#Fandom be nice to women challenge

[hcdgepcdge]

// hi yes, I am complaint. Cause if i see one more post bash on ragatha imma lose it

[mimzy6bunny]

i wish i had a reaction image that could properly show the horror i feel when people make falin some kind of maternal figure to thistle and then start bringing up how 'maternal' she is to him

[235uranium]

every time the female character discourse happens i just sigh. the ppl critiquing fandom misogyny don't even like that interesting of women

[prettygirl-gabi]

Title: Ours to Claim

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Azzi Fudd x Reader

Fandom: UConn Women’s Basketball

Summary: who would’ve thought an old friend would have that affect on Paige and Azzi…

Sorry it took so long, @paigeluvvr

🏷️: @yailtsv , @sitawita , @thatonesuschix , @vamptizm , @elalfywhore , @starfulani , @authentic-girl03 , @paige05bby , @paxaz535 , @azziswrld

I was just about to head into the little café in Storrs when I heard my name called from across the street.

“Y/N? No way!”

I turned to see a familiar face—Josh, an old friend from high school. We hadn’t spoken much since graduation, but he was one of those people who always felt easy to reconnect with.

“Josh?” I grinned, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Business trip,” he said, jogging across the street. “Figured I’d grab some coffee before heading to my next meeting. How have you been?”

We started catching up, talking about old times, laughing about how much had changed since high school. It was nice, lighthearted, and completely innocent.

But the warmth in my chest quickly turned to unease when I caught sight of Paige and Azzi standing at the entrance of the café, staring at us.

Both of their expressions were tight, unreadable to anyone who didn’t know them well. But I did. And I knew that kind of silence meant trouble.

I wrapped up my conversation with Josh, giving him a quick side hug before he left, and turned to my girlfriends.

“Hey,” I said, a little breathless, stepping up to them. “I was just catching up with an old friend. He was in town for—”

“We saw,” Paige cut me off, her voice sharp.

Azzi crossed her arms, gaze cool but jaw clenched. “Looked real cozy.”

I blinked, caught off guard by the edge in her voice. “Wait, are you guys serious right now?”

Neither of them responded, just turned and walked into the café. I followed, confused and already irritated.

Lunch was tense. Paige barely touched her food, and Azzi was quieter than usual, both of them simmering in unspoken jealousy.

By the time we got into the car to head back to our apartment, the silence had stretched too thin. I sighed, arms crossed over my chest as I sat in the passenger seat while Paige drove.

“So are we gonna talk about this?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Azzi scoffed from the backseat. “Talk about what? How our girlfriend was giggling with some guy we’ve never even heard of?”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh my God, you’re both being dramatic.”

Paige let out a bitter laugh, gripping the steering wheel a little too tight. “Dramatic?” she echoed. “We show up for lunch and see you hugging some random guy, looking all happy and touchy, and we’re supposed to just be cool with that?”

“He’s not a ‘random guy,’ he’s an old friend!” I snapped. “I haven’t seen him in years, and we were literally just talking. You two are acting like I was making out with him in the street!”

Azzi leaned forward, her voice lower, but firm. “You weren’t, but the way he was looking at you? He wanted to.”

I scoffed. “And how the hell do you know that?”

“Because we know what it looks like when someone wants you,” Paige said, eyes locked on the road.

I clenched my jaw, frustration bubbling under my skin. “Well, too bad for him, because I’m already taken,” I shot back.

Paige pulled into our parking spot, threw the car in park, and turned to me with piercing eyes. “Are you?” she challenged.

I inhaled sharply, heat flashing in my chest. “You know damn well I am.”

Azzi tilted her head. “Then why didn’t you introduce us?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, because I didn’t have a real answer. The truth was, I had gotten caught up in the moment and hadn’t even thought about it.

Paige smirked slightly, but it wasn’t a kind one. “Exactly.”

The moment we stepped into our apartment, I turned to them, ready to argue some more, but Paige was on me in an instant.

She pressed me against the wall, her hands gripping my waist firmly, possessively. My breath hitched, and before I could react, Azzi was right there too, her body caging me in from the other side.

“Wait—”

“Not so fast,” Paige murmured, her lips brushing against my jaw. “You had your fun catching up with him. Now, we remind you who you belong to.”

My heart pounded as Azzi’s fingers traced up my arm, her touch featherlight but intentional.

“You’re ours,” Azzi whispered against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

Their jealousy had shifted into something else—something intense and undeniable.

Paige kissed along my neck, slow but with a purpose, her lips and teeth leaving marks. I gasped, gripping her hoodie, torn between protesting and melting under their attention.

“Look at you,” Azzi mused, tilting my chin so I had to meet her eyes. “Always saying we’re dramatic, but you love when we get like this, don’t you?”

I swallowed hard, my body betraying me as I pressed further into them.

Paige chuckled against my skin. “That’s what I thought.”

Their hands roamed, leaving no part of me untouched. A shiver coursed through me as Azzi’s fingers danced along the hem of my shirt, slowly inching it upwards. Paige’s hands were equally skilled, tracing the curve of my hips, sending sparks of anticipation through every nerve ending.

“We’re going to spoil you tonight,” Azzi whispered, her breath warm against my ear. “Completely and utterly spoil you.”

I didn’t doubt her for a second. There was a hunger in their eyes, a possessiveness that both thrilled and intimidated me. I knew I was walking a dangerous line, surrendering control to their desires, but the temptation was too strong to resist.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Azzi pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it carelessly to the side. The cool air of the room kissed my skin, heightening my awareness of their touch. Paige’s gaze intensified as she took in my exposed torso, her eyes lingering on every curve and contour.

“Beautiful,” she breathed, her voice husky with desire.

Before I could respond, Azzi’s lips were on mine, her kiss deep and demanding. I met her intensity with my own, losing myself in the intoxicating swirl of passion. Paige joined in, her hands tracing the sensitive skin of my back, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.

Their kisses were a symphony of desire, a tantalizing blend of tenderness and dominance. I moaned softly, my body aching for more. They seemed to take pleasure in my reaction, their touch becoming bolder, more insistent.

Azzi broke away from the kiss, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Ready for the next step?” she purred, reaching for the bedside drawer.

My heart pounded in my chest as she retrieved a sleek, purple strap-on. I had seen it before, of course, but the sight of it now, in Azzi’s hands, sent a jolt of electricity through me.

Paige gently guided me to the edge of the bed, positioning me so that my legs dangled over the side. I watched, mesmerized, as Azzi expertly strapped the harness around her waist, her movements fluid and confident.

“Relax,” Paige murmured, stroking my hair. “We’re going to take care of you.”

I tried to follow her instructions, but my nerves were on edge. I had never done anything like this before, and the anticipation was almost overwhelming.

Azzi straddled my lap, her eyes locking with mine. “Are you ready?” she asked, her voice low and seductive.

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry.

With a slow, teasing motion, Azzi pressed the head of the strap-on against my entrance. I gasped, my body tensing in anticipation.

“Easy,” Paige whispered, her hands gently kneading the muscles in my shoulders. “Just breathe.”

Azzi began to move, slowly at first, testing my limits. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations that were building within me. It was intense, unfamiliar, but undeniably pleasurable.

As Azzi’s pace quickened, I lost myself in the rhythm of her movements. My body arched against hers, craving more. Paige’s hands roamed my body, teasing and tantalizing, driving me closer to the edge.

Just as I thought I couldn’t take anymore, Azzi stopped, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Your turn to worship, baby” she commanded, her voice husky with passion.

I didn’t hesitate. I reached for Azzi, pulling her closer, my lips meeting hers in a searing kiss. Paige moved to stand in front of me, her eyes filled with desire.

I lowered my head, my tongue tracing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Paige moaned softly, her hands gripping my hair. I continued my exploration, teasing and tantalizing, until she was writhing in my grasp.

With a final, desperate plea, Paige guided me to her most sensitive spot. I licked and sucked, my tongue working its magic, until she was screaming my name.

As Paige’s climax subsided, Azzi took her place. I knelt before her, my eyes locking with hers. She was a vision of raw desire, her body trembling with anticipation.

I lowered my head, my lips brushing against her most sensitive point. Azzi gasped, her hands gripping my head, urging me closer.

I knew what she wanted, and I was more than happy to oblige. I licked and sucked, my tongue dancing over her sensitive flesh, until she was moaning and begging for more.

As Azzi’s climax approached, Paige took over, her fingers expertly teasing and tantalizing, driving her over the edge. Azzi screamed, her body convulsing in pleasure.

When Azzi had recovered, it was her turn to take control. She positioned me on my hands and knees, my back arched, my body exposed. Paige stood beside her, coaching her through every move.

“Easy, baby,” Paige murmured, her voice soft and encouraging. “Just take it slow.”

Azzi hesitated for a moment, her eyes filled with uncertainty. But with Paige’s guidance, she found her confidence.

She positioned the strap-on at my entrance, her hands trembling slightly.

With a deep breath, she pushed forward, slowly and deliberately. I gasped, my body tensing in anticipation.

“Relax,” Paige whispered, her hands gently stroking my back. “You’re doing great.”

As Azzi’s pace quickened, I lost myself in the rhythm of her movements. My body arched against hers, craving more. Paige’s hands roamed my body, teasing and tantalizing, driving me closer to the edge.

Just as I thought I couldn’t take anymore, Azzi stopped, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry.“I don’t want to hurt you,” she said, her eyes searching mine.

“You’re not hurting me,” I assured her. “I want this.”

Azzi’s eyes lit up with renewed determination. She took a deep breath and began to move again, her pace quickening, her movements becoming more confident.

I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations that were building within me. It was intense, exhilarating, and undeniably pleasurable.

As Azzi’s climax approached, I felt myself spiraling out of control. My body convulsed, my muscles tensing and releasing in a wave of pure ecstasy.

I screamed, my voice echoing through the room. Azzi continued to move, her own climax building, until she finally collapsed on top of me, her body trembling with exhaustion.

We lay there for a long time, our bodies intertwined, our breath coming in ragged gasps. The air was thick with the scent of sex and sweat, a testament to the intensity of our passion.

Finally, Paige stirred, her eyes filled with a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction. “That was… incredible,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Azzi nodded in agreement, her head resting on my chest. “Definitely one for the books,” she added, her voice equally soft

The room was quiet now, save for the slow, steady rhythm of our breathing. My body was still buzzing from the intensity of what had just happened—Paige and Azzi’s hands, their mouths, their whispered claims against my skin.

Now, I lay sandwiched between them in our bed, their warmth pressing against me from both sides. My skin still tingled where they had marked me, but the raw tension from earlier had softened into something gentler, something tender.

Paige was tracing slow circles along my side, while Azzi’s fingers were lightly combing through my hair, her touch soothing. I exhaled, my body sinking deeper into the mattress.

For a while, none of us spoke. The jealousy-fueled storm had passed, leaving only the quiet hum of comfort in its wake.

Then, Paige let out a sigh against my shoulder, her lips brushing my skin. “We were assholes,” she murmured.

Azzi hummed in agreement, her fingers still carding through my hair. “Yeah… we were way out of line.”

I blinked, tilting my head slightly to look at them. “So you admit you were being dramatic?” I teased, though my voice was softer now, no real bite behind it.

Paige groaned, burying her face against my neck. “Don’t rub it in, ma.”

Azzi chuckled, but then her voice turned more serious. “For real, though… we shouldn’t have made you feel like that. We trust you—we know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt us.”

Paige lifted her head, her blue eyes meeting mine. “But that doesn’t excuse how we acted. We let our jealousy get the best of us, and instead of talking about it like normal people, we just…” She trailed off, exhaling. “Yeah, we fucked up.”

I watched them for a moment, taking in the sincerity in their faces. My chest ached—not with anger anymore, but with affection.

“You really did,” I admitted, but my tone was gentle. “You made me feel like I did something wrong when I was just catching up with an old friend.”

Azzi winced. “We know. And we’re sorry, baby.”

Paige nodded, brushing a hand along my jaw. “We love you. So much. And sometimes, that love makes us a little…” She searched for the right word.

Azzi smirked. “Possessive?”

I rolled my eyes playfully. “A little?”

Paige huffed, nudging my nose with hers. “Fine. A lot.”

I sighed, letting some of the last remnants of tension leave my body. “I love you guys too. But next time, just talk to me, okay? Instead of jumping straight into jealousy mode.”

Azzi nodded, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “Promise.”

Paige followed suit, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. “Promise.”

For a moment, we just lay there, wrapped up in each other.

Then Paige shifted, pulling the covers up around us. “You good? Need anything?”

Azzi’s fingers traced down my arm. “Water? Snacks? A bath?”

I smiled, feeling the warmth of their care settle deep in my chest. “Honestly? Just wanna stay like this for a while.”

Paige smirked. “Good, ‘cause I wasn’t planning on letting you go anytime soon.”

Azzi grinned. “Yeah, we gotta make sure you remember exactly who you belong to, right?”

I rolled my eyes but snuggled deeper between them. “Yeah, yeah… I got the message loud and clear.”

Paige pressed another kiss to my shoulder, and Azzi tucked me closer into her warmth.

---

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                 -Thank You For Reading!🩵🩶

                             -prettygirl-gabi🎀✨️

[insanitysilver]

Multifandom Fanfic Event Calendar

An attempt at aggregating the events I’ve seen. Not affiliated with any event organizers. Key: ☼ Writing - ♥ Reading. (Updated: 2/4/25)

JANUARY

All Month :

♥ - FaFiCoWriMo / Fanfic Comment Writing Month ( @faficowrimo ) Challenge: Comment on every fic you read during the month of January ☼ - Whumpuary ( @whumpuary ) Daily whump-themed writing prompts

Last Two Weeks of January :

☼ / ♥ - Genuary ( @genuary-fic-event ) Authors / readers share favored Gen fics on social media & add them to the annual Genuary AO3 collection

FEBRUARY

All Month :

☼ - February Ficlet Challenge ( @februaryficletchallenge) Write a 200+ word ficlet based of the daily surprise prompt. Comes with a yearly ao3 collection. ☼ / ♥ -  Femslash February Event celebrating femslash pairings. Participate by writing, reading, commenting on, and recommending femslash fics. Applicable works can be added to the open ao3 collection and tagged with #femslash february ☼ / ♥ -  Femslash February Celebrates Black Women Under the Femslash February umbrella, this event celebrates Black History Month and uses the additional '#femslash february celebrates black women' & '#ffcbw' tags. ☼ -  FebuWhump ( @febuwhump ) A month of creating whump works guided by a daily prompt list. ☼ - Feveruary ( @feveruary ) A month of sickfic-based writing prompts. ☼ - Kinkuary ( @kinkuary ) A month of kink-based creative writing prompts.

February 10th - 14th :

☼ - FicWIP's "Hey, Sweetheart" Challenge - ( @ficwip ) Challenge: Use the pet name "sweetheart" in fic or art.

February 15th :

☼ / ♥ -  International Fanworks Day / IFD Celebrates fanwork and has a new general theme every year. Hosted by the OTW, they usually run a week of events to celebrate which (can) include: essay calls, surveys, drabble challenges, games & trivia, along with the annual feedback fest post which solicits 10 fic recs based of the prompt of the year. Applicable works can use the ao3 tag.

MARCH

All Month :

☼ - FicWIP's Level Up Challenge - ( @ficwip ) Running through all of February & March, this challenge asks you to pick an aspect of your chosen creative craft you'd like to improve on and see that goal through. ☼ - Multiamory March ( @polyamships ) Create daily polyam-themed work with an optional prompt list and submit to the ao3 collection.

APRIL

All Month :

☼ - Angstpril ( @chaos-company ) Daily angst-themed writing prompts.

MAY

All Month :

☼ - Do-May-Stic ( @domaystic ) Daily domestic-themed writing prompts. Includes a yearly ao3 collection. ☼ - MerMay A month of mermaid-themed creative prompts. While perhaps more widely used by visual artists, AO3 has thriving yearly tags for the event. ☼ - Whumpay ( @whumpay ) Daily whump-themed writing prompts

JUNE

All Month :

☼ / ♥ - Gen Work June ( @genworkjune ) Authors / readers share favored Gen fics on social media & add them to the AO3 collection. Writing prompts also available. ♥ - Fanfic Summer Reading Program (Northern Hemisphere) ( @ao3commentoftheday ) A summer-long challenge to encourage people to read and interact with a variety of fics. Mostly self-guided, but comes with a number of attractive achievement badges.

JULY

All Month :

☼ - Fluffuly ( @fluffuly2024) Daily fluff-themed writing prompts

AUGUST

All Month :

☼ -AU-gust / Alternate Universe August ( @augustwritingchallenge ) Daily AU-themed writing prompts. Comes with yearly ao3 collection. ☼ - Fic WIP 5k - ( @ficwip5k ) Challenge: Write a complete AU for any fandom in 5,000 words or less. ☼ - Writer's Month ( @writersmonth ) Daily fiction writing prompts. Offers personalized badges at the end and has a yearly ao3 collection.

August 21st :

♥ - Fanfiction Author Appreciation Day A day to celebrate your favorite fic authors, customarily by commenting on their work, sending a nice message to their ask box, and/or mentioning them in a rec post with the '#Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day' & '#FFWAD' tags.

SEPTEMBER

All Month :

☼ - Sapphic September ( @sapphic-september ) Daily sapphic prompts with a yearly ao3 collection. ☼ - Sicktember ( @sicktember ) Daily sickfic prompts with a yearly ao3 collection. ☼ - Tropetember ( @tropetember ) Daily prompts based off popular fanfic tropes (5+1, one bed, etc.) with a yearly ao3 collection.

1st Week :

☼ - Trick or Treat Exchange (Begins) Annual fic/fanart exchange for hosted on ao3. Prep/sign-ups begin in September, and fics are revealed on Oct. 31st to the annual ao3 collection.

2nd Week:

☼ - Yuletide Secret Santa (Begins)( @yuletidetreasure ) Annual fic exchange for rare/obscure fandoms hosted on ao3. Prep/sign-ups begin in fall, and fics are revealed on Dec. 25th.

September 15th :

♥ - Comment Day ( @comment-day ) Pick 1+ fics and leave a detailed, personalized comment.

OCTOBER

All Month :

☼ [BLANK]-ober Daily Writing Challenges In the spirit of inktober, a drawing challenge that encourages artists to draw start and finish a small drawing daily, often guided by prompts, many creative-writing-centric events have sprung up. Some are more self-directed than others. ☼ - Fictober ( @fictober-event ) - general fiction writing prompts ☼ - Flufftober ( @flufftober ) - fluff-based prompts ☼ - Kinktober - kink-based prompts ☼ - OC-tober - Make art about your OCs daily ☼ - OTP-tober - Make art about your OTP daily ☼ - Whumptober ( @whumptober ) - whump-based prompts

Final Week of October :

♥ - Just Leave a Comment Fest ( @justleaveacommentfest ) Challenge: leave as many comments as possible. Each day comes with an optional reading theme. Mini-events are often run throughout the year. ☼ / ♥ - FicWIP's Ship Week - ( @ficwip ) Multifandom week of celebrating shipping. Includes a week of writing prompts and a support bingo board for non-writers.

October 31st :

☼ - Good Intentions WIP Fest ( @goodintentionswipfest) A day for celebrating/sharing/posting abandoned WIPS by submitting them to the ao3 collection. Let's give the dead a proper send off. ☼ - Trick or Treat Exchange (Revealed) Annual fic/fanart exchange hosted on ao3. Prep/sign-ups begin in September, and fics are revealed on Oct. 31st to the annual ao3 collection.

NOVEMBER

All Month :

☼ - Novella November ( @novella-november ) Challenge: Write 30,000 words. ☼ - Rough Draft Month ( @roughdraftmonth ) Challenge: Bring a creative project to completion alongside of other creatives doing the same. Comes with different levels of word-count goals and a flex goal option.

DECEMBER

All Month :

☼ - Hurtcember ( @hurtcember ) Daily whump-themed writing prompts ♥ - Zero Comment Challenge ( @polizwrites ) Challenge: Comment on one or more works with zero comments. ♥ - Fanfic Summer Reading Program (Southern Hemisphere) ( @ao3commentoftheday ) A summer-long challenge to encourage people to read and interact with a variety of fics. Mostly self-guided, but comes with a number of attractive achievement badges.

December 13th - 25th :

☼ - 12 Days of [Blank] Old fandom tradition of doing daily prompts in the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Some are more self-directed than others. ☼ - 12 Days of Christmas ( @12daysofchristmas ) - 12 days of holiday/winter-themed writing prompts. ☼ - Fluffmas - 12 days of fluff, #fluffmas ☼ - Kinkmas - 12 days of kink, #kinkmas ☼ - Smutmas - 12 days of smut, #smutmas

December 25th :

☼ - Yuletide Secret Santa (Revealed)( @yuletidetreasure ) Annual fic exchange for rare/obscure fandoms hosted on ao3. Prep/sign-ups begin in fall, and fics are revealed on Dec. 25th to the annual ao3 collection.

[epic-curious]

The thing to understand about Amy Dallon is that she's an incel. You'll make so many mistakes in trying to understand her character unless you start from this lens.

She has:

An abusive home life which encouraged emotional repression and resentment

An inability to change for the better, despite being socially and economically suited to do so (by virtue of being a parahuman)

Most importantly, a strong belief in the just-world hypthesis; in her mind, bad things only happen to unjust being, good things happen to good people, and doing good things regardless of intent/sincerity entitles you to a reward

These are all traits she has common with incels based on how they describe themselves and what they believe. There's this belief in the fandom that her sexually violent behavior came out of nowhere, but I posit that these character flaws, combined with Amy's knowledge that Victoria would never willingly reciprocate her feelings, provide the perfect setup for her to do what she did.

I don't think was an accidental writing decision either, like Taylor's attraction towards women. It really feels like Wildbow purposefully wrote Amy's downfall to parallel stories about "nice guys" who fly into meltdowns or become crazed stalkers after finding out that no, basic decency doesn't entitle the object of your affections to fuck you. Men who, despite real challenges, have the resources to become well-adjusted but refuse because they completely lack an internal locus of control. Just like them, Amy had resources outside of her abusive family in the form of the PRT, who despite their own issues would have moved heaven and Earth to make sure they didn't lose a valuable cape like her. Instead, she continued to hide her deteriorating mental health and continued to harbor feelings she knew wouldn't be reciprocated until she finally messed up like she'd always been meaning to:

"Do you know how many hours I’ve spent awake at night, wishing my powers would just go away, or that some circumstance would come up where I’d make some excusable mistake where they would eventually forgive me, but where I couldn’t visit the hospitals anymore?”

Another commonality with incels and "nice guys"; not wanting to actually get better, but waiting for a reason to let their worst impulses loose.

I also think this was the reason Amy's character drive Wildbow so crazy. Imagine, you write a character whose mental illness and entitlement cause her to rape and mutilate her sister, who has clear parallels to an incel's violent reaction to being rejected. The response by a not insignificant part of the fandom is accusations of bigotry, because they have invented a version of your character in their heads that has all of her identity markers but none of the characterization you wrote. Coincidentally, most of this part of the fandom hasn't read your work to completion, if at all. Some of them even blame the sister for being raped! This isn't helped by the fact that you are a bit homophobic, that you wrote your protagonist to be bisexual but didn't realize it, that you described the sexuality of one of your bisexual characters as "hedonist", that you inexplicably wrote a character who canonically looks butch, is obsessed with your female protagonist, but is somehow straight. Maybe you could have done some of that better, but the fact that your biggest detractors are fans of your incel rapist is confounding to say the least. Combine all this with the inkling suspicion that this discourse wouldn't exist if you had written Amy as a man...yeah, I kinda get why Wildbow went insane about her.

Now, I'm not writing this as some sort of callout for a fictional character. I love evil women and seeing Amy actually lean in to being an incel crashout would have been fun as hell. But I really hate this idea that Amy was a poor little meow meow whose character was assassinated by the author. The pieces are all there, you just understand this character less than Wildbow which is really saying something.

[anneapocalypse]

I cannot help feeling like the tendency to see Inquisition!Leliana in stark contrast to Origins!Leliana has led to some people forgetting what... Leliana is actually like in Origins.

In fairness, as in all Dragon Age games some very revealing character moments happen in party banter which makes it easy to miss. But the gentle-hearted mystic who desires only to draw others unto the love of the Maker has never been all that Leliana is, and it's always been in direct conflict with the side of her that is not only adept at intrigue and yes, violence, but enjoys those things. This is the central conflict of her whole character, and it's not a trivial conflict, because there is not one simple answer to who Leliana truly is. She is both of these things. She is deeply religious and finds comfort in her faith, and thinks it should bring comfort to others as well. She's also prone to gossip and pettiness and all the qualities that helped her thrive as a bard.

There's this one particularly revealing piece of banter with Alistair if the Warden is in a romance with Morrigan:

Alistair: So have you heard? Morrigan and him are... you know. Leliana: Have you nothing better to do than to spread idle gossip? And besides, he can probably hear us both. You're not being very discreet. Alistair: No, look, he's not even paying attention. Leliana: Hmmm. maybe. You don't... think that he's serious about it, do you? The woman is a vile fiend. Alistair: Well, look here, now who's an idle gossip? Me-ow! Leliana: You're the one who started this, I might remind you. And I'm... well, I'm ending it!

I once had the especially entertaining experience of getting this banter, and minutes later hearing Leliana turn to Morrigan to give her the "It's so nice that you're together, isn't love wonderful?" line. But whether or not you have the pleasure of hearing them back to back, I think this dialogue make it pretty clear that while Leliana would like not to think of herself as a gossip, it takes very little prompting from Alistair to get her to slip back into that mean girl persona. And Alistair (who is more perceptive than he often gets credit for), calls her on it immediately, clearly embarrassing Leliana--who realizes that her mask has slipped.

I don't think it follows from this that Leliana necessarily hates Morrigan unilaterally. There's something much more complex going on between them, in my opinion, because they are such distinct opposites in upbringing and personality. Both Leliana's faith and her life of courtly intrigue are nonsense to Morrigan, who neither believes in the Maker nor has much patience for intricate social graces (at least, not yet). Meanwhile, I think Morrigan's outward self-possession and the sense of power she exudes is a source of both fascination and frustration for Leliana, who thinks she understands power, both social and divine--but finds in Morrigan a kind she cannot fully comprehend. (I also think you can definitely feel some sexual tension into their banter, especially the much-beloved banter about the velvet dress.) Ultimately, both of them are very concerned with power, but approach that concept very differently. And Leliana responds to this clash of ideals in a particular way because her own self-image is so conflicted.

As all great Dragon Age foils do, Leliana and Morrigan needle one another, push each other's buttons, challenge one another's sense of self, and in doing so reveal one another in their complexity and sometimes in their ugliness. It is perhaps easy to write this off as the tired trope of women being unable to get along with one another, or conversely to claim that they get along just fine and fandom has fabricated the tensions between them; I think to do either of those things diminishes a genuinely complex and sticky relationship that serves to reveal a lot about both characters.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello Miss Raven!! So it’s unfortunately a pretty well known fact that the TWST English translation has a bad habit of botching important dialogue and lore, and even removing lines altogether, and I saw a reblog a day ago regarding that.

The original post was a fact sheet on Leona & how he interacts with women (alongside other stuff but that’s besides the point). And the reblog I was looking at was saying that the English translation just makes it sound like he’s a feminist, when it’s implied in the original JP game that the beastwomen tend to be more aggressive, giving Leona a reason to be afraid of them. And that reminded me that on the TWST fandom wiki under Leona’s trivia he said he’s intimidated by them, and every time I see that I remember that just can’t seem to find that detail at all anywhere in the English game.

So I wanted to ask you what did the original JP game say about how male and female beastmen interact with each other and why Leona would be cautious around them? Because this is a piece of info that I really would have liked to see in ENG, and I’m kind of annoyed I didn’t know about this before.

I believe this is the Leona lore post you’re referring to? Both TWST wikis (the fandom one and the .gg one) state the same trivia point about Leona being “intimidated” by beastwoman. I’m assuming this is where the reblogger picked up the idea of beastwomen being more “aggressive”, and this being Leona’s reasoning for being “intimidated” by them.

In a nutshell, the claims of Leona being a feminist only in EN + beastwomen aggression and Leona being intimidated by that is not true. The “Leona is a feminist” take was around long before the official English localization, and that’s because the Japanese text also has Ruggie (Leona Ceremonial Robes vignettes) and Cater (Cater’s School Uniform vignette) commenting that Leona is “nice” and “respectful” to women. To claim that they made Leona feminist in the localization is false. They never use the word “feminist” in JP or EN though; the label came from the fandom interpreting this bit of lore as Leona being more considerate of women.

As for the reasoning! Leona states in his Ceremonial Robes vignettes that “[Beastwomen are] already way stronger than us. Goin’ against them only brings more trouble.” I believe that someone probably misunderstood that second line of dialogue as Leona fearing the strength/aggression of beastwomen. He never actually indicates or implies that he feels that way. However, these vignettes being cited for the trivia on the wiki likely led to some confusion.

So if Leona isn’t afraid of beastwomen and their physical fitness, how is that second line supposed to be interpreted? Well, let’s think about his character. Leona is a smart guy. He dislikes having to put forth effort into pointless things, especially if he can plan ahead and avoid it. As I tend to say whenever I talk about his Big Brain Cells, Leona likes to work smarter, not harder. Again, look at this line:

“Goin’ against them only brings more trouble.”

It’s likely Leona just wanting to appease his sister-in-law to avoid having to deal with the fallout of not fulfilling her request. It would otherwise be a pain to deal with—and we’ve seen Leona act in various ways to avoid such pains. For example, he goes to Playful Land with Jack to make sure his dorm member comes back alright (or else Leona is responsible for the consequences), purposefully not choosing a vice dorm leader so he doesn’t have someone to challenge his authority, and generally has convenient excuses prepared to get out of things he doesn’t want to do.

If we want to think of it from another angle, this better fits what we already know of Leona’s cunning. He knows when to call it quits and make a strategic surrender. The most notable example of this occurs early in book 6, when he stops fighting Styx agents and willingly gives himself up to them. He also throws in the towel in book 2 and refuses to play because he already knows that his team is destined to lose to Malleus since they didn’t succeed in eliminating him beforehand. In the situation with Leona’s sister-in-law asking for a picture of him in his robes, Leona is acquiescing because that’s just the smart thing to do. Why even argue if he knows it won’t be fruitful? It’s wasted effort.

I would like to add that physical strength isn’t even the only factor here. Ruggie points out in one of his Chats that “Girls have both the grit and the camaraderie to triumph when the goin’ gets tough.” Grit refers to courage or resolve. The latter, resolve, lends credence to the idea that beastwomen are also determined or strong-willed. In which case… yeah, I don’t think they’d back down from an argument/verbal fight or a physical one.

If we circle back to the previous paragraph, it supports the interpretation that Leona giving in to what his sister-in-law wants is the result of him wanting to avoid a pointless and prolonged fight if he refuses. Cuz like… why waste that time and energy to come out of it with nothing, right?

If it was true that Leona listens to what women day only because he’s actually scared of beastwomen, then that doesn’t explain his interactions with non-beastwomen. Why would he agree to attend a party for an enchanted portrait (Rosaria), which has no means of harming him? He agreed to the proposition as soon as he heard Rosaria is a lady; there didn’t need to be a threat or significant verbal pushback for him to go. As Leona states in Cater’s School Uniform vignette, “Portrait or not, I respect ladies and Rosaria is a lady.” (I think the reblogger may have been confused and was actually referring to THIS line being made “more feminist” in EN. In JP, Leona says something closer to, “Even if it’s a portrait, a woman is a woman.” JP does not have the “I respect ladies” portion.)

Sooo, in conclusion… Leona agreeing to do as his sister-in-law says does not necessarily mean he is intimidated by beastwomen; as I’ve explained, there is an alternate explanation with evidence in canon: he wants to avoid pointless hassle.

I hope this helps to clear things up ^^ I know the localization isn’t exactly perfect, but let’s take care to not assume changes or mistranslations!

[idrawweirdstuffnominors]

"You say I'm changing- sorry I didn't know I had to stay the same."

Summary: Understanding your boyfriend don't forget sometimes the boys need reassurance and compliments. Yes,even bill.

Tw: angst!!! But other than that wholesome vibes <3

Bill Dickey

The Good:

As a partner even bill has his moments of letting those annoying ass walls down. Even if it is mostly doing whatever he wants in that specific moment. Seeing him geek out and constantly yap about how every consistent detail matters, is endearing. The way he just comes to life when he finds a super rare collectable, or when he arrogantly goes on a tangent about comic book timelines and trivia. You can't deny that his annoying arrogance has a charm to it. You find amazement in how passionate and obsessive he is with every little detail he knows about Fandom. Sometimes you wonder to yourself "god...doesn't he have a life?" He does. He just doesn't like it. Bill may be a stubborn, insufferable know-it-all, but when he gets lost in his passions, it’s almost… endearing. Seeing him light up over some obscure comic book fact or a rare collectible is one of the few times he’s genuinely himself, not hiding behind sarcasm or arrogance. When he gets into one of his rants—talking way too fast, hands gesturing wildly—you can’t help but watch, even if half of what he’s saying goes over your head.

And sure, his enthusiasm is a lot, but there’s something intoxicating about how much he cares. Whether he’s debating the best era of a franchise or trashing a reboot he swears ruined everything, he commits to it with the same intensity as someone fighting for their life. He doesn’t just love things—he obsesses over them, analyzes every detail, and expects everyone else to care just as much.

Of course, that arrogance of his never disappears. He loves correcting you, loves having the right opinion, and if you dare to challenge him, he’ll scoff, roll his eyes, and launch into a lecture just to make sure you know how wrong you are. And yet, despite how annoying it is, despite how much you want to smack that smug grin off his face, you can’t help but admire the passion underneath all that attitude. Because for all his faults, Bill feels things deeply—even if he’d never admit it.

The Bad:

Though it may seem like Bill is an abrasive asshole, he's annoyingly so much more than a misogynistic loser. Which you saw the more you got introduced in his life and behavioral patterns. Even though he doesn't want to admit it, he is very affected by his parents divorce. He's neglected by both parents leading to him to not having a sense of a male role model. Or a sense of what it's like to be comforted and feel safe by anyone. Bill surrounds himself with fandom and comics to escape the shitty reality that is his home life. Arguments between parents, a sister who 'hates' his guts, a group of friends with similar broken family's or situations, bullies, lack of a support system. No wonder he's the way he is, but beyond those sexist comments, warped views on women and the world. There is something you fell in love with. Bill isn’t just an abrasive asshole—he’s a product of his environment, whether he wants to admit it or not. He acts like he doesn’t care, like nothing gets to him, but you’ve seen the cracks in his armor. The way he stiffens when family is brought up, how his jaw clenches when someone casually mentions their dad teaching them how to drive or fixing something around the house. The bitterness that creeps into his voice when he talks about his mom, the subtle frustration when his sister barely acknowledges his existence. He pretends it’s all fine, that he’s just above caring, but deep down, you know he’s been carrying that weight for years.

It’s not hard to see why he retreats into fandom the way he does. Comics, collectibles, debates over continuity—it’s all a distraction, a way to drown out the real world. In a world that makes him feel powerless, he clings to the one place where he knows he’s right, where his knowledge means something. He surrounds himself with people just as bitter, just as lost, because at least they get it. Even if they constantly rip on each other, even if half the time they seem like they barely tolerate one another, there’s an unspoken understanding: We’re all we’ve got.

And yeah, he says some awful shit sometimes. He parrots toxic ideas, doubles down on them just to prove a point, because being challenged makes him dig his heels in even deeper. But underneath all that, you see the parts of him that he doesn’t show just anyone. The way he hesitates before making a cruel joke, the way he occasionally—begrudgingly—admits when he’s wrong, the way he clings to the people he actually cares about even if he refuses to say it outright.

For all his flaws, for all the walls he builds up, there’s something in him that’s still good—buried under all that bitterness and bravado, but there. And somehow, against all logic, that’s the part of him you fell in love with.

The ugly:

Bill honestly isn't even physically ugly, sure he isn't 'conventionally attractive' but he does have some beautiful features about him. Like his eyes, his messy hair, the way he condescendingly calls you 'Babe.' Mid argument purposely to get under your skin. You hate and secretly love when he does that, but you would never admit to it because you know he'd make fun of you. Bill isn’t physically repulsive, but what really makes him ugly is his personality. He’s smug, constantly looking for ways to feel superior, whether through his encyclopedic knowledge of comics or his cutting remarks. He has a bad habit of dismissing anything he doesn’t personally like as trash, and god forbid you enjoy something he deems unworthy—he’ll go on an exhausting, self-important rant about real fans and fake geeks.

His arrogance is insufferable, especially when he’s right about something. He lives for the moments he can correct you, arms crossed, smirking like he’s just solved the greatest mystery in the world. And he’s relentless in arguments. If he gets the upper hand, he won’t just let it go—he’ll rub it in, make a joke at your expense, and then call you babe in that condescending tone that makes you want to strangle him.

Then there’s his stubbornness. Apologies? Rare. Admitting when he’s wrong? Almost unheard of. Even if he knows he messed up, he’ll find some roundabout way to make it seem like you overreacted. He’s petty, too—he’ll bring up old arguments just to win them retroactively, holding grudges over the dumbest things.

But what really makes him difficult is how emotionally closed-off he is. He acts like nothing really affects him, like he’s above caring, but you know that’s a lie. He hides behind sarcasm, humor, and superiority, using them as armor. When things get too real, he deflects, shuts down, or just gets mean. And yet, despite all that, there’s something there—some part of him that’s trying to be better, even if he’s too damn proud to admit it.

[smusherina]

bridges burnt - chapter 4 [epilogue series] (regina george x reader)

fandom: Mean Girls (all media)

pairing: Regina George x OFC/Reader

summary: When an invitation to Gretchen Wieners' wedding ended up in your mailbox, you'd been sure it was a mistake. Only, it read your name in neat, swoopy calligraphy. It was addressed to you. And Regina George, whom you hadn't spoken to in years.

additional clarification: This is set in the universe of yard work, a series of mine that can be found on my page! Reading this one might be a bit challenging without the context of the series :)

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 5

You clapped along with everybody else when the bride and groom made their entrance. You kept a polite smile on your face even as Regina's hand, rested on your knee, had your blood rushing.

The couple would be making the rounds, talking to and thanking guests before speeches were given and toasts were made. Then (finally) the food would be served.

You sipped fizzy apple juice from a champagne flute, leg jittering uncontrollably as you waited for Gretchen and her husband to get to your table. Regina was doing the same, though looking remarkably calmer. Looked like it would take a while, considering the flock of relatives accosting them.

You did not pity them. Those cheek pinches looked painful.

"You gotta calm down," She eventually said, squeezing your leg.

"I can't help it. You know what Gretchen did. I don't even know why she'd- y'know- invite us."

You hoped Regina got your meaning. You'd been broken up for a long time now and it wasn't like Gretchen didn't know. When you'd moved back to town and Mrs George had gotten wind of it, she'd talked very excitedly to all the neighbours about her daughter's best ex living in town.

Gretchen's mom, part of the most pernickety HOA, a soccer mom of extreme intensity and a domineering PTA rep, of course, relayed the information to her daughter—and anybody who'd listen—when she got wind of it from someone. The network of middle-aged women was insane in the area. You digress. There was no way to know this for a fact but you could make an educated guess.

"I suspect it's because she's a heinous bitch," Regina said, casual as ever. "A vengeful, hateful, homophobic bitch."

"Careful, there's ears everywhere." Janis piped up, eyeing the room.

"You know I'm right." Regina defended, eyebrow notched.

"Obviously," Janis made a face like she couldn't believe Regina would suggest otherwise. "But, personally, I wanna get a taste of the menu before we're kicked out."

"Now, that's an idea..." Regina hummed, tapping her chin.

"What's an idea?" You asked. Regina didn't answer. "Reggie. What idea? What ideas are you getting, Regina?" Almost frantic.

"Don't worry your sweet little head about it, babe. I've got everything under control." She teased, pressing a patronizing kiss on your cheek. Your brain made computer whirring noises, blue flashing before your eyes. Rebooting.

"I don't like this," You mumbled into Regina's ear.

"Meet me in the bathroom hallway in five minutes." She whispered back, turning with a coy look in her eye.

You chugged the rest of your drink. Fuck. This was gonna be rough. Shane looked equally nervous but seemed to calm down when Aaron came by. You shook hands very awkwardly. He asked about you and Regina. You told him you were good, that she was good. Maybe your tone was a little too aggressive, leftover from your angsty teenage jealousy, because he settled to chat with his boo from then on.

Five minutes passed very slowly. You eyed your watch for the last minute of it, on the edge of your seat.

"Was nice seeing you, Aaron." You gave a quick, apologetic smile. "Best of luck." Hopefully, that sufficed as an olive branch.

"You too, man, you too," He called after you. You waved behind your back and strode towards the bathroom hallway.

There were too many goddamn guests. You navigated through the throngs of people best you could, muttering sorry and excuse me as you pushed through.

"What the fuck, girl?" You startled when Amanda took you by the cuff. She led you to a nearby wall, so very close to your destination.

"I thought you broke up?" She asked, hissing more like.

"We did. I don't know what's going on."

"Uh, tell her to back off? People are talking that there's, y'know, a very passionate lesbian couple here. Relatives from the bible belt not impressed." Amanda gave you a look, narrowed eyes and crossed arms. "Have you been lying to me?"

"No!" You denied vehemently. "It sounds crazy, I know, but she just came up to me like that."

"And why didn't you, hmm, I dunno, push her away?" Amanda's eyes turned soft. "She didn't treat you right, we discussed this."

"I didn't treat her much better, Amanda." You sighed and rubbed your forehead. "I... I can't say no to her. I- I don't want to say no."

"This isn't good for you." She said as if you didn't already know.

"Yeah. Well." You spread your arms and let them drop listlessly. "You know me, I do a lot of things not good for me."

"You're hopeless." She turned to the rest of the room. "Just remember, you're my ride home."

Your eyebrows rose.

"You sure about that?" You cast a meaningful glance towards the bar. The same guy, still being bothered by the same lady you were pretty sure, kept throwing helpless glances Amanda's way. She was gonna take that puppy home, he was so her type.

"Are you calling me a slut?" She grinned. "If all goes according to plan, I'll text you where to pick me up tomorrow morning."

"Great. Don't get murdered, yeah?" You patted her on the shoulder. "I gotta go."

"I have your back, Jay. Don't forget that."

You nodded solemnly and continued your journey towards the bathrooms. Just as you crossed into the hallway, looking left first, someone grabbed you roughly by the collar and slammed you against the wall.

"What-" You yelped but didn't get any more words out before Regina descended on you. She took you harshly, lips on yours sealed tight like she was keen on sucking the life out of you. Your body slumped against her, mouth seeking hers as she dipped her tongue in.

It was sloppy, a little gross, and loud. Had you been any other person, some innocent bystander, you probably would've been disgusted. But this was Regina George and she was kissing you. That still floored you.

Regina hadn't kissed you like this since high school. When you spent senior prom at your house, cooped up and pretending it didn't matter all the other couples got to dance and have fun while you hid. When you both got so angry that the only way to find release was in each other. When you broke up and decided you were better separate, crying in the middle of intimacy and so, so desperate.

"Keep your eyes on me, jorts." Regina breathed into your lips. You tasted her, something sweet and minty. "You can go back to your little girlfriend when we're done here."

"Huh?" You made a sound. "What girlfriend?"

"The one you were talking to just now." She trailed kisses to your ear. Your eyes fluttered, heart skipped beats. "You got multiple?"

"No, just you, uh, I mean- she's not my girl." You tried to produce full sentences with mild success. "She's here for emotional support."

"What's your relationship with her?" All these official questions while her hands were roaming under your suit jacket, feeling up your back, scratching with her nails. You shivered.

"Friends." You swallowed, panting as Regina sucked marks on your throat. There would be no hope of covering those up.

"Good," Regina said gutterally, voice almost like a growl as her leg pressed between yours. Oh god, was she going to fuck you right here?

"Now, you're gonna be real good for me and do exactly as I say." She kept touching your sides, your hips, your thighs, and you could not take much more. Her lips dizzied you, talking so low you had to strain to hear every word. Her gloss was all over you, sticky and tacky.

"Reg, what the fuck are we doing?"

"We're pretending, baby, and we're gonna sell it." Your stomach sunk. You knew this was some act but having it spelt out like this, that Regina was using you for revenge, stung. She continued:

"I will do everything in my power to ruin this wedding. I have ideas and I just need you to assist a little bit."

"Regina," You sighed and pushed her by the shoulders, lightly and gently. She went willingly, though with a pout. "You're doing it again. Revenge. This is why we broke up."

"We broke up for many reasons, jorts." She retorted, nails scratching at your tummy. You tried to hide your trembling.

"Yes, and- Regina!" She attached her lips to your pulse, where you were especially sensitive.

"Still got it," She mumbled cheekily into your skin, pressing kisses there just to torment you.

"You're horrible," You whined, hands holding onto her shoulders for dear life. Her leg hiked further up on the wall, pressing against you firmly. You kept your hips still, not daring to enter that territory somewhere so public.

You were at the end of your rope. Not much more now and all reservations would be null. You were sure you wouldn't say no if she unzipped your fly then and there.

"You know I am, baby." She squeezed your waist and sucked a hickey right on your jugular.

"Why are you doing this?" You asked, voice weak.

She didn't answer for a while. Just kept touching you, feeling you, kissing you. It was driving you mad but at the same time, you were beginning to feel like the reason didn't matter.

"Good question. Just go with it, yeah?" She breathed, finally pulling away enough to look into your eyes. "You look ravished." She looked so pleased with herself, with a little smirk on her face and her eyes glinting.

"Thanks," You tried to catch your breath.

"Now, we're gonna make out until someone finds us and that'll stir up something." Regina leaned back in but you dodged her kiss, giving her your neck instead. She didn't seem to mind, teeth getting in the mix.

"Y'know there's- there are more effective ways to ruin a wedding than kissing in a secluded hallway." You pointed out.

"Maybe. But this is more fun." She pulled your shirt out of your pants, ruining the careful tuck you'd done. Her hands grabbed at your lower back, nails scraping on your flesh teasingly. She was trying to kill you, surely. You told her so.

"You're gonna kill me, Reg."

"I'd never hurt you." She whispered, sounding more sombre than you would've expected. "You're the exception."

"Why can't you make exceptions for anybody else? Gretchen doesn't deserve this or all this effort."

"Jorts, baby," She brought her lips to your ear, whispering right up against it. You bit your lip not to moan. "You deserve all the effort."

That got you thinking.

"Did I deserve it back then?" You asked, careful, a little too quiet.

Regina paused, hands resting and mouth unlatching. "Yes."

You stood there, breathing together. You were all kinds of messy, so obviously kissed stupid, but you couldn't help the sting in your eyes.

It was dramatic, you knew that, crying over a bygone high school romance. You'd been just teenagers. It shouldn't matter anymore, not at this point when you were both adults. You both had real jobs, your own homes, your own lives.

"I missed you," You said, resting your forearms on Regina's shoulders. You touched your forehead to hers.

"I missed you, too," She said back, just as quiet. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." It felt like a weight lifted off of your chest. "What should we do?"

"How about..." Regina looked up at you through her lashes. You felt lightheaded. Her lipgloss was smeared in the sexiest way. "We get revenge on Gretchen for all the shit she did in high school, for being a homophobic bigot, and for almost getting Kylie expelled."

"Kylie? Expelled?" That surprised you. You hadn't seen Kylie since her sweet sixteenth last year, which she'd invited you to. You stopped by before any of the guests or Regina got there.

"Gretchen caught her kissing one of her younger cousins at their place. A girl. Obvi, Duvall didn't let it fly but it pretty much outed Kylie."

You took a deep breath.

"Let's give the kids kazoos. And water guns. That will ruin any wedding."

Regina laughed. "Where are we getting kazoos? And water guns?"

"I did some volunteer work as a camp counsellor this summer. There's some good stuff in my car." You got an idea then.

"We can lure raccoons into the reception hall!"

Regina cackled.

Notes: I googled "ways to ruin a wedding" and got some awesome results. Look forward to that in the next chapter!

Taglist posted seperately! If you want to be added, please comment on that post!

[jasmineandcedar]

The bigger picture | the poorly picked bonds

I’ve been memeing for days, so I wanted to write about something a little more serious. One of the main reasons why I'm excited for Elain's book is it's implications for the agency of the females of Prythian.

Sometimes I think our obsessive love for individual characters in the fandom leads us to not see the forest because we are so obsessed with the trees. But this can turn things a little smaller than they are sometimes, and we narrow down the stories to such small concepts as vibes between certain characters, maybe even individual lines or scenes. I for one am quite obsessed with Elain and Azriel’s dynamics and sigh dreamily at their individual scenes and lines.

Nothing wrong with that, fandom is the space for vibes. And the trees can be very nice. But I want to zoom out and look at the bigger implications of Elain and Azriel's love story, and why this is the story it seems SJM has been wanting to tell for years, has been carefully setting up, and which needs to be told (and why I’m excited to hear it told). The story about the poorly picked bonds.

Female empowerment is an overarching theme in ACOTAR. SJM has said as much, and we can see it in the books. Focusing on the spinoffs, Nesta's book opened up the title of warrior to females, in a social context where they had been excluded from it, despite their competence and willingness. Elain, the quiet dreamer and hopeless romantic, has been set up to grapple with the issue of females' choice in love in her book. 

The ugly side of the coin that is mating bonds

This has probably been pointed out before but since I'm still quite new here I hope you can forgive me if I'm beating a dead horse. The importance of telling the story of a rejected mating bond stretches far beyond just setting up a thrilling forbidden romance trope for Elriel. SJM has framed the rejection of a bond within the context of mated females being seen as the male's possession in Prythian, with the Autumn Court being seemingly the worst (as confirmed in Azriel's BC).

[Rhys, about mating bond rejections] For the females, it is usually easier to ignore, but the males … It can drive them mad. It is their burden to fight through, but some believe they are entitled to the female. Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them. Sometimes they return to challenge the male she chooses for herself. Sometimes it ends in death. (ACOWAR)

[…] On the continent, there are territories that believe the females literally belong to their mate. (ACOWAR)

The last we heard of the mating bonds was SJM depicting Elain as losing her boldness around Lucien, and Azriel pointing out how the bond in Elain's case has given her to a male she does not want, asking, ‘what if the Cauldron was wrong?’ In doing so, SJM reminded us of what Rhys and Feyre said in ACOWAR in relation to Elain, Azriel, and Lucien: ‘Sometimes the bond picks poorly’, ‘Is there no free will’, ‘Why not make them mates?’

We have seen two stories told about mating bonds that worked out. But we’ve known since ACOWAR that isn't always the case. Yet we still haven't heard of a rejected mating bond. Certainly not a high stake one like Elain and Lucien’s. Rejecting a mating bond has therefore implications for every female in Prythian. Whether it is simply rejected by Elain, or if she, through her nature of being Made, finds a way to not just reject but actually break the unbreakable bond. 

A (high stake) mating bond rejection has implications for females like Rhys and Tamlin’s mothers, shackled to bad men because of the cultural and religious importance of the mating bond. It has implications for females like Elain, shackled to a male they never chose and do not want (regardless of if we might find the male to be good, because females owe nothing to males simply because they're nice and good). For females like Mor and others who are queer, and more/exclusively into women, and might still be shackled to a male. It has implications for all the females threatened with carrying the responsibility of driving a male they never chose mad should they reject him and refuse to succumb to being his possession. For females mated to Autumn Court males, threatened with the responsibility of their true love's death should he/she be forced to take part in the Blood Duel and fail. This is the ugly side of the coin that is the mating bonds of Prythian. The side which story hasn’t yet been told. The side which story SJM has set up across four books. About the poorly picked bonds.

The power of Elain's choice

As it appears, we are getting Elain and Azriel’s POV for the next book, and not Lucien's (as the spinoffs are dual POV of the love interests). Given Prythian's history and customs, I think there's a narrative strength in centering the female and her choice when telling the story of their rejected mating bond. Elain's POV, and the POV of her love interest, not because he is Azriel but because he is who she has chosen. And he has chosen her too, despite her being 'given to another' according to the customs of Prythian, a fact even Rhys and Feyre (however reluctantly) are using to their advantage when navigating court politics and try to maintain peace. Azriel is not wrong to question that this is how the mating bond is viewed in Prythian.

Aside from the minor detail we haven't gotten to Elain's actual story yet, it is understandable why SJM hasn't made Elain simply casually reject the bond yet. It is understandable why Azriel has been staying away even though it ruins him. SJM doesn’t have Elain and Azriel just playing forbidden romance for the thrill. And there aren't just short-term political implications of them pursuing each other, potentially resulting in the longer term loss of fragile peace. A rejected mating bond grapples with philosophical questions of agency and fate, as SJM pointed out in her TODAY interview. And as we see in the books, SJM has given it major social and political implications. This is the stuff for a long book. Because it's so much bigger than Elain. Her reclaiming her agency is also reclaiming the agency of the females of Prythian. That's the power of Elain's choice.

And it makes sense it should be the notoriously defiant Azriel who, at her side, defies fate and tradition over his love for Elain regardless of who fate has given her to, which could result in females as a whole gaining freedom from the poorly picked bonds. Azriel, who SJM so clearly has depicted as not only defiant but as uniquely supporting and standing up for the females in his life, and as hating backwards traditions and customs. SJM has tied this story to Elain and Azriel, weaved it into their arcs across several books so seamlessly and with such forethought it is sometimes missed. Because you really have to read all books to see this overarching bigger picture clearly. But when you do, I think it is very clear. 

I think this is the immense potential of Elain's book and Elriel's forbidden love story. It isn't just Elain going "ew, swipe left" in a paragraph. It is about the females of Prythian getting their freedom and agency back. It is about the other side of the coin that is mating bonds. About the poorly picked bonds. And I very much look forward to hearing this story told.

(and Lucien will very likely be just fine!)

[theheirofthesharingan]

Why is Sasuke called sexist when Shikamaru and Jiraya are right freakin there

Don't you see the obvious pattern here?

Any character that is nice to Naruto will get unconditional love from the fandom and all their flaws get whitewashed only because they're nice to the main character.

Sasuke isn't nice to Naruto. He presents a challenge to him and from the beginning to the end, he continues to be the biggest obstacles for Naruto. He is ideologically very different from Naruto.

Naruto fandom isn't capable of comprehending all this, so it picks up the most mundane things and latches onto it to hate and love characters.

Shikamaru is openly misogynistic and keeps saying things that are inappropriate to say about the girls. But nobody has problem with that. Guess what is it we keep hearing about him instead? How he's Naruto's best friend. Huh.

Jiraiya just makes me uncomfortable. I'm not exactly a fan of old men sneaking on unsuspecting and naked women, and find it predatory. But most of the fandom is in awe of him, not even because he has any specific powers or because he's special. Only because he's nice to Naruto.

Love for nearly every character in Naruto is decided by how they treat Naruto, and not their actual traits or characteristics. Characters are good if they're good to him. Characters are kind if they are kind to him. Everyone essentially has to be nice to him.

Sasuke is kind to him, but throughout the story he isn't in the state of mind to show that kindness, and gets lost in the darkness. So, people have just invented one of the many lies about him, only because he takes no interest in the women interested in him.

I guess if he was nice to Naruto, his cheerleader in his journey of becoming a Hokage and all that, we'd be hearing a lot more different stories about Sasuke too and fandom would view him differently.

[guiltywarden]

Chandrelle, Vallamir, and some thoughts, a long character analysis post

This post will talk about potentially triggering topics for some individuals such as abusive relationships, specifically sexual abuse. If these topics make you uncomfortable, please stop reading and have a nice day. This post is not meant to shame or spite anyone who enjoys the character of Vallamir. I am aware a large portion of the fandom likes him for his personality, and Daniel Mullins is such a creative writer that his characters can be interpreted in many different ways. This is meant to share my analysis on a specific dynamic and explain the conclusions I came to. If you are a big fan of the character and do not want to hear any negative opinions, I would advise you to also not read this and have a lovely day. If you do want to share your own opinions, whether you agree or disagree, I ask that you please keep it kind, courteous and civil.

Fans had picked up on the fact that Lionel holds some subtle misogynistic beliefs. He complains that Carla was nagging him to add more female characters, and a lot of their hatred for each other seems to stem from Lionel's ego, and how he hates the changes and ideas she brings. This is perhaps exasperated by the fact that Carla is a woman, and he can't stand having a woman challenge his authority. Lionel only adds Chandrelle (and Carla's creation, Sado) because he was told to. Female characters are notably very far and few between in his games. The only other named ones being Rebecha and Shinobee. It's possible that there are others, but most of the other women we see don't have their names revealed and are often just there for dialogue (While Shinobee IS named, she has no dialogue). An important female character is the exception, not the rule. Most of Snill 's important characters are strong men, and his games seem to appeal to a more masculine audience, such as with Vicious Galaxy, a grisly shooter game with an only male main cast. It's a fertile breeding ground for misogyny to flourish with little pushback.

Chandrelle is a strong woman. Something that Snill resents. She actively tries to fight against the system she's put into; becoming OP to be banned from Combat Arena X, and forming a plan with Vallamir to ruin SoL. I want to emphasize that on the surface, Chandrelle is a fighter. She doesn't like to sit back and take things as they are. I think this is how she ended up siding with Vallamir, since he was one of the only people who could give her what she wanted. Unfortunately, being strong in other aspects of your life does not mean you are not prone to being abused. Plenty of people who seem unshakable on the surface have been victims of assault or abuse, and did not fight back. Women who are weak and shy are not the only ones who can become victims of abuse, which I want people to remember while reading this.

It's clear that Vallamir does not respect Chandrelle. Treating someone kindly because you like them and treating someone kindly because you want something from them are two separate things we must come to recognize. Vallamir seems to be romantically/sexually interested in Chandrelle, leaving “XOXO” on the spellbook he gives her, calling her “Girl” most of the time instead of using her name, and being way too eager to join Chandrelle in her brain. When he isn't trying to flirt with her, he's interrupting her, clearly not listening to what she has to say, and being overall disrespectful. Chandrelle clearly does not reciprocate his feelings, but nonetheless, works with him anyways. Vallamir has something that she wants, which is freedom from being in any more video games. He may have held this over her head, or they could have come to a mutual agreement. It's unclear whether Vallamir is doing this because he also wants to be free, or if he just wants Chandrelle to feel like she owes him. Either way, Chandrelle endures his behavior just to get out of the game.

Chandrelle's punishment is the most important piece of this analysis for obvious reasons. Once SoL has completely bombed thanks to their stunt, Irving sends Lazarus off to his own punishment, before dealing with Chandrelle. Chandrelle readily accepts being sent to the void, but this is not what she is given. Instead, Irving calls Vallamir into the room. Vallamir, while quite literally being the one to destroy the game (Chandrelle was the mastermind of the plan, but in a way, she was just enabling Vallamir by giving him the orbs. Vallamir PHYSICALLY ruined the ending himself) seems to be rewarded instead of punished, as Chandrelle will have to deal with him living in her skull. Vallamir is excited for this. Chandrelle is not. For the very first and last time in the game, she looks deeply afraid, repeating “No, no, no,” before he enters her skull. Let me reiterate that Irving doesn't move Vallamir at this moment, seeing as the glitch effect that appeared for Lazarus didn't show up. It appears that Vallamir willingly enters himself. I don't think the imagery of Vallamir literally invading her body while she pleads ‘no’ should be lost on anyone.

Irving is most definitely an enabler. There is no room to argue that he had no idea what kind of a man Vallamir is. After the fistfight with Chandrelle, he taunts her, saying “Tell Vallamir I said hi” before leaving. He knew that Chandrelle hated Vallamir, because he chose to punish her by letting him have full access to her. What's interesting to note is that Lazarus was dealt with first, before he got to Chandrelle. This may have just been a random order, but usually, the main culprits are dealt with first before any accomplices. I believe Irving deliberately sent Lazarus out of the room first because he knew Lazarus would have intervened. Lazarus has already been shown to dislike Irving, or at least take Chandrelle's side over him, seeing as he was willing to attack Irving in the fistfight section. He also at least has a neutral opinion of Vallamir, but it's hard to tell because they did not know each other for long. Lazarus was one of the few men in Chandrelle's life that would have stepped up to help her, so he had to be dealt with. Chandrelle had to be isolated and vulnerable so that Vallamir could move in. I want to also reiterate that Vallamir would now be with her at all times. She cannot leave him, not even in her own head. This reminds me all too much of real abusers, who make their victims slowly revolve their lives around them, physically and mentally. Imagine having someone like that live inside of you for years, the kinds of things they would say in your most private moments. Chandrelle lived with that.

Until she finally had the resources to leave. When she was given a chance at the Six Pint Inn. By exorcising him in the basement and trapping him, she was finally able to escape. At first, Vallamir tries to bring her back in, stating “You can't say you didn't enjoy the company”. This is an all-too-common excuse for assaulters; to claim the victim “secretly enjoyed it”. Now that Chandrelle has taken her power back, and he is in a state where he can no longer invade her mind, she tells him how she feels. There is no romantic or sexual connection between them. There are no positive feelings or memories shared. She hates him from the bottom of her heart. When Vallamir realizes he no longer has control over her, he threatens violence, saying that she should just wait until he's free, implying he would come to hurt her for leaving him. In the secret ending, where you can break open his glass prison, I can only imagine who he decides to hurt first. This part is also just speculation, but I do like to imagine that when Chandrelle was partaking in the ritual, she was able to feel some satisfaction in getting revenge for being put through such an abusive system.

I want to thank you if you got this far into my analysis. I know I'm not perfect, and I've surely missed a few small details, but I hope that I painted a clear picture of what I believe to be Chandrelle and Vallamir's relationship, as well as the overall theming of her story. Again, I ask everyone to please be respectful and civil if there is disagreement.

[kooppss]

Get to Know Me- Tag Game

@jungkoode thank you for tagging me ❤️ Kiks original post

I'll try not to over-overthink my answers. But I don't like choosing favorites, I love duality, I need to have both sides of everything. So there will be multiple answers for each question.

What’s the origin of your blog title?

I have a mug with cat pictures that says 'you've cat to be kitten me right meow'. I say it a lot. I like how it sounds. I don't know. Maybe I'll add a photo.

Koopps is sort of an anagram of how my husband and I sometimes call each other. And I like how it sounds.

Favorite fandoms:

One piece. JJK (tho sometimes I can't match the fandom freak). HxH. I'm not too deep into any fandom, I like to dip my toes in everything. In some, I like fanfic, and in others, I'm there for fan art. Depends.

OTP(s)/shipname:

Sanzo. I love my moss head and my cook.

Ace and I.

Favorite color:

I'm originally a pink girlie, but I like anything pretty, girly, pastel, and aesthetic. I dress mostly in natural colors/black, and my home has a neutral aesthetic with pops of color and colorful art.

Favorite game:

Lately, I've really gotten into Kirby on Switch. And I spent HOURS on Supermarket simulator with my husband. But my all-time favorite is probably Heroes of Might and Magic 3.

Song stuck in your head:

I can't choose one, but those are the songs I listened to on repeat in the last days/weeks/months/years.

'Would I Lie To You?' by Charles & Eddie. It's a problem. I listen to it ten times a day lately, or I'm not okay.

'Put Your Records On' by Ritt Momney. It's giving me my tae fic OCs vibe, I listen to it and daydream about them.

'Persuasive' by Doechii & SZA

'Tequila Shots' by Kid Cudi

'Love Really Hurt Without You' by Billy Ocean

Weirdest habit/trait?

I hate fruits. Can throw up only from smelling them. I'm very sensitive to scents and I hate how they smell. I need to hold my breath at the supermarket when I go by the fruit section.

Hobbies:

Cooking, baking, reading, writing, drawing, embroidery, pottery, anything creative basically.

I also love bird watching, hiking, and being in nature. One of my favorite activities is snorkelling. I live by the beach, but there's not much marine life here, so I need to travel for it.

If you work, what’s your profession?

software developer / devops

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be?

I love what I do. It gives me stability and a comfortable life. It also challenges me, requires me to use my brain, and requires me to constantly learn new things. And as much as I hate some days being a woman working in a male-led field, I find a lot of pride in it. I think it's important for women to work in those fields.

But leaving realistic thoughts aside, I'd love to live on a farm on a hill in Tuscany and have lots of animals. Or live in a beach house on a beautiful island. And just bake, and draw, and write my little stories.

Something you’re good at:

Cooking, baking, and being creative.

Problem solving, analytical thinking.

Something you’re bad at:

A lot of things. Like running, singing, having a father figure, finance.

No, but seriously, I try not to focus on what I'm not good at. It's not good for my imposter syndrome (women in stem thing, you know). You don't have to be good at something to enjoy it, and you don't have to do something you're not good at.

Something you love:

My husband. My sisters. My cats.

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff:

Everything lol. I love to deep-dive into everything, especially if the other person knows what they're talking about.

But I can talk a lot about psychology, neuroscience, everything biology, evolution, art, birds, lizards, anime.

Also, talk with me about my man. I dare you. I won't shut up.

Something you hate:

Stupid people who talk with confidence about things they know nothing about.

Spiders.

Something you collect:

My husband and I have a nice growing anime figures collection (we have like 4 Zoros and zero Sanjis, which is a shame). I love cute kitchen utilities. I try to expand my art collection. I mostly like nature-related illustrations; I already have some birds, flowers, and a blowfish.

Something you forget:

Plot ideas that I swear 'there's no way I'm going to forget because it's so good and genius and fits them perfectly'.

And I forget people's faces and names.

What’s your love language?

giving - acts of service, gift giving, physical touch but only with my husband.

receiving - ACTS OF SERVICE, quality time, words of affirmation.

Favorite movie/show:

My favorite anime are HxH and 'That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime'. One piece, goes without saying. For Marvel, I really loved Moonknight.

I love the Kill Bill movies and '10 things I hate about you'.

Favorite food:

Anything Italian, chocolate, sweets, carbs, good bread with butter, French pastries. A lot of things.

Favorite animal:

Cats.

But also sharks, whales, turtles, komodo dragons (tho I didn't get the chance to see one irl), iguanas. I won't start to list the birds I like because we won't end this.

Are you musical?

No. I love listening to music. But I can't play any instrument, and I should never sing.

What were you like as a child?

Too good. Too mature. The overlooked one. The kind that 'she's good, she can take care of herself'. Shy, quiet, artistic. I'm healing through doing 'childish' things as an adult and stopping taking life so seriously.

Favorite subject at school?

Math, biology, chemistry, art.

Least favorite subject?

Probably gymnastics because it was lame and boring. I hated being sweaty afterwards, and that people smelled like sweat.

What’s your best character trait?

Sensitive and logical. I think I'm a very sensitive and emotional person, which leads me to care and give a lot of love. But at the same time, I need logic and order; it pushes me to work hard to have a good, comfortable life.

What’s your worst character trait?

Sensitive and logical. I take things personally, I overanalyze every social encounter I have. I overthink whether people around me actually like me. I'm very critical of myself.

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be?

Not much. Pretty standard, good day. I'm just a little tired, so maybe a little power nap or better sleep at night. And maybe if by some magic, the shit-tone of work I have to do was already done for me.

But if we're doing fantasy, maybe I want to be on a beach vacation with my husband.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet?

I don't have a good historical figure in mind right now. But maybe some famous artists? Like Van Gogh? See him in action?

Recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love):

I can't do one obviously, so I'll just drop a few of them.

Fuck Me Up by @jungkoode (AKA writer-wife)

Yes, I'm biased. I don't care. The fact that I know the writer is an amazing, smart, sensitive person just makes reading it even better. The attention to detail, the story, the realism, the smut, all of it, is on another level. And if you haven't already done so, check her other fics as well.

What Was Hidden by @daechwitatamic

I don't know how many times I've read it by now. It's my comfort fic, I can't even explain why. It's so easy to read in the best way possible. The storytelling is so good, the writing is on another level. I HIGHLY recommend. (If it's your first time reading it, I recommend leaving the tae pov parts to the end, as they might give you spoilers.)

Two Point Five by @bratkook

There's something so refreshing about this fic. Something between the fun writing and the change from the usual fic tropes. And this JK is so hot. And the smut.

Chasing Cars by @oddinary4bts

Read it only if you're ready to cry. It's an emotional journey, but it's so worth it. The story itself is really good, and the characters make you fall for them. I still want to hug this JK and tell him everything is going to be okay. The fic handles some very sensitive, emotional topics in a very intelligent and delicate way (check warnings before reading).

If you see this and you want to play as well, see yourself as invited ❤️

[kbade]

Last Friday and Saturday I got to go to the MidSouth Nostalgia Festival in Olive Branch Mississippi with my mom and dad. I pretty much only went because Robert Fuller was going but there were also a bunch of other stars in attendance too, like Patrick Wayne (son of John Wayne), Darby Hinton (Israel Boone in Daniel Boone), Mary Badham (Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird) and a couple more. We drove over to the Whispering Woods hotel (where it was being held) and got our badges then we signed up to meet Robert at his table and to get our picture with Robert and Darby. After we got our tickets we walked into the convention room where there were a couple vendors selling things (pictures of the stars that were in attendance from their various movies and tv shows, old board games and toys, kids western clothing, movie and tv show dvds, and custom made wood carvings) so we walked around and looked at the different tables. There weren’t as many people as I expected but it was still a good crowd (besides me there was only one other younger fan, the rest were all older men and women) After we had looked at everything my mom and I walked to Robert’s picture table which was outside of the convention room and next to the table we bought our tickets at. I bought a picture to have Robert sign for a friend and when it got a little closer to time my dad met up with us and we walked out to the car to get my vinyl record of Robert’s German album so he could sign it and the paper with the messages from the young fans that I had put together. We then sat down in some hotel seats and talked with some other RF fans who were meeting Robert around the same time as us. One of them complimented me on my shirt, which I had posted about months earlier in the Fandom Facebook group.

I wore this one Saturday ⬇️

Finally it was our turn to meet him! We waited in line for about two hours but the volunteers were super nice and handed out chairs and bottles of water to anyone who needed it. One woman even walked up and down the line while fanning us with a piece of paper. When it was finally our turn to meet him, I was so nervous! I was clutching the album and the messages paper so tight 😆 but when we actually walked up to him, I was fine. I did have this moment when he was telling us a story about when Spring Byington first came on Laramie (he and Smitty (John Smith) realized they would have to get their acts together because a lady was going to be on the all-male set from now on but on her first day she told them that she had been in the business for 40 years and had heard everything there was to hear so they didn’t have to worry about her and they could “say them all”) where it really sunk in that this was Jess Harper! He signed my album and the picture for my friend, then I gave him the paper with the messages and told him that they were messages from his young fans. I expected him to just skim over them and give it to one of his helpers at the table, but he put his marker down and read each of them! Say what you want about Robert Fuller but this man truly cares about his fans. He didn’t just sign our stuff and move on, he talked to us! Told us stories, took the time to actually read the gifts we gave him (my dad gave him one of his Sheriff’s Office challenge coins and he took the time to read everything written on it) and when my dad thanked him for coming to spend time with his fans, Robert said “Thank you for coming to spend time with me!” When we were finished with everything, he shook our hands and thanked us for coming out, then we walked down to the end of the table to pay for the items we got autographed. After that I thought we were finished but it turns out that when you pay to meet him, you also get to have an individual picture with him! My parents decided to have their pictures together so I was going solo for mine, which I was perfectly fine with! The line for the pictures moved alot faster, so in no time I was handing my phone to one of the volunteers and side hugging Robert Fuller which is something I never thought I’d say. After the picture he asked me “Were you smiling?” I was indeed!

Saturday we got to Whispering Woods around 12:00 for the Robert Fuller Fandom Q&A, which is only for members of his Fandom Facebook group. Jennifer (his wife) was also in attendance, and she had the whole crowd laughing the entire time! Robert didn’t miss a beat either, joking with her and his friend Tony who was reading the questions to them. It lasted probably two hours, and after it was over it was time for our group picture with Robert and Darby! Just like Friday the line went super quick! There wasn’t really much left to do after that since the convention room had already been cleaned out to make room for the tables and chairs for the banquet that night. We had planned on leaving Sunday but since there wasn’t really anything left to do (we weren’t going to the banquet) and there was also supposed to be some bad weather Sunday, we decided to leave a day early. It was so fun getting to meet Robert and to meet other fans irl, and to get the opportunity to hear Jennifer speak (she really is so hilarious! Those two are made for each other!) I can’t wait for the next convention!

[sea-lanterns]

HOLY, EPIC THE MUSICAL MENTIONED?!?!??! BEST THING IVE LISTENED TO EVER

As a Hellenic Polytheist (basically a worshipper of the Greek gods)

I find it amazing how much attention it's brought to the gods and stuff

Little ramble but there's quite few differences between the myth and musical,

A: The floating islands mentioned aren't actually in the sky! It's just a island that floats in the water, but thr creator of the musical misinterpreted it

B: before the crew opened the wind bag, in the myth it's said that odysseus could smell the food being sold at the market, they were only like a day of travel away from ithaca.

C: Calypso in the myth is eh... not the best person. But she's fine in the musical

D: six hundred strike didn't actually happen. Odysseus was kinda just being rocked about until poseidon had his fun, I'm pretty sure anyway

E: the challenge was actually telemarketings idea in the myth. Also penelope was meant to sit in front of the axes, so if a suitor managed to string the bow and shot through the axes, it'd kill penelope and make telemarketing the king. Allowing him to force the suitors to leave or kill them

ANOTHER NOT SO FUN FACT, for the underworld saga. We can hear odysseus's mother. Which was played by the creators mother and they had to do a bunch of takes because she wouldn't stop crying because she imagined she was singing it to the creator.

Anyway that's like all I really remember, if you got questions just ask and I'll hopefully be able to answer!

OOOOOH okay, that’s interesting to know. I am still quite new to the EPIC fandom so it’s nice to see how many details were implemented into making it. I actually read The Odyssey back when I was really young, but my memory is shitty and I couldn’t remember anything about it. Thank god for the musical for jogging my memory and getting me back into it, I forgot how amazing the original myth was 😅

Even if the musical retelling isn’t super identical to the original myth, it’s still an amazing retelling regardless! Everytime I listen to it, I am always imagining scenarios to the songs with the genshin women. Need to find myself an Odysseus-like woman <3