#i guess the process of falling in love with a character is a big reason of why we love a character

[ni-kol-koru]

1, 5, and 13 for Hayama ^^

Yayyy, more Hayama questions! My moots know me so well! 🧡✨

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Oh boy. Where do I start?

Well, first of all, I obviously like the character. Not like, I absolutely adore the character. Why? I don't know, I just do, and I always did. I think I will explain the process of how exactly I fell in love with his character, because I think it's a big part of why I like him and explains some things.

Ever since he appeared on the screen for the first time, ever since I heard his voice for the first time, I knew he was going to be one of my favorite characters. Something about him was special, and I couldn't really tell what, but something felt different, and refreshing. His first appearance was so short and yet so impactful, and it left me so curious. I could simply not wait to learn more about him and see if I would really love his character as much as I thought I would.

Then, the Rakuzan-Shutoku match came up, and my Shutoku heart was broken in advance because it was almost obvious that Shutoku will just be used as a tool to showcase Rakuzan's power and greatness. While I was sad to watch Shutoku lose, a side of me was curious to learn more about the Uncrowned Kings, and especially Kotaro. Then, the scene where Kotaro is yelling about how strong their opponents are and being excited about facing them had me thinking 'What a sweet and cheerful guy', and that was a first green flag for me.

The episode kept going on and the match was progressing. Kotaro didn't do anything special yet, and oh, Shintaro is getting doubled teamed and the ball is in Kiyoshi's hands. His opponent is that cute blondie I have my eye on. Well, that was my current favorite character, Kiyoshi, against that new guy, Kotaro. Kiyoshi passed Kotaro with ease, and I was like 'Seriously?', but still found Kotaro's amazed expression and mood after being passed amusing and interesting. He was like a puppy, he was there for a fun time. Green flag. Then, Kotaro was being scolded by his teammates, and he didn't seem too bothered by all of their complaining. I really thought he was so cool and chill for being able to take criticism so easily, and I loved it. I already liked him a lot.

Then he destroyed Kiyoshi like he was nothing. And he also showed that he can, indeed, be serious, and that he has a pretty special and cool skill. I was biased, and I thought that Kotaro was a heartless bastard for a long moment... He was still pretty cool, and his dribbling was pretty cool. He was just talented, he was just better. That didn't really make him a bastard. Well, my bias was still on Kiyoshi's side, but Kotaro was cool. That was my mindset until pretty much the end of the Rakuzan-Shutoku match.

I don't really know the order of events in the WinterCup finals, but I remember how I felt about them. So, yeah...

Then the WinterCup final match started, Kotaro was against Taiga. Immediately, everyone figured out he was kind of powerless against a Miracle like Taiga, so he switched positions with Seijuro and disappeared for a while. I remembered being very disappointed and sad that Kotaro didn't even try to face Taiga... I just really hoped for a comeback.

Of course, there was a comeback! When Kotaro asked for Taiga to add Senpai to his name I chuckled. He wanted respect, and I sort of respected him for that. In their duel, it was revealed that Kotaro has animal instincts! He was also compared to a cheetah, which is one of my favorite animals since I am a kid. That was a pretty nice coincidence! I was also pretty surprised by how fierce, serious and vindictive Kotaro could be. I remember thinking 'What a dude', in a good way of course.

When Rakuzan entered the zone and Kotaro faced Taiga again I remember cheering for him so badly! When he yelled 'Comeback time!' I was like 'YES SHOW HIM'... Unfortunately, Taiga was still quicker than him and stopped him. Still, that was a cool moment, and I remember being so hyped up about it.

When his showdown with Shun happened, I really loved how Shun's and Kotaro's personalities clashed. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat as long as they were in the main focus of the episodes. It was intense. I loved how Shun made Kotaro go all the way out and all of his skills were super cool and flashy, my little self was blown away! I loved how quick and decisive Kotaro was, and I really enjoyed seeing people cheer for him, too. His proud smile made me feel things.

That moment where he was called 'The Raijuu' and he was all pressed about it was also pretty cute and funny! It also reminded me that he was just a happy and silly guy!

When he laughed at Shun's pun my heart melted. I was happy that someone appreciated Shun's genius and creativity, and I was so happy that it was Kotaro. What a sweetie cutie pie he is.

When Shun and Tetsuya forced Kotaro to get into Taiga's field of defense and he was defeated my mind just went 'Oh no'. I remember being really bummed out that Kotaro was stopped after everything.

In the next moment we saw Kotaro being all angry, clenching his fist with steam coming out of his head, I remember stopping for a moment. His internal monologue was sort of making me feel like he was going to break something, or someone. Then, he took a deep breath and stopped. That impressed me a lot. Yet again, I was like 'What a dude'. I loved him.

At some point in the match, I noticed how supportive Kotaro was of his teammates. He was cheering for them, praised them, comforted them, calmed them down when they were angry and expressed his concerns when they seemed like something was wrong. Made me think of how observant, open, genuine and close he actually was with his teammates.

And then he kind of ruined it.

Whatever Kotaro said about his Senpai was disrespectful as heck, and it got me thinking how merciless Kotaro can actually be. I was pretty pissed at him. Still, the match continued with Chihiro in it and the Uncrowned Kings played with him well. The moment when Seijuro lost his cool and started making mistakes and Kotaro calmly said how there was no point of keeping him on court made my jaw drop. Disrespectful. Rude. Cold. Distant. Made me realize just how goal-oriented Rakuzan players could be. Still, couldn't blame him, or any of them. The motto of their captain and school is literally about how winning is everything and only the results are what matters in the end.

When everyone started cheering for Seirin after Shigehiro's speech, I just remember being extremely bummed out. The moment 'power of friendship' was introduced and everyone connected and formed that friendship WiFi zone, I could tell who the winner was, and I was not so impressed. Until the end of the game, I could see that everyone tried their best, and after the buzzer beater, I remember being happy for Seirin. They did it! They won! I was happy for Tetsuya and Shigehiro and Taiga, I was happy for Teppei, Shun, Riko and everyone, but when I saw the devastated looks on the faces of Rakuzan players, I still felt bad. I've been there, too. I know how much the feeling sucks. Failing to be the best when it was expected of you. Being so close to holding the golden trophy, but having the silver one put into your hands.

I remember that I was sad that the series finally ended, and I needed a moment to collect myself, I needed a little break.

After all of the feelings and impressions settled and calmed down, and after a lot of thinking, I just decided that Hayama Kotaro was my favorite character. It felt right.

When I realized that there was nothing else left of the anime, and that there was no more Kotaro screen-time, I decided to research about him and see what's up with him in the books, CDs, games... That was the absolute best decision ever.

His Wiki page and Character Bible sheet reveal so much about him, and I remember being super excited to learn everything there was. Learning what his name meant was so cool. His motto ('Strike while the iron is hot', which translates to 'Куј гвожђе док је вруће' in my native language) was a line I had in a school play when I was a kid. He liked kappamaki. He was into skateboarding. He had two older sisters. He liked World History... I was so happy that there was so much more information about him, his personality and his private life. I loved literally everything about him!

Then, I discovered The Replace Plus novels, special CDs, video games... Little pieces of information regarding Kotaro's personality and life were scattered here and there, and when I found them I was so excited and I cherished them like gold! I loved having a clearer idea of what kind of a person Kotaro was, what he did, how he lived...

It was still the golden era of KuroBasu, so I could easily find bunch of fanart and fanfiction related to Kotaro. I could also find friends who also had him as their favorite character! I was a little shy on the Internet so I didn't really meet a lot of people, but I had a few friends who I would talk to about him. We discussed his personality, made up headcanons, made our own fanart, one of them wrote fanfiction... It all just brought me closer to him and his character.

Every now and then some lost or rare piece of KuroBasu media gets uploaded somewhere and I learn something new about him! The KuroBasu crew is also working hard on new lines of merchandise, and sometimes, Kotaro makes it to the lineup! There is a chance we will get to learn more about him in the future, and I am here for it. In the meantime, I will enjoy drawing him and writing about him, and I will incorporate everything I already know about him!

Well, what more can I say? I just love everything about Hayama Kotaro. He is really special to me and he is my biggest comfort character ever. I will always have a little space in my heart for him! 🧡

I have a few canons about Kotaro that I found over the many years of being in the fandom that I would like to share!

He lives in the dorms and his roommate is Mibuchi Reo

Akashi Seijuro considers him a very close friend, putting him in his most intimate circle of friends

He has very stretchy cheeks and is very aware of his facial muscles, which allows him to make funny faces

He once ate snowballs

He is pretty bad with technology (mostly because he has no patience with it)

He has a bad poker face

He dislikes his UK nickname, 'The Raijuu', because it makes him feel like a tiny, rare beast

He can wiggle his ears

When someone is taking a photo, he has to get in on the action

He plays video games online with Mibuchi Reo

He is a gymnast and he does Horizontal Bar

He knocked out Nebuya Eikichi when he played the role of Mibuchi Reo's husband for Akashi Seijuro's movie

When he speaks he uses a lot of modern slang words

He lets Mibuchi Reo do makeup on him

He spends his free time by skateboarding around the neighborhood

In his original color scheme he had platinum blond hair and black eyes; in manga he always has his eyes colored fully black

In his original design he had two snaggle teeth and spiky hair at the back of his head

Hopefully there is something new in here that you didn't hear of! These are some of my favorite and random canons about Kotaro that people don't usually talk about!

5. What's the first song that comes to your mind when you think of them?

It is one of my favorite Japanese songs from one of my favorite K-POP girl groups: 'Happy Happy' by TWICE! When I first discovered this song and watched the Music Video I was melted away by the vibe! The beat was so cute and bubbly and the MV was so colorful and cheerful and adorable! It just put a huge smile on my face, just thinking about the song right now is putting me in a good mood!

One of my first thoughts after I finished watching the MV was 'Kotaro would eat this up', and honestly, I still think he would. Whenever I listen to that song I think of Kotaro, and if someone uses the words 'Kotaro' and 'song' in the same sentence, 'Happy Happy' starts playing in my mind.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon, and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

The emoji that reminds me of Kotaro the most is probably this one: ⚡! He is known as 'The Raijuu', which means 'Lightning Beast', so the lightning emoji is an obvious one that would remind me of him!

He would definitely use lots of different emojis while texting, and would sometimes send the most specific and random emojis that exist. He just likes to add fun and color everywhere, even to the simplest messages! Another thing I think he would do when texting is just not use capital letters or any symbols like question marks and commas correctly. Capital letters for yelling, and commas and question marks when it feels right. While writing the words, he is thinking of what emojis to use, not about if his message is grammatically correct, readable or understandable. Of course, I think he would use slang while texting, and would use a lot of abbreviations like brb, lmao, wyd, ily... A lot of people don't know what he's trying to say a lot of times, but Kotaro would just find it funny!

'we had homework 😐❓📚🖊️ lmao'

'ok mum 💐😋👌💖'

'im at the park,, hbu 🛹😎🏀🍃'

'TF THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN BRO 🤨❓❓❗'

'i disagree w u!!! 👎🚫😃'

'actually reo i think its UR time to buy groceries + im kinda broke rn and ik u got money 🥦🥬💰 also buy me kappamaki pls 😘💗'

[mykoreanlove]

⛽ 

“Snugglepuss, can I lay on your stomach?”

Minho was cuddled next to you on the couch, safe and sound under the heavy blanket.

“Snugglepuss?”, you asked confused. “The hell is that?”

Minho’s eyes lit up, proud to explain the new nickname he got for you.

“Babe, that’s self-explanatory. Snuggle because we love to cuddle and be close and puss because… you know.”, he smirked naughtily.

“Oh my god!”, you erupted in laughter. “Don’t ever call me that again!”

“What? Why not?!”, he asked offended.

“I don’t know Min, it just sounds wrong.”

“You’ll get used to it, Snugglepuss. So, can I lay on your stomach?”

He looked at you with big, expectant eyes – wanting to claim his favorite body part of yours.

“No, sorry.”

You turned around and faced the TV again, focusing on the drama you were watching.

Minho furrowed his brows, feeling rejected and not understanding why.

“Why though? Let me lay on your stomach, y/n. Please?”

You weren’t one to deny him any requests, after all you were head over heels in love with him. His character, ever so ambivalent, made you fall for him instantly. His dark, ominous side he showed to the world paired with his kind, affectionate side reserved for his special ones lured you in instantly.

“I just don’t feel like it, Min.”

Each word coming out of your pretty mouth confused him even more. He had laid his head on you multiple times – what had changed?

“Don’t you like it anymore, y/n?”

The hurt in his voice pained you, but you couldn’t explain to him what was going on. Minho had spent half of the day in the kitchen, preparing a feast for the both of you. His cooking resembled his fucking – mouth-watering, tasty and exquisite. The two of you had been eating for five, totally immersed in the savory flavors and textures.

“I do. Just not now.”

You shuffled under the blanket, folding your hands over your stomach. Minho dropped the topic, for now. He kept observing you, taking in every detail like a cat.

Your hands on your stomach, like a protective barrier.

The rumbling of your stomach, silent yet detectable.

The unwell look on your face, stealing the peaceful expression he usually saw.

It didn’t take him long to figure out the real reason, much to your discomfort.

“Y/N”, he said sternly.

You turned around and faced him, serious eyes piercing through you.

“You don’t want my head on your tummy because we just ate, is that it?”

Your face turned white.

“Did you not tolerate the food?”

“Min, no. Your food was exceptional, really. It’s just..”

“Tell me. Now.”

You sighed defeated.

“My organs are just working and processing, I guess. I don’t want your head near my stomach as long as it’s not safe.”, you explained embarrassed.

Your boyfriend erupted in laughter, filling the whole room with his maniac laugh.

“You’re afraid of farting in front of me. I can’t believe it.”

You clasped your hands in front of your face, too embarrassed to face him.

“Y/N”, Minho grabbed your hands and freed your face jokingly.

“You know I think it’s cute.”

“What is?”

“You being afraid of farting, babe.”

“Oh my god, can you stop saying that. Min, please.”, you whined.

“Farting baby. Farts. Farty fart. My farting baby. Fart for me?”

“Okay, okay, okay!”, you hastily covered his mouth while he was laughing his ass off.

Minho grabbed your hands again and kissed your knuckles tenderly, looking into your ashamed eyes.

“I don’t want you to be ashamed because of normal bodily functions, y/n. You fart. You poop. That’s how digestion works, baby. I’d be more worried if you didn’t do any of those things.”

You flinched at his words, not really knowing why.

Who had told you to be ashamed of those things?

“And also”, he continued kissing your hands. “You have to overcome this habit because I want us to last. To last forever, actually.”

Your eyes widened in surprise; this was the first time you heard him verbalizing that.

“Were you doing it secretly all this time?”

Minho chuckled as he watched your reddened cheeks, confirming his theory.

“Let me guess, all those stomach aches were also because of this?”

You looked down, feeling ashamed of yourself.

“Oh, sweet baby”, Minho’s thumb glided over your jaw, making you look up at him.

“I don’t want you to hide parts of yourself. Not for me. I want you to be yourself. Always.”

Your hand reached for his, squeezing lightly.

You weren’t the best at verbalizing your emotions, but he always understood you by your body, deciphering you like a book.

“I love you, Min.”

His features softened even more, looking at you fondly.

“Prove it.”, he commanded.

“Ugh, fine”, you sighed annoyed and repositioned yourself on the couch, pointing to your stomach.

“Lay on Snugglepuss’ tummy, then.”

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week's writer's spotlight feature is: @pearynice! With twenty-eight Stranger Things works, they've written twenty-seven fics tagged with Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson!

Nominated by @hotluncheddie, they recommend the following works by peachesandpears:

Talk to Me

Personally

Starched Collars

In your eyes

they are so lovely and so talented!! so many short and sweet pieces - that so often seem to touch and soft squishy part hidden away within me, put a little bandaid on it <3 - @hotluncheddie

Below the cut, @pearynice answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I’ve always loved the “opposites attract” trope. While Steddie is the first ship I’ve ever seriously written for, in the past this dynamic has always been my go to (ie: destiel lol) but Steddie specifically because I think Stranger Things is a great show with compelling characters, and that Eddie and Steve deserve a happy ending. And for me that happy ending will always have them with each other.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I love AUs. Love seeing the little blorbos in as many situations as possible. I love being able to see how writers take what we know about these characters and make it into a whole new story. (But especially a soulmate AU. I loveeee a soulmate AU.)

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

I think anyone who follows me can probably guess hurt/ comfort and fluff. I LOVE making these boys suffer and then smooch about it. 

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

AH okay I will scream about this fic until I’m blue in the face (I actually submitted an ask to this blog about it because I think it’s criminally under-viewed!) it’s As the World Falls Down by daeneryske on Ao3. I read this MONTHS ago and I still think about it all the time. It’s long but god I wish it would never end. I want to tattoo it on the inside of my eyelids.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Yes!! I can’t say much because it’s for my Reverse Big Bang but they both contain tropes I’ve never worked with before and I’m so so excited to be writing both of them!!! I’m already having so much fun! And a goal of mine for 2024 is to broaden my writing horizons a little and explore tropes and topics that I haven’t yet, so I don’t really have any specifically in mind but that is my general plan!

What is your writing process like?

Very chaotic. I almost never write an outline. It’s pure vibes baby. And when I DO write an outline I almost never follow it (whoopsie) I feel like as I write the plot comes to me, and outlines tend to pigeon hole me so I can’t get myself out of writing slumps.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Maybe my overuse of italics?  I also don’t really know how to describe it but sometimes when I’m writing heavy action scenes/ emotional scenes I’ll start and stop sentences before they’re complete sentences. Like: “Steve says nothing. Sits down next to his father and looks over his shoulder.” I don’t know if that’s a writing quirk or not lol but that tends to be how I structure my sentences.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Definitely after I’ve finished. Once I’m on a deadline I psych myself out.

Which fic are you most proud of?

That’s such a hard one, because I think I’m proud of a lot of my fics but for very different reasons. I think if I had to choose, I’d pick Blood of the Covenant. It’s one of my more recent fics, and I had toyed around with a Wayne POV fic for such a long time before writing because I wanted to get it right. It was hard to find his voice but I think in the end I executed it well.  

How did you get the idea for Talk to Me?

Well besties I dunno how personal we want to get here, but the inspo for this fic (and tbh a lot of my hurt/ comfort fics) is just based on my own experiences. Growing up my mom did not have the capacity to tend to the thoughts and emotions of her kids, ergo me pushing that shit into a Steddie fic. Obviously what I wrote as Steve’s experience and mine are not directly parallel, but that is how I got the idea.

When writing Starched Collars, what was something you didn’t expect?

That was my first heavy hurt/comfort fic that I wrote, and I remember being really blown away that people could relate so heavily to Steve’s experiences. I remember I had some comments saying that they felt really comforted seeing their own experiences reflected within Steve, and I just never expected my writing to be able provide that for someone. 

What inspired Personally?

Well, again, we’re getting a little personal (babum tss)- but how I wrote Steve’s mom reacting to him mentioning the sunglasses is definitely how my own mom tends to react when I express any kind of negative emotion around her. In this case it was a lost parking stub instead of sunglasses.

What was your favorite part to write from Talk to Me?

The COMFORT- that’s always my favorite part. Making it better! (Although it is also a little fun leaving the angsty cliffhanger- but I will ALWAYS make my fics have a happy ending.) But also I’m a little in love with the idea I had that Eddie likes to rub on Steve’s stomach until he falls asleep. I thought that wrapped up the story very nicely.

How do/did you feel writing Personally?

It was honestly very therapeutic. I don’t think I’ve ever word-vomited out a fic more rapidly than I did for that one. I wrote that in my notes app in one afternoon, read through it once or twice, and posted. It was a relief to get all of that out in writing, and then even better to see that other people found comfort in what I had written. 

What was the most difficult part of writing Starched Collars?

When I was first drafting the fic I was going to have Starched Collars and In Your Eyes (the kinda sorta sequel) be one in the same. I spent a long time trying to balance the two narratives, before I realized it was just too much to fit into one fic. Having both detracted from the other’s story too much, and eventually I had it just focusing on Steve. I think this was the best move but I spent so long trying to strike that balance before I scrapped it.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I don’t know if I can name any one scene or line as explicitly my favorite, but the final scene of Because it’s Steve it’s absolutely a favorite. That whole fic is very special to me because it reflects a lot of my own thoughts/feelings/experiences on being demi, and that final scene is just exactly how I experience my demisexuality. (I’m not sure how long this can be, but I’ll insert the passage here): 

And they’re still in this disgusting bathroom. There’s still a toilet behind Eddie’s knees, but when Steve’s mouth meets his, it doesn’t matter. Because one of Steve’s arms wraps around his middle, his fingers dip into the spaces between his ribs, their chests touch, and it all feels so good. Because it’s Steve. And it’s still Steve who kisses him, still Steve who licks into his mouth, still Steve who nearly sends them both stumbling into the disgusting toilet. And because it’s Steve it’s so funny that Eddie can’t stop laughing, and there’s a blush high on Steve’s cheeks as he tells Eddie to stop it. But then Steve kisses him again. Asks if he wants to go and find Robin and Nancy. If he wants to dance. With him. 

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

YES. So Because it’s Steve is now a series: Demi/Virgin!Eddie, with all of Eddie’s firsts with Steve. This is very smutty but it’s also like, the sappiest, most disgustingly fluffy smut I’ve ever written. I would say it’s “schmoopy” but I was outed as an Old Lady on Discord because apparently no one uses that word anymore. ALSO- and maybe this is still too far away BUT I am working on TWO Reverse Big Bang pieces and… you guys… my artists are so talented and kind and their brains are so big and so far I’ve gotten along with each of them so well and I am already so excited to post these and we’ve only just begun. I cannot wait until we can make our visions into an entire fic!

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add? 

YES- whoever nominated me for this (I don’t know if that’s something they’ll tell me??) THANK YOU- this is so sweet. I feel so honored that someone thought of me as deserving of this. There are so, so many authors you could've chosen and you chose ME! That’s just- insane. Thank you.  And to anyone who has said they found my hurt/ comfort fics relatable in any way, I rain all of the platonic hugs/ forehead kisses/ handshakes/ high fives/ nods of the head upon you. ❤️✨

Thank you to our author, @pearynice, and our nominator, @hotluncheddie! See more of @pearynice's work featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer's Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[anxresi]

…Isn’t it a bit late for April Fools Day?! 🤡🤣

I was going to just write a few snarky remarks in the tags, but fuck it… I have a bit of time on my hands right now, so let’s tackle these somewhat disingenuous statements one at a time shall we? Starting from the one in the top left hand corner, and working our way anti-clockwise around… *Cracks knuckles*

1. Yep. SO nice in fact, she doesn’t have any other noticeable character trait. ‘Niceness’ by itself doesn’t make you an interesting, intriguing or compelling character… it just makes you boring. In fact, I’m gonna have to work pretty damn hard to finish this off before I nod off just thinking about her… 🥱

2. …And this is a GOOD thing? It just proves how much the writers were DESPERATE to make her Chloe’s replacement they rushed virtually everything to do with her, including her rapid induction to ‘Hero’. Most of the other Miraculous users had to wait AGES to get their chance, and Lil Miss Perfect just turns up in Paris and gets her chance virtually the first day. It wasn’t earned, it wasn’t believable… it was just handed to her on a silver platter because… reasons. 😩

3. So what? This is just yet more evidence that this girl, a TOTAL STRANGER up to S4 is all of a sudden being treated like the queen of all Mary Sues. Just listen to all the endless shilling about her from the rest of the cast (especially Marinette and, more depressingly Plagg) Now imagine them said in Thomas Astruc’s voice as he lays his case against Chloe… and everything should become clear.

4. This means virtually nothing. Everyone gets their Miraculous permanently at the end of S5, so the fact she gets her’s 5th is just down to a quirk in sequence. If anything, I’m surprised she didn’t get it sooner… in another gratuitous ‘Take That’ to diehard Chloe fans… 😬

5. I don’t even have anything to say about this.. it calculates the precise sum of 0.00% in terms of her worth of a character. You got anything better?

6. Oh, you mean the same acting ‘skills’ that she used to manipulate her sister into pretending she ‘loved’ her and to carry that useless charm about?The thing is, everyone might’ve SAID her talent was great in that AWFUL Queen Banana episode… but it actually wasn’t. Just because the other characters say she’s the next Sophia Loren, doesn’t mean the viewers don’t have eyes and ears. But I guess if they’re stupid enough to fall for Lila’s incredibly obvious lies when the plot demands it, anything’s possible���

7. What, you like her colorful shoes? This is possible the only one I’ll grant you (they ARE pretty snazzy) but at the end of the day, they’re just pointless aesthetics. Anyone else could be wearing them, and the garish colors can’t blind us to her all-conquering mediocrity. Moving on…

8. Here’s a hint: NEVER use the word ‘objectively’ when the opposite is clearly true. She’s not just ‘sweet’, spending time with her is akin to being pinned down in Wonka’s chocolate factory being force-fed candy by all the Oompa-Lumpas until you literally explode. Not a pleasant experience in other words, thanks to the writers laying this sole facet on with a literal trowel and shovel.

As for the ‘sass’ part… nope, not seeing it. Unless you mean the occasional scene when she ‘deals’ with her sister… these parts were obviously only put in to throw red meat for the Chloe-hating sheep out there could hoot and holler at the screen (probably waking their parents up in the process) whilst screaming “SEE? THAT’S WHAT YOU GET!!” Well, I hope you’re happy now. You hapless lame-o’s.

9. Mary Sues don’t get ‘character assassinated’. They get bigged-up, cheered, given every resource in the show to be Da Best… but NEVER wrecked in that manner. Her sister, on the other hand… 😢

I would argue though, that what she is, is WORSE than character assassination… she’s an individual that never should’ve existed in the first place. In fact, I’d barely even describe her as a character. A plot device, a waste of space, a product of Thomas Astruc’s inexplicable raging hatred against Chloe maybe, but not a serious character. As the popular meme goes, Change My Mind (you won’t).

10. …You’re REALLY scraping the bottom of the barrel now, aren’t you?

Besides, this hasn't even been confirmed yet. We don't even know anything about the elusive Mr Lee, or even what he might think about his daughter being forcibly adopted by the Mayor. Something which I'm sure a show of such grandiosity and ambition will go into at great length.. Nah, just kidding!

Next, you’ll be telling me that somehow her sexuality is another reason to think she’s the best thing since sliced bread…

11. And there we have it (sigh). How terribly predictable. 🙄

I’ve already done a whole post thingie about how her being a lesbian and having a short-lived crush on Marinette was just imposed to get unearned brownie points from underrepresented communities when they won’t actually do anything with said revelation, so I’ll keep this short. Sufficed to say though, I feel like starting a hashtag… #TheGaysDeserveBetterThanZoe. Get it trending, peeps! 😎

12. Whatever you’re smoking, can I have some of it? This is crossing the line from ‘delusional’ to ‘crazy’ now. She’s remained as static as a statue since her opening episode, has NO room for change and growth due to the fact she was only brought in to replace Chloe and in that uncomfortably dull niche she’ll stay. Sorry, but just because you wish that she’d had any kind of interesting development doesn’t mean she has. Facts have a funny habit of getting in the way of the truth.

13. In turns of ticking boxes for diversity, French-Americans aren’t exactly a high priority IMHO. But sure if you think that makes her the bees knees (pun intended), you go ahead and celebrate it. 👍

14. So in conclusion, I do agree that Zoe Lee is indeed ‘Best’ character… (hears sharp intake of breathes all round) oops, I’m sorry. What I meant was ‘Pest’ character… in that just having her buzzing about in all her flawless Mary-Sue glory makes you just wanna reach for the bug spray.

You know, like you would for a pesky wasp during a delicious picnic. Because she’s Vesperia, get it? 🤪

The only upside to this sad situation is, from what I can tell (being strictly a non-watcher these days, you figure out why) the writers half-agree with me.

After all for such an 'amazing' character who's apparently achieved so much in her short time in the show... why is she barely featured? They must know, somewhere down deep in their artistic brains, she's a narrative dead zone.

A collection of tiresome off-the-shelf quirks, traits and spare parts (someone here said she was like a bad fanfiction self-insert... ABSOLUTELY RIGHT), loosely held together with visible stitching and hastily assembled together like Frankenstein's Monster for the most cynical of reasons.

She has no arguable reason to be in the show, apart from being a far inferior replacement to the potential mine of character development that someone like Chloe could've represented.

I guess Thomas really does hate complex characters who may overshadow his precious Marinette... or school bullies who traumatized him so much as a lil kid he specifically wrote someone into his show he could subsequently and systematically destroy (as the rumors go... but it wouldn't surprise me with THAT guy).

Now I’m off to bed, but let me end on at least ONE positive note for this much-maligned individual: She’s EXACTLY the kind of character a show like Miraculous Ladybug deserves… and if you like her, you deserve her too.

Now, good night. 🌝 🛌

[linddzz]

Dreamling Nonsense Masterpost

Looking for a fic? For a shit post? For a long winded au thread? Playlists? Got it here. Keeping it Dreamling for now until I really have the time to scour through my various fandom posts to collect the Big Hits.

Audacity in Human Form: E. main WIP. A post season 1 "let's see these two figure their shit out" exploration that's best described as two character studies stacked inside of a fanfic shaped coat. My main tagline for it is "it isn't unrequited, Dream just needs therapy." The fic exploring how the two weirdos I have in my head got together.

Fics/Tumblr Ficlets

"Audacity in Human Form" Series

Not exactly a structured chronological series. I have a pretty set version of my Dream and Hob in the canon!universe, so all the fics I write of them are just the same two dolls I'm bumping together in the same sandbox. They can be read in any order or separately, but there are characterization threads and things mentioned that tie them all together. I like to think that put together they can give fun context or more depth to each other :)

I'm less into Big Plots and more into just having fun bumping these dolls together and playing with how they interact!

It's a WIP and I write slow, as my job takes a lot of mental bandwidth.

(Other fics in the same series can be read even while the first isn't done! They don't really spoil much except for the fact that they do end up together. But of course they are.)

In Which Hob, a Shitty Wizard, Meets a Supposed Demon: Gen. Drabble ficlet on Tumblr as I start exploring my Shit-wizard Hob AU. More of a rough draft concept fic

Obviously: E. smut prompt fill one-shot. PWP. Dream is a needy eldritch pissbaby and also violently romantic. Hob scruffs him for some much needed gentle domming.

This Isn't the Trope: Teen. Lots of cussing. Johanna is agressively investigating an immortal man, Hob is looking forward to being dramatically rescued by his hot supernatural boyfriend. No one but Morpheus has a good time.

OTHER FICS/DRABBLES

Audacity in Human Form related posts (esp the ones that broke containment)

"Oysters have nightmares like this"

"Jokes on you, you're into that shit"

Hob: "no. Shut up. I'm talking now."

Characterization Notes aka: I'm gonna start bullying Morpheus

Other mutterings about writing or snippets are under the tags "#my fic" and "#audacity in human form"

AU Cooking:

I'm honestly better at coming up with every single detail for an AU without actually writing the fic, but I like playing in the sandbox and other people seem to have fun with them too :)

Human!AU. There are kinda two versions of this that I'm starting to meld together.

Red Flags AU post: Hob is hired to be the party ruining messy boyfriend, but cannot begin to compete with the insanity that is the Endless family and the Hot Mess Express Morpheus, who hired him. They fall in love instantly. "Why would I fix him??? He's perfect."

Red Flags AU 2: slight deviation from the OG where everything is the same, except Morpheus' messy friend Johanna accidentally introduces them and instantly regrets it. She did not anticipate Hob reacting to Morpheus' red flags like a charging bull.

Assorted Human!Morpheus facts

Shit-wizard Hob AU: where Hob is still immortal, except Death is his Endless buddy. He first meets Morpheus when trying to take up occultism at Fawney Rig (he's bad at it but is gonna stick around now. For reasons.)

Meta-ish Shitposting:

Hob meets Thessaly. Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" starts playing ominously in the distance when she doesn't appreciate how much of a needy clingy freak Morpheus is.

#1

#2

#3

Spotify Playlists:

I process Blorbo feelings with hyper specific playlists. Putting Dreamling and other fandom ones here bc I guess it's about time I share more of them

Audacity in Human Form PL: 1h33m fic specific. Set up to alternate Dream/Hob POV. Blatant "2012 fandom brain" indulgence in here.

Hot Mess Endless Express: 1hr45m the general Dream playlist. Not ship specific, all romantic songs are how I just see him in any relationship. Mostly serious, except when it isn't but especially when it isnt

The Devil of Fawney Rig: the playlist I imagine goes in Dreams head when he's stuck in a fishbowl and horny for revenge. Made with the shit-wizard Hob AU in mind

Newton Goes Kaiju All Over Everybody's Ass: 1hr it really is too bad that there was never a second Pacific Rim movie but wow isn't Dark!Geiszler a great concept? 🙃

EDDIE I MADE A PLAYLIST EDDIE: 44m Venom made a playlist for Eddie, isn't that nice?

Mountain Son: 1h30m Bagginshield Thorin feelings ahoy. Made with Mahrâna in mind.

The Bacchae: 1h. The soundtrack for the dream production of the Bacchae in my head. Meant to follow the progression of the play

The Huntress and the Maenad: 1h30m insane sapphic bitch in the woods solidarity

Mysteries: 7+hours!!!!!! The ongoing playlist for joining the cult of Dionysus and eating a billionaire in the woods

[katyspersonal]

What are your opinions on our Lord and Savior Gywn?

He didn't save SHIT!! He took the perfectly (?) functioning humanity and ruined it! Look at it, it got Hollowing!!

Okay, I am making the 'Marika is a MILF Gwyn' jokes here and there, but 1) Marika is a bit more of a straight up cold and mean person, all things considered 2) Yet she still has enough nuance, and a lot of her actions might be written on reasonable fears and 3) Gwyn is even MORE nuanced than Marika, from what I have concluded so far! Laurence is a similar kind of sinner too. Comparison of the characters that share a trope is helpful for my thought process, so bear with me a little! With Marika I see a more direct disdain and fear before the very nature of life, cyclic and treacherous, uncontrollable, being meant to perish one day but with new life sprouting from it, and thus doing lovely things like shunning Crucible-related lifeforms. With Laurence, we have enough evidence so far that beasthood was not created by Healing Church but something already lingering in the human code after Pthumerians and Loran, so ambition to seize and control it it was risky but understandable!

But with Gwyn, we are confirmed that human nature itself is dark, undesirable an terrifying, as well as how he sorta had the chance to see it 'in action' during uniting with humans to take war on dragons. And also in Dark Souls the cyclic nature of Ages is just a fact, and it would make sense that should Age of Dark come, he and his family would be the first to go as beings of Light. It is a combination of things: his kind being in true danger and not just "risking to lose power", the treacherourness of how political allyship simply works (your today's ally country against the common enemy could tomorrow ally with someone else to start the war on YOU) and simply the not-so-metaphorical horrors of the Dark itself! is not a speculation, the dangers are RIGHT here!

Gwyn messed the natural order of humanity in a way that I personally dislike and express it on multiple occasions: trying to get rid of what's barbaric and dangerous yet natural and not accepting that there is no light without shadow, or life without death. But I also feel sympathetic because he had a legit reason to fear the darkness within men. In is not as much philosophical but a literal concept in Dark Souls lore. He acted out of fear, backed up with a precedent, and it brought the ruin to himself and everyone else. Writing this I'd say he sorta falls for the type of a person I can only like in fiction but resent in reality. I guess I don't need to explain what kind of people this is, paranoid "but for a valid reason", being "preventive" with their drastic measures.. Good intentions path to hell self-fulfilling prophesy blablabla. His specieism doesn't help his case in the slighest. Ironically, all extremely human behavior of him!

(LOL thank you based Goldmask as usual xddd) At the same time, he is not entirely corrupt with the power he seized and used to strip humanity of what was natural for them; he, in the end, committed to what he believed was better for everyone and sacrificed HIMSELF too. I can respect the cunning and machiavellian person who, in the end, is above the vanity of a 'savior' and can give themselves too, not only others. He also did share his power with some humans, showing that he can take kinda benevolent choices even with those he fears. Yeah, part of calculated risk could be there; dude gave the city and his daughter to the Pygmy to, again, preemptively avoid some animosity. But in the case with the four kings, did he HAVE to? Or Seath for that matter, who is a dragon, another species he doesn't like?

I find it hard to detect 'truly' corrupt people in Soulsborne setting in general, and yeah we can fiddle with 'nuanced character' and 'everyone is morally grey' forever and never discover THE big bad we'd love to hate. But, out of those big bads, I think he deserves the benefit of being seen as a way more nuanced character than the corrupt leader the most! It is the case where he should not have done anything, but also should not have NOT done anything.. Soulsborne is eager with placing characters in a position and knowledge where every choice is wrong and they just pick a poison for themselves (and everyone else xd). Jokes about "haha people in power moment" are still mostly jokes for me. He is sympathetic in a way not like I think I'd have done the same (let's be real, I revel in darkness gfjjghk) but in a way where I understand too much to feel negative 🤔

[mysticstarlightduck]

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

Thank you so much for the tag, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams!!!!

10.Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Well, in the negative sense of "haunting", I guess I am haunted by bad backstory ideas I've scribbled on a blank document at nearly midnight and that I look back at and physically cringe at the thought. But that's it - I try to write with the mindset that there isn't any bad writing, just things that can be edited later on. That has helped me a lot with my issues with perfectionism!

Now, in a positive sense of "haunting", when I get an idea I'm really, really excited about writing and thinking about, that idea follows me throughout the day - and if I'm lucky it'll grow into a writeable concept and spawn more of those ideas! So it's like a nice, curious little ghost "haunting" the back of my mind and giving me exciting new ideas to work on throughout the day! Lately, that spot has belonged to Augustus & Harriet's love story arc from my WIP Enchanted Illusions, and Evangeline Daemitya's backstory (+ family lore) from the same WIP.

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

I'm not sure about which writing rule I love to ignore because my writing process is as chaotic and messy and weird as it gets - sometimes a rule that may be useless for one moment in a specific story might become my lifeline later on in the same WIP. It really depends!

However, I do know which writing tropes I love to smash, obliterate, and subvert in my stories though! (Disclaimer - My dislike for these tropes is based on my personal opinion and feelings towards them. If any of you like these tropes, that's okay too!!)

To name a few:

The Bad/Absent Father Trope - Look, I love writing some family drama as much as the next writer, but this trope has been overdone to the moon and back, especially in fantasy stories. So instead, I like to give my characters good and present father figures instead, dads who are a part of the characters' lives and want to keep them safe.

Evangeline's backstory was written with the main intent of subverting this trope - her main parent has always been her dad, who is very loving and present in her life - and is actively a part of it - having raised her basically by himself.

Miscommunication - By this, I mean miscommunication that wouldn't actually happen if the characters were being themselves and not just tools to advance the plot - especially if the plot depends on that one miscommunication to cause a big falling out with no other reason than the author wanting it to happen. I don't vibe with that.

Dark and Edgy Magic User who also happens to be an Awful Love Interest - I have a personal bone to pick with this one after some books I've recently read. If I'm going to write someone with the powers of darkness or death or the supernatural as a love interest, you can bet I'm making them secretly or openly be the dorkiest most supportive, "weird little gremlin energy" partner one could ever hope to meet. Yes, they may be chaotic murder hobos when it comes to defeating bad people/killing their enemies, but damn if they're not cheering on and being hopelessly in love with their SO! (Gomez and Morticia style!!!!) - just out of spite for the things I've read. This got very specific - I say as I look to my OC Augustus, the necromancer who fell for a (supposedly) normal girl who is also deeply weird herself. 👀

[c0rinarii]

WELL! I have just concluded the game that i bought on impulse bc i was hyperfixating on some of the characters (guess who!). I have A LOT of thoughts, but i'll start with some nutshell character thoughts and pairing shenanigains. Spoilers below!

That 4th tier deserves a bit of elaboration

Juro: He is, at his core, a blank sheet of paper. A mild sandwich with no seasoning. And I like how this game handled that fact bc he was someone more prior to this, but he's given a new personality so he can rest from being so self-sacrificing (if he's anything like the juro izumi from 2 loops ago). He's in the "they're there" tier for a special reason, bc he's kind of meant to be just There.

Renya: Despite being there just to help the audience answer some questions regarding the fucked up narrative of the story, I think what gives him a leg up from the "They're there" tier is his lowkey hilarious relationship with Ryoko. He is perplexed and lowkey salty about how short their relationship lasted no matter how hard he tries. He tries to not gaf as much as Ryoko does but he still does. Ei calls him out on this. Its so so funny.

Megumi: HER NARRATIVE ON GRIEF WAS VERY WELL DONE and if it werent for the spaghetti bullshit of an ending the epilogue was, I would be soooo so intrested how she'd handle moving on from Izumi. I find the concept of Juro/Megumi much more bearable with Juro now having one sided feelings for Megumi while Megumi considers giving him a chance or not. That wouldve been a great closing to their relationship instead of. just getting toghether with no qualms! yeah juro i totally wasnt mouring a dead version of you in that simulation. lets kiss.

Miyuki: I KNEW YOU COULD SAVE THOSE KIDS WITHOUT INFLICTING SEVERE TRAUMA. Sadly aside from "saviour from above" themeing with her, theres nothing much outside of that. While im greatful she was there, she is just there in the end. But her efforts give her a leg up from that tier.

Chihiro: The concept of a very peeved elderly woman stuck in a pre-schoolers body is a funny one and im just extremely glad that 13SAR is not big enough that sobposters arent using her at large to fufill their degen fantasies. Aside from that shtick though, nothing else. Thats literally a baby

Moving onto the canon main pairings!:

I saw someone calling HijiOki queer-bait and i can kindaaaa see why when basing it off the epilogue. Yeah they havent seem to progress much past 5 years and are at best still at talking stage while some of the others are literally married with kids (oh i'll get to that.) But I like to see it as the only pairing with realistic progression past. everything thats happened. Aside that they're just very funny!! Love their dynamic, will be rooting for them no matter how long it takes.

I did not expect myself to like SekiFuyu this much!! I do agree that Iori ESPECIALLY deserves more story outside hanging with gals and crushing over Sekigahara (not to say i didnt like it!!), but im very glad that the story subverted my expectations! I want them to be happy first and foremost, but i feel like the added angst from Iori realisng that she was a clone of THE Chihiro Morimura wouldve made this ship just a little bit more peak. Aside that, I support Iori shoujoisms and Sekigahara finding love and happiness.

I think my rating on Nentomi will change the more I ruminate on it. MeguJuro would be bumped up above RenRyo IF they didnt immediately fall in love after those 5 years and have Megumi still "thinking about it" while Juro goes "pleaaase :(" bc i think Megumi deserves to tease him a lil and think more about What the hell happened. ShuuYuki is the worst case of comphet between a lesbian and a looser bisexual ive seen.

Now.... the elephant in the room.

Ive talked to moots about how much i abhored the ending at first. Aside from the Darling in the Franxx-esque cop out, you expect me to believe that some of them just. got toghether after everything?? without any processing of What The Hell just happened?? nothing at all?? god

Im not the one to usually complain about comphet bc yeah its something i hate, but it usually doesnt sour my experience of consuming media so much. But god this is where its one of the main reasons why an ending is ruined for me. I hate hate HATED some of the epilogue scenes, esp with Nentomi and Shuuyuki bc of the straight people "my wife sucks but i love her" humour it radiates. ugh.

I would've loved a much more... bleak? more bittersweet?? outlook on the situation? after realisng everything is not real and you are basically the 15 adam and eves left to recreate human civilzation... that would be a pretty fucking huge thing to grapple with. I just wished that they had more complexity with this ending. Or! just stick with the fact that they're forever trapped in space colonies left to deal with the horrors of their situations and the mistakes of those in the past. Sorry for bring a tragic yuri enjoyer, but the overbearing dread and loom from the simulation story was what really made me intrested in 13SAR. To see it just solve itself with little drawback was so lame.

I read the George Kamitani aimed for 13SAR to have a mecha and shoujo hybrid story. While that's honestly an awesome concept, im sad it means that he can miss out on more complexity when intepretting the narrative when it comes to certain relationships (shoujos can be complex too!) I also heard that the game was meant to be at least 3 times longer that it is curently which is. wow. Its a shame that so much content got cut out 😭 bc i feel like a bit more time with these characters is all i need to make my verdict more positive.

As a bonus, i'll include a crackship tierlist too! Alot has changed

I miiight need another few days or even weeks to compile another thoughts post bc theres definitely more things i wanna talk about (the narrative structure, Tamao, 2188 theories, themes of japanese imperialism-). But so far, im gonna let it ruminate for a bit before picking it back up to analyse

[alpaca-clouds]

The Weeaboo vs Japanese Culture 🤦

Two days ago I saw this tweet going around on the shithole that is Twitter and oooooooh boy. As one of the former baby queers who found their identity at least partly through anime, I really cannot tell you how annoyed I am with these type of Weeaboo.

This kinda weeaboo obviously being the type, that just see Japan as this idealized place were everything is in the way they want it to be. In the case of the staunchly conservative weeaboo of course it is a place without queerness, without feminism and without Black people. All things that are, obviously, not true.

Anime were always queer. They were always more queer than any western media of the time, because in the end there was less or rather a different censorship going on.

The big example is of course Sailor Moon, which features several canonically queer characters. Another example would be CLAMP, who generally approach all stories with the thought of "everyone is pansexual, until proofen otherwise" and "all love is love, we should not discriminate, even though this means, in the case of CLAMP: "Sure. Why would it not be love if a teacher falls in love with their 10yo student?!" which is........ Uhm... Yeah. CLAMP is a topic for another day, alright?

Queerness exists in Japan. And it is fairly common in anime and manga. Again, my first encounter with queerness was through Sailor Moon. But then I also consumed a lot of Boys Love in my early teens, because it was the one place for me to reliably find queer characters.

While I would not even necessarily say that Japan has more queer media period... The queer media that there is, is for sure a hell lot more visible than a lot of western queer media is still to this day.

And, guess what. Queer folks in Japan are fighting for marriage equality, and it seems like they are winning right now, as the Japanese supreme court has ruled it as unconstitutional for them to be barred from marriage.

And trans folks in Japan are fighting for the right to self-id or at least to significantly simplify the change process, too.

And no, Japan is no queer paradise. There is a reason why basically all of my Japanese friends who are queer (and/or disabled) fled the country as soon as they were able too, because in many ways it is better living in the West as a queer person. With the one person, who has not, not having done so because of complicated legal reasons. But queer people are there and they live there. And always have been.

[polarsirens]

Your Gerard and Elody art, the one about Elody finding Gerard's body, has been stuck in my head every since I first saw it, and now in the wake of this week's ep, OOF OOF OOF. Congratulations on being psychic I guess?

And I've haven't been able to stop thinking about how Elody is unlike all the other princess, in that she never gets cursed or hurt or anything like that in her story (sidebar that at least in some origins, La Bete was cursed into her monstrous form for being rude to a fairy). Like, Elody's life is full of tragedies, but none of those tragedies have to do with her story. And I'm thinking about how if she's joined the princesses in trying to burn down not just the world but the multiverse, so that her story can never hurt anyone again, it's not for her own sake, because she's not the one who gets hurt.

And then I think about her finding Gerard's body. And Gerard saying that knowing she was out there was the only reason he was able to keep fighting instead of giving up. And how she hears that and just--has to leave. And take a moment to process that.

Like. We won't know what she's thinking until next week (or later but god I hope not). But ESPECIALLY after your art about their conversation, there's a picture forming in my head of what Elody's thinking about, and what she's been working towards and why, and how she's feeling after that conversation with Gerard, and it HURTS.

oh yeah that comic became the unexpected gift of prophesy coming back to dodgeball me in the face... ... thank you for this analysis on elody, i'm loving it! she is indeed never cursed or imprisoned or otherwise in a viscerally tragic situation. your suggestion that she's doing this because he cannot be safe around her is absolutely breaking my heart. that's... to quote rosamund, a terrible choice to make, and somehow made even worse because she's always been the one to save him or take care of him, hasn't she? and this is the final move in her trying to do what she once did by falling in love? that's devastating. that truly hurts.

and i also wonder about... well, what elody said in the most recent episode, i keep on mulling over how she also thought they, as prince and princess, were set on a happily ever after, because she was taught that way. but turns out things don't work like that, and she has a country to run, a war to wage, a husband to fall out of love with. and that's such a mundane and relatable tragedy, something akin to ylfa realizing that not every girl can be a princess. and that mundane tragedy takes on another layer because she's started to realize they are characters, and despite the infinitely harder things happening to her as the years go by, he will only ever be the prince who was a frog and she will only ever be the princess who kissed that frog with a true love's kiss. and as you said: "none of those tragedies have to do with her story." i wonder if her reaction (if, and a big if, she agrees with the princesses' plan) also stems from something close to the stepmother's motivation. and that would throw the gerard-elody relationship into a different kind of jeopardy.

[yallemagne]

something that some modern-day media could learn is that you can have two people already together and keep it interesting. you can make them work hard to take their relationship to the next level (like marriage) or fight hard to stay together, without it having anything to do with infidelity or constant bickering. all the while they make it apparent that they love and want each other (it's kind of what makes your audience root for them!).

There's no faith in love. It's a weird thing to think about. We're raised on shit that is all "the power of friendship! and cute girls and boys!" but all the more "adult" takes on love are just "eh. sex? possessiveness? jealousy?" It's like once you grow up, all you're fed from that point on is subversive propaganda.

Even in a society that puts a hell of a lot of value upon romance and marriage, there's no faith in either in our media. It's mostly just sex, really, and then the bitter revelation that True Love is fake. I guess the writers and directors for movies are all divorcees so that kind of makes sense. And all the songwriters are young people still upset about Disney princess movies. But even in the most cheesy "we're family, we need to stick together" media, the married couple is always in the process of getting a divorce. It's silly.

Jonathan and Mina have known each other their entire lives. Their honeymoon phase had to have ended long before they ever got married. They don't love "the idea" of each other, they love each other because they know each other. Mina is confident that Jonathan would never be unfaithful to her because he honestly wouldn't, and Jonathan never tries to stifle Mina for fear someone else will sweep her off her feet because she has never given him reason to doubt her love for him. And neither of them is insecure, that's a big part of it. Their relationship works so well because there's no immaturity colouring it, no projected insecurity, just mutual trust. In my personal headcanon, part of the reason they're never concerned about "he/she must be thinking about other women/men" is that they already have experience "sharing" with Lucy. They know that you can love multiple people at once without devaluing the love of one person.

There are so many romcoms and shit, there is so much media that, instead of acknowledging that love (all types of it, really) is something you have to work at but should make you feel good, they feel the need to add cheap conflict. Infidelity and lack of trust in a partner are problems, but they aren't the only problems in a relationship. When stories only focus on character flaws as the primary driver of the conflict (Character A is too sleazy, Character B is too insecure, blah blah), it just makes you wonder "why am I watching a movie about two pricks with no chemistry and no redeeming qualities". There can be outside forces putting a strain on the relationship that the characters have to power through because ultimately their relationship is worth the effort. Romances in movies are hardly ever worth the effort because they're often built on lies that lead to a third-act breakup that is quickly resolved with a single apology. Sometimes they're just actively toxic, with the characters being too immature for a committed relationship and just being very unhealthy for each other. So the message of "we're family, we need to stick together" falls flat in those cases because the relationship has no foundation, it's a bandaid on a bullet wound.

I am so fucking invested in love. I adore love, and I adore this horror novel that has the power of friendship save the day. I would kill for more mature media that puts its faith in love rather than the idea of a happy ending or the cynical subversion of a happy ending. I'm tired of author inserts in movies telling me "that's not how the world works, love is fake".

JUST GIVE ME MORE MEDIA WITH REALISTIC TAKES ON HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. REALISTIC DOES NOT EQUAL BAD.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Day 3 of falling back in love with my book

Question of the day: Do I need to go back to absolute basics of planning?

Answer: Almost definitely

I really wish I had a big whiteboard; I love my timelines and everything online but sometimes you just wanna draw everywhere with randomness instead of typing, yk?

So I think the reason I have such a problem with the opening is because the plot feels more like a sequence of events strung together simply because they're happening to the same people instead of like... an actual plot. I think I need to completely pull back and redo an entire timeline and mindmap and everything (this is where the whiteboard would be helpful, but I already use milanote and now I'm throwing freeform into the mix and I think both are very good for mindmapping) so I had a look at some of that today, and I also wrote a new like very first couple of pages, like just over 1000 words that I'm pleased with but also, if I go through with them, do mean massive restructuring of mc's backstory but hey, maybe that's what she needs, I'm very much letting it carry me wherever it wants to go and having an experiment.

I also had an exam and did about 4 hours of studying today so I think this will be all for now, but still pleased ☺️

Questions always welcome! (process/ premise/ world/ characters/ industry/ pretty much anything I guess)

[discocandles]

Lolirock characters ranked on how likely they would be to rock someone's shit in a fist fight:

Note: this is for characters who speak in at least two episodes. Mostly. There may be a few exceptions.

At the bottom of the list: missy

Tbh missy looks like she'd smack a bitch, but I think she's more bark than bite. The second it's getting physical is the second she's backing out. She's probs the one getting her shit rocked

Next up: Doug

With a name like Doug, you know his fedora-wearing ass doesn't stand a single iota of a chance. And if you get the cell phone, he's down for the fucking count. This is also a good place to put any other love in-show love interest auriana's had... there is one exception

The exception: Matt

Now I know what you're thinking. The dinosaur guy? Why's he soch a big exception? Well it's bc of the falling t-Rex scene. The guy noticed the skull falling and was able to make his way under it, catch it and hold it up until iris got there. Do I think he'd still get whooped in a fistfight? Yes I do, but he's put up more of a fight than the likes of Doug or Timothy(who got bested by a fucking table)

Now, Our magical teddy bear: amaru

While I highly doubt amaru would get into a street fight, I don't think he'd do the best. He's smol, he's squishy, and quite cute. And while these are all amazing facts about him, they are no help in a fight. But I think his cuteness would keep him from being hurt.

She should probs be higher but I'm spending forever on this already: Lyna

Lyna would try to avoid a fight at all costs. don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she couldn't rock your shit. I'm saying she probably wouldn't. This is basically a character trait of hers, as she's a lot better with spells. If she actually joined the fight, she'd probably just fight to a stand still.

Please hear me out: gramorr

yes I am getting a lot of joy from this. We never see him use anything other than magic and intimidation to get his way. without his magic, he only has intimidation. So I think he can barely throw a punch. Like once the person isn't intimidated by him they could probably rock this man's shit, but his presence makes most folks just go "nah, fuck this."

Next: Jenny

Is this mostly to spite gramorr? I'll never say. Listen, Jenny would use a lot of foot work to confuse her opponent, and get them to fall, then beat them up. I think this isn't her first rodeo with this crap.

Ok, this is where I'm putting Deinos and Kakos:

if I could separate them, they'd be a lot lower, but they finish each other's sentences, so they're basically one person. They mostly have the advantage of being two people, but put them in a 2v2 and those kids are getting slammed.

After this: Nathaniel

I feel like this fight is under very particular conditions. Someone's being disrespectful and loud in the smoothie shop. He tries to escort kick them out, and they punch him. Nathaniel is able to get them out the door before punching back. And wins the fight, but gets injured in the process.

We're pretty much in the you never stood a chance levels: Auriana

I know I know, it's probably lower than it should be. But I have a good reason for this. It's bc I can't see auriana getting into a fistfight. She's a very charming person, and that gets her out of a lot of these situations. She absolutely kicks ass, but I think it's almost impossible for her to end up in a street fight.

I think I know what I'm doing here: Mephisto

This is probably just a game to him tbh. Like it doesn't matter that he's not using magic. In fact, it probably helps him some since most of the magic fights are using large spells to summon monsters. Also he's talking trash the entire time, but no one quite knows what he means, so he's accidentally playing mind games with his opponents.

Back again?: it's Amaru, but horse form

Yes they are separate, and I know it kind of contradicts the Deinos & Kakos thing but guess what? I don't care. But anyway, horse amaru could take a direct attack from banes, he can handle a little fist fight. Like horses are kinda tanks already, and he also has wings.

We're def in the you never stood a chance category: Talia

If you're pissing her off, it's barely even a fight. The shit-rocking will be swift, she's by far the most efficient. But she won't do it unless it's really needed.

I'm gonna get flamed for this one: Iris

One of my main reasons for this is bc she was the first person we saw using the crystum-pactus spell, which is just like enhanced punching. And in the episode with the evil stuffed animals, in the initial fight iris just bit the plushie that was latched onto talia.

Like she's more feral than we think she is.

Praxina

I don't know why she wouldn't be using her magic, but actually she probably is, and that's what's she's really able to fuck anyone going against her up.

At the very top: Carissa

For Carissa, every fight is a fistfight. Similar to what I said about Lyna, the fact she's good at combat is part of her character. Carissa is also on the short list of people who have fucking bodied Banes, and on his own turf too. She deserves to be able to kick someone in the face. Like Carissa joining a fight by leaping off something and landing on the opponent's face would be iconic, and you can't tell me I'm wrong about that.

[spookymultimedia]

Helpless To Defy His Fate: The Sountrack

Here's the music that inspired each chapter of my fanfiction, songs that go nicely with what I've written and a look into my creative process while writing

Chapter 1

El Tango De Roxane from Moulin Rouge

I'm not a fan of this musical or the canon story behind this song but I know I'm not alone in this attachment to this song. This song gave me a vision of Nandor betrayed by Guillermo by his act of violence. He's devastated. I was specifically inspired by the tiktok videos that combine Roxanne and the Plauges from The Prince of Egypt. At this point, the story in my head was like this opera style drama that's full of love, loss and pain. Nandor is the one who's heart is crying.

The Ballad of Jane Doe from Ride The Cyclone

I wanted to capture feeling this song gave more than the actual story in this song. I thought about Laszlo and his feelings of betrayal as he's quickly dying. He doesn't have time to process that he's dying. It's tragic. It really is an unfair death. I guess the Fall Fair Suite fits too but this song was a bigger influence

Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel

This is one of the songs that I think fits Nandor's grief. He's struggling to process the fact Laszlo is dead and that Guillermo killed him.

CH 2

Sad Song by We The Kings

This captures Nadja's grief perfectly. The entire song is how she feels about Laszlo dying. At this point in writing this fic was an exploration of grief and how each of these characters would experience it. I didn't have a Nandermo arc in mind quite yet. I didn't expect this fic to be longer than two chapters. It's was a impulsive idea I wanted to write down. I wanted to write drama and angst for no reason but catharsis and enjoyment.

My Immortal by Evenessance

This was something I listened to while I was writing and thinking about Colin's Grief. He used to comfort Laszlo and learning about Laszlo's abusive home when he was young concerned him. Laszlo grieved him once and now Colin is grieving him. It's ironic. Also I was somewhat influenced by BCR's love for Evenessence and Papa Roach.

Look Who's Inside Again by Bo Burnam

This one was a huge influence on how I wrote Colin Robinson in this fanfiction. Laszlo was someone who gave Colin Robinson friendship when he was desperate to be understood and tired of being forgotten. He was happy and confident. When the one person that understood Colin better than anyone else in his life died he felt alone and insecure again. He struggled to reach out to the people around him and feel into a severe depression that kept him in his bed with no one to feed on but the cruelty of the internet. Colin Robinson is generally the comic relied character. "It's hard to be funny while stuck in a room". He usually enjoys telling his friends dumb jokes but now he's struggling to feel any joy at all. Draining online was a treat but in this situation it made him feel worse and left him feeling like shit

Chapter 3

Flying Dreams from The Secret of NIMH

Chapter 3 was just a sickfick/hurt&comfort I just wanted to write something nice and wholesome and cuddly after all the pain and truama that happened in the previous chapters. This chapter is the calm before the storm in a way. The scene where Nandor is helping Colin Robinson drink its tea was directly inspired by that scene in Secret of Nimh. There's a big emphasis on familial and platonic affection and love in the second half of this chapter.

That's the only song I had in mind for this chapter. The rest was just character interaction with my OC Desdemona. She wasn't originally going to be in this chapter but I really liked the idea of Nandor speaking to it. I think in a less grim timeline they would fuck at least once lol. There's so much grief going around I needed to put Desdemona in this fic, she eats that energy up. I'm glad I decided to it really helped me get a strong sense of its character.

Chapter 4

Bohemian Rapsody by Queen

I had this song already in mind while I was working on chapter 3. I knew I wanted to write Guillermo into this fever dream of guilt and self loathing. I wanted to go into the uncanny territory of weirdness. The part in his dream where Nadja kills Guillermo is directly inspired by an alternate ending proposed by @/ednacrabapple in which Nandor teaches Nadja to swordfight ti kill Guillermo. The twist would be she wouldn't be able to do it and suddenly Nandor gets the confidence to kill him. The lyrics that that inspired me the most where these:

I see a little silhouetto of a man,

Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango!

Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me

He's just a poor boy from a poor family,

Spare him his life from this monstrosity

Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me,

For meee

So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye

So you think you can love me and leave me to die

Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby,

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

Also in the beginning we see the death from Guillermo's perspective. "Momma, life has just begun but now I've gone and thrown it all away." Guillermo is new to being a vampire and now that's been completely ruined by his murderous tendencies.

No Way Out from Brother Bear

This is one of the movies I took inspiration from for this fanfiction. I wanted to find stories that had similar stories of murder, guilt and forgiveness. I needed to make sure it was obvious that Guillermo lives in guilt and fear. Everyone else has a warped perception of him and believe he's killing for fun. I needed write the opposing perspective in this story.

Oh Miss Believer by Twenty One Pilots

There were three songs that inspired how I wrote nandermo in this chapter. This song is a love letter to Guillermo. Guillermo is scared and helpless. He's in a deep depression and struggling to carry on. Nandor is scared for Guillermo's life and while he addresses that Guillermo has done terrible things he wants to protect him some how. This chapter is when you start to see that Nandor and Guillermo are psychically linked to each other in a very literaral sense. They can feel and read each other's thoughts without knowing they are. They know the worst is yet to come and they're fearful.

Talking to Moon by Bruno Mars

This describes Nandor's feelings. He wants Guillermo badly against the better judgment of everyone else around him.

Aftermath by Lifehouse

Throughout the story Nandor and Nadja grow closer as lovers. Their feelings and actions change into something romantic. They're both traumatized and as a result hold onto each other because they're scared of losing one another. Despite the grief they feel warmth with one another.

Wisdom of Snow by Trans Siberian Orchestra

This song is from the album The Lost Christmas Eve and acts as the contemplative buffer between the old man's confrontation with his past and his emotional breakthrough. This chapter is foreboding and foreshadows what the next few chapters have in store. This song is also what I titled chapter 4. It wad a last minute decision I made while trying to come up with a good title that wasn't stale.

Chapter 5

Hayloft by Mother Mother

The idea that Sean should hunt down Guillermo to kill him as revenge was inspired by a conversation I had with @/2offayyo-kzt. Sean is angry and grieved his lover Laszlo was killed unfairly. He believes murder is the answer.

An eye for an eye, a leg for a leg

A shot in the heart doesn't make it unbreak

She really didn't wanna make it messy

She really, really didn't, but the girl gone cray

Christmas (baby please come home)

I never planned for Simon to be in this fic but I started to think about how Simon would react to Laszlo's absence. It was a joke idea and then I thought a brief moment of comedy in this fic was what the story needed. While I was brainstorming I had found this tiktok and got this idea. I thought it would be fun to write Simon being trapped in this cheery environment while his heart has just been shattered to pieces. It's painfully ironic. Unlike the other songs in this soundtrack this one is diagetic. It's both taunting Simon and describes his feelings. He's desperate to see Laszlo again and he wants Laszlo to be home again more than anything.

Cause I remember when you were here

And all the fun we had last year

This line is in reference to Go Flip Yourself

The song repeats over and over "baby please come home" which is how desperate Simon is to be with Laszlo again.

Story of My Life by One Direction

This was a very risky decision I made while writing this fic. To me in only felt natural that Nadja would go through some kind of emotional journey during this time of grief. I just really wanted to write the moment that Nadja's ghost dissappears. It's like self reflection. This song is Nadja's first step into accepting Laszlo is gone. She begins to acknowledge the happy moments she had with Laszlo.

Sugarcloud from Ride The Cyclone

Nadja and her ghost have alot in common but I suspect there's dissonance when it comes to Laszlo. Nadja doll never got to meet Laszlo and doesn't quite understand what Nadja sees in him. She didn't get to experience falling in love with Laszlo. Nadja's ghost is under the impression that her life was a waste and her legacy is dependent on what she's known as in the vampire world. Nadja is obsessed with her reputation and strives for success to the point she neglects her own joy and falls into burnout. As Nadja recalls her life spent with Laszlo they both come to the realization that she doesn't need to prove her existence to anyone. Just being alive is enough and not having a grand legacy doesn't make her worthless. She'd undead but it still applies lol.

The way I see it Nadja became one with her ghost. She's no longer haunted by her childhood or insecurities. She's finally made peace with her truamas and allowing herself to rest. The reason she's taking up a small hobby earlier in the chapter is because she's trying to learn how to relax and just do something because it's fun and not to be good at it.

Chapter 6

One of Us from The Lion King 2

Months before I decided to write this fanfic I was already obsessed with the idea of the three vampire from the 2014 movie passing judgement to Guillermo. They would struggle to feel any compassion for him and only feel fear and hate for something dangerous they can't understand. I would listen to this imagining the potential conflict between the the three vampires and the main characters in the series on the topic of Guillermo. I always envisioned Nandor being the Nala sitting on the sidelines with everyone against his plea to spare Guillermo. Most characters see Guillermo as a threat and feel hurt by him. I specifically feel that this line fits Simon.

Someone once lied to us

Now we're not so blind!

& by Tally Hall

Guillermo has to face vampiric law and its very vicious and cruel. There's lots of tension and a significant lack of understanding.

When the golden rule and the jungle meet

There'll be nothing to love and there'll be no one to beat.

Oh, the things we know, the things we don't

Oh, the things we think, we can, will and won't

[CW: flashing in clip ] Hungover in the City of Dust by Autoheart

I'll be honest while I was writing the last two of this fic I wasn't in the best state mentally and at the time I'm writing this I don't feel any better. I let that feeling inspire how I wrote Guillermo. It was like a strange form of catharsis projecting all my hopeless thoughts and frustrations onto Guillermo. Guillermo is having the worst night of his life and he's barely keeping it together.

The Trial by Pink Floyd

While the title of this chapter is accurate to what happens its also referring to this song. Guillermo is in a cage being accused of his crimes but he's also at war with his own self loathing. Viago is this symbol of vampiric class and acts downright patronizing to him.

Hells Comin With Me

Simon wasn't supposed to return but I grew to love the idea that it was Simon who told the Vampiric Council about Guillermo crimes and arrest him. I wanted to play into the fact that Simon is a character that tends to return when we least expect it in canon. Now he's back and full of righteous anger.

I am the righteous hand of God

And I am the devil that you forgot

While I was writing this fic I was fleshing out my headcannons for Simon since he's a half baked character at the moment. I got this idea that Simon had this catholic past when he was alive and it sticks with him a bit as a vampire. One way is his shape-shifting abilities, when under high stress or anger, forms into something others would compare to a biblically accurate angel. It's something that would deeply scare Guillermo, who already has religious truama.

SURPRISE! A DELETED SCENE! :D

Bloom from Joseph King of Dreams

This was deleted due to pacing issues and it just felt out of place. This would take place after the trial with Guillermo telling The Barron everything. The Barron feels sorrowful yet sympathetic. He's not proud of who had been in the past and for thinking he was above all of mankind. He had changed and he believes Guillermo can grow from this too.

You've seen the damage words can do

When full of thoughtless pride

Now heed the wiser voice in you

That calls to be your guide

One Normal Night from The Addams Family the musical

I'm not a huge fan of this musical. I feel like it misses the point of The Addams Family, which is radical acceptance in a conservative society. However I do love the artists and editors who show their favorite characters experiencing a traumatic night where stuff just keeps happening to them. I think Guillermo is in a similar situation in this fic

While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles

I don't think the men who are The Beatles are good people. I think I owe my love for their songs to the obscure movie Cirque Du Soleil. There's a handful of artistic and abstract interpretations of their songs. In this movie this song is visualized as a widow who lost her husband to war. I bring this up as it was inspiration for writing Nandor's grief for Laszlo. Their relationship soured and Nandor will never have closure with Laszlo. He regrets that he didn't appreciate Laszlo enough while he had him. He also wonders if things would be different if he expressed his love for Guillermo sooner.

Chapter 7

Runs in the Family by Amanda Palmer

This was another part I projected myself into. Guillermo hates who his family is. He's a Van Helsing and no matter how much he denys it or tries to hide it, it will always come back to him.

I cannot, I cannot, I cannot run from my family

They're hiding inside of me, corpses on ice

Guillermo has ran from many things in his life. He's ran from his sexuality and the catholic church but it's always there to haunt him. He's quite literally become a criminal on the run and he's not proud of it.

Mary, have mercy, now look what I've done

But don't blame me because I can't help where I come from

And running is something that we've always done well

And mostly I can't even tell what I'm running from

Grenade by Bruno Mars

Nandor has this unconditional love for Guillermo and while he struggles to vocalize or or express it in a productive way he does cause him to do pretty stupid things. Nandor would literally die for him. Guillermo does feel the same but he's a coward. Besides neither of them could communicate.

Lullaby for a Princess by ponyphonic

Guillermo and Nandor are doomed, in this timeline at least. Nandor doesn't appreciate Guillermo. Nandor didn't support him when he wasn't given any respect. No matter how much Guillermo demand to become a vampire, he refuses to turn him in fear of the consequences but mostly because of his pride. So Guillermo took things into his own hands and became a vampire without him. Guillermo refused to listen to Laszlo's criticism and it resulted in something Guillermo regrets. Nandor knows their relationship us doomed but he still wishes him well as they're forced apart.

The years now before us

Fearful and unknown

I never imagined

I'd face them on my own

May these thousand winters

Swiftly pass, I pray

I love you, I miss you

All these miles away

Everything I do, I do it for You

I remember this song from the movie Robin Hood. I don't remember much of the movie but I remember how the song made me feel. It was like this knight in shinning armor kind of song where you fantasize about rescuing someone you adore or the person rescuing you. I associate alot of 80s dad rock with Nandor. It's romantic and its the ideal type of romance Nandor desires.

The Best of Friends from The Fox and The Hound

Before I really had a clear idea of the conclusion I wanted for this movie, I watched two movies for inspiration. I watched Brother Bear and The Fox and The Hound. The latter was the direct inspiration for the conclusion. I think Guillermo and Nandor are similar to Todd and Cooper. Guillermo is the troublesome fox who keeps causing trouble and accidental harm. Nandor wants to love Guillermo and defend him but he knows they should be enemies and their relationship might be impossible to have without issues.

When these moments have passed

Will that friendship last

Who can't say there's a way

Oh, I hope

I hope it never ends

'Cause you're the best of friends

The scene where Cooper stands in front of Todd to protect him is a touching scene. There's not really a solid answer to the issue. They all go their separate ways and decide to give up the chase. The rabid warewolf is a parallel to the bear Todd fights and Sean parallels Amos Slade who's mind is set on revenge. Nandor's eyes are based on how Cooper stares at his master, pleading for mercy. Nandor's eyes are full of emotion and it works to my advantage for this fanfiction. Sean gives up and chooses peace. Nandor and Guillermo separate on good terms but they will never forget their friendship.

[roobylavender]

Hmm I was thinking about something and it has to do with Bruce and Barbara and Jason and that whole little circle of what they see or feel about Bruce and to me it’s complicated because I guess I do see them at looking up to Bruce and then of course that changes for two different reasons. Like Barbara bitterness towards Bruce at the beginning comes from what was written in the Killing Joke and then of course there is whatever is written later between Jason and Bruce but like for me it’s hard to like.. like I love that Bruce who was these things that Talia saw in him but then like how do get that writing with this other type of writing without like diminishing the agency of those characters as well. Like I’m saying this as someone who loves Barbara Gordon but who also equally loves Bruce and sees how Bruce is written to be this type of character when Barbara and others are involved. And even so I can blame so many things oh like Jason’s death and then what happened to Barbara playing an impact on so much of who Bruce later becomes but even there like Jason and Barbara would feel that loss of that Bruce and probably would be tied in some way to that and what happened to them. Idk I feel like I had better thoughts about this the other day but I just remembered I had wanted to send you an ask about it because like there is something there. Like I love the issue when Barbara was Batgirl and she wants to quit and Bruce tells her she shouldn’t and later he says something about a pawn turning into a queen or like when Barbara is speaking to Superman and tells him that Bruce isn’t as dark and everybody makes him out to be. And like there is something deeper there too with Jason and Barbara and Bruce and that little circle. Like I don’t think I ever seen anybody ever talk about what Jason and Barbara would respond to each other towards their view of Bruce.

i cannot remember if this is an old ask that got buried or a newer one so if it's the former i am so so sorry for not getting to it sooner but YES.. it's very interesting how everyone talks about jason's death (and barbara's paralysis by extension) being the big game changer for bruce's personality despite the fact that it's allowed modern writers to sort of retroactively make it to where bruce has always been this way rather there being an acknowledgement that bruce changed and lost a part of himself that was there prior. like in the morrison era esp it's hammered in repeatedly that bruce is neurotic and obsessive to the point of harmful alienation of his own child but the contentions with bruce's reaction to jason and barbara are so isolated from the actual main storylines that there's this.. disconnect? and i don't think we ever get enough of an acknowledgement that the way bruce acts now is in part a result of fears exacerbated by what happened with barbara and jason. that was more a feature of 90s bruce's development and what i think made the grant era of comics so compelling bc (for whatever character assassination jason underwent along the way) there was a constant emphasis on bruce's decline as a result of that trauma and sense of failure and with knightfall esp (and later the rucka arcs) always an inkling of hope that bruce could come back to who he used to be if he tried to process his trauma properly and unburden himself from working selfishly

but yeah in addition to that there really is so much lack of perspective from characters who know what bruce used to be like before everything changed and besides dick and talia who else could be more crucial to that? obv it would fall to jason and barbara and doubly so with their particular traumas, so the fact that writers have never tried to connect them to each other and to bruce in that manner is incredibly puzzling. i honestly think barbara just got really unlucky bc by the time jason came back into comics her prominence had began to decline so we missed out on that sweet spot in time where barbara and bruce's close friendship was more highlighted and might have played a bigger part in jason's return had it been timed earlier than it actually was. like barbara was the only person other than alfred that bruce had left after jason died! dick was gone and had his own life, talia was in a period where she barely came into contact with bruce and they were already strained bc of what happened with damian, bruce's relationship with gordon was steadily deteriorating, etc. even before jason died barbara was the one still operating in gotham alongside the two of them like she was there she knew bruce's face before it all crumbled to pieces she was literally his best friend in the 90s so why that all of faded over the years is so.. so.. likejtglkdfhgdf god it's incredibly frustrating

[thecloudstan]

Thoughts regarding the changes of certain elements of the OG in "Rebirth" (e.g. Cid's personality being changed or Dyne's death)?

This is such a great question!! I'll answer for both of these because I do have thoughts, and the game is so big that I'm already forgetting some things that you guys remind me about. I'll start with Cid.

I'm not entirely convinced that Cid's personality is changed, so much as the...timeframe of his life is being shifted? I'll try to explain.

In the original, you meet Cid and he's already this grizzled asshole who is doing THE MOST, and his hatred of Shinra is so acute that he eventually starts to rival Barret for who hates that company the most. I love Cid, but I guess if anyone from the playable party had the weakest motivation, it would be him. "They stole my dream" is motivation, don't get me wrong, but doesn't it sort of pale in comparison to "they murdered our parents and burned our village; they murdered me and brainwashed the love of my life; they did EXPERIMENTS ON ME." Sorry Cid, but your trauma is a bit...hmnnggh bebi by comparison...

In Rebirth, Shinra hasn't 100% fallen from his good graces yet, at least with regard to him being ambivalent about their misdeeds because he needs to turn a profit. I think the changes to when you meet Cid, how you meet Cid, and how he behaves about Shinra boil down to two things;

1.) Game functionality. It made the most sense to introduce him sooner to give access to the world in an exploratory sense, and the only way to do this in a remotely timely manner would be to introduce him sooner. But then you kinda fuck up the placement and point of Rocket Town, so he needs some other "hook."

2.) I believe they're saving his "fall" for the third part, much like Vincent's background will be saved for the third part. We still need some dramatic flair and some reminders why everyone should hate the fascist overlord, and by then we already know very well why Barret, Tifa, Cloud, Aerith, Red, Yuffie, and even Reeve harbor those feelings.

Long story short, I think he's been set up for his own character development. It was also kinda nice to have the Tiny Bronco around before Cid's wings are totally clipped, so to speak. It was interesting to see that spark of pre-FUCK THIS SHIT Cid. One thing I do find VERY intriguing is the connection to Ifalna!!!!!! I can't wait to see how that pans out...how well did he know her? Did he have FEELINGS for her?! Is he the reason she was able to escape, even though she didn't make it far? Is Aerith walking free because of Cid Highwind?! That would be kind of gaggy, to be quite honest.

So, sure, they did adjust his personality a bit. Like I doubt he's going to verbally abuse Shera and drop F-bombs, but that's fine. They changed a lot of things from the original that just would not play well to an audience nowadays, and I get it.

Dyne stuff under the cut!!!

My husband and I fully disagree on Dyne. I'm not too assed about him not leaping to his death (I mean, he already fell into a gorge which was probably kinda traumatic???? So having him NOT choose to off himself that way could make a bit of sense). What I am most intrigued about is how he goes full fucking Tetsuo from Akira half way through the fight??

In the original game, Dyne is just a man. He's strong, but he's just a broken man. He isn't experimented on by Shinra, we have no canon understanding of him being Mako poisoned or something, he should not be capable of what Rebirth Dyne was doing during that fight with Barret. My husband has chosen to write it off as the dev team just beefing up the battle to make it more modern/difficult/fun.

I don't share this thought process. Hojo is already understanding things (in my opinion) that go above and beyond the original plot. There are already mutations in Rebirth that didn't exist in the original, and I don't know if I'm reading too much into that, but it seems to me that it's kind of an emerging theme...

SOMETHING. Happened to Dyne. Whether he...fell into the gorge and then was Mako poisoned from being too close to the blown up reactor for years...or something else...I don't know for sure. But I wouldn't be surprised if Rebirth is NOT the last we hear about what happened to Dyne. They're REALLY going in on the human experimentation thing...it's going to get quite ugly with Cloud's background (and Aerith's, I'm assuming, if Cid ever spills those beans), and just Red XIII's Trial in the Temple of the Ancients ALONE was bone-chilling. I don't have precise answers or predictions or anything, but I do think it was changed with an intention deeper than "let's make this battle harder/more cinematic."