#A lot of my prompts are ambiguous on purpose
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DPXDC Prompt #128 part 1
Danny wasn’t sure what exactly happened, but one moment he was hiding out in an alley trying his best to wrap the bandages around his torso and the next he found himself in front of a clown. His thoughts began to blur further as he began to panic. His first instinct was to tighten his fists and move into a defensive position but when he tightened his fist something happened. The clown that had been right in front of them was there and then he wasn’t. The gun he was sure he wasn’t holding before fired and sent the clown away from Danny.
Shock began to set in as he looked down on what he had done. Everything had moved so fast he couldn’t even comprehend it, he didn’t even get a good look at the one he so swiftly ended. The force of the gun caused him to fall back, breathing heavily he stared at the gun before quickly setting it down on the ground making sure the safety was on, he wasn’t risking another death. With the weapon safely placed on the ground he finally decided to take in some of his surroundings.
His soulmate was wearing a helmet and what looked to be some armor, they were in a warehouse of some sort. Danny had forgotten what it felt like to be human and he’d pay a lot more attention if the panic from murder wasn’t setting in. The clown wasn’t moving, they layed there a heap on the floor… Danny really murdered someone. Okay, he could deal with this.
…
Who was he kidding what the hell was he supposed to do? It was then that he saw movement from the corner of his eyes and he truly knew he was fucked. Someone was right by his soulmate while he had his gun pointed at the clown, did his soulmate want the clown dead? His mind was still racing incoherently as he tried to piece together what exactly just happened.
A minute passed or what felt like one, Danny swore Clockwork messed with his sense of time sometimes. He slowly raised his hands after he realized the other wasn’t going to speak, he slowly turned to see the absolute worst person to help in this scenario.
Batman, Danny was pretty sure he was fucked. He was so entirely fucked and it was then that he realized how truly he messed up. His head snapped back over to the clown and yep that’s the Joker, oh he just killed the Joker in front of Batman in his soulmate's body. Did that mean his soulmate knew Batman? Danny was absolutely stunned into silence, he had nothing he could say, who knew his soulmate would have a life probably just as messed up as his.
“Jason…” Batman’s gravelly voice broke Danny out of his thoughts, oh his soulmate's name was Jason.
Danny who finally finds his voice says, “My soulmate's name is Jason?” The voice modulator startled him and it was then that all hell broke loose.
Voices started crackling into his ear with several different people starting to speak at once.
“Did he just say soulmate?”
“Jason this better not be a prank”
“Wait, who pulled the trigger?? I heard that gunshot”
“Enough, keep coms clear” Batman commanded and everything went silent he then turned to address Danny, “come with me, we’ll need to find Jason so you and him will be alone to switch back. We’ll talk about that after.” He didn’t motion with his hands or jerk his head or anything but Danny knew exactly what he meant.
He swallowed harshly and then followed.
—————
Jason found himself no longer holding his guns, no longer in front of the damn clown, and his armor and helmet were gone. He was wearing clothes closer to rags than street clothes and his entire body seemed to ache. This must have been his soulmate's body and they were having a way worse time than Jason was at the moment. There seemed to be hastily done bandages around his waist and he honestly felt like he’d been hit by a truck. He was in an alley thankfully although that also meant he triggered the switch. Everyone knew when you got close enough to your soulmate you switched bodies.
Jason had to get to the closest safe house and hopefully he could do some proper first aid on his soulmate. He stumbled to get on his feet and began to make his way out of the alley.
Im going to update the original post as the master post and you’ll be able to find all future parts there.
Master Post:
next :
#dp x dc prompt#dp x dc#dc x dp#danny fenton#danny phantom#poor danny#vivisection#tw vivisection#soulmates au#Batman saw Danny kill the Joker but thought he was Jason#part 1#tw swearing#prompt fill#even if I fill my own prompts I still encourage people to write their own#A lot of my prompts are ambiguous on purpose#my asks are open#all my prompts are free to use
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I missed the anon ask but this has been in the back of my head for a while and one of the other asks made me think about it even more again.
So like, early in it got mentioned that the Lost alight crew never runs into themselves. I think it was that every universe they go to, the counterparts of the mechs on board are either already dead (like Tailgate Prime) or never existed (like how Minimus Magnus wouldn’t exist in SW’s universe).
Is this foreshadowing that they won’t be able to go back to 0001 with our Soundwave on board? Unless I missed something it’s never implied 0001 Soundwave died, and the idea of going back on purpose only recently became a possibility. Are we gonna get Rodimus + Soundwave’s Sorta Friends defending his right to stay with them over going home for what the crew needs? Because I’ll cry if we are.
Nice question :D Have you read the IDW comics the fic is taking place after? I ask because the answer lies in the logic/rules of the comics, which this fic is using, as well.
0001 Soundwave died in the comics. It was mentioned in the very first chapter- TFP SW realizes LL Megatron lost his Soundwave and this is what prompts him to board the LL:
Soundwave could not conceive of a situation wherein Megatron would ally himself with the Autobots. Unless... unless he was lying in wait. That Megatron had lost his Soundwave. And had been surrounded by Autobots. He must be biding his time, pretending to be an Autobot, until his true allies returned to him.
Soundwave was suddenly a lot more interested in the Lost Light.
So TFP SW could indeed go to 0001.
Funfact- I initially misread your question and typed up the next 3 paragraphs, but I'll leave them in, in case it helps answer other questions, too:
The LL crew we're following is a duplicate of the 0001 crew. In the comics this is explicitly stated (meaning it's not a secret, it's obvious), with the natural conclusion being that none of the LL mechs we're following could ever return to 0001, unless their original counterparts there have died. So, for example, TFP Soundwave could return to his own dimension because he's not a duplicate. But Megatron can't go back to 0001 unless the Megatron there is dead (which the comics left somewhat ambiguous in my opinion, but JRO has stated that Megatron was put to death for his crimes, in which case, the laws of the fic won't forbid Megatron from returning).
This (the bolded stuff above) is something that is really important readers know, actually, and I realized a few weeks ago that most of them probably won't know as they haven't read the comics. The ending of the fic isn't going to hit as hard for them. As we get closer to the ending, I'm gonna put in author's notes that people should read the comics if they can. They're out of print but There Are Ways To Find Them. The comics are regrettably inaccessible to blind/visually impaired readers, but everyone else should really give it a try.
I hinted once at the duplicate thing, but didn't elaborate on it, as I assumed readers understood. I'm not really inclined to go through a huge explanation in-story, but a future scene will hopefully clarify things enough that everyone will be able to follow what's going on.
I'll refrain from saying anything else at this point, as I don't want to spoil anything :)
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fic writer 20 questions - ask game
I was tagged by @bitbybitwrites, @special-bc-ur-part-of-it and @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion . Thank you my darlings 💖
tagging... probably a bunch of people that have already answered. @cerriddwenluna @heartsmadeofbooks @kurtsascot @backslashdelta
1. how many works do you have on ao3?
8
2. whats your ao3 word count?
134,215
3. what fandoms do you write for?
Only Glee/Klaine at the moment but I teeter enternally on the edge of writing for Red, White and Royal Blue
4. top 5 fics by kudos
Spinning Out (306)
Blaine Anderson vs. Valentine's Day (221)
Smart With Math, Stupid With Love (215)
No Take Backs (166)
Witch Wanted (161)
5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?
Yes, although if I get distracted for even a second it will inevitably not happen. If things are out of sight they are out of mind 😅
I do like to reply because comments absolutely make my day so I wanna acknowledge that. Even if I'm just like "fanks 🤓", inside I'm screaming.
6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Witch Wanted has an ambiguous ending which can be read as angsty depending on how the reader interprets it. Personally I take the happy ending but either way the purpose of it is more about choosing to love each other through any challenge, however it ends up.
7. whats the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
All the rest haha. I think Blaine Anderson vs Valentine's Day is the most straightforwardly light hearted fic. Smart With Math has the best progression. And No Take Backs is the most cathartic and hopeful.
8. do you get hate on fics?
No. I've had people disagree with some stuff like writing Kurt Hummel as a Slut in Spinning Out (he deserved a slut phase ok). Personally I always think the point of fiction is exploring other avenues for the characters but I don't mind if people disagree with that.
9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?
Yes and as to what kind... The kind where sex happens?? Not sure haha. I guess I tend to write bottom Blaine with slightly subby undertones but y'know I've also written possessive top!Blaine and wall sex and soft sex with a lot of ~feelings~ so I'll try anything really as long as it doesn't squick me.
I also tend towards writing sex in a way that I think fits the fanfic mold rather than how I feel it strictly exists in reality. I don't think there's anything wrong with that though. The mold is good.
10. do you write crossovers? whats the craziest one youve ever written?
Nah. I'm writing a Red, White, Royal Blue AU currently but it's not a crossover in the sense that characters from the book will appear. I don't currently have any plans to write one but maybe.
11. have you ever had a fic stolen?
Don't think so
12. have you ever had a fic translated?
Nope
13. have you ever cowritten a fic before?
No. I'm open to it but terrible at writing to a schedule so it would have to be a patient soul to put up with me. I've written to prompts and for art though which is a different kind of collaboration that I really enjoy.
14. fave all time ship?
Klaine but I had a pretty hefty Merthur era in my youth and they still have a special place in my heart.
15. wip you want to finish but doubt you will?
I kind of intend to finish all of them even if that's entirely unrealistic. Nothing is formally abandoned that I've written more than a few thousand words for because... sunk cost fallacy.
It's possible the fic I was writing for Back to School may fall by the way side. It was competing choir directors with a lot of dumb rivalry and banter which I do really enjoy but I'm struggling to structure the story.
16. what are your writing strengths?
Dialogue, humour and smut. At least comfort in writing those things - it's hard to judge the quality of your own work objectively.
17. what are your writing weaknesses?
Exposition, capturing any emotion other than pure stupidity, and getting the guy from one place to another.
18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?
Wouldn't do it personally, I would probably indicate a character was speaking another language within the prose rather than writing it out. But to be fair the only other language I speak is BSL which does not translate well to text 😝
I don't mind reading it as long as there's translation somewhere because your boy is lazy and doesn't wanna look stuff up
19. first fandom you wrote for?
If we're talking unpublished, it was a Jack/Ianto Torchwood fic. I think Jack was the first canonical queer man I encountered in media but I could be forgetting someone.
20. fave fic youve written?
Spinning Out is my baby and I the urge to write a sequel grows daily. I love the boys' dynamic in that fic.
But from a pure reread perspective it's probably Blaine Anderson Vs Valentine's Day. It's just light hearted silly fun and still makes me smile.
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totally random tangent on how I got into writing:
so I was one of those creative loner kids growing up, and I read a lot of fantasy stories. and I made up my own fantasy world and cast of characters. created fictional languages and everything for them. and I started out just drawing pictures of them (this is also how I got into drawing---I don't consider myself an artist, but I've been drawing on and off since childhood).
and when I was 10 years old and was in a typing class (yes, I'm an ancient man in my mid thirties), we were given the prompt "tell a story" to practice typing something out on the computer. and so I started writing a story about my fictional characters. and I LOVED it. I very much "think in pictures." when I write, I have images in my head that I translate into language and describe. and I felt like I could "draw" so many more pictures with words than I could with physical images. like, a picture tells part of a story, and a good picture can tell you quite a lot. but with words, I could describe and convey things that would be very difficult to draw or would take many images to get across/tell the whole story.
I left that computer class and started writing more of the stories I had in my head about my characters. and I didn't stop writing. I wrote about different things as I got older, though. I read a lot of "classic" books as a teenager because I liked them (Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, and Paradise Lost were some of my favorites), and I wrote my first novel-length piece when I was 16. it was awful, of course. a story about generational and religious trauma and frustrated desire. I completed my second piece when I was 19. it had a lot of similar themes to my first story. heavily influenced by all the philosophy books I was reading (I studied philosophy at university---nerd alert).
and I got into dragon ball fanfic when I was in my 20s. (though I'd watched the show as a kid.) there was always an underlying darkness and complexity to the series that I wanted to see explored, and I'd thought a lot about it and had so many stories in my head. and I felt like (and still feel like) if I don't get them out of me I will lose it, haha.
but yeah. I've been writing for over 20 years. I don't think I'll ever stop. it's what I was born to do, and I love doing it. I love the craft. I love thinking about writing itself, about all the different ways a story can be told. when I write, I like to play with narrative conventions with elements like unreliable narrators, frame stories, perspective bending, and making the reader a very active participant in what story they get when they read (as in, their interpretation heavily changes how they perceive the story's events, and I leave lots up for interpretation on purpose). I'm big on layers of ambiguity and playing with subjectivity. Makes my brain tingle!
I think when I finish the fic I'm writing right now, I might eventually take some elements from it and turn it into something original. and I definitely want to print a physical copy with illustrations when I finish it so people who like it can put it on their shelves! there's nothing like seeing something you WROTE sitting on a shelf like a real book.
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I am heartbroken because I trusted and loved that person so much. I tried so hard. I meant all the compliments and praise I gave them.
But I cannot keep ignoring how I feel - I went into people-pleasing (something I have blogged about and how I think it’s a very problematic trauma-based behavior that is dishonest).
But I wanted to keep the peace so bad.
If I told them exactly how bad I felt - they would have been upset or dismissive.
And maybe that’s how it’s supposed to go: to just see/accept that dismissiveness AND how I feel… and make a hard decision of my own.
And that’s what I ultimately did.
I NEARLY DIDN’T. I nearly wasn’t going to question a drastic polyamory change.
It was this potential pregnancy and/or some other heath condition causing pregnancy symptoms… that prompted me to break up.
At the end of the day, whether or not the person is “good” or “bad,” if I’m feeling consistently bad and my partner isn’t focused on helping alleviate that (and then makes it worse)… then I need to get out.
(I also told and showed my friends texts, letters, described responses, etc - I got outside perspectives on this. Especially the perspectives of others who are able to carry children who understand the ambiguity of my diagnosis right now.)
I feel so betrayed because I let a lot of previous behavior from them go… because I trusted them. I just disregarded my feelings because that’s “how they were” and because I was accommodating neurodivergence.
Yet they can’t accommodate my neurodivergence. I am pretty sure they cheated on me but since their polyamory is so ill-defined (on purpose I think)… I’m just not sure.
—
And then when I told them that their partner’s poly style change would mean that they would be cheating on me and I wouldn’t put up with it??
They told me I was being unkind. That I didn’t love them. That I’m nothing except for an ex-partner now. That they did soooo much for me and felt used (*eyeroll*).
And one of my poly friends made a really good point: even before the poly style changed, my ex-partner and my ex-metamour request of ME was that ME and MY LIFE interfere with them as little as possible.
With a potential pregnancy, that’s impossible.
And I didn’t consent to it.
I don’t need to be friends with my metamour, if that’s something explicitly discussed and agreed to. I can do parallel poly if I consent to it
But my ex-partner just doesn’t define their poly style and it’s so inconsistent. They say they value communication between friends and partners… but don’t follow through.
They tell me that I do whatever I want??
They literally keep shit from me all the time unless I start poking and prodding.
Do you know why I’m potentially pregnant (never mind the fact that even PIV with a condom can result in pregnancy - let’s live in a world now where that’s not true for a moment *sarcastic lol*)?
They broke a fluid-bonding agreement with their partner.
They didn’t even tell their partner UNTIL I MADE A FUSS ABOUT IT.
Fuck everything.
I don’t trust anyone unless they prove it to me CONTINUOUSLY.
#healing#post breakup processing#processing on vacation while having pregnancy symptoms#neurodivergence#self love#audhd#journaling#pregnancy
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The Psychic in Edgewater
Taking a day for myself to sort out my yearning feelings by going to some supposedly gay places in Chicago
9/2/2023
Today was a “me” day. I say this because most of every day I am enjoying with Aprille, but we got out of sync yesterday and that prompted me to take this day for myself and spend it alone, however I wanted to.
I have been feeling this for as long as I can remember: this “yearning” – a desire to be in an intimate, romantic relationship with the man I love. Funny enough (you have to laugh at the synchronicity), that’s what the theme of today was. I wanted to visit a “gay cafe” (I just looked up the first place that came up and went, so idk how gay it really was) and went to the “gay beach” of Chicago afterwards (that part was definitely gay – lots of men in speedos). You’ll love this – I took Between Life and Death by Dolores Canon to read. Shows I’m a spiritual gay. 🙄
This was the French toast I had at the not-so-gay cafe
I spent the day like I did because I wanted to be in spaces that might “maximize my chances” of meeting gay men – something that’s been on my mind as I’ve been exploring my options for meeting men with Eric, my therapist. That was ambiguously worded.
From my last few therapy sessions, I was feeling lost about this because I:
Don’t want to go on dating apps anymore because I see them as “shopping” for a man
Don’t want to go to gay bars because I don’t drink, it’s dark, it’s loud, and that doesn’t feel like the environment I would want to meet a man in
Was weary of gay speed dating because it would describe us as a “product”, see #1
That brings us to yesterday where I had yet another “I feel so down about this” moment with Aprille (which we’ll iron out how we came out of sync, I’m sure). The point is, I am so tired of this feeling. I’m tired of yearning for something that I have no 3D control over, and I even went to Photography Point last night to sit and feel. I ended up tearing up because I was having yet another “Zuko on the mountaintop” moment where I was asking my guides/higher self/universe why I have to feel this feeling. Right now, it’s hard to admit this but I hate the feeling. Am I supposed to do something about this? And if so, what?
Saw these towers looking like the high priestess tarot card while I had my “fuck the world” moment yesterday. Come to think of it there was a lot of black and white imagery yesterday and today.
I was thinking that maybe this is telling me to reevaluate my association with dating apps. Because nothing has any built in meaning (a la Bashar), I’ve been deciding that dating apps just don’t work for me, but I can just as easily decide that they are a simple means to an end. After the events of today, though, I’m not so sure that I’m to go back on the dating apps just yet. Not that I’m writing off this thought to reevaluate my association, but rather that there might be more to think about alongside that.
So I’m walking from the not-so-gay cafe to the gay beach and see there’s a psychic on the way. Mind you, I already got a reading earlier this summer (in July) where Camille (the child-trafficked CIA psychic who’s story is important as we enter this Age of Aquarius) said that I would start meeting soul family in August or September. It was a little unclear if this meeting would include a romantic partner, so idk.
As I get to the intersection of where the psychic’s shop was, I stop and go back and forth within myself if I should go in. I hesitate because I know that psychics are only as accurate as their own filtering of your life information can be through their own personal lens. But I’m feeling lost as hell, so why not.
As with life, not everything she said resonated. But a few things stuck out:
She saw me as a very old soul and incredibly spiritual
She understood that I haven’t fully understood what my “purpose” is yet, but that I will
She said that I am here to ultimately help other people heal
She knew how much I cared for people and how generous I am, even when I don’t necessarily get that in return
She knew that the above situation has lead me to create walls and not socialize much with people
She clocked that I am an overthinker and that doesn’t help always
She clocked that I’m a hopeless romantic
One of my spirit guides is a dragon (that’s kinda sick tbh)
My career (tied to purpose) will change greatly in 6 months
I will meet my soulmate in 1 to 1.5 years
I need to journal/mediate more to connect with my spirituality
I need to log my dreams because there are many messages in them
I might have some Aztec connections
I might have a past life/current incarnation wound that is part of my general frustration with life
I might move within the next year
I might write a book in the future to help people like me
And that leads me to right now, where I’ve gone ahead and started my first entry, on the same day she advised me to.
With my focus so heavily on this yearning for the man I love (even writing that feels so corny to me), I’m going to just get this all out:
I don’t know what to do with all this love I have for you. Being in separation for this long – which yes, I KNOW that 27 going on 28 years is a blip in time spiritually – has been so fucking difficult and so painful. It’s like I’m constantly looking for you in everyone I see because there’s a fear that I’m going to miss out on meeting you. Which is in direct opposition with what I know to be true about divine appointments – there’s no way I’ll miss you unless I BELIEVE I’ll miss meeting you.
Writing this down has been incredibly revealing. I guess I really do have this fear that I’ll miss meeting you. I don’t want to go meet, kiss, laugh with, smell some other dude. It’s just you that I want, and not being with you while still understanding that you’re out there has been really fucking difficult.
But alas, this is my journey to sit with; my theme to explore.
As I work through all of this, I’m being honest with where I’m at in this moment. And where I’m at is kind of like “hey universe, you said 1-1.5 years, so the clock ticking” which is funny because if I don’t meet my parter in that time, the fuck am I gonna do? I can’t threaten the universe/higher self. Nor do I want to, honestly. This is just the pain talking. I’m in pain, so be it. That’s the theme of some of today.
And the other part of today was beautiful. Walking through the tree-lined streets of the Andersonville neighborhood was so calming, with the sun warming my face (even in 85˚ heat). Hearing the cicadas cry and the smell of incense at the psychic shop reminded me of childhood (the latter being something she giggled at because she had never heard that before). I even stopped and spotted a cicada and it flew away with piss, just like in childhood in Hateruma. Such a beautiful day. Including the piss.
The view from the 151/147 bus stop to take me home. Just one example of all the beauty I saw today.
The psychic did say to make two wishes. My wishes were:
To upgrade my psychic abilities so that I can feel even more connected to the universe/higher self/spirit
To get clarity on this yearning for a romantic love
Interestingly enough, the “answer” to both as I understand it is to journal and meditate more.
So I will.
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Dear author, Could I get a hurt/comfort Daemon x gn reader (ambiguous race if possible) with angst prompts(https://authority.pub/angst-writing-prompts/) 1,6,8,18 and 30 where reader has the dream to become the best swordsman that Westeros has ever seen. So reader starts training and one day Daemon sees it and decides to help them. At the beginning he is very tough with them (to the point that Reader leaves the training injured) but as time goes by, it has an effect. Then for some reason, one day Daem just doesn't show up for training. Days and even weeks go by and nothing, reader then goes up to him and confronts him and he is a total asshole and says horrible things to them (like disbelieving reader's dream and how that was all a waste of time) in short he hurts them . A few more days pass and even hurt by his words from him, reader does not give up and continues to train alone. They train to exhaustion, always pushing themselves to the limit, until during a training session in the rain, Reader collapses and passes out. Daem finds them and takes them to the maester (and reader's situation is not the best, he has bruises all over his body and has lost a lot of weight) Daem feels guilty and spends the night with reader (taking care of them and thinking about their relationship) 3 days pass when reader finally wakes up and they are alone in the room, reader gets dressed and goes to the training yard (it's still raining) they turn around to find the bed is unmade and reader is nowhere to be seen. Worried, he goes out to look for them (he finds them in the courtyard) They argue and the reader lets out all the accumulated anger. Do they apologize for abandoning them and at the end they declare their feelings for each other please? (sorry for the amount of detail and sorry for my english)
Here you go! Hope you enjoy~
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Account FAQs
What Do I Post?
Writing!! Headcanons, oneshots, and drabbles about fictional people. I also occasionally post visuals like moodboards and social media au’s upon request / inspiration.
What Fandoms Do I Post?
There are a lot, and I WILL forget some, but here’s what I can think of.
Video Games
Stardew Valley
Potion Permit
Obey Me! SWD otome
Wylde Flowers
My Time at Portia
Coral Island
Detroit: Become Human
Movie / Book Franchises
Marvel / Disney (excluding Star Wars)
DC Comics (excluding Ezra Miller’s Flash)
Grishaverse (Six of Crows / Shadow and Bone)
80s / 90s movies
TV
Bridgerton
Young Justice
That 70s Show
The Office
Community
Umbrella Academy
What Will I NOT Write?
(TW!) Here’s a short list of things that will get deleted / edited out of requests if they are sent to me :
ANY non-con / sexual violence / ambiguous consent
Gore / Extreme Violence
Stalking / Obsession (including Yandere au’s)
Characters canonically younger than 18 years old (i am an adult so i will only write for adult characters)
Manipulation / Emotional abuse other than for backstory purposes
Any kind of romanticization of abuse or mental illness
Request Standards
All requests can be sent to my inbox at any time! Unless stated otherwise in my bio, feel free to assume that requests are open at all times.
Requests can / should include the character you want written, preferred reader pronouns, a basic plot summary or dialogue or song prompt, and anything else you feel is important.
Keep in mind I will not be able to (or want to) write every request I receive. Thank you for your kindness and patience.
Any other questions may be sent via direct messages or through my ask inbox <3
#stardew valley#potion permit#obey me otome#shall we date? obey me#wylde flowers#detroit: become human#dbh#marvel#the office#dc comics#community#grishaverse
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Zutara Month Day 10: Oma and Shu
I’ve seen some people point out that Zutara doesn’t necessarily fit Oma and Shu because the Oma and Shu myth is more Romeo and Juliet than enemies to lovers, and those people are not necessarily wrong. Romeo and Juliet, just like Oma and Shu, were never themselves enemies. They did nothing but love each other, but were forbidden from being together because of the feud. Zutara, in most interpretations, is less a “forbidden” romance and more a transition from enemies to friends to lovers. Most people imagine them growing to love each other after becoming friends, often after Zuko’s redemption and the end of the war. Nonetheless, the Oma and Shu story does share several parallels with Zutara that many fans have picked up on. What I want to do is examine some of these parallels from a meta angle, to look at the Oma and Shu story as it appears in the series and other similar stories that appear in ATLA, and to also compare them to similar stories in the real world, and analyze a bit the popularity of these various tales of forbidden love, why they are popular, and what their purpose is, as well as how Zutara fits into all this.
In universe, the Oma and Shu story, in addition to being a love story, is also an origin myth of sorts for the Earth Kingdom. It explains the creation of the city of Omashu, as well as telling the story of some of the first humans to learn earthbending. The message of the story, in addition to being a tale about love thriving between two unlikely people, and a cautionary tale about what happens when love is prevented from flourishing, is also a message about love being an act of creation and a force of transformation.
Love is brightest in the dark.
This sentence is a paradox, but it fits with the theme of balance that the show comes back to again and again, of breaking down barriers and deconstructing dichotomies to create something new, something more whole than the original. Something mirroring the harmony of yin and yang.
The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided.
The above quote by Guru Pathik is also similar to Iroh’s philosophy, which he tries to teach Zuko.
It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole.
Iroh also says something in “The Crossroads of Destiny” that echoes the Oma and Shu story.
Iroh: Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love.
Aang: What happens if we can't save anyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I'm not powerful enough?
Iroh: I don't know the answer. Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, [Aang earthbends the rocks away one last time. Iroh's fire blows out. He smiles.] you will come to a better place.
Iroh says that Aang is wise to choose love over power, while walking through a dark tunnel, and advises Aang to trust in the darkness to bring him to the light. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara, two people on opposite sides of a war, share a moment of unlikely tenderness in a cave lit by glowing crystals.
Zuko in the crystal catacombs does what Iroh has been trying to teach him to do, to let go of pride and the need for power, and to instead embrace compassion and humility. Which is what he does when he apologizes to Katara. This is also part of what stories like Romeo and Juliet teach us, that pride and petty grievances are destructive, and that only by embracing love do we become whole.
I know the prompt is Oma and Shu, but thinking about that story and its place in the narrative made me think about other mythic stories that appear in the series, so let’s look at another one that has significance for zutara: Love Amongst the Dragons, Ursa’s favorite play that she took young Zuko and Azula to see every year.
The actual story of Love Amongst the Dragons, according to the ATLA wiki, is this:
The play features the Dragon Emperor, bound to mortal form by the Dark Water Spirit, and forced to adopt the alias of Noren. The humble experience results in Noren falling in love with a mortal, and through this love he is able to break free of his curse. The play concludes with Noren defeating the Dark Water Spirit and embracing his mortal girlfriend, revealed to be the Dragon Empress.
What struck me when I found this description was that this is, with some slight changes, pretty much the Chinese myth of the marriage between Dragon and Phoenix, a representation for yin and yang and harmony in marriage, and which I compared in a meta to zutara as well.
Like the Oma and Shu story, it is a story about unlikely love, and about crossing divisions. It also has a lot of similarities with various myths involving shapeshifting love-interests, often referred to as “animal bride/husband” myths (which beauty and the beast is a subset of).
The symbolism of the tale in-universe is in its connection to Ursa, and thus Zuko’s connection to his mother. Zuko’s connection to his mother is contrasted with his connection to his father, which is representative of Zuko’s destructive side. When Zuko was trying to capture the Avatar, he was searching for his father’s approval, to become someone that would earn his father’s love. Ursa, meanwhile, taught Zuko kindness and compassion, and told him that it didn’t matter that he wasn’t the most powerful or strong. That Ursa took Zuko to see this particular play is significant, a play about a godlike being, the Dragon Emperor, being humbled and learning to love.
Only with your glory hidden in false form could you recognize my devotion.
Though different, and originating in a different nation, this is another tale about love shining through the dark, about letting go of pride and choosing compassion. Animal bride/husband myths are often about seeing past what is hidden to see the truth. They are stories of transformation, and like the Oma and Shu story, are about the transformative power of love.
It’s also from this play that Zuko gets his Blue Spirit alter ego, which Zuko uses as an exploration of his own identity apart from being the Fire Nation prince. In this story the same mask is worn by the villainous Dark Water Spirit. It is very interesting that Zuko uses an identity associated with water for this purpose. Also, like the Blue Spirit, the Dark Water Spirit seems to be a bit on the morally ambiguous side. Even though the spirit is defeated at the end of the story, its motivation for transforming the Dragon Emperor seems to be to teach him humility, and this is a message the play seems to promote.
Zuko and Azula’s dialogue from the above comic pages is interesting because it expands on what we already know about both characters. Zuko complains about always having to play the villain, just as he was made a scapegoat by his father and sister, and his adapting of the Blue Spirit identity is essentially him reclaiming that identity that was forced on him while trying to figure out who he really is. Azula sees herself as the Dragon Emperor, but she misunderstands the message of the story completely, and it’s not a coincidence that she talks over the love scene in the comic above and responds angrily and pridefully to the man who tries to shush her. Similar to Ozai when he names himself the Phoenix King, ironically misinterpreting the actual myth. I also think there’s something interesting to say about gender here, as this post points out. Not only does Ozai associate himself with a female figure, but Azula associates herself with the male Dragon Emperor, while Zuko is associated with the more feminine water spirit (water being a feminine element.) However, by the end of the series, Zuko embodies the transformed Dragon Emperor, while Katara I associated before with the Phoenix/Dragon Empress, as she is associated with healing and rebirth. Also notice the red and blue color coding in the comic page above, both with the Water Spirit and Dragon Emperor and in the coloring of the two lovers.
This also brings me to another play present in the series, the play that the gaang goes to see performed by the Ember Island Players. The same players that Zuko says his mother took him to see. The play we see them put on in the series is a Fire Nation propaganda play, promoting Ozai and the war. I actually can’t imagine that Love Amongst the Dragons, a play about a Dragon Emperor learning humility, was very popular during Ozai’s reign. We hear about it being performed before Ozai became Fire Lord, but we can assume that those visits to the theatre stopped after Ursa’s disappearance. The only other time we hear about that particular play being performed is after the end of the war. This leads me to imagine that it was necessary for the Ember Island Players to find a different play to perform while Ozai was in charge. While the play is not necessarily subverting Fire Nation superiority (the villain is a water spirit, after all), it is confrontational enough that I can imagine Ozai’s brand of narcissism seeing it as a challenge to his authority. Ozai who disdained love in favor of power and control.
“The Boy in the Iceberg” contains another love story between two people from opposite sides in their depiction of Zuko and Katara in the crystal catacombs. I wrote before about how I’ve seen interpretations of this that say that the Fire Nation was trying to portray zutara as an “inferior” Water Tribe woman falling for a “superior” Fire Nation man - essentially saying that the play is in favor of zutara as a piece of Fire Nation pro-colonization propaganda - but the problem with this is that that isn’t how zutara is depicted in the play. The play mocks zutara by portraying Zuko as submissive and subservient to Aang, and Zuko is later killed, as he is currently a traitor and threat to the Fire Nation. Thus, the “romance” between Zuko and Katara is not being depicted as supporting the superior masculinity of Fire Nation men, but rather portraying Zuko, who willingly chose to dissasociate himself with the Fire Nation, as emasculated and submissive to other, “lesser” men and aggressive “foreign” women.
This is a complete mockery of the real connection that Zuko and Katara had in the catacombs, the kind of love that is inherently subversive because it requires Zuko humbling himself in front of Katara and admitting that he was wrong, and working for her forgiveness. It is the kind of love that the Fire Nation under Ozai’s rule rejects. The kind of love that is truly transformative, revelatory, and brings light to the darkness. The kind of love that creates rather than destroys, that unifies rather than divides. That is humble and not prideful. That’s the appeal of zutara.
#zutara#zuko#katara#zutara month 2021#atla meta#the cave of two lovers#the crossroads of destiny#the ember island players#oma and shu#love amongst the dragons
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Lullaby of Woe
AO3
Angst Prompt - "Of all the times to tell me, why now?" - Any pairing
From @crazydemigod666 on Tumblr
@crazydemigod666 Psst you sent this ask to my main but I don’t really post my writing there, so I’m posting it here. Hope you don’t mind ;) Also, though very different in tone, this actually reminded me of your own Jolly Sailor Bold as I was writing it in a lot of ways lol so I hope you enjoy!
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Description: Feeling unwanted, Patton climbs up to the deck of their ship to get some fresh air when the voice of a siren comes calling.
Also, there's a song in this one. I modified the lyrics, but the song is "Lullaby of Woe" - Ashley Serena and you can listen to it here if you'd like.
Word Count: 2104
Pairings: Logicality
Characters: Patton, Logan
Warnings: Major Character Death (Ambiguous, honestly its entirely up to how you interpret it), Angst with an ambiguous ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of neglect, Mentions of cheating, Past toxic relationship, Mentions of food insecurity, Touch starvation, Hypnosis-like trance, Brief Suicidal ideation, Crying, (Let me know if I need to add anything!)
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Patton had a problem.
The crew hadn't been able to look him in the eye for over a fortnight, even though he could feel the pity in his stares as he milled about the deck without purpose. At any other point in his life, he would have been deeply ashamed, but he was nearly too tired to care now. The captain had notified him that his rations had been cut. He'd been told it was a temporary measure, but Patton knew better. The captain was starving him off the ship.
The wind nipped at his arms as Patton nimbly topped the ladder to the upper deck. Moonlight pooled on the polished wood, lighting his way as he strode through the darkness. He moved confidently, though he felt himself nearly stumbling and losing his footing with the sharp rocking of the ship. The weakness was getting to him. He knew he shouldn’t be up in the open air as the boat rocked in the wind. One swift wind could blow him overboard and he'd be gone forever, but he couldn’t bear another minute of listening to the crew's whispers.
His heart was broken enough already. He'd thought the captain loved him. When they met, Patton’s body and soul had felt like fire. In a flurry of passion, Patton had dropped his comfortable life to follow the man he'd loved across the sea and it had been the thrilling journey of his life. Flowing from adventure to adventure, the pure excitement and adrenaline had lit up his world and blinded him to the fire that had begun to eat him up inside.
Only now, as Patton staggered to the bow of ship, did he realize how much he'd withered away to make way for the man who claimer to love him. Mere embers of the previous flame remained in Patton’s heart as the captain drifted into the arms of new lovers, his loyalty already fickle and fading before Patton was even gone.
Patton sucked in a sob as he lurched forward, nearly tumbling over the ship's railing as a sudden wave jarred the ship. His white knuckles gripped the wood on instinct as he sunk to his knees. A soundless cry escaped him as he collapsed to the floor and tears flowed freely down his face in silent grief.
The pain in his chest was nearly unbearable as Patton lost himself staring into the black water of the sea below, mesmerized by the swirling vortexes as he desperately pushed away darker thoughts. He had no idea how long he sat there, silently sobbing as the moon moved across the sky, but it seemed like only moments before an unnerving melody floated through the air.
Fishes asleep among the weeds,
Patton’s head shot up at the sound the unfamiliar voice echoing eerily across the open deck. His knees curled to his chest as his eyes darted through the darkness, searching for the source of the voice.
Waves all a swaying in the breeze,
“Who’s there?”
Patton shivered as he raised his head to get a better view of the deck below. Unable to spot anyone, he cautiously reached up to the railing to pull himself upright and listen to the voice continue.
But one soul lies anxious, wide awake,
Fearing no manner of ghouls nor wraiths.
Patton jumped, spinning on his toes as the last line finished directly behind his ear. His shoulders spun clumsily as he stumbled away from the bow of the ship, landing on the ground with a thud as he turned to stare at the beast balancing on the bowsprit of the ship.
The creature stood on two feet and Patton could nearly have mistaken him for a man a man, if not for the pallid color of his skin and haunting blue glow of his eyes. The specter glided forward with an unearthly grace, balancing on the narrow bow of the ship as it rocked chaotically in the wind.
“Do not scream.” The man purred as he dropped silently on the deck. “Lest you condemn the rest of your friends to share your fate.”
A grimace curled on Patton’s lips at the statement and he resigned himself to quietly edging closer the railing behind him.
“Oh, not friends then.”
The beast cooed under his breath as he leaned forward to loom over Patton. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as the creature slowly kneeled in front of him and raised a hand to his face. Patton flinched as cold fingers brushed along his jaw and guided his chin up until he was staring into the ice-cold eyes of the man above him.
“Relax.”
Patton felt the tension in his body disappear as the dulcet tones of the man's voice lulled him into complacency. His vision blurred as he tried to stay focused on the man’s face, but as he was pulled to his feet, only one thought rang out in his mind.
He's…pretty.
The beast's calming voice continued to fill the air with a lilting melody as he smiled crowded Patton against the railing.
Don’t dare let him tremble,
For the witcher, heartless and cold,
Paid in coin of gold,
He comes and goes and he'll leave not behind,
Subtle chills tingled across Patton’s skin at the man's power. He knew fear should be gripping his heart, but he couldn’t help but his starstruck smile as the man lips curled into a sharp-toothed grin.
but heartache and woe,
Deep, deep woe.
Patton’s breath caught in his throat as his waist caught the railing. His balance wavered as the momentum nearly sent him tumbling into the dark water below, but an iron grip caught his collar.
Deep, deep woe.
The man’s deep voice resonated against Patton’s chest and he finished its last note, drawing Patton’s attention back to his mesmerizing eyes.
“Are you afraid?”
Patton sucked on his lip as he stared into the icy look of the man’s eyes. His heart slowed as the air shifted blinked his shock up at the man in front of him.
“Please, I'll do anythi—”
“Young one, be at peace. Fearing me is a waste of your energy.”
A raspy breath escaped Patton’s parted lips as the beast's hand passed over his jaw to curl around the back of his neck. Instinctively, he started to flinch away, but the monster caught him.
“Why do you allow yourself to wither, human?”
Patton sucked on his lip as his skin tingled like wildfire from the man’s icy touch. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but it'd been a long time since he'd been touched with such gentleness. The sense of danger radiating off the man in front of him should have made him quiver with fear, but instead he felt himself leaning into the unfamiliar comfort with a quiet sob.
“Hush now. You no longer need to suffer.”
Scaled fingers slipped through Patton’s hair as the pale beast comforted him. The walls which he’d built around his heart came crashing down and his feelings escaped him in a subdued mourning.
“That’s all you really wanted. Isn’t it? To be needed?”
Patton’s grip tightened on the man's flowing silk shirt as a soft whisper escaped him. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
“I've been watching you since your ship left the port nearly a full moon ago. The effort you extend to for the benefit of the others aboard this vessel is nothing less than commendable.” The beast’s breath passed through Patton’s hair like a soft wind as his fingertips brushed Patton’s cheek. “You are not simply a weight to the man who scorns your love.”
The man’s soothing voice resonated from his chest as Patton timidly tipped his head up to him.
“W-who are you?”
“My name is of no consequence,” The man’s whispered, though he seemed to immediately correct himself as he noted Patton’s disappointment. “Though you may call me Logan, if your heart desires.”
“Logan—” Patton breathed as he lifted his head. “—you've been watching me?”
“With deep interest, my dearest. You are too delectable to be wasted on someone who does not appreciate you.” Logan’s sharp-toothed grin grew wider as his thumb brushed Patton’s cheek. “Your scent is absolutely dizzying.”
“T-that can't be true.”
“Oh?” The siren's pale fingers trailed down Patton’s jaw, letting out a melodic chuckle as Patton sighed at the touch. “And why is that, my lovely?”
Patton’s face twisted in disgust and he started to pull away. “I'm—I'm not—”
Logan’s hands caught Patton’s waist, eliciting a gasp as he effortlessly lifted Patton and placed him on the railing of the rocking ship. He moved forward, standing between Patton’s legs as his piercing, blue eyes locked onto Patton.
“Not what, darling?”
“N-not special.” Patton whispered quietly, suddenly entranced by the mesmerizing glimmer in Logan’s eyes.
“It truly is a crime that any man was able to convince you of that.”
Patton blinked in disbelief as the siren curled a finger under his chin, lifting his gaze. “What?”
“Your soul leaves a sweet scent in the air that only a fool would neglect to savor.” Logan whispered, sending pleasant chills down Patton’s spine as his other hand slipped around Patton’s waist. “My dearest, you are a gift to this world that has kept my eye for thrice the time it's taken for the dark moon to turn bright in the sky.”
“If—If you've been watching me—” Patton started after a moment of silence, shaking as he reached up to grip Logan’s wrist. “Then, of all times to tell me, why now?”
The siren was silent as his piercing eyes bore into Patton, sending a heated wave of adrenaline through him as another wave crashed against the side of the ship. Logan’s grip tightened on Patton’s waist as sea's mist filled the air.
“I think you know why I have approached you.”
“Y-you're a siren.” Patton whispered as he nervously clung to the railing.
“Come away with me, darling.”
“They—” Patton swallowed the lump in his throat as he turned his head away from the dangerous look in Logan’s eyes. “The sailors say that those who are taken away by sirens are never heard from again.”
Logan remained quiet for a moment before raising a hand to wipe the tears from Patton’s cheek. “You will not be missed by the men on this ship.”
Patton sucked in a breath as though he'd been struck in the stomach. “I—I know, but—”
“Hush, now. Do not be afraid.” Logan whispered as tears brimmed in Patton’s eyes. “Do you have loved ones on the land?”
“No,” Patton breathed as an emptiness filled his chest. “I am alone.”
“Then what do you live for, dearest?”
Patton started to shake as tears streamed down his face. “I—I don’t know anymore.”
“Then tell me, my love.” Logan whispered as he curled a finger around Patton’s chin to lift his head up. “What risk is there in leaving with me?”
“I'm not ready to die."
Logan's sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight as he leaned into Patton’s ear. “Who said anything about dying?”
Patton blinked, still in disbelief as he sputtered out a response. “Are you going to hurt me?”
“Will you take the risk to find out?”
Patton sucked in a breath as he stared into Logan’s blue eyes. His heart pounded in his chest as he balanced on the railing of the ship, teetering above the dark waters above.
“O-okay.”
Logan leaned in closer with a knowing grin. “You have to tell me what you want, love.”
“Take me away, p-please.”
Logan's unearthly grin widened as Patton curled into his chest. “As you wish, darling.”
A hum started deep in Logan's chest, soothing Patton’s uneven breathing as he continued his song.
The waves are silent for the night,
All matter turned in as daylight dies,
But one soul lies anxious wide awake,
My dear darling Patton, shut your eyes,
Lie still, lie silent, utter no cries.
The world around Patton seemed became blurry as the siren’s song lulled him into a deep trance. His skin tingled with a pleasant vibration as the soft sound of Logan’s voice filled his ears. Deep in a stupor, he barely noticed as they dropped into the dark waters below. The moonlight faded as they disappeared beneath the surface, but Logan’s voice still echoed beautifully in his mind.
Beware of the man who covets your soul,
He'll chop you and slice you,
Cut and he'll dice you,
Eat you up whole,
Eat you whole,
All while he sings to you,
he lullaby of deep, deep woe.
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General Taglist:
@justanotherhumanstuff @im-an-anxious-wreck @shadowyplaidpurseegg
#sanders sides#sanders sides fic#sanders sides fanfiction#sanders sides fanfic#ts patton#ts logan#logicality#siren!logan#human!patton#tw abuse#sailor au#siren au#Lullaby of Woe#villain writes
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Meeting and Dating Seamus Finnigan
(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)
- You and Seamus first met when you were both wee little witches and wizards. You’d ended up friends with the same people so you were usually around each other a lot ... even though you didn’t get on too well.
- Sure, you could still consider Seamus a friend; and him you, but the two of you butted heads like no one else.
- It all started because you were good at academics and he ...wasn’t. There was a bit of resentment there, mainly because he was embarrassed by his proclivity towards pyrotechnics and the fact that few people trusted his magic; and envious that they trusted yours.
- Neither of you hated each other; even though his temper and snarky comments got on your nerves, but anything that involved magic got the two of you into a bit of a stand off. If you were anywhere besides the classroom then the two of you could actually be around each other without having a glaring match.
- As it so happens, the older you got, the fonder he grew of you and you of him, though neither of you wanted to admit it. Although, even if you liked him, you couldn’t imagine yourself willingly dating the boy; no matter how handsome or endearing he could be. And he thought you were prissy and snobbish but he still liked you; mainly because he knew deep down that you weren’t.
- Soon enough, your bickering starts to sound more like flirting and though you adamantly denied it any chance you got, it was still happening. He’d be the more flirtier out of the two of you ...then he’d sense rejection and would get a bit rude in an attempt to save his pride.
- When he first asked you out, you gently said no, explaining that it was merely the logical thing to do. The two of you could barely get on in itself, how would a relationship work out? But he persisted.
- After a few more attempts, he finally bets on a Quidditch game with you, promising that he’ll stop asking if you win but he’ll get a date if you don’t. Both to shut him up and because it seems fair; and seeing as though once you went on said date and argued for forty minutes he’d have some more clarity, you agreed.
- And of course, he wins the bet. Godric, he was like the cat that got the canary, grinning from ear to ear as he approached you. “I’ll be seeing you at Hogsmeade then, eh?” and you’d rolled your eyes halfheartedly, trying to hide your smile.
- So you and Seamus go to Hogsmeade together that weekend and you have a surprisingly good time; he probably makes complete sure of that in an attempt to prove to you that you’d be a good couple.
“See. I’m not all bad.” He joked as you walked around the village.
“I’m a bit surprised, really. I figured you were just a minger. Always picking fights.” You said earnestly and a bit teasingly.
“Suppose I was just a bit embarrassed that you didn’t make everything you waved your wand at explode.” He relented, muttering shyly, cementing in your head that you’d like to “see” him again.
- He asks you about that as you’re returning to the castle, giving you a “so will I be taking you out another time or am I still a minger?” with a smile. You can’t even begin to imagine how happy he was when you agreed, he almost kissed you right then and there.
- You share your first kiss a week or so later as you’re trying to teach him a spell. As per usual, he’d made a small explosion and was pretty bummed out. You’d leaned over and wiped at the soot that was on his face, reassuring him that it was okay.
- It didn’t help and he continued to pout which prompted you to lean down and peck his lips. That did the trick. He immediately looked at you with a somewhat surprised smile before leaning in to kiss you again.
- Congratulations! You’ve got yourself your very own kissable incendiary!
- Lots of pda. He doesn’t like to act all mushy with you but his hands do rarely remain off of you for very long. He wants everyone to know that the two of you are together; he’s very proud.
- He tends to wrap his arms around you; from behind, whenever you’re standing or sitting together. It makes him feel like he’s protecting you, and he likes the fact that he can pull you into him.
- Him leaning his head on your shoulder.
- He loves when you kiss him on the cheek. He always gets all smiley whenever you do.
- Once his lips are on yours and he’s really invested in kissing you, you should take it to your room because things will get heated very quickly. Most of your kisses are quite passionate and a bit on the rougher side of things.
- The two of you also have slow, softer kisses if he’s in more of a relaxed and loving mood.
- He’s a big fan of cuddling but you can’t let his mates know that. He loves being the big spoon and has a particular fondness for your bed, probably because of the fact that it’s all soft and smells like you; even though he’s literally holding you in his arms.
- There’s always a bit of a smoky smell lingering on him. It’s sort of cozy and certainly becomes a comforting scent after the two of you are together for a while.
- He uses quite a few pet names on you without any shame, partially because he uses Irish/Gaelic ones; meaning that most of his friends wont know what he’s saying. He’ll call you things like “a mhuirnín” and “a ghrá” or their English counterparts: darling and love.
- Compliments. He loves seeing you show people up and do impressive things. He’s always the first to tell you how great you were and inform everybody that that is his girlfriend!
- Wiping his face for him after his magic backfires.
- Ducking/jumping away when one of his explosions goes off. He usually turns and gives you a small sorry with a sheepish smile whenever they do.
- Tying his tie for him. He occasionally makes it look terrible on purpose so that you’ll do it/redo for him. He likes having you close to him; it gives him the chance to look down at and memorize your pretty face while you’re distracted.
- Getting escorted to class whenever he see’s you. He’ll always jog over to catch up with you when he see’s you from across the hall.
- Wearing his class ring as a promise ring. It always makes him smile whenever he sees you wearing it; especially if you’re angry with him since it lets him know that you still care about and want to be with him.
- Sleepovers; especially over the summer. You’ll have your own little dance parties, movie marathons, junk food binges, pillow tent building competitions, etc. He loves the nights he gets to spend with you.
- Going to Hogsmeade together; usually the Three Broomsticks or Zonko’s.
- You can’t let his friends know how soft he is. Dancing together in your room, him giving you a really long hug? You’re taking that to your grave, honey.
- Double dates with Dean and his girlfriends.
- You share your boyfriend with Dean. He’s constantly third wheeling when; and while if we’re being honest, he doesn’t have a girlfriend but he’s so lovable that you usually don’t even mind.
- Sitting together at Quidditch games. He tends to get really into them, holding your hand on his bouncing knee as you watch, jumping to his feet to cheer before sitting back down and kissing your cheek, pulling you into his side excitedly.
- Letting him gush to you about stuff. It never ceases to make you smile; he’s just so adorable.
- Stealing his hoodies.
- Talking about muggle stuff.
- Sneaking drinks of liquor.
- Sharing sweets.
- Playing chess together.
- He’s always trying to take care of you and get you to take better care of yourself as well. He’ll put food on your plate, try to insist that you to eat something when you say you’re not hungry, pile jackets and hats on you, over bandage cuts, etc. Fussing over you is one of the ways he shows he cares.
- He’s always jumping to help you with whatever you need; especially if it has to do with magic.
- He gets pretty offended when you don’t trust him and his magical abilities, although he can’t really stay mad at you and the truth for very long. He’ll usually just “forget” about the fact that you wouldn’t let him mend your tights with a spell an hour or so after it happens.
- Trying to help him learn how to perform magic without creating small explosions.
- Honey, he wants to impress you so badly. Sure, he likes being a helpful little lad but the main reason he’s the first to volunteer to fix something is so that he can show off to you and make you all proud of him.
- Teasing and playfully making fun of each other.
- Your smile? There is no better sight. Your laugh? Music to his ears. He’s always trying to make you laugh and definitely succeeds most of the time.
- You’re definitely introduced to his mother, she's very important to him. Before you arrive, he insists that she’ll love you, and she does; she thinks you’re the sweetest little thing alive.
- Letting him rant to you and; at least, pretending to take his side or be ambiguous as to whose side you’re really on, just to help calm him down quicker.
- Keeping him from starting fights with people; trying to at least.
- He’s not a very physically imposing person but he acts like he is, standing by your side with his arms crossed and his eyes glaring at someone for one reason or another.
- Seamus is a fiery jealous lad. He doesn’t like boys looking at you and is the type of boyfriend who doesn’t like when you wear revealing clothes out in public; he won’t force you to change if you really don’t want to but he’ll certainly glare down anyone who stares at you.
- Your boyfriend is fully prepared to kill for you. He definitely jumps to defend your honor and is a hair away from jumping any person who insults or hurts you.
- The two of you definitely have a few good arguments but he rarely yells at you, he mainly just argues passionately and might throw in a weak insult/insinuation from time to time. He’s got a bit of a temper so don’t take his behavior too personally.
- He watches you like a miserable little puppy whenever you’re mad at and ignoring him. He usually gives you and himself a day or so to calm down before calling out your name as you pass and giving you a shy apology.
- There’s quite a few I love you’s in your relationship, usually when you’re alone. Occasionally, you’ll say it in public and he’ll shyly say it back, punching his friends in the arm when they tease him for it.
- He’s a loyal boy and he’s preparing to spend the rest of his life with you. You’re the best at the extinguisher charm so it’s really just a matter of public safety, isn’t it?
#hp imagines#hp imagine#hp headcanons#hp headcanon#harry potter imagines#harry potter headcanons#seamus finnigan headcanons#seamus finnigan imagines#seamus finnigan headcanon#seamus finnigan imagine
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Wuko in the comics
Welcome to my first post discussing Wuko in the LoK comic books!
This first post will be discussing Turf Wars- which unfortunately does not feature Wu. But there are lots of excellent Mako moments, and there are some major plot points that carry over into the next comic trilogy.
Turf Wars is the first LoK comic trilogy released after the finale. Though it was released two and half years after the finale aired, it picks up right where we left off. While the creators confirmed after the finale aired that Korrasami was canon, the last moments of the animated series were a little ambiguous (on purpose, since this was a time when queer representation was just not considered "acceptable" in children's media-it was truly the only way they could get away with it). The comics definitively remove all ambiguity. Turf Wars features multiple frames of Korra and Asami kissing, holding hands, and coming out to their friends and family.
The overarching plot of Turf Wars is a conflict over the land upon which the new spirit portal sets. There is also conflict between rival Triad gangs, the Triple Threats and the Creeping Crystals, over turf in Republic City following the chaos of Kuvira's invasion. These two sets of turf wars overlap when a business tycoon hires the Triple Threats to secure the spirit portal for him by driving others off. The new Leader of the Triple Threats, Tokuga, is attacked by a spirit defending the portal, causing him to gain a dragon-like appearance and a new agenda-seizing control of all Republic City. In the midst of all this there is a refugee crisis, a presidential election, and Korra and Asami trying to navigate their new relationship once they return to the real world with all their responsibilities.
Notable plot points and character developments:
Korra and Asami canon is confirmed (repeatedly)-They come out to family and their friends
Business owner Wonyong Keum, who owns the land upon which the new portal sits, demands everyone vacate so he can turn it into a tourist attraction for profit-prompting Korra to enter the Avatar state to temporarily drive him away.
An unhappy spirit requests Korra closes the portal to prevent exploitation of the spirit world.
Bolin joins Mako as his rookie detective partner.
Zhu Li is running efforts to care for refugees who lost their homes during Kuvira’s attack and teams up with Asami to begin rebuilding homes for everyone displaced.
Tokuga is introduced as the leader of the Triple Threats, fighting for control of the streets with Jargala, the leader of the Creeping Crystals.
Kya reveals she is queer and gives us a history lesson on the context of LGBTQ+ history in the world.
Tokuga is attacked by the afore-mentioned spirit and his right arm and half his face become dragon-esque.
Raiko is a colossal idiot. He is way too focused on getting reelected and making his decisions based on what his campaign advisor suggests, rather than just, you know, governing his city. He calls the military to occupy the portal, prompting the Airbenders to peacefully protest.
Zhu Li runs against Raiko for the presidency. She rallies more protesters to protect the spirit portal while her husband films her for his newest project- a “docu-mover” which he presumably uses to influence the election.
Asami and Keum are kidnapped by Tokuga and forced to make a poison gas device bring the city under Tokuga’s control.
The Krew manages to save the day of course, thanks to Asami’s wit, Korra’s unstoppable stubbornness, and back-up from Bolin and Mako. Except Mako, bless him, says he’ll “take care of Tokuga”, and then promptly loses him.
Tokuga mysteriously disappears into the spirit world.
Zhu Li wins the presidency.
Korra and Asami share a lovely, romantic moment where they exchange their first “I love you”s at the conclusion of the comic.
Mako scenes
There is no Wu in the Turf Wars comics (Unless you count one line of dialogue where it is mentioned that the Earth Kingdom is sending supplies to help the refugee situation) - however, there is plenty of Mako! Mako’s primary role in this series is as a detective trying to find and stop the Triads from waging their turf war in the city.
Our first scenes with Mako shows him back to being a detective- and his brother is his partner. He doesn’t seem super thrilled to be working with Bolin, but I think it’s just because he knows how his brother is- not that he doesn’t want to spend time with him. They are trying to track down the new leader of the triple threats and control gang activity. Mako’s arm is still in a sling, he’s got his usual brooding grumpy facial expression, and his hair is spiky again! He and Bolin arrest two-toed Ping and try to interrogate him. Two-toed Ping is weirdly proud of Mako and Bolin for rising up from being “nobodies” to a couple of “bigtime cops”.
They catch up with Korra and Asami, and the four of them are alerted by Jinora that the Triple threats are attacking the Airbenders that were meditating at the portal. Asami gets hurt in the battle and she and Korra share a kiss in front of everyone:
Look at Opal’s sweet face. She looks like she’s barely containing her excitement and is maybe squealing a bit, and she’s looking directly at Bolin which I think is a sweet moment to show their relationship. Bolin calls dibs on the first double date.
Mako probably needs time to process the information....
Mako and Bolin do some detective work to try and find Tokuga. There is an interesting scene where they are questioning Scoochy (We saw him in the first season, he’s the kid that told Korra and Mako the Bolin went to do some work for the triple threats before getting captured by equalists) Bolin tells Mako they should do “good cop, bad cop”, with Bolin being the good cop. Mako gets annoyed, and Bolin asks if he’s grumpy because his exes are dating. Mako insists he’s cool with it- though he’s got a distressed look on his face. They catch up to Scoochy and Bolin actually loses his temper and is rather menacing. Mako pulls Bolin back and genuinely connects with Scoochy- relating to his past, pushing him to do the right thing and help others. I really liked this moment because it shows how much character growth he’s had when you compare the way he treated Kai in season 3. (They are ultimately unsuccessful and Scoochy’s tip leads them to a room rigged with explosives- but I don’t think Scoochy knew that, I think he was fed false info).
There’s another touching scene, after Asami is kidnapped, where Mako notices how upset Korra seems as everyone is trying to form a plan to stop Tokuga. He steps aside to check in and see how she’s feeling. He comforts her’ empathizes with her, and reassures her that they are going to find Asami. At this point he seems to have fully processed that they are together and seems to fully accept it and is very supportive. Not easy considering the awkward position he’s in as both their exes. In this scene, Mako also informs Korra that he can’t firebend with his injured arm.
Mako and Bolin helps Korra to find Asami by requesting help from Jargala- in spite of the fact that Chief Beifong told them not to… They show up for Korra and Asami even if it means risking their jobs. They team up and fight the bad guys together, just like the old days.
We see many examples of how bad the damage is from Mako’s injury in the Colossus. He can’t bend with his left arm, it’s in a sling almost the whole comic, and he really doesn’t seem to be at the top of his game. He told Bolin he would take care of catching Tokuga, but apparently couldn’t and lost him. Mako’s injury is pretty bad and it’s probably really frustrating.
At the end, Bolin decides to quit the force (surprise. The guy loves to hop from calling to calling!). He makes a big dramatic speech to Mako, talking about how it’s time they go their separate ways. Mako is like “Um I’m going to see you at home in like two hours”, so it sounds like they are living together.
What all this might mean for Wuko
So now I’m going to try to tie things back into how all this affects the potential of Wuko- whether that’s for headcanons or fics or whatever- and just try to give you an idea of what this comic means for Wuko shippers.
Wu is governing in the Earth Kingdom right now. It is mentioned by Zhu Li that the Earth Kingdom sent supplies, so one can assume Wu has taken his place on the throne and the Earth Kingdom is in a stable enough position to be sending supplies to aid another nation. Nothing is mentioned about efforts to transform the Earth Kingdom into a democratic nation (we’ll get to that in the Ruins of the Empire comics).
Mako’s primary relationships that are explored are with his brother and with Korra. His relationship with Bolin is just as it always is. He loves his brother even if he is a little exhausted by his upbeat, enthusiastic attitude. We build up on his final interaction with Korra from the animated series and continue to firmly establish them as friends and amicable exes. Interestingly, we don’t get any meaningful Mako and Asami interactions. When he is comforting Korra, he relates to her by remembering how worried he was when Korra was kidnapped by Amon. He doesn't try to say “Yeah I’m really worried about Asami too”, which, to me is bizarre because he and Asami are friends too, right? I don’t know if we should read too much into it though- most likely it was just a writing choice that we aren’t meant to psycho-analyze- but it could also mean he is being careful with his words so that Korra doesn’t wonder if he still has feelings for Asami. The love triangle is completely resolved and Mako is out of the picture romantically with either of them and has no lingering romantic feelings. In other words, he is 100% ready available for a relationship with someone else.
The scene where Kya gives us a history lesson establishes how LGBTQ+ people are viewed in the world of LoK. In short, Korra and Asami are fully supported by their friends and family, and even their enemies acknowledge their relationship without any homophobic tones. The closest we get to homophobia is Korra's father, who, after expressing his happiness at their relationship, warns Korra to be cautious going forward because not everyone will be as understanding. Kya gives us a quick lesson on how same-gender relationships are viewed across the nations: The water tribe, being a patriarchal culture, expects discretion. The Earth Kingdom is not particularly accepting-Kya says that Avatar Kyoshi was bisexual but couldn't affect "real change" and that the earth kingdom is the slowest to accept change and is also militarily repressive (full disclosure I have not read the Kyoshi comics, maybe there is additional insight in those?). And in the fire nation, Sozin made same-gender relationships illegal when he took power (I hope Zuko undid all that when he became Firelord). The air nation is the only one that seems truly accepting-Kya paints a picture of total acceptance and says that Aang was supportive when she herself came out. Korra is worried that maybe her father was right, but Asami points out that a lot has changed over the years and everyone seems accepting, especially in Republic City.
I think what we can take away from this as far as Wuko goes- is that in Republic City, same-gender relationships are not much of an issue, while in the Earth Kingdom it could be viewed negatively. One could make a case that Wu might have cause to be closeted, while Mako might not. (Feel free to reject this history canon and substitute your own. I’d just as soon say that no one in the avatar-verse cares if you aren’t cis or het).
In conclusion. Mako is just a guy trying very hard to be a good, supportive friend to his exes who are now dating each other. He loves them (platonically) he loves his brother, he’s kind and has matured a lot, but he still always has a grumpy look on his face so it’s time for him to move on and get together with Wu.
Well, that’s Turf Wars. I did cram the plot of three comic books into one post, so I certainly did not hit all the details. If you feel I missed something crucial, feel free to reblog with your own takes. Next I’ll discuss Ruins of the Empire, in which we get lots of Wu and potential Wuko moments, a sizable helping of angst and even some Wu & Korra friendship! RotE is a really fun comic trilogy and I’ll be breaking it down into multiple posts. Thanks for reading everyone!
Wuko In RotE part 1
Wuko in RotE part 2
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i love reading your thoughts on characters, it's very refreshing. even if i disagree with some, it's still very entertaining and not offensive. it's actually quite hilarious because it does makes sense when you put it in a certain way. i'd love to know what you think of anakin/vader, the good and the bad :3
I’m glad, at the very least, I entertain with my fandom heresy.
As for Anakin Skywalker, there’s a lot to say about him, too much I honestly feel like for one post. So, I think I’m going to go large with this and if people want thoughts on specific things we can narrow down from there.
I think Anakin is the truest incarnation of the Force that has ever existed in the mortal world, is essentially the avatar of an all powerful god, terrifyingly powerful in a ways the movies don’t truly touch upon, and the sign that the Force fully intended for the organizations of Force Sensitives to be eradicated: both Jedi and Sith.
A lot of people brush over what Anakin is, how he was born, and what his midichlorian count really means.
Part of this is that the dialogue Lucas gave us was a bit ambiguous. We’re told Anakin has an unprecedented number of midichlorians and are given a few off hand lines regarding how this is possible and why Anakin is “the chosen one”.
First, Shmi tells Qui-Gon that Anakin has no father. When I watched Phantom Menace the first time, god knows how long ago, I took this to mean, “Oh, Shmi doesn’t want to discuss the father”. Either this meant the father had run out, Shmi had been raped (which as a slave was highly possible), or something bad was intertwined with whoever the father was. I didn’t realize until later that this was supposed to be, “No, biologically, Anakin Skywalker has no father. This is immaculate conception.” This is brought up only once then never touched on again.
We then have Palpatine’s weird storytime to Anakin, about Darth Plagueis, in which he never confesses in the films that he was the apprentice to murder his master and that, the life they induced, was likely Anakin himself. This is all stuff you have to piece together on your own. More on this later though, we’re coming back to this one.
The other reason I think people skip over it is that I’ve found people get really weird about religion in fiction. Even made up space religions that mirror, in a sense, Christianity. People take a look at that Space Jesus thing and go “MMM, DON’T WANT THAT” and run in the other direction.
Regardless though, look at Anakin at the cellular level and he’s mostly Force with some smatterings of Shmi thrown in there to give him this human shell and human personality.
Which beggars the question: why would the Force make a mortal avatar?
We have a few answers to this: the prophecy and Palpatine.
The prophecy long predates Palpatine and we’re given an alarmingly vague prophecy that Qui-Gon Jinn, in his hubris, interprets in the most optimistic way he possibly can. A Force Sensitive Jedi will bring balance to the Force. Qui-Gon interprets this to mean that he will finally wipe out the Sith. Nevermind that, despite the Sith reemergence in Phantom Menace, the Jedi are in a near unprecedented position of power and control who have beaten back the Sith threat almost into non-existence. What does balance mean, Qui-Gon? Why are you so certain the Force is on your side?
As for Palpatine, we know he and his master were mucking about with life, the universe, etc. and they somehow manage to produce a miracle. They create life from almost nothing.
Personally, I think they were only successful because the Force allowed them to be. Anakin’s life was predetermined, ergo, they are allowed to induce it on his behalf. Perhaps, behind the scenes, they’re even prompted to.
Because I do not believe the Force is benign or necessarily on the side of the Jedi. The God of Star Wars is a very present, very powerful, being. Yet, despite this, Star Wars faces the same questions about the Riddle of Evil that we do. If the Force exists, if it is all powerful, if it is benign, then why do the Sith exist? Why do bad things happen?
One answer is that the Force really isn’t all that sentient or have a will of its own. It’s more the combined life force energy of everyone, so people direct it. However, the feeling the films always convey is that there is a sense of purpose to the Force. We have prophecies, we have events that seem predetermined, we have people being guided by the Force.
And we have Anakin Skywalker, who fulfils the prophecy in every single respect.
He balances the Force, he eliminates both the Jedi Order, puts it in a position where it will likely never recover, and then eliminates the Sith by murdering himself and Palpatine (we’ll get to the sequels and Palpatine’s miraculous survival).
Given everything, given what Anakin is, I can’t interpret this as anything but the Force wanting to get rid of organizations actively manipulating it. Which makes sense, in a way. Both the Sith and Jedi actively manipulate the Force in increasingly brazen manners. If one can ascribe the Force a personality, I imagine both factions really pissed it off. So, Anakin became the tool to do so.
With his death and his task done, unwittingly by him, the Jedi only survive in Luke who isn’t a Jedi at all. The Sith and Jedi religion are over, purged, and whatever we get next will never be what it was.
As for Palpatine’s survival well... If the Force wished to eliminate the Jedi and the Sith, then I imagine it just about died when Luke made a Jedi Academy. And after all the work of Anakin, after all that effort, it just throws its hands in the air and says, “GODDAMMIT I’M BRINGING BACK PALPATINE”. So we get Palpatine back, the Jedi Academy burns down, ten or so years later we get Rey who then murders Palpatine, and we’re back to a world with no Jedi and no Sith.
Until Rey starts an academy and I’m sure Palpatine will resurrect a third time, perhaps in Godzilla form, and smash the academy to pieces while breathing fire.
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an obligatory analysis of sylvie’s character (aka: who betrayed who?)
in case you can’t tell, i like sylvie. but here’s a big fuckin post where i share my thoughts on her role in the finale in a sort of disjointed kind of way.
NOTE: this isn’t about sylki. i don’t ship it personally, but that isn’t really relevant to this at all. this also doesn’t go into the criticisms i have of the show because this isn’t really the place for that. maybe i can do that later, whatever.
also, this is gonna be a long post. i have a lot of thoughts.
sylvie’s introduction and motivations
one of the first things we learn about sylvie is her opposition to the tva. (okay, it’s literally the first thing, whatever.) in episode 3, we get to see her entire plan - overthrow whoever’s running the tva, and... that’s it. loki questions her about the power vacuum that would leave, to which she shows that she’s not interested in running the tva. (this is also stated in ep 2.) her goals are clear. she wants rid of the entire organisation, and doesn’t care about or want the sort of power that would come with pulling the strings.
her reasoning for this seems pretty simple. she doesn’t want the power ruling the tva would entail because she knows what it’s like to be on the other end of that deal. she had everything taken from her as a child, and doesn’t want that to happen to anybody else. she believes that that kind of power belongs to nobody, not even herself.
this easily establishes her as a character who, despite having an ego, has principles that trump everything else. she’s very dedicated to her cause; the ‘never at the expense of the mission’ line in ep 3 just states it out loud. her entire life has been dedicated to this cause. this is a good time to segue into the next section...
sylvie’s personality, character and flaws
she’s fuckin stabby.
despite only really being present for 4 out of the 6 episodes of the show, we manage to get a pretty good idea of sylvie’s personality right from the start thanks to episode 3 being largely a character study with both her and loki. she’s shown as a very competent and strong character - however, contrary to marvel’s guidebook on writing female characters, those aren’t personality traits. what we actually see of her is that she’s very confident, and has a tendency to be rude or dismissive of other people. episode 3 has a bunch of examples of this, but the easiest one to point to is the fireworks scene. after loki does something nice to cheer her up, something which visibly works, her response is to waive it away as ‘not bad’.
her coldness in this scene even after bonding with loki is likely due to her upbringing. sylvie spent the majority of her life, including her childhood, on the run, unable to form relationships with people who weren’t moments away from dying. it feels a bit redundant for me to point this out, but this is, as they say in the medical field, mega fucking traumatic. not only did sylvie not have the opportunity to form these kinds of connections, she couldn’t even develop the ability to form them. loki is a bandaid to cover a bullet hole in this regard, one she needs years to heal from. while she does bond with him to an extent, she is physically unable to trust him to the point where they can be considered close.
another thing we learn about sylvie is that she’s very violent - and that she enjoys it. being a character that grew up running from an organisation that wanted her dead, it makes sense for her first instinct to be confrontational. however, despite having to fight to survive, she visibly takes pleasure from fighting. this was brought up in an interview with sophia (that i am not going to link here, because tumblr is kind of a hellsite and i’m not in the mood for that today). here’s a nice extract instead.
“She's not trained like Loki is,” Di Martino continues. “She can't do some of the flourishes that he would, but she's figured out how to brawl. She's a street fighter and she loves it. That was a really great key to unlocking part of Sylvie for me, was how much she just loves a fight. She knows that she's either going to win, or if she isn't going to win, she'll survive. She's that damaged character who's dangerous because she knows she can survive.”
her tendency towards violence is actually a key part of sylvie’s character. this works as both a strength and a flaw. on the one hand, she’s able to survive scrapes most other characters wouldn’t, and she knows that. she’s not one to freeze in most (note: most) scenarios, because she knows what to expect. on the other hand, violence isn’t always the answer, and she’s very unlikely to consider any other option than a fight.
her enchantment abilities tie into this - they’re another weapon for her to use, and one she’s not afraid to call on. however, her eagerness to enchant people without hesitation puts her in a pretty bad place morally. her enchantment clearly leaves hunter c-20 traumatised, and yet she’s more than willing to enchant people for the sake of the mission. she’s also relatively dismissive of human sentient lives. an early example of this is in episode 2, where loki asks her if the person she had enchanted was dead, to which she responds with a casual ‘they usually survive’. additionally, she’s more than willing to fight the guards on the train in episode 3, despite them seeing her as a threat for completely understandable reasons.
in the case of the guards, her reasoning for placing such little value on their lives is likely that they’re about to die anyways. everyone on lamentis is doomed, so from her point of view, whether they die at her hands or at the hands of the moon from majora’s mask isn’t really important. however, c-20 is a different story. sylvie places next to no value on the lives of the tva’s workers, content to slaughter them en masse for the sake of her goal. this is despite her knowing that every one of the tva workers is a variant plucked from the sacred timeline. this sets up a weird sort of transactional nature in how sylvie views other people - to her, they’re less important than the mission, and she doesn’t hesitate to eliminate threats.
was this a long section? this was a long section. i would like to call back to the fact that this is not a sylki post for this next part. and also to praise anyone that got this far, because fucking hell, is this excessively long or what? who would have the time to write this out?
sylvie’s bond with loki
i want to go back to that whole thing about her relationship with loki. he’s the first person she’s really spoken to since she was a child who isn’t about to face imminent death. furthermore, despite their differences, they have quite a lot in common - enough to hit it off surprising well for two people who kind of want to kill each other. they’re able to relate on common ground like frigga, and even though they clash due to loki’s initial carelessness, they’re overall able to get along well enough aside from occasional bickering. the blanket scene from episode 5 is probably the best example of this. sylvie allows herself, albeit briefly, to be vulnerable around loki.
except, not really. one of the first things she does is tries to ensure he won’t betray her. i’ve seen somebody cite this before as proof that her fondness towards him isn’t real, and that she was planning on betraying him from the start, hence why it was on her mind. that’s definitely possible, but i think it’s far more likely that it’s just her difficulties connecting to people stopping her from feeling safe around him even as they share a nice moment. she really does seem to care about loki - an easy example of this is her asking how he is during episode 4 without being prompted. she’s just unable to properly process these kinds of feelings due to an incomprehensible amount of trauma. as loki puts it, she can’t trust.
and loki can’t be trusted. she knows - or at least, thinks she knows - his nature as a trickster and a villain. loki embodies a part of sylvie that she considers herself completely separate from; the tva-approved liar whose purpose is to bring out the best in others. while she does show him more decency than to treat him like that, at the end of the day, he represents something that makes her deeply uncomfortable, hence her rejection of the loki name. despite what they have in common, loki is an incredibly difficult person to trust, especially for somebody who has deep-rooted trust issues. so, this brings us onto...
who betrayed who?
so, sylvie and loki make it to kang’s castle. after all this time, she’s finally about to reach her life’s goal. she’s clearly nervous - this is out of her comfort zone, unlike most fights. loki reassures her, and they head in. they meet kang, learn the true nature of the tva, have the opportunity to kill him...
and loki stops her.
loki’s motivations are left ambiguous. the uncharitable interpretation is that he wants to rule the tva for himself, as per kang’s offer. he’s expressed such an interest to sylvie before. for the loki we know in avengers 1, this seems perfectly in character.
however, for the loki we’ve seen in the show, there’s a different option. he believes kang’s threat that there are multiple of him, and that killing him won’t solve anything. to him, he isn’t willing to risk unknown horrors for the sake of taking his revenge out on kang. this is the loki who offered diplomacy and guile to counteract sylvie’s brute force.
but sylvie, who can’t trust, assumes the worst.
to her, loki was the one who betrayed her. they had a plan - find whoever pulls the strings, and destroy them. to her, loki’s hesitation isn’t caution, but treachery. taking kang’s offer to rule the tva is exactly what she thinks she should’ve expected from the guy who hurts everybody who loves him. her fight or flight responses kick in, and she chooses the one she always chooses. loki’s attempts to reassure her fall on deaf ears, not just because she doesn’t want to trust him, but because she’s physically incapable of it. she makes the short-sighted decision of brute force, just like she did back on lamentis, because it’s all she’s ever known, and the cause she’s dedicated her life to.
from the outside, it looks like sylvie was the one who betrayed loki, but things look pretty different from where she’s standing.
this is why i take issue with people calling sylvie a ‘villain’ or questioning whether this was her plan for the start. in my opinion, her motivations line up pretty clearly as a creature of habit, one who panics at the first hint of smoke and pushes away the first person she’s been able to bond with for the sake of self-preservation. did she make the wrong decision? unquestionably - the effects of her actions will no doubt plague the multiverse (and the mcu, for us) for as long as they go unchecked. but she made the only decision she was capable of making, and that’s not villainous, just tragic.
conclusion
well, this is a kind of depressing way to finish this post. for what it’s worth, though, i don’t think sylvie is a doomed character. regardless of how brief it was, she did show a real connection with loki. just because something requires a lot of healing doesn’t make it impossible. this is why i like sylvie as a character so much; she’s deeply flawed and complex, but that complexity makes her interesting, and relatable. marvel has a long history of sexy lamps and supposed ‘tortured backstories’, but sylvie is the first time they paid attention to this with their character writing without having to give somebody a wholeass prequel movie. with loki confirmed to appear in multiverse of madness, i’m hoping we see more of sylvie - not as a villain, but as a hero who can overcome her past experiences and rise to better things.
or maybe another kang shows up and kills her immediately. who knows.
#sylvie#sylvie laufeydottir#loki#loki theory#loki analysis#loki series#long post#like really fucking long#i’m so sorry for this#not a gif
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Hey in the story you wrote from that writing prompt the one today that ends with you grin and the world goes white what happens in the end I didn’t get it please explain
excellent, because you’re not entirely supposed to understand! the ending was super ambiguous on purpose. you can either take from it that the agent grabbed the narrator’s hands on purpose and purposefully gave ‘you’ permission to give them powers, OR the agent touched ‘you’ without thinking and the unhinged narrator took that as deliberate permission
and from that you can spin out lots of eventualities! maybe it was on purpose and the agent uses his new powers to break the narrator out of jail. maybe he gets powers but betrays the narrator and leaves them in the cell to rot while he goes off to become a great hero. maybe it was by accident and the agent refuses to use his powers to break ‘you’ out because of that, or maybe it was an accident but now he has powers he decides to use them to break ‘you’ out anyway, or maybe the narrator isn’t quite in control and accidentally kills him with some unforseen consequence
the idea for the ambiguous ending came from going to my beta and dear friend @sroloc--elbisivni and whining that I didn’t know where to end it until I decided to cut the whole thing short and leave the ending wide open! I really like how it turned out and I hope you enjoyed it despite not quite understanding the ending <33
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Fanfic Tag Game
Thanks for the tag @lokibus! <3 <3 <3
How many works do you have on Ao3?
54. I've written quite a bit more, but I just can't be bothered to carry over most of the fics from my LJ days. Also, once upon a time I had a super insecure streak and I went on an orphaning spree, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What’s your total Ao3 word count?
Apparently 457,241! Kinda same as above.
What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Though I Try Not To (The Witcher)
I'm so weirdly pleased about this. I fell into Witcher fandom totally by accident. I don't usually do fixit fics, but I couldn't help myself. This is, I think, the only fic to date where I've started posting as a WIP and actually followed through and finished.
Where All Roads Lead (MCU)
If there is one plot device I'm just eternally a sucker for, it's time travel shenanigans. This was one of the two time travely fics I wrote for Stucky fandom.
For The Space of a Heartbeat (The Witcher)
I'm honestly really surprised by this? This was totally just a self indulgent spur of the moment kinda thing, and it's only a couple thousand words.
Even in the Dark I Know You (The Witcher)
Okay, I lied. There were two WIPs I actually followed through and finished. This started as a random oneshot for a whump week thing, and then the prompt for the next day fit so well with a follow up chapter that this just turned into a whole story. I really enjoy subverting tropes and with witcher biology I see a lot of sensory overload kinds of fics, so I decided to play with the idea in reverse.
Even if it Hurts (Even if it Makes Me Bleed) (The Witcher)
So, most of the time when I settle into a fandom, there's one fic idea that I feel like I cannot leave without writing. For Witcher fandom, this was that fic. I have a lot of complicated thoughts about soulmates as a romantic concept, even more so when you're involving characters like Geralt, for whom fate is so often a double edged sword. This story was very much an excuse to dig into what soulmates mean for personal agency under the guise of a narrative. XD
Do you respond to comments, why or why not?
Admittedly, I do this with embarrassing inconsistency. Basically, what happens is:
* Something gets a good response.
* I respond to a few comments and then find myself overwhelmed (mentally, not as in there are a truly overwhelming number of comments).
* I step away for a bit.
* A month later I realize I still haven't replied. Cue paralyzing indecision about whether it's too late to reply.
* Rinse and repeat.
I do want to! And I'm working on it. I've gotten a little better about it, but my apologies to anyone who I haven't responded to. Please know I'm not intentionally ignoring you. ;_;
What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?
Oh hmm. I had a reputation for a really long time as primarily an angst writer, but pretty much all my stories have a happy ending for some given quantity of happy. I guess it kind of depends on how one qualifies that.
Noonwraiths and Other Woodland Forest Creatures maybe. It's got a got a pretty fluffy ending.
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
It's a tossup.
I, The Paradox, which is my other time travel fic from my Stucky fandom days, with a paradox (shocking) that lands Steve with two versions of Bucky. For plot purposes even! It's not a particularly smutty story. It ends sort of ambiguously. There's a sequel outlined that was meant to resolve said ambiguity, but alas, it's still sitting in my WIP folder.
Truth in the Periphery. It's a psychological horror story I wrote for an event. I think it's the only fanfic I've ever written that was really intended as a hurt/no comfort kind of story.
Do you write crossovers?
I haven't, but not because I specifically don't. I've just never had an idea that felt compelling enough to follow through on.
have you ever received hate on a fic?
Maaaaybe once or twice a long, long, long time ago, back when FFN was still the best option for posting outside of LiveJournal. I don't think it was even about the writing. I think it was someone was mad that my much younger self tried to sneak smut onto FFN.
Do you write smut? if so, what kind?
I have such a love/hate relationship with smut in my own work. I used to write it a lot because I felt like I had to. It was until I came to terms with being more or less ace irl that it occurred to me why I didn't enjoy writing it. Weirdly, I like reading it just fine.
The thing is, while I don't really care for the physical aspect of it, I like the emotional touchpoints of it, so I do still write smut sometimes. It just tends to be a little cursory in terms of action details and heavy on character dynamics.
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
No. But I used to RP a lot, and it's always been a lot of fun, so I wouldn't be opposed to the idea!
What’s your all-time favourite ship?
Oh shoot. From a romantic standpoint that varies so much depending on what fandom I'm currently feeling enthusiastic about. It's pretty much always a specific character that draws me to a fandom, so I think the most consistent ship I have is favorite character/unconditional love and support. XD
What’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
The sequel to I, The Paradox I mentioned earlier.
What are your writing strengths?
If there's one thing I feel like I have a consistently good handle on, it's emotional impact. I put a lot of thought into why people make the choices they do and how they relate to each other, and I would like to think I'm reasonably adept at leading readers to the emotional response I'm going for.
What are your writing weaknesses?
Descriptions. I'm just forever in awe of people who can just write settings/action naturally. It's a constant effort for me, and it's the thing I always feel like I fall short on. I can write navel gazing in my sleep, but an action scene? Pfftttt.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
Very situational. Kind of like in movies and television. I don't have any kind of always x or y opinion on it though.
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
Inuyasha. It was back when I didn't have a computer of my own and would write at the library, so the only record of it was the site I used to draft and post to that is now defunct. No one is happier about this than I am. 😂
What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?
I think I'm genuinely pretty proud of everything I've written in the last couple of years, but if I had to pick right now, it'd be It Doesn't Break But it Bends. It's a time loop fic. Someone left "Recommended but you will sob." as their bookmark note for it and I think that might be my crowning achievement in fandom.
Tagging (if you want!):
@mikkeneko
@goodheavensgwen
@writinglizards
@plotdesigner
And anyone else who wants to <3
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