#i’ve seen a couple of other people post what they got so i figured i’d do so as well!

[blondedonaldduck]

GUYSSS GO COMMISSION @minaduck YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT

#lucy tag #i’ve seen a couple of other people post what they got so i figured i’d do so as well!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for asking someone not to make my art about a ship I hate?

This happened a couple months ago, but I’m still kinda unsure if I handled it correctly.

Basic rundown of events: I posted some art of a character on their own in the evening, and when I woke up the next morning, someone had reblogged with an addition about a ship that’s a big notp for me. I messaged them to ask they delete it as politely as possible, because people had been interacting with that version of the post specifically and it made me uncomfortable. They responded by saying I was being immature and needed to learn not to police what other people do on the internet. We exchanged a couple more messages, and I tried to explain my position my throughly. Neither of us was overtly hostile or anything, but I felt extremely talked down to by their tone of voice. After our conversation, we both blocked each other, and that was that. They never did delete their addition.

Why I think I might be TA: we weren’t exactly friends or anything. Neither of us followed each other. I’d seen them around in the fandom, and they’d reblogged some of my art in the past, but I think messaging someone I didn’t know instead of just blocking them might have been a bit of an overreach. Plus the ship in question is canon, and not particularly controversial or anything, so most people in the fandom probably wouldn’t have minded.

On the other hand, the ship being so unavoidable is a big part of the reason it upset me so much. It’s hard for me to exist in this fandom without having to see it constantly, and I don’t even ever mention the other character in it for fear of this exact thing happening. I’ve had people be assholes on my posts about the ship I prefer, or go out of their way to interpret my romantic posts about them platonically, or add tags to my art about how they only like my ship as backstory and not endgame. I don’t want to have to put a disclaimer every single time I post about this fandom. I just want to enjoy the things I like without being negative all the time. Which is why I figured messaging privately was more polite than making a stink where everyone could see. I specifically mentioned that I knew they wouldn’t have known and wasn’t mad.

No one actually ended up reblogging their addition, which is also a strike against me, but I got a lot of likes on specifically that version of the post, which made me scared they were going to. I hated the idea of having to turn off reblogs on a piece I’d worked pretty fucking hard on because a version I found so upsetting was in circulation. If it was just tags, I’d have blocked, but it being an addition is different. I don’t think asking people not to make my posts about it is “policing what other people do on the internet”. You’re in MY house, on MY post with MY art I spent hours on. Making additions to art posts already seems somewhat rude to me, that’s just not something you do, but I guess that’s a matter of the corner of tumblr culture you’re used it.

Also, their response felt very aggressive and condescending. They implied I was, like, a kid, and I do think I’m somewhat younger than them, but the only information about my age in my bio at the time was that I’m an adult, so it felt like a rude assumption. My age doesn’t have anything to do with it.

Again, though, I do absolutely see how my initial message could read as entitled. During the rest of our messaging, I did lose my temper a little bit at one point; I said something about how I’ve had to deal with shit in this fandom before, and I don’t remember the exact words since, again, we both blocked each other, but I know I swore at them. That might’ve come across as more aggressive than I wanted, and probably didn’t exactly help deescalate. (Can’t say for sure, I don’t have their side of the story)

Like I said, this situation was a bit ago now, but it upset me pretty bad at the time, and I’m still not entirely sure who’s in the wrong. So, AITA?

(Also to get ahead of this: please don’t make this about shipcourse in the comments. It’s not about that. They and I have similar opinions on that discourse from what I’ve gathered anyway. Thanks.)

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole #ship discourse

[kaz-oooo]

I’ve already done music recommendations so, you can check out these posts (playlists and list of artists) if you’re looking for that specifically. But Wilbur made a lot of content over the years and idk, i figured I’d make a a list of recommendations for similar content to fill that void as well :)

Minecraft SMP’s (specifically DSMP)

The same SMP’s but other POV’s — I’ll just start with this cos it’s the most iffy. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had with these fandoms still, and I personally don’t think we need to let the actions of a couple shitty guys ruin the silly Minecraft roleplay we all enjoy. That said, if you aren’t comfy watching these anymore that’s perfectly valid as well, especially since Wilbur’s character will be lurking around in the background of plenty of these. But yeah, we can also uplift other creators by watching the fun stories they made, especially those who got buried by bigger creators at the time. So Dream SMP, QSMP, Origins SMP, SMP earth, SMPlive all have content you can enjoy.

Different, completely unrelated SMP’s — hermitcraft, the life series, empires SMP (shubble was involved in this one, I’m planning on watching her POV when I find some time) etc. I’ve had plenty of people recommend these to me before, from what I’ve seen they’re very enjoyable :)

Hamilton — not even joking, if you enjoyed the L’manberg era of DSMP and you didn’t watch Hamilton, I’d heartily recommend it. Great music, lots of politics but all in a fun and silly way, also tragic endings!

Editor Wilbur ARG (I’m a massive ARG fan so I have tonnes of recommendations here)

Generation Loss — Ranboo’s very awesome Horror project that they’ve been working very hard on!!! Ranboo’s been teasing new content lately as well so that’s exciting

Analog horror series — Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, Mandela Catalog, Kane Pixel’s Backrooms videos, etc. All very good and spooky videos, definetely an inspiration for Gen Loss, and I know Wilbur enjoyed this content as well (though the editor Wilbur arg predates a lot of this genre) those are some of the biggest on YouTube atm, and some of my personal favourites, but there’s plenty more to find (I recommend channels like Nightmind and Nexpo who do analysis videos for all this horror and ARG stuff if you wanna find more)

Marble Hornets — gets its own category! One of the original analog horror genres (predated the genre actually) it’s basically one of the biggest and most comprehensive Slenderman series out there. There’s a LOT of content here and lots of lore and mystery (though a lot of the game clues have been lost to time) (Jack Manifold also reacted to this on stream, it was very chill and good fun)

Horror podcasts — Magnus Archives and Magnus Protocol, Malevolent and Archive 81 are some of my favourites, but there’s plenty more out there to find and enjoy :). Also very spooky with lots of mystery to involved, the Magnus Protocol is very new as well so great time to get into that!

Just Chatting / Geoguessr / other chill content

Geoguessr streamers / YouTubers — honestly I genuinely didn’t watch much geoguessr content outside of Wilbur’s streams so, I don’t have many recommendations here. I know Eret has been doing geoguessr streams lately and their content is very good and chill. Jacksuckatlife plays as well and last I watched he was fairly good at it (like similar skill level to Wilbur), otherwise Rainbolt is a geoguessr legend, he terrifies me a little ngl.

Other streamers — I think the thing with the just chatting streams is that we watch for *that specific streamer’s* personality. It’s hard to really make recommendations other than just saying go watch more of the streamers you enjoy. Personally I enjoy Phil’s hardcore streams, and Sneegsnag’s Crime Time the most, but there’s plenty of other people both in this MCYT space and outside of it that you’ll probably enjoy :)

Sorry boys (unlike horror I don’t watch much comedy so, sorry, this’ll be lacking)

Just Roll With It — Charlie Slimecicle’s DND podcast. I’ve only listened to a little bit of this but it’s really good and REALLY silly (oh, and emotional sometimes, gotta have a bit of angst y’know) Wilbur was a guest on a couple of episodes, but you can always skip past those if you want.

Tommy’s videos — so Wilbur features in a lot of the early vlogs and *minecraft but* videos, but Tommy’s content has always been good fun, his recent stuff is excellent as well! He’s been doing a lot of comedy content lately, specifically a live show so definitely check that out if you want :)

Smosh pit — not something I’ve watched a lot of, but I’ve seen clips of their try not to laugh videos and they’re definitely on par with the bat shit improv you get from Sorry Boys.

Game changer — again, not something I’ve watched much, mostly consumed through osmosis, but the show is funny, the cast is always silly and it’s a lot of fun all round

Whatever else Sorry Boys make after this — judging by some of the responses to Wilbur’s “statement” I think it’s fair to assume if Sorry Boys do continue making content Wilbur will be cut from the group. Of course don’t feel obligated to stick around if you don’t want to, but Wilbur won’t be compensated if he’s kicked and the rest of the guys are still fun :)

YLYL and similar goofy stuff

Just… other streamers again — Jack Manifold does YLYL streams with his friends. James Marriott does a lot of reaction videos as well, sometimes YLYL, sometimes reacting to content his viewers send in (like TikTok’s and break up texts), those are my favourites atm.

YouTubers — that niche between video essay and reaction content, people like Danny Gonzales, Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner, Pinely, all good fun YouTube channels that make good, silly, and easy to consume content.

Other gaming streamers and YouTubers — Slimecicle, Ranboo, Games Grumps, RT games, and SneegSnag all play a wide variety of games, they’re all relatively chill but none of them take the games all that seriously either so it’s fun and goofy as well :)

And of course Fanfiction!!!

I might be a little bias here cos I write myself but fic is created by and for fans and it exists to give you even *more* content about the stories you love, whether it be reimagining canon events or just dumping your favourite characters into a silly au.

I know a lot of authors (myself included) are feeling super conflicted and weird about writing Wilbur in the future. Plenty of authors have been moving onto new fandoms so if you find something you enjoy make sure you check out the author’s other work and who knows, maybe you’ll find some cool new fandoms that way!

And do the same for artists and other creators, or even go check out some of your mutuals fandoms, you guys might have more in common than you originally thought!

#wilbur soot #dsmp #the sorry boys #editor wilbur arg

[walleeli]

Want to discuss something about Stampede that’s been plaguing me. SPOILERS for both Trigun Stampede and Trigun Maximum incoming…

I’ve seen a couple posts recently where people have said that Vash’s characterization in Stampede as having always been a goody-two shoes worsens his character (or like, makes it flat or boring or whatever.) and tbh I totally agree. HOWEVER COMMA. I don’t think it will end up having been accurate of him in the adaptation as we continue. And I think its possible it isn’t true now if you happen to know exactly what to look for… this is about to get long.

So I got into Trigun as a whole just a few months ago. And my experience was I watched 98, then tristamp, and THEN read trimax. So that’s my frame of reference and the order in which I experienced the different characterizations.

I want to talk about this scene at the beginning of episode 12 of tristamp.

Because when I first saw it, heard it, I figured it was Vash speaking. And when it panned out to reveal Knives

I was surprised. And a little confused. It didn’t line up with what I, at the time, thought to be true of their characters. The more clear cut “good” and “evil” being the only version I’d ever really experienced. (Maybe 98 did a better job with Vash’s characterization as a child than I am remembering??? But I feel like it was pretty similar to tristamp??? Could absolutely be wrong but either way the point stands that based on my memory at the time the scene was odd to me.)

The scene is so brief and there’s so much other shit going on in the rest of the episode that it left my mind pretty quickly. Until I was reading through Vash and Knives’s backstories in trimax and texting my brother about how I had no idea how deep Vash’s character was in the source material. It was at that point that I told him I was honestly kind of miffed with the handling of his character in Stampede, as I felt it did a disservice to him. And he actually was the one to remind me that Orange has already demonstrated an enjoyment of unreliable narration in tristamp. Specifically I am thinking of hearing in episode 1 that Vash gave Knives the code he needed to take down the SEEDS ships vs seeing in episode 11 that he didn't give it to him for that purpose AT ALL and also the ending of episode 8 showing young teen Knives as scowling and standing tall vs episode 9 showing him rattled and on his knees (obviously we also still get the scowling later but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. PROBABLY.)

Anyways my brother and I kept talking about it and I was saying it's still weird that we see all those scenes of Vash being this like. Happy-go-lucky kid when that's not what you get from trimax until after the blank ticket talk. And he suggested what I am currently choosing to believe to be true: the sequence of events has been reordered. And flashbacks we get of like, their first birthday and stuff, actually take place after they find Tesla. (In Stampede’s canon I mean.)

This is the only other time we see kid Vash seeming more closed off/somber/whatever. Obviously Knives has already taken some sort of turn. He’s certainly not in finger guns mode anymore LMAO.

Obviously this is just wild and maybe ungrounded speculation at this point. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Orange pulls the rug out from under us a bit in season 2. And I sincerely hope they do.

#just been thinking about it idk. #ramblings of a mad woman as usual. #is this anything?? #trigun #trigun stampede #tristamp #trimax #trigun maximum spoilers #trimax spoilers #tristamp spoilers #if im comepletely delusional and making shit up that is ok too <3 #BFJDJCKDHKHKDJCKSHCJ #cant win em all

[mrjakeparker]

First off, for anyone who needs a primer on AI Generated Art here's a concise video on the subject to get you up to speed: LINK I used Midjourney I started out with these prompts to see what I would get: Astronaut with a skull head +skull + skeleton + red spacesuit + character design + full body + red + sci-fi + star wars + Ralph McQuarrie + Jake Parker, cartoon, cartoon network, adventure time style. Then I thought I'd mix it up and see what prompts like octane render + 3d would give me. I didn't like what I was getting so I went back to my original prompts but added rubberhose animation + pixar + disney + 3d. The results were better, so I asked for more variations. When I got them I decided I was getting diminishing returns and called it a day. Lots of interesting ideas to put into my design, but no one design really felt like it nailed the vibe I got from my original design. After this experiment here's what I think:

1) AI Art Generators will only become more powerful/capable. So wishing it away is a waste of time. The only path forward is figuring it out how to implement it and how to regulate it. 2) With revolutionary technology comes a reorganization of status and power. The status quo HATES this and will do almost anything to stop it from happening.

AI Generated Art shifts the power (and wealth) of creating images from people who have training, to people who don't.

This reorganization happened in the 2000s when programs like Maya, 3D Studio Max, and Photoshop made art creation a lot more accessible to people who couldn't paint traditionally, or sculpt clay.

It allowed places like animation studios to be havens for creative people to make art who might not have been able to draw really well. Which really upset people who had trained to animate in 2D on paper, and who studied classical painting techniques. Which leads me to 3: 3) Not everyone who is creative can make art, and not everyone who can make art is creative. The creative people who could also adapt and learn new tools absolutely thrived in the new digital art world.

A lot of the art I've seen generated from AI is a lot like hearing someone impersonate English but who doesn't know the language. It sounds right, but they aren't actually saying anything.

4) I see these AI Art generators as tools. Another resource for creative people to add to their toolbox to make them even more creative. Or at the very least, make their job easier.

5) AI isn't an end to end problem solver for productions. There's still a needs to be an artist to translate it into something usable. Someone needs to interpret AI art into something a modeler can model, or set designer can build.

Example: After a producer plugs a bunch of prompts from a script into Midjourney they take it to the art dept. The crew gets a brief from an art director and instead of a lot of back and forth, the art director points at a page of AI art and says "Make it look like this"

6) Questions I’m still thinking about:

- Do these AI Art Generators actually undermine illustrators, photographers, concept artists? Or does it actually elevate these industries?

- Is it bad to democratize something like art creation?

- Who truly benefits from this shift in power? Where is the money flowing to?

- Should artists have the option of their artwork being removed from the AI generator's databases? Or is any art you post online free game? Does the AI generator do anything different than what an artist does who has strong stylistic influences from other artists?

7) I'm still learning about this, and still reading up on all the pros and cons.

I would love to know your thoughts. 

We've been discussing it over on the Discord for a couple weeks now: LINK

I also posted this on IG and it blew up. I could not keep up with the comments. Over 750 of them! If you want to get a vibe check on what the broader art community thinks of this check it out here: LINK

-Jake

[russilton]

Genuine question! people on here get so pissy at anyone asking what their thoughts on the drivers sexualities are but you’ve blatantly put the pride flag on a George post so would that not be the same thing?? Like I’m genuinely not trying to be a douche but I just don’t understand the double standards (I’m also not singling you out as I’ve seen other users get pissy at ppl asking but your post just happens to come up aha)

That’s fair anon and it’s good of you to ask this as a genuine question to find out rather than just get frustrated and assume it’s all hypocrisy. You wouldn’t be the first, so thanks for asking instead.

Here comes a read more because I’ve done my best to explain it, and if you wanted a shorter version you shouldn’t have asked me

Tl;dr: Because one is a joke based on a known fiction presented to an audience in on the joke, and the other either isn’t a joke and thus an invasion of privacy, or steps too close to the line for people to feel comfortable engaging in

It all comes down to engaging in the joke vs genuine, harmful speculation. Putting a rainbow flag on a post of a guy hanging out with his girlfriend, who I genuinely do like, is what I HOPE is a clear joke.

What makes it a joke is that I do not believe with any conviction that George and Lewis are actually fucking. I would LOVE it, but they aren’t.

The core tenant of acceptable rpf is being able to separate fiction from the real life that feeds it. We are playing make believe with characters who happen to be based on real people. That’s why most of us will tell you to keep this stuff entirely on tumblr/ao3, so there is a barrier of separation between drivers and fic, and why I do my best to clearly differentiate between when I’m talking about serious topics, and when I’m engaging in very dumb ship talk.

I will also point at the name of my blog, my tag line and my blog title all make it clear I’m not a serious place, I’m here talk about an rpf ship, and occasionally give my fan opinion of motorsport. People shouldn’t be coming to me for unbiased news. I have never been unbiased in my life.

In my posts here I’m leaning into the bit of the entirely fictional ship I enjoy. Of course George isn’t indicating he’s gay by driving a purple Mercedes in LA. That’s a joke I’d hope all of my followers are in on. It’s also a play on how celebrity couples are debated and how real queer people are treated by the world at large.

For example when I came out, both times, the reaction I got most from friends and family was “we already guessed you were”— now while they may think that’s a good way to respond… no they didn’t. They made assumptions based on stereotypes about queer people and applied it to me at an age where I didn’t even know what I was or liked. We’ve all seen the tweets from genuine idiots going “I don’t trust men ordering dessert, that’s for women” or “I think men who wear scarves are a bit gay”, but those are just an extremely concentrated form of stereotypes we’ve seen for decades. If a man enjoys crochet or a woman loves woodworking, you bet your ass Instagram comments will be saying they’re clearly gay.

We also see it all the time around celebrities— people harmfully assuming based on a hair style, a pet, or an attitude that a driver is gay and that they’ve “figured it out”, or even just because you saw two people hanging out a few times they MUST be together. Look at the Lewis and Shakira incident— they never once confirmed a relationship but some people will treat that as absolute fact. We have all seen both Lewis and George separately receiving hate under the assumption they are gay men by homophobic fans- Lewis for his piercings and fashion, and George for having long eye lashes and a slightly effeminate build. Shit, Nelson Piquet, ex f1 champion, has made on broadcast homophobic comments about Lewis that the Brazilian government fined him over. That is how common this idea is to most people.

The only way to know someone is lgbtq+ is if they tell you they are, and the only way to know what relationships they’re in, is if they tell you. It doesn’t matter how much you want to know or what evidence you’ve found, that’s a privacy everyone should be allowed, even celebrities. You do not know until they confirm it. I don’t care if someone came up to me and said they’ve seen George blow a guy, unless he says he’s queer, I don’t know shit.

But it’s still incredibly common, and most queer people experience this, and have opted to reclaim the joke. I will point at George sitting funny and cuffing his jeans and go “see! He’s just like us, the bisexuals”, because that’s a way queer people will joke you identify bi people. And when you read that back, it’s very clearly a joke. You can’t discover someone’s sexuality based on their sitting style. I do the same thing as an autistic person, because we are ALSO heavily scrutinised based on other ideas of what autism is. You don’t know how many fuckin people decide it’s appropriate to tell me “but you don’t seem autistic to me” because I don’t fit their standards. If someone tells me my eye contact means I’m not autistic, I can say George lining up his trains as a kid is a point for autism.

It’s also a joke derived from a genuine lack of representation. Humans like to see themselves represented. There’s no publically gay people on the grid, or autistic folk, so it’s pretty fair for us to decide that fuck it, until there is, I’m grabbing the guy who acts like I do and pretending he’s my rep. That’s how gay slash as a concept really began, honestly. If you don’t give people ample access to something, they’ll make their own, and sometimes even if they have it, they’ll do it anyway because it’s creatively enjoyable.

People get “pissy” (be careful using that word, it’s a lot more patronising than I think you intended it to be) about GENUINE speculation, because its not the acceptable joke we’ve all agreed to. Now you can argue about where the line for the joke should be, or if there should be one at all, but most of us have settled in a similar spot and talk with people who agree with that line. If that makes you uncomfortable, it is okay to leave or block someone. I have been blocked by more than a few het George fans. That is their right.

I think personally that pinning a sexuality to drivers is always going to be seen as genuine speculation unless it’s within the context of a fic where you set the boundaries, or a joke. Personally, if I wrote an entire list out and genuinely put thought into the sexuality of drivers on the grid, that is speculation, and there’s no way around that because I’d be making those assumptions based on stereotypes. Any of the drivers could be queer, none of them could be. We do not and likely will never know because we don’t live in a society where there are 0 ramifications for sharing your sexuality.

All the drivers could be bi but are in straight passing relationships and are happy that way for all we know. We literally have no way to tell unless they chose to share, which is unlikely given that 10/24 of this years races occur in countries where gay marriage is not recognised, and it is explicitly illegal to practice homosexuality in several of those. Even in the remaining countries, Florida, Texas and England have all introduced increasingly hostile anti LGBT legislation — F1 as a sport may try to say otherwise, but you cannot say that it is a queer friendly sport while also travelling to places where if a government decided to act on their laws, many fans could be put in serious danger.

Would you want to come out in that? Especially turning over something so personal and often painful to a public mob who will debate it?

While we all engage in our games here, it can be taken out of this space very quickly, and if someone made a post speculating on driver sexuality, it could spread, get ripped and posted on twitter, and grow into something far uglier very fast. Would you want to see a joke driver sexuality post spread like that? We all saw how the Fernando and Taylor swift joke went so far, so fast, until the fuckin aston admin had Fernando on a tiktok with Taylor swift audio. I’m not gonna make a post I already think is based on a flawed idea, about drivers I don’t care about, with that at risk.

You could argue again that our jokes could spread like that, but in the same way every post can be considered in bad faith when twisted the wrong way, it’s the gamble we make posting here. Trust me— I’m the guy who had his art posted in an Instagram hate collage by max fans— nothing is safe from the wrong eyes here.

I have also seen first hand the awful examples of people actually making those lists to coddle their faves. I have seen the posts where people genuinely think max is bisexual and autistic. They are infuriating.

Because I hate that, I frequently remind myself sometimes to be clearer when I’m being a rpf fan boy making a joke, and when I’m critiquing my drivers genuinely.

I can’t stop other people blurring or forgetting the line between joke and reality, but I can refuse to do it myself. I am only responsible for myself, and for making sure my jokes are clear enough most people will get them.

So that’s why yeah, I’ll make limp wrist joke about George, becuase I’ve been the target of them, but I’m not going to speculate on sexuality. I hope that helps.

#asks #anonymous #wank/rants #tw: homophobia #tw homophobia #some people will agree with this- some won’t #that’s fine #but anon came to me and this is how i see it

[lowcallyfruity]

you should tell me some things about sebepel like headcannons!! If it’s not a bother of an ask, I’d like to know the ship more :3

HIII ANON HIII OMG I GOT THIS ASK AND STARTED GOING INSANE I LOVE SEBEPEL ARHFHFHFHFFBFBFB

UM!!! So!!! Me personally!!! If you want some Sebepel content Epels school uniform vignette is a good place to start!! It’s soooo cute <3 like EEKSIES <3 it drives me insane when I read it be because it’s SO sweet and ARYRUFFHFHHFHFUFUFH. then there’s the Harveston event!!! It’s Sebepel central!!! GRGRGRGRGR they’re so cute in the event!!!

OKAY. So. I’m probably gonna post my sebepel hcs tommorow or like. In the next few days (I just need to figure out how to format it) BUT ILL GIVE YOU SOME OF MY HCS FROM IT TEEHEE <3333

Sebek calls Epel by his name often instead of human. Hecalls him human sometimes but not as much as the others. People start noticing this and go “huh. Strange”

Sebek loves talking about his lovely boyfriend who is the coolest guy to ever exist!!! (He might even surpass Malleus. Sebek is very conflicted) boasting about how amazing and strong he is for a human!!! How he’s very talented and skillfull.

Epel starts speaking less formally with Sebek and occasionally going full blown with his Dialect. Sebek wants to learn more of Epel’s dialect. And Epel gladly teaches him. ARGHHHH Sebek loves Epel’s accent so much.

UGH I HAVE THIS WHOLE THING WHERE LIKE. EPEL IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SEBEKS HATRED FOR HUMANS STARTS CHIPPING AWAY SLOWLY. LIKE “wow. This human is so very cool. Wow. He’s so talented and amazing. Wow” AND IS LIKE ONE OF THE FEW HUMANS HE TREATS WITH RESPECT AND NICELY AND ARHFGHGHFHF BUT IT DRIVES HIM INSNAE BE AUSE “HOW COULD HE FEEL THIS WAY FOR A HUMAN?!??” AND HES SO CONFLICTED AND ARGHHHH AND WHEN SEBEK FINALLY GETS OVER HIS HATRED FOR HUMANS HE CAN FINALLY LOVE EPEL TO THE FULLEST AND WITHOUT SHAME AND CAN START TO PROCESS HIS FEELINGS AND AHRBFHFDHJDJDJSJSJSJSJSHS AND EPEL IS JUST SO KIND AND CARING AND UNDERSTANDING AND ARFHHFHFJFNFNFBFJ

Also not a hc I think? But one of the reasons why I love sebepel so much bc I think Epel is one of the few characters that doesn’t treat Sebek like shit (at least from what I remember???)

When it comes to Sebek, I think a lot characters are like “ugh! Sebek is so annoying I hope he DIES” (okay I’m being dramatic but they don’t like him and they tend to express that) but I’ve never seen that with Epel? Epel doesn’t say anything bad about Sebek (from what I remember) he’s always pretty neutral when it comes to Sebek and doesn’t really talk bad about him the way others do. He’s kinda just like “oh. That’s Sebek. He is. Talking about malleus.” Maybe even sometimes like “he’s a bit strange but whatever :)” AND THATS JUST SOOOO ARHFHFHHFHFHF TO ME LIKE SAUSUDHDHJSAISUHSHSJ SOBBING CRYING

Okay so this is where I start yapping EVEN MORE. Basically I just talk about how I personally view their relationship and what it would be like pre-relationship and during relationship. I’m putting this here bc it’s long and I don’t want to make anyone feel obligated to read all of this.

UGH SORRY I JUST TALK SO MUCH. I didn’t mean to make it this long but I just love them SO MUCH. To me they’re a very loving and caring relationship…. Who help each other grow and just care about each-other so much. They’re both so patient with eachother and AUFHFHFJFFH WHICH LIKE MEANS SO MUXH TO ME BC LIKE. Sebek is neurodivergent and Epel isn’t but even still I like to think that Epel tries so very hard to make Sebek happy and like let him know he’s cared for and loved. And It’s just ifhhhh I could talk about them and how they handle Sebeks neurodivergence forever but I won’t 😭😭😭

BUT EVEN WITH ALL OF THEIR WHOLESOME PATIENCE AND I GUESS “MATURITY” THEYRE STILL JUST SILLY TEENS AND YEAH AUGHGHFH. They are SUCH a power couple to me!!!! Like “hell yeah that’s my bf!!!!” And they get so super silly together!!!! They goof around and act ‘cringey’ and hype each other up!!!!

Idk in my head it’s just. They make it work. They are overall healthy to me and hehehe they’re the couple that stays together forever after highschool and everyone is like “WHAT?!?!??” But also not surprised (especially those close to them they’re like “yeah ofc”

I was trying to think of situations that like. That would be angsty or like. Smth. But. I really can’t see it with them? I can’t see them having like. Big serious fights. Maybe like silly play fights that get taken a bit seriously and end up hurting eachother, but, I also think they can end up solving those,, maybe a bit quick? Idk they just seem like the type to understand eachother. Or at least try their best.

Hmmm I think I guess sometimes they have moments when they don’t see eye to eye and they are stubborn and don’t agree,,,,, but again. I think they can get solved easily….

Like idk I guess I see them more having bursts of like “idk man :/“ but they easily go back to like “oh it’s okay :)”

I think on Sebek’s part there is insecurity that Epel will stop loving him because he finally has someone that CARES about him. That pays ATTENTION to him. And he’s so scared of losing that. He’s scared to be annoying he’s scared to be loud he’s scared to talk so much because he doesn’t want to lose Epel. That’s his friend. And eventually his boyfriend. He doesn’t want to loose this person that finally actually SEES him.

But, Epel is always there to reassure him that he will ALWAYS love him. He will always be there for him. Epel will always be there to support Sebek,,, and Epel is willing to learn ways to make him happy and comfortable. Epel will be patient….. and he will listen…..

OH NY GOD THIS ID GETTING SO LONG BUT SIGH OKAY.

I think pre-relationship, Sebek would be mic to Epel!! Bc like!! Wow!! This is such a cool guy!!! And Epel would be like “huh. Weird” at first because like “I don’t think Sebek is like this? People tell me things that don’t match this at all????” So he finds it strange at first. But eventually grow to like it (for a lack of a better word ig) and finds it endearing. He thinks it’s cool!! I mean Sebek is a nice guy!! He’s glad he can learn about him and hang out!!!

AUGH IDK I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH I COULD TALK ANOUT THEM PRE- RELATIONSHIP AND HOW THEY BOTH VIEW EACH OTHER AND DEVELOP THEIR RELATIONSHIP SHIP FOREVER. LIKE UAH. THEY MEAN THE WORLD TO ME OKAY?????????

IM SO SORRY THIS IS SO FUCKING LONG. THIS GENUINELY WASNT MEANT TO BE THIS LONG- I GOT SO CARRIED AWAY 😭😭😭😭😭 AOUGH I JUST STARTED TALKING BC SUHDDHDJDJSJJSJSJZJZKSJZ DRIVES ME INSANE.

YOU JUST ASKED FOR SOME THINGS AND I GAVE YOU A WHOLE ESSAY HELP

UGH. They’re just stupid teens what more can I say 😭 they’re so dorky and gay for each other your honor 😢 they drive everyone insane 😢😢😢😢

#guys I love them so much I can’t take it #💛! asks #sebeppy…..i love them… #long post #this was finished at like 1AM but I’m scheduling it to post at like 11 or smth so yeah hi guys #epel x sebek #sebek x epel #sebepel #💛! anons

[verdantglow]

are you basing your au on any specific life season? in terms of grouping and such at least. Or is it all cobbled together with things from your favourite seasons? Or is it maybe like, making a new season? Whatever it is im super interested.

also since sburbs not involved im assuming there wont be classpects, but if there were what would you assign to who? (feel free to just pick a couple of your favourites so you do t have to do 18 classpects 💀💀)

So, the AU is based on all the seasons, kinda smashed together in various ways. The cast plays all season as separate VR LARP (VLARP???) campaigns, which in turn influence somewhat what’s going on interpersonally outside of VLARP in the meat space. I’m also pulling from other SMPs I’ve seen the cast in for certain details, as one of my fav things with AUs is working in little references to canon/fanon. Then there’s the aspect of which relationships I feel I want to explore in the Alternian meat space/what I think makes sense given everything else. Plus, you know, a little sprinkle of shipper brain rot.

I’ve got one or two group placements to work out, but I will make a post either today or tomorrow with that info!

As for classpects, boy howdy, I was avoiding this, but once I started, I have found it’s actually really fun & I want to do more! (Do I need an AU of this AU where they actually do play Sgrub…?)

Here’s the few I’ve figured out so far plus some art!

Smalsh Beans as the Heir of Rage

Given how unhinged Joel can (& does, regularly,) get, Rage felt like a good aspect for him, but I was really torn on class for a bit. I didn’t see him as a knowledge, destruction, or healer class. I landed on Heir going off a few fan theories. I saw that some people lost Heirs as being controlled by or representing their aspect, or as being consumed by or becoming their aspect. Idk, something about red life Joel just screams Heir of Rage with those definitions. Briefly considered making him a Witch, because that’s an active class vs heir being passive, but in the end, I think Heir fits better.

(Note: I’m playing with the idea of Smalsh Beans going by Joel for some silly reason, just ‘cause he’s the only one with a human name that isn’t present in his troll name/isn’t extremely close to his troll name, &, well, I’d rather call him Joel. **shrug** Maybe his matesprit gave it to him as a nickname?)

Scohtt Smajor as the Seer of Void

I may have listed Joel first, but Scohtt is the first I settled on. I knew I wanted him to be either a knowledge class, just based the fact that that man has a freaky high perception score. Like. Scott in canon always is one of the first to pick up on shit, so Scohtt is no different. I toyed around with making him the Seer of Mind, but then realized that a) he’s got higher perception that insight (granted his insight is also good) & b) I couldn’t bring myself to make Scohtt, already a teal blood, anymore like Terezi lol. But with Void, it can represent things that are unknown or hidden, so a Seer of Void might be one who can specifically see things that are secret, much like how Scott often figures out hidden from others before anyone else. (For instance, how he immediately knew Scar & Grian were soulmates in DL or how he eavesdropped on secret convos in SL.)

#Trafficstuck #joel smallishbeans #scott smajor #trafficblr #verdant art #verdant rambles #verdant answers #ngl figuring out some classpects made me question how I want to approach this AU…. #I am seriously considering pivoting so that the life series were games they played before playing Sgrub… #like. it’s so much stuff to figure out #like kernalsprites & planets & whatnot #which I thought might be overwhelming #but it sounds so fun now… #AUs of AUs are cool right?

[codynaomiswireart]

“Gauze in the Wound” - Part 25, Preview

Hello Tumblr! It’s been a long while!

It’s hard to believe it’s been about five years since I started my “Gauze in the Wound” fic. I wish I had it completed ages ago, but other things in life have had to take priority, and, to be honest, with TTS/RTA itself having wrapped production, a lot of the drive to write fan fiction pieces for it has waned on and off in me during the couple years following its finale. (Plus getting locked out of my Tumblr account for a time didn’t help either.  xP)

However, I’m still very fond of the series, and I do want to bring this piece to a conclusion. So, while I don’t have this next chapter fully finished, I did want to post this preview of chapter 25, as a sort of Advent present for anyone still wanting to read the story! Thank you for your patience! This has been a great fandom to be a part of, and I miss the days of geeking out over new episodes and coming up with theories for what was in store next!

I hope you’re all doing well, and are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas season!

All the best, ~ Cody

AS ALWAYS, THIS PREVIEW IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BEFORE THE FINAL DRAFT!

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"Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family." ~ Henri Nouwen

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”  ~ C. S. Lewis

“I closed me eyes, I couldn’t see And now I’ve lost all I could be I disappeared, faded away Gave up my world, but now I pray, ‘Give me a chance to mend Let it begin, don’t let it end!’

I wanna live again! I wanna live again! If I could go back then I’d do it all again One day I’m gonna die But I’ll put up a fight till then If I could live again I wanna live again!

When things got hard, I lost control I’d take it back with all my soul Here in this hell, it’s sinkin’ in The slice of heaven I was livin’ in Give me the chance to start Breathin’ it in with all of my heart!

I wanna live again! I wanna live again! If I could go back then I’d do it all again One day I’m gonna die But I’ll put up a fight till then If I could live again I wanna live again…!”

~ “Live Again” by Jeremy Jordan

---------

“I am Lord Demanitus…”

Of course, at these words, Varian immediately thought of when Zhan Tiri had fooled him with his own lies about being Lord Demanitus. Varian shook his head, certain that Zhan Tiri was just feeding him more illusions. He couldn’t trust this man!

“No!” Varian yelped, taking a step back, feeling the light of the silver people grow more intense behind him as he did so. It made a shudder run up his spine, but the figures behind him didn’t seem at all alarmed as Varian continued to cry out. “D-don’t try this with me again Zhan Tiri! I know it’s you! Y-you’re not going to take me in again, you hear!? I won’t let you!”

But the man only smiled sympathetically before calmly removing one of his gloves. He then held up his bare hand, the back of it glowing with a mark emblazoned upon it. It was the same mark that Varian had seen decorating several of his father’s things that he’d left behind after…after being sealed in the amber – a circle with three marks slashed across one side.

“I understand, Varian,” the man said gently. “But hear me, my son, and know the truth.”

Varian could see the mark on the back of the man’s hand begin to glow brighter and the blue streak in Varian’s hair also lit up in tandem. He heard in his mind the resonance of bright, silvery tones ringing out in beautiful harmony together; quite the opposite to the dull, lulling, droning thrum he’d heard from Zhan Tiri’s magic before.

Somehow, in that moment, Varian knew the truth in the man’s words.

This really WAS Lord Demanitus! Somehow, against all odds and all logic, it was him!

…And he was also one of Varian’s distant relatives!

[“Ab herede Demanitus… “Heir of Demanitus…”]

Seeing the look of realization dawn in Varian’s eyes, Demanitus withdrew his hand, and redonned his glove.

“But I…I don’t understand,” Varian said in a small voice, again conscious of the legions of people surrounding him as he hugged his arms round himself. “What’s going on? Why are you here? Why are-?” Varian swallowed, casting his eyes downward. “Why are you all here? Am-am I just seeing things? Have I gone crazy? I mean, aren’t you all…?”

“Dead?” Demanitus said, finishing Varian’s sentence. Varian bit his bottom lip in response, lowered his eyes again, and conceded a small nod, nervous about offending those standing around him. Perhaps the dead didn’t like to be reminded of the fact.

“Do not be afraid Varian,” Lord Demanitus repeated, laying a steadying hand on the boy’s shoulder. “All this… Well, it isn’t quite what you think it is.”

Varian glanced up at the man, confusion written all over his face.

“Do you remember, Varian, how Zhan Tiri told you that the Moon Drop can alter time and space?”

Varian paused, then nodded again.

“In that much, at least, he told you the truth. What you are seeing now is one such warp that the Moon Drop can conjure. That is, it is allowing you to see that which your brain can process regarding the light your ancestors left among the stars.”

Varian stared up at the man, still clearly confused. “What are you talking about?”

“We live deep within the past every day, Varian,” Demanitus continued, directing Varian’s attention to the night sky above them. “Whenever you look up at the stars, you are seeing – in one sense – millions to billions of years into the past, with eons more still on the way. The light that enters your eyes in that moment traveled multiple lifetimes to reach you. And if any living soul out there in the vastness of space could look back at our little marble of Earth, they too would see light that traveled millions of years to reach them from our world. Every passing moment of every day, we choose that which becomes imprinted upon the fabric of space and time, extending outwards for millenia. Every moment, we determine what becomes written among the stars. You can see it here now, as the Moon Drop has pulled from the lives of your ancestors – that is, the record of their lives cast out into the heavens by their light while they still walked the planet – and have made them manifest to your consciousness in a way that you could perceive.”

“…S-so, they’re not…?” Varian swallowed, now glancing at those around him. “Y-you’re not all, er, ghosts then?”

Many of the figures around him laughed (though not a mocking laugh), which rang about Varian with bright, joyful tones – quite different from the mournful moans and wails Varian would’ve expected before this moment. Varian then remembered his own appearance in comparision with them – remembering who the real “ghost” was in this situation – and again hunched his shoulders in embarrassment.

“No, Varian,” One of the nearby figures said, drawing Varian’s attention to her. As the silver lady came close, Varian perceived her as being a great-grandparent on his mother’s side – Thyra, her name was. Despite her having lived to a ripe old age, her appearance didn’t strike Varian as being of any particular age; as if all the moments of her life manifested into one appearance made her somehow as youthful as Varian, yet her face also somehow carried with it the wisdom and experience of old age. Again, Varian realized how he hadn’t thought much about his past relatives before this moment, and it made him shy to be in her presence as she knelt down by him.

“We are not ghosts. The Moonstone can reveal many things, perhaps even glimpses beyond the veil of the mortal plane. But even then, anything seen beyond just a glimpse would completely overwhelm your mortal senses. What you see now are merely shadows of the past, made manifest to you by the Moon Drop so that we may help you.”

“So that you might…help me?” Varian asked, suddenly remembering the situation he had been in before blacking out. Zhan Tiri had a hold of him, Xavier had been captured as well, and any help that may have been possible from the Captain and the guards was blocked from any advance. Varian lowered his eyes again.

“What is the matter?” Demanitus asked invitingly, giving Varian’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“How?” Varian murmured, feeling his heart break all over again. “How is any of this supposed to help me? I can’t- I’m useless back there! And we’re just wasting our time again! Zhan Tiri’s going to-!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Varian,” another figure interrupted.  “Time… works a bit differently here. You’ll be able to prepare for the coming fight well enough. That is, if you so choose.”

“‘If I choose?’” Varian repeated back, feeling borth a flare of hope and caution spark in his chest. “You mean… there’s still a way to stop Zhan Tiri!?”

“Indeed,” Demanitus replied with a nod.

Varian’s eyes widened, and he found himself grasping the man’s shoulders in urgency, in hope. “Please, Demanitus! Tell me what I have to do!”

“I will tell you, my son,” Demanitus said, his expression both pleased with Varian’s response, but also now shifting to seriousness. “The only way to stop Zhan Tiri now is to release his grasp on you; to release his grasp on your heart.”

At these words, Varian brought one hand to clutch at the fabric of his shirt over his heart where he’d felt Zhan Tiri’s horrible squeezing and tugging before. He nodded. “R-right. So… how do we get him to let go of me?”

“I’m afraid,” Lord Demanitus continued, “it’s not a matter of Zhan Tiri letting go of you now, Varian, but of you letting go of Zhan Tiri.”

“What!?” Varian yelped in disbelief, releasing Demanitus’s shoulders. “W-what’re you talking about? Z-Zhan Tiri’s the one holding onto me!”

But Demanitus shook his head (though not unsympathetically). “You are forgetting, my son. The truth is, Zhan Tiri would have no foothold inside of you if you did not allow him to. The tether runs both ways.”

Varian stared back at the man – offended, bewildered – and opened his mouth to retort him. How dare this man have the gaul to suggest such a thing! Did he not see how hard Varian had been fighting against Zhan Tiri just now!? What could possibly make him think that Varian-!?

But then, Varian did remember. He remembered taking Zhan Tiri’s bonding serum, and the feelings of hatred, revenge, guilt, shame and anger that the demon conjured from him whenever the boy would try to stray from what the demon wanted him to do. To be fair, Varian had tried to say no. He had tried very hard in fact. But the feelings, the memories, the hurt kept coming back. Even if Varian tried not to think about it himself, Zhan Tiri made sure he didn’t forget. He kept Varian stuck there, replaying again and again all those things that made him so angry, so saddened, so self-justified, yet also so hopeless in his feelings.

Varian winced as he felt another tug at his heart at these thoughts; the tug of the invisible chain that kept him tethered to it all. It hurt, yet Varian also felt justified in its existence. He didn’t like it… but he also found he didn’t want to get rid of it. This realization startled him, and Varian found the need to run his hands through his hair, and take a deep breath.

“Then… what do I do?” Varian managed to croak out in a small voice. “If I can’t let this go, what hope is there?”

“Exactly!” Demanitus replied, and Varian wondered how the man could sound almost triumphant at these words. Perhaps Varian had gone mad, or Lord Demanitus had. It suddenly struck Varian with the horrible possibility that perhaps the benevolent alchemist of old wasn’t as benevolent as the stories made him out to be. Varian closed his hands into frustrated fists as he looked up at Demanitus in utter bewilderment.

“Listen, Varian…” Demanitus continued gently, kneeling down to Varian’s level and clasping Varian’s hands in his own. As he did so, some of the silver people placed their hands upon Demanitus’s shoulders, and those closest to Varian placing their hands upon his shoulders. Those further away opted to place their hands on the shoulders of the silver people in front of them, until they were all connected in a vast framework of sorts. Varian shut his eyes as he felt their touch, and only fear kept him from trying to shove them away as he felt the magic inside him respond to the network that formed around him; a chorus of soft, angelic tones beginning to ring just on the edge of his hearing as it did so.

“There is still hope,” Varian heard Demanitus say to him, as he could see the light of the silver people grew brighter around him from behind his closed eyelids. “It will be hard,” Demanitus continued. “In some ways, it won’t fair. I may even involve a kind of death for you. But you do have the power to change things, my son – to open up the future to possibilities for yourself, and for others as well, and to be free from Zhan Tiri’s grasp.”

“But how?” Varian asked, feeling the tightness around his heart again as he squeezed Demanitus’s hands back in tandem.

“You must forgive,” answered a chorus of voices both outside Varian and inside his mind. He flinched at it. One reason was from the sensation of again encountering such a large company of voices, like on the night his powers first awoke inside of him.

The other reason was… well, frankly, he didn’t like the answer.

“Forgive?” Varian asked tersely, and with a hollow laugh, his frustration reaching its height now. For a moment, Varian did try to contain his inner thoughts and emotions on this point, especially in front of the celestial court that had turned its attention to him. But somewhere in the company around him, Varian felt a coaxing for him to share more, and before he could think to stop himself, he found himself crying out. “How!? How can I forgive what they did to me? What theydidn’t do for me? Old Corona is gone, and if-if Dad is dead, it’s all their fault!”

“It’s all their fault!”

Varian started, his eyes snapping open as he heard the voice shout in chorus with his.

But- wait, where’d everyone go!?

Varian looked about him. Demanitus and the silver people around him had vanished, and he was now not on the Celestial Plain, but in a dark corridor, lit by dim torchlight.

And yet… Varian thought he could still sense the presence of Demanitus and the others nearby. If he let himself focus long enough, he thought he could even still feel Demanitus’s hands holding his own. But what was-?

“Those traitors!” the voice came again, Varian immediately turning his attention back to it. Cautiously, Varian went and peered through the doorway at the end of the cooridor where the voice had sounded from. What Varian saw was a crowd of people, all assembled in a large chamber, wearing hooded cloaks, and the speaker standing upon a central platform.

“Hear me, sons and daughters of Saporia!” the speaker shouted. “Are we not obligated to seek payment for the blood of our fallen brethren? Our queen and her cohorts have spat upon their graves and brought dishonor to their struggle – surrendering our cause just as the hour of victory was upon us!”

A series of outraged shouts and curses rang through the hall at the man’s words.

“But we will not forget!” the man continued. “We will not allow our brethren’s sacrifice to be in vain! For today, we form a new order – founded upon the memories of these warring days, founded upon memories of blood, founded upon the honor of Saporia, and founded upon the cause to destroy Corona!”

A great roar went up from the crowd, and Varian felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up in apprehension. What was going on?? Who were these people!?

“Today, we are the Separatists of Saporia!” the man decreed, answering Varian’s unspoken question, and drew a sword in his fist. He raised it to the sky. “For Saporia!”

“FOR SAPORIA! FOR SAPORIA! FOR SAPORIA!” the crowd repeated.

“But…why am I…?” Varian began to ask himself, still puzzled about what he was seeing, and why. But then…

“Now, my brethren,” the spokesman said, sheething his sword as the cries died down. “It is no secret that at present, we do not have a force strong enough to overturn the outcome of this war. However, there is one among us who has a plan that, in due time, will bring us back to our once glorious place among the kingdoms.” Here, the man gestured to a figure behind him. “Zhan Tiri, if you please.”

Varian’s eyes widened, and he froze. He dared not move as he watched the cloaked figure come forward, the man pulling back the cowl of his cloak as he did so. Varian supposed he shouldn’t have been astonished that Zhan Tiri looked rather different that the other times Varian had seen him. He was a shape-shifter after all. But somehow, Varian was taken aback by… well, how normal he looked. Save for the dark, bitter cloud resting upon his countenance, and the slight points at the ends of his ears like an elf, Zhan Tiri looked like most any other man, perhaps in his late twenties or so. Many might even had called him handsome. But unlike his face, his words were far from lovely.

“Fellow Saporians,” Zhan Tiri began, his voice carrying throughout the chamber. “Like you, I too feel ashamed by the weakness of your queen. Nay! No longer shall she be called your queen! She has forgone that right since turning her back on her people, and allying herself with the accursed Herz der Sonne!”

The crowd let off more shouts and curses.

“However,” Zhan Tiri said, waiting a moment for the crowd to quiet down as he raised a hand. “There may still be a way for us to achieve victory. While I am not of your race, your people have been good to my people for many a year, and this will not be forgotten. The people of Corona have forgotten the old ways of magic, and have instead turned to their machines of metal – a detestible thing to us fae! And no offender among the Coronians has been worse than that of Lord Demanitus!”

Yet again, the speech was interrupted by a roar from the crowd. Varian found himself shrinking back further behind the door, and would’ve made a run for it to escape before he was discovered. The atmosphere was feeling far too intense for his liking. But, again, he thought he felt the hand of Demanitus in his own, holding him tight, urging him to stay in place. Varian obeyed, and continued to listen.

“But, as I suspect many of you know,” Zhan Tiri proclaimed with a wicked grin (making his ordinarily handsome face now eerily uncanny), “we fae have our ways of getting what we want.”

A hostile chuckle rumbled through the crowd.

“I must ask you to be patient, my friends,” Zhan Tiri said. “For in order to build up our strength, we must first work on deceiving our enemies. Fortunately, that deception has already begun, for your former queen has seen fit to assign me to work with Lord Demanitus – something about a joint effort to rebuild the destruction and devisions between our two sides or some such useless, platitive effort.”

A murmur of mocking sounds went through the crowd at these words.

“I know, I know,” Zhan Tiri continued. “Unashamed, nonsensical tripe! But I assure you, I shall use this opportunity to get in good with the brightest minds of Herz der Sonne’s entourage, and with this knowledge, we can rebuild our forces, know our enemy’s weaknesses, and take these lands for ourselves – once and for all!”

(End of preview)

#it's been a looooong time #gauze in the wound #tts #rta #varian #tts varian #rta varian #lord demanitus #zhan tiri #tts gauze in the wound #rta gauze in the wound #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #angst #forgiveness #hope

[vintage-bentley]

ik they arent even in the trailer and their story is done but im kinda bummed out thatin the good omens tag basically nobody is ever talking about the them or the human characters anymore like they make up most of the book and half the show but always get the side lines in fandom content :/ like ive never seen an anathema focused piece of anything shes always like crowleys bestie or something nobody cares to explore a female character deeper than is shown in canon like raphael doesnt exist in canon and yet had more people explore his intricacies

I’m guilty of this too, and I think aside from regular fandom tendency to focus on a ship and let that be all that matters, A/C’s story is so interesting and unique that it outshines the others.

But I love Anathema! I really like her storyline of following something for her whole life because she was told she has to, and having to navigate not having that guide anymore—after choosing not to have it. I wish we got to see how she deals with going about life without knowing what comes next, I can see it being a great source of stress for her. And it would’ve been neat to see it paralleled with Aziraphale going through something very similar, now that he’s abandoned his trust in Heaven. I saw a post a while ago talking about how both human couples were mirrors of A/C—Newt asks questions of Anathema’s unwavering faith and helps her to leave it behind, just like Crowley does for Aziraphale. Shadwell ends up with somebody he’s supposed to believe is an embodiment of evil and sees he was wrong about her, just like Aziraphale does with Crowley. That was really interesting to see and I have a feeling that season 2 will do the same thing with Maggie and Nina (of course I hope they’re more than just mirrors of the male characters).

But as far as fandom goes, I have to admit that I understand wanting to focus on A/C since they’re the most interesting. It does annoy me though, that Anathema often falls victim to the typical fandom treatment of female characters, where they only exist to mother the male characters. In fan fiction she tends to be the voice of reason and the “smartest one in the room”, which seems great because yay a woman is smarter than the men…until you realise she’s only “the smartest one in the room” because people can’t imagine a woman being silly and fun, only responsible and maternal. I think so much more could be done to explore her whole conspiracy theory thing.

As far as the trend of her being Crowley’s bestie, I think it’s cute, but it feels like people reduce her to being a “goth bestie” and don’t really pay attention to her interests. I feel like she’d really get along with Aziraphale and they’d bond over interest in/knowledge of books of prophecy. I’m sure Aziraphale would be absolutely fascinated to hear from an actual descendant of Agnes Nutter, and despite having left the descendant lifestyle behind I’m sure Anathema would be eager to share her history with somebody who’s knowledgeable and interested. Like imagine you dedicate your whole life to following in the footsteps of a historical figure that not many people know about except prophecy enthusiasts. And then you meet the enthusiast of all time. That would be exciting!

And, y’know, I’m sure she’d be more fond of Aziraphale over Crowley, considering A’s the one who healed her and treated her kindly while C didn’t care that he’d hit her with his car and instead focused on un-denting said car…

That being said, I’ve found that a lot of content with her being friends with the husbands, especially Crowley, ends up treating her like set dressing. I’d make a feminist analysis of this, but tbh I notice it with all the human characters, so I don’t think it’s specific to Anathema because she’s female. It’s possible it happens to her more though because of it.

Anyways. I agree it’s sad that the other characters don’t get much attention! They’re great, especially Anathema and Pepper who are my favourites. But like I said, I get it, when they’re up against the competition that is ineffable husbands.

#asks #anon

[odaatlover]

hi! how long did you know you were trans? I think i am, it’s been on my mind for about 7 years now, and me pronouns feel right, (born female) but i also don’t know how to ask people to start changing what they refer to me as? i don’t know if you have any advice for me, or if any of this is too prying/personal but i could use some guidance if you could offer it. :)

Hey there! It’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment when I knew I was trans because it was a lot of different moments - both big and small - that led to my decision to transition. From an early age I wanted to be a boy, literally as long as I can remember. I would make birthday wishes to wake up the next morning as a boy. I would choose boy avatars and video game characters anytime I had the option because it was the only time I got to be one; in a pretend world. But at this age I didn’t realize this meant that I was trans. I thought everyone felt this way and did these things…which I now know is not the case 😂

When I was around 20 I started to question my gender identity. I knew I didn’t feel like a woman, but I didn’t realize that I was a man. I was still stuck in the mentality of what had been engrained in me my entire life - I’m a female, therefore I’m not a man. Also this was 2012 so there wasn’t that much trans representation out there. At least not like there is today.

At 27 years old I started binding. I still had long hair though, but I gradually cut it shorter and shorter over time (every couple months I’d cut it). At that time I started to look into testosterone to become more androgynous looking. I identified as non-binary because I didn’t feel like a woman, nor a man.

And then about 9 months later a month before turning 28, I started testosterone. My voice changed rather quickly. There was a noticeable difference within the first week. My face also started to change too. As all of these changes happened, I became more and more excited. The more people read me as a man, the more I felt seen. I didn’t want to be gendered as a woman or anything that wasn’t a man because it felt wrong and I hated it. This was when I realized I’m not non-binary, I’m a trans man. So about 2 months after starting testosterone I changed my pronouns and started going by a more masculine name - which I have changed legally since then! All of those moments growing up suddenly made sense. The whole reason I didn’t feel like a man before was because I was trying to relate manhood to the experiences of the men I knew - cisgender men. But obviously as someone who is AFAB, my experiences won’t be the same. It took me a long time to figure that out, but the more my body because more masculine and matched who I am on the inside, the more everything clicked. I don’t think I ever would have discovered that if I hadn’t started testosterone.

So that’s my story! As for advice on changing pronouns, just start telling people. That’s what I did. I also posted it on social media so people knew. I don’t have much advice on how to change your pronouns when you are around people who refuse to use them, as I’ve never come across that issue luckily. I’ve only ever worked at places that were accepting and encouraging/supportive of my transition, and all of my family members who weren’t supported I cut ties with…which was basically all of them lol. I realized I deserved to be happy, and chose myself over them. Plus, the thought of having only one life to live and spending it pleasing others at my own expense gave me a ton of anxiety, so cutting off those toxic relations also helped my anxiety tremendously. I haven’t had a single panic attack since!

At this point I’m rambling, but I hope this was at least somewhat the answer you were looking for! Best of luck to you, and remember to just do the things that make you happy, because you deserve that 😊

#asks #gender stuff

[wander-wren]

steps onto my soapbox

i am going to be so meticulous in my sideblogs. just so you all know. and my guide for flfverse when i get that off the ground (it’s in the works! yay!). why?

let’s talk about fandom history and archives and the internet and art, friends

when i was first getting into the baby beginnings of writing free falling/flfverse, which is my first attempt at a bdsm au, i was already familiar with the trope from honestly too many years of fanfic given my age. but i went to the fanlore page and….it barely resembled the trope i’d been reading, and hadn’t seen major updates since it was created in 2011.

at first, i thought some of the info was just straight-up wrong, so naturally i went on a deep dive to figure it all out. i’m still picking at threads on that, the hyperfixation ran out so it’s slower going now, but the fanlore page has been updated with some more of the info i found since i started the project, if you’re curious.

but it is/was an absolute goddamn nightmare to look through. the trope is generally agreed to have begun in 2006, when one fic (Stargate Atlantis fic, General and Doctor Sheppard by Xanthe) created it and then people started copying that fic etc etc. but ofc this was still in a time of purges on ffn and livejournal, ao3 was in the works but wouldn’t be online for real for a couple more years, and fandom was also spread across other individual websites run by creators. which makes it really hard to track things.

i’m currently working on closing the gap between the early 2010s (when the trope started appearing on ao3) and 2006-7 (when it was initially gaining popularity) and let me tell you, very few people bother to note where they got ideas from, or if they made things up themselves. i can see the shapes of certain trends but can’t pin them down yet. it’s fascinating and frustrating because i don’t know, ever, if i’m just not looking in the right place or if some info is just lost forever to purges and the like.

but it’s not like it matters, right? i mean, who actually cares about mapping the origins and spread of a kinky fanfic trope. no great loss of culture if it all vanished tomorrow, right. it’s not like, in the grand scheme of things, my projects mean a lot to the world.

maybe, hear me out, all art is important and valuable. maybe i find this interesting and that’s enough reason to look into it. maybe the trope is just an excuse to write a lot of smut; maybe, sometimes, it’s something else. i could go on about that angle but i won’t, not in this post. i’m not an 18+ blog. but sometimes, yall, the sex is a metaphor. or something.

i work on fanlore in my spare time for a reason. i’m looking to volunteer at ao3 as soon as i can for a reason. fandom history is really more fucking important to me than it has any right to be and i wish i could articulate why but i can’t do any better than this:

if i don’t care, who will?

a big chunk of the world already dismisses fandom, or at least fan labor, as fast as it can. i’ve dedicated countless hours of my life to this and i would drop my life plans in a heartbeat and dedicate everything to it if i could make a living but it’s fan stuff so i can’t.

what i can do is make my little guides and my blogs and keep separate archives for myself and document everything as meticulously as possible so 17 years from now when some small internet sleuth comes looking for answers to a question no one else thought to ask yet they will at least have that much.

maybe that’s dramatic. i don’t know. i tend that way. i don’t mind much.

(side note: talking about my little quest for knowledge isn’t really me asking for help with it. for one, i’m very protective of it; it’s my job to do, i got here first. for two, no offense, hypothetical internet person, but i can almost guarantee i know more than you. every time i’ve cast a line out so far on the off chance i get useful info i only get things i already know or things that are straight-up wrong. if you want to try to contribute anyway, knock yourself out.)

#wren wrambles #fanfiction #fandom history #ish #fandom meta #making this reminded me that the fanlore page is still bad #as soon as i have a more solid timeline i would love to make a section of it on spread and influence #bc theres some really fascinating stuff in there its just all several years apart #fascinating to me anyway. im a huge nerd #i just. i have so many feelings about preservation and history #and fandom in general

[dansnaturepictures]

06/01/2023-WWT Slimbridge: Part 1 of 2-Birds I saw for the first time this year today We came into Slimbridge today and had an amazing day of birdwatching with so much seen and some incredible species over some glorious hours spent at this iconic reserve today. It was one of those dream days where based on what’s usually about on this trip we often do at this time of year, what has been seen lately and which birds I needed to see for my year list I saw everything we tried to which was fantastic. Thanks must go to the friendly WWT staff and fellow birders for a few like Snipe and Scaup for useful pointers and guidance on birds and I’d like to think we gave back a bit to others of the great people we met today in return throughout the day. My bird year list ended the day on a pleasing 110 a figure I always love getting to and after it being my joint easiest date reaching 100 birds in a year with this day last year when we came here too early today it’s the earliest I’ve ever reached 110 birds in a year bringing my days off in this incredible birding week to a grand end. In this post I talk through year ticks today, and my next post talks about other key birds seen today, plants, fungi, the landscape and has my full wildlife sightings summary for today. This post is here: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/705739977139634176/06012023-wwt-slimbridge-part-2-of-2-other-birds

It was an honour from start to finish to see the gorgeous Bewick’s Swans, old and young with their grey feathers, getting smashing intimate views of these angelic migrants with their evocative honking calls which just shouts wild to me and their immaculate yellow and black bills and fine feathers. I felt immersed in seeing them. It was good to see them feed by flapping their feet and at the late afternoon feeding they do here see them peck at each other and Canada Goose in a bid to hold access to areas where a lot of food was. I took the second, seventh with Mallards, eighth with Tufted Duck and Coot and ninth pictures in this photoset of them. Another Slimbridge specialty we saw for the first time in 2023 here today were the enormous Common Cranes flying and still old and young. It was so lovely to see these enigmatic birds so well again, I always feel so lucky to. As bird 101 of my year it narrowly missed out on being my milestone 100th bird of the year for a second year running. Then there were Golden Plovers, a key one here that we had to work for last year that we saw soon into the visit and at various points across the day today as they frequently burst into the air with Lapwings such stunning natural sights and a joyous spectacle to behold. They created a sea of shining colour when stood which was so rich to observe and take in a true highlight today. The sixth picture I took today in this photoset of three of the Common Cranes also has Golden Plovers, Lapwings and Teal in it. 

As hoped at Willow hide as we did in early 2019 and 2020 visits here we got exquisite and breathtaking views of two gem like Water Rails. Such a pleasure to see these two in all their glory getting prolonged views, seeing them up against Woodpigeon and their larger relative Moorhen was lovely for comparison and it was interesting to see the two engage in a chase too. I took the fourth, fifth and tenth pictures in this photoset of them. Reed Buntings seen really well here and Greenfinch in the bird collection areas late on as the first picture in this photoset I took today shows were two valuable year ticks that I’d not ticked here before that I simply hadn’t seen in home areas yet this year, two it was good to get seen and it will stand out in this Slimbridge visit compared to other years.

A spine of the day for year ticks was formed by four wader ticks; Black-tailed Godwit and Snipe likewise ones we had not yet seen at home. The Snipes at a couple of points we got lovely views of and this species was my milestone 100th of the year, one I am rather fond of so I was pleased with that. I took the third picture in this photoset of the first three we saw with Lapwing. Then there were two I hoped for today that were a species we tend to see a bit later in the year for home areas and one we’re never guaranteed to see in a year at home respectively Ruff and Knot. The former always a rustic and fine feathered treat of a bird to see which I loved getting seen so early in a year unlike recent years and the fair few of the latter all lined up felt like a classy bonus bird.

At the pinnacle of it all today perhaps is that we managed to see the Scaup on the south lake thanks to help from a kind WWT person we got chatting to a few times today and another birder. This was a fantastic alluring species to get so lucky to observe, a real attention grabber at the reserve currently which it’s always great to feel involved in seeing. This cute and pretty bird is only the third of the species I’ve ever seen, a serious contender for the best bird of my week off to start the year among many special ones. And my family of the week has definitely been ducks, as I mentioned earlier in the week we quickly saw nearly every species of duck we expected at this time of year down here with crackers and great views of many and have added Common Scoter and Scaup real quality rarer species which has been great.

#photography #bewick's swan #snipe #common crane #greenfinch #golden plover #ruff #black-tailed godwit #water rail #scaup #reed bunting #gloucestershire #slimbridge #wwt slimbridge #england #uk #wildlife #day out #europe #world #feathers #earth #nature #birds #birdwatching #happy #2023

[deripmaver]

y’all read that tor.com article right??? the one that was just another “yaoi/omegaverse/whatever is just putting mlm couples into cishet roles”??? this one here. well maybe not but im bored and its annoying me so im gonna make a long post on it

nice ratio did ur MOM pick it out for u??? jk ok

the biggest flaw in this article is, imo, assuming that this is a new, untapped topic of discussion, and not a debate that’s existed since time immemorial - or at least as long as fandom has been a thing. every point the author brings up has been hashed out and rehashed to absolute death, and it brings absolutely nothing new to the table beyond the same bland platitudes and critiques i’ve heard dozens of times. 

this article doesn’t even bring up the boogeyman of the “cishet white girl fetishizing mlm” it’s about queer people writing fanfic, which imo makes it all the more egregious. 

how?????????????? is this not queer???????????????? a lot of this makes me think of the discussion about how gay marriage was less important than other forms of queer liberation bc it just allowed queer folks to assimilate into a cisheteronormative lifestyle. 

the article then goes into how people change the physical attributes of the two men to have them better fit into a “male” and “female” esque role. i think the above sentence was meant more as a lead in to how the two men will be shoehorned into roles based on their physical attributes, which is them being shoehorned into a male/female dynamic, but still. two men In Love is very much queer. actually, lol, tangent but there’s this song “two men in love” that latvian figure skater deniss vasiljevs skated to as an exhibition, and tv channels kept censoring its name, so....

as folks will point out, the Large Top/Small Bottom dynamic is one that actually does exist among some irl queer men. i’m very firmly of the opinion that the only thing queer folks can do to to express cishet norms is by actively working to undermine queer rights and gay lib, anything else a queer couple does is outside cishet norms by virtue of the couple being queer. a queer couple wants a white picket fence suburban life and 2.5 kids??? still queer.

there are two points about this: changing the physical characteristics of two male characters to get them to fit into a large/small top/bottom dynamic is annoying. it’s bad characterization. i still am not 100% sure i’d say it’s forcing mlm couples into cishet norms, bc of what i mentioned earlier. 

i also don’t know if this is something i’ve seen much of recently? maybe i’m just more discerning in what fanfic i choose to read now, and i’m much more likely to go based on recs and not just pick a fanfic and start reading it. the “yaoi hands” debate was old by the time i got online (just about 20 years ago now lmao). 

i think that omegaverse existed to codify a lot of the trashy fandom tropes that existed prior to its inception into one universe. mpreg, self lubricating buttholes (lol), sex pollen, found family/pack dynamics... it started out as a dubcon-y porn trope. idk also queer people wanting babies isn’t cis heteronormative.

not the first person to point this out but this is a significant double standard. why is this an example of positive queer representation but alpha/omega with men is imposing cishet norms on queer relationships? is it just that m/m is more represented in fanfiction while f/f is still relatively rare?  

ok lol i got bored part way through that’s enough of that

i think discussions of representation, as well as just changing attitudes, have meant people try hard to avoid tropes like making all the women screaming banshees, or shoehorning male characters into top/bottom roles, or having the relationship start out.... kind of rapey lol. but individual queer people writing fanfic arent corporations, queer ppl don’t exist to perform activism 24/7, and queer people by definition cannot be cishet

ok thats it

#meta #long post #fanfic meta

[desolateice]

asked by @youandthemountains on my other account. Figured I’d answer it here since it’s all fic related. For the fanfic writer emoji ask : 🛒⛔🍦🧐🦅🤩 🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc. Food. When I first started writing fan fic I wanted to be able to keep my files separate in an easy way and wanted a clear line between what was my original work and what wasn't. So ever single fanfic I've written has a food related title and that food generally makes an appearance in the fic. There's also sometimes mixed in with the cute fluff and romance is a dash of horror and a big scoopful of angst. A lot of the CK ones are about lonliness and friendship and the bonds we have with people and loss. Lots of loss. Life sucker punched me within the last year which is why I think CK and TKK sunk their claws in and I haven't escaped yet. Also a love for the mundane and rest. Which I'm like 70% sure the friend I'm going to chat with this weekend will yell at me to do. 😅 If we're adding original work to the mix I'd say flowers and cooking and books and magic. A love for plants and just kindness. I just like the idea of how a small act of kindness can have a massive ripple effect. Also as I look back over my writing uh we've got trauma and more loss and trying to figure one's self out. ⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?  (Shoves all my original works under a rug including my thesis) uh no? Yes? A long long time ago I thought about writing an HP fic and just gave up after like a page. But it never got posted. I like chatting about fic ideas I have no plan to write on discord. Because it's a chance to just get that plot bunny out of my head. I have notes for a one offs called Konpeito Cocktail and Spicy California Roll that are continuations but just...E rated that I don't think I'll actually publish because it just feels weird to publish a continuation of something that's relatively sweet and wholesome and just jump fic ratings to something that's not....💀 Also I'm not really sure I'm up for jumping to E. Which is one of the reasons Root Beer Floats and Green Tea is M. (The other reason is that I feel like the people who usually go for E rated fics would not want to wait a couple hundred chapters to get to that E rating) So ones people have seen no. Ones hidden away on my drive and in my files...yes. 🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far? ah...um... great question. California Roll? Frozen fish stick that wants and needs to cuddle for warmth. Dozens of ruined sweaters. Konpeito? Daniel's maybe my favorite curious explorer in that one with lots of love. Root Beer Floats and Green Tea? The wingmen Cobras and their relationships with Johnny. Johnny and Laura. The cobras and Daniel in New York. There was more than one bed but they're still going to share. Johnny and his bonsai. Mr. Miyagi secretly teaching Johnny and taking him in and kind of unofficially officially adopting him.  Laura and Lucille being BFF's. The Cobras and Jessica. Johnny suffering through a tea ceremony while Kumiko and Daniel are just very sweet to him but he's so confused. Chozen's massive crush on Johnny. Lavender cookies. Welcome to the family sweaters.  Fairygodmother Dutch. Daniel making sure Johnny doesn't burn in the sun. Pride and Prejudice. Every sweet ever made at the Brown's house. Cobras that share your bed even if it upsets whoever else is supposed to be in your bed and learning to just live with it. Found Family that shows up. Bouquets and the meaning behind flowers. Cooking for the people you love. Spending every last cent on the person you've got a crush on.  Laura adopting the cobras, and Daniel. Laura and her heart to hearts. Polaroids.  I could go on. 🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories? So much. Way too much. Because Root Beer Floats and Green tea is set from the first movie onward I've researched Japanese fashion in the 80's, Okinawan fashion trends in the 80's, make up from the 80's, expensive chocolate brands from the 80's, more recipes then anyone should ever research for one story. Movie's from the 80's that were showing at the specific times and dates. Broadway musicals that were shown during that time. What hotels and restaurants and chains existed during that time. Book publishing releases (Made a whoops with Howl's Moving Castle later on, fixed it with the librarian giving him a advanced copy) Music from those specific years. Travel routes, road trip routes. Mapping and maps so I knew how far away the guys were and how long road trips were. Camping and camping rules for specific parks, which places you can camp at. A lot of deep dives into places I haven't been and things in that area and whether they existed back then or not. Food in those places. Festivals, cross-referenced if they existed back then, travel itineraries. Lots of Italian, Mexican, Japanese and Okinawan stuff. For Konpeito I did a lot of planet research and definition and linguistics research. Also what kids books existed back then and mall food research for the 80s and some more fashion. For California Roll I researched some marine stuff and a lot of different lore around the world and then lots of mapping. I really wanted Johnny to swim home but there was no way. There weren't any direct rivers from one end of the continent to the other. Not that I could easily find on the maps I was looking at. 🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants? Mix. I apparently do something called garden pathing. So I usually have an idea of what scenes I want to do and include and then go back and fill in the path between the big lots through the garden. Often I'll leave myself little [brackets like this and say something like add in plot point and whatever notes I have] in that bracket and then move on to whatever is pulling me to write. Then later me has to go back in and fill those out. Normally it's fine but oh boy Root Beer Floats and green tea I had to take out some of my path stepping stones because otherwise you'd never get the end of this fic. 🤩 Who is your favorite character to write? It depends on the scene and the fic. Generally I want to say Johnny. For Konpeito it's Daniel hands down with a second for Ali. I love them lovingly bullying Johnny about being a black belt and not caring about it. Like yes yes very strong we've got bigger things to worry about. For California Roll I loved writing Daniel and Lucille and Judy was a fun addition. Johnny was fun to write there too but he's a frozen fish stick with a broken heart 90% of the time just out there being a menace to sweaters. For Root Beer Floats and Green Tea it's really hard. I love Johnny and Daniel. I love their relationship with Mr. Miyagi and everyone. But I think the Cobras steal the spotlight whenever I least expect it.  From the the emoji’s ask here.

#asks #thank you #long post #writing asks

[eyrieofsynapses]

I wasn't planning to split my "hey, so you're gonna see some Star Wars stuff around soon, but I'm not properly rejoining the fandom" into two posts, but here we are. Mostly so that I don't subject all of you to a long explanation.

So: like I said over here, a couple good friends of mine convinced me to watch The Mandalorian, and it's all going downhill into the trash heaps of Star Wars from there. Once I've gotten to a couple other things--which might take some time--I may reblog some GIFs and possibly metas.

Here's the thing: Yes, I might put stuff up. No, I am not getting into the fandom proper again. And I do mean again--as in, I was in it around four or five years ago, quite a while before this blog existed. (You can look at my Ao3 for proof, but... uh... maybe don't. You know how it is with old fic.)

For the sake of clarity, and also because I kind of want to talk about it, I'm going to explain why.

For reference: I've seen all of the movies. I've also seen The Clone Wars up until the newest season. I watched all of Star Wars: Rebels, and that remains my favorite. (No, I've not seen The Bad Batch, so I don't know everything about what they did with Caleb.) I'm also fond of Rogue One despite my dislike of tragic endings. Aside from that, my knowledge extends to a scattered few books, comics, and a few other things. I have, only as of the last few days, finished The Mandalorian's second season; the rest of my knowledge is largely older.

As usual, my attention veered away and I hit my overload point. That's normal, by the way. But there's some other reasons.

First: Star Wars deals a lot with tragedy. I've increasingly found I don't much like too many sad endings, especially when they feel unnecessary. I like my characters whole and safe and happy at the end of the day, okay? Beat them up in between all you like, but... look, I like happy endings. That’s a me thing, by the way, not a flaw in Star Wars itself (mostly). If you like tragedy, go for it! I’m just not a fan.

Second: The Rise of Skywalker poisoned a lot for me. Between that and the way Disney's been beating the shit out of the MCU, I figured the newer Star Wars shows were rotten cash grabs and nothing more. It wasn't until my friends lured me into watching The Mandalorian that I realized otherwise. Somehow, despite Disney's hell-bent obsession with killing everything it touches, there's some good stuff coming out of Lucasfilm yet. (For now.) I am duly impressed.

Third, and most importantly: Whatever TRoS and co. didn't poison, the fandom often did. I've met a lot of awesome Star Wars people. I've also seen a lot of toxicity, especially online.

I cannot tell you how much "oh, this sucked because of A, B, C, and D, and this part is irredeemable, and I can't believe anyone could stand this bit--what do you mean you liked that? Fuck you!" stuff I've seen around. Mind you, I like constructive story critique. But much of the time it was just complaining, with zero positivity or genuine love. (It isn't just Star Wars, by the way; I see a massive amount of this in the DC fandom too. There’s others. It’s common in many large fandoms, I think.)

I get it, it's fair to rant about stuff you don't like. I do that too. I’m not going to say I won’t keep doing it here and there, because I’d be lying. Hell, I have a lot of bones to pick with Star Wars. I can and have torn TRoS apart. But it's one thing to do that, and another entirely to claim that you enjoy the thing while only ever hating on it. In particular, I'm sick of seeing people coming into spaces where people are enjoying the content, and then spoiling it rotten by only ever complaining. That was what really got to me: being in places where people were meant to be enjoying it, only to see endless complaints about everything bad.

That was the thing I really disliked about the fandom while I was in it--there was this constant cycle of people saying they enjoyed some piece of Star Wars media, then turning around and smacking it over and over without ever providing any positive feedback. I'm not here for that. I'm here to smack-talk TRoS, sure, but then talk about a) what went right, b) what could be done better, c) the context of the mistakes and the reason for them, and d) where Star Wars has avoided the same mistakes, because it turns out they've done a lot better elsewhere.

Look, I don't want to hear about every single flaw and nothing else. Media is flawed! That's part of it! Plot holes exist! Problems exist! I get pissed off about them too! I rant with my real-life friends about them all the time! But suspension of disbelief is a thing, and historical context is a thing, and recognizing the fact that writers are human and flawed too is a very important thing. If you've got a problem and you want to say it, say it, tag it, then move the hell on and don't press it on the people who want to enjoy that media for what it is. (Unless those people are being blatantly discriminatory and offensive, in which case, sure, call them out. But don't be an ass about it.)

For the record: I am absolutely down for calling Disney out on its racist/sexist/queerphobic/etc. bullshit. We need to do that, and we need to do it loudly. TRoS fucked up a lot with that, and it deserves to be called out.

But if we're going to do that, we also need to talk about where they went right. We need to talk about how supportive many of the actors were. We need to talk about how Rebels and Rogue One brought in characters of color and treated them right. We need to discuss the importance of Finn and Poe, both for being POC and where their implied romance worked despite its ultimate knock-down. We need to talk about why women like Leia, Rose, Ahsoka, Hera, Sabine, and Jyn--among many others--are good representation. We need to talk about how The Mandalorian and Andor are both led by men of color. We need to talk about the many wonderful platonic relationships in Star Wars. We need to celebrate the good, too.

...er, anyway. I'm gonna hop off the soapbox now.

Basically: I got lucky when I landed in the Leverage fandom and found out how positive a fan space can be, and I don't want to go back to only ever seeing people ragging on my favorite media. Past experience has taught me that the Star Wars fandom does a lot of that. I'm once-bit and twice-shy, so I'm not getting deep in on this. I'm not trawling tags, I'm not getting into arguments, I'm not interacting much at all. If somebody wants to have a positive and constructive conversation, I’m here for it. If I post and someone decides to start an argument for the sake of arguing, I'm blocking and moving on, and that is that.

Anyway. Upward and onward, and all of that. May the Force be with you.

#star wars negativity #star wars #fandom #synapse rants #synapse talks #...yeah okay we'll do that for a new tag too #I know I may be inviting some not-great responses to this #but like I said: no questions no second thoughts. just block #I'm here to chat and be cool and have productive conversations #not to strike up ridiculous and pointless arguments #that waste my time #so! yeah