#also yes this is a reference to Sherlock and co

[noodles-and-tea]

it’s missing your bbc sherlock art hours 😔🙏

Dude I’m actually there with you atm…

[sobeksewerrat]

Heartbreaking: your favourite female character was unfortunately created in 1890 by a straight man and therefore was simply relegated to some guy's wife after her debut and now yaoi shippers like saying she doesn't exist

[kitmarlowe]

hey hope it's okay to ask but i'd like to know ur takes about the simon says episode of inside no 9 being about male fandom in particular? cause ive always enjoyed that ep and how it read some fandoms for filth lol but in my experience fandom is pretty female dominated so i'd be really interested in hearing about the specifically male side of it

sure. this probably would be more coherent if i'd rewatched the ep to remember things properly, so we're relying on my brain.

this is just my experience of viewing the difference between male and female fans (if we can understand these are generalisations and there's often crossover), so it’s likely this does not apply to all fandoms, but HERE WE GO.

to start, despite what I’m saying, simon is absolutely an amalgamation of a lot of things in fandom, both male and female. I expect much of it has come from mark’s experience on sherlock (shipping in particular). his worst traits come from all sides, but I don’t think it would work as well as an episode if it was about a female fan. his actions absolutely stem from the male side of fandom.

female fans, on the whole, seem perfectly happy just discussing the material with other fans. they form little groups and friendships, sharing jokes, discussion, art, fanfic. the men absolutely do this too but there’s an interesting difference in the way it happens. I don’t see men refer to their writing as fanfic, because fanfic is a female-dominated area and it has a reputation outside of fan spaces for being frivolous, out of character, and full of sexual fantasies about the male characters. male fans seem to view themselves as above it and need to legitimise their work. they’ll make short films, publish the their fanfic as short stories, interpretations, bonus episodes - anything to separate it from ‘lesser’ works. in the episode, when spencer dismisses gavin’s work as fan fiction, simon is clearly hurt by it and says, “well, no, it’s more sophisticated than that.” even though it absolutely is fanfic. men don’t want to be lumped in with the women because they view themselves as serious creatives, not obsessive fans. (all fanfic is creative, never change.) the men are also obsessive, they just don’t want to be viewed that way.

simon clearly sees himself as above other fans. he thinks running a podcast legitimises him and puts him on a level with spencer rather than the fandom he’s doing this for. he’s a content creator. the podcast is for the fans, I don’t think he views it as just a fan podcast. this is a kind of superiority I’ve seen in the male side of fandom. running a podcast validates them and brings them closer to the original material and makes their views, in their eyes, more intellectual. they, to paraphrase simon himself, actually know their stuff in a way that other fans do not. and if they can get a creator on, well… they’re a bridge between the two. they become part of it. simon believes he’s deserving of a co-writing credit, he thinks he deserves to be in the episode because he has risen above the other fans. he is a creator, just like spencer.

while most male fans I’ve seen manage to remember that they are just fans, they’re also more likely to seek the approval of the creatives. not just a “glad you like it” but a mark of recognition, for them to almost say, “yes, you are like me.” while they’re not awful like simon, they still have that same need to be seen as more legitimate, sophisticated and intellectual than what the common fan is viewed to be. I don’t think the women care as much about that. male fans need people to know that they understand the material on a deeper level — they need the creatives to know that.

simon feels entitled to the ninth circle because of the time he’s invested in it, he believes his view counts as if he’s in the writers' room with spencer, even before he blackmails him into the real thing. so do other male fans I’ve seen. I don’t think they’d ever quite go to the extent that simon does, but they’re certainly further down that path than female fans are.

and that’s why it had to be a male fan in this episode. look at doctor who — all three modern showrunners are men from fan spaces (as is mark himself). you know there were women from the same era who were writing their own stories, within their own communities, but isn’t it interesting how they didn’t become ‘legitimised’ through work on the show? what is big finish if not fan fiction legitimised?

and to end: all sides of fandom can be toxic (and they've touched on several areas in this episode) but it is also more often just an absolute blast. gavin's speech is in there for a reason, to recognise the good side. so whilst it sounds like I’m being negative towards the male fans, they're also a big part of that.

[khorazir]

Fic Writer Meme

I’m quite late to this, but thanks a lot for the tag @discordantwords

How many works do you have on ao3? 30 in total. Most are for BBC Sherlock, three are for Dead Boy Detectives

What’s your total word count? 1,574,736 (how did that happen?)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Enigma

The Horse and his Doctor

Rewind

Putting up Shelves

The Summer Boy

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Yes, I do, although sometimes, it takes me a while.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

All of my fics have happy endings. For a while, I played with an angsty ending for my WW2 codebreaker fic Enigma, but ultimately decided against it and gave the boys their deserved happy ending.

Do you write crossovers?

Yes, kinda. I’m currently writing a Dead Boy Detectives fic (The Case of the Stolen Barrow) that borrows characters from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. And there is going to be a crossover between Sherlock and Dead Boy Detectives as the next fic in this series.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really, but there has been what I like to refer to as the Rabies Incident for my Horselock fic The Horse and his Doctor. When I mentioned that John, a veterinarian, would insist on a rabies shot for an animal he found, I got a number of messages from UK citizens reminding me that there is no rabies in the UK (even though I had checked with actual UK vets before and they’d said that of course they’d give a rabies shot to an animal of unknown origin). But yeah, just so that people know, there is no rabies in the UK ;)

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do, kinda. Most of the sex scenes I have written are rather emotional and a little awkward and experimental (and thus hopefully realistic).

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Some have ended up on Wattpad and in other places where they shouldn’t have been. I wouldn’t really call that stealing. I think (I hope) in most cases those who uploaded them there didn’t have any bad intentions. I don’t like it, though. The same goes for my art, which has been stolen and ended up on t-shirts and stuff without my authorisation.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I used to co-write Tolkien fanfic on messageboards back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but eventually, my co-authors dropped off, so the fics were never completed.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

At the moment Johnlock and Payneland, but I also have a soft spot for Faramir and Éowyn (book only!), and Laura Holt and Remington Steele.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I do try to finish all my WIPs, although it sometimes takes me a long, long time. Although I have an inkling that The Passage may never be finished ...

What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m quite good at writing dialogue and descriptions of places.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing smut is not my forte, I guess.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have included dialogue in other languages in several of my fics, but they are always languages I either speak fluently or have at least a working knowledge of.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

If you count a machine-typed fic from the early 1990s, it’s Indiana Jones.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

At the moment, I’ve got my hands full with four idiot detectives, two alive and two dead.

What's your favourite fic you've written?

Oooh, that’s difficult. I have a soft spot for The Summer Boy, and also Slipstream and Nightjet. And my cracky Dead Boy Detectives fic The Petition because I had so much fun writing about demons bitching about their work conditions in Hell.

I don’t know who has been tagged before, so if you’d like to play, please do.

[tiger-moran]

Look I'm trying not to get my hopes up about Moriarty or Moran in Sherlock & Co given, uh, well, what happened with several other characters I normally love in it (also given how various other adaptations have portrayed them too), or even how they portrayed certain characters I hate normally (like Amberley, and Gruner. The latter especially... in general I despise Gruner and find him way, way more chilling than Moriarty but in this he just felt silly and campy and totally non threatening to me).

But I don't like it when people try to make out Moriarty is behind practically every single crime ever because that's just nonsensical anyway and also Moriarty being that indifferent to what kind of crimes he's connected to doesn't fit him.

However I also don't like it when Moriarty just seems to come out of nowhere and you never get to see his hand in anything else and I do feel like several versions could have subtly woven in far more details about his 'web' but never really did (the Granada series did try but even that was only one case before The Final Problem and I feel like... they still could have done more with him, and with Moran for that matter. Also even the RDJ Holmes films, yes the first one did tie to Moriarty too and they did do way more with Moriarty than most versions ever do, including showing his 'other life' as a maths professor, but even though I love AGoS I still kind of feel like they 'peaked too soon' bringing Moriarty in as the main villain in the sequel, especially when they seemed to always intend to make a third film). And yes there's been one very clear reference to Moriarty before Wisteria Lodge in this where he straight up said he was "listening intently to every word" (which could well mean a lot more than he's just listening to the podcasts) which I think was a positive sign so I do at least hope that in this they are really going to fall between those two things (the 'completely overplaying Moriarty's influence and blaming every crime on him' and 'totally underusing him until he pops up as Holmes's Ultimate Nemesis'), that past elements throughout the series even those that didn't necessarily seem to mean very much at the time like the apparent passing reference to James at the university (which was not recorded in the transcripts) in The Three Students and the audio recording doing odd things and stuff are actually going to relate to him (or them. I mean, remember Ian the sniper? Complete coincidence? Red herring? Or...? Although I still don't think, just supposing that was meant to be Moran, that I could ever take him seriously being called Ian).

I do so want something that just gets Moriarty and his 'web' and his presence there in the background for a long time and the whole thing with him hiding in plain sight right, and without erasing Moran, without reducing Moran's importance to Moriarty, without making Moriarty essentially infatuated with Holmes.

Also please give me Moriarty and Moran as a queer couple I am begging you

[dream-in-fall]

The theory of "The Hidden Morse Messages"

These people have done a unique work. They discovered and deciphered The Hidden Morse Messages.

@theastrophysicistnextdoor

Here's my theory "The Hidden Morse Messages."

1 SHE’S IN MA PHONE (or He's) Ma phone is an outdated name for a magnetophone. During World War 2, german engineers developed a device for recording sound on magnetic tape.

Crowley uses such a device and even gets inside - into it magnetic field. Together with Hastur. And we know that you can get stuck there, just like Hastur got stuck. Who exactly is this "She" or "He" who is in the "ma phone", I do not know yet. Perhaps the "dreadful eternity" itself.

2 HAVE A DREADFUL ETERNITY

- it is said to someone who is stuck in this "dreadful eternity"

- it is said about some eternity that has become dreadful, because it has become closed perhaps. (It's a little difficult, I know).

3 TOMMY’S A LEGEND I think we're talking about Tommy Westphall here. And about Tommy Westphall universe hypothesis.

In short, there is a kind of crossover of all (or many) shows /series in the consciousness of Tommy Westphall. A little more: In a 2003 article published on BBC News Online, St. Elsewhere writer Tom Fontana was quoted as saying "Someone did the math once… and something like 90 percent of all [American] television took place in Tommy Westphall's mind. God love him."[9] (link 2) When directing episodes for the eighth series of the revived Doctor Who in 2014, Ben Wheatley had the art department create a replica of Tommy Westphall's snowglobe, which Wheatley placed in the TARDIS set as a reference to the hypothesis.[11] (link 2)

4 PAUL’S OUR MIXING HERO Re-recording mixer Paul McFadden. He was actively involved in the creation of a huge of TV series. This man literally lives in the universe of a TV show. (Tommy Westphall universe).

He was not only a sound engineer, but also a dialogue editor. I wouldn't be surprised if he is the co-creator of this magic (secret dialogues and hidden hints).

5 HEAVEN LOOKS DOWN ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE PATHETIC ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE CHEER UP IT’S ONLY ETERNAL DAMNATION DO NOT LICK THE WALLS

Here is one of my generalizing theories of Morse messages. We are really stuck in the universe of Good Omens, like a hellish web. This universe is full of references to literature, music, series and movies. In addition, a large of dialogues in the series are written in such a way that you can read between the lines and find new meanings. We literally "lick the walls." That is, we examine every pixel on every damn frame. Heaven (the creators) suggests that we give up all hope of saving our long-suffering souls. But they cheer us up - it's a sweet eternal damnation. Heaven looks down on us because we will never be able to find all the hidden meanings.

In this post: 20% jokes 5% sarcasm 20% pathos 100% love and admiration for the creators of Good Omens 40% hope to find another meaning of these secret messages 15% of the fatigue from Googling.

p.s. I'm going to formulate a more complex theory, good luck to me

[sixbynine-da]

Tagged by  @doonarose!

How many works do you have on ao3?

60

53 are works solely by myself.

2 are large group collabs

5 are podfics.

What’s your total ao3 word count?

364322

250802 is soley mine (6351 in group collabs)

What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Good Omens.

Previously 

Buffy, Naruto, Bleach, Sherlock, Harry Potter, LoTR, The Originals, Star Wars. A bunch of other anime series :D

Top five fics by kudos:

Of comforts and Rituals - The Originals fanfic Klaus/Elijah. Feat hair washing - the most intimate thing a couple can do!

Sweet dreams - companion fic for vavoom-sorted comic. Feat unconscious Crowley and his sub conscious insecurities.

A Tricky Situation - Human AU written for the vday exchange. Feat professor's Crowley and Fell. They don't immediately take to one another. 

Oh! My! What a situation - unrelated to above :D. Aziraphale is dropping hints Crowley is not picking up. Feat tartziraphale. My favourite *ziraphale.

It's a ~*DEMON DICK DOWN*~ - Aziraphale attends a summoning gone wrong. Does what it says on the tin. Feat large shouty Crowley.

Do you respond to comments?

Yes!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Published…

Toss up between 

Bad habits - a Lucicrow fic. Crowley has an arrangement with Lucifer that means he doesn't have to face the fact he can't have Aziraphale.

or

Going down in flames - Crowley takes over hell. And not in a cool destroy it from within way.

Unpublished…. I currently refer to it as ‘sad fic’. Human AU. A look back over their life from Az's perspective.

Do you get hate on fics?

Nope not really. Couple odd comments about tags….

Do you write smut?

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Craziest crossover:

Never done cross overs. 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of. 

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I'm having one translated right now :D

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've worked on a few group projects and am currently co writing a couple things. Nothing before that though, so these will be my firsts :)

All time favorite ship?

God lord

 How tf can one chose ?

Probably Tony/Steve from MCU

I worked my way diligently through every E rated complete fic on AO3 and read virtually all of them!

What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a couple Naruto ones I will never finish. But I don't particularly want to. So that's fine. 

Want to but doubt…? Honestly I'm a bit worried about sad fic at this point !

What are your writing strengths?

Hmmm, dialogue?

I also seem to be able to just write if I have to as well.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Honestly my attention span. I'm impatient and get bored and want things to hurry along and it shows :D

Total lack of reasearch into anything. ^^;;

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Odd word here or there is fine, if I have to go google entire phrases or consult with footnotes to get important bits of the story....bit annoying.

First fandom you wrote in?

Buffy would be the first published by date but I THINK the first thing I actually wrote was a poem for an obscureish anime called Loveless. They are all still perfectly readable on FFNET because I'm terrible at tidying up myself when I leave :D

Favorite fic you’ve written?

uuugghhhhhh, thats like asking me who my favourite kid is! I'm going with Validation. Because it was the first thing not smut I wrote and where I tried out a different type of writing. It's entirely Crowley POV and more of a character study re his fall. I put a lot into it ^_^

tagging blah blah blah blah : @wingsofopal @theonewiththeshippinggoogles @thenerdalert @fuzzygoblin

[kxngkasper]

INTRO POST

————————————

Some random ghost tells you about themselves (it’s me guys i’m the haunting spirit)

GREETINGS TUMBLR !!!!! here you will find my bips and bobs of what I do and how i’m working this whole blog thing

Please note that i’m new to this whole blog thing and didn’t really get into tumblr until a bit into this year so i’m still trying to learn how to do things

About me:

I’m kasper, Mostly known as Kas, I go by He/It/She pronouns and am aroace. I’m an artist and animator with dreams of becoming a storyboard artist. My focus is mainly on my health and school so if I cease to exist for a couple weeks that is probably why but other than that i’m trying to be as active as I can since I love sharing my art with people. I’m Neurodivergent, tone indicators are appreciated but not always necessary. My interests are minecraft, Mumbo Jumbo, TØP, Sherlock and Co, Cult of the lamb, Sky cotl, Pokemon, Ponytown, Music as a whole, animation, and OCs :]

My time zone is EST! I’m a first generation Mexican-American and the youngest of 2 other siblings. Yes, Hablo Español pero no soy tan bueno para escribir lo (I am bilingual)

uhhh i’m a furry boo be afraid rahh what else do i put here uh im 5’8 (1.73 meters) my birthday is january 7th uhhh UHHH OH SPEAKING OF BIRTHDAYS AND AGE

I’m a MINOR please refrain from commenting or saying suggestive things to me or about my content it makes me uncomfortable

I’m in the age range of 15-17 take that as you will.

My content:

I stick to posting full pieces and sketchbook stuff on here usually gonna do with my special interests but if you wanna see just vibe w me and see WIPS, reblogs, yaps and such then you can check out my side blog

@princepasker

don’t know why that won’t tag

Where can you find me besides tumblr? Bam I made a linktree because you can find me in too many places https://linktr.ee/kxngkasper

PROGRAMS I USE: Procreate, Medibang paint, Iartbook, Toonsquid, Capcut, Alight Motion, occasionally flipaclip (limited vrs)

TOS (TERMS OF SERVICE):

Please do NOT repost my work, I kindly ask that you don’t use my fandom work in Edits nor reupload them on any other platform. I run my own pinterest, I do not want to see anyone stealing what’s mine for no point when it’s already uploaded.

Using my art as reference is perfectly fine as long as I receive credit. If you wish to trace my work for learning purposes it’s fine but please keep any studies private, thank you.

Ask box:

My asks are mostly always open! You can leave doodle requests in there but I won’t guarantee I go through with it. Questions are also always welcome, I love to see em don’t be discouraged if I don’t get to it right away!

Mutuals feel free to goof off in my ask box

Random stuff:

spam liking is ok !! idm

Alright cool uh that should be it? If I remember anything else i’ll come back and edit this post but for now i hope yall have a good day :]

IM ON PONY TOWN!!

[mirjam-writes]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @suavissimapenna <3 Sorry it took so long!

How many works do you have on ao3?

7 for Sherlock and 23 Good Omens that are completely mine. 6 collaborative fics I have either partly written, or just made art for. So, 36.

What's your total ao3 word count?

380,863

What fandoms do you write for?

Good Omens! I used to write for Sherlock too, but that's now in the past.

Top five fics by kudos:

Truth Or Dare (E, 6.5K words), my first proper smut ever! Post s1 gettig together story.

Angel Of Justice (T, 9.5K), my first ever Good Omens fanfic. Post S1 from Michael POV, A/C as a background couple.

!False (It's funny because it's true) (E, 5.4k), an office romance human AU set in software company.

A Stable Relationship (E, 9.9k), horse rider AU with trans Aziraphale. Friends with benefits becoming a romantic relationship.

Girls Just Wanna Have Sun (G, 1.7k), outsider pov scene about Robin's day at the beach, where she meets two weird gentlemen who have never been to a beach before.

Do you respond to comments?

YES I DO! Slowly, possibly, but yes I do, and I read and reread them!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhhh... angsty ending? What is that? Technically Be Still My Soul: The Rift, but does that count if it's a middle part of a trilogy? That's definitely my angstiest fic of all time BUT I tried to write the happiest ending possible to it. But also, yeah, people died in the war (just not A or C), so maybe I'll count that story.

Edit: WAIT NO! To Love Somebody, a story from Shadwell pov about how he fell in love both Aziraphale and Crowley, and how that changed him. That's sort of angsty and the ending is bittersweet!

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmmmmmm. I have so many. I can't compare. Maybe Watching You (Watching Me), it's the porniest porn i have ever written, and it has...uh... several happy endings :D

Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far!

Do you write smut?

Yessss. I'm in my porn writer era at the moment :D

Craziest crossover:

I did some super weird anime crossovers as a teen (I hope those are long lost) but haven't dabbled on that since apart from very vague blink-and-you-miss-it references.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

One of my Sherlock fics was translated into french in 2018!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Only for one round robin event, which produced four stories! Not sure if that really counts as collaborating since we weren't allowed to talk about it when we did it, we just got the fic, read it, and added 600 words and gave it to the next one! It was super fun though.

All time favorite ship?

Aziraphale and Crowley. No competition there.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't usually start posting unless I'm 100% confident I'll finish the story, so I don't have public wips.

I had one pretty cool Sherlock post-apocalypse story idea, which I'd love to talk about if someone is interested, but writing it? Hmm probably not. But it's not really a wip, if I have only like two bullets in a doc?

What are your writing strengths?

I think I write pretty good bickerflirting and humour even in dark situations. And, uh... historical research.

What are your writing weaknesses?

LONG ASS SENTENCES. I need to cut them down. Chop chop chop. Also, I over-use commas and em-dashes.

Also, not being a native english speaker, but I think I've got a lot more fluent during the past years, so maybe that's not my biggest weakness anymore.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I have done it myself, in a situation when my pov character wasn't supposed to understand what was being discussed, but I did only a couple of lines.

My languages (apart from english) are finnish, very rough swedish, and teeny tiny bit of german, but many fics I've read that have used another language in dialogue, use French or Spanish (which are popular languages for English speakers to learn in school!), and with those I'm woefully lost!

But honestly, i don't need to understand every fic under the sun! You do you, I bet there are people who can understand whichever languages you'd like to mix in your story, and that will be amazing for them!

First fandom you wrote in?

The Book Series That Must Not Be Named. I projected so much of my teenage angst into wizard school drama.

Favorite fic you've written?

You monster! Making me choose. Uh.

Okay, fair. It's easy. Be Still My Soul, hands down. @be-still-my-soul-fanfic

No pressure tagging: @hkblack, @ambrasue, @tawnyontumblr , @ack-emma and @zehwulf and anyone else who wants to answer!

[girlwithakiwi]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @elder-flower

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

32 (20 are user-locked)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,238,164

3. What fandoms do you write for?

For the past five years, it has been iterations of A Song of Ice and Fire (the book canon, Game of Thrones, and House of the Dragon). Prior to that, I've written fics for Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, Kingdom Hearts, Fushigi Yuugi, High School Musical, RENT, The Dresden Files, Harry Potter, Glee, and BBC Sherlock.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

the gather, the bend, the bringing forth (Game of Thrones S8 canon divergence)

some nights the lighthouse, some nights the sea (transatlanticism) (Game of Thrones S7 canon divergence)

the silhouette of a single memory (Game of Thrones reincarnation AU)

all the ground beneath with tears and blood (Game of Thrones/The Vampires Diaries fusion)

where ruin also exists (A Song of Ice and Fire, post-ADWD)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Even before I started writing in the ASOIAF fandom, I did tend to write bittersweet endings. Loss and grief is a fascinating frame of reference for an otherwise happy ending and I've always liked being able to write about those conflicting emotions. That said, it was probably never let me go.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Haha, lmao—this is definitely the silhouette of a single memory and its adjoining prompt ficlets.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

My canon divergent fics for Game of Thrones sometimes get the rare grumpy butt but honestly, I pay too much in taxes to be bothered by someone trying to be snide behind the anonymity of a computer screen.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure? I think my smut is pretty tame compared to a lot of stuff I read but I do write it.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Yes, I've written plenty. Sailor Moon/Gundam Wing and Game of Thrones/The Vampire Diaries might be the craziest though, considering how ridiculously dissimilar the two canon sources are.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

the gather, the bend, the bringing forth has its beginning chapters translated into Russian here

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes and no. My old RP partner @lyrangalia and I used to email RP during slow days at work and through that was born the AMD and Silvered Lightning universes. But since these technically never started as fic, then it's kind of in that weird uncategorized space.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

All time? I'm not sure if I have a single one that takes the top spot. I've liked Tomberly (MMPR), Willabeth (POTC), Neal/Sara (White Collar), Parker/Eliot/Hardison (Leverage), and Jonerys (ASOIAF) but I love them all equally.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hands down, Arcana. The reason I won't finish it is because I fell out of love with the source material (it didn't age well) and the author of said source material (he's kind of an asshole!). I do still love the character that this fic revolves around and it's removed enough from the source material that I could finish it but...

16. What are your writing strengths?

Characterization and dialogue, probably? Who knows.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Characterization and dialogue, lmao.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Eh. It can be done and I've done it a few times honestly. I don't make a habit of it because it's just a bit of a headache to translate.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Sailor Moon.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Based on re-readability? a silhouette of a single memory and where ruin also exists

No pressure tags: @jellybeanficwriter @moondancer71 @zavocado @kiaxet @luthien-under-bough @calenlily

[snowlessknitter]

The Masked Singer: S12 E8 (Group C/“Miley Cyrus Night”)

There are four celebrities remaining in Group C, and we will be saying goodbye to one of them tonight, while the other three advance to the Group C Finals next week (which will be airing next Thursday on Thanksgiving rather than in its usual Wednesday night slot).

As always, I post before seeing any unmaskings, so these are guesses and not spoilers. I am watching on about a 15-30 minute delay.

Sherlock Hound 🕵️‍♂️ 🐶: Says he’s a free spirit like Miley and he ran “wild, crazy, and free”. We see glasses filled with sweet tea and sugar cubes. He could be from the South, as sweet tea (iced tea with added sugar) is most widely consumed in that part of the country. Says he was in the “bullpen”. We see a plush bull doll. We see a red slide with pawprints on it. Says he and his band “broke the curse”. Many people online were suggesting that this is a baseball player rather than a rock star. The references to the “bullpen”, the slide, and in particular “breaking a curse” are all baseball references: the “bullpen” refers to the area of a ballpark where the relief pitchers warm up as well as the relief pitchers themselves, the slide is a reference to a “slider”, which is a type of baseball pitch (specifically one where the ball spins in such a way as it appears to “break” laterally away from a batter), and one of the most notorious curses in baseball was the “Curse of the Bambino”, where the Boston Red Sox went 86 years without winning a World Series (though they did come close a few times) after Babe Ruth’s contract was bought by their rivals the New York Yankees. Another notable curse was the 108-year championship drought that affected the Chicago Cubs and wasn’t broken until 2016 (which also included a “Curse of the Billy Goat” where they hadn’t appeared in a single World Series between the 1940s and 2016). The bonus clue: a wig, and he says “Hannah Montana’s not the only one with gorgeous blonde hair!” Social media was already suggesting him, but this clue with the baseball references now has me thinking this is indeed Bronson Arroyo. He also said to Jenny, “Your husband loves me.” Jenny’s husband is Donnie Wahlberg, and Donnie is from Boston. Boston, of course, is home to the Boston Red Sox, so obviously Donnie and his brother Mark are huge Boston Red Sox fans. Who was part of the 2004 World Series Championship team (“reversed the curse”), was a pitcher, and is very well known for his long, blond hair? Bronson Arroyo. I rest my case. (As for the sweet tea: he’s from Florida.)

Ice King 🧊 🤴: Has been subject to a lot of media scrutiny. We see a spider in its web. Says he “told his truth to the world, and instantly regretted it.” Has he possibly come out as LGBTQ? He’s carrying a box reading “Lost and Found”. His voice is still not coming to me. The bonus clue: a Teen Choice Award surfboard. Says his “teenage dreams came true”. I think Jenny’s guess of Drake Bell is the best one of the judges for this one. He did come out with a story, but not of being LGBTQ; Drake revealed in the Quiet on Set docuseries (which documented the darker side of children’s TV, especially at Nickelodeon) that he was sexually abused by a dialogue coach who’d worked on one of the shows he’d been working on (I think The Amanda Show).

Strawberry Shortcake 🍓 🍰: Says, like Miley, she “…grew up in front of the world”. Lived “the sweet life”, and even shared a stage with Miley. We see her holding an apple. Say she and Miley “hobnobbed with the same famous brothers”. We see her pouring coffee into a mug adorned with a skull and crossbones. I’m pretty sure this is AJ Michalka. Yes, she co-starred with Hayley Orrantia on The Goldbergs, but before that she and her sister Alyson “Aly” Michalka were Disney Channel stars. (Aly became famous first when she starred in Phil of the Future, but Aly and AJ then began releasing music with Disney as Aly & AJ.) The “famous brothers” would be The Jonas Brothers, who did have their own show on the Disney Channel as well as starred in the Camp Rock movies. The bonus clue: a set of boxing gloves, says Miley was “…in (her) corner and by (her) side when (she) made her debut.”

Royal Knight 👑 ⚔️: Says she felt “broken” for most of her life and had a series of bad relationships and heartbreaks and betrayals. We see a set of red medical scrubs. A banner with a burning heart. Says she found her “North Star” in her current relationship. We see her with a red Gumball in her hand. Does she have a connection to Scott Porter? (He was “Gumball” last season.) He’s married, so I don’t think she’s his wife, but perhaps they’ve acted in a project or two together? I know that Jana Kramer has had a few very public and messy breakups (I think with at least one, if not two, divorces), and I can’t remember if she’s acted. The bonus clue: a sign reading “Nashville”, which is not only Miley’s hometown, but I think Jana may have been in the TV series Nashville. I’m gonna go with Jana Kramer.

[tiger-moran]

Sherlock and Co spoilers ahead

Ormstein talking about "Mutually Assured Destruction", Sherlock talking about "a dense web" and "That boring, probing delve into the depths of London. It begins to weaken the very earth itself. And test the foundations on which this City stands" and the prisms that "see those imperceptible movements. The slightest twitch and fluctuation" and how he is a prism. And then, his monologue, especially this part: "I was plunged into the deep amongst the fellow predators. Awash in violent currents of rejection. All the while I was dropping to the blind depths" and "I sank my friends, I sank"

The prisms part sounds like it may be a dual nod to two different but very similar descriptions (more on that in a moment), one from The Final Problem. And most of it definitely sounds like foreshadowing, if you know what I mean. (Also, the fire in their kitchen. It was an accident in this yes but a fire in 'their rooms' where 'no great harm was done' - that immediately reminded me of The Final Problem in the previous episode too)

Also, who said about Langdale being Moriarty. I really hope that is not true but as I've said before, one of the most striking things about Langdale Pike canonically is this description:

"If ever, far down in the turbid depths of London life, there was some strange swirl or eddy, it was marked with automatic exactness by this human dial upon the surface"

Which is oddly reminiscent of descriptions of both Holmes and Moriarty:

Holmes - "He loved to lie in the very centre of five millions of people, with his filaments stretching out and running through them, responsive to every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime"

Moriarty - "He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them."

I hope that means nothing but I don't like that not only has Langdale appeared in this story already they then referred to the "depths of London" here and especially in regard to something that could effectively 'shake London's foundations apart'. Which, metaphorically, Moriarty probably could do if he's still 'the most dangerous man in London', and they had Ormstein talking about stage names and how "A name, like many things Doctor is only a shape we cast in sound." (Langdale Pike is obviously just a stage name too) (Please don't make Langdale Moriarty, please.) (I don't really believe he is because I don't see how it would actually work if it was true but still... I don't like how this ties together)

Also: "People are always listening" Yeah probably one person in particular

(So we're thinking a lot of Sherlock's monologue wasn't just completely made up, right?)

Reference to Daisy Norton again. This time she's specifically said to look like Adler's sister. Are they seriously just dumping Godfrey Norton from this?

Are we ever going to actually get to Adler, can they stop edging us.

[shadowstarkanada]

My thoughts on Verner Vogel

...and why he is M! Heh. I know I didn't do it justice because I couldn't come up with a way to do it. And that means it is rattling around in my brain still. Sherlock couldn't figure it out, and I don't think Mycroft had the pieces. All my evidence is circumstantial, but... I'll just have to lay it out as I see it! This is a nice, long, rambling post. Also includes spoilers for CO if you haven't finished it, so go play it! Love it! It's an awesome game, and maybe I am meta'ing to fix the bits I don't like!

Every conclusion Sherlock makes in CO is "right" but it's the old "if everyone's super, no one is." No conclusion Sherlock Holmes makes in this game should be taken as correct. Which means we shouldn't take his solutions or lack thereof as evidence. Verner's just a creep, thinks Sherlock, but we needn't.

Sherlock's.... pretty shit at deductions in CO? Like, he's really trying and all, but there are suspects he doesn't bother investigating. Verner's identity as Richter's brother is pretty clear as soon as you learn Otto has one, but Sherlock doesn't suspect it. At all. Not one little bit, not until the end of the game. Was that supposed to be a surprise, CO? Am I too genre savvy for my own good? Well... maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but they added no red herrings and it was obvious. Sometimes, though, when something is really obvious, it's because it's hiding something that's less obvious.

Also, there are a few cases where Sherlock simply ignores evidence that doesn't suit him. We have no chance to investigate the woman in the first section, though we can at least put that to the narrative structure required it, but we also have no chance to investigate Imogen in the Gilded Cage. The name of the case suggests Imogen. The structure of the case suggests Imogen. Jon's weird sidequest suggests Imogen. And yet, we cannot investigate anything related to her. Sherlock has discarded her as a suspect before we get a chance. She's innocent. We don't rule her in or out. Just like that strangely attractive painter that Jon keeps saying we should be nice to. Verner even lampshades it, with saying Sherlock's choices on who and what to investigate impact the outcomes. Damn, Verner.

Frogwares has pulled from many incarnations of Sherlock Holmes. In various games, he has different affinities to different versions: sometimes he's been Granada, sometimes he's been Sherlock, and I think he was once reminiscent of RDJ Holmes. As far as I can tell, they have a deep understanding of Sherlock... hmm... extended canon? Now then, modern Moriarty's diverge from the mathematician and typically lean on genius manipulator, which they seem to have done here. In light of that... Elementary's Moriarty is a painter. In particular, the first thing she says to Sherlock is "Oh! You're beautiful." And the last thing that Verner says, in his weird, creepy way, that references absolutely nothing in the actual game, is "You're so beautiful." What. Is. Up. With. That? I mean, the line. Referenced. Nothing. In the game. And the mental illness picture he gave Sherry? Stunning, yes, thought provoking, perhaps, but beautiful...? Not so much. Verner's also as creepy as Sherlock's Moriarty, if I do say so myself. And he looks like Moriarty the Patriot now that I think about it. I mean, okay, fair, also not evidence, but...

Moriarty is staying at the Palazzo when Sherry and Jon get there. He's even left a note on a table. He's upstairs somewhere while Sherlock is eating caviar and looking for the owners of canes or whatever. There is exactly one person who comes down the stairs: Verner Vogel. Sure, that's not a smoking gun, but it is an interesting coincidence.

M is established in the game as someone who does not contact people directly. He works through intermediaries. Now, Verner, he does talk to Sherlock, but then, when he doesn't get Sherlock's attention... Verner sends some dude to Sherlock's place and gives him a puzzle to get him to come visit. *side. eye.*

M tells Sherlock that he is watching him, and that he wonders what would happen if he pushes Sherlock's. What is it that Verner's doing through this whole game?

Verner happens to have blackmail material in his creepy dungeon that "oh, the original artist wouldn't sell." And only, y'know, select people get to go to the basement, because that's definitely what an art gallery is like.

Supposedly the blackmail was painted by Mercurio, except Sherry never gets to talk to him. He's delayed because Verner doesn't know where the artist is, and by the time Sherry gets there... he's dead.

By the way, that picture of the rapist was painted by someone at a creepy sex party where Cordona's elite were hanging out. The rapist claims he was drugged. Right, right, Mercurio.

Wait. Verner's a painter at a creepy sex party offering Sherry drugs, talking like he owns the entire island. Who owned that blackmail again...? Oh, Mercurio, the dead guy we never talked to! Right!

Creepy sex party is creepy, but who tries to get their new friend (frenemy? what even is Sherlock to Verner, I'm not sure, plaything seems most appropriate tbh) to do some sex and drugs if they've really brought them here to investigate a murder on the DL?

Sherlock: You must be disappointed the orgy didn't happen. Verner: No, no, I enjoy a spot of murder, Sherlock. Me: Dude. Dude. Verner: Oh, by the way, the evening was supposed to end with me simulating murder in much the same way this dead guy was murdered. Me: Okay then.

None of this is proof, of course. It's a game, and I can only investigate within the context of the game. Just as I must go around Imogen's guilt or innocence and try to infer whether she was involved or not, I cannot investigate Verner and must run it all around in circles. But...

Here is a man who is always in the right place at the right time, is manipulating Sherlock, is somehow on the sidelines of a blackmail plot, finds murder to be entertaining... in a place where M is, where M is watching, taking the same actions that M is threatening. In a game where Sherlock does not investigate what he's not interested in, where every truth is a lie... how can I not see the patterns in the static?

I admit that I am Sherlock Holmes with a cactus needle and no access to Barnes.

[kaitlynpcallmebeepme]

Two hearts beat as one

Two hearts beat as one

Spencer Reid x Fem!reader

Idea: Spencer x reader friends to lovers based the idea off of a blurb from @rintsuru where Reid shows the reader a magic trick where he writes something on a card and shows it to the rest of the team (they know he likes you) and shuffles the deck and pulls out not their cards and then says something like its behind your ear and then that's when the reader pulls the card out and reads will you go on a date with me. Reid frames that card in glass later.

Add a part where spencer just loves how she thinks of random things, after she gets shown the card and answers she says, you know the doctor had 2 hearts, how do you think cpr would work on him

Requested: Nope.  @halloween-is-my-nationality​ This was the Spencer idea I had that I said I would write.  

Author’s Note:  Ok, 12 hour night shifts aren’t terrible, for me at least.  It’s just bad when I either have not gotten sleep the night before or I have to do something the morning I get off.  I’m currently 7 hrs after getting off my night shift and I’m not tired enough to go to sleep, so I finished this (which I also started on my bored night shift last night).  I’m going to try to sleep after this.  I made the perspective Spencer’s in the first person for the most part.  I couldn’t resize the card picture.  Requests are still open.  Feedback is always appreciated.  Also, tell me if you want to be part of a Tag List and I’ll tag you when I upload something new.

Warning: Just some cuteness, card magic, Doctor Who references, and Morgan being the big brother that Spencer needs.

Word Count: 1,351 

“You can’t just keep staring at her forever pretty boy.”  There goes Morgan again teasing me about my very obvious, but still trying to hide it, crush on my co-worker and team member.  

“I’m not staring.  I’m silently observing and you were staring at her first, I just followed your line of sight.”

“But I haven’t kept staring at her for 3 minutes.”

“2 minutes 47 seconds. You’ve been staring at her for 23 seconds.”

“Just ask her out pretty boy. You got some game to you.”

“The last time you tried this with me it was really awkward, we were on a case, and in a loud bar.  My brain was distracted with too many things that time.”

“It’s definitely distracted now.”  I hate to admit when he’s right.  She’s the only person who can make me lose my train of thought if she’s speaking or just listening to me.    

“Ok well if this is so interesting to you instead of all of the other women throwing themselves on you, then at least try to be helpful.”  I couldn’t stand Morgan’s teasing much more.  Yes, we hung out every weekend and watched some nerdy show or movie.  So what.  Garcia has seen most of them already and Y/n’s the only other person in this building who will watch any of that genre in general, much less with me.  She’s just perfect, from the way she’ll read Harry Potter at her desk or has Supernatural and Sherlock stickers on her laptop and will trace them with her fingers every so often.   

“Hey, I'm trying to help my brother ask out his future wife.”

“And you’re jumping from step negative 10 to 8 of relationships.  I start on the scale at a negative 20.  Work with me.”

“If you are not going to ask her out, there has to be reasoning behind the hesitation.  You only ever do things when the odds are in your favor.”  That was one thing Morgan was right on.  There was a lot of hesitation.  No one’s ever liked me that way, liked or put up with my rambles, and wanted to stick around for the stressful and dangerous career I chose.

“I just don’t want her to not like me then leave like those who left before.”

“I guarantee you that won’t happen.  You guys hang out every break we get, she’s met your mom, always sits next to you on plane rides, plays with your hair when you don’t notice, knows to grab you lunch and take care of you when you won’t take care of yourself, and if we could, you two would be sleeping in the same room on cases.”  What a list Morgan.  You’ve been keeping tabs on us.

“Hotch would probably make us have ground rules to keep professionalism so the department doesn’t separate us off the team.”

“So you do want there to be an ‘us’?” Morgan’s teasing tone is so annoying.  But I have to admit he’s right.  I want to wake her up to breakfast in bed and read to her until she falls asleep next to me.  

“I just don’t want to lose her either way.”  

“I get that.  It’s the fear that’s holding you back.  Fear of if it’s worth it to not have that happiness but still have her in your life.  But, from what I can see, the way she look at you, always asks about how you’re doing when I get a call from her on a case, the way she's the first person you ask anything to case related or not.  You two were made for eachother.  You aren’t going to find that magic in just anyone.”

That phrase hit me.  I know now how to ask her out without saying anything and, if I’m honest with myself, it was one of the better ideas I’ve come up with.  

"You know what I'm going to ask her right now."  I opened my office desk drawer, grabbed two things, and marched off to her, avoiding the unnecessary stress from Morgan’s smirk.  Having already finished her paperwork, she was reading Goblet of Fire at her desk, but her attention turned to me as I went up to her desk.  

"What's with the cards Spence? You have another magic trick to show me?"

Ok Spencer, now or never. 

"Yes, and so you don't have to memorize the card number I'm going to write on this one and this will be your card." I took out the marker I had brought with me and wrote on one of the cards.

"Are you sure Spence? Wouldn't that be ruining a good deck of cards?"

"It's fine.  Now." I flipped the card with the note on it over so only the back showed and she didn’t see the message.  I could start to see the team at least gazing in our direction wondering what was going on.  I turned back to her because I wouldn’t be able to finish this if I was focusing on the team.  I placed the card in the middle of the deck.  "These are going to get shuffled by you." She grabbed the deck, split it in two, shuffled it three times, and handed it back.  Counting strategically I moved a couple more cards out of the deck that I knew weren't hers.  I placed one card in front of her.  "Flip that card over and see if that's it." She picked it up and, not surprisingly, it wasn't her card. I flicked through the backs of a couple more cards deleting some from the counting.  I handed her another card. "Is that your card?" 

She flips that card over. "No. Spencer are you sure you're doing this right?"

"Yes I am.  Ok, one more try."  I pay close attention to cards as their stiff corners flip through my fingers.  I pull out the last card, my nerves rising as I pushed it across the table to her.  "That's your card." I said with the most amount of confidence I could mustard up at the moment.

She picks it up, and her eyes widen.  

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes. I would love to go out with you Spencer Reid."

She smiled as she held the card.  I was just cherishing that this moment went so well for how little time I planned it. 

"Did you pick the two of hearts because of our two hearts or because the Doctor has two hearts and we both love Doctor Who?"

"Mainly for the two of us and that couple saying 'two hearts beat as one'."

"How do you think CPR would work on the Doctor since he has two hearts?"  That was a question I wasn’t expecting after this.  Back to our nerdy-selves.

"Well they showed that in the 2005 version Season 3 episode 1 where Martha performed CPR on the Doctor.  Although it was inaccurate CPR as she did 5 compressions per breath where as it's supposed to be 30 compressions then two breaths, and the doctor was suffering from blood loss as well as hypoxia, so compressions and breaths alone would have done little to help without a transfusion or a fluid bolus, but I think it would still work as long as the compressions are helping to pump both of his hearts. However, I sus- *kiss*."

I did not expect her to kiss me that quickly.  It was only a quick kiss as she also knows I’m not someone who shows big signs of PDA, especially in the work place, but I’d let her kiss me any time.  

"And that's why I love you Spencer Reid."

I could care less about the fact that the rest of the BAU could see us, or that Morgan was probably about to clap me on the back, or Penelope filming this whole interaction right now.  I found my other half.  She kissed me again, longer and deeper this time, and then took the playing card. "This is getting framed, so you'll be down one card babe."

"That's ok. I don't think Jack and Henry will mind."

[hey-sherry]

Act VI Screenshots and OPINIONS and spoilers and yeah yeah

Here we go! The place from all of those trailers! :D

(Some screenshots have been brightened up to look better on Tumblr)

The pre-rendered cut-scenes are gorgeous in this game, I wish there was more because I want to look at all the art in its beautiful glory.

I was quite happy with the white lilies as a guide, as I use them a lot in my own art because they remind me of a canal where I grew up... quite similar to this swamp, actually! So this area felt a little bit like home. A dreary home, but nevertheless! I thought that the choice to either follow the instructions or just explore the swamp a bit more felt really organic. We don't follow the main quest in this house, so I had fun getting lost and looking at the sunken cabins and getting eaten by the alligators. I wish there had been a side-quest or perhaps a special secret area to find, but it's also not really a time for that, so that's fine.

For Frogwares, the water lilies may be a subtle reference for Water Lily Games that released the SH hidden object games? Not sure, but it fits!

I got "lost" in precisely one place, and that is right after Watson shot down the bodies to feed the alligators. For some reason, it took me about a dozen deaths to realise I need to go back to the boat, and not continue forward. lol. Sherlock Holmes I am not!

This is as good as place as any for a mini-rant, but here goes (and yes, you have heard this one before): I am so annoyed with how random the beard thing is. They both have it, then in the cut-scene they don't, then Watson randomly gets a stubble, then then... I was never a fan of it, but the inconsistency made it worse. It made a lot more sense towards the end of the chapter and I'm okay with that.

The outfits, too! I love changing outfits in TA and CO, it's half the fun for me. But TA snaps the outfits back so often (or prevents me from picking a new one entirely!) that it's just not really fun. I completely understand that a certain outfit may be needed so you don't look like a complete clown in a serious cut-scene, but yeah... it's been kind of frustrating in the last few chapters.

Rant over, onwards! :D

I didn't take a cap of The Void (just gonna use the Dishonored term here), but I loved that puzzle SO much!!! It was just the right amount of challenging, the mirror puzzle was super cool in concept, and Sherlock having to kill himself as he calls out for Jon and Watson was just *chef's kiss* the manpain and agony I've been hoping for. Yes, I like to suffer, and I like to see my blorbos suffer. Very normal!

Watson taking the reins at the end of chapter was so great, I love to see him more confident and assertive.

The weird trance... then the exact moment from the CO ending (apologies for the derpy screenshot)... yes yesssss very gooooddddd

I enjoyed this chapter IMMENSELY!

You don't say 💀

And what a way to end the chapter! LOVED it. Oh, the redesign for Champagne and Lucy is really neat, and I really liked both of them as characters.

Now I'm ready for some quality drama, weee!

[arcane-ish]

My worries about Arcane’s take on Piltover’s Finest

First let me talk about the good stuff. As characters these two clearly care about each other, they have a deep connection and all the characters around them recognize this. They look together, they have great chemistry for lack of a better words and compatible personalities which speaks well for a future relationship. 

On a meta level I think the writers truly care about them as a pair and give them considerably screentime and storyline attention and are building to something bigger. 

That said, I had some minor quibbles in how they were handled in Act 2 (where I thought their fun adventure maybe was a bit at odds with the context it took place in, though I still enjoyed it), but in retrospect I have bigger quibbles with their dynamic in Act 3. 

And first let it be clear, I would not be complaining about this if I didn’t genuinely like them. 

Anyway, here it goes: 

The Nice-Girl/Blandification of Caitlyn Kiramann

I did not like how imo Caitlyn was being written as a generic heroic good girl character in Act 3, especially compared with how most other characters have a lot of layers. 

I don’t even have a problem with Caitlyn being the one character who is all out good and idealistic always.The problem is that the way Caitlyn made her argument made basically no use of who Caitlyn is as a person. 

Look, I get that people say League of Legends doesn’t really have much of a story or characterization. But you don’t tell me that this design alone doesn’t ooze with personality. 

Yes, the Caitlyn of Arcane is younger and less experienced. But imo Act 2 did a much better job of still showing of her personality, whether it is in the form of her Sherlock Holmes’ing it up with her crime mood board, whether in her backstory where she doesn’t like Grayson letting her win, to her insistance that she is a great shot to Vi. It showed off her determination and persistance, how she isn’t afraid to go against the flow, whether it is Marcus telling her to drop the investigation, her enforcer colleagues not fully accepting her to her parents wanting her to stop being an enforcer. 

Look, Caitlyn was still *nice* in Act 3. And they still slipped in ways for her to active (wanting to sacrifice herself for VI with the Firelights, freeing herself and pulling the gun on Jinx) to keep her from being just a damsel in distress. And most of what she said about improving things for people and getting along and healing the wounds was completely legit and acceptable. And her interactions were among the highlights of the Act. 

My problem is that generally Caitlyn’s words and actions were too generic nice person and imo hence lacked oomph. 

In my head I compare that to imo the other two characters who symbolized optimism and/or morality in Act 3, Viktor and Ekko. 

Ekko is the one who shows Vi and most notably Heimerdinger that there is a different way to live. His affection for the place and how much work it must be to keep it up bleeds through. 

Viktor is the one who reminds Jayce and by extension Mel that the Zaunites deserve respect and co-existance is possible. His story in Act 3 is heavily informed by his kindness, most notably in his grief for Sky (and earlier in Act 2 in his kindndess for Rio), but also in his pained attempts to destroy the Hexcore and of course his struggle (like in the scene where he can run again). All this creates a backdrop to make his case in favor of Zaun feel emotional and moving. 

Now I get that the moving undercurrent of Cait’s plea is probably supposed to be her deepening feelings for Vi (plus a slice of finding out how corrupt the police are). But still, imo this storyline would have benefitted so much if it had just changed a few dialogue lines to make more use of Caitlyn’s specific character quirks.

- Any references to shooting/hunting would have worked

- Her speech to the council could have had her talking specifically of her experiences working as an enforcer. 

- Cait’s distinguishing character trait in Act 2 was stubbornness (okay in addition to empathy which was still present in 3). IMO it would have behooved Cait’s character a lot more if when Vi gives her the goodbye speech Cait had gotten angry and “okay I’m not going to stop you, but I disagree!” at Vi, because again Cait’s fundamental trait in Act 2 was her going against people who tell her to give up. She was a character who didn’t just accept things the way they were, so it would have fit well if that had extended to Vi telling her no/it’s impossible as well. 

(and yes I get that in character Caitlyn had just been through some highly daramatic and dangerous few days and likely was exhausted, just saying, some more little bits of flavor somewhere in the story would have been nice)

I get that Act 3 was very angsty and Cait were part of that/contributed a lot to that, but I personally don’t like it when it feels like Caitlyn and Vi are being written like a generic epic angst couple. And as such my stomach dropped a little when I listened to the season 2 teaser and it sounded suspiciously like a lot more of that. 

Personally, as a potentially appreciator of the Piltover’s Finest dynamic, I would prefer it if their dynamic would move closer to their teasing buddy cop dynamic from the game rather than just generic “nice people angst, but they just happen to be pretty women”: 

For the record, I fully assume that as we now know that season 2 will continue focusing on the same characters, I’m sure Vi and Cait will return to teasing each other quickly. I just can’t help getting a bit worried about these tendencies I see on generic angst as opposed to “yes angst, but with a lot of personality”: 

One more thing. 

On the Subject of a Potential Kiss in Season 1

People have talked a lot on about whether Caitlyn and Vi would get physical with each in regards to queerbaiting and such. Personally, I’ve traditionally been on the pessimistic side on this mostly because with only three episodes left and so many things to wrap up I didn’t think there would be a place to put in naturally, that it would feel rushed. 

However, now looking back on Act 3, I actually would have preferred if they had kissed at some point because: 

1.) it would have felt daring and hence broken through the feeling of generic angst. 

2.) the show handled a lot of things I expected them to handle in Act 3 by not handling them and moving them to season 2, so there was more “space” for it

Again, I do think the writers are dedicated to this coupling, that kisses will happen in season 2 and yeah it does still make sense that they are not there yet, I’m just saying it would have been nice for my personal taste of the story. 

And, look, even if they continue writing Vi and Cait as a more generic nice people couple rather than Vi! and Cait! the larger than life characters, I don’t begrudge people for liking them and enjoying them, it’s still a prettty cool thing to do, it’s just not what I personally wanted out of it. 

(there has been good writing for them in season 1 and it’s completely possible that their writing in season 2 will be perfect for my tastes as well, I just can’t help quibbling and being a bit paranoid)