#I think the base concept for both of them is interesting but the execution is not

[marinsawakening]

BOTW Link 🤝 Fi: Characters that could've been interesting if they were allowed to emote.

[pain-in-the-asguardian]

Since his introduction, we've seen that Kid has a strong connection to the overall storyline and other characters. We see his progress post timeskip, even cutting to him during arcs he's not a part of, and he's been in half the total anime openings since his introduction.

As the Supernova who had the highest initial bounty he's set up as a rival to Luffy. While their personalities are opposite, Kid's attacks are shown to mirror Luffy's gear 3 and 4. Based on this it seems likely that he will eventually gain an ability to mirror Gear 5 as well.

He's also got a connection to Vegapunk. It's unclear just what it is currently, but it's important to note that Kid gained his “Punk” naming system and major mechanical creations after we learn about VP. In his childhood art, he's even holding a robot.

His strongest attack, Damned Punk has a very visible 07 on the side, we're shown it several times. When the SH crew reaches Egghead VP explains there are six punks on the island. This seems to indicate there may be more in the world.

The Sea Beast Weapons seem to confirm this, as there are 8 of them. It appears they mirror Vegapunk and his Satellites, but this leaves us with one extra who just happens to look like Kid. It's also worth noting that "Kid's" sea beast is the only one not wearing the eye mask.

With Elbaph unfolding currently, we are seeing a lot of devil imagery. This makes the religious symbolism in Kid's creations all the more fascinating, because they are full of it. The most obvious is the backing of Punk Rotten, which is very clearly matching the cross of Nika.

The skulls of PR and Corna Dio also have spiked halos. For someone who is seen as a monster, Kid certainly uses a lot of heavenly imagery. Will this play a part in the devilish saga currently in play?

Something I just noticed that may or may not be related is that Wire's outfit is different in Elbaph. It reminds me of Renaissance Madonna images. Again, this one may just be coincidence but... It also might not be.

The last point I want to make is that of the Horned God. Punk Corna Dio is based on the heavy metal hand gesture started by artist Dio, but also can be interpreted as Horned God. He could have called it something like Toro Dio, but he didn't.

This isn't the first time we see horned skulls, since both Road and one of the Holy Knights wear them. And then we have Chopper, who turns into a massive horned being. The concept of the Horned God seems to be one we see throughout the series.

Kaido and the Ancient Giants are also horned beings, and now we are seeing horned devils as well. It's interesting to me that the only other Sea Beast weapon to resemble another character just happens to be Chopper, and it's shown next to "Kid".

While Kid's fate is currently unknown, it seems Luffy has taken his fashion decisions from him, going with the belted leather kilt and red feathered coat. Luffy tends to mimic others, so could it be a nod to someone who helped him in Wano?

Additional thoughts: Nika/Joyboy connected to not only liberation but laughter, and now because of Killer's Smile the crew has chosen to laugh along with him. Will they be free of the false happiness forced by the false DFs one day?

Or has Killer found a way to overcome it already? Regardless of circumstance or emotion, he shouldn't be able to *not* smile, as we saw with the people of Wano at Yasui's execution. Yet we see here that he's not. There's a reason we're shown this brief scene.

Finally, we see Demalo Black and co. cosplaying Kid. This means we'll see a confrontation eventually, as in Sabaody. I think Cross Guild may play into freeing the false crew. Funny that Black disparages Joyboy when we see that Kid may be a Nika disciple.

There's a lot of little details about Kid, and individually you might chalk them up to coincidence. But taken together, they really start to add up. His role isn't finished yet, and I believe we'll see him again soon in Elbaph.

Taken from my Twitter thread here!

[serpentface]

how do you come up with the ways cultures in your setting stylize people/animals/the world in general in their artwork, i.e. jewlery, rock carvings, statues, etc? Each culture in your world seems to have a very unique "art style" and I love it a lot - makes them seem that much more 'real'. This is something I struggle with a lot in my own worldbuilding and I'd love to pick your brain if possible 😁

I think a starting point is to have a research process based in the material realities of the culture you're designing for. Ask yourself questions like:

Where do they live? What's the climate/ecosystem(s) they are based in? What geographic features are present/absent?

What is their main subsistence method? (hunter gatherer, seasonal pastoralist, nomadic pastoralist, settled agriculturalist, a mix, etc)

What access to broader trade networks do they have and to whom? Are there foreign materials that will be easily accessible in trade and common in use, or valuable trade materials used sparingly in limited capacities?

Etc

And then do some research based on the answers, in order to get a sense of what materials they would have routine access to (ie dyes, metal, textiles, etc) and other possible variables that would shape how the art is made and what it's used for. This is just a foundational step and won't likely play much into designing a Style.

If you narrow these questions down very specifically, (ie in the context of the Korya post- grassland based mounted nomads, pastoralist and hunter-gatherer subsistence, access to wider trade networks and metals), you can direct your research to specific real world instances that fit this general idea. This is not to lift culturally specific concepts from the real world and slap them into your own setting, but to notice commonalities this lifestyle enforces - (ie in the previous example- mounted nomadic peoples are highly mobile and need to easily carry their wealth (often on clothing and tack) therefore small, elaborate decorative artwork that can easily be carried from place to place is a very likely feature)

For the details of the art itself, I come up with loose 'style guides' (usually just in my head) and go from there.

Here's some example questions for forming a style (some are more baseline than others)

Are geometric patterns favored? Organic patterns? Representative patterns (flowers, animals, stars, etc)? Abstract patterns?

Is there favored material(s)? Beads, bone, clay, metals, stones, etc.

When depicting people/animals, is realism favored? Heavy stylization? The emotional impression of an animal? Are key features accentuated?

How perspective typically executed? Does art attempt to capture 3d depth? Does it favor showing the whole body in 2 dimensions (ie much of Ancient Egyptian art, with the body shown in a mix of profile and forward facing perspective so all key attributes are shown)? Will limbs overlap? Are bodies shown static? In motion?

Does artwork of people attempt to beautify them? Does it favor the culture's conception of the ideal body?

Are there common visual motifs? Important symbols? Key subject matters?

What is the art used for? Are its functions aesthetic, tutelary, spiritual, magical? (Will often exist in combination, or have different examples for each purpose)

Who is represented? Is there interest in everyday people? Does art focus on glorifying warriors, heroes, kings?

Are there conventions for representing important figures? (IE gods/kings/etc being depicted larger than culturally lesser subjects)

Is there visual shorthand to depict objects/concepts that are difficult to execute with clarity (the sun, moon, water), or are invisible (wind, the soul), or have no physical component (speech)?

Etc

Deciding on answers to any of these questions will at least give you a unique baseline, and you can fill in the rest of the gaps and specify a style further until it is distinct. Many of these questions are not mutually exclusive, both in the sense of elements being combined (patterns with both geometric and organic elements) or a culture having multiple visual styles (3d art objects having unique features, religious artwork having its own conventions, etc).

Also when you're getting in depth, you should have cultural syncretism in mind. Cultures that routinely interact (whether this interaction is exchange or exploitation) inevitably exchange ideas, which can be especially visible in art. Doing research on how this synthesizing of ideas works in practice is very helpful- what is adopted or left out from an external influence, what is retained from an internal influence, what is unique to this synthesis, AND WHY. (I find Greco-Buddhist art really interesting, that's one of many such examples)

Looking at real world examples that fit your parameters can be helpful (ie if I've decided on geometric patterns in my 'style guide', I'll look at actual geometric patterns). And I strongly encourage trying to actually LEARN about what you're seeing. All art exists in a context, and having an understanding of how the context shapes art, how art does and doesn't relate to broader aspects of a society, etc, can help you when synthesizing your own.

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

Time Travel and Time Loops: A Shadowgast Rec List

This week, we have time travel/time loops! Check under the cut for 9 (nein!) fics that explore all kinds of time shenanigans, and don't forget to comment and kudos if you like them!

Something Worth Saving by Cow_Queen (13898, Not Rated) Reccer's Content Notes: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

A Shadowgast Groundhog Day AU where Essek is just trying to keep his only friends from dying and that leads to some other discoveries involving his feelings for a certain wizard.

Reccer says: A classic, a fun time loop story

Another Time, Another Place by Operafloozy (9780, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Loosely based on This is How You Lose the Time War but make it Shadowgast with brilliant letter-writing time-unravelling wizard assassins

Reccer says: It's clever and well written - those wizards' devious plans against each other would succeed if only they weren't so smitten

In 100 years and Time You'll Know Me. by Fish_O_Cola (17924, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

On an adventure in Aeor, Essek swaps places with a past version of himself

Reccer says: Caleb comforting young Essek is so sweet, I also love the small glimpses into what Essek's childhood could have been like

if only for a moment by saturdaysky (2035, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

"After a spellwork accident, Caleb slips through time. Centuries in the future, Essek Thelyss is waiting to catch him."

Reccer says: I liked it!

every reflection of you by NinjaAtticus (86396, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

Trent does some spell that sends present day Caleb back to the past before he killed his parents and Teen Caleb to the present, switching them. Adult Caleb tries to get back and Teen Caleb has conflicting loyalties, Essek is in both timelines and it’s established relationship for present day.

Reccer says: I’m genuinely obsessed with this fic right now, it’s amazing. Past Essek and Caleb both get so attached to the Present day versions of their partner and the dynamics are just great. Bonus points for yearning across timelines and Essek&Jester best friendship.

Meeting you counterclockwise by Chiakery (116139, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek meets Caleb in Rosohna. And then again, a hundred years later. But the second time Caleb is younger than during their first meeting and doesn't recognise Essek at all

Reccer says: Nice mix of intrigue and imagining of Essek's youth and his POV of the campaign. You can see that a lot of care was put into details of this fic. A+ Found Family vibes

Twelve Thousand and Sixty-Five Seconds by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude (13186, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent, Non-permanent major character death and suicide

The day Essek is to be executed Caleb tried to rescue him. Again and again and again.

Reccer says: A fascinating time loop set up followed by the pair dealing with the consequences (with sex)

The following two fics each recived two recs:

a certain future by wristpockets (26977, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

"Every time Essek dies, he wakes up on the day he meets the Mighty Nein. He's tried everything to avoid, subvert or kill them, but so far nothing has worked. He's already died fifteen times. He refuses to die a sixteenth."

Reccer 1 says: It's very funny Reccer 2 says: Such an interesting concept and beautifully executed! The growth throughout the whole thing is lovely.

Displacement by mllekurtz (12834, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: very light dubcon (due to misunderstanding that is cleared up)

After the peace talks, with only silence and loneliness left where the Mighty Nein used to be, Essek thinks he's ruined everything. So why, when he's mysteriously displaced in his own future, does he find only acceptance, comfort and love?

Reccer 1 says: So many good Essek emotions Reccer 2 says: It's sweet and comforting

This is one of our weekly communally-generated shadowgast rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. 

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring fics that involve marriage and engagement!

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

[olsenmyolsen]

Hi lovely!! To answer your question about what I’d like to see in the future, first of all I just want to say that I am so so deeply glad you’ve started writing and sharing your work with us, I just think you are so so so good at writing and extremely original with each concept you come up with!! I get SO excited every time I see you’ve posted something!! Personally, my favorite fics to read are female reader with either Wanda or Natasha, or with wandanat. Hands down my most favorite fic you’ve written and that I find myself thinking about frequently is, ‘you have me for the night,’ like it is seriously mindblowingly amazing as a concept and the way you executed it!😍

My other favorites you have so kindly created and shared with us to enjoy include ‘ups and downs,’ I just can’t get over how fantastic your writing is and how funny and enthralling this story is. ‘Taste,’ simply had me in a chokehold with how hot it was and all the pining and sexual tension! Your vampire reader stories and ‘inspiration,’ are also some of my personal favorites from you.

I think I personally really like stories that have some pining and build up which you write soooo deliciously well.

I would also eat it up if you ever had any interest in a female reader and Wanda or wandanat fic with reader being a new avenger and a werewolf who discovers that Wanda (or wandanat) is her mate when she joins the team. Maybe Wanda (or wandanat) even doesn’t like reader much or doesn’t trust her when she joins so it’s like an enemies to lovers, lots of pining kind of situation.

To whoever requested this mooooonths ago, I am so so so so sorry it took me this long to complete it. I honestly started and deleted writing it like five different times. I just couldn't find the right plot in my head. But hopefully, you enjoy this <3 And I truly apologize if you're upset with some liberties I took and changed.

After Midnight

master list . maroon master list . dark master list

Yes loosely based on the Chappell Roan song :)

Monster AU (Female Werewolf Reader X Monster Hunters WandaNat)

Summary: For some time now, Wanda has had visions of you. She doesn't know who you are, but when her senses lead her and her girlfriend, Natasha Romanoff, to a club, they end up learning more about the world than they thought they knew.

Word Count: 2.6K

Content: Crowded Places, Monsters, References to Sex, Teeth, Biting, Lust

You danced in a dress that you wanted forever with red lipstick painted on your lips.

The poppy music swirled around you and through the club, as you drank and made quick friends with girls you knew wouldn't remember your name the next day.

Only the fact that your teeth sunk into their neck.

And the cry of pleasure that followed.

Regardless, with a smile, you danced and drank (as if you could even get drunk) and waited for the woman you had been dreaming of for the last few months.

A woman you knew belonged to you.

A woman who, like you, had been dreaming of someone she felt connected to.

You.

"Wanda, are you sure this is it?" Natasha Romanoff asked of her partner Wanda Maximoff as they arrived outside the club The Full Moon.

To say Natasha was annoyed would be an understatement. Her girlfriend Wanda had been having these dreams of an ethereal animalistic woman for months.

Wanda was open and honest about what she would see. Natasha almost wishes she wasn't.

Almost.

And yes, Natasha knew what she was experiencing was jealousy, but when her girlfriend says she "feels a connection" to this mysterious person, how else was she supposed to feel?

So, as the two of them entered the club, they both had their sights set on finding you. Whoever you were.

The second the pair of Monster Hunters enter the club, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Your sense going off. Yet, through the bodies of people in the club, you can't locate them as quickly.

Especially in your human form.

With a sigh, you give your empty glass to a hammered girl with big boobs and glasses as you leave the dance floor.

You hope to find the two monster hunters faster this way.

However, across the club, as the rainbow lights bounce off everything around Wanda and Natasha, they also sense something is off. Wanda gives Natasha a quizzical look after they order their drinks.

A purple cocktail for Wanda and a beer for Natasha.

"You sense it?" Wanda asks. Natasha nods as her eyes are already scanning what she can see. "A monster on this side of town? This late into the month? I don't know." Natasha replied to Wanda, who picked up her cocktail seconds after it was delivered.

Wanda also looks around the spacious room. "See anything?" She asks Natasha, who shakes her head. The two of them are experts in their field. They should be able to snuff out who or what is breaking the laws set before them, but they can't.

On top of that, they're off the clock.

Natasha turns back to the bar and takes a sip of her beer. Wanda looks at her girlfriend. "Let's just focus back on finding this mysterious person and figure out why I'm drawn to them."

Once again, that option isn't as thrilling to Natasha, but she follows along. She loves Wanda and knows how much this means to her. "Okay." She says, grabbing Wanda's hand and following her to the dance floor.

You move from your sat postion at a table far too close to a speaker as you watch the way a redhead follows another woman hand in hand into the crowd of drunks on the lit-up floor.

"Gotcha." You whisper spotting the off the clock Monster Hunters silhouetted in black. You smile, knowing you like to have fun with these people regardless, but it is far too late into the night for them to do anything.

After Midnight.

In the middle of a sea of people, Natasha and Wanda slowly start to lose themselves to the indie pop hits of today, but just as Wanda goes to finish off her cocktail, she gasps. Natasha immediately notices and comes to her side. "What is it?"

A vision plays out in Wanda's head—a vision you also see.

You smirk as the vision dissapears in your mind. You finally figured out what these visions mean.

"What is it?" Natasha asks as Wansa looks up and around the place. "She's here." Natasha looks as well but stops when Wanda gestures towards you, making your way through the crowd.

Natasha freezes as she looks over you. You're, of course, gorgeous (something maybe Wanda didn't fully explain), and you're wearing a red dress that hugs your curves beautifully.

Natasha looks from you to Wanda, whose mouth is slightly apart, in awe. "It's you," Wanda says, making you tilt your head with a smirk.

"Aside from my visions... Where do I know her from?" You question yourself before you stand in front of the pretty pair of faces looking at you. "Hi!" You say it with a sultry tone, making Natasha blatantly roll her eyes. Something you find amusing. Something Wanda ignores as she brings her body closer to you. "Hi." She says it with a soft, almost too-quiet tone.

"So you're from my vision." You cut to the chase as you bring your body closer to the brunette. Ignoring the glares from the redhead. "And you're from mine," Wanda replies.

Natasha huffs as she interrupts the eye fucking going on. "Okay. Yes. You have dreams about one another. What does that mean?" Natasha not so subtly moves in between you and the brunette. You look from the girl with the soft expression to the one with raging red hair. "And you are?" You say, biting back a smirk.

Natasha hates your attitude, forcing herself to narrow her eyes. She thinks you're lucky she's using all her strength not to fight you right now. "I'm Natasha Romanoff. I'm this one girlfriend." She says, pointing back to the brunette.

You smile. "Girlfriend?" You ask, questioning the other woman, who nods. "I'm Wanda. Wanda Maximoff." She extends her hand and raises her voice above the club music. You gingerly take her hand and shake it. The action sends a jolt of electricity through the two of you. Making you smile even wider.

"What?" Natasha asks as she sees the look on your face.

"It's just you two don't know why you've been having these visions, do you?" Each person shakes their head at you. "Well... there's no easy way to say this." You look around. Maybe the middle of the dance floor isn't the best place. "Follow me." You say to them, not caring if Natasha wants to follow or not.

You knew Wanda would.

You paid off the bouncer to the VIP area and closed the door to a private room. "Oh, come on." Natasha groans, seeing the bed in the middle of the room. "I didn't know The Full Moon was this kind of place." Wanda quietly held in a laugh as her girlfriend squeezes her hand. Annoyed. "It's not like that, I promise." You say, gesturing between you and Natasha, ignoring the comment about the bed as you move in front of the girlfriends.

It was just there for people to have a good time consensually.

As you look from one face to the other, it clicks for you.

However, just to be sure, you lightly sniff the air in the room, and your senses instantly alert you to the presence of two Monster Hunters.

The ones in front of you. 

You can't help but shake your head and smirk.

Of course.

"You two don't seem to know much about this place." You say to Natasha mainly. She rolls her eyes again. "Look, just tell us the real reason we're here." You put your hands up in a fake surrender and walk over the bed. Sitting down on it before moving back ever so slightly. Your covered breasts and long tan legs perfectly make Wanda want more.

"Wanda is my mate." You come right out and say it, knowing it would throw the two of them for a loop.

Also laughing knowing that they're Monster Hunters. They weren't supposed to be able to mate with said Monsters.

Wanda stares at you wide-eyed as if she can't believe what she just heard. Even if it was the truth and not that far from unbelievable.

She has witches blood in her after all.

Natasha, on the other hand, can't fathom it. She laughs like it's a big prank and steps closer to you. "Mate? Yeah right. Okay. Quit messing around around. Tell us the real reason."

You squint your eyes at Natasha and lie down on the bed. Sighing. "That is the real reason." Natasha opens and closes her mouth before stumbling to say: "Only Monsters can have mates." Natasha looks at you and slowly backs up. Grabbing a stunned Wanda, the two of them move away from the bed. "If it's true, then you're a Monster. That's why we sensed something. It was you!"

You lift your head up slightly. "First correction. Monsters aren't the only ones who can have mates. And secondly, do I look like a monster to you?"

"I th-"

"I was asking Wanda." Natasha closes her mouth and looks at her girlfriend. Her gaze on the person on the bed. You. "I.. I don't think you look like a Monster."

"Wanda!" Natasha says, unable to believe what Wanda was saying. Or trying to say. "I'm a beauty, Nat. What can I say." You smirk before looking at Natasha and winking. 

Even before tonight, she was having trouble coming up with reasons to be here, but now she's really struggling.

Natasha looks from Wanda to you once more. "What are you?"

"Wanda's mate. Now I don't know-"

"What are you really!?" Natasha asks, not wanting to hear any more about you and HER girlfriend. "Tasha." Wanda quietly says as she pulls on Nat's hand.

Wanda understands Natasha's frustrations and anger, but to Wanda, you were attractive, and Wanda did want to know more. Being rude wasn't going to solve anything.

You slowly pull yourself up and off the bed. Standing several feet away from the two. "I'm a Werewolf." You say, a tad quieter than you had been all night.

Something Natasha and Wanda picked up on.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Natasha asks, looking for more answers. "Aren't the visions enough?" You reply, almost annoyed. Natasha shakes her head. "Prove what you are."

You roll your eyes and take steps closer to Wanda and Natasha. Neither woman moving away. They're intrigued. You lift your upper lip up so the Monster Hunters can see a large canine tooth form before going away.

"The closer it gets to a full moon, the harder it becomes to control my human form."

Silence rests between everyone.

"Funny name for a bar then, no?" Wanda breaks the tension with a joke that makes you laugh. A sound Wanda giggles at.

Natasha squeezes Wanda's hand and does her best not to smile as she looks at you. "So now what?"

"Well, you're not taking me in. I'll tell you that." You look from the green shimmer in Wanda's eyes. "We won't," Wanda says without missing a beat.

Natasha sighs. "We weren't going to anyways. It's after hours and... and now the situation's complicated."

Truthfully, Natasha didn't care if she saw you ever again. But the more Wanda hung around you, the harder it was to pull her back.

"You know..." Natasha speaks up. "We came here tonight with one goal in mind. To see who Wanda was sharing visions with. But now that she's supposedly your mate and all that... What happens?" Natasha swallows and looks from Wanda to you and back. "Because I'm not losing Wanda to you. Not tonight." Natasha shakes her head as her eyes sting. But she sniffles and holds back the tears.

The thought of Wanda not being with her is eating away at her.

"You don't have to lose Wanda." You smirked as you brought your body closer and closer to Wanda. Her soft eyes going from her girlfriend to you.

She doesn't want to lose Natasha either.

"You know..." You lift your hand, making Natasha step forward, but she stops when she sees you push some hair from Wanda's face. "Us Monsters or Werewolf's aren't like Seahorses." Wanda tilts her head as she lays your hand on her cheek, bringing your eyes to Natasha. "Mating doesn't end with one person. It's normal and what usually happens, but... it doesn't have to be."

You bring your gaze back to Wanda as she looks from you to Natasha. Both of them understand your words. "You wouldn't lose her, Natasha."

You're honest and surprisingly caring. At least that's what Natasha thinks of you now.

"What are you doing now?" Natasha asks as you lean forward and look at Wanda's skin—especially the beautiful place on her neck.

Wanda can sense what you're thinking. "She wants to bite me." Natasha widens her eyes and goes to push you away, but you quickly grab her arm and twist it.

Your true strength coming through.

"I'm trying to be a good, good girl." You let go of Natasha, making her huff and stand in between you and Wanda. "I'm sorry I just love a little drama."

"We should get going," Natasha speaks to you as her eyes never leave yours. Yet she doesn't move. The second she gives you makes your mouth work faster than your brain. "I'm feeling kinda freaky." You raise a playful eyebrow. "Maybe it's the moonlight. Maybe it's something else. The club lights?" You shrug and step closer to Natasha.

Wanda watches as your eyes travel to Nat's smooth skin.

"I kinda wanna kiss your girlfriend, if you don't mind."

Natasha opens her mouth to argue, but Wanda stops her. "She's not talking to you," Wanda says as Nat looks back at you, wearing a widening grin. "M-me?" Natasha asks you.

And since walking into the club, the chip on Natasha's shoulder melts away. Wanda walks up behind her girlfriend, wraps her arms around her, and kisses her cheek. "We could never lose each other."

Yet Natasha still can't process what you're asking.

You nod as she stares at you. "You, Natasha." Wanda brings her lips up to Natasha's ears. "It's okay." You nod as your ears pick up Wanda's words. "And then Wanda."

"And then Wanda-" Natasha gets cut off as you invade her space and take her face in your hands. Your callous fingers move down Natasha's cheek as your aggressive kiss slows into one of passion.

This is what I wanted. This is what I like.

When you pull away, your lips are darker. Natasha stands stunned before bringing her fingers to her lips. Touching where you just were. "Yo-you just kissed me.?" She speaks, making you blush. "We can do more than that." You offer with a laugh.

Wanda, with her eyes dark, can read your mind as your kiss with Natasha opens up the connection between the three of you.

She knows you're not joking about the offer.

"Wanda..." Natasha turned her attention to Wanda as her girlfriend looked over her fondly. Lovingly. Natasha can see Wanda isn't upset by what just happened. Making Natasha's brain scramble for an answer.

A solution to the chaos of tonight.

"It'll be okay." Wanda steps forward and gives a quick peck. She can even taste you on Nat's pretty pink lips.

"B-but now... now what?" Natasha asks as she can't even think. You make your presence known again as you gently bring your hands to Natasha's. "We belong together. We make it real. I want to make this real." Natasha watches you for a moment in silence before your hands leave hers and grab Wanda's hair.

Moving it over her shoulder.

Exposing her neck.

This wasn't right.

And yet. Natasha can't help but move closer. Her mind being made up with each step. Natasha holds Wanda as you open your mouth.

However, it wasn't until the three of you were in the middle of the dance floor once again that you put your canine teeth in the side of her neck.

A scream of pleasure left her, and after midnight, that night, the three of you became more.

dividers by @/benkeibear

[utilitycaster]

3, 7, 13? 👀

3. answered!

7. I've discussed this before but while I wouldn't ever say I hated Molly, I certainly think my feelings towards him for the past few years have been uncharitable because I was reacting to the Kindest Best Hottest Most Charming Sex God In Exandria fanon version and not the real canonical guy, who is both much more layered than that and also really annoying most of the time but also pretty funny. Like, he is still my least favorite of the Mighty Nein, but as I adore the rest of them that puts him at a solid "he's alright", and again, this is based on his story being cut off.

13. Molly is obviously yes, a blorbofication issue, but I feel Laudna's worse. Like, nothing about her story, overall, feels like it came from her in the end - it's all other people doing everything for her and not even in a way that explores being powerless (which, within the narrative, she objectively isn't anyway), it's more that they have to solve her problems as quickly as possible because they're getting in the way of the moon plot - and as I mentioned in my answer about tedious canon, the parts of her backstory that would actually flesh her out as a character are precisely the ones that were never addressed nor explored. She starts the story a more interesting and pleasant person than she ends it. And if you're like "this character was just a failure of execution and really didn't have to be" people are like "uh, she's literally a girl and silly." Like Molly is a character that makes me go "this is a compelling concept executed well, and it's just not a pesonality I am drawn to, and the fandom has mythologized him in death in a way that is inaccurate to canon" but Laudna is just...Bella Swan.

[adobe-outdesign]

have you done a Grarrl review yet?

The Grarrl is a t-rex, and...well, that's pretty much it. It has all of the standard t-rex features: sharp teeth, reptilian eyes, and small arms. They're fine, but it doesn't feel like there's a whole lot with the base color that really makes them stand out outside of just having a lot of teeth compared to other Neopets (Poogle and Jetsam not withstanding).

I feel like part of the issue is that the Grarrl's body is completely solid in color by default, with no patterns or markings to break it up. Given their prehistoric status, I feel like stripes or speckles would've made sense; just something to break up the body and give them a tad more flavor. As is, all we have are the teeth and the green eyes with red pupils (which tend to be consistent across most, but not all, colors).

Beyond that, the base colors are alright, though for some reason the blue barely has any shading and the yellow is this off-putting dirty "mustard" color.

While the Grarrl's design has always been plain, I do think customization did them extremely dirty. Instead of being allowed to keep a more vicious expression, the Grarrl was instead saddled with an awkward smile that makes them look like they're posing for school picture day. In contrast, the old Grarrl's art gives them a big open mouth and allows them an angrier expression, which both looks much more natural and gives them a lot more personality.

Favorite Colors:

Maraquan: One of the only Grarrl pets that wasn't saddled with an awkward smile post-conversion, the Maraquan Grarrl is one of the best-looking Grarrls out there. Making a t-rex into a shark for the aquatic color works perfectly as a concept, and the execution's really nice; adding a very neat-looking ridged back fin and horizontal tail that sharks don't usually have, and fixing the plainness of the default Grarrl design by adding in a mottled white underbelly with small teal accents.

Neither version is terrible, though the UC/styled design is the better one—the fins aren't being forced into a fist, the colors aren't as over-saturated, and the tail fin shape looks a lot better (it's supposed to have a hook-like shape, not have a random spike coming off of it).

Halloween: Not only is a vampire a good choice for something with sharp teeth, but I really like the colors here; a very light minty body is contrasted with black and red accents, which makes it look both pale but also provides nice contrast without being too monotone. The cape also adds just the right amount of detail without being overly busy or detailed. The expression and mouth on the converted version, while still not as good as the old art, does look a bit more endearing and less awkward than usual, and I really wish they had used that mouth shape for the default Grarrl.

As of writing, there's only a "spooky" style instead of an actual nostaligic style that matches the old art, but reguardless it does look very nice. I like the pose and expression a lot, it brings back the black clasp (which was made blue for some reason during conversion), and I like the addition of the claws on the feet. Only complaint is that I wish they had given it darker eye bags, which were present both on the original art and the converted art.

Faerie: The faerie Grarrl having feathers is interesting, because feathered wings are usually restricted to avian Neopets; but then again dinosaurs are birds, so this is actually pretty clever. The orange, pink, and yellow palette looks nice, and I really like the speckled markings here and the addition of horns and dragon-like whiskers.

Unsurprisingly the UC/styled art is better, though I will say the converted has slightly better wings; I can't quite figure out the perspective on the original art. That said, the original art's head shade and expression look 10x better so you know, pick your poison.

[libraryspectre]

I wanted to talk about the Black Parade uniforms and it kind of turned into an entire essay. My ideas on the intention behind each costume and their cohesion as a group really evolved over the course of writing this, and I think it brought into focus a lot of things I knew subconsciously but hadn't articulated. I also noticed a lot of details I had never seen before. This has futher convinced me that 1) costume design and what you can say with it is really fascinating and 2) this is S-tier costume design of all time. And it's really long so I'm putting the rest under the cut.

What I would have loved is a Weezer-style picture of the five of them standing side by side, full bodies visible, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to exist. They're either covering each other up, or posed in such a way that details aren't visible or cut is hard to compare, so I'll have to provide a variety of visuals. This weirdly blurry poster is the closest thing I could find to a Weezer picture, so take them in as a group and refer back as necessary. I want to start by saying, obviously, that they look amazing both individually and as a set. "Dark marching band of death" is a really fun concept that is very well executed. But this isn't their first time doing a look as a group - think back to Revenge for a minute, when they really started to think about their costuming as a band. Gerard has talked about how then, they were kind of closing ranks against the vitriol coming their way. They needed to feel like a team, a gang, and dressed like one. I think some of this mentality has carried over into the Black Parade uniforms - they're less defensive, (there's no bulletproof vests), but in taking on new, nameless identities they have removed themselves as individuals from the equation, which is protective in its own way. What's left are stage personas, and the more you look the more you see that these were designed by someone who is very familiar with the history of the band and how each member presents themselves on stage. It's absolutely genius costume design, because when everyone is in uniform, the little differences are more noticable and tell you so much about the intention behind each variation.

Before we really start, I have to confess that I have no history in costuming or even a lot of familiarity with marching or military bands. I can only say I find costuming interesting, so I've read a little about it, and I went to high school in America and almost all my friends were in marching band. Someone who is more educated in these things could probably give more specific insights and have a better vocabulary to talk about it, but do not underestimate me. I am deeply obsessed with MCR and got A's in English, so let's find some meaning in symbolism! But please remember that with all art, there is no one interpretation. And remember going forward that these costumes were designed by Colleen Atwood, based on sketches she was given by Gerard, so there's no telling what elements were brought in by her and what elements Gerard had planned originally. If anyone has sources on that, PLEASE let me know because I'm very curious about the design process.

Also, I'll be using the uniforms as they appear in the WTTBP video as the standard, with acknowledgements toward variations seen in posters and the FLW video. It's worth noting that in many live performances they wore different, less unique jackets, and often forewent the pants for black jeans. This is almost certainly because they were easier to perform in and they didn't want to subject the originals to the sweat and rowdiness of regular shows. Ok, here we go! Here are some pics to refer back to throughout.

Starting with the band as a whole, I want to point out two things: first, marching bands evolved from military bands. The individual costumes vary in how "military" they look, but you can definitely see the influence when you look at them as a set. I imagine they leaned into that a bit because of the military elements on the record - the suggestion in Mama that the patient was a soldier, maybe even a war criminal. We also know they've done military aesthetics before, in The Ghost of You music video, and that the band was formed in response to 9/11. Suffice to say, the military is on the mind, and this is a continuation of that.

They also look a bit like skeletons. Obviously they would occasionally do the face paint, but the uniforms themselves suggest a ribcage with the horizontal silver lines, and at some angles the stripes on the pants also really contribute to the image. I know most people have already realized this, but I wanted to point it out explicitly because it took me an embarassingly long time to see it.

Alright, I'm gonna talk about them individually now, going from my personal least to most favorite. Taste aside, they're all individually really interesting.

5. Bob

(I can't find another good Bob picture, just scroll up to the blurry one)

It's not just because I don't like Bob, I genuinely like this one much less than all the others. It might be because it's less tailored - the others look much sharper, he looks almost rumpled in comparison. The lose fit might be because as a drummer, he needed better range of movement, but I'm not a drummer so I don't know. The cut of his jacket looks kind of naval to me, which is interesting. His stripes are also very minimal compared to the others. Overall, his looks the least like it's part of a set. I don't necessarily think they meant to set him apart, but maybe they did, considering he's the only non-original member (I'm counting Frank as an original member) and the only one not from New Jersey (which, I only point out because they ALWAYS point that out to people who mention they're a Jersey band. We're from Jersey, Bob is from Chicago.) Maybe it was a subconscious thing, or maybe as the drummer his costume was designed to make the most of what would be visible sitting and partially obscured by the drum kit. It does have a very dramatic collar. That's probably also part of the reason they gave him a more distinctive haircut for this - I'm not gonna talk about hair much, but it's worth mentioning. Overall, I don't have a ton to say about Bob because I don't think of him much (sorry, but not really).

4. Frank

Frank's is really interesting. His is the least traditional-looking, which is why it's here in the ranking, but I like it and I think there's a good reason for that. Those stripes on the sleeve are a really strong look, and the material of the silver has kind of a tarnished/dappled look you can see better in other photos. I've seen people say it's a subtle camo pattern, but I'm honestly not sure - I think he's supposed to look a little less new and shiny. The blockiness of it widens him and gives him a lot of presence that might be lost if he was dressed more like the others, and it compliments his performance style well. That's particularly important in the WTTBP video - on that float, he simply doesn't have room to be as wild and energetic as his standard performance was at the time, so this uniform helps him stand out and draw attention to what thrashing he is able to do. As far as bucking tradition, he also is the only one without shoulder tabs (those little loops). There's something funny about that - those tabs are meant to hold loops and eupalletes that would signify rank, placement, or achievement, which apparently you could not give to Frank if you tried. I think this lack of traditionality is reflective of Frank's more punk sensibilities, having come up in the Jersey scene. His playing style evolved over time as he and Ray influenced each other, but at the start he was very much their punk guitarist and coming up in that scene continued to influence how he conducted himself as a musician. I think this uniform marks him as a non-conformist even within the group.

He also has that patch with a red cross on the sleeve, the only bit of color on any of them. I don't know what to make of that, maybe it's just for the Catholic vibes.

Honestly, Frank's feels the most like what people would expect from an "emo" marching band uniform. Especially considering the poster, where he's found a hole to stick his thumb through. I don't think he's wearing it in the video, but in that poster he has this belt with some kind of weapon?? Maybe?? We get it, he's a dangerous little man.

3. Mikey

Mikey's uniform is by far the most military - it's not just the medal, it's also the cut of the jacket. And he's the only one with a fun little belt, which helps keep the silhouette look nice and tailored even though the jacket flares a little at the waist. We all know the medal is a reference to his death in The Ghost of You video (there's no way they didn't know we would make that connection) and it wouldn't surprise me if the rest of his uniform looks more military because it was built around that idea. But also consider Mikey's stage presence at the time - due to his discomfort on stage, he used to be really stoic, standing in the back, getting the job done with little showmanship. I think that presentation lends itself well to a classic military figure. Mikey is also pretty thin, and the long jacket and it's strong, solid construction keeps him from looking too Victorian-orphan waifish (especially with how pale they all are), and more like a dead soldier boy.

Additionally, Mikey's costume leaning so hard into the military side helps them look more military as a group. It keeps the association in your mind when you look at the others. Also, he's wearing a little necklace here, which I've never noticed before, is he wearing that in the videos?? I think it's an anchor, which is fun considering he died on a beach.

2. Gerard

Yes, Gerard's is #2 in my ranking. I'm sorry, I might have a slight bias knocking it down from #1. But maybe not, let me defend myself when I get there. Anyway, Gerard's is the most classically marching band, which makes sense considering he's the frontperson. In fact, he has one of those braided loops on his shoulder we talked about earlier, demonstrating.....something, it seems to vary a lot, but we're probably meant to think leadership. He's not wearing it the WTTBP video, but it's there in Famous Last Words. He also has that fancy little star thing on the shoulder, which definitely seems to suggest rank. Otherwise, his uniform is very basic. He's the template that the others' uniforms are variations of. And it's a great look! He's also got nice big buttons compared to the others, three whole rows of them, which is a nice touch to make it look a liiiiittle more feminine. Because, of course, the back of the jacket is corseted, in a genious stroke of gender that puts the entire outfit in a new context. I think this is a good example of how Gerard likes to play with androgony by balancing masc and femme elements. The cut of his jacket makes his shoulders look wide and his waist narrow, but not so narrow it looks terribly feminine (just a little, taken on its own). A lot of this is achieved by the piping - notice how on Bob, Mikey, and Frank, the top row of piping (I might be using that word wrong but let's go with it. I'm talking about the silver stuff across the chest) is pretty much the same length as the bottom row? On Gerard, they start out wide way up on his shoulders and get progressively narrower at the waist. It's still a mostly masculine silhouette, but then you have the counter balance of the big buttons and his little white pixie cut, both of which lean just a little further toward femme than masc. It's an androgynous look that leans toward masc as a whole, until he turns around and, boom, corseted back. Showstopping. He also had those black leather gloves that give some nice formality, and maybe a touch of impersonality. They make it so that when he's in full uniform, the only skin you can see is that of his face. They're like an edgier version of the usual plain white marching band gloves.

1. Ray

Going purely by aesthetics, Ray's is my favorite. It's the fancy one, most obviously distinct by the flourishes around the buttons on his jacket. He Mikey are the only ones with pure silver shoulder loops, and Ray has more silver piping on his jacket than the others. In some pictures he's wearing this really ornate knotted tassle thing? You can see it in one of the group pictures above. He isn't wearing it in any of the videos, which makes sense as it could be really annoying while playing. The cut of his jacket at the bottom also looks formal to me, but I'm not sure why. Overall, the ornanamentation could be a reflection of his playing style - the same caveat here applies to Frank, in that they influenced each other through their parnership as guitarists, (and Ray has a lot of influences from different genres), but at the start he was their metal guitarist, and the guitars in metal are often complicated and showy. And he's their soloist, they need to show him off a little.

Additionally, the construction here is giving him an absolutely wild silohette. Like Gerard, the piping on his jacket gets progressively narrower to suggest a smaller waist, but without the really long stripes at the top to make the shoulders look broader. Those vertical lines across the front add to the effect because they're curved inward - which is interesting, because everyone else's uniforms are composed of entirely straight lines and sharp angles. And his jacket is cut REALLY high on the side. I can't tell if Ray's pants are more high-waisted than the others, or if it just looks that way because of the cut of the jacket. You see the stripe of the pants go all the way up his hip, and since he's already tall with long legs, it really accentuates that. It's hard to tell, but I think his pants are even a little more form-fitting than the others. The other day I saw people commenting on a gif of Ray in the WTTBP video about how they never noticed how long his legs are - this is why!

We talk about how part of what makes Ray such a compelling performer is how he moves, and I think this costume was designed to compliment fluid motion. The tailoring and curves of the piping avoid making him look too rigid or blocky, as a marching band uniform could easily do, and the high cut of the jacket lets the line of his legs continue uninterrupted. Honestly, this is a favorite look for Raygirls (gender neutral) for a reason - I think they knew exactly what they were doing putting him in a pretty, well-tailored uniform that accentuates his movement. (Caveat here that I'm a Raygirl (gn) so I'm definitely biased, and they all look great in their uniforms, but I do think Ray's is.....uniquely flattering, and I don't think it was an accident).

Conclusions

So now that we've talked about all of them, I think we have some interesting contrasts to make. Gerard and Mikey both have very classic looks, but Gerard's is more marching band and Mikey's is more military. Mikey and Bob both have very military looks, but Mikey's has a much more solid construction. Gerard and Ray are both on the marching band side of the spectrum, but Gerard's is classic while Ray's is ornate. My favorite contrast is between the guitarists - Frank's is blocky and rigid and tarnished, Ray's is curved and fluid and shiny.

The interplay between similarity and contrast is what makes this so compelling as a group costume - just by looking you can tell who's the leader, who's the tragic figure, who's the outcast, who's the rebel, who's being spotlit.

In closing, thank you Colleen Atwood and Gerard Way for designing these and the rest of the band for wearing them, I will never get tired of looking at them.

[sly-s-n0nfusion]

Sly's personal ✨Octopath rankings✨

So I've been into Octopath since the year it came out as a franchise basically and I recently finished the second game so I felt like ranking both games' characters and stories based on my likings. Remember that all opinions are valid and if I didn't enjoy your favorite character or story as much as you did it's fine :) also, there aren’t characters or stories I actually disliked with two exceptions so I’m mostly being kind- but honest.

May do spoilers so I'll put them under a cut

Ot1

Stories

Olberic - His story has to be my favorite because of its impeccably functional structure and climax. I am a sucker for redemption stories and I think they nailed every chapter of it. They even made me like the arena chapter even though I'm not a fan of tournament arcs. It's a very well-executed emotional story and it had me hooked since the beginning (also loving the “plot twist” that his final chapter boss is NOT Erhardt, which is what everyone is expecting since chapter 1)

Cyrus - A compelling mystery story with some plot twist I liked and actually interesting pieces of lore in it. What I liked the most about it (if we ignore Therese's blatant deus ex machina moment in his ch3) is that you can't really tell what will happen when you go into one of his chapters. Also has probably the best ch4 with some of the rawest lines ever against Lucia

Alfyn - Loved his chapter 3 to death because of the moral ambiguity and also has one of the best side characters (Ogen). Golden boy has to doubt everything he knew in his life and I love that. Has kind of a slow start though

Ophilia - While I think ch2 could be executed much better and made less boring, the circular structure and moral of her story is amazing. The emotional ch4 almost made me tear up

H'aanit - Cute interpretation of a "pupil has to find his mentor" story and has some epic moments like chapter 3. Not much more than that but it was still really enjoyable (bonus mention for Susanna, one of the best npcs)

Primrose - Kinda compelling revenge tale, except that it ends in the most unsatisfying way possible. Has some nice ideas but I felt so empty and broken at the end of her ch4 because she too is empty and broken

Tressa - Not a fan of the "coming of age stories" but I enjoyed her rivalry with Ali and her friendship with Noa, as well as Leon's backstory. No hate, just the more lighthearted stories are not really my cup of tea. Apart from those, it found it pretty boring and probably has the most anticlimactic final boss ever

Therion - The one story I really didn't like because of... many reasons. Like, it really had potential with the whole Dragonstones thing and everything but they executed it in the worst way possible. Also I hate how they tried to make him trust people again thanks to some questionable people like Cordelia and Heathcote... it just didn't feel right and left me asking myself but why though so many times

Characters

Cyrus - I do love every high intelligence - low wisdom character, bonus of they're a dork and kind of naive. Could write a whole essay about him so just know he won my heart he’s been my blorbo for what 3 years now? Almost 4

Olberic - Another trope I love is grumpy and probably depressed characters who just have a heart of gold inside and use their strength to protect the people they love so there you have it. They did a great job of delivering the emotional baggage in his internal monologues

Ophilia - I love how her character gravitates around the concept of love, loss and family. She's so dear to me

H'aanit - I like her view of the world and her stoic personality but I must say that for a main character, her introspective side could've been explored more

Alfyn - Sunshine boy who feels too much. I do like men who are not afraid of crying in front of others

Therion - a bit of a lone wolf stereotype- but I like his dry and sarcastic attitude when he talks to the other members of the party

Tressa - I like that she's a bit hot-headed and I like her enthusiasm. Definitely a character who shines more when she's with other characters though

Primrose - I think they messed up a bit with her characterization sadly because I can't really tell how the real Primrose is supposed to be even after ch4. She's often portrayed as an overly-flirty femme fatale even though it's probably trauma response and often says some... questionable things to the other members of the party in her travel banters, it's hard to get her true personality right. When she's angry, she kinda comes off as cold and distant, too. I think the writers could've done a better job with her

Ot2

Stories

Castti - Hands down the best Octopath Traveler main story ever imo. It was perfect from how the emotions were delivered to the compelling plot, to the climax in her chapter 3 and the bittersweet ending in her chapter 4. So heartbreaking and has a great attention to details, as well as amazing side characters. Perfect under every aspect and I loved the “horror rpg” vibe to it

Osvald - Amazing revenge tale (and kinda mimicking The Count of Montecristo), much more effective than Primrose's and also more heartbreaking and with an ending that's a bit more satisfying (even if the last chapter is definitely the weakest one and could've been handled better for such a good story). Cool plot twists at the right times an a villain that's actually Rotten to the Core (if we ignore the ridiculous laugh Harvey has). His chapter 1 was probably the best Octopath Traveler chapter 1 narration-wise and had me almost crying at his chapter 4 boss

Throné - I wasn't expecting her story to be this good in the slightest but the "getting out of the mafia" tale is well-executed and has some nice side plots for its side characters, as well as some quite shocking twists near the end. Her chapter 1 is also super good and has some pretty good dialogues.

Temenos - I have mixed feelings towards this one because it had so much potential but it definitely needed more time to be done correctly. The mystery plot feels kinda rushed at times (especially in chapter 3 because I think that one is kind of a narrative mess like why is everything happening SO QUICKLY) and one fatal flaw: Kaldena's backstory not being addressed well enough. She is really a character who needed to pop out more in his story. In the end it's probably a matter of pacing but it does have some real big wasted potential. Also another story that like Primrose's leaves you with a really bitter aftertaste except this time it's actually fitting for Temenos' character

Ochette - .....I'm sorry guys this story is literally Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire for a good 70% of it. Which doesn’t make it necessarily the worst story but it’s not original either. What I liked though is that it has some real good first and final chapters that got me kind of emotional and also kinda creeped me out. The side "anti-racism plot" could've been articulated better narratively but that's what we got in the end so. Also big wasted potential.

Hikari - I am not a fan of stories in which by chapter 1 you already know how they're going to end and Hikari's was exactly like this. I quite enjoyed the arena chapter and the chapter in Stormhail as well, and some parts of it were very cinematic. Not much more than that

Partitio - DISCLAIMER for the next 2 stories: again, I am not a fan of lighthearted stories because of personal taste, nothing else. I want the drama lol. This is why this one was not my cup of tea. I liked the narrative pace of chapter 1 but after that one it just kinda goes a little overboard with the crazyness idk it felt kinda weird to have a bulldog, a jobless guy and a train as bosses. What I loved were the "scent of commerce" side-stories though because it was really fitting to the time period the game is set in to have the merchant traveler interested in financing new inventions and machines. Also not that compelling overall

Agnea - Guys I'm sorry but this one was a big no for me. Legit had me really bored most of the time (especially didn't like the musical parts and her dialogues-only chapter 3 oh god) and never really got me hooked. I liked how cinematic her final boss battle was though and big w for the lesbians in her story I guess

Characters

Castti - Loved her caring, yet sarcastic attitude. She was such a fun and interesting character to be around (if we ignore how many times the travelers insist on calling her “mom” because she is just so much more) and has traits to her that left me quite surprised

Osvald - I love that for once we have a character that's not always nice to the other party members. I like his sharp tongue and atypical behavior, and him going nonverbal at times. A really interesting take on the scholar character I appreciated a lot (also dilfs lover here sorry not sorry)

Temenos - Mixed feelings for Temenos, again, because he does kinda sound like certain anime characters from my childhood but he is a fun character. Sly, snarky, diffident and secretly very broken inside is always a winning combination

Throné - I liked her a lot. I like the contrast between her kind personality and the gruesome job she's forced to do, and that she wants to redeem herself from everything she had to bear since she was a kid. I love her soft side and that she wants to be the good person she is

Partitio - Alfyn, but better. I can say I'm a fan of his over the top humour and attitude and his kind, generous heart

Agnea - Fun girl! I like her bubbly personality and also that she is stubborn and determined. She’s not a deep character but she is still fun

Ochette - I think her character had wasted potential. Even though I agree that she's fun and quirky, they didn't do a great job of portraying her as part of another whole species because they really kinda just made her personality rotate around liking meat. Also didn't really like how unnecessarily infantilized she was rip but she is still cute and fun

Hikari - .......Hikari likers I'm sorry. Oomfs who are Hikari likers if you’re reading this just know that I think your tastes are valid and I'm the one in the minority because everyone loves Hikari, so sorry for what I'm about to say but he kinda was what ruined his own story for me, as well as being the only traveler I actually dislike. I didn't like his teeth-rotting sweet dialogues and his whole character rotating around the concept of friendship. I didn't like that his one (1) flaw is him being possessed by a demon because of his cursed blood. He's too perfect. Therefore to me he's too uninteresting. Sorry!

Peace ✌️

[nekropsii]

“Bad Representation” is actually a topic I’m really passionate about and interested in, I could talk about it for ages. The way people handle “Bad Representation” as a concept is genuinely fascinating, too, so this is both an analytical fascination and an anthropological one.

For clarity, I thoroughly do believe there is such thing as “Bad Representation”, especially when it comes to expressions of pure bigotry from the person doing the representing… But I personally think everyone’s bar for what counts as “Bad Representation” is set a little bit too strictly, has no real account for capitalistic and/or historical restrictions - For Example: Language and common understanding of queer identity being far different in the 1950’s than it is now, and Studio Meddling - and also, interestingly, tends to take no account for the opinion of those getting “represented”, or the idea of individual satisfaction.

There’s been many, many times where a character is objectively pretty bad representation by modern standards, but discussion surrounding it takes no account for the concept of Resonance. Sometimes a character is not “Good Representation” as an objective concept, but they are relatable, likable, and quite fun to watch. I’ve seen quite a few instances of people talking down to the mentally ill or disabled for enjoying a Slasher in part because of their disorder/disability, or queer people for enjoying Hays Code villains. Sometimes a character isn’t written kindly, or isn’t written well, but they really resonate with you… And that counts for something.

One of my favorite characters - one who has helped me come to terms with my cPTSD and OSDD - is a representation of PTSD + DID that is objectively not very good. He’s basically a Vietnam War veteran, who gets an Alter in the middle of the war that is basically a self defensive Murder Mode. It’s literally the PTSD from The War and Evil Alter cliche, but there’s just some aspects that really hit for me, like the fact that he’s considered the nicest, kindest person in the cast, and the alter is portrayed clearly as being in constant self defense mode, thinking he’s still in the middle of the war, and also being quite silly. There’s several details I view as being done pretty well, a whole arc about him grappling with his mental health in a way I find quite fascinating and visceral, and I enjoy him quite a lot! But many would agree that he’s “Bad Representation” because of the War PTSD and Evil Alter tropes. Even I agree that those things kinda suck, but that’s not stopping the fact that this character has meant a lot to me, and that I really would not be the same level of okay with myself if I hadn’t discovered this character.

I’ve caught flack for this. I’ve seen many other people latch onto a character who is not executed very well because they find them personally relatable, or are using them to figure some things out about themselves, and also catch flack for it because the character is not “Good Representation” for a group as a whole. No account for Resonance, no account for Individual Experience. It’s a fascinating lack of a sense of nuance.

I think people have forgotten - or perhaps do not realize - that criticizing a base concept, or base execution of a concept, is different from criticizing individual experience. It’s like the difference between criticizing the makeup industry vs. criticizing someone’s personal choice to wear makeup. It is good to point out when something is written or executed poorly, but you do not know the reason why that one individual disabled person enjoys a poorly written character who shares their disability. I would even say that they probably know more than you do that it’s written badly, because they have lived that character’s disability and you likely have not. I think you should maybe step off if a blind person really likes Terezi or something. You do not need to patronize them by telling them that she isn’t “Good Representation” because her quirk isn’t screenreader friendly, and that her blindness has a magical workaround. I think they already know that these are facts about her that are true. They like her for a reason, and that reason is Resonance.

[thecloserkin]

book review: Layne Fargo, The Favorites (2025)

Genre: straddles romance, literary, and thriller

Is it the main pairing: yes

Is it canon: yes

Is it explicit: no

Is it endgame: yes

Is it shippable: yes

Bottom line: I came for Big Feelings and this book delivered. Wuthering Heights but make them ice dancers: killer concept, flawless execution. Yes, I have expanded the remit of this blog to include spiritually incestuous relationships.

Just to recap, Wuthering Heights is a tale of extremely extra people who, not satisfied with making each other miserable their entire lives, insist on tormenting each other from beyond the grave. Elite figure skating is an extremely incestuous sport where competitors are constantly switching coaches and partners in pursuit of the gold medal. Nobody is allowed to sulk because Layne Fargo telegraphs to the reader where she is going with this: “Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn’t. My first love was figure skating.” The great tragedy of Katarina and Heath’s romance is that Kat wants to win and she wants Heath, whereas Heath has always just wanted all of Kat. They’re sixteen at the beginning so Kat’s like, of course these two goals will always be in alignment, but there comes a time when winning and Heath are in tension with each other, and that is when the story is at the height of its power. Anyone who’s been alive more than ten minutes could tell you that hate and hurt are forces just as powerful as than love.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve picked up a Brontë book it may have slipped your mind that Jane Eyre is first person POV but Wuthering Heights is entirely outsider POV: We get Lockwood who is an outsider to the neighborhood, and Nelly who is a servant in the household, but we are shut out of Cathy and Heathcliff’s internal monologue. Well, The Favorites is first-person from Kat’s POV, interspersed with transcripts from a new documentary about Katarina Shaw & Heath Rocha’s scandalous career. Imagine if I, Tonya was a straight documentary. Just the juiciest melodrama imaginable. I have never been so upset my brain cannot process audiobooks because in the audio version Johnny Weir (gay fashion icon and professional snark commentator) voices the character who is based on him. As the story drew on I found myself looking forward to the “documentary” interludes more and more, and this is because as Katarina grows older/wiser her narrative becomes less messy and less interesting. Which is not a problem with the original Wuthering Heights because Cathy Earnshaw dies absurdly young. The way The Favorites handles Shaw & Rocha’s legacy is so different from Wuthering Heights, and yet these are both books obsessed with intergenerational trauma.

The Favorites is enthrallingly, achingly American in the best and worst possible ways. American like Stephen King, American like Supernatural, that is the amplitude of Americanness. Katarina and Heath are two podunk kids from the Midwest who go west and reinvent themselves, learn to live their lives in the public eye, chase that green Gatsbyian light that is forever retreating. There is this yawning pit of ambition in Kat that is never satisfied, and if she’d been born a man nobody would have looked askance but for a woman with a public profile? Unacceptable:

When I was strong and self-assured, people recoiled from me. They told me I was too competitive, too ambitious, too much. But when I was brought low, bruised and bleeding, a princess in need of rescue instead of a queen, they loved me.

But they’re also American in the anodyne sense they’re from the USA. An American dance team did not win a world title until Davis & White in 2011. At that point Russia had taken home three Olympic golds to the USA’s zero. It wasn’t until 2014 that Davis & White finally earned the USA’s first Olympic gold in ice dance (Americans have always been stronger in the ladies’ and mens’ singles disciplines). Sorry for being a pedantic skating fan, and I wouldn’t go as far as to say this book is Russia bashing but it’s certainly minimizing Russia’s contributions to the sport (and Japan! where are the Japanese skaters). It’s a story that could only take place in America because it’s built on the American dream of reinvention, of rising above your station, of “making” it. Even if it’s a mirage it’s still the motor that drives the story. Heath is the only nonwhite, non-Asian skater we meet. Thank you, Layne Fargo, for working that in. There’s been maybe 20 film adaptations of Wuthering Heights and 19 of them have whitewashed Heathcliff. Heath spent his first 13 years in foster care before Kat’s dad adopted him, so we’re not sure what kind of “nonwhite” he is but he stands out. Kat also stands out for being not-willowy-thin and for being white trash. Shaw & Rocha’s biggest rivals, Lin & Lin, are the mixed-race children of legendary Chinese-American ice dancer Sheila Lin. Sheila is the coach who launches Shaw & Rocha onto the international stage, but as a mentor she’s less than ideal. She’s too busy girlbossing her way to the top to tend to her relationships, including her relationship with her own children, who at different times will partner Katarina and Heath. Sheila is an ice-cold bitch and she’s awful to Kat and Heath but she’s also a product of American institutions (which doesn’t excuse her behavior! just means you don’t have to be the perfect victim for racism/misogyny to be real).

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

On the eve of joining Sheila Lin’s elite training academy, when they’re just two broke kids who can’t afford to pay their small-town coach, Katarina sells her mom’s engagement ring. This is the last thing she has left of her mother. Heath is more gutted than she is. It’s a portent of things to come, because Kat has zero qualms about throwing away something super important and meaningful if it brings her one step closer to the podium. Heath—and the reader—are put on notice that Kat’s ruthless ambition will be be the undoing of both of them. The entire arc of Shaw & Rocha climbing the competitive ranks is Kat putting in 120% and Heath being like “where did my soulmate go.” It all culminates in a rip-your-heart-out-of-your-ribcage breakup scene. Afterward Kat reflects, “I had no idea what breakup felt like; I’d never experienced one.” Because she’s been with Heath forever. They’ve always been everything to each other, romantic partner just another role they slipped seamlessly into. Early in the book there is a scene where their coach stumbles on them having an “intimate moment” and at first she’s like “are these thirteen-year-olds making out” and then she’s like “did somebody die” but actually what’s happened is Heath’s being transferred to another foster family and can’t skate with Kat anymore. To Kat and Heath this is indistinguishable from the end of the world.

Let’s talk about revenge. Heath disappears for two years, comes back hotter and madder. His skating is orders of magnitudes better. An aghast Katarina watches him take the ice:

His love for me hadn’t been motivation enough to reach his full potential. His hatred, though? That made him capable of anything.

He’s here to rub her face in exactly what she’s thrown away. His new partner? Isabella Lin, of course. Kat has been skating with Isabella’s brother Garrett the past two seasons. That was one of the reasons she and Heath broke up. To Heath, even entertaining the notion of another skating partner was tantamount to cheating on him romantically.

I was impressed by the characterization of Isabella and Garrett, whom I found insipid in the original Wuthering Heights but in this version their existence doesn’t just propel the plot, you actually understand why Katarina and Heath might be drawn to them as partners. Bella and Kat in particular share this yearning pit of emptiness: “But it was never enough for her. That’s why we were friends: nothing was ever enough for either of us.”

We have now entered the “make my ex madly jealous” phase of the story. Predictably it ends in Kat pushing herself too hard and bleeding all over center ice at the Olympics, and Heath rushes to her side and that’s the end of them partnering other people lol.

“I want to go home,” she tells him from her hospital bed, and at first he thinks she means the hotel but she repeats, “I want to go home.” They retreat to the Midwest, to the house they grew up in, all the good memories and the bitter ones. This is the house Kat’s father died in; the house Kat’s brother kicked Heath out of before their father’s body was even cold in the ground:

In our little stone house by the lake…Some days, I was content too. Other days, I felt trapped in a purgatory of my own making. Every day the same as the next, not working toward anything, not improving, not striving. Simply existing. Heath might be able to live like that, but I couldn’t.

So much of Wuthering Heights is about place—it’s right there in the damn title—and while The Favorites isn’t about property ownership in the same way, the image of the house by the lake is thematically central. Kat moves back into her childhood home and finds that she cannot escape her roots, but she also cannot be wholly contained by them. She and Heath return to competition. There is, eventually, another breakup. The melodrama quotient is so high that I felt chemically unbalanced by the time I finished this book:

”This is exactly what I’m talking about! I tell you I love you, and you throw it back in my face. I suffer for years to get back to you, and—“ “You wanted to get back at me. You wanted me to suffer too. That’s not love, Heath.” “My love isn’t good enough for you either. Got it.”

Imo the final act of The Favorites felt like it ran out of steam but overall it invoked the raw power of the original Wuthering Heights, while making everyone appreciably less awful than their canon counterparts. Heath in particular is so much easier to root for than Heathcliff. Otoh all the characters are definitely worse people than their real-life skating analogues. Recommended reading: This interview with the author where she talks about her research methodology, as well as some readers’ over-the-top reactions to the ending (I wasn’t disappointed but I didn’t expect a traditional happily ever after). Halsey’s “Drive”. Virtue & Moir’s 2018 gold-medal-winning Moulin Rouge program, along with (I just scoured ao3 and this has apparently been taken down!!! it’s illstrash’s “it’s not a bad thing”) a tragically unfinished AU where they are not partners but rivals.

[blueskittlesart]

begging and pleasing to hear more abt the colosseum au pls

oh jesus. most of it is in its tag but. okay so for context this whole thing started because a conversation between me and the only person in the world who gets botw like i do @eggymegs when we were. seventeen years old. because we were (are) both insanely obsessed with botw and the covid lockdowns had just started so rather than coping in a normal way we were exploring and analyzing the entire map. for whatever reason we latched onto the coliseum as a setting full of a lot of potential and based on that initial conversation i drafted an au where link ran away after finding the master sword and hid in plain sight as a gladiator. It was one of my first real forays into comic writing and a lot of it was kind of messily executed because i was 17 but it was also the first time i'd ever seriously tried to write a comic with like. real underlying themes and a POINT to its narrative so it was definitely sort of a gateway endeavor for me. I would definitely consider the first chapter (posted 4 years ago today lol) my first-ever black-and-white zelda comic, which is the type of content that i'd say i'm most known for nowadays lol. There are elements in that au that inspired/led to basically every comic in my zine, however indirectly, so it definitely still holds a special place in my heart. I still enjoy the story and concept too, although there are certain things i might do differently now. I never quite got to the climax of what I had planned before I lost interest and moved on to other things, though, so if you do go looking for it know that it isn't and probably won't ever be a full story, it was more like a fun little writing/art exercise for me lol. occasionally I'll go back to thinking about it just because i still find the story and characters i created interesting and think there's something worth exploring in them, but i can't promise any real new content or resolution lol

[celebrity-tarot]

Jenna Ortega’s Self-Perception: How does she see herself?

based on tarot. all readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only. 5/26/2025

jenna ortega sees herself as a highly successful creative force with a lot of good ideas, & she can even feel overwhelmed by how much she wants to do & execute. there’s a constant stream of concepts, visions, ambitions etc. running through her so she likely has a harsh internal pressure to make the most of her potential, which fuels both her productivity & her restlessness.

due to the line of work she’s in, it’s very easy to give up your power & let someone else take control; this is something she’s done before & could easily fall back into. the entertainment industry thrives on hierarchy & compliance & jenna’s aware of how easily autonomy can be lost in that environment. she doesn’t like that she has seen herself be susceptible to this, so she’s consciously rebellious. she doesn’t want to be someone who’s afraid to make her own choices, though it feels like she thinks she kind of is, or has been that way in the past. she likely speaks up often & makes sure her opinions are heard & considered when it comes to her career & any work she’s involved in.

she also sees herself as a bit angsty & different, maybe even detached from people who play by the rules or accept things at face value. it also feels like she could be experimenting with psychedelics, such as taking shrooms or micro dosing them, as a way to find herself or transcend her current mindset. not necessarily in a reckless way, but more out of curiosity or a desire to see past surface level thinking. i think she’s just into drugs a bit in general, nothing too bad but she does see it as a part of her, whether it be a life long interest or just aesthetically at the moment.

i tried to get more insight into how she views her actual personality, but it seems like she’s hyper-focused on her career at the moment. i think her identity is so closely tied to her creative output that she doesn’t think too much about who she actually is outside of it.

[voxofthevoid]

ok sorry absolutely insane of me to send u a million asks in like twelve hours but:

what do you think of intentionally ooc portrayals of characters? i’m curious bc you treat the canon material so thoughtfully and do so much research within it that i was curious about how you feel about ooc renderings—either within canon divergence (e.g., a tweak in a character’s background changes them fundamentally) or wholesale leaning into one canon characteristic in a way that affects and changes their other canon characteristics?

—🐀💪🏻

p.s. if several asks at once feels stressful for u to receive pls lmk and i will either consolidate or hold my q’s lmao i kind of feel like the anon ask format can skew particularly badgery so if there’s anything i can do to lessen that tone, lmk 🫶

We're all insane here ✨

I'm very happy to hear that you find my treatment of JJK canon to be thoughtful, not only because it's a wonderful compliment in general but also because JJK is the only fandom I've been this careful/thorough with when it comes to canon and characterization.

I can't even tell you whether it's because of a general progression in my writing skills or because a frustration with existing fanon was what drove me to write for JJK in the first place. Either way, previously, I fretted a lot less about characterization. Not saying I ever intentionally set out to write OOC, but there was often a skill-intent mismatch in terms of the concepts I wanted to execute, and I soldiered on anyway. Plus, there's only so much you can do when you're writing Steve Rogers as an eldritch tentacle monster or Katsuki Yuuri was an amoral vampire—which is a dilemma you've captured in your ask. Those are the two main speed bumps I've faced when tackling divergent characterization: lacking the skill to sell the concept I've settled on and picking a concept that necessitates a certain distance from the canon characterization.

But the more I write and the more I study the characters, the less daunting both of those bumps seem. Even up until the MCU, I side-eye some of my characterization choices, but I'm pretty happy with what I've done in Bleach, and JJK is where I'm most confident in what I'm doing, even when I delve into more canon-divergent characterizations, such as AUs where Kenjaku raises Yuuji, role reversals between Yuuji and Gojou or Yuuji and Sukuna, future AUs featuring much older versions of these characters, or a mix of these. Even no-powers AUs, in my view, require significant work in JJK if you want to retain the characters' respective brands of crazy in a mundane setting—and they don't feel like them without their crazy.

Of the two types of OOC renderings you've pointed out, I find divergent characterizations to the easiest to sell and accept, both as a writer and a reader, because if you keep the base characterization in mind, you can construct a plausible version of what a character will be like in X circumstances while interacting with Y elements. In JJK, I find those very, very fun to write. As a reader as well, I'm always willing to be convinced of such characterizations, though I'm far pickier in JJK than I am in fandoms I'm less invested in.

But characterizations that center one or a few character traits to the point of flanderization is where I nope the fuck out a few paragraphs in. My tolerance for this has actually hit an all-time low. In previous fandoms, I had convenient double standards, in that a focus on traits I enjoyed (usually darker ones) kept me seated while a focus on traits I didn't like (all forms of woobification, usually) got me hissing faster. My writing also reflected this bias, I'd say. Still, I was overall more willing to tolerate characterizations I didn't find accurate or enjoyable if some part of the story hooked me.

Even now, for fandoms I have no real investment in but read for (e.g., Naruto), I don't much care about how accurate the characterization is as long as it and the story are interesting. But for JJK? Nope. Both dark!Yuuji and sunshine!Yuuji flavors of flanderization make me nope out. Similarly, soft!Sukuna and woobie!Gojou are instant back-button material. That said, I've long since stopped frequenting JJK tags and now stick to friends' fics or recs, so I no longer run into anything egregious.

I remember the horrors though. I Remember Them.

(I posted this to put you at ease about the questions, but here's the link again in case ya missed it: https://voxofthevoid.tumblr.com/post/783481668364288000/to-the-anon-who-asked-me-if-the-multiple)

[fantasygerard2000]

Fandom's Rigid Standards

In my previous post about issues I have towards the Starboy craze, I briefly discussed about how most human Star designs tend to just stick with the Jack Frost "inspired" design over creating their own original designs for him.

Most fan designs try to stay loyal to the rather infamous piece of concept art.

While they made changes based on their own preferences, they kept major core elements like the glowing gold hair, floating, cape, and being white. However, what they neglected, or rather leave out is that this early version of Star can also shapeshift like Genie and Maui. Also, another factor is that this version Star was her grandfather's spirit as an early version of the story has him passing away instead of her father.

The reason why most people didn't know about these early ideas was because they only heard about the Starboy and Villain Couple ones from the more vocally outraged fangirls who cried about "being robbed".

This tweet in particular only adding fuel to the dying fire as most people would just express disappointment to the film, but this only give them an excuse to dislike it even more. Majority of people are so anti-Disney that they would even fact check from official sources from the people who made the film and only listened to the ones who have seen it and have totally not biased opinions on it.

Anyway, even with info about the actual early version of the film being out, most of them just stick with the love story idea. An idea that was the result from the lack of context and spite from said lack of context.

Coming back to the topic of human Star just being Jack Frost but yellow, that also brought up about how fandom has this awful habit of only caring about characters if they are attractive and white. We literally see this behavior with Magnifico and that this is also happening towards a character that doesn't exist says a lot. The fact that most human Star designs just colored Jack Frost yellow is proof of this.

Hell, back then, Disney themselves considered making a non conventionally looking love interest back when Tangled was in early production. Bastion was made to be your non standard prince.

Heck, an even early version of Tangled had the "prince" look like this.

There are people who genuinely like non conventionally looking characters for their looks. Beast is literally known for making people prefer his animal form than human form for crying out loud. You literally have zero restrictions to design a human or even monster Star. But instead, y'all ironically did this meme.

Y'all accuse Disney for not going with this early alternative design for Asha for "not being conventionally Disney".

But y'all also thought this ain't too pretty so you "borrowed' from the most conventionally good looking character from a different film.

Now, this is the part where I focus on the issue regarding Asha and her "romance". Well, lack there of.

Someone once said that people only like a work for the tropes they like being present over how they were executed, comparing how ads are recommending you to buy a book that lists off tropes you're into. L To fandom, the presence of tropes only matter.

When you think of Disney romances, you might thought of the princesses. And ONLY the princesses because their films have romance as a major factor. However, romances in Disney is notoriously bad, especially in their older films. It's not until in the later films that we got a more proper romance with Naveen and Flynn/Eugene. Romance requires both characters to be equally treated. In regards to the "potential" romance he has with Asha, there's this underlying feeling that Asha is treated like a vector for the reader/writer to insert themselves as.

Most romances, especially ones made for women, always centered on the main lead with the "protagonist" being in situations to ensure they get together. Majority of romances are made to be like a dating sim. There's nothing bad about going on fictional dates with a fictional partner but the issue here is that how the protagonist is barely a character of their own right. They are made to be relatable so the reader can insert themselves into, with any personality they have being treated as traits and quirks. Even with examples where both the protagonist and the love interest are both main leads, there's likely more emphasis is put onto the love interest.

And Asha is being somewhat unintentionally treated like this, especially in fiction where Starboy is the focal character is really upsetting. I get that Asha wasn't a great character but she shouldn't be treated like this. Or any character at all.

Asha being rewritten to be a completely different character to the point of being given a different name is just so jarring. That isn't Asha anymore. Just like the concept art above, she's small core traces of what was her there, but it's mostly all fan interpretation.

And this, to me at least, are the vibes I'm getting from. Wish being "remade" into something that it isn't. Being made to cater to a niche demographic whose tastes are just plain bad. I'm not one to judge people's preferences but disregarding the concept of a deceased family member who became magical shapeshifting creature from space for a more generic love story where you could self insert yourself into?

This isn't to say to giving Asha a love interest or making Star a human aren't bad ideas. I do in fact find the early concept interesting and I was initially neutral towards Starboy until that's what most of this "fandom" consists of.

This isn't the Wish fandom. This is the Starboy fandom.

[mixterglacia]

Thoughts on Val' (Both Positive and Negative)

VIVZIEPOP CRITICAL BELOW THE CUT, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

These are just my opinions. You don't have to share them, you don't have to agree, and you're not a bad person if you don't see things like I do.

You are allowed to like Val'. You are not a monster for finding him interesting/enjoying him. Don't let me ruin this for you by engaging with this. Okay?

Okay.

So at the base level, I actually don't mind Val'. In the show, he's a pretty interesting concept with a middle of the road execution. I like that he's beautiful (in the context of the show). I like that he's showing the true dangers of handsome men in positions of power. I like that he's both very up front, but also protected by several layers of social barriers.

It makes him feel semi-impossible to fight. Like, the bitch is right there but if you went after him it'd end horribly. (when the writing works that is.)

I think representing people in Angel's situation is a very noble goal to shoot for...

But once you step outside of the show, that's where it gets weird. I want to make it EXPRESSLY clear. I am not talking about the fandom at large. This is about the way the team treats him, not the audience.

There's a pretty strong disconnect with the crew saying that they aren't glorifying him, then turning around and attacking people who are treating Val' like Jimmy Mouthwashing.

They're allowed to parade him around like a doll, but you're not allowed to beat him up. Like, this is behavior I anticipate from fans, but definitely not from the crew.

They constantly state they aren't doing anything more severe than any other villain merch, but refuse to hear out anyone that thinks it's scummy. There's nothing wrong with making merch of your characters, but when they're a rapist you have to expect pushback.

The team is reacting like they're being oppressed for making cutesy merch of a rapist. I'm sorry, but people are gonna get a little touchy when you do that.

I'm not saying it shouldn't exist. I'm not saying they're wrong for making it. I'm saying the level of vitriol the crew has for concerned fans and critics alike is...a lot.

You rarely/never see them defending their Stella merch when backlash happens. You rarely/never see them going to bat for Mammon.

The sheer backlash people give Stella fans (crew included) is BONKERS when compared to how much they defend Val'. One is a confirmed rapist, and the other might be.

But if you try to say you think Stella is interesting/enjoyable to watch in the same way that Val' is? You'd be strung up and flayed alive.

Which is saying a lot.

Pivoting, they are always talking about the folks who feel seen/represented by Angel's struggle with Val'. Which, as I have said, is a very noble thing. Regardless if I believe he's good rep, he helps people. I never want to tell folks they're wrong for the characters they find healing in. You are not wrong for how you grow.

But in contrast, the crew has zero tolerance for folks that find the dynamic dangerous or triggering. You don't have to change your show, but you also don't have to go out of your way to attack people who don't like it. Or those that are concerned by it.

Because when the team does it, that sends a message to their fans that they endorse such things. The reason Homestuck got so out of hand was Hussie not taking a moment to tell his community to chill out on occasion. He never broke the bit (other than a few extreme moments.) for anything.

I know the crew regularly says "we can't control everyone". Which is true! But if you make zero effort to correct, or display hateful behavior, your community is going to echo and amplify it.

You need to put boundaries in place so they can begin to self-regulate. Like how Gooseworx very quickly cracked down on the emerging ship discourse in TADC.

Bringing this back to Val', my final thoughts are this.

Show!Val'? He's fine. Abusers can be the most beautiful, charming people in the world. They often face zero repercussions. That's how things sadly go.

Merch/Team!Val? While fine at surface level, you can't pretend he's a generic villain. He is a rapist. And while I truly have no issue with the merch at first blush, you can't act like a victim when people point out it's kinda gross to make.

The character isn't the issue. The merch (mostly) isn't the issue. It's the team's reactions to any detractors. You don't even have to respond, in all honesty. And you DEFINITELY don't have to call people stupid/homophobic/whatever when you choose to react.

Sometimes it's just a matter of perspective. I don't know why it became so radical to say it's a little weird to make merch of rapists. (weird=/=wrong. it's just weird.)

(Also, for the crit' side, this is not me endorsing attacks on the teams. Be polite. You can voice disgust without devolving into schoolyard bullying. Especially don't go after fans who are just enjoying themselves/not bothering anyone.)