#used a reference for that one. kudos if you recognize it

[taylorswiftstyle]

Chiefs vs Saints | Kansas City, MO | October 7, 2024

Vivienne Westwood ‘Sunday Checked Draped Corset’ - $1,875.00 Vivienne Westwood ‘Meghan Checked Mini Skirt’ - $1,010.00 Vivienne Westwood ‘Belle Heart Frame Jacquard Bag’ - $590.00 Vivienne Westwood ‘Grace Bas Relief Embellished Earrings’ - $177.00 Cartier ‘Agrafe Herringbone Twisted Necklace’ - $27,250.00 Jacquie Aiche ‘Evil Eye Bracelet’ - $5,250.00 Jacquie Aiche '7 Diamond Kate Smooth Bar Bracelet’ - $5,950.00 Wove Made x Michelle Wie West 'Custom Diamond Tennis Bracelet’ - $5,680.00 (starting) Effy Jewelry ’14K Yellow Gold Band With Ruby Heart’ - price not listed Effy Jewelry ‘Baguette Ruby and Diamond V Ring’ - price not listed Shahla Karimi ‘Cloud Offset Pear Ring’ - $3,490.00 Vivienne Westwood ‘Grace Boots’ - $1,270.00

Taylor’s game day fashion expands on her signature style with some “Chief” M.O.’s to soften her presence (as much as one can when you are Taylor Swift, main character of the universe). To achieve this, Taylor established go-to style strategies: Vintage (a +1 to sustainable options), women/locally-owned (to lift up small designers w/ her spotlight), + sentimental accessories (to reinforce her game day presence - to support killa!). 

For this VW plaid ensemble (a brand I associate w TTPD) I tried to understand her possible intention. I assess Chiefs outfits as a “genre” of fashion separate from the music as these outings aren’t about her art. So! 

Since 2009, the NFL has partnered with the American Cancer Society through their “Crucial Catch” program to promote prevention and early detection of cancer. To support the initiative, Crucial Catch merch was designed “in the spirit of the various cancer ribbon colours” to feature a “multi-colored striping pattern” aka … plaid! In weeks 4-6 of the season, each team was assigned their own “Crucial Catch” game to promote the program and have it “come to life visually on the field” (Source: NFL Operations). The Chiefs’ “Catch” day was this day! Players were encouraged to wear gear or clothing that expanded on the plaid design. Fashion is a powerful communication tool and if Taylor, as part of the “Chiefs Kingdom” family, was joining in by donning plaid from a recently favoured designer then kudos for the 2 birds 1 stone!

As for the ‘fit, a matching set is iconic to Taylor’s style vernacular. She popularized it for 1989! I am personally partial to a slimmed-down shoe and given that Taylor changed into a shorter platform post-game, I suspect these boots were not the most comfy. Hair up was also, imo, the right call to let the bustier shape of her top shine. 

If you’ve been following along with Taylor’s fashion, you’ll likely recognize a few of these jewelry pieces as repeats (the bracelets and necklace) or as iconic symbols of a fashion house Taylor has worn a lot recently (the Vivienne Westwood ‘Orb’ earrings).

As a fashion refresher, the symbol seen on Taylor’s earrings and bag is the Vivienne Westwood ‘orb’ logo. After much squinting, I think it’s this embellished pair though will of course update if proven otherwise! The logo is iconic to VW house codes. It was designed to be a take on the Sovereign orb of the British Royal Family and a cheeky reference to Vivienne’s self-described title of “queen” of fashion. But I can certainly see the similarities made to UFOs (especially given the repeat use of the MTV VMA boots seen here that Taylor first wore a UFO abduction tapestry dress by Monse) and wanting to be “down bad” for an Egg.

Taylor opted for some new, glittering accessories at today’s Chiefs game - peel and stick glitter freckle patches.

From polling TSSers themselves, I gathered that these freckle stickers were a bit polarizing. While they are not for me personally, I can admit that I can lean into the pomp and the fun and the adrenaline rush that a woo girl must feel when in her natural habitat screaming about something exciting. And how else to accessorize that excitement but sparkles on your face? Context matters!

Now if she were to try and style these with a polished / elegant street style ‘fit, I’d be a bit more brow raised.

Photo by David Eulitt via Getty Images

[berlynn-wohl]

okay so I was watching a video about videos and decided to write about writing (specifically, fanfic)

Typically I don't share my thoughts on fandom as a subculture and how it's changed because I don't have the stomach for the kind of things that can happen when one posts their opinions on social media. But I'm gonna give it a go today because I watched this:

You don't have to watch it, I'll tell you the thing that got me: it was about how on YouTube, people are likely to be fans of specific channels, and if you subscribe to one, you could probably, if asked, discuss what you like about that channel/creator with others. But the way TikTok's feed works (turning you into a passive consumer of an endless stream of short videos), it's more difficult to differentiate who the creators are, even when you subscribe to them. You're more likely to just say, "I'm a fan of TikTok" (...or "I'm addicted to TikTok"). This is evidenced by the fact that at a recent VidCon, TikTokers who had millions of views and hundreds of thousands of subscribers faced empty lines at the meet-and-greets, because their content was just part of a blur of content their subscribers passively put their eyeballs on every day.

And I had a thought: Has AO3 done this for fanfic? Of course AO3's content cannot be passively consumed; you have to enter search terms and use filters to find what you're looking for. But once you have entered such a search, you could well be faced with thousands of results, which you begin consuming by opening tab after tab after tab. If you were not in fandom before 2012, I cannot stress how ludicrous this amount of fanfiction is. Before AO3, unless you were in a MASSIVE fandom (like HP or LOTR), you eagerly awaited the arrival of new fics because there just weren't that many -- and even if you were in a massive fandom, if you shipped one of the less popular pairings (or preferred Gen), you still could not necessarily count on even one new fic a day that was to your tastes.

And in those days when fics were fewer and farther between, and when fandoms were more siloed, you got to know fanfic authors. You recognized their styles. When someone posted a new fic, you were excited because you knew what you could expect based on what you already enjoyed about that author's talents and inclinations. In a small fandom I was in long ago, where only about ten people wrote fic, we once sat around and brainstormed which popular music act's vibe corresponded with which each author's style! (I was The Clash.)

Compare that to now, where many readers in fandom have the opportunity to just click-read-click-read-click-read, not just as a reward at the end of a long day, but on the bus or anywhere. I don't think it's a coincidence that fics get fewer comments than they used to, and there's far less discussion of individual authors. There's no incentive to linger on something even if you enjoyed it, when the next fic is waiting in another tab.

Now perhaps it's better that the structure of fanfic culture has changed such that we have less potential for BNF drama. But it also means that whenever I see newcomers to a fandom asking for recs, most of the responses are "Have you read [the fic with the most kudos and comments on AO3]?" It's not just that this response is a bit superfluous, as the newcomer has probably already sorted the AO3 results by kudos/comments -- to me it also indicates that folks get so much fanfic from The Fanfic Website and so little community from The De Facto Fandom Platforms that it becomes difficult to remember individual fics, what you enjoyed about them, or how an individual author's style might make them a better match for a certain reader. (Yes, I am aware that AO3 has histories/bookmarks for people to refer back to, but when one accumulates 1000 bookmarks and then someone asks for a rec, most likely the bookmark holder is only going to remember, off the top of their head, That One Crazy Outlier Fic That The Entire Fandom Lost Their Shit About Seven Years Ago.)

I dunno, this is all I got in the way of thoughts. I'm not saying I want to go back to the way things were 10 or 20 years ago, but I sure do wish I could a-la-carte it a little, you know?

[dreamsontheirway]

Cardigan | S.R.

Summary: the cold AC in the building causes the reader to have a... bodily response, and Spencer is protective. Warnings: nipples? Word Count: 0.7k

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It was a hot, summer day for Virginia, whose climate often didn’t exceed the high 70s. Today it fell around an unusual 85, and the BAU was clearly not used to it. The AC was turned up to max cool in the office and although it felt nice, you had the occasional shiver spike down your spine.

You had chosen a short sleeve maroon colored top today, and it was on the tighter side. You always felt warmer with additional fabric, so you thought the figure-hugging top would cool you off as opposed to something loose-fitting. It certainly had done its job, but your lack of a jacket or cardigan had resulted in the amplification of a certain feature on your chest.

You had noticed, obviously, and shifted uncomfortably each time you saw them. That’s something women unfortunately are forced to think about. Additionally, not that you had to wear a bra, but you were wearing one, it just happened to be quite thin. Once again, your choice was determined by the temperature outside. You couldn't have guessed that the BAU would choose to have the AC on its fullest blast.

Luckily for you, you worked with professionals. Even if they noticed your compromised situation, it wasn't like anyone was going to say anything. Or even care all too much, for that matter. You decided to let it go, and continue your work. They were just nipples; everyone had them.

Spencer Reid felt differently about the situation. He had first noticed the fact that you were shifting uncomfortably in your seat. Then he noticed the occasional shivers on your bare arms. After that is when he caught sight of the small peaks protruding from your chest as a direct result of the chill air.

Spencer had blushed, despite having seen that area of your body with less clothing on than now. He felt uncomfortable thinking about the intimate moments he shared with you whilst at the workplace. Further, he found himself feeling protective of you, as well as those precious moments. The thought of someone else merely considering these private parts of you left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

At first, Spencer observed the situation, not wanting to make a scene and embarrass you more than he could assume you already were. He would have lent you something to cover up with, but he too dressed minimally for the weather.

Spencer continued his work, occasionally sneaking a glance at you just to make sure you were still okay. As Spencer looked up once again, he noticed an intern walk through the bullpen. The intern was young; he must have been in his very early twenties. Spencer didn't recognize him and he assumed he must be from a different department.

Spencer blatantly observed the young male practically gawk and drool at your chest as he approached you. He stopped and began chatting with you about something Spencer could not see. The young genius could feel his face heat up with irritation and annoyance.

Spencer was steadily growing irate and he seriously considered giving you the shirt off his own back. Then he remembered -- he had a cardigan in his bottom desk drawer. He had put it in his drawer of miscellaneous items back in the winter. Just in case, he had recalled thinking. He mentally gave his past self kudos for remembering to leave it there.

He quickly unlocked the bottom drawer and snatched the tan, knitted cardigan from its depths and beelined to you.

"Hi darling," Spencer cooed, and draped the cardigan over your shoulders. He took it a step further and pulled either side of the article of clothing across your torso, covering your chest.

You were taken aback. Spencer was typically too shy to use pet names to refer to you, unless it was just the two of you. His assertiveness in covering the exposed part of you filled your body with a familiar warmth.

Spencer stared at the intern, his jaw clenched. The young man got the message and politely said goodbye to you.

You turned around in your rolling chair, evidently unwrapping yourself from Spencer's grasp.

"What," you began, blushing. "What was that?"

Spencer opened and closed his mouth. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he was bashful.

"I could tell you were uncomfortable earlier with your," he paused, "with your situation, and I just didn't like the way he was looking at you."

You smiled at your boyfriend, appreciating his thoughtfulness. He was right; you had been uncomfortable, and you cherished his ability to notice these intricacies. You pulled the warm cardigan across your chest again, like Spencer had done moments ago.

"Thank you."

"Yeah," Spencer murmured meekly, "anytime."

-----

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[mishy-mashy]

Kudo is actually such a kind, soft-hearted guy that had to toughen up because he cared too much

He looked at AFO's rule, and even though he was weak, he had that glint in his eye that has been referred to as the "will of a hero" to oppose him. A hopeful glint shared with Midoriya, Bakugo, and Hawks

He even parallels Hawks when they talk about that particular look in their eye

From a glimmer in the eye, to which eye is shown, how much of the face, a similar angle of the face, and placement of text questioning the existence of that light,

He stormed to kill Yoichi with Bruce, but couldn't, once he saw the state Yoichi was in. Even knowing he was the enemy, he still reached out his hand and never let go, even when they were running

When Yoichi died, even though they'd only been together for two months, Kudo still cried and froze up.

This is a reaction from a man who repeatedly used lives as a stepping stone for his own goal.

Kudo said himself, that victory was life, and defeat was death. He had killed and seen his friends killed over and over, but still cries when it happens again. And to someone he only knew for two months, at that.

Kudo gathered allies under his cause, and they were loyal enough to die for him. Bruce cries (still smiling tho) facing AFO, tried protecting Kudo when he froze up at Yoichi's death, and we see all Kudo's comrades dead in the end. Maybe Bruce was suicidal when he went to face AFO, knowing he'd die, but most of his comrades (and Kudo) were already gone. Their cause was snuffed out, but the will persisted.

Kudo is a bit like Aizawa.

A bit crass and blunt, doesn't like beating around the bush, but he can clearly see what kind of person you are. He's not openly kind, but you know he cares so much, but has also lost too much once. He's seen his friend(s) die, and shouldn't it have been him in that spot? Shouldn't he have died instead, but was forced to continue living for that dead person's sake?

His speech about why we call Abilities "Quirks", recognizing people's intent over raw power is the real power. (Ch 369)

He's blunt and goes straight to the results rather than beat around the bush, but it doesn't mean his heart is frozen and he doesn't care about you. (Ch 408)

He cares so much, and that's why he has to do so much. (His whole Resistance thing, figuring out how Yoichi's Factor works to make sure Yoichi and his will can live on in some way)

He recognizes that Midoriya isn't driven by duty, but that he genuinely adores Quirks too much. (Ch 414) He could look at Midoriya, read that immediately, and even though he looked through his memories, Midoriya's character was his takeaway. Not that Midoriya is an idiot for letting himself be stepped on, or that this kid was bullied, but that Midoriya could see the goodness in others.

Like how Aizawa saw that Midoriya was relying on the reason [It can't be helped] whenever OFA broke his bones and told him he can't always break himself just because he could be fixed (Midoriya's recklessness that showed itself on the first day of school). He called out something that was an underlying, innate belief to Midoriya, that was so normal to the teen, and no one else had brought up as wrong to him.

The first thing they perceive is a person's character.

When Aizawa tied up Midoriya on the first day of school, he wasn't telling him off over his Quirk destroying him being a PR thing or too gruesome for the public. It was out of the fact that his Quirk shouldn't destroy him, because it's dangerous for Midoriya.

Aizawa came off antagonistic, but he was looking out for Midoriya. He didn't want him to keep breaking his whole arm, he didn't want him to get stuck in the mindset that he had to get hurt to use his Quirk, he was looking out for his wellbeing from the start. A kid he didn't know personally until that day.

Kudo did a similar thing. He turned his back, and refused to help, because they were putting their hopes in a delusional boy who would go too far. When the vestiges realized their gathered Abilities and Quirks were letting Midoriya have the freedom to do as he wished, Kudo already knew, only saying "His path is the right one". He could relate to having to run full-sprint to see your goal realized, even if everything opposed him, but didn't want Midoriya to go through that same path alone.

If he were alone, he'd be like Nagant. He had to have comrades to be like Kudo, able to continue and stand for their beliefs, but having comrades to fall back on, or pull him back when it's too much. That's why he follows up in that moment with, "But, if there's something Midoriya does need..."

Kudo and Aizawa could see themselves or their comrades in others, and knew how to approach those character flaws that were normalized to others and said person.

Kudo could see others for who they were, and I think it's this, and his caring nature, that he gathered so many allies with him. He knew when to be blunt, when to show kindness, that the truth hurts but needs to be seen, was actually very logical and witty, and when to step aside and let people do their thing, even if it wasn't the best move (like saving All Might). Because that was what was best for that person.

It's not like people would join someone so wholeheartedly without conviction and being left unseen by that person. So many people were willing to die with and for Kudo, and Bruce believes in him so much.

When All Might's vestige was fading and becoming more solid, Kudo had to look away. They knew it meant All Might was dying in the real world.

Kudo was telling Midoriya not to intervene with Gearshift there. But once he saw All Might genuinely dying out, he couldn't look at him, and kept quiet. He stopped hanging onto battlefield logic of necessity, shut up, let Midoriya do his thing, and it saved All Might. It saved Midoriya from seeing his idol die in front of him, and Kudo didn't have to see another ally die beside him.

The chapter is literally called [We Love You All Might!!]. Even if it's just meant to focus in Bakugo and Midoriya, and only has 2 exclamation marks, it can't discount the world is watching. The vestiges care about All Might too.

When the vestiges come up with the plan to forcibly transfer themselves to deal damage, Kudo volunteers himself as the test dummy. Sure, he backs it with a lot of reason too, but he didn't want anyone else to go first as a test drive

He, with a Gearshift Ability that resembled a manual car, was the test drive. Ha ha pun- *gets shot*

En tried going first. Kudo rejected him, saying he would go first.

"Part ways with Gearshift [me], and you'll be free of the crippling recoil too."

Too. TOO.

KUDO JUST WANTED TO GO AND BE DESTROYED FIRST. HE PUT THE FREEDOM OF RECOIL DOWN AS AN EXTRA BONUS SO THEY'D AGREE WITH HIS CHOICE.

I'd cut the image so it looks better, and I can use Bruce's words elsewhere, but this is an image limit, so,

- Kudo refused to let anyone else go first. This was before giving reasons to convince them he should leave first

- En gives reason to why it can't be Kudo. Kudo just says, "Listen." and reminds them of now.

- Look at Kudo's face when he says that. The guy knows what he's doing when he cuts off En, and would probably be a horrible liar. He might as well be pulling this out of his ass.

He's said "The world will end" "You have to or else" "Five minutes" "You're going to die" a few times in this fight already. DUDE STOPPP

(Terrible liar and a guy who purposely eggs you to torment? What a great friend he would be [yknow, when u make ur friends freak out by being ominous or reminding them of stuff. Like Toast to Lilypichu in a game of Observation Duty])

- "Too."

- Bruce's trust in him, but knowing when to pull Kudo back from going too far

Also, when he's transferred, he smiles to Midoriya. He knows he's about to die again, but the last thing he does for Midoriya is

1) Take away the recoil of his existence as a Factor on the boy

2) Reassure him that it's okay, so it doesn't weigh on his conscience

Even if only in thought, STILL!

KUDO LOOKED SO PROUD OF MIDORIYA!

I bet Kudo is suuuch a sentimental fool

> [Be me and watch your new friend die]

> [I have Yoichi's Factor]

> [It's like I carry his will now]

> [Have a glint of opposition in my eye that drives the Demon Lord and my comrades (Bruce) crazy]

> [Hey Bruce, let's figure out how it transfers]

> [Bruce's common sense VS my rabid ideas]

> [I win]

> [Bruce was unwilling the whole time and still ends up with the Factor]

> [The Factor is named One For All, after something in Yoichi's favorite comic book series]

> [We pass it on to the future to carry forward]

> [Even as everyone else and me dies, I make sure Yoichi and his will are safe from his Demon Lord brother that locked him up]

> [Decades later, my sweet vaulted friend reminds me of when we met]

> [I turn around and give my whole-hearted support to believe in some 15-year old boy because Yoichi believes in him too]

SEN - TIM - ENT - AL!

When Shinomori was stolen by AFO, Shinomori pushed everyone away before they could really notice the invader. Kudo called out for him.

Everyone is in shock, but I don't think it's a mistake that the text bubble calling out for Shinomori is pointing from Kudo.

All For One made it through and is ready to steal them, but the first thing Kudo did was call out for the one at the very front.

[On the post I made that mentions Shinomori pushing everyone away] What if Kudo wasn't pushed away? What if this was him at the front, realizing the danger and turning around, but being unable to do anything for Shinomori when he saw?

Like Bruce, Kudo communicates. He doesn't expect you to just follow or understand him. He actually lays it out and makes sure you keep up.

He explains

- the transfer of vestiges, and why he should go first

- his Quirk

- why Quirks are Quirks

- reports to Midoriya what's happening and what's next

- to Yoichi why they couldn't trust in a delusional boy. In a way that wasn't Bruce's roundabout "we lived in a terrible era and a leader gathered us"

When En panics, he barks at En to keep up. By barking at him, rather than any other way he could've used his tone, it shuts up En in his frantic babbling. Kudo also lets Vestige Might put in his thoughts to understand better, and uses it.

Eye reflection. Kudo can really see people for who they are, and understands others, and himself.

I can't repeat the pics cuz image limit, but look at previous panels here. For example, Kudo saying Yoichi's will lives in him, and when AFO reflected in his eyes

It's something I learned from Re:Zero. When a person in reflected in one's eye, something something that person can see the true core of you, of what you really are underneath everything. The eyes are the window and mirror [glass] of the soul. I finally see the true you.

AFO never reflected anyone.

But Kudo reflected AFO when the man accidentally killed Yoichi. He saw that AFO wasn't seeing anything, so later, Kudo smiled and mocked AFO at his own death.

"Yoichi?"

"He's gone."

"You killed him, Demon Lord."

And AFO hated that reminder.

Kudo was reminding him of what the truth was. Kudo saw it himself, and AFO blocked it out from the get-go. Kudo already knew what AFO was, what he was seeing, what he was doing to himself by blaming Kudo instead of himself.

And then, Kudo's eyes reflected his own hand when he realized Yoichi's Factor was in him.

Kudo clearly saw himself, and in himself, Yoichi. Nothing distorted it. It really was a clear mirror.

He really perceived Yoichi's will was living on, and was right. Otherwise, his eyes wouldn't have shown it.

Kudo was right about AFO. It's even implied back when he and Bruce had their backs turned; Kudo knew what AFO's real goal was. That was back when AFO preached unity and division under him.

Kudo could always see right through AFO. He really understood people from the start. And he never tried making up truths to justify what he was seeing, facing it head-on.

Kudo's lying about the world being black and white.

Kudo and Bruce saw the world as black and white. This was mentioned in the void.

Kudo also says, "Victory meant life. Defeat meant death."

But it's the Resistance. It's when Japan and the world was at their lowest. The world wasn't black and white; there's lots of gray.

Kudo and Bruce would've seen this. Kudo even admits that there's gray, just not directly.

Kudo says Yoichi knows, how he killed and trampled so many lives, to get back at AFO. He knows it wasn't right, or an amazing choice. Later, he says that when your back is against the wall, you have to make callous judgements. These hint at gray moments.

Kudo and Bruce have faced and been in the gray. But it's too hard to make the right choices, and there are times there is no right answer.

Historically, soldiers would convince themselves the enemy were monsters. They wouldn't be able to fight and kill them otherwise. They wouldn't be able to live with themselves without believing in this so badly.

Kudo and Bruce had to have been the same way. They were Meta Humans [Monsters] in a time they were viewed as diseased humans. The monsters were real. And they had a Demon Lord. Kudo and Bruce literally dressed up as soldiers.

Even if they were monsters to society, being Meta, Kudo and Bruce were still human. They knew this. The ones who tried believing in only black and white were inhabitants of the gray itself.

But they have to protect themselves. Kudo is so adamant that the world is only black and white, because he can't stand the gray. What it makes him do, what it means, that he's too weak to do anything.

Yoichi is an example of that gray area. The mortal enemy's younger brother, was actually locked up and sickly. He's just a comic book nerd. And it humanized the other side Kudo opposed so vehemently.

Kudo says victory is life and defeat is death. And Yoichi asked why he reached out to him then. He reminded Kudo of that gray area, and Kudo opened up.

Kudo might avoid the gray area because it's a matter of the heart and a moral dilemma, but it's what makes him human. When there's no right answer in the battlefield, he decides on his feelings instead.

He wishes the world was black and white, because it'd be so easy. But it's not.

Yoichi reminded him of how entering that gray area led to OFA ("when you reached out your hand to me"), and it had been the best choice in the end. The gray area is real, and Kudo's left a bare man with only his emotions when he's there.

Kudo is actually really kind and understanding. He's too soft for his own good. Thanks if you made it this far, I hope it makes sense (tag and image limit)

[irontragedyreview]

I was waiting for the official translation of this chapter because I wanted to know what meaning they were going to give to this phrase and since I don't know Japanese the most accurate thing I will get is the official translation.

At first I was going to take just Shoto's panel but in the end I decided to also take the previous one because the phrase "there's sure to be a period of chaos the books don't talk about", this phrase plus the way Shoto talks about the lack of a symbol and how a person like Afo born or emerges from them, it’s something that left me thinking and a little uneasy, because while I understand what Shoto says, it makes me wonder how much these kids know about their history.

What I'm trying to get is that the concept of Horikoshi's pre-Quirk society isn’t original, in fact it can be found literally in the X-Men comics, I would even say that you don't even have to go to the comics, The X-Men movies of the early 2000s showed us the pre-quirk society of bnha, the first scene of that movie is Jean Gray speaking in front of Congress against the anti-mutant registry, throughout this debate the question that makes Jean's words lose power is "Are mutants dangerous?", the question itself is unfair because Jean answers is that everything has the potential to be dangerous, even a teenager driving a car, the reply is that those cases can be regulated but mutants are an unknown and therefore a danger as they can’t be controlled. The original trilogy has this presentation to a society fearful of mutants, the end of the trilogy is the invention of a cure against the X gene, which is discovered through the experimentation of a mutant child (Chisaki arc). This is later taken up in the films that focus on being prequels, in X-Men days of future past where we meet Dr. Trask whose introduction is him explaining how the evolutionary chain of the human being was, how those more evolved ended exterminated their less evolved ancestors, the mutants here are the next evolutionary step and all those born without the X gene are the least evolved, who in Trask's words will only follow the same path as their ancestors before.

Now, whoever reads this will say "why is this story important and what does it have to do with Shoto's words?" Well, it's that Shoto's words, plus the panel that refers to those events that are outside the books, they make me wonder how the UA students know history, because they live in a society where the supremacy of the quirk is what is imposed, they didn’t live in first stages and we know little or nothing about how this stage is told to the generations that followed. Afo, Yoichi, Kudo and Bruce were born in the first glimpses of quirk society, however there is something that is interesting and that is that Kudo doesn’t represent a front against discrimination to people with quirks, they were a revolutionary army againts Afo, Yoichi himself never thinks about the discrimination and mistreatment of quirk people in the society in which he grew up, which is incredibly strange considering that he witnessed his brother killing a group that planned to kill them for recognizing that Afo belonged to that new generation of people. The pre-Quirk society carried out practices of discrimination and perhaps even death of people they considered dangerous, the majority of quirkless people in the old society were terrified of the quirks and their response was to attack the unknown. Ofc, we can only talk about Japan since we don't know what happened throughout the world, from what we can see the glowing baby was not considered dangerous in China, or perhaps there were certain quirks that were less inconvenient than others but in Japan we can see that there were groups against people with quirks.

Now, returning to Shoto's words, the big problem of the society in which Afo was born is not the lack of symbols, the chaos of pre-Quirk society was based on fear and discrimination of an unknown other. The times after the first stages are unknown to all readers, we only know what Horikoshi said, we also know that the society where Toshinori grew up and decided to become a symbol of peace was also very different. All Might is presented to us in the manga as the first symbol not only of peace but also as the first symbol of society, although Banjo is one of the first group of heroes who aren’t what we know as vigilantes (please correct me if I'm wrong). ), it isn’t until All Might and his long career that the society of heroes as we know it now is consolidated. All Might is the symbol and only pillar where this society stands and that explains how weak a symbol that shapes society can be, because once AM can no longer act as such, that is when society breaks down. In the movie Catching Fire there is a very interesting conversation between Snow and Katniss, where Snow tells her that Katniss' behavior cannot be ignored, because if people thought they could face the Capitol without fear, eventually the system would collapse and Katniss responds "what a fragile system if it collapses because of a few berries"

With all this I’m trying to say that having a symbol or not does not end up being a factor of true stability, AM or rather Toshinori renounced every aspect of his personal life to become the symbol of peace and bear the weight of society, but his figure was the only thing that kept society in order, the symbol of peace was fragile and only hid a broken and corrupt society, this isn’t AM's fault, the problem is that when Shoto talks about the lack of a symbol doesn’t finish internalizing that society with a symbol didn’t work either, because the symbol was only represented in a man and when he could no longer take his place, Endevor could have been the number one hero but he isn’t a symbol at the level of AM, no hero could fill that place.

So, is it the lack of symbol that allows chaos to be generated? Or is the function of a symbol to create stability? What happens when the symbol is more revolutionary and generates chaos or confrontation? This is where I may sound controversial but Afo could have been a symbol for the people he "helped", in a twisted way he was a symbol of refuge for people who were rejected and found with him a place to belong or even a solution to be found, someone that could take away the quirk that made them different in that society, Tomura is a symbol for those who didn’tt fit into society, we saw that when in the previous chapters he said that he wanted to be the hero of the villains, when we saw panels of people who said "Yes, Shigaraki destroys everything", Spinner is a symbol for the discrimination of heteromorphs even though Horikoshi neglected the issue.

So, in bnha there are symbols, the problem is that the heroes lost the symbol that gave stability to the society that they know, the society was sustained by covering its problems and creating its villains through the rejection and indifference of those who didn’t fit. The society of pre-quirks didn’t become chaos due to the lack of symbols but due to the systematic mistreatment of a minority where fear led to violence, Afo knew how to take advantage of those expelled at the time. It’s for all this that I wonder how much the UA students know about history and the formation of society, of course there could have been sides represented, for example like Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, who could be symbols in that pre-quirk society but these wouldn’t have avoided chaos, since it’s formed by the discrimination of others considered different. The society of heroes in bnha doesn’tt need a symbol embodied in a person, it isn’t the lack of a symbol that generates chaos but the system, symbols can often be functional to the perpetuation of the same, instead of corrections to their shortcomings.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 36 part two

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)  (whole thing on AO3)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Breakfast Al Fresco

After a nightmare about falling into the burial mounds, Wei Wuxian wakes up all misty.

I guess this is supposed to be sweat, but sweat is usually not distributed in a fine spray over the surface of a person’s face like this, at least not the kind that happens while you sleep. My fellow menopausal people can attest to this.

For the first and probably last time in their lives, Wei Wuxian is up for breakfast before Lan Wangji. 

This means that we, not Lan Wangji, get to watch him eat. 

What? I’m a simple woman with simple interests.

(more behind the cut!)

I Sit And Watch the Children Play

While he eats his breakfast, Wei Wuxian watches a group of kids playing “Sunshot Campaign,” complete with shooting toy arrows at a kite that represents the sun. A reference, presumably, to that kite that Wang Lingjiao used as an excuse to attack Lotus Pier.

Doing things I used to do They think are new

Wei Wuxian smiles with genuine pleasure, watching these small fry play-acting the central trauma of his and his peers’ lives; only the mention of Jin Zixuan’s death brings his mood down. 

He appears to carry his damage very lightly, but we know that this bright morning began with a nightmare. Perhaps every morning begins that way, but he is an expert at clearing his mind and embracing The “Now” of Wolf Thought the  present moment. 

Seeing kiddie Hanguang-Jun and Jiang Cheng cheers him right back up again. Kudos to whoever was in charge of casting kids in this show. I particularly love baby Nie Mingjue’s big boss energy. 

BBNMJ: Don’t make me shank you

The kiddos do a good job of embodying the conflicts of the cultivation world, roleplaying a bunch of guys trying to be in charge while smack-talking the other guys who want to be in charge. 

Wei Wuxian politely asks the kids where’s Yiling Laozu? which sets up a gag in which their...nanny? shows up and hollers at them and they call her Yiling Laozu and run away. It’s funny and it does illustrate Wei Wuxian’s ongoing bad reputation. 

It misses an opportunity, though, to show us a cute baby Yiling Laozu like the one we see in the Donghua. 

There’s Got To Be A Morning After

Lan Wangji finally emerges from the inn, and proceeds to have more facial expressions in 60 seconds than he usually has in an hour.

Wei Wuxian has a good time teasing him about his drunkenness, while managing not to actually tell him any of the things that happened, other than their discussion about rabbits. 

Note that this conversation is even more entertaining if you mentally substitute the word “ass” for the word “rabbit.” 

Trust Me

Wei Wuxian mercifully changes the subject, asking Lan Wangji if he recognized the Ghost-Masked guy’s sword style. Lan Wangji doesn’t remember anything from last night except the sword fight, which is very on brand for him. He loves: sword fighting, rules, and Wei Wuxian, not in that order.

Wei Wuxian, because he has a perception bonus of +10, noticed that the dude put a spell on his sword to disguise it, meaning that he and his sword must both be well-known cultivators. He also noticed that the dude knew Lan Clan sword moves. Wei Wuxian very gently asks if the guy is someone that Lan Wangji knows. 

Lan Wangji thinks for a moment and says No. Wei Wuxian accepts his answer so readily that Lan Wangji is taken aback, and thinks that WWX doesn’t believe him. 

He asks if Wei Wuxian trusts/believes/believes in him, using the same word,信, that we looked at in Episode 33, and that will come up again in a couple more places. 

Wei Wuxian reassures him, although his reasoning--that Hanguang-Jun has never spoken a lie--is not 100% correct. Unless we think he really was night hunting in Yiling all those years ago. 

At this point the Qiankun bag of Plot Convenience tells them to mosey along to scenic Yi City.

An Inauspicious Place

When they approach their destination, we get to see the more mellow side of their camaraderie; their interaction has a lot of the flavor of their first road trip together, but with more maturity and mutual respect. As in the old days, Wei Wuxian handles the social interactions, talking to a dude by the road to get directions, while Lan Wangji hangs back. 

In discussing the name of the place, Lan Wangji listens with interest while Wei Wuxian explains the layered meaning of the name, and we’re reminded that Wei Wuxian was a formidable scholar before his life went to shit. 

Wei Wuxian 2.0 has some catching up to do, both in cultivation and in reading, to be a match for his 30-something boyfriend once again, but his fundamentals are strong as hell.

When they reach the gate of the city they take a moment to share some unnecessary eye contact. They probably think they’re about to have a fun low-angst adventure. 

They start walking through the almost-deserted town, which has random paper funeral swag rolling around. The whole town was apparently focused on funerals and making funerary offerings, which seems like an unreliable basis for an economy. 

Everything is covered in a haze that makes things difficult for sword dudes and gifmakers.  They’re led a little ways into town by a mysterious running person, who is A-Qing running at breakneck speed, presumably to hide from Xue Yang while she also tries to make contact with the newcomers. 

A little more running, and Wei Wuxian find a whole crowd of juniors, including all of our favorites. Bright boy Sizhui immediately figures out that if “Mo Xuanyu” is here, Lan Wanji must be here too. Jingyi immediately fangirls about Hanguang-Jun, recognizing Bichen’s sword light through the haze. 

Jin Ling has never had a cool teacher in his high school, so he doesn’t get what the fuss is about.

Wei Wuxian encourages the kids to dump a heap of exposition about why they are here. They are here because the plot wants them to be here. 

Then they start squabbling, because they are a bunch of teenage boys, and Lan Wangji, who is not anywhere in sight, silences them with the Lan silencing spell. Despite the fact that they’re all lost in a fog in a strange, inauspicious place. Fuck safety, amirite?

Naturally the next thing that happens is a bunch of zombies come up behind Wei Wuxian and the kids try to warn him, but without speech they’re reduced to impassioned pointing. Don’t bother drawing your swords, you useless twits. 

Wei Wuxian temporarily stops the zombies with a finger snap, but then they start up again. Lan Wangji shows up and guqins them into oblivion, accidentally poisoning a random selection of juniors in the process. 

The adults figure out that there’s a Yin Tiger Seal in operation, but it’s not Wei Wuxian’s. Wei Wuxian takes this opportunity to brag about his superior corpses.

Lan Wangji: I know, dude; I distinctly recall one of those fuckers slicing my Wei-Ying-catching arm open

Then the ghost-mask dude shows up to fight, making the most of the low visibility and his uncanny ability to not actually be in the scene for most of the fighting. 

Camera Operator: sword fighting while I hold this camera sure is difficult

Lan Wangji elegantly goes after Ghost Mask guy, heading over the rooftops to have a smoke a prolonged offscreen fight while Wei Wuxian handles things in town for the next...hour or two? However long it takes to make congee, anyway.

Wei Wuxian leads the kids to find a house with a functioning kitchen so he can cook up a remedy for the poisoning. 

He tells the juniors that getting poisoned is good because it’s an experience they can talk about when they’re older. By that measure, Wei Wuxian has had the best life of anybody ever. 

They find a creepy house with a creepy lady who has corpse lines on her neck, which is as good as things get here in Yi City, so Wei Wuxian talks his way in.

 He’s very polite but he shows the juniors that he’s got the door blocked with his foot so that he can push his way in if necessary. 

Sizhui lights a candle and all of the kids freak out when they see the full-size paper servants hanging from the rafters, even though paper servants would be a pretty normal thing to see in their lives, and they are all, like, professional ghost and monster hunters. 

Wei Wuxian, looking fine as hell, steps into the creepy lady’s room to ask her permission to use her kitchen. He notices that she’s working in the dark and sees the lines on her neck, but he’s not prejudiced against corpses so he doesn’t comment. He uses his beautiful hands to thread her needle for her before going to cook fire congee for the juniors. 

Soundtrack: As Tears Go By, by Marianne Faithfull or by The Rolling Stones, take your pick; There’s Got To Be a Morning After by that girl in The Poseidon Adventure. 

Further Reading: The “Now” of Wolf Thought is a reference to Elfquest, which is an awesome comic book series that launched back when I was a teen. You can read all of them for free at Elfquest.com without registering or anything. 

Bonus: Beautiful Hanguang-Jun

[tessenpai]

Kono Oto Tomare! Chapter 120 Scans and Rough TL

Disclaimer: Please DO NOT use this translation to make your own TL of the chapter!! The KOT TL group works very hard to give you the most accurate translation, that does as much justice to the original script as possible. This is a ROUGH translation. That means is faulty and there must be mistakes in certain places. This is just for impatient people like myself to get a grasp on what is going on in the chapter! You can REFERENCE my TL if you want to discuss the chapter but never USE it as it was your own.

Scans: https://mangaraw.org/kono-oto-tomare/120

Page 1

Akari: Hold on, hold on, Senpai---

Akari: What just happened---!!

Sentaro: Huh? About what?

Akari: Don't act like you don't know! That guy from Tokise!

Akari: "Do your best"

Sfx: *Nods*

Akari: That!! Wooooaaah I got mad goosebumps-

Sfx: *Gonk*

Side text: They recognize one another...

Page 2

Akari: Ooooouch

Sentarou: Focus on the performance instead of those things

Akari: I was praising you

Haru: He is embarrassed

Akari: Eeeh---?

Haru: You know, we are a very uneven pair, and we played the koto of all things. A lot of people would make fun of, and look down on us

Haru: I think receiving pure and genuine support like that just made Sen-chan really happy.

Akari: ---- So

Haru: Hey

Page 3

Haru: The fact that you joined us as a new member, and came all the way here with us.

Haru: I think that also made Sen-chan incredibly happy

Haru: Although he won't say it.

Haru: Let's do our best in the performance

Akari: Yea...!

Sen-chan: You two, why are you always chattering and gossiping around---

Page 4

Side text: A showdown over Takezou...?

Chapter title: #120 Brother

Page 5

Sane: UOOOOOOOH

Mittsu: Lunch Break!

Kota: Time-----!!!

Sane: Man, is still morning, but that was really intense. I was concentrating the whole time, so now I'm hungry

Mittsu: I get you. I got hungry in the middle of it, so I had to put a lot of effort

Taishin: What are you guys eating for lunch?

Suzuka: Aah, right. Today, just around the corner there was a-

Page 6

3-baka: Convenience store!!! We are going to buy items exclusive to Hokkaido!!

Suzuka: ...That

Taishin: How nice---!

Mio: Fufu Seems fun

Chika: ...Wanna come with us?

Page 7

Mio: We are besties now

Chika: No we are not

Mio: Muahaha

Sane: He is clingy

Taishin: I'm sorry, is it ok if we join you...?

Suzuka: Please do

Takezou: That's right, there was a place that looked like a convenience store just over there

Hiro: There was! Looked like one we hadn't seen ever before

Hiro: Now that we are here, why don't we go take a look

Kota: Let's--!

Takeru: Brother!

Page 8

Takezou: Takeru!?

Hiro: Waaah--- Takeru-kun! Long time no see--

Takeru: Hello

Takezou: Eh, why... Ah, because of Meiryou!?

Takeru: There's a guy from my class who was going to perform, so I came to see

Takezou: Is that so!?

Takezou: ...How was it? Your first time hearing the koto

Page 9

Takeru: ...Well, it was better

Takeru: ...Than I thought

Takezou: Mom and Dad?

Takeru: Sightseeing

Takezou: I see

Chika (Sfx): Fidget Fidget

Chika: Hey hey, is this your little brother, glasses?

Takezou: Kudo-kun

Takeru [thougts]: "Kudo"...

Takezou: Yeah, my little brother, Takeru, is your same age

Chika: For real!

Sane: Uoooh, that feels refreshing!

Page 10

Chika: Nice to meet ya, I'm-

Takeru: You are an underclassman and yet call my brother Glasses?

Takeru: You are really looking down on him...

Takezou: No, that's...

Chika: I'm not looking down on him!!

Takeru: No, that's looking down on him, no matter how you look at it

Chika: I'm telling you, I'm not

Takeru: Aren't you calling someone older than you and the club president, "Glasses" and talking to him so casually?

Chika: I mean... you are right but

Takeru: You don't take him seriously

Chika: There's no way I don't!!!

Chika: I really look up to him!!!

Page 11

Sane: Oop

Mittsu: Oop

Kota: Oh my

Chika: ..................

Chika: So... I mean...

Takeru: Hmmmmm.Then,

Takeru: You are simply an incredibly rude person

Takeru: By nature

Chika [Sfx]: Shock

Sane: Fufu

Mittsu: Gkkk hey don't laugh

Kota: He hit the nail on the head

Hiro: Takeru-kun, that's enough...

Takezou: I really don't mind, so

Takeru: It should matter to you

Page 12

Suzuka: Hey, you lot. We have to get going or the lunch break will end.

Sane: Ah, sorry

Takezou: You can join us if you want, Takeru

Takeru: There's no way I'm going

Takezou: ...I thought so

Takezou: Sorry, everyone, go ahead without me. I'm going to go see my brother off.

??: Got it

Takeru: Eh, that's not necessary

Takezou: It's fine

Sane: Wahaha Cheer up---

Takeru: ...

Takeru: That's him, right? The Kudo that appeared in that video

Takezou: Eh? Ah---...

Page 13

Takeru: Are you ok, Brother?

Takeru: Isn't it because of him, you have gone through a bunch of trouble?

Takezou: No, on the contrary.

Takezou: If it wasn't for Kudo-kun, I wouldn't be standing in this place right now

Page 14

Takezou: He is a very precious

Takezou: And cute kohai

Takeru: ...That so

Takezou: ...Takeru, you are also my very precious and cute little brother

Takeru: ...Yuck

Takezou: Thank you for worrying about me

Takeru: I wasn't...

Page 15

Chika[sfx]: Depressed

Sane: Chika--- Don't be so depressed

Satowa: Takezou-senpai understands you

Hiro: That's right

Natsu: Then again, calling him glasses is something else, if you think about it

Mittsu: Cheer up, Chika! Come on, look at this!! Hokkaido exclusive Caplico!!

Atsumu: Strawberry

Kota: There're drinks we have never seen before, too---!!

Page 16

Suzuka: You lot, don't just look at things. Pick up what you are gonna have for lunch, already.

Mittsu: Ye---s

Chika[thoughts]: ---...Before

Chika[thoughts]: There was a time when I had a chance to change the way I call him

Tetsuki[Memories]: I see you're still addressing your senpai as "Glasses"

Takezou[Memories]: Ah, but you called me "Senpai" that one time

Chika[thoughts] I wish I changed it back then

Takeru[memories]: You are really looking down on him

Takezou: Sorry for the delay!

Sane: Takezou-senpai!

Hiro: Don't worry you are still on time

Page 17

Takezou: ...

Takezou: Kudo-kun, have you decided on what are you going to buy?

Chika: No, not yet...

Chika: --------...

Chika: By...

Chika: The... way...

Takezou: Kudo-kun, you said that you "Really look up to me"

Page 18

Chika: Kuh!!!!

Takezou: Ah, this looks tasty

Chika: -----

Takezou: Before Meiryou's performance, you were talking about something with Takinami-sensei, remember?

Chika: Eh?

Takezou: It's similar to what he said about "What's important is whether there is reverence"

Takezou: This is the same as that. You don't have to worry about it.

Page 19

Takezou: I can feel there is love when you call me "Glasses"

Chika: ---------...

Chika: Take...

San-baka + Atsumu [Sfx]: Staring

Chika: Geh You guys...

Mittsu: Please, do go on

Chika: Don't stare at people behind their backs!!

??: Come on, it's fine---

Hiro: Ahaha This is the same guy who confessed to Hozuki-chan so proudly

Satowa: Wai-

Keishi: I guess even the convenience store becomes a place for Youth when you're with this lot.

Suzuka: ...

Akira: You can't buy alcohol, Takinami-sensei

Page 21

Keishi: They really make you wanna take a drink

Akira: Brother!

Taishin: They are so lively

Mio: Fufu, the Tokise guys are so interesting

Taishin: Interesting?

Mio: Yes, it's amazing

Page 22

Mio: They are just like their performance

Akari: This is bad, Senpai...

Sentaro: Huh? What is?

Akari: I'm so nervous that my hands are sweaty- they are so sweaty that my nails are falling off. That's so bad

Sentaro: This is bad, that is bad, shut up! Just secure them with tape

Akari: I have put on a ton of it already!!! Lost count of how many times

Akari: Even though they are wrapped with tape, look here

Akari: The sweat is making it slip out. This is bad, what do I do?

Akari: If my nails slip off mid-performance I will...

Haru: Why don't you try putting some egg white?

Akari: !?What's that about

Sentaro: It's a good substitute for glue. Hey, do you have some?

Haru: As a matter of fact...

Page 23

Haru: How is it?

Akari: Woah, amazing!! It really is like glue. With this, I can---

Akari[Sfx]: Pop

Akari: I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, my sweaty hands-

Sentaro: Calm the hell down, you damn idiot!!!

Sentaro: Just for your information

Sentarou: You aren't playing alone here!

Page 24

Sentaro: Playing the same 17-string koto part with you, there is Haru!!

Sentaro: And just beside you both, I am always there playing alongside you!

Sentaro: Even if your nails fall off or fly away, as long as we are here is not a big deal at all!

Sentaro: We will cover up for any mistakes you make!!

Page 25

Sentaro: Are you still afraid of anything!!!!?

Akari: Nothing at all!!!

Sentaro: Good, give me the hands

Akari: What!? Hands!?

Sentaro: Both hands!!

Akari: Wait, wha-

Akari: Whaaa--

Page 26

Written in the palm of Akari's hands: I got this I got this I got this!!!

Mittsu(?): Aaaah everything was delicious---!!

Sane(?): Hokkaido is amazing. A whole lot of tasty

Kota(?): Thank you for the food!!

Takezou: We are just in time. Should we head back?

Sane: Eidai plays in the afternoon, right?

Sane: The 19th performance

Atsumu: Eidai... Was that who Kudo-Senpai showed support to before?

Sane: That's right--

Sane: When they met for the first time, they just got into a fight out of nowhere. You both have grown so much---

Kota: Ahaha That's true

Chika: Shaddap

Page 27

Hiro: Speaking of, Eidai also seems to have one new member

Takezou: I saw him, that tall kid

Sane: As expected, the presence of the Kohais is outstanding

Akari[thoughts]: Kobayakawa Akari. Eidai High School Koto Club First Year

Page 28

Akari[thoughts]: Height 182cm. Grades below average. Average Strength

Akari[thoughts]: No special skills or hobbies. Don't really do anything in which I take advantage of my height.

Akari[thoughts]: The reason someone like me joined the koto club is--

Akari[thoughts]: A lame

Akari[thughts]: Punishment game

Side text: The reason why Akari picked up Koto is...!?

[gatoraid]

3, 6, 17, 19!

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Sobbb it’s so hard to choose..... I’m pretty proud of making all the historical/literary references work in A Man of Letters, and writing-wise I’m really happy with how What you felt was real turned out. 

And I have to say I’m also proud for finally finishing Speak My Language (Sing/Eiji from Banana Fish), I originally started writing it four years ago and it’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a long time, but I struggled a lot with how to bring my vision to life along the way.

6. Favorite title you used

”What you felt was real, even if I wasn’t” is a quote from Ma from the final scenes in HWDTW, and I shamelessly took it as the title of my first Baoxiang/Third Prince fic because I thought it was a good thematic match + I wanted to highlight the similarities and parallels in the relationships between Baoxiang & Third Prince and Baoxiang & Ma. I guess I also thought that it works nicely even if the reader does not recognize the quote, but if you do, it adds an extra layer?

17. Your favorite character to write this year? 

I answered this in another reply, but I think you already knew who it would be :'D

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Again, there's too many, but I feel like I’ve properly entered my Ouyang/Baoxiang era now, so I’m def going to be working on some new stories with them!

Thanks for the questions!

Link to the fanfic ask game

[imaginarydragonling]

💞 🕯️ 🧿

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

I'm not sure how to call it, but the "history of the characters" or the "character backstory" I guess? It's sort of the reasons and motivations for a character to do certain things or to behave and be a certain way.

It's not something I actively prioritize to do. I just find myself constantly questioning why a character is Like That or trying to answer what a character would do or say next. I think it's just that I like things to Make Sense 😅 and if things Don't Make Sense, I can't move on or put it down on paper. This has the happy effect of many wonderful hours of worldbuilding and imagining backstories in my head, and hopefully a good portrayal of In Character characterization, but it does mean that I find it extremely difficult to write Porn-Without-Plot and crack type fics 😅

🕯️-> 🔥was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn't think it would take you?

A few, but I am going to point to Watch Me Catch the Sky for this ask /)_(\ This is an unfinished (if we're going to be honest here) YOI Fantasy AU fic with dragons and magic and prophecies. I wrote it for a Big Bang (my first big bang in any fandom) and while I am proud that I finished it to where it was, this is maybe the fic I've agonized over and rewritten the most.

To be fair, I think a lot of my feelings about this fic are coloured by my experience with the event community, which was...not great. The YOI fandom was a whole other level of drama tbf, but just how much reality fell short of my expectations was quite the learning experience and really made me think about my writing process and what what works for me personally.

Also, in reference to my answer about my writing style in your previous ask, I was constantly worried that my prose was not flowery enough for high fantasy so that didn't help in terms of stress 🙃

🧿what steps do you take to not take things personally if a fic doesn't do well, or if your writing/posting/sharing experience isn't going how you'd like it to?

Hmm. I respond quite differently to the writing experience not going how I'd like it vs the posting/sharing experience not going how I'd like it.

For the latter, in the best way possible, I'm pretty used to being ignored so not getting enough attention isn't too big of an issue for me?😅 But, some things I've done to mitigate the disappointment of a fic not being received as well as I would like after posting are:

So having fewer hits/kudos/comments on a fic on Ao3 isn't too much of an issue for me anymore (tumblr has trained me well, you're the only one who really interacts with me on this hellsite lol) BSome things I've done to mitigate the disappointment of a fic not doing as well as I hoped after posting are:

Write for the sake of writing, not for the reception. I do gain enjoyment from simply writing like I appreciate the mental break from work/real life; I like the sense of accomplishment I have when I manage to create something and bring it into existence; I like the effort it takes to order my thoughts in order to put them down into words (it makes me feel sane and makes things Make Sense eheheh).

I get feedback while writing and cheerreaders to spur me on! This means that the itch/need to be Validated TM is already partially/mostly scratched, so when I do post, the need is lessened.

Ultimately, I recognize and acknowledge that how other people receive my work is something out of my control. So I try not to overanalyze the stats on my posted fics (I do enough of that for a living and also having zero interaction on a post is nothing new. Tumblr has trained me well lol).

However, when the writing experience doesn't go how I like it, I tend to:

Cry

Scream

Beg my fic to write itself

Complain to friends

Do something mindless like wash the dishes so that I can think through whatever is blocking me from writing

Change up my writing process like write on paper

Just copy over a WIP into a new doc (it just gets me typing and editing and is surprisingly effective in kickstarting a writing session)

Accept that my draft is going to be shit but who cares it's a draft

Make a blood offering to the writing gods

Disclaimer: Some of the things I listed above are jokes and I don't actually do but you can decide for yourself which ones :)

Let’s Get ((REAL)) fic writer asks

[zorilleerrant]

Hmm. I'm going to sort mine.

title is a literal description of the story (”5 times x did y”, “first kiss”, etc)

perfect formatting, title is evocative of the story’s main themes

song lyrics

3 feet long all lowercase (overlaps w/ song lyrics)

one word. only one.

title seemingly has nothing to do w/ the content of the story until it gets dropped during a high-tension dramatic scene 70k words in, making you feel like the world meant for you to be born in time to read it

really bad pun

“Song title (and the rest of the song title)”

A singular word that you don’t recognize, then the definition is the summary

Movie reference Non-musical media reference

Clever double-layer meaning

Help I’ve never titled anything in my life I don’t know what this is I just want it to be out of my hands and posted neither you nor I will ever be pleased with this

I currently have 115 fics on Ao3. Using the above criteria, I’ve determined by own naming predilections.

1: Fifteen. Named for what it says on the tin, because I couldn't think of anything else to do with it, or because naming it the obvious thing is just what makes sense.

(The Hogwarts Gender Union; A Cure For Ohan; Pineapple Pizza; Third Sister; Captain Marvel's Day at the Beach; Are You. You Know. Adopted?; 5 times Marcus hated superheroes and 1 time he didn't; A dog might have got blipped! NOT CLICKBAIT; Harry Potter in: The Batfam Goes To Therapy; Another Loki; Truth or Dare; Heir of Slytherin; Seventh Son; The Yule Ball; Conversations Between a Father and Son)

2: Twenty-two. This makes sense because this is what I think of as a 'normal' title and tend to aim for.

(Growth Like A Nurtured Vine; Providing for the Future; In Every Reading Room; Keep The Hearthfires Burning; The Platitude Against The Wall; A Place To Rest Your Head; To Honor A Debt; What We Learn In Chinese School; In The Mythic Tradition; Half Gay/Half Straight; Even A Broken Clock; On Loan from the Wayne Family Collection; This Changes Nothing; Just a Perfectly Normal Rabbit; Five Degrees West; Narcissus at the River's Edge; Educational Overnight; Everybody Makes Mistakes; Forever Home; Small Town Mentality; Best Hadron Collider; Father of the Year)

3: Seven. Way more than I thought, honestly. I use lyrics when I'm struggling to title because it's in the genre tradition.

(but my dreams they aren't as empty; They Call Me Her; I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon; it's a love story baby just say yes; Good Girls Stay Alive; You're gonna go far, kid; Love Will Tear Us Apart)

4: Zero. The longer a title gets the more antsy it makes me, so I tend to avoid long titles.

5: Seventeen. I used to use these a lot to get easy titles, but then I realized I had no idea what fic that was when it got a kudos, so now I only use a single word if it's unique enough that I can remember why I'd name something that.

(Faildeadly; Anabasis; Y-incision; Proprioception; Change!; Anathema; Terrible; Protest; Marathon; Frieda; Worry; Answers; Parabatai; Courage; Besties; Ferret; Babyproofing)

6: Zero. I've only got the one super long fic and it's got the more obvious song naming instead.

7: Ten. Bad puns... or really good puns? Hmm?

(Faire's Fare; Just Monkey Business; When Pigs Fly; Robin's Egg Blue; Ace Shot; The Magic Word; Gift of the Magpie; Attraction; Captain America's Gay Fling; Swearing a Red, White, and Blue Streak)

8: Zero. I just don't like the format.

9: Zero. It always feels condescending to me to assume people don't know a word, so I try not to define them.

10: Twenty-five. Referential titles are an easy go-to for me. I did notice several of them either took a quote directly from canon or used a titling/title card convention from canon, so I wonder if that should be a separate category, or two different ones. I'm also uncertain whether mythology/folklore references should be considered 'media references', or maybe grouped in with titles taken from aphorisms and sayings. Do enough people quote Shakespeare to give him his own category?

(One Face, One Voice, One Habit, and Two Persons; Tendi and T'Lyn at Their Table; Red Bean Buns of Destiny; Does Talia Have A Sister?; Who Gets To Decide Her Own Damn Fate; The Excellent Adventures of Keanu Rhesus; My Concealed Lady; Stabby the SecUnit; Rapidly Expanding Air; The Monkey or The Egg; Words, words, words; And the Mischief of Monkey; In the Museums of the Night; Auntie Yelena Saves Christmas; Dick Grayson, College Student; Meanwhile, At Gotham Grace; Animorty Cricksing: New Pants; Better Together; Don't Call Me Nymphadora; Brightest Witch of Her Age; Just Tonks; Not Always in the Same Way; No Flamz Prepz; A Fish Without A Bicycle; The Boy)

11: Eight. I'll be honest I assumed I'd have more of these because I do love multi-layered meanings. I try hard to achieve them but I'd say they're the most difficult sort of title.

(A Great Deal; Just a Moment of Peace; The Family You Build; Where There's Life There's Hope; Love Like A Sister's; Coffee or Tea?; Brain Freeze; Something that Starts with a P)

12: Eleven. Yeah. Sometimes I struggle with a title for so long I just give up and name it whatever pops into my head....

(Billy Batson in the Wrong Dimension; Incentive Structure; The Burden of the Sword; One Last Kryptonian; An Island Paradise; The Superhero Code; What Makes A Hero; Happy Year of the Tiger; The Smallest Details; Plot Armor; A Better Mousetrap)

types of fic titles

title is a literal description of the story (”5 times x did y”, “first kiss”, etc)

perfect formatting, title is evocative of the story’s main themes

song lyrics

3 feet long all lowercase (overlaps w/ song lyrics)

one word. only one.

title seemingly has nothing to do w/ the content of the story until it gets dropped during a high-tension dramatic scene 70k words in, making you feel like the world meant for you to be born in time to read it

[colourmoon-tech]

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[ipurplearting]

Sketchbook dump?

[crymeariveronceagain]

OKAY SO I FACT CHECKED IT.

This seems entirely based on speculation.

No one has actually stated that this mines AO3.

From what I can tell, the reason they believe it is is because it knows fandom concepts really well.

But, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on fandom things, from how Wattpad has omegaverse fics and countless works, to Tumblr posts, YouTube videos, articles written in blogs, ffn, anything. This does not necessarily mean that they are mining your work.

All it means is that it is a distinct possibility.

I cannot find ANY actual reference to this on any news source or commentary blog, and I'd like everyone to bear in mind that this is a REDDIT THREAD. This is the ONLY mention of this that I was able to find through Google. I did not see any news sites, I did not see AO3 mentioned anywhere, etc etc. This article is the ONLY one of it's kind, and it is a REDDIT thread based entirely on speculation.

As far as being a viable source of good information, Reddit is right down there with Tumblr and TikTok. We've all got people who epically enjoy lying like it's truth. That is NOT to say that they don't have merit in their speculation, of course they do.

This is just to highlight the obvious, which is that this is not a confirmed source, only someone on the internet who is claiming to tell you the truth. And if you've spent time on Tumblr recently, all I should have to say is "1973" to make you realize that not everything on the internet is true.

So! Concerned people!

Here is my advice!

If you are deeply deeply concerned about this, and don't care about your works being visible to guests on AO3(guests often make up 50-70% of the kudos I get) feel free to change that setting.

However, if this isn't deeply concerning to you(it's not deeply concerning to me since this is high-key just what happens all the time on the internet? People steal your shit and you either yell at them or put up with it? You can report it or you can just grumble?) And you like guests being able to see your work and leave comments and kudos, I'd recommend waiting for more confirmation that this is true before taking action.

That's, at least, what I'm going to do.

Anyways, kids. This is just a reminder to not believe everything you read on the internet and take it all with a grain of salt. Do what you've gotta do, but remember that this is based on speculation and assumptions.

If it turns out to be completely true, I'm not going to be sorry for telling you this. Because, look.

Critical thinking skills are REQUIRED in all online interactions. When you post something. When you reblog something. When you edit something. To make good use of something you have to think about what you're doing.

Same thing with what you read on the internet.

You always need to be evaluating and assessing what you read against other sources and your own knowledge. You need to find the plot holes and recognize the flaws.

I won't be sorry for telling you to think critically! Internet's a messed up place! Always be thinking before you do stuff!

I love it when anons/guests find my works and kudo/leave reviews, but given the new revelation that Elon Musk is using bots to mine AO3 fanfiction for a writing AI without writer's permission, my works are now archive-locked and only available for people with an AO3 account.

[themochimadeoftaro]

hey uhm your musician au is giving me lots of warm fuzzies your art style is so soft and cozy :) (also kudos to you for drawing guitars on multiple occasions lol) (also also if i had two nickels for everytime one of my favourite ships got a musician au i would have two nickels-)

anyways. do you think narry would end up singing for/along to stanley playing music sometimes? and if yes then only in private or maybe even on stage?

They are so cheesy and lovey dovey I have no doubt they'd do duets Maybe not on stage, Stanley's a bit too shy for stuff like that... But he ADORES playing for/with Narrator

At first Narrator would recognize certain songs that Stanley plays during warm ups or practices, and he'll slowly gain confidence to sing along... He tries his best at first, trying to impress Stanley, but the moment he relaxes are the ones Stanley's more enamoured about

That's one of the moments Stanley starts to realize he sees Narrator more than just a friend :)

An extra!

Also, thank you so much! I still use heavy references for my drawings that include an instrument, but I'm slowly getting better at it I think :)

[freefromthecocoon]

Don’t guess you have any positive feelings to share? Things aren’t looking good for Caryl after this, going to D*nnie.

Au contraire mon frère. See below the line for my thoughts on 11x21.

Let me start with my one frustration with the episode. Definitely tired of the ship-baiting that is going on. I would advise you to avoid the twdspoiler tag on Twitter. It's a hellscape and only for the sturdiest of souls. To me this is a big disservice to both Carol and Connie and each of their arcs and not only to them but to Daryl as well.

Here are my positive feelings and I believe that @my-mt-heart has a good bead on this as well, so forgive me if I cross reference some of what she has already posted.

Okay, let's dissect each of these scenes. First we see that Daryl and Carol have caught up to the train and see that the storm-troopers (that armor is ridiculous isn't it, lol) have Connie and have classified her as "Designated 2." I have a theory about what this designation might mean that I will address at the end of this post. Even with hearing this and knowing that it is likely a bad ending for Connie if they don't help her, Daryl deems that the priority is finding the kids. It is Carol who comes up with the plan. (I really think she is still in her head about this a little bit, I think she knows how she feels about Daryl, but alas sees him having a happier outcome with Connie (yes it's an old trope, but it's what we've been dealt). Carol is an unreliable narrator in her own head so to speak.

Our outstanding warrior duo, speed ahead of the train and disable the junction (one of the troopers references this later as they try to clear it) and this is where we get our Caryl moment. Remember in the cave when Daryl told Carol that he would stop if she asked him to....well she asks and he listens. Carol brings up what Kelly said after the explosion. As upset as both of them were in the moments after the explosion, they both remembered what she said about being smart and staying alive so they could "save 'em" Carol gets a little out of her comfort zone and holds Daryl's hand and he holds her hand back. I thought it was a nice little callback to Consumed honestly when they both thought they were gonna die in the van and Daryl grabbed her hand. They are each other's peace and they are each other's person. Full Stop.

Next we see Maggie and Carol talk after she and Daryl find her at the crossing. I really love this little scene. Maggie talking about not knowing is the worst and Carol speaks volumes with her silence there. Yes Maggie....Carol knows how bad it is to know and she knows what it is to lose kids, she has lost 5, (throwing Sam in there too, because she carries guilt about that as well). I hate that it took them so long to allow Carol to have female companionship, but this was such a welcome scene. When Carol mentions that she and Daryl didn't get to spend much time together because of work, I felt a little pang, not gonna lie. This tells me that Carol may be trying to allow herself to find a little happiness like she discussed with Lydia. When Gabe and Rosita show up it is a welcome bit of hope, because you get the sense of the band getting back together to kick ass one more time. And kudos to Rosita for once again knowing that Daryl and Carol are a matched pair. She knows that Daryl wasn't visiting the bakery just because he loved the donuts, he was visiting the bakery because the baker there is a beautiful sexy lady!

We now see Daryl questioning the injured trooper about the train's destination and the designation 2 meaning. He calmly wants to know where his friend is being taken, but he once again becomes irate knowing his kids have been isolated from him as well as the other children. Can I just say that I love Gabe's arc? He recognized the guy from his church services and uses that to try to make inroads. I like Gangster Gabriel, but I like this resourceful Gabriel as well. The gang has formed a plan to stay off the radar, rescue Connie and find out where the train is going. Team family works well together to take out each of the troopers and the train engineer...we will get to him shortly. Daryl and Carol together get to the caboose to try to save Connie like the powerful warrior duo that they are. This is where we get to the scene with Connie, the trooper and Daryl. Connie saves herself with a well-timed elbow to this dude's solar plexus (seriously, what the hell protection does this armor provide?) The trooper backhands Connie and sends her flying. OF COURSE, Daryl is going to check on his friend to make sure she is okay and then immediately leaves so he can chase the bad guy to keep Team Family with the element of surprise. I enjoyed seeing Carol comfort Connie and checking in with her to make sure she is okay.

Carol, Maggie, Rosita and Gabe use the deceased trooper who Daryl and Gabe talked with as leverage for the train engineer to get more info. But this does not go well. he does tell them about a map.

So we come to scene in question. I think it is a red herring and I have my suspicions that Daryl will either ask Connie for advice in the tunnels or Connie will tell Daryl to use his words with Carol before it's too late. Look I mentioned I hated the ship baiting and I do. But it's the path we are on unfortunately, but I feel nothing has changed on Caryl's canon trajectory. I really do believe the time Daryl spent around Connie while Carol was on the boat was spent talking to Connie about Carol. It's just a hunch, but it's a hunch that fits narratively. We will find out soon enough if I am wrong or right.

I love that all of team family were there to reassure Connie about going on to rescue Kelly. Rosita used her skills to contact a very familiar voice for info on Outpost 22. (For those of you don't know, the friendly voice on the radio was our very own YNB. So happy she got this opporunity to be part of the show). What a powerful moment at the end when all of Team Family, our covert bunch and the family members on the bus all realize that Pamela has done f**ked up by sending back to their home to hold them prisoner.

A couple of random thoughts...

...the child walker that Maggie had to kill was of course a proxy for Hershel, but also I was reminded of Consumed and when Daryl killed the mother and child walkers for Carol.

....Rosita separated her shoulder and this was a callback to Carol having to know how to reset her shoulder because of Ed. Okay not really a callback, but it did put me in mind of that.

I am hopeful that the story can come to a satisfying conclusion for everyone, but especially for Carol and Daryl. I do remain hopeful that Caryl's story is not over with the end of TWD, but how that happens remains to be seen. I wish I had some reward to give you for reading this novel I just wrote, but hopefully we will all get a sweet reward of Caryl canon in these next 3 episodes. Keep the faith and Caryl on Y'all

[juleswritesthis]

My Thoughts: 9-1-1 5x16 May Day

HOLY SMOKES. Incredible, emotional, and beautiful episode of 9-1-1 on FOX. Writer, director,& editor deserve so much kudos. I am so astonished they packed so much story, character development and action into 43 minutes of television.

May Day. I’m so proud of May. She is her mother’s daughter. She’s strong & courageous and proved she bid someone great today! I love how she stood up for herself with Claudette then was the first to admit that she did want credit. I love her quick thinking & immense bravery, how she galvanized Claudette to get her moving. I love that she called Bobby ‘My Dad’ and meant it. Bravo May!

Papa Bear Bobby? Bobby is the greatest Papa Bear! I love his conversation with Athena and the way he said ‘mess with my kid you mess with me’. I think she fell in love with him again. Loved the Nash/Grant scenes but was hoping for a family hug. Bobby hears May is trapped and he instantly changes to Man on a mission! I loved his determination to save May at all costs. And I’m so glad he did get to save his daughter this time.  

Firefighter Eddie Diaz. Yeah, baby my guy is back! No joke when he got into his gear without hesitation & ran into that building, I clapped. The way he immediately responded, his instincts, quick thinking and calm under pressure saved so many lives. Linda is right being a firefighter is Eddie’s calling. Icing on the cake was his big smile when Linda said God has spoken. Its about time we see him smile that big again.

Han Brothers Unite. These two were just a pleasure to watch today. During the first scene I wanted Chimney to listen to what Albert was telling him. I’m glad he recognized that & loved their conversation at the end. Also, full circle moment for Chimney, he saves his little bro where he couldn’t save Kevin. (Here come the tears again). 

Lucy and Taylor Meet & Greet. I don’t even know what to think here and I’m still not sold on this storyline. But Lucy’s face when Taylor walked off made me snort so loud. I couldn’t help it!

Buck & Eddie Roadshow. So happy to see these two working together again. Like Chim/Hen, Buck & Eddie are incredible parters. They work together by instinct, watching them is like watching a symphony, perfectly timed, and effortless. Buck’s whole blood clot story, Eddies incredulous face, & Carson’s comment about taking their show on the road had me in stitches!

Yououou Are Not Alone. The way everyone just ran to help Bobby when Lucy radioed the mayday he was down. Buck and Eddie sprinted so fast I barely saw them. Bobby means so much to everyone & even surrogate father some. Though love the song they used; I will always link it to the Eddie Begins flashbacks, so kind of wish they had chosen a different one, something Unique to link only to this beautiful scene.

Josh Instant Love Connection. I’m so happy that it seems Josh finally gets a sweet boyfriend. Josh asking Sue if they do background checks on contractors though. Poor guy is still so traumatized after 2 years! 

Evil Jonah Unmasked. The fandom had Jonah tagged as suspicious even evil weeks ago, but I can’t believe he killed Claudette! He has been stopping these victims’ hearts so he can restart them and get all the credit as a big hero or whatever. What a freaking psycho!  

RIP Claudette. I may not have agreed with her teaching methods, but dang it Claudette deserved to live! After her and May finally find common ground, we find out a back story where she survived a previous fire, and she survives this fire, Jonah kills her? I’m so mad and so very sad for her. Totally did not expect that ending though. What a shock!  

In Hen We Trust. I’m so glad Hen instinctively knows Jonah is suspect as all heck. My lady Karen is right, Hen didn’t trust him from the start. I’m so glad she told Hen to follow her instincts. I can’t wait to see Hen bring that murderer down!!! 

Making with the Funny. (10 points for anyone who knows that reference 😊). This episode is so emotionally charged but also has great moments of levity. Like Eddie’s “today YOU are a guest in this house” and Josh’s response. Lmao. And countless other moments that make this episode so fun to watch in between the action and emotion. 

Mayday. Perfect title is so perfect from the focus on May and this being “her day” to the use of mayday throughout the episode as distress call, to the entire episode being a distress call as in the call center in distress. Really can’t get a better title if they tried. I have to say though, Eddie’s first Mayday? HOT!!! (so many puns so little time 😉). 

Definitely the best episode of the season (which given 5B is amazing!) and maybe in the top episodes of the show. I’m still bewildered we got so much in 1 episode. Yes, Maddie was missing, but everyone else, even side characters and guest stars had story and development. So brilliant. I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for us next week and then finale! BRING IT!