#<- implicitly ig

[vigilskept]

this whole idea in both the fandom and the games themselves that being a people attached to their past & a lost civilization is a failing whereas a celebration of the present is something to strive for wrt elven & dwarven culture is something that reads as fundamentally western & liberal to me.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

meanwhile, some quotes about the material:

The "musical within a musical" is about a ramshackle theater troupe haphazardly putting on a show destined for Broadway in exchange for doing chores around the farm. People fall in and out of love throughout the process, all while the city folk comically struggle with the country life. Emmy-winning writer Cheri Steinkellner was given one mandate, however: "No tractor," she laughed on the phone just weeks before the show was set to begin previews. "They were adamant about that. And there's a tractor in the movie. There's a tractor in almost every scene. It's in many ways about a tractor. But I was told absolutely no tractor." [...] "We're all working on this like we're on an actual summer stock schedule. Art imitates life imitates art. It's just go, go, go. And I couldn't be prouder of our cast, and our Jane and Joe," Steinkellner, who is also a Golden Globe winner, said. Her writing partner also happens to be her husband Bill. "Our 'Summer Stock' is more 'inspired by' than adaptation. There are four songs included from the original film that you can't not do. But the new songs are the best of the old songs. The secret sauce was the great American Songbook." She said "It Had To Be You" is one of the classics audiences can expect.  

[source: ‘High School Musical’s’ Corbin Bleu makes his Goodspeed debut in ‘Summer Stock’]

So, how different is the musical Summer Stock from the movie? It feels like a whole new animal, even though we’ve borrowed some elements from the movie. It is still, first and foremost, a love letter to the theater; it’s about this group of players who come to a farm to put on a show. So many numbers are how they get into farming through performance! We also still focus on how Joe and his partner Phil [played by Gilbert L. Bailey II] fight to get the show on its feet, and how Joe helps his eventual love interest Jane [played by Danielle Wade] find her inner performer. But a lot has changed from the film, including some of the relationships. We have a brilliant new writer, Cheri Steinkellner, who has dropped in a lot of nods to why we love musical theater. We have Veanne Cox as Orville’s mother, who is the new “villain” of the piece. And we’ve added a lot of music, such as “It Had to Be You” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” and we’ve switched around who’s singing some of the film’s songs, such as “Dig, Dig, Dig” and “Happy Harvest.” But the most important thing is that while we’re still in the late 1940s, there are two Black actors playing the male leads – me and Gilbert Bailey as Phil – and it is definitely not color-blind casting; it’s color-conscious. That means we’re dealing with an interracial love affair, for instance. The racial element is an additional driving force, which I think is necessary, but the main story isn’t about the struggle for racial equality. In the end, it’s still a feel-good MGM-like affair. You’ve previously stepped into the figurative shoes of Gene Kelly, who originated the role of Joe in the movie, as well as Fred Astaire. How does that feel? I am always aware these golden age icons from MGM have such a specific style and that they make what they do look easy. Of course, I want to bring that to Joe. But in the tap dance sequence, for instance, we also have a bit of Gregory Hines, even though I’m no Gregory Hines. And at the end of the day, it’s me on stage, and I work hardest on finding my own characterization of these roles. This is your first time working with Donna Feore, who is one of Canada’s leading directors and choreographers. Tell me about your experience with her? Donna is wonderful to work with, both as director and choreographer. I think the best thing about her handling both roles is we don’t have to get everyone on the same page, because she is the same page. She’s also really hands-on with the music; she fought to have a drummer in the room during rehearsals so we could find those beats while we created the choreography, not just insert them later. As she directs, she considers the movement of every scene, but also the story that we’re telling through that movement! It’s not movement for movement’s sake, and I appreciate that! Goodspeed isn’t the easiest place to do a dance-oriented show, is it? Yes, we’re dealing with the confines of a very small stage, it’s like dancing on a Chiclet. I am so impressed how vibrantly our cast can move on this stage. We’re on top of each other!  I think we’d look great on a bigger stage, which is just one reason why everyone is focused on moving this show to New York.

[source: Interview: Corbin Bleu Talks About the New Musical Summer Stock and the Fourth Season of HSMTMTS]

“Summer Stock” is right in Corbin Bleu’s wheelhouse. “I feel at home on the stage,” he said. An actor, singer and dancer his whole life, Bleu is appearing in the upcoming stage adaptation of the Hollywood musical beginning July 7 at the Goodspeed Opera House. “I established myself in this particular genre, doing shows associated with Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire,” he said. “I am a bit of an old soul. This is what my voice naturally goes to.” The “High School Musical” star is playing Joe Ross, one of a troupe of actors that descends on a small farming town to turn an old barn into a theater. It appears he was born to play the role originated by Kelly on the big screen. “I grew up as a theater kid,” Bleu said. “I grew up watching old MGM movies. I was a theater nerd and a musical theater fan. My dad kept a storage unit of stuff from our childhood, and he found an old school paper from when I was in elementary school where I’m dreaming of performing in musicals.” [...] Of the four shows, “Holiday Inn” is most similar to “Summer Stock,” which was also adapted from a movie . “Holiday Inn” was a fairly close reworking of the film, but “Summer Stock” takes a few more liberties. “It’s not the exact same story,” Bleu said. “When I watch the movie, I think it could definitely use some updates.” Those updates include a multi-racial cast. “Let’s not skirt the obvious,” Bleu said. “I’m a Black guy doing characters traditionally played by white men, doing things Black men weren’t traditionally able to do easily at the time these shows take place.” [...] “Some parts of the book are still in process,” Bleu said. “Cheri is in the room with us at rehearsals. We want this to feel modern, but we don’t want to shoehorn anything in. “I was also part of the workshop we did in New York a month and a half ago,” he added. “I’m loving seeing it and I’m loving being a part of it. We know this genre. It’s a feel-good musical comedy, a big song and dance show.” Though there is a lot that has been rethought when reshaping “Summer Stock” for the 21st-century stage, those who know it as a Gene Kelly movie will have plenty to latch onto. “We are completely paying our homage to Gene,” Bleu said. “I am not Gene, but I do have a natural tendency to lean into that style. Gregory Hines is also a big inspiration. There’s tap dancing in this. There’s a whole Lindy Hop number. There are a lot of very large dance numbers.”

[source: ‘High School Musical’ star Corbin Bleu is rethinking ‘Summer Stock’ at the Goodspeed Opera House]

[floortile34]

oaugh i fucking love calories and nutrients i love eating i should do it so much more. ffuckk i love carbohydrates i love her i wanna kiss her and eat her and eat her out

[liedownquisition]

Every time someone, whether in-universe or in meta tries to say that Jason's a "loner" I think about two things:

First of all, the fact that Bruce is frequently referred to as a loner, both in universe and out, as if he doesn't literally constantly have his emotional support child and a rotating cast of lovers (sometimes multiple in any given story at once). In this instance, it's used to try and make Bruce seem "cool," which whatever ig.

Batman #359, which, is so fucking funny to me because this is before Batgirl and Talia showed up in this story. Catwoman too. It was a real fucking ensemble. He's berating himself for snapping at Dick, and sending some civilians (The Todds btw) to die, against Dick's advice, because he's being bitchy about Catwoman. Like, my man, you have a mental breakdown every time you're truly alone. You're not a loner but maybe you should be.

Secondly, is Jason a loner or is he just always alone and isolated? Is he a loner or does he just not know how to be any other way? Jason consistently through both pre- and post-crisis express a lot of desire to be around other people/build connections, as well as referencing factors that isolate him from them. (I'm not sourcing every incident here but here's Jay trying to bond with Bruce right after he gets taken in, and some stuff wrt Jason at school)

Detective #527 (Pre-Crisis)

Batman#395 (Pre-Crisis. This is him being jealous of Catwoman, sure, but given how often in this arc it's referenced that he's isolated from the other kids in school- despite being on some kind of presumably sports team. I think it's baseball? I'm trying to find the exact issue that it actually SHOWS him on said team but it is referenced in the issues leading up to when they switch over the histories.)

Batman Annual #12 (This is Post-Crisis)

In Brothers in Blood Jason's trying to reach out to Dick. I'm not saying he did it the right way or that Dick was wrong for rejecting that, but he did literally expressly say that he was trying to reach out to him. in his brief period that he worked with the Titans, it's explicitly stated that he'd had to sneak out from under Batman's nose to join up with them. Jason has a sparse few interactions with mostly adult heroes in Pre-Crisis and the only hero his age he gets to meet is Kid Devil/Eddie Bloomberg and that's nebulously canon or not since Pre/Post-Crisis was a soft, slowly rolled out reboot where they changed a lot of things in retrospect but also implicitly kept others. (N52 was also like this but I get the impression Crisis was marginally more organized.)

UtH was Jason reaching out to Bruce for connection. Again, not really the right way to go about it but he pretty obviously/expressly wanted affirmation that his relationship with Bruce DID matter to someone other than himself because he felt it had been stripped from him and false.

Someone who keeps reaching out to other people, but gets rejected because they did it wrong, is not a loner.

When those attempts fail and he reaches out less and less, that's not loner behavior, that's lonely behavior, maybe even a dash of self-loathing. When he starts sabotaging his relationships further he thinks they're already fucked, that's not loner behavior, that's bad coping mechanisms for childhood trauma. I don't care that they state it exactly that he's some kind of "loner," his actions don't agree with that statement.

Is his status something of a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point? Yeah. I keep seeing people refer to him this way and, jesus. y'all wanna ostracize him so badly sometimes. You don't want him here you don't want him there. You use the "loner" rhetoric to enforce the idea that his isolation is a good thing that he wants. They use it IN UNIVERSE from the mouths of characters who have biased views about him.

If he's such a loner why does he keep going back? Why does he answer every call? Like a beaten, but unfortunately faithful dog that can't help but return to their abusive master.

[whoskimii]

cackles and requests cuddlefucking with size kink toji from my wonderful queen venus

STAWWWP you made me blush (call me that again :3)

⋆౨ৎ˚ notes > toji x you. filthy filth! he has a size kink <33 also breeding kink ig??? (bonus :3) tell me if i missed anything!! ^^ ౨ৎ warning : you may have butterflies in your belly while reading this!! 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

if toji loved something more than gambling, it was definitely the way you seemed so small beside him. of course, anyone looked tiny next to that man. it wasn't breaking news.

he had an unhealthy obsession with the way he was literally twice your size. he loved knowing the fact that he was able to do whatever he wanted to you and you couldn't fight back. even though he didn't. but only because he loved you tolerated you. it's almost like you were inferior to him, in some way.

he loved pointing that out, whether it's explicitly or implicitly. sometimes when you were cooking and tried to reach for something on a shelf that was way too high for you (poor baby :3), he'd magically appear behind you and place a massive hand on your hip before grabbing what you were looking for. he would lean down and whisper in your ear. "call me if y'need help, doll," he mumbled. "y'know you're way too small for that."

or some other times when you were observing yourself in the mirror, he hugged you from behind. at first glance, it seemed sweet. but he would never miss the chance to wrap his large hand around your throat and squeeze a little. not enough to hurt you but definitely enough to knock the air out of your lungs for a few seconds. he just loved reminding you how strong he was and how weak you were. he was almost taunting you. it was like reminding you of your place, in some sense.

it was a late night when you found yourself cuddling with toji. he loved moments like this— moments when all he could focus on was your size difference.

your back was pressed against his broad, warm chest. his face was tucked in your neck and you could feel his breath tickling your sensitive skin. you were holding a teddy bear, which he hated. yeah, he had literal beef with a damn plushie. he knew how ridiculous he was, especially for a man of his stature but in all honesty, he couldn't give two shits. he just hated the way you'd cuddle it and clutch it to your chest tightly.

the moonlight entered the room through the shutters, creating a cozy atmosphere. he lifted his head from your neck and clicked his tongue as he noticed the teddy bear. he grabbed it and threw it over his head before the plushy landed on the ground with a soft thud. you whined in protest. "toji..." you mumbled.

you were about to sit up but he prevented you from doing so. he held you to his chest and nuzzled his nose in your hair. "pay attention to me," he ordered quietly. "forget 'bout that damn bear. you should throw it, anyway. it's childish."

his words made you scoff. he was the one being childish. "but i like it... was a gift from my grandma..." he chuckled. "yeah ? she's dead, ain't she ? you can throw it away now." you rolled your eyes. "shut up."

he planted slow kisses in your neck, grinding his crotch into your ass. "to'..." you mumbled. "mhm ?" he hummed, his voice muffled by your skin. "m'tired..." he chuckled. "yeah ? don't worry, doll, i'm 'boutta do all the work." you suddenly felt his large hand sliding under your panties, which made you gasp quietly. you relaxed against his chest and hummed.

the tip of his middle finger began playing with your cute little clit as he continued kissing your neck, eventually dragging his lips down your shoulder. after he gathered enough wetness, he circled your needy entrance, occasionally prodding and pushing at it. "don't tease..." you muttered. he chuckled and finally slid a thick finger in your warm little cunnie. "theeeere you go. feels good, huh ? i don't think that shitty teddy bear can finger you this good."

you sighed, feeling the absence of the comfy plushie you normally held close. "toji... don't tell me you're jealous of him..." he clicked his tongue. "me ? jealous of a damn bear ? think again, sweet cheeks." yeah, he actually was. he even hated the way you'd refer to that stupid thing as he. almost as if it was a human. the pace of his finger picked up, which made you whine. "gunna come, to'..." he smirked. already ? "nuh-huh. keep that for my dick."

you sighed as he pulled his finger out and suddenly forced it between your lips. he watched you taste yourself, all the while pushing his sweatpants down. "m'gonna stuff you nice and full and you won't make a noise. 'kay ?" he mumbled lazily before pushing his tip to your sloppy little hole.

he entered you and once he was bottomed out in your soft pussy, he groaned. "shit." he cursed. he began rolling his hips against yours, thrusting in and out of you while keeping a disinterested expression. his green eyes settled on the teddy bear that was still on the ground and he kept staring at it as he fucked himself into your tight little heat, almost as if he was taunting the plushie.

he frowned as you clenched around him and pawed at his back. "toji..." you whimpered. the sound of his name falling out of your lips like that made him twitch inside you. "yeah ? y'want my cum, s'that it ? i know." the way you were pinned underneath him by his weight made him groan. "shit... y'so small, y'know that...? could fucking break you if m'not careful enough." he sighed.

the thought of making you pregnant flashed in his mind for a second. he pictured you all nice and swollen with his baby. imagining such a little human carrying his baby— the baby of such a massive man— made him shiver. the contrast between you two was obvious. "i'll give you my cum, if that's what y'want. gotta put it to good use. don't have as much as i used to, y'know ?" he smirked at the little moan that escaped your lips.

"toji, m'gonna come..." you sighed. "yeah, i bet. with the way she's clenchin' around my cock, s'easy to tell." his eyes flicked to your creamy pussy, watching the way your little hole swallowed his large dick eagerly. "s'always a wonder how you can take me." you hummed, feeling how your gummy walls stretched around him. "m'coming, toji..."

he smirked. "go ahead." it only took you a few other thrusts to gush around him. "toji !" you moaned as your lower lip got caught between your teeth. "fuck— gonna cum too, doll." he frowned and came right after you, tucking his head in your neck.

after toji came down from his high, he stayed inside you and chuckled. "don't think that damn plushie can get you off that good, huh ?" you hummed breathlessly. "toji... you jealous...?" you mumbled. he sighed and kissed your forehead. "yeah."

oh.

ayo whose horse is that

⋆˚࿔ kimi 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[burningcheese-merchant]

Things I would like to see in the Eternal Sugar update (Greek mythology edition)

Just gonna go ahead and write these down ahead of time to see if any of this actually comes true. Note right away that I expect a lot of Greek mythology references lol

Minotaur mini boss somewhere on the map (or as the beast raid boss idk)

Beast Raid boss looks like Medusa/a hydra/the Nemean Lion/a cyclops/the minotaur

Regular level enemies that look like creatures from Greek myth. Like any of the ones listed above and/or others (like... sugar griffins or sugar harpies or sugar satyrs. And so on and so forth)

Something something Holly being implicitly compared to Atlas carrying the weight of the world on his (her) shoulders

Holly and co. (mostly her) going through things that mimic the 12 trials of Heracles (HIS NAME IS NOT HERCULES! IT'S HERACLES! HERCULES IS HIS ROMAN NAME! THE MYTH GOES OUT OF ITS WAY TO EXPLAIN THAT ZEUS PUT "Hera" IN HIS NAME IN A FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO APPEASE HERA BECAUSE THE KID WAS AN AFFAIR BABY (one of ten hundred thousand bc Zeus is a shameless whore)! Disgruntled Greek Mythology Fan Rant™️ over)

Eternal Sugar's lair either looking like the Garden of the Hesperides or straight up like Mount Olympus (or even Elysium ig. It's called the Forgotten Sugar Paradise, after all)

Some sort of food is found that Holly's gang is tempted or tricked into eating that puts them to sleep, drives them temporarily insane, or otherwise incapacitates them, referencing the Lotus Eaters from Homer's Odyssey (this would probably happen to Pitaya tbh)

Eternal Sugar gives Hollyberry a pomegranate to eat during their "in the end, you will become me" scene, insisting that Holly have something decent to eat and then rest because she deserves it after pushing herself so hard for so long. Since this is supposed to be the "Ancient's moment of weakness" part, Holly ends up eating it and either falling asleep or being put under some sort of mind control; submitting to Eternal Sugar's will either way. All of this as an allusion to the myth of Persephone and Hades, where the latter tricks the former into eating a few pomegranate seeds thus chaining her to the Underworld forever, as is what happens upon eating any Underworld food (seed count differs with retellings but it's usually 6 months, autumn and winter, where Demeter makes all plant life wither as she mourns her daughter's absence. The myth is supposed to explain where the cycle of seasons came from)

Eternal Sugar should be an Aphrodite-esque figure with siren powers or something

The "ally of the Ancient" cookie that shows up in ep 10 is an oracle-type figure that predicts the eventual outcome of the adventure (Holly awakens and defeats Sugar). Bonus points if the oracle speaks this prophecy to Eternal Sugar or any of her minions and is punished for it (common motif in Greek myth is oracles and other fortuneteller types being rebuffed or even outright persecuted because their prophecies upset people. "The harder you try to challenge or prevent destiny, the sooner it will arrive" is a common lesson. Every single time somebody tries to subvert a prophecy, they only ensure that it happens. Like trying to bust up a coffin with a hammer, except every hit lands on a nail and drives it further in)

Bonus to above, it would be funny if this character was specifically like Cassandra (priestess of Apollo cursed to receive visions of the future (specifically disaster) that no one would ever believe no matter how hard she tried to convince them) and an ally of Sugar's that was only trying to help her master, only to be punished for it. And then she eventually sides with Hollyberry, because Holly is a kind person who would probably try to help or comfort her in some way despite being an enemy (Holly would always rather have friends than enemies. She even made a friend out of Pitaya), and helps her win. "Cassandra siding with the one person who ever actually listened to her" sort of deal ykwim

Desperately need Hollyberry's awakened form to be a nod to Demeter like in this post made by this awesome artist (I originally thought of Holly's awakened form looking more "royal" and having a huge assortment of berries all over, as a nod to her uniting the warring houses in her land (which is what earned her her Soul Jam in the first place. Remember that every Ancient's awakening has nodded at what they did to earn the Soul Jam in the first place) and her always preaching friendship and unity. Her taking after Demeter is that but 100x better because of the nod to Greek myth + as the artist says (which I agree with 100%), Demeter is a harvest/agriculture goddess and agriculture (which Holly's kingdom is actually known for, a la the berry fields) takes a lot of hard work and diligence, aka the opposite of sloth, which is perfect for Holly)

These are the ones I thought of off the top of my head. If I think of more I'll reblog this post with them

Also gonna make a separate post talking about more general story beats I'd like to see since that's a whole other ramble lol

[the-collector-blog]

my analysis of hugo & lycaon's current relationship 🏳️‍🌈

i am fully and completely convinced honestly that hugo and lycaon have reconciled and are basically together now. and that, specifically, they are keeping it under wraps.

they also have every reason to keep it secret. like it actually makes so much sense. it'd complicate victoria housekeeping's reputation, put hugo and mockingbird more into the public eye than they already are...

vivian and lilac are in similar positions when it comes to hugo and lycaon. and both like and read fanfiction about the pair, seemingly without knowing that they're together (if they are).

then as far as the proxy, i mean... ig there's no need to tell them? it wouldn't improve anything necessarily. both hugo and lycaon trust the proxy implicitly and have their own dynamic with them. there's no real reason to add more to that? and also, the game would never confirm outright to the player that the two are dating.

they have both made a living for themselves and can't fully partner up like before. their factions are becoming familiar with each other, and know that they: spend time together, care about each other, and are regularly collaborating behind the scenes.

i think they're right where they need to be right now, settling into a dynamic/situation that works for them. actually, perhaps they are simply in a situationship. and romantically involved, in secret.

[mariuspompom]

Yes yes the new Rhaegar x Lyanna x Arthur x Ashara art piece is not official art, it is just commissioned art by Elio and Linda, who qualified it as a "headcanon" so technically speaking yes, the scene depicted is nothing more than a "fan theory"! Congratulations and thank you for reminding us, it is always important to have our facts straight. However, if Elio and Linda had commissionned art about your irrelevant dead ladies (not Lyanna cause you dgaf about her) knitting together/dancing at the club you would be losing your shit like that's sO canon u guyz, what about the artistic visionn, the vibes, we!stay!winning! Even better, if the commissioned art portrayed Rhaegar as you guys headcanon him, you would be rubbing your hands with glee right now as we speak. Alas, that was not what the commissioned art was about so you now suddenly remembered the existence of the "fan theory" concept, which is hilarious considering some of y'all have been implicitly or explicitly presenting your fan theories as canon for years, with tremendous success, I will admit. I guess it is a harsh realization that outside this small tumblr bubble nobody really gives a fuck about those theories because HEADcanon or not, this commissioned UNofficial art still has infinitely more textual basis in canon and more probability to become actual canon than literally 99,9% of the stuff you guys say 24/7 :/ But do your thing ig

[decepti-thots]

☕ ~ trans woman whirl?

I love trans Whirl headcanons but I think I love them for totally different reasons than I usually see, tbh? That is- I think a lot of the time the fandom just goes 'oh! Girl Holoform Spotted! now this character is girl, and we can say character is trans girl because in the comic they are called he/him' and tbh I find that attitude as fandom often implements it annoying for a couple reasons; one, it often feels like a kind of 'if character Looks Like Girl, well, character Is Girl' deal which tbh feels kinda shallow to me ngl, and two, it (and similar under-expanded upon headcanons) not infrequently seems to be a way for the fandom as a whole to justify the general lack of content for the very explicitly canon trans characters by instead being like 'all the material we make for these characters not treated as such in canon proves that we definitely love trans characters. don't think about how lug or anode or arcee don't get that same attention, or that this content only offhandedly actually deals with transness 90% of the time', you know? Bit mean, but I can't help but feel that's a repeated tendency in the fandom, tbh. I would feel less like this if the fanon trans headcanons did not just vaguely go 'oh. also ig they are trans, how nice' with no follow up and instead actually treated these characters as having opinions about being trans, but in too many cases they unfortunately... don't. (And no, them being robots is not an excuse. Anode has opinions on this. Arcee has opinions on this, a lot of them!) But we're here to talk about Whirl, and I want to talk about why I do love trans Whirl, so.

I love trans Whirl for reasons far outside of that, and I think taking that approach to the idea does it a disservice tbqh. Specifically I like trans Whirl for the same reason I like reading Verity as trans, because it adds to Whirl's character arc about being denied agency over identity and clawing it back on purpose in a way where the trans reading feels especially resonant and like it genuinely adds to the overall subtext of her arc. Whirl's entire character is one where the violent removal of agency in her life is so much a focus it changes the course of history; Whirl refusing to let the functionists that ruined her life win is why Elegant Chaos plays out as it does. Whirl is a character whose entire sense of self as a person with the ability to make any choices at all was viciously ripped away from her, and in turn a character whose response to that is to make her ability to choose exactly what she does so utterly undeniable that even if you hate her, even if you think she's repulsive, even if you want to throttle her, you cannot pretend she is not in control. In that specific context, adding in the idea that she would choose her own gender, in defiance of a Cybertronian culture that implicitly treats gender as an alien unwelcome influence, so she can have what she wants- that rules. There's also such a line to be drawn there between Arcee's arc and Whirl, I think, that is so great. That's where I see why it is so good. Being seen as just a gun to be aimed that everyone professes distaste for but still wants to stick around and do dirty work, but you insist upon your interiority being seen as just that; your interiority. And all the things the people who want to do to you which you hate being what you embrace. It's fantastic. I simply prefer that as an angle through which to view the ideas than like... haha well Whirl's holoform is Girl With Guns how funny. You know?

And one of her most "humanising" moments is when she extends that to someone else. I'm thinking of when she tells Tailgate that Cyclonus was lying about his injuries; that part where Cyclonus is trying to protect Tailgate in a way that is ultimately toxic for them both. Sure, everyone else agrees that the best way to handle this is to lie for your own good so you don't make a decision people don't want you to. But that's not fucking fair, and who gets to decide what's "your own good"? Viewing that in light of a Whirl who is not just vaguely a woman but specifically linking that to the way Whirl's rigidly defined role under a functionist heel ruined her sense of identity, because they know what's best for you whether you like it or not- damn, that is COMPELLING. And I find that just. So much more compelling than what fandom so often does with the idea. Whirl, above all else, knows how important demanding agency is. I think that makes Whirl a character ripe for a reading as trans, and I love that for her so much. she'll grab you by the throat and make you acknowledge her. and she's right every step of the way, no matter how much you want to look away. i love her.

tl;dr WHIRL TRANS WOMAN GOOD. LOVE IT. no really i just, it's so good.

[brotherconstant]

i do think that the change in helly's character could be a consequence of what she found out in the s1 finale and that'd probably be more (or anyway equally) interesting to explore than helena choosing (being ordered? does she have the power or the will to CHOOSE to go rogue? ig seeing helly experience affection could prompt her in that direction but still. would she get away with it?) to infiltrate the severed floor for either selfish reasons and/or keeping things in check long enough for the cold harbor project to be completed. i just think the majority of her seemingly ooc behaviour could be easily explained as helly grappling with her newfound identity and feeling betrayed + like she's implicitly betraying the other innies just by existing. just as easily it could be helena clumsily wearing helly's face. whatever theory is going to be proven correct, i think the writers are doing a fine job at keeping it ambiguous, even if the undercover helena theory seems to be the favorite.

[stereopticons]

On This Day in Schitt's Creek: June 2

2020

Adelina's Chili [david/patrick, G, 4,422] by @agoodpersonrose

After a long week, David heads to the supermarket to buy ingredients for Adelina's chilli recipe. Whilst there he meets Patrick Brewer for the first time and they hit it off right away.

In the Fading Golden Light [david/patrick, M, 3,366] by @doublel27

Collecting David and Mrs. Rose from the Ertlinger Winery was as entertaining as Patrick had been expecting. If nothing else, the unbridled joy that had washed over David’s face when he’d walked into the tasting room would have been enough. Though, it was immediately very clear that David and Mrs. Rose had consumed enough wine for an entire party, between the table covered in wine glasses, the box of empties and the smell that wafted off of David. OR Deleted Scenes from Johnny and Patrick going to collect their bold designated grapes.

It's your wedding day, and I'm your dad, so I'm supposed to say something [david/patrick, G, 1,804] by @petrodobreva

Patrick and Clint have a moment together before the wedding.

Never Harbour nor Port Have I Known [david/patrick, G, 4,149] by @kindofspecificstore

On a rare visit to his hometown, Patrick's parents ask him and David to come to church with them. Patrick has a lot to process.

What if I fall? [david/patrick, G, 1,982] by Lilibel

“Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” David would rather stay on brand than risk being ridiculed. Been there, done that and the less other people in his life know about him the safer he feels. But there's Patrick, and Patrick makes him feel safe and brave.A post season 6 set of stories, where David tries to take down some walls and let other see him for what he knows he is.

2021

[Podfic] Hanging on a moment of truth [david/patrick, E, podfic] by @kiwiana-writes

There are three things Patrick has tried to tell David but not quite figured out how: 1) "I used to have a fiancée." 2) "I'm not out to my parents." 3) "I blew you at a truck stop the day before we met."Not necessarily in order of importance.This story is about number 3.[Podfic of Hanging on a moment of truth written by Januarium]

Better Than Anything Else That I’ve Tried [david/patrick, G, 777] by @mostlyinthemorning

Patrick marks his and David’s first monthiversary with a gift.

caught in the slightest wind [david/patrick, E, 2,878] by @ratchet

Patrick hums thoughtfully. “You’ve jerked off during a storm before, haven’t you.” David waits too long to be able to respond with anything but the truth. Another flash of lightning accompanies his answer. “The energy is just really good, Patrick.”

Keepers [david & alexis, T, 4,170] by @wearpersistencewell

Assorted times in which David and Alexis came to one another's rescue; takes place before, during and after the series. CW: Some allusions to trauma, though nothing graphic.

No POV left *behind* - the night at Stevie's apartment from a unique perspective [david/patrick, E, 1,048] by @cheesecurdsgravyandfries

Patrick lays back on the towel, carefully spread out over Stevie’s bedspread, lips swollen from kisses, neck red and chafed from David’s scruff. He trusts David. Implicitly. He closes his eyes, letting instinct take over as his body revels in the sight, sound, and feel of David surrounding him. This is an excerpt from the night at Stevie’s apartment, as told by... Inspired by the third video on this IG post.

Stick Together Like Glitter [david/patrick, T, 2,467] by @agoodpersonrose

“Is this your first time?” David asks as he leans close. Patrick sucks in a surprised breath, briefly questioning if he had made a mistake in asking for this as he realises how close they are going to be for the next few minutes. But David’s hands are soft and steady as he tilts his head up just slightly and looks thoughtfully. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is. Is it that obvious?” “You have this kind of deer in the headlights expression on your face,” David explains, using the hand balancing the paintbrush to gesture at his own face. “It’s cute.” OR, David and Patrick meet at New York Pride ! 🏳️🌈

Storm and Stress [david/patrick, G, 5,594] by @missewoodhouse

David wouldn’t say it’s a headache, at first. Not really. Or maybe it is? aka: “Migraines are fun,” said literally no one (un-ironically) ever.

2022

Dancing in the Dark [patrick/rachel, M, 415, CW: self-harm] by SmokeysLady

Moments, unseen in canon, to explain those pesky details of what, how and why. Clearly written without a beta, just trying to get some things out of my head. Part 1 is a bit dark, with a brief gesture of self harm. Feel free to skip to part 2.

First Impression [patrick/rachel, NR, 716] by SmokeysLady

His phone pings again. It’s another text from Rachel, his ex-fiancee. He doesn’t even open it. Rachel has been sending texts periodically, ever since he left town. Some are entreating, some angry, and a couple were just gobbledygook. He texted back a few times to explain that this time they are really done. He finally tells her that her number is blocked, even though it’s not. It seems too cruel, too final, to actually block the number. Moments, unseen in canon, to explain those pesky details of what, how and why. Clearly written without a beta, just trying to get some things out of my head.

First Impression II [david/patrick, NR, 585] by SmokeysLady

Moments, unseen in canon, to explain those pesky details of what, how and why. Clearly written without a beta, just trying to get some things out of my head.

In your skin, in your hair (I’m tangled up) [david/patrick, M, 1,009] by @lesbiantism

David and Patrick’s first night and first morning in their new home

Olive Branch Coda [david/patrick, g, 453] by SmokeysLady

Moments, unseen in canon, to explain those pesky details of what, how and why. Clearly written without a beta, just trying to get some things out of my head.

One Phone Call [david/patrick, G, 1,197] by shapxshiftxrs

"Why didn't it work between us?" One question that may lead to various answers. Maybe that's why Patrick was so afraid to ask that question. He didn't know that with David, it would lead to the most wonderful scenario there is.

Slow Hand [david/patrick, M, 818] by SmokeysLady

Moments, unseen in canon, to explain those pesky details of what, how and why. Clearly written without a beta, just trying to get some things out of my head.

2024

What You Had and What You Love [david & alexis, G, 2,285] by DontStopHerNow

As Alexis goes through her many breakups, David does his best to comfort her, often badly. 5 Breakup Pep-Talks +1 Non-Breakup Pep Talk

Stats:

No fanworks for 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2023 2020: 5 fics/15,723 words 2021: 7 fanworks (6 fics, 1 podfic)/16,965 words 2022: 7 fics/5,193 words 2024: 1 fic/2,285 words Total: 20 fanworks (19 fics, 1 podfic)/40,166 words

[g1deonthefirst]

wasn't alfred a hedge fund manager? i get where ur coming from re: the class divide post otherwise btw but am somewhat stumped ab this bc he was definitely the one making the most money and likely highly educated as well, and ended up a cav. ig it is STEM/nonSTEM divide?

hi! yes, alfred was a hedge fund manager — he was also augustine's brother and so comes from a similar (presumably very wealthy) background. this exception doesn't really disprove the rule to me: either way, john was disproportionately likely to make people who were highly educated necromancers and people who were not cavaliers. i want to walk through a couple possible reasons for this.

the first possibility is that john (1) believed that people who were more "intelligent" were more likely to be able to understand necromancy and (2) implicitly believed that people who were academically high-achieving like scientists, lawyers, doctors, etc. were more "intelligent." clearly, john and the lyctors all seem to think pretty highly of their own intelligence. john in particular went from being a poor māori kid to being an accomplished scientist, and i don't think it's a stretch to say he probably believed he deserved it on the basis of intelligence.

in contrast, both alfred and cristabel have their own talents and intelligence disparaged — john describes alfred as "useless, but a darling" and augustine describes cristabel as "not hav[ing] the intellect you'd ordinarily find in a sandwich or an orange." additionally, necromancy is talked about in scientific terms, which lends itself to the idea that you might need some scientific understanding to be good at it. i think it's entirely possible that john consciously decided that some people wouldn't be intelligent enough to hack it and made them the cavaliers, a problematic assumption chiefly in that it equates academic achievement with innate intelligence.

the second possibility, and to me the more likely one, is that john simply made the people closest to him necromancers while making people he wasn't as close to (essentially his friends' friends) non-necromancers. it's pretty clear that the people john made necromancers were people who directly worked on john's original cryogenics project with him, while the cavaliers were all people who got dragged into his cult by those original project members. alfred is a perfect example of this — he's there because he's augustine's brother. other people have made posts about the possibility that john did this to intentionally separate his friends from the people they loved.

but either way, i think this demonstrates who john as a character cared about. john, as a successful scientist, surrounded himself by people who were highly educated and successful, predominantly (as you note anon) people in STEM. people who are disproportionately likely to be white, neurotypical, and cis, or at least disproportionately likely to be able to conform to white/european, neurotypical, cis standards. not only is john not as close to people in his project-turned-cult that aren't as highly educated, but poor people aren't present at all. there are no janitors, no retail workers, no manual laborers, no farmworkers. i don't get the sense that john ever really unpacked his internalized biases or questioned why he primarily values people who are highly educated.

"but," i imagine my hypothetical reader who's somehow made it this far protesting, "of course he's surrounded by highly educated people. he's working on a cryogenics project!" well...precisely. tumblr user sophelstien's scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds essay touches on how this project demonstrates that john is not as progressive as some people assume he is, but what i'll say here is simply that john didn't have to make the people in his cryogenics project the leaders of his new society. and by installing the very people who our society rewards into positions of power, john — consciously or not — shapes the new society he's creating with the old society's inequalities.

[conceptofjoy]

What're ur thoughts on trans masc Roxy and the symbol of bro's sword as the choice to take on the mantle of masculinity w/o the baggage the Striders carry w/ it. I kinda mourn the way it implicitly decanonizes Roxy as a trans woman, but it's space for positive masculinity ig

i mean its incredibly sad we’re literally fighting for table scraps right. hs is gay asf until when it comes to explicit trans rep. i still prefer characters like jane, nepeta, dirk and karkat for t masc hcs. i dont rlly see the issue of being a flawed individual and trans? esp bc internalized homophobia and transphobia is a part of growing up in a cishet society. anyways, not what u asked lol.

ehhh i prefer the katana roxy used to deal the final blow more being a symbol of her slaying hic along with dirk. anyways roxy’s deal is that she’s above the ‘rules’ and can do impressive things with that including societal rules w gender. she can do what ever she wants forever.

swords r more of a striserket thing imo, symbol of masking untouchable power/hero thing. vris wields her spinneret sword when fighting jack after he kills terezi and karkat. then dirk wields his legendary unbreakable katana he uses to mirror his bro. and dave… u dont need me to spell it out lol.

[remotewatch]

but also… being connected to him would probably be a humiliation ritual in its own atp, so i feel like my self insert girl does lose a lot of aura point for still being involved with him, which only results in her taking out all the anger on him even more…… which turns him on and this is why this embarrassing situationship can never end…. delicious. anyways idk why i’m writing all this to u, u literally did not ask LOL sorry 😣

No literally imagine dating a man with nearly 800 ig posts omfg talk about community dick

The way I write about jack feels so disconnected from the way he acts now even outside of the aus bc he would literally never embarrass the reader like this…but a few of you guys have been making very good points about how this loser behavior is a great excuse to punish him (not that an excuse is ever necessary LOL)

❤️‼️ also I am always implicitly asking for my inbox to be blown up because I love attention and talking to y’all ‼️❤️

[librarycards]

Thank you for responding to my ask, I think I lack knowledge in certain areas. Could you point me to some books about stuff you mentioned? Like the "child races"? When I Google I find stuff on what imperialism does to children oppressed by it but I don't think that's what you mean. I'm sorry if I'm reiterating harmful things. I try not to and genuinely understand things but to do that I ask questions which show gaps in my knowledge.

I appreciate your thoughts and insights a lot. To give some context to my question: I have had a lot of bad experiences with mental health institutions, I was institutionilized when I was 8 for a year at a place that used isolation cells because of a then autism diagnosis. This was very traumatising to me and to my mother who eventually got me out by persuading psychologists that my "peculiarities" came from me being highly gifted and not from being autistic. She's now in treatment with a psychiatrist who specializes in giftedness and believes that gifted brains function differently from other (neurotypical) people and that this explains the gap she feels when interacting with other people. As in how people treat each other, what's happening in the world right now, how it's possible that things went so wrong and nobody understood her/listened to her when I was being institutionalised, etc.

I also don't know of how to conceive what happened to me and how the world can be in such a state, so I try to look for things that might explain it. Idk if I'm being at all comprehensible but I wanted to let you know what was behind the question. I think I might be autistic, or something in that direction, but it's hard to figure out when so many things interweave and what autism even is (and if you're even human) changes depending who you talk to. Giftedness is a safer label ig

as for the concept of child-races, it was a colonial descriptor used to describe colonized peoples, especially Black people, using anti-child and ableist stereotypes of stupidity, slowness, irrationality, and the need for paternal "guidance". it was grounded in a vulgar darwinist ideology that claimed whites were the most evolved of all the "races", and others needed white domination in order to, as it were, "grow up." the language of "developmental" superiority/inferiority is implicitly and explicitly tied to the association of some groups with immaturity and others (colonizers) with "full maturity" (or "highly-developed"ness).

i don't have specific books - this was something i learned in high school, and there are some interesting articles on it in google scholar upon a cursory look.

i really empathize with your reasoning for & attachment to the gifted label given your psych trauma - it's common for parents and kids to do this as a result of social + internalized ableism and lack of other options. there is also an impulse from a world which demonizes radical empathy to pathologize those who feel deeply and connect with those we've been taught to cast aside. i really get it.

that said, i'd really encourage you to seek out community with other neurodivergent people, incl. other autistic people. if you are questioning whether you may be autistic, join us. hang out. see if the language and accommodations we use work for you - you may well see the label as suitable for yourself as well. it's hard to push past internalized ableism, especially when shrouded in the relative safety of HSP or gifted identity. again, I've very much been there. but i also guarantee you're going to get so much more from a shared disability community than you do from the words you use now.

[threewolfmoons]

lrb: i'm always interested in talking abt the ways you can Fail at gender/how that narrative is spun when you transition etc, like medically speaking failing at yr assigned gender is a requirement to access transition in the first place, and also i like noodling on it wrt my own experiences so. with necessary caveat that my own experience isnt necessarily anyone elses/reflective of systemic issues etc etc im just one white dude

anyway its interesting bc the way i failed at girlhood had very little to do with gender presentation and very much to do with my fatness. like i was encouraged to dress in a more unisex way, which i was fine with because of the Body Issues for the most part. i didnt avoid looking like a Girl because of a dysphoric quality but because i was implicitly and at times explicitly trained that a certain type of girlness wasnt for me, and the few attempts i made at it, i was extremely aware that i was breaking a rule that a body like mine could be dressed and styled in that way. in fact i had a very rebellious phase in my late teens where i deliberately dressed very femininely *because* i understood it to be challenging and provocative. so it felt like a reclamation to put on a low cut dress or whatever in spite of my fatness. keep in mind i was a teenager in the 2000s lmao.

looking back the type of femininity i was trying to access was a gay femininity (which to be exceedingly clear is Not the same as trans femininity), like i have always been a weird little fruit. as a teenager i id'd as a lesbian (in retrospect very funny bc every person i dated or had strong feelings for later came out as a trans masc, so like. extremely specific type ig) and i remember my mother was always extremely insistent i was a "lipstick lesbian" even though i dressed, frankly, like a fat butch. but i was not trying to be butch and didnt think of myself that way to be fair it was just like the only allowable mode of dress when youre a fat sort of lesbian in 2005. also this is not even getting into the autism of it all and my total disconnect from myself its just like, idk fatness strikes me as a other gender space distinct from male/female (though ofc it manifests differently depending on various racialized sexed cues etc etc). i was not a cis girl in the traditional sense even though i was also not by any metric a Masculine person or interested in masculinity. yk!