#which is a SHAME because the latter is SUCH an interesting dynamic

[note-boom]

you know, we're so focused on the whole soukoku scene when they fought lovecraft and steinbeck (obviously so cause that was an EPIC scene) that we're completely forgetting the fact that kunikida and tanizaki fought them and won first...

[egeos]

a brief look at the history of hulknussen on ao3

as I was writing up my hulknussen fanfic recommendations masterpost I realized that someone coming into the ship just now is probably missing a decently sized amount of lore on their "meta" history - that is to say, how fandom has treated hulknussen and how it has changed over the years. I'm making a post on it that so I can reference it in the aforementioned masterpost, but you can also just read this if you want to know more about hulknussen's position in f1 rpf fic on ao3. they're no lestappen, but they've had their moments

I'll try my best to boil down the key factors that influenced them, dynamics, characterizations, etc for the three - and soon four - "eras" I have determined for their ship.

the oldest fic currently in their tag dates back to 2015, which was about a year after kevin joined F1. there were a few people writing for this ship back then, and it didn't really gain traction until 2017 with the infamous "suck my balls mate/honey" incident. there was a small but steady stream of fics uploaded to ao3 over the following years. around late 2020/early 2021 was when they started getting put into the background of fics, as well as into compilation works a lot more, slowly but surely earning them the status of a pairing with bruce banner syndrome.

around this, I have determined three eras you can divide hulknussen fics into. this is based on when they were written and posted, not when the fic itself takes place. I can write something today that takes place in 2014 but it (read: characterizations, dynamics, plot devices, etc) would still be influenced by things that have happened since.

anything from before hungary 2017 kmag joins the grid in 2014, when nico is in his fourth season. they didn't really interact much, but had some interesting parallels in their career for these years. there really aren't a lot of fics from this era, which is a shame in my opinion. I know I technically can't write something for this era, but I really want to try to play around with the dynamics common for them at this time. both of them are younger (kevin 20-23, nico 25-28) with everything to prove. nico still has more of a heartthrob status, kevin is the young and impulsive new rookie. nico also doesn't hold the "beloved by no one, cheered on by everyone" status he has nowadays. he's just kinda there, doing nothing with a friendly smile and never bothering anyone (as opposed to the rest of the grid borderline trying to murder each other in their rivalries).

the last thing I think you can point out is that it was a lot of au's - and I dont mean canon divergence or what if's, but "hulknussen except one is an angel and the other is a demon" "firefighter", "showjumper", that sort of level of au. it is how fandom used to be. nowadays it's more focused on tropes and "canon" (in quotations because rpf) plays a bigger role than it used to.

suck my balls, honey, and all that it brought this part is pretty straightforward. they had their moment in hungary and it spawned a few hate fucking/sexual tension/enemies to lovers fics. there was for sure an uptick around 2017 and even into 2018, but what this moment did way more importantly was cement them as a pair with both history and a "canon" dynamic at all. think of it; hungary is the first time anyone really saw them interact. for a lot of people that was the number 1 thing connecting these two and was basically expected if they were tagged in a fic.

their portrayals boiled down to two, really: the horny one, and the less-horny one. the first is pretty self explanatory, we got two guys who really don't seem to like each other and we make them bang because it's hot. the latter might involve repressed feelings, "secretly together but putting on an act for others", soulmates and making up because of it - kind of, the typical enemies to lovers trope.

(fun fact I want to include; kevin said in 2019 that he never felt much of a grudge towards nico after hungary and held a lot of respect for him. he also said that nico was refusing to even just look at him, and simply determined that nico must have taken hungary very personally while he himself didnt care a lot. it's one of my favourite hulknussen tidbits that I think can really be played around with when writing fic set in this era/using this dynamic.)

it's also worth mentioning that this was when a/b/o as a whole was going mainstream in fandom spaces (and honestly even outside of them, but I wont dive into the implications of that here) which of course also reached F1/hulknussen. some fics fell into the trap of "uwu bottom" and "strong top" stereotypes as a result, usually with kevin as the omega and nico as the alpha. I'm mentioning it because I think that, like hungary 2017, it left its mark in their dynamic and how people cho(o)se to portray them even outside of a/b/o contexts. I will also be honest and say that it's not my personal preferred interpretation, but I acknowledge that it exists, and I won't even deny that maybe it's influenced my own portrayals in ways I haven't noticed.

up until 2019 most of the fics tagged as hulknussen still centered on them. then around 2020-2021 they started getting tagged as a background, side, etc pairing more and more, slowly taking over their tag. I think it was mainly because they had a (at first glance, anyway) simplistic and familiar dynamic with the archetype of enemies/rivals to lovers. it was easy to slot into the background of a fic, easy to use as a catalyst for the main pairing, that sort of thing.

that doesn't mean there were no hulknussen fics being written. I'm mentioning it because it's a development that has stuck around, and they are still often delegated to the sidelines in favour of younger and more popular ships. the fics that were written about them didn't all stick to the enemies to lovers archetype, however! fluff, making up and fics that simply ignored hungary and kept going like before were still being written.

making up (and making out?), haasbands, "my favourite dane", kevin's defence masterclasses, and probably so much more *you are here they make up sometime in 2022. both of them are older, they have matured. both of them are now married and both of them are fathers. they have survived a pandemic (together, kinda) as well as survived being out of the sport and returning. then they're announced as teammates for 2023. it is, of course, a decently huge deal in the wider F1 community. not everyone knows they made up, and media does what they do best, which is stir shit. they didn't manage to convince everyone that they wouldn't implode and take haas with them, but they proved themselves a decent duo in 2023.

it's 2024 when things really kick off. günther is fired from the team and replaced as team principal by ayao. gene decides to invest more capital into F1 over NASCAR, and somehow haas is the only team on the entire grid that didn't have super misleading wind tunnel analysis results (that's not entirely true; theirs were misleading, but theirs were telling them their car is worse than it actually is, whereas everyone else went into 2024 expecting to be better than they ended up being at the beginning of the season). so, overall, haas is in a good spot and on an upwards trajectory.

cue jeddah 2024. kevin racks up penalties like crazy because the fia is trying to be stricter and punish more harshly by giving out 10s instead of 5s penalties. which, credit where credit is due, it did what they wanted, which is ruin kevin's race, and ruining someone's race is a solid way of making sure they don't become a repeated offender (you would think so, anyway). kmag uses the opportunity to hold back the entire back of the field so the gap between him and nico is big enough to buy nico an entire pitstop. that is a crazy feat on so many levels. that takes slowing down without being overtaken. like, forcing the other race cars to slow down when they could easily go faster, in a race where the entire point is to go fast. he needed to speed off into the sunsent during the straights and slow down crazily fast in the corners, all while managing tyres. and the madlad did it and then gives interviews with a big fat smile, saying he "had to do [his] thing to protect nico". okay, we get it, youre married, get a room

the "enemies to lovers arc" and "haasbands" jokes go mainstream. nico calls kevin his favourite dane and describes their relationship as "[their] little romance". they watch the euros together and post pics of it with them smiling at each other like they are actually married. nico wants kevin to go to audi with him, kevin keeps playing the team game for nico even off-track, spending way too much time defending him and his actions. the haasbands as we know them have been birthed.

(before I go on a tangent any longer about this era, let's actually get to what fics from "then" are like. it's the current state of things, so I can't give conclusive statements, but I can make some deductions already.)

before the hard launch of the haasbands, around 2022 and 2023, their fics went into the direction of slow burns, making up, and (mutual) pining. 2024 shook things up again.

with the 2024 season still going, this is pretty much as close up to date as possible as we can get. the current dynamic that has been crystalizing is what I like calling feral dog kevin and lovestruck nico. it's very descriptive, so, you know, Im sure you can imagine what I mean. kevin's attempts at securing nico points also hasnt gone unnoticed by the mainstream community, and jokes about nico getting his first podium because kevin chose to play pinball with all the 18 other drivers are getting more frequent. there is also the upcoming "divorce", courtesy to both of them leaving haas at the end of the season and haas being the sole reason haasbands exists in the first place (both the moniker and the new dynamic).

I predict we'll be entering a fourth era soon, which is the post F1 era. while I don't like to think about it, it seems less and less likely that kevin will get the audi seat, and it is also the only seat left on the grid currently. nico will stay for some longer I do believe, but even his end is approaching. the number of fics being written will start dying off. I can't really say if a new dynamic will come up; I would think not, unless kevin decides to be unhinged and starts coming to races acting in borderline wag capacity to nico, or both of them move to indy or wec or something.

now, just for self indulgence's sake, the fourth era could also be kevin goes to audi, they turn into… audibands? stakebands? and Audi actually develops a great car and they get off the ground running and kevin can break that record of "most career starts without having lead a lap" while nico gets his first podium and breaks his undesirable record. we get an uptick in fics, the feral dog kevin and lovestruck nico dynamic evoles a bit further to be just a little bit deranged with an edge of codependence to it and then they retire and take their ship with them, if maybe a bit less abruptly than in the first "fourth era" I described.

or, who knows; maybe we don't get a fourth era. maybe their tag has reached the end of it's evolution. we'll just have to see.

[highlordofkrypton]

Lucien

YESSSS LUCIEN THE KING LET ME RAMBLE ABOUT HIMMMM DISCLAIMER I DID NOT FINISH READING THE SERIES SO!!

How I feel about this character

Lucien is the real star of the show. I think he was written so strongly in the first book that even though I knew Tamlin was the main love interest, a part of me hoped that the book would swerve to Lucien. I hadn't read any spoilers, but I knew this book was HIGHLY recommended, so I expected something exceptionally good like... polyamory? Did that finally take the world by storm and were the girlies losing their shit over not one, but two book husbands? I was wrong, oops.

I think he has the most depth, all things considered, and it's a shame that SJM decided to cut Lucien down in favour of her favourites. As a writer, I believe that there will always be a character who steals the show unexpectedly, and when that happens, it should be nurtured, not destroyed.

He's definitely one of those characters who deserves the spotlight and can turn a story on its head if she just followed the muse.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

For Lucien, I look at his ships in different ways.

In canon, I think that Lucien and Feyre in the first book could've done amazing things. I DNF'd at ACOWAR so I have no business in the ship wars. I did write one Lucien x Elain fic, but that's mostly because I liked the prompt. I don't mind the ship, but I don't actively participate in Elucien things otherwise.

In my own fanfiction, I don't have Lucien shipped with anyone. The nature of the story doesn't leave room for Lucien to have a romance yet, and I tend to let these things happen organically than plan them.

In the Twitter AU, I do joke around with Tamcien or an OT3 with Tamlin, Lucien and Andras.

Lastly, I do have some oneshots planned for Cassian week and DO NOT ASK ME WHY my brain went this way, but Lucien x Cassian is on the list. Again, I don't really follow canon, so it's my himbo Cassian with Lucien. It'll be soft, loving things, which he deserves.

I'm generally open-minded to any ship, tbh. Someone just has to point me in the right direction.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

It has to be Tamlin and Andras. I dedicated the latter third of my fic to establishing their dynamic, and I really believe that the three of them balance each other out in a healthy way. Losing Andras upset that balance, and now everything is out of whack. I also had Andras w/ some Winter blood in him, so it was a nice balance between the fire of Autumn, the bloom of Spring and the cool winter (except Andras was not cold at all!).

My unpopular opinion about this character

Lucien's characterizations suffers at the hands of narrative that keeps putting him at the mercy of the 'main characters'. It's very possible to have charming and charismatic side characters, but there seems to be an inherent insecurity in the writing itself whenever another character other than the main couples starts to shine. I'm not faulting any of the other characters, I just really feel like after the first book, SJM seems to be forcing things rather than letting the story unfold organically. Not sure if this opinion is unpopular at all!

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

This may still happen, but I wish that we would have adventured with him when he disappeared for most of the narrative in ACOWAR. Where did he go? What did he do? How did he feel when he was apart from his mate? So much has happened to Lucien at that point, and he's such a clever character, I would love to hear more of his voice/see more of him. Not sure if SJM can deliver!

AHHH I HOPE THIS WAS OK!!

[yourhighness6]

Zutara's Song is Definetely The Great War by Taylor Swift

I've seen a lot of Zutara songs and playlists out there and I wanted to share my opinion on my personal favorite

I want to start out by saying that this analysis is going to completely ignore Taylor Swift's intentions when she wrote the song and any analysis of the song in concurrence with her life. I'm also going off my personal feelings that the first verse and chorus are Zuko talking to Katara, the second verse, chorus, and bridge are Katara talking to Zuko, and the remaining parts of the song are them reflecting after the war.

My knuckles were bruised like violets,

Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep talked,

For me, this was pretty typical season 1 Zuko. Angry at the world, fighting everything in sight, ect, ect. It's only after the first two lines that the song gets a little bit more specific.

Spineless in my tomb of silence,

Tore your banners down, took the battle underground,

That third line is really reminiscent of Ba Sing Se. He took himself out of the story, until, of course, he had to make a choice in "Crossroads of Destiny"

And we know what he chooses

It's almost phrased in the form of an apology, which connects it even further to their story. "Tore your banners down" could also mean the fall of Ba Sing Se in general. Aang is Katara's banner, the avatar who she put so much hope in, but the Earth Kingdom banner is also who she was fighting behind. Azula killed Aang, so I would personally say it's the latter, but I saw two meanings behind it so it's totally up for interpretation.

And maybe it was egos swinging,

The "egos swinging" bit resonated with me a lot, because at this point in the story Zuko isn't done with his character arc. He still seeks his father's validation over his own moral code, and although it seems to me like he's gotten over a lot of his entitlement, I think he still feels entitled to his throne. That's one of my favorite things about his arc, actually, that he comes from a place of privilege but eventually, unlike Azula, realizes that the right to rule isn't given by birth but by true care for the people you represent. (some politicians should take notes)

Maybe it was her,

To me, the "her" in this case is Azula, convincing Zuko their father will be proud of him if he returns to the Fire Nation, although it could also mean Mai. Again, open for interpretation.

Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur,

This could mean a lot for different people. I've seen a theory about Zuko possibly disassociating (not unlike similar theories about Darth Vader), which I think is interesting. It could also maybe represent the guilt he still feels, which is my personal opinion.

Moving on, the chorus is fairly generic once again,

All that bloodshed, crimson clover,

Uh-uh, sweet dream was over,

My hand was the one you reached for,

All throughout the great war,

The hand part stuck out to me because of the part in the final agni Kai when they reach for each other:

(screencaps are bad quality but ya'll get the idea)

Then it goes back to the any enemies-to-lovers generic dynamic again...

Always remember, uh-uh,

Tears on the letter,

I vowed not to cry anymore,

If we survived the Great War.

And then we switch to Katara's POV:

You drew up some good faith treaties,

I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone,

You could argue that this is several moments throughout the series, maybe at the end of the war when she gets together with Aang, but I connected it most with her time spent on the ship after book 2. While Zuko was trying to fix his relationship with the Fire Nation and return to his family, Katara was isolating herself, worried about the war, about the avatar, avoiding her father and Sokka out of shame and feelings of abandonment. It was an extremely dark time for her, and although Zuko was trying to feel hopeful about his return, he doesn't even smile when he reunites with Mai. He knows he made the wrong decision.

You said I have to trust more freely,

This is after Zuko's redemption arc, during "The Southern Raiders" (which is probably my favorite ATLA episode, btw). Zuko encourages Katara to trust him, feeling that he is changed and is now deserving of it.

But she refuses to forgive or trust him

I would argue this is for good reason. She is clearly angry at more than just him, the entire Fire Nation, in fact, for murdering her mother and starting the war, but it is also very personal. When he betrayed her in Ba Sing Se after she revealed such a devastating detail of her life and they shared a connection, her abandonment issues probably came into play. It's similar to the trauma she had with her father after he left to join the war. She is scared that the people she cares about will leave her, just like her parents did, whether they had a choice or not, and just like Aang did when Azula shot him with lightning, again, without meaning to. Zuko left her intentionally to join the Fire Nation, even after she offered to heal his scar, a very important moment in their arcs. She is forgiving, optimistic, helpful, and kind to someone who hunted her and her friends for nearly a year, and he throws the offer of her most valuable asset back in her face and is instrumental in Aang's near death experience.

But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire,

He helps her. He uncovers her trauma, aids her in working through it, is supportive even when it was probably more than he bargained for.

And maybe it's the past that's talking,

Screaming from the crypt,

Telling me to punish you for things you never did,

Her mother did die at the hands of the Fire Nation, under Zuko's family's orders, whether they came directly from Ozai or not. But he wasn't the one who killed her or ordered her death, and he IS the one who is trying to defeat his father and end the war in favor of balance and peace. She realizes that...

So I just defied it,

...And finds it in her heart to forgive him.

After that, we start on the chorus again.

All that bloodshed, crimson clover,

Uh-uh, the bombs were closer,

I think that last line also refers to a different scene, much earlier in "the Southern Raiders", when Azula attacks the temple...

My hand was the one you reached for,

All throughout the Great War

...And Zuko saves Katara.

(I might do a separate post analyzing just this moment because holy crap there is A LOT there)

Always remember, uh-uh,

The burning embers,

I vowed not to fight anymore,

If we survived the Great War,

I think this refers to the agni Kai specifically, as does most of the bridge. The fire everywhere, the fear, the fact that it's the last battle of the war. It just fits.

It turned into something bigger,

Somewhere in the haze got the sense I'd been betrayed,

Your finger on my hairpin trigger,

Everything is depending on this battle. If they can't defeat Azula, what will happen to the Fire Nation? Will the people now just be under a new, arguably stronger and more powerful tyrant?

Soldier down, on that icy ground,

Looked up at me with honor and truth,

Broken and blue, so I called off the troops,

But they never learn what would have happened, because their combined efforts defeat Azula.

That was the night I nearly lost you,

I really thought I'd lost you

But not before Zuko (or rather, Azula) gives Katara the fright of her life.

(the love and concern on her face is so heartbreakingly beautiful it makes me want to sob)

And now everything is fine! The bridge is over and the next verse is full of hope.

We can plant a memory garden,

Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair,

For the poppy part, I'd like to address a particular fan theory. In the final scene, Katara has a pink flower in her hair.

(I left the usernames on, but please lmk if anyone wants a different type of credit. screenshot taken from this post: x)

According to another source I found, this flower is a pink peony, which symbolizes prosperity and a happy marriage.

(flower analysis originally from this post: x)

I know that this is a peony, not a poppy, but close enough? Also, if it were a poppy, it would symbolize compassion and platonic love.

Either way, I think of this as a kind of goodbye from Zuko to Katara. No matter what the situation was at the end of the series, whether Zuko was in love with Katara, Katara was in love with Zuko, or they were in love with each other, "platonic love" and "happy marriage" were a goodbye. It's either wishing her the best with Aang, or saying they can only be friends because of Aang or because of duty, but that he loves her anyway. (oh look, I made myself cry) At least, I think that in canon context. But within the song, it's a peony and they're now engaged lol

Anyway, the verse continues.

There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair,

And we will never go back to that,

And then the chorus starts again, but it's tone is far more hopeful than before. The worst is behind them. The war is over.

Bloodshed, crimson clover,

Uh-uh, the worst was over,

My hand was the one you reached for,

All throughout the Great War,

Always remember, uh-uh,

We're burned for better,

I vowed I would always be yours,

'Cause we survived the Great War.

It's just so perfect! I love it! (psst, if anyone wants me to also analyze another "Zutara song" feel free to ask)

[mickules]

Changing of the Guard

---

I do find a lot of joy in adaptation. In seeing new eyes interpret concepts that I've fallen in love with. Sometimes it's a whole new chapter for me to adore, and sometimes it's just not for me.

Stampede so far has fallen more into the latter category for me, which is a shame, because on a technical level - it is outstanding.

Studio Orange have put an enormous amount of effort into the character body and face animations, the cinematography, lighting, character and landscape designs - their passion for their craft is obvious, and their skill with CG undeniable.

But I'm afraid the same can't be said for the pacing and the writing. Trigun has so many interesting themes and conflicts, character dynamics and motivations that Stampede just hasn't had the breathing room so far to explore, and that has left me wanting.

It's certainly not the FMA:Brotherhood style manga faithful adaptation I might have hoped for.

But it is still early days and I've a lifetime of nostalgia for the original versions to colour my opinion.

At the very least, I'm just pleased that Trigun, a series that against all odds found an audience despite not having much homegrown appeal, is still finding new fans through this new series.

Love and Peace

[pynkhues]

hey i wanted to ask, do you have opinions or hcs on how knowledgeable is louis aabout BDSM? Do you think he read on subject or he just goes with a heart? How proper do you think his BDSM dynamic would potentially be? I mean, would it involve discussions, safe words, aftercare etc. Or would it be more on the spur of the moment?

It's just my brain was plagued by thoughts what would louis do if lestat accidentally sub dropped during scene. NGL I can't imagine louis handling it very gracefully (sorry, louis)

Also, ideas of louis experiencing domdrop are very delicious too. I doubt he actually feels guilt or shame for being dom, but domdrop would make him irrational. And lestat would be very alarmed and confused what's happening with louis.

Sorry for long ask😶 love your work!

Don't apologise, anon! It's actually been something I've been thinking about too, both as I've been writing this fic, but also just in general because I'm kind of fascinated about how the eras / times they live through both interact with and inform these parts of the their characters.

Because here's the thing: BDSM wasn't actually a term in the 1940s when Louis and Armand decided to explore it. That's not to say that people didn't engage in BDSM (there are plenty of examples of fetish artwork dating back thousands of years, and as I mentioned in this post, Marquis de Sade was writing in the 1700s prettty obscene and deplorable sado-masochistic work), but there really wasn't a shared language then in the way that we have now.

In fact, Louis and Armand entering that relationship in the 1940s in the aftermath of WWII almost feels pretty specific, given it was that post-WWII era that gave birth to the leather movement which in turn provided the soil for BDSM to grow into what we know it as today. The result is that that specific time period marked the shift of BDSM from a counterculture to a part of culture; however, it took a little longer to come back to Paris, which had a booming fetish industry in the pre-war period, but was traumatised from Nazi occupation and as a result wouldn't bounce back really until the sexual revolution in the 1960s.

Louis' hardly sexually naive given his past career as a pimp, but I do think it's worth noting that he became a Dom in a period where there wasn't the same degree of understanding there is now about the psychology of it all, nor a universal sense of what might be 'best practice', and he did it with someone he felt both a disconnect to and a resentment of (which 2.05 makes very clear), which - - y'know! Isn't the healthiest way to engage in that sort of dynamic at the best of times.

But in answering your questions more specifically - - do I think he read up on the topic? Yeah, a bit, but I think it'd be more likely he read older texts that probably....wouldn't be giving a healthy perspective on it by modern standards. Given his reading list in New Orleans featured books like Origin of the Species, Marriage in a Free Society and Madame Bovary - all books published in the 1800s despite it being between 1910 and 1940 - I do think he tends to lean towards older books that form part of cultural canons (it's the snob in him, haha). In which case I think he probably would've read some of Marquis de Sade's work (which, yikes) and probably Venus in Furs and The Romance of Lust.

Given most of the more classic modern BDSM books by today's standards were published really in the 60s and 70s, I kinda feel like Louis and Armand were probably too embedded into their dynamic to change it or be overly interested in reading about it? Which is all a round about way of saying that I don't think Louis would have great etiquette as a dom at all, no, haha, and I think he'd probably more just be getting a read of the situation and following his own instincts and perhaps Armand's too. I can see them buying things - the whips, floggers and cast iron dog bowl (the latter of which always gives me pause!) we can see in their bedroom, for instance - and leaving them out for each other to see as a means of discussion over, y'know, actual discussion.

I do wonder too in terms of the role Louis and Armand being able to read each other's minds plays too. If they can get a sense of what might get the other off that way which feels like its own type of discussion or consent (even if its not actually an articulated discussion or consent). It's interesting to contemplate what that might mean in terms of dom or sub drops like you said, and especially as a comparison point to it happening with Lestat and Louis who don't have the same capacity to know what's going on in the other's head.

I do think if Lestat and Louis were to explore that together, it would be in scenes as opposed to a lifestyle like it was with Armand and Louis though, which is a different dynamic in and of itself, and yes! Okay, your ask was long, but my reply has been way longer, haha, so I'll leave it there for now. It's a really interesting space to think about though.

[spilledmilkfkdies]

Dunno if anybody asked you this before but

opinion on different ships involving wotbc? (that you know of)

ALL of them?? Deranged ask, muting you on the server for a thousand years, no trial. Jk of course but :O!! I have gotten asks about ships before, plus I did a silly lil ship bingo that I may have to bring back- But just for YOU, joyous one, I will simply summarise and link things! Put it all together!

Starting within the Black Circle itself:

There is no ship combination between them I'm inherently against, I say boldly and bravely. Could probably write for most of them too, even if they're not my absolute favourite, because again, I don't straight up dislike any of them.

Of course I do have my personal top dogs cough cough cough- Like at this point it's no secret I'm a very normal and casual enjoyer of Ogron x Gantlos (gantlogron? ograntlos?? I like gantlogron better ngl). Maybe it's the way I personally enjoy writing Gantlos, but it's just so easy? To make them work?? And if you're not a fan of easy, you can always take the more angsty route and make them. Slightly less equal. They come in multiple flavours!! I think this might be my favourite ship for both of them currently, but I'll elaborate on that in a sec.

Next is my other top dog, Duman x Anagan (DUMANAGAN 🦅🦅). I feel like I've talked about them way more than I actually have?? Maybe it's hidden in reblogs and tags but dang sjsksk, either I should tag better or yap about them more. It's probably gonna be the latter. There's just something about their 'decently normal guy x the HORRORS he keeps inviting everywhere' that does something for me idk, in a platonic way as well. I just really appreciate them as a duo, in whatever dysfunctional form their relationship comes in. Frequently bought together ass couple smh.

About both Gantlos x Anagan (anagantlos? GANAGAN!!!) and Ogron x Anagan (????anagron?) I can be kiiinda brief. Haven't seen a lot of Gantlos x Anagan, but it's fine, why not. Ogron x Anagan is slightly more interesting to me, but maybe that's because I personally enjoy making them clash a bit. Probably still doable though.

Now- Not to slut shame Duman, definitely not during pride month, but this man gets around in a way the others don't and it must be said. Maybe it's his adaptability but DAMN. Ig that's kinda the point of him though. To me. Just the age old question.. Duman is every wizard's favourite, but who's his favourite? Nobody knows. If it's between Ogron x Duman (..dugron?) and Gantlos x Duman (dumantlos) I probably like Ogron x Duman slightly more? They both have angst potential though. Is something I've noticed. Duman gets around but at what cost? Maybe I should just read happier fics.

Actually NO it's Duman's fault there's so much angst around him, that's what he gets for canonically dying and having ties to envy. Dumed Doomed from the start fr.

Moving on to?? There being ships with three of them?? Which is extremely funny to me. Exclusion. Some of these I've only heard about, some I've seen actual content for- Ogron x Anagan x Duman, brought up by someone in the server unironically, Gantlos was NOT invited. Ogron x Gantlos x Anagan, ah yes, sometimes a family is three husbands and the weird pet they found that's their son now. Ogron x Gantlos x Duman was just angst, and Gantlos x Anagan x Duman gives me dumanagan convincing Gantlos to mess around with them vibes I'M SORRY. This is really taking me places.

Y'know you could always just have them all date each other at that point. Affectionately nicknamed 'dumanagantlogron' right here right now. Don't see it a whole lot, but that's probably because it gives you less group dynamic wiggle room. Understandably not for everyone because of that, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it. Me personally, I could be convinced. Be wild be free. Also imagine being at a bar or whatever, one of them comes up to you and goes "Hey, me and my three boyfriends just love your vibe" what do you do where do you go from there bye

This is gonna be a BIG one bro, I might have to cut it here for now and make a second part just so it doesn't become scroll hell- I'm only now "done" yapping about ships INSIDE the Circle. I still have so much to say, I know too many ships. Yeah I'm really cutting it here sjsks

[gaycrittercentral]

Im curious and new to the fandom what are Sam and max's personalitys I don't understand them really much but I like the characters! Do you have any tips to help..? A easier way to understand their dynamic

Oh hi welcome to the fandom bud!! :D hmmmm let’s see, how can I summarize these two dumbasses…well, the show bible is a fantastic place to start if you’d like to hear from the creator himself! There’s a lot of really interesting stuff in there, including a page or two that goes into detail about both of their personalities. Really neat stuff!

But let’s see, if I had to summarize them…well, I guess I’d put it under a cut cause I’m gonna ramble a bit lol

I guess I’d say that they’re just a couple of lunatics who enjoy doling out their slanted version of justice and accompanying it with their constant banter. They’ve been best friends and partners in crime ever since they were children (and in fact still have tons of baby photos framed around their office lmaooo) and it shows. They’re often described as having their own language, and they have incredible physical comfort with each other, with Sam frequently seizing Max to fling him at people or use him like a weapon (Max likes this, notably) and Max occasionally using his partner like a cat tree. And while they like to poke fun at and do slapstick on each other frequently, it’s clear that they’re incredibly close and really care for each other. Also they’re gay as fuck lmaooooo canon just doesn’t know it

Ooh here’s something I think gets misinterpreted a lot! Sam is not as reasonable and moral as he might seem. He just looks that way in comparison to Max, but he is honestly just as deranged in a lot of ways. He just hides it behind his carefree cadence and friendly smile lmao. It’s the kind of thing where if you ignore what he’s actually saying, he sounds calm and friendly and nice, but then you tune back in and realize he’s suggesting they wrap Max in tinfoil and stick him in a microwave for fun, or casually threatening some bizarre form of violence against something. I think it’s best summarized by this meme lmaooo

That said, he is still the more reasonable of the two of them, and probably the only one capable of feeling guilt or shame. It’s just that hanging out with Max kind of obliterates any chance of those feelings sinking in for long.

Oh and for Max, one thing I think is good to remember is that despite his frequent zero braincell behavior, he does in fact have a decent amount of intelligence. Which is kind of frightening, actually. He’s not as verbose as Sam, or at least doesn’t like to be, but he’s got smarts enough to make witty jokes and concoct his own plans and whatnot. He’s just also a goblin who likes clobbering people with flyswatters and would totally eat pizza off the floor lmao.

Conversely, Max isn’t exactly as deadly as he claims to be, either. Like, he’s still an absolute terror, but I think it’s important to remember that all one really has to do to keep him at bay is push his head away lmaoooo he arms too dang short

Ok but that’s all a bit in the weeds, so let’s see…basically, Sam is a cheerful goof who would really like to be a cool film noir detective, but is too busy having fun to keep up a serious facade for long. And Max is an irrepressible scamp who just likes to cause trouble and get into fights and wander around aimlessly. Sam does have his own weird sense of justice that he wants to uphold, but Max is kinda just happy to be along for the ride, and both of them are really only fighting crime and solving cases because it’s fun for them. And they’re a little codependent. Lmao.

Ooh, y’know what else has some really great analyses of these guys across different incarnations of the series? @h-worksrambles’s excellent discussions of their voices! Here’s the one they wrote on Max and his voice actors over time, and here’s the one on Sam. There’s a bit in the latter one where they talk about how Sam has a sort of shallowly-hidden temper that tends to burst forth on occasion, which I had never really given a lot of thought to but that I feel has deepened my understanding and enjoyment of his character! Definitely check those out, they’re a great read. :>

[butmakeitgayblog]

Another anon here and regarding straights enjoying queer fiction, there's a perspective I think is worth sharing (for the record, I'm not straight).

So there's a huge fanbase consisting of straight cis women who enjoy mlm content. It's a thing to the point where there's gay shows made specifically targeting this fanbase.

I got to talk to one of my friends who dabbled in this stuff. I asked her why? What's the draw? She pointed out sth I thought was pretty interesting.

She said that for straight girls it can be pretty hard to enjoy straight pairings because they will always experience the story through the eyes of the female character, who is also limited by societal rules or even gender roles. By watching/reading a mlm, there's no female perspective, which takes away all the irl problems.

For example, take the "if guys get sex it's a flex, if girls get sex it's a shame" bullshit. By watching mlm instead of mlw and watching through one or both male characters, they can escape the whole stigma altogether.

To take a step further, since there's an inherent safety/advantage in being a guy in many situations. They can sort of experience that freedom through taking the female character out of the equation. It's sort of like getting gender euphoria but instead it's gender role freedom euphoria???

Theres also the male gaze problem. The majority of straight shoes have gender roles to varying degrees, which skewers the power dynamic within the pairing. This makes it hard for straight girls to enjoy pairings bc they will always be put into a position where they notice inequalities toward them. So again escape.

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, I agree that this topic is pretty complex.

It is! It's very complex. But just to kind of comment on some of your points - a lot(not all) of the straight women who consume mlm media tend to consume it to the exclusion of everything else.

I could possibly understand the points your friend made better if they also consumed things like mlw media and fics written by women, or wlw fics/media at all. But they generally don't, especially not the latter. Often times a lot of straight women mass-consumers of mlm fic and commercial media, in my experience at least, tend to treat wlw content with disgust, ridicule, or flat out indifference. Perhaps not to the same vitriolic degree straight men tend to treat mlm content compared to wlw content, but it's still there. So that kind of... makes me question if they're actually being entirely honest with themselves as to why they're consuming the specific content that they do.

I'm just saying, straight women can be just as guilty as straight men when it comes to how and why they approach the specific queer media that they do, especially when it's to the exclusion of other kinds of queer pairings.

Because I pose this: if it really all falls down to power dynamics and releasing themselves from the male gaze, then why focus exclusively on a gendered pairing that just erases the woman entirely? Why a pairing that focuses solely on a basic personal sexual preference? Makes women irrelevant to existence? Why not gravitate toward more straight women writers who thwart or rewrite a lot of those societal gender inequities that effect women within their work? Why not give respect or audience to wlw content that makes the male gaze and male/female power dynamics irrelevant as well?

See what I'm saying?

That being said, it's still not my job to police that consumption for all the same reasons I said in that last post. And to reiterate, I'm not saying your friend is wrong for feeling how she feels or that she's making it up. I don't think that at all! People have a lot of complex feelings, which is why this topic is inherently complex. I just think two things can be true at the same time, even when we may not realize those biases about ourselves

[xbuster]

What's the best precure for a beginner?

Whichever looks most interesting to you!

My usual recommendation is to start with the very first one, Futari wa Precure. After that you can decide to watch the sequel, Max Heart, if you really want to see more of Nagisa and Honoka or jump around to whatever you want. I've noticed that people who wait to watch Futari wa after watching some later seasons seem to not appreciate it as much as people who watch it early, which is a shame because it has one of the best character dynamics in the franchise.

My other reccomendations would be Fresh Precure because I think it has a really unique team dynamic when compared to most other seasons, Star Twinkle Precure because Hikaru is Literally Me and its space theme makes it really stand out and fun, Yes! Precure 5 and its sequel because they're iconic with really good character writing and served as a template for a number of seasons going forward, and HeartCatch Precure because of its really cute and unique art style and very memorable main and side characters.

I've also heard really good things about Kira Kira Precure a la Mode as a beginner series, but I haven't watched it yet. Futari wa Precure Splash Star and Smile Precure are also really good, but I feel they borrow a bit from Futari wa Precure and Yes! Precure 5 respectively so I'd recommend the latter two first to see the foundation they created. Hirogaru Sky Precure hasn't ended just yet, but it's been really good.

Whichever you start with, Wonderful Precure starts up in a month so I recommend watching that as it airs alongside whichever past season you're watching.

[xenosagaepisodeone]

It's a shame that SaiKano didn't quite hit for me because I do think that the series has a lot of unique and fantastic qualities, it's just the core love story that everything leads back to failed to compel me on most levels. Chise and Shuji spend so much time thinking about eachother, wanting to be better for one another, but their relationship is perpetually stuck at stage 1- to the point where the character depth they exhibit when communicating with the rest of the cast feels actively undone when they're in eachother's presence. Chise cries and apologizes, Chise says she wants to get stronger, Chise disappears for extended periods of time to kill people. Shuji feels bad that he can't be stronger for Chise, Shuji gets horny and tries to deepen their relationship with sex, Shuji has to fight the urge to cheat on her with Fuyumi(which is a whole rant on its own). This is the sum of their relationship. They're both very interesting and compelling characters when they're far away from eachother, but the story wants you to think that the mature, complex interactions they have with other characters are less meaningful than the way they behave around one another because they get to Be Normal Teenagers in Love(no matter how uncharismatic this can be written). Sex is a driving force for a lot of different character dynamics in the series, but Chise and Shuji's relationship is the one dynamic that does not benefit from this at all (its actually frustrating how both of their respective decoy love interests approach sex in a way that feels much more natural with them) to the point where I wished that 99% the time where sexual tension was present was replaced with them...going on a date? having a conversation(that doesnt consist of Shuji calling Chise dumb or Chise apologizing for nothing)? Any change to their dynamic? Chise comes across as a vector for Shuji to experience character development while Shuji comes across as a vector for the viewer to understand how bad she's suffering being The Ultimate Weapon (the latter works conceptually but is lackluster in excecution). There's an arc where she loses her voice and he's shown to be able to intuit the things she says, the situation intending to convey how close they are, but to me it just reflects the one dimensional reality of their love.

Chise is soooo cool though when she's homicidal, so who is to say if this series is good or bad.

[starry-eyed-extraterrestrial]

I was asking what omegaverse classification every member of mötley crüe fell under and then @anaalnathrakhs said that no matter what classification they are, they're always interesting and I'm inclined to agree, so here's a comprehensive list of what I think is interesting about the guys falling under each dynamic.

Alpha Vince - This just makes sense, Vince is cocky and sure of himself with an overly masculine energy. He covers up insecurities with fake hubris and gets aggressive whenever provoked in any way, I mean he literally challenged Axl Rose to a full on fist fight on live television, tell me that isn't alpha behaviour. Also being an alpha gives Vince an excuse to be overly sexual with no consequences, because the media (at least in omegaverse 80s)is always like “oh he's an alpha he can't help it, they're innately sexual beings, if you don't let alpha's be alphas your depriving them of their nature”  basically the media just enables him to fuck more as an alpha, without qeustion.

Omega Vince - This also makes sense somehow. Male omegas are rare and Vince loves being the centre of attention and by being an omega he would definitely stand out, which he loves. However Vince being a man whore would be more frowned upon in this context as “he's an omega, he should be saving himself for his alpha one day!” However I can't decide if this sentiment would make Vince more secretive about his slutiness or far more vocal about it (I'm leaning towards the latter). However I don't think that Omega Vince would feel as confident in his own skin as Alpha or beta Vince would, as being called a used up slut by the media kinda goes to his head and makes him far less innerly confident, but on the outside he's more confident than ever. Don't think Vince would use any supprecents or scent blockers of any kind, all omega natural for him.

Beta Vince - Now this is the most interesting Vince dynamic to write I think. Because in a world where alpha's are important and omegas are held on top of a pedestal, betas are just kinda…there and this would drive Vince absolutely insane. Like totally bonkers. Just imagine him going twice as hard as any of his alpha/omega singer friends, desperately trying to stand out, wanting all the praise and reverence his differently classified friends would get and successfully at that. Vince's ego would be huge and small, he would be calm and insane, graceful yet feral. Beta Vince my beloved juxtaposition friend. (I am deranged, I never see anyone write beta Vince and it is clearly the most interesting of all options) Like he would try to pick more fights then alpha Vince just to prove that he is still worthwhile, even though his classification is not worthwhile.

Alpha Tommy - Tommy does strictly think with his dick, so this checks out. Similar to alpha Vince I think Tommy would use the gize of being an alpha to be an absolute tool. The one dangerous thing about alpha Tommy though is that he falls in love so quickly and he would totally claim the first girlfriend he ever had and then regret it and then just be stuck bonded to a random girl he dated once like…forever 💀

Omega Tommy - Gets claimed by the first alpha who he falls for and regrets it. Omega Tommy would never take any heat supplements and sees his heat as a mini fuck vacation. If Tommy can avoid getting claimed by every person he falls into bed with and manages to not get knocked up, I think he'd really enjoy being an omega. He doesn't have any of the innate omegan shame that I think all the other guys would have as omegas.

Beta Tommy - This would just be Tommy normally, but with the added bonus of not being educated on dynamics really because he's a beta and therefore didn't think it was important for him to pay attention in health class, so like if one of the guys where to go into heat at an inconvenient time he'd just be like ??? “Can't you like…hold it in??”

Alpha Nikki - With him being the band leader low key him being an alpha makes sense to me in the sense that Nikki is in control of a lot of Mötley's output as a band music and press wise. He's a control freak and being an alpha would go well for him since he'd have an excuse to be bossy all the time, with the added effect of people actually listening to him. Nikki would love being an alpha I'm sure, that being said, I don't think this is the best fit for him personally. Uses being an alpha as an excuse to be feral.

Omega Nikki - this is the guy that has the most omega shame of all the guys I think. Like he'd take an insane amount of supprecents and scent blockers and stuff. He wouldn't trust anyone to help him through his heats, and I think for the longest time he wouldn't tell the band, not until he really needed to at least. Nikki hates being out of control and looked down upon. Being an omega would be really hard on his already bad self image in the 80s.

Beta Nikki - Just normal Nikki, he would not understand other classifications needs but he respects them and tries to accommodate them as much as he can without sacrificing his own comfort.

Alpha Mick - Mick is naturally an alpha I think. A very calming dominating presence in a way that doesn't overwhelm a lot of people like the other guys as alpha's would. He's just a very safe feeling. Mick is good Alpha material in my mind. I do think he'd have trouble asserting himself if there are multiple alpha's in a room though, Mick hates confrontation and so he tries to stay out of it as much as possible.

Omega Mick - Now this is an interesting thought, Mick as an omega is (like beta Vince) one of those juxtapositions that would just be fascinating because usually omegas are soft around the edges, submissive and traditionally more and feminine and here comes omega Mick, dominant, rough and crass. A lot of alpha's who are interested in him think he's playing hard to get but he is just genuinely not interested. He wouldn't be omega Nikki levels of insane about blockers but I think he'd wear a cologne that covered his scent up. I also think growing up as an omega would have made Mick even more overly passive, which I didn't think was possible.Anyway, live, laugh and love this idea.

Beta Mick - Makes the most sense in my opinion. Mick is pretty much the best person in the band to give this classification to. He himself is a true neutral in every situation and he can bring the balance like this (not that he can't in other dynamics, it just is a betas professional to keep the peace between the other two dynamics). Beta Mick makes alot of sense and is very accurate to who he is as a person. Also he'd hate to get heats and ruts, so really this pick would be for the best.

Okay, I'm tired now going to bed, but drop your thoughts on me in the comments or just write Starry your a cunt in my inbox with your own opinions on this matter along with it , I'd love to see that :)

[the-archlich]

Dynasty Warriors: Who Is Xu Sheng

Although it wouldn't be correct to call Xu Sheng an obscure figure, he's certainly not one of Wu's most famous commanders. There are, however, a few interesting things to be said about him.

Xu Sheng doesn’t have an especially big footprint in 3K fiction. Like a lot of 3K figures he’s been an NPC in Dynasty Warriors for a long, long time and an officer in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. His stats in the latter are generally above average, so that’s nice for him.

He was never your first choice for something but it never hurt to have him along for the ride and he’s one of the better “late game” officers. He doesn’t really have a presence outside of these games, so there’s not much to talk about in this section.

All things considered, then, I was pretty surprised when they added him as a playable character in DW9. As is usually the case with Xu Sheng he wouldn’t have been my first choice but it’s not a decision I could really complain about, either. The most active part of his career overlaps nicely with the portion of Wu’s history DW cares about and he was certainly an accomplished individual, so it’s a solid choice.

I don’t really think I have anything to say about Xu Sheng in DW9, though. He gets the moments you’d expect if you have any familiarity with him, but outside of that he’s mostly a background figure. I can’t identify any particular personality traits he has or character motivations. I’d like to see him as a more dynamic figure but with what we got, I don’t have a lot to talk about.

Someone with more passion for Xu Shu wrote in anonymously and gave me their opinion. I’ll share it here because I don’t have any opinions of my own to give about his DW9 characterization.

Xu Sheng's DW9 Characterization: He doesn’t have much of a massive presence aside from the Guangling Fake Wall thing. But from some of his lines in 9 Vanilla and Empires, he feels more like a reverse Wang Yi. He developed PTSD from losing Xu Province, but instead of going all vengeance mode, he tries to be a better person and defend Wu as an atonement for losing his homeland. He does have moments of lapsed judgement like him doubting on Zhou Tai because pirate bad but made up in ZT's ending.

I think KT wants Xu Sheng to be more like Wu's version of Guan Xing and Li Dian where they wanted smarterish warriors? Though he also is heavy on Japan's love for "gap moe '' where he has lines where he likes sweets and he cries when he feels an extreme emotion worthy of it like accomplishment or gratefulness or loss. Also they fucked up the Fake Wall story in that everyone in Wu was on board with the tactic instead of being Sheng's "fuck you did it anyway" thing.

Make of that what you will. For now we’ll move on to Xu Sheng in the Yanyi. Xu Sheng is first mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as an officer who joins Sun Quan prior to Chibi.[1]

During the campaign, Zhou Yu sends him and Ding Feng to capture and kill Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang anticipated this and isready with a fast boat. When Xu Sheng’s ship draws near, Zhao Yun shoots the rope holding its sail, which allows Zhuge Liang’s to get away and intimidates Sun Quan’s officers into not following. Ding Feng shrugs it off saying,“Zhuge Liang is too clever for anyone; and Zhao Zilong is the bravest of the brave.” Later, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng serve as Zhou Yu’s guards during the fire attack.[2]

Xu Sheng next appears at the siege of Jiangling, acting as an assistant to the general Jiang Qin. Although bested in battle twice by Cao Ren, he plays a key role in eventually defeating his army in the field.[3] Later, he and Ding Feng are involved in an entirely fictitious attempt to capture Liu Bei at his wedding with Lady Sun but are shamed by the lady into letting the couple pass. They subsequently join up with Zhou Yu and pursue Liu Bei but are unsuccessful.[4]

Xu Sheng returns as a commander at Hefei. There, he plays a noteworthy role in extracting Sun Quan from danger.[5] He gets to have a significant moment of glory in the subsequent battle at Ruxu, where he leads a daring strike against Li Dian. Although initially successful he is soon surrounded and in danger of being killed. Fortunately, he is rescued by Zhou Tai and both emerge heavily wounded.[6]

Following this, Xu Sheng has a consistent presence in Sun Quan’s campaigns against Liu Bei. He plays a small role in Lü Meng’s operations against Guan Yu, where he is once again working with Ding Feng.[7] They serve as Lu Xun’s guards during the operations in Yidu. In one incident they are taunted by Wu Ban and want to fight him, but Lu Xun correctly predicts it is a trap and restrains them so they do not fall into an ambush.[8]

Xu Sheng’s biggest moment of glory comes in chapter 86, which is inspired by Cao Pi’s Guangling Expeditions. When word reaches Sun Quan that Cao Pi is invading in the east with a large army, Xu Sheng volunteers to meet them.[9] In an earlier chapter, he objects to Sun Quan accepting a title from Cao Pi, considering it a shameful humiliation.[10]

Xu Sheng immediately begins preparing to meet Cao Pi’s army but has some trouble with his subordinate Sun Shao. The latter objects to Xu Sheng’s decision to take a defensive position, to the point where Xu Sheng orders his execution. Sun Quan soon arrives and rescinds the order. Instead of apologizing for his disobedience, though, Sun Shao crosses the river to fight Cao Pi, completely disobeying all instructions. Xu Sheng is aware that Sun Quan has a fondness for Sun Shao, so he sends Ding Feng to rescue him.[11]

Once Cao Pi’s army arrives, Xu Sheng erects false walls in the night, manned by scarecrows. In the morning, Cao Pi thinks that Xu Sheng raised an entire fortress in one night and decides to retreat. During the retreat, he is ambushed first by Sun Shao and then by Ding Feng, as Xu Sheng planned. Cao Pi narrowly escapes but Zhang Liao is wounded by Ding Feng and dies shortly after.[12]

Xu Sheng gets one last bit of glory during the battle at Shi’ting, where Lu Xun has him lead the vanguard. He defeats Cao Xiu’s general Zhang Pu and almost captures Cao Xiu before being fended off by Jia Kui’s army.[13] His death is not mentioned in the novel, but that goes for most people.

On the whole, Xu Sheng is depicted as a relatively powerful warrior, though not quite on the same level as men like Zhao Yun or Cao Ren. His bravery is beyond criticism, though, and he’s also rather clever. Zhou Yu, Lü Meng, and Lu Xun all entrust him with vital tasks and he usually pulls them off. He is nearly always found with Ding Feng.

It’s that last part that strikes me as the strangest thing about the fictionalized Xu Sheng. I can find nothing to suggest that they shared any particular closeness. The two were not related, by blood or marriage, nor were they from the same homeland. While there are points where their careers overlapped, the same can be said for dozens of Sun Quan’s prominent officers. Linking the two of them together is kind of a random choice. It seems to come out of nowhere.

Honestly, though, I think that might be a good angle to lean into. Ding Feng doesn’t have too many other people in the Wu cast to really interact with so playing up a friendship between him and Xu Sheng might give them both a more emotional connection to the narrative.

The fictionalization of Xu Sheng’s life does hit most of the key points, though there are a few interesting bits that I think get lost in the background.

Originally from Langye in Xu province, he fled to Wu when everything fell apart in the north. There, he became known for his personal valor. Sometime after 200, Sun Quan gave Xu Sheng independent command over a small force and tasked him with protecting Chaisang from Huang Zu. During this time, he distinguished himself by defeating Huang Zu’s son Huang She in a battle at Chaisang despite being badly outnumbered. He was promoted to a colonel and rounded out his early career by suppressing some mountain bandits in Lincheng. After this he became one of Sun Quan’s personal generals, with some supervisory duties.[14]

For the next several years, Xu Sheng was highly active in the campaigns conducted between the Huai and Jiang rivers. In 213 he helped defend Ruxu from Cao Cao and remained with the garrison there. Xu Sheng was badly wounded in the fighting at Hefei and even lost his favorite spear (though it was later returned to him by He Qi). In 217 he was at Ruxu again. A storm found him stranded on the enemy side of the river, and Xu Sheng boldly led a sortie from the ships to protect them until the wind died down and allowed him to return to friendly shores.[15] This last incident appears to be the source of his heroics against Li Dian during the same battle in the Yanyi.[16]

As in the novel he did fight in the defense against Liu Bei in Yidu. In that chapter, as noted earlier, he is taunted by Wu Ban and almost falls into an ambush, though Lu Xun restrains him.[17] This is actually very close to the truth. Wu Ban did attempt to draw Wu officers into an ambush during the fighting at Yiling but Lu Xun restrained his men. Xu Sheng is not specifically mentioned but the dissatisfaction was widespread and it’s a fair bet that he was one of those who wanted to be more aggressive. Time, of course, proved Lu Xun’s caution wise.[18] Xu Sheng did, however, earn appreciable merit in the decisive battle that forced Liu Bei’s retreat.[19]

After Cao Pi took the throne, he sent an envoy to make Sun Quan King of Wu. Xu Sheng was outraged at seeing Sun Quan be given this title as though he were a mere underling and made a great show of his displeasure. The Wei envoy noted that with men like Xu Sheng, Wu would not remain subservient for long.[20] This is a scene that is repeated almost exactly in the Romance.[21] True to this prediction, Sun Quan soon revolted against Cao Pi and the two went to war. During the subsequent Great River Campaign (222–223), Xu Sheng gave distinguished service defending Dongpu from Cao Xiu. During this campaign he was shipwrecked by a storm for the second time, making him a man with remarkably bad luck.[22]

Xu Sheng is most famous for his exploits during Cao Pi’s Guangling Expeditions (224–225), and for good reason. The Yanyigives an exaggerated account of this (as it is wont to do) but it’s easy to recognize the truthful foundation upon which the fictionalization is based.

Cao Pi’s attack from Guangling in 224 was unexpected, since it was very difficult to cross the river there, as subsequent events proved. Sun Quan’s defenses were thus weak in the area. Although he was able to quickly assemble a fleet to intercept Cao Pi, the land-based defenses were still soft. Xu Sheng came up with the plan to erect false walls to make the defenses look stronger and deter an assault. His plan did fool Cao Pi’s scouts. Finding the defenses stronger than anticipated, Cao Pi withdrew.[23]

The Yanyi also adds in the story of the disobedient Sun Shao and his ambushing Cao Pi in retreat. The novel depicts Sun Shao as valiant but impetuous and young. In reality, Sun Shao was almost 40 years old at the time of the Guangling expeditions and had been defending the region south of Guangling for almost 20 years.[24]

During Cao Pi’s return in 225, Sun Shao dispatched a raiding party against Cao Pi’s headquarters under one Gao Shou. They were able to capture some of Cao Pi’s imperial regalia, which was a great humiliation to the Wei army.[25] There is, however, no indication that he was acting against orders, had conflict with Xu Sheng, or that the raid resulted in the heavy casualties mentioned in the novel. There is also no mention of Ding Feng.

Xu Sheng passed away sometime between 224 and 228, slightly before his disappearance form the novel.[26]

On the whole it’s a solid career. He gave distinguished service in most of the key battles during his lifetime. He was a skilled fighter with impressive bravery, and he has no record of any untoward personal conduct. While perhaps not Wu’s most dynamic commander, there’s nothing in his history anyone could fault him for.

It is hard to get a sense of who Xu Sheng was from his biography, though. Aside from listing his battles and achievements there isn’t much known. There aren’t any little anecdotes from his personal life or comments on his personality. I guess I can’t fault DW9 too badly, then. Even if they were looking at the same things I am, there isn’t much to be found.

Still, there are a couple threads I’d be interested to see future incarnations of Xu Sheng pull on. The fact that he was so unlucky as to be shipwrecked twice seems like something a writer could lean into. And while his friendship with Ding Feng and function as a guard for important commanders are both fictional aspects of Xu Sheng’s life, that’s no problem for Dynasty Warriors and they would serve well to give him a firmer place in the overall Wu army. It’s some food for thought anyway.

In a lot of ways, you could say Xu Sheng is the perfect example of the typical military officer. He fought frequently and fought well, displaying both courage and cunning. While not dazzling like some of his contemporaries, it’s hard to find someone more reliable. Men such as him are the foundation of any successful state.

Endnotes

SGYY 38

SGYY 49

SGYY 51

SGYY 55–56

SGYY 67

SGYY 68

SGYY 75–76

SGYY 83–84

SGYY 86

SGYY 82

SGYY 86

SGYY 86

SGYY 96

SGZ 55.10

For more on these incidents, see https://classicalamateur.wordpress.com/2020/10/31/the-huai-jiang-campaigns/

As seen in SGYY 68

SGYY 84

SGZ 58.1

SGZ 55.10

SGZ 55.10

SGYY 82

See https://classicalamateur.wordpress.com/2020/07/17/riverine-warfare-in-the-three-kingdoms/ for an account of this portion of the campaign.

SGZ 55.10; see also https://classicalamateur.wordpress.com/2019/04/27/the-guangling-expeditions/

SGZ 51.9

Wu Lu, SGZ 47

SGZ 55.10

[skaruresonic]

For a positive SA2 query, how about your favourite level for each character? :)

Sonic - Crazy Gadget. City Escape is iconic and all, but Crazy Gadget is one of my all-time favorite Sonic levels because it shows an incredibly vibrant and dynamic side of the ARK, one which elevates it from "cool space station" to the "feels Sonic enough to me to count as a proper Sonic stage" category. This is a side of the colony rarely, if ever, glimpsed in subsequent games. (As much as I love ShTH, The Doom and Lost Impact feel too clinical and gray at times.)

The environment is alive with constant motion; you see cargo get shipped and loaded outside the observation glass; the gravity changes with a flip of the switch; you can slide down upside-down rails and take a ride through pneumatic delivery tubes. Propelled by high-speed platforming, it's just a blast all the way through.

I'm amazed that sections of the floor light up under your feet. That couldn't have been easy to implement on the Dreamcast. (Don't forget the Xbox references on the walls!)

From a narrative standpoint, Crazy Gadget is one of those Sonic levels where the story lights a fire under your feet. Because there are high stakes attached to your typical goal of "gotta go fast," you feel it more keenly, I think.

Deem's voice acting really sells the intensity of the situation. Even knowing he's programmed to bark at the player every two minutes, it seldom fails to have an effect on me when he chides Sonic for being "too slow" and warns him that if he doesn't "come here, she will die!" I love it.

---

Tails - Prison Lane. I love the environmental details they included in order to make it feel like you're traversing a treacherous maximum-security prison while making it seem neglected at the same time, crowned with rust and plunged in dreary gloom. The prison is simultaneously crammed with robots and strangely lifeless, what with a lack of facilities and cafeterias. You're always being watched by the cameras Portal 1-style.

The gears churning as the elevator carries you up; the steam spouting from the pipes; incandescent tube lights bolted to the walls flickering erratically, despite that never really being anything the average player would be given reason to notice... All of it paints a pretty sordid picture of the prison, and you can suddenly see why Tails worries about Sonic being stuck here.

Plus it's just plain fun to shoot everything in sight and this is the quickest level in which to mow them down lol

--- Knuckles - Tie between Wild Canyon and Aquatic Mine. The former because it's easy to navigate while providing interesting sights and the latter for letting us relax a little with a mysterious, lowkey vibe nice for spelunking. I also like how few enemies are in both; it really makes you feel like you're on your own.

--- Rouge - Dry Lagoon. While normally I'm not wild on SA2's desert stages, this one's really pretty with its butterflies and oasis theme, and fits well with Rouge's general character. It's lowkey enough to be pretty stress-free, which is fitting for a first level. It's also the only level that really takes advantage of Rouge's ability to swim; it's a shame she doesn't get to swim more in later levels. Can't forget our helpful friend, Mr. Turtle ;A; In addition, Dry Lagoon boasts a unique glitch wherein Rouge can climb walls and dig underwater. If you stop at certain points, she might be able to stay there indefinitely.

--- Shadow - White Jungle. Despite being the Dark counterpart of the frantic Green Forest, the atmosphere is different enough to distinguish it as its own thing. Moodier, more somber. Almost ethereal.

The sound of rushing waterfalls and the white sheens of mist blanketing the jungle almost make you feel as though you're experiencing it for the first time alongside Shadow. The landscape is full of hidden dangers and curiosities we don't have time to stop and contemplate. Fog... it doesn't bother him.

--- Eggman - Why must I choose. Cosmic Wall go whee. But Iron Gate also go whee. Fucking shit up is really fun in both these stages and you'd practically have to do nothing in order to win like Luigi get anything less than an A rank in the former. Lost Colony also go whee with a quieter more mysterious tone. hhhhh

[fatalism-and-villainy]

I'd like to talk a little bit more about my hangups re: kink, because I've been avoiding the topic for fear of stepping on the toes of others whose shame runs in the opposite direction of mine. But I think clamming up about it might be worse for me.

So, the thing is, I have - as best as I can tell - a lower pain tolerance than many people. (People in general, not just kinksters.) This has come up in numerous settings - finding sensations in a roughhousing-style game excruciatingly painful, when they didn't seem to bother anyone else; having people express surprise that I found certain things too hot to pick up with my bare hands; being straight-up mocked by a medical professional for not being able to calmly tolerate a certain type of pain during a procedure (yeah, not great behaviour from that person!). It maybe sounds silly, but it's something I'm sort of embarrassed and ashamed about.

So a lot of discussions or portrayals of masochism are.... triggering is too strong a word, but I do instinctively recoil from a lot of them. It's hard to explain this part, because it's not painplay as a whole that squicks me - in a lot of ways it appeals to me! - but certain framings and motivations surrounding it, and certain types of portrayals, trip me up a lot*. It brings up a lot of "AAAHHHHH that would feel bad! but it's probably normal and tolerable for most people, and I'm the defective one!" and then the shame kicks in. Not the most rational or accurate thought process, but there you go.

(*tbh, this sometimes makes it hard for me to find fic, because when the sensation of pain is given a lot of attention and weight, it's off-putting because that would be unpleasant for me to experience, but when the pain is described as intrinsically pleasurable, with the language and embodied experiences that would support that, it feels immersion-breaking - and the latter is often done in a way where I can't tell if it's a failure of writing, or if it genuinely does feel that way to some people. Just, ugh, I'm mainly here for the motivations and character dynamics surrounding the exchange of pain, can we move on to that, please?)

And this has really been amplified by how distressingly masochist-centric a lot of kink defenses on tumblr have been in the past few years, and specifically discussions of the intersection of kink and neurodivergence. I can think of two separate threads talking about "how kink helps autistic people" where it becomes clear that by "kink" the posters in question are only thinking of receiving pain. This wasn't people talking about their own experiences, this was people making broad sweeping generalizations - so, yeah, I'd say that's a fucking oversight! It's kind of fucked me up, frankly - not just by amplifying my shame, but in making me think "oh, I'm not really kinky, because I'm not into that one specific thing" even though there are plenty of other aspects of it that I am interested in, some of which are pretty transgressive.

So, yeah. That's a bit more about where the insanity comes from.

[bonesandthebees]

So Everything else has gone wrong is giving me major Pogtopia vs. Manburg vibes. It’s always fun trying to spot the events and relationships referencing canon in AUs. The crimeboys be doing crime, but they aren’t the only ones. They are just slightly better at it because of some supernatural abilities. And I love how that is 1. Not a common thing at all, which explains all the secretly having to switch you could just take as trying not to be seen because Wilbur’s being cased.

2. It seems to be a hard magic system. Wilbur can’t just change into anyone, he has to constantly consciously keep the change in position. Because of that he has to know what the person he shifts into looks like, and I love that how well he knows a person affects how fast he can shift into them. On top of that there’s some serious painful drawbacks and a clear limit on how long he can keep going (which depend on how often his shifts and how much energy he has).

Tommy seems to have the same thing. I don’t know what things clairvoyance is capable of because I don’t think I know what the word means in English, but it seems to be some combination of telepathy and being all-knowing, but in a way where you have to focus to do it. So obviously Tommy uses that to always bet on the right outcome. Also, his drawbacks seem like shit.

Gotta love all the references to backstory such as whatever happened between Niki and Schlatt as well as Quackity, Schlatt and Wilbur. It’s a nice example of showing vs. Telling. We are technically told what happened between Niki and Schlatt (though it’s vague enough to not feel like exposition and it’s done by a character talking). We are very clearly told something happened between Schlatt, Quackity and Wilbur, but then we are shown how close they were via Wilbur knowing him well enough to know he’s not bluffing and the touching knees. Also, Quackity not selling Wilbur out mainly because Schlatt’s a bitch but also a little because Wilbur indirectly says he deserves better than Schlatt. (though Schlatt not believing him is a very good point.

Also, gotta love self-sacrificial Wilbur. Though he does have a much better chance at getting away with it and Tommy has the money on him, but it’s more protective older brother than common sense. Still, it’s a solid plan, it’s just a shame he overexerted himself by running and shifting and couldn’t hold on until he was actually safe. Also, that he didn’t think of Niki because that held him up and made him have to shift longer.

As you can tell, I’m mild obsessed with this concept. I love the worldbuilding. It’s very intriguing and fun.

-🌲

YEAHHHH the dynamics were definitely inspired by pogtopia vs manberg. I love including loose parallels to dsmp events I feel like it's just such a fun thing to base conflict on

yeah I wanted to make crimeboys abilities not be a normal thing in the world bc i see so many aus where 'powers' are considered the norm. and that's all well and good I've written those myself, but I just wanted to try something different. so yeah the general public does not know those abilities exist at all, hence why wilbur and tommy have to keep it a secret.

I wanted wilbur's shapeshifting to feel realistic. I had to think to myself how I wanted it to function—whether it was more of an illusion-type thing where wilbur can just project an alternate image to everyone around him, or if he's actually physically changing his body. I went with the latter because I felt like it had a lot more restriction to it, which made it more interesting for me to work with. technically he doesn't have to personally know someone well enough to shift into them, but he has to have spent a LOT of time observing them which is almost only going to happen when he, y'know, hangs out with someone a lot. like could he stalk a stranger for days on end and be able to shift into them really well without saying a single word to them? technically yes. but it's just easiest if he knows the individual personally.

clairvoyance is defined as 'the claimed psychic ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception.' it can also be described as being able to perceive future events 'beyond normal sensory contact'. it's kind of a loose term when it comes to describing psychic abilities, but for tommy specifically I decided he's got three main things he can do. 1) he can remotely view a location or person he's not physically near. technically, he can only do this to a limited range, so if he's inside a building he'll just be able to look out onto the street but not go much further than a block or two. but because of the psychic link he and wilbur have, he can remotely view wilbur and the area he's in up to way greater distances, so that's what he's doing for most of the chase scene. 2) he was able to form that psychic link with wilbur, giving them the ability to communicate telepathically (not technically part of clairvoyance but it's just a bonus I gave him). wilbur didn't do this at all, that's not in his wheelhouse. tommy bonded them. 3) perceive future events but only in a very limited sense. this is how tommy was good at gambling. he can see what's going to happen right in front of him in the next few minutes. it tires him out to do this because it's an ability he has to 'activate', and he can only see what's going to happen around him specifically, hence why he doesn't use this during the chase. but if he's about to bet on a dice game or a roulette wheel, he'll be able to see what the winning number will be before it happens

I had so much fun indirectly explaining the backstory between those four characters (wilbur schlatt niki and quackity). especially with the 'niki' and schlatt interaction. it's such a unique perspective to get for a convo like that (schlatt thinking he's talking to niki but he's actually talking to wilbur), and I had a lot of fun playing around with how I'd imagine wilbur would act pretending to be niki while also setting up schlatt and niki's dynamic in this.

and then of course quackity. ah, tntduo. they gotta have something going on in every universe lmao

yeah while wilbur's plan was him pulling a self-sacrificial move it was also the best option for their situation. they were going to be way slower running through that crowd together, so getting tommy away was the priority. and what better way to do that than by tricking the guys following them? yeah, it exhausted him, but if he had chosen someone other than niki to shift into after tommy then he would've gotten back to tommy way faster. it was only bc pulled that stupid move that he was delayed talking to schlatt and overexerted himself so much.

i'm so glad you enjoyed!! i had so much fun with the worldbuilding and dynamics of it all