#i'm i bit lost at the moment with no active fandom to obsess over

[imoldgreggory]

❤️

#peaky blinders #i still haven't seen season 6 so pls no spoilers #tommy shelby #alfie solomons #cillian murphy #tom hardy #i'm i bit lost at the moment with no active fandom to obsess over #so these two help to keep me sane #emotional support gangsters

[ivyial]

Okay, I just saw your other ask about leshley/eagleone and felt like I had to get in on this because ever since RE4Make came out, I've been going crazy over this ship. I have always found it cute in RE4 OG, but now it's driving me crazy. I cannot understand how many people miss the many implications that Leon is trying to flirt during certain parts of the game. Like seriously, come on, pals, he's being so awkward, trying to sound cool and give compliments that end up sounding weirder than he intended. And I don't know if it's just me that noticed this, but I find it funny how Leon talks to Ashley in certain moments like it's the easiest thing to do; then, in other parts, he really has no clue how to speak to her. Does that not scream attraction to anyone?

i'm with you on this one. i don't know how people miss EVERYTHING about them. like they don't even go "oh?" at times when they're playing. it probably depends on the mindset you have when you're playing. if you're hyperfocused on the action, maybe you'll miss it. idk. on social media, there are two broad types of people who have negative reactions when it comes to leon/ashley:

1. aeon shippers (mostly, can be other shippers as well, but they're mostly chill because they themselves get forced into a corner by aeon stans) who think it threatens their ship

2. people who are fiercely anti-romance when it comes to whatever media they consume and consider it to be dumb and actively making a good piece of media worse (because in their eyes, romance is a lowly preoccupation to have)

and both groups are super bitter for no reason lmaoooo. you might have noticed a tendency in media discourse recently on social media that is very anti-romance - a few weeks ago, it became a whole thing on twitter because of the bear (the tv show) and the ship between sydney and carmy, to the point where even official media outlets started talking about it. romance is considered dumb. everything that contains romance is essentially a bad soap opera. blah blah blah we're all too smart for that. there's a very strong, almost puritanical anti-sex sentiment going around at the moment as well, and i wish it was just some isolated issue within fandoms overpopulated by young teens, but people lost their minds over two sex scenes in oppenheimer for god's sake. and if i had the time and willpower and knowledge, i'd turn this into a discussion about how that ties into humans being obsessed with moving away from every single instinct that they have, but well.

i also agree with the second part of your ask, about leon's attitude towards ashley. tbh, leon can't flirt for shit: most of the time, he's awkward (RE2R, the fence scene with claire: i can never tell if he's attempting to flirt, or if he's just awkward because there's a cute girl right in front of him) or even downright unfunny (was he trying to flirt with jill in death island? was he trying to lighten the mood? idk man leon is a bit of a whore so). he tries to flirt all the time: we got shen may in infinite darkness, ada, etc. we know he isn't smooth.

so one thing that really sticks out in RE4R is his tone with ashley, in two specific instances (maybe more): the one i mentioned in my previous ask, when he says "i can catch you", and when he sees ashley asleep on the bed in chapter 13 (and calls out to her). these are two very intense and high-stress situations where he kind of reverts back to RE2R leon (nick does a great job at conveying the difference in maturity in leon's voice in both games). he's very distressed. why does that matter? because fucking shouting ashley's name when there are two enemies 10 meters away (we know that, he doesn't, but the island is riddled with ganados, so why would he even try?) is the stupidest decision a special agent could make. and yet he does it anyway. there are other instances of leon being in a similar situation, yet he still retains that deeper tone of his - see his first encounter with krauser in chapter 11.

and it's not just because he's doing his job, which is what one of my friends argued, because you don't go around flirting with the person you're tasked to rescue for shits and giggles. not to mention, that's the president's daughter. if he was just doing his job, he'd stick to the plan, be stoic and get her home and that's it. that's what's required of him. implying that the first daughter is hot as fuck and that he doesn't usually enjoy his regular missions nearly as much as he does when he's with her isn't part of his job description. there's a difference between being a decent guy and not treating her like cargo, and overtly flirting with her.

i think he's also very awkward with her at first because he's toeing the line between what's acceptable and what isn't, so he can figure out if there is grounds for flirting and it's not wholly unwanted on ashley's part. then you get that pep talk in the castle, which is when they really start to get comfortable with each other and when he attempts some physical contact that isn't just 100% necessary. she reacts well, which explains why he takes it further in chapter 9. he spends the rest of the game painfully distressed and by chapter 16, they're all over each other (jetski + taking her hand to run to the elevator - leon, the girl is smart, she knows how to run and follow you).

leon has a crush. plain and simple. he doesn't know how to deal with it, except for the few times when he does and the flirting is technically reciprocated. idk how people can't notice the plain signs of attraction, even in a generation that is as recluse and introverted as mine tends to be, but they're very obvious once you start paying attention.

#leon kennedy #ashley graham #eagleone #leshley #resident evil 4 #resident evil

[usamamoweek2024]

Meet the Creators - Kaito Scarlett

What username(s) and platform(s) can folx find you on? (Please include links!)

Kaito Scarlett on FFnet, Ao3 and Tumblr (@kaitoscarlett) :)

(Fun Fact) What is your favorite kind of potato?

Tough question! I can't live without potatoes <3 Hm...I'd say the usual ones as fries or chips. Preferably spicy and crispy. I could write an essay, but I'll just leave it like that.

How long have you been creating works in fandom spaces? How long have you been active in the SM fandom?

Hm... When I was younger I drew pictures of my favorite characters, but just for myself. Does that count? But I posted my first (still unfinished) Sailor Moon fic in July 2021. It's actually the first fan fiction I have ever written and I never thought I would write one myself. But here I am :)

What type(s) of creative works do you usually make? (fanfics, digital art, cosplay)

Fanfics, but I do occasionally draw.

What do you enjoy about creating for the SM fandom?

Another tough question! Maybe because I still love the characters and while I re-read and re-watched the manga and anime as a grown-up, I kind of felt a connection to especially Usagi, that was very different from when I was a kid. And Sailor Moon will always a have a special place in my heart. It's so cool to see so many other creators who feel the same and get inspired to create wonderful stories and art.

Are you strictly UsaMamo or do you create for other pairings as well?

For now, yes I am. And I don't think it's going to change. I'm a sucker for their relationship (:

What inspires you to create works for Usagi and Mamoru?

It all started, because I dove back into fan fiction after rewatching the anime and I just couldn't get enough. So I scrolled through fan fiction and became a little bit obsessed with so many great stories. Especially the ones in which the characters are grown-up. I've often thought about writing myself, but starting to write is kind of hard. I get inspired when I read other stories or an idea suddenly enters my mind.

But lately life has been quite stressful and I lost my writing groove. We'll see when I get it back.

Do you tend to work on multiple projects (WIPs) simultaneously or try to finish one at a time?

Since I have three unfinished fics at the moment, I'd say I work on multiple projects simultaneously. But I try to concentrate on one at a time. That's why I haven't updated my first fic for over a year.

Do you prefer large projects (chaptered fics, webtoons/zines, highly detailed art) or small projects (one-shots or simple art)?

Hm...I do like to read multi-chapter fics or a long one-shot. I enjoy the excitement of waiting for a new chapter. As for writing myself. I haven't written a one-shot, yet. So I'd say I prefer larger projects. That way I can write a shorter chapter and publish it instead of writing one long story, that I would probably never see the light of day, because I'm a lazy writer.

Are there any common themes, situations, tropes, or mediums in your work?

Maybe a bit of angst? Self-worth is a big topic, I would say. Struggles with adulthood? But I havent't analyzed my fics enough to say there are common themes. Though I'd say the start situation of our beloved couple in my fics is mostly the same/ very similar.

Is there anything you haven’t explored artistically and would like to try?

I want to draw more. And write a fake-dating-trope-story. Nothing else comes to my mind right now :)

#sailor moon #usamamoweek2023 #meet the creators #usagi x mamoru #usamamo

[the-badger-mole]

Fanfic Overview Review!

Tagged by: @soopersara

Tagging: anyone who wants to answer these is totally welcome to. Feel free to tag me if you answer these. I need new fics to read.

How many works do you have on AO3?

21 (23 on FFN)

What’s your total AO3 word count?

380008

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Inuyasha (FFN)

Sailor Moon (FFN)

ATLA/LOK (FFN/Ao3)

Are there any new fandoms you want to write for?

Not at the moment, but I'm open to finding a new obsession

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

When You See Me

The Worst Blind Date Ever!

Down the Road and Back Again

All the Things That Are and Will Be

Harbinger Bloom

Which of your fics do you want more attention for?

ALL of them!!!!

.

.

.

But I'm happy to start with Summer Bloom. It's a Toph-centric fic that focuses on her friendship with Katara and Suki.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Sometimes. If I can't think of anything other than "thanks" to say, I won't do it.

What sorts of things do you normally write?

I don't know if I "normally" write anything. Most of my stories have a happy ending, though.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It's probably a toss-up between In Kya's Garden and Choices and Consequences. Both are only on FFN for now, but if I'm supposed to stick to Ao3, then the angstiest story I have on there is probably A Toast to My Father

What’s a fic that pushed you out of your comfort zone?

A few of them, I think, but probably the one I remember most vividly being comfort zone pushing was Face in the Crowd. Despite being a fan of true crime, I don't read a lot of mystery novels, so I completely winged this one. Summer Bloom would be a close second. It was my first attempt at a coming-of-age comedy.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I tried it once. It was a Sailor Moon/Captain Planet crossover. I actually don't think the story was that crazy, but I ended up pulling it down because I wanted to make some pretty major edits. Then the flash drive that it was on crashed or got corrupted or something. I lost everything... It was too much to try to start from scratch. I think I was almost at 20 chapters at that point, and I wasn't anywhere near the end of the story yet. It still hurts a little to think about.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not one that's still available to read.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes. I started co-writing a fic with my bff in HS, but we never finished it. It was fun plotting the story with her, but we have very, very different standards when it comes to posting schedules, and it got frustrating for both of us.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

SHHHH!!!! I don't even want to hobble myself like that. I am absolutely going to finish both of my WIPs that are currently on hiatus....eventually

What are you currently working on?

Actively? Down the Road and Back Again. I think I'm past the halfway point on this one, and I hope to be finished with it by my birthday.

The ones that are currently on long-term hiatuses are The Djinn Dilemma (ATLA) and Lost and Found (Sailor Moon). Once I'm ready to continue these, I'll probably move all my FFN works over to Ao3 and finish them there. FFN is getting aggravating.

I also have bits and pieces of other fics that I hope to start posting soon. Fingers crossed.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I do a good job with characterization. I don't try to make all the characters exactly as they are in canon all the time- I put them in scenarios that aren't in the shows that they're from- but I do my best to make them react in ways that feel authentic to their canon characters- yes, even if you hate my interpretation of certain characters (*ahemAangMaiahem*) my goal is to make them act in ways that make sense for who they are in canon.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I have a hard time with the dialog to description ratio. Sometimes it feels like I'm on the right track. Other times I feel like everyone's talking too much.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Most recent?

The first was Inuyasha, which was also the fandom that introduced me to fanfic in the first place. My most recent and most prolific is ATLA.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

That's like asking me to name a favorite child. I'm proud of all my stories because I had fun writing them. But, I guess the fic that has a special place in my heart is Looking For You (Sailor Moon). It was my first complete multi-chapter fic that wasn't based on a movie plot (my actual first complete multi-chapter fic was Mama's Little Maybe (Sailor Moon), but I lifted wholesale from the movie "Bachelor Mother")

What fic are you most proud of?

Again, I'm really proud of all of my fics, but gun to my head...probably Fairest (Sailor Moon). Specifically, the last chapter, where the Doom Tree gets to speak its piece is probably the best prose I've ever written (is it cheating to point out a particular scene? I had fun with the whole fic, but that part just hits different). Seriously, the bit about wanting to sing with the rest of the universe gave me chills. I don't know how I came up with it, but I hope the next time I tap into whatever well of creativity that came from it's for an original story that I can actually get paid for.

#atla #zutara #sailor moon #usagi mamoru #senshi/shittenou #please read and enjoy the fics i linked if you haven't read them yet #i love getting new readers! #ask the badger mole

[a-method-in-it]

Trans(masculine) former Potterhead here! I still own the books, were a gift, a hardcover set from my mom from years ago. I even made a parody of Im a Lumberjack and I'm OK from Monty Python as I'm a Hufflepuff and I'm OK and helped found a Dumbledore's Army club at my High School I loved HP so much, I was obsessed, but now I have so many mixed emotions about the franchise I don't really know what to do.

I cannot speak for trans women, but as a queer trans person, if I see someone reading the books or watching the movies or wearing merch its like. Ok. I know I might get along with this person, they like the same stuff I (used to) like....BUT do they know how the werewolf thing is about AIDS, implying gay people are out of control monsters, and how the only villain with werewolfism specifically targets minors, implying pedophilia is a trait inherent in gay people? Do they know that when a trans woman reads the books they worry they wont be "woman enough" to keep the stairs in the girls dorm from turning into a slide, because they know that the author specifically thinks they don't deserve to sleep in the girl's dorm because of their gentials? Do they understand that JK Rowling's opinions are there, insidiously rooting into young minds? Are they reading this critically? Or do they support what JK is saying? Do they know all of these things and not care about it, dismiss it out of hand?

Does this person want me dead?

It boils down to a Feeling of Unease. Is this person safe for me to be around? There is a Very Real Danger that the person in the Ravenclaw Shirt and Golden Snitch Earrings is going to call the police on a trans woman going to the bathroom, or beat her, or even kill her, because the author of their favorite series has convinced them trans women are men in dresses and that men in women's bathrooms are dangerous. That person could also be a nice genuine nerd, queer themselves, even potentially a friend, but now I am Suspicious of that person. I am suspicious of anyone who openly enjoys it (unless they are children, kids don't know better, or if they have a tattoo, idk how old that tat is). They want to read it at home and want a discussion on new themes and how to make it better/less gross? Fine by me.

But if someone is publicaly supportting her, staying extremely active in the fandom defending the books or movies or JK herself, having and wearing merch which could direct new people (probably kids! Who will get Obsessed! And don't know better!) into buying things from her and giving her money? After all that she's done? After she literally helped create legislation against being trans?? Not cool.

The series is just simply tainted for a lot of trans folk like me. I still hold it dear foe what it did for me as a child, and I know if I read the series again I would still love it, but I would also HATE myself for enjoying it, knowing that the person who wrote this, the bit of her soul which she has given me, wants me dead. Wants my friends dead.

So I'm not really saying if you support HP publicaly people will see you as a TERF but I am also absolutely saying that people will see you as a TERF if you publicaly support the HP franchise. Death of the author is well and good when the author is dead and/or their estate doesn't get any money for new books or merch purchased, but she is alive and actively trying to kill trans folks, so literally anything that could be seen as support of her, or get others to support her even accidentally, can make trans folk uncomfortable and feel unsafe.

Hope this helped? I know I'm not the original asker, this is just my two cents.

Hi there! Thank you for posting this lengthy and very thoughtful response (and I hope you don’t mind my answering publicly -- if so, let me know and I’ll delete). There is one (admittedly very long) thing I’d like to say in response, but if you’re not looking for that, just know that I really value hearing your perspective and you can feel free to skip all of this and carry on your way. 

---

You say that you would probably enjoy the books if you reread them, but would hate yourself for doing so -- and I just want to say that what you like does not make you a bad person or act as any valid basis for deserving hate, from yourself or anyone else. 

Like, for instance, I’m a person who cannot stand horror movies and I am genuinely confused that anyone would enjoy watching terrible things happen to people for 90+ minutes. But I would never say that people who like horror movies are bad people just because they do enjoy that. The same goes for violent video games -- I don’t like them, but I don’t think the people who do are bad.

Because what media you personally enjoy has really no bearing on whether you are a good person. Being a good person is about how you treat others, whether you are kind, whether you are patient, whether you are understanding, whether you help people when you can and show up for the people in your life when they need you. It has nothing to do with whether you like a particular book or movie or videogame. 

So if you do want to reread those books because you think they would bring you joy, I hope that you do. 

Long before she became a TERF -- (and for the record, I don’t think that she was actively and consciously transphobic at the time when she was writing the books, for the simple reason that most of the people who are TERFs today weren’t at that point) -- I had already gotten used to tuning out Rowling and her fondness for Word of God pronouncements. 

Like, Dumbledore being gay actually fit into the canon very well, but others? They just felt tired and not thought-out and her whole short history of American magic was incredibly lazy. The werewolfism=AIDS thing was offensive in very real ways--and also it should be noted just does not make sense as a metaphor. Not just because AIDS will kill you and being a werewolf will not and there’s no way to bridge that fundamental disconnect -- but also because the way people talk about being a werewolf in the damn books doesn’t resemble at all the way people talk about AIDS patients in real life. Which makes me think she didn’t actually mean for it to be a metaphor when she wrote it and then years later threw it out there because it sounded good to her in the moment because she hadn’t thought it through.

By the time we got to wizards shitting on the floor because she very clearly forgot that she had already had chamber pots referenced in the text, I was long-since tapped out. 

Which is all just to say that it is beyond fair for you to use being a fan of Harry Potter as a data point in gauging your safety as a trans person -- but if we’re talking just about you enjoying the books?

Well, in that case, fuck Rowling and her weird post-canon comments that half the time don’t even make sense. If she wanted trans girls to not be allowed up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory, she should have put it in the damn text. As far as I’m concerned, trans girls and trans boys are allowed up whichever staircase matches their sense of themselves (and, I like to think, nonbinary kids get the run of the whole tower). 

In fact, as far as I’m concerned, she lost the right to have me care what she says about the Harry Potter universe when all of her comments started being unbearably lazy, asinine, and/or nonsensical. If she’d been half this uninspired and careless when writing the actual books, I would have stopped reading them. 

This has been a very long reply on that single point, but I want to end by saying that the point is, even if I accepted the premise that liking the Harry Potter books is in and of itself wrong -- and I hope I’ve made something of a case that it’s not -- it still shouldn’t be something you hate yourself over. Short of actually murdering people, I’m not sure there’s anything that’s grounds to outright hate yourself, honestly, but liking a book is definitely not on the list. 

Either way, you seem like a lovely person, one who is very thoughtful and has been very patient and generous with your time in writing all of that out. I hope that you find ways to also be a little more patient and generous with yourself -- about Harry Potter or any other topic -- because you deserve that and you do not deserve to be hated by anyone, least of all yourself. And I also hope you have a good rest of your night. 

#method speaks #jk rowling discourse #but this my friends #i think #is the end of it for me for a while #she sucks #on multiple levels #the transphobia being the worst #and then just going right on down the list #it confuses me #that the woman who wrote Prisoner of Azkaban #became this #but life is strange #and here we are #theflowerpunknerd

[fuckishimoto]

I'm not an anti, but I wanted to rant. As much as I ship both NaruSaku and SasuSaku, I really can't with both fandoms. They are so pro-Sakura, it hurts. For me, both fandoms are just too close-minded when it comes to Sakura's unpopularity. And both are hypocritical. Kishi really didn't gave that much of a damn about pairings outside of NaruSasu. So when I see NaruSaku look at RtN as Kishi's last "true work", I cringe. It's been confirmed many times that Kishi only participated in the (1)

shadows. The only movie Kishimoto himself, in public, confirm the he was active in, that he confirm is canon, and he himself has took a huge part in the writing, was Boruto. It's laughable how they look at the movie that was never confirmed canon, had made Sakura so OOC and unlikable, and also has it's semi fair share of plotholes, as something pro-NaruSaku and Kishi's last best work, when Boruto best it by a long mile, even with some antis. With, SasuSaku, to keep it short, Gaiden. (2)

Gaiden alone. As much problems that NH have, out of all three, NH has step on the least amount of shit. And both has some sort of obsession towards popularity. Like with SasuSaku, it's always a popularity contest with NH. They keep shoving popularity. It's like no, it only makes you look insecure that you need to defend "it's popular!", to validate our ship. And NaruSaku, they blame everyone outside of our ship for it's unpopularity, like Sakura hadn't took a major part towards NaruSaku. (3)

One of the reasons I lost interest and move towards multi-shipping with NaruSaku, was with how one-sided it is. Like, I know Naruto is in love Sakura, but Sakura was so all over the place with her feeling, the only that kept getting confirmed was that she is still was in love with Sasuke after all the NaruSaku moments. Not like SasuSaku was also one-sided, either. And don't support the POAL because Kishi shut it down himself and turned it into NaruSasu moment. I hate that it took 700 for (4)

NaruSaku to see the flaws in Kishi, and it took Gaiden for SasuSaku. It took their ships to be shat on to see flaws, even though both ships where shat on way before the ending. I hate how they turn Sakura into some victim when she's just a drawing on recycled paper. I hate how express their resentment towards what they received by putting all the blame on Hinata, like Sakura was anyway likable either. I'm jumbled up with my rant but my dash literally became some anti-Hinata zone (5)

and I just want to say, what are you guys still so caught up with how NaruSaku/SasuSaku make more sense? How can you now see the flaws presented in both ships? How can you not see wasted potential in both? How did ships took preference over plot? How does everyone and their grandparents knew, outside of you both, that the only ship Kishi gave an inkling of a damn about is NaruSasu? Can't you see that there are so many better heroines outside of Naruto? I'm just tired of the pro-ship rants. (End)

I can understand why they’re still squabbling over what ships are more popular cos that’s Naruto’s major appeal, its popularity and a huge fanbase. The quality of the content of course is utter shit. But the fact is a lot of casual anime fans just want to be part of a shipping fandom that everyone knows about and it’s canon, it’s especially true for the kids who joined the fandom after the ending.

However, I honestly cannot understand what people see in Sakura and Hinata, ok they’re “relatable” cos they have a crush on a boy. But do they actually think other people would give a flying fuck about another fangirl character in a shonen? only shippers can get some enjoyment out of these two characters by shipping them with other characters. To non shippers, their characters are nuisance.

NS are so blind when it comes to understanding Kishimoto. I remember they were so convinced SS wouldn’t become canon cos SS was “unhealthy”. I don’t know what gave them the idea Kishimoto cared about what’s “healthy”, he’s the same the dude who kept writing a propaganda about how dying for your village is glorious. He’s also the dude who wrote a MC obsessively chasing another another guy and forcing him back to the village. He’s a person who cannot understand a genocide and slavery are absolutely wrong. Why would NS expect him to care about trivial things like what’s a healthy romantic relationship???

I hate victim!sakura too (she didn’t suffer cos of sasuke, she only suffered from her own infatuation, and there’s nothing sympathetic about it). But I hate victim!hinata more. I HATE how hinata fans try to emotionally blackmail people by saying “are you hating on a shy girl? you’re a terrible person”. It makes me hate all shy characters. I’m no sakura fans, but I think hinata thoroughly deserves the hate she gets from sakura fans. HInata is every bit unlikable as sakura, I started to find her character annoying the third time she said “naruto kun”. 

It’s also true hinata fanboys like forneverworld and sawyer7mage are especially resentful of sakura cos she friendzoned naruto. That’s a way worse reason to hate sakura than why sakura fans hate hinata. Friendzoning naruto is the best fking thing sakura ever did, naruto is self absorbed needy douche who lied about genocide, as selfish as sakura is as a person, she still deserves someone better than naruto. 

#Anonymous