#though i don’t believe it really exists outside of shipping goggles

[boxdstars]

Only in the HL fandom would the take that “all the companions could be bisexual at the very least” would be a hot take but here we are

#IM YAPPING AGAIN GRAHHHHHHHHHH #have you guys considered that the mc is not by default a woman #all the so called ‘tension’ between seb and the mc #‘exists’ regardless of what your mc looks or acts like #though i don’t believe it really exists outside of shipping goggles #that’s okay though! people can do whatever they want! #it’s just weird for yall to be like ‘ominis and sebastian are straight!!’ and be obnoxious about it when we on the gay website #yall alienating the few gays in this fandom already it’s weirdo behavior #boxd chitchat #also shout out to the tired aro and ace folks in this fandom cause yall are troopers

[lesbiannova]

Unpopular opinion:

As someone who loves Thrawn and Karyn Faro's relationship in the books and considers them a BrOTP, I really don’t like that the Thrawn shipping fandom at large only talks about Faro when they’re reducing her to a wingwoman to the Thrawn/Eli Vanto ship (or any other Thrawn ship), or when they’re shipping her with Ar’alani despite the fact that Faro and Ar’alani barely interact in canon.

A prime example of the Thrawn shipping fandom ignoring Faro and Thrawn’s amazingly developed platonic relationship in the books in favour of shipping, is the fact that Faro/Ar’alani shippers love to cite this passage from Thrawn: Treason to support their ship:

When the context of this passage was Ar’alani watching Faro because she didn't trust Faro, because Ar’alani is protective of the Chiss navigators and she didn’t trust humans to handle the navigators.

The procedure referred to in this passage was Faro instructing Vah’nya to helm the Chimaera, a task Thrawn assigned her to do because he trusts Faro, so much that even though Thrawn is also protective of the Chiss navigators, he allows Faro, his human second-in-command to tutor Vah’nya by herself, and is willing to persuade Ar’alani, his long-time friend, to convince her to let Faro handle the task despite Ar’alani’s protests.

It’s a huge shame that such a significant moment of Faro and Thrawn’s relationship gets thoroughly overlooked by the fandom. Instead, what the fandom cares about is their Faro/Ar’alani shipping goggles. While Ar’lani eventually warms up to Faro, it doesn’t immediately make them friends, especially since both are very busy with their own duties during the events of Treason, and they never talked about any personal topic to know each other more before parting ways at the end of the book.

Seeing how the fandom cares more about shipping Faro with Ar’alani, whom she meets only for like a couple of days at most and barely even talked to in canon, than talking about and appreciating her friendship with Thrawn, whom she is much closer to and has known and worked with for much longer in canon, is very frustrating to the point I’ve come to dislike the Faro/Ar’alani ship.

I totally support the idea of Faro and Ar'alani becoming friends, particularly if they get to work together again after the events of Treason, but becoming a romantic couple is a completely different story. Consider the fact that the Chiss are a staunchly isolationist society and are wary of outsiders, I firmly believe a romantic relationship between a human and a Chiss would require a lot of effort from both parties to work in the long run, especially if the Chiss partner is still actively part of the Chiss Ascendancy, like Ar’alani definitely is, so I highly doubt Ar’alani is really interested in dating humans.

The fact that most Faro/Ar’alani shippers are also Thrawn/Eli shippers definitely doesn’t help either, since I never like the idea of Thrawn/Eli as a romantic pairing mainly due to their large age gap (while we do not know Thrawn and Eli’s exact canon age, we can still make educated guesses about it, see this post and this post). I cannot shake off the feeling that for the most part the Faro/Ar’alani ship exists to be a Pair The Spares ship especially for those who primarily ship Thrawn/Eli, no matter how many shippers want to argue otherwise, especially given how many Thrawn/Eli shippers reduce Faro to a wingwoman for their OTP.

As a fan of the Thrawn novels who don’t ship anything in the these books, I honestly feel very alienated by how much shipping dominates discussions of these books in the fandom. I wish the Thrawn shipping fandom, especially Thrawn/Eli shippers, could understand that not everyone read the Thrawn novels for shipping.

#thrawn: treason #karyn faro #thrawn #grand admiral thrawn #ar'alani #admiral ar'alani #book: star wars: thrawn novels #ch: karyn faro #ch: thrawn #ch: ar'alani #leilukin does meta #llkmeta: thrawn novels #thrawn fandom nonsense

[cycat4077]

Rollisi?

Ok, first off as a disclaimer: I’m “new” to SVU in the sense that child me watched it a long time ago, then stopped watching it THEN, thanks to re-runs on tv, got into “newer” shows from season 15(?). One thing lead to another and I was watching a few new episodes from season 21.

AND I fell in love with Carisi. I’m currently doing a watch from season 16 onwards to catch up. (Just finished season 17.) One of the other disclaimers I should mention is that I tend to have a type when it comes to favorite characters on shows. I usually root for the underdog or the character that tends to get overlooked. Most times this is a male character who is a big family-oriented sweetheart with a strong moral code who likes to take care of people: BJ Hunnicutt from M*A*S*H and Edwin Jarvis from Agent Carter are two of my beloveds besides Sonny Carisi. And upon “adopting” these characters I have a hard time pairing them with any other characters UNLESS there’s a deep and trusting relationship there. That’s because I don’t want my baby to get hurt. I go all protective momma bear over them and I want only THE BEST for them.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s what I think about Rollisi. I “get” it. If I was only tuning into season 21, it would be a different story. But having watched the mid-season finale, while I do my catch-up watching, I can spot some of the subtle hints and things. And I understand why the writers keep hinting at it.

Sonny and Rollins have a pretty trusting relationship. We get to see that especially when Sonny guesses that Rollins is pregnant with Jesse. Sonny is kind and understanding. She confides in him. He’s a non-judgmental ear, which is something she has been lacking. He’s there for her and is genuinely concerned for her whenever complications arise, etc. He makes her dinner and spends time with her and Jesse when he gets a chance to. Sonny is a giver who doesn’t expect anything in return for his kindness. And I think Rollins really values that in him.

The trouble is that Rollins has never been one to be sure of what she wants. She’s hot-headed and non-committal. That’s how she ends up with two kids from two dads and I think she’s secretly afraid that people will judge her on that. That’s why she’s afraid to tell Carisi when she’s pregnant for Billie. But Sonny doesn’t judge her. He never did, never will. And I think that kind of love (be it platonic or romantic on Sonny’s behalf) scares Rollins. She’s used to people not giving a sh*t what she does or for her decisions to be judged (especially by her own family). But Sonny cares. So when she has that outburst at him in S21 where she’s mad that he left, it’s because she’s scared to lose that unconditional “love”. Maybe her head has been pushing her away from letting herself get close to Sonny romantically, while her heart is telling her the opposite. Rollins seems to have a lot of inner conflicts that she has a hard time resolving and what exactly her relationship with Sonny IS could be another one of those conflicts. We get more of that in the therapist’s office last episode.

On Sonny’s side, let me take a quote from Peter from one of the podcasts:

“There’s a private life of Rollins & Carisi that kind of exists outside of the show […] Carisi can be a version of himself or a more open version of himself, I think, with Rollins in a way that he’s not with other people. And I think that’s a very close relationship that’s awesome to have.”

Of course Peter can’t either confirm or deny Rollisi, but I think this quote gives insight into who Sonny is. He started as the new guy trying to prove himself. Usually he’s pretty serious on the job and very passionate about his work. But we do get small glimpses into how sweet and caring he is, especially with family and by how he interacts with Rollins’ kids. We don’t get a lot of that “open version” of Carisi unless he’s in the above two scenarios, especially with Rollins. And I believe that’s the basis of a healthy relationship. You need to be able to be yourself. 

And this is where my conflicted feelings about Rollisi arise. I want the best for Sonny. I want him to have a relationship where he can be himself - like what Peter describes is the case with Rollins. But I’m not sure Rollins is ready or will ever be ready to give all of herself over to another human being in that way. She’s very guarded and I’m not sure she can open herself up to Carisi in the same way he has opened up to her. In part, I feel if Rollins decides to get together with Sonny she might see it as “settling”. A good dependable choice for herself and kids. BUT, Sonny would not see it that way. I think he does love her. He loves her kids, he admires her devotion to the job and to being a single parent. He loves her for who she is and doesn’t try to change her. So, while Sonny may be thrilled if they got together and takes on the paternal figure plus doting boyfriend instantaneously, Rollins may end up having feelings of regret. Was this the right decision for me? And I don’t want Sonny to ever be placed in a one-way relationship with ANYONE. He deserves the world and I feel extremely protective over him and his heart. I want him to have a family, but even though he looks perfectly natural with Rollins’ kids in his arms, I don’t want him to be locked into something that eventually turns loveless on Rollins’ end.

I guess we’ll see what unfolds tonight. If the writers are going to make a Rollisi move, it’s now. One of them will have to inadvertently say their true feelings in the heat of the moment/threat of losing one another. Maybe it’ll be Sonny saying something like: “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you” or Amanda saying in some roundabout way that she loves him. Who knows.

Do I ship them? Maybe. But they still have a lot of growth to do if I’m going to believe it. Rollins needs to get a grip on what she truly wants and Sonny can’t let her have his heart if she doesn’t know what to do with it.

Sorry for the long post. All this has been tumbling around in my noggin’ for a while now.

EDIT - post mid-season 21 premier. Spoilers ahoy

I think this episode confirms that Sonny does indeed care deeply about Rollins. He’s ANGRY™ when he finds out she’s been kidnapped. He blames himself for it too. You can tell how conflicted he is since he’s essentially powerless to help her directly.

I think that the writers did make a Rollisi move in terms of Amanda herself. And this is what I had mentioned above: I’m not going to buy into shipping it, unless Rollins does some soul searching. When she was in that motel she spilled some pretty deep seeded fears. She grew up believing she did not deserve to be happy. That’s what she saw from her mother. She believes she doesn’t deserve nice guys. But she’s terrified that her daughters will grow up that way too and I think this is the push she needs to finally put her happiness first. And who has always been there for her, unconditionally and without judgement? Who is a nice guy? Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. The foundation is there, they just need to build on it. Have Rollins change her attitude and views about herself and grow that self-confidence. Sonny’s the type of guy who will wait for her, however long it may take.

The big hint at Rollisi was at the end. If you don’t ship it, then the elevator scene could be interpreted as a very healthy friendship where two people trust one another and have each other’s backs. But if you put on some shipper goggles, it could definitely be considered the wind to get that ship a-sailing. Amanda holds herself together until Sonny and her are alone and he asks if she’s ok. Then she lets her guard down and says no, crying. She’s done that in the past with him too. But Sonny cradles her and says multiple times: “I got you.” And that could be the defining line in the script. Anyway, it’s some type of love, regardless if you’re wearing shipping goggles or not.

I really hope that if they are heading down the Rollisi pathway, we start to see more growth on that front. More giving from Rollins and Sonny finally being able to accept something in return. It’s a lovely friendship no matter what and I’d love to see it grow. And because it’s a friendship and I firmly believe that frienship should be the basis of any romantic relationship, I wouldn’t be necessarily opposed to Rollisi becoming more someday in the future.

Just don’t break my Sonnyshine’s heart

#law and order svu #Rollisi #sonny carisi #dominick carisi jr #Amanda rollins #SVU #Tiffany rants #SVU meta #SVU Spoilers #For now I shall continue to pair Sonny with a reader I get to create in fics who will love and cherish this boy for all of who he is #Sonnyshine of my life #I want one of him by the way #He be out there ruining my expectations of men

[crystaljins]

Midnight Black

Characters: Jungkook x reader 

Word count: 2.7 K

Synopsis:  2. Howarts!au + 2. Enemies-to-lovers + 3. “ i don’t even think i want to know. ” [drabble game]

Notes:  I feel like maybe I could have gone the cute and fluffy route but I saw Hogwarts and I though “MAGIC! INTRIGUE! A MYSTERY!”. So have this instead of cute E2L shenanigans SOZ

If you had needed any solid evidence that something suspicious is happening in Hogwarts, the proof sits directly in front of you. In your previous six years as a student in this awful castle you’d never known the Whomping Willow to go still like it currently is, at least not before all the strange happenings began. The figures that you are watching vanish into what looks like knotted and twisted roots of the blasted tree. How they even got it to go still like that is beyond you. You’ve been following them from the entrance to the great hall to the Whomping Willow and so far, apart from this strange ability to make the Whomping Willow go still, there’s been nothing to suggest that they are the people responsible for the strange happenings at Hogwarts lately.

You wait a few moments before following after them. Regardless of if they are responsible or not, this is suspicious activity and since none of your professors are taking you seriously, you may be the only hope this awful school has. You eye the Whomping Willow distrustfully, aware that at any moment whatever spell or charm they had could wear off. No matter how smooth a liar you are, it will be difficult to explain why you’re up after curfew and why you’d been bludgeoned by the Whomping Willow.

The Whomping Willow does not stir, however, and as you carefully replicate the actions of the suspicious figures you were following, you are able to find the secret entrance that your targets vanished into. You hesitate for only a moment. You don’t know where this passage leads. You don’t know if these people are dangerous. And if something happens to you, in this secret passage that you hadn’t even known existed for the last 6 years, then it is entirely possible that no one will ever find you. That you’ll become one of those Hogwarts’ mysteries. The bright Slytherin student who vanished without a trace in her seventh year. Are you… are you really prepared to do that?

But then you remember what Hoseok had looked like. They had found him in the forbidden forest with another female student and had assumed they’d snuck out for a foolish date and stumbled upon something mysterious they couldn’t handle. Because the forbidden forest is laden with mysteries. Even the oldest professors at Hogwarts don’t fully know what secrets it holds. That’s probably why it had been so easy for everyone to write off what happened as an unfortunate accident. But two days later they are still unable to find what has caused Hoseok and the female student to be comatose. For their skin to be midnight black all over like they were cared from stone. For the whites of their eyes to be replaced with crimson red. Tomorrow they will be transported to Mungo’s since it has been deemed beyond the realms of even Madame Pomfrey to heal. Who knows if you will ever see them again. Truly a tragedy- one of the many accidents that commonly happen in this stupid school.

Except, you know better. You know Hoseok. Know that he’s the biggest coward to walk the planet, and that the kind, mild-mannered Hufflepuff would never break the rules, let alone go wondering alone in a dangerous forest for some sort of thrill-seeking date with a girl he hardly speaks to. You’re a Slytherin- rotten down to the bone if the rest of the school is to be believed. So if you think something seems off, you know better than to go against your own instincts.

The recollection that you may never see your friend again, and the knowledge of how awfully you had treated him during your last encounter is motivation enough. You swallow back your fear and follow after the figures into the secret passageway. Who knows how far ahead they’ve gotten but hopefully there is only one path through in the tunnel you’ve stepped into. You watch around carefully- the roots of the willow are knotted and tangled together, providing a pathway through the underground. The musty smell of soil and something rotten filters through the stale air and you wrinkle your nose.

The opening slides shut behind you and you are plunged into full darkness as the meagre lighting the moon had provided vanishes. And Slytherins aren’t known for their bravery so you aren’t ashamed of the way your hands tremble and your heart throbs loudly in your ears. Stay calm, you tell yourself, inhaling deeply, before reaching into the satchel that hangs at your hip. A lumos spell would provide adequate lightly, but it may also expose your presence to anyone lingering in the tunnel. Luckily, you came prepared. The Night Goggles you have in your possession had not been easy to obtain. There’s only one trouble maker in the school who would own a pair.

Your sworn enemy, Jeon Jungkook. Of course, you almost looked for reasons to antagonise the arrogant Gryffindor, and his head was so big he hadn’t been able to turn it in time to spot you swiping it from his satchel during breakfast that morning. What idiot brought something like that to a brightly lit place like breakfast in the Great Hall? You’ll never know why the Headmaster made him of all people Head Boy. Whatever the reason for bringing it, though, it had worked in your favour, and you slide the goggles onto your face. The whole tunnel lights up behind the goggles like you’ve just switched on a light and you smile. Who knew the muscle head would prove himself so useful? You hadn’t even had to pay for these.

You’re about to proceed forward when you hear a grinding sound before you and suddenly the back of your robes go tight around your neck. Someone has grabbed you by the back of your collar.

“I thought I smelled something unpleasant and reptilian.” A repulsively familiar voice hisses alarmingly close to your ear. He tugs hard on your collar and you stumble backward and collide with his firm chest. “What are you up to, Snake? Why did you steal my goggles? How did you make the Whomping Willow go still like that?”

His voice is entirely too loud considering you’re currently tailing someone and you whip around and plant both hands over his mouth to shut him up.

“Will you be quiet?” You snarl, your voice barely a whisper. He has his own pair of Night Goggles, probably borrowed from one of his stupid friends like Taehyung or Seokjin. Perhaps he had noticed you swiping his goggles that morning, then. He forcefully yanks your hands away but does not release his grip on your wrists. His breathing is slightly heavy like he’s hold back his anger and you are so close to him you feel each forceful puff against your face.

“Why should I, you thief?” He demands, and his voice is practically booming in the enclosed space. You just hope the people you were following have gotten far enough ahead that they can’t hear them. You try and tug your hands free but he’s so obnoxiously strong. It’s probably from years of being the best Beater on the Gryffindor team. “This is rich- the Head Bitch herself, revisiting her Slytherin roots and stealing, sneaking out after hours, and…” He looks around and frowns. “What else? Why are you here? I… I don’t even think I want to know.” He admits. “This seems… dangerous. What do you have up your sleeve, Snake?”

Ah, his favourite nickname for you. Always a delight, isn’t he? Still, he’s followed you this far successfully, and you’re a little afraid of what you may find if you continue on alone. It wouldn’t hurt to have a companion, even if said companion frequently makes you feel like he’s cast the cruciatus curse on you. And though you loathe to admit it, Jeon Jungkook is a competent wizard. It wouldn’t hurt to have him onside. You swallow and stare at him. You can’t read his expression with the large goggles obscuring the upper half of his face.

“I have nothing up my sleeve.” You confess. “I followed some suspicious people here and I’m trying to figure out what they’re up to. I think they have something to do with what happened to Hoseok.”

That brings him pause.

“Hoseok? Why does a Slytherin like you care about Hobi?” He asks incredulously, as if the thought of a Slytherin caring about someone else is absolutely unheard of. And perhaps it is. They call you snakes for a reason.

But you don’t have time for inter-house rivalry or even this stupid enemy-ship you’ve built up with Jungkook over the years. As much as it hurts you to swallow your pride (and Slytherins have a lot of pride), you need him to leave now or help you. For Hoseok’s sake.

“Because.” You snap. “You don’t honestly believe that Hoseok would be caught dead in the Forbidden Forest, do you?” You point out. That has Jungkook falling abruptly silent. He still has his grip on your wrist but you feel his hold loosen to the point you are able to tug your hand free. Your wrist feels like it is on fire where he has grabbed you.

“I did think it was suspicious.” He admits. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re out here, underneath the Whomping Willow or why you stole my goggles. Which I paid good money for, by the way.”

The questions he’s asking aren’t difficult to answer. You’ve been snooping around ever since Hoseok had been found with that other girl, trying to retrace the steps that had led to his current situation. And the only clue you’d had was Hoseok last having been seen fleeing from some prefects outside the Great Hall the night he vanished. Which was why you had stolen Jungkook’s goggles and waited outside the Great Hall like an idiot. But you’d found something- these suspicious figures. You’d overheard them say Hoseok’s name and had followed them. That’s how you had ended up here.

But while that explains the how and what of the situation, it does not answer the question of why you’re doing all this. Why you, the girl with the nickname Head Bitch and an equally nasty reputation to match, are breaking every rule in the book for a mere Hufflepuff. A Hufflepuff who, as far as everyone knew, had had an explosive shouting match with you right before he vanished two days ago. And everyone knows you’d treated him like dirt for years despite the fact that he considered you a close friend and had always been kind and considerate to. You’d been a strange match, a muggle born and a Slytherin. When you’d called a Mudblood to his face, right in front of nearly every student in the school, no one had been surprised because they’d been waiting for the day Hoseok realised your true colours.

“I’m… trying to make things right.” You say, and your traitorous voice catches. The firm frown on Jungkook’s face softens in surprise just the slightest bit. You’re thankful he can’t see the way your eyes are starting to fill with tears behind your goggles. “Hoseok’s my friend and I hurt him and… and I may never be able to take the things I said back.” You confess and you wish your voice would stop wobbling.

You haven’t shed a single tear for Hoseok in the last 48 hours. Not when they first found him, or when you first saw what had happened to him. Not when you overheard people whispering in the halls when you walked past. Speculating what might have happened. Suspecting you. It makes sense, right? After all, you’d called him a Mudblood in front of everyone. And Slytherins are almost famous for being nasty. So you hadn’t shed a tear then either.

But you do now, and in front of your mortal enemy, no less. Jungkook has gone quiet. He’s not as stupid as you like to pretend he is and he sees the way your shoulders are hunched with repressed sobs, even if your goggles obscure most of you expression. And he’s seen your face when people whisper about you in the hall.

And most important of all is that he saw your face after you insulted Hobi. He saw the regret and pain and sadness in your face for using such a horrible term on someone. And for the first time ever he had thought that maybe you aren’t the soulless, evil monster that everyone thinks you are. He’s hated you since the day you first met in your first year where he called you a snake and you hexed him with surprising skill for an eleven-year-old. And your relationship never changed or grew- the two of you merely became more and more hateful towards the other as the years on. Years filled with anger and mean pranks and hurtful words. And you’re a Slytherin so it’s always been easy to justify his actions because Slytherins are cruel, evil witches and wizards. The scum of society. And you gave back just as good as you got. But looking at you now… It’s hard to reconcile what he sees with the heartless ice queen he always thought you were.

“Why did you say it, then?” He asks. That’s the last piece of the puzzle he needs to be convinced that you’re telling the truth, that you’re here to help Hoseok and not bring doom and destruction upon the school. And to convince him that maybe he shouldn’t drag you back to the Head Student dorms and deduct 100 points from Slytherin and instead follow you to wherever this mysterious tunnel leads.

“I…” You answer. Why did you say it? How could you say something so awful to your friend? “I was hurt.” You confess. How humiliating- a Slytherin, with hurt feelings? You may as well hand in your robes and start wearing yellow. You’re so pathetic. “We were just having a fight. He blew up randomly over breakfast because of some silly comment I made. He’d accused me of never caring about what he was doing or the things that were bothering him, and then he called me-“ Your sentence aborts as your breath catches. This whole situation has been so painful and awful, and saying it aloud is somehow even worse. “He called me a selfish snake. And I know everyone calls Slytherins that. That’s what we are. But not Hoseok. He never-“ You inhale shakily. “He never thought that about me. And so I lashed out, but now it might be that last thing I ever said to him-“

And the Jungkook does something unexpected. Something neither of you ever thought he’d do, in his entire time at Hogwarts.

He hugs you. He wraps his arms tightly around your frame like you’ll float away if he lets go.

“It’s ok.” He says softly. “He didn’t mean it. And it won’t be the last thing you ever said to him.” He reassures you.

“How do you know?” You question, as the tears come in full force.

“Because I’m going to help you.” Is what he offers as words of comfort.

And for some reason, you do feel comforted. You shouldn’t. You’re in the arms of your enemy. Your only friend is in some sort of magical coma. And at the end of this tunnel what is waiting for you are either answers for something you probably can’t handle on your own or your early death. Those are all reason to feel scared and frustrated and to pull away and go back to bed.

Instead, you feel warm. Safe. You feel like someone finally believes you, after  being suspected and hated and having professors dismiss you. And the fact that it is Jeon Jungkook is horrifying… but also reassuring. Because if he can believe you, then surely other people can.

He pulls away and oddly you miss his warmth. He then holds out a hand to you which you hesitantly accept, wrapping your fingers timidly around his.

“Come on, then.” He says with a determined smile. “Let’s go find out what really happened to Hobi, shall we?”

And for the first time, ever since your fight with Hobi, and the night he went missing, you find yourself smiling.

“We shall.” You say, turning to face the tunnel ahead, hand-in-hand with your former enemy.

#jungkook x reader #Jeon jungkook x reader #Hogwarts au #jungkook angst #hoseok angst #slytherin!reader x gryffindor!Jungkook #drabble game #writing

[scarterror]

The Dangers of Ice

Legends of the Snow Queen had been milling around for centuries. Some places it turned into myth and others it just died out. As centuries passed it became one of those legends that people mostly forgot. In favor of remembering something like King Arthur.

Though those two legends were eerily similar. Except that this one has its sword stuck in the queen rather than a rock and was in Norway rather than England.

“I still don’t understand why you believe this legend and not the one about Arthur.”

“Because this one is a hell of a lot more recent and the Queen had actually existed. There are documents signed by her found at other castles and their historians all found a description of her that match others, so I’m more inclined to believe this than something that originated in the 12th century about a person in the 5th and 6th century!”

“But the one about Arthur is so much more interesting and more is known about his life!”

“Because someone wrote a story book ya nit wit! No one gives history much thought until you throw in some magic and drama.”

“But this one has magic and a death that sounds very bizarre. Why did it get lost?”

“Probably because it was a woman and she was very successful. Men hated that back then, probably accused her of being a witch and such, hence the sword impaling her to her throne.”

“But wouldn’t her subjects have mourned her death and given her a proper burial?”

“That’s the thing! The story stops there! No one knows what happened after and people couldn’t reach the castle.”

“Why not?”

“Look for yourself because we’re here.”

The harsh winds the two people just emerged from seemed like a gentle breeze for the sight that lay before them. A full blown blizzard had the distant castle structure surrounded. The only way was forward over a stone bridge that was busy crumbling.

“You want us to go through that? We’ll most likely die!” The male figure shouted as he pulled his jacket tighter. He already felt like a bloated penguin and somehow the cold was seeping through like he was in a shirt and shorts!

“Come on! Where is your sense of adventure?” The female asks as she grins from under all her own gear.

“It’s trumped by my will to live! Who do you think you are? Lara fucking Croft?” He hisses.

“Oh please she claims she’s an archaeologist, but she destroys every discovery she makes!” She laughs.

“It’s fiction and she’s not the one destroying things the bad guys are!” He grumbles, but his partner seems to have gotten bored with the conversation. Nothing new there, little to nothing held her attention for long. She was a doer not a listener.

The female scuffed around in the snow in front of the bridge before grabbing her climbing axe and slamming it down on the ground. The male figure watched as the female made a secure grip for an anchor to hold their rope.

“Well you seem to know what you’re doing,” he says and stands by to help.

“I’ve done my homework and I learned what not to do from those that have failed,” she shrugs before making another one a little ways away from the original. An anchor for the anchor, well one can never be too careful.

“How do you suppose we keep from being blown away?” He asks and she just smiles up to him before standing.

“Luck!” She chirps.

“Something of which you have a stupid amount of,” he grumbles.

“Look there is a perfectly good portion to walk over,” she points out. He narrows his eyes and desperately tries to see through the blizzard. Sure enough there was a small portion of the bridge still intact. He guesses no wider than his foot, this is going to go so well.

“I tell you what. I’ll go across and secure the line and then you can follow,” she smiles to him and he nods in agreement.

“Scared-y cat,” she whispers under her breath before tightening the rope around her. He watched, seconds away from a heart attack, as she made her way into the blizzard. The line following her was swaying and sometimes it pulled tight before slacking.

It was the longest ten minutes of his life.

Once the rope was tight and nothing happened for a good few seconds he decided that it was now or never. The snow storm was pretty bad though, he had to stop and catch his balance a few times, but once on solid ground again he was amazed that the storm seemed to be limited to only the bridge area.

“Dumb luck strikes again!” She shouts and starts walking up to the massive gates that seemed to be in pristine condition.

“Weird, from the few areal views we’ve seen, the place looked like a heap of rocks,” he hums as he looks over the other parts of the front of the castle.

“Fascinating, it’s like from the outside we see it in our time, its crumbled and broken from years of neglect but up close, it’s like it was built yesterday,” she smiles before pushing on the doors.

“Um, why not use the little one here?” He asks as he walks to the door shape in the large gates.

“Oh hush, I’ve always wanted to open the big castle ones, but this will do,” she pouts before opening the door and walking through. Once beyond the doors and now in the castle court yard proper their breaths hitched. It was like time stood still. There had been a battle it seems. People stood covered in ice, frozen mid battle. Snowflakes were suspended in the air.

“Eugene, take some photos!” The woman hissed and the man fumbled with a camera before snapping away.

“These don’t look like statues,” he breaths as he gets a close up on one of the ice people.

“No, they’re too perfect,” she said and started walking to the castles entrance. Eugene followed and they both awed at how the castle looked so pristine. No signs of deterioration or even dust. It really did look like everything got frozen at that point in time.

Eugene kept snapping pictures as he followed the female to the throne room. Once inside he nearly dropped the camera at the sight. More statues post battle all in a frozen shout and looking at the main focus of the room.

One statue was impaled by a large ice spike but beyond that was a female figure impaled by a sword. Unlike everything that looked frozen, she looked very much human and the sword was still very much new. As new as a jet black sword with near glowing blue runes can look that is.

Eugene watched as his partner walked up to the throne like she was in some trance. He frowned and tilted his head as she looked to the sword before rushing to her as she gripped the handle. Before he could reach her she pulled the sword and once it was out of the Queen all the suspended snowflakes erupted outwards, sending both sprawling over the floor.

Both figures groaned and managed to stand back up. They were however met with swords and they pressed their backs against one another. One of the guards smacked the black sword out the woman’s hands before pressing the blade to her, luckily covered, throat.

“Hvem er du?”

Both explorers gazed up to the Queen from their sides. She sounded menacing but they could see the rise and fall of her chest and the fear in her eyes.

“What did she say?” Eugene asked as he whispered to his partner.

“It’s Norwegian, she asked who we are,” she replies. The look of confusion crossed the Queen eyes, even in some of the soldiers.

“Vi kommer i fred,” she said and they relaxed a little.

“What?” Eugene asked and he could practically feel her roll her eyes at him.

“Let me do the talking,” she almost hissed.

“Jeg spør igjen, hvem er du?” The queen sounded a little angry now.

“I think we should bow down and remove the face gear,” she said as she started slowly dropping to her knee. Eugene followed suit as the guards made their swords follow their movements.

“Mitt navn er Anna, dette er min medarbeider Eugene,” Anna said as they removed their hats and goggles.

“Søster?” The Queen asked in a shaky voice. Anna frowned and blinked as she looked up. The Queen had a hand over her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes.

“Okay even I understood that one. Did she just call you her sister?” Eugene whispers and Anna only nods.

“I don’t remember her having a sister, there isn’t that much on Arendelle. It’s one of the many kingdoms dotting Norway and some of those kingdoms we only know the names of,” Anna said before clearing her throat as the Queen stepped closer.

Ice blue eyes searched her teal ones, before looking at the rest of her. A frown working its way on the Queens face. She shook her head and ordered her men to step down. They looked to one another briefly before stepping back, but their stature remained tight. Ready if trouble arises.

“I don’t understand, it’s been five years. How did you survive?” The queen says as she holds herself and frowns.

“Survive what, your majesty?” Anna asks, now more confused.

“You insisted on going with mama and papa on their trip to another Kingdome to discuss trade, the boat sank, there was a storm,” the Queen says as a pained expression covers her face.

“I’m sorry your majesty, I’m not your sister. I’m not even from Arendelle,” Anna tried to explain but the queen shook her head.

“You are lying, you must have survived and lost your memory. You are Princess Anna of Arendelle,” the queen said and clenched her hands. Anna’s eyes widen.

“I’m pretty sure, I’m Anna Summers,” Anna said before sighing, but before she could explain that time isn’t what it used to be a man rushed in, fresh from battle.

“My Queen! The battle against the Southern Isles is over, they’re retreating!” He shouted and a smile crossed the Queens face. That struck Anna as an odd detail. There was no way this magic had kept all of this frozen like so. There were no ships in the fjord when they arrived. Unless…

Anna managed to set out in a dead sprint past the guards. She could hear both the Queen and Eugene shout after her, but she had to see this for herself. She rushed past startled guards and dead bodies all the way out the main gates and to the crumbled bridge.

The bridge was in perfect condition. There were indeed ships retreating out on the fjord. She could see a town in the distance. A town that used to only be ruins and in a constant snow storm. Everything looked like it would be on this very day almost 200 years ago.

Anna was panting and frowning. This didn’t make sense. She pulls out her phone, no signal. She pulled out her GPS reader; it too had no signal, which was impossible. She was confused. Had they been sent back to the past? It wasn’t plausible, but none of this was plausible. Everything was confusing and her head hurts. Why was her head hurting so much?

“Anna!”

She turned to Eugene’s voice but her head felt like it was going to burst. She gripped at her right eye as it stung before dropping to her knees then the snowy ground. Darkness enveloped her as well as cold. It was so cold.

#elsanna fanfiction #elsanna #forgot about this #wip

[3w-writer-with-wings]

Character post: Aoi Zaizen

Why I like them/why I don’t:

Out of all Yu-Gi-Oh girls so far, Aoi feels the most relatable of them all. She is a lot like a grown-up version of Luna/Ruka from 5Ds with a similar mannerism and personality. Aoi has a really timid nature and the fact that she is so sheltered by Akira that she feels he doesn’t even trust her hits home hard. But what I really love about her is her development. She learns from her mistakes and tries to become the best version of herself. The actions she takes in order to change herself don’t always play in her favour and even then she keeps on trying. Aoi represents exactly what you should do if you face failure in life – make changes and learn from your mistakes. Unlike Go, she never succumbed to her own insecurities and rather used them in order to change for the better. While she may appear pretty naïve and stubborn at first, you can really see how she slowly transforms into a person she always wished to be.

She is also a good representation of a celebrity with depression. The episode that showed her life outside VRAINS nearly broke my heart. From the way she talked with Yusaku and members of duel club, to how she just ran away after Yusaku asked her about Akira and how she was lying on bed looking like she was about to cry… it was just hard to watch considering there are people who are actually suffering the same way. But then she logged in VRAINS and instantly became a bubbly Charisma Duelist to entertain people. While a lot of people compare Go to Yuya, I actually see Aoi to be more like Yuya. Her Blue Angel persona is just like Yuya’s goggles, a mask she hides behind to cover up her tears and she presents herself as someone who is always smiling.

When her wings broke after her loss to Yusaku… it just perfectly represented how she finally broke down a lot like how Yuya lost to Reiji and Jack. At that point, I was really afraid she would follow the same road that Go did in season 2 – her insecurities and depression getting the best of her, but she didn’t. No, instead she put some thought about it before she did anything. When her fans were bashing her name, it seemed like she was going to break again. Thank God Emma came to her rescue! What I love about her relationship with Emma the most is the fact that she is the kind of a person that Aoi always needed. Once Miyu was revealed it also made me realize why Aoi had a hard time finding friends – she was afraid of being separated from a friend and didn’t want to be hurt by it again. Emma let her know that she’ll be always on her side and this was the encouragement that she needed to make a step further.

Her style of duelling is also one of my favourites – the burndown strategy. When she was duelling that AI who had the same technique and they were burning each other’s LP down like crazy was really entertaining to watch. I was a bit disappointed once she no longer used that technique, though I liked that she acknowledged it as something that needs to be improved. In overall her character is just as complex as Yusaku’s and I’m glad that it was explored a lot.

The only downside to her character is how her character is treated. Unfortunately, female characters are something that Shin Yoshida doesn’t know how to handle and this plays a big part in her representation. She had many losses that downgraded her lot. While she made a very big comeback in season 2 as Blue Maiden she also had a big downfall as well. In other words, Aoi’s character deserved so much more but was unfortunately pushed aside many times.

What I like about their appearance

The fact that she has so many avatars! I actually cosplayed Blue Angel and this was one of the most difficult cosplays I’ve ever made, but I in no way regret it since it is a very cute outfit and I’ve learned so many cosplay-making techniques while making it. I also really like how each avatar in a way presents one part of her. Blue Angel is her childhood dream, a hero she wanted to become. Blue Girl represents her desire to be like Ghost Girl and make a change. And Blue Maiden is her embracing all of herself and honourably joining Team Playmaker. Her avatars give this Magical Girl feel that combine her kind nature with power in order to save the world. While magical girl anime portrays that more ribbons, sparkle and skirts equals more power, Aoi’s avatar changes are the exact opposite, showing that sometimes less can be more.

And the part I love the most and was the most difficult to make? Her wings! I think I spent nearly three whole days just figuring out how to make those wings stand! In the end, I used some very thick wires, extra strong duct tape and a handmade posture supporter to keep it still. And it was so worth it! I was a bit sad that Blue Girl didn’t have wings, so when Blue Maiden’s wings were shown I was excited as hell! I also really like her twintail hairstyle since I tend to wear my hair in this style too. When I cosplayed Blue Angel not that many people recognized the character, but those few who did really liked it and one of them even showed me all of the Trickstars he had in his deck! I had a really wonderful experience as Blue Angel and I even won the third place in cosplay contest! To conclude – I love absolutely everything about her appearance and I wouldn’t mind cosplaying her or her other avatars again!

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

While I really like the name Skye, it kinda sounds off for Aoi. I’ve grown really used to her original name so when her dub name was revealed… it just didn’t sound like her. I guess it could work as her user name since Skye goes well with her avatar’s wings, puffy skirt and blue colours like a short nickname for Blue Angel. Aoi is also the name of a hollyhock flower that represents the cycle of life which nicely symbolizes the changes that Aoi went through when changing her avatars and overall personality.

OTP

Definitely Miyu or Takeru, hard to decide. Miyu was introduced really late in the series and didn’t get that much screen time or backstory and yet it was enough to give away all necessary information about her. I made many theories why I thought Aoi was Aqua’s origin and in a way, she is - all because of Miyu. While all cheerful and caring, Miyu could’ve been lonely and even if she wasn’t, she choose to befriend someone who was. It is not clear how long the two of them were friends, though it most likely not long and yet out of all people, Miyu choose Aoi to be her anchor. Aqua basically represents Miyu’s love for Aoi and I’m sure that once Aoi gets to meet Miyu it will be a very emotional reunion. 

Then there’s Takeru and let’s face it, he is the kind of a character that can be shipped with anyone and it would still work. Still, I genuinely believe he has a secret crush on Aoi. When he passed Aoi in school, he didn’t appear to have much interest towards her though that could be because that was the first time he saw her as Aoi and not as Blue Angel. The duel they had as Soulburner and Blue Girl was pretty entertaining to watch and the encouragement he gives her in the end was very well-meaning and kind. The second time he meets her in real life is completely different as he approaches her right away and introduces himself. Considering how shy Takeru can be it is very unlikely he would do that with just anyone, so the fact that he did that with Aoi shows that he is interested in becoming her friend. Kiku said that he is not much of a friendly person, so the fact that he approached someone else besides Yusaku really says a lot. Their relationship would really work as they both love duelling and testing themselves. I hope that they get to have a tag duel one time together as they could really fit each other well despite representing opposite elements (water and fire) since this could be the first time for such combination in a tag duel. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a tag duel in the third season since I really enjoyed Aki and Crow tag duel in 5Ds and this could give some nostalgia.

NOTP

At first I didn’t know this even existed, but Aoi and Akira ship just feels wrong on so many levels. I know they aren’t blood-related but they are still siblings. While I really like their sibling relationship, romantic one would completely ruin it, especially how canon it actually felt during the first season. Like Aoi would use –sama for her brother which is reserved for masters and bosses, like she is super inferior to him and the whole reason why she went to duel Yusaku was so she could impress him, which resulted in her falling in coma. Even if they weren’t siblings, Aoi is still a minor and Akira is ten years older than her. At times Akira also acts a lot like her father which would make their romantic relationship that much worse.

I dislike romantic Aoi and Emma ship for the same reason. While I absolutely love their sisterly bond, the thought of them having something more just doesn’t feel okay. Maybe if Aoi was older like over 18 or in early 20s then it could work better. Even if Aoi would have feelings for Emma and she would want to start a relationship with her, I imagine Emma would tell her to wait. Emma is the kind of a person, who has no problem breaking a law, but getting in a relationship with a minor is something she wouldn’t do. I have no doubt that she loves Aoi like her little sister or a young partner in crime so a romantic relationship would pretty much ruin this nicely developed relationship.

OT3

Aoi, Miyu and Aqua! I don’t know why, but this trio just warms my heart. There’s no doubt that all three of them care about each other a lot and would form a really nice relationship with each other. In my perfect reality, both Aqua and Aoi come visit Miyu after everything is over, and together they create new VRAINS avatars in order to spend time with Aqua who is pretty much their lovechild. I see this trio to work in both platonic and romantic way since the three of them show nothing but kindness and care towards each other.

Favourite card they use

Marincess Crystal Heart. I already liked the concept of Crystal Heart, the fact that it symbolized Aqua’s and Earth’s love and that they did everything to keep it from being destroyed in the field. What truly made me love it even more was when Aoi used it in a duel against Bowman and empowered it. I believe that the heart still represents Aqua’s and Earth’s love and the water spirit protecting it is Aoi, protecting them both. From the start of their meeting, Aoi has been keeping Aqua safe and Marincess Crystal Heart perfectly represents that.

Favourite moment they were in

Her duel with Haru. After so many losses, the duel with Haru was the best comeback for Aoi. The character she has been building finally came into action and I absolutely enjoyed watching that duel. From the new archetype Marincess to how she stood her ground against Haru’s hurtful words - Aoi made it clear: she is back and ready to kick some ass! The new strategy, her partnership with Aqua and that badass skill when her wings showed up! And how she outright obliterated Haru’s LP! It was just amazing and it showed how far she has come. At that point, it really seemed like Aoi was set to win more duels...

Least favourite moment

... which is why her loss to Bowman was so sad. While it was no way as humiliating as her loss to Playmaker, Specter and Soulburner, it was still terrible. Bowman is disgustingly overpowered character and the fact that he used so many moves that were outright cheating really downgraded Aoi’s and Aqua’s character. I would be fine if Bowman defeated her with a good strategy, but no he used a literal asspull effect like he did the whole duel. He even tried to scare her and for a moment I thought Aoi would give in. Luckily she didn’t and I was so proud of her. Even the act of “mercy” was a very cheap move since Bowman is a freaking hypocrite and he probably used it just so he could feel better about losing Haru. 

Back then when I was still hopeful about Aoi’s further character development I wrote a theory why she was capable of defeating Bowman with very good arguments and how it could play out well in the final conclusion of season 2. (it is here if you wish to check it out  https://3w-writer-with-wings.tumblr.com/post/182925730720/lightnings-plans-and-why-i-believe-aoi-will  ). I was really disappointed when Bowman won using the cheap moves since it looked like writing staff pushed away Aoi’s promising future for the sake of having Bowman win at all cost.  

Would I fuck, marry or kill them

Can I just be her friend? Cuz really if I were to meet Aoi in real life, I would just hug her and take her out for ice cream or coffee and talk with her, letting her know that she is an amazing person and that she should never doubt herself cuz she is doing a great job at improving herself. I would likely be one of those Blue Angel fans in the crowd during her duels, holding banners with encouraging words or I would be writing a blog dedicated to her in order to support her, pretty much the same thing that I’m doing now. ;) If someone would bash her name and accuse her of things she didn’t do or weren’t her fault, you bet I would write a freaking essay similar to the one I made in order to defend Yusaku when someone made a youtube video ranting how boring he is. 

Aoi Zaizen deserves more recognition and hopefully, she gets to shine more in the third season. 

#aoi zaizen #aqua vrains #yugioh vrains #character anylsis #vrains #Blue Angel #aoi deserved better #I hope she will be back in season 3 #yugioh needs more female characters like Aoi

[spiftynifty]

Hey there! I’m the same anon that sent that confusion ask to jojo. I saw your reply and Read your post about LGBT in kids shows and how (at the time) it seemed probable for a m|m canon. I wanted to ask what your thoughts are now? I personally think it seems most likely that Keith will end in a het. Relationship (despite it seeming a little rushed and lm and jds saying they wouldn’t) Keith ending with no one when such a strong relationship with shiro was built up just doesn’t seem likely either..

To be honest, I was worried about Kacxa at first too. Many, many other hetero romances have started with less than that and seeing underdeveloped relationships just happen because “he was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious” is something we are extremely accustomed to. Heck the show kind of plays right into this with Hunk/Shay.

But Keith is different, he is a far more developed and story-focused character than Hunk is, and thus if he’s to be given a romantic partner then it needs to match that flow and level of development. One of the “rules” that we often get in media is that “romance is a higher level on the relationship chart than friendship”. And at this point, and even after 13 more episodes, there’s just no context this show could offer me where I could honestly believe that Keith could regard Acxa with a similar level of affection to how he regards Shiro, let alone higher. This was the biggest reason I stopped worrying; to be blunt, Kacxa doesn’t make sense on a narrative or character level. Keith aside, Acxa deserves to have a story told that doesn’t involve her following dudes around.

Also, revisiting the show I’m quite convinced that Keith is canonically in love with Shiro, that his feelings for him were intended to be read as so many of us do. There’s a reason so many people in and outside the fandom have written about their relationship with optimism and curiosity about where the show is taking it. It’s there, even for those who have never been looking for it. I know a lot of straight guys who have picked up on it despite never realizing Korrasami was a thing. 

But we definitely do a lot of speculating here in the Sheith fandom and I’ve seen some pretty elaborate meta for scenes that didn’t particularly resonate as shippy for me. So stepping back, shipping goggles off, speaking as a viewer and as someone who works in animation, there are really… 3.5 sequences that give me pause, that are so heavily coded and so�� interestingly storyboarded and animated that I find it increasingly impossible to believe the showrunners and directors never intended for their relationship to be read romantically. They are:

Because there is something inherently romantic about the slow zoom on their smiles before the slow drift of them towards each other, the castle forgotten

Because this is blatantly highlighting how beautiful Shiro is and Keith staring at him in awe before he closes his eyes for the last time, resigned to their joint fate

Because I have run all the permutations and scenarios in my mind and there is literally no reason for Keith to stop mid lean, with his eye direction shifting lower than Shiro’s eyeline. It would have been faster and way less work to show him just hugging him without the pause.

And then this is the 0.5:

Because while the canon tempers this moment with “you’re my brother”, I am beyond convinced that that line was added because the scene was too romantically coded without it. And if you don’t believe me, check out this edit someone made of what the scene sounds like without the brother line. It’s incredible. 

But will we SEE canon Sheith? that’s… a little more complicated. 

My post ages ago about LGBT in cartoons was pretty optimistic but where I failed was considering the differences in studios. Some companies are a lot more chill about LGBT content in their shows. But they also aren’t the Big Two: Disney and Dreamworks, whose records of LGBT characters are utterly abysmal. Here are the two they had prior to July 2018: LeFou from live action Beauty and the Beast, and Gobber from HTTYD2 in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it line that was ad-libbed by the actor and left in. Arguments could also be made for the Sheriffs in Gravity Falls (that had to be Dumbledore’d after the fact by the show creator who alluded to there being a fight over it).

NOT great, especially when you consider Disney is not just Disney: none, NONE of the 19 Marvel movies feature an LGBT character, nor do ANY of the Star Wars movies. It’s utterly inexcusable. Shareholders in these companies make things more complicated because they help dictate the direction a company will take and if a large portion of their major shareholders are say, more conservative, we’re going to notice that there is one area on the diversity checklist that is repeatedly getting passed over. The bigger the company, the more complicated the relationship is with shareholders. That’s why it’s difficult to compare Korra’s achievement, through Nickelodeon, to the potential of an LGBT relationship on Dreamworks. We should absolutely hold them to the same standards regardless of company size but we can’t expect to get an endgame LGBT relationship just because Korra did, or because of the giant 20-gayteen celebration going on for two wlw ships at Cartoon Network.

But we also got THIS on Voltron.  

And it’s a start. I think it outlines pretty clearly where the limits are for Dreamworks at this time, especially since many casual viewers seemed to miss the romantic implications of Zethrid/Ezor, and a more alarming number somehow walked away from Adam/Shiro’s fight completely unaware they were a couple. Which honestly, was certainly Dreamworks’ goal. Keep it vague enough to fool the shareholders, but implicative enough to pat themselves on the back for their achievement. Even though it only exists because JDS and LM fought tooth and nail for it. But at the end of the day, we still have Shiro, Shiro our canonically gay rep, and that’s so huge. I don’t think people realize how huge that is, and I wish his coming out party hadn’t been so marred by toxic antis and even non-antis who decided to take a really big moment in cartoon history and make it all about themselves and their own pain over the “more” that they didn’t get. 

It’s incredible that we are getting LGBT in cartoons finally, properly. 2018 celebrated three massive historical achievement in kid’s animation: A strong, muscular, leader hero was revealed to be gay and have had a boyfriends, and two wlw couples kissed–one of them got married, onscreen. 

This is HUGE. Prior to 2018 the biggest LGBT cartoon moment we had was Korra and Asami four years ago. 

It was like for four years everyone fought and fought and fought and 2018 was the breaking point and we got this glorious explosion of LGBT romance as a result. Audience reception to these couples has been immensely supportive, which is something the companies are definitely noting if it’s translating into dollar signs. It’s something that makes me much more optimistic for the future of cartoons in years to come. 

But I’m just going to come out and say it: the road to mlm is just a little bit harder. There are a ton of reasons for this but I’d say the biggest two boil down to: classic, gendered homophobia (the white conservative straight dudes with money supporting the studios have an easier time with the idea of two women making out, cuz that’s “hot” than two men, cuz that’s “weird”), and also because it is easier for people to accept that two overly-touchy women are “just good friends” than it is for them to accept that two male characters doing the same thing are. Guys Don’t Get Affectionate With Each Other, after all, because that’s not the Masculine Way. Or something. Tons of people watched the end of Korra and assumed they were just friends. Replace those characters with Shiro and Keith and it raises eyebrows. 

So where does that leave Shiro and Keith? It’s really hard to say and at this point it’s anyone’s guess. I truly believe Sheith was intentionally coded as romantic, but getting the green light is another matter entirely. In addition to the DW shareholders, JDS/LM have to deal with the Voltron ones and since that would include conservative-minded folk along with some Japanese shareholders and Japan has complicated rules about LGBT content… it’s a hot mess. Realistically speaking if you were hoping to see Shiro and Keith kiss onscreen, it’s time to come to terms with the fact that there is a 0.0002% likelihood of it happening. I think the best outcome we can expect at this point is that they both end up single, with bonus points if they’re still alive and on the same planet by the series’ end. I firmly believe that this IS something the showrunners are and have fought for and will continue to fight for until the last retakes are done and the show has been approved and shipped off to Netflix for distribution. 

My tinhat theory is that there is one, single scene/shot, that is blatantly canon, that JDS/LM and KR animated on the sly, and have at the ready that they are totally prepared to replace another more platonic scene with– should DW give the go ahead. But I doubt that go-ahead will ever come. At the end of the day the shareholders are the rulemakers and unless they’re convinced it’s worth the financial gain, Sheith is forever bound to be the “will they won’t they” friends we have seen for the last 7 seasons. And I don’t think that potential financial gain of the kids’ animation world’s first mlm couple is big enough to convince them. But god do I ever hope I’m wrong. 

#sheith #voltron #meta #long post #my current mood: optimistic for something half a notch above ambiguous #0p0

[fen-ha-fuck-you]

the 100 ask game

hi i was tagged by approximately a million of you for various things in the past few weeks, so forgive me if i missed you, but I believe this one included: @little-oxford-st — @yourereallyhere — @foreverandalwayscrysis — @clarkgriffon — @mamabearsdontthink 

and i’m putting the rest of this under a cut bc she’s thicc ladies

1. What station on the Ark would you be from?

honestly, probably alpha tbh

2. What would you get arrested for on the Ark?

treason. i don’t know specifics, but it would absolutely be treason

3. Would you take off your wristband when you landed on the ground?

nah

4. What would the necklace Finn would make for you look like? (Clarke: deer/Raven: a raven duh..)

bold of you to assume i’d let that boy so much as speak my name

5. If you could resurrect any MINOR character who would it be?

gina martin, may she rest in peace

6. Create a squad of 5 characters to go on missions with. Who are they?

clarke and bellamy, clearly, and also lincoln, diyoza, and roan. i call it Competence Squad™

7. What Grounder Clan would you belong to?

get grounder culture 31596026746 feet away from me. skaikru.

8. What would your name be in Trigedasleng? (example: Octavia=Okteivia…just make it up!)

Abi 

9. Thoughts on Finn? Some people hate him, and others love him, so I’m curious

from a writing perspective? fascinating character and arc  from a personal perspective? boy can choke 

10. Be honest. How willing would you have been to take the chip without knowing all the horrible things it does?

absolutely not, nope

11. What character do you relate to most?

clarke 100%

12. What character do you like the least?

currently? echo. the one thing I like less than a complete asshat of a character is one with absolutely zero development, and there she is, right there. don’t @ me

13. Describe your delinquent outfit. (Would you wear something like Murphy’s jacket with the spikey red shoulder patch or have a trademark like Jasper’s goggles? Be creative, yet practical)

clarke’s s3 fetish gear but like............... more leather

14. Favorite type of mutant animal?

i have a soft spot for the worms, idk why. i love their useless non-existent asses

15. What would your job be on the Ark?

i’d probably be doing some high-level organizational work or some shit. i’m good with patterns and recall

16. Would you have willingly pumped Ontari’s heart if Abby asked?

without hesitation

17. If Lexa wasn’t Heda, but she was still alive then who would have made the best commander?

let’s make it a democracy babey

18. How would you act if you ate the hallucinogenic nuts like Jasper and Monty?

i have no goddamn clue

19. How would you have dealt with Charlotte’s crime? A more John Murphy approach or Bellamy Blake approach?

neither. clarke griffin approach. protect the kid, but give her some tough love because holy shit, you can’t just kill people charlotte

20. Who should have been the Chancellor, if anyone?

clarke was basically the chancellor anyway and saved their asses more than any of the other “chancellors” so i’m gonna go with clarke

21. Would you have been on Pike’s side like Bellamy or on Kane’s side? Or Clarke in Polis?

kane’s

22. Mount Weather had a lot of modern commodities. (example: Maya’s Ipod) What is the one thing you would snatch while there?

gimme the tunes

23. What would your Grounder tattoos look like? Hairstyle? War paint?

a nice mix of geometric patterns and flow-y nature. undercut. classic american football shit

24. Favorite quote?

"You won’t do it.” / “You don’t know me very well.”

25. If all of the characters were in the Hunger Games, who would have the best shot at winning?

i keep answering clarke, and i’m gonna keep answering clarke. girl fights smart and dirty, and uses her surroundings to her advantage. plus she’s highly adaptable

26. Least favorite ship? Favorite canon ship? Favorite non canon ship? NOT INCLUDING CL OR BC OR BE

i’ll say BE is my least favorite ship if i damn well feel like it, and i do. very closely followed by CL. for writing reasons, specifically and bellarke might as well be canon already so i’m gonna say that for both of the other ones

27. A song that should be included in the next season? If there had to be another guest star like Shawn Mendes on the show, who would you want to make a cameo?

no more cameos.............. blease, i’m begging................................ but i’m gonna go with season 6 because i have a whole playlist for it and say The Devil Within by Digital Daggers

28. What would you do if you were stuck in the bunker with Murphy for all that time?

jam out and snark until we inevitably killed each other probably

29. You’re an extra that gets killed off. How do you die?

just let clarke kill me in a really hot way

30. A character you’d like to learn more about and get flashbacks of?

where the fuck is harper’s backstory jroth

31. A character you’d bang?

i would be in the middle of a blarke sandwich, thanks. the dream. alternatively, a roan/diyoza sandwich. the forbidden ship

32. Would you stay in the Bunker? Go up to Space? Or live on your own in Eden?

would i rather eat people, only algae, or a whole variety of fresh fruits and vegetables? are you joking?

33. In the Bunker, would you follow Octavia? What would you do to pass the time underground?

yeah, hard pass. i’d sure as hell train though holy fuck

34. What crime would you commit in the Bunker that lands you in the fighting pits?

again, treason. 

35. Up in Space, who would you bond with first? Who would be the most difficult for you to get along with?

i’d probably bond with murphy and clarke first. i probably wouldn’t get along with jasper much

36. How long do you think you would last on Earth by yourself?

i’d be fine with the solitary element for a good chunk of time, it’s the outside survival part that’d be the problem

37. When the Eligius ship lands what do you do?

recon that shit

38. Favorite Eligius character? Least favorite?

DIYOZA. mccreary.

39. Would you Spacewalk?

fuck no space scares the shit out of me

40. Would you prefer to eat Windshield Bugs, Space Algae, or Bunker Meat?

... bugs. but people are a close second.

41. Would you start a war for the last spot of green on earth? What would your solution be to avoid it?

no??? a peaceful solution was right there. it wouldn’t be difficult. as long as i didn’t have a group of people staging a coup to remove the person i made a deal with and also someone who didn’t give a flying fuck about anything but war at the time. *cough*

42. Would you rather dig out flesh-eating worms or stick thumb drives into bullet holes?

i’d rather try to save someone’s life than cause so much damage to someone’s injury that it kills them, if that’s what you’re asking. 

43. Are you willing to poison your sister for the Traitor Who You Love? What would you do to stop Octavia?

LMAO, i’d probably just straight up kill her, but i also don’t have a bellamy to be in love with, nor is she my sister

44. Would you go to sleep in cryo or stay awake like Marper?

cryo, fuck that shit

45. Who are you waking up first to explore the new planet?

clarke, bellamy, diyoza. everyone else is window dressing

#the 100 #tag games #long post

[theboondogglepub]

A Land of Gardens Black.Part 3

Part 3: The Middle and Grey Land

    Ah, hello!  I see you are ready, something quite fortuitous as this part will be heady. What do I mean? You ask with such haste, I mean that this section has quite zesty taste. For now is the part not quite short and a little too long, where the middle roads meet and the crowd is a throng. Now we arrive, or more travel I’ll say, to the Lands of Middle, and the unspoken Grey. Keep up, sally forth, and do not delay, I cannot guarantee you’ll know the way. Down through the crossroads where two armies still block, past the forked, spooned, and knifed road with the clock. Beyond there, beyond fields, we find the encampment of Locke.

    “I cannot believe this thing!” He shouted, the multilayered, multicolored goggles flexing robotically to find fixation as Locke shouted and stared out through his many lenses. All eight eyes on his goggles seemed to flex their lenses and refocus on eight different targets in his workshop hanger. Eight giant maneuvering crane arms each the size of a 6 story building steadied around the encampment, their gears churning in loud clacks and creaks lifting various machines and tools of goldbergian nature and design to come to rest in Locke’s hanger workshop for him to work on. He huffed, and looked out at the encampment, and here is what he saw.

The whole of the encampment was easily large enough to fit 300 people with 30 large houses and bunks, and filled to capacity it was. Outside Locke’s hanger workshop the mud streets and metal buildings were filled with people of all shapes and sizes, handing over foodstuffs for coin and trading what meager goods they had. There were those of all races, the Catte (Miqo’te), Hyum (Hyur), Lol (Lalafell), Bunyn (Au Ra), Knief (Elezen), Banner (Roegadyn), and more. It was a poor settlement of people, but it was the only one free. This was The Valley of Spared Parts, more commonly known to most as The Middle, where Locke had begrudgingly accepted refugees from the Botanist Queen and Admiral of Catte’s war. It was a large settlement, and it was well hidden, kept that way by Locke’s crafty inventions that kept the whole Middle invisible from sight of both the Botanist Queen and Admiral of Cattes.

Locke flickered his ears, and pulled up his multitudinous goggles to reveal is glowing blue eyes. “I just can’t figure it out, why won’t it work?” The catte sighed, sitting down and popping the cap on a bottle of black beer. He drank slowly, bitterly and perplexed. “Where is that woman when I need her!?”

“You called?” Anhashy the mani-formed strolled in, today being a young catte woman with soft alabaster features and striking vermillion eyes. Everyone knew Anhashy for though he/she took on a new physical form every day and sometimes every few hours, they were always with vermillion eyes and soft alabaster skin. They always also showed up exactly when not asked for, a remarkable skill to have. “I believe you called for me, yes?” Anhashy the mani-formed strolled into Locke’s hanger and beheld what the catte worked on, idly amazed by it, and idly idle as she looked on at it. About to speak up about her deep and meaningful backstory, chock full of plight and dangerous criminals sure to attract attention, Anhashy was cut off as Locke blurted out.

“You? Nooooooo. No. The other one. Maeze!” Locke indeed blurted out. Stepping out from the shadows came Maeze, with her deck of cards constantly in hand.

“I saw you call for me,” she said, walking forward, a trail of shadows behind her. You said,” Maeze pulled a card from her deck, holding it up to her face and reading it. “You said ‘No. The other one. Maeze.’ I saw you doing that before you did, Locke.” Maeze spoke monotone, detached, cool and collected. Maeze was the manifold, for each day she drew a new card from her deck to divine her future, and each day she decided based on what that card said to be a different thing. Today? “So, are you relenting to let me cut and style your hair Locke?” Today Maeze was a aesthetician. She returned the card to her deck of magical future prediction cards, and prepared her comb and scissor with her free hand. “I have just the haircut picked out. A nice bob in the front, with a large afro in the back. I call it the bofro. It will be all the rage soon.”

Locke shook his head, “No I don’t want my hair cut. Where is the thingamajig? I know I left it in here in the hanger. I need it to connect to the scrabdoodle and the widget. Did you take it? Did Anhashy take it? What about one of the children from the village? This un-Boom won’t finish building itself. It needs my expert mechanical expertise to do. And I don’t have that much time left as is!” Locke looked at his wrist, a thermostat looking piece of glass rising and falling with a cool blue glow indicating some sort of amount of something left. Locke tapped the glass stick, the cool blue color decreasing ever so slightly. “I’m due for a refueling in just a few bells.” Yes, Locke required fuel.

“No,” Maeze shook her head.”Here let me see.” Flicking up a card from her deck, Maeze gently brushed Anhashy’s chalk white hair, debating on what cut to give the demure catte. “I have not seen your thingamajig today. Are you sure it was ever here? Are you sure any of us are ever here?” Maeze looked at the flicked up card. “Ah, yes. The card agrees, your thingamajig isn’t here Locke.”

“I know where it is,” Anhashy answered, her hair being braided as she spoke.

“I KNOW its not here Maeze. What I want to know is where the heck is it? I swear if one of those little brats from outside took her I am going to just-” Locke fumed and paced his hanger, throwing over boxes and baubles and metal containers and tools. He kicked his tool cart and threw his lunch pail. “Can you use your cards to see where its at? I really want to know where it is so I can finish the un-Boom and finally fix this whole place once and for all. Too much war, too much strife. Only thing to do is un-Boom it, then the Botanist Queen and the Admiral of Cattes will understand.

“I know where it is,” Anhashy answered again, her hair being pulled up into a top knot as she spoke.

“Let me look for you Locke,” Maeze pulled another card from her deck. “No, this is what I’m going to be tomorrow.” Maeze shook her head, pulling another card then. “No, this is tomorrow’s lunch.” Another card. “This is how long it takes to read one of my predictions. I’ll save that little one for later.” Another card. “This is where the heart of the world lays, and the mystery will be unfurled for all to understand… rather boring if a little weighty in ramifications.” Another final card. “And this card says… Anhashy knows where the thingamajig is.”

“Wait, Anhashy you know where my thingamajig is?!” Locke jumped up from his slump, his fuel running about half now.

“Yes,” Anhashy said plainly, her hair in a honeycomb weave above her head.

“Well shite, why didn’t yah say so?!” Locke clamored, and then they gathered, and then following Anhashy’s trail, they set out from the hanger into the Valley of Spared Parts, otherwise known as the Middle.

As they traveled across the Middle, one would spy the ever present guardian of the land, Kayne the Pure. Why? You may ask, was he called Kayne the Pure? For one pure reason, he demanded to be the tallest, which was the purest of all desires. He was a bunyn, a very special bunyn, able to leap a near malm with but a single bound, but only if he landed atop the highest perch around. Perched as he was, matter of fact, atop the highest mountain ridge, Kayne the pure looked out across Locke’s encampment, and gave a thumbs up. Everything was clear. Locke returned the gesture, then nodded to Maeze. “Weird f**ker,” Locke said. “But he keeps us safe.” As Locke, Maeze and Anhashy left the encampment, Kayne returned to his secret tryst high above view. A tiny bunyn, the Bunyn Knight in fact, falling into Kayne’s arms. It was romantic, it was sweet, it was... for another day, another tale. For now, we continue out of the encampment.

Beyond the Valley of Spared Parts, Naih the Odd stood guard perched atop her clock. “Do you seek to leave?” She said in a particularly amoral way. “The time is exactly four plus six divided by the participle of the non-existent quadrilateral angled right trapezoid on its leftmost side. Should you seek to return, do so between the bells of nine over zero multiplied by X, where X is the color fuchsia, and seven. Do we have an accord?” Naih asked, again still perched on her elaborate timed clock. She wore robes, plain and simple, and spoke words plain and simple, and it was the riddle of her clock magic that by and large kept Locke and his allies hidden from both factions that would see everything destroyed or put under thumb.  

Maeze took the initiative now, replying “We do timekeeper. Please, keep the door ready for whence we return.” Maeze had, in the time of leaving the encampment and meeting Naih the Odd, styled Locke to have a nice bob hairstyle.

On they went. Further and further away from the Middle to the Grey, a place ill-spoken of but for its constant mystery. Anhashy spoke up as they approached it. “I would not seek to go further were it not for the fact that I know who took the thingamajig. She is here, we must simply not call out for her, and she will come.”

Stepping into the Grey’s threshold, they met Aries the small. There wasn’t much to say of Aries save for the price she demanded. “PRESENT YOURSELF,” Aries cried out, and Locke obeyed. In order to cross the barrier of the Grey, one must present themselves. And so, *WHAM* Aries waddled up to Locke, aimed her fist, and crushed his warriors of light, leaving him a wheezing mess on the ground. Price paid, Lock and his two companions proceeded.

A vast expanse of crashed sailing ships, moonlit waters (no matter what time it was in fact) and broken trees, grave markers and battered and rusted weapons, the trio stepped quietly through sand and shallow pools. It was all too quiet, as if the prevalent sound of the Grey itself was silence, and it blocked out all other sounds. As they walked further in, a separate trio of men sat by a firepit, spinning some meat on sticks and laughing to one another. Locke whispered to Anhashy. “Are these the ones who took my thingamajig?” He asked, quizzically so.

“No,” Said someone else not Anhashy. Hanging high above them on a branch a nude figure in stripes of non existence laid spread out, delicate fingers strumming along the wood with a racka-tack-tack. The figure was half there, half not. Parts of her, the most intimate parts, were simply not there, and space was clearly visible between each layer in stripes. Her skin was a mix of tan and white tattoos that trailed her body, and her feet swung back and forth. Her sharp feline eyes stared down, though she was not a catte nor had catte features. “I did.” She said playfully. The Cheshire Katalin.

“Why in the hell did you take my thingamajig?” asked Locke, a bit distracted by the Cheshire Katalin’s form and movements. He knew he did a bad, for asking any question of the Cheshire Katalin, as all knew, drew either the right thing for her to say or the wrong thing, and which was true was never quite known. Insulting, genuine, insightful, infuriating, her words were as mysterious as her existence and lack thereof existence. Her body dissipated, slinking down the tree with acrobatic grace and coming to rest at the trunk roots. The stripes of her body that were missing now were slightly different, but still hiding her most intimate areas.

“Because,” She snickered. “I wanted to move things along. Besides, you’re f**king stupid.” Katalin held out her left hand, and then produced from her right hand the thingamajig. It amounted to an ‘L’ key. “Here, take it, though I don’t see what you’re going to do with it.”

Locke knew this was a trap, but it was also the only way to get correct information from the Cheshire Katalin. He played into it. “I plan on making an un-Boom to fix the land of Gardens Black.” He had laid the bait, and the Cheshire Katalin indulged. Asking her questions was beyond foolish, for you never knew what reply one would get. Making statements however, always prompted the Cheshire Katalin to respond… in excess.

“Ah, I wouldn’t do that,” The Cheshire Katalin replied, unprompted and on queue. “In fact, if you do that there may be horrible repercussions for everyone here in the land of Gardens Black. You could destroy any chance at peace, obliterate any hope of mediation. You’re far better off simply waiting to see what happens I would even say, because trying to fix things yourself and be everything by yourself to solve a problem never turns out the way you think it does.” Locke took a moment to reflect on that, and then opened his mouth to speak. “Additionally,” Katalin said, “Were I in your shoes, I would think the proper solution is to keep everyone safe as you’re already doing, and perhaps make some sort of beneficial technology outside of yet another bomb. Maybe a pair of sunglasses that help you climb stairs more efficiently.”

Locke opened his mouth then to speak, assuming Katalin done.

“Of course,” The Cheshire Katalin said, adding on. “If you bring your weapons to bare against either the Botanist Queen or the Admiral of Cattes, it would prove to cement one side in your favor, and the other against you.”

Locke waited then. Several moments stretching out into a minute. Satisfied she was finished delivering foresight truths, he began to speak. “I can-”

“You can simply not predict what your machine will do once finished, that is the truth of it all.” Katalin added finally, floating majestically through the air like a playful half-corporeal feline hybrid hyum does.

Finally, Locke nodded. “I’m going to do it anyway. What could it hu--” About to ask the Cheshire Katalin a rhetorical question, something no one must ever do, Anhashy stepped forward and shooshed his companion. Speaking of, Anhashy the mani-formed was now a large Bunyn man by the way, replete with vermillion red eyes and chalk white hair… just so you know.

“We’ll be going now. Thank you for returning the thingamajig.” Ahhashy said, towering over Locke and Maeze in height. The Cheshire Katalin nodded in reply, slipping away again into the mists of the Grey.

Stepping back out from the Grey, Locke paid the price again to Aries the Small, and spoke a little higher octave as he and his companions left to return past the forked, spooned, and knife roads to the Middle. Once they would get past Naih and her bizarre clock logic magick, they would be safe once again.

My tale is done, at least for the now, for this chapter ends not with a why but a how. How will it continue? How will it end? Where will the story reach its next bend? Is this all the cast? Is there more to be shown? Would I regale you more even whilst you moan? You seem tired as am I, so we’ll leave here to simmer, though if you’re good I may divulge little bits to glimmer. Small tales here and there as the world gets fleshed out, no need to worry, you’ve no need to pout. The Gardens Black will return strong and quite soon, just as soon as the echo falls under the Moon.

@katalinhunter

#ffxiv rp #short story #Black Garden FC #Mateus

[osleyakomwonkru]

For Octavia: The Loyalists of Wonkru

Nothing makes me more angry about S5 than almost everyone betraying Octavia, precisely at the times she needed them the most. 

But three people didn’t betray her - and I firmly believe that they were her true inner circle in the bunker, and the only ones she ever opened up to about anything. They didn’t have ulterior motives or agendas. They were her friends. That’s why, when Octavia is unconscious in 5x09, they’re the ones crowded around her bed - they are the ones who care about her, as a person, not as Blodreina, not as their leader, but as their friend.

Other people have noticed their loyalty as well, and many seem to question it - what reason would they have to be loyal to Octavia, when after the bunker was opened there’s Bellamy or Clarke or whoever else to follow?

Leaving aside the obvious of saving their lives and keeping them alive (as Miller states in 5x10, “she kept us strong through six years of hell”) and them being together for six years as opposed to the 6-8 months on the ground with the others, each of them has their own reasons for being a friend and being a loyalist - not to Blodreina, but to Octavia. And perhaps being the only ones who know the difference, including why Blodreina exists (this is a topic for another post, but I don’t believe the flashbacks in 5x02 and 5x11 serve to explain the supposed “Blodreina cult”, but I’ll get into that then).

They all saw what S5 did to Octavia. What S5 did to them, because they were in it with her. They’re all bruised and broken, they all have their pain and demons that they need time to deal with. All four of them need some good healing time in peace and quiet away from everyone else, especially adventure squad, who only bring them more pain and death. (But alas it doesn’t seem like they’re going to get that, based on promo shots. But my fic series gives them that peace.)

Niylah

Putting down my Niytavia shipping goggles for a moment, I’m just going to focus on what we are clearly shown onscreen.

One of Niylah’s key character traits is compassion, we see that from her from the very beginning of her appearances - how she provides safe harbour for Clarke, doesn’t ask too many questions, can sense when someone is hurting, always caring for the injured or sending the dead on their final journey.

Niylah first met Octavia when the latter was in the throes of grief and despair after Lincoln’s death. We must also remember that Niylah is also grieving at that time - her father was killed in the massacre committed by Bellamy and Farm Station. Niylah is angry that Skaikru takes over her home, and the only one to show her any kindness or acknowledgement is Octavia, making a trade rather than just taking and taking like the others.

They meet again a few weeks/months later in Arkadia, after Octavia is severely wounded by Echo, and Niylah helps save her life and recuperate. She also helps an injured Octavia search for Ilian and try to stop him from destroying the Ark. Here she learns how brave, stubborn and reckless Octavia is, and that she’ll stop at nothing to protect the people she cares about. She also sees Octavia’s dark side for the first time, when Octavia tries to but ultimately doesn’t execute Ilian.

Octavia remembers all of this kindness and compassion that Niylah showed her when, after she’s won the bunker, Skaikru is trying to choose their survivors and want to throw Niylah to the (radioactive) wolves because she isn’t one of them. Octavia steps in and saves her life, cementing their friendship and commitment to keeping each other alive, come what may.

When the bunker is opened, Clarke can’t understand why Niylah is so loyal to Octavia - even though Niylah clearly tells her in two different ways: One, “Looks like we both found new families”. Octavia is family to Niylah, but still somehow Clarke can’t believe this, can’t believe that kind and compassionate Niylah would drink the Kool-Aid for what she sees as a violent cult. But there’s no Kool-Aid, Niylah knows Octavia in a way that Clarke couldn’t ever hope to. Which is why she tries again when Clarke scoffs “You mean Blodreina” - Niylah replies “How do you explain the sun to someone who has never seen it?” Clarke still doesn’t get the hint, that there are things she won’t ever understand about Octavia and about Wonkru because she wasn’t there. But Niylah knows the broken and lonely girl behind the mask, and knows that Blodreina is not who Octavia is. She knows Octavia’s big heart is still there.

Miller

Heading into bunker life, Miller perhaps more than anyone else had reasons to hate Octavia - after all, he’d been safe in the bunker just hours earlier, with his father, with Jackson, and with most of the rest of Skaikru. After Bellamy and Abby opened the bunker, Miller survived, but his father was left out for dead.

So why does he later become Octavia’s right hand?

There’s a two-fold theory here - one, that someone (likely Kane) tells him that his father had written his name down instead of his own for the lottery. That David had already made his peace with death, but wanted his son to live, to “rebuild the world”, as he said during the lottery. Miller takes his father’s words to heart, doesn’t stew in anger, but does what he can to make sure he can follow through on his father’s desire for him to survive and rebuild the world.

But there is a problem here - while Miller’s name was chosen in the lottery, after gassing Skaikru, Kane and Jaha go with Clarke’s list instead.

And neither Nathan nor David Miller were on that list. So how did Miller get into the bunker?

I believe that when adventure squad made the decision to go for Raven and go to space, Bellamy and Clarke radioed back to the bunker to tell them they weren’t going to make it back, and thus three spots opened up - Bellamy’s, Clarke’s and Raven’s. At which point Kane would have put it to Octavia to choose who would take those spots.

How does she choose? Terrified about how she’s going to survive five years in the bunker without her brother - her brother who is headed on a risky expedition he might not even survive - she immediately knows who she can choose, who would have been left out to die otherwise.

She chooses Miller.

The boy who was her brother’s loyal right hand back at the drop ship. The boy who was the second person (after her) to join Kane’s resistance against Pike, committed to stopping war and saving their friends, even if it came at the cost of his relationship with Bryan. The boy who defended Niylah when Skaikru wanted to throw her out into the fire.

He wasn’t her brother, but he was the next best thing. And as time went on in the bunker, he became the brother she desperately needed - I don’t think it is any coincidence that there are so many brief Bellamy and Miller moments in S5, meant to contrast her brother of blood and her brother of choice. Octavia knows she can count on only one now, and that one is Miller.

Jackson

Now, Jackson is a bit trickier, because I don’t think we ever really see Octavia and Jackson interact prior to S5. But since Octavia and Miller had been on Earth together since the time of the delinquents, he would have surely heard the stories from Miller, and thus his loyalty to her became their loyalty to her.

He would have heard the stories about the brave and reckless girl who cut her arm open with a poisoned knife to get a Grounder to give up the antidote, because she was sure he wouldn’t let her die. The girl who rode alone into a Grounder village to warn them of an impending attack, and then doing what she could to save both Skaikru and Trikru when they struck back with an ambush.

There was enough violence in the bunker that he would have had to patch her up on numerous occasions, especially after Abby dropped out of the picture as far as reliable medical professionals went. He would have seen that reckless bravery that Miller told him about. He would have seen that she wouldn’t ask of anyone anything she wasn’t willing to do herself. He would have seen her take on more and more of Wonkru’s burdens, and hoped that they weren’t going to break her. And I believe that with him, Miller and Niylah there - Octavia was perhaps a bit less broken than she could have been.

I think the question we should be asking isn’t “Why were Niylah, Miller and Jackson loyalists?” but rather “Why was everyone else not?” - because from what we were shown, I don’t see a reason for why any of the people who betrayed her should have done so (save perhaps for Gaia). But that’s the topic of another post - where what we were shown in flashbacks does not explain the present, and how the presentation of Octavia and Wonkru to the audience (and to bunker outsiders) scarily resembles modern-day political propaganda tactics.

(Line for image caption is from “Ricochet” by Starset.)

#octavia blake #niylah #nathan miller #eric jackson #niytavia #mackson #wonkru #protect octavia blake #gon blodreina #the100

[batneko]

in honor of mumarou month, an arbitrary holiday that I made up, I’ve collected far too many screenshots and I would now like to present to you:

The Case For Mumen/Garou

(webcomic spoilers ahoy)

let’s start with Garou

by now in the comic it’s become pretty clear that Garou has ideas about what a hero should be. His problem with them isn’t so much the fact that they exist, as that heroes are always the winners, even when the “monsters” have noble motives

I already made a post a while ago about Garou lecturing heroes on being better, but it’s pretty notable that it happens again and again. Garou knows what a good hero is.

someone who cares about the innocent

someone who isn’t a bully.

a hero should be a hero because they’re a good person. Life should be fair.

and now we’re getting into spoiler territory, so brace yourself

even while identifying as a monster, even after transforming, Garou kept his noble goal.

which of course, brings us to the biggest revelation of all

yyyyyyyyup.

and now let’s talk about Mumen

Mumen, who repeatedly throws himself at baddies he has no chance against, because someone has to.

(and hmm, where did we see someone expressing admiration for taking on a whole group by yourself?)

(oh yeah)

Mumen, who helps children and animals

Mumen, who goes out on patrol just in case someone needs help

Mumen, who has been fighting bullies ever since childhood

and just in case you think he wants attention or glory, he also goes out of his way to thank people who’ve helped him

yeah I think we’ve all got a good picture of who Mumen is.

now let’s go over their only actual canon meeting!

Garou doesn’t get the chance to start anything because the Tank Tops show up and start fighting him as revenge for their buddy.

about a dozen against one here, and even though Garou holds his own pretty well, soon he’s overwhelmed, and...

Mumen jumps in. Because that’s just who he is. He protects the weak. He doesn’t believe in ganging up on someone for any reason.

but once Garou starts using his martial arts training, he’s easily able to turn the tables and makes an open death threat.

Mumen can’t stand for that either

it doesn’t go so well for him! but he tried.

after Garou leaves (having not carried out that death threat), Saitama comes to visit Mumen in the hospital and learn about the fight

this is the very first thing Mumen says about Garou

he doesn’t dismiss either Garou’s humanity, or his strength, and even notices his fighting technique was more than just raw power. You can, of course, view all this through shipping goggles, but the point I’m trying to make is that Garou has stuck in Mumen’s mind. Mumen respects him, in his own way.

acknowledging him as a threat is exactly the kind of respect Garou wants at this point.

Mumen’s a hero without the strength to back it up, while Garou is stronger than most heroes, but still a wannabe monster because he doesn’t have the willpower to stick with what he thinks is a doomed dream. On the outside they look like opposites.

I could keep piling on screenshots of Mumen being heroic, or Garou standing up for people, but you get the idea. Deep down they have the same set of morals. Protect the weak. Always stand up to bullies.

Mumen Rider is the hero Garou was looking for all along.

but by the time they met, he’d gotten that crazy “I’ll unite the world against me” plan and decided there was no backing down. I don’t think, canonically, he really regrets anything he’s done. He will later on, but right now he’s not thinking about it. He’s only looking forward.

once he thinks about it, Garou will realize he has met good heroes before. The world isn’t as broken as he thought. It needs changing, but he doesn’t have to do any of it alone.

I think Garou deserves Mumen because he’s a bullied kid at heart and he’s never been fully able to grow out of that. He did have a good goal for all the terrible things he did, just a really really stupid way of getting there. Mumen is the kind of person who could forgive him. Who could even sympathize with him. Mumen is patient and kind and probably too nice for his own good.

I think Mumen deserves Garou because, well...

I mean look at him. Mumen’s so good, he absolutely deserves to get with the hottest character in the series.

perhaps most importantly, I think they balance each other. Mumen brings optimism and sheer dogged determination. While Garou brings realism and, let’s face it, far more firepower. Together they’re gonna be unstoppable.

#go to bed bats #seriously I spent like three hours on this #rarepair #mumarou #mumen/garou #mumarou month #garomu #one punch man #opm #garou #mumen rider

[dib-adrift]

[ @dib-adrift @high-chancellor-raask ]

Dib always knew his curiosity was more of a curse than a blessing. He knew he probably shouldn’t have followed those coordinates so blindly. But here he was, exactly where the message had wanted him to go.

He jumped when the communications beeped. He answered the call and a pretty, one eyed alien came up on the screen. “Hello, Dib Membrane. My name is Leera, and I am the Head Secretary to the High Chancellor of the Galactic Alliance. We will be teleporting you to the High Chancellor’s ship shortly. He has been expecting you.”

High Chancellor? Wasn’t that the guy everyone seemed to hate so much? He’d done a bit a research, but the answers he found weren’t so simple. Two different stories, both with plausible information to back them up. The only thing he managed to conclude was that someone was most definitely hiding something.

He almost considered changing his mind, but before he could, he was beamed on board the larger ship. The same woman from the screen appeared in front of him.

“Welcome, Mr. Membrane. If you’ll follow me.”

Dib huffed, following after Leera at a steady pace. He was having second thoughts, but he was afraid of getting lost on the ship. He was lead to a large room with a giant window, facing out toward the nearby nebula, bathing the floor and walls in pink, gold, blue and green light. Leera stepped aside, allowing for Dib to enter as she announced his presence.

The High Chancellor turned around, giving Leera a brief nod. “Thank you, Leera. You may go.”

Leera gave a bow and salute before hurrying out of the room. Dib watched her go before turning back to the High Chancellor. His eyes widened as he looked at him.

“...Mr. Dwicky?”

Dwicky met his gaze, observing Dib. The right height. The trench coat and goggles. The last time he saw them...no. Things would be different this time. All the pieces in their places.

“Yes. Though I haven’t been called that in a long time,” Dwicky told him. He gestured for Dib to come closer. “However, if you wish to call me that, you may.”

Dib took a slow step forward, keeping vigilant of any movement Dwicky made. Even if the evidence to what really happened was scrambled and inconclusive, Midge and Dek seemed pretty adamant that his man was...bad. And yet...strange. Why did he feel that feeling that he felt around Midge and Dek? Like he’d found something?

“Why am I here?” Dib asked.

“Why do you think?” Dwicky answered. “I told you I have something to offer you. I’m sure you’ve heard all sorts of things about me. I do hope you’ll give me the chance to explain my side of things? But more importantly,” he snapped his fingers, and the view from outside began to change. Flashes. Scenes maybe? Dib in a dark blue uniform. A Team Nebula uniform. Zim - his Zim - was beside him. Flashes of a ship (his ship? It certainly looked like the Sualocin). Flash after flash after flash.

“What is this?” Dib asked, a scene where he and Team Nebula revealed to Earth the existence of aliens.

“This, Dib, is the life you were supposed to have,” Dwicky answered. “You must have felt it, right? The strange connection between you and Team Nebula? Particular it’s Captain and Chief Medical Officer?” He gazed at him through the corner of his eye. “I believe your ship great resembles that one. And someone else’s.”

Dib tensed. He knew Agent’s ship was the same make and model as his. He turned, looking directly at Dwicky. “What do you mean ‘life I was supposed to have?’”

“I mean precisely what I said,” Dwicky said. “I believe I told you that Agent isn’t really they’re Dib, correct? That is because you are they’re Dib. They were supposed to recruit you. You were supposed to be Commander Dib Membrane of Team Nebula. Someone who helped save the universe from tyranny.

“But...when the universes merged, a bit of a hiccup happened.” The scenes changed to ones of Agent-Dib hanging out with Midge and Dek. Everything from movie nights to liberating Irk. Fighting side by side to laughing while eating ice cream. Dib couldn’t help but tense even more, his fist clenching and a growl escaping his mouth.

“To make matters worse, it seems Agent knows more about what goes on than the rest of us. And if that is the case, you could say that...well…”

“...He stole my life.”

“In a way...yes.” The scenes changed on the screen. They looked brighter. Dib was with Midge and Dek. Really with them. And...Zim was there? But how? What?

“But we can fix it, Dib,” Dwicky said, having half the screen display his schematics and pictures of the collider. “I have the technology to set things right. To reset everything to exactly how it should be.” He smiled. “Imagine, having your Zim back. Your old life back. Having more time to reconcile with your father. Time to spend with your sister. The family you always wanted.”

Dib’s eyes widened as he watched. It was...really beautiful, the things he was being shown. And looking at the schematics, he could tell this was a legit machine. However…

“What do you get out of this? What do you want from me?”

“Me? I get my life back, too.” The scene switched, showing Dwicky with two Plookesians. By the way they were acting they appeared to be mates. There were also three children. No...four. Was that Chance? “The life that was stolen from me long ago.” He turned to Dib directly, his icy blue eyes lighting up. “And once things are set to how they should be, imagine what we could do together? Imagine the kind of world we truly could build? A world where world no longer get destroyed by tyrants. A world where people no longer have to deal with the wheel of the elite crushing those beneath them. A world of real peace and prosperity. I will admit...sacrifices will have to be made. But...wouldn’t it be worth it to have this?” The side by side changed to Dwicky’s ideal life and Dib’s being next to each other. “To have the worlds that were stolen from us back? And to ensure it never happens to another soul ever again?”

Dib continued to stare at the scene. He looked happy. Zim looked happy. Midge and Dek looked happy. His chest tightened in want. If only he could…

But...he could.

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Hmm. I suppose you don’t,” Dwicky replied. “But something tells my you want to find out. After all, who else has offered you something like this? An opportunity like this one?”

Dib narrowed his eyes, but he nodded and said nothing else. “Sacrifices, you say?”

“Yes, I’m afraid they’re necessary. But...look at what we get in return. Not just these lives for ourselves. But for everyone else in the multiverse.”

Dib mulled everything over. But...he couldn’t help but keeping looking at the scenes he was being shown. Scenes of peace and happiness. Scenes that seemed impossible right now.

Perhaps...they were only impossible with the way the others dealt with them…

“I need some time to think,” Dib said, taking another glance.

“Of course. Take all the time you need, Dib,” Dwicky told him. “I will be having a little meeting in a couple days. I’ll send you the details. Oh! By the way you don’t mind working with others, do you?”

“I...I guess not?”

“Perfect! A new development has been brought to my attention. Anyway, come to that meeting should you choose to accept.”

“Okay.” Not knowing what else to say he added. “Thank you.”

“Oh, no Dib. Thank you.”

Dib nodded as he left the room. His mind was still swimming as he was teleported to his ship. Mostly with the images Dwicky had shown him. Of the life you could have had. Of the life he’d just been promised.

Midge and Dek wouldn’t like it…

But if everything reset...would they actually care? Would they even remember?

What did he have to lose, here, really?

Time to be in the room where it happens.

#|birds of prey| #tw manipulation #for the greater good? = high chancellor dwicky

[jkl-fff]

OOOHHH!!! GET READY!! 40 questions: 1 2 3 5 9 10 20 24 26 27 30 31 32 33 34 38 and 39!! 💚

Yama, as always, you are a never-endingsource of delight for me. Thanks for the asks!

1. Describe your comfort zone—atypical you-fic.

Well, based off of what I’vewritten up this point, my comfort zone appears to include: A) one-sided pining from a character who isn’t exactly closeted but isn’texactly out, either … and/or a character who isn’t comfortable with their queersexuality; either way, some existential and romantic angst ensues as a resultB) supernatural shenanigans are a major plot point (magic or curses, ghosts orspirits, monsters, etc.)C) occasional philosophical ramblings and messages about friendship and helpingothersD) attempts to think outside the box in terms of plot pointsE) Lots of bantering repartee

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet totry your hand at, but really want to?

Not that I can think of … Maybe something like “enemies to friends” or “friendsto enemies”, and possibly also “enemies to lovers”.I could also enjoy doing some more “friends to lovers” for Dipper and Norman …

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’ttouch with a ten foot pole?

Given the sheer volume of tropes which exist, probably. Though I can’t say Ireally know what any of them are called. But, basically, anything that hingesupon homophobia, sexism, racism, etc. I absolutely loathe, and therefore try toavoid. Heck, I do my best to subvert and supplant such ideas where I can.

Apropos, if anyone feels I’ve failed in that—feels I’ve written or said somethingthat marginalizes a group of people as a whole—*please* let me now when, where,and how; I try not to be complacent about such things, and want to correct themwhen they happen.

5. Share one of your strengths.I believe myself to be quite adept at consistent characterization. Certainlynearly all of my reviewers have mentioned this specifically in my fanfics.

9. Which fic has been the hardestto write?

Hands down, it’s “Through a Slender Opening”. In part because of its length andcomplexity; in part because of various personal and professional issues that I’vehad to combat while writing it.

But I’m almost done! I’ve written the climaxes, and am now working through thedenouements to tie up the loose ends and give conclusions and closures to allof plots and subplots! With any luck, I’ll be able to resume uninterruptedposting in April until all the story is online for any and all to read and enjoy.

10. Which fic has been the easiestto write?Already answered this one here: http://jkl-fff.tumblr.com/post/172058768464/for-the-fic-meme-10-13-14-15-and-19

20. Describe your perfect writingconditions.

For creative writing, I *must* havenear absolute silence. Like, any background noise at all (TV, conversations,etc.) is incredibly distracting for me. It’s less of an issue for writingthings that I’m not obsessively trying to make artistic (answering asks or emails,for example, or proofreading someone else’s work), but for my own stories, itis a prerequisite that I have quiet. Also, a comfy chair with straight and firmback support definitely helps, as does having a cold drink (diet coke on ice) for sipping on hand.

24. Have you ever deleted one ofyour published fics?

Nope, and I doubt I ever shall. The fics ought to remain out there, faults andall, for any and all to see.

26. Do you beta yourself? If so,what kind of beta are you?

Assuming that “beta” is synonymous with “proofread”, then yes, I do betamyself. Obsessively and perhaps even excessively. Like, I reread sentences as Iwrite them, paragraphs when I finish them, then whole scenes after I’vefinished them to make sure *everything* feels/sounds right from start to finish. To make sure everything is cohesive, etc.

When I beta for others, it depends on what kind of input they desire of me, howmuch and how deeply. But generally, I try to be an encouraging and supportivebeta—someone who comes up with constructive and concrete comments which helppeople tell their stories more engagingly,and feel good about themselves while doing it.

27. How do you feel aboutcollaborations?

Depends on the collaborator in question. If they have an entertaining or movingidea, and I feel they can be counted on to actually partner with someone (listento ideas which aren’t their own, contribute ideas to someone else,establishand respect creative boundaries when necessary, and do their share of thecollaboration), then I’m usually gung-ho for it!

I’ve actually been doing that with @tysonoffire and @reynaruina for some timenow, and both are a ton of fun to work with!

30. Do you accept prompts?

On occasion, yeah, but not very frequently. Since I’ve got plenty of my ownideas to keep me busy as is, I seldom need to solicit additional ones.

But they’re always welcome. Never know when something will tickle my fancy, oreven spark my fervor.

31. Do you take liberties withcanon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

Generally, I try to remain true to the canon’s broad strokes (settings, forexample, and *especially* characterizations), and even true to canon’s lightertouches. Mostly because I feel that enhances the richness of the fic itself. However, I will diverge from it when necessary (kinda can’t avoid diverging itwhen you primarily write a crossover), but ONLY after having provided a reasonablebuild up to the changes. Y’know, something that accounts for the characters orplotlines acting otherwise than they would in canon.

32. How do you feel about smut?

If well written and gay as balls touching, I’m all for reading it! And even notopposed to writing it. Though, personally, I prefer it serve a purpose in theplot, and *not* just be something that’s gratuitously added for tits and goggles—somethingthat shows how much the characters’ relationship has developed, for example.

Though I will admit I am also startingto get a little bored with writing smut.Mostly because there are only so manyways you can describe sex before it starts to feel repetitive, and even kinda tedious. (I wonder if this is, in part, because writing something sexualalways takesso long that the sexual rush of smut ebbs long before the scene is complete?)

33. How do you feel about crack?

Don’t smoke it, kids.

Seriously, though, I don’t see any problems with crack ships. If they maketheir shippers happy, then what could be more important or wonderful than that? That being said, they’re unlikely to appeal to me simply because I won’t beable to see a “realistic” possibility for their relationship dynamics. Theiruniverses would have to be fairly similar for me to get into one (likeParaPines and PinesCone are, I reckon).

34. What are your thoughts onnon-con and dub-con?

They are not at all my thing. I see them as inherently being acts of violence—ofone person taking from another by force.So the idea of that combining with sex, whichI see as inherently being an act of mutual affection and mutual gratification—of two people giving to each other by choice … Well, it rather offputs me, to say theleast.

Now, I confess that I do have kinks that involve power play (bondage, dom andsub, pet play, and especially hypnosis/mind control), but for me, they *always*involve either roles willing played, or (in the case of hypno/m.c.) acts ofseduction which convince a person they want it so that they do consent andenjoy it.For me, those are extremely crucial differences.

38. Talk about a review that madeyour day?

Heh. So that they can always brighten my mood whenever I’m feeling down, I’vekept 13 of them in my tumblr inbox and 8 more in my deviantart inbox.They’reso kind, so motivating, and I’m eternally grateful to the people who sent themto me!

39. Do you ever get rude reviewsand how do you deal with them?

Luck is with me, for I’ve only evergotten, like, two or three rude reviews. They were swiftly deleted, as therewas nothing to be gained from wasting time on them.

Thanks again, Yama! This was fun!

[destieldrabblesdaily]

Hi! Lately I'm seeing a lot of theories that Destiel is canon but only from Castiel's side and it makes me really sad :(( What is your opinion? Do you agree with this?

Hellooo! :) Aww please don’t be sad! *hugs* 

Look, in all fairness, as you might know I’m not Team ‘I think Destiel will go explicitly canon on the show’. :p 

To clear that up; that has everything to do with the decisions I think the producers/showrunners/writers will make in the end, and nothing much with me thinking that it ‘isn’t there’ or that the ship lacks the building up to it or the potential in general. 

In fact, Destiel is so close to canon already that probably one or two well written episodes with some simple (even if very subtle) gestures would be enough to pull it off. Like, it needs zero effort at this point to make it believable to anyone who doesn’t have heteronormativity goggles glued to their head, or isn’t blinded by extreme hatred towards even the possibility of a romantic relationship between the two of them. 

But I think we also have to consider the type of people they are. Wearing his heart on his sleeve; ever since Cas learned how to feel and love, that has been his thing. He doesn’t feel bad or weird about saying it as it is, showing his emotions, in a way that is often almost blunt. That goes for the good and the bad. Even back in season 9, we see this. “I always appreciate our talks and our time together,” he randomly tells Dean as if it’s nothing, even though Dean would never say something like that (even though it might as well be platonic) unless he’s on the verge of dying. 

And it’s always been like that; Castiel bluntly says what he thinks, whether it’s good or bad, and then there is Dean who avoid emotions (and mostly talking about said emotions) like it’s the plague, especially when it’s positive emotions/signs of affection.

Which is why I think that for Castiel; by now he’s able to properly communicate his feelings in both words and actions, and having never done this before in like the ten million years that he’s existed, there is little to no nuance to it, so to speak. He’s in that stage of ‘jeez, tell us what you really think’, and he has no shame there. :p But then there is Dean, and for him we have to mostly make do with seeing it in his actions, instead of him just saying it like that, whether it is to Cas or others outside of their relationship. Burying his emotions and what he feels is pretty much his default setting (even though he’s slowly learning), but I feel like his actions do definitely show what his words can’t quite tell us. 

We do see it often though, every time when we see the blatant difference between how Sam acts when something is wrong with Cas, versus how Dean acts when something is wrong with Cas. They’re all supposed to be good buddies, but there still is a significant difference between how Dean treats Cas versus how Sam does. And that has nothing to do with their difference in personality; if it did, Sam would be equally affected, if not more. 

Like in 9x03 when Sam is a bit shocked, but Dean goes completely berserk when he thinks Cas is dying. Or 11x18, when Sam keeps his cool but Dean can’t and is heartbroken when he tries to free Cas from Lucifer. Or the entirety of season 11 for that matter, where Dean constantly pines and Sam makes sure if ‘he’s okay’. It’s not a matter of the both of them comforting each other about Cas being possessed, it’s always Sam comforting Dean. 

I could give you a hundred more examples but this is already getting long. :p 

But I guess what I am trying to say is; if any Destiel is going to be in there at all, I don’t think it’ll be like this. I feel like either they will keep it ambiguous from both sides (most likely), or at least make sure to avoid ‘the gay’ altogether if they don’t want it being part of the show. Besides, Dean’s never been shown to have feelings that profound towards anyone outside of Sam (whom he practically raised, so they have the relationship as deep as a parent would have with a child, which nothing could compete with), and the effort that he’s put into his supposed ‘love interests’ is almost laughable if you compare it to his relationship with Cas and the lengths to which he goes for him. 

Dean might be showing his feelings in a different way, but I don’t think they’re inferior to Cas’ feelings, if it makes you feel any better. 

#replies for ts #destiel #9x03 for ts #sort of #season 11 for ts #Anonymous

[julystorms]

🔥 the X-files (I realize I forgot to include a topic last time so sorry about that)

{send me a 🔥 for some salt!} include a topic if you can!

The attitude within The X-Files fandom that codependency is romantic as fuck and super duper healthy is honestly revolting in its persistence and its omnipresence. It is literally everywhere.

It’s incredibly interesting to think and write about, absolutely, but it is one of the reasons I ended up gravitating toward focusing my shipping goggles on Doggett and Reyes, instead. There are some issues in their relationship, too, don’t get me wrong...but at least I don’t have to deal with tens of thousands of fanfics glorifying and romanticizing “they only have one another to depend on.” I’m sure I would have if the series had continued for another few seasons, but luckily it ended ha ha S10? it never happened and so the pairing was able to avoid the bulk of that.

I mean, this is just my personal beef with the series, but I really wanted Doggett and Reyes’s presence to dispel the whole “Mulder and Scully can only trust each other” shebang. Season 8 was starting to move toward that, with Scully telling Mulder that Doggett was a good person who was worth his time, but everything kind of went downhill from there. It could have been a great defining moment for the series to have Mulder and Scully struggling to trust and believe in Doggett, and through him, Reyes as well. 

But nah. The series catapulted itself off a cliff at the end of S9, and S10 which definitely never happened made it worse. (I am so bitter about Reyes being turned into an idiot villain character. So. Bitter.)

It really just set us right back to the middle of the series again, where Mulder and Scully can’t trust anyone in the world but themselves. And like, everyone romanticizes the shit out of it, but can you imagine being either one of these characters? Their only romantic option is the other because they’ll never be able to tell the truth or communicate fully with a human being who exists outside of the tiny world they both inhabit.

Don’t get me wrong; I certainly wasn’t shipping Doggett with Scully or Reyes with Mulder. What I wanted from Reyes and Doggett’s presence on the show was honesty and trust between Mulder & Scully and other people, proof that they were not alone/the only people in the world willing to do The Right Thing, and proof that they would still choose one another if there were others who inhabited the same headspace they did.

What we got from later seasons of TXF was a sad desperate attempt for a connection between Mulder and Scully, but what we should have had was MORE than that. I wanted to see Mulder and Scully being afraid to drag other people into their bullshit world. Scully doesn’t trust Doggett at all, but we never really get to see an internal struggle where she’s like: “I need to get rid of him because he deserves better than the kind of life I’ve resigned myself to.” This kind of attitude is never really leveled at Reyes, either, but for the love of God, it should have been!! She gets dragged into some serious bullshit at the whims of others and neither she nor Doggett are ever informed of the price they’ll have to pay until it’s too late.

Look, the way the series revolves around Mulder has always pissed me off, but the end of S9 was the biggest pile of horseshit I’ve ever seen in my entire life. We’re supposed to believe that Doggett and Reyes are going to put their lives and careers on the line for Mulder...? Bitch, please. If TXF wasn’t so busy sucking Mulder’s dick all of the time, maybe we could have seen some process there--how these characters who barely know Mulder come to the decision that breaking him out of prison when he’s on death row is a great fuckin’ idea. I MEAN A LOT IS AT STAKE WHEN YOU BREAK INTO A MILITARY PRISON LMAO. This isn’t something you do on a whim--and Doggett, especially, isn’t impulsive.

It’d be one thing if Scully was in there breaking Mulder out with them, but no, she wasn’t. Doggett goes into the prison with Skinner to break him out, risks his life and his career and his freedom to do this shit for someone who...we’ve barely seen him interact with?

Granted, I’m a writer so I can extrapolate a helluva lot and determine for myself why Doggett would risk everything for Mulder of all people, but hell, I shouldn’t have to do that.

(Bonus unpopular opinion: I bought into Kersh helping out in the “This is the Right Thing To Be Doing” sense.)

Anyway, the fans love that mid-series “the characters can’t trust or rely on anyone but each other” vibe, because they think it’s romantic.

The reality, though, is that it’s depressing and terrifying.

It’s awful to only be able to trust one person with everything; to have no other friends and no other serious relationships aside from this person you work with is scary??? I can’t even begin to describe how terrible Scully must feel sometimes, having lost a lot of good relationships over her inability to communicate honestly with her own family--all of whom love and care about her (yes, even Bill)!! But fandom in general is too busy being wrapped up in how “romantic” the whole “it’s you and me vs. the world” thing is to care. They conveniently only explore the romantic concepts instead of, you know, the shitty horrible aspects of it.

But you can’t have one without the other.

I mean, Mulder and Scully have been through hell together in the years they’ve known each other, but it’d be cool if their trauma wasn’t consistently used as romantic shipping fodder we’re supposed to ‘ooh’ and ‘aww’ over. Especially when the series showed us that Mulder and Scully aren’t the only people in the entire world who are willing to risk themselves to do the right thing. 

#I'M STOPPING NOW I'LL GO ON FOREVER #i hated all the mytharc that surrounded reyes and doggett being on the show #but i wanted mulder and scully to become friends with them #and find that they aren't 100% alone #and i wanted scully to have a female friend #and i wanted scully and mulder to have to worry about other people being dragged #into their bullshit messes which are terrifying #and i wanted a frank discussion of that shit #between mulder/scully/reyes/doggett #because they should know what they're up against?? #what price it is they're going to pay for getting involved?? #but nah txf was always too busy sucking mulder's dick #xfiles #meme responses #long post #poolsidescientist #replies to friends

[kellyzeagman]

Howdy!

I don’t remember at all where I left off in my last update and do not have any internet to check (hoping it was during the start of the crossing otherwise this will be repetitive). Anyways, hello, it has been a long time. I am currently writing this while in hour 29 of my 48 hours of room confinement. I thought that writing this could take up some of my free time. Basically, I have caught the flu and have to stay in my room to avoid contaminating any others. Things spread fast on a ship. I’ve literally just been watching movies/tv and scrolling through old photos to pass the time. I’m very excited to get out and breathe some fresh air and get back into the routine of things, even though this rest/recovery has been appreciated.

I have to have room service delivered to me because I can’t leave the room but it’s not that glamorous because there’s a special menu for people with the flu. Rice, bread and a banana the first day and rice and potatoes today. Not very different from what I usually eat on the ship on a regular day. Haha just KIDDING, but kind of not. I have more than just that, but rice and potatoes are definitely a part of each day.

The crossing is complete and we are now officially in Sydney/ the South Pacific and have been for 2 weeks. The crossing was great because there were only 100 kids and we got to know them and their parents really well over the two weeks and things were smooth sailing (minus this ship itself- Australian/South Pacific waters are VERY rocky). I don’t know how anyone with sea sickness could ever survive cruising through these waters. Lucky for me, I find it kind of relaxing and great to fall asleep to. During the crossing, I was able to get off In Darwin, Cairns and Airlie Beach. Darwin was perhaps the hottest place i’ve ever been to. I didn’t think things could get hotter than Malaysia, but Darwin certainly proved otherwise. After a much needed delicious vegan lunch and milkshake and a walk on the beach, we were ready to get back to the A/C and shade on the ship.

In Cairns, the opportunity to go snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef fell into my hands. I never thought it would even be possible considering our working ours, but there was an offer for a discounted crew 7 hour shore excursion to go to the reef and luckily, four friends and I all managed to make it work with our schedules. From the ship, we took another boat with 100 guests/crew and had about an hour ride until we reached the reef. It was called Arlington Reef. It was really big but soooo small in comparison to the size of the actual full reef itself. I believe I heard that the reef stretches the same distance as Vancouver to Mexico (could be completely wrong but I think that is right). It was an unbelievable and life changing experience (I’ve posted pics). Just like most people, this was a bucket list item for me, but was never one that I actually genuinely thought I would ever get to do. I still cannot believe I can say I have been there, let alone with 4 new friends from all over the world and while getting paid to travel/work here. Crazy stuff. In Airlie beach we grabbed lunch and swam at a man made lagoon by the ocean. The people here are beautiful, it’s true what they say! And great accents. I think that Australia is probably one of the greatest places to live in terms of lifestyle, how fun to live by the ocean and have such great wildlife while also being so westernized. Best of both worlds. I wasn’t able to get off in Brisbane, as I was working during the day. Aside from those 4 ports, the other 10 days were at sea and very repetitive. Great sunsets though!

Before docking in Sydney for the first time, a few of us decided to wake up early to watch the sunrise and our official entrance into the Sydney Harbour. It was so great sailing in and seeing the opera house and the bridge, it was visual proof that we had finally accomplished the 2 week long journey. Didn’t feel real seeing the opera house, still doesn’t feel right that I’m here! Especially when I was convinced I was going to be working in the caribbean! I feel so lucky.

I don’t know how much Australian news is covered back at home, but many areas around Sydney and the rest of the country are experiencing fires. The sail into Sydney was definitely smokey and when we came back to dock after the first cruise, it was even worse and you could smell the smoke in the air and even in my cabin through the vents. I was watching the news and it said the air pollution was 11x worse than what is considered dangerous and people were not advised to go outside if they didn’t need to. Really hoping they get drenched with rain soon and it can all be over.

The first cruise out of Sydney was a 2 day “booze cruise” as they say. Lots of parents drinking and dropping their wild kids off to us to get rid of them. We are all glad that is over. There is another 2 day-er in Feb, and a 1 day cruise (who does that) following that. Not looking forward to either. Until then, we are mostly doing 9/12 day cruises. I think everything would be a lot easier if they were all just 7 days, but whatever! 12 day cruises just seem like a lot to keep repeating. Aside from occasionally visiting a few places in Australia, the ship will now be mainly travelling from Sydney to various Islands in the South Pacific. Last cruise I was able to get off in Vila, Vanuatu, Lifou and Mare, New Caledonia. The water in these places is indescribable. The absolute bluest water you could ever imagine and so, so clear. Most of these ports are going to just be beach days, which is not a bad thing. They are some pretty great places to relax and recharge on.

This is going to sound crazy and insane and no hate to the Great Barrier Reef AT all, but the beach that we went to in Mare had snorkelling that was ~perhaps~ better than the GBR. HOWEVER, it is impossible to compare the two. The GBR had enormous and colourful coral and clams and rock formations that were amazing and the best I had ever seen (The coral looked so much like bikini bottom from spongebob), but the actual fish at the reef were lacking. Can’t blame the reef though!!! It’s our fault as humans and our failure to get our shi* together to get the reef back into the pristine condition that it was once in. Also, in terms of protecting the reef, the tour and the ship took measures to protect it. While sailing around the reef, they actually had a special captain come on to make sure we were never going to harm any parts of it and that we were going in safe areas. The tour company gave everyone goggles and snorkels that had no possibilities of plastic pieces falling off. They also served a buffet lunch on the boat that had no plastic or waste. $6.00 from everyones ticket also went to reef protection and the guide was saying that tourism is important for the reef to raise awareness and to create money to protect it. Part of me did feel bad going to the reef knowing how it is suffering, but they made me feel better about it. I also think that having 100 people snorkelling scared a lot of the fish away, but it really didn’t matter because the views and life forms were still amazing and there were still lots of different fish. It was an 15/10 experience and everyone should do it if they have the chance.

Mare is a very small island off of New Caledonia and it had endless amounts of fish that were some of the most unique and coolest I had ever seen. So tropical and colourful. So many nemos. So I guess what i’m trying to say is that there were more opportunities to see countless fish in Mare compared to the reef. No hate to either, they were both great for different reasons. Both locations had me feeling like I was living in my own BBC blue planet special which like I said before, is my dream. I cannot wait to explore more of the ocean at all of these ports. I have always loved the ocean/marine life, but getting to experience it at this level has made me 10x more obsessed. Also, living on the ocean for 2.5 months has made a difference as well. Hoping and praying to come across a sea turtle. When I was on a royal caribbean ship in the Bahamas as a guest in grade 12 (crazy what life throws at you), we got to swim with sea turtles and it was the best experience, so I’m now hoping to come across it naturally. When we were waiting in line to get back to the ship in Lifou and Mare, I heard people saying they saw turtles that day. Very jealous but hopeful for the future. Actually, in lifou when we were boarding our tender back to the ship, some kids were yelling that there was a turtle right beside them about 15m away from where we were standing- how ANNOYING!!

I am excited for all these upcoming beach and tropical days, but will miss Asia for all of the food opportunities. Some of these ports have nothing there but a beach, so the food will not be as exciting as it was in Asia. Thailand and its pad thai/mango sticky rice will forever be in my heart. Oh well, onto new and exciting things in new and exciting places. I’m sure there’s great fruit here.

It is crazy to me that I am travelling to these new places when 4 months ago I didn’t even know most of these countries existed. I feel a bit stupid having been to them now that I didn’t know about them before. I’m still pinching myself and asking if this is even happening. I don’t think it has still really sunk in that any of this is real. When I walk to work along the upper pool deck I ask myself if this is actually happening pretty much every morning. I don’t know if it will ever sink in. I can’t imagine coming home and going to bed in my room the first night and looking at my ceiling being like “did that even happen”.

Don’t kill me, but i’m definitely missing the snow/winter weather a little bit. It is hard to get into the holiday spirit when its 30+ degrees and sunny with palm trees, but I won’t complain :) I just know I would never be able to live in a place that is boiling hot all year round. I’m a sucker for seasons. Also, so weird that Christmas happens during an Australian’s summer! Never thought about that before.

Thats about it folks. In 1 week I will be halfway done. Where on earth has the time gone? Some days it feels like its been forever and other days it feels like time is flying by. Now I just have to get through what I have already completed until I come back home (does that make sense)?

I’m thinking of this contract like a pizza or a pie- I’ve eaten alllllmost half of it and just have the other half left to go.

Gotta take in every moment and opportunity before it flies by!

Peace out!