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luciensfox · 3 years

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ACOSF Thoughts...

Don’t read unless you wish to be spoiled! Here are some things I can’t get out of my head after finishing the book...

Well first and foremost, I absolutely adore Nessian (as I always have but now it’s even more so) and I’m incredibly pleased with the direction it seems that SJM is leading Nesta’s character development! I’ve always wanted a badass warrior Nesta and I got way more than I figured (short of her growing wings at any time as I think some Valkyrie myths depict, this is amazing/ especially with all of the parallels people drew with her and Enalius). She’s going to make for an interesting character in the coming books and dare I say...commander Nesta. Oh, yes.

Of course I’ve always been obsessed with Lucien and nothing has changed on that front, but I’m even more intrigued now because we still need so many answers. When will it be revealed that he’s the heir of the Day Court? What’s the standings between he and Tamlin? With Vassa and Jurian? With his mother/ brothers? His mate? We literally got only two or three scenes with Luc involved so I knew nothing would be resolved in this novella, however I’m even more excited to see how Eris will play into his character arc come the next story (because you cannot convince me that SJM would put more emphasis on Eris than Lucien in this book and not intend for some brotherly angst in the future). Eris is also an anomaly and maybe it’s because I’m obsessed with the mysterious nature of whatever the hell is happening in the Autumn Court, but I really can’t wait to see what’s up with him and the rest of his family. (Also....the ballroom scene with Nest and Eris dancing to what is supposed to reflect Black Swan was one of my absolute favorite scenes.) Does Eris secretly desire peace and wants to take over Autumn not for power but to make amends and heal/ bring back glory to his home? And what exactly happened with Mor? SJM put so much emphasis on that too and we still have no idea.

I LOVE Gwyneth and Emerie. The triad of Valkyries was honestly the best part of the whole book for me. I know everyone is quick to match up characters with potential romances/ mates etc and it sounds like that’s what will happen with these two...but let’s not forget that they’re incredibly strong characters on their own terms and I hope whatever comes about their arcs isn't entirely placed on their romance status. However, they both seem to want to find someone to be with which leads me to believe that Emerie and Mor will very likely end up together (if only for the fact that we got one sentences indicating Em finds Mor gorgeous....I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens) and that Gwyn is going to be a potential interest for Azriel.

I love Lucien so much, but my soft fox boy needs to heal and stop forcing himself to find romantic love when all he really needs is some self love. (So perhaps that will be his final journey....Lucien finally coming to terms with his trauma, settling ties with everyone from his past, and taking up his mental as Helion’s son and the future of the Day Court.)

Elain seemed a bit OOC...and yet not at all? We’ve only got the chance to see the “sweet/ innocent” side of her, but it makes sense that she’s going to be a super complex character (SJM wouldn't have set her up so mysteriously if the intent was to leave her as a mere gardener) and that her journey in following books will show us a side of her we’ve never encountered. The Elriel ship has always been a confusing one for me, not because I don’t ship it but because there’s so much happening all the time that it’s hard to get a proper read on clues when SJM throws characters like Gwyn at us...coupled with the fact that Lucien seems to still be in love with Elain (or at least he’s just lonely and doesn't know how else to react, never mind whatever is happening with Vassa and Jurian), and that Az seems intent on getting with Elain....but Az also seems to be the type of character who falls in love deeply without considering a number of things. He’s driven by his desires and often hurt by them, hence his love for Mor. Notice how shortly after he started drifting from his desire for Mor, he started to desire Elain? Part of me wonders if it’s because he found the person he’s meant to be with...or if he felt attracted to her and she was a distraction to his pain and a means to help him get over Mor. Like I said, I don’t know which way I lean just yet but these are all possibilities!

Then there’s the Gwynriel ship--totally didn’t see that coming but I can’t say I don’t enjoy it. I love how Gwyn teases Az in a way that many others usually don’t dare, and that she’s another character with a history outside of the IC. While there’s a lot to consider, like the fact that Az’s shadows shy away when Elain is around but “dance” and seem to be overjoyed when Gwyn is nearby, I think a truly noticeable parallel to the pairing could be this:

Azriel is no stranger to unrequited love. In fact, that seemed to be his overarching characteristic for the first two books. Now that he’s found Elain and she also reciprocates their shared desire, it would be easy to pair them together. However, Gwyn seems to be interested in Azriel and Az can’t seem to figure out his standings with her other than being enticed and not realizing what’s in front of him because he’s so determined to be with Elain since “she’s the third sister and he the third brother” etc so it must make sense somehow even though Elain is mated. But Gwyn, to that extent, is no stranger to unrequited love either.

Just imagine: Azriel finally cracks in the following book and shows a rare display of emotions to either Gwyn or the IC (or both) and Gwyn decides to confront him about facing his fears (his past with Mor, his current standings with Elain, his desire to have someone) by claiming that she knows exactly what unrequited love feels like because every day she stares at him and feels precisely as devastated as he did/does whenever he sees Mor or Elain. Az will probably be shocked to all hell and maybe it’ll snap him out of his misery enough to think clearly on the whole matter.

The Rhysand and Nesta friendship was something else I wasn’t expecting, didn’t necessarily think I’d want, but now am excited to see bloom. They definitely do share traits and I can’t help but remember how Rhys once compared Feyre to Cassian and how Nesta and Rhys might be the opposite counterparts since they’re both haughty and respond to things with incredibly heightened emotions because they love fiercely.

This post is much longer than I’d intended but oh well, some other things for your consideration.....

A Varian/Amren x Nessian double date.

Nesta taking on a similar military role as Cassian and either leading a female unit of Illyrians/ Valkyries or sharing the brunt of Cassian’s job (plus come on... those two training together is essentially their respective version of foreplay and I’m so here for warrior Nessian bonding).

I hope we get to see that mating ceremony scene!

Also....does anyone remember Balthazar--the Illyrian who showed up for one scene and fell asleep on Nesta’s shoulder during the Blood Rite while he helped them find shelter? There’s no way SJM would’ve written in a character like that without intending for him to show up again in the future....

Koschei the deathless? Wonder what will occur there.

Damn, if you’ve made it this far give yourself a pat on the back.

#I honestly was going to write one sentence #ONE #but then...this happened #I guess I just felt very strongly about this book and didn't realize it until now #god there are so many unanswered questions #time for fanfic i guess lol #nessian #a court of silver flames #acosf #acosf spoilers #sjm #elriel #gwynriel #lucien vanserra

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littlewomenpodcast · 3 years

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Why Jo and Laurie Don´t End Up Together

Podcast Transcript Part 2

Laurie The Prankster

In the beginning of Good Wives when John and Meg move to their new home Laurie comes bringing gifts; knife cleaner that spoils all the knives, soap that takes the skin off one´s hands, sweeper that leaves all the dirt and bunch of other similar items. Each week when Laurie is on holiday from college he brings them random useless things. It can be a funny joke for the first couple of times but Laurie does it for months. It´s behavior you could expect from a teen-ager but not from a 21 year old. John and Meg are poor. Laurie is rich. He could give them something useful. None of Laurie´s pranks are never shown in the movies. Big part why Jo wanted to be more boyish and her being dismissive over feminine was about showing off. Laurie´s pranks were his way of showing off and to get attention.

Call to conform

It is when Laurie goes to college the gender expectations of the time start to have more bigger impact to Jo´s and Laurie´s behavior. Laurie is not very interested from his studies. He goes to college simply to please his grandfather. Laurie is more of a party-boy in college. That is not necessarily a character flaw. Quite many young people go to college to do just that still today. In college Laurie smokes, drinks, plays pool, flirts with girls, gets into fights (never shown in any adaptations) and Jo criticizes him for doing these things. Jo doesn´t want to do any of these things but she wishes she could have the liberty to do whatever she wants without being judged by the society. Jo was very aware of the unfairness of the situation. In the books Jo never likes Laurie romantically and his romantic interest only makes Jo feel uncomfortable. Not only does their dynamics change because Jo doesn´t want to fit into the traditional female role of the time but because Laurie fits into the traditional 19th century male role almost too well. Their relationship in their youth worked when there was more space for gender fluidly but it starts to fall apart when they are called to conform more. When Laurie develops a crush on Jo he breaks that brotherly bond and that shatters Jo´s ideas of masculinity the way she has come to know it. It has never been showed in movies. The closest example of this the way it is described in the books is the song Astonishing from Little Women musical.

Because of the copyrights I can not include clips from the musical, I´m not going to sing either but I will read you the lyrics. Who is he? Who is he with his marry me? With his ring and his marry me, the nerve, the gall. This is not, Not what was meant to be. How could he ruin it all With those two words? I thought I knew him Thought that he knew me When did it change? What did I miss? A kiss, When I thought all along, That we were meant to find frontiers, How could I be so wrong? And I need, How I need my sisters here If I can't share my dreams What were they for? I thought our promise That we would never change and never part. I thought together, We'd amaze the world. How can I live my dreams or even start when everything has come apart. I thought home was all I'd ever want My attic all I'd ever need. Now nothing feels the way it was before And I don't know how to proceed. I only know I'm meant for something more I've got to know if I can be Astonishing There's a life That I am meant to lead A life like nothing I have known I can feel it And it's far from here I've got to find it on my own Even now I feel it's heat upon my skin. A life of passion that pulls me from within, A life that I am making to begin. There must be somewhere I can be Astonishing Astonishing I'll find my way I'll find it far away I'll find it in unexpected and unknown I'll find my life in my own way Today Here I go There's no turning back My great adventure has begun. I may be small But I've got giant plans To shine as brightly as the sun. I will blaze until I find my time and place I will be fearless, Surrendering modesty and grace I will not disapear without a trace I'll shout and start a riot Be anything but quiet Christopher Columbus I'll be Astonishing Astonishing Astonishing

Two very different proposals

Lot of the relationship between Jo and Laurie was based on mutually reinforcing ideas of toxic masculinity. Eventually this turned out against both of them. In Jo´s case it made her to loose the trip to Europe and in Laurie´s case it brought out his temper and more possessive behavior. The best example why Jo rejected Laurie´s proposal and why she did fell in love with Friedrich is to examine the two proposals. When Laurie proposes to Jo he says he loves her because Jo has always been so good to him. He doesn´t love her because of her personality or her ambitions. Jo had a tendency to mother Laurie and we can probably explain this with the fact that the young men who were inspirations for Laurie´s character were much younger than Louisa. Being maternal figure was something that came naturally to Jo. In away March´s adopted Laurie to be part of their family unit. That Jo sees Laurie as her brother makes perfect sense and sisters often become pseudo-mother figures to their brothers. In movies we only see Laurie´s pain but we never see the pressure he puts on Jo or how uncomfortable his actions make her feel. When we read the book and see Laurie´s character through the movie´s lens it perpetuates the idea that the controlling behavior he has in the books doesn´t matter and it is a sign of love. Yet the book Laurie is not in love with Jo. He is in love with the idea of love. Laurie´s story and his character arc in Little Women it is not about Amy or Jo. It´s a story how Laurie becomes a man. I´v tried to show it you but you wouldn´t let me. Now I am going to make you hear and give me an answer for I can´t go on any longer. "But girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say no when they mean yes, and drive a man out of his wits just for the fun of it"' Laurie seems to be thinking that Jo would fall in love with him because that is what girls do. Laurie has said similar things as a teen ager. Things like "someday I´ll get you Jo" which is quite a possessive thing for a 15 year old boy to say and it highlights how much the two have fed each others with harmful stereotypes about gender roles. Now that they are adults Jo feels the need to leave this toxic cycle. Not just because of her own sake but also Laurie´s sake and it is toxic because up until to that point Laurie has been told what to do by Jo, John Brooke or by his grandfather. Laurie wants to keep the status quo of their relationship so that he does not need to grow and take the responsibility of himself or his own actions. Laurie was not used to making decisions. Marrying Jo is an easy escape of his life remaining the same rather than different as it is meant to be. This type of chase is not something that Jo likes or enjoys. It makes her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Most adaptations have also chosen the easy escape by not showing the slow and painful work of the personal transformation that Laurie does go through in the books. If we now take a look at the narrative of the second book. There are no glimpses inside to Laurie´s head where he would be thinking about Jo or dreaming about future with her. When Jo leaves New York we do get a glimpse inside Friedrich´s mind and he does admit to himself that he is indeed in love with her and he wonders what life with Jo would be like. Laurie´s actions in most part of the second book don´t make any sense because Laurie´s mind is a complete mess. Almost like the lack of Laurie´s inner thoughts the book is telling us that Laurie hasn´t thought things through. This is another contrast between Laurie´s shallow idealized dreaminess and Friedrich´s deeply grounded reality (@this-thrown-out-gentleman). Jo is honest with Laurie. She sees that if she would marry him their arguments would escalate to violence. Laurie´s relationship to Jo is more codependent. Laurie wants to keep the status quo of their toxic relationship and it is toxic because up until to that point Laurie had been used to do by Jo, John Brooke or his grandfather. He wasn´t used to making decisions (@renee561) When Jo rejects Laurie we should be on Jo´s side. Yet in 90% of Little Women adaptions Laurie´s character arc is missing. He doesn´t have a temper (or character arc) in 1933, 1949, 1994, 2018 and 2019 films. Series from 1950 and 2017. Little Women musical and or in Japanese anime.

Trying to threat someone you say you love is never a good idea. Instead of seeing any fault in his own actions Laurie blames it on someone else and he wants Jo to feel guilty for rejecting him. Then he guilt trips her even more by saying that she will marry someone and that she will be a silly woman by going back on her word of never marrying. Jo has a brilliant response but Laurie doesn´t want to hear it.

Then Laurie threatens to go to the devil and behaves like a 19th century brat boy. Laurie´s proposal has been traditionally abridged or the dialogue has been changed. In the adaptations it has been portrayed to be a romantic scene when in the books it is a conflict. Little Women is often a misunderstood book because it does something very unique and powerful. Laurie´s proposal was never about Jo. It was all about him It is still all about him and he still wants Jo to feel guilty. Thank god for the grandfather (this is good parenting). Six moths later Amy meets Laurie in Europe and they have not met for four years. Amy finds him changed and different. She scolds him and his attitude but it comes from a good place because Amy knows that Laurie has potential to make most of his life and when she carefully asks what happened between him and Jo...

Still all about him. Not about Jo. Amy´s lecture did Laurie good though of course he did not own it until long afterwards. Men seldom do for when women are the advisers. The lords of the creation wont take the advice until they have persuaded themselves that it is just what they intended to do. Then they act upon it and if it succeeds they give the weaker vessel half the credit of it. If it fails they generously give her the whole. Little Women chapter 41. Amy´s words start to effect on Laurie yet in his mind Laurie thinks that Amy´s advice was unnecessary and that he had always meant to do something. Laurie´s biggest flaws are his pride and vanity but also his lack of ability to put himself to another person´s position and this is why his growth process is slow and painful. Still at this point Laurie doesn´t see women as individuals. He sees himself above them. In Vienna he starts to compose and opera which would harrow Jo´s soul and melt her heart. Once again it´s all about him but the opera doesn´t go that well. He wants to capture his romantic passion and all things that come to mind are Jo´s oddities, faults and freaks.

Romantic or creepy?

The moment when Laurie caught himself thinking the word "brotherly" and Jo it is almost like he sees himself as a character in an opera he is trying to compose. He immediately sends Jo a letter and proposes her again. Once again it is all about him and not about Jo. Proposing someone right after they have lost their sister is not a good idea. When Jo´s response arrives and she still says no Laurie feels relieved but instead of feeling bad for guilt tripping her for quite a long time he wants to cherish his memory as being tragic romantic hero. It is still all about him. Why was Laurie so obsessed and why he never listened to what Jo had to say and why he felt guilty when he started to develop romantic feelings towards Amy? since we know Jo never cared about him like that. As being said there are no scenes in the books where Laurie is thinking Jo romantically or dreaming about a life with her. All his dreams are really about seeing himself as a romantic hero. Laurie feels guilty because his love for Jo is mainly gratitude. She invited him to be part of their family. Something that Laurie was always lacking. Thanks to the over the top ideas of masculinity he and Jo fed to each others Laurie didn´t learn to respect women.

We should not ignore Laurie´s background

It is easy to ignore the stories of the male characters in Little Women, because the four sisters are under a microscope. From the little that we know from Laurie´s background it would seem that when he was a child he was tossed from one boarding school to another and he did not have any stable parental figures or that he never spent enough time in one place to be able to establish such relationships. Quite early in the novel Laurie admits to Jo that he feels envious of the sisters bond to their mother. Laurie´s and Jo´s relationship is characterised by childhood innocence. Jo represents the nurturing feminine presence Laurie was craving to have in his life at the same time Laurie is a brothernal figure for Jo who compliments her views on non-conformity (Ajedisith) Jo and the March family become a refuge of stability to Laurie. It is only when he moves to Concord at the age of 15 for the first time he is surrounded by people who stick long enough to put boundaries and try to raise him. More than often Laurie was frustrated by Jo´s lectures but at the same he was depending on them.

youtube

Full Essay here: https://www.fairychamber.com/the-little-women-project/why-jo-and-laurie-dont-end-up-together

#little women #laurie #jo march #amy march #friedrich bhaer #jo x laurie #anti jo x laurie #books #filme

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thesharondefenseleague · 3 years

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Ok for the record i dont think stucky was queerbaiting but you can queerbait without saying something is meant to be romantic. In fact thats I think how it usually is. Its a duo that gets alot of romantic moments and pandering to the fans of this couple they never plan on delivering on and even calling their fans crazy for reading too much into it when it was put in on purpose to pander to the ship. But for the record I don't think that was what happened either. Don't get me wrong I definitely see how their interactions could be interperted as romantic and maybe evolve into a canon couple I just dont think they were purposely playing into that.

But I do think its interesting that so many people think so. When you think about people who like the ship and you ask them why they often want that relationship canon in fandom they often talk about how important Bucky is to Steve and how his relationship with Steve is probably the most/important or most focused on in the cap movies. Which might be true but that relationship doesn't have to be romantic necessarily right?

Well in reality yes. But in fiction its so often pushed that romantic relationships are the most important. The end all be all for adult relationships they are important simply by being romantic. Imo alot of people dont want Stucky or their otp to always be canon because they want to see them as romantic but they want that relationship given the title of most important in canon. And imo they often resent the canon romantic interest for this reason. The problem isn't they think its a bad couple always. Its that in their eyes being the romantic relationship implies a level of importance in canon they resent giving this particular character that level of importance or their relationship with the mc that level of importance.

If romantic relationships didnt have the same significance of super important in media they would care less.

That my theory anyway

Gotta break it to y’all, but that ship isn’t as big as you think. They’re just the loudest. In general spaces, specifically non-fandom spaces, that’s not even brought up as a ship. They're seen as brothers. Because of what the directors/writers have shown, the most popular one I’ve seen is Steve/Natasha. They’re the best-written relationship, and the only relationship that runs with the “show, don’t tell” rule and succeeds because of it. Plus when it’s with two actors who have not only costarred together for years but also portrayed love interests before, it’s not hard to see why.

And again: it was said super explicitly that it was written with the intention of portraying the two as a brotherly love. No one is saying you can’t see a romantic angle. But you can’t tell me that this is a ship with valid queerbaiting. You can tell me that Sam/Bucky is and I would agree, and I had that thought watching their show (that whole second episode, I mean...). Wanting two men to kiss and then not getting that after being told they won’t ≠ queerbaiting. If anything, the only character I can say has been queerbaited, and their actor has a part in this, is Peggy.

~Mod R

#I JUST REMEMBERED AGENT CARTER WAS QUEERBAITING HER #does anyone else remember this???#it was tragic we didn’t get bi peggy!!#the one time i thought we’d have a queer mcu character was her and then nothing!!

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boringlibrarianthoughts · 3 years

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Destiel and the X-Files

Ok. So. We all know that obviously Supernatural has taken inspiration from the X Files. Many, many shows have. It’s one of the classics of modern television.

*long read*

In case you don’t know (somehow), it’s a sci-fi mystery horror show following two FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who come from different points of view and eventually become one of the great TV “ships.” The simmering, will-they-or-won’t-they tension between the two leads burned television screens for years. Years. It was always a question in viewers’ minds: will Mulder and Scully be in a relationship? Will they finally break through that tension and smooch? What would it look like when they finally get together?? OMG!

And... nothing really happened for many seasons - until an episode in season 7 entitled “all things.”

Now, it was... not what viewers were expecting. For those of you who don’t know, the episode immediately starts off with Scully getting dressed after spending the night with Mulder. No fanfare. No big love declaration. It just is. In fact, the episode in its entirety does something of a retcon: it suggests (quite heavily) that the two characters had actually been in a relationship for some time - just off screen. This was not the beginning of their relationship. Going back and watching previous seasons was different because now you knew Mulder and Scully were already together - you just didn’t see it. A later episode then suggests the two first started hooking up back in (I believe, it’s been a while) season 4. Holy heck. One of the biggest, most popular TV romances... and you don’t even see how it begins.

Now what does this have to do with Dean and Castiel’s relationship in Supernatural? A lot. Not necessarily on purpose on behalf of the writers, but parallels are definitely there.

Think about this: would it honestly be surprising if at some point you were told Dean and Cas were “involved” in some way in seasons 12, 13, 14, or 15? - And it just wasn’t shown on screen? I wouldn’t be at all. The implication is there - just as it was for Mulder and Scully. And that relationship proves you don’t have to see things with your own eyes in order for it to be true. The suggestion had been there for years with Mulder and Scully. I would actually argue the romantic tension vibes are stronger in Deancas than they ever were for Mulder/Scully (and I LOVE Mulder and Scully, don’t get me wrong).

I’m saying that it is definitely possible and logical to assume that Dean and Castiel may have “done something physically together” in seasons 12 or 13. I’m more iffy on seasons 14 and 15 because Cas then had the deal with The Empty hanging over him. And in season 15, the tension between the two was through the roof, so I doubt anything happened there.

Think about the infamous episode 12x19. That one has it all. Cas has been gone for a little while and returns to the Bunker only to have Dean be very upset-but-mostly-worried and it comes out as anger. Sam has previously acknowledged Cas as family and doesn’t respond as Dean does. Dean’s response is not a familial response. It just isn’t. Even Sam seems weirded out/concerned over how Dean responds to Cas’ return. Cas is hurt but mostly upset that he hurt Dean. Dean storms off to his room: a common romantic trope during a couple’s argument - you run off because you want your bf to follow you. When Cas knocks on his door, Dean already knows it’s him. He knows perfectly well it’s not Sam checking up on him. He went to his room specifically to make Cas chase after him, alone. This is where we get the revelation of the mixtape (this has been done to death, but remember, Led Zeppelin is the band Dean’s parents fell in love to). Dean chose this band purposefully and made the mixtape specifically for Cas.

What prompted the mixtape?

I believe Dean “took a leap” and gave it to Cas either after the whole deal with Cas killing Billie in 12x09 to save the Winchesters (Dean), or after 12x12 where Cas is dying and tells everyone “I love you (to Dean). I love all of you (to everyone else).”

Dean gave Cas the mixtape. And it’s definitely very possibly likely that this produced... more physical touching than is normal between two dudes who are just buddies. Cas then heads out on his own (a major fault of his) to figure out the problem with the pregnant Kelly. Dean is upset that Cas up and leaves and doesn’t communicate while he’s gone. Dean acts out and is hurt because he opened himself up and was vulnerable.

His response when Cas comes back to the bunker is a result of this. Again, his relationship with Cas is of a totally different nature than Sam’s relationship with Cas. It’s not just degrees of brotherly closeness - it’s literally a different kind of relationship altogether.

Then we get the whole scene with Cas trying to return the mixtape, etc. Dean and Sam are later talking about a potential plan, and Dean excitedly runs off to tell Cas about it (notice Sam’s face in that scene - what does he know about Dean and Cas? lol). The last time we saw Dean and Castiel interacting before this scene, Dean was acting like he’s still pissed. Then he’s running off like a puppy to go tell Cas about their plan? Cas, of course, isn’t there. And that’s where Dean gets upset again and complains to Sam: “He came into my room and played me.”

Hmm. What? Did something else happen between these two scenes? Is Dean just so soft for Cas he forgive him and moved on that quickly?

Could this be referring to the mixtape interaction? I guess so... but there’s nothing really “playing” about it. In fact, Cas was going to leave before Dean called him back - that’s not really a good plan for stealing the Colt: to talk to Dean and then leave the room.

Furthermore, how did Cas know where the Colt was? This whole scene is weird. Sam thought the Colt was in the safe, but Dean tells him he keeps it under his pillow, which surprises Sam.

We don’t see what happened after the mixtape scene. But we don’t need to. There’s enough suggestion to make some educated guesses. Personally? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if in this season, they either started a semi-consistent physical relationship or had a one-off that they never addressed again. If this happened, it would’ve also not included any love declarations of any kind; more just a desperate, physical need for each other. For so. many. reasons. these two dummies (affectionate) could not either figure out how they felt for each other or they weren’t able to express it.

As an aside, I think Cas wasn’t able to figure out what exactly the feelings were that he had for Dean. And Dean wasn’t able to express what he felt for Cas, but he knew how he felt.

The tension in the Dean/Cas relationship is toned down significantly in the later seasons. Why? Simply, the “thing” between them was settled in a way that was satisfactory to them both - at the time. They settled into what looks like easy domesticity: Dean didn’t have hookups season 13-15, and it’s clear he and Cas spend the majority of their time together in the bunker. Cas knows things about Dean that Sam doesn’t even know.

However, feelings have a way of rearing their ugly head, and this is the cause for the return of the tension at the end of season 14. Dean is upset, sure, but the way he lashes out at Cas (who really isn’t at fault and Dean knows it) is because Dean is once more frustrated by their relationship. He has feelings for his friend, and he doesn’t think his friend can even possibly return those feelings because his friend is not human.

All that is to say: you don’t need to be shown something on screen to know it happened. Implications and suggestions in the text are purposefully placed for you to fill in the blanks. This is a way for you to know more about the character without screen time being spent on it.

I will likely write more on this as this piece is getting a little out of hand - sorry, I meant to stick to the parallels in this one episode! And I keep getting distracted by Dean and Cas being so dumb for each other and it drives me crazy.

#spn #supernatural #spn meta #deancas #destiel #dean and cas loved each other #and they were too dumb *afffectionate*#to figure it out #ugh #mulder and scully are the best omg

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bow-women · 4 years

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💕

RELATIONSHIP RANK // Accepting

Vereesa x Jaina

strangers (0 of 5)

I don’t know you personally or at all. I would not recognize you on the street. I do not know your name. i would not recognize if you were brought up in conversation. you have no importance in my life.

acquaintances (2 of 9)

i know your name. I recognize your face. i think i understand your personality on a surface level. i’d like to get to know you more. i think we could be good friends. we have a lot of similar interests. people say we’re a lot alike. we don’t ask one another for favors often. i would not be able to tell someone if you have allergies.

friends (8 of 11)

we get along well. we have fun together. i like hanging out with you. you’re someone i can send memes to. i feel comfortable around you. i know some of your interests. i’m a little more open with you than other people. i keep some secrets to myself. sometimes i’m not sure what i can open up to you about. i usually buy you something minor for holidays. i like when we can go out and do something together.

best friends (10 of 13)

i could tell you anything. i call you if there’s a problem. we probably text too much. we have a great time together. we’ve got through some bad times. i can be myself around you. we have inside jokes for days. i send you songs that remind me of us. we have a lot of memories together. i can open up to you. i worry when you’re in a bad situation. i’d kick someone’s booty for you. i take insults against you personally.

crushes (2 of 13)

you make my heart race. i can’t stop thinking about you. i worry i text back too quickly. every touch is a sign. sometimes i wonder what kind of person is your type. i send you songs that remind me of you. i keep dropping hints about how i feel. you make me emotional. i want to tell you how i feel. i like when you let me stay over. i think i’d be happy so long as you’re happy. seeing you with other people makes me jealous. i can’t tell if this is a date or we’re just hanging out solo.

sister/brotherly (7 of 15)

you drive me crazy. we’re on the same level. you take over all my hobbies. you nag me too much. i’d die for you. we jinx a lot. we have inside games. we play too many pranks. sometimes our fights can get a little intense. i feel relaxed around you. i can be myself around you. we take care of each other. you steal my food right from my plate. i steal your food straight from your plate. if one of us is sick, we both are.

dating & early love (0 of 13)

you make me happy. we have everything in common. you are always on my mind. i can’t get enough of you. we sleep on top of each other, not next to each other. we buy everything in pairs. talking about you is like word vomit. people seem a little annoyed at how in love we are. our relationship should have books written about it. we’re always making memories. i can’t wait to do all our ‘firsts’ together. sometimes i get cold feet. i hope we’ll be together forever.

mature love (5 of 18)

you take all the blankets. you ate the last of MY snack. we get into tiffs but work it out. i can be honest with you. you know everything about me. we can be a little naggy towards each other. i feel safe around you. you are always on my mind. everything i do is for us. ‘we’ seems to suit us best. people say we fight like a married couple. we are married. we have children together. we reminisce while making memories. i’d die for you. i can’t imagine my life without you. i love you for your flaws. i’ll love you forever.

toxic love (1 of 15)

(optional, contains abuse mentions)

i’ll do anything you tell me to do. it doesn’t matter so long as you’re happy. i don’t care so long as it makes me happy. i’m only in this relationship to get something. you only want to be with me to get something. i can’t trust you. i don’t feel comfortable around you. talking to you feels like walking on egg shells. i never know what is okay. you apologize with gifts. i apologize with gifts. you say i’m everything to you. i don’t talk to anyone else anymore. we get into physical fights. the cops have been called before.

exes (2 of 12)

i miss what we had. we used to be good friends. my memories feel tainted now. i think about texting you a lot. i wonder how you’ve been. i don’t like the idea of you getting with other people. i’m already seeing other people. we have a child together. we’re legally separated. we broke up. my family wants us to get back together. i put you on blast with all my friends.

enemies (0 of 11)

i hate you. you make my skin crawl. you are my antonym. seeing you makes my blood boil. i know you’re no good. you thwart my every move. i know your trying to hurt me. i know you’re talking shit about me. i’ve never felt this way about anyone else. i could kill you. i will kill you.

result: Best Friends (37 Total)

So from Vereesa’s perspective, Jaina started out as a work friend, an acquaintance through Rhonin, but it didn’t take too long for them to hit it off. I think they were able to bond over a mutual responsibility that they didn’t necessarily ask for, but rose to the occasion to manage. I also think Vereesa was drawn toward Jaina’s general optimism and hope. While she herself is more of a realist/pessimist, I think a part of her wishes she could believe in there being a brighter side to things.

Of course, after Theramore is when their relationship strengthens into a life-long bond. They both lost so much in such a startling way. Who else was there to turn to? Jaina had Kalec, but Vereesa was left relatively alone. I think Jaina felt a bit of guilt that Rhonin saved her instead of himself, and would have pushed herself to provide as much support to Vereesa as she could, probably more than she should have. Vereesa didn’t stop to question if her friend was giving too much, but she did develop a sort of feeling of ‘I owe you so much’ that could turn toxic.

That is not to say Vereesa was never the one being cried on. There were times that she spent nights holding Jaina, letting her friend cry, talk or even scream it out. But with Jaina also having Kalec to talk to, I can’t imagine Jaina would let herself take advantage of that support very often.

There is a... small potential for more of a relationship between them, but the thought hasn’t crossed Vereesa’s mind. While she feels Jaina is a supportive pillar to her, just like Rhonin used to be, it doesn’t cross fully into romantic territory. Jaina is the friendly aunt to her children, the friend with a shoulder she can cry on, the sister that doesn’t look down on her age or naivety, and the woman who could actually understand her anger and rage toward those who have wronged her.

Vereesa laments about how she wasn’t there for Jaina like Jaina was for her. She worries about her friend, hopes that she is healing and doing better. And she will still cut a bitch who does Jaina wrong.

#lady-proudmoore #little moon (muse: vereesa windrunner)#she was all i had after Rhonin (dynamics: vereesa windrunner & jaina proudmoore)

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manggaetteokkie · 6 years

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About Keith and Acxa

So after watching S7 (albeit skipping a few things and not in depth at all because I Needed to Sleep), I’m sure the whole Keith/Acxa interaction came as a surprise to many and the reaction to it is extremely mixed (although something tells me it might be leaning more towards the negative side). I just wanted to share my thoughts on it (beware, I do have limited understanding of the whole season/scene so I might get some things wrong).

First of all, to the people who think “ruh roh, this means Keith and Acxa will be canon ship now”, I just want to remind you that not all het interaction = romantic, just like how not all non-het interactions = friendship/brotherly/sisterly/etc. Just because Acxa admires Keith or feels any kind of positive emotion towards him doesn’t necessarily mean that she loves him and he loves her and they’re gonna make a bunch of 3/4 galra babies.

That being said, for those of you who do ship it, this is a good place to begin. I’m saying this because I really wouldn’t want people bashing on Acxa for “getting in the way” of their ship just because she doesn’t treat Keith like wallpaper and when she’s actually such a cool character.

Personally, I like Acxa and what she did. The thing is, this might be the first time Keith is at the centre of something. Lemme explain: usually, when the paladins go somewhere, it’s Shiro or Allura that does the talking and negotiating. Lance, being the outgoing person that he is, also makes sure to engage as much as he can with the locals. Hunk and Coran will usually have some kind of extreme reaction to something so you notice them as well. Meanwhile, Pidge is like, the tech wiz, it’s impossible to NOT notice her.

Then what about Keith?

He’s usually just hanging around at the back (there’s a reason he was nicknamed “emo kid” as a child). Keith is an amazing character with so much depth and so many layers but it’s hard to notice at first glance because he makes sure no one can.

However, for the first time in a very long, you have someone who notices him. It’s not even necessarily in a romantic way, I honestly just feel like it’s because Acxa feels a connection with Keith from how similar the two of them are. Her relationship with Lotor is very close to Keith’s relationship with Shiro, with hers kind of acting like a foil, where everything that could’ve gone wrong, went wrong. But that allows her to see and notice Keith, see what he’s doing and what he might be willing to do. In my opinion, there’s a sense of kinship there.

For me, the entire interaction managed to highlight Keith’s character. He is extremely loyal and paired that with his sense of duty, you already know that he can’t just abandon Acxa to fight for herself when she just saved the entire team, even if she’s technically an “enemy”.

Also, she highlights his code of honour which honestly speaking, how many people have noticed? Keith doesn’t care much about being validated, he knows that the person he feels closest to in the team knows and that’s enough for him. But to have a complete stranger so blatantly tell him to his face that yeah, not only did she notice him, she was also inspired by him enough to do something herself, can be extremely motivating and heartwarming. Keith and Acxa build each other up which I think is great.

I really like Acxa’s character. She’s calm and cool headed (she has her moments, sure). She can talk about her feelings openly, like an adult person. She doesn’t shy away when people bring them out, she owns up to them because heck, why should she be ashamed.

I know a lot of you are also thinking about the scene where you see her watching Keith in the graveyard. Now the important thing to note here is that Krolia is also there, she’s paying respect to her deceased love. If the animators had wanted to hint at something romantic, they could’ve have had Acxa watch Keith in any other interaction, but the fact that they chose this specific scene makes me think there’s something else there.

(I might also be overthinking but this entire series has made me overthink constantly so what can I do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Anyways, not sure how much of this made sense so take this as you will but I do want to remind you that this is a tv show and sometimes it’s really not that deep. Characters can interact without it necessarily meaning anything canonly. Sure, people are free to interpret it the way they want, that’s fandom for you, but it doesn’t necessarily have any CANON consequences. Please do keep this in mind if you notice yourself overthinking.

#acxa #keith #voltron season 7 #voltron #voltron legendary defender #voltron season 7 spoilers #my post #my stuff #axith

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rocketjo · 6 years

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Every story is a love story

SPOILER ALERT!

I stumbled upon that song from the musical ‘Aida’ recently and I was unsure, what to do with it. I liked it and I wanted to use it as a base for AMVs (musical songs are mostly good for this, at least if you’re trying to tell a story with your video), but I did not know to what anime.

While discussing Banana Fish over the last days I realized, that I could take nearly every anime I’ve watched so far, because the song’s so true. There is always a love aspect to every story, but sometimes (or most often in my case) it’s not the romantic love one expects. I realized it, because I was thinking about the differences between Dino and Marvin, especially towards Ash and after that I realized how much of a love story Saint Seiya is. Or Monster. Or Stein’s Gate (while it is very clear here, I think - It has that romance aspect to it).

There are so many kinds of love, even within their own little realms. Brotherly love and brotherly love aren’t necessarily the same, same goes for romantic loves, friendships, or even sexual desires (which are commonly interpreted as love in western cultures, as long as the desires are not leading to any crime).

I think Banana Fish shows this quite well, as nearly every thread of the story centers around one kind of love or another. Of course there is the tender, almost romantic, love between Ash and Eiji, but I never saw it as some “shounen-ai”-thing. It was just there. It felt natural and real. It’s that kind of love I personally would describe as love. Selfless, up to a point of harming oneself to shield the other from dangers. I never have seen any romantical or even sexual in it. That’s not that kind of love. It’s far more of a congeniality of souls (Seelenverwandtschaft) or such. To deep for friendship, to tender and selfless for a romantic or sexual love.

Then you have all levels of friendship and respect towards Ash. Beginning with Shorter’s brotherly love for his friend up to all that respect other leaders and his fellow gangmembers show him (Caine especially). Blanka is a speciality in it, because he shifts rom a parental love to a brotherly to a deep respect to Ash (he clearly sees him as a grown-up man on the same level at the end).

There are three kinds of parental love in the story, maybe four. You have the relationship of Ibé towards Eiji, which resembles the one of Max and Jessica towards Ash. There is a deep understanding for the fears and sorrow, but also they just knew the line, which they are not to cross. Both of these loves are growing from another love, a friendship towards a person in Eiji’s or Ash’s family (the parents of Eiji, if I remember correctly and Griff). Maybe Blanka gets into this catagory, too, but with his behaviour towards Yut Lung. You have that helpless love Ash’s father shown him. It was a thing I didn’t understand as a teenager. I felt like Jim was abandoning Ash back then. Just now, as an adult I understand, that he was just helpless in this situation, so he did the best he could do. And I think that Ash grew to understand this over time, too. And you have Dino. I think what he shows towards the mature Ash is more of a mixture of not being able to let loose and knowing he has to. Dino in the later story is more like an egocentric gluck mom then like the tormentor he was in the past. I don’t know how to put this in clear words (is nearly impossible to do in German), but I’m convinced that Dino really, honestly LOVES Ash as some kind of parent in his own wicked way. I really would like to know his backstory, because sometimes I think, that he is a victim, too. This wicked love is two-sided, too. Of course there is all that trauma, that binds Ash to Dino, but I think he came to accept him at some point. He shows more signs of a child, that is abused by a parent then one that is abused by a mere stranger )well, of course, he grew up with Dino, but then again he only lived six years with him and eleven with his family, if I recall correctly). What’s between Ash and Dino is some kind of love-hate relationship (Hassliebe), which has tought me, that love and hate really closley resemble each other. They are bond so tight, that none of them can exist without the other. Dino is a part of Ash’s identity, but so is Ash part of Dino’s. The Corsicans death was a clear sign to me that Ash will die, too. I could not say why back then, but over the years I came to understand it. It was really necessary, because they were some kind of wicket siamese soul twins or such. A similar thing goes for Yut Lung, but far more one-sided. He mirrors Ash (in almost every possible aspect!), mostly because of their similar past. But as they don’t spend so much time together (and the interventions of SIng and Blanka), Yut Lung don’t grow dependent on Ash, to be himself. Most of his hatred against Eiji is growing out of the fear, that he (Yut Lung) looses his identity, when his mirror changes.

And then there is this brotherly love all around. Ash and Griff, in both ways. Griff, who took care of young Ash, when Jim failed. Ash, who took care of veteran Griff. Blanka and Shorter growing into this kind of love. Interestingly, Ash shows this kind towards Sing. I don’t know how to understand this, but it’s almost like he was adopting Sing as his little brother after killing Shorter. Maybe it follows the parental pattern above, maybe he reminds him of Shorter or even himself. I think it’s possible, that Ash sees all those things in Sing, that he wanted to see in himself. Wow, it’s one long text. I could go on, because I don’T feel like I coverd all my thoughts on this topic, but I quit here. I want to go and make AMVs now ^^ I would be glad to read your opinions on this ^^

#banana fish #banana fish spoiler #ash lynx #aslan callenreese

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avani008 · 6 years

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"Give me a character and I will tell you…" Draupadi, the Pandavas, Karna, and Duryodhana please? Also Krishna and Balarama. (please feel free to pick and choose from this wide selection; I apologise for my thinly disguised greed. :P)

(Don’t apologize! Greed is good–in this situation alone ;)

Behind the cut because this is LOOONG.

Draupadi

* How I feel about this character

One-half of my top two favorite characters in the entire epic and obviously a best beloved.

* All the people I ship romantically with this character…In a likely unpopular opinion, I only ship Draupadi/her husbands, and, honestly my preferred version is very much without angst at having to marry all five. My!Draupadi also doesn’t really have a favorite, other than a mild wistful partiality for Arjun; but both of them know for her to be married to him alone would work better in theory than practice, and that neither would really be happy were it so.

* My non-romantic OTP for this characterTEAM KRISHNA(A) FOR LIFE.

* My unpopular opinion about this characterRupa Ganguly was the One True Draupadi *tries to look fierce, fails*.

* One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.B.R. Chopra brings up the tantalizing possibility of Draupadi volunteering to ride on Arjuna’s chariot when the Pandavas and Krishna are coming up with the plan to defeat Bhishma, and though they end up going with Shikandi instead….True, my headcanon-Draupadi is no warrior, but the thought of allowing her some agency in avenging herself is wonderful.

* Something about them I consider true, even though it’s only my head canon/fanon

….Not true, necessarily, but one of the more-realistic-alternatives for Draupadi’s miraculous birth I really love is that of it representing a rebirth in the form of a oath witnessed by fire that two of Drupad’s pre-existing children took to wreak revenge on the Kurus.

Pandavas

* How I feel about this character

Five arrogant, dorky, but essentially good-hearted heroes whose best quality is perhaps their devotion to each other against all odds. (Their brotherly love survived being wagered away by their big brother without losing their temper–how, I can’t imagine.)

* All the people I ship romantically with this character

Mostly Draupadi, honestly–though also Hidimbi for Bhima, and Subhadra/Ulupi/Chitrangada for Arjuna* My non-romantic OTP for this character

I don’t know if I could choose just one, though: but their relationship with Pandu as kids and Kunti much later fascinates me, just in the way they are kept together by love for their parent. * My unpopular opinion about this character

I…actually think that, while they are flawed, my favorite versions are still likeable and sympathetic protagonists as opposed to jerks who are just as bad as their cousins. * One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

…I wish the twins had gotten seperate personalities, and even the other Pandavas more characterization to get rid of the “goody-two-shoes other than the gambling thing”/ “strong but stupid” / “insufferable Designated Hero” flanderizations you so often see. * Something about them I consider true, even though it’s only my head canon/fanon

The Year of Disguise was one of the defining episodes in their lives. Prior to this, they’re so often casteist/classist/less concerned with the sufferings of others, and the forced walk in servants’ shoes must have done so much to make them better people.

Duryodhana

* How I feel about this character

Entertaining villain, often scores one of the most entertaining and talented actors out of the casts in most adaptations. * All the people I ship romantically with this character

I’m come around to Duryodhana/Bhanumati, but Duryodhana/Karna is also a Valid ‘ship. * My non-romantic OTP for this character

Duryodhana/Karna, even otherwise. Give me a version where Duryodhana is just using an sweet-ignorant-and-innocent Karna and you have a very unhappy Avani *side-eyes Starbharat, and, even more so, Suryaputra Karn** My unpopular opinion about this character

I–truthfully, I think the most unpopular opinion is irritation at how much pop culture wants to blame Duryodhana and Shakuni for everything, where Karna and other characters are…actually mostly responsible in actual canon. The whitewashing of all other characters while Duryodhana is ridiculously evil to the extent where you wonder why no one drowned HIM at birth, is just….illogical. So that’s my grumpiest opinion. * One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I want to know so much about how he actually was as an administrator! The only indication we have Duryodhana’s dying speech about how he was an awesome King and is going to heaven, that’s….showered with flowers by the gods and not disputed by Krishna, and it just makes me wonder. * Something about them I consider true, even though it’s only my head canon/fanon

Duryodhana was a very loving and indulgent father and brother (to Dushala), albeit a hypocritical one–despite his treatment of Draupadi and others, he insisted that the women he cared for be held to a higher standard.

Karna

* How I feel about this character

Rather more irritation than most people in the fandom, I’m afraid. * All the people I ship romantically with this character

I never really–grew up with stories of Karna/His Wife, so I don’t really ship him with Vrushali/Urvi/Supriya/other variations of this character. Truthfully, it’s pretty much Karna/Duryodhana, or nothing. * My non-romantic OTP for this character

Karna & Arjuna as good, old-fashioned mutual loathing, rather than Starbharat’s near-constant ~SECRET BROTHERS~ song, is….always amusing. B. R. Chopra (I know, I know, despite its flaws, a whole bunch of its little character moments have stuck with me) has this part during Draupadi’s swayamvar where Arjuna watches Karna string the bow and just…smirks. He seems almost genuinely pleased, because well–of course his rival would be good enough to string the bow. He would expect no less of Karna.* My unpopular opinion about this character

Though Karna admittedly suffers quite a bit, and is unfortunately affected by bigotry, a) there are other characters who suffer just as much if not more and b) in no way does that justify the suffering he inflicts on other characters. It’s the Snape conundrum all over again. * One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Look, the only fanon I reliably want from any Mahabharat adaptation is the impossible scene where Duryodhana finds out Karna’s true origins after his death and mourns. I’ve said this before, but the “you [the Pandavas] have no right to perform his last rites! Only I do! He was MY friend!” made quite the impression on baby Avani. * Something about them I consider true, even though it’s only my head canon/fanon

Like many a solar hero before him (I’m thinking Gawain/Gwalchmai from Arthurian myth in particular, but I don’t think that’s the only one), Karna’s strength waxes and wanes with the rise and fall of the sun.

Krishna

* How I feel about this character

A warning: I am admittedly biased, because Krishna is the deity dearest to my heart: but a god dedicated to doing the right thing rather than blindly obeying law and tradition, whose response to a devotee saying “I don’t understand” is not to command them to stop asking questions, but rather to explain again and again, is one that I believe in. * All the people I ship romantically with this character

Krishna/Everyone is….pretty much canon, but I have a soft spot for Krishna/Rukmini* My non-romantic OTP for this character

Krishna & Arjuna (if you don’t ship them) is certainly an option, but *points upwards* I’m Team Krishna(a) forever.* My unpopular opinion about this character

I have to hope that Krishna’s offer to Karna that Draupadi would be his is more of a bluff–or rather, a way of guilting Karna rather than a sincere prediction of what would, or even should, happen. * One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.* Something about them I consider true, even though it’s only my head canon/fanon

Krishna’s “women are unreliable, so just go ahead and kidnap my sister instead of proposing” spiel to Arjuna re:Subhadra is honestly tongue-and-cheek and largely because Subhadra begged Krishna to make Arjuna actually get a move on instead of waiting until she got married off against her will. I don’t care that it’s blatantly ignoring canon; but it’s one of the few scenes of Krishna in the Vyasa Mahabharata that don’t fit in with my understanding.

Balarama

* How I feel about this character

I really like Balarama! I feel like he hardly ever gets any attention, and many of the interesting stories/episodes concerning him often get glossed over. * All the people I ship romantically with this character

I’ve started shipping Balarama/Revati something fierce after getting on Tumblr! But consider: she’s literally from another age entirely, and they still find each other! She’s taller and wiser and stronger than he is! They have no son, only a daughter, and he still never marries anyone else!* My non-romantic OTP for this character

Krishna & Balarama snarking at each other is always great, no matter what the adaptation. * My unpopular opinion about this character

Not unpopular, but I suppose not universally accepted: Balarama is the reincarnation of Lakshmana/Shesh Nag, because Balarama trying to enjoy getting to be the big brother in this birth while Krishna continues to be cheeky and do as he pleases is great. * One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I would have loved to hear more about Yadava politics than what we get, and definitely even more about Revati and Balarama–there’s hardly any mention of her in the Mahabharata. * Something about them I consider true, even though it’s only my head canon/fanon

Balarama and Krishna have perfected bad cop/good cop (or grumpy raging Yadava/ charming compromising Yadava) to an art. Both of them are perfectly capable of exploiting their reputations for political gain.

#mahabharata #character meme #every character ever apparently

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business-as-usual-bats · 6 years

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Jaytim is one of those ships that is only annoying because of how popular it is. Like yeah its incest and that isnt okay but the fact that you cant look at anything tim drake related without seeing makes me really uncomfortable.

Hmm. I get the frustration, anon. I have many different beliefs now than what I was raised to have. A lot of things made me uncomfortable because I had trouble fully understanding a new viewpoint and relating to it. It's taken a lot for me to familiarize myself with different perspectives to come to a place of comfort.And it can be frustrating when something is popular when I'm not interested in it. Hearing about it all the time might be unappealing and makes me less likely to try and understand something new to me. Especially if people yell at you for not liking the same thing. That said, I personally do not consider JayTim incest, particularly the fan fics that have settings in which Jason or Tim was never adopted by Bruce, taking away all legality of their brotherhood. That said, as far as legality goes, Jason is also legally dead. In many states of the USA pot is illegal when more harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco are not. In other places it's legal to beat wives and children. My point being that laws don't necessarily dictate reality and what is morally appropriate. They reflect who is in charge and what is considered culturally acceptable.To another point of brotherly emotional connections, Jason and Tim weren't raised together as brothers. Even so, they view one another as family in canon in some instances. Although, even if they were, another question arises. Is any pairing where people consider each other brothers incest? What about Wally and Dick who were friends going through their teens together, practically brothers? What about Clark and Bruce who met later in life but see each other as family? There are many instances where people in canon have a sibling connotation that's interpreted as romantic, even when some versions clearly state the two see one another as family. Food for thought: In the TV show Flash, Barry and Iris were raised together in the same household from a young age and she considered Barry as a brother. They later became a couple. If Barry was legally adopted by her family, legally Iris's brother, suddenly would their relationship be immoral even though nothing else about their situation changed?So, anon, as a philosophy major, I challenge you to ask yourself, "What makes incest morally wrong? How does this apply to Jason and Tim?" If the answer is it's genetically unhealthy then that doesn't apply to them. If the answer is they view themselves as brothers not lovers then the same could be said for many popular pairings such as Superman and Batman. If the answer is legality, we know laws don't dictate what is right as much as they often reflect who's in power and popular opinion. If the answer is it's culturally unacceptable, ask yourself if there's a logical reason behind that belief, how does that apply?But when all is said and done, if you don't like the pairing, that's totally fine too! Your feelings of discomfort are valid. Maybe something "just doesn't feel right" after thinking it through, and of course you don't have to ignore that. I don't like certain pairings for really no reason other than I just don't like them. I can't always explain why. Sorry this is a long post and I don't know how to do tags on my phone for asks.

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just-graysexual · 6 years

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Hi, (male guy here) I posted a question yesterday anonymously about my questioning of my potential gray-asexuality. But my answer has not been replied to yet, and I thought that you may not have seen it. So, I thought I would just submit my question in a post this time, here it goes: When I was a younger and in school my main focus was on education and not on relationships. However, most of my friends were girls. It was because of this that many people thought I was gay and asked me about it. But I have never felt that way (been interested in anything below the belt of another guy) about another guy. Nor have I ever had any real intense sexual attraction towards women, but I would like to have a romantic and semi-romantic relationship with another woman that I really care about one day and possibly even start a family. I do sometimes feel mild sexual attraction towards women though, so does that make me graysexual? Also, over the years I have noticed that I have this urge to touch other guy’s hair (it’s like when you see a dog/cat and want to pet them) or comfort them. Would that be considered sensual attraction or something else? I’ve always longed for a really close brotherly relationship with another guy, because I’ve never had a really close guy friendship that lasted longer than a year. I’m not sure what this means either. -would appreciate any advice or comments. -Confused and questioning-

Hey,

Just to be sure, are these your Anon message’s too?

Don’t you worry I see them. I apologize for my delayed response. I’m quite busy throughout the week and have very limited free time.

You hang in there. I know that all of this is quite confusing and hard to understand. Finding yourself and understanding your sexuality is never easy. Especially when you notice that you appear “different” from other people. But don’t you worry, you are not alone, and don’t ever stress about what other people think or say. I was accused of being gay when I was younger too. And I was in a similar situation. I was not sexually attracted to males, but I was not sexually attracted to females either. It left me terrible lost and confused; especially when other people told me I was something. But what other people think of you is not important. They are not you. They do not know what you are going through. They don’t know what you are feeling. Therefore, they have no say in who you are and how you should identify. Only you know what you are feeling. Only you can decide who you are. No one else has that power but you.

You seem to be doing a great job at understanding your attractions and what you are into. This is great; you are doing great. This can only help you in the long run. Keep in mind that the attractions are all separate from one another. Just because you are romantically attracted to one gender does not mean you can’t be sensually attracted to another. It’s okay if you attractions work in different ways in regards to different gender. It is most certainly possible to only be attracted to a certain gender in a specific way. There is nothing wrong with having preferences and liking certain traits or qualities of a gender, but not another one. It’s totally cool if you are romantically attracted to women, but sensually/aesthetically attracted to men. The more you work on your attractions the better you will become at it. Remember attractions are involuntary. You don’t chose or control your attraction. You cannot help how and who you are attracted to. And the attractions can happen separately from one another. Just because you feel one attraction does not mean you have to feel another.

It sounds like you are both aesthetically attracted to men and women. This means that you do find them visually pleasing and physically attractive to look at. You appreciate a person’s beauty and admire them. You think to yourself that this person is very beautiful, but your thoughts do not go beyond this.

Your liking for men’s hair and needing to touch it could be sensual attraction and sensual desire. Which keep in mind that desires are different from attractions. A desire is something that you can control. It’s a want for something. Your desire can happen even without any target or object for you desire to take place. Sometimes you may just feel like touching men’s hair would be sensual desire. This is different from sensual attraction where there will typically be a target that brings out these feelings. Your liking for men’s hair could be just a characteristic of what you like, what you find attractive on men, and what pleases you. We all have something that we like about certain people. For example, some people, even if they are ace or aro, really like other people’s arms. They are not necessarily attracted in any way to the person, but find a deep appreciation or even attraction for well toned arms. It’s perfectly fine to have a certain attraction or appreciation for a body part. Some may view it as a type of fetish, but there is nothing wrong with having a fetish. I would not look too much into this or stress about it. I think it’s just a personal trait of yours that you like men’s hair. Like how some people like nice arms.

If you feel like developing a semi-/romantic relationship with a women, then you may be romantically attracted to women. This would make you heteromantic. Your romantic attraction happens when you see someone and want to date them. You want to develop a romantic relationship with them and do romantic things with them, like going on dates and maybe even kiss.

If you do feel some sort of a mild sexual attraction toward women, but it’s not really significant and you don’t really have much interest in sex, then yes, graysexual can most certainly work for you. In fact, you maybe heterosexual and graysexual. That’s the beauty of graysexuality. If you understand your sexual attraction enough to know who you are attracted too, then you can attach other orientations to your gray-a label. Many people can be attracted to the opposite sex, but because they don’t feel the attraction strong enough or have the desire for it this is what makes them gray ace. This is most definitely a characteristics of graysexuality. And is a perfectly valid and acceptable reason for you to identify as.

It’s also perfectly fine if you long for a relationship with another man. There is nothing wrong with wanting a close friendship with someone. I think you should probably try and explore your platonic attraction. There is a lot of ways to be attracted to people and platonically is one of them. This is where you have an attraction towards someone in a way that you want to be friends. Sure we make friends and we have friends, but when you are platonically attracted to someone you feel a strong urge to actually develop a friendship with a person. And you want to build that friendship and be with them. And you can develop things like squishes or plushes on a person you are platonically attracted too.

I also think you should explore your alterous attraction a bit more too. Alterous attraction is a type of an emotional attraction. The feeling is more than platonic, but not really romantic either. You see a person and you know you are attracted to them, but you are not sure how. You know you what to be with this person, but you don’t fully know what type of relationship you want with this person. Look into this and see if you are alterous attracted to anyone. You maybe experiencing this, but are just not aware of it.

Since you did say that you want a romantic or semi-romantic relationship with a women, I think you should probably look into a queer/quasiplatonic relationship (QPR). QPR’s are wonderful relationships. It’s more than just a friendship and could even have some romantic things about it depending on the people in the QPR. Many people even go on to marry the person they are in a QPR with. Check it out. Maybe this is a type of relationship you can benefit from.

Based on everything that you told me, I do think graysexual can work for you. However, if you want to explore some more feel free to keep looking into other ace orientations, like quasisexual/quasiromantic or paragraysexual.

Quasisexual/romantic: this is where you feel that your attractions are non-traditional. In other words, you believe you feel your attractions somewhat differently than other people. You know you feel some type of an attraction, but you can’t really describe it.

Paragraysexual: is a type of gray-asexuality where you feel garysexual is close to what your sexual orientation is, but still does not really describe you well.

Poke around and see what you can find. There are a lot of orientations out there and a lot of information. Just take your time with everything. The more you work on it, the more you try other labels, the more you research the easier everything will become and eventually everything will fall into place.

Hang in there. I know that it’s difficult and confusing and hard to understand, but you will get through this. Try working on your platonic and alterous attractions. This will probably help you out more. I wouldn’t worry too much about feeling the sensual attraction and desire for men’s hair. That is perfectly fine and nothing to stress about. It’s okay if you are attracted to people in different ways. It’s okay if you attractions are gender specific. It’s okay to feel attracted to one gender in a certain way and another gender in a different way. It’s okay that you want a good friendship with a guy. It’s perfectly fine if you want a semi-romantic relationship with a women, but don’t have a lot of sexual feelings. You can most certainly identify as graysexual. The final decision is always yours though, go with whatever makes you most comfortable. Take your time with everything. If you need any help, have any questions, or would like me to clarify or elaborate on anything feel free to message me anytime.

#graysexual #quasisexual #quasiromantic #paragraysexual #qpr #ace:question #submission #mavinraven22

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dontbeallupinmyfriesdawg · 7 years

Note

Can u please compare klaroline to st*roline and how different Caroline loves them

I’m usually not the one to write those long metas about my OTP comparing them to my NOTP unless I’m asked a specific question I prefer to reblog other people’s. That being said I think I’ve done at least one meta containing the gist of this questions answer. I’ll try and summarise my thoughts and add some links at the bottom.

First I want to start by saying that I don’t think Caroline loves Klaus. I believe she had and has very intense feelings for him, very conflicting confusing feelings for him.

But their relationship wasn’t developed nearly long enough for me to concede that Caroline loves Klaus or is in love with him.

I think Klaus’ love for Caroline is intense, selfish at times

but more importantly, I think Klaus is an important part of Caroline’s development as a vampire because while Stefan may have taught Caroline to cope with her vampirism Klaus was part of her accepting and dare I say, embracing it.

I am firmly in the camp that Stefan never really got over Elena and that his love for her was so strong that he could never have loved Caroline with the same intensity. I believed he loved Caroline, I believed she was his best friend, that he would die for her but I think it was just love, not necessarily a platonic love (although to me st*roline’s dynamic worked so much better when they were brotherly and sisterly) but not an intense life-changing love either.

Plus Stefan had to be talked into loving Caroline

Receipts: http://dontbeallupinmyfriesdawg.tumblr.com/post/163874715365/stefan-loved-the-idea-of-not-being-alone-not

Caroline rightly pointed out that Stefan treated Elena way better than he treated her in terms of letting her make her own choices and giving her the respect she deserves.

I think this is partly because Stefan has always felt responsible for Caroline (remember that sibling-like bond we talked about?) it’s not an excuse for ignoring her wishes but their dynamic has always been: Caroline is struggling with vampire stuff, Stefan is here to help and vice versa. They’re good friends I don’t think they know how to be in a relationship.

@julieplec

I think for Stefan, Caroline was convenient and Caroline seemed like the next best thing and the right choice but I think they were kidding themselves. Stefan settled for her.

As for Caroline. I think Stefan was her ideal. Stefan was the perfect boyfriend to Elena especially in Caroline’s eyes

he was also the perfect guy in general, handsome, gallant, just, kind, heroic, he didn’t drink from humans if he could help it and he saved her in a sense. He taught her how to cope with vampirism and the morals and survival techniques he showed her, lined up perfectly with her own view of right and wrong.

Caroline is very pragmatic and Stefan by all accounts on paper was the sensible option. Especially after she tried to follow her heart with Tyler who broke it despite the fact that he was supposed to be the love of her life.

Caroline’s always strived for the ideal. She’s a perfectionist, she holds on to the idea that she can craft her world perfectly around her if she tries hard enough. It’s evident in her speech to Klaus in 5x11

The notion of having a normal life and still keeping moral superiority is absurd if you’re a vampire, a fact Klaus consistently attempts to point out to Caroline

and yet Caroline still clings to it and she clings to Stefan because he fits that nice neat framework.

I also think Caroline doesn’t see Stefan for who he is but this idea of him she has worked out in her head. While Elena runs toward ripper!Stefan grabs him by the face and says: I’m here, I accept this. Caroline turns away and says: no this isn’t you, this isn’t the Stefan I know and shuts her eyes and buries her head in the sand (something she can’t and has never done with Klaus I might point out)

Without realizing that gallant, good Salvatore, hero hair Stefan, is one-half of the coin and the ripper is the other. Stefan has many flaws most of which I think Caroline refuses to acknowledge until they become a huge problem in the relationship.

Stefan is complacent and passive in his relationship with Caroline while he was extremely active with Elena.

Idk where full-on, romantic Klaroline would have taken us but romantic!SC was going nowhere fast…

Links:

http://dontbeallupinmyfriesdawg.tumblr.com/post/156184295290/ileianaberrie-reblogged-your-post-and-added-i

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dent-de-leon · 7 years

Note

I'm saying this from the perspective of a shipper I guess but looking at all these Sheith moments got me thinking.. Would it be possible that the creators themselves are actually planning for them to be canon at some point? But because of some complications..(not gonna name it) they decided to scrap it off? Do you think this is possible? Although Keith telling Shiro he is like a brother to him kinda made me sad? lol I have got so many questions so I can't wait to see more of this amazing series!

Hi anon! The thing is, writing and animation for shows like this are done way in advance. When season 1 came out, I imagine the plot up until seasons 3 or 4 was already set in stone. And Voltron, like most shows, works off a “TV Bible” that had all the major plot points outlined right when the series was first pitched so,, once you plan things out like that I think it’s difficult to make big changes to characters’ relationships.

I think the writers have also made it clear that they are going to go ahead with their narrative rather than catering to popular fannon, particularly when they’ve told certain fans they don’t agree with their mentality at all. Even with things like how they mentioned Allura was a teenager like all the other paladins, a lot of people didn’t headcannon that, but the writers stood by it. It’s their own story after all, and I don’t see why they should change it. As for sheith, we know the writers have outright told people that harassing shippers isn’t okay and they’re completely against it.

There are also plenty of writers, animators, and VAs who have liked clearly romantic sheith fanart, cosplay, or pro-sheith posts (and gotten backlash for it). So we know they’re certainly not opposed to shipping it. And I mean, whether it’s romantic or not, we know that the cast certainly seems invested in their dynamic. The fact that their relationship and character development is by far the most fleshed out is certainly apparent. Here’s also some stuff staff has drawn that shows they at least like Shiro and Keith’s bond:

So anyway, despite how the fandom can be, I don’t think it would necessarily deter the writers or dissuade them from following through with major writing decisions. And given how supportive the staff has been of sheith, I don’t think they would suddenly just abandon whatever plans they had for their character development together. Under the hypothetical that they did make sheith canon, I think they would just maybe adjust how they went about it so that the fandom could kind of like, ease into it, and hopefully not be too mad about it. Though I have no doubt people would still harass the staff if sheith happened, which just…makes me feel really bad to be honest…

On the BOM line though anon, I don’t think it goes against sheith at all and here’s why:

in all honesty, everyone is kinda “brother zoned” in Team Voltron lmao. Found family is a common theme, and I don’t understand when people pull apart that one line when they conveniently forget other brotherly moments, like:

any combination of shipping Hunk, Keith, and Lance

or shipping any paladin and Allura

I know there are fans who will point at Keith’s line and claim that it discounts sheith. But people ignoring the other scenes mentioned above while latching onto the BOM line seems extremely transparent (and defensive) to me.

By the logic that Keith and Shiro can’t be shipped due to one out of context line, it also discounts ships like k/lance, h/ance, h/eith, sh/allura, k/allura, ect. I mean, Keith says “we’re all related” about everyone in the universe at one point so like,, it’s not meant to be taken at face value.

With BOM in particular it’s especially bizarre to me, because I’ve seen plenty of people replace Shiro with Lance and make the scene romantic. So, whatever someone’s opinions on Shiro and Keith, clearly the scenario itself–dying on the floor and wishing for someone to come back for you, to never abandon you, someone who is the very embodiment of your greatest hopes and dreams, the person you most desperately want to see–obviously, people can easily read that as romantic.

Key word here is also “desperate.” That does not sound like something brotherly to me, it kinda has this unrequited love vibe. But again, that could be just me. It’s fine to interpret Shiro and Keith’s relationship however you like, though it’s obvious that, platonic or romantic, Shiro is obviously the most important person right now in Keith’s life. Which makes sense, considering how Keith already said Shiro changed his life, not to mention Shiro being the only one to check in with Keith while he was worrying himself sick over being galra. He’s also the only one that can hug Keith without the poor guy instantly freezing up; there’s an unspoken intimacy to their interactions that’s obvious to any viewer at a glance.

For your consideration though, studio mir also made avatar. Katara once thought of Aang as a little brother, but that didn’t stop them from getting married. Character development happens, and people change. Also, you can lie and say something in the moment because you’re scared of expressing your true feelings. This is especially applicable to Keith because of how he reacts to strong feelings

More importantly, in the Blade of Marmora, Shiro actually mentions family first.

“We’re all the family you need.” This line alone proves Keith sees all of Team Voltron as a family–his family. By that logic, all the paladins are his siblings. What’s really interesting though here, is that Keith could agree. He could’ve said, Ya, you’re all my family and you’re all important to me. But no, he says “Shiro, you’re like a brother to me,” which means he effectively moves on from the whole team and puts all the focus on Shiro. That literally shows that, even though he holds a familial, platonic love for everyone on Team Voltron, his connection with Shiro still runs deeper than everyone else, and he sees his relationship with Shiro as being on a whole other level above the rest of the team.

As for Shiro and Keith and the portrayal of their relationship, we’ve already seen that plenty of people on the Voltron staff are supportive of Sheith in a romantic context. There’s plenty of evidence for staff liking sheith fanart and sheith posts. Also, as I’ve said before, it’s obvious they’re fond of Shiro and Keith’s dynamic. So I mean, even the creators are capable of reading their relationship in a romantic context–and support it. Doesn’t sound like you can only interpret their relationship as brotherly to me.

So honestly anon, I don’t think you need to worry. There’s nothing about the line that strikes me as detrimental to sheith. If anything, I think it just proves that, out of all the paladins, Shiro is the one Keith is closest to.

And again, Keith’s fake Shiro refers to everyone as Keith’s family–so he sees them all as found family. The brother line doesn’t discount Sheith anymore than it does any other Team Voltron ship with Keith.

#sheith #shiro #keith #voltron #anonymous #whatever staff has planned anon #i dont think theyre really going to make huge major changes #just to cater to a certain part of the fandom #long post

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avenger-hawk · 7 years

Note

I am the anon from your most recent reply, I just wanted to clarify that you are wrong. I am most assuredly not anti-Itachi but I do believe some of his actions had a negative affect on Sasuke it was simply a truthful statement regarding Sasukes change. Additionally, I have not been following you for long so I was not aware you had answered such a question (tbh you didn’t really answer it anyway) and I use my phone so I can’t see your links. If you were so offended, don’t bother replying.

Also to carry on, (the character limit makes it challenging) I have read a fair few of your posts regarding my former question which is why I asked, because I don’t think that the obvious reasons are enough justification for such strong feelings. I only wondered if you had some deeper insight that I had not thought of. Obviously Itachi has no choice for some of his actions but that does not explain loving Sasuke who although he was originally innocent was made not so by Itachi’s own will. Apologies for the influx, I would contain it to one ask if it were possible. I suppose my point was, despite all the previous justifications for why Itachi loves Sasuke, it doesn’t seem enough to me to explain his nigh decade long commitment to him. I find it hard to believe brotherly love is that strong, as such I am an Uchiha brother fan (pun intended). It’s easier for me to believe romantic love is that strong and that’s why I asked you, Itachi is a tragic hero and I want to understand why.

I said I’m sick and tired, it’s different from being offended. When I follow a blog I browse their archive and old stuff, especially if I find the bloggers’ analyses interesting. I’m baffled at how others don’t do this, or don’t do this as thoroughly as I do. Or others I know. Because I already wrote about Itachi and Sasuke as tragic heroes (x, x). They’re tagged with my generic analyses tag, I know there’s a lot of stuff in that one, I suppose it needs a longer attention span or more interest. My attention span and interest get low with repetitive stuff instead.

And I already explained (it’s even in my blog description) that mobile users should use a web browser to see my links, because tumblr app doesn’t open them, not just on my blog but on all blogs, it’s a common problem.

It’s probably because of asks’ word limit that you worded yours in a way that sounded a lot like many anti-Itachi asks I received, but I can’t guess your intentions.

Like I said I don’t define Itachi and Sasuke’s love for each other. It’s done on purpose. Love is love, the differences in its expression vary according to societal and familial roles, culture and personality. I don’t think that siblings love each other less than lovers, actually in real life lovers may come and go, while a sibling is forever. Theoretically. In fiction the borders are more blurred.

Itachi and Sasuke’s bond is the strongest in the story, it’s clearly stronger than romantic relationships and friendships, and than other siblings’ relationships. Other brothers love and respect each other, like the Sand siblings, but they’re “just” brothers, there’s no mistaking their bond. Shin and Sai had a stronger bond compared to them, Shin sacrificed his life for Sai, in a way that is similar to Itachi for Sasuke, and they weren’t even blood brothers, yet they lack something Itachi and Sasuke have.

The way their bond is described is stronger and more intense. In the Itachi Shinden book Itachi’s feeling for Sasuke is described as different from the feelings for his parents (x). Itachi has Sasuke in his mind all the time in that book. It’s not specified how, and it would demean their bond if it did, but sure it shows how strong his love was.

The way their interactions are written is more intense than others, more sensual, I don’t mean necessarily sexual but carnal. Itachi is not a person who touches others, neither in fight nor outside fighting, like with Shisui, yet Sasuke is the only one he always touched, from poking his forehead to carrying him on his back, before the massacre. After the massacre he could use genjutsu on him but he always fought him from the closest distance. He could use regular taijutsu like he did against Nagato or Kakashi, but he chose a different approach, always hitting him in a way that closed their distance even further and allowed him to touch Sasuke, like punching his stomach, pinning his hands against the wall, grabbing his throat, “hugging” him from behind.

(interesting enough, Sasuke never does the same. He always uses a weapon, be it chidori or his sword, putting it between them. It’s like he’s afraid of him, not that he doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, because the way he looks at him even during the fight, betrays him. He’s the youngest brother, he respects him, this also includes physically respecting him, while Itachi, the older brother, is used to be more dominant, it’s part of his role)

Like I said I don’t necessarily mean this as sexual, I like the ambiguity of their interactions and of Itachi’s personality/behavior. But to me it shows that he wants to touch Sasuke, that he misses him, and that since he can’t blow his cover and he needs Sasuke’s hate to get stronger in order to kill him, the only way he can satisfy his need for proximity with the one he loves so much is hurting him with his own hands, so to speak.

Itachi defined Sasuke a blank slate, which is pretty much the same as seeing him as pure innocent even after the suffering he caused him. I don’t know if what I said is deep enough of an insight for you or not, but to me Itachi’s will to keep Sasuke alive and safe, even if he had to go through the strongest pain of loss and loneliness, even if he had to believe in his lies, even if he had to stay in the village that Itachi knew had betrayed its initial ideal, even if he had to hate the one he loved the most.

I never said that his actions didn’t have a negative effect on Sasuke. It’s pretty obvious. I like their bond in all its aspects, even the negative ones, I am fascinated by Itachi’s extreme measures, the lengths he went for Sasuke and the self-confidence that made him think he knew best, for Sasuke’s life and future, and I like Sasuke’s personality the way it is because of Itachi too, and I wouldn’t like him to be different, without the same devotion for Itachi, his determination despite being so broken. Had Itachi been healthier and less attached to him, had him made different choices, Sasuke wouldn’t be as he is, and their bond wouldn’t be as amazing as it is.

My tag for their bond is a quote from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Annabel Lee: “ we loved with a love that was more than love” and I think it’s the best way to define Itachi and Sasuke’s love for each other. Brotherly or romantic, I think it’s both and neither at the same time, it’s more than both and beyond both.

#Anonymous #vivalarevolution #vivalarevolution: in his defense #vivalarevolution: a love that is more than love #itasasu

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shenanigumi · 7 years

Text

So I finished Kyoto Winds…

Here’s the comprehensive review I promised!! Keep in mind that I haven’t always paid the closest attention (as my first priority eventually shifted to managing the walkthroughs, since I can replay them anytime), but I’ll do my best to be accurate.

As usual, I’m biased as hell so you’ll want to take a lot of this with a grain of salt, but here we go, with the longest post ever…

Overall

On the gameplay – having been expecting to get to choose the route at the beginning, the fact that I had to navigate all the options and pick accordingly was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. I’ve always been a fan of choice-based gameplay, so really, the only sticking point I hit was Souma’s route. As you may have noticed, I had a bit of trouble figuring out which system of choices was required for me to get to his second appearance. Other than that, everything turned out fine, although the sheer number of options was a little bit overwhelming at first. | 4/5

On the art – fantastic, as always, although there are a couple CGs that look a little funny to me (for instance, I don’t think Kazama’s Ikeda CG looks much like him). I am admittedly also not a fan of the costume recolors in most cases, but it’s not like it gets in the way of my enjoying the game. Additionally, Demons’ Bond also seems to have influenced the Yase backgrounds. We all know how I feel about Demons’ Bond as it relates to Hakuōki, so I’m not too enthusiastic about the parallels, but that’s an entirely different story. | 5/5 – odd-looking CGs and a palette swap I don’t particularly like aren’t enough to knock a point off

On the translation – …ouch. Noticed a huge amount more typos, clumsily written phrases (like using ‘gruff’ to describe someone’s hands), faulty formatting, incorrect dialogue tags, out-of-place swearing (particularly concerning the word ‘bitch’), and plain OOC dialogue (especially from Amagiri) compared to the original. I also hear that Iba’s dialogue wasn’t well-handled either, and it makes me wonder about the accuracy of the ‘new’ lines as well. I don’t have a lot of faith in this one, so I’m going to say the original translation was definitely, and markedly, better. In part because it distinguished between “the Demon” (Hijikata) and “the demon” (Kazama) instead of inexplicably capitalizing the common noun ‘demon’ so it’s possible to confuse the two. Or ‘fury’, for that matter. Yeah, that just makes no sense to me. | 2/5

On the soundtrack – a few tracks are good, and most unremarkable, but on the whole I’d rank it roughly equivalent with the original. I am also a fan of the soundfont; electric acoustic is my jam. I’m also getting a distinctly Demons’ Bond vibe from a lot of them, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does tend to melt into the background so that I can’t really tell the difference between several tracks at first listen. Not that it’s a big deal, but the original stood out a little more to me, I guess. | 3/5

Now, onto the routes! Please note that though the ratings I give the new routes are based exclusively on this game, the ratings I give the six old routes are in comparison to the same routes in the original game, with 1/5 being much worse; 3/5 being about the same; and 5/5 being much better.

Hijikata’s Route

Hijikata’s the same Demon Commander we all know and love, only his relationship and dynamic with Chizuru are fleshed out a little more. Chizuru’s role as his page is given a little more of a spotlight, as is her exact role as his page, and her place in the Shinsengumi as a whole feels a little more solid because of that development. Since the game ends before they reach Edo, they’re not exactly a couple, but since his Memories of Love are included, we see Hijikata’s feelings as well. Overall, this route strikes a good balance, and a believable platform for eventual romance. Which, of course, is ideal on any Implied Canon route. (I was Not Ok with Yamazaki’s death and burial at sea, though. Like… my heart.) | 4/5

Okita’s Route

Okita hasn’t changed a bit, but the reasoning behind his actions is made a little clearer, and his brotherly adoration for Kondou is also stressed a little more. As a character, he feels a little more complete, and I was able to understand his actions a little better without having to guess at his motives (for instance, he repeatedly asserts that he doesn’t like it when other people make inferences about how he or Kondou feels). Because of that, his dynamic with Chizuru also got a little more development, and although the game ends before they’re involved, I can already see the basis for their relationship in the sequel. While OkiChi admittedly felt a little bit sudden in the original, this half-route did a good job of slowing down and zooming in so we can see the shift a little more. Or at least, I could. Maybe it was because I was looking for it. | 4/5

Saito’s Route

THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. This? Right here? Perfect improvement over the original route, adding to all the right places without taking anything away. It includes just enough extra background on Saito and Chizuru and how the two of them interact to make the ship believable. Their relationship is made softer without pulling either of them out of character, and the extent of their compatibility explored. Saito offers just enough reassurance, and Chizuru is just conscious enough of her place in the relationship and in the Shinsengumi, that their development reads as very natural. Excellent. Not much else to say, just like Saito. | 5/5

Heisuke’s Route

Hoo boy. Not a lot of new content and no new CGs, but it’s not like you can do much to improve on Heisuke’s route, anyway, since it was hands down the best in the original. The few things they did add fit in well with the original flow, nothing felt out-of-place, and I was actually enjoying myself quite a bit thanks to all that wonderful HeiChi… until Sen intervened in the conflict between Kazama and Heisuke. Rather than offer herself as the mother of Kazama’s children to spare Chizuru, like in the original, she instead threatens to banish him and his entire clan for interfering with the affairs of humans. However, quite generously, she offers him amnesty if he agrees to leave Heisuke and Chizuru alone. I was… angry. Still am, in fact.

But it’s not just because I ship KazaSen; really, it’s not. It’s because altering that scene threatens the integrity of the entire plot, when you consider that Kazama will eventually join Heisuke and Chizuru in rescuing Sen. Furthermore, her authority to banish an entire clan of demons is never explained, and her threat makes no sense anyway, considering that Yase has literally worked directly for the imperial court for centuries, so she has no business telling Kazama to stand down for allying with the Satsuma. Basically, retconning that scene makes no sense, and plotholes of that magnitude have never sat well with me. I had a bitter taste in my mouth for the rest of the route, which thankfully didn’t last much longer. | 3/5 – the adorableness of HeiChi barely manages to even out the fact that my faith in the plot has been materially damaged

Harada’s Route

Yes. Good. Wonderful development between the two of them, and although there aren’t too many additions until the route split, their relationship is more firmly established—and earlier on—which makes me a little bit more okay with the more mature direction their relationship is headed. Moreover, Harada’s reassurance that Chizuru is just a normal girl and not a monster was sorely needed in the original, and I’m relieved to see that kind of closure here. Otherwise, it was largely unremarkable (in a good way), other than the fact that Shiranui talks a bit more about Takasugi. Which, by the way, was awesome; I still consider TakaShira canon until proven otherwise. | 4/5

Nagakura’s Route

Definitely sweet and enjoyable! I played this one first, so I didn’t actually get all his scenes till I focused on the walkthrough, but there were so many d’aww moments, I lost count. Honestly, they really amped up the sweetness between the two of them (including modifying some of his In Days Past to be a little more romantic), and that kind of mutual innocence is really refreshing since Nagakura’s so… ya know… suggestive. But something feels like it’s missing, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. I think it might be Toba-Fushimi, honestly; I was fine up till then, but the last couple chapters feel kind of rushed in a way I can’t explain. Still a good route, though! | 4/5

Sanan’s Route

I… really don’t have a lot of feelings about this one. I wasn’t really expecting to, considering Sanan is my least favorite, but I expected my lack of feelings to be related more to that than the fact that there’s really not much to say about it. Like, there are still a lot of inconsistencies in his personality since so many of the scenes early on are accessible on all routes, and I can’t really get a solid grasp on who he is or what his relationship is to Chizuru. The best thing I can say about his route—other than that Kaoru makes an appearance—is that Chizuru’s feelings are at least clear. | 3/5

Yamazaki’s Route

He may not appear much in the beginning, but once he starts showing up a little more often, it’s priceless. Although the relationship doesn’t have a lot of time to develop, for some reason, it doesn’t feel rushed or incomplete. Somehow, they managed to devise a pairing that doesn’t need a lot of development to be believable; they’re simply naturally suited to one another from the beginning. The dialogue and narrative can get a little saccharine at times, but I was honestly eating it up. Especially when he was holding her hand. Who’d have thought that Yamazaki, of all people, gets the closest to becoming half of a legit couple with Chizuru within the span of the first game alone? | 5/5

Iba’s Route

I… ugh… just please get him away from me. As I’ve said, you’d have to work really hard to find someone with whom I’m less personally compatible, and because I already find it difficult to put myself in Chizuru’s tabi, I could not for the life of me get into his route at all. The man’s as Mary a Sue as you’ll find anywhere. The Long-Lost, Somehow-Forgotten Childhood Friend of Chizuru, whom she miraculously remembers throughout his route, Iba is Gallant and Pacifistic and Really Nice All the Time. In fact, he Can Do No Wrong, is Inhumanly Selfless, and wants nothing more than Chizuru’s safety and happiness at any given time. He’s also On Really Good/Personal Terms with All the Captains because he also used to frequent Shiei Hall for undisclosed reasons (other than being the son of a dojo master himself—oh yeah, and he’s a master at his style of swordplay, by the way, although he’s never killed anyone because of his Incorruptible Pure Pureness).

So basically, the dude’s already wormed his way into everyone’s hearts long before the route even starts, and that just strikes me as unfair. Basically, the route relies on their pasts to create chemistry and the foundation for a ‘believable’ relationship, instead of showing how they’re suited to one another in the present. Honestly, he creeps me out more than a little. Of course, independently of his character, the plot itself is fine—if a little bland at times. I don’t exactly appreciate the reused/paralleled backgrounds from Demons’ Bond, or the random demons’ arms that just kinda come out of nowhere and don’t seem to have an apparent purpose beyond being attached to Takeda and Iba (why are they even in Yase? how come they weren’t destroyed? what the fuck?), but those are personal grudges. Anyway, yeah, definitely not my favorite. | 2/5

Souma’s Route

After the amount of heartache I had trying to get his route, I remember swearing that he’d better be the best ever. I wasn’t particularly disappointed. Souma’s like… Heisuke’s mirror image, in a way. Both are awkward oblivious sweethearts, but Heisuke’s more fun-loving, while Souma is serious to a fault. In the same way I love Heisuke and HeiChi’s dynamic, Souma and SouChi strike me as very similar. They support one another, learning and growing together, throughout the route. It’s really refreshing to see Chizuru in a different ‘kind’ of relationship, too, considering that she’s Souma’s ‘senpai’ (well, his mentor in being a page) as opposed to being one of the captains’ inferiors. There are also quite a few backstory moments in this route, which I appreciated, although a few of them read as a little bit contrived; I’d have preferred they spread it out a bit. Also, Fuck-and-Run Miki makes a great antagonist, and I’m pleased to see more of him—although I was a bit disappointed to find Kazama once again assuming the same basic role as he does in Saito’s route. Like, can we have more Heisuke’s-route-esque ‘reluctant rivalrous allies’ banter? | 4/5

Sakamoto’s Route

Okay, so… I kinda love this guy, and it’s not all because he resembles Shiranui. He’s an interesting character, and it’s nice to have a route with someone who isn’t affiliated with the Shinsengumi but isn’t also trying to kidnap Chizuru. The thing is, although I wouldn’t say the ship feels forced, Sakamoto moves really fast, like probably faster than Harada fast, considering he’s technically got the first chronological kiss CG—just not on the lips. It’s also a little less clear how, when, and why Chizuru becomes interested in him. It might just be the fact that I like the character enough to let it slide, but I didn’t have any trouble suspending disbelief long enough to squeal at their cute moments. Even though I wouldn’t say it was an incredible route, it was honestly really interesting, because it follows a completely different path than I was used to, departing from the usual set of choices. (Also, any route with more Shiranui is fine by me. I’m a shallow girl with obvious motives; so sue me.) | 4/5

Kazama’s Route

Better than the original for sure, but that’s not exactly saying much. I do like that there are actual options for raising Kazama’s affection prior to the split, because it makes the entire concept of him having a route make much more sense. I can’t say that Chizuru’s reasoning in choosing to follow him specifically makes any more sense than it did before, especially considering that she could easily have chosen to accompany someone else (I’d have chosen Shiranui, to no one’s surprise). Speaking of which, I’m also not entirely sure how I feel about Sen taking them both to Yase without the slightest suspicion about Kazama’s prior intention to abduct her, or the fact that she doesn’t instruct Amagiri to chaperone, but I can live with it because it looks like there’ll be some semblance of an actual plot this time. Meaning that Kaoru and Kodo are in league to resurrect the Yukimura clan through furies, and Kazama and Chizuru are out to stop them. Considering that Kodo’s death felt like an afterthought in Kazama’s original route, I’m all for this change. I still don’t ship KazaChi in the slightest, though. I just… can’t. | 3/5

Final Assessment

Average Meta Score (art, OST, etc.): 3.5 / 5 Average Route Score: 3.75 / 5 Verdict: Pretty Damn Good Overall [Shenanigumi Approved – Except KazaSen’s De-Canonization]

From disappointment to elation, I’ve felt it all across the board, and shed more than a few tears at varying points (and this is before I even explore the bad endings). If you don’t have this game and you’re waiting to see whether you feel like getting it or not, I don’t have any advice for you. Whether or not it’s worth it to get the game or even the system is up to you, but I hope that was enlightening!

#shenanigumi plays #shinkai #shinkai spoilers #characterization essay

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inevitably-johnlocked · 7 years

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Hey sorry do you know any ‘being a couple for a case’ fic ? Thank you'

I CERTAINLY DO. It’s one of my favourite tropes of ALL TIME. Like, I reread these fics ALL THE TIME. I am just SO SAD that there’s no long-fic really strictly from Sherlock’s POV. Like I would LOVE for a fic where we see Sherlock’s thought processes about trying to get John to be his date / partner / whatever.

FAKE RELATIONSHIP

ANYWAY. I added a few onto this list here, but here’s a full list of the ones in my bookmarks.

Wars We Fought, Things We’re Not by blueink3 (M | 55,126 w.) - Five months after John’s world has fallen apart, Mycroft sends the consulting detective and his doctor on a case that neither is prepared for. [[**FAVE. You have to check this one out!**]]

I can’t pretend by Salambo06 (E | 7,692 w.) - They had arrived more than a hour ago, and the moment they had walked inside the hotel reception, John had understood why Sherlock hadn’t wanted to come. Two men, posh suits and expensive watches on their wrists, had come to greet them with sharp remarks and badly hidden mockery, and John had seen red. Sherlock hadn’t said anything, mostly ignoring the two men entirely, and without thinking twice about it, John had slid an arm around Sherlock’s waist and introduced himself as his husband. [[AHHH so much pining John, I love it. Sherlock is so good to him!!]]

A Hundred Thousand Ways to Say the Name John by Jberry (E | 16,825 w.) John Watson and Sherlock Holmes must solve a case on a cruise ship. To get close to the crew and passengers, they must get married for the case on the Baetica. However, their relationship hits rocky seas both due to the case and internal conflicts. Part 1 of Baetica [[FAVE!!! MUST READ!!]]

Twelfth Night by yourdykeinshiningarmor (E | 15,139 w.) - John is invited to his aunt’s Twelfth Night ball. Sherlock offers to attend with him as a friendly face among strangers, but John’s family force him to address his true feelings for Sherlock. [[this one is cute]]

Till Death Do Us Part by prettysailorsoldier (M | 15,390 w.) - When Sherlock links a recent spree of murder-suicides to a psychologist who specializes in marriage counselling, there’s really only one thing to do: Go undercover as a couple in hopes of drawing the killer out. Faking a relationship seems easy enough, but things take a turn when their real issues start to creep into the sessions, and, all the while, a killer is watching, waiting in the shadows for their chance to strike. Part 12 of 25 Days of Johnlock [[OH GOD this one is lovely. Lots of pain but happy ending]]

That Partitioning of the Things of Youth by wearitcounts (Sher_locked_up) (E | 35,353 w.) - Victor Trevor is in town, and nobody’s happy. [[I really like this one. Jealous John AND Sherlock and lots of Angst]].

What I Hide By My Language, My Body Utters by PixChuu22 (M | 9,047 w.) - Based on a prompt from Tumblr user thetwogaydetectives - “fake relationship that ends up being so real, they finally realize they are in love.” (I like this one. They end up together because of a case).

The Case of the Made-Up Case by DoubleNegative (T | 2,394) - Sherlock takes John to a club. For a “case.” Yes, John, a case. Part 1 of The (Secret) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [[CUTE!]]

The Newlywed Game: Johnlock Edition by patternofdefiance (E | 9,020) - John and Sherlock pretend to be married in order to be contestants in a Newlywed Game. Of course it’s for a case. Of course it doesn’t stay that way. Part 8 of I Blame Tumblr [[LOVE THIS ONE. It’s so cute!]]

A Case of Identity by jkay1980��(T | 91,009 w.)John and Sherlock have succeeded in rebuilding their friendship after Sherlock’s fake suicide, but an unusual case puts their relationship to the test. They pretend to be engaged and attend a marriage counseling workshop. Under the pretext of the case, Sherlock turns out to be a master of seduction, and John finally learns he might like Sherlock more than he thought. Slowly, John discovers that he loves Sherlock not only in a friendly, brotherly way, but both men have to fight their own demons before they can think of taking their relationship to a new level… [[I love this fic. It’s a really great long-fic!]]

A Bit of Indulgence by beltainefaerie (NR | 3,364 w.) - A case leads John and Sherlock to fake being boyfriends and John runs into an old acquaintance. [[This one is so domestic and cute GUH I love it.]]

The Norwood Love Builders by flawedamythyst (T | 47,798 w.) - Sherlock and John go undercover to solve the murder of Joanna Oldacre, but things are complicated by the many feelings John has been repressing in the wake of Sherlock’s faked death and return. [[OMG this is like my FAVOURITE fic in this genre ever. It’s SO good and well characterized]].

Hitting the Water at Sixty Miles an Hour by what_alchemy (E | 30,568 w.) “You love your mother, Sherlock?”John watched the muscles in Sherlock’s jaw jump. He nodded in one sharp jerk.“Then we’re going to her party and making her happy.” John let out a resigned sigh. “As a ruddy couple, you bastard.”

Once More, With Feeling by cellard00rs (T | 21,178 w.) - To put off his meddlesome, matchmaking mother, John convinces Sherlock to play the role of his significant other. Unparalleled awkwardness ensues. [[nice amount of fluff and pining!]]

Hope Springs Eternal by QuinnAnderson (T | 4,054 w.) - John Watson and Sherlock Holmes go on holiday, and Sherlock has romance on the brain. [[Another cute one!]]

Five Times They Kissed for a Case, and One Time They Kissed for Real by fleetwood_mouse (M | 32,406) - A stolen ring! An artful blogger! And many more adventures for your enjoyment.

Disguises are always a self-portrait by yellowteapots (NR | 6,223 w.) - They were headed to a Pride Fest for a case-triple suicide/murder- which, of course mean they had to pretend to be couple. John had a suspicion Mycroft took a fairly sadistic glee in booking them a (single king-sized bed) room at the most romantic B&B in town. (I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH)

A Silver Sixpence by doodle (E | 16,400 w. LIVEJOURNAL) - John and Sherlock have to get married for a case, and learn some things about each other. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this story, though its only fault is that it’s on LiveJournal… (PITA to read on mobile)

AMNESIA:

Here are a couple where either John or Sherlock have amnesia and they think that they are each other’s husband or partner.

Among the Secret Things by Kate_Lear (E | 26,073 w.) - Sherlock would be the last person to describe himself as given to flights of fancy, but at the look on Lestrade’s face he could swear that something inside him curls up and dies. Part 1 of Among the Secret Things

What Meets the Eye by worldaccordingtofangirls (M | 8,251 w.) Amnesia is just another case to solve. Piece together unfamiliar faces, reconstruct the old identity, the lost reality. A challenge that Sherlock could even enjoy. He can read people like books. The man with the silver hair is his boss. The tottering old woman, his landlady. The girl with the worried look in her eyes…infatuated. And as for John Watson? His husband. Obviously.

“FOR A CASE” TROPE

So these aren’t necessarily relationships, or weren’t tagged as such, but contains some other “for a case” fics!

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E | 151,907w.) - When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate’s charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim? [[THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVE FICS OF ALL TIME. tw for gore-ish type things near the end.]]

It Isn’t Strange Until You Think About It by ivyblossom (T | 4,596 w.) - John tells the truth about how it happened. For some reason, “it’s for a case” always seems to do the trick.

The Case of the Vanishing Pants by SwissMiss (E | 44,025 w.) - Five times John and Sherlock lost their pants for a case. [[there are some angsty bits in this, but I did giggle at a few scenes]]

OTHER SORT-OF RELATED FICS:

Here are a few that aren’t REALLY “for a case” but they end up together or the Johnlock is strong in it because of cases or because of situations.

Rescue by missilemuse (T | 2,574 w.) - If this was the way Sherlock Holmes loved, it was no wonder why he had avoided the damned emotion for over half of his life. Part 6 of Reichenbach To Return [[this isn’t really Johnlock, but it is… it’s non-ad10ck ad10ck. You have to read it to understand. It’s SO good and painful, trust me. Sherlock!Whump and pining]].

Five Times John Noticed But Didn’t Really by ScandalousMinds (T| 6,383 w.) 5 times John (thought) he noticed something peculiar about his and Sherlock’s relationship but really missed the obvious.

A Need To Know Basis by mattsloved1 (K+| 964 w., FFNet) - As the cab door shut firmly, the DI had yelled out they were to make an appearance at Scotland Yard the next day. It was while John watched London pass by that it happened. (short and sweet!! I love it!!)

Hallowed Eve by EventHorizon (T | 14,750 w.) - It probably wasn’t the smartest idea to let Sherlock choose the costumes for Halloween, but John never considered himself the smartest man in the room, anyway. (It’s a couple’s costume thing!)

Equine Arse Anonymity by Kayjaykayme (E | 3,834 w.) - Sherlock needs to speak with suspects at a fancy dress ball. He chooses a couple’s costume for himself and John. It is logical, practical and well thought out. John doesn’t agree and exacts sweet revenge.

Maybe This Christmas by feverishsea for leopardwrites (T | 6,021 w.) Anthea has given up her life, her own desires, even her name in service of something greater than herself. But that doesn’t mean she can’t see when someone else wants something – even if she doesn’t happen to care overmuch for that person. And it doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to help. (Anthea gets the boys together)

You Can Imagine the Christmas Dinners by ardenteurophile (T | 23,584 w.) Sherlock takes John along for Christmas dinner with Mycroft and Mummy (And “Anthea”, too). Over the course of the evening, John realises that everyone in the room - apart from him - seems to think that he and Sherlock are a couple. Part 2 of Xmas Dinners Verse (I LOVE THIS ONE)

The Sexual Awakening of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson by suitesamba (M | 24,579 w.) Sherlock owes Mycroft a favor. Mycroft calls in that favor by offering Sherlock’s consulting services in a charity auction. Sherlock and John soon find themselves at the country manor of Mrs. Ives-Patton Smarmington III - not very coincidentally a long-time friend of Sherlock’s mother - where they are reluctant participants in her Murder Mystery Weekend. It’s a play within a play for Sherlock and John, and their roles for the weekend event bleed over into their real lives, waking the sleeping dragons within. Or In which John learns that Sherlock owing Mycroft a favor is very suspect, and Sherlock has a very bad idea.

Hope those satisfy! Alex also has a list that has some ACD Holmes on the list too!

#johnlock fic recs #my fic recs #for a case trope #i love this trope so much #Anonymous #happy valentine's day

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