#but… yeah the general stories are quite different so idk yet

[majicmarker]

been debating whether or not to remove my eddissy sex shop fic from ao3 (i have actual reasons, not just like… on a whim), but then oof, ppl are really into that one 🫣

[gavvaiins]

lonely

summary: having to carry the future of multiple universes on his shoulders miguel simply is tired, tired and lonely.

pairing: miguel o'hara x gn!reader warnings: angst, pinch of fluff, less actions, more vibes; story's gender neutral but i feel it might be too female-coded? idk ; - ; word count: 3.7k

a/n: yeah ... this is longer than it needs to be. Might got confused by grammar later ... idk while writing i fell into a narrating-style crisis? It definetly doesn't help when the book you're reading is written is a different tense.

Sometimes all Miguel wished for was some time alone. In a building full of arachno-humanoids, constantly surrounded by either living people, holograms or other species there was sometimes not enough room to breathe. So, nothing reprehensible about wanting some time for himself.

However, Miguel wasn’t longing to be alone.

He didn’t need to.

He already was.

Despite being surrounded by dozens of spider-beings he was alone. He had no friends. Jess was a colleague, Peter Parker was a dear colleague, the best – and what was even Peter B. Parker? Honestly, Miguel didn’t know, but despite all these different Spider-People there was no one waiting for him. Not even in Nueva York, a city with far more citizens than anyone could count.

No one was waiting for him to come home – or to simply arrive, anywhere.

Lyla was nothing but an AI generated hologram, he created.

There was no one waiting for him.

And that was good. No one waiting for him meant safety; for him and for him. Without anyone there waiting for him to return home he could neither hurt nor lose someone. Miguel noticed that it wasn’t loneliness he was longing for, after all he was pretty much alone in his world, carrying the burden all by himself. Having time to breathe, to think that was what he was longing for. A moment without Lyla and the other arachno-humanoids, without having to think about anomalies and the downfall of universes.

All he wanted was peace.

“Miguel?” His body grew tense as your voice emerged from the dark, careful and soft, almost fearful as if you were entering a cave, unsure of what you’d meet in there. There was a chance that you hadn't spotted him yet, sitting on his lowered platform all by himself. Within moments he heard your voice he began holding his breath. If he didn’t make a sound, you wouldn’t catch him, which was a dumb and childish thought considering the lighting of the running monitors, which illuminated his big frame quite perfectly.

What were you even doing here? There was no need for you talking to him.

“Miguel?” You asked. He could sense the hesitation in your voice, it reminded him of the heroes in fairy tales, both brave and stupid enough to enter the dark woods full of beastly and hungry creatures. When Miguel thought about it, his room was a bit like a forest – or more a cave, dark and mysterious. To his surprise the light tremor in your voice didn’t stop you from further exploring the room. If this was truly a fairytale, you’d either be very brave or stupid, or both. Whatever it was Miguel would’ve eaten you alive.

But this wasn’t a fairytale, and he wasn’t the big, bad wolf, ready and hungry enough to devour you. But why didn’t you stop?

Why were you still going?

He was the Spider-Man who hoped not to be found by anyone, especially not you.

With every passing second Miguel’s body grew more, and more tense, his lungs felt strained, knowing very well that with every step you took, you were closer to seeing him. He knew that it would’ve been smarter to swing away, to simply vanish in the dark. But he couldn’t move. Something in him didn’t want to flee, despite his longing for peace and serenity. He was like a spider trapped in its own web, paralyzed by his own poison.

Maybe he longed for you to find him.

“Miguel.” Your voice was nothing but a whisper, not entirely fearful but caring as well. Yet, Miguel kept using the tactics of a child. Stoic and stiff did he keep his posture, eyes on the ground, head buried in his arms; if he couldn’t see you, you couldn’t see him either. Rather he avoided your eyes, your whole presence like the plague.

How did he, Spider-Man 2099, guardian of the arachno-humanoid poly-multiverse and destroyer of a whole universe, look like? A mountain of a man hunched on his sunken platform, hiding his face like a fearful child, who didn’t know where to put its overwhelming feelings. He used to be an authority, always standing high on his platform, towering over and looking down on you. But now it was you who looked down on him, a pile of misery in blue and red barely illuminated by flickering screens.

“Oh, Miguel.” He could sense your presence beside him, he could sense everything of you – your pity and empathy was almost sickening. Your body was awfully close but kept a minimal distance of respect, and to his own surprise Miguel felt his tense muscles relax.

Finally, he found himself able to breathe again.

For a moment you said nothing, no Miguel, no how are you. No words left his lips either. You two sat in silence and Miguel enjoyed it, a little – sitting with you in the dark, just the two of you and he hated to admit it, but he began missing his name rolling off your tongue. His name sounded so soft and caring, like he meant something, like he was someone others cared for.

Someone you cared for.

And something inside of him longed hearing you say his name, again, and again.

To his own surprise he needed it, and he surprised himself by how desperately he needed to hear his name coming from you.

“Miguel?” Ah, there it was. Finally. It was embarrassing admit how Miguel’s heart enjoyed it deeply, hearing his name rolling of your tongue. It felt like warm milk mixed with honey running down his throat, filling his body with warmth and a feeling of serenity, of home. Despite his inner positive response to your presence he didn’t move, nor did he speak. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Feeling your knee nudge his thigh, his body grew tense again. The touch was subtle, yet it alarmed all his senses, as if your touch could hurt him. Couldn’t you just continue gently serenading his name, like a sweet lullaby he could relax and fall asleep to? Miguel didn’t need to talk with you about his feelings. He didn’t want to.

“Doesn’t – “

“Leave me alone,” he grumbled, words swallowed by the void underneath his arms.

“– look like nothing,” you said. No answer, and for a moment you grew quiet. He had no idea what you were doing but he could hear you shifting in your seat beside him. Were you finally leaving?

No.

He wanted you to leave, didn’t he? Yes … that’s what he wanted.

But you weren’t leaving, he knew it when he felt your gentle touch on his shoulder. His muscles jumped slightly under your touch as if your fingers were ice cold or burning hot. They weren’t. Your touch was light, careful, like a butterfly dancing on his skin. First came your fingers, gracing his scapula as if you were testing the waters, then rested your palm on his shoulder and despite the highly advanced suit he was wearing, it felt like his skin was burning – a malfunction, an electric shock.

His heart jumped.

It was too much.

“I said, leave me alone!” Forceful, almost feral, he slapped your hand away. Risen to his full dominating size Miguel was panting heavily, fangs bared, talons shown and eyes gleaming of anger … and hurt, and loneliness, confusion. He looked like a beast, tall and furious, ready to strike or devour you.

“Miguel.” He tried not to flinch. He hated the sound of your voice; it didn’t feel soothing anymore. Instead, it was laced with fear, but mostly hurt. But what was he expecting? Miguel had scared you; he had hurt you.

Good.

Lyla would scold him for being an ass. He didn’t want to hurt you, but he needed to, and if that’s what’s needed to leave him be, he’d endure it … and he would do it again, if he needed to. Despite his body telling him differently, he neither needed you nor your pity.

His initial thought was that his plan was working. The big, bad Spider-Man was indeed an asshole, who made you cry for no reason. Never would you talk or even look at him again, which he told himself was fine. But you weren’t crying. Sure, you were holding your arm protectively close to your body as if his talons had teared through your suit, making you bleed. But no sign of tears rimming your eyes, plus, you weren’t leaving.

You were still here.

“What the fuck?”

Why wasn’t it working? “I told you to leave me.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you still there?” With satisfaction he watched you thinking of a good response, gears turning in your head, to no avail. Your mouth opened slightly before pressing it shut, eyes lowering to your hands folded in your lap. That was it; without anything to retort you surely would leave him.

Again, the two of you sat in complete silence. One he didn’t enjoy, but need, and surely neither did you. However, he was sure that you’d given up, any second, and leave him alone. “Is that really what you want?”

He looked at you, blinking.

“Is it really what you want?” You repeated, staring into his dark eyes and there is something in yours that scared him. Miguel couldn’t tell what it was, there was no poison in your eyes, no malice, yet he was afraid. “Do you really wish to be alone?”

You scared him, and that’s nothing anyone would ever associate with you. He hated to admit it, but he was, not of your physical strength or arachno-powers. Surely, he could easily knock you out. Rather he was afraid that you’d find something you weren’t supposed to see.

Miguel hesitated. “Yes.”

“I have to.” It just slipped out of his mouth. He hadn’t meant to speak his mind, even if it was just a bit. You weren’t supposed to know. But now you knew something that was meant to stay hidden, that was meant only for himself. A burden he had meant to carry himself. There was no reason to hide, yet there was no reason to face you either, so Miguel did what he could best, being alone. With a heavy sigh he crept back into the shell he so shamefully had lost. This time Miguel didn’t burry himself beneath his arms, instead he stared in the darkness of his office, waiting for you to leave. By that time, he should’ve known that you wouldn’t leave him.

Not like that.

“Oh, Miguel.” Again, his name was nothing but a soft whisper, comforting. There lied some sadness behind his name, yet it was all he had wished for moments ago, before he lashed out at you. “You are not alone. We’re all Spider-Man.”

Some incomprehensible grumble left his lips, how should he explain? It wasn’t your fight, neither was it Peter Parker’s, only his. “It was me.”

“I’ve done this,” he said before you could even think of calling him again.

“I –“ Miguel’s breath hitched and for a second his heart stopped beating, stumbling over its own rhythm as he felt your fingers dancing on his skin again.

How dare you?

He wanted to bare his teeth at you, again, he wanted to scare you, to push you away from him, but he couldn’t. His mind told him to, like he used to do whit so many people before. You knew too much about him. But his heart, his body, craved for the softness of your voice, longed for the warmth of your heart. Carefully your fingers grazed his skin, almost waiting for some sign of permission until they could finally rest on his cheeks. Despite wearing your spider-suit your hand felt surprisingly soft on his skin.

With a sigh he leaned into the comfort of your touch, until he remembered who he was and what he did. His head shot up like your hand was hurting him but before he could utter any more words of misery you placed both of your hands on his cheeks, gently forcing him to look at you.

“You’ve done what? Jumping through the arachno-humanoid poly-multiverse.” Your voice was calm and gentle, as was your smile. He could barely look at you. “That is quite a complicated name, maybe you should think about calling it spider-verse instead.”

Miguel meant to smile at your joke, even if only subtle, a ghost of a smile only you’d be able to detect and in any other situation he would. But he couldn’t. Not now, when he’d say something so gruesome that would paint him in a different light. However, the truth didn’t want to roll over his tongue, revealing who he really was, not when you so gently smiled at him, caressing his skin with your fingers. Heaving a sigh, he let go, and melted into your touch like warm butter. Was it good to let his guard down? Probably not. Neither was it professional to lean into your touch, almost gracing your clothed wrist with his lips. It wasn’t good but it felt good, the softness of your touch, the warmth seeking through your spider-gloves. If you’d allow it, he will fall asleep right here in your arms.

It was impossible for him to resist.

If only Lyla could see him now … big, bad wolf turned into a puppy.

However, he was left dumbfounded when he found himself stripped of your touch, even more so, when he found himself disliking the sudden coldness. Wanting to know what went wrong Miguel starred at you but nothing seemed to have changed. You still looked at him with the same fondness and empathy in your eyes, the only difference was that you’re patting your lap. His eyes followed your directions, and he grew hesitant.

“May I?” It should’ve been Miguel asking and not you. Though, resting on your thighs was a nice, almost heavenly thought but he shouldn’t enjoy your comfort too much. “Miguel, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s okay.” He declined.

“C’mon Miguel, it’s comfortable I promise,” you smiled, but he didn’t move. Surely it must be more comfortable than hanging in your hands, but Miguel couldn’t let himself fall on your lap. Already he was enjoying the tenderness of your fingers too much, what would happen if he rested on your thighs? Would he melt into them like he did with your hands? The though was nice but he resisted, not for long though. Tugging, basically dragging him by his arms, you somehow managed to pull his heavy body down on your lap. Carefully he shifted his weight, so only his head and upper body were lying on you. He didn’t want to crush you. However, the feeling that spread through his body as he rested on your thighs was both nice, comfortable and weird. Overall, it was a weird sensation and he’d found himself in a situation he’d never dreamed about before.

“May I?” Miguel had no idea what you were up to, yet he agreed with a hum. His eyes fell close and he hummed again, when he felt your fingers carefully dancing over his body, moving from his shoulder to his hair. It wasn’t the same when you held him in your hands, fingers holding him and caressing his cheeks. It felt different but good, relaxing your hands running through his hair, gently scratching his scalp. And sometimes he could feel the ghost of your fingertips brushing over his face.

He didn’t know how long you stayed in this position, sitting in silence, him resting on your lap and you caressing him like a pet. Miguel couldn’t remember the last time somebody did this for him or when his muscles felt so relaxed. Again, if you’d allow it, he’ll fall asleep right here by your side. But then he remembered what you asked him a long time ago.

“I killed them.” Miguel’s voice was surprisingly calm, even to him. Neither knowing what he meant nor how to answer this, you remained silent. But he could feel your eyes on him. He wasn’t sure if he liked it … not after confessing murder. Yet, he explained, “I killed them all, billions of people, my – his daughter Gabriella, all because I was selfish. – Gabby died because I was foolish to believe that my actions wouldn’t have any consequences.”

His confession shocked you; he could hear it in the change of your breathing and the stillness of your hands, and something in him died. Shocked by his confession you surely would leave. Push him off you like something disgusting. Maybe you would never talk to him again, unless it was necessary, and the thought scared him. His mind had told him to push you away. It was best to handle it all by himself, it was what he always did. But the stupidity people called the heart had won and now the thought of you leaving scared him.

“Tell me what happened.” Your voice was calm, not scared, not soft, just calm. It wasn’t the reaction Miguel had imagined, especially not when your fingers continued to play with his hair. You weren’t even disgusted by him. What kind of person were you to not leave him? “Tell me what happened.”

And he did. Miguel told you everything. How he took the role of a dead man, living his life and raising his daughter. He made it clear that he thought of his actions as selfish and stupid, because he erased a whole universe and with that Gabriella’s future. Never would he forget the fear in her eyes, how she clung to him, looking for safety, calling for her dad – for him, not knowing her real dad has died – until she disappeared as well.

Telling his nightmare was awful, remembering the horrors of his action never got any less painful. But sharing it with you felt surprisingly relieving. It wasn’t like he was healed from his pain but telling you about it made it a little more bearable. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

How should he answer? Thank you? Moments ago, Miguel would’ve grumbled at the pitiful – no, empathic, he’d learned that much by now – tone in your voice but now he liked it, just as he enjoyed you calling him by his name. Miguel didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t think you killed them, Miguel,” you said after an eternity, never stopping playing with his brown strands. Careful he shifted his weight to look at you. Even with one eye lazily opened, he decided that he liked looking at you, watching how you react to him. “Then, who did?”

Wringing with the words on your tongue you hesitated. “I don’t know.”

In normal circumstances Miguel would be grim, and scoff at your naïve words, claiming to be the villain of his story. The selfish murderer of Gabriella O’Hara. However, now he felt rather tame and tired. It’s enough for him. So, he only hummed, closing his eye to revel in the fondness of your touch.

“But you can’t know either.” He looked at you again. He had to correct you, he knew, it was obvious, really. But before an answer could roll over his tongue you were quick to intervene. “I know what you’re going to say, Miguel. You’ve seen it and to you it makes sense, but listen – I … how does anything make any sense? Multiple universes, anomalies, canon events … we shouldn’t even be here, Miguel. I shouldn’t, none of us. But here we are.”

There’s a hint of sadness in your tone, faint yet he heard and didn’t like it. Miguel knew you’d meant to comfort him but, in the end, you’d realized, that nothing of this should’ve happened. You should’ve never met the friends you made in the spider society, never should’ve met him and never found him dark, and lonely in his room. Almost instinctively his hand reached out to you, gently cupping your face. Now it was his turn to comfort you, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. Unsure if he should draw small circles with his thumb, like he wanted to, or caress like you used to do, he just held you. “Don’t. – The multiverse is mine to preserve.”

“Oh, Miguel.” A soft, but sad smile graced your lips as you laid your hand over his, unwilling to let him go. “It’s not yours, either.”

“But it was my fault, not yours. Don’t worry about something I’ve done.”

You sighed. “Miguel, you shouldn’t carry this burden alone, we’re all Spider-Man. It’s not your duty alone to save the multiverse, you can’t do this alone. I – I think what I’m saying is, you’re not alone, Miguel. You might think that you’ve to do all by yourself but that’s not the truth, we help you, all of us. We will carry that burden with you, I will.”

Truly it was sweet how caring you were, none of you could – and should – carry the arachno-humanoid poly-multiverse on your shoulders. It was his job to preserve one less universe from being destroyed. It was his shoulders who had to carry the burden of it all, not yours. None of you should ever have to worry about the stability of your universe. But there was something burning in your eyes as you spoke, something Miguel enjoyed watching. So instead of objecting and lecturing you about the truth he heaved a hefty sigh and closed his eyes, making himself comfortable in your lap. It takes some time until you picked up where you left playing with his hair, gently scratching his skin here and there.

It's quiet as you ran your fingers through his hair, he doesn’t even move. You weren’t even sure if he was still breathing. But you swore you heard a hum, a content sound vibrating through his big body. However, when you try to check on him there’s nothing, no sound, no movement, not even a smile. Miguel simply looked like he’s asleep, stoic and grim – just like when he’s awake. It’s a silly though, him always looking serious no matter if he’s asleep or wake, it made you smile. However, in rare moments, when you’re not looking at him, his lips curl into a grin.

[melrosing]

Ok speaking of changes GOT made… is there any changes you like? I struggle to find big moments, but there are small additions I love. Like Ned praying before he dies, Robb hitting the tree when he finds out, the chemistry that Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie have…. But there are very few structural changes I think improve the story.

hmmm so I can't lie there is a LOT I just don't remember anymore about the show, so wringing my mind a little to come up with something.....

I won't mention things that I think were adapted well (like Ned's execution) as those aren't adaptational changes. and I also won't mention things that I like the idea of (e.g. Jaime's dyslexia) but not the execution (they made out it was part of the longrunning 'stupidest Lannister' joke).

and like.... well I'm stuck already lmao?? I'm not even trying to shit on the show I just feel like it was a consistent exercise in either understating GRRM's work or butchering it entirely. so I can think of only a few things:

I can't find the link to where I talked about this at length but the scene in which Jaime and Ned duel in the streets of KL was a good one imo. I think it was more in character for Jaime to just recklessly fight Ned himself, and a neat parallel to what I suspect will happen between Ned, Arthur and Howland - in that when Ned is attacked from behind by one of Jaime's men in the midst of their fight, Jaime angrily ends the duel bc his man has essentially dishonoured it. I think Ned's fight with Arthur will end as it did in the show (with Howland stabbing Arthur from behind and Ned finishing the job, bc he needs to reach Lyanna), and this is like a parallel to show Jaime and Ned have the same principles, yet each have broken them in times of desperation. My personal theory is that this was a change GRRM recommended - the parallel seems notable to me, and not one that would've even occurred to D&D, esp. given they never gave any particular shit about Jaime's story. And this may sound spurious but I recall that GRRM remembers in an interview, saying the weather was different in the show version of the scene than in the books.... which makes me think he was maybe onset for this one, possibly because of the rewrite??

I'm v much in favour of ageing up the youngest characters. My ideal starting ages for the youngest characters in AGOT would've been Jon/Robb/Dany - 18, Joffrey/Sansa - 14, Arya - 12, Bran - 10. To me they all feel much too young for the roles they play in the story, and it occasionally kills my suspension of disbelief

I way prefer the book’s version of the Red Wedding but I do feel like Catelyn's single cry of despair works better than the book's manic laughter. maybe the laughter was a more vivid image for the books idk

I do actually like how we see Robb's grief onscreen it's very movingly played by Richard Madden. I also love Catelyn's expressions as Robb rides back from the Whispering Wood, like both these scenes are great reminders of their mother/son relationship in a setting where they aren't really allowed to be just that. and like just Michelle Fairley tbh I really like her work as Catelyn even though I don't like how the character was adapted more generally

Breaking the 'concept but not execution' rule just to say I think it was definitely a good idea to explore the High Sparrow as this weirdly charismatic figure so we can see how others might be taken in by him, even whilst we see the extremes of his faith. but that subplot was not executed well at all so fuck it

Yeah I agree that Jon and Ygritte having a slightly more charged romance also works. In the books Ygritte comes and goes quite quickly and I think there is something to be said for lending a bit more gravity to that relationship. I don't think they necessarily had to be the grand romance that the show makes them out to be but I didn't hate it

I might be forgetting other things that worked because some seasons I haven't seen since like 2015, but honestly it just doesn't work for me as an adaptation. things I liked in the show before reading the books feel completely naff in hindsight, knowing how they were supposed to play out, so..... eh

[dnpbeats]

Just going a little more into the whole thing about understanding young dnp differently now that we have the whole story, something else I have been thinking about so much is queer rights movements and legislation in the uk. Im a good decade younger than them, when gay marriage was legalised I was 12. I was old enough to understand what it was, but i didnt really have any sort of understanding of how it affected me bc i hadnt even started to figure out who i was yet. To me it feels like so long ago, i feel like ive always had it, which is an immense privelage. But dan and phil were not only already in their mid twenties and in a 5 year strong relationship, they already had an active career on youtube. Watching ditl in london, that was the year gay marriage was legalised in the uk. That was who they already were as people and as creators. I cant imagine what it would have been like when the bill passed. They were still so closeted, but that was also such a big win for them and the whole community. I wonder if at the time it still seemed like such a far fetched thing anyway, bc i cant imagine they were even close to wanting to come out yet. Idk if they thought at that point they ever would. And then i think about the fact that they had been in a committed relationship for 5 years at that point. I cant imagine what it would be like to be with my self-proclaimed 'soulmate' and know that you can not legally recognize your relationship. To not know if you ever would. Which then makes sense as to why its not necessarily a priority for them now. Idk, its like you said. Its strange and a little sad to know now who they were then, but in the end it all worked out. They made it to the other side and i could not be happier for them.

oh wow yeah!! im about the same age as you I think, and yes it was much the same for me in the sense that I was aware of same-sex marriage legislation being passed but I had no real grasp on like, what that actually meant for people lol. this got me curious so I went back and tried to see if they ever even talked about same-sex marriage being legalized in the UK. from what I can see they didn't tweet about it at all, and im assuming they didn't make any other statements about it? then in 2015 when it was legalized in the US, they did both tweet, but quite impersonally (I mean I get why im not saying they should've been making grand statements or anything like that). like even setting their relationship aside for a moment, I can imagine it was incredibly difficult for them as two closeted gay men to navigate how to address things like this publicly—obviously when it came to the UK they didn't even address it at all. but im sure it was a huge deal for them to see it legalized just in the sense of what it represents. but even with this landmark that represented lgbtq+ ppl being more generally accepted, they were still closeted, so there was only so much they could say. like I would love to know their thoughts that they couldnt express in 2013/2014/2015 on what it meant to them! but also how it affected them that they couldnt share their thoughts

but then yeah I do wonder how it was for them in the context of their relationship. bc like before it wasn't even a possibility that they could get married. and then they did have the option, but actually not really because they were still closeted, so even if they wanted to they still technically couldnt without outing themselves. but obviously just knowing you now have the option when you couldnt before meant a lot to them im sure

[lostacelonnie]

how would honkai 3rd play out if otto was wearing cursed long shoes that gave him an ungodly urge to kick people on the ass and he had to fill a one kick per arc quota and he couldnt take the shoes off because he was cursed into liking them

FIRST OF ALL this is literally my favorite ask i've ever gotten so thank you. second of all i hope you dont mind how chaotic this is but i literally wrote everything down exactly as it came to mind, didnt proofread before posting, and also i barely remember half the older arcs. third of all this is a long post so readmore blast 💥

where dreams began + the end of destiny: im sorry but i genuinely dont know what he was even doing during this time. im just gonna say if any anti entropy personel was caught by schicksal they were just unfortunate enough to be the victim.

under the falling sky: you know that scene where he fucking shoots hua. when shes Not Quite Dead Yet he kicks her to add insult to injury

from the deep ocean: once again, i have zero recollection of what he was doing. does he even appear on screen? oh wait yeah in that one bubble universe where he has an orphanage or whatever. good lord i have no idea who that guy would kick. weren't theresa and children the only people there? oh i dont remember this part of the story At All. wait wasnt there a scene where joachim got mad at him or sth? for killing his father? well there you have it. out of character for that particular otto but it's time for a child to get punted

a shooting star streaking across the night: clueless. any suggestions welcome. perhaps void archives gets it, as it is the only one consistently around otto

elegy to yesterday: during world serpent's attack on the divine key testing site, otto Sees His Chance and disguises himself to infiltrate the battlefield for the sole purpose of kicking someone. all the valkyries present know its him bc of the ridiculous shoes but frankly they dont care bc hes a good distraction

here lies bellflower: yet another arc i dont remember. just like, In General. other than the parts bianka was in [yes i am a parody of myself] and the general gist of what happened. so idk </3

taixuan dream: he kicks senti in self defense. moments before being strangled

remaining flames: not really in this one is he. WAIT ACTUALLY NO wasnt his consciousness attached to some random HoD puppet to get the core???? then i guess he just kicked another one and nobody cared bc HoD puppets are just Like That

thus spoke apocalypse: as recompensation for all the confusion earlier, he gets to kick a lot in this one. first of all the false god otto boss fight is different, adding an attack. The Kick. second of all, while fighting in the space near the imaginary tree, he can finally kick as many of them as he can

following his death, afterlife-otto has to defend himself from the angry mob of all the people that died because of him Somehow. and so he gets to kick people until someone inevitably steals the shoes from him in order to reverse the roles. this goes on for eternity. The End

[tossawary]

The new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" movie is VIBRANT! The unique and ambitious style with handdrawn textures and effects is fun and flashy and incredibly colorful - there have been comparisons to Spiderverse, yet TMNT:MM is very much doing its own thing (there is a fair bit of flashing in this movie too, so be warned, but not on the extreme scale of either SV movie). The animation is beautifully naturalistic in its acting and the action really pops. The character designs have great funky shapes, purposefully significantly uneven in a way that delights me with their lack of symmetry.

It's always fun seeing how the characters and backstories change with each iteration trying to do something different. (It's part of why I'm trying to watch my way through different Transformers shows. I think it's neat how the characterizations are always different.) I've only seen the "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" show and movie (and enjoyed them a lot), and the boys and the world are wildly different to that, and I still enjoyed this iteration of them very much too. The turtles are young and adorable and, while they did kick ass, they were also excitedly talking over each other and making stupid jokes and being a little... uncool? In a way that felt resonant to the experience of being a teenager just having a good time and finding stuff you like and trying to find other people like you. The banter was fun and silly and realistic and teasing. And occasionally heartfelt, though most of the characters are (as many people do) constantly disguising their vulnerability with self-aware jokes.

The story is straightforward (it's kind of simplistic and not very deep at all, honestly, but I enjoyed that just fine) and moves along quickly at a fun pace. It's very like Spiderverse in that I think it's accessible while expecting you to be familiar with basic superhero tropes, so it's a real blast if you're already fond of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles like I am, and I find it so refreshing to watch things that are unapologetic about their basic concept being more than a little ridiculous. There are lots of references, but they felt like references that people naturally make, especially teenagers with relatively little exposure to other people. This is a really silly movie! And the movie is like, "Yeah! This is silly! Isn't it great?! Now look at what we're going to do with it!"

The humor runs towards being pretty gross (puke, ooze, other bodily fluids and body humor, and some pretty extreme body horror regarding mutants) at times, depicted pretty graphically on screen. Which I kind of enjoyed, it's neat sometimes to see a movie go there, but I need to underline the vomit warning because that stuff was excessive. The movie also gets quite violent at times. As with most superhero media, they do beat up a lot of generic goons without pausing to consider the broken bones that would definitely be happening. (Very vague spoilers:) There's a nonconsensual medical experimentation scene that's a little disturbing, with repeated electric shocks, and the drawing of bodily fluids, though they keep telling jokes through it to try to keep it light. The final battle is also pretty destructive and did make me go, "They're just babies! (They're like 15ish.) Leave them alone!" a few times.

So, if you're looking for something fun and silly to go see, something that looks totally unique and vibrant on the animated scene, something that made me nostalgic for just joking around with my geeky friends by ourselves when we were teenagers, then I recommend going to see this movie! Especially if you enjoyed any previous iterations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles even in passing. Though if you're a die-hard fan of a particular previous iteration, maybe you'll be annoyed by some of the adaptational differences, idk, and if you don't like any previous TMNT stuff, then this is maybe not for you. I'm looking forward to the TV show and the sequel that have been greenlit already!

[fairytale-poll]

LOSER'S BRACKET ROUND 1! MATCH 7 OUT OF 8

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Queen Red Riding Hood

General Propaganda:

She's a girlboss who is sometimes a little vain but still loves her friends and will do anything to save her kingdom. Also she was in love with a guy since she was like 8 and he continuously rejected her, and then she found out he was in love with her archenemy. So yeah, she needs this.

She's kinda spoiled and high maintenance but gets better. I just think she's a fun character

i loved the land of stories series as a kid and i especially loved red because shes sooo full of herself and wears beautiful dresses and expensive jewelry and stuff (she became a queen lol) but also she does come to genuinely care for people and her friends and has a good heart (even if she does brag about it) she’s a very funny character x)

She’s a great example of how sudden fame and wealth at a young age can go to your head, and she gets great character development about it. She has an entire giant chamber in her castle full of baskets (it’s unfortunately quite flammable). My most favorite detail about her is when she finds a wolf pup in the woods, she assumes it’s a dog and names him Clawdius (yes, spelled like that). Everyone else knows it’s a wolf but no one wants to be the one to tell her. She learns the truth and gets over it and now Clawdius is her guard wolf. (Oh also she had the original Big Bad Wolf made into a winter coat, and that’s the original reason Clawdius came to her) I love her, she’s married to a giant frog man, she got elected queen, please vote for her.

Queen Red ftw!!!!!!

As you can see from these little excerpts [Mod's note: click on link to look at the excerpts] that I managed to gather in less than ten minutes, you should vote for Queen Red :D

YESSSS VOTE FOR QUEEN RED, SHE DESERVES THIS SO MUCH

Vote for Queen Red TLoS!!! She's a girlboss who married a frog man :D

Loser's Bracket Propaganda:

Queen Red deseves to win so much, she's been through so much shit for the people she loves.

Queen Red Riding Hood is a bimbo who has moments of truly genuine and deep analysis and understanding also c’mon, Clawdius!! Her enemy is the Big Bad Wolf Pack and yet she still has her own good beloved pet wolf

Red riding hood (tlos) deserves to win because she accidentally got her friend put on a wanted list when she was a kid then she got elected queen at a young age let the power get to her head then she fell in love with a giant frog (HUGE) character development and he made her a better person by opening her mind a little and she should win because shes come for far and she deserves it

The Path sisters

General Propaganda:

Each of these girls deal with their personal demons- in this case, "wolves-" as they grow and mature on the path of life. Each of them represent a different stage of a young person's life as they go through the world and the different ways in which that world can turn on that young person when they allow themselves to get lost in a dense forest, culminating in their reflection on the life they led.

the path is just a really cool underrated game idk man

i just really really like the path 🤷‍♂️

I will admit I'm only familiar with The Path through Izzzyzzz's seminal video on the subject but her Vibes are pretty iconic

(Scarlet) Most underrated sister imo. Her story is hauntingly sad and has themes of "lost of childhood" in a completely opposite way from the original Red Riding Hood, a good twist on the story.

(Ruby) The most well-known of the Path girls and the most goth, I get very sad when I see her. I know "teen angst" is a joke but sometimes I see reminders of just how full of despair teenagers can be. Her self-destructive tendencies and her "Charming Wolf" are leading her down a path (pun intended) that could kill her if she is not saved in time. It's so easy to dismiss teenage impulsion but only the survivors can.

(Ginger) Girl is so queer. Love that for her.

(Ginger) lesbiam

(Robin) Little girl sees giant wolf and wants to take it for a ride. Nuff said. (Also her room is the scariest imo. A child learning about death and their own mortality is mundane but terrifying)

Loser's Bracket Propaganda:

The Path Sisters are just ones I know too much about because of watching a video essay about them and also I think they parallel the narrative of the original fairytale really well

[decepti-thots]

I agree with the shoehorning in idw2 of miner/gladiator megs tbh but if he wasn’t that what do you think he would be 🤔👀

IDW2 Megatron needed to be exactly what he seemed before the flashback issue: a general turned career politician.

I think a lot of the confusion that happened around what IDW2 was and wasn't doing with its story there stemmed from a sometimes understandable confusion caused by the fact that issue invoked the IDW1 backstory in a way that made the lines muddled. All the insistence that IDW2 was presenting us with yet another Megatron who is a bad guy because he Goes Too Far in fighting oppression probably wasn't helped by the fact that there IS an issue that drops in a hasty "yeah he uhhh was a miner, and a gladiator, idk don't worry about it", even though they're treated vastly differently as footnotes to his character than in any other modern TF continuity.

But what IDW2 Megatron overwhelmingly actually is in the narrative is: he is a guy forged during a time of "expansion" (read: space colonialism) who went and fought a war, became a decorated and celebrated war hero because of it, and came back and leveraged that influence into a political career where he was able to rally popular support. We can argue over whether this story was done overwhelmingly well (I have mixed feelings personally, eh), but it's a story of its own, one with a really obvious idea at the centre of it: what if Megatron's uprising started out not as a violent one, but a political one, orchestrated by a guy with the power and privilege to enact it behind the scenes?

Because in IDW2, Megatron is a guy with a powerful and well respected mentor and a career as a beloved war hero and officer, who now holds a prestigious political position. He is not a guy doing a ground-up uprising, he is a politician trying to enact a political coup. Adding in any reference to the 'working class rebellion' story, no matter how surface level, risks muddying that. And the IDW2 story feels like a deliberate step away from the deeply confusing and frequently just-plain-bad politics of other recent entries in the franchise! Megatron isn't fighting against a powerful oppressive government as a little guy (with all the attendant problems of that narrative choice), he is the government. He's the corrupt official! He's the guy who wants to subvert the political system to secure his own power, and more to the point he's the guy who can do so because he is already part of the corrupt establishment. And not through any fluke or anything; he's a nepo baby whose influential mentor got him the job.

Again, I think you can critique what IDW2 did there on its own terms- I'm not sure the story of IDW2 was able to hold up a political parallel quite as direct and charged as it swung for, frankly- but yeah. What would I have done with IDW2 Megatron? At least in the story he got, I'd have left him as he was, but stripped out all the stuff that made it look like a retread of IDW1 and therefore muddied the waters.

[idv-sunsxin3]

Flos x Gabriel time baby!✨😇

Flos x Gabriel// HCs

(OC Crackship except I luv them to the point I would give them fluff and angst too/ih) Flos is my son while Gabriel is @klai-16xoxo's

____

Their ship will most likely be Flosbriel. Can be changed later if there is a better word/ih

They're these serious couple but few minutes later you find them acting so fluffy unexpected, like clouds--

Flos is often the very stern one, is technically his nature. Gabriel doesn't seem to mind that much because when it comes to cherishing Flos' everything, it means he'll cherish the trait that seems intimidating yet is the main part of him.

He slowly became aware that Flos is more careful and protective around the ones he cares, which are pretty few if excluding an entire nation in general. (Almost everything else outside Dyanthus can perish, he wouldn't bat an eye on them LIKE RHDDBDB- )

Flos is a fortunate to have Gabriel, just like Gabriel is as well... Flos had tougher times including an old love story that was far from loyalty and trust in a partner. So he feels quite grateful to have met someone like Gabriel...

As a single father for many years with lack in touch with romantic affairs- Flos may not be a pro at being  romantic, but he kinda does well unintentionally sometimes because man- he was raised to be a sincere gentleman besides being a silver-tongued stoic face. So that kinda makes up for it./ih

Idk- I keep imagining the fact that Flos would sometimes treat Gabriel so lovely that sometimes hus mind calls him "his wife".

'My wife must be cooking something- what is he cooking at these hour for.' *checks wrist watch for the time* 'Oh, how thoughtful, he's feeding the kids(the ones from the church-).'

Of course, LIKE NOT IN A MANSPLAIN WAY- you know this vibe where your partner gives this soft caring touch that you can recognize that a mother or a wife would often do? Yeah, wife material.

There is honestly not much to do besides the idea of Gabriel doing activities while being beside Flos who is doing federal paperwork- sometimes there are few times where they stop and do activities together like chess, knitting or cooking as they wait for Peter(the tiny son who would come back from college for Holidays with family-)

Gabriel in dyanthus was sometimes known as "His Grace's partner' or "Mr. Silver" by the color of his flower and how often he is seeing with their vice leader like a floating Cloud that has been fair to him. Flos doesn't pay attention to it unless is a bigger problem, since usually he is not often seeing by the oublic either unless is for significant annual events.

Gabriel being tangled with Flos in this loving bond means he gets to meet his family in a more deeper aspect, including his comrades who run the government system along side him(his cousin, his adoptive brothers, and the state leaders of his faction).🥺

Yes, it may seem awkward since they're just as skeptical as Flos when it comes to first impression and the tention in their naturally cold faces didn't help either. Of course, they slowly open up to Gabriel a bit, as their stern nature is very known for in the faction as normal too.

PDA isn't very often show, since Flos is not a public person. Yet it's not rejected whenever Gabriel starts them in public or not. He is just not use to doing that besides hand holding..... That’s the only thing he'll always do when they take a stroll together;;;

Flos may seem introvert.... I mean, he doesn't like interesting the people from the outside, doesn't mean it's the same when it comes to places and animals. So Gabriel would expect a lot of worldwide Traveling from different world once he is acknowledged as capable to go with him with no problems if he wants to. Imagining taking pictures, trying food together, and just tagging along with Flos as he takes notes of what he observes in the outside wild...

Traveling with Flos will always be about learning, and trying to find solutions. With the Pandera going on, Flos just tends to plan journey where he can test different kinds of environments that are deemed "safe to breath" for humans and immortals....

Flos wouldn't hide secrets from Gabriel. But there are forbidden things one shouldn't know unless he wants havoc to happen. (He won't lie about accidentally breaking stuff or going somewhere Gabriel obviously cannot go, ofc---) so technically, Flos does white lies 🤔

When Flos does tell the entire truth, it's sometimes good truth, and sometimes ones that do hurt... Flos wishes to give his family and his lover to have a world where wars would never happen... but there is still a long way to go. 😭😔

Dyanthus is neutral and a safe place for pacifists, but with the nation now open, there are still possibilities for a secret foreign conflict behind its back. Waiting for the right time to strike it....

But aside the angst- Flos doesn't find it difficult to express, he would just be direct and say whatever he has internal conflict of or just asking Gabriel if he wants to do something different today(because he has ideas, some days even strangely interesting /ih)

There are times is not easy said than done, you know... Flos sometimes doesn't understand something and doesn't know how to exactly address that yet. So having Gabriel bearing with him makes him feel more comfortable to take his time to learn and accept new things.

Flos isn't entirely traditional, idk about Gabriel but it seems they would have a similar idea to just accept new things when they seem efficient---

Gabriel, my crackship son-in-law(help-), expect your hubby go to Sunday church- because he is pretty catholic despite being so realistic and sometimes believe in the scientific side- Flos would love to have you sit next to him on one of them benches at the masses, is up to you if you want to or not ofc,,,🥺/lh

The fact that this crackship is French-Spanish couple brings an interesting dynamic--- I have hyperfixation on culture so imagine these two trying to share their culture, like cooking, dancing, music, customs--- there are similarities and differences they would eventually unfold themselves as they get to know each other which seems fun to do as a couple-- 🥺

They'll never be bored of each other for sure- these men are eccentric and slaying everyday fr fr✨️/srs

They would watch the barbie movie wearing pink(with Peter)- and then the next week Oppenheimer movie wearing black(with Hana)./ih

Peter would have come too for the Oppenheimer one but you know how he looks like a baby outsiders don't even know he is not a kid;;;😭/ih

[tenebrius-excellium]

YOU WATCHED TRIGUN STAMPEDEEEEE??? HOWD U FIND IT WHATRE YOUR THOUGHTS !!

I CONFESS I WAS THE ANON ON YOUR BLOG YOU STUPID (affectionate) FRIEND; I GOT IT FROM YOU!!!

I LOVED IT!!!

Thanks for the accidental recommendation! :P

Ok I know NOTHING about anime, okay? Anything I say was great or not so great might refer to Trigun Stampede specifically, or it might just be an anime thing in general because That's What An Anime Is. I can't tell the difference.

LOVED the intro song (Tombi by Kvi Baba). Constantly listening to it right now. It's hauntingly beautiful yet so easy-going and chill. I looked up the lyrics and they're about being a light in the darkness, I dig that theme!

LOVED Meryl from the start. A level-headed young lady who craves the truth, justice, and knowledge beyond herself because it's the right thing to do. She cares so much. She doesn't steal any spotlight by interfering or by being dramatic. She simply observes, listens to instructions that will save her life, and draws her own conclusions. I'm glad we got to experience the plot through her perspective first! A "journalist investigating a story" may seem like such a dumb start - could be Hallmark. But in this Space Western setting, it's perfect.

VASH MY BELOVED. I hated his intro because it made him seem so dumb and silly. There's a difference between making a character seem naive so that he gets underestimated (bringing in the - surprise! - big guns later), and making him outright ooc to create a false first impression. Idk I knew that his FIRST scene where he needed a bullet was not how his character would remain.

HIS CHARACTER DESIGN IS SO COOOOL!!! Idk from the outfit down to his martial arts skills matched with radical forgiveness and pacifism - DUDE. He's very complex. Idk yeah he lets himself get shot in total surrender but there is the part where one bullet won't immediately kill him and he knows it. There's also the part where Wolfwood challenges him on his beliefs, saying that for all his "peace and love on planet earth" talk he sure does not clean up after the messes he creates. The thing is - it's not so much about taking responsibility for the bounty on his head or something, but rather for the fact that his behavior evokes confused, angry and frightened reactions because it comes unexpected to a human society that is drilled on survival. As much as he CHOOSES not to use violence time and time again, I think he needs to cultivate some awareness that this is unusual behavior and that it triggers people to do crazy things (based on insecurity) around him. On the positive side, he confronts each and everyone with their personal tolerance for violence and tests their hearts that way. Beautiful.

The team is so well balanced! Vash, Wolf, Meryl, and Roberto - Dream Team!

The actions scenes take my breath away. They are so so so so good. I am noticing the attention to detail and the accuracy to skill that everyone is describing. I am also highly enjoying the ingenuity of new moves and awesome use of weapons, physical strength and surroundings. I'm sorry, I can't explain the brilliance of these moves well - but you already know what I mean.

I didn't quite get the in-depth explanation of the conflict I think??? Like, I'm still not quite sure what a Plant is, why Vash and Nai are more intelligent than the rest of them, why they were in space to begin with and what exactly Knives was trying to achieve by traveling to a higher dimension? I really didn't get the angel theme and why Vash suddenly developed a wing and became dark (I like his darker look tho). I also don't quite understand Nai as a character. To ensure the survival of Plant seems like an understandable cause for his actions, but why be so cruel and uncaring about it? It doesn't explain his maniac barbarity. Explanations are more than welcome!

What is your obsession with Livio about?? I mean I know, he was epic in that one scene he appeared in, and his bond with Wolfwood was genuine and deep. But he literally took himself out like a light, so... where's all that additional Livio content coming from? It's also really sad. Like... he never even gave himself one minute after waking up. That was a bit morbid.

Oh my gosh Vashmeryl is the og canon? I'm happy there wasn't any forced romance between anyone in this season. Only platonic connections for once. Amazing. Whatever Vash and Meryl end up as, I'll support both.

If there comes a Season 2, I will watch it!!! I don't know how far I'll take Trigun Stampede in fandom, but believe me, watching this has positively altered me forever. It's so FRESH.

Again, thank you for the unintentional recommendation!

Cheers

Reddie

[abugwritesstuff]

hi! i’ve sent this to a couple other of my favorite COD writers, but it’s a psycho-analysis thing on guy that i wanted to share as im curious about other’s thoughts. i should mention that i am a psych student with a special interest in male psychological trauma and “toxic masculinity” (put in quotes because idk the scientific term for it lmao)

warnings for slight spoilers, i don’t believe there’s much of anything too triggering, just some mention of sexism in avari, and parental/generational trauma, but nothing too detailed.

(and j*sper jumpscare at the end but it’s just slander)

this also isn’t at all and excuse for abuse or anything of the sort, and that’s not what i specialize in either; it’s more like a deeper analysis of internalized sexism, now if guy did anything on the level of j*sper or got physical or anything, i would not be writing this.

so, guy starts off very controlling (literally using mind control), but when you play his route + events (specifically the ones where he goes to avari) a much deeper story unfolds. it is my understanding that avari has very different thoughts on women, and we even see guy tell MC that his father told him all women are cruel and only want power. i believe guy has been told all his life negative things about women, and that all he has seen was his father marry for power after his mother passed. we also see in a route that guy was much more open when his mom was alive, but closed his heart to everyone when she was killed. it is also seen that guy assumed his mother was murdered by other women. so, Guy has been told all his life these things about women, ever since he was a child, and never had the chance to see any differently as he never opened up to another woman until MC.

now this is where the beauty comes in. after a while, guy begins to truly love MC for herself and not just her power, and even tells her what he was told about women and says she changed that. guy was able to swallow his ego and be emotionally open to MC and begin to see her as an individual and not just a vessel for power. guy defends her to her father and tells him off saying that he truly loves her and no other, and it is not just because of her power, and that she will make a fine queen. we see him praise her throughout his stories and events, and through his thoughts we see he is truly a changed man who has changed his outlook on women through his love for MC.

although he is not yet open to fully sharing his thoughts quite yet, we see that he is actively working on himself for MC.

we also see a boyish side come out of him during these emotional moments, that i believe to be trauma regression and suppressed feelings that he has had to endure due to the excessively violent and aggressive nature of avari. i truly think guy’s initial act towards MC is due to trauma and abuse he suffered in avari, and he only begun realizing he was lied to and was wrong about women through his relationship with MC. guy is actually my favorite character because of this, and i think it’s truly a beautifully complex story that the creators made. also, i love how his toxic masculinity was turned around and how it tells the story that growing up in such a toxic environment can truly damage a man.

j*sper is a whole different story, bro is just a perv who deserves cancer.

sorry, this is about to be super rambl-y! i go off on some related tangents here lol

yeah this is interesting! i guess i disagree in that i don't actually think that the CoD writers have really fleshed him out as well as we in the fandom have and that has always been the core of my distaste for his character, and why i prefer him in fic form 9 times out of 10. 100% i believe he's traumatized by life in avari and the loss of his mom, and that his sexism stems from that, and because of that he has potential to be deep and complex in his flaws, but there's always a core to his character that just stays flat and unchanged, particularly with the event stories- he almost defaults to cruelty and rarely shows genuine remorse or legitimately, verbally apologizes*, complete with an understanding of what he did wrong and actual changed behavior. (i can distantly recall event stories where he does something awful, they have a relationship meltdown, they make up because MC gaslights herself into believing that she was being unfair, and then he continues doing shitty things??? like he's kinda emotionally abusive in some stories.) they do this this kind of half-baked character development with fenn as well, though his book 2 was a massive help in showing actual personal growth. i'm really hoping guy's book 2 provides similar evidence of change.

the unfortunate thing is that since i've been playing voltage games on and off for the past ten years, i'm pretty familiar with the archetype they're using for guy and have some serious doubts that they'll write him better. controlling asshole alpha male who has a trauma backstory and, despite falling in love with the MC, just acts like a complete dickwipe forever is pretty much par the course. so i'm a bit conflicted about the possibility that we'll get the kind of fleshing out of guy's character that we need.

as another note, the most i've seen (or at least, perceived) from guy as far as remedying his sexism is him deciding MC is an exception to the general rule that women are bad. he's had some genuinely selfless moments for her here and there in stories, but none that would really give me an indication that his view of women overall is healing. and that's the kicker for me: men like that exist in real life, and when the woman they've removed to the pedestal disappoints them in some way, they're right back to square one because they didn't actually change their views. and the sort of change that he'd need to undergo as a character to unpack that bullshit is pretty intense, which is another reason why i'm skeptical we'll get what we need and why i prefer the fandom version of guy- and why i prefer the version that you've presented here.

tldr; the material to make guy an incredible character is there, but i think some details are missing and the legitimate development we need isn't something voltage is terribly likely to do.

*to note- this behavior is extremely unsympathetic to me because it reminds me of my dad lol. i understand why others have sympathy for it, but i lack the personal bandwidth.

[whumpy-wyrms]

this MAY be spoiler-y but i’m gonna shoot my shot and ask anyway since the “invasive question” post

what’s dews relationship w his parents??? how does he feel about them? how do they feel about him?

same question applies to anton since i’m curious abt that guy

OKAY sorry this took LITERALLY FOREVER to answer lols i forgor my bad. anyway

so like. Dew’s parents are dead

i think i mentioned it in chapter 9 or somewhere around there i forgot. but yeah 👍 they’re dead basically. i answered an ask a long time ago about it and it’ll be talked about way more in the story at some point but basically Dew’s parents got in a car crash and died when he was 18 soooo that sucks

but before that, they had a really good relationship :D Dew loved his parents and they were awesome too, super supportive about the trans stuff and accommodating with the autism stuff and generally really nice people. but like. i know nothing else about them cuz i don’t really think about Dew’s childhood that much? cuz it wasn’t really that interesting? and not that important to the plot? idk :P after they died is when Dew moved in with his roomate besties, Layla and Hayden.

Dew obviously misses his parents a lot. his life changed after they died, and it affected his mental health quite a bit. Dew and his roommates lived in a shady part of town, they all worked minimum wage jobs and needed an apartment with cheap rent. and Dew didn’t go out much, he didn’t have much friends or that much of a social life. he was kinda lonely, even before he was taken by Anton. and… at the beginning of the story, that’s why Anton thought he’d be the perfect test subject.

who knows, if Dew’s parents never died and he never lived in that house, or if he was seen as someone with lots of friends and family, with lots of people who would miss him, maybe Anton never would have chosen him as his test subject in the first place.

(also because i feel like Dew having alive parents would complicate things and it’d just be kinda sad? but not in the fun way? it wouldn’t really be fun for me to write their reactions to the stuff Dew’s going through i think, so i’d rather just avoid it all together)

anyway

I AM ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT THAT GUY (ANTON) TOO!

so yeah Anton was also an orphan and.. hmmmm yeah so i feel bad for like not actually like figuring out ANY of the details yet. but basically he was an orphan and did not know his birth parents. then Pierce found him when he was like 10 and was like “you seem smart enough do you wanna witness and commit the man made horrors with me” and Anton was like “YEAH!” idk man. like i actually don’t knowww

maybe Anton just showed up on Pierce’s doorstep one day and was like. “hi. i have no family.” and Pierce just raised him and taught him science because what was he supposed to do? he was torturing and experimenting on people in his secret basement lab i’m pretty sure Pierce wouldn’t have gone to court and gotten official legal adoption papers signed. plus, Pierce needed a lab assistant and someone to teach his science stuff to. they’re both just silly gooses man. Anton had no family he was like a sopping wet stray cat looking for a home!! i know this is like extremely unrealistic and probably sounds really stupid but like i just don’t know, i don’t think about this part of the story since it really doesn’t matter much to the overall plot lols

i’m not gonna talk that much about Pierce because it’s kinda spoilery but he was genuinely nice to Anton and kept him safe. Anton would have turned out very differently under different circumstances of course, Pierce just raised him with science in mind. That’s really all Anton ever knew.

HAHA i did not expect this to get so long but yeah lol thanks for the ask!! i don’t think about this aspect of the story much so it was fun answering!!

[indelicateink]

There's quite a bit of abuse going on in episode 1 though? I guess we have a hard time seeing it cause no one's getting beat up but there's a reason Louis did not agree to be with Lestat until he was completely isolated from his family (not Lestat's doing but convenient for him) and his only friend (literally Lestat killed her for that reason), mentally bombarded by Lestat to the point of being suicidal and lovebombed super hard and told by Lestat that he's the only one who can save him from this.

Maybe viewers needed to see ep5 to finally understand that the abuse was present all along and it cannot be separated from the love story. Its not like it was a love story UNTIL the abuse started. It was always an abusive predatory love story.

we’re gonna have to agree to disagree. if I saw it that way i wouldn’t watch it, it would be too depressing to me. not saying your interpretation isn’t valid.

i mean, like i said—I personally can’t condemn the dude until we know more of the story. I don’t see it as Louis not agreeing to be with Lestat UNTIL he was completely isolated from his family/friends: Lestat had never offered to turn Louis until Louis was suicidal/until it was a crisis. If Paul hadn’t killed himself and Florence hadn’t blamed Louis and Louis hadn’t become suicidal…I mean, we’ll never know how eventually Lestat would’ve broached the subject of turning Louis (personally like to think he had intended there to be more sex involved in building his case but i digress). so we just see that different ways.

I don’t think Lestat killed Lily with the purpose of isolating Louis from his only friend (omg, all these L names are just looking extra dr seuss today), but idk if we’ll ever know why he did it unless he decides to get that granular with us. me, I think he didn’t care about her and he was jealous of her, he was pissed Louis ghosted him after they had sex, and then ultimately I know he’s an impulsive guy. I didn’t see it as part of a grand plan so much as him being an asshole who lashed out in a very vampiric people-are-cattle-i-feel-rejected-and-i’m-angrily-pining way. but maybe he’ll tell us someday.

“mentally bombarded by lestat to the point of being suicidal and lovebombed super hard and told by lestat that he’s the only one who can save him from this” —yeah we just have different takes on this.

I mean ultimately I come back to the point I made earlier: all of these actions of Lestat’s that you’re describing are actions as described by Louis in 2022. maybe 2022 louis would like it to be interpreted as an abusive predatory love story. 2022 louis has memories framed by the events over the past century, 2022 louis obviously has something major going on and he is depressed as hell. I need more information.

but yeah, as louis describes it I feel like lestat picked the most insensitive time possible to express his hurt feelings about being dumped (e.g., pestering louis at his brother’s funeral) (fwiw i don’t feel lestat’s pestering drove him to his suicidal feelings, I feel his guilt and Florence’s condemnation had already gotten him there just fine, but hey idk for sure). and louis in general remembers lestat as being insensitive like this: lestat being tone-deaf in his affections after louis ostentatiously kills the dick alderman, which sparks violence against his community; lestat brushing off claudia’s devastation when she accidentally kills her boyfriend. was he always just 100% a wildly insensitive dick? is memory being a monster?? i just need more info before I condemn one of the heroes of our story as an abusive predator with his partner, even if he is a vampire.

(i guess it also comes down to: are writers this intelligent really going to ask us to sit through years of this show with a main character who’s an abusive predator/founded their relationship on that, or are we going to learn more about events that reassess louis’s 2022 retelling? trust is a lot to ask, but i’m trying not to condemn any characters yet. book!lestat says iwtv is kind of a hit piece, but then louis and lestat never really get fully into where they challenge each other’s memories of events.)

[fantomette22]

Alright let’s chat!! *pours tea*

What are your ideas on who Rom was and where she came from? Who was she mostly connected to? What was she like? <3

Alright it's time !! drink tea

I can talk about the Byrgenwerth girl yeah !! (finally lol) Sorry I have lot of thoughts but also I feel I'm still missing a few things XD sorry in advance if that doesn't made any sense or if it's too long.

Ok so let's go with my main/fic interpret it will be way easier. So Rom, probably a nickname of Roma but I really like CosmicTeaCat and OfSilentThings idea that it could came from Andromeda as well (it would made sense). And she's basically Willem biological daughter. So she's been around Byrgenwerth since like forever I guess XD but maybe there's a connection/ she had family at the hamlet (you know the one 👀) idk.

Still not fully sure if she have brown/black hair so basically curly dark hair. Got glasses and her eyes are either hm green-blue? idk whatever is generally the color of a lake is pick your color between brown-green and dark blue.

And hm I'm not sure ho to talk about it I know it can be a sensible subject but it's import for me as well. In my story she's autistic or got some sorts of disability at least. (I mean, there's at least 3 other characters I hc on the spectrum XD) but Rom is more in the middle of the spectrum. She's not "Asperger"/ high potential autistic (sorry I'm not familiar with the English terms). It's in the more "moderate/lower side" of it, with much more difficulties. I mean she can talk and all, she can be a bit autonomous and don't have to be with someone 24h/24 for ex. She probably managed to talk correclty really late too but hey it's totally fine ! And she became way more autonomous while growing up. There's thing and subject she excels and do really greatly but she need the right accompaniment for it and there's thing she really can't comprehend or do by herself without someone explaining first. She probably won't have a proper doctorate or a master degree but she still managed to have a licence/baccalaureate (+3/technician level, after many hard years of works) And you can't let her all alone in the middle of Yharnam and except her to be fully autonomous for exemple O_O' and similar to Caryll she need really calm environment.She's doing quite fine really it just smt you can feel she can be really out of the norm as well. I really have no idea if I did that on purpose or not, it just feel natural to me? Crazy how your own life & experience inspire you don't you think? Yes I think i heavily based her on my own little brother as well it's bit different too, yet it's the similar we'll say.

I love the interpretation where she's a super smart scholars but also really like the ones where Rom could be just a disable child that Byrgenwerth decided to turned into a great one ?! (I did a weird mixt of both ideas I guess)

She absolutely loves/hyperfixate on arthropods and gastropod ! And everything that came in between the nematodes and the chordata fishes (you know the ancestor of our spine) and in the Eucaryote/Metazoan side of the phylogenitc tree ! (I'm so sorry I think I just lost everyone who never did biodiversity in biology at the university XD). In short everything from worms, medusa, sponge, arthropods, gastropods, (to the simpler type of fish).

(you basically have the mushroom, yeast/levures? and plants before the metazoan. The chordata gave everything from the fish to us : mammals, marsupials, reptiles, birds, amphibians...) Hope it help 🫡 hey you know all this classification first appeared in the 17th-18th century too? :D

Anyway all of this to say she loves and is not afraid of spiders & augurs at all. 🕷️🐌

When there's big spiders everyone came find her to help them . She moves it somewhere else. And the day Gehrman and the prospectors bring back a giant spider from the labyrinth and she could come really close to it/touch it it was the best day of her life XD

She also loves the sea/ocean and the night sky, stars and plants ! She know many things about all of this too.

After the separation Byrgenwerth/Church the scholars still kinda worked a bit with the church idk it's complicated. She ended working at the research hall, mostly with Caryll, Adeline & Maria when they looked for Isz but also with Mico afterwards before going more in separate ways and end up with the choir a huge while (before ultimately returning to Byrgenwerth maybe, idk if returning at Byrgen as a spider count XD). She became the "leader" of the Choir after Caryll (I guess Laurence is the actual true leader but he's like the big boss above the choir and religious/priest/saints). She's also the first one to become a successful lumen wood kin. You know this :

(imagined with super choir clothes)

And years after /probably after the beginning of the hunter's dream more experiments were done, she might have re work a lot with Byrgen too. She went to lower pthumeru with her team (young scholars she took care of too probably)... and they turned into spiders.

Vacuous spider, that title came after she turned into a kin. They asked her question about the cosmos, they thought she had ascend ! But she couldn't really answered... she was just 😐 well vacuous but hey she did save Yharnam from the apocalypse thanks to to veil of the blood moon. Because after they summon MP every month they were a blood moon and without the veil. Yharnam would have fallen in a few years/months instead of +2 decades later (when the hunter arrive) So during the Mensis ritual, that spiraled out of control she block everything. Her physical body died (altar in ebrietas arena but here spirits lived on in the lake!)

Connection with others :

Well Willem is basically her dad. I think he tried his best but he also work a lot and it could be complicated with Rom like I said before because of her condition. (As someone who grew up knowing people with a disability it's not always easy we'll say but they managed to found a balance in the end!) He always tried to include her where she could. When she was really little and when he was on his famous rocking chair looking at the lake he had her on his knees and he told her/teach her all kind of things.

So hm to not help thing her mom passed away when she was little. I haven't 100% decide yet. In my story, 15y before the squad meet at Byrgenwerth they were a huge epidemic and it kill at least one person (if not more) close to every characters. Rom, Maria, Mico Ludwig, etc were like 5-6y old or smt? maybe a bit older. But perhaps her mother died even before that. A scholar too probably.

Laurence was kinda adopted by Willem after his parents (who were friends with the provost) passed away because of this same epidemic. He's like 6 years older or smt? compared to Rom (and the others lil students). So they're quite chill around each others. It's not the ultimate sibling besties but they're kind around one another.

So Micolash now! He got bring back to Willem too XD but way after Laurence. When he was a teen maybe. They were really great friends at Byrgen (pre-healing church) and passed lot of time together + with Damian as well. The 2 boys decided to be there to hemp Rom. Mico and Rom were really, really close at some point. I am not entirely sure in which measure and sense but...you can guess. I mean there's smt sure but I'm still hesitating right now if he saw her as family or probably smt more. (Maybe they got in a relationship too! But parted ways at some point... you know it's complicated)

Caryll and Rom understand each other on a spiritual lvl at times XD sometimes they don't even need to talk to each other. It feel like they share a brain/braincells. So don't let them work alone unsupervised doing labs together they will have no idea what they were supposed to be after 10mins of daydreaming 😂. They got better the years after. I promised they worked well at the Research Hall XD

She was good friends with Maria too. They both share common interest and Maria is super kind too. they love talking about stars, nature and science and like each other calm presence. I mean depends if you include Caryll but they're the 2 girls of the original Byrgenwerth squad too! Oh and I forgot but one day Maria bring her back a hateful maggot (dead) from the forest. Rom loves it of course.

And Rom & Adeline are such a probably hilarious pair as well XD

Ludwig is really chilled too so idk they could vibe.

Others : Of course the staff at Byrgenwerth really like her. Dores actively tried to act the more nicely (&protectively) possible around Rom. She like really feral around everyone and show a more softer sides really occasionally to the person close to her so that tell a lot.

Of course Liam( gatekeeper) and Gehrman, really find her sweet too and I haven't much ideas of for now but I guess there's quite a few subject she could talk with the groundskeeper.

I mean even Patches (who secretly hate everyone lol) find Rom really useful to take care of spiders and insects he is supposed to remove (yes he just clean the school at the beginning then managed to become scholars & prospectors lol. And he even joined Rom team in the chalice expedition and research a few times)

Choir/orphanage : she was in charge for a while so she knew many scholars/choir member / some church members but especially the children who grew up in the orphanage : Amelia, Edgar, Iosefka, Imposter Iosefka?! (maybe??), Yurie etc She passed a lot of time with them and teach them many things. (So that would explain why Yurie would protect her!!) ("She tried to protect them from Mico bad influence and Mensis too)

Ok Kos. Or say Kosm I'm not entirely sure but there's quite a big connection at some point. I mean Kos gives eyes to Rom after all. She probably had lot of research on Kos too and was possibly devastated when they found Kos dead at the Hamlet. + I guess loosing a child/ mother made them closer too so rom might had managed to communicate/connect with great one and Kos accepted her.

OMG i almost forgot the most important ! EBRIETAS ! She passed lot of times with Ebrietas they were really close !! Maybe Rom even understand her ! (language wise) and I mean Ebrietas literally mourn her and seems to wait for her indefinitely. Did she consider Rom like a sister after she turned into a kin ? Gasp or even her girlfriend/wife ! Who knows ! (sorry I find it funny and so angsty at the same time.)

And I'm going to stop here I think 😅 Hope you enjoyed ! Thank you for finally allowed me to talk about it.

So yeah love the potato kin spider ! ❤️

[blueberry-macaron]

The miraculous fandom still doesn't make sense in terms of the main ship. It's the same people under and out of a mask, I'm not even in the fandom but the salt sometimes is either funny to me or just kinda sad. Especially when it comes to the main male lead's role in the story and how the main girl's treatment in it.

You mean the discourse about which side of the square is the best one and how is was Mari//chat because that the side with their "true selves"? That discourse is so annoying, especially claims about how La//drien (which I actually liked back in the day) was the "most toxic one", as if the toxicity of a ship correlates with the presence or absense of a cat costume. I get that it's four different dynamics and based on that people have their prefered side, but at the end of the day, they're the same people and any discourse about which side is the best is pointless.

About Adrien's and Marinette's treatment, people constantly fight which one gets treated worse. In my and other Adrien salters opinion, from a narrative standpoint, Marinette is 99% of the time the butt of the joke, the one responsible for when something goes wrong and the one who needs to learn a lesson at the end of the day. Showrunner Astruc himself described it that way. Meanwhile, Adrien is literally perfect because he has never done anything wrong and the world around him is just rotten and bad. Also Astruc's word. Marinette gets punished for everything and Adrien either gets away scot free or, if he actually admits to fault, does so two seasons later whe it's already too late (in s5 he says sorry for telling Marinette not to do anything against Lila). This is very apparent in the Ladynoir dynamic, where it's fine for Chat noir to constanly make moves on Ladybug after she rejected him a million times before, but when Ladybug does nothing more but rely on some other people for hero stuff, which Chat noir isn't okay with but doesn't say a word about, she's the worst person. Idk but there are a lot of misogynistic undertones, which is quite ironic for a "girl power show"

On the other hand, some fans are bothered by the fact that Adrien has less screentime and most of the time, nothing interesting is done with him. He's apparently always busy with a tight schedule, yet somehow we often see him chilling in his room watching the news, doing literally nothing. He's also generally not very involved in any miraculous related stuff at all (but also hardly shows any interest in that so yeah). He's basically a cardboard cutout from himself when he could actually be an interesting character. Meanwhile, Marinette is directly involved in the main plot of the episode (even if she logically shouldn't) and her salters blame her on the cut on Adrien's screentime and lack of character developement. The say she gets to do things Adrien should be doing (which, to be fair, is true in some cases, esecially the Agreste family drama). Truth is, the more Adrien gets to do, the bigger the potential for him to fuck up and then Astruc can't pretend any longer that Adrien is the personification of perfection, so instead he stands around looking pretty and making a sad face so people will give him attention. That's not Marinette's fault.

So yeah, the show fails to meet anyone's expectations and in the end, everyone is equally miserable.

[morganaspendragonss]

Hi! It’s the LS anon again.

Sorry it took me so long to reply but long story short, I feel about s4 same as you. That whole marriage plot was messy at best and let’s not comment what it seemed like at worst. While I’m not one of those fans who believe that Carlos can do no wrong and writers suddenly did him dirty; generally speaking he seemed rather OOC to me at too many times and acted like a… buffoon to put it very mildly, as if most of that mess wasn’t his own bloody fault. Yet, some of the metas I came across on Tumblr, blamed Iris and/or TK, never seeing anything hurtful or unfair in Carlos’ behaviour.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fictional character and it’s obviously on the creators and them treating their audiences as idiots, by claiming it was the plan all along but still… Gabriel’s death hardly gained writers any kudos in my opinion and I completely agree with you that it felt like something they did purely for a shock value and maybe even to get Carlos some sympathy after making him acting like a jerk more often than not that season? Who knows.

I also liked Marjan’s screen time and was happy to see more of Paul. I still don’t know how to feel about Nancy and Mateo being together tbh, as we hardly learned anything about them. Owen’s plotlines were as messy as ever and Tommy’s love life was probably meant to be humorous but it was mostly boring af, so if the writers did any of the characters truly dirty, it was her - reducing her scenes to that and hardly ever anything else.

Not sure yet if I’m going to watch the next season but I really hope nobody will so much as think about getting Andrea/Tommy and Owen together in s5 or something like that -.- And that we’ll get more screen time with Grace, Judd and little Charlie! Plus, it’d be nice to meet Enzo at last and see some Jonah/TK interactions, more Tarlos scenes but for boys, especially Tyler, being his own person again next season, too. And well, having Carlos grieving on screen but also being a petty, sassy king in a far less s4-like way.

Thank you for your first answer and Happy New Year!🥳

i seriously doubt andrea/tommy will get with owen. as far as i’m aware he’s still with kendra (though admittedly that doesn’t mean much) but i think they’ll keep tommy and trevor together and i cannot see andrea with owen at all. this is one thing i have faith in the writers not to do

(though i have said that before about the break up and then carlos being married so. hm.)

no seriously i do think we don’t need to panic about that

personally i quite like nancy and mateo together and i didn’t mind tommy’s romance plot though i do agree there’s so much more to see in her character. and yeah carlos did seem out of character at times but also…idk

i’ve always seen carlos as a very impulsive character who doesn’t really think his actions through. i know we like to characterise tk that way and in season 1 yes absolutely. but since he settled in austin i really believe he’s different now and he does think before leaping

like….he wasn’t being ‘impulsive’ when he jumped through a minefield or rescued the boy from the ice. those were both agreed plans. but i’m getting off track.

lots of love anon 💚