#we got another troll to hate now! great

[lyonnerileyauthor]

the definitive Trollkin Lovers reading order

this is a joke because you can read them in any order you want, since they're all standalones, BUT...

if you read 'em in this order, there are some fun story bonuses!

this book follows a wee redheaded lass who will boot you over the head and steal your shit, and a vulgar troll who really wants to fuck her. there's a war going on and it's gonna get bloody. there may be a sex scene on a battlefield.

(PS -- this is the one that's free right now.)

so you thought Raz'jin's best friend, Blizzek, was dead?? HO HO HO, were you wrong! in this one, he's rescued by a kind healer woman, and falls pitifully in love with her. then, of course, he makes some rather grievous errors. plus, our heroes from book 1 make a little cameo!

oh, poor Lieutenant Agkar, who fell for a human lady in the last book and got his heart broken. but that's okay! now he has a boss he hates and also he's obsessed with her, and maybe wants to fuck her, and hell, maybe she wants to fuck him, too, but they're gonna fight about it first!!

"really? you wrote a book about that doofy fucking troll from the bar?" yes. yes I did. he's wonderful when he's not working for the criminal underground. in fact, he's kind of a knight in shining armor for his little lady, who got stolen from her home across the sea. bonus points for fucking in an ancient, magical ruin.

this lil beaut stands by itself, though it does have a cameo from Fiery Mean Redhead from book 1! this is a great place to hop into the series if you like threesomes, and it's got that nitty-gritty backdrop of war going on. also, they fuck in the first chapter.

wait, another minor character from book 3 gets his own book? that's fucking RIGHT, because Corporal Jar'kel says some really wise shit at the end and we all walked away going, when's he going to get his story?? well. he gets it. right here. he's grumpy, she's maybe also grumpy, and they have to pretend to be mates to live. (also, there's a fun cameo from a book 4 character in here!)

"finally," you say. "you're getting around to telling Graz's story??" I know, I know, my mans has been waiting a long time for his moment in the sun. I won't spoil too much, but he's not the only one obsessed with magic and searching for answers!

If you wanna know more about my Trollkin Lovers series, go here.

[arcanarix]

Fated Divergence, Ch.9 // Yandere! Suguru Geto X Non-Sorcerer Darling

AO3 (+prev. chapter)

Word Count: 3.8K

Satoru Gojo sat in the worn, wooden chair, its legs creaking under his weight as he leaned back, trying to feign that air of nonchalance that didn’t reach his eyes. Not that anyone would notice through his blindfold. The steam from the cup of tea in his hand curled upwards, the aroma of jasmine wafting to his nose. It did little to soothe the storm brewing within him. His silver hair, a tangled mess from a night spent agonizing over the situation, peeked out over his blindfold. Across the table, Shoko Ieiri’s sharp, undeterred gaze flicked between him and Utahime Iori, whose usual calm demeanor was now full of concern for her colleague, her brows furrowed in thought.

Gojo swirled the cup of tea in his hand, smiling a little. Utahime prepared it—a gesture of kindness he didn’t expect from her, but it wasn’t like she really hated Gojo.

“I’ve been tracking Geto’s movements since I got back,” Gojo began, though he was lying through his teeth because he used his time more on unproductive displays. His voice, usually light and teasing and carefree, carried the weight of something far more serious now. He could be serious when it mattered, obviously. “He’s holding her hostage in his temple. He’s still up to something greater, though. Gathering curses any way he can. We can’t risk a direct confrontation right now. Not until she’s safe.”

Shoko’s undeterred and unbothered expression softened just a fraction, though her tone remained pragmatic and stoic. “Waiting might not be the best course of action. Every minute we delay is another moment he’s tightening his grip on her. How are we going to get her back if we can’t find away to neutralize him?”

Utahime’s lips pressed into a thin line, her cold gaze shifting to Gojo, who sat with a stillness to him that was entirely uncharacteristic for someone as obnoxious as he was.

“As much as I hate to admit it, Satoru’s right. We need to approach this carefully. If we move too soon, we’ll only be putting her in more dangerous. A direct confrontation now is too risky.”

A small, genuine smile tugged at the corner of Satoru’s mouth—a rarity Utahime wasn’t accustomed to seeing from him since most of the time he just liked to troll her until she lost her mind.

“Perfect,” he murmured, nodding in agreement as he stroked his chin in thought. “We create a distraction. Pull him away from her. I can get her out of there in nanoseconds while he’s occupied. We’ll need some backup, though. Things could escalate quickly.”

Shoko leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I can handle the diversion. Or I can get Nanami in on it. You know him—great at making waves.”

Satoru’s grin widened slightly, a flicker of his usual confidence returning, but his mind was still elsewhere, racing ahead, anxious over getting you to safety.

Everything in the temple grew silent—an almost eerie stillness hanging in the air, only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves outside. Those heavy wooden doors shut you out of the world, enclosing you now in this strange, secluded prison where time lost meaning. As you sat at the low wooden table, the sound of Mimiko and Nanako’s laughter rang softly in your ears. A smile eased on your tired features; they were your only key to sanity in these times. The twins, ever oblivious to the tension in the air, played with their expensive toys, their innocence a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside of you.

You snuck a glance at Geto, who sat across from you, his dark violet eyes soft as he watched the twins engage. Over time, he grew kinder to you, in his own weird wsay—you would even dare to call him gentler with you now. But you knew better than to fall for it. There was always that little voice in the back of your mind reminding you of how he only desired to control you, to possess you. Every praise uttered from his lips were laced with ulterior motives. You knew better than to trust the tenderness he showed you. All this was to him was a game, and you were just another piece on the chess board, moved and manipulated according to his grand design.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the temple’s vast halls, growing louder until Manami appeared at the doorway, her voice calm, but urgent: “Geto, there’s an emergency in Kyoto and Shinjuku. Several leaders have reported ambushes. You need to act immediately.”

Geto’s tender expression hardened, the softness in his eyes replaced by something cold and calculating. He turned to you, and for a moment, you swore you saw a flicker of regret in his gaze, but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

“I’m sorry, my sweet,” he began, his voice low, tender, loving. You ignored the bile threatening to rise in your chest, forcing the disgust you possessed for him down. “I must go. It won’t be long—a few days at the most. I trust you’ll take care of the girls while I’m away.”

His hand reached out to you, brushing your cheek with a touch that sent a shiver dancing down your spine. While his touch seemed warm, there was something unsettling about the way his fingers lingered, and the way his gaze flickered to the gold band on your finger which gleamed each time it reflected the daylight peeping through the windows. You attempted to take it out numerous times when you were alone; your fingers trembling as you touched the band, but each time you were met with a wave of nausea so powerful it left you gasping for breath.

“I’ll be back soon,” Geto whispered, his lips brushing your forehead in a lingering affectionate kiss that left a cold spot on your skin. He pulled away, his piercing violet gaze locking on yours, and for a moment, the world closed in on the two of you, his presence demanding, controlling.

“Don’t worry,” he added with a reassuring wink and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I always keep my promises.”

And with that, he went off with Manami in tow, the door closing behind him with a finality which left you feeling more alone than you ever did when you were with him.

Satoru moved through the temple like a phantom; his presence a mere flicker of cursed energy in the air, unnoticed by anyone or anything. His Six Eyes scanned every corner, every shadow, seeking out the faintest trace of your presence. He had warped into the temple in silence, his Infinity activated, his heart pounding erratically despite the calm exterior he sported for your sake.

When his eyes finally spotted you, seated at the low table with Geto’s adopted twins, his breath caught in his throat. Relief flooded through him, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of anger as he recalled the sort of things Geto had done to you, and then his senses zeroed in on the gold band encircling your finger. The rune etched into it? Unmistakable—Geto’s work. A low growl rumbled in Gojo’s chest, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides.

He waited until the twins left the room to reveal himself, their voices fading into the distance as they wandered off to another part of the temple. The moment they were gone, Gojo warped to your side in a flash, his presence a sudden and overwhelming.

You gasped, staggering backward a bit as your eyes widened in shock as you stared up at him, almost in disbelief that he was here.

“G-Gojo!”

Gojo stared at the gold band on your finger.

“That sick fucking bastard,” Gojo muttered under his breath, his fingers reaching out to brush against the cool metal of the band around your finger. The cursed energy embedded in it was powerful indeed, wrapping around your skin like chains. “To get this off of you, we’ll need to exorcise the cursed energy gluing it to your finger.”

You blinked up at him, your confusion evident as you tilted your head. Relief washed over you at the sight of him, but it was quickly replaced by the thousands of questions threatening to spill out of your mouth.

“So let me get this straight,” you began, your voice laden with sarcasm as you rubbed the bridge of your nose. “Geto was telling the truth? You haven’t been wholly honest with me either? Sorcery? Exorcisms? That shit is all real?”

Gojo gave you a small, almost apologetic smil, his voice low as he tried to keep the conversation from drawing any unwanted attention.

“Yep,” he replied, emphasizing the ‘p’ with a soft pop. He pulled down his blindfold, revealing the brilliant blue eyes of his, the intensity of them rivaling the sky on a perfect, clear day. There was a sort of sincerity in them, an openness you had never seen before on anyone, other than Mei. “I’m sorry for this, sweetheart. That private religious school thing I told you about? More of a cover-up for this organization. We can’t exactly let the public know what really goes on there. It would cause quite the controversy.”

You gave him a noncommittal hum in response, your fingers fiddling with the gold band in frustration. “So how do I believe you? How do I know this shit is real?”

Gojo crouched down to your level, his grin widening, though there seemed to be a flicker of amusement in his eyes at your disbelief. “Can you get the ring off yourself?”

You pouted, looking away, the frustration flashing across your face. “…No. I even contemplated cutting off my finger.”

And shoving the decaying finger down Geto’s throat, suffocating him with his love, you added in your mind, but kept to yourself.

“There’s your proof,” he affirmed, his tone gentle but firm. Then he put on an air of goofiness, perhaps in an effort to break the tension, pointing his thumb at himself. “But don’t worry! You’ve got the world’s strongest exorcist on your side. We’ll get that off of you in no time flat.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but you were interrupted when the air around you shifted; a dark, oppressive presence descending upon the temple. You recognized it immediately—a sensation that sent chills crawling down your spine like spiders. Geto returned, and far sooner than expected. A diversion? A false call? Gojo’s hand immediately flew to your shoulder, his gaze hardening and his body tensing as he prepared for the inevitable confrontation—one he hoped to avoid.

“He caught on quick. Hang on tight, pretty girl,” Gojo whispered, his voice low and urgent.

In a flash, the world around you blurred as Gojo warped you both outside the temple. The humid afternoon air clung to your skin. But you weren’t far away enough. Standing before the two of you, his dark robe billowing a bit in the wind, was Suguru Geto. His eyes were still cold, calculating, but there was a burning fury behind them when those violet eyes landed on you in Gojo’s protective hold. The sight of you there, with Gojo’s hands on your waist and shoulder, sent a tidal wave of rage through him.

“This doesn’t have to resort to violence, Satoru,” Geto growled, his voice low and threatening, though his eyes betrayed the storm of emotions raging within him.

Gojo shifted slightly, moving you further behind him, shielding you with his body.

“Let her go quietly,” he warned, his tone calm and even, but there was an underlying fury, a tension that burbled just beneath the surface. “This doesn’t have to get ugly, just like you said.”

A dark, twisted smile curled on Geto’s lips as his gaze flickered between you and Gojo. “Sorry, Satoru. I need her more than you do.” He extended his hand toward you, curling his finger in a beckoning motion. “Come to me, love.”

The ring on your finger began to glow a deep, ominous light that pulsed with pure, cursed energy. The rune etched into it flared to life, its power resonating deep within you, a force that you couldn’t resist even if you tried. Geto’s voice, smooth like dark chocolate and laced with dark promise, reverberated in your mind, compelling you to move against your will.

“Did I not promise I would protect you?” Geto murmured, his voice soft yet laden with underlying menace, those piercing eyes never leaving yours. “Did you not understand the depths of my devotion to you? This ring binds you to me. Quite literally, in fact.”

Before you could react, the cursed energy in the right surged, pulling you forward with an invisible force that dragged you toward Geto. Your body carried you against your will, your feet stumbling as you were hurtled toward him in a blur of motion. Geto’s hand reached out, his fingers brushing against yours before wrapping around your wrist, pulling you into an embrace.

The gold band on your finger burned, the searing heat causing you to gasp in shock and pain. You could feel the cursed energy crawling up your arm, wrapping around yo like chains, binding you to him even tighter.

Your eyes flitted to Gojo, his face twisted into an expression of pure, unadulterated fury. His usually confidence demeanor cracked under the weight of his raging emotions. But Geto merely chuckled, the sound low and dark like storm clouds, as he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in closer. He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of your ear as he whispered.

“Oh dear, Satoru… Whatever will you do now? If you attack me, she’ll get hurt. How will you protect her from me?”

Geto lifted your hand, displaying the gold band to Gojo, the cursed energy within it pulsing like a heartbeat. His eyes gleamed with malicious intent as he began to channel more of his own cursed energy into the ring, the ground beneath your feet trembling.

“With this ring,” Geto whispered, his voice dripping with dark amusement, his sinister gaze never leaving Gojo’s. “I thee wed.”

The ring surged with power, its cursed energy swelling to a critical point, the force of it overpowering. You could feel it—the binding of the ring, Geto’s vows to you solidifying, a connection that seemed to thrum with life.

“You see,” Geto went on, his voice calm but laden with a sinister edge. “This ring does more than just serve as a symbol of our love. It’s not just about protecting her from this ugly world. It’s about our commitment to each other. I’m binding her to me, and there’s nothing you can ever do to break that bond we share, Satoru. She’s mine.”

Geto chuckled again, dark, terrifying.

“You’re too late as usual, Satoru.”

Gojo clenched his fists on either side, his jaw clenching as he glared down on his oldest, only friend, now his greatest enemy. The air crackled with tension like lightning. Your eyes glimmered as you glanced at Gojo, tears streaming down your cheeks.

“Gojo!” you called, but Geto reacted with a growl, tightening his already iron grip around your waist.

“Don’t speak his name,” he sneered, “You only seek my support.”

The air between the three of you felt suffocating; the oppressive weight of cursed energy pressing down on everything around you. Geto’s cursed energy pulsed through the ring, searing your skin with its malevolent power. The ground beneath your feet still trembled, a physical manifestation of the immense forces at play, that you couldn’t see, as Geto’s eyes locked onto Gojo’s with challenge evident in the atmosphere.

But Gojo, you noticed, despite the fury burbling beneath his calm exterior, likely wasn’t regarded as the ‘strongest exorcist alive’ for nothing. His eyes, though concealed through his blindfold, missed nothing. He saw the slight tremor in Geto’s hand as he channeled the curse energy, the way the ring’s glow pulsed in time with your panicked heartbeat, and the slight crack in Geto’s usually impenetrable composure—all of it enough for Gojo to exploit.

“You’ve become way too cocky for your own good, Suguru,” Gojo his voice almost too calm. He stepped forward, his body language relaxed, but there was a deadly precision to his movements. “But you’re forgetting something here.”

Geto’s eyes narrowed into slits, his grip on you secured. “And what would that be, Satoru?”

Gojo gave him a slow, dangerous smile, as he reachd up to pull his blindfold off completely, revealing those piercing blue eyes that definitely saw through everything. “You’re outclassed compared to me. That’s why you defected, isn’t it?”

In an instant, Gojo’s cursed energy flared to life, a brilliant, blinding aura that seemed to envelope everything in a protective cocoon between the three of you. The air crackled again like lightning as he activated his Limitless technique, hands forming a gesture you didn’t recognize; the space between him, you, and Geto warping in a way that seemed to defy reality and everything you thought you knew.

Geto’s eyes widened in shock, impressed Gojo would go this far for your sake.

“Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!” Huh? What was that? Gojo’s voice rang out like a command, and the world seemed to explode in a burst of energy. You still didn’t seem to understand.

It all happened so quickly. It didn’t seem like the force of the attack was even aimed at Geto. Instead, the attack targeted the space around the ring, the cursed energy within it being neutralized for a split second. The overbearing pressure on your hand, the searing pain of the cursed bond—all of it disappeared in a flash, leaving you free—if only for a heartbeat.

In that fleeting moment, Gojo moved faster than a blink, his hand closing around your wrist and yanking you away from Geto’s grasp. The world blurred around you as he warped you both away, the temple and Geto vanishing into the distance as you were pulled into Gojo’s protective embrace.

But Geto didn’t seem deterred. Not in the slightest. He didn’t give up the good fight so easily. The moment Gojo’s Red had broken the bond, Geto’s cursed energy surged back with a vengeance, the ring on your finger flaring to life once more. Another violent tug, like an invisible chain tried to yank you back towards Geto, but Gojo’s hold didn’t relent.

“Too bad, so sad, Suguru,” Gojo taunted, sticking his tongue out at him like a child, his voice low but full of determination. His cursed energy surged again, a blinding light, and with a deft twist of his wrist, he activated another technique—another you didn’t quite understand the gravity of either. “You forget I’m the strongest in every sense of the word.”

Geto couldn’t even react before Gojo’s next move.

His hands formed another gesture. “Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.”

The force of ‘Blue’ created an implosion of sorts, drawing in the cursed energy surrounding the ring and compressing it into nothingness. The ring on your finger finally shattered, the cursed energy binding you to Geto disintegrating in an instant. Not a single trace of its power left behind and you could almost cry tears of joy and relief.

When the ring broke, those invisible chains between you and Geto vanished, the oppressive weight lifting from your chest and you felt lighter like feathers. You gasped for breath, your body trembling from the release of the cursed energy, but Gojo’s presence beside you grounded you.

As Gojo warped you both away, you heard Geto’s furious roar echoing through the day. The anguished cry of a man who lost his most prized possession. By the time he regained composure, you and Gojo disappeared, this time warped to safety. The temple finally left behind as if nothing but a distant memory.

Gojo landed you back on solid ground, but not at your apartment or at your clinic. This seemed like a facility hidden in Tokyo. Was this that ‘private school’ Gojo spoke of? You looked around in awe. The ‘schoolgrounds’ felt welcoming in contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of Geto’s temple. You turned to Gojo, who was still inspecting you for any remnants of potential cursed energy clinging to your hand which once possessed the gold band. His expression seemed relieved, but also angry.

“Welcome to Jujutsu Tech,” Gojo announced softly, his eyes searching yours for any lingering fear. “You’re safe now.”

You nodded, though your heart was still pounding erratically from everything that had just transpired. Everything that had happened in the last…who knew how long, replayed in your mind like a film, but all you could feel now was relief, gratitude, and something else far deeper.

“Thank you, Gojo,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

He looked at you for a long moment, his usual playful and carefree demeanor replaced by his more serious side, more sincere side. He took your hand, and placed your phone over it. Fully charged. You saw on your home screen millions of worried calls and texts from Mei.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get to you,” he added. You were about to respond, but then the corners of his mouth quirked up into that familiar, playful smile. “But enough of that. We need to introduce you to the rest of the class!”

You quirked an eyebrow. “I thought the school was a coverup.”

“It is, but you still have classmates,” he replied with a wink. “Other sorcerers who’ll protect you in case Geto tries anything again. He’s a wanted man ‘round these parts, so it’s not like he’s going to come here unless he wants to face certain execution.”

“Did he really kill an entire village?” you inquired, scared of the answer.

That seemed to have caught him off guard. He likely didn’t expect you to find that out, or for Geto to admit that to you so openly.

“Yes, unfortunately,” he replied, hesitating for a moment before adding the next bit, deciding it was better now that you knew everything. “And his parents.”

Your eyes widened. Just when you thought Geto couldn’t be any more psychotic.

“That’s why I held off on telling you everything,” he went on, gripping your hands and rubbing his thumb over your knuckles. “But seriously, let’s get you settled here. There’s a lot of important people I’d like you to meet. I already spoke to our Principal and he’s on board with this being your safe house of sorts.”

“My hero,” you said, this time genuine, as a small smile tugged at your lips.

Gojo gave you a wry smile. “That’s me; don’t wear it out.”

[dotthings]

Let me make this even clearer. Because Jensen and Misha both deserve better.

Given that we know they talk a lot about Destiel among themselves. They have told us, repeatedly. They've shared each other's perspectives with each other. They have an understanding.

Early misunderstandings and conflicts in pov aside (and do people want to keep circle jerking as if it's still 2014? Okay then. Have at it, but time moved on and you didn't): Jensen doesn't speak over Misha. Misha doesn't speak over Jensen.

Some things Misha has said about Dean or Destiel has resulted in Jensen stans attacking him. They always have some excuse--this past weekend it was because Misha acknowledged the idea of Dean and Cas having sex.

In the past, another example, backlash came at Misha for saying Cas saw love and acceptance in Dean's eyes.

(Which...sure does seem like the pearl-clutching about Misha's CR8 comments being too ribald is fake virtue signaling doesn't it, since even a statement from Misha wide open to platonic or romantic reading, that is 100% true about Dean, and how loving he is, how loving we know Dean is, how much we know Dean is going to accept and love Cas either way, got hatred aimed at Misha as if he had said something heinous. Tells me all I need to know about certain stans).

While Jensen's "Cas is an angel therefore his love is cosmic and unknowable impossible for humans to grasp let's not define it" and "open to interpretation" middleground to appease both sides and treading carefully for reasons, on a topic that's napalm in fandom (it shouldn't be, but that's the reality), might be construed as speaking over Misha.

But here's the thing!!! It's not!! From either of them!!

It seems very obvious by now that they decided Misha would be the loud one, with Jensen holding his cape, even if he doesn't join in , and Jensen walking a diplomatic middle line, also with Misha's understanding and support in turn.

When Misha goes off boldly about Destiel? People need to kick out that hate fantasy about Jensen being disrespected and Jensen must be wanting to punch Misha and Jensen must be so mad at Misha how dare Misha out of their heads, or get to the point where they can comprehend the difference between their own feelings vs Jensen's and quit projecting.

They didn't shut each other out. They talked about Destiel. They listened to each other. Highly likely, in fact, that they helped each develop or refine their talking points.

Neither of them has been shooting off their mouth about the other's character without having spoken to each other.

I don't have any hope for fans to stop the endless fighting and concern trolling and attacking either Jensen or Misha over it, needlessly, perpetually, but when it comes to Jensen and Misha...that's a hopeful space.

Misha's bluntness vs Jensen's carefully chosen middleground words complement each other are not in fact oppositional takes--they complement each other, there's room for both. They both know it's a mutually loving relationship.

Neither is trampling on the other's pov, and any views that don't perfectly align, they've already discussed and they respect each other.

These accusations at either of them are not true, they are not fair, and they both deserve better.

And now I'm staring right at a recent thing where Misha full on absolved Jensen of an accusation that various lanes kept throwing at him, and still weaponize, including Jensen stans who claim to be defending Jensen, because they want it to be true.

The response was manufactured drama where people called Misha a liar and doubling down.

They'd rather Jensen take the fall and they'd rather call Misha a liar than believe a soulless corporation that has been caught more than once exercising queer censorship could have committed queer censorship in a TV industry where it's common knowledge that queer censorship by broadcast TV networks happen???????

Wow gee can you feel the love in this Chili's. Great going. Excellent defense strategy. You're really such a big help. With fans like these, Jensen and Misha don't need antis.

A lot of it is agenda driven, and some anxiety driven, every lane's worried about other lanes react, because spn fandom is always a pain in the neck that way. Some people hate Destiel so much they need Jensen to be their antidestiel warrior they'll throw Jensen under a bus and stan for the corporation, or they're so anxious about how Destiel gets treated they blame Jensen and forever hold against him his past foot in mouth about the ship (which was a long time ago. Please stop punishing him endlessly when he's moved on and his perspectives are respectful, yet you're still stuck back there) rather than comprehending the actual systemic factors.

Jensen and Misha are both doing what they can to make it better.

They are trying to fix it!!!

People should show them more respect!!!!

[alexitheslayer02]

Okay.... Miquella Tangent

Tangent time, buckle in fellow Tarnished. I'm going lore hound mode.

[Note: I am by no means a lore expert. This is largely my interpretations and perspectives. I am not saying who is right, who is wrong, or any of that. I am not going to hate on anyone who does not agree with me. I will hate on people who are rude bitches in the comments or reblogs. I don't have time or patience for trolls and butthurt assholes. At the end of this, I will have links to other analyses of Miquella that others have done that I find interesting.] I predict that I may start a war hhh I want to be clear. I am not excusing the wrong doings Miquella made. He made poor choices (to put it lightly). I just also refuse, with everything given, to believe that Miquella is pure this or that, when he is a complex character within himself. I also don't believe Mohg deserved the treatment he got, nor is he fully absolved of the crimes he did commit either. ----------------------- In my opinion, Miquella is a great example of two things.

"The road to hell is paved in good intentions"

And that an overabundance in anything, even things generally thought of as good, can prove malignant.

Miquella is not an innately evil character. He is flawed, yes, but not evil by nature. I would classify him as a chaotic neutral, not evil, but not good either. He's in between.

Here is why I believe this to be so.

First of all, Miquella's bewitchment.

This is such a core part of his character, and I believe a core part of why people may hate him or feel sympathy for him depending on your perspective on it. First, is it a fully conscious thing? Is it involuntary? Or something in between? This is important to consider for any character with such an ability. Examples: Dracula, and Eida.

(Source for Image: Wikipedia) It's easy to hate Dracula, or see him as manipulative, because of his bewitching abilities. It's a conscious decision, so we understand that he is evil, he is hunting, he is manipulative, and should die.

[Source: It.... literally says so]

Eida is more sympathetic to a point than Dracula, as her bewitchment is not a conscious thing. It's as involuntary as the beating of the human heart. She can not "turn it off", so she never had true friends or romance, leaving her to live a relatively lonely life in a sense. What is my point? The nature of Miquella's ability, and how we choose to view it from what little we know of the vague snippets we hear/read can vastly alter how we view Miquella as a character. I, personally, see it as having always been there. An unconscious thing that existed since birth, and over time, became something of a defense mechanism, and something he may have loathed. If you have the ability to charm people somehow, and you can not control it, how would that warp your idea of what love or friendship is? It has to have some effect on his mentality towards these things. Now of course, Miquella had to have had some minor control of it, but I doubt he had complete control. Just knew how to fine tune it's trajectory to suit his needs. Like in the boss fight. I believe he always wanted to control it, but like all his plans, it never came to true fruition. [Headcanon: I headcanon that it is laced in his voice. So whenever he speaks, regardless of intention, you are at a threat of being bewitched. It could also explain how he is able to do this at such a scale as well. As evidenced by the Tarnished, some people seem to have some level of resistance to this bewitchment, which I think is linked to a strength of will. Though I have no way of knowing for certain.] Now. Another thing I think needs to be addressed is those under his thrall. It seems to me that Miquella can not fully control them. This is not BG3, where we have parasitical tadpoles to monitor people's thoughts and constantly affect our thought process in the moment. Miquella is not omnipresent, so he can not be at fault for every little action someone under his thrall makes. At best, I think the bewitchment is like planting a seed of bias. The plant that grow from it is utter devotion, but it's not like Miquella is actively editing people's thoughts. Think of it this way. Would you blame a leading officer for the actions that a grunt soldier took in the officer's absence? Of course not (I hope), the soldier made his own, personal, conscious decision by himself. It will, of course, be the officer's responsibility to punish or reward the soldier accordingly, but the fault does not lie with the officer in the end. Besides, we see that Miquella's charm does not alter his followers' personalities. It simply directs them into his favor. Their choices are their own to make. That never changed.

------------------------ Next up, Miquella's Curse. Miquella is cursed to never age. He is nascent, full of potential like a butterfly just leaving it's cocoon, but never flying far beyond that point.

From that, I would place his physical appearance as appearing between twelve to thirteen. Just reaching puberty, but not quite feeling or gaining the genuine effects.

However, he is just as old as Malenia chronologically. Most people would likely assume he'd have that maturity, right?

I personally don't think so.

"The most important psychological and psychosocial changes in puberty and early adolescence are the emergence of abstract thinking, the growing ability of absorbing the perspectives or viewpoints of others, an increased ability of introspection." 

(source:

This helps to make my point.

If Miquella is physically held back in this regard, it does effect his mentality. Not to mention, if everyone sees him as a child, they are likely to treat him as such. Regardless of it being intentional or not.

This would have an effect on his mental maturity. There is no doubt that Miquella is HIGHLY intelligent.  At the same time, intelligence does not equal maturity.

Neither does intelligence negate naivety, idealism, or just simply lack of forethought and/or consideration of consequences. It is a simple fact that children do not often consider the consequences their actions will have on others. They may think of the possible consequences their actions will have on themselves...

But when they are focused on a goal, or obsessed with said goal, they become narrow minded and don't consider the full scale of their consequences.

In fact, I hesitate to say this is a purely childish thing.

Many adults get a similar mentality, and focus on themselves rather than thinking outside of their tunnel vision. Especially if they are obsessed with whatever goal they have.

It's simply more common in children, because they lack the forethought to consider such things and have a lesser capability to consider other viewpoints. Combine that with Miquella mostly being treated as a child... He is literally an adult/child. But the child is far more prominent.

And children, often have the most dangerous of ideals.

Miquella's main goal, which he believes will take care of his other goals such as curing his sister's affliction and giving Godwyn a true death, is to become a god.

He wishes to usher in a new age ruled by compassion. 

To "Let all things flourish, whether graceful or malign."

Sounds nice initially, right? To let all life have a chance to live. To not have to suffer. That sounds wonderful, right? It's such a "kind" future.

Well....

"graceful or malign"

Good or evil.

Even things that are evil in nature would flourish in this new age. Why?

Because "Kindly Miquella", out of an act of kindness, would spare them death and consequence, to give them a chance to flourish. This is not because he does not care. It's because he does care.

Kindness does not necessarily mean good.

"the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate" is what kindness means.

Miquella is not good, nor evil. He's just....kind. He saw the suffering people had under Marika's rule, and wanted to amend it, yet, he only followed in her footsteps, childishly believing he knew better than his mother.

"Killing with kindness", have you heard that saying before? ------------------------- Because Miquella is so focused on achieving his goals, mostly for the sake of his sister [who awaits his return, which she mentions herself, so I doubt she was unaware of Miquella's plans. WHICH, destroys the abandonment argument I do believe] and half-brother, and all the people oppressed by the Golden Order, he likely does not even realize how this kindness would hurt people in his ideal age.

He, just as likely, does not even realize the suffering he is currently, likely unintentionally in my opinion, inflicting on the very people he intends to help in the first place.

As I mentioned before, I imagine that his bewitching ability is something he always had, and combined with his childlike appearance (cause who would ever suspect an innocent child?), was very powerful, and he likely did not even realize that he was using it in his earlier years, as a defense mechanism.

When he would come to realize what it was and what it did, he probably never thought of the pain it could cause, of the deaths he could unintentionally inflict. He simply, likely, saw it as simply another tool to use to help people.

Like a child running up to their parents with a chef's knife they saw them use while cooking, not realizing they could hurt themselves or others by running with it in hand.

"Well, what's this… … Yes, yes, I should have known. Even the truth was itself mere folly. As if using Lord Mohg to gain entrance to the land of shadow were not enough, he plans to use his corpse as the vessel of his king consort. He has forsaken Lord Mohg's soul. He desires only his empty shell. It beggars belief, but… I'm afraid Tender Miquella fails to grasp the humiliation implied by this act. One thing is certain. My dear lord deserved better." -Sir Ansbach Even Ansbach points this out, in how Miquella probably does not grasp how wrong this is, what he is doing to Mohg, and how this likely hurts the people who were under Mohg's command. People who also suffered under the Golden Order. --------------------- "Why did Miquella choose Radahn over Mohg?" I don't know when Miquella could have possibly met Mohg, but I am certain Miquella must have met Radahn a few times at least. In which case, he could have seen Radahn's kind aspects, rather than the vicious war lord. For instance, Radahn's loyalty to his horse. Radahn's care/respect for his soldiers, and thus the loyalty exhibited by said soldiers. Not to mention Radahn's respect for the Sellia school and skills in combat. To Miquella, who is physically weak due to his eternal youth, who's sole power lies in magic, Radahn likely seemed like a hero through the gilded lens of tales and boasts. Besides, Miquella would need someone to defend and fight for him when he reached godhood, who better than a general who seemed to have a kind heart? Through limited meetings, Miquella could have seen a white knight, a Lord like Godfrey or Godwyn. Someone who could chase the monsters away. As for poor Mohg... I have no answers. Maybe you guys can help me on that front. --------------------- And the last and final point I would like to add on....

Is what he does to himself throughout the DLC. He's abandoning parts of himself.

"I abandon here the flesh of my body."

"I abandon here my heart."

"I abandon here my doubt and vacillation."

(Vacillation- the lack of ability to decide what to do, or the act of changing often between two opinions)

"I abandon here my love." (found right before we find his alter ego/other half, St. Trina.)

"I abandon here all my fears."

He's literally abandoning all of who and what he was. All his emotions, his physical form.... everything that he is and ever was

Just to become a god. Just to bring about a "gentler world". All for the sake of kindness.

Which, in a way, reminds me of how some people, just to be kind to others, will abandon parts of who they are and what makes them happy, just so they don't offend people or hurt their feelings.

But in the end, they hurt themselves and the people they love in the process. Just to be kind.

What really drives home the fact that Miquella is hurting himself and everyone around him, and is blind to that fact, is St. Trina's dialogue if you find her.

"Make Miquella stop... Don't turn the poor thing into a god... Godhood would be Miquella's prison. A caged divinity... is beyond saving. You must kill Miquella... Grant him forgiveness." St. Trina is to Miquella what Radagon is to Marika. And no, I do not mean husband and wife.

As Radagon and Marika are the same person, but two different halves and people, so are St. Trina and Miquella.

So no one knows Miquella better than St. Trina. Miquella foolishly, naively, believed he knew better than Marika, and believed that by cutting himself off from everything that made him so painfully human, that he could be a better god. However, that only perpetuated the cycle, and it would cage and torture him, and everyone else, like it did with Marika. St. Trina saw that, while Miquella did not. [Note: Someone theorized that, like with Malenia, Miquella's outer god that cursed him is linked to flesh. So by cutting out his flesh, he made himself a pointless vessel. Which is part of why his ascension failed in the end. It's an interesting tidbit I wanted to add here.]

My conclusion, as was obvious from the start....

Miquella is not purely evil. Nor is he purely good. He's in the middle.

He's a child that wants to help people, but is blinded by this desire. Blinded by his own kindness. It's literally in two of his many titles.

"Kindly Miquella" and "Miquella the Kind"

He's kind.

To quote Ansbach in the DLC. "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men... there is nothing more terrifying..."

[Shrive: hear the confession of, assign penance to, and absolve] Just to be clear, I am not excusing his actions. He made terrible choices. As I said at the start, "The road to hell is paved in good intentions".

Miquella forged his own path to hell with his actions Wooh boy. That was a lot. Anyway, uuhhh, I'm done now. Bye.

[singmyaubade]

take it or leave it

enemy!james potter x female!reader

summary: you knew liking james potter would be a challenge but you were ready to face it.

word count: 1.2k

warning: cursing, angst, and eventual smut.

Another argument at the start of Quidditch.

Great.

Two soon-to-be Quidditch captains, unable to get along for one practice.

Really great.

It all started with James muttering something about how you only got on the team because of your brother and how you have to show skill now that he's gone.

He knew that would infuriate you, and it did.

This caused an argument that made everyone's heads hurt and only took time away from practice.

Everyone was sick of both of you, including both of your friend groups.

"Oh yeah, Potter?" You scoffed at him, "You are as useless as a bloody troll when it comes to Quidditch, and I am sure you are half-troll based on how you fly."

"Aww, you watch me?" He taunted.

As you were about to fight his words back, you were interrupted.

"That's it!" Trevor Wood, the Quidditch Captain, yelled.

You both closed your mouths, glaring at each other.

"I am sick of half our practices going to waste because you can't stop bickering!" He argued, "You are both entirely insufferable, and the only reason I haven't benched you both is because you are actually decent players."

Your tongue curled in your mouth, eyes averted to the side.

"I apologize, Wood," James was the first to speak, which surprised you, "If L/n wasn't so intolerable, we could somewhat actually win this season." The insult flowed as if he was saying his ABCs.

Trevor sighed.

You tried biting your tongue back but couldn't, "I am intolerable?" You repeated with a sarcastic laugh, "You are so intolerable that Evans couldn't bear to even utter a word to you." You smirked.

He grew red, "You wanna know what? You are the most-"

"Stop!" Trevor yelled, "You both have left me with no choice."

You both looked at him, scared he would kick you off the team.

Trevor finally spoke after several moments as if he had thought about the most miraculous idea.

"If you can prove to me that you both somewhat like each other by the end of the semester, I will ensure that both of you will be Quidditch captains next year. If you don't, I will bench you both for the rest of next semester." Trevor Wood states, putting his hand out to make the deal.

"That's outrageous!" You said, scoffing.

James looked equally perplexed, "Yeah, I mean, you know we hate each other, and how does that help you in any way?" James asked, looking a bit furious.

"One, it gets you both to actually spend time with each other and get along for the sake of everyone and two, I can finally run my Quidditch practices without the two of you being a pain in my arse." He explained.

"I respect you a lot, Wood, but this is impossible," You replied, "I mean, we just don't get along like cats and mice."

"Yeah," James agreed, "She is like the most annoying mouse that eats all your food and disgusts you."

You glared daggers at him, "I will actually kill you."

"See, you guys can't even agree with each other without an insult attacking each other," Trevor added, "This is the final choice for the both of you, take it or leave it.

You looked at James to see his jaw clenched; you could tell he was thinking hard and long about this.

Your heart was telling you to take the deal for your Quidditch career and that it would only be better for the long run, and you could somewhat get along with James.

Your mind was telling you that this was entirely ridiculous and there was no way you could ever get along with James due to his unbearable personality.

"I'll do it." James begrudgingly said, looking at Trevor.

Trevor then looked at you in question.

"I'll do it." You said, teeth gritting.

"Great!" Wood clapped his hands together, "Start now." He dismissed as you both groaned.

As you both were walking back to the locker rooms, you decided to at least talk to James about what they could do to prove to Wood that they liked each other.

"Potter," You looked at him, but he continued looking straight, "We actually have to figure out a way to prove it to him for the sake of the both of us."

He remained silent.

"How old are we to be doing the silent treatment?" You asked, rolling your eyes.

"This is all your fault." He muttered, shaking his head.

"How is this all my fault?" You scoffed.

"Because why do you always have to be so insufferable all the time?" He argued, looking at you this time.

"You are the one who always has to insult me even when I don't say a word to you!" You argued back.

"It's because your very presence angers me." He added.

"I don't even speak to you yet; you have a problem with everything I do; it makes no sense!" You angrily said.

"Whatever." He replied.

"Whatever?" You wanted to punch him, "This isn't whatever; this is my entire Quidditch career and yours. This isn't whatever; you need to start caring."

He suddenly moved close to you, his forehead nearly touching yours, and you could feel the blush roaming over your cheeks. You went to move backward, hitting a wall, but you failed to realize throughout the arguing that you both were in the locker room.

"You don't think I give a shit, L/n?" He spat, "This is all I have ever worked for, and yet, the only thing in my way is you."

You tensed, not even being able to muster up words. The meeting of your thighs spoke more now than you ever could.

"So don't you dare try to talk to me as if your career is the only one in jeopardy." He argued.

You still couldn't believe how close you both were to each other.

"I know it's not only me, so we must prove it to Wood." You finally spoke, "I can find it in my heart to get over whatever this is if it means that we both can be Quidditch captains."

He stepped back from you, "Fine, don't step on my toes, and I won't step on yours."

"No, we have to actually like each other, not just be forced to tolerate each other." You explained, "We actually have to hang out."

James sighed, "Okay, you can hang out with us.” He said, referring to his usual gang.

You grimaced, "Uh no, you can hang out with Dorcas, Mary, and Marlene."

His jaw tensed, "No, you can hang out with the us."

You scoffed, "You can hang out with us, and you might learn something smart." You insulted.

"What are you trying to say about us?" James argued.

"I'm sure you know what I meant." You sarcastically smiled.

"Yet the lot of you fell for the green skin prank." He laughed.

You were about to turn red, "That was not funny."

"You were in your true form, a bloody witch." He continued laughing at his own joke.

"You, you are just-" You couldn't think of an insult, "Whatever, we will start tomorrow." You said, stomping away from him as you continued hearing his laughing from miles away, a hundred percent sure he was continuing it to piss you off.

You knew this was going to be a challenge.

But you were ready to attempt to like James Potter,

Even if it costs you your dignity.

[all-things-jily]

Ok but we get harassed for tagging ships that are in the post too just because there’s other ones mentioned

The fandom is supposed to be fun! You guys support harassment and bullying over fiction! The problem that needs addressing is the people who harass not the people who tag! There’s a way to get people not to tag btw it’s tell them nicely! Not act horribly! Jily fans been sending jegulus writers hate & writing “if you wrote jily maybe you’d get treated better” the problem lies with the way jily fans act & people will start biting back because people can only take so much.

OK so I was looking at this for some minutes, truly dumbfounded. Because it's like no matter what we say we're not being heard.

Rant below for those who want to avoid it lol

"You guys support harassment and bullying over fiction!"

I'm ?????? Where in the world have either of us who have spoken up done that? When have we ever said anything other than "tag your posts properly"? Don't these two sentences have completely different meaning? Who are these people that are harassing? Because harassment is never ok and we have not encouraged that. But if you think that simply telling a person who used incorrect tags to remove the extra ones is harassment, I'll have to tell you that no, it is not, it is a very normal thing to do actually.

Yesterday there were a few posts about asking people to tag properly and in response we got that "Jily fans are horrible and inhumane, they harass and bully, they're the worst people ever" and actually got harassed in response. Do you think there's anything normal and fitting in what happened and in that reaction?

"Jily fans been sending jegulus writers hate & writing “if you wrote jily maybe you’d get treated better” this is actually wild because NONE OF US in our community have done that or WANT that, we want to stay as far away from all of that as possible. If you have some anon trolls going around in the community, that has nothing to do with us, most of us are grown people who have been fans since books came out and ain't nobody got time for that, I'm sure most of us don't even know who your writers are or their accounts. In fact, you can tell just by wording of that message that it's clearly a troublemaking troll and not a serious fan, no normal human talks like that.

As for fandom being fun, YES, it's supposed to be fun! But this is where my words about it not being a group project come in, because what's fun for you is not fun for us! In fact, it's the opposite of fun, we dislike it immensely, it upsets us and puts us in a bad mood and it doesn't even belong in our tag. So why should we be upset every single day, going into our tag that's supposed to be a place of comfort and fun, seeing things that are not supposed to be there, when people can simply --- tag properly according to Tumblr guidelines? And this is not new, we've been put through this for years now, and we've been asking politely over and over and over and nobody is listening, and now that we've gotten louder - in our own tag - suddenly we're the bad guys and harassers. When should it be enough? So this part of the ask "people will start biting back because people can only take so much" was incredibly ironic, because we've been taking it for YEARS and now we aren't even biting back, we're simply asking to tag and posting silly memes in our own space but are still getting vilified.

I will also address the first point because I think it causes a lot of general confusion about tagging:

"tagging ships that are in the post too just because there’s other ones mentioned"

A ship tag is for posts that have positive mentions of that ship.

If a post mentions multiple ships and is "X is great, Y is good, Jily is bad, I don't like it anymore" - this is not for Jily tag;

If a post has "Jily were together for 2 minutes, broke up and then *insert 3 paragraphs gushing over another ship that were true loves*" - this is not for Jily tag;

If a post has a poly ship that includes James and Lily - this is another ship, not Jily;

If a post is a huge fanfic dedicated to another ship with James or Lily and then has the last sentence about Jily basically settling together - this is not for Jily tag, though I see how there could be arguments about it;

There are many other instances too that I can't think of right away at this moment, but basically there's nuance here and just because Jily is brought up in a post doesn't make a post about Jily and the tag is for people who love the ship and want to celebrate their love, and the last thing they want to see there is completely unrelated posts with random Jily cameo in them that do not even portray them in a good way. This last topic is a bit of a complicated one with slippery edges, but I hope it was still comprehensible.

[night-market-if]

Helloo, while I agree with you that Milo is also a victim, I also think that the other anons are also justified in feeling that way about him. I'm really sorry if I'm wrong, but the way you reply to other people's thoughts, about things that you don't have the same opinion on, feels like you're telling them that they are wrong to feel that way.

Let's unpack this for a minute. Because I think this is a great opportunity.

I am not invalidating that anyone has an opinion. They are allowed to have an opinion. And, if they approached me like you just did, I would most likely respond to that opinion in a constructive way. But someone messaging me and just throwing out a random feeling they have that is negative, and then getting mad at me in return when I don't agree with them, is childish. I will not be apologizing for that because most of the people that are "angry" about something, come at me in a really negative context. And then when I state something differently (without attacking them even) they get irrationally upset. I mean, a prime example is me saying that Milo is also a victim. That there can be more than one victim. I then got a response saying I was the one flying off the handle. Following that was another response telling me that I am a hated author. That my game is terrible. That I am a bad person. I mean, think about that for a minute here. Does the response corelate with what I said? Does it warrant that? No.

People are always valid to have an opinion, but there are two things to say about it. Most of the time, the people coming at me, are internet trolls. Not actual readers. And I'm sorry, we were indoctrinated at a young age to "ignore the bullies" and I just don't think that is the right response. Because now we have a generation that ignored the bullies and they got way worse because no one had a social contract to call them out.

Two, the ones that are not trolls, are lacking a lot of media literacy. That is actually an extreme problem within our society. And, since I am the author, it is my job to offer what I was trying to say within my story. That may not align with someone's opinion. But me having my own opinion, does not warrant someone getting mad at me. I didn't get mad at them so why am I suddenly greeted with toxicity.

I get where you are coming from saying that people are allowed to have their own opinion. And I have stated over and over again that everyone is valid for it. I'm not even saying for someone to change their mind or go away. But, someone else's opinion does not invalidate my own. Just as my own does not invalidate theirs. And if someone feels like it does, and this is going to sound cruel, but it is not my responsibility to regulate that for them. That most likely stems from a personal standpoint. I am not responsible for someone being offended by what I have to say about my own story and my own fictional characters. You don't see me coming on here and crying out that someone on anon made me "feel bad". That's not a thing.

There is a difference between just saying something out loud and engaging in a conversation. Constructive criticism is where you offer a opinion, give why you are offering it, and then explain how it does or does not work for the narrative. Then, I can come back, ask questions, respond with what maybe I was intending, and figure out a better way to get what I was intending across.

Non constructive criticism is just coming to me as an anon, and saying they are angry and want to hurt someone. Or that they don't like something of my story without giving why.

To further some points. Milo is a triggering character. I knew this from the beginning. The things that he did is not for the faint of heart and speaks to betrayal. And a lot of people who have been in a situation where they feel betrayed, are going to respond negatively to that. But, that is on them. That is for them to work through and own. It is not the responsibility of my story to change because of that. And coming on to say that you hate a character and want to harm them. Or coming on to say that I'm a bad writer. Or even coming on to say that I'm hated on reddit (to which I say, isn't everyone?) is providing nothing to this community, world, or our author reader relationship. It is done solely with the intent to try and hurt someone because the reader themselves was hurt.

To end this, I am going to make this statement. Telling me it "feels" like I am telling someone they are wrong is based in a personal feeling towards a situation. It is not based in facts. It is not based in anything that I have said. And while everyone has a right to their opinion, just because I am an author and a content creator, does not mean I don't get to defend my story or my characters. If I was being racists, sexist, transphobic? All things to come at someone for. But because I wrote something that makes people angry and they don't want to continue going on a journey with the characters and would rather just block their minds to character growth? I can't do anything about that. If there is no conversation they want to engage in, if they simply want to come on and troll me, then they need to not be surprised when I treat them the same way they are treating me.

I hope this makes more sense and provides some understanding.

Zinnia

[snakejar]

and the history book on the shelf... is always repeating itself.

aside from the absolutely disrespectful farewell for logan sargeant, i cant believe we are doing this shit again.

lets take it back.

its 2022. logan is announced to be driving for williams in 2023. he scores 1 point the entire year and is trolled the whole time for never performing. james vowles resigns him for the 2024 season nonetheless and says that they believe in him to grow and improve. he doesn't, and for he's abandoned by the team before the season even ends.

but the only reason logan was underperforming in the first place was because it was too early. sure, he had done 1 year in f2, but the type of people who do one year in f2 and win big in f1 are the charles leclercs, oscar piastris, and george russells of the world, and not everyone is like that. he needed more experience, more confidence, more familiarity - none of which he got enough of in 1 year.

and now its happening again, but worse. franco colapinto has no future in formula 1 - racing for 9 races, being replaced the next year, and not being able to go back to f2 is the dictionary definition of the death of a career. he'll likely find a spot at the back of the garage as a reserve driver for the forseeable future. worse yet, franco has even less experience than logan. he is an f2 rookie this year. he hasnt even completed a full season. hes raced in an f1 car maybe 3 times ever. he doesnt even have a full super license. logan's replacement should be better than him, bring in more money than him, guaranteed to do better than logan has or may, at the very least so that unceremoniously dropping logan in the middle of the season is a bit more justified - but franco is none of those things, and cannot be promised to be any of those things. franco has won fewer times than logan, is placing lower than logan did in f2. he is not promised to be great in the same way kimi antonelli or liam lawson are promised to be. and the argentine money and support may be plenty, but is it more than the american money? the established support, fans, and popularity logan has? i want to clarify this is not a hate post on franco colapinto, but it is simply reality. williams is dropping logan for failure to perform and the unlikelihood of performance later this season, which means they need to pick up someone who has demonstrated the potential to perform and will certainly perform this season, because driver swaps are costly and risky, and franco is simply not a safe bet or solution.

this is not the fulfillment of a dream for franco colapinto, it is the murder of a career. james vowles knows that alex albon and carlos sainz will be driving next year. he knows franco is inexperienced and therefore will very likely replicate logan's lack of results. he knows that graduating him to f1 will mean he cannot return to f2. he knows that he has not planned a future for franco at williams past these next 9 races. why would he do this? franco will have to settle for driving reserve or fucking off next year, and finding your footing in a completely different racing series is difficult, especially when you're young and your career has changed so rapidly. over the years it has been demonstrated time and time again that we never learn from our mistakes, and that the history book will forever be repeating itself, and this saga is only another chapter in said history book. in 4 months we will likely be watching franco colapinto race in formula 1 for the last time ever, and maybe at the end of it all james will finally reconsider replacing inexperienced rookies with inexperienced rookies.

edit: i was under the impression that there was a rule against going back to f2 after you get into f1, but apparently there isnt. even so, its rather unlikely because f2 teams have more than enough young prospects to choose from next year, and often cant afford an ex f1 driver's salary. plus its still a sad move career wise for franco; the likelihood of him making it in f1 after racing 9 races, going back to f2, and going back into f1 again is very unlikely.

[simplydannie]

Fanfic about Poppy, Viva, and Velvet?

Great minds think alike! I had another friend request a little something between Poppy, Viva, and Velvet! @fairytypingg

Poppy and Viva friends with Velvet seems kinda out place, especially with Velvet's character being the way it is. But I think the little happiness that Poppy and Viva bring might be just the thing to help her.

We Got You

"IM FINE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE VENEER!" Velvet marched into her suit, and shut the door. "Vels!" Her brother attempted to run in after her, but the door was locked. He jiggled the knob, "Vels, please, talk to me."....Silence. She had been on edge recently, well, not recently, more like when they got out of prison...actually...when they were in prison. Veneer had made every attempt to talk to her, to have her open up to him about things that were going, about their next steps together....but she's completely shut him out. With a heavy sigh, Veneer retreated.

"The twins were set to call Vacay Island their home for the next couple of months. Bruce and Brandy have allowed them to work and live in one of the suits. Veneer enjoyed it, he felt like he was finally doing something right, something good. Velvet felt different. So many emotions were building inside of her, so many questions that needed answers. What would happen to them when they were done with their community service? Where would they live? The Trolls didn't really care for them. She hated how Veneer was always after them, always seeking their approval. They were always judging them she knew, but they didn't know it, they didn't know anything.... Velvet noticed...It was the first thing she noticed: Veneer was sick again. "Hey Vellie!" Velvet rolled her eyes at the sound of an annoying little Troll...Poppy. She just ignored her, just like she always would. She continued to clean he tables at the resort. "You know I'm going to get you to hang out with me and Viva! We're always looking to add another sister." The little Troll chimed. "I don't want a sister." Velvet said coldly. Another annoying voice piped up next to Poppy. "Uh, of course you do! Who wouldn't want a sister!" Viva exclaimed. "I have a brother. I'm good. Now can you PLEASE leave me alone." Velvet's tone was flat. Poppy tilted her head as she took a good look at the Rageon....Sadness, worry, fatigue...That's what Poppy saw. Velvet was trying to hold everything together, Poppy knew there was something beneath the service that was really troubling her. She opened her mouth to say something... "Hey guys!" Veneer came in holding a tray. He sported a dark blue vest with a black rolled up sleeve button up underneath. Black skinny pants were worn beneath his torso. "Guess whose the new waiter around here?" He did a full turn to show off his new look. "Meow! Vels doesn't your brother look so handsome!" Viva chimed. "Ugh." The Rageon rolled her eyes as she moved on to the next table. Veneer followed her hesitantly. "You know, we get off at the same time. Oh! Let's go snorkling before it gets dark!" A smile spread across his face. Poppy looked at Velvet to study her response. The Rageon's expression was left unchanged. "Seriously, you're asking again? " She replied without turning to look at him. "Go get the drinks to serve! Or you're fired." With a defeated look, Veneer retreated into the kitchen. Velvet could feel the eyes of the two small Trolls piercing her from behind.

"Why don't you ever want to hang out with him? Us, I guess I understand. But he's your brother. I'd give every chance to always be with Poppy." Viva explained. Velvet remained silent. Viva turned to her sister, hoping for some support.

"Velvet, is something else going on? I don't mean to always pry, but I always hear Veneer trying to open up to you...You just seem to...always shut him out. You know you....you can talk to me...You can talk to Viva! Girl to girl." Poppy tried her best to express her feelings of concern for the Rageon. One thing she learned about being queen, was how to read people, how to know when someone was sad, afraid, holding back.

"What goes on with me is none of your business. I just want to do my time and get out of here..."

CRASH!

The three girls turned their heads towards the sound of breaking glass coming from the kitchen. Velvet was the first to run in: Veneer was on the floor, struggling to get up, broken glass all around him.

"Vennie!" Viva attempted to go to his aid.

"Stay away!" Velvet was the first to his side.

"My bad!" He attempted a smile. "I-I slipped." Liar, Velvet mused. She could see the weakness in his arms and legs, how they went limp, how he struggled to find his strength to stand.

"Don't lie to me, Ven." She demanded. Her brother fell silent as she struggled to help him to his feet...his legs continuing to give out.

"How can we help you? Vellie, please tell us what to do." Poppy begged.

"YOU CAN LEAVE US ALONE!" Velvet screamed. She latched one of Veneer's arm over her should, struggling, she began to lead him away towards their suit.

"Vels!" Viva called out after her. But the Rageon ignored any kindness and any help that was thrown her way. A feeling fell at the pit of Viva's stomach as she watched the twins march off. "Poppy, I can't help but feel that something is wrong...Something is terribly wrong."

"I know Viv....me too." Poppy stretched and reached for Viva's hand.

Poppy and Viva continued to replay that moment in the kitchen throughout the rest of the day. They couldn't think right, couldn't eat. Velvet was always tough in the surface, but something told them, deep down, there was a little girl crying for help, crying for an answer to all their problems.

How would they know? Because they were that little girl at one point. Viva leading the group of surviving Trolls after the Bergen attack, living 20 years thinking she had lost her family. And Poppy...She made it seem like being queen was all cupcakes and rainbows, but she learned that it wasn't, but she knew her kingdom couldn't see her weak...she had to always be strong no matter what she felt. They wanted to tell Velvet that it was okay to be vulnerable sometimes...but how could they? She'd always close them off.

Poppy was headed off to the rooms of the resort that were specifically for Trolls. She had a warm tea in hand to help her calm her nerves and thoughts. That's when Viva came running down the hall.

"Poppy! Hurry come here!"

Without a second thought, Poppy dropped her tea and followed her sister.

Viva lead her outside the door of a suit. Inside, they could hear the sobs, the small little cries. Poppy held her hand over her mouth as her heart broke.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"I....I saw Vellie walk out of her suit. I followed her hoping she'd want to talk. She walked in here...That's when I heard the cries." Viva responded with saddened eyes. The Troll sisters took a moment before making up their mind. Nodding to each other, they pushed open the door that was luckily left slightly open.

The cries grow louder as they walked inside the suit. All lights were off, the only thing illuminating the room was the moonlight shining through the window. The girls followed the sound....That's when they found Velvet hunched in a corner.

She held her knees tight, her face buried in them. Her shoulders shuddered with every cry she made...

"Vels." Poppy whispered as she made her way to the Rageon.

"Go away..." Velvet said in between her cries.

"No! That's enough of you trying to push us away!" Viva said sternly. She made her way up to Velvet's knees, placing a small hand on her fingers. "Talk to us. Please."

"We want to be your friend Velvet. We've wanted to be your friend since you guys arrived to us." Poppy explained.

"I don't want friends."

"Maybe you think so now....but you DO need people who care for you. You have your brother, and we want to be there for you too." Viva said.

Upon the mention of Veneer, Velvet's cries grew severe. Poppy and Viva enclosed around her, laying their hands on her, embracing her as much as they could.

"Velvet....please." Poppy pleaded once more as she embrace the Rageon in her small arms. They allowed silence to pass between them, they allowed Velvet to just be vulnerable....to cry. This was something she had held in for so long...

"He's sick." Velvet finally spoke. "Veneer is sick again....and I don't have the money to help him." The Trolls looked at each other, a horrified expression in their eyes...This is what she had been hiding for so long.

"...I wish you had said something sooner." Viva exclaimed as she continued to hug her.

"Why? There's nothing you can do."

"How do you know? Vellie, you only know your little world, the world inside Rageous. You have no idea how big the world is....and you have no idea how many options there can be to help your brother." Poppy joined Viva on Velvet's knees, together they lifted the Rageons head so she could look at them. "We care for Vennie as much as you do....We want to help you."

"Please, Vellie. We know how it feels like. We know how it feel's to try and have it together! You don't have to go through this alone. Let us be there for you. We got you." Viva added.

Through teary eyes, Velvet glanced back and forth between the two sisters...There was no lie in their voices. She could see they were looking at her not with pity, but with genuine concern. Velvet really never allowed for anyone to see her vulnerable...especially her brother. She always wanted to be the tough one, the strong one...but maybe with these girls she could be. Velvet hugged her knees tighter...

"....okay...." She said softly. No more words were exchanged, no more words needed to be exchanged. Viva and Poppy drew closer to Velvet, this time hugging her face, hoping that she could feel their love and care for her.

They had her.

[broz0neglitters]

Breaking News: Branch from Brozone got arrested for drunk driving...

Branch Left Guy Diamond's party, not knowing that he was highly intoxicated and speeding. The cops caught onto him, and when news broke that Branch from Biozone got arrested, everyone was shocked, even his girlfriend, Queen Poppy. They all wanted to go down to the station to visit Branch, but they weren't allowed to for some reason. Branch did meet some old friends way back in the Trolls band together.

-------------------------------------------

As the cops opened, the Branch's jail cell was tiny cause he was just a troll. Branch was just sitting there across from him. I was the superstar twins who used to be as Velvet saw Branch. "Hey you!" she called out as Branch looked around "Over here, peanut brains." veneer called out as Branch saw across from him it was the twins "Good to see you, the guy who got us arrested." velvet said with her usual sass

"umm veneer was the one who got you both arrested Plus you did kidnap and nearly kill my brother and your attitude hasn't changed much after all those years." branch replied

"No, I did not! Wait, did I? Oh, haha, yes, I totally got us arrested." Veneer said

"What brings you in there?" veneer asked. "Did karma finally hit you?" velvet asked, not making eye contact with the blue troll

"Let's just say I was a bad boy; I did some bad thing; I swear I did it all for fun, and it meant nothing," Branch said. "And then what happened?" veneer asked. Veneer was way more interested than Velvet was in why Branch got arrested.

"Another late night, another crazy mood, And I didn't think twice what it would do to me. I was a wild troll at one of my friend's parties; he threw it because he wanted to welcome my brothers into the troll village, and I drank too much, and It was a matter of time before I blew it." Branch reply

"Let me guess, your step wasn't NSYNC? when the cops pulled you over please that's worse than what we did." velvet said

"You literally almost killed my big brother!" branch snapped at Velvet. "Cry me a river, old man." velvet said, rolling her eyes at him

"Anyways, moving on, when the cops pulled me over and started asking me questions, I thou shall not lie, and I also Thou shall not get caught, so they made me do those line steps." the branch said

"again, old man, they were out of sync rather than NSYNC, and there you are ending up just like us, stuck in jail," Velvet said

"Karma a bitch, little dude." veneer replied

"I should've known better. If I had a wish, I would've never messed around," Branch said

"When I heard the story of me getting arrested, I felt the knife twist," Branch said

"Well, hate to be you but Karma's a bitch, and she's with you right now," Velvet replied...

-----------------------------------

Life Lesson: Don't be like Justin Timberlake and drive drunk. It could hurt others and you, so please, if you do drink, get yourself an Uber or call your parents. It could really save someone's life... Don't drink and drive..... <3 ------------------------

I won't be opening requests due to time conflicts with my real life. I also have to tackle two jobs, and they do take time to write, but if you want to ask me any questions, feel free to private message me. I will respond to them :). Hope you all have a great day/night wherever you are <3

[sleepynegress]

HELLO! I'm sorry you've been getting idiotic anonymous people being rude about Uhura. I saw your lovely post about her and it made me happy to see that people appreciate her! She is so much more than lots of fandom pretends. Also I high-key agree that Karl Urban absolutely nailed his performance of Bones. It was so dead on!!! Zoe's Uhura was lovely too but as you say, sharper around the edges, and personally I felt her relationship with Spock was very sweet but difficult initially for me because I really get stressed when one person doesn't get the emotional needs of another. So their really gentle scenes made me SO happy when they finally happened. The warmth and gentleness shone through and won me over entirely. Zoe played sharp with just enough warmth. But I still love Nichelle's too. Uhura is great! Anyway didnt have a huge point here just happy that you also love her and call people out LOL

The main issue is the misogynoir and perhaps TERF leanings against the most recent player in the part, Celia Rose Gooding. She is non-binary and goes by she/they pronouns. She also has a short close-cropped style which beautifully frames her face. The troll is hyper-fixated on attacking that, disparaging her presentation of femininity using coded language to imply aggression or masculinity. This is extra backward because, of the three players who took on Uhura, she has the darkest skin tone, has the fullest lips and a wide nose bridge, and her hair is the only one not in a straightened or processed style (which is fine for an option BTW). All of these things together are rare aesthetics for a Black woman, and appropriate, especially for an sub-Saharan African woman's character presentation, especially in a futuristic sci-fi mainstream iconic franchise, like Star Trek and so important for young people to see as normalized femininity. I think of Lupita Nyong'o talking about the effect Alek Wek had on her...just being there as this South Sudanese supermodel, with very dark skin and short natural hair...

Celia Rose is the particular target this troll has framed as their "fanhood", with thinly veiled insults and backhanded "compliments" that keep dogwhistling in their posts with various account names.

As for Zoe's Uhura, that professionalism and sharpness, when it came to her abilities and focus on her studies was an obvious intentional writing choice to stave off the very criticisms *she still got* because of the misogynoir of that era...

People were accusing her of coercing Spock into her ship assignment and even assaulting him(!).

That mess never makes sense, but hating Black women for existing or having what we are perceived as not "deserving" is sadly an old tradition (see those who make a hobby out of hating Megan Markle). And now, I see people praising the OG Uhura, Nichelle, for aspects of her character that were actually forms of limitations on her because of production bigotry...i.e. the forced interracial kiss, that people constantly cite as some forward thing w/o the context that it was forced because the implication was that no one in her crew would willingly kiss a Black person. IOW, aliens assaulting them for their entertainment was the lesser evil and more palatable to white audiences than someone choosing to love on Uhura (and I would add *especially* someone white, because even showing Black affection and love in that time was a rare thing, and her episode showing some yearning towards an old love showed no physical affection between them either). Anyway, all that to bring it right back around to ALL the Uhuras are great. And the weird microaggressions, macroaggressions, hatred, and attempts to shove them into a particular box are misogynoir; a microcosm of the kind of bullshit too many Black women go through on the regular just for existing.

Celia is a Rose and I hope she shines, gets loved on, has friends (including some Black ones) who are genuinely concerned for her well-being and actually help her when she's in need.

P.S. I missed this reading way too fast before but this bit is sus IMO Zoe's Uhura was lovely too but as you say, sharper around the edges, and personally I felt her relationship with Spock was very sweet but difficult initially for me because I really get stressed when one person doesn't get the emotional needs of another. If you meant Spock not reading Uhura? Then yeah, I agree. If you mean Uhura not reading Spock?? I can't walk with you there because Spock literally almost hindered Uhura's career and got her on an exploded ship(!) because of his emotional bias and almost killed Kirk on the bridge because he was not managing his emotions well. Meanwhile Uhura read him well enough to provide some comfort after the loss of his mother.

[sequincult]

Return of the Floyd Part 3

(part 1 can be read here) (part 2 can be read here) No matter how stressful the last day may have been the sun will always rise anew, a light dew rests gently upon each blade of grass in troll village. Floyd yawns and stretches as he steps out of the pod, some sleep and a quick bath had him feeling much better than yesterday. 

Though he’d half expected Poppy to be slamming on his door at 5am, oddly she’s nowhere to be seen.

“HIYA FLOYD!” Poppy appears behind Floyd, seemingly out of thin air.

“AAAAAA!!!????” Floyd shrieks in the highest region of his vocal register. “Where were you??”

“Oh you know, I might of hid in your pod and slept there in case you needed anything…” she coyly swings on her heels.

“What??” Floyd thought as he pondered how the hell he could have missed a neon pink troll hiding in his bedroom. “I guess I appreciate the concern?” He replies, careful not to offend her.

“OK Great! We better get going, I’ll lead the way! Oh and yeah, I brought you this.”

She hands Floyd a simple green glove.

“What for?”

“It’s to cover up your hand silly! If other trolls see you like that they might get nervous!”

“Oh. Right.” While he was away Floyd had forgotten how skittish pop trolls can be.

“Sorry if it’s not really your style…”

‘Not his style’ was something of an understatement, it didn’t match his jeans or his hair, but he knew he’d have to wear it just in case.

“It’ll do for now. Thanks.”

After slipping on the glove the pair make their way into the depths of the forest. There’s an uncomfortable quietness for the first ten minutes or so, neither of them know each other very well after all. Poppy hates the feeling of awkwardness crawling down her spine, so she tries to break the ice.

“So uh, hey Floyd? What was Branch like when he was younger?”

“Well… he was a very cute baby, and he loved wearing those ridiculous giant glasses John gave him.” he giggles. “As he got older he really liked to try and help us all out, even though he wasn’t physically able to most of the time. Being a baby and all. But him and I ended up very close, especially as Brozone started to fall apart…”

Poppy’s stride suddenly halts, as if the earth stopped moving and its weight fell entirely upon her feet.

“WAIT…You’re THE Floyd? BROZONE Floyd??” She begins hyperventilating, and if she shakes anymore she’d likely explode.

“Crap.” Floyd suddenly remembers that he’s actually talking to another troll and not just himself. “Oh haha yeah.. that’s me.” he forces his mouth into a somewhat disturbing grin. “The sensitive one…”

Poppy’s mind spins with endless thoughts. She LOVED Brozone… How did she not notice he was THAT Floyd. He has to be joking right? And anyway, there’s no way Branch could’ve been in a boyband! The thought of that alone was enough to break her out of her stupor.

“So that means Branch has FIVE brothers right? No, wait…. You said glasses” Her eyes sparkle as she puts the pieces together. “That must mean Branch was-“

“Bitty B?” Floyd interjects. “Haha! That was him alright… Though it’s-“ he sighs deeply. “It’s just hard to imagine. Seeing how he is now.” His mood turns dour, his steps a little more laboured. “Hey, could we maybe talk about something else? It’s kinda hard to think about what happened back then.”

“Oh! Sorry, sorry. I’ll try and think about something else” she replies, still noticeably vibrating with excitement.

After a few more minutes of silent walking, Poppy simply can’t hold in her curiosity any longer.

“So… do you have any photos of Branch when he was a baby?”

“POPPY.” Floyd turns to her and snarls. “What did I just say?” 

“ACK!!! Ohmygosh I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to it’s just… I was kind of a huge Brozone fan as a kid and that part of me is freaking out right now. I’m really sorry, I had no idea being in the band was so difficult for you.”

He immediately feels bad for yelling. It wasn’t like him to shout like that, and it’s not like she really knows anything about his relationship with his brothers.

“Look, I’m sorry for losing my temper. There’s no way you could have known how rough things got by the end, and after we broke up we all left and stayed silent about what happened.”

“Well, what did happen?”

He rolls his eyes for what feels like the hundredth time and smirks.

“You know, I think I’ve talked enough about my troubled past for one day, maybe some other time.”

“Well hey, thanks for saying what you have, It’s been cool getting to know you.”

Floyd can’t help but admit to himself that it’s nice to talk to someone about this stuff. His ex had hardly been much of a listener, and most Brozone fans just wanted to hear about obnoxious gossip and rumours. Poppy might be a little intense sometimes, but she’s probably the kindest troll he’s ever met.

After walking for what feels like forever, Poppy jumps and points excitedly.

“Hey Floyd look! We’re almost here!!”

“Really? But this looks like any other part of the forest we’ve walked through.” He squints as if doing so will reveal anything.

“Ahah! That’s where you’re wrong… You see, Branch’s bunker can be located by looking for one GIANT rock with three smaller rocks placed on it’s right hand side. Then you check that the plant to the left of the rock has five leaves. Branch always trims it down to five…”

“Wow, you sure know a lot about him.” He sighs, feeling guilty that someone he’d only met yesterday knows more about his brother than he does.

“Oh y’know just a little bit! Nothing much haha! So anyways… you go crouch in those bushes over there, and I’ll try and talk to him. He CANNOT know you’re here or he’ll probably freak out or something.”

“You’re probably right, I’ll go hide over here and try not to look like a complete weirdo.” he sasses before scurrying off into the trees.

Once Floyd is far enough away Poppy waltzes over to Branch’s bunker. She kneels down to the entrance and knocks as politely as she can muster (which is still pretty forceful).

“Hello, Branch? Good morning Branch! Are you awake? I need to talk to you about something.”

The small flap in the grass tilts up slightly to reveal his gloomy eyes and little more.

“Oh, Poppy. It’s you. Let me guess… You’re hosting yet another idiotic soiree and for some godforsaken reason you want me to come. Yeah, it’s a no.”

“Oh Branch. While I am planning on hosting an ‘idiotic soiree’, that’s actually not what I’m here for.” She responds with a slight smug air.

Branch lifts the flap up a little higher, curious. “So what are you here for then? Oh god, it’s about Floyd isn’t it.”

“NO! It’s not.” She frowns as Branch glares into her soul until she finally breaks.

“Okay! Okay! Yeah it’s about Floyd.”

“I knew it. He’s set you up to come beg and plead to me to be nice to him because he’s too much of a coward to do it himself. Typical… I haven’t needed him in my life for over a decade and that’s not gonna change.” His tone saddens slightly. “He only wants me to like him again so he can feel better about himself anyway.”

“That’s not true Branch! He really, really cares about you! Besides, this is more important than you and him getting along. Floyd is… well, effectively homeless and has nowhere to go. My dad’s letting him stay in one of the guest pods for now but he can’t live there forever! Please, let him stay with you.”

“Ha, not a chance. He left me alone, why should I help him? Why is it that I’m the one that always has to compromise.”

“But he didn’t leave you alone! Sure it was naive to think everything would be fine with your grandma but-“

“Don’t you dare use my grandma as way to guilt trip me in to letting Floyd stay here! He’s a grown man now. He can handle himself.” He turns and starts to lower himself back into the bunker. Poppy panics and tries to hold the entrance open with her foot.

“No, no, Branch! I wasn’t going to do that! I would never say anything like that to you! Please, just listen to me!”

“I’ve done enough listening thank you very much! Now, I think it’s time for you to GO.” His voice breaking into a shout.

“Branch! Listen!”

“Nope.”

“BRANCH!”

“NooOOoope!” He snarks in an utterly infuriating tone, putting as much stress as possible on the ‘p’ sound.

“GRRRR! FINE THEN! WAIT. HERE.” Poppy screams before she stomps off in a seemingly random direction. Branch is genuinely startled at her reaction, he’d never heard her shout like that. Or any other troll for that matter. He was glad she was gone though, otherwise she may have noticed him softly blushing. Yet before he can sneak his way back into his home, she’s returned. And with… Floyd?

“LOOK AT HIS HAND. NOW.” She grabs his arm and flings the glove from his palm, revealing its faded tone.

“SEE? FLOYD’S HAND TURNED GREY BEFORE HE RETURNED AND HE NEEDS YOUR HELP. OK???” Tears are starting to form in her eyes as Floyd glances awkwardly toward Branch, who has still barely processed his presence.

“I-I, why didn’t you just tell me he was here I…” 

“I guess I wrongly assumed you might actually listen to me. And after your argument yesterday neither of us thought it would be a good idea for both of us to talk. You can understand that, right?”

“I suppose…” he looks over at his brother, feeling a tinge of remorse. “Look, I’m likely a complete moron for saying this but.. come in. Both of you. BUT you can’t stay here, ok?” He concedes.

Poppy and Floyd nod gently at each other as they enter the elevator, ready to descend and unsure of what’s to come. Whatever happens, at least it’s progress.

[davekat-sucks]

Jane Crocker is pretty great when you don't got a little bitch in your ear telling you she sucks

Why do people hate her so much? Shes just a normal teenage girl? Was it because of that thing she said to Roxy? She immediately apologized and regretted doing so, when she lashed out at her birthday party and ran off she got pretty concerned that she just ruined her relationships with her friends who acted shitty towards her. She's pretty forgiving and caring despite all, people who bring up crocker tier stuff are full of shit because she was mind controlled. She didn't hold anything against Roxy for planting a bomb in her computer while she was already getting threatened daily. Was it because she got in the way of dirkjake? Don't act like their relationship was healthy. I genuinely just don't get it

People dislike her for the fact that despite she was suppose to fill the same role as John Egbert, she couldn't pull the same kind of silliness. Part of it was for the fact that the romance drama took up most of Act 6. Nobody, not Hussie, not even the readers at the time, wanted to recycle the same old jokes, gimmicks, and bullshit that made us love the Beta Kids in the first place. We did it for the trolls and now we do it for Alphas. Some had also expected that she carried some similar traits as Nanna. But upon reveal, she was not even close to it. One could argue subversion this and that like how Jake is seem to be a fool despite the fact he was an engineer, understand the basics of time travel, and was able to communicate with Jade. In the end, however, Hussie's writing was full of crap for this approach. And of course, the only ones who were close to the actual guardian counterparts were Roxy Lalonde and Dirk Strider due to the Strilonde favortism by the fandom. By Epilogues, they cranked her horniness up a lot when it came to Jake and Gamzee. Much similar to Jade. Do the people working there just hate the daughters of the Egbert Crocker English Harley family? Or is that a coincidence? However, she actually did rape Jake by using the lollipop juju. I'm not sure if Calliope was aware of it still in her possession or if she knew, why didn't the Cherub stop her. And during the time, the real world was dealing with elections and Donald Trump. Andrew Hussie and WhatPumpkin think it will TOTALLY NOT BE DATED to have Jane Crocker be an allegory for President Trump. Thus, they flanderize her to be an awful person. Another is that people took the whole moment of her being mind controlled by the Condesce, to still be on her own doing, similar to Jade when the Troll Queen made her Grimbark. The worst part of it is in a Patreon post for Homestuck^2, Andrew Hussie or WhatPumpkin imply that she WAS NOT fully brainwashed when it happened. Thus, all the sexual harassment was fully on her. Just like how Mindfang did rape The Dolorosa, but that bitch got away because strong woman, lesbians, and her connection to Vriska, who you know, can NEVER do wrong.

And of course, she got in the way of DirkJake. Just like how people hated Jade got in the way for Davekat. Caliborn's distaste for the female girls, was suppose to be poking fun at the fujoshi who dislike the females for that reason. Sadly, it is lost on them in today's times. Not many people want to label themselves as this because it now suddenly means 'fetishizing gay men', when it really wasn't.

[thewertsearch]

TheWertsearch shipping chart

Ver. 1, Act 5.1

Let's get into it!

I've included every Player and a couple of wildcards. I thought about adding minor characters like the Guardians and Exiles, but we don't know too much about their dynamics yet. For what it's worth, I think the first three Exiles would be a cute triad, and might add WQ when we've seen more of her. I don't really ship any of the Guardians, since we know next to nothing about their personalities.

I'm going to mostly focus on potential dynamics. There aren't many canon ships in here, but hopefully that'll change as we move through the comic, because I honestly got pretty invested in some of these while working on this post. Let's dive in!

Hearts

Rose/Kanaya is an obvious lock. I've talked about it before, and my thoughts haven't really changed, so I won't repeat myself here. Their dynamic is great, and it's even better now that we know Kanaya used to idolize Rose. I can't wait to see them talk that one out. At this point, I'm 100% convinced that they should be a couple, and about 90% convinced that it's going to happen in canon. Bring on the #RosemarySweep!

John/Karkat is an intriguing prospect. John's optimism is exactly what a sourpuss like Karkat needs, and their conversations are clearly having a positive effect on him. Conversely, Karkat's decisive leadership style might, in time, rub off on John. The two complement each other well - and since it's clear that Karkat doesn't really hate John, I think they're well-placed for a red romance, rather than a black one.

Karkat/Nepeta has potential. Nepeta clearly sees something in him, and I don't think it's just the 'cat' in his name. They both have a romantic streak, although neither of them seems all that experienced with (concupiscent) romance. I don't know, I just think it might be cute! I could also envision a minor moirallegiance between them. Karkat isn't that hot-tempered, but chilling out with Nepeta and bouncing ships off each others' heads might help him let off some steam.

Tavros/Gamzee would be pretty cute. Tavros is used to being Vriska's punching bag - and, more broadly, he's used to conversations where you're supposed to be punching. Gamzee, too, is frequently insulted, even by people who call themselves his friends. Bring these two trolls together, though, and Alternia's antagonistic social norms completely disappear. They're a breath of fresh air, and I think they deserve a quiet corner in the Veil to play Fiduspawn together.

Terezi/Vriska would make a great power couple, and I want to see them take on the world together - but I don't see it happening any time soon. They both have a lot of growing to do - and besides, I think another quadrant is in the cards first.

Jack/Droog. Yes, really. This one isn't complex, I just think they'd be funny together. Plus, a hot-blooded, stab happy gangster pairs perfectly with a stone-cold, calculating partner. It's like cookies and cream!

Dave/Jade is another one I've discussed before. Jade is playfully, authentically herself, and Dave, who's still treating life like a bit he needs to commit to, might have something to learn from her. There's a real person behind that persona, and Jade likes him.

I'm a Jade/Rose truther - but there's not much to report on this, since the game seems intent on keeping them from interacting much. Hopefully Act 5.2 will see them working together in the Medium, and we can really shine a light on this dynamic.

Gamzee/Eridan was initially a joke ship. Eridan wants a matesprit, but he'd only date a highblood, and Gamzee's the only one without that quadrant filled, so Eridan better learn to ride a unicycle. Except... weirdly enough, it sort of works? Unlike Feferi, Gamzee wouldn't be stressed out by being around Eridan - and despite what you might expect, Eridan doesn't even seem to dislike Gamzee. He opened up to him about Feferi, at least a little - and even slammed a Faygo when Gamzee suggested it. When talking to Gamzee, Eridan wouldn't be able to dance around the point, like he was doing with Feferi and Kanaya. Gamzee wouldn't pick on his 'hints', so he'd have to resort to direct, open communication, which might be good for him. Plus - you can say a lot of things about Eridan, but he sure ain't a quitter. Gamzee's Sopor addiction would annoy the hell out of him, and there's a decent chance he might actually be able to annoy him off the stuff. If we go with the moirallegiance angle, Gamzee would probably leave Eridan too baffled to give into any Alternian bloodlust - and any overblown genocide plans would fly right over Gamzee's head. Wow, this really did start as a joke, but I'm beginning to convince myself. I... guess we'll see what happens?

Diamonds

I'm convinced Kanaya -> Terezi would work. Terezi is violent and dangerous - but unlike Vriska, her violence takes the form of mind games. Kanaya is good at mind games, and I think she'd make an excellent, Machiavellian moirail for Terezi, using ConversationWithAVeryStupidGirl.txt-style rhetorical traps to trick her into good behavior. She could even collaborate with her future girlfriend, Rose, to design clever ways to keep Terezi from getting more of her friends killed. And you know Terezi would love it.

That leaves Vriska unattended. We can't have that, so it's time to make a case for Feferi -> Vriska. I think Feferi would make a lot more progress with Vriska than she ever did with Eridan. The biggest problem with Eridan was that he was insincere - he wasn't honest about his proclivities or intentions, and Feferi was working her ass off just to figure out what he was thinking. By contrast, Vriska is extremely sincere about her emotions - I don't think she can fake a feeling. Feferi will know exactly what she's getting with Vriska, because Vriska will constantly tell her. Feferi could pacify Vriska, I'm sure of it. She's cheerful, persistent, physically powerful, immune to Vriska's psionics, and has killed thousands to feed her lusus. Feferi understands Vriska.

Sollux <--> Aradia is a potential bidirectional moirallegiance. They both have their violent moods, and they know each other well enough to recognize and help each other through them. Aradia could potentially use her necromancy to get the soon-to-be-dead out of Sollux's head - and he might be able to remove Aradia's violent impulses entirely, using his technical know-how to revert Equius' changes and turn her body into a true reflection of her living self. Honestly, they still have a shot at hearts, too - but I think diamonds is the way to go for now.

Feferi -> Equius might work - he'd have to listen to a violet-blood. Plus, spending time with the princess might help Equius learn that the Empire is bullshitting him about the hemospectrum. After all, she's at the top of the totem pole - and yet, she's against a lot of what the Empire stands for. What gives?

Spades

Jack\Lord English was originally just a joke, but I've decided to start shipping it earnestly for shits and giggles - especially since we've learned about kismesissitude, a quadrant they fit perfectly into. Maybe there's more than one reason that Slick was so single-minded about catching the guy.

To be honest, Vriska\Terezi is basically inevitable. There's no way they peacefully talked it out during the session, and now they're stuck on a tiny meteor together. These are resourceful girls - they're probably already plotting their next moves, and they'd be fools not to factor each other into whatever plans they're making. They will come to blows, and then they'll realize how much they're enjoying the experience. I think this will be our first truly balanced kismesissitude, and I'm very interested in seeing where the chips fall.

Clubs

Aradia -> Vriska/Tavros. Someone needs to keep these two apart. Robot!Aradia doesn't have the ideal temperament for auspisticism, but things are far from ideal at this point. She's Tavros' old FLARP teammate, and even in her current state, she's still invested in his well-being. This might also be a way for Aradia to reconcile with Tavros, since it doesn't seem like they've spoken much since they died. What does Tavros think of this new Aradia, and will his opinion change if she starts to intercede against Vriska on his behalf? I want to find out.

Feferi -> Equius/Aradia. This one would be so easy. All Feferi would need to do is tell Equius to back the fuck off, and he'd be obliged to obey. I don't like the hemospectrum, but if we're stuck with it for now, let's at least use it for good, hm?

That's it! It was the first shipping chart I've ever made, and I had a lot of fun with it. I'll be doing this again the next time we 'finish' an Act, and it'll be interesting to see how this evolves over time.

See you next time, for the beginning of Act 5.2!

[invisibleraven]

unexpected gifts for the unexpected pairing of your choice ;D

"Dammit!"

Kayla looked up from her book, curiosity peaked as she heard Julie growl with aggravation once more. "Jewel? Is something the matter?"

"Sorry, I keep dying!"

"O...kay," Kayla stated, finally getting up to go look in the office. "You look pretty alive to me."

Julie rolled her eyes and pointed at her screen. "In my game. This stupid tween trolls keep killing me, and I'm annoyed because I am so close to winning every time they do!"

"You didn't strike me as the gaming type."

"I'm normally not," Julie admitted. "But after my mom passed, it was a good way to get Carlos out of his shell. We bonded a lot over games, and we still play together when we can. He's the one who got me into this game, even though I suck at it."

"Hey," Kayla said, coming over to squeeze her shoulders. "You're learning. Practice makes perfect right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Julie replied. She pushed off her headset, sighing as she looked up at Kayla, pursing her lips for a kiss, which was happily given. "I think I'm gonna put it to the side for the night though. Maybe we could watch a movie?'

"Sounds great."

The rest of the week, Kayla knew now what the sounds of frustration from the office meant, and each time she tried to help Julie-offering a snack, a shoulder massage, or a distraction. But enough was becoming enough.

Julie mashed on the buttons of her controller, cackling with victory as she took out one of the punks that had been sniping at her all week. But she knew his cronies were still out there, so she was on guard.

Yet there was no one-she could actually clench this one. She snuck around a wall, the end was so close, she could taste it. She just had to reach it without encountering anyone else.

But then-there he was, the head idiot, and here she was, with no ammo and her back against a literal wall.

"Fuck."

Only as she prepared to be killed by this douche again, she saw him fall. Looking around, she saw another player lower their weapon and waved at her to take the gold.

"thank you!' she typed out, running for the finish, cheering out loud as the YOU WIN flashed across the screen. "Kay! Kay I did it!"

"I know."

"Sorry, guess the screaming gave it away?" Julie said, turning around. Only Kayla was standing there, holding her laptop. "Oh crap, did I interrupt your work?"

Kayla shook her head, turning her screen towards Julie, and she was shocked to see the game screen looking back at her.

"Was...was that you? Who helped me?"

"Yeah, I figured I could give you a hand."

"But...you hate video games!"

"I don't hate them, I just have no interest in them," Kayla replied. "But I could see that those idiots were getting to you, so I got myself a copy, got good so I could give them a little retribution."

"You are the best girlfriend ever!" Julie squealed, leaping up to hug Kayla, trying to ensure she didn't topple over or drop her laptop.

"Anything for you Jewel, you know that."

"We should find something we can play together next!"

"Let's not go that far..."

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck: Beyond Canon Upd8 for 2/10/24

We got our news post a little late and our upd8 a little early. I'm struggling today and behind on progress for everything, but I still want to read.

James is being a bit hammy, but he's teasing some good news. It looks like we'll be getting [S] pages in the future. Hopefully with more than one person and a slower upd8 schedule, they won't ever need to pause for them.

Kinda curious about the VTuber mentioned. I like watching people experiencing Homestuck stuff! It's the whole reason I started live blogging.

Now onto the upd8!

Looks like I might have been right about Yiffy potentially having something to do with that ominous red glow. Let's see what's going on.

Like all teens, the worst thing that can happen to her is public parental affection. Though Jade is laying it on thick! Where's Rose with a quip about contacting CPS? Although she'd be calling them on herself.

Not sure how I feel about the gag, honestly. It's pretty cliché, and Tavvy is right there. We don't know how badly Yiffy has suffered, but like Tavvy it's been real abuse and neglect. This comic does have a habit of trying to make child abuse a joke, though.

Kanaya is obviously still struggling, and I can't blame her. Yiffy is one of the most controversial aspects of this comic, supposedly handed down to us from on high by AH himself. One of the great complaints about the Epilogues is that it takes the characters in directions that were intended to challenge fans. But even then, the idea that even a Candy Rose would cheat with Jade to have a secret love child and hide it from her all this time is so fucking out there. Everything about it feels wrong.

And then, of course, they get into a silly dare and name her Yiffany Longstocking Lalonde Harley!

But I'm not saying things that haven't already been said a million times. It's always felt like one of AH's epic troll moments, like the ones I both love and hate in the original work. And I hoping it will eventually pay off to something.

Looking at the text here, Yiffy's color could definitely be the red. Hah! Pepis.

Yiffy's mind is also on Kanaya it seems. We're also getting a sense of her attitude much more clearly now. I'm kinda getting Susie vibes.

Oh wow! They're actually calling it "The Yiffy Reveal" in universe!

Wow! Wow! Fucking wow!

The fuck!

I think my jaw just splintered the floor at my feet!

Rose used her power. She actually used her fucking power! And not only does she believe this will all be fortuitous (it's practically fated since it gives us a set of four kids), but that fortune would dictate Kanaya's eventual forgiveness.

She didn't just decide on, "Easier to get forgiveness than permission." She believed it inevitable, so that made it okay!

The fuck!

We're digging a little into Jade's adult life now. And yeah, it's just as bad as we probably imagined it was. Doesn't justify them going behind Kanaya's back, but you can understand her yearning.

That . . . that oddly makes sense. It still seems wrong, but it's the kind of backward logic that might occur on Candy Earth C. I don't know if AH had this explanation as part of Yiffy's backstory, or if it's writing we can attribute to one team or the other. But it's an actual explanation for how we got here.

Still not enough to pay off the trolling yet.

How . . . Tavvy, what were you doing?

Yeah, no. I'm betting right now Kanaya is feeling a lot more forgiving towards Jade and a lot less forgiving towards Rose.

That's Meenah's symbol, so we know who to expect a call from next time at least.

Of course a lot of attention is payed to the captchalogued corpse in Jade's possession. Did she find Dave's body and is still not dealing with it? Has she considered her taxidermy tradition dealing with it enough? Is this somehow another corpse considered fitting for the Harley traditions?

Tune in next time!