#he's such a complicated and interested character and i so rarely see that get explored anymore

[checkoutmybookshelf]

The Quartet That Started It All

As followers of this blog will note, this is not actually the quartet that started it all for me, but it DID launch author Tamora Pierce's career in the 1980s, and Alanna remains absolutely beloved among Pierce's heroines. Let's talk the Song of the Lioness Quartet.

In a classic case of "if I can't do this as a girl, then I'll do this as a boy and I have a handy twin brother to go full Twelfth Night with," Alanna of Trebond begins The First Adventure by dressing as a boy to train as a page in Tortall's royal court. This book introduces all our main characters and establishes Alan the page amongst his peers and Alanna as she finds herself and her place in chivalry.

One of the other amazing things about Alanna's story overall is that she begins it absolutely terrified of her own magical gift. Her arc includes learning to work with her magic rather than to fear it, and that's a twist on magic users that I really appreciated. We often get overly confident magic users--indeed, we'll get TWO of them later in the series--but it's rare that we get magic users who are fully aware of their powers and are still absolutely terrified of them. So of course, the story and the world and Pierce herself keep throwing Alanna into situations where she has no choice but to develop and use her gift. It's so, so good. This first book covers Alanna's page years, and we move into her squire years in book two.

In the Hand of the Goddess really expands on Alanna's key relationship with Prince Jon on Conte, Duke Roger of Conte, and Geroge Cooper. Alanna moves into a wider world of adult politics and stakes in this book. From being able to defeat an older, stronger, and more experienced opponent in a duel to developing her healing skills when a wound puts her out of commission during a war, Alanna cements her skills, connections, and position in society. This culminates with unmasking Roger as an attempting regicide and the accidental reveal of her gender.

This book is really, really good, and extends Alanna's childhood fear of magic to her fear of Roger specifically in a really natural, logical way. I could say more about the details, but these two books have an episodic vibe to them, so I won't spend too much time exploring every single key plot event.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man sees Alanna spending her first year as a knight in the desert, with a Bazhir tribe. She becomes their shaman by way of self-defense; she murders their first shaman when he tries to murder her for "being unnatural." Then it falls to Alanna to train three magic users for the tribe, and this is where we see more nuance into how different magic users relate to their powers, from sheer hubris to fear to "this is just part of me, let's do this." It's a phenomenal experience for Alanna, and she learns as much from her students as they do

Book three also sees Jonathan bitching to hell and back about having to be king, which is not a great look, and it's one Alanna calls him on. He spends most of the book alternating between pitching a hissy fit, begging Alanna to marry him, and training to take over as Voice of the Tribes. The interesting thing here is that Alanna refuses to marry Jon. He is trying to fit Alanna into his own fairy tale, and she very much goes "That isn't our relationship, I can't do that. We aren't meant to be like that, and that's ok." If I could inject that lesson into humanity's collective head, I would. It's well done and it's great.

Lioness Rampant picks up on Alanna's travels after she leaves the Bazhir, and eventually sees her return to Corus with a magical artifact to help secure Jonathan's position as king.

There's also the teeny tiny complication that Alanna's twin brother, Thom, has resurrected Duke Roger. Absolute chaos ensues, and Roger almost manages to take out the entire court during Jonathan's coronation. Nobody should have to kill an evil sorceror twice, but Alanna did.

If you want to dive into Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe, starting with Alanna is absolutely a good choice. These books hold a very soft spot in my heart, and they're never not engaging.

#tamora pierce #the song of the lioness #the first adventure #in the hand of the goddess #the woman who rides like a man #lioness rampant #alanna of trebond #jonathan of conte #ya fantasy #books & libraries #books and reading #books and novels #book recommendations #books

[yannaryartside]

SYD DEREVES AN ACTUAL MENTOR

One of the funniest excuses Sydcarmy deniers use to say the relationship will not make sense is because Carmy is supposed to be a "mentor" for Syd. The reason why I think that is funny is because Carmy has not been her mentor for a whole second in the series. I speak about this as someone who had art mentors and teachers:

A mentor is supposed to be able to see the raw talent in their students and guide them to polish it and discover their artistic voices. The key to the whole situation is the word "guide." They are an external observer, providing clues, instruction, and evaluation but not pushing their voices so the students will become like them instead of following their own artistic impulses

Now, if I am honest, I don't think Carmy has been a mentor for a single character in the show. Maybe he recognized Tina and Richie's potential by sending them to places where they could learn new skills based on their previously displayed talents. But the only one actually supporting Marcus in his journey is Sydney, it is not like Carmy ever stopped to ask Marcus if he had any doubts about the fancy pastries he was making. Sending Marcus to Coppenage was Sydney's idea, which makes me wonder if he ever thought Marcus was ready for an experience like that or if he just approved it because he trusted Sydney's judgment. Besides recipe overview and leader of the kitchen flow, Carmy is not a teacher, and certainly not someone who has invested time in guiding people through individual creative processes.

Carmy has acted more as a counselor/motivator. He comforted Marcus on his mistakes. He has encouraged Sydney on her menu ideas (s2 only, we will talk about that later). He showed his belief in Tina's talent by gifting her the knife.

But he has not been a mentor, in the sense that Sydney's artistic voice is forever silenced by his lack of interest in deep collaboration or exploration of Sydney's unique talents. She provided a couple of recipes of her own creation, with some of his suggestions. But all of it has more the tone of a partnership than an actual mentorship. They were supposed to have equal weight on the menu before Carmy called it quits; he even let her suggest ingredients and finishes. He values her opinion. He is not trying to teach her things, if anything, he hired Sydney with a solid idea of her talents and used them to put keep his shaky shop afloat.

In season 1, she had to put all of her energy into guiding a staff that Carmy had previously failed to dominate, and it is not like it was easy, but she managed to put everyone on the same page. When it was time for her to show her skills in providing a simple and efficient menu idea, Carmy made a whole effort to introduce a complicated plate to the staff. It is almost like he is competing with her, but again, we will talk about that later. Needless to say, nothing in s1 was mentorship at all in my opinion. She managed with all the skills she already had. Even Carmy mentioned that managing the staff was something she had previously done but didn't like to do, and Carmy never provided them with support or advice, is almost laughable. The story repeats itself in 2 when he ignores how much she needs her presence at the restaurant; he was supposed to be a leader, and he wasn't.

Probably the thing that Carmy has taught Sydney the most is how much he believes in her, wich helps her to belief in hersef, even if his behavior rarely provides her with support for her to flourish as an artist. In 2, she picked up Carmy's work like crazy, which is not a space to create; she was merely surviving and going through a real creativity crisis.

All of this to say is that I really hope she gets the opportunity to shine in another place, even for just a bit, and maybe get another mentor, someone who recognizes her knowledge of chemistry and encourages her to explore her voice, a resolution to her creative block in s2. This is not something bad or something to think Carmy failed Syd; artists and mentors can be a rare match, and maybe because Carmy never wanted a student, he wanted a friend/partner, and ironically, he is not very good at that dynamic either. God, when defining their relationship, Syd is the first to say "partnership," I don't think she expects him to "molde" her or mentor her. Equal creative weight.

They have introduced other chefs that I think could be the mentor Syd actually needs. I am partial to Olivia Coleman's character because I think they have a lot in common. But these other two will be cool, too. Or any other chef they could introduce.

To finish here, I will say the only type of "teaching" I will like Carmy to give Sydney, will be of this nature:

Anyhow, thank you for reading. Nor credited gifs in order: @chefkids, @songkangsbottomteethcirca2020

#I will also like Syd to date Luca. #Just let me be #Sydney Adamu Character study #sydcarmy #sydney adamu #the bear #the bear fx #carmy berzatto #carmy x sydney #carmy the bear #the bear meta #carmen berzatto #sydney x carmy #the bear hulu

[papparinoo]

something i like about the blue eye samurai is that they let mizu be a woman. And i know thats ironic since shes had to instead be a man, or let ppl assume shes a man so she could be safe or taken seriously. If anything they dont let her actually choose. idk if that makes any sense, but when i didnt know anything about this show i immediately expected the protagonist to be a man. Usually men play those roles, or whatever. So when i heard her voice in the trailer, i got excited! I hoped that she would be a woman, bcuz i rarely see women who dont look perfect, who arent wearing like skin tight suits or whatever portrayed this way. For me personally i always end up wanting a woman to be in the “mans shoes” or whagever the fuck. I wish i could articulate myself better. Like fuck they actually let a woman look badass as fuck, shes treated with respect in portraying her skills (by the story), and she isnt like the epitome of beauty (for social standards or whatever, to me she’s absolutely frickin gorgeous)

They actually let her exist outside of this lens of what woman should look like or act like. I know its been done before or whatever, but fuck it i barely see woman depicted in this same lens as a man and not make some joke about it. Shes not degraded to a sex object, her appearance isnt perfect or the beauty standard, she gets to be a killer and skilled swordsman in the same light as taigen. It felt rlly great.

I personally struggle with my gender identity, i feel somehow someway im not woman enough. So seeing mizu sort of go through not fitting this sort of standard, having this idea of being a man forced upon her, its all so complicated and interesting and relatable. Maybe that says something about me, maybe it doesnt. But im so excited to see where they take mizu and her gender. Akemi feels like such a foil against mizu. She fits the beauty standard, shes observed as a woman and has her own power. She’s unfortunately the luckiest a woman could be in the story, her being married and such was better than being sold. But still powerless at the same time. It makes sense why mizu was dismissive of akemi at the beginning, to her it looked like akemi was just a brat, but even akemi struggles with not being taken seriously. Mizu on the other hand doesnt fit the standard, being mixed, seen less than human for not fitting the standard, not being “woman” enough (the whole husband thing where her actually being better than him immediately made her husband like dismissing of her and possibly ratting on her as well) the whole constant thing of her “mom” telling her she doesnt have good looks, it often felt like mizu was fighting against not only being mixed and “not pure”, but also fighting against what a woman could exist as..”not pure”. She could not just plainly exist.

Gender stuff is so damn complicated and its something ive struggled with. Ive tried exploring the idea that maybe im trans, maybe im a man or nonbinary. But it felt so relieving to see mizu as a character. Something that stuck out to me was when she was talking to her ex husband. He asked “u wanted to be a man?” And she said something along the lines of “i had to be one” and it felt sort of vindicating in the sense that damn idk.. like me and my siblings have struggled with our genders and whats expected of us, especially within our culture. Ive had conversations with my sister like about how sometimes we do wish we were men. To be taken seriously, to easily do things without feeling so judged. Maybe cis people dont do that, maybe they do, its okay.

I just love mizu, and im so excited to explore this story.

#i also love how this story depicts disability with ringo and eiji #those mf r not reduced to their disability or infantilized bcuz of it #also i know i prolly dont make sense at all #blue eye samurai #mizu #akemi

[mishambles]

☆Being KAEDEHARA KAZUHA’s big sibling

Summary: Having Kazuha as your lil bro <3 Character/s: Kazuha, Beidou, Kamisato siblings, Traveler Warning: the timeline can possibly be incorrect T0T, slight angst, rushed ending lol Note: spoilers to his character quest and the first act of GAA. Reader is around 5 years older than Kazuha and has a vision (not specified).

•As a child, to put it simply, kazuha was clingy. extremely so.

•He isn’t very vocal about wanting attention but he would follow you EVERYWHERE. He understands you have a lot of responsibilities as the future head of the kaedehara clan why can't he help? so he quietly hangs onto your sleeve until you're done.

•When he's feeling extra needy, he asks you for a piggy back ride or just wants you to carry him. He does that thing where he stands in front of you and lifts up his arms and opens and closes his hands. this is a rare occurrence though so make the most of it <3

•He has a habit to (not so) sneakily steal your clothes and act like you when he thinks you're not looking!

•"I am Kaedehawa [name], futuwe head of the Kaedehawa clan." As he poses in clothing that are almost three times his size.

•Did I ever mention he has a slight lisp? He gets suuuuuuper embarrassed about it wishing he could speak the "adult" way and whenever he notices he mispronounced something he covers his mouth and pouts. You're gonna have to comfort him <3

•HE MAKES YOU GUYS MATCHING FLOWER CROWNS. 

•has a habit of collecting pretty rocks and shells and gives them to you when he sees you're tired. Almost had a fit when he realized he couldn't collect maple leaves cause they wilt very quickly but we have a solution

•Flower pressing! After you introduce it to him to preserve maple leaves he's been randomly bringing you flowers to press so he can keep them for much much longer.

•He wishes he could grow up so he can help you.

•As a teen, he focused more on his sword art so he doesn't have much more freedom to follow you around as he used to.

•He asks you to spar with him whenever you have the time (it's the only time you get to bond anymore– you need to take care of the household after all)

•He picked up his flowery language from you! He naturally started speaking like you after watching you converse with others throughout his childhood (please never mention the lisp he still gets embarrassed)

•This is also around the time he was a bit of a troublemaker! Only some little petty pranks like drawing on your face when you're sleeping but nothing that could actually cause any real harm

•He also introduced you to his friend (you're glad he has someone with him, especially since you haven't been able to be with him that much anymore)

•To be honest, you allow him too much freedom all the while chaining yourself down with the issues of the household. It makes him so..frustrated. He can’t do anything to help you but he wants to, he really does, but when all you do is insist you’re fine, then what can he do?

•Am I so incompetent that I’m a dissapointment to you?

•As an adult.. mhm well.. It’s a bit complicated

•After the vision hunt decree, a huge chunk of time in your relationship was spent wondering if the other is safe.

•Considering the fact that both of you have visions, the vision hunt affected you both very differently. While Kazuha went after his friend, you were taken under the Kamisato’s protection and hidden for a long time

•Both of you were separated but you two were able to communicate through letters (though very limited). He’d tell you elaborate stories about his adventures with a woman named Captain Beidou and his recent interest in an outlander. (perhaps.. You could be free like he is?)

•You send him letters about your wellbeing and the current situation in Inazuma. Though, the letters between you two are scarce considering you’re busy helping the Kamisato’s and he’s constantly traveling

•He not-so-subtly suggests you to come with him and explore the world (like you’ve always wanted to). He knows that Beidou wouldn’t mind another person on board and he’d love for you to be more free 

•Perhaps you’ll be able to see each other again once the vision hunt decree is abolished?

#platonic #genshin x reader #kazuha x reader #platonic genshin x reader #kazuha #genshin impact #genshin impact x gn reader #genshin x gn reader #genshin imagines

[bengiyo]

Hi Ben!

I saw Vee from You're My Sky in your most misunderstood characters list and now I'm curious, what's your opinion on this series as a whole? Gifs tell me that it has a high production value, great cinematography and Suar in it, so I'm quite tempted to give it a go. But it's rarely talked about so... is it really worth a watch?

I love You're My Sky because it was the first show to follow in the wake of I Told Sunset About You and try to bring rich color, engaging cinematography, and and structured presentation of character dynamics after ITSAY. It's also a sports BL that takes its sports portion super seriously. It's also the show you should watch if you like when the younger guy is pursuing the older guy, because that's true for all three couples.

The show has three couples in it, and I really liked how the show kept all three couples at about the same moment emotionally throughout the entire runtime. It meant that we sometimes wouldn't see one of the side couples for a while, but I much prefer that to having the couples be in really different places and throw off the emotional tone of an episode.

Our primary pairing is between Thorn and Tupfah. They are childhood friends. Thorn followed Tupfah to his college after a few years and was confused why Tupfah no longer plays basketball. Theirs is a friends-to-lovers story where Thorn has been pining for a long time.

This show let us also see them spend time as a couple and face real complications that a couple of two aspiring professional athletes would face, including availability for college practice and potentially ending up with different clubs. There's also a great deal of examination of the kinds of coaching environments athletes might suffer or thrive under.

The second couple, Saen and Aii, aren't a sports couple, but Aii is older and graduating. He's focused on leaving Thailand and pursuing a professional career in Japan. In them you get a determined, sociable younger pursuer and a standoffish older interest.

I really liked where they went with this couple because we got to see a grandmother giving a knowing smirk when she enters the bedroom after their first night together, and we see them deal with the impending stress of being in a long-distance relationship for likely years.

I wrote about Vee in the ask you mentioned, but to reiterate, Vee is assigned to work with his sister's boyfriend on the track team. Vee, being the flirty little shit he is, teases Dome and is having a good time until it gets way too serious for both of them and he's having a panic attack in the middle of a race.

Their story is compelling because it doesn't end in success on screen. The social politics of their attraction make it impossible for them to consummate this romance under the current circumstances, and the show explores how this choice impacted the sister as well.

And then there's the basketball! This show does so much cool shit with the camera and the frame around the basketball itself. It also has a robust supporting cast in the basketball team. There's a beautiful scene of the whole team giving space to Thorn and Fah to figure out something important, and there's another lovely scene where they talk about gender identity.

Truly, as a man who enjoys sports and sports dramas, they did not fuck around when it came to doing the sports portion of this. The only other BL I remember being this serious about the sports was maybe Project S: Spike. Almost all the gifs are going to be the romance stuff, but the sports stuff in this show is well done.

I'm a big fan of this project, and I think it has some of my favorite presentations of masculinity in genre. I will probably rewatch it after I finish this UWMA rewatch.

Thanks for the ask!

#answered #you're my sky #thai bl

[katzkookiesshipping]

Forever mad I can’t find the flavor of L and Light fanfics that go into the complicated fucked nature of their relationship. The evershifting power imbalance tilted in Light’s favor. The way that they both valued each other as opponents. The brief moments of companionship they shared, which might be the most significant in both their lonely lives. The way Light kept finding himself surprised (and momentarily rendered vulnerable) by L. From L honestly saying Light is his first friend to drying his feet on his knees, L was openly sincere with his warmer feelings for Light. But I imagine he knew Light was Kira almost from the get go. And I imagine he was also, understandably, terrified of Light on some level for all their time together. I don’t think he is the type of character who wanted to die. I think he’s human, and he wanted to live, was scared of death, and sometimes he doubted he was right (rarely)— but kept on because of his strong sense of justice and morality. Because somebody had to do it, and he knew he was the best person for the job.

Look at this boy realizing that he’s hearing death warning him. I imagine he has his own relationship with death, like Light does. He’s an orphan— maybe the last time he heard those bells was when, well. He lost his parents. And working as an orphaned detective taking dangerous cases where he kept his identity hidden— you have to imagine this boy with his love of sweets and sitting weird and playful odd nature felt the keen risk he was under always. How else do you stay so perceptive?

Light has an interesting relationship with fear as well. His entire time with L he is on thin ice trying to prove his innocence, knowing how much he has to lose (his life, his vision for the world, his death note, his family) if L gets his way. He is playing 3D chess with the smartest person he’s ever met.

I think he wanted to win the whole time, but as much as winning meant relief, it also meant L wouldn’t be there. I like to think Light regrets, somewhere in himself, the loss of the boy who asked him if he’d ever told the truth in his life, and put this startlingly vulnerable expression on his face (even if for only a split second.)

Then, when he wins, he feels the euphoria of having won against the smartest person he’s ever met, sweet relief finally for all his fears, the rush of hard earned success and machinations coming to fruition— all validating his god complex. And cruelty lives in him too, in the curl of his mouth. He’s enjoying L losing face, being knocked down below him after so long of being untouchable and inscrutable. The furrow of his brow betrays focus and concentrations because he still has to pull this off. He feels the threat of L up to the moment he closes his eyes for good.

And L gets to see Light’s malevolence openly. Knowing that his work will be continued and he is right, having gotten to dry his only friends feet and leave the world ready to finish what he started (and I think a little bit in relief of the game being over, and of seeing Light’s true face), he accepts death and let’s himself go at peace.

Something about this scene, about their relationship. The way L is cradled by Light in his last moments, the slow fall of Light’s open smirk as his opponents eyes close, and as he never gets a response at the funeral. I have so many feelings about the dark sincere nature of their relationship with each other— and I cannot find more than one fic that explores this. If anyone knows some, please send them to me I am so ready!!!!

Them. Just, them.

#l lawliet #light yagami #death note #l and light #l x light #ryuzaki lawliet #ryuzaki x light #ryuzaki and light #katzkookies

[deadvnstudios]

Hello! This is for the character question week! I like being outdoorsy, so I would like to ask how would everybody react on a camping adventure?

"...I now understand survival of the fittest…"

Noel is once again reminded he might be the only capable person in this group, and he is forced to constantly take over tasks the others are failing at.

The next morning, Noel takes an "everyone for themselves" attitude in regard to cooking breakfast. He departs from the campsite before dawn and heads to the trails most renowned for bird watching, hoping to find some peace and quiet.

It's right as a rare bird settles in the sites of his binoculars that Mona and Vein appear from behind, their laughs piercing the air and startling the bird away. Noel turns, considering homicide, only to decide there are too many witnesses, when they both slyly suggest he might want to return to camp.

At a breakneck pace, he heads back to camp, arriving at the harrowing sight of flaming mallows being waved around and improperly secured sausages sliding off their roasting sticks and plopping into the fire.

To no one's surprise: he winds up cooking dinner.

"Nature, the finest work to be crafted by the gods! Shall we see what mysteries they've left for us to find…?"

Still dressed entirely in her dark outfits, Mona roasts beneath the sun–but she faces the heat with a dogged determination.

She volunteers to collect firewood, only to disappear for an hour because a unique cluster of mushrooms caught her attention. When she finally returns, she has no firewood, but she does have several pages worth of mushroom sketches.

This surprises no one. In fact, a contingency plan was put in place the minute she volunteered, and she delightfully curls up in front of the fire someone else constructed. There, she shows off her sketches to anyone who glances her way–particularly Sorin.

After this, much of her camping adventure is spent exploring the nearby woods (where, according to Mary, a sacrificial site can be found) and sketching every creature she comes across. In the evening, she eagerly shoves the sketches into Sorin's face in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Did mankind not begin their construction of abodes so we could avoid wallowing in filth…?"

Dripping in sweat and unable to find a clean surface to sit upon, Sorin finds maintaining his princely demeanor difficult while camping.

Having no experience and even less interest in camping, Sorin is… very little help around the campsite, unless you consider staying out of the way helping.

The only joy he seems able to find is standing near the stream's edge, watching small minnows and tadpoles drift along with the current. This joy is doubled when the sun finally sets and the moon's pale light glimmers across the water's surface.

"Really, we came all the way out here to listen to Tempest's whiny-ass songs around a campfire? We get enough of this at home."

Mary prefers to stay with her creature comforts and only agreed to go on this trip because it was a break from the commune's monotony.

She quickly discovers while she hates how needlessly complicated camping is, she greatly enjoys all the opportunities camping presents to spook the other members.

This often takes the form of disappearing at night, only to crack twigs and create odd noises near the tree line. Once everyone has gone to bed for the night, she'll grab a flashlight and create scary shadow creatures on everyone's tents.

"Aw, fuck! Another mosquito just fucking bit me! But, hah, even mosquitoes think I'm tasty. All part of the charm, I guess."

Tempest wants to believe himself a hardened naturalist, and he tells the others as such, but he is really just a stream of annoyed complaints: there's too many bugs, he's getting sunburnt, the stream water tastes funny (Noel: "…you need to boil it first."), the tent instructions don't make any sense… etc, etc, etc.

When he has to dismantle the tent for the third time, he abandons this task completely in a fit of frustration and goes to pout by the stream with Sorin. He is not safe here, either, because immediately, the bugs start gobbling him.

Eventually, he decides he will be the de facto entertainer. He takes up what seems like permanent residence by the firepit where he sings and plays his guitar, confident this will help lighten the mood.

"Nothing cozier than a nice fire and friends! Huh - we can't make a fire? Aha, oh well - nothing cozier than friends and a good game night."

Vein doesn't find much enjoyment in sweating and physical activities, but she does enjoy playing games and having everyone trapped and at her mercy in a single area. She loves hanging out–and this is the perfect excuse to hang out with no distractions.

When no one was looking, Vein loaded up every outdoor game they could find into their vehicle. It's only once things are being unloaded at the campsite that it's discovered Vein removed the group's firestarter in place of… you guessed it: another yard game.

She starts camp set-up by delegating tasks, only to eventually do most of the work alongside Noel.

#fool's paradise #indie games #visual novel #indie game #vn #tempest #vein #mona #ask #anon #noel #mary #sorin

[screwball-duck]

why pre-1950s daffy duck should be considered the canon version

synopsis: this personality for daffy was the original idea (name), is more entertaining, complex, and versatile, and is a great way to explore new relationships between this daffy and other characters. i’m also not trying to erase chuck jones’s daffy or gatekeep what version people can like, just my opinion

what i would consider my strongest opinion about looney tunes is that bob clampett’s daffy duck (1930-1951) should be considered the canon personality for daffy duck instead of chuck jones’s daffy duck (1951-1969). what i mean by canon personality is that i think in future looney tunes content (movies, spin-off shows, video games, merchandise, etc.) that version of daffy duck should be the one depicted. we’re already seeing this in stuff like new looney tunes (2014), looney tunes cartoons (2020), and bugs bunny builders (2022), but i think most people still know daffy duck to be selfish, greedy, and caustic. i want the silly, insane, daffy daffy duck to be known in the cultural zeitgeist. i don’t want to erase chuck jones’s daffy duck, because i think that he has made some great cartoons and has lots of potential. the hunting trilogy contains some of the best cartoons in cartoon history. but here’s why the original daffy duck is a more interesting character.

first of all, daffy duck was made to be silly. it’s in his name. the definition of the word “daffy” is silly, odd, or peculiar in an amusing way. and i could argue that this version of daffy duck is more entertaining, but obviously that’s subjective and depends on the personal preference. i’ve always been a huge fan of random and insane cartoon characters, i.e. pinkie pie from my little pony and bill cipher from gravity falls. so instead i will argue that this version of daffy duck is more versatile. jones’s daffy duck can really only be put into situations where there’s something he wants, almost always money, fame, or survival. he then will do anything that he can to get this no matter who gets hurt, usually bugs, and then his plans backfire on him. a very simple format that can only be repeated so many times before being stale. but clampett’s daffy has such a strong personality that he can be put into almost any situation and it be very entertaining. obviously there’s the classic hunter and prey cartoons, like one of my favorites: duck soup to nuts (1944). but there’s so much more. in the daffy doc (1938) he’s a doctor, in porky and daffy (1938) he’s a boxer, in the henpecked duck (1941) and wise quacks (1939) he plays an incompetent husband and father, in plane daffy (1944) and daffy - the commando (1943) he works for the U.S. military, and many, many other examples. jones’s daffy just wouldn’t work in these circumstances, at least not in a way that’s equally entertaining. and clampett’s daffy is so much more versatile because he’s more complicated. the daffy we all know is a very one-dimensional character with simple motives. this is made apparent by the fact that jones’s daffy is a component of clampett’s daffy, as seen in you ought to be in pictures (1940) and daffy dilly (1948). silly daffy is selfish daffy, and so much more. he has a complex relationship with other characters, especially women (i.e. the stupid cupid (1944)), and has a shaky moral compass (i.e. tom turk and daffy (1944)). in 1951 his character was changed, but specifically simplified, to fit with bugs bunny.

which brings me to my next point: imagine bugs bunny with clampett’s daffy duck. why has that combination never been tried? i think that the two of them working together against elmer fudd or yosemite sam has great potential. daffy could be the chaotic and ridiculous one, while bugs has the more thought-out and successful plans and schemes. one of the greatest tragedies in looney tunes is that silly daffy was rarely paired with characters other than porky pig and elmer fudd. what about him with sylvester, foghorn leghorn, witch hazel, or marvin the martian? there are so many possibilities yet to be explored in future looney tunes media. even baffy (a ship i am not a fan of) could be interesting with this version of daffy duck.

anyway, this is something that i’m very passionate about and you need to understand about me before looking at the rest of my posts. i hope this has shown you new possibilities for this beloved character.

#looney tunes #looney toons #daffy duck #bob clampett #chuck jones #baffy #cartoon

[lyramundana]

i’m curious to know whic kinks you think minsung has 🫣

Ohh, interesting question! 😏

Warning: These are all my supositions, based on an hunch of mine and my own delusions, so you're not obligued to take them seriously.

Minho:

-I know the extended opinion is that he's a Dom, hard or rarely soft, but let me tell you that's a fat LIE.

-This man is a switch with a dom leaning, but he's more than glad to sub if it comes to it. He enjoys doing both. When he's in his Dom mood, he's a softie and would only go hard if he's pushed to his limits or he needs to unleash heavy emotions (like anger). A loving, intense Dom. When he's in his Sub mood, he'll be a brat and would love to get on Jisung's nerves, he gets a rise out of being treated roughly.

-As much as it pains me to say this, he's not really into bratty subs. He has fun with Jisung acting like a spoiled babygirl OUTSIDE the bedroom, but once they're in it, he wants the boy to behave and obey him. A bit of playfuness and teasing are allowed, but nothing more. He wants to have a good, pleasant time with no complications.

-He's most likely into unconventional kinks, stuff that even kinky people see as taboo. I'm talking about pet play, predator/prey, knife play, blood kink, non-con, roleplay like kidnapper/victim or professor/highschool student, etc. Boy is intense and DIRTY and we love him for it

-Like Jisung, he's very into clothed sex. They're both impatient and eager, so they spending time undressing each other seems like a waste of the precious time they could be fucking their brains out, so they often just pull their pants down enough and lift up their shirts to get enough skin and that's it. Ripped buttons, tored off shirts, belts hanging off and pants down the knees, shirt up to show their abs and pecks. They're primal and very horny.

-That said, he loves foreplay. Not only to prepp Sungie (most of the time he doesn't even need to), but simply because he enjoys the whole thing. Making out, tongues exploring each other's mouths, leaving hickeys, etc.

-Oral. More into receiving than giving. He doesn't mind eating Jisung out or blowing him off, but he doesn't really get off from it. He only does it to make his pretty boy feel good, and because the sight of Jisung coming undone on his tongue makes him even more feral. Minho can't have sex without getting his dick or ass sucked at least once.

-He's a chest and neck man. He loves playing with nipples, stimulating his pretty boyfriend by licking his sensible pecks, and also burying his nose in his soft, delicious neck. He specifically loves leaving marks on it. His marks.

Jisung:

-A pure switch if i ever saw one. He doesn't have a preference. He can be dom or sub depending of his mood or whatever Minho wants, and he plays both roles equally good. He's a service top, but can be evil too and tease Minho to tears if he feels like it. As a sub, he's playful but very submissive. Like Minho, he'll be rough if he's emotional.

-He's kinky too, but not to Minho's extent. He's not into taboo shit like his Scorpio boyfriend, but tries anything Minho wants to. Jisung is the type to be into underwear sniffing/jacking off with Minho's underwear. He's obsessed with the smell of sex, it makes his eyes roll back white.

-Creampie! Jisung is messy and proud of it. He goes mad with the sight of cum staining one's skin and licking it off. Feeling its warmness, stickiness makes him go brrrr

-Roleplay. He loves dressing up as other people and play their own porn play. He's especially into anime characters.

-I cannot emphatise this enough. His tongue is a fucking weapon with a mind of its own. He can do magic with his, after all, being a rapper means you have to be skilled with his tongue. He's fast and holds his breath for a long time. Draw your conclussions from there..

-Again, following his birth chart, he's a voyeurist. He gets riled up from witnessing (with consent or accidentally) people in their most vulnerable, intimate moments, where they're the most exposed. He loves having "dirty secrets" with Minho, doing things they're not supposed to. He's thrilled when he gets to see a side of Minho he doesn't show to the public, not even the other members. Listen to "Secret, Secret" and you'll understand.

-Exhibionist! Fucking in public places is his thing and he often drags Minho to it. The older teases him out in the open, thinking that the boy wouldn't do anything drastic because there's people watching, but as soon as they can, Jisung grabs him harshly and slams him against the nearest surface he can find, regardless of where they are and who can hear. They've fucked in the studio, practice room, public bathrooms, dorms, dressing rooms, even some dark hall in backstage. They've been caught? Yes, but those people know better than speak about it.

-Such a tease. The more shy Minho gets, the worse Jisung gets with him. He loves having that control over someone, seeing the effects he has on them.

#skz headcanons (smut version) #lee know smut #han jisung smut #skz smut #mutual asks #requested

[bluegekk0]

whats fpks relationship with herrah? I know canonically, white lady doesnt really feel any ill will towards her as she likes hornet, but how do you think fpk feels towards her? And, since I can't leave grimm out of this, how does he feel about herrah? Maybe he'd feel similarly to wl, since she's basically his daughter now

while typing this out i have another question, which of the dreamers are still alive in your AU, and what are their relationships with fpk, if any? since holly is alive id assume you branched off of the embrace the void ending, and i dont believe you need to kill any dreamers for that end (if I'm wrong, do correct me!), and quirrel in your AU doesn't have monomons mask, so i can only assume ghost at least got to her.

love your stuff, stay well!

it was... not the best, admittedly. granted, they weren't hostile towards each other, i actually think that herrah warmed up to him a little bit, mostly seeing how attached he got to hornet. they certainly had a common reason to bond over, the problem is that fpk was afraid of her. among his species, it's quite common for the larger female to kill and eat the male after mating, so it's coded in his brain to expect that possibility. with wl, it was a bit different - she's more plant-like, and so her behavior is very different to that of a wyrm, or any other carnivorous species, and that comforts his mind a little bit. but with herrah, he sadly couldn't have that assurance, so he was very stressed out about it and expecting the worst

their affair was part of a bargain, so he knew it was his obligation to fullfil his side, but he was terrified throughout all of it. on top of that, since he's gay in the au, he had another reason not to enjoy it very much, though he didn't realize at the time. so all in all, it was a very unpleasant experience, and it greatly impacted his perception of herrah. i do think he have liked for it to be different, after all, she was hornet's mother and i'm sure he would love to have a more pleasant relationship with her, if only for the sake of their daughter. but his fear was too strong and so he rarely visited deepnest aside from seeing hornet (probably for the better since deepnest wasn't particularly fond of him. too bright of a light, for one haha)

as for grimm, you said herrah, but judging by the rest of that sentence i'm assuming you meant hornet, so just in case i'll go over both. i don't think he interacted with herrah much, perhaps he knew her before the whole bargain deal, but nothing more than just being aware of her existence. and with hornet, like you said, she's basically his daughter now and he most certainly sees her as such. definitely more than wl did, but her being emotionally distant is basically a given - she didn't dislike hornet but to call their relationship a mother-daughter one would be an exaggeration. grimm, however, absolutely sees her as his own child. he did that even before him and fpk became a thing - he always liked to imagine himself and fpk raising her together, but since it wasn't meant to be at the time, he instead brought her gifts and entertained her with his powers whenever he visited. these days it's a tad more complicated with hornet's refusal to admit that she sees him as a father figure and her overall bitterness, but his attitude hasn't changed at all. of course, he doesn't pamper her with gifts anymore, but he enjoys spending time with her and bonding over shared interests. their relationship is fun, they have the generally laid back, joking type dynamic of close friends, but it's clear that grimm does thinks of her as his child, meanwhile hornet seems to get upset at that idea, but secretly really cares about him

the dreamers are something i thought about before and i'm considering leaving one of them alive, since i think they're interesting characters and i'd love to explore at least one of them post-ending. as you said, monomon is a goner, and so is herrah, as hornet in the au finds there to be no reason to visit deepnest unless she has to, so it's a natural assumption that her mother is dead. that leaves lurien, and with the city of tears slowly returning to its prime over the course of the au, he would be a pretty good fit for an important figure that watches over its development. but i haven't decided yet. if i choose to keep him dead, then i think it would be a fun idea for his butler to be "promoted" to lurien's previous role, since he was his most trusted bug. we'll see, i like both of those options, and i'll have to see what i decide on

thanks a lot for the ask! i really enjoyed these questions. hope you have a great day/night!

#ask stuff #feral pk au

[corvidmafia]

I was talking to my friend about this actually! We were talking about how Wyll is weirdly dogmatic about not taking deals with demons, trusting the dream visitor or the braingrubs, and is constantly on his high horse about it even though he should be the first to empathize with being in the kind of position that would make a person give up their previous morals and do the previously unthinkably. He is a guy who made a contract with a demon but somehow managed to retain a black and white view of morality and a huge amount of hypocrisy to boot. Like where does that come from? And he calls you disgusting for eating the magic brain grubs which I mean that's probably true but come on that's rude!!

Anyway it clicked for us that that's probably because he was essentially raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, as the son of a well known duke. He was essentially a rich kid who's taken up humanitarian aid and while that's obviously a very good and kind thing to do, he also has a lot of blind spots that his privileged upbringing has created. He may act for the people but he likely has very little experience actually being around the very people he wants to protect. More specifically, the kinds of positions those less fortunate might find themselves in that might make them desperate for any means of survival or mould them into the kinds of person who makes decisions Wyll might see as objectively immoral. His people exist as an idea rather than the reality of the complicated nature of existing in the world. And I half wonder if one of the greatest pulls to being their hero is their adoration, because a lot of what he says after he gets demoned up is in regards to how people view him and what they think of him. I mean I'm not saying he's pretending to care about others for selfish reasons, and I think it's certainly understandable that someone would be left reeling after their appearance is so completely changed in what they view as a negative way especially when their identity is tied to their public appearance. But I do think it's interesting to consider and makes his character more complex. Like, as noble I'm sure how you present yourself is the absolute most important thing, appearances are above all else. And as a noble he's probably rarely been in a position to consider morality as being more grey. Even as a hero these aspects of his upbringing stick around and influence him. Even as someone who prides himself in being a hero for the people, he finds it hard to empathize in situations he doesn't agree with. I'd love to see these complicated parts of him explored. Him grappling with his upbringing of nobility vs his dogmatic morals vs being forced to reconcile with how he's made choices he would judge others for

#bg3 #bg3 wyll #baldur's gate 3

[artsyunderstudy]

Trope Grading Game

Heyyy! Thanks for the tag this morning @hushed-chorus you gave me a great alternative for WIP Wednesday since I got a head full of ideas and a word doc full of empty.

Also thanks to @stitchyqueer @brilla-brilla-estrellita @larkral @forabeatofadrum @ileadacharmedlife @wellbelesbian @prettygoododds @cutestkilla @cosmicalart @bazzybelle @aristocratic-otter for the tags today and yesterday. If you haven't done this yet consider yourself TAGGED!

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don’t care either way

+10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

Age gap: -1

Mmm, no? Especially not for younger characters, but like, its not a thing I seek or or actively dislike in general.

Codependency: +5

LOL yes, I'm into fics that explore this. Either in a fun way or in a serious way, because its interesting no matter what. I suppose sometimes if we're talking really toxic codependancy that isnt dealt with it might turn me off in the long run but it definitely will draw my interest in the tags.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +4

Complicated feelings. I'm kinda into it, so it definitely wont put me off, but jealousy as a trope can either be really fun in a story or really toxic. Like, I'm a little obsessed with Simon's jealousy in the series, because its not the kind where he gets mad at Baz, really, or lashes out at him, its very internal and about his own insecurity, but also really indicative of how very attached he is despite his assertions through wayward son that he was going to end things.

I love a bit of possessiveness as long as its not the kind that hurts their partner or turns really bad to the point of me disliking the character.

So, yeah, in most situations i'm a fan of exploring this, though I can't say I specifically look for it.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +8

Yes, definitely. I love this in a romance, its really fun to explore those dynamics. Like, IRL I think really good relationships have people who make up for each other's shortcomings, or balance each other, like if one is really impulsive it helps when the other is level headed or a planner, or else you just get an echo chamber of rash decision making (or, on the other end, no spontaneity!) I like seeing how their differences effect the other. It's a really fun dynamic to read about.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +4

I mean, I'm a snowbaz fan so I gotta right? I do think though that the idea of true enemies to lovers is usually not done it a way that really works for me, because a lot of the time i cant see why these people end up together, because its all anger and hate lust and sometimes it doesn't ever evolve past that, or we just skip the bit where we see them getting along. Ideally theres enemies to friends to lovers, or at the very least friendship within the lovers realm.

I guess what I'm saying is they still need to like each other or else it make me sad.

Friends with benefits: +2

Ehhh is it benefits to full on love? I don't really connect with allo perspectives on sexual relationships, like I get them intellectually but I don't jive with them on an emotional level, so there has to be that emotional draw for me, that underlying romance. I mean tho, @fatalfangirl stacy is writing an excellent fic on this premise right now that I absolutely love because there are clearly feelings involved. But it also might fall more into the realm of the next trope on this list ... which is ...

Sex to feelings: +10

Oh yes yes yes. Pining while actively having sex is absolutely my thing.

Fake dating/relationship: -1

I am not really opposed. This is just a very romcom trope for me in that it rarely delivers really big honest emotions, its usually a lot of fun contrivance. Which is definitely a good time and has an appeal, but I generally don't take to these stories as much as others. I think its one that really depends on how its written, because I have read some REALLY good ones too.

Friends to lovers: +6

I like this a lot, I think it can have a good amount of tension when done right which is important for me in a story. Plus I love the slow burn of feelings, and also just the depth of emotion and comfort you get from friends to lovers, and sometimes it can be genuinely hard when one of those friends is dating other people, or if theres a really interesting thing keeping them apart. Yeah, I like it.

Found Family: +1

I don't feel a specific way about it, definitely not a turn off. I've read a few really really sweet fics that frame the trio (Baz, Simon and Penny) as found family, which is nice. Generally just fine about it.

Hurt/Comfort: +10

PUT IT DIRECTLY. INTO MY MOUTH. I am a fucking sap for hurt/comfort. It gives me the swoops. There is fucking nothing I like better than lovers (or almost lovers) comforting each other and taking care of each other, emotionally, physically, spiritually, whatever. It's sexy to me. It affects me deeply.

Love Triangle: -7

I fuckin hate love triangles actually, in all manner of media. Like, it's not a sure thing that it'll put me off a fic on sight, but I seriously can't think of any examples where this trope didn't make me deeply unhappy.

Poly, open relationships: -5

Mmm I'm very monogamous and also have bad history with open relationships so I definitely don't seek this out and it's generally a big turn off for me in a fic. But that being said I am deeply interested in the complexity of managing an open relationship (something sort of touched on in Someone Wicked) and there are definitely some throuples that I can totally get behind. I am allergic to most snowbaz throuples except sid/simon/baz (catch me one day writing some delectable threeway smut for Dre.)

Mistaken/hidden identity: +2

I truly don't know if I've ever read a story with this that like, really drew me in a specific way? I don't think this is a regular snowbaz trope either, and I admittedly don't wander too far from the snowbaz fic these days. I'm not opposed, just don't have a specific affinity for it.

Monsterfucking: +6

I like monsterfucking, but its gotta be tied to emotions. (Those emotions can be overwhelming incoherent ecstasy tho.)

Pregnancy: -9

I want kids and I like kids, don't care to read about them or pregnancy. That being said, I have read nearly every mpreg fic in this fandom (snowbaz) because you all are too talented and too fucking powerful. But it took me a while to click on them, generally.

Second Chance: +8

I do actively seek this tag out, because I am a sadist, but breakup angst also really truly hurts me. As someone who's a well known angstweaver (which I definitely just made up) most angst is appealing to me, delicious to read, exquisite, etc, but breakup angst wounds me deep ya'll. I hate thinking of them not together. I hate thinking of them thinking they are better off not together. I hate IT it makes me cry all of my tears.

But I love the path of recovery and finding their way back to each other. That shit is GREAT.

Slowburn: +10

Yeah baby gimme that pining. I love a slowburn because I love tension, and you get such good fucking tension when it takes a lot of work for them to get together. Also you just see more rounded, complex characterization because they are generally working through feelings and spending time together and just building up that relationship. And I'm a sucker for it, makes the get together all the sweeter. I love all kinds of burns, but slow burn gets me good.

Soulmates: +9

Yes, absolutely yes to soulmate fics. I also love a trope reversal here specifically, because there's a part of me that's also obsessed with the choice over destiny factor and seeing how that comes into play meaningfully, but I will say that the vast majority of Snowbaz soulmate fics have been really fucking good and it's a tag I purposefully seek out.

Also tagging @shrekgogurt @theearlgreymage @bookish-bogwitch @moodandmist @messofthejess @raenestee @facewithoutheart @martsonmars and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

#favorite tropes #tag game

[saccharinemeat]

What are your opinions on Hfjone ships?

oh fucking man

okay imma get crucified , but here we go. opinion on popular ones + my own rareship

Liam/Bryce

fucking SUCKS. it can only work if you're self aware about how absolutely awful and hurtful liam is,and i feel from what ive seen that the fandom just reduces them to 'omg doomed yaoi' and like, woobifies them. This ship only and only works as one sided,forced and extremely toxic (in my eyes). Bryce deserves better than Liam, and liam relentlessly hurts Bryce down to the very goddamn end (← i say this as someone who is currently fuckin obsessed with liam and self recognizes in him 😐)

Liam/Amelia

I like this one. I feel like theyre pretty good for each other, although, it's sort of a doomed one,in the sense of how it would work only if they were to be in the plane forever. I do feel like Amelia sort of lost herself in the plane forever. If those two ever got out, he'd have to take some charge on their shared recovery and Liam is NOT gonna deal with that well. Still a cute ship,and I like it.

Amelia/Charlotte

...why? this feels like pairing the leftover main characters because everyone is focused on the Boys TM. they dont really have any chemistry,like,even theorically i feel like they wouldn't mesh well,unless you wanna make Amelia basically Charlotte's therapist. But yay, women! i can't be mad about this one,really. I don't mind it

Liam/Airy

Lairy is...complicated, emotionally. I can see it actually being a thing,but it's really in a fucked up way. definitely a 'i hope we both die' kind of pairing. I think about it and it gives me heartache that i cant explain. it hurts because they both are awful in different ways but also they are trying. I will say i do enjoy it but in a way that makes me hurt. lots of angst there. I think this one especially benefits from becoming a ship that happens after moldpack being A thing

Liam/Charlotte

Okay this one is not popular,in fact i feel like nobody but me is into it but theres so much potential here. especially the way they would be so horribly,terrifyingly bad to each other. I can imagine Charlotte getting out instead of Bryce,and how different it all would be. her prideful nature and liam's manipulative tendencies are so deliciously wrong. I feel they would bring the worst out of each other. I have a lot to say about them but like. Consider those first 5 months. Liam was as isolated as Charlotte was,he only sorta rejoined the others in the last two months stretch, and I think they might've interacted during that. And just, Charlotte WOULD be interested in solving the mystery,she would jump on that chance because she needs control and Liam would be elated at first and horrified later and AGH it would be so messy and interesting. please ask me more about moldpack. im the charlotte/liam person number 1 fan now.

and now rapid fire other ships,

Oscar/Bryce - can see it,and i feel like it makes sense within Bryce's trauma streak. I can imagine them bonding and it getting a bit too close

Bryce/Stella - I wish this had more exploration,object shipcest is so insanely rare. I like it

Taylor/Amelia - kinda cute,can see it if taylor stayed in the plane. Especially if it starts as a sort of one sided crush that goes too far

Liam/Owen - this is cute,can kinda see it but only in a no-show scenario (as in, ONE never happened and this is a coworker romance thing)

Charlotte/Parker - it upsets me,but i can see them as having hooked up once and Parker catching feelings while Charlotte is super uncomfortable about it and that explains that weird tension.

Bryce/Amelia - eh. sure? it's cute but i dont care for it a lot. also i dont care for sodacentpack a lot,but it's better than sodapack alone i Guess. get ♣️'d lmao

ALSO, the crackship/crossover with showvember

Airy/Popcorn - NO. piss off the joke is boring and lame and IDK i hate it.

#proship #antis dni lmao #hfjone #hfjone ships #hfjone spoilers #moldpack #charliam #osc

[phaerlax]

you as the WolfBoyGuy and me as someone who has just recently seen the puppy light, do you have any tips or what you'd consider Required Reading to get a good grip on writing wolf boys? moreso karu than garu just because i personally have a hard time writing dudes with as much bluster and "doesn't tend to default to conventionally agreed on niceties". i have (admittedly mild) torments I'd like to put him through >_>

Anon is asking me about blorbo... I have been training for this for so long... behold now the ramblings of a man possessed by two wolves. I'll talk a bit about how I approach writing Karu and then include some curated recs.

It took me some time to really get going on wolfboy fics; I also found it challenging to handle Karu's characterization. Two big reasons why:

Tsunderes are just difficult to do if you're grounded in realism. It's a very 'anime' archetype and people don't behave quite like that. This makes it harder to naturally reach for reasonable/appropriate responses when putting the character in situations. The big want/think/say/do splits can also complicate straightforward scenarios (e.g. the character wants something and does what he needs to do in order to get it. This path is often closed to the tsundere).

The game gives little insight into Karu's inner world. NU: Carnival is very dialogue-heavy in its narrative. When we do get introspection, it's often Eiden-focused. This means we basically never get to see the thought process that leads Karu to act this way or that, except in the rare instances in which he talks to himself (like in some H scenes when he goes "ugh it feels so good but-").

The style that I ended up developing for my angry wolf boy writings follows these principles:

Keep him silly. This is because I fundamentally see Karu as a comical character. Yeah, his personality can be traced back to traumas and there's a lot of interesting stuff to explore in that regard, but I am not personally interested in that tbh. The reason I love him is the wacky nonsense and ridiculous behavior that we see in the game. It was at first sight for me. I didn't need depth and I still don't XD Any advice and references I provide are skewed by that. I have a preference for almost never taking him seriously.

Mind his 'narrativization' tendencies. Karu is comically very enamored by the idea/narrative that he's a mighty warrior with many great skills who will conquer humanity and who should be respected and served. On some level, he knows this isn't entirely true, so he will sometimes (try to) avoid situations that would bring attention to his shortcomings. But most often he's trying to prove himself and get others to share his narrative. When something or someone reinforces the narrative, he gets proud, pleased or happy-flustered. When something or someone goes against the narrative, he gets annoyed and angry-flustered. He is very good at ignoring reality, however. Even though he'll seemingly take exception to every little slight, he moves on very quickly and pretends nothing happened. And though he's stubborn, he's also willing to surrender, cut his losses and 'try another day' when he's foiled.

Mix his narrativization with the narration a lot. This kind of free indirect discourse is just my style in general, but with Karu I find myself using it more intensely, to such an extent that the narration can get quite dialogue-like in how it expresses his thoughts. When I want to portray a 'tsundere stumble' moment, I sometimes make the narration interrupt itself as Karu consciously aborts a line of thinking that would lead him to unacceptable conclusions.

Let him just be rude for no reason and with little consequence. Karu's default way of addressing and dealing with people (other than Kuya) is rudeness. At best, he attempts some form of condescension in which the reason he's doing something 'nice' is because you're so weak and he's so awesome or whatever. Most characters seem to simply not mind his behavior and, again, it's usually played for laughs anyway.

Bibliography of Karu Studies

Keep in mind that many Karu fics are kuyaru, and Karu in kuyaru is quite different from the core of the character, since he's uniquely eager to please Kuya. Still, even kuyarus can have some nice insight.

who let the dogs out has a lot of juicy Karu inner conflict, and it even explores the ways in which such hangups make him outwardly grumpier. Due to kuyaru, it ultimately leads him to a place of submission, but his initial thoughts are very in-character.

Baser Instincts is a kuyaru in which Kuya gets to see the pups in a new light, because they help him in a difficult situation. It's another great source of inspiration for Karu struggling to express his feelings.

Bow Down! explores how he might react to Eiden letting him top, in a very true-to-character way.

Lonely at the Top is Karu/Dante, which means you get to see Karu at his prickliest and most insufferable, and how that can be managed.

A Matter of Pride is a good example of the 'concessions' dynamic that can be done in Eiden/Karu.

Goshujin-Ai is an older Karu/Yakumo and a good example of Karu feeling comfortable and doing the 'attempts at condescension' thing I mentioned before.

Slave number one, rub my chest again is me speculating on what it might look like for Karu to ask Eiden to do things to him and try to control sex.

Warden slander wolf Commander is probably a good example of the 'fine I give up but I'll get you next time' potential of Karu, as well as the kind of bleed-heavy narration I talked about.

Master, do you have another wolf besides me?! delves into Karu's potential for jealousy as a way of expressing affection. It's pretty canon-compliant because most of it is adapted from NEON Carnival.

There are many other fics in the Karufic Archive, but I think the ones above are among the best for the purposes of thinking about the writing.

Please feel free to talk to me non-anonymously if you ever want to discuss wolf boy content! As you can see I am cursed with thoughts and need places to put them. I'm also always very happy to do anything that I can to shepherd and sponsor GaruKaru content; if you go ahead with your impulse to write about them (please do) and want a beta reader, don't hesitate to ask~

#nu carnival #nu carnival fanfic #nu carnival karu

[zeldaelmo]

Director’s commentary on Somebody That I Used to Know!! If you need/ want a specific chapter - rituals.

Ah, B, thank you! This story experienced a revival in the last few weeks because a friend was inspired by it and now toys with writing a sequel to it which makes me very happy.

A common trope in OoT fics is Link leaving for searching Navi and coming back in the middle of a ball several years later to sweep the ever waiting Zelda of her feet. It makes for a cute little scene, but after reading a couple of interpretations of it, my mind went down the 'and what if he doesn't?' road.

So I started thinking about Zelda waiting for him to fulfill his promise of coming back and he just... doesn't. What would she do after five years, after ten years, after thirty years? A why wouldn't he keep a promise? What would make him break it?

When I had the idea, I didn't plan doing anything with it anytime soon. I have quite some fic ideas like this: some hastily notes thrown together and saved on my discord server, waiting for the right moment to come. And then, @zelinkcommunity published the prompts for zelink week 2022 and the story fit so perfectly, that I dropped everything and started writing.

I usually write lighthearted stories. They have some angst to keep the plot going, yes, but overall they don't cut too deep. That's mostly because fandom is escapism for me and I want to have fun. This one is different and it was interesting to explore what I'm capable of in the right setting.

I wanted to show how having lived through half of their lives already affected Link and Zelda after all the trauma they went through. We see a lot of exploring the immediate effects of the games in fan fiction, but stories about how they affect the big and smaller life decisions are rare. And that's where the fun for me began: To work out how complicated life is. To show there's no easy answer to why Link didn't come back. To highlight that Zelda was a terrible queen because she projected her anxiety on her reign.

The story only gets Kudos every few weeks, because it's probably nothing most people in fandom search out nowadays, but if I have a super long comment in my inbox, it's usually for this one. Maybe it's the mature approach to OoT's tragedy or the respect for complicated characters and feelings, but something about the story resonates strongly with the people who read it. And I'm very happy and thankful about that.

My favorite scene from 'Rituals' is this here:

He fell silent, digging the tip of his boot into the hard soil around the fire. It took an eternity for him to look up again and when he did, his gaze was cold. It was the first time that she thought the missing eye made his face a tad harsh. 

"So instead of a hard-earned happy ending for us, you managed to create a version where I'm gone, one where I end up here, and one where I'm killed. Eh, good work, I'd say." 

Zelda drew a shaky breath. "Would you even have wanted a happy ending for us?" The words toppled from her mouth before she could quell the bitterness in them.

His gaze snapped away. 

"I didn't know that I would create different realities, Link," she continued, her voice now purposely soft. "We thought it was safe. I just… it wasn't your fault that you got dragged into all this and I wanted to give you the chance to live a normal life."

"I'm an orphan raised by a tree, Zelda. I never had the chance for a normal life." When she shifted on her seat, he buried his hands in his hair. "Sorry. I know you meant well. It's not that you choose to be part of all this either. It's just… this one moment was maybe the only one where we had a choice. And you made it for me."

Zelda couldn't tear her gaze from the way his hands dropped listlessly back into his lap. How had she never considered this? All he had wanted was to choose his own future.

"I'm sorry," she pressed out, and it didn't matter if she stole this choice from him or the other Zelda. 

His hand darted to hers, squeezed, and was gone again. "It is what it is."

#zelink #ocarina of time #ask game #somebody that i used to know

[cherokeegal1975]

Unexpected Cargo: Free Book Online

Johnathan was a family man and cargo runner and had no interest in getting entangled in royal affairs. So, when a deposed and fleeing princess arranges a meeting to give him a package to keep safe, he was reluctant to take it. But she convinced him to hide the royal seal until she needed it back despite himself. Unknown to him, she had also ticked him into carrying another precious cargo.

When Johnathan learns of the trick, he’s furious. When he confronts the princess about it, he learns it’ll be impossible to return it before it’s appointed time. Then she tells him of an unbreakable bond between them and ends a long search for someone he had lost as a boy. So, instead of revenge, he does what he can to help her. He must also avoid capture; the King would execute Johnathan if he ever found out about his secret cargo.

Links to chapters here:

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 1 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 2 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 3 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 4 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 5 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 6 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 7 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 8 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 9 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 10 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

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Unexpected Cargo Ch. 12 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

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Unexpected Cargo Ch. 15 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 16 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 17 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

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Unexpected Cargo Ch. 19 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 20 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 21 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 22 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 23 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Ch. 24 by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Unexpected Cargo Epilogue by CherokeeGal1975 on DeviantArt

Author's note: Okay, so I'm posting this again. I really want to know your opinions. I'll appreciate a critique if you're willing to do that. Constructive criticism will be welcome too.

I'm looking for a range of opinions and thoughts from a lot of people. I want to get a feel for how well I did with this book and I can't do that with a small group of people. As in only a few have made comments, it's hard to get a real idea of how well I really did. So, a broader range is needed. I'm looking forward to reading your comments.

I believe that I did a good job overall, but it's nice to get some perspective.

This book is an mpreg, but only because I went on an online dumpster dive as far as stories. I found that I didn't like most of what I discovered, though it was worth exploring just for the sake of my curiosity. I was inspired by it too. Thought I'd like to try to do my own version just to see if I could do better. And that led to my experimental plot, to turn what most people make into a plot stinker into a good story.

There is no fetish anything in this book. That I avoided intentionally. The main three protagonists are a cargo runner, a dragon that spends a lot of her time in the form of a little girl and a lovely talking golden rat. There's a fourth traveling companion that is of a romantic interest for my main character...with some small complications in their relationship.

I did my best to make a well-balanced plot overall. And I'm not going to give out any more spoilers than I have already.

So...feedback please! I rarely get any and all of it is appreciated very much.

Cover art by Noonibean, who is also a good writer and worth looking up on DeviantART.

#cherokeegal1975 #fantasy #mpreg #mpreg birth #mpregnancy #mpreg art #dragon #male pregnancy #male pregnant #sci fi & fantasy #mpreg baby #surrogate #rat #man #belly