hey! hope you're doing good! if you don't mind me asking, what made you want to start the voltron rewrite?

I absolutely don't mind u asking!!!!!! will always ramble abt shit here on scattered winter dot com

its....kind of a long story. see I was caught up in the voltron hype a few years ago, and was obsessed with it from day one. I feel fairly confident in saying that it was my first fandom-related hyperfixation that lasted for quite a long period of time. I had mutuals and friends, and wrote fic and generally just participated in fandom and had a BLAST despite the source material being. less than stellar. but well the voltron fandom is notorious for being absolutely batshit (derogatory) and eventually the negativity from the fandom kind of drove me out (it was also just bitterness and anger on my part from the way the show ended because man.) but regardless the voltron hyperfixation went dormant for a really long time as I moved onto other things. but the concept kinda stayed with me (because let's be real its an AWESOME concept with sooo much cool worldbuilding potential that was never tapped into) and I played with the idea of an all-oc cast with my own story as the years went by, but never really went farther than daydreaming and making picrews lmao. but in the last few months the voltron hyperfixation has been flaring up as I've started rereading some of my fav fics and remembering why I liked this show in the first place, negativity and disappointment aside. and voltron is the perfect combination of worldbuilding potential, fascinating characters, and stupid fucking ass writing decisions that fuel me with enough spite to just write my own version. I've played with the idea of a voltron rewrite for a long time as I've thought about the characters more and what I would have done with them and the worldbuilding if I were in charge, but I didn't really actually start thinking about it seriously until I started rewatching the first season and remembered all the REALLY cool stuff it had. so long story short, now that most of the negative people have left the fandom, and now that I've had time to be in a better mindset abt the show, I'm doing this rewrite both because I'm frustrated by the dumb directions the source material went, and because I genuinely love the source material. at least, the core of it. AND as a bonus I'm genuinely having sooo much fun thinking about and planning the rewrite !!!! every single character got absolutely butchered after s2 and I want sooo badly to do them justice, because I love them all so much and they're all really close to my heart and I'm literally just having the time of my life out here <3 I don't even really mind that the fandom is practically dead nowadays and so my rewrite probably won't get that much attention because 1) I have soo many friends and bestiemutuals enabling me and cheering me on 2) I'm GENUINELY having so much fun. like it's been sooooo long since I've been this motivated and inspired and excited for a writing project and it's an amazing feeling to have

Hum Hi, just wanted to know how your boyf and you are rewriting the show ? I'm a hazbin hotel watcher (not a fan, It's meh, i just really like the songs-) and i really want to learn a bit about how you guys would make it better, if that's okay ?

i appreciate the interest!!!! but honestly theres . so much changed i dont think i could possibly sum it up in a tumblr postjksdfhjk

ill give you the highlights of things that got changed in the rewrite (tw for talk of abuse dynamics)

a lot of small character things get changed. everyones design gets a major re-do, and vaggie's name has been changed. its 'Vega' now <3

the idea of sinners being confined to the pride ring is literally the dumbest shit ever. like no wonder youre fucking overpopulated, youre cramming all the people into one sin that most of them dont even fit under???? so we made it so you go to the ring of the sin you indulged in most in life, and that sin determines your color palette. red is wrath (including people like alastor and nifty), pink is lust (angel, valentino), greed is yellow (husk, vox), pride is purple (vega, velvet << i refuse to call her velvette), gluttony is orange (cherri maybe?), sloth is indigo (no ones here yet), and envy is green (sir pentious).

heaven, charlie, and the hotel are on a bright, sky blue palette. its supposed to encourage sinners to reach for the sky! charlie and vega wear this blue, and alastors recruits (husk and nifty) wear red.

obviously everything about angel and valentino are getting a major overhaul. their abuse arc was portrayed in such an awful, fetishized light it literally makes me sick.

the whole idea of heaven not knowing how a soul gets there? dumb as shit. were going with a more common interpreation of hell being a place where you have more freedom, but so does everyone else, and that freedom comes at the price of safety and trust. and heaven is a place where freedom is heavily restricted behind a lofty rule book. theres a reason hell is overpopulated; getting into heaven can be demanding, and the exceptions sometimes seem unjust.

husk x angel is,,,,,,,so so bad in the show. its so bad. they have 0 chemistry and angel is so victimized (even when HES in the wrong) and husk is forced to coddle him and it makes me so mad. but me and my boyf were CONVINCED we could make it work. in the rewrite, husk and angel have a complicated relationship at the beginning. angel is continuing val's cycle of abuse and husk is the only one willing to call him out on it. he doesnt baby him or comfort him and instead gives him a much needed wake up call, and slowly angel starts to be more respectful of boundaries because he realizes hes terrified of doing whats done to him to someone else. its rocky but theyre getting there.

the writing is really super bad but theres not much we can do about that . its not entirely the shows fault for the shitty pacing but were stretching every event out coniderably.

i could keep rambling but wed be here all day so im gonna call it there ^^" i hope this was coherent

12 YEAR OLD OCS; SIDE A

Hans [@tzarina-alexandra]

He is an extremely skilled programmer and hacker. He starts the story having stayed awake for almost a week to work on a very powerful virus. He passes out and ends up in the computer world, where he is treated like a Grim Reaper figure (he does get a sick looking scythe too!). At first, this is a power trip to him, until he meets and gets attached to various people in the computer world, only to see them get disintegrated by the Virus, so now he is desperate to fix the destruction he designed, but he finds himself increasingly powerless, and even begins to feel the effects of the Virus on himself.

Ling/Estrelya

ok so i had a dream when i was 12 and i set out to write it down into My First Novel. this girl is the first helpful orphan the main character meets, and in later drafts, her girlfriend. the government gave her telekinesis, which she uses to steal. she hates everyone and everyone hates her and she hates fun and she's always grumpy. her whole arc is about learning the benefits of Fun and Being There for Someone who is There for You, while still remaining an introvert who hates crowds and touching. her telekinesis is limited by the surface area of objects, not their weight, so she can make a piece of cardboard float and then stand on the cardboard and surf around in the air like that. she's been cooking for herself her whole life and all she knows how to make is scrambled eggs.

her name was Ling (im sorry.) and it was finally changed to Estrelya in the 4th rewrite. which is meant to be "estrella", star in Spanish, except i guess i thought no one would pronounce it right in their heads, so i added the y?? neither seem very fitting for this kid. i

had a lot of trouble writing this novel because every year, I'd reread it and say "ugh, this sounds like it was written by a 12 year old!" and then restart it from scratch. except then that one was written by a 14 year old, and so on and so forth. there's been 4 drafts now and i never got past introducing all EIGHT MAIN CHARACTERS.

the plot was that aliens landed on the planet, and these superpowered 12 year olds managed to band together strong enough that they made a Real Difference in the world and they established Peace between the aliens and Earth and uncovered all the Horrific Human Experimentation the Government had done. and the moral was Kids Can Do Things! because at age 12 i was at that point where i wanted to do big things but everyone was telling me i had to wait until i was older, i couldn't do those things how i was. and so when i got older, working on the novel felt like it was the opposite of my original point. how could i write about kids being capable when i hadn't managed to finish the book while still a kid?

maybe I'll figure it out someday, for the new kids feeling that way.

Description: southeast asian kid with long black hair mostly covering her grumpy face. white hoodie covered in grass and dirt stains. ripped jeans. bare feet. her eyes glow white and her hair flies around when she uses her powers

So im guessing you've at some point heard about Tolkien's original draft for lord of the rings, pre his many rewrites, where frodo was names Bingo Bolger-Baggins(A name tolkien hated, so ita hilarious he used it all the way up until the group reached Rivendel), the fellowship was composed of 5 hobbits, Gandalf and boromir, and that Tolkien originally envisioned Aragorn as a hobbit with wooden feet named Trotter.

He was eventually reworked into the character of Aragorn, with the original name(originally there because he always made sound on his wooden feet) being changed to strider, but did you know that Trotter's role and actions through the story was not changed much at all? Tolkien had the fellowship reach all the way up until Balin's tomb, before he finally decided he needes to fix the issue that was trotter... But not because he had any problem with the Hobbit's role.

No, Tolkien had no issue with this inexplicably badass, protesis wearing hobbit from a secret society called wild hobbits, skilled enough with steel and flame to chase away the nazguls at weathertop, lead the fellowship through eriador, knew history and lore well enough to retell the stories of beren and luthien, and on and on it went. He for all intents and purposes WAS Aragorn... No what Tolkien had an issue with was his backstory.

Tolkien created an intriguing character, with lots of memorable moments and actions, but he could not figure out a way to make it all fit together.

He had been captured in mordor, tortured, and had his legs cut off. Why? How did he escape? Why did he know so much? How did he become such a good friend of gandalf? Why was he so dedicated to the cause? How was he so skilled?

Tolkien created what was a very intriguing character, but when he sat down to think about it, and hammer out the characters backstory, he could not think up a backstory or timeline of events that would make sense of trotters life.

So he reimagined him several times, eventually settling on him being the same race as elrond, and a descendant of Earendil.

The only reason we got aragorn instead was because tolkien's famous imagination failed him on one character backstory. Imagine if tolkien had decided to just do what many other writers do, and just keep the exact details of his backstory vague, and go with the character anyway XD

I kinda doubt he'd have gone with the making him king angle, but honestly that could have been hilarious. Probably would have required some sword in the stone kinda plotline to make it work though.

Wow! I'd heard of "Trotter," but not any of the details.

(Unfortunately, I never got all the 'The History of Middle-earth' books. It's one of those things that was always my next purchase but now I'd either need to get mismatched covers or rebuy the ones I have. Sigh. The pitfalls of book-collecting.)

I love everything about this history. When I was reading LotR for the first time, I actually thought Aragorn was a bit of a Gary Stu and crafted to be so cool because he was going to replace Gandalf. Then Gandalf came back to life and I had to reevaluate Tolkien's intentions. (It didn't help that I didn't know anything about Tolkien at the time.) It ended up working pretty well with Aragorn becoming king and the way it was done, but I find it hilarious that the character didn't start as thoughts on an ideal king, but just Tolkien wanting a Gary Stu. And that Gary Stu was a hobbit! XD I someday aspire to write with that level of self-indulgence.

(Oh, wait, I write fanfic. I already do.)

It's a shame Aragorn didn't keep the wooden feet, though. That would have been an interesting addition, although I guess it might be too darkly funny for a character named "Strider," and LotR wasn't going for that tone in its finished version.

Thank you for sharing this! It might be one of the best stories I've heard of accidental genius in story development.

Hi! I have a couple of writing related questions. I was curious how you decide when a story is finished? Do you come up with the ending first or just go with it until it "feels right"? How do you motivate/discipline yourself to finish a story? Or do you not struggle with that so much? I'm having trouble structuring stories and finishing things. I find myself writing all the time, but it always ends up being little snippets or a couple thousand word scenes and I can't seem to fit them into an overall plot or story…? Does that make sense? I feel like I have like 18 different stories going on and sometimes there's like a bunch of scenes that could fit one story but I can't make them… Mesh. Also I can't just finish it off. I always feel like there's something missing or like I'm just not sure what the overall point of the story is so I don't know how or when to end it. Anyway, thinking about this made me curious what your general structure is. Do you start with a scene and then flesh out from there when starting a story? Or do you start by having an overall plot and writing based on an idea? Like do you block out your stories scenes/pacing etc first or just write in order, beginning to end or jump around from scene to scene and stick it together later? Does your process change depending on the story? So sorry for the kind of aimless questions. I'm just curious about your process. I'd love to be able to actually complete something, but I don't really have anyone to talk to about writing, and I thought maybe getting advice from someone who I see and enjoy the finished work from could help me in some way. No worries if you don't really know how to answer this and don't want to. I won't be offended lol Anyway ty love your work, have a good day :D

hello ! im so sorry for taking so so long to get to this, i would keep coming back to change or add something to say :)

I was curious how you decide when a story is finished? Do you come up with the ending first or just go with it until it "feels right"? ... I can't just finish it off. I always feel like there's something missing or like I'm just not sure what the overall point of the story is so I don't know how or when to end it. - this fluctuates from time to time; sometimes i feel like a story is done right when i write the last scene, and then i'll come back to it and add a whole other scene because it doesn't seem right . i try to consider if whether or not the entire story has come full circle, if it's satisfying and the ending is something worth having read the previous paragraphs for, if the last few lines are conclusive enough, or if it feels like something should be coming after it . i don't know a proper formula or fool-proof solution to this, its just a Feeling u get, but if u are at a complete loss, what i try to do is completely forget about it for a few days (at least five), and then come back and read the entire thing, editing Nothing, but only taking notes on what to fix, until u reach the end, where u, with a fresher perspective, can tell if the ending is right or not . sometimes, theres just no point to a story other than being written - if that's the case, then thats fine . writing is meant to be fun, if it feels incomplete, come back to it at a later time, don't look at it for a while . if u cant bear to do that, then maybe rewrite it completely - i've done this several times, rewriting thousands of words because something is just . missing . so i take the old work and rework it into something i like better, rewriting and removing and adding bits and pieces . try to spend some time away from the work, that helps me immensely !

another piece of advice from aaron sorkin is that sometimes when he finds a lull in his writing, he takes a shower - showers are great for getting ur imagination flowing :) something else i heard is to take the work and put it in a place not easily accessible, and then, after a few weeks, looking at it again . another version of this is putting it away and rewriting the entire thing from memory . ive done all three and they help as well :)

How do you motivate/discipline yourself to finish a story? Or do you not struggle with that so much? - if u mean continuously working on a story til the end, then absolutely i do struggle with it !!! half the time its the sheer want to write that keeps me going, or if its a story so daunting i dont know how to write it, then i try to make it easier to write for, maybe telling myself ill stop writing after thirty minutes, or until i get a thousand words done, or just until i reach a scene that i really want to write . that, as well as just Forcing myself sometimes really helps, sometimes i just need to get myself to do it in order to the words to flow out properly. ill also admit that sometimes what gets me going is the idea of feedback, what people might think of it or even how satisfied i might feel from writing and finishing it . if u need a friend to cheer u on, or u need to post a bit or two on here to get that encouragement, then feel free . also implementing a "write for thirty mins/for five hundred words/etc." really helps too :) maybe giving urself a deadline as well, such as getting a certain amount done by a certain day

I find myself writing all the time, but it always ends up being little snippets or a couple thousand word scenes and I can't seem to fit them into an overall plot or story…? ... I feel like I have like 18 different stories going on and sometimes there's like a bunch of scenes that could fit one story but I can't make them… Mesh. - it does make sense :) i have a doc just called "cut" that is a series of scenes and snippets and phrases that arent related in the slighted - its only for the sake of putting the idea in my head out and onto the screen, which i might later use for a story i write at a different time if i find that it fits . u don't need to make all these separate scenes fit, sometimes they just aren't meant to . if u find urself writing eighteen different stories, and then only extensively working on a specific few, then i suggest combing some of these stories where they fit . if they don't, then go for the one u want to work on the most, the one that matches ur current writing mood . i know saying "work on which one uwant to work on" is pretty unhelpful, but theres no better solution . maybe asking someone else which one they'd like to read the most also helps, something i do :)

Do you start with a scene and then flesh out from there when starting a story? Or do you start by having an overall plot and writing based on an idea? Like do you block out your stories scenes/pacing etc first or just write in order, beginning to end or jump around from scene to scene and stick it together later? Does your process change depending on the story? - sometimes i do all of these . it does change depending on the story ! for some, i get a flash of a scene that i quickly write out, and, from there, an entire story is inspired in me and i start writing it as quickly as i can, and this changes from just writing down the parts i really want to implement or i feel are imperative in the work, or i finish the initial scene and begin from the start . other times, i have a plot in my mind and i start to write it, but never have i stuck with the initial plot - it always morphs into something else, and ive never resisted from that urge . one plot point will turn into five, and i have sticky notes i keep next to my bed and desk and in my bag and by the door whenever these ideas stick, or i get a sudden scene idea, which i quickly jot down, and, most of the time, i start jotting down quick outlines for the next few scenes . these are never detailed, especially on a sticky note, it's usually just (bike scene, diner scene, "insert quote i just thought of/want to include", etc.) . things like that . i also almost always jump around - i've never written anything in a linear manner, and i probably never will . sometimes the place u are in during the story is in such a lull u want a change of pace, and that's fine :) let that happen ! then u go back to the part u need to work on, and sometimes its even easier to tie two separate scenes together .

im so happy u enjoy the work i put out ! u mention not having anyone to talk about writing with, but my dms are always open and id love to chat if u want :) and if u ever want a second opinion/some help (it feels weird to say help because i am just trying my best on here LOL) then let me know !!! please feel free to just hit me up, i'd love to talk !!!!!!

none of these questions were aimless, and im so sorry for taking forever to reply this, i tried my best to answer as thoroughly as i possible could :) if i missed anything or u want any more clarification on anything, please let me know !!

thank u for the ask !

sorry this is a lot djsjj 4, 7, 9, 12, and 15 for the postprank fic

ahh no worries babs!! but ill place it under the cut just because it'll be a long one x

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

“I think I’m getting better at it. I wanted to look like Marc Bolan,” Sirius explains, thumbing at the skin around his eye. He’s smudging it. He always smudges it.

“That’s daft,” Remus replies. “You’re better-looking than Marc Bolan.”

this bit! this is probably one of my favourite scenes ive ever written actually. im not particularly sure why, either. but i felt if i was going to approach post-prank from the angle of a prior established relationship there had to be, yknow--some evidence of what it is they've lost. and in a lot of my fics sirius spends a lot of time saying lovely things about remus out loud, but i really like this little line of dialogue from remus. i just think its sweet and silly and for all they might think they're far more mature than their years, its a very sixteen-year-old schoolboy declaration of love to say: i fancy you. i fancy you even more than one of my favourite rockstars, in fact.

(second place was sirius saying: "Please don’t leave me. I love you. Please don’t leave me.” just because when he starts begging i start cheering x)

7: Where did the title come from?

the title is sort of based on a quote from giovanni's room by james baldwin, which is the book remus is reading in the bathroom scene. there is a section of dialogue in which giovanni says to david: I am nothing to you, nothing, and you bring me fever but no delight. that little phrase stuck with me n i eventually decided to use the whole fever & delight thing in the title--i think it fits quite nicely. sirius DOES bring remus fever in this, to be fair x

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

not really i don't think! its one of my more rigid fics, structure n premise wise. from the start the plan was: post prank. they're forced into one room during a detention. it goes from there. like a there's only one bed thing but its only one dungeon. the only thing i wasnt quite sure on was what the ending was going to be, but i had this image of them at the very end sitting very close together, sort of exhausted, so it was always built around that.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

oh christ um. well my least favourite scenes are definitely the first scene and the final scene. the final scene was sooo hard to write and i have not read it since posting because even after numerous redrafts it still feels a bit. clunky to me. and the first scene i just never loved despite multiple versions of it with drastic changes being made each time. but i'm going to leave it at that before i talk myself out of ever writing anything again fdjsfjsfjk

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

in terms of the characters definitely it was new for me to b in remus' head so much! ive done a bit before but never to this extent. so i feel like i got a much more well rounded opinion of him, his views on sirius, his views on himself and his relationship with his lycanthropy. in terms of what i learnt for myself--literally if it feels bad just start from scratch. i got about 8-9k into this fic and absolutely loathed every word of it so i just decided to rewrite it from scratch which honestly saved the whole thing!

ask game

What do you think of the McCartney Revisionist History?

Im not entirely sure what "McCartney Revisionist History" means, but after googling it I think it relates to the idea that Paul rewrites history to fit his own narrative.

Id say thats sort of true, but theres more nuance to it then just "he's a narcissist and rewrites history so that he looks like a great guy and a genius—"

I feel that primarily Paul is just a positive guy, and so I think by now (in 2021) when he looks back at events that happened 40+ years ago, I think he tends to recall the best times, or even with the worst of times, I think he tries to find a positive spin to them. Its been so long that by now id presume a lot of the arguments and the upsets that occurred between the band he can probably just laugh about, because in retrospect all those fights probably just seem so ridiculous.

At the same time though, I don't thinks its as simple or idealistic as "Paul only see's the good in things!". He's a positive guy, but also he has a very wholesome image that he has to protect. So I think thats why he evades talking about heavy subjects like drugs, alcoholism, his chronic cheating on Jane Asher, Johns abuse of his loved ones, groupies etc. And he tends to avoid chatting shit about people too, especially if they're dead - even someone like Allen Klein he won't really speak ill of!

I think its a good and a bad thing that he's like this - its a good thing because if he were to start talking about all the shitty things John or George or whoever had done, they wouldn't be here to defend themselves, and so its a little unfair. At the same time though, in avoiding talking in depth about any difficult subject, it disallows for a realistic and nuanced portrayal of these people. Id personally love it if someone like Julian Lennon were to interview him, because he could ask the uncomfortable questions, and I think Paul would try to be honest with him saying "yeah you're dad was an asshole, but he could also be very kind and gentle etc." But I don't know if Julian (or anyone else who might be in a similar position to him) is particularly interested in doing a public interview with Paul, and so I don't know if we'll be hearing any in depth responses to difficult questions from Paul. Maybe when Get Back comes out, but who knows, he might just end up retelling the whole "My mum came to me in a dream—" story again...and again...and again.

TL;DR - I don’t mind Paul being biased, because its literally impossible for him not to be. But I just wish he would allow himself to have a little more nuance and edge in interviews; saying that however, I think he does tend to be fair when discussing other people. Like even when he says “John broke up the band”, it somehow doesn’t feel bitchy, or even as though he’s actually placing all the blame on John, he’s just calling it as he see’s it.

i was going thru ur blog and u have good posts about ableist aus and i was wondering - what if in the aus the requirements for warriors were different? Like instead of having to fight jay only hunts? Would the muddling of roles still be ableist? In a Tree-like situation?If its not presented in a "work super hard to get what you want" and more in a "yeah they can decide what he wants to do". This is mostly for jay (and cinder) specifically because they had desires to be warriors yet were forced to be medicine cats because of ableism (ig this can apply to briar but i just truly cant remember oots that well and i havent read her death). I am asking because i am still trying to unlearn the ableist mindset that i grew up with. Feel free to ignore this ask and thnx!

hey yeah thank you for asking! took the opportunity to write up more general thoughts on rewrites as a whole and i went over why exactly theyre ableist hopefully that provides a better perspective

i think the major thing to keep in mind is that the structure of the clans is very abled centric and overly ignorant of inner community work (for example dens are only solidified or altered when either the area takes damage/the clans grows wrt population) theres a fixation on marking territory and starting fights and whatever with other clans which is whats expected of most warriors to partake in. to fix those implications in any fanwork youve really gotta knead into them and understand the nature of their ableism....its not just a problem with cats being barred from being warriors its the whole occupation and the standard its held to, so to speak (+ that fits into general clan society being flawed but eh thats another thing and also its easy to branch out into thought about)

going to stress other disabled people might have other solutions to how disabled cats are received this is just how i like to think of things

first i think its kind of interesting to examine discrepancies between disabled cats in canon as somewhat of an indicator of clan attitudes and leaders and whatnot. like i think you could get something interesting by regarding lets say deadfoot in windclan and cinderpelt in thunderclan who both have bad legs yet had different experiences with them in clan life. if you wanna go a step further comparing generations like lilywhisker and deadfoot or cinderpelt and jayfeather (+ the consideration of how congenital disabilities are regarded) can also make things interesting and just give you an idea of what to do. having the clan systems stray from a clear-cut common attitude both gives you more freedom for different approaches + adds to worldbuilding anyway. imo boiling down clan society to perfect utopia just gets boring but you can have imperfections in the system that depict the disabled experience just fine. just be careful with them and the way they come across yeah?

(real quick as an in between. god just dont refer to cats/their injuries as crippled. it still happens somehow)

im a little ambivalent on the idea of creating a ‘special role’ for disabled cats to be thrown into. cause then thats a repeat of canon medicine den really. its like ‘oh youre disabled youre instantly discarded into the x role pit’ i think just adding substantial in-universe changes to the warrior rank itself (vagueness is fun actually) or expanding on ‘warrior types’ rectifies the othering angle. ‘othering’ as a whole is just as bad as the ‘exception’ archetype people run for most warrior aus i want to state that clearly. effectively if youre gonna introduce roles that dont depend on fighting or hunting or both make sure theres abled cats who have them too. like say you want a camp-based role where a cats job is to fix dens or one where they help in the nursery, its far easier for a cat who cant run to manage those but also have some cats who are physically capable of doing other ‘tasks’ do the same thing for personal reasons

the tree comparison is interesting honestly cause i guess you could just give a cat a particular thing to do as a nonfixed position. and roles accordingly being made for a cat to fill until they cant and the positions done away with afterward. but youve gotta do it carefully so you dont fall into othering as ive said. id avoid something like that personally i just dont like the quality of ‘well theyre not a warrior (the most noble/useful concept in cat society) theyre actually some other thing’

in general giving disabled cats agency and choice is the best thing you can do. whether this means them deciding on tasks they can do themselves or picking a certain kind of warrior to be or asking for an assistant to help them out when they do stuff. the way you wanna pull it off again depends on my first question of “how does the relevant part of your warrior cat world treat disabled cats already”

very important point, the majority of the ableism also comes in the form of character narratives and not just the structure of the world itself. like think for a bit why the writers decided jayfeather shouldve been forced to be a medic or why briarlight got killed off early etc etc. characters ‘wanting’ to be like the abled ideal and still being bitter about not fulfilling that years down the line are just part of the ableist storylines. if youre abled id literally say just do away with those sadstuck ‘i wanted to be a warrior!’ moments. if you really want to id say pull a cinderpelt or a shadowsight where a cats time in the medicine den started their fascination with medicine and they switched to that path due to personal intrigue. id say a more interesting and realistic angle to it is having a disabled cat who found fulfilment in doing something else besides being a warrior becoming bitter about their entire clan ‘mourning’ how theyll never fight again or giving them the pretence of being a warrior being the best thing you can do.... it depends on the character really

this is just a very basic disability thing but stray from the whole ‘useless/dead weight’ way of regarding disabled characters. like dont place their worth on how well they service a clan or not theyre still deserving of shelter and whatnot. you dont need to justify a cats existence or usefulness by going ‘well they may be blind but their sense of smell is excellent so we keep them around’ or whatever its just no good

last thing i can think of is like. dont disregard how a cats disability affects them. like its fine that briarlight cant fight (or even hunt major types of prey) she doesnt need some convoluted method that lets her do that. there are like a dozen other warriors hunting and fighting and theres present value and enjoyment in the stuff she does around camp. she doesnt have to be brightheart 2 its ok

hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

the amount of angst in the post-prison writing you did just gave me massive post-prison dream brainrot and i'm just. sitting here thinking about how sam dealt with the curious looks and glances and having to face what's he's done as a warden. and everyone else's reaction to everything because hey, maybe the prison WAS a torture chamber that nobody deserves to be locked in to be treated like utter trash.

(btw i love your writing and analysis! they give me so much life :DD)

thank you anon!! this universe is ,, Fun ,, im ngl -> have this continuation of it, w/ sapnap and sam!! it’s a bit messy but oh well

(edit: i added these two asks as well bc they fit and i thought it’d be a bit redundant to rewrite this scene lmao -> the implication that dream’s admissions abt exile mightve been the result of ,, torture is. uh. yikes.) 

(This one is DARK, please heed the warnings)

TW: PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL ABUSE (heavy warning for this one), starvation, toxic relationship, manipulation, references to the prison and exile, c!sam/warden!sam critical, violence, blood, dark themes, emotional distress, child abuse, torture

“Be honest,” Sapnap starts, quiet. “What did you do?”

Sam opens his mouth - hesitates, looks away. He should’ve known that his vague words and half-explanations that had been enough to push away most of the crowd - or at least, postpone the conversation for later - wouldn’t have been nearly enough to convince the man standing in front of him, but a part of him must’ve hoped, anyway. He’s not ready to speak, not ready to admit anything to himself, never mind someone else entirely - but ‘ready’ doesn’t matter, not when Sapnap is right here, waiting.

(He ignores how ‘ready’ didn’t matter for Dream when Sam had gone in, that first time, pick in hand and nothing but questions and rage spinning in an endless cycle in his mind, whirling together into something incomprehensible, insatiable, vicious - he’s not thinking about it.

He can’t think about it.)

“Well?” Sapnap’s voice raises, impatience coloring his tone, and it’s almost enough to draw a chuckle to Sam’s lips - he’d always been a little overeager, not doing well with silence, waiting, even as a kid. It’s part of the reason why he got along with Dream so well, Dream jumping at the chance to spend time with someone that didn’t shut him down for rambling and Sapnap simply excited at the chance to have someone that would join him on his hare-brained schemes instead of dismissing him as a dumb kid- and oh. Right.

The scrunch of his face is the same, Sam realizes, absently, as the expression Sapnap had when he was little; it’s the same crease between his eyebrows, the same slight jut to his bottom lip. Even with a new scar decorating his left jaw and the shadows under his eyes and collection of faint wrinkles belying his stress, he doesn’t look all that different - still looks young, a kid playing dress up in armor too big and too war-torn to belong to him. It’s easy to forget, but even after all the wars they’ve fought, even with all of the combat experience he’s had, Sapnap’s still barely twenty - only a few weeks out of being a teenager.

(He crushes the thought of what that makes Dream - he’s not. Thinking. About. It.)

“Hello? Earth to Sam?” Sapnap snaps his fingers in front of his face, and Sam blinks away the memories, the guilt, boxing it up and filing it neatly away to deal with - later. Never, ideally.

“Are you going to answer my question?”

Only later is now, there’s no escaping this conversation, and Sam. Really doesn’t want to be talking about this, right now. Sapnap fidgets, leaning on his right foot and then his left and then rocking back again - the feeling is mutual, then, but he knows the look in the younger’s eye well enough to know that neither of them are leaving without an explanation leaving Sam’s lips.

(Netherite and iron and smoke, bloodstained pickaxe tipping up a gaunt face, hand reaching around a too-prominent jawline with bruising force - are you going to answer my question, prisoner? Or are we going to have to do this again?

He’s not-

He can’t-)

“I-,” guilt, thick and heavy, circles his throat, chokes the words rising in his mouth. What can he even say? Can words really capture the sweat-slick desperation, the bubbling lava and heat and smoke stealing away all breath and thought, leaving nothing but a humming buzz of rage burning, hissing, begging for release? Can he really describe the endless darkness and weight settling on his shoulders, the hard edges and jagged fear taking anything soft, anything kind? Words swim in the back of his throat, try to reach his teeth, fall short; bloodstained memories haunt the back of his eyelids every time he blinks; there is so much, too much, to say, and yet nothing at all.

How does he even start?

There is no sympathy on Sapnap’s face when Sam looks, but there isn’t any cruelty either, just dark, watching eyes, lips thin and pressed together, jaw clamped shut, tense. Indifference, or a pale imitation of it, meant to hide the mess of his hair, the tremble in his hands, the helpless, desperate thing growing in his pupils. Sam understands and wishes he doesn’t; regrets, and wonders if he has the right, anymore.

“It- started, as an interrogation,” Sam stumbles over his words, stares at his hands because looking at Sapnap’s face will be too much, is too much. “I was angry. The prisoner- Dream- was desperate. That cell-” he shakes his head, remembers obsidian in his hands, remembers tearing away carpet, paintings, plants, remembers leaving the box bareboned, desolate, a cage and nothing more, “It messes with you. Screws with your head. I knew it, he knew it, but I guess we didn’t realize- I guess I didn’t realize-”

(Blood and crunching bone and shrill screams - tell me what you did to him-)

“I needed information. He wasn’t talking. I got- heated, and he laughed, and something- snapped, I guess.”

(I’ll tell you I’m sorry please please sam stop please)

“All I had on me was a pickaxe. He wasn’t talking, I was desperate - angry - I needed to know. I didn’t-”

(I just knew I needed to drag him away, he was ruining everything, he was destroying everything, I just needed him to leave before he brought down the whole damn server with him - the tnt was supposed to be a one time thing)

“It was supposed to be- one time. Was never supposed to happen, at all. But I guess I got mad - for me? For Tommy? I don’t- I don’t know, and it was- easy, you know? Take away the clock, one day. Give him less potatoes the next.”

(It was easy to do it again, I guess, mess with his invitations a little, take some of his stuff. There was nobody around but me and him and he’d ruined so much, he’d messed everything up - I thought that maybe if I took away his armor enough, he wouldn’t be able to go back. He wouldn’t ruin everything.)

“He’d done- so much. He was so awful to Tommy, to everyone- I thought I could prevent that. I thought maybe if I broke him enough, he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone again. I renamed the pickaxe Will Breaker, to remind me, to remind him, I don’t know. I-”

Sam laughs, tired, poisonous, ignoring the way Sapnap whispers, stricken, looking at his hands and seeing nothing but red. Dream’s face, bruised, bloody, but glimmering with something almost like satisfaction comes to mind - and oh. Oh.

(Bloodstained teeth twisted in a bitter smile - Sam, I thought I had to.)

He gets it now. He wishes he didn't.

“I thought- ha-” His hand comes up to his face - he’s crying. When did he start crying? ”I thought I had to.”

Tommy's prison/revival arc isnt well written actually

Anyways ive been wanting to talk on it a while for a bit here but havent had the Time or like. The thought to. But im gonna go off now.

First off im gonna say im ASSUMING this stream and plot of tommy being in the prison with dream is written entirely by tommy and dream. Wilbur May be involved in the latest stream but im not sure.

Bringing tommy back to life after only three days of him being dead did practically nothing to progress plot, the characters, or audience's understanding. In fact i feel that it damaged Other characters' potential and plot and already established plotlines.

The 'development' aspect

A really, really easy way to see if anything has changed or developed through an arc or plotline is to straightup just compare the 'beginning' to the 'end' in terms of the barebones situation. So;

Beginning: tommy is trapped in an isolated prison cell with dream, his own abuser who has hurt him in the past, for an unknown amount of time. He's terrified of dream and being stuck there with him.

End: tommy is trapped in an isolated prison cell with dream after being killed then revived by him, his own abuser whos hurt him in the past, for an unknown amount of time. Hes terrified of dream and being stuck there with him.

Okay. This is simplified obvious. But the point stands. ALTHOUGH the troupe of 'going back to the beginning' is common in the heroes journey its. It doesnt work here. Has tommy learned anything? Has he changed as a character? Is the severity of their situation any different? Have we, as the audience, learned anything new?

Im going to expand on that last point because i think it has the strongest potential argument. Technically for progression in literature and development of plot/characters, things can Change without them being Aware as characters. It can change just by the audience's perception changing or being challenge.

Slight example: i've been reading a webcomic called Your Throne. Its a fantasy/political drama about a noble lady who entered a competition with another noble lady to become the empress. The main lady lost despite her being a better fit, and the comic starts with the main lady trying to assassinate the empress. Its assumed and stated by the main lady that she 'ruined her life' and so thats all the readers know. However, later in the novel we see flashbacks to the competition itself and find that the two ladies were extremely close friends, neither wanting anything bad for the other, but it was the emperor himself who manipulated both of them for his own agenda. Those flashbacks gave us an entirely different idea of who the real antagonist is and completely changed the two main ladies' relationship. THAT is how the audience's understanding of the plot and novel can be used to change the entire story. We dont get such here though

Some things that were brought to light during tommy being dead/revived:

Dream is capable of reviving people infinitely

This was already implicated and assumed. The book dream has being a means of reviving people has been around Technically since schlatt's death. This just 'confirmed' what was known

Time works differently/feels longer in the afterlife

This doesnt really impact much beyond emotions and implications. If we had more insight into what the 'afterlife' is like beyond nothingness perhaps so. But really it just makes it so wilbur being dead for what feels like 9 years and tommy having been dead for 2 months appeal to emotions.

Wilbur is evil

This one fuckin sucks i cant lie HSKSHSISSGEGDV. Like i was gon go on bout it and i will but it jus sucks. We have nothing to go on besides tommy's word, no examlles of what Horrible things wilbur said could make tommy assume this, etcetc. Ill most likely make a seperate post on how this feels like we're just going to get 'wilbur is a horrible villain' type with him. But still. I feel wilbur Not Being Good isnt a new development.

Dream is going to revive wilbur

This doesnt feel new either, part because phil had wanted to revive wilbur before (ill get to that more later) and that tommy had kept dream alive/initially imprisoned him with the idea of him reviving wilbur.

Dream believes wilbur will break him out of prison

Okau this makes no sense to me actually. I cwnt understand How exactly wilbur would be able to do this? Or why dream believes he even Could? Mans been dead for like 9 years and all we Know of the afterlife is that its black... nothingness. How would 9 years of that make wilbur capable of busting the prison open?

So. Yeah. All in all this plotline hasnt done anything new, developed things, or altered people's perceptions. We just ended up back at square one. Back to tommy being traumatized, dream being 'evil' and horrible and doing villain monologues, and them being stuck together.

Other characters and plotlines

Im pretty damn sure tommy's revival fucked up a LOT of other characters' plotlines and potential development. Honestly i feel this has a lot to do with the writers not communicating with other ccs well enough. But Ill talk about specific characters from least to most fucked over in my opinion:

Sam

He's the best off. He hqd been there during tommy's death, had been close to tommy, had majorly blamed himself and his own mistakes for tommy's death. His grief and self hatred was actually really heartbreaking and well done. The attached character of Sam Nook being unaware of tommy's death and simply waiting for tommy to return was a really good parallel to sam's own grief and anger. like it really snapped sam the guy who cares for tommy and wants to do Right by him back together with him as the Warden of the prison. Mixed personal life with 'just business'.

I feel it wouldve been nice to have him like. Have more time to grieve properly and come to terms eith tommy's death and his own involvement/influence over the events. Him finding tommy alive again Could be a means of him like. Facing his own grief head on if done well.

Ranboo

Mostly in the context of him and sam's argument do i feel it got screwed over. The weight of them yelling at each other and trying to find who to blame and the implications that Maybe ranboo was the one who caused the security breach that closed down the prison on tommy just.... doesnt hit so hard anymore. Because how can there be blame and arguments and a 'who done it' mystery when tommy popped up all fine again?

Puffy

I dony know much of her involvement or how she found out tommy died (besides metagaming shhhhh) but i saw her monologuing of how they 'failed' tommy and like. Her whole 'he was so young we the Adults failed him' spiel is like........... inconsequential? Now??? Like no dont worry he died but hes alright now.

Philza

BET YOU DIDNY EXPECT TO SEE THIS FUCKER!!!!!! But actually though i want to talk bout how this ties into phil. A LOT. for Zalbr ❤. But also because i see ppl tying phil to tommy's death n like nah shutup u doin it wrong. Ill go off more in a Wilbur Post. But essentially: i dont like that dream is now going to revive wilbur. I feel they arent going to tie philza into this Despite phil having originally been trying to revive his son and studying on it and Attempting and Failing. But now suddenly dream can just. Say some magic words and Poof wilbur lives? So we're just going to Kill philza's revival attempts plotline and leave that hanging? This made his efforts seem pointless and Wack like oh why didnt you just Say The Magic Words phil????

Niki

I feel really bad for niki. She hasnt been able to do a lore stream during tommy's 'death' (she tweeted she wanted to but her computer wasnt working) and considering her entire character.... that shit is important. We seen it with Jack Manifold how tommy's death impacted Him considering he literally wanted tommy dead. And since niki is in a similar boat to jack of trying to kill tommy and it being her Only goal...... thats extremely important.

BUT. i feel there wasnt any communication. Did she or anyone even know tommy would be revived? Did no one consider they could At Least let her do a single stream on it? Like jack manifold????

We couldve gotten a Really good niki lore stream. I genuinely was so excited for it and i dont regularly watch her. But we seen it with jack manifold which is why i dont feel he got screwed because mans genuinely did So Good he could pop off with anything n i think it works in His favour. But now........ for niki. Canonically she never even knew tommy was Dead. So its like nothing even happened for her. Is she just supposed to continue on trying to kill tommy with no progression?

What i think would work

This is more me being like 'hey @ the dsmp writers let me in' type speculation sbosegussgs. But i was thinkin on a Really easy way to 'fix' this without rewriting lore and the streams.

Dream should kill tommy again now that he's been revived and Leave Him Dead.

More development for the characters who are affected by his death Especially niki. More time for grief and self reflection and development

A chance for the audience to figure out what the 'afterlife' really is.

Dream is supposed to be smart and a master manipulator or something right? Why doesnt he use being able to revive tommy as a bargaining chip with sam for his own freedom?

The audience would now Know dream's intentions with tommy better, that this death isnt 'final', but we could still see other characters' grief and reactions and coping without it feeling cheap. Ive seen some 'but people dont know tommy is alive so hes still dead in their mind' but that sucks imo.

We'd know more on dream's ability to revive people and that he can just Do It on a whim (which i think sucks but hey im trying) but no one else would know this canonically

Okay. Im done. If you read this. Thankyou. I love you. Hmu.

This or That: Writer Edition Tag Game

@writingonesdreams tagged me to do this! Major thanks to you!! I’ve actually wanted to do this tag for a bit now lol

1. Historical or futuristic?

Futuristic just doesn’t fit my vibe at all lol, plus it’s kind of boring. I’m a huge fan of history and vintage things! Always have been

2. Opening chapter or closing chapter?

I haven’t written many closing scenes yet, but I feel like I would be much much better with them as compared to the opening scene.

3. Light and fluffy vs. Dark and gritty

I thrive off of the drama I give my characters lmao, give me angst any day

4. Animal companion or found family?

5. Horror or romance?

Hot tip: I’m a big sucker for cheesy Hallmark romance movies and I’m not afraid to admit it ;p

6. Hard or soft magic system?

I honestly have no idea. I haven’t read or written enough fantasy or done enough research in order to really form an opinion on this

7. Standalone or series?

I don’t have any plans on writing a series. Right now I prefer to write standalone novels that have enough potential set up for a sequel if I so desire to write one in the future. I feel like that’s a happy medium between the two

8. One project at a time or always juggling 2+?

I’ve said this before, but I like to dedicate all my love and attention to one story at a time. I can’t imagine trying to juggle any more than that, so huge props to those who are able to!

9. One award winner or one bestseller?

Both. Both is good

10. Fantasy or sci-fi?

Fantasy! By far. Im so sorry, but sci-fi is just so boring to me 😂

11. Character or setting description?

I feel like I’m good at both. Characters have my heart but I’m also good at describing things! Especially places.

World building though… uuuuuggggghhh 😂 I HATE it. Like I need to do it because I don’t usually set my stories in an actual real life town or country, but still. It’s hard as fuck and I dread doing it.

12. First or final draft?

Oooh boy, I’ve got enough to say about this to write a whole post and start a little conversation 😂

The short of it though, is this. As of right now, I like investing all of the love, planning, and care that I possibly can into my first drafts. That way it’ll resemble the final product and I’ll save myself future frustrations. Quality over quantity, pay attention to all the little details, and focus on making the story exactly as how I see it happening. That’s my personal attitude towards this, and that as a result does make me a slow writer which sucks ass. But hey, you can’t have it all right?

Besides, the payoff seems worth it to me in the end. I’d rather have a first draft that I enjoy instead of something I hate and will have to rewrite and edit to death.

13. Literary or ‘commercial’ genre?

Both? Neither? As a reader, I don’t really look at one vs the other. I just enjoy stories that I enjoy.

As a writer though, my talents tend to be with literary, character focused stories

14. Love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs?

I tend to not enjoy romance outside of the actual genre itself. I typically avoid writing it in my own stories. It’s only when I can’t imagine a certain pair of characters being separated that I include romance. Usually though I don’t enjoy it as a writer and reader. I like to focus more on showing interesting family dynamics and strong platonic relationships.

15. Constant sandstorm or rainstorm?

Both of these choices sound evil to me. Give me sunny and 75 degree weather by all means 😂 Buut if I had to choose, I’ll take the rain because I’ve never been in a sandstorm before.

—

Think I’m gonna leave an open tag for this one. If anyone out there who sees this and wants to join in, do it! This is your sign lol

well since we all kinda know you love him at this point give us your bede hcs first and foremost

OOOHHH YOU JUST OPENED THE FLOODGATES BUDDY OKAY

first and foremost and the most obvious- bede is so so so so so unbelievably transgender and you cannot change my mind. this boy is a gnc trans boy and im fuckign right

that said! he gets more into like, gender-nonconforming fashion n stuff after opal takes him in- he’d liked it before but yknow, the kid struggles with his self esteem and all that junk, but opal helps him get better!!

given he was like. raised in an orphanage and then taken in by rose i have this really stupid headcanon that bede was Never allowed to swear and gets all poshy and offended whenever other kids his age swear. the galar kids bully him for this relentlessly (lightheartedly, of course)

he ABSOLUTELY apologizes to gloria and hop sometime after everything is said and done because of how terribly he treated them- ESPECIALLY hop. i think it takes awhile for them to really forgive him but at the end of the day they’re buds now and everyone is healing :]

i think the reason bede was so cruel to hop is because he was jealous of him? like legit when you think about it hop had EVERYTHING bede could only dream of from day one. a loving family, friends who had his back, recognition from other people given he was leon’s little brother- hop was freely given love and attention and bede had to fight tooth and nail for it. even then the only reason he ever received it was because he got lucky- he was LUCKY he was in the city at the same time as opal, he’s LUCKY he ever even met her because she’s the reason he began to heal and become a better person. bede was so cruel to hop because he was lashing out, because he thought if he didn’t get to have these things then why does hop deserve them? hes never even had to fight for it, at least in bede’s mind. THIS OF COURSE DOESN’T LIKE...EXCUSE THE WAY BEDE BEHAVED but i think it’s an interesting explanation

the kid doesnt understand half of what opal says but given his dialogue in postgame he 100% understands what “pink” is and fucking refuses to tell anyone. the fae always keep their secrets as they say

bede’s reaction to panic is rarely ever Flight, he’s more likely to take the Fight route- how affective it is is up for debate but if something happens the kid is more likely to take action and do something about it than he is to sit back and panic. he’s stubborn like that!

bede, for all his posh egoism, is actually fairly socially maladjusted? once he and the other galar kids make up and start being friends he VERY QUICKLY realizes he has no clue how to interact with people without being snippy and rude. ITS A LEARNING CURVE BUT FHDSKFH the others quickly learn bede’s way of expressing himself is usually via sarcasm and witty comments- they just get less bitey and full of genuine malice over time

that said, he absolutely picks up “lighthearted bullying” as a love language

he kinda tends to spend most of his time where hes not at the gym or with the other kids alone in the glimwood tangle-- it’s nice to get out in the forest and clear his head for a bit, even nicer considering the amount of fairy type pokemon running around for him to observe

he slowly learns not to be so reliant on opal’s approval, but that does NOT stop him from running to her and happily rambling about any new, cool thing that happens to him. caught a new pokemon? opal knows abt it immediately. made a new friend? opal is the first to know. thats his fucking grandma dude!!!

not a headcanon but can i just say it makes SO much sense that opal adopts bede. only a theater kid could handle that literal bastard

i think after the galar kids are all finally buddies they drag bede out to do some clothes shopping bc like. all of his clothes are either from rose, hand me downs, or are too big to fit him (ie the coat or the fact that his gym outfit literally has him wearing one of opal’s dresses but tied behind his back so it doesnt drag on the ground)- theyre gonna get this kid some cool new threads and have a BLAST while theyre out

i kinda have a rewrite of the ending where he gets to confront rose in the power plant AND both he and marnie are there in the final fight against eternatus with hop and gloria bc this game literally gives you 3 rivals and 4 trainer slots for dynamax battles and does NOTHING with it but thats a whole post in of itself

TO PREVENT THIS POST FROM GETTING SUPER LONG IM GONNA CUT IT OFF THERE BUT. YEA

One Piece Theory: The Treasure of Mary Geoise

The first time we hear about the existence of a treasure hidden in Mary Geoise is by Doflamingo, 

“It’s because I know all about a crucial treasure… that exists within sacred Mary Goise!! And the very knowledge of its existence would shake the world to its foundations!! To them, I was the worst kind of fugitive… one with an ace up his sleeve! Once the Celestial Dragons realized they couldn’t kill me… they grew quite cooperative. If only I’d had the power of the op-op fruit in my grasp… On that specific day years ago… I would have been able to use of Marie Goise’ treasure to seize true world power!!!”

                                                                                -       Doflamingo, Chapter 761

We can garner, actually, quite a few things from Doflamingo’s speech. For starters, he calls it a “crucial” treasure. “Crucial” implies that whatever the treasure may be is, at the very least, very important (no duh!). However, “crucial” is a very particular word to choose. It alludes to a necessity – This treasure is imperative for the continuing success of something.

But for what?

While pirates, wars, and uprisings may cause the World Government annoyance, the events and people that appear to cause them the most alarm are those that challenge the status quo. They are absolutely terrified of the possibility that the world they’ve constructed in the last 800 years might be fall apart. The general Celestial Dragons fear this on a very topical level. They like the grandiose and morally ambiguous world they live in that gives them all the power. However, the Gorosei and Im-Sama tackle this on a much more hands-on level (See: Ohara Incident). It’s because of this, that I believe that the treasure is critical for maintaining the current state of affairs for the One Piece World.

Doflamingo then states that,

“If only I’d had the power of the op-op fruit in my grasp… On that specific day years ago… I would have been able to use of Marie Goise’ treasure to seize true world power!!!

The op-op fruit, as we know, can gift a person eternal youth (basically immortality) via the Perpetual Youth Surgery. Therefore, Doflamingo is saying that had he been immortal, he would have been able to use the treasure to take over the world. This implies one of two things:

1.)   To seize true world power, would require a person to use the national treasure for a very long time (which would be possible as eternally youthful)

2.)   A regular human would not be able to utilize the national treasure

Personally, I feel that the second option is more likely because it insinuates that only a very particular type of person is able to use the national treasure. Which would connect us to the new mysterious body of power in the One Piece World – Im-Sama.

Before the Reverie Arc, the Gorosei were the big bad bosses of the World Government. Shrouded in a lot of secrecy, they remain nameless to this day. The first several chapters of this arc, as well as comments made previously, built the Reverie up to be a nonpartisan gathering of world leaders. Oda emphasized this fact by focusing on the “empty throne”. So imagine our surprise, when only a few chapters later, we are introduced to Im-Sama (Ch. 906).

We first see them entering a freezing chamber deep within Pangea Castle with bounty posters in hand. Inside the chamber is a large straw hat. Fans immediately started to theorize that the giant straw hat must be the national treasure. Honestly, who is to say that it’s not, because at this point, anything is possible. However, with that being said, I doubt Oda would make it that literal – or that easy.

As I mentioned, this chapter – as well as the one afterwards – has spawned many a theory. Many have done a deep analysis of every page. There is little doubt that the straw hat is important. It would simply be too much of a coincidence (in relationship to Luffy) to be anything but a purposeful decision made on Oda’s part. However, I think the room Im-Sama enters, is of particular interest.

For starters, it appears as though there’s either steam in the air, or it’s freezing. If the whisps in the air are supposed to represent the cold, I believe – like many others – that this room’s purpose is to preserve something. If the straw hat is to be taken at face value, then it wouldn’t make sense to place it in a frozen room. I’m no expert on straw, but I’m pretty sure getting it wet constantly in the cold temperature wouldn’t lend itself to keeping it in pristine condition. No, I think it’s more likely that the giant straw hat has a connection to whatever is really being housed in that room.

So here it goes: It’s possible that the room is a crypt meant to preserve a person’s body. Honestly, in the world of One Piece, I don’t even think the person would necessarily have to be dead for them to be kept preserved. A la carbonite in Star Wars. If this is true, than it’s safe to say that whoever is being kept preserved is the true owner of that giant straw hat.

However, that begs the question, is this person even the treasure? Oda decided to introduce us to Im-Sama right after Doflamingo mentions the national treasure from his cell in Impel Down, saying,

“Isn’t it fine to reveal what it is already…? Power degrades quickly anyway… it rots away in no time at all…!! Fufufufu!!”

                                                                                -       Doflamingo, Chapter 906

“Why does it matter if it’s revealed now? Power doesn’t last long. It’ll rot faster than anything thinks!”

                                                                                -       Doflamingo, Episode 885

I think it’s interesting that Doflamingo choose the word “rot” to describe how power degrades because that’s usually how people describe a dead body. This could just be a coincidence, but Doflamingo has a sick sense of humor and I could see him finding this funny – especially if no one else knew.

With that being said, I don’t want to overlook the importance of his statement “power degrades quickly anyway”. Because, while at first I thought he was referring to the national treasure’s power degrading, I now believe he’s referring the World Government itself. It’s almost like he’s saying, that at this point it shouldn’t matter if the secret gets out, because it was going to eventually. No body of power can last forever no matter how much control you have – something Doflamingo knows intimately. It definitely fits the fatalistic mindset we’ve come to expect from Doflamingo.

However, that begs the question, what exactly can this treasure do? Why is it crucial for the World Government to have? At this point, we can only really speculate on what specific ability it has. However, I would wager a guess that it has something to do with controlling how people remember history.

In a separate post, I speak about how the World Government has remained in power for so long because of how they manipulate the population similar to that of the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. They rewrite history to paint themselves as heroes and then continue to monitor the news and information before it goes out to the people, which in turn, increases complicity.

I just think that if it were some great destructive device, that we would have seen it by now. 

Do you have any Star Wars fanfic recommendations, or have a link to someone else's list? I really wanna veg out.

oh my god, DO I. this may have been the best ask in the world. i’m not really sure what u want a feel for, so i threw together some of my favorite longfics for maximum veg time from the ot/pt and links for swr and swtcw recs. they’re pretty much all luke-anakin/vader centric, since that’s kinda my bread and butter.

let’s start with frodogenic, who wrote the first longfic i ever read in sw and might be one of the funniest authors ever. they once reviewed my fanfic & i nearly cried from joy. anyway. 

The Father, 284k+, complete. “Ten years after ROTS, tormenting nightmares of his unborn child drive Darth Vader to extraordinary measures with unexpectedly drastic consequences. Clearly, experience has taught Darth Vader nothing...” 

this is my og star wars fic and boy oh boy is it amazing. i will never get over this. i don’t want to spoil anything but when i say the final chapters are great? i mean they’re legendary. sometimes i still think about them & wish upon a star that i could be such a great writer. vader’s amazing, han is spectacular, and the ocs are fantastic.

Far More Than Rubies, 70k+, complete. “Nine years after AOTC, tragedy revisits the Lars Homestead. Little Luke Skywalker is suddenly plunged into chaos as the rebel movements discover a secret military project that may make a crucial difference in the war with the Empire.”

the spiritual twin of The Father, FMTR takes a look at padmé’s character and relationship with both luke and anakin/vader that’s hard to beat. it’s darker and heavier than The Father, but it hits those same sweet, sweet emotional beats while raising the age-old question: if padmé had lived, what would she have done?

The Family Tree, 12k, complete. “In which Luke Skywalker is stranded in a tree waiting for a flash flood to recede. Too bad he's got company...”

okay, i admit, this isn’t a longfic, but it is a longshot, and it’s amazing. the imagery and description always blow me away, and the interaction (canon-compliant) between luke and vader just [chef’s kiss] get me. vader’s in full, glorious form, and it makes it all the harder when luke wrestles with the knowledge that vader is his father.

Sibling Revelry, 25k, complete. “After Bespin and before Endor, Darth Vader is shocked to discover that Luke and Leia are twins. He's even more shocked when Imperial Intelligence reports that Organa and Skywalker are, erm, a tad closer than previously suspected.”

this is complete crack and humor in the best way possible. it’s crack treated entirely seriously, and you will be in stitches, i promise. no matter how many times i’ve read this i break down.

KittandChips (@kittandchips) writes what i can only describe as food for the soul. the luke-vader interaction is insanely amazing, the world building of daily imperial life and imperial governance is amazing, and vader just has a special je ne sais quoi that u must read to understand––tragic, funny, and so, so fatherly. they’re currently rewriting the Force Bond Series to fit in with newer canon, so i will joyously binge reread the entire again (including the new Force Bond: Mustafar Weekend).

Force Bond 1: Orphan, 47k, complete. “After Owen and Beru are killed by a mysterious stranger, young Luke ends up as an orphan on Coruscant. It's a race against time as Obi-Wan struggles to find Luke before Vader realizes the boy is his son.”

Orphan kicks off the series, which tracks vader and luke’s relationship through the perils of luke’s teenagerhood while growing up under the eye of the emperor and imperial court. it’s filled with slow growth, struggle and misunderstandings as darth vader tries to single parent, and pay off in every installment. the entire series clocks in around 777k+ and is the most joyful, fulfilling reading you’ll ever have. promise.

darth-nickels (@darth--nickels) writes darker, twistier, and terribly, terribly heartwrenching aus. they’ve got a whole host, but let me introduce to my two favorites. also, check out their faux-academia on vader. it’s amazing and i love it, but i admit i am an academia hoe.

Dooku Captured, Pt 2, 16k, complete. “Dooku is taken alive onboard the Invisible Hand, and Sidious' web is torn. The Sith Lord wonders if death might have been preferable to clumsy interrogation by Anakin Skywalker.”

Dooku Captured is a longshot au told from Dooku’s pov which takes the beginning of ROTS and throws it on its head. it’s a fascinating outside perspective of anakin and obi-wan’s relationship and such and interesting examination of dooku’s psyche and especially his complex relationship with the jedi order, qui-gon, yoda, and palpatine. i cannot rec this one enough.

Black Mirror, 90k, incomplete. “The Ghost crew returns to the Lothal when they hear the Empire is investigating the Jedi Temple there. They learn Vader is alone and decide to take him out-- but what they find could change the course of Galactic history.”

Black Mirror diverges into swr territory, but make no mistake: this is entirely an examination of vader and, later, obi-wan as well as ahsoka. luke makes his appearance later in the game, and boy oh boy will you love luke’s portrayal is a microcosm of luke and vader’s relationship within canon. heed the tags, though.

jerseydevious ( @jerseydevious ) is, first and foremost, one of my favorite people on earth. secondly, though, she’s an amazing writer with a deep understanding of vader’s character and psyche, a flair for beautiful depictions, and the true ability to wring every emotion out of your body.

Two and a Half Men (with a baby), 13k, incomplete. “After a long day of bargaining with Hutts and attempting to ignore his past, Darth Vader is nearing the end of his rope. When he discovers his two-year-old son, it's the straw that breaks the semi-rational Sith Lord's back; in a rash act worthy of the Skywalker name, he scoops his son into his arms, steals a shuttle from his own fleet, and punches in random hyperspace coordinates to a destination on the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately, father and son are not the only ones on the ship.”

Two and a Half Men will stick with you, dude. like no other. i promise. it’s a whirlwind ride with obi-wan, vader, and piett and as funny as it is heartbreaking. it touches on some heavy issues and doesn’t shy away from looking at the damage done to vader––again, heed the tags.

Helioseismology, 4k, complete. “Luke gets shot down on a supply run and caught in an ice storm. It's extremely lucky that his father followed him there.“

i’ll admit. im completely biased about this one because it was a birthday gift to me and i am sucker for litcherally anything when jd puts pen to paper, but believe me when i say you will be awed by the depth and tangled relationships between these luke and vader that jersey can illustrate in a stroke of the paintbrush. im love. always.

izzythehutt ( @izzythehutt ) i am blown away by the intricate dialogue and characterization, always. and the latin puns? im sold. im also a sucker for latin puns, but that’s a story for a different time.

In Loco Pirates, 34k, complete. “A down-on-his-luck Hondo Ohnaka manages to capture the unicorn of all bounties--Luke Skywalker, which sends Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, on a painfully familiar trip to the planet Florrum to collect his prize. The failed negotiations leave Vader in the awkward position of being stuck in a besieged pirate bunker, trying to balance keeping his wayward child safe (and in his custody) with controlling the tongue of a loose-lipped pirate who--to the surprise of no one--has a bad habit of telling 'amusing' anecdotes from the Clone Wars.”

hondo, aka the best character of swtcw, is brought to life just as vividly on paper as on screen. his entire personality brings luke and vader’s difficulties in a sort of incredulous light, which makes it as funny as it is vulnerable and tragic. the sequel, Palpatine Ad Portas, brings piett into the spotlight, and oh man do his interactions with palpatine and vader bring u all the uncomfortable vibes. relish in it.

sparklight ( @littlesparklight ) man. lemme introduce u to an amazing prolific and detailed writer. i will never get over the series they’ve written & neither will u.

Where Our Intrepid Hero Doesn’t Get Away, 122k, incomplete. “One-shots surrounding either AU situations of canon/legends works where Luke would normally have gotten away (or Vader is simply inserted into the action to come pick his child up) but in these instances doesn't, or completely new scenarios of the same. There are no deep ruminations on consequences of the situations here, just our awful Sith dad picking his son up when he'd rather not be.”

exactly what it says on the tin. u know those glorious moments of fanfic where luke’s gotten captured and ur on pins and needles, waiting for vader to show up in a moment of dark glory? here’s the moment. here’s all the moments.

Space Race, 122k, incomplete. “Owen gives in to Luke's wish to attend the Imperial Academy and Obi-Wan is too late to avert it, though he's not too late to make sure Luke leaves Arkanis before Vader can gets his hands on him. Luke spends over a month running around the galaxy before his father gets him, and from there...”

this story relishes in chase and boy is it fun. it will keep you on the edge of your seat and it’s an amazing ride.

The Suns of Tatooine, 85k, complete. “Luke ends up on a moon swamped in dark side energy after a mission goes wrong, then his father appears... and then they go on a bit of a learning experience. This could've been the only thing that would come of getting through a Sith complex with his father, but thanks to going to free Han earlier than the gang did otherwise, more revelations are had. Will that change anything?”

this series is a thoughtful, contemplative piece examining the nature of the force and the relationship the skywalkers have with tatooine. the descriptions are beautiful, the inventiveness is amazing, and you’ll be thinking about it for long afterwards.

an additional few…

Between Flight and Longing; 34k, complete. “Luke Skywalker and Han Solo journey to the planet Balen'ar on a desperate mission and find more than they'd bargained for.”

a classic and it is for a reason. the interaction between han, luke, and vader is so spectacular and the slow trudge of going through the forest with your greatest enemy and best friend is something hilarious. the end is bittersweet and fantastic.

The Sith Who Brought Life Day, 13k, complete. “An Imperial officer loses a bet and has to get Darth Vader a present for Life Day.”

somewhere between terrifying and dull, this fic presents a canon-compliant look at the hunt for luke and the grinding wheels of the empire. the oc is amazing and it echoes in true star wars spirit: sometimes it’s just some dude who can change the galaxy.

Quintessence, 5k, complete. ‘“Well, Master, I think I’ve found the one positive aspect of this situation.” “Which is?” “The Temple won’t have to pay the costs for our funeral pyres.”’

pure hilarity and shenanigans abound in pre-aotc obi-wan and anakin hijink goodness. lemme tell u––u will deeply sympathize with mace windu afterwards. additionally, check out the rest of the author’s oneshots! they’re deeply thoughtful and the interactions the author writes between obi-wan and anakin are always gold.

some extras & shameless self-promotion

here’s a full list of recommendations for star wars rebels fanfic in case this is what you’re looking for (remember when this used to be a swr blog, lmao)

i’ve also written sw fanfic, both swr and luke-vader centric. drop by and tell me if it’s any good!

SOOO this will be a long post

context: during night whispers in oots, feathermist (jayfeather equivalent) is overwhelmed with stress and emotion that he decides to go with stormheart (stormfur) and brook to go to the mountains, despite boartusk screaming at him not to. while there, he has a nightmare of the clans being destroyed and goes home without telling anyone. he finds that because he was gone, the dark forest has taken over the clans. basically, in my rewrite, there is a 'head' of starclan and the dark forest. they dont fade away, but the existence as they know it of starclan and the dark forest hinges on them. if they are killed by another cat from their afterlife, they ake over. but if they are killed from an outside source.. bad things happen. for awhile, this cat for the dark forest was one eye. but when tigerstar died, he killed one eye and took over. this cat for starclan was gray wing, but as he tried to defend the clans against the dark forests' surprise attack, he was killed. this banished starclan away forever, and made them unable to come into the living world or send dreams to living cats (though later, leaders find out they still get nine lives, they just don't have a ceremony. they fall asleep at the moonpool and wake up without seeing any starclan cats). anyways, the clans were merged into one big clan under tigerstar's rule, forced to worship the dark forest. most cats were brutally killed, especially old cats and cats deemed by tigerstar "not fit to serve him". the one good thing sunchaser has done was hide briarlight in the twolegplace so she wouldn't be harmed. okay so the prophecy cats are trying to figure out what to do. dovewing begs ashflake to do SOMETHING to help her. and he actually does, for once. he tells her that before he came into her body, he witnessed something: cherryflight was alive in the tunnels. dovewing tells feathermist and sunchaser, and they do to find cherryflight. ivypool stops them, still loyal to the dark forest. but dovewing convinces her to let them go. they find cherryflight and kill tigerclaw. the end! except literally most of the clan cats are dead :[

alive cats:

thunderclan: thornsnap (thornclaw, who is elected the clan's new leader), mousewhisker, feathermist, squirrelflight, sunchaser, cherryflight, icecloud, dovewing, ivypool, rosepetal, honeyfern, molepaw, pepperpaw (cherrypaw), brambleclaw (though mortally wounded), daisy, sandstorm, antkit (honeyfern's kit)

windclan: gorsefire (gorsepaw who lives, is elected the clan's new leader), heathertail, kestrelflight, crowfeather, nightcloud, squallstrike (breezepelt), hootwhisker, sedgewhisker, featherpaw, oatpaw, leaftail, harespring, slightfoot, tigerkit (sunchaser and heathertail's kit), frecklekit (sunchaser and heathertail's kit)

riverclan: willowshine, mothwing, hollowflight, minnowtail, havenpelt, sneezecloud, beetlewhisker, reedwhisker, podpaw, curlpaw, lakeheart, harekit, gorsekit, dapplekit, softkit

shadowclan: murkystar (blackstar), tawnyspark (tawnypelt), spruceheart (tigerheart), snowbird, sparrowtail, wasptail, berryheart, sleekkit, juniperkit, strikekit, needlekit, pinenose, puddlekit, slatekit, birchkit, lionkit

outside of the clans: briarlight, brook, stormheart, fern (fernsong, who is a kittypet), flip, bristle, lark, thrift, stem, sol, earth

with that out of the way. these are the 'books' though i imagine them more like novellas within the same big book

book one:

pov character: antkit

thunderclan is in ruins, but has the most surviving warriors out of any clan. brambleclaw gives up his place as deputy, as he is incredibly injured. he asks squirrelflight to be leader, but she refuses. everyone agrees that thornsnap should become leader, as a surviving senior warrior. thornstar wants everything to return to how the clans once were. antkit becomes feathermist's apprentice. he soon realizes that squirrelflight is pregnant again and tells thornstar, who is outraged that she is still in a half-clan relationship. squirrelflight decides to leave and join windclan.

at the next medicine cat meeting, antpaw realizes that riverclan is doing worse than thunderclan because they have no leader or deputy. they cannot agree on who should become leader: reedwhisker, mistyfoot's son and the most likely candidate that she would choose as her deputy, or mothwing, who was once deputy. shadowclan also has no trained medicine cat.

brambleclaw is dying, and squirrelflight returns with crowfeather to witness his last moments. thornstar relents and the clans agree that half-clan relationships should not be against the new code. squirrelflight has her kits, two toms. who she names maplekit after her father, and bramblekit after her dear friend.

feathermist and antpaw go into the twolegplace to bring briarlight back. he learns she had been taken care of by a kittypet named fern, alongside his four kits. fern agrees to join the clan with briarlight.

book two:

pov character: tigerpaw

in windclan, tigerpaw and his sister frecklepaw have recently been made apprentices. ever since he was a kit, he felt as though heathertail didn't like him. and with the new rules, tigerpaw is excited to go to thunderclan to meet his father. but he soon realizes that sunchaser is an aging, bitter tom, nothing like the hero he thought he would be.

suddenly, news comes out that shadowclan has annexed riverclan by force. but murkystar isn't working alone. two strange cats named sol and earth have come to shadowclan, claiming to be in contact to starclan. sol predicts the eclipse to prove this. he says that starclan wants the clans to become one strong clan. the other clans are outraged, claiming that that's what tigerstar wanted to do. but murkystar is too far gone to listen.

tigerpaw decides that he isn't wanted in windclan or thunderclan, so he joins shadowclan, much to frecklepaw's horror. there, he meets needlepaw, sleekpaw, and juniperpaw (who is training under willowshine to be a medicine cat). he especially bonds with sleekpaw and juniperpaw, who were orphaned in the great battle. as well as earth, who is his age. and was also abandoned by his mother and father, and was taken in by sol. tigerpaw relates to this. needlepaw is the only cat that tigerpaw doesn't get along well with, mostly because she doesn't necessarily trust sol.

however, riverclan is suffering under shadowclan. they aren't treated fairly, and are thought more of as soldiers to do murkystar's bidding than clanmates. but tigerpaw thinks this is for the best. but with needlepaw, he begins to question why starclan would want this. but juniperpaw and sleekpaw shame him for thinking this. he sees minnowtail sneaking out of camp, but keeps quiet for now.

third book:

pov character: frecklepaw

in windclan, frecklepaw is coping with her brother's absence. soon, skyclan appears at the edges of the lake territory, and frecklepaw convinces gorsestar to allow her to greet them, desperate to escape the clan and her family situation.

there, she meets hawkstar (hawkwing) and leafdapple, who retired before the journey. she tells them about the clans' situation, and about sol. leafdapple is shocked, and recognizes him as the kittypet that she turned away in the gorge. she realizes that he must have come to get his revenge on the clans by turning the clans against each other.

frecklepaw returns and realizes that gorsestar and thornstar plan to raid shadowclan to forcefully release riverclan. frecklepaw tries to get tigerpaw to listen to her and return home before he gets hurt, but he refuses. but he does believe that sol is a fraud. frecklepaw gains her warrior name, frecklecreek. she realizes the only thing left to do is help riverclan by herself.

in secret, she meets with minnowtail to plan an uprising.

fourth book:

pov character: minnowtail

minnowtail tries to drum up support from her riverclan clanmates, but they refuse out of fear. she is turned into murkystar, but manages to escape before she is killed. she shows up in thunderclan to gain help from them and windclan. frecklepaw fears for her brother's safety, and wishes they could peacefully do something. but minnowtail assures her that they will try to avoid too much death.

the clans try to warn murkystar to surrender before fighting happens. but sol assures him that starclan wouldn't let them lose. with no other options, the battle begins.

im getting kinda lazy at this point, but shadowclan is defeated and riverclan is released. sol is chased out. earth surrenders. murkystar is demoted to an elder, and tawnyspark earns her nine lives. riverclan agrees that minnowtail should be their new leader. they begin to start to revise the code, but recognize that the clans will always be changing and adapting.