#I can write ace rep easily

[wiltingedelweiss]

Welcome to the Villains' World [Part One]

Twisted Wonderland X Fem!Yuu/Reader

Twisted Wonderland, Prologue

I know this isn't technically an overblot, however they do fight a phantom, and I think that counts. Not to mention that this is how Yuu and the Brain Cell Trio become friends, and I think it's a crime not to include it.

If people like this enough and want it, I’ll rewrite and upload a GN version!

Sorry if this is bad, I wrote most of this from 12AM-3AM on my breaks lmao. Lemme know if there are any errors please! Constructive criticism is welcome!

Content Warnings: Descriptions of violence and injuries, thoughts/mentions of death, panic, Ace being a little bit of a douche, bad writing, let me know if I missed anything!

Things will keep getting worse.

That's the mentality Yuu has to hold. How else could she prepare herself? It's bound to get worse. She’s in a completely unfamiliar world, surrounded by magic users that could kill her quite easily if they wanted to, and with no apparent way to get back to her own world.

‘And worst of all I have to entrust I fate to three idiots,’ Yuu thinks, bitterly.

"You wanna go inside THERE? It's pitch black!" The shrill voice of Yuu's cat(?) companion breaks her out of her train of thought. Though a part of Yuu agrees with him, the other part realizes that she can't take any chances with being expelled or removed from campus. After all, she has no documentation of her existence, no knowledge of where to go to find a way home, and absolutely no knowledge of the surrounding geography or culture. Despite this world being one of magic, she doubted anyone outside of Night Raven College would believe it when she says she’s from a different world. So, she’s not going to accept expulsion just because of a dark and slightly (read: very) eerie cave. She’s not leaving without a magestone.

Come hell or high water, she’s determined to make it home.

"What, are you scared of the dark? Pathetic." Ace, one of the reasons Yuu is in this dark dreary cave rather than her dark dreary dorm, rings out, echoing slightly. Sensing the upcoming nonsense, Yuu sighs and mentally prepares herself to step in.

"Myah?! I'm not scared of anything! I'm taking the lead. You all follow me!" Grim shouts, and as he 'takes the lead', he grips Yuu's leg tightly. The exasperated expression on Yuu's face softens, before she bends down and scoops him into her arms. He struggles for a moment, before slumping in defeat as she takes the lead and wanders into the cave.

Ace and Deuce (the other reason Yuu is facing the threat of 'expulsion'), stunned by the one powerless person in the group charging into the unknown, glance at each other before jogging to catch up to her. The small group makes it a good 20 feet into the cave before the silence is once again broken.

"Huh? Hold up!" Deuce shouts, holding his arms out as a way to stop the group. Ace lets out an annoyed groan. "What now?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. Deuce responds by pointing ahead, "There's something there!" He tries to whisper, but it doesn't seem to make a difference, Yuu notes, as his voice echoes.

"Hee hee hee hee! Visitors! The first in ten years!" A voice croaks out. "Do make yourselves at home... You can stay forever!" A different, more high pitched voice rings out. Yuu catches the way Grim's ears flatten, whether from fright or from the voice that she can only equate to nails on a chalk board, she doesn’t know. The figures come closer, close enough that Yuu could see the figures' transparent bodies move around in the dark. Part of her wonders if these ghosts are as friendly as her new roommates. Deciding against trying to find out, Yuu holds Grim tighter, deciding to just bolt past the ghosts.

"Come on!" She can feel Grim's claws through the fabric of the tattered and oversized shirt (that she luckily found in ‘her dorm’) as he clutches on to her. She can hear the pounding footsteps of the other two behind her for just a moment, before the sound is replaced by the pounding of her own heart.

She just runs, not knowing where she’s going. As long as it was away from the ghosts, she doesn’t care. What she does know is that her leg muscles are tightening up, and her lungs are burning, but she tries to press on.

Yuu only comes to her senses after a hand grips her shoulder and pulls her back. Ace comes into view, huffing and puffing. Getting the message, Yuu slumps against the wall of the cave, and sets Grim down. Despite being free, he decides to stick close to her legs.

All of them look at each other, waiting for someone to speak. Yuu takes another deep breath before breaking the silence.

“Are you guys okay?" She asks, looking over each member of the group. Before anyone could respond, a loud screeching noise echoes throughout the cave.

"If we stop to fight, we'll never get anywhere. Let's just keep moving." Deuce points out. He tugs Ace's arm, and Ace violently rips his arm from Deuce's grip. They both take off again. "Sure, but don't act like we voted you team leader," He scoffs, "The only reason we're here in the first place is because of that stupid stunt you pulled!" Ace shouts while pulling ahead of the group. Yuu takes the opportunity to pick Grim up again, worried he won't be able to keep up, and runs after Ace and Deuce.

She scowls slightly, knowing this arguing isn't helping anything, before taking a deep breath and slowing to a stop. "All of you, calm down. The blame game means nothing at this point," She adjusts her stance, resting Grim on her hip, almost like something akin to a baby. And once again, before she can continue, she is interrupted.

"...iiivvv... ...oooouuu..."

Yuu perks up, trying to hear what's being said and what's saying it. Ace, Deuce, and Grim perk up as well, "Huh?!" The three exclaim, in what Yuu would call almost comedic unison. Had it be almost any other situation, she would've laughed.

"Wh-where's that comin' from?" Ace asks, as he whips his head about to locate the noise, he scoots closer to the group. Deciding to play it safe, Yuu also moves closer, opting to try to watch their backs.

"...neeevvvaaa... ...iiivvv... ...ooouuu..."

"Sounds like... it's getting closer..." Deuce points out, joining in on the impromptu huddle.

"Stooonesss... Stooonesss aaare miiiiine!"

Yuu spots it first, a startled gasp leaving her lips.

Despite being in a world of magic, the...thing... before them seems to be something out of a nightmare. It towers over all three of them, holding no resemblance to a humanoid being. It's head looks to be made of a glass bottle. A crack in it causes the content, some sort of viscous ink if she had to guess, to trickle out. The monster’s body seems to be made of the same ink. It dons what looks to be a tattered red uniform of some kind. In one hand it carries a lantern that emits an ominous red glow, and in the other is a sharp rusted pickaxe.

It lets out a monstrous groan as the others spot it. The group darts to hide around the corner.

"What is that?!" Deuce yells, stumbling backwards.

"Myaaah!" Grim burrows himself into Yuu's side, something he'd probably deny doing later, "No one said there'd be monsters! Let's get outta here!" He tugs on Yuu's shirt, as if he has to convince her to run. The only thing stopping her from actually doing so being Ace's hand grabbing her arm tightly.

Deuce stops backing away when he realizes no one is making a move to leave, and looks to Ace for an explanation. "That thing is super creepy!" Ace agrees, and Yuu thinks that’s the understatement of the year, "But didn't it just say something about 'stones'?!"

As if sensing its time to shine, the monster speaks through a series of groans, "Stooonesss... ...nevvva give stooonesss...!"

"So there ARE still magestones here!" Deuce exclaims, his eyes darting to the cave walls and floors, as if a stone would just be laying around.

Yuu fights the urge to facepalm, and Grim glances towards the monster again, "Myaaah... Even as a master sorcerer, I... I don't think I can take that thing down!"

Deuce clenches his fists, and scowls, "But we need a magestone or we'll get expelled! I'm going in!" He declares, starting to round the corner. Ace's eyes widen, and he moves to grab Deuce's wrist as well, "Are outta you your outta mind?!"

Yuu pauses, realizing that she is, in fact, in the same boat as Deuce. She can't get expelled, and she refuses to let either of the boys get expelled as well. She takes a deep breath before she shrugs Ace's hand off her arm, and steps up to Deuce.

"You can't do it alone!" Yuu says, and Deuce's face lights up with determination. Yuu sets Grim down, and arms herself with some nearby rocks as Deuce pulls out his pen. They round the corner, and face the monster.

It spots them, and growls. It raises its pickaxe, prepared to attack. Deuce starts firing off spells as Yuu begins throwing rocks at it. It swings its pickaxe down, and forces Yuu and Deuce to separate. The blade of the rusty tool grazes Yuu's sleeve and she winces at the close call.

‘I don't think I'm up to date with my tetanus shots,’ she thinks bitterly.

She chucks another rock at it, and it turns to swing at her again. She starts to gauge the nearest safe spot, but before it fully can focus on Yuu, Deuce sends another spell at it. It quickly changes trajectory to hit Deuce, and it bellows out "Begone! Begone! Begooone!" Deuce dives out of the way with a grunt.

Ace watches from around the corner with mild concern as the monster targets Deuce again, despite Yuu chucking rocks at it as hard as she can. "Aw, crap! He's got Loosey-Deucey on the ropes! Not on my watch! Heeyah!"

"Rrroooarrrgh!" The monster groans as Ace hits it with a blast of wind. It thrashes about, hitting both Yuu and Ace with its arm and sending them backwards. They hit the floor and Yuu lets out a cry and she gasps, trying to regain her breath. Her whole body aches and burns. Rocks dig into her flesh, some actually breaking skin.

With the air knocked out of her, Yuu groans as she rolls to get back up. Grim jumps back, yelling, "Myaaah! Stay away from me!" He jumps back while sending a burst of flames towards it. Yuu could feel the heat of the blast, and it brings her back to reality. She rushes over and helps Ace (Who also looks rough.) to his feet. He lets out a grunt, stretching his back.

Grim frowns as the monster shakes off his attacks, "It's like nothin's even hurtin' it!" He yells, skittering behind Ace and Yuu. Deuce slowly makes his way back over to the group. Yuu, however, doesn't mind these things, and is instead focused on something behind the monster.

"Did you just see that sparkle?!" She asks, eyes not leaving what she hopes to be a magestone. Ace immediately follows Yuu's line of sight, and gasps. "Behind the monster! There's something sparkling in the mineshaft!"

Deuce shifts his gaze over just as the monster blocks the sparkle of interest. "Could that have been a magestone?!" Then, almost as if responding only to the mention of a magestone, the monster roars again, speaking between pained grunts and growls, "GWAAAAAAAH! Nooo giiive yooouuu stooooooone!"

Grim jumps up and once again tugs on Yuu's pant leg, "Yuu, we need to book it, and fast! That thing's gonna pound us into tuna paste!" Yuu agrees, looking at the other two while she speaks up to make sure they get the message, "Lets run for it!"

Once the group makes it to the entrance of the mines, they all catch their breaths. A conversation starts up between the others, and Yuu's frustration for them grows with each sentence.

"Oh YEAH?! Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!"

“Quit it!” She interrupts Ace before he can respond to Deuce’s taunt. He rolls his eyes, his attention now shifting to her.

“You shouldn’t even get a say in this,” He starts, a glare forming on his face, “ I don’t even know why you’re here! You’re the most useless person of the group! It’s not like you can use magic to fight it!” He snarls.

The weight on her chest starts to feel crushing. She digs her nails into her palms. She can feel the sting of every cut she just acquired, and the ache of her fresh bruises.

It’s overwhelming. Everything is overwhelming. She doesn’t want to be here. She didn’t ask to be here. Why does she have to deal with this? She knows he’s right, but she’s trying. Part of her wonders if that makes it worse.

useless, useless, useless, useless, usELESS-

Deuce’s and Grim’s eyes widen, and she can tell they want to step in. Before they get the chance to, though, she speaks up.

“Are you serious right now…?” Though her voice is shaky, and the feeling of adrenaline is dying down, she glares fiercely at Ace. “You’re right. I don’t have a choice!” She raises her voice, and notices how Deuce and Grim flinch back slightly. “Because if you get kicked out, you have a home to go back to!” She points out harshly. “I have nowhere to go, and nobody to help me! My only option is to return with a magestone!” A lump is forming in her throat as tears pool in her eyes. She wipes at them harshly. “I may be useless, but you aren’t even trying. And that’s worse.”

No words are spoken as she tries to catch her breath. She glares at the floor, and unclenches her fists, uncaring about the broken skin caused by her nails. “So I guess let's all just get expelled, then.” She mutters.

She can see them recoil at that, and again, Ace and Deuce speak in almost comical unison, “What?”

Grim gapes at her, “Whoa, that was harsh. Where'd that come from?” Her glare softens as she looks at Grim, “You said it yourself. We can't hurt that thing.” Grim lets out a noise of defeat, Ace has the decency to look at least a little ashamed and apologetic, and Deuce furrows his brows, “But... But what are we going to do then?!” He asks, thinking deeply.

“What if we came up with a proper plan first?” Yuu suggests, talking solely to Deuce and Grim, since Ace seems to want no part in this.

Despite wanting no part in it, Ace speaks up, “A proper plan? Like some kinda buddy move? Is that a joke? You always say the lamest things with the straightest face, Yuu.” He scoffs, and Yuu takes a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Agreed. No way could I work together with him.” Deuce agrees, and Yuu finds any possibly argument getting stuck in her throat. Grim, however, sticks up for them, “Yeah, but... Gettin' expelled on the first day... That's pretty lame too. Maybe even lamer.” Yuu catches on, and her affection and love for Grim grows stronger every moment he’s with her.

Ace and Deuce stammer for a response as Yuu pulls up the best judgmental face she can. “Yeah, there's nothing cool about that.” She shrugs dismissively.

Ace groans in defeat, “Gah...Fine! Let's just get this over with, then.” He looks to Yuu.

“All right, Yuu. What's the plan?”

#disney twst #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst x yuu #twst x mc #twst yuu #twst mc #twst x reader #ace trappola #deuce spade #twst grim #Welcome to The Villain’s World

[happyfeetfuryroad]

I think what frustrates me the most about the (thankfully few) people who put all their eggs in the basket of Aziraphale and Crowley being in a sexless relationship for the sake of ace rep is that... It kinda dismisses the fact that the whole show is full of ace rep in the first place?

Like. Angels? All sex uninterested (if not outright repulsed) aces by default - "unless they make an effort", if you will. None of them (aside from Aziraphale) seem to even know what sex is, and it's never seen as a problem that needs to be fixed.

Demons? They don't seem particularly keen either. They may not be as clueless or as weirded out by carnal matters as angels are (it's kind of their job to encourage sin, after all), but we've also never seen any of them partake or show any interest in the act themselves (which you could easily expect them to, given common tropes about demons in western literature).

Even Aziraphale and Crowley, regardless of whether or not you believe there is an element of physical attraction in their relationship, are never shown actively seeking out that particular kind of pleasure. That, in and of itself, is enough to make their relationship ace. Yes, even if they do end up having sex or otherwise desiring each other in that way (because, need I remind you, grey aces, demis and sex favorable aces are still part of the ace community whether you like it or not - we're not just Spicy Allos™ unlike some of you seem to think based on the kinds of rants you write).

Again, this isn't me trying to shove a particular reading of their relationship on anyone. You can see them as sex repulsed/uninterested, sex favorable, demi, grey, or even allo. I'm not in the business of policing headcanons and neither should you. But can we please stop acting like the whole show's representation of the ace community hinges on this one, ridiculously minor detail please

#vent #i finally found the words to express something i've had in my mind for quite a while #i didn't even get into the food as sex metaphor but suffice to say that if you do read into it #then you'll see even more blatantly how pervasive asexuality is in this show #see: gabriel beelzebub and muriel #local demi is tired #<- officially my tag for ace discourse in case any of you are tired of seeing it

[beesinspades]

bee’s ace xie lian fics~

No matter the fic, I always write Xie Lian as ace and think of Hua Cheng as demi. Though not that much talked about, after a year of being in this fandom, I can safely say that it turns out ace(spec) Xie Lian is actually a pretty popular headcanon, which brings me immense joy!!

I used to be scared of making that kind of post, but seeing how much the rep in these fics means to many fellow aces, I thought I’d do a short masterpost for anyone else who might be interested!

I don’t tag the ones in which there's no mention of the headcanon, but I do tag even those where it’s briefly mentioned or just implied. I kept those out of the list, but you can easily find them on my AO3 account by setting the Additional Tags filter on Asexual Character. I only included those that have either a big focus on it, or those that have at least dialogue or some narration about it.

I will also link in the replies a Twitter thread with fics by other authors!

just this | rated T, 2.8k

“Xie Lian smiles, bright and heartfelt, and oh, here’s that feeling again. I get to have this. Wake up to this. This beautiful thing from my wildest dreams; my most beloved, shining his heavenly light on me.”

or, the first of many moments of intimacy in Paradise Manor.    

This one it remains very dear to my heart! It has a big focus since it was my first attempt at exploring this headcanon.

the sunlit altar | rated E, 4.6k

““Since you’ve mentioned it. . . I’ve been thinking,” Xie Lian says softly. He returns to Hua Cheng to grasp his hand, looking resolute. His cheeks are dusted pink, tainted both with embarrassment and the vulnerability of complete trust. “I'd like to try it.””

or, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian's first time on Taicang Mountain.   

This is the direct sequel to the first fic but, like all the other fics in the “in your arms (i am loved)” series, it can totally be read as a standalone (it’s even the fourth fic I wrote because writing in chronological order? what’s that)

all yours (all mine)  | rated E, 4.8k

Hua Cheng’s eye is dark; hungry as he looks at Xie Lian splayed bare for him, yet a tender adoration too great for words flows alongside it. Xie Lian tries for a moment to understand it, before deciding it doesn’t matter. Whether he does understand it or not, the result tonight will remain the same; they’ll have fun, and it'll make Heaven pale in comparison.

to have and to hold | rated T, 3.9k

“In a flash, Hua Cheng is undressed. Xie Lian’s eyes flick away from the scroll for a brief moment before returning to it, utterly unfazed.

Hua Cheng sits on the bed, poking at Xie Lian’s hand.

Getting no reaction, he takes it, kisses it, then pecks his way along Xie Lian’s arm and, upon reaching his shoulder, adds a bit of teeth. Xie Lian’s eyes remain resolutely set on his scroll, brows furrowing at a line of characters, relaxing at the next.”

or, leisure time at Taicang Mountain cottage doesn't quite go as Hua Cheng had hoped.

in you, i find myself | rated T, 1.7k

“Through the burning flush of his cheeks, Xie Lian thinks for a moment, interrupting his braiding to place a second bead. “So, towards everyone else. . . you’re like me, in some way?””

Big focus on asexuality in this one as it was written for International Asexuality Day! Also, demi Hua Cheng!

rhododendrons | rated M, 2.5k

“Gege, did you know bodies can grow flowers?”

or, Hua Cheng paints Xie Lian a body of flowers.

This is the sequel of another fic in which it’s only mentioned in passing, but reading it isn’t required to understand the sequel! This one also has demi Hua Cheng.

steady love (in a place we know) | rated T, 10.9k

Living and working out of his old van, Xie Lian has always travelled alone. When his best friend suggests they go on a trip together, he enthusiastically agrees—unaware that he's not only about to take Hua Cheng on an unexpected journey, but his own heart as well.

no ice left to break | rated T, 2.6k

““What are you thinking about?” Hua Cheng wondered, reaching out to wipe ice-cream off the corner of Xie Lian’s mouth.

He did it like he does everything else; gently, almost tenderly. As naturally as tugging on Xie Lian’s hand when he wants something, or blowing on a spoonful of broth so Xie Lian doesn’t burn his tongue before offering it to him.

“We should go on a date,” Xie Lian blurted.”

always like this, with you | rated G, 1.4k

Xie Lian sets down his halfway done sweater on his lap, and taps his chin thoughtfully. “So. . . from what you told me back then, you'd be demisexual. . . and I'd be greysexual?”

Obviously very ace focused since this was written for Ace Danmei Week! I wanted to do something different and wrote greyace Xie Lian for this one.

of simple, wondrous things | rated E,  21.1k

In a college that strongly prohibits sex on campus grounds, Xie Lian goes about his studies as a confused spectator of the struggles many students claim to be going through. But when his roommates enter a relationship and sneak out at night to escape the rules, Xie Lian's curiosity on the matter gets the best of him; expecting to be rejected, he contacts Hua Cheng, a sex worker who only accepts new clients by recommendation.

Yet, to Xie Lian's surprise, Hua Cheng doesn't refuse him.

A lot about being ace in there but this time in full story form rather than a short fic! Also has demi Hua Cheng. (as a note, this is not a college au despite what the summary might make you think)

That’s all! For now >:) I hope these fics can bring you as much joy as writing them brought me! <3

#hualian #tgcf #xie lian #hua cheng #asexuality #bee writes #last updated: march2022

[djhedy]

what is canon and should we respect it (a not-essay on aftg fandom)

i want to write an *entire* essay on this but i am between meds right now so exhausted and suffering a HEAT WAVE (uk?? why! we are normally so temperate) and also there's always a risk of sounding patronising when trying to put your opinions/experience across, so i'll try to write briefly and wotnot

what is canon:

"the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story" or, as we'd probably all put it "wot the author wrote"

why this matters, and why the author matters - our characters wouldn't exist without them

beyond a basic respect for the author, which i would define as like not being a bitch to them (because every human being has feelings, and this is something easily forgotten on the internet), we land on the question "should we respect canon"

well... maybe?

it sort of depends why you're here. the experience of literature/art can be defined a few ways: what the author intended, what the reader experiences, the impact on society.

what nora intended: if you care, she's written a lot of extra content on tumblr. but given that the majority of people who read the books probably won't care enough to find the extra content, this isn't canon. it isn't canon because it isn't in the books of the story. calling it canon is gatekeeping. but it's SUPER FUN and i enjoy seeing what nora's interpretation of her own characters are. thanks nora we luv u.

the impact on society: people get SO UPSET about this question. and it's a reasonable question for sure. art does impact society and vice versa. i just kind of don't think this is the big deal you think it is. people are always hunting for signs of homophobia, sexism, transphobia etc in fandom works. and like... sure, you can do that if you'll enjoy it. this essay isn't really about this, and i don't want to ramble. but aftg is an indie publication. its impact is so insubstantial. maybe chill out. the people who are like AARON IS HOMOPHOBIC BUT ANDREW THE MURDERER IS UWU or, opposite, SETH DESERVED REDEMPTION AND MATT IS ABLEIST - my guys it's a book. these characters are flawed. literature isn't meant to be a pinnacle of morals (unless... it is) and we're supposed to love these characters because they work through their flaws and settle into who they are. are they still dicks at the end? sure! it's fun. not everything has to be light and perfect. and you'll have more fun with art if you stop hunting for homophobes in the fandom of an independent publication with a few thousand readers. that's not how to succeed at the gay agenda. we're on it, i promise.

WHAT THE READER EXPERIENCES: this is the big one! you know when you read a book or watch a film and say "oh wow so it was about THIS, THIS was the important bit!" and someone disagrees? well, they're not wrong and you're not wrong. experience is a whole thing. what someone has experienced in life before they come to the art, what they experience during the art itself. art is a communication from the creator to the audience and that communication is subtle and will be different for *every* single person.

this will upset a lot of people, but it isn't canon that neil is demisexual. the label isn't mentioned once in the books. can it be inferred? ABSOLUTELY. he's demi in all of my fanfics because i personally love it. but nora mentioning it in extra content does not make it canon, in the same way that jkr telling everyone she saw dumbledore as gay after the books, does not make it canon. #theauthorisdead (but let's still be nice to them. ...unless you're jkr. fuck jkr.)

my point is just that canon doesn’t always matter. collectively most of us have decided neil is demi, which is important rep to a lot of people without rep. how sexy of us.

and experience matters. there will be people to whom it's important to write neil as not-very-demi. there will be people to whom it's important to write neil as super ace. be kind to each other.

i've decided i need to add another heading.

WHAT'S THE POINT OF FANFICTION?

to preserve canon? no, because... nora already did that. there's a huge amount of fun to be had trying to write neil and andrew as *accurately* as possible - but this *accuracy* will be different from person to person. because a work of literature is complicated and writing is hard and - individual experience. we've already gone through that. but like, have you ever tried to write andrew's dialogue accurately, the way he speaks like he's half-high half-shakespearean?? it's DIFFICULT. i have tried.

you know what's also fun? experimenting. what would their relationship be like if neil was an alcoholic. what if andrew liked wearing dresses. what if one of them cheated. what if matt died of a drug overdose.

in my head the point of fanfiction is EXPLORATION.

sometimes you're exploring the characters as accurately to your experience of them as possible, sometimes you're adding a new element in to see how they would react. let's be honest, that new element is usually something you're obsessed with in your own life. gender presentation? why people cheat? why people relapse? why relationships break down?

anyway, back to the list.

WHAT'S THE POINT OF FANFICTION?

to dick around and have a nice time? yes.

to work through your own identities/traumas/what have you? probably if you're anything like me and basically everyone i know in the fandom lol.

i think this is everything i want to say.

no wait i lied! final point.

if you've ever studied literature or philosophy the first things they teach you is to question *everything*. for example: what is fanfiction, what is canon, "we have to respect canon" do we??

if you've heard someone using the word "feminisation" to mean "make neil soft uwu", rather than repeating the word, question why it's being used here. what does feminise mean, what does soft mean. maybe you love the dark side to neil, maybe other people like the side of him that can heal.

there's nothing wrong with playing with sexual dynamics and relationship dynamics. sometimes you might be writing something cliched, homophobic, sexist - if you work out you are doing that, maybe stop it. on the other hand lots of couples *do* play out the dynamics of - trousers on in the bedroom, trousers on in the relationship. it's not homophobic to depict a homosexual relationship where one is subby and one is dommy. it exists. so like, chill a little.

and remember you are not always right and everyone is different?

man did i accidentally make this patronising?

woops.

lots of love hedy x

#aftg #fanfic #a whole fucking essay #yes im gay and my gf is sub as shit #it's fucking hilarious #i'm also an ex-lit student and i miss it #be gay do crime #etc #if you're mad at me come tell me #conversation is cool #just be nice to each other plz

[hobbitsetal]

If you’re an ally, are you going to write lgbtq+ representation in your writing?

Heh. Put my money where my mouth is, eh?

This is something I've been thinking about a lot, actually. If I believe and counsel others that it's okay to write things I disagree with, then why would i not write lgbtq+ rep? I've got an ace character and plans for another, but that's the "socially acceptable queer" among Christian circles. (Aside from the more fundie types...)

What about the other orientations? I'm willing to write murder. I'm willing to write a dysfunctional relationship, racism, slavery--a host of sins that I disagree with very strongly. I'm even working to write a society that sees absolutely nothing wrong with slavery, something that I consider a heinous sin.

By my own logic, of course I should write lgbtq+ rep. I think my hesitation is partly my own upbringing; in most Christian circles, homosexuality is The Sin. I think part of it is that I know the other sins are widely regarded as wrong, so me portraying them and exploring how they affect people and societies is easily read as "let's explore this thing we all agree is bad."

LGBTQ+, on the other hand, is a hotly debated topic. A lot of people don't regard it as sinful, and some of them argue their position from Scripture. (I disagree with their exegesis and interpretation, but I can understand where they're coming from.)

Do I write it as a negative thing and offend those who support it, hurt those who are struggling with it? Do I write it as a positive thing and offend my own conscience?

Or do I try to write it as the characters themselves would see it, with varying thoughts on its moral acceptability?

Probably that last one, in the interests of truthful art. Not everyone shares my side B beliefs. And let's be real, it would be a fascinating exercise to figure out how my various fictional countries would feel about LGBTQ+ issues.

That's a really long way of saying "yeah probably, but I'll have to be very thoughtful in my approach and I doubt it will be soon."

Whether you agree with my approach is between you and God. I can understand both sides of the issue. But at this point in my life, I think as Christians we should engage with lgtbq+ characters in stories beyond "they're sinful and then they find Jesus :)"

That's simplistic, stereotypical, and unhelpful. They're people. They have a broad range of personalities and beliefs, a broad range of societies and societal reactions, and I think we owe it to them to write stories that depict them with honesty and respect.

#art faith and media #lbgtqa

[fouralignments]

Depending on who you ship Peter with. Erik giving the hurt my child and die in various ways.

If it's Kurt. Erik would warn his son. "Please don't hurt him.

"Peter: Because of Raven?

Erik: I'm not scared of her. He's an precious cinnamon roll who must be protected always.

If it's Scott: I swear if you are anything like your brother. LOGAN will never find your body.

The same threat applies to Gambit. Maybe Crystal from the Inhumans

I am on ace-aro spectrum. I tend to really bend toward the father-son relationship between Erik and Peter; Peter and Charles. I adore those dynamics. I am not the biggest shipper in the world, I will admit that. I am not ride or die for any particular ship. Really the only ships that I really read are: Cherik (Charles Xavier & Erik Lehnsherr); from Stargate SG-1, Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill; ST ENT, Malcolm Reed/ Charles "Trip" Tucker III. But again for Cherik, I very fond of a more familial dynamic.

But for Pietro/Peter....I don't really ship him with anyone, as long as someone can make it a good case for the pairing in writing. I am up for it. I do multi-ship. Like: Nightsliver, Gamquick, Sliverfish (Quicksliver/Namor), Peter/Crystal, QuickLaser (Scott/Peter), and Alex/Peter, and I've even seen Peter and Jean Gray.....ok person I think Jean Gray, the movie version, is as boring as watching wallpaper drying.

But I do see Erik being protective of his children in regards to dating.

Overly-dramatic and protective as ever for his children and the love of his life, Charles Xavier.

Speaking for myself here, I honestly believe Pride and Prejudice the best love story ever told. But again, that story can be easily read as aro-ace. But, the best rep still the writing I make myself and my fellows aces and aroes on Tumblr. I am planning on making That Little Black Ring into a proper one shot for Pride month.

here have a gif of Quicksilver

[antiloreolympus]

4 Anti LO Asks

1. The whole corpse flower thing is already stupid as it is, but it’s also pretty obviously her being like “hey, remember how Minthe said Hades smelled of death in the first episode?? Well now Persephone does too!” But it’s like? Wasn’t that metaphorical? By how I, and I’m sure everyone else, read it was that “the smell of death” was basically telling us he has such a bad reputation and public persona that no matter what he does he can never wash it off, not literally that he smells awful. The act of wrath and disabling Minthe could have been Persephone’s “smell of death” because those could easily be her reputation ruining moments, not …. She physically smells. Are we sure Rachel knows what she’s writing? Because the metaphorical doesn’t have to be literal.

2. if the underworld is actually killing her and not just rachel talking out her ass to seem more clever than she is, then persephone better look like corpse-like bella swan before giving birth to her vampire baby when she returns to the surface or else what's the point. you want her to be killed slowly, rachel? well you better show us the ramifications then, or else its another wasted idea.

3. its honestly kinda pathetic lo fans put more effort into making fansonas and lo ocs off her own panels than rachel does in her own work. ive seen fan characters that are absolutely gorgeous with so much care put into their design and iconography while all rachel can manage is "look, i gave this 30th carbon copy of persephone slightly smaller boobs!". its ridiculous the supposed professional ends up looking like an amateur compared to stuff like that.

4. See, stuff like HADES (the game) also has made up ships that weren't in mythology, such as Asterius and Theseus or Zagreus/Thanatos/Megaera. The difference is they share stuff in common to make it make sense. Theseus and Asterius of course share the same myth and the game makes a point to say they forgave each other in death and formed a close bond, while Zag/Than/Meg are all young, rebellious Underworld denizens who have a long built up history and relationships to each other. LO in comparison doesn't put this thought in. Hestia/Athena for example is just what seems like a presumably straight woman thinking maiden goddesses are just “secret lesbians” and they can “get over their asexuality once they find the right person”, which is, um, kinda homophobic and acephobic especially. A better “made up” ship for Athena would have been her in an ace relationship with Medusa or Arachne if LO really wanted one of the maidens to be in a relationship so badly, and Hestia could have been left as the Aro/Ace rep. Another example is Daphne/Thanatos. What is there to them beyond RS being bored and trying to demonize Apollo even more and recreate another “bubbly flower goddess with a gloomy death god” aesthetic? They are the pinnacle of her bulldozing any sense of logic or reason to just make up whatever. At the best case, it’d make more sense if they developed a relationship after Daphne’s death, not randomly before it, and especially not when it’s only there to change Thanatos’ legitimate critiques of Persephone and justify how awful HxP are because Daphne is nothing but a prop to them. Random ships can work if the work is put in to make them believable and build up a realistic relationship and characters, but going off her writing and art choices, it’s pretty clear RS doesn’t like putting any work in at all, even the bare minimum. That’s why her made up relationships fail even the tiniest bit of scrutiny. LO in general, from its world building to relationships to even characters are all held together by chewed up bubble gum and shoe strings, and that’s being generous.

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lo critical #lore olympus critical

[pararennial-archived]

Just pondering over ace/arospec rep, I really wanna frame this carefully and as an acearo wanting to demand better rep for people like me or similar to me, this is what I really needed to communicate in the first place in regards to just shipping in general.

At the moment, I am content with Roxy not being romantically involved because it’s not something that I actively seek given her character. Her canon bf, Maciu, is created by me because she does have a canon storyline and I really wanted to see a healthy relationship between an ace and allo character without framing aseuxality as this HUGE obstacle to overcome or something that puts an allo character through this whole ordeal or trial of being in a relationship with an ace character. That to me is just gross and perpetuates this idea that aces are difficult to love. Plus, I don’t want Maciu’s existence to discourage people from seeing where things could go, because if a ship were to happen it would be “canon divergent.”

That being said, with Roxy being demiromantic and forming romantic attractions from strong emotional bonds, even that is not guaranteed because A) Roxy naturally finds fulfillment in platonic bonds, B) emotional bonds don’t necessarily facilitate any romantic feelings, and C) Roxy is someone who simply doesn’t fall in love all that easily. That’s literally just who she is and it’s her personality. She doesn’t really pursue, she kinda lets things fall into place. And I understand for people who wanna ship, it can be sad and disappointing if she doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. People could be thinking, “Oh! But my muse did everything right! How could they not be together?! I thought they really had something! My muse had all the ingredients to be the one for her!” 

I’m completely compassionate and empathetic towards that feeling of disappointment if things don’t work out that way... but this character, whom I’ve had for decades, has become something of her own, and I’m not behind the wheel a lot of times! She is who she is... and sometimes it might take something absolutely weird or silly for her heart to suddenly go “!!!” at someone. I dunno what it is or what it could be, but in my opinion that is the beauty of writing Roxy!

#⁖▐ ❛ 𝐎𝐎𝐂 ⏤ spiritless‚ fearless‚ little lyricist hoax.

[arcelian]

not reblogging the post that prompted this, bc it’s Long and i’m Tired, but i really am sick of people saying that gay stories are Automatically Better

like, a) you’re basically just saying the same thing that shitty straight people think, that having gay characters makes things worse, except from the other side of the aisle;

b) it’s so easy to turn that into terf nonsense - what about all the stories that can’t be easily sorted into ‘gay’ or ‘not gay’? what about bi or trans characters in m/f relationships? what about ace characters, or characters who aren’t given a romantic arc? what about stories where the characters’ orientation or gender identity isn’t explored at all? are those stories gay or not gay? are they more or less valuable for it? i get it, "gay stuff is better” is a catchy phrase, and sometimes the weight of heteronormativity is crushing and we just want to read something for us, but it’s such a dangerous thing to say;

c) it just feels like personality sameface, sometimes.

anyway screw “gay stories are always better” you know what we need?

“diverse stories are better”

sometimes... having cishet characters (white characters, thin characters, conventionally attractive, cookie-cutter characters) makes a story better, not worse. sometimes having some characters be straight can make the queer ones stand out. it’s about the contrast!!

i don’t want authors to assume that they can, or should, just swap out all their love interests’ pronouns and call it a day. that’s boring. queer rep should be organic. people should be making queer stories because they have queer stories to tell! when i read stories about people who are like me, i want to feel loved! i don’t want to feel like my identity has been included as a formality, an obligation written in for Ally Points on the internet. and that’s what happens when you tell people that they have to include queer rep in order for their story to be worth anything.

if you can’t find yourself writing anything but safe, generic straight characters, then yes, you might want to consider why that is, and put thought into expanding your repertoire. but safe, generic gay characters isn’t a solution. it’s just a different problem.

#nunnery life #long post #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa #is this post a good idea? debatable #but im Annoyed

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Summary: I read on the Death Note wiki, that Light and L even use different or “opposite/rival” computers (I know for sure that they said L uses apple, and I think they said Light uses Dell? If not, I’ll edit it if someone tells me). So I decided to write a story about it.

Ace It

It had been a long day for everyone at task force headquarters, with once again no leads. L had started the day feeling depressed, and that emotion had only lingered after he and Light had gotten into their fist fight.

Now the two of them were finally retiring to bed for the night—well, Light would be, anyway—but the first thing L heard when he brought out his laptop onto the mattress, was Light laughing hysterically.

And though L certainly didn't want to show it… it made his hair stand on end, as he imagined that the younger man may have finally come up with the perfect way to kill him.

If he were to actually die now, L decided that he wouldn't give his only "friend" the satisfaction of seeing him afraid. No. He would meet his end as stoically as he had anything else in this long, hard life.

"Light-kun," L practically sang; and his own bravado shocked him. "Your eerie laughing right now... isn't doing you any favors in making me think you may not be Kira. So, I recommend you stop doing it. And if you've just simply cracked from the intense and stressful day that we have had, I suggest that you sleep."

That shut Light up. And the college student sent a glare L's way, before he rubbed at his eye in what seemed to be a tired manner. "As if you'll even let me sleep, as you continue to type away loudly on that keyboard of yours," Light said under his breath. But L pretended he hadn't heard him, like Light apparently had hoped he hadn’t.

"I am sorry that I lost it like that, Ryuzaki. I’m just exhausted… And I just noticed for the first time that you use a mac… which is hilarious to me."

L already knew he was going to regret asking Light to elaborate on that, and he was half-tempted to ignore Light’s comment. After all, he’d heard before why so many people put down Apple products. But knowing this was surely some other part of their game, L leveled a glowered in Light’s direction all the same, and asked very coldly, “And why is that, Light-kun?”

And it was at this point—after L had shockingly put his own laptop away—that Light pulled his own out from under the bed, to surely show L why his was the superior model or some such nonsense. L sighed, before running a hand down his face. Why, oh why, had he decided that having a pissing contest with this narcissistic teenager was a good idea?

“Well, they don’t get a good rep. As I’m sure you know. So, I’m surprised the greatest detective in the world would use them. They have that swirly ball of death or whatever. But I can also see why you’d go for them, since they have an easy reset, if you ever wanted to take adventure of that. I’m sure you’d love a soft reset with me, wouldn’t you? Where you could send me back to being Kira again, like you believe I was, and we could completely get back to our passive-aggressive encounters in your eyes. So, yeah: I say no to macs. It’s Dell for me.”

L thought very strongly of not responding to any of that. He was even tempted to pretend to be asleep—or maybe actually try and go to sleep for a change—because he didn’t want to have any bit of this silly conversation… partly because what Light had just said rubbed him the wrong way for some reason. He was certain that Light was insinuating that L would happily say and do things but then erase them, since he’d lied about being his friend.

But L didn’t understand why that should make him feel bad, when all detectives did anything they had to for a case, and since L imagined that Light was planning to do much worse things to him. Probably even now, though he was playing innocent like the best actor in a play… But even so, Light had him feel awful now. Surely because he’d made him doubt his own moral superiority.

L didn’t want to seem like he was angry again. No. That was more Light’s forte, when L finally pushed him far enough. Instead, he huffed and glanced over at Light “tiredly”, as if none of this was really even worth his time. And truly, it wasn’t. "I'll have you know, Light, that I didn't get an apple computer for the easy reset. And, no: I wouldn't want to reset your lousy attitude, even if I had the ability to. Since I, unlike Kira, am not a tyrant. I got it, because I've just had bad luck with Dells for some reason and couldn't be bothered to try them again, okay? It just wasn’t worth the time.

"But if anyone should be accused of anything, it should be your liking Dells because they're easy to operate. The God of the New World wants everything to be easy for his coming reign, doesn’t he? Which is why you'll kill me."

As soon as L had said that, Light was on top of the detective before he could even register it: slamming him into the headboard—which was such an act of violence, it only furthered L’s suspicions—while Light was contrite in another way, in looking away and blushing. "If you have to know everything, ‘Oh, Great Detective’… I like Dells because when I was learning English for the first time—when I was three—I did this ridiculous, 'If you want to get a computer that works well, get a Dell!' skit with a toddler classmate from pre-school. And it's somehow a positive memory for me, okay? So, the thought of Dells have just stayed with me all this time, which is why I buy them. But I do think the programming for them is better. I’m not gonna lie."

Suddenly, L found himself laughing uproariously, as Light stayed atop him. Because leave it to them, to have such a pointless conversation at three in the morning and to get so riled up about it. And it did not matter in the grand scheme of things. Not at all.

As soon as L had begun guffawing, the young man began giggling too. And then he was jostled by both of their movements so much, that Light fell back to his side of the bed with a hand over his face this time, and they both finally calmed down.

"We're morons, aren't we? Not unlike Matsuda-san, I suppose,” L finally asked the golden question, as he peered over at Light for just a second—imagining a different future for them if things could be different. “Despite everything, we don't like our chosen PC companies because we’re trying to spite each other, but because we simply must complement each other in every way, I guess. Who knows? Maybe in some life, it is complimenting and we don’t even hurt each other like we do here.”

“Maybe so,” Light agreed wistfully. And after saying so, Light swiftly fell asleep. And L couldn’t even find it within himself to be jealous of how the land of dreams came so easily to Light Yagami anymore.

Unbeknownst to the other… the next day, the both of them would decide to buy acer products from now on—for a certain reason that neither would ever tell the other one.

#lawlight #oneshot #canon #canon compliant #yotsuba arc #can be seen as platonic or romantic really #my writing #Shanna writes #mine #my work

[maryellencarter]

Writerly ephemera meme, also from @thisbluespirit .

"Find five bits of yourself that you gave to your fiction (memories and places and phrases and things into our stories), post and tag five or more writers to share as well."

Hm. I think the tricky part with this would be figuring out what's actually posted. Maybe rather than trying to quote specific stories, I might try it this way:

My Wes characterization is very solidly grounded in canon -- I spent a year and change playing him in a D&D campaign, and between my detail-oriented memory and the quick-access requirements of D&D turn order, I'll have moments during writing where I'll know first that something just *feels* wrong for Wes and find the canon support surfacing for it afterwards. (There was a point, this one's not published yet, but @camshaft22 's Hobbie was trying to leave a room last for character reasons, and I was like "Nope, when there's a threat behind them, Wes is the last one out". Couldn't have pointed you to the reasons I knew that right away, but they were there. We did eventually come up with an arrangement that worked for both characters.)

Um, as I was saying. Despite all that -- there are definitely also points where I've given Wes a lot of myself. (1) I tend to write him as more or less autistic, for one thing. Canon!Wes can be argued to be ADHD, though even a lot of that is fanon (he's not the fidgety one in the Wraiths for example, that's Shalla), but autism is probably a harder sell. But he's my emotional support character and I can do what I want. XD

(1.1) I'm not even counting the ways his PTSD matches mine. That's just canon, and a large part of *why* he's my emotional support character.

(1.2) I'm also not counting writing him as more or less aromantic, because you can really solidly defend that from canon. Which, of all the fictionary characters I've ever run into (excluding the ones written by out aros as explicit aro rep), is a thing I can only say about Wes Janson and Sherlock Holmes. I still really don't know what to do with that information.

(2) I was going somewhere with that. Taanab, I think is where. All we really know about Taanab is that it's an agriworld, and that one reference book claims it has a 46-hour day. I choose to ignore the 46-hour day, because circadian rhythms are not that easily fucked with, as I know to my detriment. However, I put a lot of my Indiana farmland childhood into Taanab when I have occasion to write about it. Again, not a lot's published yet, not least because I've never decided whether to give Wes a heaping helping of my childhood trauma or the childhood I wish I'd had instead, but there's a pretty consistent setting where Wes and Hobbie retire to a farm on Taanab that Wes happens to have inherited from somebody, and that farm is usually based on two or three friends' farms I used to know. Haven't been back in coming on a decade, but *taps head*.

(3) I can kiiiind of defend this one from canon, but I usually give Wes a memory like mine, too. It's just easier. We're not quite on par with Winter, but I mean, he can give Wedge a rundown on Ejector Darpen some thirteen to fifteen years after the last time he ever saw the guy. Now we do know Darpen was with the Aces long enough to remember him too, but Wes Janson is what you might call memorable. Anyway, point is, we don't know for sure, but the way I headcanon it, if you asked him about anyone else he spent a similar length of time around, Wes could give you just as good a briefing. Doesn't necessarily follow their careers, because that just gets fucking depressing when you're talking Rebels, but say he happened to run into one of the nurses from the Yavin sickbay, he could totally be like "hey Hobbs, look who it is!" and so forth. (I do not give him my prosopagnosia.)

(4) Something I haven't given him but I *could*, if I really wanted to dick with him: I used to be a really damn good marksman. Soccer, volleyball, you name it, if I had enough practice I could place a shot anywhere I wanted. Then for some reason, I've literally never found out why, my dominant eye switched. I used to be left-eyed, now I'm right-eyed. And that three-inch difference is enough that I now *suck* at every sport that requires aiming. Granted I haven't had much chance to try to relearn, but the attempts I have made have been fairly disastrous.

(Free plotbunny if anyone wants it, that one. I'm not really in a mood to write angst, especially something like that which would have to be either magically cured or a really long haul of being off duty and unable to fly or shoot.)

(5) There's no actual canon for this before SoA, but I like to give Wes a little bit of my crappy knees and back when I can get away with it. Misery loves company. XD

#meme #about writing #wes janson #rogue squadron #wraith squadron

[hopeymchope]

If you like Danganronpa, you might like...

I’ve discovered quite a few games/animes I’ve loved and even new fandoms by using recommendation engines/following online message board recommendations for people who already like the Danganronopa games or anime or manga, and I thought I’d give a quick rundown of how these things have worked out for me.

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, honestly... it’s just time-consuming to write it all up, y’know?

Today, I’ll focus primarily on the video game side. If I put “Danganronpa” (any entry) into a recommendation engine, these are the results that I see spit back at me the most... and now that I’ve tried all the most common results, here are my findings.

Persona

Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d: The storylines have teenagers in Japan having to investigate dark goings-on while counterbalancing that with scenes of daily life that are lighter and more humorous. There are also “social link” scenes with the other characters that could easily be compared to the “Free Time Events” in DR, wherein you learn more about the lives of your compatriots via some one-on-one time.

What I Played: Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden on my Vita, then Persona Q on my 3DS. And I watched the main anime adaptions for 3 and 4...

Did It Work for Me? Will it Work for Others? Persona 3 and 4 absolutely worked for me. Q didn’t so much; the Etrian Odyssey-style map-your-own-first-person-dungeon gameplay was a turnoff. Regardless, it’s hard to pin down exactly why there is SO DAMN MUCH crossover between Persona and Danganronpa fans - probably more than anything else I’ve got listed here - because they’re actually very different. These are RPGs with turn-based combat and fantastical story elements involving magic and mystical beings and other worlds. And yet... I do feel the tonal similarity, and the characters feel like they could be at home in a DR game or vice-versa. And I deeply loved 3 and 4. (The stories are individualized to each numbered entry with the exception of the two “Persona 2″ games, so you can jump in on any numbered entry without any problem). I am excited to one day play 5 (although it is so much easier for me to play portables so I really, really, really wish there was some portable version of 5 in existence). Also note that the “social links” didn’t exist UNTIL Persona 3, so you can’t really go back and find that aspect in the first few titles. I can’t say these will work for everyone, but the massive amount of fan overlap says something, so if you’re game for a turn-based RPG AND you like Danganronpa... have I got a soup here for you.

Zero Escape Series (”9 Persons, 9 Hours, 9 Doors” + “Virtue’s Last Reward” + “Zero Time Dilemma”)

Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d: Dark, complex storyline filled with twists, memorable characters trapped in killing game, a mysterious mastermind, visual novel-style presentation, off-kilter humor interjected at surprising times.

What I Played: All three games on the Vita (the first two are collected as “The Nonary Games”).

Did It Work for Me? Will it Work for Others? Yes and yes. Aside from maybe Zanki Zero (see below), this is probably the most obvious thing to recommend to Danganronpa fans, and I’m kind of surprised there isn’t even more of a fandom to it. I can see why it doesn’t have as big of a following as DR - I mean, the humor isn’t quite as widespread and the characters are a bit less quirkily odd - but it’s hard not to get sucked in and fall in love with these stories. The big point of separation for DR fans is that instead of “Trials” where you use logic to solve puzzles, you have to constantly do “escape rooms” and use logic to find your way out of those rooms by doing point-and-click style hunting for items and solving puzzles in those rooms. Just like in DR, however, you’ll find that the more you fail, the more the game gives you increasingly blatant hints as to what you’re supposed to be doing, so it’s not like anything should get you stuck for too long. There’s also the somewhat obtuse nature of how to progress at times, but if you use the branching storyline map whenever you get stuck to look for updated items, you’ll probably be just fine (I hear the DS version of the first game doesn’t have such a map - or even voice acting - so you may need to beware of that being the most obtuse version out there). I loved these games, even if my rankings for them are probably out of sync with how most of the fandom seems to feel.

Phoenix Wright

Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d: Visual novel-style plot and investigation scenes, murder trials with logic puzzles where you need to point out flaws in testimony/falsehoods using evidence, plenty of humor.

What I Played: All of the first game (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) on the DS

Did It Work For Me? Will It Work for Others? Well... this is a little unfair, because I played the first one of these before I ever played Danganronpa, but... I didn’t like it. The humor was... lame for me? and I found the trials excruciatingly difficult because MY version of how the logic was flawed was never exactly how they wanted me to approach it. It was a matter of me attacking the wrong parts of sentences over the same general facts but... yeah... I didn’t get into this. Maybe I’m dumb, or was dumb, but it didn’t click for me and I only got through the first game using a guide and expending a lot of patience. I later tried out the anime because I heard it had a good rep (and this was after getting into DR and anime in general), and I didn’t care for that either. So I don’t know about this one.. it wasn’t up my alley. Will it work for other people? Well, clearly it DOES work for other people or this wouldn’t be considered a similar recommendation that comes up so often, typically in the top three of “if you like DR games” results! I do think the humor is FAR different than that of Danganronpa’s, and the characters lack the same kind of nuanced depth you see in DR (but again, that’s just from me playing the first game). But it’s easy to see from the “Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d” that there are elements that would definitely appeal to DR players. Give it a try for yourself if you aren’t already a fan, I’d say. My experience feels... esoteric to what most people think. I may need to try one again. These are on tons of platforms nowadays, many with demos, and often at discounted prices.

Zanki Zero: Last Beginning

Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d: It’s made by largely the same team using the same art style and presentation stlye and is an extremely dark story full of unique personalities and LOADS of weird off-kilter humor with zany mascots somehow overseeing apocalyptic circumstances and the characters look and act like they could easily be in DR and...

What I Played: The whole lone game from start to finish on my PS4.

Did It Work For Me? Will It Work for Others? HELL YES. Everyone who likes DR should really give this a chance. It gives off so much of a similar vibe despite being a “survival”-style game with navigation puzzles rather than logic puzzles, and you can turn off the survival/combat aspects entirely if that’s not your thing! And the story is excellent and the characters are excellent and really just please play this. Underrated game of 2019, and most underrated game that needs a fandom that I’ve ever played.

Fire Emblem

Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d: The bonding sequences you get when your units stand next to each other could be compared to FTEs. It’s got an anime design aesthetic, and the story can go pretty dark. Characters may suffer permadeath (even if other characters won’t react to this fact), so I guess there’s that...

What I Played: Awakening and Fates on the 3DS in their entirety (Yes, I did all three routes on Fates).

Did It Work For Me? Will It Work for Others? I can’t say I fully “get” this one. Fire Emblem is a turn-based strategy game that takes place in a medieval setting, so why is it always turning up in recommendations for people who play Danganronpa? Yes, I did enjoy it quite a bit. I became a newly minted fan of Fire Emblem. Success! And yet... I don’t know that the crossover is obvious to me, nor do I expect it would be a clear-cut case for most DR fans. I don’t even know that all of the traits Iisted under “Why This is Probably Getting Rec’d” actually apply to the whole series. I suppose that any game series that has a balance of darkness and humor plus a “character bonding” scene mechanic might just fall into the “if you like Danganronpa... “ pit, regardless of how incredibly different EVERYTHING ELSE is. But perhaps there’s a deeper connection here than I realize. Care to theorize?

#fire emblem #phoenix wright #danganronpa #danganronpa fandom #zero escape #zero escape series #persona #zanki zero #zanki zero: last beginning #video games

[giantroboticplatypusbutt218]

Ugh...

If you’re excited about ace Perry... don’t let me ruin the mood. Just move on while I vomit out my thoughts. 

I know this is going to be controversial to say, but... am I the only one a bit sour about Dan Povenmire retroactively declaring that Perry’s asexual? 

Don’t get me wrong. I love Perry. I love ace Perry. When I write fanfics I write Perry(and many other characters) as ace because it’s more relateable to me because I’m ace. And yeah, at first glance, it’s cool knowing this awesome secret agent has the same sexuality as me. 

But... Perry is literally the ONLY main character in Phineas and Ferb that isn’t human. And the only animal main character... is the only character confirmed* to be a part of the LGBT+ community. 

Noticed the asterisk? Yeah. It’s because he’s not really canonically ace. Nowhere in the show is he stated to be ace. It’s not even implied (No. Remarks about not wanting to give him a girlfriend don’t count). I hate to break it to you... but the creator of a character just saying online that a character is ace... isn’t actually representation. Nothing they say on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok or whatever is canon to the media they made. I mean, everyone understands this concept perfectly when Rowling says the wizards poop themselves and magic it away, but I guess when people actually like the retroactive declarations it’s different? 

Let’s play a game: Name 3 cartoon characters who are asexual. ... Finished? Alright. Now do it again, but this time, it only counts if they’re human and it’s confirmed in the show that they’re ace. What’s that? You can’t do it? The only character any of you can think of is Todd from Bojack Horseman? Wow... I’m soOo shocked... 

Seriously, I’m not the only one who’s a little annoyed that people desperately lap up the weakest ace rep ever like it’s water in the middle of the desert, right? I’m not the only one a bit peeved that when the ace rep is doled out, it goes to demons, trickster gods, and childlike space rocks and sponges, right? And for crying out loud! Hillenburg responding to anti gay rights Christian groups with “actually I think Spongebob’s a little asexual” isn’t the shining beacon of pride you think it is! It’s a deflection, with further plausible deniability because Hillenburg was a Marine Biologist and Sponges are biologically asexual!

Speaking of poor responses, can I talk about Dan Povenmire’s? Because if someone asks, “is this character LGBTQ+” and you respond, “does asexual count?” that invites aphobes to quickly and easily respond with, “No.” I’m willing to bet he didn’t know about how asexual LGBT+ inclusion is still commonly debated(by aphobes), but it still really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Asking if asexual people count as LGBT+ invites debate, which you don’t do when the debate involves questioning people’s rights.

If Todd from Bojack Horseman wasn’t the only respectful ace rep I can think of, if ace rep was common among human characters and didn’t only apply to villains or “innocent” people, I wouldn’t have these reservations. I mean, I’d still be annoyed the “rep” was “confirmed” by a comment, but yeah. 

Sorry. It’s kinda hard for me to feel hyped when I get crumbs that are 2 years past the expiration date and from a fruitcake instead of a pie. 

#Perry the Platypus #Asexuality #Representation #Long Post #Negativity #Phineas and Ferb #Random Thoughts #PnF #MM'sW

[sirsharp-a]

🍵 [ maybe asexual representation in the rpc?? cause i've noticed people automatically equate a muse being asexual to being 'unshippable' while also ignoring the fact that sex positive and sex neutrals asexuals do exist ]

@unladylikc

right, i have a lot of opinions about this one so strap in.  also, before i say anything, i wanna specify that i am ace myself;  in spite of this, i have no bias, for reasons i’ll get into in a moment--

1)  ASEXUALS ARE NOT ALL ‘WEIRD, NERDY OUTCASTS’ WHO COULD NEVER GET A LAY IN COLLEGE.  they are regular people;  some are attractive, some are not.  some do x thing, some do y thing.  some are introverts, some are extroverts.  some have an interest in romantic relationships, some don’t.  stop assigning the ‘shy geeky guy/girl’ as the default to all ace characters, that ain’t it chief.

2)  ASEXUAL MUSES ARE NOT STRICTLY ‘UNSHIPPABLE’.  okay so to me, even the notion that somebody wouldn’t write with me because they can’t ship with me is fucking ridiculous and honestly, good riddance, but asexual =/= aromantic?  a lot of asexuals are still in perfectly healthy, functional relationships, whether with other asexual people or not.  though to be honest, this isn’t all the consumer’s fault;  i feel people in general should do better at splitting sexual orientation and romantic orientation, because they are separate things.  what makes a character ‘unshippable’ is if they’re aromantic, not asexual.  and even then--  does there need to be a ship to write something worthwhile?  idk, sounds very small-brain to me.

3) ASEXUAL MUSES CAN STILL APPRECIATE SOMEBODY’S LOOKS.  i’m so tired of seeing people write ace characters that express complete revulsion towards the way people look in general.  that isn’t how it works.  you can still think somebody is attractive/appreciate somebody’s aesthetic without wanting to have sex with them.

4) ASEXUALS ARE NOT ALL ‘SAD PEOPLE’ THAT LACK AFFECTION/INTIMACY SO DENY THEMSELVES IT.  some asexuality stems from trauma ( i know some of mine does, personally )  and some is just to do with a person’s natural disposition.  some people just aren’t interested, dude, and it’s fine to write an ace character without some deeply scarring backstory and instead just have them say ‘nah’.  i acknowledge that trauma can shape that sort of disposition, but sometimes trauma--  especially on this hellsite, where ‘the more damaged, the deeper they are!!!’-- feels exploitative and unconstructive.  it isn’t a necessary component to write an ace character.

5)  IF YOU’RE GOING TO WRITE SEX-POSITIVE ASEXUALS, PLEASE RESEARCH IT.  listen.  i, AS AN ACE PERSON, had to search that up and read about it because it didn’t make sense to me at first.  to me, i was confused how somebody could proclaim they were ace but then engage in sex anyway.  then i read.  then i researched.  and only then did i understand.  please read.  i’m begging you.  it isn’t enough to attach a ~quirky lgbt~ label to your muse and then write it disrespectfully/inaccurately.

6)  also, @ those rotten few within the lg/bt community, whether in character or not:  please stop fucking excluding asexual people.  we are part of your group and we are important.  whether we date/have sex with the same/opposite sex is honestly none of your concern unless we’re dating/sleeping with you, don’t tell me i’m ‘not gay enough’/’not oppressed enough’ you dumbass.

but honestly, my main critique about ace rep is the same as ANY REP and that is:  if you make an ace character JUST to write an ace character, it’s going to suck.  i’m sorry, but it isn’t interesting to have a sexuality/race/gender be the SOLE FACTOR about a character, and that’s just it.  nobody should be making a huge song and dance about it;  it should just be treated as normal, because it is.  it ultimately comes second to your writing ability / your ability to tell a story, and if the story is solely ‘they’re ace’ then i just don’t care.  it’s not interesting to me.  arguably to anybody excluding a very small group of very insecure/easily pleased people.  character first, then plotlines/trait exploration.

tl;dr:  MAKE CHARACTER FIRST, THEN POLITICAL STATEMENTS.  ALSO, RESEARCH.  READ.  PLEASE JUST READ.  EDUCATE YOURSELVES.  REP WITHOUT REASON IS POINTLESS AND I DON’T CLAIM IT, AND Y’ALL SHOULDN’T EITHER.

#🞮 — i'm wasting my twenties. ❜ ( ooc. ) #[ FEEL LIKE THIS IS GONNA RUFFLE A FEW FEATHERS BUT OH WHALE #I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THIS #SORRY I KINDA POPPED OFF!!! ] #unladylikc

[cephalopodinspace]

these constant debates over whether people are "allowed" to write asexual characters having sex are so reductive. yes, some asexual people have sex. no, there's nothing wrong with writing asexual characters who have sex. but you absolutely can't stop there!

1. aces who have sex are not the same as allos. presumably, there's a reason they identify as ace. at bare minimum, think about whether you're portraying them experiencing sexual attraction. think about what it means to experience it. then consider adjusting those interactions to fit into an ace worldview. maybe go further and read some stories about sex by ace authors ( multiple authors--ace experiences are very diverse). figure out what about sex might appeal to your asexual character, if it isn't attraction, and write them through that lens.

2. have you ever considered writing a sex-repulsed character, or writing a character as sex-repulsed? it's possible you haven't. think about why. maybe you've only written one ace character before; maybe you like exploring the experiences of sex-positive and sex-neutral aces; maybe you only like writing smut. all okay reasons. but if you find you're just uncomfortable with the idea of writing sex-repulsed characters, you should unpack that before you try to write asexual characters.

3. specifically regarding fanfiction, many asexual characters' opinions on sex are not explicitly stated, even if they're implied, so people feel like they're "allowed" to write aces having sex, and do so. it's fine to write aces having sex, but if you always assume that ace characters (or ace people in real life) are sex-favorable or sex-neutral, you're erasing the diversity of asexuality. not all aces are sex-repulsed, but being sex-repulsed is part of many aces' identities.

4. Having sex doesn't define someone's asexuality... and not having sex also doesn't define someone's asexuality. By that I mean, writing an ace having sex without considering how their asexuality affects them is pretty unimpressive, and the same is true of writing aces who don't have sex. if you're writing inside an ace character's head regardless of their relationship status, they probably think about some things differently from allosexual characters. the difference may not be as obvious as it is with aces who have sex, but in some contexts, like a romance story, it could easily come up.

5. The reason point 4 is important to me is that I (and maybe a lot of asexual readers) try to read fanfic about asexual characters and become a little unsettled by the amount of fic about them that's sex-related. for me, it's less the amount of asexuality-unaware sex than the apparent proportion of it to asexual-focused content. if a fic is m/m or f/f, the relationship itself serves as representation of some form or another, (without assurance of quality), even if it doesn't focus on what it means to have an identity. but for asexuals, a fic being gen or sexless alone generally doesn't imply a connection to asexual identity or experiences (though many asexuals do prefer gen or sexless stories). As a result, it can feel like fic is overwhelmingly sexual and erasing, which i think is why some aces think people shouldn't write aces having sex. it doesn't mean you have to stop writing what you want--just that writing ace characters as ace, whether they have sex or not, has value.

6. There are many things you can do to expand on a character's ace identity beyond their mindset. Chief among them: let characters have conversations about their asexuality! especially with people they care about! especially if they're having sex with them! of course, one of the best things you can do is let your ace have conversations with other aces about their asexuality. diversity of experiences, and so on and so forth. it's also very nice in real life.

7. Have you considered writing other kinds of a-spec characters, like demisexuals, gray-aces, and acefluxes (among others)? I recommend it, but again, consider why they would choose a given label and how it affects their mindset. a character being gray doesn't mean you should write them indistinguishably from allos.

8. It would be unhelpful to try to explain aromantic representation here, on a post that starts out focusing on a pretty asexuality-specific topic, when aromantic rep frankly deserves its own whole post, but it feels wrong not to mention it at all considering the significant overlap between the communities. for now, I'll say that there's very little rep anywhere at all for aros, and you should consider writing aromantic characters, including aromantic-allosexual ones.

9. You may feel like there's no place in your writing for aces, or specifically sex-repulsed aces, for instance, if you only write smut. But, as has been established, aces do have sex, and sex-repulsion is on a spectrum. Any given ace may be very interested in certain sexually activities, while being totally repulsed by others. That is in fact true about all people who have sex. So if you really desperately want to be inclusive, I'm sure you can find a way.

You don't have to write asexual characters at all. Representation isn't a checklist where you have to tick every box, and you don't even have to necessarily care about representation. But if you do, think about how you write asexual characters. Point 1 is probably the most important point: don't call your characters asexual if they don't express or experience their asexuality in any way. bare minimum, they say they're asexual and make note of any sexual attraction (be clear on what this is) they experience as unusual or something--if they experience it at all. If you're writing asexual characters as allo, either accept the fact that you're doing that or start making adjustments.

#asexual representation #asexual #long post #writing tips

[bloody-wonder]

Every time I read a fic where Nicky just inexplicably ~understands~ Andrew or is the one to explain Andrew’s actions *TO* Neil, my suspension of disbelief automatically snaps. I get that people want to like Nicky and therefore make their versions of him more palatable for themselves, but it’s annoying. That’s not who he is. He doesn’t make any more of an effort to understand Andrew than anyone else and he doesn’t have an inate knack for it either, which some fics would have me believe

the all consuming, uncritical, absolutely blind love for nicky in the fandom is one of my biggest pet peeves. welcome to another rant.

i remember when i read aftg for the first time and dived into the tumblr fandom i very much expected to see posts calling him out at for what he did during their first trip to eden’s bcs isn’t it the bread and butter of tumblr discourse - taking one problematic thing a character did and cancelling them for it forever. however i was surprised to find not a single such post. seriously i’ve been in the fandom for almost a year now and i have been lurking on the old blogs and following the new ones and i have yet to see such a post. here’s the one i wrote back then

https://bloody-wonder.tumblr.com/post/189107928398/so-nicky-discourse

there i mostly talk about the eden’s incident but the point i tried (and probably failed) to get across was not that what he did is Problematic but rather that why he did it is. bcs like with roland it’s self-evident that nicky did a bad thing and it’s also framed as such by the narrative. but taken out of context this single incident can be easily dismissed as a mistake commited by a young inebriated person which they realized was a mistake and apologized for. the fandom is certainly ready to dismiss it and to accept nicky’s apology to neil. fair enough. in fact it would be an example of some very mature thinking on the part of the fandom - if the context of nicky’s behavior and personality wasn’t discarded along the way.

and the context is this: nicky has very rigid and one-sided views about what’s normal and what’s not and he acts accordingly. he thinks it’s normal to feel attraction like he does and to strive for a romantic relationship - hence the “neil you have to date someone or you’ll die unhappy” pep talk. he thinks it’s normal to casually kiss a guy he likes at a club despite him being very obviously uninterested. he thinks it’s normal to comfort people by touching them, so he will do it to andrew although it’s common knowledge that andrew doesn’t like to be touched. when andrew lashes out at him for it - it must mean andrew’s not normal bcs “normal” people like to be touched. andrew doesn’t behave like a “normal” person would, ergo andrew’s crazy. how do we “fix” andrew? how do we make him “normal” again? apparently by forcing “normal” things and behaviors upon him until he’s magically healed by the abundance of care and hugs.

instead of trying to understand andrew and connect with him “from below”, he’s dead set on imposing “normalcy” on him “from above”. like i said in my old post, he doesn’t even seem to give andrew credit for defending him against those jerks and winding up on the pills bcs of it. nicky just doesn’t get andrew to the point of calling him soulles, but seems to be under the illusion that he does everything in his power to understand him. well, on second thought, is it in his power though? i had some hope that after nicky finds out about the nature of andrew’s trauma, he’ll realize some things and his treatment of andrew will change. that didn’t happen as far as i remember. when the gang returns from the easthaven with andrew, nicky’s like “andrew won’t you ask neil why he’s all beaten up? well that’s just rude”. in fact, now i’m remembering that nicky and aaron were telling everybody that andrew’s much worse when sober but?? what’s worse about him? that he isn’t smiling at them? what a scary behavior indeed. or that he isn’t chatting with them? well it’s their problem that they aren’t as stellar conversationalists as neil. i digress. what i’m getting at is that it may very much be not in nicky’s power to understand andrew bcs they are very differend people and come from different circumstances. i’m not saying that you can’t write a plausible arc where nicky learns to communicate with andrew but most people don’t even try. as far as i understand nicky is seen as nothing but kind and if sometimes he makes mistakes, well, they don’t count bcs his intentions are good. but there’s a road paved with good intentions. you know where it leads.

that’s the insidious thing about nicky, that’s why i think he’s one of the most well-crafted morally grey characters and why he fills me with rage - the problematic side of him is hidden beneath the good intentions, the kindness, the jokes, all the other little things that make him nice and relatable, that the fandoms tend to latch on to. we have no problem engaging with characters like andrew critically, it’s easy for us to separate his good sides from his flaws bcs he’s upfront about it. we sure love andrew but we don’t romanticize his bad boy attitude and his knives bcs the media shift in recent years has taught us that “bad” boys tend to be Problematic and you have to watch out. andrew is hard to swallow so you swallow only if you absolutely want to, but nicky is so palatable you don’t even have to drink anything to wash him down, all the while oblivious to what you just swallowed. the “good” boys you have to be critical of as well.

sorry, this metaphor was weird.

lastly, we have to address the elephant in the room - nicky’s gay as the fourth of july. he’s the uwu gay cinnamon roll that has to be protected at all costs. we’re still at a point where, despite gradually getting more and more media rep, gay people feel like the characters they’re represented by have to be paragons of virtue lest the general public think that all gays are like this one imperfect character. so i can see how the aftg fans would want to overlook all nicky’s flaws because they like him and relate to him so much. i can also see how, if he were straight but otherwise retained the uuh... lets say “sexually enthusiastic” facet of his canon personality, he’d probably be burned at a stake by now. there’s this wonderful trend where people rehabilitate seth and aaron by treating them as complex characters. i can only hope that the same thing will happen to nicky some time soon.

so yeah, i 100% agree with all you said. nicky doesn’t understand andrew and the fics where he magically does are ooc. or, you know, those where nicky explains demisexuality to neil. don’t. make. me. laugh. nicky who has forced himself on neil and when that ended in a disaster tried to allo-splain the joys of a romantic relationship to him? nicky, who, upon seeing that neil doesn’t seem to be interested in girls, thought that the only possible conclusion must be that neil’s gay? all of this after neil explicitly told him that he doesn’t “swing”. i’m sorry, writers who hc nicky as some kind of wisened by life sexuality mentor, but he doesn’t know a thing about the ace spectrum.

tl;dr nicky really needs to do some self-reflection but, since he isn’t a real person but a fictional character, the readers need to reflect upon his canon behavior instead, before declaring him to be the kindest, most perceptive and tolerant person in existence. 

#nicky hemmick #andrew minyard #neil josten #all for the game #the foxhole court #asks #aftg mine #i feel so personally attacked by all the blind love for nicky bcs basically he's my mom #my mom loves me very much and would do anything to make me happy #but she also doesn't understand a lot about me #and her version of happy isn't relevant to me #which she has trouble getting cause she's an entirely different person #nicky stayed in the us for the twins and bought them a house #it's very nice but so what #my parents have done comparable things for me #but it's not like they also haven't unintentionally damaged my psyche forever #people are complex #relationships are complex #the good deeds don't cancel out the bad #aftg ask