#ok. what does that... solve... bring to the conversation

[stabknives]

I don't love that every time a famous artist turns out to be a fucking disgusting piece of trash loser evil shitstain that everyone always scrambles to say WELL THEIR ART WAS ALWAYS MID AND BAD ANYWAY. like dude just reckon with the fact you can't judge someone's moral fiber based on the art they make or the clothes they wear or the way they speak or fucking anything anything at all

[maelancoli]

Adding Tension After the Ship Happens

i feel a lot of slow burn ships lose steam after the characters finally get together, whether it's just from sleeping together or them actually engaging in a relationship, so here are some ideas for how to maintain steam.

their problems are not solved now that they've crossed the thresh hold

first things first, the plot itself i'm sure has other details than just their relationship. even the most fluffy of fluff has other things going on than kisses and giggles. don't abandon these details once the relationship truly begins. and if there was any kind of unresolved tension point or previously mentioned ex/trauma/insecurity/fear bring it back! bring things back around that might put a strain on a new, tender relationship. this can either make them have problems or be a way to develop their bonds and *show* it in action. any of these foreshadowing/resurrected points can be added in edits if you didn't start out with them or with retconning if you're writing rp/fanfic. all the writers do it. we see it in tv everyday it's ok if u gotta pull a rabbit from a hat.

their relationship will not be suddenly smooth and solid as if they have been married 20 years

okay they kissed/fucked/agreed to be together. now what? what circumstances kept them from getting there sooner? are those circumstances still present and how will they deal with it as a team? you also don't have to have characters officially together once they've done something physical. there is still discussion to be had and boundaries/expectations to establish. those conversations could be interesting to explore. and, even more-so, this is the perfect point for plot to happen and keep them from being able to have those conversations when they should. you can add angst, you can add miscommunication, you can add anything that tickles your fancy. especially a perfect time to have an ex return to cause some tension and uncertainty if they haven't made it official. they don't know what they are yet and that uncertainty is a delicious point to write it and really give the characters a hard time

utilize the main plot's tension

again, if you're writing more than just a contemporary fluffy romance, the romance should enrich the main plot. the romance as a subplot should be a component which merges with the main storyline and does not take away from it. if you don't want to milk the will-they-won't-they anymore than you already have it's time to build the relationship up in the midst of OUTSIDE conflict. let them disagree about how to resolve problems. let them butt heads. let them be scared and do and say stupid shit because they're scared. let them be worried or angry or frustrated and have to figure out how to balance their newfound vulnerability with who they are and were before that point. let them hurt each other a little so they can come back together stronger.

utilize the characters around them

if it is a plot which is mainly romance filled, then think about the tension from the lives around them. think about their loved ones and how their own issues could influence the plot points the characters have to face together. this could be a time for them to be introduced to loved ones. you could throw in a group trip with silly mishaps and shenanigans. you could even have loved ones try to break them up or doubt the love interest. navigating new relationships while also dealing with friends and family can be a source of plot and tension in and of itself. this can be a point to let love interests reassure each other and prove their salt. it can help them grow closer. it can be the heroic moment for one of them to stick up for the other or prove they're there for them no matter what.

overall if you're struggling with what to do after the slow burn feels like it's sizzling out it's time to zoom out. make sure you are not losing the whole picture of their environment or steamrolling past the real development of new relationships.

[prone-to-fleeting-obsessions]

Dating Veritas Ratio Affection hc's

Will not leave you alone...

He's like a tall, very vocal shadow

It's basically just become common place for him to immediately follow you whenever you're heading, without saying a single word, continuing the focus on his activity of writing or reading or whatever as he follows a step behind you

Occasionally he'll look up and be sort of surprised about where exactly you've unconsciously led him, but won't actively admit he was just following you mindlessly

It's very common for him to be constantly solving your minor problems, too

He doesn't want to encourage you relying on him for everything, of course, but any small way he can make your life easier is an action of second nature

Obviously, he has a drink you like all set out and ready for you after an exhausting day, of course the bills, taxes, and other horrible legalities are already taken care of, and yes there's a bath drawn for you, don't look so surprised

He's basically constantly anticipating potential problems or dangers you might face, and takes preemptive steps to keep things safe and pleasant, you can be pretty much positive any action you take has been preemptively thought over thoroughly on your behalf

He's not necessarily going to tell you what to do, but if there is a 'right answer', he will be making it known

Despite his schedule, he is almost borderline devoted to taking some time out of the day to more thoroughly learn about your hobbies and current interests

If you are going to be engaging in stimulating conversation, it wouldn't be fair to make it only about his interests, and all knowledge is beneficial knowledge

Really, engaging in thoughtful conversations and taking real initiative to show he values your interest is his love language

Pretty much any hobby you love, he'll be making an attempt at, if only to spend more time together

If you go searching, you might occasionally find little sticky notes written around his working area, a lot of which are simply fleeting thoughts to be explored in greater depth later (including design plans for a little gadgets he thinks you might get use out of), but a good handful mention your name specifically and different things he wants to bring up with you, or even gift ideas for down the line

Once he realizes that you've been digging around there, he'll probably start writing them in code, giving you just enough time to crack exactly what the conversion is before switching to another, making it into a sort of puzzle

Due to his connections, note taking, and overall general perceptiveness, he is utterly fantastic at giving gifts

If he realizes you two are growing sort of disconnected, or even drifting, because of your need for emotional support, he begrudgingly takes a course or reads extensively on emotional intelligence to better understand and respond, without directly telling you of course

On days when you two aren't able to see each other because of his traveling, he writes stupid long texts filled with his usual style of difficult to read sophisticated language detailing everything you're missing out on and a good handful of check ins for what exactly you're doing and if you're fairing ok

Definitely won't admit to it, but he gets a little paranoid sometimes

His physical affection is usually subtle, that's not his specialty after all... But it's common to find a hand resting somewhere on you keeping you close, or a subtle small kiss on your hand or cheek as a reminder that he does really love you, even if it's done with a rather stoic face

Genuinely doesn't get embarrassed over PDA

Why on earth would he care what anybody else thinks? It's not their business, he's certainly not going to hold back making you feel better over something as stupid as how other people think of him

His compliments tend to feel a bit blunt, as with the rest of his speaking, lacking any sort of nuance or emotional flair, but they all feel incredibly genuine too, like a real testament to your character and accomplishments, always catching you off guard when they do happen

At the very least, you can be thoroughly sure any sort of compliment is given genuinely and with plenty of thought put into it, as he isn't known to hold back on telling his real feelings about somebody to their face...

[emo-gremlin]

SFW Mr. Puzzles x Reader!

PDA IS A MUST. He's always holding your hand, hugging you, tapping his screen against your forehead, arm around your waist (only after you've made it clear that he can do so)

Was never in a real relationship (platonic or romantic) until you. He definitely pulls stuff he saw in romcoms when you first got together. You admired his gestures, but you did eventually sit him down and explain not every romantic relationship is like the stuff on TV.

After you guys have that conversation, he tones it down a little, but he's still quoting the cheesiest lines and he will not be stopped

Tries to spend as much time with you as he can.

Have a dream of stardom? He's doing everything he can to help you get there. Prefer to stay in the shadows? He's fine with that too.

An absolute doting sweetheart.

Very nervous about touching you at the start, he knew enough from TV that consent is key in a relationship, and didn't want you uncomfortable. So once you clarified PDA to him, he never breaches those boundaries unless you say it's OK.

He still has his temper, but has not, and WILL NOT use his power OR raise a hand against you. He told you at the beginning if he ever does that to kill him, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that. He usually holds himself up in his office. You can tell he's upset if his voice glitches and he reeks of cigarette smoke.

It takes a while before he opens up to you about his childhood, and what drove him to the 'Transformation' as he calls it. It's an extreme sign of trust that he tells you about it. He tries to remain a puzzle to his audience, you are the first to get the tools to solve it.

Watching anything with him has stages.

1st time watching something: Remains quiet unless you don't understand a plot point, or need help identifying an actor.

2nd time: Fun facts about production, the tricks they used to get certain shots, gets more in depth with the Lore and explains symbols if there is any.

3rd time: Starts pointing out errors, plot holes, starts talking about how HE would have done it if he had been on the crew.

He usually stays in these guidelines unless the movie is GODAWFUL or is TRYING to be so bad it's good.

Loves having your input on his scripts, costumes (you may end up being a living mannequin for him at times if he's having trouble), set design, etc.

Will list you in the credits, but if you prefer a nickname to be used, he will use that instead.

CUDDLEBUG. My boy didn't get much physical affection as a child, and it shows. He's also a big spoon.

Absolutely adores everything about you, and it shows when he talks about you. Smiling wide, very energetic, so in love with you that you wouldn't be able to keep it a secret.

Loves being able to just slow down and enjoy being with you. Even if he's working on a script at his desk, he loves hearing a soft giggle while you look at memes on your phone on the couch.

Wanna watch something but afraid that there's content in it that might trigger something? No problem! He has no issue listing off what it includes for you. (If you still have interest in the plot, but wouldn't be able to see the media, he'll spoil the plot so it saves you the trouble.)

Always up before you, and definitely a malewife when he isn't working. He tries his best to be there when you wake up before he goes to work. If he can't, he leaves a note and fresh made coffee/tea in the pot.

You have to pull him away from watching the negative reviews, otherwise he WILL obsess over them and work himself to death trying to make them happy.

He's ready to commit various warcrimes if anyone so much as looks at you funny if you asked him to. You're the first person to actually stand by him and he's not letting anyone hurt you.

Definitely will set up private dates on his more romantic sets for the two of you. He turns all the cameras away from the set, as a way to show that this is all for you and you alone.

Will bring you with him if he's filming something in an exotic place. He makes sure you two get enough time together to see the sights.

Has invited at least one of your favorite actors/directors/writers to a birthday party. If you ask him not to, he will be a little disappointed, but respects it. (As long as he can AT LEAST get you their autograph)

Gets invited to an award show? You are going with him, but will try to convince the cameras not to point in your direction if you feel uncomfortable. He wants to share his success with you.

While he can't get props from your favorite movies, if you show interest in a particular prop from his sets, the second filming is done, it's yours. Same with costumes.

I love him your honor

[alltheboysandgirlsiloved]

I really loved season 3 despite the heartbreak and pain, but there are several things that, in my humble opinion, could be explored in a bit more satisfying way. When I was thinking about that, I realized that my dissatisfaction comes mostly from the fact that this season relied on emotional reactions and behaviours rather than conversations.

(spoilers and personal criticism below the cut)

Before you say anything, yes, I am fully aware that jwcc/ct have always been shows that played with viewers' emotions a lot, and that relied on the emotional impact that the characters were taking. It's a plot-driven story with a lot of adventure that roots from sci-fi – naturally, emotions play a bit part in it. However.

Seasons 1 and season 2 were seasons heavily laced with drama. That drama was accumulating all the way to season 3, or rather – to the season 2 finale. And I think that season 3 was the time to actually talk about some things. As I was watching season 3, I couldn't help but notice that maybe sometimes a tiny shortcut was taken when it came to solving some problems, or rather – that some issues were skimmed over, briefly mentioned even.

The best example of this is, more or less, avoiding the topic of Ben hiding that Brooklynn was alive throughout the entire second season. That was a massive part of the second season! He was on a whole different quest! I really thought (I was almost certain) that we would get a scene in which he gets to properly talk to Darius, Yaz, Sammy and, of course, Kenji. Instead Kenji was pissed at Ben for an episode or two, and then the "weight" of emotion was shifted onto something else. Instead of talking we got an explosion of anger and quickly moved on.

The other example that I bring up quite often is not explaining why everyone thought that Ben's girlfriend was fake. I said it before, and I will say it again – it makes sense for the viewer (it's a joke), but it doesn't make sense from the lore's point of view. All of Ben's friends thought that she was fake. Ok. But why? Instead of having this conversation, Ben says "it's been a long flight, so I'm gonna choose not to be offended". Dude, sure, but you have the full right to confront them about this later? Especially since in the first season, he actually asked (not a direct quote, I can't be bothered) "why does no one believe me when I say that I have a girlfriend?", which shows that it actually bugged him. Instead, he "chose not to be offended" and then the emotion shifted to immense joy (understandable but... even more so – he could easily ask later, after his friends saw how happy he was).

Another thing that bugs me still – Yaz briefly bringing up Sammy's relationship with her family during their argument. It was a nasty move on her side, but it also... was nasty for me as a viewer? Like Gutierrez family drama has been more or less a mystery since the first season, and all we get is a short dialogue about this? Blink and you'll miss it? It feels like we deserved more context, longer explanation seeing how massively it impacts Sammy to this day. Yes, perhaps they will explore that more in season 4, but as of now: it lacked a lot, it felt like a cheatcode to explain the situation and quickly move on without dwelling into details. Sammy's drama is sprinkled all over the story but with the build up I feel like we deserved to learn a little bit more - even if not during the argument with Yaz, then perhaps later. Maybe during a conversation with Gia at some point? The charm of a brand new character is that you can info dump them which is a useful tool to explain to the viewer what is going on.

I don't know. I feel like some interactions lacked substance, which is a pity because relationships are a massive part of what makes jwcc/jwct so good. The characters in jwct are much older, verbally addressing problems and actually talking stuff out should be an even bigger part of the show. In the third season, I feel like they fumbled a bit. Because no, not everything is a characters' miscommunication; sometimes it's just a bit of lazy writing (?). There was a space to talk shit out but we never got to see those conversations. I kind of feel sad about this. Betrayed even.

I hoped for an emotional pay-off, instead, my emotional attention was shifted somewhere else, and I didn't enjoy it that much. Almost feel like the communication was neglected in so many points and there was no point in neglecting it (yasammy's fight is a different case btw because with I know that we will circle back to it in the next season). The show would be much "smoother" if there were more moments of talking the feelings out instead of switching from one emotional high to another.

(Again – I really really enjoyed the season, but it doesn't mean that I can't criticise certain things).

[baltears]

"since we are finally talking about pervert posers, can we finally talk about trans posers please. nobody can deal with the people who look exactly the same as before "coming out" and just go by a nickname now. come on. its fine to be cis. it will not make you uncool. its morally neutral."

lets put aside the fact that this is a rephrase of the tried and true "transtrenders" argument that we've already been through a dozen times, because maybe this person hasn't heard of "transtrenders" or "truscum" and is just voicing a thought. i guess this person saw the post about kinks seeming to run on trend cycles and discussion of kink not always feeling earnest because there's so much showmanship involved and basically just projected that logic onto trans people. like, ok, if you're trans, show me the money. show me the surgeries. show me the hormones. show me that your life is materially different from that of a cis person.

lets also put aside that it's a very, very different scale of accusation to ask someone if they're really as into femdom as they say than to ask someone if they're really as attached to their gender identity as they say. i think that stands on its own. in general it's really not appropriate to bring up either one of these questions apropos of nothing in personal conversation, but we're talking about one, so lets talk about the other. you're talking to my mutual about it, which means you might as well be talking to me, so we'll talk about it.

i'm one of these people, a so-called "trans poser." (very funny wording by the way. i will be transposing all the way to my grave.) i look cis, i sound cis. some people (straight people, but still) can't even clock me as queer at all. i have not and probably will not ever medically transition. i "go by a nickname" now, aka i submitted all the relevant documents at the appropriate times, made all the phone calls, went to the courtroom and stood in front of a judge who agreed that i was allowed to change my name.

so if i didn't want to medically transition, why would i do all that? why would i still call myself trans? is there anything wrong with being cis? do i think it would make me uncool or morally lesser? and why don't i want to medically transition? don't i have dysphoria like "all" trans people do?

ill answer the last question first. yes i do have dysphoria, although i don't agree with the postulate that this is something all trans people must have. (imo that idea just comes from simple ignorance of the true depth and breadth of what the trans experience is and can be. if you think this way you need to be hearing from more trans people.) my dysphoria just doesn't look the way a lot of other trans people's dysphoria looks. i'm genderfluid nonbinary, which means that i sometimes feel body dysphoria and i sometimes don't. this means that rather than simply "solving" my dysphoria with medical transition, medically transitioning has to be understood as a series of roughly equal pros and cons – essentially, i can only solve one set of problems by creating a different set of problems.

does that make me less trans? you tell me.

i'll go ahead and say, even though i really shouldn't have to, that i don't think that being cis would make me uncool or morally lesser. actually, one of my favorite things about being trans and having a trans understanding of gender is that i find myself very drawn to and fascinated by all kinds of gender expression, including those of cis people. cis people have a huge variety of ways to express their gender, and just like trans people, no two cis individuals will want to express their gender in precisely the same way. don't you think i would have scoured all those expressions, looking for a way for me to fit in as cis? don't you think i'm aware that there are infinite ways to present yourself a cis woman or man while still being a cis woman or man? don't you think i puzzled as a child, once i unraveled my internalized misogyny, over the fact that i knew i loved girls and women in every way it was possible to love them, that there was nothing at all shameful about being one and that in fact girlhood and womanhood were wonderful ways of being, and yet somehow i still couldn't be one of them? if i don't hate women, if i love women, why wouldn't i want to be one? if i thought i must be cis for most of my life because i didn't know there was another way, why couldn't i just keep on doing that, but be gender-nonconforming or otherwise visibly queer? didn't i try? why don't you tell me if it sounds to you like i tried?

so why did i do all that? why bother telling anyone at all that i'm trans when strangers on the street wouldn't know and my body doesn't look androgynous? why do i now "go by a nickname" (god, a nickname, what a way to talk about the vital trans experience of deciding on a name), not just in the minds and hearts of all my loved ones but also in the records of the state? why have difficult and fraught conversations with my parents about the areas of my identity they aren't interested in understanding? why come out to everybody, not just once as bi but again as something that still barely has any visibility in the public eye, much less any understanding? why feel how i feel? why be what i am? why put up with people calling me a trender and a poser when i could just close my mouth and change my name back and be cis?

i don't know, why don't you tell me?

[znoots]

Tom Riddle headcannons Part 2.

Puzzles / board games.

• enjoys certain puzzle like games like chess , sudoku, even mahjong solitaire. Mainly games that get his brain thinking. I’d also think he’d be the type to play the crossword puzzles at the back of newspapers.

• will gladly partake in any puzzle games if you find more . I think he’d have ago at unsolved murder mysteries though it’s more like he walked in on you trying to solve it and ended up joining in.

It would go roughly something like this:

“What’re you doing”

“I’m trying to solve this murder mystery wanna join?”

“I’m busy maybe later dear”

Though after watching you kerfuffle about, he eventually puts his work aside to help you.

Watching you struggle was amusing to him because he had been watching you play and already knew half of the character links while you were practically losing sanity trying to work out the links between the characters and answers.

He makes his way over to you sitting beside you and starts to analyse the situation. After some back and forth conversation from him you start to understand some of the patterns.

It’s from then you realise how good he is with puzzle games.

He’d probably buy a set himself and it eventually becomes a guilty pleasure.

• your date nights are probably more inside activities than outside. Of course the occasional trip to hogsmeade but in general you’d probably be inside playing a board or puzzle game.

Chess : You mainly came across him playing chess as a relaxer or stimulant to keep his mind at bay. He’d play by himself moving both white pieces and black pieces.

And it’s from there you also learnt how to play.

The scenario probably went something like this :

If you already know a bit about chess

You walk into the library finding his usual spot, he’s usually somewhere deeper in the library to avoid commotion or unwanted attention.

You walk up behind him giving him a slight hug when you look over his shoulder to see him playing chess.

He’d be moving the pieces quite rapidly so it took you some time to understand why he was moving certain pieces to certain places.

You’d ask him questions while he’s playing and he’d give you a brief explanation.

You nod and continue to watch him play until he finishes or eventually averts his attention back to his books.

“Can I play against you perhaps?”

“Sit.” He said extending his hand to a seat

Tom is definitely good , to say the least and often you’d be stuck or move your chess piece to a position where he’s able to easily counter it.

After some short matches , he’d probably give a book on chess so you can play by yourself while he studies next to you.

He glances over every once in a while to see how you’re doing making some adjustments and explaining why he’d move certain pieces to certain positions, he also does this mid match so you have a better understanding of why.

Eventually he incorporates a Fischer clock to see how you work under pressure. He’d also do this to strengthen what you already know and how to play your pieces smartly.

Though if you don’t know anything about chess

Then he’d try and be more thorough while explaining.

It probably takes you a while to adjust but after a few sessions you eventually grasp the concept.

His play style would be more laid back trying to accommodate you as best as he can to the game.

Your sessions usually go something like this :

“No you can’t move that there.”

“Why the hell not”

He rolls his eyes moving your piece back and explains why.

“Ohhhh ok”

“…You’re moving the pieces wrong again”

“I thought I could move my Knight there?”

“No darling look”

This basically goes on back and forth until you eventually understand the basic rules.

He probably finds you reading the chess book he gave you in lesson to which he smiles at.

Though he realises how determined you are to learn when you genuinely start bringing it everywhere with you. And I mean everywhere.

To breakfast , to lunch , dinner. In lesson your probably asking him about certain moves and the limitations of the pieces to which he answers but eventually tells you to shut up and focus before you fail the class.

He even saw you attempt to take it to the bloody bathroom once to which he snatched it out your hands.

“That isn’t necessary is it.”

“🤗😙”

He’d buy you a chess board so you can grasp how to play against yourself and how to counter certain moves.

You may even get yourself a Fischer clock to truly test yourself though this doesn’t happen after a longggg while. You instead jot down where your pieces move to for future plays.

He truly didn’t expect you to take it as seriously as you have but he’s honoured either way. He finds it quite adorable how you’re willing to spend so much time just to end up getting checkmated after moving a piece wrong, but he’s commending you for trying either way.

It takes some time to learn how he plays and how to beat him but if you do win against him he’s definitely proud of you. He feels a twinge of warmth when he sees how happy you are.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

New series idea: analysing my favourite (underrated) lines from Six of Crows

I feel like I haven't given you any analysis in a while, and I've had this idea for some time now so I thought it was worth giving it a try. This is going to be a list of my personal favourite quotes in Chapter 2 of Six of Crows with explanation/analysis for any that I have an explanation/analysis for - but if a famous or popular quote isn't included then it's not because I don't like it, it's just because I don't feel I have anything new to add to the existing analyses around it. And yeah, if you guys like this then I'll make it a more regular thing and go through chapter by chapter (probably sometimes including multiple chapters in one post), so let me know what you think!

(Also, I chose to start with Chapter 2 on purpose because I don't have loads to say about Chapter 1, but if anyone is interested I'm open to trying it in the future)

"every favour came with enough strings attached to stage a puppet show" - ugh words cannot explain my love of this quote. Not only is this a gorgeous and vibrant metaphor that brings forth very clear imagery, it also achieves two different concepts relating to the idea of the "puppet show". Firstly, we have the idea that Kaz is the puppet master and Ketterdam is his stage; he is in complete control, he can bend the city to his whims, and it's ultimate his say that can make or break someone. This is definitely the image we're given of Kaz in the opening two chapters, and this singular line really reinforces that, however the rest of the book and many of the descriptions in Crooked Kingdom unravel this view very quickly. This description far better fits Pekka Rollins, which brings me onto the other concept relating to the "puppet show": the question of who it actually is pulling the strings. Arguably Kaz is a puppet on Rollins' stage, and Rollins a puppet on the Merchant Councils'. each has power but each is ultimately at the whims of the other. This brings worth the suggestion that something darker is at play and that there's far more to Kaz than initally meets the eyes before we've even met him, so in short it's just completely and utter genius.

"Kaz hated a puzzle he couldn't solve, and he and Inej had concocted a hundred theories to account for the murder - none of which satisfied" - again, Kaz has thus far said a single line, and not one with a lot of information in it ("Yes and no. It's always good to have a country in debt to you, makes for friendlier negotiations) and yet we know so much about him - and even some details about his relationship with Inej! It even tells us a lot about Inej; we've been presented with a figure heralded as near-omnipotent in his city, someone no-one wants to be on the wrong side of, someone who has complete control over every conversation he has with you, and she is someone with whom he will spend hours trying to solve a riddle? So then, the reader is forced to think, what kind of power does she has? What makes her worthy of his closeness, why does he trust her, and why does she know him well enough to so intimately know his likes and dislikes? Inej hasn't even spoken yet.

"But it didn't feel neutral to Inej. It felt like the hush of the woods before the snare yanks tight and the rabbit starts to scream" - ok most of my enjoyment of this quote is just of the beautiful prose, however I would like to add that all six Crows experienced this sort of 'calm before the storm' leading up to the most painful experiences of their lives - Wylan thinking he could go to music school, Inej at the beach with her parents and calling sleepily to the man she though was her father, Kaz staying at the cafe and meeting Margit and Saskia, Matthias knowing he was going to be a big brother, Jesper seeing his mother for the last time when she picked him up and hugged him even though he was up past his bedtime, Nina feeling that she had purpose and loving the way she could help her country - so this could be considered foreshadowing.

" 'Care to place a wager?' Jesper asked.

'I'm not going to bet on my own death,'

Kaz flipped his hat onto his head and ran his gloved fingers along the brim in a quick saulte. 'Why not Bolliger? We do it every day,' "

"Kaz had done his best to teach her, but she didn't quite have his way with breaking and entering, and it took her a few tries to finesse the lock" - my main source for liking this quote comes from an analysis I did a while ago when someone asked me about comapring this quote and Kaz's self-proclaimed "shoddy job" of teaching her to pick locks. It's a while since I posted that so I'll run through it here briefly, basically it's very indicative of their relationship dynamic. Whilst both place the other on a pedestal, they do it in different ways, and Kaz particularly often glorifies Inej and almost finds it difficult to accept that she, like anyone, must be flawed. So if she fails at something, like picking locks as well as he can, and she cannot possibly be flawed then the error must be in his teaching - it can never be with her. It's also a glaring example of Kaz's self-destructive nature. My other reason for liking this quotes is just that it once again tells us about the characters so early on and without having to directly explain it to us - we know Kaz is good with locks because he tried to teach Inej and she isn't as good as him, but she still manages to get it open.

' "I'm a business man,' he'd told her, 'No more, no less,'

'You're a thief, Kaz,'

'Isn't that what I just said?' " - I ADORE this, but honestly all I can say for analysis is that it sums up the entire theme of the novels beuatifully.

"Now he looked like some kind of priest come to preach to a group of circus performers" - this sets up a great parallel that I've mentioned before in one of my "little details you might have missed/forgotten" posts, but it's also interesting to have it come from Inej's perspective since she's incredibly religious and performed as a travelling acrobat with her family. It's probably drawn from personal experience, someone in dark clothes who judges the brightness of Suli traditional clothing and/or culture and tries to preach religion to a group who've already long found it because they don't align with thier idea of religion. It's even possible that she links that idea with Kaz, not because of his actions but because he's from a country that has perversely sexualised and condemned her culture and he dresses like the rich merchants who would preach this exact kind of message - and possibly even have visited her at the Menagerie, where she was forced to appropriate her own heritage and way of life for the enjoyment of those who look down it with no reason for doing so.

"Inej pitied the boy who might die alone with no one to comfort him in his last hours or who might live and spend his life as an exile. But the night's work wasn't over yet, and the Wraith didn't have time for traitors" - this is one of the few but fabulous examples we get of the idea that "Inej" and "the Wraith" are separate entities; Inej being the girl she was, the girl she should have been, and the Wraith being a creation of necessity to aid survival. Inej is a religious young woman from Ravka who has been through far more than she should have done, but the Wraith was born and raised on the blood-soaked streets of Ketterdam and has every intention of surviving them - no matter the cost. This concept is only mentioned a few times, however it runs a beautiful parallel with the distinction between Kaz Rietveld and Kaz Brekker, or Kaz and Dirtyhands depending on how you look at it.

Ok I realise this is a pretty long post but thanks for reading it if you got this far, and I really enjoyed making this so please let me know if you guys would enjoy seeing more. And, in summary, Leigh Bardugo is a genius

[pastafossa]

Adventures in being disabled/chronically ill but also just weirdness. And also in the process of writing this I only basically now realized how shittily I was being treated as a disabled person because that's what happens when you put it on the page and go, '...oh, maybe I wasn't overreacting by feeling put off.'

Putting it all behind a cut because there's some ableism here and it's a bit long.

Enter Lady. We'll call her - *spins random name generator* - Angie. Angie has decided I am her friend because I woodcarve and she makes old fashioned clothes. She has decided for me that I will be going to big weeklong outdoor renfaire style events with her group, in which I will sell my stuff and I will carpool with them.

She decided this ten minutes after meeting me for the first time, by the way. I have met her a grand total of 2 times.

Anyway. These events are outdoors, and I would be camping. In the height of summer. In locations known for high humidity and summer wet bulb temps that regularly climb over 100*.

As expected, this is an issue in multiple ways, the first of which is my chronic pain wracked body tolerates camping about as well as Cocaine Bear would tolerate being shaved (source: went camping), and the second of which is one of my medication's side effects literally includes inability to tolerate moderate to high heat and a fucking mild allergy to sunlight.

I'm a goddamn vampire with limited heat tolerance ya'll, on top of being Physically Incapable Of Many Things TM. And she wants me out in the sun and heat for a week, and sleeping at night in a tent.

So I pop over to her place because she invited me (meeting 2, since meeting 1 was brief), she's nearby, and I'm still thinking she was just a little clueless but maybe this can still be like a, 'fellow crafter discussion of cool events in the area' once I explain. My plan is to gently segue from heat tolerance and disability into I Am Not Going, but also I want to use it as a little reminder not to assume people's functionality, cause I don't mind trying to educate a little. Most mean well, so I'm not even mad at this point. But I don't get far at all before I'm blatantly interrupted and told heat and sun isn't an issue for a disabled person, I can swap out with someone and go be in a tent from noon to 2, and, get this-

"You can have a fan in your tent to cool down!"

Angie, if a fan could solve my issues I wouldn't have been so eager to live in a city that is, as we speak, still getting snow in FUCKING APRIL.

Which I calmly explained.

But I am interrupted again, after I use the word, 'disability'.

"Do you have a service dog?"

No???

"You should get one. Anyway, trust me, you'll be fine. Other disabled people go and they're fine."

Right, cool, I'm definitely in the exact same disabled situation as the dude that lost a foot.

I try again. I'm blunter this time. I am disabled, my body doesn't like camping, my doctor would not advise-

"Oh you'll be fine. They have flushing toilets nearby!"

???

How does that fix the heat or my body being-

"So when you go with us to this one in May, and this one in-"

Ah, ok, we're just disregarding everything I said. Cool. Cool cool.

I sat there feeling like... a prop I guess? Just... bewildered. Obviously looking back I should have just walked out and left, but there's this bizarre feeling where you're still in Don't Be Rude mode because you haven't quite processed what happen. I did manage to cut the visit short after about 20 more minutes, drove home, still kinda unsettled. It was only after talking to mom, that I realized I'd just been completely dismissed as a disabled person. Which has happened before of course (once had a random lady interrupt my conversation with another person about my disability with, 'you need to eat more blueberries. Those have antioxidants, that'll fix your problem!'), but it's been a while.

Anyway, I will not be hanging with this person again and to be perfectly honest I'm tempted to bring this up with the witchy shop owner (who I am friends with) where the event I met Angie is held - the shop owner VERY much wants to protect anyone who's been treated poorly or have some boundary talks with anyone crossing those boundaries in a disrespectful way - but even now part of me's saying, 'no no, that's too much, just skip that event every month so you don't see Angie again'. On top of that, I'm new to the area and the art community here, and this lady's much more established. I really, really, really do not want to cause issues for myself since I'm trying to start up with all my carvings. So I'm feeling... stuck I guess.

Anyway, 'you can just have a fan!' is going down in my, 'ridiculous fixes I've been given for some part of my disability' list.

[moose-muffin]

im new here (hiya from the hazbin tag lol) but if you do character + character requests than please PLEASE gimmie a lee!vox with ler!alastor 🙏🙏🙏hear me out... the two are fighting and al (sHocKINglY) wins out, and vox expects to like.. be beaten into the ground as a result, but nope!! he gets tickled!!! to tears!!!! smthn smthn he wasnt smilin and, yk, youre never fully dressed w/o a smile!!!

/nf to do tho ty for reading!!! <3<3

OMG OMG HELLO WELCOME I HOPE YOURE DOING GOOD YIPPEE

SO FUN FACT I WAS VERY LIKE NEUTRAL TO RADIOSTATIC BUT TONIGHT HAS BEEN (HAHAH GET IT) AN ADVENTURE AND THIS ROAD HAS BEEN SUCH A BLAST <3 THOSE TWO FUCKERS ARE SO INSTIGATIVE ITS CRAZY.

I KNOWWWW THIS AS A FIC WOULD GO C R A Z Y!!!!! IDK IF ANYONE HERE WRITE FOR VOX AND ALASTOR AND PERHAPS DOES COMMISSIONS BUT I WILL PAY!!!! PLEASE HIT ME UP OR ILL PROBABLY GO TAKE A PEAK FOR MYSELF TMR <3 AS LONG AS THATS OK ANON. (I WILL ABSOLUTELY LET IT BE POSTED AS LONG AS THE AUTHOR IS OK WITH IT WHICH USUALLY THEY ARE!!!!) IM GONNA TAKE SOME CREATIVE LIBERTIES AS I TYPICALLY DO HEADCANONS!

IM NOT USUALLY A CHARACTER + CHARACTER GIRLY SO BEAR WITH ME BUT I WILL DO MY VERY BEST!!!! HOPEFULLY I CAN DO THIS JUSTICE! IT WILL BE RANDOM HCS THAT ARE UNRELATED TOO. MY BRAIN IS A MESSY PLACE HWBSHWDBD

OK SO LIKE I KINDA MENTIONED, THEY BOTH LOOOOVE TO JUST GET UNDER PEOPLES SKIN. LOVE IT!!! ESPECIALLY ALASTOR. HES SUCH AN ASS (affectionate)

I’D EVEN SAY HE’S KIND OF AN INSTIGATIVE LER???? BRO IS DOING EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO GET TO TICKLE VOX LIKEEE IDK IF THAT EVEN MAKES SENSE BUT I KNOW ITS TRUE. HE WILL CASUALLY WIGGLE HIS FINGERS IN CONVERSATION, TWEAK HIS RIBS FROM BEHIND, LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT. WELL THEYRE NOT LITTLE. ESPECIALLY NOT TO VOX WHO IS SO FLUSTERED BY IT… ITS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING

BUT! VOX HAS STARTED TO FIGURE IT OUT. AS HE IS ALSO ONE WHO LOVEEES TO GET UNDER SKIN, HE DECIDES HE’LL DO EVERYTHING TO TRIGGER A LER MOOD IN ALASTOR. IF HE CAN TELL HE ALREADY HAS ONE, HE FINDS WAYS TO SUBTLY (WE ALL KNOW HE ISNT SUBTLE THOUGH) LEAVE A SPOT UNPROTECTED. BUT ALASTOR DOESNT WANT TO GIVE HIM THE SATISFACTION!!! HE TRIES SO HARD TO NOT GIVE IN TO VOX BC HE “WANTED TO BE THE ONE IN CONTROL” AND NOW HE ISNT AND HES #PISSED

ALSO VOX ABSOLUTELY IS HORRIFIED OF VULNERABILITY. YET HE IS ABLE TO MOVE PAST IT WITH ALASTOR HERE. SOMEHOW HE ISNT AS WORRIED ANYMORE. MAYBE HE KNOWS ALASTOR WILL REACT. HE LOVES THAT SO VERY MUCH.

AS FOR THE SPECIFIC PROMPT, OH THAT IS SO REAL!!!! ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

I DONT WRITE GOOD ROMANCE BUT LIKE UGH IMAGINE IT NOW. Alastor definitely just got himself to the V’s tower and was planning on fucking with Vox only to see he had already been kinda pissed off. Alastor wouldn’t be as satisfied if he knew he didn’t cause the frustration. He realized he could just stir the pot again. Problem solved, and what better way to solve it than using his weakness against him.. being tickled.

I’m being a little silly but genuinely Vox is so ticklish. Like most ticklish person in hell would go to him if it were an official title. That’s what I’m thinking. That being said, Alastor also knows how quickly he could get him to crumble… but wouldn’t it be more fun to take it slow.

Vox notices his presence almost immediately. He tried to ignore it as he feels his face get warm. He can’t fuck this up. He takes a deep breath and turns around. “Why hello, Alastor! What brings you to our building this evening?” He said in a semi newcaster voice. He wasn’t ready to drop the act

“Well Vox, I came here for a reason of my own but then I walked by your office and you looked so sad!” He began to walk closer to Vox. “You know, t they say you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

Vox let out a laugh that was quite clearly untruthful. “Yes Alastor I am aware! I was alone in here and so I figured I’d just save up some energy. I’m sure you understand.”

“Quite frankly I don’t,” Alastor paused, “I think maybe I could help you get that smile back.”

Vox didn’t even have to think. He knew Alastor meant he was going to tickle him. You could ask Velvette. She’s seen those two in tickle fights that lasted for DAYS. she knows what they’re capable of, or more so what Alastor is capable of.

Vox puts up a fight for maybe a couple seconds but he just loves tickles more than he can play pretend that he doesn’t <3

It works out well for them both, Alastor gets to fuck around with Vox and well, Vox gets his shit rocked!!! And he loves that more than a lot of things.

OK IM GONNA CUT IT OFF HERE BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME BACK!!!! IM ALWAYS DOWN TO HEAR WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING!! MAYBE ID DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN OR LIKE ADD ONTO THIS!!! BUT I AM JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE CURRENTLY HEHE. I HOPE THESE ARE ENJOYABLE!!! (LOWKEY I WANNA ADD MORE TO THISSSS MAYBE TMR MAYBE TMR WE’LL SEE)

apologies if anything is ooc, i just do this for funsies <3

THANK YOU FOR THIS ASKK

[cupcakefoggy]

Ok, this drives me nuts.

I love Bridgerton. And I don't love all things Regency, so before you write me off as a romance-loving Austenite (which is ALSO a perfectly valid thing to be, thankyouverymuch) just hear me out on why this take is so damn annoying.

Ok. Cool. Now, you're entitled to your opinion that Bridgerton is too fluffy, too girly, and needs more "texture" (which, according to the article, should come in the form of labor, hardship, threatened financial ruin, the usual good stuff) but I want to impress upon you, firmly but politely, that if you're in the market for something gritty, you probably should turn off Bridgerton.

She compares Bridgerton to every prominent period show in this article, and consistently complains that it doesn't measure up. "Well it's not Downton Abbey!" No, no it isn't, and that's what we like about it. We aren't watching it to Learn Something. We're watching it because, for an hour or three at a time, it's really nice to forget that there's so much awful crap going on in the world, and just focus in on Penelope's up-and-down courtship with Colin or how damn cute Kate and Anthony are together.

But that isn't even the thing that bothers me the most about this article.

Why, in the year of our lord 2024, are we still perpetuating this "fluffy girly things are BRAIN CANDY" nonsense? Has Jane Austen truly taught us nothing? At the age of 12, back in the early aughts, my dad gave me a hard time for reading the Sweet Valley Twins books. He wanted me to read Pride and Prejudice, and aggressively shoved it under my nose until I finally agreed to take a look at it. I found it incomprehensible, looked it up online, and found to my immense pleasure that Jane Austen's literature was considered "popular" and "feminine" in its day -- not at all serious literature. I took my findings to my dad, who just about exploded and told me "that's not the point, it's a classic NOW, so shut up and read it."

Guys, I don't care if it was written in the 1600s or last week, pop culture is pop culture. It reflects its time. And more importantly, it shapes its time.

In the 1990s, Seinfeld aired the now-famous episode wherein the boys and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character, Elaine, have a contest to see how long they can all go without masturbating. One of the men is out before the contest begins; of the remaining contestants, Elaine cracks first. This is now considered a bold statement, because in the 90s, women actually ENJOYING orgasms was taboo -- a concept they make sure to acknowledge within the episode itself, as the men insist women don't masturbate.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus later said of her time on Seinfeld, "We weren't trying to change the world, we were just trying to make something really funny. And that's really hard to do. And if you can do it, you CAN change the world a little bit."

Now, I don't watch Seinfeld. I hate it. I tried to watch a bit of it for Julia, bc I loved her so much in New Adventures of Old Christine, but I just couldn't get into it. but I saw the episode she's talking about, and it IS funny. Because they aren't up on a soapbox, they're just having fun, and she's a damn good comedic actress. So why am I bringing up Seinfeld in a conversation about Bridgerton? Because they're both fluff. No one is watching Seinfeld in an effort to solve the mysteries of the human condition or reflect on the nature of good and evil. It's just for fun. And so is Bridgerton.

And even if there was absolutely no value to Bridgerton besides being fun, it would still be "okay" to watch it. Because sometimes we just need fluff. But I don't think we really spend enough time thinking about just how much impact that "fluff" has on our culture.

I've seen people argue that Bridgerton DOES tackle occasional "serious" topics, and that's why it has value. I disagree. Bridgerton's value comes from the fact that it is FUN. It's easy to get into, it's easy to watch, no one is FORCING it on you, like my dad tried to do with P&P. And because it's fun, people -- YOUNG people -- are willingly watching it…

And they're seeing elderly women, women of color, and plus-size women being depicted as beautiful and desirable.

They're seeing a young, newly-married woman force herself on her husband and realizing that women also need to be taught about consent, and that a lack of sex education leads to damaged relationships.

They're seeing depictions of mental illness in the Queen Charlotte spinoff. They're seeing a man with a mental illness bare his soul to a woman he loves, and hearing her say, in no uncertain terms, that as damaged as he thinks he is, she loves him too. Unconditionally.

They're seeing queer representation in the Queen Charlotte spinoff, too. They're seeing racism and politics and medical abuse. They're seeing storylines that they'd never seek out on their own, and intentionally or not, they're learning from those stories.

Maybe it's optimistic to a fault, but I just can't stop wondering, how many young girls talked to each other about Daphne and Simon? How many plus-size women saw Penelope and Colin's sex scene and felt beautiful, felt seen, for the first time? How many people with mental illness saw Charlotte love King George and realized that they too are worthy of love? How many people heard Violet shyly tell Agatha that she misses having sex with her husband, and felt validated that, no, you don't turn 40 and stop being horny?

I sobbed my eyes out watching S3 the other night, because they captured the feeling of being unpopular and overweight so damn well. I saw my high school years reflected in Penelope's story and it broke my heart and gave me hope all at the same time. I love that they dress Violet and Agatha and Charlotte as richly as they do the younger, "hotter" leads. I love that Anthony Bridgerton goes down on Kate every fucking chance he gets. I love Bridgerton's message, however unintentional, that you don't have to be the classic Pretty Skinny Caucasian Starlet - you can be fat, old, BIPOC, disabled, outcast, anything, and still deserve and GET your happily-ever-after.

Shondaland is not trying to change the world. They're just trying to be fluffy and horny. And if they can do it, they can change the world just a little bit.

[starsfic]

DogDay is initially anxious and withdrawn after waking up in his new body and life, but the genuine care and support he gets from the Ranglers and mascots gradually helps him find his old optimistic spark again. Seeing his old friends slowly make a comeback one by one definitely helps. He gradually learns as time goes on that he doesn't have to always be the emotionally supportive one, and (most of) the other Critters are more than happy to return the emotional support he's given them in the past back to him. When CatNap revealed to the other Critters what was happening on August 8, 1995 as it was going down, all the other Critters had their reserves about the whole thing, but DogDay was the one to stand his ground and refuse to go along with it, which inspired the rest to follow suit.

Trying out a number of different hobbies he didn't have as much time for when PlayCo was just using him mainly for manual labor, DogDay has taken a particular interest in video games. In fact, he seems to find an odd comfort in playing horror games, including mascot horror games, either in spite of or because of his past, though he still gets enjoyment out of feel-good games on the side. After the Smiling Critters' inclusion at Indigo Park becomes public knowledge, DogDay starts his own gamer streaming channel and is known for always having positive things to say to his viewers no matter what genre of game he's playing.

Bubba Bubbaphant is the first Critter other than DogDay whose remains are found and used to transfer him to a new body, and DogDay was overjoyed to be shown this to be in the works, as it was the first concrete evidence that his friends may not be dead for good. Working for PlayCo, the Bigger Bodies Experiment based on Bubba would have his intellect and photographic memory (traits that got his former human self selected as a subject in the first place) used for problem solving skills, but he was given little to no freedom for real critical thinking and none at all for having opinions. So it takes him by surprise for a while when he's given full freedom of both by the Rangler staff. Bubba is, in turn, happy to occasionally contribute to the technical upkeep of the park and more than happy to jump in and assist in designing the new bodies of later recovered Critters. Bubba does enjoy gaming as well, albeit not to the extent of DogDay, and has a particular talent for puzzle games. DogDay would occasionally bring him on as a guest on his livestreams, to his initial embarrassment. Bubba's trunk on his Bigger Bodies form was fully functional, and the same is true for the trunk on his new form. Both were/are somewhat notably bigger on his face than what's depicted in his official artwork.

Bobby BearHug was the next one recovered (the news was broken to DogDay and Bubba by showing her recovered emblem as a humorous "late Valentine's Day" present). Bubba recalls the troubled production her Bigger Bodies Experiment form went through with multiple surgeries before she was able to properly move, sense the world, and ultimately even talk. Bubba had managed to discover the concept of ASL to communicate with her in the meantime, and all the Critters still remember how to this day, even CatNap (if this sounds like a PP fic prompt you still have in your ask box, there's a reason for that, lol). Similarly to DogDay, Bobby starts to learn that it's OK to put her own emotional needs first from time to time.

CraftyCorn (or just Crafty most of the time in conversation) came next. Like each newly remade Critter when first coming online, Crafty was a wary at first of the freedom the ones remade previously express in living how they want but grows to embrace that freedom. Funny enough, it's the park's designated "antagonist" Salem that draw's Crafty's attention by identifying as something other than girl or boy, something pretty much everyone around them supports and goes along with. This leads Crafty to explore their own gender identify and ultimately identifying exclusively as they/them, which the other Critters wholly support (albeit with Bobby jokingly "complaining" that she's back to being the only girl back at that point).

Crafty continues to express themself in creative endeavors, given even more creative freedom than PlayCo gave them. At times, this includes artwork with some disturbing imagery inspired by their past experiences, including things she witnessed during the Hour of Joy. The hired on-site therapist encourages this on the basis that it helps them process lingering unresolved feelings. Crafty creates puppet animation assets for themself and the other Critters, based stylistically somewhere between their old cartoon depictions and their current android forms, with eyes inspired more by the art style of Indigo Park's mascot designs. As I previously established, Rambley wasn't even aware until DogDay one day casually slid on screen next to him.

Hoppy Hopscotch came next, so Bobby was once more no longer the only girl in the gradually regrowing group. She was perhaps the most actively curious out of all the Critters getting revived and occasionally needed to be reigned in before the public could take notice until Indigo Park's legal team either influenced/proved their brand's shift to public domain or secured it for themselves (whichever of those two I go with). For a while, Hoppy would occasionally slip up and accidentally address Crafty as a girl before correcting herself. Apparently, she was ultimately caught as the Hour of Joy was still ongoing trying to spring-jump low-level employees caught in the massacre to safety.

KickinChicken (or just Kickin) was perhaps the most initially distrusting of the Rangler staff and park cast, not counting CatNap who had his own reasons. He was certain at first that he and the others were being lulled into a false sense of security and expected another proverbial shoe to drop. But gradually, he grew to realize the freedom and support they were getting now came from a genuine place. Kickin found Crafty identifying as neither boy nor girl and everyone allowing them to do so amusing, which ultimately led to him questioning himself. While being called a girl had some appeal, he still liked being called a boy. That's when he was told by Bubba, who spent time researching the subject to be a good ally, that bigender is a thing. Following this, Kickin would come out to the others by jokingly asking Crafty if he can have their old pronouns if they're not using them anymore. She has also taken to music, particularly singing and a little in songwriting. Heavy metal is a genre Kickin has gravitated towards, and he hopes to use it to process and express his feelings of past trauma.

PickyPiggy (alternatively, Picky Piggy, two words, or just Picky) has an initially awkward time adjusting to no longer having a body with a stomach, relying only on water. She always did enjoy baking and cooking food just as much as she did eating, however. According to her files, the human test subject who became her had apparently been given her own Owen the Oven to use, despite the toy having been pulled off the market due to multiple lawsuits over second- and third-degree burns. Even without taste buds nowadays, Picky has an intricate understanding of how to to combine ingredients well for tasty and filling meals; she's interested in pursuing nutritional science studies.

Nobody at Indigo Park knew CatNap was no longer an accepted member of the Smiling Critters group until they were already partway through designing his rebuild, mainly because the Critters were so cagey about addressing the alleged "former friend turned traitor" that it didn't even occur to them that said former friend was, himself, a Critter. Rambley was quite happy to show DogDay that the eight and final Critter was on his way to a comeback only to be surprised when met by a quiet yet forceful "No." They went through with it anyway, reasoning that CatNap was just a frightened kid forcibly turned into a living plaything like the rest of them and probably just needed proper adult guidance, to which DogDay reluctantly agreed on the grounds that CatNap be kept away from the rest for the time being.

CatNap is constantly kept on surveillance during his rehabilitation period and kept away from anything he could potentially use to harm others or possibly even himself. He is given a private room to himself, where he stays when he isn't being escorted around the Rangler areas, and he at one point calls it "a luxury suite compared to his old cage," but he hates that it's nicknamed "The Cathouse". Despite openly not wanting to be around CatNap, DogDay finds himself occasionally peeking in on him via his Crafty-made puppet-animated form and the screen in The Cathouse. For a while, this would typically lead to arguing matches, as both are unapologetic for their opposing actions back in 1995. Eventually, as time goes on and CatNap slowly and reluctantly alters his worldview, things start to cool down between the two during DogDay's virtual visits, though DogDay still isn't letting him forget he lost his legs to him.

The Critters all have artificially-generated voices modeled after voice clips of their characters, though some creative liberties have been taken for CatNap, since the most anyone could find of him was audio of snoring. They initially have no memories of their past human lives, aside from CatNap having second-hand knowledge from the Prototype. But as they undergo therapy sessions and explore themselves over time, bits and pieces come back to them every so often in their dreams. Interestingly, they rediscover that they all sort of knew each other before the experiments to some degree or another. Even Theo, CatNap's former life who was noted for a lack of friends at PlayCare, has some memories of Neil, DogDay's former life, trying to connect with him, though DogDay seemingly regains those memories first. Perhaps that past attempt to make friends subconsciously made CatNap's betrayal sting all the more.

OOH, this is all so great!

Is the "DogDay plays video games" inspired by that one YouTuber who has started playing as DogDay? I know it would be complex, given the whole copyright issue, but maybe it would be fun for Indigo Park to draw attention via its characters streaming and playing video games!

[cult-of-the-eye]

If you had to kill one archivas assistant, who would you pick?

Oh my god this is the worst question in the entire fucking world wow!!! I love all of them!!!!

But I'm gonna answer it from a potential for Angst kinda way and which one I'd find the most interesting.

Sasha

Well first things first she did die but we're ignoring that for the sake of this question

If everyone realised she died directly after the Jane Prentiss Attack i think it would eliminate the added layer of guilt of not noticing her being taken by the Not Them and maybe allow them each to grieve a bit more? I think if they were smacked in the face with Sasha's death, then they could communally grieve before Tim got massively resentful and maybe Jon would be distracted by the grief to fall into his paranoia as intensely and actually try to support Tim instead. I guess it's a sad world where we're choosing between one type of death for Sasha and another but here we are.

Tim:

I know that hes gonna die but I haven't gotten there yet so I'm gonna imagine what would happen if he died in the Jane Prentiss Attack instead of Sasha. Sasha wouldn't have the same resentment and fury that Tim has, I feel like she'd would be determined to avenge Tim, I think she'd be a better protagonist than Jon, which would cause him extra Jon Guilt cause he'd be like why am I the leader of this whole thing Sasha would've been so much better than meeee and Sasha would eventually be like yeah bitch get out of my way. Sasha being alive would actually solve so many problems like actually. RIP Tim though, everyone would mourn his bisexual ass. Jon and Martin would grieve him normally and Sasha might make them go to therapy/talk to someone about it.

Martin:

If he died during the Prentiss Attack, he'd come back as a ghost. There's no other option, that's just what has to happen. Maybe it would be a chance for slight humour, cause Jon resolutely believed he's hallucinating for an embarrassingly long time before Martin's like nah bro...im a ghost. And he keeps Martin's reappearance to himself cause he wants something good for himself that no one can take away and they get closer and fall in love and everything but there's the added angst that he's a literal fucking ghost. The whole Peter Lukas arc is him slowly fading away as a ghost and Jon nearly kills himself to bring him back. In the end he does stab himself but he feels Martin push the knife in when he dies and he dies knowing that he'll join him.

Or alternatively, he's just gone. Jon would spiral with guilt and anxiety knowing that his last conversation with him doesn't excuse his poor treatment of him and that he died getting cut off from the others in the tunnels, he died scared and alone and worse, he died with the little bit of hope that things might get better. Tim and Sasha would both be devastated, they'd stare out at his empty desk and lash out with anger and fear and cry but in the end at least have each other to lean on. But Jon would be alone in his office with no one to give him tea. His physical health spirals and everyone's worried about him, the way Sasha and Tim have stuck together makes him even more paranoid that they somehow killed Gertrude together and no matter how soft with him they are, he still barrells towards the end with an even stronger need to martyr himself. It's bleak guys. My man is not ok.

So I guess if I could kill one of them off, I'd probably go for Tim's death cause Sasha being a better horror protagonist than Jon is actually so funny to me I think that would be so interesting but Ghost!Martin as a close second cause that would actually add so much depth.

Thank you for your ask!! I really enjoyed answering it!!

[blackjackkent]

OK, let's go talk to Solas and then we can get down to the business of solving all of our companions' emotional problems.

I think Helena is definitely in even less of a mood to meditate than she was before Weisshaupt, but it's got to be done. I suspect this conversation was only achieved by her just staying up long enough that exhaustion took over fully and she passed out.

"The fall of Weisshaupt reverberated across the Fade," Solas says, his tone as impassive and even as ever. "As did the fall of an Archdemon. But unless I am mistaken, both Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain still stand."

Helena nods. She may have fallen asleep to have this conversation but it isn't restful; she still feels utterly exhausted, drained. "We took down Ghilan'nain's Archdemon," she says flatly. "But we weren't able to kill her."

Solas looks at her steadily. "And how are you doing?"

On some level she supposes it's kind of him to ask, but she suspects he wouldn't be asking if her wellbeing didn't figure into his own plans. Besides, it's not like she has a good answer for him.

"Honestly," she mutters, "Weisshaupt shook me."

He squints at her. "You saw Treviso blighted. What makes Weisshaupt harder to bear?" he demands.

She doesn't know why she's answering truthfully. Perhaps because of all the people she can talk to right now, he is the only one whose opinion doesn't matter to her. She has nothing to prove to him; she does not need his morale intact, and she doesn't care if he thinks she is scared.

"Treviso got blighted because I was busy driving off the blighted dragon in Minrathous," she mutters. "I couldn't be in two places at once. But at Weisshaupt... we got there in time. The Archdemon was down. I had a dragonhunter, a mage-killing assassin, and the Grey Wardens... and even then we couldn't kill Ghilan'nain."

And that's what it comes down to, at bottom. She can make jokes and blow things up, and she can help her people and focus their minds, and she can help all the factions of Thedas and bring them to her side... but what does it matter? The enemy they face is so far beyond her understanding...

What if I can't do this?

"Rook!" Solas says - and the sharpness of his voice startles her. "I led a rebellion against Elgar'nan for a hundred of your lifetimes. I have been where you now stand. Do you know how many times I had to order my rebels to retreat when we were outmatched in raw power?" Even across the gap that separates them, she can see how his grey eyes fix on hers with direct intensity. "You rendered Ghilan'nain mortal and escaped with your lives. The sting of wishing you had done more will push you to improve - but Weisshaupt was a victory! And your team will see your passion, even if you must conceal the extent of your own pain."

He is, she realizes, trying to comfort her. It doesn't really work, though. She doesn't particularly want his comfort; she doesn't particularly like him. And she doesn't need to hear that this is a war that may take lifetimes to win, or that her pain must be locked away in order to secure victory. The latter she knows already, and the former is too disheartening to think about.

He watches her a moment more in silence, then goes on in a lower voice. "How are your companions, after what happened?"

She shrugs. "They've spent a lot of time yelling at each other. Or me."

He smiles faintly. "Not the worst outcome, all things considered," he says. "Properly focused, that anger can forge your team into a weapon keen enough to cut through any obstacle." He paces a slow rhythm, a few steps to the left and then back. "You cannot stand against Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain with logic," he goes on. "Those motivated by greed or self-interest will change alliances. But those who serve you with passion and loyalty will follow wherever you lead..." He pauses, fixes her with that steady grey gaze again. "Even to their deaths."

It's madness, really. Who is she to earn such loyalty? A Shadow Dragon from Minrathous, one of hundreds of other such. She is no genius general; she's just the person who happened to be in the barrel when the war started.

And yet... she told Solas she would do whatever it took. And when the time came to tell Davrin to kill the archdemon... she didn't hesitate, even knowing what it could have - should have - cost him.

And Solas's message is very clear. She may have to do that again. She will need to be ready.

Maker's balls, she wants to go home...

"I knew I might have to make a call like that when Varric put me in charge," she says, more unsteadily than she'd like.

He nods. "A good leader never makes such a decision lightly - but when the time comes, it is better to be prepared." He cocks his head thoughtfully. "And perhaps it will not come to that. The stronger your team, the more chances you will have to avoid such a decision."

(A/N: Translation: do these loyalty missions or Act 3 will be full of blood.)

"I'll keep that in mind," Helena says hoarsely. "Do you have any suggestions on our next move against the gods?"

"If you oppose Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain's minions, you will get your opportunity," he says.

She squints. "You think one of the Antaam or Venatori commanders will help us find the gods?"

"Possibly." Solas breathes out through his nose in an almost-snort. "But more importantly, you will aggravate them. You rendered Ghilan'nain mortal at Weisshaupt. It is an embarrassment - an insult - neither she nor Elgar'nan can ignore. If you continue to disrupt their plans, you will not need to track them down. They will come to you."

Helena can't help the slight flicker of a wry grin. "You think I can goad the gods into making a mistake?"

Solas's lips twitch. "I have *absolute* faith in your ability to aggravate enemies who should know better than to underestimate you."

And Helena laughs. Just a little, but it's enough to beat back a little of the despair. She may not know what the hell she's doing in the midst of this war - but she does know how to piss off people in power.

Solas, perhaps, looks a trifle pleased with himself, as if he realizes that he has finally gotten through. But the smirk fades rapidly, replaced by serious thought again.

"One final warning," he goes on more gravely. "You have survived a confrontation with Ghilan'nain, which few still live to claim. But her power pales in comparison to Elgar'nan's. If he takes the field, himself... Remember, in a fight such as ours, escaping to fight another day is a victory."

Helena grimaces. You sure know how to make a girl feel hyped up... she thinks sardonically, as the dream begins to dissolve into a field of white that swallows her into unconsciousness.

[mysticonsheadcanons]

Mysticons Fan Episode: Virtual Reality

The Mysticons are in the stronghold when they get an invitation to test out a new virtual reality game based on the Mysticons' adventures. While none of the Mysticons recognize the company, when they look it up online, they discover that it's a relatively new one. Deciding that it sounds fun, they decide to go.

The day comes to test the virtual reality room, and Zarya and Piper are dismayed to find that Cat Merchant is in charge of the project. While Zarya wants to quit, Em brings up how Zarya was the most excited one about the virtual reality come, and Arkayna adds that they can offer to help if the company does something good for the undercity kids. Zarya says that she'll try if Cat Merchant offers to donate some of the game's revenue to the Undercity kids, and to her surprise, Cat Merchant agrees.

The Mysticons are sent to the virtual world, and are having fun solving a puzzle to get out of the dimension Necrafa was imprisoned in. They are then sent to the lava area, and are surprised that they actually feel the heat, as well as why it's there, as they never faced lava before. When Sharise slips and gets her foot too close to the lava, she finds that it burned her foot. While Piper thinks that it will be fine, as her real self didn't get burned, Sharise does say it's still painful. Realizing that they weren't given a way to call for help, they try to call out for Cat Merchant. However, there is no answer.

As they are walking, with Em helping Sharise so she doesn't have to put weight on her burned foot, they talk about the situation they are in. While Arkayna suggests that they will get out once they beat the game, Zarya isn't sure. They also realize that the changes are there so the Mysticons so they can't rely on how they escaped earlier. Their conversation is inturupted when spectres come, forcing the Mysticons to fight them. They manage to defeat them.

Meanwhile, Malvaron is suspicious about the company, as he got a glyph from Tazma saying that the Mysticons are gone. He is spying on the office, and sees Tazma paying Cat Merchant for something before leaving. Queen Goodfey sees Malvaron spying on the office and asks to know what he's doing. When Malvaron explain what happened, Queen Goodfey goes to the lobby and asks to talk to Cat Merchant. He comes, but when Queen Goodfey demands to know what's going on, he manages to escape.

After going through various challenges, the Mysticons find themselves in a fight with Necrafa and the Spectral Hand. Arkayna and Zarya can't use their twin dragon attack, and they find that they don't have access to their Lances of Justice. Because of this, they struggle with the fight.

Malvaron and Queen Goodfey find themselves in the virtual reality room, and see the Mysticons trapped in the game, struggling against Necrafa. They begin working on figuring out how to bring the Mysticons back, but Malvaron notices that Queen Goodfey is still cold to him and demands to know why. Queen Goodfey admits that she's struggling with the realization Arkayna grew without her, and that she didn't know Zarya for years, and sees that it was hard to see Arkayna already having a boyfriend. Malvaron understands, but says that Arkayna thought of Queen Goodfey often, so in a way, she was with her. Queen Goodfey smiles, and says that the Mysticons are lucky to have him.

Just as the Mysticons are about to be defeated by Necrafa and the Spectral Hand, Malvaron and Queen Goodfey manage to get them out. Queen Goodfey is relieved to see that her daughters are OK, and Malvaron and Arkayna share a kiss. While Arkayna is surprised, knowing how Queen Goodfey acted the first time, Queen Goodfey nods, quietly showing that she accepts the relationship.

[teeth-cable]

You want to know how stupid the Helluva fandom is?

People still think Loona is a teenager. Like even if you missed Vivziepop's age confirmation they: sell sexy merch, nobody thinks Tex is a teen, Loona can drink alcohol in a show made by Americans, is at I.M.P. during the day and she has been adopted for at minimum 5 years.

Like did people legit forget about the sexy merch?

Though I will agree that they do write her weirdly because it seems that just by her behavior she's at max been stuck with Blitzo for 2 years.

Like she never calls him dad and is acting like she's in the phase "UGH YOUR NOT MY REAL DAD," and somehow she didn't make any friends for 5 years after she was put in a safe environment? Like Hell does apparently have an education system due to the cut Charlie comic so what's going on?

Also does that mean Loona never attempted to go outside by herself without Blitzo. I get he is overprotective but he had a job that he couldn't bring Loona too judging by the photos in his phone and mentioning he used to go after hellborns. We know she got a human disguise without Blitzo knowing somehow so....

Like what has Loona been doing besides working at I.M.P. for the past 5 years?

Like a way to fix this is something called adult adoption. Blitzo could find a homeless Loona and take her in which would fix a lot of plot holes.

And like when they write her in a way that makes sense they always find a way to undercut it. She shows up to hang out with Vortex which tells us the audience they are still on good terms despite Loona having a crush. They are mature about it and its her social awkwardness fucking her over with other people. Then Bee shows up who is being genuine and kind to her Loona acts like a bitch for no reason. I think we are supposed to think she's jealous but like its not clear. And even if it is she knew Vortex had a girlfriend ahead of time and even if she didn't know Bee was gonna be there one would assume Tex would bring his gf to a party. Even if you didn't know she was Bee. Like Loona is allowed to be slightly jealous but she isn't allowed to treat Bee like that.

Like Vortex is Loona's only friend and she isn't at least going to try to be nice to someone important to him.

Like Vortex never even told Loona to cool it or defend Bee so I'm confused about what's going on with him. Like realistically if I brought someone to come hang out with my friends and they acted like Loona we would be having a serious conversation or I'd drop them because like your giving this person a chance and they disrespect your loved ones immediately. If the show had good writing Vortex would pull Loona aside immediately.

Like Loona literally is acting like a child in this.

Then Loona acts like one again because she cares more about having fun than checking if her father is ok. Like Bee had to threaten her to check on Blitzo. I know Vortex probably doesn't know her situation but if I was him I'd think Loona and Blitzo hate each other or something.

Then Loona has the gall to act like she cares about Blitzo at the end suddenly? Its even more ruined by Seeing Stars. Like I feel there's two versions of Loona and the writers can't pick which one is the actual one. Like sometimes Loona actually acts her age and seems like a character with a hard shell but a softie but other times she doesn't act like an adult and is just bitchy for no reason. And it sucks because i love the former characterization but it gets dragged down kicking and screaming due to the latter.

I did read fan theory that Loona was originally a teenager but they changed it so they could use her as furbait and sell sexy merch.

And you know what a lot of plot holes and issues would be solved if she was around Octavia's age.

Like she can't go to the human world because she's a kid

Explains Blitzos protectiveness

Makes her bitchy attitude less egregious

Also explains why she's not in a lot of eps because she's at school

Would get rid of her inconsistent writing

But it would have to be before the pilot when this concept happened because they literally had her drinking and possibly get syphilis (im aware it can be inherited but since the show is a raunchy comedy...).

I actually don't blame the fandom for thinking she's a teenager. The lewd side of fandom is just a small part of it. As someone who is critical of HB, I easily forget too, Loona is supposed to be 22 and not a teenager because of how much the show treats and write her as one.

Almost all of her actions can be explain by trauma but I am very hesitant to say this because the times Viv has used trauma is to excuse characters’ terrible actions and she never hinted at Loona's trauma in Season 1.

But still, it can explain why she only stays with Blizto, never straying, it t’s because she doesn't feel comfortable being in public by herself. She had to stay in a crowded pound with Hellhounds who were jerks and mean to her through her life until she was 17. Loona doesn't like hanging around people because she's scared they will hurt her plus Blitzo can protect her. Blitzo is a person she can retreat to for safety so it’s important she has him around if something bad happens. People who have PTSD and trauma from abusive households tend to stay away from crowded areas because it's unpredictable and triggering for them also people with trauma tend to be closed off and distant towards others. The only reason why Loona went to the party is because Tex was there, another person she can rely on. If he wasn't there, Loona would have stayed home. It also would explain why Loona treated Bee like a bad person. Trauma can cloud your perception of others and second-guess them. Or maybe Loona got scared that Bee would take Tex away from her for the whole party, making her lonely in an environment and with people she doesn't know and she didn't feel safe with. Trauma make people act out and think irrationally to protect ourselves from experiencing the same form of trauma again or dealing more of it.

I wish Viv did relate Loona's actions in this EP to her trauma instead of making her jealous of Bee because she still has a crush on Tex. It downgrades her character into a petty teenager and doesn't make sense because Loona knew Tox for a few hours before he told her he had a girlfriend so she already knew and time has passed, why would she still have crush? Also if Viv did hint at Loona's trauma in this EP, it could be use as foreshadowing for Loona's pound scene in Season 2 and wouldn't make her trauma come out of nowhere.

It's very obvious, the writers have different versions of Loona and they can't pick a single one to stay with. I rather take this EP version of Loona who acted like a petty teenager and randomly felt affection for Blitzo than Seeing Stars’s Loona where she was an abuser to him.