#just … maybe not a subject to bring up with the fandom at large

[forasecondtherewedwon]

trading paper dolls - chapter three

Fandom: Masters of the Air Rating: T Chapter: 3 / 3 Word Count: 3982

Summary: Tired of the pin-up girls, Alex draws Buck Cleven in a similar style, never intending for the sketch to fall into the hands of Bucky Egan.

read on tumblr: one | two

Gale drowned himself. He took the drawing to the sink that was crowded in the mornings but not at that time of day and watched the door as he held the paper underwater, shredding it until he could push the pulp into the drain with his fingertips. The task wasn’t difficult or strenuous; the paper was already so soft that it tore with ease. When it was done, he wiped his hands dry on his overcoat and went out. It had only taken a few minutes.

He had never tried to attract more attention than what was necessary for the boys to respect his rank. He didn’t boast, didn’t dance, didn’t get drunk. He stepped into leadership as a major because it was what he had to do, and he thought he did a fair job of it, keeping a level head and watching out for his boys. But it seemed he had attracted more attention than he’d been aware of. He had been not only observed but commissioned, commissioned into a drawing his fingers had since turned to a mush that hadn’t appeared dissimilar to many of their meals.

John had claimed responsibility, but it wasn’t as though Gale didn’t know where the sketch had come from. In their very bunkhouse lived the man who provided such things for the camp at large. Unless there were another man who did the same sort of drawings—but of male subjects—in secret, Gale knew the artist was Alex. Alex had been quiet, then, quickly, after Gale made the effort to speak with him, Alex had been forthcoming and warm. He was sharp, he was keen to be useful with his mapping abilities, but now Gale saw that he hadn’t yet learned everything about the lieutenant, because he hadn’t expected this from him. It left Gale feeling exposed.

Aside from destroying the drawing, he attempted to stick to his regular routine. He soon decided that no one else knew. The other option—that his boys were not only liars but incredibly good liars—was impossible. Gale couldn’t start doubting everyone around him, everyone he had flown with and trusted. He would be dishonouring them and himself to assume the worst of them after all they’d been through together. He wouldn’t bring the disease of paranoia into this camp, not amongst their forces. The problem of the drawing was a strange but isolated one, which should’ve been some relief to him.

He knew. Alex knew. John knew. John had barely told him, and Alex hadn’t told at all. Of course, Gale had been tempted to confront him. He felt he was owed an explanation, because surely being drawn like that was a sign of disrespect. That was where it got tricky though; Gale didn’t believe, in general, that pin-ups were disrespectful. Maybe they weren’t exactly appropriate either—not the kind of art you’d want shipped home to your mother with your effects if you bought it over Germany—but they were meant for admiring. They were tokens of the softness men missed in places like this, in circumstances like these. Was he that type of token? Was he an ideal?

The thought made Gale feel imaginary. It was hard enough to keep tabs on yourself here, to wake each day still knowing who you were. Where did you preserve your identity when nothing really belonged to you? On a piece of paper?

But the paper hadn’t been his, so that couldn’t be right. What need did John have to preserve Gale in a drawing when he had the real person? This puzzled Gale. It kept him subdued around the boys, and around John in particular, which was strange. He’d been feeling, lately, these urges to reach out for John. They all moved in such close contact, lived in such cramped quarters, that Gale would sometimes lie awake in the night and imagine digging a tunnel only he knew about. Not for escape—just for a place to go be alone for a while. John was the person who drove him closest to the edge, but he was also the only one Gale couldn’t leave, even in these fantasies where he burrowed into the earth and panted hot breaths in the dark. He had touched John at last—their two hands in John’s pocket, Gale’s light contact with John’s rough cheek—and then John had tucked the folded drawing into his palm. He had put the page between them.

Gale wondered what would’ve happened if he hadn’t given in to his instinct to slip his hand in alongside John’s. Would John have ever told him about the drawing? Would he have wept when he did? Gale wasn’t sure he understood the crying anymore than he understood the sketch—not the reasons behind them—but he was beginning to understand how they made him feel.

The revelation happened over the course of several days succeeding his discovery of the drawing. The food was shit. The wind whistled through the cracks in their bunkhouse walls. The thin patch in the heel of Gale’s sock had worn into a hole. The realization couldn’t fill his stomach or block the wind or darn his sock, but it changed something he couldn’t physically feed or shield or warm. He saw that he was treasured. He was. He, who had never felt less worthy, here in what seemed like a cold hell. There was a stalwart sense of brotherhood between the prisoners of this camp, but he hadn’t believed tenderness could survive in these conditions.

Reflecting on the drawing’s wear, Gale felt himself an accidental witness to not only gentleness but passion. Flapping in the cold wind hadn’t done that to the paper; it had been transformed by heat and sweat. Those things had touched a paper body that wasn’t his… but was meant to be.

—

The day Buck asked the question, Alex didn’t see it coming.

Though it wasn’t providing much warmth, the sun was shining, and that was a comfort they hadn’t enjoyed in what seemed like weeks. The wind had gotten itself tangled up between the trees, or lain down in some field; wherever it was, it was elsewhere. Sitting on the step outside the hut was almost pleasant, if you forgot about who was watching the step and where the step was and how they had gotten there and why they had to remain. But you did have to forget sometimes in order to breathe. Alex planted his hands behind him and leaned back while Buck stretched his legs out ahead of him.

He'd been describing the P-51 Mustangs again. Buck always wanted to hear about them. It’d gotten so Alex could tell Buck was imagining himself inside one, eyes closed as he asked where was this gauge and that, how were his sightlines if he turned his head just so.

“You could fly that baby blind,” Alex said, grinning.

Buck grinned back.

“Wouldn’t that be something.”

Alex agreed that it would, then he explained how, when you flew something so sleek and fast, it felt like an extension of your body. Instead of rushing to give Buck an account of missions he’d flown, Alex lingered over sensory memories of getting a feel for those planes. He recalled early days in training as he talked. His eyes were closed too when he spoke of easing a Mustang into a smooth bank, tilting her until it seemed he was sailing along on sunbeams. At the time, he’d sweat—damn near cooked—in the cabin, but now, he tried to feel just a little of that warmth, draw it through time to nestle up against. He was hunkered right down in the memory until he heard Buck say, “How’d he ask for it?”

Alex opened his eyes and frowned. “Say again?” He was lost. Buck wasn’t looking his way.

“When Bucky came to you about the drawing, how’d he… what did he say?”

“Oh. Well…”

Alex’s heart was racing, but Buck looked as calm as anything, staring out at the yard while Alex watched the side of his face.

There was so much information in the question. First, it informed Alex that Buck had found out about the drawing, someway, somehow. Second, it told him Buck had connected the drawing to Alex and Egan both. Third, it said Egan hadn’t ratted on him, since Buck didn’t know about the drawing’s exact origins. Finally, the question meant Buck wasn’t angry with him. He definitely didn’t sound angry, just like he was placidly working on a problem. Alex had seen him that way before during the meetings he and Macon were now included in, meetings for plotting escape routes and learning the fastest and quietest ways to incapacitate the enemy if they had to fight their way out.

But how to answer such a question? Now that Buck knew Alex had sketched him without his knowledge, he probably owed him the full truth, and telling him that meant admitting Egan hadn’t come to him at all. And what about the silent deal he’d made with Egan whereby they kept each other’s secrets? If Alex’s had been exposed, did that void Egan’s as well? Or did Alex ignore it all? Maybe the way forward here was to find his own escape route from a matter that no longer involved him. He could see what his role had been and he felt, for better or worse, that he’d played it. The rest was between Buck and Egan.

“It wasn’t much of a conversation,” Alex said. The explanation, though evasive, wasn’t a lie—Egan had snatched the paper during a raid of the bunkhouse.

Buck looked disappointed that Alex had failed to satisfy his curiosity.

“You know,” he said, eyes still forward, “Bucky ran and got recaptured more than once after parachuting from his plane. He fought like hell trying to escape. He could’ve died. They meant to kill him.” Buck turned his head to look back at Alex. “He gave me that drawing like a surrender.”

Alex’s lips parted, but he didn’t know how to respond. He understood how the most difficult thing was sometimes to go willingly. For a man with grit, a man with strength and ideas and convictions, it was easy to value control over everything else. You got so used to protecting your right to make your own choices, Alex thought, that it was hard when somebody came along who made surrender seem not only possible but appealing. Alex had learned this lesson with his sweetheart back home, but not everybody had a sweetheart back home. Not everybody got to learn to let go on a porch swing in Detroit while the condensation on a glass of lemonade hid their nervous, sweaty palms. Some people had POW camps and paper dolls and that was the best they got.

“That doesn’t mean he’s weak,” Alex proposed cautiously.

“No,” Buck agreed. “It sure doesn’t.”

“If you find you’ve got to know just what it does mean, I’d suggest asking him.”

“No two ways about it, huh?”

“There never seems to be for anything worth doin’.”

Buck rose. Alex hadn’t meant for him to act right then, but it wasn’t as though they had a list of pressing duties that needed attending to.

“Thanks for your thoughts, Alex,” Buck said, leaning down to where Alex still sat and extending his hand.

Alex nodded, shaking it. “Buck.”

When he expected Buck to withdraw his hand, Buck tightened his grip instead.

“One more thing,” he said. He leaned a little closer. “There aren’t any others of me out there, correct?”

“That’s correct,” Alex promised, meeting Buck’s assessing gaze with his steady one. “And there won’t be.”

Buck released his hand and, sitting forward once he was alone, Alex released a heavy sigh. Not too bad, he thought. It was behind them now. He’d even managed to resist joking that, if there had been other pin-up drawings of Buck, Egan surely would’ve collected them all up by now. No, he’d handled things the best he could’ve. The rest was for the two majors to sort out.

With the day as fine as it was, Alex eventually pushed himself up off the step and took a walk across the yard. He could see Macon and DeMarco busy with something. They were looking at the ground. As he neared, he panicked, but tried not to show it. They’d drawn a ring in the dirt and, staring at it, DeMarco kneaded the back of his neck in frustration. What the hell had they done? Put a goddamn map in the yard, right where the goons could see? Alex fought the urge to walk faster.

There were stones scattered across the dirt.

“What’s this?” he asked Macon lightly.

“I’m plottin’ my move,” Macon said. “What would you do?”

Alex’s eyes widened at his friend’s casual tone. He didn’t realize his expression had been observed until he heard DeMarco’s laugh, rough like the scruff on his cheeks, and looked up.

“It’s marbles,” he said. “We’re playing marbles with rocks.”

“Oh.” This was an amused huff from Macon. He had glanced up to see why DeMarco was explaining and also caught the look on Alex’s face. “Shit! Speakin’ of marbles, Alex here’s thinkin’ we fuckin’ lost ours, Benny. Thought we was out here holdin’ cartography club.”

He doubled over laughing while Alex rolled his eyes. Well, at least Macon appeared to be feeling better.

DeMarco crouched to consider his next shot. Alex angled his head close to Macon’s ear.

“I’ll just leave you and ‘Benny’ to it. I just got an idea for another drawing. Maybe two guys from our bunkhouse this time?”

Macon glared at him, but Alex was grinning now.

“It ain’t like that,” Macon protested. He took a playful swipe at Alex, but Alex stepped clear. Macon winced as he twisted, hand hitting nothing.

“Watch your neck, now,” Alex cautioned. “Then again…” He glanced to where DeMarco had circled away from them, lowering his hand to the dirt in preparation to flick a stone towards their makeshift target. “I saw him rubbin’ his neck. Maybe he could do yours.”

Macon pointed a warning finger.

“Don’t interfere in other people’s business.”

Alex only smiled and backed away. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t. If this Buck and Egan thing worked out, it might be nice going two for two. It’d be a way to pass the time.

—

“Right where I thought you’d be.”

Bucky smiled at the sound of Buck’s voice and allowed the chair he’d rocked back on two legs to fall forward again onto four. He listened as Buck’s even steps entered the room, their room—everybody’s room, but their room at the moment, because it was empty but for the two of them.

“Creature of habit,” Buck continued as he strode into Bucky’s line of sight.

Bucky glanced up and his smile broadened.

“Imprisonment’ll do that to a guy.”

“S’pose so.”

Buck grabbed a chair and dragged it around, then straddled it backwards, facing Bucky. He crossed his arms along the back. Bucky couldn’t help his light laugh, waiting for Buck to speak. They hadn’t done much of that (talking) in days. Bucky was scared, not that he’d say it. The laugh was more of an anxious giggle, which was meant as a question: Where are we starting from? Because he didn’t know how to begin anymore. He didn’t know how to step back into the last normal conversation they’d had without his feet going out from under him, slipping on the bloody wheel of his heart. He kept trying to get his balance, but that heart-wheel kept spinning, faster each time Buck caught his eye or called his name. He felt choked; he wanted to run. He fixed his gaze on Buck’s face and, grinning with a nervous brand of hilarity, said, “Hi.”

Buck smiled back, amusement in his eyes. Bucky thought he looked like maybe he didn’t know how to begin either.

“Hey there, stranger,” Buck replied, soft and low.

Now, as long as Bucky didn’t cry—he started to, and thumbed the tear from the inner corner of his eye.

“We got some business, Major?” he asked, smiling at Buck, at himself, at his control leaving him like a kite string jerking through his hands.

“We do,” Buck said. “You wanna lead?”

“Buck, if I knew the steps, I’d already be on the floor.”

Bucky pressed his finger into a crack in the table, tracing back and forth until Buck’s hand hovered over his. After a breath or two, it landed. Bucky stared at it covering his own.

“You don’t have anything to say?” Buck urged.

Swallowing, Bucky shook his head.

“I’d ruin it.” His voice came out hoarse.

“Maybe”—from his tone, Bucky could tell he was teasing—“but isn’t it worth trying?”

“I don’t really know… how to apologize for somethin’ like that…” Bucky fumbled out.

“You wanna apologize for it?”

Surprised, Bucky glanced up.

“Don’t you want me to? Isn’t that what this is about?”

Because the hand—it was comfort. The words were a return to their old friendliness. The privacy was necessary for the topic at hand, until they buried it deep and left no marker.

“No,” Buck said simply. “I was hoping we understood each other now.”

Bucky laughed loudly then, head thrown back, hand on his chest. When he looked at Buck again, his friend was blushing.

“Well, radio man,” Bucky started with a grin, “I think we got our wires crossed somewhere ’cause—”

“You’re in love with me,” Buck blurted. The abruptness, so unlike Buck, would’ve been enough to stop Bucky in his tracks, but then there were the words—petal-strewn overkill if the point was just to shut Bucky up.

“Tell me quick if I’m wrong,” Buck went on, “’cause I’ve looked at this every which way and it’s all I’ve got, John.”

“Buck. Gale.” It was possible the world was ending and Bucky couldn’t seem to clear his throat.

“I didn’t think it’d be like this,” Buck said, so faint Bucky wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear. All he could do in response was shake his head to show he didn’t follow. “I thought I’d see it comin’. You snuck up on me, John.”

If Buck kept using his name like that, Bucky believed he might do something impulsive, like bite his friend’s lip between his teeth.

“Me?” he checked.

As though to demonstrate just how impossible the idea of him sneaking up on anyone was, Bucky scraped the chair back as he staggered to his feet. He needed to pace. He couldn’t deal with this unless he was moving.

But Buck’s leg shot out and kicked Bucky’s chair.

“Sit your ass back down and listen to me,” he snapped. Bucky stared at him. “I’m tryin’… I’m trying…”

Slowly, Bucky reached for his chair. He lifted it off the ground so its legs wouldn’t scrape. He set it down close to Buck’s. He put his hand on Buck’s knee.

“You love me too, huh?” he guessed, as crazy as it seemed. “That the size of it?”

“Just about.”

They chuckled over how badly this was going, how well. Bucky booted the leg of Buck’s chair.

“What’d you do with my pin-up?” he demanded jokingly.

“Got rid of it.”

“Yeah? You got some nerve, Buck. That was my property.”

“You don’t need it anymore,” Buck told him.

Bucky leaned in, taunting. “Says who?”

“Little closer and I’ll show ya.”

Bucky went smiling. He got as close to Buck as he could before the tiny bit of him that was still unsure he hadn’t made a mistake somewhere and misunderstood hit the brakes. He could feel Buck’s breath on his face; he’d have bet Buck could feel the same on his. He could see, up so close, where the cold had chapped Buck’s skin, and he could see when Buck made up his mind to kiss him. Bucky closed his eyes between that moment and the next, and then there was the pressure of Buck’s mouth, making him almost leap out of his skin.

He'd spent weeks sharing a bed with that sheet of paper, like a lover. Before that, he’d spent months lugging his heart around, heavy with the enormity of his infatuation. Years he’d known Buck, liked Buck, cared about Buck more than he cared about anyone else he knew or had known. It wasn’t sudden. And yet, as Buck’s mouth opened just slightly and Bucky felt the difference between his dry lips and his wet tongue, it was. He moaned because he’d never been shy, and that put his lips in contact with Buck’s teeth—another new feeling—because Buck smiled at the sound.

Determinedly, Bucky cupped the back of Buck’s neck and kissed him harder, deeper, tilting his head. They couldn’t stop now. He couldn’t stand it. He didn’t want a pause to let Buck speak or to stare into his eyes. He knew what he sounded like, knew how he looked. Really, Bucky would’ve kept going even if he hadn’t been able to breathe. He held Buck greedily against him, wishing there weren’t a chairback between them so it could be more than their mouths, more than his hand now on the back of Buck’s head. I did, he thought. I thought it’d be exactly like this.

Buck was like a food he’d been deprived of, though Bucky couldn’t think what that might’ve been just then, because there was nothing he wanted to taste more than Buck’s mouth. Again and again, he opened it wider with his lips, dove forward with his tongue. He found Buck a little coyer until Buck snatched him by the front of his shirt and yanked him to the edge of his seat. Bucky had to feel blindly for the table and grip it hard to prevent himself from knocking the chairs aside like he wanted to. He wanted so much.

He surprised himself by being the reasonable one, the thoughtful one. He eased Buck’s grip from his shirt and slowed their kisses to a last lick from Buck’s tongue over his bottom lip.

“Welcome to the goddamn bunkhouse,” he whispered. “We got roommates, and they’ll come back sooner or later.”

Gaze lowered and mouth pink from Bucky’s efforts, Buck smirked as he straightened Bucky’s shirt.

“Ain’t that a shame.”

“I know some good hiding places though,” Bucky bragged.

“Do you now?”

“Kept that drawing secret, didn’t I?”

Buck shook his head in amusement. “That’s a little different. You can’t hide me between the pages of a book.”

“I didn’t hide it between pages,” Bucky informed him, smiling devilishly. “I hid it between sheets.”

“You can’t hide me in your bunk.”

Bucky slouched back in his chair and smirked at Buck.

“You can’t,” Buck repeated, fighting not to laugh at the way Bucky was so clearly uninterested in listening to him.

“That’s one opinion,” was all he would allow.

“An opinion,” Buck echoed in disbelief. “I call the other option insanity.”

“You call you in my bed insanity? I call it somethin’ to live for.”

And Bucky meant it in that big way, in that grand way. He meant it in a small way too: that he would live little by little for it, that the sun rose and set on his wanting of Buck, but it would’ve risen and set anyway. He would live for the possibility of Buck in each moment, from his first stirrings of wakefulness in the morning to the final shift on the sheets that let him sleep with some modicum of comfort in this forlorn place. Someday, mark my words, his sly smile and raised eyebrows said to Buck, you’ll be on those sheets with me. And, boy, won’t we live then, Buck. Won’t we live then.

#my writing #MotA #Masters of the Air #MotA fic #Bucky x Buck #Clegan #Gale 'Buck' Cleven #Alexander Jefferson #John 'Bucky' Egan #Richard Macon #Bernard DeMarco

[dear-kumari]

Looking at some of the post drafts I wrote at the height of my fever and feeling very relieved that I did not finish or publish any, bc the last thing I needed to do when I already felt like shit was take a big ol’ swing at a hornet’s nest

#girl why did you TAG IT #(also didn't finish a more vitriolic but far less interesting 'anyone who thinks this show is as good as AtLA has serious brain worms' post) #anyway I still feel bad but now it's just bc my seasonal bronchitis has been reactivated #Guess who's gonna be coughing up mucus for the rest of the fall. yaaaaay #Kumari comments #Kumari procrastinates irl #ngl this was on my mind bc I spent most of my time in bed watching cartoons‚ TeeDeePee included #I revisited a couple episodes from the first and third seasons and I was reminded how much weight was put on 'destroying the egg' #and Harrow being like 'it's horrific' over Viren's choice was just. weird #at least considering all the stuff he /didn't/ take a moral stance on before that point #You could be like 'well some guy destroying a fertilized egg unprompted is very different from someone making a choice about their own body' #but an actual pro-lifer wouldn't make that distinction! any narrative about an innocent unborn life is useful to them #in fact it's /very/ useful that Zym and his mother are completely separate bc then you have to leave the issue of autonomy at the door #that way the story can focus wholly on the importance and beauty and wonder of the egg #and how only evil people would want to destroy it #and just bc it wasn't intentional doesn't mean it's not there (I'm sure the writers didn't intend to write ethnic cleansing apologia either) #idk if I missed someone pointing this out when the show first aired but it is a subject I'm genuinely interested in now #just … maybe not a subject to bring up with the fandom at large #Kumari abuses the tagging system #(Also I revisited that Twitter post and the number of reactionaries in the replies was. significant #not overwhelming but it was clear that some of them weren't random keyword-seeking trolls and actually did watch the show)

[uninformedartist]

I feel like Spindlehorse can't separate Helluva as a product from themselves as people. Same shit the fandom does.

Yeah that's actually what's happening. Now its understandable that a creator would be attached to their product/project in some ways because after all they made it can be seen as an artistic reflection of themselves and what they want the world to see. But there comes a point where you have to separate yourself from your property especially if it becomes mainstream for legal, professional and pr reasons. That is not seen with Viv and she includes too much of herself (good or bad) into her shows.

When looking at the core aspect of helluva boss the comedy, Viv tries to implement a lot of what she finds personally funny but... lets just say her humor is problematic in some ways or just down right unfunny. And this is very bold of her to do because she's putting what she finds personally funny which thinking in a greater scale is bad to do because everyones humor is subjective. Another thing to note is that her humor is in general very crass "edgy" and immature actually so dick jokes, SA "jokes", ableis "jokes" are all over her show and since this is what she finds personally funny, in our modern era that is a problem because many don't find this sort of humor funny in any way.

The main aspect of helluva boss fails. Viv and whoever she associates with put too much of themselves personally in helluva boss. Be it the humor they find funny or life experiences. And doing this causes issues because as seen by the audience at large (not talking about her bootlicking fanbase) they simply don't find that sort of humor funny or relate to whatever life experiences they insert in helluva boss. Then Viv and co get offended/or angry at the backlash their humor etc receives and proceeds to complain on twitter because this is their personal humor/experiences is being criticised.

Saw a few examples:

This was that horse joke in So2 ep1. It wasn't funny at all well to me at least, was informative but not funny and it was an actual thing that happened to Sam who is Viv's best friend/spindlehorse staff member. This "joke" had to be explained on twitter cos nobody got it, its an inside joke/life experience thrown in the episode that didn't land and now Sam had to explain it.

And this is a big one, the infamous dildos in the wall joke. Since the episode was written by Adam Neylan we thought it was his joke he made and a lot of people didn't find it funny because it was a stupid dick joke and where the joke happened was were Moxxie was physically abused by his father then the next scene had the dildos popping out the walls, complete tonal whiplash and was insensitive. Why I bring this up because it was actually Viv who added the dildo joke: this is highlights from the Helluva boss watch party.

And then she proceeded to go on twitter liking and retweeting any tweet of someone who found it funny when many didn't to I don't know comfort herself, maybe boost her ego. Yeah adding your personal taste in humor can backfire.

On the hivemind fandom, its like minded people in it and she cultivated this fandom over many years so Viv and her fandom are in the same boat together, nothing much to say there.

So yeah in short, spindlehorse and Viv add too much of themselves in helluva boss and it backfires because its not funny, relatable, problematic etc. Some separation between creator and product is key to avoid a lot of this as mentioned, getting too personal with your product especially if its released to a wider audience can save you a lot of hurt and backlash if what you're adding personally of yourself is problematic etc but you don't see it as such.

Sorry for such a long post ╭( ๐_๐)╮ I threw myself this morning into doing a lot of law past exam papers so my writing off the wall.

#vivziepop critical #helluva boss critical #my post #spindlehorse critical #asked and answered #ty for the ask anon! #looooooong post sorry

[xxsycamore]

Finally have a moment to send a request. I know you're flooded with them so this is only if you have time:

We all know Leon isn't a big reader and falls asleep reading books but....how would he react to an MC who doesn't read him a poem but recites him one from memory?

📜+ Leon

Thank you lovely Mo for the bright light you shine across this fandom ☀️

Congratulations on your milestone!

Please, there's no way I'd skip your request, Violet! It's such a good one too! Thank you so much for the kind words, I could say the same to you ❤

[📜] 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚎𝚘𝚗 。。。

Poems are "I Love You" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox & "Yours" by Daniel Hoffman

LEON:

I love your lips when they’re wet with wine

And red with a wild desire;

I love your eyes when the lovelight lies

Lit with a passionate fire.

It's been awhile since Leon joined you in the library - you'd suggested changing the company of the books for his company, but your lover didn't want to interrupt your favorite pastime. Bringing his wine glass to finish on a nearby settee, he made an excellent extra recliner as he invited you to rest against his chest...

It's just that, once the chapter ended, you found yourself looking more at Leon than at the book, and the words made their way out of your lips before you realized. It's some poem you read ages ago, but it described your lover perfectly in his current glory.

Leon's warm eyes shift to yours as he listens to the lines; they're lazy but lighting up with something you can't quite put your finger on. Heart rate increasing and voice beginning to waver, you stubbornly continue, led by a strange need to confess your fascination.

I love your arms when the warm white flesh

Touches mine in a fond embrace;

I love your hair when the strands enmesh

Your kisses against my face.

Hand previously used to prop his face against, Leon now reaches out to caress your face.

But then he produces a barely-audible gasp.

And kisses you out of nowhere, full-on the lips.

Your surprise is quickly shushed and transformed into bliss as you let Leon claim your lips, wherever that may come from... it's not like it's unwelcomed.

He cuts the kiss too short, holding your face in his large hands.

"You're a GENIUS, sweetheart."

You watch your lover jump to his feet, leaving only his lingering warmth on the settee where you remain to watch him with avid curiosity. Leon walks to the shelves and mutters under his breath the names of the different genres they're organized by, impatiently searching for something. When he leaves your line of vision, you stand up as well, following him in the depths of the library.

"Here. Love poems."

The sound of quickly turning pages comes to an end as soon as it began, as Leon stops at a random one.

Without you I’d be an unleaded tree

Blasted in a bleakness with no Spring.

You listen as Leon reads out the poem, not with hurry, but instead delivering each line as if the words come straight from his heart - or maybe that's how you hear them? Catching the meaning of these words makes you weak when it's the man you love who says them. Walking to where he stands in front the bookshelf, you hug him from behind and keep listening.

"Poems are typically short. They won't lull me to sleep, see? I will read these to you and train my stamina."

Uh-oh. This sounds lovely. And it also sounds like you'll be subject to hearing him say hundreds upon hundreds of love confessions to your face... and you don't want to die yet.

You start to play-smack his back in an attempt to change his mind, and to pray for yourself in the meantime.

∎ For You, My Valentine‼️ - xxsycamore’s 1000 followers celebration party | 💌 event masterlist

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikemen prince leon #ikepri leon #ikemen prince leon dompteur #leon dompteur #ikemen leon #For You My Valentine!! - xxsycamore's 1000 followers celebration party

[jovenshires]

I was soooo disappointed when Courtney said “next time we’ll do ff”. I cringe every time they talk about it, I prayed they wouldn’t reach their goal when it was “we read ianthony fanfic”. I remember I left the games stream when Spencer started explaining A/B/O to Shayne. Those are not for them, I hate when they take things that are made by fans for fans and make fun of them. I mean, is there really someone who enjoy when they read fanfics? I feel secondhand embarrassed physically.

to each their own; if people enjoy this then that is fine and they are allowed and smosh is welcome to do whatever they want. and as someone very kindly pointed out to me, for this spt they're doing it on a volunteer basis. (im not 100% positive they've done this in the past?? i was pretty sure the 'tis i' person didn't get a heads up but maybe i'm wrong bc. its been probably five years.)

but we can all talk about rpf and the intersection between person and fiction and what 'is' and 'is not' for them all we want, but our own personal takes on that matter aside, i think it's undeniable that, in certain points in the past videos, it has felt like a mockery of the fanfiction niche of the fandom. i think jazel (@shaymiens; i asked her if i could steal these tags and she very kindly said yes) said it better than i could here in her reblog of my ask:

#but i think the problem is that they have so much power to uphold fic writers the same way they do fan artists and editors #yet they almost always punch down #as katie puts here it's hard to stomach that they're bringing vaguely negative attn to smthn that was made in earnest with love #spt sorta makes the author the nonconsenting subject of a roast #held by thousands of viewers who have no reason to defend them against their favorite content creators #idk if smosh just doesn't Get fic culture or if they actively decide to mistreat/misunderstand it

and that's exactly it. a lot of the time it turns something very positive - something i, and a lot of you, turn to for comfort and peace and enjoyment - into a target for hostility. and this isn't a criticism of smosh alone (ive seen a lot of creators do this with fanfiction), and i'm glad that they're asking people to volunteer their work now (and again im not sure if they have in the past), because that at the very least makes it a consensual interaction. but i still feel like it's making fun of fanfiction at large and that's not personally for me. maybe i'm biased because i write fic; maybe i'm thinking too hard about a non-issue. maybe! but that's just my take on the whole thing.

anyway, tldr: if you enjoy this series, that's great! if you think what they're doing is fine, that's great, too. but i personally probably wont be tuning in.

#spt #discourse #long post #ask #asks #anon #anonymous

[fizzyxcustard]

Ultimatum (4)

Masterlist of fan fiction

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC)

Pairings: Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Lots of angst. 

Summary: You and Guy discuss your feelings for each other, and act on those feelings. However, you know that Guy can be a better man and can’t stand by to watch him fall into a pit of atrocity while serving under the Sheriff. Will Guy choose you or Sheriff Vaisey? 

Comments/Notes: If you wish to be tagged in any of my tag lists for fics or characters, please let me know, and stipulate what you want to be tagged in.  People who do not interact with my fics (even if just a ‘like’) after a month or two will be taken off my list. You can probably already see that my tag list has now shortened by about half; please, please if you want to be on my tag list at least show some interest, or if you lose interest, just ask to be taken off. 

I’ve also changed the plot a little. Marian never died, but instead has gone on the run with Robin.

A week later and you had successfully found work. Henry, a kind old farmer had agreed to your payment: access to a bed in his spare room and two bronze coins per week. It was more than enough to maintain a decent lifestyle until you could move on to better work. 

“You ain’t from around here?” he had asked immediately, leaning his elbow on the fence which surrounded his goats. 

“No, I’ve come from Nottingham. Felt it best to move away, see if I can make a bit of money elsewhere,” you said, offering a sad smile. 

On the seventh night that you had been at Henry’s small, humble home, you sat opposite him, tucking into beef stew. He was watching you. Tired, yet quizzical eyes studied you from under a pair of grey, bushy eyebrows. 

“You’re running from something, girl,” he said suddenly, then opened his mouth wide and took a large mouthful of steaming stew. “Unrequited love, maybe? Some kind of lost love anyway.” 

You raised an eyebrow and then looked down at your stew, stirring the meat and carrots among the gravy. “How did you guess?” 

“There’s a sadness in your eyes. It’s a sadness that we all get when we’ve lost someone we love. The fact you’ve left Nottingham means that it’s more than likely a man. I’m guessing someone of standing.” 

“I’d rather not talk about it, Henry, if you don’t mind.”

Henry didn’t bring the subject up again, but he remained watchful over you. He saw you write letters during the evening hours and then burn them on the main fire. No doubt they were undelivered letters to this lover of yours. 

***

Another visitor appeared in the village but a fortnight after your appearance. Henry noticed that this stranger had been asking around for a young woman who had stopped there. The visitor was dressed in dark garb, and kept his head lowered.

You decided to go out and meet this mysterious man. Your heart was racing as you hoped with everything inside you that it was Guy. Had he finally come to be with you? 

The morning was bright and mild as you stepped out. The man was at the house just a couple of hundred yards up from Henry’s residence. You hurried towards him, feeling the anxiety gather in your chest. Was it him? 

The man turned. Your heart sank as you looked upon him. “Abe?” you asked, eyes wide. “What are you doing here?” 

“Looking for you,” he replied, looking relieved. “Both your father and Gisborne have been looking for you. But it was Gisborne who officially sent me to get you to come back.”

“Does my father know the reason why I left?” you asked, sighing. 

“I had a good idea why you left, but your father is still none the wiser. Gisborne is too much of a coward to admit to your father that he’s the reason you left. He played along with your father, pretending to not know.” 

A tear dripped down your cheek. “He won’t leave Nottingham, and the Sheriff’s side. Why?” Your words came out as a hiss and you balled your hand into a fist. “I thought he loved me.” 

“Gisborne is a mystery no one will solve in a hurry,” Abe replied sadly. “He’s paid me to take you back, but I’m not going to force you. What you choose to do is up to you.” 

“Typical Guy.” 

“He hasn’t been the same since you left, you know? He’s more of a recluse, barely speaks. And for some reason keeps demanding apples from the kitchen, which I believe is something to do with you.” Abe chuckled and nudged you. “The man isn’t completely heartless as we’ve all believed.” 

“I don’t think anyone ever truly is, Abe. Will you come and join me and Henry for lunch?” 

As soon as Henry heard Guy’s name mentioned, he raised an eyebrow and looked at you in shock. “Gisborne? Guy of Gisborne? He’s the one you’re running from?” 

“Yes,” you replied with a sigh. 

Abe reached across and took another apple from the bowl of fruit that had been set on the table. Around it were some freshly cut pieces of meat, butter that had been churned only the day before, and bread that was almost straight from the oven.

Henry stared at you for a few seconds. “That name is known throughout the country, and not for good things. How did you become caught up with the likes of him?” 

“Believe it or not, Guy can be a good man,” you said. “I think it takes someone who is patient to really break through his icy demeanour and gleam what’s underneath. Getting to know Guy certainly didn’t come overnight.” 

Henry propped his elbows on the table. “Love, why are you wasting your time on a scoundrel like him? Money and power are the only things on Gisborne’s mind. We all know that. For the time I’ve known you, you seem like a really good woman, and I’d hate to see him take advantage of that.” 

Abe spoke up. “I do believe he feels something for her. How deep that runs, I don’t know and wouldn’t want to speculate. He’s paid me to take her back.” 

Henry scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Can’t even come himself, but has to send someone else to do his dirty work. Seriously, you’re better off without someone like him in your life.” 

Frustration hit you suddenly. “And you’re so perfect are you, Henry? So perfect that you’ve never associated with anyone who is below worthy to be called a paragon of virtue?” You shoved the wooden stool from the table, it screeching across the floor, and you stormed out into the mid-day sun. 

“Women, eh?” Henry chuckled wryly as Abe shoved another half of apple into his mouth. 

You stood in the warmth of the sun with your arms crossed and tried so hard not to cry, but failed miserably. Your dam broke and tears fell down your cheeks. 

“I’m sorry. I never meant to offend you,” Henry apologised. “I just don’t want to see you hurt, that’s all. I don’t think Abe does either.” 

“I’ve been hurt enough by Guy. I doubt he could hurt me any more than he already has.”

***

Once Abe had returned to Nottingham, Guy was immediately at his side. “Well, where is she?” Guy was irritated; it showed immediately in his ice blue eyes. 

“I’m not going to force her back, Sir Guy,” Abe replied coolly. 

Guy grabbed Abe and shoved him back against the stone wall of the castle. “You will do whatever I pay you to do, is that understood?” he bellowed, gritting his teeth. 

Abe dragged himself out of Guy’s grasp. “Go and fight for her yourself! Instead of sending us out in your stead, go and do the proper thing and talk to her yourself.” 

Guy knew that Abe was right and sighed, drawing away from the confrontation. He turned on his heel, tossing one last cold glare over his shoulder, and then walked away, back up the steps leading into the castle. 

Your father was standing in the main entrance and had heard the commotion that was going on, and had heard all of the shouts. “You’re the reason I’ve lost my daughter!” your father hissed. 

Guy turned and saw your father standing but ten feet or so away from him. Your father’s hand was on the pommel of his sword and his stare was focused intently on the man who had rejected you. “She wanted me to leave with her. I tried to make her see sense.” 

Your father stepped up to Guy, his eyes wide and piercing. “You will go yourself, Guy. You will go and make this right. You have three options. You can go and make this right; go to her and be the man that she deserves. You can bring her back and never speak a word to her again if your intention is not to wed her. Or, and I will take great delight in this, I rip off your manhood and feed it to you. Which will it be?” 

***

Follow Forever tag list: @lathalea @i-did-not-mean-to @xxbyimm @middleearthpixie @linasofia @meganlpie @knitastically @guardianofrivendell @asgardianhobbit98 @spidergirla5 @sunflwrnsunnieshine

Guy of Gisborne tag list: @puggledy-huggledy-is-not-a-pig @rikki-b-lake

Richard Armitage tag list: @cryptichobbit

#Guy of Gisborne #Robin Hood #Richard Armitage #Guy of Gisborne x You #Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader #Guy of Gisborne x Reader

[ciaossu-imagines]

Romantic and Platonic Match-Up for C

Okay, so I admit that your romantic match up for Bungou Stray Dogs is coloured quite a bit because I do know you and know your favourite character in this fandom. Because of that, I cannot imagine shipping you with anyone other than CHUUYA NAKAHARA! So this, plus the platonic match, is coloured by knowing you and is less than a traditional match-up, but I hope you'll enjoy me just kind of talking about how I could see these relationships go!

So, with Chuuya, I see the relationship oddly enough not being a slow build from friendship to a romantic relationship. I think the attraction was there from the start. Though you don't feel sexual attraction, I do think you felt a physical attraction towards Chuuya and he definitely felt one towards you. Chuuya isn't someone who is exactly shy either, and I could see him approaching you first, talking to you, getting to know the basics of you. He asks for your number, tells you he wants to talk to you again, and I can see him being the one to ask you for a date first.

Now, I see this relationship having some hardships, despite the fact that the two of you do get along well. The conversations flow naturally, you both enjoy each others company, and while not afraid of physical touch, Chuuya is ever the gentleman and does not push you for more than you are comfortable with. However, especially at the beginning, at least for the first several months, the issues really did stem from a couple of issues. The first, and most obvious, is that Chuuya is a man who does not open up to others easily. He's not shy about giving his opinions on subjects and such and he maintains great conversations, as mentioned, with you. He shows intense interest in getting to know you but when it comes to letting you get to know him at a level that's more than just surface level? That's where Chuuya does have some issues. Chuuya has some pretty intense walls in place to protect himself and he's not really all that okay with discussing a lot of his life and especially not his past with you. It's a good thing that you are patient with people because if it wasn't for your patience and if it wasn't for the fact that you didn't pressure or push him once you realized he was uncomfortable, the relationship wouldn't have lasted.

The other initial problem was one that you did struggle a little bit with. I do think, while Chuuya did persue a relationship with you, he took you on dates to spots he trusted only, kept you and him largely out of the public eye. At times, it would feel a lot like he was hiding you and it did make you insecure at points. Though you're not usually one to disturb the peace, to confront people, it did get bad enough for you to work up the bravery to do so. Chuuya would have initially dodged the question, probably even a couple times but the problem did largely disappear after he finally answered it. The truth of the matter is, you learned, that Chuuya is high up in the Port Mafia and because of that, he does have enemies. Enemies he didn't want knowing about you, especially because Chuuya does grow attached to you. He doesn't want you hurt because of your connection with him.

I do see Chuuya as someone who does grow attached rather easily, more easily than most, and I think shortly after this conversation with you, he really faces his own feelings towards you…it's probably a couple months, maybe three or four after you two first start dating, and he faces the fact that he has grown quite fond of you. He thinks about you a lot, values your opinions on things. You're the one he wants to share good news with and he looks forward to spending time with you. With you now knowing the truth of his connection to the Port Mafia, knowing the danger dating someone like him brings, and having accepted that, he realizes that, along with his fondness, comes a desire to protect you and have you closer to him. And I can see Chuuya either moving you in early with him or finding you an apartment in a location he can easily keep an eye on your safety in and moving you in there. Anywhere that means he can be with you more often without that worry, where he can protect you and enjoy you.

Now, one lasting and persistent issue in the relationship and one that is unavoidable…your medical issues and condition. Chuuya doesn't judge you based on them, or so he says, but the truth of the matter is that he will almost treat you like you are helpless at times. He insists on doing so much for you, because he does really worry about you and he does just want to keep you safe, happy, and healthy, but there are times you really need to remind him that you are more than capable of doing this thing or that and to please stop babying you. He'll get a little annoyed by being called out but if he doesn't get that callout every now and then, he can easily get carried away in his protectiveness. And it does help you, knowing that all of his actions are coming from just love and wanting to make your life as easy as possible, to accept his actions and to be gentle when you do call him out. And your understanding and that gentleness to your personality? It's exactly what Chuuya needs, not just when it comes to the relationship between the two of you but overall. There are many times when you unknowingly keep his rather short temper from exploding and it's something not only he appreciates but the other members of the Port Mafia, who do learn about you, appreciate as well.

Now, again, this platonic match up is very much coloured by me knowing your favourites and finding it hard to think outside those, so your platonic K match is BANDOU SABUROUTA!

So, as I've previously mentioned in private messages, I do think there was some initial romantic attraction between you and Bandou. However, while the two of you had tried dating, it just didn't work out between the two of you and this is one of those rare cases where I think a romantic relationship actually ended up resulting in a good friendship instead. The two of you got along, you had good conversations and enjoyed each other, and the relationship ended on good terms, the both of you realizing that honestly, you both just wanted different things from a relationship and were really better off as friends.

While Bandou did find it difficult for the first month or so after breaking up to really get used to being your friend, the issue did eventually resolve itself and your friendship started to really take off. I do think the fact that you're this really supportive person, someone who encourages others and isn't at all stingy with the compliments really makes Bandou feel really appreciated. He comes to depend on that a little, those qualities of yours, and you make him feel better about himself, more confident. You become the person he comes to whenever he needs someone to just support him, to listen to him vent, knowing that you'll support him and make him feel better.

That doesn't mean he'll be completely selfish in the friendship though. He most certainly won't be. He's always willing to hear about any problems you're having and he's more than a ready ear for any venting you need to do. Given that Bandou is a very loyal person, a very protective person, and someone who is ready to throw down to help his friends at any moment, sometimes his most immediate solution to your venting though is to offer to commit heinous acts of violence and you do sometimes need to talk him out of doing so. But it's hard not to appreciate how ready to fight for you the boy always is.

I also think, and have always strongly headcanoned, that Bandou is a bit of a nerd. On top of enjoying video and computer games and being really into some fandoms for those, I do think there's a number of manga and anime he likes, he's really into tech and gadgetry, and the fact that you're really into fandoms and a bit of a nerd also gives the two of you things to connect over. He loves that you're willing to get into the things he enjoys and give his fandoms a try and he'll do the same for you. I can even see him being more than willing to go to a con with you, as long as you never let the other HOMRA guys know. He does have a rep to protect after all, haha.

#replies #romantic matchup #platonic matchup #c #chuuya nakahara

[bestworstcase]

Forgive me if you have answered this before as I only just discovered your Tumblr, but how does Team JNPR fit into the Ozian allusions?

i’m inclined to think that they don’t, at least not in the sense of being directly analogous to specific oz characters. i don’t think it’s coincidental that 1. every character with an ozian counterpart is either in the “old guard,” a defector from the same, or salem playing glinda to the god of light’s mombi, and 2. the primary oz story referenced involves a bunch of well-intentioned people flailing around trying to have a civil war until the ancient sorceress steps in to sort everything out by raining hell on the witch whose deceit and obsession with control set it all in motion. the… tone is very different, because the oz books are VERY silly, but—with the corollary that my basic reading of rwby is that we’re seeing set up for a reveal that salem’s endgame involves defeating the gods and she’s correct in her assessment of their nature—like, in the essentials the plot of marvelous land of oz mirrors precisely what i believe rwby is doing with the disciple-vs-apostate conflict, hence all the kids caught in the crossfires aren’t meaningfully embedded in the ozian narrative.

(or at least, not yet. i think rwby might start pulling from ozma of oz once theodore enters the narrative properly, and how that shakes out remains to be seen.)

that being said. i think—and i know this is something i say all the fucking time hdkfbsh i swear i’m not just contrary for the sake of it—i think the fandom at large is barking up the wrong tree and consequently missing the forest as far as how rwby utilizes allusion and intertextuality to develop its own story. specifically my feeling is that rwby is not a crazy smorgasbord of mashed up fairytales, myths, and pop culture icons wrapped around an original story; rwby is a narrative crafted by weaving together three, maybe four classic stories and populated by characters inspired by a crazy smorgasbord of fairytales, myths, and pop culture icons. and those three stories are rapunzel, cinderella, and the marvelous land of oz, with the “maybe four” being alice’s adventures in wonderland, first for how strongly “the girl who fell through the world” is emphasized in v8 and second for how blisteringly clear it is from the v9 trailer and clip that the writing team is well familiar with the books. the manner in which rwby handles these allusions, the presence they have in the narrative as a whole, is tangibly different. the plot of marvelous land are jumbled out of order, but you can make 1:1 connections between just about every single plot point in marvelous land with a correlating plot event in rwby, and in some cases even very minor beats in marvelous land are translated verbatim, figuratively speaking, into rwby. likewise salem and cinder aren’t merely aesthetically and symbolically inspired by rapunzel and cinderella, both of them are literal RETELLINGS of their respective fairytale, using an identical thematic conceit (“what if abuse and isolation broke these characters into people so desperate for freedom they would do anything to get it?”), and their narratives are so closely intertwined with each other that cinder has begun to replicate salem’s more or less exactly, with salem in the role of divine tyrant and as of the latter half of v8 making an overt bid to remove herself from that role. and of course with ozma being both rapunzel’s blind and wandering prince and the lost princess ozma transformed by a witch’s curse, the ozian narrative and the fairytale narrative are blended together around a single and perfectly clear narrative through line.

rwby is a story about two people who were torn apart by forces beyond their control and are trying so hard to find each other again that they’re tearing the world apart with them. everything else in the story is an aftershock or a repetition of that, which, bringing us back to the subject of team RWBY and team JNPR—i’m reserving judgment re: team RWBY until we can see what happens in v9 (i am… pretty sure i’ve got a sense for where this is going with the wonderland thing, but a few crumbs and an educated guess on what wonderland is *for* with respect to the narrative overall is admittedly not a lot to go on), but team JNPR? they’re the What Should Have Been. the show is uh… not subtle AT ALL about paralleling arkos to ozlem, jaune the isolated lonely kid desperately trying to write himself into a better fairytale so he doesn’t have to be “the lovable idiot stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives” and pyrrha the renowned and virtuous fighter who saves him and falls in love with him and is crushed by the burden ozpin tries to pile on her shoulders. jaune who spirals into self-loathing and helpless rage after she’s gone—but also, jaune who isn’t alone, jaune who’s got other people around him to grieve with him and support him through his grief, who gets to be seen and comforted and understood by the people he turns to for help instead of having his grief spat back in his face after being brutally punished for feeling it. like, nora and ren and ruby may not be direct repetitions of the gods of light and darkness in the way that arkos is of ozlem, but they fill the same purpose of being the ones who are there when jaune has no one else to turn to. and they get it right. they show him the compassion the gods couldn’t or wouldn’t give to salem and that’s what makes the difference.

and that’s—important, narratively, because it lays the emotional groundwork for what needs to happen in order to resolve the conflict with salem, i.e. rejection of the divine scapegoating that ultimately drove her to becoming the monster she is now in favor of like, acknowledging that she’s a person, and also because it gestures more broadly to the gods having been in the wrong and more importantly WHY they were wrong, that it wasn’t declining to bring ozma back from the dead but rather the cruelty and inhumanity in punishing salem for asking. so there’s like. a layer here in which JNPR are symbolically repeating the rapunzel narrative and fixing it, played against the wider backdrop of the ongoing catastrophic aftershocks of the original broken rapunzel narrative via the ozian narrative, and running loosely parallel to the other repetition of the rapunzel narrative that is presently developing with cinder and salem. which is all very fun and interesting and cool and, hey, isn’t it neat that the character whose inspiration is joan of arc is also the heroic foil and narrative repetition of the character whom the gods and their champion have blamed for everything bad in the world? i think that’s neat.

#tldr they don’t for the same reason cinder doesn’t— #they’re part of the rapunzel narrative instead

[joshuaalbert]

@ ur post about becoming really obsessed with ONE bajoran. is how i feel, in the voy episode where tabor is introduced it also brings up (some of) the horrible things cardassians did. and that made me go like “oh literally who fucking cares about cardassians actually." and became far more infatuated w bajorans as a whole (and my initial interest in sito as well). being obsessed with two-episode bajorans is the way to go honestly

yeah it’s like. ok I’m gonna ramble here bc it’s what I do but

at least in ds9 specifically (can’t speak to voy yet bc the only one I’ve seen so far is seska and. well.) the cardassian characters are written with nuance, and even the most horrible ones have moments where you’re supposed to see them as more than flatly evil, and they all have distinct and personal motives, all of which I think is great. from a story perspective it’s way more compelling, and I also think fictional exposure to, say, “guy who has a couple redeeming qualities that he can point to as not being a bad guy but nonetheless is a whole entire fascist” is good for critical thinking and being able to identify people/rhetoric like that irl. and then there are characters like garak where ymmv but he’s definitely intended to be generally likable despite the elements we know of his past and some beliefs he hasn’t entirely disengaged from yet (I do struggle with “things past” aka the Former Cardassian Oppressor episode because frankly I don’t think it’s well written from a character perspective but it also can’t be completely written off, but that’s another post that I have in drafts somewhere). so like. yeah. obviously people are going to engage with these characters and, to varying degrees, like them.

BUT there does seem to be like. some fandom drift towards engaging with the complexities of cardassian characters but not so much with bajoran characters. there are often other factors that play into that, some of which start with the show’s writing of individual characters, but which also include things like misogyny (I know it’s more nuanced than this, but I do not think the treatment of the two main series antagonists would be so different if winn was a hot guy) and like. whether or not there’s a convenient m/m ship. and I think at a certain point of immersion in that culture some people—not all! but some—end up kind of disengaging from the entire reason we’re here with either of these species at all, which would be the 50 years of colonial occupation and genocide. in really extreme cases, you get the people who absolutely do not give a shit about the oppressed people in this scenario and start asserting that dukat did nothing wrong and that clearly the bajoran occupation wasn’t actually that bad, which is like…objectively incorrect even divorced from real world associations lmao. like i know it’s fictional but your critical thinking is subpar and i find the lack of empathy a smidge concerning.

and I get that those things are often challenging to engage with on a large scale and often abstract level, especially if you’re not from a culture that has experienced a similar kind of victimization. there’s a reason personal memoirs or historical fiction focused on one character are often the ways dark subjects really click on a personal level, even if maybe a factual statement of numbers should horrify us more. I think finding a bajoran character that you really care about, either by getting invested in a main one, putting in the effort to flesh out a side character, or literally just making up an oc if you really need to is a way of kind of keeping that in perspective, because you can’t really avoid engaging with the realities of the occupation the way you might if you really only examine the cardassian characters in any kind of depth. I’m obviously not saying anyone Has To Do This since we’re all just dicking around online for fun, and trying to restrict how people interact with media is pointless, but I just think it’s good to like. yknow. also give a shit about the victims of the occupation that represents the entire premise of ds9, and the life hack personal relevance speedrun is to just get obsessed with one random bajoran.

i feel like this ended up coming out as a lot more of an absolute moral statement or something than I really intended it to be and i also have articulated parts of it very badly but tldr I think it’s good to remember the context and events of the universe you’re working within, and having a random bajoran character that makes you feel absolutely insane is a really good shortcut for that. ttldr everyone make more sito jaxa content please im begging you.

#ive been trying to put any of this into words for like a week and it's still not exactly what i want to say lmao #every february i experience february insanity which is where i go insane every february and cannot put any thoughts together well #ask #splashtail

[dextixer]

Atlas is not fascist and the RWBY community should be more aware when discussing politics

Warning - Long Post - Original found on Reddit here

I had an idea for this thread for a long time now, ever since discussions about Ironwood started really. Mainly because of how often Ironwood is constantly mentioned as a "fascist" by the fandom at large. Ironwood is a controversial character to be sure, and has made actions and embodies some traits that can be questionable. But parts of the fandom have been extremelly quick to frame Ironwood as a fascist and Atlas as a fascist state for no reason other than "Atlas/Ironwood bad". The word "fascist" seems to have no meaning to the people who use it, its just "bad". And it has been maddening since even a single google search could quickly refute such opinions.

As such, i would like to cover this topic and how neither Atlas nor Ironwood are fascists, and quite frankly, how the RWBY community and in turn, CRWBY should avoid political topics since so many people are not willing to even think about what they are saying.

What is Fascism?

First of all, since this is not a university work, nor something extremelly "serious" i am not going to cover the deep analysis of the subject of fascism, things covered by philosophers and in theory books. Instead i will simplify the concepts so that it would be eaiser to discuss and understand.

Fascism as a political ideology is characterized by.

Ultranationalism, disregard of basic human rights, clear identification of an "enemy", militarism, sexism, control of media, marriage between religion and government,  protected corporate power, supressed workers, control of the arts/education, overly empowered police, corruption, fraudulent elections.

These are the basic characteristics of fascism. Do be aware that a lot of them can apply to multiple political ideologies or exist in a singular manner, and having only one of a few of these does not make something fascist. Its the combination of MOST of these qualities that results in fascism.

Now that we got this little theory blurb out of the way, its time to get to Atlas itself.

Does Atlas match?

So, does Atlas, and by extension Ironwood fit the definition?

Atlas is indeed quite nationalistic. Even some of the people in Mantle are shown to have a very clear nationalistic bent, characters like Cordovin show the complete extreme of the idea, but cannot be discounted. This goes as far back as Volume 4, during the Schnee ball.

Atlas is also heavily militaristic. In the extra material about Atlas we can see posters that encourage people to enlist in the military. The huntsmen system of Atlas is also combined with the military unlike in any other city-state in Remnant. Its military presence is also often shown, being unique in being the only "real" military to be shown on screen in any way shape or form.

Corruption is also present, though most of us probably ignore it. A good example of this is how easily Ironwood just forgives the protagonists for stealing the airship that they came to Atlas with. Even if this is a positive action, its also very clearly corruption.

And..... Thats it? THAT is it? I have wracked by brain over every single characteristic of Fascism, and none of the others even come close to applying to Atlas unless one takes the least charitable or downright misleading/wrong arguments to come to their conclussions which i have found to be thrown around, even on this very sub.

For example, lets cover the "empowered police" - There have been people who have refered to Atlas as a "police state" or claiming that the police forces of Atlas have oversteped their boundaries. To support such arguments people usually bring up team RWBY being arrested, Forrest being arrested and there being camera bots in Mantle. Which makes little sense because both the protagonists and Forrest commited crimes. And cameras... I have bad news, they exist in many places in the modern world.

One could maybe argue that since SDC is a thing the "corporate power" characteristic fits. But despite the size of SDC it does not seem to be proteced by Atlas in any way, in fact Ironwood even seizes SDC assets in Volume 7 and work against what SDC wants in V4.

Almost nothing matches. And yet some people seem to see that Atlas has a military and is nationalistic and instantly shout "FASCISM" which is just counter-productive and innacurate.

Even in Volume 8, when Atlas becomes a military dictatorship (Accurate description in my opinion), its still not fascist.

Is the Atlas approach wrong?

We also have to cover how both the community and seemingly the show itself is trying to portray militarism as bad. At the end of the day, when one writes a message, this message has to fit the world. For example, if you write a message about how mass surveilance is bad, you should not write the story in a way that shows how mass surveilance saves the day. And if you are writing an anti-militarism message, well, the message definitely loses its power when all action happens on a literal death world with monsters attracted to human emotions.

In my opinion the show does carry anti-military messages (Even when it makes little sense in the world), but thats not too bad. The community however takes it extremelly far. For example, the combination of the huntsmen system with the military is somehow seen as bad. Why? Huntsmen in the lore of the world are basically mercenaries that have absolutely NO reason to be heroes. They can even turn to the life of crime on a dime. That is just a silly system on a death world where humanity is basically cornered in like only 4-5 places of living.

So many people uncritically repeat "There is no victory in strength" point as if it means that having any strength of military is bad or "useless". That entire message is about SALEM, the immortal queen of the Grimm. Regular grimm however seem to be very killable with bullets and explosions. If there is "No victory in strength" why do huntsmen and huntresses exist then? Its just very silly how people hold onto that phrase as some kind of "divine message" or "proof" that Atlas is wrong in its approach.

Even if the final victory is going to be idealistic and come with a message (Lord of the Rings did it), there still has to be some sense in the world, some realism. Lord of the Rings ends in an idealistic way, with 2 (arguably 3) heroic hobbits destroying the evil lord through sheer willpower and being good of heart. And yet we still have at least somewhat sensible military actions.

The communities ignorance about these topics.

What i think is the worst part is that this would not need to be discussed if parts of the RWBY community did not feel the need to demonize their opposition while putting themselves on a pedestal. I can understand if people dont like Ironwood or find his actions bad, i will disagree, but i will understand. But then to call him and Atlas fascist out of ignorance just because "Fascism bad, and Ironwood bad, so Ironwood = fascism" is incredibly bad, especially when this results in parts of the RWBY community outright calling people who dont even "support" Ironwood fascists because they think that he made some level of sense or wasnt writen as well as he could have.

I have seen people say that Ironwood is fascist because he did not want to save everyone, so by prioritizing Atlas to be saved (Because it flies), hes a fascist.

I saw some people say that Fascism is the opposite of Idealism (Which is completely opposite actually, Fascism IS idealistic)

I have seen people say that "Martial law is fascism", funnily enough during C19 lockdowns, which one would imagine give some perspective for people, but didnt.

I have seen people say that "Ironwood having 2 seats on the council is fascism".

And it just becomes so annoying at some point, because it seems that anything and everything is fascism to people who do not even know what that term means. And then THAT is used to turn around and accuse people of supporting fascism, or being "bootlickers".

And its just so needless. What does it gain? The ability of some fans to moralize others without due reason? Is that all?

It stifles discussion, it creates hostility between people. And its just so needless.

The end

Regardless, i said my piece, anyone is welcome to add on to it or disagree if they so wish. I do apologize if people wanted a "deeper" analysis, but im not that kind of guy, i find theory to be very dry for consumption and just not as good for this kind of format, and to fully discuss a topic such as fascism in depth you would need an entire bloody book.

Regardless, any opinions, feedback etc. is welcome.

#rwby #rwde #rwby critics #r/rwby #r/rwbycritics #general ironwood #atlas #rwby discourse #rwby discussion

[afterspark-podcast]

Transformers/My Little Pony - Magic of Cybertron, Part 2 Transcript

[This can also be found on AO3!]

[Intro Music]

O: Welcome back to the second half of the My Little Pony/Transformers crossover- of the second My Little Pony/Transformers crossover.

S: Last we left, a villain from Equestria, King Sombra, has taken over Cybertron and mind controlled a large amount of Cybertronians and ponies.

O: Including, but most concernedly, Megatron, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.

S: Issue three begins with Sick Beats.  We open with two ponies: Vinyl Scratch and Octavia.

O: These are both background characters that are very popular with- kind of, the fandom, to my understanding?  I, despite liking My Little Pony, have not really been involved with the fan community, so I'm still not entirely sure.  But um, I do see them in fan art a lot.  They are both music oriented which is really the only thing that's relevant to like, this particular section.

S: Octavia is a classical musician.  While Vinyl Scratch is a DJ.  The two of them run into several of Twilight’s students who have also been teleported to Cybertron.

O: Uh, so we have Yona the yak, Smolder to the dragon, Gallus [Gay-les] the griffin, or Gale-en- Gallus [Gal-us]? Gallus [Gal-us].  Um, Sandbar the pony, Silverstream the hippogriff, and Ocellus the changeling.  If you'll remember, in the previous crossover, Queen Chrysalis was also a changeling, but Ocellus looks a lot different because at some point there was a split, essentially of Queen Chrysalis and the rest of the changelings.  So, they're no longer under Chrysalis’ control.  I only bring this up because I find it very odd that Soundwave actually calls her a changeling later and I'm like, how do you know that? [laughs]

S: The group argues a bit, but Octavia, who is also a teacher at Twilight’s school takes the lead as she is the adult.  She is the fucking adult here.

O: Unfortunately, for them as soon as that decision was made, Soundwave made himself known and attacks them.

S: Said attack results in a structural collapse, trapping all of them (including Soundwave) in a cavern under the rubble.

O: Soundwave insists that they are all his captives, despite all of them being equally trapped and arguably him maybe more trapped because he's so big he's having a hard time moving around.

S: Yup.  He calls Gallus a buffalo.

O: I would have expected Soundwave out of most of the mechs to be a bit better at ident- identifying that a griffin is not a buffalo.

S:  Yona is insulted when Gallus says that Yona is in fact, the buffalo.

O: “Yona is yak!  That Yona's whole thing!”

S: Octavia attempts to keep some peace and Soundwave uses a sonic blast to try and break them all out.

O: This fails, and Vinyl Scratch also makes an attempt as well.

S: After Soundwave ah, fails again (after being assisted by Ravage and Laserbeak) Vinyl Scratch suggests a giant robot and pony collab.

O: All without speaking of course, as she is traditionally a non-speaking character.

S: Soundwave agrees to a truce when Ocellus suggests that they just give him some magic instead of him taking it.

O: And through the magical powers of a giant boombox robot, two of his children, a pony DJ, and a classical musician pony, the group is able to escape.

S: Soundwave reports, or attempts to report to Megatron, only receiving an, “All hail King Sombra!” in return.  And then he insinuates that he will continue to work with the ponies to you know, free his master.

O: Then we have volume three, part two, which is The Beauty of Cybertron.

S: We see Ratchet and Rarity spying on a group of brainwashed Cybertronians who are dumpster diving.

O: These two are attempting to find a cure to Sombra's brainwashing.  Which honestly seems a hell of a lot more like, constructive than Applejack wandering in the freaking desert!?

S: Applejack is channeling her cowboy mentality.

O: [laughs] Evidently.

S: So, Ratchet and Rarity capture a test subject.  Said test subject is however, not mind controlled at all and was instead just trying to get some designer racing tires!

O: It will shock no one when I tell you that this is, in fact, Knockout.

S: My first thought was that he was using Jonathan's strategy from The Mummy when he blends in with the crowd by chanting, “Imhotep.  Imhotep.”

O: Totally same vibes.  Meanwhile, the other dumpster divers scurry away before Rarity and Ratchet can grab any of them.

S: Ratchet volun-tells Knockout that he's helping them now by threatening his paint job and presumably, physical um-

O: The rest of him! [laughs]

S: Yes!  By attaching a detonator or something to his shoulder.

O: Knockout does agree, but he insists that he's setting their travel itinerary because he wants to show Rarity some pretty shit.  She's only gotten to see war-torn Cybertron!

S: Yep.  There's so many fun destinations here.  They're all very pretty, with the last one being the natural energon springs, which ends up being exceptionally relevant to their goal when they find more “test subjects”.

O: [laughs]

S: One of which is Breakdown.

O: If you are unaware in Transformers Prime, where both of these versions of Knockout and Breakdown originate from, they are heavily implied through subtext to be in a relationship.  This was eventually made text in IDW1 uh, where they are actually married that continuity.  So they are also in a relationship here.

S: Mm-hm, the three spring into action with Ratchet saying, “Medical breakthroughs are trial and error.  The plan is to try things and hope we survive long enough to learn from the errors!”

O: Ratchet then sarcastically apologizes to Rarity for not having discovered a way to conduct pure friendship energy or whatever the ponies normally do when their initial attempt to snap the Cybertronians out of the mind control fails.

S: Rarity confesses that this was indeed how they defeated Sombra last time.

O: Ratchet then throws a contraption together and puts part of it on Rarity's head.

S: Silly brainwave hat time!

O: This allows Rarity and Knockout to focus on freeing Breakdown with the contraption channeling Rarity's magic.

S: Knockout gives a heartfelt speech to Breakdown.

O: Which ultimately works, um, but Rarity gets to rib him about it because he actually didn't need to say anything to break- well, to break Breakdown out of the mind control.

S: Yup, all he needed was the emotions.

O: [laughs]

S: Breakdown also calls him sweet.

O: Which is- it was, it was actually quite good!

S: Mm-hm.

O: Elsewhere, King Sombra watches these events and comes up with a terrible, awful, no-good plan of his own to channel his power through Cybertronian technology.

S: Now on to volume four, part one, The Mightiest Dinobot.

O: Our cast for this segment being the Dinobots, Spike, and Smolder.

S: And our surprise antagonists, who will be revealed shortly!

O: Grimlock introduces Spike to the other Dinobots.  Uh, if you'll remember from the previous uh, crossover, we only got to see Grimlock, uh, because Grimlock for some reason, was basically the only one left in the Ark.

S: Mm-hm.

O: And Spike was the only one that got teleported over there, but anyway!  He introduces him to the rest of the Dinobots, trying to talk him up to make him seem cool enough to hang out with them.

S: A situation that's not going in Spike's favor.  Uh, with Smolder looking like the much cooler dragon out of the two of them, when who walks out from behind some buildings but Superion!

O: If you have trouble with names like moi, ah, this is the Aerialbot combiner that actually just popped up in episode 56.

S: This is the combiner made entirely out of planes.

O: The Dinobots attempt to fight Superion, but it is not going well for them with them getting tossed around and slammed into the floor, the walls, each other, etc.

S: Spike, having done research since his last outing with Grimlock, comes up with a plan to separate Superion into his component parts.  Which, would hopefully break the mind control.

O: He does so by taunting each of the five Aerialbots in turn with some tailored comments.

S: This does work, and Superion falls to pieces.

O: And Silverbolt maybe- he doesn't know what the fuck just happened, but he does at least seem to be himself again, as do the rest of them.

S: We get some super cute Dinobot faces here, but the cutest is Sludge.

O: And Spike is made an honorary Dinobot, while the other Dinobots all cheer him on.

S: The Aerialbots watch this scene slightly confused, but you know, it's like, okay, this is happening, let's- it’s applaud time now?

B: [laugh]

O: And now for issue four, part two, Finale.

S: Optimus and a small group of Autobots have finally caught up to King Sombra who seems to be unearthing something with some mind controlled help.

O: Our group with Optimus consists of: Trailbreaker, Mirage, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Elita-1.

S: Optimus calls for backup, but unfortunately, it's not going to reach them soon enough, so they all jump into the fray.

O: Elita realizes that King Sombra is attempting to dig up the titan, Scorponok.

S: King Sombra has combined with Scorponok to form King Sombranok.

O: Which is a terrible name, really.

S: It is.  Then the reinforcements arrive including: Starscream, Cosmos, Soundwave, Octavia, the Wonderbolts, and the non-mind-controlled members of the Mane 6.

O: Cute things about this scene!

S:  Rainbow Dash and Starscream are good-naturedly bickering and making bets with one another.

O:  Cosmos is in fact, carrying Soundwave in boombox mode.  My Little Pony said Coswave rights, and so do I!

S: And then there are some organic exo suits that have been adapted for the ponies, giving them the ability to transform into weapons.  Harkening back to the Targetmasters but with a much wider weapon and just, tool variety.

O: Shockwave removes Sombra's control from Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

S: Rarity transforms into a shield and pairs with Shockwave.

O: Applejack transforms into a hammer and pairs with Arcee.

S: Rainbow Dash transforms into an axe and pairs up with Starscream.

O: Spike transforms into a gun and pairs up with Bumblebee.  So, I actually really like this idea.  It's really, really fun um, but I'm a little disappointed that aside from Rainbow Dash all the ponies don't get paired up with Transformers they had some kind of relationship [with]. Like, um… Arcee very easily could have paired up with Rarity um, since they were- they met in the initial you know, crossover.  But also, like, Grimlock's got a gun y'all!  This wouldn't have been hard, you could have very easily paired Spike up with Grimlock.

S: Mm-hm.  Using the power of friendship and bonking people on the head they are able to free Twilight, Megatron, and the others.

O: Starscream taking point to smack Megatron… around for obvious reasons. [laughs]

S: The last three ponies also get exo suits and are paired off with a Cybertronian each.

O: Twilight predictably transforms into a sword and is paired off with Optimus.

S: Fluttershy (we think) is transformed into some kind of shield and paired up with Ratchet, but we never really get a close-up and she doesn't have a role in the fight.

O: And please see my previous comment of like, why wasn't Rarity paired up with- with Ratchet if Ratchet was gonna be one of the people involved in this fight but…

S: Mm-hm.  And then lastly, Pinkie Pie transforms into a cannon, or a gun, or something, that is paired up with Megatron.

O: It is as magical as you're imagining.

S: Megatron was not ready for this.

O: No one was ready for the Pinkie Pie.

S: Mm-hm.  This means that Megatron is running around the last battle shooting rubber chickens and cupcakes out of a pink cannon.

O: I love it! [laughs]

S: At one point Pinkie Pie when she- before she transforms goes, “Party cannon!?”

O: Well, she has a party cannon so, I just basically insinuated that she turned into a party cannon.  That's- I'm entirely convinced she transformed into a party cannon.  I don't know if that's actually how like, the writers would say it, but fuck it- she transformed into a party cannon!

S: It fits her.  They beat King Sombra and the day is saved.

O: Megatron is agreeable to a truce, at least for the moment, after beating King Sombra but he's still going to blast Starstream god damn it!

S: Evidently, using the pony weapons channeled Starscream's thoughts, and his hope that he'd accidentally kill Megatron in ah, his attempt to free him.

O: And back at the gate to Equestria.

S: Twilight gives Megatron a stern talking to, but suggests that instead of the accidental meetups that perhaps they should you know, plan something next time.

O: Megatron's not interested, but it doesn't seem like he's gonna stand in the way of anybody else that is?

S: Rumble is super down for this including holding up the book he was reading at the beginning of our story.  And then as our story ends… a Quintesson is looking at a screen, at the ponies and Cybertronians, at their celebration with menace.

O: As you know, Quintessons are ought to do.

S: Sadly, we doubt there will be a continuation given that IDW has lost the rights to the Hasbro properties.

O: Which is really a pity, because I thoroughly enjoyed this and I'm also very sad we like, aren't getting any figures from this crossover.  Like, I- I would actually love some transforming pony weapons. [laughs]

S: Mmm.

O: Then I could- I- I would like to give my- my Megatron a party cannon. [laughs] So, um, what were your thoughts of this crossover, Specs?

S: All of the issues and various stories had cute bits.  I mean, I really enjoyed how resourcefully Lofty and Holiday dealt with Killmaster.  Thundercracker's interaction with Rainbow Dash at the end of the Seekers chapter was cute.  He was just holding her up, it reminded me a lot of him and Buster in IDW1.  Soundwave’s insistence that the Equestrians were his captives where- while they were all trapped was funny and there was one bit where- just the lighting was very menacing.

O: It was.  Like, everything was red- like, the only light was coming from- from Soundwave, basically.

S: Yeah.  Then there were also a really nice job with the prep montages in that section as well.  How Vinyl Scratch- it showed Vinyl Scratch setting all of her stuff up.  Their stuff?  I’m not actually sure.

O: She does it twice, I think.  She- she does one where she sets up her own stuff and tries to get out and then there's the part where like, she teams up with Soundwave and Octavia to try to get them all out.

S: Yeah.  Ah, and then the mind controlled people dumpster diving stealing things that was just weirdly funny to me because it was just… the part where they all just kind of scampered off when they were interrupted.

O: [laughs]

S: And also the bit where it’s just like, Ratchet's face’s getting batted by-

O: [laughs] By people!

S: Yeah.  While they're trying to uh, un-mind control Breakdown.  And then it was ha- it was nice that Ratchet got to be a main character too for one story, and then the party cannon.  The party cannon was just… hilarious.

O: The party cannon was amazing, I have no notes, change nothing.  Except, honestly, I wish it’d been in there a bit longer because um, pairing Megatron up with Pinkie Pie is not a thing I would have considered doing but it was hysterical.

S: There are agents of chaos together.

O: Uh, yeah!  Very different kinds of chaos, but chaos nonetheless.  Um, so, personally, my favorite chapter was the one with Rarity, Ratchet, and Knockout.  Um, I am just really happy to see the Prime characters in other things.  Including, while this Ratchet didn't look like the one from Prime, he acted a lot like the one from Prime.  Um, and I think all those characters are great and Breakdown died, so…

S: He's alive here.

O: It was nice!

S: Always a plus!

O: I didn't like Soundwave’s bit nearly as much in this one, and I was really disappointed he didn't get to interact with Fluttershy at all.  Like, they were really cute in that first part and I feel like Fluttershy is a nice pony she'd want to check in with him and all the cassettes.  And I'm kind of- overall, if I had one complaint about this, is that I wish there had been more carryover from some of the stuff that happened in the first part.  Because like, again, Rarity had paired up with Arcee [in the first crossover but here] they didn't talk at all, and for some reason Rarity paired up with Shockwave.  I… just don't know why that was the decision made because again there's nothing- there's nothing narratively satisfying about it, I guess is the best way to put it.

S: That makes sense.

O: And that's- whereas Rainbow Dash getting paired up with Starscream is narratively satisfying because it shows they at least have reached some modicum of trust, or at least as much trust as you're normally gonna get from Starstream.

S: Yeah.

O: Um, you know, over the course of the story and I- I wish for more of that and again like, I'm- I'm- I'm uh, very biased.  I liked that scene- the section with Shockwave- or not Shockwave-

S: Soundwave.

O: I liked that section with Soundwave and I wanted more of it and it was very cute and we didn't get to see his cassettes hardly at all.  Except Rumble at the beginning and the end had some speaking lines.  Which were funny, don't get me wrong!  I love the idea of him like, loving Equestrian literature, it's great.  But um, some art thoughts.  Overall, I'd say that the art was better compared to the first crossover, at least overall.

S: The Rarity faces in some parts were very funny because she just- she didn't look quite the way she normally does.

O: Yeah, but it didn't look like, off model or anything it just looks like her making very funny faces.

S: Yeah.

O: So like, 10 out of 10.

S: Mm-hm, and then Knockout.  Knockout's face just kind of looked like it lacked structure a fair amount of the time in this issue, and there was a lot of lip biting.  So much lip biting.

O: Which is- it- ironically Ratchet looked fine through it so, you know, whatever.  I also found that Soundwave looked a little funky in his section as well.  Like, he didn't- you know what I mean when I saw he didn't seem as like, sharp?  Like, structurally sharp?  Like, he had less sharp edges than I feel like he should but due to the-

S: Marshmallowy.

O: Yeah, he was kind of marshmallowy.  But because he doesn't have facial expressions, it's not nearly as noticeable with him so like, it was a good section to have that problem with, I guess?  Overall though, the colors were good, the art was good, and it was nice to look at.  I don't have any like, massive complaints or anything, and there were legitimately parts that cracked me up.

S: Yep, overall we recommend this if it sounds like fun to you.

O: Like, if you enjoy My Little Pony and Transformers you'll probably enjoy this.

S: Mm-hm.  Also, maybe go buy it before IDW completely loses the damn license and the things aren't available for-

O: Purchase anymore.

S: Yeah.

O: It's again, very frustrating because it's like, it's going to make buying those things way harder.

S: Yeah, so join us next time for episode 57, Masquerade.

O: And yes, I know we said that at the end of episode 56.  I'm very sorry, our schedule has been super wonky.  I had to move a few months ago, and I'm still unpacking stuff, so everything has been kind of all over the place for me.

S: Life is weird guys, we're just rolling with it.

O: [laughs]

S: And that just about wraps it up for us today.  Remember to check us out on Tumblr or Pillowfort as Afterspark Podcast for any additional information, show notes, or links we may have mentioned.  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter @Aftersparkpod (all one word), and in various other locations by searching for Afterspark Podcast, such as AO3, iTunes, Spotify, and Youtube, just to name a few.  And feel free to send us questions on Tumblr, Youtube, or AO3.  Until next time, I'm Specs.

O: And I’m Owls.

S: Toodles.

[Outro Music]

#transcript #magic of cybertron 3 #magic of cybertron 4 #afterspark podcast #afterspark

[jackalopes-pen]

Dumb Brain Child: Episode 6th

So recently, I was looking for something to post as one does, and then a particular old friend came across my dashboard. There before my eyes was a fresh soul explaining the corruption theory in regard to the Dark Sides and redemption. So, just for the heck of it here's my hot take on the corruption theory in an unnecessarily long post, you're welcome :)

To those of you few fresh faces in the fandom who have yet to have your eyes tainted or those who just don't pay mind to theorists, I'm going to briefly explain the theory. Skip this paragraph if you already know. So, the theory began around the time of AA Part the Second, mostly due to specific wording from Virgil. "These guys have all been in this corner of your mind for too long. It's corrupting them." [Accepting Anxiety, 7:52-7:56]. That wording, to many, suggested that a side can become corrupted and go against its original purpose. For example, Virgil was calm until being corrupted by that part of Thomas' mind and became anxious. Sort of an Icarus tale, if you will. This theory only grew with the introduction of Janus and later Remus. Those who support this theory claim they were as well corrupted by the dark side of Thomas' mind into an abstraction of their original roles.

Got it? Good. Now for my purely subjective opinion on that matter. I think it makes a good au plot but holds no water to the canon. Yes, I understand that realistically any theories regarding the mindscape in the past very quickly devolve into pure speculation, psychological research, and over-analysis. That doesn't mean we can't rule things out or point out implausibilities and inconsistencies.

For example, this was an older video where the entire lore and universe weren't actually complete. It was more like SparkNotes to a larger work and the team has reflected this. As well, for this theory to be true by now at the least we would've seen some hint of uncorrupted sides. Perhaps an end card, a seemingly unused article of clothing, a drawing, a photo, or literally any sign at all that at one point they were different sides. There are quotes that certainly could be pointed to but nothing clear or concrete. Patton is extremely sentimental and clings to the past, why did he never bring up who the others used to be? Or why did Logan never say something to one of them about how they've become so illogical with their change? Roman could've easily mentioned how his brother used to be someone he liked or respected but changed. We've never seen anything close to these interactions because (at least I think) it didn't happen.

I've been relatively vocal about my beliefs as far as the timeline and its events. I just don't think that a side would be cast out to the darkness of c!Thomas' mind and be corrupted largely against their will. Maybe a side could change form with c!Thomas' perception of that asset, but not corrupted by any means just changed. For example, I highly doubt Virgil always looked like an angsty teen. Maybe he started out different looking and more unknown but over time and especially in c!Thomas' teens developed into this look as c!Thomas changed how he viewed anxiety with age.

TLDR: Corruption theory is a decent au, but only an au.

#ts sanders sides #sanders sides #ts theory #sanders sides theory #dumb brain child #dumb things #my opinion #very subjective #do not take this seriously #just my thoughts #not bashing #no hate #just thoughts #please don't cancel me #i beg of you #i am but a simple man #with simple thoughts

[alvarezmarquez6]

Detailed Notes on best squishmallows

Neither food stuff nor animal nor licensed character, Sunshine Squishmallow is a complete scene, a 5-color rainbow Using the Sunshine earlier mentioned and the clouds under. Toynk is gratifying fans with some thing everyone enjoys…freebies! Acquire an distinctive collector’s pin with suitable buys of $50 or maybe more though supplies very last. Each individual giveaway is a constrained release commemorating well known fandoms. Why are Squishmallows difficult to find? “You will find numerous elements, including confined and seasonal squad releases, and, obviously, The large acceptance of Squishmallows on social websites driven by Gen Z," states Runken. https://cse.google.com.cu/url?q=https://squishmallowsmart.com claims that Squishmallows are exceptionally well-known on social websites, noting that they have had in excess of 9 billion video sights on TikTok and are actually tagged more than one million occasions on Instagram. As with all collectibles some are very unusual and it may be tough to Obtain your hands on them. A few of the squads may only be procured at specific stores. As an example, the fantasy squad is distinctive to Claire's and also the Sanrio figures are available at Costco. If magical and mystical creatures tend to be more up your alley, Tatiana the dragon is sort of the capture. This dragon includes a teal body, silver wings, and purple horns. This cutie is usually a traditional and also a have to have for just about any Squishmallow collector. Aqua The Sloth is twelve inches of excellent cuddling. And don’t get us commenced on People eyes! Welcome to the whole world of Squishmallows, where by cuddly companionship fulfills irresistibly gentle plush perfection. Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned collector or a primary-time squisher, our delightful assortment of Squishmallows is certain to provide smiles and heat in your heart. We recommend these products according to an intensive investigation system that is created to Lower through the noise and locate the prime solutions In this particular House. Guided by industry experts, we spend several hours searching to the variables that subject, to bring you these selections. Just click here for testing insights Dress them up in small tutus, trendy scarves, or perhaps miniature Eyeglasses, supplying your squishy squad a personalized touch that demonstrates your exclusive style. Narwhals are in essence unicorns on the ocean, so it’s well worth adding this sweet Squishmallow towards your growing squad. Naomi the narwhal contains a sparkly horn, but a lot better, she includes a constructive Mind-set also. Newsweek is dedicated to hard conventional knowledge and locating connections within the search for prevalent floor. Considered one of Santa's minor helpers has occur straight out of your North Pole and is prepared for snuggles. You may get Emmy by yourself, or as Section of a list of two along with her buddy Bartie. ) these toys are, and they’re also equipment washable in order to hold even quite possibly the most cherished Squishmallow looking contemporary and thoroughly clean. Each and every Squishmallow has its have identify and storyline and you'll find several themes, like food items, sea daily life, fantasy, as well as partnerships with brand names like Disney and Sanrio. No have to have to bother with prickly thorns using this type of cactus. Sporting a Santa hat, this winking buddy is one hundred pc comfortable to the contact.

#squishmallows #mart #squishy #best #top #new

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Sorry for bringing up your Malleus issues, you can ignore this if you don't want to talk about the subject anymore.

I feel like those anons seem to be fixated on the fannon Malleus rather than the canon. It really does seem that way, coming from someone not very interested in Malleus.

To me he's a bit of a boring character. "Powerful person feared by all and is lonely" is a trope that has been done many times. I feel like his fannon self is a little more interesting.

As for the Halloween event, I was disappointed too. I legit thought that the bad guy might be some powerful spirit that draws it's power from death/the dead, and is at it's strongest on Halloween and therefore needed it to stay permanent, and perhaps wanted the students for their magic.

I uh... have too active an imagination it seems. I did suspect Lilia a little though.

Sorry for the long ramble haha. Have a good day/night and take care of yourself!

-Quinn

Responding to this one because I think this ask brings up a salient point and a topic that can be expanded to the fandom at large, not just a single character! On that note, please refer to the pinned post and avoid bringing up Malleus again until further notice.

I think fandoms in general tend to exaggerate or diverge from canon quite a bit, sometimes because it’s for fun (and really, that’s what fiction is for! So I don’t fault anyone for doing that).

In Malleus’s case, I think accidental mischaracterization occurs because there is 1) a lack of canon information about him and 2) a lot of what we do know about him is located OUTSIDE of the main story, and while most people do read the main story, far fewer people read events and vignettes. (Part of this problem is also that characters sometimes appear in vignettes that are not their own, like Malleus appearing in Groom Riddle’s vignettes, but the chances of a Malleus fan reading non-Malleus vignettes is low, meaning they can miss an important part of his lore if they aren’t also inclined to Riddle.)

This can easily lead to a misunderstanding of what he is canonically like, since the main story Malleus often focuses on his relationship with Yuu (which is, comparatively, very “new” to him). I think this is oftentimes why the fanon Malleus I see is very... “cute” or naive, possessive/clingy, or people try to fill in gaps with his lore by taking real world fairy lore as “canon” when the game or other canon TWST materials have not confirmed anything. Rarely do we see Malleus’s wisdom or maturity being highlighted in fan works, despite this trait being explored across a number of vignettes and being an integral part of who he is. He has his moments of childishness too, but I feel the fandom usually leans too heavy into that one aspect of him.

I do also think that part of the mischaracterization comes from most of the fandom (especially prior to TWST EN’s release) having to rely on fan translations or quick summaries, which can vary in quality, or hearsay from other fans. This, again, can lead to misinterpretations or misunderstandings to spread as though it were canon.

Personally, fanon Malleus doesn’t really interest me either 😂 Both of the extremes of fanon Malleus that the fandom seems to gravitate toward are depictions that don’t appeal to me. He just happens to be the perfect storm of a lot of things I dislike in character design (both physically and personality-wise), whether fanon or canon.

Regarding Endless Halloween Night, I don’t think you had too active of an imagination. I’m pretty sure that most readers were anticipating some kind of powerful entity that wanted it to remain Halloween forever where they were at their peak power, and maybe had to kidnap the students for some nefarious power-augmenting purpose. A lot of the signs in the story pointed to that (though, in hindsight, they were red herrings purposefully strewn about to paint a false impression of the final threat). Lilia’s screaming as he was kidnapped definitely gave it away to me early on 😭 so I spent the rest of the event hoping and praying it wasn’t such a cop-out ending............................

#Malleus Draconia #notes from the writing raven #swept under the nest #spoilers

[thewritingginger]

Star Gazing

I started this maybe about a month back and finally finished it. IDK if it’s my best but thats okay.

Fandom: Castlevania Pairing: Alucard x GN! Reader Word count: 1,289 words Warnings: Friends to Lovers, 16+, A little steamy, Kissing, Caressing, Suggestions of intercourse, Possibly inaccurate star facts, & Bad star joke 

Enjoy ~

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It’s a brisk summer night. You and Alucard are laying out on a large blanket under the stars. Side by side, your hands are folded on your chest as you listen to the soft baritone of his voice. He became a professor giving an unprompted lesson on constellations and you, a willing pupil. As you listen, a smile tugs at the corner of your lips.

“And that there is Gemini.” His arm extends directing your vision.

“Wonder why it’s named that.” You say to yourself but the blonde is quick with a response.

“Well the word Gemini is Latin for twins. The reason it’s named that is because the two brightest stars are named after the twins Castor and Pollux from Greek and Roman mythology. When Castor was killed in battle, Pollux pleaded with Zeus to bring him back. So the two were changed into the constellation so they could be together for all eternity.”

“That’s really beautiful.” You turn your head to face him. Unknowingly, he mirrors the movement. Your eyes lock.

“Yeah, it is.” He says with a small smile. The moon light illuminates his face, casting light shadows over his golden eyes. A moment passes before he clears his throat and returns his gaze to the sky to continue but your eyes stay on him.

“Oh um and if you shift your gaze over just a bit you’ll see Orion.” His redirection makes you chuckle softly.

“Wow, you really know your stars.”

“Well when I was younger I was fascinated by them. Any chance I got I’d ask my mother to read about them and look for them with me. She never once deterred me either, she always valued knowledge.” The sentiment is followed by a half-hearted laugh.

“She sounds like a beautiful woman.”

“Yeah, she really was.” His words trailed off. The subtle down shift in his eyes makes your heart squeeze.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No, there’s no need. It’s good to recall those memories.” Looking at the sky the silence between you grew again. Changing the subject Alucard glances over to you with a side grin. “Do you want to know why Orion’s Belt is the best part of the constellation?” He asks, clearly trying to bring the mood back up.

Letting out a breathy chuckle you shake your head, “I don’t know, why?” You muse.

“Because anything else would just be a waist of space.” You couldn’t help but snort.

“Okay, that was horrible.”

“Perhaps, but it still got a laugh out of you.” He nudges your side.

Both smiling, you turn towards each other again. With your laughter subsiding you notice your faces are closer than they’ve ever been before. Your mouth, still holding traces of a smile. “Yeah, I guess it did.” Your words come out in a hushed tone. As if you were worried of breaking whatever was growing between you. Looking at his lips then back to his eyes, unconsciously wetting your’s with your tongue.  

A gust of wind that carries the sound of rustling leaves and crickets fills the air around you. A loose strand of his golden locks tickles your cheek.

Your faces, as if on their own, move closer. You can feel his breath on your lips. The sensation was enough to make you melt. Oh how you’ve wanted to melt against him. Become putty in his hands, allow him to mold you to fit him. His body. His hands. His lips. You wanted all of it. All of him. Now your noses are almost touching. His mouth, just one hot breath away.

But you’re not moving.

Neither of you are.

This uncharted territory between you holds fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of possibly losing the friendship you’ve been cultivating this past year.

What if there’s no spark and what you had is ruined? But what if it’s not? What if it becomes greater? The risk is scary and exhilarating. For months you’ve wanted to test these boundaries but have been too much of a wuss to try. Perhaps Alucard feels the same.  He is just as unmoving as you are. You’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks you’re not looking. How he observes you while you’re reading or smiles when he hears you humming as you cook.

At the time it all seemed harmless. Platonic. But now, now he is laid next to you breathing the same air. So close that you’re afraid he can hear your heart about to beat out your chest. Hear you swallow as you try to sooth your dry throat. Or even the voice in your head screaming at you to finally make a move. But before you could rip the bandaid off yourself you felt the sweet sensation of his lips on yours.

Your body moves on its own, leaving you behind with your thoughts.

He’s kissing you! And you’re kissing back. Hard! Like you might die if your lips part, as if the oxygen in his lungs is what you need to survive. Your fingers tangle in his hair, needing to be closer. Needing more of his taste. Your tongue dancing with his, the flavor of wine still lingers in his mouth.

The moment of your bodies melting together comes to a halt when you finally pull back for air. His back flat to the ground as your chest lays half way on his. A large hand rests tangled in the strands at the nape of your neck as the other holds firmly on the leg that is draped over his waist.

There is silence once again.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” He says. Though his retreating words contradict the lust in his eyes and his unmoving limbs. Gazing into his eyes, the ones you’ve dreamt about for countless nights, you cup his cheek.

“Don’t apologize.” Your fingers lightly touch his lips. His eyes flutter as the contact. “I’ve been waiting for you to do that for longer than I can bother to remember.”

His grip on your thigh tightens at your confession, pulling you fully over his lap. In one swift motion he sits up. His knees bent to support your weight, holding you close. Looking up into your eyes he then leans in and places a kiss on your neck, your breath catches in your throat. Littering a trail of wet kisses up to your cheek to finally meet your lips your hands hold his face as your tongues explore each other's mouths.

His hands roam over your body wondering if there’s a way to hold you closer than you already are. Without breaking your heated kiss Alucard lifts you to rest your back on the blanket. Your legs encircle his torso as he rests against your body. His hips softly grinding against yours. A soft gasp leaves your lips as he goes back to your neck, lightly nipping and sucking at the soft flesh.

The once crisp night air feels hot and humid. You want nothing more than to strip yourselves of the clothes between you and finally connect as one. To feel his powerful body take you to oblivion. To be held by the man you’ve been wanting for so long. It almost feels too good to be true and maybe it was at this moment because he pulls away. Catching his breath. Chest heaving, lips swollen and eyes filled to the brim with desire.  

“We should go back inside.” He says. Everything inside you wants to protest and you can sense the same from him but perhaps this was enough for one night. Tonight was just a taste of what is to come and you surely will enjoy savoring every second of it.

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Hope that was enjoyable.

Let know if you have any ideas I’m always open to them :3

Till next time  💛 ~

#netflix castlevania #castelvania #castlevania alucard #alucard tepes #alucard x reader #castlevania adrian #adrian tepes #adrain tepes x reader #friends to lovers

[mollyringle]

Don’t give up, writers!...But don’t expect fame either.

On Twitter recently there was a hashtag that got going in which successful authors encouraged struggling writers to keep at it, because it took them (the successful ones) X number of years and manuscripts and rejections before they Hit It Big. And now they’re on bestseller lists! And have Netflix deals! And fan art! So don’t give up!

Normally you can count on me to be the encouraging optimist too. But in this case I feel the kinder thing to do, in the long run, is to deliver an opposing viewpoint consisting mainly of, well, I won’t say “pessimism,” but more like realistically tempered expectations.

I’ve been writing books since I was 12. (I’m now 45.) Counting just the published ones, I’ve had 12 novels or novellas published, with two excellent small presses. I have never hit a bestseller list. I have never been offered a screen adaptation deal. I am not getting fan art or fan fiction, and hardly ever fan mail. I’ve never in all these years had a royalty check big enough to cover more than one month of the mortgage. (And keep in mind royalties are paid once every three months.)

I’m now taking work as an editor/proofreader, not only because I like the work (which luckily I do), but because writing is clearly not going to bring in enough money for me to stick exclusively to that as my career. 33 years of fiction-writing experience and 12 published books is evidently not enough for me to Hit It Big, and I’ve given up on expecting it ever will.

I’m not giving up on writing, mind you. What I’m letting go of is this “work hard, work so damn hard, write every day even if you don’t want to, GET THOSE BOOKS OUT THERE” mentality. The best part of writing is the writing itself, when I am writing something I love and immersing myself in that world. So I’ll write what I love, only when I truly want to write it, and I’ll relax about the timeline. Because whatever I’m writing is probably never going to be The Next Big Fandom anyway.

You, or I, could easily look at all of the above and conclude, “Well, Molly’s writing must suck, because otherwise it WOULD have hit it big by now.” Maybe? Maybe not? Its quality is subjective. What’s true is that I worked every bit as hard as they tell you to, and it wasn’t enough. And of the many writers I know, the overwhelming majority are in the same dowdy boat as me. Very few are cruising in the yacht of the Netflix deals.

Success is not entirely merit-based, either, as you will know if you think for a few seconds about some of the books that are wildly popular. Or some of the books that deserve to be but aren’t. It’s marketing, it’s connections, it’s money, it’s whatever spark of luck and magic makes something go viral. If we all knew what that was, we would do it, obviously, but it’s largely out of our control.

Even if you work hard and write beautifully, and even if you do it for years and years, you are NOT guaranteed to land on any bestseller list or become a fandom sensation. Ever. It’s much likelier you won’t, in fact.

But I am not telling you to give up! Far from it. I’m saying: the question you should be asking yourself is not, “Am I willing to work super hard at writing in order to chase that fame and financial payoff?” The question should be, “Do I love writing enough to keep doing it even if that external success never happens?”

That’s the only question whose answer you have control over. Ask yourself that one. If it’s yes, then don’t give up. Because writing is lovely when done for that reason.

Meanwhile—think about something you wouldn’t mind doing for money. Chances are all too good you’ll need it. And with that, I must return to my editing.

#writing #publishing #expectations #success #fame #writing life #realism