#don't even know what ive written anymore lol

[jackharlou]

i was about to say someone should write something "grammys" related and remembered I have a fic about that, oops😅

[lvlyghost]

In the Midst of War: IV

PAIRINGS: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!Shadow!Reader

SUMMARY: Home is no longer where it used to be. Left with no one else you wonder who your friends and foes are.

WORD COUNT: 2.3k

TW: poorly written action lol. Fluff, hurt with so much comfort 🤭. Suggestive but no smut yet🌝. Mind the english!🐸 lmk if i missed any.

A/N: okay so this was supposed to be longer but decided to split the last part for chapter v 🐣 it'll be worth it i promise. next part is coming up sooner! as you know i do a lot of double shifts at work and December is the busiest season for me at work lol, just bear with me💖 comments, likes and reblogs are highly appreciated 🩵

Masterlist✨

"𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒅."

It's a cold night by the time you get to the safe house in a secluded street somewhere outside Kaindorf. Ghost grunts standing next to you, one of his arms draped over your shoulders to help him keep steady or at least as much as you can help with someone his size. The mission —your first mission since Las Almas— had been successful until it wasn't. You type the code and wait until the door opens with a mechanic sound revealing a not so bad interior. The whole place is silent when you walk in, mirroring the dead of the night. No sound of cars outside not even the sound of the wind to accompany you.

"How are you doing Ghost?" You turn your face to him, he's already staring down at you, noticing the struggle that comes with trying to hold part of his weight. This is not how things should've played out. Yet there he was. A nasty bullet wound on his left shoulder and another to his leg; the latter being just a graze but still hurt like hell.

"Never been better." He growls. And you know he's trying to act nonchalantly. That's just who he is. Who you've come to know. But his injury, especially the one on his shoulder is no joke. You had tried to stop the bleeding right before digging for the bullet. The amount of pain he must've been in was as bad as yours a few weeks ago "How did we miss them?" He mutters under his breath, no doubt recalling the events.

"I don't know. But we'll find out." You lead him to the nearest couch in the corner of the living room and turning on the lamp next to him. Ghost sits down struggling to find a position where he feels comfortable enough. "Alright..." swallowing down you look him in the eyes. "I need to check your wounds again and clean them up properly, okay?"Ghost closes his eyes for a second before nodding, he's too lightheaded to do anything else or maybe it was the morphine you gave him before, he doesn't know anymore.

Trotting back to the truck you unload the duffel bags where all your weapons and medical supplies lie. Closing the door shut and locking it before returning to where the Lieutenant rests. The lamp is turned off again so you can only make the outline of everything. You stop in your tracks dropping one of the bags and shuffle nervously.

"Umm, Ghost?" He hums in acknowledgment. "I can't see anything, do you mind turning...-"

"No." His response comes fast. "I'm not wearing the bloody mask."

So he had taken it off the moment you walked out.

"Then how am I supposed to look at your wounds?" Rolling your eyes you start approaching.

He growls something unintelligible and then adds:

"Fine just don't bloody look up or...-"

"Don't worry, I've no interest in looking at your face."

But the truth was that you wanted nothing more than to see him. The real him. You had dreamed about his face. What would he look like? The small parts of Ghost that you had taken a glimpse of were not enough to make you any less curious. For all you knew was that he most likely was blond. His eyelashes are so light that you wonder if his hair is the same shade. He has soft pink lips and a strong jaw. All of him was huge. Massive. You would never say it out loud but you felt drawn to him.

"Afraid you might like what you see?"

You snort, walking towards him and kneeling in front of the couch he's sitting on. His eyes follow every move you make, never looking up in the process. You slowly peel off the bandages you had previously wrapped around his right leg.

"Does it hurt?" You ask, taking the disinfectant out as you begin to clean up his wound again.

"Not that one." For a moment you almost forget that you're not supposed to look up, but you do. You were trying to take a quick glance to his shoulder, instead laying eyes on his face.

"Shit." You bow your head down as quickly, apologizing profusely to Ghost and expecting some sort of angry reaction from him but he remains in complete silent. "I- I didn't even really see anything, forgive me Sir."

"Fucking hell." He growled. "It doesn't matter. Just don't do it again."

It was true. You barely even saw the entirety of his face. Just pale skin, light brows and a crooked nose from being broken too many times.

"Okay." You swallow hard, hands slightly shaking when your skin makes contact with his much colder one.

Ghost shifts in his seat seemingly uncomfortable with something you can't put a finger on. "Think it's time to stitch that one up." You gesture to where his shoulder should be not daring to look again. Fumbling with the needle and thread waiting for his permission. There's no verbal answer to your previous statement, only a low hum that's enough for you to stand up and silently sit on the armrest next to him, his face is turned the other way hiding himself from you. "You know you can just put it back on?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Yeah, right." brows lifting in surprise. "Want me to get you something for the pain?"

"Get it done, kid."

Breathing deeply you oblige.

Ghost's whole body tenses with the first sting of the needle piercing through his skin. Your eyes are fixated on your work but every now and then they travel to the back of his head. Blond hair. So you were right; and you can't fight back the grin that appears on your lips. You're marveled by something so simple as that; if only he'd let you come closer...

"I think it's my turn to cook something for you. All this time you've taken care of me."

"You don't have to. I was doing what I was told."

Blinking you tap his shoulder lightly to get his attention. Ghost merely turns so a small part of his side face shows, still not enough for you to see.

"I want to." Even if he says it was his job. Even if it didn't mean anything to him. All you needed was a way to thank him for what he had done. That was who you were. How you were taught to be. Grateful amongst adversity. "I'm a good cook I promise."

One last stitch. One more. And then you're done, and his body relaxes as you come to stand gathering the medical supplies while looking down the floor. Before you leave he reaches out, grabbing your wrist in a gentle yet firm grip. Eyes going wide.

"You can look now." His voice is low and when you turn he's put the balaclava back on. Big brown eyes staring with intensity. "Thanks for what you did back there."

You stutter when you speak, something about the way he holds you makes you forget how to form words.

"I had to. It was my job, although I failed..."

"You didn't fail." He growls. You motion at his wounds, embarrassed because you knew you could do better than that. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Your mouth hangs open, lips quivering when his words reach your ears. All this time you've tried to look calm. To appear strong when in reality everything has gone from bad to worse; it began with the loss of your former team and the people you held close and dear. People you thought would be there for you for eternity. And then all of the sudden there were none. Alone in a dirty side road to die, you guess that in the end there were no good people. Just soldiers following orders. But standing in front of a man who was always portrayed as the devil himself maybe... just maybe not all hope was lost. And not all people were bad. Much to your dismay, Ghost stands from his place on the old couch, rising in all his massive glory as he takes one firm step closer to you. Your hands threaten to let everything fall onto the floor, breath getting stuck in your throat. You're lucky. So, so goddamn lucky that he's your ally. Someone who, in these past weeks has become something you don't dare to name.

"At ease soldier." He commands in a hushed voice. And he's close. Too damn close you feel the heat radiate off of him. It makes your skin burn and hands sweat. "I'm just looking at you."

-

Ghost is terrifying when you look at him in full gear. The white skull mask a legend itself among all the military forces in the world. Hushed stories told during late nights back on base. You had never met him nor had the chance to work with him. All you knew was that. Never in a million years would you have thought you'd have to be his eyes from the distance; to be the one who guards him. Your finger caresses the trigger of your sniper rifle, ready to shoot at anyone who you deemed dangerous.

"Should've brought my own mattress." You huff, shifting your body to find a more comfortable position.

"You've been out for a few weeks. It can't be that bad." His deep voice talks right into your ear.

"My stomach was literally reattached, Lt."

A deep chuckle that doesn't last long enough can be heard.

"If you can't do it let me know. I can take you back to your room, yeah?"

"I'm having a hard time deciding if that's a good or bad thing, sir."

"The latter, Vesper."

Laughing you turn your head, maybe it's the paranoia of being back but you feel someone constantly watching you from behind.

"How's that a bad thing? Thought you liked me in my room."

You can practically hear him suck in a breath and then a muttered curse.

"Not when you're injured and nearly comatose." He grunts after a few seconds of silence.

Oh.

Oh.

"Well then's a good thing i'm here."

The mission was rather simple. Break in, gather some intel and get out. Nothing was supposed to go sideways but it did. It had started with the room where the intel was supposed to be.

"Vesper." You hear Ghost calling you. "There's civilians in here." His voice drops an octave.

"What?" A shiver runs down your spine. "They are not supposed to be there." All you hear is the sound of muffled voices. Cries for help. Ghost swearing under his breath. And then shots are fired.

Your heart races when the first couple of hostiles appear through your scope. Not being one to hesitate you aim to their heads and fire.

"Vesper sitrep." Ghost barks, his end way more chaotic than yours.

"Hostiles coming in groups. You need to get out of there asap."

"Bloody hell." It's all he says before another round of shots is fired. "Meet me at the evac point."

"I'm not leaving you behind!"

Shifting your scope to look through one of the windows you watch as a dark figure runs downstairs. Ghost is trying to make his way to the back exit when another group reaches the abandoned building. You effectively take out the first three men that jump out of the black van. Then another ominous creak of crunching leaves in the god forsaken roof of the house across, rolling on your back your turn at the exact moment a bullet is fired your way, and hitting the the ground where you previously laid prone.

Wide-eyed your face pales as recognition hits your features.

You know him. And he knows you too.

-

His big hand lifts slowly as if asking permission to touch you to which you give a small nod. Ghost is looking at a spot on your left cheek his thumb softly caressing the soft skin of your face. You don't know why but you find yourself leaning into his touch.

"How'd you get this?" An unknown look is all you give him. "There's a scratch, right 'ere." Careful not to hurt you or cause you any pain he keeps his motion.

"Must've been when we ran through the woods." You mumble. "I'm sure I didn't let any of them get me."

"Atta girl." A small pause settles when all you hear is the sound of the night outside. Crickets and the now casual passing of cars far in the distance, returning from work, oblivious to the dangers of the world. Some things they'd never heard of before, things they wouldn't witness in their lifetime. "Better me than you."

You melt at his words. Heart nearly beating out of your chest. It's like your body acts out of pure impulse. Hands —your hands— grab the sides of his neck pulling him down just enough that his forehead touches yours, and you rest there with ragged breathing fanning over his face. Closing your eyes you weigh in your options. Break the moment and tell him about the encounter with the man back in the roof, or let yourself feel him? Because truth be told this could only mean one thing. Ghost wanted to be near you in ways that were not professional at all. And hell you wanted that too from the moment you saw him. You just didn't know it.

If the things you heard were true he didn't let just anyone close to him. What was so special about you? You wanted to ask, but you feared that even if you moved, this thing would be broken and the moment would slip through your fingers.

In a quick movement you go from standing in the middle of the living room to sitting on the nearest table, you shriek as Ghost slots himself between your legs. Seemingly unfazed by what he just did you then see the corner of his eyes crinkle. He's smiling under the mask.

"You're hurt. You'll reopen the wound and..."

"I don't care, sweetheart. I've got you where I want you." A sheepish smile forms on your lips and your cheeks grow hot. "One word. Say it and I will stop."

You nod right before he lifted his mask and his lips crash down on you.

Part 5

TAGS:

@fictionallifestuff

[bitterpngs]

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… trust, huh?

TL;DR: what i want to highlight with this comic: satoru calling suguru "geto" / suguru crossing satoru's metaphorical line and permanently severing his relationship with him. kenjaku's plan in canon will never come to fruition in this au. what happens after is up to you :)

and yes ik the trust quote is in the context of the other 2nd years! i added it bc it fit, in a way.

this got long sorry lol i started to ramble

LAST NAME - what started this all and what i hope others picked up on was gojo calling geto by his last name, not his first: geto. even after everything geto did during jjk v0, gojo still calls geto 'suguru.' he's still 'suguru' to him. i wanted a scenario in which gojo would reject his first name - reject their past and their relationship. this whole comic idea sprung out of being unsatisfied with geto and gojo's canon relationship. personally, im not the happiest with how things were written in the story and feel like the author could've done some things differently. this isn't to say i don't like or enjoy what the author has written either. i just have mixed feelings.

KENJAKU - in case it wasn't clear, the door closing on page 14 depicts geto with stitches on his forehead - aka kenjaku. what that page is trying to convey is that the moment geto killed yuuta, the future where geto's body is used to box gojo ceased to exist. in this au, kenjaku's plan that we see in the canon timeline would never and will never work. by killing yuuta, geto crossed a line and permanently severed his relationship with gojo. if gojo wins here, gojo will dispose of the body properly. the panel after shows a closed door with the memory of who suguru was. the person who suguru used to be and the best years of gojo's life etc etc. but "broken" bc it's gojo truly realizing that's not who geto is anymore + the whole "severing relationship" thing. does this make sense.

what happens after the comic ends is up to interpretation though

GETO'S PLAN - i didnt focus a lot on the specifics of how this could've happened considering geto's plan changed in this au. how it happened isnt really important, you can come up with whatever you want. what i wanted to focus on, and what i hope people managed to pick up on is the situation itself - geto killing yuuta. sorry yuuta. i'll make it up to you.

i ended it here because it felt the best place, but here's some scrapped dialogue of a few seconds after: GETO: "… It was a necessary sacrifice, Sato-" GOJO: "don't you dare call me that" basically to emphasize the first name vs last name situation

GOJO N GETO - ive always felt uhhh. nitpicky, i guess. about the specifics of everything regarding gojo and geto. ive felt unsatisfied for a variety of reasons, and this was basically an idea that sprung out (a looong time ago) of a want for gojo to be angry at and feel more.. negative emotions, i guess, toward geto. i still do genuinely enjoy their canon relationship a lot tho. i enjoy the way they’re written together and individually, i just have different/multiple feelings about the same thing :)

RIKO AND YUUTA - erm there was a scrapped panel... you can find it on my blog if you're really curious but there was a panel of geto 'remembering' riko's dead body (a distorted memory, because the blood reflects yuuta's injuries). it's not necessarily that riko and yuuta are similar, it's that geto becomes a bit like toji in the end. just like toji, geto tries to kill a young teenager for the sake of his own goals. while toji's was selfish and geto's, in his own eyes, was for the greater good, there's still the similarity of killing a child. of stealing their future for their own goals. plus the fact that gojo killed both of them in a similar way.

TRUST - yeah i know the quote is in the context of the 2nd years fighting geto. still. gojo trusted geto to a large degree, despite everything he did. so. it's going here.

PG 4-6 - geto values and cares about sorcerers so so much. again, he was fine with trying to kill yuuta for his vision and all but i dont think he wouldn't feel some level of. conflicting emotions i guess. (i am very against the idea that geto wasn't... trying to kill yuuta? i don't really get that perspective at all. it'd make all of that meaningless imo. but this isn’t about that.) ok im done.

if you read this entire rambly thing, thank you :D hope you enjoyed!

[worstghost]

Wacchund

warnings: nsfw, possessive kinda mean könig, blood mention, biting, it's all loving I promise lol, female reader & anatomy

a/n: let me know what you think, ive never really written smut before this so just bear with me while I find a groove? apologies if the German is not correct, i don't speak it, if you have translation tips let me know!

You've really done it now, it seems. It was always a fun game, but you can tell he's not enjoying it anymore.

There's always been a little tension between you and König, and more than a few late night fucks after missions when you're in need of relaxation. You've always been in control too, he's more than happy to do whatever you ask of him, whenever you do.

When you're sent as a part of a little reach out program to team up with Task Force 141, it's a given that König goes with you. They feel he's one of the best representatives of their skills, and you'd have to agree. And no one in KorTac believes he would let you go alone, so it's easier this way.

The introductions are quick, but no one seems pleased that you two are there. You can only assume they're a tight knit group who doesn't take outsiders. No hard feelings though.

Especially between you and 'Soap'. Although you and König would secretly laugh at his name, pick apart the team like teenagers sharing gossip, Soap had you feeling some type of way.

He was the first one to greet you, the first one to sit with you two over dinner, he offered to train with you (and König you would add.)

To top it off, he wasn't exactly bad looking. Actually, you'd say he was downright sexy- the gruff exterior mixed with bright eyes and the natural flirt in his voice. You know König has noticed, but don't really think to pay it any mind.

Why would it matter to him? It wouldn't, it shouldn't matter, if Soap offers to take you out for a drink that night. If he helps you put your jacket on, and nods to König on your way out, telling you, 'C'mon, bonnie, let's go have some fun aye?' If you two drive off base to a dingy hole in the wall and take shots and flirt- nothing will come of it you think. It can't in a job like this and you've no doubt that Soap would agree. Doesn't stop you from having fun though.

When you return that night, a little tipsy and a lot horny, König is waiting for you against the wall of your shared room. He's fidgeting, cracking his knuckles over and over, staring through you.

"Have fun?" He spits the words out, somethings got him mad.

You narrow your eyes and move past him, "Actually, yes. You should try it."

"With him? No, I'd rather not. And I can't believe you would either."

"What?" That hits you, you're more confused than you are offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" You're watching him, through the mask you can't see his expressions. You can only hazard to guess, he's jealous?

"König listen..." You sound exasperated.

He stiffens when he hears how soft your voice is, trying to placate him. He doesn't want to be coddled, he wants to be angry.

König has you against the wall quick, and he grabs your jaw with his hand, forcing your gaze up to him.

"No, you listen to me, bonnie-" He's seething, eyes narrowed, fingers digging into your hip. The word is spit out like venom. "You're going to do what I tell you, I'm the boss tonight. Verstehe?"

You suck in a shaky breath, blinking away the shock. There's something stirring in your chest, making its way directly down to your cunt.

"Yes, König, I understand."

You can't help the whimper that leaves your throat when he let's go of you to tug at the zipper on his pants. You've never seen him so angry, you've really done it now, it seems. It was always a fun game, but you can tell he's not enjoying it anymore.

He let's you drop to your knees, you know what he's going to ask and you can't say it doesn't excite you. Your heart is fluttering when he slips his cock out, and from this angle he's even bigger than you'd dreamed.

König is so tall, he can lean forward and rest his arm on the wall, arching over you and you can still barely reach him.

"Offen."

It's an order, and you obey, opening your mouth as wide as you can, tongue rolling out.

He brushes the tip against your tongue and your eyes drift shut, leaning in to him. A mistake.

A hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head up, "Nein, sieh mich an."

Your eyes are watering from the sting, but you nod, holding his stare as he slides into your mouth.

He's not nice about it either, pulling your mouth wider with a thumb in your cheek every time you graze him with teeth. Fucking into your throat until you gag, smearing the spit and tears across your jaw.

It's burning you, pooling in your stomach, you shift trying to gain any friction, grasping his thighs. Every noise he makes feeds the flames, hearing the soft huffs and moans shake the wall behind you. He stills for a moment, catching his breath.

Sometimes you forget, with how gentle and lithe he (usually) is, that König is 100% solid fucking muscle. You only remember now, when he's lifting you up by the back of your legs, practically folding you in half against the wall.

He doesn't bother undressing you, instead shoving the skirt you wore up your hips and tearing your panties.

"You wear these for him?" Königs voice is rough, lifting your ankles to his shoulders as he slips in, no preparation given.

You've taken him before, but it's never been easy, and you can't help the sob you release when he pushes further and further, settling himself inside of you.

"N-no, König," You shudder, "We didn't do anything-"

"And you won't." It's a fact, stone cold, he wouldn't give you the chance even if you wanted to.

It's awkward and uncomfortable, you're crushed between his chest, your legs, and the wall, as he fucks you. He doesn't let up, encouraged by the noises you make every time he hits too deep.

"I don't want him looking at you, liebling, never again. Don't even let him dream of having you."

You whine against him, holding on to his shoulders. You can't think of words, it's all too much and you can feel your orgasm building.

He slows down and pulls back, as if he knows it's coming, letting your legs fall slightly and catching an ankle in his hand.

You can only watch, dazed and curious as he flips his entire mask up, showing you his face for maybe the second time ever. His cheeks are red and flushed and you can see now, the way he nearly snarls out his words.

"I want you to think of me every time someone looks at you, I want you to feel me..."

He pulls you against him, leading you back to the bed and continues seamlessly there.

You're gentle with him, trailing your fingers across the freckles on his cheek, seeing the fire in his expression melt away. Pulling him closer, you lead him into a loving kiss, an apology, your lips move together like a dance and he slips his tongue through your teeth. You started it so softly and König takes it upon himself to ruin it, biting your lip, hard.

You yelp and try to move but he pulls you back into another suffocating kiss, licking the blood from your lip. He shudders and moves down your throat, scraping his teeth across your skin.

He's been speaking, but you only just now tune in to what he said.

"...Would you like that, mein liebling? If I mark you all over so everyone knows..."

The thought makes you keen, raising your hips to his as his thrusts pick up again. That was the right answer, you guess.

König sinks his teeth in to your collar bone, licking over the indents before moving on.

You can't stop it, the second he moves down to your breast, sucking the nipple into his mouth, you cum. It's like the bed has fallen out from under you, you're holding on to him for dear fucking life, clamping his head down against your chest.

He grunts against you, fucking you through it until you let him ago. He's not far behind, spreading your legs further bruising your hips with his fingertips until he stutters, filling you with cum.

König swallows, leaning in to meet his forehead with yours, sharing a breath, "Meins, verstanden?"

"Ja, yours, only yours I promise..." You nod with him, smoothing a hand through his hair.

He returns the favor, kissing the tears away from your cheeks

Thats all he wanted to hear.

[zukosdualdao]

Im glad to read the takes of a fellow zuko stan :)

Honestly, it feels like people just hate on him way too much lately. The posts ive seen on twitter, on tik tok, on tumblr... Do people just not like him anymore? Why did everyone turn against him so suddenly? I've been hoping it's something temporary, just a trend, but. I don't know anymore. People mock his disability, spit on his trauma, wish death on him and interpret everything he says or does in the worst possible way. I saw someone crying about how entitled he was because he took aang's seat when watching the play just the other day lmao. Another person wrote about how mysoginistic he was because he didn't remember katara's name when asking about kya's death to sokka? There are those who even call him a colonizer on the same level as iroh lmao. It seems their justifications for all the salt they throw his way are along the lines of "he's been loved for too long, aang stans have suffered way more, people just watched the show again and realized how bad he actually was, he's catching strays since his fans keep setting him up, his fans paint him as perfect and erase every bad thing he's done" etc etc. I'm all for criticism and deeper character analysis, but this is just said in bad faith. I also think it has a bit to do with how different engagement has become in fandom spaces recently (things people support in fiction need to be morally correct) and well, zuko was the perfect target. He's done bad things, sides with the villains for a good portion of the series, redeems himself but there are things he still has to work on... I don't know, it's been getting to me. There are many other harsh things ive read said about him (like implying how every single member of the gaang hates even after redeeming himself), but i honestly don't have the energy to delve into each and every one. His arc was poorly executed and his development was badly written now, apparently. I kind of just ranted here, i apologize. Im very happy to read the posts of someone who genuinely likes him and doesnt throw him under the bus to defend or elevate other characters...

hi! i'm glad you're enjoying my blog <3 and no need to apologize for the rant, i'm always happy to talk about zuko!

about to theorize a bit as to why it seems like maybe zuko has become a more contentious character, but it should be noted i have not been exceptionally, actively involved in the fandom very long. i loved atla as a kid, have retained fond memories, have witnessed some discourse from the fringes over the years, but only recently has it overtaken my brain to the point of making a whole blog about it. lol. so, like, grain of salt, etc.

i think a big part of it is what you said - in the last few years of fandom in particular, it feels like there has been a huge upswing in purity culture, moralizing liking/not liking certain ships or characters, and an overall increase in very black-and-white thinking. there's also an emphasis on "holding people accountable" (good in theory), often without specifying what, exactly, that looks like (less good). the idea then becomes that if you've done harmful things, there's no way you can ever make up for them and should just, like, hate yourself for all eternity and also die, probably, which is not actually helpful to anyone.

so, i think for those who ascribe to that mindset, zuko is a prime candidate for them to criticize. and while there's nothing wrong with criticizing a character or their arc or writing if you truly have a problem with it, as you've said, a lot of the time, criticisms against zuko don't seem to be made in very good faith. after all, a big part of zuko's arc is having to unlearn some very black-and-white thinking. also, zuko is not a real person. he is a character, and therefore a narrative tool, and if we want him to be 'held accountable', we need look no further than the story itself, in which he is probably the character the narrative holds the most accountable for his actions due to his prior status as a villain.

(it reminds me a bit, actually, of another favorite character of mine: alec in the tv series shadowhunters. he starts out the story already in a heroic role, unlike zuko, but a big part of his narrative is unlearning some prejudiced cultural mindsets and challenging not only his previous ideologies, but his conception of himself and the people in his life as well. as a result, alec can look sometimes more obviously flawed than the other main cast, but the point is that the narrative asks him to examine those flaws and change and introspect and grow in a way that it doesn't always ask of other characters when they are showcasing their own flaws. which does make me thing about zuko vs. aang in the atla narrative.)

the other thing i think is contributing to zuko's more contentious status in the fandom is how long atla's been in the cultural consciousness, and how common it is for things that used to be popular to cycle through to people starting to criticize or actively hate it to people saying "no, actually, it's still pretty good, you just don't want to like a popular thing" (this is me rn), to maybe eventually getting popular again/at least in certain subsects of the audience. zuko was probably one of the most talked-about aspects of atla for a long time, and while i can understand how that could get frustrating (because there are some other really great characters and aspects of the story!), that's not, like, for no reason. people connected with and admired his story for a reason, and many still do, and (in my humble opinion) that is because it is one of the most thought-out, intentional, and nuanced character arcs of the show.

the ableism, i think, really gets to me because like... even if every criticism from the people who hate him were 100% accurate and said in good faith (they're not, but let's pretend for a minute)... that still wouldn't be an excuse for ableism against a character with a prominent facial difference (or making fun of abuse survivors for the permanent injuries they sustain from abuse.) if zuko had never redeemed himself and stayed a villain, it would still be wrong to talk about his scar and abuse the way some of his detractors do. and the show agrees with me! you know how i know? the only two characters to ever make fun of zuko's scar are villains in the narrative: zhao and azula. ("make fun of" might not be quite right for zhao, since what he said - "you have the scar to prove it" - is far more matter-of-fact than azula imitating him by covering her eye or "make sure they get your good side", but he's absolutely being a huge jerk about it.) other characters react to zuko's scar in all sorts of different ways, even when he's still in a villain/antagonist/anti-hero role: zuko's crew is horrified to learn how he got the scar, song sees a point of connection and tries to reach out to him, but, while i think well-intentioned, she breaks a major boundary by trying to touch his scar when he hasn't conveyed he's okay with that, jet makes assumptions about his background because of it, lee, the kid from zuko alone, asks with curious, childish naivete how he got it, only for his father to reprimand him for asking, aang reacts with annoyance/boredom to azula's ableist joke, and katara trips over her words to correct him when zuko thinks she's essentially calling him "scary to look at". not all of these interactions are positive, but the characters (all of whom are written as pretty sympathetic, even if also flawed) aren't outright trying to make fun of him for it, and the narrative never implies he deserves to be treated as less than because of it, even before his redemption.

anyway. if people don't believe in characters' (and, hell, irl people's) capacity for growth and change and don't want to have nuanced discussions about how trauma can impact these things, i mean... that's their prerogative, but i don't understand why they enjoy the show, because those are big parts of it (and not just wrt zuko.)

i know it can be frustrating, anon, (trust me, i get very frustrated.) but i promise you, there are plenty of people out there who a) still love zuko and his story and b) are capable of and willing to talk about things with nuance and in good faith. i'm happy to be part of that corner of fandom, and i bet you can manage to carve out a space where more people like that exist, too! <3

[shigarakisslutbag]

I had to delete my first pinned post because there's a lot I don't write for anymore. Like a loottt a lot. So for starters

I don't know how to make this ANY more clear. **MINORS. DO. NOT. INTERACT**. ** PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING ANY FURTHER ON MY BLOG IF YOURE NEW**

So MASSIVE TW for like nearly mentions of everything. There no fanfiction in this post, just warnings and what I do and don't write. Read at your own discretion!!

I can't say this enough. I believe I've had it in my bio but I'm going to pin this post too. That also goes for accounts that say hateful things without having their real age in their blogs or say hateful comments without knowing who I am as a person. If you have trouble with yandere or darker content sometimes my blog probably just isn't for you. Which isn't a problem at all. If you feel like you have to block me or unfollow, I get it. Stay safe. I want you to know everything I write is FICTIONAL. It's not REAL. And no real people are harmed, and I haven't either.

PLEASE read the warnings below.

I may still write mommy kink related stuff in the future if I have the motivation, yandere related content if it's requested (and it has been), dubcon/noncon if I feel like I can handle writing content for that, that day (I don't write it as much anymore due to *my* own personal issues. It's not a judgement thing. I used to write it as a way to feel in control of my own experiences because when I was writing I was able to stop when I had wanted to. Others just so happen to do the same). And OFC I will write fluffier content. I love platonic headcanons or sweet/more romantic ones just as much if not more than I love smutty.

over time, a lot of sexual stuff has been more triggering to me the more I've been able to process some things that have happened to me too, so i apologize if that's disappointing at all. I will say that does NOT mean I WONT write smutty content or suggestive, it just may not be often. I will still write mommy content, just less of the noncon/dubcon. I've been working on some more cute and platonic stuff (that I'm genuinely excited to post. I was going to post it sooner but I've had some adult stuff get in the way and filling out some documents so it'll be a sec. Not too long though:).

Things I will not right anymore or do not write at all:

-Age play (I think that's the correct term). I'm going to be very honest I don't know why I started writing it to begin with, I don't even remember writing a lot of what I did. I think it's part of memory loss from the past few years.

- gun play

-knife play

-threesomes (nothing wrong at all, they're fun to read, but I can NOT write a threesome for the life of me lol)

-ive never written for this (I don't think?), but stepcest content. I don't judge those that do, but it's just not my thing and I don't read it. And if I have read it I don't anymore)

-any physical harm besides the exception of impact play and choking. Basic stuff I think. I'm trying to stay vague, but I just don't feel comfortable or feel I can execute that correctly. I used to think physical harm was normal, even for non sexual intimacy. It wasn't until up to s year or so ago I started to realize it wasn't and that anything sexual didn't have to be painful. That's why I wrote it a lot, I had no other thing to base it off of. But I do now. That being said -

-i won't include a lot of degrading. There will be some here and there lol, but I can't do excessive amounts like I used to. For reasons listed above.

If I'm missing anything I'll add it over time and let you know when I've updated.

Again, if any of my future writing, current writing (or even really past writing that I don't associate with any more) bothers you, triggers you, and especially if you are a MINOR. PLEASE don't interact. Just block. I'm going to try and tag some of my content better as well. I try to anyway if I can, but I forget sometimes what tags to use. But from here in our, I will use tags and make a lengthier tw disclaimer before any writing that can be deemed harmful. Let me know if I ever miss anything in the future xx

I wrote this at 6am waking up and saw a rude comment. I realized I never made a new pinned post, so here's a quick on. If there's typos I'll fix them later, I'm exhausted rn though. 😴💤💕

[feelbokkie]

I want to scream so I know the Felix and bai side story is old but I just got the strength to read it and I want to punch someone or something because OMFG that was amazingly written but wow I need to smack some sense in to Felix 😭.

How do you fall for fucking lilith I mean look at her

( Diablo IV reference for anybody who gets it )

And I thought Felix was smart or something.

Anyway it was amazingly written and if the idea was to make you hate bai even more than it worked.

Ily and have a good day ❤️

I only posted Felix and Bai Saturday, so it's not old. But I was fighting my demons trying to write it bc I did NOT want to make Bai likable by accident, haha.

Felix was stupid in college. My man was RAN through and only settled down with Bai even though technically she didn't want him. He only got smart after all that trauma. He def was thinking with lil Felix at first.

I don't even know what my goal was with Felix and Bai anymore, but sure, let's say it's to make you hate Bai more, lol

Thank you!

[gxldencity]

4, 7 & 24 for the 🔥🔥 asks!

4. what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

Tbh I don't have a last straw anymore. I use and abuse the block button liberally. If I see an annoying opinion, I block. Sometimes, I don't even finish reading the post because you usually can tell it's rancid from the first 2 lines.

I've blocked half a fandom at this point bc of the constant negativity. I simply don't care anymore. I'm here to have fun. If you take personal offense to that then that's your problem not mine.

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Alngksgnw as you're said hate IS a strong word and I don't hate characters really unless there is a good reason for me to hate them.

So when I say I began to dislike Dorian Pavus after seeing how the fandom acted towards him, I don't hate him. I guess I do find him fascinating and relatable to an extent but I also don't think he's written perfectly as some people act like he is. Revisiting Dorian's quest as an adult with a fully developed brain and way more comfortable about my own queerness made me realize that I dislike how Dorian didn't really have agency whether to reconcile with his father or not. I know it's the point of The game to have a choice but Idk a bit more dialogue about the choice could've easily solved that problem for me.

I also have issues with Dorian's Indian coding lmao and have since felt like I was duped. It just feels like a cop-out? Like Gaider and team knew about the complaints people have about his comments wrt Asians in Thedas so they made him Asian—only mentioning it in a forum post or Twitter I think 🫠 so to this day ive seen people still surprised that he's Asian—without considering how to code him as Indian in the game.

Things like his clothing having some influences from the cultures in India or family structures and mannerisms. I mean it could be as simple as Indian coding the people of Quarinus so you don't just have this one Indian coded family in the entirety of Thedas. The Alexiuses could've also been Indian coded.

(An aside there's more layers to this like the unfortunate implications of coding a group of people who own slaves as poc but I could write a whole post about Dragon Age's attempts of trying to put Asians in this game)

Anyway, that's canon lol. Fandom makes this all worse. I could just point at the Orientalist depictions of Dorian in fanart and just end it here but nope it goes deeper. Somehow, Dorian attracted the worst kind of fandom. Like the Solas and Cullen stans maybe louder but I was there Gandalf. I was in the trenches. People were forming cliques around this one BNF and their friends. I was in the clique and it was all good until Tresspasser dropped.

You see this clique hated that Tresspasser ended with Dorian and the Inquisitor being in an LDR—because Dorian was off trying to fix a country—to the point where some of them acted like they broke up. Hello? Okay 1) That is such a poor reading on long distance relationships 2) Dorian...got a phone crystal for the Inquisitor, u know a tech that didn't exist in Thedas so they can stay in touch.

It also isn't enough that they didn't like it. Others have to Not like it as well. I remember talking to the BNF about my Inquisitor and Dorian, how they stayed in touch as Dorian was y'know trying to fix a country and the BNF told me that it was a depressing situation for my Inquisitor and Dorian...even though it isn't and they're perfectly happy.

(An side, not from this clique but I wouldnt be surprised if some of them also held this opinion but I saw some accusations from folks that Bioware is homophobic because Dorian and the Inquisitor are in an LDR. This is how batshit this fandom is).

Anyway, to keep it short, I was 19-20 when all of this happened. I probably said some stupid shit around that time but I should tell you these people were in their late 20s to early 30s. They were affected by a 19-20 year old with just a handful of followers saying stupid shit. They were so affected by the barely adult saying stupid shit that one of them stalked me, vagueposted about me and when I found out they were vagueposting about me, proceeded to gaslight me and told me I was the one stalking them. :)

Not only that, they also harassed one of my friends to not posting their fics ever again, harrassed a friend of a friend for trying to steal the BNF's spotlight 🙄. Come on some of you have fucking children.

I don't think I could look at Dorian in the same way which is a shame because for a time he was important to me but like God, it was rough.

I also have not forgotten nor forgave :) hence why I have the studio behind that chorus game or whatever it's called now blocked :) and would not be playing it. Do not care if David Gaider is the one writing it. I mean he kinda was the weakest link in that writing team imo (and I also hate his prose).

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

Very cliche but anything to do with the mages and templars

[taegularities]

ive just finished reading a book that shattered my heart into infinite pieces and i am not even joking a bit. i knew that the book was as good once i started crying and tears never stopped. i think 70% of that book was me crying. now i have swollen eyelids lol. i never cried so much over something since i watched Hachiko the movie. like real sob, sounds coming out from my mouth, the real hurting package thing :(

now i need another book as beautiful as this one. and i don’t think i would recovered from this one yet. she even mentionned one direction’s songs to describe the relationship between the two mc. i am fucking torn. oh btw the book is « a thousand boy kisses » by Tillie Cole. have you ever heard about it?

have you any recommendations? also i am debating myself to buy a kindle. although i do like the idea of paper book, idk. i spend most of my nights reading ff to be honest but since last month i can’t find any that is why i switch back to « real » book again. although i think i missed a lot of your series too i have to read them.

that made me think, is there any books that made you to start writing? how did you find telling yourself that you wanted to write? would you considered it as an hobbie or a passion? pardon me if you had already answered those questions in the past too. in that book i’ve read, author was talking a lot about passion and made me realize that besides piano - i am unfortunately not really into it anymore - i don’t have any. like isn’t it beautiful to say that we had something to hold on, to escape? i miss that..

i talked a lot today lol i am so sorry. oh and if any of your followers as any book recommandations (not ff too), i take!!! 🤎

oh gosh, babe.. have you recovered from it yet? i know that feeling so well. some stories just stay with us and are hard, if not impossible to forget. i know it hurts, but i'm also glad you found a book you could enjoy the way you did. i haven't heard of it, by the way! but just googled it, and it sounds beautiful. soulmate au :(

i wish i could rec stories, but i think it's genuinely been years since i read a proper book. i know 'me before you' and its sequel made me cry :') definitely get that kindle if you've been reading a lot these days! i do prefer paperback, too, but i get the appeal of an e-book.

yeah, honestly, that's gonna sound extremely mainstream, but books that made me write were john green's stories, the novel 'every day' by david levithan and (okay, don't laugh pls lol), but ed sheeran's songs. there's beauty in all those – a lot of talk of love and the stars, of soft and sweet things. which is probably why my writing ended up the way it is today? but i've always written tbh… i enjoyed reading and at some point, i started a random ass story back when i was 13 or so (it was horrible) and then wrote my first stuff in english when i started this blog. i wanted to try it out. play with words, see if i'm any good at it? and yeah, now i'm kinda in love with it and trying to be better every day <3 so i'd say it's both a hobby and a passion. truly an activity i enjoy the most.

it's beautiful to have something like this, true. i hope you find your passion, too <3 and tbh, i'm so grateful you asked all that? bc i love talking about these things.. like what, you're actually interested in me and getting to know me?? i'll blush lol :') love you <3

[solar-halos]

20 Questions: Fic Author Edition

omg <3. thank you for tagging me @bodyelectric77<3 <3. ive never done this before so this is so exciting :o)

1) How many works do you have on ao3?

45. damn!

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

601,692

3) What fandoms do you write for?

the hunger games / ballad of songbirds and snakes mostly. sometimes total drama island lol

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a deep dive into the mind of annie cresta

get a load of this monster

a collection of encanto what-ifs

eat my heart out with a spoon

u focus on the wrong thing and it shows

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i love responding to comments! it blows my mind that there are people reading words i wrote and taking time out of their day to be so sweet! <3

6) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probs you hurt my head like cheap red wine

7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

queen of crabs, it's the silly awkward first date antics odesta deserves <3

8) Do you get hate on fics?

no (thank god)

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

i tried writing E rated smut once but one thing about me is that intimacy makes me laugh out fucking loud (like i always try to do bits like im wearing the crown of clowns it can get very awkward) so whenever i write anything smut-adjacent im incapable of writing it sexy i just kinda feel silly the entire time. perhaps its the asexual in me

10) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

nah. but i think an umbrella academy and succession crossover would fuck

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

nope

14) What's your all-time favorite ship?

percabeth <3 (sorry odesta but on my first read thru of the hunger games i hated annie for no fucking reason and developed a hc that johanna and finnick were having an affair.. but that is a convo for another day. LOVE them now tho obv, but ive been shipping percabeth since day 1 theyre so cute and in luv)

15) What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

tbh prob the odesta greek au. i love the concept (siren!annie is very important to me) but im just not in a greek mythology mood anymore

16) What are your writing strengths?

sometimes when i write emotions i feel like as a reader you can look at it and go "oh okay. i know that feeling" which is awesome

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

i am in love with run on sentences. "no its just a stream of consciouness writing style" baby you just wrote something that's mostly just em dashes and semicolons and parenthesis. also i don't know how to describe stuff so thank god for the internet bc i link outfits like my life depends on it. ive always struggled w writing locations too. and ive been wanting to get better at writing bits

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i tried doing this with a mags fanfic i wrote bc i hc that d4 spoke spanish before the first war. there is literally only one sentence in spanish though bc i knew for a fact the phrasing was correct (at least in a casual, conversational setting) but i do think it's really cool when people write d4 characters having entire convos in spanish even though im not confident enough in my langauge skills to do it myself. also i just don't think d4 would know how to speak spanish in canon times, prob just affectionate terms like mija/o or mano or chula. like stuff that doesn't rlly affect how the capitol understands them. i get into this in the fic, but i think even by mags’ generation spanish would stop being a common language in d4. like i love the sentiment of her carrying a piece of that w her but i don’t think the capitol would let them get away with that and it’s also Not Easy to remember how to speak a language you only learned as a child and then never used for the rest of ur life, which is what i imagined happened with her + her gen. like. me and my siblings only know english bc the moment my dad moved here he was like “okay. English Time” and that stemmed from the pressure to assimilate can you imagine if the actual law got involved. anyway this answer got long but i have a lot of thoughts about this sorta stuff, esp in d4

19) First fandom you wrote for?

percy jackson lol

20) Favorite fic you've ever written?

don't keep the devil waiting, old friend. tbh this answer changes all the time any fic im currently working on is automatically my fav lol

idk why i feel a bit silly about tagging people directly, so i am informally tagging anyone who wants to do this sorry i hope this isn't a cop out <3. ily

[jeriafterdark]

I want so much to believe that the Insta account is fake and the accusations against GJ are just untrue. More videos keep coming out and the path of least resistance would be to believe he’s really back, right? It seems like so many hoops to debunk every new video. But it would break my heart if GJ was really so cruel, both in the attacks orchestrated and in continuing to drop candy. (Has that slowed down since ZZH has been ostensibly speaking again? And what did Zhang Su do?) Help! Please!

Part 8.3/? - 813 the Reprise - Deepfake Video 2

masterpost here

I think objective truth doesn't care what people want. It's always going to be true. The path of least resistance is following known facts and letting that guide you, not emotion.

Objectively, we have 10+ years of how ZZH acts as a person. He's forthright, blunt, honest, and righteous. He doesn't shit talk anyone. Objectively, he's open to dating men and women (from at least 2 previous interviews). Even after he perma-damaged his knee, he didn't shit talk his previous company for forcing him to work so much that it pushed him past the edge. After fans and antis harangued and harassed him, he went to the hospital and posted a quote saying that "If it's in your nature to hurt me, It's in mine to forgive." with a picture of his arm with an IV.

These are all objective facts. They all show the pattern that he's a good guy, and takes all the hits on the chin. Even when he lost everything, he just found another thing and had fun, barely even talked about it (i.e. his knee and found golf).

Also it's not really jumping through hoops, is it? It's really simple to pay attention to the facts. I'll do you a favor and guide you.

I've written a whole post on this before and how all videos of this nature are probably fake, and why.

2. I've made a new post quickly debunking this new video for FUN. Because it's unnecessary to debunk it anymore. EVERYTHING from that instagram is automatically suspicious; why? Because everything from it has already been debunked. Thus, if even ONE thing is proven to be fake/falsified, then all of it and all of the future posts should be too. Think about it. If it was Xie Yihua running that IG, and she posts a bunch of fake things (we all proved it to be), why would the next thing be real all of a sudden? It doesn't make sense.

^(Note all the blurs and flickering that happens at the line between the cap and his brow. It took me 30 seconds to see it lol. There's blurring all over the seams along his face, which is 100% indicative of a poorly done deepfake.)

3. It doesn't make sense that GJ would associate himself with ZZH at all.

Let's be honest. ZZH is persona non grata. Branded a traitor to China. We, as steadfast fans, know that CAPA and the industry framed him, yes. But the rest of the public? They don't care. The rest of the public is who GJ is aiming his ads at. So what will theyl see?

>> GJ actively using CP elements from his time with ZZH, a traitor to their country, which would actively HURT his image. So why would he do it? It hurts his image, it doesn't help his sales per say. He has nothing to gain, so it's unlikely that he's doing it out of malice.

This is where anyone can guess why, and I say it's to save ZZH's fandom. The CP fandom was the largest, most productive $$$ fandom for them. It was larger than their solo fandoms. lol. And if GJ can keep reminding us that he's still around, and ZZH is still around, it's more likely to keep ZZH's fans around for when ZZH makes his comeback.

4. GJ hasn't attacked ZZH at all, the anti's and water armies that Xie Yihua hires want you to think that though. But he has no power in the industry. He's a newcomer that had 1 successful drama and a few endorsements, but not enough power nor will he gain any power from attacking a fellow actor. Would you publicly attack a former co-worker or boss? Do you understand how bad that makes you look to the rest of the industry? You have to find jobs later, you know, you cannot burn bridges.

So that's actually Xie Yihua's game. She and whoever is pulling her strings (we know she's just an incompetent puppet of a bigger player, i.e. CAPA and associates), are actively creating false and misleading content and implying it comes from ZZH, and burning all his bridges. He looks BAD, but with a little bit of paying attention and critical thinking, we debunked all of her attempts to further slander him and smear his image. The damage is done, don't add more fuel to the fire by believing in the really obvious lies. They're FULL of inconsistencies.

5. Zhang Su (or Susu), was a childhood best friend of ZZH. However, since he started livestreaming years ago, we as fans actually don't know their real relationship. If they've fallen out, or if ZZH cut him out from his life, or anything.

The only thing we know for sure is Zhang Su wore one of Xie Yihua's hats that she peddles under the guise of ZZH's new brand. which BY THE WAY, IS 100% owned by XYH and her sister. It's public information. WHICH IS WEIRD, because she's not his manager and never was. She only worked with him for a short period last year to help choose his concert venue and then a second time for his own concert in August 2021 (before 813). She actually got FIRED in June 2021 (this was revealed by QV during a recent livestream).

Some speculate that Zhang Su has more nefarious connections to XYH. He was known to go to the design school that XYH's sister(?) goes to. So there may be a connection there, too.

In Summary:

Everything from that Instagram is sus, and videos are deepfakes

The new video is more haphazardly done and I posted a debunk in 5 minutes

GJ has no incentive to attack ZZH, and only uses his ability to keep ZZH's fandoms alive for his return

Zhang Su may be in cahoots with Xie Yihua

This is the path of least resistance. The path that uses the most facts and is the most consistent. I would use the same reasoning when solving or trouble-shooting my science research. I don't suddenly think the universe is cruel when my experiment goes off the rails lol.

Remember, every time something new drops and makes you feel intense emotion, think about the PURPOSE of its existence.

To take advantage of your state of shock/extreme anger/sadness/happiness so you could believe its narrative faster, without taking time to look at the details and the bigger picture. To see if it even makes sense that this piece of media exists at all. Because if you took a step back and breathed, look at the facts I present from following this case for a year, it's really no big deal.

It's easily debunkable, from a debunked IG, from a Xie Yihua, an incompetent person who tried to make it big in c-ent through her family connections but failed continuously due to her own lack of ability (QV posts a lot about her).

[bringcal]

3, 4, and 16 on the ship asks?

also lovin' the art lately! <3

3. Favorite romantic ship.

DaveJake... kind of? I see them most as queer platonic partners but I also tend to just see them as boyfriends ESPECIALLY Grandpa Harley/ Alpha Dave flavor

4. Favourite problematic ship.

I don't really know TBH like I'm not sure what ppl call problematic since sometimes it can be quite up to interpretation ??? I really like dirk x himself ( specifically ult dirk x bro strider, dirk x dirk ) and Ive never heard ppl say thats problematic but ppl definitely find it weird? IDK sorry lol

Outside of homestuck ships, i love Nagito Komaeda (specifically as Servant) x izuru Kamukura which i think could be seen as toxic. My deepest secret is that i am actually a huge nagito analysis motherfucker even though im not into dr anymore, so ive written like. fucking bibles. on why I love komaegi and kamukoma. ( and I have a 5 page long analysis on nagito himself. ) Surprisingly, I hate komahina but i like kamukoma. anyways ill shut up about danganronpa now .

16. A ship you love but everyone hates.

DIRKKAT. I love dirkkat!!!! I didn't actually know people hate this ship until i tried looking it up on twitter ( I dont have a twitter. is this how you work twitter ?? ) and everyone was saying how much they hate it. ( Funnily enough, the dirkkat hate would also be grouped into davejake hate a lot in the tweets i read, which is actually how i started considering davejake as a couple. So.. thanks to the ppl that were hating. )

[zeroducks-2]

(newbie anon) it’s exactly what i was asking for so thank you so much!! ive been reading a lot of classic era stuffs whenever i have free time, just because i wanted to see how he was written like at the earliest time. (also reading metas & trying to find ppl to follow that post a lot about him) and thank you for the welcome!! ive decided to keep my other questions for now and see where it goes as i read the comics 😆 except for one, which is that, do you have any list of dc writers whose writing you can recommend?

Eh, not really? I tend to go by comic/storyline and not by writers, and for the longest time I've been completely out of the loop, barely knowing a single name behind DC stories. I'll give you a quick rundown of Nightwing writers but there are way better and more structured opinions on the matter than mine!

Generally speaking Wolfman and Perez are considered the GOATs, and I suppose they did write a lot of great things even if their style can get more than a bit corny at times. They wrote Nightwing in his Teen Titans era, in the 80s. Devin Grayson wrote an overall good storyline (Nightwing 1994) which was cut too short and had to delve more deeply into a number of things, especially traumatic things that happen to Dick. Her style is generally fun and interesting but she does have these racist moments in her narration which can be understandably upsetting. Chuck Dixon's Nightwing stories are, to me, kind of boring but he does give Dick the emotional depth that the character imo needs and tends to lack when handled by most other writers. He's a homophobic fuck though and this too can be upsetting as sometimes it comes up in his stories. I really dislike Tom King, Tim Seeley and Tom Taylor as Nightwing writers (simply because their stories are hella boring to me) but if you want to admire Dick's cake, give those run a try! They wrote Nightwing post-reboot. That being said, there is one story King wrote that I really really love and it's from when Dick wasn't even Nightwing! So yeah there are some bits of good things from there too lol.

As for Deathstroke, I suggest either the Deathstroke 1991 run by Wolfman and Perez, or the Deathstroke Rebirth (2016) by Christopher Priest. These runs are so unlike each other at the point that the MCs could be entirely different characters, but they're both fun and interesting in their own way.

If you don't see me condemning writers for their racism/homophobia/ableism/etc too strongly it's because I don't consider it healthy. Let's be aware when a story contains such themes, but imo it makes no sense to systematically avoid anything that has bad or poorly handled themes. DC comics have historically been so chock-full of harmful ideas and stereotypes that a fan needs to learn to live with them if they want to engage with the content. Like... mysoginistic and homophobic "jokes" were commonplace, it was part of the everyday humor back then. At least Batman doesn't spank every lady he comes across anymore lol.

[horrible-oracle]

u know this weird thing abt names and the internet. like my (cis) friend once told me that she and many others she knows dont wanna use their 'real' name online even if they do like it irl/with friends. and i didn't really get it and for me as a trans person using any name that ive specifically chosen for myself was always like positive and affirming etc but lately ive been feeling like the name that i go by irl not only feels weird written in english/latin letters but also is too familial, cause like, it is actually a short version that is quite informal. but putting the full version of the name feels too formal??? so i just put the english version of it in my bio instead yeah. and changed the second name to a shortened version cause it doesn't feel as familial since i don't use it irl. so yeah! if u know the names that are not in the bio anymore its fine i still use em i still like em but tbh i like vacek for my tumblr persona more lol.

idk why im writing this ig just wanted to ramble abt names and the internet. im curious what other ppls experience with that are, esp from trans folks so feel free to share ig :) happy pride !

[caelumsnuff]

I don't want to come off as too mean but it feels like Erik has some really deep-seated issues in regards to relationships. Characters like David, Gavin, and Cutie that all violate a lot of boundaries are basically forgiven until their behavior is suddenly better one day (and I feel like this break with Geordi will still fall into this). Characters like Vega and James are supposed to be villains and yet it feels like they're starting to be written as misunderstood heroes. It seems like abusers aren't properly punished for the things they've done despite being painted as abusers, like Kody and again Vega. The only storylines that had their "abusers" dealt with were Marcus's and Sam's, and those were both done extremely poorly and seemed more reactionary to the fandom imo. I wouldn't necessarily attribute characters being characters (or tropes) to "the author has trauma" but given that some of these stories are more personal to him and that these themes continue to show up as they do, it kinda makes me wonder how much he's been and is potentially still being mistreated by friends and loved ones. He wants to make statements about abuse and yet it seems like he doesn't know what it looks like to not be abused or how to properly handle and overcome it. And if this is really the case, I feel kinda bad for him. Sorry for the long ask, but am I just reaching so hard that I'm practically Stretch Armstrong or do you see it too?

i wouldn't say you're stretch armstrong (hilarious wording btw, im stealing that), but i would say its simply not the best to assume that themes you find in someone's writing is because of trauma/whatever unless you personally know them.

(more under the read more bc i word souped lol)

You are right about the villians not getting punished appropriately though, which i have (i think) talked about before. Kody is a great example for sure, but i think most of the antagonists aren't punished proportionally to their alleged crimes. A lot of the ones that are punished do seem reactionary to the fandom, ESPECIALLY Marcus. (im very emotional about him, i miss him so much). Something else ive also talked about before, how he seems to let audience reactions sway how he writes/continues to write a story. A lot of the relationship/character flaws are just..... magically gone one day??? Along with conflicts?? Its really strange. I sound like a record on repeat with this one, but tries to balance sending some moral message, writing interesting plots, with maintaining comfort content, and he ends up fumbling a lot of ways in the end. He writes allegories/messaging into his stories, but they're sloppy because of how he tries to juggle all the other expectations his audience, and maybe even himself, holds him to. It just ends up with..... bad writing (at least in terms of plot and narratives, his dialogue and character writing is generally good or very good. man knows how to make a lovable character and sweet lines). Also even the characters who have healthier relationships, i feel like a lot of the unhealthy behaviors were originally in there to make the relationships interesting, which isnt a bad thing!!! conflict is important for narrative interest, but like. He just Gets Rid of these things, instead of transforming them into things that are healthier but still personality traits of those characters. Sam lost his snark, Darlin lost their stubborness, Vincent doesn't feel anywhere as near as flirty as he used to, Avior isnt a sarcastic butt anymore. Like your personality does not get buffed out when you get in a relationship and that relationship gets healthier. Southern Sass is still Southern Sass, as a matter of fact it gets worse the more you know someone. Flirts stay Flirts, maybe not with others, but definitely with their partners. You don't all of a sudden lose stubbornness because you love your partner (ask mine, lmfao). It feels like these things were done to maybe make them more palatable/likeable but they were loveable already with their unique character traits and flaws. You can have someone grow without them changing.

I wish that with Gavin and David we had audios of them and their respective partners laying down boundaries and changing, and as for Geordi and Cutie i wish we saw more of their relationship build up before it exploded. Their relationship was already on fire when they were introduced, which is still just SUCH a weird choice to me. Sorry for the word soup, but tldr is that youre right about the bad writing part, i just think its not a trauma thing with healthy relationships, but more just bad writing bc of high expectations and maintaining audience satisfaction.

[beamapologist]

Undertale but Tori and Asriel are swapped

This UT au of mine has been living rent free in my head for a while. I have made (not posted) concept art before and I think ive got the story mapped out anyway here it is!

This isn't a fanfic or anything this is just a (rough) recount of the story so far. Beware that somethings might change

The story

After Chara died Asriel decided not to go through with the plan, Toriel saw this as an opportunity to gather the remaining six human souls. Not that she perticulary wanted to but someone had to. When they (Toriel and Chara) get to the surface Toriel k/lls the first human shes, about to absorb their soul when she sees everyone's faces around her. I think she'd say something like: ''oh god what have I done...'' or something like that. And then Chara would say ''Come on Mother we must absorb their soul to proceed.'' Toriel didn't know that Chara could actually speak since they had been silent the whole time. Toriel stood still in shock. Someone shoots her from behind out of self defense. She scurries through the barrier and her dust is spilled through the garden. Asgore (just like in the game) declares war on humanity out of rage and sorrow from the death of his wife and child. Asriel stays with Asgore until one day he overhears the king talking about his plan. He flees to the ruins (not just because hes swapped with Toriel but also because the ruins is his birth home.)

*Im gonna cut this short and not make this as descriptive because I don't want to type all of that but also I don't want to make it seem like a really bad written fanfic when its actually not but just me ranting about my favorite au i'm currently working on*

Over the years Asriel makes friends with the other monsters in the ruins. He starts having dreams were Chara and Toriel talk to him. They didn't tell him that it was actually them, first off because they thought he might not believe them but mostly because they didn't want to worry him. He started to think he was hallucinating and even tries not to sleep most of the time because of it hurts him to much to see his mother and his sibling's face.

Many... many years later Alphys gets the position of royal scientist. Asgore has kept Toriel's dust in a urn over the years, he also kept Chara's soul in the tube thing we see the other 6 souls in, later on in the game.

In a last attempt to bring back his wife and child Asgore asks Alphys to use Charas soul and Toriel's dust to bring them both back. Alphys tries her best but in the end it 'fails' having lost another soul Asgore keeps quiet about the matter. After everyone in the underground was so close to hope, about to break the barrier having one of the souls 'disappear' had blown anyones hope of being free.

Im really tired and don't really want to type anymore also this is getting way to long. I think ill make a follow up post talking about the rest of the story and the Toriel and Chara fusion.

(@transgendermtt if you have any au name ideas please tell me lol, it was originally gonna be called 'garden-tale' but that sounds derpy as hell)

thanks for reading expect more info about the au in the next day or two!

( just a reminder this is not a fanfic :)! )