#and there's a lot of totally very fun interpretations there

[ferromagnetiic]

Does anyone in your crew get a pass to act chummy with other pirates outside of your crew? Like the Strawhats or Shanks?

The question brings with it an immediate air of hostility; umbrage, displayed in tensed brow and teeth bared in a snarl like a taunted dog. The mention of Red Hair's name could only be used as bait to provoke him into an impassionate rage. They knew what they were doing by bringing him up in the context of hypothetical companionship; this was a pointed attempt to piss him off, and it was inevitable it would be effective. Kid wonders if he should even bother following through with clarification, when the dead don't have any use for exposition. Tempting as it may be to answer the matter with bloodshed, he'll hold back the urge with both hands gripping his temper's leash. He'll take that hanging bait, and he'll sink his canines into it for the sake of not looking like a pushover who's lenient with his crew gallivanting off with whomever they may please. Hell, maybe some of his men could do with a refresher on how things operate under his command. He knows exactly what this is about; a certain golden-eyed Straw Hat who's found herself a comfortable spot in his bed.

❝ Ya come to my face and start askin' questions about how I look after my men, yer gonna go home in a coffin. Ya got some damn fuckin' nerve. ❞

The threat is punctuated with a pronounced scoff.

❝ Ya think I let my crew walk all over me? Ya think I don't have anythin' to say about them running off with the enemy whenever they want? Nah, this ain't playtime anymore. ❞

When he speaks, Kid's voice is low; austere, unyielding. This is not an open debate, and nothing he says it up for further discussion.

❝ Most important thing to me is honesty. Maybe we ported at some island, bumped into another crew; maybe one of my boys found some pretty thing he wants to take to bed. I'm not gonna stop him if he's upfront about that. I just don't want any affiliations being kept secret from me. I don't like my men sneakin' around behind my back, doing shit they don't want me knowin' about. It's not a good look if I catch ya runnin' off with the enemy without a word. ❞

If they were open about the friendship, he was a lot more willing to be compliant with them spending time together. Trust and loyalty were quick to break, and practically impossible for Kid to rebuild once lost. No matter how innocent their intentions may be, if he discovered someone on his crew had been maintaining a secret relationship with their rival, it would be cause for him to be alarmed. Though he trusted each and every one of the members of his crew with his life, he didn't trust others with an ounce; he needed to know who to hunt down if anyone went missing, and who would need to compensate with blood if anyone was hurt.

❝ Thing is, if one of my men gets attacked, I expect him to be able to defend himself. If he can't, I'll have to step in and do it for him. Either way, if shit goes south and that partnership turns sour, I ain't willing to lose one of my crew over it. It's kill or be killed. Backstabbers don't get second chances, and I wanna know who was holdin' the knife. ❞

Everyone on this side of the ocean was out for blood. He couldn't afford to let his guard down; not when he knew the colossal damage misguided trust could do firsthand.

Power dynamics were always at the forefront of Kid's mind, with the stronger members of his crew being granted the most freedom. If Killer, Heat, or Wire, for example, were to inform him that they were spending some spare time with a rival crew member, Kid wouldn't being opposed to it. When he didn't perceive a rival pirate to be a threat, he didn't believe there was much to be concerned about. They had earned their status as his strongest men, and he wouldn't condescend them by fussing over their safety when he knew they could handle themselves. When the power balance was in favor of the enemy, however, he tended to be more wary.

A pause, then, somewhat stiff; grumbled words, like he's coming clean about something he doesn't particularly enjoy admitting, though he considered the statement valuable enough to verbalize.

❝ 'Sides. Ya can't pair all our rivals together into one pot. Ya come here actin' like 'salright to get buddy-buddy with Red Hair's men; fuck that, 'course it bloody ain't. Fact is, Straw Hat handles shit differently. We're still rivals, but as long as ya don't hurt his crew, he ain't gonna bother us. ❞

[captainofthetidesbreath]

.

[mejomonster]

I could talk for days about their relationship in general and how insane they were for creating Kenzan as the third game ever given the way their relationship is depicted in that game.Ishin is something else about them,too.These two can't go without having high tension that settles into something deep and emotional,becoming closer to each other than anyone else.To think it happens three times.It would be funny if they created a spinoff game that takes place in the future,and Majima and Kiryu were still like t h a t

Also worth mentioning that 3 presents you with interesting parallels to another duo in the game that really sneak by the majority of the players.That alone can wind up in a lengthy discussion.You're playing the remaster right?Looking forward to how you go through the third game!

Kenzan is the 3rd game made?? Like 1 then 2 then Kenzan then 3??

Also ah. How much of Kenzan would I understand if I played with a low level of Japanese (like can read slice of life simple manga)? I'm not sure if Kenzan has a game walk-through. Part of why I bought Ishin was its newer and there's an online guide with translations if I do happen to get stuck or not grasp some part of the story. You are making me want to buy kenzan too...

A spinoff game in the future would be. So much. Incredible.

Yes I love their dynamic a lot. I played 0 first which felt lovely as standalone stories paralleling and explaining how they grew into the men they'd go on to become. Then kiwami 1 I really liked how majima puts on acts and both attempts to help and yet has a really realistic nuanced grasp on how you need to be certain ways to not get used, not get read, be useful, etc. And also being despite all that acting, able to be More Himself and less trapped Because he knows how to navigate things better now. I'm playing kiwami 2 now majimas chunk and especially isolated it really emphazises those parts of his personality - the opening with bringing money to tojo clan to point out a bad idea, the way his own family tends to dress less like the others (he stands out intensely in that room of suits in the tojo meeting), the way he can get along with cabaret club girls he asks questions of, can get scary when needed, is searching for his own family man who ran but also investigating rather than jumping to conclusions I only played 2 chapters of his so please no spoilers lol).

Like... in the original 1 and 2 I assume he was much less clearer this way if at all, and the mad dog persona may have been nearly or all that was visible. I'm playing kiwami 1 and 2 so can only judge by that. But to me they integrated really well wirh rhe implication created in 0 that he's very adaptable and smart, but in the end Hates lack of freedom and being controlled and leads/chooses with his heart. And seeing nishitani be so intensely Himself, and also so Wild people struggle to control/play him, the way he led with his passion, and how majima certainly took from that and from makotos friend who helped her.

The scene in Kiwami 1 when he kidnaps haruka was so interesting to me for a lot of reasons. One being it's a more serious rendition of Majima Everywhere - the actual mechanic in the game, is mostly majima acting like a rival (and even a potential threat sometimes since hey this is an outside family guy learning your weak spots and clearly better at fighting you who gives up when you're good enough) but his goal seems overall to just help kiryu get strong enough TO survive because he appreciates the man and his values and wants him to survive and thrive (thats why he does give up, why he admires kiryus decisions, why he shows up to socialize in the non fighting scenarios like bowling and pocket racing - he cares about kiryus emotional state and isolation, wants to honestly connect to some degree to with someone who might even Vaguely get him and the Need for that). In their first meeting in kiwami 1 majima sees kiryus stubbornness to his values and when kiryu sees him post prison majima keeps fighting him ultimately To Help kiryu. So the scene in the battling cage is like, a reminder majima is a potential threat to kiryu. A lesson, thar even majima, even a friend, even someone who'd like for you to be okay, might not be trustworthy. Especially in their kind of lives. Might hurt you or hurt your loved ones, might use what they know against you, you NEED to be on the alert more kiryu (oh the nishiki foreshadowing). I'm sure it's also part showing Shimano he IS doing something, seeming useful ish, keeping his position secure. To be a mad dog people fear, he has to act outlandish and frightening and unpredictable and back that up. The fact though... that at the end of the batting cage scene, someone tries to stab kiryu and majima takes the knife. That majima doesn't ultimately want kiryu hurt (majima going wirh his heart) and yet saying he's the only one who gets to kill kiryu (a reminder of the lesson majima meant to teach - even he or any close person could hurt you so be prepared, and also kiryu PLEASE get strong enough to be the kind of person able to fight me and people like me, to be worthy of going against each other, live up to the dragon you used to be that I believe you can be again, the kind of man who deserves me killing him and not someone less). I love Zhao yunlan in guardian who is not much like majima mad dog wise but very much like majima in valuing freedom and leading by heart, and acting as a Part of who he is in a way to get what he wants (being informal and friendly to insult people or warm them up for info etc, able to change for his needs, but also the act is so much him it sort of Is him). So while majimas in some ways a lot more impulsive, I click a lot with how he's working his intelligence under the scenes to move toward his goals.

Theres a scene in Kiwami 2 where in purgatory after he fights kiryu, kiryu asks him for help, and majima tells him he's being played like a puppet and explains.. quickly grasping from what kiryu tells him that there's a plot, helping kiryu notice it and figure it out, and highlighting a bit how kiryu isn't always thinking in the perspective to notice manipulations like that. Makes sense, kiryus generally quite forward and stubborn. Majima though, he works angles to keep himself out of shit and being trapped again, and steers clear of getting manipulated when possible, so he's always a lot more aware of those things and how to act in relation to them than he seems on the surface. Then lol there's scenes like the bomb diffusing where he's leading on instincts and his heart. (I do think kiryus stubbornness to his values reminds majima of his own stubbornness to following his heart).

I'm in Kiwami 2 now and a much softer scene but I did the Cabaret sidestories and Majima joined the cabaret and reunited with yuki and worked with kiryu and I loved seeing them all as a team. ;-; it reminded me of the way majima was like family to the cabaret club Sunshine in 0, then to see kiryu who'd done the same in kiwami 2 get to meet THAT majima that side of him that friendly slightly silly gentler majima With people he considers actual friends like yuki was so freaking nice. I'm softhearted despite my love of action and angst lol, and I loved that little bonus at the end of that side game area. If majima construction has any similarly rewarding sidestories maybe I'll go play that side game more next ToT

Kiwami 2 comparing Ryuji and Kiryu is again really interesting from a character perspective. I expected daigo and ryuji to be the two compared in kiwami 2, based on them being introduced at similar times and in the same age range. But when ryuji met kiryu I got why okay he's the other guy on the cover, why he's a dragon, why he's fascinating to compare. (I like daigo too he's mmm interesting with potential, and like ryuji an eventual successor to a clan leadership... I Love his mom).

I'm really excited for yakuza 3! Mine seems mmm fascinating as a potential villain from the little I know, I love daigo and am happy he'll be there. I won't look up spoilers but ohhh what is the duo to look out for in 3?

And yes I'm playing the remasters. I think nearly all the yakuza games have a version on ps4 right now. I think maybe Yakuza Dead Souls is for ps3 though, but I am mmm somewhat tempted to get that too it looks fun.. just not sure I'll like the shooting combat part. I like the very simple fighter game style/action game fighting the yakuza games mostly have.

Curious of your (and maybe the general opinion on) the kenzan and ishin versions of the characters. Do they seem like ancestors, or like potentially other lives of those characters, or like alternate universes?

[ascendedastarionapologist]

The Rite of Profane Ascention and Projected Shame: A Meta Analysis of Authorial Intent and Bias in Interpretation

If you are an Astarion enjoyer you are probably familiar with the following sentiments:

The crew member we can attribute this reading to would be Baudelair Welch, and they are not Astarion's main writer, rather the Senior Narrative Designer for Baldur's Gate 3. Astarion's creator and lead writer was Stephen Rooney, Rooney does attribute great assistance from Welch, however.

Welch was not initially part of the team, only being hired after the release of Early Access. As Welch as recounted the story, they saw Astarion during EA, wanting to become a part of the BG3 writing staff to enforce a particular narrative. The one that we are familiar with.

To better understand Welch's perspective on the concept of "Objectifying Fictional Characters" we must take a look at the indie game they developed during their time at Larian.

Don't Wake Me Up is a text based adventure game that puts you in the shoes of a game developer who is making a vampire dating sim. The twist being that the vampire character you created resents you for having romantic feelings for it.

While discussing the fact they wouldn't be adding "Good Endings" to their game, Welch describes their experience of having romantic feelings for fictional characters, often over real life people. A trend that, to their apparent frustraition, continued into their adulthood. I get this sense of shame, this desire to experience a more normative relationship with romantic feelings.

In a way, I feel kind of bad for Welch. I am a selfshipper, I think fictosexuality and genuine romantic interest towards fictional characters is morally neutral. However, my sympathy stops when Welch uses this to guilt their readers into feeling a certain way over narratives they don't have total authority over. Only very recently have people started to be cool about selfshipping, and phrases like "parasocial sexualization of fictional characters" does nothing to aliviate that stigma.

Hearing how the other staff talk about the endings, they do not share Welch's perspective more focused on player choice and the evolution of Astarion's Character through the player's eyes rather than a meta commentary on the relationship between player and character. As a roleplaying game, this is very much purposeful. Larian gives you the tools to tell the story you desire. To quote Neil Newbon,

"You might find him scary, and you should [...] but other people might really like that ending [...] going, actually I always saw Astarion going that route."

This a lot of meta context. Context that is not as blatant within the text as many who ascribe to this interpretation would want you to believe.

As a roleplaying game, BG3 gives you the option to depict your player character in a multitude of ways.

Is your player character a reluctant accomplace, determined to stay by Ascended Astarion's side no matter the cost? The game gives you that ability.

Do you see your character as an unwitting victim, a damsel to Ascended Astarion, a prisoner in a gilded cage? The game rewards this perspective in kind, the "freedom" lines coming to mind.

Or, perhaps your player character is mutually obsessed, a willing and enthusiastic participant in Ascended Astarion's villainous shenanagins. The game has options and responses that reflect this role as well. He is giddy, and gushes over how much fun you two will have if you lean into it.

A companion to this post, the poll I made measuring people's ending preference and weather not they were spoiled, is loosely tied to this. My methodology was, admitedly, a bit off. I neglected to add a neutral option, and of course my sample size is limited.

However, my theory was that among people that preferred keeping Astarion as a Spawn over Ascending him were exposed to spoilers, and my follow up question was meant to measure weather or not Welch's commentary had an effect on that.

Taking a look at the poll, the overall preference is for the Spawn ending, however, amongst Spawn enjoyers, they were often spoiled for his ending. I didn't get much feedback though, so weather or not this perception of Ascention had an effect on their choice remains conjecture.

What is interesting, however, is that through the polling process, (and the poll is still in progress at the time of posting this, so keep that in mind), the spilt between the other options were relatively even.

Make of that what you will.

Looking at all of this together, and from my perspective, I cannot see ascention as the "bad ending" , sense much of the argument for that perspective uses Welch's words as if they were gospel. To me, a bad ending is zombie astarion, or blowing up Gale in act 2, or letting Lae'zel perish at the Creché. I will however call it the EVIL ending. Ascended Astarion IS a villain, but I think the distinction between "bad" and "evil" is an important one to make. I cant see it the way Welch does, because I simply have an idiological opposition to their veiwpoint, a sentiment I feel is shared by many AA enjoyers.

I want to end this by stating very directly: this is not an attack on Welch as a person, rather a cirtique of of the bias inherent to the way they write and interpret fiction. A bias, I feel, people should be aware of.

[ferris-the-wheel]

Posted 3/8/24

Fyodor Dostoevsky Relationship Headcanons

: ̗̀➛ Fyodor x gn!reader

A/N: This was pretty fun to make and I kinda wanna do this with more BSD characters. Who am I kidding- I'm totally doing this with other BSD characters.

: ̗̀➛ Not proofread, may be some mistakes.

TW: Semi-controlling behavior (but not super overbearing???)

⁂ Pretty much no one knows you exist, not even anyone in the Decay of Angels.

⁂ That's because he doesn't want to risk you getting taken hostage or killed by his enemies (which he has a lot of, obviously). He also doesn't trust the DOA members not to try to use you to get the upper hand against him.

⁂ You're one of his two weaknesses and he doesn't want anyone to exploit that fact.

⁂ One of his plans for preventing anyone from finding out about you is that he would buy a comfortable house for you to live in in a less populated area outside of the city, but you declined. You insisted that since no one even knew that you were connected to each other, you could live in the city.

⁂ He reluctantly agreed but made sure to install a bunch of security cameras to the place you were living at in the city, as well as teaching you how to use a variety of types of guns.

⁂ Whenever he's just sitting around (usually while his plans are unfolding and causing chaos), he'll just be eager to get back home to you. He would also plan out the whole evening in his head, knowing how it would go before it was even past noon.

⁂ While normally, the only side of himself that he let's people see is that he's soulless and doesn't care about anything. However, you know that this isn't exactly the case. While yes, he does act like that, he shows a different side, only around you.

⁂ He still has a certain coldness to him (personality wise as well as being ice cold to the touch lol), but he's nicer toward you than he is to anyone else. Of course, that's not to say that he's a complete angel. He's very protective of you if you couldn't tell so he tends to ask where you're going when you go out and may follow you to make sure that you're safe.

⁂ He can be a bit of a control freak, but that's kind of something that you have to put up with. For example, if he wants something from you, such as a kiss, he will do pretty much anything to get it (in cases where you don't want to or aren't in the mood). He would be a bit manipulative/deceptive with his methods, but nothing like downright abusive or anything. He tries to dial it down when something really bothers you, though.

⁂ He can be... just a bit jealous (let's be real, he can be pretty damn jealous). He doesn't see why you waste your attention on other less competent, boring people, but he doesn't force you not to hang out with anyone.

⁂ He does let you have friends and connections, he just warns you not to tell them about him. He does very extensive background checks on the people you hang out with, just to make sure they aren't governments agents or members of the Port Mafia. Yeah, no one knows that you and Fyodor are connected at all, but he's just covering all his bases.

⁂ If someone tries to hit on you or anything like that, good luck to them. Fyodor would probably find out immediately and either one of two scenarios would occur:

1. He would ask that you not hang out with said person anymore and would convince you to completely cut that person out of your life.

Or the more dramatic option.....

2. He would simply make that person disappear. It would just happen. Of course, he had nothing to do with their disappearance. Feel free to interpret that how you will.

⁂ Sometimes he'll offer to let you have his ushanka for a while since he likes seeing you wear it. In fact, it soon became a routine: when he came home, he'd take off his coat and hang it up, then he'd locate you and place the ushanka on your head. He didn't always give it up easily though. He'd sometimes demand something in return.

⁂ When Fyodor wants to relax, he'll lay his head down in your lap and have you mess around with his hair. It doesn't matter if you're just mussing it up or if you're just combing it, he loves the feeling of your fingers running through his hair.

BSD taglist: @edith-is-a-cat @twst-om-lover @l7k-a @lyle-my-beloved @xen-blank @cookiesandbiscuits @mermaidfanficlibrary

Reblogs and comments are appreciated! ♥︎

[lo-fi-charming]

so i've been keeping up with TMP as it's airing, which has been fun, it's actually really nice to experience this kind of story weekly since i came into TMA late and listened up to the s4 finale in like, a month or two. i've been enjoying the new characters and statements, and while i was worried i'd have trouble actively listening (my attention span/executive functioning can be really variable when it comes to podcasts), it's been surprisingly easy for me to actually listen to each new ep the day it drops publicly

all this to say im enjoying the show! but i've found myself feeling increasingly frustrated with a couple things i keep seeing when it comes to discussions of it

to me, it seems... there's been a pervasive reluctance to take TMP as what it is. and i do understand that. it'd be stupid to pretend TMP doesn't exist exclusively because of TMA and that show's success, that it's a successor that was pitched as being similar. it's a story being written by the same people (plus guests), in the same universe (roughly), going for about the same tone and maybe themes.

i just feel like it's a bit of a shame, though, that so many folks seem unwilling not to carry TMA with them when they're engaging with TMP

i don't know where or when it was said, but i swear there was a comment made by jonny and/or alex about how TMP will have some commonality with TMA in terms of world-building, but also, people who listened to TMA first may find themselves theorizing in the wrong direction because we're judging things based off what is no longer concrete, reliable information; things are going to work differently in the world of TMP, and since we have preconceived notions on what is relevant or how things work, that's going to influence how we engage with information presented in TMP if we let it. and that's not even considering the fact that they've been explicit in conveying the idea that TMP was written so you can experience it fully without having listened to any of TMA at all!

i'm very much someone who tries to engage with media on its own terms, largely taking things at face value until i'm given reason to suspect otherwise. that's something i'm trying my best to still do with TMP, even though obviously, i've also listened to TMA and am basing some of my thoughts and personal theories on what we know from that

but that's what i mean to say i guess, it's something you have to actively choose to do. and it feels like, just based on what i've been seeing in fandom spaces, that a lot of people are having a bit of an odd time with TMP because of a reluctance to do that?

i think the easiest way to explain what i mean is to point to a general acceptance, already on the level of fanon it seems, to interpret the computer voices as Our Jon and Martin (+ Jonah/Elias, maybe). now obviously we have the actual real world reason why their voices are present in TMP, because of course jonny and alex were going to come back as voices in the show in some way. and i 100% agree it's a perfectly logical conclusion to then interpret their inclusion as being related to Jon and Martin somehow. i'm personally very into the theory that it is in no way them - not in any way that matters - but specifically their voices that have been stolen (by the Web?) as a means to help spread fears in other realities. but that's really not how i've been seeing people play with the concept? it seems largely 1:1. and again, i totally understand where people are coming from with that - especially when you consider how it can be a super fun concept for horror and angst, or even just the fact that folks want an excuse to carry their favorite characters into this new show and still play around with them. i promise i don't mean to bring this up as a means of making anyone feel bad or like, chastised for interpreting things a certain way and playing in the space!

it's the biggest example of what i mean though, and was a huge point of frustration for me when we were first being presented with TMP. it's not just that i don't want the voices to be Jon and Martin proper (i am very into their Ambiguous End, i believe it's best to leave that as a space for fans to play in); in all honesty, i think it's kind of a shame and maybe even a bit boring (im sorry!) to be engaging with TMP this way

and it's not just stuff like that - i've been seeing a fair amount of people expressing frustration and feeling disappointed with how TMP is hitting, but i mean, i feel like that's inevitable when you're going into it expecting More TMA? i saw at least one person basically say "ive been waiting for it to make me feel the way TMA made me feel, and it hasn't yet", and i really just feel like that's setting yourself up to be dissatisfied! beyond the fact that we're only 5 episodes in and the story has barely gotten a chance to happen yet, a huge element of this new show is that it's being approached as a largely collaborative effort, it seems, with lots of guests coming in to help shape the story and more writing and plotting influence that isn't jonny

obviously it's fine to not be super into that! undoubtedly it's a question of taste. but you do have to acknowledge that that's the case and adjust your expectations accordingly, or else you're not going to have a great time

i really like TMA, i had a great time with it, but even if TMP is a sequel to its parent podcast, it's not the same thing - and personally, i don't want it to be! i do hope that's a sentiment that is able to be more widely felt by some fans as we gain more distance from TMA while TMP is airing. i just think more people would be able to enjoy it that way, and come up with more interesting theories and interpretations of things! but those are really just my own personal thoughts

[bonefall]

BB!TPB Titles

Having some fun just absentmindedly thinking of titles for the BB overhauls of main arc books. I think I'm gonna do it for all of them, because I actually really like renaming these and explaining my thought process

But here's TPB for now, because it's on my mind after that little scene bundle I wrote

Below the cut;

Arc Rename: The Prophecies Begin -> The Forest Four

Into the Wild -> Into the Clans

Fire and Ice -> Thermal and Undertow

Forest of Secrets -> Forest of Flowers

Rising Storm -> Rejected Rites

A Dangerous Path -> The Hunting Trail

The Darkest Hour -> Before the Dawn

The Forest Four

It's the intro to the original four, y'know? Plus, I use this term all the time in Clan Culture entries to specify when something is different about SkyClan from the "Forest Four." Makes sense it's the arc title.

Plus, there's a bit of a thing going on, especially in the later books, where the number of the Clans comes up a lot. Three Great Clans, but only four modern ones, River and Shadow combine to make TigerClan leaving three, BloodClan would make four, LionClan's alliance leaving two...

In BB, they know about SkyClan in history lessons, but Firestar doesn't think about it much until after this arc is done. More importantly, his choice to spare Scourge at the end of the arc suddenly means there's a Forest Four, and a Town One. I just think that's interesting.

(for some reason I also just love Scourge's insult where he calls Firestar a "forest fool" lmao. four forest fools.)

Into the Clans

The book with the expanded intro to the culture of the Clans. I feel like it's more fitting for BB to not call it "into the WILD" because... well, Clan cats DON'T see themselves as ""wild"" like animals. They're in Clans, with culture. They have ranks, politics, family, and even cooking and little kitty tools. It doesn't really make sense to me that they define themselves as "wild" just because their home has nature.

To them, loners are who's "wild," y'know? Rusty isn't totally coming to the Clans because it's wild, he's coming because of the community. Friendships and bonds with cats like Ravenpaw, Graystripe, Frostfur, Spottedleaf, Bluestar, and the sense that he could belong here. That he matters to these people.

This title's the one I'm actually waffling the most on, though. I don't like it very much yet. I don't feel like it captures the feeling I'm going for. It's also really close to a field guide title.

Thermal and Undertow

I've always interpreted "Fire and Ice" to be about how differently Graystripe and Fireheart are as people, and how that starts pulling them apart. The thing that people focus on is their "reconciliation" at the end of the book, but what stands out about it to me is that this is the book where Fireheart's TRULY integrated into the Clan.

His friendship with Graystripe is strained because of the HalfClan relationship Gray gets in, and he starts looking back to his roots for comfort because he doesn't feel like he's completely part of ThunderClan. I love this irony; they're BOTH struggling with loyalty in this broken system, experiencing types of xenophobia that prevent them from having happiness, but not yet wise enough to recognize they have a similar problem.

They're both breaking the law to talk to outsiders. Their forbidden love, both familial and romantic, makes Clan life harder. They're BOTH not doing anything wrong, but the STRUCTURE of their society is setting them against each other.

Graystripe responds, eventually, by leaving. Fireheart thinks he can make a home where he is. They're both wrong. The STRUCTURE needs to be challenged.

And meanwhile, they must go to fetch WindClan after it was driven out. They have to face RiverClan AND ShadowClan when Crookedstar and Nightstar show that power acts through them, as leaders. All the while, they experience the simple truth that love for cats in other Clans makes cruel, bloodthirsty battles like these too difficult to be sustainable.

And that's just canon!! I fucking love this book!!!

So in the rename, I'm putting emphasis on the natural flow, above and below. A wind is controlled by the temperature, rising up into a warm thermal. An undertow is a ferocious current that will pull you into the cold depths. They're not so different, in the end.

Forest of Flowers

And that leads right into canon's Forest of Secrets, where we learn that the older warriors also struggled with those pressures. Fireheart and Graystripe were never alone, cats have been suffering under this cruel system for GENERATIONS.

In BB, this is where I'm dropping the flower symbolism for the three major branches of politics in Forest Four society, which persist and are expanded on for the rest of BB;

Traditionalism, represented by the Honeysuckle, is used to justify the current system. "The Clans are branches of a honeysuckle bush. We fight and strangle each other for the light, and this prunes the weakest sprigs and rewards the fittest. When the winter comes, the strongest branches ensure the survival of the bush."

He also learns, much earlier, of Tigerstar's mentor. He hears the Parable of the Thistle, a story about how a young apprentice was forced to attempt to uproot a bull thistle, only managing to spread its seeds across a clearing, and won a trip to the Cleric's den for the trouble. How Tigerstar, and others, believe the honeysuckle must be challenged.

And meanwhile, he uncovers the story of the Forget-me-nots. A friend group even stronger than his collection of allies, with cats of every Clan, and how ambition drove it apart. How Bluestar looks back at it with both silly shame and deep appreciation.

The kindling ember in Fireheart's chest as he realizes he is the heir of a Forget-me-not, and that surrounding the obvious slash across Tigerclaw's nose, are the subtle pockmarks of thistle thorns.

Rejected Rites

I feel like Rising Storm is the "weakest" book of TPB, because it's where canon's cracks begin to show.

There's still a lot I love about this book. I love the way that Bluestar's cruelty arc begins with her grace and altruism towards other Clans not being returned without a catch. I adore the rescue of Bramblekit and Yellowfang’s guilty, harrowing death insisting she deserves judgement as Fireheart insists she is a good person. Its harsh ending revealing Tigerstar as leader of ShadowClan is a gut punch in an already brutal book, making an excellent mid-arc climax

But I feel its sudden turn towards suggesting the status quo was actually good drags it down.

For example, Cloudpaw is constantly arguing with Fireheart, in ridiculous fights Fire started. He's abducted by humans and returns in the same book, suggesting his uncle was totally right all along and he Totally Promises he won't mess with humans any more. The fact Fire was projecting on his young nephew and denying him answers when he questions their way of life, in a way very similar to the shame Firepaw himself went through, is not addressed.

A lot more of this book than you remember is also dedicated to Fireheart and Sandstorm arguing because the writers think a good romance is when you hate each other but stay together anyway.

So instead, this book in BB focuses more on what I DO like; Fireheart learning to be a LEADER. He's young, inexperienced, and has acted mostly alone up to this point. The Clan is in a moment of SERIOUS tumult as it reckons with how no one saw ANY signs about Tigerclaw.

As he loses his mentor Bluestar to paranoia, he has to learn which warriors are truly trustworthy, and try to win back those whose loyalties might stray.

In this way, Rejected Rites is about the WHOLE Clan. It's Whitestorm throwing his reputation and experience behind Fireheart. It's Goldenflower and how her disgust with her ex-mate blows her mind open and she shifts into Fire's most ferocious champion. It's Mousefur deciding that Tigerclaw was a uniquely bad person and refusing to admit fault with a Clan that supported him.

And of course it's about Cloudpaw, grappling with how Fireheart insists he's his mentor, not his father, not his friend, going back to how he botches the Queen’s Rights on bringing him to the Clan. Fireheart, too, is a flawed person capable of being complicit in damaging systems.

The Hunting Trail

The dog plot barely needs a recap, it's this fandom's bread and butter. But there's a small, VERY popular misconception about; in canon, Tigerstar only uses the dogs at the END of this book with a rabbit trick. Before that, the dogs are practically a natural disaster he has nothing to do with.

There's a reason why it's misremembered. It works better if he's more involved with them the whole time, showing how DANGEROUS he is, how Bluestar's fixation on her war with StarClan is blinding her to reality, and adding to the tragedy and madness by having Swiftpaw getting wrapped up in his father's/stepfather's quest for revenge.

So in BB, Tigerstar's involved MUCH sooner. He freed the dogs.

The title change reflects that. There's a hunting trail and the cats of ThunderClan are its prey, but it doesn't specify who the predator is. In the end, it was Tigerstar's scheme all along and Bluestar sacrifices herself to save her apprentice.

(I also want to take the moment to highlight how short-sighted and impulsive Tigerstar's plans actually are, something I find fascinating about him as a character. He's malicious and intelligent enough to make some incredible schemes, taking advantage of every opportunity. But he never accounts for details like... "what if my dogs don't go right to where I want them to go?" or "what if I'm not picked as deputy after I kill Redtail?" or even "what will i do after my demons kill all the living cats?")

TigerClan is also forming earlier. It begins in THIS book. Stonefur and Mistyfoot are "detained" after leaping into the ravine to rescue Fireheart and Bluestar, it's all the "evidence" Tigerstar needed to accuse them of divided loyalty. To finally start his persecution of HalfClan cats.

Before the Dawn

...In spite of its iconic moments, I'll be honest; Darkest Hour is actually the book that makes me the angriest about the original series.

All arc long, we are shown that the Clans are flawed. They have been, long before Rusty set foot in the woods that day. It NEEDS bigotry to exist the way it does, fostering xenophobia between Clan cats so that love and friendship won't get in the way of violence, encouraging and even rewarding extreme Jingoism, and even setting clanmates against each other for these senseless problems instead of the STRUCTURE of Clan society.

Darkest Hour SLAMS the breaks on that theme, and brings the message to a screeching halt.

FIRST of all, this is the book where it's explicitly stated that StarClan "doesn't interfere," even giving them a moment where they yell at protagonist about free will or whatever while simultaneously barking a vague, ultimately useless prophecy at him. The first of many scenes like it in later arcs. It feels completely and utterly out of left field, instantly turning StarClan from a mysterious, possibly not even fully benevolent force, into THE most annoying plot device ever.

Secondly... BloodClan.

BloodClan is introduced as a TRULY EVIL group of horrible atheists who hate love and friendship, to the point of banning families, and are now here to destroy our glorious society and steal our home. They're depicted as being ruled by fear and brutality, unbound by concepts like "honor" or "loyalty." You cannot reason with them or spare their lives, the barbarians must be killed and kept out, lest they replace us.

(there is even a moment where it's implied that if the soldiers lose the war, BloodClan will come and murder the elders and children too.)

It is SO bad and SO egregious, and it's played completely unironically. It bothers me so badly I've talked about it before. Multiple times, actually

After Tigerstar gets his well-deserved grallocking like a 10-point buck, the endgame villain of TPB is a foreigner and his army. Scourge is a foil of Firestar himself, but THIS one hates the clans and doesn't worship the right god, which makes him dangerous. Firestar is textually stronger than him because of his faith in StarClan.

At the end of the day, TPB, and the rest of the series that follows, doesn't refute Tigerstar's ideology. It even agrees. Weakness IS abhorrent. Outsiders ARE to be distrusted. Split loyalties ARE detestable. It just didn't like that he challenged the status quo.

Foreigners and their leaders ARE less trustworthy and more villainous than Clan cats. Wariness and even violence towards them is necessary, "justifying" the isolationist structure of the Clans. Scourge is only the first in a very long chain; then comes Sol, One Eye, Slash, and Darktail. Even Hawkfrost and Willow Tail can fit into this pattern.

With the death of these evil, troublemaking cats, the Clans return to the status quo. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Darkest Hour frames this like a wonderful, triumphant thing, with Firestar noting how the now-leaderless BloodClan fighters look so inferior to Clan warriors, Scourge's evil will never haunt them again (Tigerstar gets to be grieved though), and that with LionClan disbanding, they will all return to their petty bullshit squabbles.

So, BB's renaming.

I had a lot of ideas. I really liked the name "Moment of Truth" because it's the book that really brings together the theme of the arc, ending with Firestar realizing Scourge is right to distrust the Clans and that change is DESPERATELY needed, but the more I thought about it... the more I liked Before the Dawn

Reference to the phrase "The darkest hour comes before the dawn" BB is a much more optimistic story than canon, by tweaking the themes and details while following the major beats. Something is just... idk poetic? About picking the more uplifting part of the idiom. It feels right, like it's almost too perfect to go with any other title

It's a new era for the culture going foward It IS right before a "new dawn." It's the start of major changes to Clan culture, setting the events of the rest of BB into motion. The years and generations that follow are going to see major changes to the code, territory, culture, and philosophy in the universe. The choice that Firestar makes here is going to bring the Clans into a new epoch. Plus the cats are crepuscular now so I can literally have the final battle take place just before dawn because subtext is for CHUMPS

I like the idea of opening up the next arc with Dawn Just because that's really funny to me lmaoo. Something is cute about titles that reference each other. Maybe the first book of TNP could be "Dawn of the End" since the destruction of the forest starts early. Maybe add in some apocalyptic prophecies and such...

[somerandomdudelmao]

i was writing this all out in the tags of one of your recent updates (part 9 of 'donatello') when i realized i might as well just send it to you directly before i hit tag limit. (i hope you don't mind haha) this recent comic really reminded me of a concept that i've seen in your work that i haven't seen commented on a lot (though i could be wrong.)

casey jr and donatello's relationship as you've portrayed it is interesting in a number of ways. one i've been thinking about recently is the aspect of physical touch, and how you use that to represent the underlying themes/ideas behind their dynamic (and the story as a whole).

in the series, donnie is generally the least physical of his brothers, in that he prefers to be the one to initiate contact. (as a fellow autistic, i relate to this on a visceral level /lighthearted.) however, in your portrayal, this rule bends for casey's sake.

you've been setting up casey to follow in donatello's metaphorical footsteps for a while now, with this coming to fruition (to an extent) in recent storylines.

but going back a bit further. there's this major theme of... i guess i would call it 'responsibility?' that has been weaved through the story from... basically, day one.

in the first comic, his conversation with f!leo following leo's brief foray as a nugget (one of my favorite lines from this series overall is "...and leo-nugget." amazing, genuinely), casey admits to him that it was scary being responsible for someone that could get hurt so easily.

in one of the following chapters, we see the question asked: 'but who is there to save you?' (this chapter being a bit of a microcosm of the theme/story as a whole haha.)

though it was a chapter i had originally assumed was just for funsies and angst opportunities, i now realize i was wrong (though, i don't know exactly how intentional you were being with all of this, so i could be missing the mark here.) it actually sets up his arc rather nicely -- with casey being the one to save donatello when he was injured/knocked unconcious.

now, bringing this all back around to the original intent of this ask: how physical touch is used to represent their narrative dynamic (is that a thing? 'narrative dynamic'? am i just making shit up right now? whatever its fine /rehtorical)

taking everything in account, i want to return to a specific moment that really struck me in the comics leading up to donatello's death. it's the time where the resistance is being attacked, and donnie, despite being sick, goes out and uhhh... extirpates the problem (its always fun to see donnie go apeshit with dangerous weaponry /positive.)

during his dramatic reveal and attack, casey is by his side, clutching onto him not to cling, but to physically support him (at least, that's how i think that moment was supposed to be interpreted? i could be totally wrong here.)

i can't help but feel this is emblematic of the larger themes at play here-- i.e., casey's arc in relation to donatello.

i can't help but find it interesting how donatello, backbone of the resistance--

(despite his soft shell... which is why him no longer wearing his battle shell when he got sick was actually symbolic foreshadowing of-- *sound of gunshots*)

[editors note: i'm gonna stop myself right there, before this goes from ungodly long to "will break your dash and ask box if allowed to continue further"]

-- and certified plot mechanic (oh, so that's why he named it convenient plot-twist serum... finally, the mystery has been solved /joking /lighthearted), who is a very independent/self-sufficient character, allows casey jr to subvert his rules with casual touch. enough so, that when he is so weak that he can barely stand, he trusts casey jr to keep him upright.

out of everyone, he trusts casey.

casey jr, who, at the very beginning of the comic, saved donatello's life, physically carrying him back to the base. and casey jr, the one who, now, has rescued donatello from a fate worse than death, only to once again bring him back to safety.

(...can you tell i'm a little bit obsessed with your comic? lmao)

[also to note those most recent panels: a return to the "norm," with casey clinging to donatello's side, also providing a nice parallel. i know it's because he is very much reunited with his uncle who has been dead for two years, but c'mon. let me have this /joking.)]

anyway, i hope this made sense, and if you did manage to get through my pretentious (and probably somewhat far-fetched) rambles about the "symbolic narrative significance of touch" in a fanwork about the teenage mutant ninja turtles (/lighthearted), may i just say: i am in love with your work, and can only aspire to tell a story as engaging, heartfelt, and clever as the one you have woven.

you are a blessing to this fandom, and i am so excited to see where you go with this story.

I have to say that I didn't specifically do the mental planning for all of this. Most of this theme is simply because I do what I feel will be right. It's more of an intuitive desire than a prescribed plan, so it was pretty surprising to me to see this thought actually being formulated haha

Thank you:>

[pochapal]

hi there! Since you're currently Homestuck I'm writing in to ask you a favor: could you explain the truth/relevance/essentiality model of native integrity, for someone who has some experience with metafiction but hasn't read the Epilogues? I never got to that part of Homestuck and my attempts to Google explanations has left things very unclear in my head - in particular where each category ends and the other two begin.

okay so! caveat that a lot of this is going off memory and also 4 years of my own interpretation of the terms that may or may not correlate to actual reality, but truth/relevance/essentiality can be explained as follows:

as per the epilogues these things constitute the three pillars of canon - for a piece of fiction to attain canonicity it must be true relevant and essential to that which came before. in some ways this is as simple as if something like a sequel/spinoff passes the "he would not fucking say that" test and sometimes it's less simple.

for ease of understanding, each pillar can be understood as thus:

for something to be true, it must by definition not contradict either the literal or metaphorical truth of the canonical text. what comes after must be congruent with what came before. the easiest way to measure a story's truth value is to see if what is being said is verified as existing in some form within canon - if a character expresses interest in thing A, but this piece of fiction depicts them as both liking B and disliking A without even acknowledging their canonical enjoyment of A, then it loses its truth value.

for something to be relevant, it must have some matter of value or importance within the text itself. an example of something that is true but not relevant would be a side story that doesn't contradict the main canon but also doesn't add or change the core story in any way. inoffensive fluff of no consequence in other words.

for something to be essential, it must be in alignment with the themes and driving theses of the text. to make something essential, it must speak to the "why" of the source text in such a way that it either changes/becomes part of the central message. another understanding of essentiality is through audience impact - is this feature valued enough to stick in a reader's consciousness as a key component when recounting the story's details? in a lot of ways essentiality/relevance do share overlap, but my understanding is relevance = within the text and essentiality = outside of the text.

when thinking about these pillars, the important part is that these terms are also a loose metaphor for adherence to power structures/conformity to hierarchical norms. in homestuck, "canon" is a form of violence inflicted on its characters (the alpha timeline as a concept is the most accessible form of this) and so to adhere to canon is to perform existence in a way that the system views with approval. the pillars of canon are extrinsic validation that represent a total narrativising of reality, and thus the conflicts and hardships of canon continue to perpetuate (in homestuck epilogues terms, this comes in the form of sacrificing "happily ever after" for an intriguing and exciting sequel despite the suffering it will inflict on the characters).

what's interesting about this model is that truth/relevance/essentiality can also be self-generated and self-sustaining. a totally canon-divergent fanfiction will completely undermine the rules of its source to the point where if it were to be moored to canon it would damage the integrity of both texts, but it nonetheless continues to have its own internal consistency/structures. a queer AU means nothing to the source text, but it has meaning to itself and to the audience it exists for (audience response isn't very hashed out in the epilogues model, but i think it's important to consider for a more comprehensive picture - @hms-no-fun's godfeels touches a lot on this angle) and thus an alternative mode of being is formed in response.

the problem with a text that fails to adhere to these pillars is that, while it is afforded a greater structural freedom, it also fails to matter. a fanfiction that is canon-compliant has a greater value in the discourse surrounding its source text than a coffee shop au that only has character names and appearances as a shared commonality - even if this coffee shop au is a groundbreaking and moving piece of narrative, because it lacks any meaningful ties to canon it cannot be used to shape canon.

to give a clear example, a lot of this for me is most easily explored in the concept of june egbert who existed most prominently as a nebulous promise destined for the future of homestuck, but absent in its present. the question driving a lot of the fans with a vested interest in june during the 2019/2020 era was "june egbert is real, but how can june egbert be real? and what does june egbert being real mean?"

you can see this a lot with the two schools of fanworks depicting june egbert. on one hand you have what is loosely dubbed "hairclips june" - a version of june egbert who exists as the platonic ideal of transfeminine fantasy, who inhabits contemporary college aus and perfect femininity and coming out stories filled to the brim with queer coming of age tropes and feelgood trans girl archetypes. she is true and essential and relevant to the transgender experience (and indeed hairclips june *has* helped in cracking people's eggs and thus her validity and importance cannot be denied) but not the homestuck experience. in homestuck, june egbert will never come into being as an early 20's john egbert who realizes her depression is actually unaddressed dysphoria and who spends a great deal of time taking estrogen and wearing skirts and kissing her friends, but that doesn't mean there isn't a great deal of value in these texts existing regardless of their proximity to canon.

on the flipside you have "extant june" (a term i am inventing right now to categorize this character type in absence of official terminology), a version of june egbert focused much more on meaningfully addressing "how can june egbert come to be in a convincing way?", or "what canon and canon-adjacent avenues could june egbert take to come into being?". these june works are more dominated by the messy and heavy and dramatic rules that govern homestuck, and figuring out how to fit june egbert into that pattern. one such instance of this is godfeels, whose june comes about from a mind-meld with a sort of brain ghost vriska after a severe depressive episode and creates the composite "june eg8ert", a manifestation of vriska's influence on john during act 5 brought to its logical extreme. another instance is my own story, omelette route, which has june egbert come into being following her resurrection at the end of the epilogues and the canonical truth that "john egbert is dead"; freed from the narrative obligation of being john egbert, she is able to start examining the true shape of her feelings - this of course is an extension of the questions of selfhood posed over and over again by postcanon homestuck. you can even turn to homestuck^2 itself for what will almost certainly be "canon" june's entrance, through a 40 year old john egbert who, after sleepwalking his way into a miserable life and cruel world, has decided to once again give autonomy a chance.

extant june's stories are, for a better term, characterised in bleak and heavy and thematically dense brushstrokes, because homestuck itself is all of these things and more. to make a plausible june egbert that adheres to the rules of homestuck is to make june egbert compatible with the suffering of homestuck. june will never get a neat and happy coming out, but she might experience post-resurrection ego dissolution, or she might experience a personality-shifting psychic fusion, as these are all extreme character-defining moments common to homestuck's narrative language. yet there remains a controversy in these junes compared to hairclips june - these stories are often too complicated, too messy, too traumatic for an easy and palatable consumption. and yet they feel infinitely more tangible than a story about 21 year old college senior john egbert who is forcefemmed by his transfem roommate rose lalonde and has several feelings awoken as a result.

one version of june strives for truth and relevance and essentiality, and one does not. both junes contain an immense value for their respective audiences. in this way, you don't need the pillars of canon to have a conversation with a story's audience, but you do need them to have a conversation with the story itself. a story can only speak to its own pillars. if you discard those pillars either willingly or unwillingly, then you are distancing yourself from the possibility of dialogue. this is not to say that extant june is more "real" than hairclips june (they are both fanworks after all, and thus unable to ever attain absolute "truth" on their own due to not being canonically-authored texts), but that extant junes are more readily in direct dialogue and conversation with homestuck and thus have a greater potential for influence in this specific way. hairclips june through her essentiality can change your relationship to yourself, while extant june through her essentiality and relevance can change your relationship to homestuck.

i hope this helps in illuminating these concepts in a way that makes more tangible sense!

[gojostan-doodles]

Your interpretation of Sebastian is my favorite 💖💖💖

Can I have a list of your headcanons for him queen 👑

Oh my gosh ADGHSGS THANK YOUU!! That means a lot homie! 💗💗 (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) As for headcanons;

🎮 He's very competitive! It doesn't matter if you're good friends, dating, or married. When it comes to games, especially pool, he's cooking you... and NOT feeling bad afterwards!!

🗡️ I've mentioned it recently, but he's familiar with the mines and is pretty decent at combat! He's not doing anything super crazy of course, he does spend a lot of time at his computer after all. But with how often he explores AND how far down he goes, (gifting the farmer void essence and obsidian means he's fighting every variation of shadow brute, and AT LEAST reaching level 81) I have to assume that he can handle himself well! It's probably his only source of exercise tbh.

If you marry him, I imagine that the time he spends helping on the farm would help a ton with his overall endurance and strength! And if you're ever in the mines, and gone later than usual, he'll go in to make sure you're okay. In general he wouldn't hesitate to accompany you in mines, or complete any tasks you have to do in there himself if you don't like going in there.

💜 Over the course of being married to him, he breaks out of his shell. Allowing himself to be comfortable, y'know? He'd start initiating physical affection with his spouse more often. I also feel like he'd be more comfortable with occasionally teasing the farmer, and overall being a little shit to them. Only while you're alone at home though, in public he pretends to be sane.

I still consider him to be introverted, but I imagine that over time he gets better at navigating social situations. (He would still prefer to be at home though.)

I like to imagine that his relationship with Maru improves too. There's a mod that I use, I think it's called Mal's Sebastian Expansion? But in that mod he and Maru interact a lot more. It's really nice seeing their relationship improve. They deserve to be siblings, RAAHH!! I really like the mod overall since it goes into stuff with his biological father as well. I pretty much apply it all to my interpretation of Seb!

ALSO! I feel like he has a very silly laugh, but it's rarely heard because he's so reserved. So while in the comfort of your home (and accidentally around Sam and Abigail occasionally) if something funny happens, he'll burst into laughter. It's SO different from he's normal "heh" that it catches everyone off guard.

🎹 He uses his synthesizer primarily for band practice/ concerts, and for the video game he's developing. When he's not doing that, he makes goofy ass beats for fun.

📍He has a high pain tolerance, so he's totally chill while getting piercings and tattoos!

🐻 And a sillier headcanon, he's beaten 50/20 mode in FNAF Ultimate Custom Night

[magicstormfrostfire]

Something that confuses me a lot is some people's reactions/analysis to Sonic saving Shadow in the void in Sonic Prime.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it, and its parallels to what happened in SA2. That is incredible. But what confuses me is that a lot of people assume that in this show, SA2 happened and Sonic is losing Shadow again.

But I don't think that's the case...? I know it was said that the show follows modern games/everything is canon, but I dont think that means what some people think it means. I've seen some people criticize this interpretation of Sonic BECAUSE they think all of the games happened in this universe.

What I understood is that this is simply using the current ongoing personalities/traits/styles of the modern Sonic characters in games, but this is NOT the same universe. Its a different one. The direction they are going with the characters in Sonic Prime is writing them closer to their mainline game counterparts, just in a different universal setting. The universe is just not as drastic of a difference as say, Movie!Sonic or Sonic Boom's universe. (Which i think is why they made a point to say its following mainline Sonic; because Boom is a universe with its own games, Sonic, and canon as well.)

This is also why I think so many people judge Sonic Prime on what Sonic should know, how he should act, and what he should have learned from. But this is a different universe Sonic! He's a lot more naive and learning to get around. Its why I interpeted that Sonic catching Shadow was not ptsd of losing him again, it was fear of losing him period. This is very likely this Sonic's first world-saving scenario; he's use to just stopping Eggman's latest 'Robot of the week'. He is out of his depth with the shatterverse situation.

Now, I think its totally fair if this kind of 'new & naive' direction with Sonic's character turns people off, or if they dislike/hate it. This is not me trying to pursuade people into liking it if they don't. This is not me saying 'hey if you dislike this, its prolly because you're interpreting it wrong and if you see it this way you will like it.' But I constantly see people criticize the show for not taking into account things that happened in games. Or in this case, praising it for taking account events in the games. Those things didnt happen here! This is a different Sonic!

Of course, I could absolutely be wrong, and if I am, that's fine. But honestly it feels like they're making a different Sonic altogether, and frankly it wouldnt make sense for this to be the exact same Sonic.

So I guess my overall point is that I kind of feel like Prime is being saddled with game expectations it literally cannot meet, via being a different universe. Like I said, hate it, love it, idc I'm not your mom. I just think that this needs to be said and added to the conversation.

('Everything is canon' means 'every interpretation is valid'. Sonic has different universes, so its a lot more validating to fans to say everything happened, instead of alienating entire swathes of fans who all experienced Sonic differently through different media, by saying their experience isn't 'real' or 'true' anymore. And I think the more people realize this, the less people will argue 'evidence XYZ in game and this comic and the Japanese version of this podcast, and this game dev, and this episode, and this writer contradict your theory of Sonic hugging people' you do not need canon as gospel to validate why you like or dislike a certain take.)

Sonic in general is so fun because of how freeform and multiverse and endless it is. We haven't had that in a long time. There are things I love and things I hate, but not because of how closely they follow mainline. Its because I just like or hate it. We should cultivate this new growth and diversity, not prune it to fit into one shape. ����

[renthony]

I haven't enjoyed a Marvel movie since I stopped bothering to keep up with the MCU in 2014. I don't care for most Marvel movies. I think Marvel Studios is a case study in things that are shitty in the entertainment industry. But holy shit, pretentious posts along the lines of "haha, I don't watch Marvel films, I have real taste, go watch another movie!" are so fucking annoying.

Like, go put up your middle finger at some preps or something. People are allowed to watch whatever they want and enjoy whatever movies they want and make whatever fandom stuff they want, and that doesn't say anything about their intelligence or morals or character. It doesn't mean they are somehow bad at watching movies, or are too stupid to realize whatever nugget of wisdom ye high-and-mighty Marvel Haters think you're the only ones to understand.

Again, not personally a Marvel fan, but this whole "haha, I'm better than Marvel fans" relates to something I've been musing on about media analysis as a whole. There is a persistent idea that mass entertainment is inherently lower quality or less artistic because it's made for a wide audience, and that bad art isn't worth analyzing or engaging with just because it's low quality. In this mindset, the only art that has the possibility to be any good at all is 100% independent projects made by amateurs, and anything produced by a studio or with wide appeal is inherently poser art with absolutely nothing meaningful to say. In this mindset, you can't possibly learn anything or take anything from bad art, and if you find meaning in bad art, you're clearly just stupid and uneducated and have bad taste.

The thing is? Liking bad art is not a sin. Having a different opinion about what constitutes "bad art" is not a sin. Finding something entertaining despite its flaws is not a sin. Studying bad art is not a sin. You can learn a lot from bad art, you can learn a lot from interpreting propaganda, you can learn a lot from engaging with things even if you don't think they're very "good."

My vaudeville research keeps turning up author after author who talks about vaudeville as some sort of "point of no return," like the performing arts all turned to shit the second things were intended to be seen by more than a single audience for a single show. Popularity gets equated with lack of skill or quality, because all the performers were "just pandering to the audience" instead of relying on "real skill."

For one, what the fuck does that even mean, but for two, the theatrical quality of vaudeville isn't what makes it interesting and worth engaging with. Every single thing that ever came out of vaudeville could be 100% total utter garbage, but vaudeville would still be worth studying because of how influential it still is on arts and entertainment today. It has significant historical and educational merit. And some of it is still genuinely fun and entertaining, once you pick out all the things that didn't age well or were just plain bigoted. There's artistic merit in those old sketches and songs, and there's meaning to be drawn from plenty of it even here in 2023.

You want to learn about the Hays Code? Well, let's talk about how early films were shown on projectors on vaudeville stages, so vaudeville censorship went on to influence American film censorship. Let's talk about how we still use slang to this day that originated on vaudeville, such as "skit" or "one night stand" or "ad lib" or "the big time." Vaudeville is still in the bones of the modern American entertainment industry and pop culture, and you can't really escape that influence.

People in modern day use Marvel movies as proof that big studio films are singlehandedly responsible for the decline of art, and there is nothing to learn from them or see in them at all, ever. But to me, "Marvel movies are bad" is such a flat, uninteresting observation, because when it comes to media analysis, it doesn't really matter if Marvel films are good or entertaining. If you want to actually dig into the problems with big-budget summer Hollywood blockbusters, and the way they're impacting the industry as a whole, you have to go deeper than "pop culture is all stupid stuff for stupid people, unlike me, who isn't like other girls actually has good taste in media!"

There are so many more factors at play than "mass entertainment = bad art." Let's look at the ways capitalism screws over small creators and forces them to seek funding from the very same studios that fuck them over. Let's talk about how the actual workers in the industry are fighting tooth and fucking nail against the exact same things all the Marvel haters harp on about. Let's talk about studios that accept funding from the United States Government to turn superhero comics into propaganda films, and then threaten the actual workers with never having a career again if they complain or quit. Let's talk about how the actors are regularly abused and treated to hostile work environments.

Let's talk about the people who made the films, because the films were not made by a CEO pressing the "make movie" button. The workers made those films. The workers were exploited by those studios. Let's try giving a shit about them, instead of taking the "haha, Marvel fans are stupid and cringe" route.

There is so much more fucking nuance and detail and conversation about mass media as a topic, and boiling it down to, "art made for a wide audience is inherently shitty and has nothing to say."

You're not a better, more intelligent, more educated person just because you don't like Marvel movies. Making posts about how much better you are than Marvel fans does nothing to either explain or tackle the issues in the entertainment industry.

It just makes you look like a dickhead.

[icedragonlizard]

What if dream friends had dialogue in Star Allies?

I suppose it could've been a lot of unnecessary work for HAL to do, but I still think it could be highly fun and imaginative to think about.

How cool would it be if the game's plot actually acknowledged the existence of the dream friends? The things they'd say in-game, etc...

I think it would be especially fun to think about what all the different dream friends might saying during the mage sister fights. Like, y'know, the points of the game where there's dialogue. What they all might say to the mage sisters in response to their words....

... I'm not going to go over what I think every dream friend would say in these moments, but I think I'd like to focus on ones such as Susie, Magolor, Marx, Taranza and Daroach. Why these ones in particular? Because I think they'd probably be the more entertaining ones in what they'd have to say in their dialogue during the mage battles.

How funny would it be that Marx and Magolor just troll the shit out of the mages? How funny would it be that Susie acts condescending when talking to them? How funny would it be that Taranza joke-flirts with them, he doesn't actually mean it as he's just doing it to get them riled up? How funny would it be that Daroach tells them to watch out before he steals from them? This stuff is fanfiction-worthy! Heck, this might be the biggest reason why I might attempt my adaptation of Star Allies into a fanfiction in the future, although I've got many other fics planned beforehand so it'd be a long while.

But still! There could be endless potential when thinking about this.

Let me demonstrate an example. First, let's look at the part where the game first introduces Flamberge, and she's really angry.

"HEY, YOU! Stubby little...pink thing! Yes, YOU! I have a buuuurning question for you! You're the one who was so rude to sweet Francisca, aren't you?! Don't you dare try to deny it!"

"Ohohohohohohoho! We sure put that crazy blue lady in her place! What are you gonna do about it? Throw a temper tantrum? Go so berserk that you lose control and we can easily beat you?"

Wanna guess who said that? Hahahaha... the purple text probably made it obvious. In this interpretation, it's Marx who said that. There's no way he wouldn't just totally mock them and rub it in their faces. At the very least in my interpretation of Marx, it'd be like him to do that.

And by the way, I'm one that actually headcanons Marx becoming friends with the mage sisters post-HiAD because he loves how chaotic they are, and loves that they're willing to join him in doing insane shit (especially Francisca). But during Star Allies when the mages were the enemy? I bet he totally mocked the shit out of them!

Magolor, too. Here's a good example of Magolor having dialogue against one of the mages:

"Bonjam. I am Zan Partizanne, the eldest of the three generals of magic."

"Woah... Zan what? I didn't hear that thoroughly! I think I'll call you Zan Parmesan Cheese, though!"

".... I absolutely HATE that you ended up getting my name more right than a lot of other fools have."

It'd be hilarious to see a lot of dream friends trying to say her name. All the different ways they could say it wrong.

Here's a Taranza example:

"This must be the fiery flames of fate at work! Ooooh yeaaaah! My flames and I are fully stoked now!"

"Golly, you're really hot, good ma'am!" with a trollish look on his face.

"... Excuse me? EXCUSE ME?"

"Hahahahahaha! Am I making you overheat too much, fool?"

I think Taranza deserves to be depicted as silly sometimes.

A Daroach example:

"We wish to assemble the dark Jamba Heart pieces that were scattered across the universe."

"Woah... you want them all? That's a big bummer! What if I want to steal some of them? Maybe I'll still do it out of spite, teehee!"

I hate the limited amount of colors allowed for tumblr posts. To make it clear, for this example, the blue text is Francisca while the red text is Daroach. While, of course, Flamberge was the red text in the examples with Marx and Taranza, while Magolor was the blue text in the example with Zan.

And now, let me demonstrate a couple examples with Susie. I think she'd delightfully fire off on them like the feisty cheeky woman she is.

"I shall now turn this pink ball of nice into a frozen block of ice!"

"No you won't. This 'pink ball of nice' is a force of pure destruction, and you're going to defrost by daring to harm the universe with all of this insolent nonsense. You must be destroyed!"

"... Very well. But I won't go down without a fight, so you best watch out that you all might become ice sculptures this time. I can more than make sure of it!"

"We will more than make sure to obliterate you, just like the rest of your barbaric cult! Let's put her in her place, Pinky!"

Susie example with Zan:

"I did not expect you to survive your visit to Jambastion."

"You thought that would've gotten us? Pfft! We've all been through worse than that. You're going to have to try harder than that if you really want to eliminate us for good."

"Really, you survived worse? Well, that doesn't matter, because your luck has run out."

"No. Your luck has run out. We're going to exterminate all of you like the savages you are!"

This works out well with my interpretation that Susie's Japanese SA pause description containing the words "exterminate the savages!" is referring to the Jambastion cult when they were still the enemy. I headcanon that she's slowly in the process of unpacking baggage, and "savages" is just a thing she calls people she views as enemies.

And uh... to be honest, the cult kind of deserved to be called words like that during Star Allies when they were threatening everything.

I've done a lot of examples of a few dream friends having dialogue during the mage battles. But what about when confronting Hyness?

I think all the dream friends would be horrified at the moments that Hyness knocks Zan out of the way, weaponize all three mage sisters' bodies in his second phase of the fight, and then sacrificing them and himself to Void Termina. It would make them just flabbergasted.

Although I bet Marx would probably laugh at how unhinged he is.

"It seems... we do not have enough energy... to revive our Dark Lord... Must we... allow ourselves... to fall... into oblivion?"

"Yes, you should do that!"

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"No no no no no!"

"Yes yes yes yes yes!"

"*goes on his giant unhinged rant*"

"*laughs hysterically* Look at you go off! It's hilarious!"

Marx is just... lmao.

Sorry that I don't have examples with every dream friend having dialogue in this post. But you get the general idea! Perhaps if you have ideas as to what the other dream friends could say in these moments, feel free to mention them in the notes!

Although I'll leave you here with a King Dedede example, just cuz:

"For what you've done, I'll scorch you to such a degree that... that... even tasty, toasty marshmallows will seem like ice cubes compared to you!"

"You ain't gonna be scorchin' any of us, ya hot fiery slimeball! We'll put you in your place like we did to the blue look-a-like of ya!"

Hahaha... ha... I interpret southern accent Dedede. Sue me.

Thanks for reading the post if you did! Let me know about more ideas of dream friend dialogue you have in the notes. I'd be curious what else you think in this broad, interesting concept.

[scintillyyy]

there is something, and i'm saying this nicely, wrt to participating in fandoms & like. the idea of do you have to interact with the source material to enjoy a certain fandom or fanworks about it. and to me the answer is 'no'. there have been plenty of fandoms over the years that i have consumed fanworks of (either bc i didn't have time to watch the whole thing or lost my attention span, or it was a video game i didn't have a system for & i just gathered what information i could about it, or is was a show or something i didn't have easy access to (it was the early 00s, after all)). i admire fanworks' ability to draw people in and show them they could be interested in something they may have never even considered picking up before.

however if we're talking about creating for the fandom with no desire to interact at all with the source material, then, well. hm. with comics especially i totally get that there's a lot of different writers & characterizations & even the source material format can vary *so wildy* it can be easy to want to act like none of it matters because there's no true concrete unchanging linear canon. after all, any of the batman movies are a canon to draw from. so is batman '66. any of the animated shows as well. so is post-crisis continuity. so is rebirth continuity. comics fandom is a medium where you do have to do some cherry-picking when you form a preferred personal characterization of a character. and everyone will have their own interpretations & that's a general good! differences in opinion are a good thing. but if you're going to create for a fandom and address actual, concrete things that happen in canon then you're not actually dealing with a "well there's lots of different canon sources to choose from" thing. because now there *is* a specific, concrete thing that happened. if you're talking about bruce dying & returning that is a specific storyline that happened and is unchanging. if you're talking about the dick and tim fallout + resolution story from red robin #1-12 that is a specific thing that happened in one specific story that happened and is unchanging. there's not a batman '66 version of bruce getting lost in time. there's not a dcau version of the dick & tim red robin fight. it's not a thing where it's like "well who is tim drake anyways? there's lots of different versions of tim". that specific scenario happened to a *very specific* version of the character. if you're trying to address a very specific plotline, shouldn't there at least be some awareness of what actually went down in it? how do you know what you want to change and why you want to change it if you haven't experienced it for yourself?

and not that it can't be fun to play with how different versions of the characters might respond to plotlines they've never been party to & it certainly can be very fun to explore the tropes of certain plotlines with different versions of the characters, or mishmashed versions of different continuities of the characters. it's just. if you're trying to address or expand upon a certain, specific plot point that happened in a specific story to specific versions of the characters, then it's not so simple as "well there's no one true canon or canon for the character" bc the one true canon of that story event usually does in fact exist with the characterization it was written with. rebirth character differences existing now doesn't affect what happened then. those events are things that happened. idk.

[lavendertales]

SEÑORITA: Chapter 4**

pairing: Javier Peña x Murphy!f!reader

summary: Javier agrees to help you fix the pipes at your apartment. though you don't expect to be so affected by his presence there, certainly not when you seem to be friends now.

word count: 5.5k

series warnings: reluctant friends to lovers, lots of playful banter, mutual pining, slow burn, secret relationship, filthy smut.

chapter warnings: some tension, female masturbation.

AGELESS/EMPTY BLOGS & MINORS WILL BE BLOCKED!

series masterlist | AO3

One might think that after all the loss, bloodshed and destruction witnessed in Colombia, nothing—or very little—would daze Javier. The rough, cruel things, those he’s used to.

What he’s not used to are the little things: small rituals that could make or break his day. So it comes as nearly a shock within the following few weeks when he unknowingly begins a morning ritual with you.

The two of you go to work in the opposite direction of the street; Javier takes his car, you head for the subway. Nonetheless, you began to run into each other as you rushed out the building in the morning. He greeted you with a nod, to which you flashed the typical polite smile down his way and he held the door open for you.

Once, twice, thrice… and before he knew it, he’d been doing it every single morning, five days a week, for over a month. You didn’t exchange pleasantries or talk much, just the occasional “how’s work” and “how have you been”. This was the sole interaction you had with Javier; you never visited each other or even looked for each other. That sole good morning salutation, paired with the bare minimum of holding the door open for you, was the one contact you had with your brother’s best friend.

Yet somehow it became important for Javier to maintain that little morning ritual, otherwise his whole day would just be no good.

Even today, a Sunday, he feels fidgety as he mindlessly cleans the nooks and cracks of his apartment. Is it safe to say that greeting you in the morning has been the highlight of the past four weeks? Sure. Would he do the same thing for any other neighbor, considering there is no serious meaning behind the gesture?

This question remains unanswered.

Mostly because Javier doesn’t want to acknowledge that there is anything special about his morning ritual with you. There isn’t anything special, he reminds himself as he begins to clean the sink. You’re just a neighbor, his friend’s little sister who is very much off limits. And luckily, he doesn’t feel attracted to you, not in the typical way. He’s curious about you and amused by your comebacks towards Steve, oddly mesmerized by your intelligence and determination, but that’s about it.

That’s as far as he’ll let it go.

And you too know your limitations: you never do more than offer than stereotypical polite smile at him, never give him anything which could be interpreted as flirting. You do find him very attractive, but that is simply an objective remark. Matter of fact, neither one of you crosses that invisible line between politeness and flirting.

You choose to spend your Sunday morning a little differently, however; when Sylvie called you at 7 am sharp to let you know she was on her way to have breakfast with you, you grumbled something along the lines of “great, I was totally awake before you called” and jumped out of bed to get ready. Ten minutes later, if the brewing pot of coffee didn’t alert your senses, the incessant buzzing at the door certainly did it.

“You know you can buzz just once, right?” you tell Sylvie.

She shrugs, letting herself in. “What’s the fun in that?”

You roll your eyes, welcoming her inside nonetheless. Sylvie has been a godsend in all aspects—ever since college, the two of you have been practically inseparable. One could not invite you to a party and not expect Sylvie to show up, and vice versa. You were a little afraid once you graduated, wondering where life would take the two of you and hope that the two of you could stay in touch at least.

Luckily, when Sylvie told you she got a job at the same library you did, you couldn’t have been happier. Things were perfect, and somehow they still managed to remain perfect once Sylvie met Zack. Curiously enough, Zack fit in with the two of you just fine, never making you feel like the third wheel in their relationship, or like he was an extra whenever you and Sylvie required your girl time.

Such as this morning: you and Sylvie enjoy a hearty breakfast together, followed by a much needed cup of coffee, laughing and sharing updates about your lives without any outside distraction.

“Have you talked to Steve since the dinner?” she asks.

“Quite regularly, actually.”

“I really don’t know how you do that.”

“What?”

“Move on like nothing happened. You never really talk about the elephant in the room, so you just let things boil and boil—“

“Syl, it’s just not like us to have sappy conversations. Mostly because he’s so much like mom and dad, he probably won’t ever hear me properly.”

“Baby, that dinner was proof that all this tension you let simmer between you guys for over a decade is brewing at dangerous temperatures now and it’s starting to tip over! You’ll need to have an open and honest conversation at some point.”

You put down your mug and so does Sylvie, staring right at you. She opens her mouth to say something else, probably something smart like always, when her eyes shoot upwards, the hint of the smirk on her face disappearing. Even when confused, there’s just something about her that’s very enthralling, like she’s a piece of art staring off into the distance. You’ve always been a little jealous of how she carried herself so effortlessly and cool, while you had to put on a brave and sarcastic front just to survive in the concrete jungle and let people know you meant business.

“What’s that noise?” she inquires.

“Pipes are acting up again. Other tenants reported the same issue. I called the building manager and he said a guy will get here.”

“Great!”

“Next week.”

She swallows a groan. “Typical.”

“Yeah. Gotta find a faster and better solution. Maybe I can ask Javier. He seems quite handy.”

Instantly, Sylvie raises her brows suggestively, waiting for a continuation on your part. But what she gets is a mere snicker from your side, disapproving and mocking.

“Don’t start,” you warn her.

“You know, I’ve seen this Javier around. Steve’s best friend, right?”

“So it’s been established.”

“What you failed to mention is that he’s ridiculously hot. I’m talking strictly objectively here, of course.”

You frown. “And how is that relevant to the pipe situation?”

“Might be, since you’re considering bringing him into your apartment to ‘fix your pipes’.”

“Okay, first of all, theoretically, it’s still our apartment. Your name is still on the lease. Second of all, could you please not say it like that? And lose the air quotes, for fuck’s sake. That’s exactly what I want to ask him. Don’t turn this into something dirty.”

Then Sylvie bursts into laughter, a sound serene and alluring like her, much to your annoyance.

“Oh, my sweet summer child,” she laughs, putting her mug down as well. “You are such a fool.”

“We’re neighbors. Acquaintances through my brother, and maybe—maybe—a tiny friendly, but that’s being generous.”

“Yeah, I bet you’d like having him be all handy for you.”

You can’t help the chuckle that leaves your mouth. “Would you stop it already? It’s literally nothing like that. Besides, he let everyone know that I am not his type, which is great because—“

“Because he’s exactly your type.”

“Uh, no, excuse you, I was into bad boys. Which he is not. Not anymore, at least.”

“Are you kidding me? Hello! That is the sexiest category of bad boys there is!”

Your frown deepens. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Sylvie sighs, irritated at your possibly purposeful oblivion, so she stands up and walks around the kitchen, as if trying to compose herself.

“I cannot believe I have to explain this to you since you were the queen of dating bad choices,” she sighs again, “but here we go. A reformed bad guy is the sexiest thing because he wants to put his past behind him and be a better man. He wants to do good things, to be good. And mark my words, this Javier is gonna be on his knees before you, asking you to teach him how to be good, and then you’re gonna be in big trouble, missy.”

You listen to her all the way through, rummaging her words carefully before deciding that she must’ve been insane. “I was following you in the first half, but then you lost me. This man is super stubborn and way too independent to ask anyone anything.”

Sylvie grins, sitting back down. “Like I said. Mark my words. He’s gonna be on your knees for you, being all ‘teach me how to be good, baby’.”

“You seriously gotta stop. I cannot imagine this ever happening.”

“Really? Not even the part about him being on his knees for you? Cause that’s hot.”

“Syl—“

“Hell, it did things even for me, and you know how grossly in love Zack and I are.”

“Okay, finish your coffee and get out of here.”

“You’re throwing me out?!”

“You said enough shit for one morning.”

Sylvie giggles, and it prompts you to do the same. You do your best to shun all those images about Javier, images you absolutely did not need. Not now, not ever.

Again, there is no denying the objective fact that Javier is a very attractive man. However, there is such a thing as dating bad boys, even reformed ones, and those days are long gone for you. You know better than anyone that those flings never ended well, and how different could it be with someone who’s aware of past mistakes and wants to be a better person?

 Mark my words, this Javier is gonna be on his knees before you, asking you to teach him how to be good.

Sylvie’s words echo painfully in your head, so you shake your head vehemently to deny their mere existence having been spoken into the world. There’s nothing to worry about, you reassure yourself.

Monday mornings at the library were some of your favorite times ever. There wasn’t a crowd—because yes, this could be a real problem sometimes—which meant you could organize the shelves at your own pace, sip from your coffee, far away from your boss’s eyes, and even read something for yourself if things were really quiet.

So you woke up in a very good mood, managing to ignore the obnoxious noise coming from the pipes whenever you used water—while you still had it, that is—and went downstairs. To your surprise, there was no sign of Javier this morning. You didn’t want to wait around like some kind of creep or even like someone who’d acknowledge that the reason why you were waiting was something bigger, so after roughly a minute you made your way into the street and towards the subway.

You were a tiny disappointed that you and Javier didn’t get through your little morning ritual, mostly because you wanted to ask him if he could help you out with the pipes in your apartment. There was no way you’d last in this state till the end of the week, and by then, it was highly probably that you’d run out of water too.

So you take a mental note to stop by his place after work and ask him if he has some time to help you out.

“Still not thinking about what I told you yesterday morning?”

You raise your eyes from the book you’ve been reading to find Sylvie’s smirk waiting for you. With another roll of your eyes, you close the book and stare disapprovingly at her.

“About what, exactly?” you retort.

“Handsome guys on their knees—“

“Stop it.”

“So… yes.”

Her smirk turns into a bright smile, one that you could not be less impressed of.

“Is there a point to this conversation or…?”

“Of course. You’ve got a handsome customer waiting at the counter.”

You frown. “Why didn’t you help him out?”

“I’m on organizing duty in the back. Sorry.”

You exhale, heading to the front whilst mumbling several cuss words at Sylvie. God, you love her to death but sometimes she can be so relentless with all of her damn—

“Javier?”

You’re more surprised than you were this morning, that’s for sure; you exchange a glare with him, noticing he’s not sharing your sentiment.

“Hola, seño—“

He stops himself, pursing his lips together and following up with your name and nothing else.

“Hi,” you smile, albeit your unremitting confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“People usually come to these places to get books, so… I’m here to try that, too.”

“I meant more like, what are you doing at this library?”

“I’m on my lunch break and Murphy did mention you worked nearby so I figured I’d stop by for some books.”

You nod slowly, returning to your usual customer voice. “Okay then. What can I help you with today, Javier?”

“Do you have any Pablo Neruda books?”

Eyes wide and mouth parted, you stare at Javier for what feels like minutes on end, trying to acknowledge what you just heard.

“You read Pablo Neruda?” you can’t help but ask.

You also realize that you must look incredibly shocked, which could be deemed offensive to him, and yet it seems that Javier is ready to burst into laughter, even as he frowns at you.

“Why is that surprising?”

“It’s not, it’s just—I wouldn’t have expected you to read love poems.”

“How so?”

“Well, I’d expect someone visibly soft and kind, a hopeless romantic, to read love poems. If you are like that, you’re very good at hiding it. Or rather you really don’t like showing it.”

Javier gulps, avoiding your eyes for a little bit.

“Hit a nerve?” you check.

“Kind of. I wanna say you read me like a book but—“

You chuckle, making a sign for him to follow you. “Anything specific from Neruda you’re looking for? We got some of his work here.”

“Cien Sonetos de Amor. One Hundred Love Sonnets.”

“Have you always read love poems?”

“Not always. Since I came back from Colombia, a whole lot more though. They’re… hopeful, I guess. And soothing. Is that weird?”

You smile, thankful that you’re in front of him so he doesn’t notice that.

“Not at all,” you reply. “It’s wonderful, if anything. I haven’t met any guy who willingly read love poems. Especially not someone I’ve heard is some sort of bad boy.”

“Reformed.”

“Right.”

A reformed bad guy is the sexiest thing because he wants to put his past behind him and be a better man.

He wants to do good things, to be good.

You quickly shake your head, denying Sylvie’s words. She might be right, but this is not what it’s happening here.

“So you’re secretly a romantic?” you joke, perusing through the N shelf.

You hear him draw a heavy breath, which prompts you to turn around to look at him. You think you detect a hint of sadness on his face, but you could be mistaken. You don’t know him that well, after all.

But you do wish you could be there as a friend at least. He does look like he needs a confidant.

“I don’t know,” Javier eventually replies, his voice distant when he does.

“Surely you had at least one relationship that could confirm or infirm that theory.”

“I did.”

“And?”

“And… I don’t know if I am.”

“Didn’t you love her?”

“I loved her. I was just not… in love with her.”

“Oh.”

Suddenly you’re thinking that the reason why Javier reads love poems isn’t necessarily because he’s romantic, but maybe for research. Maybe he wants to better himself by knowing more about intimacy and relationships and how it’s perceived by the opposite gender.

He wants to do good things, to be good.

“Here you are,” you announce, handing him the book. “Cien Sonetos de Amor, 1959, paperback.”

Upon noticing the look on Javier’s frown, you take a step back and stare at him.

“What?”

“N-Nothing. You just—your Spanish pronunciation is really good.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone pronounce the words so clearly, so…”

He gulps, choosing not to finish the sentence and definitely not to recall how you basically had your hand in his pants without anyone really noticing.

“Thanks,” he clears his throat. “For the book.”

“Anything else you need?”

He falters; for a single fucking second that freezes in time, he falters.

“No, I’m good.”

“Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a favor. If you have the time and patience, obviously.”

“What’s going on?”

“Not sure if this is happening in your apartment too, but there’s a pipe maintenance situation going on. Or lack of maintenance thereof.”

“I did hear some funny noises, yeah.”

“I called the building manager and he said someone will come by the end of the week but I’m afraid I’ll run out of water. Any chance you’re good with pipes?”

Javier opens his mouth to respond, coming to acknowledge the fact that this is foreign territory: him coming to your apartment, even if to help you, is something hard to explain. Just picturing the explanation to Steve is equal parts hilarious and troublesome.

No, yeah, I went over there just to help clean her pipes. Drained them out entirely. Nothing else happened.

But he doesn’t need to justify his help offering to Steve, does he? It’s innocent.

“You’re in luck,” Javier announces. “I know my way around a house.”

“Secretly a romantic and good with housework? Hard to believe you’re not fighting off the ladies right now.”

“If I were, I wouldn’t be going through this shitty ass dry spell.”

Fuck. Why did he say that? He shouldn’t have said it ever, much less in a public library or to you. Luckily you just seem amused.

“You too huh?” you chuckle.

“Wait, you too?”

“A year and a half. You?”

“A year and two months.”

“This is… interesting. No idea why I just confessed to this here, or to you.”

“Maybe we do have some things in common.”

“No people to sleep with? Great common ground to start on.”

You both chuckle, eyes straying away from each other though. You feel that if you look at him now, you acknowledge the fact that there is a simple solution for the biological need you’re feeling, and that you both have the same idea, but know that it would only complicate things and that you should not go down that road.

Even if it would be a great distraction if nothing else.

“Anyway,” you clear your throat this time around, “here you are, sir. One Pablo Neruda book, 19.99.”

Javier hands you a twenty dollar bill, you cash it, give him the receipt with a smile. Your fingers accidentally graze against each other and you both pull away abruptly, oddly embarrassed as if every little thing that happens to you isn’t a normal occurrence, but rather on purpose.

Could it be because of Steve’s warning to Javier, constantly booming in the back of your heads? Did he really get to you that bad that you viewed any regular interaction as a threat? And a threat to what? Fun? A potentially good relationship, or friendship?

“Is it okay if you stop by tonight?” you ask him.

“Sure.”

“I should be home by six.”

“Then I’ll see you at seven.”

“Great. Thank you, Javier.”

Seven p.m. Plenty of time to prepare mentally.

You had enough time to take an improvised, super quick shower, arrange things in the apartment and—wait. Somehow the waiting around is causing your head to spin for whatever reason, so you decide to at least make some dinner. Maybe Javier will be hungry too by the time he gets here.

When the doorbell rings, you twitch. It’s involuntary, a reaction from deep within your conscious. You’re not sure why, it’s not like you plan to do anything devious or mischievous in any way.

Or maybe it’s just the notion that you got an attractive man visiting you in your private quarters, which hasn’t happened in almost two years. And truth be told, that one time wasn’t really exciting. At first, sure, but the whole experience just felt wrong.

“Hi,” you say as you open the door.

“Hi.”

“Come on in.”

Javier does, and he takes a look around. The place is shiny, as clean as he would’ve expected, hints of pale lavender around the walls. You fleetingly remark that he’s still dressed from work, wearing a black suit with white shirt and a navy blue tie.

“Can you tell I’m a fan of purple?” you joke.

“It adds color, it’s nice.”

“Why, thank you.”

“Are you hungry? I made some roasted vegetables and chicken breast.”

“Oh, it’s okay, I don’t—“

“You don’t—what? Eat?”

Javier smiles embarrassedly, eventually agreeing for a plate of food. This isn’t so bad, he thinks. It’s just dinner with a neighbor, and he’s here to help said neighbor with an impending emergency.

But the moment he takes the first bites out of the food laid on the plate before him, it takes everything in his willpower to not groan at the culinary delight that’s in his mouth.

“Wow,” he munches instead. “This is… amazing.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“We don’t really know each other but I think you know by now that I don’t ever say shit I don’t mean.”

“Fair point. I’m glad you like it.”

“This is seriously amazing. Were you always a good cook?”

“Shockingly, no. learned early in my twenties so that Sylvie, my best friend, and I don’t starve. Students surviving solely on noodles or bags of chips it’s just not healthy.”

“If you cooked like this, it’s more than healthy. Shit, I don’t think I’ve had such a great meal since I was a teenager.”

Your smile widens, simultaneously at the compliment and at picturing a young Javier at the dinner table with his family, eagerly devouring the food.

“Thank you,” you coo. “I take it you didn’t get to enjoy many home cooked meals in Colombia?”

“Not really, no. Not unless Connie and Steve invited me over or I went to restaurant, but the latter wasn’t a common occurrence.”

You notice the bleak expression on his face and you refrain yourself from asking more questions. You eat in silence, exchanging the occasional glare, and you feel a dark cloud resting above Javier, as if it’s always with him.

“I’m sorry if I hit a nerve asking about Colombia,” you apologize. “I know from Steven that it was a very dark time and… it’s none of my business.”

“It’s okay. It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything.”

“But you don’t like talking about it.”

“Not in particular, no.”

“Okay. Then how about we finish here and see what we can do about the pipes?”

“Great idea.”

You don’t get to protest when he cleans the table and starts doing the dishes. You try to, but he does it so fast you don’t even fully process that he’s doing it. Instead, you thank him and steal the occasional glance at the mystery man in your kitchen.

“Do you want a glass of wine?” you offer, regretting it the moment it came out of your mouth.

“Uh… it’s fine. Shouldn’t drink tonight.”

“Right. Probably not a good idea since you’re working with tools.”

Yeah. That’s why.

You open the door to the cabinet beneath the sink and hand him the toolbox you had prepared when you rushed home, and let him do the job. Your throat feels ridiculously dry when you see Javier rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, thus exposing his forearms. You feel the need to talk; this way, you’ll be able to control those pesky thoughts that begin to run free throughout your mind right about now.

“Thank you so much for helping me out with this,” you say. “How are you good at this, by the way?”

“Growin’ up I used to help my pop a lot around the ranch.”

“Grew up on a ranch, did ya?”

“Sure did. Laredo, Texas.”

You could hear a little bit of accent earlier, but you try your hardest to not focus on it at the moment. It’s a slippery slope from that to… other things.

“What’s it like in Laredo?”

“Hot as hell.”

You giggle against your better judgment, avoiding looking too intensely at the way his biceps flexed under the shirt as he screwed the nails harder.

“But it can be beautiful too,” he continues, a slight groan leaving his throat as he does so.

“Why did you leave then?”

Javier makes brief eye contact with you, and you instantly feel remorse. “Sorry,” you whisper. “None of my business.”

“I don’t mind. It’s just—no one’s ever asked me aside from Steve and Connie.”

“So what you mean is… no woman you were seeing has ever asked personal questions about you.”

“You got me.”

“Regardless, I really appreciate your help. You’re a cheaper option than calling the handyman myself. No offense.”

“None was taken until just now.”

You allow your eyes to fall to his arms, feeling your heart race a little faster. It’s just the dry spell talking, you remind yourself.

“I could still pay you though,” you try to joke.

Javier glares at you from under the sink, a dark look in his eyes, one that seemingly thinks about devouring you wholly, and you shudder.

“Cash only,” he replies, “and I’ll need a down payment. Other types of payment are accepted."

“Not gonna sleep with you.”

“You’re missin’ out.”

“I’m good.”

“So am I.”

You laugh, audible and hearty, and Javier smiles as well, grateful to be under there where your visibility to him is limited.

“Got any plans for the weekend?” he changes the subject instead.

You grin. “Why, are you asking me out?”

“I’m good.”

“So you’ve said.”

“Just makin’ conversation.”

“Well, since you asked, Connie and Steve suggested getting some drinks and dancing. In reality, I’m pretty sure it’s a setup for a blind date, but I am prepared to let the guy down gently if that’s the case.”

There’s a bitter taste in Javier’s mouth, even as he keeps switching the nails on the pipes and grunts in the process. He feels the sweat accumulating at his temples and trickling down his neck and chest, causing his shirt to cling to the skin a little bit, but he doesn’t care.

“You’re dating then,” he says, voice hoarse.

“No. But I figured I can at least be polite and hear the guy out.”

“Right, yeah.”

“You can come too if you want.”

The snort Javier lets out is mocking, and you realize as much.

“To witness your date?” he keeps mocking. “Why would I wanna do that?”

“I meant to join us for drinks. But now that you mention it, maybe if I show up with you, then I won’t have to go through with the blind date.”

“So… what, you want me to pretend to be your date? That costs extra.”

“Just—be there. Or not. Whatever you choose. But you do realize this might involve dancing, right?”

“I can handle it.”

Shook, you scooch down to catch at least a glimpse of his face. “You dance?”

“I suddenly regret ever telling you anything.”

You laugh, even heartier and crystal clear, and it’s such a pleasant sound to Javier’s ears, even underneath the sink, in that bizarre and crowded place, he still smiles.

“You should regret it, Texas, cause I’m definitely using this against you. as friends to, of course.”

“We’re friends now?”

You shrug, unbeknownst to him. “I’d say so. You ate my food, we shared some information about each other and now you’re fixing my pipes. I’d say this is what friends do.”

“Alright. Friends.”

“Unless you’re incapable of befriending a woman.”

“I’m not.”

The exchanges continue, with you and Javier teasing each other almost relentlessly for nearly another hour. Gradually you steal more than glances at Javier; at some point you downright stare, obnoxiously so, but without a clue from his side. It feels forbidden to even glare at his strong arms flexing, stretching the white shirt covering what you can only assume is golden brown skin, but you can’t really stop yourself. You only look away when Javier shifts in the slightest or when it looks that you might make eye contact, but otherwise you feel like a hawk stalking its prey, listening to its call.

And the way Javier calls out to you right now, unknowingly and unwillingly, is through grunts and little beads of sweat and muscly arms. It hits one of your weakest spots, and you cannot deprive yourself of at least this image, regardless of how indecent it might feel to blatantly stare.

You cannot deny in this moment that you feel deeply attracted to him, and that the dry spell definitely impacts your thinking. You barely think of anything coherent to tell Javier on his way out other than what now feel like meaningless thank you’s, so you resort to walking him out with a polite smile and ask if he plans to join the three of your for drinks over the weekend. He says he might take you up on that offer, and all you can see is the way sweat clings to his now semi-buttoned shirt.

When you’re alone in the apartment again, you exhale at long last, denying yourself a glass of wine that you crave because there is a much urgent need to be taken care of.

Time seems to stand still as you dim the lights and lay on the bed, your fingers nearly twitching in anticipation. You try your best to empty your mind as you bury your fingers in the hot, wet bundle of nerves between your legs. That first stretch is delicious, needy, and all but begging for immediate release. A soft gasp escapes your parched mouth, unwanted images plaguing your mind with each thrust of your digits, growing more and more impatient. You deny the existence of those images, yet they still flood your mind and body no matter what you do.

You don’t normally think of anyone in particular when you’re bringing pleasure to yourself, you never have; but now, your body is completely afire reminiscing of Javier’s strong arms, biceps bulging beneath the thin white shirt, his little grunts, sweat collecting at his temples and on his forehead dripping dangerously south to his neck. Your fingers work on their own accord, moving faster and alternating between thrusts and circles around your clit. You arch your back, imagining the same arms pinning you down, those thick digits of Javier’s being buried in your cunt instead, and a jolt of pleasure tingles your spine, prickling your skin.

Eyes closed still, the images of your mind get more vivid and now Javier’s darkened figure rests above you, both your bodies joined together and an overwhelming sensation of fulfillment. Though a ghost sensation, you’ve never felt this full, all stuffed with Javier’s cock, his palms gently cradling your face. You imagine him to be a mixture of rough and soft, always attentive to his partner’s needs.

You’re so close now—so fucking close it’s damnable considering what you’re thinking about: Javier burying himself inside of you to the hilt, balls deep, till there’s physically no space left for him to be inside you, and yet you’d still beg for more. You’d beg for more of his cock and his hands, more of his mouth, any part of him he’d wish to share with you. You’d beg him to make you come however he likes it, self-esteem long abandoned after your second or third orgasm. You’d beg him to come inside you, to milk every droplet he’d have to spare and to feel both your arousal dripping from your swollen pussy.

At long last, you come, an unexpected sound staining your lips.

“Ja—Jav…”

It’s a repeated sound, something throated and raw, animalistic even, and it shocks you to your core. It shocks you when you begin to settle down, your body temporarily sated. It feel wrong on all accounts, forbidden and so damnable. There’s a faint taste of blood as you bite on your lips and beg your mind and body to not finish the rest of that ecstatic sound. You’ve never came this messily on your own, especially not whilst thinking of someone. You remove your fingers from your heat, now slick with arousal and a filthy proof of your forbidden desire.

Fuck. What did this man do to you?

No. No, it’s not about him. You’re going through a dry spell and he’s just the recipient of a biological need. If you would’ve met an equally attractive guy and have interacted with him on the daily, this would’ve most likely happened as well.

It’s just something biological. It’s not about your brother’s best friend. It can’t be.

Can it?

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tags: @pedrostories @psychedelic-ink @milkymoon2483 @ifall4dilfs @casa-boiardi @spidermanfrog

[kathaynesart]

You can totally be vague with this answer, but I just gotta know for a little inspiration of my own (this doesn’t have to be related to your au if you don’t want it to be). If you don’t wanna answer publicly, can I get a response privately?

Do you think the fight at the beginning of the movie was

A) The resistances last stand against the Krang

B) A surprise attack by the Krang (for whatever reason)

C) some mix of both (like both sides were planning something)

D) an accident, completely built up by circumstance

Thank you

Honestly, any of those could be excellent reasons but for the story I’m planning to tell… *checking notes*

B & D

It’s a very circumstantial outcome that is caused by a chain of events that we will slowly get to see. A combination of small things and missteps leading to the inevitable.

I’ve seen several interpretations of this part of their story be glossed over as simply the slow death of the Resistance but… that’s no fun to me! It makes sense why creators would do that when the core of their story is after the time jump, but since this is the time period that will be the focus of our story (rather than merely a transitional piece to those final minutes) I really want there to be stakes and struggle on both sides. The Resistance still is definitely at a disadvantage, but not to a soul crushing extent. This is as much meant to be a personal struggle as it is a wide spread one, and there’s a lot more to be gained and lost rather than just “did we beat the Krang?” The best way to describe is it is a battle hard won but in a war that is lost. Hope that helps!