#subtext-is-my-division

[vasito-de-leche]

I haven't seen anyone request this and I've been,,,,really dying for more content of her but pretty please general dating headcanons with Tennant 😭 i keep imagining she'd be such an amazing lover and love your writing so much

;R1999 TENNANT - Relationship Headcanons

Compilation of headcanons about Tennant in a romantic relationship.

sorry for the late reply! I got a bit burned out from replying asks, but now I'm going back to writing here cause I got burned out from playing the game lmfao

Tennant is still one of my favorite characters to think about and analyze hohohoho sorry for the insane gender tangent at the beginning, I started thinking and the gears just kept on going and going

Okay, walk with me for a second. This might be a very confusing tangent, but I swear it's important for the romance later on in the post and I really really wanna talk about this! This also sparked an entire awesome discussion about gender within the game in our R99 server, so I might make a separate post about that!

Tennant's choice to act and present herself within a traditionally masculine role is very important to me; in my previous analysis of her character, I talked about how Tennant is an extremely grounded character due to the life she's led as a perpetrator, victim and witness to crimes of oppression. We also have her opinions regarding arcanist and human division within the setting of the game, along with her so called "lies"--the performance she puts on for the women she seduces and then profits from when scamming rich merchants--and all these things continue to put Tennant as an outlier, someone who doesn't conform to what is expected of her. In that very same post, I failed to bring up the importance of defying gender and embracing sexuality that her character also tackles to a degree. So I gotta do it here, man, I NEED to talk about it here.

The game puts a lot of focus on female identities, so the concept of gender queer fuckery that I love isn't explored as broadly as I'd like, but it's still there explored through many aspects of womanhood. And we do have characters like Medicine Pocket, The Fool, John Titor and Tennant (and many Awakened, like Lucy, but no one is ready for that conversation yet) who clearly do not conform to what's expected of them.

There is always this feeling of not fitting in within any of the options available, of picking the secret third option and so on--Medicine Pocket as an intersex character, is very vocal about not caring about gender. The Fool has a single voiceline which he states that he does not have any gender, which can be interpreted as his actual identity (being gender queer) or as part of his motifs about acting (playing female and male roles as an actor). John Titor has absolutely no comments nor voicelines regarding her identity, but we can gleam similarities to the queer experience through her appearance, her name being traditionally masculine, and the "otherness" presented in her backstory.

With Tennant specifically, this aspect of gender can be conflated with her entire theme of deceit, and while I respect people choosing to analyze and perceive their favorite characters in whichever way they want to, I feel like reducing Tennant's choice to present herself in such masculine ways as a superficial decision gotcha o7

or mindlessly praising her for being butch without analyzing the possible context behind it is just a huge disservice to the character. Especially considering she is one of the few charactes who has been explicitly mentioned as queer, making other women fall in love with her, unlike others that remain as subtext or heavy implications--Schneider and Vertin's kiss under the umbrella, or Matilda's crush on Sonetto.

Hell, we even get a voiceline about it from Tennant:

I don't dislike dresses. They are pretty, delicately embroidered, intricately sewed apparels. They are what I'm supposed to wear, not these trousers. Heh, destiny holds a different plan, doesn't it?

There is clearly an intent behind these choices Bluepoch has made in creating characters that defy gender norms. I don't think it's a coincidence that Tennant's era, the 1940s, is also when gender queerness in butch women started to be more apparent.

But also, gender is not as direct or straightforward; I personally like to perceive Tennant's masculinity the same way I perceive her lies--there is a Tennant that presents masculine as a personal choice, because it simply feels more natural, and a Tennant that presents as masculine because she is aware of how she can profit from the, at the time, dominant gender. We can find nuance in the way she exploits people looking to invest in the diamond industry, which she was part of and knows closely due, and there is a vulnerability or solidarity to be acknowledged in the way she doesn't hurt the women she seduces, she sells them a dream of love and carries on. Her queerness can also be found here, in the way she plays the role of gentleman for all the damsels in distress and whatnot, in times in which traditional gender norms had to permeate every aspect, whether they were welcomed or not.

My friend @evilpinkthing worded this point very well.

I like to think that Tennant is reclaiming herself, her identity, her freedom and all of these things through her masculinity, while also both profiting and being singled out as a result. It's the same three roles she's witnessed through her life; perpetrator, victim, and witness.

So with this in mind, I can now properly talk about relationship headcanons!

Contrary to popular belief, Tennant is a gentle and calm partner.

When it comes down to it, I think that Tennant would enjoy a more traditional relationship in terms of having a long-term partner--something more domestic and quiet, to be able to go on simple dates in broad daylight rather than sneak around in the dark and keep her relationships a secret from the world.

This isn't to say that she doesn't enjoy the thrill of her suave tactics and escapades, if her partner enjoys those, she would gladly indulge them once in a while! But Tennant strikes me as someone who would enjoy settling down and living that domestic bliss fantasy; on one hand because it's the type of life that was often denied to queer people, and on the other hand because she is a hopeless romantic deep down. I feel like this adds a fun dichotomy to her character, to be so unconventional and still yearn for someone to grow old with, to live in a quaint little house and provide for her partner, instead of a rollercoaster of emotions.

No matter who you are, she will insist on playing the role of gentleman. No matter how old you two are, she will always open the doors open for you, always make sure to gift you flowers every week, to insist that you two simply sit in the living room on a sunny afternoon and chat or go outside and have a picnic.

She dreams of the ideal way of proposing, to have a quaint wedding party only to surprise you by showering you with endless gifts from her previous thefts and scams, just so she can look at your reaction when she tells you about the time she got shot while trying to steal this ring in particular and so on. Tennant loves peppering these little surprises here and there, and would also melt whenever her partner goes out of their way to surprise her in return--it's just hard to tell because of her insane poker face.

Of course, these are all what ifs; if her partner wasn't the type to want this sort of life, she wouldn't raise any objections--but she wouldn't share her dreams either, knowing that they may cause a rift between you two. Instead, Tennant would simply stay with you for as long as you'll allow her and enjoy the ride, always focusing on her present with you. She's not a stranger to heartbreak, so she knows how to accept a break up with elegance and move on.

On the subject of Tennant's orientation.

Usually I never discuss a character's orientation when writing relationship headcanons about them since they're all left pretty ambiguously but, again, since Tennant's preference for women is made pretty explicit, I feel it's important to discuss it!

Given the themes of non-conformity within her character and how thoughtful she is, I like to think Tennant does have a preference for women but is ultimately open to any sort of partners, regardless of gender identity. She has led a very eventful life and thus would feel that sticking to one thing or another is too limited for her; why pick one diamond when she can just take them all? Why limit herself to wearing dresses and baking pies, when she can be and do much more than what's expected?

Most of the characters I've analyzed so far strike me as the type to not really bother with the struggle of identity--they've always known where they stand or simply do not care about the way they're perceived--but with Tennant, I do like the idea of her struggling with coming to terms with her own orientation and identity as a masculine woman. But rather than an outer struggle, it's more so an inner struggle. She doesn't care what the world might think of her, but she does have to get rid of those ideas and mindsets she might've internalized while growing up.

This also means that Tennant is one of the best people to talk to in regards to your own issues with identity and whatnot! Characters like Pavia or Diggers might simply brush it off with ease, since they themselves had no issue accepting their non-conventional lifestyles. Some others are still in the process of figuring it out themselves, and some are so repressed they will most likely scare you back into the closet on accident. But Tennant? She's attentive and understanding, never taking her partner's struggles lightly.

Round of cute things I didn't know where to fit in.

Tennant likes roleplaying, but not exclusively in bed or more private settings--I think she just enjoys lighthearted and playful roleplay as an excuse to brush up on her seduction techniques, pretending to be the perfect stranger at a bar to flirt with you, insisting that your husband doesn't have to know, while you play along and tell her that you're spoken for and waiting for someone else until one of you breaks character. It's straight up enrichment for her, and she really enjoys surprising you with these Wattpad sounding ass settings just to see how you'll keep up with her.

Regardless of your stance on marriage, Tennant makes a point of gifting you a ring with a diamond she created--one that will not turn into coal nor ashes for as long as you two are together, as a token of her devotion. It's also extremely hard for others to notice whenever Tennant is in a committed relationship, but if you pay attention, you'll notice all the new different accessories and pins she keeps wearing on her hat or jacket that remind her of you, just subtle enough to pass off as yet another aesthetic choice of hers, but so obvious for the love of her life.

Insists that you wear her cologne; Tennant playfully jokes with you about this, saying that this way all of the world will know who holds your heart in her hands--but she's not joking. I do think Tennant has a possessive streak, one she keeps on a tight leash to avoid scaring her partner and whatnot, but you can just tell how much she covets and cherishes you in the way she looks at you. Sometimes she says things like "Oh, you're such a precious gem, I could just lock you up forever" while laughing and twirling your hair through her fingers, but she means it. Sort of kind of!

Tennant is the type of character who looks like she'd love to wear matching and custom tailored expensive outfits with her partner, but personally? I think she's more partial to whatever you want to have as your personal style, the more it contrasts her own the better. Tennant greatly respects anyone who has the courage to live as loud, proud and happy as they can be.

[mildlyalarming33]

Arcane JAYVIK

This is NAWT one of my good ones... YOIKES

Among the many complex relationships portrayed in Arcane, few are as emotionally charged or as quietly devastating as the bond between Jayce and Viktor. Their partnership, which begins as a shared scientific dream, evolves into a deeply personal connection marked by trust, admiration, and ultimately, heartbreaking division. Beneath the surface, there is a profound intimacy between them — one that borders on the romantic, if not in canon, then certainly in emotional reality.

Jayce and Viktor’s relationship is founded on mutual need and belief. Jayce, often isolated by his idealism and ambition, finds in Viktor not only an intellectual equal but someone who truly understands him. Viktor, marginalized due to his background and failing health, sees in Jayce a partner who believes in both his mind and his worth. The loyalty they build is not casual; it is immediate, intense, and foundational to both of their characters' arcs.

The emotional closeness they share is emphasized through Arcane’s visual storytelling. Late nights spent alone in their lab, moments of physical touch, the vulnerability they only show to each other — these elements are crafted with care. Their partnership is framed with the kind of emotional tenderness that often characterizes romantic relationships. While the narrative stops short of making their bond explicitly romantic, the homoerotic subtext is unmistakable. It lingers in every soft glance, every desperate moment of needing the other’s approval, every scene where one reaches for the other in pain.

What makes their story particularly tragic is how easily it could have remained a source of strength for both of them — but external forces and internal fears drive them apart. As Jayce is drawn deeper into Piltover’s politics and Viktor becomes consumed by his research and mortality, their visions of the future start to diverge. Their eventual conflict feels less like a professional disagreement and more like a painful, personal betrayal. Jayce’s decision to not destroy the Hexcore, Viktor’s choice to leave without confiding in Jayce — these are not the actions of indifferent colleagues. They are the heartbreaking decisions of two people who loved each other, in whatever way they could, and lost their connection anyway.

In the end, Jayce and Viktor’s story reads like a love story gone wrong — a narrative of deep emotional intimacy that could not survive the pressures of ambition, mortality, and politics. Whether interpreted as a platonic tragedy or a subtle, unspoken romance, their bond remains one of the most powerful and devastating elements of Arcane. It is a relationship defined by what was said, what was left unsaid, and the unbearable weight of "what could have been."

[blazing-butterfly]

Me: I will not hate the youths, I refuse to perpetrate generational divisions, I want a better future for those who come after me and that starts with having compassion for my juniors

Some baby gay who grew up with Steven Universe, She-Ra, Owl House, Amphibia, Witch from Mercury, Bubbline and Bumblebee being canon, etc.: Korrasami is queerbait

Me: Listen here yoU ENTITLED IGNORANT SPOILED CHILD-

---

FYI because I recognize some people innocently don't know: Legend of Korra predates the legalization of gay marriage in the US and the creators had to fight like hell for even the scraps of canonicity Korrasami got, Korra and Asami tiptoed past censors so that nowadays' animated sapphics can run from cancellation.

This isn't backhanded, this is my sincere well-wish for you: Someday, when things are better and a woman made of ink and pixels and an author's heart can kiss her girlfriend in the pilot episode, I hope people will look back on the seasons of subtext and endgame confessions that mean so much to you, and appreciate how hard they fought and the legacy they left.

(BTW I'm not even 30 yet what the heck why am I acting like an elder??? Back in my day we had to ship sapphics uphill both ways! In the snow! And by gum we were happy!)

[pensbridge]

This fandom doesn't understand subtext! Actually this fandom doesn't even understand text...that's right in front of their faces.

"Penelope asked for an annulment, because she made a power move to choose better for herself." No, she did not! I'd respect it, but that's not what happened! Y'all have invented a version of Penelope where she does no wrong and has to "prove" to people where they did her dirty. Do you know how many people still can't admit what she did wrong in Marina and El's situation? It's a lot. Hate to break it to you, but Penelope was wrong. There's layers there; and there's reasonings behind her actions that have a snowball effect when she didn't really mean ill-harm. But it still happened. Every person in these situation has there faults and did poor things, that yes, Marina did on purpose. And I support Penelope for what she did. But again, the outcome was still (and could've been) bad. Penelope is so divisive sometimes that leads to people having to hit the haters with an analysis that Penelope is morally gray (I respect morally gray characters), but Penelope is not even morally gray. She does things that come out bad sometimes as a result of her decisions, but she's good and she has good intentions *is complex* - you know like a well-written character. Penelope, herself admits that she was wrong this season and y'all didn't hear, apparently.

For Colin, you've decidedly settled on this version of him where 1 thing that he says and does will forever be twisted into something that does not exist that I can only assume is from a pre-conceived world-skew of already having it out for him, because this can truly not be about The Character. The entrapment comment - I've already given my thoughts on this, but regardless if that hurt you so bad or not, you cannot deny the reason right in front of your faces that the writers place directly in front of The Scene. Colin is talking to El on the stairs and she asks, "do you think that you'll be able to forgive her?" He says it in intricate descriptive Bridgerton language fashion, but he says "maybe you should consider yourself uncommonly lucky, El, that you have never known what love is." He loves her, he's always gonna love her and she hurt him with the one thing we know from part 1 that he places so much value on he gets lost in tangents with the men in the club: INTIMACY. They were intimate...It wasn't just sex. She withheld the truth for far longer than she should and she denied him that choice to move on ( he wouldnt ) and allow him to not be "stuck" in a marriage that she insists on giving him an out to (if that's what she cares about), because she did not mean to entrap him. But sure, she asked for an annulment, because she actually doesn't care and only cares about herself. That's your character.

[anxietycheesecake]

I agree with you. The thing is, beyond whether or not it's classified as genuine "queerbait", it's my opinion that non-canon nandermo is just a big old case of shit writing, lmao. The quality has gone down quite a bit over the years, but Nandermo x Guillermo has been a teased romance since season one. It isn't interpretation or subtext, it's the canon plot. Both of their arcs are deeply tied to one another and I think it should be encouraged to air dissatisfaction about an anti-climatic end.

Here's the issue with the controversy though. The show's been so hyper-tumblrfied, that each take needs a condescending tone and plenty of notes to be considered remotely worth listening to, while also being taken WAY too seriously, lmao. I just know there's someone out there foaming at the mouth and ready to divise a political essay about why it's morally wrong and anti-intellectual for me to call the handshake anti-climatic. This website's dumb, don't let it impact you. And hey, there's lots of us that share your disappointment! x

I love you, anon. You're so real for this.

[neonficlist]

Post S4 Getting Together Pt3

Here we go again, gang, since I am a fiend. Again, parentlock is not the focus, but is a lovely bonus

Post S4 pt1, Post S4 pt2

Shift by Stopthat 48.5k words

“I’m tired, John,” He murmurs. Barely a whisper. John swallows, feeling irrationally helpless.

“I can see that,” He responds quietly, tracing an eyebrow with the pad of his thumb. “Sleep, then,” He can hear the crack in his own voice—a perfect match for the one in his chest. He hopes that Sherlock won’t notice, won’t try to pick it all apart.

“Not what I meant,” He rumbles, as he drifts off and away, leaving John alone in wakefulness to wonder what the hell had just happened.

notes: buying a house, misunderstandings, promises of forever, honeymoons

Tapestry by stopthat 15k words

“People would talk,” he tries, repurposing an old line, a shortcut to a recurring theme in their lives.

“They do little else.” John dutifully completes the circuit with a sigh. “Sherlock,” he continues haltingly, eyes falling back to his hands as he considers his words. “Would they be wrong, though, really?”

notes: getting together, going to harry/clara's wedding, first kiss, John adores Sherlock openly

Without Complexities or Pride by Raina_at 1.6k words

Love is what happens when you look and look and finally see.

notes: sweet, warm, a sliding together of finally

more than you could ever know by subtext-is-my-division (Quill_A) 7.6k words

Suddenly, Sherlock’s hand curls around his bicep. Warm and grounding, over the wool of his jumper. He fixes him with his impossible, multi-coloured gaze, and asks, “Are you happy?”

Is he-

Sherlock cocks his head, and his flushed cheeks glow in the darkness. (Sherlock always looks unfairly pretty when he’s drunk.)

notes: christmas fluff, convincing John to come back to baker st, Sherlock decorating for John and Rosie

coming home by disc0inferno 2k words

John keeps falling asleep in Baker Street, and Sherlock decides to finally call him out on it.

notes: soft, sweet, accidental cuddling, love confessions

When All Else Fails by ClueingForLooks_221B 6.7k

John laughed. “Well, I already poured you some, but no. I was going to ask, why don’t you ever correct anyone when they assume you and I are together?”

“We are together,” he replied simply, still typing away at his laptop.

John stiffened a bit at that. “What?”

“You and me. We’re together a lot, John. Why would I correct someone who points out a fact?”

John rolled his eyes as he headed back toward the kitchen. “That’s not what I meant,” he called as he put the wine back on the counter.

notes: soft and lovely, flirty but with a splash of insecure Sherlock

Home by aquileaofthelonelymountain 3.9k words

Suddenly, Sherlock couldn’t get his suitcase fast enough. Impatiently, he grabbed it and hurried through the masses toward the exit. A month abroad had been far too long.

After being away for a case, Sherlock is welcomed home.

In case you didn't know by TheKatlocker (TheKat79) 18.2k words

Sherlock loves John, John loves Sherlock... Are they ever going to tell each other? Spoiler: they will, but it's not that simple. As if it ever is.

notes: parentlock, misunderstandings. they suck at talking. fluffy sweet and lovely though, covers the events from both their povs, Sherlock has a book of things he loves about John

Move in by Strange_johnlock 3k words

Sherlock wants John and Rosie to move out. At least that's what John thinks.

notes: Sherlock starts looking for new apartments, John's insecurities cause him to fear the worst, sweet

More Than Okay by DissociativeSilence 9k words

Time has passed and Sherlock and John are settling back into their life of solving crimes. In the midst of a case, they both reflect on what they've been through and where they are now, what's survived, what's healing, and what's changed, for better or for worse. Day by day, they're learning more about how to live in the present, and on this day, they might just achieve that.

notes: little parentlock, Sherlock kisses John first, love confessions

'Almost' or 'Home is where the Heart is' by Strange_johnlock 7.9k words

"Where Sherlock enjoyed every second together and counted the minutes to see John again, his (former) best friend kept his distance, even when they sat on a bench together and watched Rosie run around the park. To Sherlock John was home, and John had found a different one."

Sherlock wants John to come home. John wants the space to cure his broken heart.

notes: Sherlock is so desperate to convince John that they should live together again, he starts staying at John's house for a bit.

Our Hands by Salambo06 4k words

Sherlock and John are in a cafe, gathering clues. The only problem is, Sherlock, socially unaware as he is, starts mouthing his observations louder and louder until eventually, he’s spinning around and rattling off at full speed and a fuller volume in the middle of the floor. Everyone is staring, and John is starting to become aware of this. When he realises what is happening, Sherlock hangs his head, his cheekbones colouring a light crimson. So John takes his hand boldly, even though they’ve never done this, even though he isn’t sure he can do this. And soon, Sherlock’s blush takes on a new meaning entirely.

notes: light, warm, full of sweet tension, yearning

[boundwithpurple]

Dean for the character ask

How I feel about this character

dean winchester is like my real close personal friend…i love him! a lot to say but i think the core of what i love about dean is revealed by the persistent emphasis on his empathy for children - he believes them, he takes children’s terror seriously and is moved by it.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

sam. i also really liked dean/bela.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

him and jo were cute…i mean i wouldn’t object to them fucking as with any little sibling substitute for dean but it’s not the dominant feeling.

My unpopular opinion about this character

i’ve shared a lot of these…as with any insanely divisive fandom, any opinion is going to be unpopular with somebody so these are always targeting specific corners. no shade to any mutuals that feel this way but i strongly feel reading dean as anything but bisexual is off-base! that is my polite, agree to disagree opinion. but i am not entirely rationally irritated by it, for reasons i will share. you have two varieties of this.

first, destiels who read dean as gay. i have developed an irrevocable personal beef for these kinds of reads, whether it’s dean or alicent hightower, where the primary issue - trauma from child abuse - is transmuted into a secondary issue subordinate to internalized homophobia. the two of course can be deeply connected and that’s fine to explore, but it’s the specific fandom spaces that flip out in horrified disgust if you want to stay with the canonical or strongly subtextual child sexual abuse instead of watching chappell roan edits or making endless unfunny jokes about disaster lesbians or needing the strap. (for supernatural, this shows up as revulsion should you mention the csa subtext at all; for alicent, since it can’t be effaced, the fact that alicent is rhaenyra’s stepmother and what that means has to be minimized as much as possible and anyone who doesn’t is spoiling the fun). it triggers kill bill sirens for me that are i am sure not fair to full breadth of people who subscribe to sexuality headcanons strongly.

(the second is wincesties who read dean as a heterosexual he-man with a brother exception because he can turn his brother’s asshole into a pussy. this is wrong because that is actually sam’s deal. and it’s beautiful…but even dean’s women top. EVEN HIS WOMEN!)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

young jeffrey dean morgan time traveling to play young john in the time travel episodes. this would be something that happened to dean. you understand.

[aemiron-main]

The Most Evil Man In Hawkins: Don Melvald and Brenner Sr (Ft Richard Brenner and Brenner Sr's Punk Era/Axel Delivering Brenner Subtext and Ketamine)

So, Mark Hammersley posted this picture of himself as Brenner Sr:

And then, right after that Brenner Sr picture, he posted this picture of himself as Don Melvald:

And look at the caption- "secretly the most evil man in Hawkins"- that's an interesting caption for a guy that's supposedly a random store owner- it's almost the sort of caption that woudl fit better with Brenner Sr. It's almost like Brenner Sr and Don Melvald are being connected here, especially with how often Brenner gets referred to as "man"/"the man" in-show versus Don getting called "the most evil man" in this caption.

Hell, Kali even refers to Brenner as "a man you knew was evil":

And of course, I take everything that's said/posted by actors with a HUGE grain of salt, and on its own, Mark’s caption isn't particularly strong evidence of some sort of subtext/connection related to Brenner Sr and Don Melvald- but there's three key things that piqued my interest here and led me to believe that there IS some sort of Melvald-Brenner connection:

1.) Mark Hammersley himself has posted before about how he has to be super careful about what he posts on social media re: TFS & how people from Netflix/people in charge check/approve TFS social media posts (and other cast members have talked about how they have ‘ironclad NDAs’)- which makes it suspicious that the Brenner Sr post was deleted and is no longer on Mark's page:

2.) Even when Brenner Sr and Don Melvald aren't played by Mark Hammersley, they ARE always played by the same actor (at least every time I saw the play & every BTS pic etc I've seen supports this & even if it's hard to tell from my screenshots, that is 1000000% the same actor playing both of them in TFS). So, even setting Mark himself entirely aside, there IS an intentional production choice/casting choice that connects Brenner Sr and Don Melvald:

3.) The in-show, NON TFS Don Melvald has an EERY resemblance to Brenner. Look at the hair- not only does he have the same "pushed back grey with white streaks" style as Brenner, but his hair is also parted on the RICHARD side/towards screen left, which ties into something I'm going to talk about in a second. And there''s also Don's white grid shirt versus the white HNL grid tiles and Owens' white grid shirt- and Don also wears a grid shirt and cardigan combo like Owens does, with the blue coat over top and everything (and Don's cardigan seems to be dark green, much like in-show Young Henward's dark green cardigan):

And what's extra suspicious about all of this is Melvald's being advertised as a drug store versus Richard Brenner being the head of the Narcotics Enforcement division, and all of the drug dealer Reefer Rick vs Richard Brenner stuff (it’s also very funny to me that the guy that’s talking about “when did Rick get out of jail?” has the same sort of white and grey beard as TFS Don Melvald and Brenner Sr):

And on that note, going back to what I said in the beginning about Kali's line re: "a man you knew was evil," IMO, this is another piece that connects all of this specifically to Richard because Richard is likley the man that Kali is referring to/the man that Ray worked with, as Richard seems to be the guy that we see in the flashbacks with Ray during Terry's electrocution:

Anyway, it's also an interesting choice for Don Melvald to have brown eyes as opposied to both Brenner Sr and Brenner Jr's brown eyes versus Flayed Will's brown eyes... what's going on??? And also regarding Brenner Sr and Don Melvald being played by the same actor in TFS/being identical, this "sex, drugs, and Elvis" line about Melvald's from TFS stuck out to me:

It stuck out to me because: A.) It connects Melvalds to drugs again, which therefore connects Melvald's to Richard Brenner again. And B.) It references Elvis, which, as we know, and as I'm sure Stav's talked about, that connects to the "Elvis Cloned By Aliens" newspaper article.

So, connecting Melvald's to Elvis therefore connects Melvald's to cloning- which is supsicious considering that TFS Don Melvald is identical to Brenner Sr/played by the same actor. Quick, Don, you wouldn't happen to be some sort of copy/clone of Brenner Sr, would you? Even in the sense of TFS involving some of Brenner Jr's memories in a weird simulation way/the way that the bloody hands memory invades NINA for El, and so, Brenner Jr's memories of Brenner Sr might be invading TFS in a similar way???

And also, the Elvis Cloned By Aliens paper has that article titled “Sailor Cheats Death In Ordeal At Sea," which further connects the cloning stuff to Brenner Sr because Brenner Sr cheated death at sea and returned (albeit briefly) from Project Rainbow/the USS Eldridge, whereas the rest of his crew did not. Brenner Sr, do you have clones running around?? Also, it's interesting that TFS Don Melvald a.) looks so different from in-show Don Melvald, with TFS Don having a beard vs in-show Don being clean-shaven, which reminds me of Brenner Sr's beard in TFS vs in-show Brenner being clean-shaven and b.) Don Melvald is already greying/older looking when Joyce is in highschool in TFS- and yet, many years later, the in-show Don Melvald looks younger than the TFS Don/it doesnt seem to make sense for in-show Don to be TFS Don age-wise- which makes me think about how TFS Brenner Jr doesn't age, and also the whole Brenner Sr vs Brenner Jr thing- is the TFS version of Don actually Don Melvald Sr vs the in-show don being Don Melvald Jr? Anyway!

And also, when we look at more of Don's in-show scenes, he has a line about bringing Jeffrey in to cover for Joyce. Which is interesting considering all of the weirdness with cover actors in TFS and the fact that it almost seems like Brenner Sr's actor is "covering" for Don Melvald's actor or vice versa, even though that doesn't seem to actually be the case/Don's been intentionally casted since the start to be played by whicever actor is playing Brenner Sr. It's also extra interesting that Don is having a guy named Jeffrey/Jeff cover for Joyce here, versus Jeff from the Hellfire Club being present at the table in S4 when Dustin and Mike are told to go and find somebody to cover for Lucas. And Jeff's also the guy that pointed out that Eddie's been saying that he's going to run out of Hawkins High for two years, which then connects to what I've talked about before re: Eddie being stuck in highschool for an extra two years versus Edward Creel moving to Hawkins two years before Henry did- and Jeff also wears a Black Sabbath shirt later on vs what I talked about in this post and this post re: Eddie Munson vs Edward Creel and Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne And Jeff is ALSO the one that yells at Jason to "let him go" when Jason grabs Gareth, which then connects to El talking about how Brenner couldn't let Henry go:

Anyway, we also have this shot of the Halloween masks at Melvald's General Store- and that mummy mask looks a LOT like Brenner Sr's Invisible Man-esque bandaged face after he returned from Project Rainbow- and that mask from Melvald’s is also the same mask that Axel wears:

And speaking of Axel, Axel has something in common with TFS Virginia- they’re both terrified of spiders, TFS Henry shows Virginia a vision of spiders crawling towards her/onto her, just like Kali does with Axel, and Virginia freak out just like Axel does:

(And TFS Virginia was locked in a closet full of spiders as a child, which, considering the connection to Brenner Sr via Axel here, makes me wonder a.) if Brenner Sr ever locked any of his kids/Brenner Jr in a closet/trunk, esp considering the Will-Brenner parallels & Jonathan checking Lonnie’s trunk for Will, as well as all of the locker imagery in TFS & the Davy Jones’ Locker association re: Brenner Sr being a sailor and b.) if TFS Virginia might be one of Brenner Sr’s kids, but anyway)

And hilariously, that whole Virginia-Henry scene about the spiders not only happens RIGHT after the scene of Henry at Melvald's/he's JUST come home from Melvald's to find Virginia waiting up for him, but also, the whole reason the conflict started/the whole reason that line about Virginia and the spiders was even said is because Virginia was upset about Henry going to Melvald's with Patty. Alll roads really do lead to Melvald's at this point.

And regarding that Brenner Sr-Virginia connection, isn't it then funny that the mask in question that Axel wears & that resembles Brenner Sr’a bandages is a mummy mask vs Brenner Sr being connected to Henry's mom via Axel delivering Brenner Sr subtext & having the same sort of spider fear as TFS Virginia?

PLUS, we have Kali putting Axel's Brenner Sr-esque mask onto El- El, who's a girl, which further connects to the weird “Brenner Sr vs Virginia/mother/woman” stuff going on here (and is also interesting considering El being mistaken for a boy in S1):

And also, Kali says that Axel is a “terrible dancer,” after she makes the spiders appear and Axel “dances” around about it, versus TFS Henry talking about how he “doesn’t dance/isnt a good dancer” and then the scene of TFS Henry dancing at Melvald’s right before the spider scene with Virginia:

And ALSO, we get a shot of Axel holding Chinese food, versus S1 Karen saying “am I speaking Chinese in this house?” versus Don Melvald being RIGHT behind Karen at Will’s funeral & the context of the “am I speaking Chinese” scene being about Will’s disappearance/“death”, therefore connecting the “speaking Chinese” scene to that funeral scene & therefore connecting the “speaking Chinese” scene to Don Melvald, which then connects back to Axel (who wears the mask that’s sold at Melvald’s) holding Chinese food, and THEN there’s ALSO Nancy talking about “house arrest” right after Karen says that “speaking Chinese” line versus Reefer Rick delivering subtext about Richard Brenner & the guys on the boat talking about Reefer Rick getting arrested and the “China doll” lyric playing RIGHT after that line, PLUS the newspaper article about Richard Brenner talking about how the documents involving him were “heavily coded,” versus TFS Henry’s DIY code, and Robin cracking the S3 code versus a key part of the S3 code being Chinese food (which Axel was holding), and the S3 code line being “a trip to China sounds nice,” versus the idea of tripping on drugs and what I’m going to talk about later re: Axel, Richard, Reefer Rick and Ketamine and Richard Brenner being the head of narcotics:

And Axel also has this shot where he cocks a pistol, which makes me think of the scene in TFS where Brenner Sr/Don Melvald’s actor does the same sort of thing/raises a pistol towards the audience kind of randomly/there’s no clear reason as to why he did it:

And we also have the shots of Axel walking with his black coat flowing out dramatically behind him, JUST like S1 Brenner walking with his black coat flowing out dramatically behind him (and also, there’s something about the anarchy symbol on Axel’s shirt vs TFS Henry’s weird x and circle scar on his hand):

And just briefly, this part is a tiny bit more of a stretch admittedly, but it IS a little funny to me that Axel tries to steal cigarettes from the convenience store/is very prominently framed by cigarette ads- cigarettes, also known as fags- versus TFS Henry’s vanishing in the cave in Nevada/Henry’s in-show HNL kidnapping re: the Creel Murders and Will’s vanishing and both Henry and Will being gay/being “fags”.

Like, isn’t it just a little suspicious that Axel, the character with constant Brenner Sr & Richard Brenner references, is stealing fags? Versus Brenner’s long-running habit of stealing another type of fag?

Especially considering the connection that Kali’s gang has to London versus fag being British slang for cigarette??

And especially considering that the only time the word “fag” is used in ST is regarding Will (and hilariously, Joyce even raises her cigarette right into frame when she says it)- versus the connection between Richard Brenner and Will, with how the article about Richard is right under the article about Will’s vanishing:

And on a more obvious note re: Brenner St, Richard Brenner and Axel, there’s also the shot of Dottie holding up two bottles of prescription drugs/narcotics in front of Axel’s face- versus Richard Brenner being the head of the Narcotic Enforcement Division, and Axel’s visual connection to Brenner Sr via his mask and said mask being from Melvald’s, which was advertised as a drug store- point is, the connection between Brenner Sr, Don Melvald, Richard Brenner, and Axel continues:

And we also get this shot of Axel going into the kids’ room at Ray Carroll’s house- a kids’ room with rainbows on the wall (versus Brenner and the HNL rainbow room), and a closet very prominently featured in the shot (versus what I talked about earlier re: Virginia and Axel’s fear of spiders and Virginia having been locked in a closet full of spiders as a child), as well as the operator telling the girls to “stay calm” in this scene vs Henward telling El to “stay calm” during NINA in the rainbow room (which it’s also interesting to me that the operator that Henward gets paralleled to is a girl versus a.) the whole “henry creel isn’t a chick” thing in TFS and b.) what ive talked about with how during this very chess scene, Henward is visually paralleled to 007, who is a girl):

^And as a tangential note, it’s interesting to me that NINA Henward is paralleled to a phone operator here vs the NINA phonebooth scene vs the operator in The Matrix, and how operators are typically humans born outside of The Matrix versus Henward being the only lab kid that was born outside of the lab:

And in the bedroom, Axel finds two girls who seem like they might be twins- and not only do they seem like they might be twins, but they also a.) have dark brown hair that’s very similar to 15 year old Brenner’s hair colour & texture as well as 7 year old Henry’s hair colour and texture (and speaking of 15 year old Brenner’s hair, El’s slicked back dark punk hair also reminds me a lot of 15 yr old Brenner’s hair) and b.) they’re paralleled to Alice Creel with the night gowns & their father literally sharing a last name with the author of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll:

Not to mention that one of the girls is wearing a nightgown with a print that’s eerily similar to the HNL lab gown print- and also reminds me of Suzie’s nightgown, which is interesting considering how similar the rainbows on the Carroll girls��� wall is to the rainbow on Suzie’s Muppet Movie/Rainbow Connection poster and how Suzie’s dark hair is so similar to the Carroll girls & the NINA rainbow room vs the Carroll girls’ rainbow wallpaper & Suzie’s connections to NINA & Suzie even having a phone in her room RIGHT under that rainbow connection poster that’s the same colour as the Carroll girls’ phone- and the nightgown ALSO reminds me of TFS Virginia’s nightgown (vs what I just said about the Carroll girls’ closet connection to Virginia), as well as the random bloody nightgown that appears on the laundry line during Max’s Vecna vision:

And the pose of the Carroll girls reminds me of the pose that in-show Young Henward has in this picture- especially since Young Henward has his murder night outfit on in that picture and we still don’t know who called the police on the night of the Creel murders versus the Carroll girls talking on the phone to the 911 operator about the police arriving (also, the use of the word “honey” from the operator here makes me wonder if we’ll get a parallel dialogue line of Henry calling the police the night of the Creel murders where that says “the police are on their way, Henry. Okay?”):

And also, this is something I’ve had a draft about for like a year now & haven’t finished so I’ll put a bit of it in this post, but it’s interesting to me that Axel calls Kali “K,” versus “K,” being used as a short form way of referring to “Ketamine,” versus Eddie Munson talking to Chrissy about Ketamine & Chrissy calling it “Special K” and all of the Richard Brenner vs Reefer Rick drug stuff/Eddie Munson getting his drugs (the Ketamine) from Reefer Rick, versus Axel, who’s constantly connected to Richard Brenner and Brenner Sr, referring to Kali as “K”:

Which also makes me think of the connection between Will and Richard Brenner and the S1 line about how Will’s vanishing left a “hole” in the community” versus the Ketamine experience called a “K Hole,” that causes intense dissociation and “out of body experiences” (which has me staring at my draft about the CIA in 1983s and the Gateway Technique/astral projection) and can also cause distortion of time and space, hallucinations, memory loss, psychosis, and more. Which makes me think about a.) Henward’s apparent memory loss after the Creel murders/El’s memory loss after the massacre & that scene being a parallel to Henward fainting after the Creel murders, as well as Will weirdly not mentioning (or possibly not remembering) his time in the upside down, and b.) all of the hallucination and psychosis stuff associated with Henward, especially with TFS Henry.

There’s a lot more I have to say about Ketamine/K Hole symptoms, dissociation, MKULTRA (because one of the key goals of MKULTRA experiments was inducing dissociation), Henry vs Edward, etc etc, especially since k hole experiences are often associated with visions of aliens/alien experiences vs TFS Henry’s alien stuff re: Rachel, Nevada and all of the Brenner alien stuff, but I’ll put that all in the actual ketamine post/I’ll go and finish that post.

And they also show us a scene of Troy specifically repeating the line about a “hole” versus bladder problems being a symptom of repeated k hole experiences and El making Troy wet himself:

Anyway! Lots to think about, I’d love to know what the hell is going on with Don Melvald vs Brenner Sr and all of the connections to China and codes etc etc!!!

[altraviolet]

Have you read any articles/books or watched any videos/lectures on writing that you found helpful/enjoyed?

There are some recs in this post here. Scroll down to RESOURCES. Since writing that post, I've found more videos and channels. I didn't bookmark them, so I'd have to go hunt and find them. There are also various video recs in my main list of Writing Advice, my pinned post.

I have a mental list of "writing advice posts to make" and an updated resources post is definitely on there :)

The most interesting and entertaining channel I've found in the interim is a script writer, LocalScriptMan. His ideas are really fascinating. He has a bare-bones approach, which makes sense because he doesn't write novels. But you can learn a lot from his craft videos. (YMMV on the enneagram stuff. I find it very interesting but I can't align my brain to those specific characterization divisions) For starters check out "What if character sheets weren't awful." I really enjoy his stuff.

TheCozyCreative is also a really nice channel, highly rec. Trad and self published author talks about all aspects of publishing, the realities of being self employed as a writer (emphasis on frugal living to make that happen), and assorted cozy stuff.

This post got long so gonna put a lil jump here

Most of the videos I've watched recently have been about the publishing industry and editing. I donnnnnnn't know if those would be particularly helpful for fic writing. I mean, editing absolutely should be done, but we're talking Developmental Editing type things, which most fic writers probably don't do... hmm

Know what, let's just go with it xD Please forgive me, I'm too tired to get all the links, but here are some videos I've taken notes on. I have a notebook I take notes in, divided by subject. I'mma just give you the info in my notebook. these are youtube videos, format is:

"video title" channel name

BACKSTORY

"How to write character backstory" Abbie Emmons

BACKSTORY/FLASHBACK

"On Writing: Flashbacks and Backstory" Hello Future Me

CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS

"Oops no soul: the biggest Paradox" LocalScriptMan

CONSISTENCY

"how to be consistent with your creative projects" Megan Brush

EDITING (DEVELOPMENTAL)

"Everything you need to know about developmental editing" Alyssa Matesic

"How to self edit like a developmental editor" Writehive

EDITING (STYLESHEET)

"Stylesheet | Why you need a stylesheet | editing tips" Autumn Bardot

EDITING

"40 words to cut from your novel" Natalia Leigh

REDEMPTION ARCS

"On Writing: Redemption Arcs!" Hello Future Me

SELF PUBLISHING

"My 7 biggest self publishing mistakes: what I learned" The Cozy Creative

SLOW BURN

"How to write slow burn romance... that will make your readers fall in love" Abbie Emmons

STORYTELLING

"The key to great storytelling" Quotidian Writer. I mention Quotidian Writer in the older post I linked above, and I hiiiiighly rec her vidoes. They're really good.

SUBTEXT

"Writing subtext in dialogue" Quotidian Writer. hoo boy do I rec this video. did you like the dialogue in TEG? watch this video :D

--

Alrighty hopefully that's a good start :) Though it's totally possible most of these aren't helpful to you. Do you have specific questions about writing? If so, I can try to find videos for you.

If you're looking for broad advice, def check out the channels in the post above, as well as LocalScriptMan, TheCozyCreative, and def check out Quotidian Writer.

[atopfourthwall]

Really? Don't get me wrong, I like the Doctor Falls speech more too but I'm genuinely surprised you didn't like the ZI speech and now I'm wondering if I wildly misinterpreted what it was about. Not to presume I'm an expert on your opinion just because I watch your show, of course, but the horror and pointlessness suffering of war and swearing to never let anyone feel the same pain they have feel right in line with things you love about hero stories, let alone Doctor Who.

The Doctor is attempting to defend a "peace" that forces the world to pretend that the Zygons do not exist, that they are not allowed to be themselves, and suppress their culture and identities. It's not even a matter of unfortunate subtext - the writer episode said in an interview "If you are being harassed and targeted and oppressed, you have to reach an accommodation with them." - Doctor Who writer "wouldn’t change" divisive episode | Radio Times If you want a real life equivalent, it's basically saying "Oh, I don't mind if you're gay - just don't shove it in my face." That kind of horseshit but worse because it also involves erasing memories. It's generic "WAR IS BAAAAAD" rubbish that ignores the actual POINT OF THE ENTIRE CONFLICT. And I'm sorry, Doctor, but there are legitimate reasons why you will go to war - that you HAVE to go to war. Invoking the Time War is especially idiotic with that - as if things would have been fine if the Time Lords had just tried to give peace a chance WITH THE GENOCIDAL PEPPERPOTS. I won't even get into Moffat continually reducing the nightmarish imagery invoked by RTD's era when talking about the Time War to just "Daleks and Time Lords shooting at each other and generic war stuff," but it's especially laughable when time and again throughout his history the Doctor has encouraged oppressed people to rise up and destroy their oppressors. No, no, the solution is just "maintain the situation that isn't actually working because apparently they've done this multiple times now." Him going "Oh, I forgive you for murdering a bunch of innocent people" is really kind of disgusting, too. The Doctor's morality can certainly fluctuate depending on the situation (because often it's not about universal moral standards but attempting to set a PARTICULAR situation right or just in some fashion), but he is not really one to side with the people killing innocents. It's why I his speech to Missy and the Master is SO much better - because it's a personal declaration of who he is and what he does and why, a character-defining moment and mission statement of who the Doctor is... although amusingly with both speeches: neither convinces his opponents. The reductionist, simplistic view of what war is and why war happens is bad and his speech is bad. And sometimes the alternative to war is worse than war. To quote another science fiction series, "Because sometimes 'peace' is another word for 'surrender.'"

[woodbrook-wanderer]

Apologies

Good Morning Woodbrook Wanderer. I'm returning to apologize for my absence. I reached my mental health limit at the beginning of the month and failed to update everyone on a lot of crucial news and information regarding Rite Of Spring and BTTWNS as an IP in general. So much new content has come out- from ROS previews for FCBD to the divisive Storybook Edition that was teased a few days ago! Thank you to everyone's patience.

As much as Woodbrook Wanderer is a BTTWNS Update blog, it is also a fan analysis page and the aforementioned AMA has confirmed a lot of new information about the characters and story that I heavily disagree with. This blog intends on taking a closer examination into the subtext woven into the series that was not intended or even approved by Patrick Horvath. To be quite frank with everyone, I have made the decision to not consult his word or confirmed information and answers completely in this blog. It is important that we can also scrutinize creator word to start more meaningful conversation outside the canon realm.

I will continue to answer questions and accept other fan analyses, but please keep them in the realm of common sense.

I apologize if my mental health has hindered my responsibility to the blog! Please bear with me. The countdown to the end begins.

[amuseoffyre]

After finishing my full rewatch, I've expanded the number of times Ed uses sea/water based analogies and metaphors to refer to himself and all the moments involving sea/shorelines and the liminality they represent.

“treading water, waiting to drown” (1x04)

“Be a lighthouse” / “cracking up on the rocks” (1x04)

throwing unwanted people/hopes/dreams/fears into the sea (1x05, 1x10, 2x02, 2x03, 2x07)

the dock and lighthouse in his flashback to his father’s death - the first sea versus land metaphor, where the horror rises from beneath the surface (1x06)

“something stirring in the brine” (1x06)

“plumb the depths” / sirens and krakens (1x06) being the thing to trigger a breakdown

extensive beach scenes as a division point between Stede and Ed thanks to Calico Jack (1x08)

“Edward Teach, born on a beach” (1x09)

the kiss happening on the shoreline (1x09)

the abandonment happening on a dock (1x09)

marooning the crew on a sandbar - a temporary island, which is what Stede and his crew were for him (1x10)

“sunshine one moment, cataracts the next” (2x02)

his purgatory begins with him waking at the high tideline - a symbolic meeting point between the land and the sea (2x03)

collecting paua on the beach with food and baskets with ties back to his mother (2x03)

“Jeff’s Inn by the Sea” - another place on the edge of land and sea (2x03)

reveal about the Gravy Basket while standing on the shore (2x03)

becoming the cataract - the chaotic surge falling over a cliff and full submersion in the sea as a way to end his life (2x03)

mer!Stede - a creature of both land and sea who can be there with him when he’s in his dark watery doom (2x03)

“caught in his whirlpool” (2x04)

“hanging out on this ladder” - again somewhere between the sea and the safety of the safe space ship (2x05)

“Man against beast - I’m the man and the beast was beneath the sea” (2x05)

“we’re the fish, I think” (2x05)

“storm’s coming but I just can’t see it” tied in with flashbacks and a shot with a 50-50 split of sky and sea (2x06)

another abandonment that is planned on the dock by the water’s edge (2x07)

“pirates and fishermen are nothing alike” - subtext of the entire conversation ties to “you can’t catch the fish unless the fish chooses to be caught” (2x05) and Ed is choosing not to be caught and fleeing (2x07)

the opening of 2x08 on the water’s edge, away from the sea

"I used to view the sea as a battlefield but now I can appreciate the bounty it has to offer" (2x08)

"no better than a heron, or a blade of grass, or sand or... like a wave or something" (2x08)

reclaiming an identity cast into the sea (2x08)

rising from the waves on the shoreline, a place where he becomes himself instead of trying to split himself into different sides - Edward Teach, reborn on a beach (2x08)

finding one another on a beach (2x08)

choosing to leave the sea and make a home on the line where the land meets the sea (2x08)

[starmo]

hey! Big fan of your BTTF fics! I only recently got (back) into BTTF, but it seems you’ve been here for a few years, plus you’re an nsfw author in this fandom, so I was wondering if you might have some insight on why Mammett is practically the only ship with lots of nsfw material? The only straight ships I’ve seen is Marty/Lorraine or Marty/OC. Why no Marty/Jennifer, or George/Lorraine, or even Doc/Clara? I want some nsfw Marty/Jennifer so bad and can’t find it anywhere! Did it ever exist? Was it deleted? Hope you don’t mind the random horny. Just curious and want someone to ask/rant to, one BTTF fan to another :)

Hey there! Thanks for your inquiry! I am so glad to hear that you're a fan of my work! 😄

I actually haven't any clue as to why mammett recieves more attention from NSFW creators. Believe it or not, this surprisingly comes as a shock to me!

Though my allegiance is sworn to mammett (😂), I had been under the impression that it was the least popular of the ships typically associated w/ BTTF, on account of it's... divisiveness? For lack of a better term.

Though, if I were to reckon a guess as to why it's so beloved by degenerates (jk) like myself, I'd say it has just as much to do with the taboo nature of their relationship as hating mammett for it is!

Which is exactly why it doesn't surprise me that one of the only heteronormative ships from BTTF that recieves an abundance of attention is Lorraine x Marty.

Like mammett, Lorraine x Marty involves two individuals whose sexual/romantic relationship would be met with disapproval (because, y'know, incest), which just makes for a fun jaunt when it comes to writing smut fic. The juicier and more depraved, the better!

Aside from that, though there are many other reasons as to why I (and likely many others) are attached to Doc x Marty--I think a major contributing factor to the abundant creation of NSFW mammett fic is the fact that much of what we see of their on-screen interactions (of the physical variety, especially) is interlaced w/ homoerotic subtext, albeit (likely) unintentionally.

That and taking their age gap into account, and the time in which BTTF is set, when homosexuality was still HIGHLY frowned upon, it kind of makes for a deliciously provocative "torrid love affair" type deal.

And, I (personally) am also very much attracted to both Christopher Lloyd and Michael J Fox (hence why I've so many rarepairs involving their characters 😂) which only adds fuel to the "I want to see them bang" fire.

In summary, Doc and Marty tick off all the boxes for somebody like me (in both a "omg, my otp, I wanna cry, I love them so much!!" type way, and a "I want to see Doc absolutely DESTROY Marty" type way). I imagine people must feel similarly about ships like Lorraine x Marty, George x Marty, etc.

I guess the more canon-typical ships like Jennifer x Marty and Clara x Doc haven't as much allure to NSFW writers on account of the fact that they'e likely considered to be "vanilla"? Though I can only speculate on that.

As for your frustrations in this regard, I completely understand. Scouring the tags on ao3 or similar websites in search of at least just one fic involving a ship you're invested in, only to come up short, is one of the most infuriating things in the world.

I take similar issue w/ trans Marty vs cis Marty fics.

I am one of very few mammett fic writers who solely portray Marty as being trans, and that is largely due to the fact that as a trans man myself, I wanted to see more pre-op trans representation in smut fics; something which was virtually non-existent in the fandom prior to my contributions.

I also like to write smut fic for a wide variety of niche audiences; though some of the things I've written about and or plan to write about in the future aren't necessarily kinks of my own, I still want to offer something else to the fandom aside from the repetative "Doc and Marty have flowery prose gay sex in the garage" fics (not that there's anything wrong w/ those fics, but admittedly after reading about 6 or 7 of them I tend to go "but where's the pizazz??" ..."pizazz" being the nastiest shit you can conceive of, of course, lmao).

To this day one of my all-time favorite fics I've aided in the creation of is the one where Marty is a gas-station attendant and he and Doc end up banging by the dumpster in the back alleyway behind Marty's workplace.

Not only is it deliciously, viscerally filthy, but they (being Doc and Marty) are also still very much themselves; their affection and fondness for one another knows no bounds, and thus doesn't feel out of place even in a fic involving watersports, armpit licking and non-con kink.

Perhaps now that I know there is an audience for it, in the form of, at least, you, I could try my hand at writing some Jennifer x Marty or Clara x Doc fics!

I've only two WIPS as of right now that involve a Jennifer x Marty sex scene (sorta...); that being a fic in which Jennifer is present when an experiment involving some chemicals (of the horny variety) goes awry and Doc is in dire need of uh... relief--and a sequel fic to Nocturnal Emissions that immediately begins with Jennifer eating Marty out.

These are two fics that I hope to complete and upload at some point, but in the meantime, if you're curious (and/or would like to talk more about mammett/BTTF in general) feel free to DM me and I'd be more than happy to share what I've written for these fics w/ you! 😄

[megamanrecut]

I was rereading season 1, which has been very fun, lots of details that stand out more with more context, but there's this one bit with Proto man that shows up more than once that's interesting.

In the first episode, Proto man tells Mega man that "Doc never got around to naming [him]... Too busy with his other inventions." Which is followed up a little during the Mega Pinocchio episode, with Proto man saying he's always been Proto (although not actually saying Dr. Light named him that, which turns out to be true), and when Mega man comments on that sounding a little cold, comments that Dr. Light is "Oblivious to details... I like Proto. It's better than Paaasd or something" (which lol)

Now that I've read the season 0 episode, it caught my eye that the name thing doesn't really get talked about there! Proto names himself very quickly, with no thought or fanfare behind it. Very fitting, but paired with the season 1 lines, I'm trying to puzzle out the incongruity of it (Proto you lying bastard why can't you be easier to understand!!!)

On one hand, if the subtle but present implication that Proto might feel bitter about his name is a retcon, it's one that I wouldn't have spotted if I hadn't reread season 0 recently. It's also just as likely that I'm reading into a set of lines that were just meant to be snarky, he definitely does that a lot too lol.

But I am curious if there's some level of truth to that sort of bitter undertone that I thought was implied! Proto man is a difficult character to understand, especially in season 1, and in general when trying to understand his feelings towards Dr. Light. Their relationship is so interesting to me, so sorry if I really did just read way too deep into it haha!

There was a slight perhaps retcon! (sorry this took awhile, limited internet access atm, also this is long/rambly lol)

I wrote season 0 waaay after season 1 (between Master of Disaster Part 2 and 3 to be exact) and in original s0 drafts, the naming thing didn’t happen as early, but when I finally began editing it that seemed unnecessarily weird/creepy for Dr. Light. So, instead the name thing came up on Proto’s activation day. Some of the emphasis around Proto’s name in S1 (particularly E1) was for dramatic irony.

So for character analysis:

Outside of that, still same deal with Dr. Light/Proto, just more focused on char divisions over specific, resolvable drama. The whole dynamic between Dr. Light and Proto has always been strained at best to total estrangement at its core, and sometimes painful to write. Dr. Light was never really in the wrong, Proto just developed into his own person that wanted nothing to do with ‘domestic human life’ or to have any type of authority figure. Its a huge philosophical difference, but its also a son who feels smothered and hopeless rejecting his loving father who tried his best to understand but could never make it work in time. That dynamic still exists, unsolved, in the good!Proto AUs (Master of Disaster Part 3, Become the Night)

Still, Proto isn’t really bitter by Dr. Light’s actions per se, he was just bitter about living under his roof where he was bored and under stimulated. Even Mega was surprised by this at first. In Mega-Pinocchio he was expecting a specific drama lead to Proto’s defection then was surprised when Proto also denied that Dr. Light really did anything wrong, and even reassured the naming thing didn’t bother him (I had already written the ‘naming’ scene in season 0, which remained unchanged, just happened earlier) It wasn’t until Future Shock when he began understanding Proto a little.

Either way tho, Proto wasn’t really bitter about his name (at least there was never intended bitter subtext there, but can be interpreted however!) I think in a way even if Dr. Light *had* given him a name (like Blues?) he would have been quick to drop that when he became Proto Man (kinda like how he thinks ‘Break Man’ is cringy in Become the Night or how Elec Man calling him ‘Light’ drives him nuts). He doesn’t really like the connection, and would prefer to have no name or a generic one over one picked for him by Dr. Light.

[entropic-fantasy]

A frustrated ARMY's perspective on the fandom: Let's do better?

Intro

This post isn't as polished as I would want. My intention here isn't to hate or create division, and I don't aim to call out anyone in particular. As it says in the title: I am frustrated, and honestly merely want to talk with other people in the community about what is going on and hopefully create a space where we can discuss ideas as to what we can do to improve said community.

____

Main Text

I have thought about writing something about the fandom for a little while now, but after this particular weekend, it felt more important than ever. For some context: I’ve only been an ARMY for a little over a year now, joining the fandom right before the release of Proof and just in time for that infamous Bangtan Dinner. That is to say, I have no knowledge of what the fandom was like before that point in time – and especially not before BTS became a household name for the mainstream media overseas.

My perspective is limited, but even with this taken into consideration, I am growing evermore appalled at the behaviours I have to witness online.

Let’s take a look at the events, both in real life and in the fandom, that was just too much to ignore: Yoongi’s latest concert in Seoul.

Famously, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook (Vminkook) attended, and as expected, the fandom was excited. Which is completely justified – them coming to support Yoongi was speculated on, and seeing them arrive creates hype of course. The turning point, however, was when shippers got involved.

Now, I don’t have a particular problem with shipping as such – I myself am not completely free from it even though I am now actively trying to dial back/remove myself from it – but a line has been crossed, and this isn’t the first time.

When it’s suddenly more important who arrived in a car with whom, who interacted more, than the main event itself (aka Yoongi’s concert), people should take a step back and evaluate their priorities. Especially, when it turns into the starting point of disgusting name-calling and unfounded attacks against the very people they claim to be fans of. And no: no-one here was the better sub-group. It’s not okay to accuse members of “using” one of their friends for PR purposes, and it’s not okay to accuse members of “forcing” their affection onto one of their friends against their wishes.

To put it shortly: are you out of your mind?

Now, of course members of these sub-groups will rush to defend or deflect – saying “oh, that’s just some of us” or “but they started it” or “that’s just solo stans” – but at this point none of this matters. As long as these sub-groups don’t manage to regulate themselves in their safe-spaces, cultivating an atmosphere of respect and love – like BTS actually stands for – there’s no hope for the fandom in its entirety. The “us vs them” mentality will continue to spread, these sub-groups only growing if not in numbers then in ferocity, and that is actually scary.

What they’re doing is trying to create a “canon” for the relationship between real people whose private life we are and should not be privy to. Most if not all of that canon is conjecture and opinion by fans – yes, there’s what some might call evidence for certain intimacies between members but as long this “subtext” (for the lack of a better word) doesn’t turn into “text”, going on a crusade for or against a ship to the detriment of BTS as a whole is insane.

To add my two cents:

No one in BTS is overstepping boundaries with another member. They have been brothers in all but blood for more than a decade. More importantly, they have practice in addressing problems within their group and great rapport because of that. Why would we as fans assume that there is anything fundamentally changed in their bond just because we don’t see them interact as they did before? Just because it suits a narrative doesn’t make it factually true. Yes, BTS are in another phase of their lives right now – a time of much upheaval and change – but like many friends that go through times of physical separation, they are more than able to still be brothers while doing their thing.

Neither BigHit nor Hybe are conspirators to force members apart. They are not showing real preference to one member-interaction over another – that’s not how contracts or business work. Do they engage in fanservice? Yes. They are a company, they know what creates the biggest buzz online and thus know what to highlight when it comes to the interactions between members. Emphasis on highlight. The members still do all the interacting themselves, and no-one needs to force them into doing anything. The only jobs the editors have, is finding the moments that create the most coherent video and make fans happy. Also, the notion that BTS are that constrained by their company is a bit silly – especially Jungkook has shown us how little he cares for the rules they do have (aka alcohol consumption before/during a live-stream and sleeping on stream, both of which are legitimate rules for both moral and capitalistic reasons).

No other company for that matter has any actual insight into the relationship between members, especially not one like Dispatch who does not have the same moral obligation to BTS that BigHit and Hybe have but DO have a monetary interest in them. Anything they post is not confirmation but a clever move by their social media managers that very well understand who the biggest sub-groups in the kpop fandom are.

Clothes mean nothing. We have seen on multiple occasions that various members have the same items, be that from promotional material they were sent as part of an endorsement or just personal preference. Any parallels in dress are just coincidence at this point. Especially for their official schedule appearances where we once again don’t know the details of whatever endorsements going on. That goes for colour schemes as well as accessories like bags.

To sum it up a little bit:

The only people who are overstepping are ARMY, and yes I am including everyone in this. As long as those of us who consider themselves better for whatever reason don’t step up, this is a fandom problem.

Pitting the members against one another, accusing them of paedophilia, sexual harassment of one another or manipulation of their friends for their own benefit is plain disgusting. Sending threats, spouting hate and vitriol online where it’s not impossible for the members to see? Again: what the fuck.

No one is the hero here – no one wins. All that will happen is ARMY as a whole losing whatever good opinion BTS still has of us. RM might not have meant this “discourse” when he said the fandom changed, but let’s not be naïve and think it isn’t a factor. We are, as fans of a kpop act, incredibly privileged in regards to the content we get to see. But instead of appreciating that privilege and using it for the good of the whole band, the focus gets always yanked towards three people who don’t want that and did not ask for that. The maknae-line is not the main character here, and they don’t want to be.

It breaks my heart a little bit to think that them visiting their best friend’s concert, celebrating his and their success at what is easily the highest point in their careers yet, turned into an excuse for their fandom to tear each other’s throats out. And that is just me, an individual so far removed from the real-life situation my opinion doesn’t have any bearing on it.

Imagine for a moment what Jungkook, Jimin and Taehyung would feel if they knew the muddy and disgusting lengths their fans go to in order to “support” a relationship that might not even exist. They deserve better, and we can do better.

[grandhotelabyss]

What kind of music do you typically listen to? Are there any musicians that have inspired or influenced your work in any way?

I pretty much answered this one here back at the end of 2023. For an update and more specific answer to your question about inspiration: lately, I've been trying to listen to at least period-specific music as I work on the Invisible College research and preparation, like Beethoven and Chopin paired with the Romantics, some Wagner with Shaw, Rachmaninov with Conrad, etc. I'll make an attempt at Schoenberg when I get to Beckett for the full Adorno trip. The algorithm has really been insisting on Sibelius lately, however, which I'm guessing Adorno would call fascist. (I never read Adorno's music criticism, though I studied—mainly visual art and literature—with one of its distinguished translators.) Also, speaking of fascism, even though I gave Dune: Part Two a bad review, I have been listening to that soundtrack for better or worse; this is a plebeian taste, I'm sure, or maybe "Reddit" or whatever other insult, but I like a lot of the ambient soundtrack music popular on YouTube: Zimmer, Einaudi, Richter, that style of material. For some reason, maybe also algorithmic, I lately went back to that electronica group I remembered from the '90s, VNV Nation, and was interested to see they had some new material; this has been a recent favorite, somewhat relatable lyrics if you ask me. Speaking of the '90s or even the '80s, I listened to a lot of music from that era when I was writing Major Arcana last year to create the appropriate late-20th-century Dark-Age-of-Comics mood, everything from Joy Division and The Smiths up through Portishead and Massive Attack and the like, and Americans, too, my melodramatic preference for Tori Amos and the Smashing Pumpkins being well-known to my regular readers, as well as "Malibu"-era Hole (even if she [allegedly] did kill Kurt, I like "Malibu" better than any of his stuff). That and some of the jazz favored by my character Ellen Chandler, especially Sketches of Spain and A Love Supreme, which are thematically crucial to the novel. What else? I'm excited for the apparent Joanna Newsom revival-comeback. She might be the most inspirational musical artist of my generation just by her example: create your own strange world, and listeners will come. (I wrote a little tribute to her on here a few years ago.) The aforementioned algorithm knows I compared Lana to Shakespeare 10 years ago—she had to forgive the rest of you for how you treated her; she didn't have to forgive me!—so I usually happily let it give me all the visionary "sad girls" past and present. But, and just in case this was a subtext of your question, there being so few ways nowadays to draw the line between macroculture and meso- and microcultures, I must halt at the frontier of Ms. Swift's empire.