#one of my goals this year is trying to ship these 2 again...romantically that is | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vanofasgard · 11 months

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i have to rant about this or i might cease to exist.

lokius...

for one, i love queer ships (canon or not) but i also like to stay true to the show i’m watching, and i personally don’t have a big problem with sylki (just a little underwhelmed with it if i’m being honest). but the more i look at loki and mobius’ relationship, the clues and that damn song, the more it feels actually plausible that this could turn into something real.

i’m going to somewhat rank these from 1 downward, 1 being its probably coincidental, down to this is too spot on to be nothing. all while i sip leisurely at my tea.

1. “i’ve studied almost every moment of your life..”

it kind of speaks for itself. its a pretty simple bit of dialogue, and most likely doesn’t mean all that much, but what is mobius’ fascination with loki variants? this is higher on the list mainly because mobius has been assigned this case, he's a detective and its his job to dig deep, he's consumed by his work, therefore it isn't strange for him to know so much about loki's life on the sacred timeline.

2. the tie adjustment scene

trust me, i'd love to put this lower on the list, but theres one thing that makes me believe this is-- albeit disappointingly-- a coincidence. it was improv. maybe that, for some people, is more of an indicator of canon lokius, that tom hiddleston felt that that scene was being led in such a flirtatious direction, however, this scene was more his following along owen's playful presence on set, which just makes it kind of sweet. but this is one of my favourites scenes, regardless of the intention behind it. loki will always be a flirt, after all.

3. loki's bisexuality

as much as i would have loved to see more on loki's sexuality-- perhaps slightly more explicitly given his status as the god of mischief-- i'm not going to hate on sylvie and loki, because that would simply erase the existence of bisexuality, hetero-presenting relationships exist and to deny so would again, erase the meaning of bisexuality. however, the ending of season 1 does raise some questions. loki and sylvie's separation sets up the future of marvel, it needed to happen, so this might not mean much at all and we now know that season 2 will focus on loki searching for sylvie through timelines. but how purely queer would it be for loki to realise some stronger feelings toward one agent mobius, and perhaps loki and sylvie's relationship was something that was meant to stay platonic, who knows? this is considerably more fanon than my other theories, but i had to include it, given that to me, its a reasonable arguement. lgbtq+ characters need to be introduced and this was kate herron's goal from the beginning. she also said that she hoped marvel went further with this new information and explored more thoroughly. forgive me for this more outlandish inclusion, but it has been on mind for awhile now.

4. the presence of the dagger / "love is a dagger..."

we all know this one, we've all screamed over it and we all hope it means something more than just a coincidence. with marvel's history of in-depth attention to detail (comic references, foreshadowing years prior to a movie's release), it feels a little too purposeful, doesn't it? again, i'm trying to keep rank these into something somewhat believable with viable evidence, so something i will mention is that loki has lacked any close friendships his whole life. gaining a relationship like this would hold deep value to him, and parting ways would likely pull forth some deep bittersweet emotions. platonic love is arguably more important than romantic, the need to be understood without judgement and that is what both mobius and loki have given each other. the tears in loki's eyes during this scene is a clear indicator of their care for each other, but whether that goes deeper is unclear.

my thoughts fluctuate on this one. for one, its simply so beautiful and meaningful to loki's development (and mobius') that whether its meant platonic or with an underlying romance, feels like it hardly matters, because it holds as much meaning either way. "love is a dagger", it appears in so many forms throughout the series: mobius giving loki his daggers, only for them to be taken away by B-15 a second later, this hug scene and loki and sylvie's fight in the citadel. its so prominent in this scene, its hard to dismiss, yet marvel fluctuates so much with their details that its hard to tell if this was intended the way i'm seeing. regardless, its beautiful and definitely a worthy inclusion.

5. the lokius song / mobius' apparent jealousy

lets get one thing straight, natalie holt is an amazing composer and i will back that to no end with my spotify wrapped this year, trust me on this. so when i first started listening through the second album, like a true neurodivergent kid, i was memorising every song name and i have to say, i lost it a little when i saw the name of this song. natalie confirmed that sif and loki had a 'thing' during the point that the time loop scene was set, so one cannot dismiss the possibility that she could know a little more about the prior scenes than we realise. i was skeptical when i first saw people's impressions of these scenes, after all, they had all reunited after loki technically betrayed mobius, so it was understandable that mobius wouldn't exactly be pleased with the circumstances that they're meeting again. but something about the way he looks at loki and sylvie when he's leading them down the hall, he just looks kind of heartbroken and disappointed. again, this could have been the result of loki's betrayal, if the way he calls him a bad friend is anything to go by, but the substance of this scene holds so much in it. and his little rant about loki and sylvie's "twisted romantic relationship" breaking his reality, hits a little hard. maybe this wouldn't have meant much if it hadn't been with that bloody song, because tell how just an angry, hurt mobius = lokius? it can be jealousy regardless of romantic feelings, friendships feel it too, but this feel a little more substantial.

worthy inclusions:

sylvie's "he cares about you" comment in the void, and loki's near dismissal of it.

loki falling asleep in the archives, he trusts mobius.

am i the only one that finds it cute how loki hangs out at mobius' desk while mobius is off doing other work?

conclusion:

look, i'm going to be honest here, i grow sceptical of my own arguments at times. these are very minor things, and i didn't even realise they were pushing loki and sylvie in the direction they were until they kiss (in other words, i'm a little oblivious), so i want you all to take this with a grain of salt. i like to stay true to the actual characters and their makers, i don't have unrealistic expectations and i am no director, actor or screenwriter. i am not saying how i think the next season should go, i just wish it could go to in this direction to some degree. i have my doubts, but my hopes too. regardless, i'm just happy to see these characters at all!

this is what so many seem to forget. there may be restrictions (cough cough disney), but everyone working on these shows and movies have put their hearts into it and i want to appreciate that for what it is! this doesn't mean you aren't entitled to your own opinion, of course you are! but just remember the show/characters you've fallen in love with and if you didn't have them at all. i'm overjoyed to see loki with a close friendship after so many years of watching him being proverbially kicked while he was down. ultimately, loki and mobius' friendship (and possible romance) is what technically saved loki and that's something beautiful in and of itself.

I don't think its impossible! but i keep an open mind for both directions their stories could take.

#lokius #wowki #mcu loki #loki #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #mobius m mobius #loki series #loki x mobius #shipping #lgbtqia #character analysis

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chipmunkfanno1love · 1 year

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Favourite Ship Tag Game

Since tag games are so popular around here, I thought I’d give it a go and make my own. :D

Choose 4 romantic ships (fictional couples and/or fictional characters you *wish* were couples) you love from any fictional source whether it be books, movies, TV shows, mobile/video games, etc. Please also reference the fictional source they come from. The list doesn’t have to be in any particular order.

Give your reasons why you love this couple and/or why you think they’d *make* a great couple. If you can, please include a picture or GIF of the couple.

Tag 5 of your followers to share this game with. You may choose to tag more or less if you wish, but I do recommend choosing 5. No pressure, just please share this game with others for the sake of spreading the word.

Please be respectful of others and there opinions. No abuse please. :( Also, have fun. :D

*Warning*: Story spoilers ahead.

1. Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzherbert/”Flynn Rider” from the Tangled franchise.

I love these two because they are beautiful example of a healthy relationship. They love and support each other selflessly in their goals and dreams and never try to pressure the other into doing what they aren’t ready for. They are always there to support each other and build the other up to become the best versions of themselves.

Rapunzel helped Eugene find the selfless, loving man underneath the selfish, vain thief, while Eugene gave Rapunzel the courage to live her dream and break herself free from the manipulative Mother Gothel’s control and find the truth about her real parents and her being the lost princess. They’re each others New Dream and I love that about them. :D

Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi did amazing in these roles.

2. Branch and Poppy from the “Trolls” franchise

I love these two because they are adorable examples of opposites-attract. Poppy is the bubbly, endlessly optimistic princess turned queen of the Pop Trolls, while Branch is the grumpy but realistic former hermit with a heart of gold.

Poppy helps Branch to see the bright side of things and helps him to find his true colours, while Branch keeps Poppy grounded and realistic when she takes her plans too far and is always there to help her out when she needs him.

I hope these two marry some day and Branch becomes Poppy’s king consort. They make a great team - romantically, plantonically and just generally as trolls.

I also love Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick. Their singing voices are amazing. :D

3. Callum and Rayla from “The Dragon Prince”

A great example of the enemies to friends to lovers trope (though they’re currently on the outs romantically). These two have a beautiful bond that grows naturally over the course of 3 seasons. Despite being estranged due to 2 years apart in Season 4, the two are slowly and naturally repairing their broken bond and I hope in time these two will not only repair their friendship but eventually fall in love all over again and get back together as a stronger and much more mature couple.

4. Simon and Jeanette from the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” franchise

The adorkably nerdy pair and *Smart Ones* of their respective musical trios, The Chipmunks and The Chipettes. Despite being similar in their intelligence levels, the two are still different enough from each other that aren’t clones of the other. Jeanette is more shy and compassionate in temprament to Simon’s more snarky, deadpanned wit. He’s always there to catch her when she falls (most of the time literally, lol) and she’s always there to support him and cheer him up when his inventions are ruined (mostly by his irresponsible brother, Alvin).

Though they are still a bit young and shy to start a serious relationship with each other, it’s obvious this adorable pair were made for each other. They do and will make an adorable pair - romantically, platonically and acemedically.

I tag @16magnolias , @briarosabelle , @creativefictionlover , @psalm40speakstome and @travelinglighttoday . Though anyone can feel free to play if they wise to. Have fun! :D

#tag game #romance ships #fictional characters

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firelxdykatara · 1 year

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Was watching sneezys video on K/A v Z/K and wondered slightly off tangent why you (and ill admit that I) never took redcrackle as a red herring pairing? Was it just preference for enemies to lovers or ? Is it because they have meat to them that seems it actually might resolve in a romantic fashion (if xyz reasons and behind the scenes wasn't in the way)?

Prt 2 of the sneezy x rc because to clarify i always wondered why being like they are (not having the same values and always having to leave each other instead of coming together) didn't make you see it as a k/a or m/z?

So I actually answered an ask similar to this quite some time ago, though the framing was a little different--I was asked if I agreed that red crackle was maiko 'done better' and my answer was kinda wordy but I think it boils down to this:

I think a big part of it is that Carmen Sandiego started out giving you the sense that these two characters genuinely loved and cared for one another in the 'childhood friends' portion of their past. ... The thing about maiko is... it was entirely one-sided from the very beginning. Shippers will sometimes try to sell you on them being 'childhood sweethearts', but they really weren't--Mai had a crush on Zuko, to which he was oblivious,...

...

Gray and Carmen, on the other hand, were established as rivals who quickly became best friends over the course of their year in school together. They clearly cared deeply for one another, and Gray was just as upset as she was when Carmen failed their final exams ... They didn't see each other for three years (incidentally, the same length of time between Zuko's banishment and meeting Mai again), at which point they were enemies, and yet Gray was clearly upset at the prospect of having to hurt her.

...

Carmen and Gray both grew as characters separately and together--Mai never grew at all, being the exact same person in her last appearance as she was in her first, with the same beliefs and no indication that anything about her worldview had changed, and this is especially egregious when she was paired as a love interest with the character who arguably had the most dynamic growth throughout the series.

Ultimately, my problems with maiko (and kataang) were never that the characters involved had diverging morals or goals, or that they spent significant portions of time separated--those are things that could make for juicy romantic development if given adequate time and page- or screen-space to grow and add to the tension between them until it eventually boils over. The real issue is that neither of these ships actually sold me on the mutual development of their romantic feelings or relationships.

And actually, maiko and kataang both share the problem of one-sided interest being established and nothing being done to make the journey from unrequited to requited love seem believable for the characters who did not originally share these feelings. Aang's crush on Katara is abundantly clear from the beginning of the show, where he hatches from his ice egg and imprints on the first girl he's ever seen in his life like a baby duckling. Katara is entirely oblivious to his interest in her even when he tries to act upon it (take the Cave of Two Lovers, for example, where they kiss to light their way forward and Aang seems flustered and clearly wants to talk about what just happened, but Katara seems to feel nothing except relief and excitement that their plan worked and she can now find the way out), until quite late in the series when, after Aang rather aggressively projects his own feelings onto her, she suddenly seems to reciprocate. Likewise, it is established in a flashback that Mai had a crush on Zuko, but there's zero indication given that he ever noticed her feelings, much less returned them (which makes sense given that he was ten years old at the time and she was his sister's friend and helped to torment him), and no care or attention is given at all to his feelings towards her in the present until suddenly they are dating at the start of book 3.

Then with maiko you have the added issue of nothing ever being done to resolve their stark differences in worldview. At the end of The Boiling Rock, Mai turns on Azula to save 'the jerk who dumped [her]', not because she suddenly realized she was wrong and the Fire Nation needed to change. And at the end of the show you have evidence that Zuko had completely forgotten about her (despite the fact that he could quite possibly have thought she died defying Azula to save his life, and never once seems to think about her again afterwards), and they just... get back together. Because reasons, I guess. Because Mai says 'I guess I kind of like you' and that's supposed to be a good reason for two people to get back together despite none of the things that made their relationship untenable in the first place having changed.

On the other hand, Gray goes through an entire arc on the show after getting his memories back where he comes to realize that working with VILE was not worth losing Carmen, and it wasn't worth Carmen losing herself. And while you could certainly make the argument that at the end of the day he was still saving Carmen because he loved her (however you interpret that love; I personally view it as romantic but obviously the show did not choose to make any specific Carmen-centric ship canon in the end), not because his own moral center had shifted away from the villainous, I would counter that taking a stand against VILE was a clear indication that he had discovered something that was worth more to him than his criminal inclinations. And there was actually a relationship there to serve as a foundation, plus the obvious potential for him to join Team Red in the future and use his skills for good rather than evil.

I have always been a proponent of the redemptive power of love, incidentally. I think that one of the most beautiful forms of redemption is choosing to change because of love, because the act of falling in love and recognizing that love is inherently transformative. Because love changes us and makes us want to be better versions of ourselves. (Or sometimes worse, I do love a good corruption arc too but that's a different topic.)

But the thing is that I ultimately need to believe that love exists in order to buy its power to redeem. I never saw any reason to believe Mai and Zuko were in love beyond very surface-level indications of attraction and an otherwise shallow relationship where they never seem to connect on any deeper level--and not for lack of trying on Zuko's part, here is an excellent essay about their lack of emotional intimacy. Carmen and Gray, meanwhile, had a close friendship and deep emotional bond which persisted through Gray's forced amnesia and that changed him enough that he let Carmen go and then took steps to get her away from VILE after they captured and brainwashed her, branding himself a traitor and risking imprisonment or death to do so.

You can't just skip the part where the story shows us how and why a couple are in love or might have fallen in love and then try to convince me that they are and this isolated moment of sacrifice embodies it. You've gotta put in the work! And atla ultimately fails to do so for either of their main canon ships. (Zutara on the other hand..... but that's another essay. Cough.)

#atla #carmen sandiego #red crackle #anti maiko #maiko salt #kataang salt #salt for ts #long post #kitty meta #Anonymous #asked

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northerngoshawk · 5 months

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2023 Year-End Fic Round Up

many thanks to @itsmoonpeaches and @chocomd for the tags

oh boi i have not written a lick of a word since starting college again but here goes nothing

Words written (published or not, WIPs totally count too!): 149,165. probably have more due to wips that i started (but didn't finish) last year but for now i'll go with this number

Smut scenes written (if applicable): 0

New things I tried:

dabbled a lil in the Spiderverse fandom with my drabble a thin thread of trust, broken

tried my hand at a more romantically inclined fic premise with a love worth fighting for, my kataang forbidden lovers au

tried my hand at integrating Chinese culture a lot more into the ATLA world with Pangu, my kataang week fic written for the Injured prompt

other than that, there wasn't that much i experimented with. it felt a bit like the same old, same old

Fic I spent the most time on: definitely a love worth fighting for. twas a multi-chap with 6 chapters, with the word count ranging anywhere from 2k to 6k words? maybe even more. but not only did i want to portray the romance, i also wanted to flesh out the worldbuilding, develop other relationships b/w characters in this au, and so on. thus, this fic was warranted to be the one i spent the most time on

Fic I spent the least time on: a thin thread of trust, broken. it was really just a drabble from Thoughts i was having about Across the Spiderverse, specifically about Gwen and her relationship with her friends and Miles and also as a response to the unwarranted Gwen hate that she got post-movie something something misogyny something something redemption not being necessary for her because she was just a teen caught in a horrible situation but i digress

Favourite thing I wrote: oof idk. i think i really love how Pangu turned out, mostly because that was my first really deep dive into trying to integrate Chinese culture into the ATLA world. i know the premise of the fic was for kataang week, but my intention here was to delve deeper into the loneliness and burden Aang would inevitably feel in being the Avatar, and how it's always Katara (and his other friends) who help carry that burden with him. i think the story of Pangu really helps act as that parallel to Aang, but where the giant in the story was alone and eventually perished under the weight of his burden, Aang's friends help shoulder that weight with him and help him live.

Favourite thing I read: i'll be honest, i haven't really read a lot of fics recently, but one that does stand out for me is @chocomd's Enough, a kataang hanahaki fic, and its sequel The Deal. the writing between these two fics is incredibly gorgeous and haunting, managing to capture a kind of horrific beauty in both the hanahaki that afflicted Katara and the hope-turned-horror of Aang's eventual deal with... well, you'd have to read these fics to find out.

Writing goals for next year:

i'll probably take a sharp right turn from ATLA for now and head off towards writing fic for Genshin. i don't really have any good ideas for ATLA for now, which probably means i need a change of pace and to discover new material to work with. i'll probably come back to ATLA someday, but right now, between school and impending work and my hyperfixation on Genshin, i just can't find anything to work with.

in a similar vein above, i'm probably gonna take a break from romance and introspection and try my hand at action and adventure. unlike most of the Genshin fandom, i don't really ship anyone with anyone, and i also don't care about what the fandom thinks - i'm happy in my own little corner. i also recently read Six of Crows and i think it's high-time i try and conduct my own kind of plot. maybe through a mafia au? dungeon au? apocalypse? spy? who knows

even though i'm looking to eventually turn to Genshin, i do wanna finish up my pending Demon Slayer AU fic The Last Wind-Breather. i kinda want it to be a series of fics in the world, but for now i think i'll finish up the 2nd chapter and then come back to this au from time to time, write whatever comes to mind.

aaaand with that being said, i should probably at least get a chapter or two out for see the sky and sea (and remember me). started this fic in 2022, but even then i want to tie up my loose ends, give these fics the endings they deserve

Tagging (no pressure): @flameohotwife @benwvatt @shameaboutthedilettantism @coyotelemon and anyone else who wants to join in, feel free to!

#northern gets tagged #tag game #fanfiction ask game #ask game

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autumnnnsun · 1 year

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Rating each Ambience Synesthesia 2023 looks because I have nothing else to do

I just felt like talking about some of these lines so why not. Warning for a bit of neg and talks of orientalism underneath. This is just my opinion, if you like the outfits, I am very happy for you. Feel free to disagree and stuff idk

First up, Umbra in the Sand, oh jeez

Really? on Ramadhan?

I'm always super icked out whenever anime games try to feature anything middle eastern because they treat the middle east not as a place that has people with hundreds of cultures and landscapes that one could take inspiration from and instead as a "Genre" to make fanservice with. It sees the middle east not as a real place with its own societies to explore but as an excuse to put waifus in belly dancer outfits and husbandos in whatever the heck Stainless is meant to be wearing.

The whole point of a lot of middle eastern clothing is to protect the skin from the death rays of the sun and that completely clashes with the goal of showing cleavage, bellies and thighs. So designers always end up making... This.

The fashion itself is uninspiring, Carnelian is decent but Gavial's just in a bikini, I dislike Stainless' clothes and I can't see what Erato is wearing because she's holding a ~Middle Eastern Instrument(tm)~

2/10, it's half assed orientalism, I give it 2 points cus its only half assed and Carnelian at least looks good but it's only getting that because it's orientalism.

Next, Fast & Stronger

Fast & Furious reference alert. This one is a huge step up but that's prolly only because Umbra in the Sand was such a Low for me.

You can't really go wrong with black leather jackets and this kind of edgy fashion so everyone looks good here and are solid with the concept. Penance is my favourite we love a hot bitch.

My only thing with this concept is that I feel like it could have been pushed just a little further I feel. I think it needs a bit more accessories to really give out that edgy "we are committing illegal racing" vibe. It'd also be funny considering that most of the characters here would most likely not approve of it.

7/10, Love the concept but the execution needs more oomph.

Next on is Chamber of Virtuoso

Another traditional chinese esque aesthetic but a bit more regal and fantastical(?)

I love the clothes here, Lava and Lin here are my favourites, Ling looks nice and Lee is Lee.

I dont really feel for anything about these designs because I'm not exactly too sure what direction it's going for, nor am I familiar with what genre exactly it's referencing. It also feels like that instead of a reimagining of these characters we're getting the same thing that we've seen from these character again when Ambience of Synesthesia is one of the biggest chances to dress up these characters in ways that they wouldn't usually dress in the game.

5/10, looks pretty but the concept bores me a bit.

And lastly, the chosen looks that got turned into skinlines, The Lost Tideline.

Just gonna look at this purely in a fashion sense and not look at the skin art because reasons.

This line is prolly the only line that matches the whole Phantom Thief theme that this year's Ambience Synesthesia is going for by trying to do the whole "Mystery on a Cruise" thing.

Irene is in a maid dress, Lumen is reimagined as this romantic rich boy almost and I like that so much, Roberta looks nice and Horn is in yet another white dress.

Yet another concept that I really like but I feel could have been pushed further. Especially with Lumen we won't be able to see him in this kinda richboi outfit so give him a bit more jewellery! Give him a fancy robe! Slick up his hair or smth idk! Turn him into the arrogant rich character who is the red herring for the murder that happened on the ship.

It felt like they held back with this one for some reason and it's a shame cus with a name like, The Lost Tideline, I would have expected some dumb fun I guess.

7/10 again, good concept, wished it was pushed further.

Overall this Ambience Synesthesia gets a 5/10 from me. The thing that was really missing for me was the cheese and camp that we got from the previous Ambiences. Like, 2022 gave us Flamebringer with a gas mask in a cyberpunk setting, Mr Nothing The Flop (Affectionate) as a serious looking general, Dream Land had our operators in gorgeous dresses and suits, and we get to see Mudrock, Phantom, Tequila and Reed doing dumb spy stuff. It had charm, it was cheesy but it was dumb fun.

And then 2023 gave us Orientalism, Black Leather Jacket Gang and Fantasy Traditional Chinese (again). The Lost TIdeline looks really good but it really felt like they held themselves back because they wanted to go for something actually serious this time ig?

I feel like the concepts weren't explored enough here and that kinda sucks cus there's some potential here.

Except for Umbra in the Sand. That should have just been binned.

Maybe I'd think differently if I see the livestream and the context and story behind these lines but rn I think it's pretty mid.

#arknights #autumnstext #Ambience Synesthesia #Ambience Synesthesia 2023 #tldr this year felt a bit mid ngl #I think I just loved 2022 AS too much LMAO #tw orientalism #or at least discussions of it

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transfemlogan · 4 months

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is it too late to ask about your problems with canon moceit. im really curious cuz i like their canon dynamic

ITS NEVER TOO LATE !!!

okay so okay. okay. okay.

i will say i do not like patton ships in general, minus royality, so some of my moceit dislike stems from that. like again im very neutral on ships, but i tend to stray away from patton ships. hes 1 of my least fave characters so i just dont like imagining him in dynamics.

BUT! a lot of my moceit hate stems fron how they're written. i don't like how janus'& patton's relationship in canon is written. i know we havent gotten a lot of in canon interactions bcuz its been almost 4 years but it feels very, very fast past & like... not how a relationship should span.

i know people get so pissy when you say this but it is inherently pattons fault that the dark sides exist— it's all of the light sides fault, dont get me wrong, but it is especially patton's fault metaphorically. i am not trying to demonise him or hate on him or like say he's the villain or whatever dumb shit, but patton represents thomas' morality. the dark sides exist because thomas views them as inherently evil & thomas' views and opinions are morality. that is the definition of morality.

metaphorically speaking, thomas' morality is the reasons the dark sides exist and patton represents his morality.

janus is a dark side. he was casted aside because thomas views lying as an inherently a bad thing because he is catholic. patton casted janus side because patton thought lying was an inherently bad thing.

so when i see like... janus & patton interact in the into the unknown video or in the 5 years video it's so strange to me to see there be 0 awkwardness. no grudges held against each other. no mishaps or underlying opinions. theyre just ... friends?

like, if you are pushed and demonised by this person, you are not going to just casually talk to them after getting accepted. i cant even remember if patton apologised to janus at all in POF. & like janus knows how pattom treats roman & c!tjomas & i know janus isnt going to demonise patton back (well. glances at how he treated roman. maybe he would.) BUT THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF LIKE. "HEY U STILL DID THIS SHITTY THING TO ME."

like it's not a one time thing, for like 30+ years thomas did not know he had a deceitful side or a dark creativity or whatever the hell orange is. this is 30 years that the dark sides were demonised and treated like this. this is years of their life. that shit fucks with you. it's like getting bullies for years and now all of a sudden your bullies are like "ok ur fine now" except way fucking worse.

& especially for patton to not be hesitant to trust janus still or slip up and say something that implies that he still doesnt agree w/ lying or something or like. saying something that he knows is bad now but has thought for years so it's just a habit.

the fact that there's no hesitation on either of their ends to me is sooo EUGHH. like it'd be way more interesting to see them stumble over their friendship & struggle but they just DONT. DO THAT. & ITS TERRIBLE I HATE IT.

& i hate the idea of them ever being in a romantic relationship with each other. like... patton, you demonised this guy for fucking years. you treated him like shit but now you're nice and attracted to him. like it feels like one of those awfully written enemies 2 lovers. like thats.. very weird to me.

outside of canon, i think their dynamic is kind of fun. like . not exactky polar oppisites like how remus & patton are or virgil & patton are but not exactly different sides of the same coin like how janus & logan are. but like. i dont even know how 2 describe their dynamic. reaching for the same goal with the same methods but very very very different opinions.

IDK LIKE. YEAH i understand the reason 4 why people ship them, but they have the same issues as prinxiety 4 me i think. like acting as if their past can just disappear like that. 30 years is a lot of time of your life to be treated like that, and a simple "i trust you" or whatever will never erase that. & im not saying they cant try or that they shouldnt (they definitely should!). just that there needs to be more push back. more struggles within their relationship for it to feel realistic. (& a romantic relationship just icks me out. janus you should not get into a relationship with that man.)

ERRMM AND ALSO JANUS IS ALREADY DATING LOGAN NOT PATTON SOOO PATTON CAN GO AWAY 🙄🙄🙄 /J /SILLY

(if any moceit shippers want 2 talk abt moceit on this post, feel free !!!) (also the opposite is true, if u hate moceit like me feel free 2 express that also.)

#ask #SHOULD I PUT THIS IN. MOCEIT TAGS?

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c1tyhaunts · 1 year

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SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

Tagged by: I don’t fucking remember??? But I had this in my draft for a moment so RIP? Tagging: Do it

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

I have my favorite dynamics for my mains, due to most of my OTPs being me self-shipping my girls with whatever vibes. My favorite dynamics are the following:

AVIAN. either himbo/bimbo-energy that always drags her into stupid shit or a stick-in-the-mud who's trying to get her out of shit. bonus points if they are flirtatious and a little bit dangerous for my favorite "bad girl/good girl" combo. bonus, bonus points for that partner being a woman.

TERRAH. i enjoy her calmly bringing morally ambiguous figures to their knees because they are so, so desperately in love with her. because she deserves to be adored for being herself. bonus points if her partner is a bad/evil person to everyone except her

LILAH. therapy. jk. kinda. Lilah would prefer a smooth talker; someone she can battle wits with but can come kiss them when the sun sets. she wants a romantic to sweep her off her feet, one who's willing to love and let go as easily. she demands something temporary, indulgent. I love messy dynamics for her.

ELVIRA. ivy has two sides they enjoy: those who embody sunlight and those who embody moonlight. bonus points if she has them both. Ivy fares better in a polyamory dynamic, having two partners to balance their mercurial personality.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

The majority of my characters are at least 22+ and up, and I refuse to ship anything underage or if the character isn’t at a minimum of 21+. I’m flexible in terms of age gaps up to 10+ years, but I am selective. Will need heavy plotting prior to justify the reasoning.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

Anything beyond a chaste kiss on the lips that de-evolves to heavy kissing and touching is when I usually start considering things NSFW. If the end goal is to fuck or get freaky, that’s NSFW. And that also depends on the characters as well, as some of them have different definitions of intimacy & sex.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Yes, I am. I love shipping, so I try not to be too strict with it. If the characters vibe, they vibe. However, given the majority of the characters here are black women, I’m very particular about certain dynamics. These girls, no matter how hard they come off, are soft, gentle, and/or passionate in their dynamics, and I get really, really whiffy if someone comes up to me to make my girls more gruff or animalistic than they really are. I will shut that shit down fast if I even catch a whiff of an odd dynamics that hyper-masculizes my girls.

I am more explicitly strict on Jackson & Jo when it comes to shipping. Jo-hui explicitly because of her sexual trauma and Jackson for the trauma he brings to others. Also given that Jackson’s the only guy on the blog, I gotta be particular on who’s gonna have his heart.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

GOD... if we wanna go by blogs... I p much ship with my friends and anyone who's interested. Special shoutouts go to:

Ramona (@lotuskissed) x Elvira

Silske (@ohshadow) x Terrah

Joaquin (@hesperid) x Lilah

Lillith (@shivasdarknight) x Avian

If y'all want to learn about my character's dirty little canon x oc ships I do on the side... that's level 2 of friendship there.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

I'd heavily prefer it. Again, I'm down if you are, but if I don't feel the dynamic, I don't wanna force it.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

ALWAYS? I worship my ships like a religion, and if it doesn't seem like it, then let me know and I'll pull more weight!! I love my ships so much and they are so dear to my heart

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?

Yes.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

I'll tell you about my dirty little Canon x OC ships I enjoy. I only have a handful.

Terrah x Max DeSoto (Outer Worlds) - I just love Old People finding LOVE. They are my default ship for Terrah outside of the universe, I don't care. Come @ me.

Elvira x Ghost x Soap (CoD) - this was actually a bad joke that I had with @shivasdarknight that ended up being serious.

Lilah x An RE Protagonist (Resident Evil) - ... if you guess which one, I'll have to take you out back.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Literally just jump into my inbox it's really that easy.

#▶⌜dead air :: ooc⌟#▶⌜ch. terrah v. sparkz⌟#▶⌜ch. avian delilah esparza⌟#▶⌜ch. lilah eve lyons⌟#I had this in my drafts for MONTHS #so I was like "why fuckin not lemme finish it'#I roasted my own ass here #▶⌜ch. elvira t. delauris⌟#USFW //

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the-martyrfication-of-the-matron · 1 year

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I’m new here and I keep seeing Amaranth all over and you wanna pop off with stuff about them so may I a request a beginners guide of sorts? Just the what would be helpful to know

Ahh! I’m not sure how to do this, but

Yeah!

I’m just gonna spout nonsense for a while!

Amaranth is my rewrite of Minecraft diaries which I have been doing for almost two years now, and is currently on hiatus. It consists of 44 chapters which are all, up until I think chapter 44 itself, based off of MCD or Rebirth episodes, and whilst the first 3/4s of it are based in the main plotline of season one, the ending will be different so that I can reuse s1s ending for a more Amulet-centric story arc.

If you want a list for triggering material that is/may be included, please do ask. Obviously most of it isn’t yet involved or the tags would include warnings of that, but I think it’s important to talk about the future of Amaranth too.

Love interests for Aphmau include (because this is a home for multi shipping and polyamory):

-Zoey, kind of primary love interest? There’s not much content for it in regards to pining and struggle but they’re pretty consistently in love so they’re just cute together.

-Garroth, canon love interest. Their main struggles are that he ‘respects her too much’ as his lord and so kind of goes back and forth on flirting with her and pushing her away. Also his brother… exists.

-Laurence, kind of a side thing. Laurence is into her far more than she is into him but she can at least find consistency in his attitudes towards her.

-Aaron, he’s hardly been introduced so far. The two appearances he has made are him saving Aphmau from werewolves and proceeding to berate her for thanking him. And then saving her from werewolves again and giving her over to Lucinda. Their relationship does end up far more developed than just this though and I’m aiming for it to be a primary focus of later seasons.

-Zane, her fiancé (non consensually). He wants to marry her for control, and she just doesn’t want none of that. He’s mostly there to be annoying, and also serve as a reason Garroth does not want to be romantic with her.

The most of this storyline for season one is evading any damage coming to Phoenix drop. She’s gone on a few minor quests, but her main goal is to stop Zane from gaining power and influence near enough to her village to be a threat, and even sets up the Phoenix Alliance to ensure herself allies if he does happen to attack.

My plans for season 2 thus far are confidential, though I can say that I’m trying to make use of a storyline introduced yet not used in MCD, and as a way to further explain the politics and world of Amaranth. This will be the amulet centric arc, as Aphmau begins to study them with the help of a ‘mysterious stranger’ to try and figure out Zane’s plans for the region and her people.

A few characters that are magicks-less in MCD have magicks in Amaranth (like Dante, who can look through people’s memories similarly to how Gene can alter them in Rebirth), and characters such as the Divine will be, when the time is appropriate, given more flesh to their stories than we were given previously.

There are also gods and such, though the subject of the gods themselves will be left for a later rewrite of A Royal Tale, in which gods are majorly referenced. Because in Amaranth, all of the Aphverse series are somehow connected along a timeline I’m forever trying to figure out, and the idea of this will be explored in each rewrite.

Obviously this is a very brief little. Thing. If you have any questions, or anything else you particularly want to know about, send an ask, or a message, or join the discord server where I may have answered it before! :)

#aphmau #aphverse #rewrite #aphblr #minecraft diaries #mcd #amaranth

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seventeenlovesthree · 2 years

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Digiweek 2022 Drabbles/Ficlets - Red Shades Filling Up My Heart

One year ago, @dutchforstrangers had decided to dedicate the entirety of Digiweek to a lovely little polyamorous OT3 fanfiction with the title “Shades of Red”. Even if I went into Digiweek 2022 pretty much unprepared, I’m still aiming to pay homage to the story by taking a look at how things may have developed afterwards...

🧡💜❤️

Chapters: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Chapter 2: Relationship

Summary: Koushirou is treating Mimi for dinner, thanking her for all the support she’s been offering him throughout his journey to discover his feelings for his two best friends, encouraging him to shoot for the stars and for his romantic happiness. However, the platonic relationships in his life are just as important to him - and now he has the means to put that into words as well.

Characters: Koushirou Izumi, Mimi Tachikawa

Ship: Platonic Koumi, romantic Taikoura

Main POV: Koushirou Izumi

Genre: Friendship, Romance

Rating: T

Wordcount: 1277

“Well then – cheers!”

With that, Mimi clinked her cocktail glass against Koushirou’s, smiling her brightest smile.

“Congrats on scoring the highest possible score there, Koushirou-kun! Or shall I say… Scores?”

Koushirou himself couldn’t help but sigh at that pun, but a somewhat embarrassed grin was forming on his lips as well.

“Mimi-san…”

It was a happy occasion after all. He had volunteered to treat Mimi for dinner, should he ever manage to confess to Taichi – and Sora as well for that matter, but the main objective had been to convince Taichi that his feelings had not been a one-sided deal all along. Mimi had encouraged him – and Sora – to go for the Valentine’s Day confession and was now earning her price for believing in her friends so thoroughly. And loudly.

“What, I just want you to know how happy I am for you!,” she pouted at his lowkey-ness, wanting to celebrate having his feelings successfully reciprocated after a lot of second-guessing. “And proud as well – who would have guessed you would actually go for such an extravagant goal! Falling for and going for two people at once… Truly impressive.”

He coughed at that remark as she gleefully dug into her sundae once more. Just like Taichi and Sora had pointed out, Mimi had a sense for her friends’ romantic affairs…

“Well, you made it pretty apparent that you’ve been having quite the… Colourful impression of us.”

“Pffff, please, can you blame me for that?,” she giggled, pointing her spoon at him in a dramatic manner. “You guys were unbearable to watch sometimes, each and every one of you, no exceptions… And I’m still mad at you for not having told me about all of this sooner.”

It had been quite a journey indeed – by now, Koushirou had realized how exasperated the others must have been to witness the entire thing unfold in front of their eyes. With Koushirou and Sora having been dancing around each other – figuratively and physically –, while Taichi had silently suffered around them, all of them too oblivious and dense to see how much they had hurt one another in the process, despite having wanted each other for the longest time…

“What was I supposed to tell you about when I wasn’t even aware of what was going on myself?,” Koushirou confessed in a defeated tone – and was almost certain that Mimi was this close to throwing the spoon at him, hadn’t they been in a public place.

“EXACTLY THAT! Taichi-san must have been just as baffled to see you being that close to Sora-san… And that Spain trip!” Once again, she dramatically rolled her eyes, followed by a loud laugh. “I still can’t believe you thought it was appropriate to book just one hotel room and one bed without having any ulterior motives there…”

Hearing that, he felt heat creeping into his cheeks and so he took a big bite from the pancake in front of him, trying hard not to remember that instance too vividly.

“And I’ve told you that my only ulterior motive had been to save costs – the spot where you hit me still hurts sometimes by the way.”

“Well deserved! Sleeping in the same room and same bed as beautiful, gorgeous, stunning Sora-san – just how?!”

And thus, the heat increased even more. Looking back on it, it obviously had made him notice Sora more thoroughly, having been physically close and comfortable in her company, watching her from decreased distance, seeing her smile, her happiness, with completely different eyes… Heart fluttering included.

“When we were sixteen, you couldn't even look at me without turning into a tomato – just like you do now!"

"I was sixteen, like you just said!," he countered, raising his voice, causing her expression to turn mischievous. Through years of experience, he was aware how much she enjoyed getting under his skin, challenging and teasing him, especially about his former crush on her – and he was also terribly aware that he fell for it each and every time.

"Seriously though, you had been rambling about this trip for days, told me you were planning on doing loads of sightseeing. I’ve literally never seen your eyes lighting up at the idea of going dancing with Sora-san, you used to be stiff as a board! And every second sentence was also about how you’d wanted to show all the sights and stuff to Taichi-san...,” Mimi mused, still sounding highly amused – but also fond of the memory, enjoying her friend being so obviously in love with his two best friends. “If I didn’t have my suspicions about you being a bisexual disaster before, that would have been the final straw, unbelievable."

This time, Koushirou couldn’t unsee the softness in her expression and automatically returned it. He really must have been unbearable after all, having been so fed up with Taichi closing himself off that he had continuously rambled about him, how frustrated he had been with him, how much he had missed him…

But before he could even reply to Mimi, she elaborated – with words that made his heart jump a little:

“… And now look at you. You finally know what you want, who you want… And you went for it. That is truly amazing and admirable, Koushirou-kun.”

“I have to thank you for that,” he responded almost immediately – and thus catching her off guard in return.

“Awww, I didn’t even do anything, really.” Mimi just waved her hand at that, obviously flattered, before emptying the ice cream glass in front of her. “Playing Amor is definitely a profession I’d consider, but honestly? You guys just needed a nudge. And… Being in love suits you.”

He could tell that she was speaking honestly here, not wanting to take too much credit, but he also knew her well enough by now to pick up on the little things. There had been a time when he hadn’t been able to deal with her well, not knowing how to reply to her, how to tend to her emotions, just as she hadn’t had the capacities to deal with his rationality either. They had come a long way since then, with a lot of ups and downs in between.

“No, I mean it,” he spoke from a place of honesty just as much as she had done, wanting to underline how much it all meant to him. “I’d say that… Relationships of that caliber have never been my biggest strength and it took a lot to face all of this. You should be aware of that… First hand, so to speak. I wouldn’t have been able to understand myself as well as I do now, or be able to… Say these things out loud, if it hadn’t been for your support. So… The bisexual disaster in me is just incredibly thankful.”

Once he had finished his speech, he already felt the urge to apologize for it – because her eyes were, without a doubt, shimmering with tears. But again, he had no chance to intervene, as she actually threw a tissue at him this time, babbling enthusiastically:

“Awww, you’re so cute when you get open like that! Sora-san and Taichi-san are super lucky, hehe…”

“I’m just as lucky. To have them… And you as my friend, Mimi-san.”

“See, being in love really suits you, it makes you more cheesy as well! I’m thankful too though,” she admitted, chuckling, as she wiped a tear away. “Speaking of food… Shall we order another course?”

With a heart full of softness and thankfulness, Koushirou handed her an unused tissue now, knowing that he had found the right words eventually.

“It’s my treat, so go ahead.”

“Yay!”

#digiweek #digiweek 2022 #taikoura #koumi #my drabbles #fanfiction #digimon #koushirou izumi #mimi tachikawa

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edelegs · 3 years

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black eagles relationships i like but don’t see talked about enough

Ferdinand and Petra - I adore their supports. You see a lot of Ferdinand’s dorky side with his reading about historic weapons, and you see that he is genuinely curious about Petra’s culture. He admits that he initially didn’t realize how sophisticated Brigidian techniques are and I just adore his vulnerability with her. And then there’s Petra in their A support, admitting she found a second home in Fòdlan, and the two discuss their loneliness? It’s such interesting insight into both characters (especially Ferdie; I’d say these are some of his most well-rounded supports)

Hubert and Dorothea - Dorothea sees right through Hubert’s edgy theatre kid persona. She approaches him like she would any friend right from the beginning and teases him about his love life. She also respects and believes him when he says that unrequited love isn’t his motivation. I would’ve liked a conclusion that wasn’t Dorothea suggesting they marry, but it is really funny that she did that. I love their paired ending too--completely platonic espionage opera! What could be better?

Hubert and Byleth - in my head they have a quirky sitcom where Byleth keeps trying to arrange Edeleth/Ferdibert double dates and Hubert has to attend them. (but seriously, the appeal of Hubert is looking at this man and saying “I’m gonna make you like me”, and then you do it). Outside of my shipping biases, his threats to you are funny as shit considering that he has no power over you and he’s always dying in battle, but once you win his trust he admits that despite looking Blatantly Evil, he truly abhors TWSTID and is already planning their follow-up war. I could easily see him and Byleth co-leading the war in the shadows (and that’s where the dialogue of the aforementioned platonic Huleth workplace comedy takes place). Also my friend who played as m!Byleth told me the “we could be a couplet of birds” line in the A-support still exists regardless of gender. Hubert is demiromantic bi and you CANNOT change my mind

Edelgard and Petra - “Don’t settle for being the bird. Be the arrow instead” Both have a great deal of mutual respect for each other, even though Edelgard is heir to the nation that has kept Petra’s country down for years. You see the same beliefs Petra holds in her supports with Caspar here--that being, “we are not our parents, we can make different choices”. It’s a shame they only have 2 supports. I think it would’ve been cool to see Petra asking Edelgard for Brigidian independence or otherwise talking about how she can achieve her goal.

Edelgard and Linhardt - I actually think people talk about this a bit, but it’s one of my favourite Black Eagles support chains so I have to mention it. This one is the key to understanding that Edelgard’s better world is only possible in her route, when she has the support and opportunity to trust others enough to learn how to listen to them and consider their perspectives. I advise anyone who thinks Edelgard would be a brutal dictator to watch these supports, because they so blatantly contradict that idea? Linhardt initially frustrates her because she knows he’s talented and smart but he doesn’t want to do anything to help the world with that. Characters like Linhardt are usually given an arc in which they overcome an initial selfishness to help others. This is not that. These supports are about Edelgard learning to understand Linhardt and accommodate him. Edelgard agonizes over finding the perfect way to allow him to do his research in a way that suits him--and when she senses his hesitation at her initial plan, she presses him for the problem and reconfigures the idea because she won’t put him in a situation he’s not fully content in. This is astounding character growth (from both of them, but mostly Edelgard). Also the struggle depicted in this chain is just something that spoke to me when I first saw it--”be useful” versus “learn for knowledge’s sake” is pretty much my exact struggle in life 😂 Seeing two of my favourite characters reach a resolution that satisfied both of them was hopeful, to say the least.

Caspar and Ferdinand - What strikes me about their supports is that it compares and contrasts these characters’ ideas of justice against each other. Honestly, the Black Eagles as a whole have takes on morality that are just slightly skewed, and these characters’ arguments about it exemplify it. Caspar just thinks that people who hurt others should be hit right away, head empty no thoughts but j u s t i c e. Ferdinand initially believes that all sense of justice comes from being nobility, and with that comes an obligation to be morally superior. Having Caspar just go “uh yeah, what does nobility have to do with it? I just had to hit that guy” is one way in which Ferdinand’s ideals are challenged. It’s a cool contrast that I think highlights an interesting aspect of the Black Eagles and what they were taught.

Dorothea and Bernie - I love everything about their interaction. If Dorothea were a lesser character, she’d be the mean popular girl who shames Bernie for her messy hair and her anxiety. Instead, Dorothea is patient and Bernie is like “oh no she’s Too Cool for me”. Dorothea also makes note of what Bernie says as she gets too anxious to continue the interaction and aims to comfort her in their next support. We get a good Bernie character moment in their B-support, where she mentions her father ruining her friendship with a commoner boy--and a cathartic moment where Dorothea tells her that her father’s an asshole and that they’re going to be friends anyway. Bernie cries in Dorothea’s arms and AHHHH why didn’t we get MORE of this???

Bernie and Petra - If I could add any support and ending to the game, it would be Bernie/Petra. They have such a good starting point--because of Bernie’s anxiety and Petra being a second language speaker of Fòdlandish, they are prone to miscommunications (which is the general theme of early Bleagles supports). They had a nice 2-support arc where they understand each other a little better--but then there’s the paralogue, where Petra encourages Bernie to come to her homeland with her and Bernie realizes she wants to travel and see amazing things like carnivorous plants. This is fantastic character development for her and is a satisfying conclusion to her arc. I feel like most of Bernie’s endings involve her just reverting back to her hermit self instead of developing a balance between who she was at the beginning and who she’s grown into. I think Petra would offer to let her come to Brigid again, where she helps her navigate a new language and culture. Bernie’s anxiety is still bad but Petra has been in her position and can offer advise and reassurance. Petra is also patient and would give Bernie a safe little house near the carnivorous plants for her to retreat to when overwhelmed. It becomes both of their refuge, with Petra taking time away from her regal duties to spend time with Bernie and her art and her stories. Whether it’s romantic or platonic is up to preference but I low-key ship them 😏

#black eagles #ferdinand von aegir #petra macneary #hubert von vestra #dorothea arnault #caspar von bergliez #bernadetta von varley #edelgard von hresvelg #linhardt von hevrig #byleth eisner #fe3h

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gimme-mor · 3 years

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ACOTAR THINK PIECE: ELAIN ARCHERON, UNTOUCHABLE

*DISCLAIMER*

This will be a long post.

Please take the time to read this post in its entirety and truly reflect on the message I am trying to send before commenting. My goal is to use my background in Gender and Women’s Studies to deconstruct the comments I have seen on Tumblr and Twitter and bring awareness to the ACOTAR fandom.

The reason I am tagging “Elriel” in this post is to call attention to the arguments in the Elriel fandom that: weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions about Elain’s character and her relationship with Lucien; victimize Elain’s character in fandom discussions; and coddle Elain’s character, which limits fandom discussions about her narrative development and prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions in the same way that the fandom holds other characters accountable for their actions and inactions. It is for these reasons that I WILL NOT remove the “Elriel” tag from this post because all of the above points contribute to the toxic discourse surrounding Elain’s character.

I urge those who use these arguments to understand their implications, why they are problematic, regardless of intent, and reexamine their contributions to the ACOTAR fandom. I WILL NOT tolerate anyone who tries to twist my words and say I am attacking people and their personal shipping preferences. In fact, I AM CRITIQUING THE ARGUMENTS THEMSELVES NOT THE PEOPLE USING THE ARGUMENTS.

Also, I highly encourage the Elriel fandom to read this post because it addresses how the concept of choice as an argument enables arguments to exploit social justice and feminist languge in order to vilify Elucien shippers, among other problematic things.

Elain Archeron is one of the most polarizing characters in the ACOTAR fandom. Though opinions about Elain vary, arguments in the Elriel fandom cite society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters as the reason behind the hate, and this belief is used to provide an explanation as to why other characters in the series are favored over her. In the series, Elain is portrayed in a wholly positive light and this image carries over into the Elriel fandom, painting her character as a good and kind female who has been unfairly wronged and a victim of circumstances that were out of her control. When arguments in the Elriel fandom oppose other viewpoints in the fandom, they fall into one of three categories:

Category 1: Weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions

Maybe people who hate Elain are just jealous of her in a weird way similar to when someone hates the pretty, nice, and charming girl in school just because she is too perfect

Disliking Elain is misogynistic

What happened to feminism? What happened to women supporting women? What happened to she can say no? All of that disappears the second you force Elain to be with Lucien

Elain antis are misogynistic

All Eluciens are Elain antis

Antis claiming they’re feminists when in reality they hate on Elain and Feyre but love Nesta

Elain antis are such sore losers. Y’all were that bunch of people who could not get over being rejected from hanging out with the cool kids so y’all are projecting your hatred towards pretty people now to get validation

I don’t get how Elain’s love for gardening equals boring for some people. I’m sorry your misogyny finds traditionally feminine activities boring

Why are you attacking a female? What did Elain do? Where are your feminist voices?

The fandom is misogynistic towards Elain

If people loved Elain they would ship Elriel

If you hate Elain it says a lot about your feelings toward women

If you hate Elain because she has no “development” then you must hate Azriel because otherwise you’re misogynistic

Eluciens are turned off by the idea of a woman that has the autonomy to reject a man for the simple reason that it is her choice

Eluciens are all about feminism and “it’s HER choice” until it comes down to females not wanting a male

Eluciens don’t respect Elain’s feelings when they ship her with someone that was part of her trauma and makes her feel uncomfortable

The way some Elucien shippers completely disregard how uncomfortable Elain is around Lucien is so hilariously not funny. Prioritizing being mates over Elain’s feelings is just regressive

It’s hard as a fan of Elain to see someone ship her with a person who makes her physically uncomfortable to be around. Wouldn’t you want both characters to be happy to be around each other

Imagine if SJM saw all the awful things her “stans” had to say about Elain

It’s true that we know comparatively little about her, but is she really boring or do you just not value stereotypically feminine traits?

So y’all are just gonna tell me you prefer Elucien over Elriel? Even though Lucien treats Elain as if she’s something that belongs to him? The only reason he wants to be with her is because she’s his mate, he doesn’t respect her, doesn’t treat her as his equal, even though that’s what mates should be? He doesn’t bother to look past what’s on the outside to see her for who she is. And Elain is obviously repulsed by the idea that she should belong to anyone or have no choice in who she can be with. Azriel is her friend and the only person who sees her quiet strength. He has so much faith in her, in her abilities; he’s the one who kept her company when no one else did, he’s the only one who bothered to see her for more than her brokenness. You’re going to tell me you still prefer Elucien over Elriel?

The more I see Gwynriels that ship Elucien out of their hate for Elain, the less I can understand Elain stans that ship Elucien. Pls Elain has made it very clear that she doesn’t want Lucien, why would you ship her with him? Do you hate her too? Smh

The real question would be, if you care and understand Elain why would you ship her with Lucien (where she canonically shrinks when he is near)?

People crying over Helion and Lucien’s mom not getting to be with each other and her being forced into a relationship she didn’t want, but also ship Elucien? Just say you hate Elain

When Elain’s book is out, Gwyn stans will look like clowns and I will laugh because they set her up by shipping her with Azriel just because they hate Elain. Watch them play the victims now because Elriels are clapping back the hate they’ve sent towards Elain

As romantic as wanting girl who is visibly uncomfortable around a guy who caused her trauma to end up with the said guy. Guess their standards for romance are in hell

Category 2: Victimize Elain’s character

Gwynriels only want Gwyn with Azriel because they despise Elain

Gwyn stans and Gwynriels are Elain antis

No one in the books dislike Elain, so why are there so many people who do?

Elain hasn’t done anything wrong or questionable to warrant the hate she gets

Not having Elain’s POV makes it easy for people to be swayed a certain way about her character if you already don’t relate to her in some way

It’s been years since this series came out and we haven’t gotten a lick of an Elain POV, but people still hate her for what? We don’t know her thoughts, dreams, or aspirations

We haven’t even had Elain’s perspective yet and people are passing these judgments off on her

Elain antis who say she’s boring are just cruel when she has obvious symptoms of PTSD like Feyre and Nesta

Gwyn is one of the most overhyped characters and that’s only because most people hate Elain and they couldn’t wait to find a random girl to ship Azriel with

Nesta was abusive to her sisters but Elain (who has only ever been kind) is painted as the villain

From the text we know that Elain is the epitome of feminine stereotypes (gentle, gardening, baking, non confrontational for the most part). Yet people still call her boring or deny that she has any interesting character traits?

You can’t love Nesta and hate Elain

People hate Elain because of internalized misogyny and lack of taste. All the girl does is tend to her garden and mind her business and they treat her worse than Tamlin

Does Gwyn deserve all this support? Of course yes! She is amazing! But where’s that support when Elain was in the same situation as she? Where’s that support for her right now? Why do they idolize Gwyn for her interactions with Azriel and hate Elain for having any interaction with him?

It’s not even a ship war anymore, they just hate Elain

People hate Elain for no reason

Some of y’all don’t like feminine traits and it shows

We know less about Eris and Helion but people don’t call them boring. Why would rejecting femininity make Elain more interesting?

Elain has had a lot forced upon her

The main reason I believe most people love Gwyn so much is to get Azriel away from Elain. It’s not a secret that Elain has been a widely hated character for years so suddenly we get a new female who has a minimal amount of interactions with Azriel and BOOM. New ship that once again doesn’t make sense (just like Azriel x Emerie after ACOFAS)

Elain hasn’t done something so terrible for her to get this hate. At this point some of you are just being misogynistic and you don’t want to accept it. Don’t call yourselves feminists and then say bs like this, it’s embarrassing. She’s pretty and everyone agreed to hate on her

Just a personal feeling, but I feel like a lot of the Elain hate stems from internalized misogyny. That to be a strong female lead, you need to pick up a sword and fight. That to be strong, you need to adapt traditionally masculine traits

Elain is feminine. She is beautiful. She loves to bake and garden. She is docile, quiet, observant, and a people-pleaser. All traditionally feminine traits. Yet for some reason, she’s like the worst in these people’s eyes?

I think also maybe a lot of people can’t relate to her femininity? That her being so beautiful and quiet doesn’t allow for the people who dislike her not to self-insert? Most of the hate stems from people not wanting Elain to be with Azriel. It’s mean, but maybe the people who hate Elain literally just can’t self-insert if they have a story and that’s why they’re vehemently against it?

Poor Elain. The Cauldron dealt her a bad deal. Upon emerging as Fae, she is immediately declared by Lucien as his mate, never mind that she was already engaged to a prick. Her love life is not good

It blows my mind how they really think that they can compare all the shit that Elain gets with some dumb jokes about Gwyn on Twitter (and yes, the “hate” towards her started mostly because Elriels are clapping back, it was bound to happen)

I would think of it as anti-feminist with Elain and Lucien because she has consistently stated that she does not want him so if she was forced to embrace the bond that would be taking away her right to have a choice but with Az she feels comfortable around so if they were mates then Elain would be happy and feel safe which again should be the priority for women to feel safe in their relationships with anything and to not be forced into any type of situation aka the mating bond in this

Category 3: Coddle Elain’s character

Elain has value the way she is, in all her domestic girly glory. Not every character has to be badass

We don’t speak of Elain’s flaws frequently because everyone else already speaks badly of her, mainly in an unfair way

There is definitely something deeper going on with Elain but by no means will she ever be evil or any less feminine. That goes against everything we already know about her

It’s ok to critique Elain because she needs growth but y’all keep forgetting the shit her and her sisters went through

The last “bad” thing Elain did in ACOTAR was not help Feyre when they were impoverished and I’m tired of people acting like she’s a terrible character when it was their father’s responsibility. It happened 4 books ago and Feyre has forgiven both Nesta and Elain

Elain’s character and the evil Elain theory are a great example of the trend where people only consider female characters interesting if they reject femininity

We don’t know enough to hate Elain

Many people want Elain to turn evil (which in my opinion seems to come from a place of internalized misogyny)

However we don’t tend to talk about her faults, at least not publicly, as that has been, and still is, done to death, and I--personally, at least--find it much more fun to theorise about potentially interesting aspects of the overall plot, than dwell on negatives

And ultimately, I would be shocked if Elain has a more karmically-charged story than Nesta, considering that Elain’s “wrongs” are so much less severe and bad than Nesta’s, and Elain has already apologized for them (or paid the price in other ways, like through what Graysen did)

I guess I also think Elain has suffered and been punished enough. I hope her story is about finding hope in terrible situations, and learning to love her new life, and choosing her own path after everything that has been done to her. I don’t think she needs to be punished anymore or face any additional trauma

Also, why is she being judged on her decisions as a human at all? Fae are monsters to humans! They enslaved them for thousands of years, and the Wall was erected to keep them out

Like I’m sorry, but think Elain would want to leave her ONLY FAMILY AND FRIENDS for the Spring Court where she has no one because--oh look, lots of flowers!--is the craziest thing I have ever heard

Her sisters are in the Night Court. Her nephew is in the Night Court. Her closest friends (Nuala and Cerridwen) are in the Night Court. Her love interest is in the Night Court. Her extended family is in the Night Court. Her home is in the Night Court

SJM isn’t going to keep two sisters together and split up the third. Especially not keep Feyre and Nesta together and separate Elain. They were either all going to end up in separate places, or together. Not 2 here and 1 there

Compared to the other female characters in the series, Elain is the only character whose femalehood is at the center of conversations; this is because arguments in the Elriel fandom fixate on it when discussing her character. While Elain, Feyre, Nesta, and Mor are all representations of white womanhood and white beauty, Elain epitomizes the most fragile version of white womanhood. It’s easy to blame society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters when it comes to the discourse surrounding Elain’s character because it: falls in line with the fixation on Elain’s femalehood to silence opposing viewpoints; is a simplistic explanation that fails to tackle the underlying issues with Elain as a character, the same issues that are downplayed in-universe; absolves Elain of her wrongdoings; prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions within the series; and diminishes the impact Elain’s actions and inactions have on those around her. It’s not that Elain is hated in the fandom because she’s a traditional female character; it’s the fact that arguments in the Elriel fandom deflect a critical analysis of Elain’s character because she’s a traditional female character who embodies the ideal white woman in need of protection. White fans and white-aligned fans of color, especially white women, have a tendency to vehemently defend, gatekeep, and coddle white female characters in fandom; this makes it difficult for other fans to engage in critical discussions about these white female characters because they’re viewed as flawless and all around perfect characters despite evidence to the contrary. Since Elain is viewed positively by the other characters in the series, it has rendered her character untouchable to any perceived slight or criticism in fandom discussions because those negative opinions challenge what has been said about her character thus far. And as a result, her character has been placed on a pedestal and implicitly hailed as the epitome of white womanhood; and when she’s criticized, it’s seen as a direct attack against white womanhood. Arguments in the Elriel fandom: exploit feminist language and perpetuate white feminist tactics under the guise of defending Elain’s character; center Elain in conversations about female oppression in the ACOTAR world and uphold white feminist ideologies in their critique of ACOTAR’s patriarchal society; and use the fragile white woman narrative to victimize Elain in Lucien’s presence, playing into racial biases that are associated with white supremacy’s defense of white womanhood.

Feminism is a social movement that seeks to promote equality and equity to all genders, and feminists work toward eradicating gender disparities on a macro-level, in addition to challenging gender biases on a micro-level. As feminism became more mainstream, a flat and oversimplified version of feminism emerged: mainstream feminism. The mainstream feminist movement is meant to represent all women, but rarely does it center conversations around issues that concern most women. The problem with mainstream feminism is that it’s just a popularized version of white feminism. White feminism has relied extensively on an individualized understanding of women’s oppression, exclusively from the lens of privileged white women. White feminism only focuses on the oppression experienced by white, able-bodied, affluent, educated, cishet women; and it views gender as the key mode of privileged white women’s oppression, isolated from the privileges granted by their other social identities. White women can be and are oppressed under the patriarchy but only because they are women; their identity as women does not exempt them from the privileges granted by their whiteness. The term white feminist does not mean any feminist who is white, but refers to feminists who prioritize the concerns of privileged white women as though they are representative of all women. However, the term is not exclusive to white people. Because white feminism is so pervasive, people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds often buy into white feminism, believing that if they work hard enough, they may be able to reap its rewards.

Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism only recognizes the identity of being a woman, assumes that all women share common experiences of gender oppression, fails to address other social identities in relation to overlapping systems of oppression, and disregards privilege in relation to various social identities. Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism is palatable because it doesn’t seek to challenge the systems in place, instead its goal is to succeed within them. Essentially, mainstream feminism and white feminism are extensions of performative feminism. Performative feminism is a type of performative activism that’s used to describe feminist views that are surface level and solely for the benefit of one type of person. It’s a pretense which often has nothing to do with genuine activism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom normalize and promote performative feminism because the topic of feminism is only referenced when discussing Elain. This indicates that these arguments are engaging in disingenuous discourse to push a personal agenda within the ACOTAR fandom, and it becomes more apparent when they use white feminist tactics to shut down opposing viewpoints:

White feminists weaponize and exploit feminist language to silence the opinions of other women, especially when they’re called out for their problematic behaviors

White feminists use the phrase “Women supporting women” to defend other white feminists who exhibit problematic behaviors instead of holding them accountable

White feminists weaponize phrases like “Women supporting women” and “You just hate women” to attack other women who disagree with them on any given topic

White feminists use phrases like “All women face challenges” and “Stop pitting women against each other” to sidestep conversations about privilege

White feminists divert conversations away from privilege and towards the Trauma Olympics to equate their struggles to the oppression of marginalized people

White feminists skirt around the realities of other forms of oppression and discrimination, downplaying the experiences of marginalized people

White feminists diminish or ignore the ways in which gender oppression affects other marginalized people

White feminists paint those they harmed as aggressive, mean, or divisive when confronted with the ways they have harmed a marginalized group

White feminists deflect criticism by focusing on the anger or emotions being expressed rather than the issue that is being discussed, invalidating the concerns of marginalized people

White feminists speak over marginalized voices in an attempt to sound “woke”

White feminists get defensive and insist there’s no way they could be a part of the problem because of what they’ve done to help marginalized groups already

White feminists say they don’t see color in an attempt to obscure racial issues that need to be addressed

White feminists center and victimize themselves in conversations about racism, which derails necessary conversations from taking place

White feminists who are white weaponize the intersectionality of their race and gender to avoid accountability

Feminism is not meant to be approached from an individualistic perspective nor is it only about addressing the experiences of privileged white women, it involves addressing the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, and other social identities as well; and it involves addressing how these social identities relate to privilege. Moreover, feminism is not about women upholding complete loyalty to other women because of a shared gender identity, and to claim that it does implies that women should be held to different emotional standards than men. If men are able to dislike and criticize other individual men, real or fictional, without their characters being compromised, why aren’t women granted that same privilege?

It’s clear that SJM set up the ACOTAR world to mirror a patriarchal society, and that the imbalance of power between males and females stems from sexism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom analyze the ACOTAR world through a feminist lens to show how ACOTAR’s patriarchal society, to which the mating bond is innately tied, contributes to female oppression and limits their agency. When choice and free will are emphasized as part of Elain’s arc, they imply that Elain, through the mating bond, experiences female oppression under ACOTAR’s patriarchal society because of her identity as a female with that identity being the focal point of her oppression in the world. Elain is one of the most privileged characters in the ACOTAR world: she’s High Fae; she’s the sister of the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court, which gives her access to wealth and political influence because of that connection; she’s able-bodied; she was magically blessed by the Cauldron; and she lives in Velaris, a place that grants females autonomy and power because of the beliefs of Rhysand and Feyre. Arguments in the Elriel fandom trivialize female oppression in the ACOTAR world because they disregard the fact that Elain’s privileges prevent her from experiencing female oppression in the same way that other marginalized females in the world do. The mating bond being one such example because those around Elain are not forcing the bond on her, instead they’re allowing Elain to reach a decision about the bond for herself; a privilege that other marginalized females in the world probably wouldn’t have. Just because Elain has endured hardships in her life and is a female in a patriarchal society, they do not erase the privileges she holds within the ACOTAR world. The failure to include Elain’s privileges in discussions about Elain being a female in a patriarchal society feeds into white feminist ideologies because white feminism operates from a very narrow perspective; it doesn’t take other intersecting identities into account when it examines gender oppression, leaving no room for discussions about privilege (or lack thereof) in relation to those intersecting identities. When discussing oppression in hierarchical societies, it’s imperative that privilege is also included in the conversation because privilege and oppression are not mutually exclusive; they equally affect the ways in which people navigate those societies through their social identities.

Rather than attributing Elain’s uncomfortability to her new life as a Fae female or the mating bond itself and her trauma to the Cauldron, the King of Hybern, or Ianthe, they’re placed on Lucien to cast his character in a negative light. Moreover, fandom discussions portray Lucien as a possessive character to further emphasize Elain’s discomfort despite the inaccuracy of this characterization in canon. Arguments in the Elriel fandom play into racial biases when it comes to Lucien (a male character of color) because they mischaracterize his character in order to victimize Elain (a white female character), placing her character in the role of the white damsel in distress. In Western society, the concept of womanhood has been conceptualized from a Eurocentric perspective with femininity and feminine attributes favoring white women. It’s the idea that a certain type of femininity is only inherent to white women as they are seen as the embodiment of an ideal womanhood. White womanhood has been a symbol of innocence and purity, and white women have been viewed as fragile beings in need of protection. The reason white womanhood functions within white supremacy is because it’s the same idea that has motivated white men to kill and beat black and brown men. The so-called protection of white women has been used as a justification for the horrific violence committed by white men because black and brown men were stereotyped as aggressive and seen as a threat to the virtue of white women. The white damsel in distress trope considered white women as worthy of protection because of their perceived innocence and purity; women of color were not granted that same treatment because they did not fit into the ideal image of womanhood. Over the years, this trope became a means for white women to exercise limited power in a patriarchal society with white women weaponizing their status as the damsel much to the detriment of black and brown men. It’s through the white damsel in distress trope that white supremacy sustains its dominance in Western society. The misrepresentation of characters of color in fandom, the dismissal of their importance to the overall story, and using them as tools in arguments centered around white characters are the foundation of fandom racism; they’re examples of how racism moves silently in fandom spaces. Instead of examining their behavior and taking constructive criticism from fans of color, white fans will often double down on their bigotry and center their uncomfortability in the conversation when confronted with their complicity in fandom racism. White fans expect fans of color to swallow fandom racism in its many forms in order to not ruin the experience of fandom, dismissing the fact that racism is prevalent in nearly every aspect of society. This mentality ensures that no one is held accountable for the harm they caused and alienates fans of color in fandom spaces.

To reiterate what I mentioned in my first think piece: terms like “oppression”, “the right to choose”, “feminist”, “feminism”, “anti-feminist”, “anti-feminism”, “internalized misogyny”, “misogyny”, “misogynist”, “sexist”, “sexism”, “racist”, “racism”, “classist”, “classism”, “discrimination”, and “patriarchy” are all used in specific ways to draw attention to the plight of marginalized people and challenge those who deny the existence of systems of oppression. Yet these words and their meanings can be twisted to attack, exclude, and invalidate people with differing opinions on any given topic. When social justice and feminist terms are thrown around antagonistically and carelessly to push a personal agenda, it becomes clear that these terms are being used to engage in disingenuous discourse and pursue personal validation rather than being used out of any deep-seated conviction to dismantle systemic oppression. Being an ally, activist, or feminist is not an identity, it’s a practice. It requires: ongoing self-reflection; holding ourselves accountable; listening to marginalized people; educating ourselves; dismantling implicit biases; challenging those around us who are exhibiting problematic behaviors; and action behind our words.

It’s important to be aware of the language that is used within the fandom when defending or critiquing characters and ships. It’s also important to question how an argument is framed and why it’s framed the way that it is to critically examine the intent behind that argument: is it used as a tool to push a personal agenda that reinforces problematic behaviors, or is it used as an opportunity to share, learn, enlighten, and educate?

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Tagging: @spell-cleavers @bookofmirth @m0bulidae @ilya-boltagon

#elain archeron #elriel #acotar fandom #acotar: fandom critical

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captnjacksparrow · 3 years

Note

I wish people would stop caring about the canon pairings and marriages in Naruto/Boruto because they should have absolutely no relevance for SNS shippers in terms of validating said ship. Those who say we are delusional because “Well, Naruto married Hinata so she is THE one he loves!” (I'll focus more on Naruto's marriage here... Is Sasuke's even a marriage?) simply don’t get that it just doesn't really matter who Naruto and Sasuke married because that in no way diminishes their feelings for each other. The main plot of the series revolves around the bond between Naruto and Sasuke. It is their story. They are each other's most important people and this was established back in Land of Waves arc even before the dramatic events that take place on the bridge - the whole point of that very first arc was making this a fact right from the beginning, because the story has always been and was always supposed to be about the two of them and the profound love and understanding that grows between them ever since they exchanged glances, smiles and pouts as lonely little broken kids. No reason to list all proof of their feelings and bond here, it has been done extensively, and if somebody watched the show/read the manga and missed it, they are missing half a brain. That these boys love each other more than anyone else is absolutely obvious.

So what about the canon pairings? Kishimoto stated time and time again that his focus was never romance, and that is not because he can't write romance as we know it (he clearly did), but it’s a matter of concept: what HE considers romance is the attraction that unites people with the purpose of marriage (confessing your romantic love for japanese people is the same as saying you want to be in a relationship, because feelings shouldn’t be voiced without an intention), and that, to him, is NOT the greatest expression of love, nor does it represent the most special bond two people can share.

It is understandable that westerners put so much weight into marriage because we consider it the epitome of love. Well, the truth is marriage in Japanese culture is mainly the only socially admissible means to have children and has very little to do with romantic love. In fact, in Japanese literature, it is much more common for unmarried couples to love each other than married ones. Obviously, there is no absolute truth when it comes to feelings and human relationships, what I'm doing here is generalising social norms and expectations (not exposing my opinion on them - that would turn this rant into something else entirely). A large number of Japanese marriages are loveless (and arranged, but no point getting into that either) and what motivates choosing a spouse is their ability to fulfill familial duties, meaning: is the woman good mother and consequently wife material? Is she going to devote her life to taking care of her children, house and husband, the noblest of acts for a female? Is the man willing and capable of putting his occupation above everything else, working extremely hard and for long hours, with total dedication and diligence for his job, to the point of not even seeing his family most of the time, as an honorable man should do as a provider? That's what makes a GOOD married couple: two people following their expected and strict gender-roles in a nuclear child-centered family (again, please, this is not MY opinion!). What a Japanese man should want in a woman is for her to be a dedicated housewife and mother, since having children outside of marriage is not only frowned upon, it is not acceptable at all, and not being married with children is not respectable enough (same with being divorced). Marriage is, therefore, NOT a symbol of undying love and a deep and special connection between two people, rather, it’s a partnership established with the goal of having and raising children.

Do these descriptions ring any bells?

In conclusion: the pairings were, in fact, created for the sole purpose of bringing forth the next generation, and that was made CANONICALLY true. Would it have been better if they hadn’t gone down that "safe" route? Hell, yeah! It would have been fucking amazing and could even have been groundbraking, for several reasons. BUT as unsatisfying as it may be, the fact is they chose a very TRADITIONAL depiction of marriage that has little to do with feelings, and that in itself shouldn’t be taken lightly, since it leaves the strongest bond, which is grounded on genuine love, untouched. In this scenario, justifying romantic love through marriage alone won’t cut it, and trying to discredit the obvious unmatched connection and feelings between two characters because they never got married to each other or married someone else is ludicrous. Yeah, a married couple can love each other deeply and above anyone else, but that is just not what marriage is ABOUT in Japanese culture and definitely not what Kishimoto wanted us to believe was the case here after dedicating 699 chapters to a story about the special bond between two boys that didn’t culminate in marriage.

You know what IS a symbol of romantic love in Japan? Being willing to die together when the love you feel goes against your moral obligations, holding on to the belief that you will be reunited in the afterlife, where you will be free of any burden and able to love freely.

Are more bells being rung?!

Oh, some bonus info: We also tend to associate sex with romantic love. Well, Japanese married couples with children rarely have sex, if at all. After a woman becomes a mother, she is no longer considered sexually desirable and becomes a mother figure to her husband as well (what happened to Hinata’s big "attributes" in Boruto? Huh). This is especially true when couples sleep in separate rooms and the mother shares a bed with her children. (Hinata co-sleeps with Himawari and we know Naruto sleeps in a separate room. Just saying.)

What's your say?

Is Sasuke's even a marriage?

Geezz!!!! LoLLLLL!!!! This sentence just made me cackle so hard for a good 5 minutes, Anon!!!!!

Hmmm.... So let's get back to your ask.

Well, I don't know how to react to this ask, Anon. Because, I don't know whether you are from Japan or you have a very close Japanese friend who might've told you all these cultural thing about marriage and relationships.

So, what I am going to do is to analyze from the facts you have provided , combine with my own cultural relevance and provide my answer. If there is any Japanese readers who are reading this, you can confirm or dispel this by sending me an ask. But again, I don't want exceptional case like, 'No, my family is different'. I want to know about the general lifestyle of a common citizen and their married life.

Having said that, this ask made me just yell at myself, 'Goshh!!!! Seriously???'

Because whatever you said, It fucking exist in my country too and is still followed by almost 70% of people in my country and I absolutely detest it. That is,

Most of the marriages here are loveless nd arranged - Check

Is the woman good mother and consequently wife material? Is she going to devote her life to taking care of her children, house and husband, the noblest of acts for a female? - Check

People following their expected and strict gender-roles in a nuclear child-centered family - Check Check

What a man should want in a woman is for her to be a dedicated housewife and mother, since having children outside of marriage is not only frowned upon, it is not acceptable at all, and not being married with children is not respectable enough (same with being divorced). - Check Check

Marriage is, therefore, NOT a symbol of undying love and a deep and special connection between two people, rather, it’s a partnership established with the goal of having and raising children. - Awww!!! A million Check.

That's why I was envious of Western people in this aspect, because they have a freedom to choose their own partner without any time constraints and when they do, their marriage can be said to be 'The Epitome of Love'.

My parents marriage is also an arranged one. And whenever they have disagreement and that leads to verbal war, they let out this words, 'I'm here with you because of my 2 daughters otherwise I would've left you long back'. So... Yeah. Here, most of the marriages are child-centered. Again, it's not just my opinion. Majority of the arranged marriage based family revolve around their child.

And I was born, a year after my parents' marriage, and If I hadn't been born, then people will question my parent's fertility factor and start to discriminate them. So, I can boldly claim that, I was not born out of Love or something. I was born because of social obligations.

But it doesn't mean, my parents don't love each other now. How should I say???? It's like a Stockholm Syndrome??!!!! Like when you stay with a person for a long time, you will eventually start to develop some feelings over the course of the time. It took them 15 years to come to a complete understanding of each other. It's the same case with many couples here.

Considering all these, Sasuke never even stayed with Sakura enough to make her understand him, So I wonder what kind of couple are they????? Weird!!!!!

In conclusion: the pairings were, in fact, created for the sole purpose of bringing forth the next generation, and that was made CANONICALLY true.

Awww!!!! Man, Seriously???? I made this claim long back in this post where I said, these women were used as a tool to bring out Next Generation Kids. My claim was based on Analytical Perspective.

And then one of the rabid SS stan reblogged my post and pulled out a hetero card stating, 'They are married and blah blahh...' when in reality, I never discussed about their sexuality in that post. That post was purely based on the number of pages each hetero couples shared with each other against the number of pages Sasuke & Naruto shared together.

Now, you have provided a cultural perspective for those shitty canon pairings.

On one side, I feel the need to smirk, because I am right.

But on the other side, I feel bad like, 'Is this how, this show must go on?? What are you trying to convey from this?'.

Hmmm.... It's interesting to know this. Anon.

This is where it differs slightly in my country.

Romantic love here is,

No matter what happens, I'll stand with you, You are just not alone. I will leave my fucking clan, parents, relatives if they don't approve you and we will start a new life somewhere.

[[Here, marriages happen mostly between their clan members. If you love a person from another clan, you will be ostracized or tortured or honour killed by your very parents. It just differs from clan to clan. I was subjected to this same problem and that's why I hate my Clan and left my parents. And this is also one of the reason why I love Itachi. Because we share similar Ideals. That is, Not to be obsessed over your clan and think beyond this restriction.

Also, here in Asian Culture if someone is willing to leave their family (when they don’t approve you) and prefer you over everything.... It means.... that's some Love beyond Comprehension. Just like how Naruto was willing to leave his Family (like Sakura and Kakashi) and like to stand with Sasuke... Just like how Naruto was willing to leave his own family and go on a long mission with Sasuke]]

So does it remind you of anything?????

It's the whole SNS dynamics starting from their childhood to VoTE2. That's why I started to ship SNS, because it represents the true love we always wish for.

Would it have been better if they hadn’t gone down that "safe" route? Hell, yeah! It would have been fucking amazing and could even have been groundbraking, for several reasons. BUT as unsatisfying as it may be, the fact is they chose a very TRADITIONAL depiction of marriage that has little to do with feelings, and that in itself shouldn’t be taken lightly, since it leaves the strongest bond, which is grounded on genuine love, untouched. In this scenario, justifying romantic love through marriage alone won’t cut it

This is very true, Anon.

I mean, they don’t even have to take a groundbreaking route.

They should have given everyone an open ending, just like Kishi left at chapter 699. What is the need of a marriage, if Naruto is going to adopt Kawaki??? If Orochimaru was going to create a Baby Artificially?? If Rock Lee is going to have a child out of nowhere???

But I am happy that SNS bond is the only one that wasn’t diminished in this hot mess called Burrito. So, atleast we should be happy about that.

When someone pulls the marriage card, I just block them immediately because they are not even worth having a good conversation. NH will pull out the Last movie and SS will pull out, ‘Sasuke called Sakura ‘My Wife’.... So, it’s just pointless.

So, to conclude

Considering my Analytical perspective, I already made earlier in other post and your ask which provides some insight about Japanese culture which eerily resembles the culture I belong to, It all makes sense that this whole pairings and trash is just for the sake of bringing out Next Generation series and those boys never loved those girls whole heartedly. And I agree with you on this.

#ask #sns #sasunaru #anti ss #anti nh #antisakura #antihinata #anti sakura #anti hinata

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aelaer · 2 years

Note

Thanks for answering that last ask, lol. I half-expected you were going to ignore it tbh. I was hesitating when I wanted to send the ask, bcs, well, duh. It's controversial af lol. Just wanted to let ya know that you're not the only one with that view. (Great minds alike, am I right?) So please don't stop. Really.

This is gonna be a bit of a rant, and if you feel the need not to answer this ask, due to the fear of causing controversy in your blog, I 100% understand. Dunno if tumblr will cut off my ask so i'm hoping this is sent in its full-form.

I honestly agree that Tony gets maybe a *bit* too much spotlight (especially after the CACW shit and fans picking team tony/steve), and I hate that Stephen is just used as a plot device. I don't get why exaggerating a char's innocence is a good thing. Especially if they put other characters *too* antagonised and spiteful. It's petty. And putting another character in it (refer this as Stephen) as a plot device to make the main char more angelic is just.... idk. I'm only using rather insensitive words bcs I'm on anon ngl hahahahah.

Which is why, when I found your ao3 profile, I felt like you saved my life. Cus like. Idk. It's rare to find fics alike. Not really good with words so yeah.

Also thanks sm for tagging your fics properly, lest I wouldn't have found your works.

Ik some authors who share the same idea with the matter, but either they wanted to reach a wider fanbase by venturing into ships and fulfilling people's cravings (that require an ooc stephen, wince), or they simply don't have the writing capabilities to match their intentions -- like you do -- yet, I'm not so sure.

So basically yeah. Binge read your works this week. You're doing super great. Please keep going or else I would've probably never been here in the first place.

Fucking love your works. Don't hate on me for this if you happen to find it irrational ;-; Though if you do, I'm honestly interested with what you think. Sorry for sending a long ass ask.

Hey it's all chill, my anon friend. I really try not to hate on folks, even when I don't agree with everything they say or do. The world needs more empathy after all. And you've done nothing wrong in this ask here.

I personally don't ignore asks. It may take a month or two to get to some as it has in the past during busy or bad seasons, but I get to them. (I also don't get a ton so they're easy to answer haha.) The only ones not answered are short fic prompts that have taken me over 2 years to get to, which I'd like to finish eventually... some day.

I expanded on the topic about other characters in the last ask so I won't get into it again here, but I will say that unfortunately Stephen is not a terribly popular character compared to many other MCU characters like Tony, Bucky, and Loki. It makes finding fic starring him very challenging. He's also a difficult character to write well, though I applaud folks for trying, truly. It's great when people challenge themselves and don't let the fear of failure or judgement keep them from trying.

Anyone who hasn't written Stephen because they're not sure how to write him, or have written him but aren't confident with their writing of him, I recommend rewatching his origin film in particular as that's often forgotten for what we saw in IW and Endgame. There's also some good video essays about the character on YouTube. Some fanfic of him is good, while others are very bad, so it's a hit or miss there. One shot character pieces that are not concentrating on a ship tend to be more reliable, in my experience, for a better character analysis because the goal of the piece as a one shot is more a character study, and without the romance you aren't looking at the character as part of a unit. You need to know the character before you study how he works as a romantic partner, IMO.

I'm hoping his film helps his popularity, but I do have some fears that it will be drowned out a bit by Wanda. We'll have to see what happens on AO3 in particular, which is where my primary fandom interest lies in this case. I really, really want to see fic that isn't just reader inserts. Totally legit fanfic, but romance is already not my cup of tea and, if they aren't just smut pieces, those tend to be caretaker-Stephen fics which are a dime a dozen with his fics with Tony and Peter. So yeah, hopefully there will be more variety in the coming weeks. Of the action/adventure/drama type. A girl can dream.

I'm thrilled you like my writing. And also my tagging, some of the tagging is very hard to complete with some of the one shots xD but seriously, you're sweet. And you're good. Don't sweat it ❤️

#stephen strange #mcu #ask #answered #anonymous #writing advice #fanfic

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cto10121 · 3 years

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you’re oversimplifying the argument surrounding the darklings hunger for power. i agree, alina isn’t alina without her powers. but it’s quite clear that the darkling is willing to prioritize the use and commodification of her powers over her agency and personhood. his main goal was to orient alina towards his political cause so he could use her powers, the feelings came after. when it became clear that alina would choose a different path, the darkling threw her independence and right to consent out the window and collared her to harness her power as his own. this is a clear indication that he prioritizes that utility of alinas powers > her. the argument that “alina is not alina without her powers!” in this case makes little sense because you’re somehow implying that the darkling’s primary motivation for pursuing alina was because he liked her for who she was, which is just as inaccurate.

Okay, this is where we have to be clear which Darkling we are talking about, book!Darkling or show!Darkling. Because there is a clear difference between the two and how their motivations and actions were written and we cannot move forward without acknowledging the changes and the (bad) writing that plagues the Darkling re: motivation.

Because for better or worse, unlike book!Darkling, show!Darkling makes little to no distinction between Alina the person and Alina the Sun Summoner. Even in his language he uses mostly Alina or Miss Starkov, depending on the situation and context; post-Episode 5, he uses Sun Summoner with Ivan and the other Grisha, but (revealingly) Alina with Zoya. He constantly looks straight at Alina during her light demonstrations and not her light, even when others do. “I have seen you for what you truly are, and I have never looked away. I never will” betrays the core of this attitude and it does ring true (Barnes at least confirmed it to be a non-manipulative line). To the Darkling at some level, Alina and the Summoner are one and the same. It’s even questionable that he even planned to control her power with the amplifier from the get-go; it reads more like he expected (delusionally?) Alina to see his side of things and understand why they should keep to the Fold for now. It reads more like a decision he took only after Alina left him, which he construed as a personal betrayal and a break of trust (from his POV).

Yes, he did plan to use the Sun Summoner for his own devices because, well, he knew her as only the Sun Summoner in the beginning—just like most if not all the characters in the show. She had political significance to him and others. But that he started to see her as more than that is pretty evident even early on. I won’t lie, I did laugh at the “are you sure?” consent request—oh, yes, control her power via amplifier without her consent, but for sex, surely not!!!—but again, it reaffirms the theory that show!Darkling’s original intentions were most likely to let Alina kill the stag and take over its power and then reveal his plan to expand the Fold. It would even explain lines like that incredulous, cold, and even judgmental “You would give up your gift?” Ep. 2 line after Alina offers to transfer her power to someone who would use it—not the type of reaction someone planning to do exactly just that would have. You’d think 500 years of existence would give you a finer appreciation of irony.

Does this mean that since the Darkling initially planned to use her that his eventual falling for her is therefore less pure/inferior to Mal’s love? Yeah, if you have a black-and-white “only love based on and arising from pure motivations is valid!!!” type of view. Does this mean that since he wouldn’t have looked twice at Alina had she not been the Sun Summoner, his love for her is less pure? Well, considering book!Mal 1) did not even notice Alina romantically until after she was taken to the Little Palace and 2) definitely had tons of trouble accepting Alina as the Sun Summoner in Book 2 before magically becoming warmly supportive in Book 3, I’m not too fussed over splitting logical hairs and playing the what-if fanfic AU game at ridiculous levels (“Voldemort would never look twice at Harry Potter if he weren’t a wizard destined to destroy him!! He just hated him because of the prophecy, it’s not true hate!!!” *le sigh*). Also, what about Nikolai? He, too, initially viewed Alina as a symbol of hope, used her for his gain, and proposed a strictly political marriage for alliance. Doesn’t take away from the fact that he did come to like her for herself and it sure did not stop most of the fandom from simping for him hard or shipping him with Alina.

I’m frankly too old for purity tests; kindergarten was a long time ago for me, you see. We may enjoy fictional villains for their nigh-omniscient, well, villainy, but in the real world and in fiction that seeks to portray its messiness, you never have as much control as you think you do, no one does. Power and privilege are very much relative. And above all, things never go according to plan. The fact that the Darkling initially viewed Alina as the Sun Summoner to play a key part of his plans does not take away from the fact that he did honestly fell for her and came to see her as more than just the Summoner. He did do wrong in trying to control her, definitely, but for reasons I’ve explained, it’s not as revealing of his true view of her as you’d think. “I’ll relax,” as he tells Zoya when he rejects (!!) her advances, “when I have Alina.” Not Sun Summoner.

(Also, as a bit of a P.S., much of my original post was not so much about the Darkling as the fandom’s own cleaving of Alina from her powers. I get that Bardugo’s narrative almost encourages the reader to view Alina’s powers as something apart from Alina, powers that corrupt her or could, but I must question that artistic decision, especially since 1) it contradicts the established magical system so damn hard and 2) magical male heroes like Harry Potter never face the prospect of losing their power or having their power be controlled by another or even being “corrupted” just by using their power. I really resent that sexist double standard. If Harry weren’t a wizard, he would not be Harry. If Alina weren’t the Sun Summoner, she would not be Alina.)

#i come anon #the darkling #shadow and bone #shadow and bone meta #darklina #hopefully i cleared up some things #ask #anon

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