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acourtofthought · 2 years ago

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First off, love your blog. Always well thought out backed with canon evidence.

You look at things from the big picture, and take context into consideration, something I noticed many El/riels do not.

Aside from trying to force the Koschei plot line on Az (a plot that ties to Lucien) you ever notice that the only theories they provide are centered around ways Az and Elain will end up together? They legit dismiss multiple plots and arcs in favor of Elriel. I never see them provide actual storylines that moves the series forward. Plots that account for the rest of the characters in ways that it does not diminish them (Making Lucien, Mor and Gwyn villains ) yet dismissing the actual villains, uniting the courts, and progressing the story in a positive way that keeps the IC in tact and drama free.

What I'm taking from their theories is an elriel book is going to revolve around conflict among the IC when the purpose of the series, especially given the crossover is to UNITE and push characters to be the best versions of themselves with the person they are meant to be with. Elain and Az would break bonds, political alliances and it would get messy. It already is messy and they have not even kissed. Sorry, but that is not how SJM writes. Her plot twists and conflicts are centered around actual villians, which we know are neither Lucien or Gwyn. Sure, in other books by other authors it would work, but that is not the case here. If as a reader you enjoy that type of drama and a book centered around how a couple overcome their family and friends rejection and takes up most of the conflict in the book, there are plenty of books with that trope.

With all that is going on, Beron, Koschei the queens, uniting the continent, the crossover, I can't imagine SJM would have time to write one book that doesn't make Elriel look selfish when there is an actual real problems to deal with (The meme of Kourtney Kardashian telling Kim " people are dying" comes to mind here lol)

Imagine Rhys and the IC having to deal with Az and Elain sneaking around and breaking alliances, please lol. That is not the direction SJM takes in her series. This trope for characters like Az and Elain does not move the overall arc forward, it sets the story back and makes them look like assholes TBH. IMO Elriel sunk in that bonus and for good reason.

Lucien and Elain arc are intertwined to move the series forward.

And then you have Az and Gwyn, their union would be welcomed and if Gwyn is Az's mate, his found family would be nothing but happy for him, we'd see Azriel heal in a positive way, the way we did with Chaol. AN Az and gwyn union cements the bonds with the IC and Valkyrie, and allies, it does not break any bonds unlike Elriel.

Sorry, but the way I see it they can’t fit elriel into the entire arc, and their theories never tie into the actual storyline and that is why Elriel was never meant as endgame when you look at the series and crossover holistically, it's pretty obvious.

Thank you!!

To start with Gwynriel, it is set up to be such a natural pairing when you consider their friends.

Cassian and Az are best friends / brothers because of found family.

Nesta and Gwyn are best friends / sisters because of found family.

While Elain is Nesta's blood sister, they aren't sisters in the way that sisters can sometimes be best friends. They care for one another, they protect one another, but I wouldn't say they have the healthiest dynamic. Nesta has always struggled to allow Elain to be independent especially when it involves things Nesta considers too dangerous and I don't think Elain feels truly comfortable letting her hair down around Nesta. I think their relationship will improve by the end of the series but I still don't think they'll be close in the way Nesta / Gwyn / Emerie are close.

So this natural relationship between Nesta and Gwyn, where Nesta is able to be the new version of her makes perfect sense if Gwyn were to end up with Az. Mates spending time together while also spending time with their found family / best friends. Actually, I have friends like this. The two girls have been best friends since they were younger and they married two guys that have also been best friends since when they were younger and to this day they take vacations together, sleep over at one another's house after parties, etc.

I don't think it hits the same when it's sisters marrying best friends when the sisters have a bit of a complicated relationship. I don't think Feyre / Nesta / Rhys / Cassian hanging out would feel quite as fun as Gwyn / Nesta / Az / Cassian hanging out.

As for future plots, I know that shipping E/riel means someone is going to create scenarios for them. E/riel defeating Koschei, E/riel making diplomatic visits together (which doesn't even make sense when we're specifically told Az likes to work from the shadows and he's not social). But until SJM writes the book we can't guarantee that won't happen. What confuses me though is how they create the exact plots that SJM seems to be hinting at for Elucien. How can someone ignore that SJM tells us it's LUCIEN who had been to Koschei's lake? That LUCIEN was setting his sights on his target. That Nesta wonders if ELAIN would not only visit the continent with tulips but the one to the South of that? That LUCIEN is permanently stationed in Spring and is their emissary to the Human Lands, that LUCIEN is the heir to Day, and that Nesta tells us Spring had been Made for someone like ELAIN, that she'd tell ELAIN to go if she could, that ELAIN needs Sunshine, that ELAIN is struggling with her lost humanity. Every single thing associated with Lucien SJM has also tied Elain to. But E/riels ignore every mention of Lucien in these places and insert Az instead. How can you just erase the set up for Lucien's story like that?

And I did say this in a recent post but to your point of forbidden love, first off, how does that even work logistically? Az doesn't have his own place. Elain doesn't have her own place. Are they really meeting in dark alleyways and seedy taverns? There is no where they can go in Velaris where someone isn't going to see something and report it back to the High Lord and High Lady.

Second, does anyone honestly believe the union of Az and Elain is so special that it needs to be forbidden love?

This isn't a mafia romance where they're worried about their families trying to take the other one out.

There are no real stakes to their relationship.

Seriously, no one really cares if Az and Elain want to be together.

If Elain opened her mouth and said a few words to Lucien, "Lucien, I want to be with Az" he would say, "OK". He left her because he knew she was still in love with Graysen, he obviously doesn't feel entitled to her just because he's her mate. Just like Rhys allowed his mate to nearly marry another man, just like Cassian allowed his mate to sleep with many other males, Lucien is not going to stand in the way of Elain's decision to be with someone else.

Rhys laid down his threat but say Az disobeys, what does anyone honestly think Rhys would do? Kick him out of the IC? Torture him?

The ONLY reason Rhys pulled rank is because he knew Az was being an idiot and he didn't have real feelings for Elain. Rhys ONLY pulled rank because he knew Az wasn't over Mor and Az really was planning on hooking up with Elain for "just one taste" and Az did nothing to convince him otherwise. That's Rhys's little sister, it's admirable that he was looking out for her when he knew his brother was being a hothead. And while I'm sure Rhys did consider what consequences could come from Az's idiocy (he's a smart character, of course he looks at all sides), we all know Lucien would have never done anything to jeopardize the peace they were all trying to attain. He was the one warning them to treat Tamlin better because he knew they'd need Tamlin's forces before all was said and done.

So yeah, the whole idea of Az and Elain sneaking around creates this shady love that they can't share with the family and friends who love them and just want them to be happy. It turns them into selfish characters who don't care about doing things the right way, who don't care about having actual conversations like grown ups do.

Forbidden love is a thing because even if the two characters sat down and had a rational and reasonable conversation with their parents / bosses / brother, etc their love would still be forbidden.

If Az and Elain sat down and said to Lucien and Rhys, "we're in love and we're sorry we hurt you", NO ONE would stand in their way and that means their love is not forbidden.

#anti e/riel #gwynriel #elucien

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msookyspooky · 11 months ago

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Spooky!!!!! Can you plz share your thoughts on Neve Campbell returning to scream? 👀

(Sorry if you've answered this already!)

Ps I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE ur series so much - ur writing is SOOOO good 🥹 The last chapter tore out my HEART but has me kicking my feet GIGGLING at the same time - I genuinely wish u the absolute best bc you are AMAZING 💗

OMG THANK YOU!! I appreciate that especially since I was lowkey a bit weary of even adding Billy and YN at the end but damn we're 4 books in this has to happen eventually 😭🥴 I swear that the latest chapter is actually done (Just proofreading) but the plot is so heavy so damn 'wtf' that I'm writing the next chapter because I wanna make sure this pieces together smoothly cause there is no going back afterwards. So I swear I ain't dragging my feet TOO much 😅 But I'm giddy and nervous to post bc omg I don't think yall are ready 😗🤭

That is...just complicated. I love the idea of Sidney returning but not for this movie simply because of how they handled Melissa. Idc what side of the aisle you're on firing someone for speaking their mind on their Insta instead of being a meek media darling will always rub me the wrong way.

ANNNNDDD these Producers and Executives have lowkey butchered Scream in so many ways since Wes Craven passed and the fact that they made Sidney have less screen time in 5 not only for ageism in my humble opinion and money hungry greed to replace her with younger actresses no one asked for (Sorry I was all pissed they killed Dewey just to replace him with Chad even if I love Chad and got rid of Neve for the sake of 'new chapter' bs with a Billy's daughter trope if they were gonna do that they should've went with Scream 4's original plot IMO OR Sidney's daughters and Mark etc)

THEN by 6 we got very use to them and Sam became a beloved character that we could live with her and Tara being the new final girls just to shitcan them (Jenna walked from what I remember good for her) over an opinion that wasn't stated rudely or anything just talking about the kids involved in this war and they treat her as badly as they did Neve cutting Neve's pay and tossing her aside just for Neve to agree to come back???

Man, I'm sorry I am not a Neve lover nor hater but my pride could never. Guess that's why I'm not in Hollywood or loaded bc I would NEVER sign onto a movie that publicly humiliated me by basically saying I'm not worth the pay, then treating a younger co-star so poorly, then signing back on because they paid me what I should've probably gotten paid in the first place. My Manager and PR team could bite me...Probably why I'm a struggling artist instead lol

I do not hate Neve for this choice because ik money is money but it's disappointing.

And honestly? I have BEEN vocal how Scream 5 is by far my least favorite and they suckered us in with nostalgia and Scream 6 was GREAT except for the ending with the killers being so...Wattpad to be blunt coming from a wattpad fanfic writer. Hate or love Jill Roberts but she was a great Ghostface and it's so OBVIOUS what movies Craven worked on versus not. The killers in 6 COULD have been great too had it not been for them related to Richie (Who is my least favorite GF by far) and how fanfiction both latest installments feel with reveals. Scream 3 did too but Scream 3 purposely did not take itself seriously while 5 and 6 did except for Mindy as comic relief.

Of course this is my opinion and thank you for asking I'm honored you wanna hear my rinky dink opinion but I am not looking forward to 7. Scream 6 may not be my favorite but it is top 3 for me up until the reveal and Sam letting go of the mask and choosing a path to the future feels like the perfect ending! Franchise is done! Move on!

These movies are not like Friday the 13th of TCM with new victims these are stories tying in the victims and making 7 with the political climate rn and how they got rid of THE TWO NEW FINAL GIRLS just to beg Sidney to make a comback while probably having the safest most generic plot with how many changes they probably had to make after the characters were gotten rid of.

I'm just not hyped for Scream 7 and probably won't watch it. Ya know, all good things have to come to an end. Even this fic in time has to end. And I think the execs bit off more than they can chew and are backpedaling instead of doing the reasonable thing and canceling and I hate that Neve and some writers etc are on board still

And let's be real; Scream is getting less believable with tech. 96? Yeah, I could see it! 2000's? Sure! But 2020 onward? With smartphones and smarthomes and ringdoorbells and dna collected its time to say good bye to something that has to move on! Scream 6 did a descent job with the multiple GF and Scream 4 despite me not liking it they did it best as far as preparing future Scream for the murders. Not to get away with it but to be caught and sell the footage. They SERIOUSLY could've ended at 4 and I would accept it :/

But whatever, they're still decent movies but 7 is just one I have no interest in truly watching. For me personally but thank you for asking and listening to me rant and hopefully if you want cheesy overdone meta tropes my fic will do the trick rather than the movies 😅🤞🖤

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khaire-traveler · 1 year ago

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hey! just wanna know, how do you feel about hellenism related media? do you like something?

Hey, Nonny, thanks for the ask! I appreciate that you're curious about my opinion.

Personally, I don't engage with modern media about the gods much. I've had people tell me about it, and I've read about it, but there's a lot of stuff out there that I haven't really interacted with. I try not to be too judgemental, although I used to be a lot more critical of how modern media depicts the gods, but it's still not something I often enjoy. As a worshipper, my opinion is always bound to be biased, but I try my best to judge modern media for its story-telling rather than its accuracy (although that doesn't always happen, if I feel the depictions are egregious enough).

Below, I'll state my thoughts and opinions on the media I have interacted with (or at least have heard extensively about which is the case for Percy Jackson, as I haven't read the books).

I did like the Hades game! I felt it was really fun to play through, and as a game, it kept me engaged. I genuinely had fun with the game mechanics and the relationships you can build with other characters. It has its flaws, but so does every game. I've recently heard some grumbling about the way it depicts Greek mythology, but honestly, I think that if people are basing all of their knowledge of Greek mythology on a video game, it's up to natural selection at that point (this is a joke).

Along with Hades, I did find myself enjoying Immortals: Fenyx Rising. I was surprised with how similar the gameplay was to Genshin Impact, actually, but I'm not gonna talk about that lol. Fenyx isn't as widely known, but the way it handles Greek mythology is adequate and intriguing. The characters are pretty fun, and I enjoyed helping them in their main quest. The twist at the end (I will not spoil it) rubbed me kind of the wrong way, but I understood that it's just a game trying to tell a story, you know? It was fun, engaging, and interesting. Oh, and the monsters were pretty cool! I loved how they included monsters that you wouldn't really expect to see. The Hydra was a bit underwhelming to me, though.

Then there's the God of War series. Listen, I LOVED the recent additions to God of War that centered on the Norse pantheon - beautiful graphics, interesting story-telling, and a fun use of the mythology - but the original games that take place in Greece kind of bothered me. Mostly, yes, it was the representation of the gods. The way pretty much all of them were villainized (and the way they did Hermes so, so dirty, imo 💀) was a bit comical and strange to me. It felt like it lacked nuance to their characters (even Aphrodite was kind of there for one main "purpose" if you catch my drift). I also wasn't too big on the character designs of all the gods. Some were interesting, but others didn't land for me (mostly Hermes; he looks like he should be Apollo or Helios, and I just don't understand what they were trying to do with his design). Overall, it's a VERY fun series, but I find myself not being able to enjoy the original games as much because of their depictions of the gods.

Other forms of media (that are more popular), however, aren't really my thing. Percy Jackson isn't something I'm too big on. It plays into a lot of harmful tropes about the gods, and unfortunately, I've had some bad experiences with the more disrespectful side of the fandom. Not every PJO fan is an asshole, though (most aren't), which is extremely important to keep in mind (I see a lot of hate in the HelPol community towards them sometimes, so that's why I say that). I felt the plots were creative, for sure, but I didn't like the way Rick handled some topics or the way he sort of twisted the mythology for his own purposes. Like, some of these major plots throughout the series are absolutely bizarre; they make certain gods out to be massive assholes, tbh. Also, I didn't like the way Rick stated that the Greek gods "left the dangerous Mediterranean"; it just felt like a really weird and uncomfortable way to refer to Greece. I think if Percy Jackson brings new people into HelPol, then that's great, but people definitely shouldn't base their knowledge of Greek mythology on the books which is something I've unfortunately seen happen. If you enjoy the series, that's cool; it's just not my cup of tea, personally.

I think the one piece of modern media about the gods that I genuinely hate - and I really do mean hate - is Lore Olympus. That shit has harmed even the pagan community which is kind of wild. I've literally had people call me an "Apollo sympathizer" for worshipping a god who is NOTHING like the damn comic. It is an extremely disrespectful representation of the gods and mythology, and it's something that gets under my skin quite a lot. And honestly, it doesn't need to happen with the Greek gods. If you took the characters out of the setting they're in and placed them somewhere else, it wouldn't really change much, in my opinion; the Greek mythology part of it is really just used for the dramatics. It doesn't have much to do with Greek mythology besides just wanting to make Persephone and Hades the main focus. I have other complaints about it, but I will save my Lore Olympus critique for another day lol. I could go on forever about what bothers me.

I hope this answered your question thoroughly! Feel free to ask more if you're curious about anything else. Have a great day/night. ☺️🧡

#anon asks #answered asks #please remember this is my OPINION #like please don't attack me for this lol #you're more than welcome to enjoy something that i can't

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goneadrift · 2 years ago

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1, 8 and 14 from the questions for fic writers ask game <33

Thank you 🧡

questions for fic writers

1 - What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?) Mmm… I think that's either my first posted Royai - "Silent confession" because imo it ballanced setting the scene, inner contemplations and actual interuction - or Twiyor "The things I feel now I never thought I'd find" basically for the same reason.

What do you think? 😊 Was "Is this the ending of what we've begun?" the first read for you?

14 - Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer? I suppose it's not really a trope but anything that involves a love triangle. I can't even explain it, but the situation just irks me too much. I do indulge in occasional spikes of jealousy but I don't handle outright infidelity well. Even in fiction.

8 - What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)? Ohohohooho, there are a lot. But I have a particular one. I meantioned it once on server and never returned to it but I still think it's a cool case for "Would it be fucked up if…" 😄

The song is "Corpse Bride" by Green Apelsin. Copying my attempt at translating the lyrics and the stuff I came up with under the cut.

Digging up the earth, I'll tear my fingers down to blood. I will break the grave silence in forest. The wind howls terribly, carring your call to me. This time I believe I will be lucky for sure.

Don't be scared, dear, betrothed, darling. Life won't tear us apart, don't run, wait. There is no hiding from me, as well as from fate. God has heard my pleas from the underworld.

It feels like my heart is beating again in my chest. I'll open the door to gentle death for you. We will leave the world of the living - we have no place here. You're the alive groom, I'm the dead bride.

Why is your face so sad? After all, I'm wearing an engagement ring. Maybe you don't like the pale body? Or are you in love with something mortal?

Didn't you swear loyalty and love to me? I am not afraid of pain and there is no living blood in me. But why does it hurt, this the emptiness inside? Have a look, there is a remnant of bitter tears in me.

It feels like my heart is breaking again in my chest. I'll open the door to sure death for you. You will leave the world of the living - your place is here. You're my fiance and I'm your fiancee.

It feels like there is no heart in my chest again. The door to my happiness is closed forever. I will leave the world of the living - I have no place here. You're the alive groom, I'm the dead bride.

What if soon after Maes returned from Ishval (or right before his arrival) Gracia died? Maes in desperation asks Roy for help. Roy hesitates - he knows this is a taboo and he already did may unspeakable things. Doing another one… this might be his breaking point.

So Maes finds some other shady alchemist who agrees to do it. But he lies to Maes. So this is not a human transmutation but some necromancy that makes corpse to become basically something zombie-like. Or like in Games of Thrones where Drogo was "returned to life".

They can talk and have some mixed remnants of memories. So it seems as if Gracia recognises Maes and is glad to see him. But she can stop mid speech as if in some daze. She doesn't sleep. She doesn't know she died. She doesn't understand why Maes refuses to visit her parents. Why he avoids looking at her at times.

Then she finds memoir/necrologue in newspaper. Or hears Roy arguing with Maes next room about dangers of pulling one over on nature. After a while less and less of true Gracia remains in her body. She is helpless, she is angry - and at Maes too. And she becomes dangerous to him.

So either he ends this. Or Roy volunteers to save Maes from this (this line he crossed already; it is not exactly easy, but he remembers Riza's words about "freeing" - and here the purpose is to free this shell of Gracia and Maes from despair).

#ask game #smoothshine #gone writing

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kiigoumiu-blog · 1 year ago

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YES, THIS IS ACCURATE! In the JP ver, Ouma comes across as an immature little kid. That’s what’s supposed to make his behavior endearing. And that’s why Momota calls Ouma “pure” in that one scene. (of course they again ruin it in the translation lol). He basically is written based on the Japanese little boy character trope of “a brat who misbehaves and plays pranks on others”. But yeah, because of how aggressive he comes across in the translation + the voice actor they chose, I don’t think many English fans picked up on this.

Off topic rant but, this is one of the many reasons why I can only take Ouma x Gonta (and x Yumeno) seriously as a “canon” pairing. Because both of them are written to act like stereotypical Japanese kids. (Gonta fitting the trope because of his love of insects, which is a popular hobby among Japanese children + his use of very innocent/childish phrases such as calling insects “mushi-san” in the JP ver.)

I personally just can’t see any of the other students seeing either of them romantically. Even Kiibo whom I see as very bromantic with Ouma(+ paralleling with Komahima), just doesn’t make sense in reality imo as a ship with him because of this. Like on TDP when Kiibo tells Ouma that he still sees him as his friend even if he isn’t honest, it’s written in a way that makes it seem like he is talking to Ouma like he’s his parent/older brother. And I think the writers making most characters aside from Gonta and Yumeno treat Ouma this way was on purpose.

And yeah, I also noticed the translation improvement in DRS! I actually really love that game and I always wonder why it gets so much hate. I’ve even seen people say it was written by different people when… it's not? It's written by people who already wrote for V3. (Which explains why V3 characters have some of the best writing on DRS lol) And while yeah, it's not CANON canon, its meant to be seen as how the characters would canonly interact in a peaceful timeline. Such as getting to see that Kaede would end up asking Shuichi out at the end of their 3rd school year, or that Kiibo and Miu would move in together after graduation. And idk, I find details like that really pure.

My guess is that people don’t like that DRS(& TDP) doesn’t validate certain popular fan ships? And so they say it's really bad so they don’t have to acknowledge it.. I say this because, people suddenly treat TDP like it’s canon when they’re talking about the scene where Komeda wants to hold Hinata’s hand… Basically it's only canon if it acknowledges their favorite yaoi ship lol.

I wish that more English Danganronpa V3 fans knew that in the original Japanese version, Gonta didn’t talk in caveman/Hulk speech. He spoke in normal polite Japanese, only struggling with the meaning of certain words from his lack of experience. He did however talk in third person but Tenko and Angie did as well. In Japanese 3rd person speech works and is used to make characters cute and childish. But in English none of this comes across and instead is just distracting. Its obvious that the NISA translators only kept Gonta in 3rd person to insert weird American humor into the series.

I especially dislike this translation because Gonta is one of the most important characters in ndrv3, especially when it comes to Kokichi’s character arc. Now, instead of being the sweet and naive entomologist who allows the audience to see beneath Kokichi’s mask, he is now seen as nothing but a joke side character.

Which not only ruins Gonta’s entire character but also makes Kokichi’s character and intentions even more confusing.

(No wonder people are confused that Kokichi and Gonta got official Anniversary wine together haha)

To make things worse, they also changed Kokichi’s character by making him more childish and aggressive.(even going as far as changing his sprites on scenes!) I’d say one of the worst mistranslations though was making his whiteboard have “trustworthy?” written below the photo of Shuichi. In Japanese it says “yudannaranai” which in English translates to words like “dangerous” or “untrustworthy”. I really don’t know how they messed that up but it was likely because there was a translator who wanted Kokichi to be shipped with the protagonist. The translation error to me was strange because most of his interactions with Shuichi were negative so, to suddenly say that Shuichi was the only one he trusted would feel like a contradiction. It’s also frustrating because, the original whiteboard translation imo implies that Kokichi may have suspected that Shuichi was the mastermind which is SO INTERESTING and gives their dynamic so much more depth.

In conclusion: NISA ruined V3 lol

#ofc I have some issues with DRS as well #i personally don't like how aggressive they wrote Jill/Syo on DRS and how they toned down Imposter's role as a leader instead making him #more of a comedy relief character #but overall I really like the writing and how it gave characters a lot of needed character development that they couldn't get in the #main games #also the reason why Ouma is so popular in English isn't because people are aware of the mistranslation but because they simply like his #design. most people don't care about his lore and just make him ooc lol (no offense)#(also to be clear #people can obviously ship Ouma with whoever they want #this is just my preferance)

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phoenixyfriend · 2 years ago

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Last night I stayed up until about 4 AM rereading @glimmerglanger's fic "Bush League," and then today I got around to gushing about how their Cody characterization is basically one of the best on AO3 in Discord. Since I like to make sure the people whose fics I like actually hear that love, I'm going to share what I said here.

(Also to convince to read some of their stuff even if you haven't already. CodyWan isn't even in my main ships but I still read their stuff because it's just that good, and also because their Cody is so good.)

This goes out to imo one of the best fic writers I've run across in this fandom.

So to kick this off, I jumped into SW fandom right about when CodyWan was ramping up. I joined Feb/Mar of 2020, and that coincided (though I didn't know it) with the S7 release. That means that the ship was basically everywhere, and a lot of my early fic reads were based off of things that other people recced to me, things linked under cool fanart, things by authors I already knew from other fandoms, or niche trope searches.

Among those early longfics I read were a few glimmerglanger pieces, namely "Like Real People Do" (I don't actually remember how I found this one, it was probably fanart), "A Slow Fall Towards Grace" (through omegaverse filtering), "Flotsam and Jetsam" (tumblr fanart), and "Home on the Range" (don't remember how I found it, probably recced, or after I started following them on tumblr).

Bush League came later but it's also one of the best examples.

So this author is, IMO, really good in general. I don't have the same interps of canon across the board (because Star Wars is massive and you pick and choose your canon because it conflicts with itself, so everyone takes a different road for interp), but objectively, their fics are very solid and internally coherent.

They are particularly good at:

- Subtlety and nuance - Unreliable narration - Small hints of outside events that suggest a fuller universe

What canon gives us about Cody is that he's:

- very competent - well-respected - puts high value on loyalty to his brothers - puts high value on loyalty to his ideals (represented by the Republic) - while he has a dry sense of humor, he's also prone to playing personal things close to the chest (that parts a bit YMMV but it's the vibe I got) - he trusts Rex a nearly insane amount

What glimmerglanger does in their Cody POV fics is play those elements against each other in an understated way that feels genuinely human. Bush League has the main conflict embodied through 'loyalty to ideals' hitting cross-purposes with itself, and 'plays it close to the chest' heightening the problem until something snaps. That Cody's ideals are in conflict because there is what he was instilled with (a significant amount of internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity) and his better sense that he can be better, unlearn some of these things, that maybe his parents weren't right, and that Ben is a swell guy, maybe it's not that big of a deal that Ben likes guys, it's not a huge flaw when he can pitch like that, right

Crucially, lot of it isn't presented consciously. Cody doesn't realize he's unlearning some of those things, that he's subconsciously very aware that the things he was taught are wrong, that he's consciously trying to find compromises in those thoughts because the last eighteen years of things he knows can't be wrong, right?

And of course all this balances with the regular, small reminders that, if he is this thing he was taught is bad, if he is friends with someone that is 'bad,' then he will have one of his primary character traits (loyalty and love for brothers) sabotaged. This is even touched on in the epilogue of the fic.

Honestly, IDK how intentional it was to parallel this sort of denial and internal conflict to "Cody starts to question the structure of the army and has to hide his slow realization that they are slaves, is even in denial about it, because to speak out means to have his authority and influence removed, so he can't even try to keep his brothers safe anymore," ...but that is something I also like to see in Cody characterization, and it's definitely a good parallel if so.

glimmerglanger's skill with nuance and subtlety is something I really appreciate in general, because my focus as a reader tends to be short comedy, which often doesn't have the same room for dynamic, developed characterization. (My other focus is time travel, which runs the gamut, but that's a different rec list.)

I think that, on a casual read, some of their writing can come across as a very 'standard' reading of Cody, but it's never actually flat. The flaws and thought patterns tend to be pretty consistent across works, so even in wild AUs, I have the sense that this is the same person. I'm also a huge believer in how denial, especially characters very consciously not thinking something, can inform a character to the reader, and that's a pretty common thread across their Cody and Anakin POVs (for different reasons).

Flotsam and Jetsam is an interesting one on account of how it's Obi-Wan POV with a massive language barrier (human and merman, English and Mando'a). Cody isn't even conscious for the first part. It's also a fic that benefits a lot from having a canon to base off of without actually taking place in that canon. The reader can guess a whole lot about Cody's situation that Obi-Wan cannot, because we know the structures that are informing the original context, and can guess in a few ways at how they take shape in the new, so even when Cody is largely unable to communicate, the reader gets things out of it.

Anyway, glimmerglanger's Cody is one of my favorites because they manage to juggle all the things I consider core to Cody's character without necessarily having to come out and state them, so even when Cody is dry and private and 'standard,' he still feels like his own fully realized person that's consistent with both canon and with what I'd expect someone in his situation to be and do.

Okay, rant over, I have many feelings and I want to pump up this author as much as possible, go read their stuff, it's good.

#phoenix recs #commander cody #star wars #the clone wars #codywan

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hopeswriting · 2 years ago

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Twin fics are hilarious especially in khr. I don't know when it started but I noticed there used to be a trend a few years back and with Tsuna specifially being the overlooked because he isn't popular and his other sibling having more charm and into sports oh yeah did I tell you that Nana bullies her own son and the twin being in on it they crank it up to eleven but I still liked it even when I knew it was absurd haha. I know Nana isn't the best mother but there no doubt she loves her family lol.

I think the funniest part is sometimes they make Tsuna to sweet. I honeslty don't know how to explain it but like he makes bento boxes or takes care of wounds and his voice being mute due to bullying. Man, canon tsuna we make fun of but he so resilant that he doesn't let the peer bullying get to him and it slides off him it still effects him but yeah. He's snarky when we're first introduced to his character he has always been kind but not to the point where he like is an angel about it haha.

hi nonny, thank you for the ask!

okay but same for literally everything you said actually!! idk about twin fics in other fandoms but i did read some from khr back when they were really popular too, yeah. just some tho, because i quickly moved on from them and started scrolling past them unless other aspects of the fic were really appealing to me, and it’s pretty much for all the reasons you said here.

i wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re hilarious tho? i think it’s a little mean because it’s clearly not what those authors were going for, so i think i like absurd better, which (imo) they inevitably were at times when, indeed, dialing up to eleven too much the, like, sub-tropes? of this trope. like, the core aspects of what makes this trope recognizable beyond just giving tsuna a twin/sibling. and yeah, they did get a laugh out of me sometimes here and now too lol.

but just like you i still liked the ones i read tho!! there’s a lot of interesting and fun things to do and explore with this trope, but the way that was done the most often, re: dialing everything up to eleven, just didn’t do it for me for long haha. and yes, nana definitely isn’t the abusive mother they made her to be so often lol, but once more i think it’s a little unfair to say that when of course they tweaked it on purpose for the purposes of their fics. and that’s just what we all do whenever we’re writing fics, and especially aus, right? looking at canon from the angle that will best let us state the thesis of our fics (< sorry for being pompous for a second here but i literally can’t think of any other way to say it lmao 😂), and maybe or maybe not dial it all up to eleven lol, but yeah.

so that said, what i find funny with this personally is that, like you said, canonically nana already isn’t the best mother one can have. and tbh i think there’s already plenty of angst to go off and explore from that? especially because if you keep her good sides, then it makes it more nuanced and complex and hurts more, but i do see the fun in just making her basically the worst mother on earth to tsuna haha.

and talking about tsuna, his characterization in those fics is the biggest thing that ultimately put me off reading them. and the thing is, making tsuna basically a saint isn’t really mischaracterizing him. like, tsuna has all those traits canonically, but also let me go on the record here and say that i love so much and i’m so attached and protective of the fact that tsuna is, well. a loser to say it like it is lol. and that’s of course affectionate and i’m absolutely not saying it in a judgmental/insulting way, but in a factual way. because tsuna’s lazy and judgy and doesn’t like trying hard and doesn’t like having responsibilities of any sort and can’t do sports and doesn’t have good grades and doesn’t know how to talk to girls and cowers easily and is a thirteen years old kid. and of course by the time the manga starts his years of bullying has a lot to do with that, but the way i see it he was just your average kid before that too, maybe or maybe not already struggling more than the others on some aspects of life. and then the years of bullying made him give up on trying to ever be more than that if he ever had the motivation to do it, making him become below average.

and you’ll notice that not all the things i listed above are things you’d necessarily call flaws instead of weaknesses. in the way where people are good at things and bad at others and what you’re good and bad at is different for each person and it’s fine because that’s just the way people are. and it’s the point, and i’d even say it’s the whole point of tsuna as a character. *bangs pots together loudly* IS EVERYONE LISTENING?? because the point is, as we see tsuna reach his full potential through the course of the manga now he finally has people allowing him to and telling him he has, in fact, plenty untapped potential that’s just waiting for him; as we see his good sides, his kindness, loyalty, protectiveness, love, courage, compassion, forgiveness, resilience, understanding, etc, it tells us that he had worth and value all along despite his “bad” sides. that he didn’t deserve to be punished for them the way he was and that that was just gratuitous cruelty. which again is the whole point of him as a character, so when you take that away from him, that’s when you lose my attention as far as i’m concerned.

*bangs pots even louder because i’m not done* IS EVERYONE STILL LISTENING??? because not only tsuna was meant to be a loser, you’ll also notice that amano made a point to keep reminding us literally to the very last arc that he made little progress when it came to school or sports or girls etc, because he’s also meant to stay a loser!! because sure, it’ll be useful and will help him in life if he gets better at those things, but also he doesn’t need to become better at them to be treated with basic respect and decency, because those aren’t things that are tied to whether you get that from your peers or not. and they least of all are tied to or infer in any way on whether you have worth and value as a person. *wants to bang the pots again because it’s fun but puts them down instead*

and i get that giving him an even harsher treatment from the people around him than in canon makes all of it more meaningful and impactful. and prolly that’s what amano was going for too by giving him that backstory, because by the time we meet tsuna he had every reason to be bitter and resentful and hateful of people and the world, but he kept choosing to remain kind and loving instead. so yes i get that, but honestly? for me making this all he can be also takes meaning away from it too at the same time. it’s like, if that’s all he can be then he’s not choosing to be kind anymore no matter what life throws at him, is he? it’s like that quote that goes something like “if you’re unable of violence then you’re not a pacifist, you’re just harmless”. (and actually that’s something that’d be so interesting to write about and explore, like?? what do you do in the face of the violence thrown at you when the only thing you’ve ever known to do with it is to cradle it close with bleeding hands?)

and sorry i went a bit on a tangent here, but yes, hard agree with everything you said nonny, especially about tsuna. tsuna is kind and loving and everything i said above, and he chose to remain all that in the face of the harsh treatment he received for years, chose to endure it when he could have retaliated with anger or hurt or hate, which we know for a fact he’s able of, and he was hurt more for it, was hurt longer for it. he bled for it, and has still gaping and bleeding wounds from it when we first meet him in the manga, however resigned he was to them by that point. and *threatens to bang the pots again if you’re not listening* the cruelest thing here, the tragedy here is that all that pain was plainly and utterly undeserved and unwarranted. and that’s so important to me actually.

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #khr meta #sawada tsunayoshi #khr asks #khr fanon #i love tsuna so much nobody touches me #bratty loser teenager side and all #/especially/ because of his bratty loser teenager side #Anonymous

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dotthings · 3 years ago

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The set of CW cancellations was definitely a bloodbath. I’ve been following tv/media news for a long time and rarely have seen that ruthless of a clean-out. I get why people are upset, and they should be mad at that network and the studios, because they made this mess. Years of letting things be a PR tire fire, loss-leading practices—I recognize that there are good creatives trying to tell the best stories they could inside a messed up system, but the cuts were to the lowest performers. It wasn’t targeted to scrub the network of diverse series. And a reason I boycotted CW for a year was poor practices across the board and while I acknowledge there were shows in that previous gen of shows that had some inclusion, I was frustrated with how the diversity they had was treated, and with some tokenism, combined with the Dare to Defy virtue signaling when the content wasn’t living up to it.

I know people have lost characters and stories they loved though so I’m not trying to put down those series, this is just my perspective on it.

The reason I ended my boycott is the sale. It was knowing some accountability would have to happen, because unless CW did repairs, it wouldn’t be worth much to a new owner. Also I acknowledged, during the year when I touched nothing on That Network, there were a few shows where I felt bad about not being able to support them yet, that looked appealing to me.

The next gen of shows imo are doing better. A deeper level of inclusion, more intersectional, and the stories are strong.

Here’s an article unpacking what’s behind the cancellations. This gives an explanation of the business model and the role of streaming and how the market has changed. Those cancellations were studio decisions. Studios are looking at big hits to their bottom line in the streaming wars. Viacom/CBS and WB, the co-owners of CW can no longer afford to let their lowest performers keep being renewed without more careful programming choices, and it can’t afford the perpetual PR tire fires, the accusations of tokenism, the cycle where diversity was there, then the characters removed, or the relationships handled badly. I know it’s a fine line between genuine attempts at diversity and not everyone enjoys those stories and actual tokenism. Also keep in mind CW does not actually exist as a network the way bigger networks like ABC, NBC etc do. It lacks its own studios. It was only ever a cheap shared platform for Viacom and WB to make some money. It was a delivery system. Media companies currently prefer to have their shows on their own wholly owned streaming platforms (or their own actual full broadcast networks), it’s more profitable.

In my opinion, the next gen of shows are doing better and I’m allowed to say that. The purpose behind ending the boycott was to do targeted support of the kinds of shows I’d like to see more of and I’m liking them so far.

So here’s a remind of the series I’m supporting.

All American — all black leads, LGBTQ inclusive, and so well done you’ll keep wondering how this is even from the CW network (I’ll be watching All American: Homecoming once I’ve finished catching up on All American, sounds like it is equally inclusive, same thing with all black leads and LGBTQ). Much like Friday Night Lights, the football backdrop is the delivery system for genuine, dramatic stories. The show tackles (pun intended) a variety of issues and offers pov not often seen on network tv, and awareness of the role of community. (AA technically is a slightly older gen of shows, it started in 2018, and so many of us slept on it, but is part of new gen approaches on the network)

Kung Fu — all Asian leads, with a female lead chosen one warrior character and LGBTQ inclusion. Similarly to AA, offers neglected povs, the role of community. Also a very fun magical warrior girl narrative that puts twists on established tropes for the genre. (New gen of shows, started in 2021)

Nancy Drew — while the titular character is white, the ensemble emphasizes PoC and LGBTQ. I really appreciate its narratives on mhi and self worth. Spooky small town vibe with ghosts, a sense of local history, and multigenerational secrets. (a bridge between old and new gen, started in Fall 2019, but approaches match new gen)

New upcoming series:

Tom Swift — can’t really assess until I’ve watched it but the backdoor pilot for this on Nancy Drew and all the press so far looks very promising. All black leads. Titular character is a black gay man who will have multiple male love interests. Also features a woman of color and a trans man playing a trans man among the leads.

Gotham Knights — again, I can’t say for sure until I’ve seen it. The dc far on CW became increasingly disappointing to me, as a dc fan. This sounds promising tho, with PoC and LGBTQ rep among the lead ensemble, including nonbinary casting. (I realize Misha playing Harvey Dent is a huge draw but I’m seeing comments that erase how inclusive the young group of lead heroes are while people complain about one of J2M being on board). Anyway, this is a diverse batfamily show and is ahead of Titans on HBO Max (the other batfamily linked live action series WB is running now) in LGBTQ inclusion.

The Winchesters — SPN’s terrible rep on inclusion is overshadowing this. But I’ll point out showrunner Robbie Thompson created Charlie Bradbury and Eileen Leahy and is someone who cares about inclusive povs in storytelling, especially centering female pov. Jensen and Danneel’s production company, Chaos Machine, hired Renee Reiff, founding member of Out in Hollywood, as their director of development. While a series premise on John and Mary Winchester’s love story gets side-eyes even from fans who are supporting this SPN prequel, we’re also excited about the diverse characters. I’m delighted this seems to be the start of more inclusive expanded SPN universe. It features two women of color as part of its regular cast from the jump, and one of its leads is a bi latino man, played by a nonbinary latino actor.

I shrivel a little inside every time I see comments about how the “new conservative ownership” is getting rid of all the diversity, allegedly. That’s an erasure in and of itself. Believe me, I get why people are angry, they should be. CW has been a systemic mess for years and now fans and creatives are paying a high price. Not blaming anyone for never wanting to go near that network ever again, for anything. But some fans take that stance yet signal boost only content from their favorite, shame other fans who are genuinely supporting the next gen of diverse fare just for us showing up after boycotting, and some who claimed the entire network and all its shows are garbage during the boycott turned around and suddenly started evangelizing for the older gen shows that were cancelled. While ignoring the diversity of the new gen of shows.

#All American #Kung Fu CW #Nancy Drew #Tom Sift #Gotham Knights #The Winchesters #CW Network

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jonathanbyersphd · 2 years ago

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Unpopular ST Opinion

But I’ll be honest I think the reason I hate Eddie more with every passing day is because he’s just an obnoxious version of Jonathan? The background of their characters are SO SIMILAR (poor, alternative music taste, town freak) like I will go so far as to say that Eddie, for the most part, is an Expy of Jonathan and the Duffers created him because they couldn’t use Jonathan for this plotline. But the difference of viewpoints of Jonathan “you shouldn’t like things because someone tells you to” Byers vs. Eddie “list of things The Party is KNOWN to like are conformist” Munson turns them into Foils imo. (But this has been lost on the GA/majority of the Fandom)

Like Jonathan would NEVER treat Lucas poorly for being part of the Basketball team as long as he thought Lucas was enjoying it. (Jonathan is a big fan of do what you want unless you’re hurting someone) Whereas Eddie intentionally made Lucas choose between two things he loves doing. Like in this instance Eddie canonically does not allow for character depth. He’s a lot like s1 Jonathan in that way, but where Jonathan sees Nancy (and Steve) show these hidden depths and grows his opinion, Eddie doesn’t really. (Which yes he’s only here for a season but the Chrissy thing happens so early he could’ve changed) Yes one could argue that Eddie calls Chrissy a “freak” and tells Dustin that he shouldn’t change but it’s still that Black and White binary of freaks vs normies. They grey area isn’t there for Eddie. And it’s frustrating to have a character that has been around since season one, has such a similar character themes but isn’t as binary in his thinking be ignored by the larger fandom because he’s quiet (or not a pretty boy)???

Like I truly believe that Eddie is meant to contrast and highlight Jonathan’s character (and his growth from s1) but because it’s NOT as simple as let’s say Steve vs. Jonathan in s1 it was lost on the audience. It also doesn’t help that we don’t see a scene with them directly interacting. But, if you think about it both of their storylines this season are driven by their affection? (obvi Jonathan is in love, but Eddie is some flirting this seems like the best word) for Nancy and Chrissy respectively. Eddie tells Steve to make Vecna pay (for Chrissy) and Jonathan drags everyone across the country for Nancy. I also truly believe that Eddie dies at the end because there is no sense in keeping both his and Jonathan’s characters moving into season 5, we already have a loner/unpopular archetype who has more depth and is more integral to the overall story.

Furthermore, if they are seriously considering returning to season 1 groups this puts Steve (and Robin by extension) with Nancy and Jonathan (and likely Argyle for comic relief) and in terms of character ensembles there really isn’t room to have Eddie and Jonathan in the teen group. If you think about the five man band trope dynamic everyone in the current lineup (Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Robin and Argyle) already fills a role and unless they want to extend to six there’s no room for Eddie. (this is also the reason Max is coma’d so they can draw parallels between The Party + El and the older teens) Additionally, I would not be surprised if they actually reduced the teens down to just Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve which would make even less sense for Eddie to be around.

All of this isn’t to say Eddie is an inherently bad character, he serves a purpose. But with Jonathan back in Hawkins and the Satanic Panic allegory finished that purpose is over.

I know this is a lot and probably doesn’t make sense but TLDR: Eddie is a foil of Jonathan and I’m mad he’s loved more.

#many thoughts head full #unpopular Eddie Munson opinion #Stranger Things #jonathan byers #do not come for me Eddie Stans #I TRULY believe Jonathan could've had the plotline minus the dying #I saw something that included Eddie but excluding Jonathan from the teens #and I lost my shit #my bad #am I giving the duffers too much credit? Probably #watch I'm going to say all this and then Eddie is going to be not dead #someone has to stan Jonathan Byers and I guess that's me #I also will fight if you say steve doesn't have hidden depth in s1 cause he comes back for Nancy and Jonathan #I mean currently Steve Harrington is in timeout for me but I still support him #also if you think Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers isn't pretty THERE'S THE DOOR

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egyx0s-brainrot · 2 years ago

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An idea I have in my head for how I would rewrite the show is that, instead of the bracelet of Ra being the ultimate weapon, it is actually a key to activate more powerful artifacts that Ra (or maybe others like Ra) created and are now.

And so, the first season plot (or the first 10 episodes) of the show is that Leo and the golden army must search for these missing artifacts before the dark army does it first.

To give the plot a little bit of initially so it doesn't look dull or repeated, if a human finds an artifact and uses it, this human would become a type of monster with a symbiotic connection to the set artifact. Something like this:

It would be a good way to explore the Egyptian mythology and the differences it has with Leo's human knowledge.

It would also help explore the bast world of Egyxos, their citizens, and culture, and how they see humans as a subject too! And it would help characters like Ramses and Hyksos (who are the ones that pass more time in the human world) explore our peculiarly human culture. As may be some artifacts like Shu are on earth to be safer!

Artifacts like Tutankhamun's mask, Namer Palette, Canopic Jars, The Rosetta stone, Khufu statue, The Dendra zodiac, and the Merneptah Stele, etc.

But what do you think of my rewritten version?

Ohhh i had a similar thought! : the bracelet (powered by the eye of Ra) is one of 3 pieces of a key that got separated a long time ago and both sides are searching for them. Though I still don't know what purpose it would have:/

I love your idea! It would give the time and space for Leo and the Golden Army to bond and learn abt each other's worlds and lives, it would help the show to not feel too rushed and the adventures wouldn't be so limited to Egyxos.

this would fit on the 'villain of the week' trope, and the best thing is that at the end of the day you can still fit the plot in it. Like, have them go on wacky, fun adventures as an introduction arc to set the show's characters, world and pace more or less by having them go on this search which still has that high stakes feel that would allow to showcase both worlds (*cough* *cough* THE EGYXOS DIMENSION), but in each episode (or at least, most of them) there is a little bit of the plot, a clue or two of the larger story that awaits the viewers

Ancient Egypt as a whole is a literal goldmine for ideas and inspiration. Like, there's so much amazing stuff that could be used to (respectfully, ofc) tell a fun story! Like the artifacts that you listed and many more!

I mean, for a show inspired by Egyptian mythology and history, they didn't actually make use of it that much, imo

(Oh, if the humans get some kind of physical transformation when using an artifact, would that mean that Exaton used one, too?)

#asks and answers #sorry for the delay #it would be really cool to see something like this ;(#i love hearing your thoughts<3

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strangeswift · 2 years ago

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I always thought the monologue was there to show El that the kind of love Mike has for her is not the way she wants to be loved, and that their relationship couldn't be saved by him saying "I love you" because they had bigger issues than just him not saying those words. El's whole arc this season is about how she can't be put into a box with the words 'monster' and 'superhero' and yet in Mike's monologue he once again refers to her a superhero, which to me is setting up a conversation where El calls out Mike for loving the superhero that he thinks she is rather than the person that she really is, and she will break up with him because she wants to find out who she is without all of that pressure and those labels.

Two of the most prominent memories used when she revived Max were "there's more to life than stupid boys" and "not Hopper, not Mike, you," and I think that is setting up El's independence era where she realizes that she doesn't need a boyfriend and wants to focus on herself, especially now that she has to deal with Hopper's return, the fallout of Max's coma, and the impending fight against Vecna. She'll realize that she cares about Mike deeply but being with him romantically is not what she needs for herself.

Also this is just me and I think most Bylers will heavily disagree but I think they're going with Bi!Mike (who is aware on some level that there's something different about Will but doesn't know at all that he loves Will yet) and doing the misattribution of feelings trope where Mike was only able to say "I love you" because he fell in love with Will's feelings in the van and believed he loved El because of how those words made him feel. He says "I love you for exactly who you are" to her but it's clear that this is going to fall apart soon because the "exactly who you are" that Mike believes in is not El - she never said any of those things that made him feel so loved and so valued. That person was Will.

I think that once Mike finds out about the painting and Milkvan breaks up due to Mike realizing that El didn't say any of that "you're the heart" stuff, Will is going to confess to him as an explanation for why he lied and Mike will 'platonically accept him' at first and they will be closer than ever. Then after the timeskip, as they work together as a team to defeat Vecna, we're going to see Mike realizing that he has feelings for Will too and they'll probably kiss towards the very end of the show. Mike probably won't get an explicit bi label but they'll show him being in a happy relationship with Will.

I don't see a convincing way to do Gay!Mike at all after the monologue but I think implied Bi!Mike - where he thought he loved El due to the van speech but eventually finds out that those were Will's words, which jump-starts their romance arc - is very possible.

(The only line that truly bugs me in the monologue is the 'my life started the day we found you in the woods.' We as an audience know it's bullshit bc Mike did not love El immediately and he also said befriending Will in kindergarten was the best thing he's ever done but idk how they're going to explain away that one in-universe. But the rest of it is fairly easy to debunk imo and actually serves a purpose for both El's arc and Mike's realization of his feelings.)

Warning for mild By1er doubt

Very good points and well said.

To the gay Mike vs. bi Mike point, I definitely think he's going to be unlabeled in canon. Personally I am a gay Mike truther primarily because "It's not my fault you don't like girls" reads as projection to me which only makes sense if Mike does not, in fact, like girls. And I think they could do gay Mike in a convincing way. (Here's my thoughts on what is going on in Mikes head during the monolgue, which I wrote from the perspective of him being gay, though it doesn't have to be read that way.) BUT I don't think they will do gay Mike, in canon he'll definitely be unlabeled.

To the point about the "my life started the day I found you in the woods" Yeah that line bumps me too. I know a lot of people use it as evidence that Mike is obviously lying through the whole monolgue. But I don't really think he's intentionally lying? So that doesn't explain it away for me. The pessimistic part of me just thinks maybe the writers just didn't expect people to read into it that much so they didn't concern themselves with the fact that Mike canonically was going to let El be sent "back to Pennhurst or wherever she came from." But I honestly don't know what to think about it. (I do have a theory about this line but I don't know how much merit to put into it, I'll probably make a separate post about it.)

Anyway, you made extremely good points. As I said before, I'm a massive pessimist, so everything I say regarding S5 predictions should probably be taken with a grain of salt for that reason. I have a hard time trusting the Duffers because I have a hard time trusting anyone.

For example, I am sort of afraid that they're still going to lean into the Superhero thing for El now that she has her powers back. It is possible that El was only upset at being called that because she didn't have her powers at the time. That's not the way I choose to interpret her character, I think she doesn't want to be a "superhero" regardless, BUT I worry that we're all misinterpreting it and the Duffers are going to be stupid idiots. But I won't dig too much more into the things about the monolgue that worry me, because that's depressing and I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts anon, you said it well so I don't have much else to add. I sincerely hope that you are 100% correct and this is exactly the way the Duffers intended it to be interpreted.

#asks #abby rambles

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kinktae · 5 years ago

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beyond the story: bitchin’

Hi friends! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during these tough times! I really wanted to put something out there as a thank you to just how much support Bitchin’ got. You guys really are incredible. So, although this story has come to an end, I wanted to properly close the Bitchin’ chapter by giving you all a behind the scenes look at Bitchin’ and everything that went into writing it. This includes hidden easter eggs, backstories, alternative plot-lines, and a short drabble of the Bitchin’ cast 10 years after the story’s end.

Without further ado, please enjoy and thank you again for all your love. You have all of mine.

CHAPTER ONE – PARTNERS

Ah, yes, the start of this whole wild ride. I’ve always loved the whole nerd/popular person trope in fanfics, so it was only a matter of time before I tried my hand at it too. One thing I was adamant about was not making this a “popular person turns nerd hot/confident/better” fic as its kind of one of my least favorite cliches. With that in mind, and knowing that I was going to allude to TATBILB’s contract, I decided that I wanted Y/N to gain as much from the deal as Jungkook did. No blackmail, no just agreeing for the hell of it – Y/N was going to further herself and her dreams given the opportunity.

The beginning of the chapter is where the two are most separated and dissimilar throughout the whole story. It wasn’t that they were fundamentally different, it was that they approached life differently. Y/N was frustrated at how superficial Jungkook seemed, because she believes there is much more to life than just kicking your feet up and cracking jokes.

On the other hand, Jungkook didn’t understand why Y/N was so tense and on guard. To him, life was meant to enjoy and not take so seriously. Which makes sense, given that he grew up with minimal rules and minimal worries (bare minimum partners wassup !)

“So, do we have a deal? Partners?” There was mischievous timber to his words, the kind that made you feel as if this would all later come back to bite you in the ass.

Pushing that pestering thought away, you took his hand into yours, holding his eyes as you gave it a firm shake.

“Partners.”

God, this bit. I knew from the minute I wrote it that I was writing the ending of bitchin’ along with it. I knew this was exactly how I was going to end this story, bc the word partners has multiple means right? In chapter 1, this meant business partners, but in the final chapter… it means life partners. Idk, I’m just still really happy with this writing decision :D

CHAPTER TWO – THE CONTRACT

Dearest Yara. We meet her in chapter two don’t we? Yara is completely based off of my irl best friend Yara who is a writer and who helped me A LOT with this story. She was my biggest supporter throughout figuring out this crazy plot. It was initially only about seven parts, but with her help I managed to bump it up to 10! Everybody say thank you Yaraaaa.

You were angry, that much was evident to her. Yara was sat in your shared dorm’s living room, a thick blanket engulfing her small frame. You briefly glanced towards the TV, it was tuned into MTV, the familiar music video of Every Breath You Take by The Police playing, before directing your glare back onto the copper-haired girl.

The song reference is a direct allusion to writer Yara’s fic, which is one of my favorite fics by her. She was actively writing it around the start of our friendship so it only felt right to pay respects to her. The introduction of her character felt necessary imo bc I wanted to make sure Y/N had a life outside Jungkook. Plus, I got to use the scenes between the two girls as a way to reference the music and culture scene. Yara is especially a fan of the powerful women in the music industry at the time, i.e., Madonna, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Laupner, etc.) Yara is a raging feminist and believer in sexual freedom and libery for women, we do in fact have to stan.

“How old do you think your sister is?”

“Hey, don’t sass me. For your information, Lyanna still has all her Care Bear tapes. She threw a hissy fit when my mom tried to give them away last Christmas.” Yara recalled.

Lyanna is one of writer Yara’s past pseudonyms. She always used to joke about how whenever she read it, it was confusing because there was Y/N, Yara and Lyanna, which were technically all her lolol.

FUNNY STORY ABOUT THE CONTRACT I INSERTED INTO THIS PICTURE… Twitter found it and made it into somewhat of a meme because no one knew it came from a fic rip. I was actually rly embarrassed and even wrote some posts about how much twitter scared me on my blog LMAO. but THEN weirdly enough, I actually stumbled upon a small community on twitter who actually found my fic and would TWEET ABOUT IT!!! LIKE REACTIONS TO EACH UPDATE!!! I wish I could go back in time and remember how giddy I was the first time I found a tweet about my fic. The fanfic community on twitter gave me a new love for the site (which I had previously had removed myself from because of its toxicity) and I have met so many wonderful people because of it. People even made themselves a little twitter group chat to talk about my fics, and now we are all friends! I miss posting a chapter of bitchin’ and refreshing my twitter feed as all my mutuals would post memes and live tweet their reactions. God that made me so fucking happy.

CHAPTER THREE – THE ROLLERSKATING DATE

I love the bickering in this chapter, because unlike the bickering in the first chapter, it’s actually less hostile and more playful. Y/N is slowly letting her guard down to the very persistently charming Jungkook.

“Woah. Family of six, huh? So you have siblings then.” He noted.

“Yep. Three.”

“Tell me about them.”

Looking up from where you were slipping on your second skate, you met Jungkook’s eyes, surprised to see genuine interest in them.

I actually originally had Y/N brush him off here. I was going to wait until the drunk party scene for Y/N to open up about her family and relationship with her sisters. But then I kind of thought to myself… Why? Y/N made peace with it and doesn’t hold onto those insecurities anymore. And objectively, Jungkook hasn’t proven himself to be a bad person so… I let Y/N open herself up to him.

“Then there’s the twins, Rosa and Lia.”

“Hold on. Twins? Wait… did they go to our high school?” Jungkook asked, his interest in this conversation doubled.

“Yep. They were two grades above us.” You confirmed.

“Oh shit, yeah, I remember your sisters, they were mad hot.” Jungkook let out a low whistle, before stiffening, flashing you an apologetic look. “Uh, in a totally non-meathead way.”

You offered the scared-looking boy a small smile, shaking your head.

Some of y’all notice but, Rosa and Lia are a blatant homage to my name: Roselia. ACTUALLY some form of my name can be found in every one of the rewind series fics, including upcoming ones. I’ll give a cookie to whoever can find every single mention hehe.

“I told you it was dumb.” You laughed nervously.

It wasn’t that you cared much about what Jungkook thought but you had a feeling a guy like him, who was popular and carefree, wouldn’t be able to sympathize in the way you would like him to.

“No, I’m just… surprised, that’s all.”

Jungkook certainly was surprised. You had built up quite the impression on him from the very moment you two met. It was hard to imagine that the girl who was so unapologetically herself was ever unsure or insecure.

Somehow, the idea tugged at his heart, as if he understood you more if only just a little.

From the get go, Jungkook was extremely drawn to just how confident and secure Y/N was in herself. I knew I wanted Y/N to be unapologetically sure of herself and in her abilities. Something I didn’t want, however, was for frat boy!jungkook’s only personality traits to be liking sex and being a cocky bastard (although I am a big consumer of that trope heh). Jungkook is actually canonly incredibly insecure. He lacks a real sense of self, which is why he is so desperate for Kiri back. His relationship with Kiri at that time was a big part of what he thought was himself. He has somewhat of low self esteem tbh which is why he’ll go back to a woman who treated him unfairly. That’s why he comes off the way he does in the first chapter and why Y/N thinks he has a big ego... he’s overcompensating. He finds it so endlessly fascinating that Y/N, in all her confident glory, was actually once super insecure. He admires her all the more once she opens up about her past.

“Oh, Rosa is an intern for our hometown’s newspaper but between you and me those assholes don’t even let her write. She does coffee and burger runs for men in charge. And Lia sells ice cream at the mall.”

“What about your brother?” Jungkook asked.

“He’s training to be a cop just like my dad.”

“And your mom?”

“She works at a convenience store.”

All their careers resemble people in the latest Stranger Things season (Nancy, Steve, Hopper, and Joyce). Fun Cameo there.

“What’s wrong?” You wondered, following his eyes.

“October 16th, 1985. 6:48PM.”

“Yes. That’s today’s date and time. What about it?” You pressed, growing confused.

“Remember it.” He warned.

“Why?”

“It’s when I fell in love with you.”

This iconic line I actually got from the real Jeon Jungkook himself. While Jungkook wasn’t actually in love with Y/N here, it certainly was a cute way for him to express his admiration for her.

OH HERE’S A FUN FACT: the hickey scene at the end of this chapter where JK and Y/N kiss for the first time was actually supposed to be Yara giving Y/N the hickey like the best friend she is. Ultimately I went with JK giving it for... smut purposes... ≖‿≖

CHAPTER FOUR – THE HALLOWEEN PARTY

The decision for Y/N to be Freddie Krueger came from me planning to be him for Halloween. And I was! JK as Glen Lantz just followed naturally. I’ve seen some great edits of him as the character. Truly chef’s kiss.

I really liked that Jungkook came over to the girl’s dorm to get ready. I didn’t want a scene where Y/N was thrown into a situation she was uncomfortable with which is how much Nerd At A Party Scene go so made sure Jungkook stayed by her side throughout the part, going out of his way to introducing her to the people he cared about.

Tae’s character came in when I realized I needed a way to actually put Y/N’s event in motion. He was the missing link and BOY did you guys eat his character right up huh. Love that for me.

Another thing, the confrontation with Kiri was so hard to write guys, I reeaaaally struggle with girl conflict. GIRLS SHOULD SUPPORT GIRLS. However, not everyone gets along in real life so I went with Kiri being more along the lines of petty rather than outwardly a cunt to Y/N. Realistically, Kiri is popular and well liked among the greek life so being unkind to someone she hardly knows wouldn’t make sense. There’s definitely tension between these two but I tried my best to steer away from the typical cat fight/revenge porn/public humiliation trope most movies seem to follow.

CHAPTER FIVE – THE FIRST TIME

Introduction to Erik!!!! It was really important to me that Y/N had a life before Jungkook. That's why I wrote in Y/N having a fiancé. She’s not opposed to love, she just has reshifted her focus. She knows what she wants and is choosing to focus on that, which why when she realizes she’s falling for Kookie she’s so hesitant to admit it because she’s fallen down that road before. Even though Jungkook treats her with respect and acknowledges the parts of her she’s most proud of, she just isn’t willing to possibly give up her passions for love. Which is why she doesn’t immediately confess to him, even once she’s sure she loves him.

“I’m serious, nerd. You’re like… um… the sun!” Jungkook marveled, eyes growing full as the realization dawned on him.

“The sun?” You laughed.

“Yeah, like… you’re this bright, beautiful thing that seems like it’s here in front of me but is really light-years away.”

Jungkook was drunk, and although you were sure he was making more sense in his head, you couldn’t help but feel your face grow hot, unsure of how to react to his drunk analogy.

“You’re the sun, Y/N. You make the world turn for you. Never orbit for anyone else.”

And suddenly, you were kissing him, for no other reason other than you wanted to and that it felt like the right thing to do.

No real commentary here. Just love this bit. It’s probably my favorite interaction between them two ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ )

“Also… She’s, uh, currently dating Eunwoo.” You told Yara.

Your best friend blinked, silence falling over her.

“Yara?”

“Good for her.” She perked up almost forcibly. “Let her put up with his annoying ass.”

Yara could see the way your expression had turned dubious as if you didn’t believe her nonchalant act.

Yara turned up her nose defensively, “What?”

Ugh yes, some character development from Yara.... the flavor ! Yara (much like Y/N and JK) also struggles with love. She has a real fear of commitment and if far more comfortable with casual sex than relationships. She did develop actual feelings for Eunwoo, she just wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment so she cut him off. Fleed the scene if you will. Typical gemini smh my head.

"I don’t think the contract mentioned orgasms.” Jungkook smirked as you released his thumb.

“I say we let it slide.” You shrugged, leaning into him casually.

“You think?”

“Totally. Think of it as… a bonding activity.” You joked, resting your chin on his shoulder, peering up through your lashes.

“Damn, we’re really committed to this fake dating thing, huh.”

You laughed in the way that you hated, but Jungkook loved; it was loud and abrupt, but it genuine, and it was you.

“What can I say, I’m a method actor.” You sighed dramatically, causing Jungkook to grin before pressing a kiss to your nose, simply because he liked the way it always seemed to make you smile.

GOD THEY’RE SO WHIPPED FOR EACH OTHER ITS DISGUSTING!!!!!! I’m really happy I decided not to make sleeping together a big deal and I got a lot of feedback from you guys agreeing! I had a lot of fun with these two’s sex scenes knowing they could do it whenever they wanted.

CHAPTER SIX – THE STEM EVENT

I started the scene with smut BUT I wanted to point out that much of their time spent together is at Y/N dorm, Jungkook either napping, hanging out or doing work as Y/N would study like she always did. I liked the idea that Jungkook would get bored and would want attention from Y/N because she was so focused. Idk, I just wanted to write a love story about two people spending time together and figuring out how they fit in each other’s lives as opposed to some dramatic I mEeT HiM aNd mY LiFe bEcAmE cRaZy. There’s nothing wrong with that plot line, I just didn’t want that for these two dorks. I wanted Y/N to interact with JK’s scene and crowd but not give up her own which is why most days JK and her just lounged around in her dorm studying.

Also, I don’t know how the teacher/student roleplay made it into the smut, it just did, no further questions (ʃ⌣́_⌣́ƪ).

Then the event scene.

“You’re whipped, dude! Seriously.”

Jungkook felt his face go red, “Shut up, no, I’m not.”

“Hey, I’m not judging. I get it. That’s your girl.” Taehyung shrugged. Jungkook placed a hand on the fold up table in front of him, staring down at the information pamphlet you had worked so hard on.

“She’s just… so fucking driven and passionate about everything she does. Sometimes I look at her, and I’m just like… holy shit, what am I doing with a girl like her? I feel like she’s totally out of my league and being with me is holding her back but— I dunno, man. I just… really like her.” Jungkook revealed, voice growing small.

An unexpected wave of tenderness fell over the two boys, Taehyung throwing an arm over his little brother’s shoulder.

“I’m happy for you, bro.”

Jungkook didn’t know it just yet but dude was talking from the heart and, is in fact, totally whipped :’c

I loved the confrontation scene between the boys and Eunwoo because the boys standing up for Yara really did make everyone feel like a friend group, not just some character who happen to exist at the same time. It wasn’t just Y/N and Yara and one side and the boys on the other. They would all become friends, which is ideal to me. A boyfriend who likes your best friend and considers her a friend so you can all hang out??? Yes please.

Initially, irl Yara and I had noooo clue if Yara would end up with Eunwoo or not. That was actually the original goal actually. But after this chapter four, you guys made it ABUNDANTLY clear that you guys wanted to see Taeyara, despite the two never even meeting! Honestly, it wasn’t until this chapter was written that we decided for sure that Eunwoo was out of the picture for Yara. Part of me really wanted to keep Yara single, but irl Yara insisted on dick and frankly, she’s right. Bitchin’ Yara deserved a shot at love. She definitely has her own story outside of Bitchin’ and will experience a lot of growth in the future.

“God, I know. I do not miss that temper of his.” She chuckled, her words piquing your interest.

“Temper?”

“Oh, yeah. Have you seriously not experienced it yet? He’s got some gnarly anger issues. Not to mention all the lying…” Kiri paused suddenly, straightening up as she flashed you an apologetic look. “Yikes, I’m sorry. I totally should not be telling you this. I’m not trying to be that gross girl that shit talks her ex to his current girlfriend.”

Miss Kiri, Miss Kiri. She really acted up this chapter didn’t she. There was a lot of discussion about whether or not those things she said about Jungkook were true. Which was exactly what I wanted hehe. We come to find out that Kiri had definitely stretched the truth. She really is good at manipulation and understanding how people think and it’s why she is in the role that she is in. Messy queen.

CHAPTER SEVEN – THE ROOFTOP DATE

This entire chapter was inspired by High School Musical with Troy and Gabriella’s rooftop garden scenes. This was my shortest chapter and honestly, probably not my strongest. I definitely went into writing this with zero concept of what I actually wanted to happen. Usually when I write my chapters I have a 4k long outline of it beforehand that I go off of. Not this one though. I really just winged it and I tried my best to write a chapter that really showed off (dialogue wise) just how this couple bounces off each other. I do really like some of the banter they have in this chapter.

You had taken note a little wooden popsicle stick poking up from the soil of the yellow flowers. Acacias, they were marked. Pulling your knees up to your chest, you considered his words.

Yellow acacias stands the value of true friendship and can indicate a secret love! I thought that was very appropriate given these dummies' relationship.

“So, you probably know why I brought you here.”

You nodded.

“You’re proposing, right?”

“Yeah, I– oh, shut up.” He laughed, the serious mood shattering as you joined him.

Even though I knew they were going to have a semi serious talk, what with Y/N asking about what Kiri had told her, these two dufuses realistically are just too comfortable with each other to stay serious for too long.

“Hey, I said that out of frustration, I didn’t really mean it. I’m sure she’ll come crawling back soon.” You attempted to comfort him, hoping to sound sincere.

“Even if that’s true, I’m not entirely sure I want that anymore.”

“What?” You blinked. Jungkook shrugged.

“What about us?” He met your eyes, causing your breath to hitch.

“What about us?”

Jungkook stared at you for a moment, noting the way the timber in your voice had become higher pitched as if panicked.

MORE FUN FACTS LMFAO: I typically do this thing with unplanned chapters where I just go for it and write and usually it works out. But when I wrote this down I remember stopping and being like ??? WHY DID I JUST WRITE THAT ??? I don’t like deleting my writing so I had a serious think to myself about whether this was going to be the moment Jungkook confessed or not.

Canonly, I decided that Jungkook did in fact mean ‘us’ in a romantic sense, but because of the way you perceivably panicked at that possible meaning, he decided against taking the conversation in that direction, instead speaking about ‘us’ in a platonic sense. Poor kookie :(

“Stop. Listen to me, Jungkook, you’re a fucking great guy, okay? You’re charismatic and funny and care about your friends… sure, you almost ruined my event, but it was mostly to defend my best friend when Eunwoo got too pushy, right? You’re a good guy, meathead. I know I joke about your ego, but I really believe you’re capable of more than you think you are. Seriously, Kiri is so lucky to be the object of your affection.”

Jungkook watched the way the sun’s orange light kissed your face, a bittersweet feeling growing in his chest as he contemplated the object of his affection. Just a couple of months ago, he would have had no doubt about who held his heart, but as you held his stare, he found himself unsure and yet, entirely sure all the same.

“Jungkook? You okay?” You frowned, catching in the sadness in his eyes.

“Hm? Yeah, yeah. I just… realized something.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“…It doesn’t matter.” He smiled, the gesture hardly reaching his eyes.

It’s in this moment that Jungkook decides that there is no way you hold the same affection towards him that he does to you. He mistakes your words of comfort as you pushing him away. You are so kind and encouraging and Jungkook loves you so much that hearing you insist about him ending back up with Kiri hurts him so bad.

But you are still unsure about your feelings and genuinely believe that's still what Jungkook wants. You’re just being a supportive friend!! :( It isn’t until the end of this chapter when Y/N has her talk with Yara that she realizes, oh man, she’s in deep.

CHAPTER EIGHT – THE MISTAKE

BLAH. This chapter is so BLAH, you know? Having to write this chapter was SO HARD. I texted irl Yara complaining about how much I hated having to put my characters through this and that I wanted to just end the story on chapter 7 and keep them happy forever. BUT ALAS! I had planned for this to happen from the start.

You tasted like the mint of your favorite brand of toothpaste. He imagined if he had caught you any later then the mint would have been accompanied by the taste of coffee, knowing the way you rarely started a day without a cup.

God, he had missed the taste of you.

What you guys didn’t see is Jungkook spending the night with Kiri, and immediately kicking her out, freaking out as the weight of guilt washed over him. He knew he had done nothing wrong, that you weren’t his real girlfriend, and that getting back together with Kiri was exactly what he had signed up for. It was what he should’ve wanted. But it wasn't… because you were what he wanted. And that was exactly what he was going to tell you as he marched over to your apartment.

But he panicked. His mind already decided that your answer to him would be no– that you didn’t feel the same. So he kissed you. He had you in the only way he was allowed to. He was selfish and impulsive and so incredibly scared that he ended up hurting the person he loved the most.

Initially though, I had Jungkook get back together with Kiri, not that he slept with her right before sleeping with Y/N. But I decided TEEHEE let me just make everything erupt into flames. However, I didn’t realize just how angry with Jungkook you guys would get. I remember thinking DAMMIT WAS THAT TOO SCANDALOUS?? I knew I was going to have to work hard for Jungkook to redeem himself to my readers.

“She wants to get back together.” Jungkook swallowed dryly, eyes wavering between yours as if to gauge your reaction.

“…Oh.”

You shook your head.

“I mean, wow! That’s… That’s great!” You smiled, something tearing apart inside you as the words left your lips.

“Y/N–”

“Seriously! This means it worked, right? This is exactly what you wanted to happen.” You enthused, turning your head so that he couldn’t see the way your eyes had welled up.

Jungkook’s heart was pounding in his ears, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around you.

“Yeah… yeah, no, you’re right. We did it.” He replied monotonously.

GOD THIS PART IS SO UNBELIEVABLY FRUSTRATING! JUST ADMIT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER YOU MORONS! This entire situation is so convoluted because there's so much information missing and not being expressed, I seriously want to ring my own neck rereading this bit.

“Are you mad?” He called out cautiously, a heavy feeling falling onto his chest.

“Why would I be mad?” You quipped back sharply, causing Jungkook to flinch. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“I just thought… I mean we’ve been fooling around a lot lately, so I didn’t know if—”

“If what? I had feelings for you?” You scoffed. “Please, as if I’d ever fall for you.”

And there it was— everything Jungkook already knew but had been so afraid to hear. Of course, you didn’t feel for him what he felt for you. How could he have expected anything different?

IDIOTS!!! THEY'RE BOTH IDIOTS!!! I don't know how y'all put up with this for so long. Forgive me.

CHAPTER NINE – THE BREAK

Okay I actually love this chapter. And for many reasons. Let me break down the three scenes for you guys.

Scene one: Kiri confrontation

Kiri is definitely an opposing antagonist. She is constantly working against Y/N because of their interests directly conflicting. BUT. I would argue that the biggest antagonist to this story is the inner ones – Y/N and Jungkook's lack of ability to admit their feelings constantly holding them both back from their happy ending. That being said, a confrontation scene between Y/N and Kiri was MUCH needed. While I suppose I can understand why Kiri doesn't like Y/N, that doesn't change the fact that she has been disrespectful and catty. So miss Y/N had to put Miss Kiri in her place (•̀ᴗ•́)

Scene two: Yara and Tae at the library

Fanservice. That is all. LMFAOOO y'all reallllyyy wanted it to happen and who am I to deny my people what they want. It was really fun getting to explore my side characters and develop them through interactions outside the two main characters. IRL Yara also mentioned giving bitchin’ Yara and Tae their own chapter as a joke and I was like LOL BET. I fully was going to but then I got the idea for the next scene and was like ahh ok maybe not the whole chapter.

Scene three: Meeting with Erik

So. This was a SUPER last minute decision. Like, it wasn’t until I was writing this chapter that I planned on Erik making an appearance. I saw a tweet with someone saying their bitchin theories and they mentioned Erik appearing out of nowhere and I was like,,, HOLD ON!!!! That could be kind of spicy ≖‿≖

I knew for a fact JK was NOT going to be forgiven in this chapter; I needed a way to lay the situation out between the two dorks without trying to seem like I was trying to sway my audience in a way that didn't make sense to the story. Y/N was rightfully angry. But she wasn't only angry about the timing of the sex. She was angry that Jungkook went back to Kiri at all and there was no way she was going to admit that. So who better to lay it all out than calculated, unbiased third party Erik. He deserved some character development after all.

I also liked the idea that Y/N had, in theory, “romantic options.” Losing Jungkook didn’t mean the end of her life. Having my female lead stand on her own was very important to me.

CHAPTER TEN – THE END

RIGHT OF THE BAT I needed Jungkook to suffer. So that whole scene where he tries to interact with his old group only for his presence to make everything awkward MMMM yes, sweet revenge on my part.

You were surprised. His hair was no longer shaggy and long like you remembered it. Instead, it had been freshly cut, looking healthy and neatly styled for the first time since you met Jungkook.

THE WAY SO MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED ON THIS LINE “but Y/N liked it long?!?” IS SO FUNNNYyyyy. So let me clarify a thing. Jungkook had always wanted to cut his hair right. The only reason he didn’t was because Y/N told him not to. With Y/N no longer in the picture to convince him out of it, he cut his hair. That’s really all there is to it skfjsjf.

You know, I had written this part around the time I had just finished up the third ch believe it or not. And it was COMPLETELY different. I had it planned that Yara and Y/N ignored him throughout class and Yara had gone back after the bell rang to go verbally assault JK. And as the two hashed it out, only then was that when Jungkook would realize that he liked Y/N after Yara literally spelled it out for him.

“You like her, dumbass!” Was what I had written Yara saying. I really had written him in denial for ten chapters, I was a whole sociopath (╥﹏╥). But ultimately, I decided that Jungkook came to that conclusion on his own and the decision to apologize to Y/N would have been made over winter break.

“You said Kiri came over asking for you back, yet you still came over and slept with me the next day. Even though the two of you had sex the night before. Do you understand how that makes me feel?”

“I’m—”

“Like garbage!" You emphasized, the white paint of the door somehow irritating you further. "I felt like I was something you threw away and picked back up whenever you felt like getting your dick wet.”

Your chest was rising and falling rapidly, and you tried your hardest to not let your emotions get the best of you.

“Not to mention to everyone else, it looks like you cheated on me. Which makes me look like a fucking idiot." You scoffed.

Jungkook said nothing in reply, which somehow made it easier to say all you should have said that day in your room.

“It just sucks to realize that someone you once cared about sees you as nothing more than a toy. It fucking sucks.”

Man :( writing this hurt my heart. I really, really, love bitchin!y/n and writing her hurting freaking stinks. But she had to speak her mind. She deserves the chance to get everything off her chest with the way Jungkook hurt her.

Your heart and mind were in constant paradox, torn between wanting him back and wanting him to know just how much he had hurt you. Your mind ultimately won the battle, of course, but as Jungkook stood just a few inches of drywood apart pouring his heart out, it was hard to say which major organ was responsible for your next words.

The creak of the door being pushed open sent Jungkook's eyes wide, revealing your hesitant form. You had your arms crossed over your chest as if to guard the contents inside of it.

You looked like an angel underneath the bathroom's blue fluorescent lights, beautiful and lovely, a stark contrast from your next crushing sentence.

“I slept with Erik.”

Hehe. Ofc my girl Y/N had to have a rebound!!! She knows that life goes on. However, as I wrote in, she definitely regretted it. It was kind of the same situation that Jungkook was in where he pursued something just because it was familiar and a distraction and not because he really wanted it. Both Y/N and Jungkook are flawed characters but that’s okay! If anything, Y/N’s mistake of sleeping with Erik is what allows her to forgive Jungkook. Knowing first hand how complicated their entire relationship really was.

“I don’t need you… but I don’t think I want a life without you.” You finished shyly.

Your eyes were locked with his when suddenly a small noise escaped him, eyes pulling away from yours as his head moved to attempt to hide the way his eyes had grown wet.

I got this line from one of my best friends after her ex broke up with her. It made me physically sad and really sympathize with her so I quickly wrote it down into my notes app to save for later LMAOOOO. Knowing that you are your own person and life will inevitably go on after losing someone, but that your heart still wants and is pleading for the one person you can’t have. SO SAD. I’m happy I got to use this line in one of my fics.

The note Jungkook wrote Y/N,,, imagine him not being able to sleep one night over winter break so he just writes down everything he should have told Y/N while he still had the chance…. I’ll for real cry dude, he’s so cute. Also, the line about him buying you fluffy Halloween socks for Christmas went over people’s heads I think but HECK I THOUGHT THAT WAS SO FUNNY AND SWEET (because Y/N bought Christmas socks when it was Halloween teehee).

"Are you two dorks done crying?" Yara’s voice rang out suddenly, causing both of you to jump apart.

"Yara, you creep! Privacy, dude! Ever try knocking?" You sniffed, wiping at your face hurriedly.

"What? Like you were peeing with Jungkook in the bathroom? Please." She waved you off, walking back into the living room to give you two some privacy. She did say Jungkook had 15 minutes before she’d have to come back in after all. "Anyway, Tae will be over in 10 minutes for the Saved By The Bell marathon that’s on so you guys are more than welcomed to join." She called out from her newly seated position on the couch.

I included this scene with Yara because things were getting too serious for my liking ngl. Plus the idea that the four of them would all come together at the end for a much needed reunion made my happy bitchin heart soar.

Jungkook let out a laugh, his palm finding your cheek, eyes locked on your lips. You were preening for his kiss, mouth parting slightly as you anticipated it.

“Partners?”

The question took you by surprise, eyes widening at your not so pretend lover.

Idiot.

“Partners.” You smiled softly, eyes shiny and brimming with tears as he kissed you for what must have been the millionth time, but still somehow felt like the first.

UGH I LOVE THEM I REALLY DO. I was so happy with how this final scene came out :( They’re partners, they really are I miss these boneheads.

AND NOW, I PRESENT THE CANON FUTURE OF THE BITCHIN UNIVERSE...

10 YEARS LATER

Let’s be honest, Jungkook popped the question the day of graduation, he can’t imagine a life in which you wouldn’t be beside him

You said yes (shocker)

Cue Jungkook being the most wonderful partner and respecting your wish to finish your residency program before having the wedding

You absolutely kick ass at being a neonatal surgeon

Also, Jungkook started a film company! It’s small but he loves what he does and works with colleges and helps out the film majors with resources and equipment <3

SO IT'S THE DAY OF YOUR WEDDING RIGHT

Yara and your sisters are helping you get ready, with your best friend as the ever so reassuring maid of honor

And by that I mean you’re as calm as a cucumber and Yara is one wrong move away from having a stroke

“Y/N… Don’t freak out....The catering company put in two orders of shrimp instead of chicken and steak.”

“Yara, it’s okay.”

“NO ITS NOT???? THIS IS YOUR WEDDING DAY AND YOU’RE GETTING CRUSTACEANS.”

Y/N making Yara take a seat and practice some breathing exercises so she doesn’t upset the baby

Oh yeah, Yara is 10 weeks pregnant

Taehyung is the dad lol

Yara and Taehyung have been together ever since that day at the library hehe <3

They moved in together and adopted a cat and everything (sweet boy Tae wanted a dog but Yara’s afraid of dogs and Tae would do anything for that woman so Yeontan the cat it is)

Yara refuses to put a label on their relationship even after all this time, and Tae doesn’t ask for one. They’re happy and dedicated to each other and don’t feel the need to put pressure on something that’s already so perfect

Yara is actually violently in love with Tae but still scoffs when Y/N tries to bring it up

“Oh my god, you’re so in love with him”

“Huh??? you must be sick or something. Get well soon, damn :/”

Yara likes to come up with different labels for Taehyung every time she has to introduce him. Among her favorites are roommate, rent sharer, baby daddy and penis lender

Speaking of Taehyung, he’d have a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder as he tries to calm down the panicking groom to be

“JK, breathe.”

“What if she doesn’t show up? What if she doesn’t want to marry me? What if I pressured her into this and— and I’ve freaked her out and now she hates me?”

“Dude, you guys have been engaged for eight years. She’s had her opportunity to run. She’ll show up.”

Taehyung scruffing up the younger man’s hair reassuringly, which only flusters him more because DAMMIT he wants to look perfect for you and now his hair is messed up >:(

(You like him no matter what his hair looks like though)

Jungkook literally swallowing down a sob as you walk down the aisle and he lays his eyes on you for the first time

You having a dumb smile on your face the entire walk over because your husband to be is crying and you haven’t even exchanged vows yet

The entire audience going all sobby when you finally do exchange vows because they’re so beautiful and real

The ten years together has not been easy— from financial struggles as you tried to support yourself through med school, to personal conflicts when Jungkook wanted to start a family already

But you guys figured it out

You always do

He’s your person. And you are his.

Y/N’s sisters Rosa and Lia are a WRECK— even your dad is tearing up

Your family loves Jungkook and have been counting down the days until you guys married, let’s be honest

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Jungkook punching the air with a “FINALLY!” before kissing the hell out of you

The cutting of the cake inevitably turning into a food fight

The shrimp entrees turning out to be pretty damn good

Yara catching the bouquet and wagging her brows at Taehyung suggestively

Jungkook pulling you aside to take photos of you outside the venue because you look so so pretty and he loves the way you smile when he’s the one behind the camera

The party is in full session, your siblings tearing up the dance floor like the extroverts they are

You and Jungkook are sat at the head of the room, hands intertwined underneath the table as you watch a tired and painfully sober Yara swing her bare feet onto Taehyung’s lap, requesting a foot rub

Watching your pregnant best friend and her lover together, you turned towards your own, smile impossibly wide

“What?”

“Let’s have a baby.” You’d grin, so stupid happy

Jungkook’s eyes going round and immediately jumping up from his seat because god that’s all he’s ever wanted

Being tugged out the room by a giddy Jungkook, one of your heels flinging off somewhere behind you.

“What’s happening? Where are we going?!”

The two of you find yourself in a storage room somewhere on the hotel floor

“Jeon Jungkook, what the hell—“

His mouth find yourself, kissing you in a way that couldn’t at the altar

You kissed him back without questions, arms wrapping around the man you now called your husband

“I love you.” He’d sigh into your neck, his hot breath causing you to shiver

“I love you too.”

“Let’s make a baby.��

“Yeah let’s— wait, right here? Right now?!”

Jungkook merely nodding as his mouth found the exposed skin of your chest

“Meathead, we can’t just ditch our wedding to have sex!”

“Why not? We did our marital duties. Now it’s our guests' job to get embarrassingly drunk and make a fool of themselves on the dance floor. No one will even miss us.”

“Isn’t baby making what our honeymoon is for?”

“Screw that. I’ve done my waiting. Let’s start our family, nerd.”

Jungkook kissing your protests silent before you inevitably give in and let him take you right there and then, your wedding dress hung around your hips

Husband and wife coming together with shaky breaths and hushed moans as they promise the rest of their lives to each other, making every argument, struggle or moment of uncertainty leading up to now totally worth it

Walk of shame back into the party with nervous hair fixing from you and a proud grin from Jungkook

Yara figuring out exactly why you two had sneaked off to, flashing the newly weds a knowing smirk

The night of your wedding, Jungkook surprises you with a present

You unwrap it in confusion, only to see that it’s a glass frame and inside of it is the wrinkled and worn out lined paper the two of you had scribbled on many many years ago

Jungkook hangs up the contract right above your bed as per your request, smiling as he does and jumping on him the moment he puts down the hammer bc dammit it you’re too heckin excited to make love with your sentimental loser of a husband

And yes, by the next month, you are pregnant and incredibly happy

And of course, your daughter and Yara’s son grow up to be best friends, not a family holiday passing by where they aren’t told the story of the totally bitchin’ way both set of their parents got together

#beyond the story #bts smut #Jungkook smut #bts jungkook #bts #bts imagines #bts preferences #Jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook

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