#and i will also make characters even buffer and bears

[australet789]

Because of recent comments on how some characters are "too buff" this is an appreciating post for @neal-illustrator Zeus' deisgn and how much it inspired mine.

Buff men for the win!

Also please this is not ship art, dont tag it as such or i will block.

[evilwetbread]

so i've got a LOT of thoughts about ENA: Dream BBQ, and I mean a lot. Most of them right now pertain to ENA and her two sides, cause I've noticed a lot of interesting things about them. :) wordwall incoming

SPOILERS FOR DREAM BBQ OF COURSE!!!

Starting with Salesperson, I thought it was an intriguing detail how a lot of the characters she interacts with comment on her weird way of saying things. A lot of these comments suggest that ENA is just spouting word salad with no real meaning, some even going as far as to suggest that ENA can’t actually comprehend her own objectives. Salesperson (imo) DOES seem to have a lack of true direction, and an inability to fully comprehend reality- she has a vague way of describing her objectives, frequently uses idioms that make zero sense, and has a general lack of visible emotion beyond advertising and polite/transactional small talk. She takes jobs and missions without questioning their merit. It’s like she has never experienced the world any other way. Meanie, on the other hand, seems to be the opposite. While she really does live up to her name, a lot of her anger seems to root from genuine stress. She’s far more aware.

There were several points in the game where she looked to me like she was at the very end of her rope- and a lot of the moments where things got weird or unnerving seemed to involve her (the weird cuts/flashbacks?? to the Bullet Rain from the trailer during her interaction with that shop machine, the whole post-death segment where we play as a hungover human version of ena who seems to be meanie-dominant, and i mean I can't go w/o mentioning the whole Purge Event). She says things so bluntly not because she's a "meanie" archetype, but because she is genuinely frustrated with both her own job, and how this world seems to mock her constantly. She acts, and reacts, far more lucidly than her counterpart. (Not entirely lucid of course, but she hates all the bullshitting that the entities around her tend to do and tolerates it far less) My assumption about this version of ENA and her two parts before the game released was always that they would function a lot like the original ENA did, with two over exaggerated emotions constantly butting heads. But this dynamic really took me by surprise!! It's like Meanie is ENA's raw thoughts and feelings, and Salesperson is this filtering agent that jumbles things up and mellows her out. Salesperson reminds me a lot of how our own brains process things in dreams most of the time, where we accept utterly ridiculous things as par-for-the-course(we did see a lot of this with Happy ENA in s1 too) and I think there's a LOT more to ENA than meets the eye in that regard. There's a lot more emphasis on Meanie’s feelings and emotional instability than there ever is on Salesperson's. She knows more than she lets on.

It's also really interesting to me that no one ever takes mercy or pity on her- even allegedly all-powerful entities like Theodora(the Lonely Door's Genie) treat her like she's the bottom of the barrel. Is being ENA just a curse? An entity made to labor perpetually, and bear the burden of other people’s mistakes, unable to permanently die and unable to actually succeed without sacrificing herself over and over in the process? Are the two emotional states a buffer to prevent her from truly understanding the reality of her situation???

I have a lot of questions, and something tells me that once the full story is concluded, very few of them will be answered lol. Wouldn’t have it any other way though. This game was worth the wait

[greatwesternway]

Thomas and Friends S13E02 "The Lion of Sodor"

So look. I will champion the CGI all day and all night, but I'm not gonna put ditch coal in your firebox and tell you it's Welsh. We're in the bad old days. There's gonna be stories that are absolutely banal. Hell, if you sat through season 5 through 12, you should know this well and truly.

"The Lion of Sodor" is such an episode.

We don't really need the play by play on this, I don't think. Thomas is tasked with taking "The Lion of Sodor" statue to Knapford station, but he misunderstands it to be a real lion packed in a crate. On his way to the station, he meets other engines and takes bits of their different freight - syrup, fish, and straw - and adds them to the crate because he thinks a live lion would enjoy them. Just as he leaves each engine, he inadvertently reveals that what he has is a statue and not a live lion but no one is able to tell him so before he's out of earshot. He arrives with a sticky, smelly, and dirty statue, and the conceit of the episode is finally revealed to him, much to his embarrassment. He takes the statue to be cleaned and polished and all is right on the island of Sodor once more.

There's not really a moral exactly because what was Thomas supposed to do differently? There was never a choice he was actively making about choochin' off before the other engines realized his mistake. The situation simply is what it is.

Maybe that's something to take away from this story actually. Not every story has to have a lesson attached. You don't always have agency in whether you're going to be a dumbass train today. Sometimes, things simply are. Sometimes, Fate conspires against your desire to not look silly.

Engines in Sidings shit.

Anyway, the first guy Thomas has this repeated interaction with is actually Cranky, making this a four strike story. And Cranky, for all he's a grump-ass, is also a cool dude. He tries to catch Thomas to tell him that he's misunderstood, but fuck, it's exciting having a lion in a crate on your flatbed.

Henry certainly thinks so! He literally says "Bust my buffers! That's exciting!"

A lot of people don't like Henry's characterization in the CGI because he's too agreeable and too scared of everything and lacks all his cuntitude from the earlier seasons, but I personally like a Henry who's realized he's got friends beyond Gordon and James, who don't even fuckin' like him that much, and maybe it'd be cooler if he wasn't rude to other engines just for the fuck of it.

You what else though? In the early CGI, the characters all tend to speak with a very stilted delivery, perhaps to cohere with the narration (maybe this is only true of the US version, which is what I got), but Henry's lines are actually jumping out quite a bit here. It's like Kerry Shale's trying to sneak some actual acting in under the radar. Like, we know they can act; they do it in the later seasons. But at this point, it seems they're not supposed to.

Edward and Toby are in this too, but aside from Toby's inexplicably deeper voice, there's not much to say about their scenes.

When Thomas gets to the station with his woolly-beared and befished statue, he's finally shown his mistake and gets told the lore of the statue and why everyone else knew what it was and he didn't. (Although Henry says not many engines remember when the original statue was broken... except literally every engine (and crane) Thomas met that day).

So there you go. Utterly asinine story where barely anything happens four times in a row and no one learns anything, but we still found something to appreciate about it.

[seefasters]

Oh, i dont mean to overstate potters cruelty or agency in this matter- he cant let charles or klinger go at all and its true that charles is a prick. But to me there always felt like there was a tension to me as a viewer where the show invites you to laugh at charles's and klinger's expense when they make attempts to leave that potter stops. Cus the show knows charles and especially klinger are very well justified in their desire to leave. To me it brings about this sort of intersting disonance, not in a bad way so much as a complex and interesting way that enriches the text. Potters the voice of reason and the authority figure the narrative defers to, especially in the later seasons, but his general feeling on these matters is resignation. "It is what it is" "it cant be helped." That resignation certainly isnt wrong or bad- hes being practical. But its hard to sympathize with it over hawkeye or klinger or even charles's rebellion.

As for going awol as an immoral act i suppose i was mostly thinking of various episodes in which people encourage a soldier to return to the front. I believe mulcahy encouraged a young man whod stolen a dead comrades identity in order to escape the army to return to the front. He also spent a whole episode trying to convincea kid who was trying to come home after his fiancee left him that he needed to return to the front. The show always shows characters being reluctant to do that sort of thing, but later on in the show i feel a real sense of resignation to that status quo. Idk if thats making sense but ive been thinking about it a lot. I feel like MASH's castwide emotjonal arc as a whole often concerns itself with the tension between rebellion (which runs the risk of being unrealistic or dangerous) and resigning yourself to reality (which runs the risk of being callous or despair inducing) i personally feel that the show tends to strike a really good balance, but theres something really interesting to me about the fact that, in my opinion, potter (who is loved by pretty much the whole staff and is generally considered the voiceof reason and wisdom) is also the most ardent voice of resignation if that makes sense? Hes wonderful and smart and more often than not hes right- rebellious acts are unrealistic theyre dangerous they cant be done without serious repercussions, the best way to do good is within the system and slyly- not because its the best way to do it but because it is the most effective way to do it without being destroyed by the powers that be. Him being smart or empathetic or reasonable doesnt make him any less oppositional to the spirit of spitfire rebellion that hawkeye embodies it. Potter dampens that. Perhaps thats by necessity for fear that hawkeye burns out, but to me that sort of effect feels more complicated than good or bad. Potter's mediating presence is an expression of care- he is a buffer between his unit and the cruel beurocratic military machine. But making the weight of the armys control easier to bear normalizes it- it puts a kind paternal face on the military authority they are all bring crushed by. The fact that he truly cares and is working within the system in the manner his is doesnt really lessen thar to me- which doesnt make potter villianous or wrongheaded so much as it complicates his approach at least to me. (Sorry a million billion words. Poter thesis to me- i love him i think hes great and his ideological position in the show is rlly interesting)

i don't think the narrative defers to potter as thee authority figure necessarily - he's the "good" army man and the show has to marry this with hawkeye's (and, in turn, the show's) anti army sentiments, which it does with various degrees of success

i do agree with everything else you said though! the mulcahy thing has always confused me a bit too, like sometimes they give him this black and white thinking and sometimes they give him complex moral problems (if i remember correctly, his opposition to the soldier who stole a dead man's identity was that the dead family won't ever learn that the man died, not that the soldier won't return to the front). and there's the episode where he tries to shelter a soldier who's AWOL simply because the soldier requested sanctuary

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

HELP I answered like half of these in my yap session yesterday

I'm just going to answer them anyways XD

Lore and clarification of game dynamics beneath the cut lmfao (I don't have the patience for ask box games today /lh)

1. Does your OC have parents or family in the AU? If not, what is their current living situation?

Vizzie currently lives with her mom. Her dad passed away two years ago over the summer under "mysterious circumstances" - which she fully believes her mother had play in. While she has gathered circumstantial evidence, she has nothing substantial. She and her mother were never on good terms, but without the buffer of her father things have only gotten worse. Her change from grade 9 into grade 10 seemed out of the blue/out of character, but nobody has gotten her to open up about it. She doesn't particularly care if her mother were to do the same thing to her as she suspects she did to her father, but the tension at home is far too much to bear continously, thus her finding every reason to not stay at home.

2. What are their thoughts on Quartz?

She finds her habits interesting. She feels the lovey-dovey act that she puts on after being confronted about following Azul to be extremely artificial - this is just because most emotions that aren't apathy or anger already come off this way to Viz. She likely knows her name and a couple of her classes/what teachers she has. This is pretty standard for most people she meets- she compartmentalizes people's schedules in her head, and knows where people typically are at any given time. This is nothing sinister, it's just information that happens to stick.

3. What is their thoughts and relationship with Azul? How did they meet Azul?

I would like to think she and Azul met in grade 9/the equivalent during some sort of spelling or science competition. While they're not quite as close as they used to be, she will sometimes rib him about academic achievements, and has his phone number. They're good friends, but she's definitely closer to Floyd now than she is with Azul.

4. What are their relationships with other characters/OCs? (THIS IS DYNAMIC!! I CAN AND WILL ADD TO THIS IF OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO CHAT/COLLABORATE!!)

Floyd - honestly, the only person she feels she can act her age around. She loosens up around him - not enough to open up, actually, they know like NOTHING about each other, they just. Vibe. Ride or Die friends. One of the few people that makes her genuinely happy.

Jade - More casual friends. She eats lunch with him sometimes, and they text each other niche microbio/myc-olgy memes :D

Cater - He's a year ahead of her, but her dad (and her) helped him and his family move into their place at the beginning of her grade 9 year/his grade 10. They live down the street from each other, so he would walk her to and from school, and sometimes, to avoid the rising tension at home, she would hang out at his place. She used to walk him through his homework because she would study extra just to try and impress him. He painted her phone case as a thank you. (NOTE: THIS IS NOT MY AU. THIS IS LORE I'M MAKING UP ON THE SPOT. IF IT DOESN'T FIT/OP HAS DIFFERENT IDEAS, THIS IS NULL.) /lh/gen

@distant-velleity Yuhua - friends that fell out over misunderstandings :( She misses his company, but feels that her associating with him might drag him down with her. She knows the standard he holds himself to. She knows she's also been more bristly, harder to talk to, but if not even her former best friend could see past the mask she wears, maybe it's for the better she's no longer 'best friends' with him anyways...

Game Mechanic: If Quartz can make Viz and Yuhua make-up, they'll be able to incapacitate/distract Floyd for some time. This can be achieved by

Sending both of them to detention (medium difficulty, a few hours)

Obtaining Vizzie's journal and giving it to Yuhua (extreme difficulty, the entire next day)

@boopshoops Yuu Shi - Unlikely friends. Viz needed a favour and she paid a good price - Yuu Shi is the only person thus far that has been allowed to read any entry she wants from Vizzie's journal. In exchange, Viz was lent keys long enough to make a replicate of a store room key, and the roof access key. After that, the two keep in touch via post it notes - some are cute, but some hold more significant meaning.

Game Mechanic: If Quartz can get to the sticky notes before Yuu Shi does, (as they are left on the outside of her locker), she may find clues that pertain to Viz and Yuu Shi's future meeting spots to exchange info, puzzles to find out certain people's phone passcodes, or a hint as to where a weapon or usable item may be hidden.

If Quartz is caught by Viz, she'll only end up telling Yuu Shi so as to have someone who is more...influential to start up an embarrassing rumour with some truth to it, or planted evidence to make it true. The sticky notes will no longer be on the outside of Yuu Shi's locker. (They'll find another way)

@alestrameria Yukari - Toxic, one-sided Yuri? (Not on Vizzie's half)

Overall, Viz is a ride or die type of friend once you get to that level of trust. You won't know when you've achieved that though :)

5. What grade/year is your OC? Answered here!

6. What is your OCs goal for the school year or in life?

At this point, she's holding on for the kids she babysits and for her birthday to roll around- so she can finally move out of her mom's goddamned house and maybe hire a P.I to open her dad's case again.

7. Your OC is being framed for murder of another student by Quartz, how does your OC react to that? Does your OC know it's Quartz?

Honestly, being framed makes her a little bit excited, but she'll try not to show it. To her it's a puzzle, it's a matter of backtracking both Quartz's interactions and demeanor. This is a competition, and she doesn't intend to loose. She takes the accusation in stride, but the old 'honour student' comes out. She's direct and concise with her alibi, can and will manipulate the situation to her advantage. After all, she had her mom to learn from :)

8. Your OC notices Quartz carrying a weapon in her skirt pocket. That's strange since the female school uniforms don't have skirt pockets. Does your OC report this?

Nope! She's armed too and she hates the school uniform. Might tell Quartz that it's showing. Depending on how Quartz responds/their friendship level at that point, she may offer to modify her skirt for her, so that the pockets blend more seamlessly into the folds of the skirt, making it more difficult to detect anything in her pockets. If Quartz has pissed her off, when Quartz has gym class she'll be cutting the bottoms out of her skirt pockets. She makes a point of wearing gloves and using her old school uniform, new hairdo, and a mask to be harder to identify. Lockers ain't got shit on her.

9. Where is your OC usually with or at during school? Classes? With Azul? Skipping class? Where do they eat lunch?

She tends to be a bit of a floater during lunch. She doesn't mind keeping her own company, but she likes quieter places. She compulsively memorizes people's schedules - it's really not something she wants occupying her brain space but it does, so if there's someone she wants to meet with or...observe in particular, she usually knows where to go. During school, she skips most of the classes, hiding out in the greenhouse, a storage room, or on the roof of the building....she likes the roof.

10. How are your OC's grades?

Despite the shit she's been through, she was a gifted kid. Now she's just not putting in the same amount of effort, but she's still averaging A-/B+ in most classes. All her assignments are still in on time, and she's there for tests, but she no longer ties her grades to her self-esteem. Her grades still aren't 'good enough' for her mom.

ANYWAYS

There's my yapparoony fest FOR NOW mwahahaha

(No Yan Sim AU) Questions for OCs! + Quartz and other characters' lore

You don't have to do these if you don't want to! You can write and answer how ever you want (3rd person or as the OC)

These answers are just examples and they also give lore to other TWST characters in the AU

1. Does your OC have parents or family in the AU? If not, what is their current living situation?

Riddle currently lives with his mother. Because of her influence, he is the strictest in the student council (which consists of the dormleaders.)

2. What are their thoughts on Quartz?

[You can yap about it here since I already used Quartz as an example in the fourth question]

3. What is their thoughts and relationship with Azul? How did they meet Azul?

Jade is Azul's right hand man. He assists Azul with a lot of student council work and is mostly by his side with Floyd. They are friends from their middle school days and up to their highschool days (although the three of them won't admit it).

Jade found Azul's hardwork and scheming nature very exciting so he and his brother always stayed by Azul's side to see what fun events would happen.

4. What are their relationships with other characters/OCs?

[They are speaking about Quartz as example]

Floyd: "Who again?"

Floyd doesn't really acknowledge Quartz since she's so quick out of his sights. Genuinely believes there isn't a person named that but is suspicious.

Jade: "Oh, that shy girl? She's a little funny."

Definitely suspicious of Quartz but they don't interact much so he has no other information about her. He probably needs to be more skillful when studying her.

Riddle: "Quartz?.. Uh.. I-I don't recall who that is."

Quartz rarely interacts with Riddle.

Ace: "Ah? You mean that girl who's always so weird? I've seen her watch Azul. Pffftt! Do you think she likes him?"

He notices her sometimes because he thinks her appearance is a little flashy.

Idia: "I-Isn't she one of Azul's admirers?... She's the shy type right? She's a little strange though.. Sometimes she takes photos of me! W-Wait.. Maybe she's into me instead?! EEEKK!! H-HOW SCARY!!"

Completely misunderstands Quartz's actions but he's quick to know how weird her actions are. He stays away from her if Azul isn't present.

5. What grade/year is your OC?

Azul, Jade, and Floyd are all 2nd years (17).

Leona has been held back so he is still 20.

6. What is your OCs goal for the school year or in life?

Quartz wishes to kill Azul 🙏

7. Your OC is being framed for murder of another student by Quartz, how does your OC react to that? Does your OC know it's Quartz?

Floyd is jumping her.

8. Your OC notices Quartz carrying a weapon in her skirt pocket. That's strange since the female school uniforms don't have skirt pockets. Does your OC report this?

Riddle is absolutely reporting that! He's calling the cops and everything 🫡🫡🫡

9. Where is your OC usually with or at during school? Classes? With Azul? Skipping class? Where do they eat lunch?

Quartz is always in class but she'll come right before the bell rings since she was.. busy. She doesn't have a particular place she goes to all the time. She's never in one spot.

Quartz's lunch spot varies because she's always spying but her usual spot is in the courtyard.

Riddle is assigned being a hall monitor so he usually watches the halls when he is able to. He usually eats lunch with Trey and Cater.

Leona is always found napping under trees and skipping his classes. Ruggie manages to find him and give him his lunch from the cafeteria.

Rook is watching you.

10. How are your OC's grades?

Deuce tries, ok. (Awful)

[pixies-and-poets]

Of Verses and Curses: Chapter One

HELLO EVERYONE!! Wow, it’s finally arrived, the big big Phantom x Woodrow fic I’ve been working on for like a month and daydreaming about even longer!

Fanfics aren’t really my thing normally, so why am I doing this? For the fun, for the challenge, to cement to myself that I am truly cringe and free these days, to justify a crackship between two characters who have never canonically met, I don’t know. I just know I’m enjoying it, and that it’s a story about the difficulties that can arise when art is your foremost method of communication and bonding with others, so it therefore has become very personal to me.

A little bit of introductory author’s notes. I’m going to make a masterpost eventually for all the chapters, and will repeat this info there (along with the summary/teaser), but I’ll go ahead and put it here on the first chapter as well.

Genre info: Ok so, I haven’t been a big fanfic person historically (as stated above) and I can’t provide you with a super-intricate list of tropes or micro-genres or anything, but this is basically a pseudo-slow-burn romance. Lots of yearning and angst, hurt/comfort, but also fluffy soft and happy bunnies... it’s going to be long, so there’s room for it all! 

Content warnings: Nothing TOO dark, and nothing nsfw/explicit, but there will be confrontation of depression, self-loathing, characters wishing they hadn’t been born, etc. And depiction of (accidental) injury. Not until later on, really; will try to warn on individual heavier chapters if you’re not in the headspace to read that kind of thing.

I will try to post updates twice a week or so (maybe Mondays/Fridays?) as I have a bit of a buffer built up, but it depends on what’s going on in my life and when I have time to write/edit. I’ll do my best!!

So, without further preamble...

Chapter One - The Letter

The Paletteville Post Office was a quiet place. Throughout the rural planet of Palette Prime, the residents were so close-knit and interdependent as to usually make deliveries to each other in person; such occasions offered an excuse to ask for some spare vegetables, or to borrow a farming tool, or to gossip besides. But the mailroom had an important and irreplaceable purpose: sending and receiving interplanetary messages. 

Every few days a mail-ship came whirring out of the atmosphere, bearing letters and packages from elsewhere in the galaxy. The post office also held one of the few computers on the planet, the society of which was rather technologically un-advanced by choice. The massive, yellowing machine buzzed and beeped away in a corner, taking up a rather large portion of the room. And one of the jobs of the sleepy Rabbids who worked there, who were generally just as ancient and tired as the computer, was to print out any emails that came in and ensure they reached the paws of their desired recipients.

Quite often, the desired recipient was one T. S. Woodrow. Whether it was business missives about the pumpkin spice harvest, reviews of his latest work, or communications from other wardens, quite a bit of the inbox was dedicated to the infamous poet. It was perhaps in anticipation of this that the residents of Palette Prime had voted for his Wardenry, hoping the responsibility would keep him too busy to write; that the stress would suppress the poems before they sprang from his brain to his mouth.

But it hadn’t. Nothing could.

And so it was that the poet visited the post office almost every day, as part of his morning routine. On this particular morning, slightly misty and cold, the bell of the office door tinkled, and a grandmotherly Rabbid in a bonnet looked up from behind the desk. “G’morning, Mr. Woodrow!”

“And a pleasant morn to you, Matilda,” came the low, somber voice of the poet, whose looming figure was silhouetted in the doorway. His chaperone cloud seemed especially dark and stormy today, as if to distinguish itself from the surrounding fog; but as he stepped inside, it was polite enough to wait behind the threshold. “I trust you are well?”

“Well, the fog makes these ol’ knees ache - but I get to sit here all day! No workin’ in the pumpkin patch like when I was a younger lass - can’t complain! Ah- but I’d best give you yer mail - ya’ve got quite a few things today, sir.”

She had already set aside a stack of several letters, and these she slid over the desk to him.

“Thank thee most kindly,” he said, taking them and tucking them away in his briefcase. He tipped his hat to her, and said, “I shall be taking my leave 'til the morrow. But, ah… hm…” he touched his chin for a moment, his ears bending forward slightly in concentration. Then his ears perked up, and with a wave of his arm, he began: 

“May sun or rain disperse the mist,

Like pain leaves a wound once tender kiss’d-

May your agony soon be replaced with bliss.”

“Thank you, Mr. Warden,” said Matilda with a polite smile, as a picture frame fell off the wall behind her and crashed to the ground, its glass shattering into sprinkles on the floor. Woodrow did not notice, however, as he was already gone.

—-

Having had other business to take care of in town, it was a couple hours before the poet wended his way back to his home. As he opened the door, his raincloud drifted low around his ears for a moment - its way of a goodbye kiss - before zooming up to take its resting place, merging with the larger cloud above his roof. Woodrow entered his house, closed his door behind him, set down his briefcase, and hung up his hat and umbrella. Then he made his way to the kitchen, zigzagging slowly through his living room to avoid the familiar leaks and rain-buckets.

The kitchen was small; he didn’t need much room, as he hardly ever cooked. He had tried, when he was younger, and… well, the other Paletteers had been so generous as to help his family rebuild from the fire. Twice.

But he could make tea; that was safe enough. He had a little electric kettle that operated on battery; very futuristic. And quite fireproof. Sweetlopek had been so kind as to order it for his birthday some years ago. 

He waited by the kettle before pouring the water slowly, ever so slowly, into his spill-proof mug, along with a bag of spiced black tea.  Had he known the letter that awaited him, perhaps he would have hurried up - or perhaps procrastinated even more.

Finally, the mug in his right hand and his briefcase hooked around his arm, he stood at the foot of his stairs. With a long sigh he looked up at them, and set his jaw in resolution. Leaning his left hand and his weight against the wall, he carefully ascended, creeping his paw along the peeling and water-damaged wallpaper, slowly, step by step. “Easy does it, old boy,” he mumbled to himself encouragingly. “There… we… go…” Why did he ever think to buy a house with the bedroom on the second floor, anyway? “Almost… there…” and huzzah! He had made it without incident, and was soon in his bedchamber. That would be another tally-mark in his journal, counting the days since his last fall. He was trying to decide whether a cot on the ground floor was worth investing in.

But for now… seated in his favorite shabby armchair, the poet took out the stack of letters. Something about a coffee sponsorship for the Palette Prime Pumpkin Fest… he would deal with that in his business hours. One letter seemed to be some kind of fan-mail, although he couldn’t tell if it was ironically written or not; he was never quite good at parsing sarcasm over writing, or in person to be quite honest. He put it aside to come back to later. A few envelopes were obvious junk. And then finally, something interesting: a printed email.

ATTENTION ALL WARDENS:

Heya, this is Edge. Just sending out a reminder that if any of the old Spark Hunters show up on your planet, PLEASE let me know! If they start to cause you trouble, I’m there. And even if they don’t, just let me know anyway.

RP helped me set up my own email so I don’t have to use hers. It’s Stormblade@rabmail.com, so use that to get in contact with me from now on. Pretty cool, huh? Should be easy to remember.

Hope you’re doing good and all that. Remember, if there’s any trouble in your neck of the galaxy, reach out. Seriously, it’s not a problem.

-Edge

Steward of Sparks

A frown passed over Woodrow’s face as he read the message. He felt for the girl. This was not the first message of this nature she had sent, and he knew that behind her desire to protect the galaxy from the straggling Spark Hunters was the desire merely to find them. There had been fleeting sightings of them here and there in these past months since Cursa’s defeat, but they never stayed in one place long enough for her to catch up. He laid the printed message on his side-table to file away, vowing that of course, he would let her know if he heard anything of their whereabouts. But he hadn’t, and-

Woodrow choked on his tea when he saw the return address on the final letter, which was now lying in his lap.

It was a fine red envelope, with a lacy gold pattern along its edges. The address, handwritten in beautiful cursive calligraphy:

T. S. Woodrow, Warden

Paletteville, Palette Prime

And the return address:

The Phantom

Spooky Trails

The Mushroom Kingdom

After composing himself and coughing a bit to clear the tea out of his throat, Woodrow set his cup down and sat straight up in his chair. He raised the envelope to his face, and squinted at it through his glasses, his mouth slightly agape. Surely this was some kind of prank. He turned it over, and saw it was closed with a small gold seal embossed with a music note. Ever so gently, he took his letter opener from the table and cut open the top of the envelope, and gingerly pulled out the paper inside.

Monsieur Woodrow,

I hope this letter finds you healthy. I know we have never spoken, but I know of you and your work, and I trust you know of me and mine. 

As you surely know, my singing career was most tragically cut short some time ago, due to strain on my voice which I was quite pressured to maintain. In the hopes that I may someday recover, I have sought specialists of both a traditional medicinal variety, as well as those who may help me with the rather more unique and delicate mechanisms which power my voice. While no one has been able to truly solve my woes as of yet, one bit of advice I have received is that I spend time in nature and seek a variety of healthier climes. I am ordered to indulge in fresh and clean air, leaving behind the clammy mists of the graveyards and swamps of my home, as they shall do my health no favors. As I am partially a spectral being, I question the relevance of this advice, but I have little else to go on.

I have heard much of the natural beauty of your planet, perhaps rivaled only by Terra Flora, where I most certainly shall not go. And thus I should like to visit Palette Prime and stay a while. As I still make a fine living from royalties and album sales, I am willing to pay what you need. A quaint bed and breakfast should be nice, if you have a vacancy.

I should like to come without delay, so if arrangements can be made for my arrival, please write back as soon as you can. Do let me know if you have any questions.

Yours,

-Tom

Woodrow stared at the beautifully-inked words on the page in disbelief. And this was after he had read it through five times.

HE had written this! With his own paw! The… the Phantom…

It was not uncommon for celebrities to visit Palette Prime, commonly called the romantic capital of the galaxy. There was a reason that Woodrow, despite the pained memories of his youth, could never imagine moving away from his home. This place was beauty itself; it was inspiration, it was love. And yet the warden was not commonly a fan of celebrity visits; they disrupted the very peace that made the planet so enchanting, and thus, he surmised, many such visitors ironically never experienced the world’s true character.

But this was not just any celebrity…

There weren't many people that Woodrow considered an artistic inspiration who were actually still alive. He had mainly grown up reading the work of long-dead poets and playwrights; he liked classical music; most everything he adored was from before his own time. But the Phantom, and his explosive popularity throughout the galaxy, had brought the world of opera to a wider audience than ever before. It was something the warden found quite wonderful and admirable indeed.

Woodrow gazed over at the old gramophone set up on a table in the corner of his room. On the shelf next to it were a number of records, one of the few joys in life on which he spent his meager earnings, and among them were the Phantom’s albums; every single one. He had never quite agreed with the thematic nature of the singer’s work; especially after meeting Mario in person. But it didn’t matter, because his voice - that voice! The voice which was now cracked and broken… but still… still his.

The warden blinked and looked up. He didn't know how long he'd been lost in thought, but he was still clutching the letter tightly in his paw. With his other he reached out for his mug and finished off his tea; it had gone cold.

He stood up suddenly, in almost a panic. There was so much to do! He had to find one of the local inns that would take in a celebrity guest on short notice, for an unknown duration. He had to make sure the restorations in town after the joint destructive forces of Bowser and Bedrock were nearing completion. And most importantly-

He had to tell Sweetlopek!!! 

[Next time: Woodrow makes a realization, and a vow.]

[somereaderinblue]

Jiang Wanyin VS Mu Qing

I once saw a post that mentioned how JC stans try to push JC’s characterization onto MQ and I’m just sitting there like.......wtf? Bcz frankly, if they ever truly met face-to-face, I’ll bet my left kidney that MQ will despise JC. Hell, I think MQ and JC couldn’t be anymore different from each other and here’s why.

(Note: This is gonna be a long rant but pls, bear with me.)

First of all, let’s look at their family backgrounds. JC was born as the heir to Yunmeng Jiang with two respected/powerful cultivators as parents. But MQ? He was born to a poor household in a dark alley, his father was a sinner that had been beheaded and his mother was a seamstress who eventually got bad eyes and could no longer continue her job.

Bcz of his poor background, MQ wasn’t even allowed to cultivate until XL noticed his potential and recommended him personally. You wanna say ‘oh poor JC, he’s always in WWX’s shadow’ well boo-hoo, it sucks to be in second place just as much as it sucks to have no place at all! 

How, just by knowing this, how can you think MQ is anything like JC? JC grew up with all the privileges as the son of one of the highest gentries. While he was raging about losing his dogs bcz of a traumatized boy, MQ was an errand boy/ servant working his ass off to feed his own mother. He was shunned and scolded just for wanting to give her cherries.

If anything, MQ probably resonates more with WWX who was in a similar position as him since he was constantly viewed as ‘the son of a servant’. MQ was constantly looked down upon, bullied and unable to fight back or he’ll get kicked out. His only protection was XL; similar to how only JFM could make WWX’s abusive life just a bit more tolerable.

Then there’s also this post which canonically proves how JC’s place in society was always set in stone. He grew up with everything already handed to him: a well-respected status, a fancy household, warm food on the table everyday, etc. But MQ? He had to diligently work hard, he had to put in raw effort to rise through the ranks and had to consciously prove himself worthy of it.

There’s also the fact that for all of MQ’s supposed prickliness, the children in his home area adore him. Him, the one whom us readers have come to assume was an unapproachable edgy character, has a soft spot for children and vice versa. They call him ‘gege’ and he gives them cherries and candy. He cares for them and relates to them.

As for JC, let’s face it. Without WWX as his social buffer, who would want to befriend him? Without WWX around to distract you from his unpleasantness, without him around as part of the package, who would willingly approach JC with a genuine offer of friendship? Would JC even know shit about forming non-toxic relationships?

Then there’s the fact that MQ can actually take care of himself and others. He was XL’s personal attendant; he knows how to cook, clean and sew. When everything was going to shit, he still tried to take care of XL and he could bcz he knows first-hand what it’s like to live a rough life of doing back-breaking labour and swallowing your pride just so you can put food on the table & a roof over your head.

But JC? After the Fall of Lotus Pier, WWX was the one to take care of him. WWX who had the foresight to ensure he had money stitched into the hems of his clothes as preparation and getting food for them to eat. WWX, the man he used as his emotional sandbag, the man he tried to strangle after saving his ass. All he could do was sit on his ass and wallow in misery. Okay fine, I’ll admit that yes, he has been through a shitty ordeal BUT! So has WWX and you don’t see him being mopey, do you? Without WWX around, JC would’ve died in a ditch if he hadn’t been caught by Wens first.

And unlike JC, MQ gets reconciliation and he does it right- he earns it. MQ actually takes action to fix his mistakes whereas for JC, literally the only thing he could do at the end was not take action to salvage what little was left after he kicked the dead dog over and over for the past 13 years. And even that alone speaks volumes- at the end, JC does nothing and still walks off with minimal consequences bcz of his high-ranking station.

But MQ willingly volunteered to help XL as Fu Yao again and again, stands by his side to face Jun Wu/ Bai Wuxiang and personally fixed Ruoye. If it were JC, you think he’d do that? Does the guy even know how to sew?? (He probably would’ve pawned it off to a lower subordinate to settle then take credit for it.) And unlike JC who only went to the Burial Mounds to drag WWX back and ignore the blatant injustice the Jins were doing, MQ continued to visit XL while he was waiting for HC’s return to check on him, to make sure he’s doing well, to show his concern and support as a true friend that cares.

Thus, I conclude my case.

JC stans, pls don't clown my post.

[lilu787788]

You talk about Aleksander’s supporters as if they were confused or dangerous, but that’s not true. Many of the people who stand with Aleksander are not naive dreamers, people who can’t read or watch with understanding. They are emotionally mature people, often in their twenties or older, who understand history, power structures, and the brutal cost of change. These are people who know that wars are not won by good intentions alone. Throughout history, real change has always come at a cost, and those who have tried to protect the vulnerable have often been forced to make decisions that, in retrospect, seem unforgivable.

Aleksander is not a villain. LB herself has made it clear that she did not write him as a villain. His story is not one of power-hungry tyranny, but of survival, loss, and unyielding determination. He was shaped by centuries of watching his people slaughtered, experimented on, hunted down like animals. He tried diplomacy. It failed. He tried loyalty. He was betrayed. He eventually realized that survival wouldn’t come through pity or pleading. And the weight of that knowledge hardened him, but it didn’t make him a monster.

As someone who watched the show, I sided with Aleksander. And I wasn’t alone. The first season wasn’t a success because viewers wanted a typical antagonist. It was a success because people felt something for him—they saw the weight on his shoulders and the logic behind his choices, even when they hurt. Viewers understood that he protected Grisha in a world built to crush them. He sacrificed himself not for personal power, but because no one else could bear that burden. His character inspired debate, pain, admiration, and even regret—because he was written with depth and because he made people feel something real.

As for the Darklina supporters—many of us love Alina, myself included. Fiercely. Loving Aleksander doesn’t mean hating her. But it does mean being willing to acknowledge her mistakes. This isn’t slander, just honest criticism. Alina destroyed the Fold, and while it may seem like a heroic act, it has catastrophic consequences that she didn’t think through. Without the Fold, Ravka is now completely exposed. The buffer that once protected her is gone, and the cost of that decision will fall on innocent people — not just her enemies. In Season 2, her choices have become increasingly reckless and, yes, frustrating — not because of the lack of Darklina, but because she seemed unprepared for the weight of what she was trying to command.

Genya’s criticisms also deserve more nuance. To call her “just a child” is to ignore the world she lived in. Ravka, inspired by Tsarist Russia, treated girls as women very early on. Genya was a soldier, like Alina. She was part of a war machine that saw no age or gender — only obedience. And Aleksander, after all, gave her the choice to leave. She stayed. In the context of this world, how many soldiers have had the privilege of standing before a general and refusing to serve, especially in wartime? The answer is: none.

That’s the problem with applying a contemporary moral framework to a fictional world that reflects real historical brutality. Aleksander’s followers are not justifying violence for pleasure. They are pointing out the truth: that survival in a cruel world sometimes requires terrible choices. And that those who make them are not always bad. Sometimes they are simply the only ones brave enough to act.

i was just made aware that there are pro darkling blogs? which is actually so strange and bizarre to me. aleksander is a really fascinating character with a lot of depth, but that does not excuse his actions! the grisha situation in ravka, and frankly the whole of the world, was tragic, and the darkling did have a noble goal of giving grisha a seat at the table, but his execution was cruel. to say he was entirely justified, and in no way a villain is entirely absurd and shows not a deeper understanding of the canon material, but a sort of delusion only evident in dark romance readers.

another common thread im seeing is these blogs TRASHING characters like alina and genya. those girls were CHILDREN. genya was not "a woman who made her choices" she was put in an impossible position AS A CHILD, by her GENERAL. if she were to retaliate she would face the consequences of not just the ravkan king, but of her immediate superior within the grisha ranks. and do not even get me STARTED on the treatment of alina? they hate her until she's a part of their strange, darklina fantasy and it makes my skin CRAWL.

[ashesandhackles]

Harry And Personal Conflict: A Meta On Evolving Dynamic With Ron and Hermione

One of my last metas on Harry was how his abuse at the Dursleys informed who he is as a person and a lot of his main personality traits. This time, I want to explore Harry's relationship with conflict, mostly in regard to his best friends - Ron and Hermione.

First things first, because of his abusive upbringing where he is constantly in conflict with his caregivers, conflict is seen as Bad Thing when we first meet him as a 11 year old. And it informs how he reacts to both Ron and Hermione at first. He instantly relates to Ron because Ron is an underdog - a boy who feels neglected and passed over in his large and boisterous family. Harry shares his own experience of neglect with Ron and they both bond instantly.

His initial impression of Hermione is that she has a "bossy sort of voice" . The bossiness is an important characterstic to his impression of her - she reminds him of an authority figure and he does not particularly take to her as easily as he does Ron. Before the troll incident, he is frequently annoyed by her interventions because "he can't believe anyone would be so interfering". It's her vulnerability and the fact that she may be in danger that makes Harry, and by extension Ron, go after her. And she pays it back in full with a demonstration of loyalty to them in front of people she wants to impress: teachers. This sets the tone of his friendship with Ron and Hermione.

There is sense of easiness to his friendship with Ron, especially in earlier books that he doesn't quite share with Hermione. This is a bit gendered as well, of course. His relationship with Hermione evolves as Ron's own equation with two of them changes, more specifically Ron's cognisance of his romantic feelings for Hermione. So how does this inform his relationship with personal conflict?

Let's look at it Book wise.

Book 1-4: Since Harry tends to see All Conflict As Bad, when Hermione becomes his friend, he tends to ignore traits of her that he particularly doesn't take to. Specifically her argumentativeness - which he usually leaves Ron to deal with. For example, look at when Hermione drags him off to the kitchens in GOF. When he realises what this is about, he nudges Ron, and Ron does the protesting: "Hermione, you are trying to rope us into that spew stuff again!".

Often, you can say he is amused by Ron's more ..let's say colourful.. reactions to Hermione being overbearing. So when Ron and him are not speaking and Hermione gets a Quidditch term wrong, it causes him "a pang to imagine Ron's expression of he could have heard Hermione talking about Wonky Faints". It's that deeply ingrained into the dynamic.

While Ron acts buffer and protects Harry from stepping into a potential conflict ("skip the lecture", "don't nag" he tells her), Harry's world view remains quite the same. Part of Harry's growing up is integrating conflicting points of view and gaining nuance. For example, he can't understand why someone like Snape, who seems to hate him so much, can also save his life at the end of Philosopher's Stone. This is his first venture into trying to integrate two conflicting things about a person into nuance. Dumbledore gives him a very easily digestible story, one that appeals to his ideal of his father and Harry is sated.

Again, Harry's world view is tested when he finds out that he relates with Tom Riddle - for their "strange likenesses". He doth protest too much at Dumbledore's office: "I don't think I am like him! I am Gryffindor!". And Dumbledore offers him a wisdom nugget: "It's our choices which define who we are" (paraphrasing). Harry is uncomfortable that he empathises with Tom Riddle, his parents' murderer, at this point in the story.

In the first four books, his only proper personal conflict has been with Ron.

It is depressing to think about in these terms - but Ron is Harry's first experience of unconditional love (we can even put Hagrid here, but he is not the one who spends most time with Harry). And when Ron and him fight, Harry is so hurt by the prospect that he proceeds to abandon Ron before Ron abandons him. (the whole chucking a "Potter stinks" badge at him and making a jab about having a scar is what he wants, or the fight in DH where he yells "then leave! Pretend you have gotten over your spattergoit and have your mummy feed you up"). It's an interesting defense mechanism and he feels "corrosive hatred" towards Ron during these times because Ron and him aren't supposed to be like this. Ron is a certainty in his life. It's also why when Ron comes back, Harry either doesn't need him to apologise (as in GOF) or quickly forgives him in DH - although I do think Harry thinks the locket bit was punishment enough. But even without the whole locket, I think Harry has trouble holding Ron accountable in general beyond few slaps on the wrist - especially if Ron and he are on good terms.

5th Book: This is the transition point for Golden Trio friendship. Harry has come back from an immensely traumatising night at the graveyard and his PTSD isolates him from his best friends. This is also the point where Ron, especially after GOF, is aware of his romantic feelings for Hermione ("the perfume is unusual Ron", Hermione tells him in this book). So in this book, we often see Ron and Hermione on one side, with Harry on the other.

Ron is unwilling (quite like Harry in that respect) to engage him in a direct conflict, but he is also unwilling to shield him from Hermione's nagging in this book. This is why, OOTP is the book where you see Harry ignore or avoid Hermione and lie to her more than usual to avoid conflict. For example, he tells her that Snape thinks he can carry on Occlumency once he got the basics - that is categorically not what happened. Or the entire day he spends ignoring Hermione's warnings about breaking into Umbridge's office. (The description here is comical - about Hermione vehemently hissing so much that Seamus Finnigan is checking his cauldron for leaks. ) If he cannot lie to her or avoid her, at the end of the rope, he will treat her to display of his frightening temper.

Interestingly, OOTP is also the book that his world view goes through a tremendous upheaval: mainly, his ideal of his father and having empathy for Snape. It is unnerving for Harry to see Snape being the "boy who cried in the corner" when his father shouts at a cowering woman. Similarly unnerving is that his intense empathy for him - "he knew exactly what Snape felt when his father taunted him and judging by what he had seen, his father was every bit as arrogant as Snape always told him".

While he is placated that his father grew out of it, this memory of his father being a bully is something he cannot bear to watch again in DH. Few chapters later, he grins at Ron "sweeping his hair" back to make it look more windswept, just like his father - suggesting that Harry is beginning to integrate two conflicting things he knew about his father: from the people who loved him vs the people he was cruel to.

6th Book onwards: It's interesting to me that his better appreciation for Hermione comes after OOTP (one, because she is the one who challenged the whole Ministry plan and she followed him into a trap knowing it was one anyway) but also the timing of it is in line with Harry having a more nuanced understanding of his father. He struggled to hold conflicting information about him into one cohesive person - the boy who was a bully vs the man who joins Order of Phoenix to fight a war he could very well have sat out. The pedestal crashing helped Harry gain nuance (he thinks of his father and mother with pride in HBP - of them walking into an arena with head held high). HBP also sets up his deeper understanding with Snape in DH. There is lovely meta by about this by thedreamersmusing. Read it here. HBP is also the book he feels "sorry" for Voldemort and also feels "reluctant admiration" for him - both of things he is less defensive about.

And this nuance informs his relationship with conflicts - especially the kind he has with Hermione. He is more confrontational with her and does not lie or sneak around her as much as he did in OOTP in the Half Blood Prince. ("Finished? Or do you want to see if it does back flips?" He asks her when she takes the book from him to check if it's jinxed. Or the "I hope you enjoy yourself" he calls out irritably when she declares intention to find out who HBP is. And "do you want to rub it in Hermione? How do you think I feel now?" He tells her when she says she was right about HBP).

The fact that he is willing to be confrontational with her is a big step in his character - a step up from his unregulated outbursts in OOTP, which is a function of him not knowing how to put his anger across in normal ways. He is also more willing to stand up for her in front of Ron too - "You could say sorry" he tells Ron bluntly. This is in contrast to his more quiet standing up for her in POA: "Can't you give her a break?" Harry asked him quietly. In POA, he lets the subject drop after Ron flatly refuses. Here, he presses on more : "What did you have to imitate her for?" "She laughed at moustache!" "So did I, it's the stupidest thing I have ever seen".

His relationship with Ron is an interesting contrast to his relationship with Hermione, which functionally teaches a very important lesson for an abused child who thought all conflicts are bad: That his friendship with her is challenging, and frustrating, filled with conflicts but their love for each other isn't disputed. It's a very important thing for brain development in general - to hold conflicting information in one space. The defense mechanism abused children do to avoid this is called splitting.

So, Ron allows Harry to be the age he is: a teenager and it's foundation for his further development, and Hermione teaches him how to be an adult, and therefore, spurs his growth. (In esoteric terms, if you look at Ron and Hermione as proxy parents - Ron is the Mother archetype, the one who offers unconditional love. Hermione is the Father archetype - one who demands best of him, and guides him).

Additional reading: Harry, Prongs and Prince - Harry's Inner Struggles For Forging An Identity. By u/metametatron4

Harry Identifies, and Reluctantly Admires Snape Even Before The Prince's Tale by thedreamersmusing

[kylandara]

Another new Quora read on Daenerys.

Are the WoW preview chapters for Arianne Martell responsible for people thinking Martin intended to make Daenerys a villain? Do they not realize its a POV chapter from a character who has a vested interest in seeing Daenerys as a villain?

Answer by Kelsey L. Hayes

::::::

… No.

What Arianne’s chapters are useful for is seeing how other people outside of Daenerys’ orbit might view her plot.

Up to this point, Dany’s plot has been incredibly insulated. There has been no “live” POV interacting with her, and the POVs who have engaged her in person at this point — Barristan and Quentyn — have their own biases and interests going on, bearing in mind that Quentyn looked at Astapor and pronounced it horrific. All that means that without any “checks” on Dany’s plot so far, the only perception we really have of her is the one she has of herself. In that case, obviously she’s going to come off as sympathetic and well-intentioned and whatnot to readers. She looks heroic because she thinks she’s heroic.

Arianne’s POV is the first trickle of what an outsider, who might not have any reason to want to get in Dany’s favor or see her as worth following (but isn’t necessarily “bad”), will think of Dany. If you hadn’t been in Dany’s head for several books and only saw the bare bones of her trajectory and were vaguely aware of the shitshows she’s left behind her, what would her plot look like to you?

But Arianne’s POV doesn’t in and of itself “prove” that Dany’s a villain, no more than Dany’s own isolated POV “proves” she’s a hero. Let’s say that Arianne’s POV should be ignored or evaluated as “lesser” because she has a “vested interest” in villainizing Dany; does Dany then have any lesser “vested interest” in convincing herself (and readers) that she’s heroic? (I also think that looking at Arianne evaluating Dany with what looks like generic, healthy skepticism and concluding it means she wants to turn Dany into a villain is part of the problem; Dany is so buffered from criticism that ANYTHING less than full-blown support and adoration must mean you think Dany’s the spawn of Satan. I think Arianne’s conclusions — that Dany used Drogo to get rid of Viserys for her — are actually pretty tame and realistic.)

That’s not to say that Arianne’s opinion of Dany won’t end up being extremely negative or won’t affect the plot. I think all bets are probably off once Arianne finds out Quentyn’s dead, even if that isn’t actually Dany’s fault. And I think Arianne will probably play a major role in fueling Dany and Aegon’s antagonism and pushing Aegon to make plays without waiting for Dany. So Arianne’s perception of Dany is ultimately important for Dany’s endgame, in that it will probably be the conflict with Aegon that pushes Dany over the edge.

But predicting a bad end for Dany was never predicated on Arianne��s POV. All it means is that Dany might have a hard time winning support when she shows up, if other people greet her with similar skepticism; it shows what can happen when Dany has other POVs around to check and evaluate her up to this point. If it looks jarring, it’s because that check has been missing up until now — I’d get used to seeing more of it.

[kindaeccentric]

When I was writing my university bachelor's degree thesis (that I'm still to defend) about Penny Dreadful as a modern adaptation of Frankenstein I noticed how the original novel's homoeroticism is realized by the series in an interesting way.

In the way he is presented, it seems to me that Victor secretly desires men, but thinks that only through creating a perfect one by himself he's allowed to touch other man's skin. His endeavour to pierce the veil between life and death is an excuse, since Victor from the series grew up lonely after the death of his mother and he searches for companionship, for someone who would love him unconditionally, like his mother used to. He believes he can find such love only in a person he creates himself, brings from the dead, and who would see him as his only friend, calm and obedient. Yet his first instinct is to make a man, not a woman, and a handsome man at that.

I can imagine both Rory Kinnear and Alex Price are not everybody's cup of tea (I do find them attractive, they are quite charismatic), but the way the original Creature and Proteus are shown makes them attractive. Proteus we see through Victor's eyes, when he is tending to his body before its even reanimated, when he sketches him (a sure sign of affection) and when he teaches him how to eat in a way that becomes seductive, because of how the camera lingers on his lips and then, in a closeup, on his fingers running down his long throat, immediately bringing to mind erotic imagery. Some may argue that Victor tries to emulate the relationship between his mother and himself taking the parental role and projecting onto Proteus the role of his childhood self, and as much as it is partially true, their relationship bears these marks of hidden desire on Victor's part from the start. The image at the end of the first episode when Proteus is born shows Victor trembling, teary-eyed, looking at the body, a torn and stitched back together, but human body, of a naked man. He's afraid, but not necessarily of the man, but of finally getting what he wanted, it's a fear resulting from excitement. Then the man is touching his face tenderly and Victor, still trembling, cannot stop himself from a little smile. Their faces are softly illuminated by the orange light of the gas lamp, creating an intimate atmosphere of a warm bedroom. Victor practically gasps hearing his own name smoken by Proteus. I doubt all of it was intentional in the way I read it, but it doesn't change the fact that the final scene can be easily interpreted this way.

Then the original Creature, with the violence surrounding his return, presents him as highly masculine, smart, powerful, a direct opposite to the delicate, clueless Proteus Victor could easily form into whatever he wanted. The Creature throughout the entire series is perceived as ugly by some and easily tolerated by others, making his ugliness purely subjective, since, despite his small deformities he remains strangely alluring with his gothic qualities (black long hair, black lips, white skin, yellow eyes, proportional features) of a dark brooding gentleman. With blood on his face he becomes vampire-like (vampires always a symbol of hidden desires and 'depraved' sexuality, the Creature and Victor becoming a mirror image of Vanessa and vampire Mina, both Creature's and Mina's monstrosity an indirect result of Victor's and Vanessa's desire towards having a same-sex companion). The Creature touches Victor's face, a callback to Proteus doing it, but the Creature is not gentle, he smears blood all over Victor's face (blood in vampire narratives was always a symbol for other bodily fluids, that's why it seems so sexy, it also gained another meaning in the 80s, due to the HIV epidemic, which no filmmaker can shake off if they tried, I could discuss it more with The Lost Boys, but no time for that right now).

The dynamic between Victor and the Creature is a reversal of Victor's budding relationship with Proteus, experience winning over innocence. Victor is under another man's rule, and it terrifies him, because it would force him into a position of having to admit his attraction, whereas as the one in control he could have still easily deny it. The Creature, with all his attributes, symbolizes carnal love, he's all 'body', where Proteus was virginal, pious love (to an extent). In one of the scenes where we see Proteus he looks up into the skylight at Victor's apartment and appears angelic, as if in a halo of white light.

It's revealed Victor never had a woman, and the series wants the viewer to believe it's because of his awkwardness and passion for science that consumed him, but his dedication to creating himself male companions instead of searching for a living female one is exactly what makes him seem more queer coded.

It's clear that the lack of paternal figure results in Victor quickly becoming close with older men he encounters (Sir Malcolm, Van Helsing), but it also puts him into a position where he's constantly surrounded by men, with whom he feels more at ease, and is intimidated by women. The rivalry between him and Ethan is that of siblings, until the moment when Ethan teaches him how to shoot a gun. It might be a stretch (it is a bit of a stretch, I admit), but a gun often, especially in horror, alongside a knife, represents manhood and masculine power. Victor allows Ethan to touch him and encourages him to show off with the gun, which is a scene all too familiar from many other movies where the role of Victor is reserved for a woman and the interaction is flirtatious (can't pull examples out of thin air, but if you saw over 1400 movies like me you know I'm not lying). All this adds to the general image of Victor.

The Creature and Victor, when they are on a walk, have a very revealing conversation in which the Creature points out how quick Victor was to grow attached to his more perfect man, and Victor doesn't deny it, he admits that he did in fact feel affection towards Proteus, although the meaning of it as the scorned past partner expressing jealousy over the love he didn't get while someone else did is largely subtext. When the Creature says that he's lonely, Victor answers 'I cannot love you' (paraphrase, because I can't find the exact quote right now) and the Creature, disillusioned, mocks him, 'I do not want what you cannot give' suggesting that Victor, by making himself a meek obedient man, is selfish, cruel, manipulating, and a coward, therefore could not have loved Proteus truly. Then again, Victor cannot bring himself to love his original Creature, because he's not the ideal man he envisioned and by then the Creature being too aware of his flaws of character. The Creature/Caliban/John Clare knows that Victor is 'monstrous', not just because he's someone who desecrates dead bodies, plays God and abandons his creation, but because of his queer desire. It's important that in the case of Penny Dreadful 'monstrosity' signifies many different things, literal (being a vampire werewolf, witch, and so on), metaphorical (bad deeds, like letting your son die a horrible death, cheating, killing etc.) and wholy subjective, merely condemned by ignorant society (Sembene's blackness, Brona's sex work, Lily's want to be equal or greater than men, Vanessa's want for sexual freedom, the Creature's ugliness, Angelique being transgender and other cases), so it's NOT that much of a stretch this time.

We also have the whole problem with Lily. Victor is so attached to Lily (who takes up both Elizabeth's and creature's bride parts in the novel) because he believes that only by possessing a good woman he'll be redeemed for his 'sinful' desires, but he's foolish to think that. This belief reduces a woman to a semi-maternal, semi-virginal angelic ideal with no sexual urges or agency, like virgin Mary. Lily is a true replacement for Victor's mother, and his imagined redemption. As long as she's similar to Proteus, in that she's not sexual, and pure like an angel. Yet Lily is not a woman in that sense. She is another of Victor's creatures, so she partially also takes over the role of the original Creature from the novel, a male. She's not an ideal of a Victorian obedient wife, she has power, or tries to have it, but power in the context of patriarchal society is masculine by nature. The moment she drops her pretenses of a weak delicate wife-like girl Victor does not want her like this. He doesn't want a woman that is sexually liberated, because he doesn't like women in this way, and yet, by being similar to the first Creature (from Victor's perspective, from hers John Clare is similar to Victor-a man, I could delve into Brona's sexuality, but later, this thing is already way longer than I intended) she's 'the man' he wanted.

There is also Henry. Henry Jekyll takes the role of his namesake in the novel, Henry Clerval, Victor's closest friend, and a character most often cited to have homoerotic tension with Victor. It's true that some of the eroticism might be accidental, stemming from the prevalence of homosocial interactions in 'Frankenstein' which in turn is a result of misogynistic nature of 19th century Genevian society and in-novel universe reflecting it, but like I mentioned before, it still feeds into the queer reading of the text and translates beautifully into Jekyll and Victor being both extremely misogynistic towards Lily and their mutual homoerotic tension. In the scenes where Henry purposes his plan to Victor he practically seductively purrs it into his ear, Lily becomes merely a female buffer that allows for that interaction, a female presence which is an excuse for male closeness (here I have a couple of examples actually: Dead Ringers, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Scream (in a roundabout way, through murder) and a couple others, but that deserves its own article). I won't even mention more references to the novel, because that's a lot already.

Penny Dreadful, although I believe largely unintentionally, expands on what is already there through the changes it introduces in relation to the novel's plot. I have nothing else smart to say, I just think it's worth considering.

*I use the word 'queer', because that's the umbrella term we use in academic writing for years now and even our lgbt+ group at university is called 'queer', so don't come at me with stupid takes

[deniigi]

Hey, I'm sorry if you've already answered a question similar to this, but I was wondering how you get your characterisation so on point? And how you choose certain characteristics or quirks for the characters you write? In your fanfics all of your characters very much have personalities that are true to canon - in fact, it often feels like you've expanded on canon but still managed to capture the essence of the character perfectly, so that each character you write is absolutely 'in character' but is still so unique to your style of writing that any of your readers would recognise you as the author. I'm trying to write an original story, but I'm really buffering on how to make each character stand out and have their own voice, as well as how to make the dialogue suit each character while still flowing. You manage it so well, so I'd love any tips you could give. Thank you for all your amazing fanfics and stay safe ❤

Hi Anon!

I've spent the last few days thinking about this ask and how I wanted to answer and how I could even conceptualize my process for this.

When people say 'your character is so in-character to me!' I always think 'wow I'm very good at research!' But the way that you phrased your question gave me pause.

I realized that when we talk about characterization, we often talk about character consistency but when I think about characterization, what I'm actually thinking about is character change.

So bear with me.

Character consistency, although referring broadly to the maintenance of behaviors that help audiences recognize a character, implies that characters are static. It suggests that, for an audience to know a character, they need to do X, Y, and Z things, and if they don't do those things, then your character is OOC or inconsistent.

There is nuance happening with that suggestion but I think that this idea of consistency may actually be obfuscating a different way of perceiving of characters, which is as dynamic, inconsistent people.

When I write characters, from their POVs and from others', I'm not asking myself 'what would X person do in this situation?'

I'm actually asking 'who is X person in this situation?"

I am always thinking about how identities are made and built and changed from second to second, depending on where we are standing and who we are speaking to and how that person or people are relating to us.

So like, Peter Parker might be a fast-talking New Yorker taking the piss on the street with people who are heckling him, but at home, he is the son of a working-class, single mother, and he assumes cultural and social responsibilities in that space.

This is maybe getting off topic, but I was talking with a friend recently about vertical vs. horizontal fandom creativity, and I think that a vertical vs. horizontal perspective applies here, too.

When you look at a character from their interior (which I'm thinking of as a vertical line, since its only one character you're working with) and you get tied up in thinking backwards and forwards through their past and their future and how all those things relate to a single action they make in this one moment, you actually lose some of the shit that makes them interesting and recognizable.

But if you think horizontally, where your character is reacting to other characters/things/situations and making choices as to who they are to that audience in that moment, then you actually give yourself way more opportunity to build out a character's habits and preferences and subconscious choices. It is this that makes the character consistent across multiple chapters or works etc. Mistakes are repeated. Certain fidgets happen. A character defines themselves against someone else.

Character change, in this way, is what makes someone consistent.

Anyways, I don't have a degree in Creative Writing or English or Sociology, so I could just be talking out my ass. Idk if this helps, but I think you may also be being too hard on yourself. Don't overthink things if you can!

[joezworld]

Traintober Day 5

Today's prompt is "New Engine in The Sheds"

Yes, the official solution to a Sodor Problem™ is to hold a deputation around a turntable.

Also, if you're an avid reader of the Sodor Island Forum's Extended Railway Series, you'll recognize my blatant theft of their background characters

-

Deputation

It took several days for the engines to organize a deputation around the turntable in the big sheds. As many of the main line engines as possible were in attendance, even Pip and Emma. BoCo and Edward made the trip from Wellsworth, Duck from the Little Western, and Wendell came down from the works towing Bloomer, who had cracked a tube in the interceding days.

Gordon was parked on the turntable itself, which was slowly spinning to make sure everyone could hear him. “Now, I am sure that by this point that all of us have met the engine known as Tornado, correct?”

Murmurs of assent met this.

“I assumed as much.” Gordon continued. “I now have one simple question for all of us: Who is she?”

The sheds were silent. “It isn’t a difficult question.” Gordon said calmly. “This is an engine - one of our contemporaries! - who seems to know us all personally. She is familiar with our ways, our customs, and even our less familiar members.”

He paused and looked specifically at Delta, Bloomer, and Wendell. “And yet, none of us have even the slightest idea who she is. How can this be?”

“Maybe she works one of the branches?” Suggested Pip. “Like Kirk Ronan?”

“As if.” Delta said dismissively. “Alex barely tolerates Simon as it is. If she was down there he’d have blown his crown sheet just to be rid of her.”

“And if not there,” Bear put in. “I can scarcely imagine us not noticing her on the Norramby branch, and I doubt she’s hiding a pantograph that lets her go up to Peel Godred.”

Duck and Edward had been parked next to each other, and glared at everyone else. “Don't look at me!” Duck protested. “I’ve never seen her in my life!”

“Nor I.” Said Edward. “I don’t think I could handle her and the twins.”

“Well,” Gordon said from the table, looking at the main line engines. “That settles that. She must be one of us - the main line engines.”

“How?!” James spluttered. “I’ve never seen her before yesterday, but it’s not like she’s hiding from us!”

“An’ she’s not in my shed!” Bloomer shouted. He was the only engine who was permanently based out of Barrow.

“So,” Said Duck. “That settles it then. She must be from another railway. We know everyone on the Island, and she isn’t one of them. Maybe she knows us somehow - are there more books that we don’t know about?”

BoCo, who had been pensive and silent throughout the deputation, finally spoke up. “Are we sure that we know every engine on the Island? I certainly couldn’t tell you all the engines on the electric branch, not with any certainty.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” James said with confidence. “There’s four of them.”

“I thought there were five?” Henry said.

“Ah’ve only known t’ree of them.” Bloomer chipped in. “But Ah hevn’ seen ol’ Loey in an age.”

“Loey’s dead, and has been for thirty years!” Duck exclaimed. “Couldn’t have happened to a worse engine - or at least that’s what Donald said - But he is dead.”

“Ahem!” Wendell cleared his throat. “There’s six of them.”

“Are you sure?” Someone asked.

“Yes!” He cried. “I’m the one who hauls them to the works! I’ve met them all!”

“Are you sure?”

Wendell looked aggrieved, but Gordon cut him off before the argument could continue.

“So!” He said firmly enough that nobody else spoke. “It would appear that it is in fact possible for an engine to, somehow, be here and for us to not know them.”

He paused for a moment as the turntable spun. “What is much more troubling is that she knows us. That is a bigger problem.”

“The biggest problem is that we didn’t notice her!” Bear said. “How could we not?”

“I don’t know,” Gordon sounded pained. “Maybe she was on loan to somewhere. I believe she mentioned that she had recently visited the heathens at the National Railway Museum? Perhaps she has been there, or at another railway? The Nene Valley perhaps? Or the Bluebell?”

The engines murmured their assent, and he continued. “Whatever the reason, she may not have been here recently, but she was before. I don’t think I need to tell you all how embarrassing and unseemly it would be if we, collectively, forgot that she existed during her absence.”

“So we’re just going to lie to her.” Henry was quick on the uptake. “To keep Thomas and Percy from mocking us.”

Gordon glared at him. “Yes, but I was going to phrase it in a more dignified manner. I propose that we act as though nothing is out of the ordinary, and speak to her as usual. Then, we take the information that she tells us, and fill each other in, so that we may know who she is. Does everyone understand? Are there any questions?”

“I have one.” Emma said. “Can you stop spinning? It’s making me giddy.”

-------

Over the next few days, Tornado - who up until this point had only gone as far as Crovan’s Gate, started running further and further into the Island’s interior, before eventually making her way to Tidmouth on a stopping train. Oliver met her there, but wasn’t able to speak to her much before he had to leave.

“What’s that new engine doing here?” He asked Duck when he returned to Arlesburgh.

“What new engine?”

“Big green lass? Looks like Gordon?”

“Ah. You mean Tornado. She isn’t new at all.”

“My buffers she isn’t! I've never seen her before in my life!”

“I don’t know what to tell you then.” Duck said earnestly. “Maybe if you spoke to her, you’d remember.”

“I’ll do just that!” Oliver exclaimed, and set off on his next train, a determined glint in his eyes.

Two hours later, a confused and conflicted Oliver rolled back into the yard at Arlesburgh. “I think I’m going soft in the dome.”

Duck sighed in relief. “It happens to us all eventually.”

“It was like she knew me, but I’ve never seen her before!”

“Really? Do tell.”

“I… I… I just can’t explain it! It was like she’d known me for years!” Oliver paused for a moment, looking horrified. “You can’t tell anyone about this Duck, promise me that!”

“Of course!”

[dowoonie-namjoonie]

He Knew Too Much

Paring: Mafia!Jungkook x reader

Warning: Mafia Type Scenarios, Mentions of Blood, Drugs, and Yandere Themes.

A/N: I love BTS for their talents, this is just for fun. I don't own these characters or any gifs I use. Not edited, keep that in mind. Also if it sucks, I'm trying my best but having fun while doing it. Enjoy!

You thought you knew Park Jungkook, you thought he was you innocent, sweet friend, but then he took off his mask. Under it, laid a man full of obsession and jealousy. He stood in front of you in this dark alleyway, bloodied in a leather jacket. The blood splattered on him was your friend's. Suho, who laid on the concrete ground bleeding out, looking half dead.

You shook to your core, looking at the soft smile of Jungkook's face. The smile that once comforted you. Jungkook moved slightly towards you, unconsciously you took a step back.

"D-Don't come any closer!"

“Y/N," he chuckled darkly. You didn't know him, you didn't know this Jungkook. "You know why I had to that to him right?"

You didn't answer, tears streamed down your cheeks, there was no viable reason to do that to a person. "He knew too much."

"What do you mean," you held a hand up, thinking that he wouldn't come any closer. You were so scared of him. From the corner of your eye, you could see Suho struggles. Thank god, he was still alive.

"Suho found out who I am." Suddenly, Jungkook kneeled down to Suho. Jungkook began running his hands through Suho's mangled, knotted hair. Suho flinching underneath his grasp. "He knew too much..."

The grasp on Suho's hair was tightened, the wounded boy hissed in pain as Jungkook pulled his head up. Jungkook looked crazy his eyes nearly popping out of his head, pure rage and psychotic feeling evenident on his face. "Little fucker knew too much, can you believe that?"

Horror flowed through you, "Jungkook stop," you yelled.

"Stop what?" Swiftly, Jungkook slammed Suho's face onto the concrete. More blood pooled out of Suho, out of his nose this time from the impact. "That, Y/N, do you even know why I'm doing this."

Jungkook got up, the look of disbelief littered his face. With every step he took towards you more fear and sobbing would come out of you. When he got to you, he grabbed your wrist, hard. Bruising the flesh underneath.

"I'm doing this for us," he spoke with venom, obviously mad at why you were questioning him in the first place. "This is so we can finally be together, without Suho in the picture."

"Jungkook," you tried. Maybe you could get through to him, yea, that could work. Desperately you grabbed onto his shirt, crying into him. "Suho was never in the picture-What are you even talking about?!

"Oh," he turned around. Joy flooding onto his face as he began talking to Suho. "You never told her how you felt, you piece of shit?"

Turning back to you, you were met with his psychotic, toothy grin. 

"Suho here, has a little crush on you."

"I-I-"

"Of course you didn't know baby," he cooed, bringing a cut up hand to your face. Every ounce of you wanted to push him away, but you knew better not to poke the bear. You knew you couldn't handle Jungkook, he was a lot buffer than you. Easily he could squash you like a bug.

"That doesn't matter K-Kookie," you stumbled on the nickname you called him. This wasn't your sweet Kookie, but you had hope you could calm him down so he doesn't do anything rash.

"Oh but it does," his hands moved to your sides, pulling you into him so your chest was against his. "Baby, there's a lot of things you don't know yet. Suho here found them out so he could tell you and...oh, Suho!" Yelling over his shoulder to Suho. "What was the rest of your plan?"

Jungkook was playing stupid, purely, for his own entertainment. In his line of business there wasn't many good times. 

"Mffh," Suho groaned, barely even lifting his head off the ground. 

"OH! That's right," Jungkook flipped, placing his forehead against yours. At the sudden touch, you flinched, hard. A shiver running down your spin with the insanity in front of you. "Once he told you my secrets, he was going to steal you away for himself. Make you his. Absurd, isn't it. Since you're already mine.”

After he'd said that, disturbingly obsessive, sentence, he kissed your forehead. Turning on his heels to make his way back over to Suho, not before grabbing your wrist to come along with him.

"Aren't you wondering what the secret is, Y/N?" Jungkook never looked so serious before, his whole face was a 360 from what you just saw.

His back was face towards you but in front of Suho, who was now looking up at Jungkook. No one made a move, it was silent for a minute before you spoke up. “Y-Yes,” you hesitantly said. 

“Then,” Jungkook started, reaching into his jacket for a moment. With in a split second your life flipped upside down, blood was everywhere, nothing was left untouched when Jungkook pulled out a gun and shoot Suho clean in the head. Ending his life in the blink of an eye. 

Blood got on your face in that moment, you brought a hand to your face, wiping off the remains of your friend. A blood curdling scream erupted through you, what just happened here is something you’ll never be able to forget. You fell to the ground holding yourself, trying your best not to make eye contact with Suho’s dilated eyes. Was all of this your fault? Did Suho die because he wanted to be with you? Everything ran through your mind guilt, grief, and terror. 

Jungkook acted like nothing happened, to use to it all. “Right,” his head perked up. Facing you, screaming, crying on the cold, concrete floor. “The secret,” he began, kneeling directly in front of you. Forcefully, he grabbed your chin forcing you to look up at his unapologetic face. Carefully, Jungkook reached into his pocket once again, this time pulling out a long needle filled with a honey-like substance. 

You didn’t have enough energy to push him away, putting the needle directly in a vein on your neck. “My actual last name isn’t Park, that was a lie...” Your vision became blurry and your head heavy, but Jungkook made you focus on him in this short time you were awake. “It’s Jeon, like the Jeon Family, Jeon.” 

“J-Jeon...mafia...,” you cued out. 

Jungkook proudly smiled to you, amazed you were able to figure that out in a drugged state,” that’s right baby. My girl, she’s so smart.” 

“Not...yours...”

“Baby, go to sleep, stop trying to fight it.” 

“Can-can’t, need to stay...aw-”

You couldn’t even get that last sentence out, quickly passing out into Jungkook’s arms from the drugs in your system. Disappointing, since you had a feeling what Jungkook was going to do to you. You knew too much, just like Suho. But no, he wasn’t going to kill you, he loved you too much for that. He wanted you all to himself. 

[yuezhong]

593 followers special! + appreciation & shoutouts <3

Hi guys! I’m back. Now, I know it’s been a while since I last posted anything as uni has been kicking my butt, and I was busy with my final sem exams. But now that I’m back, I would like to do something simple to celebrate me reaching 506 followers (596 currently) a while ago, and that is to open a discord server.

Yep, you heard me. I’m having my own discord server! :3 So don’t be shy and come join it if you want. The mods are lovely and so are the users that have joined. The criteria for joining my server is that you have to be 15 or older ! And don’t even try to lie about your age, we can tell from the way you carry yourself.

https://discord.gg/pA9au9S

In addition to celebrating my 5th milestone, I would like to thank these people, which are my lovely friends, fanfic writers and non writers alike, those who are in bold write nsfw/mild nsfw :

To start off, I want to thank these three servers/groups as wholes:

1. Jay and Co.:

@oikawasass -- Jay my spicy cinnamon roll! You are very cool person, periodt. Tbh, I was a little intimidated by you when I first spoke to you in your server. But overtime as I spoke to you more, I can see that you're actually a very lovely and sweet person in your own way. Also, I love how you can be super blunt and say the most hilarious things with a serious tone. You’re self-assured, bold and not afraid to speak your mind, and that is what I admire about you. And thank you, for being there and talking sense into me when I needed it, I appreciate that very much 🥺

And boy oh boy, your writing? *Chef's kiss* the first time when I read one of your works, I fell in love with how easy on the eyes it is. Your writing style is simple yet beautiful. Your choice of words, the imagery and the cohesiveness too! It’s godtier💞, must stan it. I especially love your crack fics/hcs and you whole aesthetic as well. Ma'am, pls spare some of your skills. 

@archn my dear cupcake! Honestly, you're the sweetest person I've ever met and you're so so supportive and patient 🥺, plus I love how crackhead you can get when we’re fooling around lmao. Other than that, you’re really easygoing, not only towards me, but to everyone in general. You’re like that cool cousin that everyone looks up to and deserves all the appreciation in the world.

Also, your writing style is gorgeous and you write the characters' personality so spot on! I also love the flow of words sm ahhhj. I especially love your  headcanons of the bnha boyos working out with their fem s/o, that idea is really creative!

@mizukuni -- Mizuuu, my beautiful, gorgeous sweet red date! Babe, you have come so far from starting off as a new writing blog not long ago to finally achieving 1k followers! I just wanna say congrats for reaching your 10th milestone and you deserve every one of your followers! You can definitely go further and achieve more milestones. As for your writing style, it is simplistic but beautiful: you don’t use many flowery words to express your writing,  yet those simple words you choose bring out what you want to show in your works exactly, and the flow of words is just rly smooth and I stan the cohesiveness 💞. Oh and you have such a cute minimalistic art style that is very pleasant on the eyes! And lately I can see that you’re improving at a quick pace; your drawings are getting more detailed than last time and that’s really amazing! Also, did I mention that I love your blog’s aesthetic as well?

Also, thank you for being there for me when I was feeling down and needed someone to talk to, I cherish that gesture of yours greatly luv 💞As for my first impression of you, I could tell you’re a really chill person and go with the flow easily. Honestly, that helped a lot to buffer my social awkwardness and made me open up to y’all easier. So yeah, I must say a very big thank you once again to you babe 💞

@cherry-pancakes  -- Diiii my sweet cherry blossom! You are the cutest person I’ve ever met sjdnjsn. Your antics remind me of a sweet little sister and that is pretty darn adorable. Even though you can be a little bit wild and spontaneous sometimes, that just adds to your charm! Plus, a little wild every once in a while does’t do harm < 3

As for your writing, it has a simple flow but it is easily understood. If writing styles were aesthetics/ sceneries, yours would be a small flowing stream-- small but smooth flowing, simple but not insignificant. Beauty in simplicity describes your works perfectly. Also, did I mention that you have a really adorable artstyle as well? Your art style is relatively simple but it is so so cute 🥺

 @chizo --Guava my gummy bear! Babe, even though you are no longer active here, I just want to say a very big thank you. Thank you for giving us so many beautifully written works. Seriously, when I first met you through discord and followed your writing blog ( @izukyu ) I fell in love with your works. Something about your writing is just really special, plus I love the fact that you start sentences with small letters (Caps lock be damned lol). Your writing is a mixture of sophistication and simplicity, yet they compliment each other perfectly when you incorporate them into your works! It is pretty impressive because it is not an easy thing to do.

As for my first impression of you, I can tell you’re genuinely a vv caring and supportive person. You give off motherly vibes as well in a good way! You’re like the cool mom friend of the group who looks after everyone tbh 💝. So yeah, once again I want to say a very very big thank you to you again. Thank you for blessing the writers’ community with your wonderful fics and thank you for being such a good friend, let’s continue to be good friends in the near future!

@sourbkg  -- Emmie my blueberry! Babey you are another sweetheart who is caring and so so supportive. I still remembered that time when I felt a little ill and sad and you immediately sent some cat pictures to cheer me up, thank you sm for that love, it helped me a great deal 💕, plus I’m never one to say no to cats and kitties! Also, you know exactly what to say at the right moments! Your easygoing personality makes it easy for other people to open up to you as well.

As for your writing style, it has a simple yet realistic approach. It’s like I can see what is happening in your works like a movie scene and I think that is really cool! Keep up the good work < 3! I really love that one shot with Shoto’s s/o attempting to scare him, it’s so cute ahh! And I love the ending lol, Shoto cracking a joke is golden. 

@kozumie -- Kai! Oh man, where do I start. Okay, here we go. When I first met you in the server, I gravitated towards your easygoing, cool and chill vibe. After talking to you more, I can tell that I love the laid-back chill vibe you give off, you’re so awesome! 

Also, even though I haven’t read much of your work, I must say I really love the way you write. It’s precise and your vocabulary really helps with imagery, the words you can help the readers easily envision what is going on in your story, and that is really amazing! Keep up the good work! Looking forward to more works from you. 

@succu6us-- Anni! Babe, ahh it has been a while since we last spoke too hasn’t it? I missed you along with the others too 🥺 But now that I’m back for the time being, I’m going to be more active. Anni babe, your writing style is minimalistic yet gorgeous. I can tell you’re not a big fan of writing long paragraphs and that’s completely fine! Because if I’m being honest here, I tend to keep things simple and short as well if I can. Yet your simplistic style captures the gist of your works perfectly! did I mention that I love your nsfw works as well 

As for my first impression of you, I could tell that you had a very self-assured, confident aura about you, and you still do! But you are not arrogant at all. On the contrary, you’re a humble and supportive soul! I quite envy that self-assurance and air of confidence you have dear, and I can say that I have grown to be a bit more confident in myself by having you around, so you’re a wonderful influence! Let’s continue to keep in touch sweetie.

@mysterypotatoink -- Morgann! Sugarcakes, let me just say that you are the best big sister figure we could ever ask for! You are so sweet, supportive, loving and willing to help us whenever we need it. You are our server’s big sister and guardian 💕💕 You always make us feel loved and warm inside. Personally, whenever we talk to you, it gives off the vibe like a child wrapped up in a safety blanket-- toasty and secured. 

You’re so strong and wise, I look up to you a lot and want to learn from you in terms of being the pillar of support. 🥺

@needs-serotonin -- Joanna! Muffin, you’re another one of the sweetest, most supportive people in the server. You’re so honest about what you say in the group and know when to say it at the exact time.

Also Joanna, you give off a really cool vibe! Initially, I was a bit shy and unsure on how to approach you but overtime as I warmed up to you, you’re actually pretty easy to get along with! I would love to get to know you better, let’s talk more dear. 

2. Deku protection squad! (Aka dps) :

@suckersuki -- Lei! Sugarplum, you are another one of the sweetest, most supportive people I’ve ever met. You are always there for us when we need it and I love how crackhead you can get hahaha, I still remembered that time when we teased you by shipping you with shinsou hehe. Anyways, back to the original topic of appreciating you, you are a great listener and offer good advice! Also, you’re very easy to talk to and give off a cute vibe! 

Did I mention that I love your writing as well? Your style consists of a mixture of comedy and seriousness. Like, your hcs for the tik tok trend and argument scenario for the bnha boys are really funny; on the other hand, your fic with yandere shoto gives off a completely different aura and it sent shivers down my spine. Miss, pls spare some of them writing skills.

@babydabi -- Mei! Gingerbread, you are a another kind, loving and supportive soul that I have the honor of meeting in the dps. You are really easygoing and considerate. You are not afraid to speak up for your friends, but you do it with a careful choice of words and this shows that you’re really considerate.

As for your writing style, it is much like yourself. You know how to choose the best words to express what you want to and you’re cautious doing so. As I can be a little indecisive on deciding my choice of words, I’d love to learn from you! 

@bakugoustanaccount — Bri! Dear, tbh I was a little intimidated by your vibe when I first met you, bc you just seemed so cool,,, and I’m awkward and still don’t really know how to socialise well with people. But after interacting with you more, you’re actually pretty chill! Let’s talk more, I’d love to get to know you better.

As for your writing style, it has a certain smooth flowing, poetic aesthetic. I fell in love with it the moment I read your latest fic. The way you phrased everything is just so fitting! Pls teach me your ways miss.

@bnhatrashh -- Izzy! Luv, you give off a similar vibe like bri, so I was also kind of intimidated by you at first. But like bri, I opened up to you more and here we are! Let’s get to know each other better, I’d like to talk to you more often.

And I really love, love your way of writing! Your writing style has a pleasant, smooth homey vibe. It’s very soothing to the eyes and your vocabulary complements it really well! 

@cellotonin  —cookie! Love, you’re another one of the sweetest and most supportive people in the dps server ahhhh. You’re always ready to support us whenever and I love your vibe! I’d like to get to know you better sweetie.

Also, I love the way you write! it’s so sweet, warm and ahh so pretty 🥺, did I mention that I love your blog’s aesthetic and theme as well? Your style of writing is mellow and gorgeous! I would love to learn some of that from you pls.

 @hoekaashi — Ash! Dear, you give off a cool and mature vibe. You’re like the awesome aunt of the dps. When I first spoke to you in the dps, I was like “this person is really cool, I’m kinda scared if I mess up”, but that thought quickly faded as I chatted with you more. You’re not only cool, but also super chill, supportive and easygoing! Let’s talk more, I’d love to know you better. 

Also, I really love your way of writing! It has this realistic touch and lets people have the feeling of being in that scenario/situation. Plus, the flow of words are smooth and complements your style! Keep up the good work dear, I look forward to see more works from you in the future.

@xoxo-dede — Dede! Darling, you’re bold, outspoken and really cool. You speak your mind and I like that, also I love your crackhead side. Most of the time, you can say the most hilarious and crackhead things that never fail to crack us up (hahaha, see what I did there? Ok I’ll stop) , you’re a big bouncy ball of energy that we simply can’t get enough of! Oh, and your art style is really cool too!

As for your writing style, it’s simple but has that realistic vibe, like I can see what’s happening clearly through your words and that’s really amazing! Your writing is gorgeous dear.

3. 我的家庭!= my family (tree <3) 

@moonlit-xio -- Ara! My sweetpea, love. You are the sweetest, kindest and most understanding sweetheart I have ever met. You are so selfless and loving, making sure that we’re always accounted for and put us before you. You always make sure to give us the attention, love and support. But love, please let us give you back the love and attention too, for you deserve them as much as us. And you’re absolutely adorable!

And did I mention that the headcanons you come up with for us in the server are absolutely 100% beautiful and on point? No? Well, now you know, because they are. Queen ara, your writing is gorgeous, has a poetic touch and deserves more love, your descriptive skills are immaculate! The words you use to express your writings is just immaculate. Also, you’re very musically talented! Your music taste is delectable and refreshing, not to mention that you have the voice of a siren as well. Your singing is lovely, sweetpea.

@sunshhinnee -- Sunni! My darling pudding, love you are literally sunshine (hahaha,get it? Okay, I’ll stop). You’re so bright, positive and always look at the good side of things even if the going starts to get tough. You bring a warm and chaotic good atmosphere to our server, which serves as a nice distraction whenever I had a bad day or feel upset about something. 

Also, your art-style is really really cute! I like your shortcut way of drawing expressions and the anatomy of your characters haha. It’s not too detailed but you can tell what their expressions are saying and their poses are clear.

@bumbbo -- Max! Bubblegum, you’re another one of the most adorable people I ever met. You’re really easygoing and chill, but can be chaotic good sometimes, I like how crackhead you can get when Sunni is in on it too, haha. I especially love it when you two send memes and funny tiktoks to the group, I do enjoy them very much! Also, have I mentioned how much of a cutie and sweetheart you are? You’re so caring, giving and strong. Always willing to help out and so patient with us.🥺

Also, you have great taste in music and you’re great at writing too! Have I mentioned how on point your headcanons you wrote for us are? If I haven’t, now you know <3. Oh, and your editing skills are superb too! 

@sondering-thoughts -- Aria! Macaron, you’re another one of the sweetest, most understanding, and supportive people in our server. You’re like the server’s mom, living up to your nickname. You always watch out for us and make sure that we are doing well; if we felt down, you never fail to cheer us up by writing comfort headcanons for us and console us with the words we need to hear! Thank you so much, for doing all that for us dear 🥺 Also, the way you fluster us? You’re a pro at it snjssk, you make us blush so easily that it’s unfair 😭😭

And speaking of writing, you sure have a way with words macaron! Your writing has a poetic take in it, which is something I hope to incorporate into my writing style one day.

@what-a-creative-username --Liana! Chocolate chip! My bro to my bromance, the kuroo to my bokuto, the bread to my shinya! Bro, you are another 100% cutie plus sweetie! I love it when you’re being chaotic along with the rest of them and spam the group with memes and chaotic Youtube vines/vids lmao. Also, the aesthetics you made for us are so pretty ahh! 

Besides that, you’re also really considerate and willing to lend an ear. I still remember when I was anxious and vented to you and you let me rant. Then you reassured me and comforted me, which both calmed me down successfully. Thank you love, I appreciate that gesture very much 🥺 . I miss your presence very much in the server, hope we’ll get to talk again and raise hell all together soon!

@txmxkis --Linds! Cake pop, dearie you’re another kind, loving and sweet soul I have the fortune of meeting in the server. If Ari is the mother, then you’re the cool aunt who’s always wiling to hype us up! And support us when we feel down or need someone to vent to ofc. You’re really chill, easygoing and so adorable! Even though you can be a lil mischief and fluster us on purpose sometimes, not that I’ll ever admit it  Your vibe is rly pretty, and okay...I admit that I like you flustering me...maybe a little bit. 

Honourable mentions! :

@cosmicskin --Lily, my dear love. Honestly you’re the sweetest person I first met on tumblr. Back then when you gave me that shout out, I felt happy, shocked in a good way, and honored all at the same time. And yet, you claim that you are not an angel. Sweetie, you are wrong. You are an angel, even if you claim that you are not. And the way you write? Immaculate, your fluff works have a poetic vibe in them and I’m in love with it. Even though you are no longer writing, I still want to say a very big thank you. Thank you for giving us so many beautiful, gorgeous stunning works. 

@keigos-dove --Eli my sweet! Dear, you are another lovely soul that I’m really fortunate to meet here. I still remember that time when I asked you to proofread a fic of mine and you did, giving me your honest opinion about it 🥺, so thank you very much for that love! Also, you’re really easygoing and I love the way you carry yourself, you’re not only sweet, but also really cool! I love talking to you and the way you write? Absolutely gorgeous. There’s something about your writing that’s just... so pretty and it tugs at my heartstrings! Keep up the good work, gorgeous! 

@seashellsandshores--Emmie dear! Another fellow sweetheart that I have the honor of meeting here. Dearie, you are really chill and easygoing. I like how easy it is to talk to you and rant to you about ons besides bnha lmao, it has been a while but I want to let you know that I enjoy the time I spend with you and hopefully we’ll get to talk again! Also, the fact that you gave me and your fanfic writer friends a shout out on your birthday says that you are not only a sweetheart, but you’re also a really kind and supportive soul 🥺. And boy, your writing? beautiful. Your url complements your writing style perfectly. Your style is simple, but gorgeous and I can easily imagine what is happening in your fics, like I can mentally picture the scene and hear what the characters are saying. Keep up the good work sweetie! 

@birds-have-teeth -- Ashi sweetie! Again, I just want to say a very big welcome back. I hope that you have been resting well during your break sweetheart 🥺. Also, I was caught off-guard when you posted that appreciation post! How dare you do that when I was least expecting it >:c, you have no idea how flustered I felt when I read that ahhhh 🥺. You are such a sweet, supportive, easygoing and loving person, I really love talking to you! And the way you write? IT IS STUNNING, BREATH-TAKING MMM PERFECTION. The flow of words and vocabulary are just so in sync! Immaculate! Also, your art style is really awesome too! I look forward to see more works from you and can’t wait to get back on a regular basis of talking to you again💕

@90s-belladonna -- Aixa! Queen, you’re another one of the coolest, most easygoing people I have ever met! I was kind of awkward when i first talked to you in our dms on twitter, but overtime we got closer and could talk about almost anything! I really love love your laid-back chill vibe, let’s talk more lovely, I enjoy talking to you a lot! Also, have I mentioned how delectable your writing is? Even though most of your works that I’ve read are headcanons, i can say that your writing style is sophisticated yet easy on the eyes. The way you write takes my breath away, I look forward to see more works from you! Keep up the good work <3

@pastelgurlie --Kassy dear, you are really dynamic, funny and outspoken.Thank you for approaching me first on wattpad and dming me, you give off a really fun and cheerful vibe that makes you easy to be around with. Initially,  I was a little stiff and unsure on how to interact with you, but fortunately you were patient and willing to stick around until I came out of my shell ^-^.  Oh, also did I mention how cool your artstyle is? Your style consists of a semi-realistic coupled with elements of anime in it and that’s really awesome! And the way you draw my and Amy’s oc for free? That’s so sweet of you 🥺. 

@adelheidvonschicksal -- Adel my love, you’re another sweet supportive babe I have the fortune of meeting here! You’re really chill, laid-back cool and I feel like a fan living the dream of befriending her idol when I talk to you! You are the very first Shoto blog I came across on Tumblr, and when I first read your works, I fell in love with them. And to have you follow me back, ahh I feel so honored 🥺! And as for your writing style, it is immaculate! I read most of your fics, including the nsfw ones (cough) and they have this beautiful, realistic touch. You characterize the characters rly well and it’s like I can picture what is happening in your works in my head! Keep up the good work, senpai 🥺, I look forward to more amazing works from you.

@lavander-cherry--Cheska! Dear, my second writing senpai for shoto. First I want to say it’s good to have you back! it has been a while since we last talked and tbh, I felt a little sad when I saw your announcement about leaving the bnha writing community, still I do respect your decision back then! And now, I feel really happy that you are back writing for this fandom. Your works are superb, dear! Your characterization is on point and your flow of words complements it very well. Also, I like how you are not afraid to speak your mind and how bold you are, let’s talk again soon!

@shoutodoki --Val! Dear, ahhhh you are another sweetheart that I'm so so fortunate to meet here! You're really easygoing and sweet and it's really easy to talk to you. Your vibe is gorgeous and I cannot stress enough on how much I adore your writings! The flow of words throughout your stories, works and headcanons is just so immaculate and aesthetically pleasing! Even though you have deactivated your acc, I just want to say a very big thank you. Thank you for all of your wonderful works that you have written, you have been a really big inspiration to many writers(including me), I’m sure of that. 

@random-mha-thoughts -- Rachel! Sweetheart, dear I still remembered the way you first helped me back then, we didn’t know each other at all, and yet you were so willing to stand up for and help me! I’m trully grateful for the help you provided so so much. And thank you, also for sticking by me even after that and being such a kind soul after all this while. Let’s continue to be friends sweetie!

As for your writing, it’s simple and sweet. The way you write brings a mellow feeling that’s very pleasant to the viewers, it brings about a fluffy feeling and is easy on the eyes. Look forward to more works from you! Keep up the good work! 

@min-atoo --Minny my sweet! Man, it has been 3 years since we known each other hasn’t it? You’re just the sweetest, super understanding and kindest person ever! I’m really glad to call you one of my closest friends <333. You’re really easy to hang out with and I love the vibe you give off so much! I still remember the moment when we got into a discussion about what todo’s beard color would be on ig lol. It’s really fun hanging out with you, and yoi and chessie ofc. We should get tgt and have a discord grp call sometime! 

Oh, and you have the cutest artstyle ever! The pastel colours you use and the chibi aesthetic you have go perfectly together! All of your works are very easy on the eyes and are super cute! Let’s stay in touch bb x

Make sure to show some love to these lovely ppl that I tagged above by giving them a follow! Oh, I also want to show some love to @dee-madwriter , @dimplesum , @heroprose @kingtamakimurder @love-toxin  @lovelove-dere , @yandere-daydreams, @trafalgar-temptress @wonderwomanfantasy, @combust-catalyst @talpup @shoutogepi and @bnhabadass ! They are some amazing fanfic authors as well so go follow them if you haven’t already :3

Words cannot express how much I love and appreciate every one of you, both my friends I have tagged in this post and my dear followers. I am very thankful for every one of you, let’s work hard together! 

So, what’s next? Since that I am back for now, i will finish off the belated birthday fics I left unfinished for some of my lovely writer friends above, move on to one last request from the last time and finish off some fics of mine. As for when I will re-open requests...they are put on hold until further notice. Oh and I'll be clearing my asks and tags at the same time.

Until then, see y'all soon!

[deceptichubs]

breakdown, so I can do good by you (velvetafterdark)

Pick a character I’ve written and I will explain the top ~three to five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

Hoo, boy. This is a surprisingly tough one.

BD's characterization varies a bit over the course of the show: he's noticeably much more talkative in the first season than the second, which I suspect had less to do with writing choices and more to do with voice acting costs. His characterization's also markedly different in every adaptation, and two writers could reasonably draw on different adaptations to fill in stuff not shown in one continuity. So this will be my BD, first and foremost.

That said. This will be long.

Joy: A lot of this comes from little moments: BD making stupid, gleeful puns every moment he's onscreen in S1; BD noting that he really enjoys beating the tar out of Bulk/head, reflecting that he'll miss him; BD tearing up in Un/ite Warriors upon seeing KO again; BD announcing that he loves destruction in Un/ite Warriors (hey, no one ever praised its dialogue); IDW2/019 BD embracing and kissing his husband before a race; IDW20/05 BD tossing off a one-liner before shooting a Titan; BD relaxing in a lava bath on Thr/ull. (This is where I got his affection for the public baths in Fuel Shortage.) BD has big emotions, and the one he shows most readily is raw animal joy at being alive and kicking some tailpipe.

Insecurity: For all his surface cockiness, BD also shows shades of fear, insecurity, and low self-esteem: most prominently, he seems to think of his eye patch as a reminder of his failure. His posture closes in on itself and his voice rises when Mega/tron calls him a "one-eyed oaf"; he finally, fatally goes after Air/achnid when she cracks jokes about his eye; and para-canon material confirms that he feels he's always on display/being stared at. This ties in nicely to ID/W2005 BD's backstory as a big, heavy mech on a planet where even security guards point out Bl/urr's weight (Bl/urr's)! IDW20/05 BD has always been different and very visibly inferior by his culture's standards; and I like to read his swagger as something of a veneer over that. (M/Scott's Twitter posts confirmed BD has low self-esteem across continuities.) In this light, while we don't have much on ID/W2019 BD yet, his evidently high social position as chief of race security and willingness to get up on stage with a microphone are interesting. (Note that I read BD as translating his distress mainly into more violence: being the biggest, loudest, toughest thing in the room to paper over his insecurities.)

Roughness: TF/P BD cuts a swathe of indiscriminate violence wherever he goes; he also figures out how mysterious ancient technology works by pushing the button and pointing it at someone. BD is a hands-on, physical, rough-and-tumble guy even on his most admirable days, more likely to tackle a friend out of the way of a bullet than to yell a warning. In ID/W2019, he works security; while he's a lab assistant in ID/W2005, he still figures out what things are by touching them. In U/nite War/riors, BD reacts to KO's sudden appearance by bear-hugging him. BD relates to the world through his hands--and through his fists. (Note that BD, intriguingly, does have the capacity to hold back: he's a "maestro with a rotary buffer," and he's shown doing delicate medical work and even surgery across continuities. He evidently makes the conscious choice not to. Makes his smug "whoops" after destroying something seem very self-aware.)

Decency (but not too much): TF/P BD is a gleeful thug with a yen for killing sentients. (In the TF/P comics, he gets excited by the thought of killing two Auto/bots today.) He is not nice, gentle, or morally upstanding. That said, if he has an obligation to someone--even if that obligation was formed five minutes ago--he honors it. He saves Bulk/head's life, but sees no contradiction between that and trying to kill him again the next week (after Bulk/head breaks their tentative truce and brags about it). He threatens to beat his Veh/icon miners into pulp, but shortly thereafter he gives them a pep talk. BD seems to see no contradiction here. In ID/W2005, his big character moment involves reminding KO to treat Moon/racer somewhat decently. Decently-ish. For him?

@velvetafterdark