#talking about generational differences and environmental differences in fandom experiences is genuinely one of my favorite things to

[goodwoodpod]

this might be too late to still be included but i still wanted to offer my opinion about your questions on change in how fandom is done! sorry this ended up so long 🥴

a lot of how people approach fandom in general (& criticise/talk about how fandom is performed today) depends on how they first engaged with it.

i'm gen z, so my first "real" fandom activity was firmly on centralised fanfic sites (like The german fanfic archive, wattpad and ao3) and then on social media like twitter and recently tiktok. i think this is quite similar to how most younger folks today got into fandom.

in my experience, this way of doing fandom makes for a more passive (more consumerist than productive) fandom experience, especially in massive fandoms like HP or popular bands. it ends to be very public and open; you might even interact with official twitter accounts, maybe comment on twitch streams, etc. often, fans attach their face or at least name to their fandom activity and there is virtually no barrier of entry to the content (opposite e.g. to password-protected vintage forum fan communities)

but: my actual first experience with fandom or the core activity of fandom - expanding on existing universes - was roleplay forums in the early/mid-2010s. it wasn't (always) building on a "classic" fandom but operated in a shared universe where you HAD to create new content yourself in order for the format to work (basically LARPing but online!)

this format of forums feels very "old school fandom" (i.e. pretty private & built on personal connections to anonymous users you came to know). i think it might also be why i do fandom more actively (and am also more conscious of privacy) than many others in my age group.

at the same time, it feels like discord groups are bringing back the closed universe-feeling of old-school fandom - but in a slightly different way i can't quite articulate? in my experience, they have less emphasis on anonymity and absolutely no regard to any kind of archive function, but at least establish the boundary between fandom in- vs non-fandom out-group (including creators/objects of fandom) again.

i'm super interested in what you all have to say about this topic!

I am full-on "how do you do fellow kids"-ing you with this response, because as someone on the cusp of the generational divide I feel like I really straddle the millennial-gen z cusp, even for fandom (being that I missed the livejournal heydays and was around for infamous 2014 tumblr), but oh my god does hearing about kids getting into fandom via tiktok make me feel OLD ahahahaha.

it blows my mind, and I also find it interesting in light of debates happening on tiktok about fandom cringiness (mostly around cosplayers and the stranger things fandom, from what I've seen). for those out of the loop: the collision between fandom-goers and non-fandom-goers is continuing, in that people who don't "get" fandom are deeming those in fandom (in this case, con-goers who are REALLY into the tv show stranger things) "cringe," and it's resulting in some interesting conversations about which people get exposed to fandom and which don't.

back to your ask: the roleplaying is so interesting! I also did roleplaying (on facebook, oh how times have changed) waaaaaay back in the day. I totally feel like you're right in saying you starting with rp might've encouraged you to be more open and active!

I wholly agree that discord has abolished senses of privacy... which has some upsides, and (in my opinion) a lot of downsides. I'm of two minds on these things, because while I'm an optimist at heart, and I love making connections, I've also seen that go awry a time or two. I feel like I knew how to navigate the "old" internet really well (tell no one your name, or what country you're from, and BY GOD tell no one how old you are," but the new internet, with its radical openness (name, age, pronouns, location in bio with tons of identifying features ready for consumption), sometimes still makes me wary!

but then I'm like, oh, well, I want to connect with people... and you connect by being open with them... and it very much feels like I want to have my cake and eat it too re: what to put online. it's a weird place to navigate! all I know is that I'm grateful I'm navigating it right now as an adult, as opposed to a kid. I really feel for the young gen z'ers and gen alphas who are truly growing up in this environment. it's a convoluted one!

-bec

[olderthannetfic]

Hello olderthannetfic-sensei!

I discovered your blog after I learned that my worldview counted as "proship" and that meant a lot of Tumblr (ostensibly) hates me and wants me to do terrible things to myself. I've been doing my best to understand the opposition's point of view, and I keep coming up short, so I thought I'd ask and see if you can point me anywhere helpful.

Do you happen to know what anti demographics look like? Am I mostly dealing with actual children, or are most of them older? The only antis I've dealt with personally have been trans men- at the risk of upsetting the trans community, are trans-masc antis common? Is that where most of the anti-fujoshi blowback is coming from? Also, where did all of this originate? I've heard it came from the Voltron ship wars, but I don't know if that's accurate.

How do they define their own views (when they're not being tantrum-y children)? Is there anything more concrete than "we are decent people calling out the bad ones?"

Thank you for reading this, and whether or not you respond, I hope you have a good day.

--

The stereotypical anti is American, like 22-24, genuinely worried about social justice, but also cripplingly anxious and surrounded by other people with little life experience. they have a completely understandable terror of growing up into this job market/environmental crisis/world, and no clue how to fix anything other than by lashing out at people on the internet. They've unlearned queer=bad without unlearning the underlying queer sex=bad messages their generically conservative upbringing instilled in them.

But, of course, antis come in all ages and a variety of backgrounds.

Yes, trans-masc antis are common, but that's more because of the demographics of fandom than because it's a trans thing. You'll find plenty of salty trans-mascs responding to posts here and telling antis where to stick their nonsense.

Some of the favorite anti talking points easily trap m/m fans who feel they like m/m "a different way" from "those annoying people over there", but this includes queer women. The arguments from other types of queer people echo the trans-masc arguments.

"I found my special place for me where I finally felt safe and seen and now YOU PEOPLE turn out to be here too, and I cannot deal!"

That's what it all boils down to. People want BL to be for them and they perceive something or other as threatening that. There are antis who froth about het or other parts of fandom too. It's not all the fujocourse.

--

No, antis did not spring fully formed from the brow of Voltron fandom. They've been around for years, and the modern upswing was already getting going even aside from Voltron. It's a famously wanky fandom, but it wasn't alone.

The term 'anti' was originally self-applied, but by now, most antis think it's something others force on them. They self define as "normal" (yes, using that word). No, there is nothing more concrete than "decent people calling out the bad ones". Most anti rhetoric isn't that clearly thought out.

I'd go read @fiction-is-not-reality2's back catalogue for posts about the development of the term.

[incorrectzutaraquotes]

let’s talk racial micro aggressions, because i’ve been seeing a lot of them being used online toward people speaking out about racism and even in fandoms unfortunately, so i think it’s time we have a talk. this is gonna be a semi long one, so buckle up.

just for reference, im asian american. because of that i’ve gone my entire life experiencing racism and discrimination simple because im not white. of course, i have definitely had it better than a lot of people, but that doesn’t take away from my experiences at all. i grew up hating the way i looked, trying to fix myself because i genuinely thought something was wrong with me. this led to years and years of insecurity and self hatred. something i had to go through alone, because my family was white and i was too afraid to tell them how i felt. i was afraid they wouldn’t understand. it’s still something i struggle with, though it’s gotten better.

growing up, as stated before, i was around white people. growing up in a very white town, i unfortunately wasn’t formally educated on racism or what micro aggressions were, i just knew that certain comments made me uneasy and uncomfortable, and hurt my feelings. it wasn’t until i was older, when i started using social media that i really came to understand what all of this was. 

a lot of you who have white privilege are using it to uplift bipoc voices, and i think that’s great. however it’s also important to acknowledge that many people who are actively anti racist still have implicit biases, which can lead to microaggressions.

first of all, what are microaggressions? you may or may not be familiar with the term. if you’re not, that’s okay! you can use this post to educate yourself and make sure you don’t make these mistakes in the future. microaggressions are defined as brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group, particularly culturally marginalized groups.

basically, intentional or unintentional derogatory and prejudice behaviors directed towards marginalized groups.

these are very harmful to marginalized groups, mostly because they’re not as blatant as outright racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc. this makes it often hard to detect, and you may have found yourself using micro aggressions at some point in your life. that’s not important though, what’s important is that, if you have used them in the past, you understand what you said or did was wrong, and that you learn from it.

now, what are specific racial micro aggressions? i’ve compiled a list of them under the cut, and explained why these are insulting and harmful to poc.

“where are you really from” – this insinuates that we will always be seen as foreigners, and not citizens to our own country. it brings on a feeling of not being good enough and that we will not be accepted. 

“not everything’s about race” – if you’re white stop telling bipoc how to feel about race. we are tired of it. please don’t speak over us when we are expressing our discomfort. if poc people are telling you something is racist, it’s racist. stop trying to argue with us, as you are not the ones being affected by it. 

“your food is so weird” – it’s only weird to you because it hasn’t been westernized or americanized. insisting that foreign foods are weird or gross because you aren’t used to it, is hurtful. it’s insulting. 

“all asians look the same” – by saying this, you’re taking away our individuality. asia is a huge continent, not all of us follow the same traditions and not all of us look the same. it’s not a funny joke, and it never has been. 

“you’re pretty for a *insert any race here*” – this is just such a backhanded compliment. it implies that we are not typically or conventionally pretty. it has the same negative connotations as saying “you’re really good...for a girl”. that’s misogynistic for the same reasons saying this is racist. 

“i don’t see color” – again, you’re basically erasing our individuality and culture and telling us we shouldn’t embrace it. many pocs even completely distance themselves from their cultures to seek white validation, which is in every sense of the word, upsetting. people want to fit in so bad that they’re willing to leave behind their entire culture. something that sucks about being adopted at such a young age from a white family, is that i have never had a connection with my culture. i know nothing about it, and that hurts. i rationalized in my head that the reason i didn’t learn about it sooner was because i was happy, but that was a lie i told myself for years. the sad thing is, is that because i wasn’t connected to my culture at all, i fit in better and had an easier time making friends then other pocs in my school. 

assuming all asian people are smart or good at math – stop. it’s not funny. never has been. the stereotype that all asians are smart is not a compliment, and puts a lot of pressure on us as individuals. it objectifies us, assuming we are more like machines and not actual people. long story short, it’s dehumanizing. 

“im not/cant be racist i have black friends” – contrary to popular belief, yes you can be. you can still have a racial bias while being friends with bipoc people. being associated with poc people doesn’t suddenly mean you’re not racist. you may even make racist jokes and think it’s okay because they don’t tell you to stop. just because they are seemingly unbothered does not mean it’s not still racist. a lot of times we are uncomfortable in situations like that, but are too afraid to speak up in fear of our feelings being invalidated or being told to lighten up because it’s just a joke. saying we’re too sensitive when it comes to making mockeries of our races and cultures, is also a micro aggression. 

saying “you people” or “y’all” when talking, usually negatively, about a person of a specific race – you’re generalizing an entire group because of one bad experience which is just contributing to the stereotypes and racism we face daily. one or a few bad interactions with a person of a different race does not speak for an entire population.

clutching your bag tight when a poc person, usually black or latinx, stands next to you or following them in the store – the way i still have to explain this one in 2020. they are not criminals, but by doing this, you’re contributing to the stereotype that they are all criminals and thugs, which simply isn’t true. this stereotype is very damaging and harmful, as it also contributes to the systematic oppression of those people. 

assuming someone only got a certain job or position because they’re bipoc – this insinuates that we did not work hard to get where we are, and that we did not deserve what we got. we simply got it because we aren’t white. affirmative action comes up a lot in this conversation. all affirmative action does is help decide between equally qualified people by favoring the ones who suffer from discrimination in society, but it does not reserve spots for them.

assuming someone knows how to speak mandarin because they’re asian – asia is a large continent with A LOT of languages and cultures. not everyone is chinese. not everyone speaks the same language. it’s insulting and adds to the already hurtful stereotype that all asians look the same.

“you speak english really well” or “how did you learn to speak english so well” – it’s called practicing because people have been making fun of those with accents for years, simply because they are not used to it. being surprised when a poc speaks english well implies that you may think because they’re not white, they are less educated. we’ve simply assimilated because our cultures are constantly rejected and mocked by white people and even other pocs. this also contributes to the notion that westerners are more “civilized” or that they are better, because they(generally speaking this obviously doesn’t apply to everyone)make no effort to learn our cultures, but we have to learn theirs in order to be seen as “acceptable”.

“but *insert race* are racist too” or pointing out immoral things other countries do when people of that race speak up about racism - you’re redirecting the conversation to avoid responsibility. you don’t actually care about those issues, you just want to invalidate our struggles by pointing out that a place many of us have not been to in a long time, or ever, is very flawed. we have no say in what that government chooses to do. not all places are a democracy, and many democracies around the world are flawed.

something important to remember is that anyone can be guilty of implicit bias and micro aggressions. this is not selective to one race. 

if you have anymore of these, please feel free to add on. also, if you’re a poc and something i wrote made you uncomfortable, please tell me. i want to make sure im being truthful with what i said. i did do research for some of these, and some were based on personal experiences, but if you want to add to something or you want me to change or delete something do not hesitate to call me out. 

unfortunately they and other racial stereotypes are very prevalent in american media, which has normalized it in our society. this post is solely meant to educate if you weren’t previously aware of the dangers micro aggressions have on minorities. i started the list because i was tired of seeing so much normalized racism online, but i hope you learned something useful with this. if you stuck around this long, thank you for listening. i appreciate it a lot. 

as for my zutara fans, i apologize for making so many rant posts rather than posting incorrect quotes. i just feel like im able to reach a larger audience with the platform i have on this account than any other one. 

anyway, that’s all. thank you again for listening :) 

[venatohru]

Comedown

Fandom: Star Wars (sequel trilogy) Pairing: Armitage Hux/Captain Cardinal (one-sided) Words: 1079 Rating: Gen.

It was rare to see Cardinal without his father, though his presence wasn’t necessarily unwelcome. Armitage sipped the last of his tarine tea, taking the time to formulate a plan. He could engage with Cardinal to enquire about his father, but the wrong wording could arouse suspicion. Or, even worse, it could be mistaken for genuine concern.

Written for @filigranka for the Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2018. 

Continue reading under the cut, or head over to read it on ao3 if you’d prefer. 

Armitage watched the other junior officers file into the mess hall as he poked and prodded at the food on his tray. It was as grey and uninspiring as the decor, with a texture reminiscent of something one might encounter in the swamps of Vodran. His eyes flickered towards the general’s usual seat, but it was empty. No doubt, his father was in his suite eating something hideously decadent and Republican. He wouldn’t be missed.

For a moment, Armitage had expected to see him, when he caught a glimpse of crimson armour. It was rare to see Cardinal without his father, though his presence wasn’t necessarily unwelcome. Armitage sipped the last of his tarine tea, taking the time to formulate a plan. He could engage with Cardinal to enquire about his father, but the wrong wording could arouse suspicion. Or, even worse, it could be mistaken for genuine concern.

“Cardinal.” The trooper’s posture was stiff as he approached, in stark contrast to the fluidity of movement Armitage had witnessed when watching him train that morning. The black body gloves the troopers wore under their armour looked too tight to be comfortable and more often than not the fabric ended up drenched with sweat...but Cardinal hadn’t made an unpleasant sight.

“The general is overseeing preparations for Empire Day.” Of course he was. Armitage could already envision his father decked out in an old uniform that no longer fit, clinging to his medals as the last remnants of a bygone era. Brendol had always been a pompous ass. Fortunately, not all of the Imperial veterans were so intent on revelling in nostalgia for their old Empire. Armitage found it difficult to imagine the likes of Grand Admiral Sloane or Lieutenant Commander Yago commemorating past failures.

“I see.” It was a little disappointing that he had been quite so quick to mention his father, though he supposed as far as Cardinal was concerned, that was probably all the two of them had to talk about - never mind the fact that Armitage would rather discuss almost anything else. “Actually I wanted to ask about something else.”

“What might that be, Sir?” His tone was polite but, just as it had done when Armitage had first met Cardinal on Jakku, his expression gave away his annoyance at having to deal with a soft, spoiled child. It stung, more than it had done then. Armitage had never been spoiled, and as Brendol’s personal bodyguard, Cardinal ought to have noticed exactly how the man spoke about his “useless” son - and that was when the man was feeling generous.

“I wondered if you’d had the opportunity to run through the new training simulations,” Armitage said, knowing full well that he hadn’t. “I would value your opinion.”

“I haven’t.” He watched intently as Cardinal’s fingers ran through his hair, noticing the way the fluorescent lights brought out the blue tones. “I’d be happy to provide feedback, once I have done.”

“Of course.” Armitage pursed his lips. “I’m considering running through one myself at the end of this cycle. Perhaps you’d care to join me, if your duties allow it.” Cardinal frowned as he considered his options.

“My schedule would allow it.” Armitage allowed himself a thin smile. He’d known Cardinal would be wary of rejecting the offer.

“Excellent. I’ll forward you the details.”

In truth, Armitage rarely ran through the simulations personally, and he had to admit to feeling a little foolish clutching a fake blaster rifle in an empty white room before the simulation was up and running. Cardinal arrived on time and in full crimson armour, polished to perfection. Whoever had crafted his armour had done a fine job - at first glance it wasn’t so different to the regular trooper armour, but Armitage was able to appreciate the smoother, sleeker design of the plates and the way it seemed almost an extension of Cardinal’s own body when he moved. As he recalled the way the body glove had clung to Cardinal’s body during his earlier training session, Armitage felt a little disappointed that he’d chosen to don his armour now.

He nodded to Cardinal in greeting, then instructed the ensign to input the simulation codes. In place of empty white space, the two of them found themselves surrounded by dense vegetation and the sound of heavy rainfall. The scent of rotting leaves was still missing, Armitage noted - the simulation was not quite complete, and so it was expected that they would not yet gain the full sensory experience of the jungle. When the stormtroopers ran through the simulation the room’s environmental controls would ensure a more appropriate level of humidity, but Armitage saw no good reason to do so now when he was wearing a freshly cleaned uniform.

Cardinal crouched beside him, and Armitage fumbled with his blaster rifle while trying to remember the last time he’d been so close to another person. He felt Cardinal’s hand steady his arm, gentle but firm. He wasn’t sure why he flinched at the touch. It wasn’t particularly intrusive - he’d simply aimed to correct his posture the same way he did with the young troopers he instructed.

“I’m not a child,” he snapped. It shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did, but he really, really didn’t want Cardinal to see him as one.

“No.” Cardinal cleared his throat. “Force of habit. My apologies - I’m sure you don’t require my assistance.” Cardinal nodded in acknowledgement as Armitage sniped an enemy soldier, but his mood had already been soured. The star destroyer was so large that Brendol was most likely miles away, and yet Armitage could almost hear his father laughing at this entire situation, cheeks red and swollen from too much liquor.

They completed the rest of the simulation in near silence, maintaining at least a meter of distance from one another at all times.

“A welcome change of pace,” Armitage said weakly. The usual rush of adrenaline he felt after battle simulations was nowhere to be found. Only the comedown.

“Yes, a promising simulation.” Cardinal took his helmet off and tucked it under his arm. Somehow his hair was ruffled and perfect. “I look forward to seeing it again when it’s complete and compiling a report.”

“Very good. Dismissed.” Armitage turned on his heel, taking in the blank white space instead of golden skin and blue-black hair and beautiful brown eyes, not caring to see Cardinal’s expression as he hurled his blaster rifle at the wall.

[tieflng]

chocobox 2020 letter under the cut, because i do things and participate in things now i think.

dear chocolatier: thanks for writing for me! my actual requests were sparse because they were. quite long. especially the pyre one, because it turns out i have a lot of thoughts about minor/historical background characters as seen in the book of rites. so my prompts are all here, along with the dnws just repeated for good measure. thanks for reading all of this, i hope you can find something to have fun with.

pyre -

oops!! all golathanian! i was just really drawn to him reading the book of rites; there's something about an ordinary (certainly flawed) human man making the choices that brought every event in the game to pass and turned him into a godlike eldritch basketball saint. also, 'you gave your freedom that i might yet have mine' is a line i've been thinking about for an entire year. also, the g in lgbt is for golathanian. i'm really into the idea that the man the commonwealth could lionize as the ideal of strength is admirable not as a conqueror or warlord, but as someone with commitments to others that make him overcome his flaws-- someone who does the cooking for the group and makes dry comments and lectures out of worry and has a stupid laugh and acts like a grouch when he is secretly a giant softy. (and someone who is visibly gay and gnc, because the base of my mazlow hierarchy of needs is gay/bi men presented as admirable figures of authority, and i think that's something that should have been in the game, even if the commonwealth in-universe was going to erase it.) the heart and idealism and earnestness is what makes him worthy of respect, and that he's human, even if technically he ends up as a demigod sports-omen star.

i'm firmly in favor of autistic scribes (solidarity with chae) and scribes as large-r Readers. aside from soliam and khaylmer who both have cis energy i'm very up for any of the requested characters as trans or nonbinary, and near and dear to my heart especially are transfem chae and triesta and a nonbinary/my-gender-is-just-gay gol. explicit lgbt identities in general are a plus. environmental details-- i adore the richness and mystery and wonder of the downside, but i'd also kill for some sahrian imperial court ambiance. adventure is good, character study is always good, shenanigans and mischievous escapades between friends, misunderstandings that work out or not, angst with comfort is fine, moral or philosophical dilemmas or conversations (perfect for this group). it'd be nice to see something about titans, about (r/R)eading, the downside as an eldritch landscape, the simultaneous decay and might of imperial sahr, about turning into celestial bodies, a good old fashioned slow burn/mutual pining.

ha'ub & gol - i've always imagined these two are best friends - the first two scribes, 2/3 of the og triumvirate, and both dealing with the fact that 'mercy' means they have to keep soliam murr's fool ass alive. ha'ub is a chaotic little bumpkin who's never belonged anywhere, gol is an increasingly long-suffering visitor to purgatory dimension-- i feel like for all that he knows more about survival here than his new Big Friends, ha'ub feels just as indebted to them for being able to relate to him. it can't be easy being the first imp with human-like intelligence, or at least surely the only imp you know. misunderstandings between different species, teaching each other about sahrian human and downside imp customs, teaming up against howlers (did the howler/imp distinction exist yet, if all imps were wild and drive imps didn't exist??), learning to communicate with someone whose speech and language are very different. gol standing up for ha'ub in the 'why does an imp get a triumvirate' debate. why is ha'ub accursed? too, if there's gol/soliam, there's an opportunity for 'just kiss him already', or whatever misunderstandings imps have about human relationships/will-they-or-won't-they tensions.

gol & chae - please call the vagabond girl chae! i loved her basically at the moment i saw her and her arc means a lot to me. she’s autistic coded but her belief in the scribes-- in actually hearing and speaking to the scribes-- is never undercut by the narrative. and she’s immensely strong! she’s survived in the downside by herself from 17-19! and imo at least the scribe known for being strong and resilient and untiring, not to mention idealistic and loyal, would admire the absolute fuck out of her. i’d like her childhood as moontouched/homeless and displaced, her topside ending as a religious leader and inspiration in the sahrian union, wandering alone in the downside, her role with the nightwings-- i just really want to see what conversations these two would get up to, i want them to learn from each other, i want chae to have support and encouragement and comfort from everyone’s favorite nomad scribe. what does she ask him? what does he tell her? passing messages from ti’zo or the heralds? looking for advice/help on behalf of the nightwings, or just comfort when she’s feeling out of place? god, the fact that she’s in the companion class that parallels khaylmer-- do they talk about that, or how does gol feel? there are so many damn good interactions here. please don’t infantilize her or portray her beliefs and reactions as nonsensical or weird.

gol/soliam - i have so many thoughts about these two that i almost don’t want to say everything. my sense is they didn’t get together until the downside, with a very long enemies > grudging allies > friends > lovers, at least on gol’s end. you don’t jump over the edge of the world to kill someone and immediately kiss and make up. topside before he gets disillusioned there’s potential for that good courtly love - gol pining hopelessly (and perhaps obliviously, depending on how soliam acts towards him) for his beautiful distant liege, sol who so very clearly did not feel anything genuine for anyone as emperor, but who maybe has some ‘oooh, master-general ;)’ poking out of the hedonism-flavored depression. and then he falls down the river and realizes he was a big idiot. i could do very early sweet moments, courtly aesthetic and accidental intimacy, seeing a tender side to the emperor that most people never get close enough for/soliam murr Almost having a real feeling other than physical attraction. i could also do rebuilding their trust and rapport in the downside, mutual pining, growing closer despite everything and wondering privately if they couldn’t actually work out. or established relationship tenderness and fluff. i could also very much do explicit content with these two.

gol & khaylmer - ahh, yes. enemies. i got the impression from gol’s account (and gol’s account is really all we get) that these two hated each other, to ‘put his picture on the bull’s eye of the dartboard’ levels of hatred-- but also, maybe, that they had more in common than they wanted. gol and khaylmer as the only two grownups in a decadence-obsessed imperial court? certainly as the closest advisers to the emperor, whatever that means when your emperor is soliam murr. i always got the impression that gol was a bit more of a bastard than he let on-- nomad masteries are very ‘now i’ve thrown him off his rhythm!’ and you can’t tell me ‘preferred to fall on his enemies by surprise under the cover of darkness’ Isn’t the trait of a highly slippery character. then again, their worldviews and beliefs might as well be from two different planets, but then again again, do we really get an unbiased opinion on khaylmer to know what his worldviews really is? two driven and idiosyncratic people, more similar than they think, who just deeply hate and misunderstand each other at a fundamental level. also, please a deep dive into khaylmer’s head. lot of opportunity for backroom dealing and court drama here.

scribes & scribes - scribe adventures! or scribe shenanigans and arguments! i see these eight as having strong and contrasting personalities, but fundamentally caring about each other, even if they can get into real drama and conflict. fighting titans, exploring together, writing the book of rites, becoming eldritch basketball gods. found family is great, early stages of found family that grouchily insist they're business associates is better. there is so much you could do with these losers as a collective and i love them with my entire heart.

dnw: fantasy homophobia or transphobia, dubcon/noncon including under the influence, hand/eye trauma, unsanitary things, angst without a positive/hopeful resolution. in terms of explicit content, please no humiliation or impact play/physical pain. fandom specific: don't undercut chae's feelings or beliefs or write her in an ableist way. i also see gol and soliam as gay, and milithe and triesta as lesbians, so i'd prefer no references to past/current m/w relationships for them-- not because having m/w history invalidates gay peoples' identities, but because for me personally that'd be a horrible experience and it makes me sad thinking about my favorite characters going through that.

hades -

i did not expect to like a large soft-spoken honor-bound minotaur who duels you in honorable combat as much as i did, but probably should have knowing basic facts about myself. anything asterius-focused is great-- i really want to see him well-received in elysium and with a partner who cares about him......! he deserves nice things! elysium as a setting is so lush, environmental details, moments of respite, greenery, the river lethe, the elysian stadium, the beauty of eternal paradise And the fact that the people who live here decide to just beat the tar out of each other for fun.

this game has a really strong cast, and i'd love to see mentioned or featured olympians/house denizens/run npcs other than the requested characters. patroclus is a strong possibility for a fic in elysium, but achilles, hypnos, hermes/artemis/athena, and eurydice are also favorites of mine. i'm always down for explicit gay/bi identities, and i've been toying with trans masc zag and/or nonbinary aster.

Asterius/Zag - the inherent romantic tension of having a standing date to fight someone in hand to hand combat. but also, meeting outside of the arena in some way - a peaceful moment in a fountain chamber? maybe aster helps zag in a tough spot with some exalted? they both meet up in patroclus's chamber? i like how aster respects you for your strength and ability and the comparison he draws between them both as having been born monstrous/in darkness could use some (gentle) exploration. both of them uncovering hidden depths or softness in each other.

Asterius/Theseus/Zag - the inherent romantic tension of having a standing date to fight two people in hand to hand combat. i very much see this as an aster-centric v-- i don't really buy these or zag being into each other on their own, but learning to get along for the sake of their mutual boyfriend is good, and the comedy that ensues. anything i like in aster/zag or aster/these would be good here. absolutely not opposed to an aster-centered threesome (he deserves it).

Asterius/Theseus - how did these persuade hades to move the bull of minos to elysium? how did they become champions in the stadium? fighting by each others' sides, aster discovering after a mortal lifetime confined to a labyrinth that he's into men, these feeling weirdly compelled to show off or impress him. theseus training him in 'heroic ways'. theseus's lines about ariadne felt needlessly gross/borderline misogynistic and i'd like for them either to not come up Or for aster to sit him down and give him a piece of his mind. that's his sister, you idiot.

Cerberus & Zag - just a boy and his dog! cerby comforting a younger zag when hades is on his bullshit, or kid zag sleeping all cuddled up with his pubby. growing up and watching the house change. zag venting to cerberus or asking for advice, like you do with your pets when you don't expect an answer (and maybe getting one??). something in styx would be good, or zag finding any other kind of treat or toy and smuggling it back in from one of his runs.

dnw: fantasy homophobia or transphobia, dubcon/noncon including under the influence, hand/eye trauma, unsanitary things (please light on the descriptions of the satyr sack, lmao), angst without a positive/hopeful resolution. in terms of explicit content, please no humiliation or impact play/physical pain. as far as fandom specific: please nothing that portrays hades as good or justified in any of his actions. nothing zag/meg or zag/than; i really prefer zag and meg to have acknowledged their feelings and decided to stay friends.

arthuriana/let’s be real i’m here for the gawain and the green knight - 

......i'm just in this for the inherent homoeroticism. explicitly gay/bi gawain and bi bertilak is great, bertilak and his wife both being in on it is great, threesome? more christmas games? courtly flirting? being cozy inside? going on a dangerous quest? anything sounds great, just have fun with it!

dnw: homophobia including period-typical (just not why i read fanfiction), dubcon/noncon including under the influence, unsanitary things, hand/eye trauma, cheating/negative feelings between the hautdeserts, angst. in terms of explicit content, please no humiliation or impact play/physical pain.

[aaronheatonwords]

Yakuza 0

Sometimes a series exists on the periphery without being able to engage a certain audience. Despite being full of things that a person might like, be it intrigue or strong characters which challenge stereotypes or even just good old-fashioned dumb fun, something about it just won't grab the part of the brain that says, hey, set some time aside and enjoy this! Breaking Bad occupied this space in the part of my brain reserved for TV shows; even though the basis of the show checks every box I would want to see in a series, there's something about it that just pushes me away time and time again. At this point, it could just be the immense amount of hours that would have to be dedicated to it, and the fandom that would need to be fought off to talk candidly about it. Ultimately, though, a large part of the issue is that the zeitgeist surrounding the show has vanished. There are still plenty of people who think highly of it, but the frantic fan fervor surrounding it has come and gone.

Enter Yakuza 0. This series has existed since 2005, and as soon as it began to pick up steam in the West it has surfaced in one way or another with a very dedicated playerbase pushing for its release. Though the releases that have come to the west started out very questionably, the localization eventually found its footing and ditched English voice actors for a subtitled Japanese-only audio track. With that, the quality of the story seemed to soar and the people who loved Yakuza really loved Yakuza. A gritty crime drama full of double-crosses and intrigue, betrayal, violence and a healthy injection of Japanese culture set in a lovingly-rendered and small-scale city block; with a description like that, who could resist?

Unfortunately, me. Even though Yakuza sounds like precisely the sort of game I'd love, so much about it pushed me away. By the time it was feasible for me to acquire a copy of Yakuza in a timely manner, it had already had three prior entries. Start a series on the fourth game? No, ma'am! What about all of that rich characterization I was missing in the previous games? The hundreds of hours of ups and downs, tears, laughter, blood and sweat of our beloved cast of intrepid well-meaning criminals and their companions? Simply unthinkable.

When Yakuza 0 released in the west, it was on a wave of red-hot fans clamouring for a regular release schedule for the series. It came in hot, aided by the cheerleading of several industry figures I followed and respected very much (what's good Austin walker!), and it posed itself as a no-experience-necessary entry point to a series that had become daunting to approach in any other manner. With a few videos of breakdancing mafioso-types and some gratuitous violence, Yakuza 0 had grabbed me with its clammy hands, looked into my eyes, and ignited a fire in my loins that would make the bravest firefighter think twice about their line of work.

Starting with a loan collection spearheaded by a young Kiryu Kazama, Yakuza 0 quickly sees things go south for who would become our main man in the series. Kiryu's mark turns up dead by way of hot lead to the brain, he was the last one known to have seen the man, and on top of that the murder draws attention to a heretofore unknown piece of land that stands to dismantle a carefully-constructed real estate takeover. As a greenhorn in the yakuza, he makes an easy target for three lieutenants vying for position inside of the clan. Refusing to bend to their will begins the tale of the Dragon of Dojima's rise from lowly recruit to legend within the organisation. Parallel but in tandem with Kiryu's situation is Goro Majima, a disgraced ex-yakuza whose existence has been relegated to brown-nosing and shoe-kissing until his untold crime has been atoned for. Together, they rattle the chain of the yakuza and cement their standing.

Before you can dismantle a clan from the inside, though, you have to get used to the lifestyle. Yakuza 0 revels in its setting, filling the city of Kamurocho with bright lights and crowds and attractions galore. Despite being a PS3 game ported to the PS4, its density of crowds and detail is impressive. Trading pure scale for intimacy and detail, walking the city streets inspires a sort of awe for the times. There are restaurants of every corner, people soliciting you from doorsteps and crowds getting in your way. Even walking is a struggle as you bump and bounce off of the people strolling up and down the streets. The economic bubble of the times is played up and the revelry can be felt from the non-stop noise to the random bar hoppers you can find stumbling around and puking in alleyways. While the framerate isn't always very happy with this attention to detail, a few hours of adjustment will make it all worth it.

Yakuza 0 affords a special spotlight for the interactions between Kiryu and his friends and rivals, however. The three lieutenants who stand in Kiryu's way as he attempts to clear his name are imposing figures, despite mostly operating from the shadows. Their faces are rendered in face-punchingly beautiful detail, every crow's foot and furrow present during close-ups and fights. With such expressive and detailed faces, it makes it incredibly easy to get lost in the situations they present to Kiryu as he fights his way through his predicaments.

On that note, fight you do! At such a young age, we get to see Kiryu at his meanest and most impulsive, and Majima as he falls back into his scrappy ways. The game starts with two beatings, one of a group of hooligans and one of a couple of (presumably) innocent drunks. As you fight, your fists glow with intensity, called Heat, and you can use it to unleash brutal power moves. Combat itself is a basic brawler with simple punches, kicks and grabs at your disposal supplemented by the ability to pick up and swing a variety of environmental items. You can brandish bats, swords, trash cans and benches, motorbikes and a number of other ridiculous objects as you throw down in the streets. The Heat moves are what serves to make the combat stand out, however. Frankly, they're just rude. Slamming heads in car doors, shaking salt into eyeballs, throwing people into rivers, breaking arms and legs and smashing faces into brick walls all while yen explodes out of the poor souls caught between your knuckles and the ground makes for an empowering (and sometimes revolting) combat system.

Majima and Kiryu are capable of more than just busting skulls, though, as good as they are at it. Between story missions and fist fights are a staggering amount of side quests. Some are happened upon by accident, some are brought on by intentionally seeking things out, but all of them are worth at least a smile and many more are worth some genuine laughter. A big thumbs up goes out to the localization team, of course, but the bulk of the work must have been done by the original writers. Though this game has such a self-serious and intense story, the side quests offer a reprieve from the emotional tax that the main story levies from the player. In the span of an hour, you can go from helping break up a panty-selling ring to break-dancing with a world-famous pop star to helping a reporter infiltrate a weapons-trading ring to helping a poor soul sell some mushrooms. No, like mushrooms. Like really mushrooms. Actual cooking mushrooms. Majima and Kiryu, who are generally straightforward and ambitious characters, are given a chance to revel in silliness and break character in a way that lets both the players and the story have room to breathe and decompress between intense beats.

As fun as the world is to exist in and as well-detailed as the city is, it can sometimes lead to disappointment. There is so much to see that there's a compulsion to attempt to take part in everything, which often leads to a feeling of having hit a dead end. The mini-map and map denote which buildings have interactions built into them, but visually there are almost no differences between buildings which house a minigame or unique characters and buildings that are simply set dressing. Without a clear visual tell, it can lead to situations where an NPC asking for your business is nothing more than audiovisual noise, rather than the potential sidequest or event that they seemed to be setting themselves up as. Even towards the end of the game, I was hoping for more of the city of open itself up to me, in density rather than pure size. Unfortunately the two playable areas don't change very much, aside from the occasional story beat forcing the player down a predetermined path. The city feels more alive than most open worlds accomplish in their entire maps, but it can often lead to disappointment when trying to enjoy the area.

The biggest issue with the game is how ancillary Majima's story feels in comparison to Kiryu's. Kiryu serves as the driving force and heart of the game, being the central figure that the Yakuza are trying to track down and the de-facto lead of the series. He is driven, determined, and unafraid of the threats on his life in a way that gives his story an almost unstoppable sense of momentum. Majima, on the other hand, feels as if he's constantly being played by other forces in the story. While he is a far cry from Kiryu in the sense that he's more willing to get his hands dirty and engage in foul play, his character feels somewhat caught in the currents of the story instead of a force shaping the events. While Majima's story is well-written, I found myself dying to get back to Kiryu nearly every time Majima came into play. There is plenty of ridiculousness to be had with Majima and Osaka is a fun playground to exist in, but without a connection to him I found myself more curious about the opposing half of the story. This may come own to preference, but Kiryu's story felt the stronger of the two by a significant margin.

After years and years of holding out on the series, Yakuza 0 feels like the perfect point for newcomers to jump in. Even though it's full of nods to the later games (even as a newcomer, they feel fairly obvious), none of it feels obtuse or played up in such a way that new players will feel left out. Kiryu and Majima are introduced and set up with lots of room to grow, and indeed do change and adapt over the course of the game. While anyone with knowledge of later games will have a decent idea of where things will end, the journey of getting to that point is consistently gripping and dripping with dramatic tension that few other games even approach. The city clocks of Kamurocho and Osaka make for very beautiful and intricate locales, even if they do sometimes feel slightly restricted. For lovers of crime dramas and brawlers, for those who can sink into a well-realized space and everyone who loves Japanese culture and history, Yakuza 0 is a treat.