#but in a certain aspect...doesn't that keep things exciting with him and his character ?

[quick-drawn]

forever walking the line between selectively sharing bits and pieces of jesse's backstory for the secret agent cowboy vigilante aesthetic & just spilling it all in one long, detailed hc post so i'm not the only one suffering with this information.

[ilikekidsshows]

The Totally Spies-ification of Adrien

Okay, it's been long enough that I can actually discuss how Adrien's slavery is depicted in the show without anger-fueled exaggerations and hyperbole. I want to discuss how Miraculous treats Adrien's slavery very flippantly and how it is, like everything in this show post-retool, all about Marinette. The show has a lot of stuff that hints that the writers intend for Adrien to be viewed a very certain way. I believe the writers made Adrien a slave for Marinette’s benefit and I will explain how I came to this conclusion.

I’ve joked before about how Astruc has worked on Totally Spies, “one of the kinkiest cartoons ever made”. I’d like to tackle this idea and how it relates to Miraculous more seriously. I’d like to tackle the topic of titillation and how it relates to how this show approaches slavery with such flippancy. My claim is that Adrien being a slave is not meant to be horrifying, which is why the story doesn't treat it as such; it's meant to be titillating.

I usually don't use Read Mores, since they can lead to broken links later, but this is really long. Strap in, folks.

Titillation for the context of this analysis means “content with the intention to excite romantically or sexually”, basically it’s about “kinky” stuff. The purpose of talking about sexuality in relation to Miraculous is not to paint the writers as some kind of fiends, but to present the fact that many teenagers are curious about romance and sex and will think about sex unprompted. This means titillating content in cartoons doesn’t even need to be related to sex to be titillating. And Astruc has a history of putting titillating stuff in his work, with Totally Spies being a very notable example of how you can include non-sexual titillating content in a kids’ show.

It all comes down to expected audience reactions. Adrien is meant to be sexy. I don’t mean that in a “the writers think this is sexy” way, but a “the writers think the projected audience of straight teenage girls will think this is sexy” way. He gets put into bondage three times in ‘Copycat’, ‘Anti-Bug’ and ‘Reverser’ and all three times the camera seems to like to show him off. He is meant to be an object of attraction for the audience. The people criticizing this show have been pointing out how Ladybug's costume accentuates her butt for years, but this is not something that occurs with just Ladybug. When he isn't posing for the viewers, Cat Noir gets whacked around by Akuma’s a lot, but a lot of the time it ends with him in a prone position that is also titillating, in ‘Pixelator’ it goes as far as having his butt jut out. However, the idea that Cat Noir is the one who gets hit when an Akuma needs to show off how dangerous they are is also part of the power dynamic where Marinette or Ladybug gets to show off, so it’s not purely for titillation, which is why other examples, like ‘Stormy Weather’ are more comedic.

It’s likely that Adrien-as-Adrien doesn’t get to participate in the show’s slapstick much, since that aspect of the character is presented as the perfect beauty, a role usually reserved for female characters who only ever get a little bit flustered or banged up to make sure they keep looking attractive. Marinette screams "waack" and runs face first into a wall in the same episode where the silliest thing Adrien gets to do is sneeze (Mr Pigeon). Adrien is meant to be attractive, sexy, titillating, in different ways in his different forms. As Cat Noir he is more active and more sexy, as Adrien he’s more passive and pretty, much like how female love interests can fall into these categories. It’s the Betty and Veronica dichotomy; in the Archie franchise Betty and Veronica are shown as the wholesome and sexy romance options and the reason the writers go out of their way not to resolve the love triangle is to keep the appeal of these both options going. People’s tastes differ, so it would alienate some audiences to pick one over the other. With Miraculous they solved the problem by having the two romance options be the different identities of a single character.

Frankly, as of the season five finale, Adrien is approaching “sexy lamp” levels of replicating sexist ways of writing a female character but just changing the gender. What else do you call him lying on the floor in despair while his love interest gets his superpowers and uses them to beat up his abusive father, while somehow being perfectly fine and happily kissing Marinette later after said father is dead and gone? Adrien’s trauma is debilitating when it serves the writers’ purposes, but stops being a problem as soon as they need him to smile and look pretty. The main reason Adrien’s trauma is so inconsistent is so that he can act as Marinette’s trophy so that Marinette has somebody to kiss in the final shot. If Adrien was despairing about not being good enough for her, or grossly crying about being an orphan, Marinette wouldn’t have a fun time kissing him. And if Marinette isn’t having fun, the members of the audience projecting onto her aren’t having fun either.

Speaking of how Adrien’s depiction relates to Marinette, here comes the controversial part of this post: while Marinette is not depicted as a literal slave owner in-story, narratively, she is very much treated as Adrien's owner from a meta perspective. We, the viewers, are meant to see Adrien as Marinette's property, and the twist of Adrien being a part of a slave race in a dynamic where Marinette holds all the cards is meant to be a good thing. We have been primed to view everything about Adrien to actually be about Marinette, because Marinette is the center of the universe of Miraculous and Adrien belongs to her because he’s the main character’s love interest. Adrien being revealed to be a slave that Marinette could control but then chooses to “merely” manipulate is meant to be glorifying to Marinette and titillating to the viewer. I will elaborate.

Marinette has been incredibly possessive of Adrien since day one and she is only occasionally depicted as being in the wrong about this, when she goes too far by the show’s standards. She stalks Lila and Adrien whenever she sees them hanging out together and she’s unreasonably jealous of Kagami. The only time she is depicted as being in the wrong is not when she's sniffing Adrien's pillow after breaking into his room, but when she actually bullies Kagami out of jealousy, and even that is depicted as more of an unfortunate misunderstanding than Marinette actively doing something wrong. Marinette is more sympathetic towards Kagami when she finds out she and Adrien aren't as close as she thought, that Kagami’s pursuit of Adrien is more hopeless than hers. Basically, Marinette is only in the wrong because Kagami isn't a threat, not because she was doing anything wrong by bullying her to defend her “territory”.

This gets flipped near the end of the season, though. When Adrien and Kagami do start dating, it's depicted as this big tragedy even more so than Master Fu losing his memories. Master Fu going missing is an afterthought, while Adrien choosing someone else over Marinette is the big “darkest hour” moment of the season three mid-finale, the cliffhanger moment of her crying in Luka’s arms while all hope is lost. Marinette isn’t directly crying about this, she is crying from “all the pressure”, but Marinette breaking down happens immediately after a scene of Kagami leaning in to kiss Adrien that has a somber dirge playing in the background. The first part of the finale has everything going wrong at the end; Master Fu is missing, Chloé gets willingly Akumatized, Marinette breaks down, and Kagami leans in to kiss Adrien. These scenes being put closely together is telling us that these are all bad things to happen.

Adrien ending up with Marinette is a given, but it's also taken for granted. Every girl with an interest in Adrien is depicted as an antagonist, while Marinette can do whatever she wants in pursuit of Adrien and will still be morally correct. Chloé and Lila, even Kagami to a degree, are villainized for their attraction to Adrien in a way Nathaniel, Luka or Zoé are not with their attraction to Marinette. Chloé and Lila are full-blown villains while Luka and Zoé are some of the most selfless members of the cast. Kagami is aggressive and socially awkward in a way that is used to justify Marinette's initial distrust and dislike of her (in ‘Ikari Gozen’ Alya voices her pity towards Marinette for having to spend time with her) while Nathaniel is just the pitiful bullied loner who’s still a liked member of the class friend group. Girls who want Adrien are bad for trespassing on Marinette’s territory and trying to “steal” something that “belongs” to Marinette.

The writers thinking Adrien belongs to Marinette is also not just subtext. Later in season five, when Marinette and Adrien finally start dating, Marinette even outright states that Adrien “kinda does a little” belong to her when she’s scared that Zoé has a crush on him. The fumbling of the line means that the writers are aware of how toxic it is to consider your partner your property, but they want to include that sentiment anyway, because that’s how they view the situation. Marinette’s boyfriend is her property and other people can’t even look at her property. ‘Emotion’ continues on this increased possessiveness by having the entire Marinette plot happen because she can’t conceive Adrien keeping things from her, because he isn’t allowed privacy from her while Marinette lying to Adrien (or Cat Noir) is a show staple.

This same attitude of Adrien not being allowed to have romantic options outside of Marinette has also been in the fandom for years. Every time a new female character was introduced, there was a worry that she’d “try to steal Adrien from Marinette”. Marinette and Adrien are endgame, the writers know this and the fandom knows this. The characters don't know this, but it doesn't matter because Adrien was already seen as Marinette's (future) boyfriend even back in season one when he barely knew her. And this attitude the writers and audience have is extended to the characters more and more as the show goes on, as almost every single character becomes an Adrinette shipper in support of Marinette in season five, while no one thinks to ask Adrien what he thinks about this. Only once, in ‘Desperada’ did Alya suggest that Adrien could make his own choice on who to date, but it was implied the choice should be Marinette specifically (Marinette smiles at this, while Kagami frowns). The cast is lucky the writers have decided Adrien already is Marinette's, or he’d be really uncomfortable.

Season five episode ‘Pretension’ goes as far with this as having Marinette basically ask Gabriel for permission to be with Adrien, convinced that she and Adrien can be together with no problems if she can just get him to approve of her. And then Gabriel tells her he’s promised Adrien to Kagami. You know, like a piece of property women were treated as before women were allowed to live without a man to control them. The finale then ultimately does have Gabriel agree to hand Adrien over to Marinette by dying and leaving her in charge of Adrien. Just because she uses the privilege to do some things for Adrien’s benefit doesn’t make what happened any less of a patriarchal transaction. In fact, the writers wrote it that way on purpose, with the knight and princess parallels they set up between Marinette and Adrien earlier in the show being something they are prominently proud of (the “reverse fairytale” as they put it). Adrien is the princess the dashing hero Marinette gets to earn with her feats of bravery; he’s handed to her like a piece of property and Marinette is too happy with her acquisition to even be outraged on Adrien’s behalf. And Adrien wasn’t even allowed to know about any of this, instead it gets handled solely between Marinette and Gabriel, like his opinion on the matter didn’t even matter. And why would his opinion matter, since he already is ready to promise himself to Marinette, even as the writers deny him the agency to actually make such a promise.

The goal of making it obvious that Adrien is cool with being objectified like this is probably why they make Adrien so obsessed with Marinette in season five, constantly repeating her name to himself and saying stuff like: “I can’t stop thinking about you” in ‘Pretension’. They need to drive it home to the audience exactly how okay Adrien is with everyone forcing him to be with Marinette. After all, you can’t force the willing. As of ‘Confrontation’, Adrien’s official goals for the future are: “I love Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” I guess, from the perspective of the writers, the childhood dream of wanting to be what his parents wanted from ‘Wishmaker’ wasn’t sad because of Adrien’s lack of agency; it was sad because he wasn’t forsaking all of his personal pursuits for Marinette specifically. As far as the writers are concerned, Adrien should only care about Marinette and nothing else.

This same entitlement is also present in Ladybug and Cat Noir's relationship. Every time Cat Noir is upset with Ladybug, like in Frozer, Glaciator, Syren, The New York Special or even Kuro Neko, they never talk about what caused it. This is especially blatant in cases where Ladybug has wronged Cat Noir personally, like Kuro Neko or the NY Special, where she never has to face up to what she did wrong because Cat Noir comes back because she “needs him”.  Cat Noir will always come back to her without her having to do anything because she is the main character and she says she needs him. He exists for her and her needs. He exists for her; it’s just another way he’s hers.

Speaking of how Adrien is treated affects Marinette, even Adrien’s trauma actually belongs to her in the writing.  I pointed out earlier that Adrien’s trauma shows up when the writers need to put him out of commission, but disappears as soon as he needs to be Marinette’s trophy, but it goes further than just inconsistency. The early seasons spend several episodes on how Adrien is being locked up by his father and unable to hang out with his friends and, between him and Marinette, Marinette is the one shown to be more upset and hurt by this. They don’t do this in every episode, as ‘The Bubbler’ actually does a phenomenal job of making Adrien’s upset actually about him, but the big point in ‘Glaciator’ is that Marinette is so upset that she can’t see Adrien that she accidentally leaves Cat Noir on read so he’s upset about that. Adrien is only upset because he didn’t get attention from Marinette, while Adrien’s literal abuse at the hands of his father is only important because it makes Marinette upset. Even Adrien himself gets in on this action in ‘Conformation’ when the writers go as far as having Adrien chastise himself of not being more worthy of Marinette’s love when his dad is once again busy ruining his life. Even Adrien himself makes his abuse about Marinette; him being abused is bad because it’s inconveniencing Marinette and inconveniencing Marinette makes him less worthy of her.

‘Cat Blanc’ is possibly the worst offender of all, though. This episode should be all about how Adrien is abused by Gabriel, culminating with Gabriel turning him into a monster that destroys the world. And yet, what is the episode actually about? It’s about Marinette. The worst thing that could happen to Adrien is about Marinette. Only Marinette gets to remember or even know about the possibility of Cat Noir getting Akumatized and only Marinette is traumatized by it happening. After all that the writers later dare to use this event that didn’t actually happen anymore, that Adrien doesn’t know about, to justify him giving his powers to Marinette, because he’s “scared of getting Akumatized” when something like that has never happened as far as he knows. But the writers had him reason this way anyway, because apparently the culmination of Marinette’s character development in the show means taking Adrien’s power as her own and then failing to win even with that at her disposal.

Another note about ‘The Bubbler’ that has to be pointed out is that it’s also the first example of Marinette being presented as good for Adrien simply because she treats him better than Gabriel. The final scene of Marinette giving Adrien his best birthday present yet and letting him think it comes from Gabriel is done to show how selfless Marinette is by letting Adrien keep thinking good things about his abuser. This idea that Marinette is morally good simply because she’s better than pond scum Gabriel is also present in the season five finale, where Marinette manipulates, gaslights and keeps important information from her abused slave boyfriend. Marinette is presented as being in the right because at least she didn’t literally control him with a magical geas like Gabriel did and gave him the object with which to do so (while notably not telling him what it does). Marinette will do the bare minimum of not taking literal ownership of Adrien and we’re meant to see her as a paragon of goodness for it, while she still has no respect for Adrien’s autonomy and hasn’t had any since the show started.

The way the Sentimonster “reveal” is handled shows this utter lack of respect for Adrien’s autonomy that the writers, and Marinette by extension, have. The reveal is not for Adrien, but for Marinette, just like every other piece of Adrien has been made to be about Marinette. Marinette gets to know and she gets to decide if Adrien gets to know, and she decides “no”. She will manipulate him and lie to him to keep him happy for herself, she will keep important information about him to herself that he might never find out if anything happens to her, because Adrien is hers and no one else’s and she has the right to make that decision because the world revolves around her because the world of Miraculous was created to be her playground. “Adrien” is just a toy on that playground for Marinette to play with as the writers see fit.

Now we’re coming back to Adrien’s role as the sexy, titillating love interest character that I talked about at the start of this essay. If Marinette granting Adrien the bare minimum of freedoms as a slave while manipulating him “for his own good” is meant to be a good thing, why is Adrien even a slave? Well, outside of the writers wanting to add a plot twist that doesn’t come with any messy plot they’d have to write about characters other than Marinette, Adrien being a slave is also meant to be titillating. What really is magical super slavery than very, very off the wall bondage and power play stuff? The idea that Marinette could rob her love interest of his free will with ease but won’t because she cares about him so much is very empowering in two different ways. It gives Marinette all the power in the relationship and it makes her out to be such a good person that even having ultimate power over another person won’t corrupt her. Adding to that, we have Adrien’s people pleaser abuse victim personality, which makes him fawn over the people he loves. If Marinette ever wanted to have control over Adrien, Adrien would give it to her of his own volition, no need for magical super slavery or unbreakable geases.

As I stated earlier, Marinette is meant to be the point of view main character the audience of teen girls projects themselves onto. So, really, Adrien’s slavery and abuse responses are all about that fantasy of having a cute boy you have all the power over but not needing to use it because the boy is so nice and devoted to you anyway. Adrien really is “perfect”, the perfect object of attraction, a being who technically has free will but whose free will you never have to take into account because he’s been designed and trained to value other people’s wants and needs over his own.

Marinette doesn't literally own Adrien within the story, but the writers make it very clear that they think she should. In fact, in all ways except the literal, she already does.

[starry-bi-sky]

hi I saw your post about hadestown and bingge and I'm frothing at the MOUTH. I think like how shen yuan started hyperfixating on pidw bingge just fuking becomes a number 1 fan for the performance troupe. What other performances do you think Shen Yuan will xianxia-ify?

SAME. Aaaaaa im so glad you liked that post, im in a similar state over it <33 Bingge went in expecting a vaguely entertaining but ultimately mediocre show and instead got fucking SCALPED. Like instantly obsessed, unable to go back to the way he was before, completely unhinged <3

And aaaurrgh I have this design idea for the Hades actor where throughout the whole show, Hades is wearing a mianguan with so many beads hanging over the front of his face that you couldn't see anything above his mouth. His upper face completely obscured by his crown and the jewels/beads hanging from it. The picture of an untouchable, terrifying, powerful emperor.

But during Epic III, when Orpheus sings the first "la la la", Hades bellows "Where'd you get that melody!?" as he stands from his throne in rage. As he does, his mianguan falls from his head to the ground, revealing the full of his face for the first time. Revealing the face of an angry, scared man.

He doesn't put the mianguan back on for the rest of the show, and he's so expressive that it's no wonder he wore the mianguan all the time.

and as for your ACTUAL ask -- nothing too modern gets xianxia-fied! Hadestown was easy because it already had mythical elements due to being another myth. He just had to rewrite it in a way that would make sense in PIDW. And he doesn't xianxia too many musicals i think, some of them require too much outside context that would be too hard to translate.

Epic I think would be one that gets xianxia-fied, although that's one of the trickier musicals because Jorge has very specific musical motifs behind each character that makes it hard to translate into PIDW -- Hermes' is associated with the harp and the lyre but every time he's in a song he also comes with a very techno-disco-y (???) beat. Plus a lot of other technical aspects as well -- Scylla is the first to come to mind -- that SY's troupe doesn't have the manpower or funds for.

I think it could happen, though! It's just rather tough and it helps fuel SY's decision to keep the musical adaptations to a minimum AND to use musicals that aren't super modern. Hunchback of Notre Dame I think SY could get away with xianxia-fying. Anastasia too. I don't know many plays so I can't say what plays he could xianxia-fy, but he DOES write stage adaptations for some of the stories he tells his troupe, and finds that he really likes it!

It's surprisingly fun coming up with roles, lines, story beats, etc, trying to figure out how he could make this into that. Writing is fun, and the mental challenge that comes with even more so. He loves it!

He makes a stage play telling the story of Hades and Persephone -- albeit altered to fit into Hadestown, rather than the original tale.

And eventually he starts making up his own stories as well -- retellings of myths from PIDW and his world, and things he made up himself to tell certain messages. Rarely does he play a major role in any of these stage plays themselves -- much to Bingge's dismay. It's too much attention for his poor thin face to take! He most often just plays Orpheus. He prefers to stay behind the scenes during plays.

But you can always find him outside the theater when his troupe is in town! If they're not preparing for a stage performance, SY loves going out to tell stories to a crowd! It brings him a lot of joy to watch them sit on the edge of their seats, hanging on to his every word. He especially loves telling stories to children, they get so excited and their interruptions can get annoying sometimes, but its endearing.

And oh, he does love to sing. He's just so very shy about it. It's a miracle that his troupe managed to convince him to be Orpheus -- but that's probably why they waited until opening night to do it. People get so weird when he sings -- it makes him self-conscious. So he only sings when he's alone or around his troupe while on the road.

Oh yeah no, Bingge is OBSESSED with this group. Specifically one mister Shen Yuan who looks so very much like his old teacher, but ISNT him. He's not sure if Shen Yuan is a descendant of Shen Qingqiu's family line, or straight up the man's reincarnation, but at this point he doesn't actually care that much he just needs the man's attention.

It's actual so funny I think. I don't think fan merch exists in PIDW which is a problem, because Bingge WILL resort to stalking. He's going to orchestrate a fan meeting with SY mark his fucking words. He has to see what this man is like when he's not on stage -- is he as pure as the character he portrays? Or is he as rotten as the face he wears.

(It turns out to be the former, and Bingge doesn't know what to do about it. Kidnapping is high on that list. It is SO high on that list.)

[i-heart-hxh]

Whenever you can I'd really like to hear your thoughts about this and if you think it's accurate! ❤️ I absolutely adore your hxh meta and can't wait to hear more!!!

Hello! Thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot to me! ❤️ These are fantastic observations and questions, as these traits are an important part of the basis of Gon's issues, and this tendency of his to rush into danger leads him into a lot of dark situations throughout the series. It's one of the most concerning aspects of his character.

His self-esteem issues are definitely at the root of this. Gon seems to have a fundamental belief that his life isn't worth much--hence why he tells Killua he's allowed to talk about dying, but Killua isn't. I think a big piece of this comes from the abandonment issues, as well as his issues with guilt (which I still need to write a post about). If even his own father won't stick around for him, what is he worth? And notice he frames Ging's choice in such a way where he doesn't assign blame to Ging--he believes that in a choice between him and being a Hunter, he must just be the inferior choice. Not a great basis for self-worth.

As much as he looks up to Kite, I don't think his encounter with Kite when he was younger helped--he was blamed directly for the mama foxbear's death and Kon becoming an orphan. And while I don't doubt at all that Mito loves him, I think Gon may see himself as a burden on her to a certain degree, and he tries to be as self-sufficient as possible as a result. (That's more of a headcanon of mine, but I do think the complex way their relationship is framed and Gon's behavior in the series supports this to a degree.)

Because he doesn't see his life as being worth much, he tries to take on everything alone, and he sees strength and power as a method to prove that he does have worth after all. If he can prove he's strong, maybe he isn't worthless after all! If he's strong, maybe he won't be a burden to others or unintentionally cause them harm (think about the mama foxbear, and ultimately Kite himself)! If he can become a Hunter and find Ging, maybe he can understand why Ging didn't stay with him, and he won't have to wonder why he left him behind any more!

I definitely think dangerous situations and escaping death give him a a sense that he is capable and worthy, plus it's a rush to him--a form of excitement and stimulation that he craves. Also, keep in mind that Gon grew up among nature, including many wild animals. While "survival of the fittest" is an oversimplification of how nature works, certainly at the same time, a weak animal is more likely to fall prey to a predator. So of course being strong is the more advantageous position to be in, and especially as a person who isn't sure of his worth or his place in the world.

I think he believes the stronger he becomes, the more dangerous situations he can escape, and the more strong enemies he can defeat, the more capable and worthy he'll feel. Because of how much his self-esteem then hinges on whether he's strong or not, things like Hisoka punching him and giving him his badge make Gon struggle to feel like he has value. The times we see Gon cry, like in his conversation with Kurapika in the airship about that moment with Hisoka, or in the scene after he couldn't win against Knuckle and couldn't go to NGL to rescue Kite, often relate directly to him not feeling strong enough.

Also yet again (back to my usual refrain), this is in fact another subversion of shounen expectations. Shounen protagonists tend to be energetic and feisty teen boys who throw themselves into dangerous situations easily, and in most shounen series this is a trait that's not treated with much weight--they can handle it, nothing truly bad generally happens to them as a result, this trait of theirs is treated as something brave and admirable and "cool."

But with Gon, Togashi does give it weight--others worry about him and comment on this trait of his, his recklessness has real costs for him that escalate over time (think about the results of Gon tailing Hisoka in the Hunter Exam, Gon vs Gido, the end of Greed Island, and of course CAA), and ultimately his disregard for his own worth and safety essentially leads him to throw away his own life. In Gon, it's not an admirable trait, but a concerning and tragic one, with deep roots in his psyche.

It's brilliant to me how many of Gon's traits all link together--his low self-esteem comes from his abandonment issues and leads to his recklessness, he has a selfish streak because he's young and still somewhat immature and grew up isolated, and his short-sightedness as a result of that manifests in his sense of morality not being fully developed. And yet even with all of that, he's still a sweet, cheerful, kind, smart, and encouraging boy. I absolutely love the complexity of his character and how, if you carefully analyze him, the way he is makes so much sense.

Thank you for asking!

[the-fiction-witch]

Luna P3

Media - House Of The Dragon AU Alternate Universe - Modern College / Uni Kids Character - Oscar Tully (Age Up) Couple - Oscar X Reader Reader - Luna Rating - 12 Word Count - 1495

Oscar found Grover on his large lazy boy chair phone in hand text size on max, volume on max and WiFi turned off,

"Ah.. all done then?" Grover asked,

"Yeah, all done, Grandfather," he confirmed, trying to suppress a laugh at the sight of his grandfather's phone's

"you tell her goodbye? You kids never say goodbye anymore you just end the conversation,"

Oscar chuckled at his grandfather’s observation, shaking his head slightly. He knew Grover could sometimes be a touch old-fashioned in the way he viewed certain aspects of life, but that was just one of the things that made him endearing in his own unique way, "Yeah, she said goodbye," he reassured his grandfather,

"you give her a kiss?"

Oscar blushed a little, feeling slightly embarrassed by his grandfather's unexpected question. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck "Yeah, uh, I did… give her a kiss." he said as he took the seat beside his grandfather’s chair,

"good. Always kiss your girl before you leave. Doesn't even matter if you’re just going to another room. Takes two seconds. Did it with Maybelle and we were married for fifty years."

Oscar listened to his grandfather's advice, nodding slowly as he spoke. He knew that his grandfather had always been a very considerate and doting husband, and his words held wisdom from years of experience. Though he still couldn't shake the lingering embarrassment at the thought of his grandfather noticing his earlier 'smooching session' "Yeah, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Grandfather. Two seconds to show love and appreciation, right?"

"Exactly. And tomorrow I'll drop you at classes you can get her some flowers before you go." Grover explained handing the phone over for Oscar to fix "I know, I know, but they’re five dollars and women like flowers. I have bought Maybelle flowers once a week since I met her. Don't I dear?"

"…WHAT!" Maybelle Tully yelled as she'd been knitting on the sofa without her hearing aids,

Oscar chuckled as he accepted the phone from his grandfather, trying to muffle the laugh that bubbled up. He glanced over at his grandmother, "That's right, Grandmother," he agreed, speaking louder so she could hear him "Grandfather buys you flowers every week…"

"ahhh…. Grover first bought me flowers one Sunday… I'd never even met him… Just a man with flowers at my door… We went for milkshakes." She rambles,

Oscar smiled as he listened to his grandmother's sweet reminiscing, a mixture of nostalgia and affection in her voice as she recounted the story, "That's so sweet, Grandmother,"

"see… Two weeks later I married her!" Grover laughed "Buy Luna some flowers and you'll be married by Christmas."

Oscar chuckled at his grandfather's prediction, his mind already going to the thought of him and Luna… married by Christmas. It was an exciting notion, "If only it was that simple, Grandfather," he said, although the idea was not as far-fetched or implausible as he played it off to be,

"what's not simple? You like her. She likes you. Get married already"

Oscar's lips twitched into a small smile at his grandfather's bluntness. He chuckled, shaking his head ruefully "It's not quite that simple, Grandfather. There's a lot more to consider than simply liking each other…" he explained, though part of him wondered if there really was more to it than that. But he quickly pushed the thought aside,

"like?" He asked

Oscar opened his mouth, then shut it again, sighing silently. He should've guessed his grandfather would ask that question. He thought for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts and articulate the many things needed to be considered in this day and age before just asking someone to marry you. He had thought of marrying Luna of course he had but it was always… going to be a long way off. They were only college kids, granted they knew alot of people who were already engaged and well prepared for the many proposals that would come at and after graduation. "Well… we're both young, for one… And there's still so much to figure out about our lives, our goals, our futures. We're still both figuring things out, trying to find our place in the world." he began,

"young? We'd been married three years by your age. And expecting your father."

Oscar's eyes widened slightly as he listened to his grandfather's revelation. Three years younger than he was now, and already married … it was a jarring thought "Three years, huh?" he echoed, absorbing the information. He leaned against the edge of the sofa, his mind shifting to his own life and his current relationship with Luna, he’d been with her five years now. "That's… wow, I didn't realize you got married so young."

"had to. I was going off." Grover chucked,

Oscar furrowed his brow slightly, confusion etched across his face. He tilted his head in curiosity "What do you mean, you were going off?"

"off to serve." Maybelle nodded "That's why he came to me. Wanted a nice lady to write him letters when he was gone. So we had a couple of dates and got married before he shipped."

Oscar listened intently as his grandmother continued the story, understanding dawning on him as she explained the circumstances of his grandparents' early marriage. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, a mixture of amusement and incredulity at the idea of his grandfather looking for a "nice lady" to write letters to while he was away, "You got married in a few dates, so you'd have someone to write to? That's… quite the reason to get married."

"yes. And here we are fifty years, three kids and five grandbabies later"

Oscar chuckled, nodding in agreement, "Yeah… here you are," he said, his voice tinged with a touch of awe. He glanced from his grandmother to his grandfather, feeling a pang of both happiness and nostalgia at the thought of that kind of long-lasting love. He couldn't help but wonder if he and Luna would have a love like that too,

"maybe even great grandbabies." Grover elbows him slightly,

Oscar laughed at his grandfather's not-so-subtle hint, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Maybe, Grandfather… maybe." he said with a lighthearted smile, still struggling to ignore the slight flutter in his chest at the thought. He shifted on the chair , his thoughts drifting back to the topic of marriage and the future. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and nerves at the idea of marriage. With Luna, everything always felt so easy, so natural. The thought of spending the rest of his life with her, building a family together… it was both exhilarating and a little terrifying, "You know, Grandfather, I think I may actually take your advice about the flowers. For Luna, you know…"

"you see! What does she like then?"

Oscar chuckled, He grabbed his phone, and opened his messages with Luna. He scrolled through their previous conversations, racking his brain for any mention of what kind of flowers she liked. "Let me think… I know she's mentioned liking daisies before. And tulips, actually."

"daisies are good. Good meanings" Maybelle cooed.

"what else does she like other then flowers?" Grover asked

Oscar thought for a moment, considering what other things he knew Luna liked. He chuckled his face lit up when he mentioned some of her interests, "Well, she's a big fan of music, actually. She sings all the time. And she loves reading too."

"very sweet maybe you should bring her over one afternoon, play her a tune on the piano."

Oscar smiled at his grandfather's suggestion, It had been a while since he'd really sat down at the piano and just played, and the idea of playing something special for Luna was definitely intriguing. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea," he agreed, already mentally adding 'learn a new song on the piano' to his list of things to do before surprising Luna,

"my phone better now?"

Oscar glanced down at the phone in his hand, having completely forgotten about the issue of his grandfather's phone. He took a second to check through a few settings, testing the volume, the WiFi, and the text size. "Yeah, Grandfather, it seems to be better all right. All fixed." he said, handing the phone back to him

"alright. Good. Go on then up to bed now I'll take you to get flowers in the morning"

Oscar chuckled, his grandfather's insistence and care evident in his words. He let out a small sigh, knowing that there was no point in arguing. Plus, as much as he dreaded the thought of being up at the crack of dawn, he knew it was all worth it to see Luna's smile "All right, Grandfather. I'll head to bed. See you in the morning then."

With that, Oscar bid his grandparent's goodnight and headed up to his room. As he climbed into bed, his mind was swirling with thoughts of Luna and the morning ahead. A mixture of nerves and excitement coursed through him as he wondered how Luna would react to the surprise he had planned.

[quetzalpapalotl]

I just want to clarify, again, for those that may still be ambivalent about picking DWJ's Transformers that despite the deaths or whatever the comic is not edgy.

If I had to describe them one way, I'd say it's doing Sunbow G1 based on the vibes it gave one as a child adapted so it retains that gradiose feeling on a "grown-up" story. Character death is a part of that, but I've always hated the idea that killing a character equals shock value or edginess.

This is a very well-crafted comic, there is a clear purpose to everything it does. Characters dying is a natural result of this type of conflict, it makes the stakes feel real. On top of that, Bumblebee dying, for example, creates a connection between Optimus and the Witwicky. And really death is not foreign to Transformers comics so.

"Decepticons will kill alien life for resources while the Autobots will defend all sentient life" has always being the very basic premise of Transformers and this series wants to reflect that. There's a reason why the villians are the villians and the series focuses on contrasting them with the heroes, but they're not all the same. Starscream kills humans for funs because he's petty (and honestly, he's sucha fun villian, I love him going off) and he has a complex about being better than Megatron bc he's Starscream. Soundwave is practical, he cares for his casettes and his fellow Decepticons, he doesn't care for human for good or bad, but he's also ruthless. They currently have the advantage. The more dire the situation looks, the more exciting it is when the heroes manage to make it through. I was vey excited when [spoiler] showed up to save the day in issue 4.

Despite all the bad stuff happening, the emotional core of the series remains kind and hopeful. Optimus keeps himself compassionate no matter what, Cliffjumper does his best to relate to Carly. The pain the characters feel is treated seriously. The human character are well utilized to put the Transformers into perspective both as a race and as characters. I would consider a fairer criticism of this series to say that it's trying too hard to pull at your heartstrings than it being edgy.

Taking G1 seriously doesn't just mean killing characters off, it shows in other aspects, like the energy crisis that's often a feature of Transformers media, here we really get to see how impacts both Autobots and Decepticons making it feel more than just an empty plot point.

Also it has action still because this is an action comic and they're cool, this is still a Transformers comic trying to apeal to your inner child that thinks giant robot fights are cool.

As for the Energon Universe thing, so far, the series is perfectly serviceable without reading the rest of it, it's suposed to stay that way, but you know, I can't guarantee anything on someone else's word, so here's to hoping.

I understand some of you may just be tired of G1 and want something new and won't pick it up that's fair, or some stories just won't attract certain people, but trust me when I say that it's a story made with a lot of heart.

[daybreakrising]

HEADCANONS - OBSIDIAN & THE STONEHEARTS

now the vibes i get from the stonehearts as a group are the same kind of vibes i get from most dubious/antagonistic/questionable organisations in any typical story: these people would not normally be associated with one another if given the choice. that's not to say there aren't genuine relationships that exist between specific members, but it's similar to the way you might form unexpected bonds with people you meet through work - proximity, getting to know someone whose interests might not align with your own, this all plays a part, and can result in genuine connections. and i'm sure certain stonehearts are more open to forming these bonds with their fellows than others.

obsidian... is not one of them. it's not that she doesn't like her fellows, but she's just not someone who wants to form meaningful bonds with the people she works with. she's fairly self-aware in that she knows she's an awful person, and she definitely doesn't care to change that because in her eyes, she doesn't need to. so whilst she will happily work alongside the stonehearts, whether that's closely or from a distance, and whilst she is capable of forming professional bonds both inside and outside of the IPC, she makes no attempt to connect with them on any informal level.

the only stoneheart i would say she is particularly closer to than any other would be agate - going solely on the stonehearts trailer in which agate elected her as their representative. even then, her fairly nonchalant tone in which she speculates over agate being dead is pretty telling, and whilst this could be a mere deflection, an act (of which she is prone to implement), until further information comes to light i am leaning more towards agate simply being either the stoneheart she has worked most with, or someone she tolerates more so than the others for an as yet unspecified reason.

now, obviously, we still don't know a great deal about most of the stonehearts, so i don't want to start picking apart her relationship with every member, but i can touch on her thoughts and feelings towards those we do know about:

topaz

there is a great deal of intrigue involved when it comes to topaz. this is an organisation of... unique individuals, and topaz seems to be, on the surface at least, the odd one out. taking into account her kindness and empathy, two things that are frankly alien to obsidian, she finds topaz curious - and suspicious on top of that. what's wrong with her, she thinks on a frequent basis, what brought her here? as someone who bores easily, her continued interest in topaz is uncommon. whether that's a good thing or not... well, that's up to topaz to decide.

aventurine

her interest in aventurine fluctuates. whilst his dealings in penacony sparked her interest, the end result did not satisfy her tastes, and i feel like this is something that happens often where he's concerned. as someone who chases risk and excitement, his attitude is generally favourable to her - he gambles with his life in a way that thrills her - but i think she grows bored of his games and despises his luck that seems to keep him safely away from any serious consequence (from her perspective). it's no fun when the high stakes are still somehow tipped in his favour. so she has somewhat mixed feelings towards aventurine.

jade

there is definitely a degree of respect when it comes to jade - the same respect she gives to opal, as her fellow high-ranking members of the stonehearts, but in jade's case i do feel like that respect is also rooted in other aspects of her character. she may not wholly understand jade, but her ability to read people and discern value is admirable, and she cannot deny that she does her job well. that she finds jade's work tedious means nothing - she finds most things tedious - she can still appreciate the lengths jade goes to in order to secure investments and profits. her general feelings towards jade are fairly neutral, she neither likes nor dislikes her, and has no strong opinions on her outside of that professional respect.

diamond

and even though we don't have much, if anything, on diamond, it feels necessary to state that obsidian of course has a great deal of respect for the stoneheart's leader, and she does obey the commands given by his order - though she may push at boundaries as much as she can get away with. if there is anyone she would have any degree of loyalty to, it's likely to be diamond.

--

and just as a final note: obviously, this is all based on the canon portrayals of these characters. things may be different for individual portrayals that obsidian interacts with, and whilst obsidian isn't one to deliberately form bonds with others, i am definitely open to explore dynamics and see where they end up!

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Hi!!! It has been a while since I've seen anyone doing matchups, and I think you're the first one I've seen doing them for BG3!! I'm really excited hehe. Could I request a match up, pleade?

My character is someone who, first and foremost, admires the beautiful things in life. She's adventurous, fiercely loyal, immensely kind and has an unbreakable will. She loves to sing, dance, and play music, and it's very adept at it, so much so that her style of combat involves sword-dancing and casting magic through music. It's her goal to see her actions make the world a better place.

On the downside, she is also very innocent, sometimes foolishly so. She doesn't really think someone might be playing a bigger game and always tries to see the good side even in the most nefarious entities. She can also be inexperienced in socially dealing with others or certain situations, for she has lived a somewhat cloistered life away from others and this makes her somewhat of a slow-learner. However, people around her tend to find themselves at ease due to her warm and inviting aura.

On more technical aspects, she's a female Selandrine Drow of short stature, athletic body and has light golden eyes and highlights contrasting her long, curly white hair. She is straight and for that reason male matches are preferred! She also doesn't have virtually any experience in the dating scene, and for that reason she is willing to at least try both mono and poly relationships, but as of right now has no preference in either.

Thank you so so much!! Hope this was acceptable ✨️

A/N: This was great! Thank you for the details! Okay, for my Selandrine Drow Anon, I think your best matchup would be with… Asatrion! 

⭐ Astarion would be a good match for your Selandrine Drow Tav. They’re both lovers of the beautiful things in life, Astarion because he’s rather indulgent and after years of torment needs things to live for, and your Tav because she’s looking for beauty to make the world a better place. So even though Astarion’s fascination with beauty is more materialistic, he also looks for beauty as a sign the world is worth fighting for. He’s been through quite a lot of abuse and torment. And I’m sure your Tav has seen her fair share of that as well being a drow and all. They’re both looking for reasons to keep on fighting the good fight, and for them, I’d think they’d find that in each other.  

Astarion isn’t exceedingly kind, but he is loyal. Once he decides someone is a worthy ally, or a trustworthy friend, he’s rather dependent on them, even if he wishes he wasn’t. He’s extremely willful but also very needy, and this can make him bitter at times. However, I think your Tav’s kindness and innocence would help Astarion let his guard down a bit. There’s a sort of comfort in knowing you have the upper hand when it comes to all the horrible things people could be planning to do to you. Astarion feels safe, because he knows she isn’t playing a bigger game as you say. He definitely feels a sense of protection over your Tav because of this naivety. He’s very smooth and charismatic socially, so he’ll take the lead in those situations, to ensure no one gets hurt. 

He loves how your Tav sings and dances and plays music. It’s such a joyful thing. And he really loves how dramatic she is, incorporating it into her fighting style. It’s so theatrical and witty- he’s drawn to her especially because of that. 

He may have had some initial reservations about befriending a drow, even a Selandrine one. Then again, once he meets your Tav and sees how kind and trusting she is, he lets those biases go. Afterall, she remained his friend after he revealed his true vampiric nature, so who is he to judge? Plus as a Selandrine, she doesn’t follow the same strict rules as a more Lolth-sworn drow, which Astarion appreciates. He may not believe in any gods himself, but he admires someone who is willing to stand out against the crowd, in order to pursue what they believe, regardless of how different it is. 

And he adores the fact that their hair matches. She’d have to tell him of course, because he can’t see his reflection. But he thinks it’s sort of ironically adorable how profusely similar they look as a couple. Astarion himself may have many years experience in the bedroom, but virtually none in the dating scene. So he’s very happy to take things slow within their relationship. 

If he remains a vampire spawn, and doesn’t ascend, he’s glad your Tav is as willing to spend time in the dark or shade as he is. I mean, he’ll gladly watch from safely inside the house as she frolics around outside, singing in the sun. But he’s happiest when the two of them are under the stars together, while she plays a sweet melody just for him.

[evelhak]

Hi ! For the character ask game, could you do 1, 7, 10, 15 and 18 for Kise ?

Hi ~~It's so funny that you sent this the exact moment I was writing my fic and Kuroko was just about to answer a phone call from Kise, thinking that he had been too harsh on him about something. (It's funny because Kise hadn't appeared in several chapters.)

Why do you like or dislike this character?

I have a soft spot for Kise, for sure. It's initially because he resembles the type of person I have a soft spot for in real life. Basically it's people who can just show up, act exactly as annoying and self-centred as they please, and yet, a lot of people just can't help but like them (some obviously and some reluctantly). First of all, because they are so pretty and charming, and second of all, because it's like they don't know better, so you feel compelled to forgive them.

On a more specific note, I like Kise because he brings a light-hearted feeling to the story where most characters could not. I like how he can decide to have his act together when it suits him, and then be a big baby with his true friends, there's something disarming about that. Even though I don't particularly love that he seems like the kind of person who can sort of dehumanise others when it suits him, I also understand that it makes sense as a defence mechanism against the overwhelming attention he gets. So, it also makes sense that he would feel more at ease with people who don't fall at his feet just like that. Um, my point was, that I appreciate that he doesn't feel like he owes anything to anyone he doesn't have a truly reciprocal relationship with.

Also, I just can't help but like people who move through the physical and social world with ease.

Okay, basically Kise is a lot of things I wish I could be but never will. :D

7. What is something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I'm a sucker for all shenanigans there's not that much room for in canon, so I love that the fandom never gets tired of putting Kise in silly situations and having him act like a goof ball with characters who have that side in them too but wouldn't have it brought out of them so often or in quite the same way without Kise.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I wouldn't say best friends, no, for that our comfort zones would be too different. Good friends, yes. There's a lot that I lack that a person like Kise can bring into my life and strengthen in me, and I'm fairly certain the same is true in reverse.

15. What is your favourite ship for this character?

I don't have any canon character I ship with Kise, since I see him as the sort of person who keeps friends and lovers separate to avoid drama. Like, his friends are too important to him to risk conflict because of sex which he can get anywhere, anyway. Possibly he's even aromantic. I don't know, I have a hard time picturing Kise at least traditionally in love. I've written him in my fics for a long time, and so far he has casually dated two OCs which both have some good chemistry with him, and I think in this little head world of mine he seems to be opening up to a closer and more genuine connection in that department, but I don't know if I see him in a long term relationship or not. So, I can't say I have a favourite ship.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

This is a difficult one, no one pops into my head as special to me. It's more like I admire an aspect of Kise's closer relationships in general, and it's how unconditionally he uplifts and admires the people he really cares about. He's not egotistical or insecure in that sense that he would withhold his admiration when he feels it, which I find very sweet and healthy. Also, he has no ulterior motive, he's just genuinely excited about his friends. Sorry if that's not a good answer, but I don't have a particular relationship that speaks to me more than others.

I hope there was something worth your time. ☆

[loosesodamarble]

Hello soda, I love your blog. I'm a huge Nacht fan and I want to write a Nacht x reader/oc (haven't decided) fanfic . I'm too shy to post it but I want to write it for myself. Can you give me tips to write fanfic especially about Nacht.

🖤 Anon! The answers you seek are finally here!

It's very exciting that you're writing some self-indulgence! It's one thing to make requests for what you want to see but taking the writing into your own hands is something else entirely! Make the most of it!

(This post ended up being longer than expected so pardon for the rest of it being under a cut.)

First off, reader insert or oc, or heck you could even do a full self insert. Any way you go about it, do what gives you the most fulfillment! You said that you aren't gonna post it but even if you did, your first and most important audience is yourself, so cater to what you want.

Second, when it generally comes to writing fanfic, play to your preferences. Do you enjoy banter or heartfelt dialogue? Then you can easily write scenes that focus more on characters speaking with little sprinkles of scenery and action written in. Or if you prefer prose and detailing the finer details of a moment, feel free to write a fic where you go five paragraphs without character speaking.

(For me, I like fic that's a little introspective. Where prose isn't just about the characters' actions or surroundings but also acts as their inner monologue. And thus, I tend to write fic that's a lot of "their feelings swirled inside of them like a storm" stuff.)

And don't worry about skipping over stuff that you don't feel confident or interested in writing. For me, I can manage a bit of fight scene choreography but it's not my strong suit so I don't write fights often and I usually keep it vague and short. The less interest you have for writing a certain thing, the less you end up writing. (That's not the whole picture since burnout/writer's block can leave you wanting to write but not having the energy or mind to do it.)

Something that I try to keep in mind when writing is the question of "what is the ultimate point of the piece?" It can be anything from a simple "I want these characters to talk/fight/kiss" to a complex "I want to show how a single event is actually a chain reaction of smaller happenings and how they can have massively different effects on people's lives and personalities." For me, the answer should be less a plot summary of the piece you're writing and more your motivation for writing it.

TL;DR for those previous points: write what you like, don't write what you don't like, and know why you're writing (since that can help you stay motivated).

Now when it comes to writing Nacht specifically, I keep these character details in mind:

Nacht has self-loathing issues, making it hard for him to believe he is good.

That self-loathing is projected onto others, mostly Yami.

While he does care for others, Nacht is afraid of loving and being loved. He fears hurting those he loves (see Morgen's death).

Those are probably the most important traits of Nacht's to keep in mind when writing him, pre or post Morgen's death. Although the projection aspect of his personality more shows up afterwards.

I also tend to write Nacht repeating the same mini arc. -He looks down on himself -He resists happiness when he has a chance for it -Someone talks some sense into him -Nacht lets himself be happy

Yes, it's keeping his character kinda in the same arc over and over. But to me, Nacht is a character that I see struggling to accept that he's allowed to be happy despite his dark past. He lets himself be happy but he doesn't want to risk too much good fortune in case it blows up in his face, if you know what I mean.

I think that writing Nacht is about finding the balance between suffering and salvation. He hated and punished himself for the longest time until he finally learned to let go of his guilt. Although I personally like to keep Nacht from fully letting go of the guilt and grief. Because squeezing out angst from Nacht's character is fun. Giving Nacht love and letting him be happy is ultimately more fulfilling though.

Really, like for any character, you have to write what you want for Nacht. And for me it's that ever present sorrow in his life. For you, it could be something else entirely.

You gotta write for you, 🖤 Anon. But hopefully my advice gives you something to work with. Good luck with the Nacht fic and I hope you enjoy what you come up with~!

[stagehunt]

✧･ﾟ @halovien sent: 19 28 and 38 / munday asks, accepting.

19. do you have a ship bias?

outside   of   rp   i   haven’t   really   “done”   shipping   for   a   while   now,    so   i   don’t   often   sit   down   and   develop   a   muse   with   any   ship   bias   in   mind?   at    least   not   outside   of   vague   ideas   of   things   that   might   work   or   pairs   that   i’d   be   interested   in   throwing   together   and   seeing   what   happens.   ultimately   i   really   enjoy   keeping   an   open   mind   and   seeing   how   things   pan   out   with   each   individual   dynamic   because   it’s   always   so   much   more   fun   that   way,    and   sometimes   i’m   surprised   by   how  a   ship   that   i   wasn’t   necessarily   expecting   can   just   materialize   into   something   so   good.   as   the   prime   example,   i   do   have   to   go   on   the   record   and   say   that   sunturine   has   literally   rewired   my   brain   and   i’ve   been   thinking   about   them   ever   since   we   started   talking   about   sunday   and   aven   together     fkgjdh     that’s   largely   due   to   the   development   we’ve   put   into   them   together   but   god   layla   i’m   so   obsessed   and   it’s   ur   fault   !!!

aventio   also   sticks   out   to   me   because   there   are   a   lot   of   complexities   and   i   see   them   as   a   ship   that   we   can   really   dive   into   and   examine   as   people   who…   have   a   such   an   impact   on   each   other   but   are   also   at   odds   in   so   many   aspects   and   cannot   fully   understand   one   another.   there   are   obviously   other   ships   that   i’m   curious   about,    i   am   only   human   and   hsr   dropping   the   offscreen   argenti / aven   interactions   on   me   out   of   nowhere   like   that   ???   gives   me   many   thoughts.   i   think   that   sampo,   blade   and   bh   would   also   be   interesting   dynamics   to   explore   but   as   a   rule   of   thumb   i   approach   all   plots   without   any   major   bias’   and   i’d   rather   just   wait   and   see   which   direction   a   dynamic   naturally   takes   itself   in. tbh i don't think romantic shipping really takes the biggest priority for me here, and it's not usually easy to achieve with aven anyway fdkjgd so it's all the more exciting when the chemistry between muses just feels right, i'm not interested in forcing it.

28. is your muse canon divergent in any way?

not   as   of   right   now.   there   are   certain   assertions   i   make    (e.g.   his  ‘master’  being   the   previous   aventurine)   but   these   all   tend   to   be   me   taking   the   games   more   vague   implications   and   exploring   them   further  /  stating   things   plainly.   however.   dependant   on   how   the   story   treats   aven   in   2.3   this   may   be   subject   to   change   because   i   would   like   to   take   the   character   development   he’s   already   been   given   and   continue   to   build   on   that     —    meaning   i   don’t   want   to   see   him   contained   to   his   role   as   a   stoneheart   forever,    and   if   the   main  story   keeps   him   within   the   ipc   for   much   longer   i   will   be   writing   some   sort   of   canon   divergence   from   there. he doesn't deserve that.

38. what is the best inspiration for your muse?

i   actually   have   a   massive   google   document   where   i   compile   quotes / passages / lyrics / literally   anything   that   ever   sticks   out   to   me   from   various   media.   music,   literature,   tv  and   cinema,   gaming,   things   people   have   actually   said   to   me   irl   etc.   it  all   goes   to   the   same   place   and   it’s   always   been   a   habit   of   mine   as   someone   who   just.  loves   some   good   words   i   guess   fkgjhd.   it   works   both   as   inspiration   for   actual   written   prose   and   for   characterisation. sometimes   i’ll   just   scroll   through   that   and   remind   myself   of   things   i’ve   associated   with   aven   in   the   past   if   i   need   to   kickstart   my   muse   a   little,    so   i   guess   i   take   inspiration   from   ???   everywhere   ???

my   other   answer   to   this   question   is   my   writing   partners   :)   i’ve  always   felt   like   my   favourite / most memorable / best developed   muses   are   the   one’s   where   i’ve   had   long-term,   enthusiastic   friends   to   enjoy   them   with.   i’m   not   afraid   to   let   connections   with   others’   muses   influence   and   further   my   own   characterisation   because   it’s   realistic.   the   people   in   our   lives   change   and   impact   us.   it’s   why   rp   outshines   independent   writing   for   me:    there   will   always   be   certain   dynamics   and   interactions   that   push   my   muse   outside   of   their   comfort   zone,   or   make   them   self   reflect,     or   make   me   think   about   them   in   a   new   light  /  raise   questions   i   hadn’t   asked   myself   about   them   before.   and   that’s   beautiful !!!  

[bringerofdeathandtheapocolypse]

I genuinely haven't decided if I'm going to have Makarov be dead or not in the Alvarez arc.

Because I hate that they brought him back so long after his death because it makes his sacrifice feel so cheap.

And I honestly want someone else to be guild master at this point. Like I would say the three potential best options at the point the series is at would be Erza, Mira or Laxus and I'm going to explain why.

To start with, I do not think pre tenrou Laxus should be guild master. He was an asshole that refused to help his guild in the phantom war unless Lucy slept with him, he attacked one of his own teammates when Freed told him they had lost and while it didn't hit, it was close, beat Gajeel up way worse than Jet and Droy did and likely would have done so until he'd killed Gajeel if Jet and Droy hadn't told him to stop and did try to attack them and he willingly put the entire town in danger so that he wouldn't have to admit he'd lost after Evergreen was beat and have his ego bruises. He was not a good person and needed to be taught a lesson.

However, post Tenrou Laxus is a different story. He's a lot less full of himself and doesn't look down on his guildmates. I honestly would say his fight against Ivan is the completion of that character arc because he fights his own father to defend his guild, putting them above his own blood, something he likely would not have done for anyone aside for the thunder legion pre tenrou. He also in tartarous, takes in far more of the bane particals in hopes of saving the towns people and risks his own life to get Tempestar's blood(in the anime) so that Yajima and the thunder legion could survive.

Laxus, as of 100 years quest, can be considered a good successor for the next guild master because he is more likely to continue the legacy Mavis wanted for the guild.

Mira is also a good option in that she likely knows a lot about the job, being the second in command from how she's always the one people talk to about guild based things if Makarov isn't around. She's also no push over and would probably not let someone like pre tenrou Laxus get away with the things that he did. She's definetly not as strong as she used to, after all she hasn't been consistently fighting for years but I don't think strength is what matters in being guild master. At least not for Fairy tail.

And Erza is an obvious member of the list since she was listed as the 7th guild master so she would make sense to be an option.

But the reason I'm torn with having Makarov die or not is because (without getting into spoilers) I already have a lot of canon divergence planned for the Alvarez arc(something which seems to occur more and more as the arcs go on).

Like I already have the most basic plot beats laid out for the later arcs, its just certain aspects surrounding them that are shifting around as I decide which idea is the best one to pick for those arcs. I've already been putting foreshadowing in the rewrite for a while, some that might be more obvious than others and some I really doubt anyone would think "Oh that's important" when first seeing it (I am not going to mention what aspects are the foreshadowing or when it started because again, spoilers and I am so excited to put the new stuff out once the rewrite is done and I don't want to give too much away for the plans I have)

And while I have no problem going extremely off canon in the au at all, there are just certain things where I'm like "Ok but would this benefit from having Makarov be dead or alive"

I'll probably have the answer once I get to the Alvarez arc in like 5 years (Jokes aside, I don't think it will take me 5 years to get there but this book is going to be long. Its already at 108 chapters with the rewrite putting it over 300 pages in the pdf I keep and I'd say its like halfway done. Because despite there being more arcs pre tenrou than post, I still consider Tenrou the midway point and I have the KOTSH, GMG, Tartarous and Alvaraz arcs to cover once the midway is done and post tenrou, even the canon version of the arcs start getting long.

I also swear I'll have the current arc finished soon. I always just take breaks between arcs just because it takes so long to write them and then the editing is a long process.

[portpebble]

i really dont think the dark worlds are escapism for susie - or at least if they are, it would contradict how susie acts in them. disregarding that theyre definitely not an escapist fantasy (berdly is ignored at every turn and doesnt have his smart-boy theme park, noelle is forced to face memories of dess that the world ignores in favor of pretending she never existed, literally everything w kris and spamton neo) susie actively goes AGAINST the hierarchy of the dark world system. she wants to be friends with the darkners and repeatedly points out how weird it is that theyre supposed to serve lightners, even mentioning spamton when ralsei tries to ignore it. and why would a person like SUSIE have a fantasy of an entire world of people totally subservient to her?

You're correct in the assertion that Dark Worlds are not a one-to-one escapist fantasy, yes! But that doesn't mean it cannot serve as escapism for the Lightner characters who visit it. There is a reason that every single Lightner who has visited a Dark World so far likes it there and/or wants to go back.

For Berdly, sure he does get ignored by Queen a lot of the time, and is unable to make his Gamer's Paradise. HOWEVER, he learns how to better connect to his peers, gets to come clean about how much keeping up the appearance of "smartness" weighs on him, and it's clear he's have a lot of fun being a cool knight in glow-in-the-dark-armor. He agrees with Noelle and Susie's initial plan to form another Dark Fountain.

[Image ID: Berdly right before attempting to create a Dark Fountain, saying "So is there any reason not to...?" End ID.]

For Noelle, yes, being in the Dark World brings up memories of Dess. But these memories aren't a bad thing, she's not disturbed by them. In fact, she's excited to be having an adventure, she's excited to be discovering new things about this new world! Her recalling how she and Dess and Asriel and Kris used to have adventures together too is more reminiscent and nostalgic, appreciative of getting the opportunity to have adventures like that again, and not indicative of someone who is being triggered by the situation at hand.

[Image IDs: The first five are from when Noelle and Kris walk through the December puzzle. Noelle says, "...when I said this city makes my head spin... I didn't mean in a bad way... you know? I always wanted to go someplace new, you know? ...And Dess... always told me she'd take me." and "...don't you miss exploring, Kris?". The last is of Noelle smiling, talking about the Dark World, "I've never... had an adventure like this before." End ID.]

For Kris... Kris is a more complicated case, because we oftentimes cannot see how they feel about a given situation. We do, though, have their two options in response to Susie saying the Darkners should come to their world, with "Yeah let's do it" being more enthusiastic and proactive then "Seems a little far-fetched". Also, I think it's safe to say they want to go back, for one reason or another. Because fucking uhhhh:

[Image ID: Kris opening a Dark Fountain at the end of Chapter 2. End ID.]

For Susie, in my original post I already gave examples of how much she favors the Dark World, how important it is to her, and how much she likes it there. Here, I'd like to define the term of escapism itself. Wikipedia describes escapism as a "mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment". It is important to note that in order for escapism to function, the "world" where you're escaping to does NOT need to be utopian. As someone who struggles with escapism myself, a lot of the media I use as an escape does have its own conflicts, flaws, angst, etc. The Dark World has it's issues too, but that doesn't mean it cannot provide an escape for those visiting it. There can be certain aspects of the Dark World that make Susie or the other characters uncomfortable, but as long as it is a better alternative to the "real" world, it can still be an escape.

So, here and within my previous post, I've begun to make a case that Susie displays signs of escapism. However, that still begs the question: Why is Susie susceptible to escapism, particularly within the Dark World?

From certain context clues, we can infer that Susie's home life is... Not great. In the start of chapter 1, she's afraid she's going to get expelled from the school, for something as menial as eating chalk. She says a bush is "basically [her] house now" because she took a nap in it. She drinks milk from an alleyway, completely unaware of where it's coming from. She doesn't call her parents when Toriel asks her to, and she can have impromptu sleepovers whenever she wants without telling them, meaning they're fine with her disappearing for an entire night (if they're still in contact with her at all). She sees herself as (metaphorically and physically) a monster, a bad person, someone who can never be a hero, someone who no one would want to be friends with:

[Image IDs: Susie right before her fight with Lancer in Chapter 1, saying, "I get it, y'know. Why would anyone..." She smiles bitterly. "...really wanna be my friend anyway?" End ID.]

I think it's safe to say that Susie, when we meet her at the beginning of Chapter 1, is unhappy. She's ostracized from her peers. She has little to no support network. She thinks all of her classmates are waiting for and want her to be expelled entirely. Given the position she is in, it's clear why she would want to find an escape. Thanks to the Dark World, she's able to connect to Kris and Noelle and even Berdly, she meets Ralsei and Lancer, she "becomes" a hero. After spending probably most of her life believing she's a bad person, in the Dark World she gets to be one of the GOOD guys (something she rejects at first because it doesn't align with her view of herself, but she's clearly much more comfortable with the title of hero as the story progresses). She gets to feel good about herself, she gets to feel good about what she's doing! She gets to save the world, she gets to use a cool axe, she gets to start learning healing magic, she gets to have fun with her new friends...

[Images IDs: Susie describing the Dark World, "And no matter what happens... No one tells us what to do!" End ID.]

You are right, anon, that a world of people subservient to her would not appeal to Susie. But the wish-fulfillment like nature of the Dark Worlds, the way they give her a chance to a hero, to be liked and appreciated for who she is, and even the way that the Darkners can't tell the Lightners "what to do", DOES. Susie wants to be free from authority, and the Dark Worlds present her with a situation where she can actively go against it, dismantle the system, and come out victorious and unscathed- something she cannot do in her own life. Susie does bring up how strange the whole "Darkner's purpose" thing is. She's clearly uncomfortable with most kinds of authority, and that means she's uncomfortable being the authority too. She does benefit from the way Lightners can pretty much do whatever the hell they want, but above that, she wants her and her Darkner friends to be equals. However...

I think that its somewhat important to note that, while its very prevalent in Chapter 1's narrative, the idea of it being Weird that Lightners are "meant" to serve Darkners takes a back seat in Chapter 2. We still see bits of it, like how we see Queen wanting to make the Lightners happy, but it's rarely ever called to attention in the way it was in Chapter 1: Susie telling Ralsei to quit it with the purpose talk, the Spade King's motivations against the Lightners, and Seam talking about the relationship that Lightners and Darkners used to have. We don't get to see a lot of that discussed in Chapter 2. Ralsei has taken Susie's advice. He's acting less compliant, learning sarcasm from her, and considering who he is outside of his destiny. Outwardly, he's displaying less of that "Darkner's purpose" mentality. Susie seems to be happy with this, and she doesn't bring it up in Chapter 2, because to her, the problem has been "solved", at least somewhat. In fact, almost none of the characters mention this Weirdness in Chapter 2. It is an inconvenient truth that can be pushed to the side.

Where we DO see this idea of the power imbalance between Lightners and Darkners utilized the MOST is within Spamton's subplot. But, for a large portion of that plot, Susie isn't present. Kris goes into the Spamton shop and (initially) the basement alone. Susie knows something is off, she realizes how uncomfortable Kris is, but she doesn't see a lot of what Spamton says about "heaven" and about being free. This is purposeful. Susie so far has been the one who's most directly against the power imbalance. Not allowing her to see more examples of it with Spamton's plot allows her to continue not thinking about it. It allows the imbalance to continue being swept under the rug. In fact, when talking about what was weird about the Spamton battle, Susie doesn't even mention "heaven":

[Image ID: Susie after the Spamton battle, listing it's oddities, "Puppets... strings... hands..." End ID.]

The power imbalance of Darkners and Lightners is weird to her, but it's not a deal-breaker. She still enjoys being in the Dark World. She still has fun there. She still stays up all night thinking about it. And, at the end of the day...

[Image ID: Susie smiling and saying to Kris at the end of Chapter 1, "Let's go back there tomorrow, alright?" End ID.]

She wants to go back.

In conclusion, I really do think the Dark Worlds provide escapism for Susie. They are not a perfect fantasy, but they don't have to be. As long as they are a better alternative to her life in Hometown, as long as they are giving her an adventure, giving her the friends she thought she could never have, giving her a chance to "be a good person", and a break from the expectations and pressures of her life...

[Image ID: Susie talking while Kris and her stand in front of the Dark Fountain, "But... is that really a bad thing...? Since they started showing up, Everything's gotten a lot more interesting, hasn't it...? ..." End ID.]

"Well, we don't have to think about that now..."

It's an escape.

[inactive-luv]

The Absence of Rain

The Absence of Rain

"the absence of rain is when good things are most present."

the absence of rain

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N meets a stranger in the rain

Pairing: (Spencer Reid x Autistic!Fem!Reader)

Details: I hope I did my best to convey proper Autistic traits; my ASD is not the same as the readers' character, the same way no one's ASD or Autism is the same.

Category: fluff

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: Autism

A/N: I decided to make the reader Autistic. This was originally just a short story I made in English lit class my senior year, but upon rereading it, I decided to use the same prompt to write this fic

...

It's two in the morning. The Virginian rain drizzles as it has for the past two days without stop. She loved the rain, even if it was a sign of sadness or sorrow. She misunderstood it when people said the absence of rain was when good things happened. Until tonight when the theory was proven very, very true.

...

She walked from her job down to the bus stop at two in the morning when it started to rain harder than the usual drizzle from earlier in the evening. She spent time analyzing the splashing of droplets, echoing in her head after a long day. Her head raised to watch the water slap against the glass roof above her.

She stayed like that for a while, soothed after a stressful day by the calming aspects of the rain. She was watching and waiting, sitting in her bus stop seat. Her hands folded in each other to scratch lightly at her fingers, bundles of nerves across her skin aching to be touched.

She wants to stay here forever and quietly wishes for a late bus before her peace is interrupted when she sees a dark figure move across the station bridge. Her face turns puzzled, trying to analyze the new person in her space.

He looks tall from a distance. That's the first thing she notices about his body before she investigates further. She thinks about his satchel bag and his converse shoes, how he holds his umbrella in his right hand, and a book in his left. She can't make out the cover, but it must be pretty slim from how fast he blows through it.

She thinks about what would happen if he would walk over to her. She's seen him only a few seconds, yet she feels drawn or compelled to wonder further. He steps to his side, adjusting his stance, and his face falls under the light of the bus station for a second.

His jawline, eyes, lips, and everything about him leaps out immediately, catching even more of her attention. He must have felt her gaze over him, like an ocean wave crashing over a beach. A certain persistence to discover makes her eyes stay glued to the dark figure.

He swallows his lips before turning to see if she was maybe looking at someone else. He expected it. He expected not to be expected of. So when her eyes stayed fixated on him, he was a little curious. And during this time, all she can think about is if he came closer. Suppose he could turn to her so she could find the thing. The thing about him that made him so compelling.

And he does it. He starts to walk over with his book in one hand and the other in his pocket. The sounds she once found comfort in faded as he walked up to her, and everything turned to silence. The soft patter of the rain, once saturated and abstract ringing through her head, turned pale and hushed.

He watches how her eyes still stay attached to him, almost obsessively. A silence fills the space between the two before he breaks it so haphazardly, she can't help but shudder a little.

"Excuse me?" So she turns her head and is met looking up to the dark figure. He's much taller now that he's closer to her, and his hair is long. Long hair so obviously stretched under the rain, with soft curls ever so innocently framing his face.

He doesn't know what to say after that. He couldn't make out exactly who she was or who he was even expecting but, she was beautiful. He finally took notice of the more calming features about her rather than the creepy stare. He saw how her skin glowed, and her lips parted slightly as if in deep thought.

During this time, he notices the silence forming again, and he breaks it once more before he can hear her voice. "Uhm, can I sit?" He murmurs as an excuse he perhaps too eagerly came up with, taking notice of her puzzled expression. "Yeah, here, let me move my bag." Her voice dribbles out of her mouth, laced with an extensive kindness that intrigued him incredibly.

He mumbles a small 'thank you' back while he undoes his umbrella and takes a seat next to her. His head is facing the street now, but he still feels her eyes on him. It takes him a minute to swallow the lump in his throat before he turns to her again, craning his neck to meet her eye-line looking up at him.

His eyes meeting hers makes her pause for a moment before hastily averting her attention from him to anything in her way. The grass peeking through the concrete or the way the rain filled the puddles on the sidewalk.

And just like that, the silence, as well as it faded out, fades back in. The soft sounds of rain climb back through her ears to fill her brain again. Easily and slowly, she listens to the buckling of the stranger's bag, as if he was trying to make an as little sound as possible not to annoy her. But the sound doesn't upset her. It calms her.

It intertwines with the rain in a calming way. Everything blends smoother than she expected. She expected sounds to scare her as much as they usually do meeting a stranger, but the sound of his skin against the leather, and the pitter-patter of the rain, calm her.

So she's at peace when he breaks the silence once more. Although now, his words don't break the silence as much as they seep into the silent sounds, merging to form a tranquil melody. She realizes she could get used to his voice.

"Where are you coming from at," He looks down at his watch, over his sleeve for convenience, a trick she notices because she does the same thing, "two in the morning?" His tone acts as if he made most of his living in the night; the calmness, even in such an abundant presence of darkness, leads her to believe he'd done this a million times.

"I lost track of time in the library." He smiles again, "I thought only I did that." She smiles back at him and feels her cheeks start to swell and pink. He listens to her words; there weren't any libraries open this late at night he of all people should have known that.

He contemplates asking; further, he really wants to. He wants to listen to her voice again and again over and over because, unlike anyone else's, he thinks he'll never get tired of it. But he doesn't pester; he waits, hoping she'd further the conversation herself.

Little does he know she's thinking the same thing. She was thinking about every question he's asked and every question she wants to ask him. But he was a stranger even if she hoped he wasn't for much longer.

It takes a lot of strength for her to continue the conversation but noticing his peaked interest, her tone of voice heightens, "I was working at the university, that's why I was out so late." His questions are answered and followed by more, "Really? What do you do?" he wanted to know everything about the mysterious girl at the bus stop, and she was willing to answer every one of his asks.

"I help my friend who's a professor there, but I'm a medical examiner." His eyes light up, "Really? That's cool." He tries to keep his voice calm, but it trickles out so quickly, and this time she can catch his investment, and it gets easier to talk to him as if she'd known him a hundred years.

"I look at dead bodies all day. You think that's cool?"

"Well, to be fair, so do I,"

"Oh! Are you a serial killer?" Her best shot at sarcasm was successful, he laughed.

Like a modern orchestra erupting into its triumphant climax, the rain, the air, his laugh soothes her ears until she's blessing the world for her ability to hear. It's a kind of sound that reverberates in her mind and stores itself to her happiest emotion.

A type of sound she wants to hear for the rest of her life, but sadly, all of this excitement at once becomes too much too quickly, and her smile slightly fades while his head is turned.

She didn't have too much trouble with sound, so her anxiety heightened slightly when she became overwhelmed. A type of overwhelmed he could sense before he tried to lighten her mood. "No, I just catch them," He turns to reach into his bag, swiftly pulling his federal badge out and showing it to her.

She reads his badge quietly, "Doctor Spencer Reid." That's the first time she learns his name. A doctor working with the FBI. She reciprocates his actions and reaches into her pocket to pull out a card. On it, her name and medical license. "Doctor Y/N Y/L/N." A doctor working in a hospital.

"I'm in medicine. What about you?" Spencer clears his throat and holds up three fingers in one hand, clutching the card tightly in his other. "Chemistry, mathematics, and engineering." Her eyes widen, and her mouth forms a small 'o'; he just twists his face as if he was used to that answer.

And then, abnormally sudden, the rain started to let up, proving good things do happen in the absence of rain.

...

[riftofthestars]

((If this sounds weird I do apologise but what has been one of the most interesting aspects of bringing your characters to life?))

Getting to see them live - and let me explain that vague ass statement:

Before joining the tumblr rpc, most of my writing was done one-on-one, with lots of plotting of what will happen between just two characters. It never went far and it wasn't all that interesting to me - so it was either keep doing that, scatter notes of my characters across the internet and keep dropping storylines that I only vibed with in concept and not execution or do something new.

I chose something new.

It took me a few tries to get to the iteration of the muses you see now, having a harder time making them feel alive, sometimes their actions didn't even make sense to myself and I just wanted to retcon and retcon and retcon. I've had 4 blogs I've either deleted or abandoned before I stuck with this and @autumna-potentia.

This blog is when I changed my approach to storytelling. Rather than trying to adapt each of their stories to fit in the overarching narrative of the Rift, I built the Rift around them; rewrote what I was unhappy with and decided to stick with what I had.

But something was still off with @mystic-mutation-archive, it lacked that certain something every other blog, every other writer, every other character had.

History. With each other, in their stories, between their characters.

And I was just a newcomer, a newbie by all means of the word, barging in a community where frankly I felt like I didn't belong. But that feeling wasn't because I was made an outcast or made myself an outcast - it's because I had no idea about how anything worked beyond the basics. It took me months to figure the easiest of the basics out.

But then I said to myself "well, fuck it. If I am someone that doesn't belong here, my muses will be the same". And it stuck.

It fucking stuck and I am still proud of that. The Rift wouldn't exist if it didn't fucking stick. And if it didn't fucking stick my muses wouldn't be the same they are now.

I didn't have any history in the tumblr rpc? My muses wouldn't have history with this expanded world they would be put in, but they would still have history.

Because I took every little detail, storyline, plot and character I created and dropped before I joined Tumblr's rpc and made it part of my character's history.

It doesn't make sense or fit in the narrative/rules of a world/storyline? Doesn't matter, the Rift takes care of that - the Rift is basically a deus-ex-machina for fitting things into the backstory of a muse.

Seeing how I manage to still make sense of all of a character's story while both keeping in with the rules I set for myself and still being total bullshit is the most interesting thing about bringing my muses to life.

Because they are finally starting to feel alive to me.

I still have trouble writing the Mechanist and Rosetta, but that's because these two character types are hard to write for me, seeing as how one has a constant behaviour outside the norm that might be seen as autistic-coded and the other is recovering from a lifetime of a heavily religious teachings, but I am slowly getting to both of them. And I can't wait to see how I manage to bring both of them to life too.

But at the moment I am figuring out Ada, which I am both excited and not for - seeing as she's abused Blackwood. Either way, it will still be interesting

As for Charlie, who is asleep at this hour, I can't exactly say. He's been a huge help with finding a balance to Jailer - guiding me to write someone who is skilled at manipulation while still being a good person to some extent. Without him I don't think Jailer could have taken on the task he has now and I don't think I would still go on with the plan I have for him and his story.

[bookofmirth]

ok so this might come off as a bit rambly so please bear with me lol

i've noticed that the acotar fandom has this incessant need to be right when it comes to canon and it really sucks out the funness of fandom. shipping is supposed to be fun but when it comes to this fandom, it's almost like a competition to see who will be more right when the books come out. engaging with theories/predictions about characters and the plot is supposed to be exciting but when it comes to this fandom, some of the theories/predictions are problematic at worst and nonsensical at best. like how can you say with your full chest that you're so confident about where the series is heading in the future because of this or that theory when you're stuck in the past and refuse to see what all of the text is telling you in the present. it doesn't make sense. the selective reading is so strong that it has me looking sideways sometimes lol

i guess my question is why do you think the fandom is so divided when it comes to ships right now? i've seen people say this wasn't the case for feysand and nessian, so what's the difference here?

Oh boy Brielle, I have some thoughts on this. It's complex.

To be clear, I am not saying that this applies to literally every single person who ships a certain way. This is a commentary on the fandom as a whole, and there are always exceptions.

This got really, really long, so I'm putting it under the cut.

I think that one of the main draws of this series, and of sjm's writing in general, is her ships. I think that people get very, very attached to their ships.

I also think that sjm does NOT fully think through some of the choices that she makes when writing. See: the way that she takes from all these different cultures and mashes them together, which could be seen as disrespectful of their origin. She has retconned things, like Mor being queer and Lucien being Helion's son. I think that she thoroughly thinks about some of the aspects of her books, like Rhys's reaction to sleeping with Feyre for the first time, but then really half-asses other aspects of her books, like Mor coming out.

Then, we have your good old misogyny and homophobia - people in the fandom don't like Mor because she hurt the poor bat boy's feelings when she didn't sleep with him, and they don't have a mating bond, but she's never really told Azriel "no", and so every single moment of pain that Azriel has felt in 500 years is Morrigan's fault. And Mor's experience as a closeted queer woman who feels unsafe around the people she should trust the most is completely disregarded by the fandom.

Finally, I think that a combination of these factors has created the monster we know as e*riel, and that the fandom is perpetuating its own mythology.

What all of this comes down to, and the real reason I think that the fandom is behaving this way right now, is that e*riel is dead. It's never happened, it's not going to happen, but because we don't have the clear closure we got with moriel (where people would be accused of homophobia for continuing to ship it), people are still trying to figure out any possible way for e*riel to become canon, though every single sign points to it being a non-issue.

This weird thing where people have to be "right" all the time, and the way that "right" = "canon" is a relatively new development. It's as if everyone in this fandom forgot that they are in fact in a fandom, which inherently diverges from canon.

However, I think that the need to cling to canon is because the alternative would be to admit defeat and say "well, even if it doesn't happen I will still ship e*riel, it's fine, I will live with that." But they don't want to do that. In response, they look at canon so hard that they are reading the white space between the letters to create their theories, which as you noted as largely nonsensical and often fail to take into account who the characters are as individuals, how they are connected to other characters, and why it would or wouldn't be appropriate for them to be involved in various plots.

People could say, as eluciens having been saying since day one, "I really ship this thing but I can see that it might not become canon". But they don't say that. They literally refuse to see any other possibility than e*riel becoming canon.

You pointed out that people are stuck in the past - absolutely. The number of reimaginings I have seen of scenes where either Azriel or Elain has literally zero to do with the scene, but people try to shove one or both of them in there. And this from books ago. People are stuck on the Truthteller scene, and refuse to acknowledge that neither of them have acted on their feelings, whatever those might be, for years. And they ignore the fact that once Elain and Az do act, it goes horribly wrong.

Here are the facts as of right now:

ACOSF is the most recent book. In that book, sans extra chapter, those two had no interaction other than looking at one another.

If we include his POV, then he said it was wrong, we got confirmation that nothing has ever happened between them, she returned his necklace. Elain was aroused, but that does not mean she was ready to even have sex. "Yes" to a kiss is not "yes" to every single sexual act Az can think of. They parted on awkward, bad terms after a scene in which it seemed like they were about to start something. Yikes. Unlike Wings and Embers, they did not end that chapter still thinking of one another. After they part ways, the omniscient narrator does not mention Elain, or Az thinking about Elain, again.

His POV occurs months before the end of the book. They do not interact after that.

Elain has a mate she has not rejected, nor accepted.

So anyway, your question was why are people like this. lol. I think the fandom created a monster, and that monster is clinging to life. It can't accept the idea of morphing into a non-canon ship, though it never was canon in the first place. It had just convinced itself that it was.

There are other aspects to this, that have to do with gwynriel and elucien.

Gwynriel is a new ship, it's almost guaranteed to happen, people are super excited to ship it and give Gwyn all their love. I'm sure they would rather create content for that ship than argue about whether or not it's going to be canon, but they are in constant defense mode. Some people honestly didn't like e*riel before because they don't like Elain, or because they don't like Azriel, and those are valid reasons for not liking it. Why people ship gwynriel doesn't matter. The tone of the discussion is, unfortunately, being shaped elsewhere, which I will mention below.

Elucien is an old ship, older than e*riel. I can speak from this perspective - personally, I have been holding my tongue for 4.5 years. I have been letting people live, and just talking about the things I like. Then when acosf came out, it was like I could finally say all the things I had been thinking about Azriel, because I now had proof that the things I thought about his character (and because of that, about e*riel) now had solid canon foundation. This is 4.5 years of me holding in a lot of shit and finally being able to say it. Sometimes yes, I might take joy in having been right.

I think that a few people are clinging to canon, and that sets the tone for the discourse in the fandom. Someone says "according to page whatever, blah blah blah" and people feel the need to respond, and then it turns into and "I'm right" contest instead of... a fandom... A lot of us like debating. To me, it's fun. But when Person A starts a conversation that's about canon and it actually ignores canon, it's hard to let that conversation go by and just keep creating whatever we want to create. Instead, we respond, and so the tone of the conversation is shaped by what Person A decided to say.

I also think that there is a lack of distinction between theories (what will happen in the future) and meta (analysis of what we have now).

There is also a lack of "I" statements. Opinions are being stated as fact.

idk if there is a way to make it better, other than to just go back to ignoring one another. This whole situation makes me want to throw out every single canon ship I like and create exclusively non-canon content, just for spite. Except I really like doing meta, and so I don't want to. I guess for my point, I'll just keep doing meta, keep creating different content, and keep reminding people that they aren't here to continue perpetuating canon, but to play with it.