#*.txt

[lesbvffy]

i think one of the most annoying parts of buffy discourse is wanting [any part of the show you like] to exist in opposition to joss whedon and wanting [any part of the show you don't like] to be all his fault. even when there's someone clearly at the helm, TV writing just doesn't work that way.

[jackpotjuicers]

Some Character Questions

These are questions I think are interesting and what I tend to think of for characters. I'm developing new characters, and I wanted to write these out and share them! I like to look at broad questions like these because I find it useful for storytelling. You can use it as an ask game or you can fill it out as a form :D

History

How did they grow up? What is their relationship with their parents & How does it effect their outlook on life?

How do they feel about their childhood and/or youth? Are they nostalgic and miss the "good old days" or are they glad that era is over?

What are the most important formative moments for your character during their childhood and how has it shaped them into who they are today?

What is their history like with relationships? Romantic or otherwise. If they experienced heartbreak or any otherwise profound relationships and how does it shape how they view relationships now?

Is there any moment in your character's life that 'changed them forever'? A pivotal moment in their history or a traumatic moment that follows them forever?

Inner self

How do they approach problems? How quickly do they give up? Who tends to take the blame for their problems, themselves or external forces?

Are they more logic brained or emotion brained? Which way are they actually, as opposed to how they think they are?

What is their emotional intelligence like? Are they very in tune with their emotions or are they pretty oblivious to how they're feeling?

What does it take to befriend your character? Are they very guarded or do they tend to jump into relationships really quickly?

What's organization look like to your character? How much do they value organization and order vs just letting things go as they come.

Outer Self

What things do your character hate? Why do they hate those things and where does it come from?

What are things your character loves? Why do they love those things? What started that love?

What impression does your character give others? What impression do they try to give off?

How do they navigate relationships? Are relationships always a form of transaction, an argument, a source of comfort, or something else?

Where does your character seek comfort or pleasure from? Do they have a healthy relationship with that source or does it control them?

[dolores-h4z3]

mr. robot: elliot & (a)sexuality

well, i have some elliot thoughts im just throwing out there (on my holy lesbian sanctuary no less). readmore for major ending spoilers below.

i was surprised that when i sought out the mr. robot fandom that the majority of content turned out to be focused on tyrelliot. this was not because it doesn't make sense to ship them (tyrell's blatant homoerotic love for elliot is, arguably, canon). i was more taken aback by the standard characterization of the relationship-- often explicit, overtly and affirmatively romantic. it is hard to shake the feeling that to portray the two of them in such a way is a distortion of elliot's character-- or at least of the source material as presented. the reason is not that i don't appreciate the appeal, but simply that it seems very obvious to me that elliot * is asexual-coded.

*we will be referring to MM as elliot to keep things simple here

for the sake of this post we do not need to get into the sticky area of justifying asexuality with abuse or mental illness. i also want to stress that i recognize elliot is portrayed as engaging in sexual/romantic relationships with other people, and that i do not think it defines whether or not he is on the asexual spectrum. however, i do believe that in most-to-all cases this behavior is driven by compulsive heterosexuality rather than genuine internal attraction.

the most obvious example of this (and i hate to bring it up) is when elliot forgets who darlene is. he recognizes the cues that the two of them are close (her showing up at his apartment, using his shower, telling him she loves him) and, when what appears to be the right moment presents itself, he goes in for the kiss. obviously the moment she freaks out and he remembers that the connection is actually due to a familial relation, he is horrified. to elliot, romance is a script. he lacks the innate drive of attraction, and so reacts rather than acts. his fantasies and relationships as such tend to be whatever is expected of him.

let's take angela for example. the two of them share an intimate connection, this much is clear. having grown up together, supported each other through some of the hardest times in their life, and stayed close enough to still see each other regularly as adults is significant. society (lol) would certainly suggest that any male-female childhood best friendship that has persevered through adulthood will, inevitably, end up together. as much as elliot loathes the constaints of society, he is demonstrably not immune to its messaging. marrying angela is a fantasy he falls into because it is what would be expected of him. the desire feels innocent, well-meaning, but not entirely sincere or passionate. the single kiss that they share is emotional, but chaste, born of temporarily heightened emotion. it does not indicate a greater romantic love to me so much as a validation of their existing emotional intimacy.

shayla is the closest thing to a classic relationship that elliot experiences. his care for her is obvious; it is believable to me that he does enjoy being with her. and yes, he engages in sex with shayla early on in the series. still, it is notable that the only time we see the two of them in bed together is under the influence of ecstasy, and that elliot seems to believe it was a poor choice. he asks her to be his girlfriend out of a sense of social obligation, and out of desire to be able to attend gideon's dinner with a sense of normalcy. the relationship is sweet and earnest but in general elliot seems more interested in her company and her wellbeing than he is concerned about physical attraction.

this brings me back to tyrell. elliot does not offer him much encouragement. i think there is an absolute case to be made for tyrobot! the entire substance of tyrelliot seems, to me, a result of genuine chemistry between Mr. Robot and tyrell. i think one can even infer that the two of them may well have had some kind of relationship. elliot, on the other hand, consistently fails to display any signs of attraction to tyrell. at most, he is very concerned with him (particularly when he suspects that he has been killed). he views tyrell as useful, but rarely gives him much emotional consideration. i think there is room for elliot to be queer; i could imagine a read on elliot suggesting that trauma and/or the same compulsive heterosexuality i posit is in play shielding him from attractiom to men. but it would be disingenuous for me to say that i think it is that simple.

elliot alderson is complicated. to the outside observer i think it is easier (and more gratifying) to simplify his reticence to sexuality as some kind of tsundere syndrome and disregard the evidence of probable asexuality. it certainly isn't abnormal in mlm shipping circles. however, it feels remiss to ignore what ultimately is refreshingly realistic representation. i'd like to see this concept understood and portrayed in a more nuanced way in this fandom. frankly, it doesn't even mean that sexual content is categorically out of character. i just think the tone of characterization could be more true.

TLDR: elliot alderson is good asexual rep and i think that fact isnt said enough

[ccruelgods]

[ and it is 85°, i don't know what i need .. ]

~~~~~

[ drabble | under 200 words ]

"—you....like me?"

roman's words hung in the air, changing the atmosphere entirely as he started, face unreadable.

"i—" mina grasped for words before settling on a sharp expression, brows furrowed. "i don't know what you see in raquel!"

the man groaned quietly, shifting in discomfort. "well for one she didn't sporadically confess her love to me in the middle of a serious conversation."

"she's so...so...urgh-!" mina let out a growl of frustration, turning away from the man. "forget it. just...forget it."

she didn't linger to hear the response, rubbing her eyes furiously to get rid of the tears welling in her eyes and leaving roman staring at her from the doorway.

~~~

[ black magic & it's character's do not belong to me ; they belong to @/sacred hyacinth ]

[kcskareeves]

I keep thinking about brasso using the brick made from maarva‘s ashes to beat up the imperials. like she’s dead and all that’s left is her recorded speech telling the people of ferrix to fight the empire, and it’s probably kind of what she thought was all she could do as she was dying. but then she still gets to take part in that fight physically…

[splattershotnova]

open rp

“GO TO CLASS!”

[meriadhc]

you know that fateful moment when you have a shit tone of work to do, incoming exams, and you are starting an adult job thing in a couple of days but your body is like. BEST.TIME.EVER.TO.GET.SICK! and now you are an undignified pile of blankets and snot, slowly getting slightly anxious due your inability to be productive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯