relationship between Mike Evans and Ye Wenjie and in so doing obliterated the internal conflict within the Earth-Trisolaran organisation.

Ye Wenjie is significantly older than Mike Evans and serves as a mentor and sympathetic ear to him while he's in China. She already has had her daughter by her late husband.

in the English show she's his lover and it's gross. I am not even someone who generally objects to age gaps in fiction or even reality as long as everyone's an adult, but this is gross. For one thing, Evans is obviously mentally ill and vulnerable. He becomes the father of her daughter. They then obliterate the faction war that started between Wenjie and Evans. This is important and awful because Wenjie's faction wants aliens to come to Earth and save us from our own idiocy. Evans' faction is anti-human and wants the aliens to come to Earth and save the planet from humans. (Why he thinks they will preserve the animals he values more than people, I don't know. These aliens are fucking ruthless.)

The result of this is that they portray the secretive and malevolent eco-terrorist Evans as a cute elderly space-obsessed grandpa surrounded by little kids that his antinatalist ass would have never supported his followers having (and that anyone who followed him would never have.)

The upshot of this is that we get to see dead children's severed limbs after Our Heroes retrieve crucial information. And we don't know that it is crucial information because they have Wenjie in custody and it is therefore not clear that Evans has been talking to the aliens, they no longer talk to Wenjie, and what they're trying to take is the records of all the conversations Evans had with the aliens, which could maybe be important if you wanted to know in advance how bad the aliens are and what they are planning to do.

I don't want to see murdered children. There is enough of that on the news, thanks. It's an emotionally manipulative choice on the part of the writers. It does make Auggie's worst temper tantrum understandable, but if they had made her the kind of character Wang Miao was, that wouldn't have been necessary. Wang Miao did object to all the adults-only carnage, but he also was able to understand that there were plot-related reasons all those grown-ass ecoterrorist assholes had to die.

So now everyone who thinks Auggie is a rotten replacement for Wang Miao is not only a misogynist but pro-murdered children. And the neckbeards who actually haven't studied cults are all like "of course they put kids on the boat! a cult should have kids!" because they're not aware that there are cults other than the FLDS and the Branch Davidians. Aside from the ecoterrorism aspect, the recent cult that Evans' group is most like is Heaven's Gate, who were so anti-sex and anti-breeding that some of them castrated themselves.

They also added a white male character who was rich. Sadly, he was hilarious and entertaining in a very Seth Rogan/James Franco kinda way, so of course he was one of the first main characters to die.

The usual suspects are claiming that the adaptation was fucked up by "wokeness". I don't believe that, but I do wonder exactly why the extreme environmentalist/animal rights/super vegan/anti-natalist/anti-human bad guys were written out of the story.

Because climate change is important and the environment is important and we really have to fix it. We really do. We have to save our planet, we're the people who live here!

But all good movements have their dangerous fringe people, and people who would do what Mike Evans did in the books exist. For instance, there were animal liberationists who let prion infected squirrels loose 20 years ago and suddenly now in Appalachia, where poor people hunt squirrel, we have an epidemic of prion-related dementia.

(And those of you who read me regularly and know that I've worked in medical research schools most of my life know that I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate these kinds of "environmentalists" so yeah I'm a little bit mad that I didn't get to see Evans die horribly lmao.)

In other words: this show is so bad that it actually makes me contemplate right-wing Hollywood conspiracy theories for a hot second before dismissing them.

They also added a lot more explosions and a lot more interpersonal drama, because that's what Americans like. Yeah fuck you Netflix.

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Propaganda why Marinette Dupain-Cheng is insufferable:

She easily gets away with bad, stalkerish behavior, it always feels like she can ‘do no wrong’ unless the show wants us to pity her, and the show writers want us to think she is a quirky and socially awkward girl when throughout the series we see her be friends with basically everyone in Paris with many connections to high up places.

I get she has social anxiety but the way she goes about stalking Adrien is kind of the worst like she even has creep shots of him hanging in her room? That’s weird. I think Adrien’s going through enough without having to deal with the main character being his stalker lol. I know they’re (spoilers) at this point but in the beginning it was so sus

In the newest season, Marinette hides the fact that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s dad. This leads to the bastard getting a statue and honored as a hero after his death. Adrien now never gets to know the fact that his abusive and neglectful father was the one trying to kill him and is instead proud of him.

Her crush on Adrien is like a black hole for her character. Things she’s done because of it:

1) stolen property

2) ruined dates

3) humiliated other characters

4) has a chart of Adrien’s daily schedule for the next year in her room (this is stalking)

5) broke into his room and sniffed his pillow (also a crime)

6) sniffed, took the hair from, and tried to kiss what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien

7) convinced her parents to let her go to China. Why? Not because she wants to connect with her mother’s heritage, not even because she’s a budding fashion designer and Shanghai is considered a fashion hotspot. It’s because Adrien was there.

shes annoyinng anf shes a stalker

I love fanon miraculous but by god she has got to stop obsessively stalking her crush and generally making a ton of other terrible decisions. I’d submit Adrien too but he’s more of a deuteragonist

I started the show, watched one episode, and never tried again. I simply do not vibe with her.

More propaganda

Anti propaganda

Propaganda why Katarina Claes is insufferable:

Irredeemably stupid. The story frames it as her 17 year old mind waking up in Katarina’s 8 year old body. Yet she is still even more of an idiot than all of the actual 8 year olds in the story and shows no growth over the next ten years. At one point, all the other main characters defend her from accusations of bullying by saying she’s too stupid to have been able to do it.

Also, the Verge of Destruction side story was much better than the original series because her fears of banishment and running out of time made sense.

1) She’s an idiot, and not even in a funny way. One of my pet peeves in isekai is when the MC refuses to recognize when the story has changed. Her whole thing is that she keeps prepping for when she gets banished. But, she’s not going to be banished because she took care of all the problems when she was like 6. Bad relationship with fiancé? Fixed. Bad relationship with family? Fixed. Bullying? Prevented.

2) The harem is ridiculous. The people in love with her: her fiancé, her fiancé’s brother, her fiancé’s brother’s fiancée, her childhood friend, her adoptive brother, 2 dark mages, and etc. (There may be more, but I stopped reading after one of the dark mages kidnapped her then got away scotch free).

3) If you want a good dumbass MC trapped as the villainess of a dating game read “Observation Record of a Self-proclaimed Villainess’ Fiancé”.

Guy who kidnapped her pins her down and puts his face against her neck. She then feels a pinch and notices a bruise/hickey on her neck in the mirror. Her response was “Oh! A bug bit me and he was just trying to get it off :D how nice of him.” I hate the oblivious to sexual harassment trope.

[blue-willow-tree]

hello again sweet girl ⸝⸝ how have you been?

i would’ve never guessed you were introvert! being as playful and commanding as you are on here, learning you’d be that pretty wallflower in the corner of the club is very cute ‹𝟹

i have so many hyper-fixations, ive lost count haha! im big on video games, and so ones that implement real life places and events will get me hooked. one of my favorite franchises is assassins creed, odyssey being my favorite of it. i was absolutely obsessed with learning more about ancient greece and the peloponnesian war. kassandra, one of the two playable mc choices, still hasn’t left my mind. ive played that game so many times for years so its hard to forget her. shes so perfect i just cant help it~

ah! i enjoy marvel as well! scarlet witch is very fun, i enjoyed her in multiverse of madness. as for me, x-men have always been one of my favorite franchise from it. wolverine being my absolute favorite mutant since i was a child haha! it’s impossible to not love storm as well. i simply adore her. my other favorite franchise would be spiderman. the spiderverse is just so fun, and a brilliant concept! i hope in future projects silk will be implemented because she’s my favorite spiderperson. outside the spiderverse, gwenpool would be other fave marvel character of mine, and hope she gets more comics soon! as you can tell i love a good anti-hero and vigilante ⸝⸝

well, aren’t you trouble, tease ᡣ𐭩 it does seem quite fun though. hm, my favorite way would absolutely have to be soft and slow neck to jawline kisses. savoring each one, from other pulse points over the throat, which i find to be my favorite spot, and right before i kiss their lips, i just stop. it’s a bit sadistic, enjoying them fall from the high, stunned and impatient to continue. its my favorite part of it all, and ofc the reward afterwards.

you are so right, it’s such a beautiful concept. knowing it’s a split moment that person can and will be the person you can rely on without worry. someone that would get you better than you do yourself. knowing that you can be your most vulnerable with them, fall apart in their arms and they’re there to hold you together. work through any and all with you, and be the reassurance you’ve always needed in your life. it’s a level of intimacy that I just can’t get enough of ⟢

they were definitely interesting, each one shows a really adorable and tender side to you. even a bit of vulnerability and i appreciate you sharing it with me, ill cherish it. ⋆

⧽ 🍸

Oh my sweet anon, I owe you an apology for not responding sooner. Things have been busy and I've been giving my newer anons and advice-asks more priority, I'm here now, love. I hope you don't despise me by now <3

I'm one of the biggest introverts one will ever come across. Lockdown was like heaven to me, if I can avoid social interaction, I will. Haha x

Ooo, I've always found video games to be so intriguing and I wish I were able to play them as well as others! I simply get so confused haha, that's why I always play Minecraft on creative mode. I've heard of Assassin's Creed so much over the years! Maybe I should watch a few videos of people playing it, and see what it's all about. I bet you're an expert at it! Ahh, ancient Greece, that's definitely an intriguing historical era to fixate on. I've always loved learning about Ancient Egypt! I also recently watched a documentary on Pompeii, and a few about the Titanic. Such interesting stuff!! I'm hoping to start the X-men franchise soon, I've only watched one of those movies and I enjoyed it but it seems many others didn't. Hopefully by watching all of them in order, I'll understand why this was. Out of all the characters I've seen glimpses of, I love Storm!!! I don't blame your adoration for her at all. I love the spiderverse! I'm so excited for the new Spiderverse movie, that second one left me hanging, it was so cruel haha.

Ahh, that's a very smart choice, and a little sadistic indeed but that just makes me like it more. I wouldn't be able to stop myself, I'd have to have those sadistic lips on mine immediately. But, well, that's exactly the desperation you were intending on causing x I'd fall right into your trap, wouldn't I?

The concept of "mates" will never fail to intrigue me. It's so incredibly beautiful, I'd give up anything for that concept to be brought to life. But to know that the agony of losing them could be enough to ruin you entirely forever, that's just so heartbreaking.

I really do hope you'll forgive me for my poor response skills, love, I hope to see you around again ♡ Your asks are special, it's wonderful discussing these things x

[burning-academia-if]

so, I adore everything so far of ???, they hit a lot of little buttons I have for questionable ROs. that said, I was wondering if, to romance them, it'd have to be the Evil MC route? or to have a happy ending with them? am just trying to mentally prepare around that for when we can romance them.

Hello, not to hi-jack this question, but I'm going to use this to describe the morality system real quick LOL

So there are four paths to take:

Dawn

Day

Dusk

Night

And the story will actually completely splinter after a certain point, so the story in each path will ultimately be different, including how each romance will play out, and you'll always know which path you're on before your locked in.

Dawn and Day would be the more traditional "good" paths, the main difference being your personal outlook on how/why you're being good. Dusk is where you lean more towards questionable things for the greater good, think something akin to an anti-hero. Night is when you think things are beyond saving and need to be destroyed so things can start over. This is the "villain" path (in quotes because depending on interpretation, this might also work as a weird 'anti-hero' path).

Anyways, for your actual question the only path where you'll have a tragic/bittersweet end with ??? is in the Day path. It's possible to have a happy ending with them in the other three!

[hamliet]

While I agree that since the 2000s, anti-hero/villain MCs have become more of a thing on TV and that nowadays anti-hero/villain MCs seem to have become more popular (not necessarily the majority, there are still plenty of good/heroic protagonists out there). I think it's important to point out that these characters most of the time still need to have some redeeming qualities for the majority of the audience to connect and get attached to them. I don't know if I'm the best person to explain my own thoughts, but let's try… For example, when I look at Eren and Tony (protagonists that were mentioned before).

Eren is caring, loves his friends, wants to protect them at all costs and wishes them to have happy lives.

Tony, despite everything, has shown to truly love his family and wants himself to live a happy live together with them. Tony also doesn't want his son to inherit the criminal activities that Tony inherited from his own father, he wants his son to have a clean life (and despite being a sociopath, we see Tony in therapy trying to understand his problems and inner demons to improve, be a better father and husband).

That said, I'll be fair here and say that none of these qualities change or justify the crimes and mistakes of both them. Eren Yeager destroyed lands and cruelly murdered thousands of people, In this process he pushed his own father to commit horrible acts and sacrificed his own mother. Not to mention how he betrays and hurts his friends. It is no wonder that at the end of the story it is undeniable that HE is the villain of his universe. Tony Soprano is a bad guy from the very beginning. He's a murderer and manipulator, he feels no remorse in doing any of these things. He's a bad husband who constantly cheats on his wife and rarely give her the emotional support she needs. He is also a bad father, especially to his youngest son. He has difficulty showing the love he feels for his son because he himself grew up in an environment where he was mistreated and rarely received demonstrations of love. Mostly due to Tony's bad parenting, his son grew up to be a depressed adult who attempted suicide.

Ultimately, while I think it's important for these characters to still have redeeming qualities so that the audience can connect with them, what I think that can make these kind of characters so captivating is their complexity. Is the need to dive deeper into these characters to understand them. Why they have those qualities, but at the same time have flaws that can be so contradictory to their qualities. How does this all relate?

I'm not familiar with The Sopranos, but yeah, from what you say I agree. I enjoy complexity in characters and I think it's also very important when writing a serious story--again, genre matters here.

Because as much as we want to "otherize" people who do atrocious, evil, horrific things... they are people. And the irony is that accepting this and seeing ourselves as not fundamentally "better" or "different" is a huge part of not ending up committing or supporting atrocities.

And that said, yeah, superhero stories and fairy tales and many shonens are not aiming to be that heavy, and that's okay. Genre does like... matter here. But there are ways to do complexity and a morally "good" protagonist in genre-appropriate ways too. Ruby Rose from RWBY, Charlie from Hazbin, etc.

[keithsandwich]

Let's keep talking about Astrology!

When I was studying Traditional Astrology, one of our first lessons was to relate fictional characters to planets. Because the planets are the "living beings" walking in the sky, not the signs. So let me try to do it with Ikepri, but BEWARE I haven't finished all routes yet. These are not my final opinions.

Sun

The Sun character is someone willing to throw away all they have for a cause. The virtuous hero, the martyr, the one who inspires people around to give their best while they, themselves, are lonely -- because charismatic people may attract others to gather around them, but they are ultimately lonely.

Maybe I would put Leon here and sometimes Jin acts like this but is not a Sun himself.

Moon

Moon is the motherly character, the one who goes out of their way to make sure everyone is safe, warm, well-fed and comfortable. They may also be a little delusional, or a little dramatic, but in the end they are kind, compassionate and altruistic.

Rio is the huge Moon for MC (Chevalier would never, sorry).

Mercury

Mercury is curious, communicative and restless. Mercury characters are usually the tricksters, so avid to know it all they end up messing with absolute truths and order to instill chaos and what it can reveal. They are always on the move and jumping from an interest to another. They are also traders by excellence and very good in negotiating. They can be skeptical and way too rational.

Clavis, hands down. Maybe Silvio. Sometimes Yves and Nokto act like Mercury.

Venus

Beauty and pleasure seekers. Venus characters crave for either comfort or fun. They are the most related to good music, or good food, or the bohemians jumping from bar to bar, bed to bed. They are the diplomatic characters because peace and harmony are the most important things to them. So yes, they avoid conflicts, including internal ones.

Yves and Nokto, Jin to some extent -- but I still wouldn't put him here right away. Nice!Keith, most likely, at least in the way he acts towards people. I guess Luke but I'm still unsure.

Mars

The warrior. The one who will throw themselves in battle no matter the cause or the ways they'll use to succeed. Mars characters are energetic, confronting, and they can be either barbarians or excellent strategists. But they are always related to war or competition, to win and to prove themselves to be the best.

Gilbert, Alter!Keith, sometimes Chevalier, maybe Silvio but I'm unsure. I'm almost putting Silvio as a mix of Mercury and Mars.

Jupiter

The great benefactor, the wise tutor, the older brother, the wizard. Jupiter characters are usually the ones who guide, protect and/or cheer for others. Someone you can rely on, but not in a motherly way like the Moon. Also someone who can be fun to be around.

Jin, finally, this is where I would put him.

Saturn

The lone one, but unlike the Sun, they stand in the shadows. Normally harsh and judgemental, they are also diligent, mature, responsible, and they can be reliable even if they are cold and hard to reach. As characters, they are usually the elder, the anti-hero (the anti-Sun), or the beast in its essence -- the one who keeps everyone away and inspires fear.

Chevalier, Licht, Sariel, probably Gilbert, sometimes both Keiths in a way.

Again, I haven't finished all routes so I may revisit this post in the future.

[astramachina]

Writerly Questionnaire

i was gonna snatch someone's open tag but @the-golden-comet (ty!!!) hit me with one so here we go. this is probs gonna get long and I apologize in advance.

About Me

When did you first start writing?

I was probably writing two page "sensationalized diary entries" when I was 8, but my first foray into proper "I am writing a piece of fiction" was at around 15.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Kind of but not really? I do enjoy reading a good romcom every now and then despite never having written one (and not intending to YET), but I mostly read horror and sci-fi which are my two genres of writing choice.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

When I was younger I really wanted to be able to emulate Terry Pratchett's prose, but the more I wrote the more I realized there's no real emulation when it comes to one's own authorial voice, just bits and pieces of all of whom we've enjoyed along the way. Nowadays I don't really care for the idea of comparison, but if it's a must, Grady Hendrix's approach to blending horror with humor is golden.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

98% of active writing magic occurs in my bedroom, at my desk, mostly on my laptop because it's the only piece of tech with a word processor. When I'm feeling feisty, I'll light a scented candle (apple & cinnamon) and instantly give myself an allergy.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

MUSIC. Or taking a shower. Or chillin the backseat of a car with my headphones on. Growing up I had painted the words "movement inspires creation" on my closet door because car rides really were the prime way to summon The Muse.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Oh, absolutely. Sometimes it's more obvious than others! For example, Define Home to Me is a folk horror set in a fictionalized version of the town I grew up in. In The Unbinding, it's all about the familial tension that permeated my developmental years. I love writing modern day gothics for that very reason.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

My characters? Queer. Usually POC. Sometimes disabled in ways that makes them moving through the plot impossible. A lot of the times there's some scathing commentary against colonialism and imperialism, trauma, generational nonsense, and so on. Do they surprise me? Yeah, actually. Like hey what are YOU doing here, this is supposed to be a story about space monsters and weird gas stations out in the American West, ain't nobody got time to study the decay manifested by settlers on my culture, the fuck.

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc.)

UHH probably Ricky Kronbach? He's a fandom OC which means I'm able to play with him while being unbound by cohesive narratives. I can put him in a blender and he'll still manage to flip me off. He's a brat. He's a weirdo. He's everything to me. Non-fandom wise, probably Verne from The Singularity Project. He may be a side-character and a... anti-hero? Kind of? But he has my entire heart because my god he's a hot freaking mess of a human being.

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

Probably Mike. He's a cool dude and by far the most normal. We'd talk about plants and watch The X-Files in his living room.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Nick Miller from The Unbinding. He may be the MC but boy is a massive dick that needs to get his ass kicked into gear.

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

I'm a very story-centric person, so a lot of the times story comes before the character. I'll have a solid plot and setting and when the time comes for a vehicle to move through said story, I get to work on the character. It's one of the reasons why I only wrote fanfic for so long! I'm bad at creating interesting and unique OCs so a lot of the times they're just some guy (gn), though they do tend to grow and sometimes throw fits when certain events want to take place that do not match their personality.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Not to me cringe on main but for a good two years I realized that the main love interests in multiple of my projects were 1) dark haired 2) blue-eyed 3) British. I'm still bewildered by this. Other than that, family trauma. LMAO

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc.)

Depends on the project! TSP is a very special case in which I see half of the characters as actual real people. Other times I go with "actor faceclaims" so that it makes writing feel like a movie.

My Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Fuck if I know. I just like doing it. It's this pit in the center of my chest that needs to be put the into word or else I feel like I'm going to explode.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

Give me those deep-dives into lore speculation. Or if it's something on the more risque side of things, I was feel a deep sense of satisfaction when commenters slip into the TMI scale of things.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

As the guy who makes people feel things while reading. Regardless of what feelings those might be.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Foreshadowing (usually accidental) and setting descriptions.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

"It's like I'm reading a movie," is something people have been telling me for well over a decade. Which is mainly the reason why part of TSP's story is visual! I want to try just how well the medium translates through my specific lens.

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

The entire range of human emotion. I recognize that not everything can be (or should even be, for that matter) a banger. Some stuff is shitty, and I will hate, and I will feel unsatisfied, and will make me never want to write again. Other stuff makes me feel like I deserve at least some kind of award, even if the award is "a nice cup of coffee with a lemon loaf". Sometimes I'm proud of it, sometimes I'm not. Sometimes it's fun, and sometimes it's not. Not only is it alright but it is necessary to slip and slide along that spectrum. Which is to say-- I am satisfied whenever I engage in the craft.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Hell yeah I would. I'm my own audience first and foremost.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I write for me, myself, and I, and actively choose to share that with others. I did my time of trying to write for a wider audience to appeal to the mainstream industry and that just ended up with me hating every damn moment of it, so here I am. Horror and sci-fi aren't as popular as other genres which usually translates to limited reach, but man, those who match my freak will match it, and that is all that matters.

I SAID THIS WOULD BE LONG. not gonna tag anyone's notifs so i'm leaving this baby as an open tag!

[horizon-verizon]

https://www.tumblr.com/thephantomcasebook/716821484228706304/dyana-returning-for-s2-and-possibly-being-involved?source=share I would like to read your thoughts on this post. Is it true that viserys ii put a taboo on the name of her parents? Besides Luke was sending as a messenger, Aemond was not to kill him, and Luke's dragon had no chance against Aemond's dragon. And in what part does Martin establish that blacks are the villains?

*EDITED POST* 10/23/23

I'm just going to be rude (not targeting you, though). Everything this user says, ignore it, it's bullshit. Not just in this post, I mean, everything.

For how Aegon III and Viserys II, why didn't declare Rhaenyra to be a legitimate monarch to be historically called "Rhaenyra I" (despite the multiple times she's called "Queen" or "the queen" in Fire and Blood-vol 1, esp after she takes KL), look to this POST. There was no damn "taboo", this is a gross exaggeration, no, a LIE about the situation. Possibly a self-delusion born from an inability to use deductive reasoning.

Being a villain or antagonist is a position that doesn't change, and I'm not referring to plot twists...twists does not shake off the reality of a smart villain or antagonists working against the protagonist or MCs in the shadows. All villains are antagonists, not all antagonists are morally bankrupt or "too far gone" like a villain.

First, protagonist =/= "good person". It just means "who's fighting for something against them/who is this story about". The antagonist(s) is the force/figures set against the protagonist, and thus they do not have to be "good" nor "bad". However, the Dance's protagonist is Rhaenyra. It is written about her rise, endurance, and fall.

Second, while a character can be dark, turn dark, or be an anti-hero, for a writer to try to actually make THE protagonist THE villain or the antagonist, the actual antagonist would have to also become the protagonist and the entire story will have become entirely different in themes, etc. Thus, you cannot establish the greens as protagonists or the "good guys" bc they are neither the winner, the person in the morally superior position, NOR who the Dance of the Dragons is about or whose struggle the Dance narrates.

The villains AND antagonists of the Dance are the greens. While the blacks have members who are not good people (classist, misogynist, etc.), they are leagues better than the greens and are meant to be their foils where one highlights the other's qualities to reveal the differing qualities between them. An example is how Daemon, while having beaten an adult messenger, AEMOND is the one to kill a young boy acting as an envoy who never reached Westerosi majority (16) because he felt like it. The same boy also happened to be Aemond's nephew, which includes kin slaying, something Daemon didn't do until Lucerys was murdered.

Even though I am sure Daemon would have no trouble killing Aemond and the rest of his green Targ family if he could get away with it before any green tried for him and Rhaenyra or their own, the point I am making is that the greens are misogynist, classist, etc x100. And they (aside from Jaehaerys I, he's long term and Viserys I, he made many stupid decisions for his daughter) short term caused the Dance.

Finally, yes, Lucerys had absolutely no chance of surviving Vhagar nor Aemond, since:

Aemond has a deep grudge not just about the eye, but bc he sincerely believed that the Velaryon boys had no right over him to the throne and thinks them inherently lesser, so their being heirs and ahead of him in the succession line troubles his identity/aristocratic masculinity -> this fueled him to pursue Luke when he absolutely didn't have to, and to the detriment and horror of Alicent/Otto/the green cause

Vhagar is the biggest living dragon at this point in time and is battle-hardened/experienced

Luke went out expecting to be safe bc his envoy/status, so he was totally unprepared

Luke was 14 when he did and didn;t seem trained in fighting w/a dragon -- unprepared

This wasn't a fight, it was an execution.