#she really is my parent the real one the one who is lovable and loves back

[sunayyyy]

Worst fandom mischaracterisation/headcanon of each bat-associated character, in my opinion (these are in no particular order) :

1. Duke Thomas is the sane, rational, "normal" one.

Have you ever read the We Are Robin arc? Duke is fucking unhinged, his introduction was him jumping off a bridge to escape cops. This is a kid whose father is immortal and is the first metahuman in the batfam. He lost his parents in the most horrendous way possible (joker venom. They're still alive, but it's horrifying) and organised a whole gang as a child. He threw down with a green lantern and 2 shot his ass. Hopefully, this headcanon is just a product of people not really knowing the character and goes away soon once people find out more about him, when he isn't just the token black guy in a fic or a background character in batfam drama.

2. Stephanie Brown is quirky and sassy, and ONLY quirky and sassy. She's over her trauma with Black Mask and Cluemaster!!

Stephanie Brown is a very interesting character, with an origin story that is very similar to jason todd. She's been through hell, yet she constantly gets infantalised by the fandom, which gets kind of ignored in favour of talking shit about how people infantilse tim (super valid and I'll come back to it later on in this post). You most commonly see this in timsteph stories where they show her as the immature first love, and how as tim grows up, he needs to date more "serious" people, as if tim wasn't the main reason their relationship never worked. This is also common in stephcass fics, although on a smaller level. Writers tend to make stephanie the bubbly outgoing girl that balances out all of cass' angst (some of those fics are really good, but they mould steph in a specific shape so she can be a prop for cass to heal). On an even smaller scale, I've seen both romantic and platonic jaysteph stories where stephanie appears as the "good" victim who let go of her animosity to black mask and cluemaster, and so now, she can help jason let go of what happened with the joker, and bruce's abuse. Obviously, this is a disservice to both of these characters, but people tend to focus on how it's more of a disservice to jason instead of steph. Let my girl express her trauma and heal, and stop using her as a prop for other characters! She wasn't just cutesy as robin, she threw the fuck down. Her introduction included hitting tim in the head with a brick!

3. Slut/himbo Dick Grayson is reductive of his abilities as a leader, and is not only offensive to real survivors of SA, but incredibly racist towards Romani people.

Do I really need to explain this one? Dick Grayson is a symbol of hope that bruce wishes batman could be. This man is a natural born leader and has stepped up to the plate multiple times, both during his time with the titans and as batman. He's charismatic and lovable and a genuinely intelligent man, but for some reason, he gets depicted as a dumbass who has to deffer to bruce or tim or babs any time he has an issue with detective work. Yes, you can delegate. Of course, you can delegate, but going straight to tim and rattling off the case you JUST accepted doesn't make sense, ESPECIALLY if you're on seperate cases and tim or bruce have to postpone their work just to solve it for you. As for the other part, Dick has been heavily implied to be demisexual, given that he only has sex with people he has genuine feelings for. He wouldn't just sleep with any random woman who compliments his ass enough. Also, having an SA victim be characterised as a slut is both reductive of their trauma and a weird way that some authors justify how he's "over it." Really doesn't help that he was slut shamed (canonically!! why is this canon??) by the rest of the titans after sleeping with mirage, who pretended to be kori. Additionally, it's really weird if the first thing you think of when you see an attractive romani man just sleeps around. People don't say that about other conventionally attractive characters, even ones who HAVE slept around. The only character i can think of that gets characterised like this is bruce, but that's an image that he cultivated to keep batman hidden.

4. Jason Todd was always doomed by the narrative. He would have died if bruce hadn't intervened. Also, pit rage.

The tragedy of jason todd was, and always has been, that he was doomed by the AUDIENCE. He wasn't just an angry, reckless child, and calling him the angry robin is stupid and reductive. Was he angry? of course he was, but so was dick, and so was damian. Using a single word to describe a person is never going to be enough. Jason was notoriously compassionate to victims, especially women and children, and sex abuse victims. He got pissed when the system he was asked to believe in was shown to be ineffective, to the point where bruce believed he killed a man over it. The kid had a bright future ahead and loved school, modt of robin!jason's shitty qualities came from bruce and alfred compartmentaling his image and shitting on him to ease their guilt over his death. Pit rage is also a cheap way to take away his autonomy, an easy pass to explain the shitty things he's done. I like it when the pit has side effects like glowing eyes or increased healing or something, but pit rage is stupid. It's either used to force characters to forgive jason since he wasn't himself or as an angst prompt for jason, another testament to how he came back wrong, or a way to have him hurt a character to further up THEIR angst (*cough* titans tower AU fics*cough*). Yes, he did shitty things. Let him do shitty things without giving him an easy out. Otherwise, your story isn't compelling at all.

5. Feral Damian Wayne is just straight-up racist, no?

I love damian. I think that, for the most part, he's been written pretty well. However, damian suffers from the fact that he's an arab character in a post 9/11 comic, and thus there is bound to be some casual racism, both in comics (like when tim assumed he was too uncivilised to know what a handshake is) and fandom. Has damian wayne done a lot of shitty things, especially to tim? Yes, absolutely. But that doesn't make him feral. He was raised by assassins as the heir to the throne and to the greatest hero in the world, raised to think that blood relations are the only ones that matter, so of course he's dismissive of tim. He's also a prince who was raised in luxury, who was born as royalty and has experienced more opulence during his birth thsn most peoole do in a lifetime, although this opulence is extremely conditional, with horrifying requirements (the story with damian having a metal spine as a child is insane). Does it make what he did to tim right? Definitely not. Does it excuse his actions? Also no. But it does explain them, it tells us where it came from. Being traumatised and having extremely high expectations of both sides of your family doesn't make you feral.

6. Tim Drake is just a small little baby who can't function without his coffee.

Let me preface this by saying that i don't like tim drake. At all. As a huge fan of the al ghuls it was a real kick in the balls having Ra's be reduced to a creepy pedophile who wanted tim as an heir, and sent a woman to rape tim in order to carry his child. Also, I hate how DC decided to prop him up by shitting on jason todd. However, this doesn't mean that I don't enjoy his YJ run and that I don't enjoy some of his comics/fics. That being said, nothing on this earth pisses me off more than tim stans. You know the ones, the people who want damian hanged, who want dick and jason and bruce to fall to their knees and beg for forgiveness. Tim has been through an insane amount of trauma, and that's understandable, but please, for the love of god, don't create more whump for tim at the cost of other characters. You can hate damian, I wouldn't blame you, but remember that he's like 10 and tim put him on a hit list. Dick never wanted to put tim in arkham, and he didn't have time to support tim when it came to an honestly insane (although ultimately correct) conclusion. Also damian as robin was alfred's idea, and damian was the one that put on the costume preemptively, dick got pissed at damian for that. When it comes to jason, I'd say it's complicated. While titans tower was fucked up, it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. My first introduction to the fandom was through jason todd since he was my favourite robin, and then i learned they brought him back to life when i played injustice. The number of fics and posts that mention that jason went to the tower specifically to kill tim is insane. When i got into comics, it was like whiplash; it wasn't a one-sided beatdown, tim was conscious until the end, the goofy ass robin suit jason had on, jason never slitting tim's throat (that happens in hush, and even then i don't think he really slit his throat, since the art shows that the skin was kinda nicked), all of that was wild to me. BftC is one of the shittiest comjc book runs when it comes to characterisation in general, and I've already discussed dick and tim, so it's only fair to talk about jason and tim. There's no justification here, honestly, other than shitty writing i guess. The other side of the coin is enemies to caretaker jason and tim, which is so fucking wild?? they're like 2 years apart, and tim is extremely competent, he wouldn't pass out mid patrol because he forgot his coffee.

7. Bruce Wayne doesn't believe people can change and doesn't care about Crime Alley.

For the first one, please fucking read a single comic book. Just one. Better yet, maybe research why batman doesn't kill. You know, the most popular thing about him? As for the second, it's mostly just a way to show how jason is better than bruce and how he's right to take over the alley since no one cares about it. Now I LOVE jason todd. He's my favourite comic book character of all time tied with gambit and Dr. Strange. But I hate it when you create angst or comeuppance by blatantly ignoring the chatacter and their motives. Bruce became batman so that what happened to his parents can never happen again, and this includes helping the poor people in crime alley either through patrolling there or by setting up countless charities to improve life there. You can make the case that batman avoided crime alley after jason died. It's not canon, but it would make sense. However, I dont see him ever giving up on the alley, both to prevent what happened to his parents, and to help people like his dead son. I fucking hate bruce, he's done a lot of shitty things, but making shit up just to make him worse is getting old.

8. Misc

There aren't really enough mischaracterisations about cass and babs to warrant separate paragraphs, so I'll just reiterate the infantalisation of cass and babs having no qualities outside of oracle, master hacker, and dick grayson's on and off lover.

[queermania]

Wait wait wait. Jensen picked the writer who gave Dean a lesbian best friend and made him a nerd to be the show runner for his little fixit fic show? This is amazing!

when you look at robbie's run of episodes (that he wrote specifically, not produced or was the executive story editor on), a very specific version of supernatural and dean starts to emerge and it is insanity-inducing. here's a very brief rundown of the episodes robbie wrote:

slash fiction -swayze always gets a pass -dean singing air supply -"it's like eating self-righteousness' -the creation and introduction of frank devereaux -"applications for sainthood" -dean letting sam go

time after time -"what are you gonna look up more anime or are you strictly into dick now?" -dean being a nerdy little fanboy about eliott ness (and checking out a dude in a uniform but that was probably jacting joices) -dean getting excited about dressing up in period clothing!! -understanding that rufus matters and that family isn't just blood -original sam is milf!bait (and he's into it) truther -actually writing grief in nuanced ways -dean is smart and resourceful actually! -your future is "covered in thick black ooze" (which i know is just a very lucky coincidence but i don't care!)

the girl with the dungeons and dragons tattoo -CHARLIE!!! he gave us charlie. he said "actually what if hardcore fans were cool and fun and GAY and they were dean's new best friend" -charlie/dean/security guard flirting split screen -"she's kinda like the little sister I never wanted." "how does a high-school dropout become one of the brightest minds…" -basically this entire episode is just "be gay, do crime" and i love that for me specifically

bitten -not my favorite episode but as @ilarual says "it's very fun in how it illustrates Robbie's willingness to play with form, since it's all done as found footage" -and as @doctorprofessorsong says it "has the concept of monsters aren’t always bad guys" -and apparently it contains a brokeback reference? my memory of this episode is hovering at around 1% tbh but you get it

larp and the real girl -dressing dean up in little outfits AGAIN -and he likes it!!! -and he likes being a nerd! (dean is getting into it and sam is the one who is unamused mr serious guy!!!!) -and charlie is dean's new best friend! -"belladonna" "the pornstar?" -"did you break up with someone too?" -honestly you already know all of it. this is a fan favorite for a reason. what more can i say about this episode??

goodbye stranger -yes robbie was the first writer to try to give us a destiel love confession -cas practicing killing dean over and over and over and still not being able to do it when it comes down to it -"what broke the connection?" gee i wonder -first episode writing cas and he nailed the sort of unintentional deadpan humor that makes cas so lovable ("would it kill you to watch a movie? read a book?" "a movie, no, but with a book with the proper spells—yeah, it could theoretically kill me.") -"if he's so sketchy then why are you praying to him?" -pizza man reference -"do you really think we can trust megstiel?" (we get both megstiel and jealous!dean) -dean quoting lord of the rings (because he's a nerd! and he reads!) -meg roasting the shit out of sam for the amelia stuff -etc

pac-man fever -charlie reading the carver edlund books -charlie and dean being besties/getting a montage -dean telling charlie that what happened with her parents wasn't her fault/understanding the guilt she feels -"i love you" "i know" -"what about castiel? he seems helpful, and dreamy" -again, putting dean in little outfits -charlie knows how to shoot/aim a gun

slumber party -dorothy!! -oz!!! -look, is this episode cheesy? yes. but it's fun and it's so obviously a love letter to the oz source material and i love that about robbie. he does his research and he commits

first born -cain!!!! -drowley team up!!!!! ("friends. besties, actually." im sorry but drowley means so much to me personally and this is the start of their beautiful bromance) -"this is by far the dumbest idea you've ever had." "yeah, well, it's early" -cas liked pb&js!! jelly, not jam. he found jam unsettling!! -"you have a guinea pig? where?" -"you're a terrible liar?" "that is not true. i once deceived and betrayed both you and your brother." -just. sastiel shenanigans (and hugs!) -"she only asked for one thing." "to stop" -anyway. you get it.

meta fiction -dean and cas phone call smiles!! they LIKE each other -metatron media dump -"what makes a story work? is it the plot, the characters, the text? the subtext? and who gives a story meaning? is the writer? or you?" -i think it's important to note that robbie who wrote gabriel faking his own death -cas noticing something is wrong with dean pretty much instantly and then discovering the mark of cain

fan fiction -i mean. come on. -"although we do explore the nature of destiel in act two." -"you can't spell subtext without s-e-x" -sam being such a younger brother and trolling dean about "destiel" -"BM scene" -dean "you know they're brothers, right?"-ing the w*ncest stuff but just being flustered about the destiel stuff ayyyy -dean casually referencing andrew lloyd webber -"transformative fiction" -"i want you to put as much sub into that text as you possibly can" -dean quoting rent -the samulet is back! -"i have my version, and you have yours." -"he took away our own free will" <- about john!! -THE RETURN OF CHUCK!

there's no place like home -"i forgive you dean" "yeah well i don't" "i know, kinda your move" -"you hurt my friend" -"you lied to me" "you lied to yourself. that's kinda your move." -i mean. robbie just gets it, ya know?

book of the damned -cas being a huge bitch (love that) -sam being the excessively codependent one -cas and charlie get to meet! -found family goodness if only for a little bit!!

angel heart -ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! -"i got it at the hot topical" (and claire keeping grumpy cat) -no seriously. dean and cas went birthday present shopping together for claire and they did it at a mall -castiel feeling guilt for what he did to the novak family (and amelia recognizing that cas has changed/grown) -"you were both troubled teens. you speak her language." -"bring your daughter to work day" -"i'm saying she might be stronger on her own." which is a controversial line but i think it says something really significant about how dean feels about his childhood "in fact you're not anything to her except a constant reminder of someone that's gone." -mini golf!!!!!! dean and claire bonding!!!! -the introduction of the grigori, a class of angels which may or may not be important at some point -claire roasting the shit out of dean with "you seem pretty old" <3 -"happy birthday. don't shoot me."

baby -do i really need to explain anything about this one? -"okay first of all, never use swayze's name in vain, okay? ever." -"mistakes were made" -dean having a dream about john teaching him to drive but under normal and appropriate circumstances -werepire…. ghoulpyre… -honestly just the whole episde. you know what i'm talking about. the unique perspective. the insight into their day-to-day lives. the moments that live in between.

into the mystic -eileen! my best friend eileen! -dean x mildred otp -remembering sam's lucifer/hell trauma -the whole "follow your heart" speech -"banshees go after the vulnerable, so why'd it go after you?" -dean recognizing there's something off with cas -but really the most important thing here is EILEEN

safe house -bobby and rufus!!!! -i repeat BOBBY AND RUFUS!!!! -"were you ever nice?" "1985. worst year of my life." -robbie just really GETS that this show is more fun when it's not centered entirely on the brothers. -bobby referring to sam and dean as his boys -timey wimey shenanigans -there were some interesting implications in this episode too but i'm losing steam here so i'm gonna let you rewatch and figure it out lol

don't call me shurley -the reveal of chuck as god!!!! -bisexual chuck -dean does sam's laundry (sometimes with beer) -chuck is a shitty egotistical writer -he also plays the guitar and: "i like front row seats. you know, i figured i'd hide out in plain sight." -"i thought if i could show my sister that there was something more than just us, something better than us, then maybe she'd change. maybe she'd stop being… her. but every time I'd build a new world, she'd destroy it." -"the world would still be spinning with demon dean in it but sam couldn't have that though could he?" -"you were gonna choose amara over me."

so. yeah. jensen chose THIS GUY to helm the winchesters. bold move, sir. full respect.

also, this tweet always makes me crack up

one of us! one of us! one of us!

[fullyinconsequential]

Here’s a 3am Steddie rant I think every Steddie lover (and possibly hater) should hear. I have no goal to convert anyone—just to say that the ship did not actually “come from nothing.” Here’s why:

I don’t understand how there wasn’t Steddie foresight in the writer’s room.

So they play it up in season 3 like Steve just can’t get the girl and when he does she’s not the right girl and yada yada yada—cool beans. I love his character arc with Robin, their friendship, her queerness. I love their entire bathroom interaction.

Specifically: “It’s somebody that I didn’t even talk to in school. Maybe cuz Tommy H. would’ve made fun of me, or I wouldn’t be prom king…. First of all, she’s hilarious. So funny. I feel like this summer I have laughed harder than I have laughed in a really long time. And she’s smart—way smarter than me…. She’s honestly unlike anyone I’ve ever met before.”

Traits Robin Also Has that Eddie Shares:

Outcast

Band Kid

The Witty Banter

Eddie’s personality is VERY Robin. Not perfectly so, but maddeningly close.

Another point:

This is just the same person in different gender specific fonts, A.K.A. Steve’s “love interest” versus a guy who called him “big boy” completely unprompted and interrupted a tender moment between him and his “love interest” and complimented him for an entire scene while Steve wore his clothes.

So, really, one of them’s Steve’s love interest and the other is Nancy Wheeler /hj.

I write a lot, and as someone who both writes and consumes an abhorrent amount of media, whoever wrote this down, casted and costumed this way, and allowed for the interactions between Steve and Eddie to be as nuanced as they were (EX: the scene in which Eddie steps forward like he has more to say to Steve before he goes off and kills himself) had to have known what was going to happen. There is simply no way of not seeing it.

And if they didn’t want people shipping Steddie at the scale which they do, here’s what went wrong:

First: defaulting to Steve wanting his ex back is just plain shitty writing. It means you don’t know where to go with the character anymore, and since you’re certain he’s done all the growing he can do, he’s just gonna double back to the conflict he was in in the FIRST SEASON.

Are you serious right now, bro?

Steve’s arc as a character has been absolutely heartwarming to watch. If anything, he’d have been better off given the “I need to figure out how to be happy on my own” narrative. Throwing him back at Nancy is a cop out, a big one.

Second: Eddie. Throwing Eddie in the mix was absolutely a WILD decision, because he looks like Nancy, he banters like Robin, and GENDER IS NO LONGER A PLAUSIBLE REASON FOR AN AUDIENCE TO DENY CHEMISTRY, OR EXPLAIN IT AWAY. Not in the year of our lord 2023, no sir. Not unless you’re going to explicitly state in some way to an audience that these characters are DEFINITIVELY STRAIGHT. And with Eddie, they went as far off that course as possible.

The outcast stuff. The D&D stuff. The hatred of the system. The mysteriously living with his uncle and not his parents. THE HANKERCHIEF IN HIS BACK POCKET.

So essentially, this is what they did:

They took a beloved character, flubbed over his character arc because they weren’t sure what to do with it.

Then, they created a SECOND beloved character, made him likable, lovable, even, and relatable. Then they gave him half and half personality and looks of Steve’s last two love interests. Then they gave us scenes of them together where they showed chemistry, genuineness, and playfulness.

Then they EXPECTED that we as an audience had enough heteronormativity left as a society to say—oh, those two guys aren’t flirting with each other even a little bit because they’re two guys and obviously that doesn’t happen.

WHEN IN THE SAME SEASON WE WATCHED WILL AND ROBIN GO GAY PANIC AND DESPAIR LIKE?????

Pick a side pick a side, are your characters fucking gay or is your audience fucking blind?

Point being, I have some friends IRL who don’t really get this. They think Steve and Eddie hardly interacted enough for there to be romance at all, but I think it’s less about how much they interacted and more about the (unintentional) set up they were given by the writers.

Steve’s a truly beloved character and I don’t know on ST fan that wants to see him just end up back with Nancy Wheeler like his entire character arc was just to “get the girl” and “have six kids.” Which he already has by the way.

Anyway, that’s just my two cents. I’m not advocating for anyone to ship them, I’m just saying it’s honestly a perfectly logical conclusion to make, especially if you CARE about Steve as a character, you know? We want him to be with someone genuine, someone who challenges him to be better, to be different than he was. Nancy couldn’t handle doing that. Robin could, but they’re platonic af.

So why wouldn’t it be Eddie?

Rest in peace, by the way. You would’ve loved this text post.

[luxurydumpsterfire]

Hazbin Hotel ships I like!!! 1¡!!¡(In no particular order) (Includes non-canon ships) (This is just for fun and is not meant to offend anyone!) (Okay, I'm going to stfu now).

Let's go!

Radiodust!

These two live in my head rent free,all day,every day,24/7,365.

And most of the time they're kissing.

Anyways.

We know that they both lived in the same decade and have similar tastes in music and cuisine,which is already a great start! I also love the idea of Alastor adoring everything about Angel EXCEPT for the sex. Cause let's be real,Angel needs that. He deserves a complete and total gentleman who would never lay a finger on him; Especially after tolerating abuse from you-know-who, cough,cough,fuckyouValentino,COUGH.

Also,the tropes??? Good old fashioned lover boy x Killer Queen? Mafia x Serial killer? Hello???

10/10, Literally one of my favs.

2. Chaggie!

My babies!

Okay, I admit these two are very cute. Since neither of these two age normally, Charlie's a hellborn and Vaggie's a fallen angel,it means they'll get to grow old together! :)

I love the opposites attract trope and these two are no exception!

I would definitely like for them to get more screen time in the second season 2,since they didn't get much in the first one,but other then that, they're perfect!

3. Nifty x Baxter

(Do these two have a ship name? Idk?)

Baxter hasn't even come on to the show yet but I can already tell these two are going to be Chaos gremlins,in their own,lovable,concerning ways 😌

4. Lucililith

I don't believe for a SECOND these two aren't in love,even if just a little bit.

Yes,yes,yes,I know they're divorced. AND? THEY CAN STILL GET BACK TOGETHER! THEY'RE IN THEIR DIVORCE ERA, GUYS.

I think it's mostly the fanart that got me hooked,lol. And the fact that I would love to have them as my parents, honestly.

5. CasinoBomb

(No photo for this one,sorry 🥲)

I...I don't know,man,@zaebeecee 's posts about them altered my brain chemistry and...I DON'T KNOW WTF HAPPENED,IDK

I just saw one of their posts and the more I thought about it,the more I liked it

Something about them just clicks,you know? It's one of those ships that makes no sense but also a lot of sense.

Also,if you don't know what characters I'm talking about, it's Husk x Cherri bomb.

5. Radiorose

He doesn't mind her touching him 😢

They're so cute,omg 😭

Look at them!!! 💗💗💗

Although I mostly prefer them as besties, I also like the idea of them being together. You can tell he's a lot more comfortable with her then anyone else in the show and I love that ☺️

6. Radiohusk

(Art belongs to @vadoodlevee and it will be taken down if I am asked to).

Ah yes,the two loser old men in love. GIVE THEM TO ME.

They've known each other for years and are sick and tired of each others bs. They know what the other like's and dislike's because they're begrudgingly stuck together. They actually can't stand each other.

I'M SOLD!

And no, I'm not glorifing the slave x master thing. I've shipped these two HARD since the pilot,so calm down.

Alright, let's get more into the crackships/rarepairs. Not counting Casinobomb cause we've actually seen those two interact,lol.

Feel free to give your own personal take on these(as long as they're not hateful)!

7. Caramel Apple!

Apart from me just really liking their ship name,I feel like these two would be a really cute couple. Like,she would take him out to one of her parties when he's feeling down and would comfort him about his relationship with Charlie and with Lilith.

And Lucifer wouldn't be afraid to tell her when it's a good time to tone it down.

I also feel like she would be very polite to Charlie and Vaggie.

And I like the idea of them baking together ❤️

8. Angelic Ballet!

A little hesitant on this one.

So, realistically,these two would probably hate each other. Sera was the one who approved the exterminations,resulting in the death of billions of sinners, which puts Carmila and her daughters in danger. So that's not really a great way to start a relationship...

However, I think in any other circumstances,I think these two would be a nice couple.

They both just want to protect the people they love and are willing to go to extreme measures to do just that. It could be Sera realizing not all sinners are absolute monsters,and some were just people who made mistakes in life. Kinda of like Vaggie realizing the hellborn weren't terrible upon meeting Charlie.

Also, they're both very elegant ladies who need another refined woman to treat them right 😌🏳️‍🌈

[doubledyke]

Hey! I know you’ve said you can’t imagine Edd and Eddy to get married or have kids but what do you think they would be like as parents? How about Ed and May?

sorry it took me so long to get to this one! i love some good adult eds discussion. this is a long'n.

so ed and may would be super cute as parents. i've seen lots of art with ed as a dad, and all of it melts my heart. he loves babies, guys. and he really would be a great dad. unconditionally loving and accepting, appropriately protective while encouraging his kids to be themselves and dream big.

and may would be a sweet mom. she's shown to also love babies, even if it's during a scene where she's tormenting jimmy a bit lol. anyway, also a very loving parent, cautiously encouraging, and accepting even if she doesn't always "get" it.

i think they'd be the cool parents, the ones that their kids' friends would be jealous of. and their kids are the type to wear halloween costumes out to run errands, and are allowed to dye their hair from a young age. like they're showing up with blue temp dye streaks on the first day of second grade. they probably own rats and tarantulas and lizards, etc. just a very "alt" family, for lack of a better word.

-

along with marriage, i don't see edd and eddy having kids, and haven't given much thought to what they'd be like as parents. i typically think of them as fun aunt eddy and boring but lovable uncle dee.

i feel like edd would be extremely hesitant to have a kid, being terrified that he'd fuck something up. and even if they did everything right, something could still go wrong, etc. his anxiety and ocd would be running rampant at the thought of being responsible for raising a whole ass human being. probably also sees it as ethically questionable and ecologically irresponsible. well unless they adopt.

eddy thinks owning a fish is too much responsibility, so it's hard to imagine him wanting a kid, but then again i think he's vain enough that he'd want to try and create an even mini-er version of himself. i do think he has a nurturing side as well though.

all that being said, if they did decide to have a kid, they'd likely be a bit older, like late 30s, possibly early 40s.

edd would agonize over everything, reading 'what to expect when you're expecting' despite not being pregnant, among dozens of other books on child development and psychology, parenting methods, genetics, etc. makes the baby listen to chopin and debussy and the like. all organic foods, purees them himself if he can, makes the kid's toys and clothes himself to have control over the quality and materials used. uses cloth diapers. and that's just in the infant stage.

eddy's of course more laid back, taking most of his advice from his mom, who smoked during her first pregnancy and was feeding eddy chef boyardee as soon as he could eat solid foods. he's adamant about exposing the baby to more culturally rich music, like the gap band and madonna. for sure helps design the clothes edd makes. lets be real, they're wearing matching outfits for all their family photos.

idk the idea of those two raising a tiny little baby is really amusing so i had to talk about that in more detail. but overall i do think they'd be good parents. the kid would have a good mix of stern but loving guidance and encouragement via edd, and fun, creativity and approachable openness with eddy. edd is doting, and a might be a bit of a helicopter parent if not for eddy frequently reminding him to chill out.

edd has a lot of parental trauma so i think he's the most interesting one to explore regarding this topic. ed does too, but i don't think he'd let it affect him as much. ed's mindset is that he's gonna be the best dad he can be and it's kind of left at that. edd on the other hand is going to attempt to calculate the exact number of hours of affection it takes to make a child feel loved lmao. i think, again, with eddy's help he'd loosen the reins a bit over time, but he's still gonna cry on the first day of school and insist on dropping off and picking the kid up from school every day to shield them from the horrors of the bus.

there's also the possibility that he'd end up being like his own parents :/ not that he'd leave sticky notes and be gone all the time, but that he might struggle to communicate with the child in a parental way, since he's not sure what that actually looks like in practice. there's only so much you can learn from a book, yknow. but that's where eddy comes in. his advice is to "just be normal", which is both extremely helpful and unhelpful at the same time.

eddy said himself, a little childhood trauma builds character, and that's not to say he'd expose his kid to fucked up shit on purpose, but that he's not gonna go out of his way to protect the kid from reality. very much the type not to overreact if the kid falls and scrapes their knee, or throws a tantrum. doesn't cover their ears to block out expletives. doesn't use euphemisms- which i don't think edd would do either. makes sure the kid can come to him about things that double daddy dee would have a panic attack about. and does expose their kid to all kinds of art and culture, and makes sure they aren't afraid to express themselves

one of their biggest arguments is about whether they'll tell the kid about santa. eddy says its harmless fun, edd believes it instills distrust and discourages critical thinking. eddy would probably win that one.

aaaaanyway i'm tired so i'm gonna shut up now, but yeah edd and eddy as parents is definitely an au worth exploring. it's not really for me, but i mean hey i might warm up to the idea eventually. there's this one really cute sketch by sweeteggy that makes me reevaluate my aversion every time i see it. forgive the shitty link, i can't find the original post.

thanks for asking lasagna!! <3333

[shima-draws]

Hi all thanks for letting me infodump about my new kids <3 Anyway here’s their general info and personalities. They don’t have names yet so suggestions are welcome. Also elemental power suggestions are welcome (remember, this is within the ATS verse so it’ll have to be 1 of the 15 elements). Some of them are already set but not all of them so ;)

Protag boy: THE boy of all time. He’s lovable. He’s stupid. He’s absurdly powerful. He’s really chill UNLESS you mess with his friends then he goes apeshit. He’s got a boyish charm that every single member of the group is attracted to. He’s the official leader of the group and they would do ANYTHING for him. His childhood friend passed away due to an incurable illness so whenever someone gets sick he mother hens to the EXTREME. He rarely ever cries so when he does the entire group flips their shit trying to comfort him or trying to beat the hell out of whatever made him cry. And most importantly. He is BABY

(Yes I got inspired bc I’ve been watching too much shounen lately. I NEEDED to make the boy ever)

Mute girl: Originally she was a VERY famous singer but she “vanished” five years ago. She’s kept this a secret from the group. Due to trauma she has chosen to go mute and has not sung in a long, long time. She communicates solely through sign language and eventually the rest of the group picks it up. Is generally closed off, but opens up to the group as time passes. When she does finally get the courage to use her voice and sing again, everyone absolutely loses their shit at how beautiful her voice is and they all cry and it’s very emotional.

Rabid feral girl: Little feral child that is just a gremlin and was taken in by the group bc she had no family. She thinks of protag boy as her big brother and absolutely adores him. She’s also a BEAST in battle, one of the strongest members of the group. She has no memories of who she was before she met the group, and has a mysterious past that will soon catch up with her. She’s probably the most blunt out of everyone and can sometimes say rude things without meaning to. You want to get roasted by a 10 year old? Yeah she’ll roast you alright

Edgy boy: He’s stoic and strong willed and stupidly powerful. Has more of a physical fighting style rather than using magic. Was the first member of the group to fall in behind protag boy. Would do ANYTHING for protag boy, even betray the other members. Is surprisingly a really good dancer, but will only dance in public if it’s with mute girl (who’s also had dance training). Everyone is jealous of this. Is one of the few people to have known sign language from the get go, so he translates for mute girl a lot at the beginning. Might also secretly come from high society.

Standoffish mechanic: He’s a jerk, but he’s so lovable. Would die for protag boy. Protag boy gushes over his inventions and it boosts his ego way too much. He comes off as arrogant and cocky but he’s a real softie deep down :’) He butts heads with edgy boy a LOT. There’s some weird sexual tension going on there that nobody else wants to bring up. The “everyone is so not worth my time except for the people I love and care about” kind of guy. He will be brutally honest with you.

Non-binary parental figure: The oldest one in the group who watches over all the others. Very gentle and kind hearted, but willing to be strict if necessary. Acts as a sort of mentor figure to protag boy (and p much everyone else tbh). Is arguably the most powerful member of the group, but rarely ever uses their magic. They’re the kind of person that lets their kids learn their lessons the hard way. Is the first one to figure out mute girl’s story and acts as her confidant.

Violin boy: Has a history with mute girl and went through a similar trauma as her. Due to a misunderstanding he holds a serious grudge against mute girl which is eventually solved. He probably ends up joining the group. Or just runs into them once in a while. He’s socially awkward and can’t hold a good conversation to save his life…unless it’s with mute girl. Is actually very attractive but hides his looks due to low self esteem. Thanks trauma.

Himbo: I’m holding out for a himbo til the end of the night

(Dumb and strong and respects women and ride or die. Also gremlin girl’s best buddy and unofficial guardian. I really don’t have much else to say about him I honestly haven’t given him a lot of thought yet.)

Healer girl: Soft spoken and kind, she takes care of the group’s injuries and provides support in battle. Everyone’s a little intimidated by her bc she’s scary when they don’t immediately come to her for medical treatment after battle, or brush off their injuries. Grows close with mute girl. Is the calming presence of the group, and everyone comes to her when they are stressed. (This causes her to have a complex about being the calm one, the cheerful one, the one who always has their shit together. This is unhealthy. Lmao)

Smart girl: “I’m surrounded by idiots but they’re MY idiots” kind of person. Brilliantly clever and quick witted and has a sharp tongue. Thinks protag boy is SO dumb but she loves him anyway and has absolute faith in him. Has a loving family back home and gets embarrassed when her softer family side is brought up since she’s kinda arrogant and cold. Regularly spars with edgy boy. Gets easily flustered and then gets angry about it.

Cute baker: His pastries are SCRUMPTIOUS. He wears glasses. And has freckles. And he’s nerdy and kinda shy and awkward and he’s perfect. He’s more of a behind the scenes kind of strategist. He works with mechanic boy a lot to improve on their gadgets and gizmos and also on food related things. Is also wickedly smart but more in the book smart kind of way (while smart girl is street smart. Life experience smart.)

Now that you’ve met the squad…

(Also pssst tell me who you voted for in the tags/comments if you wanna!! I’m curious 👀)

[sadiramaeart]

Watching BoJack horseman while doing a unit in my psych class about narcissists is insane. It is such an amazing and accurate portrayal. You can never win with narcissists, no matter how hard you try. What a lot of people do not understand about narcissists is they are all ego and no self-esteem. Either they grew up around parents that destroyed their self-esteem so thoroughly that they had to develop an inflated ego to emotionally survive (Bojack) or they were never raised to have an honest and healthy understanding of their own abilities, talents and limitations (which is what self-esteem is) and were instead raised entirely on ego (Mr.Peanutbutter). Using the first example I gave, in a narcissist's head, especially in relationships, their self-esteem will tell them they're not lovable, and their ego will overcompensate saying "Yes I am! In fact, I deserve completely unconditional love!"

And God help the person they fall in love with. They will DESTROY that person to prove to themselves that they deserve unconditional love. It will start out slow and subtle, the narcissistic person creating situations where their partner gives up little pieces of themselves. If you're outside looking in, logically, most of these situations don't make sense. They could easily be corrected without the partner giving up parts of themselves, but it isn't about logic; it's about the narcissistic person making the partner give up parts of themselves to prove their love. When the partner gives up things, their ego will say "look what they gave up for me when I didn't give anything back! I deserve unconditional love and I'm getting it!" and their self-esteem will go "that's not unconditional, it could be worse! you're not as lovable as you think you are". So they move the bar and make their partner give up more, and more, and more.

The show has a lot of really great examples, such as Bojack stringing PC along until she's almost too old to have children because he doesn't want them and she does, calling Hollyhock in the middle of the night to tell her he liked her IG post, constantly tearing down Todd, and literally drowning himself because Diane didn't answer the phone in the middle of the night. These were all tests of unconditional love in his head.

A lot of real world examples of the way narcissists do this (especifically narcissistic men do to their wives/partners) is making them give up their jobs because if they loved them unconditionally, they would trust them with all the financial control, they alienate them from their social circles and friends because if they truly love them unconditionally they don't need other friends and hobbies, they'll usually manipulate them into having their children because if they loved them unconditionally they would risk their health and their lives to give him a legacy. Since all of this is a twisted test of unconditional love in the narcissist's head, they literally can't give even modicum of what they're taking because that would mean the love isn't unconditional. This is also a rigged game, no matter how much unconditional love their partner shows, they are proving the narcissist wrong in some way. They are either proving their self-esteem wrong by loving them unconditionally, or proving their ego wrong by not living up to their twisted standards. So, they destroy their partners, leaving them a husk of the person they were, sacrificed on the altar of their ego. And after all of that, when they have been destroyed mind, body, and soul, the narcissist will abandon them, the person who loved them so much, because they became living proof of how destructive the narcissist's love is. And if there is one thing narcissists cannot handle, it is the truth about themselves. Which is exactly what happened to Sarah Lynn. No he didn't marry Sarah Lynn, but he destroyed her, completely. And his constant guilt over the little moments where he messed up her life is proof of that, he was aware of what he was doing on some level. He was trying to lead her down the same path he was on, and there was no way for her to win. Either she told him his ego is wrong by taking her own path, or she went the same way he did telling him his self-esteem is wrong and destroying herself in the process.

[veryferaldistributions]

“My Two Dads” was Simply Ahead of its Time: A Short Essay by an Offspring of Same-Sex Parents

In 1987, the show “My Two Dads” premiered on NBC, staring Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan, Staci Keanan, and Florence Stanley. Nicole Bradford (Keanan) is a 12-year-old girl whose mother Marcy Bradford dies suddenly, and she is “willed” more or less to two men her mother was once in love with, Michael Taylor (Reiser) and Joey Harris (Evigan), who were lifelong friends before they fought over Nicole’s mother. Despite attempts at blood tests, the paternity of the child was never confirmed, and after a rocky start, Michael and Joey agree to live together and raise Nicole as a family.

What we have here is a simple, relatively family friendly, prime-time sitcom that shows a very positive interpretation of a kid with same-sex parents. And it is delightful.

I am speaking openly as a queer person raised by two mothers (now four w/step-moms). When I decided to try this, I was bracing myself for the absolute worst most offensive thing I’d ever seen.

And I swear to God, what I got instead is one of my new favorite shows of all time. The characters are lovable and well-rounded, the acting is great, the humor is actually funny, and, whether this was intentional or not, is one of the most progressive shows of its time.

I keep seeing people throwing around the word “homophobic” with this show, and I’m here to politely and firmly disagree with that. Instead, I will opt for the word “dated.” “My Two Dads” was still a product of its time, so I firmly believe many of the choices regarding Joey and Michael’s dating life were made to appease the censors. I never felt like any decision was made in malice to target the queer community. (Not to mention, I could/will make a whole LIST of reasons why Michael and Joey are 100% in love, if not an active couple, despite many attempts to convince the audience they are straight.)

I spent a good chunk of the show laughing to myself and saying “it’s like homosexuality doesn’t even exist in this universe” for how much NOBODY cares about Nicole having two dads or questioning why the dads live together. (Them being potentially gay is only questioned ONCE in the series.)

In the 90s and early 2000s, people never shut up with the questions once I told them I had two moms. I somewhat think this exclusion was also a writing tactic, not wanting Nicole to have to constantly repeat what the audience already knows.

There are jokes that haven’t aged amazingly well, but I feel like it was much more that the writers were ignorant as opposed to being active bigots.

I also really appreciated this show’s depiction of a kid who has a great and loving relationship with a parent she may not be or isn’t biologically related to. Nicole doesn’t care who her biological father is, and loves Joey and Michael equally. Again, as someone with two moms, I get really defensive over the notion that someone isn’t your real parent unless their DNA matches yours. (Side note, always say “biologically related to” as opposed to “REAL parent” whenever asking someone about their parentage. Please. It hurts every time.)

If I admittedly had one qualm about the show, I’d say it hasn’t aged amazing in terms of sexism. Throughout the whole show, it always felt like the women Michael and Joey dated were either complete jerks or bimbos. With the women they finally end up with being boring and rushed. And they also at one point have a female boss, and…it’s pretty bad. Nicole and Judge Margaret were great (Judge being my 2nd favorite character, behind Michael.), but other female characters not so much.

But overall, I really do love this show. It’s one of those really nice warm & fuzzy shows, too (Think “Full House” with slightly funnier writing. Yeah, I said it!). I really wish more queer viewers would try it.

[andiwriteordie]

no idea if you've gotten this ask before but

how do you think Mike and Will's first date would go ? and who'd ask out who ?

i have not gotten this ask before, but literally i'm 😭🥹 thinking about it.

*cracks knuckles* okay, let's go, here's my byler first date scenario:

so, i think mike and will's first official date would happen after the world is saved and everything like that. personally, i think hawkins is going to be destroyed by the end of it (goodbye smalltown ideals and everything hawkins has represented), so both mike and will are going to get the hell out of that town (now entering smalltown boy era thank you very much!). in my mind, i kind of imagine the wheelers have already moved away, so mike and nancy would go back and stay with them, at least until they figure out what comes next (probably college).

i also am a big proponent for s5 being in fall/winter, so like... imagine it's december by now. mike and will are settled back in with their families, and it's been a solid month or so since the world was saved. they're all still figuring out how to be normal now, and it's really the first time that they've gotten the chance to breathe and just... be kids again. they're on the phone, talking one night, and will just happens to mention something about a movie he wants to see or something and how it's crazy that like... wow, they haven't actually been to the movies in years? and mike, lovable little overthinker/planner/person who would literally do anything to make will byers smile he is, gets the best idea.

he wants to take his boyfriend out on a date.

and look, mike doesn't really think too hard about what his plans would be, but while on the phone, he blurts out that they should go. they should go see the movie. together.

obviously, they're dating at this time, but they haven't gone on any dates or had much time just for themselves (other than, you know... patrols and stuff and fighting the monsters from the upside down). so will kind of assumes he means like, oh, with their friends (who live within driving distance and could make it work). and mike suddenly gets all soft and shy and hesitantly tells will that he was... actually thinking about it just being the two of them... like a date. if that's what will would want.

duh. of course will wants that, and will also gets very blushy and shy which is super hilarious because they've known each other for 12+ years now and have been dating each other for at least a solid month now. but it's will and mike, and let's be real, they're both so stupid and in love with each other, and the idea of getting to go on a date with each other? yeah. it makes them both grin like a couple of idiots.

so, they make their plans. mike lives a couple hours away, so they do end up having to beg their parents to let mike come and spend the night (hopper insists upon mike sleeping in a separate room now that mike and will are dating, and joyce totally agrees, with a little wink at will to let him know she trusts them and doesn't care if mike ends up falling asleep in will's room. #1 ally and byler shipper joyce byers.) mike tells will that he'll take care of planning everything, and will agrees to it only if mike agrees that will gets to plan their second date. mike makes some silly little joke about being lucky enough to already get the promise of a second date? and will just laughs and is grinning on the phone like a little idiot, but he tells mike he's ridiculous, etc. etc. again just. fluff. they love each other, and they're dorks.

the day finally comes around when it's their first date, and mike, again the master overthinker/planner/person who would literally do anything to make will byers smile has figured everything out. yes, he has been talking to nancy about what people do on their first dates (not like mike has much experience there, since he and el never really got to go on a first date either). yes, he also called lucas and panicked about this. yes, he also got desperate and talked to steve (why? mike still doesn't know, considering steve definitely does not have a significant other right now), then robin (who was actually surprisingly helpful and gave some gentle advice on how to be careful since it is indiana in the 1980s), and also jonathan (who maybe gave mike a bit of a hard time, but then also reminded mike that he and will have known each other for years and that mike shouldn't overthink it. that he should make this as casual and as mike and will as it can be—because that's what will would want).

mike shows up at the byers' house, and he's nervous which is funny because it's will, but it's okay because will is nervous too. and they stumble and laugh a little bit at first because they're still really trying to figure this whole boyfriend thing out, but then it just... becomes so easy. they go out to a diner first that's near will's house and that had been one of the places jonathan suggested they go (mike had chosen it because it reminded him of a place he and will used to go to back in hawkins when they were kids. he doesn't say this... but will knows). and of course, they have to be careful and not act like they're on a date, but they're bantering and laughing and grinning at each other the whole time, especially when will ends up with a whipped cream mustache or when mike laughs so hard milkshake nearly comes out of his nose. it feels a lot like how things used to be, back when they were kids... but different too. a good different.

after that, they go to the movies, and it's a saturday night, so the place is packed. they end up getting really crappy seats in the back (because they were almost late since they had to clean up after mike's milkshake disaster at the diner and ended up laughing like a couple of idiots in the bathroom), but that's okay. the movie's also just okay, but neither of them really care. all they care about is the fact that they're here together, and their shoulders are pressed together, and halfway through the movie, will leans over and links his pinky with mike's and... mike thinks he's falling in love with will byers all over again.

by the time the movie gets out, they've still got an hour or so before curfew, and yeah, it's december outside, but both of them like looking at the christmas lights, and this is the first holiday season they've gotten to experience in 2 years and also the first holiday season where they've gotten to be with each other in like 3 years. so mike just drives them around will's new hometown, and the radio is playing softly in the background, and their hands are intertwined.

and here in this moment, it's just the two of them. nobody watching. no pressure to be something they're not. it's just... mike and will. two kids who have known each other since they were five, who have been best friends for over a decade, and who now get to go on this exciting journey of falling in love with each other... together.

mike pulls over eventually by one of the bigger houses with pretty lights, and he barely gets a word out before will kisses him—soft and sweet. and when will pulls away, he just thanks mike for this and always makes some teasing quip about how he's going to have some difficulty topping this date, because it's been perfect. mike, of course, gets a bit flustered but also is very proud of himself, since hey, he made will byers smile like this? that's a major success in his book.

30 minutes to curfew now and a 15 minute drive home, so that's plenty of time. both of them lean back in for a kiss, and the lights shine down on them, and mike thinks that this is exactly where he's meant to be.

(they're a few minutes late for curfew, but that's okay. everyone is already asleep, which means nobody is going to notice either if mike ends up falling asleep in will's bed, because the two of them don't want to let each other go and because they don't get to see each other near as much as they want to. their first date everything either of them could've ever wanted—the simplicity and ease of just being themselves with the person they love more than anyone else.

and well, if joyce and hopper notice that the guest bedroom is empty the next morning and will's door is most certainly not three inches open, they don't say anything.

... jonathan and el definitely do though.)

[zeawesomebirdie]

hi !!!! did NOT consider you might like to have the ask again to answer it. if you do:

seeing you post about your old west au is motivating me to at least draft my stuff out for my fic, too!!! so, firstly: good god thank you. secondly, what kind of drafting process do you normally go through? you don't have to answer this but everyone i know is pretty particular about how they write so i'm always curious!!!

Gosh okay I'm still so embarrassed about accidentally posting this before it was ready!! Lesson learned: only work on long posts on desktop (very affectionate). I'm going to copy paste what I had originally said, but there will be added stuff because it wasn't anywhere near ready to go (if you thought it was long before, honey you ain't seen nothing yet!)

Also I still am so proud of you for working on your fic, we are writing buddies now hand in lovable hand I love you thank you for enabling my rambling <33

Buckle in, here we go!

SO! My drafting process is always a moving target. I do what works best for the work in question, and things change depending on my energy and fatigue levels plus my motivation and interest levels

So that said, right now my process usually looks like:

ramble at someone in DMs, copy and paste rambles into a google doc for safekeeping and marinating

zero draft, aka word vomit until a plot forms, block out actions and the occasional dialog, determine chapter and story arcs

first draft, aka Where The Real Writing Happens

optional second draft, but only if the fic is under 10k

line edits

post :)

find a bunch of typos that I somehow missed during line editing, fix those before anyone notices

I will be showing examples because this is a bit hard to explain and Extremely Intense to a lot of people, and yeah that's because it is! I approach writing fanfic the same way I approach writing original fiction, and I find it works best for me as a plotter

If you are metaphorically inclined and familiar with oil painting: I write the way an oil painter paints. First I block in the big shapes, the gestures, and the colours. Then I come back in subsequent drafts and increase the detail until I'm done!

Further information and actual examples of my drafts will be below the cut, because this is gonna be super long and I love talking shop ^.^

And general content warning for non-graphic violence and graphic smut (and shitty early drafts); the examples are from Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson fics

So before we get into the zero draft, I want to point out two things: first, I do full rewrites. This is why writing takes me one million years. I retype each and every word in each and every draft. Second, I'm actually trying something new with the Old West!AU, for reasons I will explain in a moment!

I started doing full rewrites in 2019 after a college writing course, in which we read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott; she encourages the reader to embrace the shitty first draft. I ended up really benefiting from a zero draft too, something I first learned about in 2020 from someone on authortube who I no longer remember the name of. The zero draft is essentially a pre-draft, in which one gets the gist of the story out of their system before the prose clogs up the spigot

For me, zero drafts are something that need to be finished as fast as possible in order to get done at all, so due to the sheer length of the Old West!AU, I'm trying out writing little bullet points instead of my full zero drafting. Right now this fic is at 27 chapters, and this is part 1 of 3 total. I will be going back and filling in the actual blocking once I have all the scenes roughly accounted for

Context for the Old West!AU: Bruce is the Bat, a vigilante gunman who only kills when he needs to but still has the fastest draw on this side of the Mississippi. Now that he's taken care of the man who killed his parents, he's returned home to his Uncle Alfred and gone straight, meaning that he's hung up his guns and gone back to homesteading the family land. He adopts Dick and then a year later Jason as well, when small burglaries start happening in town, so he takes the Bat out of retirement and goes to investigate.

My bullet points started out like this:

Open on comparison between Bruce's first gun and the Bat's guns. Introduce Joe Chill, general drunkard. The Bat calls out Chill, shootout, Chill is killed. Chill drew first. Moment of reflection between Bruce's first gunfight at 15 to this one, at 21. Bruce goes home.

And that's the whole entire first chapter!

However, now they look more like:

The Sheriff runs up and shoots at him. The Bat has him disarmed with his own gun barrel to his throat in an instant. It doesn't take the Bat much time to get info out of him either. The burglar is only going after small change, not enough to be noticeable. That rules out the gambler, easily. The Sheriff can't do shit about it, because no one is willing to start an investigation for such small change. The Bat shoves the Sheriff to his knees and is gone before he notices. Alfred is waiting for him when he gets home, and asks. Bruce tries to deny it, but the clothes are in his hands and he can't. So he sighs and says he may have made a promise, but… there might be more to this than there seems, okay? He just… has a bad feeling about it. Alfred can't accept this, what about his sons? Bruce can't take this, and tells him he doesn't have to. Their yelling wakes up Dick and Jason, who stand in the doorway to their bedroom and look on with the door mostly closed.

Eventually both Alfred and Bruce yell each other out, and they sit down for coffee as dawn breaks. Bruce breaks the silence first, saying Alfred is right. Alfred tells him he understands. Bruce decides to let the Bat go for real now.

This is about half of the chapter, and closer to the blocking I normally do in zero drafts

So far this pre-zero draft seems to be working, given I've already finished part 1, but I also can't wait to come back and do the blocking in because that's when the fic really starts to take shape!

Usually though, I just start with a zero draft. I'm going to show you two different fics for the zero draft examples, because they were done differently, and like I said at the beginning, I try to adjust my process based on what is called for by what I'm writing

This first is from the fic I'm writing for @ful-crum. It's a 5+1, in which it is five times Dick fucks Bruce to distract him from discussing his emotions plus one time they actually discuss their emotions and then fuck about it.

Tim and Jason turn up an hour later, and they're incredibly concerned. Dick waves them off. Tim takes him at his word and heads to bed (he has a meeting with Wayne Tech at 8am tomorrow, ugh), but Jason sits down next to the bed and asks Dick what he thinks Bruce is going to say. Dick tells him he's not sure, I mean, it's B, y'know? Jason just nods, and they lapse into silence. Then Steph and Cass come in, and Bruce is most noticeably not present. Cass signs something about bed, and Steph tells Dick that she's worried about Bruce, to which Jason snorts and says they all are, but she insists that Dick talk to him. Dick doesn't even need to take more than a moment to decide that won't be happening. But Steph goes to bed, and it's nearly 04:00 when Jason heads up too, saying he'd love to help Dick lecture Bruce about staying out late but he's got stuff to do tomorrow. Dick asks if he wants to know what stuff, and Jason gives him a smirk and says ask him no questions and he'll tell him no lies. Dick can live with that.

As you can see, this is just general staging directions and vibes

This second example was supposed to be for BruDick Week 2024, but I accidentally got carried away and ended up deciding to write a longfic for it instead. The prompt was "brudick meet their AU!selves," so I did 66!brudick meets the Gotham Rogues Polycule, an AU in which Bruce, Dick, and Clark are in a very elaborate polycule with half of Gotham's villains.

Batman and Robin were on a normal mission in the middle of the day, on the trail of Catwoman, who's been stealing from the Gotham Museum of Art again. One moment they were walking into the museum, the next they were in a weird swirl of energy. Robin clings to Batman and asks what's going on, and Batman tells him steady Robin, we just have to stay calm and see what happens. The energy clears as someone calls out “incoming! Clear the floor!” and they find themselves in what is clearly the Cave, except it's even more high tech than anything they've ever seen. There's three people in suits like theirs standing in front of a massive screen, and Robin identifies the Riddler immediately, even if he doesn't recognise the other two. Before Batman can stop him, he charges the Riddler, who jumps behind the man in black and blue with a laugh. Batman does call out for him to stop, but he ignores him. The man in black and blue meets his every move, almost like he's fighting himself, and he calls out to the man in red and blue “a little help here, Supes?”

The biggest difference here is how drastically these fics changed from their zero draft to the first draft rendition, and that is entirely because of how fleshed out they ended up being (or not being, lol)

When I zero drafted the 5+1, it was with the intention of that specific part simply being a chapter, whereas my original zero draft of the 66! meeting the polycule! fic was actually intended to be a two shot at most. I unfortunately lost control of the plot during the first draft of that one, and it spiraled into a longfic, which will become more clear in a bit!

Basically though, the goal of the zero draft is to know who's where and why at all times! With longfics, there is often a restructuring that happens after the zero draft is written, where I move scenes and sometimes whole chapters to their best locations. This is where I make the most use out of a beta! Pacing is a big struggle for me and it is easier to fix at this stage, before I have all the prose and have become attached to what I've written

Next up is the first draft, and this is a whole new document. This is where I write The Actual Words. This is more or less the final version of the fic, for longfics, give or take a few paragraphs and a shit ton of line edits. Having said that though, I write in fits and bursts, because y'know disabled and stuff. So I write a paragraph or two at a time, and I am constantly adding and subtracting words and lines and sometimes whole paragraphs while I am actively working on a chapter

I'm going to show the first draft versions of both of the above fics, and due to the length these will be extremely excerpted but they should serve as examples regardless. Generally speaking, my zero drafts are about 1/3 of the length of my finished fics, however the 5+1 is currently proving to be an exception so that number may not be super accurate

First, the 5+1:

“You did take care of them, right?” Dick asked, groaning when Jason’s mouth thinned as he looked away. “Is Steph at least still with him?” “Last I heard, they were—” Jason started, cutting himself off when the Cave’s alarm signaled the arrival of newcomers. A moment later, two muddy bikes roared into the garage, leaving dark tracks behind them as they parked haphazardly together on the far side of the garage. With the return of Black Bat and Spoiler, the only empty place on the garage floor now belonged to Batman himself. Dick tried to catch Jason’s eyes as they waited in the med bay for Cass and Steph to strip off their suits and join them, but Jason turned away from him, though he didn’t rise from the bed. Something must have gone down after he’d fallen unconscious, Dick was sure of it. Why else would Bruce have sent everyone else home early on a patrol night? He could already see it in his mind’s eye, Batman doing God-knew-what out in Gotham alone, Bruce coming home with a busted lip that Dick would have to personally clean up before they went to bed, how that lip would scab over and feel under his tongue when he kissed Bruce the next morning after waking up in their bed—Bruce’s bed—on accident. How that scab would stretch when the ghost of a smile caught Bruce by surprise after one of Dick’s terrible puns. “You okay?” Steph called across the Cave as she and Cass walked toward the med bay. “Never been better,” Dick replied, trying not to be put out at Jason’s eye roll. He put up a hand for Cass to inspect when she came up to his bedside, and after she had nodded her satisfaction of his health he smiled. “I’ll be right as rain in no time.”

And the 66! meets polycule! fic:

“You!” Robin shouted, not waiting for Batman to back him up as he charged toward the Riddler. Riddler didn't move—in fact, none of the three moved—then Robin was on him, punching his face hard enough to hear a distinct crack. That startled all three into action, Riddler swearing up a storm before throwing himself behind the blue masked man, who blocked Robin's next hits without hesitation. “Robin!” Batman called from somewhere behind him, but Robin ignored him, focusing his energy on striking past the masked man's defenses to get at Riddler. “I know you're behind this, you– you scum!” Robin snarled in Riddler's direction, placing a perfectly timed jab toward the masked man's left cheek and then feinting to the right. But the man met him easily, as though they were merely sparring. “I'm not who you think I am!” Riddler exclaimed, his hands cupping his face but doing little to staunch the blood streaming from his nose. “Let's slow down for a minute, okay?” the masked man said, his voice maddeningly level as if Robin wasn't trying every trick he knew to get past him. “We can explain.” “Yeah kid, there's a good explanation here, we promise,” Riddler added. Robin growled and spun around the  masked man's reach only to find him once again directly blocking him from Riddler. How in the dickens did he know exactly where Robin was going to strike before Robin himself knew? And why on earth was he protecting the Riddler? “Supes, we could use a hand here,” the masked man said, still obnoxiously calm, once again blocking Robin's fist and this time circling his hand around Robin's wrist to twist his arm behind his back. In a blink, Robin was lifted into the air by his collar, the blue and red suited man holding him at arm's length. Robin continued to struggle for a moment, but finally Batman came into view, frowning up at him. Seeing Batman's disapproval took every bit of wind from Robin's sails, and he deflated instantly. If Batman didn't think he needed to fight, then he probably didn't need to.

So as you can see, I just kinda fill in the details with each draft!

Which is where we come to the optional second draft. I try, I really do try, to do a full second draft of everything I write. I always am glad to have done one, once it's done. The problem is, I really do have very limited energy, and anything longer than a chapter or two just doesn't get finished if I try to give it a full second draft. I've instead been doing really vigorous line edits, which I don't have an examples of because those are done in the same document as the first draft!

Now, you're probably wondering why on earth I gave a smut content warning at the beginning of this post. WELL.

I am calling myself out as a newbie when it comes to the art of smut writing. My 5+1 fic, the one where literally every single part has extremely explicit smut, has the following in the zero draft:

Yes, that is not one, not two, but three "cue smuts." Clearly I was new at this (affectionate)

Shout out to past!me for this in the last part though, because at least it actually has some semblance of blocking even if it is still extremely lacking:

The kissing escalates (as it often does) to smut over the desk (though Dick does try to move the documents out of the way, even if Bruce is growling at him to leave it alone; he doesn't want to be the reason Tim has another caffeine-induced breakdown).

I didn't figure this out until I was actually writing this fic, but it turns out I not only need to block in regular action scenes, I also need to block in the smut, because otherwise I will be sitting there having no fucking clue what to write (very affectionate)

So I now present what a zero draft of smut looks like! This is from a 5+1 in which there are five times Bruce and Dick fuck because of Poison Ivy's sex pollen and it "doesn't mean anything," plus one time they fuck because they actually want to:

Dick asks if they can take off their suits, it's too hot he's too hot, and Bruce says okay, that's a good idea, and internally he's panicking because oh no. Oh no. But the moment the words are out he sees the relief in Dick's face, and realises Dick needs to be told what to do right now, so he tells him clearly to strip, it'll help. Once Dick is fully naked in the other seat, he turns to Bruce and asks if he needs help with his armor. His hand is tentatively, almost shyly stroking his cock, and Bruce is really struggling to not watch. He tells him no, he doesn't, and takes off the chest plate and arm armor, but leaves what's left of his leg armor on. He decides he can safely put his hand under his boxers, but Dick makes a little noise, and when he looks over he can clearly see Dick watching him stroke himself. Oh fuck. He's cumming before he even realises it, his boxers getting wet and sticky and his cock still so maddeningly hard and he strokes himself through it, unable to stop himself from moaning even as he tries to keep himself in a clinical mindset. Dick asks to see him, and Bruce, despite knowing what a bad, horrible idea this is, pulls down his boxers to reveal his cock. Dick shifts his hand on his own cock to mimic what Bruce is doing, and Bruce has the horrible realisation that he doesn't even really know how to jerk himself off. Dear God, hopefully Alfred stays the fuck out of the Cave tonight.

So it's really just more of the same general blocking directions and vibes!

Another thing of note for zero drafts, I try to use as few words as possible to get what I need across. These are only ever intended to be seen by myself and a beta, assuming anyone else besides me even sees them at all, so I use slang and shorthand and leave notes for myself in the text itself

This can be a bit weird for when I show it to betas (or anyone else, for that matter!) because there are some fics where the tone or the vocabulary in the zero is incredibly modern despite the fic being in a historical or pre-modern setting!

And I have yet to actually write the first draft of that one, so I'm going to give you the first draft of the "Cue more smut (but this time against the batmobile 😌)" scene so that you can see the difference between the blocking and an Actual Scene:

Bruce had turned his back to him, bracing himself against the batmobile, and Dick took hold of Bruce's hip to hold him steady when he slid a finger into his hole. A soft moan was all he got in verbal response, but Bruce pushed against Dick's finger despite Dick's best efforts to do this slowly. Chuckling under his breath, Dick slid in a second finger, relishing in the clench of Bruce's muscle as he began working him open. “Easy, B,” he said softly, leaning over him enough to move his hand from Bruce's hip to his cock. Bruce growled and arched into his touch, taking in Dick's fingers completely. “Someone's in a rush tonight, huh?” He didn't get a verbal response, not that he ever did. Bruce rarely spoke while full, relying instead on nonverbal communication to indicate his needs. It hadn't taken long for Dick to become acquainted with his movements back when they started this; after all, fucking was no different from fighting, not for them, not when they had flown side by side across Gotham for more than half of Dick's life. And Dick knew Bruce would always try to get him to rush just a little, knew he'd give in like he always did, wanting to have his cock inside Bruce as soon as physically possible just as much as Bruce did. He wasted no more time, sliding his fingers out and releasing Bruce's cock just long enough to slick up his own. The small whine from Bruce at the loss of contact ought to be ignored, ought not be acknowledged, and Dick knew that, but he couldn't resist leaning over to kiss the small of Bruce's back. Bruce huffed at him, glaring over his shoulder. Dick met his eyes with a grin. Then Dick gripped Bruce's hip again, holding him steady while Bruce leaned back to meet him, and slipped into his tight heat. There was a soft moan from Bruce the moment he bottomed out; Dick leaned forward again to kiss up his spine, keeping his cock buried deep even while Bruce began to rock back into him.

I do think the fic for @ful-crum would be easier if I had proper blocking for the smut, but also I do love a good challenge and you live and you learn, so I'm not super invested in going back and blocking in the smut at this point in time!

And honestly, once the line edits are done that's pretty much it!

I keep a little "posting info" doc for each and every fic I write, to which I add tags as I come to them in writing, so that I don't have to think about what needs to be tagged at the end after I've already forgotten what I've written. That has saved my butt so many times ngl, especially for longfics!

But really what keeps me from posting more often, despite how much I write, is that I fully finish fics before I post them, even if I'm posting them on a weekly or whatever basis. This is mostly because I can't guarantee when I'll need to randomly take several months off of writing, and I don't want to leave anything unfinished, but also because I don't want to actually end up leaving something unfinished for a few years until I cycle back into the fandom

And that's it!! Thanks for tuning in to this little master class :) If I can clarify anything please let me know; I tried to explain everything that I thought needed it but I can never tell what others will need more clarification on!!

And also, thanks again for asking this!! I don't know many people who do full drafts, or even many people who don't completely pants everything they write, and so I'm always excited to discuss my process!! I also am a firm believer in "take what helps and leave the rest," so if you find something in my process that sounds like something you'd like to do, give it a whirl!! I think it's super important to share the different kinds of processes there can be for writing, because everyone really writes so differently, you know?

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my shitty early drafts (very affectionate)!!

[twothpaste]

So 👏 pls share your thoughts on Paula and any has you have for her (especially with her family. I’m all for that angst. Especially with how you portrayed her parents)

I love Paula to bits and pieces. After all I've done to develop her, she's probably become my favorite EarthBound party member. Which feels weird to say, 'cause most of the stuff I associate with Paula I made up from almost scratch. The game only provides a handful of tiny character details to extrapolate from, and boy do I strive to get maximum mileage outta them. But reluctant as I am to warp canon characters into OCs, I do reckon that's kinda the point with EarthBound. Itoi wanted to keep the party members vague enough that players could picture their real friends in their places, or dream up their own versions of 'em based on impressions alone. So, alright, Shigesato, sir. I've got yer small town damsel in distress right here.

My Paula's the literary nerd to Jeff's science nerd. Rockin' local accolades and the second highest IQ stat in the party, only makes sense she'd be good in school. Havin' her be clever and bookish is a fun contrast to Ness too, who I imagine is a lovably ditzy C-student. Made her an American literature enthusiast, since EarthBound's all about those anachronistic americana vibes. Made her obsessed with chess, since playing Paula at her best involves a lot of strategic micromanagement on the player's part. Her ruthless glass cannon gameplay, utilizing her unique psychic skills, implies a great confidence in her own talents - but also a secret brittle side. She's delightfully witty and self-assured on the surface, desperately insecure underneath. Anxious to admit how badly she needs supportive friends to help prop her up, 'til she comes to love and trust Ness n' the gang.

It hit me like a truck, right about here, when I realized how easily all of this could stem from her growing up with an overbearing mother.

I initially didn't get much of a read on Mrs. Jones in the game dialogue itself - aside from her bein' kinda rude to Ness once or twice. I've seen several fics & fanart intepretations of Paula having a troubled relationship with her folks (this fic's one of my very favorites!). Love how this kinda thing really gets to the heart of EarthBound's gloomier themes - kids uncovering dark undersides to things that're seemingly benign, and often close to home. I imagine Paula's mom as the kinda parent who's awfully affectionate and supportive at first glance - and genuinely thinks she's doing everything right! But she's actually deeply possessive, in a covert sorta way. She hinges her own self-worth on her daughter's reputation, lives vicariously through Paula's success, needs to prove her merit by bragging about her perfect little angel's straight A's. Hopes to compensate for her own failures and broken dreams (read: law school) by ensuring Paula has a prosperous future (read: rich lawyer) in her stead. Doesn't help that Mrs. Jones is just as relentless as her daughter, and refuses to admit fault for years and years.

Kid Paula, an only child, used to be real close with her mom. Wanted to be just like her, wished for nothing more than to impress her. Only to grow up and realize she's unwittingly inherited all her baggage. She gives herself no leeway for failure, feels as if she's gotta do everything on her own, craves praise but can hardly stomach it. Even the snarky banter I love to cram her dialogue with probably comes from her mother. Paula wears her intellect as a badge of honor 'cause it's one of the few things that earned her mom's favor. Pursues success 'cause she doesn't know any alternative. Holds herself to impossible standards, 'cause she associates mediocrity with unbearable shame.

But like. Like!!! The best thing about Paula isn't that she's smart or talented or an ultra-powerful psychic!! It's that she's a selfless person with a great big heart!! She's the one who prays for everyone's safety, and in so doing defeats the fucking embodiment of all things evil! She's beloved by the preschoolers she cares for! I imagine she helped ease Ness n' Jeff n' Poo through so many homesick meltdowns!! Her sharp attention to detail and experience with kids makes her really adept at noticing others' feelings, and patiently tending to them. Given that her mom's a wreck, she probably gets it from her dad. I think it's funny if he's kind of a pathetic pushover wifeguy, lettin' Mrs. Jones walk all over him n' Paula both. But my headcanon's that starting a preschool was his idea. He's a kind, gentle soul, who does a lot more listening than judging. Someone Paula can go to - though she absolutely loathes to burden him. Ness n' pals help to bring out this softer side of her, and remind her what a great person she really is.

There's a long, grueling period through her teens and early 20's where my Paula notices herself looking and sounding more and more like her mom, and it drives her to tears on regular occasions. Growing more resentful and rebellious. Threatening cut-offs she'll never go through with, doin' things just to spite her. But ultimately, I do imagine there's a prospective future where she gets to reconcile with Mrs. Jones. Probably with dad's help. And lots of words of encouragement from little ol' Ness.

[suiana]

"Do you... Do you love me?" There it is again. You feel like it's your daily routine now to answer these types of questions. But on the other hand, you loved it. Yeah, that's just what you expected from a relationship. Well, same question, same answer! "Sure, ---..." your voice was like a resuscitation session to his useless, worthless, horrible life. He couldn't believe it. He just... couldn't believe it was really happening to him. After all, from an early age he had already recognized himself as a perpetual virgin with no personality and a good face, so that any woman would only spit in his face.

And that's partly true. Even you, at first, didn't see him as anything but a strange student who decided to be a lovable idiot. And that first meeting? God, you still remember it all with wild laughter. That image of a "great guy for a relationship" had nothing to do with your current boyfriend. But what is this, lifeguard syndrome? Pure pity or something more? After all, after that incident, you started following him more. Certainly not in terms of stalking or anything that he did - unlike this idiot, you had ideas about social norms.

You just decided to take this wet, dirty, poor puppy into your life. And at first it was all set to go your separate ways very quickly: he was awkward, clumsy, rude to others, and clueless about many topics besides anime and manga. But you didn't give up, even though you should have.... First of all, the looks! He didn't look after himself at all - you had to open him up to the world of makeup. Turns out he really didn't know that makeup is used not only in cosplay, but just for fun. When he saw your normal face it was like he fell in love all over again - which only made you laugh.

The same reaction was with other aspects of his life - proper diet, sports (oh he only got over running after a week), and even simple socialization! You were very interested in his idiot parents, but when he told you about them... Oh. My. God. Rich, normal parents. Did you imagine your shock? Multiply it by a thousand, because their son was a real antonym! It was weird to take a family photo on the same day, but your loser persuaded ...

And after all that, he got pretty ... Okay, more or less socially acceptable. At least one girl talked to him first! He was glowing with happiness when he told you how "cool he then blew her off" (she actually just asked for directions to the hypermarket, to which he flipped and ran away as fast as he could)... Well, if you put aside the other moments in life and basically summarize - you really did become a helping hand for him, a light at the end of the tunnel, whatever else people say... And you really do love him. It's as if every rise and fall of his life becomes your result! Oh boy, you really didn't make lover, you made a dog.... but he loved it!

"Are you sure you're in love? Then tell me your favorite character from attack of the titans!"

"...I don't watch this, honey."

For the next couple of hours, you had to become a participant in the home marathon of Attack of the Titans. In the original voiceover. No subtitles. Well, an ordinary evening, what can I say?

BRO I SWEAR U NEVER FAIL TO SURPRISE ME

UR LITERALLY EXPLODING MY MIND IN A GOOD WAY RN I WANNA KISS U??? DUDE PLS BE A WRITER TY???

[paopaupaus]

part 10 of the Buddie Development rant and analysis

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10

S6:E1 Let the Games Begin

Domestic dinners are now a thing between Eddie, Buck and Christopher. ughh i just saw this post where it says that Buck remaking the lasagna 4 times is: 3 times wrong and burnt for Abby, Ali and Taylor, then the perfect one for Chris and Eddie and UGHHH i love tumblr and all of our little theories. Team Lasagna Theory!!

S6:E10 In a Flash

As Buck is going to go up the fire engine ladder Eddie says “all right cowboy go get em 😏🥰🤠”

save a horse ride a…

fuck off how is Buck struck by lightning hasn’t this boy gone through enough 😭😭😭 i’m with Eddie, freaking out right there.

S6:E11 In Another Life

As Buck arrives to the emergency room Eddie switches with Chim doing compressions, and he is the one that got his pulse back, i’m-

the doctors say they’ll do their best, Eddie shouts “Do More!”

Okay i’m going to go off the racks with this one, but while he’s in a coma Buck is having this dream of how things would’ve gone if Daniel did’t die, and it’s sort of a search for himself and the reconciliation with the kid that he could have been, the family and the parents that he never had, in order to grow.

I feel like Eddie wasn’t in that dream for a reason and it’s gonna sound crazy but here we go. As Buck realizes that he is enough he runs through the hospital and comes across people trying to stop him from returning, like obstacles he has to overcome. He doesn’t come acrosss Eddie, but he does find Christopher.

Christipher says: “help i’m lost, can you help me find my dad?”

Buck “sorry you’re but you’re not real and i have to go

as he runss away he says “i know i’m going to regret That one later. “

My theory for why eddie wasn’t in the dream was

1. Buck would have probably stayed with him (dead) 😅 and

2. up until that point he hasn’t seen Eddie for what he truly is, and he has to find himself and accept who he is in order to find Eddie too

but buck couldn’t have stayed in the dream with Eddie because he hadn’t figured it out yet, he doesn’t understand yet that he is lovable and that there are people in his life that love him for who he already is, he can’t see himself clearly.

metaphor for being struck by lightning and enlightening your thoughts huhhhh

S6:E12 Recovery

I love the couch theory 😭🫶 In this episode Buck can’t sleep in his couch (the one his mom bought) at all, and when he leaves a note to Maddie saying he was going out, he actually meant going to Eddie’s house <3 as soon as he touches the couch he is 😴 out of it. Buck it feels like the only place you are safe and comfortable is your best friend’s couch. See also every one of them has their spot on the couch! 😭 Buck left > Chris middle > Eddie right.

I am SO normal about this

They are so husband coded omfg

Eddie *talking about when he was shot* “so now am i allowed to ask how you are ? 😠😠”

Okay so read this post then come back here because Eddie says to buck

“Allow yourself to feel it”

allow yourself to feel it…

S6:E13 Mixed feelings

I love that aside from Just Hanging Out Chris and Eddie are also supporting (and entertaining) the idea of Buck’s new super powers, because of the lightning strike.

i have a theory that buck knows math because in the dream he was a math teacher, he never really figured out what it is he taught but i feel like that is it.

what’s up with that poker game? omg everyone there for sure thought they were boyfriends.

“three minutes”

Eddie “THREE MINUTES ANS SEVENTEEN SECONDS”

eddie is also so normal about this hahaha he’s gone

Buck playing and Eddie watching over him looks like a mafia boss and his boy toy out for some fun

S6:E14 Perfomance Anxiety

Eddie’s tia sets him up for a date and when he’s talking to the team about it he says that dating feels like a performance. ok gay.

Hen also gives him a sideye like she knowwwss. see also i laughed at the meme like ten minutes. 😂😂

S6:E15 Death and taxes

I feel like Eddie is so pissed and catious about Buck starting to date Natalia, he tells him that’s it’s not going to work out and when Buck says that she “sees” him for who he really is Eddie looks so conflicted.

S6:E17 Love is in the air

okay so Eddie decides to take matters into his own hands so his Tia leaves him alone about dating and it is NOT a coincidence that almost every woman he sees is either gay or married to that guy that checks him out in the golf course 😭😭 i screamed out loud at that HAHHDHA Eddie is like a gay magnet i fear

Alsoo!!! Eddie in the cafeteria is dressed with a grey shirt and a black puffed vest, as is the lady with the gay guy, same outfit… any thoughts?

Buck what’s with the ring cutter?!?!! that look he gives Maddy like you really wanna know why i have it 😭😭

he a ho

Eddie subconsciously realizing that he has never dated a woman for real and that comes from his upbringing of heteronormativity and fear of divorce? i know for my part (i’m mexican) that divorce is viewed as a failure and a disgrace. i also liked that he talked to his tía Pepa and he finds out she has divorced an remarried, he looks surprised because as i said, divorce are sort of a hush hush and taboo topic in our culture. so hopefully he starts his growing journey soon.

S6:E18 Pay It Forward

I know this is not the purpose of this rant thread but i loved seeing the mirroring between the first season when there is a full moon and the women are giving starting to give birth simultaneously and Buck is close to useless and that woman has to give birth herself 😂 and now, where Kameron is starting to give birth and he is caalm, and calls 911 and knows exactly what to do and what to say, i think it was a great example of his growth 🫶

Buck doesn’t learn, he’s just gonna jump and ask Natalia to pick a couch with him 😐

i really liked this season, as always if you have anything to add feel free go in the comments or repost 😚

[ms-katonic-of-tamriel]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love!

SPOILERS BELOW: AoD, Wolf Queen, Prodigal Dragonborn, Unfated, And When The World Remembers

Age of the Dragon, even if it is a beast. Started out as a what if crossover, ended up being an epic adventure touching on colonialism, first contact, toxic organised religion, overcoming religious trauma, overcoming addiction, saving the world but at a cost, arriving in a new place and ending up overturning half their culture, how far are you willing to go to win, what salvation really looks like, redemption, freedom, and reuniting long-lost family. It gave me Cicero's Uncle and I love him very much. It gave Alistair his New Dog, and I love that very much too. XD

Wolf Queen Awakens - it just works. It just came together so easily, and I'm proud of it. The last scene still moves me to tears, it's like, yeah, Elisif, you did it. You saved the world. You won your throne. You avenged your husband. You got a new one. You're not a helpless figurehead any more and never will be again. And now you're Queen. You enjoy yourself, you earned this.

Prodigal Dragonborn - it is a fluffy romance between a lonely nerd who wasn't really expecting to find a partner, but was looking for an adventure and an amazing scientific discovery, and manages to come home with all three. I really liked writing Lucien. He's so sweet and lovable and definitely on the ace spectrum and probably autistic as well. Teasing out the backstory that Joseph Russell didn't put in and quite possibly didn't intend to be there was a lot of fun. "I'm the one using the library for its intended purpose and I'm the problem??" and "my amazing scientific discovery loves me back!" were the two most iconic lines, I think. Plus we also get Miraak with no memories looking for redemption and finding it in this scientist who will surely perish if not protected... and in the end, choosing love and forgiveness over wrath and retribution and realising his fate is not set in stone after all, and there doesn't have to be a divide between his real self and the part that loves Lucien. Also there's the cat. How can you not love Lucien's cat. That cat's practically a character in her own right. Lived in fear Joseph Russell would find out what I'd done with his boy and flip out when I started writing it, but by now I've largely realised I probably needn't have worried.

Unfated - crack turned serious. Silly Skyrim version of a silly DND webcomic, in which the Markarth Incident gets averted due to shenanigans but those shenanigans result in peace talks, an agreement, a wary truce between magic-phobic Stormcloaks fresh from a war that left them all traumatised and Reachfolk not sure how to treat the ones who were invading their country five minutes ago, and slowly the two cultures start merging as everyone involved starts to heal. And then the reaction comes, and consequences, and suddenly it all starts kicking off and then Teenage Cicero shows up. Soon followed by his now-Tranquil Uncle. It's got very intense, but I am enjoying picking this one up again. Also everyone's younger selves are proving a delight to write. Keirine newly First Matriarch and still unsure of herself. Madanach who never went to Cidhna Mine and has five young kids to look after. Farkas and Vilkas as teenagers. Uncle Cicero in his mid-forties. Custom follower Kaidan as a wee babby and his mum alive and I really love writing her too. Teeny tiny Leliana uprooted from Orlais and everything she's ever known. Delphine in her twenties and one Blade among many, serving alongside at least one who remembers what she was like before the war and will not put up with her crap. Elisif's parents! Tiny Vex of all people (people went nuts over Tiny Vex and she's only a bit character). MADANACH'S KIDS. Eola as a tiny baby who loves meat already and turned out to be the one to convince Ulfric to give in. And of course Ulfric Stormcloak, 29, war crimes averted, getting therapy, in a healthy relationship and healing. All the Stormcloaks, healing. Able to lay down their weapons, work with non-Nords and magic users at that, and live peacefully - mostly. It's an odd little universe but I love it.

And When the World Remembers - Dragon Age Inquisition, but the Herald of Andraste is stupidly OP and an ex-Dark Lord on the run, who falls face first out of Apocrypha and into his new cult and is absolutely delighted with his new Andrastian minions. And then he changes. Slowly he starts remembering how to be human again. Slowly he starts realising he actually likes these people. And then he meets this flamboyant necromancer from Tevinter who turns his life upside down before you can say 'future husband' and now there's two of them both trying to work through their issues and save the world and try to be good people while doing it. And then Miraak's past comes back to haunt him, and then Dragonborn Three arrives and he has not just a partner and an Inquisition... but siblings again. I fully intend to finish this one day, I swear it, but Unfated ran away with me.

Thank you so much for the ask! And now the tagging.

@rheilea @evil-is-relative @kookaburra1701 @expended-sleeper

And anyone else who has writing they want to tell their followers about. If you can't think of five, wax lyrical on what you do have.

[rknchan]

i wondered why i underestimated fresh so much - and came to a unexpected conclusion: all my favorite cure protagonists - megumi from hcpc, hikaru from startwi, haruka from gopri - are all strange, quirky, idealists, children at heart, their characters are very hyperbolised - although it doesnt mean people like them dont exist

it explains why they're not liked in the fandom (at least what ive seen) "megumi is a mary sue and unrealistically kind" "haruka dreams to become a princess? who is she, a 5 year old?" "what's up with hikaru's obsession with space and eternal optimism? so childish and stupid" and such people like megumi or haruka ARE often treated like this in real life

love momozono is not at all strange - in fact she is the most ordinary person ever - so ordinary i considered her boring and i was badly mistaken love is that girl next door, simple, real, never doubting, sacrificing everything for her friends without any hesitation - because she can't imagine any other option it is this very ordinary girl who saves all the parallel worlds, becomes a responsible leader and caring "parent" for chiffon - and she's the one who makes setsuna feel happy, feel at home, this setsuna who has never knew love and friendship and maybe thats what makes love so lovable (sorry for the pun)

hcpc characters meet each other for the first time, their characters are bright, turbulent and contrasting, which leads to many strange situations. each new day spent together becomes an adventure and opens up new sides in the characters - that's why not a single filler episode seems like a filler

love-miki-inori trio are best friends since childhood, they do not need sentimentality of meguhime and declarations of love every day - they know too well they indeed love each other, all their warmth is hidden inside (although I don't really see it and it often seemed to me that miki and inori were just "additions to love")

hcpc is a very psychological season, where much attention is paid to the characters' personalities and ideologies, posing questions - what is happiness? what is love? who deserves love and happiness? therefore, hcpc villains have deep personalities and traumas - to show that they are people who have become evil for a reason

moebius is a function, but its how he should be: he is literally an AI that fulfills its function

so in the end idk why i didn’t like fresh that much, it must be good, it really must be good - but i just can’t understand it, it doesnt give me that kirayaba feeling that im looking for in every media i watch. hope startwi will return this feeling to me …

sorry fresh fans its all my personal interpetation and most likely im wrong. im just here with my silly little analyses

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh

4.25/5. Releases 4/25/2023.

For when you're vibing with... Second chance romance, capital g Groveling, big men who just don't feel like they're good enough, and some seriously hot sex scenes.

Dom and Will were seemingly perfect for each other--until he left her at the altar. A year later, the two haven't even spoken, despite Dom's sister marrying Willa's brother. But at a house party on a secluded island, Willa and Dom have been unexpectedly thrown together by their friends--and are forced to confront not only their feelings for each other, but why Dom really left.

Holy shit. This is a hot book, especially by traditionally published romance standards. But it's also a fun and very emotionally soft love story. They go hard between the sheets but then you're like "awww", which is really something that I personally love.

Quick Takes:

--Eva Leigh's Last Chance Scoundrels series is uniformly good. I'd recommend each book, and they're all hot, too. But it's done a great thing: it's gotten better with each book, and it's gotten hotter with each book. It started with Dom leaving Willa on their wedding day, and it ends with their romance. That's how you fucking do it. Well done.

--There's a challenge to this story. Dom did a really shitty thing, and you have to believe in this romance taking place over the course of several days, but also over the course of all this time and courtship we really don't see. This isn't a book with true flashbacks. Yet, Eva Leigh sells it because Dom and Will have such real, pain-laced chemistry, and because they're both so lovable as individuals. He's a big guy who's had all the training and money he needs to hide his lower class origins, but still can't (and doesn't really want to) conceal who he actually is. She's an English rose on the surface, with a dirty streak and a desire to be known and loved for her true self. They clearly deeply love and value each other, not just on a romantic level but as friends--they just need to get to the point where he feels worthy and she believes in and trusts him again.

--If you like a big guy/firebrand girl who has him wrapped around her finger dynamic... this is it. Willa is so fucking strong and bold and outspoken, without ever giving way to NLOG syndrome, due to her real pain and vulnerability. Dom is like... a fucking mess of a man. Hulking and dominant one minute, and my fucking cinnamon apple the next. There's a moment towards the end where he is just so precious I.... couldn't handle it. However, another aspect I loved of this book is that it very explicitly calls out that Dom has put Willa on a pedestal, and she'd very much like to be touched and treated like a real woman. What a great thing to see confronted in romance.

--This is a pretty quick and straightforward story, and I think that it is done in that respect, almost perfectly. But I will say that, though I'm not surprised about The Thing... I do think it could've been a bit twistier. That being said, it's not a big deal and doesn't detract from the story in a big way at all. The point here is really not plot (and not every romance novel should have a huge plot beyond the love story) it's feelings.

--I will say that I also absolutely love a house party historical, and this is a great one. They're on an island, they can't escape, there are all these lush people doing sexy things and getting up to mischief. I'm fucking for it. More of this! The setting also allows Leigh to really lean into the Parent Trap vibes of it all. Oh no, we need two people to do this sexy thing together. Who could possibly do it???

The Sex Stuff:

Uh. Yeah. This is hot. Dom and Willa are both switches, and Leigh uses that to full effect, with some light bondage, a little bit of dominance and submission on both sides, blindfolds, riding crops, that one thing you practically NEVER see in (het, trad) historicals. And it's all done in a way that totally serves their relationship. I loved how unabashedly, unashamedly horny Willa was, and I loved how much Dom loved that side of her. This is a book wherein two people who have been wanting to rip each other's clothes off since they met finally get to do that, and you feel it.

One of the things I really loved in terms of "sex as character" in this was a moment in which Dom has Done An Act and realizes that he could potentially have visible physical scars left over later. And he wants that. Because he got those scars serving her, they're a remnant of her pleasure, her ownership of him. That.... is some good fucking shit right there.

This is a great finish to the series, and perhaps my favorite Eva Leigh book yet. I feel like she put a lot of work and creativity into this, and it was immensely satisfying to see her do her thing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.