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meanbossart · 22 hours

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in the least confrontational way possible…what’s up with you shipping durge and orin? is it just another aspect of u liking fucked up dark dynamics in media? personally its not for me at all, but i’m curious why you like them together and how her dynamic is with ur durge

[CONTENT WARNING for mentions of inter generational incest and grooming below, nothing explicit.] Hm. You know, it's a little unfortunate that we have reduced every depiction of characters having a relationship that is at all romantic or sexual in nature (not even, really, I've only ever drawn them hugging LOL) as "shipping". I don't "like" them together in the way I like DU drow and Astarion together, for example, and they never really were together. I made up a story that I find interesting, because I find Orin interesting and wanted to explore her themes more, and liked the idea that hers and Durge's relationship wasn't always "bad".

I really enjoy writing for DU drow, I put a lot of effort into making his story feel fleshed out and suited for the in-game universe. It's a little disheartening that some people may harp on this without considering that there is a wider context beyond it just tickling me, somehow. These are two characters who've never even had sex, in which one of them (Orin) isn't even interested in romance or "mating", and the other one has no concept of healthy relationships, familial or otherwise and just desperately grasps at the one thing he feels a kinship to: to the eventual disintegration of the one relationship he had that approached anything to mutual understanding and relatability.

Theirs isn't a love story, it's a story about isolation and grooming that led to total dependency. If you've been told your whole life that everyone and everything is fated to die at your hand, that your kind is meant to be contained within a genetical crockpot, that debauchery is normalcy and everyone else is the enemy, it is no huge stretch that you would dump all expectations of companionship onto your one, supposed equal - friend, sister, mate, should-be-lover. And then, if you're a bad person on top of that, you won't take no for an answer.

Add to that that your grandfather (Sarevok) is apparently in total agreement and a practicant of the idea of inbreeding for weird purity purposes and you have yourself an environment where an obsession like such can be born - one that Orin wants nothing to do with, because unlike DU drow, she doesn't become distracted by matters of the heart - and hence we have conflict, and we have reason for resentment to brew over time. At some point in the past, they had a "good" (within the bhaalist concept) relationship, and there was nothing sexual or romantic about it. DU drow crushed that. And then he got a worm in his brain for it.

Is that shipping? 🤷 idk

If you go onto my blog's archive and look up the "orin the red" tag you can find more asks where I discuss them and their relationship.

#if *i* sound confrontational its because i'm a little tired of this line of inquiry #apologies LOL #ask

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anodymalion · 3 days

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ok I am in fact using this as an excuse to make a long post about this thank you thank you asjksdjfaljdf

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Interpreting Yuri as asexual is my very very favorite type of headcanon, which is one that 1. is compellingly coded in the source material (even if that wasn't the creator's intent), 2. is thematically relevant to what the piece of media is Trying To Do as a whole, and 3. just means a lot to me, personally, because I said so.

Coded in the source material

Yuri’s short program is “eros”, aka desire (you can interpret what “eros” means in various ways, but YOI itself explicitly refers to sexual love, at least in the English translations). Yuri struggles with this. Hard. He can’t come up with an answer when asked what eros means to him. His big revelatory moment about desire is that it’s how he feels about wanting to eat his favorite food (omg… boy). Even as the season goes on and the way he views the Eros program changes, the program doesn’t ever really embody the idea of eros as sexuality or romance (which was how the other characters expect him to interpret it) but rather as a desire to keep Victor in his life.

Like look. I’m obviously not going to say that the creator intended any kind of ace subtext to be there. I kind of doubt it was her intent. But goddamn is the subtext there.

2. Thematic relevance

The central theme throughout YOI is “love”, and especially loving people in a way that inspires you both to be your best selves: Yuri learning that the people in his life truly love and support him; Victor finding someone who makes him feel joy about skating again.

Like, Yuri’s whole skating theme for the Grand Prix is literally about him exploring what love looks like to him, even when it takes a form that other people don’t totally understand. Viewing all this through a lens of him being ace is really compelling. It adds depth to the idea of learning how to express the way you feel love even when it looks different than what other people expect. I think it’s a really delicious layer that adds even more nuance to what the show is getting at.

Besides, it’s an interesting way of viewing the criticism of the show that occurred for it not being 100% explicit about them being a couple (aka people getting mad because the kiss in ep 7 is blocked by Victor’s arm lmaooo). Like, ok, did you see the ending scene of ep 9? Did you see ep 10??? They definitely, definitely love each other, in whatever way that means for them. Their relationship takes a form that’s pretty different than the other way people in the show are going about romantic relationships, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real for them. That is very much in line with the main themes of the show.

3. Means a lot to me

In the final scene of the penultimate episode, Yuri tells Victor that they should end their coaching relationship after the Grand Prix ends. This is because he thinks he’s holding Victor back, that Victor would be happier being free to go back to skating on his own instead of being Yuri’s coach. When I watched this (and, I’ll be honest, this is completely me projecting here) I REALLY interpreted this as an ace thing. I think it’s pretty easy to internalize the idea when you’re asexual that you just won’t be… enough, for other people. In my case I ended up a strong impulse to self-sabotage relationships because I would rather be the one to end things than to let someone else tell me that who I am as a person is fundamentally lacking. Yuri destroying a connection he desperately wants because he thinks there’s something about him that is holding Victor back from a life he’d be truly happy with? Oh yeah. I can fucking relate to that.

Also: YOI came out in 2016, which was the absolute peak of hostility to ace people I was seeing on this site. It was bad here. At the same time Tumblr was going wild over this show. Everyone was watching it. Seeing a whole site of people absolutely adore a character I very deeply in my heart believed to be ace? Extremely vindicating.

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In conclusion Yuri is asexual because it is fun and interesting that way, and also because of this:

#like it adds so much to the show if you view it through this lens! it's really good!#same reason for why I hc zuko as gay like ->#yeah ok you don't *have* to see it this way... but don't you want to live deliciously (in your media analysis)???#yoi #yuri on ice #thank u for giving me the excuse to finally post about this lol this has been building in my head for literally the last 8 years

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tossawary · 1 day

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This is going to come up in "Some Unknown Corner", but I don't know how explicitly it'll come up, like, terminology-wise, so... saying it more explicitly here if you want to try and look out for this detail in coming chapters. Minor spoilers for a character issue that will become a later plot point.

I'm going to try to explore Yue Qingyuan having claustrophobia, specifically a fear of being shut in underground spaces in particular. This man has wild amounts of willpower and will generally refuse to be vulnerable, so he does NOT let on to this fact in obvious ways, even when forced to be underground temporarily, but he HATES the experience. On the edge of a panic attack, feeling like he's dying, still smiling pleasantly somehow.

Yue Qi goes back into the Ling Xi Caves with Shen Jiu as disciples in one of the Qijiu extras. In this case, I think he was a little fearful (not irrationally, honestly) of something bad happening to Shen Jiu, so he forced himself to be there despite the fact that he hated being there the entire time. (My general headcanon is that Yue Qi genuinely doesn't remember huge chunks of his confinement due to the trauma of it all.) By the time he's the sect leader, over ten years later, he's calmed down enough to let Shen Yuan go in there alone to cultivate. (Maybe Shen Qingqiu threw him out another time later down the line as disciples.)

In SVSSS, Yue Qingyuan goes into the Ling Xi Caves again, I believe, in order to get stronger and potentially get Shen Qingqiu's body back from Luo Binghe. When Luo Binghe invades Cang Qiong, Yue Qingyuan has apparently hastily had to exit seclusion at a delicate time. Was he trying to heal the Xuan Su sword issue as much as possible? Are visits to the Ling Xi Caves a regular medical treatment for him? Why didn't he go into the Ling Xi Caves to get stronger / potentially heal his broken relationship with his sword any earlier? I'm imagining Yue Qingyuan honestly having to force himself to go cultivate alone through a fairly serious phobia, and Mu Qingfang being generally against it, because it seems more like Yue Qingyuan might accidentally work himself up into a terrified, traumatized episode of some kind and die due to another qi deviation.

Being at Mai Gu Ridge sucked for many reasons. It sucked for everyone, really.

Yes, Yue Qi having claustrophobia does make his being blinded in "Some Unknown Corner" worse. (He's holding steady (barely) based on being able hear other people around him + smells + Shen Jiu's touch.) He's really not having a fun time! He's a practical guy and he really doesn't like panicking, so he is SHOVING IT OUT OF MIND, which is not great. I already view Yue Qi as disabled in SVSSS canon due to the Xuan Su sword issue, and the story keeps putting him in positions (sect leader) where he cannot "afford" to be disabled (he has to try to save everyone else), and it is continuously fucking him up. He needs some real rest so, SO badly.

#tossawary svsss #yue qingyuan #qijiu reunion divergence au

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writingquestionsanswered · 2 days

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Hi wqa! I have a pair that clearly has romantic tension from the very start, but they have reasons to not act on it. There's a time skip that ties into the second part of the story, where the tension rises and they work out the reason they weren't able to get together. Given the reasons were internal (so not external stuff that actually kept them) I fear that the reader will question why this didn't happen before the time skip. As in, "it was too artificial to wait for the time skip."

Do you think this needs fixing? I can't tell if I'm worrying about nothing or if it's actually a problem.

Thank you for your time.

Couple Kept Apart by Internal Obstacle

If you're worried the reader would wonder why the internal obstacle couldn't be overcome before the time jump, it sounds like your internal obstacle is superficial and needs to be fleshed out a bit.

An internal obstacle has to be about more than just the issue itself. For example, let's say you have two characters, one with a fear of commitment (FoC) and one with a fear of getting hurt (FoGH). These make for great obstacles to the relationship, but without knowing why these fears exist or what needs to change in order for these characters to grow, they're superficial. There's no context for these fears or understanding for what needs to change, which is what makes the reader wonder why it's an obstacle before but not later.

So, in that first part of the story, you'll want to explore (through character thought, dialogue, flashbacks, etc.) the events in your characters' lives that led these fears to develop in the first place. You'll also want to illustrate how these fears interact... in the case of a fear of commitment and a fear of getting hurt, it's easy to see the problem. Because a solid commitment might be enough to help FoGH's fear of getting hurt, but if FoC is too afraid to commit, well... that doesn't bode well for them.

As you explore these internal conflicts and how they prevent a relationship between these two characters, you can also start laying the foundation for how that will change. Again, through character thought, dialogue, even action... you can have little things happen that show the characters they have it within them to change. It's possible for FoC to get over their fear of commitment, and it's possible for FoGH to get over their fear of getting hurt. You may also want to set up the pieces for how these changes are going to occur. Let's say FoC learns commitment through the military, and FoGH becomes more confident in their ability to survive being hurt after a couple of high-potential-but-failed relationships in college. If you set up that these characters part ways (before the time jump) because FoC is going into the military and FoGH is going off to college, once you do the time jump, you can pick back up at some point later in their lives after they've gotten over these fears.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

#wqaadvice

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muiitoloko · 1 day

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I was thinking could you do another Phil Allen story, this time with a female character. I had an idea that his son’s girlfriend had a half sister and she comes over from the US to see her sister. She meets Phil because obviously her sister is dating his son. They get get to know each other and develop a connection, they embark on a secret relationship due to their fear of what his son and her sister’s reaction would be. They mainly meet up in her hotel room. Do what you want with that idea.

Title: Dirty little Secret

Summary: You knew this was worth it.

Pairing: Phil Allen (Blow Dry) × Fem! Reader

Warnings: Smut

Author's Notes: I absolutely loved your idea for Phil! It's such a juicy premise with plenty of potential for drama and intrigue. I've crafted a one-shot based on your concept, and I can't wait for you to read it! I hope you enjoy the story—I put my heart and soul into it. Let me know what you think!

Also read on Ao3

As you lazily caress Phil's chest, your mind drifts to the complicated web of emotions that entangled the two of you in a forbidden love affair. You're tired of hiding your affection for Phil, tired of sneaking around like teenagers trying to avoid getting caught. But Phil's reluctance to make your relationship public weighs heavily on your heart, reminding you of the countless obstacles that stand in the way of your love.

Being Christina Robertson's half-sister only adds fuel to the fire, as you come from the lineage of Phil's rival, Raymond Robertson. The tension between your families is palpable, a constant reminder of the divide that separates you from Phil.

The fact that you're also his son's sister-in-law from Phil's son, Brian Allen, makes your situation even more precarious. Brian's relationship with Christina only adds another layer of complexity to the mix, as your very existence threatens to unravel the delicate balance of their romance.

Despite all the odds stacked against you, neither you nor Phil can resist the magnetic pull that draws you together. From the moment you met, there was an undeniable chemistry between you, a spark that ignited a flame of passion that refuses to be extinguished.

And so, here you are, stealing moments of intimacy in the confines of your hotel room, the only place where you can truly be yourselves without fear of judgment or reprisal. It's not the ideal situation, but for now, it's enough to sustain you, enough to keep the flame of your love burning bright in the darkness.

But as you lie there with Phil, you can’t help but wonder how much longer you can keep up this charade. How much longer can you live in the shadows, denying yourselves the chance to be together openly and without shame?

With a sigh, you bury your face in Phil's chest, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne as you cling to him desperately. You know that the road ahead won't be easy, that there will be countless obstacles and challenges to overcome. But as long as you have each other, you're willing to face whatever comes your way, together.

When Phil gently tugs on your hair, turning so he's above you, a shiver of anticipation runs down your spine. His breath catches in his throat at the sensation. You can feel the heat of his body pressed against yours, his touch sending waves of desire coursing through your veins.

With a soft moan, you arch your back, offering yourself up to him completely as he leans in to kiss your lips with a hunger that leaves you breathless. His lips are soft yet demanding, claiming you as his own with each passionate kiss, his tongue tracing lazy circles against yours as he explores every inch of your mouth with a fervor that leaves you dizzy with desire.

But as his lips leave yours to trail kisses down your neck, your mind reels with the knowledge that this forbidden love affair could spell disaster for both of you. The thought of being caught in the throes of passion with Phil fills you with a heady mix of excitement and fear, your heart racing in your chest as you cling to him desperately, unable to resist the magnetic pull that draws you together.

His tongue flicks out to tease your nipples, sending jolts of pleasure shooting through your body as he sucks and nibbles on each one with a skill that leaves you gasping for breath.

You arch your back, offering yourself up to him completely as he takes you in his mouth, his tongue tracing lazy circles around your hardened peaks as he worships your body with a devotion that leaves you trembling with desire. Each flick of his tongue sends shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your veins, your hands tangling in his hair as you urge him to take more of you into his mouth.

With a low growl of desire, Phil complies, his mouth closing around your nipple with a fierce intensity that leaves you gasping for air. He sucks and nibbles on your sensitive flesh, alternating between gentle caresses and firmer tugs, each movement driving you closer to the edge of oblivion as you surrender yourself completely to the ecstasy of his touch.

And as Phil's erection pressed against your thigh, a surge of excitement rippled through your body, your fingers tingling with anticipation as you reached between the two of you to grasp his throbbing member. With a soft moan, Phil released your nipple from his mouth, his gaze locking with yours as he watched you stroke his cock with practiced ease.

His breath hitched in his throat as he felt your hand wrap around him, your fingers trailing over the rough but well-trimmed pubic hair that framed his length. Phil took pride in his grooming habits, always meticulous in his attention to detail, especially when it came to his appearance below the belt.

With a grunt of frustration, Phil pulls your hand away from his throbbing cock, his desire evident in the way he grips your wrist tightly, his eyes smoldering with need as he gazes down at you. "I like your touch, darling," he murmurs, his voice husky with desire. "But I need more than just that. I need to bury myself in your sweet pussy, to feel you clenching around me as I fuck you senseless. Feel your taste on my tongue."

You whimper in response, the ache between your legs growing more intense with each passing moment as you watch Phil lower his head between your spread thighs. His fingers part your lower lips with practiced ease, his tongue flicking out to tease your sensitive clit as he explores every inch of your pussy with a hunger that leaves you breathless.

You cling to his hair desperately, your hips arching off the bed as you chase the exquisite sensation of his tongue on your skin. Each flick of his tongue sends shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your body, your breath hitching in your throat as you surrender yourself completely to the ecstasy of his touch.

But just as you feel yourself teetering on the edge of oblivion, Phil pulls away with a mischievous glint in his eyes, his lips glistening with your arousal as he gazes down at you with a devilish grin.

"Sorry, darling," he says, his voice dripping with amusement. "But I can't have you ruining my hairstyle."

You roll your eyes in amusement at his antics, unable to resist teasing him in return. "Oh, please," you retort, your voice laced with mock indignation. "Your hairstyle was ruined the moment you woke up this morning."

Phil feigns a disappointed sigh, his hand pressed dramatically against his chest as he gazes up at the ceiling in mock despair. "Oh, the cruelty of fate," he laments, his voice thick with sarcasm. "To be blessed with such natural beauty, only to have it marred by a simple touch."

You can't help but laugh at his theatrics, the tension between you dissipating in the face of his playful banter. With a playful swat to his shoulder, you pull him back down to you, your lips crashing together in a passionate kiss as you lose yourselves once more in the heat of the moment.

With a low growl of desire, Phil's lips find yours once more, his tongue delving deep into your mouth as he claims you with a ferocity that leaves you breathless. You moan into his mouth, your hands roaming over his naked body as you revel in the exquisite sensation of his skin against yours.

But just as the heat between you threatens to consume you both, Phil pulls away with a reluctant groan, his eyes smoldering with desire as he mumbles something about getting a condom. You nod eagerly in response, your heart racing with anticipation as you watch him disappear into the bathroom.

Alone in the dimly lit room, you can't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of what's to come. The anticipation coils in your belly, aching to be released as you wait for Phil to return to you, his cock hard and ready to claim you once more.

And when he finally emerges from the bathroom, a condom in hand, you can feel your pulse quicken with desire at the sight of him. His body is a masterpiece, every line and curve a testament to his raw masculinity as he stalks towards you with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

With a wicked grin, Phil crawls back onto the bed, his eyes never leaving yours as he positions himself between your spread thighs. His cock is thick and swollen, glistening with pre-cum as he rolls the condom onto his length with practiced ease.

You watch with rapt fascination as he sheaths himself, a thrill of excitement coursing through your veins at the thought of him filling you completely. With a low growl of desire, Phil leans down to claim your lips once more, his hands gripping your hips as he positions himself at your entrance.

And then, with a single, powerful thrust, he buries himself deep inside you, filling you to the hilt as you cry out in pleasure. Your walls clench around him, the sensation of him stretching you to your limits sending shockwaves of ecstasy coursing through your body as you surrender yourself completely to the pleasure of his touch.

With each thrust, Phil drives you closer to the edge of oblivion, his movements becoming more urgent, more desperate as he chases his own release. You meet him thrust for thrust, your bodies moving together in a primal dance of desire as you lose yourselves in the heat of the moment.

As the pleasure washed over you, your mind couldn't help but drift back to the tangled web of secrecy that surrounded your relationship with Phil. Despite the intensity of your connection, the thought of being his secret weighed heavily on your heart, casting a shadow over the ecstasy of the moment.

"Phil," you whispered breathlessly, your voice barely above a whisper as you clung to him desperately. "When are you going to tell Brian about us?"

Phil paused mid-thrust, his movements slowing as he processed your question. For a moment, his expression was unreadable, his eyes searching yours for any sign of doubt or hesitation.

But then, with a sardonic chuckle, he leaned back slightly, his lips curling into a smirk as he looked down at you. "Gee, darling," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I must be really bad at fucking if that's what you're thinking about at a time like this."

You scolded him with a playful swat to his chest, your voice laced with annoyance as you chastised him for his flippant response. "That's not what I meant, Phil," you insisted, your tone firm with resolve. "I don't want to be your dirty little secret anymore. I want us to be able to be together openly, without having to hide like teenagers sneaking around behind closed doors."

But Phil ignored your protest, his movements becoming slow and deliberate as he continued to fuck you, his forehead resting against yours as he whispered words of affection in your ear. "But you love it, don't you?" he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "To be my dirty little secret, to have me sneaking into your hotel room and fucking you on this fancy mattress before I have to sneak out again like some kind of forbidden lover."

You couldn't deny the truth in his words, the thrill of secrecy adding an intoxicating edge to your passion as you surrendered yourself completely to the ecstasy of the moment. With a soft moan, you arched your back, offering yourself up to him completely as you lost yourself in the heat of his touch.

"God, Phil," you gasped, your voice thick with desire as you clung to him desperately. "Fuck me harder, make me yours completely. I want everyone to know that you're mine, that we belong together no matter what."

With a sparkle of mischief dancing in his eyes, Phil held your hips firmly as you wrapped your legs around his waist, the heat of his body pressed against yours as he intensified his thrusts. The headboard rattled against the wall with each powerful stroke, echoing the rhythm of your shameless moans as you called out his name in ecstasy.

"Oh, fuck, Phil!" you cried out, your voice filled with raw desire as he buried himself deep inside you, hitting all the right spots with each delicious thrust. "Harder, please, I need you to fuck me harder!"

Phil's lips curled into a wicked grin as he obliged your request, his movements becoming more urgent, more desperate as he chased his own release. He knew just how to push you to the brink of ecstasy, his cock driving into you with a primal intensity that left you trembling with pleasure.

"That's it, darling," he growled, his voice rough with desire as he watched you writhe beneath him. "You like it rough, don't you? You like it when I fuck you senseless, when I make you scream my name until you can't think straight."

You nodded eagerly in response, unable to form coherent words as pleasure consumed you completely. With each thrust, you felt yourself spiraling closer to the edge of oblivion, your body teetering on the brink of ecstasy as Phil drove you to new heights of pleasure with each powerful stroke.

And then, just when you thought you couldn't take anymore, Phil trapped one of your nipples in his mouth, sucking and nibbling on it with a ferocity that left you gasping for air. The combination of his relentless thrusts and the exquisite sensation of his tongue on your sensitive flesh sent shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your body, overwhelming your senses with pure, unadulterated bliss.

"Fuck, Phil!" you cried out, your voice echoing through the room as you surrendered yourself completely to the ecstasy of the moment. "I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come so fucking hard!"

Phil's only response was a low growl of desire as he redoubled his efforts, his movements becoming more urgent, more desperate as he chased his own release. With a final, powerful thrust, he buried himself deep inside you, his cock pulsing with pleasure as he spilled himself into the condom with a primal roar of ecstasy.

As you tumbled over the edge into blissful oblivion, your body convulsing in the throes of orgasm, you knew that this forbidden love affair was worth every moment of secrecy and shame. In Phil's arms, you had found a passion that transcended the boundaries of time and space, a love that burned brighter than any flame, and as you clung to him desperately, you knew that nothing could ever tear you apart.

#phil allen x reader #phil allen #blow dry #alan rickman x reader #alan rickman

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homestuckreplay · 3 days

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my friend is clicking and dragging me and im being so normal about it

(page 138-147)

HOLY SHIT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. WE ARE PLAYING SBURB. Or, more specifically, TT is playing Sburb as we and John simply observe.

In the next couple days I'm gonna explore into the possibilities of the 'phernalia registry' and other details on page 138, as well as look for prior hints about the nature of Sburb that I glossed over, because holy shit, this feels like such a curveball. But the weirdest part is that JOHN IS BARELY REACTING. THIS IS A REGULAR DAY TO HIM. What the hell is happening? Surely this can't just be the norm for video games in this world. I guess John and TT probably knew in advance what this game was capable of, which explains why they were so excited - and TG not wanting to play could be a sign that he doesn't want anyone to see his house.

I'm curious about TT's first move being to select John's magic chest and put it on the roof. I feel like she's something of a prankster too, even while she tries to act more serious, but it's very convenient that something John was looking for was right underneath. Did she suspect that? Was it random? Was she being guided by the game somehow, like a tutorial suggesting that she go for this item first, the same way other games give easy rewards early on to suck players in?

Anyway, I watched Deep Impact last night, and I liked it a fair bit more than I expected. It hit a good balance of the large scale space travel/disaster movie aspects and the smaller scale, almost soap opera family drama parts. Both of those extremes were interesting, although the politics did feel very 90s, and while I liked the characters, I didn't connect with any of them on a deeper level.

This movie was about family, much like the first three - but this was the first to be about chosen family as well as biological family, as well as the struggle to make the choice between them. When Leo was riding that motorbike through the standstill traffic trying to find and save Sarah before the comet hit, I couldn't help but wonder if John loves anyone that much. We don't know how close he is to his friends, how long he's known them, or how he feels about them deep down. But TG got him the bunny from his favorite movie and TT put that bunny back in the box because she knew it would make him smile and these people do understand him on some level. That means something, and I really want these relationships to be explored.

Interesting also that this movie is about a regular suburban teenage boy discovering something worldchanging while simply hanging out and engaging in his hobby with a friend. Interesting that John, as we speak, is a suburban teenage boy hanging out and engaging in his hobby with a friend. This game is capable of physically affecting the world around it so directly, and I can believe that there are other players trying to use this for more dangerous purposes than messing with each other's rooms. Perhaps through playing the game John will meet or learn about other players, and have to stop them from using the game destructively, as a sort of alternative to boss monsters.

MOVIES WATCHED: 4/11

MOST RECENT MOVIE: Deep Impact (1998) - Rating 8/10

#homestuck #reaction #john's movies #this changes everything???? where do i even BEGIN to dig into this

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shallanigans · 14 hours

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I hate to be THAT person, but I really wasn't into the whole subverting expectations thing with this show. Why go through the trouble of making Edwin realize his feelings for Charles, only to then have him get friendzoned almost immediately? They could've explored Edwin coming to terms with his sexuality without the trope of him falling for his straight best friend. They could have further developed the relationship between Edwin and Monty, or hell, even the Cat King. The entire show is fanservice and "tumblr catnip," but somehow they can't give the people what they want on the biggest selling point? I'm just saying. It's a teen supernatural drama, not Game of Thrones.

I like Crystal, but she has no romantic chemistry with Charles. If they were truly meaning to go the Platonic Best Friends route with Edwin and Charles, they could have at least bothered to make the straight romance compelling in any way. It was so bland. Y'all will probably call me salty or whatever but this show really put no work into developing any romance except for the one between the two main characters and then really went ahead and pulled a Supernatural...

Anyway. I'll be on ao3.

#dead boy detectives #edwin x charles #edwin payne #charles rowland

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wolfscarr · 18 hours

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Helluva Broken Narrative 3. Wasted Romance.

So here I am for a 3rd time on this...I guess Broken Narrative...series? Because honestly this just came to my mind, that's also a big point

^ Links to the other 2 parts that I've written out.

DISCLAIMER: Not saying you can't enjoy the show. Enjoy it all you want, this again is just a rant about a lack of cohesive narrative.

Alright so this may be because of the Season 2 trailer that I'm writing this, but I really just...need to throw this out there because it again, has everything to do with the Narrative that has been told to us thus far for 2 and a half Seasons.

So we as the audience are suppose to believe that Blitz and Stolas are going to end up together, but here's the thing. There's no reason for them Narratively to be together. Putting aside the fact that thanks to Season 2, Blitz and Stolas has ZERO reason to interact at all as I labeled out in my previous posts above.

The two have zero chemistry, they have nothing in common as far as personal hobbies and for all of S1 and it seems in S2, Stolas has treated him like complete shit. From what I've gathered in S2, Stolas is apparently going to throw Blitz out and is pissed at him because.....reasons.

Yet I'm suppose to want these two together because....why? There is no narrative reason for them to be together, people wanna say "you need to wait, you need to wait, you need to wait!"

WAIT FOR WHAT?! It's been 2 and a half Seasons worth of content. What we're suppose to wait all the way to Season 3? If that's the case, then this is laughable and shows how terrible the writing is, it also shows that the two should never be together if we're having to wait this long.

You're suppose to gradually put building blocks if you want a relationship to pan out in a series. The writing for 2 whole Seasons involving Blitz and Stolas, haven't done that and in fact Season 2 made things even worse for Season 1 and from where I'm sitting....it doesn't get any better.

Why should Blitz want to be with Stolas, after the way he's been treated? No one in their right mind would want to be with someone who's talked down to him, who's hung their livelihoods over their heads and who thinks so very little of his own species.

Oh but here's the kicker folks, here's something that will be quite a shocker! As I've explained in my posts above, you can write Stolas completely out of the show now thanks to Season 2, he's a pointless character. But you wanna know who you can't write out of the show? Wanna know who is an important character for Blitz?

VEROSIKA MAYDAY!

Wanna know why? Well first we have to turn back the clock to Season 1. See while Season 2 retroactively and continues to make things worse for the Blitz and Stolas dynamic and Season 1 just in general showed that they need to be so far away from one another, they should be in separate dimensions.

Let's see....we have had basically...what 9 episodes showing Blitz and Stolas' dynamic across 2 whole Seasons and I've gotten nothing other than they are terrible to eachother and have nothing in common/no chemistry.

But within a single Season and within....3 EPISODES! I have more of a Narrative reason to want Blitz and Verosika to reconcile and get back together. But let's explore those 3 episodes, shall we?

S1 EP 3, Spring Broken= Introduced to Verosika, Blitz stated that they had a lengthy relationship/dated for awhile, he took her car and credit cards.

^ This episode gives us an introduction to who they were to one another, showcases that the pair had a genuine relationship and it was Blitz who ended it. It also shows that Verosika has a tattoo of his name on her arm, signifying that he was very important to her.

S1 EP 6, Truth Seekers= In Blitz' hallucination, he comes across Verosika who is crying, crawling towards him, stating that "you just push away anyone who tries to get close to you!"

^ This brief sequence tells us that Verosika really did care/loved him, in that she was just wanting to help him, to understand him, to be there for him.

S1 EP 7, Ozzie's= Verosika again appears, saying that he was selfish in bed and calls him a heartbreaking freak, leaning into him, with Blitz looking guilty. Later on after, Blitz is scrolling through his phone and there's a picture of him and Verosika, clearly in a public area and she wearing a dress with the word NO over the crotch. This implying that she only wanted Blitz and no one else.

^ This sequence shows basically...everything that the prior 2 episodes told us and even moreso, that Verosika truly did love and care for him before he pushed her away. Blitz clearly looking guilty about what he had done to her.

So 3 episodes, 2 of which weren't even a focus on them, gives me much more of a reason to support them because the Narrative....didn't try to hamfist it. It was far more natural in building up than whatever they are trying to do with Blitz and Stolas, which in turn ends up breaking the Narrative entirely and making Stolas a pointless character for the show.

Now I'm sure Season 2 is going to no doubt, turn Verosika on her head as a character...just to support Stolas and to show Blitz that he is the one for him, but sorry...they really can't write their way out of it. Not that the writing has been able to do so anyway.

Yet the funny thing is? Verosika will be far more important to Blitz than Stolas ever will be and why? Because the Narrative tells and shows us this, she is an important part of Blitz' past, not just relationship wise either.

Verosika Mayday connects with Blitz that connects him to every single other part of his past due to his insecurities within himself and how he should be a better person to others. She actually can help him with that, if the writing allowed for it, she could actually help him mend his past relationships, since Verosika not only knows Fizzarolli, but also knows Barbie(due to rehab), though I know Blitz already reconciled with Fizz, I'm just saying this as more of a Narrative hook.

People wanna say this show has such 'complex and deep characters/writing' yet I really have a hard time seeing that, when S1 is basically broken. Oh but they also wanna say that "it's just a cartoon" or "It's not that serious!"

No...no folks, you can't say one thing and then say another that completely contradicts the other thing.

A show is like a house, S1 is the foundation and if that foundation is broken....then the whole show is. Characters and plot points have been made useless thanks to S2.

Yet Verosika, will always be important for Blitz as a character and to see this get wasted? Is a real shame.

The real waste though is that Season 1 had set it up, to where....they could have written it as Blitz and Stolas realizing that they need to confront those that they've hurt. That Blitz needs to confront those and reconcile with those of his past, to become a better person.

On Stolas' end, he has to confront both his wife and daughter before he loses them forever...before he loses his whole family. Something which mind you, is REALLY RELATABLE for many in the world, because many don't want their Families to split up. But of course as I've outlined in posts above, they just completely wasted Stolas' Family.

They had a great S1 story hook for both of them...and they fumbled the ball.

Anyway folks, this is the 3rd and probably last bit of Broken Narrative I make...so enjoy!

#helluva boss critical #helluva critical #helluva boss verosika mayday #blitzo x verosika #verosika mayday #blitzika #helluva boss blitz #vivziepop critical #helluva critique #helluva boss criticism #helluva blitz #helluva blitzo #helluva verosika #helluva boss blitzo #helluva boss verosika

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jaydenchip404 · 1 day

Text

My grandpa came outside into the backyard and told me that my younger cousin is going to quit his job at [insert job here], and he is going to go work at another place, so my grandpa told me that I could go work at [insert job here]. He said that I could fill out the application online, or I could tell my younger cousin that I'm going to go in person, and my younger cousin can tell his manager to look out for somebody with my name.

That kind of made me sad, because I knew he was thinking about my birth name, and it made me feel bad because my name isn't [dead name], it's Rowan.

My name is Rowan, and it has always been Rowan. My name has never once been [dead name]. Sometimes it's Jayden, but like, 99% of the time, my name is Rowan.

I don't want to get a job or get an ID because I don't want people to know or see me as my birth gender. I don't want my ID to say "female". I want it to say "male".

I cut my hair and wear baggy clothes because I thought it would dampen the female parts of my body and appearance, but somehow, to me it only emphasizes it.

I was watching a YouTube video where the YouTuber was talking about a video game character's ex-girlfriend, and it just made me super insecure because I want to have a partner, but I'm sort of incapable of having feelings for somebody in a romantic context. I want to date someone; I want to be in love with someone, but I just can't get myself to have those feelings for them.

To make matters worse, all over my YouTube short page is Brett Cooper. She is basically the female version of Ben Shapiro, and everybody in her comment section was agreeing with her about how the LGBTQIA+ community is horrible and how the parents are horrible, toxic people for letting their AMAB children wear dresses and they were being sexist to women.

Most, if not all, transgender people tend to start exploring their identity when they are children or when they hit puberty. It's chemicals inside your brain saying that you don't want to be this or that you like [this] instead of [this]. You're born this way. It's not something that you choose to be.

I'm not a boy or girl; I'm just me, and I like all genders. What's wrong with wanting to wear boys' clothes? What's wrong with wanting to go by gender-neutral terms? What's wrong with having crushes on people for their personalities and not what's inside their pants? What's wrong with any of that?

One of my biggest fears—the thing that has been eating at me for the last couple hours—is that I'm going to spend the rest of my life as a woman who is married to a man. I don't want to be seen as that—I don't want to live my life as that.

Yeah, I'm pansexual; I will literally date anyone of any gender identity, because I care more about our emotional connection, their personality, and their appearance than what genitalia they have or their gender identity, but being a woman in a heterosexual relationship is just something I don't want to be outwardly seen as.

I don't know what about being seen, as CisHet is so gross to me. I guess it's just the 'being seen as a woman' part, because I'm not a woman, but I'm also not a man. I know I keep saying this, but I'm just me. I guess I am non-binary instead of genderfluid. Since I'm not a man, a woman, or anything else really,.

I guess it's just the feeling of being masculine or feminine, and not man or woman, but again, I'm not entirely sure on that because sometimes I do feel very strongly like a man, other times I feel strongly like a woman, sometimes I feel extremely neutrally aligned, and other times I feel completely genderless. So I guess non-binary and genderfluid I could just use together, even though I only want to use one label.

If I really had to sum it up into three labels, I would say: genderfluid, aroace, and pansexual.

My mom and I have been talking about cashing my checks at the bank, and I'm just so scared to do it because I don't want to have my birth name on my account and ID and then not be able to change it in the future. I want to legally change my name, but I have a lot of commitment issues, so I don't really know if I actually want to do that or not, but I really, really like going by the name Rowan. The name just makes me feel so nice and comfortable with myself, but I'm scared to tell my mom that my real name is Rowan.

I just don't know what to do and I'm scared.

#MOGAI #Queer #LGBTQIA+#LGBTQIA #LGBTQ #LGBTQ+#LGBT #LGBT+#LGBTQQIA #2SLGBTQ+#LGBT2SQQIA #transgender #transmasculine #non binary #nonbinary #non-binary #enby #genderfluid

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mdhwrites · 2 days

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do you think odalia should of had more depth?

So weirdly enough, I think this is an incorrect question because it implies Odalia by herself is important. A story needs to understand the usefulness of its characters after all, what their purpose is, etc. like that. For a lot of essentially one off characters, say Viney or Vee for example, a hint of depth but not exploring it is smart because you allow your fans to imagine what they could be like but they don't get in the way of the story you're telling. One off villains especially fall into this because their point much more often than anything else is simply to instigate a conflict. That's it.

I do not deride the vast majority of S1 villains for being one note. In fact, a lot of them are more fun for their simplicity. As Odalia is essentially a one off villain just meant for Amity's growth, because she's her daughter, she shouldn't need depth because she is just an obstacle to be conquered.

...That whole part 'Amity's her daughter' is a bit of a problem though, isn't it?

See, the minute you tie a villain to a main character, that starts complicating things. The more their relationship has effected either side, their narrative role starts to warp. They are suddenly a large figure within this person's life and so not only is defeating them a much bigger, more complicated affair but also that the villain's character is going to make or break critical elements of a main character's influences and backstory. They can no longer be one note unless their role was one note.

So instead of 'Should Odalia have had more depth' the better question is 'Is more depth for Odalia necessary for her place in the narrative related to Amity?' That requires us to define what her role in Amity's life is. What in theory her actions as told by Amity set her up as.

Odalia before S2 is a parent who has enforced onto Amity the need for social standing, power and exceptionalism. She also has so much power over Amity's life as to dictate who she can and can't be friends with and we can assume by the cruelty that Amity and the twins enact upon others, even within their own family, that this competition is inherent to the Blight family as a whole.

HOWEVER.

Also before S2, we see cracks of kindness within all of this. Odalia still caring enough to make sure Amity gets her lunch. Odalia overlooking the twins' bad behavior, despite Hexside seeming like the sort of school that would have called Odalia over them skipping class. Amity does not appear to fear repercussions from her mother anymore when it comes to her friend group as she befriends Luz and Willow without seemingly any fear of retribution (especially Luz) and discards Boscha and her entire old friend group without any real effort. This implies that Odalia isn't as controlling as Understanding Willow implies because her children actually have an incredible amount of freedom and free will. They do not live in the constant shadow of their parent, even if Odalia has had a large impact on them.

I focus on pre-S2 like this for a reason. You can retcon all you want BUT Odalia had to stand on what was setup before her arrival. Anything afterwards is damage control for fuck ups they made. Even then, many of their retcons actually make elements of this worse as Odalia was able to internalize her dream of Amity being in the EC so severely that just the idea of ANY threat to that was able to drive Amity to madness (Teenage Abomination) or close to the brink of tears (Covention). This further implies a great deal of influence over Amity and that her lessons left deep scars on her, to the point where Amity stopped distinguishing between her mother's desires and her own.

That doesn't FUNCTION with S2.

Odalia in S2 leans in ENTIRELY into the idea that she'd straight up murder one of her own children if they stepped out of line too far. She literally was willing to show how efficiently her HOME DEFENSE robot, which you would think would be used to protect YOUR KIDS, can murder a child in order to hurt Amity and prove her dominance. The twins, who are unrepentant in their schemes outside of Amity almost getting killed, do fear repercussions from Odalia. Odalia hates literally anything that makes them step out of line with the image she desires for her family, thus trying to dye Amity's hair. She is a monster, through and through.

A monster that Amity tells to go fuck herself and suffer ZERO ramifications from. If the show were as brave as people claim, that would have led to Amity being DISOWNED because why would Odalia continue to accept what is clearly an abject failure of ideals at this point? Yes, Alador theoretically pushes the idea of how Amity might be getting stronger based on this but why would she actually believe that? And even then, is a potential coven head worth it if it gives her no power back because they won't listen to her? Because they aren't profitable and loyal to her anymore? Even without the retcons to Alador, there's a real case that just in her first appearance, it's a cop out. Post Alador's retcons where Odalia doesn't care about him and doesn't listen to him, where she takes a single act of betrayal as a reason to accuse him of wanting to break off their partnership, all of this only becomes worse.

And all of this comes back around to crack Amity's character. That arc everyone praises from S1? Now it makes no sense because Amity's influences make no sense. What she rebels against is made trivial but also incomprehensible because there SHOULD have been consequences and she should have MUCH more scared of those consequences. Instead, it comes incredibly easy and naturally to her to break her bonds and be a good person with the 'right' friends now. This is compounded by how little anyone ever calls out her behavior or how almost all of the time she may spend being introspective is off screen. We don't get to see the ideals she holds be properly challenged besides... Luz existing and Understanding Willow. Meanwhile, HER MOTHER is like THIS. Where those ideals would be constantly reinforced and the consequences for breaking those ideals would be SEVERE.

So, to loop back around: Did Odalia need more depth? Yes. Or she had to have mattered much, MUCH less to Amity.

======+++++======

As a note, this is one of those big examples to me for how TOH fans struggle to actually bring the show together for their analysis rather than cherry picking examples or using single episodes. Anyone who tries to claim Odalia and Amity's relationship makes sense is ignoring a LOT of elements that intrinsically tied to one another and how those elements cascade upon each other. Complex storytelling is like this where one creative choice creates a knock on effect. Making characters all be tied between each other somehow is one of the best examples of this but I feel like a lot of fans, for the sake of praising Amity's arc, only focus on Odalia and Amity like they are in a closed circuit and only for the specific parts they want to use in that circuit. That's not how this works.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #toh #the owl house #amity blight #odalia blight

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