#we can establish friendships/rivalries

[hannieehaee]

HIIII, i just want you to know every content of yours has always been my fav ,i always anticipate every single writing of yours .

I would like to request reader who is in a relationship with s coups , they have been dating for a very long time. in this scenario, he admires the reader being friends with all of Svt, and how she also loves them and treats them like her little brothers, the rest of Svt enthusiastically greeting her. scoups observes from a distance admiring you with the people he cherishes . he can't help but wonder how he became so lucky to have all these people in his life.

content: bf!seungcheol, established relationship, fluff, afab reader, etc.

wc: 749

a/n: thank u so much im so glad u enjoy my content :D!! hope u like what i came up with c:

masterlist

seungcheol knew he was lucky.

after putting his career on the line at a very young age by joining an unknown company and seeing himself forced to endure all types of trials to succeed, he was now showered with accolades on a daily basis.

he had his twelve brothers, a successful career, a healthy family, a daughter (in the form of kkuma), a loving fanbase, riches and wealth. he had everything a man could possibly want. and just when he thought he possessed every luxury known to man, you came along.

you were the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld. he had met you only by a chance, in a fleeting encounter when he caught sight of you during one of his schedules. he had been bewitched from that moment by not only your beauty, but also the demeanor of your person. seungcheol didnt know you then, but he knew he needed to.

one thing led to another and he somehow made you his. this, however, did not come without much effort. seungcheol fought tooth and nail against any and every obstacle that separated him from you, with the end result being your current relationship, which had been going strong for a few years now.

everything was at ease now. now seungcheol truly had everything he could ever want. not only did he have all the aforementioned luxuries, but he also had you to share them with.

you were practically another member of his family by now. his mother had easily adopted you as a daughter, and his family had welcomed you with open arms, practically treating you as his wife – something which always made seungcheol's heart soar and cheeks warm up.

not to mention kkuma, who claimed you as her mom from the moment a smitten seungcheol introduced you to her. nothing made seungcheol's heart fill up more than playing family with the two of you, merely practicing for what would come next in your relationship. providing for the both of you in ways he always hoped to do for the wife and kids he always envisioned was something that filled him with indescribable pride.

and lastly, his brothers, who had now become your own.

seungcheol never tired of seeing you with his friends, always having to fight the embarrassing grin that always invaded his face when he brought you around to play with them.

you had a special friendship with each member; each of which seungcheol was always attentive to (from a distance, as he liked to enjoy the view).

with jeonghan, you had developed a sibling rivalry, always fighting over ownership to seungcheol's heart (and wallet). the two of you would banter often, claiming that there was only space in seungcheol's heart for one of you.

"i was here first!", jeonghan would smirk

"but im the one he takes to bed," you'd counter.

"are you sure about that?", jeonghan would tease.

and the argument would go on and on as seungcheol rolled his eyes and feigned annoyance at your friendly rivalry.

sometimes you'd be occupied by chan, who would try and entice you into dealing with seungcheol's moods in order for the members to slack off and go play rather than practice.

"c'mon! he likes you, just distract him so we can go get some tteokbokki! we'll bring you some," would promise chan, thinking his friend was none the wiser.

"bring me some soju and we have a deal", you'd always join in on the scheme, knowing your boyfriend could use a break after all.

at other times you'd join him and his friends at the gym, always up for a challenge against the gym rats in the group.

"bet i can deadlift more than you," would challenge mingyu.

"well, no shit, you're like seven feet tall!", you'd counter.

"bet i can deadlift your whole weight", joshua would join in.

"no one's deadlifting my girlfriend!", now seungcheol would intervene.

seungcheol had countless instances in which he would watch from afar and enjoy the view. the fruits of his labor accompanied by all the people who made it there with him, with you being a huge contributor.

in moments like these, there was no way for seungcheol to hide the happiness he felt at having his favorite people be each other's favorites in return. seungcheol wasn't sure what he'd done in his past life to end up here, but he'd do it a thousand times over if it meant this was the outcome every single time.

[squichymochi]

Another piece I wrote this week, inspired by a Facebook post where Alastor and Lucifer mistakenly exchange their cups. Unfortunately, I can’t recall who posted it, so if anyone knows, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

Disclaimer: In this oneshot, the reader is pregnant and in an established relationship with Lucifer.

Warning: This story contains swear words, mentions of blood, and other typical elements found in Hazbin Hotel.

Lucifer x (pregnant) Reader

Word Count: 1.348

“Welcome back, Y/N!” Charlie's voice rang out with genuine excitement as you entered the Hazbin Hotel, your husband Lucifer following closely. Her embrace was careful yet warm, mindful of your growing belly. Standing beside her, Alastor, ever the gentleman, gracefully took your hand and pressed a kiss to its back, his voice tinged with light static, “Welcome back, my queen.”

A protective growl from Lucifer, now guiding his hand to the small of your back, broke the moment. “Excuse us, Alastor. Perhaps you can assist with our luggage?” Lucifer's tone was edged with possessiveness, the nickname ‘red hot chili pepper’ tumbling from his lips hinting at Alastors appearance.

You noticed the discomfort in Charlie's eyes and the twitch in Alastor's smile – a sign of his annoyance. Taking Lucifer's hand, you tried to ease the tension, “Sweetheart, there's no need for this. Everything’s fine.”

Just as the atmosphere thickened with unspoken rivalry, Angel Dust breezed through the door, his arrival a welcome distraction. “Is this my favorite bitch I see right there?!” His words, were a relief.

Laughing, you rushed into Angel's embrace, grateful for the break in tension. “Freedom looks good on you, hun,” you said with a smile on your lips. Husk joined, wrapping an arm around Angel and a wing around your group. Angel blushed at the affection. “I owe it all to you guys,” Angel replied, hugging both of you with a big smile on his face.

As you indulged in the warmth of friendship, a slight rumble could be heard coming from your belly. Alastor’s voice suddenly intruded, “Are you hungry, my dear?” He was close, his concern evident while he was patting your head with a big smile. “Sorry, the little one’s always starving,” you chuckled.

Lucifer, ever protective, was quick to draw you away, his eyes sparkling with a mix of love and competitive spirit. “How about pancakes, sweetheart?” he suggested, just as your stomach rumbled again in agreement.

The mention of pancakes brightened your mood, but Alastor's offer of jambalaya caught your attention too, stirring a craving for something more.

With your best puppy dog eyes, you proposed, “Why not both?”

Lucifer’s laughter filled the room, his demeanor softening at your request. “Anything for you, darling.”

he murmured, his voice a tender caress. Gently, he cupped your cheek, his touch a whisper against your skin. Then, bending down, he planted a soft, lingering kiss on your forehead.

Straightening up, he turned towards Alastor, his demeanor shifted, the warmth in his eyes replaced by something darker. “Bring it on, bitch,” he declared, his voice now laced with determination and a slight growl and his middle fingers raised.

The atmosphere in the room shifted palpably as Lucifer rolled up his sleeves. His gaze locked with Alastor’s in a silent standoff, electricity crackling in the air between them. “Mhhh, if you reach the ingredients that is”, Alastor chuckled, while Lucifer bristled. They moved in unison towards the kitchen.

"Uhm, should we intervene?" Charlie inquired, a hint of nervous amusement in her voice as she absentmindedly scratched her head.

"Nope, let's just enjoy the culinary showdown and the feast that follows," you responded with a huge grin, gently caressing your growing belly.

The group migrated to the kitchen, where both Lucifer and Alastor were already in full swing. Alastor manifested a knife, making it dance in the air with a showman's flair before diving into his cooking. On the other side, Lucifer confidently whisked pancake batter, his gaze occasionally drifting to you with a loving grin and gentle eyes.

"This will be quite the spectacle," Angel Dust remarked, casually handing you a cup. Before you could take a sip, Lucifer swiftly exchanged it for another drink. "Hey! It wasn't alcoholic, short king my ass" Angel protested and flipped the king of hell off, playfully showing his annoyance at Lucifer with a gentle smile.

You chuckled, appreciating Lucifer's overprotective nature, and took a sip. Watching Lucifer, a sense of warmth filled you. He was everything you could have hoped for: loving, nurturing, and profoundly understanding. Your journey together, from your unexpected meeting to the miraculous pregnancy, felt like a surreal dream.

When you first arrived in Hell, you were a mere sinner, carrying the weight of your earthly transgressions. Your closest companion, Angel Dust, who had succumbed to an overdose, was the first familiar face you encountered. Your shared past in the living world was full of highs and lows, but he has always been your best friend. When he died it was only natural for you to find and kill his drug dealer. This however sealed your fate in hell as a mere sinner. Despite this, you remained by Angel Dust’s side even in the depths of Hell.

One crucial day however your paths diverged when he tragically sold his soul to Valentino, blinded by the promise of love. It was a painful parting, marked by hurt and misunderstanding. Both of you hurting yourselves with words which teared your souls and hearts apart. 

Years passed until Charlie and Vaggie’s intervention led to your reconciliation. You were the first hotel guest, which wasn’t too surprising as you were more interested in art then what hell could offer you and the girls gave you an art room as well as infinite amounts of supplies. So no, this was no hard decision for you.

Meeting Lucifer was an unexpected turn in your infernal journey. Initially, you were unimpressed by the King of Hell. Yet, it was in the art room of the hotel, your sanctuary of creativity, where Lucifer showed you his true nature, his heart. Conversations about dreams and the wonders of the living world ignited a spark between you. You showed him that Hell, for all its despair, held beauty and marvels. Gradually, he began to see the world, and eventually, you, in a new light. Which reminded you of the day he was talking with one of his own creations. It was a cute little duckling he was cradling when mumbling “depression did not only take it but indeed got fucked by me!” At this sight you knew that this man, was the one and only for you.

The day he proposed, Hell itself seemed to shift on its axis. His love granted you freedoms previously unimagined, including the ability to leave the Pride Ring. More astonishing was the revelation of your pregnancy, a miracle in a realm where such a blessing seemed impossible.

As you thought about your past — from your days as a sinner to your surprising romance with Lucifer — the kitchen's atmosphere shifted. The two engrossed in their cooking battle, began to sing and hence fight for dominance, eliciting a giggle from you and the others.

Soon, both jambalaya and pancakes were served before you, with Lucifer and Alastor eagerly awaiting your judgement. You decided to combine the two, much to their shock, creating a unique taco-like creation. The room erupted in laughter at their stunned expressions.

As you sighed happily chewing on your newly invented dish, Lucifer and Alastor simultaneously reached for their cup, only to spit them out in shock. "What in the heavens?" Alastor exclaimed, his usual grin faltering just a bit as he inspected his drink. "Are these... boba ducks?" he asked, bewildered, his eye twitching, the static completely missing within his voice. Your husband on the other hand had his whole head under the running faucet, spitting out Alastor’s drink. “Why the hell are you drinking blood?!”, he screamed with dread in his voice and wet hair.

Your laughter was uncontrollable, watching them grapple with the unexpected drink mix-up. The earlier tension dissolved, replaced by a warm, communal atmosphere as everyone joined in the meal. With your husband's arm wrapped lovingly around you and his gentle caresses, you leaned against him, overwhelmed with gratitude for this second chance at family and love.

As you looked into Angel’s eyes who was in Husk’s arms you could see it too. The love you had with your husband slowly growing between them and nothing could have made you happier.

[siflshonen]

The Greatest Robot on Earth: Astro Boy and Pluto Part II

Part I is here. This side-by-side continues in part III here, or you can read the whole thing on Ao3.

Side-by-Side Comparisons

“The Greatest Robot on Earth” and Pluto

The best place to start in comparing these series is their summaries. This summary for “The Greatest Robot on Earth” comes from the 2002 Dark Horse release: 

“In the novel-length "The Greatest Robot on Earth," a wealthy sultan creates a giant robot to become the ruler of all other robots on Earth. But in order for that to happen, he must defeat the seven most powerful robots in the world, including Astro Boy, who must have his horsepower raised from 100,000 to 1,000,000 to face the challenge! And his sister, Uran, also flies in to lend a helping hand!”

Well, besides the fact that Uran doesn’t actually fly, I suppose that’s true enough. Gotta love marketing copy.

And here is Viz’s summary for Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, vol. 1: 

“In an ideal world where man and robots coexist, someone or something has destroyed the powerful Swiss robot Mont Blanc. Elsewhere a key figure in a robot rights group is murdered. The two incidents appear to be unrelated...except for one very conspicuous clue - the bodies of both victims have been fashioned into some sort of bizarre collage complete with makeshift horns placed by the victims' heads. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case - and he eventually discovers that he too, as one of the seven great robots of the world, is one of the targets.”

An ideal world, eh? Well, I’m all about subverting surface appearances, so I like it. Anyway, right off the bat, we can tell that these two series aren’t the same genre, aren’t using the same principal characters, and aren’t concerned with the same stakes. They seem to only have one thing in common: the word “robot”.

The following pages for “The Greatest Robot on Earth” are from the Dark Horse Omnibus. In most cases, I have used pages from Viz’s Pluto: UrasawaXTezuka, but there are a few pages from the fan scans. Why? Because I own the physical manga, didn’t want to pay for all the volumes again in a digital version, and realized that the images in the fan scans were cleaner and bigger than most of the ones I could get from cracking the spine of my books and mooshing them on the scanner.

Pluto at Its Most Faithful

Mont Blanc died first in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and in Pluto he fares no differently. Of course, in true dramatic Urasawa fashion, Pluto chooses to begin with the fiery discovery of Mont Blanc’s head tucked within his killer’s calling card to establish the mystery and suspense of this work rather than start with a quaint lumberjacking-scene-turned-robot-fight like the original.

Urasawa and Nagasaki’s choice to include human victims in Pluto also immediately raises the stakes in a way that “The Greatest Robot on Earth” never did or would. It also immediately changes the type of exploration within the world that the series would do, given that the robots of the extended Astro Boy universe are believed to follow Asimov’s Laws.

Greece’s Hercules, spelled Heracles in Pluto’s English translation, is a straightforward warrior-type in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and he sasses the crap out of Epsilon when he shows up to speak with him just as he does in Pluto. He then gets trounced by Pluto after a drawn-out fight. 

In Pluto, Hercules still fits the original warrior archetype, but with the addition of his very own character arc! His rivalry and friendship with Brando is new and refreshing, and his blooming respect for Epsilon pairs nicely with his own discovery of his humanity and personal beliefs as it relates to combat, war, and victory.

They called him the god of victory, after all, not necessarily bloodshed. He may have lost his fight with Pluto, but he went down believing he won and with a newfound appreciation for life and the bravery it requires to not fight. His manager Al Haft(a) is an easter egg character.

In real life, Greece participated in the Gulf War, but disagreed with the 2003 Iraq War and did not participate. Meanwhile, Australia participated with the goal of growing closer to the USA. In Pluto, these stances were swapped in their representative robots.

Personally, I think Epsilon (sometimes called Photar in the Astro Boy anime adaptation dubs) is the most surprising figure in these page comparisons if only because he didn’t actually change that much between works. Instead, it is Wassily who exploded onto the Pluto scene with his very own expanded story and Bora trauma. Yes, the disembodied hands scene is in both.

Pluto’s Epsilon looks just like Monster’s Johan, which is funny—Urasawa seems to use Tezuka’s Star System method across his works. In English, Johan and Epsilon are voiced by the same guy, too.

Speaking of, Bora is native to “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and he is still a bomb. In “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, his creator takes the time to tell the sultan that he created him just to beat Pluto and, by extension, the sultan. In Pluto, Bora’s existence and purpose is to exact vengeance on a broader scale.

Uran’s changes between series are actually really straightforward. In the postscript of the physical Pluto manga’s volume 6, essayist and critic Gorot Yamada laments the fact that Urasawa avoided the “ero-kawaii” of Uran confronting Pluto in nothing but Atom’s briefs and calls it a “minor weakness” since it is representative of Urasawa’s relatively gentler hand in showing “cruelty or eroticism” when compared to Tezuka.

I can’t begin to tell you how funny I think this criticism is, although I do believe that Urasawa does have, overall, gentler sensibilities than Tezuka. But still. I don’t think we’re missing much by keeping Uran in her clothes. She’s still a snot, she’s still a braggart, she’s still good-hearted, and she still makes her big brother look like a square and a stick-in-the-mud. Writing precocious little girls and sweet stories of unlikely bonding moments are a few of Urasawa’s specialties, so I don’t find it surprising that he took the Uran by the hair-horns and maximized her existing character traits.

Spiritually, she feels consistent to me, though her basic actions are decidedly different: Pluto’s Uran doesn’t fight or try to fight Pluto, doesn’t want Atom to fight Pluto at any point, doesn’t ever hate Pluto, and has empathy-based powers (separate from that, she may just be smarter and more emotionally intelligent than the original Uran). 

However, the sequences in the park and the underpasses where she befriends Pluto strongly resemble Uran’s near-naked adventures in the streets of “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and that’s fun.

Abullah is where things get spicy, and that’s mostly because the only real change to his character was the addition of his human backstory and discovery of hatred. In Pluto, he is Tenma and Abullah’s science project who believes he is a human scientist (which he isn’t), but he’s actually also got a split personality! That’s a lot. There’s just so much going on with that. But still, where Pluto’s twist falls on the scale of wild twist bullshittery lessens considerably once you know how this character is portrayed in the original, I feel.

In “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, Abullah is a robot butler disguised as a scientist disguised as another scientist. Not to pooh-pooh the original’s Scooby-Doo antics, but, by comparison, Pluto’s reveal is actually quite nice, logical, and thematically consistent. It also gives Tenma a chance to look cool and not just pathetic.

Professor Ochanomizu is the best character. Don’t argue with me. In Astro Boy, he has a big heart and a big temper to match, and he gets knocked around more than Wile E. Coyote in a Looney Tunes segment. He spends most of “The Greatest Robot on Earth” being kidnapped and hanging out with the sultan, but Pluto spreads the wealth by letting the other roboticists be the damsel in distress throughout the plot.

In Pluto, he’s mostly characterized by doing kindly old man shit (do you recognize that robot dog and how it definitely influenced Ochanomizu’s design for Bobby?), but it is absolutely the kind of stuff the original Hiroshi Ochanomizu would do. He gets treated with more on-screen respect in Pluto than in Astro Boy, but only because he isn’t as cartoony. The animation team made damn sure to have the physics of his stomach work not like those of an innocent-at-heart anime girl’s titties when he’s enthusiastically running to the next big important thing, and that’s exactly the right spirit for a creator to have towards this character. A+ job, M2.

Also, in the manga only, Ochanomizu is the facilitator for the single most entertaining referential gag in all of Urasawa’s works: the police dog car diagram. This was cut in the anime.

In the postscript of Pluto: UrasawaXTezuka volume 5, manga critic and lecturer Tomohiko Murakami observes that “Urasawa’s depictions of Professor Tenma and Professor Ochanomizu almost appear to be [his] perspective on two different aspects of Osamu Tezuka’s character.” I don’t necessarily disagree, especially given the commentary Tezuka gave regarding Atom’s status as a “monster”, but I think that Ochanomizu and Tenma also more generally represent the “dark” and “light” side of progress and science. This is likely what Tezuka intended for them, too, back when he was writing the series.

But Tenma is just a hot mess. For the duration of “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, he was more or less emotionally stable up until the “death” of Atom (and guess what? He totally enabled Atom’s increase in strength to 1,000,000, despite Ochanomizu constantly advising Atom not to do), though his general moodiness and instability is a defining character trait for much of the series. He gets better over time, but make no mistake: he is an eccentric, reclusive, and vain disaster man.

In Pluto, Urasawa lets Tenma’s disaster qualities shine alongside his signature ego, moodiness, cynicism, and destructive tendencies. This man self-sabotages like it’s his job. He also flings his creations around willy-nilly and never thinks about the consequences, and that’s why he has a hand in a significant number of the most harmful and destructive events in the extended Astro Boy universe somehow, including in Pluto.

Tenma’s rejection of Atom at the dinner table in Pluto is way classier than his breakdowns in the original Astro Boy manga, but I liked the gravitas of the scene and the over-the-top vibe of the fancy dinner in the sunset. Tenma’s portrayals throughout different series run the gamut from “frenetic cartoon maniac” to “vanilla un-stellar dad” to “Phantom of the Opera”, and this is a nice lean towards the latter end of the scale.

His constant contest over ownership of Atom/influence over Atom with the Ministry of Science (and specifically one Hiroshi Ochanomizu) extends beyond “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, though, and I think elements of their more direct conflicts are very present throughout Pluto. I love an old man fight, and it seems Urasawa does, too.

But goddamn is it satisfying to see Ochanomizu tell Tenma to shove it where the sun don’t shine.

Apparently, their dynamic is so popular that it inspired a completely new series set in the alternate universe where they not only go to college together, but are best friends. If you want something fluffier than Pluto where the old men aren’t old, go read Atom: The Beginning, I guess.

And, like, sure. This is all great. But sans the extended old man drama, many of these side-by-sides have been pretty faithful to “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and that is NOT what Makoto Tezka asked for.

Pluto as a Remix of Astro Boy

North No. 2, called Monar in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, is generally the same robot as in his original portrayal, but instead of just going to fight Pluto, he stars alongside new character Paul Duncan in a brand new story about pianos and music and being blind and growing past trauma to accept others into the heart. Tezuka’s Kuroo Hazama (Black Jack) was even there in Paul Duncan’s memories. It had everything: crying old people and kids, medical drama, orphan trauma, mama trauma, prostitution implications, castles, the emptiness of fame and fortune, singing, an android dreaming of more than just electric sheep, long monologues, and an emotional goodbye where one character stares longingly (even if he can’t actually see anything) at the other knowing they shall never return.

I’ll just say it: Turkey’s Brando is a total red shirt in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”. Meanwhile, Urasawa gave him a family, a love of Turkish drinking culture, a friendship and rivalry with Hercules, and a penchant to dabble in illogical forces like luck, and a classic tearjerker death. Urasawa gave him the world. 

In the anime, Brando is among my favorites. Y’all can swoon over your twink Epsilon or whatever, but it’s Brando over randos for me!

Chochi Chochi Ababa transformed into Saddam Hussein—er, Pluto’s King Darius XIV. One is a cartoon villain who provides an opportunity to learn a basic moral lesson, and the other is a motherfucking war criminal. I think that's a sufficiently mature new twist on an old concept.

Of all the characters present in Pluto, Atom himself is likely the one that gave Urasawa and Nagasaki the most grief, if only because he is the one and only Astro Boy, hero of justice, and if his portrayal wasn’t popular, they’d probably be sent to manga hell forever.

For me personally, one of the most gratifying details regarding his portrayal is how quickly he will lie while maintaining the lie that robots can’t and don’t lie. This line of thinking, as well as the implication that Atom follows Asimov’s Laws more because he wants to, not because he has to follow his programming, is something that became more and more apparent the longer the original Astro Boy ran even if none of the other characters directly said anything about it. Speaking as a fan, I also think it’s nice that Urasawa makes the most of upholding Atom’s observed personality traits throughout adaptations. That he made Atom a deeply curative flavor of an insect kid is a grounded, but nice touch.

(It may also be worth noting that Osamu Tezuka had a known fascination with insects. The “Mushi” in Mushi Productions means “insect”. I don’t know how intentional that was, but it seems Pluto’s Atom may have been intended as a chip off the ol’ Tezuka block whether he was his “monster” or not.)

But as lovely and detailed as Urasawa’s embellishments on these characters is, this is still not what Makoto Tezka asked of him. So far, these characters are strikingly similar to the existing “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and apparently, if Tezka’s interview in the postscript of Pluto: UrasawaXTezuka volume 2 is to be believed, he told Urasawa multiple times to keep revising until he made it his own! It seems Atom really became Urasawa’s monster, too!

[lord-squiggletits]

IDW Megatron and Optimus weren't friends before the war. Here's why that makes their ship dynamic more interesting.

One comment I've heard among people comparing IDW1 MegOP to other continuities of MegOP is (paraphrased) that since they weren't friends before the war, there isn't as much material to ship them with/they don't have an established dynamic/they don't have ~*history*~ that makes them be the bitter exes we all know and love them to be.

In this meta post, I'm going to contend that the IDW1 MegOP lack of friendship before the war is actually a benefit to their dynamic in this continuity, not a negative. Although they didn't get a lot of time together before the war in terms of quantity, the quality of their interactions and the weight it gave their future rivalry is due to the tragic nature of their relationship: They saw a glimpse of each other at their best in their youth, but like a tragic myth of old, circumstances conspired to keep them apart, traumatize them, and turn them into people who couldn't trust or reconcile with each other.

The IDW MegOP's first meeting is like a fated encounter, almost as if it was destined to happen. The way that one single brush can change the entire course of history.

I like to call this a "love at first sight" moment because, although they're not in love, it has this sort of storybook magical quality to it where this one single moment has a lot of weight. This one moment where they saw each other at their best and could have a positive interaction.

When I say that they met each other "at their best" here, I'm referring to Megatron's pacifistic essays and poetry that represent his pure revolutionary spirit and care for Cybertron, and Orion's trait of showing kindness and encouraging individual freedom despite his position of authority. The way that their first encounter was so brief and unassuming makes us, the readers, yearn for more. Doesn't Megatron's silent glance behind him in that final panel make you wonder what he's thinking? They only had that one brief talk at the rodion police station but it went on to ricohet the rest of their lives. Orion started thinking about the corruption of the system due to Megatron's writing. Megatron looked back at Orion with curiosity/lingering feeling after he was escorted out of the station. Even Megatron being put on Messatine was indirectly due to Orion, since Orion delivered that speech on his behalf.

It's almost like literal chemistry, where two particles bumping into each other once can cause a chain reaction of other particles bumping and bumping and bumping until suddenly those two particles are back together.

It's a sort of magical real life scenario where you meet a stranger just once but something they did or said to you makes you remember it and think about it for a long time afterwards. except in this case the MegOPs are (un?)lucky enough to meet again. And they start a war.

I also really like that Megatron and Orion/Optimus spent most of their pre-war backstory apart from each other, because I feel like it makes them stronger characters individually instead of making all of their most important moments be about each other. This is more of a comment on fandom than canon, but many romantic stories fall into a pitfall of a relationship where the two people obsessed with each other: their romance is the most important relationship they have; the entire plot revolves around whether they're happy or upset with each other, it can even make their relationship seem unhealthy and like they have no meaningful relationships outside of their romance. In terms of MOP in other continuities, I feel that putting too much emphasis on their friendship kind of cheapens the worldbuilding and political conflict. True, it's nice when the personal and political intersect in the MegOP's lives, but sometimes I feel (especially in fanon) that the "they were friends but then they disagreed and now they're not friends" concept sometimes ends up being written as if this one simple friendship conflict was the basis of a whole war.

The benefit of IDW1 MegOP is that because they spend their pre-war time apart from each other, they develop separately as people and end up transforming into someone different from their "love at first sight" moment. I like that Orion had relationships with people like Shockwave, Roller, and Zeta, and Megatron had his student/teacher relationship with Terminus and the whole arena thing happening.

Both Megatron and Orion went through traumatizing events during this time period that changed their worldviews for the worse and made them more cynical. Megatron suffered an attempted brainwashing, losing his mentor, his first killing, then being stuck in the arena. Orion went through the loss of Shockwave to a fate worse than death, then the disappearance of his best friend Roller, then worked for Zeta and began to doubt in his ideals/goodness as a leader. In that time between the MegOP's first encounter and their ensuing encounters in a military conflict, they came back as very different people than the first glimpse they got of each other.

Since they only had that ONE first glimpse they had of each other, then met again only to be disappointed by each other's fall from grace (in each others' eyes), this sets up a lot of angst. They wonder if that first glimpse of each other was really true or if it was a lie. Should they trust in those "good" versions of each other they saw so long ago? Do those people even exist? Are they or were they ever worth believing in? Does that man I saw still exist or did I just WANT to see something good in him? That man ruined my life and I hate him for fighting against me, he's a hypocrite. I thought that man was a good person, but he's betrayed the hopes I had by becoming a violent criminal warlord/working for the evil government I thought he opposed.

It sort of has the vibes of a "love at first sight" story gone wrong where their first encounter was kind (I like to imagine Megatron was touched or at least curious about Orion, a cop, telling him to keep writing and be vocal) but then they descended into their worst selves. They only had that one small glimpse of each other at their best but now they're in a scenario where they can only be enemies.

The longing and disappointment is more obvious on Orion's part about Megatron, because Orion got this shining glimpse of Megatron at his best and most passionate, only to encounter Megatron again and all those good parts have been buried to leave only his worst. Megatron's POV about OP isn't really shown, but I feel like it could be interesting to write headcanons about it. How did Megatron feel about Orion making that speech on his behalf? Getting moved to Messatine because Orion made him so public, and all the bad things that happened there?

Yes, their first encounter was brief and they didn't really have a personal relationship before the war. But that brief encounter changed the trajectory of their entire lives. When you combine that with the fact that they saw each other as their "ideal selves", it creates that valid obsession between Megatron and Optimus. It is kind of unhealthy LMAO, because they do kind of become obsessed with each other based on an incomplete view of the other as a person. But then the war happens and they keep having personal and professional encounters that would give them opportunities to meet (such as in diplomacy meetings like Tyrest's peace negotiations and other political things that come with war). And those repeated meetings would only cause them to get to know each other better. Then you get into more mythical/legend-like story dynamics where Megatron and OP have to learn how the other thinks tactically, and their tactical knowledge becomes so intimate they start understanding how the other thinks and it's very dramatic lol. The typical our-enmity-is-so-deep-it-could-be-love enemies to lovers fare.

TLDR:

Circumstances outside of their control drove them apart, made them into different people, and kept them from becoming friends. It makes IDW MegOP feel legendary or mythical, like some sort of epic Greek tragedy of two people who were always 🤏 this close to being friends. There's longing there, and tragedy, imagining what might have been if they'd only been able to talk again, or if they had somehow been able to influence each other before they went down the bad path (violence and crime for Megatron, following Zeta and becoming Prime for Orion/Optimus). But despite that, their natural chemistry perseveres, and they talk to/about each other in a way that shows they still think of each other even when apart.

[riofy-ramshackle]

☆ Project Q&A ☆

Hosted by @raguiras.

☆ STATUS: open to join ☆

Sharing is appreciated!

Here's all fundamental information you need about the Twisted Wonderland fan project "Ramshackle Isn't on Fire (Yet)" [= RIOFY]!

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

150+ OCs and 70+ members (currently)

fun shenanigans with OCs

show your OCs off & make friends

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

For further questions, DM @raguiras.

☆ GENERAL ☆

What is this project about?

This project is somewhat similar to an AU — instead of one Yuu, there are many, and they all live at Ramshackle together. In other words, chaos is prone to happen... (hence the project's name)!

Other than that, it follows the canon storyline from the game.

What exactly is the focus of this project?

The project focuses on the members' Yuus and their relationships with each other. The canon characters and OCs from dorms other than Ramshackle obviously play an important role, too! We develop friendships and rivalries between our OCs, come up with scenarios, and also have an official OC x canon ship list!

Apart from all this, the main purpose is to make friends within the fandom, showcase and further develop your OCs, and discover other people's characters!

How do I join?

Send me a DM! Please DO NOT ask to join or submit OCs via my ask box.

Who can join?

Anyone who isn't racist, anti-LGBTQ+, or a proshipper.

You might also not want to join if you're a non-sharer of a main cast member/get triggered when seeing them paired up with someone else/have a character whose OC x canon ship is essential to their lore, as all of the 21 main characters have an official ship by now.

What types of OCs can I submit?

All types of OCs that aren't fanchildren or fandorm OCs are allowed!

No matter whether it's a Yuu, someone from another dorm, a faculty member, or a student from another school — everyone is welcome!

What ships can I submit?

Any OC x canon ship with a canon character who hasn't been taken yet (here is our official OC x canon ship list).

A canon character can date only one OC unless both of the OCs' owners decide to make it a polyship.

Please DO NOT fight over a canon character with another member/OC!!!

OC x OC ships are obviously allowed as well.

Please keep in mind that all OCs shipped with an adult must be of age themselves and that Ortho and Gidel ships are not allowed.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

☆ PARTICIPATION ☆

Do I have to make any art/videos/fanfics for this project?

You don't have to at all! This project is meant to be fun and not a duty.

However, all types of art, videos, and writings are extremely appreciated nonetheless!

Anything made for this project will be reblogged here (or, if you don't feel like posting it on your main blog, send it to me so I can directly post it here).

Do we have project-exclusive events?

We do! Any member can suggest server-exclusive events to me and I'll manage them.

How do I get in touch with other members?

We have a very active Discord server for project members. Once you're officially a member, I'll send you the link to it.

If you don't have Discord (even though this is preferred), I can update you on important happenings via Tumblr DMs!

You can also easily make mutuals and get into contact with others by following the project's members, whose work will be reblogged here.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

☆ LORE ☆

Who is the prefect? Who "owns" Grim?

We don't have an official Ramshackle prefect. Grim is pretty much the dorm's shared "pet".

Who's closest to Ace and Deuce?

Their respective partners, obviously!

As for OCs' friendships with/general closeness to canon characters, most of it is being established in the project's Discord server.

If you don't have Discord, I can give you an overview of the relationships in our DMs.

Is there an established lore that this project follows?

Other than the fact that all the Yuus live together in Ramshackle at the same time and that we have established ships, there isn't.

In order to make the project as easy and fun as possible (especially due to the large number of OCs), we don't have a defined storyline and focus on situations rather than larger plots.

When does this project take place?

Primarily during the same time/school year as the game. Scenes can take place before the prologue, way after book 7, during any of the books, or at another point entirely!

However, one thing stays the same no matter what: the Yuus presently don't know why they're in Twisted Wonderland, and the major mysteries remain hidden from sight...

Are fandorms allowed?

No, as we're trying to keep the school's overall setting as close to canon as possible.

Are fanschools allowed?

Yes, but they're going to play a rather minor part in the project.

Do the Yuus from the official manga/light novel exist here?

No.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

☆ MANAGEMENT ☆

Who runs this project?

Mionn aka @raguiras.

Who runs the project's blog?

Also Mionn.

Is Mionn the sole person managing the project and blog?

Yes.

How active is Mionn?

I'm generally active whenever I'm not sleeping (my current timezone is GMT+2). However, it might take me a while to reply to DMs at times, so please be understanding!

[blogquantumreality]

Suggested ST: TOS Episodes to Watch

If you really don't want to go through all of the original series' episodes, here are fifteen I would suggest watching to get the big picture of the major aspects of TOS that feed into TNG, DS9 and so forth:

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" - as the pilot, this is self-explanatory. It shows us many of the major characters who we'll see over and over through the series, and shows how they react to a new phenomenon that threatens the mental stability of two crew members.

"Balance of Terror" - introduces the Romulans, one of two principal antagonist powers in the TOS era and which still has a sizable rivalry with the Federation in TNG/DS9.

"The Menagerie, Pt. I/II" - along with the original pilot "The Cage", this two-parter is noteworthy for giving us a look into the Enterprise's past when it was commanded by Captain Christopher Pike. It also establishes one of the few crimes for which the Federation has imposed a death penalty.

"Space Seed" - introduces Khan Noonien Singh and establishes one of the major cataclysmic wars of Trek's 20th century, the Eugenics Wars, with Khan as one of the principal instigators.

"Errand of Mercy" - introduces the Klingon Empire as the second of two principal antagonist powers in the TOS era, and also introduces the Organians who impose an armistice between the Klingons and the Federation, promising that one day they would come to see each other as allies.

"Metamorphosis" - introduces Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of the warp drive which is the foundation upon which TOS era spacefaring rests upon.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" - for sheer feels this episode cannot be matched. We meet Edith Keeler, a woman who strikes a chord with Kirk beyond friendship, and see the potential cost of accidentally changing history.

"Mirror, Mirror" - here, we see an alternate universe in which a different set of conditions took hold, especially on Earth. In this universe, humanity's darker traits are admired and upheld, leading to the Federation morphing into an aggressively expansionist empire that brooks no opposition. Noteworthy for the way it explores the differences and similarities between mirror and canon Kirk as well as mirror and canon Spock.

"Amok Time" - this episode gives us an in-depth look at Spock, some of his life story, and the planet Vulcan and its customs.

"Journey to Babel" - introduces Spock's parents :P

"Patterns of Force" - rather topical in today's world, it is an interesting exploration of how any fascist movement inevitably drives towards extremism and only heroic efforts can usually stop one once it has taken hold.

"The Trouble with Tribbles" - tribbles. 'nuff said. :P

"The Paradise Syndrome" - introduces the Preservers, which serve as a canonically convenient way to explain the wide variety of similar biospheres on many planets as well as the tendency for human or human derived cultures to show up in places known to not be warp-capable. It can also tie into TNG's "The Chase".

"Day of the Dove" - introduces the last in the trio of Kor ("Errand"), Koloth ("Tribbles") and Kang, and gives more perspective on TOS-era Klingon perceptions of the Federation.

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" - somewhat anvilicious as an allegory for the arbitrariness and futility of racism.

Honorable mentions include "The Savage Curtain", which introduces (Kirk's idea of) Kahless the Unforgettable, as well as "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and "Assignment: Earth" as a loosely connected pair of 1960s Earth centered episodes in which unintentional interference by the Enterprise could cause severe temporal issues.

[thefriendoforatioisdead]

There is one thing that I love the most about Wan's character, and I love the way they tied everything together

I'm going to try to explain this but that might be confusing so bear with me.

(Warning : This is a very long rant)

So what I'm talking about is the way her character evolved between present time and the flashbacks, because I think there's something great about the consistency of it, which I'm going to explain chronologicaly (sort of)

So from the beginning we know that Wan doesn't really have a temper. She's friendly, as she immediately tries to befriend Kim and doesn't mind that she is being rejected : it doesn't stop her from being nice. The only times she is different from that smily happy girl is to display righteous anger, when the teacher is being mean to Kim, and when she's worried for her and runs to find her in the lockeroom.

These earlier flashbacks (which I assume take place when they were around 15/16 in tenth to eleventh grade) show us that Wan was friendly, extroverted (which is also why she was so popular in high school I think), determined and courageous, and also very protective of Kim already, even without them being really friends yet. She was headstrong, self-confident but only in a positive way.

THEN their dads left. And we enter a second phase of her character : Based on their conversation in the bathroom from ep 9, I assume Kim was a very sensitive kid, withdrawn, lonely, and it probably got worse after her dad left. Wan, on the other hand, seems to have reacted with more anger, as we can see when she attacks Mali for spreading the rumors. We see that she's a bit authoritative, leaving no choice to her friends but to accept Kim in the group, and her ego seems to have grown a bit as we see her bragging about being a good actress at their sleepover (which I assume takes place at the very end of high school, 12th grade, when they're around 17/18 although I don't know much about the thai school system so I might be wrong), but also saying that she's too pretty for any guy to date her. But we can see that her anger is still one that makes sense, and her protectiveness towards Kim is hightened, probably because she's starting to fall in love with her.

So what I assumed from the end of her teenagehood, after her dad left, is that Wan reacted with anger,became less patient, started having less kindness for the world, however, she got closer to Kim, and more protective of Kim, who, on the other hand, reacted by keeping even more to herself, and the friendship she built with Wan, Mon and Mali is what helped her becoming more self-assured, and more open. (My personal headcanon is that once they became really friends, Wan decided to keep her sadness inside so she could be strong for Kim. WHICH IS WHY SHE LATER ON EXPRESSES ANGER INSTEAD OF SADNESS WHEN SHE FEELS THAT WAY, but i'm getting ahead of myself)

Lastly, there is a big big big time lapse of ten years that we never see, where they went to college, Wan built her carriere as an actress and Kim became her stylist, they became roommates and stayed roommates until they were (I assume) 28, and the events of the series began. During this time, Wan got depression, we are told from the pressure of her job and what is happening to her mother. When we meet Wan, she's very different from what see later in the flashbacks, but after putting this chronologically, I think we can see that the way she acts is an excessive version of all the traits we've established before : She's jealous and possessive of Kim, an excess of her protectiveness that we have seen previously. She's prone to anger, outbursts, she snaps at anyone, which we saw was a trait that already existed in a positive form at first, then started to become a bit negative after her dad left. She has, outwardly, even if it's not real, a big ego and a diva attitude which leads her to act like everything is due to her and into petty fights with Jessie and Pam (even if the fact her rivalry with the later exists since apparently forever can let us assume that she always had a tendency to compare herself to others). She's the worst version of things that used to be her best qualities, and that made Kim fall in love with her.

And I love this consistency, I love the way we see how she evolves as a character and I used to be so annoyed with her and the way she acted, but after eleven episodes, I realized that it actually is very tied together. They don't communicate because they never learned how to do it, because they just did it in their dreams, Wan snaps because she always thought they could just keep being in love without ever saying it and living their life, until Jessie makes her realize that she might lose Kim at any point, Kim is forced to face the fact that the Wan she fell in love is not the one she's living with right now, and that she deserves better than that, and Wan is also forced to face the fact that she isn't who she used to be, and that if she doesn't do anything about it and makes up to Kim, she's going to be miserable forever and lose the love of her life ! AND THEIR PERSONALITIES IN PRESENT TIME MAKE ABSOLUTE SENSE REGARDING WHAT WE SEE IN THE FLASHBACKS ! AND THIS SHOW IS AMAZING AND I ALWAYS KNEW IT IN MY HEART ! TRUST THE PROCESS !

[inhuman-obey-me]

What are you opinions are the 4 Seraphs/archangels Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, Raphael?

Are they like brothers? or sibling rivalry? What do you think of Michael? I always thought fanon Michael will be just a dick compared to canon Michael we know.

Well we have a lot of thoughts in general about all the angels we know in the game, which we won't get all into here. This already got long so we're focusing more on the latter part of your question.

Obey Me has actually never made mention of Gabriel, despite him being a more known angel in pop culture. The only other angel they've mentioned, funny enough, is Uriel.

When we first meet Raphael in Season 4, you can also guess that his name is Uriel of the given options, to which Raphael scoffs that you're just throwing any angel name out there.

(rest under the cut, and includes some Nightbringer spoilers)

In Season 3, Angel Lucifer makes note of three other angels when he talks about turning to angels for advice -- all three of whom are established to have been among seraphim (though, as we know, Simeon was later demoted), though how many others there may be is unknown.

We also know that the Celestial Realm has everyone calling each other brothers and sisters, very much in that brothers-in-arms/sisters-of-the-convent kind of way.

From what we've seen, they seem to interact very much as both colleagues and friends, more than siblings per se. The only ones we know were treated and acted as actual siblings were Lucifer and The Brothers (+Lilith) since it seems Lucifer basically went and adopted all of them.

So yeah, it seems more like the seraphim and other high-ranking angels, for the most part, were a "work family" of sorts, more than literal siblings. And among them, there were some genuine friendships within that, in the way that work friendships sometimes form, and some tensions as well.

As for Michael ...

It's interesting because we've gotten to know very little about him, but what we have heard paints a certain picture. On one hand, he has been spoken of as someone who is also sadistic and a tough leader. Lucifer, the one who was most equal to him before the fall, describes him in the screenshot above as someone who "overcomplicates things and twists them into something they're not".

And although Raphael is consistently described as being somewhat close with Michael -- descriptions of him include being an assistant to Michael, "the only one who understands Michael", and the one whose job it was "to look after Michael's needs, no matter how unreasonable", plus the Nightbringer website also mentions in Raphael's bio that he chose to side against Lucifer in the war because "I can't abandon [Michael]" -- he's also the one who says he takes it "as an insult" to be mistaken for Michael, and then goes on to call Michael "a socially inept weirdo".

Michael also sent Simeon with a message to Diavolo that was basically a thinly veiled threat back in Season 2.

We also know he was quite upset with Simeon when the latter went and took the Ring of Light back, which did lead to Simeon being quite harshly punished.

On the other hand, we have had him be nice to MC (after initially thinking they would be wicked and awful because the demon bros adored them). We also know that he apparently does really miss and love the Brothers, both from that same conversation with MC and Luke, who has mentioned that sometimes Michael will stare sadly at the walls where their portraits used to hang.

Safe to say, he's another complicated character. That said, considering where Michael stood during the war and his more negative qualities, we totally get him being portrayed as more of a dick in fanon because, same. He could be both a character who did/does genuinely love the brothers and still has done things that are antagonistic -- and if anything, that makes him more interesting! Plus, his role in the Celestial Realm as effectively the leader of the angels only adds more inter-realm intrigue to how to interpret his actions. We're hoping we get to learn more about him in Nightbringer so we can get a better understanding of him!

As for the rest of them, we have too many opinions to really dive into analyzing all the characters you mentioned, but here's our previous analysis of Raphael mentions pre-Season 4 before they turned him into dirty sad dishwater.

[sitp-recs]

My pet peeve is when Harry and Draco start liking each other too fast... Especially when it's physical attraction. Do you know any slow burn fic, where they really dislike each other at first, and slowly fall in love bit by bit as they get to know each other? Even better if one (or both) don't realize that they might like man at the start

Hi anon! Hmm I tried to think of enemies to lovers without the fast sexual burn element (which I personally love lol) and couldn’t come up with many fics. I thought I’d keep it simple and go for my favourite slow burn with some initial animosity and/or bi confusion (in some cases). Maybe my followers can share more recs? I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for!

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 50k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

That Old Black Magic by bixgirl1 (E, 77k) - fast sexual burn, forced marriage

Centuries ago, marriage contracts were the norm — ready-made alliances between families, expected and complied with, without complaint. But norms have a way of changing, and when a long-dormant contract flares to life, Harry has to navigate an unexpected splintering of the path he'd thought would be easy after the war... with Draco Malfoy.

Reparo by amalin (E, 85k)

Voldemort's final defeat does not mean Harry Potter's troubles are over; far from it. In the aftermath of war, he returns to a Hogwarts that is fractured and divided, but this is no break that can be fixed with a spell. New owls, fading scars, surprising alliances—and along the way, the hardest task of all, to live with it.

Wild, orphaned (E, 92k)

“No,” Harry said, by way of greeting. Malfoy’s blonde head rose slowly, carelessly. “Get out.” “I feel as though we’ve already established this, Potter,” Malfoy responded. “And I feel that what we established was that you telling me to get out of places really doesn’t make me more likely to vacate them.”

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (E, 180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Turn by Saras_Girl (E, 306k)

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

[sovereignsimmer]

Tips for Maximizing the Use of Clubs in The Sims 4

Greetings everyone,

If you've played The Sims 4, you're likely aware that Get Together is one of the best expansion packs ever released for the game! It adds new dynamics to your gameplay and social clubs that can be used to improve your sims' lives. In this post, I'll share my favorite ways to use social clubs in The Sims 4 to help you get the most out of them.

It may be a lengthy read, so proceed at your own discretion.

Using social clubs to control sims' autonomy 

One of the most significant advantages of social clubs is the ability to control your sims' behavior. Club activities override individual sims' autonomous actions, allowing you to direct their actions in a more productive manner. You could establish a private club for your household and use it to make your sims do chores, study, have fun, or anything else that comes to mind. You can alter club activities at any time as long as you are the club leader.

Creating your own lore through social circles 

Friendships and relationships are easy to establish in The Sims 4, but they are often shallow and meaningless. It's more realistic for sims to be friends with others who share their interests or hobbies. By bringing these sims together in social clubs, you can create your own lore and stories.

In addition, you can cause drama and rivalries between different clubs by encouraging mean interactions or by banning friendly interactions with selected ones. Trust me, it brings so much life to your gameplay!

Using social clubs to explore new spaces 

In The Sims 4, you can easily stay on your home lot and self-sustain indefinitely, making the game feel isolated and limited. By using social clubs, you can direct your sims to hang out at designated lots or locations, allowing them to explore the world outside their home.

Here are a few examples of social that I use in my game, based on different interests and social circles:

Interest-based Clubs

Adventure Associates: Join our nature-loving social club! We hike, fish, climb, ski, and snowboard. Connect with like-minded individuals and explore the great outdoors. (Requirements: Traits like Adventurous, Loves Outdoors, and skills such as fishing, skiing, rock climbing, etc.)

Budding Pals: Budding Pals is a gardening club for nature enthusiasts to learn plant care through sustainable practices. From novice to expert, join us in cultivating a beautiful and sustainable community garden. (Requirements: Traits like Green Fiend, Loves Outdoors, Animal Lover, Recycle Disciple, and skills such as flower-arranging and gardening)

Covalent Bonds: Not intimidated by rocket science? Think you could solve the Unsolvable Hetu Hypothesis if only you had enough moral support? Want to share electron pairs to create a stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces? Join the Covalent Bonds! (Requirements: Traits like genius, geek, overachiever, and skills such as rocket science, logic, robotics, etc.)

Desperate Homemakers: Desperate Homemakers is an inclusive group of close-knit stay-at-home folks inspired by "Desperate Housewives". They gather to gossip, play cards, and enjoy a bottle of chardonnay every now and then. (Requirements: Unemployed Sims)

Digital Divergence: Digital Divergence is a social club for gamers, coders, and streamers. Meet like-minded people, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. Join us for LAN parties, coding competitions, and streaming workshops! (Requirements: Traits like Geek, Creative, Socially Awkward, and skills such as programming, video gaming, media production, photography)

Epicurean Elites: A circle of select foodies who appreciate fine dining and culinary experiences. Members gather for exclusive events and tastings, exploring new flavors, techniques, and cuisines. (Requirements: Traits like Foodie, Snob, and skills such as Cooking, Gourmet Cooking, Baking, Mixology)

Grizzly Gang: Grizzly Gang: the ultimate club for alpha sports enthusiasts who push limits, crush goals, and dominate fields. Join like-minded beasts to unleash your inner grizzly and reach your full potential! (Requirements: Traits like Active, Bro, High-maintenance, Self-assured, Overachiever, Ambitious, and skills such as Fitness, Snowboarding, Rock Climbing)

Major Chords: Major ‘cause we’re important. Chords ‘cause we sound together. Don’t you want to sound together with us? (Requirements: Traits like Music Lover, Creative, Self-centered, Snob, and skills such as Piano, Violin, Singing, etc.)

Readaholics Anonymous: Are you a seasoned bibliophile? An aspiring writer? Grab your book and join us for lively discussions and plenty of page-turning fun! Our welcoming club offers a warm community of like-minded readers! (Requirements: Traits like Bookworm, Geek, Socially Awkward, and skills such as Research and Debate, Writing)

Tapestry Posse: Tapestry Posse is a social club that brings together individuals who share a passion for arts and crafts such as painting, knitting, cross-stitching, and candle-making. It's a friendly and relaxed community for artists and hobbies alike. (Requirements: Traits like Creative, Art Lover, Snob, and skills such as Painting, Cross-stitching, Knitting, Fabrication, etc.)

The High Society™ is a secretive society of the world's most influential people, from politicians to celebrities. Its true purpose is unknown, but membership is the ultimate status symbol among the elite. (Requirements: Wealth (Rich), Career: Law, Politician, Business, Actor, Entertainer, Military, Detective, Sciencist, Secret Agent, Criminal, and traits like Self-assured, Perfectionist, Ambitious, Snob, etc.)

In order to foster a sense of community and belonging, I suggest adding the 'Insider' trait as a requirement for membership in all clubs. Sims with the 'Insider' trait are naturally drawn to social groups and are more likely to participate in various club activities, ultimately enhancing the overall experience for all members.

Age-based Clubs

Lil' Wabbits: Lil' Wabbits is a playful and imaginative children's social club, where kids can make new friends and have fun with various activities. From dress-up to play pretend, it's all about having a great time in a safe and supportive environment. (Requirements: Age - Child)

Seasoned Seniors: Seasoned Seniors is a social club for elderly folks looking for fun and connection. Enjoy games, outings, and social events in a supportive environment. (Requirements: Age - Elder)

Youthopia: Youthopia is a social club for teenagers that offers fun activities and events to promote friendships and a sense of community. Youthopia is the perfect group for teens to hang out with and have a good time. (Requirements: Age - Teen)

Occult-themed Clubs

Aristoclaws: The Aristoclaws are a pack of wealthy and influential werewolves who balance their strength and ferocity with skilled diplomacy. They defend their territory with sharp claws and fierce howls, but also rely on their ability to negotiate and form alliances. (Requirements: Wealth (Rich), Werewolf (Trait))

Council of The Forgotten: The Council of Eternal Night governs all vampires globally from Forgotten Hollow. This oldest organization holds high esteem, guiding its members to reach their true power and potential. Register your household to connect with fellow vampires. (Requirements: Vampire (Trait))

Coven of the Dusk: Led by an enigmatic teen warlock, this coven follows ancient beliefs and practices green and dark magic for protection. Teenage witches gather to perform divination rituals, brew potions, cast spells, practice herbalism, and celebrate nature. (Requirements: Age - Teen, Spellcaster (Trait))

Faelwyn Union: The Faelwyn Union unites elves to promote peace and protect their rights. They preserve nature, known for their elven lore knowledge. Strong scholars with mutual respect for other races. (Requirements: Spellcaster (in my game, my elves are Spellcasters))

Glimmerbrook Magistrate: The Glimmerbrook Magistrate governs spellcasters, ensuring responsible magic use. Experienced members oversee training, investigate disputes, and prevent misuse. Respected authority in the magical community. (Requirements: Spellcaster (Trait)) Ivanovich House: Led by patriarch Dmitry, Ivanovich House is a vampire clan of northeastern heritage. They keep to themselves, wary of outsiders, and are known for their refined taste and skillful manipulation of those around them.

(Requirements: Vampire (Trait), Vampire Knowledge Skill)

Nzarogg Clan: The Nzarogg Clan, descendants of Windenburg's merfolks, now reside in Sulani. Adapting to their new environment, they retain their culture and traditions. They have no hesitation in putting anyone who opposes them in their place. (Requirements: Mermaid (Trait))

Steelfangs: The Steelfangs are a werewolf pack exclusively for affluent teenagers. With power, wealth, and influence, they rule their territory with sharp claws and a howl that strikes fear into their rivals. (Requirements: Age - Teen, Werewolf (Trait))

Tideglow Tribe: Native to Sulani, this conservative merfolk community sees newcomers as potential threats. Their strength and agility make them formidable defenders of their territory, and outsiders are only welcome if they earn the tribe's trust. (Requirements: Mermaid (Trait))

Additionally, you can make more clubs for your Sims' high school friends, university friends like "Foxbury Alumni," and organize annual events and gatherings to reminisce on old times and friendships.

I hope these examples gave you some inspiration to start your own social clubs and use them to their full potential in The Sims 4. Remember, social clubs are a great way to add depth and variety to your gameplay, and they can help you create unique stories and characters in your game.

[owl-it-here]

Missed Opportunities: Naruto #1

The brotherhood of Konohamaru and Naruto.

As much as I love the relationship between Shikamaru and Naruto, and live for the scene where Shikamaru stated that he has to live because Naruto has no one but him to help him with mental/strategic issues, I don't think this statement is true. Mainly due to the fact that Konohamaru exists. The realtionship between Naruto and Konohamaru is established early in the series, and unfortunately it is not as developed as it could have been. Instead of the initial brotherly rivalry, there is more of a theme of occasional mentoring. Especially since even in the context of comparing the two of them to the Senju brothers, the Naruto-Konohamaru duo makes more sense than Naruto-Shikamaru (which fans do).

Both Naruto and Sasuke, although they are reincarnations are not 1-to-1 copies of Hashirama and Madara. They both have a lot of traits of their younger brothers. So a person who could be matched with such a brotherly relationship with Naruto must also have the traits of both brothers. Konohamaru has them, or rather has/had the potential to have them. He is the grandson of "the Professor", and we are told from the beginning that he is a rather bright child who has no problem with theory. The scenes that come to mind include how he corrects the pronunciation of the word chakra when Naruto twists it, and the fact that he mastered the rasengan technique rather quickly.

Thanks to non-canonical moments like the “U can do it” ending, we know he can use Bo staff. In addition, a lot of potential also lay in his clan (Sarutobi) and the contract to summon monkeys. However, as the series progresses, his main fighting traits are borrowed from Naruto (sexy justsu, clones, rasengan and toads - as if it was at least bo staff instead of clones and monkeys instead of toads). Although young Konohamaru was quite idealistic, a more mature side of him was shown with each of his appearances in Shippuden. It was the perfect moment to create a difference in their characters and create more of a foothold between them (although this really should have happened with Hiruzen's death). The moment when Konohamaru fought Pain could and should have been more significant. After all, Tobirama was not just a mere brain for Hashirama. He was also his partner in battle. He was his family.

While Shikamaru also had more potential than was portrayed in the story, in my opinion his character could have done more as Naruto's first stable friend and help (which he partly is, although it is somewhat indebted to the filler - the Sasuke issue will always be too complicated to call it a stable friendship). Shikamaru brings Naruto down to earth (and this in addition to being the brains makes him comparable to Tobirama). However, he doesn't have the sheer power as either of the brothers. At least not at the time of the fourth war. Creating it would require more work than adding Konohamaru's character developing moments. In addition, his brotherhood with Choji is always seen as stronger. Of course, while looking at the plot to Shippuden.

I don't know if I presented my thoughts well. I will probably always whine that both Naruto's relationships with Konohamaru and Shikamaru were not developed as much as I would have liked. However, I wanted to emphasize the Konohamaru issue as it is mentioned much less frequently. In fact, I would also have loved to see a triple brotherhood between the them: Naruto-Konohamaru-Shikamaru (especially because of Shikamaru's bond with Asuma and later Mirai). The relationship between Shikamaru and Konohamaru could be just as interesting.

[kroosluvr]

"an inside look into shujin academy's famed 'royal trio'" fic notes

link to the fic / link to tumblr post / link to tumblr ART!! post

this is going to be LONGGGG just all of my rambles/easter eggs(??) AND ETC. Not mandatory reading i kinda just want to write this for me to refer back to in like a few years or whatever hehehe

it is def confusing that i called shujin tennis academy that instead of giving it a diff name but i wanted to be a little tongue-in-cheek

mishima is a wannabe sports reporter, but maya amano (+ yukino mayuzumi) r already established sports reporters @ coolest magazine! :3 small cameo(sorta) at the end

goro does not want mishima out of a job he just hates interviews. he knows he HAS to do them though, and generally he's only featured alongside akira or sumire or both bc otherwise he doesnt wanna do em. for reasons i will elaborate on in futchure fics or art

i wanted to keep the mishima-using-akira-(SORTA)-for-popularity that canon has bc i always thought that was funny!!! since akira is so popular everyone's gotta read mishima's articles for info abt him....

'Ran donuts around ‘em' -> donuts is slang for straight sets (winning 6-0 6-0). incidentally, i've heard 'donut' used mostly in the PNW area while 'bagel' is used more in PNE. could be wrong. source: californian and i played college tennis in boston

generally, akira is always first seed while goro is second seed. sometimes the ranking is a littleeee inexplicable but it usually turns out this way when theyre in the same tournament

in general i wanted to emphasize the weird codependency needy attached-at-the-hip but we also hate eachother sort of "teammates"/friends(???) relationship that you develop in competitive sports... so all the "romantic" gestures throughout the fic can kinda just be boiled down to that. like, in a Normal context, maybe it'd be considered romantic, but in a "im fucking fiending for my life on a tennis court" context then it's just tuesday

sumire IS a walking ITF (international tennis federation) handbook. for reasons i will elaborate on in futchure fic/art! but she takes tennis very VERY seriously. (goro also takes it VERY seriously and akira takes it seriously.)

goro lets sumire call him by his first name abt 3 months into training w her at the academy (with him and akira its like within the first match bc theyre already at eachothers throats LMAO) after her landslide victory! thats when he kinda acknowledges her as a teammate i guess? beforehand they were just hitting partners

anyway the idea of "teammate" in competitive, individual, professional tennis is very fun and interesting to me as u can tell. LMAO. and like "what makes a Friend" versus A Teammate in terms of pro athletics

goro gets embarrassed when akira lets sumire sleep in their room not because of the actual fact of her sleeping there but because he doesn't WANT her to see him with his guard down. she always sees him on the court, ready to conquer his opponents, top-notch quality tennis, etc so he's mortified that she saw him Like that (just woken up LOL) though ofc she doesnt think anythign of it bc shes just like yayyyy tennis yayyy

Yup whenever u see a ping pong table u gotta round up all ur tennis oomfs and duel it out (i suck at ping pong....)

sumire being hard on akira and goro's tennis is kinda peak to me LOL she takes this sport so serious

AKIRA MISHIMA FRIENDSHIP MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. aside i read a few akira x mishima fics lately so theyve been buzzing in my head... important ...

dats a real club that i played at... one of my fav tournaments even though i played at like 8:30am or smth and it sucked. but it was reallyyy pretty and quite a drive

sumire + kasumi one-sided rivalry drives me insane ESP in tennis au, they're literally in two different fucken universes when it comes to athletics yet sumire is still deathly intimidated by her

goro picking fights w akira and sumire YAYYYYYYYYYY <3 and sumire boiling "friendship" down to "we play tennis well together" is so peak. yeahhh angst

"why do you play tennis" / "do you love tennis" / "what do you like about tennis" r such difficult questions. i read up on some pro interviews and they hurt me physically broooo like... it seems like a rarely asked question and you get a lot of common answers but u also get stuff that just breaks ur heart

aside, this convo btwn goro and sumire is very accomplice violetcrow to me. they're complicit in their hatred and their violence and their self-destruction except its very very very self contained to a couple of lines on a hard court (and sometimes grass if we're feeling special.) they truly hunger for number 1!!!!

i really like this section LMAO its probably my favorite.

woahhh shido mention. wonder what thats abt. TO BE CONTINUED

usual jokercrow scare tactics. mating dance type situation (sumire is used to this and doesnt think anything of it) like i said its like stuff that'd be DEFINITELY romantic and flirty in a normal context but in sports when things are highly charged and emotional and you're neck to neck it's less so. (obviously it still kinda is but this is what i mean in that u could totally read this whole fic platonically all the way around if u wanted to)

"Sumire hadn’t responded to that. She had practice to get to, after all." yupppp why would sumire spend time on anything thats not tennis? shes not number 1 yet, so how can she afford to waste time? 8)

akira/mishima playing basketball at the end IMPORTANCE!! also had to include akira stealing shit obviously. BUT YEAH i think its so important that akira finally gathers the idea that like... woah.. my life extends beyond the tennis court.. i can have HOBBIES.. and FRIENDS.... and hes the first of the 3 to realize that. sumire takes ages and goro also does (but quicker than sumire.) and also callback to when mishima said he missed him!!

Q6. Do you love tennis? Haha. haha. haha. yeah mishima ur not asking that one. that's hell ur walking into

[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): Calling the Tribes to Islam, the Allegiances of Aqaba and Migration to Madinah

First Islamic State

The Prophet devoted all his time entirely to explaining the Fundamentals of belief in Mecca era which lasted for thirteen years. A lot of people found their place in the blissful bosom of Islam, thanks to this service of belief. The number of believers increased and Muslims gained an evident power. However, despite this, it was forbidden to react to enemies of Islam in this era. Muslims had only one weapon: “patience”.

However, they were in a new environment after migration. The conditions had totally changed. Muslims could do anything that was necessitated by their faith freely.

As it was mentioned before, the most important thing the Messenger of Allah did as soon as he arrived in Medina was to appoint migrants and the Ansar as brothers to each other. By doing so, the Prophet established a strong alliance among Muslims. Islam’s foundation of brotherhood that knew no differences pertaining to race, language, class and geography was put into practice for the first time in history.

Yet, this was not the end, of course. Muslims were not the only group living in Medina. There were also Jews, pagan Arabs and some Christians too and therefore, the scene was not homogeneous. And if we take into consideration the never-ending conflicts and rivalries between Arabian tribes, we can easily understand what a great chaos this new environment was in!

Moreover, there was another side to the issue, which could not be overlooked. It was the fact that polytheists in Mecca could advance towards Medina any time. The cold war which was going on between them could turn into hot war any time.

So, the Prophet had such important issues to be solved in ahead of him.

It was necessary to have an agreement with non-Muslim peoples, and to establish a spirit and atmosphere of unity in this new environment. It was crucial to determine some certain juridical, military and political principles.

The first year of migration (the hijrah) was not over yet.

The Honorable Messenger gathered the representatives of all Medina peoples in Hazrat Anas bin Malik’s house, in order to agree on some social principles. Certain principles were agreed upon at the end of the meeting and put into practice right away. Important principles were written down and signed by the parties.

These principles were the first constitution of the Islamic State which was being formed at the helm of the Messenger of Allah. Indeed, it was not only the first constitution of the first Islamic State, but also the first written constitution in the whole world.

With this constitution agreed upon, people of Medina were distinguished from other people as a nation on their own.

The Constitution of the City-State

The first and second items of the first written constitution of Islamic State, which included fifty-two provisions, said:

“1. This book (inscription) is arranged by Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for the people of Quraish, believers and Muslims of Yathrib, people who are and who will be later under their sovereignty and those who join jihads with them.

2. Those people constitute a different nation from others.” 

According to this constitution, people of Medina, regardless of faith, did form a different “nationality” from others and a separate community on its own.

Hazrat Messenger of Allah also established friendship with tribes living around Medina, especially those living along Damascus trade road of Mecca right away and made contracts with them.

Moreover, Muslims had to be in contact with Jews and others who were city locals. For this reason, they were also given rights in this constitution of the state.

“Accordingly, they were also regarded as the citizens of the state together with Muslims: “Muhammad’s great sagacity and political attentiveness is seen in the rescript he provided for the Jews. It was written, apart from other issues, in this rescript that they were the citizens of the state just like Muslims, that the two tribes of Yathrib were regarded as one nation, that the crimes would be punished based on the judgments of their own religions, that both parties (Muslims and Jews) would be called to defend the new state and that the Messenger of Allah would decide on the issues to come out in the future, when necessary.” 

Moreover, the provision pertaining to war in this constitution is quite interesting. In case of any possible wars, Jews would join the defense of Medina on condition that they covered war expenses themselves.

According to the sixteenth provision of the constitution, it was decided that they would benefit from Muslims’ charity and legal aid on condition that they paid homage to Muslims. In addition, they would defend the city-state together (Muslims and Jews) in case of an external attack and they would help each other, no matter who was in need of help, whether Muslims or Jews.

We see Muslims’ alliance with Jews, who are one of “the People of the Book”, under the light of these provisions. Jews and Christians, who are the People of the Book, were given utmost freedom of belief and religious liberty. This way, the People of the Book were united against the idolaters, who did not have a divine belief, in common grounds; by mentioning Jews and Muslims together as “one group” in the first constitution.

The Prophet, in addition to allying and making contracts with non-Muslim people of the book, who were the locals of the city, in order to defend the newly-founded state against enemy, tried to establish an alliance based on belief. He wanted to unite them with the belief of “tawhid” (oneness), a mutual word among them, and found “the pact of believers” against idolaters. As a matter of fact, he tried to follow this policy for other countries whose people were the People of the Book, in addition to that, he did the same for the People of the Book in Medina. In the letters he sent to the Byzantine emperor Heraklius and other Christian princes, he addressed them with the following Quranic verse:

“Say: “O People of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God.” If then they turn back, say ye: “Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to God’s Will).” 

The People of the Book, who were provided with protection and assistance due to the constitution prepared by the Honorable Messenger himself, violated the conditions of the contract themselves unfortunately, and therefore caused the conditions which were favorable for them to be abolished. They rebelled during a very critical period when Medina was subject to attack by idolaters and began to make games against a state which was newly founded and had not yet fallen into place although it was written in the constitution that “those who lived in the city-state would not work against each other” and “would not ally with enemies of each other.” Of course, this directly caused them to be deprived of Muslims’ protection.

Apparently, this constitution included provisions pertaining to many concerns of the new state and drew reasonable lines for every issue: “A new stage of Islamic life had begun with this constitution. Including material and corporeal together with spirituality and inwardness gained it a unique style. A policy that does not include spirituality and ethics leads us to materialism and a degree lower than lives of wild animals. And a spirituality apart from affairs of the world we are living in can take us up to a degree higher than the degree of angels. However, this is only possible for a quite limited group of people. The majority of people will be excluded from the circle of those who put this ideology into practice. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) thought especially of the average man and taught him how to balance both sides of human life and how to make a composition including both material and non-material aspects together at the same time. This religious doctrine selects some fundamental points that are necessary in the least for everyone yet leaves the choice of whether to devote oneself more to non-material life to individuals. In this sense, Hazrat Prophet’s companions became the management group of an autonomous country, while the Prophet was its leader in all fields.”

[ballonleaparadise]

With the reveal of the latest anipoke poster, I wanted to talk about the upcoming arc in Pokemon Horizons bcs I have so many thoughts about it!!

Firstly, FLORAGATO 👀 Secondly, I'm really excited to see the Naranja (Uva) academy being properly adapted in the anime. It'll be an important training arc for Liko, Roy and Dot, who want to develop their skills as trainers. I'm interested to see how the sv characters shown in the poster will be portrayed, since we've already seen Nemona, Brassius, Iono and a Larry cameo.

At first glance, the upcoming arc seems kind of random with the ongoing Lucius plot. However, I think it actually makes a LOT of sense when you think back to the structure of the first arc. We were introduced to Nemona and Brassius back in episode ten, who will presumably have some involvement in the training of Liko, Roy and Dot. It's also an opportunity for the writers to develop the dynamic between Dot and Iono. Since episode fifteen, they've been established as having a competitive rivalry/friendship, so it'll be nice to see how that evolves. On top of this, Liko's Mum Lucca is a teacher so maybe we'll find out more about her. I'm not sure if she's supposed to teach at the Naranja academy or elsewhere in Paldea, but I want to learn more about her regardless.

Even though the adult rvts are not in the new poster, I'm hoping that they'll at least stick around for this arc (Friede and Orla are my comfort characters fr 😭). As Friede's a pokemon professor, I can see him fitting in with the other academics at the school. As for the other adults, they could either help out with the academy's facilities (Murdock being the cook would be a blast) or join as mature students. Collectively, the adults might be interested in researching terapagos and/or learning more about the six heros.

In hindsight, this arc could tie the loose thread of Ann's involvement in the story. Since episode two, she's only appeared through video calls. Since Liko's an exchange student from the Indigo academy, it wouldn't be a stretch for Ann to transfer to Paldea as well. It would give her some much-needed screen time, and give Liko a rival to train against. I don't know whether this will happen but it would be cool if it did!!

Overall, I'm really looking forward to the next arc. The end of the chapter two also looks hype, so I'll be watching it with no interruptions 😤 I think a training arc is necessary for Liko Roy and Dot, so that they can become more independent as trainers.

[dropout-if]

In case we don't romance any of the main ROs:

Will we still be able to develop a deep platonic relationship with them?

Are the flings, like Liv, more like one-night stands or an ongoing FWBs type deal?

And in the interest of angst: I came across the asks about Queer J staying in the closet (hella valid, I was in that situation once upon a time), but will that be something that comes up for a same-gender MC? I would love the option for my MC to be able to say something in the vein of, "I feel ya, but I'm not anyone's secret. We can be homies".

Hii^^✨

Will we still be able to develop a deep platonic relationship with [the ROs]?

Yep! Every RO has some kind of connection to MC's past, and it's very important for them to (potentially) explore those bonds. Or the lack of them. It doesn't have to be romantic, I plan to focus on friendships and rivalries too^^

Are the flings, like Liv, more like one-night stands or an ongoing FWBs type deal?

It depends on the fling! Liv is more aimed to a fwb because she has more scenes than, say, Carter. It's possible to keep all the flings as one night stands.

will that be something that comes up for a same-gender MC? I would love the option for my MC to be able to say something in the vein of, "I feel ya, but I'm not anyone's secret. We can be homies".

That's right, same-gender and enby MCs can establish their stance on J's (and later on Statler's) lack of desire to come out^^ And MC can be really mean about it let me tell you😭

It can also be one of the reasons MC breaks up with J (before leaving for college).

[total-drama-brainrot]

I’m curious to see your opinions on the ROTI finale since I think Jo vs Cameron would’ve been a much better set up. They’re still brain versus brawn and Jo’s still highly intelligent so it’d force Cameron to use more of his own brawn. Plus it’d be a good callback to that “you’re crazy if you think you can win total drama without getting physical” line Jo said to Cameron back in ep2.

I can finally answer this anon now!!

I was actually all for the Zoey Cameron Friendship Finale the show kept "teasing", since- as much as I like him as a character- Lightning doesn't really have much... substance? He's a fun comedic relief character, sure, but the audience doesn't really have any reason to root for him; across the series he's been shown to be callous and self-serving, he doesn't really have much character depth, and the only time we ever see him break from the almost plastic façade of Sha-Lightning is when his pops is involved.

Which is a whole different can of worms I'd love to delve into, but I'll probably have to marathon a "Lightning Moments" montage before I can really comment on his relationship with his dad.

But my ideal final two would've been Cameron and Jo, like you said.

Jo's been set up as more of an actual person than Lightning ever was, and she already had a pre-established pseudo rivalry with him before her elimination (which, I get why Lightning suddenly became super hostile towards Cameron for "stealing his win", but it kind of came out of nowhere). I think having a final two who actually respect each other is a lot more fun to watch than Cameron cowering away from Lightning for three-ish episodes before pulling an Iron Man suit out of his ass.

Not that I didn't like Lightning and Cameron's dynamic in the last episodes, though I wish Cameron had more moments where he actually stood up for himself, since that was the whole point of his character arc (which almost seemed to die with Jo's elimination, since he loses a lot of his spine once Lightning's whole animosity arc comes into play).

Cameron was actually my favourite part of the last few episodes. I like the concept behind his character, and I mostly liked how it was executed- barring some character recession in the final two episodes. He's my pathetic bubble son.

As for Zoey... I really didn't care much for her. Not that I dislike her, she's just, uh, sort of there? She spends the majority of the season oblivious to Mike's DID, but as a relatively kind and friendly presence among a cast full of comparatively bad people, which was a nice contrast! She's what I sort of expected Dawn to be, just preppier and with a miscommunication-central romance plot. Plus, her central character focus of making friends is really sweet, even if she does come across as a bit of a pick me.

And then she pulls Commando Zoey out of her ass (which I did initially like, as a 'nice girl finally snaps and goes apeshit' arc- exactly what I wanted for Priya is season two of the reboot) and her whole character does a 180 for two episodes, with the sole purpose of teaching both her and Cameron the Power Of Friendship, only to discard that whole lesson when they don't get the Friendship Finale. I wanted to like Commando Zoey but her behaviour in the Larry episode just kind of left a sour taste in my mouth; it was like the writers couldn't decide if they wanted her new disposition to make her a last minute twist antagonist or not.