#I have a perspective on half siblings colored by a dynamic in my family

[bonefall]

My birthday was a couple days ago, and I got to see my bio dad for the first time in a while. He surprised me with the fact that I have a little half-sister, whom I've never met and who was adopted about two years back. So, I wondered if any situations in BB mimic this or have a theme of "secret siblings" or "secret family"? Sorry if this is a weird ask; this blog is honestly just such a cool little place and I love the way you approach the subject matter and take the flawed misogynistic foundation of the WC books and make them so much better (JUSTICE FOR BUMBLE!!!). I've also learned a lot about healthy and unhealthy relationships here and am really glad for your deep dives on Squilf and Bramble. Thanks, Bones!

Not weird at all! I really like exploring all the little nooks and crannies of complicated familial dynamics. I think one of the untapped strengths of WC (that the writers seem to be unaware of) is how their MASSIVE cast allows them to present all sorts of unique dynamics. So I like to pick up on it, since they don't.

For secret siblings...

I'm pretty heavily leaning towards Ambermoon being adopted by Wildfur, as a surrogacy. Something feels correct about it. Especially since Icecloud is getting retooled into a post-Battle of the True Eclipse birth, and a major supporting character in AVoS-era stories as a friend of Alderheart.

Thinking about it, I should zoom in and expand this. Maybe have Icecloud, somehow, acquire forbidden knowledge that would invalidate the Queen’s Rights and he (transman) struggles with if he's going to use it to expose his parents as an excuse to help Ambermoon.

(Especially since Ambermoon and Icecloud are basically nothing alike. Amber is independent, bold, and vain. Ice is jessie pinkman big-hearted, disorganized, and deceptively meek if you look past his "chill" demeanor)

But that's wip-- there's also Breezepelt and the Three, who are going to have an actual friendship. In particular I can't unsee Breeze and Lion having a deep one. I know I commit the Cardinal Sin of borderline himbo-ifying Lionblaze in BB, but I can't help it.

Hollyleaf ended up nabbing a bunch of his most violent roles to make her villainous descent smoother narratively, so BB!Lionblaze's story ends up being more focused on Ashfur's abuse, comic relief with cats in other Clans (something that the very serious Jay and Holly have a hard time providing), and the emotional fallout of the big reveal and Bramblestar's turn on them. Breezepelt slots neatly into that.

They were friends. Lionblaze's whole life came down around the reveal, everyone looking at him and his siblings differently, like they're suddenly something terrible. Why can't we find a silver lining, Breezepelt? Why can't we call ourselves brothers if the whole world is going to do it anyway? So much is changing, but THIS doesn't have to, we will take their weapon and turn it to armor, my ally, my friend, my brother.

(and when Breezepelt is lashing out at the three because of the Dark Forest's influence, Lionblaze is there, taking the blows and trying not to give in to the impulse to send him flying with a single paw)

There's also Harespring and Kestrelflight of WindClan and Owlclaw of ShadowClan. All of them are from a single litter between Whitewater and Mudclaw. She was going to raise the three of them alone as ShadowClan cats, but when the sire was smote, Whitewater felt they were cursed.

She was able to give the oldest two to their bio-uncle, Torear, but the weather was so bad that day and the runt was so sickly and small that it surely would have killed him. I don't think Owlclaw ever finds out why his mother always treated him with suspicion, but it did mess him up horribly.

Over in BB!DOTC, Thunder Storm is getting more half-siblings earlier. Clear Sky and Falling Feather had two daughters-- Pale Sky and Tiger Sky.

I want to explore the way that the various stages of Clear Sky's life acted on his kids. How any little curiosity Thunder Storm had about the life he might have had if he wasn't abandoned is crushed by seeing kittens who weren't. How Clear's favoritism of his oldest child set the trio against each other from the start. How this idea of "love" is toxic yet intoxicating.

It feels good to be the golden child. The power it gives you over his sycophants is satisfying. To know you, and you alone, have what someone else craves. Problem is, that's conditional, and it's cruel.

What Thunder Storm learns from his time with his biodad is that Clear Sky is not his father at all. He's taught him exactly what he DOESN'T want to be. There may be similarities-- in temperament, in physical prowess (though BB!Thunder is three-legged, he's still ripped), in taste and senses. But Thunder Storm's father is Shaded Flower.

(BB!Gray Wing died in the first book, rescuing Shaded Flower from being trampled by a horse. Xey're a patron of wisdom, Shaded Moss is taking the role of fatherhood to Thunder)

His sister is Rainswept Flower. His mom is Bright Storm. If there was a bond he could have had with Tiger Sky and Pale Sky, it dies simply and cruelly on the knife they used to cut each other out.

Pale might have wanted to mend it, she was the gentler one. But she dies in the First Battle along with her mother. Tiger Sky is too stubborn to accept any help, should Thunderstar offer it, and Thunderstar isn't in the business of begging for others to like him.

Naturally I'm lowkey obsessed with them lmao. I need to make a BB!DOTC overviewww

#I have a perspective on half siblings colored by a dynamic in my family #The generation above me has two siblings who had an awful biodad and an amazing stepdad (who did officially adopt them) #And there was nothing ''natural'' or good about how one of them was obsessed with their biodad. #It was influenced by his surroundings and did nothing but drag an incredibly toxic man back into his sister's life #Over and over #But anyway the son used to tell me ''theres no half in siblings'' #The daughter adored her halfbrother through the mother who raised them-- but was adamant that her biodad's newer kids were nothing to her #I guess I agree with the son. But not in the way he believes it #There's no half in siblings because you either Are. Or you are Not. #You have a shared experience with having that person as a parent or you don't. And that's what's unchanging. #It's not the blood; it's the sweat and tears. But anyhoo #Personal details of my life aside #Tiger Sky and Pale Sky are Clear's Dead Angel Fetus Children in-canon. I think that was Weird. #So instead I made them. Not. Dead angel fetus children.... #They're characters now lmaoo #Better bones au #I think Tiger Sky (i call her Tigs in my head a lot) is one of my favorite kit saves ever though #She's not going to be from the last litter either. I haven't picked who the mom is yet but he does have even more #At least one of those is going to make a grab at power but um. Sparrow Heart will not react Well. #BASICALLY lads I'm cooking. My revamps of the DOTC characters basically write themselves because I am very fond of them. #Clear's youngest: ''OH I JUST CANT WAIT TO BE KI-" #Sparrowstar: ''-lled.''

[ukiyokki]

mars reads too much dreamnotfound fanfiction for their own good

a dreamnotfound fanfic recommendation list by your resident dumbass (me)

this took way to fucking long... i’m tired

below is a (very extensive) list dedicated to all my favorite dnf fics, ranging from quick one shots to 100k+ word monstrosities that devour the storage on my computer, forever incomplete masterpieces to ongoing works of art, you get the idea. i provided links for each fic/series for your reading pleasure. there will be no smutty/nsfw fics on this list, that’s just not my vibe lmao. this list goes in no particular order, and i’ll update it from time to time when i feel like it. now, without further ado, let us begin.

Heat Waves (complete) by tbhyourelame

(wtf else did you expect, looking at a dnf rec list?) amazingly well written, and while it’s not my favorite dnf fic it’s damn near close. in the midst of a brutal heatwave, a suffering dream comes to terms with the fact that he is desperately in love with his best friend. everything i could say about this fic has already been said by nearly everyone who’s read it, so if you haven’t yet caved into the hype, just go for it. you won’t be disappointed.

Gonna be around (completed) by georgescatcafe

(mc irl) my favorite dnf oneshot to date. just read it, i don’t wanna spoil for you :)

Inferno in the Sky (ongoing)by zairielon

(star wars au) an ongoing star wars au currently clocking in at almost 200k words. need I say more? everything about it absolutely slaps, each chapter is amazingly written, and it’s just good. also, can we just appreciate dream and tubbos dynamic in here? 10/10, amazing, must protecc. oh right, a summary: george, an exiled padawan turned engineer, must return to the jedi temple after attacks on it from an unknown assailant threaten the safety of himself and the other jedi.

Like Magic (ongoing) by KangarooKen, NotGra55 (Gra55)

(harry potter au) the unofficial official dnf harry potter au. we watch the young unlikely wizard pair grow up together throughout their years at hogwarts as they battle good old fashioned wizard racism. beautifully written, incredibly fun and suspenseful, and just an overall blast and a half.

GeorgeNotFound, Son of Poseidon, and the League of Minor Gods (ongoing) by Clichewho_69, Cygnvs, Trash_Kinggg

(percy jackson au) percy jackson au? check. “road trip” (technically quest but u get what i mean)? check. enemies to friends to lovers? check. this fic follows the plot of the lightning theif (albeit loosely), but everything is explained enough where you don’t have to read percy jackson to understand what’s going on. basically after moving to the usa, george gets taken to camp halfblood where he learns that a) gods exist. b) he’s the son of poseidon and c) he needs to prove that he didn’t steal zeus’s master bolt.

Protected (completed) by aenqua

(royalty/camelot au) my favorite piece of dnf media of all time. dubbed the official dnf camelot au, where dream is the heir to the throne and george is a servants son with a secret that couldp get him killed. these childhood friends grow up together and learn trust, love, and acceptance. (that summary did not justice to the masterpiece that is this fic) here’s the directors cut

The Hunter (completed) by HederEgo

(mc irl) a choose your own adventure fic with 13 different endings, where dream the hunter must kill george and stop him from beater the ender dragon. enough said.

The official dream team cowboy AU (series)(ongoing) by antsu_in_my_pantsu

(cowboy au) cowboys and outlaws horses and shit. and the big gay. it’s a cowboy au, what else did you expect? fucking yee haw (all seriousness this is a great read, i loved it so so so so much and i can’t wait for the final chapter to release).

This is a Drista moment, let's just accept it (completed) by Qekyo

dnf fic from drista pov. considering its unique perspective, it’s perfectly done. beautifully showcases a sibling relationship through drista and her memories/moments with dream, and it just works, y’a know? also drista supremacy.

Dear Dream (completed) by Qekyo

(wwii au) i don’t cry when watching/reading anything sad. translation: i’m a heartless bitch. however, this fic is the only exception. it caused me to cry so hard my mom walked in my room and asked if i was ok. ‘nuff said.

TECHNOlogical Wingman (completed) by Closeted_Bookworm

techno is the autocorrect ai on dreams phone, and he gains sentience. interesting concept, and the author fucking nailed it. great fic.

It Was Only a Fic (ongoing) by imagineitdear

dream starts reading a dnf fanfic (we’ve all been there buddy).

Teacher’s Pet (ongoing) by niyuha

(teacher au) in which dream is a high school english teacher and george is the new comp sci teacher in room 297.

Saltwater Secrets (ongoing) by earlgay_milktea

(mermaid/high school au) a great example of the shear amount of variety in fics this fandom has to offer. when i started reading dnf fics i would have never thought i’d find one about a mermaid george hopelessly crushing on his human friend, who happens to be his schools star swimmer. yet here i am, and i am far from disappointed.

Smash My Heart (incomplete) by dontrollthedice

george and sapnap are commentators for duper smash brothers tournaments, and george develops a crush on an up and coming smash streamer named dream.

roleplaying in the dark is harder than it seems (completed) by Alienu

laser tag. 10/10

solar system (completed) by quartzfia

(mc irl) george vists dream in pandora’s vault.

Ramblings of a Lunatic (completed) by jungkooksfic

ahh communicating through a notebook left on a shelf in a bookstore- what a perfect way to start a relationship.

Paint me like your French Girls (It's Charcoal, Actually) (completed) by Turtle_ier

(artist au) george is an art student, and dream is a model.

00:00:00 (completed) by isleofdreams

(soulmate au) 00:00:00 is the moment you meet your soulmate, as indicated but the clock ticking down on your wrist until the moment you meet. i’m not a fan of soulmate aus; this fic is the exception.

Blue Skies Smilin' At Me (completed) by kivy

(artist au) i don’t usually cry while reading stuff, but this brought me damn near close. george is a painting conservator and chats it is with the ghost of the artist if the painting he is working on. they fall in a love.

Current Location (incomplete) by hendollana

(influencer au) george simps for a hot american instagram model. who knew he’d actually follow back?

The Withering (series) (series ongoing, 1 work completed) by App1e_Juice

(mc irl) lore and world building and fight scenes and everything i crave. what’s not to love? something starts making the plants and crops around dreams village wither, and must team up with new friends to find the cause of the mysterious disease plaguing the land.

Minecraft, But You Can't Leave (complete) by facadecake

(mc irl) dream and george are sucked into their own private minecraft world together and must beat the game to escape.

Free The Game, Beat the End (incomplete) by goatgoatwasfound

(mc irl) a glitch in minecraft causes thousands of players from around the world to be trapped inside minecraft, with only one way of escape- beating the ender dragon. first dnf fic i ever read, and it’s still 10/10 for me.

Why don't you come a little closer? (completed) by lifeofandoms

george gets stood up by a date, and Dream pretends he’s the date to save george from the embarrassment. simply adorable.

lightning bug (completed) by saintachesP

(band au) while on tour, dream realizes his feeling for george.

Hold me closer (completed) by Treesofmyheart

(mc irl/dsmp) i just,, really like this trope.

Dizzy on caffeine (completed) by GleamingGreenGoggles

(coffee shop au) best dnf coffeeshop au i’ve read. periodt.

living a life of crime isn’t always easy (series) (completed) by itisjosh

(mafia/assassin au) stockholm syndrome except it’s not weird.

Inhibitions Make Interesting Situations (completed) by Ship_On_The_Sea

i pissed myself laughing. it’s just a dream and george being hilariously dense, flustered idiots. serotonin central.

thy eternal summer shall not fade (completed) by gracequills

(high school au) that moment when you recite shakespeare to your crush in your ap lit class instead of confessing (hate it when that happens).

All is Fair in love and Football (ongoing) by graciegirl2001

(college au) #1 favorite college au. in which george is a cheerleader, and dream is the football teams rising star player. this one gets extra points because of the amazing karlnap moments sprinkled throughout. *chefs kisses air*

online love (completed) by andbutso

(high school au) online classes go zoooooooom

Can’t help falling (completed) by isleofdreams

dream re-learns the guitar to sing to george on his birthday. beautiful. fluffy. amazing

dance in the rain and my arms (completed) by lazy_kitkat

george is a rain god, and dream is a wind god

Weather Boy (completed) by DaintyDiizzle

wouldn't you like to know, weather boy? (where dream can control the rain)

The color orange (completed) by anon

(mc irl) dream describes the colors of a sunset

Family Mode (completed)by Strawberry_flavoured_tears

they’re dads :,)

Breathing Room (incomplete) by papercranes

(band an) an amazing band au. the mad lad author wrote original songs for each chapter. above and beyond, mad props :). unfortunately, it’s incomplete

Piece of Clay (completed) by carbonbrine

(artist au) george is a sculptor and his sculpture comes to life- but oh no he’s hot.

Try (completed) by Not4typicalwriter

(royalty au) george must choose a suitor, but none of them are up to dream, his head knights, standards. or dream is hella jelly. also protective dream is perfect

When the Roses Bloom (completed) by HederEgo

(royalty au) close second for my favorite fic. go to royalty au for a quick serotonin bost. it’s all fluff and flowers and crushes, and i love it. criminally underrated.

Heavenstruck (ongoing) by dontrollthedice

george is dreams guardian angel, and dream want to find out more about him and his past life. bittersweet :,)

Bang and Burn (completed) by App1e_Juice

(spy au) george accidentally falls for target number 1 on sapnap’s secret agency’s hit list. this ones great, i love me a spy au :)

Can I get a uhh… (completed) by lemonskies

dream keeps pulling up to the drive through mcdonald’s that george works at drunk.

Pretty Stranger (completed) by anon

when looking for dream in the terminal, george sees a cute guy and decides to flirt.

Take my Hand (completed) by latinbias

(royalty au) another royalty au? poggers. surprise twists? double poggers. love this a lot.

seconds, minutes, hours, lifetimes (complete) by meridies

ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP *inhales to compose herself* roadtrip au. unrequited love, ignored feelings, longing, pining, you know the drill. absolutely love this one, its the best roadtrip au i have ever read, in any fandom. (maybe cause i identify with it a little too much, but thats not important. whats important is that you read this fic. right now. im waiting).

Message redacted (complete) by justyouraverageloser

(text fic) dream asks for a girls number and realises hes been given the wrong number. however, an unexpected relationship starts to form between him and the stranger on the other end of the line.

the waves (completed) by anon

(mc irl) this fic was written by the same anon who wrote the color orange, which is up there on my fav dnf oneshot list. dream and george know they have a higher purpose. they don’t know where they came from, or why they are seemingly the only humans in the world, or how they feel about eachother, or even where the skeletons come from, but they are sure of one thing: they have to beat a dragon.

The Dream Doll (completed) by PeppDream (Pep_Pizza)

(voodoo i guess) i’m a real big fan of fics with really out there or unique concepts, so naturally this one makes the cut! i really liked it, it’s really sweet and made me think a lot about what matters to me in the world. george finds a strange doll in an antique shop, and would really like to just stuff it in a drawer and forget about it. sadly (?), the doll has other plans.

last updated February 6th, 2021

#dnf #dreamnotfound #dream not found #dreamnotfound fic #dreamnotfound fanfic #dreamnotfound fanfiction #dnf fic #dnf fanfic #dnf fanfiction #dnf fic rec #dreamnotfound fanfiction recommendations #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #i’m ok i swear #i read too much fanfiction #i should probably go to bed

[bigskydreaming]

what are your opinions on we are robin?

Massively complicated by the fact that DC's writers don't have an ACAB bone in their collective bodies.

Dunno how new to my blog you are and thus how familiar or not you are with my ACAB stance for Dick and my personal tendency to never acknowledge or interact with the specific idea of Dick as a cop...like there's more than enough material for me to work with without ever having to delve into that and I fundamentally believe being a cop is counter to everything I see as Dick's core premise and makes no sense given the specific origins and continuities I view as most 'him' -

But I WOULD have a lot of thoughts about how Dick would feel about this massive city-wide movement that he had no hand in creating and how he would inevitably feel personally responsible for every life to put on a facscimile of his family's costume AND the things they did in those costumes (such as the kid who was manipulated into killing someone while in that guise, per the Court of Owls' agenda).....

AND I would have a ton of thoughts about the fact that it was Alfred who secretly engineered this movement and how he of all people should know how Dick might feel about that, and thus how Dick WOULD feel about that information, but complicated and coupled with the fact that Alfred most certainly was motivated in part by his grief for Dick and seeing this as a kind of legacy, a way to honor his grandson, and able to justify to himself any transgressions towards Dick's feelings here with the idea that Dick wasn't alive TO be hurt by his actions here....

BUT the reason I avoid engaging with We Are Robin content beyond acknowledging it as Duke's origin story in the background of Duke content I write....

Is I absolutely can not - or more to the point - WILL NOT - attempt to justify Dick's decision to get all the kids arrested and locked up for their own safety while he went after the Court alone.

To be clear - I absolutely am of the opinion that Dick was and always will be right and justified in not wanting to see anyone get hurt in the colors and image of his family's legacy. That this has absolutely NOTHING to do with his impression of any such individual's competency, nor is it about trying to restrict their agency. That its wholly a PERSONAL thing for him, its a private instinct that is entirely reasonable and allowable, for him to have a kneejerk need to keep more people from dying or suffering in that specific mantle that he never intended to BE a legacy beyond just himself.

I headcanon that after Jason himself, nobody hated the memorial in the cave more than Dick, because the last image he had of his family was them lying dead on the ground of the circus ring, just broken bodies colored from high above in the classic Grayson colors and covered in blood. That THAT specifically is the image Dick so often saw in his nightmares in his early years in the Manor, that is the SPECIFIC visual Bruce so often comforted him about upon waking....and that it was a massive slap in the face and an indication of Bruce's most unfortunate tunnel-vision tendencies in his own grief, that it never even OCCURRED to Bruce that in memorializing Jason in the specific way he did, he was also subjecting Dick to a constant, ever present visual reminder of one of Dick's personal most traumatic images....the sight and idea of his family, now not just his parents but also his brother....reduced to just broken, bloody costumes he'd never get to see as anything but that again.

Not to mention then captioning this memorial with "a good soldier" and thus in the process of disrespecting Jason's true bond with Bruce, simply because Bruce couldn't handle that at the time and was trying to literally DISTANCE himself from that view of his loss, the loss of a son, of family....Bruce simultaneously disrespected Dick's legacy of his family and everything he'd created Robin to be, and envisioned Jason-as-Robin to be from the moment Dick gave Jason his own old costume and embraced him as the new Robin and by extension, HIS family as much as Bruce's.....like, no matter what Bruce intended for HIMSELF and his feelings about Jason's death with that caption, he literally reduced Dick's tribute to his parents and expression of brotherhood to his brother to.....nothing more than the uniform of a child soldier, a subordinate of the Batman in HIS personal crusade. Something that Jason never actually was, and Dick CERTAINLY had never created - or gave Jason his blessing as - Robin to be.

So on that front, I have no problem with Dick WANTING to keep all the Robins, every child who called themselves one, safe - and to take on the Court of Owls alone, by himself, because like it or not, that will ALWAYS be personal for him. That is about HIS family in a way that it will never be about the family, the heritage, of anyone else, even his adopted siblings. The Court were after HIM, specifically, and always were and always would be. I don't see anything hypocritical about Dick's desire to keep kids out of that fight when he himself would have never been okay with Bruce benching him as Robin in some random fight....because this fight is deeply personal for Dick in a way that's not transferable, and to be honest, I see his desire to keep anyone else from dying as a Robin, in a fight against the Court ESPECIALLY....I see it as an inherently selfish want of Dick's. 

A selfishness that I think he's entirely justified in having. Its not about anyone but him. Its about HIM not having to deal with the burden of any more deaths in his family's colors, his family's name, when he in all likelihood originally created Robin in that particular guise because he figured he'd likely die as Robin at some point, and thus he'd never have to see anyone die in the image of his family's costume and colors ever again because the only person left TO die in them, at the time, was he himself.....thus kinda ensuring for Dick that when he did die, he'd go out just as his parents did, which in his youth at least was likely a weirdly kinda comforting idea for him.

So on the one hand, Dick's desire to keep the kids out of harm's way was ultimately a selfish - but justifiably so - desire to not see anyone else dead or injured in a literal WAR of CHILDREN being fought in his personal family colors and image....especially when 99% of them had literally no idea what the colors they were fighting in signified and meant for the mantle's original creator.

BUT.

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT.

Where this all falls apart for me, and why I don't just go with this take and instead just kinda sidestep around the whole story itself and don't engage with it....

Is there's absolutely no way to 'fix' the story as is.....without coming up with an entirely different middle climax, in which Dick finds some way to sideline the kids without getting them all arrested.

Cuz see, what I'm NOT gonna ever do, is try and argue from an in story perspective, that Dick would ever be stupid enough, or try to justify, getting kids - many of them marginalized, and people of color specifically - arrested in the name of keeping them SAFE.

That's just stupid to the nth degree, and unilaterally the fault of DC's writers being oblivious to the real-world realities of police brutality and the interactions and dynamic people of color have with the actual police.

It was DC's fuck-up there, but I - especially as a white writer and fan - am not going to try and fix or transform that fuck up short of entirely rewriting the whole second half of We Are Robin's plot, which to be honest, I don't see as likely to ever be a priority for me as there's so much other content in Dick's narratives I'd rather get to first. Its just way too far down the list, the premise itself doesn't interest or engage me enough to make me WANT to invest in that particular story heavily enough to create a whole other direction for it, that navigates around the issue I have with it here.

So again, I mostly just....don't engage with it. Because I can't see Dick's stance on the issue of his family's legacy ever being other than what I always see it as, and thus see it as here, but I'm definitely never going to find it appropriate to write Dick trying to justify his decision to ENGINEER the police arresting all these kids for their PROTECTION....to a black character like Duke in specific.

Because its not. But again, this wasn't Dick's decision at the end of the day, because he's a fictional character who can only make the decisions he's written making. And thus it was the decision of writers who wrote these characters in situations that contained analogues to real world issues without keeping centered an awareness of how those issues intersect with people of different identities, particularly people of color and black people in specific.

So its not a decision that made me like, dislike Dick, because its one that I don't think he should have ever been written making, but its not a decision I care to justify in universe.

And that's about all I think I ever intend to - or even could - expand on that subject, I'm pretty sure. *Shrugs*

Oh wait, no, I lied!

Quick thought for white fans in particular....because I HAVE seen this subject tackled at least once or twice in fiction, from an ACAB standpoint that had Duke reaming out Dick for his decision here, for the same reasons I'm outlining above.....

This isn't an attempt to gatekeep or police anybody as like, I'm not actually ever trying to do that, I'd have to know every fic writer's personal identity and marginalizations TO do that, and I'm not pretending to know that or asking to, like, its just not on the menu for me so please don't get me wrong, this is purely aimed at a plea for white writers in particular to exercise personal accountability and good, sincere judgment in this regard:

No matter your personal feelings about Dick Grayson, the subject of Robin, or any of this in general, PLEASE keep in mind before utilizing Duke as a mouthpiece for giving Dick shit for this in the name of smearing the latter's character or making him look bad, like.....

Dick is of Romani descent. In the New 52 continuity as well as pre-Flashpoint. That's been made explicitly clear, and as such......there is no substitute in our current real world zeitgeist for the interactions the police have with black people, but please keep in mind that Romani people have a very, VERY long history of being subject to police brutality and persecution in a wide range of countries. Its a big part of why so many people are so uncomfortable with cop!Dick in the first place, and as such, it makes treating him as this naive, privileged white guy when having the realities of police brutality explained to him by another character, like.....not look exactly like you might intend there, because the reality is he's not SUPPOSED to be that character, but too few people at DC, and ESPECIALLY the people writing the We Are Robin stories, like, completely fail to ever extend the idea of Dick being Romani to any kind of examination of what kinds of lived experiences, perspective or perceptions this results in him having specifically.

And that's a failure on DC's part, but you don't need to go making it your failure as well, so for those of us who are white like, this really is something that should be kept centered before we decide to engage with story elements like the above one from We Are Robin, and like, if we do, then HOW we go about that specifically.

[dollyllama108]

OC Profile

No one asked for this but I saw @1esk19 do it, and my main takeaway from D.A.R.E. was that if your friends do something, you’re required to do it as well. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

I’d again like to stress that no one asked for this. It counts toward my weekly screaming-about-Yuan time, is all.

General

Full Name: Xiyuan Shallot-Liu

Alias(es): Née Liu Xiyuan (刘希愿). Yuan (愿) is his nickname. Extrauniversal monikers include Ghost Rider, Ghost Boy, and Basically a Proton Pack. (There's also David, a shitty English name imposed on him by a shitty teacher.)

Gender: Male.

Age: 54.

Birthdate: Fall 14, 1966.

Place of birth: Sim version of Beijing.

Hometown: He'd probably consider San Myshuno to be his hometown despite not moving there until he was 32.

Spoken language(s): Beijing dialect, Standard Mandarin, English, Mohegan-Pequot-Montauk, Cantonese, Hokkien, French---but the Simlish dialectical versions.

Sexual orientation: Gay.

Occupation: Former professional violinist; current gallerist.

Appearance

Eye color: Dark brown

Hair color: Black

Height: 5′10″

Scars: None

Favorite

Color: Light pink.

Hair color: Dark colors.

Song: Changes frequently. Currently it's "Now / Later / Soon" from A Little Night Music. Along with theater, he prefers 20th-century French and 19th-century Russian composers.

Food: Even though he has a lean diet consisting of mostly legumes and vegetables, he also loves food that reminds him of his happy childhood in Beijing. Jianbing (煎饼) is probably his favorite.

Drink: Yuan has a high tolerance for substances and will drink anything put in front of him, as long as it's not too sweet. His usual coffee order is a 12 oz double-shot Americano with no room.

Have They

Passed university: Yes, with a Distinguished B.A. in Fine Arts.

Had sex: Yes.

Had sex in public: Yep.

Gotten pregnant: Dude, no.

Kissed a boy: Mm-hmm.

Kissed a girl: Unfortunately, yes.

Gotten tattoos: No.

Gotten piercings: No.

Been in love: Romantic love, three times; also loves his son and several friends.

Stayed up for more than 24 hours: Hahahahahaha

Are They

A virgin: Look, not only is he 54, this question was asked and answered in the previous section. Instead I'll answer which Spice Girl he is: Posh Spice.

A cuddler: Not to the same extent his husband is. He's married to a total spouse barnacle.

A kisser: Decline to answer; he does not like people knowing about his sex life---beyond the obvious, like if you're running around San Myshuno making out with a ghost then some things are kind of obvious.

Scared easily: Spectrophiles don't scare easily.

Jealous easily: Absolutely not.

Dominant: In order to not reinforce trope-y dynamics, I'll pretend this asked for his Myers-Briggs type. He's an INFP.

Submissive: I'll pretend this asked for his purity score, which is 23%. To put this in perspective, his son, who is the Sim universe's version of a sex worker, has a purity score of 32%.

In love: Yes.

Single: No.

Random Questions (tw for self harm/suicide mention)

Have they harmed themselves: Does hurting his hand punching someone count?

Thought of suicide: No.

Attempted suicide: No. 'Random questions' and half of them are about suicide?????

Wanted to kill someone: Nope, but he can get pretty vicious.

Have / had a job: His occupation was in the first bit. But if you want to know the craziest thing he's done at a party, that would probably be the time he bullied Diego Lobo into changing his suit and impulse bought a multimillion-dollar yacht in the span of one hour. Long story for an upcoming chapter.

Have any fears: Being abandoned.

Family

Sibling(s): No

Parent(s): Liu Fujiang and Liu Liwei

Children: Xishu Liu, born Spring 1994.

Significant other: Bernard Shallot-Liu, née Lord Bernard Escargot Shallot IV. Together since Winter 1999, married in Summer 2005.

Pet(s): No. No pets ever.

#oc profile #xiyuan shallot-liu #my OCs DONUT STEEL #my apologies for being like this

[sponfawn]

Color-in-laws part 1

An anon requested a post about the relationships between the non-color-coded siblings (eg Brick and Buttercup, Bubbles and Butch, etc). Those are some of my favorite dynamics in MTH to think about, so this might get long. I will also be referencing the most recent chapter update as of 07/19, so there will be spoilers. I'm gonna talk about the relationships more or less from each character's perspective. (Credit to my S/O for the title)

Brick and Bubbles

From chapter 1, Bubbles has no fear of Brick at all. In fact, when he tries to drive her away with his glare, it is so ineffective that she has to actually be like "... ohhh, I think he's trying to intimidate me". She finds chinks in his normally fail-safe antisocial armor, and actually has normal conversations with him. At first I think he was taken aback and even disturbed by this. Something that normally was so easy for him didn't work at all. On the contrary, she shortly disarms him enough with her Bubbly ways to have some interactions that are actually slightly positive.

During the beach episode, Bubbles actually physically makes him cook, while Buttercup plays volleyball with Butch. Although he complains about it and acts a bit outraged at her impertinence, he actually complies. This is a guy who hates taking orders from others unless it's necessary for his end goal, who generally doesn't give a shit about others, being prodded and softened into someone who actually cooks for a group of people he can't get anything of value from. Later in the series, we see a similar interaction, where Bubbles has him carry a number of her photos from art to the Utonium family car. She doesn't even ask him she just kinda grabs him, puts a bunch of boxes in his arms, and steers him in the right direction. And while he initially protests, it's pretty half-hearted, and he complies without much of a fuss. He even showed curiosity in her project, which from him is a considerable compliment.

Honestly, I think Brick puts her on a bit of a subconscious pedestal. He doesn't worship or adore her in the way that Boomer does, but says some significant things about her. During the scene with Him's dark blob, Brick thinks to himself, quote:

She only knew joy and how to exude it. She was more comfortable with her heart's feelings and desires than anyone else here... This'll work, Brick thought. There's no conflict in this girl's heart for this thing to feed on.

Upon explanation for why he sacrificed Bubbles, he says, "Bubbles... she's always bright and happy. There's no darkness in that girl, no... evil thoughts or tendencies." Brick imagines her to be the most pure and honest of them all, beyond inner conflict and any negativity**. Whether thats accurate or not (obv not) he seems to recognize Bubbles' superior emotional intelligence, stability, and self-awareness as actually valuable to some degree, altho he'd never admit it. This is important to note tho, as hes not one to talk much of others' strengths.

During the scene where Brick gets mad because Buttercup and Bubbles are in the apartment, Brick sees a side of Bubbles he probably didn't even realize she had. She sees that his yelling upset Boomer and made him uncomfortable, and as they leave the apartment she shoots Brick a look that actually makes him shudder. This is a big deal cuz 1) it's Brick, 2) Brick likely sees Bubbles as the least threatening and generally the most tolerable/amiable of the Girls, and 3) it's fucking Brick. This is one of the very few times when we see Brick feel afraid for himself. I think he has a sort of grudging respect for her. If she was really the dim, emotional, over-familiar ditz as he assumed, he wouldn't give her the time of day. Instead he got a creative, unafraid, intuitive girl with the capacity for biting sarcasm. We see how he treats people he considers incompetent - he hardly interacts with them, and often outright ignores them. I don't think he really knows how to effectively deal with her, she's too unpredictable so he's always on his toes.

I think Brick likes Bubbles as much as he can like anyone in a platonic way, but she's just too good at calling him and his emotional confliction out, so she's not exactly a "friend". That being said, she's just about the only person in the fic who he has explicitly tried to take advice from for nothing in exchange (in regards to talking to Blossom), which is a pretty big deal. Brick is the kind of person who doesn't trust others' judgement easily, so the fact that he tried to trust hers says a lot.

** EDIT: since Brick is evil and hates "the good guys" it may actually sorta be an insult that she's so good and pure. But even a negative pedestal is a pedestal.

#sbj more than human #meta #color in laws series #analysis #brick #bubbles #longpost

[starryeyed-red-blog]

~Voltron Legendary Defender Ask Game~

I was tagged by @lasersheith to do this!

How did you discover the show?

I had another blog before for another fandom, and at some point I saw people posting art for it and thought it looked interesting. Then I asked my friend if I should watch it and he straight up said no lmao. Then I kind of watched it just to spite him whoops

Was it love at first sight or did it take you a while to get into the the show?

I came in late to the game (like, I made this blog a few weeks before season 5 aired) but once I actually discovered the show I loved it immediately. 

Do you have a favorite episode?

The Blade of Marmora bc it is highkey what got me really into Sheith. Also it’s just a really cool journey for Keith with finally finding knowledge on his heritage, and with him being my favorite character from the start it was fun to watch. Along the same lines I also love Reunion (the only episode to make me cry to date) and Bloodlines. Pidge and her family pull my heartstrings.

Do you have a favorite Paladin?

Keith and Shiro have become super tied for me. Maybe Shiro (pre-s3) as a paladin himself because his growth with his lion specifically was huge and exciting and I loved their dynamic so much.

Do you have a favorite Lion? (If it’s different from your fav Paladin, why?)

I really like Blue, actually. I feel like if I were a paladin that’s who I would end up with. She’s emotional, empathetic, and motherly, and I love her. Also uhhh hell yeah for water/ice based magic

Do you have a favorite Villian?

I don’t talk about her much but Axca!! I feel like they have a lot more in store for her in upcoming seasons. Her interesting build-up with Keith can be interpreted in so many different ways and I can’t wait to see how it pans out, whether they be related or if they just form a silent type of fondness and respect for each other through battle. Also she’s just a badass on her own.

Do you have a favorite Alien Race? (Recurring and/or minor)

I would die for the Olkari

Favorite side / other character(s)- Rebels, Generals, Blade of Marmora, Garrison, etc?

Dude I love all the Blades so much and I am constantly stuck between “Stop. Killing. My. Bois.” and “What??? But none of them died?? Idk,, What? You’re talkign about???? Keith is hanging out w Thace and Ulaz and Antok as we Speak”

How/Why did you join the fandom?

I really liked Voltron and loved all the meta, fanart, and fanfics for it so I made a deliberate decision to go against the better judgement/outside perspective of both myself and my friend, who warned me right from the start of what a mess it could be. I actually almost steered clear tbfh. But now I’m here, and I’m staying for a bit, and I’ve found that once you learn to create a space of peace for yourself in a fandom then it doesn’t matter what else is going on. You just enjoy stuff regardless! 

Care to share your favorite headcanon?

Ooo I always see a lot that are super cool but I’m really bad at thinking of my own. I like the idea of Axca and Keith being related, though I tend to like going the half-sibling route instead of full sibling. Mostly because of Axca’s coloring and horns (?) not looking wither Galra or human, ya know? But she still looks like she could be Krolia���s daughter. I also really like HCs with Lance’s name reflecting his Cuban heritage. Especially one that I read about how L.A.N.C.E could be an acronym for his full Cuban name. I know it was a specific blogger who talked about this but I can’t remember who, so if anyone knows feel free to lmk. 

What do you think is the best part of the show?

I really love the art and the world-building. I absolutely love all of the aliens and their planets, and how in-depth everything seems to be. I also like the character development that we see, along with the diversity of race, gender, mental health, physical disabilities, etc.

Any hopes and wishes for future episodes / seasons?

I may be one of the only ones, but I actually really really want a fight scene between Shiro/Kuro and the other paladins. Not because I don’t want things to end well for Shiro, but I just think that with Haggar’s experiments they HAVE to be leading to that. If not, I feel like there’s no point of having a compromised Shiro in the first place. What kind of a plot device is “things are starting to look kind of iffy, maybe even bad, but don’t worry nothing is really going to go wrong they’ll fix it before anything exciting happens?” Also I just like to be tortured by the most emotional shit you can imagine. Like imagine Keith having to fight a messed up Shiro that he KNOWS is messed up, and he doesn’t want to but he has to? Just the amount of shit I need to be so emotional that I forget about the real world and all of its real problems. Perfect. Angst with an eventual happy ending is my kink. 

Do you think you’ll stick it out until the end of the show?

I can’t imagine not sticking it out to the end. Things are just going to escalate from here and I don’t want to miss a second.

Tag your friends or someone you want to get to know better: 

 I feel like I’m going to bother people if I tag them lmao 

#faith talks #ask game

[pyropsychiccollector]

Darn it, Alvarez Arc... You were open to possibilities. Opportunities. Potential...

But then you gave way to Nalu/Jerza fanservice anyway. >.> I suppose, in the end, Natza didn't HAVE to become canon, but the lack of fanservice up 'til the ending stuff kinda left things open. I wouldn't have been opposed to an ending that stayed open. Let all ships have their theories about how everyone paired off, even the overbearing Big 4. But what ya gonna do? I suppose it's still possible to end on that note, but not very likely at this stage.

Nalu/Jerza camps have their reasons for believing in their ships, and I have mine. Even in this arc of wasted opportunities...

Is this kind of scene romantic? Not necessarily. Just goes to show the amount of faith Erza has in Natsu, when everyone else was ready to go after and support him. He was confronting the leader of Alvarez, the Black Wizard himself, and Erza took him at his word that he could handle it. Even though Zeref would likely make the Balam Alliance seem like a cakewalk, Erza put her faith in him before all others did (at least from what we were shown). Sort of reminiscent of the time when Erza took on a 100 monsters, don'tcha think?

Natsu and Erza trust one another - their character, their abilities, they've bared it all to each another over the years. Of course they worry about one another, too - as seen when Natsu saved Erza from falling in Chapter 459 - but it's a healthy kind of worry. Not to the point of doubting one another's abilities. Granted, there was a point in Tartaros where he had Happy fly him across Ishgar because he was worried about Erza (and Mira) being taken; at the time, he had little to no evidence, but he was right in the end, wasn't he?

As much as the Nalu/Jerza camps may try to convince us there isn't a deep connection between these two characters, there kind of is even if you decide to view it as platonic. That said, this connection goes beyond mere trust and having each other's backs. They grew up in Fairy Tail for seven years before the canon officially started. Them and Gray bonded to the point they'd bathe together. I can see how that might be viewed as innocent sibling bonding, but all these years later, Natsu and Erza are perfectly comfortable being around one another naked. Maybe in some families, siblings are okay baring all for one another to see, but I don't think that's necessarily a 'normal' sibling-type relationship. Even outside the bathing thing, though, you had the trio of Natsu, Erza, and Gray doing all sorts of things together (the flashbacks in recent chapters prove that; even if you don't want to buy that Erza expanded on Natsu's education where Igneel left off, there's at least that one panel showing Erza possibly teaching them to hunt). It wasn't just a case of Erza being the badass S-Class mage that was so far above them in skill, and therefore distant from them as friends; they really had a connection prior to Lucy joining the Guild. And that bond can be more or less demonstrated canonically when Natsu rushed off ahead of the others early in ToH, before Erza could stop him from trying to confront Jellal. Even Gray was worked up, but Erza stopped him before he could rush off, too.

It's just one reason, but I kind of prefer a ship that is built off of years and years of bonding. The kind where a relationship would just 'happen'; no change in the dynamic, they just kinda realize that, oh, they are pretty close. It's natural to proceed to the next stage. I won't completely dismiss that Nalu and Jerza have some buildup, but compared to the likes of Natza, they haven't had as long to be together. That's just one reason I see Nalu as a BROTP. Jerza... well, as it's written currently, I'm just plain averse to that ship. Jellal's caused Erza much trauma, and Erza's a little too blindly loyal to him for my tastes. Loyalty's all well and good, but to try and convince the likes of Kagura and Milliana to forgive Jellal and move on like she had, that's not really fair to them, now is it? Milliana was lied to and manipulated for all that time Erza was in Fairy Tail, and she lost a dear friend because of him - a dear friend that also happened to be Kagura's brother, who she had been searching for. To top it off, they weren't the only ones affected by Jellal running the Tower of Heaven. Lots of slaves died constructing it.  And don't bother trying to pass off Jellal's actions as Ultear possessing him; I never liked Ultear being made as a scapegoat, and from what we saw he still had a great amount of free will in him.

I've diverged off-topic a bit, but that is some of my major reasoning for being against Jerza. If you want another interesting contrast, Jerza is rooted in the dismal past (TRYING to move on, with one person doing most of the work), while Natza can be argued to be headed to a bright future (with both of them mutually supporting one another). That doesn't mean the past is forgotten; it's just not at the forefront of their minds. This contrast can be seen in how Erza usually interacts with Jellal and Natsu. Whenever she's around Jellal, the mood is usually somber and heavy with regrets, and Erza is doing her utmost best to give him hope and purpose (there is maybe one exception, at the end of Tartaros; the roles are reversed, but the atmosphere is still not quite 'cheery' - much as it tries to be). When Erza's around Natsu, the mood varies, but it's worthy to note that Natsu does an excellent job at cheering Erza up or putting her in a good mood. I mean, just look at these...

Canon, filler, doesn't matter. Natsu's like the best guy for the job at getting Erza to smile. And more than half the time, he's smiling right beside her. There's just so much to love about Natza. More than I could cover in just one post, but we're quite not up to the 'end' anyway, so I won't get into it all yet. There's still 2 more volumes to come out - 15 chapters, maybe. Yeah, canonically we're probably going to wind up with most if not all the pairings that were on that color cover a couple chapters ago; some I'm aggravated with, some I'm okay with. That won't stop me from appreciating all the Natza moments we had.... It's just... damn it, Mashima, you just had me convinced we could've gone that route.

It's a bummer we have to defend our ship so tenaciously, but what ya gonna do? We've got loads of stuff to shove in Nalu/Jerza's high and mighty faces. And from our perspective, Natza is extremely healthy and well-developed...

#Fairy Tail #Natsu Dragneel #Erza Scarlet #Natza #Anti-Nalu #Anti-Jerza #Stir the pot #Stir iiit

[whowatcheswomen-blog]

What is a Lady Bird?

(Michele Nofi)

Lady Bird (2017, dir. Greta Gerwig)

It seems every year there is a “coming of age” movie that is a must see. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m just over the trend, or if there is something unremarkable about them now. Still, “Lady Bird” (the movie- I will refer to the character as LB) did some things differently, number one being about a non-animated teenage girl.

Lady Bird is, without a doubt in my mind, one of the realist, very down to earth coming of age stories because half of the time, she fails at the extremes. The relationship between LB and her mother was eerily similar to most mother and daughters I have known – minus the whole not speaking to each other for several months. LB is also a fantastic example of how I want all female characters to be. If analyzed too closely, she’s not a perfect person, but neither are most male protagonist. To be fair, it is literally her world we are entering, so she can be as annoying as she wants to.

What I am torn between in regard to Lady Bird is if LB’s actions were truly self-motivated, or if they were still motivated by men (read: boys). It’s realistic in this instance because, name one teenager that does not try to change herself for a crush. (Now tell that person to please stop it, no one is f-king worth it). And, in constantly changing herself, she finds out who she doesn’t want to be – and that’s for her. Then again, she changes to gain friends first, then plunges deeper to further impress a boy – what else is new (*yells at fictional women forever like they’re my best friend*). Spoiler: in the end, she doesn’t find herself as a person, simply regrets what was taken for granted in her life.

One of the head scratching parts of Lady Bird for me is that LB wasn’t the most interesting person in her own story. It is established early in the film that her brother and his girlfriend Shelly recently had to move in with the family because of money. I wish Shelly and LB had more interaction. I wish we saw Shelly’s reaction to this family – she is in love with this guy, they have no money so she goes with him when he moves back in with his parents who have money trouble of their own and can’t offer them much. What’s her story? Where is her family and what made them chose LB’s family to move in with over her own? Does she have siblings? What was her relationship with her parents and how does that effect what she thinks of the family dynamics in the house she currently lives in? Maybe I missed a line that gave some insight, but she’s present for all family discussions, so I find it interesting that there isn’t a scene of an older woman that is not LB’s mom to help this teenager get some perspective. And I just have so many Shelly related questions.

In all actuality, LB’s best friend Julie is the MVP of the movie. I would totally watch a movie where LB’s story was the B plot and Julie’s life was the main storyline. She has a couple of throw away lines about her life, her money situation, her relationship with her mom that she tries to make sound boring. These are the women that aren’t listened to enough. Forget the thin white girl trying to be edgy because her hair isn’t a natural color. This isn���t an original story, I know because I, and every other girl I know, tried it. The story that I find interesting and so rarely told are those of people that are going through more serious hardships. Where money is coming from loved ones that are trying to help, but who knows how long they can help for? Where does that leave you? It’s terrifying, and yet Julie as a secondary character doesn’t let it consume her day to day. Instead, she learns something I wish I learned sooner – find things that make you happy and stick with them. Don’t let other people and their opinions matter and don’t try to please people that don’t think you’re cool enough.

Like many coming of age stories, it is unclear if any of the lessons LB learned will stick with her. She calls her mom, great, but will she continue to value Julie as a friend? Will she grow closer to Shelly? I am not sure, and I’m not sure if I necessarily fault the 18-year-old protagonist for being a realistic 18 year old protagonist.

Lady Bird is a young woman’s story. I'll never complain about having another one. Was it the most ground breaking, unique story to be told – not necessarily. Were there other young woman whose stories would’ve been more interesting- always. Still, in an industry still so dominated by men and their stories – any step forward is better than standing still. I think I just wish it was a bigger or more daring step.

All of this says nothing of the acting – which was simply incredible. The struggles I have with the movie can be shrugged off because they are believable situations. All because of the acting. The good will scenes, the priest and the mother, even the father and son at the interview. The filmography as well stood out to me. The blue of the dream home, the sunsets while in the car, the lights reflective off the pool all to name a few. The movie is gorgeous, and phenomenally-acted and for that deserves all the acclaim it is receiving. Greta Gerwig is an amazing director and story teller. I want her to have all the praise she deserves and hope she continues to grow and tell her stories that are worth telling.

Michele gives Lady Bird:

HOOTS AND HOLLERS

#oscars2018 #academy awards #lady bird #saoirse ronan #greta gerwig #whowatcheswomen #watchwomen