#re: little vs fairy

[asterwild]

PENGUINS. all of them!

(not precisely to scale, but close)

[agerefandom]

Agere Writers Masterpost (2022 Edition!)

Important Notes: 

Please feel free to add to this list! I couldn’t get everyone and I know I’m missing people 

All blogs listed are strictly sfw agere, but have individual DNIs: please check before interacting 

Not all of these blogs are accepting requests at the moment: respect the authors’ boundaries when requests are closed 

My criteria for the list is at the very end! 

@agerefandom (AHS, ATLA, Check Please!, Critical Role, Hannibal, Harry Potter, Homestuck, NITW, POTO, Rick and Morty, Star Trek, Star Wars, Steven Universe, SPN, Twilight, Undertale, WTNV, The Untamed, and more!)

@wonderinglullaby (DC, MLP, Stranger Things, Umbrella Academy, ATLA, SPN, BSD, JJBA,  HunterxHunter, BNHA, Death Note, Danganronpa, FNAF, Sally Face, Cookie Run, HLVRAI, Red vs. Blue, and more!)

@fandomregression (The Owl House, Gravity Falls, ATLA, Pokemon, Monster High, OHSHC, Sailor Moon, Miraculous Ladybug, Little Witch Academia, Disney Descendants, Stranger Things, sk8, and more!)

@paper--moons (BNHA, Saiki K, Fairy Tail, Soul Eater, Death Note, FMAB, TAZ, Umbrella Acadey, Marvel, DC, LOTR, Harry Potter, Castlevania, TES, Dragon Age, Stardew Valley, The Witcher, Dimension 20, Hellsing, Durarara, Inuyasha, ATLA)

@kindaycare (Animal Crossing, BNHA, Danganonpa, DDLC, Free!, Genshin Impact, Haikyuu!, JJBA, Love Live!, Project Sekai, PMMM, MLP, Sk8, Monster High, Vocaloid)

@puppy-posting (Marvel, DDLC, ACNH, Naruto, Owl House, She-Ra, Walten Files, Gravity Falls, FNAF, RE:8, and more!)

@deuce-t-agere (BNHA, Care Bears, Criminal Minds, DC, Ever After High, James Bond, LOTR, Marvel, Monster High, POTO, Star Trek, Star Wars)

@littlefirefly42 (Marvel, She-Ra, Riordanverse, Stranger Things, Bee and Puppycat, and more!)

@dino--boyy (Scream, Yellowjackets, Criminal Minds, The Owl House, Stranger Things)

@strawbabys-blog (dsmp, Maze Runner, Harry Potter, BNHA, Merlin, Haikyuu!, Yuri! On Ice, Heartstopper, Hamilton, Marvel, Voltron)

@tinyalliums (dsmp, BNHA, Haikyuu, Star Wars, DC (movies), MCU, Voltron, IT, Grey’s Anatomy, Stranger Things)

@justatinyguy (OFMD, Genshin Impact, WWDITS, Fallout, RE8, Owl House, Arcane, Studio Ghibli, Good Omens)

@cutiecorner (OHSHC, Steven Universe, Batman, Saiki K, Spiderverse, Adventure Time, Owl House)

@healtraumagainyou (Haikyuu!, BNHA, Jujutsu Kaisen, Sonic, Paw Patrol, Genshin Impact, FNAF, Pokemon)

@mossysmolboy (OHSHC, BNHA, FNAF, Black Butler, Yuri! On Ice, Stardew Valley, D:BH, Creepypasta)

@littolbabisworld (Criminal Minds, JJBA, BNHA, Monster High, The Witcher, FNAF, RE, Horror/Slasher Movies, MLP, Sailor Moon)

@thatdorkyficbabey (MCU, The Witcher, Umbrella Academy, Star Trek, Star Wars, Lucifer, ATLA, Castlevania)

@fandom-agere (Stranger Things, Owl House, ATLA, Dead End Paranormal Park, Harry Potter)

@lilhunterpedia (Harry Potter, Criminal Minds, BNHA, Haikyuu!, MCU, Percy Jackson, Black Butler, HunterxHunter)

@sleepy-watcher​ (WWDITS, Encanto, OFMD, The Mechanisms, Sanders Sides, TMA)

@lokislittlemidgardian (Marvel, Stranger Things, Harry Potter, Heartstopper, B99)

@soulless-strangers (Power Rangers, Haikyuu, KNB, BNHA, SK8, Baki) 

@doodlebugbaby (Danganronpa, MLP all gens, Genshin Impact) 

@the-agere-fanfic-plaza (DC, Yandere Simulator, Naruto, FNAF, RWBY) 

@leos-regression-cove (MCU, WWDITS, OFMD, Umbrella Academy) 

@azulsgoldfish (TWST, PRSK, OHSHC, Persona, Pokemon, MLB) 

@lanceeselhombre (Genshin Impact, BNHA, Assassination Classroom) 

@berrymoos (Stranger Things, Moon Knight)

@prince-honeypaw (BNHA) 

@projectsekai-agere (Project Sekai)

@svperstar-daycare (FNAF)

@danganronpa-agere-writing (Danganronpa)

Criteria for blogs to be included on the list:  -not only an RPF/Youtuber-focused agere blog  -specifically lists k!nk/n$fw in their DNI -takes writing requests, and has an easily accessible fandom list (pinned or bio links)  -has posted in the last four months 

[princesssarisa]

I think I've noticed a slight trend in the evolution of feminist fairy tale retellings. In the '90s, 2000s, and earlier 20-teens, we had retellings which obviously had feminist themes, but weren't explicitly about "women's issues." The conflicts the heroines faced were relevant to feminism, but not exclusively caused by sexism. Yet more recent re-imaginings of the same stories have been much more explicitly (and a bit ham-fistedly) about battling sexism.

The movie Ever After is obviously a "feminist" Cinderella, with Danielle portrayed as a feisty and clever action heroine, and with a contrast between her tomboyish ways and the ladylike refinement of her stepmother and stepsisters. But the conflict Danielle faces revolves much more around social class than around gender.

Then there's Betsy Cornwell's 2015 YA novel Mechanica, a steampunk Cinderella where the heroine is an inventor. This is obviously a feminist retelling too, because Nick excels in a traditionally masculine field, because she uses her inventions to take herself to the ball without the need for a Fairy Godmother, and because she has a concrete goal of freeing herself from her stepfamily by opening her own shop. In this way, she's very much like the "girlboss Cinderella" of the 2021 Sony/Amazon musical. Yet if I remember correctly, her struggles have little to do with gender. She isn't blocked from achieving her business goal because she's a woman; the problem is simply that she's trapped in an abusive home with no money or resources of her own.

Yet the 2021 musical, with its Cinderella who similarly wants to go to the ball to find a patron and start her own business, makes the whole conflict ham-fistedly about sexism. To a slightly ridiculous degree, because this Cinderella isn't an inventor of mechanics, she's a dressmaker! Weren't most 19th century dressmaking shops run by women? Yet the entire conflict is framed as "Ella's goal of a career outside the home is frowned on because she's a woman."

Then there are the two screen versions of Disney's Beauty and the Beast: 1991 vs. 2017. In the original film, apart from Gaston's claim in passing that "It's not right for a woman to read!" Belle's misfit status is framed in a gender-neutral way. Her dreamy, adventurous spirit, of which her love of books is one aspect, sets her apart from the village's simple workaday culture. Of course there's a feminist element, since she wants more from life than what's expected of her and doesn't want to be the "little wife" of a man who doesn't respect her, but the villagers would still consider her odd if she were a man. Yet the 2017 remake had to explicitly add gender issues. Here, the villagers disapprove of women being educated; only boys go to school, Belle's neighbors dislike the fact that she even knows how to read, and they bully her for teaching a little girl to read too.

It's just a little trend I've noticed.

[aspoonofsugar]

Say question, do you have a post talking about Wizard of Od allusions in RWBY? Some are pretty obvious, such as the Tinman, Ironheart, rejecting his hummanity/heart, and Leo Lionheart being the cowardly lion. But do you have a detailed breakdown about Gylinda, Qrow and Ozpin in regards to their allusions?

And is Ruby Dorothy as well as Little Red Ridding Hood? Or is there no Dorothy?

Hi!

I have never written a whole meta dedicated to The Wizard of Oz in RWBY, but I think there are some pieces here and there.

Anyway, I don't know the story super well, so I am rather sure I am missing several details. That said, here are some thoughts on the Wizard of Oz Allusion in RWBY.

First of all, this allusion works on two different levels:

It interests the World of Remnant

It interests individual characters

WORLD ALLUSION

The world of Remnant has become the Kingdom of Oz, not because it is based uniquely on this narrative world, but rather because it is the fruit of an endless conflict between The Wizard of Oz and the Evil Witch of the West.

Ozpin and Salem's feud has been defining the world for centuries, so their allusion has ended up permeating all of Remnant.

By this, I mean that the entirety of Remnant is ruled by "Wizard of Oz"'s characters:

Ozpin is the Wizard of Oz > Beacon

Leo is the Cowardly Lion > Mistral

Ironwood is the Tin Man > Atlas

Theodore is Dorothy > Vacuo

Moreover, we have Qrow (the Scarecrow) and Glynda (The Good Witch of the North) as Oz's henchmen. Do you see the pattern? The most influencial people in Remnant are all linked to Oz and all reference characters of his fairy tale. All together they are the crew chosen by the Wizard to defeat the Evil Witch of the West.

In short, Oz allusion has "conquered the world" because Ozpin and Salem are too intertwined with the history of Remnant (they basically made it).

However, this doesn't meant RWBY is a re-telling of the Oz's books. It references them, sure, but RWBY's narrative universe is wider, as we saw this volume.

In volume 8, the characters step away from the yellow brick road and enter a brand new world:

The Ever After, aka Wonderland. A completely different setting for a completely different story. A story, which is really not defined by Salem and Ozma, but rather by Alyx and Lewis.

Meta-narratively, the characters leave Ozma and Ozpin's story for a while and enter into Alyx's adventure. This is also why the main plot is on break this season.

OZ CHARACTERS: OLD GENERATION VS NEW GENERATION

As mentioned above, Ozpin's crew all allude to Oz's characters. Still, they are actually inversions of their literary counterparts. To be specific, they fail, where their characters succeed:

The Cowardly Lion wants courage, but Lionheart betrays Ozpin and sides with Salem out of fear. He gives up his bravery.

The Scarecrow wants a brain, but Qrow decides to blindly follow Oz without asking himself any question about him. He gives thinking for himself.

The Tin-Man wants a heart, but Ironwood chooses to lose his hunamity to become a machine. He gives up his feelings.

It is too soon to comment on Theodore's allusion on Dorothy, but he will probably be an inversion too.

What is sure is that Ozpin's crew is made of adults that have been traumatized and corrupted by the long war they have been fighting. This is where the new generation comes in.

Blake, Yang and Weiss allude to Dorothy's three friends:

Blake is the Cowardly Lion - she starts the story as a "scaredy-cat", but learns to conquer her fears and stops running away

Yang is the Scarecrow - she starts the story as a "himbo", but she grows smarter and wiser

Weiss is the Tin-Man - she starts the story as an "ice-queen", but she grows warmer and kinder

Notice that "bravery", "heart" and "brain" fit the body, heart and mind archetypes, which are very easily found in stories. This is why the fandom is able to apply these three allusions rather easily in the series. Basically, any character is either mind or heart :P (see, you can also see Blake as the mind to Yang's heart).

So, why do I say BYW allude to these specific characters? They do because of 2 reasons:

Some motifs they have confirm this

They all foil their respective older counterpart when it comes to their overal story-line and flaw

Blake and Lionheart

Blake is a scaredy-cat, while Lionheart is supposedly the Cowardly Lion. Both are Faunus in a position of power. Blake is the daughter of the Chief of Managerie, while Leo is the Headmaster of Haven. So, both are in a position where they can change things for the Faunus. Still, they both are afraid.

Blake is scared of Adam and this is why she leaves her group of friends and goes back home, where she thinks she will be safe. She temporally runs away from the main battle, seeking refuge in an island, which is peaceful, but also a prison.

Lionheart is scared of Salem, so he chooses to switch sides in an attempt to survive. He runs away from the battle metaphorically and later on he does so even physically, as his last action is to escape leaving EM and Hazel on their own.

In the end, though, Blake comes back and decides to fight for what is right. Lionheart instead doesn't and is punished with death. Blake is a scaredy cat, but she is also braver than everyone else. Lionheart is a lion, but he is a coward.

Blake and Lionheart's foiling is ultimately about what they do and don't do for the Faunus, especially. After all, Lionheart was supposedly put in charge of Mistral because a Faunus as an authority figure seemed like the best option to overcome racism in the Kingdom. And yet, Blake's actions in Mistral do more good for that than anything Lioheart has ever done.

Yang and Qrow

Yang and Qrow's foiling is about their relationship with Raven and Oz, really.

Qrow trusts Ozpin blindly and doesn't mind Raven's doubts or reservations. He refuses Raven's philosophy of asking the right questions:

Raven: Now you're catching on. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, (puts her cup down) but you need to question everything.

Yang instead does integrate this part in her and starts asking questions of both Raven and Ozpin, aka her two main authority figures. This leads her to become wiser:

Yang: No, I'm starting to ask questions like you said. So tell me… what happened to the last Spring Maiden? Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?

When the truth about Ozpin comes out, Qrow and Yang are among the most disturbed by it because they are both triggered. Qrow dedicated his whole life to a man, who was never honest with him. Yang instead gets angry at another authority figure "running away". However, Yang has grown enough to withstand the setback, while Qrow is undone.

In short, Yang and Qrow's foiling is really about demanding the truth from the people they are following and learning to think with their own heads. It is about accepting the complexity of the world and to carve their own paths. Without letting others lead them around.

As an additional note, Yang fits the Scarecrow symbolism for a very heartbreaking reason. Scarecrows are meant to scare ravens and crows and the Oz character initially can't fulfill this purpose. The birds tell him he is too stupid to really scare them. So, the Scarecrow wants to become smarter.

Well, Yang does become smarter, but her wisdom is so keen it drives a cowardly bird away:

Weiss and Ironwood

Weiss and Ironwood are both Atlas elite, who learnt to suppress their feelings in order to meet the impossible expectations of their society.

They have the same problem: mind and heart contradict each other. It is just that Weiss chooses to follow her heart and becomes one:

I'm shattering the mirror that kept me split in pieces That stood between my mind and my heart This is where I'll start

Ironwood instead chooses to negate his hear and becomes no-one:

What if it’s true as they say That I don’t have a heart That I'm more a machine than a man? What would that change? Would it matter at all? I've made my plan Hearts and minds may not agree Emotions topple strategy

This juxtaposition is well conveyed through their shared Tin-Man motif...

Weiss's Tin Man is a proud Knight:

Ironwood's Tin Man is a mindless robot:

Let's highlight the first time Weiss summons her Knight is after all in juxtaposition to a hacked Paladin, which is used to attack people, rather than to protect them. So, we have our Brave Knight vs a Mindles Robot.

Other than them, there is another old vd new generation foiling going on (obviously):

Ozpin/Oscar where Ozpin is the old generation wizard, who gave up on trust, while Oscar is the new generation wizard who keeps having faith no matter what.

Their foiling is explored also through their allusions:

Ozpin alludes to the wizard of Oz > an impostor who acts as an almightly being

Oscar alludes to princess Ozma/Top > the true Queen of Oz

Ironically, Ozpin's real name is Ozma, while Oscar's name is the one of the Wizard. So, they are like... criss-crossed.

Oscar's introduction happening after Beacon also makes sense because... in the books the first novel focuses on the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy, while Ozma is introduced only in a later book. So, the moment our wizard (Ozpin) is death, our Princess Ozma (Oscar) is introduced. Other then this, Oscar's developing bond with Emerald may allude to the Emerald City aka the Town ruled by the Wizard where everyone wears green-glasses, which make everything appears as green.

Now then, what about Dorothy?

TWO DOROTHIES

Apart from Theodore (the titular Dorothy), I think there are 2 other characters that fit the description:

Both Ruby and Oscar allude to Dorothy in different ways:

Oscar lives in a farm with his aunt before going on an adventure and during his journey, he gains a pair of red boots. If you follow this reasoning, then you can headcanon JNR as another trio that loosely fits the Cowardly Lion (Jaune maybe), the Scarecrow (Nora) and the Tin Man (Ren). Still, I think they fit less.

Ruby is noticed by the titular Wizard of Oz because of her silver eyes, whereas Dorothy's slippers are silver in the books. She leaves for a journey in order to fix a world the Wizard is unable to fix

Not only that, but RWBY's main-plot loosely follows that of the classical Oz story. Ruby meets the Wizard and is given the mission to defeat the Evil Witch of the West with 3 friends (each lacking something). During her journeys she meets Oscar (Ozma). Moreover, the reason why the Evil Witch of the West is interested in her is her silver eyes. An ability that emerges when Ruby uses it against Cinder aka a younger version of the Witch herself. In the classical Oz story, Dorothy's arrival in Oz kills another less powerful evil witch and she takes the slippers as a result. Here, Ruby uses her eyes on Cinder and then she is targeted by Salem.

Notice also that Ruby's volume 4 short has her fighting this:

Specifically she goes from Bewolves (LRRH's story) to this very intelligent Monkey Grimm (Oz's allusion). It is as if Ruby's personal arc is LRRH, but her journey when it comes to the bigger picture is similar to Dorothy's.

Thank you for the ask!

[loganslowdown4]

I’m gonna attempt to break this down and point out all the stuff in the guys’ rooms for the newest episode because there’s a ton of Easter eggs in here and it’s fun to compile a list!

🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸

And I’m a complete nerd 🤓

Ok let’s start off with

PATTON’S ROOM!

* Ernie plushie (Sesame Street) in homage to LNTAO

* Light blue dad pyjamas

* Chocolate (baby Pound Puppy plushie) from Moving On

* Winnie The Pooh quilt

* Reindeer plushie bean baby from the 80s (I literally used to have these)

* light blue Cat poster

* Orange tabby cat statue (he loves cats, ok?)

* Mrs Fluffy Bottom (bunny plushie from Prince vs Villain short)

* The creepy glowworm from babyhood

* ‘You make me want to die.. of laughter’ misleading compliment card from Virgil from the 12 Days of Sanders Sides (Xmas)

* His glasses

* A plate with a cookie (and a second cookie because he earned it)

* Framed photo of friends (combats the lonely feelings)

* Catholic Youth Bible (from swearing Oath in SvS)

* Braided friendships bracelets in the Roman Virgil and Logan’s colours

* Embroidery thread to make more friendship bracelets in his, Janus and Remus’ colours

* Pizza plushie (from opening shot Thomas saying ‘YouTube Time’)

* Light blue lamp

* The smell of Christmas (in a box!) from Moving On nostalgia episode

* Stitch plushie from opening scene ‘YouTube time’

* Plus the room has the glittery quality that his room did in the moving on episodes

ROMAN’S ROOM!

* Red plush blanket and red silk pillow case fit for a prince

* Red/pink full face cooling sleep mask for beauty sleep

* Wearing his (Beauty and the) Beast onesie from ATHD

* Up poster (part of his 101 Disney poster collection) (plus it mentions ‘adventure’ which is what Roman would want to dream about)

* Glitter/sparkle aesthetic in his room magically flying around; also a soft rainbow glow overlay

* STAR THINGIES (he got them back from the echo-y mind palace)

* Reading Lord of the Rings (TFOTR) (red and white cover!) plus dudes on an adventure with a king and hot elf? It does scream Roman, doesn’t it?

* Plus multiple bookmarks so he can reread his favourite parts (or find parts that the other sides would like)

* Oh hey Katana

* Little Roman fan made wooden dolls

* Pictures from skirt PS, 80s PS, selfie as Prince from vine days

* Sticky notes (red): YOU GOT THIS PAL! (either from himself or Patton); WWLOJD? (What Would Leslie Odom Jr Do?) plus a picture of the man himself (a crush? 😏); Take Dance Classes AGAIN (is this in reference to Thomas can’t dance? ‘I can box step with the rest of them! 5 6 7 8 no need to demonstrate!’)

* Scented candles for sleep

* REMUS omg was I right about them sharing a room? Hahaha he steals a star thingie because he knows Roman loves them

* Roman Youtooz toy from last year

* Lavender sprays for sleep

* Moisturizer for skin care (a prince has got to slay)

VIRGIL’S ROOM!

* Dark aesthetic from Accepting Anxiety episode

* Purple and grey bedding

* Watching a Jack the Ripper conspiracy video on his computer (re: what videos he would make if he had his on YouTube channel from Q&A)

* Green Day t-shirt (specifically American Idiot album) (also featured album on wall in Accepting Anxiety episode)

* Plain purple sleep hoodie (the man cannot be without a hoodie)

* Whiteboard with ‘# of days since last total disaster: 5’ but who knows what his definition of disaster is…

* Black dry erase marker for whiteboard

* Cobwebs on night stand

* MARCUS! Plushie spider

* Patton’s FamILY card

* Huge (almost empty) purple bottle of melatonin (used to aid sleep)

* Book for Grimms fairy tales (decidedly did NOT swear on his ‘bible’ from SvS)

* Nintendo switch

* Not sure what the things standing up are? Maybe candle/lights?

* Also a mood light off to the side

LOGAN’S ROOM!

* The periodic table on the wall with rainbow colours (that’s just perfect)

* Dark blue dad pyjamas and eye mask (probably for a proper nights sleep) plus he replaces his glasses with an eye mask

* Dark blue matching bed sheets because UNIFORMITY

* All the plushies! All of them. I think he needs the most comfort

* Gravity Falls journal #3

* Another self insert fanfic from Roman! (Possibly not the Sherlock one that Roman wrote for Christmas because this is thinner and has different stickers on the cover, but ahhhh that’s so SWEET)

* Blank cue cards for new slang words to learn

* A FINISHED Rubix cube

* His glasses

* A crossword day by day calendar

* A blue alarm clock 11:30pm? (although it’s pretty late, Logan, is that really a good sleep schedule?)

* An empty jar of crofters (because they are so darn collectible)

* A 10th doctor funko pop (and a Tardis underneath all the plushies!)

* A blue mood light behind the plushies

* And he has a Clapper lol

THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE!

[lyinginbedmon]

Fey and Archfey Familia

With two adorable little nephews running around, I've been on the search for something they can call me that isn't aunt, uncle, or kinnie (which I swear to god is legitimately the Best option I've found so far, yes they are actually that bad). I've sort of slipped into the role (partially by accident, partially very on purpose) of being construed as a changeling fey creature amongst the branches of the family tree.

Well, I've fleshed that idea out a little more and I'm giving it freely to any nonbeenies with little relatives to use.

Why?

Nonbinary people aren't a new thing by any means but cultural acceptance of us is still quite unsteady, and one of the most common questions (and thinly-veiled accusations) is "what are we going to tell our children?"

In answer to that, this approach uses a sense of whimsy and fantasy to help children understand that people who are different are perfectly fine and welcome and even healthy to have around in their family gatherings. In a nutshell, we're the weird ones in the family, and that's not only okay it can be really hecking cool.

It's not inspired by any one tale of fairies or pixies or whatnot from any one culture, and in places intentionally borrows from several to further the theme of friendly cooperative integration where appropriate.

What?

Fey and Archfey Familia (and other spellings & capitalisations of the same, I personally enjoy "fae" but use "fey" here for ease of child reading comprehension) are the visible emergence of ancient supernatural phenomena in a human bloodline. For some of them it's the result of long-forgotten pacts and contracts, for others its the result of distant intermingling, for others its just a spontaneous jerk reaction of nature re-asserting itself against the overwhelming human presence (a signal perhaps to say "don't forget, we're not leaving").

This phenomena manifests with individuals who, though seemingly human at first blanche, go against the grain of conventional human society in odd ways. Sometimes these are small clues you could blink and overlook for years at a time, and sometimes they're more overt, like a blatant eschewing or uncommon mixture of physical characteristics.

Most are joyful, even revelling in this differences that mark them out from the rest of their erstwhile family, though many similarly face difficulties with mental health and medical support. Cultures rarely thrive amidst colonists, and fey-kind likewise struggle to exist living amongst the civilisation of poor neighbours.

Importantly, though different, these fey are relatives within the bloodline. They are no less related to their kin than a relative who skipped the big ears gene or who goes to a different church. Some may describe themselves as changelings, implying they aren't truly related, but the actual practise of replacing children with fairies is a relic of myth.

Fey vs Archfey

Individuals are distinguished as either Fey Familia or Archfey Familia. There's not any concrete rulings on who gets to be what, but the Archfey Familia are usually the "elder" fey in one way or another, often those whose nature became more apparent further back than their peers.

It's important to note that whilst "archfey" has traditionally referred to an individual atop the court hierarchy, Archfey Familia are only such within their own clan (that is, every family may have one but they're not lord above all amongst their kind globally, which is reserved for the rarely-seen Archfey in Ordinary).

Every family can have multiple fey and archfey across multiple domains, without restriction. It can however be said that families more welcoming to good neighbour relatives tend to host more good neighbours amongst their ranks.

Domains and courts

Family fey are usually (though not always, more Fey Familia in particular tend to be non-court than Archfey Familia) attached to a particular domain or court of wisdom. This may be stories, or space, or the animal kingdom, etc. Different individuals in the same family are under no obligation to spring from the same source, nor adhere to the same presentations or courts.

This typically confers a degree of responsibility on the fey to educate and encourage curiosity in a given subject of study, but some are occasionally a little too caught up in their fixations to actually spend time teaching them. Though historical prejudice has cast the fey as trickster and even malevolent spirits, they were usually educators and helpers, though occasional misunderstandings did happen.

Essentially it's a signal to tell younger relatives "hey, here's someone you can talk to about X", providing a clear social function with which children can engage. Functionally, it serves to cite the relative as demonstration that it's okay to celebrate and enjoy things, and to show and exalt that enjoyment even into adulthood. It can also imply a sense of unity, by identifying a common pursuit amongst a group of relatives.

[divorcingjimmatthews]

Long Day's Journey Into The Night - Pilot Screenplay vs Final Episode! (Part I)

So, as some of you may remember, last year I found this screenplay for the pilot episode of the show and shared some tidbits concerning Jade as it was pretty shocking to learn his character was seemingly completely reworked last minute ("Jade Herrera" is an 18 year old girl in the screenplay while everything else in the episode stays largely the same!). I thought I could delve deeper this time and read the screenplay as I re-watch the final version of the episode, highlighting any interesting bits for y'all along the way. Long post ahead.

I know basically nothing about how TV shows are made so if I say something stupid please forgive me I'm trying my best.

The Logo

The logo from the the screenplay uses a rather generic modern font, but it's pretty interesting that it's sliced down the middle. I wonder why they'd choose that gimmick of all things to represent the show? The font used in the final version definitely fits the vibes of the town (that "don't open - dead inside" warning comes to mind), but it gives nothing away beyond that.

Boyd & The Town

The opening scene regarding Boyd and the town stays largely the same, except for the mention of Boyd wearing an uniform rather than his staple outfit that we've come to know and love. Also, there is no mention of the bell.

The Diner

Notably, the owner of the diner is referred to as a "he", and Sara is not shown during the show's opening sequence at all. In the final version, as we know, we meet Sara (and we are also introduced to the talismans) right after we meet Boyd.

Kenny, Kristi & The Clinic

The scene with Kenny's dad is largely the same, but Kenny and his dad are Vietnamese instead of Chinese and Chinese-American in the screenplay.

I thought I'd also highlight this cute description of this moment since we're at it!

Colony House

Largely the same. I love Boyd checking on Ellis and Fatima with his binoculars. LMAO, my mom would.

The Night Falls

I actually love the little detail with the cattle growing restless as the night falls! It's missing from the final version. Also... Boyd used to have his own house.

Lauren & Meagan

I kind of love how this bit is described. Tap, tap, tap. Reading "soothing whispers fill the air" feels a lot creepier to me than actually hearing the "sweet" old lady in the final version of the scene, but it might just be a matter of taste.

Also, there was a mention of a monster hand banging loudly on the window by the front door. (I hit the image limit so you'll just have to believe me.)

The Matthews Family

A lot was cut from the Matthews' introduction! In this earlier version of the story, they were travelling on a regular van and staying in motels, while in the final version as we know they summed it all up neatly into an RV, saving on quite a few transition scenes.

Also, we were robbed of some Norman and Harold lines. Enjoy Julie's director cut below.

Personally I believe there is some meaning to the puppet story because, well, I've watched shows and movies before and it's normally significant when they do a show-within-a-show. But we've also got the Cromenockle in FROM so... I don't know. Ethan mentions that he "saw the lake of tears" while he was unconscious after the crash, so I do have to wonder if we will ever get to see it and if we will also see these "fairies" there.

The Matthews intro scene actually drags on for quite a long while in the screenplay and has a lot more lines. This line by Tabitha about just rewriting what happened felt significant. In the end, though, the conclusion is the same. She finds the "loophole" through which Norman can't be dead because monsters aren't real and the scene finally ends there.

Also, this bit comes later on (after they've already asked for directions and been sent back on the road) but look at that. No divorce plot, and Jim putting the blame on himself. In the final version of the episode, it's actually Jim who starts reminiscing about the past with a hopeful look in his eyes only for Tabitha to cut him off with a cold "don't do that".

Father Khatri

The lines and general character stay the same, but... we get Father Kelly instead. I'm guessing the ethnicity and name changes were all decided with the final casting choices. I really can't imagine a different cast, it's so weird to think about! Reading the script really made me appreciate the final version we got even more.

I'd ask if you guys want a part 2 but you know damn well I'm gonna start writing it as soon as I hit post (I could barely even get to Sara and Jade before hitting image limit and they're the ones I want to talk about the most!!)

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

As we await to potentially hear some news on COYOTE VS. ACME - a film that might possibly be locked away forever because of executives being jackasses, let me share a piece of Disney history:

It's often written that THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, made at Walt Disney Feature Animation and released theatrically in 1990, was a victim of a squashed marketing campaign. The studio's first sequel, the story often goes: After the film opened with underwhelming numbers the same week as HOME ALONE, then-Chairman of the Disney film division Jeffrey Katzenberg pulled all the marketing for the film and thus left it to fade away into the Christmas season. It remained the sole disappointment of the "Disney Renaissance", sandwiched between hit films like OLIVER & COMPANY, THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING.

Here are two corrections to that tale...

A) The marketing was not pulled immediately.

B) The film was deemed dead-on-arrival *well* before release.

So, a week or so after the film came out, Disney tried a "now playing" trailer that ran before other movies in auditoriums next door. It's proof that Disney didn't give up on the movie right away, and gave it one last push... But it just didn't do it, and the movie made less than half of what LITTLE MERMAID made a year earlier.

As for the film being written off (not as a tax write-off!), here's what happened.

In March 1989, Disney theatrically re-released the original THE RESCUERS that came out all the way back in 1977. This was the film's third ever theatrical release, the previous one being in 1983. A good chunk of the Disney animated classics did pretty robust business in re-issues, before they came to home video. BAMBI, for example, made over $30m in the summer of 1988, SNOW WHITE made over $46m in 1987.

The $21m gross that THE RESCUERS pulled in, in early 1989, was deemed a disappointment. THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER was greenlit on the grounds of the original having earned the most money for a Disney animated film on its initial release. The rationale from executives after that must've been "Oh crap... We greenlit a sequel to this thing."

It was apparently too late to cancel, though, so they went through with it. If anything, it served as a good testing ground for that digital ink-and-paint software Disney Animation staff were toying with for a single shot in THE LITTLE MERMAID. A little thing called C.A.P.S. It also allowed more time on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and ALADDIN.

THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER went into production, but there wasn't much confidence in it before release. Even though they attached a new half-hour Mickey Mouse cartoon to it (THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER), this was treated as a minor effort long before release. The execs were far more excited about BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, as by that point, the LITTLE MERMAID songwriting team - of course, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken - had been brought onto the movie after the previous version had been thrown right out.

So DOWN UNDER served as a stopgap, and its failing meant no more theatrical sequels (sans Roy E. Disney's pet project, FANTASIA 2000) and probably no more animated action-adventures like it. The string of movies released thereafter stuck very close to LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST's templates. But in the end, they got the C.A.P.S. system's success out of it, and an eventual home video hit.

Now, think about THE RESCUERS not doing great on that re-release... And DOWN UNDER's release date. March 1989, November 1990. Disney actually had plenty of time to throw that movie out, but they didn't... Whatever the reason, they didn't.

And here, today, we have David Zaslav - CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery - shelving near-complete or fully-completed movies for tax write-off purposes. Loser behavior. See the damn thing through, mate.

I could also relate the time Disney's movie division firmly determined that audiences had moved on from fairy tales, following the disappointing box office returns of THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. In early 2010, it was made very clear that there would never be another fairy tale movie from the studio. Despite a history in making beloved fairy tale adaptations or fairy tale-like stories... Nope, it was all over. John Lasseter and Ed Catmull acting like the pallbearers, saying that Disney Animation wouldn't invest in any.

At the time, a SNOW QUEEN movie was put on ice, a JACK AND THE BEANSTALK tale had trouble taking off... but one movie was a little too far along to cancel... RAPUNZEL. And that picture had already gone through a few director changes and reinventions, which no doubt ballooned its budget over the course of three decades. There had been various goes at a Rapunzel story at Disney Animation in the late '90s and in the early-to-mid aughts, in addition to another version that was not quite approved of by Lasseter. Glen Keane, who was supposed to direct the film with Dean Wellins, stepped down. RAPUNZEL's journey to the screen was as long as her hair.

So in the final lap, in early 2010, the movie was re-titled from RAPUNZEL to TANGLED in a silly attempt to make it appeal to the audience that supposedly tanked THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG: 6-to-12 year old boys... Yeah, that was a real low point, wasn't it? Silly focus groups. I'll always get a kick out of the sketch that longtime Disney storyman/artist Floyd Norman whipped up for it in response:

But what do I know? TANGLED came out in fall 2010 and was a very popular film. Right afterwards, THE SNOW QUEEN was put back into development, as was the JACK AND THE BEANSTALK movie. As you probably know, THE SNOW QUEEN became FROZEN, while the latter - titled GIGANTIC - lumbered through development hell and ultimately got canned by Lasseter. Disney would also proceed to remake several animated fairy tales in live-action, from CINDERELLA to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to ALADDIN.

However, Disney Animation at least completed TANGLED. And released it. Saw it through, no matter what level of confidence that the higher management at The Walt Disney Company had in it. GIGANTIC wasn't anywhere near completion when it was scrapped, as the movie had been penciled in for a Thanksgiving 2020 release, and the movie was put on the shelf in fall 2017. A good three years prior.

That's when you DO cancel something, should you ever.

Not right near completion. Or even halfway there. Looking at you, former DreamWorks management, with LARRIKINS and B.O.O. and MONKEYS OF MUMBAI-yes indeedy I still haven't forgotten about that.

Anyways, if you're almost done, just fucking complete it. Maybe down the line, it won't be much of a loss. It might even be a surprise hit.

[pigtailpoll]

PIGTAIL POLL !! :D

currently running :

lily hoshikawa vs orange blossom

ICON BRACKET

miku hatsune vs usagi tsukino

ABOUT THA ICON BRACKET : tha eight most iconic pigtail characters ( decided both by iconicness and tha amount of submissions they received ) will compete in an adjacent bracket . tha winner will then face off against tha winner of tha main pigtail bracket . this is liek what they do in sports , where certain teams get to skip matches and go straight to tha finals . this way icons can be included but its more exciting ( and fair ) than watching them decimate their opponents each round before making it to tha finals anyways

entire 128 character bracket is too large to take a screenshot of but it looks liek this , and will ( obviously ) be done in sections . bracket list below tha readmore , straight down tha left side and then straight down tha right !! :D

LEFT SIDE

1 asa mitaka ( chainsaw man )

2 izumo kamiki ( ao no exorcist )

3 ashley spinelli ( reccess )

4 creepie ( growing up creepie )

5 bloody eye ( bloody mary )

6 boo ( monsters inc )

7 choso ( jjk )

8 muffet ( undertale )

9 sakura hanazono ( kaichou wa maid-sama )

10 mikan sakura ( gakuen alice )

11 shizuku mizutani ( my little monster )

12 retoree ( show by rock )

13 chiyo mihama ( azumanga diaoh )

14 maka albarn ( soul eater )

15 black rock shooter ( brs )

16 lyra ( pkmn )

17 jill ( drill dozer )

18 penny ( inspector gadget )

19 elizabeth midford ( kuroshitsuji )

20 anne halford ( sugar apple fairy tale )

21 lilie ( princess tutu )

22 jess ( badanamu )

23 yaya yuki ( shugo chara )

24 sana futaba ( magia record : pmm )

25 sana kurata ( kodomo no omocha )

26 makima kirameki ( re : creators )

27 cherry cookie ( cookie run )

28 twintelle ( ARMS )

29 bubbles utonium ( ppg )

30 yokune ruko ( UTAU )

31 entrapta ( she-ra and the pop )

32 ling xiaoyu ( tekken )

33 garu ( pucca )

34 sarasa watanabe ( kageki shoujo )

35 mio naganohara ( nichijou )

36 joon yorigami ( touhou )

37 eleanor miller ( alvin and the chipmunks )

38 gosalyn mallard ( darkwing duck )

39 mallow ( pkmn )

40 love momozono ( fresh precure )

41 nadeshiko kagamihara ( yuru camp )

42 angelica pickles ( rugrats )

43 gretchen grundler ( reccess )

44 lotta zehybe ( charlie and lola )

45 pinky cooper ( pinky and pepper forever )

46 brat plutonium ( ppg )

47 dynamo ( ppg )

48 jinmay ( super robot money team hyperforce go )

49 xinyan ( genshin impact )

50 miyuki hoshizora ( smile precure )

51 hu tao ( genshin impact )

52 sal fisher ( sally face )

53 natsuki mamiya ( gogo sentai boukenger )

54 dee dee ( dexter's laboratory )

55 princess morbucks ( ppg )

56 trixie carter ( american dragon jake long )

57 popuko ( pop team epic )

58 biscuit krueger ( hunter x hunter )

59 celestia ludenberg ( dangan ronpa )

60 kagami hiiragi ( lucky star )

61 juliet starling ( lollipop chainsaw )

62 ruru amour ( hug itto! precure )

63 aki narukami ( misao )

64 rabi en rose ( di gi charat )

RIGHT SIDE

65 brianna dulce ( rainbow high )

66 aria blaze ( mlp : equestria girls )

67 ame-chan ( needy girl overdose )

68 aoi kanzaki ( kimetsu no yaiba )

69 sylvia christel ( no more heroes )

70 ginger breadhouse ( ever after high )

71 kohane azusawa ( project sekai )

72 bronya zaychik ( honkai impact 3rd )

73 saki tenma ( project sekai )

74 riruka dokugamine ( bleach )

75 draculara ( monster high )

76 ichigo momomiya ( tokyo mew mew )

77 ann takamaki ( persona 5 )

78 yayoi takatsuki ( THE iDOLM@STER )

79 hana makihatayama ( ojamajo doremi )

80 nina sakura ( ultra maniac )

81 rise kujikawa ( persona 4 )

82 shushang ( honkai star rail )

83 mei kusakabe ( my neighbor totoro )

84 lily hoshikawa ( zombie land saga )

85 dj cookie ( cookie run )

86 pippi longstocking ( pippi longstocking )

87 pink ( mahou shoujo magical destroyers )

88 piper pinwheeler ( robots )

89 valerie amaranth ( magical warrior diamond heart )

90 twin turbo ( uma musume : pretty derby )

91 tart ( tokyo mew mew )

92 nagisa shiota ( assassination classroom )

93 drossel von flügel ( fireball )

94 najika kazami ( kitchen princess )

95 chinatsu kuramoto ( flying witch )

96 vendetta ( making friends )

97 sorano appare ( appare-ranman! )

98 sunny madison ( rainbow high )

99 jenny wakeman ( my life as a teenage robot )

100 barbara ( genshin impact )

101 nico yazawa ( love live! )

102 ichika usami ( kirakira precure a la mode )

103 ruli ( aikatsu planet!)

104 hay lin ( w.i.t.c.h )

105 teto kasane ( UTAU )

106 marnie ( pkmn )

107 robin ( f ) ( fire emblem awakening )

108 hikaru hoshina ( star twinkle precure )

109 hilda valentine goneril ( fire emblem : three houses )

110 falulu ( pripara )

111 kagura izumi ( ressha sentai toqger )

112 nico niiyama ( kiznaiver )

113 tsunade ( naruto )

114 lucia nanami ( mermaid melody pichi pichi pitch )

115 raki kiseki ( aikatsu on parade! )

116 ranmaru kirino ( inazuma eleven go! )

117 emiru aisaki ( hug itto! precure )

118 q84 ( hello charlotte )

119 nozomi tojo ( love live! )

120 klee ( genshin impact )

121 mimi valentine ( vtube )

122 gerti giggles ( spy kids )

123 kitty cheshire ( ever after high )

124 orange blossom ( strawberry shortcake )

125 miku imamura ( denji sentai megaranger )

126 agitha ( loz : twilight princess )

127 glenda ( petite princess yucie )

128 pepper ( pinky and pepper forever )

[adarkrainbow]

Most people know Joseph Jacobs for his work of collecting and putting in a literary form the traditional fairy tales of England - he is the man that made famous tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Tattercoats, The Buried Moon, and many others.

But what people tend to not know is that he was also the author of a very particular book called “European Folk and Fairy Tales” - sometimes shortened as Europa’s Fairy Book (in reference to the Fairy Books of Andrew Lang). Remember what I said before about the folklorist vs literary theories when it came to fairy tales? Well Joseph Jacobs lived in the full “folkloric fairytale” movement, fashion and study, and one of the main beliefs of this movement was that, beyond all the local and regional variations of a fairy tale, at the root of these similarly “cousin tales” found in numerous countries and eras, for each “fairy tale type”, there was an “ancestor-tale”. A “first” tale, a “primitive” tale, an “original” tale from which all the variants were born - a common ancestor that gave birth to all the different variations that formed together a “type”. It was the theory of evolution if you want, with each individual belonging to a larger group of species all coming from a common ancestor. 

And Joseph Jacobs, working on this theory and belief, decided to create his European Folk and Fairy Tales book. After collecting as many variants and variations of some fairy tale types across as much European countries as he could, he compared them, studied them, and tried to re-create the “original tale”, the “ancestor-fairytale”, the “original Europan story”. The result of this work was his “European Folk and Fairy Tales” book, a book contaned the supposed and believed reconstructed “original” tales that formed the “primordial” group of fairytales from which the ones collected by Grimm,  Asbjørnsen and Moe, Jacobs himself and others came from. 

Of course, this being a purely folklorist work that tried to ignore as much as it could all the literary side of fairytale history (for example Jacobs removed the fairy godmother from his Cinderella reconstruction due to it being an invention of Perrault), and a work of 1916 that was created with the resources and perceptions of the time, this is not at all considered to be a true scholar work today, and it mostly fell into obscurity as an entertaining project and an interesting piece of fairytale history. But it shouldn’t be forgotten by any means, since this book reflects the beliefs and theories of the folklorists and fairy tale critics of the 1910s Western Europe, and even today on the Internet you will see several illustrations created for this specific book reused for other fairytales (I was surprised to discover that a recurring illustration of Hansel and Gretel I saw everywhere was actually created for Jacobs’ reconstruction-tale). 

So if you ever want to check Jacobs’ Europa’s Fairy Book, you’ll find in it...

... The proto-”Snow White” fairytale, simply titled Snowwhite

... The proto-”Cinderella” story, Cinder-Maids

... “Beauty and the Beast”, which as you can guess is the reconstruction of the “original Beauty and the Beast”

... Thumbkin, the supposed “ancestor” of the Tom Thumb tales.

... The Unseen Bridegroom, the artificial ancestor of all “Cupid and Psyche” type of fairytales

... Johnnie and Grizzle, a synthesis of all Europan “Hansel and Gretel” stories

... The Earl of Cattenborough, the proto-”Puss in Boots”.

And many more artificial but fascinating wonders! 

(Though don’t get me wrong - I do not use “artificial” in a pejorative way. Many fairytales we know today are “artificial” in the eyes of folklorists - all literary fairytales for example, from Perrault to Andersen, are demmed “artificial” by their literary nature ; and even the folklorists have to admit that some of their own created artificial tales, such as those born of the Grimm’s editing of the collected folktales. So, considering all that, while Jacobs’ reconstruction are certainly not THE actual proto-fairytales - if such a thing even exists - it is not because they are artificial that they are less to be considered than literary works or the edited final Grimm stories)

[expatesque]

Oooo if you’re open to helping us shop please help me find my wedding dress (big ask)? I feel like I’ve tried on every dress in London and am about to give up! I’m not tied to it being white (blue? metallic?) I just want it to feel special enough that I don’t look like my own guest, but not a full meringue moment because there’s only going to be 15 people total. Vibe is casual Saturday afternoon picnic in the park and drinks at our local afterwards, my budget is £2k!

Sorry I should have added that I’m super short so midis tend to fit better, maxi not really my vibe and I’m worried it might feel too formal for the picnic!

Oh my god this is my dream task. First off - congratulations! Sounds like it's going to be a beautiful wedding. Okay so I've got a few thoughts first before we dive in: (1) You can get anything shortened - I'm also relatively short (well, actually I have long torso and short legs, but works out the same) so 90% of my bottoms are tailored. And what better time to invest in some good tailoring than your wedding! Assuming the dress isn't beaded / heavy on appliques, it's usually<£30 to have something shortened, and it's the same price to have something taken up half an inch vs taken up a foot, to make a maxi tea length. So I'm going to recommend a few things that are longer but know that I always mean you should have them shortened if you want. (2) Have you thought about a veil? I just think it's the easiest, most obvious way to say 'Wedding!' but still keep things cool. Personally I love a birdcage moment but I'm also partial to a short veil, particularly if you get something meaningful embroidered on it (this one is fully customizable and I love the look of the phrase running down the side).

Okay now that we've done that, some thoughts: Rixo makes cute, special but low key dresses. For a city wedding feel, I love the shorter ones (60s vibes! This CAPE) but there's loads of cute options (remember, you can have the longer ones taken up!). They're also v affordable which is always nice.

On the less classically bridal end of the spectrum, we have La Double J who go big on color and pattern. Again, I'd consider adding a veil (maybe in a fun color?!) to feel more bridal. I'm not sure your body shape but this top and skirt combo! With a pale blue veil?! Come on. They also do have more classic bridal pieces as well. There's also Zimmerman - flirty and flouncy, their dresses have pure romantic vibes. Something like this could definitely read bridal (+ a birdcage viel and a little shrug maybe?). If you're not put off by black (again, veil and accessories can help) then this is to die for and super re-wearable. Or embrace the chill vibes and go yellow! They have loads of great options.

I'm sure you already know this but just in case: Reformation does bridal. Like their normal dresses, the options skew towards people with model proportions but they've got some gorgeous ones - love this minimal take. I'd also recommend Wolf & Badger again. Do you want to be a hot and cool minimalist? A sea foam mermaid? (I'd personally have the slits closed a bit and the whole thing taken up but that's me). A ball of spring flowers? The Badge has you covered.

And then of course, a net a porter troll. Are you a disco queen? The most elegant woman alive? (Prob not best for the park, but def could work for a pub). A garden fairy? A jumpsuit (!) babe? A queen of less is more? (maybe with tulle gloves!) A column queen? (I'd style with blue shoes that match, I have this pair from Ferragamo that I love).

Again for lots of these I think accessories are key. You add a veil, a glove (consider short too!), a white shoe and all the sudden, bang it's clearly bridal. I hope some of that is helpful, and good luck!

(okay also you did not ask about this but just a thought: you can get really beautiful, affordable, old embroidered white table clothes fairly easily online and at antique shops. How gorgeous would your wedding picnic be on all white 'blankets'? Maybe with something waterproof underneath because, London).

[inhumanliquid]

Re: Walrus vs fairy

I asked my little sister, and she very correctly said that she'd be more surprised by a walrus because they live in the water and they don't have hands.

[sapphire-weapon]

Is it just me who doesn't see where the OG4 romance comes from? Like yeah... there's a line or two addressing it, but if that wasn't written, I couldn't have perceived Leon having feelings at all! lmao! Maybe it's just the older animation but both his expression and voice is a fat "😐" during every interaction with Ada, why am I supposed to think he's inexplainably madly in love and heartbroken, like dude... what?

It's interesting how in contrast, OG jokes and smiles around Ashley like he does in remake. Luis is a massive improvement too.

OG RE4 isn't meant to be seen as very romantic. Shinji Mikami, by and large, doesn't really put romances in his games. The closest thing he ever put to a romance in a game was the hug and the shoulder lean between Chris and Jill in REmake, and the only reason why he did that was because RE1 was meant to be an homage to George Romero movies, and Romero usually had a romance between protagonists.

Ada was only there in OG RE4 because Mikami wanted a combat-ready woman in the game, and Ada seemed like the most logical choice due to her connection with Wesker, which would allow RE4 to feel more connected to the plot of RE than it would've been without him. He kept things flirty between Leon and Ada as a callback to their relationship in RE2, but the relationship was meant to be seen as complicated, not explicitly romantic.

But after Mikami left Capcom in as dramatic of a fashion as he did, the rest of the dev team scrambled without his vision, and they looked to the fandom for help. And what they saw in fandom was the giant Aeon vs Cleon ship war, so that's what the series started to do with Leon. So, Separate Ways leaned real, real heavy into the Aeon shit, and then Degeneration put Leon and Claire back together, and then Darkside Chronicles sat back and went "let them fight."

After DSC was released, though, RE went through a change in writing staff, and one of the lead guys was a huge, huge Aeon guy. And that's how we got Damnation and RE6.

And, well. We know how that turned out.

If I had to guess, this was probably a contributing factor towards making Leon's relationship with Ashley more romantic. It was the devs' way of going "okay but fuck what the fandom thinks the story should be, let's make a game where the story actually makes the most sense to us." And, on paper, what makes the most sense is a romance between a princess and her hero.

Even not taking the whole fairy tale allegory into account, the actual name of the trope surrounding the plot to rescue Ashley is "save the princess." And, in Ashley's case, being the daughter of the president, she's damn near as close to an actual princess as this series is ever going to get. And with Leon being such a Big Damn Hero character -- yeah. Yeah, it makes sense.

And like I've said a billion times already: very little of the meta I've written about Leon and Ashley is new. All of that shit was already there in OG. It's just that no one ever paid attention to it before because they were too busy staring at Ada's legs.

But when Division 1 sat down to remake RE4, they said they played OG over and over and over and over and over and over again throughout the entire process. There's no way they didn't catch what was already there between Leon and Ashley. That's why their relationship is the same in Remake, just more obvious and better with a more hardline romantic tilt.

[mfred]

🌟Mfred's Best Books of 2022🌟

Comfort Me with Apples by Cathrynne M. Valente

Original Review

It’s a fairy tale retold, a myth re-examined. It’s a mystery, a thriller, and a horror story. But it’s so much more, too. I was mesmerized - trying to understand what was going on, then understanding too much, with a dawning sense of horror at how it would all end.

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne

Original Review

This book put me through the wringer, you guys. I came out the other end definitely dehydrated from crying so much, but also filled to the brim with love and life.

Even Though I Knew the End by CL Polk

Sapphic. Urban Fantasy. Noir. Do I need to say more? OK, I will anyway! Chicago in the winter. Dames smoking Chesterfields and hunting serial killers. Underground queer nightclubs. And magic! And a swoony romance!

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Original Review

Don’t be fooled, Benji is really turning into a monster. White pulls no punches. Bloody, gruesome, and terrifying. It’s so queer, so righteously angry, so necessarily vengeful. But it also holds a place for the tenderness and hope we all need to truly survive.

Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall

A spooky and super creepy Halloween read, especially for a children’s book! Plus, the power of friendship, loyalty, and believing in yourself.

The Mind and the Moon: My Brother's Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches by Daniel Bergner

Challenges the science behind mental illness and standard pharmaceutical treatments. At once eye-opening, engrossing, and also emotional.

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

Lucky you! If you didn’t read the first in this series, you now get to read both amazing books! This time we see what happens when the Evil Queen wants a better ending to her story. And also what it means to survive a happy ending.

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

Original Review

I loved Myles. I loved his struggle. Every time Taylor did or said something, his heart clenched or he got sweaty or he desperately wanted to kiss her. He’s big, he’s tattooed, he’s unshaven and rides a motorcycle and he is a total dummy about his emotions. It’s great.

Paper Girls, Vols 1-6 by Brian K. Vaughn, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson, & Jared K. Fletcher

Friendship! Time travel! The 1980s! A war between teenagers vs. grownups! This graphic novel series has it all. And the artwork is amazing. 

Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen

Ok, how do you feel about The Bachelor? Cryptids? Horrifically funny violence? This book is so weird and also so, so amazing. 

Runaway Girl by Tessa Bailey

A poor little rich girl who really isn’t and a bear of a man dealing with unimaginable loss. Slow burn but awesome tension and chemistry throughout. Plus, the emotional wallop of falling in love. Everything good about romance novels.  

Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

Original Review

Amazing. A novel about anger, trauma, families, romance, trusting others, and werewolves. It really takes a good, hard look at why and when and how and how often we get angry– and how we treat others and ourselves when we rage. The werewolf metaphor is grrrreat (see what I did there?) for examining what it means to be an angry woman, in/out of control. 

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper

Original Review

It took me almost two months to finish this book. But it wasn’t boring or slow. In fact, for such a lengthy book, it’s a real page turner. And it’s a fascinating blend of true crime, non fiction and memoir– how Cooper finds her own voice in the story of Jane Britton’s murder.

[kinomiakai]

I spent some time reflecting on this past year of writing, so here's the breakdown and a bunch of my thoughts, haha. It's been a really busy year!! You can tell where my life got a little more chaotic, in both good and bad ways - I had to skip some pieces of some months, but I did all I could to anticipate or make up for those pieces as they came. I did some more rambling about my thoughts on the things I wrote (and there's links to everything there, too) -I'll put that under a read more, because it got pretty long. Regardless, I just want to say that if you've read anything of mine this year, thank you. A big, big thank you.

The big WIPs:

The Forest (original) - 49,200 words - Okay I'm just linking to my big list of writing so you can read the summaries without patreon telling you to go away, but this is my original fic featuring Braith, Fern, Fae & Lola, a human, an elf, a fairy and another human. It's wlw & mlm and it's full of warm and colourful things and maybe some healing trauma because let's face it. What else do I write. Full word count is currently at 161,688 so far!

Two is a Crowd (sns fanfic) - 53,965 - my big canonverse introspective healing trauma fun times fiasco. Full word count is currently at 91,209 so far and yes. Yes it is slow burn.

The One-offs:

Winter (Fake)ation (original) - 9,635 words - I'm linking to the list of fics again but it's just under The Forest. This one is nsfw & fun & involves an exhausted & overworked Felix being taken on the closest thing to a vacation he can go by his very sweet best friend. She builds a beach in his room. It doesn't work. They go out. They meet Arlo. It's all mlm from there!

Irreversible (sns fanfic) - 2,136 words - I wrote this one for the my one, my only zine and it was really fun!! I haven't been in a lot of zines so it felt like a really big moment for me :)

SNS Month: 38,383 words - I'm linking to the collection here! It has all of them.

tied up and fallen loose - 2505 words - did you expect me to pick the bondage prompt? I didn't, but here it was! nsfw, obviously. the heat after battle - 2,177 words - who said all my fantasy writing has to have 10k words of worldbuilding backstory before we get to the good stuff. who said that. Nsfw!!

Fear. - 4,841 words - Sasuke always has to go through it, poor guy. like he hasn't been psychologically messed with enough. (I still think this was one of my favourites but I think it's because I like exploring and messing with conciousness vs. subconciousness) keeping busy - 4,483 words - Sasuke's gone & Naruto needs a million things to get his mind off of that.

Meet Your Match! - 7,010 words - a modern au, roommate au, collage au!!! It feels like it's been so long! with a fun little Valentines twist.

beds and lack thereof - 3,542 words - Naruto decides they're living together and Sasuke cannot figure out what the hell that means or if the idiot even knows what he's doing or why

how not to fix your sleep schedule - 3,739 words - a cute little imagining of the boys' life on a cabin by the ocean.

I’ve been gone a week. - 2,147 words - letters!! fun letters back & forth between the boys that ask you to picture what happened in between them :) this was a fun writing challenge. to possess; to have; as belonging to one - 2,514 words - this one was fun. Sasuke's back & he isn't going to let Naruto dodge questions anymore.

in nightmare and in health - 5,425 words - another soulmate AU, a bit more sad though! Cathartic, maybe?? It's a sort of reincarnation AU & does involve description of major character death in a past life.

Aaaand that brings our total word count to: 153,319! Which is a lot more than I expected, if I'm honest. It really felt like a scramble to find the time at a lot of points of this year. But I'm relieved to see I still managed to write quite a lot. A few years back I would never think about hitting these kinds of numbers, haha. I don't want to take that for granted, so I'll ride it out as long as it lasts.

If you've read this much, you are so sweet, thank you for indulging me :) I appreciate you. I hope the new year treats you well, and I'll keep writing to try to be part of that for as long as I can.

[fratboykate]

Hi !!

first wanna say i read through all of FB and it was one of the best AU I’ve read fr, so Bravo!! Now you’ve re-peaked my interest with this Mom AU and got me wondering…

Why has Ereka decided Yelena is the perfect match for her mom? Is it that she’s just a true ally who when playing pretend has her barbies play house and raise a family while Ken sits in the corner quietly?

Or does she some how remember what it was like when Kate and Tom we’re together and doesn’t want to experience that again so she decides to pick a nice (and totally not grumpy) lady for Kate because she doesn’t think a man matches her mom’s vibe. Enter Yelena and Ereka decides: “yes, you’re perfect for my mommy!”

Or maybe she’s just down bad for a sister and doesn’t care how Kate gets her one. Because clearly daddy isn’t getting her one (he’s too busy pining after Kate) so maybe another mommy can get me one… again enters: Yelena😈

This made me laugh more than once and I've had a week from hell so thank you.

Ereka has never really seen her parents fight. Like I've mentioned, up until he goes Hulk Green with envy once Yel comes around Tom is a pretty solid guy. They had a mature divorce and it was more of a "I kind of outgrew you and I think it'd be best for all three of us if we weren't together" from Kate vs. like "I hate your guts" screaming matches between them. Kate still considers Tom a friend and motormouths her way into being kinda *too* chummy with him (not to mention she still lets him fuck lol) and that gives him all the mixed signals all the time. In the back of his mind, he can still get his girls back. Enter...Yelena and the girls both fall pretty hard for the grump charm. Tom doesn't take it too well. But to be fair, that was partly Kate's fault because she was kind of stringing him along a little bit. Not necessarily intentionally but he never really wanted to split up and even when they did, not that much changed except he didn't live with them anymore. They weren't "together" but they sure as hell had a good relationship and he still saw Kate naked all the time lol. The only rule was he couldn't sleep over and they had to be lowkey about it to not confuse Ri, but Kate's a horny girl and it's SOOOOO much less effort to be like "u up?" to her baby daddy than go out and try to find someone new to get her off. All that to say, he kindaaaaaaa has grounds to be a little pissed when Yelena shows up because he does get a smidge blindsided by it. Kate just was oblivious to the fact that Tom wasn't clear this was a FWB situation rather than a "I'm still into you" thing. Anyway...back on topic...

Riri obviously doesn't know Kate is a part of the alphabet mafia but her entire life Kate has hit her with the "love is love/people can have two mommies or two daddies" mantra. She's a progressive five year old lol. So when Ri sees Kate and Yelena interact she's suddenly that meme of the woman squinting with the math equations all over. She's like "I can't put into words what is happening here cuz I'm a beeb but I SEE YOU TWO LOSERS and I'm on the case say no more." Mostly it's like...she can sense that her mom is happier and smilier and...lighter? than she's ever seen her. She gets good vibes from Kate after Yelena comes into the picture. She also just loves Yelena. Overall, she's a fan of the whole scenario.

But on top of that, also, yes. Riri is down BAAAAAAAAAD for a sister. She's asked for one for her birthday. She's asked Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Elf On The Shelf, and any other magical creature she can think of. No one has gotten her a baby and she feels hoodwinked. She went on a tooth strike after the Tooth Fairy swapped out her tooth and her sister request note for a $20 instead of a cute little baby under her pillow. Ereka says "NO MORE TEETH UNTIL I GET A BABY". Same for Santa. She has him on a cookies and milk ban until he puts those damn storks to work. She's a little blackmailing terrorist. She points to babies when they walk past them or sees a little girl her age playing with a baby. They're not at all religious but Kate catches the tiny asshole praying one day and she's like "???????? What are you doing???" and Ri is like "someone at school said if you really want something you ask god for it and if you're good and mean what you ask him he'll give it to you. So I'm praying for a sister." Needless to say, god went on Ereka's shit list pretty quickly after the praying marathons resulted in zero babies inside Kate's belly. The word "sister" is almost cursed in that house lol. Kate hears it and her eye twitches. She gets triggered 😂

Kate: "Ri, babies are made with two parents."

Ereka: "You and daddy are parents. Can you two make me a sister?"

Kate: 😮‍💨😤🍷💀

That kid will get a sister one way or another and if having to hustle to make Kate and Yelena fall in love is what she has to do, she will goddamn fucking do it. Small price to pay. Screw Santa. She's gonna make her sister happen by herself.

(When she learns the hard way that babies aren't immediate after two people fall in love AND THEN after the waiting they make her do she gets...A FUCKING BROTHER?! PHEEEWWWWWWW that child is /not/ happyyyyyyyyyyyy. She packs her fucking bags and says "Return that thing/swap it for a girl or I'm o u t!" lolol)