#particular in the sense that I take a character and ship it with a lot of others

[imavikingo]

There is something that I can’t understand and will never understand about fandom “culture”

Why EVERYTHING (or a lot of things) need to be canon or acknowledged by the actors/directors/producers to be accepted by the fandom? In specific ships?

And why when a “ship” (two characters, really) have more screentime than others/other characters aren’t in the picture anymore, people take that as a victory as see their ship as more valid and “actually canon”? And mock/harass others for it?

Also there is this thing people have been doing a lot too: Thats calling everyone that doesn’t like the ship you like names (and also calling them terms that before actually meant something awful but nowadays can be said for simply tagging the incorrect ship in a fucking post)

Canon isn’t always the norm here kid. At least when it relates to ships and scenarios. (Bc if we’re talking about characterization… yes it needs to be canon in a sense or we’re writing/making ocs out of canon characters)

Most of the more popular ships will never be canon and have never been, especially the gay ones. (See Drarry, Narusasu, Frodo/Sam, Johnlock, etc, etc)

So why suddenly we care so much about what NEEDS to be canon or not?

Why people NEED to see their ships be canon so badly?

Sure, I can be seen as a hypocrite because Ive been talking about Stucky a lot in the canon and what happened in EG, but they actually did that themselves. The directors talked about gay characters, the actors talked about Stucky. So actually it isn’t something ludicrous or anything. (I’ve never thought they would actually make the ship canon -bc that would be a big problem for them “how can you make Cap America gay!” And shit- but I thought they would at least make them still be friends or friendly or acknowledge the “bromance” and they just killed the friendship in one scene with the most ooc shit ever). In fact, I’m more annoyed by that. They assassinated Steve’s character and Bucky’s progress.

Nevermind…

Why people fight so much about ships and use terms that shouldn’t be brought into stupid shit like this?

Fandoms are supposed to be fun and to have discussions (in good faith) about the canon. What we like and what we don’t like about it.

Besides, a lot of current media are about stuff that’s been remade over and over again. So they have a lot of adaptations and you can pick and choose too, if you want.

And if you don’t like the canon? Easy! Do analysis, criticize it, write fics, do fanart, do creative shit or simply ignore it! No one is forcing you to keep on watching the show or the stuff you now hate/cant stand. That’s what Im doing at least.

Sure, I criticize some people and movies a lot and get actually annoyed by the disrespect towards/assassination of some characters, but at the end of the day I can only shrug and say “it is what it is” and leave it at that. (Meaning not giving them money for the new stuff/not watching nor caring about it and only acknowledging the old things I actually care about and like)

But I don’t insult or disrespect other people in fandom because of it. And also I don’t harass the directors or actors either, ffs.

Idk, Ive always been on the sidelines of the stuff I follow, I’ve never been on the thick of fandoms so maybe thats why I don’t understand.

And I’ve also not seen so many crazy shit (the most crazy stuff Ive seen is people calling others racists for tagging a ship incorrectly and also others inflating the tag of a ship in ao3 so their ship would be “the most popular” with most fics, in that fandom) because I actually curate what I see. I don’t like a ship? I mute, if I can’t stand a person or a ship? I block em. Simple and easy.

I’ve always drawn stuff for myself, read fics and made headcanons. Only recently I’ve been sharing stuff more openly, so maybe it’s that.

Idk.

I’m just tired of seeing discourse and people fighting over this stuff.

[vigilskeep]

various and sundry artbook tidbits i found interesting (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE VEILGUARD ARTBOOK. obviously)

faction & location stuff:

a sketch page from the very early days exploring shape languages for factions like elves, dwarves, wardens, the necropolis, tevinter, and rivain, also includes concepts for the mages’ college and the ben-hassrath

early rivain concept arts have npcs with a similar armour patterning to duncan’s, suggesting it’s a mark of his rivaini heritage like i always thought!

the depiction of the ““creation story”” suggests elves were mimicking the bodies of dwarves when they formed their own, not humans like i think mythal says in game flashbacks, which would make more sense timeline wise

there’s concept art of the city of ventus, which i believe is of particular relevance to mercar players? it’s right on the border of arlathan forest, and surrounded by magical statues holding out raised hands forming a ward along the tree line to keep it from encroaching

the home base was going to be a lovable fixer-upper of a ship given to us by isabela, named the dumat. this didn’t fit the spy theme they were originally going for, so they tried really really hard to make it a submarine without feeling anachronistic by making it sort of sea monster shaped. there are a lot of cutaways and schematics. they were going to give it a mystery engine that you would get light fetch quests to feed random objects: “ten dried lavender flowers, five quail’s eggs, three brass belt buckles, etc.....” the submarine then turned into an undersea mansion on the back of some giant shambling sea creature you would never get a good look at

later on there were some funny takes on the lighthouse specifically, like bringing back the sea creature theme to put it on the back of an interdimensional veil whale, or having it be the true location of the black emporium with a collection of eluvians that xenon the antiquarian lets you use

there’s a tiny concept art for a “high-speed aravel chase” in a canyon like a western

tevinter gladiators are mentioned a couple times. we WEREEE going to get to see the minrathous proving grounds :( there’s also a dwarven embassy concept art somebody take me out back and shoot me

there are a lot of ghilan’nain creature designs that didn’t make it into the game which is a shame but i can see why they would have been resource heavy

the antiva concept arts are so gorgeous. a lot of it got through! and definitely the overall Vibe made it. at some point it seems to have been antiva city itself; they don’t call it treviso and they mention the circle of magi as a major landmark

“The entrance to the Necropolis is like an inverted Tower of Babel. They seek knowledge in the grave instead of heaven.” <- this just rules as a line

for arlathan: “To differentiate it from previous forest and jungle locations in Dragon Age, we went with an autumnal colour palette. It has the benefit to feeling ominously like the end.”

the veil jumpers have a “skull halla” symbol that “implies their willingness to risk death”. did that end up in the game?

“With each faction, we explored a range of aspirational fantasies. For the Wardens, this ranged from knights in shining armour to butal tanks to a Nietzche quote: ‘Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.’”

there’s this concept among the warden armours for an insane orlesian noblewoman look with the winter palace morrigan corset and a piled high wig, but the skirts torn knee length and a serrated fan in hand. i’m kind of obsessed

“To bring more life to the world, we thought about what industries would keep the Anderfels afloat. We took the prominent Warden blue colour and envisioned an industry harvesting flowers, creating dye, and then weaving copious amounts of blue fabric.” this is probably where the flower quests in the hossberg wetlands started off conceptually? v cute

character stuff:

in completely different early versions of the game, solas had a “bad cop” right hand woman called reva

imshael the desire demon/choice spirit from the masked empire and inquisition was going to be a two-handed weapon warrior companion, and also sexualised now while in largely feminine form, which would have been a Choice. there is one art of him in masculine form, also sexy but still not showing as much skin as the feminine one

as i said, neve was going to be calpernia

taash was a rogue. (they’re still a light-armoured dual wielder so that checks out.) it seems like davrin was briefly a mage. at some points harding seems to have inherited bianca

saarbrak, another qunari companion, seems to have lastest the longest of the abandoned concepts. he’s the only non-canon one who got as far as having a place for him sketched into designs of the lighthouse: “saarbrak’s planning room”. mentions and sightings of what might be him are sporadic and i think you only see his name on that sketch, but i’m connecting it to the description “a potential qunari companion evolved from saarebas to dapper qunari spy, offering a deeper look into qunari culture”

the embroidery on harding’s clothes is how she passes the time while “waiting for days in a sniper perch” on missions. i just thought that was cute

[morlock-holmes]

Okay, guys, after reading a post by @centrally-unplanned I just took that ACX "AI Turing Test" that Scott Alexander did, and I am screaming, as the kids used to say.

You guys are way, way overthinking this.

I thought I would do better than average, and I guess I did; excluding three pictures I had seen before, I got 31/46 correct.

Not great if you're taking the SAT, but I feel like if I could call a roulette spin correctly 2 times out of 3 I could clean up in Vegas.

So, what is the secret of my amazing, D+ performance?

You have to look at the use of color and composition as tools to draw the eye to points of interest.

AI is really bad at this, when left to its own devices.

For example, here:

Part of the reason to suspect that this is AI is the "AI house style" and the bad hands that I literally only noticed right this exact second as I was typing this sentence. Even if the hands were rendered correctly, I would still clock this as AI.

The focal point of this piece ought to be the face of the woman and the little dragon she is looking at (Just noticed the dragon's wings don't match up either), but take off your glasses or squint at this for a second:

Your eye is being drawn by the bright gold sparkles on the lower right side of the piece. That particular bright gold is only in that spot on the image, but there's no reason to look there, it's just an upper arm and an elbow. The bright light source highlighting the woman's horn separates it out as a point of interest.

Meanwhile, the weird aurora streaming out of the woman's face on the left side means that it is blending in with the background.

In other words, the way the image is composed, and the subject matter suggest that your eye should be drawn here:

But the use of color suggests that you should look here:

That's a senseless place to draw the eye towards! It would be a really weird mistake for a human to make! In fact, I think there's a strong argument that the really close cropped picture of the face of the character is a strong improvement. It's still not a particularly good composition, but at least the color contrast now draws the eye to the proper points.

In fact, I would say that a good reason for my performance not being even better was this alarming statement at the start of the test:

I've tried to crop some pictures of both types into unusual shapes, so it won't be as easy as "everything that's in DALL-E's default aspect ratio is AI".

Uh...

So how about this one:

This is a lot better anatomically and in terms of the use of color and light to draw the eye towards sensible parts of the painting. The lighting makes pretty good sense in terms of coming from a particular direction and it also draws the eye to effectively to the face and the outstretched hand of the figure.

It's also a really flat and meaningless composition and subject matter that no renaissance artist would have chosen. What is this angel doing, exactly? Our eye is drawn to the face and hand, and the figure is looking off towards the left side, at, uh, what exactly?

But then I thought, "Well, maybe Scott chopped out a giant chunk of the picture, and this is just a detail from, like, the lower right eighth of some giant painting with three other figures that makes total sense"

This makes sense as a piece of a larger human made artwork, but if you tell me, "Nope, that's the whole thing and this is the original, un-cropped picture" I'd go, "Oh, AI, obviously.

All of the ones I had trouble with were AI art with good composition and use of color, and human ones with bad composition and use of color. For example, this one:

This has three solid points of interest arranged in an interesting relationship with different colors to block them out. I'd say the biggest tells are that the astronauts' feet are out of frame, which is a weird choice, and looking closely now, the landscape and smoke immediately to the right of the ship don't really make sense.

But again; I had to think, "Maybe Scott just cropped it weird and they had feet in the original picture."

Here's another problem:

StableDiffusion being bad at composition is such a known problem that there are a variety of tools which a person can use to manually block out the composition. In fact, let me try something.

I popped open Krita (Which now has a StableDiffusion plugin) and after literally dozens of generations and a couple of different models I landed on ZavyChromaXL with the following prompt:

concept art of two astronauts walking towards a spaceship on an alien planet, with a giant moon in th background, artstation, classic scifi, book cover

And this was the best I could do:

Not great, but Krita has a tool that lets you break an image into regions which each have different prompts, so I quickly blocked something out:

Each of those color blobs has a different part of the prompt, so the green region has "futuristic astronauts" the blue is the spaceship, the orange is the moon, grey is the ground and pink is the sky, which gives us:

Still way too much, so we can use Krita's adaptive patch tool and AI object removal to get:

I'm not saying it's high art, or even any good, but it's better than the stuff I was getting from a pure prompt, because a human did the composition.

But it's still so dominated by AI processes that it's fair to call it "AI Art".

Which makes me wonder how many of the AI pictures I called out as human made because one of the traits I was looking for, good composition, was in fact, actually made by a human.

[writingquestionsanswered]

how do i make my writing more ‘mature’? i always feel like no matter how sophisticated i write and no matter every which way i change it up it always has a sense of being childish or juvenile.

Making Writing Sound More Mature

1 - Better Plot and Story Structure - One of the telltale signs of juvenile writing is a story that meanders, has no obvious plot or structure, has no conflict or has a protagonist with no goal. So, make sure you have a well fleshed out plot, with a conflict, protagonist goal, and which hits the beats specific to your story's genre.

2 - Three-Dimensional Characters - If you're writing plot-driven fiction, make sure your main characters have a fleshed out personality, stakes, motivation, goal, and compelling relationships with other characters. If you're writing fully or partially character-driven fiction, do all of the above, but also make sure your main characters have a relevant internal conflict and a thoughtful character arc.

3 - Well-Developed Setting and World - One common hallmark of juvenile writing is a lack of "sense of place" and under-developed world building. So, make sure you put a lot of thought into where your story takes place... not just the immediate setting of each scene, but the overall world of the story, or at least the parts of it that are relevant.

4 - Incorporate Literary Devices - Juvenile writing tends to be lacking in the use of metaphor, simile, symbolism, irony, themes, and motifs. So, make sure to include those, but also take the time to make them relevant to your story.

5 - Include a Broad Range of Vocabulary - One common element of juvenile writing is a reliance on limited, simple vocabulary. Don't be afraid to use a thesaurus to find more interesting word choices--just be absolutely certain to crosscheck your choices with a dictionary to make sure they are the right choice. Online thesauruses in particular are bad about offering up bad suggestions. Also, make sure to learn and use special vocabulary that is relevant to your story, genre, or setting. For example, if your character is a retired police detective trying to solve a murder on his stalled cruise to Alaska, you need to make sure you know the proper investigative terminology, because he will definitely use it. And, by that same token, you'd want to make sure you know cruise ship lingo as well. And, part of this, too, is getting better at description and the inclusion of emotional and sensory detail.

6 - Use Varied Sentence Structure - This is a big one... juvenile writing tends to use repetitive sentence structure, such as simple sentences (she stood up, she went to the window, she waved at the man), lack of subordinate clauses (Tad Smith, who was a seasoned and retired investigator, had looked forward to this cruise his whole life...), repetitive starts (every sentence begins with a pronoun, for example), uniform length (all short sentences, for example.) So, make sure your sentences are varied. If you read them out loud, you don't want it to sound rhythmic, but more like a complex melody.

7 - Show, Don't Tell... Most of the Time - Telling definitely has its place, but most of the time you want to show rather than tell, meaning that instead of stating things simply and directly (the sun was shining) you want to paint a clear but indirect image (dappled sunlight shone through the trees.)

8 - Avoid Cliche Phrases - Human language is littered with everyday phrases like "to each their own" or "better late than never." Generally-speaking, you want to avoid these phrases in your story, especially in exposition. If you include them anywhere, they're best spoken as dialogue by a character who it makes sense would say something like that. Likewise, be careful of cliche genre or character-type phrases. For example, villains who say things like "we're not so different, you and I..." or "I finally have you right where I want you!" These overused phrases tend to make stories sound juvenile and unpolished.

9 - Avoid Cliche Tropes - Another type of cliche to avoid if you want more mature-sounding writing is cliches of various tropes. Tropes on their own are a good thing, but when tropes are used the same way over and over again in a genre or type of story, they become predictable. For example, the super gorgeous protagonist who everyone is in love with, but they view themselves as plain and not special. Or the broken/hopeless/addict mentor character. It's not that you can't use any cliche tropes at all, just make sure your story isn't riddled with them, and do what you can to put your own spin on the ones you do use.

10 - Read, Read, Read - And I can't stress this enough... the absolute best way to improve your writing style and take your writing from juvenile to polished is to make sure you're reading a lot of fiction, in a lot of genres, by a lot of authors. Audio books, short stories, and poetry count, too. The more you read, the more you begin to: understand plot and story structure, recognize well-developed characters, easily envision complex settings and worlds, learn vocabulary and literary devices, become attuned to varied sentence structure, and learn to recognize cliche phrases and tropes.

Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[emthimofnight]

Hi Emthimofnight! I was wondering what the thought process is when naming the fankids. I find naming an oc to be hard sometimes, so just genuinely curious how you got some of the names. I mean, the knuxouge kids make sense, but what about the rest? Hope you have a great day 🫶

Hiiii!! ❤️ Thank you so much for your interest in my silly little creations, you have no idea how much it means to me when people ask about my thought process when it comes to these things!! 🥰

I actually really love naming my characters, it's kind of the cherry on top of a finished design for me! When it comes to fankids in specific, though, there are a lot of factors that go into my final choice of a name.

There are a few rules I follow, first being that I try to keep all Sonic fankid/oc names consistent with what we have already seen in-universe (i.e. no generic human names, instead focusing on nouns or verbs). I also try to keep in mind the parents of the fankid, and try to choose names that would fit with that particular ship, while also giving said fankid their own identity.

This is gonna be a LONNNGGG post, so if you want to hear me yap, take a peek below the cut!

For my sonadow fankids, they were all intended to have some kind of cosmic/space theme as a nod to Shadow's extraterrestrial origins—and the fact that they are all an attempt to improve upon Project Shadow.

Stellar was the first fankid I made, period! I wanted her to be unique and stand-out, considering I had 20 years of sonadow fankids to contend with. I scoured the internet during her creation, making sure that there were no other sonadow kids that shared her name or were rockin' with a star/figure skater theme. On top of that, I wanted her name to fit with the "S" naming convention that all our main hedgies (Sonic, Shadow, Silver, etc.) have! "Stellar" was a pretty obvious choice for me.

For her failed lab siblings, I wanted to keep with the cosmic theme, but lose the names beginning with "S", a hint that from their very conception they would never be good enough, and would never be the "finished product".

Void was always intended to be a bigger, badder version of Shadow, and being the first attempt at perfecting Gerald Robotnik's work, he's basically all of Shadow's physical traits cranked up to a 10. More stripes, more fur, more muscle, more alien. He takes after grandpa Black Doom than Shadow himself does, and his name was chosen to reflect pretty much everything about him. Endlessly powerful, but deeply empty.

Andromeda was named not only for the obvious cosmic connotation, but because of her beauty! The princess Andromeda from Greek Mythology was known not only for her good looks, but also the seemingly endless tragedy that followed her. Andromeda is intended to be sort of a foil to Stellar, being that the Andromeda Galaxy is the closest to our own Milky Way, and the two are destined to eventually collide. Andromeda resents Stellar intensely in the universe in which the fail sibs survived infancy, and the two of them have a very volatile relationship—that is, until she and Polarity get an eventual redemption arc. 😉

Speaking of, Polarity had the most name candidates before I eventually landed on his current one! He was almost named Velocity, but I decided that "Polarity" was more apt in capturing his character. He is supposed to be a good guy who is on the wrong side, constantly fighting with what he believes is right and wrong, being pulled in two very different directions. The heart of a hero beats in his chest, and he is the most like Sonic out of all of his siblings, but has been essentially brainwashed and abused into justifying the actions of the lab that made him.

Moving on from sonadow, my blazamy kids are next!

Both Camellia and Thistle are named after flowers to match with their mama, Amy Rose, but of course it's not just as simple as that! 😛 Their names were chosen to match with their species and appearances, seeing as Camellia is a cat and Thistle is a hedgehog.

Camellia and Thistle actually share very similar markings on their hair/quills, but if you look closely, you can see that they are actually reversed! Where Camellia's markings are more petal-like, Thistle's are spiky, like thorns!

Camellias also represent love, adoration, and longing—hinting at her romantic nature and affection for her best friend (and crush), Stellar! Thistles, on the other hand, are representative of determination, bravery, and strength, all things that Thistle will grow into as he finds his footing in the role of a prince.

As for my knuxouge kids, like you said, it's pretty self-explanatory. 😂 Rouge named both Jasper and Jade after the jewels she loves so much, as her babies are the most beautiful gems she's ever seen!

Of course, I did put a bit more thought in than just "Rouge names her kids after gems", seeing as both stones have spiritual meaning in various cultures.

Red jaspers (what Jasper is named after) are notable for having a nurturing quality and being a symbol of life, hinting at the fact that Jasper himself is more than just the playboy facade he presents to the world. He's a total mama's boy and loves his family more than anything, valuing his connection to echidna culture despite being born a bat. He uses his charisma and wit to get his way, and spends his days scoping out stolen echidna artifacts in museums and auctions so he can return them to where they rightfully belong—in the hands of his father, Knuckles.

Jade, too, is very true to what the stone she was named after represents. Jade represents wisdom, inner peace, harmony, balance, stability—all things Jade herself embodies to a T. Where Jasper is a smooth-talking charmer, Jade is calm, steady, and warm. Her very presence can defuse a tense situation, and it's very hard to find a single person who dislikes her. She is very responsible and dependable, taking her duty to guard the Master Emerald like her father before her very seriously.

As for Calico (whispangle fankid), they are named for their unique coloration, being born a wolf with lemur-like fur patterns! I wanted them to have a name that was a bit of a strange choice, perhaps a bit unconventional, seeing as they are a bit of an odd duck amongst my fankid cast. Calico is one of those characters who is often on the outskirts of the action, kind of floating between friend groups and never fully anchored amongst their peers, but happy regardless. They are a treasure that is well-worth uncovering for those willing to do the work!

Next up is Mirage (espilver fankid). Mirage's name says a lot about who he is as a character, being an introverted, anti-social spy for hire who despises the spotlight. Mirage is a master of illusions and a professional at remaining unseen, specializing in digging up the dirty secrets of those around him and selling their information to the highest bidder. His name has a double meaning, however, as Mirage himself has a lot to hide and a lot he's secretly insecure about. Everything he does is one big smokescreen to keep people as far away from him as possible, even if it means he might end up entirely alone.

Directly opposing Mirage's desire for solitude is my vectilla fankid, Pumpkin, who is everything Mirage isn't. Pumpkin is loud, bombastic, and social, acting almost like a big sister to Mirage seeing as they have known each other since they were small. Pumpkin's name was chosen to follow the naming convention of Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla (she also has a chao named Spice to reflect Cream's own chao, Cheese), while also having the kind of name that Vector would 100% name his daughter.

As for Rocket, Jet's adopted son, his name is unique from the others seeing as he's a trans man. His name is one he chose for himself, and is representative of his admiration for Jet and the Babylon Rogues and his desire to fit in amongst them. On top of his status as an extreme gear racer, Rocket is also a rock star, having a deep passion for music, adding another layer to his (and my own) reasoning behind his choice of a name. Rocky the rockin' rooster!

Snap (surgolin fankid) closes out my fankid roster for SonDADow AU as of now, and she probably had the most back and forth surrounding her name out of all my kiddos thus far. Static, Blitz, Tempest and Shock were all contenders, but Snap inevitably ended up being my final choice. I felt that the other options are all names that have seen a lot of use in the Sonic Fankid community, and Snap was deserving of something a bit more unique. It's zippy, packed with personality, and says a lot without being too obvious. You ain't ready for this snap, crackle, pop!! 💥💥💥

As for my kids from other AUs/universes, they all have equally as much thought put into their names as my main cast. Luster and Oleander both have names that say a lot about them as characters, with "luster" meaning to glow, shine, or reflect, and "oleander" being a beautiful, but incredibly poisonous flower.

Anyway, this ramble has gone on long enough. 🤣 But I hope this helps give an idea as to the thought process I go through when I come up with my characters! There are several I haven't even covered in their entirety here (Serene, Isol, Flux), but those are for another time. If you've gotten to the end of this wall of text, thanks for reading!! Hopefully this is some good food for all you lore lovers out there.

[applestorms]

sebastian/ciel relationship dynamic breakdown (pt. 2)

For a clearer breakdown of what this post will entail, please read my little intro for part 1 (linked here). Also: this section will be covering the latter arcs of the series, so please pay EXTRA attention to the spoiler warning on this one. <33

SPOILER WARNING !! (obviously.) there is a lot of summary in this, albeit hopefully narrow/focused, and filtered through my own thoughts and analysis. be warned. this is also not inherently a ship post, though you may certainly read it as such. have fun 🫶

6. LUXURY LINER ARC: VACATION GRANTED

Backstory time!! :D This arc is delightful in that it provides us with some really clear insight into the greater trajectory of Sebastian and Ciel's relationship over the last few years, especially when it comes to showing just how far they've come since their first meeting. As Sebastian's memories show us, Sebastian was not always the hyper-competent butler we know and love today, and Ciel himself was not always as settled into his position as head of the Phantomhive House or Funtom. (We also get the incredible reveal that Sebastian was, in fact, named after Ciel's dead dog, which will never not be funny. <3)

The big thing here is the reinforcement of the fact that, as much as Sebastian and Ciel love to fuck around and get on each other's nerves, they have also put a lot of work into learning how to get along and function like a team. And they do! What's also neat about this flashback sequence is that it comes in the middle of an arc that is generally quite high-stakes and tense, action-heavy in a way that means both of them are consistently on high alert and not as inclined to fuck with one another since a Whole Lotta People's lives are on the line. Sebastian is really giving his all for most of this trip, and Ciel is cognizant of that enough to grant him quite a formal break. They care about each other!! Perhaps even to their mutual embarrassment at times, and not entirely without some level of selfish motivations on both sides-- but there is also clearly something deeper starting to be established by this point, at the very least a habit and instinct to collaborate that will not be easily broken, though whether or not it will stand up to any tests will have to wait for a later arc. (Hint, hint.)

But back to the flashback-- obviously, the juiciest part of this for SBCL specifically is the fact that this is the first time we explicitly see Sebastian try to test the limits of Ciel's dedication to his whole revenge plot. This is great for two reasons: first, it is one of the more notable pieces of evidence we get this early on about just how untrustworthy and scheming Sebastian can be, as well as what his instincts are like as a demon, and second, it reinforces Ciel's unwavering dedication to their contract. For the latter point in particular, this is the first arc to really show some notable Ciel character development in this sense, which is important as this unwavering dedication to his revenge is obviously going to play a massive role in some of the next few arcs.

sidenote1: With regards to motivations, you could maybe argue that this is just Sebastian getting sick of his job or even Ciel and wanting to punch out early, but considering how much he seems to enjoy his whole butler cosplay schtick later on, I'm not as inclined to agree with this interpretation. Personally, I think a more interesting take on this is that Sebastian is reverting back to what he knows about humans from previous contracts, that they are selfish, power-hungry, and greedy for money and romance/sex, and applying that to Ciel to try and push at his limits and see if he'll take the bait, only to be caught off guard when Ciel defies him and doubles down on his original intention. At this point in the story Sebastian is, at the very least, still dedicated to the idea that Ciel's soul is going to be this drawn out, slow-cooked gourmet meal that will totally rock his shit, and he wants to be Certain that his initial prospecting was correct. This is new for both of them!

Ultimately, this arc as a whole functions as reinforcement: of Sebastian and Ciel's growth in their relationship, of their respective dedication towards Ciel's protection and revenge, and of their capacity to work as a team under stressful circumstances. It is certainly not perfect, and this connection will be tested in the future-- but for now, they've got other shit to worry about.

7. PUBLIC SCHOOL ARC: UNDERTAKER STRIKES BACK

Unfortunately for our purposes, this is the arc in which Sebastian and Ciel seem to interact directly the least, largely because they are once again forced to play distinct teacher/student roles and dedicate most of their meetings to scheming meaning that we're mostly back to just watching SBCL working at peak cooperation, with Sebastian once again bending to Ciel's will even if it means a ton of extra work for him (lol). That being said, there's still a lot of gay shit happening more generally at Weston, and we notably have one major moment between Sebastian and Ciel at the very end of the arc, which points at another idea I wanted to discuss:

If there is One (1) Thing in this entire series that makes it the most clear Sebastian and Ciel's relationship is the core of the story upon which all else revolves, it is the fact that Undertaker is the series' primary villain. Or rather, to put this the other way around: Undertaker himself makes it clear that Sebastian and Ciel's relationship is the central by constantly threatening to snatch Ciel away and break the two of them up.

This threat was clearly established by Undertaker in the last arc, and it becomes Very relevant yet again in some of the most recent arcs, but it's the brevity of the scene in this particular arc that causes me to view it like a kind of microcosm of these three's dynamic throughout the entire story. UT really doesn't do much once his identity is revealed during the tea party-- other than talking, his only notable action is to reinforce himself as a threat to Sebastian by proving, which he manages to do without even actually doing much other than anticipating the situation so that he can position himself closer to Ciel than Sebastian is. It's a very slick, subtle move, but one that Sebastian picks up on and hates.

It's because of this that I actually kinda view this scene as more fundamental to establishing UT as KURO's primary/endgame antagonist than his reveal as a shinigami in the last arc, as this proves that UT is someone who is dangerous, calculating, and capable of fucking up Sebastian to a previously-unseen degree. Quite impressive, really.

Notable as well is the fact that this approach to exploiting Sebastian's weakness (namely, Ciel) is not without its precursor either-- as I mentioned back in P1, Ciel himself even uses this weak point to his advantage, putting his own health and safety at risk due to his own stubborn determination during the Circus arc. For all his overpowering strength, his one greatest desire is also his most obvious soft spot, and the biggest players in this game are very much aware of that fact.

8. EMERALD WITCH ARC: OH MAN.

Oh, man.

I'm gonna try to keep the recency bias off of this one if I can since the anime is currently still coming out at the time of writing this, but OH FUCKIN' MAN. Two big things for this one: tentacles, and trust.

To start with the tentacles: hey, remember in P1 when I mentioned Sebastian and Ciel's close connection and dedication getting tested? This is that-- or more specifically, a kind of internal test served from Sebastian to Ciel, to check and see whether or not he still has the same kind of Dedication that he originally had to their contract. This is obviously also quite similar to his initial testing of Ciel's will right after his meeting with the queen as seen in the LLA, though with notably quite different circumstances: now Sebastian isn't just fucking with Ciel, not just testing him or trying to see if he'll adhere to his preconceived notions of what humans usually act like/want, but rather trying to see if this will be the thing that breaks him. He seems to be genuinely disappointed by Ciel's reversion and inability to break out of his trauma, taking to extreme measures to either ensure he gets his meal or, hopefully, break Ciel out of it.

Which he does!! To the great relief of basically everybody involved. And not only that, but we come out of this with an important reinforcement of not only Ciel's commitment to their contract and his revenge, but a valuable gloss on his claim to revenge-- a clarification of his pledge, that he is getting revenge for himself and nobody else. Ciel is grieving, but he recognizes that the dead will never return. His relationship with Sebastian is thus one that benefits him for himself and for himself alone, and nobody else will ever get in the way of that. This is Ciel regaining his self-confidence, his trust in himself, and growing closer to Sebastian because of it.

Thus: at the end of this arc, when Ciel says that Sebastian is, "the one he can trust the least," I really do believe that he is being truthful. He doesn't trust Sebastian, or at least not without some caution-- he is not nearly foolish enough to put his full faith into the monster trying to eat him, and (as we shall very soon see) hasn't been since the very beginning. They are closer now, certainly, but that is due in no small part to Ciel's trust in his own abilities to use Sebastian as he pleases and exploit his weakness (himself) to get what he wants.

The irony of this is that, overall, I think Sebastian and Ciel's relationship does have a greater positive impact on Ciel, on his self-confidence and strength and his ability to regain his agency after having it so viciously ripped away from him. Ciel doesn't want a strong, capable hero to save him, not after all that has happened to him by the time he and Sebastian finally meet-- he wants power and vengeance, the strength to stand on his own legs, and Sebastian, intentionally or not, gives him that. And it's that soft undercurrent of their relationship that paints their relationship in a much more interested, nuanced light than the surface level observation of "evil demon preying on a traumatized child," that is still true, but doesn't quite capture the full picture.

9. MUSIC HALLS ARC: PEEKING OVER THE EDGE

This arc once again features a mostly submissive Sebastian, with a majority of the emphasis falling on Ciel while he gets his shit freaked. Lots of this perhaps comes from the fact that the PSA kids are back, meaning that the cast of somewhat major characters is once again quite large and spends a lot more time bouncing around, setting up some of the REALLY major shit that's right on the verge of being revealed. Most of the pressure is either on Ciel or about to be, so their relationship specifically isn't under enough tension to be tested again in any major ways just yet. There are still some minor moments of friction, of course, but none that really feel character-defining like in the previous few arcs-- the story is foreshadowing a lot here, with tensions from the last 100+ chapters rising, but not quite tipping over the edge... until the end, anyway. When it comes to interactions with other characters, Sebatian and Ciel are pretty in sync this arc, falling back into a more typical dynamic as they team up to train and terrorize their new boy band.

That being said, there is ONE slight exception to this, and that is the slight interlude we get with the Halloween chapter (approximately chapter 119.5), which is one of my favorite specials so I must ramble about it at least a little. As a reminder, here's the last few pages:

I just love this. The symbolism!! THE SYMBOLISM!!! I know I just went on a whole spiel in the last part about how Ciel doesn't trust Sebastian without question, and I still do believe that, but this does point to the fact that Ciel does have some assurance in Sebastian's ability to keep himself safe for as long as it takes to get his revenge. Functionally he believes in him, at least enough to light the way forward, and even to snuff out that flame when the appropriate time does come. Fates intertwined, etc. etc. etc.

The symbolism of Sebastian putting Ciel in a devil costume is also Very intriguing to me, though I'm not entirely sure that I have one clear answer for it. While it is in part just a very funny costume for Ciel to wear, I can't help but feel like there is some kind of greater meaning behind it-- Sebastian's mutual influence on Ciel, perhaps? Grooming him into something more like him, even as Ciel willingly hands over his life and affects him just as much? It seems obvious to me that something a whole lot Bigger than just the contract has been coagulating in the deeper bond between these two, but I'm not entirely confident that I can place the specific nuances of what that is just yet. And looking at Sebastian's face in that second to last page... I'm not entirely sure that either of them have the words to place exactly what it is either.

sidenote2: Could this be interpreted as romantic? Almost certainly-- but it is the nuances within that which interests me most here. How much do they actually trust each other, and how aware are they of this? They're clearly pretty codependent-- but are they themselves even willing to recognize this? When does the predator/prey relationship end, when do the master/servant roles stop, and where do they begin to legitimately care for and respect one another? As we see in the most recent arcs, there is still plenty of room for their relationship to be tested, for the limits of what they are/aren't willing to admit to be put in conflict with what they want above all else. Their conclusion is still a ways off, I guess is my main point here.

10. BLUE MEMORY ARC: LEASHING THE DOG

Sebastian is fucking FERAL in this arc and it is so unbelievably incredibly hot narratively interesting. This entire section has some of the absolute BEST interactions between any two characters in the entire series, istg. Easily my favorite section in the whole entire comic. They're unbeatable. Incomparable. Unmatched meet cute at the demon summoning ritual. What if I was next in line to be sacrificed on the altar, and you were the devil who showed up to snag my twin brother's soul 👉👈 tee hee hee!!1 :3 Soulmate behavior. I'm getting sick to my fucukging stomach just thinking about it oh mgygoddd sedate me >__< (ok not yet i need to finish writing this BUT STILL)

There's just Something about being able to see some of the earliest interactions between Sebastian and Ciel here, to see the stage how it was originally set, that really makes so many of their later interactions that much more fascinating. Like I really cannot emphasize enough how delightful it is to see such an unhinged side to Sebastian from before he was collared and domesticated, back when he was still a liar and a monster and not quite settled into the fact that they were going to be playing the long game. And on the other end, it is wildly impressive seeing Ciel actively in the process of figuring out how to chain Sebastian down-- not falling for the lure of endless power or wealth or whatever other sins Sebastian might like to pull him into, but rather solidifying his first pass at the whole "revenge" idea and figuring out how to limit Sebastian's power so as to better harness it for himself, rather than going the more typical Faustian route of trying to get so much power it immediately bites him in the ass.

One of the most intriguing aspects of some of these flashbacks to me personally is also seeing just how quickly Ciel undergoes his outward personality shift from the shy, sickly, anxious kid that he was as a young boy, stuck back in his role as The Spare, the one stuck inside, to the more sullen and aggressive "Earl Ciel Phantomhive," that we see in the present day. He really does feel like a whole other person after Everything that happens, an amalgamation of intentional changes to try and appear more like his brother to fit his new identity as the confident, capable, outspoken one and the natural shifts that come with his trauma and grief and complete loss of faith, all of which is very much mediated by the new, constant presence of a certain demon butler lurking right over his shoulder.

Similar to EWA, what I further really appreciate about this arc is the way in which it sets up Sebastian as something legitimately dangerous, as one of the biggest, most powerful threats in the series that is absolutely dying to sink his teeth into Ciel. This is easily one of the most openly manipulative Sebastian's we get in the series, really the only time we ever get to see him lie outright to Ciel's face, and it establishes the tension between them perfectly, calling back to their spider couple games in the earliest chapters. Honestly, while it's pretty easy to read both Sebastian and Ciel as the protagonists of KURO, it is also wonderfully easy to read Sebastian as the "true" antagonist and Ciel the primary protagonist-- and ultimately it's the tension between those two sides that keeps the story rolling.

This is also one of the most clearly we hear Ciel speak in reference to the underlying lack of respect that he has for himself, and what I read as his thinly veiled suicidal tendencies. In this arc in particular, Ciel really gives me the vibes of a kind of mundane self-hatred, one that is not necessarily actively self-destructive or even very overt or noticeable to the people around him, but more along the lines of a simple acceptance of himself as something lesser. As is hopefully clear by this point, I really do view Ciel's self-confidence as a key aspect of not only his own individual arc but his relationship with Sebastian and their mutual development as well. It's why the twin reveal is so crucial to understanding who o!Ciel is as a person, imo-- from the very start of our story, o!Ciel has been living under the assumption that he can only ever have power or agency or receive love as his brother, that his own existence is one that can disappear and be swept away without excess grief from the people who remembered him. What his relationship with Sebastian reveals, and really everybody he meets and connects with who isn't attached to his Phantomhive Past, is that this absolutely is NOT the case. For better and for worse, o!Ciel is the one that Sebastian picked-- and, as UT so loves to point out, his life is not replaceable.

sidenote3: Agni. :( Can't let this post go without talking about his passing at least a little, particularly considering all of the parallels between those two couples that I discussed in P1. In particular, it's the parallels between him and Ciel that really gets to me here, and the ways in which we might view his death in conjunction with the sword of Damocles that has been hanging over Ciel's head for this entire series' run... Probably gonna talk about this more in another post on all the master/butler relationships in the series, actually, but the big thing here for me is comparing Soma's reaction to Agni's passing, and specifically Agni dying for Soma, to protect him, to the distinctly more predatory and cannibalistic dynamic that SBCL have going on.

sidenote4: Additionally, after re-watching the ending of S1, I've been struck by the thought that I seriously doubt the ending of the manga will look very much like the ending of either S1 or S2. Like, on a surface level I wouldn't be surprised if there were some similar aesthetic elements or if the greater set-up had echoes of either ending, but I just don't think that a direct recreation of S1's ending would hit the same or even work at all with how the story currently looks. S1 Ciel just feels like such a wildly different person to current-manga Ciel, in his relationships w/ other characters alone if not his underlying core personality. S1 Ciel can drop himself off a bridge, sit quietly on a bench, and let Sebastian easily chow down on his soul. But current manga Ciel? Current manga Sebastian? I don't think it will be nearly as easy, and I'm inclined to keep a sharp eye out for any further developments in Soma's reaction to Agni's passing in particular for the potential parallels it may present to SBCL.

11. BLOOD SPLIT ARC (current): THE FINAL TESTS

This whole section is interesting in that we get another experience of SBCL that feels a LOT like when we took Arthur's POV back in the Manor Murders, only now it happens a couple times in succession with Mey-Rin, Bard, and (a little bit of) Snake's backstories. We are also largely relegated to seeing Sebastian and Ciel purely through these backstories, with very little to no insight into the present-day actions (until very recently, anyway) which is quite different to the kind of masked performance they were doing way back in Murder.

What's fascinating about these depictions to me is just how much Sebastian and Ciel are idolized and practically deified in the eyes of their servants, standing as this image of some kind of unbreakable power couple that certainly gets up to some questionable shit, but is also to a degree untouchable to anybody else. It's actually been somewhat strange for me to see them interacting normally again in the most recent chapters after months and months of seeing them through this lens of the eyes of the people they saved, returning to the usual antics but with the lingering flavor of their mutual overwhelming power still present at the back of my tongue. Since very little time has actually passed in-universe over the last few years there isn't much to sink my teeth into with this section in terms of Insane Developments in their relationship-- instead, I feel left with this distinct thought of just how simultaneously loved and isolated Sebastian and Ciel are together.

Since Sebastian's true nature seems to (miraculously, frankly) still be basically unknown to every other character in the series, save for the shinigami + Arthur + whatever other humans they happen to be terrorizing at any given moment, those two are somewhat uniquely situated in the sense that they are the only ones who really seem to Get what's happening between them. Of course, everybody picks up on the closeness, on the deep bond and apparent trust that is undeniably between the two of them, but the true depths of their codependency and the nature of their contract seems to confine them away from most other characters. Naturally, Undertaker comes closest to figuring it out, but as I think we're likely to see in the upcoming chapters, even he doesn't seem to fully Get It either (or at the very least is biased by his own desires/feelings surrounding the Phantomhives).

SO. Speaking, of... where is all of this going, anyways?

I'm certain there are things that will come out surprise me about this series as we begin descending into the final stretches of this manga's run, but if I had to list my suspicions/thoughts/questions surrounding where I think the story is likely to go, considering everything that has come thus far (and still staying centered on SBCL), it would look something like this:

o!Ciel has still not yet fully dealt with the fundamental insecurity at the center of his psyche: the idea that he is inherently lesser than his brother. As delighted as I am by his adamant refusal to give up the title of "Earl Ciel Phantomhive," there's some deeper shit there that he's still not addressing. This is not at all to say that I think he needs to go back to using his old/birth name or some shit (frankly, it's more of the opposite)-- but if he really is committing to the "Ciel Phantomhive" route, I think he still has a ways to go when it comes to defining that name for himself, to take his power and agency as the Ciel Phantomhive that he wants to be, and not as some dubious stand-in for someone that he thinks better of.

Sebastian has not solidified his commitment to their contract in the same way that Ciel continually has. I feel like this is going to be the most relevant when it comes to whatever shit Mr. Modri Vladis starts digging back up with regards to Sebastian's past-- clearly, there is something Different about this current contract for Sebastian, and I don't think he's fully processed that yet. Personally, I don't really doubt that Sebastian is still perfectly capable of chowing down on Ciel the second his time comes, dude's been blueballing himself out of that meal for literally almost 20 real life years by this point, but how is he actually going to feel about it? Will he hesitate? Will he regret it? He may not have a past in the same way as the humans of this story, but what is his side to all of this? Who is he, if not the Earl Phantomhive's butler?

AAAAAAAAARRAHAURAGHHG YANA-SENSEI PLEASE. PLEASE. I don't even know what I'm begging for at this point. Just Please. Where are these bitches gonna end up, I still feel like I Just Don't Know. I really do think that Ciel is gonna get eaten. But the specifics of how, and why, and when, I'm really not sure I can tell. Regardless, as I said in my little sidenote for the Memory Arc, I really don't think it can be quite so straightforward as it was at the end of S1 by this point-- the connections, the blood, it all runs too deep now. None of this is going to be easy.

We're in the midst of Some Shit now. The story is clearly picking back up, the plot moving forward as we start to near the point where these bloodlines converge, back to the perspective of the two Big Ones. Frankly, I don't think I have any real fuckin' idea where this shit is actually going to end up. But fuck if I'm not excited out of my mind to find out >w<

[croquettish]

I need to pick your brain about Bartosch.

Because my take is that Hans in insanely lucky the war context cuts the Bartosch/Henry connection neatly, making him more a fling than a romance option.

And this has less to do with the possibility of Henry choosing Bartosch over Hans as a romance option. That wouldn't make him any different from Theresa, Katherine, or Rosa in terms of taking Henry's affections for themselves. But if there ever was a character who would seem designed to attack at Hans' insecurities and sense of inadequacy, and especially in regards to Henry, I think it could be Bartosch.

Firstly, of course, in being a man Henry can be with. Hans can interrupt when Henry talks of Theresa, he can mock the concept of Rosa having deeper feelings for Henry, I think he can even call Katherine old at one point, but the hurt of jealousy for them is still something he can manage with some grace and hide. His jealousy in regards to SAM, who is not romantic with Henry, always struck me as overt and something Hans had difficulty managing, making him unsubtle and unable to think of a comeback when confronted. I think part of that is indeed Sam having an inherent connection to Henry, but I also think Hans has such a, say, 2D conceptualization of women as people, that they are difficult to visualize as romantic rivals, and that he naturally can feel much more threatened by men in Henry's life.

Secondly, Bartosch shares a lot of similarities with Hans, but usually with a bonus. Bartosch is also booksmart and studied, but he went to an actual university in the big city rather than being tutored at home. Bartosch is also a fan of poetry, dishing out verses naturally at times during concersation, and if he is thinking them on the spot then.... he's good at it, and we famously know Hans isn't. Bartosch is also a noble who does not seem to be managing any state, but this seems to be less due to him being blocked from responsability and rather from him fulfilling his noble responsibility in another way, an adventurous way, making a name for himself and travelling the world. He is also fun-loving, openly encouaging Henry to make the most of the party, but he seems to be well trusted with managing the tasks assigned to him, and is easily able to parse political and social maneuverings. He seems to enjoy one-on-one conversation, but he is well socialized. He is a queer man, but experienced, self assured, confident, and smooth at flirting.

Third, he has genuine chemistry with Henry. You've spoken at length about Henry being Freedom to Hans, and Hans being a Safe Place for Henry, and obviously, Bartosch wouldn't form as strong a bond and dependence with Henry. However, the Henry/Bartosch ship developed quickly, buttery fast, and pleasantly, which is a sharp contrast from the somewhat bumpy slow burn ride that Hansry is. There is a very specific sort of comfort in that which I think would serve well in Henry's life, and I can't imagine a young swordmaster like Bartosch wouldn't be enchanted by Henry's sheer talent and insistent competence. They have true potential together.

I think that if Hans witnessed Henry falling for Bartosch in a proper romance, he would crash out in a huge way.

I mean, I'm going to say that Hans would crash out in a huge way watching Henry fall in love with literally any other man. Because if the potential was there, if Henry liked men and still chose someone else knowing all the dangers that entailed... yeah, that would break him. In that regard it's easier for him with women. If Henry falls in love with one of them, he's doing the expected / socially acceptable thing. He can still tell himself, well, it's just because of the risk! Or maybe he doesn't like men! It would still hurt, but it would hurt a lot less.

As for Bartosch, I see where you're coming from, and I definitely agree that Bartosch in particular would fuck Hans up here because he's of a similar station(ish). But I almost think he'd have more to fear from someone that has the same social mobility that Henry has, someone who can understand how he feels or has been through similar things. I don't think education matters all that much to Henry (and why would it?). Someone else from Skalitz would present the biggest risk in Hans' mind, I think.

I think I'm struggling to picture Bartosch as a proper romance in part because he was written to be a one-night stand, and as a result his and Henry's relationship (and how it plays out!) reflects that. They talk once before the conversation where Bartosch solicits him for a hook-up, and nothing in either conversation goes all that deep. It really struck me as a case of "one guy finds another guy hot and decides to shoot his shot." Of course this is buttery smooth, there's very little to get tripped up on here!

Which isn't to say that they don't have potential!!! They very well might. But because he was written to be a one-night stand, we don't know if that potential exists.

And here's the thing. Henry and Hans work out in the long-term (in a sense) because they're always together. No wonder all the women are effectively treated as sidepieces; at the end of the day, he's always going to return to Hans. It's why Hans felt so threatened by Sam. Sam also has an inseparable connection to Henry by them being almost-brothers. Other than him, there isn't anyone else like that other than Radzig, and Hans wouldn't even think to feel jealous of him.

[calware]

Transmasc aranea is so interesting to me…do elaborate on your thoughts 👀

frankly i'm not really committed to this reading, it's just floating around in my head lol. not a "this should happen" idea but a "this would be kind of interesting" idea

the thing i AM pretty committed to is that she's TME, which is informed by comparing her to vriska; essentially, aranea gets to avoid a lot of the bad-faith perceptions vriska gets tacked on to her. vriska is a dangerous weapon that can't be trusted, aranea is just some annoying know-it-all who can't shut up. granted, both are bad labels to have, and both characters are targets of misogyny, but for a good amount of time there aranea gets away with a lot more than vriska does (for example, aranea idolizes her pre-scratch self and nobody bats an eye, but karkat goes running to john to tell him vriska is dangerous at the first sign that they might be into each other). so when you look at vriska through a TMA lens, aranea reads as TME by comparison

there are a lot of directions you can take this ofc, the "main" one being that she's a cis woman. that said, i think it's interesting that hussie posits characters who take on an "authorial role" as thematic representations of toxic masculinity, which was the seed in my mind that led to me considering aranea as transmasc in the first place:

"Much later in Act 6, we see Lil Cal is a juju vessel containing the splintered souls of various controversial characters in the story: Caliborn, Equius, Dirk, and yes...even Gamzee, which means he's actually here watching this ball drop in TWO forms. But all these figures are, in some manner, highly exaggerated negative manifestations of author avatars, who have amalgamated themselves within the body of English to wreak havoc on the story/reader. This is the galaxy-brained interpretation of the line. The most important character in the story is me, or more specifically, the most villainous, destructive splinter-composite of the author's presence in the story."

"Dirk and Equius similarly aren't even that unflattering as avatars either. You could do worse. And we do do worse. As far as demonic author-tiers go, English is the true monster. His dominating personality splinters are much worse too. Caliborn and Gamzee are complete hell-people compared to Dirk and Equius. They are also sort of author avatars in certain ways, but with a degree of cartoonishly evil exaggeration. They absolutely comprise the "authorial wrath" portion of the total Doc/English personality quagmire."

"I think when the time comes to show the douchebag cocktail stuck inside Cal, there's a brief temptation to regard it as an odd, semi-random melange of characters. But there are several layers of logic to the guys who all combine to form his personality. Much of the logic orbits around these negative traits associated with men, or more specifically, the "toxically masculine" aspects often linked to certain male personalities. Dirk has a lot of these traits, which are central to Dave's feelings of tension and abuse concerning his bro. The intellectual aggression, the power of assertion, the knowitall-ism, the mansplaining.

also, this line in particular makes me think of aranea:

As an alt-author figure, [Doc Scratch's] omniscience makes sense, since the author has sweeping knowledge of story details as well. Because I "know everything," he "knows everything" too. Of course, as I write the story, there are plenty of things I don't know yet, and the "not knowing" is always an important part of the process in this largely improvisational medium.

aranea starts out almost as a historian wanting to infodump pass down oral history of previous events; eventually, however, she becomes fed up with the story and decides to seize control of it herself, placing herself in an authorial position (or alt-author) so that she can steer the ship to the direction she that believes is best for everyone. ultimately, however, she fails, and gets herself re-killed by the condesce, a puppet of the real authorial avatar (english). the gendered interpretation of this is that a woman, she can girlboss (translation: be a woman in a man's position) as hard as she wants, but can never achieve true power under the patriarchy. she can play author all she wants (and hurt people along the way) but will never be allowed into the Boys Club

now, this doesn't mean that trying to be in a masculine position means a character is masculine (or even truly wants to be). but it's clear that she wants to be an author, she wants to know everything, she wants to wield the sword, all symbols of oppressive masculinity. and ONE(!!!!!) OF the ways to subvert/break that expectation is to figure out how to be true to yourself by reclaiming and embodying masculinity without succumbing the perpetuation of the patriarchy (which, coincidentally (or perhaps, not coincidentally?) is part of the basis for my transmasc reading of dirk, something i think he's forced to grapple with as well)

again, not my true + perfect vision that i'll die for or anything. just an interesting thought to speculate on

[silver-soul00]

I want to ask the same question to you as well inherent in why the Wenclair ship has become so famous.

How did it get so much popularity?

I ask this apolitically so don't worry ahahah

Hey hello!

Don't worry!

I'll be happy to answer you and I also want to take this opportunity to deny a couple of things.

Let's start with your question.

One of the most obvious indicators of Wenclair's popularity is the number of dedicated fan fiction on platforms like AO3. 

Let's remember that even before the series premiered on Netflix, on November 23, 2022, there were already 250 stories with the Wenclair tag, signaling early interest from fans.

(https://fanlore.org/wiki/Wenclair)

As of 2023, the Wenclair ship has become the most written about ship for both the Wednesday and Enid characters, with over 5,800 works published on AO3.

(https://shipping.fandom.com/wiki/Wenclair)

This exponential growth has shown how much the couple has created enthusiasm and creative investment from the fandom community.

But there is also another factor that should not be forgotten.

The production of fanart is another key indicator of the popularity of a ship.

The massive presence of these fanarts on platforms such as Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram testifies to the artistic interest of fans.

The aesthetic combination of the two characters, with their contrasting personalities and styles, offers fertile ground for creativity, making the couple particularly attractive to artists.

Just look at the fanarts that come out every week on X, Tumblr, Instagram etc.

Unfortunately some Wenclair artists have either retired or stopped temporarily but this has not stopped the wave and even today the largest number of fanarts related to the Netflix series are Wenclair-themed.

Wenclair’s popularity is also reflected in social media trends. 

On Tumblr, the ship has achieved notable positions in the weekly charts, ranking #2 on January 9, 2023, #3 on January 16 and February 13, and maintaining a steady presence in the following weeks.

[https://shipping.fandom.com/wiki/Wenclair]

Finally, let's not forget that, after a long sleep lasting a year, the fandom woke up thanks to the Novelisation of the first season which, for better or for worse, offered a lot of material for us fans of the couple.

But now that we have the data, we still ask ourselves, why was it so successful?

• First and foremost, the "Opposites Attract" Trope

The dynamic between Wednesday and Enid embodies the opposites attract trope, with Wednesday's dark and introverted nature contrasting with Enid's vivacious and extroverted nature.

This contrast has historically fascinated audiences, making their interaction intriguing and worthy of narrative exploration.

It is extremely inspiring to draw this pairing even on an artistic level, with plenty of fan art depicting a bright and cheerful Enid alongside a darker and stoic Wednesday (the most obvious example being the black cat energy x golden retriever energy dynamic).

[artist: https://x.com/sarishtks/status/1597683048094760960?t=P3kTp27IWnyUt77L-nXnpw&s=19]

[artist: https://x.com/fulvarrr/status/1605453010465062913?t=LEnrOMnIAqvAKs_GbkjPNA&s=19]

[artist: DSInsectes]

• Then there is of course the LGBTQ representation.

I have already touched on why Wenclair makes sense and I refer you to that post.

But without going into too much detail, the lack of explicit queer representation in the series has led fans to seek out and create narratives that reflect their experiences and desires, finding in Wenclair a possibility for meaningful representation.

But above all, another factor was fundamental, which was the failure of the Wednesday love triangle that was in the middle between Tyler and Xavier.

Many of us found this subplot so atrocious that we came to the final thought that, if Wednesday were ever going to have a romantic partner, it would absolutely be Enid.

Above all, let's not forget how very queer core the two girls are.

(Enid in particular and the subplot with her mother is a clear example of this)

Where on one hand we had a Tyler who, through deception and gaslighting, tried to get closer to the protagonist, then there was Xavier who was really a guy who perhaps tried to seem like a good guy but was just a pretty slimy guy (the phone scene is really senseless).

{not only for this but also for what I will write later, if you are a fan of Weyler or Wavier, this is nothing personal, peace and love, I'm just looking at the data and the reasons why Wenclair has grown}

Then there are the promotional events, such as the "WednesGAY" organized by Netflix, and statements by the actors have fueled speculation and enthusiasm around the ship, contributing to its spread.

Let's say that this is more of a sore point for some because there has actually been some queerbaiting by Netflix.

But anyway, even through interviews of the actors and actresses who worked on the series, the Wenclair ship has managed to become more and more popular even if some of those statements were even joking ("They were roomates". by Emma Myers).

• Finally their relationship in concrete in the series.

Let's be clear, the best scenes of the series have the 2 of them as protagonists (at least for me).

They argue, they compare, they help each other and when Wednesday makes a mistake, Enid feels betrayed and Wednesday feels bad for it.

Let's remember that Enid first went to ""die"" for Wednesday in the final episode.

For Sinclair there were no plans other than finding Wednesday, there was no possibility of transforming in her head.

Every time an exchange of dialogue occurs between the 2 of them there is always a significant stimulus.

But most of all, Enid is one of the reasons why Wednesday is growing both emotionally and mentally.

Wednesday has learned so much thanks in large part to her roomate.

It is no coincidence that, recently that pic of Wednesday and Enid shown on a card was also released, or simply that many fan art on Wednesday also feature Enid.

Emma Myers and Jenna Ortega were so close on that set that you could feel how committed they were to their roles and how they interacted.

Before concluding, I would like to be able to add further information, denying a very specific piece of information.

"Wenclair are not so numerous, but they are justw noisy".

Here, let's debunk this falsehood once and for all.

It's true that we are noisy, but we are ALSO NUMEROUS.

The popularity of the Wenclair ship is not the result of simple redundancy across multiple platforms, but is supported by real numbers that demonstrate a higher level of engagement and diffusion than other ships in the series.

• AO3 (Archive of our own)

In the most famous fanfiction site we have the first proof that we are not "just noisy".

In fact, at least until today, the number of fanfictions is equal to about 7605.

On the contrary, the Weyler ones are just under 1200, even worse that Wavier is under 1000 (811 to be exact).

• Wattpad 

Here it is extremely more difficult to understand, but it is noteworthy how Wenclair fanfiction have extremely gigantic numbers.

With truly enormous views, even more than you might think.

• Reddit

The subreddits dedicated to the Wednesday series are 2, r/Wednesday (with about 790 thousand members) & r/WednesdayTVseries (with about 40 thousand members).

Now that we know the number of fans of the series, we must think that we are a minority (?)

Well, almost.

The subreddit dedicated to the Wenclair ship has reached a significant number of members, that is, just over 10 thousand members (I read 12 thousand but I don't trust it because sometimes it changes very little).

And there are many intentions in there.

AT LEAST 4/5 posts per day, with additional comments.

With positive votes that reach at least 30/50 up to 800 even (but also 1000) in the space of a few days or weeks.

On the contrary, the Weyler one, with just over 1000 members, you can see the most voted posts that tend to get around 50 or a little less (maybe this is where we can talk about noisy fans at the expense of the low number?).

The Wavier one lmao let's not even talk about it, it's a dead horse.

In the r/wholesomeyuri subreddit, I'm not the only one who posted Wenclair stuff and the results have proven to be extremely positive with posts that had between 109 up to 2 thousand positive votes.

16 hours ago I reached about 950 positive votes, so here too the feeds are not few.

X, Instagram and Tumblr

X, Instagram Tumblr

Well, here we have perhaps the biggest evidence to deny the accusation.

The hashtags related to the Wenclair ship (or Wednesday X Enid) are huge.

Let's start with Tumblr, here the number is around 68,962 with a much more active fan presence than you might think.

Wednesday X Enid has 4743, while the #Wenclair fanart (remembering that it is very often linked to that #Wenclair) has 1293.

The Tumblr community has 578 members (and it's a lot considering that Tumblr communities are a bit of a niche), with at least 2 posts per day.

While some posts?

Wenclair themed posts (mostly fanart) reach a number that reaches from 20 notes up to 3/4 thousand).

A recent one, that of Leodraws3 dated October 31, 2024 reached 3822 notes.

So even on Tumblr we are not just ""noisy"".

• X (or Twitter)

Here things get really funny.

We don't have a precise number, but looking at the likes and shares, the numbers go really high.

The community is increasingly alive, the fanarts reach between 50 likes up to a figure like 5 thousand likes.

Without even excluding the reposts that reach an average of between 100/120 reposts up to even 500 reposts.

They are not few.

• Instagram

Instagram, similarly to X, has fanart or pics in general that revolve around very satisfying results.

From 80 likes up to 2 thousand likes.

One of the arguments often used to belittle Wenclair is that the fandom is mostly made up of extremely young users and therefore "not representative" of the entire Wednesday audience. 

However, this claim is not supported by the data. (Besides being pretty bad as a thing to say as if, only adults can appreciate nice but ok things.)

Research shows that LGBTQ+ ships in mainstream media tend to generate the most engagement among 18-34 year olds, who are also the most active age group on fan content platforms like AO3 and Tumblr. 

Additionally, TikTok, one of Wenclair’s biggest outlets, has a user base that extends well beyond the underage audience.

TikTok has amassed a slew of video edits and especially fan art videos about Wenclair, garnering hundreds to thousands of likes and shares.

According to data shown by Fandom.com, over 70% of users who interact with LGBTQ+ content in Wednesday’s fandom are between the ages of 18 and 30.

(https://www.flowjournal.org/2023/02/fan-demographics-on-ao3/)

AO3 and Tumblr, the main platforms for fanfiction and fandom discourse, have an average user age of 25 to 40.

(https://ao3demographicssurvey2024.tumblr.com/post/743125699288842240/in-the-ao3-demographics-survey-2024-an)

The Wenclair phenomenon is not just a passing trend: the ship has been the most discussed on Twitter for several consecutive months after the release of the series, maintaining a constant engagement even in 2024 (especially thanks to the Novelisation)

And when the 2nd season comes out, get ready because fan art and fanfic will return to their prime.

[dragonkeeper19600]

More Warden Ingo Headcanons

Part two to my previous post about Ingo in Hisui, which you can read here.

Where Ingo lives: Ingo has a private hut out in the Coronet Highlands, sort of like the one Iscan has in the Cobalt Coastlands. That was where he was living after he was made Sneasler's warden and before he met the player character. He also has a hut in the Pearl Clan Settlement. That location in the Alabaster Icelands is where he stores the belongings he had on him when he first arrived in Hisui (namely, his other clothes, his apartment keys, his wallet, and his Xtransceiver, which has long since run out of battery).

He absolutely refuses to throw away any of the belongings he had when he arrived, even though his work shirt and gloves are full of holes, and he doesn't remember what the Xtransceiver is even for.

There wasn't much in his wallet except for some cash and his trainer card, which has his photo on it. When Ingo found his trainer card in his wallet, he was able to recognize himself as the one in the photo, but couldn't understand why he was frowning and pointing like that. He was all, "This must be me, but why am I making that face?"

The face in question.

Even before he lost his memory, Ingo didn't have much awareness about his facial expressions. Pokémon Masters shows that Ingo genuinely doesn't realize that he's always frowning.

After moving to Jubilife, Ingo sleeps in the building behind the Training Grounds. Zisu also sleeps in that building but in a separate room. (I don't ship them.)

He still sometimes goes to the Coronet Highlands or the Alabaster Icelands for warden duties.

Not so much a headcanon as an observation: A lot of the Pokémon in Ingo's team at the training grounds are the evolved forms of Pokémon you can find in Unova in Black and White 2. Magnezone, Probopass, Tangrowth, and Gliscor are all obtainable in Black and White 2. Machop and Abra, meanwhile, are obtainable in the White Forest, which is a location exclusive to White. Even though he has no Gen V Pokémon on his team, his team is still connected to Unova, and especially White version.

The Razor Fang he used to evolve Gligar was actually purchased from the Gingko Guild.

None of the human characters have ever seen Ingo cry or laugh. He has, however, cried in front of his Pokémon. Gligar, in particular, has sat up with him many a night as he cried.

Ingo had only met Volo twice before running into him in the Ancient Quarry while escorting the player character. Volo doesn't take his job as a salesman very seriously, but when he found out about Ingo, he asked the merchant who normally goes to the Pearl Clan Settlement if he could go in his place that week, just so he could meet Ingo.

Ingo never knew quite what to make of Volo. He seemed friendly enough, but some of the things he said were a little...off. He once commented to Ingo that there were certain people who might envy Ingo's amnesia because it would relieve them of their painful memories. Ingo responded that he couldn't agree; he would rather keep his painful memories because he feels hollow without them.

Afterward, Ingo wondered if "certain people" included Volo himself.

Still, Ingo is grateful to Volo for selling him an empty notebook, obtained from the Galaxy Team, which Ingo uses as a journal. Ingo had been wanting to keep a journal for a long time, and he really appreciated that Volo was able to get one for him.

Ingo has no idea that Volo is the one who opened the Space-Time Rift.

The first time Cogita came to Jubilife Village (during the crisis when the sky was blocked out), she actually caught Ingo's eye. Ingo was working with the Galaxy Team and the other wardens to keep people calm. As he passed by the Clothier (where Anthe works) he happened to see Cogita inside and was struck by her beauty.

It wasn't love at first sight or anything. It was more, "Wait, who's that? Oh, she's lovely..."

He was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu. After a moment, he realized her resemblance to Volo and figured that's where the feeling of familiarity was coming from.

In reality, he'd had a similar feeling of déjà vu when he first met Volo. He even asked Volo if they had ever met before, but Volo answered (truthfully) that they hadn't.

Of course, who Ingo was actually remembering was Cynthia, who he and Emmet had become acquainted with through her trips to Unova.

Basically, Ingo's complete train of thought when he first saw Cogita in the Clothier was: 1. Who is that? 2. Oh, she's lovely... 3. She seems familiar... 4. Oh, she looks like that merchant, Volo. 5. Yes, that must be it. 6. I've been staring at her for a while. 7. I should go.

Since then, whenever Cogita visits Jubilife (which isn't super often), Ingo takes notice. He doesn't follow her around or anything, but she has to pass by the Training Grounds to enter the Galaxy Hall, and whenever she does, he quietly gazes at her from the fence.

He has no plans to actually approach her. With the gaps in his memory, Ingo feels that he's "incomplete" as a person and doesn't think he has anything to offer her.

He's also worried that he may already have a spouse or romantic partner somewhere that he's forgotten about. (He doesn't.)

Cogita has actually noticed him staring at her. (He's not being nearly as discreet as he thinks.) She's not alarmed or offended by it. She thinks it's kind of funny. Cogita isn't the type of person to be surprised that men are checking her out.

[yaut-jaknowit]

Can we see how Gawtin got caught/lost her armor/weapons while she was prego?

-🥤

To Far Off Lands

Character: Gawtin

Word Count: 2069

Summary: As a pregnant female, cravings can hit hard. There is nothing that can stop one from going after their cravings. It's best to step out of the way and let them go. Gawtin leaves Yautja Prime a week before she is due. She has a craving for a ooman treat.

Author Note: I don't know if you wanted this serious or not. I wanted to go silly a little before doing down a dark hole. The beginning isn't all that great, sorry. But I redeemed myself towards the end!

This part is .5 | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Masterlist

Ao3

Throughout Gawtin’s whole pregnancies, there was something particular about her. It’s common amongst females to crave a special food or treat. May it just be from the baker down the street or a deep hunt on a planet long forgotten. Gawtin was no different. Something deep within her belly demanded a sweet treat she had long ago on a planet that’s highly populated.

Dangerous, yes. To see a raging pregnant female was to see you your doom. That’s a situation no one rarely survived.

Gawtin wasn’t stopped. Not even by her own mother. The heavily pregnant female took her ship and flew off into the stars.

A trip expected to take at most a week. As a female Yautja, she was more than capable of handling herself. But pregnant was a whole different deal. Heavily pregnant. Though, they can move nearly the same as any other day, the risks weren’t favorable. It was safer to stay in the comfort of home and wait out the last couple of weeks until birth.

.

The vessel landed smoothly inside of an empty parking lot. Long had the night swallowed up any light. A quick trip. This was all that was.

She dawned little gear deeming it safe enough to roam the streets. It was just enough for some protection; plus, the cloak that would hide her from prying eyes. Then, the green Yautja was heading out the back ramp and into the night.

No moon light up the sky and darkened the space around her. Gawtin quickly found the tops of buildings to take her towards the bakery. All of her senses were locked onto the sweet smell that led her there. Drool dripped from her covered mouth. She was on the move and nothing could stop her. Her main focus was to quell her cravings that rumbled her stomach.

In the random city, there wasn’t much traffic at night. Nor was there much light to spot the rapidly moving alien on the rooftops of businesses. No one was the wiser at the silent steps. She was just a shadow, too quick to see in the night.

Her steps skidded to a stop on a familiar rooftop. The Yautja glanced around and finally used her training to ensure no one was around. Then, she dropped down into the back alley. Not a soul was to be found. Dirty water splashed up and wettened her leg. A sneered over took her features before she walked up to the door.

The cloak was activated, hiding her from any eyes. With brute strength, Gawtin grips the door handle and easily rips it clean off. The metal groans and gives into the higher power. She’s able to open the door and takes in a lungful. The smells and odors that poured out was relieving and only made her all the hungrier.

Purple eyes peeked around the edges and found no one inside. Her lethal form stalks inside the little shop, gaze deeply scanning the place. When they landed on the one thing she was hunting for, Gawtin lit up and instantly rushed over to the shelf protected by glass. Inside were snickerdoodle cookies. An elbow to the fragile glass caused it to shattered.

The cookies were brought out. Gawtin lifted up her biomask and shoved one into her mouth already. A heady groan escaped her throat. The green Yautja nearly melted to the floor at that moment. A wall acted for her support while she heavily leaned against it and savored the delicious taste that overtook every sense in her mind. This was hitting that spot the needed to be itched desperately.

It suddenly turned sour. Her stomach twisted with a horrible feeling. She stood up and observed her surroundings. Too late. Something sharp pinched her skin. Her head snapped towards the direction.

For the first time in a long, long time, Gawtin felt fear.

Gawtin’s body jerked. Loud sounds vibrated into her head. Pain radiated from her skull, throbbing and pounding. Stars sparkled behind her eyelids. Gawtin didn’t even attempt to open them, for the pain was too great to fight off. She could barely feel the tips of her toes and fingers. This felt like the first time the day after she had a drink of c'ntlip. Her worse decision in life with lots and lots of trouble.            

Nothing moved. Gawtin pulled. None of her limbs would listen to her command. She groaned and scrunched up her face. This didn’t feel right. The biomask no longer sat upon her face, forcing her to breath a more oxygen rich air. It caused her to breath heavier to find the nitrogen that her body requires.

This meant… she was still on earth. Where exactly was she?!

Despite the pain, Gawtin ripped open her eyes and immediately regretted it. Bright, luminescence lights blinded her vision. All she could see was white for what felt like hours before her pupils constricted enough. The pain didn’t go away.

The ceiling was a stark white. Only the circular rings for the lights embedded into the metal disrupted the flat surface. The rest of the room stayed that plain, blinding white. A sterile environment that reeked of death and bleach. Gawtin pulled her mandibles in tight but that did little to save her from the smell.

From what she’s seen, this looked like a doctor’s office or… a lab. Gawtin pulled harder and felt metal dig into her flesh. There was enough space for her to glance down. Metal cuffs locked her snug to the uncomfortable metal bed. She tried again to break free but the metal barely gave a groan of protest. She clacked her mandibles together and furrowed her brows. Thoughts were running rampant in her mind. Anyway to get free. She had to get back to her ship at least.

Her suckling was due soon.

Fear stuck to her like a second skin. Her heart pounded in her chest. Nothing she could do would be able to calm her down. Gawtin was trapped. By ooman’s. While she was ready to give birth in the next week. She held back a whine and gritted her mandibles together. There had to be a way out. She knows the stories by other Yautjas who’ve been captured. There are chances for escape. She’ll have to take every possibility and survive. She’ll have to be quick.

A whoosh of a door had her eyes snapping over to the direction. It had been some time since she had woken up. The female refused to sleep or doze off. No one would touch her. Let alone her unborn suckling.

“Oh, she’s awake!” a masculine voice echoed throughout the room. With the little movement she could perform, all Gawtin could do was listen to the noisy oomans filling into the space.

A head peered over her lying down form. Black hair and bright blue eyes greeted her. A bright light was flashed into her eyes, causing her to flinch uncontrollably. “Good, good. She’s responsive to light. The tranquilizer hadn’t caused any damage,” he continued. Gawtin snarled deep from her throat and tried to lunge up, mandibles spread wide.

One sharp fang is able to nick the man’s pale cheek. Bright red blood dots the line. In any other moment, Gawtin would’ve smirked. He jerked back with a cry and cupped at his injured face. “Fuck! It needs to be tighter,” he demands, eyes darting off to someone else out of her vision.

Another ooman grew to close for comfort and knelt down. The strap around her throat tightened to the point it choked her, preventing even more nitrogen from reaching her lungs. Gawtin thrashed around on the table.

“Not that tight!” A curse left a different creature’s mouth. The strap loosened up again. Only for her to have the ability to breath. Gawtin couldn’t even lift her head off of the table anymore. The position was uncomfortable to say the least. She snarled again and projected death with her eyes only at everyone she could see.

The same man from before huffed and closed in on Gawtin again. “Good try. But, you’ve got to be quicker than that,” he taunted. One of the worse things to do to a Yautja. It only grew worse with the fact Gawtin was a female and pregnant. It was a pot full of bad decisions and ideas on how to slaughter this creature for even looking at her.

“Now-“ he clapped his hands together with a look that caused her spine to tense up. The man sidestepped down her body to stand directly in front of her belly. Gawtin’s purple eyes widened. Instinct instantly surged inside of her. Gawtin strained against the metal cuff’s holding onto her and roared so loud the walls vibrated.

Fear filled the air. Everyone stumbled away from her and knocked into things behind them. Gawtin panted heavily, her blood pumping for the fight was ready to perform. They were all going to die. All by her hand’s and talons. She’ll bathe in their blood and walk out of this place with no one to stop her.

“We need to sedate that thing!” Someone yelled at the top of their lungs. Fear controlled their actions and words.

“No, we can’t. We don’t know what it may do to her after a second dose. We need the child alive and healthy,” the black haired man argued and stood in front of her to block the other person. She looked to be a fighter. The stance, her voice, even the way she used her voice.

She closed in on the lab coat man and stood eye-level with him. “Are you willing to risk the entire safety of the facility for an alien child? It’ll be your head that thing will go for first,” she grounded out and harshly pointed a finger into his chest. Gawtin narrowed her eyes on them. If anyone got close again, she’ll have no trouble tearing them apart. Limb from limb.

The man sputtered and wildly shook his head. “That’s the whole point for this capture. You signed up for this task, Captain Jones. If you can’t handle a restrained Yautja, you aren’t fit for the job. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. No one has been able to even study these guys like we have. Now the fact we have one that’s pregnant, is beyond anything possible.” This deepened her hatred for the ooman race. She’ll even advocate for the elimination of the entire planet. No one shall survive.

Captain Jones dark eyes flash with anger. Her sharp lined face twisted. “Why yes I did sign up to protect you and your team from injury. But, I cannot do that when you are willingly placing yourself in danger,” she snapped back at him. Her piercing gaze flickered over to Gawtin. The Yautja would’ve been impressed if she wasn’t in the predicament she was in right now. To look a Yautja in the eye for long than a few seconds issued a challenge.

“I’m in charge of this operation. We are keeping her awake the entire time,” he demanded and put his foot down. For once, she was relieved of one good outcome. If she was awake, she can watch, observe, plan. She can deter anyone from getting too close. Let them watch. She’ll be their downfall.

“The blood will be on your hands, Cunningham.” The warrior pivoted on her heel and marched straight out of the room.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the way Cunninham’s shoulders sagged with relief.  “Man, that woman scares me.” His body shuddered before he turned to finally face Gawtin. The cut on his face had stopped bleeding. “Well, aren’t you glad you get to stay awake, pretty?”

An uneasy feeling crawled up the length of her spine. The black-haired man stepped back up to the table she was strapped to. His hand reached out. She was already fighting the cuffs again, howling up a storm. Harsh words and promises of slaughter in her native language spew from your mandibles. It does nothing to stop him from resting a hand on her swollen belly.

“You’ll be exciting to observe. You’ll bring a revolution of our knowledge about this side of your species. You should take that as a compliment!”

The metal groaned. She was going to string him up by his veins like a pauk-de puppet.

[purplehairedwonder]

I am all up in my feels about the first chapter from the new Law novel. (I read a translation here.) General reactions under the cut for spoilers:

This seems to be taking place fairly early into the Heart Pirates' career, as we start out with just the OG Four on the crew. And Hakugan is the first recruit.

Law already has a bounty of 80 million berries, and he has his epithet of "Surgeon of Death." Chalic also says he's going to take the title of Strongest in the North Blue from Law. Again, when the Hearts are still just four strong.

Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin originally all wore orange jumpsuits. It was Bepo's idea, and Shachi and Penguin were all in. Law is too particular about his own fashion so won't wear one (😂), but he's fine leaving the others to it to create a sense of unity in the crew. They're very proud of their jumpsuits!

We get one of my favorite tropes: Devil Fruit users going into the water. This, apparently, is the impetus for the Hearts to take on their sea-based combat abilities; they want to not only take on ships from above and below the surface but always be ready if Law goes into the water again. They love Law so much. I cry.

Hakugan is the one to rescue Law from the water, and he does it because he thought Law looked like a "hero of justice." Law scoffs because pirates are hardly "heroes of justice," but he also doesn't hate it either because it makes him think of, amusingly, of Sora (Law, you nerd), but also his parents. 😭

Law goes out of his way to help Hakugan and some fellow villagers who were kidnapped by a defeated pirate crew by bringing them home. Law says it's because he owes Hakugan for saving his life ("Life is give and take," which he learned from Wolf), but Hakugan calls him on it. Law, your kindness is showing again.

Law originally had a graded sword, Koshou, but it broke during his fight with Chalic, and he only had the hilt after going in the water. He's pretty heartbroken about losing the sword. Oh, Law. Always having what you love ripped from you.

When they reach Hakugan's home island (Welbems Island), it has nice weather, so Penguin and Shachi change into Aloha shirts. Hilarious, and also clearly a nod to Wolf.

Law, thinking of Corazon and Wolf, also refuses to let Hakugan (who wears his mask because he has a severe burn on his face from rescuing an old woman and her daughter from a fire) avoid visiting the village chief. He even ruffles Hakugan's hair at one point and encourages him. Softie.

Law spends the whole chapter trying to warn civilians that they are pirates and probably dangerous, and everyone looks at them and goes

Hakugan's parents were killed by pirates who are in control of part of the island, and Hakugan wants to avenge them. Law tells him not to get obsessed with revenge. Trafalgar Literal Hearts on His Sleeve Law. He does, at least, recognize his own hypocrisy as his desire for revenge just keeps growing.

Hakugan has a little sister, Nanagi, who reminds Law of Lami, and he teases her, which feels nostalgic. Just rip my heart out, why don't you. Nanagi gives Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin nicknames but just calls Law by his name; they have a little rivalry going, and it's adorable.

The Hearts spend three days at Hakugan's house, and Law spends his vacation reading medical books and practicing swordsmanship. Giant. Nerd.

Law actually laughs quite a few times in this chapter. There are a lot of really wonderful little character moments showcasing how close the OG Four really are.

Looks like Law will meet Kikoku next chapter.

It's been way too long since Law appeared in the manga, so it's good to get some fresh Law content. That was a lot of fun, and I'm excited for the next chapter!

[burningcheese-merchant]

When Burning Spice was introduced a lot of people made comparison with Capsaicin, and even thought they were related. You have any thoughts on that?

I do, and you're all probably going to be very disappointed lol

Not only do I NOT vibe with the idea that they're related, I'm actually really annoyed that it's as popular as it is lol. It doesn't even make sense. Burning Spice was in prison for thousands of years; when, where and how did he have a kid? At what point in time did this occur? Capsaicin is a young man. A regular mortal, outside of his "Spice Overlord" thing. I ask you all again: when? Where? How? WHY? Has anyone ever actually thought this through?

"ThEy LoOk SiMiLaR" okay, and? So fucking what? Neither of them own the concept of "long hair" or "muscles" or "sharp teeth". Pitaya has those too, and he has an arguably more substantial connection to Capsaicin because they're actually from the same fucking area. Happenstance. Lots of characters in this game have similar attributes, that doesn't necessarily mean anything

"ThEy'Re BoTh SpIcY" Refer to point A. Do you all think all the nut-based cookies are related, too? That's the logic you might as well be operating on. Correlation is not causation

"Blah blah both go 2 jail" you know how many characters in this wack-ass phone game count as felons, bro? How many of them SHOULD count as felons lol? The Cookie Run universe might as well be one giant Alcatraz with all the shit these little affronts to God get up to every day, I ain't making them all each other's relatives because of it

They're the wrong ages for them to be family. Burning Spice was serving a life sentence since long before Capsaicin was even thought of, he literally got out after the guy was already a grown ass man. They're not even from the same fucking CONTINENT! Capsaicin has probably never even HEARD of Beast-Yeast! Even that little comic the CRK Twitter account posted makes fun of all this shit!!! The Wild Spices mistake Cap for Spice from behind, and then get confused when he turns around because THEY VERY CLEARLY DO NOT KNOW WHO HE IS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE! Wouldn't an army know if their general had a son, even if it was only mentioned in passing? Wouldn't THIS army have a vested interest in having their general's son around if he existed, and stop at nothing to bring him home should he vanish, to gain favor with Spice and because of how powerful Capsaicin is and how useful he could be to them?

I wouldn't be so bent out of shape about all this if it wasn't LITERALLY FUCKING EVERYWHERE!!! I cannot enjoy any content of Burning Spice OR Capsaicin without having to endure a fucking barrage of "hurr durr father and son" posts!!! I just want to ogle my hot, sexy, deliciously evil spice man BY HIM-FUCKING-SELF in peace, I never asked to have to hear the exact fucking same "hi son I came back with the milk" joke over and over and over again

I know I sound like a massive dick right now and I'm truly sorry. You are more than welcome to think of these two as related in some way if you wish. I am not your mother, nor your leader, nor your god, I'm just some cringe loser on the internet. Enjoy this game and its characters in whatever way you choose. I even actually like a good bit of the father/son art, a lot of it is cute and funny. I'm able and willing to say that with complete sincerity.

I just wish I didn't have to feel like it's being forced on me. That is one of the biggest issues I have with this fandom: how oppressive it often feels. You MUST ship this particular pairing, you MUST headcanon these characters as family, you MUST take this one-off joke that was clearly just a goddamn joke and preach it 24/7/365 like it's the gospel truth that Devsis themselves wrote on stone tablets and delivered from the top of Mount Sinai. And then when someone doesn't want to do that, everyone else descends upon them like a plague of fucking locusts. I actually saw a Dad Spice + Son Cap post on here with the person who made it saying something like "ok since everyone agrees that these two are family [...]" and I just got so fucking irritated. No, actually, not everyone agrees. Not everyone agrees on a lot of the fanon that's shoved down the entire community's throats on a regular basis. PLEASE stop acting like they do. I still remember when people would get flat-out harassed for not acting like Herb is Sea Fairy's son (old ass drama lol).

Say what you will about me, I'm just one person and you can block me or whatever dumb tags I use for my dumb shit. There is NOWHERE I can go to avoid this. Twitter? Plagued. Tumblr? Plagued. Even fucking reddit is on this nonsense (only in my personal opinion). But that's what I get for acknowledging Reddit in any capacity lol

I shall once again sincerely apologize for my harsh tone here, I am not attacking you personally or anyone who headcanons these two as relatives. I am just generally, profoundly frustrated and I need to get it out. I appreciate you taking the time to ask me an honest question, I hope you can forgive me for my painfully honest answer

[kingofanemptyworld]

Rin, identity issues, and the complications of being an isolated, alienated teenager

It feels sort of weird to say but I generally don’t head canon characters as having particular sexualities. Whatever people go for in fics is usually fine with me - gay, lesbian, bi, pan, something more general like queer. As long as it makes sense for the story they’ve built and the character they’ve shaped to fit it, I’m good. Unless you’re ignoring a canon LGBTQ+ sexuality, in which case, yeah, I’ll take issue with that.

But anyway. Rin.

I’ve got my personal ship for him (BonRin my beloved), but regardless of the pairing I see him as bisexual. He’s so open with his infatuation with Shiemi, and okay, sure, fandom likes to ignore the love interest in shounen for the most part because we’ve got gay ships to peddle. But I don’t see the point in that unless it really reads like it’s a front, or a result of a character suppressing themselves for one reason or another. And with Rin, I think it’s pretty clear his affection for Shiemi is sincere. You technically have the in-universe evidence of the demon that brought out his true desires to back that up, but even without it, Rin likes her. It’s complicated because of Yukio and Shiemi’s own inexperience with romance, and yet I never once doubt he really likes her.

That being said… he’s very appreciative of the guys in his life, too. (Peddling my gay ship here) Bon in particular, considering he’s often admiring how cool he thinks Bon is, that his haircut suits him whether it’s the blonde rooster look or the undercut. If you don’t want to see it as romantic interest, that’s your prerogative, but to me Rin comes across as seeing cool and cute as different traits he finds attractive (in Bon and Shiemi respectively).

I also think his bisexuality would fit neatly into his narrative struggles to “pass” throughout the early parts of the series. Rin has grown up as the neighborhood problem child, ostracized for being violent, and eventually he decides he’s fine with just his brother and his father — and the rest of the monastery, presumably — for company. (Except that’s absolutely not true and clearly he’s starved for friendship and support.) People looked at him and saw a monster, even before his demonic heritage made an appearance; why would he bother giving them even more ammunition when it comes to reasons to hate him? So no matter when he figured out his attraction to guys, he’s not going to lean into it, because he also likes girls, right? (Ignoring for a moment that bisexuality is a lot more nuanced than that.)

Rin likes girls, Rin is human — that’s what’s going to get people to like him, or at the very least tolerate him. That he likes guys, that he’s half demon, he can shove that shit down and pretend it doesn’t exist. Lock up any stray thoughts and keep the sword sheathed around anyone who doesn’t already know.

(Excuse me for being amused by Rin wielding his humanity and supposed heterosexuality as a sword and shield.)

The problem, of course, is that he can’t keep up the facade forever. The narrative won’t let him. Rin has to embrace his demonic side, because it’s the only way to move forward and to continue to help his loved ones. And once he’s moved past the issue of his friends being upset over the deception, when they understand he’s still Rin despite what he’d hidden from them, Rin is finally allowed to be himself. He uses his flames, he lets his tail move freely in the open around the Cram School kids. Rin still doesn’t like this side of himself — it’s inextricably tied to every moment of pain and isolation he’s dealt with his entire life, including the death of Father Fujimoto (and, y’know, his mom). But he is moving forward, he’s trying to adapt.

And isn’t that some great fucking subtext for his bisexuality, too?

[theshadowsingersraven]

so @gwyns (correctly, in my opinion) observed that e/riels are normies. i've also held this belief, as well as close friends of mine who have been in fandom and done things like RP'd on Tumblr, wrote/read fanfiction back in the day for things like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc. And @tsundoku-life asked this brilliant question: do you think this was inevitable, with how the idea of fandom has become more widespread?

I am someone whose been here for a while. This has been my one and only mainblog through the literal upwards of a decade I've been in fandoms. This blog has seen me through Harry Potter phase, dips back into Naruto (where my crippling addiction to emo boys started, if you stanned Sasuke when you were 12 also, I see you and I love you) Superwholock phase, anime phase, Fire Emblem, etc.

And genuinely? Yes. I think so. If it wasn't ACOTAR, it probably would've been something else with equally as popular, or easily marketable aspects. However, I do think there is a unique aspect to Elain and purity culture that makes this debacle particularly irritating. Essentially, I'm "Yes, and"--ing this question.

So, I think the thing with Elain is that, to E/riels, she is counter-culture. She's unique, she's the refreshing "not like other girls" character because this genre, understandably, has a lot of female characters that are trained in combat, politically savvy/trained to be spies, or have skills in areas that would otherwise be considered traditionally masculine. Aelin, Bryce, Nesta, Feyre, Manon, Lidia, etc. are often highlighted as being people's favorites, and often times are in positions where they have to regularly take direct action to get the plot moving.

(However, to be fair to Elain, she has not gotten the benefit of rotating POV and therefore more reason to take action like the CC and TOG cast. She is still waiting in the wings for her moment, and I want to give her a fair shake here.)

While I would not say these female characters are traditionally masculine overall, or that their feminine traits should be dismissed, if we're comparing on a scale of 1-10 (1 being most traditionally feminine and least masculine and 10 being most vice-versa), they are all closer to 10 than Elain is, if that makes sense.

However, if we step back and look at least American society overall (I can only speak to my experience, ofc), characters like Elain are the ideal. Traditional femininity, despite how it's also demonized, it's still "correct" to patriarchal society. And with the rise of conservatism everywhere and prevalence of purity culture, Elain is the perfect fictional sword to fall on to further conservative ideology. No one is immune to propaganda, but I don't think it's a coincidence that Elain having such overlap in purity culture via E/riel ship dynamics (she's so pure/perfect/untainted and she'll "save" him, etc.) and her traditionally feminine hobbies that tend to misalign with adventure/fantasy as a genre (you can look at how people treat Sansa from GoT, for example), can appeal to a more conservative mindset.

The poor, overhated, down-trodden female character that just wants to be feminine and refuse the role of a mate in a sea of "masucline" female characters kicking ass, taking names, and falling in love with their fated mates.

I don't think anything sounds more like a conservative woman daydream than that, tbh.

Conservatism thrives on the belief (mistaken one at that) that they're the underdogs, that they're counter-culture in this zeitgeist when in reality...they're just not central focus in a particular format or setting. It's hard not to notice the massive overlap in the love for E/riel, the E/riel version of Elain, and the current rise of conservative values. I don't think it's a coincidence at all that these all interplay. Does that mean that all Elriels are conservative? No, definitely not. I won't pretend to know their values, and I'm sure they believe that their insistence on a ""woman not owing a man anything"" actually applies to Elain directly without the nuance the subject requires (you know, about fiction and depiction versus endorsement, what it means to have a soul bond to someone, how fate is something SJM uses regarding mates and what it means to avoid something inevitable, etc).

But I do think said massive overlap is worth examining and does require critical thought. There's nothing wrong with liking Elain in the first place. I do, too. But I think the reasons why people like Elain and how those certain things can be weaponized against other people are uniquely conservative-coded when it comes to Elriels and their interpretation. Recognizing these overlaps isn't about policing who likes what but about being aware of how broader societal values influence our consumption and interpretation of fiction. E/riels will be the first to point out the "misogyny" in Elucien and that "fiction affects reality" (a statement that can and often times is true, but is irresponsible to use in a blanket statement without examining the subject in nuance), but they ignore the other side of this coin that reality also affects fiction.

[valenteal]

The Clovis Arcs in Star Wars the Clone Wars: a Breakdown of What Went Wrong and What Had Potential

Part 1: Introduction and Senate Spy

Okay, so I’ve been meaning to talk about this for a while but I keep forgetting or putting it off but here I go. I am going to tackle the Clovis arcs from The Clone Wars. This post will include in depth analysis, including my inferences into the implications and consequences which are not necessarily canon but in my opinion are the obvious conclusions to draw if the story were more fleshed out. If it bothers you that I am stating things that were never explicitly said but were definitely implied, this essay is not for you.

Full disclosure: I loved them when I was a naive little kid who didn’t understand the difference between fear and jealousy. I was a possessive kid who feared having people or things taken away, not because I saw them as purely mine but because that was my experience. Someone else swoops in and “steals” my friends or toys or projects. So for me, it was very easy to love these episodes seeing Anakin as similar to me, fearing that Clovis would take Padmé from him, without Padmé’s consent or permission because Clovis was obviously the bad guy. I didn’t understand the attempted nuance of the jealousy and the supposedly “toxic” relationship between Anakin and Padmé. And honestly the first Clovis arc still works with some minor tone adjustments or added dialogue between Anakin and Padmé. The second arc, not so much.

Let’s start with the first arc, which is just one episode, Senate Spy. The opening quote is, ironically “A True Heart Shoud Never Be Doubted.” It begins with an adorable and in character scene where Anakin returns to Coruscant and Padmé bearing food from a kind stranger who he’d hitched a ride with after he blew up his own ships. There’s a couple adorably sad moments when it’s made clear how committed they are to one another but also how new the relationship truly is when Padmé is surprised but incredibly happy when Anakin calls her apartment home, and when Anakin learns that apparently his wife is a good cook as well as a badass politician. The first few minutes of this episode are perfect. The trouble starts, as it is won’t to do, with the Jedi Council.

Actually it starts with Anakin getting their summons to meet, since nothing to bad happened in the scene where they’re trying to get him to pick up, but that’s the trigger for the downward spiral as this is where they begin deliberately butchering Padmé’s character, though it does bring up an important point in my personal view of Anakin. When Padmé gets angry that he has to leave, which is understandable but ends up getting blown way out of proportion, Anakin is able to sense that anger, but not, I assume, who it’s directed at. Padmé isn’t mad at him, she’s mad at the situation and his presumption that he can “read [her] mind.” Which tells us that Anakin’s passive awareness of other people’s feelings is much stronger than most Jedi’s. This is the kind of power that unnerves people, but also explains a lot about Anakin’s character, particularly why he was so quick to trust Qui-Gon and Padmé. But it’s also something he doesn’t talk about to openly, presumably because it scares people and the Jedi really didn’t need anymore reasons to fear him. Therefore he hasn’t been able to hone or practice this particular skill, leading to fumbles like this where he assumes he knows what someone is feeling but he misunderstands and reacts incorrectly. What would’ve been the right words if Padmé had been angry with him became condescending and aggravating. If Padmé were truly in character she would understand Anakin’s struggles and tried to help him understand, maybe promise to have a conversation about this passive ability once he was done reporting to the council. Instead she’s made oblivious and insensitive for the sake of drama *jazz hands.*

When Anakin finally joins the “council” (it’s just Mace, Yoda, and Obi-Wan! That is not the full Council it’s a tiny group of Councilors at best!) they are obviously teasing Anakin about his affection for Padmé (Obi-Wan) or subtly interrogating him about his relationship with her (Yoda and Windu). Once they’re satisfied that yes, Anakin is too attached to her and yes, meddling is necessary, they demand he convince Padmé to spy on Clovis. Let’s be clear here: this was not a request. Yoda’s exact words were “convince her, you must,” to which Anakin bowed and gave a subdued “yes, Master.” That rubbing anyone else the wrong way? The entire conversation is just really creepy and shady and manipulative. It is set up to be literally shady, there is an obviously sinister vibe to the whole thing. They’re plotting in the middle of the night, with all the lights out, illuminated only by a holo table displaying a candid shot of Clovis and a Nemoidian, with eerie music playing in the background. The three councilors practically gang up on Anakin, presenting shocking information that he doesn’t get time to process and then steamrolling him into doing what they want.

Anakin of course doesn’t just roll over and do as they asked, instead approaching Padmé to basically confirm that no, she won’t be spying on Clovis. But Yoda’s crafty, he planned this whole thing out. He didn’t tell Padmé Clovis was a spy, leaving Anakin the unknowing messenger of the particular bit of intel, which is all it takes for Padmé to be on board with the plan. I’m glossing over this scene because it’s full of OOC drama that needs no further explanation, it’s just stupid and petty and neither Anakin nor Padmé would actually act like that, case closed, goodbye.

Now, I’m not saying that asking Padmé to spy on Clovis wasn’t a good idea, it very much was, she has all the skills and Clovis trusted (read: underestimated) her. No, the issue was how the Jedi Council presented the mission, both to Anakin and to Padmé, in a way that was meant to drive a wedge between them, and especially the wording used when briefing Padmé on the mission.

The briefing scene is absolutely disgusting to me, the second even more than the first, because rather that simply being callous and manipulative in a shady room, this one happens in the middle of the day, in the council chambers, bathed in sunlight. Windu and Yoda continue making inappropriate and inaccurate insinuations that they know will get under Anakin’s skin, and Padmé, continuing to be either oblivious or petty and callous towards her husband’s feelings of insecurity, doesn’t make it clear that she and Clovis were not lovers, Clovis just wanted to be. So Anakin is uncomfortable, he feels vulnerable, no one in the room is on his side, he’s isolated in his discomfort and ignorance, and his superiors are actively trying to make it worse but he can’t see that, or at least he can’t admit it to himself.

Padmé reveals that Clovis “didn’t take it well” she returned their relationship to a professional level, which is definitely a red flag for someone who only knows Clovis as a Separatist conspirator from the Banking Clan. And then the fear mongering begins. Windu asks if Padmé might be able to “rekindle their… friendship,” and Obi-Wan tells her that the closer she can get to Clovis, the better, prompting Padmé to respond that she “will do anything to succeed in [her] mission.” Do you hear how icky that sounds?! They’re deliberately trying to make Anakin not only insecure about his relationship with Padmé, but also afraid for her safety! They don’t tell her to be mindful of her own safety, they don’t tell her she doesn’t have to do anything she’s uncomfortable with, in fact they encourage her to do so! They offer no aid or protection, Anakin assigns himself to be her bodyguard once again, but reminder, her just got back from “a lengthy tour of duty” and is probably supposed to be on some kind of leave and no one ordered him to go with her. He was just supposed to convince her. He is giving up much needed time off, ostensibly of his own accord, to participate in a stressful mission, which is followed almost immediately by what might be the most brutal conflict in the non-Disney portion of the Clone Wars.

Honestly my issues with this episode are pretty much covered, before we even get into the meat of the episode. All the problematic stuff is kinda covered in the first 7 minutes and 40 seconds of the episode. Of course the tone of everything remains for the actual mission but nothing new happens to screw things up from a writing perspective. Padmé slips into character for pretty much the rest of the episode so of course she’s OOC, it’s deliberately done to appeal to Clovis and make him underestimate her. Anakin is still unstable and anxious and terrified but that’s less because of butchered character and more because of the Council’s manipulations. The mission is basic, made ridiculously easy by Clovis’s obsession with Padmé and his severe underestimation of her intelligence but it’s entertaining enough, I love watching Padmé being a boss and manipulating Clovis expertly. The Nemoidians were well thought out for villains in this series since they’re usually pretty basic, but Lot Dod (or however you spell it) is both shallow and complex in his motivations, because he’s simultaneously a businessman and a senator and a conspirator and a person with grudges. While his actions are simple, poisoning Padmé but giving up the antidote went held at gun point, his motivations are layered. Padmé is a long time opponent of the Trade Federation, a Republic spy, a personal thorn in his side, and someone Clovis (who he hates) cares about. Like I said, the episode has its redeeming qualities, and honestly the overarching plot is one of them. It’s a set up for the Second Battle of Geonosis, it’s a view into Padmé past and current relationships outside of Anakin and the Jedi, and it’s got a good villain who has wasted potential as a reoccurring major antagonist.

The biggest issue I have with it is that despite being a Padmé episode she got pushed to the side. The whole thing is full of sexist undertones, and indeed overtones. I really wish they hadn’t damsel in distressed her at the end, if it were me I would’ve kept the poisoning scheme but add in that Padmé realizes she’s been poisoned and actually tells Anakin that something’s wrong and then deliberately uses it to escape questioning about her movements and to distract from the data disk she stole, just like in canon. Just make all the convenient stuff that happened as a result deliberate on her part and erase the “Anakin saves the day because he got super anxious” thing. Not that I don’t think Anakin has anxiety, but just… Padmé balances him perfectly because she’s got a cool head and incredible awareness of her own body and skills. De-damselify the Queen, have Anakin actually be her partner instead of her restless bodyguard.

All you have to do is get rid of the sexist ink it’s written in and it’s a good episode. The argument between Anakin and Padmé in the senate is basically just sexist writers projecting onto Anakin. He’s not that overprotective of Padmé, he knows she can handle herself and if she says “let’s go rescue Obi-Wan” then they’re going to go to a hostile world alone to rescue Obi-Wan together. He is way too smart to tray and tell her what to do. So take that out of the equation, get rid of Padmé’s OOC childish attitude, and we’re good. I don’t like what the Council did and the way they plotted to break up Anidala, but it’s not completely out of character. I would give it a little more nuance or motivation, maybe explicitly link it to Anakin’s behavior during the Blue Shadow Virus arc, but it’s something I would keep because it’s one of the best times where we get a real glimpse into how the Jedi have treated Anakin, not just how he thinks they’ve treated him based on Palps manipulations.

In conclusion: I will probably be writing a fic that completely retells this episode because this is very long and rambling and I don’t think anyone is going to read it!

For real this time, in conclusion, the Clone Wars episode Senate Spy committed atrocities against Padmé Amidala but by fixing that we could make a more than decent episode with many important plot points and insights into characters. It’s a tragedy that this plot was executed so poorly because it had SO MUCH potential. I know all Anidala fans hate the Clovis arcs with a burning passion, and believe me I do too, but mine is a hate borne from love turned sour. I have tried before, when I was a lesser writer, to ease the pain with a fix-it fic, but the wound still festers. I will try again. And this time I will succeed in not just attempting to patch up the ending but rewriting the episode better and deeper and more nuanced than before!