#she’s just not an all time fave but she is still absolutely my beloved. and also some kind of aro (i won’t be taking notes)

[mossy-aro]

Top five monster high characters

OH BOY OH MY THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK!! i love them ALL so much so this is a hard decision but i do have a pretty thought out list:

1) Ghoulia Yelps

this might be surprising since my pfp is quite literally frankie stein but ghoulia is actually my #1 bbygirl beloved. which is interesting, because she was actually my least favourite as a kid and i was actively terrified of her (i had a serious fear of zombies). ghoulia is also extremely aromantic and no i will not be taking notes but if prompted (or even without. because i am nothing if not annoying) i can and will explain at length exactly why ghoulia is the #1 aro coded monster high character. also she’s just cool (ZOMBIE SCENE QUEEN AUGHHHH)

2) Robecca Steam

SHE IS A VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK ROBOT. need i say more. i don’t, but i will just bc i love her and want to share. if you don’t know her doll comes with spinnable cogs on her legs! and she travels around in canon with steam powered rocket boots. sick right, yes. her design is so over the top and cool in every way. i love her dorky polite personality and her inability to use any piece of technology invented after the year 1900. hashtag alive in the wrong era, but literal. bc she actually is, someone help this girl

3) Draculaura

who doesn’t love drac!!! she’s literally the sweetest girl alive. she was my absolute fave as a kid. draculaura on top (㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

4) Abbey Bominable

ABBEY!!!!! i love her. literal ice queen and actual menace (complimentary). she is literally everyone’s favourite mean friend except she’s not really mean at all she’s just too real for some people. forever iconic, abbey ilysm

5) Scarah Screams

I was really debating giving this spot to Operetta (Operetta apologist for life btw) but the thing that broke the tie for me was down to character design. i love them both but omg. scarah is on another level she is literally freaky weirdgirl personified i think she is so cool y’all

…6) G3 Frankie Stein

OK I KNOW THIS IS A TOP 5 LIST… but this is a g1 list so far so it doesn’t count technically. g3 frankie is honestly the best thing about the reboot to me so far; i like some of the other reboot designs but personality wise, g3 frankie is absolutely my fave of the new cast. i genuinely adore them so so immensely everytime they’re on screen they make me smile :)

now it’s time for the RUNNERS UP (ie. i love them a lot but not quite top 5s):

Operetta:

people who hate on Operetta need to rewatch like all the movies and webisodes bc um. she has never done anything wrong actually yall just forgot what happened. leave my girl alone 🗣️

Spectra:

NOIR DETECTIVE JOURNALIST GHOST GIRL!!!! literally no notes. go watch (or rewatch) this right now and be happy.

Deuce:

he’s just a surfer dude himbo whose voice may randomly turn into 2000s pop autotune at any given moment (he might need to get that checked out). is it possible to not love him

-

i truly do love every single MH character though (except manny.) they are all so cool and special so this is just a personal list of my fave designs, concepts and characters :))

[herecirmsims]

SMALL SIMBLR SATURDAY SHOUTOUTS !!

I somehow missed this being arranged, but I LOVE the idea!! So much! Big up to all the incredible free CC makers on here who share such wonderful things with us. I've spent all morning writing this so it's got a bit long, but honestly... I think it was an excellent use of my time.

Keep being excellent, all of you!

Just a few of my Always Free faves:

Poses

@simmireen : the queen! The legend! And someone who I'm so happy to call my friend. Irene is absolutely my go-to when I need those sweet (and sometimes spicy!) moments. I know she doubts herself at times and doesn't like it when I yell about how amazing she is, but she is such a treasure and does SO much behind the scenes - more than many people realise, I think.

@alpine-lapine-deactivated202311 : unfortunately they're not on Tumblr anymore, but I'm including them anyway because I LOVE them and they've created so many fantastic free posepacks, CC, and tutorials - it's all still available to download!

@adjusted-karma : I'm rabidly addicted to her pin-up series, I don't mind admitting it. All her poses are so good though, she also makes CAS and pose accessories, and has been kind enough to answer my dumb Blender questions more than once!

@samsstudio : an absolute staple for storytellers. She was one of the first posemakers I ever discovered and I use her poses in almost every story post I make - the variations are so useful and the packs are so clearly labelled and organised, I love not having to squint at my screen to figure out what I need. There's always something that works perfectly for the scene.

@simmerberlin : she may be retired from posemaking, but how could I not include her? I also use SimmerBerlin's poses in pretty much all of my story posts (SimmerBerlin and SamsStudio single-handedly keep my story going) - especially her fantastic Emotions series.

@libetsims : this posemaker really needs to be seen more! I use her Emotions series all the time, and she makes so many child poses which are sorely needed for storytellers!

@madebycoffee : so many great posepacks - I use the Hugs series and the spicy poses so often. And the deco Sims! So good and so needed!!

@rebouks : fantasic, expressionate poses that are PERFECT for storytellers. And so many fantastic packs to choose from!

@marshmallow-sims : I really adore their cute style!! Another go-to for cute couple poses, especially ones that fit with the TS4 style. There's always so much life to them.

@raspberrywhimss : my beloved! A new posemaker but so talented! She also makes a lot of storytelling pregnancy poses, which I think are much needed.

@whimsyalien : I love how emotive her poses are!! They're so fun and with such great expressions. Perfect for storytellers!

@enniewritesathing : one of the first posemakers whose poses I ever used! They are sooooo good at spice and cute couples.

@theserenadeofshadows : another new posemaker and an absolute angel!! Please show her some support!

@ratboysims : the quality of these poses are soooo good! Absolutely one of my favourite makers.

@morrigan-sims : another Simmer who could go in any category, but I especially love her poses! Really good for fantasy/medieval storytellers!

Toysofdukeness : they aren't actually on Tumblr, but I'm including them anyway! Absolutely amazing quality poses. Just so good.

CAS

@notsooldmadcatlady : my go-to for medieval* outfits (I think this tag will show you most of their CC!). My Sims are so well-dressed now!! I'm blown away by the quality of their clothes! *Aka clothes that suit my extremely pseudo-medieval fantasy storyline lmao

@woosteru : they're retired, but if you missed them - their CC is still available here! Truly amazing quality and they also made some femme clothing for masc frames, which I truly appreciate.

@crazy-lazy-elder-sims : amaaaaazing alt clothing lines!! Always jaw-dropping and so creative. They also make BB items too!

@kevinandthesims : literally the best boxers available; I don't make the rules, that's just fact. And he also shares incredible no CC builds!

@xldkx-cc : I didn't know whether to put them in CAS or BB, because I rely HEAVILY on their amazing deco Sims but they also make stunning clothing and hair! So... just check out both?!

@laeska : I'm in love with the hair this creator makes!! It's SO beautifully made?!

@courierseis : another whose outfits I use all the time in my medieval/fantasy stuff! They also make hair and poses! Use this tag to easily find their downloads.

@lonelygravescc : more delicious alt goodness!! Honestly I wish I could own most of this CC in real life, but alas I will have to live vicariously through my Sims as usual.

@aniraklova : oki so I have an alt obsession, what of it? This creator makes SUCH cool masc-frame CC, as well as poses!

@shandir : I'm soooo in love with these creations, another absolute must have for fantasy-medieval gameplay and storytelling!!

@eachuisge-cc : the imagination and creativity!! I love everything they make - lots of stuff for horses and for animalistic Sims. I've also been highly entertained by the digitigrade legs + unmentionables saga (I dunno if Tumblr flags these words lmaaaaoo).

@saruin : OBSESSED. Obsessed! So many great creations for your ethereal, occult, otherworldly babes.

@zeussim : maker of stunning wedding dresses and also the fantastic Lestat's Lovers set, which requires it's own shout-out because I adore it and it made me so happy to see siuch great fashion for our masc-framed Sims.

@yooniesim : the hair this creator makes are GORGEOUS, and I also really love their accessories too!

@sychik : I think they might be retired now, but they were the first CC creator I ever downloaded from because they'd made hairs and clothing for The Arcana characters. I'd only just got Sims and I spent many happy hours playing with the Main 6, so I hope they know how much joy they gave me. You can use this tag to easily find CC.

Build/Buy

@surely-sims : I was in two minds about whether to include Anne in Poses or BB (or CAS!), because she is THAT talented that she does all. But her BB is so fun and unique and I'm obsessed with the vintage-style promo pics she makes for it, too. I'm also obsessed with Shromp on a cellular level... I'm in a cult of my own making tbh. Oh! And Anne has also started streaming CC tutorials on Twitch which are excellent!

@lumenniveus : I only discovered him fairly recently (because I heard there may be more Shromp content) but I am OBSESSED. OBSESSED. In fact I'm going to specifically shout-out the Runestone and Herbal Cottage Set because I'm using them so much right now and they've instantly become a must-have for my Mods folder.

@destruam : these conversions are EVERYTHING!! I use so much of their CC, especially to stock my medieval story scenes. They also make CAS outfits!

@buildbuymode : some excellent BB and CAS items, and also the maker of the baby rug hider mod which is SO necessary for storytelling/pose use hahah.

@bakiegaming : honestly, what can't this creator do?! I'm OBSESSED with their mods for animated animal life, and they also make fantastic BB and CAS items too.

And a special mention to @simdertalia : although she has recently had to start making a few sets early access, she was creating huge amounts of CC entirely for free before then and has always been so kind and generous. She is absolutely an integral part of my Mods folder because I use her CC all the time (and have made several poses for pieces that inspired me, too). It's always the highest quality and I frequently find myself discovering something that I didn't know I needed but now couldn't go without!

[medicallymercury]

Tinderbox (30/12/23)

I did end up waking up super early (on accident) and watching this episode but I decided not to post my review until after it had been on TV. I've really got to start getting into writing my essays now cause I have less than two weeks even with the deadline extension but I can manage to spend 12 straight hours thinking about writing it (rotating Casualty in my microwave brain) and not even realise I've done it until my mum's alarm goes off.

Well, it was an episode, wasn't it? Sometimes Casualty gives us masterpieces of television (cough Switzerland) and sometimes Casualty gives us "what the fuck was that?" (cough Too Much, Too Young - that was a very mixed Saturday) and Tinderbox was, at least for me, pretty much in the middle. I guess I wasn't as invested as I could've been cause there wasn’t much of my faves, I'd probably be more positive if we had more of them.

Pretty busy and all over the place episode but that’s to be expected at the start of a miniseries, I guess.

Stevie my beloved, she was great in this one. Elinor Lawless is very talented!! This has got me looking forward to her own storyline even more.

I know Ryan was unpopular but I loved him as a problematic little bitch character. Shows like this sometimes need a Ryan to cause problems for everyone and he served his purpose. Like, he is terrible but it was amusing to have a terrible member of the predominantly very sweet baby nurse quartet. I’ll miss him, honestly. I don’t imagine he’ll come back since there’s a new new (I still think of the baby nurses as new) nurse joining next week.

I made this last night, he didn’t actually die but I still think it’s funny:

I really liked that final shot of Jodie, Rida and Cam together but, to quote my mum as it happened, “I feel like all three of them have wanted Ryan to get beaten up at least once before”.

I love a good family storyline, especially when the family has multiple members in the main cast cause I think it allows for more development of the relationship (gestures wildly at Jan and Teddy), and Max and Jodie were great today. Loved all their interactions. Especially loved their conversation about Max’s kidney failure and especially “I wouldn’t allow it, even if you wanted to.” “Which I don’t.” “Well at least we agree on one thing” and “I’m sorry I’m not what you expected” (!!!!!!!!!!). I think they’re more similar than either of them realises, and I love that kind of dynamic - in both my ‘main fandoms’ my favourite characters are girls whose relationships with their fathers could be described as “I’m nothing like my dad (I’m just acting exactly like him)”. There’s definitely examples of that in this episode but back in Driving Force I remember a scene where Dylan tells them that neither of them should be treating Max’s mum and they both stand there looking at him with the same expression.

I expected that knowing the Teddy infidelity arc will happen would affect how I watch the show and when Paige and Jodie were treating the same patient I was 👁️👁️ the whole time. Whatever, I’ll get over it (hhhhhhh).

Sah was in this but so barely that the credits didn’t actually include Arin, which is weird to me.

I will say I think Casualty has been on weird pacing recently. I’d blame the miniseries format but it feels like there has been some storylines that are too long-running without saying anything new (FAITH) and other ones that get dropped too quickly without enough time to actually go into the ideas they implied were happening.

I think it was a good start to the new series but I would’ve liked them to cut the Faith stuff and have something actually happening with the paramedics instead.

Yes, I know complaining about Faith is beating a dead horse. However, in continuing to write her and this storyline, the writers have invented a dead horse beating machine to keep beating the dead horse perpetually. It goes on endlessly and has absolutely nothing new to say. And while some storylines have been getting these rushed and incomplete conclusions, Casualty had an opportunity to give the Faith storyline a conclusion with her going to rehab and staying there and then they didn’t. Tired of it. Also, not to be mean to the presumably overwhelmed Holby HR department but why would they ask Faith of Drug Theft Fame to come back??? This is why your hospital is like this, your hiring practices are terrible.

[juneviews]

Hi axelle! 😸 I've seen almost all bls but I haven't watched any gmmtv het show. which one would you recommend to a newbie? I prefer something light and funny. my favorite actors are Off, Gawin and Neo

hi! I'm glad you're gonnna give non bl thai dramas a chance, and as for your fave actors... TASTE 😌 here's my fave non bl gmmtv shows from best to still good but not the best:

the gifted: simply an amazing & super unique show with very little flaws & one of the best open-endings ever. haven't been able to bring myself to watch the sequel so watch that at your own discretion.

midnight motel: my favorite show of the year so far, fun & quirky, super tight execution, great plot twists, iconic characters & simply one of the most underrated shows ever. contains off & neo so you'll love it 100%!

ps: I hate you: the best female-led show I've ever seen. there's messiness & drama and the characters are all super flawed but you still root for them! the performances are also incredible & this show is truly one of my all time faves!

angel beside me: the first more classic romcom of the list, but despite being kind of a silly premise with an angel falling on earth, it actually tackles some really deep issues like depression & poverty??? and the chemistry & bond between the characters was crazy good. I definitely recommend!

happy birthday: this show will make you cry for 13 eps straight but you'll love it. it has some of the best performances ever & is just the kind of show that hits you right in the chest with feels & beauty. absolutely one of my most beloved thai dramas.

a gift to the people you hate: such an underrated show but absolutely iconic! if you like messiness & plot twists, you'll love this one! it's just unhinged & has a really cool world-building!!!

girl next room: richy rich: since your 3 faves are off, neo & gawin I really recommend you watch this! richy rich is off's most popular straight series bc he's simply perfect in this role (and biconic!!!), and gawin is in the motorbike baby story as mook's second lead & he???? absolutely ate, he's so dreamy in that! neo is in every story & absolutely hilarious (especially in the scenes with off, you cannot miss girl next room!

love at first hate: classic romcom but the chemistry is some of the best & the male lead??? IS DADDY MCDREAMY!!! a really enjoyable series!

46 days: another series with the offmild pairing from girl next room, and this show is crazy but has such fun characters, great chemistry & even the villain is my fave??? the whole cast is the best & it's the only show by this director that is truly genuinely so good!

mint to be: another romcom with mook bc she's the romcom queen lol, this one is short & sweet, the chemistry is excellent & the cast is really fun. there's none of your faves in it BUT one of the characters is obsessed with off who's an idol in that show & she has pillows with his face on it and it's ICONIC!!!

who are you: one of the most acclaimed gmmtv shows, notably for its actresses namtan & jan who acted their ass off in it! it's a really well done show with insanely good acting, but the reason it's not higher on this list is that it's a bit forgettable? it was in my top 10 fave shows from 2021 though.

my dear loser: monster romance: another romcom with mook lol no one is surprised, this one actually really surprised me bc it was the first time I saw lee outside of his usual perfect role. look, I love the man but most of his roles are kinda... boring? and here he ate. the whole universe of the show is super different from usual & the love story is very cute, and honestly it immediately became one of my fave straight thai romances!

baker boys: another show where lee plays a really good role! this one contains queer characters but is not a bl at all. I LOVED the found family trope of it, and literally cried when it ended bc I got really attached to the characters & me crying when a show ends is a huge indicator that I loved it. sadly this show is pretty tainted now bc my fave character was played by foei who's famously an anti-lgbtq+ bitch so yeah... but if you can stomach his bigot face I'd say give it a try, pluem plays one of the cutest characters in existence!

(also just realized I completely missed the light & funny prompt lmao. the most light & funny shows in this list are: girl next room, love at first hate, 46 days & mint to be!)

xxx

[yyxandere]

BITTERSWEET SCENARIO!

Let’s say that after the events of Yakuza 3 you were traumatized by the sight of your spouse in intensive care after he was literally filled with lead from a turret by his enemies, and as you guessed, it’s your one from favourite characters – Osamu. Since this period, you have developed one habit - you always check his heartbeat by placing your ear against his chest. Most often you do this, let’s say tradition, after nightmares and the rhythm of his heart always calms you down, assuring you that your loved one is still nearby, which makes you involuntarily mutter quietly under your breath so as not to wake him up: "Oh, thanks god that's you’re still alive... The sound of your the beating heart is the sweetest sound of my life".

-ˋˏSINCERELY YOURS. . . ->

MY BELOVED HUSBAND AAAA I'M GLAD THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT HE'S MY FAVEE

I erm kinda made a small fic, SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY! (there's brief mention of Kashiwagi and [Readers] child, hope you don't mind that😭😭)

-

The beeping monitor could never calm you, nor did it help to lessen the anxiety of the day. In fact, the steady beat made the anxiety even worse than if it were a regular alarm because every time it made you feel like everything in your life was slowly unraveling apart and then being swallowed whole into the abyss of sadness.

Your husband Osamu is in the hospital bed as your tear-stained face kisses his pale knuckles, holding on to them tightly without letting go ever since you came to the hospital. He is still sleeping, and he looks absolutely peaceful, just like how he looks after every surgery or treatment he undergoes. You are sitting at his bedside, trying to avoid looking at his face because it is all you can see when you close your eyes. But sometimes it gets harder and you end up staring at him like there is nothing in the world more important than staring at him.

Your heart aches whenever you visit, and to add that, you weren't even sleeping well because of the recurring nightmares, the only time you are at ease is when you are near him, to be exact, your ears near his heart, listening for the comforting thump as his pulse slowly eases your soul and calms you down.

The hospital door opened and you immediately went back to your seat, not wanting anyone to see such a vulnerable action you were doing, you then wiped your tears to see who it was, and it was none other than your nineteen-year-old daughter, Mizuki. She didn't even need to analyze what you were doing, she simply walked up next to you and hugged her dear mother, and you immediately reciprocated the gesture and pulled her tight, burying her head in your neck as you tried to catch your breath, overwhelmed with emotions as she squeezed her arms around her mother.

"Don't worry mama. Papa is much stronger than you think. . . "

-

It had been over two years since the tragedy happened and now, almost three years later, your husband has been doing fine, heck excellent even, but what happened the reassuring memories always mess with your sleep and Osamu wasn't blind to your worries, he would give you calming tea, he would even make comforting meals or make bouquets to help your nerves relax, but the most important thing was that you could get a good night's sleep because it wasn't healthy for you to stay awake during sleepless nights. Osamu knew that you had nightmares about the terrible events, and he felt sorry that you had to lose sleep because of him, but inside of him swells whenever you hug him for comfort, the memories could come back in the middle of the day and you can't help it but hug him in front of many people, it's rather flustering but he can't push you away. (onlookers nearby think it's cute to see an old couple hugging, little did they know that this was the same dude that isolated you from your loved one so you could depend on him)

Yet nothing squeezed his heart more than that one fateful night.

-

A loud gasp and a sudden movement woke up Kashiwagi and to no surprise, it was your nightly terror, even with the lights out the only kind of brightness was brought by the blue moon, illuminating the room slightly so that he could see you laying at his side, his arms around you while you were clutching his hand. Your face was twisted in agony, eyes clenched shut while you were gasping for air through the tears flowing freely like streams down your cheek. A single drop fell onto the sheets beside him as his wife began to sob, shaking violently and trembling in fear.

That tear managed to make Kashiwagi wake up, not wanting you to experience any more of the nightmare you were having. He gently put his hand on your shoulder, "Shh, it’s alright, (Y/n) … it’s just a bad dream", he said in a low voice. Yet even with his comforting words, your eyes couldn't help themselves from having tears waiting to flood out their sockets and pour down on his skin. That simple gesture made Osamu feel as if someone just kicked his stomach hard. As he tightened his grip around your shoulders, making sure not to hurt you, you suddenly stopped crying and turned to look at your husband with teary eyes and a pained expression as you whispered.

"Oh, thank god that you’re still alive… The sound of your beating heart is the sweetest sound of my life".

How can Kashiwagi say no when you look like that? It was impossible, but that didn't stop him from sighing in defeat. He looked at his hands for a few seconds before lifting them up and wiping away some stray hairs behind your ears. After that, he kissed your forehead lovingly before whispering.

"I love you too. The tears in your eyes hurt much more than what happened to me. . ."

[hitsuzenhusbands]

hey! i hope you're having a good day! i just read your (amazing!) asoue fic "ashes to ashes," and i was fascinated by the way you portrayed kit and olaf. i thought i'd send this ask because i'd really love to hear more of your thoughts on their dynamic if you feel like sharing? but if you don't feel like expanding on it, i totally understand! thank you so much for sharing your beautiful work on ao3!

OHH anon you are so kind...i apologize for being so extremely late but i just finished writing a little analysis so i figured now's about the right time to write a semi-legible response. might have been scary and incomprehensible otherwise. but i am finally here to scream and cry and thank you so desperately because im SO happy you enjoyed them AND decided to ask for more info! <3

to begin, i'd be absolutely inconsolable if i didn't point you towards @virginian-wolfsnake's fic the eye of the storm, probably one of my fave k&o fics of all time that delves into the meat of their relationship through the years from the perspective of kit. they're young and still excited by missions and flirty and tender and genuine, and, in time, when the rest of their world collapses, so do they--messy and tense and so wonderfully realistic you have to read it and then read it again. honestly, if you don't want to read the rest of this but still want an answer, just read that. but also read it anyway

and now i have to ask you to forgive me...i have not read the books in a very long time and while i know the netflix series (in comparison) is bad and awful and terrible, i have watched it a million times. so if i'm wrong on anything. that's why.

to begin, the version of olaf i depicted in my fic is at the height of his...how do you say...pathetic misery. not including the spiral he has during the series. to me, the death of his parents are the beginning of his downfall into something-like-insanity, but he's still (and will continue to be) recognizably himself, if that makes sense. he's always been messy and emotional and dramatic (see the line: "...Kit has seen him in worse states and with a much better view..."), but only now does he reveal not a different side of himself per se, but a different angle of one that already existed.

im a fervent believer that olaf's always been a little self destructive and a lot crazy. hes spent the greater half of his life coming to terms with the fact that he is intrinsically not as noble as the rest of vfd--hes impulsive and obnoxious and self-obsessed, barely even literate at times--and it takes a special kind of guy to carve the insignia of the organization full of people he despises into his own front door. still, his parents' death was a catalyst, meaning he wasn't entirely opposed to vfd beforehand. he probably liked the missions and the secrecy and the dramatics, obviously the disguises and everything, but i think before the night at the opera it was really just a source of fun for him. he never truly grasped the reality of it, the nature of his actions and the weight of his involvement. whether that was out of naivety or pure neglect of the facts is up for debate. (there's a little bit of this in the shattering of thalia and melpomene if that interests you at all, beloved anon. see the line: "...[Esme] could never compare to the extent to which [Olaf] removes himself from everyone else entirely. How he spends so much time worrying about himself he almost forgets to worry about himself...Esme could never truly get lost in her own greatness. Could never turn a blind eye to the inner workings of V.F.D.")

kit, on the other hand, definitely did. serving as a volunteer was her purpose, the sole thing she had to cling to. she dedicated her life to it, making conscious decisions to go against her moral code in the hope that it all truly was for a greater good. i think, at times, she could fall into her own little fits of self-destruction, putting vfd above herself entirely (see the line: "This wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something she would never truly volunteer for...he’d still spent year after year watching her run off...to do something she could never speak of." "...she still returned with clenched teeth and knit eyebrows, as though she had no choice in the matter at all.")

to avoid any more convolution, in my mind it goes something like this: both are volunteers--olaf born and raised (along with beatrice), kit torn from her family and thrust into the thick of it so early on its all she knows. they grow up, probably-definitely know each other but dont know each other until, say, late teens-early twenties?

up until then, they've been everything previously described, but intermingling with one another changes this. olaf's easygoing approach rubs off on kit, partly because she finds more joy in his company than in missions, partly because he makes every attempt to keep her from leaving. i like to think she tries to keep his relatively flimsy moral code in check, or at the very least restrain his temper to the best of her abilities.

to me, they're a simultaneously great and terrible couple. at their best, they counteract each other in a positive way as described above and serve as a welcome distraction from the realities of a crumbling vfd, a little island of tenderness and domesticity in the ocean of turmoil that surrounds them.

and at their worst, their personalities combat so violently it's hard to see how they ever could have been together. olaf deals out the worst of it, prone to neglect and self-isolation, a deeply inset refusal to discuss anything with her, an inclination towards firestarting and an increasingly poor reputation with everyone kit knows. then again, kit isn't free of blame (if you can call it that), she's just as opposed to talking anything out as he is, and her isolation takes on the shape of running off to do as many missions as as she can before she's dead on her feet. she's pulled in different directions--a well-instilled hatred towards firestarers, only further influenced by whatever rumours olaf's growing list of enemies supplies her, versus her love for him, her knowledge of who he really is, a concept that is often tested. (see the line: "He’s reminded of a fight they once had, about something or other, that ended in her angry admission that it was easier to be upset with him when he wasn’t nearby.") 

anyway, the idea is they grow further and further apart both ideologically and physically/relationship-wise until the opera night and the crash following that (see: the whole fic!) and from then on i think they fall into something like an evil situationship. they barely see each other, complete opposite sides of the schism. i say situationship because i think when they do see each other (on missions, at events/in public, in private, etc.) it is just a terrible experience no matter what. they're both torn between hating the other for what they know about them/what they did (i like to think olaf finds out about kit supplying the darts) and reminiscing/yearning for what they once had.

for the sake of this i wont give my thoughts on whose baby kit has because that's a whole other thing (not really. its just more of a fun hc i think about on occasion as opposed to something concrete in canon or even my version of canon) but their scene in the end does make me insane. its a culmination of all the time spent wishing what happened didnt happen, almost as though theyre seeing each other for the first time once again, perhaps not blind to the past but looking away for (on olafs part) one final moment of normalcy.

i hope thats what you were looking for to any degree, anon. im a little rusty on my lore but they matter to me soo much. if i have to leave this on anything, its go read eye of the storm. kitlaf fic of all time.

[iholli]

I would absolutely love to hear about your faves 👀 Tell me everything you know 👀👀👀👀

AAAAAAVUYCDTIGCTUGCH YOU'RE A GEM THANK U FOR THIS 😭😭😭💚

this is super long bc I'm Completely Normal abt J'onn lmao whoops 😂

omfg where do I start. FIRST THINGS FIRST. HE. MY BELOVED. J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, my favorite favorite of all time. no really it's coming up on 8 years and I still love him sm 😭 my one braincell may wander off to new fixations but I always circle back around to him sooner or later.

I have like 4747058 images of him ofc but these are SO good bc they tell a lot about him ??? he's cute, he's silly, he's dramatic, he's sassy, he's the heart of the Justice League twenty times over despite DC refusing to give him any time to shine (I'm going to fight them with my bare hands for that).

I've never posted this but it's been in my drafts for ever so I'll throw it in here 😂 I have so many thoughts about him omg

ALSO I have a whole thing analyzing J'onn's moral compass & development through Justice League Animated, Unlimited, and some of the comics a while back so there's tHAT WHICH,,, was super good imo 👏

uuuuughghghghh I could talk about him forever 😭💚

When it comes to people Superman wouldn't want to fight, J'onn is top of that list, that's canon. He's OP as FUCK. He has most if not all Clark's powers, shapeshifting, intangibility, invisibility, phasing, telepathy, seriously his powers seem to never end ??? But he's terribly underutilized :") like I get it but come on DC,,,

J'onn is addicted to Oreos. no, really. in MM 98 issue 24 Blue Beetle and Booster Gold have this Super Funny Idea to hide all the Oreos from J'onn, and you gotta applaud the dedication to the prank bc they literally went out and bought ALL the Oreos from the ENTIRE vicinity of the JL Embassy building. J'onn proceeds to Hulk out and tear up half the city chasing them for it. It's revealed by Batman that Martians can get addicted to Oreos. At the end of the issue it turns out this is just a story J'onn is telling Diana but... he winks and asks if she's got any cookies, so it's up for debate if it's really just a story [I think there's some truth to it. bc it's very funny.]. And the Oreo thing comes up many times in many places including JLTAS 😂

He also likes sweet things in general !! he canonically drinks coffee with a TON of sugary shit to take off the bitter taste. I also made the hc that was the case for him just days before reading it in MM Identity and I'm very real for that 👏

J'onn is a cat person. One of his aliases is even an Italian street cat named Tommaso. And he has an orange cat named Double Stuff,,, of course 😂

however,,, he's totally a dragon nerd, he knows everything about dragons, he likes reptiles in general but dragons are his fav. He shapeshifts into draconic creatures all the time and he talks many times abt a specific species of moon nesting dragon called quonars. He also telepathically connected with an iguana once and it was a wholesome experience 🥺

J'onn lives in Colorado, in a suburb named Middleton, which is actually the name of a real ghost town! it's interesting that Denver is his preferred climate bc you can assume Mars was similar 👀

He is THE sass master. He goes toe to toe with Batman constantly. One of these days I'll just make a list of every sassy line he delivers in JLTAS but I think that would be a whole book by itself. There's a video of sassy moments from Batman: The Brave and the Bold that I watch 400 times a week. One of my favorite comic sass moments is when Batman expresses his annoyance at J'onn for leaving on the middle of an important meeting, which J'onn happily counters with a "you're so right, it would look bad on the League if someone just vanished at random all the time, huh Batman :)." he then also takes a crack at Bruce's lack of people skills. iconic.

He's also a silly little guy. The Batman 2007? J'onn OWNS the noir detective role, down to the cheesy old fashioned music. He also has like, a whole list of quotes he's just waiting to use when the time is right. He waited years to say "You're probably wondering why I've called you all here today." love him fr

J'onn is canonically kind of an adrenaline junkie. He loves driving, particularly an 87 Chevy Impala which he affectionately says "vibrates like a Chihuahua with a head cold." He once physically linked with an entire damaged spaceship to steer it out of danger and got carried away bc he was just having fun. He also said it was similar to the video games he plays with GL-- so he's canonically a gamer, too 😂👏

I 100% believe he's got anxiety or at LEAST separation anxiety [and that may be the case for the entire Martian race]. I already thought as much but then JLU issue 24 kinda confirmed it and it was devastating :") the League is taken over by Starro, J'onn is the only one who dodges the attack and he's left to fight his teammates which. is already awful for him. and it triggers flashbacks to a time on Mars when he was separated from his family in a nasty sandstorm. J'onn went pretty much feral with panic until he broke down and then forced himself to calm down enough to think of a plan. Meanwhile back with the League he's frantically trying not to panic again bc, while fire is a Martian's greatest weakness, "being alone is a Martian's greatest fear." I cried the whole time I read that issue and then I bought a copy LMAO. can DC stop putting him through the PTSD wringer for five seconds thanks

One short comic run J'onn spends the whole time being chased by the Martian god of fire, H'ronmeer, bc it turns out he was psychically keeping the souls of the entire Martian population tethered to the mortal realm. he's super powerful and HE'S GOING THROUGH IT. ALL THE TIME.

I don't have the context for either happenstance at this time, but J'onn has been both a Black and a White Lantern in comics. I have no idea what any of it means, either, I just know it's happened. I'll get there eventually. maybe. [I think he's dead for the Black Lantern thing so...probably...not...]

^^^ this is up there with the whole "J'onn was actually an advance agent for the invading Martian species but rather than let them use him as a weapon he essentially committed suicide after fighting the whole Justice League [beat them easily, it wasn't even a competition] and somehow this split his consciousness into like 4 different people" of comic runs that I really don't want to read [even though I own this one] :") help

I don't know what it is about forcefields but his brain just shuts off when he gets near one fr. Multiple times when there's a forcefield, EVEN IF HE KNOWS IT'S THERE, J'onn just yeets headfirst into it. He's just generally super impulsive tho ??? This guy is constantly jumping into action without a moment's thought. pls stop handing off the braincell to absolutely no one when there's danger, J'onn [he does not actually have the braincell at any given time. only Bruce has it. occasionally].

He totally enjoys starting shit. J'onn is Here for teammate drama. He once gave Batman absolutely what for and called him immature just bc J'onn was annoyed with his attitude. He sends people on League missions that will either bring out complete drama or make them find common ground. Though he says the contrary, J'onn is absolutely in the background of every team squabble with popcorn like Thor watching Tony and Cap argue. "You're all so petty. And tiny."

J'onn's name means "light to the light" and it's so poetic 😭😭 of COURSE he's the heart of the League. akdjfndckdnxkd

I'm going to stop there bc I could go on forever but I've held this ask hostage in my drafts long enough 😂😂 ENJOY THE RAMBLING THANK U FOR SENDING THIS ASK AAAA 💙

[crazy-walls]

i just saw in your tags that you have a fave medieval blorbo? not to be nosy but like if you ever feel like talking about him i'd definitely love to read it! (yes i could look him up myself, but where's the fun in that?)

i haven't talked about my boy ortnit in far too long so i absolutely love that you asked and am more than happy to use this opportunity, thank you!!

setting the scene: it's the mystical time that all medieval middle and northern european heroes live in (sometimes at the same time, sometimes a generation or maybe five apart, but like, quite a while ago even for the 1200s onward). here in lampart - italy for us modern peasants - near lake garda there's the coolest, toughest, strongest, richest ...hero... to be. his name is ortnit. [or otnit, medieval authors don't really care about spelling.]

you see, he's the young king of lampart but he's not fully there yet to having the perfect kingdom, because obviously he needs to have a queen to rule said kingdom with. after much consideration, his uncle is like "well, there's this utterly beautiful, virtous (for a savage heathen) princess* somewhere in the middle east but you must not - and i repeat - not go after her because her heathen father machorel will kill you if you take away his daughter. as in, literally chop off your head. because he wants to marry her himself when his wife is dead." [i'd say this is a setup on the uncle's part but medieval characters Just Are Like That.]

obviously, because he's the coolest and strongest king and a complete dumbass, ortnit has to go and get said daughter to marry him. his mother, of course, is anything but thrilled. and you see, ortnit is quite the mama's boy, but no matter how much she pleads with him not to go he is dead set on it, and if he's already on the way anyway he might as well turn that into some kind of crusade. so his mother gives him A Ring and sends him off on a little adventure (=aventiure) first, saying that The Ring will guide him - and it does. The Ring takes him to the dwarf alberich who promises to give him the best armor, the very best sword and also be his Helper. this is kind of a Whole Job in medieval epic poems. oh, also, the dwarf is actually ortnit's biological dad who raped his mother - but that's cool; and gracious as he is, ortnit forgives his mother for her "infidelity" to who he always thought was his actual father. #menwritingwomen or something.

ortnit gets his cool armor and even cooler sword and sails off with his knights towards what is later labeled syria. on the journey his knights think he's insane because dwarf-daddy alberich is invisible to anyone but the wearer of The Ring and ortnit is talking to thin air him. anyway, they reach syria and dwarf-daddy plays invisible matchmaker by insulting and threatening machorel. [this could actually be a setup. jury's still out on that ~800 years later.]

long(ish) aventiure short: there's a siege on the castle, then a big battle, meanwhile invisible dwarf-daddy convinces the princess to come with him and marry ortnit to save her father. blackmailing with a beloved family member's death, such a strong basis for a healthy marriage. she also gets christianed on the run because duh. can't marry some random fucking heathen.

right after that dwarf-daddy has to save the day again and fight machorel because ortnit basically faints on his horse. they make it back to the ship unharmed and sail back to italy. machorel is Not Happy. and he has A Plan: as a ""conciliation gift"" he sends a hunter with two huge eggs to lampart; they'll into a magical "toad" and "elephant".

as we all know, elephants do not hatch from eggs. unfortunately for ortnit, our italian king does not know that. he WILL find out, though. eventually. when the eggs have hatched and two huge dragons are terrorising lampart and eating everything and everyone in their way. and since he's the coolest, toughest, strongest, richest king and responsible for this disaster he is the one who has to slay those dragons. so he dons his armor and heads straight for - you guessed it - dwarf-daddy. alberich, however, is Not Happy either, refuses to help ortnit once more [again, this might be a setup]. he advises him to Not, Under Any And All Circumstances, Fall Asleep. ortnit pouts, throws The Ring at alberich's feet and rides off to find the dragon(s).

the dragon** is rather good at hide-and-seek, though, so ortnit rides and rides and rides. and gets tired. and decides to just have a small rest. and promptly falls asleep.

apparently, dragons also have a sixth sense for sleeping kings. the dragon creeps close, sees that delicious meal-in-a-can and - without even waking ortnit up - carries him to his offspring who SLURP HIM RIGHT OUT OF HIS ARMOR. [-> "sougen in durch daz werc" - "saugen ihn aus der rüstung" - the armor actually stays fully intact which is important since ortnit's tale is later followed by wolfdietrich who slays the dragons, gets the armor and marries ortnit's widow]

the end.

no, really. that's how ortnit dies. slurped out of his armor by dragons the SECOND his mother and biological father can't/refuse to help him. so there he is, this young, strong, pretty, heroic dumbass fratboy of a king who can't get shit done on his own. he has like half a braincell. he is literally Doomed By The Narrative. and i'm utterly obsessed with his ineptitude and death.

*please note that the syrian princess doesn't even have a name in the first versions of this epic poem so i'm not using one, sorry girl. she's later called sidrat tho.

**suddenly it's only one dragon who has two baby dragons, there are a few theories about how the offspring being conceived by those first two dragons is a parallel to the incestuous obsession machorel has with his daughter

[deedala]

🌿w e e k l y 🍄 t a g 🕯️ w e d n e s d a y🌙

thanks @darlingian for writing this week!! and thanks for tagging me @creepkinginc @energievie @metalheadmickey 💖💖💖

which character from any media would you like to have as a father?: oh hey yeah i am going to have to also say Bob Belcher. He is dad goals.

if money, laws, time, and effort were no object, what animal would you want to have?: im sorry i have a whole entire me and 2 kids to take care of i dont want anything else lmao

what is your Chinese takeout order?: veggie fried rice and veggie egg rolls!

what's your favourite emoji?: omg i dunno uhmmmm 💖 is probably up there!!

would you rather have a library, greenhouse, or home theater in your house?: okay i am a legendary plant killer but i would LOVE to be able to just hang in a greenhouse. thats my vibe. i just cannot be responsible for those plants ok

what childhood tv show do you think of the most fondly?: david the gnome!

what was your tumblr like when you first joined?: for a really long time my tumblr was just my silly little artworks, from like 2011 to late 2014. in 2015 it became more of my dragon age artwork and fandom blog. and then a few years ago i just started reblogging whatever the fuck i wanted. and well now its a whole mess huh. my beloved trash pile.

what clothing style do you love but don't feel compelled to replicate yourself?: cottage core and dark academia

if you were plopped into a fictional world, which one would you know the layout of the best?: Thedas hoo boy

what is your favourite piece of art?: hmmm birth of venus by william-adolphe bouguereau

do you have a water bottle? what does it look like?: aluminum cup with a straw style, its blue and green and has a leaves design on it

what fanfic trope is a quiet fave? uuhhh...i dont know if i have a quiet fav?

do you carry a daily bag? what does it look like? what's the weirdest thing in it?: lately its been an addidas black drawstring bag. i just dug through it and found absolutely nothing un-normal haha?? i guess the most uncommon thing in there might be the epi-pens??

If you had to ship Mickey with another Gallagher, who would it be?: what kind of choice is this?? im going to go ahead and be a cheater and say i BFF ship mickey with debbie

what is a fanfic trope you didn't expect to like and then very much did?: ack...again i dunno?? i just like all the basic things and i dont know enough about the other stuff? maybe i need to try more things that i think sound unfun lol

Do you think s11 Mickey can still carry s11 Ian?: lmao hes so inexplicably swole, yes absolutely

who got custody of the killing bat when they sold the house?: i want debbie to have that, she deserves it.

Okay here's some nuggets who i think might want to play!! @michellemisfit @too-schoolforcool @mickeysgaymom @heymrspatel @gallawitchxx @gardenerian @callivich @juliakayyy @mmmichyyy @jrooc @sam-loves-seb @crossmydna @suzy-queued @tanktopgallavich @lingy910y @transmickey @rereadanon @palepinkgoat @sickness-health-all-that-shit @suchagallabitch @thepupperino @sleepyfacetoughguy @tsuga-of-mars and also you person not tagged you can lie and say i tagged you as always i will corroborate~

[changeling-fae]

G, L, Y, U for the asks!

Thanks!

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

Lol, boy, and how! I live and breathe otp’s. My very first otp was probably Seto Kaiba x Serenity Wheeler, from YuGiOh. They were the first fanfic I ever read on fanfiction.net, lol. First otp ship I ever contributed to fandom for was Sesshomaru x Kagome from Inuyasha, where I wrote my very first fics and did fanart.

Though if we want to get really cheeky, I could argue that my very first ship was the knife and the spoon, from cutlery and making them kiss as a tiny kiddo, lol.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.)

Hmmm, this is weirdly tough for me, not the complimenting part, but because I have a weird metric of how I view characters. Hm, let’s go with… Mizora. I’m overall neutral on her but I appreciate her petty bitch energy. If I were a cambion, I’d like to be as ambitious as Raphael but in reality I’d be like Mizora and I do appreciate a good petty play. It’s the Gemini in me, lol.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

I have many favorites but I’ll go with Harley Quinn from Batman, Grunkle Stan from Gravity Falls, and since brainrot be real, Raphael from BG3.

Harley Quinn has been a favorite character of mine since I was a kid watching Batman the Animated Series. I’ve always been a fan of theatrical aesthetics (circus, theatre, commedia dell’arte, etc) and she’s just such a fun character. I’ve really liked over the years how she’s waffled between villain and anti-hero and how she’s not a perfect victim. Also Harley Quinn x Poison Ivy is a top tier ship.

Grunkle Stan because one of my biggest weaknesses in fiction is a sad morally grey older man but who is also protective of his family. He’s fucked up in his life so many times but he keeps trying. I’m a sucker for that. But also he’s just a great character. He’s made me laugh and cry and honestly that’s just a good criteria for any character. I’ve 100% played the fanmade Grunkle dating simulator and no regrets or shame.

And speaking of morally grey, or in this case, completely terrible older men. Raphael, my beloved. I played BG3 in its EA days and the very first time he appeared I was smitten. His voice obviously but also he had my favorite introduction into the game (and still does). The fact that his devil transformation involved a snazzy belt and different shoes is what really sold him to me. He’s so stupidly extra and it calls to my theatre kid nature, lol. I do miss the EA days of him roasting our camp 5 sec after inviting himself.

All that being said, I just enjoy his character within the game too. I like that he’s obviously a villain but he’s chill with us. In part because he wants something from us but I like that it kinda transforms for him into a double obsession. Obviously, crown comes first but there’s something just so delightfully fun about him writing about our character in his journal (entry number 2 is the stuff ships are made of). That he’s a cringefail theatre kid with daddy issues while being thousands of years old is partly what makes him endearing. I loved finding his fanfiction in his house and I love how stupidly bad his hell domination plan is (you’re doing amazing sweetie).

And one other bonus to liking his character is I got to make new friends and moots in particular in his corner of the fandom. 💖

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

Hm, I’d say currently, Helluva Boss, I’ve got a couple friends into that show. It’s certainly on my list of things to eventually sit down and watch but for now I see it through what my friends show me. Looks good though!

[sidprescot]

10 characters | 10 fandoms | 10 tags

pick 10 characters from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 people! tagged by @kuwdora and @garaviel thank you both for tagging me 🥰🥰🥰

this was so hard actually omg why is it that as soon as i get asked my favorite (insert thing here) i immediately forget everything i've ever loved. blorbo? i don't know her

cornelius hickey (the terror): who could forget dear rat boy? captain crozier's specialest little princess. gay cannibal thottie with the body. five foot something and he's royalty short king mama ayyy 🎶 killed a man for a free hawaiian vacation and all he got is this lousy t-shirt (sick ass coat he stole from a dead man)

mordin solus (mass effect) - dr war crimes my beloved... he is the very model of a scientist salarian 🥺 only being able to pick one mass effect companion is actually destroying me tho. thane i'm so sorry king

rogue amendiares (cp2077) - LET ME ROMANCE THE HOT MILF CDPR I AM ON MY KNEES

yennefer of vengerberg (the witcher - any/all canon) - that is my WIFE. the love of my life. honorable mention to my side piece cahir i still love you babygirl. and my toxic ex vilgefortz

harry du bois (disco elysium) - the saddest wettest most pathetic man of all time he's just like me fr

frodo baggins (lotr) - the og babygirl ok? he is taking the ring to mordor though he does not know the way!!!!!! second place goes to gandalf and his big naturals

sidney prescott (scream) - thee final girl of all time and the reason for my url enough said

captain spaulding (rob zombie's firefly trilogy) - TUTTI FUCKIN FRUTTI!! that's my fucked up clown dad, babey!!! rip sid haig

dana scully (the x files) - woman of all time tbh. she is the BLUEPRINT. i saw her for the first time when i was like six years old and it altered my brain chemistry forever

astarion (baldur's gate 3) - LISTEN i relate to his story and really appreciate the way his trauma is handled respectfully and the themes of bodily autonomy and consent and reclaiming your power and breaking the cycle and and and- HOWEVER if we are talking thirst there is no question my fave is actually orin 🤪 because i am mentally ill goodbye 💀

tagging: @belgianfry @medalsofgold @margaritalaux-antille @faarkas @chainsawsangel @hannahmationstudios @coconutwaterbending @girlfriendtanjiro @phileilharts @ladyyennefer

absolutely no pressure tho 💕

[wonderbutch]

Hi! I’m trying to dig into Cassie’s comics in order to learn more about her character and read her best stories. I’ve already collected some recs of her time in Wonder Woman comics, and I’m aware that her fan fave story is all of Young Justice (1998). However, I tried reading YJ and I honestly am not into stories aimed towards a younger teen audience that are goofy and satirical. I can definitely see the appeal for some folks, but it’s just not for me. Despite that, I am willing to read more of this run if only purely to learn more about Cassie and her dynamics with her teammates in the run. Can you by chance recommend me which issues/arcs from YJ (1998) are best purely for Cassie? Thank you!

thank you so much for the ask anon! you asked this at the absolute perfect time because i literally just opened up the website to read some yj!!

starting off, we have issue 7. this issue id count as quite important because the whole gang talk about their motives for becoming heroes, we get to see the parents interact, etc. really awesome issue.

my next rec would be the arrowette arc, because i really think this shows a lot of cassies character and how she can sometimes be dismissive of people, specifically cissie. issue 15-18.

my next rec would absolutely be the arc after this, specifically issue 19, here we get to see on full display cassies insecurities, her need to be a hero, etc. also its the first appearance of anita!!!

next is cassies story in issue 22, which is also written by a fave writer of mine! fantastic story that shows cassie at home and her wants for the future and again her insecurities.

also i recommend sins of youth because its awesome and cassies tie in is again written by a fave of mine (brian k vaughan <3). read sins of youth: wonder girls!

now we’re gonna skip ALLLLL the way to. wait. hang on. the website just went down. fuck. okay hang on.

right ok we’re back. i now recommend issue 33-34. cassies in it and so is my beloved cissie. cassie and anita and cissie are on the set of buffy the vampire slayer wendy the werewolf stalker!

next issue is 35-37, and this one is great for the cissiecassie fans (meee). shows again cassies reluctance to accept cissie doesnt want to be a hero (GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY) and genuinely just a great arc. really sad too.

next you should read 38-39, because oh god the comphet. first issue is where match is jokerfied, cassie spills her heart out to him and i still think shes a lesbian, second is a fun issue with cissie.

next arc recommendation! world without young justice. its kinda crappy, and i dont remember much of it. give it a go tho maybe?

issue 47. CASSIE BECOMES TEAM LEADER. oh my god im so proud of her!!!

from here on i recommend reading up till the end, issue 53. because this whole arc is amazing and also shows cassie being a great leader.

BUT WAIT. THERES MORE!

here comes my absolute favourite young justice arc EVER.

titans/young justice: graduation day 1-3. this is fantastic. i cant even describe it you have to read it for yourself issue 3 will forever haunt me PLEASE READ IT.

thanks so much for the ask anon, and i hope this helps! truly, i recommend reading all of young justice because its fun, but you dont seem to like it, so give these a go!

[explosionshark]

Character ask game Rachel Amber?

General opinion/How much I care about them: BACHEL BAMBER MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER OC. Okay obviously not really but part of me will always think of her that way a bit - Kae and I DID start intensely working on Rachel fic before BTS was even announced. And I still think we did a better job writing her. Anyway obviously yeah I love her I find her so compelling. Being charming and beloved is such a part of who she is, but she's also got this darker side, this bottomless pit in her that always wants more more more and doesn't know how to fully let herself connect with someone that loves her because to do so would require her to compromise something else she wants. It's such a compelling central struggle, I love teasing it out. 8 years on and I'm still not normal about Rachel Amber

A ship I love: AMBERPRICEFIELD PEAK!!!!! I love the yearning and tragedy of Amberprice, the way they're slightly toxic. I think Amberfield is really sweet too. But put all that together and you've got a real meal.

A non-romantic relationship that I love: idk. Always liked writing the Joyce/Rachel relationship in HTLH. And I love Rachel/Dana friendship. Bicons tbh. Of course there's also Rachel/Victoria which (in my head) is a deeply one-sided looney Tunes ass relationship where Victoria is horny and scheming and filled with hate and Rachel just is like. "Victoria? Lmao ew"

The NOTP: I find Rachel/Frank compelling on a character level but I think he's an interesting mistake for her to make not a relationship I want to see progress. Jefferson/Rachel is, of course, the ultimate NOTP. Ditto to Nathan. Yuck.

My biggest headcanon about them: tons just tons but I love longboard Rachel Amber the most

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: (if I have none in my WIPs I'll make one up on the spot!) Lmao. I mean. I still wish we could finish HTLH someday - I dumped all my fave HCs into it, every time I find myself trying to come up with another Amberpricefield fic idea I realize I'm just doing HTLH again. Alas.

Something that makes me think of them: (a song, a character in another fandom, an animal, anything) me and Kae do have extensive Rachel Amber playlists but #1 Rachel Amber anthem of all time for me is "L.A. Looks" by HEALTH. absolute banger

Character Asks

[netherfeildren]

Hey Vic! Long time no talk! I’ve been so consumed with work lately that I haven’t been all that interactive around here. I still scroll somewhat regularly and check in on my faves. Saw you being kinda down about not having updated tcc in a while. I just wanted to be another person to tell you to please not apologize or feel bad. Your writing is so beautiful, nobody in their right mind should expect it not to take time. Creative outlets don’t work on a strict schedule. I just appreciate that you share it with us, however long it takes, I (and I know looooots of others as well) are happy to stick around and appreciate that you choose to share with us when you do. Hope you’re doing well!!

hello my friend!! tcc my beloved—when it was going real dark it was difficult to write bc it was difficult for me to find her headspace and say what it was she needed to say in the right way. now they’re coming back to each other and so in love they might die of it and I’ve found it absolutely impossible to get my happy on and do them justice

woe is me

But it’ll get done and I have a vision and it’ll come to fruition no matter what, I just need time to get it right and put something out that’s worthwhile for you guys and makes up for this ridiculous wait and worthy of those two and the place they’re in now

you’re so lovely, I hope you’re doing amazing as well! don’t work too hard :)

[night-dark-woods]

20, 44 and, as a Baru Cormorant enjoyer, 46? :)

20. Where and how do you find new books to read?

usually from my beloved friends and mutuals, or people i follow whose book taste i agree with. or if authors i like mention the books! i have a Long list to get thru from seth dickinson's reddit ama still- off the top of my head, Downbelow Station & Wolf Hall are the ones at the top of that pile? thats also where i got Blindsight from, and its REALLY fun to see what has influenced his writing! also the ranged touch boys, though i suppose that falls under people i follow, just not on social media.

44. The book(s) whose stories have become part of your very makeup.

absolute top of the list is the original Alanna series. i read those so many times. i read the other Tortall books as well, but none were ANYWHERE near as formative (shocker) as a girl pretending to be a boy so she could become a knight. for some reason, i also was never as interested in the later books in the series once she's living as a woman... (/s). other runners up are the Redwall books, The Hero and the Crown, Artemis Fowl, the Old Kingdom series, the Bartimaeus series, and Tithe/Valiant/Ironside. I think most if not all of my tastes in media can be traced to one or several of these books.

46. I like _____, recommend me a book to read, please (insert a book, or trope, or character, or... anything you like before asking for this one).

FIFTH SEASON BY N K JEMISON. incredible incredible character writing, deals with some similar topics (trauma, the ways people often end up enforcing&perpetuating the same systems that harmed them) and most importantly is just very very VERY good. i think it should be required reading for all sff fans to be completely honest. it also has... a lot more faith in the reader than i find Seth has often? like i think my one true complaint about Baru is how often the narrator turns to the reader and says "imperialism is bad. do you get it." WHICH. in all fairness. apparently is needed given some of the ice cold fucking takes ive seen about it (cough arkady martine cough)

the other one on my absolute faves shelf besides that series & Baru is Yoon Ha Lee's Machineries of Empire (which, if you like the accounting part of Baru as much as i do, you will likely enjoy! i love space beaurocracy & detailed descriptions of military maneuvers more than almost any other aspect of scifi, but also i know that isnt true for everyone).

[sharpestasp]

Fem February: Black Canary

Ahh, DC Comics, my forever home, it feels like, where fandom is concerned.

And specifically my beloved, the incomparable Dinah Lance aka Black Canary? WHOO HOO.

Black Canary has been through many changes, and I may have given away the answer by naming 'Dinah Lance' instead of 'Dinah Drake', as to who my favorite is. Even still, WHICH Dinah Lance is my favorite?

Justice League: Year One may have come LATE on the scene, but it codified the Justice League Origins that had been in play since Crisis had concluded. Wonder Woman had not been a founding member of the League — Black Canary was.

This Black Canary is short (5'4" was her most often given height), young (at 19 she was the youngest founder), dealing with mommy issues (seriously, Crisis's changes set Mama Canary up to be a difficult stumbling block in Baby Canary's growth), and she was the 'well the JSA did it this way' voice on the team.

This particular version did not contradict the one I'd been following even longer, the one fleshed out by Mike Grell. But ASP! HE MUTILATED HER?!

Yes. Grell stripped the Canary of her voice, put her at death's door, and then, over the course of 75 issues, showed her growing into a new kind of tough while putting her through hell at Oliver Queen's side. The reason I still prefer The Longbow Hunters concept for Dinah is that she OVERCAME GRAVE ODDS and is still committed to being the best damn vigilante she can be.

That said, I keep the pre-Crisis story of her being Roy's savior. I don't see a conflict there. I keep the Gotham-born, grew up on the West Coast implied by mixing the canons she's present in. And, most of all, these make a wonderful cocktail shaker that delivers the penultimate Black Canary:

Birds of Prey Black Canary.

All of Justice League, all of Green Arrow's solo book, even her mostly-panned solo miniseries evolve into the woman that takes Oracle's offer to fly under the radar and kick ass, take names, and make the world a little safer. I faithfully followed the original miniseries and one shots, then the first series of the book through so many artist and writer changes with absolute delight and glee. She was older, she was jaded, she held her ground, she was selfless when it mattered, she cared…

Just. Everything I needed in a woman that was at one point in time considered to be in the top ten of DCU's martial artists. (Richard Dragon, Cassandra Cain, and Shiva are all considered better than her. For a time, the jury was out on if she or Connor Hawke was the better, and Tim Drake was up in here during that era. In at least one issue, Batman says she is better than he is.)

I love, adore, and worship the woman that Dinah Lance was between Crisis and Identity Crisis, considering her my end-all, be-all favorite of that character.

(Honorable mentions to the animated TimmVerse Canary, but TimmVerse got a LOT of my faves perfectly. And the spin they took in the Birds TV show was intriguing, but there, it was Mama Canary that stole my heart with her brief appearances.)