#i will die on the hill that they would have been amazing and interesting

[talkativelock]

Thinking about McShep again. Thinking about the season 4 finale. Thinking about how things fall apart in season 5. Thinking about how John thought he needed to let Rodney go be with Keller because that's what future!Rodney did, completely missing the fact that it only happened because John was gone. Because one of the main pillars of John's character is his self-loathing, so of course he would interpret it as being in the way. And even though John is resolved to let Rodney go it's still so hard for him that he struggles to do it cleanly throughout all of season 5. Thinking about the sad tension in their relationship after the season 4 finale. Thinking about how they still lean on each other in important moments even with the new awkward distance between them. Thinking about McShep again.

[0-therw-0-rldly]

I’ll preface this by saying I’m not really a shipper. I just enjoy canon couples on TV Series/films.

Terms I’d like B*ddies to remove from their vocabulary because they don’t know how to use them correctly:

Media literacy: For a group that uses this term a lot you sure do misinterpret everything in this show.

Queerbaiting: Going to expand on this one. A show that’s already been pre established for having queer characters simply cannot queerbait.

Ship baiting: While sometimes you can argue that they could be doing that, that’s only if you look at the show in a very biased manner. You might think this is the case but the general audience doesn’t think the way you do.

Ship war: This isn’t a one tree hill situation where there was Team Brooke Vs. Team Peyton where the middle guy (Lucas Scott) had canonically been with both women. This is people not understanding fanon vs. canon and not being able to just watch the show. It’s like playing quarterback on Madden and thinking you could be better than Patrick Mahomes.

Plot device: everything’s a plot device. Move tf on.

Predator: You sound like crazy MAGA supporters calling everything regarding the LGBTQIA+ community as predatory. Sit down.

Co-parenting: I know this is a big one and discourse was brought up during the hiatus. Oliver and Ryan have loosely mentioned this years ago but it was never to be taken this seriously. Do y’all even know what co-parenting is or are you that big of a donut? Buck is someone who loves his best friend deeply and by extension, his kid too. Him taking care of him frequently does not make him a co-parent. Maybe he is a parental or uncle figure, but he isn’t a co-parent. Also, I swear y’all need to learn how a will works. He is a GODPARENT, not a GUARDIAN. Stfu.

Hag: This especially applies to women, but to say that someone 25-30+ is a hag for still being in fandoms or enjoying tv shows/films is inherently misogynistic. Men are never held to this much criticism for enjoying fictional media, but women aren’t allowed to?

Queer Coding: people of the same sex “looking at each other”, hugging, or having intimate moments all together doesn’t make them queer coded. It could mean that they just love each other that deeply platonically. While representation is amazing and just because you interpret a character as queer coded (just like my ship baiting comment) doesn’t mean others interpret it that way as well. In addition, network TV has stipulations, and also actors are allowed to decline storylines. Ryan has mentioned his character is heterosexual an abundance of times which means (at least for now) that he isn’t willing to go for this storyline.

Dead naming: Y’all construing the fact that Buck wants people like coworkers and some of his former love interests, to saying Evan is his dead name is inherently transphobic because do you even understand what a dead name is? Evan Buckley is shown as being fine with being called Evan by both Tommy and his sister. I’m pretty sure some of his love interests have called him Evan as well.

Fetishizing: You guys saw two hot guys who “looked at each other” and for 6 seasons have wanted nothing but to see those two make out with each other. Those of us who enjoy Tevan saw Buck giddy at the thought of Tommy and have wanted domestic fluff for them since.

Anything to do with racism, homophobia, and misogyny: I’ve seen the way you guys have conveniently weaponized Henren and by extension Aisha/Tracie when you didn’t get the Ryan/Oliver interview, don’t try to act like you’re morally superior. Not to mention wanting a canonically gay man to die in a show and not even holding those who use your ship name to write CSA fics accountable because you’re petty and want to throw hissy fits. Anyone looking at your comments as an outsider would think you’re homophobes and yes queer people can be homophobic.

I do hope you can expand your vocabulary. 🤍

[kittenshift-17]

Omg I feel like any teen wolf fic (sterek fic) you write would be amazing, on that topic ur an amazing writer and I’m glad that one day I stumbled upon one of your fics. And also speaking of sterek fics (or any teen wolf fic) do u have and recommendations on what to read for that fandom???

Okay, so I took my time with this one because I had read some, but not a lot... but oh boy, did I deep dive into the research to bring you some top tier Sterek Fic Recs.

TOP 20 STEREK RECS

Play It Again by metisket ***I LOVED THIS ONE***

In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself.

“Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggests bets have been placed.)”

So Shed Your Skin and Lets Get Started by halfhardtorock

He's sixteen and in the woods on the wrong side of the town-line and he's so fucking fucked.

He knows he's not supposed to run, they teach that to you in preschool (don't run from a Were, back away slowly and walk with care), but they never told you how it would feel, standing alone in the dark with your heart beating in your throat as those glowing eyes tracked you from the shadows.

Don't Feed the Wolves by Amazonia_8

Stiles took the dare, because what else was he supposed to do when the whole lacrosse team was chanting his name? Even though the werewolf pack had left Beacon Hills years ago, nobody was stupid enough to set foot on the Hale property.

Except, apparently, Stiles.

Now he's got a feral werewolf following him around town with the sole purpose of claiming Stiles as his own.

so now you've got the best of me (come on and take the rest of me) by mangotangos

"It doesn't matter how hot Derek is, how Stiles barely comes up to his shoulders or how Derek's hands could probably fit really snugly around his waist. None of it matters, because he's basically a glorified babysitter for the foreseeable future and Stiles wants him out. Operation annoy Deputy Derek Hale into leaving begins now."

~or, the one where Stiles' dad hires Deputy Derek to be Stiles' bodyguard, Stiles hates him on principle and then 2 seconds later falls in lust (and love) and tries to seduce him into bed with his sexual prowess.

There Are No Wolves In California by kitsunequeen

Hunter!Stiles accidentally hits a wolf with his car and can't bear to leave him in the road to die. It's not till he gets the wolf home that he sees its eyes glow red... ------- Even everyday roadkill is upsetting, but this thing… Moments ago it was probably a majestic beast, and now it’s a mangled pile of soon-to-be rotting flesh. He presses a shaking hand to the only part of its chest left intact, not even thinking about whether it'll give him rabies or some other awful disease.

He’s about to pull back when something even crazier happens.

He realizes the wolf is breathing.

(not so) Pure Imagination by theroguesgambit

"There is a world where whenever someone fantasizes about you, you can physically feel it, but you have no idea who is thinking it about you."

Stiles knows it's wrong, but he's been Fantasizing about Derek and he can't bring himself to stop. Derek doesn't know who's taken an interest in him, but he's enjoying it way more than he probably should.

Little Wild Animal by DiscontentedWinter

Derek Hale finds a feral human on his pack's property. Humans are supposed to be extinct. But then, Stiles is full of surprises.

The Darkness Inside by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

The sheriff watched him for a moment, then he sighed and turned slightly. He reached out to open a cabinet door beside him, and pulled out a shelf. It was on a track, so it rolled out of the cabinet fairly easily, and held a small CCTV. Derek frowned and inched his chair to the side a little bit so he could get a better angle.

He was looking at a teenager, or someone at least young enough to be the same age as Scott. He was sitting on a bed in what looked to be a larger room, the area he was in surrounded by four glass walls, with his legs crossed and head tilted.

He was also staring directly into the camera, as if he knew someone was watching. A creepy smile slowly slid onto the teen’s face, and he held up one hand, wiggling his fingers in a slow, eery wave.

Derek felt his mouth run dry. He didn’t know who this kid was, but he didn’t like him.

“Who is that?” he asked quietly.

“That,” said the sheriff, “is my son.”

What I Did On My Summer Vacation by grimm for missingsun

There's something weird about Beacon Hills that Stiles can't quite put his finger on. The way everyone in town knows his name the day he arrives. The way they insist the melancholic howling that echoes through the forest every night is just a dog. The way his dad denies getting a dog, even though Stiles comes home to find one sprawled across his bed, some big black thing whose eyes gleam red in the right light. The way that massive oak tree out in the woods vibrates under his touch, pulsing with sickly life.

There's something weird going on in this town, and Stiles is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Patterns of Intention by drunktuesdays

Derek looked like the stuff of his deepest fantasies. His shirt was rumpled where Stiles had his hands in it, and he was breathing hard as well, chest heaving. His eyes—his eyes were glazed over and he looked stunned, like he’d been—like Stiles had—

“No,” Stiles said, blood draining from his face. The word was croaky and felt like it had to be wrenched out of his chest. “God, no.”

Wants & Needs by MadcapRomantic

Derek Hale has been participating in the Beacon Hills Mating Run for a decade, each year coming up without a mate. His mother, convinced this is his lucky year, persuades him to run one last time.

Enter Stiles, a young Omega with an unwanted Alpha nipping at his heels.

Family or not, Peter is determined to have Stiles.

But convinced they are True Mates, there isn't anything Derek won't do to keep Stiles safe.

I don't know why, but I guess it has something to do with you by LunaCanisLupus_22 for xXxClassifiedxXx 

“You smell like me,” the guy says, scowling as he crowds in and Stiles staggers back between the coats and finally hits the wall. “Why do you smell like me?”

He barely lets out a garbled sound as the blood rushes to his cheeks. “No reason,” Stiles yelps, struggling to get his footing and grasping at a whirlwind of puffy fur.

Or the one where Stiles goes thrift shopping and steals an alpha's shirt. And gets a lot more than he bargains for.

Sleeping Dogs by starsystems

Let sleeping dogs lie. Prov. Do not instigate trouble.;Leave something alone if it might cause trouble.

Derek Hale is asleep in Stiles's bed. And it just escalates from there.

Because of course it does.

We've Written Volumes (in Blood and Scars and Ink) by notthequiettype

Stiles is on his back on hard-packed dirt. He's cold and there are leaves stuck to his neck and there's a four inch gash in his side that he thinks he can feel his ribs through. There's so much blood around him he feels like he's floating on a pond and everything is so much dimmer above him than it was a minute ago, which is saying something because he's in the dark center of the forest in the middle of the night. And the worst of it is that he's alone, totally alone with the smell of his own blood drowning him and the soft side of him run through by a tree.

As his eyes slip shut, the last thing he thinks is, "This is going to kill my dad."

In Case You Didn't Know by Blu_Crowe

Stiles moves into the lofts, and he and Derek start to get closer. Unfortunately Stiles is a moron, and Derek is bad at feelings. They figure it out... Eventually.

Stilinski's Home for Wayward Wolves by owlpostagain

“At least your puppies knock first,” Stiles snorts. “Here I thought their alpha raised them to be well-mannered.” 



“There’s a sign,” Derek responds stiffly. 



Stiles, whose curiosity outweighs even his hardest of grudges, abandons his chilly façade of nonchalance in a heartbeat. He jumps right up and all but pushes Derek out of the way in his effort to get to the window, and sure enough when he leans outside there’s a laminated strip of cardstock duct taped to the vinyl siding: 



DON’T FORGET TO KNOCK Stiles gets cranky when we scare him

---

Or, in which Stiles Stilinski moves to Beacon Hills for his junior year of high school and accidentally adopts a pack of teenage werewolves.

Lock All The Doors Behind You by entanglednow

He has no idea what you're supposed to say when you find one of your...werewolf acquaintances, completely out of their mind, growling like they're about to see what your insides taste like. There's no handbook for this. Stiles is thinking that if he survives he might write one.

Feral Formalities by Aleandri

"There was silence as no one seemed to breath at the table.

Derek had just gifted Stiles, an unmated Omega, with food.

Right in front of another Alpha.

Who he was on a date with.

To discuss being heat partners...."

*In which, Stiles presents as Omega, and everyone wants a piece of the alpha-baby-making ass!*

for a good time, call... by EvanesDust for kalika_999

Stiles unlocks his phone to send out a quick text asking his father what he wants to eat, even though he’ll get salad regardless, and notices a strange number on his recent call log.

His face scrunches in confusion before realization dawns on him.

Oh shit.

Events from the night before peek through the hazy fog of his mind. Stiles thought, or he was hoping, that the phone call was a dream. But there it is, staring at him in the face—a one minute and 57-second call to an unfamiliar number.

Oh God.

Did he seriously call someone—possibly an alpha werewolf!—for phone sex?

...Or the one where Stiles drunk dials a very grumpy alpha werewolf and propositions him for phone sex. Hilarity, misunderstandings, and feelings ensue.

Golden Boy by trilliath 

Apparently it still amuses his uncle to buy sex slaves for him, no matter how steadfastly he refuses to use them. Derek ducks into his tent with a resigned sigh, prepared to dress and reassign whatever new beauty Peter has bought him. They do make for loyal servants, so he can't really complain about Peter's 'gifts'. But it is annoying to deal with, to have to spend his evening sorting out a slave instead of being able to go right to bed. It's just something he has to learn to accept as a byproduct of serving alongside his uncle.

But when he lays eyes on the boy laying amid his furs, he finds his breath catching in his throat. His skin is golden with the candle-light glimmering against the sheen of oil that has been slathered on his bared body. His lips are parted, and they work over inaudible words or sounds. His skin is flushed, nipples peaked and pierced with simple but unexpected golden rings. He's spectacularly beautiful in the candlelight. The many glowing candles that have been added to his usual lighting cast glittering edges and shadows, imbuing an almost unearthly golden color to his skin.

It's enough that Derek hesitates.

[arc-misadventures]

The Big Guns

A hoard of Grimm cone charging down a hill at a duo of two hunters. Jaune Arc, and Coco Adel stared at the hoard with mild annoyance as they came baring down on them.

Jaune: Aaaa hell… Just when I thought we were done with them.

Coco: Shit! I’m dry! I used the last of my ammo on the last batch!

Jaune: You’re out?! What do you do when you’re out of ammo?

Coco: Then I take out the big guns~!

Jaune watched in stunned amazement at the cold confidence as she braced for the oncoming, Grimm hoard, and in the moment his mind was made up, and he knew what he had to do next.

Jaune: Coco… if we make it out of this alive… Will you marry me?

Coco: …

Coco: A-A-Are you serious…?

Jaune: A hundred percent serious. Cross my heart, and hope to die. An, Arc’s vow serious. If we make it out of this alive, will you marry me, Coco Adel?

Coco: W-Where’s this coming from. You’re my number one guy pal! Y-You’re not really interested in marrying me… right…?

Jaune: Coco, the sexual tension between the two of us hasn’t been broken into an affair of unbridled lust because of our mutual respect for one another. But, we both know we’d go at it like starving man at a banquet if one of us just said the word.

Coco: That’s true…

Jaune: And, being with you has been the best part of my life so far, and if I could stay with you into the future, I would be the happiest man alive. And, honestly when I was asked what I thought my future would hold for me, I thought of you by my side. I didn’t ask it of myself, you were right there besides me the whole time. So, what do you say, Coco; Marry me?

Coco stared at, Jaune for a moment before she grabbed his armour by the top of his breastplate, and pulled him down for a searing hot kiss filled to the brim with passion, lust, desire, but above all else, love.

The stayed lip locked for, but a moment but, it was a moment that felt like an eternity. Coco, pulled away with love filled eyes as she stared up at her knight.

Coco: Gods I’ve been wanting to do that for years.

Jaune: Should I take that as a yes then?

Coco: Yes, I will marry you. And, if we have a daughter, her name will be, Mocha.

Jaune: Damn, I wanted that to be my pet name for you. But, Mocha Arc sounds really good.

Coco: Fuck, that would have been a good pet name.

The two turned to face the tide of, Grimm coming barreling down the hill at them, a mere hundred yards , and closing fast.

Coco: Jaune…?

Jaune: Yeah?

Coco: I love you.

Jaune: I love you too.

The duo spared one side eyed glance before they ran, and met the charge head on.

They had a Fall wedding.

[fandomfreakstudios]

Caine is a human and I will die on this hill (theory)

due to popular demand (losing the poll) I wanna post my Caine theory in proper depth.

My theory is essentially the idea that Caine is not an AI but is in fact a human trapped in the digital circus just as much as all the other players.

Sounds ridiculous, right?

good.

[LONG post incoming, be warned]

----------

To start, we need to understand the digital circus and its origins.

a place like the digital circus is very likely to be man-made as a place, a game, a computer program, whatever. This place did not appear out of nowhere. It is accessed through VR or some VR-esque technology, and takes on the appearance of a retro game (evidence given below)

Now, video games (unfortunately) don’t just code themselves, there has to be at the very least one person creating this game. Fortunately enough, we can deduce the name of the company from what is given within the show.

It is very common knowledge at this point that digital circus takes place within a computer in some sort of office building (as is implied by the ending scene in episode 1)

This computer is also seen at another point... namely when Pomni is running through the backrooms-like offices. She once again comes across this computer.

Now this implies that this area is at least SOMEWHAT a reflection of the real world, so analyzing this location isn't inherently pointless. Now one other interesting part of this office area is the logo on the wall, which reads "C & A" which people have unanimously agreed to mean Caine and Abel

The important thing about this is that Caine as a concept is somehow connected to the person who created this game, through the founder choosing to name Caine after the company, or vice versa. Now you could easily argue that the company was named after Caine, or Caine acts as a self insert for the creator, but I am here to argue that maybe Caine IS the creator.

More specifically, Caine is an original creator of the game (not necessarily the sole creator) aka the amazing digital circus, and in testing an incomplete game managed to get himself trapped, as does any other player who chooses to attempt to play.

----------

Looking back at episode 1 there is something interesting for us to think about. Caine attempting to create an exit door, but being unable to figure out what to put on the other side.

Now this could very easily be interpreted as Caine being unable, as an AI who's only knowledge is of what's within the game, to imagine anything outside of it, and therefore fumbling the task. This is a reasonable interpretation, this was MY first interpretation, and it honestly adds so much horror to the episode on a first watch through.

But in all honesty that still leaves a lot unexplained.

The question still remains why Caine, as a struggling AI, would choose to create something like what he did. From his perspective he has never seen anything as dreary as these office buildings, nor does this space make any semblance of sense as Caine's environments tend to do. It seems less like something a well-polished AI would create, and more like what a human would come up with when trying to create something from a distant memory.

That's something incredibly important to keep in mind going forward. If Caine is in fact human, he would have been trapped in the digital circus for a LONG time, with it becoming increasingly difficult to recall his human memories (something it is confirmed humans trapped in the circus can recall). at the very least, longer then Kinger, who is clearly very mentally effected by his time at the circus.

Caine would likely also be showing some level of insanity or mental instability if he had been trapped with no escape for this long (and yes I do believe that he also cannot leave, and I have some evidence later down the line that will explain this perspective), and he hasn't been seen to do this at all, right? Well, I think he is, but it manifests a little differently then Kinger, or anyone else for that matter. Keep this in mind as we go forward.

----------

Caine's purpose within the circus is fairly straightforward. He is the ringmaster, he creates daily adventures akin to ttrpg oneshots, and he exists to essentially guide the player through this video game world.

Now in the event that Caine was a human who was pulled into the game, why would he need to fill this role? Even as a dev he should still be playtesting as, well, a player. I believe that at the time of the dev's entrapment, the ringmaster AI had not been programmed into the game.

Y'see the Caine we know is a MAJOR perfectionist. He neeeever likes anyone seeing his unfinished work, kinda odd for an AI within a game to be embarrassed about. Yeah, he's a generative AI that creates locations, but creating something in multiple steps is something an AI cannot do. Furthermore, an AI should not feel "embarrassed" about it's work, AI by virtue is always 100% convinced what it generates is perfect, or else it wouldn't have generated it like that.

Also, if we're working under the assumption that the backrooms-esque offices were just an AI hallucination or bad generation, why would Caine KNOW it's not what his players are looking for? For a dev however, this makes sense.

Caine also has a lot of other actions that, as an AI require a bit if suspension of disbelief, but make tons more sense if he's actually a human, and furthermore a dev.

As mentioned, perfectionism, not wanting people to see incomplete or unpolished areas of the game

Realistic depictions of emotions (frustration, embarrassment, confusion)

Annoyance at Bubble for being a sucky AI (her swearing, interrupting him, inhuman and unrealistic speaking patterns and behaviors)

the need to "Reuse AI" which, if the characters are all AI created by other AI would be unnecessary because AI generating would take Caine no effort. Nor should a generative AI ever run out of ideas.

As mentioned, perfectionism, not wanting people to see incomplete or unpolished areas of the game

Realistic depictions of emotions (frustration, embarrassment, confusion)

Annoyance at Bubble for being a sucky AI (her swearing, interrupting him, inhuman and unrealistic speaking patterns and behaviors)

the need to "Reuse AI" which, if the characters are all AI created by other AI would be unnecessary because AI generating would take Caine no effort. Nor should a generative AI ever run out of ideas.

I wanna highlight that, while this is a joke post, I am enjoying the implication that Caine has a name (something only a human would have)

(top right is a particularly interesting example of him just acting super human and "dropping the act" so to speak. Getting distracted, stuttering, losing track of the conversation, all that. And bottom right is similar as he is nervously fidgeting).

Caine has all the fixings of a human dev, trapped in his now incomplete game. A game that had not had it's "ringmaster" character implemented at this point in development, likely with nothing more then some competed (albeit unpolished) locations for the game.

The idea Caine is actually a dev as opposed to an AI is further supported by Caine's ability to create and alter things from within the game. Creating areas without human prompt, deleting characters, he seems to have a level of autonomy and intelligence that no AI should EVER have.

----------

Furthermore, the man ACTS human, a weird ass human, but a human nonetheless. He's responsive, emotive, emotional, and he's not nearly as glitchy as the other AI. He never slips up and activates some sort of internal filter like bubble, or insists on weird mannerisms like the moon or the sun, he seems to just KNOW better somehow.

He acts like the more "immersive AI" from ep2 if anything, which he's clearly been around longer than. Someone needed to program that AI, and based on previous patterns is implied to be Caine. Once again, way out of his job description as another AI (plus how would this AI be MORE realistic if it was learning from another, older AI).

Not to mention the fact he's ALWAYS around somewhere, whether he's in his own realm he made, or just chilling around the circus (unlike bubble for example, who comes and goes at Caine's will).

It's clear he does this for his own comfort, but WHY would he be programmed to do that as opposed to only existing when necessary to prioritize memory or something.

----------

But one would be right to say he's slightly... off. He is a strange one, if he was a human. He's erratic, unpredictable, and often manic at times. This goes back to the point I made with Kinger, where I claimed Caine should also be exhibiting signs of mental illness

Under the assumption that Caine, in the act of playtesting the game, got trapped, a handful of things would happen (the finer details are negotiable, this is just my knee-jerk reaction):

He'd realize what happened and that he can't get out

He likely felt as though he was in his own personal hell, as he was trapped in a scuffed, incomplete skeleton of his own passion project

He likely found some sort of way to alter stuff, a backdoor that only he as the creator knew about, or some sort of privilege in being the first to enter the realm

He got his first or first few players. This was probably alarming to him as there was no ringmaster, no worlds, nothing. All the AI he had created thus far had been poorly made and could not function which such a difficult task. But then he realized... HE could be the ringmaster

This is probably around the time as well that he realized he could not remember his own name. But he remembered what he wanted to call the ringmaster... Caine

He takes on the identity of Caine, acting as ringmaster, polishing the game behind the scenes, and creating daily activities on an "as needed" basis

----------

Now this is where it gets interesting. I believe, at this point, Caine has taken on the identity of this AI generated ringmaster for so long that he's beginning to lose himself. He's beginning to lose memories of his life, he's becoming more detached from the side of himself that ISN'T Caine, and he's starting to catch himself believing he IS Caine, he IS an AI.... and he's scared

He's completely lost the ability to create any meaningful connections with others, as he needs to keep up the illusion of being an AI. He's lost his humanity, become detached from the way other humans think and feel, and its starting to make him become more AI then human if anything.

(left image does not crop nice, plz click to view the whole thing TvT)

He's probably seen at least a dozen people lose their mind in so many different ways. While he knows he's different then them, TECHNICALLY he's still a player, and can abstract all the same. This is why he seemed to freak the HELL out at the idea of an AI and a human getting mixed up.

----------

One last bit, and it's a simple one I promise. Caine has been described as the main antagonist outside of the show. This is interesting as up until now Caine hasn't done anything actively malicious (aside from Gummigoo, but he seemed to have solid reasoning for that, just not anything he chose to share with the audience).

[does ANYONE have the "weight of Caine's sins?" tumblr ask I am having no luck finding it again]

At this point, this would be shooting the messenger. He is simply a byproduct of the system that is keeping these folks trapped, right? Caine himself didn't put them there, he just takes care of them.

Unless... Caine was the one who made the AI. Then he would inarguably be the reason everyone else was trapped there. And goose is right, that wouldn't make him an AWFUL person either, but he does still have many sins weighing on his back, and many deaths on his hands. And there's nothing he can do about any of it, because he's just as helpless as they are.

----------

So yeah, TLDR: Caine was the creator of the circus. In attempting to playtest he got trapped in the game and eventually took the initiative to play the ringmaster within his own game, but he is slowly beginning to lose his mind, as happens to everyone.

Hope you all enjoyed the read! If anyone's still interested at this point I have a few more small bits of evidence (more from outside the show on Goose's socials and whatnot) which I could not fit in the bulk of the theory. I'll reblog with some extra bits so this post is still complete but I don't break the flow of my main ideas.

And if you get this far, thank you so much. I don't typically post long form theories like this but if this gets any sort of traction I definitely will begin too.

[garchu-garchu]

Guys, I love Ace as a character. He's cool, he has an interesting story and growth, I love that he has a (quite literally) fatal flaw, and his parallels with Luffy are very nice...

BUT.

I'll always die on the hill that his death doesn't hit as hard as it could have. When Impel Down/Marineford comes by, we barely know anything about Ace himself. He has had such minimal screentime. We know and care for Luffy of course, so his unwavering determination to save his brother compels us to care too because we want Luffy to succeed, and Ace was a nice guy back in Alabasta so we have a shallow bond with him. We also know that he got caught in the first place because he wanted to defend Luffy, so it adds to that brother bond. That alone is part of why we care for his death - because it hurts seeing Luffy lose his brother after EVERYTHING he has done to save him. After he was already technically saved. It's a very touching scene to follow from Luffy's perspective, and Ace's last words are heartbreaking and bittersweet. It's very hard not to feel emotional because the scene is very well written.

But just IMAGINE if we had gotten the ASL backstory before. Of course, I'd tone down the "I'm not going to die!!!" Ace constantly says to still keep the shock of his death, but it would've been MILES more impactful. The backstory is there to add more context to Luffy's grief (and does an amazing job setting up the "I still have my crew" line), and it still hurts when you look back and realize how tragic Ace's death was in retrospect - but we've already felt the bigger feelings!!! The "climax" has already happened and only now we're building up on it? Don't get me wrong, this retrospective storytelling format CAN totally work. But this time, I think Oda should've gone with the standard "backstory to build the climax" format he usually does in his writing. Retrospective storytelling often works best with smaller bits of info, mysteries, and plot twists - not something so big and special like a character death. It also works for Brook! I think it's very clever to have his backstory only be told in the latter part of the arc as closure. Because we already know what happened to his crew and we've learned to care for Brook through the arc, so the scene hits hard like a truck. It works because his backstory isn't very relevant to the arc's climax anyway, only for his own character growth.

The ASL backstory gives us so much more insight on both why this is important to Luffy and helps us understand Ace's character. To me, the most heartbreaking fact we don't know in a first watch and that I think we should is the fact that Luffy (assumedly) has already lost a brother. This completely changes the framework here. It adds a very huge layer on why Luffy is so set to save Ace at all costs. He's lost a brother before, and he's not about to lose another. He has a chance this time. Back with Sabo, they felt hopeless - but now he's strong enough to at least try. And yet, he loses. He's all alone now. He's lost both of his brothers. And that's such an important tidbit we only learn after the fact!!!

We also completely miss the fact that Ace felt alone and rejected by the world ever since he was a kid. Yet he had a whole fleet he saw as a family and his little brother show up in the main Marine base to fight against all the Admirals just to save his life. This adds a LOT of impact to his last sentences and to Whitebeard's sacrifice. Yet... we don't feel that at the moment, either. We only learn of this later (if I recall correctly, I could be wrong about this one).

I genuinely truly feel like showing the backstory before would've made Ace's death more emotional. To me, as it's written, it feels like punching Arlong without knowing why Nami was hurting. It feels like seeing the Nine Scabbards' annihilation without seeing Oden's backstory. Or seeing the Going Merry burn without watching the rest of Water Seven. These would all still be emotional and impactful scenes on their own, but the context makes us understand their stakes and the emotional weight behind them. Because as it stands, Going Merry's death made me cry a river... while Ace's death made me emotional, maybe got my eyes a little watery. And it's a shame because I'm sure I would've cried a river too if I knew the whole context.

[freedomfireflies]

Hey lovey,

How are you doing? First and foremost, I’m so happy to have stumbled upon your blog—I absolutely adore your writing. You have such a beautiful ability to convey a story even in such a few words.

I know I’ve already requested a little something before, but in the event you do find time, and interest in my request, would you write something else for Chris?

Your latest blurb with Harry and Chris reminded me of a fic I read a while back about reader being Chris’ younger girlfriend and him being quite jealous and uncomfortable of her closeness to Harry Styles, given his age.

If you are comfortable, I’d love to see your take on Chris and a younger reader, who’s in her twenties. I don’t really have a premise in mind, but I feel given his history with anxiety and desire to settle down he’d be second guessing his decision to be with someone younger and maybe even feel insecure.

Thanks, sweetheart. 🤍

You are so sweet, thank you so much for reading and requesting 😭💞

“Right, which is exactly what I told him…before I realized he wasn’t even listening.”

“Oh, he never is, no. Unless you’re talking about statistical reports or the number of shares involved, he won’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about.”

“See, that would have been good advice before I wasted half an hour of my life trying to explain why Jack and Rose both being able to fit on the door was a moot point.”

Harry laughs as he crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. “Oh, well, now I’ve gotta hear this.”

Pleased to share, you clear you throat and sneak a glance at Chris. He’s heard this spiel a hundred times, and he smiles knowingly as he nods at you to continue. “Okay, well, obviously they both could have fit. Duh, that’s the first thing they try in the movie. But the second Jack climbs on top, it starts to sink, because it can’t support both their weight. Therefore, they both would have frozen to death, and Jack made the choice to die for her.”

Harry smirks, head shaking as he glances down at the floor. “Well…shit.”

“Exactly,” you agree. “I will die on this hill, it’s such a stupid argument. Because even if things had been different, Jack still would have chosen to die for her because that’s just who his character was. And, honestly? I think we can all agree that saving Leonardo Dicpario just…isn’t worth it anymore?”

He laughs again as Chris slips an arm around your hip and grins down at you.

“You…might have a point," Harry muses.

“Thank you,” you sigh, before you feel a familiar sort of tapping on your waist. You straighten up. “Anyway, thank you so much again for inviting us to your show. It was…so great to see you again, Har. Really. You’re doing so many amazing things. And I’m really proud of you.”

A lifetime of memories pass between you as Harry meets your eye and offers that understanding smile you’re so used to. 

“Anytime,” he says gently, throwing a grin to Chris as well. “Seriously, both of you are always welcome. Just let me know and I’ll make it happen.”

“We might just take you up on that,” you smirk before the tapping on your side increases. “Thank you again, and hey—good luck on your tour.”

“God, yeah, thanks,” he laughs as the rest of his team begins to fervently gesture him over. He winces. “I’m gonna need it.”

With that, he tosses you both a wave before the three of you part ways and disappear down different ends of the hall.

The drumming continues all the way down the corridor and even after you’ve rounded the corner.

It’s not until you find yourselves alone that you place your hand over Chris’s and give it a firm squeeze. “Okay, all right. What’s wrong?”

You slow to a stop, quickly turning to face him as you watch him sigh and look down at the floor. “Nothing. I’m fine, I’m just ready to go.”

But you know him. You know each nervous tic. You know he only taps your hip when he’s anxious. When he needs a reminder that you’re there.

“Chris…” you try again, fingers tangling in his shirt as you tug. “You promised.”

He looks at you, eyebrows weaving through the lace of guilt as he slips his hands around your wrists. “I know, but it’s nothing. Really—”

“Baby—”

“I…just…” He sighs yet again, one palm dragging down his beard. “Look, I know…I know he’s a part of your past. Okay, I know that. And I accept that, I just…I don’t know how to not…think about it.”

Your head tilts as you squeeze his shirt a bit harder between your hands. “Think about what?”

He goes quiet for a moment, eyes flicking between yours. “If you would have been…happier. With him.”

You lean back, almost as if struck by the very notion. “Why…baby, why would you say that?”

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip and shakes his head, seemingly embarrassed. “I know. I know, I just…you guys have a lot of shared history, you know? And I know he’s closer to your age, can maybe give you things that I can’t. So, seeing you guys together, it just…reminds me that I’m not…that I can’t be your past the way he can. That he’ll always be a part of what led you to me…and I just…I fucking hate that.”

With a wounded heart, your eyes soften. “And what is it you think he can give me that you can’t?”

“I don’t know. A husband that you don’t have to push around in a wheelchair,” he huffs, and there’s a hint of teasing, but you know he’s not kidding. “And he’s probably got a little more stamina than I do these days. Can go more places, do more things. Be who you need him to be. And being with him would probably open a lot of doors.”

“Okay, well, I can open my own doors, thank you,” you playfully retort, and you’re rewarded with a gentle smirk. “I’m gonna be honest, it sounds like you think about him a hell of a lot more than I do.”

He snorts and glances off down the hall. “Funny.”

“I mean it.” Your fingers tug once more on his nice dress shirt. “I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to go on that first date with you. I knew people would talk about our age difference, and I knew there would be things we’d have to work out. I knew. And I still said yes.”

He looks back.

“You know why?” you whisper, now reaching up to press your palm to his cheek. “Because adult diapers or not…I love you. I always will. You’re Captain fucking America, for pete’s sake! And obviously it’s not about how you look. It’s about who you are…but you better believe Harry was eating his fucking heart out when he saw who he lost to.”

He laughs. In that familiar, boyishly charming way you’re so obsessed with. “Wow, thanks. No, that was good. That was good. I’m cured.”

Your response is to reach up and press your lips into his. Firm but loving. Filled with every promise you might never be able to verbally make.

But every promise you plan to keep.

For a moment, he stills, seemingly taken aback by the sudden rush of intimacy. But, after a moment, his hands find a home on your waist, as they always do, and he seems to unwind.

And once you’re sure he’s begun to release some of his anguish, you pull back to see him. Really see him.

“Baby…and I need you to really hear me when I say this…you are the best goddamn thing that’s ever happened to me," you whisper, overcome with emotion.

He smiles, exhaling a gentle laugh as if amused with your effort but you’re far from done.

Your grip becomes a little harder. “I’m serious, okay? Things with Harry…were fine. They were fine. And yeah, maybe he’s a small part of what brought me to you, but you…Chris, you? You…are fucking everything.”

The smile slowly slips off his face at the earnest fervor in your voice.

“Every day when I wake up and see you in bed—in our bed—it reminds me that you weren’t just the right decision. Okay, you are the only decision. You are the only thing that makes sense for me. The only person that I need to be with. Fuck the past. The only future I want looks like you. It is you. You are all of it.”

And you’ve never meant anything more, and you can only hope that he feels exactly how much he means to you.

His expression softens as he releases a deep breath and slips his palm around the back of your neck to keep you close.

“I know that doesn’t fix it,” you tell him gently. “I know that. You think I like running into Minka Kelly and remembering your past? Fuck no. But there is nothing—and I mean this—that Harry could have given me. Nothing. I don’t even—I mean, I can’t even imagine what a future with him would have looked like. I don’t want to imagine.”

Your touch moves to his chest once again, fingers tapping over his heart. 

“When I see him, I don’t think about anything else but you,” you continue. “Honestly. I mean look at you. Come on. Harry doesn’t stand a fucking chance next to you. Not with that receding hairline of his and the complete lack of communicational skills. Seriously, you were such an upgrade for me, it’s not even funny—”

He dips down and kisses you again. Harder this time. As if to say everything he doesn’t know how to say aloud.

“I love you,” he whispers, nose nudging against yours. “I really, really love you.”

“I know,” you whisper back, smiling rather giddily. “And I mean it, Christopher Robert Jamal Evans. You are the best goddamn thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He groans playfully at the use of his full name but kisses you again anyway.

And you let him. Because kissing him feels like coming home. It feels like finally finding your place in the world. 

It just feels…right.

“Take me home,” you murmur the moment his tongue swipes at your bottom lip. “Take me home and make me your future.”

And who is he to say no?

His arm quickly loops around your lower back to tug you into his chest before he leaves you with one final reminder of who he is to you.

And you don’t imagine you’ll ever forget.

“Promise,” he says, smirking victoriously as his hand travels to your ass to give it a quick squeeze.

And you laugh before leading him out of the arena, hand and hand, the anxious tapping now nowhere to be found. 

And you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

~ Other Chris Blurbs

~ Full Masterlist

[dipplinduo]

How would you rank the gens?

Ope I feel like I'm gonna upset some people LOL so disclaimer remember these are just my takes.

But this is how I personally see them (counting remakes as being part of the gen they remaking):

Gen 9 - Paldea Region

I've been thinking about this since the games came out, so I'd like to say recency bias isn't as much of a factor here. Bugs aside, I genuinely, genuinely love the storytelling, characterizations, and open world approach. FRIENDS THAT FEEL LIKE ACTUAL FRIENDS?? HAVING THE LEGENDARY WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME, AND IT TOO HAS A PERSONALITY & BACKSTORY??? THREE SEPERATE STORYLINES THAT CONNECT TO A CANONICALLY DEAD PROFESSOR AND AN "EVIL AI" FINAL BOSS??? Like omg. I was amazed. I honestly usually dislike the "gimmicks" each generation brings, but terastilization caught my interest and I have a strong feeling nothing will personally top it as a gimmick for me. The DLCs really sent it all home for me for the #1 spot, like oh my god LOL. Past DLCs always just felt like something extra, but I literally cannot see this game as being complete without Kieran, Carmine & the rest of Kitakami/Blueberry peeps & their storylines. My interest in the games only grew because of all of it - and that's a massive compliment given the fact of how hard it is to accomplish such a level of monumental significance with only a few hours of gameplay. I've yet to replay the game with earlier access to The Teal Mask, but I feel like this would make it even more immersive. Just pure chef kisses here.

Gen 2 - Johto Region

A very close second. Heartgold/Soulsilver is the most elite remake in existence and idc if it's old school, I'll die on this hill. Johto is just so full of life - the continuation story is amazing, the immersion into culture and legendary stuff??? Mwah. Silver is an excellent rival, RED being a thing (the ultimate level of iconicism), and the double region will always hit. The soundtracks HIT and my god hearing them remastered iS INCREDIBLE. I even get obsessed with the pokeathlon dome and I'm usually not someone who gets into that kind of stuff. But THEY MADE IT FUN. And I love all the cute activities you can do with your team that can follow you around. So glad they brought this feature back. :')

Gen 5 - Unova Region

Oooooh I loved the reset of Gen 5. It's based on where I'm from and there were so many refreshing aspects of Black & White. From the new pokemon, to the NYC culture, to N & the whole beautiful storytelling there, and a sequel that somehow made everything even MORE polished. I literally remember referring to this region as the "Isshu Region" before the English names dropped becuase of the hype LOL. 10/10, cannot wait for these remakes. Gamefreak don't mess this up.

Gen 4 - Sinnoh Region

Oh, Gen 4. You hit good. The lowkey dreary vibes of Sinnoh is very nostalgic to me, and Piplup is one of my best buddies. Cynthia being the very first female Champion, and being as fearsome as she is, was such a big deal to me. Definetely Barbie'd her a bit in my mind because I look a like her and loved how much of an academic she was (but I def do not have her length in hair, lmao). Soundtracks are fire, of course. The way legendaries were integrated in the story without going too Dragonball Z was IMMACULATE, and the lake trio will always be my fave lil buddies. The only con I'd give this gen is that I disliked the HM reliance & D/P are practically unplayable to me since Platinum exists. I had low bars for the remake once I heard it wasn't Platinum, and ugh, they really dropped the ball. HOWEVER: while it isn't main line, I fucking love Legends: Arceus and would rather have that over an excellent remake, tbh.

Gen 1 - Kanto Region

This is another nostalgia one for me because of the fact that I quite literally was introduced to pokemon since before I can recall most memories (this is what happens when you have an older sibling with a gameboy, lol). It's probably tied with Gen 4, tbh. Firered wasn't my first game, but it hit really good because I "played" so much of R/B/Y. I know Gen 1 has its faults, and it's often seen as being pretty bare bones in comparison to other generations. And while I completely agree, god damn, what a good foundation for a franchise. Every town had a personality to it and is very memorable to me. The soundtracks are FIRE. Smaller pokedex, but damn does team building hit (and the starters are elite). Blue was also consistently my favorite rival until Kieran, lol. #oldrivalshipping/conflictingshipping was the original OTP xD

Gen 7 - Alola Region

So there's a lot of things I liked about Gen 7. It took a really big risk by breaking the formula, and it really immersed me into the Hawaiian culture & seeing your pokemon more as friends. I loved looking at pokemon in a different way and some of the pokemon introduced in this region are among my favorites (e.g. Ribombee, Bewear, Shiinotic, Mimikyu, Rockaruff, to name a few; starters also HIT). NEBBY AND LILLIE ARE ELITE. The professor is so lit, and Team Skull is the funniest team organization alive. AND YES, GET RID OF THE HMS. I honestly think a remake would make this gen jump up a bit more for me - the 3DS could barely handle this game, and it was showing. The facial expressions also need some work LOL, and I honestly dread the tutorial of the game. I like the ultrabeasts conceptually, but the execution of their involvement in the game is very DragonBall Z-ified. Ultra Necrozma lowkey would've been an amazing time for a "light" type even if it didn't make much sense, but hey, it was an awesome nuzlocke-killing moment anyway. xD

Gen 8 - Galar Region

I actually have a lot of play time for this gen. I was very obsessed with it when it came out, and could probably get glued to it all the same nowadays. But in hindsight, I realize a lot of my attachment to it was because of the semi-open worldness & ability to create a lot of different kinds of teams with a lot of new and old pokemon I like (I also liked having access to things earlier, like Ice Types before the end of the game lmfao). I still have a few things I really enjoy outside of it, though, like Hop's storyline & the setup of the gyms being in this stadium, sports-esque setting. But the plot? Eh. I have a lot of constructive criticism on how some shortcuts were made, and especially with the whole darkest day stuff lol. The only thing I liked about that fight was the dogs coming in and being cool; I wasn't impressed by or interest in Eternatus at all. The Leon fight afterward was fun, though! But oof, those weird men with the sword and shield hair afterwards were also just...no. :D DLCs also didn't quite hit that hard - it was more about having more pokemon than anything for me. So overall, it's fun to play, but I'd definitely change up the plot to make it better.

Gen 3 - Hoenn Region

This is where I think some people might wanna fight me, and to that I say you're probably valid. I don't know what it is with the Hoenn region because I actually don't have too many critiques about it (e.g., let's have less water routes); I just have never been able to get into it quite the same as I can others. I should honestly give it another shot, but I think I'd wanna do Emerald over Omega Ruby/Sapphire given the route they took everything with the remake lol. That's about all I have to say on this one since I never really connected with it as much!

Gen 6 - Kalos Region

This one feels like an especially hot take to have atm given where the pokemon community is in general LOL. Critical opinions ahead......Listen...no offense, but Gen 6 just ain't it for me at all. xD It's probably the one gen I actively dislike. The games felt way too easy with too much hand-holding/handouts, Team Flare & Diantha were a joke (and I'm not even a competitive player), and the whole group of friends felt more like an annoyance to me more than anything. They just weren't flushed out right. Neither was the plot. Like what was that plot. Outside of that, a lot of things just felt like "Look! Pokemon is in 3D now!!" over and over again because of how rushed the game was. So other than introducing fairy types & having pretty protagonists with some new clothing options, this gen is pretty forgettable to me. And that's a shame, because I like pokemon! I was one of those people who were curious on if we were gonna connect to Kalos for Gen 9, but I'd geniunely pick the DLCs we got any day of the week. I don't think Legends ZA will change much of my opinion on the mainline game, but given how much I loved Legends Arceus, I'm hoping it can be used to retcon & generate more interest/connection to the Kalos region in general.

Again, these are all just my personal opinions. I hope you all can enjoy pokemon in any way that feels good for you :) <3

[lunaslogs]

My Thoughts On Teen Wolf: The Movie

This is COMPLETELY my opinion and if you disagree, that is completely fine.

Unpopular Opinion: I actually really like the movie but that's mainly because I didn't even take it that seriously. It felt more like a comedy to me than it did a drama. I found myself laughing during parts I shouldn't have been laughing at. Eli getting taken by the Oni after he says "I can do this", Lydia yelling Allison's name, Scott's little entry montage when he exits the car before saving the little girl, Mr. Harris' reveal, literally any time Peter spoke, etc.

Most people call it a dumpster fire and a completely different universe from the show but personally, I don't really care.

I HAVE WATCHED THE ENTIRE SERIES BEFORE WATCHING THE MOVIE! So, I am familiar with all of the recurring characters from the series. I will admit, I wanted to see more of Hikari. Her character seemed very interesting. We got to see a little bit of her personality pop out in the beginning of the movie in the restaurant. A little bit of googling tells me that her and Liam are "good friends" and I kinda want to see their friendship more.

I think the only parts that truly disappointed me was Derek's death and the ending. Anyone who watched the show before watching the movie obviously felt a way about Derek dying and that includes me as well. But I didn't take it all that badly. It was more so the fact that his first beta, his uncle, his niece, and his son ALL watched him die and couldn't do anything to stop it. Like, that kinda killed me inside a little bit.

The ending where the guy goes "we've heard plenty of stories about teenage werewolves, there's always a new one" disappointed the hell out of me because they make it seem like there's going to be a sequel or continuation following Eli's storyline. While that would be ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, everybody in the TW fandom and their mother knows that it's not happening and that's the disappointing part. It would be freaking great to see Eli become the wolf his father believed he could be but we aren't getting that and even if it DID hypothetically come to fruition, knowing how most people feel about the writing of the movie, Eli's development wouldn't be done justice.

I get what people mean when they say that the writers completely screwed with Jackson's whole character and made him "dumb." This man's whole supernatural persona and his abilities were an entire plotline for a WHOLE season of the show and he even said that he has claws that can release paralytic venom and somehow, he didn't think to use it to his advantage? Granted, the movie takes place 15 years into the future where most of the characters that had already been established thanks to the show hadn't been in Beacon Hills or dabbled into the supernatural world in over half a decade. Not to mention that the time Jackson's character had exited the show, it was only season 2. So for him, it's almost 20 years. The Nogitsune plot appeared in the second half of Season 3 when he was already gone so he didn't exactly have a clue what he was up against. As far as supernatural ability, that can be excused. However, the naivety is a little... concerning. He was still funny as hell to watch, though.

Scallison amnesia plotline was a little bit mid but the montage of their memories together after Lydia yelled out Allison's name (which I laughed at, by the way) was kinda cute and jogged my memory a bit on the earlier seasons of Teen Wolf. Season 1 Scallison was honestly my favorite era of them and I think for a lot of Scallison shippers as well so seeing that made me a wee bit happy. Personally, I did like Allison better with Isaac but that's another story for another day.

Overall: I like it. But maybe cuz I don't take it all that serious and I just watch it to watch it. Eli must be protected at all costs, I want more Hikari and Liam interactions, let Jackson embrace the kanima completely, and live laugh love Roscoe Stilinski.

This is Luna, logging off!

[captain-amadeus]

Do you think Cedric is overrated, or just given so much attention that the fandom forgets the other characters exist? /gen

Also, I couldn't agree more about how wrong it is to put Cedric on a pedestal to make Roland look terrible; the man is an amazing father, and I will die on that hill!!

My opinion on Cedric in the fandom isn't as interesting as my opinion on the fandom's one-sidedness with King Roland.

I know I talk about Roland a lot, but man, I have so much to say about him that just doesn't get said enough.

I have so much to say about how the fandom is so biased with him and Cedric. The fact that he can't be a character who makes mistakes and learns from them is insane, especially since Cedric isn't a perfect person himself.

Even if Cedric's motives to take over the kingdom are sympathetic, it doesn't justify his actions. He was wrong in wanting to take over the kingdom and in hurting others like Sofia in his attempts, but people like Roland were wrong for doubting him for so long and believing the notion that he's not capable of great things.

Although Roland wasn't the main driving force in Cedric wanting to get back at everyone, those rightfully go to Goodwyn and Cordelia, he failed in being a needed support for Cedric because of how he was raised off the idea that Cedric isn't capable of being like his father.

There is so much grey area where Roland has a reason for thinking and acting how he does, just like Cedric in how he thinks and acts. There is nuance to both of their characters that the fandom neglects with Roland in favor of making him this black and white character, and it ultimately makes him unrecognizable to how he was in canon to the point that I could mistake someone's depiction on him for Roland's father. That's what they all remind me of: his father, whose been said to have been a great king but not a great father.

I feel there's so much untapped potential in regards to Cedric and Roland having their fathers be emotionally absent and growing up to give their next generation what they didn't. It's more interesting than having Roland be a bad father without considering the things he did as a father in favor of Cedric being the only one to care for Sofia. (There is a difference between making stuff mainly about Cedric and Sofia and making Sofia's own family useless with Cedric being the only one who can help her. Really, Sofia loves her family and her family loves her.)

People just haven't thought about it as deeply with Roland as they do with Cedric when it comes to reasoning, and at worst, they intentionally interpret his actions in bad faith.

It is so easy to interpret Roland as someone with good intentions. I just don't get why people would willingly make a character bad in their heads, but it always circles back to Cedric because it's always him that replaces Roland as Sofia's father.

It's never Sofia being comforted by Miranda, or spending time with Amber and James, or even talking to her animal friends or visiting her best friends, Ruby and Jade.

And even when it is about them, they're always overshadowed by Cedric. It is so rare to see something focus on anything other than Cedric to the point where I wonder what's the point in having any of the other characters present when they are just props for Cedric.

And there's nothing wrong with liking Sofia and Cedric's bond, no matter how you view it (except if it's in a romantic way, in which you need to reconsider why you feel that a full grown adult and a child would, eww.) I just feel there could be more to having Cedric being the only focal point in things, and even have him be a supporting role instead of the main focus. Having him accompany Sofia but focusing more on her interactions and relations with other characters would be so refreshing. Even exploring Cedric with other characters (cough maybe with Roland) could be a good change of pace.

All in all, I don't have anything against others or how much Cedric is focused in the fandom because some people may just like Cedric better. And if I don't want everything to be about Cedric, then I can just make my own things about other characters. It just bums me out the things I've mentioned, and I hope to make it to where there's a bit more diversity in the fandom when it comes to other characters.

Also I love Miranda ok bye

[daomaikeng]

rating and reviewing BLs i have watched so far (unupdated as of april ‘23)

hi this is just a post that i wanted to include in my page but it was getting too long lmao. this is just like a list of all that i’ve watched so far, in order. i won’t be including their plots here, but there might be spoilers. these are just my opinions in case someone new wants to bond over shows and wants to know what i thought 🤌🏽

we best love (both seasons) - 10/10. first BL that i watched, lowkey changed my life. absolutely obsessed with it, comfort series that i keep rewatching. absolutely amazing acting by everyone involved.

history3: trapped - 8.5/10. tang yi. no words. beautiful acting and cinematography, the plot was handled pretty well and i was pretty much broken by the last episode. jack and zhao lian are my children. i’m still obsessed with the OST, i listen to it multiple times a week. just goes to show how much a good soundtrack can still keep a show in your mind even if you watched it months ago.

bad buddy - 1073392729/10. HOE MY GOD. where do i start. all i’ll say is i’ll never be the same, this series is IT for me. THE show for me. nothing will ever come close. one day i’m gonna meet p’aof and cry on my knees. i will never be able to put into words just how much this series means to me, or just how important it is to me, or just how influential this has been for my life. i’ll never be able to get over it.

2gether the series - 6/10. didn’t watch the second season because s1 was so disappointing even if i finished most of it in one night. brightwin are cute and all but they were giving brothers i’m sorry 💀 their chemistry just sizzled out halfway. and they both need acting lessons i’m sorry

love in the air - 9/10. fort thitipong simp forever. first show that i watched while it was ongoing. came for payurain, stayed for prapaisky. although it’s lowkey rapey (which is to be expected from mame) i loved how well they handled the characters

tharntype - 6/10. started because i had heard so much about it, but abandoned it halfway. aside from the dubious consent (again, mame, people can’t consent when they’re asleep), the internalised homophobia got too toxic

star in my mind - 7.5/10. joongdunk are adorable, but they could’ve done a little more with the plot. the Feels™️ were lacking a little bit. cute show overall though. and i’m one of the five people who will die on the hill that seanmaitee are canon and deserved an official kiss

semantic error - 8.5/10. first KBL that i watched, finished it in one day. very beautifully done, all the colour symbolism etc was interesting as hell. pretty cute, although i do wish we could’ve gotten more fluff

love mechanics - 8/10. saw a short on yt and was convinced about the angst. boyyyy was i wrong, it was so much more angsty than i thought. highkey toxic and unhealthy too, but i’ll let it go. forever simping over p’bar. the parents angle was annoying but eh. i will say though, i had to take a lot more breaks while watching than usual, it became too much at points. we did get a little fluff at least though so

my tooth your love - 9/10. yes i hate the title. very very nicely done, the perfect representation of how trauma affects you even when you’re older and just how much it holds you back. convos about mental health, therapy, not letting your lover treat you like shit, AAAAA 🤌🏽🤌🏽 finished this in one day too. they didn’t magically have a moment where they forgave each other and kissed after confessing. they both worked to prove they were in this for the long run, and xun’an didn’t hesitate to hold bai lang accountable for being a jerk. really breaking all the BL barriers sjdhsjh 😭😭 the only part that annoyed me was his dad beating him up like hello?? he’s 30?? 💀💀 fucking vile. but bai qing is an icon and i love her and i would die for her. simp for alex speaking in english randomly. him and rj deserved more scenes and they need to be canon now!!!!!

roommates of poongduck 304 - 7.5/10. i had heard SO much about this so i had high expectations but i was kind of let down, i mean we really only got them together in ep 7. the chemistry, acting and side characters were great but tbh i feel like i’d have loved this a lottttt more if it had been a little spaced out, more episodes, had better conflict resolution and just better overall detailing. still a cute watch though

currently watching:

never let me go - this series is going to break me, i already know. phenomenal acting, symbolism and cinematography. every wednesday you can find me crying because it is just so excellent, the brainrot is real. can’t wait for more episodes

my school president - OBSESSED with them for real. they’re the toned down version of bad buddy, which i have proven in a post. can’t wait for them to be their high school’s power couple. very very wholesome

those are all for now! i’ll keep updating this post as i watch more. my to-watch list is already overflowing but i’d love your recommendations too!! and i’m always willing to scream about any given show so feel free to join me. :) x

[theinstagrahame]

Another month and a bit, got some more great games coming through! It's time for the indie/small press RPG mail call round-up!

Die - Bizarre Love Triangles: I generally love Rowan, Rook and Deckard's work, and really enjoyed the roughly half that I read of The Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen. So, the original book was a match made in heaven for me. The promise of a Collectible Card Game adventure for it? Done. Sold. I'm there, and sign me up.

Inevitable: I think a lot of people had similar reactions when they pulled Inevitable out of its box: Whoa, this is big. The last few books have been closer in size to the middle row of books, but there's apparently too much ruined Western Arthuriana for one book to contain. Played this on a stream, it's good.

Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast: I honestly can't wait to dig into Yazeba's, because it seems like the kind of game we need more of. It's that Found Family experience, the whole character-based gameplay that people love, but also designed to really keep things fresh even on repeat playthroughs. I'm really curious to finally dig in.

Wickedness: This was offered as an Add-on to the Yazeba's Backerkit, and I was intrigued by the pitch: You and two other players form a coven, and you do queer witch stuff. It's a beautifully made book, and I've got a lot of friends who I think would dig it.

Songbirds 3e: I picked up an earlier edition of Songbirds in an Itch Charity Bundle, and was really intrigued by the game. Snow does amazing things with layout and vibes, and is a really excellent game designer. I really wanted that edition in hard copy, but never found it, so a third edition was an instant get.

Kids on Bikes 2e: I know KoB mostly through the Brits on Bikes podcast, and I really enjoyed the system. I love systems that make use of all the dice in interesting and fun ways, and I really couldn't wait to see what a new edition would look like.

Apocalypse Keys - Doomsday Delights: I've recently been reading the Hellboy comics, and thoroughly enjoying them. I also already have Apocalypse Keys, which does an incredible job of making the comic even more queer, so completing the set with the fun stretch goal books was kind of an obvious call.

The Wolf King's Son: Vincent and Meguey Baker make amazing games, including the engine that runs so many of the games I like. I've been following their recent series of zines, and this popped up in that feed. I haven't checked out Under Hollow Hills, but even based on what I've seen from this, it's a must-have.

Pitcrawler: Wizards are the 1%, and we Pitcrawlers, disposable adventurers, are here to rob from the rich. It ticks all my boxes, and it looks good doing it. The campaign also hit while I was about halfway through my Magnus Archives listen, so it was an instant back for me.

Outliers: Everything Sam Leigh makes slaps, so yeah. Weird corporate science horror? Solo adventures? Hell, even the Far Horizons Co-op association really got me.

Here we Used to Fly: Picked this up also because of @partyofonepod, who played a really beautiful and bittersweet episode with the creator. I have always been a little too anxious as an adult to consider breaking into an old theme park, but I definitely have my share of fun memories of them as a kid. I'm also starting to envision other games this would pair really well as an epilogue to, should I ever get back into the AP scene.

Another game has arrived in the mail since I started this, but that's gonna be next month's first game, I guess!

[akimojo]

I'm very happy I found your blog! I absolutely ADORE ff13. The story, the characters, the mythos... it's all so compelling to me. I get frustrated whenever I see people hate on this game because I honestly do not understand why some claim it's the worst ff in existence? I totally get that the combat is not everyone's cup of tea (I personally love it) and that the linearity can be tedious to players who enjoy big open worlds, but in terms of the story itself and its characters I really can't comprehend what all the negative backlash is about. Which sucks because I truly would like to understand where the hate is coming from. My only major criticism is that the exposition could have been better executed, since a lot of it is hidden in the datalog entries. But other than that, I think the characters are very complex and the way the story unravels around them is a wonder to experience. Also as a side note, I can't believe people still hate Hope and accuse him of being annoying and useless when he's arguably the character that evolves and shows the most growth in the entire game 😭 It's almost as if the people who hate on him didn't finish the game. But yeah, I was wondering if you have any criticisms regarding ff13? I'm very interested in your opinion!

GODDD i know right??? subjective opinion is all fine and dandy, but it's the people that claim the game is objectively bad that really frustrate me 😭 ESPECIALLY when they shit on any of the characters (hope my boy </3) because honestly??? ffxiii has THE best character arcs in the whole franchise and that's a hill i'll die on

as for criticisms? i actually do have some, believe it or not fdjsmf

as much as i personally love the gameplay i gotta admit i don't like how slow-paced it can be. boss fights are really really fun, but fighting regular mob enemies when you're grinding (and you really do need to grind a lot after reaching pulse) can get real tedious

i like that not everything is told to us directly and that we have to figure out a lot of stuff on our own, but i do dislike how some important information in the datalogs are not really brought up in the game itself. like the first time i played xiii-2 i was so confused when serah mentioned being saved by vanille once? and then in 2021-ish when i replayed xiii again and read the datalogs i saw that they actually wrote that vanille and fang carried serah out of the vestige after she was turned l'cie and i just!! why was that not at least hinted at some more!!

also, they did vanille's english voice actor so dirty 😭 she does such an amazing job in the sequels and i don't understand why the english localization team made her do all those noises in xiii lmao

speaking of vanille, i'm also really disappointed that her and lightning barely interact!!!!! they're the two most important characters in the first game but they probably have the least interactions together out of any other pair in the group and it bugs me so much ashdfjms

[aro-aizawa]

stardew valley mods i'd make if my brain didn't melt when i try to understand basic game modding:

krobus dialog overhaul - mostly just his roommate dialog, smth abt it gives me the ick. vaguely feeling aphobic, but likely unintenional.

villager interactions - a lot of the villagers have routines/interactions with other villagers like the sebastian, sam and abigail friend group or penny and maru's bookclub. but we don't really get to see them interact outside of player focused cutscenes, or just vibing together. like if the player gets 4 hearts w penny and maru, they join their bookclub. or a group cutscene on the tuesday yoga classes. also a great opportunity to do smth w the wizard/caroline/abigail thing. abigail being taught magic would be cool as fuck but also make her the most interesting marriage candidate tbh.

related to the top two options: the ability to integrate krobus and the dwarf to the rest of pelican town - the fact that though krobus and the dwarf appear in the relationships tab, they're so static, literally staying in the exact same place unless invited to a movie or become a roommate. fleshing them both out as villagers would be nice, even if its just on the small scale. i feel like abigail would be great friends w krobus or the dwarf.

plausible housing for the unnamed npcs that are employed by joja/movie theatre. what, they just.... live in the building? not even an unenterable house near where the bookseller is stationed? i feel like there should be more npcs that need housing but idk

linus moving his tent regularly - this is just,,,, a minor thing that bugs me but i always make linus my bff in every run, but since he's so attuned to nature i always like the idea of linus moving his tent occasionally to a new area. around the woods in places, near the tide pools, if the player has opened up the secret woods, then in there too, tucked away from slimes.

more sandy content!!!!!! - where does my girl sleep? right behind her counter??? because i see absolutely no door leading to a bedroom. also friendship cutscenes would be cute as fuck, or emily visiting the desert more often than just on her birthday. also trans sandy i will die on this hill.

the ability to order things from robin when she's not at her counter - like if she's off on her tuesday gym get together or w/e you could leave a note at her place w the materials. maybe it might take an extra day or two but i am so tired of remembering on mondays or tuesdays i need to order a building, then having to spend ten minutes in the house waiting for the exact moment she passes her counter. rip.

more remixed community bundles - like the generic mod config menu has been doing amazing work, the ability to use that to set up a custom configuration of bundles would be great. or even an option to have only the remixed bundles, like the seasonal foraging ones are boring, give me more like the medicinal bundle or the sticky bundle. make me have more variety in how i set up my farm and what crops i grow.

more platonic cutscenes!!!! - i wanna be like unofficially adopted by evelyn and george as their grandkid, them tell the player things about their grandpa, and alex is just like :/ guess my grandparents have another grandkid. helping out w gus or smth and together him and the player make a new recipe, fishing w willy and one of you reels in a massive fish. getting lewis to stop needlessly hiding his relationship w marnie bc literally no one would care if they were dating why is this scandalous, you're both unmarried and its not like he exempts her from business tax.

[gamblersdoll]

Hello~ I was wondering if I could maybe get something (headcanons, fic, anything, you can choose) where Guts and reader are a lot alike and they end up comforting each other? like maybe they aren’t together yet, but there’s a lot of chemistry there. And if possible I think it would be nice if it started out fluffy and then maybe got a little smutty? If it’s too complicated I understand. Thank you for reading and have a good day!

hi sweetheart, yes you can. thanks for your submission!🩶

cw: oral(f receiving) and fluff. pre eclipse and post eclipse, mention of death

when you and guts met, it wasn’t necessarily a good nor bad start, it was just, you both were there.

you were like each other, more to yourself. of course a great helping hand to the band, and of course you would go at each others throats, with the separation caused by griffith.

so at first you weren’t necessarily buddy buddy. but he respected you, although a woman– you could hold your own. and it led to small talks, talks of his past, never really about yours. (which, he kind of hated.) but, he would never miss the curve of your hands, or the heat radiating from your waist. he wouldnt miss the lingering glances on each other.

hes also amazed when are able so slightly to lift his sword– compared to others. yet you still were able to remain ‘soft.’

unfortunately for you, his heart was set on something else. or someone, you could never tell with that brute. and unfortunately that caused him to believe you weren’t interested, so he did end up having his heart set on something(one) else.

the nights you had to sleep next to each other, hes somewhat needy. but its a ‘i need warmth’.

and when the eclipse happened, everything changed within him. you, casca, guts, and ricket were the only standing survivors— minus casca losing her memory. and guts losing some parts of him.

“im coming with you.” you said, folding your arms in a stand.

“no, youre not.” he gruffed out, trying his hardest to move past you. you were quick, he would always give you that. “if you werent a woman-“

“-youd push me the fuck out the way, i know. but would you rather just die out there or have someone come save your ass?”

and you bet he needed you–what?

and you both are around a campfire, remembering the death of your friends, almost yourself. but he held you, trying your best to stay warm. this time, his and your hearts were somewhat pounding. remembering when you were much younger, going at each others throats because of how shut off you were from each other. you would mistake him as a brute, a careless person. and he mistaken you for a callous woman, someone who was only ready to snap back or look up with soft eyes.. yet in a battle field.

so how you ended up in this mans arms? you didnt know. currently on some hill under a tree while his and your weapon are dug into the soil of the earth. he only wishes that things were different between you and him, somewhat. and you were on the same page. you wouldnt be able to see how happy you were to opening up, (hence, causing him to open up more, and why he had an arm around your waist.)

so what was stopping you? fear. but guts was a ‘damned if i do damned if i dont’, and thats how you shared a kiss.

for a strong man, he was delicate with your lips, pepper kisses first, then he would put a hand on your cheek and kissing you softly. his skin would get goosebumps from the way your delicate hands would slide against his skin, crawl through his hair. and putting a hand on his arms.

and where were you now? on your back, with a large hand pinching your nipple and a mouth on your clit. your legs somewhat ached, being pried open by his arm and desperately lapping away at your folds. he had been wanting- no, needing this. he needed to know what you tasted like three damn years ago! but he had you now. he missed out on this?

and hes the one desperately needing you to cum, curling his tongue in your walls and making your delectable moans louder. he didnt care for himself being able to climax, but you? he was demanding that you did. and after you did, he was all over you.

he vowed himself to protect you, protect you from the enemy, especially griffith. and you vowed yourself to him, of course, you both did it silently. but that did not stop you both from waking up in each others arms and feeling each other’s breaths.

“dont leave, ‘kay?” he said, holding you in an arm and feeling the vibrations of his vocal cords on your head.

“im not, i promise.” you said, and thats how you both made promises— pinky promises.

[visitorjon456]

Murder Drones Ep. 7 Rant Review

Before I get started I just want to say that I respect Liam Vickers/Glitch and co for always trying to put their all into these indie animations shows and bringing them into the light for us all to watch in either awe, amazement or entertainment. But as much as I appreciate their efforts I can't say that the Murder Drones series is flawless nor the handling of certain episode storytelling is good. I'm going to start with the few things that I liked about the episode:

The Good

Mitchell keeping Yeva out of the Cathedral due to immediately noticing the Sentinels disappearances and figuring out somethings up.

J's brief graceful flying paired with Eternal Dream+Techno music as she leaves in the ship.

Typical walking away scene as explosions set off behind them.

The Nori+N vs. Cyn/Uzi fight was kind of cool but I feel like any actual serious/tense moments were wasted due to N not giving it his all in the fight and finally accepting that he has to brutally kill Uzi now.

Khan showing up with a replica of Uzi's railgun and being not nonplused about being lifted into the air or what's happening to the planet at large.

Now that's out of the way; moving on to the bad parts...

The Bad

I hope when episode 8 comes around that Glitch will have a new Murder Drones intro that will feature V along side N and Uzi because I don't know why they couldn't just add Uzi along the previous intros, besides the crew wanting to be silly/mischievous, before episode 7 dropped. I'm not exactly hanged up on it but I do hope it does get changed though.

I'm pretty much always going to die on this hill and say that ep. 7 should have been an almost or full on flashback episode that heavily features the Cabin Fever Test Subjects, particularly Alice, Yeva and Nori, and the Humans as well. The reason for this is because I'm a firm believer that even if you have a small group of main protags of a show/novel that doesn't mean that the spotlight should be fully on them 24/7 and not have any of that be given to side characters that can be just as interesting as the protagonists.

Most importantly of all I want to see how each character was using there Solver powers and how Nori was the most practiced when using it.

I don't like the fact that Nori is just Uzi 2.0 but older and seemingly a bit more mature than Uzi. I would rather headcanon her a egoist, self-assured, aggressive, lack of empathy, talented Solver Host that was sometimes given special privileges by the Humans and the one who deliberately caused the Core Collapse on Copper-9 and almost all of it done without being Solver-possessed.

I dislike the fact that Liam Vickers finds it funny and acceptable to portray Humans as this almost technologically backwards/advanced, idiotic, and bad decision making civilization in Murder Drones. To really illustrate my irritation with this matter; the complete beginning of episode 7: You can't tell me that all those scientists are literally trying to get Nori/Solver under control but not have any 3-4 Solver Test Subjects that are either in the Cathedral with them or just outside the doors, waiting.

And seriously, the Humans have all the Test Subjects wrapped up in chains and stuffed into lockers instead of in high-security rooms. Really, Liam.

I hate how Liam has made Uzi so unbearably emotionally dumb and vulnerable just so things can happen easier within the episode instead of working towards it properly. Like, it's understandable that Uzi starts to get upset and a bit defensive towards N and "Tessa" but she should know better then to keep using the Solver in her state but also to completely go off on her own through the tunnels. It doesn't help matters that N is also forced to be an idiot at times and didn't immediately run to Uzi's side in order to not be separate from each other due to the dangers of the tunnels.

I fucking hate you Liam. You are going to force J to job really hard against three minor characters. Don't even think about it. My heart goes out to you J.

Again the Nori+N vs. Cyn/Uzi fight was okay-ish but is heavily held back with the fact that N won't do what he needs to do and brutally put Uzi down for good.

Just like how I give my condolences to J for what's going to happen to her in the next episode, I also feel sorry for both Tessa and Doll as the former is possibly being worn as a still living skinsuit and the latter got her chest cavity torn out but also got her Core eaten. Of course given the merch leaks we will probably see Doll again in ep. 8.

Liam once again making characters emotionally stupid with Uzi footballing her mother into the fleshy hell pit and N doing fuck all about.

Literally seeing Uzi and N screaming and slowly coming towards each other to hug is the single most over the top thing in this episode and I hope both of them die for it.

Overall this episode is just a 4.8/10 honestly.