#I know there’s a lot of gray area and complexities within his character and what he has going on with akito

[seokwoosmole]

Never has my opinion about a non-antagonist character changed so drastically than it has about Shigure ok there might have been some before but right now I can’t think of any.

I went from “Oh he’s just a silly lil guy” to “*sobs* silly *sobs again* DAD” to “ohhhh….silly….pervy😳lil guy” to “ohhhh….silly mysterious guy???” to “oh- oh….😬”

[editoress]

@hooded-and-cloaked said: I’ve never read any SJM books, but aside from the plagiarism, can you elaborate on the writing crutches that you’ve also seen in other books (for my edification. I haven’t written in years, but maybe I will again)?

For sure!

Perhaps the broadest and most egregious thing I keep encountering is super special omnipotent characters. SJM loves to heap on unlikely inheritances, never-before-seen powers, connections to gods, etc., onto the same person. I think there's real fun to be had with overpowered characters, but in her writing, it's purely a bestowing of authorial favor. And it's EVERY time. The protagonist gets the most powers and advantages; secondary characters get less but still have insane, impossible gifts compared to most people in the world; and if any of the heroes misbehave, they lose what makes them special as a consequence.

The reason I call this a crutch and not just an annoyance is because her characters aren't very strong—you know, writing wise. They act inconsistently, and she has no sense of nuance or moral gray area when writing their decisions. Sooo I'm not sure whether giving them super-special-awesome powers is shorthand to let the reader know who to like (e.g. the protag has seven magic powers, therefore she is the coolest, therefore she should be liked the most)? Or if it's an attempt to make the characters more interesting, or what? But it's tiring and unnecessary. The truth is that if you hand me a well-written character, whether they're a scruffy nobody or have godlike powers, I'll like them!

Related to the superpowers is the way the stakes of the story make insane jumps and become impersonal. In short, her plots aren't very good. Later villains are one-note, moustache-twirling forces of evil who are going to destroy the entire world for no reason unless the heroes stop them. Basically, SJM uses the highest stakes imaginable (world blows up, etc.) in lieu of planning out a plot with any intrigue or complexity.

A lot of new authors have bought into the idea of a Force of Evil rather than a villain, some nebulous badness that must be defeated. And to me, that's lazy writing. Come up with an interesting reason for someone to oppose your heroes! Give me a villain and a plot!

Anyway, to accomplish these stakes half the time, she has to retcon everything. It's another side effect of her not planning out her world or her story: she finds herself stuck in a corner, having to make something up. (It's also a side effect of her work no longer being edited.) This is absolutely a crutch, and she leans all her weight on it. She presents things that contradict earlier writing in order to achieve:

more powers bestowed upon the protagonist (Even though we know her heritage already, she is ALSO related to ANOTHER magical being!)

an even bigger bad force (I know we said the last guy was the only one who could use the demon powers, but now there's another one who is somehow worse!)

moving characters from the Good to Bad category or vise versa (Actually he never did that bad thing earlier! He's never done anything wrong in his life!)

I see a lot of that last bullet point especially in other books. Rather than character development, some authors spring for explaining away a character's crimes. Hastily wiping clean the slate rather than letting a story work through anything. Boooooo.

Retconning is straight up awful writing and I'm tired of seeing it. It's so much fun to create a world and rules within it, and then make characters work within those limits! Breaking those rules very occasionally can be such a great dramatic hit. But constantly? No. Stop lying to me in every book. >:[

Last but not least, SJM needed a way for all of her female characters to be sad and frightened and undeniably damaged, and it's rape trauma. Around every figurative corner is another woman with PTSD from rape. It's a shortcut to get the audience's sympathy and show you that a character is a broken woman who needs love. But please note that several of her male characters have also been raped, and that's just kind of :/ and never brought up again. And while some authors have written characters with rape trauma and done it well, many have not. At all.

So yeah, I wish new authors wouldn't copy the class clown's homework.

[redpandaramblings]

The Art of Blind Dates. Deku x GN! Reader

This piece was written for @rat-zuki 's the deku agenda escapes no one collab. Happy Birthday to our favorite broccoli.

Content warning- This fic rated PG-13. Aged up characters, Allusions to sexual activity, swearing, gender neutral reader.

“You know, we really have to stop meeting like this.”

You jumped, the spray can you had been using left an unsightly streak of bright red across your masterpiece. You scowled behind your mask as you turned to face the man who had spoken.

“We do. You keep making me mess up my hard work!”

You smirked, pleased with yourself as you saw Deku, the number one pro hero, recoil at the sight of your mask. It had taken a few weeks to convert the All Might mask into an ahegao face, but it was worth it if it horrified your number one pain in the ass. Izuku blinked a few times, sighing and bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was clearly choosing to ignore your choice of disguise.

“I wouldn’t have to mess with your work if you chose to do things that were, you know, actually legal? You’re talented, Brushstroke. You could get paid to do murals or something instead of…” Deku gestured towards your latest creation. You were rather proud of it. It had taken a good amount of planning to manage to paint a fifty foot tall mural of pro hero Dynamight mooning the city with the bold caption ‘The Hero Commision can kiss my ass.’ It would be perfect if not for the red streak from where Deku had startled you. With a contemplative hum you shook your spray can and quickly turned the offending mark into a cartoonish lipstick print. Midoriya sighed heavily. “I’m standing right here, you know.”

“I know.” You grinned behind your mask. The voice distorter you used did nothing to hide your chipper tone. “I also know you like it. And you can’t tell me Dynamight wouldn’t love it. He literally said that on live interview!”

“Yes, but not with his pants down to his knees.”

You bent over, throwing your cans of spray paint and climbing gear into your duffle bag. It wouldn’t do for your nemesis to get his hands on some of the tools you used. Mei’s stamp was all over it.

“Which is such a shame. The man’s got cake for days.” You chuckled as Deku pulled a face.

He observed you, hands on his hips. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Away, obviously.” You said as you threw the strap of your dufflebag across you.

“And I’m just going to let you go?”

“Oh no. You’re going to chase me like you always do. And I’m going to escape like I always do. And it’s going to drive you crazy because you can’t figure out how I keep doing it.” You began stretching, exaggerating each movement.

“A teleportation quirk isn’t that hard to figure out.” Izuku began stretching as well, rolling his shoulders and popping joints.

“Guess again.” You sing songed, bouncing on your toes.

“Wouldn’t have to guess if you just told me.”

“But that’s no fun. Unfortunately, I do have to be going. Catch you later, hot stuff!” And with a sprint, you raced to the side of the building and jumped off before activating your quirk.

Time slowed around you. It was like you were hovering in the air instead of falling. Freeze Frame was a quirk you had learned to perfect over the years. Between the quirk and the assorted gadgets in your bag and on your person, it was definitely enough to baffle the number one pro hero. Speaking of, you better work quickly before your quirk wore off and splatted you across the sidewalk.

Freeze Frame was named after what your quirk looked like from the outside. It was as if you teleported, or you had frozen time around you for everyone except yourself. In reality, you were a speedster. When your quirk was active, you were able to move at speeds so fast you were undetectable to others, and to you it seemed like everything was paused in time. You probably could have been a phenomenal hero or villain if you wanted. But currently, it was much more fun to thwart a certain green haired man.

With a press of a button, you deployed a grappling hook, snagging it on the building across the alley. You swung over, keeping a countdown in your head. Would you be lucky enough and have time to…? Yes. There! A balcony door was cracked open slightly. You gracefully landed on the balcony and used the door to slip into what appeared to be someone’s bedroom, thankfully unoccupied at the moment. Taking no chances though, you slip into the closet just as the effects of your quirk wear off. The other reason you had never turned to heroism or villainy- no matter how much you trained, you could only keep your quirk activated for ten seconds at a time. It wasn’t a lot. Plus you could only activate your quirk a couple dozen times a day without getting seriously ill. But it still was usually more than enough to be able to give any law enforcement the slip. Just like now.

Deku curses as he runs to the edge of the roof. You’re nowhere to be seen. “Brushstroke! Get back here, you damn brat!” He shouted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. One of these days he was going to figure out your quirk and how to counteract it. And when that day comes he was going to take you over his knee and… No. He shook his head, blushing to clear his thoughts. What to do with you. Well, he wasn’t sure yet. You weren’t a villain, really. More of a public nuisance. The murals you did showed a lot of talent and a good chunk of the population agreed with the social commentary behind them. But that didn’t change that you had painted ten foot tall asscheeks on a building without permission. And, technically, it was within his job description to apprehend you. “Brushstroke!” Deku called again as he made his way down to the ground. There was no sign of you anywhere. Invisibility quirk maybe? Though it would be unusual if you could turn all the stuff you had been wearing and carrying invisible as well.

Meanwhile, as Izuku was getting lost in thought, you were getting naked. You stripped out of your gear and paint covered smock, moving as quickly as you dared while still remaining quiet in your hidden location. Just because the bedroom had been empty doesn’t mean the rest of the place was, after all. You shoved everything into your dufflebag, pulling out a clean set of clothing from a zippered pocket. Getting changed was a simple affair, as was ruffling your hair, messily getting it to look like a different style. One of your favorite tricks happened when you pushed a hidden button on the edge of your duffle bag. The previously dull gray bag quickly morphed into a loud riot of tye dyed color. Chameleon bags, Hatsume called them. Still in a prototype stage, your friend and employer would probably make a mint on them if you put them on the market. After a final brush off and deciding you looked acceptably civilian, you peeked out the closet door. The bedroom was still empty. You crept out slowly. The balcony wasn’t a feasible exit anymore. Not without the gear you had had to store away. You were going to have to sneak out the front door. You activated your quirk, feeling a little queasy at having to use it again so quickly in succession. It was simple to race through the apartment and out into the hall within your short time limit. In fact, with your speed, you were easily able to exit the entire apartment complex. You still had a few seconds to spare when you shot out the door. You grinned at seeing the number one pro hero standing in the middle of the street. You knew you shouldn’t do what you were thinking. Instead you should use your last few spare seconds to put some distance between yourself and the large, green haired man. Instead, you quickly dug around in your bag and found your tube of lipstick. You applied a nice thick coat as you waltzed up to him. With a giggle, you planted a firm smacking kiss on his cheek, leaving behind a clear and perfect lip print. With a grin, you hurried back to the apartment complex. It was easy to make it seem like you were just coming out of the door as time snapped back to its proper speed. You watched, hiding your smirk as you observed the clearly frustrated hero scanning the crowds for any sign of you. His eyes passed right over you, barely giving you a glance. You almost felt hurt that he thought your normal look was that unremarkable. But that was the point, after all. As Deku continued to call out for your pseudonym, you turned and walked away, blending into the crowd. You were almost out of earshot when you heard a loud cursing exclamation that would have been more in character for a certain blond hero. You bite your knuckle to muffle your laughter. Someone had informed Deku of the lipstick mark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You sipped from a bottle of water as you watched Mei work her magic. It was strangely relaxing to watch her in her element. Though it seemed chaotic the first few times you had witnessed your friend work, there was a clear method to the madness if you just knew where to look. And you knew exactly where to look now that you had been working with her for the past three years. You were simply listed as one of her assistants. Most days that involved a random jumble of cleaning, paperwork, schedule management, and coffee making. The real reason Hatsume loved having you around however, was days like this.

“Okay! Set!” She chirped happily. “You good to go now?”

You nodded as you slid down, and walked into the testing area. “Remind me what I’m looking for again?”

“Well, obviously the usual. Make sure it’s not lethal, of course. And then I want to make sure the grid is deploying at the right time. Should be about a quarter second after detonation.”

“As long as everything looks good, want me to be full blown dummy this time?”

Hatsume tilted her head, and considered a moment before nodding. “Yeah, should be fine. Have the explosive levels where they should be. If anything messes up it’s going to be the grid deploying too soon or too late and not restraining you right.”

You gave her a thumbs up as you got into position. She counted down, though that didn’t matter much to you, honestly. One of the best perks of your quirk was that it gave you insane reflexes. You waited until the moment you saw the detonation begin to happen and activated your quirk.

As usual, it felt like time slowed to a crawl around you. Hollywood directors would give a kidney to have access to the detailed slow motion you could experience every day for free. You walked around the device, looking it over. It was meant to be a capture aid for pro hero Cellophane, a small explosive that would shoot nets of tape in all directions. It had to be safe and effective. Better to have a few civilians stuck to the walls than to risk letting a villain escape, after all. You peered into the explosion that was slowly rippling outward. Everything looked good so far… Yep, there were the grids starting to deploy. Sure that everything was safe, you deactivated your quirk and instantly were thrown backward and stuck to a padded wall of the testing room.

“Looked great!” You called as Hatsume entered the room. “I think you’ve finally got it!”

While she cheered and began praising her baby for performing so well, you tried wiggling. No luck. You were stuck rather firmly. Apparently she had upped the strength of the adhesive. After a minute, Hatsume finally noticed your struggles.

“Oh good!” She chirped. “Looks like the new formula is holding up nicely. I mean, I still need to test it out against, like strength and fire quirks, but looking good so far.”

“Little help, please?” You ask, giving her a look.

“Maybe in a bit.” She said, turning her back and leaving you there, pinned. “Want to test how long it holds. Besides, I have some questions about your last escapade and how my babies held up.”

You let out a resigned sigh. Of course. Your friend had found out about your after hours hobby about a year and a half ago. Instead of discouraging you, it hadn’t surprised you that much when she blackmailed you. She wouldn’t tell the police or heroes…. If you used some of her experimental babies on your future excursions. You had been dubious. Hatsume’s babies could be a little dangerous in the prototype stage. But it ended up working great! Your pieces went from small tagging jobs to huge fifty foot murals. Though that had caught the attention of a few public figures, including a certain green haired pain in your ass.

“I didn’t use anything directly against Deku this time.” You sighed, going limp to test if the tape would hold your weight. It did. “Grappling hook works great. The painter drones are okay for filling in large areas, but aren’t able to do clean lines well. The gecko boots continue to be amazing, but the gloves need a lot of work. The control for when they release still isn’t great.”

Hatsume nodded, quickly making notes about everything you said. There was a bit of a quick back and forth where she asked questions and you answered. Though ten minutes passed and you were still stuck to the wall. She eventually sets her notes aside and turns to face you fully. “So,” she drawls. “You saw Deku again.”

“I always see Deku nowadays!” You groan. “I swear Mei, if I find out you’re tipping him off or something...”

“Aww, come on! He’s nice! Would you rather be dealing with Dynamight?”

You frowned, not meeting her gaze. “I mean, the variety might be nice?”

“You like that with the help of my babies you’re able to out fox the number one pro hero, admit it!”

“It might be a little satisfying,” you mutter.

“And it doesn’t hurt that he’s hot either! Heard you two get all flirty during chases. The tabloids loved the kiss mark, by the way. Enjoy finally kissing him?”

“Hatsume!” you groan. “Subject change, please! Anything else!”

“Anything?” she grins at you.

“Oh god, I’m going to regret this.”

“It’s not that bad, I promise! Just, would you be interested in a blind date?”

You blink. “A date?”

“Yeah! One of my friends from school has a lot of trouble meeting people organically. You know how the industry is. Ridiculous schedules, maintaining reputation, trying to make sure they like you for you and aren’t just a fan.”

“Yeah… I guess I can understand that.”

“Well, I just think you and him would be a great fit! He’s a huge nerd in a lot of the same ways you are, but a real good guy once you get past the awkward. Plus,” Hatsume dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper “I happen to know for a fact that he’s a fan of Brushstroke’s work.”

You sighed, rolling your eyes. “You know it’s extortion to try to get me to agree when you have me literally taped to a wall.”

“I know!” Hatsume chirped happily. “So are you going to agree? I made the adhesive pretty strong this time. Who knows how long it would take to wear off on it’s own?”

“Bitch!” You can’t help laughing. “Alright, alright, I’ll go. Just get me down from here!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You fidgeted with the ring you were wearing as you stared at the building in front of you. Maybe it wasn’t too late to bail? You don’t know exactly what you had been expecting when Hatsume had told you about the somewhat shy, nerdy man she had set you up with, but you hadn’t expected him to choose the fanciest restaurant in town as your date location. You were wearing your best and still felt underdressed. Well, if the date was a disaster, at least you knew what building you were going to spray paint next. The glistening white exterior would make for a great canvas. You chuckled quietly at your own thoughts.

Squaring your shoulders, you took a deep breath and marched in. You could do this. You were an infamous tagger. You faced off against the number one pro hero regularly. Your day job was working with Hatsume. You’ve got this. With an air of newfound confidence, you gave your name to the maitre d. It was a surprise when you were led through the restaurant to one of their private curtained rooms. This guy you’d been set up with was apparently going all out. Maybe you were going to like him after all, you thought as you were ushered in. Then you looked up.

Fuck.

Standing to greet you with a stupidly flustered look on his damn stupid handsome face was your nemisis. The number one thorn in your proverbial side. The giant broccoli himself.

That BITCH had set you up with Izuku Midoriya!

You froze. In the back of your mind you were aware that your mouth was hanging open. The green haired man shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Hi,” he said quietly, scratching the back of his head.

You continued to stare.

He cleared his throat, glancing to the side. “Sorry about the secrecy, but I think it’s understandable.”

You nodded weakly.

Izuku bit his lip. You realized with a start that he might be even more nervous than you are. As much as you planned to murder Hatsume later, this wasn’t Midoriya’s fault. You could get through this date at least. Eat some expensive food, drink the best wines, make some meaningless conversation, say your goodbyes, and then go home to plot the demise of your former best friend. Long, slow painful demise. Good thing about being an artist, you had lots of traps, so clean up should be easy. Looking at the worried expression on Izuku’s face, you realize with a start that you still haven’t actually said anything to him. You open your mouth to offer some sort of generic greeting. But what comes out is-

“I’m going to fucking murder Mei!”

Izuku blinks. Blinks again. Then he starts laughing loudly. He leans one hand on the table as he cackles. You stare before starting to chuckle yourself. Soon you’re both wheezing with laughter. You both slump into your seats, trying to collect yourselves. Midoriya speaks first.

“Yeah, I… I get that. I’d think that’s a common emotion when hanging around Hatsume.”

You can’t help your smile. “Only at least half of the time. But that’s what makes it fun. No one else like her.”

“That’s for sure.” Izuku leaned back in his seat, looking you over like he’s studying you. “So, I suppose we should actually introduce ourselves. I’m Izuku Midoriya. I do hero work.”

You laugh. “Y/N Y/L/N. I work for Mei and freelance art when I can.”

“Art, huh? What kind of stuff do you do?”

You’re briefly interrupted by the arrival of the first course. After the waiter leaves, Deku apologies. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to order for you, but this is one of those places where you pay them and they tell you what you’re going to eat.”

“It’s fine.” You say as you stare at the delicate wisp of some sort of thinly shaved vegetable with a dollop of strangely colored foam on top.

“You were saying what kind of art you do?” Deku cautiously was poking at the tiny fancy appetizer.

“A few different things really, but my passion is mural work. Latest job was in a maid cafe. They wanted something cute and floral, but they let me do what I wanted within that theme.”

The night continued on and was surprisingly easy. The food was delicious, the wine was better, and you were pleasantly surprised by the company. Maybe it was the wine softening you up, but as you looked across the table where Izuku was animatedly talking about how influential All Might’s example had been for him, you admitted to yourself that the green haired man was very handsome. And funny. And interesting. And you were trying very hard not to think about the way Midoriya’s large scarred hand wrapped around the delicate wine glass. It was a surprise when the final course was finished and Izuku was quietly taking care of the bill. He escorted you out of the building and you both stood awkwardly outside. Deku cleared his throat.

“If it’s not presuming too much, I’m not quite ready for tonight to end. Is it alright if I walk you home?”

“I’d like that. Like that a lot, actually.”

He smiled at you, and it was like the sun. You walked and talked animatedly. The conversation was so easy and fun, and a little flirty. Somewhere along the way your hands brushed together and holding hands became the most natural thing in the world. Time flew by as you walked together, your true destination long forgotten. You were only brought back to reality when out of the corner of your eye you saw a massive mural of pro hero asscheeks. When Izuku saw what you were looking at, he groaned.

“Could you please not check out my friend’s ass while we’re on a date?” He joked, gently elbowing your ribs. You laughed.

“I mean, you can’t blame me. It’s hard to miss.” You made a mental note to tell Mei that her paint formula was holding up beautifully.

“It’s a little embarrassing. Brushstroke is talented and all, but every mural is a time I couldn’t catch them.”

Maybe it was the wine still buzzing through your system. Maybe it was the thrill of it. Maybe you just wanted to see those beautiful green eyes widen. But you couldn’t help the next words out of your mouth.

“Well you might have an easier time if you ever actually figured my quirk out.”

“Yeah I…” He stopped. Stared. “You…” He stared harder, pulling away slightly as he looked your figure up and down. “You!!!”

“Surprise?” You laughed, and grinned at him. He was always so handsome when he was angry. You weren’t scared at all as he hauled you close.

“Do you have any idea how infuriating you are?”

“Pretty good idea, actually.”

“You’ve been leading me on goose chases for months!”

You grinned “Yes, will be our anniversary soon.”

Izuku groaned as he wrapped his arms around your waste. “You irredeemable brat!”

You would have replied, but in the next second he was fiercely smashing his mouth against yours. The kiss started harsh and desperate. The results of months of teasing and flirting. It gentled as the two of you stood there in the night, soft and sweet and full of affection the two of you had yet to put into words. The thought occurred to you that you’d have to thank Mei later. Your eyes opened as the two of you pulled away for breath. You started giggling almost immediately. Izuku pressed his forehead against yours.

“What’s so funny, darling?”

You smirked. “I never thought we’d have our first kiss while being mooned by Dynamight.”

Izuku groaned loudly before sweeping you up into his arms. You squawked and clung to him.

“That’s it.” He rumbled. “I’m going to spank you when I get you home, you fucking brat.”

“Promise?” you giggled.

You didn’t mind in the least when he shut you up with another kiss.

[snowflake-of-destruction]

let's hear about FFVIII seifer, if you're still doing this XD

Why I like them: You know my tastes. A green-eyed man is introduced throwing fireballs around, is kind of a condescending jerk but in a fun way, instigates deep conversations on high ground while staring at the sunset...Well, before we even get to villainy, immolation, and redemption arc, I start going “Is this a favorite character?”  I’m joking...kind of. Some of that does factor in, even the fire. 

Okay, so my favorite thing about Seifer’s arc is that, in the limited focus he’s given, he’s complex and layered from the beginning, and his villain arc is a clear and fascinating illustration of “No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks” ….with a side of brainwashing.

Let’s break this down:

What are some of the words used to describe him by those that know him (by himself, by Squall, by Fuu and Rai)? Romantic. Idealistic. Sensitive. He is the one who believes in making a difference in the world--not just as a wish or goal, but as an imperative to do what your heart says is right even if it’s going to cost you--where Squall is just follow-the-orders-and-do-the-job. If you’re already reading this and objecting, I’m not saying Squall doesn’t care...obviously he does, defrosting Mr. Go Talk to a Wall and getting him to a place where he admits how many layers of mask he wears is his character development...but Seifer isn’t just a hothead. He wears his heart on his sleeve. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to deny that Seifer can be an abrasive, self-serving, hypocritical jackass sometimes,  who can fight dirty, wants to “wreak some havoc,” and has a history as a bully--though, gentlefolk of the jury, I submit to the courts that he puts on a tough act like Squall does and they are both different flavors of trying to mimic toxic alpha male--but let’s not forget that some of his establishing character moments are throwing out his future to disobey orders because he sees that the higher-ups have possibly misjudged the situation and civilians could be in danger, and, again, going AWOL because he thinks Squall and Rinoa could be killed. And he calls himself the white knight and holds up a code of honor until the end, even though it gets twisted. He is about duty and honor, with honor even over duty.

Oh, this was only going to be the beginning. I haven’t even begun to touch on what I would want to touch on--this is just surface personality and the beginning of the game before we even get to joining Sorceress Edea, and even then not all I would say-- but this post isn’t actually supposed to be my Ted talk on what you missed if you just think of Seifer as a recurring boss fight. Let’s move on.

ONE MORE THING ACTUALLY. Even though we see a lot of Seifer at his worst, you can use Fujin and Raijin as a mirror. What do they say near the end of the game if we paraphrase/summarize? They knew pretty early on, before even the senseless slaughter and torture era that Seifer was going down a dark path with the sorceress, but they knew it wasn’t him and stayed with him, not because they agreed with his actions, wanted power, or out of fear, but to take care of him and try to break through to him--and not because they are saints, but because he, despite what had happened in the past year, is the type of person who deserves and inspires that kind of loyalty. Let’s think on that.

Now the rest goes under a read more, because I am going to keep rambling and be wordy

Why I don’t: He can be an asshole, and he’s an asshole in an embarrassing way. As in, if one is trying to say he’s not the little punk his KH counterpart is, you remember he still uses the insult chickenwuss (though that is a legacy insult/nickname since he’s known Zell since childhood--and, fyi, Squall uses it too) and he had a little gang in school. Even once he’s a military commander of an evil army set on world domination, he has some moments where his level of petty undermines him.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): The Dollet mission

Favorite line: Sorry, not sorry that the following is my favorite exchange of lines and that the prison torture scene is another of my favorite scenes. For context, Seifer has captured Squall, has him hanging up on the wall in crucified hero imagery, implied to be shirtless even though his character model isn’t because they talk about scar tissue or lack thereof from a recent shoulder injury/Squall being stabbed in the chest/shoulder area. Seifer has been electrocuting Squall for information. By this point, I might as well have put the whole scene here. Also, I am now going to blame Squall and Seifer text boxes in FFVIII for my own abuses of ellipses...

Seifer: " I was hoping you'd be there, Squall. So... how'd I look in my moment of triumph? My childhood dream, fulfilled. I've become the sorceress' knight."

Squall: [internal monologue] ...Sorceress' knight... ...His...romantic dream...? But... Seifer... Now, you're just a…[Out loud] "... torturer."

[Squall passes out.]

Seifer: "What did you say? [Steps closer] Passed out cold, eh? This is the scene where you swear your undying hatred for me! The tale of the evil mercenary versus the sorceress' knight!”

This isn’t just me all “mmm, tension.” Seifer has passed the moral event horizon, and it’s not just faceless NPCs that are collateral damage anymore. We’ve seen him on screen torture the protagonist, who is also one of the only people who he’s shown to have a real bond with that goes beyond superficial. Then we get this and see Seifer thinks he’s the good guy still, on a noble mission where he’s had to make painful sacrifices, and Squall is a representative of the power-hungry evil. Seifer’s been playing a different game, and had his will twisted via magic.

Favorite outfit: The Amano art where the white coat is cast off and he’s wearing the simple black shirt and black jeans under it. Symbolic? Maybe. I wouldn’t give up the coat though. I love the long white/gray coat, the outer embodiment of wanting to wear the white hat, but the desire easily getting tarnished, and the red cross that turns into a sword and becomes Seifer’s symbol and soon to appear other places, emblazoned nice and big on the sleeve. It’s the Cross of Saint James. TRADITIONALLY red represents the blood of Christ, the three lilies represent the honor of the apostle and reference Christ as lily of the valley, and the sword shape represents the torture that St.James suffered before his murder. HOWEVER, my opinion is that here it’s more vague/altered symbolism (For starters, there are other gods not the Christian God in this world) with a side of “looks cool.” We still have something that clearly calls to mind a mission from on high, innocence in the lilies, blood and blood cost, and then war/violence with the sword. And I love it. 

OTP: Seifer/Squall. I should not even start, but lest you think I am just in it for kinky torture scenes: We have these two who, in the beginning, are generally callous or mocking toward everyone, but make each other laugh/smile, see who each other are underneath and describe each other in “soft” terms even if they tease each other for it, repeatedly check in on each other to see if the other is okay, respect each other’s opinion and skills, and...you get the idea. In the words of Zell Dincht, I thought you two were rivals, but you’re all buddy-buddy. 

Pause for a second and let’s just say first impression. That opening fight where they scar each other’s faces? It takes place outside Balamb Garden and the area is shown so we see they are alone. Squall passes out. Squall wakes up in the infirmary within the Garden base. Squall has to explain what happened; people don’t already know. This kind of implies after Squall passed out, Seifer, bleeding from a head wound himself, picked Squall up and carried him home, allowing himself to collapse only when Squall was being safely tended to, because he’s that extra. This is his first (okay, second, after fireballs and face slashing) action in the game even though it’s offscreen. I mean, he could have also just called for help/ran for help, but that’s less fun.

 Seifer is so concerned with being a badass, but he’s admits to Squall all he’s ever wanted was to be the fairytale knight, not a mere soldier. Vulnerability and confession he wants romance....with the first time it’s brought up in game being while they are watching the sun set together, the traditional Square Red Sunset of Shipping. 

Seifer hesitates to defy orders, not for himself, but until he sees Squall is with him. Even though there were other “children of destiny” who all came from the same orphanage, Squall and Seifer were the ones who were never apart, never adopted until it was by a military/mercenary training program, and, even though it may speak more to brotherly than romantic from some angles, there’s a feeling of being the same, knowing each other down to the atoms, adopting an us against the world mindset that trumps trying to best each other when it comes down to it because they are the only constant. When Squall has his breakdown/ breakthrough of why he pushes people away/doesn’t let himself care/tries not to need anyone because people leave/are taken from him and he is scared he isn’t worthy of love and happiness until Rinoa challenges him, this may seem like a dismissal of Seifer, but you can also look at it from “I had no friends or family. I didn’t even have interest in speaking to anyone. I strived to be an unfeeling machine, because all emotion is pain...But also I couldn’t go 48 hours without seeing Seifer.”

Yeah, yeah, we know their main form of hanging out was beating the tar out of each other, but sometimes, especially in older media, this was its own brand of subtext. For more on how Seifer miiiight just view sparring let’s point out that “Isn’t this ROMANTIC?” and “Kneel” as a less easily interpreted as innuendo version of  “I want you on your knees” are battle quotes even in Kingdom Hearts sooo draw your own conclusion. 

We get a line where Squall makes it clear these were friendly matches looked at as pushing their limits beyond what they are allowed to in sanctioned spars, and he feels prepared to take on anything  now because of Seifer. Is it healthy communication  in real life? No! Is this real life? No! Plus, the facial scar was an accident, pretty clearly...on Seifer’s side...I could write another essay on how Seifer draws first blood, but it’s because on Squall’s failed block, AND THEN SQUALL GETS ANGRY AND RETALIATES WITH CLEAR PURPOSE AND MAKES THE OPENING SHOT INTO THE FIRST SIGN GOOD VERSUS BAD GUY ISN’T SO CLEAR CUT (even though they both shouldn’t have been going so hard in a friendly training match to begin with).

 Seifer’s later, repeated threats/expressed desire to give Squall additional scars once he goes evil? That is a different animal, and a horrible one, objectively. Not objectively? No comment. Okay, one comment. Mark you as mine. Two comments. He knows Squall’s lost some memories and he can’t stomach being the next thing forgotten so Squall needs physical reminders.

Hmmm, I was supposed to be talking about the ship, not just the sparring and scars. We can wrap it up with a Marge Simpson. “I just think they’re neat”

BUT ONE MORE THING

Squall’s jacket when he becomes Leon in Kingdom Hearts. His outfit is mostly the same, right? Except the back of the jacket now has a red patch of an emblem (of Rinoa’s angel wings, not Seifer’s cross...for the OT3 feel), and his fight with Sora he throws a fireball like Seifer’s signature. Just, you know, if you want bonus references/feeling.

Brotp: Fuu and Rai. They are willing to commit war crimes with this man, nurse him back from death’s door, and go into exile with him if he can’t return to a normal life even after a redemption arc. This section deserves to be long, but I am beginning to get talked out. Don’t take that as devaluing the friendship though. I’m glad he was allowed to keep his ride or dies in Kingdom Hearts. FRIENDSHIP! They love him, ya know?

Head Canon: What we see of him at the end of the game is a temporary situation and after he heals and refreshes for awhile he’d go back to Balamb and face consequences for his actions, and probably insist on consequences instead of leaning into “an evil sorceress bespelled me and slowly took my free will.” No hiding away in the wilderness. No crossing into and living his life in Esthar. No, “but in the end I broke free and would have been an active, onscreen part of saving the world if Square had let me join the party!” He would insist on being cast into a deep, dark cell. Squall uses pull to get him pardoned, but not before just, flat out, yelling at him for being a martyr.

Unpopular opinion: He did love Rinoa. It may have been a “shallow love,” but he wasn’t just dating her to pass time or because she played into his damsel who needs a hero mindset. There was emotion. He was prepared to die for her and Squall in Timber, and almost did--only being saved by Sorceress Edea...which wasn’t a kindness, but it all worked out in the end. Sure, he gets mind-controlled into using Rinoa as, basically, a human sacrifice and it isn’t Rinoa he wants stripped and brought to his room when we’re taking prisoners, but he cared about her. He does taunt her about their past relationship, but we’ve already established this is just part of his communication skillset.  Yes, I will elaborate more if asked, though it’s more feeling based than text based. 

A wish: If there’s ever a sequel, let him have put out the good in the world that was his dream and be seen as a hero. Let us see a matured and peaceful Seifer. 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: My one fear if they ever remake FFVIII instead of just porting it, is that some of the creative team have said they like the fan theory where you are dead part way through the game and the rest is a dying dream or purgatory. It’s creative stuff; I will say that. It’s not my favorite, and I don’t agree, but those kinds of fan interpretations when they go in depth are super cool. PLEASE LET THE INTEREST IN IT JUST BE THE SAME AS MINE OF THINKING IT’S CREATIVE BECAUSE MAKING THIS  CANON WOULD BE SO, SO BAD FOR EVERY CHARACTER.

5 words to best describe them: stubborn, misguided, paladin, romantic, petty

My nickname for them: I don’t really have one

[abbybubbls]

A Character Study of Actor Mark (and others)

This is something I’ve had in my mind for quite a while. Since everybody’s going on a late Actor Mark craze lately, I’ve noticed that some people have been forgetting that Actor Mark is... well... an asshole. I won’t name any names, just know that I have no ill will towards people who view him differently, they can do whatever they want with their favorite characters, I just wanna go on a bit of a tangent, so... here we go.

Also, you’re gonna have to create a “flaw” counter because I use the word a LOT here.

Let’s get this out of the way; Actor Mark is flawed. Seriously flawed. He’s egotistical, he’s selfish, he only cares about notoriety, he’s a megalomaniac at best. And some people would assume that the Actor has been innocent before the Mansion messed him up after Celine left him, but... not really.

The Mansion pointed out the Actor’s flaws for a long time, and made those flaws more apparent when he was at his highest and lowest points in his life, making him more of an asshole within these moments. It wasn’t towards JUST the Actor though. It’d be towards William (eccentric, being too much of a hopeless romantic), Celine (using people, overprotective, short temper) and yes, even our innocent angel baby Damien himself (confusion, mostly). Almost every character in this series has flaws, but of course, the Actor is most apparent, even when we don’t see him that much.

Then again, the Actor is that kind of character you can guess what he’s like RIGHT when you look at him at first glance. Rich, has a big ego, arrogant, keeps secrets, etc.

I mean... the Actor was ALWAYS like this, it’s just that it’s more pointed out and apparent when there are defining moments in his life. He’s an asshole!

I’m not saying that the Actor is an asshole ALL the time, though. I’m pretty sure he’s had his moments of doing good, but... not a whole lot has been seen of him doing any good at all. We only hear that he’s helped Damien become a mayor, he gave up everything (maybe a bit too much) for Celine when they were married, “reaching out” to William while hiding his spite... and that’s really it. I mean... he gave Abe a job, too... I guess... 4 good deeds the Actor has done! Yaaaayyy...?

Anyway, what I’m getting at is that Mark (not Actor Mark, our boy the man of the hour Mark Fischbach himself) said that he doesn’t believe in 100% good flawless people. Almost every character he’s played and created have things wrong with them.

Let’s use our boy Wilford Warfstache as an example.

Wilford is playful, colorful, excited, curious, and is in constant need of looking for adventure and fun. But he is also very trigger-happy, easily distracted, violent, VERY forgetful, he selfishly runs away from his responsibilities (hence him blowing “BUBBLES!” in the GIF above), and he’s so traumatized and out of touch with reality that he just makes his own as he goes with no worries whatsoever.

Now, Wilford has been my most favorite Ego for a LONG time, and as much as I love portraying him as a cute soft playful idiot, I never forget that he does have a lot of things wrong with him, so I don’t make him too innocent and naive. He’s too far gone to even try and turn back to the way he was, and I absolutely LOVE that concept, and I think it fits very well with somebody like Wilford. His backstory and his problems and are what make me love him so much because he’s such a fun but complex character.

There is a degree as to how many problems that the character has and to see if that character really is a good person or not. There is always this middle ground between the black and white, there’s the morally gray area. You can create a grid of white, gray, and black, and list every Ego with ALL of the flaws that each of them have, and you can put them in whatever area depending on which one has the most problems. And of course, Actor Mark has a lot of them.

The Actor does have every right to be upset that Celine left him for William, but never to the point where he wants revenge on them. The Actor is too prideful and so up his own ass that the Mansion made his flaws more apparent than ever for YEARS, and he’s so spiteful and CONVINCED that he deserves to be more happy than anybody else that (justifiably?) did him wrong.

This is when some people assume that the Actor is the victim, and I don’t agree with them at all, but I can see where they’re coming from. The Actor became depressed that Celine left him, he was all by himself in the Mansion losing his mind, and he can be a very sympathetic character. And yes, when you look through his perspective, you can see why he’s so upset to the point of taking revenge on William for “stealing” Celine away from him, when really Celine probably had every right to leave the Actor for William anyway. She did say that she was never comfortable in the Mansion, and she was probably used by the Actor just for attention.

I’m not saying that it was a great decision for Celine to leave without saying anything. I mean, she could have just said she wanted a divorce because she felt uncomfortable with her surroundings and liked William much more, and if the Actor wouldn’t be so spiteful, he’d let her go. But of course, that doesn’t happen, so all my hopes and dreams for a nicer ending are crushed (I’m just kidding, I ADORE the ending we’ve gotten).

Where was I? Oh yeah, people thinking that the Actor is the victim... The more that I think about it... he’s really not. He brought it upon himself to be spiteful and brought misery to his friends instead of trying to move on from it. Sure, he doesn’t have to forgive them, but he should have at least tried to move on.

There is this VERY important statement that Mark has mentioned during his DAMIEN Explanation stream that most people seem to forget: The Actor never apologized for his actions once.

Let’s go back to our boy Warfy for a sec.

In Wilford ‘MOTHERLOVING’ Warfstache, even though Wilford may not remember a whole lot of Abe, he knows that he might have done something wrong to him, and apologizes wholeheartedly (with a squeak hug and everything)! He admits that he’s done some bad things even though he doesn’t remember them, or even know that he’s done them at all. He apologizes and is willing to move on from his previous mistakes, though of course he might know he’ll make more down the road.

In DAMIEN, the Actor is so far up his own ass that he doesn’t think all the horrible things he’s done to Damien, Celine, and Will are even that horrible. He’s thinking that his actions are somehow justifiable because of his tragic backstory, thinking he’s the hero. “My humble upbringing, my tragic backstory... There’s no other role for me to play!”

The Actor SAYS he’s come to Damien to apologize, but he doesn’t say sorry once. He never says “I’m sorry for what you had to go through” or “Yeah I might have gone a bit too far with you” or anything that would even remotely count as an apology. He only says “Things weren’t according to plan, some mistakes were made, it was supposed to go like this but then I found another way around it”.

He’s more focused on his own plan more than what happened to his friends DURING the plan. The Actor is SO convinced that he is the hero of his story that he NEVER admits that he is in the wrong of what he’s done to Damien and Celine, but he says he’s willing to move on from the past... when he’s really not.

He loses his temper very quickly whenever he mentions the past and he keeps snapping at Damien. When he “casts” Damien as the main villain of his story (even though Damien has done absolutely NOTHING against him besides not agreeing that he was good enough for Celine), Damien refuses and wants to live in peace, and then the Actor gets pissed off more, practically forcing Damien into the role of a villain.

You know who admitted that they’re wrong?

A LOT of people have had mixed feelings about Celine ever since her debut. Even I wasn’t so sure if I liked her when I first saw her. Nothing like some decent writing and character development can’t fix!

Mark has stated that in Who Killed Markiplier?, Celine had no real clear motivation than just “controlling people” and “doing seer things”, so he wanted to do more with her in DAMIEN.

Here’s some stuff we now know more about Celine;

1. She is overprotective towards Damien, and wants him to be safe within the body they both are forced to share.

2. She is Damien’s twin sister (ten minutes older)!

3. She REALLY wants the Actor dead after what he’s done to her and Damien.

4. She is a badass queen and has GREAT aim with her ax.

5. Her survival skills are to the max.

6. Her kickassery cannot be contained.

7. She has used people to protect herself and her brother... and admits it.

I am not saying that manipulation is a good thing, I myself am very gullible and I don’t like being used just to feel idiotic in the end. But of course, when you look into Celine’s perspective, you can see that she has controlled people for a very good reason, even though Damien is literally the same age as her and can take care of himself... but she wants to keep him safe anyway. Celine admits this in her lowest point, Damien lets her sleep after all that she’s done for him.

Here is the way I see it; If you don’t honestly and truly admit that you are in the wrong and don’t take responsibility for your actions, then you are not ready to move on from your past mistakes.

Just like everybody, we all make mistakes, and it’s our responsibility to make sure we can evolve from these mistakes instead of ignoring them or focusing too much on them at the same time.

Wilford is ignoring his mistakes entirely, but he still apologizes anyway without taking full responsibility for his actions and lets somebody else do it for him.

Celine does a good mix of both ignoring and focusing a lot on her mistakes, admitting that she is wrong and tries to take responsibility for it by letting Damien take the wheel.

Actor Mark, as well as Wilford, is ignoring his mistakes like mad, but doesn’t apologize at all.

And this is why I love the Actor as a character. I know, right? I’ve talked in SO MUCH detail about how and why the Actor is a horrible person and I just said I love him as a character! Well, much like Wilford, I have a strong adoration for characters that are ridiculously flawed, and we go deep into their pasts to find out why they’re the way they are.

Actor Mark really is the embodiment of a vengeful tragedy, and his entire character is so complex and interesting to look into...

and now people are treating him like an uwu soft angel boy, but this trend is gonna end soon, I’m sure. Not the love of the Actor, but the uwu soft angel boy part of the trend because... he’s not that at all.

Anyway, Actor Mark is not the hero, he’s an irredeemable douche bag, and I love him anyway. Let me know if there’s any more details about him that I’ve missed!

Buh-bye~

- Abby

[crystalelemental]

Edelgard’s an emperor trying to expand her empire. Adrestia’s got that clear German influence. Flayn, Seteth and Serios can be killed in BE and they’re among the last members of their race, so that’s where “Edelgard commits genocide” comes from.

Damn, is that where it came from?  You know what, fuck it, I can appreciate a good asspull, 10/10.

But seriously, I feel like this must have started as a joke, and was taken seriously and became a real thing people now argue over.  There’s no way that started real.  Like...you took one data point out of context, and another you forced a convenient interpretation onto to make the claim.  That’s absurd.  Like...okay, first off, does Edelgard even know that Flayn and Seteth are dragonkin?  Because, like...I didn’t.  For a while.  They mention pretty early on that the saints and heroes could have ridiculously long lifespans, and it was pretty apparent that Seteth and Flayn were related to the saints, so for a while I just assumed that was all it was.  I can’t even remember when I started to connect they might be dragons too, and I think it was specifically when they start talking about how Rhea is like family.  Which happens in the Church route, an entirely separate reality.  Secondly, if we’re going to start counting “killed the last known dragon” as a form of genocide, then I’m pretty sure about every lord in Fire Emblem is guilty.  Killing dragons, especially corrupted or evil ones, is kind of a series staple.  Hell, apparently they’re not even the last, they’re “among the last.”  I’m really hoping that has to do with the Nabateans that Seiros mentions near the end of BE route.  God, please tie this in to some dragon society.

Moreover though, it’s just amazing to me that this is the direction we take with Edelgard’s character.  You know the first thing that happens when you join Edelgard against the Church?  She asks everyone if they’re sure they want to stay, and tells them they can leave if they’re not up for it.  What a vile, power-hungry fascist, allowing her friends and comrades to duck out of a conflict they may not be ready for.  When you take over major areas, her first declaration is for everyone to drop their weapons and cease fighting.  Again, so vicious.  Or hell, how about Hubert and Ferdinand’s B-support, where we’re told point-blank that Edelgard intended to allow their enemies to go free?  It’s Hubert who sends the order to kill; Edelgard had every intention of allowing her enemies to live.  What an unbelievable showing of cruelty.  Hell, even her motivations don’t line up.  Yes, her goal is to unify the continent within her empire.  I haven’t finished the game yet, but one of her proclamations is that the Church was explicitly responsible for creating the divisions between nations, and that this division held people back.  I dunno, maybe that’s right.  Even if it’s not, the Church is responsible for keeping a lot of secrets about relics, crests, and crest stones from everyone, and has shaped history to the current form where Crests are all-important, to a degree where many go to disgusting lengths to obtain them.  Edelgard’s entire MO is basically “Eat the rich.”  She hates the nobility that stole power from the emperor, and immediately used that power to torture children to essentially create weapons bearing two crests, and called it “research.”  She was one such kid experimented on.  If we seriously want to talk about who’s the oppressed and who are the oppressors, it doesn’t take both brain cells to figure out Edelgard was on the worse end of this.

Hers is the story of a child abused by society at large, recognizing those responsible for setting the conditions that allow or even celebrate these atrocities, and rising up to dismantle the systems that protect them.  At every step of the way, she’s resolute, but she’s clearly not happy that things have to go this way.  She cries when she has to kill Dimitri.  Someone out to kill her who would stop at nothing, and she cries over the fact that nothing would have been able to stay his hand.  I’m not saying she’s a perfect cinnamon roll who did nothing wrong.  She fucks up quite a bit.  She never once talks with Dimitri about the truth of what happened before the timeskip, which could’ve saved everyone a lot of trouble.  She could have been more detailed about the problems the Church is responsible for, because believe me, having played it, I’m still not entirely clear on their role, which made it harder to understand why they’re her target.  Her ambitions being largely for the greater good don’t excuse the fact that she’s willing to jump to subjugation through force in a case like with the Alliance.  Hell, you could argue that Dimitri, even consumed entirely by his lust for revenge, didn’t need to die, and that she’s simply justifying the solution that’s most convenient for her.  All of those criticisms I’m fine with.  But my god, it’s like you don’t know how to tell someone with complex motives and questionable actions from a sociopath.

Personally, I blame Fates.  I feel like a lot of Fire Emblem does pretty well with moral gray, and characters who can seem purely evil having a complex history or motivation.  Those qualities are what drew me in so much when I first played through Blazing Blade.  But Fates...did a terrible job of this.  Garon and his goons were so transparently evil as to be cartoons, and Hoshido was left to be the pure “did nothing wrong” victim good guys despite showing the more overt levels of racism and hatred toward their enemies.  They created this concept of picking a side as if they were equal and just butchered it so hard.  Awakening was...actually really not much better about this at all.  So I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised that many newer fans to the series are seeing this game play out and trying to fit it into a neat little pure good and pure evil box, but that’s not the way the series has traditionally played out.  I hate to be this much of a snob, but god Three Houses feels like a proper return to form.  It legitimately feels the same as when I played the Radiant games the first time through, only without the frustration of the fucking bridge.  This moral complexity is how the series is meant to run, and by god it feels good to be back in a game that has this kind of depth.

[updatingthedragon]

Solo Dungeon Adventures/Unique Traps

Solo Dungeons and Dragons gets a shout out in the first edition of The Strategic Review, in a unique manner. Gary Gygax himself wrote this article, with a bit of help from others, in which he outlines a system whereby you, yes you, can play Dungeons and Dragons without… a referee. Yeesh, that just sounds weird. I much prefer Dungeon Master. It’s a much more evocative term than referee. Plus, everyone argues with a referee, but who would dare argue with THE DUNGEON MASTER?!

Well, a lot of people, but I digress. Gygax gives us tables by which we can endlessly generate our own dungeon, if we don’t have any friends to do it for us. It is a… bit clunky, like most things in early Dungeons and Dragons. There are a lot of sub-tables to refer too, monster behavior to keep track of, loot, magic pools of water…

Honestly, there are much better ways to play Dungeons and Dragons these days, with  Roll20 and other sites making it possible for even lonely nerds to find a group, and purpose-written solo adventures that avoid the complexity of Gygax’s system. Even if we want a random dungeon, we can simply Google “random dungeon generator” and get computer programs that will do all of this for us. It’s a lot easier, but it does lack some of that charm.

I can almost picture myself, if I had been a teen in those days, huddled under a blanket, flash light in hand, rolling dice and painstakingly tracing out the Caverns of Zurkrasheim (made it up as I wrote this, and I love it already), wondering with bated breath what I will encounter next. It’s raining outside, with that warm, pleasant smell of long-dry dirt finally getting a drink. A train horn sounds in the distance…

Sorry, got a bit carried away there. Anyway, there is quite a bit of stuff we can steal for 5e. While the game seems to have moved away from dungeon crawls, there are several traps worth a look at. I like the idea of hidden doors that are difficult to find (humans, unaided, had a 1 in 6 chance according to the chart), with some great reward behind them. But secret doors are easy. No, the trap I love the best is the gas trap. You step on a pressure plate, and gas fills the hallway! A great dramatic beat. Not only that, but the gas sub-table illustrates different kinds of gas your players could encounter. One literally made your Fighters stronger, while another would just straight up kill you if you failed a saving throw. With that in mind, here are my handy, uh, “gas traps?” That just sounds wrong…

Gas Trap: DC 16 to detect the pressure plate. If the players step on the trap, there is a hiss as a mysterious gas fills the corridor around them.

Types of Gas: 1. Smoke Screen. The gas is ashen gray and thick. The area covered by the gas is heavily obscured, blocking vision entirely. 2. Poison Gas. The gas is a sickly yellow and carried a vague scent of sulfur. Whenever a creature enters or starts their turn within the cloud, a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, take 3d6 poison damage. On a success, take half as much damage. 3. Blinding Gas. This light green gas has a strange texture, as if it is made of shards of finely woven glass. Roll a DC 14 Constitution saving throw whenever a creature enters the cloud or starts their turn within it. On a failure, the creature  is blinded for 1d8 turns. On a success, the creature is able to resist the gas, but will have to roll again next turn if they are still within the cloud. 4. Fear Gas. The gas is darkly colored, with strange flashes reminiscent of lightning rippling throughout. Roll a DC 14 Constitution(or Wisdom, depending on DM choice) saving throw whenever a creature enters the cloud or starts their turn within it. On a failure, the creature is frightened for 1d8 turns and cannot press further into the gas. On a success, the creature is able to resist the gas, but will have to roll again next turn if they are still within the cloud. 5. Sleeping Gas. This blue gas carries with it a sense of calm and the smell of cinnamon. Roll a DC 14 Constitution saving throw whenever a creature enters the cloud or starts their turn within it. On a failure, the creature falls asleep for 1d6 turns. On a success, the creature is able to resist the gas, but will have to roll again next turn if they are still within the cloud. This is also not “magical sleep”, so elves and half-elves beware! 6. Vapor of Valor. The gas is the shade of a summer rose and smells vaguely of rain. Your characters are suddenly reinvigorated, receiving almost all of the effects of a long rest; prepared spells, however, are unable to be changed.  

Why would you want a “Vapor of Valor” in your otherwise dank and dangerous dungeon? I can actually think of two scenarios. The first, “meta-scenario,” is that your players are slogging through a dungeon full of monsters slowly picking away at their health, and they’re unclear if they’re lost or going the right way. Triggering something like this might serve as a signal that, yes, you’re doing it right and reignite their adventuring spirit.

The other, “game-scenario,” is that back when the Caverns of Zurkrasheim (or whatever dungeon) was a Dwarven stronghold (or whatever ancient group ruled there), this corridor led to the arena. Gladiators would walk down this hallway in between fights, and the Vapor would replenish their health and make them ready for another brutal fight. And, thusly, your players walk through the Vapor of Valor, feel good about themselves, and then there’s a click, the floor they are on suddenly raises, and they find themselves in a long abandoned arena facing down a Purple Worm. Much like the stereotypical “ammo and health packs at the boss door,” this ensures your players won’t get absolutely bodied, adds a feeling of expectation, and also gives your world a reason to have the Vapor.

Another thing I think we should pull from Gary’s auto-dungeon tables are magic pools. We must, of course, differentiate these from magic lakes which act as portals to another dimension. Magic pools, on the other hand, have a variety of options on the table. Some pools add to your stats, others subtract. Some pools talk and grant wishes! But since Wish is, ah, dangerous, we should stay away from that…

Magic Pools: A still pool, surrounded by stones. DC 14 Arcana check will identify this pool as magical. Rolling an 18 or above on that check will also identify what kind of pool it is.

1. Pool of Polymorph: This pool seems to be surrounded with a strange array of feathers and tufts of fur. Any creature that enters the pool must make a DC 16 Wisdom save or be polymorphed into a random creature (1d8. 1, rat; 2, eagle; 3, giant crab; 4, wolf; 5, brown bear; 6, giant bat; 7, giant spider; 8, giant hyena). The effect lasts for one hour, when it wears off and restores the creature to their original form. 2. Pool of Teleportation. A strange blue-green gem gives off a faint glow  from the base of this 12-foot deep pool. Any creature that submerges in the pool will appear in a different Pool of Teleportation when they surface. This effect can be disabled by making a DC 14 Arcana check to deactivate the gem at the bottom of the pool. It can be reactivated with an additional DC 14 Arcana check. 3. Pool of Midas Touch. A few gold statues of goblins (or other creatures, depending on what’s in your dungeon) stand by the pool, which appears to be full of gold. Any creature that touches the pool must immediately make a DC 14 Wisdom save. On a failure, that creature begins to turn to gold and is Restrained. The Restrained creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, becoming Petrified as a golden statue. The Petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the Greater Restoration spell or other magic. 4. Pool of Souls. The water in this pool is nearly black, with strange runes carved into the stones surrounding it. Any creature that touches this pool will be able to communicate with the souls of ancient sacrificial victims who were slain here. They will answer questions truthfully and to the best of their ability. It is at the DM’s discretion how much they know. Optionally, roll a DC 10 Wisdom save after the first question, increasing the DC by two with each subsequent inquiry. On a failed save, the creature is affected by short-term madness for 1d8 hours. Communing with tortured souls may have consequences, after all. 5. Pool of Strength. The water in this pool is light green and seems almost gelatinous. Any creature that submerges in this pool will receive the effects of a Potion of Hill Giant Strength (Strength Score of 21 for an hour). 6. Djinn’s Pool. This pool radiates a sky blue light. Touching the water summons a extremely self-centered Marid,  who congratulates the party on entering his presence and asks for fitting tribute. It is up to the DM’s discretion on what the Marid will consider fitting tribute. If they comply, the Marid will give them a magical item of the DM’s choice. If they fail to present fitting tribute, the Marid will become bored, summon a water elemental to chase them off, and “close the door” by shutting off the connection between the Pool and the Elemental Plane of Water. If players bring up Wish, the Marid will calmly explain he was once “indisposed” and forced to grant Wishes, so he’d rather not. If players bring up Wish again, the Marid will become enraged and fight the party himself.

I think that’s enough to draw out from this assortment of auto-dungeon tables. Six different gases for your gas trap, six different kinds of magic pools for players to encounter. Pretty neat, if I do say so myself.

[a-loser-answers]

Jason Todd?

favorite thing about them - the complexity of his character (!!when written well!!). He’s a very round and dynamic character and almost every aspect of him contradicts itself, and it’s like how he represents the duality or good and evil while existing in a gray area. He’s brutally honest, yet manipulative; he’s empathetic but selectively; he’s forgiving to a fault towards those he loves, but bears bitter grudges against those he hates; he does everything out of necessity and wanting to make the world a better place, but he’s cruel and merciless doing so. As well as that, what his character represents as a whole. His existence in comic books reminds us of the severity of the reality Batman lives in— one where innocent people get hurt and go without justice, where Batman and Joker’s rivalry isn’t a silly game but something with real consequences, and one where systems of poverty and abuse have long lasting impacts. He forces us to consider our own morality, and forces us to question the nature of violence, justice, corruption, and revenge.

least favorite thing about them - the way the fandom portrays him half the time, and how many writers fuck up his characterization. And the fact that it’s easy to fuck up his characterization,,,,,,, because in the best things he’s written in, he’s super complex, and not a lot of other writers know how to deal with complexity. I guess that’s the nature of comics books though so oh well

favorite line - “I’m not talking about killing Scarecrow or Dent, I’m talking about him! Just him! And doing it because... because he took me away from you” (this line always makes me fucking cry when I rewatch the movie or reread the comic,,,,,,,,, also it was hard to narrow it down since everything jason says is iconic)

brOTP - Artemis & Jason, Roy & Jason, Bizarro & Jason, Barbara & Jason, Stephanie & Jason; possibly Harley Quinn & Jason, I feel like since he could kind of handle Duela he could keep up with Harley and they could be friends, but I think DC is too cowardly to make it happen (because let’s be real if they teamed up, the J*ker would be dead in an instant) and also I don’t trust DC to not try to push some gross romantic narrative when clearly Harley should be a mom friend/wine-aunt figure.

OTP - Jason/Roy, Jason/Kyle, sometimes Jason/Artemis,

nOTP - any Batcest. Adopted family is just as real as biological family, and I will not take criticism. Also once while scouting the darkest depths of AO3 I came across a fic tagged with Punchline/Jason Todd and let me tell you, I will not have that shit within fifty feet of me. No thank you.

random headcanon - Roy steals Jason’s hoodies 👀

unpopular opinion - the fandom doesnt talk enough about Dr Shelia Haywood, and also neither Jason nor Bruce were at fault in Jason’s death (although I’d be willing to assign some blame to Dr Haywood). Also the comics from the late 80s were better than whatever the fuck Scott Lobdell was trying to do (not saying I don’t enjoy those comics, but I have a lot more criticism of them)(speaking of which, Duela Dent deserves better)

song i associate with them - i could fill like entire fucking playlists with songs I associate with him,,,, for the sake of time I’m just gonna list Welcome to the Black Parade, and Teenagers both by mcr

favorite picture of them -

[justalittlelitnerd]

Broken Knight by L.J. Shen

Photo credit to goodreads

After I finished Pretty Reckless in record time and enjoyed it so thoroughly I knew I wanted to read whatever related books L.J. Shen had to offer. While Knight and Luna weren’t overly present in Daria and Penn’s book they were mentioned enough by Daria that it was clear they would make for a good story. Broken Knight didn’t disappoint. 

Much like in Pretty Reckless the family dynamics are complex and the books really explore the effect that has on kids especially teenagers. Luna is raised by her father and stepmother and is selectively mute after her mother abandoned her as a toddler. Luna communicates through looks as much as sign language and it was nice to see her friends learn sign language to communicate with her rather than pressing her to talk. On the other end is Knight, who, in addition to dealing with the complex identity issues that often stem from being adopted, is also dealing with his mother’s worsening health and further turns to booze and drugs to cope. He’s always been able to count on Luna who he has always believed is his endgame. Until everything changes.

When Luna decides to attend college all the way across the country (at Vaughn’s insistence) the tenuous threads of their lifelong friendship start to fray before snapping all together when she breaks their unspoken promise. They continue to circle each other, changing in ways that neither expected, wondering if there’s still hope for a future for them. 

This book isn’t a true enemies-to-lovers, nor is it a friends-to-lovers, but some sort of gray area that only emerges when a lifelong friendship is destroyed in order to build a relationship from its ashes. The way that Knight and Luna are at the beginning of the book is clearly unsustainable and they were both using each other as crutches. It only makes sense that their friendship needed to be altered entirely for them to come out of it as an actual couple that could last. It really sucks that Luna made the choice she did, but I can see how if she hadn’t, if she had come home and Knight had confessed his feelings, they never would have made it. She never would have spoken and never would’ve grown strong enough to be his equal because their whole friendship was based on him protecting her and the book was heading for a moment when he would need to be taken care of. 

Now that I’ve read all three I think this one was my favorite because I loved the setup and the characters and the complexity of Luna and Knight (I also love their names). 

Keep reading for my fave quotes!

I didn’t want to kiss her. I wanted to zip open my skin and tuck her into me. Hide her from the world and keep her mine.

I loved her with the ferocity only a non-biological child could feel—hungry, visceral love, only better, because it was dipped in gratitude and awe.

I’d never seen him like this before—a storm within a storm.

I’d thought the memories of Valenciana nicked my heart, but that was nothing compared to the violent rip of it when I looked at Knight, realizing for the first time that he was going to break that piece of my heart he held hostage. Not maliciously, no, and definitely not intentionally. But it didn’t matter. Hit-and-run or struck by lightning—a death was a death. A heartbreak was a heartbreak. Pain was pain.

“Moonshine,” he whispered. “You fill up the empty, dark space—like the moon owns the sky. It is quiet. It is bright. It doesn’t need to be a ball of flame to be noticed. It simply exists. It forever glows.”

There was just one crack in my unshakable, good-natured, billion-dollar smile, and hot-motherfucker-jock stereotype persona. A barely noticeable chip. You could see it from one angle. Only the one. And only when Luna Rexroth entered the room and our eyes met—for exactly the first half-second, before I rearranged my features back into my usual smug grin.

Luna Rexroth was beautiful. Sure. But so were a lot of other girls. Difference was, Luna carried her beauty like it was something borrowed. Carefully yet casually, not making a fuss about it. She wouldn’t stand in line for anyone, anywhere. She’d stand out, glowing with quiet pride.

Up until then, the idea of Luna and me was, well, more of a fact. Roses were red. The sun rose in the east. A seahorse could move its eyes in opposite directions (Moonshine told me that herself), and Luna Rexroth was going to be my girlfriend, then fiancée, then wife.

It wasn’t a secret I’d chop heads and bring down the sun for Luna Rexroth.

Never breaking our gaze, I’d put her hand on my own heart, so she’d know, without a doubt, she wasn’t the only one whose heart had a chunk missing.

But Luna looked like nature. It was like kissing the entire fucking forest from our spot in the treehouse.

She knew that between the stigma and the person laid an open abyss, and in its depth, the truth.

There was some anger in my voice, and it made me furious with her. I tried so hard to accommodate whatever wish she had for us. When she wanted kisses, she got them. When she wanted friendship, she got that, too. What about what I wanted from her? What I needed?

I sometimes wondered what hurt more: Losing someone all of a sudden, like in a plane crash, or losing them piece by piece, like I did Knight. It was like feeling a once-warm body growing cold next to you in bed.

They used the word smitten because batshit crazy wasn’t cute. But everyone knew I was smitten with chicken wings and vintage Tumblr porn, not with Luna. With Luna, I was in fucking everything. Love. Lust. Obsession. Take your pick.

I wanted to tell her: You need to come back. Or maybe we can do the long-distance shit. I don’t care. But you slapped me, and that meant something. It meant that you care. I also wanted to say, I know you don’t believe this could work, but not trying is no longer an option. For four months I’ve wanted to give you this ultimatum, but it felt weird to do it through Skype. But now you’re here, and I’m not letting you go before we sort this shit out. Then I wanted to add, I kissed another girl in front of everyone, and it felt like cheating. And to promise her, It meant nothing. She meant nothing.

He was a dash of the boy who’d give me the entire world, thrown in with a giant, hard man who fought any positive feeling toward me.

Watching Luna kiss Vaughn, or Vaughn kiss Luna, if we’re being technical here, was God’s way of telling me he hated me on a personal, profound, go-fuck-yourself level.

Knight’s saving grace was his eyes. Everything about him was perfect to the T, an all-American superhero who could slide comfortably into Chris Pine’s shoes and give him a run for his money. But his eyes were slightly different colors, one the shade of moss, the other more hazel. He was imperfect, but only if you looked really closely. Too closely for his comfort. Too close for him to ever allow. I could never fall in love with a hundred-percenter…but Knight was a solid 99.99%.

It was like watching a car crash—or your pet Chihuahua standing up on two legs, reading Shakespearean poetry while sipping on black tea.

I’d been so busy on me-me-me island, I never bothered to sail to other territories and check in on her.

His unanswered messages were piled up in a neat corner of my phone’s memory like broken dreams, hung on a clothesline, damp from my tears of guilt.

I climbed up to Luna’s window for the first time in months, a fucked-up Romeo in a story that was definitely a comedic tragedy.

“You only get one life, Luna. One stab at this thing called happiness. Why deprive yourself of things you want just because they weren’t given to you the way you hoped for them to come? Life is like a book, a long chain of scenes threaded together by circumstances and fate. You never know how thick or thin your book is, so you better make the most out of every scene, enjoy each chapter.”

How could I ever have let him slip from my fingers? How could I have given him up? Who even cared? Love is selfish. Love is raw. Love is unfair, and unpredictable, and unstoppable.

It felt stupid to say it in the same way it felt stupid to think it. We were so much more than steady. I was going to marry her. I’d known that with every fiber of my being before I was fully potty trained, for fuck’s sake. I just hadn’t known how to label it back then.

Sometimes I’d climb up the forest’s mountain, look at the nothingness surrounding me, and think—this is it. The end of the world. Right here. Or it was when thunder cracked, and fog descended over the roads, misting the car windows. Or when I concentrated on that thin line between the skyline and the ocean, imagining myself sliding into it and letting it suck me into another dimension.

“‘Don’t be a Rosie. Be a Dean. If you want something, no matter what it is, go for it. Falling in love is rare.’” Luna’s eyes were now on Knight, only Knight, and something in the room shifted. She wasn’t merely speaking the words, she was becoming them. “Don’t give up this precious gift. Chase it. Catch it. Hold it close. Don’t let it go. And if it leaves anyway…” Her eyes clung to Knight, and for the first time—for the very first time since I’d known my own son—there were tears in his eyes. It gut-punched me to the other side of the room. “Fight for it,” Luna finished.

“Always. Whenever. Forever,” he mouthed, his lips still on mine. I decided to complete his sentence, the way I’d imagined it in my head so many years ago. “I choose you.”

[mariellewritesalot]

Notes on the Romantic Narrative

As an homage to my favorite film of all-time “Silver Linings Playbook” finally being on Netflix, and a coping mechanism to everything I’ve been feeling as of late: I am writing to you about some musings I’ve been making and breaking for the past few months. About love, or lack thereof, in my life. 

First, to give you an image of how I pay attention to detail in life and movies, I will start with a few reasons why I love this gem despite the huge changes they made on screen vis-à-vis the novel: 1) It portrayed mental illnesses in a way that didn’t feel pushy or overly-romanticized: healing is not linear, 2) Pat’s character development throughout the film was the epitome of his motto (and mine), “Excelsior”, 3) I love how the story sort of revolved around the Eagles and football to anchor the heaviness of the entire plot line, 4) The casting!!! I mean, wow, and 5) It makes you believe in silver linings, even in the safest sense of the idea, not too grand and definitely not perfect. Safe. Who could forget that scene where Pat runs after Tiffany with his letter? The relief we all felt knowing that her hard work and feelings were not for naught? If you haven’t seen it, I hope you have the time to. It’s a moving film, honestly.

Anyway, I digress. I am going to go personal in this bit and I might not like it, too. I am stating the obvious when I say that I am a hopeless romantic and that I tend to look at life in rose-colored glasses. Some probable reasons are because my parents have the kind of love story that really makes you believe in fate and second chances, plus the fact that I grew up with romantic films, songs, and books. I was sold to the fairy tale idea of happily ever afters despite the proof that it doesn’t apply to everyone in real life. I wanted my own story to tell. After all, I am a writer. I live for the things worth telling.

Nowadays, I also spend a lot of my time online where my timeline is bombarded with couples or romantic gestures, as if the algorithm is working against the realist in me. I can’t say I hate it, because one thing I get from this mindset is the tendency to highlight the good things, both in people or situations. The “too kind for my own good” complex. The only downside is that I may get disappointed more times than I should. It’s a tricky predicament if you think about it in my context: I grew up with mostly men in the house, in my own bubble, going through life thinking that somebody is going to sweep me off my feet, backed up by High School Musical films and the media pushing love teams down our throats...but then it hits me in real life as I grow older: movie moments do happen in real life, but they aren’t as common as they make it out to be, they’re the exception to the rule. They are as rare as they come. 

Some of us aren’t as lucky.

In reality, when the hurt runs too deep, it feels almost impossible to rise above it. The hopeless romantic dies out and is replaced by a semi-angry realist, tired of how the world consistently proves that it moves in circles. They become someone who occasionally relapses into that romanticized haze every once in a while because it gets lonely. When you’ve fallen in love a few times in life, it’s hard not to expect yourself to fall into a trap, any moment now. The withdrawals grow stronger just when you’re starting to get the hang of things. It’s an exhausting ordeal, if you ask me, turning numb but knowing that you can’t shake off the romantic within when it resurfaces in the most inappropriate of moments.

I used to think that I’d be one of the lucky ones who meet the love of their life early on; someone who’s capable of being in a long-term relationship in college or maybe even after...and I still think I am, but maybe I haven’t met him yet. Maybe I have, but the timing is off or we just don’t know it until a little further down the road. Now I’ve been single for too long, and there is nothing wrong with it, just the fact that the trauma I went through has really soiled my chances of healing fast; more from the events than the actual person who did the hurting. Being here though, I am able to see how I am in a generation where #hugot culture is the norm, relationships are only as good as they are on social media, and 80% of young people are desperate to find love or at least a semblance of it. It’s nauseating, accidentally giving into the “sana all” culture and thinking I am incomplete if I don’t have someone who’s technically obligated to care for me, vice versa. I am not a fan of it, but it’s not exactly easy to exclude myself from a narrative I have been in for years. I wish it didn’t feel so off.

Because...hey, there are pros to being single. For starters: I am young. I don’t have to worry about it yet at least for the next ten years or so. I am not supposed to have the same timeline as other people. I can go to bed without worrying about somebody else. I don’t have to ask for anyone’s approval. I have more time for the things I love doing. I am not being emotionally abused or taken for granted or cheated on, which were common themes in my past relationships. It’s a treat, until I am once again hooked by the media I consume and made to think that there’s more to life than being alone.

Maybe it’s the fact that I spent half of this year trying to get over the one I thought was the love of my life, or how I’m spending the other half denying to myself that I may be having feelings for a person and consciously running away from them through various coping mechanisms I never thought I’d use. Love is a gray area right now because I don’t see myself being in a relationship anytime soon, but if I ever do, I’d want something serious. I love meeting new people right now, but at the same time, my comfort zone feels good. I find that it helps tone down my anxiety when I am in control. I’m proud of myself for choosing to navigate through life by my own right now, turning down people who want to become a part of it for my sake and theirs. I just have a lot on my plate. Although I do believe that I’ll never be ready. No one ever is, but I want to put my faith in timing. I just have to learn the ropes here first. I hate that everyone around me is rushing because I feel like I’m that person being squeezed into the middle of the crowd in a mosh pit. I am choosing to make sure I am a better person than I was first before I dive into it, head first.

So yeah. Lloyd Dobler is not going to blast In Your Eyes by Pete Gabriel on a boombox outside my bedroom window (though I’d love Closing Time by Semisonic more). Dylan Harper is not going to organize a flash mob to tell me he made a mistake. Patrick Verona is not going to hack into the school speakers and sing to me at the football field. Troy Bolton is not going to show up outside my window to apologize, armed with Margherita pizza and chocolate covered strawberries. Ted is not going to steal a blue french horn for me. Johnny Castle is not going to dance with me in front of everybody to prove our love. Chuck Bass is not going to buy me a ring and carry it around even when we aren’t together anymore, hoping for the chance to get me back. Augustus Waters is not going to show up with orange tulips and a trip to Amsterdam. Pat Soltano is not going to run after me with a love letter he wrote a week ago...and I’m okay with it. I don’t want to buy into the notion that I need saving, or that I can be swayed by gestures that can so easily be just a move to win me over with no follow-through. I don’t want to be put on a pedestal, anyway. Also...sometimes, it’s in the little things. We fall in love with the way people remember something we said to them months ago, the way they show up after a long day, and the way even the tiniest gestures feel so big it fills up everything else.

I feel like one day I’ll be given the love I deserve and I don’t have to yearn for movie scenes like the art geek I am. You see, what makes love stories unique is the fact that it happens when you least expect it. Grand romantic gestures are welcome, but they aren’t really the basis of how deep love could be. I could only hope to be with someone who speaks my love language or at least tries to understand it. Until then...I’ll keep relearning everything until I make sense of what I truly want out of love and its intricate mess of a web.

I’ll love; even without pretense, without hope or agenda, without expecting the universe to give me back everything like it owes me.

[oldtvandcomics]

I've seen some posts going around about Crowley/Aziraphale being queerbaiting in the Good Omens series. I'm afraid I will regret writing this, but I have OPINIONS, said opinions being less about Good Omens and more about Tumblr not necessarily understanding the way audiovisuel storytelling and the queer community work, and maybe it's worth taking a moment to think closer about these things.

Spoilers for Good Omens (2019) and some allusions to the Discourse below the cut. Also, long post. You have been warned.

I probably should say here that I liked Good Omens, am myself aro ace, and am of the opinion that Crowley/Arizaphale is canon. So yes, personal bias exists, although I am going to do my best to be objective. Also, I haven't read the book yet, so am only going to be talking about the series.

(Ignoring hereby that they are supposed to be agender. It is a very good series, but they really, REALLY should have found a way to include that piece of information.)

This is a surprisingly complex question, that can be boiled down to three different problems: First, the way people analyze audiovisuel stories (in this case, television, but the argument also stands for movies), second, the term “queerbaiting” not being clear enough and also used too broadly, and third, people's still too narrow view of what is and isn't queer.

In this order, I am going to start with the way tv (and movies) work. It is the least controversial.

One of the things that I love about tv so much is just how complex and layered it is. There is what is directly said and shown to happen, but than there is the music, the acting, the costumes, locations, camera angles and editing, all of which have their own language and add something to how we will see a story. If you watch Good Omens, you'll notice that the exact nature of Crowley's and Aziraphale's relationship never is directly addressed or them confirmed to be queer. However, you will also notice the way they keep looking at each other, the fact that romantic music plays in the background for an awful lot of their scenes together, that they do and say things on a regular basis that goes further than the normal limits of a friendship, and the list goes on. This show is as clear about them loving each other very, very deeply as it possibly can be without directly talking about it.

This, of course, leads us to the question: What is and isn't text? What level of queercoding counts as representation? And this is where things get a little more complicated, because there IS NO clear line. People usually say that it doesn't count, unless the correct term is used. Which makes sense, given everybody's tendency to just... Idk, make a movie about somebody fighting his ex without ever telling us that he is, in fact, his ex, and than hope that they can get away with either the queer fans doing all the hard work of reading between the lines, or just write a couple of tweets about how they're totally gay and get credit for the representation.

Seriously, people, don't do that. If there is a way to use the terms, do it.

But there is a gray area. Welcome to Night Vale never labeled Cecil's orientation, yet we still know that he's gay. That scene they cut from Thor: Ragnarok of Valkyrie leaving the room of a woman? It never said that she was bi. I mean, I haven't seen it, but from what I know, I'd bet A LOT of money that, had they included it, people still would have complained about it not being clear enough. We still act as if including it would have confirmed Valkyrie's bisexuality. What about period pieces, set in times when certain labels didn't exist yet? And, finally, what if a relationship would actually benefit from being left vague and undefined?

There is no clear answer to this. It's a gray are, so feel free to just sit around and think about your own opinion on these things.

Which leads us to queerbaiting: Creators playing up the fact that they MIGHT have a queer character or relationship in their work for publicity, without ever planning to include it. It's a thing that happens both inside and outside of the story. In practice, this usually looks like putting in a lot of subtext between two same-sex characters, including suggestive scenes in the trailers, and going in interviews “well, they could be, it's an ongoing series, you'll just have to wait and see. ;) ”.

Queerbaiting is a VERY vague and very popular term, that is used very broadly, even in cases where it isn't exactly accurate. It is not exactly easy to tell what is actual queerbaiting, and what queercoding because Higher Powers wouldn't let the creators include openly queer characters in their work. Than there is of course the cases where queer characters are kind of there, but it's a blink-and-you-miss-it thing. I've heard the term “queercatching” used for that in a video. Also, queerbaiting is an accusation people like throwing around every time a show disappoints them by not making their OTP canon. (Stop doing that, PLEASE!)

In this context, it is understandably difficult to say if a certain ship is or isn't queerbaiting. However, I would argue that Crowley and Aziraphale are not. I haven't seen all the promotional things going on, so no idea how big of a selling point their relationship was. But I do know that everyone behind the scenes seems to agree that those two love each other very, very deeply, and the show itself isn't trying to hide it. On the contrary, it goes out of it's way to draw our attention to it. To anyone who is watching halfway attentively, it is going to be very, very clear that what those two have going on is NOT straight.

Which leads us to our final point: What is and isn't queer.

Oh dear. It is a topic that is still hotly debated within the community (at least on Tumblr), mostly by people trying to exclude certain orientations or keep other people from using certain terms.

Queer is an umbrella term used for members of the LGBT+ community, meaning “not straight”. It may refer to gender identity, romantic or sexual orientation, and things that don't quite belong in any of the boxes we have. The beauty of the term “queer” is exactly that it is so huge and so vague that it exceeds all boxes and definitions. A really handy thing to have, if you want people to know what you're talking about without needing to give them an hour-long vocabulary lesson first.

Please note here that so far, I have avoided using any labels for Crowley, Arizaphale, or their relationship. Please also not that while I did say that they love each other very deeply, I never used the word “romantic”.

Because here is the thing: I really don't think that they're gay. Or bi, or pan. Or anything else, really. They, and their relationship, like the term “queer”, fall outside of any predetermined categories. It is just, really, really, really clear that what's going on isn't heteronormative.

I have seen many aces being happy and feeling seen and seeing themselves in Crowley and Aziraphale in Good Omens. I've also seen many aros think the same thing. Because here is the beauty of it: We only know that they love each other more than anything else in the world. It is never said that that love is romantic.

I've also seen many allos completely miss this point.

Asexuality and aromanticism, as is to be expected from orientations that are defined by the lack of something, are still very invisible, both in RL and in fan circles.  While we do have our own spaces and our own little community, mostly we are just there between our allo friends and... kind of stand and wait in a corner while they are busy with the sex and romance our society is constantly throwing at all of us. Being ace and/or aro is often confused with “being celibate”. We don't talk enough about what sexless or romanceless relationships could look like. No wonder so many people missed it when they saw one in Good Omens.

The queer community is STILL very strongly sexualized. And this is a problem, because while sexual attraction IS an important part of being queer, it is also not the only one. Queer people are still queer if they are not having sex. They are queer if they DON'T WANT TO have sex. They are queer if they don't enter romantic relationships. There is nothing straight about the close bonds aros can have with their friends. There is nothing straight about having a friend be the person you are emotionally closest to, close enough to openly beg them to run away together. Multiple times.

Queerplatonic or quasiplatonic relationships are the ones that are a bit difficult to define, because they are somewhere between “friendship” and “romantic relationship”. What they look like depends really on what the people involved want them to be like. Some live together, others don't. Some do things together that are usually considered to be romantic, others don't. Some kiss or have sex, others don't.

So far, I haven't really seen anybody really talk about the existence of queerplatonic relationships outside of ace and aro circles. And while I aggressively headcanon Sherlock Holmes and John Watson being queerplatonic, this was the first time that I've really seen an actual relationship onscreen that can be easily, or even best, read as being one.

But almost by definition, this means that it has to be vague, and subtle, and floating around somewhere around the lines separating friends from romantic partners. As such, I think that Good Omens did a really good job, giving us a relationship that is so obviously loving but also so beyond easy descriptions. However, this also means that it is easy to miss and end up feeling baited.

The problem is, I'm not sure that they COULD have done it better. Any explicit discussion about Crowley's and Aziraphale's relationship would have felt forced and out of place, and the term queerplatonic isn't enough known, they would have had to follow it up with an explanation of what that even is. And it isn't as if they could have made it any clearer how much they love each other as they did.

Some people say that they should have kissed onscreen.

Betty and Veronica in the Riverdale tv series kissed, and we all still know that it was only queerbaiting.

And isn't that, wouldn't that be, in the end, reducing queerness once more to the sexual bit in queer relationships?

I don't know. As I said, there is no clear answer, and in the end of the day, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I suppose, the best I can say is that what Good Omens did with Crowley and Aziraphale is very beautiful and well executed and also undoubtedly queer. It is, also, not enough. We still live in a time where we don't have much representation, and therefore all collectively jump on anything we can find. As long as this is the case, people will always be unsatisfied with everything. We need more. More explicit, more sexual, more romantic, yes, but also more quiet and subtle and undefined loving ones.

Anyway. I just had to write my opinion on this, because I REALLY didn't like what looked like a group of people dismissing a queer relationship because it wasn't sexual. This isn't even about Good Omens, not really, more about Tumblr being generally Tumblr and not seeing nuance and not thinking things through.

So... Please learn how to properly analyze audiovisual stories. Please be more careful and think a little before you start throwing around the term “queerbaiting”. And, please, PLEASE take a minute to think through if what you are doing isn't in fact sexualizing queer people and excluding parts of the community because of a too narrow definition of queerness.

And finally, PLEASE leave Gaiman alone. One, he has no obligation towards you whatsoever, and two, this was originally a thirty year old book that, three, he co-wrote with a now deceased friend. Being critical of media is one thing, and obviously, Good Omens isn't perfect. But... Just think about what you're doing before you do it, ok?

[randombtsprincessa]

Ambrosia || 1

Author: Randombtsprincessa

Characters: Kim Taehyung x Reader

Summary: An Ancient Lore is making the rounds in Heaven, Hell and Earth. What happens when it reaches you?

Warning: Violence

The thuds of running footstep echoed throughout the cold night, pants of breaths that misted and fogged around the panicky man’s face, blurred his vision.

He couldn’t afford to slip and fall.

His assailant was silent, dark as a shadow and equally as frightening. The man hadn’t seen him coming but the next moment there was a chokehold on his neck and muttering in his ear, low and smooth voice whispering words…strange words to him.

He didn’t know how he managed to escape, but somehow he did, wiggling his body away from the powerful grip of the shadow man and took off into the night.

He had to admit, he had no direction, no periphery in the rapidly smoking lanes and he had no clue where he’d turned during his now cursed nightly walk.

He was completely, hopelessly lost.

And by some strange newly developed perception of danger, he could tell his attacker was drawing closer.

He was lane diving at random now, slipping in and out as fast as he could, hoping to confuse his pursuer but he was the one having trouble getting his bearings back.

He slowed down a few times, looking around wildly, hoping that in one of the unintelligible black drawn buildings he’d find the way back to his home, warm and comforting, or at least the way to a more secure location than tumbling about in dark alleyways.

There weren’t even any solid crevices or black spots that would conceal him.

He wouldn’t call himself a religious man but he couldn’t help the tiny sliver of breath that huffed out the four word, “Please God, help me,”

As he emerged out of another dark lane, he felt the tell tale signs of his attackers again; the prick of danger, the chill of apprehension and then he was off, pounding straight across the roads to wherever the path took him.

Somewhere along the way, it had started raining, the cold water seeping through the man’s light coat, soaking his skin to the bones and nearly drowning him in the freezing temperature.

No help came from the god he so pitifully asked for help but instead came his befalling.

His feet skidded on the now wet road, ankle twisting the wrong way as he landed on his front, the asphalt searing across his elbow, leaving behind a jagged cut.

The fallen man grunted, gathering his wits before he turned to see if he was still being pursued. Surely whatever was after him had given up after that hell of a chase?

Headlight flew around the road and the man craned his neck to see a black sedan moving gingerly closer. He almost wept in relief, his god had listened.

He was going to be saved.

It was a second too late that he felt it again, the prick, and the click of a shiver up his spine. It was as if the world was slowing down around him. He could hear the drops of water fall around him, minute and singular. He could ever feel his breath go in, travel around his body and be exhaled, the feel of carbon dioxide warm on his upper lip. He was sure if he would focus, he could feel the earth revolve.

The car was still on its way, it was just infinitely slower and the man barely had time to look around before he felt the slender grip around his neck again.

The muttering was back, the sharp sensations of having something snatched from deep within had started again but this time the man just helplessly let it happen.

Was this how it was supposed to happen? Like this…on the road…? He had a family, a woman he wanted to marry. He had a job he had to get to in the morning…

He was supposed to die like this?

But he wasn’t dying…

The pain in his arm dimmed, the world returned to its axis, yet the man felt nothing.

Even as the car he’d been so relieved to see came to a standstill in front of him, bright headlights glaring into his dilated pupils, he didn’t shy away.

The calls of a man; asking is he was ok, if he needed assistance, if he needed a hospital rand through the confines of his brain, nothing registered.

All the man could do was blink.

Angels.

The term was so…varied.

To some, they were bright, benign creatures full of love and affection, always and forever ready to bestow them upon any and everyone.

To others, they were myths, biblical and enigmas created to show that there were guardians out there who saw all, protected all, and took care of all.

To others still, they didn’t exist at all…

It just so happened, that Angels themselves were happy to promote all three ideas; for various reasons.

They were what was the word…? Oh, yes, you could call them a government of sorts.

A government that reigned supreme and was of time immemorial…

It had endured eras and generations and had never once lost its simplicity and complexity.

Its job was protection, looking after its sheep – quite literally so – like subjects, giving love and showing fondness when needed to keep them from going stray but also to instill enough fear of The Way. No one in heaven cared about the Way of course, God created you, God loved everyone.

Angels had to watch the Creation and they were happy for a long time, until came religion, politics, mayhem…and then came betrayal…

Of course, they weren’t called Angels back then…that term was a lot more recent…

Until now, Angels just existed.

The Principality stood in the lush grass with an easy frame of body, but the being’s brows were drawn closer just so, his hand wrapped loosely around the long thin trident that was his symbol of power.

The plane he stood on was just one down from the highest, able to exist physically and yet be unable to achieve by humans. It served as a meeting place for Angels where their business was decided. The third triad used this plane the most, and was quite fond of the cliff from where they directly watched over their charges.

The term “Angel Meeting” was for all intents and purposes, supposed to sound funny. It would be too, if it comprised of men and women in white robes with plastic feather wings strapped to their backs running about with gold painted halos perched on their heads.

No, behind the silly sounding name, the matter was always serious and with no binary differences. Here was where the Principalities and Archangels offered their younger brothers and sisters their work on Earth.

Yes, even Angels had hierarchy, who knew?

Angels had endured throughout millennia, and they would stay on for more to come, at times, it got boring, at times it got exhausting, but as their creator had intended – not that they had ever seen him or her – they found joy in watching God’s lesser creations – human. Or perhaps, it was more of amusement, entertainment.

They all went about their daily life with a suppressed form of superiority. Especially the men, Lord knew what made them think they were so above everything else. The ill of all kinds were the most stressful to watch, leaving most Angels un-wanting to hover near teens with mental problems, asylums, institutions and hospitals.

An Angel given the job to work these areas was considered the most unlucky even if the concept of luck was foreign to Angels. Their auras were tinged with the diseases humanity faced; sometimes even take a few days off to recuperate as they drained their Angelic powers of the taint of bearing Human Maladies.

Today, the meeting would be grim.

The being turned just as the grass rippled again with a gust of wind, watching closely as three similar beams of light burned the immune grass of the Plane, before the pure light started to take shape in humans.

No one out of heaven was willing to keep their 12 feet tall selves exposed with multiple heads of various creatures.

The first one to step out of the blinding white light was Seokjin, big dark eyes inquisitive as he studied the Principality.

The Principality in turn returned the look evenly.

Seokjin, gorgeous Seokjin was never one to come for any old job. He was an Archangel, twin to the Evening Star himself. He had been ignorant of his brother’s mutiny, and yet was left distraught when his other half was cast out by his Eldest, Michael. Unable to stay with the rest of his siblings he had relegated himself to the lower class, happy to keep out of Michael’s way.

If possible, he would stay out of it now, but the angels were desperate. They needed him.

The other beams of light, more colored than the pure golden white took more time to step out.

Out of the gray tinge, stood out Namjoon and in the end, from the purple beam came out the youngest and most recently born, Taehyung.

Both hesitated in front of the more powerful auras that Seokjin and the Principality together exuded.

The Principality swished the trident once in acknowledgement. “Welcome, brothers,” he said, voice booming across the grassland. “I thank you for joining me here so promptly.”

The younger two angels inclined their heads while the older remained impassive, prodding the higher being to get to business straightaway.

“I suppose you know of the attacks on human beings?” the leader asked, steeping his fingers together, trident clutched between his thumbs.

The Angels nodded. Of course they knew; they watched the news too. Sometimes, they had the misfortune of catching a murder happening but they didn’t have jurisdiction to directly intervene unless they were specifically ordered to be Guardians. Even the Guardians didn’t randomly go about protecting people. They were given to special souls, worthy souls.

“Is that what you have called on us for?” Seokjin asked voice curt but the indifference in it was not missed. Seokjin might not have rebelled but the way his father had treated his brother over the meek creatures had stayed with him since forever.

More often than not, he did not see why his father cherished these cattle breeds more than he did his own children.

The Principality could only watch him with sadness. He had once been the most gentle and most benevolent, and the one who had been around since the Throne turned his back on Lucifer.

“Yes, it wouldn’t have been; but it has fallen on our radars and that is a cause of concern.” He said finally.

“What would you have us do?” asked Namjoon. He was a strategist, mainly getting posted to the industrial sections of humanity, office workers and the like.

“What can we do? We cannot just go about and play detective Namjoon.” Seokjin said, eyeing the Principality, almost daring him to say something.

The Principality just shook his head. “Too many have died, brother, we cannot let this slip.” He said, finality ringing in his tone.

“Then send Michael, or Gabriel even Raphael, aren’t they the warriors?” Seokjin asked.

A clap of thunder echoed across the parted sky.

“Careful brother,” Namjoon warned but Seokjin couldn’t be bothered. Not one of his brothers had dared face him for ages, what would change now?

“It has been anointed to you already. Nothing has changed. You will go to Earth, you will contain the situation, you will find the culprit and subject him to Heavenly Justice.” The Principality commanded.

Each glanced at one other before nodding to their oldest as their wings erupted behind their backs to engulf them in Angel Fire again.

Namjoon, black, grey and white wings flapping once was the first to vanish, followed by Taehyung as he drew his feathers closer together.

Seokjin eyed the Principality for a second longer before erupting in a rosy beam as well, sparkles leaving behind.

[loxxxlay]

I think a big problem with certain, ahem, Discourse™ is the fact that people will look at any number of these categories:

autonomous

mind-controlled

under duress

psychologically manipulated

tortured

:and conflate them into one meaning.

When I say “autonomous,” I’m referring to the state we assume any character to be in unless given evidence to the contrary. they are in control of their actions and their decisions, and all responsibility for the consequences fall to them alone. 

Mind-controlled is quite obviously the opposite of autonomous. this is not as simple as someone holding a gun to your head and saying “do this or die.” It’s actually someone taking even that choice away from you. the most obvious example of this in Marvel is Clint Barton the earliest Avengers movie*. In this situation, the character has no authority over their actions and has no responsibility to own up to them.

*Now I could also note Dr. Selvig, but it’s possible that even he was not 100% “mind-controlled” because at the end he admits that he maybe made a choice - for the portal to have an on-off switch. there’s a lot of theory on what this means, but canon leaves it entirely uncertain. So you see? Even here, there is some gray area within these definitions.

thus, psychological manipulation, torture, and duress fall to a sort of gray area in between, and it may be difficult to give them a value of how much control the character had over their actions and how much responsibility they should share for the consequences. For clarification’s sake, the gun scenario (”do this or die”) is duress, which can be any threat of harm; psychological manipulation is pressing on the trigger points of someone’s personality and pressuring/encouraging them into a decision they might not have otherwise made; and tortured is physical harm until one submits to the other person’s wishes.

this is where, as i’m sure you can guess, I’m gonna severely ruffle some feathers :’)

[read more cut]

For starters, let’s look at Bucky. Everyone agrees that he was not autonomous in his decisions as the Winter Soldier. 

But was he “mind-controlled”? I say no. If he was fully mind-controlled, then the process Hydra enacted upon him shouldn’t have been able to be broken by a few words/memories from Steve. A parallel to this could be the fight between Natasha and Clint - Clint was going to kill Natasha while he was mind-controlled, and nothing Natasha could have said would have stopped him in that battle. It took that cute little “cognitive re-calibration” thing to stop him because the problem was with his actual brain. Someone else was controlling his actions. Versus Bucky, appeals to his emotions and memories did work, because the problem was less with his brain and more the fact that he had been beaten down into submission - he needed a emotionally-compelling reason to break out of the control. 

My wording there is gonna piss a lot of people off because it sounds like I’m saying “hurting innocents” was not a compelling enough reason for Bucky to break out of the control - which puts his character in a negative light. And I guess, for the first half of that assumption, you’re right. :/ But it’s so much more complicated than that. And because of the complexity, it actually gives strength to Bucky as a character.

If he wasn’t mind-controlled, and he wasn’t autonomous, then he was either under duress (yes), tortured (yes), or psychologically manipulated (yes) - in short, All of the Above. He was under a constant threat of having his memories wiped, which was a very painful process - this was an instance of all three. And this doesn’t even go into what we learned about his history with Hydra in Civil War (in which he was used as a sparring partner (or less generously, as a punching bag) for other Winter Soldiers). All of these led to him being beaten down. All of these led to his lack of choice, his lack of autonomy. Personally, I think the effect was so strong that it absolves him of any and all responsibility for his actions during his time as the Winter Soldier. But I still wouldn’t call him “mind-controlled” - because for him to break free of that level of force shows how remarkable and admirable of a Survivor he is. And simply calling him “mind-controlled” erases both what happened in canon and also his character’s goodness & strength in my opinion.

So now that we’ve thrown ourselves to the wolves once, let’s do it again with a riskier subject: Loki. :’)

the fact is (and I think, the reason people argue so much) is that canon doesn’t really definitively give us evidence on way or another on any of the different terms. there’s been arguments for Loki’s autonomy as well as evidence for him being mind-controlled by thanos/the Other with the scepter, similarly to what Loki did to Clint (both arguments of which have flaws imo*). 

For one, the Other still saw need to threaten Loki with harm, which is a compelling piece of evidence toward at least duress and also something that sways me from believing mind control because duress would be unnecessary if Loki was as mind-controlled as Clint.

However, the point isn’t really about autonomy or mind-control or the other grayer variations of. It’s about the discourse.

Some frequent statements I see are that “Loki was tortured into obeying thanos so his actions should be excused” or from the other side “Maybe he was threatened/tortured a little, but he acted mostly of his own volition, and to say he was tortured rids him of the moral complexity of his character.”

And my question toward statements like that are - are your two ideas really so far apart as you seem to think?

For the former statement, I see someone conflating mind-control with torture. For the latter, I see someone conflating torture/duress with autonomy. Both are an extremely similar headcanons at the core, but with different attitudes on what it means for Loki’s culpability - and with different (and sorry but also mistaken) views on what the gray areas mean morally.

For example, I don’t think Bucky is responsible for his actions because he was manipulated and tortured--but tony stark does. And while I don’t get that, there are a lot of people who side with tony in Civil War, so I can probably assume my point of view is not the only one that might be correct.

It’s the same thing here.

Judging someone who suffered trauma in their past which directly led them to morally questionable actions is a tough marsh to navigate. You might applaud a victim of child abuse for killing their abuser, even after their abuser is to be imprisoned. You might not applaud a victim of a gun-point robbery for killing their attacker after their attacker is to be imprisoned. Even moreso, you are extremely unlikely to applaud someone murdering their friend for a minor, verbal disagreement. Where do you draw the line of what constitutes culpability and what does not?

thus, the problem with Loki is that all of us might draw the line in a different place. And even then, all of us might put Loki on a slightly different side of that line because of the lack of specific canonical details. 

But what few seem to be doing is acknowledging the fact that cases like this aren’t easy. there’s a lot of moral gray area between autonomy and mind control, and I doubt we, as complex individuals, are going to ever be able to find an answer that pleases everyone.

*Note: I have no problem with people who prefer headcanons in which Loki was fully autonomous or fully mind-controlled. While it’s true I don’t think canon supports either stance, I support you; fandom is your playground and you have every right to enjoy yourself how you see fit. I simply ask that you hear me out when I ask y’all to treat each other’s differences of opinions kindly and respectfully. <3

In the end, we are all fans of fictional characters--and because they are fictional characters, we have a huge opportunity here! We don’t need to worry about making the “wrong decision” toward a potential victim of abuse because Loki and Bucky and other characters do not suffer consequences the way someone in real life would. therefore, we have the ability to consider these questions of morality and test them out for ourselves without causing harm.

Unfortunately, what many people seem to be doing is yelling at each other and treating people with a huge lack of respect. :/

See, unlike Loki and Bucky, these are real life people you are hurting in these situations - people who are simply trying to test out their morality on fictional characters, like you. I see terribleness from all sides, even the ones I agree with, and so I just wrote this in the hope that there will be less fighting. And even if this only leads to a couple people somewhere modifying their feelings toward these subjects, I’ll consider it a success.

thanks so much if you read all the way through <3

Being autistic, I do tend to ramble and sound condescending, so if that happened anywhere in this post, I sincerely apologize. It was not my intent, and I did the best I could. :( Feel free to let me know so I can modify any of my language used here to be more polite. <3

Also, I apologize for lowercase t’s. My t key is broken, so I can’t capitalize it without it being time-consuming and annoying >.>

Finally - you’re welcome to reblog and debate on this post if you wishh, but I likely won’t be responding. Many times when people try to debate me, it’s because they haven’t taken the time to truly understand what I’m saying and they end up misunderstanding some of my points. I get upset trying to repeat myself to no fruition, and for my mental health, I will be avoiding that here. But if I feel I have something new to say and I have the spoons, then I will!! ^_^ (However, if you are attack me personally, rather than just my argument, then I’ll flay you or block you - whichever is easier at the time. ^_^)

[slashertalks]

So like I’m trying to keep up some motivation with this blog while balancing all my other shit (college, baby!), so I’m just going to write some bullshit and see how it all goes, I guess

I’m in a course that focuses on analyzing television as a medium, and it’s honestly kind of wearing me out with regards to reviews. Like, it’s interesting to be in, but a vast majority of my pieces are opinion pieces, and after reading a lot of scholarly/serious examinations of TV and TV shows, I’m worn out. Like, what’s my point here? What’s the point of opinion pieces?

I have a really hard time separating my creations from some nebulous purpose. I need to get better at creating art for myself, at not seeking out a “point” in my craft. So, this blog is just for myself. That IS the point: I’m doing this for me, because I enjoy writing these pieces, and considering the notes they get, you guys enjoy reading them! and that’s cool. I like that.

I think there’s some value, too, in reviewing things outside of inherent merit. Bad films aren’t bad. Good films aren’t good. Films are just films, and our personal taste (as well as personal background) often shapes how we perceive them, and I find that’s an important thing to acknowledge. I try my best not to get vitriolic here, because just because I don’t find value in something doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t. For example, I’ve seen a few things on Sleepaway Camp as an overlooked horror film, but I personally can’t bring myself to watch it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but clearly other people have enjoyed the film, and find it worthwhile. As long as there’s open room for discussion, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Characters that some people find obnoxious, I love! Movies that I find horrible, a lot of viewers see as iconic! Studios that I feel produce bland films produce great entertainment in the eyes of someone else! It’s important to me that I keep that in mind whenever I write something, as I’ve found (especially when looking at IMDb user reviews recently) that a lot of reviews float between “this is Oscar-worthy” and “this is shit.” Having a middle line available is important to me: being able to say “this film has value because I find value in it, regardless of its technical perfection” is important.

I have said and will continue saying that I like bad films, but that can get disheartening. What is an objectively bad film? What is an objectively good film? Sure we can categorize films based on their qualities, checking off boxes as we go, but at the end of the day every piece of media will have flaws, and at least one person will find value in it. It’s important to acknowledge the importance of context and purpose when examining media, and even historical pieces of negative media, like propaganda, are important to analyzing the past and preventing the repetition of mistakes. I do feel like there’s value in pointing out flaws in films, things that we find to be distasteful or harmful: I’ve certainly commented on homophobia in films. Still, I think it’s important to avoid letting our opinions become black and white.

The more I’ve interacted with a wide array of movies, the less value I’ve found in the idea that EVERY film is “objectively” bad or good. There are absolutely facts to be considered, but to return to Sleepaway Camp: I’ll never watch the film, because I find it deeply uncomfortable and bordering heavily on transphobia. However, I can still acknowledge that to some people it is an enjoyable 80s horror film. I can point out its flaws without labelling it “objectively��� one thing or another, and that’s an important quality to have when reviewing media. 

There are some topics where there are right or wrong views, but within the form of a medium there needs to be space to acknowledge and critique flaws without denouncing the work as a whole. What is there to be said about a character like Jesse in Near Dark, a vampire who fought for the confederate army and still seems to feel some pride? Is he a horrible character? Is Near Dark a horrible movie? How are we supposed to feel? I would argue that we aren’t supposed to feel a whole lot, at the end of the day. Jesse is a character who has, presumably, spent his whole life in the south, and his continuing (implied, not outright) pride in having fought for the confederacy can be linked to the pride felt by many soldiers for being part of the military. We can be critical of the military-industrial complex and the way wars are evolving without bashing the entire film for its overall accurate portrayal of a soldier who happens to be a vampire that simply fought in a much earlier war. Jesse Hooker is a character who exists in a gray area of art morality, and we should allow him that.

I hope that you, who read and consume my reviews, appreciate this gray area I try to preserve in my work. I hope you know that I welcome differing opinions, and any comments at all, because that’s another important piece of the critique process. It’s important to me to acknowledge multiple views, to take into consideration the opinions of others, because one viewpoint is not the right one when looking at films, where each person’s interpretation holds value.

[holymyth]

damon    +    sorting .

okay,   so as someone who’s super sick of seeing the tvd characters thrown into houses at face - value,   i got invested in sorting damon in a way that was somewhat unbiased .     throwing him into slytherin just because he’s a ~bad guy~ is such a cop out and failure of me to properly analyze his personality,   so i started diving into house analyses in order to help understand my own take on his characterization,   since those of you who were with me at eternaels know my goal is to completely revamp him as a character .      so i hope you’re ready to buckle up for this NOVEL of a post .      by the way,   all things quoted in this post are coming from this post analyzing the houses per potterm.ore .      xoxo gossip amanda

𝑔𝑟𝑦𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑟      ---      let’s  start  with  the  staple  harry  potter  house .      courage,   bravery,   chivalry,   blah  blah  blah .      this  is  my  own  house,   so  initially  i  wouldn’t  have  pegged  damon  as  a  gryff .      but  the  more  i  got  thinking,   the  more  i  do  see  certain  traits  from  this  house  in  him .      he’d  be  a  very  unhealthy  sort  of  gryffindor,   the  more  recklessly  impulsive  type  with  little  consideration  for  any  casualties  or  trouble  left  in  his  path,   but  some  of  that  gryffindor  fire  can  be  seen  in  him  throughout  canon .      “ gryffindors  also  like  being  around  people .      they’re  not  group - focused    [   .   .   .   ]    and  hate  being  bored .       (    they may feel the need to make a little mischief to keep from being bored .    )      a  gryffindor  never  has  to  worry  about  being  overlooked    -    they  need  to  keep  friends  around  them  and  are  a  more  extroverted  house  on  the  whole,   but  they’re  generally  too  active  to  be  ignored . ”      damon  definitely  has  the  extroverted  tendencies  gryffindors  typically  have,   and  his  ‘mischief’  often  comes  in  the  form  of  more  destructive  habits .      whether  it’s  self - aimed,   or  the  trouble  he  stirs  with  other  people  in  his  life .      he’s  not  the  type  to  shy  away  from  conflict  the  way  some  other  houses  might,   and  he  doesn’t  flinch  away  from  risks  at  all .      he’s  often  one  of  the  first  to  jump  into  action,   with  the  kill  first  think  later  attitude,   or  tendency  to  leap  into  a  fight .      (    even  though  the  selfishness  it’s  generally  driven  by  will  be  addressed  later  in  this  post .    )      

with  all  of  that  said,   he  doesn’t  necessarily  willingly  have  the  gryffindor  ‘hero - complex’  that  he  gives  stefan  shit  for  a  lot  of  the  time .      “ gryffs  do  care  about  people,   and  seek  external  validation  from  others :    they’re  very  interested  in  proving  themselves . ”      sure  he  has  some  ‘heroic’  moments,   but  most  of  the  time  they’re  done  begrudgingly .      that  ‘morally  gray’  thing  i  love  to  harp  on .      but  the  ‘external  validation’  bit  resonated  with  me  a  touch :    he  has  this  big  bravado  regarding  how  he  doesn’t  need  anyone  other  than  himself,   but  we  do  see  on  several  occasions  where  he  does  desperately  seek  approval  and  validation  from  others  on  a  certain  level .      whether  it  was  his  dad  in  the  past,   from  katherine,   from  his  desire  to  be  chosen  first  in  any  aspect  he  can  manage .      to  prove  that  maybe  he’s  worth  it,   maybe  he’s  capable  of  being  deserving  of  the  validation  he  never  received  from  his  father  or  a  woman  he  loved  so  much .      

my  take  on  damon  doesn’t  have  the  full - fledged  gryffindor  desire  to  be  a  hero  that  canon  liked  to  say  he  does,   but  he  does  have  that  fire  and  action - driven  nature .      the  reason  i  don’t  think  he’s  totally  a  gryffindor,   is  mostly  because  bravery  isn’t  something  he  values  most .      i  do  think  he’d  be  a  damn  compelling  poster - boy  for  ‘gryffindor  doesn’t  mean  good’  though,   tbfh .

𝐡𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐟𝐟      ---      lmao  who  are  we  kidding,   damon  is  as  far  from  hufflepuff  as  a  person  can  get,   really .      human  damon  may  be  an  analysis  for  another  day,   but  vampire  damon  really  morphed  into  a  person  far  beyond  a  hufflepuff - type  personality .      he’s  too  conflict - oriented,   not  keen  enough  on  teamwork,   and  not  one  to  shy  away  from  any  sort  of  risk  or  danger .      considering  he   .   .   .   frequently  is  the  danger .      when  it  comes  to  his  own  personal  sense  of  justice,   he  typically  has  few  limits  to  the  extent  he’ll  go  to  reach  his  idea  of  equity  depending  on  the  situation,   etc .      he  doesn’t  care  if  his  methods  mean  someone  doesn’t  like  him,   so  long  as  he  accomplishes  what  he  believes  needs  done .      he  does  passionately  care  for  those  that  he  finds  himself  loving,   and  he  can  be  fiercely  loyal,   as  loyalty  from  others  is  important  to  him    (    as  we  see  how  much  it  wounds  him  when  his  hard - won  trust  is  betrayed    ),   but  it’s  not  particularly  his  most  dominant  trait .      let  it  be  known  that  loyalty  IS  something  that’s  super  important  to  damon  though !!      

𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐰      ---      i’m  gonna  be  straight  up,   this  is  the  house  i  was  convinced  i  was  gonna  put  him  in  when  i  started  writing  this .      damon,   overall,   values  intelligence  and  competence  above  many  things .      and  as  a  person,   he’s  far  more  intelligent  than  given  credit  for  in  the  show .      he  has  a  low  tolerance  for  incompetence  /  stupidity,   which  is  what  overlaps  with  a  slytherin  bit  down  below  about  not  tolerating  unnecessary  risks .      but  he  also  shares  the  ravenclaw  tolerance  of  even  some  of  the  most  high - flying  plans  or  ideas,   as  he  often  comes  up  with  some  of  them .      he  has  the  wit  of  the  house  and  he  may  not  share  the  stereotypical  drive  for  knowledge  fanon  likes  to  put  on  ravenclaws,   it  doesn’t  mean  he’s  not  a  curious  creature  in  his  own  right .      it  just  tends  to  show  itself  in  a  more  obsessive  way,   where  he  fixates  on  what  he’s  interested  in  at  a  particular  moment  until  it  becomes  borderline  unhealthy .      when  he’s  looking  to  learn  more  on  something,   or  figure  something  out  /  solve  a  problem,   he  latches  onto  it  if  he’s  really  interested  or  invested .      it’s  a  selective  sort  of  thing,   though  he  himself  surely  has  a  couple  of  degrees  under  his  belt  from  the  past  century  when  he  got  bored .      he’s  an  incredibly  individualistic  character  who  is  hard  to  cage  like  most  gryffindors  or  ravenclaws,   whose  intelligence  doesn’t  always  display  in  book - smarts,   and  rather  instead  street  smarts .      sometimes  his  plans  are  as  blunt  as  a  gryffindor’s  can  be,   but  in  other  occasions,   they  share  the  creativity  of  that  of  a  ravenclaw .

“ on  the  sorting hat,   ravenclaws  are  least - likely  to  do  what’s  expected  of  them  in  many  cases . ”      damon,   as  a  basic  rule,   is  a  highly  unpredictable  character,   reliable  only  in  his  sometimes  explosive  volatility .      in  canon  he’s  often  the  one  seen  to  throw  a  childlike  fit    (   e.g.   killing  jeremy,   alaric,   you  know  the  drill   ),   but  in  my  portrayal  he’s  much  more  intelligent  in  the  moves  he  makes .      it  can  be  read  as  slytherin  deception  /  clever  nature  on  occasions,   but  it  can  also  be  argued  that  it’s  the  ravenclaw  competence  and  creativity  with  the  way  he  thinks  on  his  feet .

𝑠𝑙𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛      ---      alright  so  HERE  is  the  house  i  always  see  damon  thrown  into,   which  isn’t  fair  to  the  house  to  put  all  not - great  people  into,   but  anywhomst .

“ the  river  in  pottermore  represents  unity,   and  slytherin  is  a  group - oriented  house .      like  gryffindor,   slytherins  are  seeking  individual  greatness    -    but  slytherins  look  out  for  their  own  group  and  see  themselves  as  much  more  unified  than  ravenclaws  or  gryffindors . ”      i  went  into  this  as  not  seeing  it  as  a  damon  thing,   but  after  reading  the  hufflepuff  analysis,   the  ‘looking  out  for  their  group’  part  rings  more  accurate  for  damon .      once  his  trust  is  won,   he  is  generally  incredibly  loyal  to  those  who  earned  it    ---    he’s  very  selective  with  who  gets  his  trust  and  loyalty,   but  once  they’re  within  that  circle  of  people,   he’s  more  likely  to  do  whatever  it  takes  to  protect  them .      but  that  trust  is  also  easily  lost  as  we  can  see  often  in  the  early  seasons,   as  he’s  fairly  volatile  when  it  comes  to  his  emotions  and  general  nature .      which  somewhat  conflicts  with  some  ideas  of  the  slytherin  house,   but  also  coincides  with  others,   so  that  aspect  of  him  is  just  another  area  of  his  personality  that  overlaps  houses .

slytherins  are  known  for  their  ambition,   which  is  usually  the  token  trait  put  on  them .      damon  isn’t  the  most  ambitious  character  out  there,   but  he  does  share  the  slytherin  cunning  and  resourcefulness,   which  he  uses  to  accomplish  his  own  ends  in  whatever  way  he  can .      slytherin   /   cunning   ≠   selfish,   but  in  damon’s  context,   it  often  does  equate  to  that .      like  mentioned  alllll  the  way  toward  the  beginning  of  this,   damon  is  often  one  of  the  first  characters  in  the  show  to  shamelessly  leap  head  first  into  a  conflict,   and  in  canon  it  can  often  be  dumbly  reckless    (   re :    elijah  during  the  dinner  party,   his  desire  to  off  someone  as  soon  as  they  betray  or  wrong  him,   etc   ),   but  in  my  take  on  the  character,   is  often  done  in  a  more  calculated  way .      regardless  of  all  of  that,   when  he  decides  to  jump  into  a  fight  is  often  driven  by  more  selfish  reasons .      he  usually  has  a  personal  vendetta  against  whatever  person  /  big  bad  they’re  facing,   vs  wanting  to  join  the  battle  for  the  better  of  mystic  falls .      it  can  be  argued  that  sometimes  that  attitude  is  a  front,   but  even  when  that  is  true,   it  goes  back  to  that  slytherin  desire  to  protect  his  own  group .      the  rest  of  mystic  falls  be  damned .      

“ slytherins  are  more  interventionist  and  more  risk - oriented  than  hufflepuffs  or  ravenclaws .      they  won’t  fall  back  or  be  cautious :   they  want  their  wand  out,   ready  to  fight,   and  they’re  not  going  to  cede  ground  to  anyone .      on  the  other  hand,   they  also  consider  gryffindors  to  be  needless  risk - takers,   perhaps  a  little  too  overt  and  blunt,   and  so  they’re  not  going  to  go  looking  for  trouble  or  charging  directly  into  the  fray . “      this  ties  into  what  i  was  saying  above,   but  also  suits  him  in  regard  to  an  argument  i  had  to  make  for  him  as  a  ravenclaw  up  above .      damon  as  a  character  isn’t  one  to  not  speak  his  mind,   which  puts  him  a  bit  more  into  the  gryffindor  field  vs  slytherin,   but  he  is  also  the  type  to  not  go  for  risks  he  doesn’t  find  necessary .      key  word  is  he :    other  slytherins  may  find  him  to  be  taking  unnecessary  chances,   but  he’s  also  the  type  to  think  that  of  others .      another  gray  area  between  houses .

“ slytherins  are  cunning  and  confrontational    -    and  lack  a  sense  of  fair  play .    they’ll  cheat  in  a  fight  if  they  can  get  away  with  it,   but  woe  betide  anyone  stupid  enough  to  get  caught    [   .   .   .   ]    despite  being  a  group - oriented  house,   slytherins  are  cerebral    -    they  don’t  care  so  much  for  people,  particularly  people  they don’t  know . ”      this  suits  my  portrayal  in  a  nutshell,   tying  right  back  in  with  my  arguments  about  him  not  caring  a  bit  about  collateral  damage  and  his  general  disregard  for  human  life .      with  all  that  said,   the  analysis  i’m  pulling  from  is  based  on  the  pottermore  quiz,   so  there’s  some  room  for  error  here .

“ where  ravenclaws  want  to  explore  mysteries  and  shed  light  on  them,   slytherins  want  to  be  the  mystery :    great  and  prominent,   but  distant  from  the  masses .      darkness,   the  flip  side  of  the  coin,   the  dark  side  of  the  moon :    all  of  these  are  very  essentially  slytherin .”      cough  dramatic  ass  crow  motifs  cough .      damon’s  entire  game  of  dancing  along  the  line  of  being  discovered  by  the  public  and  the  mystery  of  his  victims  goes  alongside  the  mystery,   his  balance  on  the  tightrope  of  darkness  that  he’s  so  curious  about .

he  really  couldn’t  give  less  of  a  shit  about  tradition  though,   thx

tl;dr  i  went  into  this  post  telling  myself  he  wasn’t  gonna  be  a  slytherin,   but  i  played  myself

[eledritch]

So reading all of you amazing works as well as following the content of other lovely Sheith shippers has inspired to finally write some fan fiction and contribute too! It’s been literal years since I’ve written anything though, and of course the story that got me really excited is going to have to be a multi chapter monster. As the master of long and complex fanfics, any advice for beginners?

Good!! I believe in you.

Sure, why the heck not :’) been awhile since I made a big writing tips post and I feel like I have some new things to offer since the last one. I don’t know if your fic is gonna be an AU or canon-compliant, but since my specialty is long and complex multichapter AUs, this is mainly gonna be about that.

First, you can check out my ‘writing tips’ tag for my own tips and tips from others on tumblr: http://saltyshiro.tumblr.com/tagged/writing-tips

The most important advice I can give to you as a writer is to READ. I don’t read nearly as much as I used to, but I still try to when I can. Reading was what gave me the inspiration and knowledge I needed for worldbuilding, which is a vital part of not just AUs, but any long and complex fic. You need to be confident about writing the world you’ve stuck your characters in. You have to know that world better than anyone.

More often than not, books aimed at children actually have better worldbuilding than books for adults. There are exceptions to this (a lot of sci-fi, like Dune & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, for example, as well as dystopian fiction like The Handmaid’s Tale), but some of my favorite worlds remain those from children’s books. They include:

The Ever After in the May Bird & the Ever After series

The absurdist and time-period defiant world where anything goes (as long as it’s unfortunate) of A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Other World in Coraline & London Below Gaiman’s adult fantasy novel Neverwhere

The world populated by various small animals like mice, rats, and squirrels in Redwall by Brian Jacques

The medieval kingdoms of Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The eerie surrealist circus world of The Palace of Laughter by Jon Berkeley

I’m also currently working my way through the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, which is some INCREDIBLE worldbuilding in a high fantasy setting.

So what do all of these have in common? Well, contrary to popular belief, I don’t think you have to go Full Tolkien and write a brand new language as well as six thousand maps for your world. Nope. None of that is required. All that is required is that you LOVE the world you created. Love the heck out of it. Even if it’s a shitty world. Doesn’t matter. It’s YOUR shitty world. 

The more you love this world of yours, the more you’re gonna want to write about it, and the more reluctant you will be to let yourself drop the project. The pitfall many fanfic writers (and writers in general) fall into when writing long works is that they get burnt out and tired of their own story. You can’t get tired of your story if you keep adding to the world and finding new things to love and explore within it.

Worldbuilding reflects onto your characters, too - people are in many ways a product of their surroundings, after all. If your world is shitty, then your characters might end up a little shitty, too. But - and here’s the clever thing about this - because you love your world so much, and because your characters are an integral part of that world (they should be, if they’re your protagonist/villain/etc), you end up loving your characters, too. It feels like a betrayal if you stop writing their stories, and the world you’ve created should at this point feel almost like a real place, albeit within your head and your imagination. And when that happens, writing about your world and characters doesn’t feel like a chore or an obligation anymore. It feels like an adventure.

That being said, human brains have limits and it shouldn’t ALL exist in your head. You gotta take notes, do some doodles and simple maps if you’re into that, and also use resources made specifically to organize worldbuilding. I tend to just use good ol’ fashioned pencil and paper, but I’ve heard this tool is pretty good for digital organization:

https://www.notebook.ai/

Additionally, don’t be afraid to uh....“borrow” from other worlds that have been made before. The sooner you understand that everyone kinda steals (respectfully) from everyone (i.e. the lion king is hamlet; romeo and juliet is heavily inspired by the greek myth of pyramus and thisbe), the better off you’re gonna be in worldbuilding. You can, and unavoidably will, use worlds you’ve read about and/or experienced in the past in your own worldbuilding. It becomes a patchwork of your own, and once you have a base for your world, it becomes increasingly easy to add onto it and expand with more original ideas.

It can also be helpful to do a ton of research. Say you want your world to somewhat resemble Victorian England. How are you gonna know what that was like? Watch movies set in Victorian England to understand the aesthetic and speech. Watch documentaries to get a more factual basis. Read books set in Victorian England for the language and the societal ideas. Go on a Wikipedia or Google deep dive - almost always, you will end up in a much more interesting place than you expected. Listening to music can also be super helpful to get into a particular tone you want to see in your world, or can help you find the tone if you’re not sure what you want yet. I have playlists for most of my stories.

And, finally, understand that there’s always room for growth. I know my worldbuilding can be better than it is, so with every new story, I strive to make a more vibrant, vivid, lovable world than before. And guess what? Usually, not only does it work, but I also enjoy myself while writing more.

The key to long and complex fics is genuinely enjoying what you’re writing. You may be able to bullshit and slog your way through a shorter fic, but not a 200k monster. Another important key - know where your story is going to end up. 

You need a goal to work towards. Maybe it’s a scene you’ve been wanting to write since you came up with the story. It doesn’t have to be the ending, but it helps if it is. You should know the ending by at least the middle of the story. I’m pretty sure I’ve written stories where that wasn’t the case and I was just flying by the seat of my pants, seeing where my world and characters took me next...which is a valid way to approach writing, but riskier, and ultimately rather frustrating when writing fics since you can’t exactly go back and insert foreshadowing for the ending you didn’t know was coming, lol.

I find late-night brainstorms best for figuring out how I want to end stories. I’ll open up a word doc, think for a good while, and then just start typing. Type it out stream of consciousness style. It doesn’t need to be a good explanation of the events, it just has to be an explanation. (This is also helpful in long stories for writing down reoccuring elements you don’t want to forget, such as slang, societal titles, a promise a character made to another than they really need to bring up again sometime...)

For example, here is my stream of consciousness brain-spew for my fic Seal It With A Kiss (this did not all end up happening quite like this, but here it is, warning for nsfw mentions lmao):

Witch Classes: Apprentice, novice, journeyman, master/magus, archmagus

The Wastes – western desert wasteland, Keith is from Blackwater, three days’ ride from the Citadel. It’s bordered by the River Acheron to the west, on the other side of which are the lands where Keith’s father lived with his first wife. The ocean is to the north, with the island of Cobao directly south of the Citadel.

The Citadel – centrally located, perched among Asphodel Peaks, near the lowland Oscuran Woods. Capital, Altea City, is three days’ ride to the east. Shiro’s grandparents live to the south on the shores of Lake Lucanus, a major fishing outpost bordered by the Dalterion Swamplands to the south.

THE VOID: mysterious dimension (or entity?) accidentally opened by witches eons ago (oops), which created Hell and unleashed demons/monsters/old gods (Voidborn). It is made up of what witches call infernal magic – a powerful and supposedly corrupted/corrupting form of quintessence. The Void is largely unknown and inaccessible to humans. Few return, and those who do are always changed by it.

HELL: Thought to be a reflection of the Void on a more physical/less abstract plane. Hell is made up of many pocket realms, including Daibazaal (one of the largest, ruled by the Galra), and Stratonikeia (ruled by Hecate). It is populated by Voidborn, who carve out sections of it for themselves in warlord-esque fashion.

Neither Hell nor the Void are inherently “evil,” though most witches consider them so, and they are dangerous. While the most well-established Voidborn rule with law and order, many other parts are lawless chaos centered around power struggles, and all Voidborn are morally gray to an extent.

VOIDBORN: Despite their vast differences, all Voidborn derive power from human souls & quintessence. Often generalized as demons, Voidborn are secular beings with no “holy” counterpart (i.e. angels), however, they come in many forms:

SPECTERS: generally the weakest Voidborn, they lack corporeal form and often “haunt” areas with histories of death, grief, and bloodshed, frightening humans and feeding off of their fear.

MONSTERS: a large and varied group of Voidborn, not as intelligent nor powerful as demons. They are the mostly likely to directly attack/kill/eat humans and are often hunted, with trophies of their heads displayed outside remote villages to ward off other monsters.

OLD GODS: a more rare group which often overlaps with greater demons; old gods can be benevolent if appeased (i.e. through ritual sacrifice, favors, offerings, worship, etc). They define territories for themselves and over time can become deified by local peoples, since old gods have been known to protect their lands and the people within them in exchange for worship.

LESSER DEMONS: more intelligent than monsters but less powerful than greater demons and old gods, they often rely on contracts and trickery to get their way. They are known to be petty, cruel, and ugly.

GREATER DEMONS: highly intelligent and powerful, they are dangerous beings who chiefly use contracts, torture, manipulation, and possession to take power from souls, which they crave more than any other Voidborn.

*Haggar has been cloaking Keith from Krolia so she cannot find her son since Keith went to the Citadel*

Shiro was captured by Haggar, who experimented on him (gave him the arm, which is powered by infernal energy/Void quintessence and began to corrupt his soul/erode it) and used him as a gladiator, until she managed to capture and slay Kurobasanir, whose quintessence she combined with the remnants of Shiro’s soul. His soulless, empty body was left to fight in the arena as a kind of robotic killing machine, while Shiro’s self became entangled with Kurobasanir. Because Kurobasanir was dead but Shiro was alive and so determined to stay alive, Shiro’s soul (primed with the Void energy which allowed him to stand up against Kuro) took control, though he gained Kurobasanir’s memories, abilities, and personality, while losing/forgetting his own. However as time passes with Keith, Shiro’s subconscious (ironically the only part of him which is still conscious/knows who he is) begins to break through, making him more ‘human’ as he starts to remember who he is/have doubts that he is really Kurobasanir.

He is unable to shift into any other human but Shiro, falls in love with Keith (demons are supposedly incapable of love), experiences sudden surges of emotion/nostalgia and feels protective towards Shiro’s family/horse/possessions/etc, is mostly unaffected by spells that should exorcise or defeat demons, and acts differently than the original Kurobasanir according to the late incubus’s friends. Because Kurobasanir was a sadist, but Shiro is not, so when he fucks Keith in front of the other demons, they know something’s up because he’s not hurting Keith at all.

What he doesn’t remember/know, though, is that this whole thing is a trap set by Haggar in order to lure Keith, who is a cambion (half demon, half human) to her so she can experiment on him in her quest to gain immortality so she can stay with Zarkon forever without surrendering her soul/turn her own soul into a demon’s essence. Because cambion, once mature, are effectively immortal and have a soul, while still retaining dormant Void magic within them which allows for their immortality and more demonic qualities. They are also extremely rare, and Haggar only knows of Keith because Hekate (Krolia) was her mentor and mentioned him.

So when Keith and Shiro go to find Shiro at the Samhain Tourney, Keith sees Shiro’s soulless body fighting and goes to break him out of his cell in the intermission; Shiro, not recognizing him/caring about him/trained to kill on sight tries to kill him, Keith is horrified and unable to bring himself to hurt Shiro, so he is saved by Kurobasanir, who realizes the situation fully once he comes face to face with the body that was once his, realizing his (Shiro’s) soul has been transferred into the incubus’s.

Before he can tell Keith this, though, Keith is captured by Haggar (who he recognizes as Honerva) and the two are separated. Keith cries alone in his cell, thinking Shiro is gone for good and also thinking Kurobasanir betrayed him and/or will be killed or tortured, leaving him utterly alone again. Lots of time passes and Keith realizes Haggar is trying to break the bond between him and Kurobasanir, because they’re both trapped and the contract must be sealed via sex. So Keith is in agony (and very very horny) because he can’t touch Shiro, and the contract is on the verge of breaking (and causing a great deal of pain and harm to both of them, since it was broken against their will) when Hekate/Krolia shows up, kicks BUTT, and bc she’s Mom of the Year, rescues Keith and brings him to Shiro while explaining on the way what happened. She also mentions that Keith’s father left because he was fulfilling the contract Hekate had with him, which was that because he was infertile she would bear him a “human” son (Keith), who would be blessed by her and live a happy/prosperous life, but in exchange Keith’s dad would only get sixteen years with his son, and then Hecate would take his soul.

As it turns out, though, Hekate/Krolia grew pretty darn fond of Keith’s dad (he’s a human teddy bear hedge mage unfazed by demons, what’s not to love), so he’s just chilling in Hell with her and had planned to come back and tell Keith the whole story, but when he returned Keith had gone off to the Citadel & Haggar was hiding Keith from Hecate.

So Keith and Shiro reunite and they’re so desperate for each other that they basically end up fucking while escaping (Keith is VERY EMBARRASSED but Krolia is like boi I am the mistress of dark magic, I don’t care, get that demon dick, proud of u son. Plus Shiro does his best to hide Things), cue a very wild scene in which both Keith and Shiro are kicking ass while fucking, since Shiro has regained his powers and Keith is Restored By The Power of Shiro’s Dick. Amen. Hallelujah.

Thankfully they finish up by the time they find the Holts, who were being forced to do alchemy stuff in Haggar’s lab. Haggar’s druids attack them, but Keith, who has read up on Honerva’s magic/theories, and Krolia, who mentored Honerva and is now pissed at her bc she tried to use Krolia’s son for her experiments, defeat the druids and are about to destroy Haggar’s research. Then Haggar bursts in, and in a desperate attempt to save her life’s work tells Keith that she can separate Shiro’s soul from Kurobasanir if he spares her/her work. Shiro is actually the one who hesitates, since he thinks Keith deserves much better than him and should have him fully human, as he appeared in their future together. But Keith has made up his mind – he loves Shiro in any and every form, and he’s done with Haggar’s shit. Furious at the thought of what she did to Shiro and planned to do to him, Keith’s magic creates a massive explosion which destroys the lab as Krolia uses one of Haggar’s traveling crystals to take them all away from Daibazaal.

Krolia takes them to her realm of Stratonikeia, a much more chill part of Hell. Because it’s Samhain and everyone is partying, Hecate’s palace is hectic and full of drunk demons and debauchery bc demons just wanna have fun, okay? Krolia makes sure the Holts are given safe accomodations so they can rest up and receive treatment before returning home. Meanwhile, Keith and Shiro are very shaken and Keith is weak from using so much magic to destroy Haggar and her lab. He and Shiro manage to escape the party and get to a balcony or something, where Shiro tearfully apologizes for everything, saying he understands if Keith wants to break ties after their contract is over, and that he wishes it didn’t have to end like this. Keith is quiet, then tells him that nothing is ending, pointing out that apparently he’s also immortal, and that technically Shiro gets his immortal soul in return for completing the contract. Shiro misunderstands, panicking and assuring Keith he will not take his soul and will leave him alone, but Keith cups his face and says he wants Shiro to have him forever, because he loves him, and never stopped loving him. Disbelieving but hopeful, Shiro embraces him gently, and when they kiss Keith begins to show his demonic characteristics (little horns, glowing eyes, tail, reddish scales).

Epilogue – Keith and Shiro get married. In Hell. It’s beautiful. They also have the most romantic, tender, kinky demon/cambion sex ever. They’re in love and together forever :’))

*

I hope that helps, dear!! Best of luck in your writing endeavors.