#where's the tumblr poster that used to make the ridiculous post and one of them was a really long one ab werewolf cum?
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Signalis Post (barely coherent thought vomit)
So I finished signalis on Monday and i think ive just about recovered enough for me to make a gush post about it on tumblr dot com, which i think i have to do cause i dont think any other game has really hit me as hard as this one. Spoilers obvs.
Being pre-transion, with that associated depression and closing off from oneself, ive always found it difficult to get out my feelings, even in private with just myself, and yet signalis has filled me throughout with its beautiful romantic melancholy and left me genuinely sobbing for the gay robot and her space girlfriend (almost worried that if id played this game on estrogen it might actually have just killed me on the spot). the only other times i can think of where i really cried were playing We Know The Devil near the beginning of the year, which really fkin hit the part of me that struggles to accept myself, and that time i rewatched the last episode of she-ra after reading the ‘Word War Etheria’ fanfic, which brings the characters so much more to life i fell for them all over again.
Signalis is a game that calls back to a lot of classic horror like resident evil and silent hill, which i havent got round to playing any of yet, but i think nostalgia works both ways sometimes and i’ll be playing them sooner now. sometimes horror gets stereotyped as all death and violence, some games fill themselves with skulls and corpses, and big ugly monsters and basically shout ‘DEATH!’ in your face repeatedly and it all just comes off as a bit garish and ridiculous and not actually very scary really. Signalis sits at the other end of that scale (with some of my other fav horror games like soma, cry of fear) where its environs are most usually just… quiet. Still. Muffled. Sad. just as often as theres tension or creeping fear because of this i find theres a strange kind of comfort too. Maybe its just that in most other genres of games theres so much of music, UI elements, pickups and interactibles with vibrant design. Here, theres room for your mind to just occupy the space. A soft fog. A dimly lit room. An empty train. Snow out a window. Liminal spaces that dont expect anything from you.
Signalis is a game thats just simply, unapologetically gay, and i dont think i would have been quite so invested in Elster and Ariane’s relationship if they were a straight couple. Its why representation is important, if art’s way for us to explore our emotions then its important to have media that we can relate to. Even Adler’s role isnt typically masculine. Our replika characters are manufactured, designed for certain roles in the base. Notes from the tough Stars and Storchs in the shooting range, the dollish Eules with the fairy lights and music player in the dorm. I couldnt help but think of groups of Eules sat around chatting, together, and im yearning for that feeling of togetherness, of understanding a friend that closely. I somehow missed the couple in the mineshaft (next playthough, ill find you v_v ). Despite the harshness of life in the Eusan nation (especially for the gestalts) the characters in it are defined by their feelings of belonging and hope. With the obvious parallels to east germany, i think of posters of cosmonauts and space travel from the time. Propaganda, sure but also made with the genuine belief in something greater. When the events of the game take this away, well, we find the last Kolibri, whod rather lose herself than lose her [ah. Im not sure theres a word here to properly describe the relationship they embody]. Its a game defined by loneliness.
We dont lie up at night scared by some corrupted android. We arent stuck with horror at the flesh everywhere, not on its own. We lie awake thinking about Elster and Ariane’s love for each other, the horror of their decline, the futility of trying to hold on forever. Its existential horror done perfectly. It shows an ending postponed and stretched far beyond its limits, and so squarely reminds you that you do, in fact, have to die one day. You’ll break down. One day you’ll say your last words to the people you love and you wont even know you have. Ariane’s final few diaries arrive with the full force of the narrative behind it, like a spear through my heart. For the record, I got the promise ending. Im still sad. It's a game about raging desperately against an unfair ending. I might think about this game for the rest of my life. I would sincerely say its an artistic masterpiece, by the sure definition of video games as art.
I like that the story leaves a lot open and abstract. I think it makes the emotional themes takes centre stage more. And i havent had nearly enough time to sift through it and come up with my own takes, we’ll need a few more playthroughs for that. And theres so much more to say that cant go in just these few paragraphs! Signalis is a game about two girls who had to run away from everything to find someone they belonged with. The universe may be cold and bleak, but you have to try, you might just find something beautiful, even if it doesnt last forever. I think if anything, we should all have the chance to find love and happiness like that, and we shouldnt have abandon a world that doesnt work for us to do it.
#signalis#lgbt#lesbian#long ass emotional ramble post#fuck im nearly crying again#horror#liminal#signalis spoilers#elster#ariane yeong
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Welcome to the DNI Hall of Shame. This is a blog for DNI lists that are confusing, vague, aggressive, impractical, or super picky. It's meant to shine a light on the pointlessness of DNI lists, and hopefully with some laughs here and there! :)
Run by Bean.
🌺 FAQ: 🌺
Can I submit a DNI list?
Yep! Just use the "submit" button. You can send a screen grab or text. Please censor all usernames and handles.
What kinds of DNI lists are accepted?
You can submit a DNI list if it contains one or more of the following things:
Death threats or wishes
"General criteria" or "etc"
Name-calling, dehumanization, or pejoratives
Things that are impossible to confirm from looking at someone's blog, or that isn't always readily apparent in casual conversation, such as age, gender, ethnicity, what media they like (which is not always the same as what they post on their blog), what they ship (see previous), or if they're a racist/TERF/etc
Terms that are defined incorrectly (such as defining proship as "pedo apologists")
Conflating interest in a fictional scenario, relationship, or character with "supporting it" in real life
Purity culture or kink-shaming rhetoric
It tries to check as many performative, common-sense boxes as possible
A ridiculously long list of criteria in general
Check out some posts on this blog for examples!
What isn't accepted?
Screen grabs with visible usernames/handles
DNI lists that only say "minors DNI"
What happens after I submit a DNI list?
The admin will review it and queue it for posting. Depending on how big the queue is, your submission may take a while to appear on the blog. Please be patient! The admin will add commentary on why the submission is "hall of shame" worthy if it's not provided.
Can I put multiple images in the same submission?
Tumblr only allows you to upload one image on the submission page, but you can add the urls of other images in the text field. They will all be posted together. Please ensure the urls work prior to sending, so the admin can view them!
Why must usernames/handles be censored?
This blog operates on a strict no-harassment and no-brigading policy.
Are all submissions anonymous?
Yes! All submissions are posted as fresh posts without any identifying info. The initial submission page may ask for your username or email, but this won't be published.
Why are DNIs pointless?
Many blogs have explained this in much greater detail, but DNIs shift the onus of curating your internet experience onto other people, and makes your comfort other peoples' responsibility. They are based on the faulty presumption that you can control what others do online. You can ask people for courtesies, but they'll interact if they really want to - or if they simply don't see your DNI!
On that note, DNIs are very ineffectual on sites like tumblr, where posts are meant to be shared all over the place, on many different blogs - yet all of those interactions still show up in the original poster's notes, even if many of the people creating the notes are on OP's DNI. The definition of "interact" also changes between people, making it even harder to pin down an exact meaning and thus, how to conduct oneself. Some people define it as following and commenting on their blog, while others define it as simply leaving a "like" on some random person's reblog of a post, way off in the other corner of tumblr.
All of this is why it is better to practice healthy blocking, and simply state you will block certain people, as opposed to telling them not to interact with you, when they may not even see your DNI. After all, this site is designed for quick post sharing, and no one is going to check blogs every time they like or reblog a post... Even if they themselves have a DNI. Admin has lost track of how many people listed them in their DNI, but liked and reblogged their posts anyways!
Admin info?
Admin is in their late 20s and has been in fandom for over 15 years. No nonsense, practical, critical thinker! Here for a good time, and to poke fun at some of the super ridiculous things people get up to on social media these days.
Tags below the cut.
basic criteria
death wish
how could you know
long
performative
purity culture
vague
wrong definition
not a dni
answered
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Fic Writing Meme
Tagged by @auncyen - tagging @chronicdelusionist. @onadacora (but don't feel obligated obviously!)
1. How many works do you have on ao3? 6
2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 263,444
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Persona 5 and Undertale in the past, though it’s been quite some time for the latter haha. I also had one fic back on FF.net that was for FFTA, and BOY did I overreach on that one
4. What are your top five fics by kudos?
Would That Make You Sad? (522) which was done because I had fallen in love with Onadacora's "Would That Make You Happy?" (which if you never read please do if you're an Undertale fan, it's the best fic ever, in my humble opinion), and I wanted to try doing a little spin on it based on some character's she'd introduced, combined with inspiration by Chronicdelusionist's comics based on the Underswap AU [If that reads like a bunch of gibberish, you avoided the Tumblr Madness of Undertale and I envy you].
The Phantom Thieves In: You Have Got to be Kitten Me (397) which is a fun little AU/what if where Joker and Morgana swap bodies post-Kaneshiro and deal with that fallout. It's... Almost done, I swear.
A Shining Moon (225), which is a 'What-if?' story about Mishima's thoughts at the tail-end of the Kamoshida arc, and if a sliiiight change had happened.
Regrets (171) was just me feeling like torturing Morgana with his heartbreaking, and writing some Joker & Haru comforting him.
The Magic Arrives at Macy's (36) was a silly idea of an employee at Macy's meeting Papyrus on the job. Absolutely ridiculous, but I love it in concept anyway.
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
I always do, even if it takes me some time! If someone put the time in to respond, I always want to thank them and provide some sort of response, because it means a lot to me that they read what I wrote!
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Hmmm, I really don't have one tbh. I don't like writing stories that end all angsty.
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Due to being the only actually complete one, A Shining Moon XD
8. Do you get hate on fic?
Nah, though I did get one particularly heated comment on A Shining Moon at one point, though it's since been deleted by the original poster.
9. Do you write smut?
Have I? Yes. Will you find it? Only in WTMYS, I've never posted any other anywhere haha.
10. Do you write crossovers?
Nah, though I like the idea of it. Auncyen and I have spitballed ideas in the past but neither of us have the time for that lol.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not to my knowledge.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Not to my knowledge.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Nah, though I often provide feedback to my fellow writers and suggestions.
14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?
Oooh that's tough. I like a lot for many different reasons. I can't think of just one!
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?
Hmm, I really don't have any atm. The WIPs I got that won't be finished (i.e. the Undertale ones) are safely dead in the water sadly.
16. What are your writing strengths?
I feel that my dialogue writing is really good. I can get into the character voices fairly well, and often keep a scene flowing just based on that alone.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Overthinking, exhaustion and IRL getting in the way.
Eh, more seriously, I could improve upon getting character thoughts and motivations across without dialogue. Describing scenes could go better as well.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
If ya ain't proficient in it already, this way lies madness.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
According to FF.net, Persona 4 apparently.
20. Favourite fic you’ve written?
Honestly, I think The Phantom Thieves In: You Have Got to be Kitten Me. It's about characters I feel for, I've put a lot of effort into it and I'm really proud of how my writing has improved throughout it.
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Story Pile: Goncharov
New Post has been published on PRESS.exe: Story Pile: Goncharov
Don’t worry, I’m not about to do an explainer on this movie, which does not exist. I cannot stress that enough: It does not exist. I don’t think I need to belabour that point, because it seems almost nobody’s trying to sustain kayfabe on this one. You’re not going to see a big, elaborate description of the critical analysis of a four hour long 1973 Mafia film starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd and Lynda Carter (in a minor role), with a great big twist at the end like hahah, surprise, got you, this movie doesn’t exist!
I know, that is the kind of joke I like to tell! I like walking you down a garden path, introduce a ridiculous idea, and then surprise you by revealing that it’s true (or not, I mix it up). But no, in this case, I’m not here to do that. I’m going to do something so much worse, I’m going to talk to you about my feelings, and they’re not going to be happy or feel-good!
Content Warning: I’m going to talk about Goncharov, which I hope is obvious, and I’m going to talk about being angry at people and the way I felt treated without any intention to change their behaviour or ask apology.
First up let’s describe the phenomenon.
Goncharov is a community-constructed fake movie that users of Tumblr talked about in late November 2022, as part of an ongoing joke. I’m writing this in November, 2022, so for all I know after this point this thing has taken on a life of its own and transformed, or, it’s taken the course I predict which is, around December 1, most people stopped talking about it, the bubble of attention popped, some diehards used it as a platform to continue creating and it slowly trickled away as an interesting internet phenomenon.
I’m going to look stupid if the Goncharov Party gets elected to the United Nations or something in the mean time.
The genesis of Goncharov is a mis-printed label on a shoe that used what was probably a bad scan/OCR of a poster for Gomorrah. The text was a bit mangled, and a tumblr user shared a picture of the wonky text, and a commenter joked ‘this idiot hasn’t seen Goncharov.‘ From there, the bit began: Everyone wanted to make sure they were ‘in’ on the bit, acting as if of course they’d seen Goncharov.
And there are a lot of different ways this can go! This could become a real Seinfeldian moment, where the whole joke is someone goes ‘Goncharov has this in it’ and the natural response is ‘this idiot hasn’t seen Goncharov‘ and then repeat in a chain; everyone who shoots someone down about Goncharov talks about a fanciful thing from that movie, and everyone else then competes to sass them about how that’s definitely not in Goncharov. That’d be funny and kinda fundamentally meanspirited, a story where the joke is none of us have seen it and we’re all just pretending.
Tumblr did something different.
Tumblr went the other way.
Tumblr was suddenly full of people yes-anding everything anyone mentioned about Goncharov. People would mention a scene, and other people would talk about what they liked in the scene. People would mention a scene and other people would talk about how that tied into themes in a different scene. Imagery and symbolism and themes and vibes and all these things piled up and quotes, oh the quotes. Quotes that range from Winter comes to Naples with its bald demanding pomposity or “of course we’re in love, that’s why I tried to shoot you”/”if we really were in love you wouldn’t have missed,” which is as good as you imagine it being delivered, and of course, “it’s gonching time,” peerless text and all that, well, they are all canon and they are all yes-anded.
Crucially, they are not all true in the same moment and in the same way, but that is part of the play of Goncharov. It is about the memes, the ideas, the vibes of Mafia movies of the 1970s. It’s indescribably playful, and it’s fun, as you throw things into the thread of narratives, watching who sees your ideas and what they pick up on and what they share. There are a body of people who recognise that Katya Goncharov’s surname should be Goncharova, and the error shows that she isn’t really Russian, just like how she was never really married to Goncharov. Or maybe it’s because Goncharov is the one who introduced her and at no point did she correct him, showing everyone who speaks Russian in those scenes that he doesn’t really know her. Or maybe her name is Goncharova and everyone knows that, acting like that’s always how it’s been, and each of those ideas came from some people, perceived as problems and picked up and used and distributed.
Another thing that came up early was a lot of people immediately got involved on making sure there was a common thread of ‘unreality’ tagging of Goncharov posts; that people who struggled with ideas like gaslighting could avoid. It’s kind of funny, that the great event had three basic things to avoid; don’t #gaslight, don’t #gatekeep, but you could #girlboss, because of Katya, or Sofia, or Alina (the dancer who dies in the first 15 minutes).
There’s a lot of funny stuff you can do with Goncharoving around. And it has been a delight of a weekend, as this wonderful, silly, funny experience happened around me. And then it drew to an abrupt halt, as I approach people outside the space and ask: Hey, do you know about Goncharov?
Sometimes they yes-and me, and hey, that’s funny and we stop because we know the joke, and that’s that. And sometimes they don’t, and I then get to tell them about this delightfully weird thing going on. And it took about eight hours before I saw people who weren’t on tumblr and weren’t involved, complaining about the joke.
I saw critique from Reddit that Tumblr ‘should have’ done the ‘prank’ differently, as if this was a thing set up with an aim and a target, as opposed to people having fun telling stories. I saw complaints that the writing was low quality as if we needed to keep out the bad writing. It seemed overwhelmingly, the places where Goncharov did not happen had opinions about how Goncharov should be happening, which almost always demonstrated an opinion on what Goncharov was doing:
It was being fun.
I saw people calling people asking Neil Gaiman about it stochastic harrassment. Since Gaiman is on tumblr, and people ask him about things that interest them, a lot of them asked him about Goncharov, and he didn’t like that, so he made fun of people who asked him. And it felt like such a baffling criticism to have, because:
Stochastic terrorism is used to refer to creating climates inducing lone wolf behaviour, not trends of people asking about a common thread of commentary.
Tumblr has blocking tools that can be keyword based, so if someone asks you about Goncharov, and you have that word blocked, it won’t show up.
Neil Gaiman gets waves of related asks any time anything happens at all.
Which means that this felt like recruiting Neil Gaiman as an innocent victim of Goncharov as if a millionaire who can literally pay someone to empty his inbox deserves sympathy for the dreadful thing of being asked annoying questions as if that’s not what he has a tumblr account for, and it also means that bringing this up means you’re not aware of fundamental things about Tumblr, like how the messaging system works. It was criticism of a thing you’re pretty sure happened over there to someone you’re pretty sure can’t handle it, which was pretty bad, you’re pretty sure.
It felt very strange to me when it happened too because at that point, Twitter had just started on a path that sure looks like letting a few Nazis hang out in your soon-to-be Nazi bar? Dozens of other platforms were doing their thing and developing through a variety of dramas, and things were being done that had massive problems to them, but tumblr
Tumblr annoyed Neil Gaiman.
In a period where I was looking at what every single different social media platform was for, I was stunned to realise that ‘being Tumblr’ was an inherent mark against an idea. During a World Cup that people were tweeting about Qatar using slavery to build stadiums for FIFA, there was still this inherent disdain for Tumblr things because Tumblr had made up a movie that no corporation could take credit for, and were having fun telling stories about it. Tumblr was tumblr about it. And there’s all sorts of claims about why Tumblr has this position none of which I feel comfortable backing up and I don’t need to because this isn’t a thing to be solved. It’s an experience, much like Goncharov, to remember.
Just this heavy salvoing of: Hey, you know this thing you think is interesting? This really odd phenomenon of people creating stories and being silly?
Well, we’re pretty sure it sucks.
Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!
#Unreality
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🌴 This happened a few months ago, but I felt like I needed to share it somewhere. Many people don't understand how inhumane some individuals can be on this website, and, well... This particular person is a piece of work. Buckle up.
One night, I was looking through the tags of my character. I saw some untagged ship hate that said, "if you ship (muses), I hate you, (etc etc), I'm biting and not letting go". It wasn't tagged at all, and the person had clearly just thrown it out there to be horrible, so I politely asked them to tag it. Then I went to bed.
That night while I was sleeping, this person went on a revenge spree. They spent three hours on my blog, scouring every single page. I'm not exaggerating. My blog has hordes of content because my muse is very established, but they went through every single page, every headcanon post, and every OOC post. My statcounter was filled with visits from that one person, and it's like I could see where they were going in real time. As they scoured my blog, they reblogged that same ship hate post of theirs... Probably seven or eight times. They kept adding more and more stuff from my blog to it, turning it into a smear campaign against me, simply because I'd told them to tag a post.
Here was the damage:
1) They screencapped my shipping information page, calling me transphobic and transmisogynistic for saying my muse, a cishet man, is only attracted to and aroused by people who present as women. I included trans people who present as women in that statement, but apparently this wasn’t good enough. Which is ludicrous. My muse isn’t going to be aroused if someone doesn't have female hardware and feminine features. Maybe it was the language I used to describe the attraction, but if that was the case, nobody ever pointed it out to me, and this was still a ridiculous reaction to a supposed mistake.
2) In respect to the above, they also randomly added, "this is a lie, (the female-presenting canonical love interest of my muse) has a dick and it’s huge". I just... Okay? Your headcanons are valid, but what the heck?
3) They found a shipping headcanon of mine, read one line that said my muse tended to be most attracted to people of the same ethnicity, and pulled some bizarre claim that my muse "hates black people" out of nowhere. They also sent me anon hate about this, and called me and my muse racist. I had never written anything about ethnicity on my blog, ever, except for that single, incredibly flexible line, which was based off canon. The "tended to" part was deliberately added to provide flexibility, while following canon, because my muse could indeed be attracted to any ethnicity.
3) They said, "hey guys check this out, this person is crazy" about the above things.
4) They went through my entire headcanon archive, which has three hundred individual headcanons, and screencapped one headcanon about how my muse isn’t used to being around diverse couples. His parents were canonically very religious, his father was canonically a poster boy for toxic masculinity, and he wasn’t exposed to much diversity in his youth or adulthood because he spent most of it closed-off. The headcanon also said that my muse didn’t show his discomfort, because he knows it’s something he needs to work on, and he doesn’t treat people differently because of it. There is a post going around on tumblr with millions of notes that says, "the first thought you have about someone is the thing you were conditioned to believe, but the next thought you have shows the kind of person you are." That was the essence of this headcanon. It was intended to reinforce his strength of character, not make it worse, while adding a flaw too. I've never actually written this stuff in threads, because it’s not a big enough deal to really even mention. But beneath this screencap, the person said: "wow they really said (muse) is transphobic with their whole chest / can we bully this mun off the website now".
5) They read my headcanon post about my muse's mental illness, and screencapped some lines out-of-context to make it look like I was misrepresenting how that particular mental illness works. They called me "ableist". Yet the lines directly after the ones they screencapped, had they included them, would've contradicted their accusation. They deliberately left that out.
6) In response to my request for the ship hate post to be tagged, they said, "but I want people to see it actually", with some sassy combination of emojis.
All in all... This person called me crazy, ableist, racist, transphobic, and transmisogynistic, and told people to bully me off the website, for writing a cishet muse with feasible attraction preferences. For writing a muse that was trying to overcome internalized prejudices that were very easily headcanonable based on what canon had given us. They threw in some other non-issues for good measure. The funny thing is, I'm genderless, NB, asexual, and I have PTSD, depression, and other disabilities. I'm the last person they should be attacking; I'm on their side. Or, the side they should be on, which doesn't involve... This crap.
I woke up the next morning and saw all this stuff in my inbox and statcounter. I blocked them immediately, because I wasn’t going to bother with someone like that. Hours later, they reblogged their post again and added, "oh they blocked me, hey (mun name), come back here and defend this boring white bread character you've made".
The "boring" character I’ve written for years and years. The portrayal that multiple people have said was the inspiration for them beginning to roleplay; the portrayal that people have given me compliments for. The character that was so unbelievably boring that they had to stalk my blog for three hours.
I didn’t engage. But they weren't done.
In the following month, they dredged up their post again and again. Out of the blue, they said my muse had a "white saviour complex". They said my muse would "be on the down-with-cishets bus", when he's actually the last person who would discriminate against anyone for their innate identity or orientation; he's canonically been abused for his own innate characteristics since his youth. The projection for that part was absolutely unreal. It sounded like they were trying to convince everyone that the muse really would, indeed, be hateful, like they had unresolved issues of their own.
Despite being blocked, they kept reading my blog. When they saw that I'd received some job application rejection emails, they posted, "lol, they failed all their interviews because of me!". In reality, I hadn't even gotten any interviews. In my industry, nobody gives you an interview unless they’re ready to hire you on the spot. I got a job after the first interview offer I received, weeks later. When they saw that I went to the ER too, because I thought I was having a stroke (complex migraine), they said, "I wish they died in the ER". Verbatim. They said it twice.
And because this person is prominent in a certain fandom, almost 60 people reblogged this entire string of posts, which were all tacked on to the original ship hate post - even after the death wishes and calls for bullying were added.
It still baffles me this happened. All because I asked someone to tag ship hate.
Literally nobody ever had a problem with my muse, in the eleven years I've been here. But this person was so desperate to cause trouble that they pulled a bunch of nonsense out of thin air. I'm almost 30. This person apparently just turned 20. They claim the character I write is their special interest, yet they were criticizing me for writing about aspects of the character they should know exist, or that someone is bound to extrapolate for their own portrayal eventually. They were spewing ableism all over the place too, while accusing me of being ableist. Like most people in this fandom, they probably read fanfics all the time that change huge parts of the character, yet they made my own muse out to be this horrible abomination, even though he's incredibly recognizable. And this is what I hate about tumblr. One person can decide they don't like you, and as long as they're outraged enough, and as long it's dressed up as wokeness, it doesn't matter if they only have a few crumbs of "dirt" on you. They just have to magnify it until it becomes the entirety of your portrayal, and you as a person, and it'll spread like wildfire. And the reputation you tried to cultivate over a decade? Poof. Doesn't exist anymore. You're now a bigot because that person said so.
Not one person bothered to approach me on the basis of "educating me" about stuff, if there was actually anything to fix. They all looked at this person's slander and accepted it. Didn’t fact-check. Had there been a genuine issue (and I still can’t see one), I happily would've rectified it. I'm not a jerk. I don't want to be the kind of person they're accusing me of being. I'm a very empathetic and cognizant person, and I don't want to go around hurting people. But nobody reached out.
I imagine this is why you barely see people who've been here for years anymore. The more information you make available on your muse, the easier it is for people to abuse you. I've seen a lot of people leave the site because of similar bullying, and they've since taken all their content down.
Anyways, this has been a PSA. Don't be like this person. And in all honesty, don't be like me and make the mistake of engaging with posts that are clearly meant to incite drama. You never know just how drama-hungry some people are. From now on, you bet I'm blocking immediately if I see more ship hate.
#Submission#Muns#Tagging#Shipping#Bullying#Censorship#Blocking#Transphobia#Racism#Death Mention CW#Long Post CW
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As it's apparently fanfic writer appreciation day, I thought I'd share some authors I adore. NOTE: I am SUPER behind in reading fics and this is in no way a complete list because of that. Check out the people I follow on Tumblr (they are super talented, it's ridiculous) and the favourites/bookmarks on my fic accounts.
If I missed you it's honestly not a slight. I'm writing this while trying to remember things while I make lunch at the same time. Also, if I misgender anyone, for the love of all things please tell me so I can fix it immediately.
I'm starting with @ocfairygodmother because I wouldn't have met any of some of the following people without her. I absolutely love her Merlin fic and the way she portrays the sibling relationship. As well as her Outlander fic (which is one of the few Outlander fics I ever read lol)
Next up is @chickensarentcheap who's Extraction fics are INCREDIBLE. I adore all of their work and the complex and realistic characters and relationships they portray. They are such an amazing person and I am so glad that I know them.
Then we have @raith-way who has been so much fun getting to know. We are so similar in some ways it's hilarious to discover. I adore all of Raith's creations and cannot wait to see where she goes with her fics.
@zeleniafic is so talented and helpful and I absolutely adore her fic Semper Fortis (not to mention all the other ones). You should read it. I cannot wait to see how it's going to turn out.
@anna-phora is another talented one with descriptions that are incredible. She wrote a Clint/OC fic that honestly made me want cupcakes for days just from how they were described (and I ended up making them too). Go read her fic The Fool and join us in our dislike of Simon lol.
@jemmalynette is incredibly talented not only in writing (I still haven't forgotten that one line about Logan's bones feeling like rotting wood) but in the posters and videos she makes. Seriously, go check it out.
I just finished @littletonpace's Walking Dead fic last night and I cannot get over how skilled she is at pacing and building anxiety in reading!
@lupinblack is another ridiculously talented and supportive person. I cannot get over how good Decadence and Afterlife are. I can't wait to read your original work as well.
@lokitrasho is so supportive and willing to engage with people. I am so glad I'm getting to know her and that I now have someone to talk about being haunted with thanks to Irish ancestors lol.
@sarisstories is such a sweetheart. Honestly. I haven't read any of her work yet, but it's on my list and I'm looking forward to it.
And now for something completely different...
If you like dark fics (not for everyone, I know), then @darkficsyouneveraskedfor is the place for you. They are absolutely so incredibly talented that sometimes it leaves me in awe.
And for the few authors I know/follow who primarily only write canon characters:
@sarcasticfina is one of the first authors I remember following on her. I haven't spoken to them before, lol, but their work is incredible. One of my all-time favourite stories is their Darcy/Steve fic I Climbed The Tree To See The World (When The Gusts Came Around To Blow Me Down, I Held On As Tightly As You Held On To Me) I cannot tell you how I cry every time reading it and I can still clearly remember the scene with Steve boxing.
Finally, @dresupi. This woman is incredible for not only dealing with everything life has thrown at her but for creating throughout it. The ficlets are absolutely precious and I end up reading all of the ones posted on Tumblr, regardless of whether or not I've read the pairing before.
That's all for now! Go check them out! I'm sorry if I missed anyone. I was going off the top of my head.
#this was really long and I didn't even get to everyone#oh well#lol#fic recs#author recs#this shakes the bones
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posted this on ao3 awhile back and had a hard time getting tumblr to upload it, but it finally worked so here you go
content warning for referenced child abuse
~
The warmth of summer filtered through the window, casting rays of sunshine across the floor of James Potter’s bedroom carpet where Remus was splayed out, tracing patterns into the ridiculously soft material. He was sure that James charmed it to keep it so fluffy, otherwise it would not have survived the footfalls of four, rowdy boys that found refuge here during the summer. It used to be only the three of them—James, Remus, and Peter, that is—until Sirius was able to join permanently halfway through the summer season. His parents had never allowed for him to visit the Potter’s while he was still living under their roof, but now that the raven-haired boy had run away and was officially disowned, well, Remus was sure the carpet would have wilted under Padfoot’s grubby paws by now.
Either way, Remus was sure that there was nothing better than laying on James’ charmed carpet with his three best friends, listening to music from the record player—that had also been charmed to work without electricity—and chatting about whatever came to their minds. They were all sat on the floor aside from Sirius, who was perched in the window, smoking, and watching as the birds flew around outside. Remus smirked—the boy really was such a dog.
“It’s our last years at Hogwarts, boys,” James announced as he pushed his glasses further up his nose, “what are we going to do once it’s all over?”
It was a question that held a lot of weight, depending on how you looked at it. What were they going to do as far as it came to pranks and leaving their legacy at Hogwarts or what were they going to do as soon as they graduated. Maybe get jobs, possibly go to university, more likely join the Order to fight a war they didn’t start. Remus didn’t care to think about any of these things. His future had been something he considered to be doomed since he was four years old and suddenly had to share his mind with a beast that tore apart his body every month. He had never even planned on having the life he had gotten—the chance to go to Hogwarts, to make friends…to fall in love.
He cast glance toward Sirius, whose own gray eyes were already looking to Remus, a thoughtful expression on his face. Remus grinned at him, tilting his head so that his curls fell into his eyes. Sirius smiled back, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He’d been smiling like that a lot, lately. Remus made a mental note to ask him about it later that night.
“I don’t know about you lot, but I have no idea what I’m going to do without all of you around,” Peter said.
“Don’t worry, mate,” James said, patting Peter on the shoulder, “you can’t get rid of us that easy! Marauders till the end, right?”
There was a certain admiration that Remus held for James Potter, the savior of the cursed and the damned. He had banded them all together; the timid boy, the broken werewolf, and the wayward heir to make a family. Remus would never be able to repay James for the unconditional love he’d shown him, but he was willing to try everyday for the rest of his life.
“Marauders till the end,’ Sirius repeated, extracting himself from the window as he put out his cigarette. He joined them on the floor, laying down next to Remus and pressing himself tightly against the other boy. Remus wrapped his arm around Sirius, partially out of habit and partially because it was what Sirius needed, something he was starved of. Touch had been something of a guessing game between the two of them ever since they started their relationship. Neither of them were quite used to being touched in such casual ways until they became friends with James—who was constantly giving out hugs like they were candy—and starting a relationship had made the concept even more confusing. Not only did they have to think about what sort of casual touching was okay for each of them, but now they had to factor in intimate contact. Kissing was okay, just as long as they were alone in the safety of Remus’ four poster bed or hidden in one of the various alcoves they had discovered while creating the Marauders Map. Remus thought it might even be okay here, in James’ bedroom, to sweetly kiss his boyfriend without fear of judgment or ridicule. Still, he let Sirius make those decisions, allowed him to initiate any sort of contact between them because while Remus’ aversion to touch stemmed from not being able to trust himself, Sirius’ came from not being able to trust others. He was easily spooked by any sort of sudden movement that came his way, a side effect of Walburga Black’s outstanding parenting skills, and no amount of James’ casual hugs or Remus’ gentle caresses have seemed to break him of this habit.
“What are you thinking about, Moons?” Sirius whispered. James and Peter were too busy arguing over which record to play next to notice their other two friends.
“You,” Remus said easily. Sirius blushed—an image Remus would never tire of seeing—and reached up with his slender fingers to brush away the curls that had fallen in Remus’ eyes.
“Me,” Sirius said, a hint of astonishment in his voice.
Remus wished Sirius wouldn’t sound so surprised at the idea of someone thinking of him. It hurt to know that Sirius did not quite value himself the same way Remus, James and Peter did and it was times like these where Remus wanted to meet Walburga and Orion Black in person just so he could give them a piece of his mind.
“Lads,” James said, throwing himself on top of them unceremoniously, “let’s head on downstairs. I think mum’s made dinner.”
The four of them trailed down the stairs, Sirius holding Remus’ hand while James raced ahead to slide down the railing. Fleamont was in the parlor, reading the newspaper and looking up as the boys made their presence known. He greeted them all, and asked James in a calm tone to perhaps not ride the staircase like a broomstick. James at least had the decency to turn red before assuring his dad it would never happen again (everyone knew it would). Euphemia was in the kitchen, apron tied around her waist and her gray hair up in a knot on her head. Sirius leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and she gently reached out to him, not quite taking his face in her hands until she saw the smallest nod of permission.
“My darling,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears, “you look well.”
Remus knew what Euphemia was thinking about as she took in Sirius’ appearance. It was the same thing he had thought of over and over again as he laid in bed at night, his arms wrapped tightly around his boyfriend in attempt to keep him safe from the nightmares that occupied his mind. The frail and beaten Sirius that had collapsed on the Potter’s doorstep those few weeks ago had been nursed back to health by the healing powers and carefulness of Euphemia Potter. Still, it was hard to get that image of Sirius lying half dead out of Remus’ mind. He could hardly imagine what it was like for Euphemia who had seen the worst of his injuries after shoving everyone else out of the room in order to heal him. James, Remus, and Peter had stayed up all night, waiting outside the spare bedroom door where they could hear Euphemia sobbing over Sirius’ sleeping form. Remus would rather have faced the full moon a hundred times instead of waiting those long three days for Sirius to wake up.
“Thanks, mum,” Sirius said. The four boys crowded around the kitchen table, eagerly reaching toward the various dishes Euphemia had spread about. Fleamont had joined them, sitting between his wife and Sirius. James immediately went for his mother’s main dish, filling his plate full before passing it to Peter, who was already nibbling on some naan. Remus loved Euphemia’s cooking. It was different than that of his mother’s—not that he would ever pass up his mam’s wonderful Sunday dinners—and he was happy to able to enjoy the different flavors offered whenever he visited. Euphemia always made far too much, making sure that everyone got their fill as well as some leftovers. She was an angel, truly.
Sirius did not fill his plate as full as the others. He was still very thin, with his jaw looking more pronounced and Remus knew his hipbones were a bit more jutted out. Punishments at Grimmauld Place were harsh and Sirius had been starved well into the first few months of summer. It was still a process, trying to get him to eat without getting sick, but they were managing best they could. Remus watched as Sirius poked at his food, looking a bit scared of it before setting his fork down and letting out a frustrated sigh. James looked up from his own plate, regarding Sirius with a look of concern from across the table.
“You okay there, Padfoot?” He asked, keeping his tone light but Remus could see the worry in his dark eyes. Sirius nodded, picking up his utensils once more.
“Yeah. I’m fine, just…” He trailed off, looking down at the table and not daring to meet anyone’s eye. Remus felt a sudden need to shield Sirius away from everyone else’s intense gaze, the wolf within him becoming quite territorial. He pushed those feeling away, not permitting the wolf access to its most basic instincts in the fear that the wolf might be visible on the surface. Still, even his human mind seemed to want to take Sirius away from the scrutiny.
“Darling,” Euphemia said, “you don’t have to eat it all. Just a few bites of naan if you can bear it. Just to keep up your strength.”
Sirius smiled tightly at her but did not move to eat. The rest of them reluctantly picked at their own food, trying to keep things as normal as possible. Fleamont engaged his son in conversation about Quidditch, asking after the Gryffindor team and what he thought their chances were this upcoming school year. Peter politely asked after the herbs Euphemia was growing in her kitchen—he had a thing for herbology—and she answered each question with detail. Remus turned his attention to Sirius, his hand coming to rest on the older boy’s knee. Sirius flinched slightly and then blinked as he realized it was only Remus.
“Do you want to go on a walk?” Remus asked quietly, rubbing circles with his thumb into Sirius’ thigh. The other boy nodded, standing quickly, and exiting the kitchen. The conversations happening came to an abrupt halt and Remus could feel James’ gaze turn towards him. He looked to his friend, a silent conversation passing between them.
Is he okay?
No, but he will be.
Remus walked out, trailing through the living room and out the back door which lead to the Potter’s spacious garden. When Remus had first visited the Potter’s home when he was thirteen, he had the startling realization that James Potter was very well off. It was a bit daunting, especially since Remus’ whole house could probably fit within one room of the mansion and he had been a bit nervous to even touch anything in fear of breaking it. Of course, Fleamont and Euphemia were no stranger to rough-housing, having known exactly what they were getting into with their own son, and Remus’ worries were quickly put to ease when Euphemia simply waved her wand at a vase that had tragically fallen to the floor amidst their game of dog-pile on Peter. Young Remus had almost forgotten that magic existed outside of Hogwarts, and he was in awe at seeing performed in such a domestic setting.
His favorite part of James’ home though was the garden. It was so big! There were wonderful trees that provided much needed shade on hot summer days, and pools of water run by magic to keep the vegetation alive. There were many times the boys pretended to be magizoologists searching for creatures in a jungle, or highly trained aurors on the hunt for evil wizards and—Remus’ personal favorite—pirates looking for treasure. It was a place filled with joy and adventure and even as the boys got older, it remained their sanctuary. Sirius had spent a lot of time in the garden since he arrived, sitting by himself beneath the starlit sky, crying out for his brother and the family that had hurt him. Remus had watched in privately, not daring to intrude on such moments, but wanting to be within reach just in case.
Sirius sat there now, next to a bed of deep red roses, softly running his fingers across the petals. Remus walked up, careful not spook him, and sat down beside him. He flickered his eyes in Sirius’ direction and noticed the other boy had started crying, but he did not pry. Now was not the time for that. Instead, he let his fingers trail through the grass beneath him and let his words fall lazily off his tongue.
“I read a new book at the beginning of summer,” Remus began, his tone light. “Mrs. Dalloway. It was a quick read. The entire novel takes place over the course of one day, how interesting is that? It’s become one of my favorites I think. Woolf is a great author—Virginia Woolf, she’s the one who wrote it.”
Sirius seemed to perk up at this. “Woolf? Could you be anymore ironic, Moony?”
A light laugh escaped Remus. “Believe me, I know. Mum was worried about that when she got it for me.”
The tension snapped back into Sirius as quickly as Remus realized his mistake. Hope Lupin was a generous woman, young and vibrant with a taste for progressive ideologies and love for everyone she met. She adored her son and kept him safe, never shying away from him despite his affliction with lycanthropy and Remus sometimes forgot how lucky he was to have her in his life until he was sat next to Sirius and realized that the Hope Lupin’s and Euphemia Potter’s of the world were unfortunately not the norm for everyone.
“They hate me,” Sirius says abruptly. “They hate that I don’t agree with them. That I don’t want to fucking pledge my allegiance to some dark lord who wants to kill all my friends and I—” he chokes off, a sob escaping him, “I don’t want to care, Remus. I don’t want to be bothered by the fact that my mother would rather curse me instead of hug me and that my father would rather have me dead instead of tarnishing his precious family name. But I do. I do care because they should care. I’m their son, I am their fucking flesh and blood and if blood is all that matters to them then why don’t they care about me?”
There were tears in his eyes as he looked at Remus, tears that Sirius had been holding back ever since he was eleven years old and discovered that parents were not supposed to punish their children for wanting to be loved, the pain and anguish of that realization that had built up over time finally reaching a breaking point. Remus’ own heart was breaking as he stared helplessly, not knowing what to do. These were not problems children were supposed to have. They were supposed to be young, careless, and dreaming up pranks to pull once they got back to school. Instead, they had to contend with a looming war and parents who were cruel and a curse that transformed you into a monster. This was their life, and it would never be easy, Remus thought, not for them.
“Sirius,” Remus whispered, “there are no words I can say to express to you how sorry I am that you’ve had to deal with any of this. Your parents…they’re wrong. They are so fucking wrong and they are so fucking blind for not being able to love you. You are the most loveable human being. You’re generous and caring and you…you take notes for me. When I miss class. And you always make sure my pillows are nice and fluffy after the moon and you rub those soothing salves on my skin at night. And you make me that special tea whenever I’m sick and you read to me when I can’t sleep. You kiss me like it’s the first time every time and you love me like it’s the only thing you’re meant to do. You clean James’ glasses for him and you make sure his Quidditch gear is ready to go on game day. You help Peter study and you let him go on and on about divination with you despite it being your least favorite subject. You’re the first one up to dance with Marlene at the parties and you braid Lily’s hair whenever she’s feeling upset over her sister. You are one of a kind, Sirius Black. You are a good friend and a good brother and you are the love of my life. Believe me when I tell you that you are loved.”
Sirius stared at him, the tears falling from his eyes leaving trails across his cheeks. He reached out for Remus, pulling the taller boy closer to close the distance between them. Sirius’ lips met Remus’, a tender kiss filled with gratitude and love and the promise of forever. When Sirius pulled away, his eyes were still shining, but there was new fervor there, a look of life that Remus had not seen reflected in those silver orbs for a long time.
“I love you so much,” Sirius said. And he smiled genuinely for the first time in months.
Remus smiled back. “I love you, too.”
“Come on,” Sirius said, standing up and offering his hand. “Let’s head back in.”
#remus lupin#sirius black#james potter#peter pettigrew#lily evans potter#fleamont potter#euphemia potter#walburga black#orion black#regulus black#marauders era#marauders fic#wolfstar#wolfstar fluff#wolfstar angst#sirius black angst#remus lupin angst#sirius black fluff#remus lupin fluff#tw: referenced child abuse#tw: child abuse#💭 by kat
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RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Divide”
Hello, everyone, and welcome back! It feels good to be doing some normal RWBY-ing in this strange world of ours. First, some supplementary materials.
Number One: In response to any (valid) questions along the lines of, “Hey Clyde, it’s now been a full year since Volume 7 was airing and you still haven’t answered my ask about it. Or the ones about Volume 6… what’s up with that?” I’ve created what I hope is an informative video detailing the problem:
vimeo
(I assure you, the Earth, Wind & Fire was a happy accident during the screen recording.)
Needless to say, there’s a lot and I’ve known for some time now that I will LITERALLY never get through all my asks. Which doesn’t mean I don’t want you to send future thoughts in! Just know that as we head into Volume 8 territory I’ll most likely prioritize those, as well as any Volume 7 asks that aren’t woefully out of date. But I do want everyone to know that I read all the asks I receive, appreciate them immensely, and think too much about hypothetical answers, even if I don’t have time to actually write them out 💜
Number Two: There’s a bingo board this year!
Jury’s out on whether I’ll remember to update it, but at the very least this serves as a decent glimpse into my — and others’ — expectations going into this volume.
Number Three: I’ve collected a list of things I’ve heard about Volume 8 from what seem to be reputable sources. I did this because RT is developing a tendency to talk up certain points and then fail to deliver, either because something was taken out of a volume/moved to another, or because RT apparently has radically different ideas about what including something means. So this might be handy to keep on file and ask ourselves two months from now, “Did RT actually deliver on what they promised?”
Emphasis on Ruby’s leadership and how Summer’s death has impacted her
Insight into Ren and Nora’s flaws
May Merigold will supposedly have a larger part
More information about The Long Memory (Ozpin’s cane)
Theme of the volume is that you can respect someone but that doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with them
Very short timeline (supposedly just two days)
Yang in particular is very suspicious and distrustful
I was also going to include a list of all the threads that need to be continued/wrapped up, but honestly that would have taken too large a chunk off my life. Let’s just throw out the highlights:
Are we really going to have Qrow gunning for Ironwood?
Clover is dead regardless. Press ‘F’ to pay respects
Oscar bb you got shot please acknowledge this
Ozpin bb you got done dirty please acknowledge this
Penny is a Maiden now. I feel like the fandom has been sleeping on this (myself included)
Queer baiting, queer baiting… you’re on thin ice at this point, RWBY. Just skate on over to the queer snack bar before you fall straight into the lake.
Ren spill your deep dark secret already and it had better be something more than just ‘Oh no Nora might someday die :( ’
Salem is here so how the actual fuck is the cast surviving this?
Will Ironwood likewise survive his descent into antagonism? Yes or please yes no?
I think that’s all the biggies. I strive to keep lists like this in mind while analyzing, but honestly RWBY has a hundred moving parts that are abandoned or changed or simply retconned at the drop of a hat. So an attempt will be made.
Number Four (last one I promise!): Normal disclaimers and reminders for Recaps apply:
Please don’t fill up the already full inbox with flames. It’s still 2020. No one has time for that nonsense.
There will absolutely be typos and wonky parts because I try to get these out the same day an episode premieres. I have now been working on this for ten hours, nearly straight, and have no more energy for edits. Apologies in advance and RIP to my Saturdays.
I reserve the right to use stupid GIFs and memes at my discretion.
I strive to keep my focus on recapping/analyzing but salt tends to worm its way in… If you’re a die-hard RWBY fan with little patience for criticism, let alone (at times) snarky criticism, please proceed with caution.
No wait I lied, this is the last thing:
Okay, got that out of my system LET’S DO THIS!
We start not with the episode itself but rather Rooster Teeth’s (RT’s) strange non-promotion of it. If you follow my blog you may have caught the post where I pointed out that there was nothing on RT’s website to suggest that one of their most popular shows—if not the most popular show—was premiering today. Nothing on the main page. Nothing on the RWBY page either, not unless you count the Volume 8 poster background (easily mistaken for the Volume 7 poster) and the trailer buried all the way down past Episodes, past Merch, in the Bonus Features section along with videos like Live From Remnant and the volume intros. RT… the promotion of your feature show is not a bonus. This should be front and center! Honest to god, five minutes before the episode dropped I was checking the website for a Volume 8 section, a countdown, anything that would tell me the episode was imminent without relying on fans on tumblr to keep me in the loop. We got nada, zilch. I’m not sure whether that speaks more to RT’s iffy management of the series or simply the website’s horrible design—RIP losing RWBY on Youtube—but I was surprised when I saw the episode a few minutes after 11:00am. At that point I honestly expected to hear about a dely.
So that’s the mood I entered the premiere in, but truly? We start off strong. Things take a pretty severe nosedive later on, we’ll get to that, but I was impressed with our beginning and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that we start with our villains.
We open on a Cinderella character, Cinder, and thus I’m immediately pleased that we’re getting something about her backstory after all this time. Seven years! She appeared in episode one, folks! To say we’re overdue is an understatement. There isn’t a whole lot to go on, just a younger Cinder sadly scrubbing the floor, poised under a spotlight. What we learn, or potentially learn, is based far more in cultural knowledge than this scene. We know Cinderella’s story, which includes the abusive family, the longing for more, the eventual escape, and thus we’re able to read all of that in this image, despite the image itself not telling us any of this overtly. That means we could be wrong in our interpretation, but if we’re not it’s an easy shorthand in an already packed story.
What I’m really impressed with is the sound bridge between the scrubbing and her nails on the back of Neo’s chair. Fantastic way to confirm that this is Cinder as well as showcasing just how far she’s come. The sound of her labor has been replaced with the sound of her power and given that Cinder’s power is stolen, tied to a grimm arm, the property of a genocidal maniac… that’s messed up. It’s a Cinderella story gone wrong.
So yeah, Cinder tells Neo to head straight into the creepy, grimm infested blood cloud to see Salem and Neo is like, ‘Uh… no thank you?’ lol.
RT does a good job this episode with her expressions, ensuring we know exactly what she’s thinking despite an unwillingness/inability to speak.
Poor Neo might be in too deep, but I quite like the overall atmosphere of this opening. Say what we will about Salem’s awful characterization, at least she has style. This woman knows how to make an entrance and, piggybacking off of the Apathy, RT knows how to infuse horror elements into their fantasy. The red and purple coloring of the clouds, spiked whale teeth peeking through, bright orange in the background looking like explosions… that’s all 👌 Including the intro card.
The only thing I want to gripe about is this:
I’m sorry, why does the whale grimm have landing pads? Or something like it?? The whale otherwise works because it’s poised between the natural and the fantasy synthetic. It looks like a real grimm whale on the outside, but is sporting a throne room, a control panel, and other unnatural elements on the inside. It’s a visual indicator of Salem’s ability to control and change grimm. Now though, the additions are wrong, infringing on the line between organic and tech, the line between what helps the grimm individually (giving monkeys wings) and what just helps Salem. Every other aspect of the whale straddles that line wonderfully, adding to the creep factor, like a grimm version of the Uncanny Valley: it’s not quite a whale anymore… but landing pads? That looks ridiculous. Why does Salem even have that? How many ships are her people feasibly using? Why are there five?
Take it away, please.
Cinder waltzes in like this is a normal home visit, but Neo has an appropriate ‘What the actual fuck?’ face going on.
They approach Salem on her throne where Cinder immediately kneels, greeting her with, “My queen.” I mentioned during my trailer breakdown that I think Cinder is lying her ass off here, and I still think that based on a line we’ll get in a minute, but now at least we have a sense of how she can pull this off. A woman who started out as a (presumed) servant is going to know how to mimic subservience, even if her heart isn’t in it. Salem is very good at playing the girl who will still kneel and scrub the floor for you. She will scrub the floor, she’ll do everything you want, she’ll just be plotting her own rise to power while she does it.
There’s quite a bit of interesting cinematography in this episode, not all of it good, and I think one of the mistakes is here when we get a closeup on Salem’s mouth as she greets Cinder. A closeup like that should be reserved for more significant dialogue—“Rosebud”—and yet we get this shot again when Cinder tells Emerald to be quiet. It’s awkward and coupled with the numerous eye closeups we got in the trailer, I think RT is playing a little fast and loose with the camera. Each shot should add something to the scene, not distract from it. If you don’t have a reason for including a technique like that then leave it be.
Back to the actual dialogue though. We knew that Salem knew Cinder was alive and now it seems that she just expected her to come back? I’m slightly lost. It feels like we’re missing something here. Cinder goes off to secure the lamp, fails, nearly dies, wanders on her own for months, and then randomly shows back up on Salem’s whale doorstep, yet Salem isn’t angry at all? Did she have faith that Cinder would return when she has something to offer? Did she just not care about Cinder, considering her return an unnecessary but otherwise welcome surprise? That would make the least sense given that she holds the key to accessing Beacon’s relic… but that circles right back around to why Salem is seemingly indifferent to Cinder’s comings and goings. Surely she can’t actually believe that Cinder is loyal?
“So I trust you wouldn’t return to me empty handed,” she says. Yeah, trust means nothing in this show, Salem, didn’t you watch Volumes 6 and 7? Again, I simply don’t know. I suppose I’ll just chalk it up to confidence, that if Cinder did bail Salem knew she could track her down again. Deciphering her motivations and beliefs is a lost cause when the show continually gives us so little.
The important thing now is that Cinder does indeed have an offering and you can see that Salem is somewhat surprised at being handed the relic.
Cinder, of course, takes credit for the victory and we’re given another wonderful shot of Neo. ‘YOU took it?’
Oh, Neo. Best get out while you still can.
Tyrian appears having obviously made his way to Salem’s ship sometime between her arrival and now. The exchange is pretty standard for this group. He insults Cinder for failing and needing this victory to make amends, talks about how any win against Ironwood says more about his lack of intelligence than her skill, and Cinder… doesn’t have a whole lot of comebacks, actually. I’d say Tyrian won that verbal spar, enhanced by a better use of the camera when we get his tail looming menacingly towards Cinder and Neo.
He goes on to say that Watts was a “necessary sacrifice” so, uh… I’m just going to toss out the ask I answered yesterday. Based on our intro I’d say Watts is still significant to the volume—hacking Penny is my guess—but by the end? He could be in trouble.
(As a side note: I plan to analyze the intro next week. It’s just easier when it comes first.)
Tyrian also calls Neo “little one” which I just found absolutely hilarious. In an on brand creepy manner, that is. Not that Neo couldn’t kick his ass, but there’s something wonderfully chilling about having the serial killer use an endearment towards a potential victim, one that comments on her size while he’s looming.
In contrast, Cinder refers to Neo as a “valuable asset” and we get our third mood of the episode.
Who’s going to start a Neo reaction image collection?
It’s true enough on the surface—who wouldn’t want an ally who can turn into anyone else?—but we’re still bumping up against question of why Salem needs this. She’s immortal! She has an endless army! Magic! This scene works well with a villain who needs a skillset like Neo’s to succeed, but Salem doesn’t. RT is doing a great job writing a story thus far, just not the story we’ve previously been given. This isn’t the story they set up.
This will come back up when we reach the RWBYJNOR group. Just wait.
Before that though, the gang’s all here as Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel show up, all in new outfits.
I think I like everything except for the weird Xs on Emerald’s jacket—it’s way too distracting and frankly makes an otherwise good look ugly—and the fact that she’s showing her midriff in Atlas. Hazel doesn’t have any sleeves! Oh my god, why doesn’t anyone dress for the weather in this show?
Frankly, I found their reunion to be kind of lackluster. I mean, there was nothing wrong with it. Emerald does sound briefly excited, she does run, and it’s in character for Cinder to cut her off… it just didn’t resonate with me emotionally. I thought after two volumes of thinking she’s dead, then working through the knowledge that she’s alive, that I would feel Emerald’s shock and relief more, but I didn’t. And I’m not entirely sure why. I don’t want to level any accusations at the voice acting because frankly I know next to nothing about that skill (and from what I’ve seen it’s usually praised in the fandom), but I will say that throughout the premiere I was noticing it more than I ever have before. The lack of emotion here and some awkward deliveries later, like when Yang goes, “Ruby, there is no way Ironwood will cooperate with us” and I immediately thought, “Wow, that came out stilted.” These observations stick with me because, as said, voice acting usually isn’t on my radar. It’s not something I’ve studied or had practice analyzing. If you’d never told me that Ren or Qrow’s VA changed then after a year hiatus I literally wouldn’t notice… but there’s something about this episode that didn’t sit right. Anyone else get that sense, or was it just me?
Regardless, the arrival of our other three villains really doesn’t amount to much, though I’m happy for all the Emerald and Mercury fans who get to see them in new outfits. The focus is still on Cinder as she delivers a line indicative of her true motivations: “That power will be mine.” Yeah, she’s not loyal to Salem, she’s just power hungry. Of course, Salem immediately takes note of this and raises her hand, in another nice use of the foreground, reminding her that she hasn’t given that order.
Cinder is shocked, angry even, but quickly covers it up with her “Without you I am nothing” line. If I caught it right I think she also calls Salem “Ma’am”? Hilarious. Again, skilled at playing the servant.
Also, before I forget, it’s worth noting that almost everything from our trailer appeared in this episode. Yeah, there are a few details like Nora attacking some tech and the group on their bikes, but on the whole we’ve already seen the majority of our promo material and will likely get most of the rest next week. It makes me both interested and nervous for what another twelve episodes are going to hold.
Salem opens her whale, or opens a portal type view in it, something that gives us a long-distance look at Atlas. I don’t know what exactly is going on here, but it’s pretty so I’ll take it.
She also delivers the frankly badass line, “Just because you’re more valuable to me than a pawn does not make you a player.”
She waves them all away with perfect ‘You mean nothing to me’ attitude and we sadly leave our villains.
Sad not because I don’t love my farm boy, but because things are about to get a whole lot messier.
Oscar has made his way to a camp of civilian survivors… all of whom are just hanging out in the supposedly deadly cold. Yeah, there’s a single fire, but at least four of them aren’t anywhere near it. Three of them also aren’t wearing gloves. What was that survival rate again?
A nice if gruff dude gives Oscar soup—water?—while showing off his… badger claws? I don’t know what kind of faunus he’s supposed to be, but he feels like the sort of two second, minor character who could easily become a meme lol.
Oscar thanks him (my polite son!) and hands the bowl back after a single sip.
Which is impressive because I would have assumed the guy was giving me the whole bowl and just taken it. Hell, I’ve done that even when I didn’t assume it’s all for me. A Starbucks barista once approached me with a tray and a plate of samples, I knew I was supposed to take just one, yet for some reason my hand went to take the whole goddamn plate. He had to tell me off, then I was trying to explain that I didn’t actually want or think I should have eight shots of cappuccino all to myself, I don’t even like coffee, he clearly didn’t believe me… it was awkward. So good job, Oscar. You’re less awkward than me (though that’s not saying much).
Now a question, Oscar. Darling. Brilliant boy who has been through too much: why the fuck aren’t you talking to Ozpin? This will be A Thing later when he presents a lack of time to talk as justification for keeping more secrets (we’ll get to that too…) yet here is time! You’re just sitting there for who knows how long, with plenty of privacy to hide a supposedly one-sided conversation so the Mantle citizens don’t get weirded out or suspicious. Talk to Ozpin. Our headmaster gets two lines in this episode, utterly inconsequential lines like his airship scene, lines that feel like they exist to say, “See? He’s still included in the story!” even though he absolutely is not. Two volumes of mostly silence, a perfect setup to start the reconciliation process, but we’re going to put it off again?
Instead Ruby randomly and conveniently appears. I want to know how she found him. Oscar isn’t wearing a tracker. He clearly didn’t call them because he’s surprised when Ruby shows up. He fell alllllllll the way back down to Mantle and then wandered to a random part of the slums. You’re telling me they flew over the entire city—after beginning this search thinking he was in Atlas—and somehow managed to spot him from up in the air? C’mon. I would have rather had a beginning where Oscar makes his way back to the group himself, giving him and Ozpin time to hash things out.
“Need a lift?” Ruby says, eliminating that potential. Sigh.
Oscar immediately starts beating himself up when he gets onboard, saying that he “was stupid to think the General would listen.” Nah, you were stupid to buy into Ruby’s nonsensical confidence and for telling Ironwood he’s as bad as Salem. Sorry, Oscar, but everyone is written badly these days. I will, however, say that I am THRILLED at the group’s reaction to his return. Ruby says that she’s “just glad you’re alright.” Nora has a wonderfully tender moment where she hugs him gently rather than her usual glomp.
That? That added a year to my life. Everyone else seems relieved that he’s okay too, so kudos there. After four years of Oscar being an outsider in the group, this is one of the few moments that feel like he’s 100% accepted. Really glad to see it.
Now let’s see if it sticks after they learn Ozpin is back...
They fly to the Happy Huntresses’ base and I again feel like I’ve missed something crucial. When did they team up? I mean, RWBYJNOR was working directly under Ironwood up until the last hour and Robyn ran off to fight Tyrian/Clover in the last couple episodes. When did she have time to explain her (briefly) changed allegiance and why would the Happy Huntresses trust the group without that? Did Robyn share that Blake and Yang went behind Ironwood’s back for her? Do the Huntresses instinctively trust them because they’re now wanted by the military? How did they even run into each other?
Again, I think we would have been better served to have an episode before all this. Let Oscar make his way back and let the group struggle with the magnitude of their situation on the airship, before they find new allies. Transferring directly to, “They have help and a secret base and a plan in the works!” makes me feel like I missed the real premiere last week. You know, the one where Salem unexpectedly arrived and we left the group like this.
This is where we’ve ended up though. The group is cozy in this hideout, getting info from Joanna, and my only other thought is, “Why is she giving all this exposition?”
Shouldn’t it be May? I mean, we were told that she was going to play more of a role this volume, a promise that’s pretty important imo given her status as a (so far off screen) trans character, so why not put her in the role of mediator between the Happy Huntresses and RWBYJNR? Giving her that setup as a leader among her people as well as lots of lines would be meaningful. A trans character just existing and being a part of this fight! May could obviously still fill that role—I’m well aware that we’re only one episode in—but it just seems like a missed opportunity to me. Out of all the undeveloped Happy Huntresses, our premiere focuses on the one who has the least importance to the fandom.
As said, Joanna talks a fair bit but what it basically boils down to is trying to get everyone to the crater below Atlas. It’s apparently not safe, but it’s warm, which is what matters right now.
So… let me get this straight. You want to gather everyone into a not safe crater, by leading them through an army of grimm, so that they can wait there in case someone moves the Staff, thus dropping an entire city on top of their heads? That’s the plan? Which admittedly isn’t Joanna’s fault. This is another instance of RWBYJNOR having information that a leader does not and they should really consider speaking up about it. But of course they don’t.
Also, how long does everyone have in regards to the cold? Shouldn’t there be dead civilians by now? The time it would take to find the Happy Huntresses, team up with them, get settled in the base, and find Oscar says that things should be pretty grim right now (pardon the pun), yet every non-aura user in this city seems content to just hang out in the snow. Either the cold is deadly enough to justify moving everyone to the crater, or it’s mild enough to let everyone survive this long, not both.
After hugs are given everyone obviously wants to know what happened to Oscar. His response?
“It’s a… long story. I get the feeling there’s been a few of those tonight.”
That’s a check for the bingo card! We’re halfway through the first episode and we’ve already got another secret. Yes, this is a secret. Oscar actively chooses not to tell anyone that Ozpin is back—something Ozpin himself comments on—and then skillfully draws attention away from himself with “I get the feeling there’s been a few of those tonight.” Indeed, all eyes go to Penny. Oscar’s plight is forgotten, which is what he wanted. His justification?
Ozpin: “You’re not going to tell them?”
Oscar: “You and I aren’t done talking yet.”
Along with this look.
Oscar no. There’s so much wrong with this I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s create a list.
As said, you had plenty of time to talk to Ozpin and chose not to. Miss me with this excuse.
You are now doing to your friends exactly what you and your friends did to Ironwood, which in turn is what Ozpin did to you! I can’t believe we’ve got Oscar critically side-eyeing him when they are still—still—repeating the behavior they drove Ozpin away for.
What is there to even talk about now? Oscar didn’t punch himself/Ozpin (lol) but he did steal Jinn’s name from Ozpin in the first place. You got what you wanted, drove him away, and have been lying and keeping secrets ever since. The only thing they should be talking about involves apologizing. Any further criticism—which is what Oscar’s expression and curt reply suggests—is beyond hypocritical.
Seriously, what needs to be discussed? There’s no reason not to tell the group unless Oscar wants to talk about whether they should tell them. There’s no good ending here...
Don’t you think it would be nice to know that Ozpin is back and you’ve got super magic powers while making plans to save the entire world?
This is all especially stupid given Oscar’s “Salem wants to divide us” reminder to Ruby in a moment. Oscar, you are doing the most to divide the group right now. By not forgiving Ozpin. By refusing to work with him. By keeping him secret from everyone else.
This is bad, friends, I worry for what the rest of the volume will bring…
The story is done with Ozpin for now so I guess I will be too. The group continues filling Oscar in and we get some shots of the base, including a rather prominent poster of what I assume are two Happy Huntresses. Did they die in battle perhaps?
It’s a little strange.
Oscar: “Where’s Qrow?”
Me: “Likely still making bad decisions.”
No one knows so they just drop it. Which I kind of get, only so much you can do to find him if he’s not out on the streets like Oscar, but it still reads as kind of iffy that two nieces look down at the ground for a hot second and then move on with their plans, content to leave Qrow to whatever fate befell him. In a minute we’ll see Yang firmly take Ren’s side regarding helping the people they can in Mantle, which frankly comes out of nowhere for her. I think an easy motivation would have been Qrow. Ruby wants to save the world, Yang wants to find and save their uncle, and that just happens to align with Ren’s desire to save the civilians who need immediate grimm and cold help. Don’t get me wrong, I like that there’s finally some division between the sisters, I just wish it hadn’t come about so abruptly. Ren had setup for standing up to Ruby. Yang did not.
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Joanna lists the grimm horde and no heat as the major threats to everyone. The group agrees.
Me: What about Salem?
Joanna says that this is all doubly dangerous because there’s “no more military protection.”
Me: Oh, so now you want the military?
This is all so disjointed. Even more-so when Joanna mentions that Ironwood has stopped all evacuations to Atlas, likely due to the “hard light shields” that are the only thing standing between Salem and the city. Thing is, the show never makes this connection, I just did it myself based on this scene and the one that comes later. The show presents Joanna’s line as a pure condemnation. Ironwood won’t let more evacuees in because… he’s just evil, I guess. Yet there is a justification here, namely that continuing the evacuations even while he’s stuck without Penny leaves him wide open to a Salem attack, the death of everyone currently safe, but that argument is never presented to the viewer. I don’t need people to agree with Ironwood’s perspective, I just wish that perspective was offered as an option. The show is very good about acting like RWBYJNOR’s opinion is the only justified opinion, or simply the only opinion at all.
After everything is laid out Weiss goes, “We’re never going to sleep again, I just know it.”
I could make a crack about the lack of continuity and how the group should be collapsing right now… but that was a funny line. It can stay.
What is far more of a problem is the fact that no one is talking about Salem. Okay, that’s a lie. They do talk about her, but in a roundabout way like her presence isn’t impacting every decision they make. That’s the real issue. They’re acting as if Salem isn’t here right now, like she’s off far away, maybe approaching slowly, and they’re arguing over how best to prep the world for her eventual attack. There’s no emotion here—let alone action—to reflect that the series’ Big Bad has arrived and is poised to murder them all. Literally what is this? Ruby is yelling about warning the world and, ignoring the continued question of why that’s a good thing when the world can do nothing to stop Salem and knowledge of her continually drives people to horrible acts, she has yet to acknowledge that… she’s the world? Ruby is the world in this conflict. She, Mantle, and Atlas. Salem is here for you all. Right now. You are, this instant, in the situation you want to warn others about, so why don’t you try to do something about it? Or at least acknowledge it. Ruby wants to warn the neighborhood about a potential fire while her house is actively ablaze, and the fire could have totally killed her by now but decided not to for… reasons.
“Ruby’s right,” Nora says. They have to tell the world so “they can prepare.” How? How are they supposed to prepare for this? The story cannot continue ignoring Salem’s immortality.
“Ruby’s right,” is all Blake says and I’m starting to thinks that’s why her character exists now, to agree with Ruby. It’s great that she’s getting a little distance from Yang, but man.
As Ruby asks whether Pietro can get Amity up and running despite it not being finished (called it) we start an incredibly odd sequence of flashforwards to their individual missions. I’ve seen a lot of praise for this already and though I agree that, in theory, it’s a good way to save time, I found the actual execution to be jarring. Upon thinking back through our timeline, it became clear they were flashforwards, but while watching I thought they might be flashbacks (especially since that’s more common).
Some of the shots, like Nora’s, just look awkward when you’ve got the exact expression and pose transplanted from one scene to another, like she’s a cardboard cutout behind a green screen. To say nothing of how the flashforwards ruin any suspense (I use that word loosely) in the conversation itself. If the question is, “Will they decide to go to the military compound?” then that question is answered when we see Ruby scoping out the compound, not when the group actually decides on the course of action.
It just made an already muddled scene worse for me, so I hope this trend doesn’t continue.
And of course, Amity can be used despite all the info last volume claiming that it wasn’t finished. Pietro suddenly acts like it is finished and the only thing standing in their way is Ironwood providing access. If that were the case, he would have used Amity weeks or days ago like he wanted to! When was it finished? Not after Watts commented on how incomplete it was. When did they get back the resources they needed from Robyn? It’s as ridiculous and retcon-y as I thought it would be.
Yang points out that Ironwood will never listen to them and Ruby counters that “he doesn’t have to.” They’ll just take the access from him. Because why wouldn’t they in a series where they’ve already stolen two airships? Stealing from the super evil military that Joanna wishes were helping them right now is just the group’s go-to plan nowadays.
Pietro isn’t sold on this plan though. He lists at least three obstacles they’d need to get through “and then… oh boy, I might need to think about this some more.” “And just to clarify,” Oscar says, “This is the easy option?” Um...no it’s not? We also know there’s an access point in Ironwood’s office so… why not go there instead? They really think the Academy is less guarded than the military base? There’s a potential justification here along the lines of, “After Neo and Cinder broke into his office Ironwood will have the place on high alert,” but unless I missed it the group doesn’t assume anything like that. They just listen to Pietro point out all the ways they can’t get into the military base and jump straight to that being the best option. It feels like a transparent way to create conflict for the group. We’ll just have them taking the most dangerous route despite an easy route being offered alongside it. Why bother mentioning his office at all? Just have the access in the military base. Boom, done.
It’s that conflict and the fact that Ruby tends to hear “You can’t” and digs in her heels. You can’t go to Atlas. I’ll just steal a ship then. You can’t defeat Salem. Watch me. You can’t break into this base. Guess what I’m doing! She’s dangerous in her fairy tale, meta-driven insistence that everything will turn out her way because she wants it to.
Speaking of, we finally—FINALLY—get someone challenging Ruby. Sort of. Not actually but it’s the closest we’ve ever gotten:
Yang: “Ruby, when we came here we said we’d follow your lead… but things haven’t exactly worked out.”
Now, there are two things to take away from this moment. The first is how utterly shocked Ruby and the others are. I mean, take a look at these expressions.
Ruby straight up can’t believe what she’s hearing. Weiss put her hand to her mouth like this is the most dramatic thing to ever happen to her. Oscar looks down in a ‘Yeah, I agree but please don’t look at me and make me admit that’ way. And Nora looks indifferent in the screenshot but animated she goes sort of stern, likely pissed that Yang would dare say that given her own agreement with Ruby. This not only reiterates that Yang’s challenge came out of nowhere—seriously, how did we move from following Ruby no matter what to this? Last volume she asked a single question along the lines of, ‘You sure?’ and when Ruby said ‘Yes’ Yang was entirely on board—but also demonstrates that no one has EVER said no to her before. Ruby is amazed that someone would challenge her. The act of challenging Ruby is, in and of itself, shocking. This group has gotten so used to following Ruby blindly that the teensiest little pushback is greeted with this.
Because it is teensy. This is the second takeaway: Yang barely challenges her and that challenge leads nowhere. She doesn’t accuse Ruby of anything, she doesn’t question her continued authority, she just broadly implies that things could be better. We followed you, now things are bad, take from that what you will. It’s incredibly mild as far as criticism goes, making the shock all the more, well, shocking, but it also amounts to—wait for it—nothing! Because Yang didn’t truly challenge Ruby’s leadership. She’s still in charge, she’s still calling the shots, and they’re still listening to her. We might have gotten some change if this division had been allowed to play out, but instead Jaune comes in with a, “Let’s go for both!” solution. It let’s both groups get what they want which, in turn, releases them from the need to grapple with whether they’ll listen to Ruby when she’s advocating for something they don’t agree with. We have now lost the chance to see whether, when push comes to shove, Ren and Yang will cave to Ruby’s will or stick by their own beliefs.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s more conflict than we’ve gotten in years, but that doesn’t mean it’s particularly compelling conflict. It’s good by RWBY’s standards, which doesn’t necessarily make it good. The actual issues at hand—Ruby’s dangerous arrogance, the group’s loyalty, her choices up until now—are just swept under the rug. For all the visuals we get insisting that there’s this great divide in the group… there’s really not. Not in any way that matters.
Also, Ruby is an idiot. Okay, that was mean, but she really is in this scene. She’s actually not an idiot overall because she was written as wonderfully intelligent in the early volumes, but now? Lately? She makes me want to bang my head against a wall.
“But that’s how Salem got this far,” she cries. “By dividing us!”
Ruby… oh my god, Ruby. No one should have to explain to you that dividing people means turning them against each other, not literally dividing your team to complete separate tasks. This girl honestly thought that because there was this teensy disagreement and that half the team would complete Plan A while she and the other half completed Plan B, both of which notably work towards the goal of, “Protect people from Salem,” that this was somehow what Salem wanted. That is was dangerous. Honestly, it’s a scary look at her view of leadership too: If everyone doesn’t 100% agree with me and do what I say, that’s an objectively bad thing that the grimm queen wants, right? Does Ruby think that unification means following a single person (her) without question or variation? That would explain a lot...
The fact that Oscar needs to explain the difference to her is not good. It really doesn’t say great things about this version of Ruby. Though he was comparing Ironwood to Salem last volume, so really they should all be wearing dunce hats.
Penny offers to take the relic directly to Salem in exchange for her leaving the kingdom alone. I honestly didn’t expect that. If anyone took that risk I would have put my money on Ozpin (but of course, during all this talk of the women he knows best, he’s kept quiet). Oscar is again the voice of wisdom, pointing out that they have no reassurance that Salem will keep her word. At least Penny is thinking about Salem as a threat though, so kudos for that. When this plan is shot down she volunteers to get Ruby past the military security instead and, uh, she’s a little intense about it.
I’m not entirely sure what is going on with Penny. She disagreed with Winter but then seemed to come around to her point of view, enough to help anyway. They had another (stupid) disagreement about the value of individual lives, so that helps to explain why she’s teaming up with RWBYJNOR (if you ignore that Ironwood is also trying to save individual lives...). Did watching Fria die shake her up? Is it being the Winter Maiden that’s not sitting right? Does Penny have lingering feelings about the framing that haven’t shown up until now? Her status as a ‘real girl’? We’ve got a lot of reasons that could definitely explain this sudden need to fight, but we’re not told which—if any of these—is the driving force.
We’re then given a lot of little details. Someone points out that if Salem gets the staff and “create[s] anything else” then Atlas will fall (so yeah, let’s move the people underneath it). We still don’t know what exactly the Staff does because “creation” is kind of broad and “powering a city to float” doesn’t seem to sit within that category at all. Pietro gives Yang the keys to his lab so they can get the bikes. We see the group dividing in the flashforwards, something I do like, especially since the show has gone out of its way to break up most of the usual duos. Nora in particular is pissed at Ren for his choice.
“Oh, I’m saving Mantle because I actually believe we can do this.”
#yikes. Well, I did say I wanted a conflict other than ‘Oh no, one of us might die’ and it looks like I got it. But Nora, the only reason you can do this is because the plot is in your corner: none of you are collapsing from two major fights, you didn’t lose your aura so the cold isn’t a danger, the military is barely a threat all of a sudden, Salem is helpfully hanging out in her whale instead of killing you, and the story decided that Amity can function so long as you all are the ones who get to use it. That’s why you can do this. Ren, who follows in-world logic and doesn’t want to risk a whole kingdom’s worth of lives on a pipe dream, thinks differently, oddly enough.
As they leave though Penny gets a call from Ironwood. I know precisely what the fandom is going to say here: “This evil man is just trying to use Penny to open the vault!” Of course he is. He needs it open to save everyone he can, Penny included. Plus the concept of “using” her is a double-edged sword. What do we think the group is doing right now? Using her to get past the security. Penny’s power is a tool any way you slice it. Granted, Penny volunteers to help the group, but notably here Ruby speaks for her. Penny seems torn and Ruby takes the scroll away with, “She’s not going anywhere until you change your mind about Mantle.”
Sorry, Ruby, but coming from you that sounds less like a reassurance for Penny and more like just an order for Ironwood. Remember Harriet? We’ll stop attacking you provided you do what we want. Ruby has yet to learn about compromises, let alone acknowledge that she might be wrong. How about you let Penny decide where she goes, especially since by all logic she should have a lot of loyalty to Ironwood. She knew him before she ever met you. She’s worked with him since she was rebuild post-Volume 3. Despite what Penny has said, if the story would just let her think about his actions for a hot second—making her the protector of Mantle, sticking up for her after the framing, sending her to the party, teaming her up with Ruby, etc.—she might realize that the ‘He doesn’t want me to have friends’ and ‘He just treats me like a tool’ assumptions are just that, unfounded assumptions. But no, Ruby speaks for them both because Ironwood is evil now.
“If she makes it through our defenses,” Ironwood says, “everything that follows will be on your hands.”
That’s true! Kind of like how it’s own Qrow’s hands that Clover died. When you insist on making a bad situation worse you hold responsibility when the shit hits the fan. You know though that Salem won’t get through their defenses now, somehow, so that there’s no chance RWBYJNOR will be blamed for it. Or, by that point Ironwood will be so crazed that anything coming out of his mouth is dismissed, no matter how accurate it might be.
We then transfer to the Ace Ops who are, despite what the fandom theorized for many months, clearly upset about Clover. Also pissed. Which they have every right to be. Their friend and leader was killed. Imagine for a moment that Ruby had been murdered by Tyrian with an allies’ help. Exactly what do you think the group would do? Swallow it quietly and get over it? Ha.
I’ve already seen some speculation that Clover survived due to details like showing us the bandage and his room being listed as for a “Patient,” but he looks pretty dead to me.
He got gutted through the chest and left out in the snow for who knows how long. We saw him slip away. Qrow screamed over his dead body. He’s not breathing now. If RWBY suddenly claims he survived this, I’m calling BS.
Most of the other visuals we get here were already dropped in the trailer. Winter is pretty injured from her encounter with Cinder, likely permanently based on her new outfit. Ironwood had to replace his arm—and I am calling BS on that “Losing his arm is reflective of him losing his humanity” commentary from RT. Please go read up on a couple decades worth of ableism in media and then get back to me.
We get Ironwood’s line about the light shields and, notably, a whole lot of empathy. Regardless of what he might want Penny for, he still called her with compassion. He’s watching the Ace Ops mourn their friend. He’s talking about protecting his kingdom. The first thing he says to Winter is, “Thank you, Winter. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Ironwood has a heart! It’s always on display, which makes this scene utterly ridiculous.
I literally don’t know how to respond to this. The gunshot made me jump, both because it’s a gunshot and because, again, what the fuck? I know I said that next volume RT might just have Ironwood descend into full villainy, shooting whoever he pleases now that he’s shot Oscar, but I didn’t actually expect them to do it. Because he never should have shot Oscar in the first place! I wanted the story to let Oscar grapple with it a bit and then quietly backtrack, acknowledging it as the mistake it was. The concept that Ironwood, empathetic Ironwood, rational Ironwood, always thinks before he acts Ironwood, let’s kids yell at him Ironwood, tried to team up with Robyn Ironwood, did everything Ruby wanted Ironwood, won’t kill Watts after he destroyed his arm Ironwood would shoot this guy just to shut him up is absurd. It was absurd then, it’s absurd now.
That being said, there’s a possibility he didn’t actually shoot the council member, but rather just (“just”) gave a warning shot down the hallway. I say this because the reactions to this are pretty tame. Everyone looks startled, yeah, but after the initial shot there’s nothing that I would expect if there was now a guy bleeding out on the floor. The council woman doesn’t scream. Winter doesn’t seem overly shocked. No one is running to try and help him. Basically, if Ironwood had just killed a political figure in front of six witnesses, entirely unprovoked, I would expect a bit more of a reaction than this. This feels far more like a, “Damn he’s not joking around, letting off warning shots to get people to leave him alone” not “WOW, our general just killed someone in cold blood!”
What I really hate though—beyond just assassinating his character—is how many fans think my friends and I are delusional for calling it character assassination at all. I hopped onto the RWBY tag for five minutes this morning and was bombarded with posts about how Ironwood needs to be murdered horrifically, anyone who likes him is sick, the Ironwood stans are as bad as Adam stans, you’re an idiot if you want him redeemed… because apparently the concept of a story writing a character badly doesn’t compute. I’m not here to argue that Ironwood didn’t do these awful things (regardless of whether he actually killed the guy or not). I’m not here to argue that they’re not awful. I’m just here to say that we never should have gotten these scenes in the first place, or if we were going to get them, we deserved an actual descent into murder at the drop of a hat territory. I’ve already explained extensively on this blog how early Ironwood was not accurate foreshadowing for this, and Volume 7 certainly wasn’t setup, but it looks like the majority of fans aren’t interested in examining whether any of this adds up. Which makes my job, as someone trying to examine this series somewhat objectively—in as much as that’s possible for any single viewer—as well as simply enjoy it as a show, really hard. It’s bad enough when a story keeps taking the characters you love and villainizing them, and doing that badly, but then when you turn to the community and see them rallying around the idea that you’re awful for being dissatisfied—you’re the bootlicker, you’re the blind stan, you can’t see what’s ‘really’ going on here… that sucks. For those of you happy and satisfied with Ironwood’s arc, that’s great! I’ve also seen a lot of posts hyping up the complexity of his character now. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying what we’ve been given and I’d never want to imply that just because it’s not what I wanted it’s somehow wrong. I’m honestly thrilled that after a year of worry so many people have adored our premiere, including this scene. I just wish that I could say RWBY had given me something I didn’t want in a persuasive manner and that the fandom as a whole was a bit more welcoming of differing criticisms.
Not that I didn’t already know the RWBY fandom had its flaws, but still lol.
That’s basically it for our premiere. Nice note to end on, huh? Our final scene is of Salem using the lamp to set her bloodhound grimm on the city. Why doesn’t she just go herself? What was she planning to do here in Atlas in the first place, considering that getting the relic was a surprise? Who knows. Little about this holds together. But we do end with another awesome shot, so small favors.
It’s always strange concluding a recap, but even more-so when it’s a premiere, during a historical moment in the U.S., amidst all the nonsense that is 2020. So for now I’ll just conclude with three quick things:
The updated bingo board will be listed at the end of each recap, provided I don’t forget about it lol. Today I’m checking off tone (not nearly enough freaking out about Salem), the team keeping secrets (Oscar), and major plot point dropped (Amity is suddenly finished). I could also probably check off the cold not killing civilians and getting Amity up and running, but we’ll see if any changes with those.
I’m including my Ko-Fi link at the end of recaps now. Not with any expectations. Not with anything resembling pressure. I thought long and hard over whether to include it at all—let alone mention it here—because I love doing these and never want anyone to feel like it comes with strings attached. But life is a little harder and weirder than it was last year, so I figure it can’t hurt. Feel free to pass on by and I won’t be bringing it up past this note.
Far more importantly: thank you for reading! :D
(Bonus 4. Editing this was an absolute nightmare — damn you, tumblr! — so I apologize if anything is super wonky when I finally post.)
See you next week! 💜
[Ko-Fi]
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My Experiences of Nonhumanity
I get asked about “what makes you/people in general feel you’re/they’re otherkin” a lot, and while the answer is far from simple and my experiences are anything but universal, I figure it deserves a write-up once in a while. A friend asked about it a couple nights ago, so I wrote up a huge long message on Discord, and decided to rewrite it into a Tumblr post for posterity. This’ll be a long one, folks; hit J on desktop to skip.
It’s worth noting ahead of time: none of these things are required to be otherkin, and none of them automatically mean you’re otherkin. In fact, most of them are little more than mildly “weird” quirks when they occur in isolation, and only start to push outside the range of “normal human experiences” when many of them occur together. You can’t look at someone (including yourself) and say “they like collecting things, they must be dragonkin!” It’s not that simple. You have to take the individual as a whole even as you examine each specific experience in more detail - don’t lose the forest while you’re studying the trees. This is just a description of my personal experiences.
Shifts
- Phantom shifts/supernumerary phantom limbs: Probably the most obvious thing and the hardest to brush off, although I still managed to do so for years. Phantom shifts, aka supernumerary phantom limbs, are the experience of feeling limbs or body parts that do not and never have physically existed. In my case, the most common phantom limbs to show up are my wings and tail; other body parts, such as digitigrade legs, horns, snout, and paws/talons, also make appearances less frequently. While my phantom limbs almost never attempt to replicate tactile sensations/interactions with the physical world, they’re often defined by very vivid proprioception (ability to tell where your body is in space, mainly via muscle stretch receptors), and I can tell where each part of the limb is at any given time - it’s not just a shapeless sense of “weight,” or it wouldn’t be phantom limbs. I can also move them at will, typically. My phantom shifts are typically spontaneous and involuntary, but they’ve been induced artificially a couple different ways as well, though I can’t typically do it at will.
- Sensory shifts: Still not something I’m totally sure I experience, but there are definitely times my sense of smell becomes insanely strong compared to usual even for me, which fits the definition of a sensory shift.
- Astral shifts: While I’m far from an adept astral traveler, when visualizing “traveling” within my own mindscape, I shift form fluidly between human and dragon - although I almost always have wings at the very least.
- Cameo shifts: Mentioned only because it’s relevant to my phantom shifts. I realized at some point that the reason I get cameo shifts of canine/feline ears sometimes is because they usually show up when they’re pricking/flattening to express emotion, and the muscles that move to do that action are basically the same as the ones that do those actions with the crest that runs down my neck, and because of my obsession with cats/dogs/horses as a young child and because that’s not a particularly strong phantom shift for me usually, I connected the dots a little wrong and created a false association.
- Self-image: This isn’t technically a shift, but it’s going here anyway because it doesn’t really fit in any other section either. My body image/self-image is weird. I know, consciously, what I physically look like. However, my instinctive self-image is... hmm. What I “expect” to see doesn’t always match up with what’s actually there when I look in the mirror. Teeth are a huge point of fixation for me for some reason; I always expect them to be larger, sharper, stronger. I expect my neck to be longer, my face to be... different. I expect scales in places. I expect claws. Even knowing consciously that of course it won’t be there, it’s still strange sometimes that it’s not. There’s sometimes some mild disconnect when I see myself. (Sometimes not. But sometimes.)
Homesickness
(Or, the sense of missing something you’ve never had - not of “I want/want to be [x], and it makes me sad/upset that I don’t have/am not that,” but of “I should have/be [x], and it is fundamentally wrong that I do/am not.”)
- Flight: I have always wanted to fly, and for a long time I thought everyone ached for the sky the same way I did. Most people don’t, as it turns out. Yes, everyone’s fantasized about flying, but most people don’t feel bones-deep, crushing, physical pain in their chest thinking about it. Most people don’t lift up onto their toes instinctively straining for the sky. I’ve felt that aching longing for it for as long as I can remember.
- Connection to dragons: For as long as I can remember knowing about dragons, I loved the idea of them and even when I was very young, when I’d only really been exposed to media where they were the great evil for the hero to defeat and received no more character development than “evil, destructive, fire-breathing beast,” I was always on the dragon’s side and wanted to learn more about them. That hasn’t faded. I’ll watch an absolutely terrible movie or TV show that I otherwise loathe if it has good enough animation and sound design on the dragons. (Looking at you, Game of Thrones.*) I would commit arson to see one of those Isle-style dragon survival games actually go through and finish production. (Holding out hope for the Dragon Game Project on YouTube; go check them out if you haven’t already.) I’ve also used dragons to represent myself for pretty much as long as I’ve had an online presence - years before I ever heard of otherkin, I was calling myself Dragonheart.
- Dragon-like creatures: Snakes, crocodilians, and dinosaurs all fall into this category - all of them give me a similar heart-and-breathing-pick-up, aching familiarity to dragons. They’re not perfect, but in a snake’s scales and a crocodile’s bellows and a dinosaur’s spectacular reptilian size I see echoes of us and I have always loved them with a passion, even before I quite knew why.
- Dragon/”monster” noises: Sound generators, creature sound design, real animal noises, etc. that are meant to be monstrous and that most people find unsettling or even frightening, I find comforting and relaxing. Alligator bellows, “monster noise” soundscapes, etc. all apply here.
* No shade on anyone who likes Game of Thrones, I’m just not a fan. :P
Behaviors/Instincts/Urges
- Hoarding: I’m still not sure how much of the crystal thing is "monkey brain say Shiney Colorful," how much is a witch thing, and how much is a dragon thing, but some of it is a dragon thing.
- Territorial/possessive nature: I can get... extremely territorial over my stuff and my home. This can extend right into being ridiculously protective of my people too, although I do try to rein that in to a reasonable amount. This also extends into games like Capture the Flag, because put me on defending the border during middle and high school and I got frighteningly territorial. (Fun fact, this extends to spiritual protection stuff and it has almost gotten me in trouble a few times on that front.) The other main side effect is my brain trying to claim completely inappropriate things as “mine,” like every piano I have ever touched or, that one time, the entire city of Portland.
- Prey drive: Going on a walk in the woods with me will always be an exercise in stopping every twenty seconds because I heard a small animal move in the brush and froze instinctively to track it. Prey drive ranges from "okay I can indulge this enough to track-stalk-chase without actually intending to catch-kill-eat" to "this is entirely inappropriate and needs to Stop Right Now" depending on the day and the situation - sometimes it’s fairly low-key and innocent, but sometimes it's also being confronted with the sudden and completely serious/genuine thought of grabbing someone or something by the neck/around the body with your jaws and hunt-prey-kill-devour when it's completely inappropriate and kind of disturbing or even sickening. It’s one of the more annoying things, although it’s not like it’s severe enough that I’m an actual danger to anyone - it’s just a gut thought that gets filtered out at the conscious level without significant problems. This also bleeds into games (I get... maybe a little overenthusiastic during tag) and even watching TV shows or gaming videos - most of the time at least part of me is rooting for the hunter because I relate to them as a fellow predator, even if the audience is supposed to be rooting for the prey - I mean, protagonists.
- Basking/heat-seeking: Probably only partially a dragon thing, but despite the fact that I hate heat in general, radiant/sun heat and heat from a heated surface are both fantastic feelings provided the ambient air temperature isn't too high. I'm guessing this is at least partially a reptile brain thing.
- Height-seeking: Give me a chance to climb up on top of something - a rock, a cliff, a chair, a table, a bunk bed - and look out over everything else, and I'll take it in an instant. Getting to climb up on the roof is the best thing that's happened to me this entire quarantine.
- Flight instinct: Being mildly leery of cliffs not because I am afraid of falling, because I'm really not, but because there's always some part of my brain that goes "jump, fly, this is a perfect takeoff spot" and I have to squash that before I do something particularly stupid. This manifests in other ways, but that's the most dramatic (and annoying) one. This is also one of the things I noticed as definitively not normal long before my awakening. (The Grand Canyon was fun.) Similarly to the prey drive thing, it's not like I'm actually in danger of throwing myself off cliffs, it’s just - there's a not-insignificant part of my brain that thinks "hey we should go run and jump off and take a quick flight," in the same way I might also casually think "hey I should stroll across to the corner store for a bag of chips" before I consciously decide whether or not to do that. It’s the exact same type of thought process, despite the fact that one of those things is something I might do on any given school day, and the other is, you know, physically impossible.
- Combat instincts: I get in a fight and my pure instinct is to bite or claw, not kick or punch or whatever it is humans do instinctively. I have those reflexes now courtesy of Krav, but I had to train them in - if you’d thrown me into a fight before, I absolutely would have resorted to claws/nails and teeth immediately (and I still will, when pressed into a corner). Sometimes, unfortunately, this goes off completely unwarranted, either in an anger situation that does not deserve a physical response, or for no apparent reason whatsoever. It's one of the more problematic things, but once again - it’s not like it’s a compulsion, just a gut-emotion thought that gets filtered out at the conscious level.
- Scent focus: Who knows how much of this is environmental influence and how much is instinctive, but I always have and still do focus on scent more than most humans seem to. I can identify people by scent, I seem to pay more attention to it than most people do. I also seem less bothered by natural body smells than most people do, but considering the responses when I asked around in the otherkin community once about that, unclear whether or not that's connected.
- Nonhuman noises: I make just a bunch of weird nonhuman noises, and always have. Growls, hisses, croons, hurrs, throat-clicks, chirps, etc. I've never met any human who does them instinctively like I do except my half-sister (whom I didn’t meet until a couple years ago), and she was just as surprised to hear me do it as I was surprised to hear her do it.
- Affection: Face-rubbing, light head-bonking against someone’s shoulder/body/head, and love nips/bites are all perfectly acceptable ways to show platonic affection, to dragon brain. Human society disagrees. The instinct to do these things is so strong that I definitely do give into the first two with people I’m close with, and I have physically had to catch and restrain myself when I was about to unthinkingly bite/nip someone’s skin because I wasn’t paying enough attention.
- Movement: Moving on all fours just feels better than moving on two legs, even though it’s objectively physically uncomfortable because humans aren’t built for that. I also have the instinctive want to be a lot more flexible than I’m capable of being, in ways I’m not capable of being - curling all the way around something or someone to squeeze them tight in the coil of my body, turning my head a hundred eighty degrees because my neck Should Be Longer.
- Expression: Baring one’s teeth when frustrated, irritated, or angry is not a particularly human instinct. I realize it’s something a lot of primates do do, but. *gestures at society* Humans ain’t one of them, at least not anymore. Even in Krav Maga, which is a self-defense style that focuses on being vicious and “dirty fighting” to survive a real street fight, every single time I have a new partner (and most times I have a partner I’ve worked with before) and I get tired enough to get snarly, they respond with some variation of “god that’s scary”. See also: gesturing at things with my nose because it should be long enough to make that a much more dramatic gesture than it ends up being.
- Den/lair/small spaces: I never feel safer than when curled up in a tiny alcove just big enough to comfortably fit my body curled up into it. The only position I’ll prioritize over it is getting up onto a high space.
Past Life Work
Unlike every other bullet point on this list, most of these didn’t apply until I started actively seeking them out, because, you know. Past life memories are like that.
- Past life regressions: I’ve got a tag for these, but tl;dr I take anything I learn from a past life regression or similar meditation/visualization with a whole spoonful of salt, forget “a grain,” because I know for a fact my brain is very good at making stuff up with these types of exercises. Unfortunately, they’re the only way to get information on certain things, like appearance.
- Tarot: Got a tag for that too. I use tarot to ask questions and confirm or reject suspicions.
- Spontaneous memories: I don’t have many, but they’re clear as day when they do appear. I don’t count something as a “true” memory unless it includes senses I can’t reproduce through imagination - smell and touch, mainly. Mostly these are quick flashbulbs, nothing cinematic or anything like that.
- Noemata: Again, I don’t have much in the way of noemata, but what I do have is persistent and consistent. I know things about my wing shape and flight style despite not having really experienced that in detail during past life regressions. That particular set of noemata has been confirmed to fit with real-world physics and bat wing shapes (the closest wing type to mine that exists or has existed on Earth).
#think that about sums it up#otherkin#dragonkin#this got real long#long post#journaling#rani talks#feel free to reblog if you like
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Jane is Lore 2020
Ok, here’s the round up of the ghost part of the situation with @keepbeachcitysafe and @keepbeachcityweird.
Theory: Ronaldo’s girlfriend Jane is the key to figuring out Rose Quartz is not gone, largely via a constellation of background clues. If that sounds ridiculous, I understand. I’m Ronaldo. Actually I’m not Ronaldo, but hopefully I’ll have a post about him too soon. I hope we can all have fun together tho
This post is very, very long and involves a lot of images. It will be confusing at first, but please entertain the thought and keep reading, and I hope it clicks into place. I may need to update it later.
Three sections for supporting evidence:
1. Restaurant Wars, Jane, KBCW/KBCS blogs’ interaction & contents
2. Astral projection/ghosts/fusions
3. Dogcopter secrets
Restaurant Wars Saga & Jane’s appearances
So Ronaldo has a blog at @keepbeachcityweird - he also published a book based on his blog called Keep Beach City Weird: You Can’t Hide the Truth!!!, which is available for purchase.
On April 23, 2014, Lion 2: The Movie airs. Jane appears for the first time working the ticket booth at the movie theater and sees Lion and the kids fight a killer robot. Dogcopter 3 is playing at the theater.
April 23, 2014, Ronaldo at Keep Beach City Weird also posts about seeing Dogcopter 3 at the movie theater, where the parking lot is a mess, presumably from Steven, Connie and Lion’s robot training fight.
He mentions “First of all, it’s a huge mistake to turn the last Dogcopter book into THREE movies.”, but that’s less relevant to this particular post. The important thing is that he, like Connie, follows Dogcopter, who’s also associated with Jane. (We’ll get to Dogcopter’s appearances in SU in the last part of this once the context is established)
Ronaldo’s posts in general document specific events and details in his home Beach City, but that’s another post entirely.
Exactly a year later, Ronaldo on April 23, 2015 posted about receiving a mysterious letter, which might be from Jane because (beneath a great deal of smudging) it appears to call Ronaldo the CUTEST GUY EVER! (This isn’t crucial or anything, just noting it as one of our first Jane points).
I GOT A LETTER TODAY!!! But for some reason it was all wet and I can’t even tell what it says. Is it a love letter? Is it a death threat? Please tell me! I need to know if I should lock my doors or open my heart!
Jane also appears in Beach City Drift. After Beach City Drift, keepbeachcitysafe posts an episode reaction blog, on July 22 2016, and takes special notice of Jane.
Hey did you guys notice that girl that keeps appear. We saw her when Steven took Connie to the movies and now she’s here. I wonder if she’s involved in something. Hmmmm. So Stevonnie raced Kevin down the hill in his Himitsu X12, that’s secret in Japanese.
(Kevin’s Himitsu X12 is his car, in the middle there. We’ll come back to this and what KBCS means in a second.)
July 25 2016, Restaurant Wars airs, the third of Jane’s four appearances in SU. In this ep, Jane comes a long way to return Ronaldo’s Koala Princess DVDs, and catches Ronaldo with Kiki and is upset.
KBCS posts another episode reaction blog, pays attention to Jane again, and says they plan to message Ronaldo.
Ronaldo says he can’t do it because of his girlfriend. Ooo, he has a girlfriend, that’s pretty cool, you just know whats gonna happen next.
Ok so, Ronaldo’s, GIRLFRIEND, (imagine me saying that in slow motion) showed up at the worst possible moment.
Everything was back to normal. Except poor Ronaldo, I should sent him a letter to cheer him up. Seen ya next week.
Almost immediately the KBCS and KBCW blogs play out a little interaction online:
Ronaldo goes through some stuff.
No post today. If anyone needs me I’ll be at Brooding Hill… where I’ll be CRYING.
I usually cry at Crying Canyon, but it’s closed right because of some flash flood warnings.
Then Ronaldo posts KBCS’s letter.
Note how KBCW caps this message so the name is clearly visible? It’s referring to Ronaldo’s bio:
It’s not very cheering...but things work out shortly thereafter. Jane likes one of Ronaldo’s posts and all seems well.
I think it’s going to work out you guys. Thanks for all your support.
After this, Ronaldo doesn’t post again until Rocknaldo several months later, and one last time after publishing his book.
That’s April 18 2017. The KBCW tumblr is never updated again. KBCS’s final post is not long after, Jul 4, 2017.
Finally, Jane makes a cameo alongside Ronaldo in the very last scene of Steven Universe Future, “The Future.”
Koala Princess, Astral Projection and Psychic Ghosts
So some interesting patterns come up when you connect the two blogs, the clues associated with Jane, and some understanding of Steven’s powers. Let’s revisit Keep Beach City Weird, a Ronaldo’s primary blog, and Keep Beach City Safe, which contains mysteries too big for this simple Dogcopter/Jane-hime lore post.
Keep Beach City Weird - Ran from September 2013 to April 2017, with a lot of posts made in October 2015 and July 2016.
Keep Beach City Safe - Ran from June 2015 to July 2017, with most posts in 2016 of course.
Let’s look at a timeline of posts. I’m going to call out things that we’ll connect to the Jane lore at the end.
Keep Beach City Weird: Ronaldo’s blog
Nov 1, 2013, days before Steven Universe first airs: KBCW’s first post is all about Astral Projection.
Astral Projection! The ability to travel outside your physical body and into other planes of existence!
I began to feel lightheaded and before I knew it, I was floating above my body. Amazing! I walked out onto the boardwalk in my new ASTRAL FORM, and you know what the weird thing was? Nobody even said hello to me. I was COMPLETELY INVISIBLE! I mean, usually nobody really notices me, but this was a different kind of not being noticed. This was not being noticed on another plane of existence - so I didn’t feel bad about it.Anyway, after being ignored in the arcade and Fish Stew Pizza, I got bored and I went back to the fry shop to re-merge with my body.
Astral projection is a power Steven demonstrates a number of times, and you’ll see among these posts that certain powers of Steven involving this stuff are called out by the blog.
Connie: What? Where are you? How are you...?
Steven: I’m not sure, but I think it’s a classic psychic ghost type situation.
Connie: Ah, of course! So, what’s the plan?
from Reunited
Steven: Oh man. I fell asleep and had this weird dream. I opened the door and Lapis was there, and-
Pearl: Well, that doesn’t make any sense. Lapis is fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean.
Steven: You’ve never had a dream before, huh?
Pearl: Uh, I don’t think so.
from Chille Tid
August 28, 2014, Joking Victim, Ronaldo posts about ghosts. And an arsonist from about 150 years ago.
September 04 2014, Steven and the Stevens, Ronaldo posts about "cross dimensional travelers”
And all the cross dimensional time travelers I know don’t want to go on the record about their experiences.
Not mentioning posts that don’t mention ghosts/astral projection/dimensions in some capacity, but in realtime Ronaldo liveblogs in response to episode events.
Ronaldo also answers some fan asks. On October 31 2014 after Keep Beach City Weird he answers this question about floaters with “BACTERIAL GHOSTS” in all caps, this one about his first encounter with the supernatural (the events shown in Horror Club, which aired February 12, 2015)
Nov 2014, Ronaldo posts twice about Watermelon Stevens and a review of the anime Soul Blaster, “Like every anime, Soul Blaster is about a high school student. Our hero is a cool dude, with even cooler hair named Kyosuke. He battles rogue spirits with the help of his Soul Blaster - which happens to be powered by the spirit of his deceased younger brother, Kettaro. “
On December 4, 2014 Ronaldo posts about Koala Princess, who will become important in this post when we get back to Dogcopter and Jane. Koala Princess is repeatedly used as a stand-in for talking about Steven’s journey. In this post Ronaldo says:
AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Ok, so I just finished the final episode of Koala Princess and I don’t want to get too emotional on you guys but I CAN’T STOP CRYING! Koala Princess goes on a walkabout and enters dreamtime and finally MEETS HER KOALA MOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! SLKDJFSDJ:FS
I’ve got so many feels! These feels are the real deals! On wheels! WHAT AM I SAYING?! I’M GOING CRAZY!!!
Lion 3: Straight to Video aired on the same day as Ronaldo’s post. In this episode Steven meets Dogcopter in a dream, and then sees his mother Rose Quartz for the first time - she speaks to him via a VHS tape.
After Alone Together, Ronaldo posts about Stevonnie, who is a fusion. He also gets stuck under a fridge for a bit after Future Vision in January 2015.
And I want TO GET OUT FROM UNDER THIS FRIDGE!
He posts like five times about it in the same day because he’s freaking out.
And also I want my body to be shot into space with a print version of my blog so an alien civilization can find me reconstruct my body and worship me.
On February 19 2015 after Winter Forecast, he posts about using time travel to fix bad decisions:
Sometimes I think about all the bad decisions I’ve made and how they’ve affected my life, and I wish I could go back in time and change them. But unless I can find a way to break into the Pentagon and steal a time bike, I’m just stuck with having regrets.
After Political Power Ronaldo claims glowsticks are filled with ghost blood.
Anyway, then stuff happens.
January 4 2016, after The Answer, Ronaldo posts about seeing Dogcopter 4 and shares the poster for it.
One interesting thing about the poster is that if you invert it and mess with the contrast a bit, a strange diagram appears on the left. A true mystery.
And after months of avoiding and spoilers or teasers or trailers, I was in line for Dogcopter 4, and then some dummy walking out of the theater TOTALLY SPOILED EVERYTHING and was like, “I can’t believe that Dogcopter’s parents are actually cats.”
Coming back to Dogcopter in a minute, but these are relevant details.
Dogcopter dies defending the planet but then he comes back to life because he’s actually part cat and cats have 9 lives.
On Jan 5, Steven’s Birthday, Ronaldo posts about celebrating his birthday on a different date every year.
Every year, I celebrate my birthday on a completely different day. Why? To keep my birthdate a SECRET so that no clandestine government agencies can steal my identity!
July 2016, the saga with Jane and KBCS above happens. When he’s sad about Jane breaking up with him, the same day Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service comes out (in which Steven astral projects into Kiki’s dream), he listens to sad music.
Ugh, I wish I had some sad music to listen to at work. All I have is a playlist of video game soundtracks and some EVP recordings of ghost hauntings. I guess ghosts are sad. I’ll just listen to those.
But if you’re feeling happy, I do suggest listening to the “Go-Go Gorilla Go-Go Kart Racing” soundtrack. Some solid 16-bit J-reggae.
This post may partly be a reference to the Sadie Killer song G-G-G-Ghost, which is performed in The Big Show and wouldn’t air for a bit, but is also astral projection related.
Why can't you see me?
Why can't you see me?
I think I might be
A g-g-g-ghost.
Can't you see that I exist?
And I don't need an exorcist
To let me out
Look at me and I'll appear
Why can't you see that I'm right here?
That I'm right here?
Why can't you see me?
Why can't you see me?
I think I might be
A g-g-g-ghost.
I'm calling you from the other side
Once Ronaldo has gone through grief and anger, he resorts to begging her to come back. This post is from July 28, the day Alone at Sea aired in which Jasper begs Lapis to return.
Much like Koala Princess’ vision in the Eucalyptus Jungle in Season 5, Episode 13 what you saw on the Boardwalk the other day was not what it seemed. I was only pretending to date Kiki to defend my family’s honor, just as the Kanga-ronin did in Season 1, Episode 3!
Here is another Koala Princess reference. There are a couple SU references in the episode numbers in this post.
The events of Season 5, Episode 13 of KP was not what it seemed: for Steven Universe, this is Your Mother and Mine, in which Garnet tells a story told to her by Rose Quartz. It later turns out to be a false origin story to cover the truth that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond.
Kanga-ronin pretended at something to defend family honor in Season 1, Episode 3, which in SU is Cheeseburger Backpack - where Steven buys a novelty backpack so he can carry things on missions to be useful for the gems, fails his first mission and pretends he’s fine. The events of this ep are later referenced in The Test.
Finally, Koala Princess’ vision in the Eucalyptus Jungle is a reference to Stevonnie’s vision in Jungle Moon, which is Stevonnie’s first interaction with Pink Diamond via a memory dream. In this dream, all was not as it seemed either.
Then the KBCW blog doesn’t post until Feb 2017, after Rocknaldo. A couple ghost and dream-y quotes from here:
In my searches for THE TRUTH, I’ve done a lot of listening. I’ve listened to haunted houses to hear ghosts from other dimensions. I’ve listened to radio signals from the cosmos for signs of alien life.
I’ve also learned that HUMANS NEED TO SLEEP. I didn’t sleep for 48 hours and I PASSED OUT FOR DAYS.
Ronaldo’s final post is an ad for his book, which comes out during a hiatus, and he references Koala Princess again:
I did have a little help from some fellow truth-stigators I met on a Koala Princess forum, Ben Levin and Matt Burnett, but most of the work was definitely done by ME!
Now let’s look at Keep Beach City Safe.
Keep Beach City Safe: [???]’s blog
For KBCS, I’m only going to skim to address ghost/astral projection related content that comes back to the business with Jane, Dogcopter, Koala Princess and Rose. The rest of this blog is a little too big for right now.
It’s interesting that KBCS seems to have mostly flown under the radar, but between the Jane arc and a couple other things I believe it to be legit. Suffice to say I’m treating it as real and you will see why in a minute.
For KBCS I’ll mostly mention which episode a post is associated with, but not the date like with Ronaldo’s.
KBCS’s reaction blog to Nightmare Hospital includes a couple relevant lines:
Where was the Gem M.? I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around! It was mom!
Don’t tell me It’s on the other side of the hall corner. That would mean it saw mo- Connie’s mom!
KBCS posts a blog between Too Far and The Answer, in which they review a number of events. (They post another blog about fusions in which they describe Garnet and Stevonnie’s components as well)
During the movie the TV just shut down and they were being chased around by a “ghost”. It was actually a gem stuck inside the house, making the house seem like it was possessed.
They also get pretty excited about Steven’s birthday.
Only a few more minutes until Steven’s Birthday!
Eeeeh! Only a few mins left until midnight. We finally get to learn about Garnet’s past! Are guys happy, I know I am. I can’t even express how happy I feel, but I’ll try. And I will not act crazy while doing it, Imma keep it cool. So it’s like Peace and Love had a son, and his name was Steven! Then Steven fused with Connie, who was the daughter of Happiness. And they formed Stevonnie, who was made of everything right within the universe!
On Steven’s Birthday they also post about the Dogcopter 4 movie.
I’m gonna be a Smart Spoiler and drop hints in my post for you guess. Only those who have watched it will notice the clues. Yep, watching it 9 times.
This clearly references Ronaldo’s post about Dogcopter having nine lives, but KBCS is a little more considerate about spoilers.
In KBCS’s “It Could’ve Been Great” post, they’re still talking about Steven’s birthday. There’s a promo image attached as well.
To start things off I just wanted to say: I did see Steven turn into a baby? And I would also like to say: DID YOU SEE STEVEN TURN INTO A BABY!?!?
So, by now your probably wondering what the second image is aren’t you? We clearly it’s a pic of Rose holding a cupcake candle.
We, here at Keep Beach City Safe, thought that Steven would’ve liked to have his mom at his birthday party. Happy Birthday from all of us at KBCS. Hope you like it.
Future Vision reference. (Some of this is less relevant to the Jane thing but I’m pulling quotes that are related to fusion and stuff in the hopes it gets clearer)
This reminds me of the time that Garnet gave Stevens her future vision. I don’t know what happens exactly, but I think you see what’s going to happen in the future hence the name future vision. Being able to see into the future would be awesome, yet terrified at same time.
There’s a great post about Pie Day - in fact, KBCS posts about Pie Day a few times. They call out Pearl, too, which reminds me of a certain prolific fandom video editor’s handle.
You know who else knows about Pi. Pearl, but also Peridot.
Pearl Doesn’t Like Pie. Happy Pie Day!
This is not a good photo of Pear let’s see if we can find a better one. Now that’s better.
Sorry for the tangent. Let’s talk koalas now.
KBCS posts about The New Lars. They have thoughts about Steven’s ability to hop into other bodies, namely the question of whether Rose could do this as well.
Steven is worried that Lars isn’t being truthful about his feelings. So through his dreams, Steven jumps into Lar’s body, and trys to make his life better. But he only makes things worse.
Steven somehow possessed Lars’s body through his dreams. He’s done it before and he’ll do it again, we have a word for it now: Dream Possession. But he can also enter dreams.
He did it with Lapis, the Watermelon Stevens, and now Lars. That’s one gem, one sentient plant, and one human. Well with lapis he was merely communicating with her. This, new power, is seems to activates itself whenever Steven wants to help someone, but can’t because something getting in the way. Could this be a power passed down from Rose, or is this a power he himself posses?
#koala vs sloth
in The New Lars, koalas come up twice. Koalas in SU are associated with Steven’s astral projection powers. Remember how Koala Princess met her mother in the dreamscape?
Steven: For your consideration...The koala, a marsupial from the forests of Australia, and the sloth, hailing from the forests of South America. Who should be crowned the king of the "Hanging Around Doing Nothing" mammals!?
Steven in Lars’ body: Whatcha doing? Hanging out?
Buck: Yeah.
Steven: That's cool. Would you say you hang out more like koalas or sloths? Uh, I'm asking for Steven.
Steven: Um... I'm really, really sorry about yesterday. I got you a card, it's got a koala and a sloth.
From The New Lars. Steven references koalas three times.
KBCS gets to Beach City Drift. They take notice of Jane and of Kevin’s car.
Hey did you guys notice that girl that keeps appear. We saw her when Steven took Connie to the movies and now she’s here. I wonder if she’s involved in something. Hmmmm.
So Stevonnie raced Kevin down the hill in his Himitsu X12, that’s secret in Japanese.
So while we’re back on the subject of Jane, here’s something interesting about Dogcopter and the Himitsu X12. They both show up in advertisements together in the background of Empire City.
Mr Greg
Same Old World
This is what KBCS is talking about - Dogcopter has a secret.
For Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service, KBCS has more to say about dreams.
She has a nightmare and Steven, coincidentally, falls asleep after eating and enters Kiki’s dream. Now Steven The Dream Warrior, must help Kiki battle her dream, and finally end this nightmare once and for all.
Steven, who for some reason keeps going into people’s dreams, goes into Kiki’s dream.
Steven fought for about week, and he’s was tired by day four. And we know from experience that a sleepless Steven, is a cranky Steven.
This is the same power Steven used in Chille Tid. and look who showed up again?
After Monster Reunion airs, KBCS posts a liveblog and includes a far-fetched accusation that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond.
Think about it! A Diamond should have access to all gem controlled tech, right. And if Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, which she is, then she should be able to too, right. And Steven has Rose’s gem. So now Steven can access gem tech. And one more thing to prove this theory once and for all.
But there’s one thing that doesn’t add up. Rose Quartz… is a Quartz. How could she be a Diamond?????? Maybe I’m wrong, she could have been just working along side Pink Diamond. Maybe this just a crackpot theory about the impossible. I don’t think gems can turn into different gems? who knows, I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.
When KBCS gets to Crack the Whip, they take note of Lion and tag him thrice:
Crack the Whip! Is it just me or is that foreshadowing?
Oh, did I mention that Lion was there. He was just there, when Connie opened the door, he walked up and just started hanging. It was so cool! It was like, Just Lion Things 2! So the snack break, that takes the whole day, ends at the beach, where the idea originally began.
Amethyst faces off Jasper, gem to gem, while Steven and Connie, and don’t forget Lion, fight the corrupted gem.
Lion was keeping the Gem Monster busy while all of this was happening. I was so stunned when Steven and Connie fused, without doing a fusion dance! How well they worked, together, they rode on Lion, and defeated Jasper, and poofed the Gem Monster all at the same time!!!
#just lion things 2 #lion fights #lion still fights
There’s also a weird Google Slides slideshow connected to the KBCS account, which includes this image featuring Lion, Tiny Floating Whale, (and Connie and Greg) and the word TRUE with Steven’s affirmative!
More Koala Princess
Two more Koala Princess references - although only one is immediately relevant -
In Gemcation, Ronaldo keeps texting Steven about Koala Princess. Steven’s lockscreen is a selfie with him and Lion.
Also, as a sidenote, Koala Princess is implicated in sneople trolls on anime message boards.
Dogcopter
These are just the Dogcopter appearances (Thanks to SU wiki as well as my brain) Dogcopter fights robots in at least one timeline, and the book is allegedly really long. Bold Dogcopters are the pink dogcopter, everything else is an ad or grey.
Lars and the Cool Kids - Poster
Lion 2 - The movie they all go see.
Lion 3 - Gives Steven advice.
Chille Tid - Shows Steven how to find Lapis. Meows. (Dogcopter’s parents are cats.)
Same Old World & Mr. Greg - Advertisement
Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service - flies Steven away.
In Dreams and Growing Pains (Note this is grey Dogcopter) - Flies away in Stefan’s nightmare, proposes to Drew the driver (or at least offers them something) in the Dogcopter 6 Till Death Do Us Bark I Now Pronounce You Man and Woof trailer.
Snow Day - Pupcopter, a spinoff for babies.
And for Steven’s Birthday - Connie points out a Dogcopter constellation.
Astral Projection
Another quick summary. I’ve written a lot on this psychic ghost stuff so check my blog if you want the tags, idrc. Summary of astral projection powers Steven has shown:
Leaving his body (Reunited, Escapism)
Possessing other bodies (New Lars, Escapism, SWI)
Traveling to others’ dreams (Kiki’s Pizza, Chille Tid)
Interacting with fusion components within the fusion’s mind (Chille Tid, Mindful)
Regarding KBCS’s question of whether Rose could have done this, it doesn’t seem impossible - and as of Fragments and Homeworld Bound, we know that Gems don’t die when they are killed. (Lol.) That is, the personality/soul can appear in the same gem if it’s shattered and repaired. And Steven’s mom’s gem is perfectly intact, inside him.
Literally what is the point of all this
So after KBCS and KBCW spent so long talking about astral projection, ghosts, dreams, fusions, etc etc. they never actually got to the point - just pointed us in the direction of a bunch of clues that
Rose Quartz isn’t gone.
Obviously. She’s in his gem in him, like Lapis and the mirror, or the lighthouse gem. She uses astral projection to help Steven in his dreams as well as see him in Rose’s room, like other fusions speak in the mindscape. (There’s a lot more to this but this is enough to ask anyone to wrap their head around atm)
She also interacts with him through other bodies, the same way Steven takes over Lars’ body, or the Watermelon Stevens.
Remember this?
We, here at Keep Beach City Safe, thought that Steven would’ve liked to have his mom at his birthday party.
Who came to Steven’s birthday in which Connie points out that Dogcopter constellation?
Who gave Steven advice when he wished he could talk to his mom?
Who showed Steven where to find the tape?
Who else could have asked Steven, “What do you want” in Susan Egan’s voice?
(Why did they choose to hire Susan Egan to voice a cameo in Under the Knife in the first few seconds of Fusion Cuisine, where she says “It’s my son!” while Lion is onscreen)
Or reassured him that Rose’s tape was telling him the truth?
Who first brought him to Pink Diamond’s moon base?
Who knew where Rose’s armory was and how to train with it? (Note the giant penny)
Who showed Steven the location of Pink’s fallen palanquin?
Who found Rose’s lost scabbard?
and knew where Pearl would run to when she’s upset?
Who (reluctantly) brought Steven to the landfill and Pink Diamond’s ship?
Who showed him how to find Malachite?
Twice?
Who showed him how Pink Diamond tried to stop the Earth’s colonization, and who to ask for the truth?
Who tried to entertain him on Mask Island when he was trapped on Homeworld?
And then rescued him from the open sea?
Who showed Stevonnie the password to Yellow Diamond’s moon base?
Much like Koala Princess’ vision in the Eucalyptus Jungle in Season 5, Episode 13 what you saw on the Boardwalk the other day was not what it seemed.
So yeah Rose is Lion 2020. Thanks for reading this extremely long nonsense.
Also thanks to @babybeetlebongos for both mindscape lore and fixing Ronaldo’s cheek in the banner image, lol. I made a Twitter thread about this as well (and the more in depth Lion and astral projection theory threads are quoted at the top, if you need them. the #mindscape deeplore 2020 tag/tags on this post have stuff too.)
#steven universe theory#steven universe future#su theory#steven universe#rose is lion 2020#mindscape deeplore 2020#jane lore 2020#kbcs lore#dogcopter#lion the mood#rosedemption 2020#would you believe this isn't even the deep part of the rabbit hole??? im tired tho#i hope i left enough info for others to get into KBCS if anyone cares#i love this fool rose quartz
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idk I think it's all about phrasing. there are certain conventions and expectations with how people interact on Tumblr that is very different from on Twitter. and given what happened recently on Twitter (doxxing, death threats etc) I think it's not weird at all that we think we're a bit better than that.
there are a lot of those welcome posts that I feel like moreso are the posters preference rather than a universal hard rule but ykno. I don't feel like picking a fight over it.
also I do think that mcytblr is aware of its own problems to a certain extent but like if we have newcomers of course we're not gonna collectively bring it up ykno
Hmm. This is a pretty good ask, and I have mixed feelings about it, so let's go through it systematically since what else do I have to do at 6 in the damn morning besides watch more SDV guides?
First, yeah, I guess, but those conventions and expectations are something that should be learned and naturally developed over time, not dictated. There has been a significant rise in Tumblr trying to codify its culture, humor, and types of posts, and frankly, it's kinda ruining the magic a little bit (a lot). A lot of the harmful shit that comes from Twitter that should actually be prevented is only perpetuated by the accessibility Twitter users have to content creators. Attempts to spread doxxes, start cancelling hashtags, and reply nasty things under CC posts are all things that simply won't happen hear, no matter how hard people try, because CCs aren't on here (Ranboo lurking, notwithstanding). Probably the only thing that should genuinely be prevented - because it isn't just an objectively harmless thing that some rando mcytblr user dislikes, and it isn't contingent upon the presence of CCs - has been the tip on not making callout posts. But to pretend that Tumblr is any different from Twitter when it comes to this practice is ridiculous and delusional. Twitter had its fair share of people who would point out how harmful and pointless it is to call out specific users, just as Tumblr throughout the years has had massive issues with people explicitly picking fights with others, and creating and circulating block lists. The latter was a particular problem in this fandom because of its response to EBblr, which has actually significantly grown because of the damned blocklists that were spread. Yes, dissuade new users from engaging in "cancelling other users" practices, but don't act like that is a solely Twitter problem. This kind of attitude is what obliterates the possibility of self-growth within this fandom, it's the same kinda stubbornness that pervaded the homophobia and fetishization discourse from back in January and February, and just as it did then, it will result in very little growth on the greater fandom culture or individuals' actions.
Second, I've come across at least twenty of these posts in the few hours since I logged onto Tumblr tonight, and I think one of them worded their "tips" as things that specific user preferred/would've like to know upon first entering Tumblr. Again, because mcytblr has this superiority complex at its core, it's very easy for that complex to seep into every facet of people's posts and interactions with others, and this is perfectly exemplified in the many posts where personal preference are phrased as objective truths/rules.
Third, good. You are a better person than me, then. I kinda pick fights about everything, it's my thing 😉 (/nm)
Fourth, I think that in many ways, mcytblr was aware of it's own problems. But lately, with the response to the sleepytwt callout thread, the Dream Reddit posts, and the fundamental misunderstanding and ignorance on the part of most of mcytblr on both matters, I'm becoming more and more skeptical of mcytblr's own self-awareness. The fandom is becoming more and more of an echo chamber, and I think that's likely a natural result of that aforementioned superiority complex and the practice of blocking anyone with undesirable opinions. While I much prefer Tumblr's practice of blocking people on sight, to engaging with every person you disagree with just to yell hateful vitriol at them, there's no denying that a distasteful side effect has been the creation of a pretty hardy echo chamber for most of mcytblr. When you never see anyone's criticism, constructive or not, of the media you consume, the creators you adore, or your own practices and actions, there is very little chance you will realize there's something wrong that you need to change in order to grow. I used to like how dynamic and ever changing this fandom space was because it was refreshing; while most Tumblr fandoms I've been a part of since 2014 have been fractured and wont to stay stagnant, this one seemed like one open to self-critique and self-improvement. But as it has continued progressing, we've moved into this stagnant, liminal space that all Tumblr fandoms seem to edge into eventually, and it's pretty disheartening to see. Maybe the newcomers will help kickstart a reversal, maybe they'll only reinforce this shift in mcytblr culture. I have yet to see.
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charity work
Wow, so I wrote a published a thing after 10+ years away from fanfiction. Please check it out if you’re so inclined!
Summary: He'd only meant it as a joke, but here she was. Ginny Weasley, his celebrity crush, armed with economy toilet paper rolls and three dozen eggs, ready to commit a misdemeanor all in the name of charity. Muggle AU Harry/Ginny
Tumblr prompt: "You're famous and I jokingly left a comment on your social media post asking if you'll go egg my ex-partner's house with me this weekend, and I never actually expected you to respond, let alone show up Friday night with dark sweatshirts, toilet paper rolls, and three egg cartons tucked under your arm" & hp_fangal's version where Harry is the famous one, Shooting for the Stars.
FF.net | AO3
Harry flopped onto the couch with a loud sigh, letting his bag slide carelessly to the ground. Sirius popped his head out from the kitchen.
“You alright there, Harry?”
“I’m fine,” he mumbled from his dejected position.
Sirius raised an eyebrow and turned to Hermione, who lifted her head up from her book for a moment to give Harry a disapproving look.
“He’s been brooding all week,” she announced.
“Cho?” he asked knowingly.
“He hasn’t said, but…Cho,” Hermione nodded.
Harry made a rude gesture at his childhood best friend and godfather, who sniffed disdainfully and chortled respectively.
Yes, it was indeed his girlfriend — sorry, ex-girlfriend — who was once again souring his mood, but Sirius and Hermione didn’t know yet. He hadn’t had the heart to tell them that he’d caught her cheating on him with none other than Cedric Diggory. Not only had Cedric taken Harry’s position as a starter on the school team when Harry tore his ACL several months back, but then the recruiters who had originally come to see Harry had taken a shine to Cedric, and now several teams were making him offers. Hermione and Sirius had been going on for months about how Cho wasn’t being particularly supportive during Harry’s recovery period, but Harry had waved them off. Turns out they were more right than he could have imagined, and he simply could do without the knowing and pitying looks.
“This’ll cheer you up,” Sirius said, walking over to the wireless.
“I think something’s burning,” Harry grumbled as Sirius flicked through several stations. Sirius let out a yelp and jumped back to the kitchen, but not without first finding what he was looking for.
“Now tell me, Miss Weasley,” an unctuous female voice crowed, “about your victories off the pitch.”
Despite himself, Harry perked up. Ginny Weasley was his favorite football starter since she made a huge splash going pro at the young age of sixteen — and immediately proved her worth by leading her team to victory at her first game. He may or may not have several posters of her hanging in his closet.
“Oh you heard that I cook the meanest eggplant dish on the team?” Ginny’s sweet voice lilted over the wireless. When Harry laughed, Hermione peered at him over her book again, amused.
“That’s a very…lovely quality, my dear, but no, my avid listeners want to know all about your tumultuous love life. We all know how much you enjoy playing the field…”
Harry let out an ungraceful snort.
“I did always like playing with balls, yes,” Ginny quipped. “I’m pretty good at kicking them, so they say.”
The reporter cleared her throat loudly. “Too true. I believe one of your past paramours was reportedly found writhing on the floor when you parted ways.”
“Oh no, that was simply a handsy fan who didn’t seem to understand the meaning of ‘no,’” Ginny corrected her dryly.
“Your latest lover, Puddlemere team’s Michael Corner, and you seem to have had a bit of a nasty split,” the reporter’s voice oozed with false sympathy. “The photos of him and his assistant, Lavender Brown, in a passionate embrace —”
“You mean snogging in the dark corner of a bar?”
“Oh this must be so difficult for you,” the reporter sniffed. “You seem to have such trouble holding onto a man — they seem to prefer more feminine women over your company! Tell me, does it have to do with your being raised with six older brothers? Perhaps the rowdiness of such a boisterous family environment was not conducive for healthy relationships with men?”
Harry threw a stray cushion at the wireless, but from his horizontal position, he missed.
“Miss Skeeter, I’m not sure how my upbringing has anything to do with my boyfriends deciding to be cheating gits rather than about being forthcoming about their feelings.”
“Of course, dear. Please, tell our listeners as such a seasoned veteran, how you cope with heartbreak, especially when you uncover such deceit?”
“I’m a big fan of karma. People tend to find that what comes around goes around.”
“So mature of you.”
“And if they wake up with their house egged and teepeed, let’s hope they realize the error of their ways.”
Harry could picture Ginny’s trademark mischievous smile, and he felt his own lips curling up.
“Surely, Miss Weasley, you aren’t condoning such a crime?”
“All hypothetical, Miss Skeeter. But who am I to complain if the universe takes it upon itself to serve justice? Having grown up with my brothers, I find that anything is possible if you have enough nerve.”
As the interview wound to an end, Harry felt inexplicably lighter. He even managed to shift himself to a sitting position and found himself scrolling through Ginny Weasley’s public Instagram profile. He was momentarily distracted by a recent posting of her sticking her tongue out at the camera while cuddling with a kitten, where she alerted her fans to tune into her upcoming interview with the radio host of Me, Myself, and I.
He punched in a simple message in the comments: Caught my girlfriend snogging my replacement on my uni’s football team while I was supposed to be convalescing, and now I want to help push karma along the way this Friday. Care to lend a hand?
“You’re looking better,” Sirius observed, popping his head back into the living room.
Harry tossed his phone to the side and smiled. “Is dinner even edible anymore?”
During dinner (extra “crispy” chicken Sirius calls it, mashed potatoes, and vegetables), Harry finally caved in and told Sirius and Hermione what happened. They were so outraged on his behalf, it actually dulled his own anger enough for him to admit he was difficult to be around while he recovered, and he was probably not the best boyfriend at the time. They wouldn’t hear any of it though.
After Hermione headed home and Sirius to his study, Harry receded to his room where he took a moment to appreciate his hidden poster. Then he headed to the shower, where he may or may not have decided to relax by picturing a particularly sassy redhead. When his head hit his pillow, he immediately drifted off to a pleasant, dreamless sleep.
--
Harry let out a big yawn as he rose from his last class of the day. He paused to stretch out his right leg, which had a tendency of getting stiff after sitting too long post-surgery.
As his classmates trickled out, he whipped out his phone, already pondering where to grab take-out for his solo night in since Sirius was planning an evening out (don’t expect me home tonight). A red notification blared out at him, which was odd considering his rare use and minuscule follower-ship on Instagram. He clicked on it, wondering if someone commented on his recent post of Sirius with a big, black shaggy dog.
It was a message from…
The phone nearly slipped out of his hand.
Ginny Weasley?
Bringing the phone closer to his face, he stared at the message beside her smirking profile picture.
I’m in. When and where?
Harry scrubbed a hand over his face. Was he dreaming? His celebrity crush since he was seventeen, the one he had just wanked to two days ago (and countless times over the years), wanted to help him egg and teepee his ex’s place?
After a moment’s hesitation, he began punching in the details of the closest station to Cho’s.
Meet around 10?
His thumb hovered over the send button. What did he have to lose? He pressed down. He swallowed hard as three hovering dots appeared.
See you soon.
“Fuck,” Harry said aloud to an empty classroom.
--
Harry couldn’t believe this was happening. Maybe someone had hacked into her account and was just having a lark. Maybe he was going to be mugged on arrival.
“Yes, that must be it,” he assured himself as he ascended the stairs to the front of the station.
“Are you H-P-Lightening?”
Harry looked around and nearly tripped over the last step. For a second, he thought he might have been right about being mugged, given the hooded figure that appeared on his right. But the figure pushed back her hood, and fiery gold-and-red hair spilling out like a curtain.
It was her. Ginny Weasley.
Standing in front of him in an oversized hoodie, a bag of toilet paper (economy size, she didn’t skimp), and several cartons of eggs. Her brown eyes glinted with mischief, and her lips were curled up in her devil-may-care smirk. She was close enough that he could not only make out the splattering of attractive freckles across her face, but he could catch what seemed to be the sweet smell of flowers.
“Er —” was all Harry could manage.
She arched an eyebrow. “You’re not him?”
“No — I mean, yes, I am. That’s me. Harry Potter.”
Her smile brightly. “Nice to meet you, Harry.”
“Yeah, nice,” he said stupidly. “I’m a huge fan. I didn’t think, er, I never thought —”
“I seem to be a terrible influence,” Ginny laughed, and the way it made her nose crinkle sent shivers down Harry’s spine. “Since I put the idea in your head, the least I could do was help out and prevent you from getting caught.”
“Do you always rescue brokenhearted blokes on your public profile?”
“Only the really particularly pathetic ones,” she grinned back. “My publicist is always encouraging me to take on more charity work.”
“Smart,” Harry nodded sagely. “It’s good to engage with the people from time to time. Humanize you.”
She was laughing again, and he felt ridiculously chuffed that he was making Ginny Weasley of all people laugh. It did loads for his self-esteem considering Cho was always either bemused or offended by his snarky remarks.
“Exactly,” she said, holding out an extra hoodie for him. He thanked her and pulled it over this head, reminding himself that he shouldn’t be so pleased that they were matching. As he took some of the supplies from her, and they began walking, she continued, “I don’t know, your comment kind of stuck out to me.”
He glanced at her when she seemed to hesitate and was surprised when she quickly looked away, a bit of color on her cheeks.
“And the fact that you didn’t give off any stalker murder vibes was a plus.”
He laughed. “But really, thank you,” Harry said. “I was, er, brooding, as my friends and family like to call it because of Cho, and your interview cheered me up — the way you didn’t let that awful reporter get under your skin was truly something else.”
“Ah yes, Rita Skeeter,” Ginny smiled stonily. “Should have known better than to bet against my twin brothers.”
“Bet?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t believe them when they said Michael, my now notorious ex, was shifty. Swore it wasn’t true, and they bet I’d have to go on Skeeter’s show if I was wrong. They constantly goad me about my poor judgment in men, which was really what got me riled up enough to take them on. Then a week later, I caught Michael doing some yoga with his new assistant. ‘Course they tried really hard to explain why they were working on her downward dog naked.”
Harry grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said airily. “He was a prat. If he’d just broken up with me like a decent human being, I wouldn’t have had to deal with all the latest tabloids. Besides,” she glanced at him curiously, “seems like I wasn’t the only one who’s had some bad luck with romance lately.”
“Ah yes, my tale of woe. I caught my ex snogging the guy who took my starter position after I tore my ACL. All around the time when there were recruiters coming around. Her timing and choice couldn’t have been better.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her hand touching his arm. He felt heat shoot through him.
“Ah, it’s not really fun hanging around a depressed sod.” One side of his mouth twisted up with a touch of bitterness. “She didn’t much enjoy my moods.”
Ginny snorted. “Right, because what mattered then was her having fun.”
Harry shrugged. Aside from some awkward, fumbling, and a bit sloppy kisses, he wasn’t really sure how much fun Cho seemed to have around him. She’d always been trying to get him to talk about his feelings, like about his parents or how terrible he felt about his injury or the lost his dream opportunity to go pro. Her insistence often made him clam up or shut down.
Ginny started asking him questions about his uni and his team, and soon they were chatting like old friends about football strategies and tactics, favorite moves, new players with potential. It was very possible he revealed just how well he knew her team’s stats, but if she noticed, she graciously doesn’t comment.
“Here we are,” he realized, skidding to a stop in front of a blue house. Ginny pulled him back behind a tree. He peered at her curiously, but she was scanning the quiet street and the house.
“Doesn’t seem like anyone is home,” she announced.
“There was a game today, with a party that tends to go pretty late.”
“Well isn’t that perfect?” She smiled at him as she pulled the hood back over her head, and he mirrored her motion.
With remarkable coordination and teamwork considering they didn’t speak a word but rather communicate with meaningful glances and stifled laughter, they began decorating the bushes, garden, porch, trees, and roof with toilet paper. Then they returned to the pavement with the egg cartons.
“Care to go first, Harry?” Ginny asked, a softness in her eyes despite her artful tossing and catching an egg with ease.
He picked up an egg and hesitated. The anger and betrayal churned through him, but there was a part of him that still wondered if maybe he should let it go.
“Hm, worried you’re unable to throw from here?” she asked casually, her eyes flashing with mischief.
Was that a challenge? She gave him an assessing glance before turning to the house.
“Maybe you don’t think you can hit that awful thing,” she said, pointing at a crow sticker attached to a window, grinning wickedly.
“Watch it, Weasley,” Harry said roughly. He wound his arm back and with impressive accuracy, hit the crow sticker on the window. “Hah!”
“Seemed a bit aggressive there,” she laughed.
“That thing always gave me the creeps,” he admitted sheepishly, remembering how the shadow of the crow seemed to follow him in that room. “Now then, you may be a great starter, but what about your arm aim?”
Her egg splattered noisily right at the center of the door.
“If we only conditioned our legs, we’d be pretty lopsided.”
He laughed as they continued to goad each other with more and more difficult places. But soon, they began to throw with more ferocity, each seeming to exorcise some past demons.
His egg cracked against the porch stair where she first kissed him in the rain.
“I wish she had never kissed me.”
Her egg smashed against a different window.
“I wish I had broken things off when he kept pestering me about wearing more dresses.”
Another cracked against the roof.
“Wish I hadn’t pushed myself too far for those stupid recruiters!”
One landed against the door handle.
“What does my love life have to do with how I play, Skeeter?”
As they went through the eggs, they spouted all the things wrong with their previous relationships before moving to other frustrations until all three cartons of eggs were empty, and the house was a comically gooey, papered mess.
Harry dragged a hand through his tousled hair, dazed by how much better he felt. He met Ginny’s eye and warmed at the sight of her flushed cheeks and pleased smile. She reached out and took his hand, and without a word, he let her draw him away, leaving the tangled mess of feelings about Cho and his doomed football career behind. Her hand in his felt like the only real thing in the world.
They walked together, hand-in-hand, in comfortable silence back to the station. As they drew closer, he grew nervous and turned to face her.
“Thank you, Ginny,” he blurted earnestly.
“You’re welcome. It was really fun,” she said. She seemed to hesitate for the first time the entire evening, looking over his shoulder.
Panic shot through him — was this it? Would he ever see her again?
“Actually,” she said slowly, “I rode here. I could give you a lift if you like, instead of taking the train.”
“Rode?” He echoed, turning to follow her gaze. His mouth dropped open. There, parked surreptitiously, was a gleaming motorcycle. “Bloody hell, Sirius will love you.”
“Sirius?”
“Um, my godfather. He’s got a thing for motorcycles. Treats his like it’s a national treasure,” he explained, blushing. “I’ve been riding them since he took me in.”
Something shifted in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly that he may have imagined it. Back was the shining amusement.
“Well then, I take it you’re not afraid of a bit of speed.” She wound around him towards her ride. She opened the storage unit and tossed him a helmet. “You’ve always got to make sure you have a nifty getaway vehicle.”
“See, this is why I enlisted an expert.”
He provided her his address, and after a quick search on her phone, she mentioned she was familiar with the area. It turned out he lived close to an old friend of hers, a Luna Lovegood, who was responsible for those quirky magazines about mythical creatures that Sirius always got a hoot out of and Hermione would turn her head disapprovingly from.
Helmet secure, Ginny hopped on and looked at him expectantly. He slipped on his helmet and sat behind her. He floundered, wondering where he should grip the seat.
“You better hold onto me.” Her voice was muffled in her helmet, but it sounded crystal clear to him. “Wouldn’t want the next headliner to be how I killed a man by not practicing safety.”
“Right — hardly a way to repay you.” He tentatively slid tantalizingly closer, wrapping his arms around her middle. God she was fit. “That, ah, safe enough?”
Ginny nodded jerkily. “Yep, that’s great.”
She lifted her left leg, kicked into gear, and soon they were roaring through the winding roads of London.
Harry loved to feel the wind whip around him and the familiar rumbling underneath him. It made him feel like he was flying. But damn Ginny wasn’t kidding when she liked it fast, and he found himself gripping her a little tighter than he had expected but enjoying every moment of it — the feel on her in his arms, the elevated rush of adrenaline due to her speed. Watching the buildings, streets, and vehicles go by in a blur of lights made the night feel magical.
All too soon, Ginny was pulling up in front of his home. He hastily pulled away, hoping that his graceless way of removing his helmet would disguise his blush. She made it seem so effortless when she pulled her helmet off and threw her head back, her hair cascading down her shoulders. They smiled at each other, not sure what to say, but he didn’t want the night to end. Harry couldn’t believe his luck, and maybe he shouldn’t push it, but when else was the universe going to wink in his direction?
“Would you like to come up?” He cringed. “I can make you a cup of tea, I mean — as a sincere thank you for being both my partner in crime and my savior.”
He braced himself for the rejection.
“Oh,” she said, sounding both surprised and breathless. “Yes. That sounds nice.”
Harry led her inside, nervously watching her glance around the cottage. “It belonged to my parents.”
“It’s lovely,” Ginny smiled, walking over to the mantle.
“It’s a good thing that Sirius isn’t home — he probably wouldn’t stop pestering us if he were.” He scrambled to tidy some of the papers and books on the coffee table.
“Is that him?” she asked, pointing to a photo of Sirius with a ten-year-old Harry in his arms. Harry was laughing really hard, his wire-frame glasses knocked askew, and Sirius’s attention was completely on Harry, a wide grin on his face and affection shining in his eyes. It was one of Harry’s favorite photos, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about Ginny seeing him when he was a bespectacled, scrawny boy.
“Yes,” he said, as she continued to gaze at the photo thoughtfully. “Er, kitchen?”
She let him lead her away. “Your home is a lot cleaner than my parents’ place. Though I suppose that isn’t too difficult to achieve. I have six older brothers and all.”
“Sounds nice. It’s just been Sirius and me, sometimes a dog — he can never resist a stray — and occasionally my pseudo uncle when he needs a place to crash.”
She pulled the dark hoodie over her head, and his breath hitched when her jumper lifted to reveal a sliver of pale, freckled skin. Harry hastily set about heating up the kettle, trying to remember his train of thought.
“Can’t imagine what it would have been like with so many more people.”
“Rowdy and loud,” she said, her affection in her voice obvious. “Never a dull moment.”
“Was it hard? Being the only girl.” He rummaged in the cupboard, praying that Sirius hadn’t eaten the last of the biscuits.
“Sometimes, but it taught me to be…inventive.”
“Sneaky you mean?”
“When I had to be. They insisted for the longest time that I couldn’t play football with them, so I snuck out at night and practiced myself.”
“You certainly showed them,” Harry laughed, emerging victorious with a tin of biscuits he’d baked with Hermione a few days prior — hers had come out a bit rockish despite following the recipe exactly, but his were decent. “Did you always want to play professionally?”
“Yes.” She thanked him when he placed a steaming cup in front of her, offering sugar and milk. “What about you?”
Yes was on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason he paused. “I love football. I started playing as a kid, first with kicking the ball around the yard with Sirius.”
“Were you any good?”
“Um, was the youngest starter in secondary. Was scouted for my uni’s team.”
She gave a low whistle of surprise. “A lot of promise, then.”
“Hardly compares to you,” he smiled.
“If you want, I can refer you to some of the best physical therapists. You can be back to where you were in less than a year.”
Harry stared at the steam from his cup as he nibbled on a chocolate biscuit. For some reason, the prospect didn’t seem to strike a chord.
Ginny tilted her head. “It’s just a thought.”
“Oh — um, thank you. That’s really generous,” he cringed at his word choice, “I just —”
“This thing with your ex will pass, Harry.”
“I know — I mean, it kind of already has.” He fell silent, not really sure exactly what he was trying to convey. “I was really upset earlier about the whole thing — Cho and my replacement going pro in my stead. But right now, I just feel….relief?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling foolish and confused, but Ginny sipped her tea and gave him time to sort himself out.
“I love football and always will, but don’t know if…if I was all that upset about the recruiters so much as — ” He faltered, not sure where he was going with this. She reached over and squeezed his arm encouragingly. “As disappointing Sirius.”
“Your godfather?” she asked softly.
Harry nodded jerkily. “Yes. He was best mates with my dad. Practically brothers.”
He went quiet again, lost in his thoughts.
“I don’t know Sirius, but the way he looks at you in those photos makes it hard for me to think anything you’d do could disappoint him, Harry,” she said, a fierce look on her face.
A lump formed in his throat, and he cleared it several times, feeling heat crawl up his neck.
“My dad was about to go pro when…” Harry swallowed hard, his voice thick. He reached over and took her hand in his, marveling at how small and smooth her skin was. “When he and my mum got in an accident. A drunk driver on Halloween.”
“I’m so sorry, Harry. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“No, I don’t mind,” he said and meant it. He was surprised considering he never talked about his parents, but with Ginny, it came so naturally. When she looked at him like that, he felt like he could tell her anything. “I suppose — I wanted to fulfill their dream — dad’s and Sirius’s.”
He stopped, taken aback by his admission. He glanced down at their joined hands as her thumb gently caressed his knuckle. Was that why he had been so upset lately? He and Cho had been on the outs even before his injury.
“Everyone always says how I look just like him. Except for my eyes. I’ve got my mum’s eyes.”
His heart pounded in his chest at the way her warm brown eyes stared up at his. “You’ve got the greenest eyes. They’re green as — ” She stopped, blushing.
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Green as?”
“Er — I’m blaming it on the relentless practice making me barmy, but I first thought green as a freshly pickled toad.”
They both burst out laughing, the mood lightening immediately. Ginny withdrew her hand to cover her face, which glowed like the setting sun. His hand felt strangely bereft without hers.
“So what is your dream?”
“Erm — I don’t know,” he admitted. He thought hard about his hobbies outside of football. “I guess…maybe becoming a cop or detective? Solve crimes, help people.”
“So you’re not usually the type to egg someone’s house?” she teased.
“Ha! No, not exactly, but it was worth it.” Getting to meet you. “Though don’t get me wrong, I’m not above breaking rules. Had a bit of a reputation back in the day.”
She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “A troublemaker, are you?”
“Trouble usually finds me,” he grinned back.
They continued to talk late into the evening. Between all the banter, Harry found himself revealing a lot more of himself than he ever expected. Ginny, to his delight, seemed equally comfortable, even sharing a dark experience about a run-in with Tom Riddle, a wealthy and well-liked wealthy football team owner, which had Harry gripping his mug so tightly he nearly shattered it. But she carefully uncurled his fingers and her touch softened the edge of his anger. He never wanted to stop talking to her, getting to know her. Before they knew it, it was nearly three in the morning.
“It’s getting late,” she finally said, and he agreed reluctantly. They exchanged numbers and even took a photo together (would it be too creepy if he set it as his background?).
As he walked her outside, he wondered if it would be too strange or forward to offer his bed (he would obviously take the couch) or maybe call a cab so that she’d have to come back soon to pick up her motorcycle. He was jarred from his thoughts when he nearly walked into her.
“I had a wonderful night,” Harry said. “Best one in…I can’t even remember.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Do you think we can — do this again?”
“Have more exes who have done you dirty?”
He barked out a laugh. “Maybe not an ex, but I know a bully or two. Really, I’d love to see you again. You can even decide whether we commit another crime or not.”
Her lips quirked up. “Not sure that’ll help you become a cop, but yes, I’d really like that.”
They stared at each other, neither wanting to move away first. When the pressure in his chest grew unbearable, he shoved his hands into his pockets and began to turn and walk back towards his house.
“I guess I’d better… Goodnight, Ginny.”
Stupid berk, he fumed. So much for being brave.
“Harry?” she called out.
He turned around to see her running toward him, a hard, blazing look of determination in her face. She threw her arms around him as he opened his, automatically wrapping around her. And without thinking about his nerves, her fame, his crush that had blossomed into much, much more in only hours, he kissed her. There was nothing else, just Ginny, her lips sliding over his, her sweet-smelling hair in his hands, her body pressed against his. He never wanted it to end. After what felt like several sun-lit days, they broke apart.
He pressed his forehead against hers. “That was…”
“Yeah,” she said. “It was.”
They finally pulled away. He probably looked like a besotted fool with his mile-wide grin, but he couldn’t work himself up to care when Ginny was grinning up at him like that.
“So I’ll call you? Maybe — maybe we can get together tomorrow, er — I guess today?”
She bit down on her lower lip as her grin grew. She reached up and adjusted his skewed glasses. “Yeah, today.”
“A proper date,” Harry felt the need to say.
“I’ll let you woo me and everything,” Ginny chuckled.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
But instead of moving away, they leaned in and kissed again. They’d go their separate ways…in due time.
#hinny#Harry/Ginny#Harry Potter#Ginny Weasley#fanfiction#i wrote a thing#tumblr prompt#Muggle AU#football | soccer player Ginny#football | soccer player Harry#lots of sass and flirting#i can't believe i wrote this after all this time away#meet-cute#Ginny is the famous one#fluff#humor#My writing
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fic writer interview
tagged by @sinceremercy AGES ago
Name: smithens on ao3
Fandoms: currently Downton Abbey, in a recent past life, Les Misérables. in more distant past lives, a whole host of things, many of which I don’t want to admit to
Where you post: pretty much exclusively ao3 except for ask prompts, which go to tumblr first and then get put on ao3 at some point after
Most popular one-shot: took no time with the fall, wherein Thomas calls Richard on the telephone and deals with some eavesdropping, which I posted a year and three weeks ago and am not even going to look at aside from linking it because I’m sure I have changed my mind on MANY things and will catch MANY errors in terms of things I now know about e.g. the zeitgeist
Most popular multi-chapter: you will not take my heart, alive, which was my first Actual Thomas/Richard Fic, and it came in at just the right time right after the film was released to really rack up the hits & kudos. more recently, people are apparently REALLY vibing with hope keeps us standing, which has more subscribers and bookmarks every time I look at it, to my perplexity.
Favourite story I’ve written so far: all of them are my babies? Hewwo? Hewwo! I have honestly written so much fucking content in the last 15 months, like, I don’t even know what to say. last year’s christmas fic love shall be our token is i think one of the best pieces i’ve ever written, and i really like that richard and that thomas, so it has a soft space in my heart. also good love from this past may...... VERY fond of that one.. maybe they are in the same universe! :-) I am also really loving the current AU taking over my brain
Fic you were nervous to post: here they are :-)
How do you choose your titles: song lyrics almost exclusively
Do you outline: yes and no! i do sometimes. for my long chaptered fics i may make docs that do not have full prose but do have what should be in the chapter in them, so i end up with folders populated like this:
my writing process is also completely nonlinear, e.g. here is like the first couple of pages of the next chapter in wtmstbws:
there are some placeholder words/phrases in there to remind me what i want to do to fill in the blanks
but otherwise no, I don’t really outline... I keep my thoughts in my brain or I write a few lines of dialogue and hope that future me will know what I was going for there
Complete: I don’t understand what this is asking? 45/62 of my DA works are complete, though!
In progress: Which means 17 are WIPs. I’m a serial works-in-progress-poster. I want to wrap up several of them before 2021 and I also would like to get my complete/wip ratio down to 4:1 !!
Coming soon/not yet started: I think by my last count I had about ~300k unpublished words? and some of those are remaining content for those WIPs, but some of them are not!
Prompts: I take them!! I have resolved all of the ones I have had for DA except one, I think. My ask is in fact always open for them but also like - any time you request I write something you may be opening Pandora’s box, and also you need to accept that this may extend the time until something else you are following is finished hahaha
Upcoming work you’re most excited about: A very ridiculous and sprawling collaborative work may see the light of day sooner rather than later
tagging: @likehandlingroses @lacerta26 @saumenschliesel @infinity2020corner @aziraphalescrowley @darthmarx. template under cut!
Name:
Fandoms:
Where you post:
Most popular one-shot:
Most popular multi-chapter:
Favourite story I’ve written so far:
Fic you were nervous to post:
How do you choose your titles: .
Do you outline:
Complete:
In progress:
Coming soon/not yet started:
Prompts:
Upcoming work you’re most excited about:
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Tumblr has literally gone INSANE.
I just checked my “flagged posts” for the first time in a while and was reminded of the one from Sims 4 that they decided was definitely Bad and didn’t allow my appeal lol it’s Sims 4 with no mods
Anyway, there’s a LOAD of new posts Tumblr has decided are now in violation! They are:
- Screencaps from Tsubasa Chronicle, a manga for twelve year olds!
- Pictures of baby turtles!
- A person petting a cat!
- LIKE EVERYTHING FROM SIMS 4 I’VE EVER CAPPED. What is with that? Is it because they’re sometimes wearing swimsuits because they’re at the pool??? oh the horror
- Someone’s totally SFW Daiken fan art, like, you can sort of see Ken’s bare shoulder in one image if you squint, but ONE MILLION MOMS ARE HORRIFIED!!!! STOP SCARRING THE CHILDREN!!!
- An even more SFW fan art of Hikari holding a camera????????
- The scene from Tri - Soushitsu where Yamato tells Agumon he doesn’t hate Taichi. Saying you don’t hate someone is taboo, WAY too touchy-feely, that could lead to the other kind of feels, the Satanic kind that should be saved for after marriage!
- The scene from Tri where Sora makes some food????
- The scene from Digimon Adventure where Plotmon looks sad because Vamdemon and the scene from Tri - Soushitsu where she’s all cuddled up with Hikari
- BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK OF NATURE AND INSECTS FROM A GHIBLI MOVIE I REPEAT A GHIBLI MOVIE
??????? seriously what the fuck??? somehow the algorithm has gotten even WORSE over time?? my guess is what they do is if they find one nsfw post on a blog they mark the entire blog and everything on it as adult content. that’s RIDICULOUS.
Also I can only appeal the ones I posted, but the rest say “This post was flagged because somewhere in your reblog there might be adult content.” What does that even MEAN. In my reblog?? Meaning something I did??? But - but I didn’t even comment on ANY of them????? I just hit reblog???? Do these get put back if the original poster appeals them or are they just locked forever because someone who reblogged might have been inappropriate?????? (except they totally werent)
i mean... could tumblr be more of a useless garbage dump
lots of people I used to follow have moved on... maybe its time for me too. any suggestions?? dont say discord. there’s gotta be another website thats friendly for text or images buuuut my guess is maybe no and thats why there are still people like me hanging out on this shitty excuse for a website xP
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An Ambitious Legacy Beginning
Oh I'm scared and I don't know where to start. Well let's start with a little bit about me. My name is Nickey, I'll be the content creator here. One thing to know about me is I'm terrible at committments. But I also make these ridiculously huge goals for myself that I'll never possibly achieve and will probably give up on after a few days. Well here we go again.
Meet the founders of my newest overly ambitious legacy challenge.
This is Tess and Madisyn OmniFate. They are a newly married couple. (They combined their last names when they got married, isn't that cute?) They've just moved to Oasis Springs with grand dreams of pursuing knowlege and someday starting a family and a lasting legacy of achievement.
Downloaded the home from the gallery, (will credit OC when I look it up later) and then tweaked it to suit Madi and Tess. And basically deleted all furniture because they were broke. There was only kitchen furniture and bathroom (because realistically, that's what would come in a brand new house.)
Madi and Tess married as soon as they got out of school, and used every bit of their savings to move to Oasis Springs and buy their very first home. It was so cute, and charming they both fell in love with it immediately. The only peice of furniture they owned was a cheap futon bed, but the didn't care. They both had jobs lined up in town with promising careers ahead of them, they knew before long the home would be filled with everything they need.
Some info about my gameplay and the challenge:
With this family, I'm attempting to do everything this game has to offer. After much internet research, I accidently stumbled upon a masterlist. (I forget the posters name, but it's my most recent reblog. Will credit when I remember.) I am doing this casually, and at a slow pace for now, and over as many generations as it will take.
As well as that for a challenge, I am adding the additional challenges of Random Legacy Challenge Rolls, and a bit of "whimacy" style play.
The only mod I use is MCCC for story progression, and I have the ages and whatnot set to "realistic" settings. So 4 days for every 1 year.
Why I'm posting this here:
I'm posting this for my own archiving purposes. After hours of research for other ways of blogging, Tumblr seemed to be the most straight forward, and user friendly. I do wish I had an easier way to keep them all together and organized easily to be chapter style. However, I believe the lack of pressure to create long, elaborate storylines will work in my favor here.
More adventures ahead
Also, I'll post this generations RLC rolls
#sims 4#OmniFate#founders#MadiAndTess#MadisynOmnifate#TessOmnifate#MadiOmnifate#random legacy challenge#whimacy#Sims 4 do everything challenge#legacy challenges#sims 4 rlc#Omnifate Gen 1
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