#reverse tropes meme

[bagog]

If you're still taking the reverse trope prompts, may I have too hot to cuddle for (m)Shenko? Absolutely happy to have Shaun featuring as well if the muse strikes but absolutely not required!

Sounds like fun! Lemme see what I can do:

++

The air inside the Citadel apartment was crisp--frigid, even. Kaidan padded around the kitchen barefoot, wearing one of Shepard's too-small-for-him shirts and a pair of sweatpants, once in a while rubbing his arms to try to smooth out the gooseflesh there.

Shepard and he had planned on a staycation in their apartment while Kaidan was off from his duties, and so the fridge was well stocked. This wasn't exactly how they'd imagined it going, however.

"Alright Shepard," Kaidan called, walking up the stairs with several food items in his arms. "I've got marjan fruit, grape leaves, rye toast, and corn porridge. Any of that sound good?"

Shepard lay in their bed, looking bedraggled. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and a fine sheen of sweat made him look... sticky. The Ifter-Manatoit fever was not a good look on him.

Despite his husband listing off some of his favorite foods, Shepard stared blankly up at Kaidan, shaking his head. His throat dry, he rasped, "Sorry, I just don't think I'm hungry."

"Okay," Kaidan smiled, but there was a watchful caution in his eyes. "Well, I'll keep it all up here, just in case you decide you want something."

"I just..." Shepard cleared his throat, swallowing dryly, "Just want to sit with you, if that's alright."

Kaidan nodded warmly and set the food next to the bed. He fetched his book from the bedside table and slid into bed next to Shepard. His husband scooched over and laid his head on Kaidan's chest, hooking one leg over Kaidan's and holding him tight. Kaidan kept one arm behind Shepard's back, softly stroking up and down his spine, while he held is book in the other hand.

Shepard was asleep--or as good as asleep--in minutes: soft breath against Kaidan's chest. Kaidan could normally pass several hours like a sieve with the right book, but today he found his mind wandering.

It was like there was a radiator wrapped around him, cuddling up to one side. It wasn't till sweat dripped from his hair onto his shirt that Kaidan realized how much of Shepard's excess heat he'd been absorbing. He sweltered for another thirty minutes before gently shaking Shepard awake.

"Hmuh?"

"You're still burning up, Shepard," Kaidan placed his sweaty palm against Shepard's sweaty forehead as if to confirm. But when Shepard pulled away, the imprint of his body was left as a wet patch running down Kaidan's side, his sweats and t-shirt soaked. "I imagine its gotta be uncomfortable cuddling up like this."

"I already feel awful," Shepard declared, pitifully, "Worth feeling a little more awful to be... I mean... You are not awful. You are good. You are a good. You're worth it, you know?"

"Shepard, you're delirious," Kaidan intoned, but there was a bit of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "I have an idea, I'll be right back, okay?"

Once he moved away from the bed, the air conditioning of the apartment once again had him shivering as he made his way into the master bathroom.

A few moments later, he came back and shook Shepard awake once more. "Here, come with me. Shoulda had this idea two days ago."

Shepard stumbled out of bed, Kaidan supporting him under a shoulder like the old soldier needed a patch up. In the bathroom, Shepard stared down into the hot tub with a questioning look.

"Do... I smell that bad?" Shepard rasped.

"Ha!" Kaidan exclaimed. "No comment. But no, let me help you in."

"Too hot," Shepard shook his head. "No hot tub. Please?"

"It's alright, it's not hot. Just... temperate. Not quite cold, but definitely not hot. Lean on me, there you go." Shepard stepped into the water with Kaidan help and sank into the water. The sound of relief that came out of his mouth as he sat and let the water lap up and over his shoulders was pure relief.

Kaidan quickly peeled off his own sweaty clothes and tossed them in the hamper before carefully stepping into the cool water.

"Now we can still hang out and be comfortable," Kaidan said, but he couldn't keep the shiver out of his voice as he took his seat next to Shepard and put an am around his husband's shoulders.

"You... cold?" Shepard said, dreamily. "Nooooo. Here." He wrapped his arms around Kaidan beneath the water and laid his--admittedly still damp head--on Kaidan's shoulder. Between the heat radiating off Shepard and the coolness of the water, Kaidan stopped shivering and stopped sweating. Shepard snoozed against his shoulder, and Kaidan let his head fall back against the tile.

Shepard needed rest. Shepard needed to cool off. And Shepard needed Kaidan. Kaidan smiled to himself that--at least this once--he was able to give Shepard exactly what he needed.

[icyfox17]

magic sandduo au where wilbur gets kicked out of his school for trying to learn necromancy and phil, the local cryptid, big tower dweller that everyone spreads terrifying rumours about, sends him a postcard the day after. all it says is “heya mate, want some lessons?”

YOU CANT KEEP DOING THIS

[soulsxng]

"Mmm, I don't really want to fight right now, though. Sounds like a hassle. My hair is super nice today too, and this is totally gonna ruin it."

"If that's the case, you can feel free to forfeit...though I was hoping to get a little bit of a workout from this."

Zahine Besiira: His biggest three abilities are his affinity for ice, and his abilities to inflict charm (which he's not allowed to use, because it doesn't really wear off, and tends to essentially brainwash whoever gets hit with it), and frenzy respectively. For ice, he prefers to use it at a longer range-- typically forming arrows and a bow of ice that will spread over his opponent's body, or burst once they're hit, depending on how gory he feels like getting that day...though he can also use it for deflecting other ranged attacks away from himself. He's exceptionally knowledgeable in anatomy and the like, and his precise aim allows him to target vulnerable areas with relative ease. As for frenzy, the most dangerous thing about this state is that it makes the opponent lose any and all inhibition, and they will fight even at the expense of harming themselves. It also usually tires them out quickly, as they expend huge bursts of energy to attack pretty much whatever catches their attention.

Aside from that, he's actually the most dangerous when he's up close. Typically, he tries to keep a more "impersonal" approach to fighting, which is a big part of why he usually fights at range. Once he's fired up enough to allow someone to get in close, he uses his brute strength to take them out immediately. Surprising to most, his physical strength is actually much higher than his magical strength, so they'll get close thinking he'll be at a disadvantage, only to have him literally crack them like a glow stick. Also, major healing! But he doesn't usually do too much of that in a fight, if he doesn't have to. He's stubborn about that.

Ber Bireth: Primarily a caster, relying on elemental magic (He really has next to no physical strength. It's very similar to what an average human's might be)-- he favors the earth element most, as he feels it gives him the most range for "status affliction" type attacks. That being said, he does also tend to favor large scale, powerful magics right off the bat, and has the energy to cast them more frequently than most others would. Tends to just wrap himself up nice and cozy in the strongest barrier he can cast, and sit there while his ranged magics force his opponents to run around the field like a headless chicken, trying to dodge them.

The biggest issue with fighting him (in a battle like this anyway-- otherwise it's the fact that he just regenerates immediately upon being killed, and comes at you like an angry cat that you just tried to drop in a bath tub) is by far his command over time based magics. Though he's no longer one of the masters of the Stream of Time, he's still able to do things like temporarily speed up, slow down, or stop time. He can also leap forward and back in any given timeline, but he's not allowed to do that here. He also isn't allowed to just indefinitely pause time to decimate his opponent while they're frozen. Soul sight and hearing means that, if his opponent has a soul, Ber knows exactly where they are at any given time. He can also manipulate souls like his dad can, but...again...that's not allowed here either. No murder, baby Ber. That's bad.

[museaway]

✨ love your fandom asks ✨ 

Saw the opposite of this floating around and thought the reverse might be fun.

list 3 positive things about your current fandom(s)

a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

a character that fandom has helped you appreciate

say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc)

something you see in fics a lot and love

something you see in art a lot and love

your favorite tropes to read/write/draw

you hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

a blog (mutual or one you follow) that has made your fandom experience brighter

if you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

compliment someone else in your fandom

your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc)

the ship that always makes you smile

the character that always makes you smile

a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

the thing in canon that everyone loves and that you also love

a fandom tag that you track

your current fandom(s)

your very first fandom!

a fandom you're not active in anymore but that you still really like

the fandom friend you've known the longest

the fandom you're curious about because of a mutual

how has fandom positively impacted your life?

a piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces

[everythingfeelslike-themovies]

black sails text post memes reverse trope writing prompts

og post

x

[ethicstownpod]

Audio drama ask meme

For creators and fans! Twitter’s dying, let’s get to know some fine tumblr folk!

1. What’s the first audio drama you ever listened to?

2. What’s a song you associate really strongly with a specific show?

3. State some things you’d like to hear in the next show you listen to and let your follower recommend things to you.

4. What’s your favourite completed show?

5. Name a trope you like that’s specific to audio drama.

6. What’s your favourite audio drama ship?

7. What’s your favourite piece of music from any show?

8. If you could have a crossover between any two shows which would it be?

9. What’s your favourite character dynamic to write/listen to?

10. Recommend a show!

11. What are you currently listening to?

12. If you could adapt any public domain work into an audio drama what would it be?

13. [ASKER CHOOSES PODCAST] TV show fan cast (funny or serious).

14. Which audio drama world would you most want to live in?

15. Uno reverse! What’s a question YOU want to ask everyone else about audio drama?

16. What’s a role you heard an actor you know in, but almost didn’t recognise them?

17. Top five [ASKED CHOOSES TOPIC] in audio drama?

18. Design an outfit for [ASKER CHOOSES CHARACTER]

19. Which podcast do you think would make a great TTRPG book?

20. Which podcast character do you think would have their own podcast in an AU?

21. Favourite audio drama sphere meme?

22. Which episode of any audio drama do you think you’ve listened to most?

23. Why do you like audio drama as a medium?

24. What show are you most looking forward to that isn’t out yet?

25. (sorry, this one’s a creator-special) Where did you get the idea for your show from and what made you want to create it?

As always, you don’t need to send asks to reblog! Please do share this around!

[cassandracain52]

Reverse trope

where instead of the Bats forgetting that they’re adopted (something actual adoptees do on occasion and is hilarious) they forget that some of them *cough Damian cough* aren’t

_______

Jason in the heat of a probably ridiculous argument: Yeah well YOU’RE adopted!

Tim just as invested in said argument: So are YOU! We all are!

Damian who had previously been quietly watching this unfold while he drank his tea: Actually I’m not

Tim and Jason who didn’t realize he was there but are already DoneTM: …… Damian continuing to sip his tea entirely unbothered: :)

Damian: Because I’m not an orphan-

Jason: ok, yoU KNOW WHAT-

____

or like in their group texts (that we know they have thanks to Nightwing (2016) #79)

*Steph changed the group chat name to “Bruce Wayne’s Personal Orpanage”*

Jason: Really?

Steph: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Steph: It’s the truth Damian: Both my parents are very much alive

Steph: Shhh you don’t count

Cass: Mine too Duke: Technically so are mine

Barbara: I still have a dad so there’s that

Steph: YOU GUYS ARE RUINING THE JOKE

Tim: Stephanie aren’t BOTH of your parents alive???

Steph: KNOW WHAT? FINE

*Steph changed the group chat name to “The Technicality Police”*

Tim: well that’s more accurate at least

Steph: :)

_____

Damian in his 10th argument with Tim of the day: That’s- this is-

Tim in full Antagonizing Big Brother mode: I’m listening

Damian -a Gen Z and best friend to Jon Kent- extremely frustrated: This is such Motherless behavior!

Tim taken aback: [voice cracking] W-what-?

Damian who didn’t mean to say that but doubling down anyway because his bloodline doesn’t believe in admitting mistakes: THIS! This is such Motherless behavior!

The rest of the family who is also motherless: :O

Cass whose been spending way too much time with Meme Queen Stephanie Brown and not involved in the argument but finding it entertaining regardless: [nodding along seriously] Facts

Tim: [visibly betrayed] CASS WHAT-

A video copy of the interaction gets sent out anonymously to the entire family. Barbara is the prime suspect but there is no proof as of yet (and they will never find any)

Steph, Cass, and Duke continue to respond “Motherless behavior” everytime one of the bats does something they deem questionable/insane. It is said often

It only stops when one night in the middle of patrol. Batman is in full Dark Knight mode (possibly in the middle of threatening someone) and descends from the ceiling into the middle of a warehouse drug deal, dark cape billowing out behind him-

and Steph just automatically whispers “Motherless behavior” forgetting her com was still very much on

She immediately realizes what she said and frantically apologizes but it’s too late.

Bruce just- Blue Screens. Completely stunned into silence

Dick -who was unfortunate enough to be the one teamed up with Batman tonight- is fighting for his life to choke back his laughter

Jason doesn’t even try to stop his and has collapsed to his knees from lack of air from how hard he’s laughing. Cass try’s half heartedly patting his back to help to no avail

The criminals are terrified into surrender from The Red Hood just laughing hysterically at seemingly nothing while Batman just Stands There

Damian ends up being the only one still functioning enough to continue arresting everyone, though he is privately amused and strangely proud

Tim and Barbara have saved both the com recordings and cowl footage to at least three different servers and sent it to absolutely everyone before Batman even recovers

Duke finds out second hand the next morning and is furious he missed the chance to see it in person. He declares he is moving to the nightshift so it doesn’t happen again. (He is all talk and goes to bed by 9 pm)

Bruce bans the phrase for life and promises swift and server punishment to anyone who dares to use it again

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Dare to be different!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

Mulan:

Great soundtrack, great story, Mulan is such a loveable protagonist, and her journey is so nice :) I like Make a Man Out of You as my favorite scene

The score, animation, characters, and plot are perfection imho. Truly movie of all time. The songs hit hard. The emotional moments are impactful and the scene after they find Shang’s father's helmet is one of the most emotional moments I’ve ever seen in film and it’s expressed very well for a children’s movie. Serious and respectful but still child appropriate. Favorite scene is probably the avalanche sequence.

Shrek:

Besides reversing a lot of fairy tale tropes, it gives a well deserved middle finger to Disney.

Shrek was a very revolutionary film at the time. Its cynical subversion of fairy tail tropes is well done and entertaining, and it has a good message about being your true self. It's also definitely important to the culture of the time, and is still very relevant to meme culture today.

It's actually good. The introductory sequence sets up the main conflict and characterizes Shrek and also shows the general tone of the movie (comedic). There's a scene where Puss in boots is arrested for having catnip on him, but in an earlier frame you can see the bag of catnip attached to a knight.* Also Shrek loves Fiona in her ogre form which she's insecure about. He loves her because she's an ogre, not in spite of it.

*Mod note: This scene is from Shrek 2, but ACAB anyway.

[vinelark]

hey hey! i love bbts so much, it makes me so happy whenever i reread it✌️one of the (many) things i love about it is the core four friendship! so i was wondering, do you have any recs for fics with fun yj dynamics?! no pressure ofc, either way i hope you have a lovely day ☺️✨

hello! so sorry this took forever! also so glad bbts makes you happy on the reread 🥰

first, some of my absolute fav core four content: coralreefskim's comics and cryptocism's comics. great art, great dialogue, great codependent friendship nightmare polycule genuinely endearing "would kill for you would live for you would save the world with you but more importantly would never let you live down that typo you made in the groupchat that one time" vibes all around.

and a few fics:

Into the Brighter Night by shoalsea

when a past enemy comes back for tim, the batfam learn a lot about tim and his young justice adventures in the fallout. this one's long and plotty and has that super compelling trope of the POV character watching an interaction where the reader is in on the jokes but the POV character isn't--basically a great sort-of-outsider POV on the core four, plus, from what i could tell, almost every other yj character at some point.

a study by bernard dowd by cv_angels

a short, hilarious fic with timber and implied future timberkon, in which tim (sort of) reveals his identity and that leads to kon and bart and cassie meeting bernard.

Lipstick on the glass by kerosceene

i'm a broken record with this one, but it's just. 🤌🤌 it starts out focused on timkon but part 2 has college-age core four halloween shenanigans. cassie has a civilian gf. bart dresses up as a meme that doesn't exist yet. kon is in the dragriculture club. tim loves his friends (and boyfriend) so much. it's just so heartwarming and good.

The Mystery of the Superboy Shirts by Aviatricks

silly oneshot with tim going full obsessive detective mode about everything but his own feelings, good yj squad dynamics, bart being a passable liar, and some timkon.

Detours by miyaji_08

i've also rec'd this one before (twice, even) but once again it fits the bill, because the core four scenes in this are so good. it's a reverse robins au where tim becomes roommates with kon and bart and cassie, who are superboy, impulse, and wonder girl but have no idea (yet) that tim has his own secret identity, too. so there's identity shenanigans with all four of them, classic reverse robins tim angst, some enemies-to-lovers and oh-my-god-they-were-roommates timkon, and a really fun final action sequence. it's part 2 of a series and i highly recommend reading part 1 first, but if you want to dive right into the core four aspects you can probably piece together the context as you go.

[merakiui]

IM SO EXCITED FOR THE SILLY REVERSE HAREM HEHEHE >:)

AAAAA SO AM I!!! >w< reverse harems are one of my weaknesses, especially the comedic types that poke fun at all of the tropes. I can't wait to write all manner of cheesy and heartfelt moments for the cast. And there will be yandere sprinkled throughout, so it's bound to be silly and chaotic all around. The energy I hope to capture is that one Tyler the Creator meme: "Are you fighting the urge to make out with me right now?" "Not really. I'm really into this pizza, though." Reader has their priorities in order: keep the affection meters at a friendly and safe level and enjoy life at magic school hehe. <3

Of course otome game logic dictates that during this school life you must run into every available love interest at every interval. ;;;; and there must also be plentiful opportunities for cute and romantic moments. Good luck to the reader. ;;;;

[veliseraptor]

xuexiao hanahaki au for the ask meme cuz I feel like if anyone's gonna get me interested in a hanahaki au, it'd be you XD

high praise! I mean, this is me writing a trope I generally don't like (though I've now read...I think two takes on it that I actually did) by means of going "taken seriously, there's something here about the grotesque, painful, and distorting power of love, and that's neat" especially when it's applied to xue yang. because xue yang in this is the one getting hanahaki'd. basically I was going "I can make this absolutely horrific/focused more on the body horror of it all, and that sounds like fun" and that's what initially kicked off me thinking about this as something I could actually write.

(I think somebody asked me about it, at one point, but of course now i can't find the post.)

I also can't find the other post that was the second phase of me going "oooh I think I can make this work for me", which was about hanahaki not being about unrequited love but about repressed love, or unexpressed love, and playing with that, where it's not about how someone else feels but (in this case) about how xue yang does, and how that interacts with the way xue yang does (or doesn't) recognize or understand his own feelings, and...yeah. basically (1) make it horrific and (2) make it not about unrequitedness but something else that I personally find more compelling

the short version of all of this is "making xue yang cough up flowers for fun and profit is a new way of making him suffer I haven't tried yet", so there's that too.

EDIT: found the post I was talking about!!! the "originally created" thing sort of [citation needed] for me, but the concept itself I like

There were the things about Jinlintai that Xue Yang expected to appreciate (good food, warm bed, consistent supply of sweets), and the annoying things that he might’ve predicted if he’d thought about them (the people, mostly).  Then there was the shit that came as a surprise, like the performances that got put on sometimes. Plays of stories he sometimes knew and sometimes didn’t, some better and some worse and some just stupid as all fuck.  “Was that supposed to be Liu Qiuyue?” Xue Yang asked Jin Guangyao, who paused, pulling his brush away from the letter he was writing, and looked at him. Xue Yang waved a hand. “Last night. The story. That’s what it was, right?”  “I believe so,” Jin Guangyao said after another moment, setting the brush down. Xue Yang smothered a smile of triumph at the indication that he had his attention. “Why do you ask?”  “Cause it was different than the version I’d heard,” Xue Yang said. “The story I knew she wasted away cause she wouldn’t eat after Prince what’s-his-name turned her down. But this one had her…” He wrinkled his nose. “Puking petals, or something. Unless that was supposed to be symbolic.”  Jin Guangyao gave him one of those looks that he got sometimes, like Xue Yang had surprised him by not knowing something. Xue Yang could never decide if it annoyed him or was a good thing. It was the reverse of what most people were surprised by, anyway.

[wisteria-lodge]

A question for you: would you sort a living person with whom you are not in communication, and without her express consent, but whose words and deeds are very much on public display? Specifically: J.K. Rowling sure thinks of herself as a heroic Lion Primary; what’s your call?

I have spent a long time thinking about this lady. Possibly too long. But here's what I've got.

She's a Bird. She *likes* Lion primaries, and she likes them in that way a lot of Birds do - Lions feel magical and moral and easy and good. That's why Gryffindor is her good-guy house, and that's why Gryffindors always get a pass when they do shady things. They were always doing it for good reasons, because that's just how Lion primaries are. They know what's good, just by kind of feeling it.

(obviously this isn't at all how it feels to be a Lion primary, but it can SEEM that way, if you're outside looking in.)

And so she likes Lion primaries, and surrounds herself with Lion primaries. And over time, seems to have filtered for the most fiery, if-you're-not-with-me-you're-my-enemy Exploded Lions imaginable. This could also be why she's not interrogating emotional pings when she really should. Like it's heartbreaking to read some of her essays - like, no JKR, that's not a reason, that's a trauma response you ought to be getting help for. But she thinks there's inherent goodness with going with your heart over your head.

Which is also probably why, for the last two decades, she's been slowly surrounding herself only with people who agree with her - effectively Exploding her own Bird primary. She is notoriously stubborn and difficult to work with, and I have that from first hand accounts... but just think how much better an editor could have made books 4-7. Or the Fantastic Beasts films. Or the Cursed Child (we all sort of collectively forgot about the Cursed Child.)

But I see the Bird! I see the Idealism, I see the mind that likes puzzles, and systems, and mysteries. And then I see her just kinda... be lazy about it. Not think though the implications. Be happy with only a very surface-level understanding. Not edit, or update, or interrogate her system. (We know that her worldbuilding is sloppy. We know she grabs existing problematic tropes and then kind of uses them as-is.)

The more I dig into to her, the more I'll come across bits of her system that just seem very... young. They'll be things like 'Good people have kids, or if they can't, then they take care of kids.' Or 'People with mobility aids are good.' That's one's so weird I just have to bring it up. It's very consistent, and comes with the reverse - 'People who use mobility aids they don't need are evil.' Barty Crouch jr. is the HP example, but that situation comes up like - a weird amount in her mystery novels.

(also, I can't prove it, but I think Lucius Malfoy got a much more sympathetic edit after Jason Isaacs started playing him with a cane. Of course that could also be just because... he has a kid... so he can't be BAD.)

Harry Potter, the character, is also very much a Bird Primary. When he acts on really strong emotions it's because they're - yep, trauma responses. Mostly he's trying to figure out his world, synthesize everything Dumbledore and the Weasleys and Hagrid and Sirius tell him, in order to build his own system.

And he's a really loud Lion secondary, the way I suspect JKR is too. Her response to all of this has just been to double down, do MORE, be LOUDER. If her royalties, or the reputation of her IP take a hit, she honestly does not seem to care.

She's not stupid and she's not evil. Hermione was a complicated, fascinating female lead. JKR has an incredible knack for side characters. The books have good stuff to stay about grief, and depression, and I know it gets memed now, but it was a big deal (for me) when she said Dumbledore was gay. But this is how I think you can get someone who starts out in a reasonable place, and gets more and more out of touch, and harmful and wrong and dangerous - when locked into one way of seeing the world, and no one with the ability to contradict you.

[cheerscoopscentral]

introducing cheerscoopscentral's first ever event:

Cheerscoops Week! - the prompts | f.a.q.

This event is running from September 17-23, 2023!

There are three categories of prompts, Writing (e.g. fanfics, blurbs, headcanons, etc), Visual (e.g. edits, manips, gifsets, moodboards, fanart, etc) and Alternate Universe prompts that could befit any creative outlet, should you need an alternative option. Each day has a bit of a theme, as you'll spot:

📣🍨 Writing Prompts:

day 1: school royalty

day 2: childhood friends to lovers

day 3: co-workers

day 4: getting set up/blind date

day 5: breaking the chain

day 6: reuniting

day 7: free space

📣🍨 Visual Prompts:

day 1: king + queen

day 2: right person, wrong time/place

day 3: cheerscoops as... (texts/text posts/memes/aesthetics/etc)

day 4: + (an)other character(s)

day 5: tropes

day 6: second chances

day 7: free space

📣🍨 Alternate Universe Prompts:

day 1: medieval AU

day 2: soulmate AU

day 3: social media-specific AU

day 4: rom-com AU

day 5: reverse cliché AU

day 6: celebrity AU

day 7: free space

Be sure to tag with #cheerscoopsweek23 and #cheerscoopscentral so we can see it, and our inbox is always open for questions!

[sopaconthinner]

Out of sight, out of mind archive directory (Twitter)

Out of sight, out of mind (Oosoom) is a horror AU based on TOH that deals with topics such as grief, idealization and identity, "A metaphor of the horrors of adolescences" I would say, it plays with the "chosen one" trope from the other side of the coin Part I (A) --------- "And ghostly in the darkness" "the original sin" "false eve looking for signs of doom" --------- THE DIARY: "Once friends betrayed so ruthless..." "omnipresence" "He will never know about you" (I) "He will never know about you" (II) "He knows" "the diary" author comments and lore explication -------- "Have an egg-cellent day" (1) "Have an egg-cellent day" (2) "Have an egg-cellent day" (3) "Cruel indifference" "it's in a better place" -------- THE WISH: "Be careful what you wish for" "what "if" is what makes wishes wonderful" "all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me" "Happy birthday in the most humanly way possible" "Prettiest star" "Between her brown locks, he blends" "Where did he go?" "that voice..." "Wishes do come true" ------- THE DOUBT: "A fateful encounter" "Man playing God" "Extension of you" "God is dying" "You (don't) want to know" (1) "You (don't) want to know" (2) "Go for the kill" ------ THE FIGHT: "The wolf's hunt starts now" "Forgotten challenge" "the beginning of the end" "Stop with the Golden guard act" "...aren't brown...." "...it isn't..." "Humanity suffers and cries... I exist" "Schrödinger's cat" "the wish, the doubt and the fight" Autor comments ------ Shitposting "POV: You are Luz showing Belos a funny meme" "the lonely loners" Part I (B) --------- "DON'T REMEMBER IT" (1) "DON'T REMEMBER IT" (2) "I need this more than you"

--------- THE AFTER FIGHT "Where are you?!" "Cinderella's mistake" (1) "Cinderella's mistake" (2) "Stray goats don't deserve to see your face" "offering as a sign of remorse" --------- "butterfly infestation in the stomach" --------- THE RODENTS: "Les petits rats" "Fausse Étoile" "Rat king" "Odile and Odette" + analysis --------- THE FAIRYTALE: "Tale of a golden prince" "what I know, is not what I see" "when you were still unaware" "kid, you're in denial" "The body never lies" “behind every joke there is some truth” "you do" "traitors don't deserve a happy ending" "Does he?" "ORTET" "The fairytale" Autor comments and analysis --------- THE LIE: "coming back home" "Pinocchio, you shouldn't lie" "you are (not) a better version of an old friend" "she would probably lie" "The lie" autor comments and analysis --------- THE GAME: "Rearrange your pieces" "Humble player" "Remembering your old rival" "the strongest pieces on the game board" "do not underestimate your opponent" "Eclipsed plans" "battle lost... but not the war" "the way back to paradise is lost" "Beginners' mistake" "sore loser" "winning by accident is not an option" "The game" Autor comments and analysis THE GAME: (tarot series) "The fool" "Knight of Cups" "King of cups (original)" / (Beast variation) "The tower" "The world (original)" / (CotH variation) / (reversed variation) "Lets lament" Autor comments and analysis on the tarot series --------- THE SHELL: "Listen up, my broken child" "breaking the shell" (original) / (final version) "Show me how" --------- EXTRAS: "use of moths and butterflies as a recurrent symbolic element"

[rose-tinted-vision]

ReoNagi/NagiReo shower thoughts: a short essay

[manga spoilers ahead, the usual]

Disclaimer: These are just my own opinions on the ship.

The ReoNagi ship at its foundation is actually a "marriage of convenience/fwb-to-lovers" trope, if you think about it...

Or rather, it's the equivalent exchange meme: Reo gets to utilize Nagi's football skills and Nagi gets a convenient life with someone taking care of all his needs.

Although Nagi realises pretty early on how Reo essentially manipulates others around him to reach his goals (even back in school), and likely himself as well, but he lets himself get manipulated.

(It's shown in episode Nagi that Reo utilized methods like that "3rd meal trading" to maintain the harmony in Team V, to avoid turning out like Barou's team).

Or rather, allows himself to be manipulated because it benefits him in the end too, anyway: it's a somewhat mutually beneficial relationship playing to both of their individual strengths.

Though on Nagis end it may also have something to do with what Nagi says about Reo being the only person to be interested in "a slacker like me".

Whereas on Reo's end, given how he says everything back in the Mikage corporation is boring, and the way he latches onto Nagi, calling him his treasure, I'd say that Nagi probably symbolises his goal. Attaining something that can't be bought with money. Something beyond even the Mikage corporation.

Of course, their relationship evolves over the course of blue lock, in the sense that Reo is content with what they have, is alright with continuing as they are, but Nagi is partially influenced/caught up in the competitiveness of their environment and knows that he can play at a higher level, so he chooses to leave Reo.

Even though he's breaking their promise of staying together till the end, from his point of view, his growth also benefits Reo in the end, so he chooses that path. Nagi is more practical than emotional, and probably decided that the end result is worth it.

And this choice shakes up their relationship, of course. Like I've mentioned in this post: the miscommunication troupe is the very core of their relationship.

Because their relationship is also relatively new, no matter how well they work together. They've only been playing football together for about six months, of course Reo doesn't understand why Nagi would up and leave, because the other didn't tell him, and Nagi assumes that Reo understands his actions.

And suddenly their relationship is not so mutually beneficial anymore: Reo thinks that Nagi has abandoned him, so he avoids him, and Nagi doesn't have anyone fussing over him anymore.

Reo gets messed up by the emotional whiplash of his best friend leaving him and calling him a pain in the ass (derogatory), and Nagi has to look after himself.

Essentially, they're learning how to be less codependent on each other. Reo in the emotional sense, and Nagi in the practical sense of it all. Because Reo was kind of putting all his eggs in one basket (basket being Nagi here), who doesn't realise the weight he was holding.

Then Nagi throws a reverse-uno and asks Reo for his help in football. Kind of like a full-circle moment, also seems like Nagi's way of holding out an olive branch.

Though the above panels do show that

Nagi and Reo's goals are still unaligned

While Reo's goals shifted slightly from "winning the world cup" to "making Nagi the best in the world", Nagi's always been going along with Reos whims, and only just started thinking for himself.

In chapter 207 Nagi says he's been playing so far with the goal of "beating Isagi", he doesn't really have the ambition to be the "world's #1", keeping with his consistent theme of just wanting to slack.

And it's obvious that they both want to fall back to their old dynamics (a safety net), but they've both changed: Nagi has somewhat developed his "ego", and a hunger to defeat others, Reo has learnt how to fight by himself (though he doesn't want to). Thus their dynamics would inevitably change, too.

So this begs the question: are they still "mutually beneficial"? Do they have to be to maintain their relationship?

(Though it's my hope that Reo understands where Nagi is coming from now after that exchange they had on the field. I'm not as confident in Nagi understanding Reo's outburst, but. Maybe him thanking Reo for introducing him to football is a start).

[angel-of-hunky-doryness]

The Conflicts of Disney's Hercules (Part 2): Hercules vs Hades

Or as I like to call it: why Hercules and Hades are the best example of a literary foil muddled and lost in its own movie.

LONG POST, sorry not sorry.

The hero vs villain dynamic is a Disney staple inspired by the many fairy tales and folklore from which Disney has long based their movies on. However, this dynamic went through a glow-up when Disney started their Renaissance period kicking off with The Little Mermaid (1989).

This era of Disney brought in much more personality and character to their protagonists, but also bringing in a new type of villain. Now this was a sharp departure from your atypical evil stepmothers and wicked villainesses that Disney was known from in their early days.

That's why when Disney decided to adapt Hercules (1997) the writers needed a formidable foe for Hercules to throws hands with to fit in to this new era where you had the likes of Ariel vs Ursula, Aladdin vs Jafar, Simba vs Scar, etc.

And in the Renaissance, Disney started leaning more into their Shakespearean influences. Nowhere is this more evident then Lion King (1994) and to a lesser extent- based on deleted scenes, the broadway version, and live action remake- Little Mermaid.

The reason I'm bringing this up is b/c, my dear reader, now we're getting to the Evil Uncle Trope.

Or at least a failed execution of it, b/c Disney did not utilize it well in Hercules. It's just barely touched upon.

Yes, yes, I know who the real villain is in the original myth of Herakles and that could be a reason it doesn't work. But Herakles vs Hera doesn't work well on paper when you remember that Herk was the affair baby and Hera is actively trying to smite him and this is a film meant for children. And something, something, she doesn't carry the kind of raw emo goth energy a walking-talking Bunsen burner can provide.

Jokes aside and the accuracy of the Greek Mythology presented, I think Disney Hercules was adapted well to a modern audience.

HOWEVER!

Now I've made it no secret in the past that I don't really view this hero/villain pair as the central conflict of Disney's Hercules.

That is mostly because whatever antagonism Hades and Hercules had going on it's very one-sided, and almost surface-level. Hades is over here having the biggest blow to his ego with a little bit of existential crisis thrown in for good measure.

While Hercules is absolutely vibing to the Muses singing the greatest mind-melting musical number of the film.

Not once do we get a character moment where this corn-fed farm boy ever stops to think, "Hey, Phil, I know Thebes is a bad place and all, but where do these mildly inconveniencing monsters keep coming from?"

In all two of his interactions with Hades(I'm not counting the opening scene, Hercules is a baby, fight me), Hercules never realizes in the entire movie how he was wronged by this tall glass of daddy issues.

Which are:

Flambe man kidnapped Baby

Lil sun spot is mortal now for plot relevance or smth

Attempted murder via the goon squad

Monsters keep coming out of nowhere after Herc saves the sassy lady from the Centaur(TM).

And Hades, to his credit, really doesn't care enough to tell him.

Why?

Because it literally never bothered Hercules. Hades is the obligatory monster of the week to Wonder breath. That kind of revelation wouldn't bother him, Hercules doesn't even know there's a prophecy about him. Hecc, home boy barely struggles with the Titans at the climax.

This is basically the Wanda-Thanos meme but the roles are reversed.

And I would like to emphasize, Hercules isn't bothered by the monsters Hades sends at all. He gets over it fairly quickly once he gets over his first battle jitters. If anything, the biggest issue Hercules is facing post-Hydra is that even though society has finally embraced him for his strength, he's still extremely lonely.

Which leads to this pivotal moment in the film:

What is the point?

He's still a freak, but this time after years of training he's finally useful. My pal Rudolph the Red-nose reindeer understands this predicament rather well. And the loneliness that Hercules feels b/c of his superhuman abilities is such a fascinating angle the writers of Disney Hercules go with that isn't emphasized enough.

And I can't stress this enough: The internal war Hercules grapples with, of being caught between two worlds, struggling with something he was born with and of doing everything in his power to fit into both of these worlds? Now that makes for a compelling demigod.

What's more, the strange shift in how society view his strength is such a interesting element that could have made a better antagonist than Hades was and I bet if this movie was made in this new era of Disney films (2015-Present) it would've executed it with this premise in mind. Since Disney has moved away from mustache-twirling villains and focusing on things like generational trauma and internal issues.

The fear and scorn Hercules once felt is now being turned to adoration, but wait, that's not what he wanted!

He just wanted to be treated like a person.

Take the discus scene, Hercules tries to play frisbee with the other teens in his neighborhood, but he immediately gets told to buzz off.

His goal of reaching Olympus isn't to reunite with his real family it's to finally be around others who are just as powerful as him, somewhere he wouldn't be out of place.

And the funny part about all of this is how well it ties in to Hades. Because Hercules upholding his duty as a hero is essentially what Hades did in his respective career until the moment he had his very own What's the point? moment.

Now first and foremost, I'm here to say Hades did his job. Regardless of how respectfully he did that in his later years....

No zombie apocalypses as far as I can tell, so kudos to you babe.

And that kind of job isolated him pretty badly when you consider Hades is with the dead instead of the other gods, almost making Hercules' dream the same as Hades'. However that dream has long since distorted and twisted from centuries of bitterness and anger.

Which adds another layer to their similarities. The dedication they had for their jobs isolated them even further.

And funnily enough, Hades and Herc were both assigned to this task by Zeus.

Now that we've established how similar H&H are let's see if we can glean how it played out for Hades by looking at Hercules' beginning. Hercules started out with so much determination and hope as can be seen in I Can Go the Distance (reprise). And as we follow Hercules to seek a teacher, to undergo years of training, and to follow through with all that he had been taught, Hercules never lost hope that he would finally be with people like him.

Well that is until Hercules' talk with Zeus.

And we learn Hercules has been putting himself through tons of risks and labors for nothing...?

He could've accomplished being a true hero back in his old farm town, and before you argue Zeus never explicitly told him to walk the path of a hero- then why did he send him to Danny DeVito???

And I'd like to make it clear I adore that Herc is being told off by his dad. Being Superman in Metropolis can go to one's head at his age especially now that he has proven time and time again how useful his strength is. Hubris is a major character flaw associated with greek mythology even if it isn't the flaw Herakles has in myth, keep this in mind for later as I explain what his flaw really is and how we see instances of it in the Disney film.

With that kind of journey mapped out, I bet about two drachmas and my 4 pound sponsor that Hades did the same as Herc. And as a result invested too much in his job for him to realize that he became disconnected to Olympus as a result.

Yeah, okay this is more conjecture and veering into fanfiction territory here and since I've been writing a fanfic on this guy for the past 6 years I tend to do that w/o meaning to. So if I ever start being a little too sympathetic on Mr. Brimstone Breath over there, take it with a grain of salt.

However, it is my personal headcanon since Hades did help Zeus in the original Titanomachy that my mans became extremely distant in his attempt to become a feared and respected god of the underworld.

And that came with its own reputation as mentioned in Gospel Truth Part II. Hades can get one-track minded and that applies very well to Hercules too.

So in the end, everything Herc and Hades were doing wasn't getting them any closer to what they really wanted: social acceptance.

And this was a big thing in Ancient Greece. The worst punishment a person could receive in those times was being exiled. Outcast. Permanent hermitage.

Let that sink in.

It can be argued that Hades always vied for Zeus' position, but I personally believe he did so because every other attempt he's made to change his circumstances after his What's the Point moment he kept hitting a road block either from Zeus or his arrogance to continue ruling a kingdom even if it isn't the underworld. Until he basically reasons, yup gotta take down the resident thunder dunder head.

And I think it's this factor of loneliness that both these guys share that really exemplifies or differentiates why each one is a great foil to each other. Hades is the dark reflection of what Hercules could be if he continued to toil after godhood/accepted into Mount Olympus to no avail for years and years and years.

It's a very similar trope we see in Kung Fu Panda with Tai Lung vs Po. And where Zeus fits into the role of Shifu.

Remember, both these two were serving their people, but Hades has been around far longer. After centuries, Hades grew sick and tired of serving ppl for basically nothing so he decided to put all his anger and frustration to force the world to bend to him instead.

But this is all hidden in between the lines so it doesn't hit home to the audience unless you take a deeper look into these two characters.

And all that I've talked about above is not even what we see in the film.

So, let's talk about what we do see.

Exhibit Alpha: All Hades Breaks Loose

As always, Hades is a showstopper. Don't tell him that btw he doesn't deserve it.

After executing a perfect 9.8/10 gymnastic spectacle, Hades shows up ready to pounce and do what he does best: Wheel and Deal with a trick ace up his sleeve.

It's so funny seeing Hercules talk to this guy, b/c he just had a falling out with his mentor and he's absolutely not in the mood to talk to this fast-talking flame head.

And Hades was ready to mop the floor with the guy, but b/c he can't get Wonder Bread's attention he has to whip out Meg a lot faster then he wanted to. He couldn't even savor the moment- it's like wasting a fine cigar.

But Hades doesn't skip a beat and like any mob boss, snaps his fingers, does a bit of blackmailing, and my beautiful boy catches on that if he loses his powers for 24 hours- talk about the confidence on Hades' part here- ppl will get hurt.

Hades, naturally, assures him things will be fine. I mean it's not like they're living in Greek mythology or anything. And after all, Hades assures him, Meg will be safe from harm.

They even shake on it. With left hands.....

And as soon as the two break apart, Hades doesn't hold back on telling his nephew how badly he screwed up.

Leave it to your estranged uncle to sucker you into a terrible deal and then outline why that was the worst mistake of your lifetime. Grade A uncle-ing I say. Wonder if he learned that from centuries of putting up with Zeus' offspring.

And while I have discussed this scene before in Meg vs Hades, we see here the same betrayal Meg had gone through with her ex, but now Meg is taking on the role of her ex. So let's look at it from Herc's perspective.

Anyone else feel their heart breaking when Hercules accuses Hades of lying????

But this is what makes the scene for me:

Despite everything, Hercules still chooses to fight.

You can really see the strength of Hercules' character here. Cuz despite his stupid decision, he still bares the weight of his responsibility even without his god-like strength.

Hercules faces the Cyclops as a normie. Hades would never.

This is the moment where Hercules rises above Hades in humility and upholds his duty despite the odds against him. This moment cements Hercules as a hero.

Finally the cycle of similarities is broken by Hercules' unselfish act. And it should've been in my opinion the moment he gained godhood and not the one below:

Yes, I know how important it is for Meg's redemption and to show how pure and true their relationship is. They're my emotional support OTP, okay, but what's more compelling?

Hercules being saved by the woman who just betrayed him, or Hercules risking his life to save the city of Thebes now that he's just like everybody else? He doesn't have his plot armor anymore, he's facing a giant that's already going ham destroying the populace while everyone is trying to escape. Isn't that true hero material? To stand and face the threat and buy the people time to escape?

But I digress.

And oh man, when Meg gets crushed we see a side of Hercules that was hinted at after Phil called out Meg for being a fraud:

We see Hercules' flaw.

In fact, the same flaw that Hades has as well:

Wrath.

Exhibit Beta: A Swell Consolation Prize

Hades loses. Big surprise there. I'm not covering the Titan scene since Hades and Herc just trade frowns and smirks, so imma leave that one be for this post.

But Hades really does sign his death certificate when he starts running away and reminds Johnny Beefcakes that he still managed to get him where it hurts:

And boy oh boy, when Meg died in his arms, Hercules has murder on his mind.

This is the first time Hercules has a vendetta against Hades (with 10 minutes left). A true, true vendetta. He was willing to let go tricking him by using Meg, but now b/c Hades knocked over the domino that led to Meg's death and the job title he holds, he's ready to go kick ass.

And Lord, the writers knock a home run to the impulsiveness that sits at this central character flaw of Herakles.

Hercules, our Disney version, is ready to cheat death, beat Hades to a pulp and do anything to get Meg back. Alcestis and Admetus style, baby.

So Herc grabs Cerberus and forces the bloodthirsty puppy to take him to his master.

And now realizing that he still has a chance of pulling one over on Zeus, Hades is willing to look over the abuse upon his pet and gets ready to use the wheeling and dealing technique.

And while Hercules does *convince*, and I use that word very loosely, to trade places with Meg, Hades agrees. While some have pointed out to me how clever Hercules can be this was not one of those moments.

Wow the son of my greatest rival??? Hercules made a really easy bargain that Hades was gonna propose anyway. Meg is insignificant in the grand scheme of things so who cares if she got a 'Get out of Jail' free card.

But, Hades messed up. Dude should've had his cake and eaten it too and just fished Meg out so Herc could take that dip and avoid what was coming to him.

Y'see Hades wasn't aware of the true hero clause Zeus randomly made up just like how Hades randomly made up a god-to-mortal potion.

So we get this ending with Herc's debt remaining unpaid.

I joked to myself as I was writing this post to include a post in my Hercules Conflicts series where it's Hades vs Hades b/c let's be real, Hades caused all of Hades' problems.

Self-fulfilling prophecies babyyyyy

Oy... Can you believe that now that Herc and Meg are alive and kicking as mortals they still owe a debt to Hades? Not the best ending, mind you. Sure, Hades isn't getting out anytime soon, so does it matter in the grand scheme of things?

But it is a sweet and well-deserved ending for our boy Hercules. Bc despite everything, Hercules realizes that the ppl who love him and know him for who he is: his adopted parents, his coach, and his girl that he would rather live out a mortal life with them instead of one with his bio parents. He knows now that the acceptance he has always been longing for has been realized and he'd rather have the life he knows than risk it all for a life that might make him all the more miserable.

And just like Hercules, Hades is now permanently stuck in the world he was forced into. Funny how they both ended up in the place they were actively trying to leave. It's a well-deserved punishment even if the dead are screwed without someone to keep the underworld in tip-top shape.

It's a shame Hades didn't meet Hercules sooner in the film because there is tons of material here that could've really had them be a formidable villain/hero pair up there with the likes of Aladdin vs Jafar. To have them actively oppose each other and force Hercules to grapple with the knowledge that this god is doing everything in his power to keep him off balance. imagine if Hades showed up early on just to gloat and mock the kid and confirm everything Zeus had told him?

Hercules could've grown up with that chip on his shoulder, wanting to be a fighter and a warrior just so he could take Hades on for realzies and take on the hoard of monsters he's sending to doom humanity. Just so it culminates in the classic: We're not so different conversation to mentally mess with the hero about his morals and life choices.

Could've been great.

Regardless, thanks for making it to the end, dear reader.

Till next time.