#but sometimes i like to explore alternate family dynamics

[ivyinne]

I feel like I'm in the minority here but I just feel like... I don't like Stuart. And I don't mean I think he's boring or reprehensible or a badly written character, I specifically mean that I don't think his relationship with Neil is as affectionate or parental as people make it out to be.

Fanon Stuart is overwhelmingly portrayed as someone who cares about Neil. Being actively involved in his life, sometimes to an unhealthy extent. Fanfics even go so far as to have Stuart fight for Neil if he ever incurs the Moriyamas' disfavour — and I love that relationship. I love that exploration, I love seeing a Neil who at least has his mother's family in his corner.

But in canon, we hardly have any evidence to support that version of Stuart. All of their encounters have an element of business to them; Stuart rescues Neil from Nathan but that wasn't what he came down there to do — he came there because he just really, really disliked Nathan. Finding Neil was unexpected, and the first thing Stuart did was leave him there as a distraction for the FBI.

Still, it's not like he could have helped things on that front. The same way he tells Neil he can't protect Neil after the whole deal with the Moriyamas has been struck — it's just not something that can be helped. In TSC, Stuart comes to meet Neil to walk him through a plan designed to protect the Moriyamas — because that's who Stuart has allied with, and that's who Neil belongs to. It's a business transaction with a common denominator, and I see very little evidence that these two have the sort of relationship fanon maintains they do.

I know there are crumbs here and there to indicate that they do have a positive relationship, I just don't think they consider each other family, or that there is even any uncle-nephew bonding going in. Neil orders the hit on Grayson, and Stuart treats it like it's a query from a stranger. Really, Stuart? It's your organisation and you're not even gonna offer your own nephew a family discount?! I know Neil has his blood money but he's spent so much of it — and he's a student!! Who has pledged 80% of his future earnings to a crime family!! Maybe just do him a solid this once?

I think it's best explained by this example — in the EC we came to know that the Moriyamas will eventually end up getting rid of Stuart in favour of another leader within the Hatford set-up, and that before doing so they will ask Neil if he's going to be a problem when it happens. And Neil will be pretty broken up about it, but he's certainly not going to be a problem.

Which is the crux of the matter: as the canon dynamics stand, Neil and Stuart's relationship is simply too regulated by a careful balance of politics and crime and power for them to ever view each other as family. They operate in fucked-up contexts and their normal interactions are too much the product of belonging to crime families and knowing the price of necessity. Do I think they're callous about each other? No. But there's certainly no overflowing familial warmth there either.

I love that fandom explores the potential of what their dynamic could have been. But I don't think it's canon. Feel free to share any disagreements or alternate reading you have of the text, though, because I'm really open to changing my mind! And I'm also really curious about why a large part of the fandom has interpreted Stuart as having such strong pride and attachment over Neil in the first place.

[sillystringsimpsons]

THE D'AMICO CRIME FAMILY RELATIONSHIP MAP.

Content warnings: brief mention of sexual abuse, cartoon imagery of blood, cigars, cigarettes, discussion of struggling to transition, discussion of physical trauma. This AU is centred around a criminal organisation and by default involves mature themes.

Over hours, through a painstaking design process, I created an illustrated map detailing the relationships between frontal characters in my Simpsons alternate universe, The Good Ones. A lot of love and effort has been put into this, so I hope you guys like it! If there are any characters you'd like to see drawn, just let me know.

More info and close ups of icons beneath cut!

I know I always say this, but interactions, especially questions would mean SOSOSOSOSOSOSO much to me, as I've put so much thought into this and would LOVE to yap to interested people about it. I know art is done for oneself, but it feels really good to share my creations and hyperfixations with the Simpsons community :)

For every character, I drew a little icon and wrote a line of dialogue, in order to give some inside into their personality and traits in a concise way. A few further explanations and elaborations are given below!

Valentina 'Tits' Albertini Her icon is a visual pun, featuring two Great Tits drawn in the colours of the transgender flag.

Aside from Memphis, Valentina is the only other explicitly genderqueer character in the AU's focus (Lucy-Mae is heavily implied to fall under the nonbinary umbrella, but she never personally feels the need to explore it further, and is happy with identifying as female). Her former nickname was a play on how ballsy of a person she is within the mafia - though Cora is a wildcard, she makes very rash decisions: Valentina is both calculated and bold, and her current nickname is a crude (fittingly), but well-spirited adaptation introduced by Memphis. After coming out, she experiences backlash from Tony, who is concerned her late transition will impact the image of the mob. Memphis, being a trans man, asks him why Valentina is any different from himself, and in the heat of the moment, Tony exclaims that half the people in their own family have no idea that he's transgender, which leads to some tension between the two. Tits' main character arc revolves around her exploration of gender and gender expression, and the character that plays the biggest role in it is Tony's son, Michele (purposefully drawing parallels between Tony and Memphis' own relationship, and showing social change between generations).

Michele 'Softfoot Mikey' D'Amico His icon is a nod to his (in this AU) love of ballet, and how he uses it to his advantage in his role as an underboss.

Michele is a simple evolution on Tony's canon son, Michael D'Amico. In this AU, he's been aged up to 23, and instead of having an unconventional love for cooking, has an unconventional love for ballet dance. Most all of his other traits have been kept the same, however, aside from the obvious fact that he's more rational and mature than his in-canon counterpart. He's straight, but is portrayed as very effeminate - and comfortably so. Mikey really just is a girlboss who never fails to (sometimes literally) slay.

Cora 'Connie the Howler' Mezzasalma Her icon plays on her nickname, portraying a dog with some of her key characteristics, such as a matching necklace given to her by her adoptive brother, as well as a splatter of blood - presumably from one of her usual 'errors'. Her nickname refers to the colloquial term howler, meaning a laughable mistake.

Frankie's awkward adoptive sister of Greek origin, Cora was initially made with the sole purpose of providing a dynamic for Frankie, outside of his relationship with Johnny (which is still the primary relationship explored), but she really grew as a character. Initially I made the name 'Connie the Howler' on the fly as a sort of female version of 'Frankie the Squealer', but I ended up actually putting the effort in to rationalise it and bring it into her character. The result was an awesome little dynamic between two characters who were equally stupid, but in very different ways. She may be responsible for a number of incorrect hits, as well as a good few accidental deaths and injuries, but at the end of the day, she's a silly girl at heart who really synergises with her brother's anxious energy.

Maximus 'Legs' Legman & Luis 'Louie' Walters Both of their icons refer to an car accident the both of them got into, wherein Legs, ironically, suffered severe damage to his legs (resulting in the amputation of his left one), and Louie underwent significant cranial trauma.

The two do admittedly have a closer relationship because of the shared experience, though they both experience significant impacts. Notably, Louie develops Broca's aphasia (yes, I know the injury is on the wrong side, that's my bad), a form of non-fluent aphasia where one's quality of speech and grammatical structure is significantly diminished - even though the words are in your head, you cannot get them out, usually due to damage to the area of the brain responsible for the production of speech. Louie really struggles in the aftermath, and has a difficult time adapting to his disability. Thankfully, he's got his friend there to help him through it.

[abby118]

It's me again, language anon. I must say, I like most of the deleted scenes more than the original movie cuts, why did they delete them? (Other than not wanting to show more depth of Loki's character and motivations... and the little horns on Loki's horse's armour, that's so cute!) it makes me a bit sad that those are the deleted scenes, but in my head they're totally canon, I don't care that they decided to cut them. And... you've got ways to get the books? I am, very much, interested to learn how to get my hands on them if so, yes, please. You're feeding my Loki starved brain today even more than usually. Thank you! 💚💚💚

I think it's fairly simple, they wanted a villain and wrote a complex morally-grey character instead and felt he overshadowed their main one. The thing is, both Loki and Thor are complex but the audience doesn't always register that and they focus on Loki because his struggles are more visible to us, as the audience.

Personally, while Loki's story resonates with me more, I appreciate them both. They grew up in the same family, with the same dynamics and beliefs, it just manifested differently due to the difference of their experience. You can't really have one without the other.

And as for the deleted scenes, I do consider them canon (apart from the two alternative ones, of course). This applies to the script too. People often forget those but I think they are equally as important, even if they didn't get filmed. They each bring something to the story, not everything has to be what moves the plot; sometimes you just need to explore the dynamics. Sadly, the final cut doesn't favour those kinds of scenes.

The books! Under the cut.

• Phase One: Thor novel

• The Art of books: Copy each of the links below and paste here -> https://scribd.downloader.tips/ -Thor 1: https://www.scribd.com/document/513553116/2011-05-04-The-Art-of-Thor -The Avengers: https://www.scribd.com/document/538729758/Marvel-s-Avengers-the-Art-of-Marvel-s-the-Avengers -Thor: The Dark World: https://www.scribd.com/document/538729719/Marvel-s-Thor-The-Dark-World-The-Art-of-the-Movie

Scripts: -Thor 1 -The Avengers -TDW- this one isn't released and there are transcripts but I don't recommend those because I'm yet to read one that's written correctly.

For those who haven't read the previous posts: Deleted scenes Movies

[meraki-yao]

RWRB Movie: Sequel Series?

Hear me out.

A while back I mentioned that although I desperately want more Firstprince and more of the RWRB universe, I don’t really straight up want a sequel movie because of how complete the movie’s “fairy-tale” ending is and because I can’t think of, and don’t really want a full-on dramatic plot for their future. I kind of just wanna see them live their lives. I said I didn’t really know what’s the compromise between my two thoughts.

It hit me recently:

a series/ mini-series

The thing is, a series doesn’t need to be a continuous storyline. It can and most of the time it is, but it doesn’t need to be. May not be the best comparison but the Disney Junior shows I watched as a kid, while having some sort of overall continuity, aren’t always continuous. Each episode can serve as an independent story: sometimes it’s a flashback episode, sometimes it’s an alternate universe episode etc.

So when it comes to RWRB sequel, the benefit of doing a series instead of a movie is that it doesn’t need to be strictly set in the future, and it doesn’t have to have a dramatic over-arching plot, which leads to two big things we can work with.

One, we can jump around with the timeline, and give enough time to explore events that could only be mentioned in passing in the movie due to time constraints and pacing

@pippin-katz wrote a post about seeing a flashback to their first meeting in the sequel, and yes, absolutely, but with a series, a whole episode can be dedicated to their first meeting, which would be enough time to explore the whole event (i.e. Alex’s nervousness and Henry’s discomfort being at the conference, what happened after) and both Henry and Alex’s perspective. We can see everything from that day.

We could also fill in the gaps, moments that occurred during the movie but wasn’t fully presented. I don’t know if Wimbleton still works with the difference in dynamic and character on Henry’s part, but if it does it would be fun to see. One of the things that was in the book that I wish could have been in the movie was a moment of Alex’s showing his vulnerability and Henry understanding him immediately when they were just friends, so the Christmas phone call in Chapter 3, that can be in the series. Maybe the thing with kid Alex and the magazine photo of 12-year-old Henry. Things like Henry’s meeting with the King during his 18th birthday. Henry’s perspective of the Alex POV events and vice versa.

And of course we could have moments of their future, living together or working out a long-distance relationship, celebrating anniversaries, going on dates, doing public events as a couple, maybe even proposal, engagements, wedding, adoption, all the good stuff.

Two, we can focus on characters and relationships that aren’t Firstprince

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my boys and could never get enough of them

But one critic I’ve heard and sort of agree with is that a lot of supporting characters, and subsequently their actors, were underused. While I completely understand that again, it’s due to the limitations of movie storytelling, it’s still a pity.

With a series though? We can have episodes focusing on certain relationships, past, present and future.

We can have Henry’s relationship with his father, how the whole family fell apart for a few years because of losing Arthur and how much Henry’s grief affected him. (I think Nick would absolutely kill it)

We can have Alex learning more about Henry from Bea and Percy, and forming some sort of unspoken “Henry protection squad” bond.

We can have Henry reconciling with his grandfather and mother, and him introducing Alex to his mother.

And while we’ve seen Henry bond with Oscar, it’d be nice to see more of that, as well as see Henry bond with Ellen.

Firstprince will always be present, but with a series, it doesn’t always need to be the focus, and we can explore other relationships as well! And it’d give the other character a bigger chance to shine

And it can even be independent character studies: we can get a closer look into Henry’s depression and Alex’s ADHD/imposter syndrome (I’m not sure if movie Alex still reads ADHD, someone help me out here please, but if he does it’d be nice to see)

I love the movie so much and I understand that not everything can be translated on screen for it, but if the next related project is something more like “fill in the gaps” instead of “start a new thing” we can adapt certain things in the book that couldn’t be in the movie. Like colouring and adding things in the blank space of a painting instead of starting a new painting. Think about it, even Henry’s bonus chapter is a collection of miscellaneous moments that happen after the events of the book: it doesn’t have a plot.

I literally don’t know if this is a practical idea, and I’m aware this literally sounds like a collection of cannon compilate one-shot fanfics but on screen, but this is the best way to extend the RWRB universe I can think of

It’s more domestic fun and maybe fan service than making a statement/sending a message like the movie did, but the movie already did that, and it would just be nice to watch smaller moments of their lives

(and well, I got myself excited writing this, so please please please please please)

[pizzaapplecheese]

I like LMK, but I will admit some of their writing decisions are a bit... atrocious. Don't get me wrong, I love the story and characters, but sometimes I wonder what is the point of the changes they make. The samadhi fire being one of them.

It is honestly one of the most useless and confusing change I have ever seen with no justification. I am going to break it down to 3 reasons why I believe this.

Nothing needed to be changed.

This is one of my biggest gripe with this change is that it doesn't even NEEDED to be changed. The Samadhi fire could still have been sealed without making Redson a newborn (thus removing the whole section where he was forced to become a disciple of Guanyin and being the whole reason why both the Demon Bull King and his brother who guarded the abortion water was angry at Wukong). It is as simple as having it be Guanyin who ordered it. At this point Redboy was Guanyin's responsibility, so why not have her ask the pilgrims to do the ritual. Both the sealing and Redson becoming a disciple can co-exist it isn't something mutually exclusive.

2. Reduces one of Redson's main character trait and takes away exploration of a complex relationship

Unlike in the show, Redson wasn't born with the Samadhi fire, he worked for it. Which outside of his devotion for his parent's admiration, isn't really explored that much. He is a very strong character in book (he caused Wukong to have a breakdown and even made him to NEED Guanyin's help in handling him, the same Sun Wukong who only the Buddha was able to stop during his havoc in heaven) and it feels a bit disappointing to see him be reduced so much in the show.

The Samadhi fire being sealed when he was older and more aware is such an interesting concept as the shift of strength would always be something to be hanged over for Redson. It would be like taking away Wukong's shapeshifting, like sure Wukong can still do many things, but he is significantly weakened. This goes back to Redson's main trait, HE IS A HARDWORKER, in the show he engineers a lot, building many bull clones and used a machine to help take Wukong's staff out. It makes sense for him to search for alternatives to help him match his previous strength or work around the issues the sealing have given him. I will be honest Redson is an overachiever, he constantly works hard on being number 1 in everything he does, he is not the type of character would have this stop him.

Also it makes such a good exploration of the complex family dynamic of the bull family. To DBK and PIF this would obviously have been seen as a bad thing ("not only did Wukong made his son a slave of Guanyin and beat him up, but he even help took away his power!" <- biased) they have every right to be angry and might even dabble a bit of behaviour that parents with disabled child would react (ie. grieving his past self and treating this something pitiful) which would definitely not help with Redson's overachieving behaviour which honestly gives more reasons why he is like that. The dinner scene would make a good moment to show the contrast between Redson and his parents because they do love each other, but the way his parents express it is harmful (they are trying at least) they would have been too busy being upset to actually think to consider Redson's own views of the situation. Like I can definitely hear DBK talking about Redson in his younger years as an unstoppable force who could conquer the world if he wanted to, until Guanyin came around and forced him to weakened out of fear and jealousy (cough cough biased narrator).

3. confuses the story

I don't feel as if I need to explain this one, but it really does confuse the story a bit. If it wasn't because the Redson situation, why did they fight in the first place? What happened in between sealing the Samadhi fire and placing DBK under a mountain? The show never explained that and juging how DBK's relationship with Wukong is constantly overshadowed in the show in favour of SEM I doubt we will ever know.

[broomsticks]

@thistlecatfics absolute queen of there is nothing wrong with you and you are okay i swear i promise and just unconditional love and acceptance.

and also darkfic 🥰

no but seriously. thank you for all the thoughtful comment love, for braving the tiktok waters to bring us such insightful metas, and hoollyyyy shit your fics. i drop everything and run when any of your fics hits my inbox and all! of! you! should! too!!

plotty casefic packed with backstory and societal commentary and lesbians: you will burn right now but then you won't regret it • flonks • 31k, M. so many female characters and they’re ALL given such rich storylines. the black family dynamics would be absolutely show-stealing in any other fic but fleur manages to be just as if not more fascinating in this fic. also, does this fail the reverse bechdel test?? #goals

finding truth and resolution and that one way out of complicated impossible inescapable situations (tbh this is every thistlecat fic): Icarus • pansy/millicent/parvati • 20k, M. the representation in this fic is also IN-FUCKING-CREDIBLE.

marvellous juggling act of a fic: Two Quaffles Pub • cho/ginny • 9k, M. it’s snappy and smart and avoidant and honest and real and so lovely and i legitimately don’t know how you do it. also, this might be one of my favorite snippets i’ve read EVER:

A woman dating another woman? That’s like playing Quidditch with two Quaffles and no Snitch.

QUEEN of the M rating, of writing sex and kink as such fascinating explorations of power dynamics and power exchange! AND such delightfully defiant takes on canon -- and fanon!

Alphard's Favourite • sirius/peter • 5k, M A Rat in the Drawing Room • regulus/peter • 2k, M Acting Out • narcissa/molly • 2k, M Breathless • dorlene • 400, M

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sometimes thistlecat manages something approximating wholesomeness and it is just as good and somehow just as utterly bring-a-tissue:

Silent Garden • daphne/theo • 1k, T. postwar selective mutism daphne. Family Legacy • tedromeda, remadora, tedoire • 2k, T. Three generations of trans/nonbinary/gender questioning Tonks-Lupins.

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thistlecat’s humor, too, so underrated:

A Farewell Letter • wolfstar • 500, M, Sirius uses a Quick Quotes Quill to let his parents know he's, er, leaving! Height Difference • wolfstar • 500, G SETTLING this age-old fandom debate once and for all! Good Chat • wolfstar/jily/dorlene • 200, E. every! single! word!!

It was a planned action against heteronormativity and a complex statement about the exploitation of reality tv. Alternatively, the islanders were horny and bored.

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literally wrote the goddamn meta on it: Fanfiction as an Arts-Based Trauma Therapy Modality. mandatory reading for anyone who uses fic as personal trauma processing!

speaking of which, i’m gonna necro your uquiz 😂 what ~problematique~ trope are you?

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for an explanation of why i just wrote you a whole ~thing~, check out this post & the ‘mutuals march’ tag below!

[workingforitallthetime]

have you read the new luca + adam article!!! so many things to take note off 😵‍💫 the fact that they’re Very Good Students, Actually. also the unspoken comparison of adam to connor bedard wrt to attention/pressure/habits/emotional maturity. the hobey baker comment at the end. luca leader and adam devoted follower

anon i have so many thoughts about this article. i am no longer a human girl, i am just a collection of thoughts about this article, loosely wrapped in girl-shaped skin.

first of all the poignancy of some of the quotes is absolutely killing me. “it was fourteen years, and then he left”??????? adam sitting quietly on his side of the car on the long lonely drive home to ontario, luca’s seat empty next to him, and saying “i think i made a mistake.”?????? also, luca framing it as “we just got to go down there and just play for our school and for each other”????? also coach talking about how it was good for luca to be able to establish himself at KUA first and that made him feel like a big brother to be able to show adam the ropes? i’m a puddle of ash on the floor.

the overt and unspoken contrasts with connor bedard are so fascinating too. naur’s comment about “online school and practicing hockey six hours a day”… that’s connor bedard, that is his life exactly. i’m interested in the parallels that can be drawn between this article and naur’s comment on the nhl podcast earlier this week that adam’s going 100mph at all times and sometimes you have to slow him down. it seems like adam’s just as driven as connor (e.g. luca’s mention of how much adam was on the ice between classes) and the difference is that adam has people around him who do make him slow down — take vacations, get mullets with his teammates, explore alternatives to the canadian hockey prospect mill — and connor does not.

i like to imagine julia fantilli listening to melanie bedard talk about how connor was only willing to go to hawaii if he could take his hockey gear and spend the whole time rollerblading, and thinking “you let the little brat get away with that?” and i seriously doubt that giuliano’s reaction to adam breaking his mother’s vase would be “it’s fine, you can break the next one too.”

in addition to the internal family values, the fantillis also seem to be very intentional about surrounding themselves with people who will reinforce the message that it’s good for adam to go on vacation sometimes and how he develops as a person is more important than hockey. this post, and the comments from both parents, are very interesting to me in that regard.

the story also reminded me of this old quote from adam:

it’s such a contrast to the bedard family dynamic as portrayed in connor’s tsn feature, which very much makes it look like connor is driving the bus and the rest of the family is there to support him. adam is not driving the bus. he’s one part of a very tight four-person decisionmaking unit (right down to the other three getting on the phone with luca to talk about the possibility of adam going to KUA.) and that unit’s philosophy is oriented toward adam as a person, not a hockey player. it just seems like such a good way to raise your kids.

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

AAAAAAA ur reading house of leaves??? im buying that next week thats so cool! do u have any book recs? or recs in general shows movies etc

I AM!! I'm several chapters in and super enjoying it, although reading it alone in a tiny hotel room in the middle of nowhere was a Distinct Mistake.

As for recs! I'm going to specifically go for stuff that isn't super mainstream, in the hopes that I'll recommend you something you have never heard of before. Here's some stuff for you!

Podcasts

Dreamboy - one-season podcast from Night Vale Presents, definitely one of their less-known ones. Explicit in places, what I would describe as AO3 M-rated sex scenes. A worn-out musician ends up embroiled in inexplicable events in a small town, and also there's a murderous zebra and fossils that want to fuck. It's a musical cinematic podcast masterpiece, I'll always be sad there's only one season.

Apocrypals - nonfiction. Two non-believers read through the Bible and try not to be jerks about it. If you're interested in theology and apocryphal texts but have no idea where to start, this is such a good place. The hosts are delightful, and have a really nice way of taking you through all the various layers of Biblical scholarly nonsense. Considerable backlog of episodes, but worth listening through from the beginning. Weirdly, there's continuity.

Til Death Do Us Blart - five poor fools watch Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 every Thanksgiving from now until the end of eternity, and report back yearly on their mental state. You may think to yourself 'wow, that doesn't sound like a good time'. It isn't, to the hosts. To anyone listening along, it's fucking hilarious. Nine episodes so far, and it's a single episode per year, so plenty of time to catch up.

Web Series

The Monument Mythos - Several seasons. surreal analogue horror alternate history of America told through a series of videos of varying format. Brilliantly absurd, fucked up, and horrifying by turns (sometimes all at once).

No Evil - ongoing animated series, made mostly by a single person. Please don't immediately wave it off because of the colorful anthropormorphic animals. The mythology is amazing, the animation is sublime, and the music is haunting. The pacing is a bit strange at first, and you may be confused at the way the plot moves, but you have to understand that it's all part of its charm. I think about No Evil way too much.

Dances Moving - you may know Brian David Gilbert from his work at Polygon, and his more recent absurdist Youtube ventures. This is from way before that! It's a fun and gradually heartwrenching musical exploration of a local dance group and what it means to move away from home. Seven short episodes.

ENA - this one is a bit more mainstream, so you may know it already. Who knows what's going on in the world of ENA? Definitely not me. Absurdism at its finest. Bizarre architecture, strange characters, if it's a metaphor I don't know what it's about, but the vibes are immaculate. Three actual episodes of varying length, apparently there's a video game set to come out soon-ish?

An Unauthorized Fan Treatise - serialized story. If you're a fan of internet drama a la Msscribe, you're going to adore it. It's a fiction story about a fictional fandom, and one massively messed up person who decides that two of the lead actors in her favorite show are secretly dating and sets out to prove it with a cited multi-chapter essay. And then it gets wild.

Comics

The Property of Hate - a wonderfully dynamic and colorful webcomic about a young girl getting chosen to become a make-believe world's Hero. Puns and wordplay galore. Absolutely delightful characters and worldbuilding. Ongoing.

Eat the Rich - a young woman goes to meet her boyfriend's extremely rich family, and learns their horrifying secret. Warning: cannibalism. 5 issues, complete.

Beanworld - impossible to describe, but I'll try. An absurdist semiabstract musing on the nature of life and cycles and community, set in a world where the rules are weirdly two-dimensional and you as a reader get weirdly invested in the routines and cycles that the inhabitants follow. And all of the main characters are cute lil bean guys. If you read anything on this list, do this one. (Linked is the only online version I could find, and it's not up-to-date. I own all the omnibuses in print. If you liked what you read here, I recommend tracking them down too.)

Short Stories (in no particular order, and certainly not all my favorites - just the ones I had bookmarked and on hand)

Bride, Knife, Flaming Horse - a young Indian woman looks for marriage in the fantastical, and finds several suitors

Fish (in 13 sections) - an obsessive unpacks a bewildering insult. Just, really fun.

Fandom For Robots - a robot discovers anime, and definitely doesn't have big feelings about it

Informed Consent Logs From The Soul-Swap Clinic - two people decide to swap bodies, for somewhat murky reasons.

The Magician's Apprentice - a young girl learns magic from her mentor. This one's about grooming. But not like that. But also a lot like that. But also it's so much more fucked up than that. (This one is a MEGA favorite, it's by Tamsyn Muir. Who you may recognize as the author of the Locked Tomb series - I'd rec that too here, if it wasn't definitely too mainstream for what I'm going for. Read this. And also read the Locked Tomb.)

The Tale of the Foolish King Who Banished Music - it's a snippet of a longer Doctor Who audio drama, but stands so nicely on its own. Unnerving little fairy tale.

The Spider - 1908 horror story about a man trying to figure out why so many men have spontaneously committed suicide in a specific hotel room. It's basically a TMA statement, in more ways than one.

Video Games

What Did Veronica Dream Of? - strange little rpgmaker puzzle game. Obtuse and weird, and I adore it. I wish I could explain why.

Secret Little Haven - point-and-click about being a trans girl on the internet in 1999. Completely nails the tone it's going for. Period-typical homo- and transphobia.

Linelith - a short (1-hour) puzzle game with no plot and no characters, and yet it contains one of the greatest plot-twists of all time. I'm begging you to play it immediately.

Lingo - puzzle game about linguistics, words, non-Euclidean goemetry, and figuring out an endless series of rules in a constantly expanding world. RIDICULOUSLY clever and good, and I've been playing it almost continuously for the last few months. It's got so much content for such a reasonable price, and the community-made maps add even more content (and are also excellent). If English isn't your first language, you may struggle, but otherwise - grab a bunch of friends and stream it. It's better with friends helping you out, I can guarantee it.

For A Change - a 1999 interactive fiction game about raising the sun in a world where words do not mean what you think they mean. If you're familiar with old text-based games, go ahead and play it - otherwise, you may want to read this transcript of a group of people playing it together instead.

Other Things

Carmilla - the classic 1800s lesbian vampire novella. I read it very recently, and it's extremely good. Absolutely delivers on the lesbian vampire premise in full gory detail, although do be aware that it was written in the context of homophobic fear.

Alberio - very fun light musical about two siren brothers reconnecting under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Mosquitoes - stage play about life and families and physics (theoretical and practical both). Very heavy topics, pulls no punches. The Boson's final monologue always wrecks me.

Ghost Quartet - musical/song cycle/experience about love, death, alcohol, and (of course) ghosts. Lots of cyclical stories and time travel weirdness. All of the songs are incredible.

Yankee and the Foreigners - music group that performs delightful upbeat covers of songs in animal onesies. Their Bare Necessities cover is a favorite of mine.

I'm sure there's lots more things I could rec (not a lot of books or movies here, huh? sorry about that. I immediately forgot everything I've ever read and watched) but these were the things that came to mind when I sat down and wrote this list, so hopefully there's something new and good for you in here!

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

Release date: 4 July 2024

Genre: adult historical fantasy rom-com

If you like:

Grumpy x Sunshine

Only One Bed

Found family

Trio of disaster bis sharing one(1) braincell

A little cat-sized dragon

Horrible History (the author wrote for the show)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis

In an alternative Elizabethan London, Upper London residents Fang and Lazare awake from their deaths to discover they are not quite human anymore. In fact, despite having acquired the power of immortality, they’re also not quite vampire, zombie, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings that reside in the underground city of Deep London.

Thrown together by the curse they share, the two strangers set out to reverse the spell, all the while trying to ignore the intense connection between them. As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of…

Content warnings

Violence, death, blood

Child abuse, child endangerment, confinement, kidnapping

Sexual harassment (recurring)

Racism

Consumption of human flesh (not cannibalism)

Mention of animal abuse

Alcohol consumption

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC! 🐉🐈‍⬛🧛

I have to be brutally honest; this book could use a lot of editing.

There are PoV changes in the middle of paragraphs, sometimes it is not clear who is being referred to, and the dialogue could flow better. Also, the writing is very anachronistic. Like, "hot" and "hotties" are used multiple times throughout this book. I'm not a historian, so maybe they did say that in Elizabethan England, but at one point "re" was used, and as a computer science student I am fairly certain that emails had not been invented yet. If you are the type of person to be put off by this, be warned.

I also have to address the blurb and the fact that it is wrong! The blurb describes this book as a "cozy rom-com", which it is not! These guys die so many times, they are constantly adventuring and hauling ass. I think they chill out for like ONE (1) scene, then they immediately go back to being in danger! This is the opposite of the meaning of cozy!!

That being said! I freaking loved this. These characters are so fun to read and they were so endearing to me I fell in love with their dumbasses. These three adults share one brain cell and Nell has it 90% of the time. The other 10% is when Lazare is being emotionally intelligent, and Fang breaks the smart Asian stereotype by having the brain cell never. Also Amber the dragon is the sweetest little baby I want to adopt her and feed her all the meats she desires.

The world-building is rather interesting and fleshed out. The author does such a good job at showing how the supernatural creatures live alongside the humans, as well as how they are integrated into this society. It was really interesting getting to explore this alternate version of London (and also Deep London).

I appreciate that our main characters are PoC; with the way people get mad/debate about the existence of PoC in historical fiction, having characters that are not white + having their race be intrinsically tied to their backstories was much appreciated.

This book is also hilarious. Your mileage may vary; my bestie thought the humour was a bit much, and I personally found some of it to be ridiculous but I could still find it funny.

I also loved the stupid-ass romance. Lazare and Fang are so dysfunctional and stupid (endearing) (and moreso Fang). Their dynamic was so frustrating to read but in a good way, I promise! Also, this is pitched as a romance, but (IMO) one of the central tenets of the romance genre is that the couple ends up together by the end, which is NOT the case here.

Since this is book 1 of a series, they will probably get it together in the sequel. Which, BTW, I am beyond excited for I need it so bad.

(@ the author or publisher or whoever is in charge of this, I would love an ARC for the sequel hmu)

[penandswords]

Rules!

(Under the Read More Because I don't want to clog up the Dash)

(Nothing has really changed, I just organized it better / Elaborated on some stuff)

Blog Specific Rules! / PSAs

1. To Endeavor / Hawks / Todoroki Family affiliated blogs

- While My About may have these canons in it. I do not want you to think you have to stick to it. I am willing to change / Alter / Omit things as needed in order to make things work.

- Do not feel any pressure to write a specific way. I want Interactions between us to be fun for both sides, and I do not mind exploring alternative ideas.

2. Rima's Quirk!

- Rima has a quirk that lets her sense / influence emotions of others. I will do my best to reach out to Rp Partners in OOC if it becomes relevant.

General Rules!

3. 18+ Only, No Minors

- Mun is 30, and does not feel comfortable writing with under age muns.

4. Basic Rp Etiquette.

- Don't God Mod / Write on behalf of my muse /

- Do not Kill My muse (Without talking to me first Pls)

- Mun Does not Equal Muse

- Just have respect for Me, and My Rp Partners. (No bullying)

5. Do Not drag Me into Drama.

- No Call Out Posts, No "Warning Me" about XYZ.

- I am To Old for it, and am Only here for fun.

Interactions!

6. I will Write, Crack - Serious, Short - Long Replies, Plotted - Not Plotted.

- Honestly I am not very picky when it comes to threads, If you have an idea come tell me. Even if you have NO idea, Yeet your muse at me and I will FIND a way to make it work.

7. I Am Crossover | Oc | and Canon Divergent Friendly.

8. My Inbox is Always Open, Memes don't really Expire for me.

- But If you DO send in a meme, Please send Me either the link or some kind of context to what it is.

- If you are a SIDE blog sending in a meme, PUT the URL of that blog In with the ask. (Mun Is VERY forgetful, and get's sidetracked easily.)

Contacting Me (OOC)

9. I LOVE talking to My RP partners OOC

- My DMs are always open. (Even If I am not logged in) So don't hesitate to send me a message. I will be thrilled to get it. (Same go's for asks)

- If you do not LIke Tumblr I.m's, My discord is available upon Request, OR you can send me an OOC Ask. (Just make sure you indicate that it's an OOC ask)

10. Mistakes

- If I make a mistake, Please do not be afraid to come tell me. (Nicely)

- Either from Losing A thread | Forgetting A rule | Forgetting a detail | Or even just being to chatty. Or any other reason. I promise I do not bite, I only want to make my rp partners as comfortable as I can.

- To add: I have ADHD, I can be VERY forgetful, and get Hyper fixated. While I do my best to keep in Reined in, Sometimes I get a little excited about something.

- If that does happen, and you get overwhelmed. You are welcome to come ask me to tone it down. I do my BEST to keep it in check, BUT sometimes I have days where my brain won't shut up.

NSFW / Ships!

11. Smut threads

- They are limited to Muns who are 21+

- Smut is reserved for Rp Partners I know and am comfortable with.

- Do not force these threads on me. (NO Means No.)

12. NSFW threads

- I am okay with most themes, but don't just YEET it at me. If you want to do a darker thread please come talk to me first. (Warn a lady first, I have to prepare my Brian )

13. Ships

- Ships will ONLY happen with Muses who are 18+ (Canonically No age ups)

- In order for a ship to happen, I need clear communication from my RP Partners.

- Casual Flirtation is FINE, I do not mind that at all, but If you want anything beyond that come talk to me first.

- I tend to lean more towards plotted / Story heavy threads instead of ship centered ones. Things like Ships are MORE fun for me if we can build it over time vs all at once.

14. All ships will be set in their own separate Universes. (Unless specified otherwise)

15. I will NOT ship with Enjis / Endeavors. (My goal is more of a platonic dynamic between them. Nothing more than that)

Triggers!

16. I do not have very many triggers.

- My Main Trigger tags are [ Trigger Warning ] and [ Tw: -Insert Trigger- ] (Without the Brackets) So If you have a specific trigger I will try to add it in. but These are my main ones for those who want to black list stuff.

17. Lastly! Just have FUN.

- Rp is MEANT to be fun, It is not a job it is a hobby.

About The Mun! Name: Liz Pronouns: She / Her / They Age: 30 (As of 2024) Birthdate: June 14th Favorite color: Dark Purple Rp Experience: 15+ years

[myosotlsart]

Any headcanons for characters you wanna share?

Aha. The time has come for me to answer this question.

The thing is, I *don't* have any headcanons for the main "canon" pokémon characters. I let them be. So technically, nothing for them is canon in my head. Not even the fact that Green Oak has a crush on Red. I respect the canon for what it is, and leave it at that.

But if we're talking about slightly *altered* versions of them, such as what I write for them... ahaha. Yes. That's when I allow myself to become a little creative. (The only issue is, there are different alternate timelines. I'll give you a basic rundown of what goes on in my head.)

more under the cut

Pokespe Inspired (Universe 1)

This is the first story I attempted to write, and as all things written by a child, the contents are a little wild. I'll say what I plan to carry through, however:

Green Oak has a crush on Red. Duh. It was clear the moment he doubled around. No, he wasn't "waiting" on you. PFfft. He just wants to prove he's the best. *Ensue depression after Red's disappearance*. Red, however, is on the aroace spectrum, which means they have to learn and navigate what an intimate/romantic relationship means to them, if they even have one.

Green feels a lot of emotions, which leads him to act irrationally at times. Red is overall a lot more introverted (not to say more calm, but appears to be) which can be hard for Green to read. Like a hot/cold dynamic

Professor Oak, at one point, became the Pokémon Champion due to a mixture of interest in pokémon and perserverence. He never, however, understood the bonds between pokémon, and ultimately dropped the job to pursue studying them. His lack of knowledge considering the bonds between pokémon is what makes him unable to gauge how much Green's pokémon like him, and ties into the fact he also bad at connecting to his very human family

Green's mother is the spoiled daughter of Professor Oak who was also very type A- and so dominant only her last name transferred to her children. Aspects of his personality, such as his cleanliness, and at times deep desire for perfection and insecurity, is a result of her high demands for overachievement

Blue (F) has experienced with traumatized children (Silver) and taking care of Yellow is natural for her because of it. After the events of the main story, she goes back to seek for Yellow, and emotionally and physically helps her grow into her own.

Kanto is generally misogynistic when it comes to female trainers in power and Blue does her damnest, resorting sometimes even to radio broadcast, to slowly shift public opinion on the matter.

Red's primary goal is to befriend pokémon, understand them, and change the region's attitude towards pokémon training (such as with whips, etc.) He doesn't take the championship seriously by the end, which infuriates Green, and only beats Green to bring some finality. Red initially partakes in media to discourage whipping and abusive practices, and stays for a little bit, before ultimately receeding to the mountains due to how overwhelming and impossible it is for one kid to change the world. Red is the one who makes the stairs in the mountain as a subconscious plea for someone to come up and find him, even if he won't go back down himself

There is way more on the second gen I could talk about, but I haven't even drawn any of them yet, so that's for the future I presume

FRLG Inspired (Universe 2)

Unfortunately, in the first universe, Blue (F) ultimately cannot surpass Red and Green, has to deal with the disappointment, and shift priorities. It seems that if only the female trainer exists, she can be the Champion. However, if she were to exist alongside Red, Red always has to win. This AU is an exploration of that notion.

Red and Leaf have the same mother, they look similar, therefore they are twins. However, in the games, they are never seen together. Thus, while Red is raised by his mother (if player chooses Red), this story has Leaf travelling with her father for the majority of their lives, making them estranged siblings. But no hard feelings. (Mostly).

By the time Leaf goes to pick up the pokéballs, only Bulbasaur is left.

Blue Oak is a lot ruder in this AU than he is in the other stories I'm writing, where his and Red's relationship is the core focus. Which is to say, he acts exactly as he does in the game, always trying to prove he's better and one-ups Red.

Leaf is never mentioned beyond FRLG, such as in HGSS. Yet, she must have existed. I imagine her to take a much more relaxed (thus hidden/less flashy) approach to the journey than Red and Blue do. While the boys take the spotlight, she takes unconventional paths around the region, focusing on befriending pokémon. Does she fail at waking Snorlax because she doesn't have the pokéflute? Well, fine, despite not knowing fly, she'll tell Pidgeot to fly over the dang thing, take a running start, and alley-oop over that giant monster.

Due to her more mischevious, shadowed nature (and harkening to her name) Leaf usually favors pokémon such as Butterfree, Crobat, Parasect, Venonat, Golduck, Victreebel, Cloyster, Hypno, Tangela, and Mewtwo. Her more mysterious nature sets her apart from the usual peppy female protagonists. There is something unsettling and amusing/curious about her. If you get decieved by her innocent smile, well...

The test as to whether any of this matters, if she can surpass the popularity of the stars of Kanto, comes to a head at the end of the story.

During HGSS, while Red is on the mountain and Blue handling the gym, she goes to Hoenn (referencing a 2005 postcard of her with a combusken), where she meets May. Traveling with May (who is a climate change activist, thanks to RSE's theme of, well, climate change) is a welcome break from the box she was forced into during her time in Kanto. An experienced, lightly jaded adventurist and an inspiring adventurer with a heart of gold make for an extremely heartwarming journey

Wow! I didn't think I'd have so much to say when I saw this, I was genuinely scrambling for headcanons until I laid out some of the stories I have swirling around my head. Apparently there was a lot in there! The more you know.

[shi-daisy]

Tamlin Playlist

Okay, so I couldn't get our precious golden baby in a modern AU. Like nothing I wrote worked, so for Day 6 I've decided to make a mini Playlist with songs I felt fit our boy, particularly with the second chance motif. Alternatively, you can also take my long fic as an entry since it is a Tamlin second chance and healing fic. Hope you like!

@tamlinweek2023

Tamlin Week 2023- Day 6- Second Chance

Tamlin Playlist

Here's an explanation for each song and their placement.

Sorry about your parents by Icon for Hire- I feel like it's a good fit for Tamlin't childhood. While it's clear his father and brothers were horrible to him sometimes I feel his mom is not given enough flack too. Unlike the lady of Autumn, she's not in an abusive relationship (that we know of) and Tamlin at least seems to imply she ignored some of her husband's most unsavory actions. Will explore this further in the fic but from what we know of canon the song fits Tamlin's family dynamic well.

2. I Am Only One by We Are the Fallen- Explains Tamlin's loneliness and mixed feelings after the death of his family.

3. Nemo by Nightwish- A gothic song about adjusting to an identity you don't feel comfortable with. Probably how our golden boy felt when he became High Lord when not only he did not want it but gave up his other dreams as well.

4. Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace- Relates to the urgency of the curse and Tamlin wishing for the safety of his entries but we all know how that ended

5. Good Enough by Evanescence- Feylin Romance. That's it I fit this song is peak Feylin romance from either POV you use. To think there was a time when I was rooting for them...

6. Water by Breaking Benjamin- Relates to when the relationship between Feylin turns sour. The singer is mostly paranoid and knows so but keeps sinking further into madness. Can't think of anything that describes the first few ACOMAF chapters more

7.No Parade by Jordin Sparks- Singer gets dumped unexpectedly and does not realize or recognize what they've done wrong. Feels like it fits Tamlin during the time we don't see him in book 2 and he's looking for Feyre.

8. Cage the Best by Adelitas Way- Tamlin going down into a deeper downward spiral regarding his court friends and Feyre

9. Take it all by TRUSTCompany- Breakup Feylin song. Let's just say they're what first came to mind whenever I play this entire album. Let my man be mad about the breakup and court, damnit!

10. Monster You Made by Pop Evil- An admission of guilt but also a confrontation could be used with all of the people that have left our boy (Except Lucien cuz c'mon those two can never hate each other)

11. Nevermore by Art of Dying- An angry healing song about letting go. I feel like before he healed Tamlin would need to let out both the sadness and anger. Foreshadowing for the fic too hehe.

12. Second Chance by Shinedown- Similar to the last song, it's about healing but this one is nostalgic rather than angry,

13. Best I Can by Art of Dying- Song about trying to be better for the sake of those who you love. Can fit any Tamlin relationship from friendship to family to ships. Ends the playlist on a hopeful note.

[bullofspain]

The portayal of masculinity in JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken

Arguably one of the most influential works in modern Japanese media is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken). This manga, created by the famous mangaka Hirohiko Araki, has become synonymous with Japanese Pop culture as it resonates deeply within youths. It is said by many that in nearly every current anime, manga or even real life media, references to this work are present in some way or another. Filled with outlandish, flamboyant and bizarre characters, it is perhaps no surprise to have gained the attention of youths, who are growing up in a period of rapid social change.

Matters pertaining to queerness and tolerability have many people wondering what it means to identify with a gender. What exactly does it mean to be man? This is, I believe, one incredibly relevant question within our society, where some turn to the ‘red-pill’ and Adrew Tate and other’s find comfort within LGBTQ communities. Allow me to present how JoJo’s Bizarre adventure offers an enlightening perspective on this question.

Summary of the plot:

Although this manga has been running since 1987 and is currently split in 9 main story arcs (known as parts), It does follow a relatively cohesive and satisfying story. The story follows primary male members of the Joestar family, all bearing the nickname JoJo, and the bizarre events occurring around them. Spanning from 19th century London to Modern day Hawaii, each part is set a distinct and historical setting.

Part 1, known as Phantom Blood, tells the story of the aristocratic Joestar family and the sleezy and cunning Brando family and the origin of their seemingly unending conflict, cursed to be perpetuated by their bloodline. The effects of which can be felt up to Part 6, known as Stone ocean, where the curse of their eternal feud gets lifted in the end.

Parts 7, 8 and 9 are set in an alternate universe, again focusing on the Joestar family but leaving behind the Brando feud. It instead explores the cruelty and inevitability of fate, which is called “Calamity”. Part 7, Steel Ball Run, especially covers the ideas of sin, virtue and karma. The main JoJo of this part in particular is an atypical hero; being physically disabled and often justifying killing as the easiest means to resolve an inconvenience. But as the story progresses he learns to embrace his disability and he becomes more responsible for his actions. Interestingly enough, It seems very few readers perceive JoJo’s Bizarre adventure as a coming-of-age story. Essentially, each part begins with a young unexperienced teenage boy of the Joestar family, who by the end has grown confidently into their role in the world.

The Masculine physique and the art posing:

Like most long running manga, the art style is bound to change over time; often to fit the standardized style of contemporaries, sometimes due to personal taste changing. Just by viewing a panel out of Phantom Blood and comparing it to a panel out of the newest part, The JOJOLands, we can deduce rather easily that Araki is no exception to this phenomenon.

Araki’s early works consisted mostly of seinen manga; these revolve around older men (ages 20 to 50) with adult themes and extreme violence. When Araki first started writing JoJo’s Bizarre adventure in the ‘80s, his work was thus greatly inspired by his contemporaries within the seinen genre. Most notably Tetsuo Hara, creator of Fist of the North Star.  

This style was known for the use of bulky men with detailed faces and amplified musculature, creating a menacing feeling of power and dominance. This is comparable to the image of a super macho man. However during the run of the fourth part, Diamond is unbreakable, Araki grew discontent with how women were treated in manga and the way they were drawn.  “…Both men and women can become heroes. Up until the 1980’s, male characters had to be dynamic and take action, and female characters had to be delicate and passive. But that is no longer necessary. I think that this reflects a greater cultural shift…”  (Araki, 2015, p58) This revelation allowed him to explore a more fluid and feminine approach of portraying characters and masculinity. Later parts portray men with simpler, softer faces and slender flexible bodies, which allows for a more expressive physique with an effeminate touch.

To express these intense emotions, JoJo characters will often pose, which admittedly might seem silly. These pose are often quite sensual and reminiscent of theatre drama. It is perhaps easier to show, rather than tell. This next pose is inspired by a model in Jean Patou’s Couture Collection.

On the right we see a feminine silhouette with a stance full of temptation and mystery, beckoning the viewer closer with its finger. It demands attention through a male lens of sexuality. On the left we see Dio, the main antagonist of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, in a very similar pose created to gain attention from the male gaze. But with elements associated with a female lens on sexuality: bare chest and defined musculature. We can thus perceive these poses as containing masculine elements on a surface level with a stance deeply coded in femininity.  

The Fashion and stands, a visual representation of personality:

In JoJo, aesthetics are important on a narrative level; major characters will wear colorful, over the top ensembles to signify their importance and give away their personality. This could definitely be associated with the fact these characters are teenagers. Often overcome with mental struggle and a desire to make a mark on the world, these characters are loud and unapologetic in the way they present themselves. The main superpower in the series is called a Stand, which acts as an embodiment of 'your one's spirit. A clear example of this is the aforementioned Dio Brando, who is one of the few actually confirmed queer characters. His clothes, stand power and physique are very masculine, yet his voice, mannerisms and poses are very seductive and soothing. This contrasts with his menacing appearance creating an hint of intrigue and mystery. Despite looking masculine, he is an emotional blend of both genders. The fact that these stands are only visible to other people with that power, could be perceived as a metaphor for someone’s internal struggle for identity or discontent at the world for “oppressing” them. While I am not convinced this is definitely the case, It could definitely be a reason as to why it resonates with so many youths and LGBTQ members. JoJo’s fashion has become so adored in fact, that Araki frequently collaborates with the famous fashion house, Gucci.

An unapologetic expression of masculinity:

In short, Hirohiko Araki has portrayed men in wide range of manners throughout JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure's run, from overly muscular to subtle and feminine. The men in JoJo unapologetically present themselves loudly in a manner that makes teenagers all over the world envy them. This confidence in your identity regardless of your sexuality is what has attracted the attention of queer communities in a mostly positive manner. These men are not afraid to show their emotions, as it serves to confirm their humanity. I believe this is how masculinity is portrayed in JoJo’s Bizarre adventure. It is defined by a characters actions, rather than sex, gender or clothes; but the desire to never back down and prevail in the face of adversity.

Bibliography:

Araki, Hirohiko (2015 & 2017) Manga In Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga, Japan & San Francisco: Viz Media

Araki, Hirohiko (August 23, 2011) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Rohan Kishibe Goes to Gucci (岸辺露伴 グッチへ行く), Japan: Shueisha, Spur

Araki, Hirohiko (August 18, 2023) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOlands, vol 1, Japan: Shueisha

Buronson. and Hara, T. (September 10, 1984) Fist of the North Star: Volume 3, Japan: Shone Jump

[brightlotusmoon]

People really don't understand that what Mikey's brothers do to him is fucked up yes they love him of course they are family but this doesn't excuse all their actions just like it doesn't excuse his but they need to understand that loving someone doesn't mean your not toxic and problematic espiaclly how they show it sometimes they have flaws just like everybody else so I find it really annoying how they play the their brothers or I have a sibling we beat the shit out of each other to oblivion and act like it's normal sibling behavior and me as someone with a sibling that is not true at all they just don't understand and I'm sorry you deal with them sending threats.

I'll never understand the mindset, but it's a thing. I know people who were physically maimed by their siblings, and some have no contact while others are extremely close. The sibling dynamic is so varied that nobody in the fandom is in complete agreement.

Years ago when Rise was initially popular, a weird war was started between Rise fans and 2012 fans over the siblings' relationships. Suddenly, 2012 was toxic and Rise was ideal. It got really intense for a while.

Some of us enjoyed exploring dark AU ideas, like, sure, okay, What If there was a version where they were feral and beat each other up and nobody was better than anyone else? You find those alternate universe ideas in every fandom. It certainly doesn't mean that we actually think Raph is a bully towards Mikey.

He'll, I wrote a whole series where 2012 Raph explored his emotional vulnerability with Mike's help. I have friends with temper issues, I have friends who are class clowns. None of them are above one another, and the inside jokes would probably seem really off-putting to someone who doesn't know the relationships.

[angelicgilbert]

“I’d better stop writing now. Stefan’s leaving, and Matt and Meredith and Alaric and I are going to see him off. I didn’t mean to get so into this; I’ve never kept a journal myself. But I want people to know the truth about Elena. She wasn’t a saint. She wasn’t always sweet and good and honest and agreeable. But she was strong and loving and loyal to her friends, and in the end she did the most unselfish thing anybody could do. Meredith says it means she chose light over darkness. I want people to know that so they’ll always remember. I always will.” -Bonnie McCullough

an exploration into the character of elena gil.bert expanded into original storylines. daughter of an angel and a mortal. a child of destiny. elder sister. one third of the velociraptor sisterhood. a queen bee named spirit of fell's church. widow of the late vampire stefan salva.tore (in default verses)-- she brings him back to life in her main verse. cousin of agent john m.yers (of hellboy) in most verses. formerly a vampire and spirit of the afterlife. an earth guardian (nephilim) with her angelic abilities triggered following her resurrection. working as an art and antiques dealer and played at the age of twenty-eight by default.

features themes of finding one's purpose, being a child of prophesy. sometimes gray morality. old family money/founding family, character growth, family dynamics, gothic horror, temptations of power, death, resurrection, protectiveness, love, loyalty, loss, stubbornness, determination, survival, magic and angelic powers, light verse dark, and forging your own path.

GOOGLE DOC + RULES + VERSES

mature and dark themes will be present and untagged; follow at your own risk. mun has been writing this muse for almost fifteen years and this is a canon divergent portrayal based in the book world but open to interactions with show based muses and show adapted verses. however, bare in mind that elena will maintain her novel characterization and will not make the same choices as her show counterpart.

flashback and young adult verses available.

primary faces: elizabeth bla.ckmore (main) & gabrie.lla wilde (younger) alternate face: leah pip.es

MEMES TAG

heavily writes crossovers, adapted verses, historical verses, and original character friendly. no hate of any kind will be tolerated on this blog and anon will be remaining off. elena only has one mar.vel verse which is a more generalized verse and does not hold strictly to a specific timeline (such as m.cu, etc) and has a more sci-fi-esque theme, she is the sister of outlawiism's star-lo.rd in that verse and could be considered a space outlaw and is primarily space based though uses earth as a home base at times. this verse will likely be used for most sci-fi based interactions. given her familial connection to agent mye.rs from hell.boy, the events of the first film (2004) exist in the same world as her default current/adult canon.

FOLLOW FOREVER (shameless promo for the cool beans) AFFILIATES: @everythingheard (stefan) @myersbprd CHRACTER EXCLUSIVES: @outlawiism @honorhearted @darehearts MAINS: @talesfromthevoiid @retrograderesemblance @pagetreader OTHER BLOGS: @legaciestold @wiedzmacienia

[timeguardiansarchive]

⭐

ALL THE DYNAMICS!!! this is not an exhaustive list.

Susan Pevensie: Romance or broship-- whichever the chemistry might determine??

Peggy Carter: Fellow soldier verses???? dynamics to be determined

Melody: (Eric & Ariel's canon daughter) a ship, a bodyguard au? or even a sibling/platonic thing- depending on your desires.

Nancy Drew: Jordan being like an elder brother? Mentor? Friend of the family.

Lucy Chen: adversarial, cause she's a cop XDD and he well, jumps around the law pretty well, from what I remember. Could even end up with impeccable chemistry, I mean, he IS her type.

Belle: I love the concept you brought up where he is a far safer alternative to Gaston, that could be FUN to explore

Maureen or Justice: Jordan helping to rescue one of them from trouble they got themselves into? Maureen could be a ship. Justice would be a little weird since we write Jordan and Tubbs as a ship sometimes?