#i am a meta gremlin

[ineffably-human]

Nadja's doll can move on her own, and assert herself sexually. Laszlo can stand in the light of the sun for the first time in centuries. Nandor can push himself to his physical limits, while admitting to the softer and more vulnerable reason he wants to do it.

(Colin can both be desired and have a sexual encounter as fucked up as his freaky little heart wants it to be. Honestly, I didn't think I'd say it, but good for him?)

Something something Pride being associated with joyous movement, with power, with authenticity, with freedom.

And Guillermo gets to be flirted with, and courted with a feat of strength, and see his six-foot-something crush loom over him stark fucking naked. Gets to show more vampiric tells and superpowers. And then the sheer gift of just being able to relax afterwards, nothing to be done but enjoy a moment of real joy with the people who matter to him.

Because it could be a cynical vote grab, but Sean genuinely cares about everyone at the parade, and about Staten Island. And believes queer people and immigrants are part of what their home is all about. Sometimes it's okay for everyone to get what they want.

What a joyous episode.

[fluffypotatey]

hiiiiiii thinking abt how mei was super uncomfortable with the idea of mk visiting her house and all of the "normal kid stuff" she wasn't allowed to do and how she and mk share a lot of traits but only the ones that mei's parents wouldn't have approved of. mks literally like. the parts of her she doesnt want to bring home

HEYO! forgive me, i was asleep then had to get to class. also, i wanted to give myself time to actually talk about this because yeah

*pulls you down* listen, listen to me, until 1x03, MK had never even been inside Mei's house. he even states how he "always wanted to see inside Mei's Secret Dragon House," and Mei housesitting the place is the perfect opportunity for him to see what lies inside. AND! if you notice!!!

SHE IS SHOWN TO BE VERY UNCOMFY AT MK JUST SPECULATING WHAT "SECRETS" ARE HIDING IN THERE. INVITING MK WOULD BE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT HER PARENTS ASKED HER TO DO!

but MK is so curious and he's her best friend and he might also just sneak in without her knowing.....so maybe she'll indulge him. housesitting is a lot better with friends than on your own.

anyway, if we go further into the episode, we see a Mei that is very different to our chaotic and confident gal. she's closed-in, cautious, nervous. unlike before, Mei is the one warning others not to touch things, to be careful, and to stay put. in previous episodes, we see her goofing off and being a little gremlin with MK while Pigsy blows a fuse over their antics.

not here though. this is her home. her clan's home. her clan's home full of ancestral heirlooms that she's been told all her lie to keep away from and not touch. respect your family and family tree is very important in Chinese culture (and many other Asian cultures but we're focusing just on one). even the language has different forms of formalities with addressing people (whether in the business environment, home, or school). but this is a very general observation, and i'm sure there are others who can talk about this a lot better.

however, Mei's family is very important to her character, so i will be discussing how it relates to her and her own decisions. on her own, Mei is very free-spirited and is more of a "punch first ask questions later" kind of person. when it comes to her family though, Mei is a lot more toned down and thinks first before acting. she is very aware of the priceless artifacts kept in her home (which is one factor on why she is nervous about inviting MK), and watching how she went about her home was like she was walking on eggshells. she doesn't want to upset and disappoint her parents.

additionally, Mei comes from a very well-off family. she is a part of the Western Sea Dragon clan. her ancestor is Ao Lie, the dragon-horse of the JTTW companions. why am i telling you things you already know? because it shows that Mei's family comes with a lot of history and recognition ("ancient noble dragons," as Mei had said). and with that, comes with the clan wanting to appear respectable in front of others. with such a high status, it is best to look the part, no?

however, Mei isn't really someone who fits into that noble lady box, right? she's outspoken, she's rowdy, she's impulsive. Mei even admit that as a kid she wished to do "normal girl stuff," stuff that wouldn't work out when your house is more of a museum than a home. i'm sure she did try to fit into that box for the good of her parents, but at some point, you come to the realization that that box will never fit you. Mei will never be perfectly noble or have the noble decorum that comes with her upbringing. she will never fit that ideal her parents raised her on (this is an assumption but also, it feels like a given?)

MK is the exact opposite of what Mei was taught to be proper. he is rowdy, likes to have fun, play video games, "roughs and tumble," and be impulsive. he is someone Mei definitely saw as the part of her she could never show her parents. how could they ever accept the side of her that does not care for strict decorum and keeping a house as a museum.

read this excerpt from her mom:

"We may not always see eye to eye, and your friends are...em, unique than we expected. But you are a part of this family, and it is part of you."

ignoring the incredibly sweet ending T^T the mother admits that Mei and her parents do have issues agreeing on what's best for Mei. there is love very clearly shown for between Mei and her parents, but there is still that distance between them. Mei is not the daughter they expected, and they don't always approve of her choices (her friends for example). so, we can figure that Mei is absolutely nervous about how her parents will feel about MK and whether that means they would stop loving her if she ever let down her walls in front of them completely.

[raspberryjellybrains]

Something I find interesting as I delve deeper into different mediums of The Sandman is the way that Dream's appearance is used as a literary device. I don't remember whether I've discussed it here or not, but throughout the comics, his outfits serve as an indicator of his outward emotions and attitude while the style of the artist is often used to depict some aspect of his internal, unspoken emotional turmoil/peace. This carries over to the audiobook, though without the graphic aspect inherent to the original medium, it manifests in an interesting way through narration and further solidifies this interpretation of significance.

I had to start on Volume II for *cough* reasons, and the usage of detail is quite similar to other works by Gaiman, in that they are only included where it is important. He doesn't hit you over the head with scenery at every chance, it's carefully slotted into the scene at the points where it is most necessary and poignant, with the depth of these descriptions being directly tied to the importance that you, the listener, understand. We only hear that the random park is peaceful in the soundscaping because the park itself serves no purpose beyond that, but we get a couple paragraphs of description of Hell because it is vitally important we understand the scale and intensity of the horrors found there; setting is only acknowledged when it contributes to the narrative. This is echoed in The Sandman: Annotated, where we get some notes in the script regarding artistic choices—many of which are gestural, some of which are very detailed so that the artist may understand from this where their (and by extension the reader's) attentions must be drawn, which provides a sort of visual pacing.

To draw my point in a bit, Dream's castle follows this rule as an extension of his will and selfhood. It changes often to reflect what facet of himself he wants to convey outward most directly; appearing first as a rather low set, art nouveau affair with perhaps a silly bit of phallic imagery, then a gothic castle atop a mountain, most clearly establishing things when he puts it at the needlepoint top of a physically impossible peak covered in turrets and rooflines which jab into the air forbiddingly during Season of Mists as he contemplates the Key. When Dream is settled, the Dreaming is as well, when he is tumultuous, such follows. We don't get blow by blow descriptions, only when it is necessary.

Now that the visual language has been established and connected (insofar as I really can with the allotted mental energy for a tumblr post, however much of a passion project this may be, I am tired), it can be connected to Dream himself. His character design is very intentional, it reflects the post-punk, modernist take on its themes through his incredibly goth Look—he has the big, messy hair and impossibly white skin, dark clothes and dramatic fashion sensibilities—but beyond that, it reflects what feeling we are supposed to get from him. Morpheus' sense of self is ridiculously deeply tied to expectaction and perception of others, his entire personhood is based on what they expect. Despite this, to his infinite chagrin it seems, he has a personal identity sitting at his core that we see in his "natural" versus "put on" appearance (for lack of better terms): he's quiet and withdrawn but highly passionate and caring with all of the expected emotional regulation issues we would expect of someone with these temperaments they desperately repress; What he can control (clothes and hair) are utilized similarly to the castle, conveying his outward intention—think his driving outfit in Brief Lives versus his family dinner outfit in Season of Mists versus his final outfit in the Kindly Ones—where the things he cannot consciously seem to control are disguised by him, but utilized by art or narration to make a statement on his surroundings and feelings—think again of those outfits, of what his behavior means through that lens, what is conveyed through detail and silhouette.

What these more consistent physical attributes say is quite interesting, and quite revealing: Dream is not that scary. Sure his eyes will make you feel like you've stared down the cosmos and felt god touch your soul, but beyond that? Really? He's just a dude. A beautiful and strange one, but really nothing especially imposing. He's tall, but that effect is sort of diminished by his slight build. His face is angular and ethereal, but often careworn or haggard as well in a way I would compare to a very old and very poorly maintained stone statue. What this means to me is that Dream was never meant to be this frightening and imposing figure, that this was a choice made by the active individual we know exists because he is the one telling us about this all! A choice against his own nature that is concealed as often, swiftly, and mistakenly as his internal nature. This is, to conclude my point, supported by where these aspect of his appearance are given weight through art and narration. We only hear about his stature when he's sad or scared, only hear about his inhumanly pale skin when faced against the more beautiful aspects of personhood or mortality, only hear about his eyes when he uses them to scare or comfort.

These details of appearance are as woven into the narrative as any plot point, and used as any theme; which makes sense, he is the Prince of Stories afterall.

[dragonofthedepths]

Danny gets mistaken for Superman 24.2.23

DP x DC. Danny Phantom, Superman, Batman.

A group of villains attack an event they know the JL is going to be investigating undercover. They're looking for secret Identities amongst the crowd, and Danny, long since a full-fledged adult, happens to be attending as well.

Danny, unlike Clark, does not dress to conceal his physique, or hide behind glasses, or hold himself to seem smaller or bumbling.

He gets wrongly picked out as Superman within moments.

And Danny, who can fly, who has mild superstrength, who can tell where kryptonite is because it radiates like all food-quality ectoplasam, who's not as concerned about being discovered since the meta rights act overturned the anti-ecto acts, and who's only become more of a gremlin as full fledged adult, figures 'Sure, why not, I can be Superman :)'

Batman is not the only person who is blindsided when "Superman" leans over and eats the kryptonite right out of the man's hand.

"That was rock candy." Not-Superman gave the man a cheshire cat grin. "You might want to double-check your supplier."

"That was definitely kryptonite," Superman informed him over the com, his voice flat with the kind of flabbergasted disbelief Batman had thought they both left behind a couple of world-ending-disasters ago.

Day (634/100) in my #∞daysofwriting @the-wip-project 24th of Feb

Edit: @omnicrafts wrote this!!! (In a matter of hours, somehow??? I am in awe): look here! Edit2: They added a second part!!!

[percheduphere]

Super serious question for your meta analysis skills: If the Avengers met the TVA crew, how quickly do you think their intimidating view of Loki would go out the window?

Ex: Casey being told Loki was a villain: “I mean, he was kinda a jerk when he threatened me and then later stole my juice but calling him a villain seems a bit much.” OB: “Really? He’s always seemed nice to me!” B-15: “Eh, he’s kinda like Mobius, can be a threat but usually a nice guy.” Avengers: *Wondering if there’s some TVA rando named Loki*

Hi Anon!

I am so so sorry it takes so long for me to reply. I finally made it to yours!

I actually wrote a lil' CONSIDER scenario, in which Loki introduces Thor to his friends. While not the same conditions as what you are querying, I think the effect would be very similar. That is: Loki is really just a pussycat!

That said, the Avengers' reactions would vary depending on who they meet first. It honestly would not take long at all before Loki's villain persona just falls apart. They'll probably wonder how Loki managed to be such a thorn on their side to begin with (*cough* Thanos *cough*).

If they start with Casey, he'd probably say something like: "Oh, yeah. He threatened to gut me like a fish once, but other than that he's actually pretty good guy!" O.B., like you said, would be similar. And because he's a ray of sunshine, he might respond, "Loki is Mobius's friend, and any friend of Mobius is a friend of mine, too!"

But things start to get really hilarious once we get to the B-15 and Sylvie.

If they start with B-15 (Verity), she will just laugh in their faces. Or she will look at them all judgy, as if to say: "Really? This magic gremlin gave you all a hard time? Mmkay ..." Kinda like this:

Sylvie would probably laugh in their faces, too, likely commenting on Loki's shit plans.

If the Avengers met Sylvie and B-15 together, they would just ... bend over their knees cackling. They'd have to wipe the tears from their eyes from laughing so hard.

And then, of course, we have Mobius.

I think he'd be somewhere between Casey & O.B. and B-15 & Sylvie, with a heaping of: I love him. He's great. He messes up a lot and feels bad about it, but that's what makes him adorable. If something happens to him, I will turn into a soggy piece of crinkled paper.

So Mobius's reaction would be a little bit of this:

A touch of this:

And a sprinkle of this for good measure. Because Mobius loves Loki and literally has ZERO pokerface when it comes to him:

Once the Avengers watch Loki and Mobius playfully bicker, it's all over. It's proof Loki's domesticated.

Hope that answers your question, Anon!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2 GREAT Shows but everything else is kinda blah

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. Happy new year, BLabies!

Jan 2024 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - This show is really earning its chops, and these actors are executing beautifully. I think this is a great BL, and it reminds me quite a bit of ATOTS, only the physical comfort between the actors is more genuine and easy to watch. Unfortunately a guitar came out. Nice communication tho.

That was a very lovely romantic sex scene. Very prettily done. Classy boys, very classy.

Gah what a beautiful final scene with Day saying the last thing he wants to see is Mhork. Pure unadulterated romance of the highest order.

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 7 of 12 - If killer, why hot? Poor Tarn compelled to try to rescue everyone else from their fate, because he cannot save himself from his.

Meanwhile Phaya is finally learning that you catch more water snakes with honey lube than vinegar.

Stellar confession from Phaya brutally honest and very fated mates.

And another lovely sex scene, so I guess that was a vision and not a fantasy Tharn had.

Lets be clear those two shows were GREAT everything else this week was kinda blah.  

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 6 of 12 - I find the backstory very odd. Are they twins? What happened to Blue? Am I meant to care? Do I care? 

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 10 of 12 - I mostly just feel sorry for First. He’s so rightfully confused. Zee/Sprite keeps blowing hot and cold because they two different people! The after sex cuddle was cute. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 14 - Love getting more JeffAlan. Also I switch favorite character allegiances in the trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 6 of 12 - Didn’t air this week and I hardly noticed. 

You and My Stars YT 1 of 2(?) - school kids, love triangle, it’s cute enough.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) 1626 ep 20 of 24 - Just so boring. 3/10 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - I’m not into the love triangle. Although I kind of like the new suitor, he’s honest and a good communicator. I appreciate these things in a BL boy. But I begin to wonder if triangles should be left for KBL. Also, this should have been an 8 epper, 10 is too long.

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - No ep until Jan 12 

I Became the Main Role of a BL (Japan Sun Gaga) ep 1-3 - AKA BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen - A rising star is paired with an (older) former child actor (doesn’t think he’s good enough) in a BL series. It’s fun, built on a dynamic of off screen paralleling the on screen, so near constantly meta. All the tropes are there but are as a result of the filming process. The star turns out to be obsessed with the former actor and very dorky about it. In fact, everyone in this show is a little gremlin weirdo (affectionate). There’s tons of scenery chewing miscommunication drama, slapstick, voice over head hopping, and eccentric sides characters. “And he comes with feathers” applies to a number of my friends. You know I don’t like stories around fan obsession, but otherwise this was enjoyable. 8/10

A nice start to the JBL year. Keep em coming, Japan.  

It's done I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have a spare day.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

Night Dream (Sat YT) 6 eps - It’s a pain to track down and I really didn’t like the first episode so… DNF  

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year end round ups (so far) are as follows:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

Best Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

BL 2023 - Cute Bits of Domesticity

BL 2023 - Boys Feeding Boys

BL 2023 - BOOP!

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

Next Week Looks Like This

Starting This Week:

1/9 Time the series (Thai Gaga, WeTV, Channel 3) 10 eps - MFlow Entertainment brings us yet another "fix the past" narrative. After witnessing the gunning down of his beloved, a heartbroken actor uses a magic pocket watch to go back in time and discover the truth and maybe fix it.

1/11 Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) - Soga, who, after a divorce and relocation to Osaka, seeks solace in dining at 26-year-old Sakae's restaurant. Unbeknownst to Soga, Sakae sees him as more than just a regular customer.

More Coming Jan 2024

Beside You (Thai YouTube)

Love For Love's Sake (Korea ????)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan ????) - five years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so... probubly not. I won't be watching this.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Yes, you SHOULD apologize!

This was a FANTASTIC moment! Last Twilight

Night Dream referencing the Shrimp Trope.

Some didn't like this bit BUT I love a claiming moment, even in a briefing room... especially there.

I ALSO love a good Grandma Moment in a BL.

Such a good sex scene. The Sign

(Last week)

[bestworstcase]

Not to be weird or anything but...there was admittedly a time where I've doubted a lot of your takes on Salem, the direction of the story, etc. Scoffed at them, even. But V9 has really led me to reevaluate RWBY in more ways than one with unreliable narration literally being a core function of it's narrative, and reading your analysis and meta has helped deepen my own appreciation towards the show than ever before. And dare I say it, I think I'm a Salem Truther now jsshjshjshshj So all of this to say I'm glad you're a part of this community, genuinely. And I'm always eager to hear your thoughts on the show and on storytelling as a fic writer. I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to write this ask now, but it's something I've been meaning to say for a good while, lol

<3

jrhdfgj the salem truther situation has been really kind of wild because frankly i spent like two years going “no… there’s no way… i am reading into small details and hanging MASSIVE assumptions on a grammatical quibble… there’s no fucking way.” i was so prepared to be let down by volume nine.

’cause the thing is, like, this is what i do. right. points at my blog header. that little gremlin has all the characterization of a soggy scrap of tissue paper in canon and i made a salem out of her. give me an evil witch and i will invent a salem out of whole cloth if i have to, every time. like. i won’t argue it’s textual when it isn’t but i will write the elaborate au about her in my head if nothing else.

this is My Thing.

salem’s the first time i’ve ever felt like. i hadn’t gotten any further than “oh yeah i’m going to be so normal about her once i finish digesting i can tell” before the lost fable slapped me with the richly interesting emotionally complicated tragic backstory i normally have to make up myself and i was like… excuse me?? and then the next episode was the bait-and-switch “villain mauls the messenger except no she doesn’t and when she loses her temper she sends everyone out of the room before exploding the windows” scene and i was like IS THAT ALLOWED.

this has never happened to me before!!!

so it has been. uh. WHACK to get v9 going okay here’s every expectation you had met and surpassed. grbfxhk there was one point when v9 was first airing while i watched an episode—can’t remember which—and pulled the gf over to go “i am right. about everything?!” because it was so shocking to me.

i was so ready to be like [sighs] ah well, there’s always time does this. and then enjoy the rest of the story for what it was. jrhfhfjdks what do you MEAN they’re writing it for ME

thrilling!! still shocking!! the salem screeds will continue until morale improves 😊 

[madwomanwithawarehouse]

10 Years of Unthinkable 5 day event

It's been 10 years since the season finale of Arrow season 2 premiered. For a lot of the fandom, this was historic and has been considered one of the all-time best episodes of the show. To celebrate this anniversary, I am hosting an event for the 5 days leading up to the 14th of May. I'd love to see this fandom get a bit of its spark back, so please join in and spread the word!

I will be tracking the tag #unthinkable 10 years, but feel free to tag me as well

Day 1 (May 10th). Share a memory from when you watched 2x23 / old meta / spec fic from that time

Day 2 (May 11th). Late season 2 & post-season 2 hiatus fic recommendations (be sure to add a new comment!) / Team Arrow

Day 3 (May 12th). Favorite season 2 episode / Favorite season 2 plotline

Day 4 (May 13th). Favorite season 2 character arc / Favorite season 2 setting (QC, the Foundry, Queen Manor, Verdant, etc.)

Day 5 (May 14th). Unthinkable / AU / Free choice

Tagging some people from the olden days (and a couple newer friends) @effie214 , @sarcasticfina , @karazoreswell , @the-center-will-hold , @fe-li-ci-ty , @felicityollies , @dontfreakout , @theolicitylibrary , @olicityfeed , @just-momentary , @angst-is-love-angst-is-life , @frosty-the-killer-doll , @the-feral-gremlin , @lacrimae23 , @inklingdancer

[zeldurz]

A rant about Bacta

For today's long and rambling meta, let’s talk about bacta, aka my least favourite part of Star Wars. The magical space healing goo that solves all your problems for some reason, with no considerations for anything that makes any amount of sense.

Once again, going to preface this with “I am not a medical professional and am by no means an expert in this field”

More happening below the cut:

To start, I will say that from a meta perspective, I understand why bacta is the way it is. We see it first in Episode V, where Luke is being treated for hypothermia and Wampa-related injuries - and I will give the GFFA that one. We often treat hypothermia with Luke-warm (haha) baths to raise the patient’s body temperature back to what it should be, and I could absolutely see a regulated, temperature controlled immersion tank being used for situations like this. I will even give them the “it’s a sterile solution that has antibiotic properties and promotes healing” thing, like it’s a giant vat of space polysporin or something. HOWEVER, it’s everything that came after that that I have an issue with.

You see, dear reader, the next thing that happened after the movies we all know and love was a tabletop RPG - the foundation of which all legends content is built upon. And in a tabletop RPG (like dungeons and dragons, for those who aren’t familiar), you need a system for tracking health (IE hit points, hearts, etc) and a way to quickly restore your character back to “full health”. Since Star Wars doesn’t have clerics or health potions, you get the magical healing goo that solves all your problems instead. And because you need this resource to be limited in order to give the game an element of risk, you make bacta expensive and sometimes challenging to get ahold of, but it has the power to fix any and all problems.

Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that in video games or DND I can drink a potion and suddenly my arm isn’t broken and I am no longer on fire, but Star Wars at its core is not an RPG (I do also, for the record, feel this way about healing spells and similar abilities in fantasy settings, but that’s for another time). I also want to make clear that I, an angst gremlin who thrives on fake science and making characters suffer, am not the average audience for this type of thing, and that narratively, action adventures like Star Wars would suffer tremendously with long, drawn out recovery times. With that being said, the gap between ‘I’m skipping over this because it doesn’t have a place in my story’ and ‘I throw the character in the goo (or have them ingest the goo?? Or inject it?????) and everything is fine now” is substantial, and I for one am really not a fan.

“But Zeds!” you cry, “what about suspension of disbelief? Star Wars has impossible laser swords and impossible galactic travel and-”

I know. And obviously bacta isn’t a make or break it thing for me, because my one and only brain cell is devoted at all times to my poor little meow meows who have committed so many war crimes - but the thing about suspension of disbelief for me personally is it has to be logically consistent within the universe, and for me, bacta makes no fucking sense whatsoever.

(if you are bothered by potential injury/medical stuff and non-graphic discussion of bodily fluids, this is probably where you should get off this train of thought)

I have a lot of issues with bacta, but I can lump them into two broad categories: mechanism of action (ie the biology) and the Bacta Economy (ie the wider implications for healthcare and best practices). 

Mechanism of Action:

To quote Wookieepedia

Promoting rapid regeneration of organic compounds, bacta could be used in a variety of both critical and noncritical medical situations. Described as being warm to the touch, the bacta liquid could aid in the healing of concussions, internal organs, and broken ribs. Furthermore, it could be placed in small dishes to help regrow fingernails, mend cuts, burns, and other injuries. Due to its "one-size fits all" use in medical applications, it was a highly prized and commonly used medical treatment for most, if not all, injuries. Bacta could also knit together broken bones

Bacta can fix everything, apparently, with the legends page going so far as to state that “it's replaced most conventional medicine.” I am not a medical professional, but the idea that one single substance could fix every ailment ever in every species is ridiculous considering that a) we can’t even treat the same condition in different people with one substance (as anyone who has been on antidepressants can tell you), let alone conditions with widely different symptoms and presentations. I could maybe see if it was some sort of stem cell activator or something like that, but even then it seems far-reaching to assume that things like broken bones or concussions could be healed by the same substance. The fact that bacta is primarily applied topically (ie to the skin either as a gel or in a tank), but can also be administered orally or by injection only makes things weirder. Does it absorb into the bloodstream through the skin? How does it reach the injured organ in order to “promote healing?” Is it entirely unaffected by stomach acid???

Which, speaking of concussions, does that mean bacta can cross the blood-brain barrier? You’re telling me that there is one goo that is perfectly matched to every being in the whole fucking galaxy (considering how many different blood types humans have and how much care has to go into matching organs or stem cells for transplant in humans, I find it a stretch to believe that one size fits all for every human, let alone other alien species), and it can fix bones and nerves and everything else? Without side effects?????? What about longer term treatments? Are we not worried about muscle loss? Nutrition? Dehydration???

Not to mention the implication that it can fix broken bones without setting them - the whole thing reeks of hand-wavey space magic, which would be fine if it wasn’t explained in universe as ‘miracle bacteria fix things and we will not be elaborating further’. This is especially problematic since Legends mentions some people have a bacta allergy (which would leave them functionally without healthcare) and because having only one substance that fixes everything from a paper cut to life-threatening injuries is a huge risk to your civilization (from possible contaminants/shortages) as well as doing a disservice to every individual. Between the implications that there are relatively few other drugs (maybe this is why everyone seems to be awake for surgery all the time and no one uses any painkillers? Because they need the bacta for something else????) and the fact that no one is going to waste their precious goo on your headache, healthcare must really suck in a “we only have the goo” galaxy (even moreso than it already does).

The Bacta economy and the wider implications for healthcare in the GFFA:

Canonically, bacta is extremely valuable and nearly impossible to synthesize. In fact, I seem to recall a scene in one of the legends books where Luke has recovered from an injury, and after being treated in a bacta tank, the practitioner is siphoning the excess bacta out of his ears so it can be reused.

In real life, we are very careful to handle bodily fluids with care to avoid accidental exposure to certain diseases - but you’re telling me that you can just soak someone in some goo for days (or weeks!) at a time while they have open wounds, and then pull them out and drop in the next patient? Is there no concern for bloodborne disease or infection at all? 

One of the things I do use bacta for in my fics is recovery after surgery - the antibacterial properties, plus the analgesics and everything else make it a reasonable choice for standard post-op procedure - but the idea of having a patient come out of a sterile operating room and into the goo tank that might have held someone with gangrene a few hours ago is a recipe for disaster imo

And speaking of contamination - how are we deciding which bacta is injected/administered orally and which is topical? Are we injecting people with goo that other people have been sitting in (again, for days or possibly weeks???) Or is only “fresh” bacta used for that purpose? Maybe it’s a class thing, and the rich can afford fresh but the poor have to make do with stuff that’s already had someone in it for a month idk, the whole thing just feels really really grody and like a good way to ensure your entire population is HIV+

And on that note - if every injury and medical condition is treated with one limited, expensive resource, how are hospitals allocating it? If you have broken ribs, for example, would you be evicted from the bacta tank if there was someone who was in a speeder crash whose life is in danger? What about a premature infant? Even if we are assuming that the GFFA operates under capitalist hellscape rules and each patient has to pay for their own bacta treatment, the fact that there’s only one resource to treat every condition must make for an absolute nightmare of triage (I imagine this is only compounded on ships, where the resources are even more limited to stocks on board, and a disaster like an explosion in an engine room could result in massive casualties if the only option for anything is “treat with bacta”)

All of which is to say - bacta works great as a plot device, but as soon as you start looking at it even a little bit, none of it makes any sense at all.

For me personally, I mainly include the use of a tank for post-operative patients - particularly after a major surgery - along with treatment of hypothermia or other conditions with poor circulation or temperature regulation. I also use a gel for wound dressings, but I rarely would have a character receive it orally or by injection. I think it is a useful thing for doctors to have, but I refuse to believe that the entire Galaxy’s healthcare revolves around one substance (no matter how great), and especially that the Galaxy’s physicians have been replaced by it.

[ladyblueberrymuffin]

Okay, I think enough time has passed that I can share my opinions on these two.

It could've been great. As it is, not really into it. And not because "Catra is abusive" or "It's toxic", or any stupid stuff like that. It's enemies to lovers, she's bound to do shitty things until her redemption arc, that's perfectly fine, I love messy characters.

My problem is that the show seems only interested in showing Catra's side of the story. She gets flashbacks, she talks about Adora all the time, we get to see all the ways in which Adora makes her life better. Adora... is kinda ignored.

I think that's why people don't like it. There is an unfair meta power dynamic. Catra is the more important one to the writers.

So we don't really get to see what Adora gets out of this relationship. We get to see all the ways Adora is accommodating to Catra, helps her feel comfortable after they reunited, lets her be her gremlin self, but where are the scenes where Catra does the same for Adora?

And people will talk about Catradora like this wonderful "I let you be yourself" comfort goes both ways, but it doesn't. That's my problem, it feels like it's always up to Adora to accommodate Catra, not the other way around.

I needed to see Catra really go out of her way to be a good girlfriend after her redemption arc. Like disgustingly sweet and trying her best every episode.

The most nice thing Catra does for Adora is talk her out of bad ideas. It happens in episode one, where Shadow Weaver is trying to convince her to leave her friends behind, and in the finale, where Adora is willing to die to save Etheria.

And like, offering counsel is certainly important in a relationship, but it doesn't really show this relationship in a good light when Catra's ultimate act of love is telling Adora "You're wrong".

Doesn't this feel kinda counterintuitive to her redemption arc? All the bad things she's done is because she was stubborn and unwilling to listen to Adora's ideas, but then her redemption is shown through her disagreeing with Adora's ideas anyway.

If Catra is allowed to be firm with Adora when Adora is being stupid, then so should Adora be able to be firm with Catra when she's being stupid, or antagonizing her friends.

This is a fictional relationship, so you're allowed to make them tease each other, or being mean to each other, but it can't be one-sided, because then it stops being cute, and just becomes frustrating.

The reboot introduced me to the franchise, and I delved deep, and really fell in love with the original 80's Adora, like I adore her (haha), my favorite superhero. And you know what? Reboot Adora is neat as well. So it bothers me double the show kinda seems disinterested in her and doesn't give her more agency.

I like that the 80s show focused on Adora more. I get Catra is interesting, but so is Adora, and I don't think the reboot really capitalized on it. I hope next time she pops up, maybe in the CG He-man show, or maybe in Masters of The Universe: Revolution (I am convinced this whole new season will be about her, and Adam grappling with the fact he has a sister, they're just hiding her from all the trailers, like they did with season 1's twist), she really gets the focus she deserves. You have a chance to really sink your teeth into her being a redeemed villain herself. In the DC comics, Adora was evil before she started questioning her loyalties to the Horde. Like, she killed people and she enjoyed it, her redemption arc wasn't much different from reboot Catra, so you really have a chance to make your main character as interesting as the villain.

[ineffably-human]

don't mind me, I'm just thinking about Guillermo de la Cruz going back week after week to say goodbye to his mother, never knowing which time will actually be the last. distracted and selfish and forgetting her birthday because soon it won't matter anymore, taking bites of tamales while he still can, and insisting that he's not afraid, because even when he was terrified he's always known what he needed. his mother telling him faith can guide him, but his guiding star has always been something faith can't touch, and now the love she's offering him burns.

eyes glued to the screen, mind glued to that house, because those are his people. only one of them even knows it, and Guillermo can't even talk to him now, but they're all still his. he says 'solve your own problems' but he still can't stop watching to gauge their solution. Nandor saying 'we don't need you' still hurts more than a thousand farewells to a family that loves him. big changes are scary, and his own blood may be fighting it, but this is what he wants even now. even now. he'll keep going back but it's with his mind on 'goodbye', every single time.

[luna-rainbow]

April fools (2023)

So, after careful introspection, I have decided that actually, Stucky doesn't do it for me any more. I have found my new OT3 - Bucky/Rocket/Nebula.

Firstly, the ship name is just better. Just because fate keeps “sticking” them together doesn’t make “Stucky” okay.

On the other hand, BUCKETULA just rolls off the tongue, like a skittish tarantula but more pleasant. I am also rather partial to NEBUROCKY.

Reasons they are my OT3:

Bucky has 1 vowel, Rocket has 2 vowels, Nebula has 3 vowels. The universe aligned for them.

We all love leather-clad tired-of-your-shit feral soldiers, and this ship has THREE

They are born on 3 different planets but have SHARED LIFE EXPERIENCES: Bucky was captured, brainwiped and had his body forcibly modified; Nebula was captured, brainwashed and had her body taken apart and replaced piece by piece; Rocket was captured, enhanced against his wishes and had his body taken apart and implants inserted.’

Reasons they are made for each other: Bucky loves flying vehicles, and both Nebula and Rocket can fly ships! Rocket loves prosthetics and both Bucky and Nebula have prosthetics! Nebula loves using guns, and both Rocket and Bucky carry a lot of guns!

Evidence they already love each other: Bucky and Rocket only met for 5 seconds and they were able to fight back to back like long term partners. Rocket and Nebula only reunited for 5 minutes and were able to overcome their previous enmity and work together. If Bucky and Rocket get along, and Nebula and Rocket get along, it follows that Nebula and Bucky will get along!

Don't forget that Rocket still calls Peter "Quill" years after they met, but already calls Bucky "Bucky". And while Bucky couldn't make it to the Christmas party, he still sent Rocket his favourite gift, an old prosthetic arm, via Nebula <3

Not to mention that after Bucky was Snapped, Rocket was so upset he changed his costume from front panels (left, Infinity War) to side panels like Bucky’s (right, Endgame). Clearly Bucky stole his little gremlin heart after that dance on the battlefields.

It is very clear to me that the three of them went on a space adventure after Bucky came back from the Blip, which is how they got so close. It also explains why Bucky has an empty apartment in New York because what's the point of furnishing your place when your space friends might drop by any minute and take you on a road trip to the next galaxy. Bucky also clearly learned his jailbreaking skills from Rocket, breaking Zemo out by causing a distraction wasn’t much different to the first GotG movie!

These three clearly have a lot of love for each other. James Gunn is just too up his own ass to see it. Stay tuned for more meta and fics coming your way!

[fanby-fckry]

📌 Welcome, friends, foes, and passersby, to my personal piece of fandom hell.

18+ Blog

No minors. No default icons. No bigots.

For context on the default icons, see this post.

I intend to use my block button liberally, but I’m hoping the big text will help at least a little bit.

Fandom is meant to be fun, so if you’re here to spread hate, don’t. <3 I’ll just block you, and neither of us will gain anything from it.

This Blog Contains:

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As a rule of thumb, I tend to tag things #[trigger] cw and use the keep reading feature in extreme cases. Please ask if you need me to tag something.

Viewer discretion is advised; be safe, bloggers.

Fandoms:

The Amazing Devil (Band)

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Doctor Who

Fullmetal Alchemist

Good Omens

Harry Potter – I do not support JKR

🖤 Hazbin Hotel

Helluva Boss

Steven Universe

🖤 The Witcher

I tend to cycle through them based on the whims of my wretched gremlin brain. When and why the cycle changes is unknown even to me.

Current main fandoms are marked with a ‘🖤’

About Me:

My name is Nico, I’m 25+, and I write fanfic. I use they/them and xe/xem pronouns. I’m queer in just about every sense of the word and fucked in the head, not in my bed.

I have freed myself from the shackles of amatonormativity (10/10, highly recommend) and am living my best life as a polyamorous, (a)sexual deviant engaging in relationship anarchy.

I don’t owe anyone my exact labels or diagnoses, but I do share them when I feel like it.

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AO3: Fanby

Pronouns.page: fanby-fckry – flags now updated.

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Twitter: fanby_fckry – not very active.

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Poetry: @refinedandgivenform

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Fake Tumblr Dash Masterpost

The haiku bot reblogged my post

The UHverse Memes/Meta/Etc. – AKA: the Unholyverse; the extended universe for UH3/The Unholy Trinity

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Unintentionally Popular Aroace Alastor Post – And someone drew it!!

Requests:

Fanfiction requests are open to mutuals only.

Please read this post before requesting.

[mstrickster]

Who of your ships is the cover hog and who is left to be cold?

Oooo I like this question!

Let's start it off with The Mighty Ducks!

Banksway: I 100 percent believe in my heart of hearts that Adam is the blanket hog. Charlie is the bed hog. So it is my personal headcanon, mostly inspired by @catsunnyy, That Adam is always cold. So I don't think he tries to be a blanket hog I just think he's constantly freezing. This is why he doesn't really mind Charlie being a bed hog because Charlie is usually warmer than him. So if he loses a blanket he at least has Charlie to keep him warm.

Wudoza: For some reason, I can picture Kenny as the blanket hog. See for me Kenny is a little bit of a gremlin. So I can totally see him curling up in the blankets just giggling because he's warm while Luis is trying to pull it off of him. However, I can also see them being the couple who have a bunch of blankets on their bed. So even if he steals most of them, there is still one for Luis.

Gerreau: I don't think either of them are really blanket hogs. I can see Guy being a snuggle bug. However, they are really used to kind of having the other close to them so they kind of have developed a balance. Plus they're the ones who really thrived during the cold winters because they are so used to just cuddling.

Tammy/Fulton (Recan? Duned? FulTam?): I have to think of a ship name for them... So I would say Fulton is the blanket hog. I could actually see both of them being blanket hogs. However, I landed on Fulton because he is bigger than her so people would assume that he isn't the blanket hog. However, even though he's bigger he's still always cold. However, Tammy doesn't mind. She lets him because she doesn't really ever get cold.

BatFam:

Birdflash: Dick is absolutely the blanket hog. Wally is a speedster so he naturally runs hot. So he doesn't really need blankets. Actually neither does Dick when he has Wally there. However on the off chance that they aren't in the same place and he doesn't have his human heater. He is the absolute blanket hog. I could honestly see him stealing blankets from his family members because he's just very cold. He would use the excuse of him not being used to it and they would probably allow it.

Jayroy: I could see both of them being blanket hogs. However, I am leaning more towards Jason. The reasoning being that he grew up in Crime Alley and he probably grew up in drafty houses. Places where you're only protection from the cold is your clothes and hopefully a blanket. Therefore I could totally see him just hoarding blankets. It would be funny though to have Roy try to cuddle with him and Jason pushing him away because he tried to get in the blankets.

TimKon/TimBernKon: It would be Tim and Bernard. Listen I don't make the rules but when your significant other is a meta they probably don't get cold. Therefore it wouldn't be Kon it would be Tim/Bernard. I do think Bernard would be the ultimate blanket hog. I say this because Tim has had to learn how to run around outside in spandex in the cold and Kon is...Kon. However, Bernard doesn't have any of that either training or meta abilities so he's probably the one who gets cold the most and therefore is probably the blanket hog.

JonDami: Damian will never fully admit to getting cold. He is too stubborn for that. However, He absolutely does, so he is the blanket hog, sorta. He doesn't try to steal blankets. More so he is given them because Jon is worried about him being cold. So he just piles blankets on top of him and Damian's just like okay I guess I have to deal with this. So it's not so much Damian being a blanket hog as much as it's a Jon mother henning

StephCass: I don't think either of them are blanket hogs. I could actually see them refusing to hog the blanket because they're always worried about the other getting cold. These two would go out of their way to be like "Do you have enough blanket?" "Yes I am ok, do you have enough?" However, if she is sharing a bed with anybody else Steph is the blanket hog. If it's not Cass she will even steal blankets just because she wants them to make a pillow fort. She is a menace and she can't be stopped.

[plantsjustwannahavefun]

I don't really remember when exactly my interaction with the OFMD fandom became so limited to the Izzy Enjoyer Corner of it... It's not like I'm not rooting for Stede and Ed too, I absolutely am, and they're the reason I fell in love with this show at first. I didn't get into Izzy's character until my third or fourth rewatch, but I never would have, had it been for all those amazing, insightful meta posts that helped me see beyond the surface and discover all those details I'd missed, all those hidden layers and multitudes... And it turned out that Izzy contained so many of those, he ended up becoming the most fascinating character in the show for me. I just wanted to learn more. I understood exactly, viscerally, what all those people saying "I want to shake him in a jar and study him under a microscope like a bug" meant.

But eventually it became more than that. For some reason I kept finding so much compassion and acceptable in that weird little corner that seemed to encompass the essence of what drew me to OFMD in the first place. It certainly seemed ironic at first that many of the nicest, kindest, funniest, most accepting people in the fandom clustered around this angry pathetic gremlin man, and that fascinated me as much as the character himself. At the time I wasn't aware of this whole rift between the "mainstream" part of the fandom and the "Izzy Enjoyer" part, but something about the latter just made me naturally gravitate towards it before I learned that apparently the "mainstream" part can be more of a minefield...

But then I realised something. I've always been drawn to characters like Izzy, in every fandom. It's just that none of those other characters went on to inspire a "sub-fandom" of their own. In every other fandom, characters like Izzy are only ever treated either as comic relief or as flat antagonists, and most of the fans see them that way too. But this fandom somehow had enough people who saw deeper into this character and created their own corner where liking him was validated. I can actually engage in discourse about my favourite character with other people and not get ridiculed for taking an interest in a "minor" character who's technically an antagonist, but not one of those cool suave mastermind ones that are socially acceptable to like because they're competent and conventionally sexy, but just a regular middle-aged guy with very realistic reactions that aren't always palatable but feel so, so very human and painfully relatable. In other fandoms characters like him don't get thousands of fan fics where they get to have sex and real relationships and character growth because people found them compelling enough to take them seriously as a character, even if the process does involve peeling him to the core like an onion to reconstruct him again, and cackling when he gets mad about it.

I still hope that S2 will somehow close this rift and unite the fandom by satisfying "both sides". In the meantime I'm probably going to keep chilling in this corner for a while.

[elvisgrace]

People You'd Like to Get to Know Better

I was tagged by @paluding. Thank you!🥳

Last song: Alive With The Glory Of Love by Say Anything.

Favorite color: Black, but blue and purple are very strong contenders.

Currently watching: Bodies on Netflix.

Last movie: Nope, for the 100th time. Love the meta, love the details, love Jordan Peele.

Last reading: I am really into The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell at the moment.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Savory, because ridiculously saltpapery levels of salty isn't an option.

Last thing I googled: "NC indemnity bonds". Weird car transfer situation.

Current obsession: Cube Escape/Rusty Lake - I have so many opinions regarding the Vanderbooms et al.

Currently working on: An arcade set.

Tagging: @yakumtsaki, @lilsisterg, @the-gremlin-king, @notreallymagical, @lamare-sims, @plumbbobtoggle and whoever's reading this and wants to do this.

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