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devilcatdarling · 9 months

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3, 9, 11, 13?

Oh boy lots of words incoming

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

- a few times actually, but because said opinions happened to be either extremely ableist, transphobia, proshipper rhetoric, or infantilization of trauma victims, etc, things that are reflections of poor character irl passed as "opinions" that I'd much rather not see on my dash or associate with. Ship discourse and or ooc characterizations and the like for fictional media are things I usually just mute or ignore otherwise

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

- a lot of my choices are the usual common ones for the reasons you'd expect, though most of them I can respect as nuanced/complex characters and write/portray them as such. The main ones I dislike being Zote, the White Lady, the Pale King, Soul Master, and the Radiance.

Particularly the Radiance and White Lady. Zote is annoying, Soul Master is a haughty immortality seeking asshole that throws others under the wheels for his own gain, the Pale King is an in-denial deity seeking any methods to purpetuate his kingdom at the ultimate cost of his own kids, etc (at least he had regrets though? I'm not about to defend him though tbh)

But the White Lady and Radiance? Despicable. Both more than capable and willing to throw their own "children" into eternal suffering and hell for the sake of their wars. Radiance infecting and wiping out the entire populace of Hallownest over her fury towards another god for "stealing" from her. Burning everything to the ground and leaving nothing but sickness and corpses. No matter how justified her anger or fear of being forgotten could be, she has laid waste to the entirety of a population in the name of her rage and slaughtered countless mortals caught in the crossfire of a godly spat

The White Lady? Bitch. Biggest bitch. How her responsibility in things is often overlooked in fandom portrayals is astounding to me because, as the only one of the three gods involved in this shitfest that you actually can just talk to ingame, her complete and utter dismissal towards her remaining spawn, from her cold indifference towards Hollow as a "tarnished impure failure" to her insistence that Ghost offer themselves up as sacrifice for a kingdom that they owe nothing to, that left them to die, is vile on a level that makes me despise her the most out of most of these choices here. She then hides away to assuage her own guilt and leaves the rest of the kingdom she claimed to care for to burn, speaking to her last remaining child as an object and pleading with them to lie their neck over the guillotine for a kingdom long since burned to ashes while she does nothing but hide away

I'd fist fight her in a McDonald's parking lot at 2 am and win

11. Is there an unpopular character that you like that the fandom doesn't? Why?

- I'm a pretty basic bitch in that most of the characters I like/dislike are also popularly liked/disliked in most fandom spaces but uhhh if I had to pick I'd say Unn. She's kinda just vibing under her lake separate from all the other godly bullshit going on and yeah she's not really trying hard to keep her own land but she's also kinda causing way less problems for everyone else unlike some aforementioned gods in this salt post. Also Greenpath as a nature realm is THRIVING compared to the rest of the burnt up and abandoned husk that is Hallownest so...Unn for the win lol

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

- Some people spend an excessive amount of time gatekeeping ships and characterizations and it's just..not that serious guys xD

Granted it's not a HUGE problem, but if I had a dollar for every time I have someone showing up in mine, or other ppl's, inboxes to inform them about how their characterization/au/ship for XYZ character is "incorrect" and lives rent free in their mind in a negative way to the point where they just HAVE to tell you how bad it is, I'd have a hefty pocket full of dollars right now. Other people having harmless headcanons and ships shouldn't consume so much of your time and energy to the point where you NEED to hit up the inboxes of Pale King stans or Quirrelnet/Pale Nightmare/oc x canon shippers to needlessly shit on their day and tell them they should stop liking things because you can't use your mute and block functions to curate your own space accordingly. Log off and go outside and breathe some fresh air, I'm begging you. You can not like or even HATE certain interpretations of characters, you can rant about them in your own spaces, whatever. But don't come into MY inbox telling me not to ship oc x canon because you hate women and can't stand seeing your fave fictional blorbo with zero canon dialogue or relationship content shipped with a girl. I promise you I don't give a shit xD

#hollow knight #hollow knight asks #answered asks #askbox meme #ask game #salty ask meme

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smooth-and-skeletal · 10 months

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Updated: July 13th, 2023 Hey. You can call me Saph. I have ADHD and dyslexia and I’m autistic. These things are relevant because they make me who I am and/or affect the way you may see me type. I am extremely prone to strange typos, if something doesn’t make sense, ask for clarification.

I’m bad at introductions but I’m very good at answering questions so if you want to know something, ask.

MINORS DNI. Do not speak to me, do not look at me. I’m not a minor, I am not for minors and neither this is blog. Be gone or I will block you.

Don’t anticipate many posts from me, but all will be tagged with “expatiate”.

This blog is mostly for reposting art from artists I adore (#isn't it lovely), reposting funny text posts (#word) and tagging posts that remind me of my vast amount of OCs and/or appease kinks I like. OC shit will be tagged by name. Kinks may or may not be tagged, but I’m sure it’ll be self-explanatory. I’m not into many fandoms at all (literally just Teen Wolf and Hannibal), but those will be tagged as well. I am also notorious for talking in the tags.

Speaking of OCs, if you’re looking for something to roleplay and/or discuss stories/characters send me a dm and I’ll drop my discord. I’m a huge fan of worldbuilding, character creation and putting my OCs through horrible tragedies with some kinky sex as a treat. I’ve been roleplaying for years.

Not really much to add. Don’t really expect anyone to ever read this, just thought I might add it. I do love questions though, so if someone does read this, shoot one my way.

—————————————

Lies, after a bit more time I decided to add more information. (I don’t reorganize the post because I like thinks to be rewritten in the order I thought of them)

I am a gnc black demi lesbian who uses he/him pronouns. The best way to describe my gender is non-binary as how I refer to myself depends on mood. I do prefer to be addressed masc terms when referring to my person, but i’m not against fem compliments. I am a switch/verse. And I mean completely verse with no real tendency to lean one way or the other. It all depends on mood and whatever potential partner I encounter. I am capable pretty much anything you can think of, the right buttons must be pressed.

I’m not exactly uncomfortable with flirting, but I don’t guarantee a flirty response. Despite blog appearances, I have to be in a very specific mood to flirt/sext. So do so with the understanding that you may not get an immediate response or possibly not one at all. Don’t let that stop you! Or do, idc.

I feel that this is obvious, but ofc, you don’t know me, so to be clear, frank and succinct, I do not tolerate any sort of bigotry. I block without hesitation for any reason I deem fit, but especially if you’re an asshole, a bigot, a creep, or a minor. I am uncomfortable with cishet men, but I will not block for that reason alone. But nothing here is really meant for you.

My kinks are all over the place and ever-growing so it’s easier to list things I have no interest in (subject to change, as in this list may grow):

scat/piss/vomit (not in any capacity)

bloodplay (irl,; it’s fine as a concept)

knifeplay (irl; it’s fine as a concept)

ddlg (just does nothing for me, a small ick)

ageplay (not in any capacity)

violence (irl; it’s fine as a concept)

cnc (irl; it’s fine as a concept)

rape (absolutely not)

master/slave (absolutely not)

pet play [like actually pretending to be a dog; pet names and such are fine] (not in any capacity)

Anything not listened here is fair game, within reason. But to be honest I could have missed some or forgotten. If it involves anything I’ve mentioned being against, it’s a hard no. Ask for clarification if necessary.

Also, when I say something is fine as a concept I mean I’d read a post, fic, story about or involving in and itself fine, but it’s not something I’d want to actually participate in.

I think that’s all I have? Seriously, just ask if there are any questions, I am an open book, if prodded.

#expatiate

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babygirlgojo · 1 year

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hi belle!! tulip here, you might've forgotten me since i haven't interacted in a hot minute 😓 i wasn't able to send you asks because of school (and life in general 🥲) so i apologize for that! anyway—how are you? i hope you're doing fine especially with all the assholes you had to deal with on this site recently :( i understand why you want to move to ao3 and 100% support your decision. it's true, some people are just insensitive and toss others' feelings aside. i wanna curse the shit out of all the immature people who picked fights with you for extremely absurd reasons. i'm happy that you've decided to publish your works elsewhere since tons of pricks made this site shitty and toxic for you. the anons being rude as hell and making hefty demands doesn't sit right with me. they need to understand that you're human too, you aren't required to overwork yourself just for the sake of others. if i'm being honest, i think you made the right choice. don't let those idiots get the best of you though, i hope that ao3 will be a better place for you! i'll make an account just to support your works whenever you decide to publish them ღゝ◡╹)ノ that aside, please get enough rest and stay hydrated <3

– 🌷

Tulip!! Hi!! (≧ω≦)

Ofc I haven’t forgotten about you! In fact - I keep getting reminded of you when I listen to heaven and back or chase Atlantic - and a Kaiser based piece on that is in my head.

(I remember all my anons pretty fondly <3) The amount of wips I have in my docs that ao3 needs to see once they’re completed (working on yandere rin and 2 surprise characters) ಠ_ಠ

Don’t worry about it! Life gets busy sometimes and priorities right? I’m doing good! Working on assignments and projects, getting good grades and working out - just doing everything in a balance.

Feel free to skip rant -

And honestly? My move to ao3 is doing good cause I’m taking things to my pace and it’s more relaxed than tumblr - cause it’s very chilled out.

Apart from anons and my works getting flagged down, even the author community isn’t doing too hot - mentioned it in one of my reasons; I find tumblr to be a very unfair platform. Authors that have built a huge following in other fandoms, get into small spaces and cause of that small time writers get overshadowed since these authors are given more pref yk? It’s one thing to be a multi fandom blog and build more content for a small fandom - but overshadowing small time writers? I’m not very supportive of that. And before someone point fingers, I’m not trying to be the toxic gatekeep of a fandom, but what I’m trying to point out is that the system here is unfair. Smut (and literal Twitter porn links) are given more pref than actual writing and in my case I have a heavy leaning towards the plot of the story compared to smut cause that’s where true writing for me lies. And I found content like that on ao3 so I figured that I’d move there :3

On another note, white knighting behavior from both - authors and readers has made the place toxic cause of never ending discourse. I just wanna have fun with my writings and share them with ppl who wanna read it and talk about what they liked about and didn’t with constructive criticism… so yea moving to ao3 seemed like a good idea and I’m glad you’re in support of it cause it can be an inconvenience (>﹏<)

I Hope You’re taking care of yourself too <3

(I drank a lot of water so im hydrated (o^^o)

#belle.☏#.lost sheep : 🌷 anon

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amisbro · 1 year

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The thing I ask myself now is this...

"What happened to the UtaPri fandom I knew?" I guess we are going to need some context on this huh? Do you remember 2014 and 2015? I do and they were great years! I had really started my first year on this platform in 2014 after I started watching the UtaPri Anime's first season on DVD and it was GREAT! It wasn't like Season 2 was...that was the Gold Standard but the season itself was a great one and I had gotten introduced to some of the characters that would become a part of of my life for a good amount of time...at least until Season 4 but we'll get there, I watched the 1st season on DVD and Season 2 on Crunchyroll and they were great times and at the time I remember seeing QN and liking ALMOST all of them and I say that because ,back then, I wasn't a huge Reiji fan...I know I know but its how things were as his personality wasn't something I was into. Ai's was a completely different story because of how analytical he was ,Ranmaru was the rocker that I liked A LOT and then there was...that guy...you know who! Yep...Camus! I don't know what drew me to him ever to be honest. Looking back on it I felt like a damn fool because nothing about him really relates to me and that makes things hard NOW to really embrace him as a character so I don't. I HAVE unfairly punished the other three members of QUARTET NIGHT for this and that I actually feel bad about but...yeah Now when I watched Season 2 there was a Trio that we all know now that debuted called HEAVENS and look we all know this that ,back then, I despised almost the entire Trio save for Kira (That dude just stayed out of trouble while Eiichi was being extra and Nagi was a brat...how could you really dislike the dude) so seeing them get beat was something I relished and then I went on about my day. Now before Season 3 (and I remember this still) the fandom actually did a thing where we took the chibis from Music 2 and we flooded the dashboard with them. It was a great thing we did and I still have a very fond memory of this. I think we also did it for season 4 which was really cool! But Season 4 something happened that I wasn't expecting and that was a..

"DIVISION!!!!" (Yes I love me some John Bercow...deal with it!) Okay so what happened? Well in Season 3 HEAVENS re-debuted as a 7 person group as we all know and they were supposed to be the opposition to STARISH and QUARTET NIGHT...this is where I think problems started to occur. See before (and then during) that season I had made it a goal to try and understand each of the different personalities of the HEAVENS members that were being introduced into the series. The big issue that came up really started in Episode 9 and really hadn't relented for a good long while until I blocked certain people (one of them used to follow me on twitter) and honestly I'm surprised I went most of the year this year without any Eiichi hate on my TL...it was honestly refreshing There were two episodes that genuinely confused and frustrated me when it came to the fandom S4/E5 - Visible Elf S4/E9 - Next Door Why these two? I'll tell you While we know that Episode 9 dealt with the subject of Abuse so did ,in its own way, Visible Elf because while the former dealt with both physical and mental it can be argued that the episode 4 episodes prior the HEAVENS member in it suffered "unintentional" mental abuse because ,if Shion wasn't being yelled at, why would he run from Cecil and then lock himself in the closet back at the HEAVENS Loft. Oh that's right...that never happened and we can excuse it right? The weird thing is that in "NEXT DOOR" that could be considered WORSE when it is depicted where Raging put his hands on Eiichi (his Eldest son) and then went in on him. Oh and we can't forget he called him a "Loser" which is always a fun thing to call your kid right? But that was forgotten and all that is remembered is that "Eiichi Broker Otoya" Funny how this fandom works isn't it? Oh but the weirdness of the fandom doesn't end there because you see now we get to talk about the recent bouts of ENTITLEMENT that they had not the least of which had to do with Shining Live shutting down their Global server and people being legit MAD about that despite the fact that they don't owe anyone an explanation. That would be like be going into Sentai's DMs and demanding to know why the heck they took UtaPri off of Crunchyroll where probably most of the fandom watched it? It ain't my business but I know I'll never buy from them again and rather buy the R2 DVDs because I genuinely didn't like what they did. But I guess my question is this Dear UtaPri fam, Why do you think you were owed a merge for the EN/Tradational Chinese servers when you got (and technically didn't deserve) 4 seasons of the Anime Maji Love Kingdom You got the UtaPri (Shining Agency) Special And are getting STARISH Tours Fam you ain't entitled to ANY of this and yet you got it! The ONE TIME a company says"No" and you decide to be vile and disgusting people. What happened to the people I knew in the fandom? If you are still around you come find me and we can talk but until then... I don't want to hear from you

#Amisbro #utapri #rant #seriously stop being entitled #you are embarrassing #And Sentai doesn't care about you #they just love to hear you BEG #And also yes this was about the Shining Live shutdown

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hoghtastic · 7 months

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I agree with you and the last anon.

Alex’s does not have much range, if any, when it comes to acting, to me. (most of his stuff looks the same to me.) Ivar is really all you see because of his mannerisms and lack of experience in acting. Because that’s the only solid rounded out character that he has played. None of his other characters have any real characteristics to them other then the ones he learned from playing ivar, and he mostly used his natural mannerisms for that character, (it’s hard not to even when acting, every actor I think has a couple of “traidmark” mannerisms they carry through every character they play, like Travis Fimmel) which is particularly why it is so hard to distinguish him from his character, or one character from another. They teach them the basic things like “eyebrows are key in expressing emotion” in acting school, but they don’t go into “how” to use your eyebrows with specific emotions, they expect them to grow and figure that out themselves. and unfortunately he didn’t get to fully experience learning those things from the beginning because he left school early to do Vikings, and he hasn’t had the right people around him after Vikings to be able to help him grow in that aspect. And he hasn’t had much experience after the show either due to the mentioned “bad manager” (seriously, I could do better and u don’t even have the “experience” there are so many things, basic things that he messed up for Alex from the beginning. But not all of it is 100% him) and just what I genuinely think is now a lack of interest in this kind of job. It’s obvious (to me I think) that he is wanting to have all the benefits of getting the acting jobs and going to events, and the modeling/fashion stuff and being able to branch out and connect his personal hobbies with his jobs like the photography. But I think he came into this job having the expectations of it being all glam without realizing the attention (good and bad) that comes with it. It think it really hit him in 2017 or 2018 when he first started struggling with the anxiety and the exhaustion from working all the time, and the right after (sorta) recovering from that he started getting the uncomfortable attention from fans. And I just think from there (not that necessarily anything caused it after) he lost interest or motivation to really do the big acting jobs. So he just does the ones he is offered when he needs some money and the charity work when he needs some publicity to not total let him get lost in the dark. It’s all just enough work and attention to keep him stable so he’s not completely forgotten and out of money.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, anon! It's a great reflection and summarizes things pretty well, I think. 😊

I agree that he might be lacking acting experience as, like you mentioned, he dropped out of school to be in Vikings. And for a young actor, I believe it must have been a wonderful opportunity and granted him a huge amount of experience and new skills. However, it was all about building one character. A very good, solid character. But still only one, which he can't rely on for his entire career, as much as everyone loves Ivar. So maybe when the series was finished and he returned home, it would have been better if he'd resumed his acting studies? Or even travelled abroad to do so? (In my country, which is small with limited opportunities in the acting field, as well as in the artistic field in general, many actors travel to the USA to enroll in acting schools or even workshops to try and get better opportunities, for example.) Or maybe his ego was too big for that at the time, having starred in such a famous series and now having to "go down a few steps"? Or maybe he really was exhausted and needed a break, and time/opportunities just passed him by? 🤷‍♀️ And if I may ask, why do you think his manager messed up from the beginning? I wasn't in the fandom at the time, so I'm genuinely curious about this and would love to read your thoughts. 😊

Also, do you think it's because of his lack of experience and one-dimensional portrayal of characters that he keeps being type-casted and is always playing Ivar-like roles? Or is it because his only offers are such roles, that it poses no challenge for him and prevents him to expand his acting skills? Is it a vicious circle? 😅

#anon asks

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clairenatural · 3 years

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hi sorry but it has been a Day and right now i’m just thinking a lot about that post I saw once that was like “sam would take jack to a REAL store to buy REAL NEW clothes because he DESERVES them 😤😤😤” in response to a headcanon about jack’s wardrobe consisting of hand-me-downs from the winchesters and a variety of wacky goodwill shirts and I just. for a show that hinges on two guys who live on the road, in their car, just trying their best to do good in the world with virtually no means....this fandom can be alarmingly classist

#i love the bunker SO much but i think the bunker + charlie's magic hacked card just. erased all their money issues and i get why they did it #but it's like a huge amount of the fandom have completely forgotten about how like. being so low income like.#drove the themes and general americana aesthetic and entire feeling of the first handful of seasons #(not that it's an ~aesthetic~ just. you know what i mean)#(the grainy americana Vision(tm) of the type of guy usually overlooked saving the world)#(there are monsters and demons but also religion and purpose in the most overlooked crevices of america)#it's also. heavily dean crit too #the post im thinking of was from a dean crit perspective that sam would NEVER make jack wear USED CLOTHING unlike big meanie dean #there's this pervasive idea that because sam went to college he is somehow both. smarter and morally superior?#and also that because he got out and went to big fancy stanford he lost all connection to his roots?#that shit stays with you ok. i grew up on entirely thrifted clothing and even though i can afford new clothing i rarely buy it new #and not because it's trendy rn because it's just. hard wired into me #anyway reminder that clothing that is clean and warm and you feel comfortable in is the most important thing regardless of where it's from #there is no shame in thrifted clothing or hand me downs #parents who only buy their kids used clothing don't love their children any less <3 #negativity #mae.txt

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a-slut-for-smut · 2 years

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Levi living with Falco and Gabi was so random and nonsense, it came out of nowhere. Did his squad just forget about him?Since Mikasa's main characteristic is her attachment to her family and Levi lost everyone he loves and they're both Ackmerman, I was expecting them to form some sort of family bond in the end.

Hi Anon,

Sorry for the delay, i was away for a couple weeks and it took me a while to wrap my head around your ask as my brain actively tries to delete that garbage ending from my mind lol

Regardless of your stance on the ending, i dont think anyone from the fandom will argue that the final arc was needlessly rushed with it's numerous loose ends/plot holes, last minute plot points literally introduced in the final chapter that were never properly built up to, etc- it probably raised more questions than answered which is not how make a satisfying conclusion to a story. And even if Isayama had good reasons to rush, a lot of plot holes/undeveloped plot points could had been decently resolved with just ONE line of dialogue- so personally forever bewildered with Isayama's choices but hey, it's his story i guess

Anyway, let's break down your ask shall we?

Levi living with Falco and Gabi was so random and nonsense, it came out of nowhere.

I think there was an Isayama interview that says Levi is actually living with Onyankopon (not that this makes it any less random) and Falbi are just around, which is again random because Levi is the connective link between all these characters yet none of them really had an established relationship with him to justify Levi living with any of them. I mean, i know Levi's all about that found family but this was just not developed at all.

Where Falbi is concerned, there was a fic that suggested that they reminded Levi of Isabelle and Farlan- which i really liked and made the idea of Levi living with them more palatable to me. Now imagine if Isayama hinted at that in a single panel- perhaps right before boarding the boats, Falbi are arguing near Levi and he remarks how they remind him of his oldest friends, etc. Not so random, hmm?

And with O-man (cant be bothered), i think the only real established relationship/connected with of any survey corp member was Hange, if my memory serves me correctly. Obviously Hange and Levi care much for one another, so would it have been that difficult to give Hange one line before their self-sacrifice asking O-man to promise if he survives, make sure Levi is taken care of?

Did his squad just forget about him?

Yeah, that bothered me too. I saw no real reason for Levi not to be on that peace delegation boat with the rest of the gang. Like...he was humanity's strongest, probably the most influential person/had the most clout in that group to lead the delegation despite Armin's "supposed" strategic/diplomatic qualities. But besides that, just one squad member could have mentioned "wished Captain Levi decided to come" so at least Levi not being there was addressed even if the reasons weren't. Without it, it does come off a little callous of his squad, honestly. Levi sacrificed everything to make sure these brats lived, and for what? To be forgotten? But hey we got letter-sniffing Reiner and Jean fussing with his hair...great stuff.

Since Mikasa's main characteristic is her attachment to her family and Levi lost everyone he loves and they're both Ackmerman, I was expecting them to form some sort of family bond in the end.

AUGH this is a huge sore point for me, and probably a lot of the fandom. Shipping aside, the fandom at the very least expected some sort of Ackertalk, that their shared bond would be addressed at least given the amount of build up/reveal, they're both found family oriented, the desire to explore clan roots together made complete sense- but NOPE.

And speaking of exploring clan roots...what was the point of bringing up Mikasa's Azumabito lineage/how shes some long lost princess and NOT touch on any of that in the end??? I mean, it wouldn't have to be much! Instead presenting Mikasa wasting away for 3 years at Eren's tree grave, what if Mikasa was sitting at the tree, speaking to Eren while holding an envelope with the Azumabito seal broken. She could have all the same dialogue, with the implication that she's at the tree to say goodbye, that shes thanking him for given her the chance to live life once again, that shes moving on/exploring her heritage and will never forget him. Maybe that would have been a more decent conclusion to Mikasa's character arc, or at least leave a better taste in the mouth vs her entire character revolving around ereh ereh ereh a man and having grave kink but what do i know

Anyway the amount of plot inconsistencies/loose threads goes well beyond this but i cant bring myself to get into it, it would be too mentally exhausting. I can't even bring myself to watch the final season, it would be joyless and im not the type to hate watch/read either. I will say i am thoroughly enjoying the recent anti-ending shitposts tho, im a big whore for laughs. Gotta find the silver lining in all of this, amirite?

#thanks for the ask anon #anti snk ending #@isayama what happened man #levi ackerman #mikasa ackerman #rivamika #snk spoilers #snk s4 #aot s4

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lovee-infected · 3 years

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So Merlin the goddamn great, smh but no ROOK LORE I AM FURIOUS! I STILL WANT TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS

Warning: Spoiler alert!

Oooooofff the final episodes of chapter 5 did seriously explode the fandom I see, from the overblot Grim to our twst Merlin, everything literally everything about the end of this chapter was a big surprise but... This chapter has also brought up a considerably huge wave of drama along with it, which is basically because of Rook voting for RSA instead of NRC. I, personally, considered it to be just a reason to laugh and make a meme or two about this chapter and all. But looking at the fandom, I can clearly see that it's been causing some serious consequences, some fans/creators are leaving the fandom, there has been a couple of offensively worded Rook hate posts (small memes and jokes aren't counted) and there's ever a #RookIsOverParty on Twitter now.

Okay but, it was all cool and chill until it was just a joke. Can't you see? This happens in many fandoms! And is often a good chance to laugh! But...This is getting serious. A huge majority of this fandom (even Rook/Vil shippers and Rook stans themselves) are hating on Rook/Rook stans and fans are leaving, therefore I believe the situation needs to be clarified before it leads to more dramas.

Many of you had also requested a Rook analysis before sooooo- here we go!

First off, this episode did eventually give us a considerable amount of Rook lore although it wasn't as perfect as we wanted it to be. Most of us wanted to get to know him more, but I'd say focusing on all we've got already would do for now. But before that, let's talk about what exactly happened in chapter 5 and why are fand hating on Rook rn:

after the performances are voted on, it’s revealed that nrc lost to rsa by just a single vote. that vote turned out to be rook, who voted for rsa in favor of their own team as he was moved by their spirit. the whole nrc team is shellshocked (of course) and vil faints

it’s also later revealed that rook is one of neige’s biggest fans, possessing albums full of his bromides, going to each meet and greet, and even writing him anonymous fan letters.

Okay okay I know this was quite unexpected and resulted in NRC's loss, but before you say how much of a shitty character Rook is consider this:

1) He was totally honest with his opinion and thoughts.

One of the interesting facts regarding Rook's character design and presence in chapter 5, is how he played the role of both the huntsman and the mirror.

He was honest with his beliefs and decision, although it was against his friends. Just as how the mirror introduced Snow White as the fairest one of all although Evil Queen didn't want to hear of her.

This is also what Rook did, he judged based on his idealistics towards beauty. NOT because he's a screaming Neige fanboy and NOT because he disliked Vil.

Honestly, if there's one person whose judgement would be strong and on point, that'll be Rook and only him; in parts (2) & (4) we'll explain why.

2) His decision has nothing to do with his personal relationship with Vil!

Yes, he voted for RSA, but to assume that this means he secretly preferred Neige over Vil all this time and call him a betrayer now, that's wrong.

Look, if there one person who could judge NRC's process through the training sessions fairly, that'll be Rook. He's been there all this time, watching each and every second of Vil's coaching and team's progressing, note that he also helped Vil the most, this performance would've been impossible without his help!

But, he was also there when Vil lost it, when Vil's fear of not being the winner took over him and made him even try to poison Neige. At some point Vil was nothing like the perfect coach he was at the very beginning, and if Rook hadn't told Neige to escape who knows how terrible the whole think might've gone.

His decision, on the other hand, was HIS decision. He was asked to choose one performance, and he chose what he liked; that's all, no big deal. Note that the silly thing with the whole issue isn't mainly how Rook voted for RSA, it's also about how half of the audience as well voted for RSA which makes it sound almost stupid, this point will be explained in part (5)!

3) Have you all really forgotten what Rook is like?

I mean, come on this is what he is in general! This is Rook Hunt we're speaking of, one of the rarely known characters of the game and mister of surprises and unpredictable decisions!

Him being a Neige fan is no big deal, and I assure you, he probably stans a lot of other people else than Neige too. Don't forget that this is the same monseiur Rook who gave 100 points! to anyone who participated in NRC's VDC test, so there shouldn't really be a panic taking all over the fandom just because we know he stans Neige, Rook is one to greatly appreciate the concept of beauty in general, and Neige is one of the most famous and beautiful people in the whole twisted wonderland, so other than this being much of a snow white reference, it was totally expected to see him stanning Neige as well. Keep this in mind that just because he's a fan of Neige, it doesn't mean that he hates or he has betrayed Vil.

In Rook's point of view, there is no such thing as rivals in beauty, he just appreciates both Vil and Neige's beauty regardless of what's going on between them.

4) This chapter proved that Rook is indeed a perfect friend for Vil.

While there hasn't ever been a mention of a canon relationship between Vil and Rook, shipper may be happy to know that this episode didn't sink the ship at all. And if you judge and see through what happened in the right eye, you'll see it even shows how strong their friendship is.

Note that this wasn't the first time Rook criticizes Vil either, back in Vil's SR lab coat story he openly criticized Vil and said he's gonna get fat if he continued to eat like this. See? Rook never the once lied to Vil, he openly judges him, and his judgements are logical and on point.

Vil on the other hand is always working his hardest to improve, to become better and completer by each and every day that passes. He needs such a friend by his side to judge him nonetheless, a friend to judge him just like the mirror judged the Queen. But there's a difference, Vil accepts and appreciates criticism BECAUSE, he wants to improve.

A friend like Rook is seriously what he needs, Rook supported and helped him all the way as RSA was getting prepared for VDC, he could've just made them lose and by ruining their training sessions if he wanted to! Can't you see? He helped Vil more than anyone else, but didn't lie to him when it was the time to judge. Vil still has a long way to go, and Rook is aware. He wants Vil to see that he isn't yet complete so that he can become better than he already is.

That's it, that's what a real friend would do.

5) Twst needs to be more considerative toward story line and sudden reveals.

On the one hand, it's mainly fans who are exaggerating the whole issue and starting drama over a simple voting and all, but twst itself as well is partly guilty. This is such a huge and active fandom, each and every detail about the story can be super effective (ex: Sebek being half human, Malleus being an orphan, etc). After making RSA's Yahoo performance look super silly they worst thing they could do was to make NRC lose like this, meaningless, silly and helpless. Why?

Twst seriously needs to take details more seriously as they could've AT LEAST made this comparison sound reasonable by choosing a better and stronger song than a twisted version of Heigh-Ho.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Rook voting for Neige, but seriously? Rook voting for Neige had to be a symbol of honesty and Rook's loyalty toward the concept of beauty itself and not Vil, not an stupid decision to make Rook prefer a childish song over NRC's wonderful performance and look like a helpless Neige fan boy.

-Sigh- Well, I guess that's all I had for now, hope I didn't miss anything. But anyway, the Rook drama is slowly getting overwhelming. There's nothing wrong with memes and jokes AS LONG AS THEY'RE JUST A JOKE- offending characters with clear intention and causing drama because of it is not okay. I know that was unexpected please remember not to exaggerate the story too much either!

#answered #starshiningsirius #twst #twisted wonderland #rook hunt #Vil Schoenheit #Pomefiore #neige leblanche #character analysis #spoilers #epel felmier

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yeolmae-s · 3 years

Text

a chanbaek analysis from a veteran exo-l

before anything else there are a few disclaimers i'd like to make:

i am writing this analysis right now because as a non exo stan i'm not into chanbaek that much anymore. of course i like them to some degree since i'm writing this and all but it's nothing in comparison to the way i felt about them two years ago. so i feel like it's easier to keep a less clouded (?) state of mind being where i'm at right now, mentally, in regards to them. i feel like i can look at things more objectively, which is why i decided to write this and share it with you all.

for all the smart asses out there, this is a ship analysis. yes, i’m reading too much into everything. that’s what an analysis is.

all translation credits goes to @/fyeah-chanyeol

i'm a chanyeol stan. this analysis will, most likely, have more information about him in comparison to baekhyun. this is simply because i consumed more content about him since he's my bias (such as magazine interviews, fancams).

i don't stan exo anymore, but it's not because of anything they did. i liked them for a long time and made a lot of different friends because of this fandom, therefore i experienced a lot of hurt, scandals, fights and didn't deal very well with many things, so i decided to leave. this didn't happen because of exo themselves and neither did it happen because of the fandom itself. it happened because of the relationships i had.

that being said, i haven't been following them closely for the past year and a half, but i still keep up with stuff a bit, although not chanbaek related stuff since i gotta dive in kinda deeper for that lmao. so this analysis is mostly in depth for 2012-2018. if anything that you perceive as significant happened after 2018 i'm more than willing to hear your opinions about it.

so, let's get started!!

MAMA ERA

I have always felt like Chanyeol and Baekhyun's relationship was strange. I started shipping them when they debuted and more specifically because of the 130128 ISAC. When I was younger I didn't see a lot to discuss in their ISAC interactions besides it being cute and shippy, but I've started to look at it differently now.

I think everyone knows how ISAC is known for being basically a stage for fanservice. The whole "dating ground for idols" issue aside, judging from the amount of attention they direct towards the fans who manage to attend the event, idols are clearly instructed to perform fanservice. EXO's first ISAC had to be full of it, obviously, and they did give fans a lot to be happy about, content we still get giddy about to this day, and I'm sure they were instructed to act like this to please us. I don't believe that fanservice equals "false interactions": if two individuals are talking, touching each other, they are interacting, even if it is a carefully planned setting made specifically for pleasing fans. They still get reactions out of one another through these interactions, it is still relevant to the way these people's relationship will develop; even though these acts are done with the intent of pleasing a crowd.

Don't get me wrong, though. I don't think the 2013 ISAC fanservice changed anything in Chanbaek's relationship. In fact, I just want to use it as a way to illustrate something I will explain later on.

To be remembered in an industry you must have an image. You won't be getting anywhere without a carefully constructed visual image. Marilyn Monroe is always used as an example of this: she's someone you can easily make a costume of and people will instantly recognize it as her. She's basically a concept by now: blonde hair, red lips and white hair. These aspects take our mind back to her instantly. Of course, most celebrities don't achieve this type of icon status, but it is still important to cling to a specific concept/image of what you want your celebrity self to be perceived as. Without this, you'll be forgotten as soon as your career ends.

When Chanyeol debuted, he clung to the first trait they gave him: being a happy person, a.k.a "happy virus". If you were not an EXO fan back in 2013 then it's likely you're not even aware of this nickname that was given to him, but it's basically just what it sounds like (lol). He was bright, energetic, had a "teeth rich" smile (another nickname that was given to him back then), was able to give 10/10 laughter reactions to MCs and to his members jokes, was always enthusiastic to interact and smile towards fans. He even introduced himself as "happy virus Chanyeol" in interviews (and later on that changed to "EXO's voice Chanyeol" or "EXO's rapper Chanyeol").

I feel like Chanyeol was very much aware of this "must have" that I mentioned, this need to have an image pasted into yourself and have that image be what people will remember you as. We're all complex and multifaceted individuals, but the general public needs something simple to grab on to, something easy to remember. That happy guy from EXO? I know who he is! I'm sure this is the path Chanyeol chose, back when he debuted: to pick a trait given to you by the public and make it a huge part of your image.

However, that image of him didn't last very long. It certainly became tiring to worry so much about how he was being perceived, to carefully construct something so his career would last, specially when his group had so many scandals and went through a sudden burst of popularity that changed their lives completely. By 2017, Chanyeol already had a change of mind in relation to his career, these changes being mostly due to how he felt about music and what he wanted to do with it.

He recognized himself as having always being impatient, which might be the reason why he clung to a specific image so fast right after debuting:

From Fall Magazine in 2017

"At the moment I just want to enjoy myself with the music as it comes, without feeling as though I have to do something. It isn’t a greed from impatience, I could call it more of a greed to do better."

"When I first debuted I thought I was very optimistic, but as time has passed I think a more reserved side of me is showing."

"I think I've grown in many ways. Maybe it’s because it’s as though I perform everyday, but the stage has become comfortable for me. Shall we say I’ve become more calm and composed? [...] I think I’ve become more mature."

He matured. He's still bright and energetic but he's also more reserved. He managed to keep up the fanservice that his fans adore in a way that is more fitting to his actual personality. It still is an image, but an image that's not as exhausting as his previous one, with its strict demands to act in a certain way all the time. I remember specific interview with MCs demanding him to smile (although jokingly, of course) saying things like "Aren't you EXO's happy virus?", so I'm sure he felt pressured.

This is interesting to think about when put side by side with his relationship with Baekhyun. Back when they debuted, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were close friends that clearly felt comfortable with each other, and it isn't surprising to think that Baekhyun would be Chanyeol's first pick when he thought about doing fanservice with someone. Of course, I can't exactly pinpoint their first fanservice moment since I'm not a walking EXO encyclopedia anymore, but I can say with certainty that both of them felt like it worked as soon as they first tried it with the fans, and that's the reason why they kept doing it. Conveniently, they were both good friends, so all was good.

Until well, it wasn't.

At some point, Chanyeol's interactions with Baekhyun seemed too eager for Baekhyun himself. There are various moments where this is visible, such as this one:

Why are you grabbing my wrist out of nowhere young man........

Or...

That one pic where Jongdae, who was in front of them, looked so damn uncomfortable I can't even bring myself to google it

Of course, they had some over the top fanservice that did work out pretty well, such as this one, both of them imitating Jonghyun's and Taemin's Internet War stage, which seems a little scripted now that I look at it properly, with Baekhyun seemingly expecting Chanyeol to do whatever it is that he did on that day. (Can you imagine this: both of them backstage, watching Jonghyun's and Taemin's performance in silence, and one of them just blurts out "We should do that too!". What the fuck was going on)

By the way, if you have never seen the original Internet War performance, you can watch it here.

This is what they were imitating.

Tumblr won’t let me upload the gifs for this moment for some reason, so here and here.

You can't tell me Baekhyun wasn't expecting it already, lol.

Now, know what this moment reminds me of? ISAC. On their Internet War imitation moment, Baekhyun seemed fine, playful, even, agreeing. During ISAC, however, doing basically the same thing again (this time on a lighter way even; since they weren't, you know. Imitating a strong performance such as Internet War.), he appears reluctant. It's a bit painful to watch.

What changed? The ISAC event happened a few months after the SMTOWN concert where they did the Internet War thing, so what made things become so different?

If this has enough likes I’ll make a second part!

#i got tired halfway through writing and i decided i needed some motivation to finish this so i'm posting it the way it is lmao #chanbaek #baekyeol #park chanyeol #byun baekhyun #exo #kpop

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haleigh-sloth · 3 years

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I have a question but why do you think so many people are against Dabi/Touya getting a redemption arc or getting saved? Like some are against him being saved but are all down for Shiggy and Toga to be saved? I usually see the same argument and it’s frustrating! Like before I explain myself just want to say I’m not hating on Shiggy or do I feel like he’s any less worth saving but I see these arguments that leave me baffled. So the arguments I have seen before is some people don’t think Dabi/Touya can be redeemed or saved because he has murdered 30+ people, but like Shiggy has probably killed the same amount of not more people so that logic doesn’t really cut it. So why does it make a difference? Like why are people so against Dabi/Touya being saved or redeemed?

Well, I'll start this by saying that Shigaraki has ABSOLUTELY KILLED MORE PEOPLE HOLY SHIT DUDE. It's not even up for debate 😂 that boy flattened two cities with the touch of a hand. Shiggy is my favorite hands down and I'll defend the boy til I die but he has done so much more damage. That's kind of the point to his arc--actually. But anyways~

Content Warning of abuse below the cut a bit further down--

So with that--I've wondered the same thing you're asking. Why is Touya getting so much hate? Why not redeem him? Well, there's a few reasons that I have seen:

Endeavor- This is the first and foremost reason I can see for Touya having so many antis. This is something I can't grasp or fathom--Why do so many people like Endeavor? Or more like--why do so many people want to see an abuser thrive and his victim be put down? I can understand wanting to see an abuser better himself AND wanting to see the victim thrive, and I can see people wanting the abuser to be put down and the victim to thrive. But to just want the abuser to come out on top? No. Fuck you. (not you anon). So for whatever reason that I cannot fathom, people can't stand the idea of Touya surviving, being saved and redeemed, because it means that Enji has failed (which he already has but--again I really don't understand that side of the fandom and quite frankly I don't want to). So yeah, Endeavor has a lot of ridiculous fans. Hawks- I've already talked about how ridiculous some of the Hawks-stans are. I'm sorry but---they're fucking ridiculous. Some of them need to step away from their computer, go outside, breath some outside air, and shut the fuck up. And let me tell you---we sometimes joke about how the hero-stan side of the fandom lacks critical thinking skills and can't read past the surface--but I want to disagree with to an extent. I can tell you right now, Hawks's stans saw THIS:

And they knew. Seeing Hawks remain in the dark while Dabi walked toward the light. They knew what this was foretelling. And they didn't like it. And then this happened:

And they DEFINITELY did not like that. And then Dabi went and made fried chicken out of him and they found more reason to hate him with all their being. Hawks was kind of set up to die heroically--and even though his arc is pretty bad right now, I still think that at this point that’s the best ending for him. For me, he’s gone too long without even remotely thinking of changing his ideologies, and has been backing Endeavor unquestionably for a bit too long now. It’s just not looking good for him survival-wise. And his stans either SEE this very clearly and are in denial and need something to hate in order to deal with it, OR they really just aren’t looking as deep into the story as they need to. Those panels I used above though honestly tell it all. That being said he very well may survive and not have any consequences from his low point at all--but then he gets thrown in the “BNHA’s shittiest written arcs” pile. But whatever.

Also--shoutout to the blogs I follow and people I talk to who genuinely LOVE Hawks’s character but like--aren’t ridiculous about it and don’t harass people in their inboxes about it. Who also try to understand his character and not just make him out to be a uwu baby that never did anything wrong. TRUE Hawks-stans if I ever saw em.

Shouto--This is FAR less common than the other two reasons, but I have seen a few people who think this. They love Shouto (understandably--he’s a fluffy boy who needs a hug from his big brother Touya), but they think that Touya is going to be Shouto’s “final boss”, or his mortal enemy or something. Which--idk if they just refuse to read into Shouto’s awesome character on purpose or not, but he is not about to go out there and try to kill his big brother, who he never got to know, who he KNOWS suffered because of their father, and who is very very clearly in physical, mental, and emotional pain. Again--Shouto-stans are a far less part of the problem. But I’ve seen this misunderstanding of Shouto’s character go around a few times.

This next one is also big, and kind of falls into the same category with Endeavor up top--but it’s such a huge issue that I’m seeing that it needs its own paragraph: People don’t understand children’s behaviors, abuse, abusive family dynamics, and just child psychology in general. Child psychology is hard to understand--but also very simple. It’s hard as an adult to think back to how black and white the world was when you were a kid. Your parents were your safe place--they were your guardians. Or rather--they were supposed to be. This isn’t always the case though. And the Todoroki family exhibits a lot of realistic aspects of abuse. Even though the Todoroki backstory was very messily written--one thing is absolute: Endeavor emotionally abused his child. The issue is that Shouto’s and Rei’s physical abuse was shown FIRST in the story--and THEN we were shown what really happened with Touya wasn’t so easily identified as abuse (I mean it is--to me, but not to everybody). And people got stuck on comparing Touya’s and Shouto’s childhood instead of viewing them as two completely separate crimes Endeavor committed against his family. And they misunderstand Touya’s behaviors. Peep back at when I said that your parents are supposed to be your safe place--well, for Touya, Enji WAS his safe place, his guardian, his world. And then suddenly all of that disappeared without reason (good reason I mean). And that takes a serious toll on a child. I could honestly go on and on and on about this topic in particular but it’s not necessary for this ask. The point is---people don’t think Touya was actually abused or that he suffered as a child. They seriously lack an understanding when it comes to stuff like that. And they aren’t shy about showing it to the rest of the internet.

The last reason which I think kind of encompasses all of these reasons: People don’t understand redemption arcs--because they’re not your run of the mill Heroes vs. Villains story. It makes it to where it’s not clearly obvious whose side you should take. I guess people don’t like that---but I love it. Why not take BOTH sides?

You get to have more fun this way imo. You get to watch and see how the two sides come together--rather than just stick to one ideology til the end. I think it’s because people don’t like having their ideals, beliefs, and values challenged. It may be personal for some people--but forgiveness is a touchy subject as well. And I also think a lot of people very much think that the rules of our reality should exist within fiction. People forget that fiction exists for us to escape reality--I don’t know why this is so easily forgotten. But what’s cool about fictional stories is that everybody can have a happy ending--no matter how many atrocities they committed, people they hurt/killed, because guess what? NOBODY ACTUALLY GOT HURT!

But anyway---these are the conclusions I’ve come to regarding why Touya has so many haters. Some are legitimate reasons (the last two I listed) and some are just outright ridiculous (the first three I listed).

I’m not bothered though. I would LIKE to say that when these villain-saving chapters come out I’ll laugh hysterically at all the villain-haters’ reactions---BUT I already blocked almost all of them. 😂

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thesebookishdelights · 3 years

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ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS: Simon Snow trilogy wrapped! (review)

Hi, there! It took me a while to finish this post, as I could talk about it for... a long time (not necessarily a good thing), but I got it! I like praise, so if anyone wants to tell me I did a good job... Also, I might edit this post later on. I don’t remember anything else I’d like to add, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I did after posting. My brain does not obey me. Anyways, off to it! By the way, I won’t give this book a real rating.

While this is a review on Any Way the Wind Blows, I intend on analysing some points of the overall series too. The book starts where Wayward Son left off, the end of the road trip, Simon and Baz having problems in their relationship, Penelope helping Shepard with his curse... and the whole situation of the NowNext vampires. Rainbow Rowell only seems to remember the first part. That leaves us with the second book of the series ignored almost completely, with the exception of Simon and Baz’s feelings as well as Shepard’s existence.

Don’t get me wrong, aspects of the book are mentioned, but never in a truly important way. Lamb, the Vampire King, is mentioned by Simon, but only focusing on his and Baz’s relationship, never about the fact that there are a bunch of vampires (supposedly ‘evil’) in the U.S. but I guess what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? I could count on one hand the times the NowNext vampires were mentioned (like, literally, this isn’t an exaggeration, I looked up ‘NowNext’ on the e-book and only got five results), all of them either being one of them considering telling someone else about it, then not following through with it, or dismissing it as a concern for Lamb. Which makes the plot of Wayward Son completely useless for the trilogy. Now, that wouldn’t matter as much if everything else had been properly developed, but we definitely can’t say that.

We are introduced to a brand new, poorly developed villain, Smith-Smith Richards, whose character arc is as ridiculous as his name. He’s one of the fake Chosen Ones that started appearing after the events of Carry On (and the only one to be mentioned and/or defeated, for that matter). It becomes clear that presenting as Simon Snow-ish is part of his brand, especially when Baz describes him as looking like the Netflix adaptation version of Simon, and that he was raised and guided by his uncle, who’s just... there. I don’t think it would’ve been hard to make him manipulating Smith-Smith into believing he’s the prophetic savior of the Magickal World, which would not only make both of their characters more interesting, but it could also serve as a parallel of Simon’s relationship with the Mage. Richards also has some special powers such as increasing a mage’s magic for a limited amount of time, but taking it away afterwards, as well as making someone immune from spells. It’s worth saying those aren’t skills that are usual in the Magickal World, or else there wouldn’t be so much confusion and shock from people (specially Baz and Penny, who would definitely have heard of something like this before), but we get no explanation on why or how Richard has them.

Then, we have the Salisbury’s. We, as readers, already know Lucy and Davy are Simon’s parents, making Ruth his grandmother. It’s noticeable that Rowell builds up to that discovery, by making Simon get along with Ruth instantly, him thinking about Lucy a lot etc. It makes us excited to read the part where they actually figure it out, to know how Simon would deal with that, him dealing with the fact that he’s the Mage’s son and the fact that, technically, he killed his father. I suppose that’s the point, but actually getting to that part was incredibly underwhelming. The way they discovered about Simon—being able to lift a family sword—hadn’t been mentioned or hinted at before. One would’ve expected Simon, who’s particularly interested in swords as it’s mentioned many times throughout the series, to notice a freaking Excalibur at the Salisbury’s place before.

And speaking of noticing things: when it’s finally revealed that Simon is Lucy’s son and the Mage’s heir, Baz pointed out the uncanny similarities between his boyfriend and the deceased Watford principal. “Those narrow eyes. That tilt of his head. I thought... I thought he’d learned it. Was imitating it.” + “Merlin, Simon, you even look like him.” (Any Way the Wind Blows, chapter 86) Simon was the Mage’s protégé for years and I assume the Magickal authorities knew that he was the one to inherit all of his money and personal belongings, but no one, in the whole British Magickal community, thought about them being related? I refuse to believe there were no conspiracy theorist teachers at Watford or that Mitali or even the Pitch’s alongside everyone who was against the Mage didn’t at least check to know if there was something behind those characteristics. Baz literally said (chapter 88), “I think it’s undeniable. I’d cast ‘Flesh and blood’ on them, but it would bounce right off of Snow (...)”, so there is a spell for that. Plus, we didn’t even have one whole chapter of Simon dealing with this information! The chapters (no more than five, out of ninety-one) were divided between Simon, Baz and Lady Ruth’s POVs. He’s the main character, so one would think he’d get more development.

Another point that felt rushed was the romance. While Simon and Baz’s relationship wasn’t, as it’s been a topic Rowell has explored for three books (we’re not counting Fangirl here, as their ‘participation’ on it was minor and their personalities weren’t as consistent as in the trilogy. Not that it is that consistent there), the others just felt like she wanted everyone to finish the trilogy with a pair. I’ll start with Shepard and Penny. There were fans who liked them together before Any Way the Wind Blows, but it wasn’t hinted at—it was more like a fandom thing. I personally like them as a couple, but it could have had development and, maybe, foreshadowing in Wayward Son. I mean, they did fight monsters during a huge part of a road trip together.

The next one I’ll talk about is Agatha and Niamh. I love them, don’t get me wrong. Actually, it’s precisely because I love them that I wish they’d gotten a better treatment. Niamh wasn’t introduced before Any Way the Wind Blows. I get why she wasn’t introduced in Carry On—it was interesting to see a character who wasn’t caught up in Simon and Baz’s drama during the school years—but a hint of her existence could’ve been left in Wayward Son. Agatha is an important character on it, and a mention of her father training an aspiring veterinary could’ve fit somewhere, as a hint, maybe. (Also, Lucy, the dog, being absolutely forgotten during this book when a lot of Agatha’s time is spent in a veterinary clinic...) Besides, we could get the vibes from them, but after they kissed, there was barely any content. We didn’t get them calling each other ‘girlfriend’ (or if they even like that label at this point), or the aftermath of the kiss, or a POV from Niamh. Or Niamh appearing the epilogue? If Agatha was taking care of the goats, I’m sure Niamh would have a part in that too. Still on Agatha’s character, but not on Niamh’s, it felt like Rainbow Rowell was setting up for aromantic and asexual Agatha, specially because of this quote: “It was like she'd pulled the feeling right out of my heart. I could have kissed her. (I still wish sometimes that I wanted to.) (That would feel like an answer to... the question of me. Then I could say, 'Oh, thats who I am. That's why I've been so confused.')” (Wayward Son, chapter 4).

And I was leaving the best (I need to be sure everyone knows I mean this sarcastically) of the romance topic for the end: Fiona and Nicodemus. It’s just... so forced and undeveloped. Not even because, to me, they’re both gay as hell. There was just... such a lack of development! I don’t think we had any interaction between the both of them before Any Way the Wind Blows. There was no foreshadowing or why would Fiona, a vampire hunter from a family of vampire hunters, would marry... a vampire! I’d already find it weird to see fanfiction of them as a crackship, but it’s canon?! Like, canon as in they’re going to get married and use Fiona and Natasha’s mother’s ring? Seriously, nothing will take from me that this is a lavender marriage (as I’ve already discussed with my best friend, which inspired this post of theirs.)

I’d also like to speak about a topic that’d been hinted throughout the series, especially post-Carry On, which is the criticism towards the Magickal Community in the U.K.. That criticism is very much embodied in Shepard’s character. It’s explicitly said that the British mages have some kind of supremacy towards other supernatural beings, such as vampires for example, gatekeeping literal magic. Up until relatively recently, mages with weak links with magic couldn’t attend Watford (and that’s a major plot point in the final book) and there’s a denial towards any other kind of magic except the ones that are part of their craft. Even within the Magickal community itself, there are more important families that are more likely to succeed, like Natasha receiving criticism for marrying Malcolm, as a Pitch. It felt pointless not to tackle the issues you’ve set up yourself in your own universe. Penelope has very strict morals related to magickal law and beliefs, something that she could’ve deconstructed, especially considering Shepard, her love interest, symbolises that. Another point related to that is, the trilogy is very clearly heavily inspired by Harry Potter, where many of those points are very clear (e.g. wizard supremacy in relation to other species, such as werewolves and domestic elves and the status quo that makes some traditionally magical families more influential than others, like the Malfoy’s vs. the Weasley’s), so it’s not an easily forgettable concept.

The series also had a lot of inconsistencies. The one I’ve seen talked about more often is Simon and Agatha’s... intimacy status, let’s call it that. Simon’s whole thing in the first book was that he struggled controlling his magic when experiencing intense emotions, which makes it hard to believe that he managed to have sex withount an... accident. Besides that, though, there’s this quote, “She (...) presses a kiss into my temple. No one has ever kissed me there. No one has ever kissed me anywhere but on my mouth” (Carry On, Chapter 27), but in Any Way the Wind Blows, when Simon’s about to have his wings cut, Agatha says, “It’s a strange feeling to look at someone’s chest and know it’s nothing to do with you anymore, but still to remember kissing every inch.” (Chapter 14)

So, we have established that Rainbow Rowell’s work, both character and plot driven, is flawed. “But we got the characters interacting for the closure of the series, at least!” Well... we got interactions between the canon romantic relationships, yeah. But besides that, we didn’t get much. There were no interactions between Agatha and Penny, or Shepard with Simon and Baz. Or Penny and her mother figuring stuff out. Or literally anyone with a therapist. And not gonna lie, the interaction we got between Baz and Dev was underwhelming, to say the least. Niall is nowhere to be seen, too.

Rainbow Rowell’s writing is beautiful: she writes poetic lines that make the book seem perfect at first glance, if you don’t think about it for too long. Her words are very shiny, but once you get use to that light and see what’s behind them, what’s between one shiny quote and another, it has so many flaws and plot holes that it reads like a first draft. There are many concepts in there that are genuinely good: the rest of the trilogy focused on the protagonist dealing with the trauma of being a child soldier instead of being entirely an adventure, Simon being unlabelled, a fake Chosen One that gives mages fake hope... Those are all good ideas, but so poorly explored that, despite being an entire book/trilogy, it still feels like a writing pitch or something among those lines.

I felt iffy about other things during my reading of the series, but they aren’t exactly plot points, so I’ll just list them below:

Mitali, Penny’s mom, including ‘discovering your bisexuality’ as a mid-life crisis thing

As I’ve seen people talking about biphobia/bi erasure in the books, I’ll be including this post that features both unlabelled and bisexual individuals talking about the topic (it isn’t my place, as a lesbian, to talk about this, that’s why I decided not to do so.)

Romanticising of Baz’s suicide (a.k.a. chapter 61) in the first book. If you’re not in a good place mentally, like I was when I first read Carry On, I hope you know that a kiss or romance doesn’t help any mental illness you or others might have. Don’t let anyone use your guilt to manipulate you. Paraphrasing Alice Oseman in their graphic novel Heartstopper, love can’t cure a mental illness.

Any Way the Wind Blows was... very horny. I can’t point out how this makes the book bad exactly, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed. One of Rainbow Rowell’s strongest skills is that her quotes, when loose, are good. They tend to be poetic and just beautiful, overall. But in the... explicit scenes, these skills were barely used, and I felt like I was reading NSFW tweets off of someone’s private account on Twitter. Besides, the first two books of the series weren’t written like that, so the change was very sudden.

The older people could’ve been more explored. Penelope and Mitali’s relationship and how similar the both of them are compared to each other, Daphne and Professor Bunce’s insecurities and why they believed in Smith-Smith, Fiona, Nico, and Ebb... Also, the Mage and Lucy. We could’ve had more on them, y’know.

The pop culture references. They made the book read even more like Twitter’s feed. Honestly, if I wanted to read prompts and nice ship content alongside memes from Twitter with some horny thoughts sprinkled all around, I would’ve opened the Twitter app. Or Tumblr, Instagram, whatever.

The POV switching felt lazy to me at times. It’s nice to know how different characters are experiencing that situation, yes, but sometimes, like during the discovery that Simon is a Salisbury, it read as if Rowell wanted to create tension, but couldn’t think of any other way to do it except the switching around.

Narrative wise, I think Simon and Baz should’ve spent more time broken up.

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pterawaters · 2 years

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2021 Fic Year in Review

Total # of Completed Works: 53 posted (if I counted right)

Total Word Count: I published 196k words, but I also finished drafts of original works, so 250k+ written during the year

Fandoms I’ve Written In: Stranger Things, Free Guy, Hawaii Five-0, Leverage

Looking Back, Did You Write More Fic Than You Thought You Would This Year, Less, Or About What You’d Expected?: I probably wrote more than I would have expected, but 2021 wasn’t an outlandishly high amount of fic compared to other years.

What’s Your Own Favorite Story Of The Year?: Haha, my favorite of the year was What’s Left After Death, my serial killer!Steve Harrington fic. It’s dark, but also amusing, and it was so much fun trying to keep Steve as in character as possible with this one huge exception.

Did You Take Any Writing Risks This Year?: I attempted and managed to finish 31 stories (kinktober, flufftober, whumptober) in October!

Do You Have Any Fanfic Or Profic Goals For The New Year?: For fanfic, my goals are 1)ficlet February, 2) write something for the Stranger Things big bang, and 3) Finish and post this two Steves fic I’ve been working on. My main Profic goals are to 1) Rewrite “Moving Day”, 2) Revise and post “Overnight”, 3) Finish the next draft of “Phase Shift” and decide whether to self-publish or try to find a agent/publisher, and 4) Plot and make good progress on the Phase Shift sequel.

Most Popular Story Of The Year?: By kudos, my most popular was Does This Marriage Come With Any Perks? Haha, I’d forgotten what it was like, writing for a popular ship.

Story Of Mine Most Under-Appreciated By The Universe, In My Opinion: Honestly, I’m in love with this harem fic, and apparently it’s just not anyone else’s thing 🤣

Most Fun Story To Write: It was either “What’s Left” or “Dungeons, Dragons, and Desire.” Both of them were just pure indulgence on my part.

Most Unintentionally Telling Story: Other than the fact that I wrote like 12 ABO fics?? I have no idea

Biggest Disappointment: Just the fact that people really don’t seem to like Stancy.

Biggest Surprise: I shouldn’t have been, but it surprised me how many hits this stonathan knotting fic got.

Thank you for tagging me @mrs-steve-harrington !! This was fun!

Tagging anyone who wishes to participate! Tag me in yours! I’d love to see it!

#fic year in review #ptera tries to write

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bookofmirth · 3 years

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after rereading the series and finally finishing silver flames ( which i truly enjoyed, even when there were points which felt disappointing and a little incoherent ) i feel like i can finally pinpoint what is so jarring to me regarding this series. It just seems so disjointed, which becomes especially apparent after reading MaF and the immediately reading WaR.

We move from the first two novels of the series, which are coherent and clean, to WaR - which is hoenstly just a mess, something which was so blatant to me on the reread. during this time, it’s clear that sjm made several massive changes to link this book to the future spin offs, and also obviously changes her original plan to pair mor and azriel - which monumentally changes the way that the previous book is read, and the perception of their characters.

Even with FaS - setting up for cassian and nestas story, sjm completely changes direction between this release and silver flames. And all of that lead up with the Illyrian rebellions and cassians not being respected as a bastard, and his mission fighting for Illyrian female rights - amounts to absolutely nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, I really really enjoyed silver flames, and perhaps some of these ideas will crop up in azriels book and therefore won’t be wasted. But it just makes the series feel disjointed and leaves me at least, feeling unfulfilled.

Sjm is such a good author, in ToG the plot was expertly executed and when you reread the series, you can see hints and foreshadowing even back to book one. She knew exactly where she was going almost from the beginning, and each decision and plot point was used to create impact and build up to the ending. I don’t get that with acotar.

There is so so so much build, and almost no pay off - and I really got that sense in acosf, I loved it as a stand alone - but when we look at it through the perspective of the entire series, there were things which grated and a lot of things which I felt were built up to and nothing happened... Tomas, Cassians mother ( was so sure we would learn where she was buried at least ) the Illyrian rebellions and the Illyrians hatred and disrespect towards Cassian, Mor and Nestas relationship, CASSIAN AND MORS RELATIONSHIP ( I understand that the mor situation will be something which is focused upon primarily in azriels book, or hopefully her own, however their relationship involves Cassian as much as them both and I really wish Cassian had actually confronted the part he played in that whole situation - a part he played for 500 (!!!!) years. It’s a role which he was unable to relinquish in ACOWAR, and actively rejects Nesta to act as a buffer multiple times, seeing it as an obligation almost - and then in SF, pays it no attention at all. Feyre and Nestas relationship also isn’t really touched upon, as if that final act healed everything - what about that interrupted conversation in the library, when Nesta was cut off ? Why Nesta always favoured Elain, even Amren and Nesta - we still don’t really know what happened there... argh there’s just so much potential and so much set up, and it just seems forgotten about ? It makes the book seem disjointed and a bit of a let down.

Yesss I totally get what you mean here. ToG is honestly the superior series, and it’s because it has the cohesion that acotar doesn’t. Everything feels like it’s meant to be there, each character, each worldbuilding detail, their histories, everything just comes together in a wonderful way that just wrecked me when EoS came out and then was resolved perfectly in KoA.

Compared to that, acotar feels like sjm is figuring things out along the way and it is seriously driving me nuts. I’ve had multiple conversations with other people in Discords and they’ve said similar things. acotar at this point feels like sjm is just coming up with random ass ideas and throwing them in. No book in the series feels more like that than acowar. And it was that point where we knew that there would be more books, right? So combined with the fact that she pounded that book out and it got rather half-assed editing, you’re probably right that a lot of things were changed in order to set up the other books, even though it didn’t make sense with what she’d written before.

I agree with you re: Mor and Az, and I feel like I’ve been seeing more people say that lately? That there is a feeling that they actually were supposed to be together and she changed her mind? I wrote a bunch of fics for them back in the day and they’ve gotten a bit more attention lately. But once acowar came out I was like, I’m gonna reread, and I’m gonna find all the clues, I’m gonna see where all this build-up was, and.... considering how often people say that sjm is so “good” at foreshadowing, I’m sorry, but not in this series. In ToG, yes, because she had a clear goal at the end! She knew where she was going and she stayed on that path. In acotar, idfk. Anyway my point is that I’ve reread the series a couple of times through since acowar came out and I’m still over here shrugging because up until that point, Mor and Az could be read in completely opposite ways. (Maybe it’s an Azriel thing, given the current discourse, idk.)

I will say, however, that we had clues that there was tension between them and I had noted that Az is quiet troubled and even pre-acomaf, I would not have been surprised by his extra in acosf. But all of that could have been addressed with Mor and Az still being together? We all had plenty of explanations at the time for the tension, and Mor being queer was like 1 of 100 of those explanations.

If we look at Mor’s character through the books we have so far, I still see almost zero signs that she’s queer except for her literally saying “I like women and Rita’s has a lot of women and here’s my gay story”. Other than that, there is like..... nothing that feels organically queer about her!!! And I love her and I want her to be gay af!!!! But I wonder if my forgiveness of how acowar went down was more about my personal reaction than how well the story was actually done.

And the fact that, like you said, there is still no resolution to the fact that Cassian is supposedly a buffer between Mor and Azriel? Like???? We were all sitting here after acowar thinking “okay, well if she’s gay then someone knows. Someone has to know. She can’t just be gay and NO ONE WHO LOVES HER KNOWS.”

Then in comes acosf with a big “fuck you, y’all thought” which just.... to me, it signals that her queerness was an afterthought. It’s still an afterthought because her queerness is limited to Mor and women blushing at her and Mor has her corner of the world in which she can be gay, but that gay never spills out into any other aspect of her life. It’s just conveniently isolated so that it doesn’t touch or affect other characters.

In terms of continuity, acowar was such a huge shifting point in the series that people left in droves. It was a huge mess in the fandom. And then acofas was just fluff with no real point in pushing the story forward - even the Nesta stuff was a sneak peek, it had nothing to do with acofas itself. And now acosf comes in ignoring things she had set up previously, with almost zero nuanced discussion of the Cassian/Azriel/Mor thing, which means she still (?) doesn’t know what’s going on there. And I think that we did get some answers with Nesta’s reflection on her relationship with her mother, but the deal with the Illyrian rebellion was just in the way so let’s nix that, and then let’s focus on Eris (🤮) just because she feels like it even though she’s set up all these other characters whose stories need more. (Much like acowar, this paragraph is a MESS LOL)

And yes I KNOW that the series isn’t over, clearly, but she keeps setting things up and then letting them go nowhere, or making them seem important and then resolving them off-page, or changing character relationships (Mor and Az) but then having the characters involved act exactly the same, as if nothing had changed (by having the “buffer” situation still exist as a real thing).

I did enjoy the book, a lot, it was a fun read. But tbh we have so many arguments and disagreements within the fandom rn because things have been so left open to interpretation that we it’s not even a matter of “oh I saw this slightly differently”, it’s “WHAT book did these people even read???” That’s kinda weird, to me. There is reader response, and then there is what we have now, which is people having absolute opposite reactions to what they think happened in acosf.

#acosf #acosf spoilers #spoilers #sjm critical #ask #acotar #wow you got me started lol #anon

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thetypedwriter · 3 years

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All the Young Dudes Fanfiction Review

All the Young Dudes Fanfiction Review by MsKingBean89

So.

This is a first.

If you’ve been following this blog for some time, then you know I generally read young adult books and write far too lengthy reviews on them with the occasional outlier of adult fiction, mystery, sci-fi, etc.

At any given time, I usually have both a physical book that I’ve bought from somewhere that I’m working on (right now it’s Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley) as well as a fanfiction that I reserve until before I go to bed (my treat for a day well lived).

Fanfiction is something that I’ve mentioned copious amounts of times on this blog in varying degrees, but this is the first time I’ll be writing an actual review for one of them on this platform.

The reason for this is myriad.

One, this fanfiction called All the Young Dudes is a far-cry from your normal standardized fanfiction of 5-50,000 words-something I can easily consume in a few minutes to a few hours.

Nope, this behemoth ends on a staggering 526,969 words and 188 chapters, not including bonus chapters and extra in-universe canonical content the author has also written and published. Roughly speaking, if this was actually published onto paper it would be well over 2,000 pages.

2,000 pages.

Yeah. And I enjoyed every single moment of it.

Two, while I read a lot of fanfiction I generally don’t put any of it on this blog because while I’ve dedicated it to published novels, I also usually have very simple feelings about fanfiction. My thoughts run the gambit of: It was good, it was fluffy, it was a train-wreck, so on and so forth.

Normally my reviews are so long and wordy because I have too many thoughts about the published books that I read and I need an outlet to let them loose.

Whether because of its longevity or because of its content, All the Young Dudes is a story I find myself having a profusion of thoughts for. Hence, the birth of this review.

If fanfiction isn’t your thing, feel free to skip this particular review of mine (although fanfiction is a gift to this world and you should really rethink your stance on it if you don’t like it, just saying).

Third, All the Young Dudes is well written and rivals any actual published content.

Fourth, because of how extensive this fanfiction is, it took me over a month to read it-time I generally would have been reading something else. Instead of leaving you all hanging for a few more weeks until I finish Firekeeper's Daughter (don’t hold your breath-the book is sort of a slog for me personally right now), I decided to just take the jump and write my first-ever typedwriter review for a fanfiction.

Fanfiction has been a part of my life for the better part of almost two decades now. It was truly something I found by accident and in retrospect, it’s insane to me that it’s still something that brings me continuous joy and happiness.

I discovered fanfiction when I was 11-years-old and deeply obsessed with the Harry Potter fandom.

Now, as an overall disclaimer I completely disagree with J.K. Rowling’s stances of gender and biology and differ wholeheartedly with her views of trans and non-binary individuals. With that said, I still love Harry Potter as a story and while I no longer buy anything that profits J.K. Rowling directly, I still love the fandom and the people in it, including fanworks like All the Young Dudes.

When I was 11, the seventh Harry Potter book had yet to come out and like many other people in this time period of agony while waiting for 2007 to roll around so that I could find out what happened, I discovered fanfiction as a way to fill in that ache I was so keenly feeling.

I found myself suddenly immersed in this world of online fiction-both good and bad-but completely entrancing all the same.

I never left.

That is to say, I did eventually move onto other fandoms with their own fanfiction cultures, but Harry Potter was still my first in terms of fanfiction and introducing me to the concept as a whole.

Specifically and maybe oddly, I never found myself curious for actual fanfiction about Harry or Hermione or Ron. In my mind, I already knew what had happened to them and reading about them in fanfiction was redundant.

In addition, the first fanfiction I just happened to come across was a Lily/James marauder era fanfiction on mugglenet.com

This idea immediately intrigued me as fans as a whole knew next to nothing about the infamous Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs and while I knew everything I needed to about Harry Potter it was intoxicating to think that I could learn about a time before the series had existed and about characters who were important, but off screen.

I was hooked and devoured as much as I could for most of middle school about the marauders and Lily and James’ romance in particular (I even wrote and published some of my own that will go unmentioned as they are truly really terrible).

That being said, I haven’t read a Harry Potter fanfiction in years. I grew up and out of the fandom eventually thanks to Twilight and from there I’ve bounced from fandom to fandom as I’ve aged and consumed different things and fallen in love with different characters and different worlds.

That isn’t to say I’ve forgotten though.

I still remember my favorite marauder stories, my favorite Sirius Black/OFC (original female character), and my favorite baby Harry drabbles. They made such a huge impression on me and even though it’s been sixteen years, I still recall those stories with fond nostalgia and jubilation.

Which is why it’s almost ironic that I would return to this particular time period of the marauders with All the Young Dudes.

In a fashion that’s almost scarily full circle, I happened to be on Youtube one day and saw a recommendation video about this girl reviewing a fanfiction called All the Young Dudes. Now, youtube book reviews aren’t uncommon, but a thirty minute video for a fanfiction? Not your typical sighting.

So out of pure curiosity, I searched All the Young Dudes fanfiction on Google and low and behold the overwhelming and top results were all for a marauder-era fanfiction by MsKingBean89. Piqued, I clicked on the link in ao3 and thought why not?

While I’ve mainly been reading in other fandoms recently (BTS, some anime and manga, All for the Game) I had been in a little bit of a slump for finding a really good, really alluring story for some time and really didn’t think I had anything to lose by reading All the Young Dudes, especially as the more research I did, the more I found how popular it was-a plethora of videos on youtube, tiktok compilations, and dozens of fanart posts.

Plus, it had been so long since I had read anything from my progenitor fandom and the thought of going back was strangely comforting.

Hence the journey of reading All the Young Dudes began and oh what a journey it was.

Now, that this review is already five pages in, I should probably tell you what on earth All the Young Dudes is actually about.

The whole story is a marauder-era fanfiction told from Remus Lupin’s POV from the summer of 1971 when Remus is 11-years-old to the summer of 1995 when he is 35-five-years-old. It is an in-depth portrayal of Remus’ time at Hogwarts from year one to year seven and then going all the way up to the start of the second wizarding world, ending around the time Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins.

While already the scope makes this a massive undertaking, the author also includes all canonical content from the original series involving Remus, the Marauders, and the time period and incorporates it into her fanfiction-making it canon compliant from start to finish.

While a very large portion of this story is not romantic, there is eventual WolfStar (Remus Lupin/Sirius Black) and if you have read the original Harry Potter series...well. You know things don't end up super dandy for these two characters in particular so you know how the story will end before it begins.

This fanfiction left me speechless for so many reasons.

The scope and length is frankly unbelievable. This fanfiction was published on March 2, 2017 and it was completed on November 12, 2018.

….how?

How did she manage that? I frankly have no idea, but I am in complete and utter awe at her ability to write content with such a magnitude and actually complete it. She gets an award just for that honestly.

Not only that, but the fanfiction is actually superbly well-written. I won’t lie and say it’s the most poignant and beautiful piece of literature I’ve ever consumed, but it was consistent in its pacing, characterization, themes, motifs, and structure, which, for 2,000 pages, is an incredible achievement when you think about it.

Speaking of characterization, everyone was So. Well. Done.

Remus was such an interesting POV to read from and while he was compliant in every sense of the word-werewolf, prefect, bookish-MsKingBean89 added so much more to his character and fleshed him out so incredibly that it’s truly tragic that he’s not a real person.

And to that extent, she does this with all of the characters. You see James’ optimism and leadership, Sirius’ arrogance and loyalty, Peter’s jealousy and chess skills.

Every character was so well-rounded and real. She did an incredible job of taking the bits and pieces from the canon series and using that to build up her own flesh and blood people with motivations, likes, dislikes, dreams, and desires.

That being said, she also had 2,000 pages to do it sooooooo it would be bad if the characters weren’t fleshed out by the end honestly.

In addition, I really appreciated that she didn’t just focus on Remus, Sirius, James and Peter. Lily Evans played a critical role in Remus’ school life and after and so did the other Gryffindor girls like Marlene and Mary.

Too often, the focus is on the boys and their close friendship and while that was a huge focus, we also get to see Remus develop friendships with the girls in his own right and other friends as well that were often OC’s of the author’s.

Now. OC’s are generally something I dislike. I’m reading fanfiction to read about particular characters that I’ve sought after, not to read about some imaginary cast. However, just like any of the canon characters, all of the OC characters were well-developed and played crucial roles in Remus’ development-while either at Hogwarts or after-and I found myself not minding them in the least. In a few cases (Grant) I actually really loved them.

The biggest draw for this fanfiction for me was Remus’ time at Hogwarts. It was so well-written and incredibly descriptive and I found myself thrust back into the world of magic so suddenly and seamlessly that it was like I never left.

MsKingBean89 includes so many intricate details and builds up the world so beautifully that I’d recommend any Harry Potter fan to consume it, just to get some good Hogwarts material out of it.

Another thing I greatly appreciate about this fanfiction was the slow burn. I’ve read slow burn before (All for the Game trilogy anybody?), but this truly took the cake. Sirius and Remus don’t properly get together until the end of year six going into year seven. That’s over 100 chapters in.

100 chapters out of 188.

Meaning that over half of this beast doesn’t have the main pairing even together. For some people, this could be a drawback. You might think to yourself: It takes how long for them to confess their feelings and stop being prats?

A very, very long time.

However...it didn’t bug me. I like slow burn to begin with, but being along for the ride as Remus goes from being a child to an adolescent with unrequited feelings to being in a relationship with someone he loves is so rewarding and fulfilling that the 100 previous chapters are completely and utterly worth it.

MsKingBean89 develops them so well and so carefully that the payoff is so sweet and satisfactory that it's enough to bring the tears right then and there.

The last huge feat of this fanfiction for me was the author’s dedication to canon not just confined to Hogwarts and the Harry Potter books, but also to the time period. Either she lived through the 70’s and 80’s herself or she had done her due diligence when it comes to research because anything from London anti-gay laws to British slang was commonplace in her fic.

I found it completely amazing how she was able to tie in real-time historical and cultural moments like famous singers and movies playing at the time alongside convoluted muggle politics warring with the wizarding ones.

I was so blown away by the accuracy and genuine love behind this fic that it often brought me out of my own mind to simply ponder once again how much work this was and how well she was delivering it.

Even unpleasant things, like homophobia and bigotry, are dealt with in a very carefully constructed way that is aligned with the time period in which the story takes place.

Unfortunately, everything beautiful is not without flaws and All the Young Dudes is not the exception, although it’s flaws are nary compared to its achievements.

The few complaints I have with this fic are honestly quite negligible.

First, there are a few grammatical and punctuation errors. Very few, but I did notice some.

Next, and again, this complaint is really just me whining, but...the end of the fic was really fucking sad. The end of this whole story took me so much time to complete simply because I didn’t want to read it.

I know what happened during the first wizarding war and I also know what ended it (James and Lily Potter dying, Harry being shipped off to the Dursley’s, Sirius imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit, Peter presumed dead) and in one fell swoop Remus lost everything and everyone he ever loved.

After spending over 1,500 pages of Remus growing to love these people it is absolutely devastating and heart-breaking to see him lose it all.

The last handful of chapters are just really, really sad and it makes me wonder why MsKingBean89 decided to write it in the first place. Frankly, I don't know why she didn't write about Remus’ time at Hogwarts and stop after graduation because we all know what happens after that and none of it is good.

Looking back, I wish I could time travel and tell myself to stop at chapter 150. I truly didn’t need to read about the tragedies that happened after that and the hell that all of the characters go through.

And while it does end on a….sort of kind of maybe positive (?) note with Sirius and Remus reuniting briefly once the events of Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban take place, it was really tainted and bittersweet for me knowing that in a year Sirius would die and Remus would marry his fucking cousin and have a child.

Urgh.

I just can’t.

That being said, I understand it’s not the author’s fault and I’m not saying it is. She wrote a canon compliant fic to the end and it was my choice to continue reading. That being said, she said she ended it before the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because Sirius and Remus are happy and back together and she didn’t want to write what was coming next if she continued.

I truly, truly get that.

But in the same vein, why even write the events of the first wizarding world to begin with then? I’m confused with that response as it doesn’t make much sense to me. I felt like ending it right then and there was not a happy ending. They’re together, yes, but at this point they are both shells of who they used to be. Both have severe trauma and PTSD and frankly I don’t even know if I agree with them being together just because they’ve put each other through so much.

It’s just an interesting choice at the end of the day in terms of the author.

Once again, however, I truly understand that she can do whatever she wants and that she doesn’t owe anyone anything, especially as she’s writing this for free and just because. So please keep in mind that although I’m complaining, I truly understand how fortunate we are to even have this fic in the first place.

Okay.

Secondly, my only other huge complaint is that MsKingBean89 made Remus gay. Not bi, not pan. Gay.

You could argue that Remus just calls himself gay in the fanficiton as he didn’t know about other kinds of sexuality. You could argue that Remus’ sexuality changes and develops as he ages and experiences trials and tribulations. You could argue that it was a sign of times like so much else in this fic.

I frankly just found it to be a frustrating choice as the fic is canon compliant and even though it ends before the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows we know that Remus eventually marries Tonks and has a baby son named Teddy Lupin.

How does that make sense?

I tried very, very hard to come up with some sort of feasible explanation for how a gay man would have ended up with the love of his life’s female cousin and truly could not think of one that was not fucked up to some degree.

Again. I know I’m being nit-picky, but it irked me that she made this choice regarding Remus’ sexuality and essentially ended her fic with Remus stuck in a corner regarding how the series actually ends.

At the end of the day, all of the negatives are truly, truly not important. I’m just whinging to whine and to express my thoughts, but I do once again understand that MsKingBean89 isn’t profiting from this fic and that she can do what she wants as is her prerogative.

I hope I was able to express that while I understand that, I can still be frustrated with some of the choices she made.

To wrap this all up, All the Young Dudes is a masterpiece and is a must-read for anyone who loves Harry Potter, the Marauders, or Wolfstar. I was blown away by the sheer magnitude, the love and care she put into her craft, the slow and deliberate development of all the characters, the beautifully constructed love between Sirius and Remus, and the intricate world-both muggle and magic-that surrounded the story like a cocoon.

I am so happy I found this fic and I truthfully am floundering at what to do with myself next. If you have any more current Marauder era fics that I’ve missed out in the past eleven years, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Recommendation: Go read All the Young Dudes. For weeks, you will cry, you will laugh, you will despair, and you will smile. This fanfiction will make you wish this was canon and in my mind, it now is.

Score: 8/10

Links:

1. All the Young Dudes on ao3

2. The Youtube Video about All the Young Dudes that made me aware of its existence

#all the young dudes #wolfstar #Harry Potter #fanfiction #harry potter fanfic rec #marauders #book review #Book Recommendations #fanfiction recs #fanfiction review #wolfstar fanfiction #wolfstar fanart

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silence-burns · 4 years

Text

Let The Devil Help

Fandom: Lucifer (TV show)

Request: “something hurt comfort for the Lucifer drabble?? idk maybe reader needs rescuing and patching up and Lucifer wants to look after them?? xxx”

There was something in your bed.

Well, technically it wasn't your bed, but the fact remained that there was something in Lucifer's bed that wasn't there before.

It was furry. And warm. And moved.

"Lucifer," you called, instantly pulled from your dream. "Why is there a cat in my bed?"

The curtains still hung shut, which was a mercy to your eyes. It had taken a few heated arguments for the devil to leave them shut for the night. He argued that the beautiful view over Los Angeles would improve your well being and recovery. Who cared about the sun waking you up before 5am, anyway?

The cat was a big, orange thing not really interested in acknowledging your presence. If anything, it seemed unhappy about the amount of space you were occupying.

"...Lucifer?"

"I'm coming, don't move!" You heard him shuffle in the other room, which was never a good sign.

You patted the kitty lightly. It had huge, vicious eyes.

"I got you breakfast." Lucifer marched in with a tray in his hands and an apron tied around his suit. "No need to worry, it's completely edible this time."

"As much as I enjoy the service," you managed to say as he tucked you in even tighter under the covers. "I won't be able to eat like this."

Lucifer sighed, taking a good look at your barely visible face. During the few days you spent at the penthouse after checking out of the hospital, he’d gotten into the habit of tucking you in every chance he got. The collection of tea and coffee mugs by the bed was growing too. No human being would be able to consume as much as Lucifer produced.

Despite his nervous ticks, you sat up against the headboard. "Listen, Luci. I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me, and I'm really grateful for all the help. But you can't just tie me to the bed."

"Well, I could if only you wanted me to." Lucifer winked over a wide grin. "Whatever elevates your mood, darling."

"Being able to take a walk sometime would be nice."

"You got shot last time you were outside!"

The cat skirted off the bed, alarmed by the raised voices.

You took Lucifer's hand. He sat next to you, thankfully to your uninjured side. You still remembered how deep in shock he was on the day it had happened and how scared he looked after you had been taken to the hospital, according to Chloe.

"We were on a case," you reminded him gently. "Those things happen all the time. Chloe got shot too, remember?"

Lucifer groaned with exasperation, clearly not having forgotten. He looked at the artfully decorated food on the tray laying between you. It wasn't hard to distinguish what'd been ordered and what he tried to prepare himself.

"I won't let that happen again," he breathed out quietly, turning his head to look at you. "Especially to you."

Straining your neck, you kissed his brow gently. "I know. But even you can't lock me up in here forever. I've got work to do."

"You could stay for a while longer, though." He leaned in closer, capturing your lips with his. It was a slow, gentle kiss that made you reconsider his offer.

"If you insist…" you took a piece of toast, burnt only a little. "I think my arm is starting to hurt again."

The smile on his face turned purely devilish as he snaked his arm around yours. "I think I know a remedy for that..."

You stopped his hand before it wandered too far south. "I have one more question—what was the cat doing here?"

"Well, the internet said that cat's purring is supposed to relax the body and…"

"So you stole a cat for me? How noble."

"I'd do anything for you."

#lucifer morningstar x reader #lucifer morningstar x you #lucifer x reader #Lucifer Morningstar #lucifer morningstar imagine #lucifer x you #lucifer on netflix #lucifer morningstar fic

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