#where these kinds of IFs were popularized

[on-leatheredwings]

,

[alpaca-clouds]

Dear Worldbuilders: Please Understand Cultural Norms As Cultural Norms

Two days ago I had a discussion with my new roomie. Because we are two autistic guys, who will not stop talking politics all day, and were talking about the opening ceremony of the Olympics. To which he held the opinion: "I mean, I was not offended. But I can understand the Christians who are." To which I pointed out, that they really do not get to be offended after forcing their religion onto everyone.

Somehow the discussion however went to the horrible topic of "kink at pride". And he showed me videos he saw online, where some nudists were also participating at pride. To which I just shrugged and was like: "So what? They are naked. It is not as if they are doing something sexual. They are just naked, and there should be nothing taboo about the naked body. I mean, c'mon dude, we are living in Germany which is kinda known internationally for its nudist culture." And he went: "Yeah, sure, but usually if there is a nudist beach or a nudist swimming pool I will go there expecting to see naked people." And I kept relying on the point: "Well, but what harm is done to these people being naked?" To which he went: "Well, the children...!" And I was like: "Do you really think kids are getting traumatized by seeing a naked body? You are aware there are cultures around the world in which running around naked is pretty normalized, right? I know that 'don't be naked' feels super intuitive for someone growing up over here, but keep in mind that to someone from Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia 'women should cover their hair' would feel about as intuitive, because it is just a cultural norm." Which was the point I was given.

But thinking about it, I actually do see a lot of people struggling with this concept as well. Yesterday a friend and I also talked about how many western people just assume that Christmas is celebrated by everyone around the world - even though it isn't.

And I think this shows nowhere as strongly as in fantasy and scifi media. Because a lot of fantasy and scifi media just will go ahead and assume a baseline western culture - even in settings, where it does not make sense. More than that: It will assume either modern western cultural norms or - especially for fantasy - will kind of try to extrapolate how people imagine something to have been like at some time.

And I am staying with the nudity example, because it is actually a funny one. A lot of fantasy media will assume people in a medival setting to be super touchy about nude bodies, because Victorian's were crying (according to popular myths) when they saw a naked ankle.

However: This actually could not be further from the truth. Because we have ample evidence, that in medieval times not only public baths were not sex seggregated, but that on hot summer days the peasants would also work at least partially naked on the fields.

Sure, in some areas of Europe nobility was a bit more squeaming around naked bodies than the peasants. But that was then a nobility thing - and even this was not necessarily true throughout the entire middle ages (again: The period lasted around 1000 years), and especially not throughout all of Europe.

But you know what said nobility was also super iffed about? Yeah: Women's hair. That got hidden throughout medieval Europe as well. Especially in late medieval times. At times under headscarfs, at times under certain types of hats.

Then let's also talk about the Christmas thing. Because it is a classic of fantasy media especially. The world is going to have a winter festival that involves gift giving, family parties, and often enough also dead trees in prominent locations.

Now, on one hand: A lot of cultures around the world had winter solstice festivals, so assuming that your fantasy culture will have the same is not that far fetched to have that, too. But why give it the modern Christmas traditions? There are so many other traditions you could come up with. I am sure of that. You are a fantasy/scifi writer after all!

You might ask yourself right now: Why do I even have an issue with this?

Well, the answer is simple. Because this is about Eurocentrism. Building a world like that will just assume that western European traditions are "the norm", they are what we should assume to find everywhere. And when people read fantasy media and just find it all reflected there, it is what they will start to assume. And then they are going to be all "surprised pikachu", when they find out that indeed, the world does not celebrate Christmas.

Also... Just normalize naked bodies. There is literally no harm in seeing a naked body. None at all.

[sukirofa]

sometimes a 30 year old gay man romance is a straight highschool shoujo romance

or ways i think cherry magic is similar to kimi ni todoke

lots of spoilers (especially for kimi ni todoke)

sorry if this is all over the place half of those came to mind while i was writing the already planned half

Sawako and Kurosawa are characters that are shown to have fallen in love with their respective love interests because they believe their LI saw something in them that everyone else ignored. When Shouta calls Sawako by her first name, as opposed to everyone else not knowing her real name, he acknowledges her true self and Sawako is moved by that. When Adachi tells Kurosawa that he’s noticed his hard work but it’s refreshing to see him all flustered, Kurosawa is also moved, as his imperfect side is always ignored or seen as exclusively negative by others. Their main motivator for falling for the other person is fundamentally the same and it’s interesting to compare how it unfolds for both of them. Both are inexperienced in a sense, Sawako never having a crush or a relationship before and Kurosawa, while quite experienced in relationships, has never truly had a crush (especially one to this intensity) before. They also both seem to have a thing for bedheads and losers so good for them.

Sawako and Adachi also let their feelings of admiration for their LI get in the way of realizing their own romantic feelings. One of the most important moments in both relationship developments is them moving past idolization of their LI.

Kurosawa also shares some thought processes with Kazehaya for his reasons for falling in love. Both Kazehaya and Kurosawa are attracted by their love interest’s hard work that is often overlooked by everyone around them. They like the feeling of exclusivity they get by being the only lucky ones to notice such a wonderful person which later on results to justified or not possessiveness and jealousy. 

Doesn't help that any attempt Kazehaya and Kurosawa make to get closer to their LI at the start is written off by them as simple kindness that such popular kind beloved person would show to anyone. 

On the topic of jealousy, Sawako and Adachi experience it in similar ways. While Kazehaya and Kurosawa are shown (at least in the beginning) as possessive and cautious of everyone around their LI, Sawako and Adachi feel jealous under specific scenarios. And since they’re both their respective series’ more dense person when it comes to their feelings, it’s also the main indicator for them to realize their romantic feelings. Sawako feels jealous when she assumes Kazehaya is calling Kurumi by her first name and even more when she realizes she doesn’t want Kurumi to get with him; and that’s what makes her realize her feelings for him aren’t quite platonic. Adachi contemplates whether he’s actually into Kurosawa or if he’s been swayed by Kurosawa’s feelings. But as soon as he sees him with someone he assumes is his ex girlfriend (Sidenote it’s funny how the most jealous Sawako and Adachi feel is because of an assumption they make) he gets sick and then immediately decides to confess (before he’s interrupted by Mari and once again thrown into a thought spiral of what-ifs). 

Sawako and Kurosawa both having a “it's not a dream” moment after they get their confession answered.

Before getting together both ships also have a moment early on where one of them accidentally initiates a kiss that is later referenced when it's time for their actual first kiss. When Sawako falls for Pin’s prank and unintentionally makes Kazehaya believe she's expecting a kiss, frustrated, Kazehaya says that if she were to try that again, he can't know how he'll react. When their relationship is in a rough spot Sawako does try that again, but Kazehaya has absolutely no reaction; she calls him out for his lack of affection and he responds with a kiss to reassure her (of course they also talk it out later). After Kurosawa feels guilty for kissing Adachi’s forehead, Adachi wants to reassure him he didn't hate it. So he straight up says that he didn't hate it. Kurosawa (justified) misunderstands and asks Adachi if he's sure what he's saying and Adachi hesitatingly nods. Kurosawa then goes for a kiss but thankfully theyre interrupted and Adachi makes it clear that he didn't imply that. When Adachi clears up Kurosawa’s concers about his cryptic behavior and confesses about the magic and Kurosawa decides to once again to go for a kiss; He asks again if Adachi understands what that means and Adachi this time confidently nods.

And even though everything seems to go smoothly after their first dates (and the first hand holding) both relationships have a problem looming over them. In KNT the concern is more practical, Kazehaya is mostly afraid of making Sawako uncomfortable and, as every adult around him warns him, not treasuring her (that is, not keeping their relationship appropriate). In CM’s case the problem is that Adachi feels guilty for reading Kurosawa’s thoughts without him knowing. (I also think Shouta’s need to treasure Sawako can also be compared to Kurosawa’s initial perfectionism when it came to dating Adachi, because he wanted to give him a good experience of a first relationship.) If I were to narrow it down both conflicts come down to the fear of power imbalance and creating a distance between the two as a result. In both cases the conflict puts a strain in the relationship. Both Sawako and Kurosawa notice that and call it out. 

Of course despite the similarities both conflicts unfold completely differently, mainly because of the experience gap and the age difference of the couples (as well as the content of the conflict itself). Adachi immediately confesses when he sees that he caused Kurosawa distress and the emotional climax is wrapped up with their first kiss.

Sawako and Shouta are a bit more intense (rightfully so; the conflict in KuroAda’s relationship happens a few weeks after dating, for SawaKaze this has been an issue for MONTHS) but ultimately, after Sawako makes her insecurities clear and Shouta realizes how wrong he’s been acting they also resolve the conflict by having their first kiss (as a reassurance, as a confirmation that Kazehaya’s change of attitude is not a product of change of heart, but simply a misguided decision). They also have a much needed conversation afterwards.

Some other trope-y similarities that I don't think are worth expanding on (or at least I can't expand on them as much) but I would like to point out are: the confessions being a day apart in both scenarios and involving running, a love letter (two in knt, one so far in cm). There is a blonde guy who is messy. Another guy who is third wheeling accidentally all the time. That one female character who is very invested in the main's relationship. Adachi and Kazehaya are both older brothers with questionable fathers. Both stories also feature a LDR conflict the climax of which is pretty much the same in both stories (the love letter and their first time)

At their core both KNT and CM are about the importance of mutual respect within a relationship, idolization (and how that can get in the way of a relationship), the importance of communication-that takes time and some arguments and a lot of failed attempts. If you like the one you will definitely like the other.

[deobienthusiast]

your name hurts | eric sohn

• pairing: eric sohn x gn!reader

• word count: 1.1k words

• genre: straight angst, college!au, frat boy!eric

• warnings: yall it’s just insanely sad. like there is no happy ending so don’t even expect one

• rating: PG

• notes: i’ve been on an early hailee steinfeld kick so this is based off of her song your name hurts. fully recommend listening to it while reading this

• tagging: @deoboyznet

we’re a half written story without any ending

you left me to figure it out

filled me with ecstasy, left with the best of me

but where’s the rest of me now?

Your life was so simple before Eric Sohn. You could make it through the day without daydreaming about the what ifs. You didn’t have to worry about your heart being broken. But after experiencing life with Eric, you weren’t sure how to survive without him. Eric was one of the popular ones. Striking good looks, loud, contagious demeanor, the perfect fit to The Boyz fraternity. You wished you had taken a different way to your classes freshman year because the moment he laid eyes on you, looking lost outside the frat house, he knew he’d found his next victim. He walked you to class, told you all you needed to know about the school and about himself. He sunk his teeth into your heart, and you let him.

honestly i don’t regret you

i just wish i never met you

part of me wants to upset you, ah-ah

every single letter’s killing me

don’t know why it gets to me

every time i hear that sound

Your time with Eric was nothing short of magical. At least that’s how it felt at first. He made you happy, always bringing a smile to your face. He wasn’t huge on pda and showing his emotions, so i love you’s were given in the form of doing little things. He was a giver, that much was for sure. you loved every minute, but wished you had just kept walking. Why did you let his voice coax you into the frat house? When he broke up with you, you felt like your whole world was crashing down. How could he just end things without feeling anything? How could he be so cold? You thought of all the ways you could get him back. All the ways you could break his heart the way he broke yours. Bringing yourself to hurt someone you loved so much, despite them pretty much proving in every aspect that they didn’t love you the same, was something you could not do.

your name hurts (your name hurts)

i don’t say it no more

it’s like the worst of words (worst of words)

you don’t even know

You stopped hanging out with mutual friends. you kept to yourself, and stayed inside the small circle of friends you had outside of Eric. you begged them not to mention him, not wanting to even continue to be associated with his name. The looks of sympathy were too much. You felt like a wounded soldier anytime someone brought him up. like his name was a bullet being fired from a loaded gun, straight into the already gaping hole in your heart to kill you even more. You knew no one was doing it to be mean or cruel, but it felt like you couldn’t escape him anytime his name was mentioned. You wished he’d become nameless. Maybe then you’d be able to actually move on with your life. Go back to the way things were before him. But honestly, you weren’t sure you even wanted that either.

and this half-written story is horror at best

the kind where the hero still dies in the end

and god only knows, maybe this is a test

‘cause i kinda wanna mess you up

but i won’t, babe, not yet

You felt like you were trapped in a never ending cycle. you’d wake up, barely eat, drag yourself to class, avoid any sort of interaction with anyone unless you needed to talk. Eric had plagued every part of your life. Everywhere you looked, he was there. Every turn felt like he was constantly next to you, watching you, taunting you. It was hard to focus, and you so badly wanted to scrape your mind of the memories. You wanted to shave off the portion of your life Eric was a part of. He had made such a mess of you, that you just somehow wanted to do the same.

wouldn’t say that i regret you

but man, i wish i never met you

that your mama never even had you, oh-ah

every single letter’s killing me

don't know why it always gets to me

every time i hear that sound

The day Eric broke up with you is still burned in your mind. You remember it like it was yesterday. You replay it over and over and over like a broken record constantly skipping and never moving forward. It felt like a continuous time loop that you couldn’t get out of. How could he? He was so calm. So emotionally void. He didn’t seem fazed by the words he was saying. So nonchalant, like it was no big deal. You couldn’t believe it. Someone you trusted so dearly, had looted your entire heart out to. Someone you shared your darkest secrets and deep insecurities with. How was Eric able to just say it meant nothing to him, that it was all for fun. That it was ‘nothing serious’ to him, and he was certain you felt the same. You couldn’t believe what he was saying. Never in your life had you ever wished something bad on someone before, but sometimes you just wanted to go back in time to change certain things.

feels like burning on my lips

the ones that you used to kiss

no way you ain’t feelin’ it too

Eric would be lying if he said he wasn’t heartbroken. He fell for you in ways you couldn’t even begin to imagine. You were his everything, but so was his reputation. He had built up a strong resumé of girls who had fallen for the baseball star, only to have their hearts broken. None of them affected him the way you did. After almost two years together, it was either choose you or choose popularity. Now he’s wishing he would have chosen you. You mean more to him than any level of popularity. Now he can’t think straight. He can’t focus. He’s been benched on the baseball team, frat parties don’t hit the way they used to when he had you with him. But the peer pressure of living up to the name he had made for himself was too much. He collapsed under the pressure. “I’m surprised it’s lasted this long Eric”. “When are you going to end things Eric”. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone, and in the end he disappointed the person that means the most to him.

i hope my name hurts, my name hurts

my name hurts you (you, you, you)

Just like you, he can’t stand to hear your name. Because all it does is remind him of all the pain he caused you.

[coeluvr]

Hello dearest!

I don't usually write messages because I have weird, shy internet anxiety, but I wanted to make an exception because compliments always motivate me to keep writing and I need u to keep writing so I can finally h*ld Vincent's h*nd!!! 😔😭🤡

This is one of the few IFs where I actually want to romance all ROs!!! Usually, I have a few I really want to romance and the rest I slog through cause completionist tendencies. But you've done a wonderful job of not only making the characters feel very alive and dynamic but also making them all appealing and attractive.

I usually always want to romance the hater because pettiness fuels me but also love angst with a kill them with kindness mc (I WILL H*LD VINCENTS H*ND OR DIE FIGHTING GOD). So, confirmed Vincent-mancer. His art? HIS EYES. HIS LIPS. PRETTY PRIVELEGE IS REAL AND ALL CRIMES ARE EXCUSED (also I really tried going into it being like he's not sad!!! But, as someone who's been in that place, while not an actual war, he definitely comes across as sad in the sense of a weariness at life and that he's struggling to fit back into his skin as pre-trauma Vincent. Artist did a 10/10 job with all the art because THEY'RE SO BEAUTIFUL I CREYYYY)

But the chokehold Hunter has on me? They were gonna be first because their personality is appealing to me both fictional and irl but omg everything I read I HAVE TO HAVE MORE. Like it's moved beyond I'd definitely vibe with this character and look forward to their route to i WANT TO SMOOCH THEIR PRETTY FACE OFF. So now confirmed Hunter-mancer (I actually died on the tattoo snippet on patreon is it a good or bad day to be bi?)

Helios kind of types I'm more of a 50/50 with, but obviously gotta do it for the juicy drama. But all stuff with him has just been so ??!!!???😳😳🫠 like he just leaves me more intrigued. Confirmed Helios-mancer. (The amount of times I'm gonna replay his route to try different things is actually gonna be crazy)

Soarine hot women nuff said. But also just ???!!!?!? I can't even form words. I'm so excited for more scenes with her. Confirmed Soarine-mancer. (Ma'am pls step on me respectfully and not so respectfully)

Fadiya as the official best friend (Hunter you're a bestie too but I feel bad like I'm making u choose between me and Helios :((( ) is usually one I'd keep strictly platonic. I love platonic routes as much as romance and nothing grabs me more than having a best friend character in IFs. BUT SHES SO ADORABLE. I WANNA SMOOSH HER CHEEKS. Also I feel her cause I'm that oblivious too 😭😭😭 I always appreciate ifs having the shy and bold type flirting but I need an oblivious idiot one because I'd be accidentally flirting with her like I do with all my friends without realizing I'm in love with her (and then be unable to speak to her once I realize because flirting? With people that aren't just platonic friends??? That I have feelings for????? Sounds fake). I gotta write the fanfic now (and perhaps share with u once I get over my shyness)

I really am looking forward to the next chapter! I'm so glad I subscribed on patreon too :))) keep up the good work (it also motivates me to cure my depression and post my stuff too)

💙💙💙💙💙

This is so sweet, anon 🥺 Thank you for sending me this message!!

I'm so glad all of the ROs are appealing to you! I love them all so much they're all beautiful and have so much to their stories. 🥰

Vincent's pretty privilege is insane lmao so many people folded when they saw him 😭 I guess Vincent's inner sadness seeped through because he's really okay #trust but then I probably have a wildly different definition of okay haha very low standards of living over here. He was also never trauma free lol my man just going through it. 🤭

I understand your love for Hunter!! They are just very... very. The tattoo part is one of my favs too they're so smooth with it like okay you're popular with everyone we get it 🙄 *cries to sleep*

Helios is super interesting to me because of the way he handles things and his mindset like I need to study him under a microscope. His route will definitely fulfill all your desires for drama! 🥳

Soarine hot woman. Real. She can ruin my life any day.

Fadiya is perfection and a gift from the gods because she's just so 🥹🥹 I love her to bits and she's going to be so fun to write.

Thank you for your kind words! I love these kind of messages so you're right hehe. Definitely gave me a boost! 💗

[captain-of-silvenar]

WIP Wednesday

It's been a hot second since I did a WIP Wednesday! I got some stuff laying around, testing out new story ideas so I'm here to share one of them!

Here's a snippet of Chapter 3 of First Impressions! Do also read the other two chapters and let me know what y'all think of it!

Tagging: @yansurnummu @scalecallerpeak @sniperviper @throughtrialbyfire @thana-topsy

@skyrim-forever @eatthatsweetroll @baileybooradly @ashyam-xivilai

With a sudden crunch, Yera's arrow pierced through the chest of the draugr. Its death rattle followed it down as it collapsed onto the watery floor. Several more footsteps splashed toward their position as Teldryn stepped out of their hiding place and drew his sword. Flame in one hand, blade in the other, he was quick to end another draugr that approached and burned another arriving as back up. The whistle of a passing arrow was all that warned Teldryn as he turned around to see Yera having shot another of those creatures trying to sneak up behind him.  As fast as they arrived, there were now four dead-again draugrs in the crypt around them. Yera carefully stalked from her hiding position to the closest one and started rummaging around their rotten clothes for loot. Teldryn stood guard and kept his eyes and ears out for any more unwelcome visitors. It was quite the shock really to find anything else down here. As far as he knew these kinds of crypts were popular in Skyrim, same design and everything. Why there would be one under Raven Rock and not documented was beyond his knowledge. Perhaps there was some weight to Crescius’ ramblings. He tried not to think too much on it, no point in what ifs and what haves when one is in the situation already. With all the tight hallways and turns there was no telling what other monsters and fiends would be lurking here. Once Yera was done searching the draugr she moved up to him and turned her ear towards the next exit. “Don’t hear anymore footsteps,” she whispered. “Chances are they’re in their dormant state and waiting for us to walk by.” She pulled her seeing cane out again, letting it go before her and quickly clacking against the rubble on the ground. Teldryn followed behind and let her lead. She was quite insistent on it and for a good reason. It was she that told him of the draugr ambush and why they were taken down so swiftly. “There’s one patrolling around the corner”, she had told him, crouched behind a corner. “And two more walking deeper into the crypt. Chances are more will wake up though, so be prepared to fight when I take the first one down.” Recalling the memory just mere moments ago, Yera had pulled out her great ebony bow and pulled it back just in time for Teldryn to see a draugr walk right into view. Dead on, not a hint of struggle or hesitation. He’d have to ask later how Yera was so accurate without her sight. But later, Yera was walking ahead of him and he was lagging behind. Neither of them were going at much of a pace, trying to avoid splashing in the water below them. It was a refreshing change of pace from other patrons who never seemed to know where to put their feet half the time. Yera seemed right at home in the darkness and craggy ruins. The seeing cane far ahead of her, gently swinging back and forth to tell her of the obstacles. When it rose over a slight bump Yera paused and held a closed fist to signal to him. “Trap,” she said. “Right at the end of my cane, probably a pressure plate. Just go around it and we’ll be fine.” Easy order, he walked a wide berth around the end of the cane as Yera followed beside him. When he glanced up to check the upcoming stairs he did see a sort of glint behind the overgrown vines besides it. Old but effective. No one wants to become a pincushion from a swinging trap door.

[kyogre-blue]

OK, post timeskip GD, go!

Got up to the bridge, which means unifying the Alliance and presumably starting an offensive against the Empire.

I've gotten all the B ranks on my supports, a bunch of A ranks, and all of Byleth's available ones except Lysithea A (which is blocked off) and someone's S. The A ranks really vary a lot in terms of how involved they are, with some being quite nice, but others being pretty whatever.

Unfortunately, some of the basic issues with the support system start to get pretty obvious. You end up doing them in batches, so they get tiring. Additionally, if you watch a few for the same character in a row, there's often overlap in what they discuss, since the characters only have a few traits. Worse, none of the growth in one support can carry over to another or even a paralogue (or to the main story). The supports just become disconnected what-ifs, in a way.

(And this not mentioning the issue that some major character details always end up hidden in the most out there support, which in 3H will require some bizarre recruitment combination.)

In regard to the main story, I don't have too much to say. It's kind of spinning its wheels while we get the new plot on the road, but it's fine. It's just... fine. Hopefully, it'll pick up once we start the real battles.

Notes again:

1185, nearly 5 years since the monastery fell. But it fell several months into 1181, so like... it's 4 years and change.

Kingdom capital has fallen, Leicester alliance is split between supporting the Church and the Empire.

Sothis is here again somehow.

Tomorrow is the Millennium Festival, how convenient. Byleth came floating down a river from Garreg Mach. It is Ethereal Moon, but... Which one is that again...

Ok, I see why AC said the reunion was underwhelming. It's cute but the buildup is non-existent.

Byleth's first concern is Rhea (relatable) but Claude thinks it might be better that she's gone. He doesn't explain why. I am gonna need some time to get used to everyone's adult voices.

Lorenz is quite chill about his father's uh allegiance.

Lorenz: This was inevitable, since our lands are so close to the empire, we have to side with them or lose our necks. Lorenz also: BUT MAYBE IF CLAUDE DIDN'T SUCK

The amount of times you can ask after Rhea is... hum. Rhea is the most personal priority for Byleth. They're definitely not upset or unsettled by her, which is funny.

Seteth thought that maybe Rhea would turn up on the millennium festival.

Claude wanted to use the monastery as a base of operations due to its location.

Why are we talking to this Seiros Knight NPC? Was an unavailable playable meant to be filling this role?

Leonie A1 with Lorenz: she gives back a handkerchief... after 5 years. Leonie's village is called Sauin. It turns out Lorenz's family were the ones who hired Jeralt to help the village all those years ago. Lorenz is still punchable, btw.

Marianne A with Hilda: Their previous two ranks were more abrasive than I expected. The A is... OK? Given their popularity as a pairing, I expected something a bit more.

Cyril A with Hilda: This doesn't feel like it should have been gated to the timeskip. This A is also kinda underwhelming. It's okay, but knowing their relationship can't advance any further is... yeah.

Not really feeling the new monastery and menu music.

They did at least change the skybox to be yellow, which is something. Makes it feel autumn-y, which is... not correct. It would be nice if somewhere aside from the cathedral interior had some visible damage.

Claude A with Byleth: He admits to not being born in Fodlan (presumably because this has nothing on Byleth being potentially not even human) though doesn't name where he's from specifically. In Almyra, people from Fodlan are viewed as cowards, which Claude attributes to ignorance (if they just met and interacted with real people from Fodlan, like his mother, they'd know better). They also looked down on him for being of mixed blood.

He came to Fodlan to try and find "a new perspective" in his goal of breaking down those barriers, but people in Fodlan are even more racist, seeing people from other nations as just beasts. He wants to bring the whole world together and start anew. I know nothing bad happens, but uh. That's, hm... At least he realizes that it was extremely unrealistic... but Claude recognizes Byleth's magic dragon god powers and thinks they can make it happen together.

At first, I was wondering why we can view Ferdinand supports when he didn't turn up, but he IS here? He wasn't in the battle or the scene after...

Ferdinand has lost his territory and is determined to stop Edelgard no matter the cost. Per his B, he always intended to unseat his father. I guess, like Lorenz, he wasn't really onboard with his evil dad from the start.

Marianne and Lorenz A is....... uh. She's not going to smile while telling you about how her family is cursed, dude.

OK, so for weekly Instruct, we're using the Cardinals' room that was sealed before, and instead of the faculty giving staff training, we run advanced drills with the students.

Byleth's open mouthed shock when told Dimitri was killed (supposedly). And then a droopy sad posture.

"Faerghus Dukedom"

Claude approves if you ask him whether he hopes Rhea is dead. He just has things he wants to ask. It's interesting given that Claude presents himself as being in your corner, and Byleth has a big bend toward asking after her, seemingly in concern.

Claude thinks that most people accept the "noble system" because of their belief in the Seiros faith. They also have prejudices against non-believers too. That's... hm. A take, for sure.

So without Rhea, the supposed closed-minded Church doctrine will weaken and there will be more room for free thought, which Claude considers a cure-all.

Claude's ultimate goal here is to have Byleth take over the church and lead Fodlan that way. Then, people could be free to think for themselves. He thinks Edelgard is after something similar. He just doesn't like that she's using so much bloodshed to get there. Not necessarily because he disapproves but because the world "can't get behind" it.

But since Rhea is probably still around, we still have questions, and Byleth ambiguously might care about her (MY A RANK), Claude backpedals into finding her being the next step and quickly hurries you off to bed.

Claude and Cyril B: Claude never knew that there were people in Almyra in Cyril's situation. Which is to say... poor and exploited? Or...?

If no one else is in Rhea's corner, Cyril is. I appreciate that he doesn't just support her because she helped him personally, but because that's the kind of person she has been - trying to help those without any status and nowhere to go. Rhea helps refugees and orphans not just because of the goddess's teachings, but because it's the right thing to do.

Claude: OK, maybe Rhea is fine. Maybe.

GROWTH??

Too bad supports are basically not canon.

Claude and Lorenz A: Claude is fine giving up leadership of the Alliance to Lorenz now that he's gotten to know him. But same is true for Lorenz. Kinda gay. Not bad.

Claude was only recognized as the heir to Reigan thanks to Judith's recommendation. Which is interesting given his background.

Marianne's paralogue: One of the 10 Elites got cursed by his crest and he turned into a monster... that was still sentient and can talk. And he ate people. Unclear if anyone else with the crest was actually affected, or if they just carried that stigma for a thousand years...

Claude and Marianne A has an interesting implication about the timeline. Claude frames it as him running away from home as soon as he was old enough because he was tired of being discriminated against and hoped that Fodlan would be better. It was only after he arrived in Leicester and realized that it's no different that he came up with his idea to break down the boundaries between Fodlan and Almyra.

It makes more sense that his plan would be so weirdly underbaked if he's had it for less than a year and made it when he was despairing over having no place he could belong.

Flayn and Ignatz B: Flayn forgets the Church party line about the Elites being good guys, lmao. Also forgets that Saint Cethleann is generally portrayed as a woman, not a girl.

Ailell, the Valley of Torment, is the required lava stage. It was created when some kind of big heaven light destroyed the forest that used to be there. It's rumored to have been the wrath of the goddess, but that isn't recorded in scripture. (It's actually the Agarthans lol)

Count Rowe was in charge of Arianhodr (spl??) but betrayed the Kingdom to join the Empire. His general, Gwendal, wasn't happy about all this.

Judith accuses Claude of neglecting the Alliance territories for years. He left his territory with a reliable retainer ("Nardel"). Without Byleth's clout, he'd look like a "scoundrel leader." Judith leaves her territory with "Nardel" too, which is... lol.

One of Judith's men saw Rhea be dragged off by the Empire five years ago.

[aroace-number-eight]

One thing I kind of want to see utilized in AUs, especially canon divergent AUs, is having the Garde go by different names since they have the ability to choose their own names or go by an alias because they're in a completely different situation that may prompt them to decide on a name unlike canon, and also because we get to do it for fun

Like Six getting to have one of the names she wanted like Starla or Veronica, or Marina still traveling with Adelina and they went by Yasmin and Fatima respectively when they were in Denmark. John still living in Florida and going by Daniel Jones with his father Henri Jones, or maybe they actually leave Ohio when Henri says so and they go by Jobie and Henri Frey. Five traveling down North America with Rey and he was called by the name Carson

Picking new names for the other Garde, like I remember Hannah being a popular name for One at some point, there was a fic where the Garde went to highschool and Five was named Rich

There's a lot of potential with that in story ideas, or maybe even just thinking of headcanons about the Garde at the various points in their lives, their backstories or their what-ifs

[grapecaseschoices]

i usually don't send asks and i would send this off anon, but im scared of getting hate on this, since ive seen quite a lot of discriminatory behaviour in if fandom spaces when it comes to poc opinions so imma just stay anonymous if that's ok with u.

i came across a post you posted a while ago regarding the if ROs and the lack of diverse characters when it comes to darker skin characters and i just wanted to say thank u for making that post. i hope it gives writers and the fandom some food for thought. ive been noticing ever since i got into the if community that black/ros of black descent tend to almost always be the less popular ros and as a mixed black person myself it's really sad to see. you also mentioned the lack of darker skinned east Asians/south East Asians if i recall correctly (if not please feel free to correct me) and I honestly couldn't agree not. ive noticed in some ifs that the characters of color that are the most popular tend to be those of east Asian descent with paler skin or poc ROs who's ethnicity is left ambigious by the author and whilst I'm really happy that there's been more progress made in terms of diversity, i would love to see more black characters who aren't sidelined to the best friend stereotype and more poc characters who's ethnicity is made clearer.

some south east Asian friends of mine who are of Hmong-Thai and Agta-Filipino descent have also mentioned they would would love to see more South East Asian ROs as well as East Asian ROs who are darker skinned, because the majority of the rep that there seems to be for Asian characters are those with paler skin. its a similar feeling for Latinx ROs, i almost always see lighter skinned Latinx ROs being represented in the majority with a lack of darker skinned Latinx ros. I'm not forcing anyone to add diversity to their game ofc, but the ratio of poc ROs to white ros on some games have made me kind of sad to see, specially when there's like 4 or 5 white ros and then 2 ros of colors who seem like they were just kind of tacked on for representation points, but their backgrounds are left ambigious and no Nationality or ethnicity is ever mentioned by the author which kind of leaves me scratching my head ngl. there's also a prominent lack of SEA and SA rep in terms of ROs, so I'm always happy when I see one! I would also love to see more biracial characters who aren't half white, since we aren't all a monolith.

regarding black ros. in my time in the community whilst ive seen an increase in the amount of black ROs, seeing them always be the least popular in polls still makes me quite sad. i hope that fandom can become more open minded and give more black ROs a chance. on the other hand I've seen a lot of greatly written black ROs in comparison to back in the day, and I'm glad people are incorporating more ROs based on their culture which is great!

sorry about this essay, but i hope it doesn't come across as rude or offensive, it's just something that has been on my mind ever since ive seen your post regarding the lack of representation in if. English isn't my first language so I hope I expressed myself alright.

negl, when i the way you started and then the length of this post, i foreal thought it was gonna be a fight. so, it was a relief that isnt the case. i honestly don't think there's anything for me to add, because you said my feelings and all i could do is nod along as i read this.

though, i'm glad that my post struck a chord for you. (is that the thing to say?? i'm not even sure. i guess my purpose for that post was pointing out the ignored part and bringing on encouragement as well. so, while i'm glad it encouraged you to share your opinion and made you feel less alone in feeling uncomfortable with what you were seeing -- it sucks that things haven't changed to a point where you can feel comfortable saying your thoughts off anon without being harassed. like yikes [not at you, but at fandom]. roflmao. like this is 2023. we really STILL at a point where we're going to make people feel bad about having a GENERAL issue with the racism and colorism that if writers & the if fandom continue to show? rather than … idk continue to DO something about it.)

i would love to see more black characters who aren't sidelined to the best friend stereotype and more poc characters who's ethnicity is made clearer.

i have actually seen some improvement, too. either from the fandom directly zeroing in and supporting black characters (i know the polls can seem disheartening - and i had a feeling that's what drew you to my inbox - but there HAVE been moments where the black character would be the most favored ro -- buuuuuut .... sadly, it is still so rare that i continue to be surprised when it occurs) or in the if writers boosting black characters because they have an awareness regarding fandom's bias. i definitely do think we need more of the latter, tho.

i still think there is a very long way to go. extremely. like i think in general, despite the imporvements we have both observed, a lot of the newer games i've seen ratio is still low like you said. it's a mix instead of being - at least from my observation - as consistently majorly white like it used to be. now i'd say the ratio is aybe 3 (white characters) to 2 (characters of color, of different races) ... as opposed to 3:1. Whoo. BUT i've seen what you mentioned too, still -- too many games are still so white. And if they're not, they're more often than not theyll be light skinned East Asian or black (or mixed... with white). Or an ambigous Latino that I can't tell if they're a white Latine or meant to be a character of color. So, yeah ... i don't know what it is. a fear of writing characters of color, not finding characters of color romanceable, or just a lack of awareness.

Like I guess I agree with you (lmao), I don't want to "pressure" people to have diversity either --- mostly because the people who get hurt in cases like that are minorities reading the story. My desire, I suppose, is a want to understand. I know a lot of IF writers have the idea that 'my story is for me', and in a sense, I agree -- I think we shouldn't expect writers to bend every bit of story to the fans (not even an interactive story). I've seen the mess that can create. However, if you wanted it to be JUST your story, you would've left it in your journal. You want engagement and participation -- you want to share, and I believe most stories should be shared. So, why as an artis wouldn't you want to make a story where .... I don't know. I'm tired. I've kind of gotten to a point where I'm just like whatever. I'm disappointed in myself for expecting better from IF writers and the IF fandom.

BUT I am glad that you and your friends are not only discussing but EXPECTING better, because you deserve it. Because your friends deserve to see and engage with characters who are SEA (of all shades, but especially of darker skinned). You deserve to see mixed raced characters who aren't half white (or light skinned), because as stated yall arent a monolith -- that isn't all there is in the world. (And it's WEIRD to me, like WHY do we AUTOMATICALLY assume mixed/biracial = partially white? I mean I KNOW why but COME ON! lol.)

*sighs*

i WILL say though, again, it's not all bleak: and i have seen variation of the TYPE of characters of color -- like it isn't always the cold e. asian or the black emotional pack mule best friend. so that's good. and i hope that continues.

and you're fine, dove. i actually appreciate your ask because like i said i was feeling kinda ho-hum about things but this sorta sparked a fire in me, roflmao. you expresse yourself just fine, and honestly despite the essay i wrote back i really didnt have anything worth adding.

[lousycapy]

I'm already late to the party, but for the other anon, my observation is that many Max fans like Maxiel. Also, it was one of the top ships, iirc, before Lestappen happened.

As for liking or shipping Lestappen, even though they don't have much interaction: I guess it's their karting days lore and not liking each other before. Also when they do interact esp on podiums, drivers parade and conferences: it's cute. And for me, when I get into RPF for each space/fandom, I ship people mainly for the vibes/lore/compatibility. Like the other anon said, there are many popular ships out there that never interacted canonically but just make sense with their personalities and backgrounds (Superwholock, the crossover of Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar ships like Jelsa, a lot of popular HP ships comes to mind as well).

And I think for me (and I've seen multiple Lestappen accounts saying the same over time), most of those that get into shipping/RPF Lestappen don't actually wish for them to get together. We just take the real Max and Charles and use them as a basis/template for our Max and Charles story characters. It's like playing Barbie or house but with F1 drivers. Lol (idk if i'm explaining this well) but this is also I think the reason why there are a lot of AUs for Lestappen that for other people don't make sense. After all the F in RPF is fiction. Mostly just wish for them to interact so we can use those in our silly little stories.

Sorry for this long mesage and I hope you're having a nice day!

yes if I remember correctly before lestappen were the most written for f1 rpf ship on ao3 maxiel held that spot, and since Charles wasn’t on the grid when these 2 were teammates that could explain why older Max fans would prefer the ship with Daniel.

as for the lack of interactions but potential for stories through archetypes compatibility I’ll just link to the post you referenced on how people can enjoy ships differently here because it was such an interesting perspective! Charles and Max have had some cute (fruity🤨) moments but there’s also some drama and tension in their past so I definitely see why people like to ship it.

shipping to me is absolutely not about wishing the people or characters to get together in canon, it’s more of a view on what if they could develop into a romance organically. I couldn’t tell you why lestappen specifically got so popular in f1 rpf despite their relatively limited lore (backstory goes HARD though but the evolution has been pretty limited, hopefully as you said we get more interactions because the potential is there) or any other ship that relies more on compatibility of the personalities. the Barbie comparison is pretty great actually, using the template as a basis to build up new natural events.

my vision is that what makes a fanfic a specific ship’s story is the relation to canon events, because without those moments that differentiate their ship from any other possible combination of their archetypes personality I feel like I could replace the characters in the story by any of those iterations of archetypes, which kind of takes me out of the “what ifs” of how a relationship could develop between the people in the ship. sort of like “yeah, this story is about lestappen but since you’re not referring to the inchident or their on track battles or the terrible winks or the respectful appreciation of each other’s talent or anything else about them I feel like this story isn’t really theirs, and I could replace the characters with any other ship that is blunt guy/guy-next-door and it wouldn’t be shocking.” obviously people enjoy shipping differently, but that’s probably where my original confusion for why lestappen were so popular stemmed from, since with such a wealth of complex developed driver relationships in f1 I thought it’d be more logical for one of those to be more popular…

thank you for the input it’s always fascinating to see how other people view a shared pastime, and have a nice day as well 🫶

[denimbex1986]

'Two scintillating performances are at the heart of Andrew Haigh’s time-warp film, a tear-jerking meditation on loss, loneliness and self-alienation. The lovers played by Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal are destined to live on as one of cinema’s classic screen couples.

It’s an understatement to say that Andrew Scott will break your heart in Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers. Seeing him and Paul Mescal together is one of those triumphs of screen chemistry. They are both brilliant actors, and possibly even better human beings. Watching them fall, quickly and deeply, into a relationship that feels simultaneously eternal and doomed, is devastating. Little wonder they’ve been raking in awards and nominations – for themselves and for the film.

Scott, the Irish actor who soared to popularity as the so-called “Hot Priest” in the groundbreaking comedy series Fleabag, plays Adam who, like Scott in real life, is gay.

He is also miserably unhappy.

And, going by the ennui of his first few minutes on screen, he’s deeply lonely, alienated, and suffering from writer’s block. Within moments of craning over his laptop to start work on his new screenplay, he is back on the sofa scoffing junk food, watching rubbish on TV.

That’s perhaps par for the course for many writers. But there’s a sense almost that Adam is entirely alone in the world, that whatever suffering he is experiencing has consumed him absolutely. He lives in a large but apparently near-vacant high-rise block in London and seems to have no connection with people whatsoever.

So, when a dishevelled, slightly drunk and definitely horny Harry (Mescal looking wonderfully unkempt and very keen) shows up at his door, you are already hoping that Adam will invite him in, respond to the straightforward offer of company – and probably much more. Instead, he shuts the door in the face of the younger man and you realise that Adam’s suffering has a kind of terminal quality. He is morbidly alone, incapable of giving in to that most human urge for companionship.

After all, who in his right mind would turn Paul Mescal away?

It’s a good thing, then, that Harry is persistent. Otherwise we might never get to witness what turns out to be one of those truly great screen romances, full of passion and intimacy. The latter is deftly handled, the camera tenderly surveying the landscapes of the two lovers, skirting around genitalia, avoiding being too graphic while leaving little to the imagination. It’s the kind of sex, too, that really does propel the story along, and deepens our understanding of the two men and their experiences.

Before this hot romance kicks off, though, the film goes off on an alternate track. Quite literally. Adam sets off by train, you see, on a time-bending jaunt back to the suburban home of his childhood where he meets his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) precisely as they were 30 years ago, at about the time when they both died in a car accident.

It’s a wonky twist, this idea that we are able to see our protagonist hang out with the ghosts of his parents and spend meaningful moments interacting with them.

Or perhaps it’s not so strange, given that Adam is a writer and that the film he is struggling to start writing is about his parents and set in the 1987 of his childhood. However we choose to interpret what unfolds – dream, fantasy, maybe time travel – it pulls the rug from under us and at the same time enables us to go with what the film is ultimately offering us: slipstream entry into a realm of possibility, a chance to grapple with some of the many “what ifs” that haunt Adam, and perhaps haunt us all.

For Adam, it doesn’t really matter, though, if it’s real or imagined, because the effect it has on him – the feelings, the emotions, and Scott’s impeccably agonising tears – are all unspeakably real.

And so, when he has the opportunity to tell his long-dead mother that he is gay, he grabs it, and then he observes how she might have reacted had he been able to come out to her while she was alive. In an unflinchingly tender, yet perfectly restrained scene, he grapples with her instinctual prejudices and cruel responses. Because, of course, she is still mired in a different era.

Adam must work through the perplexity and devastation of realising that there is such a vast part of who he is that will forever be unknown and unknowable to his long-departed parents. That he will always be a stranger to them.

Yet, while he seems to take on this burden of regret and pain on behalf of multitudes of gay people who have gone through life without being able to come out to their parents, you realise that actually his feelings are not limited to this question of sexual identity.

In fact, Scott’s portrayal of anguish is about something more universal: that the time we have with one another is limited, and that the secrets we keep locked up limit our access to a full life. It’s this sense of being a stranger to those around us that keeps us lonely, that alienates us not only from others, but also from ourselves.

While Haigh’s film is ultimately designed to break your heart, its construction cleverly works to keep you on your toes. It’s a bit of a mind-bender, purposefully complex and littered with irrational moments that every so often threaten to topple over into the realm of science-fiction – or horror.

It is, after all, about being haunted, whether by our memories or by our imaginations. And while his parents aren’t exactly spooky, there are just enough moments of visual terror to scare Adam out of his dreams, and to keep us wondering about how the intricate layering of intrigue adds up to a story we can ultimately make sense of.

When we do, though, the truth is gut-wrenching.

It’s a film that feels deeply personal, extremely intimate. Even in scenes that take us into the sweaty, frenzied environment of gay clubs with their exuberant half-naked dancing and throbbing crowds, you feel Adam’s isolation and desperate loneliness, and his inability to properly connect with the wider world. In one such sequence, his hazy, drug-addled state ushers in almost debilitating confusion, and that’s when Haigh has us right where he wants us: floating in a kind of dreamscape, a timeless, borderless limbo that is a pure cinematic rendering of Adam’s terrible alienation.

Whether or not Adam will be able to overcome his inner pain is uncertain, but I have a strong sense that this film will, for its viewers, help resolve some of the wounds that afflict all of us. Because, in the end, we are all strangers to one another, unable to ever fully know the complete inner world of those around us.

This film does a fine job of letting us know how it feels to be just one of those countless strangers we live among. It also reminds us that, in order to connect, you need to leave your apartment, let go of the past, and not only imagine the possibilities, but dive into the world. And live.'

[abyssmonarch-cookie]

I think Undertale probably has a large au system with interconnection because when it initially became popular, there was only so much content to consume. So the fans took it into their own hands and made aus for miles with interconnectivity between them. Somewhere in between someone made the spark that was ink sans and error sans (I think that's his name?), The fandom avatars people to impose their boundless creativity and indiscriminate destruction. This encourages others to make aus that intersect with one another in the larger utverse to possibly make friends and maybe get attention from their fav au creators.

Also sans got oncler'd. Aka was the focus of many aus and sanses interacting with other sanses.

Meanwhile, with Homestuck, the thing was a long-term project with long haituses in between and supplimentaries like paradox space so there was more to bite on. Aus kind of comes from a lack of content which haituses did bring but ultimately were more like things to pass the time between updates. Outside of Heinoustuck which didn't go past act one, and crow strider, I don't think there was really any encouragement to make large-scale aus besides species swaps and other self-contained "what ifs". Not a lot of people really made a reason to start connecting aus together outside of rp shenanigans.

Which sucks because homestuck's meta narrative would be really neat with a large scale multiverse. You can make commentary about fanon and fandom creation. Secondary works. Characters in the comic already see other versions of themselves, and a multiverse au net would just be that but like... more. Plus the whole "there can only be one session that wins the game" thing can be a concept that gets played around in a grander homestuck au multiverse. Doomed selves. Divergent timelines (merstuck, heinous, what have you), that Commesentialism thing crow did.

Maybe if we can start a conduit that can encourage people to start interacting with one another it might help??? I think Crow strider has the right idea but we more playing around with fandom creation work concepts. Now we just need people to bat around the ball more.

Which is why I suggest we make Nepeta vs the multiverse where she blabla blabla

why doesn't homestuck have something similar to utmv. can you imagine how fun that would be

[hiddengiggles]

The Tickle Monster Trope

What is it about “The Tickle Monster” that’s so exciting, so shiver-inducing, so popular across this little community?

For me, I know exactly what intrigues me about it.

If you’re a person that wants to be tickled, you’re probably not around people that regularly want to tickle you. You’re stuck with this desire, this itch that can’t be scratched…

So when you’re a person that wants to be tickled, the idea of a being that actively craves to tickle you is thrilling.

More than just a craving, it’s an inevitability. When there is a Tickle Monster around, you will be tickled. Full stop. No ifs, ands, or buts. It’s exactly what a Lee desires, with nothing getting in the way of it!

So long as you can laugh, and buck, and squeal, and beg (whether to stop or to keep going), they will tickle you, and tickle you, and tickle you. They’ll tickle you head to toe, in places you didn’t even realize were so ticklish until “uh oh”, and they’re all in on making it tickle as much as possible. You have such a ticklish body, and finding just what makes you tick, what makes you produce their favorite reactions, that is the only goal for as long as they are around. It’s a rush, for them and for you!

But there’s also the threat there that makes it an exhilarating risk. What if the Tickle Monster starts, and doesn’t stop? Not only do they not want to stop, they can’t stop. Their hunger overtakes them, there is nothing that can pull them away, not begging or shrieks for mercy or squirming away, they will have their prey.

Speaking of hunger, the playful munching noises that others wouldn’t think of much? A Lee hears the threat of inescapability, of uncontrollable sensations lighting up nerve endings, and for some, of the incredibly ticklish feeling of nibbles and licks on the right place.

I’ve never met a Tickle Monster who has hesitated to verbalize any one of these things. The teasing tone, perfected over the years experimenting on other victims, while you’re in the right grip to keep you exactly where they want you, and the words to tell you exactly how delicious it all is… why would they EVER stop playing with such a sensitive someone like you? They need to tickle you, they must, you’re exactly the kind of plaything they’ve needed, and now they can spend time finding what other words and noises and teasing makes you the most ticklish you can be, and exploit it.

This otherworldly entity, this Tickle Monster, is the most dangerous way to satisfy a need, a risky way to get exactly what you’ve been begging the universe to send: someone to tickle you, and tickle you, and tickle you until your cravings have been wholly fulfilled. But are you willing to pay The Tickle Monster’s price? Your itch may be scratched, but how long until they’re full? Are you willing to find out? Good luck…

[honeybeegames]

Do you have any IF recs? I want to get into more but I’m not sure where to start

anon, you have come to the right person for this.

the golden rose by @anathemafiction - if you haven’t had the pleasure of playing the demo, you need to. my IRLs know i never shut up about ana’s writing or story or characters or anything. i was blessed enough to be able to beta the finished game and i can tell you all it’s amazing. i wish i could’ve recorded my reaction because my mouth dropped several times throughout. super excited for the release in april just so i can consume it all again 😭 the MC is by far my favorite character (even though you literally play them). if you play a snarky/flirty MC you’ll know why, LOL. i could talk abt the rose all day but i’ll stop myself here so the post doesn’t get too long, haha.

blood moon by @barbwritesstuff - i feel like this is one everyone recommends, but it’s for good reason, trust me. the romance is spectacular and it’s about werewolves, where could you go wrong? carrie and marco’s romances are by far my favorites even though they’re drastically different from each other, they’ve both managed to become my favorite characters. (also if you’ve played the scene where you stay behind to watch carrie and marco stays with you you’ll know why marco breaks and makes my heart)

mind blind by @mindblindbard - again, super popular one i’m sure you’ve seen recommended, and i’m recommending it again because you need to read it. like, one play through and you’ll understand all the hype around it.

the northern passage by @northern-passage - everyone and their mom has told you to read this and now i’m here with my own mother to tell you to read this. the world building in this is one of my favorites. the writing has me rolling around. lea has my heart in their hand and i can only hope they’re kind to it.

scout: an apocalypse story by @anya-dev - PLEASE. it’s so good and the characters are all so amazing and just, please. has one of the best ever friends to lovers romances (coming from someone who wasn’t that big of a fan of this trope before reading this) that makes me emotional. “is this what friends do?” MURDERED ME IN MY OWN HOME. BEAT ME UP WITH MY OWN HANDS. still not over it.

a tale of crowns by @ataleofcrowns - read it. now. you won’t regret it. every chapter has me rolling around squealing like i’m an otome game protag. also one of the few games i cannot pick a favorite character because all of them are so dear to me. even the side characters 😭 i adore them all. (maybe X more because they were my first route, but i still wouldn’t say they’re my favorite. i love them all too much.)

checkmate in three moves by @checkmatein3moves - the amount of RO’s is so crazy, plus all the variations. phew. the talent, the patient. the writing is so good too. i’m so invested in every single relationship that i have to play every single route once all the characters are introduced. mostly because i have no self control and love the way the characters are written. (am a sailormance before i’m human.)

virtue’s end by @virtuesend-if - another amazing one that’s coming out with a new (?) demo i believe. also has a great cast of RO’s and an MC i absolutely adore. i am in love with shea and elexis both so i’m not sure what I’m going to do 😁

wayfarer by @idrellegames - dnd inspired and it plays similar to that. failing stat checks is one of my favorite things to do, lol. literally purposely lost the fight against the count to get the confession scene with aeran so that i could scream into my pillow kicking my feet and shit.

the remainder by @the-remainder - more of a vn/if mix, but still really really good. the art is beautiful and the storyline has me hooked. i would give up my arms for ilar even though they do suspicious things.

perfumare by @pdrrook - agh this one had be staying up till 6 in the morning one night just to get through all the routes. i’m in love with the writing. has another super duper amazing friends to lovers route with an angry confession. you probably imagine by now i was rolling around in bed giggling while reading that part.

these don’t have demos but they’re some of my most anticipated WIPs so: ear candy by @earcandy-if, spilt milk by @spiltmilk-if, and witches of fengrove by @witchesofferngrove all deserve praise because they’ve managed to make me love their IFs without me reading their demo. super excited for them!

[rnisa]

Random Mikami x Reader Thoughts from the Past (Pt.1)

This goes out to the one popular girl who was always super nice and genuinely sweet to me when I was a kid. I wonder if she ever knew I had a crush on her?

😳👉👈

I like to envision a lot of sweet and tender "what ifs" with Mikami. So this is a, "what if Teru had at least one friend in middle school". Just some wholesome thoughts... I'm a sucker for "childhood friends who have a crush on the other but life gets in the way and they get reunited as adults and become a couple."

What if he endured all of the bullying and torment all throughout middle school, when a new transfer student comes along?

What if you, the transfer student, were shocked at how the school didn't bother to handle the bullying that went on and properly reprimanded the bad apples?

I can see Teru probably getting his ass kicked when you see it, for the first time, and interject. You were popular already, because you were "different". You being from somewhere else already made you "interesting" and people at school wanted to be around you. It was a game of who would get you in their clique first.

You defended the boy who got beat up, handing him his shattered glasses and asking if he's okay, once your stunt shooed the bullied away.

Teru was a bit suspicious of you. Though he liked to see the good in people, you unknowingly hung out with the very people he thought "evil". But still, he was kind to you. Wary, but kind.

Over the course of a few weeks, whenever you had seen him as a victim, you would step in and take care of him. You would baby him, almost, despite him not reacting well to that sort of thing.

Pretty soon, Teru went from sitting alone and having nobody, to just...having you. You sat yourself down next to him once, and he was both overjoyed yet anxious. You were not yet fluent in Japanese, yet you did your best to speak with him and try to be his friend.

He already liked you platonically, the moment you stood up for him. It just needed to be one person - anyone - for him to feel like he wasn't truly alone.

You'd had his back, and patched him up when it was necessary. Though part of him thought you were pranking him, just putting on an act and waiting for the right moment to say "Gotcha!" , it was hard for him to fully open up to you.

A few times before, someone would get close. Teru would reveal some kind of secret and the next day, everybody knew and mocked him as he walked by. There was another instance of bullying where a girl did the same, cozied up to Teru and pretended to have a crush on him - only to make a fool out of him in front of his classmates.

He'd been through so much, so it was no wonder that when you told him you liked him, he became somewhat avoidant. Every time he ran into you, it was like he was expecting you to deliver the punchline. However, that moment never came.

That is, until. Some of his bullies got a bit jealous. Why was he happy? Despite all of those beatings and torment, when Mikami was with you, he was able to laugh, and smile. So they "fixed" that.

...By writing a fake love note on behalf of you, of course. Ever seen Heathers? Just like that.

His bullies had written a note confessing "your" love for Mikami. Although he was smart, he was tricked into thinking it was true. Hope, wishful thinking, and the thought of something going good in his life, for once - you, having a crush on him. Sure, he thought of you like that before but he tried not to entertain it too much. Can't be disappointed if your expectations are already low, right?

Still, he plays it safe.

He merely tells you during lunch, "I got your letter" and waits for your response. When you're obviously confused as if you've no idea what he's talking about, he understands. Despite having that suspicion, it didn't hurt any less.

He excuses himself in the middle of the meal, as it's just difficult to be around you now.

I have more but this is so long, I'll do a part 2 eventually.

[narutakijune]

About ATLA Relationship Arcs

So, this is me, finally trying to write some meta after lurking in my little tumblr corner for months! Hi!

Although I’ve tried to tag properly, if you are a Kat*anger and just want to enjoy your favourite couple in peace, this might not be the post for you. I am not trying to bash characters but I do have a lot of critical stuff to say about the writing.

Anyway, you have been warned and here is my story about my personal first Atla experience: I watched the show this year for the first time, and after the end of Book 1 I decided to look up spoilers, because after what happened to Yue, I wanted to make sure that Zuko and Iroh would be ok. So I knew what was going to happen: Kat*ang endgame and absolutely no Zutara at all. Still, by the end of Book 3, I was convinced that I had read wrong - that there would be an epilogue with a different ending or at least that Aang would only get together with Katara post-show- in that Korra series or something - because anything else wouldn’t make sense- right?

….

After I got over my shock and surprise, I went online and found out about that decade-long aggressive passionate ship war and how even the showrunners got involved.

And then I really worried that I might have missed a few points. Apparently ”Aang and Katara were the DNA of the show”, according to the creators themselves, and “Zutara could never have happened”.

Another popular anti-ZK argument I found was: Why do you always go on about Katara and Zuko? Just look at Zuko and Aang! They are the hero/ anti-hero and each other’s foils, their relationship is much more meaningful!”

So I tried to find out what it was that I apparently couldn’t see.

(Another disclaimer: I love analysing stories (like many Zutarians apparently) and this will get long and rambly. If you get bored to tears when people start talking about “narrative structure” you will probably not like this.)

Talking about narrative structure, I do believe that, in order to let your story, your characters and their relationships really shine, a good basic structure is important. There should be a recognizable development and individual parts of the story that build upon each other and lead to consequences and change, until there is a completed arc - because it is all about the journey that takes you to a satisfying ending, right? So that’s what I tried to do, with my personal Kat*ang vs. Zutara take, I tried to look at the structure and development of their relationship arcs.

The argument that threw me off track for a while is that compared to Aang and Zuko, Zuko and Katara’s relationship is not supposed to be that relevant for the plot. After all, Zuko is the foil, the anti-hero, the deuteragonist to Aang, who is the hero protagonist.

This is all true of course. But then why is it that in every finale, Zuko’s main opponent (and later ally) is not Aang but Katara? Why is it that their sun/moon, red/blue, fire/water dichotomy is so obviously highlighted?

I think one reason why Zuko and Katara are paired off so frequently in the story - as opposite elements, as opponents and as allies - is that they BOTH are Aang’s deuteragonists. While Zuko also acts as antagonist and Aang’s foil/mirror, Katara takes over the more traditional deuteragonist role of confidant / best friend/ narrator.

Protagonist Aang is what connects them, although they are on opposite sides: Both need Aang because he represents their hope to save their world. Very simply put, Katara protects him, so he can make the world a safer place again, and Zuko wants to capture him, so he can go home and be safe again. That rivalry between them is already established in the first episode, even before they meet each other: Katara, who hopes that the Avatar will return (as she tells everyone in the intro), and Zuko, who seems to be obsessed with finding him for more sinister reasons.

And just to make sure, I am not talking here about the characters’ feelings and emotions! This is just about the abstract roles they have been assigned within the narrative.

When regarding Zutara’s special connection to Aang and their rivalry with each other, it makes absolute sense to stress their “same but different”ness as well, visually and metaphorically: Red and blue, fire and water, sun and moon, arguably Painted Lady/Blue Spirit, and, when you put into account their story arc, also Oma and Shu.

With this basis, which puts them together and sets them apart simultaneously, their relationship already becomes very dynamic and interesting, even before you consider any romantic potential.

And here’s another thing, Zuko and Katara also have their own story arc within the main plot. Although they don’t have many scenes together before Zuko joins the Gaang, when they do meet there is always a new shift in their relationship and in quite a few cases their interactions are important for the main plot as well. If you just look at their “end fights” at each book’s finale, there is an obvious and consequential build-up, like any decent story arc should have:

Book 1 starts with Zuko as the powered-up enemy and Katara as the weak newbie waterbender. Both are battling over Aang. At the end of Book 1, they are finally established as equally powerful fighters but still fundamentally different (You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun!)

In CoD at the end of Book 2 happens the next step: they realize that they are not different at all! But Aang still doesn’t represent the same for them and they end up on opposing sides of the war again.

In the Book 3 finale, when Zuko has completed his own (anti-) hero's journey and Aang represents the same “hope” for both of them, they do not only join forces: Their “same but different”- traits make them such a uniquely suited match that they are even able to save each other’s lives during their fight with Azula (who in turn happens to be Katara and Zuko’s antagonist/mirror/foil).

And in addition to their own story arc they even get an individual recurring theme, which also appears in every book whenever their relationship status changes: The lost mothers, especially Katara’s mother.

In Book 1, Katara’s necklace (the symbol of Kiya) plays not only a major part in two of Zuko’s capture attempts, it is the reason for their very first one-one one encounter in the story.

Their first friendly connection in COD in Book 2 happens because they start talking about their mothers. And in Book 3, their final reconciliation (sealed with a very cathartic hug) happens after their life-changing trip which is, of course, all about Katara’s mother.

Again, I am not even trying to analyse their characters and motivations within the story - there are many metas that have already done that much better, more detailed and with screenshots. This is just dry structure and tropes and themes. But I think people recognize and connect with a well-structured arc, even subconsciously, which is one of the reasons that makes Zutara such a compelling couple. They complete and contrast each other, their relationship dynamic constantly changes, builds up, falls apart, reconnects. Such a setup is the perfect playground for a lot of creative takes on what-ifs and alternative scenarios and of course, shipping them romantically is extremely tempting - think of all the possibilities! It’s no wonder that the Zutara fandom is still so active decades after the end of the show. And it’s also no wonder that the Zutarians are known for “over-analysing everything”. You can only over-analyse if there is anything that gives you enough food to analyse to begin with. Which brings me to

KAT*ANG

I just go right to the top and take the quote from Br*yke themselves:

Kata*ng was in the DNA of the thing from the start…. [Zutara] was just dark and intriguing.

If you read this quote and then start watching the show, I would (grudgingly) agree that:

Aang and Katara understand and complement each other really well. Aang gives her the chance to have fun and go on adventures and in turn, Katara is his fiercest supporter from the very beginning, something that he really needs after he lost all his people AND has to find out that the world thinks the war is sort of his fault. In turn, the journey to the North Pole is as important to Katara as it is to Aang, because it is her dream to learn waterbending properly. That’s what she literally says when Sokka & Co try to banish Aang: (Sokka: Where do you think you’re going? Katara: To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole.) In that way, they are friends who give and take equally and are equally taken care of. They even have the last Airbender/ last Southern Waterbender status that connects them. The few times they have a fight, Aang does something in the end to redeem himself (perform some heroic feat) and Katara sees that she is right to believe in him.

Aang has this very sweet crush on her and it will be very sweet and wholesome when Katara will return his feelings at the end of their adventure after he has hit puberty. On the other side, there is also some heavy shipbaiting with Zuko: I save you from the pirates. The betrothal necklace. June and her excellent shipping taste. But in the end they are enemies, they barely know each other and, come on, it would be too dark and intriguing! There is no real threat against friends to lovers Kat*ang, the soft heart of the story. It’s very straightforward and there are a lot of simple “the hero saves the day” scenes for Aang but that’s fine! It’s not really my kind of ship but that’s not the point, it works for the story they want to tell.

End of Book 1.

In my - probably harsh- opinion, everything you really need to know about the Kat*ang relationship has been told by this point. If you want to be really mean, already by Book 1, episode 3.

That explains maybe why many (not all! but many) pro-KA arguments sound as if their shippers have not watched Book 2 and 3 at all. The Book 1 synopsis also perfectly sums up Bry*ke’s quote above. But then Book 2 and 3 are still there and I don’t know what happened but it seems as if they somehow decided that the Kat*ang story does not need any new and lasting input. Maybe because they were afraid that too much new development and change would stray too far away from their original Kat*ang vision. But there are still 2 more books and more adventures and Kat*ang somehow has to be kept apart until the finale.

So the tension in their potential romance is based largely on the question whether or not Katara will return Aang’s feelings. In general I don’t have a problem with that will-she-won’t she-technique. It works well in books where the love interest is not a POV or in shows/ movies where the love interest is not one of the main characters. But Katara is not only the female lead but also arguably the narrative voice of the whole story! As a result, this kind of writing makes Katara look as if she doesn’t have any agency in their relationship, which is not surprisingly a very popular anti-KA criticism.

Additionally, since her dream - learning waterbending - has been fulfilled by the end of Book 1, the relationship work becomes a bit one-sided. Of course Aang is the hero and his journey is the heart of the story. But in order to highlight their special connection it would have helped to give Katara another personal agenda, which Aang could have supported in some way. She is still the last Southern Waterbender and he the Last Airbender but this is not really explored in the Kat*ang relationship. And her other personal agenda, her mother, is already reserved for the Zutara arc.

Instead, in Book 2 and 3 the Kat*ang story is somehow all over the place. Of course there is new conflict and a few romantic scenes as well. But obstacles are either introduced too late or just dropped when not needed anymore, conflict is not resolved and their flirty, romantic moments never lead anywhere- and if they do, they lead to more conflict that is not resolved (yes, I am looking at you, EIP Kiss!).

Take for example Katara’s very sudden argument that they cannot be together now because there is a war going on. We hear her saying that for the first time in the very last episode (EIP) before the 4-part finale. That is too late to have any impact! That she has these kinds of thoughts was never even alluded to before. Not once.

Or the pattern Aang runs away/ is flaky - Katara is upset - Aang comes back and does his hero thing - Katara is relieved. In regards to their relationship arc, nothing changes here between Book 1 and the finale, only the stakes for Aang’s heroic performances get higher.

Or Katara being the one who is able to calm Aang down when he cannot control the Avatar state (which, in my personal opinion, is neither romantic nor healthy). This is also connected to the problem with the seventh Chakra, that Aang needs to let go of his attachment for her. I will be angry forever with how they wasted this for a possible relationship development! That Aang has to decide to either do his duty or save his forever girl (because let’s be fair, he did try to let go and only ran when he had the vision of Katara in danger) - that’s a fantastic setup!

But no, it doesn’t have any real consequences for Kat*ang at all. Instead there were only half-baked attempts – Aang does lie about his failed practice with Guru Pathik but the ultimate reason why his chakra is blocked is Azula, not his decision to run. Aang does try to let go of Katara for a little bit but then Azula shoots him. Nothing in Book 3 shows any change in his feelings that could have been a result of his instant let-it-go. If anything, he gets weirdly obsessive - which could have been used as a side effect of his blocked chakra but – again, no, nothing happens.

I suspect the whole thing was just introduced to create temporary drama for poor Aang, but it is never explained why Katara holds him back, what aspect of the attachment is blocking him or what would happen if he did let her go. Maybe they tried to make a statement about how love is more important than Avatar rules – which would have been fine but it’s also never properly explored. Instead, as soon as that plot point becomes inconvenient it’s simply dropped like a random rock™.

Compare all that to the Zutara arc, where both characters’ feelings about each other are always very much in the open, and where every interaction causes lasting effects in their relationship. Yes, it is unfair to compare that to Kat*ang, because up to the end of Book 3, Zuko and Katara almost never meet, while Aang and Katara spend almost every episode together – of course they cannot do meaningful things all the time. But on the other side, with Kat*ang, there would have been a great chance to show a subtle, gradual build-up instead.

It also doesn’t help that the Zutara arc seems hellbent on sabotaging every romantic moment Aang is allowed to enjoy:

There is Kat*angs first maybe-kiss in the dark before the background of the Oma and Shu legend. But it does not lead anywhere. Instead, Zuko and Katara almost reenact the legend itself in the Book 2 finale as two real enemies to almost-friends, including a glowy rocks-backdrop and the right costume colours, just so nobody misses the message.

In Footloose The Headband, Aang and Katara have a really sweet dance together, and everybody can see how they almost intuitively know each other's moves. This could be a great hint on how well they will fight together in the finale. But is it plot-relevant? No, because the final tag team is Katara and Zuko! While Aang gets paired off with random rock™.

Then there is Aang’s riding off to battle- kiss in DotBS, which Katara is not even allowed to enjoy, because keeping her feelings vague is apparently more important than character development at this point. It is the only romantic moment that gets mentioned again, but in a way that sinks the former cute and wholesome ship into the deep ocean, and the reason is - Aang is jealous of Zuko!

If all of this was only done for the sake of shipbaiting, then it really went out of control at some point.

In the end, the showrunners still had their reasons to choose Kat*ang, maybe because that corresponded more to their own vision, and there are still enough people out there who agree with them. Which is absolutely fine! In the end, what matters most is how you personally connect to the characters and nobody needs to defend their personal taste. But the typical anti-ZK claim, that all the Zutarians with their crazy analysis and rambling meta essays are reaching and delusional and that they desperately try to construct something that isn’t there, is not only a very lazy argument but simply not true.

And I’d claim that in spite of the canon choice, Zutara is technically the better written relationship. By far.