#wow this was long

[echobutgirlypop]

me when Lance and Keith’s connections with the blue and red lions gives them a BOND *wink* *wink* that connects to their growth as characters. me when Lance and Keith’s discovery of the blue lion mirror Keith’s parents. me when Keith’s initial closed off persona opened up after meeting Lance and lances initial need to be a great pilot like Keith grew into a talent of supporting his crew (including Keith) and developing a role in which he can support the team without trying to one up someone else’s talent (sharpshooter instead of pilot), which set both of them up for their roles as the leader and his right hand man.

SO. Let’s start at the beginning. Lance, in attempting to find the glory he’s been failing to achieve, directly piggybacks on Keith’s plan in order to save Shiro because he could not come up with a plan of his own. These characterizations allude to the fact that…

1. Lance is incompetent in everything he’s tried up to this point. His dreams of being a legendary fighter pilot are crumbling around him because he simply is not naturally talented in flying planes. Of course, he could practice and work hard to improve, which he does later in the series (which we’ll talk about later), but after he became a cargo pilot, he decided he had nothing to offer. Consequently, he began to put up an overconfident front, really the only thing he excelled in. Confidence. Even though he had achieved fighter class, his overcompensating confidence prevented him from making sound decisions and overall improving as a pilot. Lance doesn’t trust himself to make decisions in a situation as important as saving his hero, so he used Keith’s already established plan to involve himself as a savior of his hero.

2. According to Iverson, the only major authoritative figure in lances life at this point, Lance is only a fighter pilot because Keith, the best pilot, had a discipline issue. Lance knows Keith as an amazing pilot that got him where he wanted to be. While Lance would rather do anything but have to work with Keith to achieve the glory he so desperately desires, he knows that since Keith is not loved by the garrison, so Lance can take more credit for the rescue. In lances mind, he got him where he wanted once, he can do it again.

Later, we learn about Keith’s investigation of the blue lion. He’s been trying to find this thing for ages and you know who magically reveals clues Keith has never been able to access before? LANCE. He enters Keith’s life and changes EVERYTHING. Keith’s search for the blue lion gave him a sense of purpose after losing Shiro and the garrison. Just before Shiro returned he sort of hit rock bottom in terms of that investigation. When lances connection to the blue lion guided the paladins to the blue lion, Lance helped Keith discover something new, something he had never seen before. Keith had been living the past few months or even years without doing anything meaningful or developing any meaningful relationships with people his age or discovering anything new. Lance brought a spark into his life, allowing him to use his talents to explore the stretches of space and help others. Yes, the other paladins were there when they found the blue lion, but no one was as connected as Lance and Keith to each other and the blue lion. Pidge and Shiro were more involved with investigating/informing others about the galra, not the lions. Hunk did absolutely nothing (ironic considering his character was never developed in the show to the extent of the others and was fairly useless to the team, unfortunately - he deserved better). If I remember correctly, it was Allura who said that the connection Keith felt to the blue lion was present in order to bring the paladins together, or rather Lance to his lion. Quite literally, the magical connection from keith and Lance to the blue lion (an exact match to lances personality at the time) helped both of them to discover themselves and live happier lives that ultimately brought the team and sort of the universe together???

When Lance became the paladin of the red lion and keith became the paladin of the black lion, their official roles within the team accurately matched the personalities and unofficial roles that they had finally gained through their character development. Lances early journey centered around learning he didn’t have to be the best pilot in the galaxy, but instead could be a pretty good gunman and a major support pillar for the team emotionally and tactically. The journey mirrored his transition from the “confident and friendly” blue lion to the “instinctual and fiery” red lion. The blue lion, said by the dreamworks team to be the lion most accepting of its pilots, typically paladins who it/she see potential in and intend to nurture towards growth. While the red lions descriptions don’t necessarily match lances personality because the descriptions were written to match Keith, its paladin must earn the respect of the red lion in order to pilot it/her. Once he becomes the paladin of the blue lion, the confidence Lance had been parading about became more rooted in his actual skills as he finds himself useful to the team with his sharpshooting abilities. By the time he takes up the mantle of the red paladin, Lance has matured in personality and skill, allowing him to act on instinct and match the role of Keith’s right hand man (HIS INVISIBLE RIVALRY TURNED INTO ADMIRATION AND LOVE). His acts for the team and universe have proved him worthy to be the red paladin.

Keith’s struggle with accepting his new role as the black paladin was displayed much more overtly in the show. Scared of losing Shiro again and feeling unready to lead a team after a life of isolation and struggle with people, Keith was extremely skeptical about becoming the black paladin. His journey focused on learning to work with as well as lead others and develop meaningful connections with his teammates. While keith piloted the red lion, he didn’t need to work with anyone because of the sheer talent him and his lion exhibited in combat and flight. However, Shiro’s guidance in forming relationships with his teammates helped him to use his strengths to boost the team. When he became the black paladin, keith had to officially adopt the role he had unofficially grown into through the bonds he made with the paladins and the tactical knowledge he used to guide the team. The “unstable” red paladin of the beginning of the show accepted and understood the importance of adopting a major leadership position, despite his own insecurities and fears.

Lance and Keith’s shared connection to the blue and red lions, their connection to shiro, and their willingness to reveal their deepest values and emotions to each other have established them as having one of the most powerfully bonded relationships in the series. Lance and Keith have been through a lot, but despite it all, they have always been devastatingly, meaningfully, and compassionately intertwined, to the deepest internal themes of their characters and storylines.

[abyssal-author-and-artist]

Pacifica Northwest is transmasc and you can't change my mind

Okay. That sounds insane. I am aware. It sounds insane to me. But fuck it - I already did the trans Dipper rant essay and so I'll do the same with trans Pacifica.

So Pacifica grows up rich with very oppressive parents. She's clearly a child of abuse who likely has no sense of identity. She's forced to fit a strict mold of The Perfect Daughter. Someone who is perfect and demure and pristine and womanly and who has to wear the right color dress and can't just wear something close enough because otherwise she gets something implied to be very bad.

Put another way: A kid is forced to be exactly perfect and the definition of whatever their gender is. They are not allowed to deviate from that definition in the least otherwise Bad Things happen. They're scared to even be slightly different.

Sound familiar? Because a lot of trans kids go through the same thing. A lot of trans femme people have to play with the Boy Toys because otherwise they're a flower boy and that's bad (which in itself is bad because flower boy is old slang for gay/derogatory as well as gender expression and identity being different but it also hurts trans people). A lot of transmasc people have to play dress up because if they don't there's Something Wrong with them.

I am more than 90% certain that it wasn't intentional, but looking at Pacifica through the lens of someone who tried to do a Boy Thing once and was forced to be hyperfemme for the rest of their life is just so good to me.

Pacifica embodies a lot of toxic girl tropes. You've heard of toxic masculinity, now get ready for toxic femininity - she's petty and superficial and puts too much stock in appearances. Which, granted, is a thing that happens in girl friend groups - I've seen it happen many times - but it reads as different to me. This isn't malice, Pacifica has been shown to be a good person (The Golf War, Northwest Mansion Mystery). She cares for those around her and often only acts the way she does because she has to. Any time she tries to speak up, she gets ruthlessly shut down. She has to be what her parents want, when they want, how they want. If she doesn't, she gets punished.

Yes, Pacifica shows up to every event dressed femme. But who drove her to those events? Who has their claws in every aspect of the town? Who would hear about anything that happens in Gravity Falls? Who buys her clothes? Her parents. And if her parents - who, again, are likely abusive - want her to be and dress like their perfect little girl, their hyperfemme daughter, then she will. She has to be.

From a writing perspective, Pacifica is made to be the opposite of Mabel. One loves fun and color and chaos, is nice no matter what. The other is sitting outside this room and named Pacifica Northwest. But looking at it like that, why wouldn't Pacifica be trans? Especially if Mabel is transfemme - which is a fun reading of her and one that I love to see. It's not canon but think about it. If Mabel is transfemme then Pacifica - her inverse - would be transmasc. The other end of the spectrum.

But now I need real evidence, right? My transmasc Dipper essay was built on much more than "this is behavior seen in a lot of trans people just generally". I pointed out specific scenes in specific episodes - though I forgot Carpet Diem, which is fascinating and which I could so make an essay on by itself. Can I do that for Pacifica?

Well, the short answer is no. The best evidence I have is a general hand-wave at her behavior and environment and "this just reads as transmasc to me". Which, to be completely fair, is how headcanons work. They don't necessarily need any degree of proof. It's nice and it can help people to agree with you, but in the end, it doesn't matter. I can say I headcanon anything, and because it's a headcanon, you can't do shit about it. If I say Pacifica is transmasc beyond a shadow of a doubt, then you can challenge me.

To be fair, I did say that. The title of this is literally "Pacifica is transmasc and you can't change my mind", I will take that I was making claims. But also I immediately followed that up with "it sounds insane to me" so I should hope we all know that I'm going into headcanons-based-on-the-text territory.

And I'm never going to attack someone over a headcanon that makes someone feel seen, and I'd hope that holds true for everyone. I like Pacifica as transmasc and forcing herself into the box of cis female when it's wrong because I did the same. I love transmasc Pacifica. I love the idea of Pacifica and Dipper hanging out and him telling her that he's trans and Pacifica just kinda goes "you can do that? But then why doesn't everyone? Being a girl kinda sucks - there's girl drama and dresses and girl puberty and all that stuff. Everyone would be a guy if they could" and Dipper gives her The Look and says "Pacifica Northwest, that is the most trans thing I have ever heard".

In conclusion, I headcanon trans masculine Pacifica Northwest. Still workshopping a chosen name for him but I do, and I love him. It's all silly fun headcanoning a children's cartoon character as trans and it hurts no one. And it doesn't even affect a lot of the things I'll do. I have one fic that will hint at it and one that will treat it as the main center of the story planned. (It will be a part of my AU but not a major part and I'm also playing with the thought of gender-fluid Pacifica for Divine Falls. It's entirely ignorable and will not affect anything related to the main AU's plot.)

Yes I referred to Pacifica as she/her for most of this essay but it was referring to a pre-realization Pacifica who isn't out yet and thus would convince herself that she was uncomfortable with he/him pronouns and therefore calling them he/him would be wrong until he came out.

[heromaker-if]

do you have any other ifs that we can read whilst we wait😭😭🫶🫶

Hi anon! Thanks for the ask and your patience! 🥰

I do have some other IFs that I worked on in the past but I don't recommend playing them (I was still learning how to write at that time, so they aren't great). But if you want some IF reccs, I can recommend some IFs I've read recently.

(Sorry for the tags friends, and for the rants!)

(Released) My all time favourite is The Fernweh Saga by @lacunafiction - it's just genuinely so good and it always gives me the vibes of one of those shows you watch after dinner, that becomes part of your routine and you want to see desperately what happens after, and the characters become part of your memories, almost like people. It's just UGH such a good IF. If you like nostalgic hometown horrors, this IF is for you.

(Released) Very close favourite is Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff - WEREWOLVES GUYS!! I've replayed this game so many times. It's one of those games that after you finish, no matter how long of a break you take from it, you always return to it. I love the "found family" of this game, even though it's not really found, it's just... family. I miss them! The romance in this story is also written so beautifully.

(Released) Another fav is The Golden Rose by @anathemafiction - it was one of my favs while it was still in WIP and after it's released I took so long to play it cause I never wanted to finish it. Like, I grew so attached to its story that I didn't want to let it go. 😭 Very well written characters and the descriptions of things, places, feelings, expressions, mannerisms, is so endearing and eye-catching, never a second where I skipped a line, I was CAUGHT. If you like a story with ominous beginnings, middles and ends, this is for you, not to mention the whole religion themes that are so interesting to dive into.

(Released) I miss this one so much but The Soul Stone War by @intimidatingpuffinstudios - there's two books out for this one already and each one is better than the previous. It's fantasy and about powers and there's a dragon lady that you can romance, and the POLY IN THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! Very soulmate-y romance and just generally captivating storytelling.

(Released) Nothing will ever hit the same as The Passenger by @the-passenger-if - there's just something so familiar, so memorable about this story. I don't think in my next lifetime I will ever forget it. It's about an eldritch horror battling with humanity and it's raw primal role as a monster. It feels short but only because you're so into it that time passes you by, but the tone and the flow of this story is very well done (as well as the characters! 🥰).

(WIP) I feel like everyone and their mothers know about Infamous by @infamous-if - but I'm going to talk about it anyways. It's a BAND IF, yes, music, yes, adrenaline, fame, and all the bad decisions that come with it. It's only one chapter out right now, but it's very worth it. I guarantee you the brainrot you will get from this game is going to consume your life.

(WIP) A somewhat popular one as well is Body Count by @bodycountgame - I haven't seen a game do the whole modern reality TV show with a tinge of horrifying brutal horror as well as Nell has, and even though it's still in its early stages, it's very well done and interesting. Lots of ROs to choose from, and genuinely funny humour to laugh about in between the crying sessions of a favourite character dying.

(WIP) Haven't heard that many people talking about this one to be fair but Chop Shop by @losergames - Also a very early stages game, but it's very adrenaline inducing and has so much potential that has me shaking in my seat. I'm already half in love with the cast and I can't wait to go need for speed and play a super chaotic individual.

Also any game by @hpowellsmith, they're amazing at creating consistent well written stories that have such great characters and even better representation. They do it so well, and I've been a fan of them for years now, definitely one of my role models!

I'm sure there are many more IFs out there that you NEED to play/read, but my mind is blank right now, and these are the only ones I could think of. I also don't have as much time to get into an IF, but I'm getting there (thinking of getting into Shepherds of Haven - which you should!)

[ladykailitha]

Just more Steddie content because MY. BRAIN. WON’T. SHUT. UP. ABOUT. THEM!!!!

Senior Prom (Steve’s), Eddie’s hanging out by bleachers taking names for Hop who come up and ask to buy something other then weed (cough cough date rape drugs cough) (also also you can’t tell me that Hop doesn’t know who Reefer Rick and Eddie are considering season one Hop).

He hears someone wailing. Like out right sobs. Eddie being the bleeding heart he is has to investigate. He finds prom king Steve Harrington in his tux, just horrifically crying his eyes out.

So he goes over and asks what’s wrong. Steve tells him because why not everyone’s going to find out on Monday anyway. Apparently three basketball players hired a guy to honey trap Steve at prom and took pictures of the guy kissing Steve. Steve didn’t consent to either, but in the pictures it really doesn’t show that.

And he tells Eddie that if his dad finds out, he’s pretty sure he’s going to follow through on his threat to 12 year old Steve (who had been rough housing a little too ‘close’ for Mr Harrington’s ‘comfort’) where he got down his elephant gun and told Steve that if he ever saw him kissing a boy, he would empty both barrels straight into Steve’s face.

So poor Steve is just completely freaking out. But that’s not even the worst part of this whole shit show as far as Eddie is concerned (though the death threat is pretty bad). No, Steve is bisexual and that was his first kiss with a boy. Completely destroying Steve ever trying out that part of his sexuality ever. Because he’ll always wonder at the back of his head if it’s not a trap.

Eddie is livid. And vows revenge for Steve. He gets Steve to give him the names of the three other players and takes Steve home and gets his number. He’ll call Steve when he has word on the pictures.

The ringleader comes to Eddie the next day looking for a little ‘enhancement’. And Eddie pulls out a little leather notebook about the size of a deck of cards and begins to flip through it. Apparently ringleader dude has been buying these drugs the day before big games. And Eddie tells him he has two hours to bring the pictures and all the negatives or the cops and the board of student athletes will get copies of the pages that Eddie has in his little book.

The dude blows up and says that he’ll make sure no one buys from Eddie ever again if he tries it. Eddie reminds him that of the two of them who are they going to believe a drug addicted teen who just outed his drug dealer and cut off the supplies for the entire area for who knows how long until Rick got a new dealer he can trust, or the drug dealer who outed ONE basketball player who is clearly out of his mind?

They set up a place to meet for the pictures. The kid shows up with the camera they used. He hadn’t had time to get the pictures developed yet. Eddie pops open the back of the camera and just starts yanking on the film. Making sure to expose the film to as much light as possible. The kid is screaming about the other pictures on the camera. Eddie hands back the camera with a single ‘oops!’ He then tells him to call off the other two boys as well, because he as dirt on them too. And if they want to leave this town in anything other in handcuffs in the back of a police car, they’ll keep their head down and their mouths shut until after they graduate. (And if Hop gets them on graduation day anyway Eddie isn’t there for them to point fingers at, he didn’t graduate again, though he might be watching from the bleachers, hidden from view to laugh at them but who’s to say for sure).

He calls Steve up and tells him that pictures will never see the light of day and he’s safe. And if Steve takes Eddie out to dinner as a thank you, that’s their business. And if Eddie shows him that he can trust that Eddie would never hurt him that way, that’s no one’s business either. And if Steve and Eddie move in together after coming out to his parents, well that’ no one’s business but the cops and Mr Harrington when they take him away in handcuffs for threatening to murder his son.

[manuellarts]

Making a post because I CAN'T be normal about them and those HCs have been begging to be let out 🤸

Little disclaimer before I start, I will be referring to Kakashi hair twin as Sah, and he, and flat hair as Mekh, and she or they, because that is how I see them personally. The names aren't canon, but I like to use them as they seem to fit. These HCs are also my own and you may disagree, but they are based on my own analysis of subtle things found in the game, and expanded upon.

So let's start with this:

The appearance and ' mask '

When it comes to the mask part, it is moreso relating to Mekh. But let's start with Sah:

Sah's Personality: Sah's personality is on the confident, playful side. He's very much of a jokester, and tends to make jokes almost out of anything, which might make him seem silly or simple minded. This is not entirely true, as Sah is very talented, incredibly skilled, athletic, and a major visionary. He tends however to focus on the big picture of things rather than on the details. He would be described as someone whose heart is quite pure and honest, as it doesn't hold any sort of presumptions or hidden intentions. He says things as they are, and sometimes may come off as blunt. He values honesty to the point that almost everything about him might be laid out on a silver platter. He might get competitive at times, but not to the point where it might tarnish his relationship with his competitors ( namely his twin ). Speaking of which, the fact that they are so complementary is seen as an advantage to him, and he strives on the fact that they build off of each other. He is quite aware of his own limitations and weaknesses, but he never lets this come in his way. Although a prideful person ( and rightfully so ), it does not lean into boastfulness and condescension. Any kind of boastfulness would mostly be playful exaggeration. He might be a little over-dramatic, at times.

Mekh's Personality: When it comes to Mekh, her personality is mostly reliant on the mask. Much like Sah's, her persona is very theatrical, flamboyant and seemingly confident, as well as prideful ( and rightfully so ). While Sah seems to surpass Mekh in rapidity and agility, which doesn't undermine her own outstanding capabilities, she seems to surpass him when it comes to estimation, observation, and strategy. She seems to be more serious than her brother, and pays great attention to the way that she is perceived, especially when she is in the company of others. Her behavior might differ greatly when she is alone with her brother, or in the presence of other orders or sky kids. It seems that a lot of effort is put into appearing as approachable and likeable. Mekh might often act as the voice of reason and focuses on the utmost details rather than the big picture. She also gets competitive, but often to a fault. However, she might often cover up her feelings of defeat with a forced joke, or another challenge. And this is where the mask part ends.

Now, this is purely based on my own headcanons. I thought such a dynamic would be incredibly interesting considering they are siblings; well, two parts of the same star, amirite? So, enjoy!

Unmasked :

When it comes to Sah, there is not much that can be said about a mask, because his mask isn't false, per se. What can be said however, is that he may be repressing a massive amount of things and covering it up with a go-with-the-flow attitude, with humor as a way to deal with things he would rather not think about. All of this doesn't mean that he is not a hopeful person; on the contrary. He very much clings to hope so much that it may be to a fault, stopping him from facing the reality of certain things. He would rather not face them, as he knows that they may weigh him down considerably.

The mask part concerns Mekh much more, since the mask is a sort of imitation of Sah.

Let me explain.

In reality, Mekh seems to have a deep complex of inferiority issue. Although they are meant to be ' one ' , Mekh doesn't see this the same way as Sah. While Sah sees as complementarity, she sees as inferiority, and often feels second to him. Despite her genuine care and love for her brother, she is often consumed by feelings of jealousy and envy. Both twins admire the other, but while Sah might openly admit it, Mekh would think twice and thrice before even admitting to it. Mekh's admiration for Sah bleeds into envy, and the desire to BE the person that one admires. Her competitiveness might often gnaw at her, and she takes any defeat to heart, while Sah may brush it off and use the opportunity to build off of a loss. Mekh is an over-thinker, and to a fault. While this makes for great observation skills, it also narrows her field of vision to her own perception of things, rendering her more selfish than her brother in that regard. But once again, all of this is hidden behind a mask; this turmoil of emotion is unknown to Sah, although he might subconsciously be aware of it to a certain extent.

Unlike most people with a self-centered view, Mekh is deeply self-aware, and often resents her own feelings and incapacity to take things as freely as her brother.

Her strengthened ability to see also renders her incapable of ignoring detail, and thus being struck by the harsh reality of things. Unlike Sah, who represses the things that weigh upon him and clings to the tiniest bits of hope, Mekh is incapable of doing so and struggles to see hope in what seems to be an eternal cycle of life and death. Her resentment might even lead her to attempt to drag her brother into her own, darker view of the world, since she cannot seem to elevate herself to his level. This competition between them seems to be one-sided, and wholly internal, as once again, this is internal turmoil that she does not share. In fact, she may tend to be extremely cryptic about things, which frustrates Sah, who values honesty and just blurts things out regardless of their nature. Mekh always thinks of repercussions, and fears to expose any sort of weakness that might be used against her. While Sah wouldn't hesitate to show vulnerability, Mekh would never allow herself to do so, as she fears that her mask may drop, and her deep insecurity may show.

[thornybubbles]

JJBA Yandere Scenario: Jealousy (Yandere Kars x Pillar Man reader part 2)

**NOTE: This is a sequel to a story I wrote previously. You may want to read that first if you haven’t already: https://thornybubbles.tumblr.com/post/707318411613569024/jjba-yandere-scenario-jealousy-kars-x-pillarman

Sorry this took so long to get out. I was dealing with a lot of distractions while trying to work on this. There were a few times there where I just straight up forgot that I was even working on anything. I was just going about my life when one day I suddenly remembered: “Holy shit! I have a Tumblr, don’t I?” Well hopefully this was worth the wait. Thank you for your patience.**

In the past, whenever Kars asked you to be his, you would always brush him off and give him no definite answer. You would always say that you didn’t know how you felt about him and you would need more time before you could give him a proper answer. 

But now…

As Kars slightly lessened the grip he held on your throat…

You did not hesitate to give him an answer. 

“No!!” you rasped. “My answer will forever more be no! I hate you Kars! I hate the monster you’ve become! I hate what you did to our people! I hate what you did to Whammu and Santana! And I hate what you did to me! I will die before I give you my love!” 

Kars’ response was to squeeze your throat so hard you thought he was trying to break your neck rather than strangle you. After a moment, the anger in his eyes gave way to a cold stare. You feared the emptiness in his eyes far more than his anger. It was an unfamiliar look on him and you didn’t know what it meant, though you were certain it didn’t mean anything good. 

Kars tossed you to the ground as if you were so much trash. He stood over you and looked down at you with contempt. 

“Your stubborn pride was one of the many things that drew me to you, my little prize, but after being forced to deal with it for centuries, I’m beginning to think it is the thing I like about you the least.” he said. 

You looked up at him, unable to tell what was going through his mind. A tiny spark of hope lit up inside of you as you thought that he may finally be willing to give up his pursuit of you. Though you had to wonder about what that would mean for you, JoJo, and the other humans. 

“It seems that my only choice is to remove that stubborn streak of yours, one way or another.” Kars said, extinguishing that spark of hope completely. 

“I suppose the fault is my own. I’ve been far too lenient with you. No longer will I ignore your hateful glances and rebellious behavior.” 

At this point, a sinister smirk stretched Kars’ lips. He gave Speedwagon a knowing look that confused both you and the old man. 

“You thought you could turn against me because both Santana and Whammu were dead.” he mocked. “But as I approached these old ruins, I overheard a very interesting conversation.” 

Your eyes widened and Speedwagon gasped. He knew! He knew that Santana was still alive!

Kars suddenly seized you by the hair, forcing you to look up at him. 

“Do not worry, dearest,” he taunted you. “I will find your little Santana, wherever these worthless humans are hiding him, and bring him home to you.” 

His mocking smile became a vicious sneer. 

“And then your rebellion against me will come to an end! Because if it does not, then Santana will pay for it! I will refrain from killing him, but for every time you forget to adore me as I should be adored, Santana will be the one I punish! You will love me, or Santana will suffer!” 

Your eyes glistened with tears. Any other time, you would hold them back, refusing to let Kars see your weakness. Not now. While you were overjoyed at hearing that Santana was still alive, you realized that you were right back to being under Kars’ thumb. It seemed that you would never be rid of him. Kars would never leave you alone and now he threatened to punish Santana whenever you displeased him. Your tears flowed freely and Kars gave you a satisfied smile. Everything was finally going his way. He had finally conquered you. It was not quite the victory he hoped for, he never wanted to win your affections by force, but at least now you would never try to leave him again. Not if you wanted your adopted son to remain unharmed. 

It seemed Santana was not as useless as he first thought. 

“You will remain here until I come to fetch you. Then we will go find where they are keeping your precious Santana.” he ordered, adding the last part with a cruel smile. 

He turned away from you, where you were crumpled onto your knees, and left the ruins. Without his hulking form blocking the sunlight, the golden rays flooded into the ruins. Speedwagon almost cried out to beg you to move before the sunlight hit you, but he could see that you had already turned yourself into stone. He limped over to you, examining your stone expression. You looked like the work of some great sculptor, but one who decided to carve your near perfect features into a permanent expression of sorrow.  

The old man crouched next to you, placing a hand on your stony shoulder. He didn’t know the full story between you and Kars, but after witnessing the way the villain treated you and spoke to you, he could guess just what kind of terrible relationship you had. And to think that you had been enduring Kars’ cruelty for longer than human civilization had existed. It was unfathomable. Unthinkable! Speedwagon found himself getting emotional. 

“I don’t know if you can hear me when you’re like this,” he said, tears forming in his eyes. “But I want you to know that JoJo is still out there and willing to fight. I can’t say if he can actually beat a monster like Kars, especially now that he’s outwitted the sun, but I know that JoJo is a clever one. If he can’t beat Kars in hand to hand combat, then he will find another way to do it. I know it feels hopeless, but I’m asking that you please not give up just yet. Just do like I always do and hold out until JoJo sets things straight.” 

You emerged from your statue form sometime later to find yourself in a completely different place. Instead of broken stone and rubble, you were surrounded by stark white walls and strange machinery. The room was lit from above with lights nearly as bright as the sun, but they did not cause your skin to burn. You were so stunned at your surroundings that you didn’t notice that you weren’t alone. 

A gray haired human wearing a long white coat stood holding some kind of tablet with parchment on it in the far corner of the room. He seemed nervous and took a few steps back from you when you rose to your feet. 

“Ah! Y-you’re awake! I’ll tell Mr. Speedwagon!” he stammered and hurried from the room, leaving you stunned and confused. 

A moment later, the one called Speedwagon entered the room. His face broke out into a joyous grin when he saw you. 

“And there you are, hail and healthy!” he said with a chuckle. “They told me that your stoney shell was crumbling and I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long until you were on your feet again.” 

You responded by bombarding him with questions. 

“What happened to Kars? Did JoJo win? And Santana? Where is my son?!” 

Speedwagon held up a hand in an effort to calm you. 

“You’ll be happy to know that Kars will no longer be a problem for anyone. He’s long gone from here.” he said. 

“Gone? What do you mean? Is he still alive?” you asked. 

“Well… let’s just say that he’s in a position where he can no longer reach you… or anyone else for that matter.” 

Here the smile dropped from his face. You felt your body tense up. 

“JoJo… he didn’t make it.” Speedwagon said, his eyes watering up.

The old man’s body trembled with emotion. You didn’t know the exact situation, but you knew that JoJo had been important to Speedwagon in some way. The old man seemed to have a very grandfatherly affection for the young one, in spite of not actually being related to him, so his loss was surely an awful blow. And strangely, your heart stung at the news. You had only a few brief encounters with JoJo, one of which had you as his enemy. Yet, in the short time that you knew him, you felt an odd fondness for him. 

“He risked his life to end Kars’ cruelty.” You said. “I knew what Kars had planned for this world and for humanity… It may sound like an exaggeration, but JoJo may very well have…” 

“... saved the world…” Speedwagon said, finishing your sentence. 

You looked up at him and he had a strange, faraway look in his eyes. 

You stood looking at him for a moment before breaking the silence. 

“I am sorry for your loss, Speedwagon.” you stated plainly, but sincerely. 

Speedwagon looked as if he wanted to say something, but loud shouting and the sound of something crashing against a wall could be heard from somewhere else in the building. 

“Blast it all!” Speedwagon growled. “I told those fools to wait!” 

He motioned for you to follow him. 

“Come! Quickly! They must’ve taken the lights off of him! You said you could make him behave?” 

Did he mean? 

Your heart soared. 

“Yes! Take me to him!” you said, almost barreling the old man over in your excitement. 

Speedwagon lead you through the strange facility to a heavily reinforced door. He entered the room and you followed after him. 

There he was. Your little boy. Though he wasn’t so little anymore. He was almost as tall and as muscular as Whammu and his fiery red hair was much longer. It cascaded down his back like a cape. 

It has only been a few centuries since I last saw him, you thought. They grow up so fast.

Santana towered over a group of terrified humans in white coats. Broken bits of what was once some kind of machine lay scattered in a far corner of the room. The humans looked relieved when they saw Speedwagon come in, but the old man looked like he wanted to punch them all. 

“Mr. Speedwagon!” cried one of them, “Sanviento broke the UV light machine! We can’t put him back into stasis!” 

“What on Earth made you turn it off to begin with!?” Speedwagon shouted back. “I told you not to turn it off until I came back! Why didn’t you wait? What were you thinking?!” 

Santana silenced them both with a rumbling snarl. 

“Sanviento?” he hissed, turning his attention to the human who referred to him by that. “Why do you humans call me that? That is not my name!” 

His voice was furious in spite of how calm he sounded, but underneath it you could hear the strain in his tone. He was lashing out at these poor humans. He was hurting, and you had a very good idea of what was the cause. 

Santana grabbed the human and lifted him over his head, preparing to smash him against the wall as he’d done to the machine. 

“I am sick of being locked away! I will stay here no longer! And for the very last time, my name is--!” 

“SANTANA!!” you shouted, your voice clear, loud, and firm. 

Santana looked back over his shoulder, not believing that it was your voice that he heard. Upon seeing you, his eyes went wide. 

“Put the human down Santana.” you said, voice wavering with the flood of emotions that threatened to burst forth. 

Santana did as you told him, dropping the frightened human to the ground. The human crawled away as Santana crossed the room in a matter of seconds and all but threw himself at you. You braced yourself but still found yourself being pushed a few feet back as Santana grabbed you up in a bear hug. After a moment of holding you like that, Santana’s knees seemed to buckle and the two of you fell over in a heap of tangled limbs and Santana’s crimson locks. He held onto you so tightly that it almost hurt. 

After a moment of clinging to you, he looked down at you. Tears were streaming down his otherwise blank face. The slight tightness to his jaw also betrayed his feelings. He was angry, hurt, and scared. And he blamed you. 

“Why?” he asked, reverting back to his habit of clipped speech and single word sentences. 

He only did that when he was extremely uncomfortable or unsure of himself. You knew what he was asking, though. 

“Santana… please understand…” you began. 

“NO!” he shouted. “You said you would return. I waited. You never came back! I woke up surrounded by humans in a place I did not know. I was alone! You were not there!” 

His words were like ice and they did not hide his resentment. The guilt you felt was immeasurable.

When Kars planned to go to Rome in search of the Red Stone of Aja, he told you he was leaving Santana to guard his masks. You should have known then that Kars planned to abandon the boy. In hindsight there wasn’t much you could have done. If you stood up to him, that would have ended badly for both Whammu and Santana. 

“If I had known that Kars would have us go into hibernation, I would have insisted that we take you with us.” You tried to explain. 

Santana stiffened at the mention of his brutal master, but said nothing, letting you continue. 

“Please forgive me, Santana.” you begged. “I did not abandon you! No matter how it seemed, I had every intention of coming back to you!” 

“He would not let you.” he stated, bitterness in his tone. 

You closed your eyes tightly and held on to him, running your hands through his tangled hair. 

“He cannot hurt us anymore, Santana.” you told him. “Kars has been sent far away from here, so far that he cannot return.” 

Santana looked down at you with a skeptical expression. 

“Who told you that? One of the humans?” he asked, glaring back at the cowering group that huddled around Speedwagon. 

“M-Mr. Speedwagon,” said the one that Santana nearly splattered against the wall. “Are you sure this is alright? Having them both awake and free…” 

“No need to worry.” Speedwagon said. “The older one isn’t hostile to humans. And Sanvie--- I mean, Santana should calm down now.” 

There was a very slight hint of doubt in the old man’s voice, but the fact that he put even the slightest amount of trust in you, even after all your kind had put him and his allies through, was touching. 

“These humans aren’t our enemies, Santana.” you said. “If not for them, you and I would not have reunited.” 

At that, Santana’s hostility faded significantly. 

“The humans… brought you here?” he asked, having a hard time accepting the idea. 

You nodded, giving him a slight smile. 

“Why?” he asked, some of the skepticism still clinging to his voice. 

“It’s as your caretaker said,” Speedwagon said, taking the time to step in. “We aren’t your enemies, Santana. As long as you don’t attack any of us, the two of you are welcome to stay here as long as you like.” 

“As your prisoners?” Santana suggested cynically. 

Speedwagon scoffed at the idea. 

“Not at all.” he said. 

Santana glared back at the white clad humans. The other humans that dressed that way, the ones that had him trapped in that room when he first woke up, weren't nice at all. They talked about him like he was some kind of animal. 

“Test subjects?” he said. 

“Guests.” Speedwagon corrected. “You will be our guests here. Nothing more.” 

Santana scowled at the old man, not sure if he believed him. He looked down at you for your response. 

“I trust them, Santana.” you said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” 

HIs eyebrows furrowed and his lip twitched as if he wasn’t fully on board with the idea. Eventually he let out a long sigh and you took that as him relenting. 

-----

Some weeks later you walked up to the little memorial you set up at the highest point of the cave that served as your new home. The Speedwagon Foundation had been kind enough to build a living quarters for you and Santana within a cave system near the Foundation headquarters. It was fitted with many things to make your daily lives easier. While neither of you had much need for human technology or “modern conveniences”, you still appreciated it. Sunlight was allowed to shine into your home through windows made of specialized glass that filtered out the parts of the light that were harmful to your kind. You were allowed to see what the world looked like during the daylight hours for the very first time. 

Indoor plumbing was also nice. 

Santana was fascinated by many of the things that the humans made. It seemed that the human that Santana nearly killed on the day that you reunited with him started visiting him at regular intervals. At first Santana wasn’t too pleased about it, until the human started bringing him gadgets to play with: cameras, desk lamps, telephones, toasters, etc. His favorite were the radios. Santana loved to listen to the strange music and voices that came from miles and miles away. He had learned at least ten new languages already. 

You were just happy that he had made a friend. 

Santana and you had reconciled over your supposed abandonment of him. He didn’t resent you anymore. More than anything he was just glad to have you back. When he wasn’t taking apart and reassembling things with his new human friend, he was by your side, quiet and content to just be in your presence (without Kars or the others looming over him). 

He left you alone when you visited the memorial though. He didn’t like going up there. You didn’t really blame him. The memorial consisted of one large stone monument surrounded by smaller monuments. The large one was in honor of your lost tribe (a painful reminder that you and Santana were the last of your kind), the smaller ones were for Whammu, Esidesi, and Kars. Yes. You honored the memories of both Esidesi and Kars, but not the memory of them when you were forced to act as Kars consort. No. You honored the memory of them before they became the men you feared and despised. You missed the playful little boys that you grew up with. You missed the older brother figure you saw in Esidesi before he became little more than a bully and a brute under Kars’ Influence. You mourned for Kars and the friendship that you had before he became consumed by hatred, powerlust, and obsession. He, too, you saw as an older brother. 

It had been Kars that sat with you through the process of becoming the Tribe’s executioner. He would sit and watch as your mother or grandmother fed you lightly poisoned prey, during a time when you were too young to understand just why some of your meals tasted so bitter. Kars would hold your hand as he dragged you off to show you something he found or grumble and pout as you helped him pick weeds and branches out of his wild locks after the two of you got into some misadventure. His crush on you was present even then. 

How you wished things had turned out differently. 

You let those bittersweet memories fade as you placed offerings on the last two memorials. One for Whammu and one for JoJo, too. 

Whammu… Whammu’s loss had been the most painful. Whammu’s pride had been his downfall. Pride that had been enforced on him due to Kars influence. When you found out that JoJo hadn’t killed Santana after all, you tried to convince Whammu to call off the arena fight with him, but he merely gave you a sideways look of disgust at even suggesting such a thing. 

“A challenge is a challenge. Santana being alive or dead is of no importance.” 

Your heart shattered completely hearing him say such a callous thing. 

That was exactly like something Kars would say. You had known for a while that Whammu idolized Kars in the way a child would idolize their father, but you never knew it was to such a degree. 

Watching him die just to fulfill Kars’ wishes was the most awful thing you’d ever witnessed. 

A tiny part of you wanted to be resentful to JoJo for taking your other son’s life, but you knew that the fault didn’t fall on him. As long as Whammu followed after Kars, always seeking his approval, an outcome such as that was inevitable. Whammu had proven time and time again that he was willing to die to please his master. 

Whammu had been taken from you long before any of you met JoJo. By the time he reached maturity, he no longer even viewed you as a parent. It was something Kars delighted in, always pitting himself against you to flaunt Whammu’s favoritism of him. If you asked Whammu to do something he would give you a non-committal response that basically translated to, “I’ll do it when I get around to it.”, but Kars would do little more than glance in Whammu’s direction and he was up and on his way to complete the task. Then Kars would give you a smug grin and mock you. 

“You must be firm with younglings, my dear.” he would say. “I don’t mince my words when I give commands. Keep coddling Santana the way you do and he’ll lose respect for you, too.” 

The memory made your chest tighten and your eyes burn with unshed tears. 

You turned your gaze to JoJo’s memorial. 

JoJo had been so kind to Whammu during his last moments. You wanted to thank him for that, though it looked like you would never get a chance. 

You placed the offering on JoJo’s memorial, then turned to address the presence that you sensed behind you for the last few minutes. You expected to see one of the Foundation scientists, Speedwagon himself, or maybe even Santana in spite of his dislike for being around the memorials, but what you didn’t expect was to see JoJo standing there looking sheepish. 

“JOJO!” you cried. 

“Hello again!” JoJo said pleasantly. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to…” he glanced at the memorials. “I didn’t want to disturb you.” 

You stared at him, not really focusing on what he was saying. 

“But you… Speedwagon told me…” you sputtered. 

“That I died, I know. Well you can see I’m not dead. Suzie Q’s been taking care of me while I recuperated. She forgot to send the letter to let everyone know that I was still alive though.” 

“Suzie Q?” you questioned.

You had no idea who that was. 

“My fiance,” he clarified. “She was Lisa Lisa's maid, but that’s not what I came here to talk to you about.” 

“Is something wrong?” you asked, anxiety peaking. “Is this about Kars?” 

JoJo scoffed. 

“You don’t have to worry about him anymore.” he said, smiling cheekily. “I launched that old fossil into space! He can’t hurt you or anybody else anymore!” 

“You… launched him… into space?” you repeated, unsure if you heard JoJo correctly. 

When Speedwagon told you that Kars had been sent far away, you hadn’t expected it to be quite that far. 

JoJo chuckled. 

“Yep. You heard that right. Kars is too busy being a frozen asteroid to terrorize anyone anymore.” 

You grasped his gloved hands (Why was he wearing gloves indoors?), filled with the hope that what he was saying was true. 

“Then what Speedwagon said was true? You really did defeat him? Is he truly gone? You… JoJo…???” 

One of his hands felt strange. 

“Your hand…” you said, the question left unasked but hanging in the air. 

JoJo huffed and pulled his hands out of your own. He pulled the glove off of one of them to reveal a mechanical prosthetic. He wiggled the metal fingers. 

“Kars did it.” he said. “I was lucky to get away with only the loss of my hand.” 

He looked up at you, glanced over at the memorials, then looked back at you. 

“Can we talk somewhere else? I want to tell you what happened in the fight with Kars and I’ve got something that I need to say to you but…” 

He sent another uncomfortable glance toward the memorials. 

“I don’t feel right about saying it here.” 

You followed his gaze to Whammu’s memorial and nodded in understanding. You got to your feet. 

“Follow me.” you said. 

You lead JoJo to a sitting room where you and Santana would often go to watch the sunrise through the special sunlight filtering windows. JoJo plopped cross legged on the floor cushions while you said across from him. He told you of the final fight with Kars and how he launched the “old fossil” into space by infusing Hamon into a volcano, causing it to erupt so violently that the force of it sent Kars into orbit. You wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. To think that the tyrant that terrorized you your entire life was defeated in such a way. It was so utterly ridiculous, but you had to admit that there wouldn’t have been many other fighters that would have thought to use the volcano in such a way. 

“You are a strange, yet creative warrior, JoJo.” you said with a demure smile. 

The smile faded from your lips and was replaced with a serious, apologetic expression. 

“I’ve been meaning to apologize to you.” You said. “Kars told me that he heard that you killed Santana. I should have known that he was lying, but I believed him. That was why I suggested Whammu use the ‘wedding ring’ on you. I could think of nothing else but avenging Santana at that time. I regret allowing myself to be influenced by Kars that way.” 

You bowed your head lowly to show your shame at your past actions. 

JoJo scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to react. 

“Well, that explains why you kept scowling at me,” he said. “You don’t have to apologize for that, though. But since we’re on the topic of apologizing… I just want to say that I’m sorry about Whammu. I understand that he was supposed to be like a son to you… to be fair, I didn’t really want to kill him…” 

You gave JoJo a solemn look. 

“I know, JoJo.You were forced into a situation where you had no choice but to fight. You were only trying to survive.” you said in a soft tone. “I want you to know that I am thankful for your kindness towards Whammu after you defeated him. He was suffering and you eased his pain with your own blood. Not many others would have been so courteous.” 

You reigned in your emotions as best as you could, not wanting to break down in front of your guest. 

JoJo was quiet for a while, not expecting to have been forgiven so easily. 

You don’t know why you decided to do so, but you found yourself opening up to JoJo. You told him your story, of how Kars became so obsessive and possessive over you, how he killed nearly every member of your tribe, only sparing Whammu and Santana so he could hold their lives over your head. You told him about how Kars had manipulated Whammu away from you and belittled Santana for being weaker than the rest of you. You told him about everything that led up to your first meeting with him. When you were done, you looked over at JoJo. His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was twisted into a snarl. His whole body shook with rage. 

“As if I needed any more reasons to hate that bastard…” he hissed under his breath. 

You smiled at him. 

“Thank you, JoJo.” you said. 

JoJo looked up at you. 

“For what?” 

“For freeing me from Kars.” you said. “I know you weren’t really fighting Kars on my behalf, but…” 

“No, I was,” he said. 

You gave him a questioning look. 

“I mean, I was going to fight him anyway, but when Speedwagon told me about the way he treated you in the ruins…I guess I just lost my cool.” 

You chuckled at him and he smiled sheepishly. 

“You really are a strange one, JoJo.” you said. 

“What is he doing here?” 

The angry voice brought your conversation with JoJo to a halt. You looked up to see a very annoyed Santana standing there, glaring at JoJo. 

Upon seeing Santana’s hostile stance, JoJo got to his feet and stood in a battle pose. Santana just glared at him. 

Seeing that things were getting tense you raised your hand at JoJo to show him that you had things under control. JoJo dropped his hands, but not his guard. He trusted you, but he didn’t trust Santana at all. 

“Santana, JoJo is just paying us a visit. He doesn’t mean any harm.” you explained, trying to soothe your adopted son’s temper. 

Santana snorted derisively, never taking his glare away from JoJo. 

“There is a radio program coming on in a few minutes that I like. I wanted to ask you to join me while I listen to it.” 

JoJo looked like he was thinking for a moment when a look of realization came over him. 

“Do you mean ‘Slaughter Theater’?!” he asked. “That’s the one with the host who’s a vampire, right? Don’t tell me you actually like that show!” 

“Not a fan?” you asked with a wry smile. 

“Well it’s okay, but I prefer something a little more action packed, like superhero shows. Besides, the sound effects they use in that show are disgusting!” JoJo said. 

Santana turned to walk away. Sensing his impatience, you said, 

“I’ll join you in a moment, Santana.” 

Santana stopped walking for a moment to look back over his shoulder at you. 

“Don’t take too long or you’ll miss the first half.” he warned. 

When Santana was out of earshot, you turned back to JoJo. 

“Since you are in an apologetic mood, I want you to apologize to Santana.” you said. 

JoJo gave you an insulted look. 

“What?! What for?” he demanded. “I only fought with him because he attacked Speedwagon!” 

You raised your hands in a placating gesture. 

“I know, JoJo. Will you please hear me out?” you said. 

JoJo huffed but didn’t protest anymore. 

“Santana has a problem with holding grudges against people.” you explained. “He told me that you were teasing him when you first met him. If you apologize for it, he may agree to let go of his grudge against you.” 

“Was he referring to me tapping him on the nose?” JoJo cried. “I was just joking around! Surely he knows that?” 

You shook your head. 

“Santana can’t tell the difference between good natured teasing and cruel mockery.” you said. 

JoJo looked confused. 

“Why’s that?” he asked. 

“Because of Esidesi.” you said. “He was in charge of much of Whammu and Santana’s training during their childhood. As I told you before, Santana had difficulty keeping up with Whammu and he was treated poorly for it. Esidesi developed a habit of teasing him in a friendly way just before he beat him for his poor performance. I wasn’t always able to shield him from such treatment, but when I did Esidesi would berate me for coddling him. If you explain to Santana that you never meant him any harm, he will hopefully stop seeing you as an enemy.” 

JoJo sighed. 

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll go talk to him.” 

------

1988

Joseph Joestar and his group stood nearly melting in the heat of the desert as a Speedwagon Foundation helicopter found a place to land. They were all awaiting a new ally. 

“Are you saying that this guy may actually harm us?” Kakyoin asked. 

“Correct.” Avdol said with a nod, not really liking the fact that things were getting so desperate that they were having to rely on someone like Iggy. Still, with near constant attacks from enemy Stands, they would need all the help they could get. 

His eyes slid over to Joseph who seemed worried. Considering that the whole reason for this bizarre adventure in the first place was to save his daughter’s life, Joseph had plenty of reason to be worried. However, it seemed that something else was bothering him. 

“Are you alright, Mr. Joestar?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Joseph said. “I guess I should mention that aside from asking for an additional Stand user, I also asked that the Speedwagon Foundation bring along someone that could offer some insight on taking down someone like DIO.” 

“Insight on someone like DIO?” Polnareff repeated. “Who do you know that knows anything about DIO that we don’t already know?” 

“Wait! Do you mean…?” Avdol trailed off.

The helicopter landed before Joseph could explain anything. The doors opened and everyone seemed on edge… except for Polnareff who, as usual, was unable to sense the tension in the air. 

Jotaro felt as though his hair was standing on end. Through Star Platinum he could sense more than just the Stand user in the back of the helicopter. Someone else was back there and the power he could feel from them was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Whoever they were, there was no way in Hell they were human. 

You tried to warn the loud man with the tall hair not to get too close, but Iggy had already latched onto him and was happily tearing his hair out. You could sense that the silver haired human also had used the invisible force known as a Stand. A fight broke out between them. You took that moment to climb out of the helicopter and place yourself between the two of them. Aside from the wind blowing grains of sand around and billowing the cloak that covered you from head to toe, everything seemed to freeze.. 

“Iggy, I think you made your point. Leave the human alone.” you said. 

You were promptly answered with a series of barks and growls that you were sure roughly translated to, “Don’t be such a killjoy! The human had it coming!” 

The human you knew to be called Avdol presented a pack of gum and Iggy forgot all about what just transpired. The last time you met Avdol he seemed very nervous around you. Even now, you could sense his discomfort in your presence. The other humans seemed just as nervous, even the helicopter pilots, something that made no sense to you. One would think with all the time that you spent working alongside them at the Foundation, the humans there would have learned that you weren’t a threat to them by now. You bent down to help up the human that Iggy attacked. 

“I apologize for Iggy.” you said as you pulled him to his feet. “The other humans did try to warn you though.” 

Yelping, he wrenched his arm from your grasp. 

“Oh! Did I hurt you? Forgive me, I was trying to be gentle.” you said guiltily. 

“N-no, it’s f-fine!” Polnareff stammered, rubbing his wrist and moving away from you. All of his anger and bravado from before seemed to have vanished.

 “Who the hell are you anyway?!” he demanded. 

“A friend.” you said simply. 

You surveyed the faces of the group before you, until your eyes landed on a face you recognized. Joseph waved at you, grinning that same old cheeky grin that you remembered. You ran to him, scooping him up like a child. 

“JoJo!!” you cried, spinning him around a few times. 

He wiggled in your grasp, turning a little red when he saw the others staring at the two of you. It surely looked odd for someone like you to be holding and snuggling an old man like him as if he were a little kid. It would come as quite a shock when they found out that you were several centuries his senior. You placed him on the ground and reached up to fluff his bearded cheeks. 

“You’ve gotten all scruffy!” you said, with a playful smile. 

Joseph lightly swatted your hands away and ran his hands down his face to “unfluff” his beard. 

“Human women find this look very attractive, I’ll have you know!” he protested. 

You pressed a finger to your lips as if you were contemplating something. 

“Is that so? Or did you grow hair on your face to hide your wrinkles?” 

Joseph nearly fell over at the accusation. He couldn’t always tell if you were serious or just messing with him. Over the years, you had become something of a weird older relative to him and you had a habit of teasing him in ways that always caught him off guard. You were probably the only person that managed to do that to him. 

“Pfft!” someone, who may or may not have been Avdol, tried to hold back a laugh. 

Joseph sent a slight glare over your shoulder before offering you another smile; hoping you would stop picking on him and his poor beard. 

“My abused beard notwithstanding, I’m glad you’re here.” he said. “I take that you deciding to come here means that the experiment you’ve been helping the Foundation with was successful.” 

You nodded and threw back your hood, revealing to the others possibly the most beautiful person any of them had ever seen. Your beauty, however, did nothing to negate the dangerous edge your aura gave off. Even Polnareff kept his distance, as much as he didn’t want to. After having you nearly yank his arm out of its socket when you were trying to be “gentle” he felt that flirting with you may not be the best of ideas. Danger prone or not, even he had his limits. 

The sun shined down on your uncovered skin and you smiled. After a moment, you covered yourself back up, squinting as the sun’s brightness became too much. 

“Santana’s friend at the Foundation managed to replicate not only the stone masks but also the Red Stone of Aja. I volunteered for the first test. You can see the results for yourself. Though I wasn’t granted godhood like Kars, I can stand in the sun unharmed. Although, for someone who’s been living in darkness for as long as I have, it may take a while for my eyes to adjust to this brightness. And don’t worry, the masks, stones and the experiment notes have all been destroyed. No one else will be able to replicate them and abuse their power.”  

Joseph nodded in approval, letting out a sigh. 

“Listen,” he said. “While I’m happy you decided to come, I just want to say that I’m sorry for roping you into my affairs. But we’ve found ourselves under near constant attack from day one and the closer we get to Cairo, the worse the attacks get.” 

You ruffled his hair, earning a disgruntled groan at how rough the action was. You were so damn heavy handed. 

“JoJo, after all that you’ve done for me I feel that this is the perfect opportunity to repay you.” you said. 

Meanwhile Jotaro was trying to figure out just who and what you were. You had an aura that said “bad guy” but you didn’t act like you had a violent bone in your body. You picked up his grandpa like he was no heavier than a pillow. Not only that, but you talked to his grandpa like you were one of those elderly, cheek pinching aunts that showed up at every family reunion. Just who the hell were you and why did you act so familiar with his grandpa? 

Jotaro was suddenly engulfed in an immense shadow just as he felt a presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and nearly lost his “cool guy” composure. Standing there was the biggest person he’d ever seen. Even beneath his cloak, the man’s muscles stood out. Long hair, almost as bright red as Kakyoin’s, cascaded over his shoulders and down his back. What appeared to be two small horns jutted out from the man’s crimson mane. The man towered over Jotaro, a feat not many others could pull off. 

The man seemed to glare down at Jotaro. Jotaro glared back up at him. Neither of them spoke. They just stood there, sizing each other up. Jotaro couldn’t tell if the guy was a Stand user or not, and frankly, he wasn’t anxious to find out. That dark aura he felt coming from you was nothing compared to the aura he felt from the man standing over him. Whoever this guy was, he practically exuded danger. Jotaro could tell that while he seemed relaxed at the moment, any wrong move would set this guy into attack mode in seconds. So Jotaro just stood there while the strange man examined him. 

Santana circled the oddly garbed youth, studying the human’s clothing, face, and especially his unusual headgear. It was just a soft cloth hat, so it served no purpose as armor. It was decorated with golden adornments, though whether or not they had any significance or meaning he couldn’t tell. The strangest thing about the hat was that the back of it seemed to have been ripped off. It confused him as to how the hat stayed on the human’s head with no back to it. It confused him even further how the hat’s fabric seemed to be the exact same color and texture as the human’s hair. It was almost impossible to tell where the hat ended and the hair began. 

After circling the human for a moment he bent down and looked the human directly in his eyes. Jotaro leaned back a bit, uncomfortable at Santana’s closeness. 

“Human,” Santana said. “Your headgear makes no sense.” 

Jotaro was taken aback by the stranger’s bluntness and felt a little insulted. 

“It’s fashion,” he said, sounding a bit miffed at the comment towards his beloved hat. “It doesn’t have to make sense.” 

“Pfft!” came a laugh off to his left. 

Jotaro aimed a glare in the direction the laugh came from, seeing only Polnareff who was staring wistfully at you while you talked to his grandpa, and Kakyoin who was doing a poor job of hiding his amusement. 

Traitor. 

It was then that you happened to look over at your son. Joseph’s gaze followed yours and his eyes widened. 

“You brought Santana?!” he cried. 

You huffed. 

“I’m sorry, JoJo.” you said. “I hardly had a choice. He still struggles with his fears of abandonment and when he heard that I was going to be going away for a while, he refused to stay behind.” 

“Well he’s annoying my grandson.” Joseph said, worried that a fight was about to break out. Jotaro’s Star Platinum could demolish most adversaries, but up against a non-human like Santana? He wasn’t sure how that would play out. 

You watched as your adopted son kept inching closer to the human youth, who kept inching further away from him and appeared to be getting angrier by the second. You shook your head. You knew Santana was just lashing out because the people at the Foundation told him he wasn’t allowed to pilot the helicopter. 

“Santana!” you called out to him. 

He turned to look at you and you moved your hands as if to imitate two things moving away from each other while mouthing the words, “personal space”. 

Santana stepped away from Jotaro. He was about to join you and Joseph before he stopped as if he suddenly remembered something. He stood in front of Jotaro for a moment before giving a half-hearted bow. 

“I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” he said before walking away. 

Jotaro raised an eyebrow at how practiced and unenthused the apology was. It seemed like he was saying it more out of necessity than anything. 

“Freakin’ weirdo…” Jotaro grumbled under his breath. 

Kakyoin sidled up to him. 

“So what do you think of our new companions, Jotaro?” he asked. 

Jotaro stared at you and Santana, who had his hands all over his grandpa’s beard while you laughed demurely at his annoyance. 

“Don’t know what to think,” he admitted. “The old man seems to know them, but I don’t remember him ever mentioning anyone like them before. I can’t tell if they’re Stand users or not. Not only that, but they talk and act as if they aren’t even human.” 

Kakyoin nodded; signature hair curl wiggling as he did so. 

“I’ll have to agree with you there… little guy.” 

Jotaro’s usual glare gave way to a look of shock when he realized what Kakyoin just said to him. He turned to give Kakyoin a much deserved sneer. Did Kakyoin of all people just make a joke about him being short? Sure, Jotaro’s height was nothing when he was standing next to a behemoth like that Santana guy, but Kakyoin was the shortest one in the group! Jotaro pointed his finger in Kakyoin’s face, giving him his signature gesture that usually warned of impending pain. Though, this time, it didn’t carry its usual violent vibe. 

“You better watch it, noodle head.” Jotaro warned. 

Kakyoin merely grinned. 

**NOTE 2: And there’s your happy ending guys! I hope it was up to your expectations. You have no idea how hard it was for me to leave it there and not add something hinting that Kars somehow got sent back to Earth. The whole time I was writing that end sequence I kept having to remind myself, “No, they asked for a happy ending!” and was all but slapping my own hands to keep them from typing out yet another dark route ending. It’s not that I have anything against happy endings (I prefer them, actually), but when writing yandere stories I can’t always help myself. And sorry if Jotaro comes off as a little out of character at the end there. I was trying to imagine what a scenario of Jotaro and Santana meeting each other would be like and this silliness seemed the most logical outcome. And yeah, you can bet that this version of Stardust Crusaders will absolutely be a “no death” version. I see it playing out mostly the same as the original story but with the added bonus of you and Santana being there to prevent Avdol, Iggy, and Kakyoin from getting killed. I can imagine DIO being not too pleased that there’s not only one, but two beings out there that are stronger than him. That’s not to say that I think that Reader and Santana wouldn’t have any trouble fighting him. The inability to see Stands coupled with DIO’s time stopping ability would still make fighting him a nightmare. Well, I’m very tired now, and I’m going to bed.**

[of-mutts-and-men]

Hi! Fellow trans guy here! Your photos and body look incredible! If you don't mind my asking, i was wondering what kind of top surgery you had? Your scars looked like they healed up beautifully and your build came out super natural overall. If this is invasive or discomfitting, please feel free to ignore!!! Much love xoxo

Thank you!

It’s been a while so I may have forgotten some things but I had double incision with a nipple graft and the surgeon I went to was specialized in like masculinizing top surgery so I recommend if you’re looking, to tell them (if you want that) to masculinize your chest/body because a lot of places I saw will basically just cut under wherever your nipples naturally sit and not like figure out what position would make them look more realistic and all that. I don’t know if it’s standard with top surgery but also getting a little lipo on the sides like near the armpit helps with the shape too.

But I also remember that for nipple grafts there’s a very very high chance of them 1) being completely flat which i didn’t really care about and 2) them having no feeling. But my doctor said I got really lucky that I could still feel them but they are also permanently sticking out like they’re hard lol. And I don’t know if its just me being a wuss but I feel like i could rip the bud right off if i tried they are so delicate. like i tried nipple clamps once and afterwards they sat like completely smushed in like a straight line for half n hour 😭. It’s kinda weird. Also they get kinda crusty looking if you go swimming and I find it a little embarrassing in public. I didn’t even know that nipple grafts were a thing till after my surgery lol (i have autism i did not pay attention i was staring at the doctors forehead)

[somerandomocto]

Alright, I've been sitting with my thoughts long enough. I'm design info-dumping

(sorry if this reads bad or something)

So, main character twisteds huh? I'm gonna be honest none of them are all that scary and only twisted Sprout, Shelly, and Dandy, are remotely intimidating, but I think that might be on purpose? As in, a mascot horror generally isn't too scary to not shoo off the kids kinda way. Either way, Vee and Astro are generally lackluster (Astro might be on purpose, little to no clue what's going on with Vee tho), and Pebble? Actually his design is pretty solid the only problem is at first glance (thumbnail) I couldn't tell he was a dog (might be a me thing tho bc as soon as I heard him in game I knew Pebble was a dog). With Vee, she is in fact, bigger than you, like most main character twisteds, but she's just longer for the most part, nothing particularly special. Now, it could either be me seeing random fakes online, but, I do remember seeing a possible concept design for twisted Vee, where she's on the ground (legless) crawling out of a vent with a ton of wire looking things behind her, and I really liked this design! The only reason I can assume this wasn't the final design by the time the alpha came out was due to a determination to have Vee playable by the launch of the alpha and the whole "twisted stuck to a certain range that they can move in" thing was probably obnoxious to properly code and get working (I'm not sure tho, I don't code often), and thus was dropped for the sake of allowing Vee to be playable. Astro, if not for lore reasons as to being so simple is probably for the sake of the revelation alone that he has four arms. It kinda makes sense, no other twisted adds limbs, only removes or distorts them, and I personally thought it was interesting, then I finally got him and got hit with the "No, Astro's just built like that" Astro/Tisha conversation. (He could probably have more of a gimmick tho, I'll get to that at some point) Actually, a lot of the main character twisteds could lean into their gimmick more, like Sprout is a plant yes, but also strawberries mold and I am just not seeing it here. I think Shelly's lower half being ripped off and being replaced with roughly the chest down of a raptor is really cool, and also gives her a reason to be obnoxiously fast (because as it stands speed is the only way a twisted can be reasonably hard to deal with(with only ~3 exceptions)). Though I don't think Shelly's twisted as a concept has reached it's natural conclusion in terms of ideas, this is a great base! This also goes for Sprout, like, he's tall and kinda imposing, but we can do more with that right? For twisted Dandy, no really I'm so glad this game is in beta because that means things are subject to change and overhauls are possible. I mean, I don't hate it, it's really visually interesting, but not quite scary you know? Or maybe it was never supposed to be all that scary and I'm just thinking about it too hard. It's fine though if I am, fan art exists for a reason.

Ok I think I'm out of verbal thoughts for now

[paper-starz]

*walks in in a very normal fashion, nothing weird about it at all*

Hiya it's me, Dot's friend again.

So.

*AHEM* I want to ask both you and Dot this (it's about Dot's OC Effie) (feel free to ignore)

Hypothetically speaking, what if Effie was apart of the SAS AU? Do you have any ideas on how she would react to finding this stuff out, or how she would cope, etc.

Hehehe! What a coincidence! (I just finished drawing her!)

Hypothetically, I see Effie as a very capable girl. At first, (just like Howdy) she would deny such things! Her? In a children's show? Cannot be possible! Her memories said otherwise! (Plus, Frank was the one who told her... and she isn't very keen on trusting the butterfly enthusiast's words...)

But, the evidence kept on adding up! She couldn't really avoid it much longer... She tried telling Howdy about this.... but he stayed in denial much longer than her.

She was a bit confused, a bit angry. Wondering if her feelings towards Poppy were even real, were they even meant to be real? How can something as simple and as joyous as love be... forbidden in the rest of the world's eyes?

But while she was angry, she also knew she just had to help somehow. She stays near Poppy, trying to calm everyone down as best as she can (she also tries to help Poppy as best she could too! She doesn't want to her love to overwork herself...)

Whatever Poppy needs, whether that would be getting some needles, some thread, some stuffing, or holding down a screaming puppet while Poppy sews their arm up... she would do it, no hesitation. (Sometimes she wonders how Poppy sleeps at night.... do the screams keep her awake?)

As for Howdy, she tries as best she can to get Howdy to stop drinking. To see her best friend let himself go like this breaks her heart. Sometimes she's successful.... most times she isn't (and ends up taking care of the poor guy).

Her coping habits aren't as bad though. She smokes a bit more often (but not as much as Barnaby! They are smoking buddies :D)... But i feel like her biggest coping mechanism is making sure everyone has at least a little bit of fun... She's based on the flapper ladies of the Roaring 20s! She knows how to have fun.

She acts suave, elegant, and confident, which puts everyone at ease! She puts on some music and makes everyone dance (the charleston of course!) And she won't stop until she sees everyone smile (even the butterfly enthusiast!).

She's unsure how to feel about Wally. Sure, he's innocent but.... he's kinda the sole reason everything is happening the way it is. She somewhat tries to be friendly with him (at least when Poppy's around, mama bird still genuinely loves Wally, so maybe Effie can pretend to like him.)

One thing is for sure, Effie hates Home with all her heart. It's the reason everyone is so fucked up, it's the reason Howdy can barely look Wally in the eye (and drinks himself silly in the Bugdega), it's the reason that Poppy is stressed out of her mind trying to keep the rest of the neighborhood safe...

She wants nothing more than to burn that damned building down to the ground.

(EFFIE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, she belongs to @dottyorange )!!!

[narzissenkreuz-ordo]

4 and 18 for the oc questions for silvanus :3

4. What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

OHH she has a couple of hobbies but most of them have been on the back burner ever since she was hired as neuvillette's assistant. she likes her job a lot & constantly being in the iudex's shadow means less, scrutinizing eyes on her. which offers some relief, no one is looking at her but at the iudex but it causes a lot of new problems for silavanus, she is able to live on her own to be closer to work and is now being mostly financially independent (besides her expensive medical treatments) but her parents are still a looming problem over her head. they're now obsessed with trying to get political connections with neuvillette via her position. and it becomes very over whelming. but now that she's physically on her own when not working, she finds it very difficult to relax. alone time means time to process years of trauma (being terminally ill & having obsessive/controlling/sometimes abusive parents) And she will absolutely try to avoid it at all costs. She loves gardening and keeps up with having many house plants, and used to write a lot of fanfiction. but winding down with those actives allows for the Horrors to creep in. so she remains working as much as possible and keeps her mind busy over work related matters with little time to actually rest. but after her trial against her parents and recovering from her weeks-long medical episode. majority of the pressure is taken off her shoulders. she interacts even more with others (the fontaine cast) and her only worries are trying to keep her secret office romance w/ neuvi secret. she likes taking walks in erinnyes a lot to examine all the different foliage, sometimes having picnic dates with neuvillette. she ends up becoming a light novel author too :D she actually attended the irodori festive in inazuma and scored a book deal with yae miko. she writes fantasy romance stories under a pen name, eventually become huge hits throughout all of teyvat. it makes her nervous because she uses some of her friends (my other ocs) experiences and her own romance with nevui as plot inspiration and barely anyone Knows her that its her. neuvillette knows and reads through her rough drafts to offer input, he finds the WHOLE thing very entertaining and is very supportive. and furina also connects the dots early on after reading some of silvanus' books; since the main series is about a forgotten dragon king who falls in love with a human

18. Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

OHHH MAN... three people come to mind and it should be easy enough to guess jfkldfs first person would be nikolai, especially after finding out he's alive and reconnecting with him. he is her baby brother and will NEVER hold anything against him. even if her is super ingrained with the fatui. she does have very iffy thoughts about the fatui, after arlecchino's manipulation * dropping the fact that nikolai was in her care against her during the archon quests (thats a different story). but arle becomes very quickly not threatening @ silvie. apologizing for trying to manipulate her to get info about neuvillette and is very deserving of respect after knowing her past via nikoli + lyney/lynette/freminet speaking highly of her. and silvanus respects and is thankful for the house of hearth being there for nikolai when she could not then onto neuvillette: especially after the events with dragon hybrid!silvie au. despite her own distressing emotions about the situation and even if she is so mad and angry at him and refuses to see him: she will always love him no matter what. throwing wriothesley in here too. its mostly platonic even though they had a couple months long situationship while interning at the fortress of meropide. he helps her deconstruction some of her thoughts in feelings about her life long traumas and helps her stand on her own two feet when navigating life away controlling, politically charged family issues. i guess it would be better to say that wriothesley will always love her unconditionally. he cares so much about her but will let her go so she can have a better life, and not staying stuck with him down in the fortress. he will always love her even when he notices neuvillette's affections for silvanus very early on, urging him on because he knows neuvillette with be good for in ways wrio could never offer her. and he just wants her to be happy even at the cost of his own feelings

[poppiesandpromises]

Hello, dear poet!

I've come across your space very recently, and love all your work. I think my favourite one is "there's a me shaped void.....", I resonate with it so much.

Question: do you yearn for something..more?

As creative person, are you satisfied with the mundane of life?

Last one: how do you cope when life gets too ordinary?

Thank you for the questions!

I think all of us tend to yearn at least a little. Life is never perfect so this ties in to your second question, I think. Life is separated into moments of magic and years of the prosaic, I think. The way I cope tends to be two-fold: I'll either write to get out of my head or I'll try to find something to do. It's easier for me to find magic when it's warm outside so in the spring I go outside to find flowers, or listen to birds or any of the other wonderful things the world gives me. In the summer I count the fireflies and watch the stars. In the autumn I crunch through leaf piles. In the winter i...write. lol.

Thank you for reading! And for letting me know that my writing touched something in you. I appreciate it very much. ❤️

[krispykreeme]

last night before falling asleep I had the most soul crushing thought any Sophitz shipper could have.

We could’ve had a pride and prejudice type of romance between Sophie and fitz.

We could’ve had a Darcy and Elizabeth.

Fitzwilliam Darcy whose name is shared with Fitz.

Elizabeth Bennet aka Sophie Elizabeth Foster.

We could’ve had Sophie mentally adjust to the lavish and, quite honestly, insane wealth the elves live in. This compared to her previous life in San Diego would’ve paralleled Elizabeth’s family’s and occasionally her sense of inadequacy by being at the lower ends of high society; just blending in with the members of the high ranks yet being set apart as well (a lot of people refusing to accept Sophie as a normal elf and a lot of hatred towards her for just existing. Vs. Elizabeth Bennet and being targeted by Lady Catherine de Bourgh). We could’ve had some imposter syndrome in the beginning but pushed into the background of Sophie’s mind as it turned into confidence with her handful of abilities and position on Team Valiant. Also if she played more into the role of Elizabeth she’d be a lot wittier and take less bullshit. The whole love triangle would’ve been solved because she addressed it. The neverseen probably would’ve been done by now because as empathetic and kind as she is, (this is more me than Elizabeth talking) she would’ve snapped. Also she’d talk without thinking, often putting the honest out into the world, forcing people to address it.

Fitz could’ve been an asshole in the first few books (which he was but I just don’t remember how). Well, an asshole from Sophie’s point of view. But if any other characters chimed in, they’d comment on his kindness and generosity. We could’ve seen Fitz painstakingly trying to get to know Sophie better through their cognate training, both of them wondering how they even became cognates, and Sophie just refusing to comply because of her pride and prejudice ;). We could’ve seen Fitz evolve from Mr. Perfect who would’ve been stubborn and quite condescending, to his ‘hidden’ kind and patient side (he’s just awkward and doesn’t know how to interact with Sophie), to his much more mature and responsible side. He could’ve had so much character growth, turning into a teenager who recognized the flaws in his idealized society and tried to make his world better, recognizing the extreme prestige and privilege he has. Him letting go of his pride to make deeper connections with people he cares about, and stepping away from his reputation. Recognizing that his prejudice is what is stopping him from being comfortable with himself and others.

We could’ve had the confession scene be from Fitz about the matchmaking but much more tense and dramatic. The juxtaposition between their close body language and harsh words. A rejection from Sophie because: why would she like a guy who ripped her away to a world that hates her even more? How arrogant could he be to believe that she would like him back? Why should she even consider it if he admitted to liking her against his better judgement?? Fitz asking her out on a date through that confession and Sophie tearing him and his preconception of their world apart. Her pride being hurt, only reenforcing the prejudice she hold against him. Fitz apologizing and recognizing that he needs to change. Sophie regretting her intense words but knowing that he needed a wake up call.

We could’ve had such a beautiful arc of one sided dislike (Sophie) and haughty awkwardness (fitz) to, hatred hiding away guilt and possible affection (Sophie) and regret and change and kindness (fitz) where they grow to be close and somewhat friends but haven’t gone over the obstacle of their egos and judgements. Ending with “im sorry I assumed so much about you based on first impressions and your background, my ego got in the way and I was wrong about you. I hated you because you made me face a part of me that I wanted to push away but it was hurting me in the process. I don’t actually hate you, in fact, I like your company and you make me a better person. I should’ve been honest with you and myself from the beginning.”

Although, it retrospect it would’ve been a bit difficult to juggle this in alongside a love triangle, an anti-establishment group, another anti-establishment group, fantasy creatures, school, a shitty government and so many characters (the council, the parents, the Collective, the teens, the bodyguards, the alicorns, the villains, and all the plotholes in between). However, I say if the love triangle was never established in the first place, we could’ve had some room for this, especially over the course of nine 800 paged books.

[27emailsicantsend]

Gina Porter for the character ask! ❤️

Favorite thing about them: I love her ability to ride with wherever life takes her. She doesn’t seem afraid of standing up for herself or taking big risks because, “as a new kid, you either eat or be eaten”. There are so many scenes I can think of where she said a line and I was like “whoa, that was confident ma’am”. I know this comes a little bit from a trauma response on her end, moving around as much as she has, but as someone who struggles standing up for herself and doing things that require bravery, I really look up to Gina Porter. Both she and I can be stubborn, but hers is to help her “push through” challenges and continue on with life, whereas I can end up getting stuck in my problems. I know I’m using a lot of comparison to myself in this ask, but I do see a lot of myself in Gina Porter, so watching her take traits that I want to improve on and make them her heroic qualities, turns her into an outstanding character for me.

Least favorite thing about them: this didn’t happen often, but especially in season 2, she had a really hard time talking through things if someone else asked if she was ok. She would say she was fine and then when she couldn’t hold it in anymore, she would finally speak her truth. I just wonder if her showing a little bit more vulnerability in the moments where people asked if she was ok, would have helped her put down her walls a little sooner. And even then, this is such a small thing because the ask requires it. I genuinely love Gina as a character, so this was a bit hard to write!

Favorite line(s):

“You’re not a maybe, you’re a yes” (no one is surprised)… actually let’s just do the whole speech with this line standing out the most

“But we’re not dating”

*insert Gina’s entire break up speech with EJ*

EJ: We’ve just got to wait for the fireworks to start Gina: “is that a metaphor or…?”

“Don’t get me started”

“I wouldn’t quit on us if I wasn’t moving away”

“I meant what I said about, at the skate park, about you having your own style. I don’t even think I knew how much I meant it when I said it”. “Good night, Ricky”. “No. Awkward? Could not be us”

“Could I hear that acoustic song idea? It sounded cool” Ricky: You serious? “I mean, we’ve got the time” (Ricky had been told by so many people up to this point, especially Nini, that he was just causing problems and taking up space. Gina created more space for him.)

“Come on, then. Let’s watch”

“You just acted like an old version of yourself, I get it. Or maybe it’s just the real EJ of Shallow Lake”

“Hell yeah, we are” (in response to being an awesome pair of wonderstudies)

“Mr. Bowen, would you like to dance?”

“Chicken”

“Walk on the moon… hilariously grounded, Ricky”

“I-I-have it, like-like if you-“

“Open it.”

“I’m your sister, right?”

“I have my eyes set on one thing this summer and one thing only” Ricky: *head empty, crickets* “And I’m gonna get it”

OTP: Rina 💕🥹 (is anyone shocked, just asking the crowd)

nOTP: P*rtwell

brOTP: S1 EJ and Gina (them getting together was necessary for Gina’s development, but wow they would have been so much better off as friends. I truly loved the “Wonderstudies!”)

Something I expect from them season 4 (if applicable): where do I begin… ricky and gina dating, gina and ricky dating, ricky and gina as a couple, rina, rina, rina… lol :)

Rina related:

-Can I Have this Dance where she leads

-the puppy in her arms in the trailer is hers

-she has to spend a lot of time convincing Ricky Mack is harmless

Gina related:

-she is told she won’t have to move again

-she becomes really big because of being a main in the movie (I’m talking famous Hollywood actress)

-I doubt this will be straightforward, but I do think there will be hints about where Gina is going after she graduates and I think she will go to the same city as Ricky, but I could see them putting her in a different school like Troyella OR Ricky goes to college in LA and Gina acts there for her career (skipping college)

Random Headcanon:

-Because Sofia Wylie is celiac and her character makes gluten free treats, Gina is gluten free in my mind too

-In S1, Ricky and Gina were already seeing each other frequently, that’s how come Gina knew where Ricky lived and thought she could “walk him over” to EJ’s. That is also why she said “there is no point of calling me anymore, do you”, because they had already been hanging out and calling each other on a regular basis. We as an audience didn’t see it though. Along these lines, Gina definitely put in a bit more effort to hanging out with Ricky, so when she pulled away it made him sad because he wasn’t seeing her like he was used too.

-Also Gina definitely helped Ricky move into his new apartment^ because how did she know where he lived after the move (while there were still boxes in his living room, mind you)

Unpopular Opinion: Gina was never a lead before moving to East High. Don’t believe me? Go back and rewatch the part where she talks to Nini about “never being an understudy”. A lot of people say Gina going “this is my first time getting the lead” is a plot hole because she says it s1. She actually never does. She only says she was “never an understudy”, with no dialogue about being a lead too. My personal headcanon is that she omitted that part so she could come off more intimidating, when she knew good and well she hadn’t had either. Maybe she was a background character up until that point too.

Song I associate with them:

(They’re all rina related, ofc)

-Bad for Business, Sabrina Carpenter

-Nonsense, Sabrina Carpenter

-Timeless, Taylor Swift

-I Can See You, Taylor Swift

-All of the Girls You’ve Loved Before, Taylor Swift

-Hits Different, Taylor Swift

-Story of Us, Taylor Swift

-Make You Stay, Girl and the Dreamcatcher

-Not Like I’m in Love with You, Lauren Weintraub

-So Good, Halsey

-Better Man, Taylor Swift (the only one not rina related because the second verse/chorus feel directly aimed at EJ)

-Message in a Bottle, Taylor Swift

-Boys like You, Megan & Liz

-Handsome, Megan & Liz

-Jump then Fall, Taylor Swift

-Just a Friend to You, Megan Trainor

-Before I Let You Go, Colbie Caillat

Favorite picture of them: (I tried to find the photo of her in her yellow SOGAE premiere dress on the balcony, but couldn’t :( that was one of my faves. Also, I genuinely considered just posting her entire insta feed because Sofia Wylie is one of the prettiest humans to exist and I will take that to the grave… but here’s my top 5)

[travllingbunny]

So it was quite weird for this person to take that and make it about Misogyny and Incels when that has very little to do with it. plus, in recent years I have seen more female villains receiving this treatment often from female viewers/readers. Characters like Princess Azula, Rei Todoroki, Catra, Harley Quinn, and Heather Chandler receive this in increasingly frequent ways often with the defense that any person who dislikes these characters is a misogynist who hates and opresses women.

(pt 4) It is unfortunately a common thing in many fandoms to do to characters, but lately it often seems that any criticism towards a female character, of groups of women, or even an individual woman. is taken to be misogynistic, born from a hatred and fear of women, and often seems to take the form that every man or even most men are just evil, malicious, people or out to get women, and control and abuse them it's quite frankly ridiculous. and I think its an absurd line of thought that needs to die

Finally to answer parts 3 and 4 of your ask.

Yes, you are right that this is also another phenomenom that's pretty widespread these days. But I don't see how you think that negates what was said about the Draco in Leather Pants trope.

In my first post answeing your asks 1 and 2, I've pointed out why I think this poster was right and that the trope itself is sexist - certainly the way it's described on the TV Tropes page is, and so is, in general, the focus on how silly fangirls are ruining everything by stanning male characters they 'woobify' and find hot - while ignoring the equally widespread idolization / whitewashing of villains like TDK Joker, Walter White, Tywin Lannister etc. by fanboys. And that also the examples on the page show that this trope can also just serve as an excuse for people to rant and complain about the fact that other fans dare like characters they hate.

Fans regardless of gender and sexual orientation (and whether they find the characters attractive or not) tend to whitewash and idealize their favorite characters, but also demonize and oversimplify the characters they hate, too. The main reason for this is people's tendency to want to see every story in black and white terms, as a Heroes vs Villains story, and it gets mixed with today's prevalent idea in pop culture that you can't just like or dislike things, you need to prove that what you like is morally superior, and that the things you dislike are morally bad.

I'm not familiar with the examples you mention, but I've certainly seen it. Sometimes it's worshipping villanous female characters (say, Amy Dunne or Cersei Lannister) who are reimagined by the fandom as girlboss feminists. It feels like the flip side of the phenomenom of fanboys worshipping male villains they admire as badasses, but now with added supposed social justice aspect. It may also be a backlash against the real and blatant misogyny that was very pervasive in fandoms (I remember the time when Sansa, Dany and Catelyn were the most hated characters in the ASOIAF fandom, with people using some... interesting arguments. The one that really got me was how many people in the fandom were hating on a pre-teen girl for not wanting to have sex with a grown man she was forced to marry by her captors who were killing her own famly... because they really liked that male character. )

It might also include the rhetoric based on a certain type of (pseudo-)feminism according to which women are inherently good and perfect and can only be heroes and/or victims, while men are naturally aggressive and abusive etc. This can get hilariously hypocritical: recently a Twitter user went on a rant against fans who like abusive male characters, while being a self-proclaimed stan of Cersei Lannister and Serena Joy.

But it's not like this kind of rhetoric is used just against men (you didn't explicitly say that, but I felt like it was implied in your ask). Women will often throw accusations of misogyny against each other, and women will often show internalized misogyny towards other women in those arguments - and both things will often happen at the same time. This also happens a lot in real life arguments about politics and social issues - especially when people use girlboss feminism to argue that anyone who doesn't support or, god forbid, criticizes their favorite female politician or celebrity, is "misogynistic" and that every criticism of her, no matter how legitimate the reasons are and how little they have to do with gender, are "rooted in misogyny". In the course of that, stans often don't have a problem with mocking, attacking and bullying any number of other (usually less powerful women), and using all sorts of misogynistic insults and assumptions about them.

Now, the tricky thing is that this doesn't mean that hatred or criticism or lack of support for a woman in real life, or a female character, is fully free of misogyny, even if the woman in question is very problematic. It probably always does play a role. Some people - maybe even a lot of people - will really say and do misogynistic things about a woman even when there are perfectly legitimate reasons to criticize her that have nothing to do with gender.

Take a female character like Cersei Lannister as an example. She is a narcissist with internalized misogyny who is abusive towards every woman and girl she had any power over, and is also extremely classist, ableist and racist. While the crimes of the GoT version were downplayed (at least before the season 6 finale), the book version, among other things, is guilty of the murders of many children including a baby, murdered her friend as a child, commits sexual assault, physically and emotionally abused her disabled little brother since his birth (she already abused him as a baby), is guilty of the murder of countless little people (just because she wanted to kill her brother), sends innocent women to be tortured and experimented on, sold a woman into slavery, orders a young boy to be whipped as a way to emotionally abuse her own son.tries to frame her teenage daughter-in-law and get her executed, and the list goes on. But Cersei is also a victim herself, and that's made very clear - of her father using her as a pawn, of her husband King Robert, who used to rape her while drunk and also is physically abusive. She feels generally constrained by her position as a woman. But her takeaways from that are not empathy or support for other women or for any marginalized and oppressed people, but the exact opposite. The complexity about her character is really more about the complexity of our response to her - her horrible behavior and personality makes us hate her, her victimization makes the reader feel pity and empathy, her delusions of grandeur are often hilarious, and there are some times when we may even feel on her side. One of those times is when, after she's done so many horrible things, she doesn't get punished for any of them, but instead gets publicly shamed and humiliated in a really gross and misogynistic way for the 'crime' of having sex outside marriage.

So, is hating Cersei misogynistic? In general, heck no! There are countless excellent reasons to hate her, and anyone who tries to argue that people hating Cersei is by itself misogyny is full of sh1t. But when some people focus not on any of her crimes but call her a wh0re or making fun of the rape and abuse she's suffered or cheer for her husband hitting her - that is misogyny.

It all depends on the type of criticism (or more often hate) - the kind of arguments, or slurs used, or when they are blatantly treated differently than male characters who do similar things. There are also certain things that fandoms are more likely to accuse of or hold female characters than the male characters and vice versa. When fans hate on male characters, you'll typically see them say the character is violent, abuser, rapist, murderer, or, a particularly popular accusation nowadays, "incel" (even if it makes no sense at all). Female characters, on the other hand, will mostly get criticized for their sexual behavior, who they have sex with/whether they have sex (they'll be either slut-shamed, or mocked as frigid women who have never had an orgasm), which male characters they reject, whether they are good mothers (male characters will get far less criticism for being neglectful or straight-up abusive fathers to their own children, while female characters' motherhood will get dissected endlessly), they will be blamed for the actions of men for the way they have supposedly infliuenced / manipulated them (whether or not there's any evidence of that) etc. while, on the other hand, actual violent crimes those or other women may commit might actually get ignored - because a woman committing violence is either unimaginable, funny or girlbossy. and that especially goes for things like rape, sexual abuse or domestic violence (because women are gentle helpless flowers who can never do such things, amirite). Female characters will also get criticized and hated and called a Mary Sue just for basically having the same tropes as male protagonists do all the time: being the Chosen One with some special destiny, being very competent in some area, influencing a lot of people. I've seen pretty much every female protagonst or supporting character who is described as being exceptional in any way as a Mary Sue - while male characters who are all those things to a much higher degree never get that.

So, there's a lot of sexism in fandoms. But there's also a lot of bad fath arguments and blanket accusation of misogyny as a convenient tool in fandom discourse, the same way that you'll inevitably get accused of being homophobic or biphobic jor racist just for not being a stan of certain characters or not shipping certain ships or preferring some ships to others. And again, there is real racism, homophobia, bisephobia, transphobia, misogyny in the fandoms, but fans will also try to use those accusations as a tool to win fandom debates and prove their side of the fandom is the morally right one, and the ones who disagree with them are bad.

I can't help but use the House of the Dragon fandom as an example, because that fandom is a huge toxic mess, with the fandom divided into Team Black and Team Green depending on which faction of the fictional dragonriding royal family fighting a civil war over the throne they like better....and the accusation of misogyny is especially popular. Quite a few of the Team Black stans are taking it to a whole new level by accusing everyone who isn't one of them of misogyny - because if you don't fully and 100% support the side that is trying to put Rhaenyra, a woman, on the throne you must be a misogynist. (Rhaenyra is the protagonist, but the story is very morally grey one without heroes or villains, and if you've read the source material you know just how morally grey it is, and that insisting that people have to root for either side is pretty silly... not to mention that it's all a fictional medieval monrachy, so why would you treat fiction as real life and also why would you then yell at people that they need to supprot hereditary monarchy in general?) The funniest thing is, however, the fact that many of those who are the loudest in those accusations are themselves making extremely misogynistic arguments against female characters on "Team Green", especially Alicent, the other main female character, who's the central charactre on Team Green. Rhaenyra gets some hate that is rooted in misogyny (such as slut-shaming or judging her more harshly than male kings or pretenders to the throne), but there are many more fans who idealize her and ignore or downplay her flaws and mistakes (in the show she's generally portrayed as someone to root for at this point in the story at least, but not as someone who's flawless - but most of the fandom hates nuance!), flattening her as a character in the process. But, since Team Black makes up around 80-90% of the fandom, it's Alicent who gets demonized, so it's much more common to find misogynistic takes about her (downplaying or mocking and making memes of her victimization and every instance of sexual abuse, rape and humiliation she's endured, arguing that she 'seduced' a grown man when she was 14 , trying to reduce her to an 'evil stepmother' trope, hyperfocusing on her as a "bad mother"- while the bad fathers, including her husband, don't get the same treatment, blaming her for the actions of the men around her...). The fandom also bullied both of the actresses who have played her, to the point that one left social media for a while, and the other has publicly spoken about the cyber bullying she was exposed to and how it affected her (and as a result of talking about it, got hated and attacked even more). At the same time, male characters who have done much, much worse and are actually murderers and/or rapists and abusers get whitewashed and adored if they are on the "right" team (even abuse against Rhaenyra gets downplayed if it's committed by a man from Team Black), and even the men on Team Green who have actually commited murder and/or rape are getting less hate than Alicent (and their crimes are often used to reflect on her).

And that's why the HotD fandom is a perfect example showing that many of the people in fandoms who use misogyny (or some other supposedly progressive issue) don't really care about it. It all just comes down to winning a fandom war.

[squipy]

Oh boy I'ma get cancelled for this but like anyways we're talking about proshipping...again

Ya know what's odd I like the IDEA behind what proshipping stands for basically ya know don't harass people over what they ship even if it seems problematic to you. See that is fine to me THE ISSUE IS WHEN PROBLEMATIC BECOMES OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS!!!!! so for example a big surprise to literally no one I'm a self Shipper and a lot of my romantic F/O's are villains who have done some shitty things which can be seen as problematic such as for example I don't think a robotic wolf with an ego trying to murder a child is exactly #unproblomatic but see that's the thing EVERY SINGLE HUMAN is problematic we aren't perfect we make mistakes and with that in mind that means that good written Fiction Characters are also by design problematic in some way just some more than others. THE ISSUE IS WHEN PROSHIPPERS ARE SAYING ITS OKAY FOR SOMEONE TO SHIP A CHILD AND AN ADULT TOGETHER!!?!? OR TWO BROTHERS!!??!? that's where I have an issue because at this point you are romanticizing these very serious fucking issues!!! It kinda reminds me of ya know violence in cartoons almost. I'ma use Steven universe as an example sense I've been thinking about that a lot. Steven universe shows a fantasy violence that is based on real use of these weapon's but is shown in a way where the child or adult watching it doesn't have a need to do these things in real life. NOW with proshipping that's the issue here you are Putting these not sure problematic things but straight up ILLEGAL things in a good light. Now now I know what your about to say "well death and murder is shown in fictional media all the time why is that okay" okay sure good question you wanna know why BECAUSE IT'S NEVER SHOWN AS A GOOD THING?!!?!!? for example in the new puss and boots movie it's never seen that what death is doing is good he's the antagonist. When you make these ships between an adult and a child you aren't putting it in a way that the viewer can obviously tell "okay this is just a really dark headcannon the person behind this headcannon obviously does not think this is a good thing* but no instead you guys make these edits with up beat sexual music. Now another argument you may make is "well people simp for fictional murderers why is that okay??!??" Again good question and this might be different for everyone but for me murderer is seen as an obvious bad thing but again I feel like people aren't into the character because there a murderer but because of other factors. Unlike proshipers who will be into a shipping dynamic straight up just because it's child x adult or sister x mom or whatever. It's honestly the same reason why I personally don't like the yandere Troupe because it puts the idea of straight up murder and toxic possessiveness in a positive light.

[la-cocotte-de-paris]

Bonsoir Katie ! What advice would you give to someone who want to start writing (novel, short story) ?

Bonsoir ! :)

**[Disclaimer: this is my advice based on my own experience -- the journey with writing is different for everyone, so do not take my words to be absolute truths, just little nuggets of information which you may wish to consider or disregard at your own discretion.]

I think my main advice would be...write what you wish to read. Create stories that interest you. If you write simply to cater to a particular audience, you will be bored writing it, and if you're bored writing it, then the readers are bored reading it -- or something will seem off when they read it, at the very least.

Be honest with yourself. Try your utmost not to limit yourself on what topics/themes/ideas you wish to explore. You can experiment plenty before deciding "oh, hey, this is pretty good" or "this piece will never see the light of day ever again". Ideas can come from anywhere, so let them. Don't block them out just because the thing/situation that sparks the idea seems ridiculous.

Don't fear disappointment. Writing is hard! Sometimes inspiration strikes you and it causes a natural flow in your writing, but it takes discipline and dedication to finish a piece. Writer's block is common and you may go days or months without writing (or at least anything they find decent quality). Some choose to power through it, writing pieces of lower quality so then eventually the good stuff comes back, and others wait it out a little and chip away at works until their flow returns with better strength. When you begin to write, or when to begin to edit, you may think "Oh dear God, this is terrible. What was I thinking?!" THIS IS NORMAL. Honestly, alarm bells should be ringing if this DOESN'T happen to you at some point to some extent during your writing/editing process (because if it doesn't happen, it means you're not thinking critically). BUT sometimes you may write a beautiful sentence you surprised yourself with (e.g. I have accidentally some rather poetic/aesthetically pleasing lines without even realising it, and only noticed upon reviewing the section) and you should allow yourself to celebrate these! This is a reminder that you CAN write! And it can act as a motivator to push you to finish your piece, if you so choose to. And besides, there's an editing process for a reason! That's where you REFINE your work -- up until then, rough drafts can be as shitty as you want so long as your idea or message/intention is clear and interesting to you.

Also, it may take a while to find what you're really good at writing. There's nothing wrong in challenging yourself either, but it's useful to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Experimentation would be helpful. For example, I prefer long-form storylines -- I find writing short stories IMPOSSIBLE and affectionately envy those who can do it!

Writing may also make you discover a lot about yourself which you never consciously knew about before. This doesn't happen with everyone, but it can occur. I find this therapeutic, but it can scare some, so if you find yourself in such a situation, I think it is best to acknowledge this new information about yourself and then either move on or deal with it in whichever way you deem fit (preferably in a healthy manner!).

And my final piece of advice, which is most obvious: read broadly when you can and enjoy writing! By reading other books, you'll naturally take in a lot of information re structure of a story, character development and general formatting rules (which then leave it up to you to decide whether to follow or disregard/twist these rules, depending on what your writing style is). By reading broadly, you familiarise yourself with a range of different writing styles, and you'll learn which styles might help improve your own, or act as inspiration for you in some way.

Saying "enjoy writing" sounds cliché but it certainly helps if you enjoy the whole act -- this is about you first: write what you enjoy and your readers or external interest will follow (even if it's friends or strangers online at first).

Hope this helps! ^.^ x