#I'm just a shipper and i follow my compass | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cosmic-kaden · 2 months

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.: What Makes You, You. :.

Ship: Ben Solo x Kaden Reese

Words: 857 words.

cw: some self conscious talk from Kaden but nothing too bad. // super fluff lol

summary: Ben notices something is off with his fiancé

Hey, if you're not a self-shipper please dni. I have anxiety lol

Banner by @/cafekitsune

Ben watched quietly as Kaden emerged from the shower, tower wrapped securely around them, their usually straight hair now drying into its natural, wavy form. He noticed the way their eyes followed the mirror's reflection, a frown forming on their lips as they tried, unsuccessfully, to straighten the rebellious strands.

They moved closer to the mirror trying to push their skin up a bit and they craned their neck back and in different angles and they sighed heavily, something was weighing them down and their frustration was palpable in the steam-filled room.

"Hey," Ben's voice broke through the silence, soft yet firm. He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Kaden from behind, careful not to startle them. "You seem upset. Talk to me."

Kaden let out a sigh, leaning back into Ben's embrace but not meeting his gaze. "I just… look at my hair. It's everywhere, and these waves… they don't suit me. I look ridiculous…"

Ben gently turned Kaden to face him, lifting their chin with his finger and thumb so they were looking into each other's eyes. "Starlight, listen to me. You are beautiful. Your hair, these waves, they add to your charm. They're unique, just like you."

"But it's not just my hair…" Kaden's voice wavered, their insecurities laid bare. "I feel… off today… My body, it's… I don't feel very attractive right now…I'm struggling to see anything positive…"

Ben's heart ached at the vulnerability in Kaden's eyes and their words. He brushed a wavy strand away from their face, his touch gentle and soothing. "My love, your worth isn't defined by your appearance. You're so much more than that. Your heart, your spirit, they outshine everything."

Kaden tried to look away, but Ben held their gaze, earnest and unwavering. "Your eyes," he continued "they light up when you talk about something you love or something you have a great passion for… Your laughter, it's contagious, it brightens up the darkest days… and your lips.." he smiled softly, tracing their bottom lip lightly with his thumb, "they speak words of kindness and love. All of these things are a part of you, a part I adore."

"It's easy for you to say…" Kaden murmured sadly "You don't have to wake up to this every day…"

Ben's embrace tightened, a mixture of comfort and determination in his hold, his heart ached when he heard them. "But I do, darling. I wake up to the most incredible person every day. Someone who's strong, loving, and incredibly brave. Someone who's faced challenges head-on and came out stronger, someone who looked at me and never seen a monster… Your body, your curves, they're part of the story that makes you, you. And I love every chapter, every line and I mean that completely."

Kaden blinked back tears, the sincerity in Ben's voice piercing through the fog of self-doubt. "You really believe that?"

"With all my heart." Ben affirmed, his voice a steady anchor. "I love you, my Starlight. Not for what you look like on the outside, but for who you are on the inside. Your kindness, your compassion, your fierce spirit. You've taught me so much about love and about acceptance."

Kaden's breath hitched, the walls around their heart crumbling bit by bit. "I just feel so… unflattering, sometimes."

Ben cupped Kaden's face in his hands, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "To me, you are perfect. Your body, your hair, your insecurities, they make you, you. And I wouldn't change a thing. You're beautiful, love. Inside and out."

The words, so earnest and full of love, enveloped Kaden like a warm blanket, chasing away the cold tendrils of doubt. "I love you, Ben. Thank you for seeing me…and for loving me as I am."

Ben smiled, his own heart swelling with love for the one in his embrace. "I will always love you, Kaden. No matter what. You're my heart, my soul, and my home. Together, we're unstoppable."

Kaden smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile that reached their eyes, transforming their entire demeanor upon hearing him echo the same words that they've always said about him. "I guess I can live with wavy hair and a chubby body, as long as I have you."

Ben laughed softly, the sound rich and warm in the cool air. "Wavy, straight, bald, skinny, chubby, I don't care. I love you for you and I always will."

And in that moment, wrapped in each other's arms, the world outside ceased to exist. There were no doubts, no insecurities, just two hearts beating as one, united in love and acceptance.

"Come on," Ben whispered, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Let's go show the universe how stunning my fiancé looks, waves and all." he teased.

Kaden chuckled, the sound bubbling up from a place of newfound confidence. "Only if you promise to keep complimenting me like that."

"Every day, for the rest of our lives." Ben vowed, sealing their promise with a soft yet loving kiss that spoke of endless love and unwavering support and devotion.

Maybe Kaden trying to love themselves wasn't as hard as it once was…

Tagging: @mahitoslittlebird || @dragonsmooch || @ama-ships || @heatobrienswife || @roboraindrop ||@kylars-princess

#I needed some comfort T^T Today has been hard but this made it a little better <3 #Self ship really be self love huh?#my writing #you had me under spell right from the start;#ok 2 rb

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raspberry-gloaming · 3 months

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I'm currently at a point where because I've got into Gallifrey, I follow or have at least browsed people's blogs who love other dweu stuff. And I thought it might be fun to say what I currently think and know about eu characters/companions so when I have in the future delved deeper into the eu I can look back and compare and laugh and see how much is accurate! There's gonna be a "read more" here because this gonna get Long.

Also please let me know what I've got right and not and also tell me more about these characters if you are fans of them!

Benny: starting off strong i know some stuff about her! she's an archeologist from the future (wonder if she ever met River) and she travelled with... one of the doctor(s)? Possibly Seven? She is besties with Brax and sometimes works for him and his collection. Probably must be able to put up with bullshit because of those last two points. Has a husband called Jason and at least one kid, which, iconic, female adventure and action protagonists should get to be mums more often its always the childfree so big up Benny for that. made a cameo at the end of Gallifrey IV.

Evelyn: I have heard her. A little. I basically skipped through the apocalypse element because I wanted to understand some of the reasons that Romana is the way she is in Gallifrey, but didn't listen properly because I got bored. Is an old lady, which is great - its great to see ages mixing it up a bit, instead of the 19-25 year old girl primary companions we consistently get in nu-who. Travelled with Six and is/was a professor at a university. Not sure for which subject though.

Fitz: Canonically bisexual and wears a leather jacket. I've seen A Lot of shipping him and Eight, and these shippers seem to have a similar vibe to Two/Jamie shippers. I don't know much else, except that his time with the doctor is probably fucked up because from what I have gleaned, Eight's companions Go Through It like big time.

Compassion: Faction Paradox which I believe is in an alternate universe (also the faction paradox timelines seem to have have a different vibe of names to the main universe ones, every time I'm on the "Individual Time Lords" category on the wiki and see a name that seems out of place it turns out to be a character from Faction Paradox.) Is a person (human i think?) but is also a TARDIS? Like you can go into her and travel? Where tf is the door this is very cursed. Also used as a breeding machine to make more TARDISes as well? By Romana? Idk but this seems pretty fucked up in an icky way. And fucked up in a non-icky way too. I'm just confused tbh. Not sure which doctor is involved in this one.

C'rizz - Possibly people can't say his name right? Is that him? Alien boy, travelled with Eight and Charley. That's about all I know.

Chris Cwej: I know even less about him, hes the other possibility for people mixing up his name or something. Think he travelled with Seven. Idk why but he gives me dick vibes.

Hex Schofield: Travelled with Ace and Seven. Is from 2021 or something and says "sus." Which yh that was a thing but he was made before among us existed that's a cool coincidence that it turned out like that.

Liv and Helen: They exist. That's it I know nothing more.

Molly O'Sullivan: Also exists. Travelled with eight?

Charley Pollard: Has a Nazi for a sister - Blind Eye my beloved. Calls herself Edwardian even though she's from the 1930s, idk if its like a character point or an accidental fuck up by the writers. Has a romance with the doctor in some form. And also a pretty messed up relationship with him i think. Actually just a pretty messed up time. Especially because I think she was in Scherzo which I hear Wild Blue Yonder was inspired by. So good luck girl you're gonna need it.

#doctor who audios #big finish #dw #doctor who #dweu #charley pollard #liv chenka #Molly O'Sullivan #Hex Schofield #bernice summerfield #c'rizz #chris cwej #doctor who compassion #evelyn smythe #fitz kreiner

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enchantedmirage · 4 months

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HAPPY SWITCH ALBUM RELEASE

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Hi hello, welcome one and all. Whether you're new or a familliar face, it's nice to see you here on my hodge-podge of a fandom blog..

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common tag stuff

✧ art tag but I post my art here now -> @astraspicia

✧ yume stuff over at -> @twilighthappiness

✧ musings - usual posts

✧ hauntings - rambles about life and philosophy

✧ phantasms - game stuff

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basics ::

- "Aeriko" is the name I go by, and you're free to use variations of that name, especially since I simply combined my two aliases.

- Feel free to ask me anything, from cool stuff to doodle requests they're nice as well ☆ Here's also my retrospring!

- a fandom blog but mostly enstars-centric

- Not much of a shipper, but I will eat up good dynamic!

- formerly @reeeeko + @enchantedmirage

- I am a minor, and please don't interact with me if you're an nsfw blog. If you have a secondary blog like that, it's still fine as long as the posts are separate from your main and you don't bring up such topics to me. (won't apply if it's just suggestive or if there's a tag I can block)

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things to note ::

- I realized that following shouldn't be the one way to connect with people, that's just a me thing so please don't be discouraged if I don't follow you back. If I interact with your content a lot (likes/reblogs for example) chances are, I like your blog ☆

- Going onto that, I have a tendency to guess how a person feels through the way they type (something I just picked up since I was young) so if it doesn't trouble you, please be direct to me. But to clarify, honesty doesn't equate to being mean. "brutal honesty" tends to shut down others, you can be truthful with compassion after all.

- I am undiagnosed, while I'm aware my attitude and behavior can be pretty similar to some disorders (I might reblog mental health posts based on how much I feel like I relate to it from an experience point/for awareness), there's no certainty and unfortunately this won't change in the near future.

☁︎✧.*

#pinned intro #tag navigation ->#silly ☁︎✧.*#musings ☁︎✧.*#hauntings ☁︎✧.*#faves ☁︎✧.*#phantasms ☁︎✧.*#my art #my writing #oc stuff #asks #albedo #natsume sakasaki #riddle rosehearts

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starrbar · 1 year

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The word "proship" is about as descriptive as "mutt" nowadays.

Lil disclaimer: This is only about me and my personal experiences. Call yourself whatever you like. It's your actions I will judge, not your label.

There are two reasons why I try to avoid directly labeling myself as "proship" or even "profiction" despite sharing many, if not all, of the views those terms are supposed to stand for.

I wrote about the first reason here.

This is the second reason:

I have seen the terms proship/proshipper/profiction used by real people in the following ways, NOT counting the things antis claim it means:

"Ship and let ship" / "Your kink is not my kink (and that's okay)"

"Not caring what other people like"

"Minding your own business"

"Curating your experience"

"Scrolling when your see something you dislike instead of making a fuss over it"

"Being into taboo subjects"

"Supporting all ships, including pedophilic or incestuous ones"

"Being against thought crimes"

"Anti-harassment over fiction"

"Anti-censorship"

"Fiction doesn't equal reality" / "Fiction isn't reality"

"Fiction doesn't affect reality at all"

"Being able to tell the difference between fiction and reality"

And then on top of that, a lot of neutral people are lead to believe it just means "pedophile / incest supporter", or someone who genuinely thinks minor/adult 'relationships' are healthy and fine.

➛ It's worth a brief note that it didn't originally mean literally any of these things (as documented on the Anti-shipper and Anti-anti Fanlore pages), but you didn't come here for a history lesson.

I've also seen the following behaviors from people who used being "proship" as a shield or justification for them:

Defending MAPs

Defending or participating in invasive RPF

Defending bigotry

Supporting real life incest

Doing "problematic shipping" with child characters played by actual minors

Making lust posts about characters played by child actors

Creating, consuming, or supporting uncomfortably realistic "lolicon"

Getting way too defensive against ANY criticism of a story, even when it's not framed in an aggressive, moralizing way.

And my favorite: Fucking harassing people for perceived "anti" views. -_-

I'm certainly not writing this with the intention of making all proshippers as a whole look bad, but I've had to come to terms with what that word has evolved into and what it means to people. It's gone out of my control despite how desperately I had wanted it to just mean what I think it should mean—what it did mean originally.

When one of my core identity labels can conjure up the image of any one of these things, especially when many of them are god awful, I feel a lot less comfortable using it for myself.

I use "anti-anti" comfortably enough because it doesn't refer to my potential stance on paraphilias, what ships I'm into, censorship or ""censorship"" (the bullshit right-wing boogie man version), or even simply the way fiction affects reality. It instead only refers to my stance against what antis stand for and what they do.

And we all know what they do.

I used to have this explained on my Carrd as a mere supplement to a long, long list of my specific beliefs regarding fiction vs. reality, kinks, and all that jazz. Then I realized how futile and silly it is to preemptively explain my entire moral compass on my literal central hub of Me-ness, because who am I really convincing of anything by having a BYF page that huge? It had a bunch of claims about what I believe, but no further essays linked that might back up how thoroughly I do believe those things. So it would end up just... kind of hollow.

So whenever I'm feeling spicy, I might just write more essays about various aspects of the discourse and keep those in a totally optional directory of sorts, probably still linked on my Carrd. I have a burning need to share my thoughts and writing with the world, but I certainly don't think someone needs to know all of that just to click Like on my art.

(Also some day I might make dedicated posts to each of the links I shared, but for now I just want some level of backup to my words in this post.)

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voidstilesplease · 3 years

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A child of Athena and a child of Ares. Hell yes it doesn't seem like a natural partnership which is why

#currently reading #📖: toa: the hidden oracle #rick riordan #riordanverse #trials of apollo #the hidden oracle #books #bookish #booklr #book lines #late to the party woes #like i know sherman is supposedly dating this demeter girl #but 🤷🤷🤷#just. athena child x ares child is so APPEALING #I'm just a shipper and i follow my compass

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tvfangirladdict · 2 years

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So Buddie was trending today, again, and I was reading some posts, and a couple stuck out to me. People seem to be realizing that even though we all ship the same couple, there's still sides that have been picked. I've noticed it in most ship couples I follow.

With Buddie, I think the majority of shippers tend to side with Buck. I don't know if it's because people relate to him more, or they just see him as the "all-american", wholesome, sweet, cute, blonde they feel sorry for and want to protect because I've noticed a trend in favoritism shown to similar characters in other shows, but that's just how it is. And so this leads to a majority of fics and posts that put him first. And this makes it feel like Eddie's always painted as the bad guy, Buck's the one who's betrayed and hurt, and Eddie's the one who's forced to grovel and chase Buck.

And this isn't to bash Buck or people who favor him, it's just to express frustration in not seeing the same level of compassion and love for Eddie, for those of us who are on "his side". It can get tiring to see the character you favor always being the one who messes up and acts selfishly and hurting the person they're shipped with.

And it's not always even restricted to issues between the two of them. I saw a few posts where people vented frustration with seeing people putting Eddie down for decisions he's made with Chris's best interests at heart. Like, I'm sorry, but Eddie is his dad, and no matter how good of a guy Buck is, no one loves that kid more than Eddie. So I don't understand why people seem to think Eddie should be putting Buck's feelings ahead of his son's. Like yeah, it'll be tough for Buck, he'll miss his work partner, but Chris is screaming himself awake over his mom and spending Christmas season worrying about his dad dying, his dad who has been shot on multiple occasions, buried alive, walks into fires every day, etc. Like, Chris's fears are valid, and they're logical. Anyone who works in similar fields has to weigh the good they're doing with the possibility of not coming home, and that's a personal decision that I don't think anyone has the right to judge one way or another.

It's bad timing with what Buck's going through, but it doesn't make Eddie a bad person for doing it. Maybe it's true that it won't be the fix or long term solution he's looking for, but neither is it healthy to stay in that situation only to make a friend feel better. He needs to take the time to work on himself and his son first.

One of my favorite parts of being a Destiel shipper is that it seems pretty even. Like the fans love them pretty equally. They don't love just Dean and decide that Cas is good enough for him and write them together or vice versa. They don't pick sides, or at least it seems pretty equal on both sides. There's thoughtfulness and compassion for both sides of the ship from writers. Both characters mess up.

And I think that's where my problem is. Because people's love for the characters can be so blind that they think they could never do anything wrong. I've always been Team Iron Man over Team Cap. Personally, I'm not a fan of Cap. He's too good if that makes sense. Just too squeaky clean and inhuman. And I'm not talking about the super serum. It's like he's some perfect person who always knows what to do and always makes the right decisions and always does good. He never messes up or has thoughts or feelings that aren't 100% good. Tony's flawed and can be selfish and stupid and imperfect. He's human.

I guess I tend to lean towards the characters who are more grey, which makes them more human and relatable to me. They get angry and petty and mean sometimes, but at heart are good people who are doing their best to be good.

I watched the Harry Potter reunion last week and the actor who played Lucious Malfoy (sorry I'll have to look up his name) said something that's really stuck with me. He said that in his opinion, Malfoy was the real hero. Harry wasn't a hero because there was never a question, he was always going to do the right thing, but Draco? Draco was raised to be the worst kind of person, but still found the courage to be good in the end.

I'm as far from perfect as you can get, so I side with the troubled underdogs who try to do good, but still mess up sometimes.

Like with Buddie, I favor the underdog in Sterek too, Derek. I feel like most of the Sterek fics written paint Stiles as some physical badass, but emotionally he's some victim or damsel in distress all the time. Derek's always the one who says or does something stupid and Stiles distances himself to go lick his wounds. He's written like he's infallible and Derek is a monster who feels nothing. Exaggerated a bit maybe, but i swear 80% of Sterek fics are written that way and it's tiring. I get it to a point, I get wanting to give a hurt character you relate to some justice from their relationship partner, but c'mon. Every time? Personally, I think Stiles can be an asshole. That's why we like him. He's not some wilting flower who's going to run and hide when his feeling get hurt. I'm not gonna get into it with Derek because I could write a whole essay on how the writers wronged his character in the name of Scott McCall. Not gonna lie, probably gonna write that next, so if you've made it this far and are interested in some ranting on the behalf of Derek Hale, keep a look out.

But seriously, do you know how hard it is to find a fic where Stiles was the one who screwed up and hurt Derek for a change? And he's the one who has to work to get Derek back? So freaking hard. So if you know of any, seriously, please please please send them! Same goes for hurt!Eddie Buddie stories. Send them all! I could use some Derek or Eddie whump right now.

This started out as another venting about Eddie bashers and kind got off track a bit. But it just sucks when you're on the less popular side of a ship.

And before anyone comes at me and says that people can write whatever Fanfic they want and that writing Buck or Stiles or whoever, that way helps them deal, I'll reiterate. This isn't to say that they're wrong or their characters feelings aren't valid. I'm just venting my frustration that I can't find the same level or amount of writings dedicated to the other half of the ship. It's me trying to accept that I favor the less popular character, so he's gonna be the bad guy in most stories.

Okay, I'm done whining now😅

#911 fox #buddie #eddie diaz #supernatural #destiel #teen wolf #sterek #derek hale #harry potter #draco malfoy #dedicated to the underdogs/real heros #team iron man #tony stark #rant #rambles

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lovebecomeshim · 3 years

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hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

youtube

#zutara #atla #zutara rant #like really the way the canon relationships were written throughout s3 #it would’ve been more believable for zutara to happen #or at least be hinted at #all of the major issues presented in those relationship were dug up extensively and then... never resolved #and then they just slapped some kisses on a screen and said ‘there all better’#and we just kinda had to say ‘oh ok guess it’s all better then’#this got long I’m sorry #I wrote it all out and then tumblr ate 2/3 of it #which is why it took so long #and what I’ve written now doesn’t even match what I had before #because there’s too much to say about why I love zutara #and the stuff I left out the first time is what came out this time #rip to my original thoughts but this post is different #anyway that’s why this took so long #and I should’ve just made a PowerPoint...#I can do that too if you’d rather not read all of this lol #I won’t be offended #this is incoherent #Alia rambles uselessly #also hoping this doesn’t end up in any wrong tags because I don’t wanna step on toes lol #it’s not anti!! it’s just critical #in a compare/contrast way #I can pinpoint the moment when I started trying to rewrite my points from memory #because everything gets shorter and more succinct #like... I really said all that??? sounds fake and I don’t remember it anyway so here’s the condensed version #with no!! smooth!!! transitions!!!!#also why am I so lazy with proper grammar over text

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sonic7ischaos · 2 years

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I wanna see more interactions between Shadow and Amy.

Not in a shipper kind of way, I don't really do shipping, with a few rare exceptions which are supported by canon or believable with some arguing using established character interaction (the ones that come to mind are Vector x Vanilla, and Shantae x Risky Boots).

But that's not it.

It was Amy's pleading in Sonic Adventure 2 that led to Shadow remembering his full promise to Maria, and deciding to sacrifice himself to save the world, and they never follow up on that.

I'd like to see Amy and Shadow stuck together with some downtime. Waiting on Rouge or Sonic (or both) to show up for mission. Amy tries making small talk, while Shadow is silent, clearly thinking about something.

"Ugh! What is taking them so LONG?! if I didn't know any better I'd think Rouge was being flirty with my Sonic! You'd think someone as fast as you two would know better than to keep a lady waiting."

"..."

"Ha, Sorry. I can be a little silly when it comes to him. HE'S JUST SO COOL!...aaand you don't wanna talk about Sonic. Umm, sorry...hehe..."

"..."

"...Sooo...ok, I know this is kind of a heavy question, but what was Maria like? If you don't wanna talk about it, that's ok, but she was important to you right? It's hard to imagine someone related to the doctor that wasn't twirling their moustache and laughing maniacally-"

"You know-"

"OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHY I SAID ALL THAT, THAT WAS SO RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL I DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING BAD AND AND AND-!"

"-I never thanked you."

"AND AND AND...Huh?"

"You came to me, when the ARK was falling. You talked to me, pleaded with me to see reason, to have compassion. To give them a chance to be happy. You reminded me of what I was fighting for. I was so angry and confused, and it was you who helped pull me out of that darkness, reminded me of my friend who loved the world she never got to see."

"...she grew up on the Ark? She never saw the earth?"

"No, and it's still my greatest regret, but it's in the past...I think you would've been friends, she also liked to talk."

"Hehe, sorry. And I'm sorry she never got that."

"It's fine, and me as well She was more like the Doctor than you'd think. Completely stubborn and very capable, despite how she looked. I used to be confined to a small section of the facility, monitored and controlled every waking moment by scientists who saw me as nothing more than a research project. It was Maria who changed that. Twelve years old and she fought against the research staff about my confinement and treatment hard enough that I was freed."

Haha! Sounds cool!"

"She was. I think she saw herself in me. Trapped in a cage she would never leave, poked and prodded by doctors in lab coats and sterile rooms who saw her as little else but data on a clipboard. She was sick you see, the impetus for creating Project Shadow was to create an organism incapable of getting sick or aging, and studying how its body fought off disease and applying that knowledge to her illness. Gerald only wanted to see his granddaughter well, to give her a good, long life..."

"...I'm sorry"

'It's okay. You and her have a lot in common, you're both passionate and stubborn, and you've got a strong sense of justice. I'm glad to see that she wasn't wrong about the people here. The earth IS worth fighting for."

"Aww, thanks."

"...They're here, they'll arrive by elevator in a few minutes."

"YES! FINALLY! We can get started! I'll show that Sonic to keep ME waiting!"

"..."

"...And Shadow? Thanks for telling me. Maria sounds cool, I wish I'd gotten to know her. And I want you to know, you don't have to keep your promise alone, whether you like it or not, we're friends, and we've got your back."

"Hmph. I think you've kept that faker waiting long enough. I think he'll be just as thrilled to see you you are to see him. Why don't you go meet him there, and send Rouge up, the sooner we get them debriefed on Eggman's scheme the better"

"YES! THANK YOU!" Amy rushes out the door to the elevator, her voice heard echoing in the hall outside. "SOOOONIIIIIC!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU MY DAAAARLING!!! I CAant wait to show you what I've found! you'll be so impressed and you'll want to marry me and and and-"

Aaaand, scene. I dunno, I just think that in having Shadow become Vegeta, hedgehog edition , you miss out on seeing any follow through on emotional story beats. In the last story in SA2, for a moment, Amy BECOMES Maria for Shadow for a moment. She stands for everything Maria stood for, and we don't see her become anything more than a background detail for Shadow. Not in a romantic sense, but you'd think they'd interact more for how meaningful that scene is for Shadow.

With Ian Flynn writing Frontiers, I hope we can start getting stuff like this in the games again.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic adventure 2 #sonic adventure 2 battle #sonic #amy rose #shadow the hedgehog #space colony ark #maria robotnik #eggman #ivo robotnik #gerald robotnik #storytelling #sonic storytelling #character writing #worldbuilding #ian flynn #sonic frontiers #sega #sonic team

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mysticdragon3md3 · 3 years

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Ever since Guilty Gear has gotten new popularity with Strive, every time I listen to Ky's theme or see him on screen, I like to remember how far we've come.

I remember being huddled in my robe or bundled in a blanket on the couch, and trying this new, labelless, burned PS1 disk from my bootlegging cousin. One of many. lol And I was such a 2D fighting junky back then. ^o^ Martial arts anime and fighting games were my ethos, and I was obsessed! I built this whole philosophy in my head about "True Strength" and the real nature of Strength vs Power, distilled into ideals about Compassion and power used to protect instead of hurt, and all sorts of things I steeped my depressed brain into, to survive at the time. Just endlessly psychologically fighting and striving to become Stronger. So it was kind of disappointing when a lot of the martial arts/fighting media I was into back then, would start out with these ideals that I agreed with, then eventually degrade very often into "might makes right".

So I was used to playing fighting games and the characters would say gloating, dismissive post-fight dialogue. But then the first time I played the original Guilty Gear on Playstation 1...I was astounded when Ky Kiske's dialogue was all concern for his opponents, a reluctance to fight, a willingness to talk things out,... I loved this character. He was so relatable. Right down to his hunger to fight stronger opponents, to push his limits, to endlessly push his need to Grow and continue increasing Strength, because I knew the moment you stop, you die. Just like that Bleach quote from Zangetsu. "Hesitate, and you grow old. Stop moving forward, and you die." It was my mental/emotional reality on a razor's edge, everyday with my untreated mental illnesses, as a kid. And yet, here was Ky, doing the real Fight right, maintaining his True Strength, and being a beacon ideal to strive for. I'd follow this character anywhere. I even enjoyed his petulant accusations towards Sol about holding back during their fights. That was sooooo relatable for me. Even before that game, I was getting annoyed with my brother when he wouldn't give it his all in other fighting games against me. I didn't realize it was because if I showed the same weakness, my mental life would swallow me up. So much of Ky sideswipped me with how relatable he was, concerning things, so important to me, that I never talked about with anyone. I loved watching Ky evolve throughout the Guilty Gear series, learning to bend the rules, (agreeing to counter the world's manipulators from within the system, while helping/trusting people like Johnny to counter them from outside the system), see beyond rigid paradigms, and become real friends with Sol. He became Stronger. This was the narrative I needed in my life at the time.

I still get wistful about that narrative, that dream, and those ideals, whenever I see Ky.

And now I see Ky looking so different, emblematic of his journey from his old self, and all his progress. It always makes me nostalgic for the first time I met him and how all these years have passed. ^-^

(Sometimes I'm afraid to fangirl openly about Ky, because I know some people will assume I'm just some self-shipper, horny for bishounen. ~_~; And I'm like, excuse me, I'm AroAce, and I really admire Ky's character. Besides, speed, range, and weapon sets I intuitively understand, are really important to me in fighting games, and of the 2 sword fighters in GG1, Ky is faster and has slightly more range than Sol. Sorry Sol, but you're really vulnerable to low attacks, your moves have a split second delay, and your basic swing with Fuenken isn't as far reaching as I need. You are a cool character though.)

#nostalgia #reminiscing #fanboying/fangirling #ky kiske #tmi #please ignore my idiocy #old otaku #guilty gear #just being nostalgic and sappy #don't judge me

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verobatto · 3 years

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Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LXXXV

It was a love story from the very beginning

Lovers Separation (Part I)

(12x13/12x14)

Hello my dears! I should add by death in the title, but according to the actual events in the show... I'm too emotional hehehee.

I will talk here about the amount of clues and foreshadow the writers were spreading all over the episodes, in which we will see Castiel's death and Dean's mourning for him.

The ship is gonna wreck

First picture we get is a woman dressed in blue pijamas, that dies. Another blue dressed victim that dies as a foreshadow of Castiel's death.

This episode talks about The Star, the ship that wrecked and sinked. And in the meantime, two lovers were separated by special circumstances.

The tragic love story is about Gavin McLoad and Fiona Duncan. They were destined to be together for the eternity once the ship sunk, but Gavin didn't board that ship, because Abaddon stopped him and dragged him to our times. So, Fiona became an avengeful ghost, pining for her lost love. Is a representation of the Destiel tragedy we will live at the end of the season.

The Locket and The Mixtape

The Locket was a gift Gavin gave to Fiona as a proof of his love.

GAVIN: I bought it myself. It was a gift for my Fiona.

ROWENA: Darlin', you had a wee girlfriend?

DEAN: Look at this. Added to the exhibit six months ago.

GAVIN: Fiona Duncan, the love of my life. When she found out I was going to America, nothing would do but I take her with me. I told her it was too dangerous.

Fiona would follow Gavin to the end of the world, just like Cas always manifest to Dean.

That gift, the Locket, was Gavin's way to say I LOVE YOU to Fiona, to give a tangible representation to their union, a commitment. To show her how much she meant to him. Is the perfect parallel for the Destiel mixtape. Because it was Dean's way to show Cas how important he is for him. Important not in a platonic way, because the meaning of the mixtape. When Gavin says 'I bought it myself' is remarking the intimate dedication he took by doing it, because the first was for the love of his life. Is the same with the mixtape, because DEAN MADE THE MIXTAPE HIMSELF THINKING ABOUT CAS. The intimacy of taking his time to choose the perfect songs that could apply to his feelings, to show Cas He loved him too. As a shy, not so committed answer, to that 'I love you' Cas said to him.

Living with the doubt if Cas had said those words platonically or not, Dean Winchester is not prepared yet to answer with his own words, so, he makes a mixtape for the love of his life.

The Separation and the Reunion

There's a scene with two teachers, Karen and

Elizabeth, drinking wine and having a good time inside the Pembroke School for Girls.

Elizabeth stands up and go inside a dark room searching for wine, leaving Karen behind. The dark room represents the Empty, and Elizabeth is Castiel, and she got stabbed in the back, just like our Angel.

Now, there's another beautiful scene, in wich Gavin calls Fiona through his words, reminding us to a prayer.

GAVIN: "O restless spirit, make thy presence known to me. Fiona? It is I, Gavin. Your Gavin. I must speak with you.

After this, Fiona makes her appearance, and finally, the lovers found each other and remained together to the end of times.

GAVIN: I...was thinking the same thing. I loved her. She loved me. That's the only reason any of this happened. I can spare her the nightmare she's trapped in. I cannae say I ever fit here. Here, I'm alone. Fiona and me, we'll spend eternity together.

Gif credit @mad-as-a-box-of-frogs 👇

What a perfect Castiel mirror in these last words, Cas said this season he still felt put of place. The last quote 'we'll spend eternity together' just gives me clues about my spec for a Destiel endgame, sharing vessel.

The Raid: about Dean's improvement and Sam future leadership

Just a few words about episode 12x14. Putting to a side the mommy issues, the episode divided the brothers joining them with their destinies.

Ketch, the killer, tried to bond with Dean, considering Dean was a killer too. But the difference between them was Dean's compassion.

Sam, Mick and Mary were trapped on the BMoL building, and were attacked by vampires, and Sam was the leader, giving orders and organizing the hunter and the MoL. As a foreshadow of the incoming battle between american hunter's and BMoL, and as a prelude of his role as a leader in season 14.

The image of monsters trying to hunt hunter's, is a futurist picture of AUMichael releasing his monsters army against humans in season 14.

To Conclude:

Gavin and Fiona love story is a Destiel mirror. The symbolism of the wrecked and sunken ship is another prelude to the lovers separation by death.

Hopefully, the lovers found each other at the end, to be together for the eternity.

Hope you like this meta, see you in the next one.

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-deana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @nickelkit @anon-non2 @cea1996

If you want to be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you want to read the previous metas From season 12, here you have the links:

Vol. LXXV, LXXVI, LXXVII, LXXVIII, LXXIX, LXXX, LXXXI, LXXXII, LXXXIII, LXXXIV.

Buenos Aires, October 25th 2020, 9:15 PM.

#destiel #destiel chronicles #destiel meta #supernatural meta #season 12 meta #vol. LXXXV

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bloedewir · 4 years

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Some of my solavellan headcanon, during the Inquisition playthrough:

- Beginning: questions and asks for tell more. She's interested and sees how much he know and it flattered his pride. But then Solas starts to see a real open-minded person, not a tranquil marionette.

- Solas doesn't want to lie about himself as the romance continues, but guilt is blinded him. Duty above the feelings, despite own desires. My people, my promise, my purpose.

- He arguing with self a lot. Constantly deep inside there's a fight between "what must to be done" and "enjoyable side benefit".

- Inquisitor suspects something. She notice a strange hints, watching him and fully understand Solas is not the person he's trying to pretend to be. Love is blind tho. She doing nothing with that because of fear to hurt him by mistrust.

- Sera doesn't like the affair and reminds about that oftenly. Because she's much observant than other people thinks. Sera senses the lie.

- Varric is Solas' best man during the affair. A hidden solavellan shipper.

- Cole knows everything, but keeps quite. As the Compassion he can't bare the thought to hurt Inquisitor with a truth. But he talks with Solas much, and it's went in a circle: Cole says it's bad to lie -> Solas' guilt becomes stronger -> Cole is upsets, because he's Compassion.

- No matter what that wolf ass said in Trespasser dlc - they had sex. I bet my left hand on it. A whole year of Inquisition.. pfft, not a matter of debate.

- According to this, every night they spend together. Solas shows Lavellan the Fade. And he's a big spoon for sure. Weight of responsibility, the fear and permanent tiredness.. he want to protect her and give some rest, she's feel calm only when he holds her. Vhen'arla, the home of my heart.

- Vallaslin. She asks him to remove it. Because of meaning and because she believes in what he say. To that moment she started to think she's understand, when Solas is clearly honest and open.

- A lot of pressure and hidden pain in Crestwood scene, I think. He's gone too far, he loves to much more then it was expected and allowed. I believe it was just one heart beat for him, and everything changed. Removing of vallaslin reminded him about elvhenan, and who is he and always was. Harellan. So, he want to protect her, step aside to darkness and give her a chance to live, because he's clearly understand: no matter where he goes - she will follow.

- She's not believing this is the end. She continues call him ma'lath, and she knows he loves her, no doubts. Inquisitor presume, all's gonna be alright, when Corypheus will be defeated. By this way, the Crestwood episode give her the strength to make a final push.

- Dorian at her side. He's a friend she never have, like an elder brother. Holds her hand and promises all is gonna be fine. She calls him ma'nehn, my joy.

- Cassandra is a friend and role model. Inquisitor looks at her and seek for strength to be more like Cassandra: responsible, confident and honest in own words and beliefs.

- Seeker becomes softer tho. Because of Varric. Because the disrespect and irritation becomes trust and friendship first. Because it became a something more. Because he's only who make her laugh. Because he's see not only the warrior, but he sees her.

- After the final battle, when Lavellan saw Solas, at the kneel with broken orb, when she heard his voice - she understood. He's leaving, she can't stop him. Is it over.. is they over? A small painful thought could broke her heart, but she was unexplainable sure: it's not an end of their story. She let him go, promised to self to find him by any cost and then finally cried, kneeling within the stone ruins while everyone celebrated the victory.

- Two years made her tougher. Grim, nervous and sad, she's fully concentrated on her duties: Inquisition. There's no more Lavellan, she hides behind "Inquisitor". Day by day, night by night, she doesn't allowed to be self, or that pain may return and bring back sorrow, anger, fear and hurt.

- The Exaulted Council was one of the many other things she has to deal. But the friends made it special. Strangers at first, they became a family. It warmed her heart a bit, reminded her she's is still alive.

- Journey through the eluvians and forgotten old elven history bring back her old feels: both interest and confusion, a doubts and exciting. And finally she started to understand, where it goes.

- Squad looked at Inquisitor with sorrow and pity, like she was a toy in a cruel hands and doesn't understand it yet. I'll save him, that was the only thought, covered by fear, blood and fast understanding she's going to die.

- First look and heart stopped. The whole world has gone. His voice, the voice of man she still loves and.. stranger. Revealing and most wanted truth finally brings her the relief, not a fear.

- When he said about Veil, she surprised: why her heart is still beating, it has to be broken on a million pieces by now. She looked at him, there's a softness in his eyes when he look at her pale face. Ma'lath. My love.

- The mark is gone and the left hand, but pain is gone too. In a strange way life became brighter. She found a purpose, a reason to wake up in the morning.. a hope. It's much more than she had a day ago. I'll save you or die trying, ma'fen. Prideful stubbornness.. it's you taught me that.

*Lost Elf theme playing*

that's a long stuff, I'm sorry, I can't fix it on my phone 😣 and I'm remind: not my native language, sorry. again.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #da:i #dragon age: inquisition #da: inquisition #da: inquisitor #dragon age text posts #long reads #long post #solavellan hell #solasmance #solavellan #solas x lavellan #solas #lavellan #my headcanons

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whitewolfofwinterfell · 4 years

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hi; question. i've really been enjoying your ship related meta even though we don't ship a lot of the same pairings, and i'm kind of interested in trying to watch jane the virgin because I loved ugly betty and it's supposed to be ugly betty's spiritual successor and all that. the thing is, i've noticed that a lot of people who watched the show and who are also swanfire shippers like me see the whole michael vs. rafael have a repeat of neal vs. h00k. as someone who still (1/2)

cont. harbors a lot of resentment over c$, (they're literally my notp of all time lol), do you think it's worth me trying to get into the show or will it just make me angry?

Hey, lovely! I’m glad that you’ve been enjoying reading my meta. The fact that you’ve been reading it even though we don’t ship a lot of the same pairings is even more of a compliment. So, thank you!

Jane the Virgin does have very similiar vibes to Ugly Betty. I loved Jane the Virgin so much, it was one of my favourite shows, because aside from Ugly Betty I’ve never found another show that has that style. It’s quirky, fun, inspiring, dynamic and uplifting. It has great diversity since it follows a Latino family, it’s led by strong female characters, it explores identity, modern family structures, sexuality (there’s LGBT+ representation and an exploration of bisexuality, which is particularly rare in television), immigration and so much more. The characters are great and the show is genuinely funny.

Sadly, the Michael/Villadero vs. Rafael/Jafael situation soured all of that for me. I never thought I’d stop watching a show that I loved so much, but I became so bitter and angry that I had to. And it was all because of what happened with Michael and Rafael. If you’re interested and don’t mind reading spoilers, you can read my thoughts on this in my JTV meta tag.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that the story plays out the same way as the Swanfire/Captain Swan story did on OUAT. There are some similarities, but ship wars are always similiar regardless of which ships are involved or what show it’s on. You have the first ship, who the female character is usually in a relationship with at the start of the series. That relationship is usually with the “good guy” and is very grounded, romantic, respectful, endearing and built on understanding, compassion and connection. Then there’s the second ship with the “bad guy” who crashes into the female character’s life and is more dangerous and exciting. He’ll incessantly flirt with and charm her, but she’ll refuse his advances before eventually sucuuming to his vulnerable side and falling for him becaue he’s a bad guy that is really just a big teddy bear underneath it all. One ship of these ships will discredited (usually the first, because they were first loves and no longer relevant) and the other is championed. Sound familiar? It should, because this is the way most (if not all) triangles play out. The problem is, that if the first ship is the one you’re invested in, it can be hard to accept and can completely detract everything you once loved about that show.

I always think that shows are about so much more than just ships. I’ve watched lots of shows and there are only three out of all of those where ships (and ship wars) have ruined my enjoyment of them and that’s Jane the Virgin, The Vampire Diaries and Once Upon a Time. And the reason for that is because a) I was highly invested in my ships on those shows and they were destroyed b) I felt that the female characters (Jane, Elena and Emma) were all sacrificed for their endgame ships c) I genuinely think that these ships, the way they played out and how they were written didn’t make sense and was disjointed from the overall narrative of the show and the development of the characters d) the overall story-telling and vibe of the show completely changed for me once the endgame ships took centre stage and I no longer enjoyed watching them e) I really disliked the messages and tropes attached to the endgame ships and what they represented.

Having said that, you may watch JTV and really like Rafael and ship him and Jane (I’d be surprised if this happened lol, but you never know). Or you may like Rafael and Michael equally and not ship either of the main pairings. Therefore, you’d be able to enjoy Jane with both Rafael and Michael and not have your viewing experience dictated by your shipping preferences. There’s no way of knowing unless you watch it. So even though I’ve gone a very long-ass way about saying this (sorry lol), my advice would be to give JTV a go. There’s a lot to love about it and I really enjoyed seasons 1-3 (well, part way through 3). Even though I stopped watching the show I carry characters like Jane, Petra, Michael and Rogelio with me and I’ll always love the dynamics between those characters. Some of the arcs and themes that are explored on the show spoke to my heart and I’ll always remember them. Even with Villadero, despite how heartbroken I was (and still am) about how they ended, they’ll always be one of my greatest OTPs. They’re incredible and well worth watching the show for. Jane and Petra have one of the best relationships on the show and you can enjoy watching that from the first until the last episode.

It all depends on how much of a shipper you are, how attached to characters/ships you get and how much you’re able to look beyond shipping/character preferences to enjoy a show overall. If you go into it knowing what’s going to happen, you might be able to accept it more easily, even if you do become as invested in Jane and Michael as I did. However, if you do decide to watch the show and feel yourself becoming over-invested in Michael and Villadero, I would recommend cutting your losses and to stop watching at 3x09.

I hope this helps!

#answered #fatimagic #anti jafael #anti cs #anti captain swan #anti delena #i mean technically i don't bash any of these ships but better safe than sorry right

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youuuimeanmee · 5 years

Text

TPN 130 Thoughts

Nothing much to comment on, tbh.

1. The cover though, it'll definitely sparks joy and interest from TPN theorists. And it'll brings me joy too if you guys try to analyze it, I'll binge read it straight away.

2. Idk why I thought Emma is going to leave quietly without telling anyone. Emma is being Emma, of course she'll break it in front of everyone, no matter what the response she'll get. She's just THAT open and honest with her family.

3. It's understandable not many children can relate with without Emma's feelings, mainly because they don't witness the demon village themselves. People from GF have only seen wild demons, while GP people only see demon's cruelty on pretty much daily basis. Maybe Don, Gilda, Violet, and Zack are the only one who can understand her because they've been traveling together, but it'll still hard to gain their compassion towards demons. Even Ray can't really understand her despite his wish to follow her everywhere. And everyone loves Emma so much, it's hard to let her go.

Actually, I recently re-read TPN, and I realized Emma must've think about this waay back when she first met with Musica and Son-Ju.

4. I'm kind of surprised that Emma really intending to go with Ray alone. I thought she'd include more people. At least Don, Gilda, Violet, and Zack maybe?

But in the end, the one who will always follow Emma wherever she goes is Ray, huh.

But Don, my maaan

I know it's very hard for you, but thank you for understanding, aww

Don shines brightly than anyone in this chapter, people.

I know this picture will make EmmaxGilda shippers go nuts.

YES EMMA. Go tell'em.

Thank you Ray, for agreeing with my meta from last chapter.

8. I'm just glad everyone respect Emma's wish in the end. Even Ray and Emma gives everyone an option to decide their own paths that they won't regret, in case if they don't return. But MC from shonen manga is always protected with plot armor so i'm not worrying too much here. I'm still predicting that they'll be back late though, which will make everyone go crazy.

9. Ray and Emma, looking like a husband and wife who's proud with their children in here.

10. I'm waiting for TPN theorists out there to figure out the mechanism of entering the Seven Walls from the last page.

And I already say this from my other post, but I'll say it again:

Goddamnit norman don't just stand there go run after them you don't know when you'll gonna see each other again at least see the mechanism yourself in case you want to chase after them later c'mon norman just run

... did I ended up commenting too much?

#the promised neverland #yakusoku no neverland #tpn #tpn spoilers #tpn manga #tpn manga spoilers #tpn 130 #i ship everyone in tpn who looks shippable in one panel #just so you know #my tpn thoughts

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komakitigerdrop · 5 years

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Apparently I didn't express myself accurately. As you said indeed, certain scenes don't mean anything, so my question is, what scenes would actually mean something? (I'm being hypothetical, not trying to say existing scenes mean anything.) Or are you going to keep believing in YxF even after something big happened between MxF/TxF/YC/AxF? I'm the kind who buys whatever couple the author sells, but I'm curious about shippers loyal to one specific couple.

Ahh, thank you for sending another ask. I was not pleased with my previous answer either - I was pressed for time and didn’t articulate my ideas very well.

I think that the best way to answer your ask is to break it down into a few different parts, if you don’t mind. I will hide it under a cut so that I don’t clutter people’s dashboards.

1. About Shipping

I am not the kind that buys whatever couple the author sells, just because I am not naturally invested in most fictional couples (regardless of media type - I guess I am either too cynical, or just overly realistic). I read other mangas and in most of them, either only one couple draws my attention, or none. I find most of the tropes used in yaoi either dumb, childish or both. That is all to say that I hardly ever find myself emotionally invested in a fictional couple, but when I do… I do.

2. About Finder specifically

This part will merge with the next, “scenes that matter”. The reason why I can’t bring myself to find Mikhail and Fei a believable/interesting couple is because their relationship is not organic. By organic, I mean: something that was construed over time, something that followed a trail, that was built upon events that primarily existed to advance other parts of the story. Finder started in 2002. Fei Long and Mikhail were introduced in 2007. For twelve years, FxM interactions were limited and emotionless. Even their sex scene in Volume 9 was a transaction. Nothing was built to suggest any kind of emotional connection between these two individuals, nothing was said, on the page, about either of them being remotely interested in starting a romance.

Bear with me here.

Reason being, Fei Long was a character created to gravitate around Asami. The crux of his existence in the manga was always the relationship with this one man, the feelings for this one man. No one else. Not Mikhail, not Tao, not Yoh. Flash forward to 2018, and YA gives us that iconic scene in which Fei Long ships Akihito and Asami to a desert island, and I think that this is the gamechanger. Now Fei Long is in a position to move on.

Coincidentally, we readers are given back Yoh and a sex scene with Mikhail in the same damn chapter.

Two suitors with feelings for him.

On one hand, Yoh, whose feelings he admitted to Fei Long in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Of course he was not reciprocated. Then, there was Finder no Rakuin, in which their affection was mutual. Had its plot not been written by Yamane Ayano herself, dialogues reviewed and all, I would happily cast it aside as “non-canon”. But it was, so I won’t. If one accepts Finder no Souen as canon to explain Kuroda and Asami, then one needs to accept Finder no Rakuin as canon to explain the feelings Fei Long and Yoh have for each other. I won’t label those feelings because in all honesty, I wouldn’t know how to. Fei Long’s heart was not within reach, and yet Yoh still managed to touch it. There is a connection between those two men based on trust, on forgiving, and yes - on physical pleasure. It delivers in all fronts.

You ask, what would be necessary to convince me that Mikhail is the real deal? I’d say, I would need to see him deliver in those three fronts. I’m sorry, but a night of sex in exchange for a favor, and a moment of compassion after a session of torture won’t cut it for me. Mikhail going to see Yuri, as I mentioned before, was due to concern and a sense of duty - but in all honesty, he is not the first and won’t be the last to put his ass on the line for Fei Long. Akihito did it. Asami did it. Yoh did it. Do they all get a ticket to Fei’s heart? If they do, then what is the point?

It was the need to save Asami that ultimately brought Fei Long and Mikhail together. It was not mutual attraction, interest, or compatibility of values/goals/personalities. What happens when Asami is safe and sound? Has Mikhail made that much of an impression that his presence in Fei Long’s life will be justified long after their current shenagigans get sorted out?

Again: maybe yes. Maybe YA will find a way to make Mikhail relevant, maybe the road she chooses is a passionate romance. But will that convince me that she is “picking Mikhail over Yoh”? No. Because these two relationships do not compare. Mikhail is an open flame, Yoh is a slow burning amber. It’s just who they are, it’s what they have to offer. Their purposes and benefits as “love interests” are very, very different. And yes, I will even say that Fei Long might have a thing with Mikhail, but is Mikhail going for the marathon or just a sprint? As I said, things change. A moment of tenderness does not equal a love affair; a love affair does not equal a lifelong commitment. YA, smart woman she is, will probably leave both doors open until the very end, because with Fei Long, she can do whatever she wants with his love life. She can give us all or nothing, then have Tao reach age of 21 and join the race as well.

And I bet she will have a load of fun playing with our emotions.

(She does it so well, tho!)

Part 3: About scenes that matter

I will talk about the scenes that don’t matter: the ones that could easily be removed from the manga without any harm to the characters’ development or to the plot. My favorite example: the infamous Sakazakigate. I might come here later to post an apology but it does look like sensei completely abandoned that idea (she had Sakazaki record a video of the whole thing and never used it. Why? What was the point of it?)

In terms of Fei Long and Mikhail: I might be wrong about this one as well, but I think we never got confirmation that is was Mikhail who got the temple set on fire in exchange for Sudou’s info about the goods. Which is a shame, because this demonic deal could easily contribute to his hero journey if it was revealed that Mikhail himself sent Sakazaki to warn Akihito about the fire (hence double-crossing Sudou. Or triple-crossing - who knows at this point!)

I could backtrack and find more scenes that existed for apparently no reason but this is too long already. My point is: scenes that don’t matter are those that promise great waves and in the end, fall short. Time will tell how much of the current arc will have an impact in the future - do the scenes between Fei Long and Asami when they are saving each other’s lives really mean this new phase of their relationship or were they there just for the action? Does Fei Long’s moment of tenderness with Mikhail indicate that the doors are open for romance? If yes, will we see that romance now, later, two years from now?

All in all… the scenes that matter the most are those that change characters and the story in some kind of irrevocable way. I think certain scenes in Finder no Souen did that to Asami, same can be said to Fei Long in Finder no Rakuin. And those scenes cannot be invalidated by any other future scenes, because they happened, the people involved in them changed, the mark was made.

I will continue to celebrate Yoh and Fei Long simply because their past and everything they went through, their trust, their synergy, all of that deserves to be celebrated. If Fei Long ends up with Tao, then be it. With Mikhail, okay. If he ends up alone, okay too. There is more than one type of relationship between two people and that’s what I’m here for.

#in which komaki rambles!#but it's my boy yoh #I cant help it #finder no hyouteki #yoh #Liu Fei Long #Liu Feilong #mikhail arbatov

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emperorren · 5 years

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(6) I guess I'm also not a fan of "Perfect Jedi Goddess Rey for whom Kylo has to crawl on his knees to be worthy of" (I can totally see why ppl like it tho), mainly because at this point, Kylo needs an equal, and not someone he'll always feel inferior too. I think the Throne Room proves that both of them still have some growing up to do in order to not only be together, but also understand each other better, bring out the best in each other, and being able to mature together in a healthy way.

Sorry, forgot to add this last part to the earlier post.

I think nobody wants Kylo to crawl. It was a popular concept like, 2-3 years ago, when Reylo shippers used to self flagellate (and flagellate Kylo) much more than we do now, half to deflect anti discourse and half because we really believed the best we could hope for was Rey not *completely* hating his guts by the end. Those days are gone. We know Kylo has his own reasons, because the narrative is showing them—it’s no longer a stretch or “reading too much into it” on our part. But the fact remains that Kylo is a villain and that, in order for this relationship to work, they’ll need to start being on the same page on something other than their mutual desire to be with each other. And I think it’s clear that, while Rey does have some growing up to do, her ethics are in the right place, while Kylo’s aren’t. It’s kind of unrealistic to expect Rey to move away from her heroic morals in the same way Kylo will have to move away from his villainous morals, so I don’t think it’s worth debating whether she should or not.

The whole “meeting halfway” thing is still possible, especially if you consider that, so far, they’ve essentially tried to abduct each other into their world, and failed. They both need to acknowledge and accept the fact that they might never “have” the other—not in the terms they currently think would be ideal. But Kylo has objectively more things to make up for. Many of those things have nothing to do with Rey per se, but became Rey’s business the moment she started to care for him.

re: your new round of asks:

(Rey discourse anon here) The problem is that for me, it’s really hard to tell whether Rey pulling the lightsaber away from Ben was her being cornered and knowing that what she’ll do will hurt Ben deeply – and for that, all I’m going to say is that, well, no, she literally did not have to do that. Again, it makes sense that she’d react this way, but the issue is that by reacting on impulse, like Luke did so many years ago, just like he played a part in making Kylo Ren,she played a part in making the Supreme Leader. Yelling at him and making her intentions clear was entirely possible, would have resulted in a similar outcome, and she decided not to. Because reasons. (Seriously, what is Ben going to do if she replies “no” out loud, kill her? *eyeroll*)

I’m not sure why you think yelling at him would have looked better in Kylo’s eyes, or what else Rey could have done to make her intentions clear, other than beg Kylo to stop firing on the Resistance, which she already had, loud and clear. Kylo perfectly understood what she was asking. He chose not to comply. Had his reasons. But chose to discard her plea.

Also, yes, she *literally* had to pull the saber. It’s her only weapon, and the girl needed one if she wanted to get the fuck out of the Supremacy alive. I think y’all forget she was in enemy territory, alone, unarmed, and in desperate need to get to Crait where there would probably be a huge battle within minutes. Yeah, she has the Force… but a lightsaber could help.

And frankly, no, I don’t think being morally right gives you a right or even merely an excuse to strike right into someone’s trauma.

Rey really did not do that—not on purpose (unlike Kylo, who totally used the parents card i.e. Rey’s own trauma and repressed painful memories to convince her to accept his offer). Note that Rey never actually got to wield the saber against Kylo—all she did was try to snatch it away from him. They could have gone for a clear cut Luke/Rey parallel by having Kylo regain consciousness to see an armed Rey looming over him, conflicted on whether to kill him or not. But they didn’t. This is absolutely important—Rey could have killed Kylo as he was unconscious, but chose not to. And Kylo never got to see her seriously considering to kill him.

Her face could frankly also be interpreted as “you’re not doing as I say, so screw you!”, and since the next scene we see her in is her woo-hoo-ing on the Falcon and then getting reunited with her buddies, there’s no indication she’s really all that heart-broken. Her closing the door on Ben could be seen that way as well (although I obviously think their story isn’t over, of course). Like… I dunno, it’s hard for me to feel sorry for her.

Her face when she’s slowly lifting her hand in the throne room scene doesn’t scream of “screw you!” to me. Neither does the little gasp in the last force bond. But YMMV.

The story could have been set up as “Rey did nothing wrong and Ben better beg on his knees in IX”, but it wasn’t. Because in the end, both Rey and Ben made their own bed, which leads me to be more “GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER YOU IDIOTS”. But this said, I do believe Rey’s heart was at the right place. She was indeed the catalyst that pushed Ben to finally get rid of his abuser. But realistically speaking, what she pulled off could have gone horribly wrong as well.My point is not that following your heart is always bad – but doing that all the time isn’t exactly a good idea either. Heck, Luke’s heart was at the right place when he went to save his friends in ESB, and he got beat up and lost his hand.

It might be not “exactly a good idea” but it’s still better than the alternative. (in Luke’s case, that would have been leaving his friends to die; in Rey’s case, not attempting to do anything for Kylo at all). These heroes tend to have their heroism challenged at the end of the second movie: they learn that sometimes having the best intentions isn’t enough. It’s an important lesson in humility. But not one that teaches them to follow their hearts a little less. See: Luke in RotJ, doubling down on compassion and being ready to risk his life not only to save his friends, but to redeem his father too.

And for Rey, it’s more than being an outsider: she’s the only person who had, like, an actual human reaction to Ben’s situation and actually did something to help.(Well, so did Han, but it was indeed a case of “too little, too late”, even if it definitely had a huge effect on Ben and made him start to realize Snoke was a PoS) But where she also failed is that just like everyone else, she came to Ben with a clear agenda in mind (or you know, an agenda to convince herself she’s totally doing this for the great cause, not because she wants The Beefcake), and with wanting to be the hero so bad she lost sight of what Ben really needs – a friend.I guess one thing that kind of annoys me at this point is that, honestly, who the heck knows what Ben’s motivations are, at this point, because his speech in the Throne Room could be interpreted in many ways. But I won’t lie by saying about it that if it just boils up to “Ra-Ra-First-Order”, I’ll be bored to tears. It’s not even a matter of saying “Ben was right all along” (because he obviously isn’t), you know, just something like“Ben is right when it comes to the endgame, or the intentions, or whatever, but his methods of getting to that are terrible”. What Rey has in mind is “we’ll help the Resistance together and build a new Jedi Order”, while having no clue whether Ben really wants that or not. I mean, he’s probably already not big on the idea because Rey might think the Resistance is great and all, but he knows they won’t be so nice to him, for obvious reasons.And it’s not even a matter of ideological differences or not – heck, maybe even in the old days with Luke, he flat out didn’t want to be a Jedi. Both of them need to find an outcome that they both want – and they’re obviously not at that point yet.

I don’t disagree with you on this last part, especially on the bolded. (See what I said earlier about meeting halfway.) But I do have a couple objections:

I don’t think Rey was at all trying to play the hero by coming to the Supremacy. If anything, she hoped Ben could be, so she could be relieved from the burden of being the galaxy’s last hope. And yeah, Ben might be in desperate need of a friend… but so is she, and it’s not exactly easy to be the perfect friend when a war is raging and you’re on opposite sides of the conflict, ykwim? This isn’t a normal situation.

I wouldn’t really count on Kylo’s endgame being shown in a sympathetic or redeeming light. Politically, his ideas (judging from the little we know of them) are a mess. But most importantly, in politics, the “means” count just as much as the “end” does. If your plan to reduce poverty includes, say, mass incarceration and operates on a racist logic, then your plan is bad, no matter how noble your goal is. If Kylo thought the best way to create his “new order” was using a militaristic, despotic war machine whose goal is forcing the galaxy to yield to their dictatorship and raze to the ground any dissenter, then either his idea of a new order isn’t ESPECIALLY democratic in the first place, or he just doesn’t understand politics at all. He can’t simply give up on his means. He needs to give up on his intended endgame as well.

#anon #asks #rey meta #rey discourse #the throne room

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