#Seriously though I LOVE the found family trope in this show

[bsd-elle]

I know that Buddy Daddies is a dumb show with cute moments, and I totally agree.

But I just can't help but marvel at their writing choices.

They could've very easily continued with the sxf narrative, two hitmen adopt a kid for some reason, and hijinks ensues.

But rather, they opted to create a genuinely authentic found family trope, where two adults, both traumatised and not equipped to be parents, have taken it upon themselves to raise a child, to the best of their abilities.

Rei, who's father can't even be addressed with that title, who never had the chance to live his childhood.

And kazuki who never had any parental figures, who's chance at family was ripped away from him, for which he blames himself constantly.

These two people, who come together, to adopt and take care of a sunshine child like Miri, not only do they give her a loving, caring family dynamic, something she wasn't privy to earlier, but the two of them heal through her.

Rei is able to live his childhood, and enjoy his life, has a space where he can show his emotions, without being a stoic figure.

Kazuki, my poor boy, who feels like he doesn't have the right to have a family because he couldn't 'protect' them, now have a chance to raise a child.

And what I love about it is, not once does kazuki project his trauma onto Miri, not once does it seem like he's trying to 'redo history'.

He's very self aware of himself, the trauma he carries, and the mistakes he's made.

Yet, he constantly tries to better himself, and be the best parent to Miri.

Their love for each other is so palpable, obviously with his over protection and physical touch, but beyond that, the small things he does.

'our Miri', 'my girl', 'our genes'.

He fully has accepted Miri into his life, and considers Rei as his co parent, and I... I just love that so much.

Because I imagine this airing in a conservative country like Japan, and even if it wasn't gay parents, this could also be used for adoptions, where some people believe that it's not that same thing as having a blood relationship.

Buddy daddies simultaneously breaks down so many gender roles, and this ideal family notion, by having two male parents.

But more on the writing, Rei's care towards both Kazuki and Miri was so clear.

It's through subtle words, he tags along for everything Kazuki does, he reassures him even though he has no idea what to do either.

And with Miri, my sweet angels, that episode where he refers to himself as her papa, I scream everytime.

At the end of the day, yes, buddy daddies is a dumb show with cute moments, that shouldn't be taken seriously, but it's also a show that tells you that family is definitely something you can have, but it is also something you can choose, the people you choose to have in your life, the people who choose to be in your life, the people who love you regardless of who you are, the people who love you will be there for you, no matter what.

#buddy daddies #rei suwa #kazuki kurusu #miri buddy daddies

[alexiethymia]

I have a lot of thoughts.

Ok so I loved it. It was cheesy but I do love the entire hotel’s dynamic. They’re such a messed up found family. It was sweet as hell (pun intended) that they all stayed for Charlie and their home (gosh darn it, the hotel’s become home for them)!

The duet between Chaggie was adorable.

BUT BUT the last two episodes only cemented my intrigue with Charlastor. I do love fanon Charlastor.

But their canon dynamic on its own is so interesting. Like it doesn’t have to be romantic.

It’s in the way he didn’t immediately deal for her soul and yet we just know the deal is going to be heartbreaking.

It’s in the way despite his touch-aversion he is STILL so touchy with her. Like I always thought that it was power play, and to some extent it still is. But he already got the deal he wanted from her, and yet he still caresses her hair, pinches her cheeks, loops her arm around his in some parody of a gentleman’s hold?? (So so touchy, and it even seems different in the past that it seems almost friendly. It was weirdly adorable how proud he was in showing off Cannibal Town to Charlie). Sure it may be manufactured, but part of me thinks that part of it is unconscious because he displays a level of comfort with her similar to what he displays with Rosie, with his friends in other words. He’s called her ‘charming’ twice now!

It’s in the way that despite that Charlie has always been the underdog and mocked, in his own sadistic way, he HAS always believed in her (even as he still thinks it’s all for his own amusement). Even if he’s only using her there’s something to be said that he’s always believed her side was the winning side. He parallels Vaggie in that way I think. He seems proud of her (like seriously I wouldn’t expect him to actually smile sincerely with Charlie’s heartfelt declaration of love for all of them - him of all sinners!) AND here’s the thing, I could easily believe he thinks he will leave everyone high and dry if it’s a choice between him or them. He’s in it for himself after all. But when he sings about seeing and polishing Charlie’s potential, yeah it’s definitely villainous, but it’s striking that whatever mysterious endgame he has in the future still seems to include her.

And the most striking thing for me! We now know that his staff is his weakness, possibly a large source of his power. AND what this heartless sinner who trusts no one hands it over to Charlie?? Twice? He literally puts his weakness in her hands? It shows that (despite not admitting to it) he trusts in Charlie’s inherent goodness that she won’t take advantage of his vulnerability, because for some reason I don’t see him doing that with anyone else.

Charlie and Alastor are foils. Their dynamic forms a crucial part of the show. Absolute goodness versus absolute evil is boring. Alastor’s villainous breakdown is prepping the audience for a heartbreaking betrayal. But again it would be a boring development to watch if Alastor was his usual smug and evil self through it all. For it to have weight, Alastor also has to go through inner turmoil as well. Corrupt the cutie is a favorite trope for a reason. But who’s corrupting who? From Alastor’s breakdown, it’s clear he’s not as in control of everything anymore. I love love Alastor’s unwilling, conflicting, growing attachment to the hotel (which is best shown through his relationship with Charlie, though I would hope he develops his relationships with the other hotel residents too).

And it would be so interesting (and satisfying! and heartbreaking) if Charlie ends up playing Alastor at his own game. If Charlie is the one factor that Alastor doesn’t see coming because he (shock!) actually DOES trust her. In other words, in the same way Charlie (and the hotel) is influencing Alastor to become softer (and in his view, weak), what if Charlie does end up being influenced enough by Alastor’s mentoring that she ends up becoming all the more ruthless. Because I can see a scenario where Charlie ends up ‘betraying’ Alastor for what she deems a justified reason. Alastor’s ruthlessness with the self-righteousness of an angel? Whoo boy. There would be so many layers of dramatic irony there that Alastor’s plan of corrupting Charlie ends up working so well but it ends up hurting him because she’s the chink that manages to get past that smiling armor.

And compounding this inevitable tragedy is the knowledge that this could have all been avoided. Alastor trusts her, but it seems like it’s not enough or his urge for control still wins out in the end. Because for me there was no need to go through a deal. If it’s Charlie, she wouldn’t abandon Alastor and she’d do everything to help free him if that’s what the deal was for because that’s the only deal I can think of that wouldn’t require Charlie to hurt anyone.

Unless the deal isn’t about that. Unless typical power-hungry Alastor’s goal really is to depose Lucifer and to rule Hell. Because Charlie definitely wouldn’t help in that (unless she was forced to through their deal) but perhaps there’s something only she can do that ends up handing power over to Alastor.

That is to say Chaggie fulfills that itch for stability and a happy ending. Charlastor fulfills that itch for angst and push-and-pull. From the beginning, it’s been a tug of war and a battle of wills between Charlie and Alastor and I’m glad to see that theme has remained in the show. Alastor will be the truest test of Charlie’s belief in redemption. It’s exciting to see who’ll win out. Will Alastor corrupt her first or will Charlie redeem him first?

Like I thought I’d only see this is in fic, but heck I didn’t think we would actually get a group hug with Alastor but wow omg I can’t believe we actually got it in the show proper!

That is to say this long spiel is just to say that the show ended up turning me into a multishipper haha.

#hazbin hotel #charlastor #alastor #charlie morningstar #chaggie #don’t come @me pls #like I said I don’t need it to be romantic #but ever since the pilot I’ve been excited for the canon charlastor dynamic #and the show sure didn’t disappoint! #everything that intrigued me about it at first was still there #and got better! #vaggie #to think even vaggie would be smiling that alastor came back?? wow

[dorkynerd23]

"I Love Them And I Love That They're There For Each Other." 🥺🩷

[Liam Vickers (The Creator Of Murder Drones) Talking About N And Uzi.] (GLITCH X 2023)

In all seriousness though, although I'm a Nuzi/Biscuitbites shipper and all, I overall really do love and adore how much N and Uzi's relationship has blossomed and developed over the course of the show so far and how much closer the two have gotten. Whether you see them as either platonic or potential lovers, you can't deny that these two are absolutely adorable and badass, and just work so damn well off one another, they're honestly the heart of the show, in my opinion. (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠) You can honestly see the friendship and connection between the two and see that they do deeply care about one another and bring the best out of each other, it's honestly understandable why so many fans love the pairing between these two and their dynamic and find it comforting, because there's so much charm and even relatability to both characters. You truly do believe in their bond and their relationship is only going to get so much stronger once the final two episodes of the season are released next year, especially with the huge amount of stakes involved now + with N having to choose between either saving the universe or potentially killing Uzi.

N X Uzi is pretty much a slow burn, it's taking its time before things get serious between the two. To me, nothing in my eyes feels forced or rushed unlike other romances in pieces of media I've seen which didn't have the best development and growth, or the right amount of it. Although, relationships like N and Uzi have been done so many times and can be seen as cliche, (which I can get behind!) that doesn't always mean it's automatically bad and horrible, some cliche tropes for potential couples can/have worked as long as they're written correctly and done well! For me, when it comes to my favorite ships I like for them to have chemistry and believability and show the connection between the characters.

Honestly, for any romances/relationships in pieces of media to come across as believable than the audience must be convinced that the couple is genuinely connected and N and Uzi fit this category although we're only in the first season and we aren't sure what the future holds for the show, there's more potential to show more growth and development for N and Uzi and their relationship, with the potential of them being more! I honestly don't see how these two wouldn't end up together by the end especially after so much buildup and teasing only to have the two end up with different characters at the end of the show, it would've definitely left a bad taste in the fans mouths and would've been pointless. It would be understandable for N and Uzi to get together and it works, as not only do they have the strongest dynamic and relationship out of all the characters but throughout all the episodes (so far, at least) the two have shown to start growing closer and closer, the show has hinted at them being something more eventually. ❤️

Now, of course, anything can go and Envy might end up being the endgame couple instead, especially after V's sacrifice and her growing character development things could change. But, I honestly don't really see them getting together and besides, He and V could still be friends and connect and not everyone needs to get/be in a relationship to be happy. V doesn't need to be in a relationship with N to be happy, she needs to improve herself first and become a better person which is what she's slowly doing and as said, she can still find happiness in a found family and friendship, she can still find happiness in other places! 💙💞

#murder drones #liam vickers #liam vickers animation #glitch productions #murder drones uzi #uzi doorman #md uzi #murder drones n #serial designation n #md n #n x uzi #nuzi #biscuitbites

[azulashengrottospiano]

you don't have to leave.

Genre/Tropes: No notable ones!!

Summary: Can I have a soft angst with happy ending of Mc getting ready to go home but jade doesn't want them to so he does everything he can think of to make us stay and we decide to stay?

Author's Comments: I loved writing this one, I think it may just be my Octavinelle bias but I also think soft Jade deserves rights. ALSO FLOYD CALLS THE READER CLEANER SHRIMPY BC THEY HAVE A MUTUALISTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH MORAY EELS mc upgraded once they started dating jade.

~~~~~

“I found a way for you to go home.”

You looked up at Crowley, shock on your face. You didn’t think he’d taken the search to send you home seriously, and for a second you thought he was joking. Grim squirmed a bit in your lap at the news, but was clearly just as surprised as you since he didn’t say anything.

“Really? I can go home?” you asked, relief and anxiety crashing on you in waves.

“Henchhuman-!” Grim sat up, his paws resting on your shoulders. His expression was frantic for a moment, but it quickly shifted to sadness, “You...You can’t go!”

“In my infinite kindness, I will give you a week to decide. You may stay here and continue to work under me, or end your studies and go home. Ah, I’m such a generous Headmage!” Crowley hummed, beaming at his words, “Now run along! I am a very busy man-”

You walked out of his office in a daze, images of the home you’d occasionally forgotten during your stay here. The second you started on the path to Ramshackle, Grim started pawing at your shoulders again.

“You can’t go! If you leave then I’ll get kicked out!” Grim insisted, his eyes frantic.

“Relax, Grim. I’m sure Crowley will let you stay.” you set him down, continuing on your way, “I need to clear my head for a bit...this was so sudden...come on, I’ll get you some tuna-”

You turned to look back at Grim only to find the path empty. A brief sense of panic overcame you, but then you realized. You were going home. Grim was no longer your responsibility. Besides, he’d show up later for food. He always did.

You entered Ramshackle with a sense of finality, figuring it would be the last time you had to sleep in this dump. You’d gotten so caught up in Overblots and playing therapist for everyone that you’d forgotten how homesick you were. With no wallet or phone you had no photos of your family, just memories.

The sound of the front door bursting open ripped you out of your thoughts. You didn’t even get to turn around until Grim was clinging to your ankle again, two hands grasping at your shoulders.

“Hey Prefect, what gives? You’re going home?” Ace was just as panicked as Grim, his eyes wide as if you’d suggested something horrible.

“I mean! I understand why you want to go home! Of course I do! But...it won’t be the same without you! Nothing will.” Deuce looked like he was about to cry, clinging to your arm like you were his lifeforce.

“Guys! Stop crowding me. I haven’t even thought about it. I just got the news.” you pleaded, squirming out of their hold, “I can’t get peace to think about this for five seconds?! Just give me some time. I don’t want to leave you guys! You all are my friends and I care about you. Just let me be for a bit...”

You were finally able to breathe once the trio let you be. They were quiet, as if they hadn’t said anything at all. You left like you were about to cry as they moved towards the couches, Grim clinging to Ace’s pant leg. Your heart was lodged in your throat as they all sat down, back facing you.

They were giving you space.

You knew they weren’t mad or giving you the cold shoulder. They understood the choice you had to make.

Then why were you so upset?

Jade, your brain whispered, You needed to go see Jade.

Jade Leech, the Vice Housewarden of Octavinelle, had been your partner for a while now. You’d stumbled upon him in the greenhouse about two weeks after you’d shown up, trying to get a better idea of the campus layout. He’d been polite towards you, though now you knew he was trying to determine how interesting you would be. To be fair, you’d thought he was interesting too, and kept trying to find him. You learned his name, the fact that he was his dorm’s Vice Housewarden (which earned him a frantic question of whether he cared for formalities or not. He did not.), you learned he was in Octavinelle and worked at the Mostro Lounge, which is where you found your feet taking you. You had wanted to calm down and collect yourself there before telling him, but things never worked out the way you expected them to in Twisted Wonderland.

The second you stepped into the Lounge, Floyd popped up in your field of vision.

“Hey little cleaner shrimp!” Floyd beamed, “Are you here to see my brother?”

Good, Floyd was happy. If he was in a bad mood today this could have gone a lot worse.

“Yes. Do you think he could get a bit of a break for like...an hour?” you asked, hoping that Floyd would give you even a fraction of that time.

“Sure thing. He’s on break anyway. Probably making tea or looking through his mushrooms.” Floyd wrinkled his nose.

“Thank you, Floyd.” you reached up and patted his head gently.

You headed to the small break room behind the counter as Floyd giggled, continuing on his way to serve customers. The door opened with a slight creak, and you shut it quietly behind you.

“Hello, dear.” Jade hummed, appearing next to you so quickly you would think he teleported, “Did you come all this way just to see me?”

“Jade, I have something to tell you. It’s important.” you said, your stomach twisting in knots.

He blinked, surprised. The look didn’t last.

“Okay. What is it?” Jade smiled, taking your hand in his.

“Crowley found a way to send me home.” you confessed, meeting his gaze.

Silence.

Jade’s smile twitched a bit, his eyes never opening. He chuckled, but you could tell there was a troubled undertone now. Being around Jade for so long helped you pick up on those little things that only Azul and his brother could decipher.

“Would you like some tea?” he hummed, turning away from you, “I have a new blend. I’m sure you’d love it.”

“Jade.” you stood your ground, watching as he stopped in his tracks.

He didn’t turn around.

“Would you like sweets instead? We have a new dessert you can try. I submitted the recipe myself.” he hummed, starting towards the small table without looking at you again.

“Jade, please look at me.” you pleaded, “I wanted to talk to you to clear my head. You’re the only one I can trust to do that right now.”

“What is there to discuss? Do you want to hear about the new mushroom species I’ve found? I can’t say I blame you, it’s certainly fascinating.” he finally looked at you, that smile still plastered on his face.

“Jade, I don't know what to do.” you reached for him, but he didn’t meet you halfway.

“About the mushrooms?” he turned away from you, pouring a cup of tea, “I can teach you how to take care of them. Then you can forget about this going home nonsense.”

“But Jade...I care about you.” you murmured, staring at your lap. That last comment was like a knife in your heart—you knew Floyd and Jade were blunt people, but you expected a little more communication from him.

“And I you, dearest. But I’m afraid that doesn’t matter anymore.” Jade handed you your tea, his eyes finally meeting yours, “You’ve got your home back, and it would be selfish of me to stop you.”

“That’s not what you’re thinking and you know it. You’re teasing me right now. You want me to stay and I know that, Jade.” you barely restrained yourself from slamming your tea on the table.

He briefly looked taken aback before he began to chuckle, his hand rubbing the top of your head.

“Well, it seems you haven’t lost your touch. I would not be myself if I were not selfish.” Jade retracted his hand, still managing to keep his distance despite the fact that the two of you were so close just moments before, “But you’re wrong. I am being selfish. Now, would you like to see those mushrooms? I submitted a new recipe to the lounge, too. You can tell me recipes from your home and we can make them here. You don’t have to go back when you’ve found another home here.”

“But it’s my home.” you breathed, heart twisting painfully in your chest.

“But am I not also your home?” Jade’s eyes flashed as he leaned down to your seated position, unexpectedly close, “I was under the impression that I was just as important to you.”

“Don’t guilt me. Don’t make this harder.” you mumbled, tearing your gaze away.

“How do you think I feel?” he asked.

“The same. We feel the same, I think.” you mumbled, “I…I think we’re both making a decision that might leave a home behind.”

Jade said nothing for a few beats. You didn’t either. He stood up straight again, sitting down across from you as he poured himself a cup of tea. The silence was suffocating as you two sat across from each other.

“I knew this day would come.” Jade hummed, “I just did not expect it to be so soon.”

“That makes one of us. Crowley can be so incompetent sometimes that I just... assumed I’d never go back.” you confessed.

Jade made a soft noise of interest, but changed the topic again.

“I’m going on another hike tomorrow. I hope you will be there to join me.” he stated, plunging the both of you into an awkward silence for the rest of your meeting.

You received his silent message.

Make a decision by then.

🍄

“Whaaat? You’re going back into the mountains again?” Floyd huffed, glaring at the small pile of Jade’s gear.

“Of course. At this time of year, certain species of mushrooms are thriving. It'd be foolish not to take advantage of it.” he hummed.

“Gross. Just don’t bring any of those weird things back, okay? I hate them.” Floyd grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ll bring back whatever I please.” Jade laughed softly, hoisting his gear on his back and opening the door.

“You better not!” Floyd shrieked as he shut the door, ignoring his brother’s plea.

The walk to his usual hiking trail was more thought provoking than he was used to. Jade, for once in his life, had no idea what you were going to do. After all, your entire motive during this school year was to get by and go home. Who knows if a few connections would be enough to soften your heart? Jade thought it would, but with your indecisiveness yesterday, he couldn’t be sure.

He couldn’t be sure until he saw you waiting for him at the trail.

Was it just his imagination, or was the walk taking longer than usual? He checked his watch and blinked a few times when he saw that only a few minutes had passed. It wasn’t taking slower than usual. Laughing quietly under his breath, Jade found himself intrigued with this feeling.

Anticipation.

What would you choose? Would you choose him (and your little Heartslabyul friends too, he supposed they’d be included as well) or your home?

The last stretch of trees before he turned on the trail seemed to drag on. Jade purposefully slowed his pace, the anticipation welling up in his chest. There was some sort of enjoyment he found in this unpredictability, even if it was you. He hoped you’d forgive him for being late if he ever saw you again.

He turned down the path, eyes immediately sweeping the area.

He almost laughed when he saw you, sitting down, leaning against a tree. You were examining a map of the trails with a furrowed brow, and he remembered the first time he’d taken you up here. He’d let you navigate for the fun of it, and you both had gotten lost. Jade was far more happy about it then you were, and he’d had camping supplies prepared. This earned an enraged exclamation from you because you thought he’d packed those thinking you’d get lost. He’d told you that no, he’d packed those because he knew you’d get lost.

To this day, he thought your angry face was cute.

“I’m glad you decided to stay.” he placed a hand on your head, making you jump.

“Jade! I didn’t even hear you!” you stood up quickly, dusting yourself off, “Um...Ace and Deuce wouldn’t leave me alone. And I have Grim to take care of. And...I don’t think I’d want to go home if I couldn’t take you with me. I think this place feels more like home than anywhere else. Even if I miss some people from my world...I found more people here. It wouldn’t feel right leaving them.”

Jade laughed, sweeping you into a hug. You buried your face in his neck, clinging to him tightly.

“You’re so cute, my dear.” he tilted your chin and kissed you gently, one of his hands cradling your face as the other held you against him.

Breaking away, he relished your flustered expression.

You chose him.

#auburn's fics <3 #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #jade leech x reader #jade x reader #angst #i guess??? #fluff too though #man i love jade leech #hes so cute

[winchester-reload]

I have a few thoughts about the Winchesters finale, and though I wasn’t gonna weigh in on this, it turns out I needed to write this down to get it out of my head, so here we go.

I understand that Misha was approached to be included on the show and that there was a “scheduling conflict” that included multiple conversations with Jensen. Here’s my interpretation of that: 

I believe Cas was supposed to make a cameo in episode 13 to tee up the confession resolution—this was always the episode where they were going to crack open the “surprise twist” even before learning they would only get 13 episodes total. In the original scenario, episode 13 would have been the hellatus episode rather than a finale, leaving room for everything to come to a head with episode 22 instead. It’s then they would have given us the actual Dean and Cas reunion. This would have wrapped both stories nicely with each group going off into their own respective sunsets—their own happy endings, while still leaving all the room for the new crew to explore more seasons; all along, we see, The Winchesters was about Dean and Cas as much as it was about Mary and John.

When they didn’t get the back half of the season picked up, I assume they feared it would be more dangerous to show a Cas cameo without getting to address the confession, so Misha likely opted to be left out instead. With the only hint to Cas being Dean’s line that he was looking for his family when he found the Akrida, then directly drawing the parallel that Jack and Bobby were “family.” The core crew for Dean has always been Bobby, Sam, Jack, AND Cas. And he wasn’t looking for Sam because he was still on earth. So who’s left? You might be compelled to believe he was window shopping AU versions of his parents, but he confirms he ran into the Akrida in this world and then sought to interfere with the order by approaching John in an effort to prevent it from spreading to Sam's world. (Why Cas would be AU hopping, idk. The boy is really afraid of being shot down, I guess.)

It goes far to explain the vast narrative parallels we saw reflected in the Monster Club crew if it was intended as a setup for the confession payoff. It honestly doesn’t make a lot of sense otherwise. There’s no reason these people should be living Dean's experiences and regrets every episode unless the writers wanted the viewer to be thinking about the lessons and resolutions in how they relate to Dean too.

Additionally, as this has been a largely uncontested take, this is Jensen's well-funded fanfic come to life. Complete with the embracing of many of our favorite fanfic tropes and emphasized by Dean’s own words throughout the season. Because this is an obvious embrace of that “write your own story” fan side, I believe the reason Dean couldn’t even say Cas’ name in the episode is because they were going to change the spelling from “Cass” as it was in the show proper to the fan-adopted (and more accurate) spelling of “Cas,” which would have appeared in the subtitles and later the script pages.  And even that little thing right there would have been a huge giveaway to the whole game. And a very dangerous thing to do if there wasn’t going to be enough time for follow-through. 

But the truth is, this isn’t a game for many people, and the harm that can be caused by good intentions is just as real. It also begs the question: why should this be so difficult? The answer is it’s not. Edging forever isn’t fun. It’s torture. I understand there’s an art to storytelling, but your audience is weary, and trust has been violated too many times. Even still, the flip side of that coin is honest to god respect for DeanCas endgame means taking the story and the reveal seriously. It’s a tightrope walk. And one that Robbie somehow managed to keep balanced after the finale, without it falling either way.  Also we also need to consider the possibility that Jensen did pitch a full-on destiel love story spin-off but got shot down, opting to couch it in a more CW-branded world instead. He’s mentioned over half a dozen pitches were rejected. It's up to you whether you want to give him the benefit of the doubt on that.

But, I’m gonna be honest here, I don’t know that we will ever get that resolution we crave. Even Robbie confirmed The Winchesters were always meant to “go it alone” after the first season. It’s hard to imagine Dean popping in there to fuck around again after that handoff. But the dude is clearly a very restless sea-faring*, swoopy-haired mofo right now, so I’ll leave that one up to the SPN multiverse and the new Mr. Superwholock’s magical universe-traveling impala. (This show used to be about what again? *looks at notes*.) And FWIW, if they do get green-lit for a whole second season or are allowed to move networks, I believe a good-faith effort will be made to tie the narrative parallels we saw in season one to some real Dean and Cas resolution. If there gets to be a world where John *might* not turn into an abusive dick, then this possibility has to be true too.

For the record, I enjoyed The Winchesters, all the new characters, and the doors the finale opened for the possibility of more. I would have been fine half-watching it with no promises, empty head no thoughts, but I got my clown** suit on again, and though I mostly kept quiet, unlike last time, I did regrettably manage to drag a few friends down with me yet again.  Though the spec sessions were epic, and we did get some art out of it—it still rocks the boat when the base level expectations were only 1. Dean alive, and 2. seeing Cas again. 

But for anyone, like me, upset by the (likely unintentional) Cas-baiting or anyone still reeling about why this stuff can hit so hard, here’s an interesting article about the way our brains respond to fictional characters. Tl;dr: There’s nothing wrong with you. This is science. And while you’re at it, take a look at this article about the very real power of disenfranchised grief over character loss.

Ramble on, fam. And take care of yourselves.

<3 Jackie

*Um hi he appears as a sailor? Literally, on a show with a story Dean is writing whose audience is looking for a resolution to a conversation between two people who’re famously the “most shipped” characters of all time? That’s not an accident. That’s intentional. And it’s another reason why there might be a bitter taste in your mouth. These nods came without resolution, so it still feels dirty, despite the brilliant Easter egg.

**I hesitate to say “clown” here because the lesson on episode 12 was that the clowns were the ones who chose a self-induced limbo rather than face some personal hard revelations. That sounds more like a certain closeted character than it does the people cheering him on, and that felt like an intentional nod too.

***obviously, this is my own rambling spec as I try to reorder my thoughts in the wake of the finale.

#the winchesters #destiel #spnwin #jackie's talking #meta #finale thoughts #my art

[kaypeace21]

Alot of the plots were good - but some aspects just really made the season overall awful . How dare they do that to Max. I'm livid about that. You really had venca's curse represent su*cidal thoughts- which we see Max overcoming in part 1 . Then part 2: bam vecna k*lls max- the girl who str*ggled with ab*se, a horrible home life ,and throughout the season overcame her su*cidal thoughts but got an awful ending . And while dying she says over and over she doesn't want to d*e. It's cruel. Even if she does wake up from the coma - is she blind and or paralyzed and never able to skate again? Play videogames watch movies ?And for what- vecna is alive , and hawkins was still destroyed. Her sacrifice wasn't worth it. And Eddie's death was not only cruel but pointless too. He didn't even save anyone during the scene. And he literally mentioned how he did not want to become like his criminal dad . They kill him and the whole town thinks he's a worse criminal than his father. And he never graduated - it was "not his year". Aka part of his last words.The erica and lucas scenes of being attacked- honestly deserves it's own post. Also the romance is still low key one of the worst cringe parts of an otherwise great show.

I'm sorry m*leven is still so sus to me. Like besides all their relationship issues, it's weird s1-s4 parallels m*leven to family members. Like seriously side eyeing the Duffers just for those weird family parallels- if m*leven is romantic endgame. I mean ...nancy called herself "ruth" and el was in "Ruth, nevada" (and that's like 1 of 20 examples). Just to name one of many of those weird family parallels. Like why do that?? And yeah if it's an actual romantic declaration - you'd think they'd kiss like they did in the beginning of s4 . Not even getting into retcons like mike saying meeting Will at age 5 was "the best thing I've ever done". But now he says his "life started" at age 12 when he met el- cause "love at first sight" bs trope. Love at first sight isn't real. And mike literally the day they found her was suggesting ways to send her away so they could go back to looking for Will, and when he thought el lied ( about seeing Will alive) he slapped her hand and yelled "what is wrong with you?"2x then later said lucas was right to not trust her. Ummm... love at first sight? That?! Ok?And wow glad Will could hear mike's confession about how the 1st day he was reported missing- mike's " life began". Mike be like : "I knew Will for 7 years , before I met el . And all my friendships prior to meeting el- meant nothing to me- because my life only began when I fell in love with El instantly and rushed into a relationship after 1 week of knowing her (and when we finally Date- we just fight for 2 seasons straight). True love. "

Honestly they parallel robin/vickie/her bf to will/mike/El - which is also sus. Given how (supposedly straight) Vickie and her bf breakup- and Vickie seems into Robin at the end of s4.

But regardless I'm so sick of just getting "crumbs" whether byler is a queer bait or s5 makes byler canon. I'm just tired- especially after how the socials /cast and crew constantly pumped up byler during pride month- before part 2.

Not to mention the fact we have to just see Will lie to mike to help m*leven. Even though he hates lying to mike. Like no that was Will's painting -el thought it was for a crush of Will's (she didn't commission it for Mike at all)! He was just trying to be a good friend and brother by trying to fix m*leven (and lying to mike to fix m*leven's failing romantic relationship).like think about it- mike literally thinks that d&d painting /"heart" metaphor was El's creative idea and something el made as a gift for him . When it was all Will!!! That "heart" line Will says to mike is used again later by Will- to encourage mike to confess he loves El. Will literally uses his own romantic words for mike- to encourage mike to confess to el instead. Gross. If m*leven is endgame- could they do it in a less awful way to Will? Not to mention mike finally says he loves el-partially because he's moved by Will's painting (he thinks is from el). Which is also messy for m*leven endgame. All those words in the car to mike were Will's confession (he literally just replaced his pronouns for "El" and "she/her" ). Even jonathan saw it that way. Will to mike: " you're guiding- inspiring . That's what you do. you're the heart, without the heart (i'd) fall apart. These past few months (i've) been lost without you.(cough mike said the "lost " line to Will first) .When you're different from other people ... when you're different ... sometimes you feel like a mistake. But you make (me) feel like (I'm) not a mistake at all. And that gives (me ) courage to fight on. If (I) seemed like (I) was pushing you away. It's because (I'm)scared of losing you. "

And the fact we're just left with Will sulking in the corner - and being a trope of "sad gay character in love with his (supposedly straight) best friend". And have Will low key fix that the dysfunction het couple - who have trivial convoluted drama/dysfunction every season they date. But never actually resolve any of their fundamental issues - lying, spying, neglecting all their friends for eachother ,etc. Because you know the trope: gays always have to step aside and sacrifice the romantic love they have for a friend -so that same friend can instead live " happily ever after" (in a het relationship). Even if that het couple is dysfunctional and poorly written. I'm gay ... and just so tired of this type of stuff , repeated over and over and over again in media. Do writers not realize bad-rep is much worse than no-rep?Like if byler isn't canon these scenes right here are literally just rubbing salt in the wounds of Will and other gay/queer fans who empathize or relate to him.

It's like i've mentioned in the past a lot of straight writers LOVE the 'sad gay - trope' . Alot of those straight writers don't empathize with us as people, they infact "romanticize our pain" and find it "beautiful" . And just find our suffering "dramatic and angsty" decoration to their story- where they can also add bragging points of being "inclusive". They don't actually care about how problematic the queer rep is -and how it negatively affects us.

Even Will said he'd rather "pull the bandaid off" in regards to romance drama between him and mike. But duffers didn't do that- or give any closure for Will. Nah they forgot his bday and did this instead. Heck, no romantic closure for Will or even the whole st*ncy/j*ncy drama. Which is a whole other can of worms in itself (i'm saying this as someone who doesnt ship either st*ncy or j*ncy). Regardless of what could happen in s5. I'm just tired of how poorly some (frankly most) of the romance is handled in the series.

If m*leven is endgame they did it in the most reductive , stereotypical, predictable, and also hurtful way possible to lgbt fans. Without actually fixing m*leven's real issues to make us like them together as a couple. Heck (not only do they have problems that were never fixed ) : like lying /spying/ mike still hero worshiping her - which were never fixed ). They're now just a cliche ("love at first sight couple", who ever since they started dating have artifical convoluted drama every season ). Literally s3 and 4 are the same: m*leven neglect their friends for eachother, lie to eachother , fight with eachother, then say they're in love. There's no change , no progess they just repeat the same problematic pattern. Forget mike saying in part 1 this was a fight the pairing "couldn't get past" or mike nodding to Will saying maybe he's afraid to tell el the truth, cause she may not like it. Ummm - part 2 doesn't connect to that, why would El not like his confession? Not to mention mike only can say he loves her in s3 and 4 when her life is in danger (and in s4 when Will encourages him to keep talking)- not sus at all. The whole season Mike shares dialogue with brenner - even in the love confession (ick). And lol after his love confession- el won't talk to him. (purposeful hinting it won't work out ? or just horrible writing for an awful romantic pair who always have had poor communication?) Straight-mike narratively just makes mike a sh*t friend too- going from a great , considerate,and observant friend in s1 and 2. But , then the second he starts dating El in s3 :he neglects his friends for 2 straight seasons in favor of El (all while being a not good bf to her for 95% of their relationship). And also he literally said his life didn't begin until el (this is literally insulting to all his prior friendships which were established long before meeting el ). Straight-mike isn' t the "heart" of any party as Will claimed - not anymore (he straight up says his other relationships don't matter. Will, lucas, dustin- pfft his" life didn't even begin " until el ). Some of the worst days of Will's life - pfft mike, his bff, doesn't care about Will's tra*ma cause it gave him the chance to meet el. And he'll say it -right infront of Will. Iike mike could have said he's grateful to have met el in so many ways - but bringing up the day itself like that. Ugh. But in the end, both seasons his friends are the ones who have to help mike retain this supposed perfect romance. And let's get real they have no chemistry as a pairing- Mike just doesn't seem genuine in his love . And the confession incorporating mike's desire to be "needed" and having mike call her a "hero" and "superman'.yeah- hero worship from mike and dependence from el (winning romantic combo) . Also yeah , weird how El's "hero' is her dad and mike's is El. Given again all the family parallels. Heck terry(mom)/ mike saying "I love you" to El- is what gets her to defeat vecna.

And If byler is endgame in s5 - the duffers are overestimating how much bs they can put queer fans through- before they give us a happy ending . Like wow thanks for ending the season with mike & Will standing together, in between 2 other romantic pairings. After you made Will suffer through a bunch of problematic queer tropes (that you may subvert in s5- in like... 4 years). I'd say that framing at the end is a hint of byler- but they did the same framing in s3 only to do this in s4. So they may just leave those hints in the show to string and queer bait us longer. But honestly even if byler is canon in s5 (i actually think it has a decent chance of being endgame ): the Duffers sabotaged themselves. Becuse now bylers are less engaged in wanting to watch s5, and in s5 you'd piss off the m*levens . Cause mike would have lied to El and led her on (or just said it cause he didn't want her to d*e/ he meant he loved her in a non romantic way). But also when mike did his romance speech to El- he said the most messed up stuff right infront of Will ( aka the day Will was k*dnapped is when mike finally felt alive- cause he met El) . THAT'S SO MESSED UP. most bylers probably won't even bother to watch s5 - assuming the worst again too.

So my point is - regardless of whether mike is straight, gay or bi (they wrote themselves into a corner where mike looks bad either way). And his relationships with both of them are messy af.

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #max mayfield #eddie munson

[lurkingshan]

This might be an assumption I'm making, but would you say that romance is one of your favourite genres? Are there any other genres that you enjoy? (Yes, I am angling for recommendations even though my to watch list has over 200 shows and movies)

I would in fact say that romance is my favorite genre, I'm something of a romance fiend and have been since I was a wee child. There's a reason I love kdrama and bl so much, and that's because they cater to my tastes so perfectly. I've already shared some of my favorite romance recs here, though I always have more if you need them.

In terms of non-romance dramas, I have plenty of recs for those, as well! Even though romance is my fav I watch a lot of other stuff, too. I recently did a list of friendship focused dramas here. And of course, a lot of dramas include romance storylines even if the main story is not a romance; that is very common in Asian media (and why we love it).

A few other genres that I love, and the dramas I count among my favs in each category:

Action/thriller dramas: Happiness (pandemic zombies and two badass besties who know how to use a bat), Healer (classic kdrama that I need to rewatch again), Reset (cdrama time loop thriller and it is so good), The Crowned Clown (the what if we replaced the king with a fake trope treated with utter seriousness), The Glory (the ultimate revenge drama, cw for extreme depictions of school bullying).

Family dramas: I especially love dramas about families that span years and allow you to see how a family changes over time. Some of my favs include 10 Years Ticket (cw for depictions of family abuse), 18 Again (actually a very sweet one about a dad who ends up back in his teenage body and bonds with his teen children while repairing his marriage), Go Ahead (MY BELOVED I will find a way to include it in every rec post), Go Back Couple (a couple on the verge of divorce goes back in time and gets a do-over), Reply 1988 (best installment of the Reply series with a strong focus on five different families who live on the same block). And of course a recent entry here is Moving (but you know that one already).

Mystery/crime dramas: Beyond Evil (everyone in bl fandom has already heard of this but it is not actually bl fam, it is an excellent crime drama with two magnetic leads though), Extracurricular (poor high school students getting up to some bad shit in order to survive), Manner of Death (a classic mystery with a romance subplot), Signal (A+ long form mystery with a time travel twist), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (crime drama hingeing on a tragic romance).

Supernatural/fantasy dramas: Alchemy of Souls (supernatural sageuk with magic and body soul swapping and lots of fun), Goblin (do I even need to tell you about this one?), Kingdom (sageuk zombies), Mystic Pop-Up Bar (found family mystical dream healing), Oh No! Here Comes Trouble (also a crime drama but the supernatural part is crucial), The Uncanny Counter (found family grim reapers).

Workplace dramas: Misaeng (THE GOAT), My Mister (set in a workplace but not primarily about work because it's way more about trauma), Pinnochio (kind of crosses genres but I'm putting it here because the leads are reporters and their work is important to the plot), Search: WWW (three women in tech trying not to let the bastards keep them down).

#non-romance dramas #drama recs #shan recommends #shan anwers

[sareinadale]

please tell us more about this helsa series you are writing 👀💕

nonnieeee!! but it wouldn't be a surprise now, don't you think so?

okay honestly, i wasn't planning on working on a long helsa series, though i did have a similar plan with the 'marriage of convenience' trope as the core of the series.

what started out was really just a series of twitter banters with my friend that expanded into fully fleshed plots, with some spanning over a month or three depending on how far the plot develops.

truthfully, i've been yearning to find a writing partner who could match my writing style and be excited to write SO MUCH about a ship. while helsa initially wasn't my OTP ( yes, i started out as jelsa ), somewhere in 2022, i turned into an ardent helsa shipper thanks to my other friend.

ANYWAY, back to the series ( me and my big mouth can't hold it back anymore ):

the entire premise of the story takes place after the events of Frozen 1, but not until Frozen 2. her magic is still there, just not at the forefront as it did in the first movie. and oh, yeah, it's in the mid-1800s! there's also inspiration drawn from ( majorly ) the frozen musical, a frozen heart and a little bit of dangerous secrets.

others may have written something similar like mine, but this is really an extensive series of ‘what-ifs’ that mainly focuses on the aftermath of her coronation, her struggles of trying to be a good queen for arendelle and all the times she shouldn’t hang out with hans, who showed up on arendelle after serving his prison sentence for two years ( roughly ) – which led to her falling for his pretense like anna.

of course, there's a few original characters that we made for this series! besides that, i personally have a pinterest board dedicated to hans and elsa, alongside a spotify playlist that follows their entire journey :D

there’s also an element of hans’s morally grey side, which, as santino fontana said, hans isn't what he seems to be ( meaning he has personal motivations like any other people ) and my lovely friend who writes as hans has the most detailed lore on him and everything, and i honestly couldn't be luckier and so SO grateful to know them and write together ❤️

obviously, when we started plotting, we realized that their story's going to be LONG, and we've decided to break it down into three major acts. the second act is arguably going to be the longest and where we are currently.

so, the theme of the story is the title of the series itself: 'in hindsight'.

in hindsight is basically a sequel to a prequel titled 'shattering ice'. in this one, the story explicitly deals with her first visit to the isles and meeting the star-studded cast of the westergaards whom, again, my friend here has built – completely tragic, awful, and all things negative that shows who they are as a family.

also the prequel will serve as the starting point of their relationship because we don't want to jump on that chemistry building with haste.

right now, we're mostly focusing on in hindsight and pretty much pausing shattering ice. also, because the former became a full blown series, i had to upgrade my g-drive storage hahaha so all of their past plots and current ones are safely stored in there.

all in all, this series is arguably the most special endeavor i've ever done. it's got a TON of emotional realism in there, soft moments in the form of jane austen-esque longing touches kinda way, gut-wrenching angst and a bittersweet ending ( i'm not ready for the last part, but we've planned on how the series will end ).

even in spite of our busy schedules, we found time to keep writing out the replies, info-dumping personal headcanons of our characters and hyping each other whenever the ship had their fluff / angst moment. i seriously could not thank my friend enough, and i really appreciate her for all the helsa brainrots ❤️

and finally, the reason i've not put it up on AO3 is because i didn't want that invisible pressure of needing to update it. i mean, yes, it's still ongoing, but imagine if i just upload the complete series and voila? basically giving a delight to potential readers that the series is done hahaha.

i don't foresee we'll finish it by end of this year, even though we started out since june last year. but who knows, it could end well until the following year?

okay nonnie, there you go 🤓

#long answer #nonnie gave me a truth serum #i will die on this hill writing helsa until i'm old #i love them so much your honor #helsa #iceburns #sareinadale #prince hans #queen elsa #frozen fanfiction

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Halo, Episode 2

Episode 2

Ok kids, I binge-watched this entire show and took THIRTEEN PAGES of handwritten notes so I didn’t forget to talk about anything that caught me! So let’s be about it.

First off, may I say how much I appreciate that John is not a good-looking guy? He’s just a dude (the other Spartans likewise) and that sells the whole thing to me more than if they were all pretty. (Granted, I also thought Hiddleston and the cucumber guy were not pretty, so YMMV.)

Speaking of the other Spartans, how many are there? “Silver Team” implies the existence of a “Gold Team”, at the very least. And we open with a flashback to at least one getting away, or trying to—is he the only one to try, or to make it out? John apparently was supposed to go with him, or so Soren thought. He doesn’t (obviously), but he does give Soren a small headstart. (I can only assume that John/Soren is one of the top tags on AO3, this is Serious Emotional Bond stuff.) Why is Soren able to want out? Glad John didn’t shoot him.

In the present, Halsey is plotting something, because of course she is. The Spartans are trying to track John down, seemingly under some protest over whether he actually needs to be tracked down. I pegged Kai as the smartest Spartan last episode, and I’m getting confirmed in that opinion now. She questions and she thinks. Whether this is going to serve John’s arc or the UNSC, I don’t know yet.

Here we are with Kwan and Master Chief, with Kwan asking the real questions, which is a talent of hers. May I take a quick aside to point out that asteroids do not, in fact, float around that close to each other? It’s a very fun SF trope, though. Oh, so THIS is why the place is called “Rubble”. Clever. That is a seriously cool asteroid city design. YAY for someone speaking Hungarian! This show excels at showing that more than people from Iowa made it off the planet. (I appreciate all the accents to this end, as well.)

Uh, the armor’s a bit conspicuous, Chief, shoulda left that on the ship. Wow, they found Soren fast. (Has Kwan ever been off-planet before? She’s looking a little overwhelmed. Which is fair, shit is A Lot right now.) I laughed at the “mind the gap” reference. The tram thing is pure Universal Studios Ride bait.

I have a lot of feelings about Kessler and Laera, in order:

Cute kid and happy family? Oh shit they are doomed.

Otoh, Laera’s pretty glammed up, maybe she’s the sell-them-out type

Pale hair, intense eyes, Covenant destroyed her planet? Is she related to Makee?

Cute little stamp, this kid is DEFINITELY doomed

…unless they get to tragically lose Soren, instead? I TRUST NOTHING HERE

“Soren speaks of you often.” “Not that often,” Soren says flatly to the man he left behind. You talk about him constantly because you two were deeply in love, I’m calling it.

Makee is planning a mission to get the magical alien tech, full of references I would absolutely get if I were a gamer and which I instead absolutely don’t. As a fan of several long-running scifi series in an era when a lot of them are retreading ground (some brilliantly, some not), it’s novel, annoying, and deeply refreshing all at once to have to discover things as the characters do. I am still super obsessed with Makee’s costume design, and the aliens’ appearance is very well-done. They clearly put a lot of effort into making them stand up.

The UNSC brass are politicking and plotting, as the brass in any universe does, and I’m sorry, AI and cloning are never, ever good ideas in settings like this. I feel for Miranda getting constantly shut out, etc. I do wonder what the other Spartans want. Like, what are their goals? What do they think of the different people ordering them around?

Back on Rubble, Soren’s getting churros and saying “I know a guy,” which of course he does. Reth was… a choice. Ngl, this whole bit was deeply uncomfortable for me. We did get some good intel on the object and the Covenant. I absolutely appreciate Soren calling out explicitly the Mommy Dearest-ness of Halsey, she has predator vibes you can see from space. I do wish we knew more about the (apparently very few?) prisoners the Covenant takes and why and how they pick them. YIKES YIKES YIKES what did that thing just do? And who else can activate it?

And there goes John, leaving Kwan behind (so she can tragically die alongside the tragedy-bait kid??) and returning to Halsey and her creepiness. Meanwhile, Makee gets a gratuitous nude scene, which on one hand had me rolling my eyes and on the other had me glued to every detail of the construction design of that costume. So thanks, I guess, director dude.

Credits roll… wait, what do you mean, executive produced by Steven Spielberg???

#halo tv show #for extra fun spot how much more detailed each post gets as I get more and more invested

[sansaorgana]

Hi...so I just wanted to say that I never thought I'd find myself OBSESSED with Feyd Rautha fanfic. Like, I found thrown to the wolves by chance while scrolling and was like "there's no way this is real" and then I read it cause why not...

....and now you could say I love him? And you're the one to blame? I've even looked into more fanfics about him but personally, none of them are as good as yours. There's something about the feuding families trope and the way you're handling the readers survival strategy and her relationship with egg head that I FUCKING LOVE I SWEAR TO GOD YOUR HONOR I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

So yeah,I hope these two get a happy ending, or as happy as you can except on this universe.

Personally, I'm dying to know what's gonna happen with Feyd's lovers, and how reader is gonna handle the news of her dad dying and potentially her brother too

Are we ever going to see her previous handmaids again? I hope they're OK but I know they probably aren't.

Seriously dude, I'm dying with the dynamics between reader and Feyd!!!

Thank you for taking the time to share the story with us!!

Also, this was me when Feyd woke her up to tell her he was leaving:

Bro, he's starting to care AAAAAAAAHHH

hello! 😇

lmao I chuckled while I imagined you scrolling through your dash and seeing someone simping over Feyd-Rautha and being like ARE THEY INSANE 😂 one friend in real life I showed him to said that she is surprised people can crush on a character like that and tbh maybe I'm weird but I love crushing on characters that make other people scared/disgusted that I crush on them 🤣 my mum disappointed me, though, because I expected her to tell me to seek therapy and she admitted he is hot instead 😳 (probably because he's got that skinhead vibe lmao)

if I really am the one to blame that you love him, then all I can say is SORRY NOT SORRY 😁🤭

I am very happy that you enjoy my story so much, it means a lot 😭💐 although I would argue if my fic is "the best" because I think the fandom is full of amazing and talented writers and I enjoyed a lot of Feyd fics myself (I'm trying to check the tag regularly) 😌

it is no secret I do prefer happy endings. not in a way "everybody lives" but in a way where my main character is somehow happy in the end in one way or another. because real life is tragic and painful enough…

I don't want to spoil too much… especially that the next chapter will be posted tomorrow 👀

thank you once again, love! receiving messages/comments/reblogs like this… that's what motivates me to keep going with the story 🤗

#justice4harwin #sansaorgana: Answered #tttw

[wip-collector-ace]

Time for me to rate different popular book tropes on a scale of 1-10 ✨

Y'all are free to agree or disagree.

The Chosen One: Eh, I mean, there are good books/TV shows/movies using this trope, but why does it always have to be a teenager or somebody really young? /rh. Give me a middle-aged woman or something [6.5/10]

Enemies to Lovers: I personally only like it when there are queer undertones (or overtones) to it because if I wanted to see straight couples argue and insult each other and then forget about it seconds later in real time, I'd go to my parents' house /hj. Don't get me started on Booktok (they are literally incapable of doing this trope well). [Hetero- 2.5/10; Queer- 7.5/10]

Lovers to Enemies: The drama. The heartbreak. Scrabbling for what is left before it slips away and it's too late to save it... Look, I'm not normally one for romance--- HOWEVER, this always gets me (especially if done well). [9/10]

Love Triangles: Kill it with fire. [1/10]

Redemption Arc: We've all seen Zuko's character arc--- need I say anything more? But seriously, this trope has real potential to be amazing in the right hands. Not all antagonists deserve redemption, but if you have a strong arc, I can be convinced to ignore the batshit evil they've probably done. /hj. [8/10]

Found Family: Oh, I love me some found family--- with or without a happy ending. People of different backgrounds come together after getting over their differences and realize that the bonds they've created are stronger than what anyone else could give them?? I eat that shit up. [8/10]

Main Character Having Obvious Plot Armor: Look, this may not be a specific trope, but we've seen/read what it is so we know. I get it--- the main character needs some level of plot armor to get through the story (that is if you don't plan on killing them off), but you cannot sit there and tell me that the protagonist managed to get away from 10 people shooting at them unscathed /nbh. Make it excusable/believable. [Overall, 4.5/10]

Unlikely Allies: Literally enemies to lovers minus the lovers part and now the 'hero' and the 'villain' are confused about why they're friends now. Seriously though, I really enjoy seeing people with contrasting personalities or motives being brought together by outside forces to work together to a 'common goal'. It doesn't even require for it to be romantic--- which I really like. It's great. [7/10]

Unreliable Narrator: Being gaslit by a book? Honestly? I like it. [7.5/10]

The Red Herring: If done well, this trope keeps me hooked. I particularly like this in thrillers and horror novels. However, if you just have a red herring just to throw people off and never bring it up again or it has no ties to the rest of the story, then why? (If that makes sense) Anyways, shout out to Beyond Evil for making my brain mush with the amount of plot twists and red herrings it contains. [Overall, 5.5/10]

#booklr #books #book tropes #rating book tropes #tropes #writing community #queer writer

[imdefyingmavity]

Not gonna tag this but those that know will know what it's about. Fuming rant under the cut.

I fucking hate the take of "those who hate the found family splitting up trope are young people who are scared of change and being apart from their parents/siblings" - shut up! It is so god damn patronising.

I am a 34 year old childfree-by-choice neurodivergent lesbian who moved out on her own three years ago. It was the happiest day of my life because my family is toxic as shit and I wouldn't go back to living with them for anything. I do not fit this image you have made up.

Why do I hate the trope? Because I've lost contact with enough straight friends in my life who have got married and had kids and moved away and it fucking hurts, do I resent them for it? Of course not! Am I happy for them? Yes! Do we keep in touch when we can? Yes but it still hurts. Especially when those of my friends who have kids or boyfriends are more likely to stay in touch and you feel like you don't fit in, or people judge you and say you're not a "grown up" simply because you're a woman who doesn't want children. So whenever I see the "the couple has a child so they have to grow up now and will inevitably let their friendships be pushed aside" happen it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I watch TV shows and read books for ESCAPISM. Most of the shows I'm into are fantasy or have some supernatural elements, so everything else is allowed to go in completely crazy directions, with the writers jumping through all sorts of loops to make things happen, but friends who are like family being separated or losing touch as soon as someone gets married or has a kid HAS to happen because it's "realistic"? Giving us the fantasy of witches and superheroes and ghost families is fine but the idea of found families not being separated forever / most of the time is going too far? Like there's no magical or plot twist you can pull so they can still stay close, they have to part ways because "lol thats just life!" It reminds me so much of the days where Bury Your Gays was everywhere, when it was like "yes you get representation but not a happy ending" - and given found families are usually queer coded or go against the heteronormative narrative it feels connected.

No of course people don't have to live together 24/7 to still be family or best friends but they can live near to each other, or they can go exploring but return to the same home town, they can see each other more than just at Christmas and the odd celebration, they can help be there to raise the inevitable child - like seriously why are we pushing this "two parents have to just focus on their kid together", the closest person I'm to in my family is my sister in law and she LOVED having so many aunts around to help be there for my nieces and loved having time to be something other than a mom now and then! One of my friends who became a mum but I stayed close to loves the moments where we can hang out and, even though I say her kids are always welcome at my place, she likes coming on her own so that she can just enjoy our time together.

Also wanna point out that if you compare found family to nuclear family, and that leaving them is "no different than moving out of your parents house" then you really don't get the found family trope or why people from backgrounds like mine get so attached to it.

[a-vibing-potato]

A random collection of short rambles about HFTH

Currently in the middle of episode 78 (I swear, I always pause in the middle of episodes to write my thoughts but whatever) and I had to stop because of Nikignik's reaction to Lady Ethel Mallory this episode. It's basically the same thing as usual "I hate her, I hope she dies or kills me ASAP, her voice is the worst thing on earth, etc." so they basically just say that they hope she 'devises a weapon to kill them' so they'd never have to hear her voice again. But then they say, "I jest too darkly, dreamer." and this funny little headcanon popped into my mind.

(TW: Suicide kinda? Idk just to be safe)

I've always thought that Nikignik is very 'depression vibes' (and ADHD, but that's beside the point) but I'm taking the stance today that Nikignik is that one depressed/suicidal friend that makes dark jokes to cope and laughs at them but takes them a little too far and everyone around them is just kinda like "... Um... you good?"

Anyway, I'm worried about my (gender-neutral) boys:

Moth had me a little worried at the beginning of this episode, I just want Moth to be able to sleep :( and stop having nightmares, I love moth too much.

Don't get me started on the Polly/Mort/Yaretzi drama right now, I sobbed my eyes out when Rick Rounds split them up [he always bothers my found family :((((]. I was afraid Polly was gonna die, I was afraid Yaretzi was gonna die, Mort is all on his own... I'm literally going to cry again...

Whatever episode it is where it's just Polly and Rick Rounds after that was okay, I'm gonna be honest, I was kind of dead inside listening to it so I didn't really react much (even though he was beating up my boy Polly who is LITERALLY internally bleeding. Like leave him alone!!!)

And he stands on his hand, and then Polly makes that ugly scream-laugh-velociraptor sound and as a part of the Hot Polly Nation I'm just like, "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that..." (ok but seriously wtf was the noise. i get that you're in pain Polly, but what the actual heck.)

Other than that, hoping my found family gets back together, and where I left off in my current episode the Downing Hill group is getting attacked by a "thing that was once a deer" (which is a great horror trope, love that <3), so I'll be getting back to that!

Edit: Just finished the episode, and I didn't realize how much I loved and cared about Olivier until he let himself relax and cry for the first time. God, I love serious characters letting themselves go and show emotions (Polly, I'm looking at you).

ALSO: Is the forehead kiss a platonic friend forehead kiss or the start of a romance angle? We shall see, but I would honestly be really ecstatic about either. Things are taking a turn for the better :D

#hello from the hallowoods #hfth #hfth s2 spoilers #hfthw #moth scarberry #polly hfth #mort hfth #yaretzi hfth #rick rounds #let my boy (affectionate gender neutral) moth sleep #hfth nikignik

[wprowers]

i want to talk about sonic boom characters.

Long post warning.

First of all i would like to say that i really enjoy sonic boom !! I think it has a really healthy and silly humor that for me it's always welcome, so i like this show and its characters. But don't take my opinion as something biased bc i don't really think it is, i can't be biased towards a piece of media that holds little to no value to the true canon mainline games.

I have seen people dragging this show to hell, and at the time it came out it recieved a LOT of criticism for VALID reasons, valid when it comes to comparing them to the actual canon personalities of these characters (which varies from media to media but its mostly the same concept, but you can't say they haven't fucked up in the characterization of certain characters in mainline games but thats for another day).

But neither sonic or amy or tails or whoever in boom actually have any meaning at all, do they have a backstory? a purpose? any serious fight? is eggman even their enemy? Absolutely not!!

BECAUSE THIS SHOW IS NOT MEANT TO TAKEN SERIOUSLY !!

If we are talking about knuckles, he is not smart !! he doesn't have a life mission to protect the emerald !! There's nothing going on for him !! he doesn't even remember anything, in one episode he suddenly realized he didn't have a family and started to look for one, getting manipulated into an "evil" complot and that's he most arc he has ever gotten in boom (found family trope at the end of the ep, rlly cute)

And i did see some worries about the franchise being influenced by the boom! characterization. Mostly for knuckles and amy.

As for knuckles i think that some of you watched the scu shortfilm and immediately thought that they were bringing boom!knux into the mix, i disagree wholeheartedly with this (if s3 comes out and it is like that well then...) i think that scu!knux is just someone who gets represented by his pure heart (as every good representation of knuckles) and lack of knowledge of his surroundings and the people who came into his life. He gets easily manipulated and doesn't know what icecream is, bc he has been a loner for so long !! and he does not know earth, that does not mean he's stupid in any way, and i dont think that's what they would go for in s3.

And for Amy I've seen the discourse that boom! generated around her, some claiming that it was the best amy, for her not overly girly attitude maybe or for the fact that her affection towards sonic was hidden and she didn't show it at all, even though it was stated that she liked him.

So I've seen people saying that due to this amy being well received, it has influenced on how they made her in modern media, which i don't think is that much of a true tbh??? Like besides twitter takeovers, i haven't seen much of boom!amy influence in any other thing, perhaps yes they took a different take for her in frontiers or other modern games, but she has always been true to what really her character is, sonic or not Amy is Amy. Its not about how they made boom! canon suddenly but what is the path they want her character to take while she is still connected to her emotions and love for sonic and everyone.

And no i don't think boom!amy is the best version of amy, i don't think any boom! character is the best version of themselves and they will never be, because there is nothing that conveys their true selves in this interpretation, so it's impossible for these characters to be that.

LETS NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT BOOM!SHADOW because that boy is not shadow at all, then again this is a character that suffered a lot of misinterpretations from his own creators so,,,

So im not making really any point in here?

just simply stating the obvious !! sonic boom is a show that you watch to have fun ! it does not have any action or true emotional moments, never has the team gone through a serious situation. You watch it because it's silly and you don't expect much else from it! Everyone is loveable in their own way if you look at them with the right eyes, so maybe you could enjoy this show without thinking about how out of character most things are.

love you sonic boom i will always defend you

#LOOOOONG POST #like idek if someone will be willing to read this #if you do read this you are very well invited to leave your own opinion in the replies or reblogs #i love this show seriously #comfort show fr #sth #sonic boom #amy rose #knuckles the echidna #scu #I have a lot of thoughts about amy in general #thats for another post #forgive me for any grammar or spelling mistakes i will absolutely not check for them before posting

[kidstemplatte]

Hii, hope I'm not too late to get a match-up !!

1- I'm genderqueer AFAB and use any pronouns, but I prefer feminine adjectives/descriptives. Idk how to explain, gender is confusing lmao

2- 4w5 INFJ

3- Besides my hyperfixation on Ghost, I have a special interest in satanism and the history of the devil at large, as well as LGBT+ erotica (esp when it explores religious themes). I also love art very much (both making it and learning about it) drawing, writing, photography, stamp carving, performance... everything !! but my faves would be Klimt and Gustave Doré

4- I don't really have specific pet peeves, I just don't feel at ease with people sometimes, esp when they're loud and intrude my personal space without consent, idk might be the autism though.

5- I'm a short bitch (164cm/5'4"), midsize, dark blueish-green eyes, light brown short hair (growing out my buzz cut yay) and I'd say I dress like a mix of goth and a philosophy professor, because inverted crosses and ugly ties go very well together I think

Anyways, before I dip I just wanna say that I loveee your writing, it always comforts me when I'm back from another exhausting day of art school lmao (esp daisy chains, hurt/comfort is literally my fav trope with found family being close second)

Take care <3

matchmaking event #3

thank you so much for your request!!! and i'm so glad i can be even a smidge of comfort in your life!

your match is...

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Secondo!!!

- you two are the unexpected pairing everyone LIVES for

-you’re so different from him but it’s exactly what he needs, you bring him back to earth

-but at the same time, you have more in common than you think

-secondo completely understands the need for personal space and will respect that 100%

-except when you have an art project.he always wants to see your projects. will pester you until you show him and then let you return to your work.

-he's a fun and entertaining guy however isn't too loud at all and won't overwhelm you

-will also take control of a room in an instant if you're overwhelmed in a crowd, without letting people know it's for your sake because he doesn't want you to feel embarrassed. plus he likes the power trip haha.

-thinks it’s adorable that you’re short especially since he’s tall haha. iconic short + tall duo.

-secondo loves how smart you are, really appreciates your knowledge

-he's a fuckboy for sure but you are someone who he is deeply infatuated with and stays committed to.

-he loves having someone to have deep conversations with. lgbt erotica? that's such a cool niche interest, genuinely. and of course, satanism. he could talk about that forever.

-he’s also an art connoisseur himself so he LOVES your interest in art

-i HC secondo likes to paint so you two have painting dates teehee.

-he fucking loves your style, when he first saw you, he was honestly shocked, like, ??who is this mysterious person?? you stand out from the crowd and thats what drew him to you.

-STAMP MAKING??? that is so cool! secondo suddenly writes 10x more letters than he ever has because he loves your talent and putting it to use.

-also since you're growing your hair out he will make a lot of bald jokes about himself. that means a lot because he takes himself a little too seriously sometimes haha.

-y'all are my OTP tbh.

I HOPE YOU HAD FUN READING!!! <3

(and keep up the amazing work at art school, that's no easy task, you got this!!!)

#the band ghost #ghost band #ghost #papa primo #papa secondo #papa terzo #papa copia #cardinal copia