#<- new recurring post tag probably

[uwucatsuh]

silly dump 1: beginnings

[touchlikethesun]

TW: sa. Hi! I hope it's okay to talk about it but about your tags in that post about SVSSS and SA being a recurring theme, I agree with a lot of it. I would say that even Bingge can be argued to be have some trauma since his first time was coerced. Someone pointed out Bingge could've become hypersexual as a result of that trauma and that it made me see the whole harem thing in a new light (but it doesn't make him innocent since he forced himself on a bunch of wives). It really is such a recurring theme it's hinted for Shen Jiu and for Su Xiyan and Binghe with the Old Palace Master. Su Xiyan's story is even the catalyst for Binghe's tragic backstory... You made a very good observation OP!

hey anon, yeah it's alright to talk about! i do appreciate you including a tw, but this is a topic i find really interesting, i actually opened my laptop back up to answer you lol

as for luo bingge, i didn't get into it in my tags bc… lowkey didn't expect ppl to read them lol (ty for doing so tho xx) and also he's quite a complicated case. we obviously can't say for certain since we see so little of him and what we do know is told to us thru multiple layers of unreliable narration, but i do think there is enough to suggest many of luo bingge's early sexual experiences were probably coerced or non-consensual, leading to trauma-induced hypersexual behavior. (edit: i am adding this parenthetical a few hours later after writing the rest of this and i didn't know how to fit it in otherwise so apologies, but i think it's worth pointing out that luo binghe - both bingmei and bingge, so i think we can consider it to be a core trait - do naturally have a much higher libido than most people. with bingmei we see how this causes issues for him in his relationship with shen qingqiu, but it's managed with kindness because sqq loves him and is patient enough to teach him boundaries and managed by binghe himself who loves and doesn't want to hurt sqq and who has been taught consent and respect from a younger age. when it comes to bingge, who lacks the sort of safe space provided by sqq and has no education in the matter, i think it's easy to see how he would have a much harder time understanding and managing his libido - again it isn't an excuse for SA, but this is just another convention of the genre that were it to be realised has horrible implications and consequences.)

but also, luo bingge lives in a world where healthy consensual sexual dynamics are so rarely modeled for him (the aforementioned coercive sex, but also constantly being gifted wives by other men, and the normalisation of rape in a world with sex pollen (sorry ik i already said that but like really it is so incredibly fucked up if you think about the implications of sex pollen in a real world)), and where he is being taught that the only way to be safe is to have physical power over others - of course we the reader know this is because it's being written as a venting male fantasy revenge story with a target audience of incels, but concretely this is bad for luo bingge's psyche, and you know, also leads him to do horrible things in retaliation and hurt and innombrable amount of people

and again, i don't know how much of this was really intentional on mxtx's part and how much i am reading into it, but svsss is about making one-dimensional smut novel characters into fully realised people and extrapolating out the implications for what it would mean for that world to be a real one. like, shanq qinghua and especially shen qingqiu have to learn that the people they live with are not as simple as they might have appeared on the screen of the webnovel. and part of the extrapolating, from my read of svsss, involves interrogating the ways characters have and have had their agency infringed upon in the original pidw and finding ways to return their agency to them in svsss. this is perhaps most clearly seen in the way all the "wife" characters in svsss are allowed to be their own people separate from binghe, with different passions and drives and again, agency to direct their own lives, contrary to sqq's expectations of them. however this also involves bringing to light just how pervasive and damaging the sexual violence in the original story really is, by showing the abuse that su xiyan suffered, by showing how binghe is negatively affected by xin mo and the other coercive elements of this world, by subverting expectations with shen jiu and showing how he was also a victim, and by making the only truly irredeemably evil character the old palace master, a disgusting old pervert and sexual harasser.

anyways yeah i think it's a really interesting aspect of svsss, and while i can understand why it might not be at the forefront of everyone's mind (good lord is it a BUMMER to think about), it would be a disservice to the narrative to forget it entirely.

[pynkhues]

Yeah, i think there's a tendency within the fandom to overlook the fact that Lestat wasn't chosen just because of his looks but also because of his strenght and capacity to endure. The basement was full of pretty men and magnus didn't consider them worthy enough to pass the dark gift. Lestat was different because of the wolves and the fact that he was resisting magnus till the end.

I think about that heartbreaking passage from totbt when Lestat consider killing the wolves to be his downfall and blames himself for being picked by magnus because it shouldn't be humanly possible for him to kill so many of them.

I do wonder if it is even actually possible for one man to kill eight wolves, it almost sounds like something out of the fairytale lol. He definitely had to be very strong and tenacious. It also makes me curious how they'll approach the wolf killing scene. They may have budget for one real wolf, but definitely not eight haha. The animals from s1, especially the fox, looked kinda fake and silly. I worry that the fake cgi wolves will take away from the seriousness of the scene.

I totally agree, anon. I do think Lestat's looks played a significant role in why he was chosen - Anne makes it pretty clear that Magnus had a type after all - but as you said, it was his capacity for resistance and endurance, I think at least, that made Magnus pick him. He could see that Lestat was a survivor, which is the only way a vampire can really make it through an eternal life, and we've already seen what happens to the ones who can't with Dasha and soon will with Nicki.

You're right that the wolfkilling scene in the books feels like something out of a dark fairytale. It's got that sort of heightened fantasy to it, and I'm curious as to how the show plays it. The show does try to steep the vampires in reality where they can - like I love the production designer talking about how seriously they take the period setting, because the period setting feeling very real allows for the more fantastical elements of the show to work - but it's pretty hard to get around how fantastical the wolves are in TVL. In a lot of ways, I think it'll probably be influenced by how they decide to approach Lestat's own unreliability as a narrator.

Like it could be played as fact, or it could be played as Lestat's ego taking centre-stage and his capacity for exaggeration, but also it kind of makes sense to me that they might play around with it as a trauma response? It's really common for people to add new details to traumatic memories over time that aren't necessarily true. This isn't an intentional thing, people aren't lying to make what happened seem worse than it was, rather it's generally thought to be a result of the different ways traumatic memories can recur (you might make the effort to remember when talking to someone about it for instance, but at the same time intrusive memories can just suddenly occur when you're unprepared for them) (there's a fascinating paper on that here if you're interested). I feel like there's a lot of room to explore that with Lestat if the show wants to given the sheer volume of trauma he's experienced, and that thing of it being eight wolves instead of say, maybe three, could potentially be depicted as a traumatised response to a pretty harrowing memory.

Who knows at this stage though! Either way, the wolfkiling sequence is a pretty vital one for all the reasons you said, I love that little section of Body Thief too. I mentioned it in the tags on my post yesterday, but there's something very resonant to the victim-survivor experience, I think, of trying to figure out why you were the one a perpetrator picked, and the fact that Lestat will never really have an answer as to why Magnus plucked him from his bed that night and made him is genuinely pretty haunting.

(And totally agree re the CGI too. I find the rats in 2.08 pretty bad too, haha, I'm glad the show tends to rely more on practical effects than animated ones).

[jonahmarshall77]

iintrrooo posstttt

> rules ! : )

no nsfw! flirting is okay. (please do keep in mind i AM a minor,,)

please use common sense.

don't be a dick?? ↑

this is just a silly thing! some stuff will obv be ooc

don't narrate what jonah does! i'll be the one ic for him, tyvm

don't repetitively send in asks if it doesn't get answered... chances are that we either forgot about the blog again or didn't want to answer it.

> small notes / general info !

hcs WILL be applied lmao

as mentioned prior, we are bodily minor ... don't be weird?

i may or may not vanish out of the blue if i get too busy ,,

this is ran mostly by a mafioso fictive , , me (marsh) will still ! help co run it ! because i'm just awesome like that yeah yeah ik /joke

he's around his early 20's !!!

apologies if . there are small inconsistencies.. i honestly ? only just recently remembered we even ran this soo , uh

please use it/he when referring to mod !!! ! neos are okay too. jonah uses he/they : )

‼️ AU/Timeline notes ‼️

Jonah DID die for a few minutes in this timeline, except he got resuscitated after a minute or two (so he still got the experience of death, dying, etc)

Jonah didn't go back to check on Adam, and believes him to be dead

Most of his responses to trauma over everything is generally just “it is what it is” until shit gets important or serious

Any asks/rp threads are set AFTER the crash, no specific time after, but just sometime after

Jonah hasn't heard from his parents (or anyone in general) for a while, believing that "if they wanted to stay in contact, they'd contact me first"

Jonah definitely ignores most issues, problems, etc, that might've been aroused from the crash/incident, figuring that if he ignores them for long enough, they'll go away

honestly he just left the van broken in a ditch and doesn't have any plans to go back nd get it

↑ he also walks everywhere. like, as long as its under 3 miles he'll walk

he has three (?) alternates living in his house/his general area; kc (@/definitely-not-an-alternate), a dog (which we refer to as the slur dog! it called him the f slur and hasn't been back since), and a short-lived alternate who made brownies and cleaned jonahs room LMAO,,,

also, he took in some random ass kid. probably worth mentioning

he doesn't really have any contact with any friends from prior, the only way he probably COULD reach out is thru the crappy old laptop he has

when i'm "posting", i'll probably have some typos/misspellings ^_^ .

> Tags!!!

#› Someone new!! ; new blog/anon interactions

#› what were you saying again? ; reblogs!

#› yeah‚ what's up? ; asks!!

# › it's you! ; recurring anons

#› static on the radio (or any post labelled ooc) ; ooc crap lmao,, will either be labeled with that or #ooc post or some shit

#› anyone listening? ; ic posts unrelated to asks/ongoing interactions, also can be differentiated by the "chat" font!

> claimed anons ;

🪦 , 🌻 , E , 🐦/🌹 , 🌩️ , 👾 , 📼 , 🥩 , 🐕 , 🫁 , "Fox" , 🐝 , 🍎 , 📞 , 🧷 , 🧸 , 🐶 , 🍕 , 🎡 , 🪲

hi thats a lot of people

updated: 3/25/25

ran by @battery-enthusiast ... go check out my blog !! its very epic i swear

all accounts i run (including this one): @m4fios0 , @thebestinvertebrae , @tappingthemic , @vhs-player (my personal blog : ) ) , @jonahmarshall77 @battery-enthusiast @mrkheathcliff @certified-dentist @ovinophobia @no1-gummyfishlover ;; go follow them 'nd send in asks! im active on all of em ^_^

[inkandarsenic]

OC Ask Game

I'm working on updating the published chapters for her fic because i recently changed the face claim for Eleyna and reworked her appearance. i wanted her to not be blonde - because i realized that Cersei disliking Eleyna for being her mother's daughter and Ned putting together that Cersei's kids are bastards makes more sense if Eleyna doesn't look stereotypically Lannister. Thanks to @izzy140105 for the tag! Some spoilers for the fic lol

• What is something that your OC would never purchase for themselves, but would be (secretly?) delighted to receive as a gift?

Probably the more feminine lady-like things, I think - pretty dresses and jewelry and the like. She was never wanting for them growing up - she always had to look the part of a Lannister heir, but when she got older, she didn't want to be anything like Cersei and stopped actively trying to get new pretty things. And once she's in Robb's camp, there's no need or opportunity for them. She also secretly really wants a fur cloak like the ones the Starks wear.

• Is your OC ticklish? Has anyone ever dared to find out?

Eleyna is ticklish, especially on her stomach/ribs and her neck. Her mother used to tickle her and make her laugh until she was crying, but since she died, no one has found out if Eleyna was ticklish. Robb finds out completely by accident, though when he asks if she's ticklish, she denies it.

• How easy does your OC find it to apologize?

very difficult. She's a Lannister and Tywin always taught her that Lannisters never apologize because they never do anything they don't mean, and apologizing is a sign of weakness.

• When did your OC first see a dead body? If they have not seen one yet, how might they react to doing so?

Eleyna was six years old the first time she saw a dead body - it was her mother's, and Eleyna also witnessed the murder happening. Six year old Eleyna spent almost a full day hiding from the sight, curled into her mother's dead body, before Tywin came looking for her.

• Does your OC have any recurring dreams? Have they ever told anyone else about them?

Eleyna's recurring dream is a nightmare memory of her mother's death. She's morbidly grateful for the nightmare, because it's the only time she gets to see her mother, but her mother's face gets blurrier every year, to the point that when Eleyna has the dream in the fic, she can hardly make out any specific features. She sometimes worries that one day she'll forget entirely and it'll be her taking her mother's place in the memory-dream. Eleyna does tell Robb about them one night post-Red Wedding when they're both up really late at night from nightmares.

• Is your OC stingy with their money (or other resources)? Or are they something of a spendthrift?

She's more sensible about money than, for example, Tyrion or Cersei. she was raised to be Tywin's heir and to keep track of finances for more than just herself, so she tries not to spend gold unless she has to - the math involved in accounting gives her a headache and she'd rather not create more work for herself in keeping track of what she's spent - or if she's buying something for someone she cares about.

• Does your OC have a sweet tooth? Or do they prefer to avoid sweets and sugary treats?

Eleyna doesn't have a particularly sweet tooth, sugary treats often made her hyper as a child so her mother didn't let her have them often, and after Maryana's death, Tywin wouldn't let Eleyna eat sweets because he himself didn’t eat them, so why should he let his child? She does however love spiced honey cakes, the cook in Casterly Rock would sneak them to her on her birthday and holidays. Specifically the ones I'm thinking of are the honey cakes in LotR - this recipe

• Is your OC easily provoked by insults or mockery?

Not to her. Later on, she's easily provoked by insults to the Starks - she will stab you if you talk shit about them - but most insults/mockery about her or her family are things she's been hearing all her life and especially during the time she's been in Robb's camp, so atp it's stopped bothering her except when it's coming from Robb

• Where is somewhere your OC has visited that they never want to visit again?

King's Landing. She hates it there - the smell and the heat are not her friends, and she's not keen on the people either (cersei and joffrey). She much prefers the cooler coastal climate of the Rock or the cold clean air of the North. She also would prefer to never go back to Harrenhal once she leaves it, it's just creepy and off-putting to her.

• Is your OC ever somewhat flirtatious?

Not really, she's actually quite awkward when she tries to be, because the only person she really has to model "flirtatious" off of is Tyrion, and the less said about that the better.

no pressure tags: everyone i thought of tagging has already done this lol, so i guess if you see it and you wanna do it this is me tagging you in

[deancasbigbang]

Title: Two Worlds Apart

Author: destielpirate

Artist: LamiaSage

Rating: Mature

Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester Background Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester

Length: 55000

Warnings: Nightmares, Panic Attack.

Tags: Amnesia AU Mysterious Cas Mutual paining Angst Past DeanCas Idiots in Love Dark fic Falling in love again Hurt/comfort

Posting Date: October 30, 2023

Summary: After being injured in a car accident and suffering through a memory loss, Dean spent the last four years attempting to put his life back together. The majority of his memories return, but something still remains missing—something he can't identify—that everyone is hiding from him, something that always remains unanswered. Dean’s past comes back to haunt him when he visits Sioux Falls for a business meeting where he meets a stranger named Castiel, but something about the man seems strange and oddly familiar which makes Dean wonder if he knows him, but the guy always refuses. And that marked the beginning of a quest to solve the mystery of his past hidden in between those recurring dreams which becomes more, and more vivid the more time he spends with Castiel which soon leads to a painful realisation and a series of regrets.

Excerpt: “How was it?” Cas asks, glancing back at Dean. “Amazing!” Dean whispers. "It was!" Castiel says in a low voice, "... It really was!" He murmurs, openly staring at Dean as if he had something to say, but then decides against it and casts his gaze away. After hearing the response, Dean casts a brief glance in Cas' direction because it didn't seem like he was talking about the book, but Dean chooses to ignore it because Castiel is hard to understand and has a habit of talking in riddles. Dean sighs, driving on an deserted road late at night, he takes the turns as instructed, paying close attention to the twisting roads. They settle in a comfortable silence, and somewhere along the way, Dean’s eyes flicker over to check upon his new friend in case he has fallen asleep, but Cas is wide awake, reading like he hasn’t picked the book up in ages and wants to absorb each, and every word of it. The road is nothing but a dull route with little to no traffic, and he finds the passenger in the shotgun who is engrossed in the book a little tempting, and happens to steal occasional glances at the nerd beside him, and something drops in his chest watching Castiel wear that soft smile while reading the book as the street light falls on Cas’ face, and fades away just as swiftly, before being replaced by another warm light of the nearing street light, Dean stares intently at the sight before it becomes a memory. Maybe, Dean wasn’t being subtle at all, and maybe Castieln noticed it as he glances at Dean to meet his eyes, and Dean is taken aback by the mesmerizing shade of blue prominent even in dimly lit atmosphere, Cas doesn’t say anything, but offers that lovely smile and Dean find himself mirroring the expression as Castiel tears his gaze from Dean to peer out of passenger seat window, and Dean allows himself to linger a little more at the strange feeling because something tells him this is not the first time he is looking fondly over the person sitting in the passenger seat, and something about Cas that has brought up this feeling, which almost seems like a déjà vu. A faint, blurry memory that is there, but still remains locked somewhere deep inside his brain. “Eyes on the road, Dean,” Castiel reminds, in a delicately soft tone. And without missing a beat, Dean finds himself saying, “But the road is not beautiful.” Castiel’s head snaps in Dean’s direction quickly, probably startled by the response and Dean looks away abruptly, snapping back to reality, flinching at his own words, he clears his throat not sure what had gotten into him seconds ago, it happened too quickly before Dean could even register what he was even saying. Castiel’s reminder triggered something in his brain and he replied with the answer that popped up in his head, as if he has always replied like this to whoever used to be in the passenger seat.

DCBB 2023 Posting Schedule

[bleachbleachbleach]

five comfort characters, five tags

Thank you for the tag, @fractoluminescence! I made a new post because this got long, but the original meme is at this link, and @fractoluminescence's cool responses are at this one, if you'd like to read everyone's (I recommend!).

I had a difficult time developing an answer because I got too in the weeds about what the definition of “comfort character” was, rip. It turns out there are a lot of definitions, ranging from characters you find cozy, to characters you find relatable, to characters you look up to, to more elaborate definitions that attempt to articulate those distinctions between a character you love and a character that you would sink to the bottom of the Marianas Trench with.

I’ll define “comfort character” as that thing that begins by delineating, say, a show you love so so much (Haikyuu!!—my soul for a volleyball) vs. a show you want to be fannish about (Bleach. BleachBleachBleach, even. BLEACHBLEACHBLEACH, even), and then refines further into characters you love (my eternal Soi Fon era) vs. the characters you’re in the Trench about. Because while I probably think an above average amount about Soi Fon, and love seeing her on my dash, and do want to write for her once I alight upon some idea that sufficiently connects my headcanons about her to 1) actual canon and 2) a Story, she is not who I:

think about every single ding dong day;

regularly revel in in daydreams;

both consciously and unconsciously filter my lived experiences or relationships through, such that they become doubled; they find translation, in an act of both processing (growing distance from, or increasing intimacy with) the experience and in tugging at the character themselves, growing them into something that proceeds from their canon or offers an opportunity to entertain new and additional dimensions.

I think the key elements here are:

the alwaysness of this—the readiness to be in the soup at all times;

how personal the engagements are, which I think is sometimes to do with the relatability of a character (proximity to oneself) and is sometimes personal to… the character? Like, the intimacy of wanting to both crystallize one’s understanding of a beloved character by stress-testing their concept, and to spin them out, break them from what is canonically known just to see how much depth they have beyond that and in how many ways they might be known.

…Which, now that I’ve written that, is... just my definition of “blorbo” and not “comfort character,” but maybe the terms are synonymous??? who knows—AS THOUGH BLORBO HAS A DEFINITION AND ISN’T WHOLLY MEME-DERIVED TO BEGIN WITH. AS THOUGH ANY OF THESE THINGS HAVE PRESCRIPTIVE DEFINITIONS.

Anyway, all of that is the appeal of writing fanfic, to me, so it technically extends to anyone I’ve had occasion to write. But that’s within the specific action of writing a story, or preparing to write a story, or thinking about writing a story.

If we’re talking “always” and unconsciously, readily, blorbo-ily, whether there’s a story or not, then #1-3 are and have been for the last four years:

Hitsugaya

Hinamori

Matsumoto

They are who I am most inclined to give things to, or translate things through, and am most interested in defining/destroying. <333

There are probably use-cases/concrete examples that should go here, in addition to the somewhat woowoo definition above, but part of me is shy, and another part is like, those are what the stories are, and another part is “those two parts are the same part...” and yet another is “those two parts are the exact opposite of each other..."

So instead I'll no-pressure tag @confluencechimera, @recurring-polynya, @afinepiece, @bendingwind, and @unohanadaydreams!

Below the cut because it's not Bleach-related enough: I promise I’m not trying to be evasive/coquettish on purpose, but I don’t think I can get myself to put my thoughts about my lifetime character for this on Tumblr, because according to me, organizationally, that’s not where they go. So I’ll skip him. I’m also one of those people where my idea of comfort is to lean into the negative and feel comforted by the experience of being joined in misery by others, rather than go the cozy route. In that usage my comfort “character” is Law and Order: SVU because it’s like 800 episodes of people having the worst day of their lives and/or people on absolutely depraved sprees, depending on which side of the story you focus on. But also that show is deeply unserious, pleasingly formulaic, and has infinite rewatchability. So let's say those are responses #4 and #5!!

[mooseyspooky]

Why do you think Morrissey has been acting like this lately? Is it because Marr turn down a reunion? I don't think he only wanted the reunion for the money. I also feel like Morrissey feels irrelevant and forgotten and thought that maybe a reunion might give a new life to his career

Darren asked me about this yesterday, and I wrote a whole essay about it. I think just copying it here will be a good answer to this.

Darren: How are we feeling about the moz and Johnny news

Me: Pretty indifferent. Same shit another day. I mean they survived the court case and banged all the way through the early to mid 2000s to 2009

Moz having a tantrum is nothing new

I was very sad to hear Johnny said no to a reunion

But it's not like I don't get it

Andy passed last year

Johnny wanted Moz back in 2008 and Moz ghosted him after promising he was totally on board

Moz didn't show up for the 2006 fundraiser concert for Andy's dad's cancer

Which is pretty ruthless

Moz clearly hasnt opened a single email Johnny sent him since 2018 when Johnny filed the trademark and tried to get him to cosign

Which is insane because Johnny did it specifically to stop Mike Joyce (the Classically Smiths venture that he tried roping Andy into, though Andy backed out at the last minute. Some say because of his cancer, but I'm sure Johnny being so pissed off about it he got lawyers involved was also a part of it)

Which is literally something Moz should be gagging to do at all times 24/7

And meanwhile nothing

And then Johnny continued to try, even sending the paperwork again this year in January and nothing

So i mean why would Johnny want a reunion

Moz wants it to happen a year after Andy is buried, it's too late

Does it hurt I don't get to see them together on stage ever, yes, but I'm not like

Demented

If I was Johnny I'd be so fucking tired

Like beyond exhausted

Sharing a stage with him?

Putting up with him on tour?

Moz canceled over 50% of shows last year

No explanation, sometimes on the _day of_

Just wouldn't do them

I mean Johnny won't cancel a show if his grandma dies

Moz just

Cancels cause it's a slightly breezy day out and that offends him

Yes I love Moz, I am his ride or die, I will go to my grave obsessed with him and everything about him

But I am aware and understanding he is extremely fickle and can be very stupid

This is all happened, literally all of it, cause Johnny made very light fun of him on Twitter

Like barely a joke

Johnny saw some popular girl on Twitter who is a super fan

Saw she mentioned a reunion

Didn't tag him

And Johnny posted a picture of a far right dude in England that Moz protested the treatment of in prison one time like- i don't know. 7 years ago

They put the guy in a prison where he was at high risk, and Moz made a slight offhanded comment saying it was cruel

So now here we are, with Johnny posting a picture of a guy

To a Smiths super fan

Who didn't tag him

Who mentioned a reunion

Because she saw Oasis get back together

And Moz got _so upset_

He decided to throw an absolute shit fit

And now Johnny has to be like literally can you calm down

And in some ways I understand both sides

Moz just

His sort of...recurring thing

Is that he really really hates when Johnny won't stick up for him

Or when Johnny is quiet when people are dog piling on him

Johnny did that a lot in the 90s

During the NME smear campaign, for instance, and the court case

And it really broke Moz up

Like, and I can imagine it did hurt

To be so close and so in love and meanwhile Johnny won't do anything. Just sit there and refuse to say anything

That's probably heartbreaking

Especially with Moz being so. Like. Blindly in belief that Johnny is forever innocent, forever perfect ("the always innocent young cabin boy")

There is no flaw

But Johnny is a human being, too, who has a lot going on

And to then see Johnny, here in 2024, once again. After 30 years not stand up for him

But instead making teasing posts on Twitter

Even if they're not cruel

I could see it causing Moz to have a meltdown

Should he be? At 65? No. He should be over it

But he's not

He still wants Johnny to love him, to defend him

And so yes he did have a total split from sanity for a bit but at the end of the day. I think the underlining thing is is that it stems from Moz being so deeply infatuated with his first love that he can't stand even the slightest notion Johnny isn't still as infatuated with him

Johnny was able to move on, to continue to keep his marriage, he was able to maintain friendships and have a lot of normal stuff that Moz couldn't because autism

Undiagnosed unrecognized autism but all the same

Moz is still, in his mind, deeply entrenched in the belief that Johnny is perfect and slight diversions from that cause major malfunctions

Moz clearly doesn't give a shit about the trademark thing. He's ignored it since 2018. Moz has talked about loathing albums being repackaged (Paint a Vulgar Picture), so clearly the greatest hits thing doesn't really bother him

Moz wanting a reunion, sure. Okay. Maybe that stung but my god he had to expect it

So what does Moz care about?

Johnny

That's it. Period.

He wants Johnny to love him and be obsessed with him forever, and that's the long and the short of it so.

[startreklasirena]

What is Star Trek: La Sirena?

Most fans and more-than-casual viewers of Star Trek: Picard would probably agree that the three seasons of the show form something of an anthology. It was never officially called that, and some of the characters appear in (almost) every episode. Even some events and backstories do get referenced across season boundaries. But at the end of the day, each season is very self-contained, and many themes, storylines, and characters are limited in scope to one or two of them at the most.

Even the characterization of recurring characters can differ between seasons, from more superficial details (Agnes Jurati going by "Agnes" in S1 and "Jurati" in S2) to some deeper shifts (Elnor seeming more concerned with honour than candour in his brief season 2 cameos).

As such, some of us fans were thinking it would be helpful to have a shorthand with which to differentiate between seasons. Say you're interested in reading Saffi stories that centre the characters, themes, and characterization from season 1. It might be difficult to filter for that, since the "Star Trek: Picard" fandom tag on AO3 will contain fic that is set throughout all three seasons, and it won't always be clear where in the anthology it fits.

Or you might be writing stories about season 1 Agnes that you know won't sit right with people who expect season 2 Jurati when they filter for "Agnes Jurati", and you want to make it clear which version of the character you're writing about without using convoluted tags.

Enter Star Trek: La Sirena (suggested abbreviation: LAS). In essence, this is a shorthand to describe the first part of the Star Trek: Picard anthology. ST: LAS stories, art, gifs, meta, memes, etc centre around the characters, events, relationships, and themes from PIC season 1. They can be prequels, set during season 1, or take the end of season 1 as a jumping-off point to spin new stories from there (think: the sort of art/meta/fic/... you would have made before season 2 came out or if the show had been cancelled after season 1).

A Few Examples (or: is it Star Trek: La Sirena?)

A fic about the crew of La Sirena going on wild adventures after the end of season 1? That is basically what this tag was invented for! A gifset of Elnor and Soji's outfits throughout season 1? Absolutely! The story of how Seven came to join the Fenris Rangers, exploring her relationship to the work and what it means for her characterization post-Voyager? Yes please! Meta about how Hugh would have survived the crash of the Borg Cube and what the protected status of Coppelius and the defeat of Oh's armada mean for his work with the xBs? We'd be lucky to have it! A fic about how Raffi and Rios met that involves six OC's and a bunch of semi-sentient holograms? Sure! A Victorian AU, where Jean-Luc Picard, Duke of La Barre, has to navigate the uncertainties of (near) fatherhood when he suddenly finds himself with a young ward, Dahj Asha, after the mysterious disappearance of her parents overseas? Hell yes! (Also: Zhaban is his butler and Laris his housekeeper. Just saying.)

On the other hand: A discussion of how season 2's evil!La Sirena compares to her prime-universe counterpart? Doesn't really fit. A fic about Agnes and Shaw meeting at the academy and becoming fast friends? Also not really, since Shaw is very firmly a season 3 addition. Meta about Seven's changing hairstyles from VOY to season 1 to seasons 2 & 3? That is more general PIC territory, rather than LAS specifically. A gifset comparing the Troi-Rikers from TNG with their appearance in Season 3? Probably not. Not even if it also includes season 1.

All of these things are wonderful and we're lucky to have them in the Picard fandom! But they don't necessarily fit the brief of "Star Trek: Picard, if it had been cancelled after season 1."

Of course, none of this is an exact science! Say you wrote a post-canon story back in 2020, before we got any details about season 2. And say, by sheer coincidence, it includes Agnes breaking up with Rios and going off on a diplomatic mission with Soji, while Rios and/or Raffi join Starfleet. Does that fall under the LAS umbrella or not? At that point (and many, many similar ones), I'd say it's up to your own best judgement.

Where do I find/post Star Trek: La Sirena Stuff?

A bunch of people have started tagging their tumblr posts with "star trek la sirena" (or "star trek: la sirena". I'm afraid the variability is a cornerstone of the Trek-tumblr tagging experience 😅). It's not much yet, and a lot of things are reblogs, so they won't show up in the regular tag search. But hopefully, we can get this tag into more wide-spread use to make it easier for season 1 enthusiasts to find stuff they're interested in. (If you tag this blog in the replies to a post you think fits the brief, I will reblog it!)

Some writers have also added "Star Trek: La Sirena" to the fandom tags of their relevant fics on AO3. It's usually in addition to "Star Trek: Picard", since it falls into both categories, so it's more an additional filtering option/sub-fandom.

I'm not entirely certain this tagging is going to be permitted by the AO3 tag wranglers. I have written to AO3 support about this and am currently still waiting to hear back. I think there are precedents for similar sub-fandom distinctions, but I'm not sure what the logistical considerations might be behind canonizing a new fandom tag. If AO3 comes back asking people to re-tag their fic or deciding they won't be able to canonize the "Star Trek: La Sirena" fandom tag, we'll decide on a different tagging convention. I'll post here if and when I get a reply to my email.

Speaking of:

A Quick Note on the Role of this Blog

I'm not the fandom police. At the end of the day, this is an entirely made-up category, and how you interpret its boundaries is up to you. My goal here is not to exclude anyone or tell people they're doing fandom wrong, it's to make it easier for fans of one specific part of a very heterogeneous show to find art and stories and discussions they're interested in.

I want to really emphasise this: I'm not the high priestess of this fandom tag. I'm not the authority on what does and doesn't count. If you have a story or post that you think might be well-suited to be tagged as "Star Trek: La Sirena", but you're unsure, I'm happy to chat about it and give you my take, and/or to reblog it here and hopefully open the floor to others' opinions. If you think something I posted or reblogged doesn't really fit, please let me know, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts!

Mostly, I just want this blog to get the ball rolling for people in this corner of the Picard fandom to find each other and have an easier time sharing their work and their passion with each other.

So, that's what I'm doing here. If you have any ideas for events we might get up to as a community (I still dream of one day having a fanfic book club :D), posts you'd like me to reblog, meta you'd like to share, or anything else that might bring your fellow fans joy, I'm always eager to hear about it!

Thank you for coming along on this ride on our little speed freighter! I hope we'll all find community and a lot of fun with Star Trek: La Sirena!

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 9 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 9:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.55

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 5

Ranking Breakdown: 12 5s 10 4s

Season as a whole thoughts:

"Bob's Burgers" is turning nine and it's feeling *uses inhaler* fine!

Seriously, this is just another really excellent season in my opinion. It joins Season 4 and 8 as one of the seasons to not getting any episodes rated lower than a 4, and it's average score is good enough for 4th place of the currently ranked seasons below 7, 4, and 5. In some ways, it reminds me a lot of Season 7- a great mix of humor and heart along with introducing some new characters and other innovations- it's definitely representative of the series at its best, in my opinion.

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now": It's a tough call, but this might be my favorite season premiere and my favorite "musical episode" (ie: one with more than the typical 1-2 songs). All the songs are absolute classics and great parodies of romantic comedy tropes! it's really a brilliant episode. It's hard to name a favorite song, but I think I might have to go with "Friend Zone" just because "Now let's kiss over this cake/'Cause it's your birthday, I guess" always cracks me up. The baby rat subplot is also really fun, and a great use of Hugo. And this episode gives us another (brief) appearance of Louise's Boo Boo crush, which is one of my favorite running gags! A great way to start the season.

"The Taking of Funtime One Two Three": While we're on the subject of great songs (or we were recently) "let an egg roll, from your egg hole" and "if wooly mammoths had had wheels maybe they'd still be around" are among the "Bob's Burgers" song lyrics that are always living in my head. Sadly, I rarely have an occasion to say either of them in conversation. I do like to say "To what end, people?!" occasionally, so thanks for that, Trip. Anyway, this is another classic "The Belcher Kids and their friends have an adventure episode" with a healthy does of Mr. Fischoeder and some fun moments with Yuli the security guard, one of my favorite minor recurring characters.

"Tweentrepreneurs": I love this episode because it helped inspire one of my favorite future career headcanons for Louise (and an outlined multichapter fic I'll probably never write). While taking over the restaurant or being a film director seem like the most obvious future career for Louise, this episode has the biggest of about three canon moments that inspired my "Louise Belcher, future labor union organizer" headcanon. I worked in the labor movement for several years and I just think would Louise would love it- taking on the rich and powerful, helping other people stand up for themselves, causing good trouble- it's a really good fit for her. And here she is, leading a walkout at age 9! (And, given my fondness for her relationship with Rudy, I have to mention that it's her concern for his health that is the final straw leading to the walkout.)

"Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street": Probably my favorite Halloween episode; definitely has my two favorite Halloween costumes! Rudy and Bob are probably the two characters I relate to the most, and it cracks me up that their costumes in this episode are totally things I would do: "what? It might look like I'm wearing normal clothes, but actually I'm totally Paul Rudd or Bruce Springsteen, can't you tell?!" Also, I don't think I've mentioned before how much I love the guy who's about to throw the candy into the incinerator. He's really one of my favorite one-off characters. Dude just got out of six month coma, doesn't know what day it is, still goes to work...and apparently will just throw anything into the incinerator that anybody tells him to (unless he gets a more compelling reason not to)? I think he might rank second after the "Boyz 4 Now" security guard as my favorite nameless one-off character.

"I Bob Your Pardon": Maybe my third or fourth favorite Thanksgiving episode! I've always had an interested in politics and journalism (I wanted to be a journalist when I was a kid) so this hilarious small town Thanksgiving turkey pardoning scandal really hits a lot of the right notes for me. If I had become a journalist, I definitely would've stolen "Well, somebody better call Huey Lewis because I may have found myself some news" as my catchphrase. And the end credits song is a total banger! "Don't you taint my mayor!"

"Better Off Sled": An excellent Christmas episode! Generally speaking, Louise and Logan's dynamic isn't really my jam, but I enjoy them here. The one-upsmanship of the snowball arms race is a lot of fun, and the "stupid Christmas" ending is sweet but not too sweet and feels totally in character for Louise. Also, I can't help but love this exchange: "Then why does it look like your butt could take a sheet of fresh-baked cookies out of the oven?" "Genetics?" (Kristen Schaal's delivery of "genetics?" is one of at least three times on the series when she absolutely kills me with her delivery of a single word). All that being said, I think Teddy is the real comedic MVP of this episode- pretty much everything he says cracks me up! And I love that Rudy is basically the one who saves the day for the Belcher kids! And Knitcracker, I can't believe I didn't mention Knitcracker yet! (That said, it's still not my favorite Christmas episode since it doesn't involve any references to murder mannequins.)

"The Helen Hunt": I feel like this might be one of my least popular shipping opinions but...I like Teddy/Kathleen! Not in the sense that I want to create fic or art for them, but I just think they are kind of sweet together. Like with Roger and Judy from "Aquaticism" they have that "awkward middle-aged people finding each other" vibe that this awkward middle-aged single person finds appealing. And I think her pretty easygoing, laidback nature is a nice contrast to how stressed out/excitable Teddy can be. And I always enjoy people who watch odd sports! Okay, Teddy/Kathleen aside, I also just enjoyed that they did a followup to "Housetrap", and the father and hot son plumbing duo subplot is so cute! "You, you make plumbing fun..."

"Bed, Bob, and Beyond": One of the things I've noticed in this rewatch, is that I really enjoy the three-story episodes (aka vignette episodes aka triptychs aka who knows what else some folks have called them.) I think what I really enjoy is that the reason for them is always different, and therefore it always says something different about the characters and their situations. it's not just the Simpsons having a trio of non-canon Halloween adventures ever year. I think showing Linda and Bob having a stupid fight, and the kids view of it and their efforts to get them to reconcile, was a really clever use of one of these stories. Also, if I am ever asked to do an English accent, I will likely say "I'm watching footie on the telly in the pubby where the beer is". (Which is probably offensive, so please don't ask me to do that!)

"Every Which Way But Goose": Another thing the rewatch has made me appreciate more: Jimmy Jr. and his relationship with Tina. I never hated J-Ju, but I will say that I probably took him and the Tinimmy relationship for granted- it's been there since almost the beginning but I never really thought much about it. But the rewatch has helped me realize how funny of a character J-Ju is (it's just a really funny voice by H. Jon Benjamin) and how the Tinimmy relationship has given us some really funny episodes- most notably this one and "Ex Mach Tina", which are both all-time classics in my book (and, of course, they play a big role in "Bob Actually" as well, but I like that one for other reasons as well.) To me, it's clear from this episode and others that J-Ju does care about Tina...he's just very much a 13 year old boy. So, he's occasionally thoughtful but more often dumb or oblivious. Also, the end credits song to this one is another classic. I wish I could go to a concert of "Bob's Burgers" music just so I could scream out "secret kiss with Bruce the Goose" with thousands of other excited concert goers, because that is what that lyric deserves, dammit!

"The Gene Mile": So, I recently posted about how much I enjoyed some of the Rudy moments in this one. This is another great "Belcher kids and their friends" adventure; and I really wish that Courtney and Alex had more appearances in stories like this- where they and their relationship with Gene isn't really the center of the story- they are just part of the gang! It's always fun to watch different combinations of the kids have fun together. Also, nice for Large Tommy to get his largest role- going back to Season 1 of the rewatch it's funny to think that he was introduced much earlier than some of Louise's more iconic classmates (Rudy, Chloe, Millie, Jessica, Harley, etc.).

"P.T.A. It Ain't So": I feel like this might be the first example in the rewatch of an episode that really grew on me. A lot of the episodes I've given 5s to were ones I remember loving as soon as I saw them. Or they were "sleeper hits" that I had basically forgotten about before rewatching. This episode I remember when I first saw it, and I remember thinking it was fine but nothing great. But on rewatches I just find myself enjoying it more and more. I really love the Kim and Sons hardware store bird subplot- especially the ridiculous flyer the kids make. Also, it's fun watching the kids play with their pipe in the background (such a great kids being kids moment)! But the PTA stuff is great too- I love the fact that Tammy's Dad is Linda's PTA bestie for some reason! And Linda's idea of Colleen being in the shark suit for the dramatic revelation! And the Bleach Boys! Also, as someone who headed a neighborhood political group for a while, Joanne's line "Do you have any idea how many emails I send a week? No, you don't because no one reads them" resonates with me.

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-More great new characters continue to arrive on the scene! Hi Susmita! Hi Arnold!

-I would totally watch Randy's movie "A Life, Well, Steved". "And I thought to myself, 'I can't take another hurdle. I think I am that baby turtle.'" That's some beautiful, profound stuff there.

See you in the Season 10 post! It could be pretty soon since I've already watched rated it all- just need time to write!

[wingedcatgirl]

i've edited my current pinned post into so many different things that i should probably just make a new one rather than edit it some more, so:

i'm just gonna get what enjoyment i can out of this site until it goes away. i'm probably overly pessimistic about when that will be, but regardless of that it's a good idea to connect with me elsewhere if you enjoy my presence.

find me on dreamwidth (rip cohost). consider using retroshare, even. if enough people move maybe the funny shitposts will live somewhere else instead and we can be free.

oh yeah and if you like forums we have one. it is not super alive but your presence might be able to help change that

also we have discord. you can ask for our @ if we're friends (read: have interacted twice ever) or our server links if we're acquaintances (read: you're not a spambot)

all that said. since i'm here, things i'm into include final fantasy xiv, fallen london, tales of symphonia, terraria, kingdom hearts, puyo puyo, miraculous ladybug, cats (the animal, not the musical), and being queer and awesome. i write fanfic sometimes and am also vaguely attempting to work on original fic, so hello to writblr as well. i might add tags for some of these later

fallen london character list because i'm remembering how much i enjoyed this game:

Inessa Fonseca, the Curious Lady (main, Light Fingers, Midnighter, non-canon Seven-Fold Knock someday when i feel like tormenting myself)

Inessa Fonseca in a rather more dire timeline (Seeking alt except the Seeking is canon so maybe the other Inessa is the everything-except-Seeking alt? Heart's Desire)

Lucky Kity (cat, Bag a Legend, I saw @waterlogged-detective's Boots the Cat and was like "CAT!!! i have a recurring cat character what if there was ANOTHER cat in london")

Lila Rossi (sure, crossover roleplay account for our Nemesis alt, i guess) (don't expect her to be as active as dire!Inessa and Lucky)

oh yeah and we do roleplay and ask memes on the sideblog @elakha-house-cube

[oldsargasso]

Re: Winner cooking for his boys

SLKGDFGSFHSHIHGJO I'M SO! EMOTIONAL! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!

First of all, it's so easy to picture Winner doing all this coz Pop is such a cook 🥺 BUT ALSO! HE LIKES THEM! HE LIKES LIVING WITH THEM! WHY AM I SO AFFECTED BY THE MERE FACT OF THIS

I love that Kim's laundry habits are a recurring detail. I'd LOVE to be a fly on the wall watching Kenta's probably very intense negotiating tactics with market vendors.

As soon as Winner set the chilis aside I got mushy 🥺 I know I asked for a token of mild (hah) thoughtfulness but! It's such a small and yet thoughtful action!!!

Kenta sitting in the car after therapy - you had to stab me extra good didn't you hmm. But also just the way that Winner is so used to their rhythm GETS ME!!! Also KimDean shopping date 🥺 And Kenta getting post-therapy kisses my GOODNESS!!! I'm such a mess good god

One other domestic detail we must consider is that Winner is the tallest in the household and is therefore in charge of top shelf duty. And perhaps he takes advantage of this at moments, such as when Dean is struggling on tiptoes to reach a large mixing bowl stored just out of reach, and Winner presses his body flush against Dean's back as he reaches up from behind him to grab the bowl. "Need this?" he might say, before planting a sly kiss on Dean's cheek and laughing when Dean playfully shoves at him.

Also your tags!! Kim and Dean cuddling 🥺 Of course they'd share a bed. Winner takes up absolutely too much room and probably also snores at night. Kim and Dean are less particular about touch, they don't have to worry about it, whereas Kenta deals with a mix of touch aversion and touch starvation and needs his own space. BUT THE IMAGE OF HIM LINGERING IN THE DOORWAY WANTING TO BE WITH THEM AND NOT KNOWING HOW TO ASK. LET ME LIE DOWN FOR A MOMENT!!!!

In regards to cuddly Dean, I had been thinking about how he probably touches Kenta in the most casual way out of the three of them.

Winner probably (at first) uses touch to get on Kenta's nerves and rile him up (Winner likes getting shoved against hard surfaces ok), and then has an awkward period where he realizes he doesn't want to upset Kenta and has to figure out how to not be annoying.

Kim's touches are always heavy and intentional, there's a tangible weight to them, and they calm Kenta rather than rile him up.

But I think Dean would just be outright cuddly with Kenta, like he's touchy without thinking about it. Kenta will be sitting on the couch and Dean will plop down with his head in Kenta's lap, jabbering away about some new car he got to test drive, or he'll lean his head on Kenta's shoulder when they're watching a movie. And it's just. Something Kenta hasn't had since Pete left.

And he doesn't really know how to be physically affectionate (not at first), how to let himself just… touch someone for the sake of touching them. But it never phases Dean, if it takes Kenta ten minutes to convince himself to put his arm around Dean's shoulder. Dean doesn't pull away in a "oh I must be making you uncomfortable" manner. He doesn't withdraw his affection unless Kenta pushes him away.

And I think that would mean so much to Kenta? That Dean doesn't worry at all about being cuddly with him. He's not scared that Kenta will lash out at him, even though Kenta does occasionally snap when he's in a "don't treat me like I exist" mood, which is something they learn to navigate. But Dean still comes right back to him once things settle, simply because he likes Kenta and he enjoys being in contact with the people he likes.

Kenta also simply finds it cute at times and tells Dean so, which is how I ended up at the first ask I sent you 😌

YOU BROUGHT THAT ON YOURSELF!!!

onmg is he? I basically don't know anything about the actors beyond what photos/videos are shared on tumblr lol. that's funny though. I very much ascribe to cooking as a form of love. and spending time in the kitchen together is like THE activity so I always use it to show how people care!

listen if nothing else I will make up tiny details that I can tenuously connect to onscreen characterisation and carry it through all my stories. you KNOW Kenta has a Reputation in the market. half of it is intense negotiation and the other half is old ladies seeing his sad puppy demeanour and adopting him.

food is a language of love!! thoughtful consideration!! I feel like Winner would be big on these little actions where nothing is said and nobody has to say anything but it's obvious that he was paying attention. and making an effort.

I need Kenta to go to therapy so bad. also the car is the perfect place for containing maybe a little mini breakdown or just collecting yourself. like it's so obviously an in-between space that while you're there you can just process. that's why road trips are the best. imagine them all going on a road trip lmao there'd be at least one roadside argument and constant judgement of whoever is behind the wheel. Winner claims front seat privileges for height reasons. Kim for sure creates a perfect playlist or two (and then everyone keeps talking over the best songs so they have to start them again a bunch of times). that post that's like "doesn't matter how old you are, all road trip snacks should look like a child was given $20 and free reign" that's Dean. and then Kenta also packs some healthy snacks but he's the first one into the junk food.

Kim and Dean deserve to go shopping together! Kenta has no style and Winner has a very particular style so it is up to Kim and Dean to look good for everyone. also they're the only two who can be trusted to behave properly in a dressing room. by which I mean keep quiet. Winner doesn't give a fuck and Kenta doesn't like being forced to keep his noises in. they're buying jewellery and going to an ~adult store btw. KISSES FOR KENTA agenda.

!! YES. omg Winner would be the best/worst being the tallest. he'll help BUT. he definitely stores everyday items up high and is like "you just have to ask nicely~"

(uh I just read your newest ask and now my brain is like. derailed completely.)

I think Kim likes the closeness of sharing a bed and Dean likes knowing someone is always there. and Winner definitely needs his own space - for sprawling but also because I think he's the one out of all of them that very much needs His Space and His Things. Kenta would have had his own room in Tony's mansion right? or no??

stopppp cuddly Dean is KILLING MEEEE. also the thought that Pete was casually touchy with Kenta even with his power? death for me actually. but ughhh yes it's the fact that there's no expectation behind Dean's physical contact! it's just so natural and unconscious, like of course he's gonna reach out! I wonder too because North, Sonic and Alan are all pretty touchy as well, like Dean might be so used to it he doesn't even think twice about it. and now. they're pack! they're family! of course Dean isn't concerned about touching Kenta; he's not only allowed he's encouraged to do so because of that. am thinking of Kim and Dean in their bed with Kenta at the door and it's Dean who wakes up and welcomes him in, gently pulls his arm until Kenta climbs into bed and into prime cuddling position. and Kim sleeps through the whole thing because he knows he's safe.

deeply love the thought process that lead from this to where you ended up, you have a beautiful brain.

[kujo1597]

I’ve been watching my friend liveblog her rewatch of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (great show) and it looked really fun to do. And she’s also doing this to get into writing SPOP fanfics and as some of you may remember, I have a Jem fanfic called Unbreakable that I really do need to finish. So I figured I would blog my rewatch of Jem. I wanted to watch the show again to get my creative juices flowing and figured why not.

Because I know the show backwards and forwards due to watching it five or six times my posts will probably largely focus on the characters and traits they have that I incorporate into the writing. I’ll talk about Jerrica’s relationship with Rio and why it’s so dysfunctional and concerning.

I’m also going to be a fucking weirdo and keep track of the crying because a character trait of Kimber’s I find really interesting is how private she is with her tears compared to the others. But this will be kept in a folder of its own and I won’t dwell on it.

I won't be putting all of these into the fandom tag because I worry that I'll be deemed "too active" by Tumblr and my posts will stop showing up in the tag. So I guess if you're interested in keeping up with these keep track of the "Kujo Watches Jem" tag.

Man I love this show’s first intro song and the animation. It’s largely rotoscoped and looks really nice.

The show starts off with a look at Jem and The Holograms at a premiere and it’s a cool way of introducing the characters. They make it very clear who’s who.

Aja

Shana

I love how they just fukkin’ throw Kimber out of the car. This is a good time to mention that the animation in the first five episodes is pretty janky. They’re stitched together seven minutes shorts that were part of the Super Sunday block on whichever channel this aired on. So we’re kind of watching a proof of concept right now.

And of course they show Jem as this cool and mysterious woman as she shrugs off her sheer veil in front of a cheering crowd. Reporters ask Jem a bunch of questions.

Then we hear our protagonist, Jerrica, start narrating.

She tells us that her story begins after her father's unexpected death. And they establish later in the show that this funeral is on or around Jerrica's birthday. Which is really awful. I feel bad for her.

I remember Eric being kind of creepy at the funeral but always forget just how creepy he is. Especially because I’m fairly confident that at this point in production Jerrica is meant to be an older teen. Like, 17 or 18. I don’t blame Rio for dragging her off.

But oh man, let’s just add this to the “Jerrica apologizes for Rio count.” It’s a recurring thing.

Now we cut to a shot of Starlight House and the characters working to fix it up. This also has cool details like a design table, Shana is into fashion design as we’ll learn later.

Uh, I need to point out this bird cage. You’ll see why later. But I need to point it out.

I wonder how long Ashley’s been living here for. Because she comments on the house being a dump as if she’s just moved in. Also she broke that chair. She tried to flop onto it but it broke.

Now we meet Mrs. Bailey who helps take care of the kids. Nice lady. She informs Jerrica that her dad, Emmett, would get money to fund the Starlight House’s upkeep from his music company. So Jerrica goes over to the office. She sees a new receptionist, walks past her and enters her dad's old office.

Eric continues to call Jerrica “darling” and talks about how he’s hired a new band called The Misfits. And they ride in on these extremely toyetic motorcycles. I don’t think they ever did get released though. But man, this screams “toy commercial show.” Jem is way more than just that though.

We get the first song of the series and it’s great. Fun imagery. And it’s funny seeing them play their instruments because Stormer is playing this weird boomerang guitar. I seriously do wonder when they finalized what instruments the characters play. Aja was messing around with drumsticks earlier in the episode and spoiler alert, she’s not a drummer, like, at all.

Jerrica calls The Misfits trash and insults Pizzazz. Then they talk about Eric holding a rigged battle of the bands competition. Which obviously Jerrica doesn’t approve of.

We then cut to Jerrica in her bedroom on a stormy night. Jerrica’s mad about Eric ruining the good image of her dad’s company. Then Kimber points out the jewellery box addressed to Jerrica. It contains earrings, very familiar earrings. Everybody wonders who they came from. Aja figures it was Rio.

Then thunder and lighting, and a mysterious woman who looks like she walked out of an exercise tape addresses Jerrica in a slightly ghostly voice.

And then Jerrica very rudely puts her hands in this woman’s belly. Jerrica! Personal space!

Understandably the mysterious woman leaves. In a flash of light.

Everybody follows the directions left in the earring box and meet up with the woman in Starlight Drive-In. She walks through a wall and they follow her in their van, the Starlight Express.

A quick aside, I was talking to my friend who’s only seen two or three episodes of Jem because of me kind of going, “Well, these episodes are very silly. I think it’d be fun to watch them with you.” Anyway, I was talking about the show and because of the fact that everything has the word Starlight in the name he asked if Starlight was Jerrica’s last name. And yeah, I get why he would think that.

Anyway, the woman introduces herself as Synergy and explains that she’s a highly advanced entertainment system made by Emmett Benton. We get shots where the characters split off and look at their interests, Shana at clothes, Kimber at the musical instruments, and Aja at the car, the Rockin' Roadster.

Seeing Synergy’s ability to make realistic holograms along with all the instruments gave Jerrica an idea.

Oh neat, we’re seeing a performance by a band that sounds… not great. I guess the rigging is going well.

And then we hear some more music, this time a song building up.

And that song the first one performed by Jem in the series. It’s a very solid one! A good note to start the band on.

Obviously everybody loved this band, they sound great! Eric gets all worked up and demands to know what they’re doing here because the contest is invite only. Jem points to Jerrica and announces that she was sent there by Jerrica.

And then Jem totally inconspicuously runs off of the stage and behind a tree. Then turns into Jerrica. She meets up with Eric on the stage and they’re caught arguing on the mics. I actually forgot that Eric was the one who put control of Starlight Music up as a stake in a new competition. One just between The Misfits and Jem and The Holograms.

A film producer named Howard Sands happened to be in the crowd and he promises a movie, and a mansion to the winner of the new battle of the bands competition. Six months from now.

Jerrica accepts the challenge having full confidence in herself and her sisters.

The Misfits are rowdy trouble makers so they steal Jem’s equipment and drives off with it in their van. The rival band gives chase because that’s their stuff and they need it. Musical equipment is not cheap. We get this thrilling chase where Roxy and Stormer throws things at the car Aja’s driving to try to get them to crash I guess. And uh

That’s a cliff. They’re heading right off a cliff. And Aja hit the gas judging by the sound effect.

Good work.

You can kind of tell this was the end of the short, especially when they come back from commercial and replay the chase scene.

Jerrica’s not dumb. She sends a hologram of Jem out to get help. The hologram meets up with Rio and tells him where the car is. Rio saves them.

The paper reports on this and gives Jem and The Holograms a bunch of publicity.

The Misfits don’t see much of a problem with this because they can still win the competition and of course

winning is everything.

I just, look at this GIF.

Okay I needed you to see that. The music video is a wonderful flavour of silly.

Now back to Starlight House. We see the girls putting money into the Honor Jar. It's a communal fund that the girls contribute to in order to afford things for Starlight House. They’re trying to buy a new fridge. Before adding the funds to the jar they have to announce how they made the money.

Ashley questions the jar which really adds to the feeling that she’s new here.

Also, it’s weird hearing Deirdre being voiced by Samantha Newark. She’s voiced by Patricia Alice Albrecht in her later appearances. The same VA as Pizzazz, Samantha Newark is Jerrica’s by the way.

Meanwhile Eric phones a thug and tells him to make Jerrica uncomfortable.

I need to know where this place is located. It’s in the middle of a forest or something. And I swear that’s a river behind it. Is that safe when you have twelve kids? The youngest is eight so maybe we don't have too much to worry about.

Anyway, Ashley steals money from the Honor Jar and Jerrica catches her. And then says something that never sat super right with me.

“There’s no room in Starlight House for girls who steal and lie.”

Like, hm, I dunno, I can’t articulate exactly why it bothers me. I feel like it would kind of breed dishonesty. Like how controlling parents often end up with kids who are really good at sneaking around them.

But Jerrica is a teen herself and taking care of twelve kids so I can’t be too hard on her. Especially because her dad did recently die so there is going to be some adjusting to the new role as foster mother.

Jerrica tells Ashley that the other girls are going to decide on her punishment because they’re the ones running the Honor Jar. The punishment is to raise $30 which is ten times the amount Ba Nee raised by the way.

I get a kick out of Samantha Newark trying to sound like a tough girl, possibly from Jersey. What do I know? I’m Canadian. Now I’m kind of wishing they kept her as Deirdre’s voice actor. We do get more "tough girl Newark" later in the series though. In an excellent episode.

Later on during the night Rio’s explaining that the power’s still out and offers to stay over. But Jerrica turns him down. They lean in for a kiss.

And hear a bunch of giggling which is cute.

Jerrica turns to them and says, “Jealous?” before kissing Rio.

I like this dynamic between Jerrica and her girls.

Later that night the thug Eric talked to, Zipper, awkwardly breaks into the house. It takes him a couple tries to break the window. Still better than what I could do.

One of the Starlight Girls, Marianne, never named in the show, alerts Jerrica to there being a noise coming from downstairs. So Jerrica takes her sisters with her to check out the noise while the kids stay upstairs and safe.

Because there’s no power and it’s the middle of the night Kimber’s holding a lantern with the biggest damn flame I have ever seen.

Zipper having been caught pushes past Kimber and knocks the lantern out of her hands. And sets the house on fire.

Like, crazily on fire.

And this is where the episode ends.

I would love to do more but this took even longer than I expected and I haven’t been getting enough sleep so I’m quite tired and dizzy. So bedtime for me. I’ll pick this up later, possibly tomorrow.

[ultfreakme]

I genuinely don't care if you like Chris or not. He's a fictional character, so you don't even need a reason to dislike him. It's your right to hate him if you want. But nitpicking a six-year-old's every move to justify your hate for him isn't it. And also, don't try to dismiss his abuse because "it doesn't make sense." It's wrong to do that. You should probably consider joining Tim Drake's fandom because this is the same thing they do to Damian.

It's obvious the reason you don't like Chris is because you like Jon. But maybe don't go on Chris' tag, a tag used by his fans, and say how you don't believe anyone cares about him. The tag you should've used is "Anti Chris Kent." You wouldn't like it if someone said, "I don't understand how anyone can like Jay Nakamura" and tagged the post "Jay Nakamura." (And no, I don't hate Jay. He is a cool dude. It's just an example.)

As for your arguments:

You don't need your hand held through the whole story to understand why Chris acts the way he does. He's an abused kid who latches onto the first adult who shows him kindness. It's not a headcanon, it's shown in the story. They don't need to spell it all out for us to understand;

Seriously, nitpicking a child saying he is hungry? Really?;

In the story after the one with Tim, Chris is shown to be scared Clark is going to abandon him. It's why he acts like a picture-perfect kid. At the end of the story, Clark reassures him he would never because they are a family now;

Even post age-up, Chris is still Clois' kid. That's how adopting a kid works. Lois is a recurring character in his portion of New Krypton. Chris has something the twins don't—a relationship with Lois. Unfortunately, PKJ never bothered to give Lois any scenes with the twins. Not that he had the page space to;

Almost every argument you gave as to why you don't like Chris can be used for Jon. He was tortured for years by an evil version of his dad and came back normal. He even ate an apple and isn't hungry Clois kids something you dislike? Jon shows no signs of PTSD, no nothing. So clearly, a character showing no signs of previous abuse (even though there isn't a right way to be an abuse survivor) is a problem to you only when you already don't like the character;

Don't try and dismiss Chris' abuse because "it doesn't make sense" for Zod and Ursa to do that. They are monsters and what Chris went trough sucks;

At the end of the day, unlike the Batfam, Clark and Lois' kids don't get enough time and space to develop properly, so there's a lot more that could be done with them. This applies to Chris, Jon, and the twins. There are things I didn't like about how they handled Chris' character (mainly his New Krypton arc), and there are things I didn't like about how they handled Jon and the twins. None of them are perfect or have had their full potential utilized.

Like I said, like what you will. Don't care. Just don't go on characters' tags and say you don't understand how anyone could like them. I ain't coming back to argue more, this is my last anon. Peace.

You're right I should have used the anti tag. You know, I outlined about 5 times, that I am NOT talking about the character. I had also said "hey, this is all entirely on ME, I am not convinced by this storytelling". I had not mentioned Jon extensively(three or four lines iirc) & stuck mainly to the super twins. I had constantly said "Geoff John's fucked up writing this story". You are the one who kept sending me asks, I gave you an explanation. I had repeatedly said "I see why people enjoy the themes attempted at being explained by Chris Kent but the execution was not compelling to me "

I will not be treating a fictional character, ultimately vehicle for storytelling and conveying themes, like an actual human. The Zod-Ursa thing, let me illustrate; Brainiac is an absolutely evil villain but he wont be calling any potential child of his a "little shit" or resorting base verbal abuse because despite this being legitimate child abuse behaviour, because for Brainiac-the-character, its OOC. He'd call any child of his inferior and dismiss any concerns or questions the child has, he won't be using his own hands, he'd be using his tech, he'd not raise his voice. And if he did, I'd ask why because this isnt in line with previous behaviour. I'd say the same for nice character as well, Clark's kindness is different to Bruce's because their backgrounds dictate the way they act. Clark is going to take a kid he rescued to park & talk to him lots and initiate jokes to calm them. Bruce is going to give a kid he rescued candies, speak to them calmly and have a more settled tone focused on helping this kid process the experience. Character motivation and MO.

I am not going to feel bad about asking a fictional character to be written with more coherence. I'm not nitpicking. That was an entire page with a giant establishing shot out of about 20 pages. I'm not nitpicking an actual 6 year old, I'm questioning GJ and the artist's choices in depicting that entire interaction so strangely. This entire medium is visual storytelling, and im going to ask for better. Chris in that issue was apparently so insecure and afraid he was....lifting shit up and smiling the entire time, cool as a cucumber. The tone was WILD. Pardon me for critiquing a creative move.

EDIT ADDITION: "He even ate an apple and isn't hungry Clois kids something you dislike? Jon shows no signs of PTSD, no nothing. So clearly, a character showing no signs of previous abuse (even though there isn't a right way to be an abuse survivor) is a problem to you only when you already don't like the character;" this made me crack up oh my god.

Okay, I'll take it seriously. Jon ate an apple, Jon actually on his return from torture volcano time specifically, pointedly, ate a LOT. Because we see via art on previous pages that Ultraman was barely feeding him and when he did, it was a LIVE PIG. Jon's hungry because of the torture. Even a detail you think is innocuous had previous establishing moment. Jon still eats and eats a LOT, because he was starved. Abuse impacting behaviour! And Jon does show symptoms of PTSD throughout SOKE & AOSJK & every subsequent run he's been in.

It manifests as his insecurities about his powers, and his apprehension around Clark! Jon's been told by Ultraman and many others that he is a tool, an object for people to do whatever they want with. He is also been a rather mercurial and too-powerful tool who on-page has been manipulated for his powers specifically time and time again(even in the recent arc). So how does Jon deal with his trauma? By controlling his powers and making them as fine-tuned as possible. Jon DOES exhibit signs, and it makes sense for his character. His entire deal is being a good Superman, and to do that he neglects anything bad that happens to himself and keeps suppressing, this plays a role in his coming out too (illustrated in SOKE #5 and in Dark Crisis). So no, Jon eating an apple & exhibiting signs of PTSD in a covert manner....is intentional and entirely present & you'd have to read subtext. This is where the writing leaves stuff for readers to pick stuff up from the background and won't handhold me through, which you have entirely forgotten despite how obvious it is.

I literally led you through why, from an objective standpoint, PKJ is a better storyteller, but you keep making this into a conversation about the characters and act like I have kicked an actual breathing 6 year old and made him cry. I read the Tim issue, I further read to the issue where Chris Kent finally expressed an actual emotion that made sense for his character and it took.....let's see....about 10 issues from his moment of existence? And it was done by a different writer! Busiek is good at writing Chris & I'm sure if they continued writing him, or started by writing him, they'd have done a better job with everything. The whole abandonment and adoption theme actually exists as a thing under Busiek in Superman.

I don't care about Chris. It's not a "ahaha I'm evil I hate this abused child" thing. I don't care about Tim, Damian or a million other characters with similarly tragic backstories which probably got handled well. I personally, am not compelled by him and in year 2020-2024 when I jumped into comics, I have more options of super kids to enjoy.

You dont need to make me imagine a scenario where people say Jay or Jon sucks and they arent compelling because half of Jay & Jon's tags are a billion times worse than the two lines I said, often with people tagging on "Chris was better" accompanied by sprinkles of biphobia, homophobia and a dash of racism against Jay. I didnt even say "Chris Kent bad". You are also free to think Jon and Jay dont compel you. If you make such a post, I will block you and delete any ask outlining that, because I don't care to subject myself to that. I'd also probably make a meta post on my own blog about jon and jay. I said I dont think Chris Kent fans exist because at this point in time, the Chris Kent iteration is completely gone from any ongoing storylines and I just didnt think people would be dead-set on a writing decision made over a decade ago. That'd be like saying "hey I miss robin version of Jason Todd, he should come back" at least in my perspective, but I am clearly wrong.

You could've just directly initially informed me to put in the anti tag, you are right in asking for that and I am sorry I didnt do that. I assumed you wanted a conversation with me since this is my blog, my platform & I'm too detached to Chris & the Super twins so I can talk in terms of writing rather than "this character is precious blorbo". I had only read on the Geoff John's Action run and the writing and art was so bad and that's all literally anyone in the chris kent tag even talks about. I get that you're defensive about chris, but you're barking up the wrong tree on speaking of his good traits because I just, I really dont care. Not dislike. I'm utterly indifferent to him as a character. The fan reaction from that side to Jon is what prompted me to make the initial post.

If you are still reading for some reason, go forth, have fun making Chris headcanons, live your best life. I still am not compelled and am confused why people are this hung up on him.

[cherrylight]

hi im rambling. also hello ashley nation i guess ...

(this is a long post)

i have no idea what to post on here anymore tbch...... im also a nervous wreck talking about any of my f/os without them being the two notorious ones i used to talk about a lot ...... wahh ..... im just nervous being myself on here ..... whys that so DIFFICULT i think its this blog in particular idk ... selfshipping i love you but why do you make me feel really awful about my f/os that i genuinely would give the world to ..... cant i gush about them happily

i wanna be silly and goofy but then I DONT AND IT MAKES ME REALLY UPSET cause im really silly and goofy and i talk a lot then i get anxious and i flop and die its a recurring cycle .......... i should probably use that new blog i made so its easier to post silly things... and just be me but it also has like f/o(s) that i dont really post on here at all out of immense fear so maybe i shouldnt share it to the world.....

idk guys. lately ive just been very terrified and i guess extremely nervous & anxious posting on this blog in particular ..... im really grateful for the people who stuck around and send me asks and just are genuinely really sweet! im sorry for not being able to answer them or anything because i fear i talk too much ALL THE TIME...... like now does that even MAKE SENSE ?! probably not ....

whats kind of saddening is the fact i miss posting about my selfship(s) on here and having others be so supportive of it .... sending silly asks that make me get super happy >_< its like the best thing ever in the entire world wahhh miss it ..... maybe in due time when im not scared .....

tbh my main kind of helps with me on gushing about certain f/os because like no one would say anything..... im just gushing about silly guys and its really fun.......... but then i tear up because he makes me so emotional and UGDFHJGDFHFDH ......anyway. i gush privately and it should just be something im doing for me and that is something i KNOW and do on my own and its very fun and lovely

its just .... ive always been really terrified admitting things... like i have so many thoughts but i dont say them at all.... im also having a lot of trouble articulating my thoughts rn sorry for the jumble mess but its just a lot i guess

i used to be able to say WHATEVER i want and now i just CANT and its actually really upsetting. i just have a genuine weird way on expressing and saying things and i dont want to make people uncomfortable ...

i sometimes think its this blog that makes me so anxious. like more so than usual. but then i think its just Me that makes Me anxious? idk. hard to tell. i just dunno if its the blog or if its me thats making me scared and upset ....

arghh i dont know. this post is already so long >_< idk how to even CONCLUDE THIS ITS SO UPSETTING

i guess the best way is: im anxious all the time on this blog in particular, im way comfortable on my main blog more than this one; maybe the other blog if im brave enough to tag it at some point.... im scared to be fully myself on here so i just stay heavily inactive on here.... but i do love the selfship community...... i dont know if i want to be a part of it ... i just want to reblog cute posts of it and gush about my f/os that make me so happy ....

i want to get out of my comfort zone again. but im scared. so ill die. <- see thats what im talking about i say a lot of out of pocket stuff like that

[irondad-creator-awards]

Writer Spotlight - Spagbol99

This week we're talking to the 2023 Winner of the Best OG Writer Award and the Best Plot Twist author, @spagbol99 of A Peter Parker Problem.

Summary:

Peter Parker was back from the dead. At least that is what everybody told him. He'd been snapped out of existence until some sort of time travel and an active death wish by his mentor had saved him and the universe. Just your average sort of life for a 16 year old from Queens. Peter comes back to find May has a husband and a kid. A new family he has to fit into. But he has done it before, he can do it again. The only thing that feels solid is Tony: the Blip and fatherhood have mellowed him and Peter loves the bond they have now. He knows Tony would be there for him through anything. But Tony needs to focus on his own recovery - not small time Peter Parker problems. When things at home take a turn for the worse, Peter decides that he'll handle it himself. He is Spider-man. He's been to space and fought aliens. He can get through anything. After all, if May is happy, he is happy, right? Right?

How did you get into Irondad?

I stumbled into reading fan fiction for the first time at the start of the pandemic.  I was a mild MCU fan at the time, so I went in search of Spider-Man stories and ran straight into IronDad and the rest is history… !

What’s your favorite Irondad scene?   

Ooh, that is a mean question, how can I choose just one?!  I think it has to be the ferry scene for me.  I’m sure it will come as no surprise to anyone who has read my writing that I live for the angst!

When did you start writing and what made you sit down and write that first story? 

For the purposes of this question, I’ll assume you mean writing fan fic but I’ve written original fiction for a long time.  As soon as I found IronDad and MCU fanfic at the start of the pandemic, I devoured fic after fic.  I loved the recurring tropes and seeing how people tackled them in different ways.  As I read more and more, ideas started to fester within me and I decided I wanted to try my hand at writing my own fic.  I wrote 150K in four months so it’s fair to say that I was inspired and enthused.  I actually had no intention of posting.  After sitting on the finished product for a month, I decided ‘what the hell’ and went for it. I’m so glad that I did.

What do you like about writing most? 

Pure escapism.  There is something about creating and manipulating a world that only you control that is very powerful.

Which of your stories is your favorite and why? 

Asking me to choose between my children?  How rude!  Hmmm, I would say that A Peter Parker Problem is probably my favourite.  Something about it being my very first fan fic and being the exact kind of story that I like to read – which was my motivation to write it.

What’s your favorite trope to write?  

Found family is probably my favourite trope overall.  I also love writing characters overcoming trauma (or at least starting to), whomp and miscommunication. 

What inspired the story? In my original works, I have often written stories about teenagers in difficult family situations so when I started reading fic and came across the ‘Aunt May’s abusive boyfriend’ tag, it started ideas churning.  I kept thinking how unique a situation it would be to have the physical power that Peter has but still be subjected to abuse.  That even though we can be powerful, confident people, it doesn’t mean that we are immune to coercion and abuse in our lives.  In this story, Peter particularly is in such a vulnerable position post Endgame coming back to a family that has changed in his absence and I imagined how he’d do anything to keep May happy after the grief she had been through. 

Can you tell us a little about the experience of writing it — did anything stand out or was there a particular person that helped more than others? 

 It was such a fun experience writing it.  I hadn’t felt that passionate about anything in a long while and it gave me something to focus on during that early pandemic uncertainty.  It quite honestly helped my sanity being stuck indoors during lockdown with two young children.  At this point I didn’t know anybody in fandom – I had only read fic not interacted with anyone so other than a few later chapters, it was not beta read.  What struck me most about the experience was the warm welcome I had by the IronDad community once I started posting.  I was overwhelmed by the support for the story.  I hadn’t imagined that so many people would read it, I would’ve been happy with a handful of hits, so to say I was blown out of the water was an understatement.  Similarly, I reached out to a few authors to take a look at some later chapters I was unsure of and they helped without hesitation.  I have made long lasting, deep friendships, meeting up with three people in two different parts of the globe in the last 18 months – including a trip to Avengers Campus in California!  I can honestly say that finding fan fic has enriched my life immensely.

How did you feel to be a winner of the Awards last year? 

It was such a lovely surprise to be honored with a win last year.  The fandom has such a slew of talented, prolific writer that I was surprised to have won.  Thank you to everyone for reading my scribblings and taking the time to vote for me.

Thank you so much @spagbol99 for answering our questions and being part of the Awards.

Nominations for the 2024 Irondad Creator Awards are now open here.