#unicorn era 2 it is

[witsserviceablesubstitute]

Loving Anders and Fenris means I'm trying to enjoy two similarly flawed characters whose trauma shouldn't have been used as a weapon against each other, nor as a weapon against the entirety of DA2's plot. At least, not the way it was. Their respective stories needed a lot more empathy and nuance. Some of that was DA2 being a rushed rough draft, but there are still certain choices that the player makes with both of them that exist as pointlessly cruel, racist, and abelist and therefore shouldn't have been options at all.

Ultimately DA2 is a story that handled both Fenris and Anders contextual oppression and meta creation poorly enough that sometimes all I see is a reproduction of their reductive feud, but in real life. I understand why someone would dislike one but not the other (and people should feel free to), I even agree with an interpretation of Anders as this particular type of biased white leftist. However, years of their constant reduction has only led to a dismissal of what they represent. The exploration of which being DA2's whole plot, the execution of which being fundamentally flawed, and the divisive reaction of which being inevitable. They needed care, basically.

The story was damagingly irresponsible in how it went about pitting their two biggest in-game marginalized identities against each other, one an allegory for queer oppression and mental health issues, the other for colonialism and slavery. It has gotten to the point where I believe fenders (or rather the hopeful romanticization of Fenris and Anders) has the better idea in how to manage their mishandling than discussion that reduces them to their worst selves, dehumanizes them altogether, or dismisses their textual metaphors. Because they are flawed but sometimes all I see is a recitation of their flaws used to dismiss all they represent rather than discussion on how DA2 could've handled their themes respectfully.

This, again, is me navel-gazing. Not on the attack. Please be free to disagree, just not abusively so. Different interpretations of a text and characters are unavoidable, especially for these two (who people feel a strong personal affinity for) and in a game like DA2 (a story within a story). This is just how I feel.

[scalproie]

"Season 5 is gonna be so much more like season 2 in the vibes of solitary. In the vibes of fantastical"

PROMISE?

[borom1r]

Crom dropping an ambient lord of the rings EP I’m literally fucking obsessed w them

[yourlocalbadgerscales]

I never knew hyperfixation was an ADHD thing

Now I know and damn that explains that ig. Here’s a list of hyperfixations I’ve been though through many years! (Maybe one of them isn’t a hyperfixation but anyways):

• Unicorns (my unicorn phase was so bad I tell you)

• The color white (Guysss I wasn’t like the other girls you wouldn’t understand 💅)

• Certain games (Among Us, Pokémon Go, Angry Birds 2) (yeah, uh… absolutely obsessed it’s acc insane)

• Harry Potter (I read the whole series on my own when I was like 7-9)

• Certain series we do not talk about lol

• Harry Potter (yeah this one resurfaced stronger than ever before and I fear it’s here to stay)

• The Marauders (yeah it’s also here to stay guys)

• Taylor Swift (here to stay)

Can’t think of any more rn. Does anyone wanna share their hyperfixations and obsessions? Old and current ones?

[taylor-titmouse]

I'm Taylor Titmouse, I write and illustrate queer erotica featuring freaks and monsters. I also draw a lot of porn that I can't post here, so those will be posted as crops with links to my various uncensored locations.

You can find my illustrated novellas and artbooks on Itchio. I've published a Lot of them. If you don't know where to start, I recommend the Dragon Double Feature series or Roger Crenshaw, or Spring with the Unicorns--that one's free!

Some of my latest releases, try The Long Road if you like gender-based worldbuilding!

You can find the most complete collection of my uncensored art on Patreon and Subscribestar (both are equally served.) I post high resolution art regularly, and everything is neatly organized going back to 2022 (that's longer than I've been posting here!) $5 patrons get access to over 180 exclusive illustrations, and can vote in monthly polls from suggestions made by the $10 tier--who can also commission me at any time with a 10% discount!

Just .05% of the exclusives you unlock by subscribing!

You can also follow me on Twitter, Cohost, or Bluesky, where I post my art uncensored. Below the cut is a list of story tags, which will link you to art and posts about those stories, and provides some context to what they're about. Thanks for checking out my work!

TT Art: my art tag TT Talks Drawing: my tag for talking about the art-making process TT Talks Writing: my tag for talking about the writing process TT Testimonials: my tag for asks reviewing how good my books are :^)

Story Tags Barnyard Bound: F/M, human/furry, bondage, breeding kink, Harvest Moon also for some reason Brilliant Ryder: M/F, aliens and medical play (The Xenosexuality Conference) Chique: NB/Various, fantasy monsters, elves, nudism, catch/fuck (The Sunken City, The Wild Woods) The Dragon Double Feature: M/F, M/M, M/M/F, dragon/human, oni/human, plus size. Fantasy princess/dragon CNC, Edo era Japan (The Dragon Double Feature, The Dragon Double Feature 2) Eternella 7: M/M/M, Gundam-inspired space opera erotica. (Eternella 7 Parts 1-3) House Gerhardt: F/F/M, vampires, trans women, femdom, male humiliation, 1800s. House of the Risen King: M/F, old god, exhibitionism/nudism, sex cult. (House of the Risen King) Knight of Thorns: M/F, giant faceless knight/petite princess forced marriage Laurestine: Trans unicorns, monsters, bondage/stuck in situations, catch/fuck (Spring with the Unicorns) The Leylic Sea: M/M, historical fantasy, pirates, university wizards (The Captain of the Tybaltine, The Boy from Karkutt) The Long Road: Goblins, bandits, a princess and a knight. Gangbangs, rope bondage, CNC (The Long Road) Lover Rescue: F/F/Genderfluid, magical girls, monsters, plus size, cam girling The Masson Circle: M/M, M/F, 1970s crime romance, multiple ships, femdom, trans male character (The Masson Circle) Max and Mortis: M/F, exhibitionism, naturalism, photography, nudism Monsterfuck Mountain: Fantasy monsters, WIP erotic CYOA (You're A Mage on Monsterfuck Mountain) The Night Guest: M/F, young man/older woman, oni/human (The Night Guest) Objects of Affection: M/F, F/F, robot girls and people being weird about them The Sleeping Garden: M/Agender, alien, science Starbuster: M/M, a WIP novel-length superhero romance Roger Crenshaw: Trans M/M, monsters, occultism, early 1900s (The Vampires of New Haven, The Wolves of the West, The Shadow in the Shelves, The Dogs at Duskfall) Romick: M/F/Various, evil wizard/obedient doll, magical sex, experimentation kink, dungeon bondage (The Tenebrous Tower)

[ssparksflyy]

BELLS' 500 FOLLOWER + BIRTHDAY EVENT ! ✷༉‧₊˚.

HEYYY POOKIE SHMOOKS THANK YOU SOSO MUCH FOR 500 FOLLOWERSSS ♡ i seriously appreciate every single one of you, you keep me motivated and i thank you for allowing me to post my silly little posts and for supporting me sm :) i meant to do this event when i reached 400 followers.. but when i reached it, a lot of people were announcing events so i decided to wait a bit so they could get the attention they deserved :) now with 500 (nd my birthday coming up) i decided to finally do this event as a way to get me up a running again after the break i took :D i hope you enjoy this event and once again , thank you so much !! ily !!!

CERAMIC UNICORNS —

ill make you a moodboard based off your blog, a character, a ship, anything you'd like !!

CMON BLONDIE ! —

(moots only !) where we would go on a friendly date ♡

FLOATING LANTERNS —

ill write you a short blurb (romantic or platonic) for whoever u wish

FLYNN RIDER EUGENE FITZHERBERT —

(moots only !) what duo do i think we are most like ?

FRYING PAN —

ill assign you a random poster from the many i want to hang in my room >ᴗ<

HERE COMES THE SMOLDER —

ill give you an outfit based on you blog's aesthetic ! (include clothing preferences if u want something a little more specific ♡)

MAGIC HAIR —

ill give u a random animal crossing villager i think ur most like (cause i recently started playing again hehe)

MAXIMUS' APPLES —

ill tell you what taylor swift era u remind me of most !

MOTHER KNOWS BEST —

ill give you a 10 song playlist (on spotify) based on your acc, a character, a ship, whatever you'd like :)

PASCAL'S PALS —

ill assign you a plushie i think best fits you ♡

THE LOST PRINCESS —

ill give you a ts song + lyrics that best fits ur vibe !!

THE SNUGGLY DUCKLING —

i'll tell u what pjo cabin i think ur in !! ( warning: im stupid :) )

JULY 26 —

(moots only!) ill give u a small love letter to send overseas to you while you fight bravely in the war and i stay home with our two children hoping and praying you'll return safely (its just a love letter lmao)

i literally copied my 200 follower event layout which was inspired by @flowers-for-em so credits to my lovely lovely emma !!

i ask that you keep it to 2 requests per ask please :)

this event will be ending august 15 !

i try to complete requests as quickly as possible but i do ask that you remain patient ( this has never been an issue on my blog but i thought id still mention it ♡♡ )

i hope you enjoy !!

ah yes. the tagging of the mutuals. ( in no particular order but lmk if u wanna be added or taken off !! )

@mqshido @riordanness @hope92100 @jgracie @hopelesslyromanticshark

@flowers-for-em @pinkdiorluvr @lastolympus @s1utlvr @brodieland

@over-the-oceancall @sunnitheapollokid @cinemaconrad @chxcolatefrogs @pumpkinbxtch

@kozumesphone @satelitis @stvrlighttgabss @juneberrie @waitingonher

@maybxlle @alexwritingspot @missedyour21st @leovaldezluvr @jvpiterzs

@aezuria @puffoz @mqstermindswift @aryxchse @colettesonpluto @starrynightmovietheatre

[foone]

Oh wow. I was watching a compilation of the Game Grumps playing horse games, and they get to one called "The Unicorn Princess".

I'm looking at the game and it has no shadows and big empty landscapes and a font that's way too small, and I'm thinking "oh, this is some mid-2000s PC game that got a wii port, and not a very good one". Like clearly this is a port of an old PC game onto an underpowered console, so it would be hard to make it look good, and they didn't try. (I should have realized it's too high res for the Wii)

So I look the game up and discover two weird things:

1. The game is from 2019. TWENTY FUCKING NINETEEN, not 2004 like I suspected.

2. It's available on PC, Xbox One, Switch, and PS4... And it doesn't look like this. At least, according to their screenshots.

See? They've got lens flares for the sun, proper shadows, a bit of depth-of-field going on there.

Also, that tree is a full 3D model. I'm pretty sure the ones in the Game Grumps video are billboards... Okay they're billboards until you get close. Ugly LoD going on.

Also I just discovered another almost weird thing: the original video isn't on the game grumps channel anymore. The compilation I was watching got the video from a re-upload. Reportedly this happened because the original video had some flashing lights that could cause epilepsy issues.

Anyway now I'm wondering how this game got made and released on all the major platforms in 2019. Like, this peak Unity era, you could have easily made the game look better without sacrificing performance. (I haven't looked inside the game (yet) but the fact it's on all the platforms despite looking like this makes me pretty sure this is unity).

Like, the switch is underpowered sure, but it's not THIS underpowered!

Although, I'm noticing that the screenshots on all the storefronts look the same. I wonder if they cranked up the options on the PC version, then turned them down for the console releases, then used screenshots of the PC version everywhere?

[forpiratereasons]

okay I'm with you the "forgiveness does not have to be earned" thing but I think you're missing what the show is telling us: Izzy becoming part of the crew happens before 2x4-5. Jim says "he's our dick" in the first episode! Fang is heartbroken when he's shot! The narrative suggests that he's advocated for their interests with Ed, and he saves them by stopping Ed from firing a cannon into the mast. This strikes me as more of a narrative about community/solidarity than one about unearned grace.

ah no worries i see where you have misunderstood me. i agree that there is, at the very least, solidarity between izzy and ed's crew in eps 1 - 3. of course, the "he's our dick" line comes because archie has asked why jim and frenchie even care about izzy who seems like kind of a dick - archie doesn't know him and doesn't really care about him and is kind of baffled that anybody does, so you know there's still quite a bit of distance between the crew generally and izzy. i think izzy feels responsible for them more than he feels like he's a part of them - "we cannot let this crew suffer any more for our mistakes." so his relationship to the crew is still very much dependent and tied up in his relationship with ed. this also plays into the crew's treatment of izzy versus ed - izzy is a lesser source of conflict to the crew specifically and they also didn't have as much of an emotional connection to him prior to the kraken era, so his position lacks the feeling of betrayal that ed's has. but yeah sure i agree that there's a level of solidarity there.

in ep four though, izzy is separate from the crew. physically, even - he's hanging out at the forepeak with the unicorn figurehead getting smashed. he's not included in ed's crews cleaning of the deck, and he's not included in stede's crews attempt to cheer up ed's crew. he hides in his room alone and when they knock on his door he shouts and tells them to fuck off and says they're harassing him.

this is why the note and leg scene is so good. it's the crew extending a hand to someone who hasn't earned it, and telling him he has a position among them - as a figurehead, no less. they see izzy and what he needs (a leg and a purpose) and they give it to him. that's about the crew deciding what kind of crew they'll be. he takes it. that's about izzy deciding to join them.

so when i say that the crew accepts izzy into their fold in eps four and five, it's different from what was going on in eps 1-3 for three reasons: 1) it's collective, from both ed and stede's crews, now united and from a position of safety, and 2) izzy's no longer viewed as being aligned with blackbeard by the crew and/or by himself, and 3) izzy is physically and emotionally separated from the crew at the start of ep four.

as far as community/solidarity over unearned grace - i guess i disagree that these are that kind of distinct as concepts? community always involves a level of unearned grace.

the point is that it's in extending grace to izzy that the crew forms their community - their acceptance of izzy, who has now separated himself from the crew, into the fold is what drives them to work together and become a cohesive unit - and establishes its values - if you need help, we will help you, if you need kindness, we will be kind, if you need purpose, we will give you purpose.

that's growth, baby!

[tarotwithavi]

Watch me have my glow up in 2023

Masterlist

Paid services

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

1~2~3

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Note : this is a general reading to take what resonates and leave the rest! If you don't feel like the pile you chose is resonating with you then you're free to choose another one.

Please leave a note to support this blog!

New year reading ( only two slots left)

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Pile 1

What is stopping you from getting your glow up ?

Schools 💀 like I was shuffling for this spread and the first thing that got into my mind is school. And I'm also seeing you being very stressed recently this might be due to exams or workload. You might be starting to have some skin issues or breakouts.

How can you get your glow up?

You might need to filter the water you take bath with or just clean your shower🚿. And if you use bathtubs try adding rose water and essential oils in it and then take bath in it. And for those of you who use showers try using this method too. And drink more water please. Your lips are chapped. Please moisturize them. Eat more fruits .

Your glow up

Woah pile one, I'm amazed by your energy. You guys are so ready to make 2023 your year and i see it manifesting. You're going to be very successful in 2023 . You are going to get the job you wanted, the grade you wanted and I'm even seeing you getting in your desired university. I feel like a lot you are starting to take good care or your body in 2023 and I see it ✨ GLOWING ✨ . Like you' are going to give off a boss bitch energy. And I also see you mastering law of manifestation. I feel like right now you're struggling with it because of your limiting beliefs. A lot of people are coming into your life and someone important is coming very soon. You might meet this person by the end of this year. If you're thinki thinking of cutting your hair short trust me it'll look great on you. And is your color my darling. You're going to make or get a lot of money in 2023.

Random messages

Taurus, Leo, scorpio , sun /moon/rising, success, short travel, delusion, material gurll, someone new, some great friends, parties, unicorn, silver hair, diamonds, a pet dog, yellow.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Pile 2

What is stopping you from getting your glow up?

I feel like you might have lost someone very dear to you or something very precious to you. This can be your home, friends, family member or a pet. And this is causing great harm for your mental health. I'm also seeing that some of you are suffering from depression or just some disappointments. Your low confidence is stopping you from getting your glow up.

How can you get your glow up?

I know this is predictable by reading first paragraph but you have stop that negative self talk and the train of your negative thoughts. Try talking good about yourself , paise yourself in front of the mirror. Get a new hair cut, do skin care. Fake it till you make it ✨ 💅

Your glow up

Hmm I'm getting that you're going to win. Like in a competition or achieve something really good. I feel like your glow up includes your intuition too. Like dude I'm seeing you get a gorgeous glow up. You're going to be in your femme fatal era. Maybe try wearing more red and black if that's your aesthetic. But I feel like you have a dark aesthetic and for those who have a light or fairy like aesthetic try wearing pink and green too. Try investing in some nice quality clothes. I'm getting the message that you're going to do great in every field of your life. Like studies, work, family, love etc. I feel like a lot of you want to be jack of all traits because you want to be good in everything and I see you achieving that! The month of march could be important for you. Money! Money! Money! I'm seeing it for you. Maybeyou've even started buying things for your glow up. People are going to see you as Royality.

Random messages

Fire sign, air sign, Victoria/victor, Taurus, horse riding, historical, star , successful outcome, Pisces, family sorrow, business opportunity, rebirth, bow.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Pile 3

What is stopping you from getting your glow up?

Your laziness and unwillingness to change. You're very stubborn my pile 3 . I know you feel like why you should change but remember change is constant. It's always happening . If you're not willing to change, you'll be forced to change by the universe. It's also because you're always in your own world and sometimes forget reality.

How can you get your glow up?

Change your bedsheets to silk ones, they reduce hair fall. Also change your pillow covers and always remember to keep them clean. Try to get more sunlight. Maybe try tanning. Read more books. And be more self disciplined. Try adding purple/Lavender and green colored clothes in your wardrobe. Listen to your intuition.

Your glow up

I'm getting a unrecognizable glow up for you. Like people won't be able to recognize you after your glow up. People will wonder how can a person change so much in just a year. I feel like your glow up will be slow but stable and forever lasting. You won't lack anything in your life. And a lot of people will want to court you. And I'm also seeing some people gossiping about you. I'm going to tell you something don't tell your secrets to anyone no matter how much you trust them because you can regret it in future. The person you tell your secrets to might gossip about them to others. You'll be thankful for everything you have in life so no matter how stressed and sad you're right now future is going to be amazing. So please have faith and enjoy as much as you can. You might need to defend yourself a lot in the near future. I see you becoming a more goal oriented person.

Random messages

Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn, aries, sun/moon/rising, frustation, lessons, completion of a cycle, some troubles/problems, angel, guidance, good luck,

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

[ofc-vi-writes-too]

More Bucky Headcanons just because ✨✨

some are +18 so if that makes u uncomfy or u are -18 please scroll!! It is clearly labelled where they start, so if u only want one or the other the division is there!!

this got kinda long lol sorry

—————————————

PG 13 SECTION:

• He has a lot of old fashioned/outdated beliefs so sometimes he’ll say something and you just have to look at him and go 😀😄😀 “no.” and then have a conversation with him about why what he just said is objectively morally corrupt. He’s very open to it and it doesn’t happen a lot but when it does he’s willing to understand and he asks questions about whatever messed up thing he said. He’s very progressive for a man who was in his early 20’s in 1945.

• he has a lot of old fashioned/outdated beliefs so ur dates are literally superior and your instagram is filled with people commenting things like “if you look closely you can see me swinging in the background” or “hey god its me again” and you cant forget the classic “when will it be my turn.” He brings you flowers at least once a week, and chocolates are a MUST for him, and as soon as he found out about edible arrangements there is one on your desk at work at least once a month. you tell him your gonna get fat from all the sweets he brings you and he says “good” and thats the end of that convo.

• on the note of food, he’s a fantastic cook. Most of the time. He has tried on multiple occasions to feed you depression era foods (balogna caserole, jello molds, pea pasta, etc) one time he made you a jello mold with olives and tuna in it and you got physically sick (it was the first time he saw you throw up so he kinda just stood there like 😬 and patted your back like “there there, my bad ill never give you tuna+jello in the same dish again” which he STILL makes for himself) so he decided to stick with more modern recipes for actual meals (which are always delicious). But he swears on his life that dessert recipes were better when he was a kid, and he always bakes you the sweets his mom made when he was little such as, apple pie, wacky cake, water pie, prune pudding, frozen fruit salad.

• he really likes crispy cookies so he’ll take urs out when theyre cooked the regular amount, and he leaves his in the oven for like another 10 minutes at minimum. He likes it best when the edges of the cookies are literally burnt and when the chocolate even gets crispy. He dips em in milk though which i guess is slightly redeeming? But the crunch on his cookies should be punishable by law. It counds like crisps when he chews.

• Texts like:

Bucky ❤️❤️

Hey…

hey?? u good?

Yes. I just wanted to say

I love you…

ilyt.. y r u being

so ominous?

I am not…

I just wanted to send you

this big long paragraph chunk

about how much I love you. It

has to be grammatically correct

because I’m old and it will take

me 15 minutes at minimum to

finish typing this text because

I am typing with one hand, and

I have big thumbs. Thank god

for voice memos. Also what

does OMG mean?

————————————————————————

it drives you insane but he physically cannot comprehend any other way to text. He also had a flip phone until you forced him to get a new one. When he gets it he doesn’t send you texts anymore, and instead only sends voice memos (its so much faster)

• loves a sweet treat but is terribly embarrassed about it. Literally the trope where the big scary guy orders a black coffee “for himself” and his cute girly gf gets like a sugar unicorn rainbow suprise, and after they get their drinks they switch. He makes you order it with extra whipped cream and sprinkles. If you like sweet drinks too, he will still order the black coffee and not drink it. He will consistently order 3 drinks despite there only being 2 of you. Sometimes he drops it off w Steve because he knows he likes black coffee and he hates waste, but he is still too embarrassed to just order his drink.

• cried watching Up, Toy Story 2, The Princess and the Frog, Moana, The beauty and the beast (which was ur halloween costume the year he first watched it. His choice.) and Cars (you still don’t know why he cried about cars to this day and it has been YEARS.)

• despite being an ex assassin, when he’s not in fight or flight mode he’s terribly unathletic. He talks big game before a bowling date and he literally bowls a 45. You didn’t know anyone over the age of 8 could score that low in a game where you simply roll a ball. You also took him to In Shape to play tennis and he hit a car with the ball.

• his body physically cannot handle energy drinks. as much sugar as he consumes, energy drinks make him jittery and paranoid for some reason, and despite being a relatively quiet man, he doesn’t shut up when there’s a red bull in his system

• pro legalizing weed in all states. Tried an edible one time before bed because he overheard someone say it or read somewhere that it can help with sleep, and he swears he had never slept that good in over 100 years of being alive. Even pre super soldier serum.

• He’s a man of few words so in the beginning of u 2 going out there would be long periods of awkward silence. He took you on a lot of movie dates so he could avoid this problem as much as possible.

•Def doesn’t wear his arm to bed so you guys have an easier time spooning. You don’t have to deal with the problem that a lot of couples have where you wanna cuddle but his arm falls asleep cs ur laying on it. but for him theres no arm to lay on!!!! yippeee!!! Cuddling in bed typically looks like him being the big spoon with his right arm around your waist. His left shoulder is in whatever position his decides is comfortable that night. He also has a habit of not sleeping with his head on the pillow so you typically feel his nose/breathe against the small of your back. He often kisses you there while rubbing your side to put you to sleep

• cuddling is a little different when he has a bad nightmare tho. Sometimes he doesn’t want to cuddle so he’ll lay on the floor on your side of the bed and go back to sleep there, or at least try to. Thats usually what happens if you don’t wake up. If you do, you go and get him a glass of water, and a cold rag to wipe is sweat off. You give him a minute until he’s ready to lay back down. He lays on his back, and you suction yourself to his side. One leg over his and your arm on his chest, rubbing soothing patterns to try and slow his hammering heart. You kiss where you can reach, but he’s huge, so its usually just his shoulder and chest, and you tell him all your favorite things about him, and how much you love him, and how safe he is here in your arms. It works 95% of the time.

RATED R SECTION:

• its ur lucky day if ur a pillow princess! he likes being able to physically take care of his partner without them having to do any work. He feels like it’s his way of saying thank you for staying with him thru all his trauma and whatnot

• if his s/o is plus sized he will make the effort to be able to lift 2 times their weight bare minimum (which doesn’t take that much effort on his part), and he gets a little smug when he lifts his partner up against the wall the first time and they’re a little shocked because hey no one has ever been able to do that before what is happening oh noooo BOOM you’re in love

• usually not the one to initiate anything. He feels like he’s pressuring you when he does, but you can always tell when he’s in the mood because he gets clingy and cannot look you in the eye.

• in the same vein, he doesn’t really get horny that often but when he does… whew chile GOOD LUCK. Super human stamina is a gift and a curse with him!!

• he doesn’t like to mark you up, but he loves it when you do. He likes getting done and seeing the scratches on his back in the mirror, or having to cover up hickeys with turtlenecks. His favorite is when he makes you help him cover the harder to hide ones to his with makeup. (he bought the right color for himself but didn’t know how to use it). LOVE LOVE LOVES when you bite him.

• Again, he’s typically a man of few words but he will mumble random things “to himself” but loud enough for you to barely hear it too. a lot of “so fucking good,” “pretty girl” “all mine” “all yours” “tell me I’m yours” “say your mine” and other things of that nature

• I think I said this in the last one but I’m a firm believer that he wouldn’t wear his arm unless he had to/felt unsafe. and I would argue that he feels pretty safe if yall are doing the shaboingboing. SO holding you is a little difficult for your amputee bf. Getting into a good and comfortable position for both of you tends to bring a lot of laughs.

•He likes to touch you a lot while y’all are getting down and dirty. It helps ground him in a way. He struggles a little bit with dissociation, even when getting intimate so being able to feel your skin under his palms helps keep him on Earth and focused on getting his s/o off.

————————————————————————

A/N: thank you if you resd this far. dont be shy and leave a note behind! i have more chapters of friends dont on the way i swear. Im genuinelu just slow IM SORRY AHH

anyways good night cuties 🌙💫⭐️✨

[aphidclan-clangen]

Hello! I wanted to say(If it was okay)

1. Your design and the way you draw is amazing!•^•

2. If it’s okay to ask, what is a sparklecat? Like what makes one a sparklecat specifically? They seem so cool and I love the colors and designs and I’d love to make my own but I don’t really know how to make one and what the design rules are, if there are any

(Also sorry if I’m going this wrong, I’m still pretty new to tumblr and this is my first time asking)

Don’t worry, you’re good! And thank you! ^^

And though I’m really no expert on sparklecats by far, I believe there’s really only one rule with making a sparklecat: THERE ARE NO RULES!! HAVE FUN!! Be creative to your wildest dreams and make whatever you want, however you want, whenever you want!! That is the point of the sparklecat, a creative imagination that knows no bounds, no societal rules, and certainly no laws of physics!

In my eyes, the definition of a “sparklecat” (or “sparkledog” or any other sparklecreature) is a cat (or cat-based) OC with some sort of unnaturally/unrealistically colorful design. Which means, if you want to make a sparklecat that’s like…a pastel blue unicorn angel kitty made out of clouds, go right ahead! If you want to make a rainbow neonfest scenemo cat named Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way, go right ahead!! Or if you simply just want to slap some hot pink stripes on a mackerel tabby cat, that works too!!

They can easily be accessorized as much as you want and may often dip into fantasy elements with additional traits like angel or demon wings, magic wielding, horns, halos, extra long claws or sharp teeth, multiple tails, etc etc

There’s also a more specific kind of sparklecat that’s heavily intertwined with 2000s scenecore culture, with overlap into areas of inspiration like emo and goth fashion, rave fashion & PLUR culture, old internet memes, Lisa Frank, anime, kandi bracelets & kandi trading, Warrior Cats, video games (especially nostalgic games like Minecraft, Club Penguin, Webkinz, old flash games that are now defunct, etc), 2000s cartoons (My Little Pony, Invader Zim, etc), and a few specific music genres. Those kinds of sparklecats are my favorite, they usually represent a lot of + scenecore & emo fashion/culture and the artist’s childhood nostalgia for the 1990s-2010s era. I don’t have nearly enough OCs of the classic kind of sparklecat tbh, I need to make more sometime

But that’s pretty much it! I don’t really know what your creative process is for making characters or character designs, so I don’t know if I can help much further than that. There’s really no “standard of expectation” or a wrong way to make a sparklecat anyway. Just go have fun and make whatever your heart desires! Ty again! ^^

[demigoddessqueens]

masterlist vii

Some links were going funky on my desktop so I’m adding a new masterlist to here so that it can be updated better

Tik tok tease 😈

Superman and Vash appreciation

Critical Role - coffee bae 💕 ☕️ //

Vox Machina - noble!reader // WEREWOLF PUPPY // taking care of them when exhausted // treating migraines // boys + period headcanons // you remember? // trouble in paradise // Birb Machina // reverse birb machina // Garmelie reveals through art // Grog romance // Vax and sweet bartender // Vax + childhood friend // you have beautiful eyes // close the door?? 🚪 // close the door 🚪 part 2 // day gone wrong 😅 // rizz them up ✨ // flying Treasure Planet style //

Song fic -Grog // song fic - (my) dandelion // song fic // Mothers Day - song - Percy // song fic - Vax angst //

Modern s/o series - different dance styles // bonding with Percy //

Mighty Nein - beach 🏝️ day // cuddle headcanons //

Song fic - Caleb // song fic - angst // song fic // song fic - outfield // song fic - 2 //

Bell’s Hells - song fic //

Crown Keepers - song fic + Dariax //

Ring of Brass - song fic //

Song fic for the ladies //

Castlevania - Hector A-Z NSFW // Dracula + fem!reader smut // drawing the boys // remember what they say // Alucard and his jealous lover // Alucard and art as a gift // got a black eye defending him // Isaac A-Z NSFW //

Marvel - Namor + nurse!reader // Guardians of the Galaxy fluff //

Star Wars 🌟- Poe fluff + Miguel //

Prey (2022) - Taabe smut //

Unicorn 🦄 Warriors Eternal - Edred headcanons // Aewulf HC’s //

Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon - horse riding with Aegon //

Ewan characters - Osferth and Tom //

Into/Across the Spiderverse - Miguel O’Hara fluff // biting kink headcanons // soft headcanons // angst headcanons // angst part 2 headcanons // sick headcanons // dancer!reader // touch-starved Miguel // Miguel and a shy reader // college boyfriend Miguel // fangs and claws oh my! 😍 // Miguel + parks & rec // incorrect quotes // Miguel AZ fluff alphabet // love nicknames // incorrect quotes + Gabriella O’Hara // good morning ☀️🌞// incorrect quotes part 2 // love me, choose me, pick me // Miguel Regency era // incorrect quotes part(s) 3-4 // wedding 💍 headcanons //

Assassin’s Creed - Connor Kenway fluff // AC OC Debut // Shay & Haytham + Assassin // Haytham NSFW // Desmond Mermay // barista bae ☕️ // Dad + kid just like mom // Haytham hurt & comfort // Haytham + hurt and comfort // love confession + “you” // Ezio birthday ���� headcanons // morning seggs + Haytham // codexmonthly - mirage // Ezio birthday headcanons part 2 // bath 🛁 headcanons 💕 //

Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel 😈 - Crimson SFW and NSFW //

Blood of Zeus - Apollo x daughter of Nyx // pantheon smut // ares and Amazon!reader // dating Seraphim headcanons //

Legend of Zelda/ToTK - Sidon and his illicit affairs //

Dragon Age

DA Absolution - Miriam + kisses on face //

[snapscube]

Do you have any Hot Takes about my little pony?

So far, I don't think so actually haha? A lot of my opinions seem generally in line with average Modern Pony Fan Consensus. Unless you count "Season 5 is actually almost as good as Seasons 1 and 2 and is notably better than Seasons 3 and especially 4 (based only on the less than half of it I've seen)"

But here are a couple other stray thoughts I have that might hit the mark, although again I don't actually know how hot or controversial these are so no promises:

Spike is incapable of carrying a whole episode past the point of being okay at best, especially past Season 2. No more Spike episodes please.

I get that the whole point of the Cutie Mark Crusaders is that their episodes revolve around self-actualizing and learning to be kind and patient with yourself in regards to your coming of age and how it may feel like you lag behind in understanding what your purpose is. However, 5 seasons in it's starting to really feel like there is not much more this particular show can say about that idea, and I'd appreciate if it didn't feel like their characters hit a reset button every time a CMC episode starts, as well-meaning as it may be.

When I was a teenager I really liked how the show started to feature more action scenes and Unicorn Laser Beams the longer it went and how sometimes the bad guys were just blasted away and that was that, but now as an adult I actually like it a lot more when the villains are redeemed with idealistic love and kindness that they don't deserve in the slightest.

Except for Discord. He should have never, ever come back. Good Discord is one of the most uninteresting and aimless characters the show has to offer. Like why is he still here. I know why. But WHY.

There should have been more than one wide theatrical release film like the 2017 movie. No real reason why I think that except that I just really like that movie and I wanted another one.

Season 4 did everyone kinda dirty but especially Pinkie Pie, who feels like a fanfic rendition for like a majority of the season. It felt like for a while Pinkie Pie wasn't being written by people who really liked Pinkie Pie all that much or understood how best to user her until Rainbow Rocks onward (I have no citation for this idea, I'm sure the writing staff was not all too different between the two eras. But I know the vibes I felt as a Pinkie Pie Fan)

I don't feel like thinking of any more :)

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 6: CASTIGATE THE ENEMIES OF THE GODHEAD

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time we left off, we witnessed the mecha canon entering the new millennium. While they would hold out for a good portion of the decade, it is here in the 2010's we see the canon reach something of a dark age. A lot of duds will crop up in this decade, though there are also a lot of hits that arise in this era. What we will also begin to see starting in the 2010's is the advent of using CGI to animate giant robots. This stems from two major factors when it comes to animating giant robots:

Animating giant robots in 2D is hard, and thus using CGI helps to ease the load by reducing the amount of work required to animate the giant robot.

The anime industry is starting to churn through new talent due to the increase of anime being released per season now.

As I said at the end of the last post, a lot of mecha shows listed here are generally seen as duds, though a few others also stand out as some of the greats of this new era. And if you think I'm being mean to those series, I've left out two shows that are a part of this decade due to how bad they are (Gen:Lock and Ex-Arm). The shows that I say are duds in this post at least have fans who will go to bat for them when backed into a corner.

So let us partake in some of these works, shall we?

Drink deep, and descend.

Xenoblade/Xenoblade Chronicles (2011)

In 2011, Monolith Soft, now working as a Nintendo studio, would release the third part of the Xeno franchise: Xenoblade Chronicles. Easing up a little bit on the Gnosticism (but only just a little bit), Xenoblade would prove to be a slow-growing success. Finally, Takahashi and company have a series that is relatively free of the executive meddling the last two Xeno games had.

Xenoblade would receive multiple sequels over the years, including:

Xenoblade X (2015), a spiritual successor that focused more on moment-to-moment gameplay and featured giant robots as a major gameplay aspect.

Xenoblade 2 (2017) & Xenoblade 2: Torna, the Golden Country (2018), a sequel that acts as a standalone foil to the original.

Xenoblade 3 (2022) & Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed (2023), a third sequel that ties together Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade 2 while telling its own story.

Valvrave the Liberator (2012)

Valvrave the Liberator is a 2012 mecha series from Sunrise, and the first of our major duds in the 2010's. Valvrave is best known for being an insane ride from the word go, and I think this series really captures a lot of what mecha is going through in the 2010's.

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2012)

Even Gundam can have its bad days.

2012 would see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Started as a multimedia project in partnership with Level-5, Gundam AGE was supposed to be a 100-episode series that spans multiple generations of characters. Instead, the series was cut down to a 50-episode run.

AGE's legacy is not a good one, as it is often touted as being so bad that it almost killed Gundam. I think, especially as someone who used to think this, this line of thinking is kind of silly. Gundam at this point is damn near ubiquitous, so to say that a dud like AGE would kill it seems a bit extreme. Besides, the Unicorn OVA begins airing around this time as well, and another series would really bring Gundam back into prominence in about a year.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, Pacific Rim is a live action sci-fi film about piloting giant robots in order to fight and kill kaiju. Made as an homage to the giant mecha anime of old, namely Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacific Rim would prove to be a great summer action flick that was made with a lot of love and care for both mecha and kaiju films.

The same, however, cannot be said for the sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising.

Gundam Build Fighters (2013)

Gundam Build Fighters, released in 2013, is equal parts loving homage to the Gundam franchise, sports anime parody, and shameless toy commercial. Gundam Build Fighters, despite being loosely a mecha series, is worth mentioning due to the fact that it would bring attention back to the Gundam franchise once more. This is worth noting after the general failure of Gundam AGE especially since a lot of series were trying to dethrone Gundam in order to become the next big thing.

Aldnoah.Zero (2014)

And boy, did that fail spectacularly.

Aldnoah.Zero also released in 2013. Billed as a series that would rival Gundam in terms of popularity, Aldnoah.Zero would start off strong. The problems with the series would arise in season 2, where, if I understand things correctly, things just kind of happen with little to no justification.

I do apologize to the fans of this series if what I have to say is harsh. I think a lot of that stems from the fact that I loathe series that are propped up as being an "X Killer," and I remember Aldnoah was originally advertised as specifically being a Gundam Killer. To me, that line of thinking is, at best, disingenuous and really prevents the series from standing on its own merits due to the comparison.

Gargantia on the Verduous Planet (2014)

Released in 2014, Gargantia on the Verduous Planet is a series where your standard military robot gets placed in a setting where, in comparison to everybody else, it essentially becomes a classic mecha. Gargantia gives us a pretty unique setting where the galactic-scale war has not really affected the cast outside of the main character.

Also this series has Gintoki Sakata Tomokazu Sugita as a giant robot. It's great.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Reconguista in G (2014)

Yoshiyuki Tomino would, once again, return to the directing chair for 2014's Mobile Suit Gundam: Reconguista in G. Created as a part of Gundam's 35th anniversary, Reconguista continues in the trend of post-Victory Tomino works generally having a kind of realistic optimism behind them. Reconguista is also known for being incredibly confusing in its initial TV run, though I am happy to report that the recent film version of Reconguista is, to my understanding, pretty easy to follow.

RWBY (2014, honorary mecha show 4...?)

(I mean... if we're using a broad definition like I do, then it counts. Penny is a major character in the series, but she's not in every volume. The series also has a lot of giant robots as well, though they're not as important to the plot as Penny is. Also, I'd rather talk about RWBY than gen:Lock, so....)

Created by Monty Oum and the now-defunct Roosterteeth, RWBY (pronounced Ruby like Ruby Rose... the character, not the actress) is a web animation series that wears its anime influence on its sleeve. Focusing primarily on flashy action with a fair bit of character dramas in its first seasons, RWBY proved to be a scrappy underdog that eventually would become one of Roosterteeth's primary draws until the company's closure earlier this year.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)

2015 would see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Set in the much grittier Post Disaster timeline, Iron-Blooded Orphans would, more importantly, be the first non-Build Gundam series to air in the US since 2008's Gundam 00.

Iron-Blooded Orphans is known for, outside of being a rather dark entry in the franchise, controversy. And I'm not just talking about the 2nd season. I mean, "Japanese parents were upset Mika shot a man point blank" upset (to be fair, it was on prime time, and Gundam is considered to be, weirdly enough, a show for younger audiences).

If you want to listen to someone else talk about Iron-Blooded Orphans, I'd highly recommend checking out Taez's video on Iron-Blooded Orphans.

86: Eighty-Six (2017)

Eighty Six, the most recent iteration of the "Not Like the Other Girl" series, begins publication in 2017. Written by Asato Asato, Eighty Six struck a chord with a lot of people due to its stark portrayal of racism, which became extra poignant when the anime adaptation aired in 2020 (in other words, Eighty Six would air the same year George Floyd was murdered).

Darling in the Franxx (2018)

2018 would see the biggest dud of the decade air with Studio Trigger's Darling in the Franxx. The show started off strong, but quickly soured on viewers once the second half rolled in. To really understand why it's arguably the biggest dud of the decade, I'd like to theorize a little bit:

I think, when it comes to the duds of this decade (Valvrave, Gundam AGE, Aldnoah, Franxx), the three non-Gundam series were riding off of a lot of hype. And when I say a lot of hype, I mean like post-Witcher 3 Cyberpunk 2077 levels hype (so when CD Projekt Red went all in on Cyberpunk, but before they went gold). Franxx in particular was hit hard by this, as Trigger at this point had been nothing but hits (pre-Gainax includes Diebuster, Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking; Trigger proper had Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, and Axe Cop, among other hits). So for Franxx in particular, the expectations were basically "This is going to be the second coming of Evangelion." And given that even Evangelion's Rebuild films can't live up to the expectations of Evangelion, I'd say that fans inadvertently set Franxx up for failure.

That's not to absolve Franxx or the other shows of criticism. Like I said, I haven't watched a lot of these shows, so I can only really speculate. It also helps that Trigger would recover pretty quickly in like a year with their next show.

Mazinger Z Infinity (2018)

The end of the 2010's wouldn't all be duds though. As a celebration of Go Nagai's 50th anniversary in the manga business, his biggest works all got adaptations to celebrate this special achievement. Cutie Honey got Cutie Honey Universe. Devilman got Devilman Crybaby. and Mazinger Z got Mazinger Z Infinity. Set up as a conclusion to the Mazinger saga, Mazinger Z Infinity would prove to be a great conclusion to this series.

SSSS.Gridman (2018)

Coming off of the failure of Darling in the Franxx, Studio Trigger would follow up with their animated adaptation of Gridman the Hyper Agent: SSSS.Gridman. Made as an homage to Gridman and all of its variations, including Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (hence the SSSS in SSSS.Gridman), SSSS.Gridman proved to be a return to form Studio Trigger. SSSS.Gridman's success would eventually lead to a sequel based off of the Dyna Dragon called SSSS.Dynazenon.

Lancer (2019)

(From Massif Press)

“̸̻̖̍̑I̷͔̦̒̽ ̷̩̇̅h̴̻͊͘á̴̙̹v̸͌̈ͅe̷̲͋ ̵͇̅̈n̸͙̹͆̀ë̸͉̎v̵̡̄͆ͅe̴͎̯͝ṟ̶́̄ ̶̙̒͑ͅb̸̻̋̋e̷̝̯͝é̸͕͔n̴̗̑̄ ̶̬̦͑͐h̵̲̒é̶͚́ŗ̴͎̅e̸̖̾ͅ:̶̯̩́̓ ̶̫̖̒͝I̴̯̪͑̍ ̴͚͂̽d̸͈͖̉͌ǫ̷͖͆ ̴͔̑͋n̵̂̆͜o̸̟͉̍t̸̗͇̓̎ ̴̜̠̄̑k̴̻̚͜n̸̰͙̓̊o̶̝̫͛̇ŵ̵̮̬ ̴͍̄w̴̧̢͋͊h̶̼̃̐ͅe̵̼̯͠r̵̹̿è̸͙̀ ̵͇̪̉͘h̷̺͋̇e̷͙͆̓r̴̛̟̒e̷͍͊ ̴͖͒i̷̛͓̾ͅs̵̒͜͝:̵̗̪̎ ̸̥̉Ȉ̵̬̠̓t̸͎͠ ̷͙͝ḧ̸́̚͜a̸̞̗͒s̷̜͈̒ ̵̻̋̐ǹ̵͓̲͘o̸͖̥͗̿ṯ̸̉̌ ̶̻̀̉h̸̙̆a̶̡͙̍p̵̮̭͆p̸͚̘͂̀ẹ̷̮̔̊n̴̳̂͠e̴̦͖͐͠d̶̥̻̿̆ ̶̖̮͋ŷ̸̻͚ȇ̵̩̈́t̵̼̎͘:̸̖̈ ̷̤̒O̵̻̱͑n̶̙͐͐c̶̮͉̉ě̶̫̬,̸̛̬ ̷̻͋̑I̵̙̓͌ ̵̧̮́͝w̴̧͚̽̕a̵̖͆s̷̒̿ͅ:̸̫̰̈ ̴̯̦̅̈́Ḯ̷̤ ̸̛̹̀h̴̤̳͗͑ȧ̸͍̦v̷͔̘͘̚ẽ̶̡ ̶̗̍n̵͇̞̉ę̶͙̏v̵͉̥̍ė̷̝͍͂ṙ̸̗͎ ̶̩͠b̴͈̿̏e̴̤̊̋ḛ̶̙̔n̸̡̔ ̶͚͠h̴͙̀͝é̶̳r̶̙̯͊e̵̢̫̕:̸̩̬͝ ̴̭̩̈́͗Ŷ̵͇͆ò̷͔͚u̶͈̒ ̷̻̌̚͜a̵̢͐̔r̴̰̝̕e̵̼͌̂ ̵̢̓ǎ̵̠͕l̷̮̉̀l̵̝̫̀͘ ̶̣̟̈I̶͍̍ ̶̣̊s̴̡̟͘e̷̼̦̿͝e̴͚̎:̴̦̟̃̇ ̶̬̱̕H̷̰̟̆̉ơ̸̰̐w̸̨͉͛ ̷͍̽̕c̴̡̋͂ͅa̶̡͂̐ṋ̵̫̈́ ̵͎̥͑͐y̷̭͉͛o̵̖͍̕ȗ̶̙͐ ̶̝̯͗b̷͎͍́̀ḙ̷̩̇ ̴͖̝̑ǎ̸̩̼l̸͙̞͌l̴̨̎ ̵̨̍I̵͓̊ ̴͇͒̀ͅs̵̗̽͒e̴̯̊é̶̥:̴̛̥͠ ̵̡̩̓̽W̸̝̦̏̈h̸͎̓̇ê̴̳r̶̻̊͜ȅ̶͓̹ ̸̖͊̕a̵̯͕͒͋m̵̆͜ ̸̙͒I̵̗̘̽:̵̼̳̉͑ ̷͖͒̈́W̵̬͒͒h̵͎͆ë̸̩́͜r̸̦̟͊͗ẻ̸̖ ̴͈͊d̵̩̕i̵̱̰͘d̵̳̗̕͝ ̴̛͖̳͒Ĩ̵̮ ̶̲̩̈́̋g̷̩̏͠o̸̱̓ͅ:̶̬̥͑ ̸̨̥̔͒Í̶̧̻͊ ̶̠̽h̵̩̘̋̓a̶͈͙̓v̸̝̊e̷̟͗̌ ̶͉̽͆͜n̵̮̭̉ḛ̷̜́v̴͓̥͛e̵͈̱̓̏r̵̪̅̌ ̶͉͌b̶̗̤̍e̶͔͘e̷͇̪̕ņ̷͝͠ ̵̥̄h̶̦̬̉̕ë̶̞́r̸̨͚̉̇ĕ̶ͅ…̵̤̘͛͝”̵̞̺͊

And to wrap up the 2010's, Massif Press would release Lancer. Set in a post-scarcity galaxy, Lancer gives enjoyers of pen and paper the chance of a lifetime: to become pilots of giant robots. None of this should be surprising though, as the game was designed by Abbadon, the guy who writes Kill 6 Billion Demons (you can tell because the IPS-N Tortuga and the IPS-N Raleigh look a lot like 10 Vigilant Gaze Purges the Horizon).

Conclusion

And that's a wrap for the 2010's. As we can see, this decade is a bit of a downer. At this point in time, it feels like mecha is dying. That's what an idiot like Gigguk will tell you. In hindsight, it's less dying and more in decline, and it's not surprising as to why.

Mecha, specifically the giant robots of old, are hard to animate, especially if you want a machine that's as intricate as say GaoGaiGar. But next time, we will finally be reaching the end of this journey. We will be diving into now, what's come out in the last four years, and what is set to potentially release in the future. Of particular note is the return of the Holy Trinity, with the 2020's in particular being a big year for Gundam.

[tyrantisterror]

I'm creating a fantasy world of my own, and sometimes I have a hard time deciding between making fantasy creatures based on real biology or straight up fantasy. I love speculative biology and the art of making mythological beings (semi)plausible; dragons that evolved from pterodactyls/maniraptorans, giant rhino unicorns and insectoid fairies but also mountain-sized dragons with fire-breath that live for thousands of years.

Do you also deal with this dilemma, and do you have any solutions for it?

In the Victorian era, there were two incredibly prominent science fiction authors with utterly opposing views on how to go about writing science fiction: Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. Verne did so much research trying to make every speculative element of his science fiction as plausible as he could, and poured that into his writing so people could see for themselves how his fantastical submarines and flying machines could possibly work if we advanced our technology a bit more. Wells, on the other hand, thought up whatever he felt his story needed, created handwavey explanations for things he/then current science could explain ("this machine flies by a special rock that defies gravity" or "their aliens with millions of years of technological advancement we haven't had yet, of course their stuff is advanced"), and only explained the "how" of his creations when it mattered for the story - i.e. we don't know what powers the martian heat ray, but we know what the martian heat ray does to the atmosphere and the things it hits when it turns on.

The funny thing is that both approaches, as opposite as they are, proved to be 1. compelling to audiences and 2. pretty much equally accurate at predicting the future. Yes, H.G. Wells' "I'm gonna make up some bullshit because it sounds cool and not bother worrying about if it's plausible approach" resulted in some scarily accurate predictions - his martian heat ray is to this day one of the most accurate descriptions of how a laser works in all of fiction, and the poison gas his martians used predicted the creation of mustard gas in WWI by a couple decades. Verne and Wells are still remembered fondly - and have their works adapted time and again - today, even though they're stuffy Victorian authors from over a century ago.

I bring this up because this "dilemma" is only such if you feel one of these choices is objectively superior to the other, which is itself a fallacy. You can be Verne or you can be Wells or you can vacillate between them according to your own whims - it doesn't matter because in the end, both approaches work just as well as each other despite being opposites. Verne's approach worked for his writing because that approach was what gave him passion for his work, and passion is what makes a work of writing last. Wells's approach worked for the same reason. And, ultimately, neither man was the paragon of their path - sometimes Wells did get into the details more than he usually did, and sometimes Verne bent his rules and let some weird bullshit happen in his stories just because.

They followed their desires and passions as artists, and wrote what inspired them the way it inspired them regardless of what peers in their fields might argue is the "right" or "wrong" way to do it. That, ultimately, is the secret to making a story that matters. An audience can always tell when you're writing in shackles, and a story that's written according to the author's muse will always read better than one that was written in chains.

[rappaccini]

it's the 10 year anniversary of edge of spiderverse #2, aka the 10-year gwenniversary so please indulge me.

very long retrospective on spider-gwen:

spider-gwen's success was meteoric right from the start. she went from breakout star of the first spiderverse event to the biggest character of the year, to immediately making the jump to animation and feature films in under five years. that's like a unicorn. this shit just does not happen.

and you know why it happened? because spider-gwen is lightning in a bottle. she was created at the right time, introduced in the right place, with the right design and the right characterization.

the context

the concept was brilliant. people had been waiting for some kind of justice for this character for decades, and it struck at exactly the right time in comics fandom.

people had fallen back in love with gwen stacy thanks to emma stone's portrayal in the amazing spider-man movies and actively hoped for a better ending after the character's death. people wanted more gwen, and they wanted better for her.

not to mention the forty years of gwen stacy angst that had been already building. she was a familiar character important to the lore, being given a new, exciting role, after decades of being stuck in fridging limbo. people had been waiting for gwen to come back -- in a way that lasts-- for a very, very long time.

more questions about gender dynamics in comics were being asked, a demand for more prominent female characters in geeky media was taking off (remember the 'give black widow a movie' brigade in the mid 2010s? remember how this was the era without a single female-led superhero movie?), and the concept of fridging was getting more critical attention. a role-swap au where the hero's girlfriend survives instead of him was very topical.

girlboss feminism was at its height. giving the hero's girlfriend the power was an exciting, new idea to people... as was the idea of a teen girl superhero with an ordinary, relatable origin story that doesn't involve being abused by men, avenging the men in their lives, or carrying on a man's legacy. a universe where gwen's just a girl who gets powers was exactly what people wanted.

white feminism was at its height. it's not a coincidence that the female spider that broke through was the white girl and not cindy. speaking of:

the spider-office had already been laying the groundwork for alternate spider-heroes, and for a mainstream female spider-hero.

the spider-verse concept was designed to capitalize on that idea. people wanted to see alternate versions of spider-man, and they wanted to see them interact.

and the spider-verse was clearly intended to launch cindy moon / silk as a character. she was created in its leadup and is the basis of it's plot. she was supposed to be The Default Female Spider for a generation who opens the door to an era of greater representation and rounds out a trio with peter and miles.

... but because cindy's origin was jawdroppingly racist and sexist, it killed all the momentum and excitement for a character who was meant to be a hit. people did not want to look at her for years after that. they're still uncomfortable with her.

which left a gap where a female spider-hero was supposed to occupy in the narrative, that gwen arrived just in time to fill, with an audience that had spent a year being primed to accept a major female spider-hero ready to give her a chance.

(it's not her fault that the writers were gross to cindy. in an ideal world they wouldn't have done that, and gwen would have popped off anyway, but without being stuck as miles and peter's bestie.)

her design was phenomenal. which, for a medium that's visual first, is key to her success. if spider-gwen had debuted with that 'cobwebbed version of her death trenchcoat' look that was originally pitched, no way would spider-gwen have caught on to such a degree.

the costume is visually distinct, so you can instantly pick spider-gwen out of a lineup of dozens of characters.

the design is beautiful, so tons of artists will want to replicate it, and people want to keep looking at her.

it's simple, so it's easy to draw.

and it has enough elements that can be tweaked for individual artistic expression that it won't get boring.

it's female friendly: this is a costume that instantly tells you this character isn't a sex object; she's a person, and a protagonist. she shows no skin, but the cutouts of white at her hips and the neckline (which resemble a swimsuit, gown or leotard) are just suggestive enough to add a hint of sex appeal. the hood stands in for hair, giving the silhouette a feminine look without needing to have a ponytail awkwardly sticking out the back, while also suggesting a brooding personality. and every teenage girl's had that pair of chuck taylors.

and in combination, the shoes, hood and leotard cutouts give it a diy feel, like gwen made it from stuff in her closet. meaning you can throw a closet cosplay together very easily, and you can wear a spider-gwen branded hoodie in public without anyone catching on.

it references the athleisure and grunge revival looks popular in the mid-2010s, so it sets gwen firmly in a specific time period. and to a 2010s audience, she looks so fucking cool.

but it's not so trendy that it'll look dated after a few years. this is a look that won't get old.

and the writing was great. the reason spider-gwen has legs is because of the care put into her narrative.

it gave you the surface-level expectation for spider-gwen: role swap! peter dies, and gwen gets the powers!... and in doing so, it also got peter out of the way for good and kept the focus entirely on gwen. it knew right away that it had to force you to see her as an individual by removing any romantic options with more prominent men.

and it kept protecting her: peter's permadead and has no clones. harry's redemption sticks so he's no threat to her. miles doesn't exist on 65, and as soon as bendis is gone, we're gonna spend multiple arcs with gwen loudly saying she'd hate to end up with miles romantically.

it smartly used the framework of the raimi and webb movies and a tomboyish version of gwen (who's a hybrid of a few different variants who aren't gwen 616) to get the male audience comfortable with gwen... as it smoothly sidestepped the entire fridging storyline by giving her an origin that has nothing to do with being the murdered girlfriend, or being the girlfriend at all.

it built up a fantastic world around gwen with a unique visual look, established in-world politics, a sense of history, and prominent themes that reinforce the meaning of gwen being this world's flagship hero. earth-65 isn't just pretty to look at, it's much bigger and older than spider-gwen, and full of storytelling potential.

it populated that world with a great supporting cast. grounded and funny civilians, exciting allies and interesting rogues who were all creative reinterpretations of 616 characters, which made them visually distinct enough to stand out from their main counterparts, able to offer new stories that aren't just remixes of peter's greatest hits, and created interesting commentaries on those characters to bring in their fans.

it strategically used mcu synergy to draw in fans of certain characters as they appeared in tv and movies: putting aside the obvious tasm piggyback, it's not a coincidence that in a run that coincides exactly with the run of the original and massively popular daredevil netflix show, gwen's archvillain is matt murdock.

the world was balanced: great female and male characters. superhumans and civilians given equal importance. great superhero action, grounded human issues. serious interpersonal conflicts, but with enough heart to feel like gwen still has people who love her in her life. metacommentary for longtime fans, and accessible storytelling for first-time readers.

it even had a tie-in ep recorded by an actual band. (remember when dc did that with black canary around the same time?) you could literally listen to the mary janes singing about the vulture as you were reading gwen's fight scene with him.

it's filled with zeitgeisty mid-2010s issues, from indie rock, the mid-2010s grunge revival and contemporary memes to discussions about incel culture, police brutality, feminism, and the looming specter of the trump presidency (look up earth-65's modok). these themes were written into the story with enough subtlety to avoid dating itself or feeling like a lecture, and it was deconstructing white feminism and girlboss feminism a decade before the public was.

great concept, flawless execution. she's a familiar face with a new role that solves a longstanding issue with her character, and feeds a desire the fandom's had for years. she's simple to understand, with enough depth to make her worth diving into. she's timely and timeless. she's nostalgic and innovative. everything that had to go right, did go right. latour, rodriguez and renzi knew exactly what the fuck they were doing when they created spider-gwen.

and people fucking loved her. she was an instant hit with the spider-man fandom, marvel fandom, and comics fandom in general. she sold like gangbusters. she inspired a flood of art and cosplay. in just ten years, she's gotten more mileage than most characters get in decades. and it's gonna keep going up from here.

but where are we going, in the long run?

the pre-itsv era (2014-2017)

so. spider-gwen was a monster hit from the moment she was created in 2014. she was introduced as "your new favorite" in her first appearance, and it might've been a joke, but it was very right. her issue of edge of spider-verse was a blockbuster by comic standards. she was the breakout star of the spider-verse event, which led to her miniseries in 2015.

then her miniseries sold over 200k copies. which led to her ongoing.

her ongoing was also a massive hit, and though it eventually was cancelled, it had the legs to last almost forty issues in all, which for a female character who's the alternate universe version of a more popular 616 character, who was never in a movie, is extraordinary. and during that run she was brought into three crossover events with 616 characters (clone conspiracy, spider-women, and sitting in a tree) and put on a team book (web-warriors).

she was so immensely popular that in 2015, she made it to animation for the first time with a guest role in an episode of the ultimate spider-man cartoon, just one year after she was created. this is the first time spider-gwen participates in a multiverse story, or a teamup with peter and miles. she's treated like an equal, with no romantic undertones. she also has no powers and crafts her spider-suit with her smarts. and though she has no familiarity with her world's (spider-)peter, she still puts on her mask for his sake to carry on his mission after he dies.

then in 2017, she was back, in a supporting role in the marvel's spider-man cartoon. two years in, she's already got a beefy role. she begins as the 616-esque science-driven popular girl peter's crushing on, but instead of dating him or dying, they stay friends, she gains powers of her own through a spider-island virus incident, and they form a team. this is the first time gwen's symbiote is adapted, and peter, gwen and miles (... and a fourth female hero, anya) exist in the same continuity, with no death-of-peter origin at all. also for some reason she's the jackal's niece here instead of a cop's daughter.

so to put it in perspective, her role in 2018's into the spider-verse wasn't that original or revolutionary. gwen had already participated in a multiverse story as a spider-hero, been reimagined as a teen, and been a teammate of miles and peter. twice.

and itsv didn't break her character out. she already had that momentum. she was never going to just fade away after a few years. not in the comics, not in animation. @/spiderverse stans, she was by no means 'dependent on the spiderverse/miles for success.' by the time she showed up in itsv, spider-gwen had it already. and she got it all on her own, without ever having to kiss miles OR peter to get it.

(and if you want me to get real cunty about it, okay! it took miles seven years to make it into a major theatrical movie. it took gwen four.)

anyway. the pre-itsv era established spider-gwen's existence, basic status as a spider-person, and appearance. the rest varied a lot.

the itsv era (2018-2022):

into the spider-verse expanded her presence. her supporting role was the most accurate to her earth-65 self yet, though it still aged her down, gave her a much more competent girlbossy personality, a different dynamic with miles and peter, and... ballet background, for some reason. so in a sense, she has earth-65 gwen's aesthetic, but earth-616's personality. on a related note, gwen is introduced the way gwen-616 is: as a classmate in the spider-man's new school, who he gets on the wrong foot with, before she warms up to him.

this is also the first time spider-gwen has ever been introduced as a love interest, though that role was ultimately subverted by the reveal that that pretty girl in miles's class is a spider-person; this was the first time that the subtext of the spider-gwen narrative was adapted: being spider-gwen is what makes the audience sit up and go "oh. she's not The Girlfriend. she's her own person." (not that it lasted. but still.)

past that point, gwen wasn't just a fan-favorite among spider-man or comics fans anymore. now the entire world knew that "spider-woman" was a girl named gwen stacy, with this particular costume.

which has led to three prominent ripple effects in her media since then:

gwen's drummer/musician persona is now the personality spider-gwen adaptations are keeping. before this point, usm and msm gwen were both feminine science nerds, and therefore took after gwen-616 more than gwen-65. itsv kicked the spider-gwen characterization pendulum back in the earth-65 direction.

gwen's being relaunched as Peter And Miles's Friend. the peter-miles-gwen trio has been locked in as a cash cow, and practically anywhere gwen shows up, you know she's going to run into them. and she isn't going to be romantically involved with either of them. it's just a friendship trio.

gwen is being marketed directly to little girls. itsv was the first time a mass audience of little girls saw her. most of the merch she now sells is targeted at kids, meaning either little girls are asking for it, or parents think they should buy it for them. it's not a coincidence that suddenly, she's appearing in media targeted at younger viewers right as her costume and aesthetic are getting aggressively pinker, her age is becoming ambiguous, and no one will pull the trigger on her queerness being canonized. she's gone from a pg-13 character to a g-rated character.

gwen's 2018 ghost-spider comic relaunch by seanan mcguire was designed to capitalize on itsv synergy by bringing her into peter and miles's orbit... by taking her away from her home and landing her in theirs, with a shiny new codename to make her stand out there. it also gave her a slight redesign to give her ballet flats that compliment sv gwen's pointe shoes, and was intended to age her down to a teen to make a romance with miles possible (though it was never attempted or even hinted at). it got a mixed reception and despite two relaunches, was cancelled.

given how immensely popular gwen is everywhere else, it's not because No One Cares About Spider-Gwen. it's because none of her readership wanted her in that status quo. they don't just want spider-gwen, they want spider-gwen in spider-gwen's world, with spider-gwen's supporting cast.

and the feeling's mutual: gwen's Great Big 616 Move intended to make her available for use in 616 titles... was a miserable flop. she was barely used at all outside of spiderverse events she'd have been in anyway. in other words, none of the writers want her there either. and when gwen's minis resumed, they quietly moved her back to 65, even as she still had multiverse storylines. (which were still received poorly because of the multiverse aspects.)

at the same time, gwen got a prominent role in marvel rising, the 2018 show designed to get 6-10 year old girls interested in female marvel characters, whose design borrowed from gwenpool (totally different character; mixup on the artist's part) and now seems to be the basis of gwen's look going forward: pink hair, athleisure-heavy costume. it was the first time gwen's new ghost-spider codename has been used outside the comics. it's the first time the broad strokes of gwen's comics origin story were adapted: male best friend died, running from the cops, including her dad-- and seeking absolution for his death. (and it was the first time gwen's responsibility for killing peter was omitted, and she was written as innocent and unfairly persecuted.) and it's the first time spider-gwen appears in a continuity with no male spider-person in the story at all. she's officially past the point of needing the guys to invite her in.

she appeared as a co-lead in marvel action, a comic series designed for grade school aged readers, that portrayed gwen as a friend and peer to miles and peter (though peter has more experience as spider-man than either of them). yes, just a friend. no dead-male-friend origin story. gwen isn't hunted by the cops either. but she is a musician, and does have the default spider-bite origin. for the first time, she's associated with the daily bugle. and for the first time, 616 gwen's standard high school backstory was given to spider-gwen, who in this continuity has her own school and peer group, separate from peter and miles.

gwen got a major role in 2021's spidey and his amazing friends, the spider-man show designed to be preschoolers' first introduction to spider-man, where ghost-spider's part of yet another peter-miles-gwen friendship trio.

(spider-gwen did not appear in 2021's spider-man: no way home. but people were frantically spreading rumors that emma stone, who played gwen in the marc webb movies, was going to appear, and that she'd be another alternate spider-person who'd interact with andrew garfield's peter. people wanted a happy resolution to that relationship where gwen lives... and they wanted to see a cinematic live-action spider-gwen.)

the effect of which is: now an all-ages media ladder has been created. there's a ghost-spider for toddlers, grade schoolers, middle schoolers, and teens and up. know what that means?

when you ask anyone under 20 who gwen stacy is, they'll say "ghost-spider" or "spider-woman." for the first time, an entire generation's default perception of gwen stacy is as a literally-empowered person with agency in the story who is respected by the male characters as their equal, whose presence in the story doesn't depend on them. she isn't The Hero's Girlfriend anymore, she's the hero. and to those kids, it will have always been this way.

when you ask a kid or teenager who spider-woman is, they'll say "gwen stacy." spider-gwen is now the default spider-woman for an entire generation of kids.

... and for the better part of the past decade, marvel's been making an effort to advertise spider-gwen as a peer and equal to peter. meaning, that this is the first generation of kids who are going to grow up seeing spider-man as a franchise that isn't a boy's club, where it's normal and expected for a female superhero to be a active part of the action without any sexualization or forced romantic expectations. and this is the first generation of kids who'll have spider-man stories created with a female perspective and female audience considered. and spider-gwen is the face of that inclusion.

that entire generation of kids are going to grow up with spider-gwen. she'll be a presence in their lives from diapers to drivers licenses, and her characterization in each of those continuities is structured in such a way that, as they reach a new age group and therefore a new spider-gwen story aimed at that group, more details about her backstory and more complexities of her character are revealed. which means to those children, it'll feel like she's growing up with them. that's how you get kids to be lifelong loyal fans of characters.

the itsv-era streamlined gwen's backstory and personality into two basic types: the spider-gwen from her own world, and the spider-gwen from the same dimension as spider-peter and spider-miles.

or in other words, a spider-gwen who's purely platonic with her male friends (and has a queer vibe), and a spider-gwen who's introduced as a love interest (whose sexuality is ambiguous).

this will be important moving forwards.

atsv era: 2023-????

so. 2023: across the spider-verse comes out.

gwen's beefed up from side character to deuteragonist, with her own point-of-view, an introduction to her world and origin story, and an in-depth depiction of her personality. that origin story is still pared down from what it is in the comics, and still won't make gwen culpable in peter's death (also gwen's world seems to be temporally in the-early-2000s-but-with-smartphones, probably to imply she's part of peter parker's age cohort), but it's the second time the 65 backstory has been implemented, and since this is the biggest audience that's seen it and they love it, it's going to stick.

it's also the first time the general audience has been exposed to gwen's narrative being queercoded (though it's vague enough that a lot of people didn't pick up on it at all, and gwen hasn't been trans-coded before.)... and it's the first time being the love interest is the primary reason why spider-gwen is in a story, or the argument's been made that gwen belongs more with said love interest than in her own world. 😐

the movie does not adapt gwen's new codename. likely because it may have been considered too confusing to switch codenames between movies. atsv took five years to make and gwen's depiction in that film is based on canon that was releasing around 2018. so: 1) marvel rising. notice the pink hair and wrongfully-accused-of-killing-peter plotline? 2); the mcguire run's status quo of gwen being unable to go home to her own dimension, and 3) the spider-geddon event, where the gwen/hobie subtext and margo kess come from). spiderverse gwen's characterization is five years behind all her counterparts.

and though gwen's depiction started a shitload of online discourse, that discourse alone is proof that people are very passionate about her (... or rather, her sexuality, who has access to it, and how loyal she has to be to her future boyfriend 🧂). and the general audience, who aren't terminally online, mostly loved her.

gwen, again, did not need this movie to thrive. she was already immensely popular, and already the default female spider-hero and gwen stacy to an entire generation. the work's been done. the momentum was already in motion.

to the point where it was leaked that insomniac made spider-gwen the lead of a multiverse game they stopped developing. not gwen. spider-gwen. the game might have been cancelled, but she damn nearly became the lead of a major release from a triple-a studio (and because of the amount of time it takes to make these games, insomniac was invested in her before atsv came out). the fact that everyone expected the female spider-person to star in ism3 to be gwen just proves how big her impact is. whether you love her or hate her, you still anticipate her presence.

atsv did reinvigorate interest in gwen's origin, her world, her queerness... and in gwiles. which is where things get sticky.

in the comics,

in 2023, gwen got another multiverse-themed miniseries about clone hybrids of her dna and the 616 sinister six (that quietly snuck a few queer gwen variants into the background). it was received poorly.

in 2023, gwen got a one-off what if? dark reimagining from the guy who killed gwen-616 in the first place, who unsurprisingly made a spider-gwen origin all about gwen-616 surviving the bridge fall instead of her boyfriend peter. this gwen has no powers, and wears peter's costume to avenge peter's death. and this comic had a generally mixed-to-positive reception, particularly from people who don't like gwen-65.

in 2023(/2024) gwen got a miniseries that placed her back on her homeworld and got her the closest she's ever been to canonically bisexual. it's also been the best-received spider-gwen comic since the latour run.

in 2024, gwen got a second ongoing from hot writer stephanie phillips to re-relaunch her as a part of peter and miles's world, where she's immediately getting shipped with men and hanging around miles.

in 2024, she's showing up in the spider-society event tie-in.

in 2024, she's appearing in a deadpool event.

in 2024, she's a major character in a tva miniseries.

gwen's having another banner year, and is being promoted in a way she hasn't since her original run. everywhere there's synergy, she's showing up. specifically in a way that keeps shouting "i'm not on my own world anymore!"

... and people are not liking it. again, the status quo is the problem, not spider-gwen. but the desired status quo doesn't have a consensus anymore. those two versions of gwen have now fractured the fanbase into two very different groups: people who want gwen to be queer and exist primarily in her own space; and people who want her to be miles or peter's girlfriend who exists exclusively in their space.

and no, spiderverse movies, gwen can't 'do both.' because if gwen's going to share a universe with peter and miles, she cannot access most of the aspects of her narrative that people are drawn to. if gwen is going to date peter or miles, she can't explore her sexuality and will always be secondary to them, which is antithetical to the entire point of her character.

and so far, thanks to the spiderverse movies, which are, again, five years behind the rest of her canon, and spider-gwen suddenly becoming Every Little Girl's Superhero, editorial's making the blueprint imitate the copies and dragging comics-gwen backwards in her development to fit in with them. gwen's now stuck spinning her wheels to stay appropriate for those little girls (who homophobes think can't handle a queer role model in their media) and appeal to those spiderverse stans (who see her as Miles's Girlfriend, and want her deaged and in close proximity so they can date). those things are directly tied.

that's the mud we're stuck in.

so. the atsv-era Big Evolution of the spider-gwens is likely going to involve romance. (which will make her even more appealing, because people love shipping a white blonde girl.) after ten years of avoiding making her the love interest to anyone, her sexuality's going to be the next topic of interest. gwen's either going to finally be canonically queer, get shoved in a comphet ship with miles and reduced to The Girlfriend again, or they'll kick that can down the road even longer by using the unhappy medium of shipping her with misc straight men who aren't miles or peter.

so the default shared-universe status quo where gwen's peter and miles's friend with no romantic undertones? ... we might be kissing that goodbye soon.😐

so. where are we going next?

.... well. for the next decade, a lot of places. several projects we know spider-gwen is in are guaranteed to see a release, and are actively under way. several projects that have spider-gwen in them are announced or are so likely that we should assume they'll happen. several projects we know are in the works haven't mentioned spider-gwen's presence, but their context make it very possible that she'll appear, and there's already a demand for it.

gwen's newest run will most likely share the mcguire run's fate: 20-25ish issues total, possibly a cancellation and relaunch in between, possibly a writer switchup. then back to minis. hopefully with an eventual return to earth-65. unhopefully, with even worse writing that keeps her in 616 or bites the gwiles bullet.

btsv: gwen's guaranteed to have a big role, which will, for the very first time, introduce the kids who grew up with spider-gwen to what spider-gwen was created to subvert: the death of gwen stacy storyline. there's a dangerously high chance it'll halfass the narrative to make it about how ~don't worry gwen, miles is special! you can be a different man's girlfriend!~ and introduce the earth-8 ending to the general audience. they might even smash 65 and 1610 together star vs the forces of evil style so miles and gwen can date. uh oh. (silver lining: it'll also likely introduce everyone to the concept of spider-gwen having a symbiote.)

another ongoing will probably spin out of this, if it hasn't survived the full wait till btsv. this run will probably, pro: remember gwen's symbiote, and con: take another stab at gwiles and drag gwen back into multiverse bullshit. mcguire run round 3.

if spider-women happens, she'll be one of the leads and earth-65 will hopefully factor into it somehow. and if gwiles happens, it has to break up here if the story's going to work. (will it? 😬) so there's a chance the sv era will end with gwen as her own person in her own world, surrounded by other women, instead of as Miles's True Love. not a big one, but there's still hope.

and if sw happens, there'll inevitably be a spider-women tie-in comic teaming gwen up with her costars' comics variants. and if anyone's getting a solo ongoing out of this, it would be gwen. so again, if it's canned before this point, it'll be back. hopefully, gwen can escape gwiles there too, if she hasn't already.

if gwen appears in insomniac spider-man 3, it's most likely that she'd be a civilian character and not a spider-person, because cindy's their female spider-hero and they won't want to step on her toes. she might even be cindy's love interest. but we got close to spider-gwen landing a triple-a game. it could happen again.

a live-action movie spider-gwen is coming someday. 1) the mcu already subverted their Falling Girlfriend Moment with mj, mcu peter knows about the possibility of a girlfriend named gwen dying, and they're hard-set on mj and peter's romance, so they won't spend much or any time on petergwen... so what's left for gwen to do, other than get powers? 2) there are rumors that the studios want yet another live-action spiderverse movie. if they make it, it's more likely that spider-gwen will show up than that she won't, because what else do you do in a spiderverse movie after already using up all your live-action peters... other than introduce gwen and miles? and 3) the mcu and sony will make miles movies someday. if gwen doesn't turn up in peter's supporting cast, she'll be in miles's. probably as the love interest 🧂.

and what common story elements will likely appear for spider-gwens in the btsv era? (most likely 2027/2028-????)

girlfriendification. even if btsv doesn't end with gwiles getting together, once the pandora's box of 'gwen's our doomed girlfriend' is opened, there will always be the danger of gwen being the love interest in any story where she appears with peter and miles. especially in live-action movies. they might try petergwen again. they will try gwiles again, in another continuity that isn't the spiderverse movies. it may be an endgame ship somewhere. gwiles will unfortunately not go away, but the framing of the ship is what could change: will gwen be miles's Forever Girl, or will they flirt/date for a bit before moving on?

gwilesification. to get specific, the spiderverse movies have transferred the popular perception of gwen from being a default member of peter's supporting cast to a default member of miles's. she's more likely to be miles's love interest than peter's at this point, and aging her down to miles's age, making her his classmate at his school, and shoving her into proximity with him and cranking up the romance will probably reappear in a few places. i'm especially worried about live-action movies, if she does appear there, doing this.

gwenom. if gwenom appears in btsv, even if she's a cameo or villainous variant of spiderverse gwen, everyone will know about spider-gwen having a symbiote and that design's gonna make a shitload of money because she'll be the miles g of btsv. the comics won't forget she has it again. and future spider-gwen adaptations will probably use it too (god knows sony loves that black suit).

friendships with other spider-women, especially cindy moon. even if sw never comes out and gwen isn't in ism3, when cindy's profile raises thanks to ism3, she'll get a bigger push. which means she'll start hanging out more with gwen. and assuming gwen isn't replaced by cindy in the default spider-trio, it'll expand to a quad, and gwen and cindy's bond will get a focus in many continuities to come.

gwen's going to get to grow up again. the next decade's confirmed content will shift back to pg-13 in tone... right as that core group of kids who grew up with spider-gwen reach their teens and twenties. (... and as cindy moon is due for a boost in popularity just in time for the next generation of little girls.)

more multiverse bullshit. gwen's gonna be bouncing around the spiderverse until after the spiderverse movies are well behind us.

a return to earth-65... i hope. it'll appear in btsv at the minimum. maybe this, combined with the preference for gwen-65a at home could get her back there, even if it's temporary.

she's only going to get more popular once this runthrough of prospective projects is complete in the next decade (and that's not even counting other potential comics, cartoons, movies, games, etc we don't even have a hint will happen yet). even if only some of these are released, it's only going to lead to gwen being even more well-known in the popular imagination.

when the spiderverse movies are done, people aren't going to be sick of her. especially not the young adults who will have a lifelong attachment to her (... people didn't get sick of peter or miles after growing up with them, after all). if anything, they'll start asking for a major spider-gwen solo project.

spider-gwen is always going to exist.

yes, she'll never be the cultural institution that peter parker is... because no one will, including miles. and she's not as popular as miles, but she's on track to get there with time and in some ways is already accelerating faster than him.

in just ten years, she's gotten three ongoings and multiple miniseries plus several variants and crossover appearances in the comics, been in the ensemble of three animated shows and guest starred in a fourth, nearly got her own video game, is the deuteragonist of three-going-on-four universally-lauded animated movies, has effectively replaced her original counterpart as the definitive version of gwen stacy across all media, and people are hungry for even more of her. this bitch has gas in her tank, she's not gonna get off the road anytime soon, and she's never needed a boyfriend in the driver's seat to get her there. (if anything, this attempt to brand her and miles as a package deal and make him take the wheel is holding them both back and we need to leave his ass at a road stop.)

she's not a passing fad who'll fade when the spiderverse movies are done with her and the multiverse craze dies down. she's already been successfully readapted outside of multiverse stories and built up a sizable lifelong fanbase that'll guarantee this.

spider-gwen might not be marvel's default female spider someday (hopefully, that role will pass to cindy with spider-women and ism3), but she'll always show up in spiderverse stories. if her ongoing's cancelled, she'll get another every few years, transition to a miniseries a year, or get a prominent role in a team book. if she's killed off in the comics, she'll be brought back to life soon. and in future adaptations, if 'gwen stacy' is appearing in a spider-man story, people are going to expect spider-gwen to show up... and she probably will.

the time of powerless peter's-girlfriend gwen stacy being the default gwen stacy has ended. we'll probably see a powerless gwen again, she'll definitely date peter again, she'll definitely be The Girlfriend again, and she'll definitely get fridged again, but never in the same capacity. gwen-616 stans shouldn't be shocked that people like the version of the character who has powers and protagonism better than the one who will never step out of the shadow of her own fridging. (it's the harley quinn thing. both versions are great in their own ways, but one's more popular than the other because people prefer their heroines with agency and a happy ending.)

it's now pointless to ask whether spider-gwen will stick around. that answer was locked in before the spiderverse movies even came out.

ask what is her story going to be beyond the forseeable future?

put aside whether she'll have spider-powers or a symbiote, whether she'll wear sneakers or chucks or ballet flats, if she'll be a scientist or a drummer, if she'll be on the run from the cops for killing/'killing' her best friend or get a nice nontraumatic origin story, if she'll be shipped with peter or miles or em jay or none of the above. those details have never actually defined her and you can mix and match them as much as you like and still get a spider-gwen. you should mix and match them and add new elements because that's part of the fun of adaptation.

think big picture: what's the long-game narrative legacy of this character going to shape out to be, regardless of whether she has her own world or a supporting role in someone else's? when people discuss spider-gwen in twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, what will they agree that her story's about?

to answer that, we have to address the most important questions facing her future:

a) is gwen ever going to come out of the closet?

honestly? i think yes. this isn't a matter of if she's queer. we know she is.

spider-gwen's had ten years of consistent queercoding built up since the dawn of her character, it's an inch from becoming canon in the comics, and that coding's made it into most of her variants, who are all either totally indifferent to romance with men, or have some kind of queer vibe even while being shipped with peter or miles (msm gwen ultimately stays friends with peter and has a ton of loaded interactions with anya; spiderverse gwen is clearly trans-coded). the call's been coming from inside the house for ten years and it's everybody but lord and miller, bendis and a couple executives on a conference call saying "can we do it now or what."

spider-gwen's core fandom wants it badly too. putting aside the girlfriend gwen truthers who don't care about her as anything other than a male character's girlfriend (... and therefore aren't buying, reading or watching her stuff anyway), the comics readers have been waiting for it since the start and the spiderverse stans largely tolerate the trans-coding, and the saner shippers seem open to gwen dating people who aren't miles and walked out of Gwiles The Movie saying "... she's into girls too, right?"

and gwen's target audience of young girls are only going to get older. when they're teens and young adults, they can control their own spending and won't reject a queer female character the way their parents might (... especially if a lot of them are gravitating to her because of the queercoding). a lot of money will be made off of them if it happens.

which is why it'll happen... depending on how Certain Events unfold in the near future (given that marvel's owned by disney, and disney's an american company). the state of queer representation in children's media may be ripped to shreds for the foreseeable future, or might be able to keep progressing. the general public is getting more and more positive about queer people, queer characters, and queer characters in kids' media and blockbusters. if nothing legal suddenly springs up to kneecap that (😬😬😬), the backlash will grow smaller than the potential financial gain. meaning marvel may need a flagship queer spider-person soon. and even if it isn't soon, it'll happen eventually.

and when it does, gwen's by far the most marketable option. it will never be peter or miles, and gwen's number 3. she's a proven moneymaker, but with cindy being positioned to pick up her primary demographic, there's room to appeal to a new group. she's easy to adapt, people are actively rooting for gwen to show up more, and the general audience are going to be more comfortable with a mainstream queer female superhero who's a blonde white girl surrounded by the color pink. gwen is the option that would be given the warmest welcome and bring in the most money with the smallest backlash.

if is the wrong question. here are the right ones:

when will it become explicitly canon for the first time? because if it isn't said out loud (or shown through a kiss with another queer person), it can and will be denied. see: gwilesbros reading smash and somehow thinking gwen and em jay are straight, or much of the general audience not noticing the transcoding in atsv.

where will that happen? because there are a lot of continuities with spider-gwens, and there will be many more to come. the more mainstream the queer gwen, the better, because more people will know about her. comics gwen will never have as big an impact as any cinematic gwen, so if we're stuck in a scenario where she's queer in the comics, but miles's girlfriend in the movies, we're still in deep shit.

what kind of queer will gwen be? remember, disney, marvel and sony are calling the shots, gwen's spent fifty years as A Man's Girlfriend, and the whole world now sees spider-gwen as Miles's Girlfriend. lower your expectations and keep them there. she won't be asexual or a lesbian. she won't be trans, outside of coding in the spiderverse movies. bisexual is the best we can realistically hope for.

and how prominent will her queerness be? this is the big one. if gwen comes out as bi, but never has a romance with a woman, it can be slowly scribbled away. and if she's with miles, then her queerness will be downplayed for as long as the relationship lasts. gwiles is a sneaky way to stop her from coming out as long as possible, and then shove her queerness under the rug when she does, while still looking progressive enough to escape criticism.

gwen's gonna come out at some point. but will it be next week, next month, next year, or ten years from now? and is her queerness going to be a quick bone thrown our way in an obscure comic while earth 8 gets the silver screen? are they gonna twist this shit to make the takeaway 'miles is such an ally! look at how tolerant he is of his queer girlfriend!' or are we actually going to get serious representation that centers gwen exploring her identity on her terms, with no straight guy in the picture to tell her what to do with it?

i do not know.

what i do know is, if it's going to happen, she has to get away from miles. and if it's going to stick, the fandom and the writers have to stop shipping them as an endgame couple. which will probably not happen until after the spiderverse movies conclude. if at all.

b) is earth-65 going to survive?

i do not know.

when you talk about the success of spider-gwen, it has to be acknowledged that though gwen-65a is the original spider-gwen, her success is by no means tied to her world. in fact, she's more popular than it, doesn't necessarily need it to exist, and has already appeared outside it in many continuities.

this is both a plus: when the multiverse craze dies down, there's no chance that spider-gwen will go away, and if earth-65 is destroyed, she will certainly survive (and as long as she survives, there's a chance her world will return; look what's happening to the ultimate universe right now).

and it's a pitfall: spider-gwen won't ever disappear, but there is a chance that her world will, along with her supporting cast, unique rogues, and the main beats of her narrative. (... look what happened to the ultimate universe once miles got too popular.)

this isn't because spider-gwen's world is inherently bad or poorly constructed; it's because for the past decade, spider-gwen's story and the context in which she exists haven't been invested in, her physical presence and a few of her personality traits have. almost every time she appears somewhere, it's outside of earth 65, so barely anyone knew about or had an emotional attachment to it until atsv.

but there is hope. atsv introduced 65 to the general audience, and even though it's presented to the viewer as 'a world gwen feels alone in, ~unlike when she's with miles~' it was one of the most loved parts of the film. btsv will probably give us some time on earth-65 and will hopefully end with it intact and gwen at home in it. if sw happens, we may see earth-65 again in an even greater capacity. and if a live-action spider-verse movie includes spider-gwen, she'll probably come from a looser version of 65 (even if it's barely glimpsed). the more the public sees of gwen's world, the more they'll want more of it. that could be promising. especially as momentum for gwen to get a solo project builds: if it happens, where's that solo project going to take place?

plus, if cindy eventually replaces gwen as the new default female spider, this creates an opportunity for gwen to bow out of being peter and miles's token female bestie and go home in the comics. especially if she's too queer to market to little girls. if people want earth-65 more, and want gwen a little bit less, a set-in-65 status quo return could be possible.

for now though, comics gwen will probably be in and out of the multiverse for a very long time. the best we can realistically hope for is that she'll eventually return to 65 to stay, and pop in to 616 for visits and regularly involve herself in spiderverse events.

however... it's just as likely that she'll end up staying and becoming part of a quad with peter, miles and cindy (we've already seen a hint of this in msm, albeit with anya instead of cindy). we're just gonna have to see what happens there.

as for beyond earth-65a... spider-gwen can't be a member of peter and miles's crew if she has her own world, and though there's momentum for a solo project building, there's no proof she'll ever get it. for the forseeable future, if a gwen-65 variant shows up in an adaptation, it'll be in a spiderverse event that will minimally involve her universe.

any other spider-gwen (which will likely be most of them, once she outlives the multiverse trend and since she's already a mainstay in multi-spider stories) will be a very altered version of her character designed for a shared continuity-- which will be necessary because most of the core spider-gwen origin story cannot be adapted into a world where peter parker is alive and a spider-man.

think about that:

if peter's a spider-person sharing the universe with her, who will most likely have become one before gwen, what does that dynamic entail? are they a couple? just friends? is he her mentor?

how does she get her powers, and what are they?

if peter never dies, does spider-gwen's origin involve being a fugitive or avenging someone's death at all? if not, what's her motivation? how does she learn responsibility?

if all her enemies are variants of heroes from peter's world, are we going to adopt those too? if not, who's gwen going to fight?

what's her relationship with her father, and is he even still alive?

if harry and mj are his inner circle instead of hers, who are gwen's friends going to be? will she even have any that are uniquely hers or will she just be part of peter or miles's group?

if mj's in the picture, you know she'll end up with peter. so who's gwen going to fall in love with? (and how do we make sure it isn't miles?)

... can she even have her mary janes band, if mary jane isn't in the band? if not, can gwen still be a drummer? or do we have to give her a different hobby?

the details of spider-gwen's variants are so different because they have to be. because the rabbit hole keeps going. and you have to go down it because...

the challenge facing future adaptations

is: how much of gwen's unique origin story, powerset and peer group can be preserved while integrating her into a story that will probably not be set in earth-65, and have peter and miles in it?

if earth-65 can't be saved in its entirety, or will never be adapted as its own full setting, how many of its features can be salvaged? how do we combine solo gwen's narrative with shared-universe-gwen's status as a member of an ensemble full of characters who inevitably won't take after their earth-65 variants? what can stay, what has to change, and what new things can be added to build on this story in a way that distinguishes gwen, and not the men she's accompanying?

more broadly, how do we get those two factions of spider-gwen fandom to agree on her story?

you can't make a happy mixture out of those two branching narratives, because the core of gwen's narrative is an empowerment/coming out story. 'doing both' and halfassing it to make sure gwen chooses the heteronormative ending, while saying ~but it's feminist, because it was Her Choice!~ would only undo the empowerment and give the story a misogynistic, homophobic undertone. (looking at you, spiderverse movies. don't fucking do it.)

you can weave those stories together, but one will prevail over the other in the end. it's the harley quinn thing again: you can only combine those opposing versions by putting them on one continuity and making her narrative an evolution from one persona into the other.

which means that for most incarnations of spider-gwen, if we zoom all the way out, her legacy will come down to two narratives moving forward:

either a) gwen's going to give up her empowerment for her boyfriend... (see: earth-8, where the spiderverse movies seem to be headed, at least for now)

or b) gwen's going to give up her boyfriend for her empowerment. (see: msm spider-gwen, gwen-617, or what if? dark's spider-gwen.)

there's only going to be room for one of them to succeed. and it needs to be option b. because that's the only good outcome.

it stays true to the essence of gwen's character and arc

it isn't fucking offensive and doesn't betray the central basis of spider-gwen as a character

(since that straight guy she's shipped with will probably be miles or peter, him letting go of her and supporting her avoids turning him into an absolute bastard for keeping her closeted forever for his own benefit, and if he comes out of this looking good, his fans will accept it)

it gives gwen a more dramatic overall evolution, which will be more rewarding for the character and cathartic for the viewer

if people see this evolution, they'll better understand why being The Girlfriend is so bad for her, and why leaving that role behind is necessary and better.

meaning that when she leaves, most people will be happy for her and won't want to drag her back to that state.

(the minority who still do will still get to see gwen shipped with a straight guy for a little while, so they'll have a bone to chew on that'll shut them up in the meantime.)

big picture: spider-gwen arrived at the right time to fill a longstanding need in the fandom, and had the right look and narrative to give her longevity. she's already gained the versatility to adapt and spread to new continuities and built a fanbase that will follow her there, so she'll always have a decent level of popularity, even when the multiverse trend ends or she has no access to her origin world.

in the long run, people will probably know spider-gwen as a character in stories where she has to share the spotlight with miles and peter. since her narrative is particular to earth-65, it cannot be reliably adapted. therefore, future writers need to find the pieces of it that can be preserved and bring them into those new continuities, to ensure that her narrative backbone remains intact.

the starting point must be her empowerment narrative, which is the core of her character. the most viable master narrative for spider-gwen that can be adapted into any continuity to ensure that her story's meaning will be secure is one where gwen stacy begins the story as a straight boy's supportive love interest... before discovering her queerness and her own powers, leaving that straight boyfriend to embrace them, and becoming a hero in her own right.