Tumgik
#fanworks inception
tesserat · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media
Unforeseen Consequences @mysterycyclone
“You’re not from Metropolis, are you?” Peter asks.
“Nope,” Clark says. “I grew up in Kansas. Smallville.”
“Oh. I guess there was a lot of confusion when Smallville popped up in Kansas after the Reverse Snap,” Peter says.
_____________________________
Another banger fanfiction from mysterycyclone! I'm quickly becoming obsessed with MCU/DC crossovers, and wholeheartedly believe there need to be more. Anyway, I'm aware they were eating reubens in this scene but I can't draw them for some reason?? Let's pretend they are waiting for the order.
Anyway, Clark Kent and Peter Parker would be best friends and you cannot change my mind.
Thank you so much to the wonderful author of this fic. I reread Unforeseen Consequences way too many times.
_____________________________
Image Description:
An anime-cartoon merge drawing style. Clark Kent and Peter Parker are sitting in a diner booth. The chairs are large, red chairs and there is a wooden table between them.
Clark Kent is on the right side. He has black hair, electric blue eyes (so wow) and glasses. He's wearing a red sweater and gray slacks. He's smiling.
Peter Parker is on the left side, in what was supposed to be a red button-up shirt. It looks more like a sweater, because it's more oversized than I intended to draw it but whatever. He has dark brown hair, brown eyes and an inquisitive expression.
On the bottom of the image, you can see the question Peter is asking Clark "You're not from Metropolis, are you?" - which is a direct quote from the fanfiction this is from.
73 notes · View notes
crimsonite · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
found a penguin classic cover generator , did some covers for some of my favourite fanworks and thought i’d share ‘em
in that order its:
Easy There, syllic (Merlin BBC Oxford Rowing AU)
In Want of a Wife, syllic (Merlin BBC)
Theft of Assets, Destruction of Property, Helenish (Harry Potter)
Date Night, samyazaz (Les Misérables Modern AU)
Silence Is the Speech of Love, Lady Ragnell (Les Misérables and also Greek Gods) @theladyragnell
The Only Living Boy in New York, gyzym @gyzym (Inception Coffee Shop AU)
World Ain’t Ready, idiopathicsmile @idiopathicsmile(Les Misérables but Social Justice and High Schoolers)
258 notes · View notes
salvidida · 2 months
Text
Racism and colourism are systemic, and of course they're rampant in most media, fandoms, merchandising, the whole shebang. So these are far from the only examples of this being a problem, but it's maddening being into jjba, ffvii, and fma and seeing damn near NOTHING for any of the (scant) core characters of colour from these fandoms.
Like, wow, cool fanart of the cast of Stardust Crusaders! Where's Avdol? :))))
Great fanart of the ffvii team! Why's Barret MIA? :))))
Oh cool, look at all of this art featuring the large fma cast (if not massive cast regarding mangahood)! It includes villains even! ... So Scar just doesn't exist or...? Man, not even Miles? Paninya?? Hello????
#i don't like miles because he's used as a mouthpiece for racist pro-military liberalism but i'm always amazed that even he (the token 'good'#ishvalan) gets left out of so much fanart. but scar being fully omitted every single time regardless of whether we're talking#the brotherhood or 03 or manga as the focus it doesn't matter: you won't find shit for scar. ppl love every single war criminal more#kimblee included which is 💀. but scar is a step too far and it's exceptionally clear why#jjba (esp sdc) fans will lean on the gap in the arc where avdol is recovering off screen as an excuse#meanwhile they will include iggy. which means avdol should have alreadu returned#and barret has been left out of fanworks and canon spinoffs and merch since ffvii's inception#(i know paninya is a side character with little focus & rose isn't brown in mangahood but c'mon it still reeks)#and when the melanated characters get included they're literally whitefaced for the artist's racist comfort#hilariously this rant was spurred on by some acrylic standee merch for fmab that shockingly did include scar!#except his skin is not only significantly lightened! but it's green!! (?????) wtffffffffffffffff#and y'know that most merch/artwork is digital art! you can (at worst) colour pick from official art/anime frames! you have easy access to a#colourwheel! this shit sucks so hard!#not mentioned in the post but baten kaitos has this problem too. people lighten kalas' skin all the damn time#doesn't seem to happen to gibari but mostly because he doesn't get drawn much 🙃#jjba#ffvii#fma
2 notes · View notes
some-pers0n · 4 months
Text
Medic is a character I feel people agree is often mischaracterized in fanworks, but nobody can really settle on why that is or how people get to that assumption. What makes him mischaracterized? Does he care too much about his team? Too little? What even is his character to begin with? Does he even have one? Why should we even care since he's a comedic character designed to make you laugh first?
In other words, hi! I'm a fanfic writer who is extremely abnormal about Medic TF2. Those two things are going to be pretty central to the topic of this analysis piece of sorts. This right here is an essay that details the characterization of the Medic from Team Fortress 2 from the character's inception in development all the way until the final comic. Yes. The one character.
I'm doing this mostly as a way for a) me to comb through canon material and study this character so I can remind myself over and over again how he acts and b) me not-so-subtly venting about how much of a nightmare it is to find a fanfic that writes Medic in a way that aligns with his characterization in canon. It 100% is because I'm a picky whiny bitch who can't help but constantly read like a writer and overanalyze everything, but I think I'm not that alone when I say that the fandom's perception of Medic is...warped.
But why? Why do people seem to not exactly understand or get him? Why is it hard to find common ground on what aspects of Medic are in-character or not? Why do so many people have wildly different interpretations of it?
Short answer: Medic's character has shifted pretty drastically from his original inception in 2007 to the last released comic in 2017, retconning him from a cold and calculated dominating doctor to a silly and goofy mad scientist to make him more funny. There is no real proper true characterization and everyone can have their own interpertation.
Long answer? Well...let's get to that.
Tumblr media
I should probably preface this with a couple main interpretations of Medic's character and how I think it's fascinating to understand where they come from. They also set the groundwork as to how these different characterizations of Medic come from.
There's what I like to call "Game Medic". Game Medic is the most common interpretation amongst players of the game. Redditors and the like point to this interpretation of Medic and hail him as the "true" characterization of him. Honestly? I can't blame them. Have you heard Medic's voice lines?? A lot of them are him barking orders at the others and hissing at his fellow mercenaries about their incompetency. It gives him the aura of a man driven to madness by having to take care of his teammates, reflecting that of what a lot of Medic mains feel.
Game Medic characterizes Medic mostly as a sadistic man who does not care for the other mercenaries. He's dominating and demanding, ordering around the others. He laughs maliciously when there's death and, famously, he believes that healing is not nearly as rewarding as harming others. People generally believe that Medic would experiment on the mercs against their will and torture them for his own amusement. It's not uncommon in these circles who believe in this characterization for theories and suggestions of Medic once being a Nazi to crop up.
I don't believe this is an accurate characterization of him, at least not anymore. I'll get into the details of why later, but the basic summation is that Medic had a rather different personality in 2007 that was later shifted and changed to be more comedic and silly as the years went along.
The next most common is "Fanfiction Medic". It's the Medic you see in those TF2 x Reader stuff, in the sense of Medic being reduced to a caring and compassionate man. It takes more aspects from the comics but does still miss the point of his character in favour of making him easy to sympathize and identify with. He can have aspects of his in-game portrayal, with him being overly critical of the one he loves. He's affectionate, sweet, and generally really caring and loyal, if possessive and easily jealous. In fanfic, he ranges from being dark and intimidating in a sexy and dominating way to a generally nice guy who just loves his partner.
It's the inverse of Game Medic and is often mocked and made fun of. You'll see memes that compare an overexaggerated version of Fanfiction Medic, with him being extremely submissive and soft, to Game Medic, who oftentimes acts in a more dark and violent way, perhaps bringing into his utter disregard for life and his obsession with experimenting using animal organs.
This interpretation should go without saying that it's also not exactly true to his character. Flanderizing him to the point where he doesn't even really identify with any traits or qualities from the game or comics. And for what? To make him more appealing? Or perhaps can people not fathom him acting in a more mean and rude way?
So...how did we get here? Why is Medic and his characterization such a divisive topic? Characters like Scout and Engineer seem to have pretty consistent characterization through and through all subspaces of the fandom. Why Medic? And, even still, why do most people have a hard time replicating his voice? His personality? Anything?
That's what we're going to talk about here today, folks.
Pre-MtM
Let's start with pre-TF2 days: Invasion. The concept art of Medic was very much in line with the whole orderly doctor archetype. Serious expression, clean pristine white clothes. There's a sense of authority and dominance to him. This is a man of reason and science. He is a mercenary. A Medic who heals his team from the brink of death.
This characterization I feel lasted until the style shift, where TF2 became more of a comedic and light-hearted game. This is where I believe the whole "disgruntled angel of death" stuff comes from. Medic retains that order and dignity, which leads into the game.
His voice lines, as previously mentioned, are aggressive and accusatory to his own team. I wouldn't blame you if you assumed he hated his team entirely. He claims that his skill is wasted here, that they're all useless idiots, so on and so forth. It characterizes him as having a grudge towards his fellow workers, only doing this because he enjoys the thrill of bloodshed and violence. It definitely paints him more as being a sadistic madman like the rest of them.
It's a characterization I've already covered, so for the sake of not sounding redundant, let's say that in 2007, the inception of Medic as we know, was predominantly portrayed as a somewhat sane, albeit sadistic and authoritative man of science. He is violent and generally looks down upon his coworkers, viewing them as half-wits who only get him killed over and over again. From his body language, he's a lot more rigid and straight than the others. It gives the impression that he's a proper, well-mannered serious character.
A major moment of characterization that could've happened was the scrapped original Meet the Medic video. I believe this would've come out in 2009 alongside the other Meet the Team videos like Meet the Heavy, Meet the Sniper, Meet the Soldier, etc and etc. While it isn't canon per se, it's still a topic worth mentioning and talking about.
Around this time, TF2 was becoming a lot more comedic than its original inception. Saxton Hale and Mann Co. had been invented, two things that would be a sign of what the game and property would eventually become. It's light-hearted and silly now! In the Classless Update of 2009, there were newspaper clippings showing a saga in which the King of Australia waged a war against a hill. The Spy VS Sniper Update added Jarate, a literal jar of Sniper's piss. Hats!! HATS!! The games were changing quite noticeably from how they originally were.
Which brings us to the scrapped trailer. A basic summary is that Medic is being interviewed on a train and talking about how he invented the medi-gun. It begins with a cold opening of a BLU Sniper bleeding out while a Soldier of the same team calls out for help. They are then promptly run over by a train, the exact one that Medic is on as the next shot is of him putting away luggage as the gore and guts from the run-over Soldier and Sniper splat onto his window. Again, comedic cold open played for laughs. It sets the tone of Medic as being a serious character with a streak of silliness to him. It also helps that there is a chessboard there, further characterizing him as an intellectual.
Medic then begins his story. It's a dark and terrible sight to see. The team is losing and the Heavy is bleeding out. He seems overworked, having to fend off against a Spy all by himself and quickly trying to save the Heavy. The rest of his team are useless, just standing there screaming as they're in pain. Again, further characterizes him as a savior to them. The only competent one.
Then, something quite new happens. Medic slaps Heavy in frustration once he flatlines. He...slaps Heavy. It's on impulse and clearly done in irritation, but that's quite different. Before, we've seen Medic as a somewhat calculated individual. He's not prone to rash choices out of emotions. He loves bloodshed and violence, but he's fairly contained and controlled.
I think the slap is one of the first examples of Medic's character really beginning to shift. It's done for laughs, yes, but it shows him as being emotional and prone to getting physically violent and angry. I can practically hear him saying: "Live damn you! Live!" as he slaps him.
Then, chaos erupts in the room as a stray rocket blasts into the room. It knocks over Medic and he's left to lie on the ground, watching as his teammates do nothing more than scream and flail around. Yet, through a series of events, everything falls into place to create a naturally healing liquid. He watches on in fascination and amazement before then scrambling back to Heavy, pumping more blood into the puddle of Healing Juice. Eventually, the Heavy is revived.
Then the Spy head is resurrected and begins screaming for death. Again, characterizing Medic as being morbidly comedic. Medic screams (startled by the dismembered head coming to life)(reasonable reaction) and begins shooting it. Again, impulsive and acting on instinct.
Once realizing that the Spy's head is invincible, he shoots it one more time, giggling after it. He GIGGLES. Do you understand me when I say that this is important? Look at him as he does that. Tell me he doesn't do a little "hooh!!" after that final shot.
Medic's laughter is a rather large part of his later characterization, as it goes deeper into the whole eccentric mad scientist archetype instead. It's when Medic is beginning to break away from that only characterization and become...silly. He's sadistic, but he enjoys it with whimsy and intrigue. He is fascinated by the Spy head.
Medic then begins work. It furthers his sadistic characterization by him using the Spy head as a means to hold nails and such. Something that we don't see too much later on from this is that Medic builds the medi-gun. Strange since most of the time the one who's characterized as building things is Engie. This is probably done to give a sense of competency to Medic. He's a man of science capable of doing anything.
The video ends on what would later become the scene of Medic walking out with angelic light behind him and doves flying out. Still has that whole angelic feeling to him AND also when his doves first come into play. Him being seen as a holy saviour feeds into his characterization of him having a god complex. He sees himself as a man who makes gods out of men.
So, what have we learned from this video? Well, Medic's commentary is quite proper and professional. In canon lore, he would've been interviewed by the Director. His characterization would be a man of science who views himself as the only really competent person on the team. However, he's prone to fits of impulsive rage and doesn't seem to feel any remorse for his outbursts. He is an inventor of sorts, who experiments and finds it fascinating to work with science.
I also believe this is when it's first shown that Medic likes experiments. Beforehand, he was just a doctor. Now? He tests and experiments and enjoys it. He's still a sadistic madman who loves violence, but all in all, he seems a little more comedic than he did in 2007.
The original idea was scrapped as the team believed that the short didn't exactly show who Medic was. It didn't comply with what players had when they thought of "Medic". Even back then, I think they wanted to have Medic's character be something else. Something more grandiose. Also, it doesn't really touch on Medic's gameplay. It just introduces the medi-gun. 
Medic's characterization would slowly grow more and more comedic as time goes on, moving away from the idea of him being a serious doctor and more of a mad scientist. What with new cosmetics and taunts. 
But...this isn't enough. No, not enough. He's still not as goofy as, say, the Soldier, Scout, or Demoman. Does he need to be? No, but he could be. He could be something more. 
In late June of 2011, the Über Update happened. It was a large-scale content update that not only made TF2 free-to-play, but also added several new cosmetics, weapons, and maps. But that's not what we really care about here, is it?
You already know what it is. The bombshell that changed Medic's character forever.
Meet the Medic
The short opens up with an action scene of Scout and Demo running away. Both are heavily injured and are trying to escape from enemy fire. Scout gets blown away and is then hit with three different rockets, sending him flying into a window where he calls out for Medic before cutting to the title card.
Instantly establishes Medic as a character who the others turn to for help. Good introduction to the character and his general role and premise as well as a neat prelude that catches the attention of the audience. But enough of that. It's time for the man himself.
Immediately we are hit with an iconic line of dialogue that establishes that, no, this is no serious and stoic character. This is a different, more interesting and developed version of Medic. 
"Wait, wait, wait, it gets better! When the patient woke up, his skeleton was missing, and the doctor was never heard from again!" [Mad laughter] "Ahh... Anyway, that's how I lost my medical license, heh."
Do you see me here? I am gripping my screen here in some attempt to grab you by the shoulders and shake you. Do you understand what this means in terms of characterization? How different he is? How much sillier he has gotten?!
Okay, let's start off by describing this. Medic is performing surgery on Heavy. Based on the bullet wounds, it's suggested that this impromptu surgery is happening mid-battle. Medic is talking to Heavy incredibly casually-- he's TALKING to Heavy. He should be under anesthesia considering he currently has his entire chest open.
This already characterizes Medic as casual when it comes to surgery. He's doing medical malpractice and, not only is he completely unbothered, but so is Heavy. It could imply that this is regular behaviour and Heavy is not worried.
This surgery is just as normal to Medic as a barber cutting somebody's hair. He's telling stories and generally having fun. He's having fun he'S HAVING FUN-- He's laughing and just generally enjoying himself! Being silly!!
Not to mention the story itself is dark. The punchline is that "the doctor stole a patient's skeleton and ran away". Medic laughs hysterically after this. He finds it hilarious. Not to also mention he follows it up with that little "that's how I lost my medical license :)"
Not only did he steal a man's skeleton, managing to keep him alive as implied with him saying that the patient woke up and noticed his skeleton was missing (so he managed to extract the man's skeleton and leave his nervous system in place), but he finds it funny! It's a comical story he finds enjoyment in telling others. He even seems proud of it and doesn't regret it in the slightest.
He doesn't even seem to really pick up on Heavy's face drop or that maybe he shouldn't be telling this story when he's got somebody on the operating table. Perhaps a little socially unaware? Eh, could just be headcanons bleeding into analysis.
He doesn't have his gloves on either. Just handling Heavy's heart without any gloves or anything. Again, casual medical malpractice that he does not seem bothered by in the slightest. This idea of Medic doing surgery and or experiments with his gloves off while putting them on for literally anything else also pops back up in the comics, but we'll get to that soon.
Let's not also forget that this man laughs. Like straight-up laughs like a mad scientist. Before, we had gotten voice lines of him are evil, malevolent cackles. He's mocking the ones that he kills. Here's?? It's a lot more whimsical and silly. It's something that'll be something he does a lot more later on: laugh when he's just generally happy or nervous.
But enough about that one line of dialogue. We have the rest of the short to watch!
Archimedes pops out of Heavy's chest cavity. Medic scolds him and shoos him away. He glances over back at Heavy. For a frame or two, his eyes are wide and his expression shifts. He realized that, y'know, maybe it's not too great from Heavy's perspective to have Archimedes digging around in there. He shrugs it off with an anxious laugh. Not to also mention he absentmindedly wipes the blood on his clothes. Again, very unprofessional and not very concerned about it.
Quick note about the symbolism of doves. Doves are seen as a sign of peace and whatnot, usually combined with angelic qualities. A dove with blood on it would imply that its original meaning is perverted in some way, especially if the dove is going out of its way for the blood. It's a harbinger of peace, but finds infinite more enjoyment indulging in the bloodshed and violence of the destruction it's meant to oppose. 
Medic grabs what I like to call a über implant. It's what gives the heart the ability to be übercharged. He sticks it into Heavy's heart, saying that, while most hearts cannot withstand the voltage, he believes that Heavy's heart will be able to take it.
He puts it near the beam of the quick-fix and it instantly explodes.
Medic overestimates the abilities of Heavy's heart, thinking it was strong enough. It was not. This characterizes Medic as being somewhat optimistic and believes his own theories based on no previous data or evidence. Throwing caution to the wind and hoping for the best.
However! He adapts. He thinks for a second. This is no setback. He quells Heavy's concerns saying that, no, this is the sound of progress, mein Freund. This shows that he is quick with improvisation and is completely fine with deviating suddenly whenever a new problem arises.
He digs into his mini-fridge, where he gets more characterization. He's got a collection of animal organs in here. He likes experimenting with them, so he keeps them on standby. He does not care if Heavy doesn't want an animal organ in him. This is a life-or-death scenario. Either he goes on out there without a heart or he takes the mega baboon heart.
There's also beer, implying that he likes it enough to keep it nearby. He also keeps one of Heavy's sandwiches, perhaps either for himself or for Heavy.
There's also the head of the BLU Spy, a cute callback to the scrapped Meet the Medic video. It's there with a battery keeping it alive as well as an ashtray. Medic dismisses its request to Die without a second thought. He's got more important business to attend to.
He attaches the über implant and holds it under the quick-fix's beam. Here, again, he laughs maniacally. It makes Heavy uncomfortable, but eh who cares about him this is the Medic essay. Medic is clearly enjoying the beauty of experimentation and playing god here, harking back to the idea of him having a god complex.
Finally, it's done. It glows. "Oh, that looks good," Medic says as he drops it haphazardly into Heavy's chest cavity. He doesn't even really know if this is a good sign or not. It's just glowing and beating in his hands. It's fine. Everything's all good.
Heavy asks the completely reasonable question of whether or not he should be awake. Medic laughs anxiously, a nervous tic it seems, and says, "Well, no, but as long as you are, could you hold your rib cage open a bit?" He's fully aware that Heavy shouldn't be conscious, but because of the continuous healing from his quick-fix, he doesn't really care.
Medic being aloof and generally disregarding the rules of proper medical care is a constant piece of characterization with him. Whatever works best he does. Headcanon territory here, but I believe that he finds the rules and restrictions to hold him down. Prevent him from doing what's best with such nonsense things like "ethics" and "moral codes" and "being a doctor doesn't mean you get to play god".
Heavy moves his hand to open his rib cage a bit, letting Medic push in the heart. However, Medic is too rough and goes too deep, snapping one of Heavy's ribs in the process. Medic's eyes widen, but he quickly recovers. "Don't be such a baby." He grabs it and pinches Heavy's cheek. "Ribs grow back." He tosses the rib aside and turns to Archimedes. "No, they don't."
He lies to make Heavy feel better. It also displays that Medic is physically affectionate of sorts when doing surgery. I personally headcanon that he's a very touchy-feely person who generally doesn't care what other people think as he grabs them by the shoulder or cheek, but, again, headcanons. Also! Ribs do grow back, which implies either a) Medic doesn't know this or b) the TF2 universe works a bit differently.
The surgery is complete. Does he check to see if any of the valves, arteries, or veins line up? Nope! Grabs the quick-fix and heals Heavy back up. He grins wickedly while doing this, still enjoying the art of surgery and experimentation.
He helps Heavy up and smiles, saying the: "Let's go practice medicine" line. He likes those quips.
He suits up (putting his gloves on for once) and comes out of the base. Quick note here about the soundtrack. I neglected to mention how much the three songs attached to Medic perfectly reflect his character, from Archimedes being plucky and a little silly, to A Little Heart to Heart being more sinister and perverting the more light-hearted tune of Archimedes, to Medic! being a full-on jazzy piece of glory (and also the best song). I could go further into all three tracks, but let's just do some basic analysis of the first bit of the song here.
The song begins with an angelic choir, which, again, paints Medic in the light of a holy figure that saves and protects the others. Then, it devolves, getting darker and more menacing before the saxophone, trumpets, bass guitar, and drums kick in, going back to the usual TF2 style.
Medic is a mad mercenary like the rest of them. He puts on a facade of being proper and angelic, but he's no different than the others.
It all comes together with him walking out, a radiant white light behind him as his doves fly out. Combined with his steady expression, he seems like an angel who's come to save them all. At least until the song shifts, where he grins and begins to heal the others.
So on and so forth. The next part isn't as character-defining, mostly just a display of Medic's role in the game because, like healing. It does a better job of showing what his class does than the scrapped version, I'll give it that. He heals Scout and Demo before shifting focus back to Heavy.
An onslaught of BLU Soldiers are closing in on them. Heavy glances back, asking if Medic is sure that this plan will work.
Medic laughs, saying that he has no idea. Again, he doesn't know. He doesn't care. He's having fun and is just experimenting willy-nilly without a clue as to whether it'll actually work. He just hopes.
He flicks the switch and, lo and behold, it works. Heavy is übercharged and they march on to victory. The short ends there, with a small epilogue showing the rest of the mercs getting their own über implant surgery. Again, the final scene shows Medic's lack of care as Archimedes is implied to have crawled into Scout's chest and been sealed up when it was over.
Whew!! Two thousand words of analysis on one four-minute short. But, I assume you can understand why, no? This short is monumental when it comes to characterizing Medic. He's not stoic. Quite the opposite! He's careless when it comes to following proper procedures and order. He is a giggly mess who chuckles and laughs at almost anything, nervously or not. He's concerned when Heavy shows anxiety and uncertainty. He's generally a lot more goofy and silly here, you know?
He now instead mostly mirrors the eccentric mad scientist archetype. Laughing, experimenting without a care, and generally being a couple screws loose. Instead of the cold, calculative bloodthirsty character he once was, he's a lot more close and emotional here.
This characterization becomes the basis of what the following taunts and voice lines would be about. His Halloween voice lines are a lot more silly, with him laughing a lot. His Medimedes cosmetic is him screaming in agony and laughing maniacally about his new predicament.
If I may, I want to quickly talk about the Sec-Op cosmetic lines. Sec-Op I personally interpret as a fabricated evil dark side. I don't think of Sec-Op as "Medic's evil secret thoughts" and more of a force that's attached to him that acts like how a typical normal evil dark side thingymabobber works. The joke with the cosmetic is that Medic is as evil as Sec-Op, but is more casual about it. Of course, other people can see it as something else, I just think of it like that.
What I particularly want to talk about are two curious lines. Sec-Op questions whether or not Medic worries he's going mad. Medic doesn't mind. He doesn't care. Even if he is, it's not the end of the world. However, he gets extremely offended when Sec-Op suggests that the other mercs think that Medic is crazy.
Medic gets insulted when others think of him as mad, yet he himself is fine with it. Why? I think Medic himself cares a lot about how he's perceived. He claims he doesn't. He does. If he's thought of in a way that he doesn't want to be thought about, he gets upset. He doesn't care about what other normal people think of him since any conversation they have will come out as negative, but with the mercs? Nah man. Nah...
The ego of this man is a central part of how I view him. He likes being praised and admired. He likes being lifted up and viewed as a god amongst men. He wants to defy the laws of nature just because he feels like he's better than anybody else. He's a little goofy that way, y'know?
Then, of course, we have Expiration Date. I promise I'll try to be a little less exhaustively wordy here since a lot of his characterization is still the same.
Medic and Engie have been experimenting with the teleporters and bread. When Scout, Soldier, and Heavy return from their own trip to get the intel, the pair break the bad news. Here, Medic exhibits characteristics of his in-game self. It could definitely be because of how dire the situation is (they're all going to die in a matter of days), but it's worthy to note.
They don't entertain Scout and instead get straight to telling them about it. When Engie teleports the bread in, Medic tears it apart, proudly showing off the disgusting insides. He tells them all that these green blobs are tumours with a wide, grin. He seems somewhat amused by it, contrasting with the rest of them being confused or mournful.
When asked about how long it'll be, he quickly calculates in his head that they have roughly three days to live. He says it pretty dramatically too. Prissy drama queen.
Engie and Medic then curiously enough spend the next three days experimenting with the bread. Apparently, they were so busy as to not even attend Spy's bucket list meeting. Curious bit of characterization. Engie and Medic both care enough about the team to spend their last few days trying to find some sort of reason for these tumours and possibly a cure. They care about their team (or at the very least their lives) on some level.
Engie teleports bread. Medic grins as it appears in front of him, still humoured by seeing teleportation in action. Or, perhaps he notices it changing and shifting. Regardless, the bread attacks him. Not much to note here other than he's screaming loudly and dramatically. Again, prissy drama queen. He's only having a big bread monster lunge directly at his jugular. Get a grip.
Engie and Medic return to Spy and the rest of them, telling them that, no, they aren't dying in three days, but rather that it's only bread that gets the tumours. Instead, as Medic puts it: "It's some form of self-aware beauty mark that only metastasizes in an environment of pure wheat" before then shaking around the bloodthirsty monster and showing it off. He's just happy and excited to be alive and show off that, no, this is just a bread problem. Everything is all great.
Until Soldier says that he's been teleporting bread non-stop for three days.
Medic tosses the jar aside and rushes towards Soldier, shaking him around. Again, harking back to that moment of physical frustration in the scrapped Meet the Medic short. Him being impulsive and prone to sudden mood shifts is still a part of his character.
They fight the bread monster, they win, Medic corrects Soldier when he says that they'll live forever, and then he rejoins Engie as the both of them inspect the bread monster. Looks like the two of them will get to keep on experimenting.
And there we are. I could touch on the other shorts, but this is already long enough and those shorts are just repeating the same information. Meet the Medic is vital to the characterization of Medic now. Everything in the comics and shorts with him happens because of what Meet the Medic set up.
And, well, speaking of the comics, why don't we talk about those?
Comics
The comics notably do not feature a lot of Medic, at least the ones previous to the mainline comics. The comics are much more entertained with the stories of Soldier in particular. Understandable, Soldier is an almost entirely comedic character (until the comics decide to randomly throw in ideas of him being repulsed by the idea of being a civilian and can only really function in a war setting). However, it does leave the others lacking in a lot of characterization while we get a bunch of Soldier trivia.
But enough about me quietly complaining about the comics, let's talk about the issues where Medic appears!
He appears in A Fate Worse Than Chess, but doesn't do much other than watch the TV playing Saxton's message and then prepare himself for battle. In Shadow Boxers...also not too much. Just sorta dismisses the meeting and says goodnight (??? it's like midday???) before heading off. Nothing really to write home about.
Gargoyles & Gravel is where he actually gets some proper screen time again. He's experimenting on a jack-o-lantern with Engie. As far as characterization goes, he's repeatedly shown to have connections to Heavy and Engie. I'll get to Medic and Heavy soon enough, but with Engie, Medic seems to enjoy experimenting with him. They collaborate on projects and work together.
This is no different. Medic has implanted a brain into the pumpkin, one that belonged to a criminal who tried mugging him. This also implies that Medic has zero qualms about just incapacitating and experimenting on people. Personally? I like headcanoning that he cares more about his team than he does the average person, so he doesn't really feel any sort of guilt or remorse when just grabbing somebody off the streets for a healthy amount of medical malpractice. If he is performing on the mercs, he cares a little more. A Little.
Regardless, Medic is dressed up as Viktor Frankenstein, a matching costume for Heavy's Frankenstein's Monster costume. Again, comparing him to famous fictional mad scientists. Also quite cute.
Medic is again not wearing his gloves. He also declines Engie's offer for a beer, saying that he doesn't drink during surgery. Well, at least he cares enough to not drink during surgery, but y'know. Curious how this is the only real thing he seems to care about. They revive the person's consciousness, having them possess the pumpkin. Medic then says that the pumpkin could "scare the children straight". Does he not like kids or just find them hooligans? Perhaps he just likes seeing people scared. Or maybe it's just Halloween dialogue.
Anywho, Engie takes the pumpkin away and Medic reappears at the end to hold his bonesaw with a wicked smile.
So, now, time for the actual comics.
For the first couple of comics, Medic is nowhere to be seen. He's one of the characters shrouded in mystery for a while. Pauling wasn't able to track him or Engie down. Where could he be?
Then, we learn that he's still alive and well, but now working with Gray Mann as the new Medic for the TFC BLU team. But wait, those are the bad guys!
Medic's introduction scene in the comics establishes a couple of things. One, he's still the same ol' medical malpractitioner who's been busy sewing baboon uteruses into some of the team members. He's excited to work with them. Literally. He brings up how they're "blank canvases", saying how their previous Medic must not have experimented on them.
Secondly, he's still pretty lax with morals. The comics definitely make it more clear how he's unaware that maybe people don't want animal organs sewn into them, whether they know it or not. If asked about it, he brushes it off and says: "Eh, it's not like it's hurting you in any way that we know of yet" before quickly switching topics. 
Another thing of note is that he explicitly lied to the TFC Scout. Interesting. He told him that he was going to fill a cavity, only to then sew three baboon uteruses into him. He's a lot more careless and reckless with the TFC team. Or maybe he also was with his previous team. Again, personal headcanons bleeding into analysis, but I don't think Medic cares nearly as much about the TFC team as he does with his main team. But, again, disregard that if you will. Medic simply just being a lying little prissy bastard is also equally as valid.
The ending panel of the scene has Medic consider and bask in the glory of his "latest triumphs" going toe-to-toe with his "earliest experiments". The phrasing implies that he doesn't particularly care about his previous team. Again, Medic likes his bloodshed and violence. He doesn't play sides or really care. He just wants to see how his newest cadavers fare against the older ones.
Medic then shows up again in the next comic at the very end, smiling wickedly after Sniper is shot by the TFC Sniper. This is then later explained away cause Joke and Funny, but we'll get to it soon.
In Old Wounds, Medic is shown to work on Sniper's body. By his own accord and will, he decides to bring Sniper back to life. Why? Well, number one this is TF2 and death is ultimately meaningless when it's done to the main cast because they're our main characters. Secondly? Well, we soon find out.
After Sniper has his little moment, he wakes up to find Medic there. Medic is less concerned with Sniper's state (both physical and mental) and is more obsessed with the idea of Sniper not being able to witness his crowning medical achievement. Ego! Look at that right there. He's concerned with how he's perceived, probably for just personal pleasure.
Also, the return of the god complex. "It's like I've always said! There's nothing wrong with playing God, so long as you are good at it!" It implies that he's said it several times before, that he's playing God and it's perfectly fine and okay because it works out in the end. He likes the idea of playing around with the laws of nature and God's will.
However, while he's gloating, Sniper attacks. This surprises Medic. Medic was either caught up in his own personal victory to notice Sniper being upset or he never once considered that Sniper would be upset, but rather congratulate him over it. Both? Yeah, probably both. He says this when Sniper says that he killed him. "It's okay though cause I brought you back to life, ja?" basically. He also then explains why he was smiling: it's just how he normally looks. He just looks like that! Smug and evil! 
Medic then also elaborates on his reasoning for why he joined the TFC team. He was bored mostly. Medic loves his experimentation. He would've felt bored and as though his talents were being wasted if he wasn't able to be a mercenary. The TFC needed a Medic, so what then? Join them! He needs the funding.
Again, when explaining he still brings up how it's his greatest triumph, bringing back another person from the dead. Medic in the comics is quite boastful it seems. However, he does seem to care enough about Sniper's physical state to try and stop him from going straight back to work (killing people) before they're then interrupted by Cheavy. Ohhh Cheavy...
Cheavy is rightfully pissed that Medic revived Sniper. Why wouldn't he be??? Medic just revived the guy they killed. And for what reason? Just to say: "Haha!! I brought a man back from the dead?" Cheavy makes it known how upset he is. In a rage, he kills Archimedes.
Medic flips. Perhaps in the only real time that Medic is deeply affected by death, he screams and rushes over to his feathered little friend. Something I've brushed over until now is that Medic really loves his birds. It's a strong big of characterization that his birds, with Archimedes in particular, being something he loves deeply. He cares more about them than he does with anything else. When Archimedes is in Heavy's chest, Medic cares more about Archimedes getting dirty than he is with Heavy having a bird in his stomach.
As Medic is trying to revive Archimedes, Cheavy barks at him. Medic apparently managed to coax the team into buying him a bunch of animal organs. Guy just has a certain charm to him. Or he's just extremely adamant about it. Regardless, Cheavy isn't too pleased with him.
Even while Cheavy is nagging him, Medic STILL tries to boast about his crowning medical achievement. He seriously does not understand that now is not the time to go all: "Yeah!! I brought him back to life!! Isn't that so cool? Aren't I just the best?"
He gets yelled at, but Medic still seems unphased. Perhaps he's either used to it considering that Cheavy just yells at everyone or he's still riding the high of bringing Sniper back to life. He's excited to go out and help the TFC team, saying that he'll be right behind Cheavy. That mirrors exactly what he says to Heavy.
But Cheavy swipes him away. Cheavy doesn't want anything to do with him (which is quite frankly the most reasonable thing to do right now). Cheavy orders Medic to stay in the infirmary and get out of their way, which Medic doesn't like in the slightest. Another headcanon, but I like the idea of Medic being extremely stubborn and constantly wanting to be in a dominating role. He likes ordering people around as shown with his personality in-game and the idea of him having to submit to another person just pisses him off.
And so, he betrays the TFC fully, rejoining the TF team.
In The Naked and the Dead, we open on Medic scrambling to get Miss Pauling blood. Again, improvisation shows here as he manages to figure out that if he just pours blood back into the bodies they'll live. Who cares if blood clots happen because of contradicting blood types?
He also says a curious line. When Miss Pauling expresses skepticism about this tactic working, he just goes: "I know, ja? Why do people even go to medical school?" Some people interpret this as him never even going to medical school. Personally? I like thinking that he's just mocking the need for a proper education when something as simple as pouring a bunch of blood into a person can bring them back to health.
It's a joke, but he's shown to be dedicated to bringing them back to life. He says that he's been soaking their blood using his own underwear for. some reason. Again, joke, but also like...that's some dedication right there.
The next time we see Medic is when he's tending to Demo's wounds. Again, small talk ala Meet the Medic. Medic is catching Demo up on all of the drama. He STILL BRAGS ABOUT BRINGING SNIPER TO LIFE HERE TOO. I genuinely forgot how many times this man brings up Sniper's revival. Oh my god I know that you're proud of bringing the bushman back to life but it's so comical seeing him constantly bring it up like: "Yeah!! And I was super cool and smart and able to do it, ja?" He's so silly.
More jokes here about Medic being able to replace Demo's eye, but because of Monoculous he can't keep it forever. Not much to comment on other than Medic is still rather dismissive of his procedures perhaps causing others genuine distress. Also, him just doing random things for no reason, like scooping out part of Demo's brain because he just got exhausted of hearing Demo ask for his eye back. Also implanting a brain into his leg because he just wants to see what happens. What a goofball.
Something to note is how Medic isn't really intimidating at all during these comics. Evil? Sure, but he's not exactly a looming figure who makes you quiver in your boots. He's casual, silly, and just kinda does what he likes to do. It makes me think about all the art of him with his hands clasped behind his back and with a creepy and unsettling expression. Looking at how Medic is shown in the MtM video and comics? He's...not really like that.
Then, Cheavy reappears. Something to note is that Cheavy doesn't call Medic by his name (or title I should say), but rather by nicknames (and slurs). Frankenstein is his most common one. Medic wouldn't like that.
Again, headcanons, but I think Medic and Cheavy bumped heads a lot considering how hostile Cheavy is to Medic. Because of this, Medic would despise Cheavy more than anything. What's worse than an annoying nagging beast of a person is one that won't even acknowledge his greatness and sees him as little more than a pest that Gray brought on cause they needed a Medic.
So, Medic attacks Cheavy. He reaches for his bonesaw, slashes him across the face before stabbing him in the abdomen. Revenge for killing Archimedes. But, Cheavy survives, reefing the blade out of him and then going out for blood. They both fight before Heavy interrupts.
Blah blah nothing too notable. Medic is a little bit of a sopping wet cat here. He's scared of Cheavy. By all means, he was previously being choked out by him, but c'mon Medic get your shit together bite his ankles. (/j /lh)
Heavy for?? Some reason throws aside Sasha because Cheavy wanted a "good death"?? I know it's coinvent for the plot since it gets Sasha out of the way so that Cheavy can kill Medic and piss off Heavy even more, but still. Maybe I need to do another analysis piece for Heavy to see if he's the type of guy to care about this, but I doubt I could drag it out nearly as long as this.
Regardless, Medic is shot and killed. He's then sent to hell. YAY!!!
FINALLY back to some interesting new Medic characterization. Medic has made a deal with the devil. What for? We don't know. Whatever works best for your fanfic. It doesn't matter what he sold his soul for in this scene though, as Medic is now damned to hell for everything. Oh no!
Until...a loophole. He reads the fine print and points out that the contract says that his soul is only owed to the devil if they own the majority stake in it. Well, Medic just so happened to have grafted eight more souls into him. 100% from the other mercs as he confirms later on, but again, he's just like that.
So Medic has zero qualms about stealing the souls of his teammates. Pretty much in line with what we know about him thus far.
He convinces the devil to sell another one of his souls so that he can go back to earth. In exchange? One of the pens on his table. He acts all surprised and shocked when the devil accepts, clearly revelling in his victory, before then being brought back to life.
If I may break away from the analysis for a bit and go into rambling: I do think Medic should've been slightly more unhinged here. By slightly I mean feral beast of a man, but y'know. Headcanons that alter and shape the way I see him, so I look at this scene and go: "He would NOT be that normal after tricking the devil and seeing the man who killed him" but it is what it is.
Then, the scene we all know and love. Medic toots his horn a little bit as he monologues about planting the uteruses into Cheavy, having him believe that the pen will activate the birthing process and three baboons will explode out of him. Again, he's enjoying himself. He likes seeing Cheavy being scared and afraid.
But, it's all a ploy, and Heavy tears the life-extending machine out of Cheavy. Heavy and Medic reunite, Medic finds the actual inductor and grabs his new baboon child, and...yeah that's the end of the comics. Uneventful, eh?
Conclusion
So, what a character, huh? I like him a little, can't you tell? Props if you actually managed to sit through this mess of an essay. It's mostly just for personal use and reference anyway. Writing about a character and taking notes helps me learn, and I just wanted to try doing something proper, y'know? I've only been writing about Medic for over a year now.
He's a bit of a mixed bag of traits and characterization. You can probably grab the parts that make up the core of his personality plus a couple other traits and then probably shape it into a rough form of who Medic is. It's how I think I write about him, to be honest.
The way to write Medic I feel is just trying to make sense of all of these little bits of character tossed at you, cause, yeah, you call say all these things, but how do you make it work? How do you make a character out of it? How do you rationalize all of these things being possible all at once?
Honestly? It's through trial and error. Soon enough you'll figure it out. Just keep in mind of what his character is. Look at his dialogue and thought process. Would he fucking say that? Would he fucking say it differently? So on and so forth.
Everyone can interpret him differently. Some may look at the things I say and will rebuttal that I'm giving him too much credit. Perhaps he's lying about certain things and is just manipulating them all. That's fair. It's perfectly valid. 
Medic is a comedic character first and foremost. Everything he says and does is meant to be funny. It's just that diseased fanfic writers like me have to overanalyze everything cause we're writing gay yaoi melodrama about murderers. A character who just constantly lies and manipulates I find isn't one I really want to make a protagonist out of, so I don't do it.
So, how do I write him? Well...
I take the aspects that I find most central to him. There's a lot, but I'll list the ones most imporant. His eccentricity is a core part of my enjoyment of him, so I cram it into him as much as physically possible. He's a giggly madman who unabashedly does what he likes to do. Him being apathetic to ethics as well is vital. He clearly does not give two shits about whether or not any of this is legal or moral. He does what he wants to do.
His ego is another big part. He loves attention and he loves being with people who think of him as some smart, grand guy. He's got a complex and has a constant need for others to validate him. If anybody tries taking him down a couple pegs, he lashes out.
That's another thing as well: his emotions. I think Medic wears his emotions on his sleeve and doesn't care to hide them. He's blunt, says exactly what he means regardless if it's nice or not, and generally could not care less over what is socially appropriate. If he doesn't care about a person, he won't make a single effort to even pretend to be interested in what they're saying. If he's excited, he'll laugh and make it known to everyone just how happy he is. Blah blah blah, you get it.
His mood swings and constantly shifting attitude is another thing too. All six of his emotions (neutral, afraid, happy, irritated, unbridled mania, overwhelming hatred and anger). It's easy for him to shift between them very rapidly and whatnot. All that sorta stuff.
The original characterization and voice lines I believe still hold water. I personally like interpreting them as coming from a place of genuine frustration that he only has when fighting. He's an emotional person who snaps and yells and gets annoyed and agitated very easily. His mood fluctuates between mania and seething hatred when fighting. I think it's as to be expected. He's on a battlefield. If you like respawn machine stuff, then it's implied that he's died numerous times and is completely sick of it, lashing out at his teammates for not protecting him.
There's several more aspects of Medic's character to which I write about in my own works, namely him being neurotic about constantly being in control, him being outwardly hostile to people he doesn't know and more close and caring to ones that he likes, and him generally being a lot more fond of his own team than he'd like to admit, but that's all sorta fanon stuff. Only I really care that much about it.
With that being said, Medic is one of the characters ever. Truth be told, this would've been less infuriating to write than, say, a Soldier analysis piece. Writing about my silly goofy middle-aged murderer is nice sometimes.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to stop procrastinating and get back to my fics.
61 notes · View notes
inceptionbingo · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media
Inception Bingo 2024 has begun! Sign up for a bingo card here!
Participants may choose a bingo card consisting of: a) tropes/prompts, b) kinks, or c) a mixture of tropes/prompts/kinks
What kind of fanworks can I create for Inception Bingo? We accept all of the below:
Fanfic
Fanart
Fanmix
Meta/Headcanon
Photomanip
Picset/gifset
Podfic
Rec list
Video
Sign-ups are open until June 30th 2024 and works can be posted until July 31st!
31 notes · View notes
Note
and it's a fanwork?
Yeah? I guess?
It's a fanwork/content farm/ drama soap opera channel...
Where Sun and Moon are Vtubers who play videogames. All the actrs are really talented.
They're just Roleplaying the characters at end of the world scenarios and they also play and react to things. I've been watching the channel since it's inception.
It's always a mixed bag of tackling serious emotional trauma.... and also shooing catnap from poppy playtime off their front porch.
It's a weird thing. But I am cringe and like weird things. I'm not explaining it well.
There is really extensive lore about the entire channel. Since it's been doing RP and gameplay stuff for about three years now.
@twinanimatronics has a master document that details all their lore.
I would call it, "A fanfiction as a Show." it's really hard to explain to people why I like it so much. I've been following back when they just had three terrible videos on their channel. like those early videos aren't good, but I was facinated with Vtubers at the time... and VTubers of the Fnaf characters Sun and Moon was such a novel concept... but like... Reed and Davis (the actors) really made the characters and lore and stories they want to tell their own. I can't believe they upload every day. It's awesome
24 notes · View notes
asecretvice · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
HELLO! I am opal_bullets on AO3, and I am putting my hat in the ring for Fandom Trumps Hate! I will write a new fic for Supernatural, Star Trek TOS/AOS, or Inception. Read my full pitch here.
If you're unfamiliar with FTH, this is about raising money for some wonderful charities. Basically, starting March 5 you can 'bid' on my (or others') fanwork by saying how much you will donate to one of those charities. As a gift for the person who ends up donating the most, I will write a brand new fic of at least 5k in one of the above fandoms. See FTH's tumblr for more links and details, including the featured charities.
Feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions about what I can write for you, to help you decide if you'd like to bid.
Please reblog if you can, so more eyes can see this! Over 1,000 creators signed up, so chances are even if you don't decide to bid on me, you'll find a creator perfect for you.
FIND ME HERE AND BID STARTING MARCH 5. THANK YOU!
16 notes · View notes
robins-egg-bindery · 1 year
Text
Renegade Publishing & The Realities of Anti-Censorship
DISCLAIMER: I can only speak for myself and my own thoughts and opinions; I do not speak for Renegade, ASH, or anyone else. I am attempting to come at this from an objective viewpoint, insofar as any human is able to manage. No part of this is meant as an attack, but rather an open dialogue about community values.
We are a not-for-profit guild of fanbinders — publishing in extremely limited edition fannish works, including fanfiction, meta, original fic, zines, and other works. We are a transformative community connected by shared values, shared goals, shared work, and shared stories. We value fanfiction and fanwork in all its forms, and our fannish culture’s infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
-Excerpt from “Renegade Publishing Manifesto”
Renegade was founded by ArmoredSuperHeavy in 2020, following a viral post titled “I am a Guerrilla Publisher.” This post, along with his document “How To Make A Book”, found its way to like minded folks, spawned a community, and incited the modern fanbinding movement as it is seen today.
This community has since grown exponentially. It can be difficult to see Renegade as a whole, and by extension how vast it is, but here are some statistics to put it into perspective:
SNAPSHOT OF A YEAR (2022)
Typesetting/Binding Exchange: 33 typesetting participants, 41 bound fic participants, more than doubled from the previous year.
FFWAD (Fan Fiction Writer Appreciation Day): 34 books sent to 9 countries
Binderary: 156 books created in 2022. This year, 2023, we had 729 books created from 117 different fandoms.
Additionally, we have Renegade members on every continent (barring Antarctica). The Discord has risen to over 2,000 people, with the Renegade Publishing membership nearing 200. We are a guild of artists shaped by shared community values surrounding the ethos of fanbinding as a craft. Renegade as an organization is run by a volunteer group 40+ strong, with a code of conduct and rules written collectively; no one member or person holds any superior power over the group as a whole. Generalizations on a community this wide and this deep are misplaced and misrepresented.
I myself have been heavily involved in many of these volunteer efforts and events, in a mission to make Renegade’s resources visible and accessible to all, because I believe fanbinding on the whole will be richer and more fulfilling, the more people who are empowered to bind for themselves.
We bind for the following reasons:
To stand against censorship in any of its forms. Most of the books contain subject matter some people may find objectionable on various grounds. Some binders deliberately seek out works that authors and artists were persecuted online for creating.
-Excerpt from “Renegade Publishing Manifesto”
Renegade was founded on an anti-censorship tenet; it has been in our manifesto, our code of conduct, and the server rules since the community’s inception. What content any member chooses to bind is separate from Renegade, and solely their personal choice. Renegade does not content police, or pass any kind of official judgment on the content that anyone chooses to bind. If this sounds familiar, (and it should):
You understand that using the Archive may expose you to material that is offensive, triggering, erroneous, sexually explicit, indecent, blasphemous, objectionable, grammatically incorrect, or badly spelled.
You recognize that the OTW does not endorse Content on the Archive in any way, except when material appears as an official statement of the OTW. No committee members, officers, or directors of the OTW are acting in an official capacity when they post fanworks, commentary, or other Content of the type generally provided by site users.
This is a direct quote from the Terms of Service page for AO3. The Archive does not screen content; there is no content policing on AO3 and there never has been, never will be. The Archive was created specifically so there wouldn’t be any content policing, and was founded on the principle of protecting all fan works - and yes, this does include the content you may think shouldn’t exist, why would somebody write that, etc. If you find any content on AO3 unacceptable, for any reason (you find it offensive, triggering, disgusting, morally reprehensible, etc)...I’m sorry to tell you that it is indeed permitted on the Archive. Renegade is exactly, 100% the same in regards to this issue.
AO3 and Renegade take fandom as a whole - the good, the bad, and yes, even the ugly. At the end of the day, it’s important to recognize that the Archive and Renegade both deliberately chose to keep their content open to all, even while knowing that doing so would essentially be opening Pandora’s Box.
If you disagree with this ethos, that is absolutely fine, as everyone should cultivate and curate their own experiences and spaces. The reality for me is that, whether or not I personally do/do not engage with or condemn/endorse certain content, I believe in the tenet of anti-censorship. I do not feel like it is my place to tell anyone what they can and cannot write, read, or bind, and the Renegade community, like AO3, upholds that belief impartially and unequivocally.
Regardless, just like AO3, it is up to you to curate your own experience. I, personally, do not look into binds of content that I do not wish to engage with; your feed is your own to curate. I have intentionally withheld any kind of personal judgment in this discussion, as it has no bearing on analyzing Renegade’s position and tenet of anti-censorship.
To quote Evelyn Hall:
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
-The Friends of Voltaire, Evelyn Hall
I want to reiterate that I can only speak for myself and my personal analysis and understanding of Renegade’s rules; any official response from Renegade will need to come from an official Renegade page, and any response from ASH will come from his personal pages. We are an organization, just like AO3, and I encourage everyone to explore our informational pages for full context on the above excerpts, if you feel compelled.
137 notes · View notes
proceduralpassion · 8 months
Text
Depth Over Distance
Tumblr media
Prompt: Day 1 Of Narcoctober - Create a fanwork about a canon character you’ve never written about/used before
Characters: Mika Camarena x Brother!OC (Michael Luna)
CW: language, discussions of grief/death
WC: ~2.2K
A/N: Hiiii friends, my first Mika fic! Credit to @nocturnal-milk-dud for the pic above. Also, if you've read my IWBSS series, you're probably already familiar with my OC Michael Luna, who's actually Mika's older brother. Had so much fun writing their sibling dynamic and a little insight into how Michael winds up in Colombia. Hope you enjoy 💖
“Just the person I wanted to see.” 
“Michael!” Mika exclaimed in both surprise and excitement. It’d been a while since she’d seen her older brother, a steady presence in her life for as long as she could remember. His position as an agent for the Mexico Interpol field office kept him busy, but that wasn’t why he’d been keeping his distance. 
The two of them basked in their hug before taking a seat next to one another and looking out at the baseball practice field. The park may as well have been a second home for her with how often she was here for her oldest son’s practices and games. 
“How’ve you been? Work must be keeping you busy, mano.” 
Michael shrugged, “It’s never not, unfortunately.” 
She hummed in response. They were no strangers to sitting in silence, savoring how the quiet was an easier kind of forgiveness. Their relationship didn’t allow for conflict or discord. It was effortless even at its inception. Maybe it was the decade length of age difference, but Mika and Michael had never been the type of siblings to fight. 
“How’s he doing?” Michael asks, nudging his chin towards his oldest nephew.
“Better. He’s been putting a lot more power behind those swings,” Mika sighs, “I’m glad he has the outlet. He needs it.”
She had planned on taking him out for the season after Kiki’s passing, but he begged for her to keep him in. Now, as she watched him pour every ounce of grief into his swings, she wanted to kick herself for ever thinking of the idea. Somehow, the conscience inside his little body craved for something he hadn’t realized he would need. An outlet. 
Mika chuckles to herself, wishing she had one of those. Some kind of avenue to channel every emotion bouncing in the recesses of her heart and mind. But every second of every day was dedicated to making sure her boys would and could grow up without such a vital figure in their lives. Anything less than 100% was unacceptable to her. 
Michael coming to these games might’ve been the only adult interaction she got these days. Her life had become a precise routine, down to the hour, and she never veered from it, too afraid that the facade of togetherness would shatter with any detour. She clinged to the sense of normalcy and warmth she got from their bleacher seat conversations, even if they were of the most mundane topics. And mundane they were. 
Michael’s way of helping his little sister grieve was to simply not bring it up. She had more than enough people asking if she was alright, he figured. So he didn’t ask. He was patient with her and comforting during those moments when it all felt like too much and she needed a good cry. Otherwise, he carried on as usual. The first practice after Kiki’s funeral, Michael sat down next to her and started talking about some new television show he started watching called Murder, She Wrote and how he confused Angela Lansbury with Agatha Christie. 
It’s the first time she bursts into laughter since she became a widow. She calls him an idiot and explains that they are indeed two different people, though Angela had starred in a film based on Agatha’s novel. Later that week, she watches an episode of Murder, She Wrote so she can discuss the episode with him. 
Another week, he brings polvorones. He notices she’s losing weight and this is his silent way of getting her to recuperate her appetite. She’s never been able to resist the crumbly shortbread sweets and smiles to himself when she takes the bag from him and hogs them all to herself. 
Ever perceptive, she knows the intentions behind the gesture, but doesn’t acknowledge it beyond obnoxiously licking her fingers after finishing them all.
“What if I wanted more?” He jokes.
“Too bad.”
He holds his youngest nephew in his arms as Mika rounds up her oldest, adrenaline-drunk son. He should be dead tired after the lively game under this scorching sun, but his team won and he’s still amped up as they walk back to their cars.
Her youngest babbles in baby talk and Michael indulges by nodding his head, as if actually following along with whatever the infant is trying to convey. 
Mika catches it and remarks, “He could be telling you that he thinks your goatee looks like a ferret on your chin and there you are, nodding and smiling like a doofus.” 
He looks at his nephew, seemingly ignoring his little sister’s comical dig, “What do you think, sobrino? No más polvorones para tu madre, ¿bien?”  
Mika’s eyes widened, “Wait, nevermind. He said that’s a nice shirt you’re wearing today.”
All in all, she’s not sure she’d be keeping it together if not for her big brother. It’s only once a week that she usually sees him, but the other six days are filled with longing. It’s like she crawls desperately every day so that she can get to the day where she finally sees him. 
He’s been less present this past month. Skipping practices and games, leaving vague voicemails on her machine in the aftermath. When she does get to see him, he’s more withdrawn which is saying a lot coming from a man of so few words already. She doesn’t breach the topic. Namely, it’s because she’s got a lot going on as a young widow and mother, but also because Michael’s not the kind of person you cajole or nag on. He’ll come to you when he’s ready but will blow away like a leaf if you push him too hard.
It’s annoying, but again, they’re the kind of siblings who roll their eyes at each other, rather than fully air their grievances and argue. 
“I’ve got a job offer in Medellin, Colombia.” 
When she learns of Kiki’s death, it’s like the noxious feeling that takes over you when you jump out of a plane with no parachute. Your stomach doesn’t drop, but your senses are swiped from you. You can’t see because grief is like the air that blasts into your eyes. You can’t hear because your ears have just been violently assaulted with the worst news of your life. If you touch anything, it’s like you’re grasping nothingness because how else are your hands supposed to act when they know they’ll never touch their lover again? 
When Michael tells Mika he’s leaving, it’s more like a rollercoaster. There is a drop in her stomach. She feels nauseous. Her stomach roils in spirals.
With her husband’s death, it was a long, unidirectional descent that left her fractured in pieces when the news landed on her.
With her brother leaving, it’s like the sudden drops, the highs and lows, and loops of a rollercoaster.
She’s proud because she knows how hard he works at his job.
Loop.
She’s angry because he’s leaving for an entirely different country and that solid mass of reliance that she’s had for the past four months is leaving with him.
Loop.
She’s scared out of her mind because how is she supposed to function now that she’s realized he’s become a crux?
Another fucking loop.
She only nods when she finally digests the news enough to form a response.
But when he follows her home, something he hasn’t done before, she slaps him two steps into stepping into the house.
And then she goes to grab him an ice pack in short order, because shit she didn’t mean to do that even though it kinda felt good. He takes it and they sit on the couch together once the boys are in bed for the night. Michael hasn’t taken the ice pack to his face at all in the couple of hours since she slapped him. Finally, she takes it from his grasp and holds it in the hand that she striked across his face. All this time, it’s been sore and she presses the mostly water but still somewhat chilly pack onto it.
“That shit hurt, didn’t it?”
Mika laughs and laughs until the queasy feeling in her stomach is replaced by aches from the overuse of her accessory muscles in snickering loudly at his comment. She cackles even more as she notes the red hand print forming on his cheek, knowing that it probably hurt as much for him as it did for her. He’s just too fucking prideful and that’ll never change. 
Once her laughter finally leaves the room, Michael heaves a heavy sigh.
“I don’t have to leave for another month. And Christmas isn’t that far away when you think about so… I’ll be home, then.”
Christmas is six months away and she already struggles through the other six days of the week that she doesn't see him.
She could tell him not to go, but to her, that would be admitting weakness and he’s already the one person that doesn’t pity her or treats her with kid gloves. And she is feeling pretty weak right about now, and she knows that he knows it, but it’s different when you have to verbally admit that. 
She also tells him not to go because she knows that he’ll stay. 
When she was six, she watched a horror movie called El Monstruo resucitado even after the warnings from her parents not to. They were out having dinner with friends and only her and Michael were home. He comes out into the living room to see her cowering in the corner at the image of the disfigured creature who possessed the eponymous character. Sure, like any other sixteen year old brother would do, he laughed and teased her for being afraid of some dumb movie, but later that night, his face veers into resolute seriousness when she finally breaks and tearily begs for him to sleep at the foot of her bed so that the monster man doesn’t come to hurt her. 
His back feels like shit the next morning and he still continues teasing her when she gets in trouble from her parents for watching the movie, but she knows then that he would do anything he asked of her. 
She had a will right now, in the present day, not to break no matter how much the rope of her composure bent. And damn, did she want to break. 
But if there was anything else that kept her glued into one piece these days, it was rage. 
Rage at the ones responsible for her husband’s death. Rage at the existence of drug cartels. Rage that they wielded such strong enough power to rot out the heart of entire families. Leaving them in shades of gray and blue from the lack of oxygen and the rush of anguish and despair that came in to replace it from the air. 
The drug trade was as interconnected and intricate as the labyrinth webs that spiders spun. And their touch was just as covert and venomous. There were ties between the Guadalajara cartel and Medellin cartel that necessitated relationships between the law enforcement agencies trying to sever them. A man with Michael’s accomplishment and knowledge was the perfect person needed in Colombia as the cobwebs grew. 
If that led to the takedown of not only the men who murdered her beloved but also all the other scum just like him, then she opined that he absolutely needed to go. 
Michael knows that his little sister will stand on her own two feet and continue carrying herself, carrying her boys forward into this new, harrowing chapter of their lives. He doesn’t doubt for a second that they’ll be okay and he acknowledges as much when he says, “Do me a favor and make an individual tres leche just for me on Christmas. Don’t tell her I said that, but I hate when mamá puts all those mangos in it.”
And because that’s their “thing”, she jokes, “I’ll tell her and put extra mangos when I make it for you.” 
She’s not sure where she goes from here, but she’s got two young boys relying on her and a husband whose demise deserves retribution.
She leans on her brother as they watch an episode of Murder, She Wrote together while night blankets the sky outside. If there’s any source of strength that she can gain from what’s probably their last night of one-on-one bonding, she’s quick to cipher it for all of its worth. 
They’ve said “I love you” to each other maybe a handful of times in their lifetime. They don’t say it now. It doesn’t need to be said. 
She can’t see what the other end of the tunnel looks like. 
The light’s too dim and she’s all alone. But if she closes her eyes and listens closely enough, she can hear him, hear Michael’s voice. 
Where life takes her next, she’s gotta do it alone. But she knows he’ll always be the one to catch her before she falls. The one who protects her from monsters and demons, even the ones taking hold in her head.
Two thousand miles of space between them could never change that.
It was always depth over distance for them.
Click here if you want to be added to my taglist! Taglist: @asirensrage @narcosfandomdiscord
21 notes · View notes
inceptgen · 9 months
Text
InceptGen is back again!
Tumblr media
From September 1 to November 30 come join the fandom’s Gen Fest!
The rules are simple:
You can create any fanwork, as long as a romantic relationship is not the focus of the work. Then tag the InceptGen blog so we can share it with everyone else, too!
And that’s it! Really!
We welcome any and all types of fanworks, as well as rec lists, playlists…you name it! Meta about your most favorite Inception character? Yes please! A sketch of the team all falling asleep on top of each other? Love it!
There are no sign ups required. We just want to spread some love for gen works!
We’ll see you on September 1!
24 notes · View notes
charmikarma · 4 months
Text
charmikarma's homestuck fanwork rec list
will be updated as i work my way through more things i like :) check under da cut
notes: parentheses indicate the focus(es) of each work, and works with explicit content are marked [E]. gen means there's no specific ship or character focus.
Canon Compliant or Canon-Adjacent Works
Karkat Goes To A Convention, Act 1 by Cole (gen)
i have two pitches for kgtac. here they are:
if you ever find yourself missing homestuck in the old days before postcanon, or even just the old days of homestuck fandom, you should read karkat goes to a convention immediately.
this is the most homestuck thing i have read since homestuck.
act 1 of kgtac is completed, and is the main draw here. act 2 is currently ongoing and is pretty much completely unrelated to act 1. i think it's alright. but act 1 is absolutely a must-read.
Detective Pony by sonnetstuck (dirk)
do i even need to explain this one? it's detective pony. it's a great character study of dirk. i'm sure you've all heard of it. if you haven't read it, go do that now. please.
Jade Route by SPICYYETI (jade)
jade route is a post-epilogues comic following meat!jade who is trapped in a body controlled by calliope. it's a take on the "ending" that the epilogues don't offer. i think it's pretty clever - it does a great job of using the medium. also, it's about jade :) may or may not have had an impact of some size on how i personally read jade.
AU Fics
Crossfire by HappiKatt (gen; dave)
ok, this series only contains one fic (for now). it's called "the calm is terrifying when the storm is all you've known." ok i literally could not put this fic down. it has the best hook i've ever seen. a proper fucking novel. and some of the best character writing i have EVER seen for the whole strilonde family. augh it's so good. and the art is really good too (YES IT'S ILLUSTRATED).
The Eurydice Suite by callmearcturus [E] (gen; davekat)
inception au. some of the coolest action and plot stuff with an ensemble cast i've ever read followed by the best davekat fic i've ever read. really cool stuff.
Catacombs by oxfordRoulette [E] (jadekat; dirkjohn)
another series. it's a d&d-like au. very tongue in cheek about this fact at times. the real draw here is the third fic in the series, Vanitas Vanitatum, which has stellar dirk and john writing. you could read it on its own, but the first two fics are also QUITE good, are about jadekat, and the second one sets up vanitas beautifully, so... you should read all three??? :3c
Miscellaneous
Homestuck Made This World by Ranged Touch (analysis)
hsmtw is a readthrough/analysis podcast whose goal is not to analyze homestuck on its own terms, but to challenge it and put it back into its historical context. it's not the easiest to listen to as a homestuck fan - the hosts are very critical at times, and i don't always agree with their opinions on things that happen in homestuck - but i think the analysis about what homestuck does, tries to do, and is responding to is very important, especially for people who weren't there for homestuck's original run. which... includes me! i read homestuck in 2014. i missed most of the most important homestuck historical moments. in any case, hsmtw changed the way i look at homestuck and other media. highly recommend, at the very least for understanding homestuck's historical context
Sugoi Quest for Kokoro by death420 (gen)
well well well well well well. well. 🤔 well. if it isn't ratchet and fuckin CLANK
DORITOS & FRITOS by bb-panzu (davejade)
good video. has davejade. i'm not an artist or anything but i think there's some kind of artistic genius happening here. it scratches my brain just right.
10 notes · View notes
Text
To be honest, I am completely not surprised that RT would do this considering, they have been stealing fanmade content since the very inception.
As someone who has been following the show for a decade and RT content overall bit longer - with RT and RWBY, them just randomly stealing stuff without credit is kind of a given. A lot of their "fresh" ideas can be traced back to either fanworks or popular shows/movies (and they have been a lot more blatant with that in MilesWBY era) . RT since inception has been the embodiment of that "You made this?.... I made this" meme comic.
They are just crass/desperate enough to try to openly enforce that now.
Good luck with that, LMAO.
23 notes · View notes
inceptionwatchparty · 11 months
Text
Inception Watch Party Bingo 2023
Inception Watch Party Bingo is coming up on Sunday, July 16!
Inception watch party bingo will take place at the following watch parties in the #watch-party channel on the Discord server (message us if you need an invite!):
Sunday, July 16 4:00 PM EDT | 8PM GMT 
Sunday, July 16 8:00 PM EDT | 12:00AM GMT 
Watch party bingo (not the same thing as Inception Bingo, the fanworks event) is a special watch party event where you receive a bingo card listing certain parts of Inception, and you mark off your squares as you identify these parts during the watch party. The first three bingo callers are eligible to win a prize!
To play watch party bingo, email [email protected]
Instructions
This is blackout bingo, which means that a bingo is made when all boxes are checked off on your card.
Once you have a full card, send a BINGO in the chat and verify that the watch party host saw your message.
If  you are the first, second, third, or fourth place bingo caller in chat, send an email to  [email protected] with your Discord name for verification (only the top three people per chat get a prize, but we take four names in case someone filled their card incorrectly).
Once your card is verified, you’ll get a confirmation email back and you’ll be connected to your prize-giver. Prize delivery time may vary.
Rules
You may only play one card.
You may only play during one watch party.
You must be present in the #watch-party channel when your bingo items occur during the movie.
Each winner may only have one prize.
Have fun!!!!
21 notes · View notes
inceptiversary · 10 months
Text
Weekly Bulletin: July 30 and beyond!
Tumblr media
Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in this year’s Inceptiversary! We hope you all had as much fun as we did!
Even though the end of the month has arrived, there are still events running into August! Then below the cut is a list of confirmed upcoming Inception fandom events to look forward to!
Be sure to follow @inceptioncentral if you haven’t already, to keep up to date on all Inception fandom news outside of Inceptiversary season!
Sunday, July 30
@inceptionwatchparty​​ - Glass Onion, 8PM EDT / 12 AM GMT
Monday July 31
@inceptionpositivity​​ posting ends
Inception Quiz closes
Tuesday, August 1
@aeldws​ drabbles due, voting opens
Thursday, August 3
@aeldws​ voting closes, 7PM EDT
Friday, August 4
@aeldws​ final prompt posted, 1AM EDT
@inceptionwatchparty​ - Venom: Let There be Carnage, 8PM EDT / 12 AM GMT
Saturday, August 5
@inceptionwatchparty​ - Brick, 8PM EDT / 12 AM GMT
Tuesday, August 8
Final @aeldws​ drabbles due, voting opens
Thursday, August 10
@aeldws​ voting closes, final results posted
Upcoming Inception Events:
InceptGen ( @inceptgen​ )
September 1 - November 31
Coming back for its third year, a fest to celebrate any and all gen fanworks! There are no signups needed and no rule except one: whatever you create, a romantic relationship cannot be the focus of the fanwork.
Inception Trick or Treat ( @inceptiontrick-or-treat​ )
October; Posting Day October 31
A free for all content extravaganza where artists and authors create fun-size works for the fandom. We actively encourage and welcome doodles and drabbles. It was always a blast to find the house giving our full size candy bars, so longer fics and more complicated art are also accepted. Halloween and fall themes are encouraged, but not required. All pairings and gen are welcome.
Arthur’s Anonymous ( @arthursanonymous​ )
December
An anonymous multifandom AO3 comment-giving and -receiving gift event!
Secret Saito ( @secretsaito​ )
November - December; Posting Day December 31
A fun fandom gift exchange! When you sign up, you provide a prompt and a list of pairings, genres, etc. you would be open to receiving. Then you list pairings, genres, etc. that you would be willing to create. Once signups have closed, Saito shuffles all the responses together and pairs everyone up with someone else (but secretly!). On posting day, you can unveil your fanwork to your giftee and spread some love!
Inception Gen/Rare Pair Drabble Contest ( @igrpdc​ )
March - April
An event to highlight gen and rare pair fic in a friendly, non-elimination drabble competition!
17 notes · View notes
duckprintspress · 6 months
Text
DPP Contributor Interview: A. L. Heard
Tumblr media
A. L. Heard is one of the founding members of Duck Prints Press and has been a part of our planning team since before our official inception, offering her advice and expertise to the Press since mid-2019, and she’s been an editor on our anthologies Add Magic to Taste, And Seek (Not) to Alter Me, He Bears the Cape of Stars, She Wears the Midnight Crown, and Aim For The Heart. She’s also a prolific author of stories of all lengths and in all genres, and one of the most active authors involved with the Press.
Pre-orders of the revised edition of A. L. Heard’s debut novel Hockey Bois open on December 1st, 2023!
Want to meet A. L. Heard and ask her YOUR questions? YOU CAN! Join us TOMORROW, Thursday, November 30th, at 8 p.m. Eastern time (converter) on our Book Lover’s Discord server for a very special Ask Me Anything session with the author of Hockey Bois!
Author Biography: Ashley, pen name A. L. Heard, fandom name jhoom, is a 35-year-old teacher, writer, and mother of two little boys. She’s been writing fanworks since she discovered fanfiction.net back in her middle school days; the platform has changed and the writing’s improved, but Ashley ultimately still spends her free time writing about characters she adores in worlds she’d like to explore. Her first novel, Hockey Bois, was published in 2021. In between writing projects, she works as a language teacher in the Pittsburgh area, plays hockey, and plays trains with her sons.
Links: Bluesky | Instagram
-
How did you pick the name you create under?
It’s a combination of my [real life] name and family names, making it unique but also still connected to me.
-
When and why did you begin creating?
I started writing fic during middle school and went through phases where I’d write fic and original work and then long periods with no writing. I’m happy to be settled into writing on a regular basis 🙂
-
What’s your favorite part of the creation process?
The brainstorming and playing around with a new story and characters, where everything is still possible and I haven’t had to commit to any particular plot point.
-
Describe your ideal creation space.
An office that’s well lit with an endless supply of tea or coffee or snacks, with no distractions or extra noises except birds. Either that or a brewery or cafe with background noise.
-
What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?
Tea, coffee, and baked goods (cookies, scones, that sort of thing)
-
What’s one thing (style, genre, etc.) that you think you’ll never do, and why not?
Epic fantasy – they’re awesome stories but I don’t have the creativity/brain for a large scale world and magic system like that.
-
Short Stories A. L. has published with Duck Prints Press:
Brady Jensen vs. Haunted Houses (modern high school Hockey Bois au, m/m, getting together)
Brambles, Pollen, and Other Natural Disasters (modern college Hockey Bois au, explicit, m/m, sex pollen)
In Which James Willoby Enjoys a Ball Far More Than One Should (victorian, explicit, m/m, secret relationship)
Masquerade at Melchor (in the anthology He Bears the Cape of Stars) (science fiction, m/m/m, heist rivals to lovers)
The Musketeer’s Daughter: The Tale of Jacques Toussaint (in the anthology Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” – coming to our webstore in January, 2024) (historical, f/m, trans musketeer, getting together)
The Offered Ones (fantasy, no ship, found family, children lost in the woods)
The Princess and the Maze (fantasy, no ship, fairy-tale vibe)
Princess Antonia del Montari aka The Accidental Barista (modern, f/f, coffee shop fluff)
Snowbound and Love Sick (modern college Hockey Bois au, explicit, m/m, snowed-in together)
The Tasty Crumpet (in the anthology Add Magic to Taste) (modern with magic, m/m, idiots to lovers)
7 notes · View notes
inceptionbingo · 2 months
Text
Inception Bingo 2024 - Coming Soon!
Tumblr media
For the benefit of those who haven’t played before, Bingo is a pan-fanworks challenge, open to all ships and gen relationships, that uses well-known fandom tropes and/or kinks as squares.
What is the schedule this year?
27th April: Sign ups open
4th May: Participants will receive their card and are free to start posting!
30th June: Sign ups close.
31st July: Last day to post works
Any questions? 
Please feel free to send the mods a message or a DM. We look forward to seeing you for the 2024 Bingo!!
12 notes · View notes