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lostcauses-noregrets · 2 months

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Why is the answer always "Levi said this Levi did this" whenever one asks about the signs of Eruri in canon? Levi's side is pretty clear, but every time I talk to an Eruri and I ask "but why do you think Erwin loved Levi" the answer is very long but it's mostly empty and just "I am sure he did" or "but Levi loved him so Eruri is canon". Sorry this isn't a "hehehe your ship is one sided it's not canon" type of question. It's more of a writing-wise question, since you are a writer yourself I thought you'd give the best answer to this.

I am wondering, is this because of lack of Erwin's pov in aot manga or anime? I know Erwin is important and plays an important role and story revolves around him in s3 p2 and all that but when you look at the bigger picture he's mostly just there. He's in the story but you don't see his pov. We don't get to see the inside of his head until the end. Is this why "does Erwin love Levi" question is a hot topic in aot fandom always? Or are there any side stories like smartpass aus that suggest Erwin had feelings for Levi? I'm sorry I don't know those very well I only know the manga and the anime.

Lastly, I am sure you answered this before but my question is very specific, do you actually believe it was mutual? After all it's fiction and you don't need their love to be mutual to ship them. People ship characters who barely interact. It's what fandom is and that's totally normal and valid. I guess I am wondering if you ever doubted, th ship or even yourself which I do a lot (in a "oh I love this so much and I read so much fics I made myself believe" way) Thanks I hope this doesn't sound rude or offensive, my English isn't very good so if I sound rude that must be it it's not my intention :)

Ooof there’s a lot of different questions here but I think they boil down to the following:

Are Erwin and Levi’s feelings for each other mutual? / Does Erwin reciprocate Levi’s feelings?

Why do people question Erwin’s relationship to Levi?

Do I personally believe their relationship was mutual, and have ever “doubted the ship”?

I’ve answered the first question many, many times over the years. You can read all my various answers here. In short I do think that Erwin reciprocated Levi’s feelings and I think the evidence is there in the manga, the official guidebooks, the Smartpass stories, and the side content for anyone who cares to see it. I’m not going to list all the side content here, but there’s a very old post by @erbeansandravioli that links to a lot of it: Eruri receipts.

As to why people question Erwin’s relationship to Levi, well that’s an interesting one. Some people clearly just don’t get Erwin’s character (see the previous ask I just answered), they don’t understand his role in the plot or the significance of his relationship to Levi. For example I’ve seen people arguing passionately that Levi’s vow had nothing to do with Erwin, which is just mind boggling to me. It’s certainly true that Erwin is a much harder character to read than Levi who very much wears his heart on his sleeve. Erwin is more reserved, and holds his cards closer to his chest. However the fact that Levi is the only one who he reveals his true self to is significant. Daisuke Ono put it beautifully when he said in an interview that the amplitude of Erwin’s feelings is so great that it can be hard to see.

It could also be that some, perhaps younger, readers just don’t recognise their relationship for what it is. It’s certainly not a typical shounen romance, but it is a deeply believable adult relationship; one that is based on mutual trust, respect and understanding. This is from a previous ask I answered on the subject:

It frustrates me enormously when people deny their canon relationship, despite Yams being at paints to explain it repeatedly in the guidebooks. I want to shake them and ask what the hell they think a relationship looks like when you’re an exhausted 30 + year old war veteran who has spent their entire life fighting for survival. It looks like this; finding someone who you can trust with your life. If you were to ask me what characterizes a successful adult relationship I would say it’s exactly this; mutual trust, respect and understanding, and when push comes to shove, the willingness to do everything in your power to help the person you hold most dear, even if that means letting them go.

And as to whether I’ve ever doubted the ship, the answer to that would be no, never. Sure we’ve never seen them swear undying love in canon (though some would argue with that and point to Erwin’s "Arigatō Levi".) I wrote this in response to an ask about Eruri canonicity:

Do you mean that you don’t believe they’re canon because we never see them kiss? Because they never marry? Because the main focus of the story isn’t romance? All those things are true, but in my opinion, they’re also not the only things that make a relationship canon. Particularly when that relationship is between two war-weary 30 year old men who have been fighting for survival almost their entire lives. The irony is that, in some ways, Erwin and Levi’s relationship is actually quite conventional. They really do behave a bit like an old married couple. They have a long standing relationship that has matured over many years, they have their own weird sense of humour, they’re not afraid to challenge each other, but they care about one another deeply, and they also trust each other unconditionally. That’s all the canon evidence I need tbh.

Having said that, you are absolutely right that you don’t need any canon evidence to ship a couple. Hell, I’ve had great fun written Hanji and Petra as a side ship and I don’t think they ever even interacted in canon. In Erwin and Levi’s case though there is more than enough evidence in canon to attest to the significance of their relationship.

Hope this answers your questions.

#asks #eruri #eruri relationship #erwin smith #erwin meta #snk

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itsmearia · 11 months

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New to Arknights and did my first CC!

This is the first time I’ve experienced CC and my goal was to get the medal for clearing rank 18. I spent 2-3 hours off and on for about 4-5 days trying over and over to make it work without much to show for it.

I took my A-team in and they got beat pretty easily. Tried all sorts of different deployment orders/placements/directions to no avail. Borrowed different operators to see if they could carry me and still wasn’t making it half way. Tried different combinations of contracts to see if some were easier than others. Realized pretty quickly block removal was going to be a hard pass because I couldn’t kill the trucks fast enough and that Horse Uncle (I do not remember his actual name, my friend calls him Horse Uncle and it’s suck with me!) was definitely the operator I should borrow because his skill was an AOE destruction of anything in his path. Didn’t matter if they were unblockable, the sailors, the robot, or the truck. It died under the glare of Horse Uncle.

Note: I am positive this is what the enemies saw as they approached Horse Uncle

After those realizations I ended up getting a bit over half way last night and felt like I made progress as the first chunk of the map was doable. I was able to deploy operators in a way to hold the line until Horse Uncle could pop off but was failing at the double boat coming through during his cool down. So that was the first thing I tried to solve today.

After some trial and error I realized that if I deploy Hoshi + drop Texas Alt with the right timing then I can kill the first 4 unblockable enemies without activating Horse Uncle, allowing me to save his skill for the first truck and tail end of the sailors/casters. This deployment was a nice bonus as Hoshi/Ptilo could also hold the line against the first of two trucks until the second one started coming. Then I popped Horse Uncles skill and kill both trucks together and all of the unblockable enemies inside. I was getting close!

I just couldn’t close it out though. No matter what I did there was one unblockable enemy that snuck through. I droped Ch’en down at the goal to try and kill it. Not enough. I used Tex Alter to kill two other ones right before so she was on cooldown. I tried Kroos poking at it. It had too much health. I was so close but just couldn’t quite get there and I wasn’t even really close to killing it. I needed a lot more damage.

Enter Ifrit. Let me rephrase. Enter 99 DP Ifrit because I was using the triple DP cost for casters contract.Some of you may remember my love for Ifrit from an earlier post (https://www.tumblr.com/itsmearia/714611965966860288/new-arknights-player-update-one-of-the-first?source=share) but glad to say she was BACK. I thought maybe with her S3 I could kill the unblockable enemies as they went towards her. So I hop in, grind all the DP I can get, and boom drop down Iffy my love. Skill pops, things start dying and...

It still leaks through. It still has a little bit of health but no worries I think. I’ll drop Ch’en in front of it at the end and kill it. Get back to the same spot. Iffy sets the ground ablaze. The enemy walks towards the goal. Ch’en hits it and..

This thing has the tiniest sliver of health still and leaks. I’m distraught now because I’m so close and yet so far away. I’ve tried everything with this combination of operators and I’m just a taaad short. Ch’en is my best damage dealer for melee that will be available. I have almost no DP for any snipers or casters because I need to use it all for 99cost Iffy. And then it hit me. If I can’t deal more damage myself can I let the level deal more damage for me? Enter our savior and one of my absolutely favorite operators now who will forever mean a lot to me. Enter: thebestfirefightyouveeverseen.

Only e1lvl30. Her attack isn’t very good and she doesn’t really do much for me normally except knock enemies into holes - of which there are none on this map. What there is however is water that deals damage over time to enemies that are in it. So the squad gets set up again. Horse Uncle is casting his disapproving glare at anything that dares interrupt his reading. Texas Alter is dropping mass aoe damage on enemies as much as she can. Hoshi is blocking enemies the best she can. Ifrit is setting the ground on fire. And Shaw is waiting patiently at the right goal having not swung her axe all round yet. That unblockable bane of my existence walks through the fire, wades through the water, and gets up to shaw with a teensy tiny bit of health left. And Shaw knocks it back into the water with her skill where the damage + water dot combines for it to die as it walks back towards her.

The final wave comes with a bunch of heavies but Hoshi has played Mass Effect before and remembers her job

And that’s that! For the first time since I’ve started playing I was able to try and complete a CC event and let me tell you, the dopamine rush I got was incredible. I love my little mobile tower defense game. I love my little operators trying their best as I work through every possible configuration I can think of. Most importantly I love Shaw, who with a lil knock back gave me the sweet sweet victory I had been working so hard for.

#arknights #arknights cc #horse uncle #hold the line #shaw #shaw gaming

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poohsticksbridge · 8 months

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In the midst of a largely enjoyable season of Amazon Prime’s/Sony Pictures’ adaptation of The Wheel of Time series, delivered by an outstanding cast and crew all deserving of acclaim (and renewal for future seasons), I see a lot of people responding with annoyance or dismissal of viewers’ issues (‘nitpicks’/‘complaints’) with certain season 2 character arcs.

Permit me to explain where one dense & annoying complainer (i.e., yours truly) is coming from. Because Nynaeve’s S2 show arc is potentially triggering for anyone who has lived experience with pregnancy or child loss.

Despite putting this assertion out there, I have seen — and been directly subject — to a range of responses that range from patronizing to downright heartless. These include:

How can anyone (read: these idiots) NOT see the character development that’s being set up?

People who criticize don’t understand/lack empathy for trauma survivors.

Critics who are (over)reacting need to shut up and deal with their own unresolved trauma.

And the evergreen refrain: they’re just fictional characters. Get a life. 🙄

As someone who has lost multiple pregnancies, and supported loved ones through child loss, excuse me when I say: hold my mother’s milk in a fucking cup.

Nynaeve’s arc this season was especially difficult to watch and process because she was the only character who went through it without genuine support or a single onscreen ray of hope for resolution/closure. The fact this will probably come 18-24 months from now, does not ease the immediate pain.

Let me offer a hypothetical comparator: picture the reaction from Egwene stans & the fandom as a whole, if the season had ended on episode 5. I can only imagine how that might have gone down.

As hard as I found Nynaeve’s arc, I was inclined to process it privately — until these kinds of comments started to show up in other’s posts and threads. Because I find the toxic positivity, fanlier-than-thouism and callous dismissal of others’ feelings even more triggering than Nynaeve’s arc.

Why? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself, because I too generally find fandom drama tiring. Here’s what I realized:

Such responses are trivializing and isolating. Very much the way grieving parents (or almost parents) feel after their loss, because so few people are able to relate. (Despite the growing exploration/exploitation of pregnancy and child loss in ‘entertainment,’ there’s still a very real societal taboo when it comes to talking about RL experiences.)

If you find my criticism, posts and replies to comments about Nynaeve’s arc tiresome, offensive or otherwise upsetting, feel free to ignore/delete/block/move along. Or, by all means, respond thoughtfully. But don’t tell me I don’t see/understand what the writers are doing (I’m not an idiot). Don’t tell me I don’t understand/lack empathy for trauma survivors. Don’t tell me to cool down/get over it/get (more) therapy. Don’t tell me I need to get a life. (My rainbow kid keeps me plenty busy, thanks.) And don’t expect me to shut up about my criticisms of a cherished character’s unrelenting suffering, and how it has been portrayed as robbing her of her signature competence and common sense.

If you’re still reading, thank you very much for enduring my rant. May those with differing perspectives enjoy their S3 longing, while I busy myself with fix-it fanfics and gratuitous Laneave smut.

#PSB is on her high horse #flogging it into glue #yes even when people are suffering in real life #it’s okay to want to escape life’s hardships for a while #I’m just here to mash my favourite characters together #wheel of time #wot #nynaeve al'meara #lan mandragoran #lanaeve

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fromhekate · 1 year

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» Dating Headcanons with the Winchester Brothers «

aka the perks of dating both of the brothers at the same time

PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ANY SPOILERS!!! i myself am at season 3 at the moment and i really don't want to see anything spoilery... so if anything feels ooc, my lack of knowledge might be why. i hope it's still something fun to read!

✧ ... are the normal headcanons

♡... are the nsfw/spicy headcanons (18+ only!)

Regarding…

… Dean

✧ he would be the flirter one out of the two, no matter what your status of your relationship is nor if Sam was with you guys – this man has no shame and he likes to joke around.

✧ adores pda, especially when you're out together in a bar or with people he wants to make clear you're his. also doesn't mind if Sam is around or not, after all they agreed that they're both fine dating you at the same time. sounds like a him problem to Dean if Sam has any issues with Dean being touchy and close to you.

✧ loves having you in the passenger seat if you guys aren't on the job. otherwise it's Sam in the passenger seat (unless he's the one driving) because that way Dean can focus on the job more.

✧ he would be the type to make some flirty remarks throughout the job you're a currently working on but never act on it until it's done. he won't take any chances. the fun times always have to wait till you all are in the clear.

✧ he loves seeing you in his or Sam's clothes. he just feels incredibly lucky to have you in his and his brother's lifes.

✧ considers you his family, would therefore die for you just like he would for Sam, Bobby or his father. this can lead to arguments for obvious reasons – him putting his life in danger and you feeling like he doesn't care or understand how much he means to you. after all, you want him to be safe and loved.

✧ Dean wouldn't feel too jealous of Sam when it comes to you. he actually feels a sense of comfort knowing that Sam also has someone he can love and who loves him back. a bonus that it's the same person he loves, leaves them a smaller circle that he can protect more easily.

♡ (s3 spoiler) he definitely wants to "make up for the time he wasn't there" once cass brings him back. expect to be sore for at least two weeks.

… Sam

✧ he's definitely the type to take it slower. less pda and touchy. not because he doesn't like or want it but he just doesn't want to overwhelm you.

✧ if you get together with Dean first, he would try to forget about the crush he has on you. yet there would be moments he so desperately wishes you were single. until of course you have the talk with them and figure your situation out.

✧ once you all are settled in with your arrangement, he gets more comfortable about showing his love openly to you yet he still is reserved. barely any flirting in public, especially not while working a job. he does however enjoy intimacy in private and especially if he's riled up from something.

✧ do not underestimate this man and the love he has for you. he will definitely make sure that you know and understand how much he adores and loves you. deep talkes on late evenings are an often occurrence, so are the passionate nights you spend together. all in all he is very open about his feelings for you.

✧ there are times he gets seriously jealous of Dean. he would be thinking about how you don't even need him or want him since Dean is already the perfect boyfriend. this is something you would have to talk to him about and make him clear, that you love both of them equally and on your own ways. no one is better than the other one. but he needs the reassurance.

✧ (s3 spoiler) you would be a big reason why Sam didn't loose his shit after Dean's death. he takes a lot of comfort knowing he still has you and that Dean would've wanted you to be together even after he was gone.

… Both

✧ they both love to fight over silly things –it's no different when it comes to you. who gets to hold your hand first? who gets to sit next to you in a restaurant? who gets more kisses on a day? who makes you feel more satisfied after a steamy night?

✧ you enjoy their rivalry because at the end of the day they don't fight fight but have their bickering that doesn't end bad. they might be annoyed with eachother but it never escalates.

✧ that's why you play along with their stupid games while trying to act like you know nothing about what's going on. quite often they think that you don't know what they are "fighting" about which makes it even funnier to watch as a third person.

✧ Dean's first reaction to seeing you would be a hug and a dramatic kiss on the lips while Sam would caress your face and give you a soft kiss.

✧ if you got possibly injured, Dean would first check your body himself, pull you close while asking if you're alright whereas Sam would put his hands on your shoulder, look you in the eye and ask you if you're alright.

✧ Dean likes having his arm around you while sitting next to him, Sam prefers to just sit as close to you as possible with your knees touching eachother.

✧ something they both tolerate and actually love is cuddling and sleeping in one big bed. it gives all of you comfort and makes you feel like a small family. each one of you guys loves eachother on your own ways and you just relinquish in that feeling.

✧ favorite sleeping position is Sam being the small spoon, you the middle spoon and Dean the big spoon. can change throughout time/on different days but this specific arrangement just works for you guys exceptionally well.

♡ they're like to be very dramatic and disgusted by the other when they see you have or just having had sex with the other brother. Sam being the more dramatic out of the two. never fails to make you smile though, they're like 5 year old boys.

♡ one of their biggest rivalries is how often they can make you cum. they feel a sense of pride knowing that they make you feel more satisfied than the other. this is never an imbalance though since it always changes. so none of the two ever really get hurt by the outcomes.

♡ you would think that Dean tops more than Sam but it's the other way round. Dean secretly loves being topped while Sam actually enjoys taking control over the situation.

♡ they would not fuck you at the same time. or at least not in the first few months. they just like to have their special time with you alone. it would take a lot of convincing from you and bonding with them throughout the months in general for them to even consider the possibility of a threesome. doesn't mean it's not worth it in the end though.

#supernatural #dean #dean winchester #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester one shot #sam winchester #sam winchester one shot #sam winchester imagine #supernatural one shot #supernatural imagine #DO NOT SPOIL!!!#castiel

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inkofamethyst · 6 months

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December 4, 2023

The difference in animation between s1/2 and s3 of BTAS is STARKKKKK. I did some research and found out that the purpose was to make it match the Superman style with the network change. It doesn't have that cozy-vintage hand-drawn feel anymore :/ (idc abt consistency I care abt VIBES) It's definitely.. sleeker..? Newer. Less curvy. Reminds me of the more modern DCAU shows. We'll see if the writing holds up.

I spent the last four weeks trying to finesse my way out of taking my own measurements for a final project. Several morphologists over the years have taken the exact measurements I wanted on hundreds of samples, and I spent hours and hours and hours looking for their raw datasets, but they published averages which I could not use. So I had to set up time to take the measurements myself.

Today I spent two and a half hours in the museum collections.

The main reason I resisted this part was because there were certainly better uses of my time. In the span of two hours while I took photos and measurements (plus the time I'll need to spend taking digital measurements) on just twenty specimens, I could've worked a lot more on performing really good descriptive stats or getting into the nitty-gritty of the genetics part of this project.

While all of that is true, for some reason it surprises me that I enjoyed my time deep in the collections. (For context, the whole reason I'm doing this program is because I fell in love with measuring stuff. The repetitiveness is seriously so calming. I should not have been surprised that this would've been my kind of "fun".)

There are deer heads on the walls and the musty smell of old bones. An elephant femur is hanging out nearby. It's kind of like a library for bones, really. Every surface is padded. I had a (loaned) key to get into any locker I wanted. I felt like a real morphologist for the first time today.

There's a museum near me that should be starting up a program for volunteers to do behind the scenes kind of stuff this spring. Almost definitely going to check that out.

Today I'm thankful that the lab practical should actually not be all that dreadful. I've memorized mostly everything over the course of a couple of days. We'll see though, I guess.

aaaaaaaa now to make a progress presentation in one night aaaaaa (it's planned out generally which helps (and also it's pretty short) but if I'd been smart I would've been making/collecting figures as I went along.. alas.)

[edit, 1:30ish am: progress is being made uhm but very little has been added to the presentation itself. tomorrow will not be a difficult day after that morning presentation, so I could stay up real late and nap real hard tmr then study for the practical a bit]

[edit 2: I ended up working until 6:30 am (but you know how you get slower and slower through an all nighter?), took a nap, actually woke up fairly refreshed, and presented (the part I kind of threw together in half an hour at the end of the session was the exact part my prof picked up on as being half baked lol they don't pay him the big bucks for nothing)]

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yjwhatif · 2 years

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How are you feeling about the young justice news? I’m lowkey in denial about it and trying to hold on some form of hope.

Well…

It all kinda sucks to be honest - though I am of the mind that there always a chance until they officially say there isn’t… which maybe also puts me in the denial column - but that’s what I’m going with 👍. Clearly there’s a lot going down with hbo max and Warner bros. (a lot that I’m not even gonna try and comprehend) but from what I heard, hbo max is getting merged with discovery plus to make a new streaming site - which to me meant there was probably no chance of any kind of renewal information for anything until TPTB got at least some of their shit sorted out with this restructuring malarkey. Guess I’m not absolutely losing it at the minute because I wasn’t really expecting to hear any good news for the time being - I’m just sorta seeing what happens.

One thing I will say about hbo max and its content is that they really need to do something about the fact that it’s not available outside the US. They have been denying so many people the opportunity to actually financially support the content they love - which makes absolutely no sense to me. I am someone who can’t access hbo max and therefore has had to find other means of watching this show that I absolutely love and want to follow along with the rest of the fandom - all because hbo max won’t let me give them my money… MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!!! Now, the problem with using those other means is that it don’t help the show - I’m not paying to watch it as is intended - therefore TPTB can’t see my continued support because I haven’t gone through the official streaming site where those numbers are tracked. I want to support this show - I want to invest my money in supporting this show - but I can’t* - which totally sucks - and I know I keep repeating myself here - but it’s all so stupid!!!!

*except, that is, with the comics which I am buying both the digital and physical print versions of - so at least there that now… and I will be buying s4 when (if) it’s available for purchase elsewhere like S3 was… but is that enough? Probably not with the way things are going at the minute.

The other thing I keep thinking about with the information I’ve heard is that, the dude in charge basically wants to fix the dc cinematic universe so it’s more like the mcu with an actual 10 year plan and feels like y’know the actual comics universe brought to the screen… and I’m just like - you mean like what Greg and Brandon have been doing with young justice since day one?! Whether you like the stories they tell, or not, I don’t think anyone can deny that there’s an immense about of depth to this shows universe - it feels real and lived in - there’s history upon history that exists within it and it’s all so fascinating as I just want to know everything about everyone! I stand by my belief that nothing has ever captured and maintained my attention quite like YJ. I’m obsessed and I don’t even care because it is such a remarkable piece of creative construction that deserves to be explored and analysed and obsessed over. It doesn’t just copy and paste things straight from the comics or do the same things everyone does with the characters - grandon think and reconstruct and adapt things to make them concise and interconnected for the story the want to tell… and a hell of a lot less problematic in some cases! The characters have emotions and complexities and flaws and hopes and fears and histories - yj can put a character on the screen for 5 minutes and have me hooked on them - or they can have 5+ hours worth of exploration and development and I can write post after post after post with my current interpretations and understanding of their character as if they were a real living person. I love this show because there is love put into every aspect of it - and that is always something worth protecting and supporting!

I realise this has gotten kinda long (as usual) but what can I say, I don’t have anyone in my life to rant about these things to… I genuinely tried doing that today and all I got were cricket sounds… which is why, no matter what the outcome is with the future of the show, I will likely still remain here, ranting my random thoughts to whoever the heck wants to listen… (unless life dictates otherwise.) I am determined to get through the major backlog of asks that currently fill my inbox (honestly, I consider it shameful for how bad I’ve let it get - all I can say is I’m slow and my brain never works when I want it to… I apologise!) My goal is to get them done by the years end… but we will see if that happens.

Anyway, thank you for asking Anon - I shall be holding out hope with you! #SAVEYOUNGJUSTICE!💛

#renew young justice #saveearth16 #save young justice!#thanks anon!#ask box #my response #my thoughts #young justice #yj #hbo max #warner bros discovery #warner bros #dc #dc animation #personal opinion #not my gif

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hypaalicious · 2 years

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What's your IS team Hypaa? I just had my ass beat severely before Lucien even got to make his move 🥲

Apparently Passenger and the Hand of Diffusion item are a good option to deal with... literally everyone in that stage, only that every time I try, Passenger's TRASH dp cost ruins the entire strategy 🙄 at one point little Kroos and Cardigan started clearing the maps on their own before I even got to deploy him lmfaooo they were rly like "fuck it I'll do it myself" 😭

It's so dangerous that it costs not sanity and the rewards are pretty good too (hi Shalem 🥺) Who is Real was also super entertaining, mainly because of clowns Saga and Mr Nothing 😭 Arknights is feeding us so well this month!!!

Me after every Crimson Solitare run that ends up with Lucien fucking murking my whole party:

I mean, at least I can get to the last stage fairly reasonably now as long as RNG don’t fuck me over. But man… this crazy cat is TRYING ME!! I’MA LEAVE YO ASS IN THIS CASTLEVANIA/ELDEN RING LOOKIN ASS CASTLE PHANTOM, DON’T FUCK WITH ME 😤

Phantom: … I’m not myself when I’m hungry, I’m sorry, can I has a Snickers? 🥲

Anyway last night, I thought I had him since I had BOMB relics. My medics had 100% ASPD. I got chalter, eyja and suzuran maxed out. I got a temp recruit Archetto murking crowds. I was ready.

TELL ME WHY LUCIEN STILL FACE TANKED ALL THAT DPS??? I hit Suzu’s s3 and Eyja’s s3 at the same time and phantom just strolled through anyway. FUCKIN BULLSHIT ima need to recruit SilverAsh too next time, idk. This man has too much hp, attack, Crownslayer warping and stealth to be doing all this!!!

Overall tho, I try to get a cornerstone to start off with; Mountain is the best, he can tank the first two floors with minimal support. You can get Thorns cause he’ll also clear but he needs E2 to do it and you can’t always rely on the recruit voucher RNG to hold you. 😔 Other than that, stay saving up Hope for heavy hitters like Chalter, Eyja, and SilverAsh. Surtr is a luxury if you get her, I wouldn’t waste Hope on her tho cause she’s situational despite her God mode in regular gameplay.

You don’t need to promote medics and most defenders (unless it’s Saria). Just focus on DPS cause that’s what’s gone clear it. Passenger IS god with that relic but he’s fucking squishy as hell so you have to have him locked in a bunch of Medics and pray he don’t fold in order to spam lightning LOL Steward and Kroos are still GOATed for no cost team building while you wait for the good shit to come through, so i totally can see you clearing with them over Passenger 😂

Always get the portable supply unit in the merchant shop. I stuck that behind Eyja and she supercharges her s3 to clear mobs, super helpful. Also great for mudrock or other self-heal units to keep their skills charged so they can hold a lane.

Other than that? Just luck and prayer 😭 I played Ceobe’s Fungimist so much I recognized most stages recycled in Crimson Solitaire (I cannot believe they brought back Barren’s Cadet only now it’s called sumn else BUT THE WORST FUCKIN STAGE EVER WITH ALL THEM SARKAZ LANCERS). But I was still struggling until I got a good spread to carry me. It’s gonna be a work in progress LOL

#I just found out last night too that I could be giving my team permanent buffs #the menu for IS2 is all over the place so I never checked for it #I had so many points stockpiled 😭#like damn you mean I coulda been had extra HP or attack this whole time????#it’s not much but it saves your ass when it stacks #anon ask

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zalrb · 2 years

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I’m doing a second rewatch of GG myself (god knows why) and it’s really making me frustrated with the blatant writers favoritism… i.e. any time anyone outside or Chair RIGHTFULLY acts out against them because they’re horrible to everyone else, they get scolded and painted as the wrongful party in that scenario. Everyone always says something along the lines of, “I can’t believe you’d stoop to their level / do this to them.” But it’s okay for them to run around NY terrorizing everyone else???

Secondly, I’m surprised to find myself growing increasingly annoyed with Blair’s character when before I grew to love her; especially with Dan. But now? I’m in the early ish stages of season 5 (5.09) and she continuously finds any excuse to go be around Chuck. After they’ve had legitimately 3-4 conversations in the past season alone about how they’re letting each other go and they don’t bring the other happiness. She flips out on Louis repeatedly how he needs to trust her but then randomly wakes up on a Tuesday and says I need to figure out why Chuck is being nice. I know what to do! I’ll kiss him! That’ll show HIM! HUH? Girl??? The worst hasn’t even come yet where she makes a “pact with God” that “preserved Chuck’s well-being” and now she can’t be with him.

To me, they should have gone for it in season 4 with Dair and followed up on their kiss with Blair having to come to terms with the fact that she felt a spark there and denying it for a while rather than even entertain the idea that “it made her realize how much she missed Chuck” …. HE SOLD YOU TO HIS CREEPY UNCLE FOR A HOTEL! She spends all season 4 being told how happy she’s being and unlike herself, to which she retorts she’s being her real self and actually happy and “found her center” (actual quote!!) just to kiss Dan and say “definitely Chuck over happiness”. It’s being illogical and idk why they continued to shove it down everyone’s throats and minimize her character to a Chuck bass fan girl. The love triangle should’ve been her, Louis, and DAN - not Chuck (let him die getting shot for all I care in the s3? Finale?). Let her struggle between letting go of her fantasies and growing into the woman she’s becoming and enjoying and realizing that intellectual connection and conversation, and safety and comfort, is more important to her now than being a fairytale princess. Sigh.

Yeah, that's essentially why I stopped watching GG in full episodes until Dan and Blair were actually together and then when they weren't I stopped watching it again because besides the fact that the storylines were getting repetitive and boring in general, the Chair stuff was annoying because I felt like the writers placed this idea of the Chair Relationship above Blair (and Chuck) as characters so it didn't matter if Blair outgrew Chuck, if she was happy with Dan, if they were better people without each other, they had to serve Chair as an idea and would always bring them back together and hold them hostage to Chair and I was over it.

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cbrownjc · 2 years

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( sorry this is so long if you respond)

As someone who’s only watched the AMC show and the movie from the 90s, (even qotd) do you recommend show fans read the books? or do you feel it’s not needed for this adaption (similar to how Sherlock BBC doesn’t require you to read the books.)

I started the first book and it’s very beautifully written. I can see myself becoming obsessed with them. But I don’t want to ruin the show if that makes sense. I kinda just want to know more about all the characters (Marius?Merrich? TheTwins?) without ruining plot points for myself.It seems like their blending various books together for the show (going off your theories) and with the show making several changes to fix some continuity/issues I wonder if this will effect how new comers approach the chronicles

Okay, so I will always recommend reading the books.

However! If you really don't want to be spoiled and surprised, I would say not to. Only because even though the show has changed many things, the major plot points from the books (or at least from the first book) are all still there. And, at the moment, I expect the same to be true for S2 and any of the other books they might get to add to the adaptation.

That said, you are also probably going to have to wrap yourself in a cocoon and avoid a lot of fandom, because just the first book alone is almost 50 years old. This whole series has been around for over 40 years. Some people are just going to have zero qualms about spoiling things from the older books, I feel.

However! Seeing as you have already seen the 1994 movie and the QotD movie, then I would say go for reading the first three books at least - IWTV, The Vampire Lestat, and QotD. The QotD movie is very, very different from the book (and that's me just being nice in how I'm describing that movie vis a vis the book). But it basically does have the major plot, Akasha's rise, in it, so you already know about that.

After those three books, you can easily hold off on the rest of them for now; or at least until after Season 2 airs.

I'm a big fan of the first five books, so I will always recommend reading Tale of the Body Thief and Memnoch the Devil along with those three. But TotBT and MtD are also books that are much more modern in their setting. TotBT is even called the first modern book in the chronicles in its opening. (Yes, I consider MtD a "modern" setting, even if most of the book is flashbacks to the dawn of creation and . . . other related things.) The show is still dealing with past events, so there is no need to read them right now IMO.

The Vampire Armand and Blood and Gold deal with both Armand and Marius' backstories. Since Armand plays an antagonistic role in the first two books and starts getting character growth in QotD you could read that book after the first three. But IMO you should read Memnoch the Devil first for context. So I think it's fine to hold off on reading it until at least after S2. And you can hold off on Blood and Gold until Marius actually arrives on the show and establishes himself as a character.

And yeah, for the rest of the books, I'd wait until the show's story moves more firmly into a more modern era, as there's less chance of being spoiled for what's coming, especially wrt things from Merrick and the newer Prince Lestat trilogy. (Earliest we get bigger tie-ins with those books is S3 IMO.)

#the vampire chronicles #vampire chronicles #Interview with the Vampire #amc iwtv #iwtv #ask #ask and answer

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kmze · 16 hours

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Oh yeah that Brazil thing definitely did send shivers down their spine but what makes me extra happy is that what paul said back then wasn't something that he made up for the fans at a paid event (cos that's what cons are).It was CANON.Stefan called himself blind and called Caroline his light.Compare that to what he does now.What he says is something he or his over-worked PR team picked up from Bobsley fanclubs.I remember watching that video he posted on his subscription and smiling to myself that he would probably spend the next 50 conventions making up for it.And I have been proven right.🙇‍♀️

Yes exactly! Because he probably remembered the scene about taking the blinders off and wouldn't have known it was cut. He said in 2019 how he'd pick Caroline over Elena because he knows Caroline wouldn't be looking at some other guy which was exactly what he said in an interview at the beginning of S7. He's also just not consistent in what he says at the cons that's why like you I believe most of it is just what he thinks they want to hear. He did one with JoMo last year and when someone asked if he wanted Elena and Stefan to get back together he was like god I hope not because he didn't want Stefan to take her back after choosing Damon.

Okay but imagine he did get scolded for the video! His PR team had to hold a special meeting to do damage control.

PR: Listen Paul we need to talk about your video with Candice, the TikTok fans are furious they're threatening to pull their subscriptions what were you thinking?! Paul: But I posted one with Nina and Arielle too! PR: What about the hashtag Paul! #steroline4lyfe I mean did you think that wasn't going to send them into a blind rage! We have no choice but to bring out the big guns now, you have to call Steroline forced. Paul: Forced? FORCED?! They actually believe that? But there's videos of me begging for it since 2013 they're going to know I'm lying. PR: 2013 Paul really? They were 5 then they'll never remember and if they find the videos we'll just have one ours put out a TikTok that it's a deepfake they'll believe anything. And no more videos with Candice otherwise were going to make you invoke the i-word, incest. Paul: INCEST?? What the... AND SCENE

Seriously though another thing I noticed was that he brings up Rebekah as a "relationship" he liked and that made my spidey-sense tingle because Rebekah is their ultimate prop girl. The SErs love her as a "back-up" because she's completely unthreatening, there's never a question if Stefan loved Elena more than Rebekah I mean Rebekah was used as a mouthpiece for SE so much in S3/S4. That's why they used to "brotp" him and Caroline until S6 when we found out her SE shipping was because she just couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want Stefan. I just love that my baby Caroline still gives them nightmares :)

#anon for ts #fandom for ts #watch someone take this seriously #I'm going to end up on a tiktok lol

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bearpillowmonster · 1 month

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BB3

Some of the best episodes so far, I'm still not interested in every episode but definitely some fun and some finality. The music hits a little harder, I feel the tension between characters I don't really know like-ahem-hem-hem, someone from somewhere other than Bad Batch.

Then we have M count. Wait. M. It took me until episode 9 to realize but Midichlorian? No, no way. You just opened up a freaking box because I'm about to let it rip. George centered his sequel trilogy around this idea and introduced it in the prequels. I wasn't too fond of it when it was first discovered but as time went on and they showed the whills and such in the Clone Wars, I started to see a bit more clearer and was fine with whatever George put out but having the current sequel trilogy that we have today that completely negates all that and pretty much downright retcons it with its messaging that anybody could be force sensitive. And I don't just mean the trilogy either, anything Disney's put out has seemed this way and has not made a lick towards any of that. Even that I'm fine with.

It's the fact that their undoing- well-

Except they're not using George or George's story, they're making it their own. If they would've just kept it one way or the other, I would've been fine with it but you're introducing a pretty vital piece of lore so far in that it's not even funny. I've known for a long time now that they were trying to find a host body for Palpatine to use, it's no coincidence they had the cloning guy in the Mandalorian, they've been setting this up. And it makes sense to have Grogu be this big contender because he can use the force. Ironic that the thing he needs is the very thing he sought to destroy and also a bit of a plot hole if he was looking this early into it in the timeline. But still, they could've played it off as "they have no idea what makes a compatible host" or even try to force the force into someone so that it can be used as a husk.

It makes SENSE for midichlorians to be used here, it makes sense for them to be the deciding factor but don't try to spoon feed me both ways

I don't know if Ahsoka did this too since I haven't seen it yet, I know they have Sabine being a user but I was alright with that at face value, I don't know how they introduce it. You don't get it, I had to bring myself back. True, I wasn't happy with the outcome of the sequel trilogy but we had the Mandalorian. Things started going down again with Kenobi and Bob's Feet but still, I kept on. They were releasing so much that I fell behind around Mando S3, Andor, BB2, Visions 2, Tales of the Jedi, all put on hold. I finally more or less caught up except for Ahsoka and now this just makes me want to crawl back into that rabbit hole because while I was there, I realized that Star Wars wasn't what I wanted anymore and I didn't care much until I saw people saying that I missed some of the best so far so I jumped back in. This makes me feel the same way again, like the skywalker saga should truly be done. Move on way past or way back, none of that Rey reforging the Jedi, no more in betweens other than Mando. Just reboot it, don't retread and give me remakes or a retelling, do the old republic or something like the Acolyte is promising (which I'm still worried about mind you).

I wanted George's story to be revived so bad and I was so close to believing that we were getting it when we saw Boba Fett shoot Bib Fortuna and kick him out of the chair. That he was going to be in Darth Maul's place and take over the Underworld and I was here for it. Or having Maul and Crimson Dawn show up at the end of Solo. Or having Luke start to build the new Jedi order. All for squat. And this is Dave Filoni who was involved with those series, who's supposedly the new mastermind behind all of this. Even if you scrap all that away, I was fine with it, as long as they had a plan but it seems they keep flipping it down the road.

But was bringing Asajj back worth it? There was really no reason for her to be there other than to make me mad anyway, even going as far as bringing her back from the dead apparently from her book (which I haven't read yet but plan to) so that just further proves my point. "All will be revealed" my butt, how about "somehow Asajj returned" Screw you, stop holding back if you're going to introduce it.

...I wrote this part and then they announced Tales of the Empire. I can't win. It keeps sucking me back. Time for the finale, so spoilers.

I wasn't impressed with the lead up to this finale, nothing seemed connected. I mean, yeah, they go and they save Omega. Ok? And? It's not like that's something new, it felt like it needed to be definitive for the characters, it dragged them off their refuge island, they can't live a normal life. We don't see them in Rebels. So we ask what happens to them? They imposed with Rampart that maybe Crosshair doesn't have everyone's interests in mind. They imposed with Asajj that maybe Omega can use the force and even put her in marketing. They didn't impose, but the fans speculated that Tech could be the Shadow since they put so much attention on him. But it's also the last episode, you're shifting all the weight and not allowing it to breathe, even if they had used all those to great advantages then it was still the end, it doesn't seem like there's a point.

What I wanted this ending to be when I really thought about it was actually really simple. A battle between clone troopers and storm troopers but it'd explain so much. The clones would lose, it's be their last "Clone War", unless they decided to intermingle with the stormtroopers. It'd explain the transition, why there's so few in Rebels call back to the action setpieces of the original 2003 series, be a reverse order 66! That's my headcanon. But I knew going in that it wasn't going to be that. They might free the clones though.

I like the idea of Omega using all the skills she's learned from each other members of the party to get out, Echo even says "That's exactly what I'd do." but I don't know, when the zillo first appeared, they should've had him make it a distraction and then call back to it. The part where the kid says he hates heights after seeing a ladder is stupid because they planned this whole mission around climbing, she described it to him, they had already done it in the shaft and only at the ladder does he falter.

Emory's redemption should've been compilative, having her drop hints to show them how to leave the facility and maybe even manage to get one wounded that way, to which she transfers quarters until Echo arrives. They have a case of the Knights of Ren with the shadows, cool designs, seem to be teasing for something greater and we get no real context in the end. Introducing Project Necromancer then having Rampard ask about it before you cut is like asking who Rey is in TFA and never telling you except Necromancer is dissolved now so what was the point? What is project Necromancer, what is Crimson Dawn, what is- . It doesn't matter. Stop giving codenames, you had it with Hux and Pell but come on.

If you're going to leave plot threads open, we need to know how this series contributes to the bigger picture but since you called this the final season, I would like to this as much and would rather the plot lines stay contained and resolved. We are still very much in the Disney sequel era despite everyone thinking it ended after TROS and the new room took over, they're doing the same stuff.

Echo leaving to join Rex was a cool idea but I really wish it was him and not Gregor in Rebels. But it seems like he just hangs with the Clone Force every other time anyway so I don't really know why they did this. Ok, include Rex, but that's all you had to do. Then to go off and make him depart again at the end really doesn't say anything. Ok, he's going to return in the future?

"Well, I think you're right that, in a sense, this really is an end of an era," Baker says. "Because the clones in the Bad Batch was the final element of The Clone Wars that George Lucas had his fingerprints on. This was his idea, to initially start and give them a little arc and give it a try." This too is false and I like you Dee Bradley but I knew from the moment you said this that it was wrong. First off, you made it so that the characters live (which I don't mind but don't say this and contradict that!) And even excluding the Bad Batch, if only there were something else like GEORGE'S EFFING TREATMENTS!! This is like when Kathleen Kennedy said that there's no source material to adapt for a sequel series. Like take a look around and read the room. There's a ton of stuff that I'm sure George gave up that had to do with Star Wars. Officially released? Maybe not so much but you can't go and ruin all of that too. This is unless Dee Bradley believed that none of that would ever see the light of day but why would he know that if he believes this is the last time he'll play the clones? Does he believe that? Because the ending says otherwise unless it's all live action from here forth. And even if that...then where the f- did the midichloarians come from?

#star wars #bad batch #midichlorians #where's jar-jar?#sw #finale

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welcometothevoiddarling · 3 months

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young royals; thoughts on love and duty

Writing to have a record of what I thought, although I've read some amazingly written takes, I don't know how this will compare.

Only that I think young royals does such an interesting job exploring young love and infatuation alongside, life and duty and experiences. Wille falls in love with Simon because he is outspoken in a school that is scared of him and his presence. Simon is new and exciting. And Simon falls in love with Willie, specifically at the football game, because he's pretty and interested and takes time to know him and see him, in a place that usually couldn't care less about him. They both choose to ignore parts of each other in favour of falling in love, but I'd argue perhaps Simon does more to ignore how Wilhelm represents everything he stands against, because standing against something in principle, and choosing to stand in the way of intoxicating feelings are two different things. For Willie early in S1, loving Simon isn't as radical as it later becomes, he is interesting and new and everything he doesn't get to be. Loving Simon is not a sacrifice of himself yet – at least not until later S1,S2 and now S3.

I see some of myself in Simon, because as a viewer it was easy for me to root for S1 Wilhelm, whilst also being slightly shocked how easily and quickly Simon fell, but reflecting I do the same everytime I get a crush on a white man, someone who represents structures that hurt me in everything I do. Sometimes even the man in question personally upholds them, or has hurt me via them, and yet it doesn't completely quell the society driven desire to be loved by your oppressors. And to seize any sign of love or valuation with open arms, no matter how much you objectively know you shouldn't want to, because being told something is valuable and precious easily becomes subconscious.

It's easy to fall in love, to ride waves of external forces hellbent against you, and to hold your mutual connection to each other as some sacrosanct bond, to forever be unfailing. But all love, adoration, or infatuation is ultimately confronted by time. It was obvious from the start that Wilmon would have to travel very far towards each other to properly understand one another. Both have to unlearn deeply embedded narratives they have taught themselves, something which is deeply painful because doing so necessarily upends the good parts of life along with the bad.

The institutions of love and marriage within capitalist society are so interesting because they perform dual functions. On the one hand, we marry, signing ourselves up to the state as partners, in order to create orderly separation between the private and public sphere, which conveniently creates a new generation similarly engrained in this ritual. It's a religious turned economic institution that whilst I haven't researched it thoroughly, evidently doesn't escape the underlying foundations of control over female bodies and minds, and subsequently children, and now also economic and class control too. It's a formality, a structure designed to profit those who control it. But then we tell the story of love over the top of it. Real people fall in love, and experience something tangible. Humans necessarily need community and connection to thrive. It's no accident that marrying and creating family and community, deriving from such, has sustained human life. Love is real. But the narrative love is given, the way it is taught, doesn't do it justice. We expect to fall in love and marry, and love will carry us through the duty and obligations of marriage. Love acts as the plaster we put on top of the harsh realities and difficulties of the institution of marriage. When traditional ideas about virtue, class, childhood etc. remain and fester longer than they should, it's because the story of love is doing all the work. When more and more marriages break down in divorce or abuse and trauma, it's because the narrative of love failed to hold strong enough. We are trapped in systems, kept there because we think they're the only way to access this wonderful human experience, but in reality, it was the faint truth of the human experience which allowed those systems to flourish in the first place. It is humanity which came first, not the systems it created.

This is a long tangent to say that the depiction of young love is media always frustrates me, because it's always all consuming and inevitable and wonderous, but never realistic about difficulty and strife. Often we only see the story of love, and not the structures underneath it.

Wilmon is fumbling in the dark, trying to hold onto the human connection which saved each of them in moments of darkness, and having some finally caught hold of each other, it's only now clear how painful it is hold anything different to yourself. They are opposites in every possible way, right down to the experiences they have as siblings. In the way that kathony-bridgerton found connection in their shared familial roles, Wilmon have only ever know what the other never knew.

It's never left me, the idea that people stay in your life so much as you remain growing in the same direction. Committing to a person feels like a lie on one hand, because how might you ever guarantee to grow such a way. But I guess committing, is deciding that the experiences that shape you from here on, will be chosen by you such that you mould so that your partner may still hold you. Of course one can never know what may come, but where there is choice, there can be commitment. Really where love and duty intersect is when you can say that you will try and do all in your power to keep choosing someone.

In the same way it's difficult to choose to ignore feelings for a Prince, even when feeling anything for a Prince misaligns with everything else you feel, it's equally hard to choose to continue to experience things that make you holdable, when they also change you, and hurt you in the process. But also, to be loved is to be changed, hopefully for the good.

I guess what my thoughts are, are that young love is usually all about love. It ignores that one ever needs to change in order to love and be loved. It pedals the same story that allows marriage and family to be regarded as natural, irreplaceable manifestations and not constructs ultimately benefitting a societal purpose. Duty and obligation seen harshly through the monarchical/class/ LGBTQ+ narrative, which is a love story at it's core, shows how love is won and lost without winners or losers.

A good ending to this story now, isn't just one where love is won. I wouldn't feel satisfied currently if Wilmon simply stayed in love, ignoring the difficulties in their relationship. A good ending would be one where the characters confront their agency within their own love story and acknowledge and choose the people they become when they choose to love.

(Of course there's also the fact that this is not even a full year on from Erik's death, major mental health issues, grief, trauma, abuse, all play a part in masking and impeding agency, so perhaps understandable if one episode doesn't succinctly conveniently package that all up......but yanno.......maybe?........)

#young royals #thinking deep things #love #duty #please don't take this too seriously very much a late night 2am ramble #probably have more succinct ideas in the morning

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inevitably-johnlocked · 3 years

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((my account is @mymiddlenameslove tumblr is still being weird lol)) do you have any fics where john and sherlock hold hands for the first time? i just love the build up/panic that leads to some good fluff thank you (*´∇｀*)

Hi Lovely!!!

Bah, sorry about Tumblr being dumb!!!!

What a fun fic req!! I know for SURE I’ve missed a lot, so these are either fics I remember have hand-holding, are tagged with it, or I’ve just re-read and found it in there :D Hope you Enjoy!!

HAND HOLDING / for COMFORT

The Four Incidents by TheGirlWithRedHair22 (K+, 1,064 w., 1 Ch. || S1 Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, John Whump, Accident, John POV, Hand Holding, Worried Sherlock, Sherlock’s Self Esteem) – The first time John was present when someone insulted Sherlock, he brushed it off as a strange coincidence.

Peacock by ClassyGirlsWearPearls (T, 1,189 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Cranky Sherlock, Soft John, Hand Holding, Soft Sherlock) – A study in Sherlock and John.

Here to Stay by MockJayPhoenix12 (K, 1,574 w., 1 Ch. || Post Reunion, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Headache, Bed Sharing, Care Taker Sherlock, Hand Holding, Fluff) – On Sherlock's first day home, John wakes with a migraine.

Random Numbers by songlin (T, 1,671 w., 1 Ch. || Ace Sherlock / Straight John, Cuddling / Snuggling, Massage, Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Post-TRF, Slice of Life) – A collection of moments in the relationship of asexual!Sherlock and straight!John.

Giveaway Fic #9 - Angsty Sick Fic/Sherlock is Sick by ConsultingPurplePants (T, 1,734 w., 1 Ch. || Sick Fic, Hypothermia) – The next time he awakens is even more chaotic. Two doctors are shouting at each other in the corner, and John is holding his hand so tightly Sherlock is worried he’ll break it. Part 9 of 1000 Tumblr Followers Giveaway Fics

Once is Enough by Jominerva (T, 3,030 w., 1 Ch. || Love Confessions, Domestic Fluff, Whump) – Just as the earth rises to meet the sun at every mountain crest, John reaches out for Sherlock and takes his hand in his own."Tell me it won't end like this," he says, blue eyes holding grey while he laces their fingers together. Sherlock lets out a shaky laugh and shakes his head. "I wish I could."

holding steady by darcylindbergh (E, 12,724 w., 4 Ch. || Post S4, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Growing Old, Gone Fishing, Mood without Plot, Soft Sherlock, Caring Sherlock, POV John Third Person, Anxious Sherlock, First Kiss / Time, Touching, Feeling Old, Sherlock Worship, Crying Sherlock, Cuddles, Comforting, Introspection, Retirement, Hand Holding, Forehead Kisses, Caring John, Bed Sharing, Emotional Love Making) – Sitting on a thick wool blanket at the end of a rickety dock side-by-side, legs dangling over the edge, a styrofoam container of wet, dark dirt between them, they’re fishing. John knows what this is about. This is about finally figuring it out.

A Gossamer Dream by CarmillaCarmine (E, 15,985 w., 4 Ch. || Writer/Teacher AU || First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Writer John / Teacher Sherlock, Fluff, London, Holding Hands, Online Friendship / Romance, Phone Sex, Anal Sex, Happy Ending, Alternating POV, Scottish John, Online Relationship, Internalized Homophobia, Hand Holding, Forehead Touching, First Kiss/Time, Texting/Sexting, Rimming, Toplock, Sherlock Speaks French) – Sherlock had never realised one could care so much about someone they'd never met in person. Now he is about to meet the friend with whom he's been chatting online for months and his anticipation is reaching a crescendo.

How To Unfold a Heart by elwinglyre (E, 25,477 w., 7 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It, BAMF John, Mentioned Eurus, POV First Person Sherlock, Case Fic, Fluff, Slow Burn Topping from the Bottom, 3 Yr Old Rosie, Introspection, Sexual Fantasies, John Worship, Ogling, Hand Holding, Kidnapping, Domesticity, Sherlock Whump, First Kiss/Time, Doctor John, Caring John, Soft Sherlock, Sensuality, Touching, Crying, Love Confessions, Anxious Sherlock, Rimming, Toplock, Fingering, Bossy Bottom John) – To Sherlock’s dismay, John’s return to Baker Street with Rosie is only temporary. Sherlock’s daily visits to Regent Park with John and Rosie illuminate his lost childhood memories and missed opportunities. But with each trip to the park, Sherlock also feels a growing sense of hope. That is until the past horrors return unexpectedly in a cryptic note folded in the shape of a heart. To decipher the message, Sherlock must uncover the nature of the hearts around him, including his own.

Insanity in the Middle by DotyTakeThisDown (E, 28,010 w., 8 Ch. || Equestrian Sports AU || Alternate First Meeting, POV John, Pining John, Bottomlock, Clueless Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Passionate Kisses, Hand Holding, Caught Making Out, Bed Sharing, Spooning, Blow Job) – John is a world-class eventing rider with a gold medal and several four-star wins to his credit, but he's never won at Rolex. Sherlock is an up-and-coming rider taking the sport by storm.

Lucifer's Gardens by ampersand_ch (E, 32,679 w., 12 Ch. || GERMAN VERSION || Romance, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Murder, Poison / Drugging, Mystery, John Undercover, Academic Club, Therapy, Rituals, Jungian Archetypes, Doctors & Physicians, Grief/Mourning, Esotericism, Hospitals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, John Falls In Love With Another Man, Jealous Sherlock, Crying, Doctor John, Hand Holding, First Kiss/Time, Mysticism, Hugging, Touching) – John goes undercover for an investigation as a favour to Lestrade in a village in Suffolk. The events surrounding the case awaken deep-seated fears in Sherlock. While John begins to come to a realisation of what he needs in Lucifer's Gardens, Sherlock tries to find a way to reach John – in more ways than one.

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

A Love with No Name Series by aceofhearts61 (G to M, 49,955 w. across 20 stories || Asexual Sherlock / Straight John, Est. Rel, Queerplatonic Relationship, Romance, Cuddling, Fluff, Platonic Romance, Domestics, Rape/Non-Con) – In which Asexual!Sherlock and Straight!John are platonically in love life partners.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

Repairing the Broken Things by BakerTumblings (M, 75,252 w., 15 Ch. || S4 Compliant, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Trauma, Hospitals, Big Brother Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Realizations, Severe Accident, John Whump, Pneumonia, Medical Procedures, Bed Sharing, First Time, Healing, Happy Ending) – "I'm calling today to notify you that there's been an accident."

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU || BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

The Lost Special: Family Matters (As Do Relationships) by ShirleyCarlton (M, 144,688 w., 40 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic / Meta Fic, Unreliable Narrator, John’s Mind Bungalow, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Demisexual Sherlock, Holmes Family, John Whump, Gay Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Drug Addiction, Parenting, TFP is a Nightmare, Virgin Sherlock, Slow Burn, Minor Character Death, Switchlock, John’s Past, Sherlock’s Past, Eurus, Love Confessions) – Sherrinford is not really the name of some high security prison. That was just a figment of John’s frantic coma dream. And Eurus is not actually Sherlock’s sister. That’s just something random she said to John before shooting him. Sherlock and John were never actually estranged. That was just their act to cover up what really happened to Mary – or Rosamund Moran, as her real name has turned out to be. Sherlock does have a secret sibling, though, and his name is Sherrinford. After finally eliminating Moran – though in a rather dramatically different way than they had envisioned – and exposing the truth about Eurus, John encourages Sherlock to delve into his past and to find out whether the reasons to keep Sherrinford away from Sherlock were the right ones, and to discover what really happened in 1981. Along the way, Sherlock and John gradually, finally, stop keeping each other at a distance, and eventually become a proper family of their own.

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns.

Unkissed Series by 221b_hound (T to E, 184,100 w. across 45 works || Established Relationship, Ace Sherlock) – Sherlock returned from the dead a year ago. John returned to Baker Street six months ago. They've been in a couple since then. or at least, not NOT a couple. For two smart men, they sure can be dumb. Luckily, an art thief tries to drown Sherlock, Sherlock has a fever dream and things are about to change.

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #holding hands #fluff fics #my fic recs #Anonymous

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scullysexual · 3 years

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fic; s3 one shot

I ended up taking an unintended break from fic while I took a break from fandom. I did plan on writing in that time still but it just never happened. Anyway, after than jumping straight in with my old fics, I thought I'd ease myself back in with this lil pointless oneshot.

@today-in-fic

- - -

To Make The Fish Happy

Her appearance outside his apartment is unexpected yet welcome. Scully stands outside his door looking sheepish, uncertain. Lately they had been growing closer, two years of a building partnership that has required them to bond more so than most other partners. Still, Saturday house visits were rarely on the list. Unless it was an out-of-town case, they would bid each other goodbye Friday evening and not see each other again until Monday morning.

Yes, Scully’s visit was unexpected.

In her hands she holds a small cardboard box.

“Can I come in?” she asks.

“Of course.”

Mulder lingers near the door, hands thrust casually (though far from it) into his jogger pockets. Unfortunately, Scully had chosen the wrong time to come around; cups, plates, take-out packages litter his coffee table, X-Files piled high on the spare seat of the couch and there’s a smell in the air. Mulder doubts it was the most welcoming place to be in.

Yet, if it bothers her, Scully doesn’t say so. She turns around to face him, holding out the box she carries.

“I was in the pet store picking some bits up for Queequeg when I saw it.” Mulder approaches, taking his hands out of his pockets and reaching for the box.

“It reminded me of you and with the tank being so bare it might make the fish happy,” Scully says in way of explanation. Co-workers usually don’t buy each other presents out of the blue, special occasions maybe; a birthday or forced Secret Santa, but never on a random Saturday in March. Mulder finds himself warmed by the gesture.

He rips the tape with his house keys, unfolds the box and takes out a fish tank ornament wrapped in bubble-wrap to protect it from whatever journey it has in store.

Mulder laughs when he sees what the ornament is, not surprised by why it reminded her of him. A disc-shaped silver UFO crashed into a pile of sand. Roswell. Mulder smiles, it might just make the fish happy after all.

“Thank you,” he says and Scully smiles.

Mulder stands, headed over to the tank. He places the ornament in the water, throws in some fish food while he’s at it. The fish, weary at first, slowly begin to warm to it.

“I think they like it,” he says with a smile.

“I think they do too,” Scully agrees.

They share a smile.

“Would you like to stay for a bit?” he asks. He hadn’t intended to, the words just sort of fell out of his mouth, but it seemed like such a short visit for what he knows is a long journey.

“Sure.”

He tidies away the mess, opens the window, moves the X-Files out of the way- they have no present case needing their attention, they’re not needed and settle down on the couch. They talk of fish, how and why he decided on fish- Simply because they’re quiet, he explains, require barely any work yet it’s nice to come home to something living even though he’s usually welcome home by a dead fish when cases drag on for too long. Scully laughs at that, asking why then does he always have the same number of fish regardless?

“I just replaced them when they die,” he says. Eight mollies, most nameless except for one, one he finds himself talking to the most, the one he’s secretly named Scully.

The next Saturday Mulder finds himself craving for her company again, outside of work and work-related things. He goes to the pet store in the morning and by afternoon, he’s found himself standing outside Scully’s apartment door, a dog harness between his hands and a sheepish look on his face, his presence unexpected yet welcome.

#the x-files #the x files #txf fic #x files fanfiction #one shot #season 3 #early msr #scullysexualwrites

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gracestone · 3 years

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1/3 I say this as a former Rina stan now major PW convert, I just dont see how Ricky and Gina can be good romantic partners in the long run. I honestly believe they could have worked in s1 but if s2 showed us anything its that they cant provide what the o/ needs as a romantic partner. Rickys whole arc has been about his aversion to change. Meanwhile Gina needs less change & more stability in her life. Each character needs to learn at least one lesson per season & I just dont see how their...

2/3 character arcs can cross paths romantically. I do believe they can be a great support to one another as friends. I truly believe s3 should end with Ricky single and learning to be ok/happy with that. Not Rina endgame as they claim b/c then he wouldnt really be learning anything and growing as a character. Maybe over time he realizes he has feelings for G but that honestly wouldnt make any sense if the show wants him to really grow and develop as a more well rounded character... 3/3 If theres anything that he learns from his relation/friendship w/ Lily, it should be that he needs to take some time for himself. I just think it would be poor storytelling for him to realize that he has feelings for G by the end of the season esp. when she already moved on. Doesnt seem fair to drag her back to that state of pining after Ricky. Rina have great chemistry but it would be a regression of their characters to be romantic at this point. Also Nini & Gs friendship would be at risk..

I completely agree that Ricky and Gina's individual arcs can't cross paths romantically. They go in opposing directions instead of complementing each other, and so in order for them to get the individual growth they need, they can't be together. Because one of them would always be holding the other back. I've talked about it quite extensively in this post, so I'll try not to repeat myself too much here and instead say something new.

This answer kinda got away from me, so I'm putting it under a read more and dividing it into a Ricky section and a Gina one.

Ricky

I think the mindset that most R*nas have that Ricky needs to let go from Nini romantically stems from a very superficial reading of the show and Ricky's character arc. The show has established that Ricky hates change and that he clings to the past because he feels safe. That much is true. But R*nas wrongly apply that to his relationship with Nini. They argue that because they've known each other for a long time and because he feels safe with her, his love for her is therefore holding him back from growing as a person. So they think that Rini is what's holding Ricky back.

On top of that, the fandom coddles Ricky too much. They feel bad for him when he feels down, so they have this tendency to want to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe from hurt forever. It's understandable to feel that way about a character you love. But that's essentially what Ricky is already doing to himself, and it's what's keeping him back.

Ricky has a fear of commitment, but it's not because he has "abandonment issues". The only person who has ever "left" him is his mother, and she didn't abandon him. Yes, her going to Chicago was difficult for him (and for her), and at first they didn't talk much. But she did try to talk to Ricky. It's not like she just up and left him and his dad without saying a word. So no, Ricky doesn't have "abandonment issues". His commitment issues stem from a fear of change and, most importantly, rejection.

Ricky coasts instead of committing because he's terrified that he's not actually good at anything. He literally tells us this in 1x09 through the Troy quote he chooses:

Ricky is so afraid of failure that he'd rather not try new things at all. Because caring about something really deeply and then finding out that you're not good at it or messing it up? That hurts. Deeply.

He was terrified to tell Nini that he loves her, because he watched his parents tell each other that same thing all his life until they eventually stopped doing so and their relationship fell apart. In Ricky's eyes, his parents failed at their relationship. And not just that: he saw how much it hurt his father when his mother stopped loving him and ended their relationship. If Ricky admits that he loves Nini, their relationship potentially falling apart would only hurt him more, and he'd be left devastated like his father was. So he shuts down and tells Nini he wants a break instead. He'd rather put things on pause now than risk getting hurt even more after admitting how much he cares. But once he realises that by doing so he drove Nini further away from him and ended their relationship, he realises that he does need to show how deeply he cares sometimes.

His love for Nini has never been a problem. In fact, it's the one thing that drives Ricky's character arc in a positive direction. Because his love for Nini is intrinsically tied to his love for music.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Nini confessed her feelings to him through song. It wasn't just her way of putting herself and her talent out there for all the world to see while saying "I love you" in a way that felt safe and fitting for her. I think she knew that Ricky would secretly love it if she wrote a song for him. Because at the end of the day, no one knows him like she does. She's the only girl who knows what he's about (his words). That's why Ricky feels so safe with Nini and why he's braver when she's around to encourage him and believe in him. Like when she wanted him to come back on stage with her to sing Breaking Free. He felt he wasn't at his best, but she told him to just look at her, and it worked. He gave an incredible performance.

The thing about Ricky's "relationships" with Gina and Lily is that they are his safe options. Because neither are asking Ricky to commit to anything. Gina's "just fly, dude" comment summed it up pretty well. Just go with the flow and see where they land. Ricky and Gina "worked" as a flirtation in season 1 because they were both terrified to admit how much they cared about both the people in their lives and the show. Neither of them wanted that snatched away from them. But while Gina was afraid to admit that she cared because she feared she could never get the stability she needed to keep the things she cared about, Ricky was afraid to dream bigger and take more risks to get the things he wanted. He needed to put himself out there for all the world to see, but he was afraid that would lead to rejection and failure.

In addition to Gina and Lily not asking Ricky to commit to anything, they also don't challenge or inspire him to grow. They only compliment him on the things he does right, but they never call him out on the things he does wrong, let alone demand he does better. He never has to face any hard truths with them. He craves validation so badly, but the downside of him getting that validation too much is that he starts taking the things he has for granted and stops working as much for them as he should. He stops trying to be better. Because if he keeps reaching higher and higher, he keeps risking failure and rejection. So if he just keeps doing the same thing that he gets complimented on, surely he'll be safe and happy, right? He would never have to try new things or show how deeply he cares by committing to something, right?

Nini, unlike Gina and Lily, isn't afraid to speak the hard truth to Ricky. And as much as he doesn't like that, he needs to hear it in order to grow. Because as long as people only talk to him about the things he's good at, he can allow himself to coast and not commit to anything. But once he's hit with the hard truth? That's when he changes. Nini is angry with him for not saying "I love you" back, kinda dumping her and making fun of the theater? He joins the theater and puts himself out there by 1) auditioning and 2) declaring his love for her in song. Nini is angry that he's coasting through dance rehearsals and not fully committed to his role as Troy? Ricky stays up all night to practice the dance and gets it right. Nini tells him that he should talk to his mom because talking to her always makes him feel better? He calls his mom and, surprise surprise, he feels better. We see something similar when Mazzara calls Ricky out for being unreliable. Nini had already encouraged Ricky to audition for himself, not for her, but it wasn't until Mazzara essentially said that it didn't suprise him Ricky was giving up that Ricky felt the need to prove him wrong and go to the audition. Ricky needs to be challenged in order to grow.

The people who don't make Ricky face the hard truths make it too easy for him to put off trying to find out who he is. Deep down, Ricky knows who he is and who he wants to be, but because he's so terrified of failure and rejection, he doesn't want to admit it. That's why we get the contradiction in 1x01 of a skater rat who hates musicals and the theater yet for some reason knows how to play guitar. He's terrified of admitting how much he loves music, because what if he's no good at it? So he'd rather hate on musicals and theater people than admit that he's secretly jealous of their talent and their courage to put themselves out there.

The thing about Ricky and Nini is that their character arcs complement each other. Remember the Troy line that Ricky quotes that I mentioned above? Compare that with the Gabriella line Nini chose:

Sounds familiar? Both Ricky and Nini feel like there's a whole other person inside of them just looking for a way to come out. Only Nini finally has the courage to let that person come out, because she spent a summer at theater camp and had EJ to see her talent and encourage her to put herself out there. Ricky still doesn't believe in himself and his talent, so he needs a lot more growth before he can be on the same path as Nini. That's why they didn't work in season 2. Instead of being the person who gives up the role of Troy when Nini needs a solid performer next to her on stage, he needs to become the person who steps up his game and gives her his all, because she deserves a great scene partner.

I think the point of Ricky's relationship with Lily in season 3 will be to get him to a point where he no longer has a choice but to admit what the things in his life are that he deeply cares about and that define who he is. I find it really likely that Ricky will once again try to coast his way through the auditions, only this time he won't magically get the lead. And his relationship with Lily will likely lead to him drifting apart from the other Wildcats. Potentially even Big Red and Nini. Once he reaches a point where he's lost Nini, Big Red, the Wildcats, and the lead (bonus points if the role he lost is Troy), he will no longer be able to pretend like he didn't actually care about any of those things, or like losing them don't hurt him. And once he feels that hurt of rejection, it's up to him to then find a way to deserve the things he wants again. He wasn't able to call the Wildcats his family in season 1, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets to that point at the end of season 3.

And similarly, I think his relationship with Lily will make him realise that he needs to stop equating romantic relationship with personal happiness and that he shouldn't use girls who validate his talents as a way to put off defining who he is and who he wants to be. He needs to stop playing it safe, and he needs to stop trying to get a romantic relationship "right". Love will find him when he's ready. There's no ticking clock on getting it right, which is what Ricky seems to think.

I know he says that it's "weird", but I think he voices it like a question because he wants Big Red to agree with him and assure him that no, you don't just have until you're 21 to find true love. But Big Red doesn't catch on to that, and so Ricky is still left feeling that way. I think that's another mindset he'll grow out of next season, or at least won't be driven by as much anymore going forward.

Essentially, I agree that Ricky will end season 3 having made the choice to be single and to learn how to find happiness outside of a romantic relationship. He'll need to find out who he is before he's ready to commit to anyone. And I think once he becomes confident in the person he is and wants to be, Nini will be there waiting for him. Because at that point their paths will intersect and they'll be able to go forward together. They'll be able to reach for the stars together.

Gina

As for the Gina aspect of your ask, I agree that her ever pining for Ricky again would be character regression. His non-committal attitude with her made it all the easier for her to not really commit to him in return. She kept giving him outs when it came to talking about feelings and she let him get away with taking those outs (as I just talked about in this post). What Ricky did do for her is that he gave her a (false) sense of security. Once she started falling for him and spending more time with him, she started thinking that maybe things wouldn't change this time. That she could start caring about her role, the show, and the Wildcats. And that if things did start to change, she could fight it. Because that's what they did when Miss Jenn was almost fired, and it worked!

But just as Gina is finally ready to admit how much she cares about the Wildcats by excitedly telling her mom about how much fun she's having with them, the rug gets pulled out from under her and her life changes again. In a way that makes her once again feel powerless. It's in that moment and in the following days that Gina needs someone to fight for her. To show her that her life doesn't have to change and that she can have a choice. Just like Ricky voiced his fear that there's a ticking clock on finding true love as a question to Big Red, so does Gina voice this as a question:

Gina is used to not having any control over change, but, as I went into in the post I mentioned two paragraphs above, Ricky is really resistant to change and will fight it and find solutions if he cares enough. However, over the course of 1x08 and 1x09, Gina learns that Ricky didn't fight for her to stay, or at the very least come back. He tells her in 1x09 that he thought he'd never see her again. He accepted that. He's not trying to find ways to get Gina the stability she needs. He thinks that if she wants it, she'll fight for it herself.

The people that do see what Gina wants and needs and find ways to solve her problems and give her what she wants are EJ and Ashlyn. EJ buys her a plane ticket because it wouldn't be fair for her to miss opening night, and Ashlyn offers to let her stay with her for as long as she wants. Gina has always been very independent and hates admitting that she needs help, let alone asking for it, but secretly she wants people to look after her and give her a hand when she needs it. That's why EJ's sweet gestures matter so much to her, and why she's so touched by Ashlyn and Carlos constantly reaching out to her and trying to include her.

She needs people in her life who help her get the stability she craves and who encourage her to let her walls down and let people in. Ashlyn, Carlos and Nini are the people who keep doing that for her platonically (they've been given most of the focus, but that doesn't make the smaller moments with the other Wildcats doing the same thing less important), and EJ does that for her romantically. He's the one who consistently inspires Gina to grow and become a better version of herself, and the one who makes Gina feel seen and understood, instead of feeling invisible or judged. He doesn't project his own insecurities onto her, unlike Ricky (he came at her for having too much ambition, even though he's secretly jealous of her). And in turn, Gina makes EJ feel seen and understood too. Together, they've come to realise that happiness is about other people, not their achievements, and that they're not ready to leave those people behind. And they've inspired each other to become braver and more emotionally honest people. That's huge for both of them, and I don't see them ever regressing back to the people they were before they got together.

Gina needs someone who can match her ambition but who will also show up for her and can give her the stability she needs. That will never be Ricky, because he needs to learn to be brave enough to reach for the stars and come to see change as an inevitable part of life that is neither good or bad. It just is, and he needs to learn to make the best of it. That's why Ricky and Nini are a perfect fit, and why EJ and Gina work so well too. Their character arcs complement each other. And that's essential for a romantic relationship to work in fictional stories. If they can't walk the same path in life, their relationship can never work.

#hsmtmts #ricky bowen #nini salazar roberts #rini #gina porter #ej caswell #portwell #hsmtmts meta #rini meta #portwell meta #anti rina #ask #the lead up to getting all three parts of this ask was quite suspenseful #but i hope i managed to make the pay off worth it #i certainly put a lot of effort into this answer #hope you don't mind me going on and on about rini #given your shipping history you may not like them #but i think they're going to be endgame and that understanding their arc together helps you understand their individual arcs really well #anouk rambles

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