#i love it so much we need more instances with this trope
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Thinking about what a sweet, kind, silly and gentle hearted person Poe is until you piss him off and once that switch is flipped, he's a force to be reckoned with
Oh, did you mean? my most favorite? facet? of his character? that makes me lose my marbles? and also happens to be maybe my favorite character trope of all time? that? Okay I hope you were expecting an infodump because what-ho! that's what's happening, I have come prepared and with receipts, let's fucking go on how Poe Dameron is a goddamned force of nature and how the galaxy should be really fucking thankful his loyalty is first and foremost to the Resistance and to the Light, because if it wasn't...well, I'd dread to think, but it wouldn't be good for anyone else.
The fun thing for me, is that it has always been a part of Poe's character, right from The Force Awakens -- it's subtle, but it's there, hidden between the sassy quips in the face in danger and the professionality of Commander Dameron; little fleeting moments that tell you that Poe Dameron is not someone to be trifled with at all, including one of his very first scenes:
I'm 90% certain that Poe's gaze actually lands first on Tekka's body here, before lifting it up to glare at Ren - and that's more than just a defiant glare, that's a look of loathing. Which fits, considering that I do believe the Force Awakens novelization confirms that Poe rushes in without thinking, and acts on sheer anger/rage when he goes to shoot Ren after Ren kills Tekka.
(More lengthy thoughts under the cut, I was not kidding, I saved a dozen images for this).
And that look is far from the only moment in TFA that clearly goes "oh. yeah, Poe can be scary when he wants to be", there's this frankly delightful moment during the trench run when Poe sees a fellow pilot perish while covering him:
and then moments later, when Poe flies into the heart of Starkiller to destroy the oscillator, we get this shot:
that's far more than just determination/focus, he's angry. and he has every goddamned right to be - he was just held captive and tortured for (??) days, and this monstrosity just destroyed an entire fucking planetary system, and the very Republic that Poe has spent his entire adult life believing the inherent values of, that he thought could genuinely improve. Never mind the detail that Poe probably likely spent time on the Hosnian System, if he didn't live there temporarily during his time in the Defense Fleet.
But these shots makes it clear where the comic gets the idea from that the First Order might, y'know, actually be. A little bit terrified of Poe Dameron:
He's a serious threat, and ruthless when it comes to the First Order. People joke a lot about Poe being reckless, but I don't see a lot of recognition for the fact that he can be ruthless - he sees point b and dives straight at it, and he's absolutely relentless in his determination to take the First Order down.
The quickest possible way to enrage Poe is inaction or injustice. We see this clearly in the Last Jedi, when he believes Holdo is essentially leading them to their deaths and has thrown the Resistance away:
but we also see it as far back as Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka:
This conversation carries on for a page or so more, I think, with Poe arguing against the New Republic's decision to not act or investigate further (it's also what prompts him into going rogue to investigate on his own, which leads Leia into recruiting him for the Resistance).
And we've even seen it in material as recent as Free Fall, which means this is a character trait Poe has had his entire life:
(these do not paint my girl in a great light but like she's fucked up okay!! and being groomed into taking her mother's place it's fine, it's fine, she's my fucked up little blorbo)
anyway. so this is Poe when he's, probably about 16? 16 going on 17 here, and this is probably the angriest he's ever been considering how shocked he is about the chill in his own voice (which if you were ever curious why I say Poe's anger runs cold, it's because of this scene right here). He's so enraged by the injustice being carried out by Sotin, that he's genuinely - for the first time in the book - considering actually killing someone. And he gets into a screaming match about what the right decision is with Zorii.
(he also gets to punch Sotin later, by the way, if you even care. It's glorious. I love my favorite character who decides murder is okay if said murder is in question a guy who deals in the slave trade)
But also.
My favorite instance of this, ever, which rewrote my fucking goddamned brainchemistry in 2017 when I read it and made me have to step away from my computer and honest to god pace the length of my house to walk it off, is his confrontation with Terex in issue #13 of the Poe comics.
Because you know what?
This entire fucking exchange is personal, and almost/pretty much outright vindictive? Like at this point, Poe has solidly won this round - Terex has finally been defeated, and all Poe has to do is hand him over to the First Order. He knows, in doing so, Terex will likely be killed, and after who knows how long of Terex's bullshit meaning Poe couldn't trust his squadron, and the fact that L'ulo just died - well, Poe's not real broken up about it, which is fun in itself.
But then he asks Malarus if he can have a moment with Terex before he hands him over and Poe....uses that moment to gloat.
And y'all know me i don't use words like that for Poe but like. he kind of does? he asks a moment alone with terex specifically so that he can taunt Terex that he won, that Terex didn't beat him, and that in trying to take Poe down, Terex cost himself everything (a fact Poe happily rubs in his face), and even adds that "and when I give you to the First Order, I bet they'll take the rest."
So like. Yeah.
Poe knew full well they'd likely kill him, and spends the next few issues full heartedly believing that Terex was dead. And he taunts Terex with it here in this moment. It is TRULY glorious and honestly had 17 year old me's little head spinning because it was such a subversion of what I thought Poe would do -- but he did! He didn't try to figure out a way to spare Terex's life, and he used his final moments with Terex to make sure Terex knew that Poe was fully aware of what the choice he was making meant.
It's fucking DELICIOUS.
And I also love this panel from earlier into the issue:
Because again, it's a great illustration of how Poe can come off cold because of the art choices Phil Noto made here: look at the jacket. It's zipped up all the way to Poe's neck (a rarity for Poe), and just generally gives him this very closed off, cold appearance because he's at his wit's end in this issue, and he is angry about the circumstances Terex has forced him into.
So...yeah. Poe Dameron is a sweet, compassionate, silly guy who makes the worst fucking puns you've ever heard this side of the galaxy. He loves his droid, wears his mother's wedding ring with the intent to give it to the right partner someday, and loves all of his friends full heartedly and is generally the most tactile, affectionate person you will ever meet. He's pretty much everyone's best friend, because he has that kind of charisma and ability to make anyone feel like they're the most important person in the galaxy.
But Poe Dameron is also the man that the First Order seems genuinely intimidated/afraid of. He's the man that destroyed Starkiller base, and toppled the most powerful crime syndicate in the galaxy when he was just 17 years old. He is not someone you ever, ever want to piss off, because for all his warmth and love, Poe has an anger that runs cold, and when he hates something - it's just like when he loves something, he doesn't go half-way.
General Organa isn't the only Resistance general that can be absolutely terrifying in her own right as much as she can be gentle and loving. It's just that Leia's the only one anyone ever notices, because...well, Poe's silly and funny and usually kind of easy going.
And the fact that people underestimate him is what makes him that much more dangerous.
#userorb#ask box#my meta#poe dameron#listen. listen. he's SWEET and he's charming but also ongod the first order is /afraid/ of him and can you REALLY blame them#the best fucking trope in the world is the silly goofy soft characters that also can make that switch#to like. stealing from doctor who now. to going full oncoming storm#it's WONDERFUl#i love it so much we need more instances with this trope#flashing gif#death mention cw
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Annoying fandom people when you tell them characters do things based on writers’ decisions and biases and are not fully autonomous sapient beings they’re watching in a terrarium
#babbles#this is in general an ideal i hold very close in fandom stuff but like especially abt wc cuz that fandom sucks with this#i hate warriors fans so much it’s unreal. it’s not ‘these writers have weird ideas about what is romantic’ but ‘this character is toxic!!1’#boiling down what can be a meaningful discussion about abuse and patriarchal standards into a purely blorbobrained character argument#about in universe traits like these characters are real and we need to give them counseling#because having the 500th soapbox about bramblestar or nightheart or whoever being abusive makes you feel progressive#like. i'd love to discuss for instance the misogynistic standards that the erins have as writers and how that affects their work.#i dont however care to discuss which Fictional Cat For Ten Year Olds is the most Problematic. bc that does nothing#reminds me of that tweet abt like the fatphobic trope of chars being depressed or hitting a low point and being fat slobs#and ppl came in waves like 'no it makes sense because he was depressed and xyz etc etc' like we're discussing a real person#and not constructs made by writers that show fatphobic ideologies. missed the point so hard dude.#less 'character does this' more 'writer made the character do this'. not even in criticism but in discussing themes etc etc
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hi !!!!! i love your hotch x oc x reid fic so much, literally got to work late because you updated and i just HAD to read it when the notif came in !
can i request a kinda fluff-y turning to smut fic about maybe reader's small hands compared to spencer's large hands (his hands are so INTOXICATING).
maybe the fluff part can be kinda cute with their first time holding hands starting from that "oh lets compare hand sizes" and then intertwining fingers?? one of the best spencer fic tropes/hcs is when he's usually not enthusiastic abt touching but when its You he loves it and hes been so touched starved DHSKDHHD // and then the smut can kinda be like how reader's hands make his dick look huge (or smth! im sorry this is my first time requesting a fic!!)
i hope im not coming out as being too demanding !! you can have all the freedom w this !!!! sorry sorry for the long request 🙈🙈🙈
love your work !!! 😙
HANDS, HANDS, and HANDS-------------
A/N: AHHHH your mind!!!!! I LOVE IT <3
we need a whole episode just dedicated to his hands fr!
thank you so much for requesting and the kind words, I hope I did it justice <3 xoxo
‧₊˚ ✩°｡⋆♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡⋆｡°✩˚₊‧
pairings: spencer reid x fem!reader
warnings: 18+ minors dni, hand kink, praise, size kink, m receiving oral, take a shot every time someone says sorry
wc: 1.9k
Your infatuation with Dr. Spencer Reid was an open book to everyone--damn profilers--well, everyone except the man of the hour, Dr. Reid himself. It was hard to say when it all started. Subtle changes crept in--the extra care you took in choosing your outfits to work; the way words suddenly became hurdles in conversations with him; the sensation of your heart nearly leaping out of your chest anytime he was in the vicinity.
Despite your skills as a profiler, deciphering Dr. Reid was like trying to read braille through gloves. So, you pushed those feelings down, crushing them beneath a metaphorical heel to maintain professionalism. It wasn't exactly a successful strategy, but that wasn't the point. You reassured yourself that even if romance wasn't in the cards, friendship was the next best thing. And what a friend he was--remarkable in every way, which is why you found yourself here, in his apartment, dissecting case files together. It was a friendly gesture, surely, to escape the office when it becomes a little too suffocating.
You felt your pulse race as he brought his fingers to his lips, preparing to sift through the stack of papers. A dryness clutched at your throat, fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of your skirt, while you're sure your eyes betrayed a cartoonish adoration, practically orbiting with hearts. Forgotten was your own paperwork that now served as a makeshift blanket for your thighs, as he spoke. Your arm claimed the territory along the back of the couch, with your own hand gently propping up your check, a picture of relaxed attentiveness.
In the midst of his lecture about the golden ratio and its prevalence in nature, Spencer suddenly grabs a nearby book, flips to a diagram of a human hand, and says, "Did you realize that our hands are a prime example of this phenomenon? Give me your hand."
Your eyebrows knit together, your head angling subtly towards the boy genius. "Sorry, what?"
Without a word, Spencer lays your hand upon the diagram's expanse. Amidst the book, your hand seems smaller, delicate, a stark contrast the bold lines drawn on paper.
He looks at you with a soft smile. "See, the size of one's hand doesn't really correlate with the golden ratio--it's more about the proportions within the hand itself. For instance, the length of your fingers compared to your palm, or the distance between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinky stretched out."
His hand leads yours across the pages, but you're barely registering the words. Instead, you're acutely aware of the warmth of his touch, causing your thighs to clench on their own accord, your mind tumbling over itself.
"Your hands are actually significantly smaller than the average," he comments, almost to himself. The statement is harmless, yet he finds his imagination wandering. He quickly refocuses, saying, "The range of hand sizes is quite broad, which is interesting biologically. Here--"
He extends his hand, palm open, beside yours--a natural extension of your conversation, yet he shifts slightly against the couch. Spencer was taken aback by his own actions. Physical touch was something he generally recoiled from, but here he was, seeking yours out. He realized this had become a habit, finding reasons to be near you, to feel your touch. Anytime there was something to be handed to you at work, he was quick to volunteer, all for the fleeting possibility of a brush of fingers.
He watched, captivated, as you aligned your palm with his, matching up the bottom of your palms. His attention was drawn to the stark difference between your hands; his, significantly larger, seemed to engulf yours entirely. He found the sight unexpectedly compelling. The disparity in size stirred his curiosity, leading him to wonder how your hand would look clasped around his cock.
His thumb grazed the back of your hand in a subconscious motion as he pondered out loud. "Did you know," he began, his voice sinking an octave, "that the ratio of the lengths of our second to fourth fingers is believed to correlate with various hormones, affecting the way we interact with others."
You found yourself holding your breath as you mapped the shape of your hands together, a subtle dampness beginning to form between your legs. This is what got you worked up? Clearly, you mused, getting laid was overdue.
As if guided by a force beyond your control, your fingers gradually intertwined, each finger fingers its perfect counterpart. Recoiling as if from a burn, you realized the intimacy of the gesture, a rush of apologies escaping your lips. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to-"
A blush crept up Spencer's neck as he hastened to interject. "No, no, it's completely fine, really."
The moment passed, and you both redirected your focus to the paperwork. Yet, the routine task did little to dispel the residual thoughts of his touch. The size difference, the feeling of his larger hand wrapping around yours, and how ideally his fingers would look pumping inside of you or wrapping around your throat. It all kept playing on your mind, a silent movie that you can't stop watching.
Spencer too, seems lost in thought, his gaze drifting from the files to your hands--manicured and delicate. He watches, seemingly without awareness, as those same hands idly toy with the hem of your skirt, or the way they spin your earring when deep in thought. To him, these minor actions have suddenly become fascinating.
Spencer's voice cuts through the stillness as he resumes his concentration on the work before him. "How do you interpret this?" he probes, touching a finger to a page of the file perched on his lap.
You lean in, curiosity leading you to reach for the file. Your actions freeze momentarily as your knuckles brush against his crouch. You pause, blinking deliberately, as you second-guess what you felt. He was hard as a rock.
You could feel the heat rushing to your cheeks, eyes growing wide with surprise. "Oh, um, sorry," you muttered.
In a rapid movement, Spencer combed his fingers through his hair, causing the curls to obstruct his view. He snatched a pillow and tossed it in his lap, tilting his head back against the couch with a look of embarrassment. "No, I'm sorry, I, uh--"
Anticipating a scholarly lecture on the male hormones, you quickly interject. "Do you want help?"
Spencer's eyes grew wide as he regarded your face. Your lashes fluttered with a slow blink, your demeanor completely serious. His traced the flush of your cheeks, the gentle parting of your lips, the accelerated rise and fall of your chest. His head tilted slightly, expecting the punchline to follow.
He let out a puff of air. "Do I want what?"
He noted your head tilting to the side, mirroring his own actions. Your hand reached forward, poised to replace the pillow on his lap. Your pinky dragged across the material of his jeans, moving with excruciating slowness.
"That seems painful," you comment quickly, before your sudden courage fades. "Let can help."
You moved swiftly to his belt, and you could hear his breath hitch in short bursts. He murmured your name, his hand threading through your hair to grasp gently at the nape of your neck.
You shot him an innocent smile as you edged his pants down, just enough to access his boxers. Your smile made him believe he could come on the spot--the way you looked so eager, like you had been waiting for this. He let out a shaky breath as you released his length from his boxers.
You were engulfed in a dizzying feeling, your eyes widened to saucers as you seized his massive cock. "Holy shit, Spencer, you're huge."
You were barely aware of the words tumbling from your lips as you gawked. The impact on him was immediate, the intensity of your graze was maddening. Your small hands encircled his base, accentuating his size. His grasp on your neck grew firmer as he coaxed your head down.
"Don't play," came his growl, so out of character. Warmth bloomed in your face, excitement bubbling in your chest as your thighs clasped together.
You flashed him a gentle, unassuming smile as you hastily took him in your mouth. You felt like a new person, an unprecedented need flowing through you.
Spencer let out a sharp hiss as your lips met his cock, taking him as far as you could. He mentally thanked whatever gods existed, unsure of what he had done to deserve this. His hands deftly collected your hair in his grasp, aiding you in guiding him even deeper. His breaths hastened as he praised, "Good god, baby."
His words only egged you on, your movements turning sloppy as you bobbed up and down, working every inch of his cock. You never knew sucking a man off could be so enjoyable. You wanted to savor the moment, to savor him. You encircled the based with your other hand, granting yourself reach to what had been inaccessible to your mouth as you started to synchronize your movements.
"Look at you," Spencer muttered hoarsely, his gaze flickering to your hands. Those damn hands, they looked so perfect around him, even better than he imagined. "You look like you were made for this."
You moaned around him in response, the slickness between your legs starting to drop down your thighs upon his praise. This elicited a hiss from him, tightening his grip in your hair as he drew you away from his throbbing cock, spit trailing from your mouth as you separated.
"Wha-?" Your question hung in the air, marked by the crease of your confusion on your forehead.
He didn't let you finish, simply stating. "On your knees."
Without hesitation, you followed his direction, your hands clasped in anticipation as you moved from the couch to the floor, your balance settling back into your heels as he towered over you. "Open."
You complied with his command, easing your jaw as he guided himself onto your tongue. A soft moan escaped you, enveloping his cock. He coaxed his length into your mouth, your hands steadying on his thighs as he all but used your face.
Spencer's hands cradled your face, fully encompassing your cheeks as he thrusted into your mouth. His pulse thundered at a pace he hadn't thought possible, and fuck, he wouldn't mind if this was how death welcomed him. There you were, on your knees, so compliant around his cock. His breaths grew rapid as your nails trailed up his thighs.
"You're so good," he muttered, eyes casting down upon you, your glazed expression, the drool peeking out from the corners of your lips. "So good. 'M so close."
He moves to withdraw from your mouth, but your hands find their way to the back of his thighs, holding him in place, denying his escape. He exhales a deep, unrestrained moan, thrusting into your mouth once more, shallowing moving as the warm liquid fills your mouth.
He gazes, spellbound, as you swallow his come completely, your head lolling back in total bliss. In that instant, he realizes his willingness to do anything to keep you close, to see you like this--spent, disheveled, and content.
Breaking the silence, you ask, "Did that help?" His laughter, soft and subdued, fills the air as he reaches out, cupping your cheeks once more. He descends to meet you, his kiss messy and desperate, finding the taste of himself lingering on your lips as his hands untangle your knotted hair.
"You're amazing," he exhaled, their lips parting. "Now, let me return the favor."
#spencer reid#spencer reid x reader#spencer reid smut#mgg#matthew gray gubler#criminal minds fic#criminal minds smut#spencer reid fanfiction#spencer reid x you
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i haven’t played p5/r in a while so forgive me that this entire thing is mostly off dome.
what i mean when i say “ryuji is the heart of the phantom thieves” is that i do genuinely believe that he is the glue that holds them together. without him, the group inarguably loses its charm, and would simply not function without him there. he’s outspoken, protective, and might be the only one who i feel has a genuine love toward every member of the group.
i need to replay to do a whole thinkpiece, but for now i do want to share the ryuji moments i remember the most, and why they are part of the concrete evidence that shows ryuji is the most important piece of the phantom thieves.
first of all:
such a casual dialogue that is amplified by a thousand simply because of ryuji’s unadulterated love for his friend… i am moved to tears by this interaction. i love him very much, and he is near and dear to the deepest parts of my heart.
secondly:
i admit im not in the know about a lot of persona fandom stuff, but i personally don’t see a lot of people talk about this? ignore joker on the right this ain’t about him. this is, i think, the first of many instances in which u notice how quickly ryuji jumps to defend his friends, namely his female friends, and it’s a huge part of him that draws me to his character.
since it’s atlus, it’s not hard to miss that ryuji is definitely victim to their “perverted male character” trope, but for me, the moments where ryuji is having genuine thought put behind his character, are the moments when he so intensely - and is usually the first to - defend the other phantom thieves.
another example:
the phantom thieves are each others biggest support system, as they’re a team, but ryuji is definitely the one we see show that off the most. i will not be going into details as this is all off the top of my head, but trust me i am thinking about his confidant and backstory as i write all of this out.
more:
this has always been on my mind as well, because not a day goes by where i don’t think about how quickly ryuji reassures his friends, since they r the most important people to him in his life.
more and more:
a less serious one, but i do genuinely enjoy the thought of ryuji just bragging about his friends because of how cool he thinks they are. when i say ryuji is the most obvious about how much he loves them, i am deathly serious. that is his family.
was excited to include this as well, as it goes to show even people ryuji has only known for a month are still worth going to war for. ryuji holds such an affection for his friends that it’s like i don’t even have to say more. he is literally speaking for himself here. i will never understand how anyone could dislike someone so passionate for the happiness of their own friends?
lastly:
i am personally not a huge fan of the negative dynamic atlus likes to portray between ryuji and morgana a lot of the time, so this is why this frenzy(?) is one of my favorites in p5d. morgana is the character ryuji fights with the most, and yet when morgana is feeling dejected, ryuji is there to pick him back up. obviously i know this is how the dance works and whatnot, but u cannot lie and tell me ryuji making him happy again didn’t make u almost cry a bit… it’s okay, i did too…
conclusion:
this ryuji shit gets serious, be prepared to die behind it.
#persona 5#persona 5 royal#ryuji sakamoto#can u tell i love ryuji#he is a mamas boy of course he respects women
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I need to talk. I hope I can make myself clear.
Nowadays, I started reading romance again. I've always been a fan. However, my experience now as a hxh fan is finding a lot of romance tropes Togashi used for his work, which is fun! (I feel validated bc I've been saying he uses a lot of romance tropes since the first time I've read his work).
Nonetheless, I wanted to talk about one specific scene: "Gon, you are light". The parallels of light and darkness is commonly used in shonen (and it always ends up being so gay), but something that may happen in romance is the following. The love interest seems to shine in front of the protagonist (and vice versa), and it usually happens when the MC is feeling so much love for the other person for one reason or the other. The emotions are so strong that well, that person seems to be shining because they are so bright. It's a vulnerable moment for the characters.
And I can't stop thinking about that and then this scene.
And since I couldn't stop, I remembered some other times in which Gon must have shone so brightly that Killua had to physically look away (since I'm sure this wasn't the first time it happened, he literally said "sometimes", refering to more than once).
And when are some other times in which Killua physically had to look away?
The "I'm really glad I met you" scene.
The dodgeball scene.
I'm sure there's a lot of more times in which Gon shone. For instance, during Gon and Hanzo's fight. Killua was literally having a whole moment trying to understand what was happening (of course, it adds to the other conflicts that I'm not mentioning).
That scene is kind of a theory of mine (I don't usually see it being talked about), but I do believe it's really important. Some chapters later, we see Killua really excited and talking about that fight to his dad.
And then this scene. Illumi explicitly says that to Killua, Gon is "a radiant presence".
I really love how Togashi wrote this metaphor since the very beginning and how he continued to developed it. And I can't stop thinking about it so now I'm here on Tumblr. I avoided the angst of the Chimera Arc, of course.
#i feel like I'm overthinking a lot but at the same time it makes so much sense in my eyes#hunter x hunter#hxh#hunterxhunter#manga hxh#hxh meta#yoshihiro togashi#killua zoldyck#gon freecs#killugon#hxh killua#hxh gon#hxh 2011#hxh 1999#hunter x hunter 1999#hunter x hunter 2011#hunterxhunter 2011#hunterxhunter 1999#justxtalking
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New rec: Choices book I actively avoided for years because the cover art gives "supernatural love triangle between the 'nice guy' & the 'bad boy'" and it's a trope I despise except turns out I'm an idiot because holy shit this was one of my favourite books
For one, the vampire lore is unique? Or at least uncommon enough that it feels like something new. It's even different from Choices' other vampire series
Second? Both LIs are wrong about their view on vampires and actually have to come to terms with this and learn to change and grow throughout the series. If anything, MC's the only one who's got it right. Both LIs have their own flaws & trauma while still being interesting and likeable characters and neither one is pushed above the other as being "the correct choice".
It also doesn't make the "bad boy" so antagonistic towards MC and the "nice guy" so sweet that it makes no sense for MC to pick the bad boy (*cough*choices' save the date*cough* my favourite is the antagonistic LI but also he's so hot & cold towards MC and a jerk to her for no real reason???). MC clicks with both of them in a different way and there's enough reason for MC to choose either one of them. It actually shows why MC needs both of them
Also, MC is initially built up in a way before they interact with the LIs so that all of their decisions throughout the story actually make sense. They're responsible but also insanely competitive. Despite staying in line presumably throughout their life, they're drawn towards anything that'll give them a shot of adrenaline
Plus all three characters get their time to shine and MC's a fucking badass, honestly they're up there with om's MC as being one of the more interesting & fun to play MCs
And MY favourite, absolute favorite thing about this, the main thing that shot this up to one of my favourite choices stories:
MC makes a Buffy reference in this. That means at one point they watched and/or read Buffy and/or Angel, saw her get together with first the tortured ""good guy"" and then later the rebellious ""bad boy"", saw all the love triangle discourse in the fandom and said well that's fucking stupid, watch me introduce them both to the concept of polyamory that's right it's NOT a fucking love triangle
or it can be if you want it to, like you can choose one of the two LIs but the "true" route, the one where you get a charm each from both LIs and complete MC's charm bracelet (usually the indicator of a fully completed story in any choices book is to complete a set of something) is the one where MC picks both of them
There are also frequent instances where the choices are [no romantic option at all] and [romantic option for both LIs eg: holding both their hands]
And yeah the LIs aren't in love with each other and spend a lot of time competing for MC, something they do right until the very end of the book BUT at about the midway point they become a proper team and start talking about the three of them as an inseparable team making it very clear that if this doesn't end with MC choosing both of them it's gonna turn into a me and you and your friend steve situation.
And then when either one of them talks about how much they care about MC they start using "we" and "our" [eg: "that's our girl/boy" when the two LIs are alone together]
And then they start being as protective of each other as they are of MC
Cas screaming "don't touch him" when Gabriel gets attacked + Gabriel throwing himself over and shielding both MC & Cas when they get attacked
I'm not saying they're in love or that they'll ever fall in love but they are much much more okay with sharing a partner with each other than either one is willing to admit
anyway, this is them:
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I thought the failed transplant would cap off Day's character arc-- a final plot point he had to work on to be the best verion of himself, as the protagonist of a story is wont to have.
I didn't expect it would be part of Mhok's character arc instead. And I'm actually very satisfied with how the screenplay framed it.
I saw someone post on the tag a few weeks back that they wished Mhok would start to unpack his own emotional baggage soon-- separate from Day and his (admittedly) difficult journey. Considering that Mhok also suffered heavy trauma (and is also in need of therapy-- where did all the therapists in bls go? For a hot minute every show was mentioning it, and now nothing), it would be wise for a well-thought out narrative to flesh out Mhok's backstory. I appreciate the character consistency for both protagonists when Day's permanent loss of vision became more difficult for Mhok to process than for Day himself, as the latter losing all hope would unravel all the progress Day worked through since episode 1 (and wouldn't make much sense from a chronological perspective). The only remaining character who wasn't able to process loss in this narrative was Mhok (Night and Porjai were given time to process their losses. Day's parents had a minute to do so, too. Heck, even August). Mhok has been there for other people's journeys but never for his own, and I understand why he needs to do this alone, too.
Day was holding him back. Day became a safety net for Mhok-- a replacement for the family he lost, a focus for all the love and attention Mhok couldn't give to anyone else, and a chance to redeem Mhok's character in a way that is acceptable for Mhok himself. But Day is none of those things, and it's unfair for Day (and for Mhok too) to make Day a soulless, passionless foil that only waits for Mhok to come home and give him attention so that his partner can feel good about himself (the scene where Day waits for Mhok to come home each night while watching tv in the room all day actually broke my heart a little. It too-closely mirrored the scenes where Day was back in his own house under the care of his neurotic mother-- safe, seemingly content, but purposeless altogether. Day is such a strongly driven character, and each episode I keep hoping that Day could pour out all his passion for something other than his boyfriend).
So in a way, Mhok was holding Day back, too. The codependency became unhealthy not because of mistrust or miscommunication, but because both characters simply had no room to process their trauma without relying on each other.
There are some burdens that only we can carry, and we can't load off on other people. Mhok like Day's mother, has to accept that he can't control the fates and choices of other people, only his own.
So no matter how much I absolutely HATE the overused breakup trope in bls, I think in this instance, it is warranted.
This got long but I had to reassure myself that this was the right direction for the series.
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High points and question points of 23.5, episode 7:
1) The mood is so much better. It's cute! Fon Kanittha does a wonderful job of focusing on elements of family and community in her pieces -- I love that she doesn't keep Ongsa's and Alpha's parents behind a curtain, that they're responsive to the nostalgic joys of watching a group of high schoolers commune and find each other.
2) Having Ongsa and Sun confirm their relationship while Ongsa was wearing a traditional outfit meant a lot. It's a visual bucking of an expectation of how a "woman should behave." Ongsa was of course gorgeous, but the shots of her holding Sun with those big gold bangles also meant that she was taking tradition to a new place, creating her own traditions -- all while we know that she was burdened with fear beforehand about publicly going out with Sun, and being afraid that Sun wouldn't feel comfortable being out with Ongsa (which clearly is not the case). (I also loved the move of having Ongsa get out of the first outfit, which was clearly indicative of a lower station than how Sun and Ton think about Ongsa. That was a nice little twist.)
3) @bengiyo mentioned in his Stray Thoughts on this episode that he wished that we could have sat a touch more in Ongsa's discomfort on the above, and I agree. This show is missing an exploration of emotional stuff that we've seen in other pieces by Fon Kanittha, especially, for me, as compared to 10 Years Ticket.
(On the recommendation of @dribs-and-drabbles, I'm giving My Precious a shot this weekend. MP is centered around a core romance, but in this piece, much of the first quarter of the piece is spent building the huge community around the main couple. And we get emotional nuances, wherever they might be, both from the individual characters, AND by learning more about them through each of their sets of parents, very similar to the structure of 10YT. In 23.5, we've rushed through this, or we didn't explore it in full.)
I have a theory: since this is GMMTV's first GL, I wonder if Fon is either intentionally, or being made to, give more attention to love tropes, either by reference to older ones, or creating new ones for GLs. We saw kabedon last week, for instance, and we're seeing a love interest make a turn for their courtier when it seems like their courtier may be straying, etc. (although the latter isn't necessarily specific to BLs). Since My Precious is also airing at the same time, I can't make a judgment as to Fon's takes on pure romance, as 10 Years Ticket was a community-focused lakorn of many stories. But in any case, it's weird that we're seeing these emotional skips. Just a couple more minutes spent, at this very moment, on WHY Ongsa has this (sometimes excruciating) hesitation of speaking and insecurity would be helpful to match what emotion we're seeing out of Sun. And seeing Sun nice and angry and jealous -- again, from my thoughts last week, I thought we'd see that a bit more after the catfishing reveal in holding Ongsa accountable.
I think this need for emotional clarity is dampening my overall embrace for this show, especially because I honestly didn't expect it from Fon Kanittha. But again, I thought the mood of this episode and the consistency of it made more sense than last week.
#23.5#23.5 degrees#23.5 the series#23.5 meta#ongsasun#ongsa x sun#sun x ongsa#milklove#milk pansa#love pattranite#fon kanittha
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2024 Fic Reading Tracker - January
So in December when everyone was posting how many books they’d read in the last year I started wondering, as I always do, how much fic I read in 2023. And there’s really not a good way of knowing because of my reading habits (a mix of ao3 and tumblr, downloading things to read in Books (iOS app) that I bookmark for later, etc.). So I decided to track it in 2024. So far, I’ve kept it up for the entire month of January. (If we talk a lot and you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned this to you, it’s because I wasn’t sure if I’d actually follow through, lol. I wanted to see if I’d do it first.)
Note: I tracked every separate reading 'instance', so sometimes it's a whole fic, sometimes it's a new chapter, etc. I read A LOT and I read FAST. Don’t be like me. This is me telling myself to go outside more, y’all. And January was long.
Keep reading for more about what I read and some recs! There are actual bar charts below the cut. Feel free to send me asks about any of it. lol
January Fic Reading Stats
# of fic reading instances: 138 😵💫
# of words read: I’m not going to tell you. This number is so much higher than I ever imagined. I’m kind of embarrassed, to be completely honest. It’s huge. It’s terrifying. I need to go outside.
Fics by fandom:
PPCU = Pedro Pascal cinematic universe
Fics by Pedro character:
A few recs
I want to share some fics from each month, but I couldn’t think of a good way to select them other than completely at random (I don’t want to try to choose my favorites or do a ranking. I love too many things and I just don’t want to do that to myself.) So here are 3 random fics that I definitely recommend from my list of fics I read in January, 2024 (generated with a random number generator, 1 through 138):
Another Night by @goodwithcheese
Fandom: PPCU, Frankie Morales x f!reader, 2.7k words, Rating: E
This is a follow up to Megan's Santa Fe series! Read that first! It's so good!!
to sell your love for peace by @brandyllyn
Fandom: PPCU, Javier Peña x f!reader, 27k, Rating: E
(lovers to idiots is a hilarious trope)
And This, Your Living Kiss by opal_bullets (@asecretvice)
Fandom: Supernatural, Dean x Cas, 56k words, Rating: M
(this fic is so freaking good)
...
Hopefully I'll keep this up and see you for another update at the end of February! Cross your fingers for me. I know technically January has a few more hours, but my brain is mush so I'm not going to be doing any reading. lol
update: Ok I had a few requests for a blank version of my tracker, so here you go!
#fanfiction#fanfic#reading tracker#ppcu#frankie morales x reader#javier peña x reader#spn#bte 2024 fic tracker#x reader#joel miller x reader#din djarin x reader
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Longtail is my favorite character. I love his character arc, how he acts as a narrative foil to Firestar, and how he starts out as a jerkass but grows to have a backbone, shows himself to be a loyal warrior with a heart of gold where it counts, rejects Tigerstar when lines in the sand have been crossed despite how much he once looked up to him, and eventually grows to be very loyal to Firestar. I wish people talked more about the scene where he saves Fire when Tiger tries to drown him even though they’re not at all on friendly terms yet. Also his mentor-apprentice relationship with Swiftpaw tears me apart but I live for all the fan content that shows their bond and how much regret he has to live with after Swiftpaw’s death.
To this day I have so many gripes with what happened to my boy post-TPB.
If there is a non-death equivalent of TV Tropes’ “Too Cool To Live,” Longtail is basically that. He had to be written out because if he weren’t forcibly removed from the action, then he would be the obvious choice to become deputy during Greystripe’s absence in TNP (and arguably should have been chosen over Greystripe in the first place; I do like Grey but he was not particularly loyal nor responsible in his youth). Longtail was still relatively young, healthy and fit, loyal, experienced, passionate. You cannot convince me that he wasn’t dealt a career-ending injury solely because the plot demanded Brambeclaw become deputy by the end of TNP.
I don’t think Longstar would have ever been realistic to expect because he’s not a central enough character and not related to Fire/Tiger, and because he would have been fairly old for a clan cat by the time of Firestar’s death, but maybe he could have held out as deputy till the end of TNP or even early PO3 and been given a cooler and more memorable death than what he got. But more on that later.
We all know how badly this series shafts its disabled characters. Maybe this is trivial to some, but I really hate the retcon about his blindness. When his vision started failing of natural causes, it was still frustrating for the reasons above but it at least seemed like he made a voluntary choice to retire early. He maintained a degree of agency, and he made his own decision under the circumstances rather than having it taken from him by the narrative. Having him get blinded by a rabbit of all things just feels like a cheap shot to move the plot along. If he were going to have a freak accident, at least make it less stupid than an experienced warrior getting his eyes scratched out by a prey animal.
Not that any of them are handled *well* by any means, but we have roughly this same character arc with so many other characters who are given more depth in coming to terms with a permanent disability or disfigurement and having it alter the course of their lives (Cinderpelt, Brightheart, later on Briarlight…) that we didn’t need this one to happen to prove any kind of point or to say something too much different than any of those other instances.
The silver lining of Longtail’s injury is that it allows us to see more of his friendship with Mousefur than we would have gotten if either of them had died younger, and/or if they had faded to being background characters in the ever-growing ThunderClan roster. I really adore their dynamic. I headcanon them as aroace besties (iirc though this is basically canon for at least Mousefur). I find it so lovely and refreshing that a m/f pair of characters, and ones who are mostly very likable at that, can have a platonic relationship with so much care for each other without it eventually going down the marriage-and-children path that most m/f relationships eventually do in this series.
However.
Longtail’s death, and Mousefur’s role in it, are possibly even more frustrating and narratively awful than even the accident that caused his blindness.
Having him go out in such a cheap and easily preventable way felt like such a fucking slap in the face to these beloved characters who have been around from the very beginning of the series. Longtail had his whole life redefined and turned upside down by one random, frustrating freak accident involving prey and he ultimately lost his life to another one. Mousefur’s character was mishandled so grossly here, and a cat who is usually pretty sensible and grounded lost her best friend because she couldn’t let one (1) mouse go in a moment of what I have to assume is senility.
I am at least glad the two got a proper send-off in the Great Battle, with them getting to reunite on-screen and his spirit guiding her to Starclan after she fell in battle. It doesn’t quite make up for everything else given that Longtail had so much unused potential while alive, but it all would have been so, so much more upsetting if they weren’t given at least that much to close their chapters.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk about Longtail. He is so dear to my heart and deserved so much better than most of what he got.
.
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The neurodivergence of Legend of Korra: Asami Sato
Perhaps others have noticed this, not sure, but I thought I'd write about it because it's why I love these characters so much. I'd like to go through all four of them, but we'll see.
Asami Sato
Her behaviors and characterization
When we first meet Asami Sato, she has run into Mako literally. We also see how her flirting is basically dialed up to 11. There is no subtlety about it at all. In fact, this will be true the entire series and comic run. She simply cannot do subtle flirting. It's either all or nothing.
We also see how she is essentially acting for her father. When she's alone with the group, especially during the racecar scene, she drops her socialite mask. She's more down-to-earth, more compassionate, more playful, and tends toward what I call her 'observation mode' where she analyzes a situation to try to discern solutions. She's also very justice oriented.
Her strong streak of justice is what pushes her to turn on her father. Although that scene shows her struggling with the decision, everything up to that point had left clues that she would not side with her father on this. She found the accusations Korra made unjust and confusing, and she worried that her father was being targeted due to being a nonbender -- this is all worries rooted in a sense of justice. So when the moment comes when she discovers Korra is correct, her father has betrayed the city and is harming people, her sense of justice flares again. She looks at the people she had befriended, how hurt they are, and how they are being rounded up like cattle. And she chooses justice.
This is a common theme for her. She chooses justice and Korra again and again. She is incredibly loyal. Stubbornly loyal.
She also struggles with social situations. Her interactions with Varrick in Book 2 for instance show how easily confused she is in social situations that are a bit chaotic. She tends to prefer more ordered social interactions. She at this point has been unmasked around Team Avatar for several months, so she also struggles to bring up her socialite mask around Varrick. Her palpable relief when she's done interacting with Varrick shows how draining these situations are (which is also an indicator of her being an introvert).
All of her eye rolls are the typical eyerolls you see for autistic characters and people in real life. There's actually an interesting post about how autistic people actually "roll" their eyes for the eye roll because we're interpreting it literally. While non-autistic people don't do that - they look up then down. I find this pretty accurate for a lot of us, to be honest.
Asami hyperfocuses a lot. She has special topics that she can infodump on for hours. Some of the few times she talks a lot in the series is her discussions relating to her engineering.
She is visibly uncomfortable in large crowds, and you see this especially in Book 4, where she is shown uneasy and frustrated by the crowds (and then Wu) at the train dedication ceremony. She is relieved and relaxes ONLY when someone she trusts appears - Mako, but even then, she's still on guard. You also see this in Book 3, where she hangs at the edges of crowds during Korra's press conference about the vines -- she is there to support Korra but shows hesitancy in getting any closer to the proceedings.
Her quiet watching of the Krew is a common trope for autism in cartoons. The quiet, thoughtful, loyal, smart person who is present and only talks when needed. The way she talks is also highly that of a neurodivergent person, in that it is very direct and uses language that doesn't fit the typical norms that non-autistic characters used.
Like in Book 3, where she tries to parse Bolin's somewhat confusing explanation of why they had lost Kai, so she turns to Mako and asks, "Can you interpret that?"
I noticed that she behaves this way if the speaker talks too fast or blurts out a lot of information at once. She has to take time to process it, and so tends to be more of a planner. Her replies are always measured and rarely does she blurt out things. She analyzes the situation carefully, thinks it through, and then comes to a decision. This actually is what makes her the perfect foil for Korra.
She prefers strict/rigid schedules and when those are disrupted she struggles with finding balance. This leaves her on edge and insecure (you see this in Book 1 and 2); however, in Book 4, when her schedule is disrupted to work on the hummingbirds, her reaction is anger and irritation, due to her character development. She's become secure in who she is now, so disruptions no longer bring out insecurity but instead her irritation. (Every time she deals with Varrick that irritation toward him is apparent, because he adds an element of chaos that Asami does not like. Plus I don't think she ever forgives him for the bullshit he pulled on her in Book 2).
Asami hates dishonesty. You see this in Book 1 especially, where she's angry at Mako because of his dishonesty. She is never angry with Korra, because Korra was never dishonest with her. Even when Ikki shares that Korra likes Mako, Korra never disputes it, she's honest and shows that she still wants a friendship with Asami. So Asami respects her for this.
Asami is always honest and direct in her interactions. If she is subtle, it's in a playful way or because she's uncertain on how exactly to proceed in the interaction.
All of these can be common traits for autistic folks. These behaviors, her speech, her reactions, and how she is shown to stand and exist in scenes were all used when I went through a few diagnostic tests for her.
Diagnostic Tests
There's several types of tests for autism. One that I had for my evaluations (as an adult), is a variation of this one here: Autism Spectrum Quotient
When I went through that test and examined each question based on Asami's words, reactions, interactions, and actions in the series (transcripts are useful for this as well as rewatching), Asami scored between 36 and 42, which is above the typical autistic mean of 32.
The reason this was a range is due to the fact some of the questions reference situations that was never shown in the show or comic run, so I had to think through how she reacted in a similar situation to try to discern whether she'd agree or disagree with that question.
Social situation questions
The social situation questions were also a struggle to decide on if she'd agree or not. When she is masking in Book 1 for her father, it looks like she enjoys them, but as soon as she turns on her father and unmasks for Korra, Mako, and Bolin (she slowly unmasks through the rest of book 1 and 2), she no longer looks at ease in social situations. In fact, she looks more and more uneasy, and she becomes more and more quiet.
Another important example for social interactions is exemplified in the Book 1 scene where Ikki shares with Asami that Korra likes Mako. Korra is horrified at this because she hadn't wanted to make things awkward between them, but Asami just looks thoughtful and replies, "I wasn't aware of that." She misses these clues partly because she is taking in data about how Korra reacts to her and not to Mako. This scene also reveals how subtle details in social interactions escapes Asami's notice unless she is hyperfocused on observing the situation to gather data. After that scene with Ikki, Asami pays much, much closer attention to Mako. Not Korra. She knows where Korra stands, but she doesn't know where Mako stands.
She goes into what I often call her "observation mode" where she observes the proceedings, and then once she has a better handle on it, she starts to interact/react.
She also tends to talk more when she's with people she trusts -- the Krew for instance. Otherwise, she's fairly quiet in discussions with other people -- such as planning meetings with the Krew, Lin, Tonraq, and others in Book 3 -- where she only speaks up out of concern for Korra. Otherwise, she is quietly listening and observing proceedings.
Patterns
There are some other questions in the test that are outdated as noted by the authors of that website (who are autistic clinicians). So any questions related to "dates" I interpreted as noticing numerical and other types of patterns, which Asami does.
Asami is excellent at noticing patterns and odd details in the environment. You first see this in Book 1 when she comments on a detail in the environment that is odd, or her behavior shows her noticing the detail and reacting to it. Before she can fully process what it means, it's often too late (like the electric invisible fence where Asami noticed a detail that she found odd, but it was too late, and they all get knocked out). This happens other times in the series as well.
Hyperfocusing and empathy
Her engineering knowledge is definitely her special interest, and when asked about it, she gladly talks far more than any other time. Her hyperfocusing on tasks often to the exclusion of all other tasks and bodily needs is pretty common for her -- one of the reasons why the fandom is convinced she forgets to eat due to this hyperfocusing, so then Korra saves the day by making her eat.
This hyperfocusing also shows up with how she cares for Korra at the end of Book 3/4. She is super, hyperfocused on being there for Korra and is willing to drop everything to be with Korra, even to head South with her. (It's also because she's in Love with Korra, let's be honest there, but it's that tendency to hyperfocus on what/who she loves that also plays a role too I think. I know I can do that myself where I hyperfocus on the person I love, and then have to dial back.)
Some might claim that because Asami is highly sensitive and perceptive of other people's emotions, then that is a sign she isn't autistic.
I, however, argue that is actually a good indicator she is autistic. Autistic people are not lacking in compassion at all. In fact, we're the opposite. We feel too much, and that can be overwhelming to the point of deadening emotions or causing us to fall out of sync with our emotions. We also take in too much sensory data, and that can also overwhelm us.
So when people make the claim that we lack sympathy or compassion, it's because we are often in an overwhelmed state because we are feeling too much of it. We want to help, but until we stabilize or limit the sensory overload, it's harder for us to articulate and make it clear how much we care.
This is also why our sense of justice can be so strong. We care so much, and we find arbitrary rules to be frustrating. We want to know why something is the way it is, and if there isn't an answer that makes sense as to why things are that way, there is a tendency for autistic people to disregard that rule. We prefer just and fair options, and prefer direct and honesty because it's easier for us to interpret and process.
Now there is ALWAYS nuance to this as not all autistic people have the same traits nor do our traits manifest in the same way. But there is strong correlations that we all share, and Asami shares as well.
Anyway, I could go into further depth and do some scene analysis, but I'll stop here because my pain has flared up again, and I need some rest. Thanks for reading!
#legend of korra#tlok#asami sato#asami#the legend of korra#actually autistic#autism#neurodivergent#neurodiversity#korrasami#neurodivergent characters#autistic characters
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Why I can't help but always romance Persephone in Stray Gods
1 - Prickly on the outside, soft on the inside personality trope
This is probably the biggest reason because it's also probably my most favourite personality type of all when it comes to fictional characters. I am so very weak for ladies who kick ass and look scary but are secretly huge sweethearts. And Persephone is this trope to a T. Sure, she's big and scary, no one can deny that. But she can also be so sweet. She helped Calliope when she left Olympus, she saved Chastity from her abusive husband, she takes to mentoring/helping Grace so quickly, she is happy to help Medusa if Grace offers her help and even goes as far as admitting that this help was long overdue (something Apollo never does by the way). These are just some instances we become privy to during the game.
I'm absolutely sure there are more times when she was secretly kind, especially to people who needed help but had no one in their corner. Because while her personal philosophy is that no one else can help you keep your head afloat (born out of her own experiences no doubt) she's shown to actively be giving advice to and helping Grace as well as genuinely worrying about her safety and doing what she can to keep her safe. She's also obviously remorseful for not having been able to exact the change Calliope wanted so badly after becoming part of the Chorus and sympathetic about Freddie's fate. She cares and she cares deeply. She simply does her best not to show it because experience has taught her that others don't tolerate her being weak or deign to offer her sympathy no matter how dire the situation she is in. This naturally leads to:
2 - A character who is all alone and without a supportive system but refuses to give up
This is sort of a subsection of the prickly on the outside, soft on the inside trope, I know, but I cannot help but love characters who have had a traumatizing past and been forced to deal with it on their own. I always, ALWAYS want to be in their corner and if they happen to be ladies I never fail to fall in love with them. I find it absolutely amazing that anyone can preserve their integrity and remain kind after being hurt so badly both in fiction and in real life if I'm honest. To me these are the real heroes - people who have been hurt but refuse to let that hurt turn them into monsters. If there is a character like that in any media I partake in, no other characters stand a chance. Not really.
3 - Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's voice
In reality this is actually pretty much tied with numbers 1 and 2 but I had to keep some semblance of order so here we go.
I am very much someone who has always and forever been weak for beautiful voices. And out of the whole VA cast giving life to the LIs it's Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's voice that never fails to make me swoon or give me chills. She's so very good at what she does this woman. Her delivery is flawless both when it comes to her spoken and sung lines. I can physically feel Persephone's pain when she asks Grace "Please, don't do this." as well as her anger and bitterness when she sings "I gutted a god." or says "The only god I killed deserved it." for example. This adds so much to the character for me, you have no idea. I cannot honestly say if I'd have loved Persephone so much if she had been voiced by a different actress. But the combination between tropes I love and her sublime voice created a perfect storm so now no one can even compete with Persephone. Not even Freddie. And I love Freddie. She's just not Persephone. I'm sorry.
4 - Persephone's design
I love Persephone's design so damn much! I can't decide what I love most - her badass haircut, her cool tattoos, her slightly weird but somehow totally working for her outfit, her make-up that suits her perfectly, the colour of her hair and eyes or her androgynous look. Everything comes together flawlessly and creates one total and extremely gorgeous package. I don't know who worked on her design, but bless them, they really knew what they were doing.
The amount of screenshots of Persephone I have is obscene and I keep taking more because I simply cannot get enough of how stunning she is. Even when I was replaying to romance Freddie, Apollo and Pan I still kept taking screenshots of Persephone and being distracted whenever she was in the frame because her look is just so... I am running out of adjectives meaning "beautiful" here... Let's go with alluring.
The way she looks just does things to me I can't even begin to describe. I might be ace but even I can tell when someone is objectively hot and Persephone is scorching. Aesthetic attraction is huge for me and I guess her looks hit all the right buttons because I can't help staring at her and going "Wow!" pretty much all the time. Basically this screenshot of Grace is me every time I look at Persephone:
And speaking of that, one thing I have found I am particularly weak for when it comes to her design is the way she looks when she's drawn in profile. I don't know what exactly it is about her profile but I just melt every time I see it. It really did not help that this was part of her introduction to us in game:
How was I expected to pay attention to anyone else after that?!
I have a whole collection of screenshots of Persephone in profile that I should post alongside this to reinforce my point but again - the way she looks does something to me and I apologize to everyone else but I cannot possibly pay any attention to them when I have this in front of me. I'm only human...
#stray gods#stray gods: the roleplaying musical#stray gods persephone#persephone my love#i adore you#no one else has the same effect as you on me#nad talks about the things she loves#long post
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I feel like trigun maximum just hit that perfect sweet spot of bad DID representation done right. like yes the classic small system, blackout split, with one of them being the stereotypical crazy murderer but there's more to trimax before and after their introduction thats so important. they took all of the DID villain movie tropes, put them in a dying word + a murder cult, and shouted the same thing they've been shouting at everyone for the past 80 chapters: THEY'RE STILL HUMAN, THEY DESERVE A FUTURE!! the same volume they introduce him in is the same volume they get thrown on their redemption arc, because it wasn't DID that was his problem it was their abuser and the thing he made them do. trimax just hits you over the head with all the themes with one character and they're well written and well loved in the rest of the series. they get a cowboy hat and they both purse the cowboy way! the main take away wasn't that razlo needs to be put in a cage, it was hey this protector is trying his best, he has his own emotions, be kind to him. it was really refreshing to see in media and I didn't expect it to come from this.
im afraid that trigun stampede is going to miss the mark. not in a sense that I think they're going to change the ending, but how the story is building up is different. we haven't been shown several instances of the average joe having to kill for personal gain to survive on no man's land, so it makes livio and razlo feel like an individual crazed threat looming over the horizon. it also leans into the horror of episode 6 and 7 and ends up having a demonizing way of depicting disassociation. when wolfwood is in the cell pleading for him and livios just standing there with his eye mysteriously glowing, it gives me the ick. not that there can't be a narrative where both livios and wolfwoods feelings are being recognized in a meaningful way, its more that there's too much time given to ruminate in wolfwoods pov, that the audience is going to see them as threatening longer duration. manga readers know whats coming but a majority of viewers do not. [I did absolutely enjoyed wolfwood pulling him out of disassociation with smell the smell of smoke and calmly saying wake up old friend, it melted my heart. I also thought it was funny when livio shot himself but thats just me and a whole other tangent lmao]
do I think this is going to be better when the series is finished and everyone has all of the pieces? yes, absolutely. its just that the years inbetween their redemption undos what made trimaxs good
TLDR: trimax makes you feel like a fucking idiot for even doubting for a chapter that they were going to stray from their core theme of "everyone deserves a future" just because these guys are a DID system with blood on their hands. meanwhile tristamp finds its faults in the time it takes to get livio and razlo to their redemption arcs because it paints them to be a looming threat more than 2 dudes in a lot of pain.
other systems in the trigun fandom please tell me your thoughts + we should be friends
#but thats just an opinion a systems opinion thanks for watching#we love our wonderful little cowboy tristamp if i catch you doing em dirty we're gonna have even more issues#trigun#livio the double fang#razlo the tri punisher of death#love your protectors everybody#im number 1 let studio orange cook shouter they just worry me#did system#im tagging this just cause if people have it blocked i dont want em to see it
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I think there tends to be a perception that any work of fiction more than a few decades old is going to be riddled with cliches as well as full of horrifically outdated societal ideals. And I’m not going to say that’s completely incorrect, but it’s also not the case for many works either, including some of the most famous and formative ones.
For instance, let’s take fantasy.
The film “Willow” came out in 1988. It looks like it’s just going to be a straight Chosen One story. The evil queen is killing all the baby girls in the land looking for the one with the super special birthmark who is destined to defeat her, but the fated baby is smuggled away from her clutches just in time, and is found floating down a riverbank. I thought I was going to watch her grow up, discover her destiny and probably some special powers or swordfighting abilities she beats two-dimensional sexist boys with, and journey to heroically slay the queen in an epic showdown. But nope. She’s not named Willow, and she’s not the protagonist, and none of that happens.
The lead, Willow, is the father of the children who find her. They’re little people, and all played by actual little people. So right off the bat, we’ve got a disabled protagonist played by a disabled actor, and he encounters a lot of prejudice for it outside his village. He’s also unusual in that he’s a married father with kids, not some young attached swashbuckler/prince/pirate/etc. He very much WANTS to be a great sorcerer, but shows no actual magic talent. However, he is good at sleight of hand, such as his “diseappearing pig” trick. . . which ends up being his trump card at the climax with which he tricks the evil queen. But that’s just a distraction; the person who has a super badass magical fight with the evil queen isn���t him OR the baby, it’s an elderly sorceress he meets along the way who has beef with her. So the two absolute powerhouses of the movie who go head to head are two WOMEN, and not sexualized ones either. Granted, it’s hard to get more cliche than “evil sorceress queen” but her throwing down with the old crone was VERY unexpected for me! And the other lead female character is the queen’s badass daughter, a powerful fighter who begins on her side but sides with the heroes by the end.
But it’s not the old lady who defeats the queen either; she defeats herself when she tries to kill the baby, setting up a ritual to do so. When Willow tricks her into thinking he made the baby disappear and she moves towards him, she accidentally completes said ritual, causing it to destroy her as the target instead. At not one point in all of this did that baby ever show ANY magical powers or inclination of a special destiny; none of this would have happened if the queen hadn’t believed in this prophecy, for which there really was no proof, and acted accordingly. . . which is a piece of advice I’ve seen many a writer give for how to do the “Chosen One” trope well. And again, this movie was in 1988, predating all these writing blogs and advice channels. And what’s more, Willow doesn’t get real magic in the nick of time, there’s no Deus Ex Machina, he uses his own cleverness and the stage tricks he WORKED for. I really loved that. Again, it’s like something a modern writing blog would say they would totally love to see happen sometime!
The Last Unicorn film came out in 1982, but the novel was written in 1968. And yet, it averts a great many cliches about fantasy and gender in fantasy. The lead is female, and her motive has nothing to do with men. She has agency and takes action, and is very strong while not needing to make a big deal out of being “not like other girls” to do it (though she is definitely NOT like other girls, as she’s a unicorn in human form!) for this strength. We see her fend off a harpy, fight back against the Red Bull, and it’s mentioned she’s killed dragons before as well. Plus, she comes back in the sequel “Two Hearts” to finish off a griffin. Yet at no point is she an obnoxious edgy girlboss who shits on feminity; she’s in fact very feminine if she’s anything. And she does fall in love with a man, and this does have a big impact on her, but he’s not what her quest is about, and she in fact has to choose to give up being with him to complete that quest, and leaves him entirely at the end.
She also passes the Bechdel test; she talks with the witchy Mommy Fortuna who kidnaps her, trying to persuade her to free another female monster, the aforementioned harpy. And while she talk to her woman friend Molly about her love interest, their most iconic conversation is their first, and very feminist one, in which Molly angrily sobs demanding to know why the unicorn only came to her now, when she is no longer the innocent young maiden that unicorns are SUPPOSED to come to, but instead a haggard middle-aged woman who has been living with the leader of a bunch of bandits in the woods. Definitely not a demure virgin like the mythos say unicorns love. And yet, implicitly, the unicorn does not care.
And, of course, the unicorn saves herself at the end, and all the other unicorns in the world. It never presents itself as a feminist story, and I don’t think it was intended as such, but it sure qualifies in a number of categories.
For the final example, there’s The Lord of the Rings, written in the mid-50s. I actually haven’t read this series. But what I can comment on is something that was pointed out by someone on Tumblr (alas, I cannot remember the URL) that what so many of Tolkien’s imitators get wrong is they think that Aragorn is the protagonist, and make their Aragorn rip-off be so, but that actually the protagonist was Frodo, the literal little guy, the humblest of creatures, with no magic or fighting skills, and that this was the point. And I think that’s really interesting, that the father of modern fantasy and all its cliches, actually averted this cliche; it was only his many copycats that made it one.
These works were not, of course, perfect in other ways. There’s nary a scrap of POC or LGBT rep to be found in them that I know of. But they’re also far from cliche-storms in which every character is a cardboard cutout stock type and which every plot point is easily predicted either.
So, what is my point to this post?
It’s that older works are worth reading, or watching. Especially the genre-defining ones. These are some of the most famous, most far-reaching works of the fantasy genre in modern times, and that’s because they were GOOD. It’s not even about the box-checking aspect either; The Last Unicorn is heart-breakingly beautiful writing with a story and lines that make me more emotional than any other work ever has, book and film. Willow is a jolly good watch. The Lord of the Rings…ok, I’ll level with you, I just couldn’t get into it, that’s why I didn’t read it, but its significance to the fantasy genre is undeniable, and just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it isn’t worth YOU giving it a shot. But so many people are just so sure that anything from before 2000 must be unoriginal, problematic garbage, and that’s reductive as well.
Besides the fact you’re missing out on things you might enjoy, reading within your genre is especially essential if you plan to WRITE in it, in my opinion. Whether this is fantasy, romance, sci-fi, horror, or something else, it is WORTH reading the masters. It is also worth familiarizing yourself with what’s ACTUALLY cliche, and what’s a DEAD UNICORN TROPE—I’ve read waaaay too many people who wrote what they clearly THOUGHT were very clever satires, but the things they were making fun of were never actually that prevalent in the genre to begin with, people just THOUGHT they were (ex: How many stories out there are there REALLY of princesses being rescued by dragons? Actually very few. But everyone lampshades it and references it and so on!) So it’s also worth reading what’s been done before if your plan is to parody, or satire, or deconstruct, or just do something new—that way, what you write will actually BE something new, instead of the eleven millionth author who thinks their protagonist is SO UNIQUE because they are a GIRL who FIGHTS omg!!
A lot of writers, both professional and aspiring, fear consuming work within their own genre, worried that they will be subconsciously influenced by it. They want their work to be wholly original, from their own imagination entirely. While I respect their choice, I also disagree that being inspired from other works is a bad thing. Inspiration doesn’t mean a direct copy. Indeed, I think people should in general stop stressing whether their work is a perfect unique snowflake untouched by any outside influence. All of us are influenced by something or other. And that’s fine. Every great work that you love was influenced by something else, consciously or subconsciously. Can you imagine if Neil Gaiman had decided NOT to write American Gods, and his own depictions of Odin and Loki, because he was a fan of Thor comics as a child (it’s what got him into actual Norse mythology!) and was worried that Jack Kirby’s version of the gods would influence his own? Ridiculous! Heck, I think it’s good to be inspired! To get ideas from other things! You just have to make them your own! And if there’s one thing that humans are goshdarn good at, it’s putting our own new spin on something we heard! That’s been how storytelling has worked since it begun!
And heck, why stop at reading the greats? Read the obscures and the flops! Read the worst shit in the genre! See what NOT to do, and think how you could do it better, and get the grain of a story from that! Get ideas from works in the genre that are forgotten or under-known! Use ideas from these that so many others have slept on, and expand them! For instance, look at the vampires of Paul Feval rather than Stoker or Le Fanu, for instance—if THEY had been the major media influences for Hollywood’s vampires, what would our modern depictions of these creatures be like? Use that as a jumping point for YOUR take on them!
Anyway, that’s all. I’m going to go watch The Dark Crystal now.
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So, I did a poll for Silver pairs (twice) and have been meaning to give my own thoughts but started writing essays before I realized; wait a minute, I don’t need to do that. I can just give my basic opinion. I don't need to justify or over explain, so here we go!
Notes:
*Long post
*twst spoilers
*Opinion-based
*Rambles
Silver x Sebek (Silbek) was, voted #1, to the surprise of no one I’m sure.
Personally, Silbek isn’t my cup of tea and I prefer them in a platonic sense. On top of that, I’m not a big fan of childhood friend romance. It just—annoys me intensely and there are very few instances where this trope works for me. (It may because I’ve been exposed to too many Hallmark romances with this trope and in other media.)
There are a few other minor things I don’t like about the ship, but they’re not worth mentioning.
That being said, I can see why others love the pair.
They have enough opposites to be interesting, such as Sebek being loud, emotional, always active, abrasive, and even arrogant at times, while Silver is quiet, stoic, sleeping—through no fault of his own—and humble. Yet both share a lot in common as well:
They place family above all else, are loyal but keep to their morals, and are helpful and kind.
Plus, in the canon, we see how much they love and care for each other. Sebek is always there to pull Silver out of his own head and sort out his insecurities, as seen when Silver worried about his lack of emotion, when the other Diasomnia students weren’t listening, and—more recently—Chapter 7 and the revelation.
They understand each other, make up for one another’s weaknesses, and more. So, while it’s not my personal ship, I’m not surprised it was voted #1 and can admit it deserves its placement.
So, fun fact; when I did the poll the first time, this pair was the winner. I remember that as I was super surprised. And I’m still a bit surprised they’re #2.
Granted, they’re cute, but I assumed the pair would be in third place behind Silver x Sebek and Silver x Idia, as I don’t see much content between the two
That being said, it does surprise me that this puppy pair has so many fans;
They share the same morals and are cute together, plus, they’re friends in Canon. Also, Silver admits that Kalim is someone very dear to him, and Kalim is always saying nice things about the other. As a bonus, Kalim is already favored by the father-in-law.
I see these two as being the type that are in a relationship before they know they’re in a relationship. They're holding hands, eating together, and going on outings. Neither of them realizes what they’re doing until someone points it out. Even then, they’re confused for a while.
The downside is that while their relationship would help each other grow and change, it wouldn’t be one that could last long-term.
Silver’s dream is to serve Malleus in Briar Valley, a place he loves and where the people he loves live. His dream is to foster peace between the fae and humans.
Kalim, on the other hand, has a responsibility to take over as head, and it’s not one he can just toss aside, and I don’t think he wants to either.
When I think of the outcome of their relationship, I think of this Bojack quote: “I think there are people that help you become the person that you end up being, and you can be grateful for them even if they were never meant to be in your life forever.”
Silver and Kalim would help each other grow, but they wouldn’t be in each other’s lives forever, at least not as lovers. But in fanfiction, anything could happen. And I would love to see more fanfics of the pair and the challenges they would face.
Third, we have Silver x Idia, a personal favorite of mine. I love the two as individuals and squee whenever I see them together. To me, their interactions are a lot of fun, as I like seeing Idia deal with Silver’s “odd” attitude towards things.
On the surface, the two have nothing in common. Idia is shy, while Silver is bold. Silver is determined to the end, and Idia thinks it’s best to not even try. Idia is a tactician, and Silver is a warrior. Idia was raised around technology, and Silver was raised by nature. Idia is weaker than a kitten, and Silver is strong as heck. (How strong? I have no idea.) The list goes on.
Yet, while they are opposites in several ways, their differences just highlight the good they bring out in each other, or could.
On top of that, the few things they do have in common are pretty strong.
I like that they seem to admire each other. Silver genuinely admires Idia’s skills and isn’t afraid to tell him. He often compliments Idia and offers praise, though he does go overboard, which can make her shy.
For his part, while Silver can be too much at a time, Idia admires Silver’s beauty and skills, comparing him to things he finds cool, like ninjas. Both seem interested in the other, though Idia acts in denial.
Both value family to the point where it’s their main character arc. I love that Ortho likes Silver while Lilia and Idia get along online. The in-laws approve!
They also share a deep sense of insecurity about themselves. Idia thinks he is worthless, to the point where all he can do is hide away, mainly due to a tragic event in the past. Silver believes he’s a burden to those around him, and he does all he can to repay those he has troubled. It would be nice if these two could help one another see their own self-worth.
On top of that, I really believe that of all the Silver pairs, aside from Silbek, these two have the best chance to work out in the long run.
If things go well and Idia can break his family curse, he would be instrumental as Malleus’ tech advisor (probably the first) and could bring Briar Valley into the modern age.
And if he can’t and has to work at STYX, Idia and Silver could still work, as both could maintain a long-distance relationship.
Silver was often left behind as a child, and with technology, they could communicate whenever they wanted and visit when they could. On top of that, both have the temperament needed for a long-distance relationship to work.
The problem is that thanks to Idia’s personality, it would be hard for the two to get together in the first place. (His theme song would be “I won’t say I’m in love” as he sails down the river of De Nile.)
Silver would have to realize his feelings first and do most of the leg work in a way that wouldn’t scare Idia off. (That or Ortho and Lilia would have to play cupid.) Regardless, it would be a very slow burn, but I think once they got together, the two could be happy. And once they were together not even the powers of hell would break them up as both are EXTREMELY stubborn. (Another commonality.)
One problem I do have is that, even if they were together, Silver would most likely be doing most of the emotional labor, as Idia is too self-defeatist to do anything. Luckily, Silver’s pretty low-maintenance, and I'm sure Idia would step up if Silver really needed support.
If I had the time and energy I could write an essay on these two, but for now I’ll just say I really love these two and while they’re not #1 on the poll, they’re #1 for me.
The next is Silver x Malleus. My feelings for this ship are complicated.
I like how their personalities mesh, their shared family history, the drama, and all the works that make a ship memerable. Honesty, two have many, many things I like in a ship. There’s just one HUGE problem that keeps me from loving them: Malleus helped raise Silver.
Malleus was there when Silver was a baby and played an active role in raising him--My brain can’t get past that.
When I try to ignore it, my mind can’t help but slide to, “Shit, is this grooming territory?” (It's not unless the fic has Malleus raising Silver with the intent to have sex with him. Even so, there’s a lot of yikes, you know?) But then again, I overthink things, a lot.
That being said, I still find the pairing entertaining.
For one, it’s an interesting pair to explore human and fae dynamics, as well as the blue and orange morality that comes with it. Like when a vampire falls in love with a human. And again, there’s all the stuff I mentioned before.
I’m also really curious how Lilia would react to the relationship. This something I’ve never seen a Silver x Malleus ship bring up, but they should as Lilia is a HUGE part of both their lives. Isn’t anyone else a bit curious?
I don’t think Lilia would be a supporter of the relationship for multiple reasons, so what would he do? How far would he go to keep the two apart? And how far would the two fight him? (The angst potential, man! THE ANGST!)
In a yandere Malleus setup, would Lilia try to run away from his beloved Prince? Would he take up arms against him to keep Silver safe? Would he be able to do anything? Or would he just be helpless as the dragon he hatched takes away his beloved son forever? It just has a lot of potential story-wise, which I adore.
It’s a nice ship to explore darker themes but If I wanna skip those and just have a cute ship, I just find Aus where Malleus didn’t help raise Silver.
So to conclude this part, while I prefer them in a platonic sense I can’t deny that I have an interest in the stories they could tell.
Silver x Riddle; I never thought of these two, but now that I am, I think the two would be like Silbek without the childhood element. I like that Silver would have no issue standing up to Riddle when he started acting like a tyrant and would stop him before it went too far, yet he would always be there to offer support, especially emotional support, which Riddle desperately needs.
On his side, Riddle could help Silver improve himself, such as in how he presents himself, his studies, and his magic. He may even help Silver overcome his habit of talking down about himself.
I think the romance would be a slow burn due to Silver being oblivious and Riddle being a tsundere in denial who refuses to admit his emotions until they overflow. It could be fun to see Riddle drowning and being jealous of anyone near Silver until Trey and Ace have enough and set the two up.
Other than that, I don’t have too much to say.
SilJade is one I forgot to put on the first poll, but one that I like in casual passing for one-shots. To me, Jade is the bad boy that Silver could end up with. I enjoy how Jade is usually sweet toward Silver in canon. While he has his own reasons, he does nice things for Silver and helps him. I also think it’s cute how Silver’s purity surprises him at times. It’s a cute pair for me and I like to imagine them kissing under toadstools.
A pairing that got a mention but wasn’t on the last poll is Silcarter. I don’t think I’ve seen the two interact too much, but I can see Silver operating as a home to Carter, who never got to settle down in the past, and Carter can help Silver in a social setting like Kalim. It’s also neat to see his energy contrast against Silver’s. Other than that, I don’t think much about the pair.
Next have Silver and Leona. (Sileo?)
While in canon Leona is annoyed by Silver, I like the concept of the two.
Personality-wise, there are opposites, but in a low-key way. The only thing they have in common is that they sleep a lot, and even that’s an opposite between them.
Leona chooses to be lazy. Everyone and their mother sees he’s got talent for practically everything but he chooses not to do anything because he never get the role HE wants, which is to be King of Sunset Savanna. So, he choose to be be lazy and just rest all the time. However, Silver doesn’t have a choice.
Silver tries his best to be active and stay awake, but because of his “blessing” he struggles in all that he does.
I really like the contrast between the two. It’s entertaining to see Silver’s earnest and pure nature against the grumpy cat that is Leona and I think, if allowed to develop, they could have an interesting relationship. I can see Leona constantly being a bit annoyed but gradually coming around and may even try to help the other in subtle ways.
There’s also a possible drama plot where Leona wants to be with Silver, but Silver is devoted to Malleus as a guard, resulting in Leona’s insecurities activating as, once again, he can’t have what he desires because another has it. He can’t be Savana’s king, nor could he be Silver’s king.
Like I’ve said with others, it’s hard for me to explain but I like the potential here.
Tied for last are Silver x Jamil and Silver x Azul. Let’s look at SilJam first.
I love how their personalities contrast and how, despite the fact they’re in similar positions, they feel very differently.
Silver is honored to be Malleus’ guard, while Jamil is resentful that he has to serve Kalim. The difference is simple but major. Silver CHOSE to serve Malleus and Jamil only serves Kalim because of family obligations. It’s a single difference that changes everything for the two.
I think it would be fun to explore the two and their dynamics as they grow from each other.
I REALLY enjoyed during the Halloween arc how they worked together and how, for the first time, someone was interested in Silver and his history. I don’t think anyone other than Idia showed an interest in Silver, though correct me if I’m wrong. And even then, Idia seemed more interested in Silver’s dad than him.
I also enjoyed how Silver respected Jamil’s efforts and how he made sure Jamil got the recognition he deserved in the end. Considering how overlooked Jamil usually feels, this was a sweet moment for me.
Not to mention, it was fun to see how Jamil reacted to Silver’s air-headed moments and how he had to work around Silver’s honest nature, though unlike with Kalim, he didn’t seem too annoyed by it. (Of course, they don’t have the complicated power dynamics between them, so that may be why, but I digress.)
I mean, it’s hard for me to explain how much I enjoyed seeing these two together in the Halloween Event. They show an interest and appreciation for one another, I love how Silver baffles Jamil at times and so on.
And, of course, I see story potential! (Yes, this is a big part of why I pick ships. I can’t help it, I like stories!)
A fanfic plot I like is two versions of the love triangle. (Yes, I like these IF done well.) One is where, at first, Silver likes Kalim, who likes Jamil, who likes Silver. Another is that both Kalim and Jamil like Silver, who’s oblivious. Either way, this feeds into Jamil’s resentments, creating drama that could end a victory for him if Silver chooses him in the end.
That being said, the only way these two could have a future is if Silver leaves Briar Valley, as Jamil wants to travel, see the world, and be free. He doesn’t want to stay in one place.
This pair is one I think of when I want Silver to venture beyond all he knows and see the world. To be something more than a royal guard and expand his horizons.
He could still work for Briar Valley by becoming a diplomat alongside Jamil, so he could still embody Lilia’s teachings and fulfill his dreams for peace, but they would still have to leave the Diasomnia fam.
Now on to Azul x Silver (AzuSil? SilAzu?). This is another pairing I believe has potential.
These two are opposites in EVERY way. One is a pure angel of heaven, and one is Azul of the deep. Silver is strong, honest, kind, and does everything for the benefit of others. Azul is as weak as a guppy, cunning, and manipulative, and he does everything for his own benefit.
However, their interactions did light a spark in my brain and I like the pairing of the “devil” trying to charm an “angel.”
The contrast between the two are intriguing and I’m facinated by the idea of these two coming together to make a couple. I think having someone like Silver in his life would help Azul as he could realize not everyone wants something from him and some genuinely just want to help others.
Not to mention fanfic-wise they work SO many ways;
There’s the redemption arc that Silver could provide for Azul--Beauty and the Beast AU, under the sea edition, anybody? No? Oh, come on—as well yandere Azul when the mood strikes, Lilia vs Azul for Silver, and more.
Though I acknowledge these two would probably never work in canon as there Azul is looking for an intellectual partner, I still have a soft spot for them.
Recently, I was asked about SilRook, so I’ll share my opinion here:
First off, my gutter brain found it interesting that Rook appreciates that Silver can “sleep” anywhere, lol.
In a way, I see some potential for fun between these two and think that Rook would hold a lot of surprises for Silver and would help the latter find things to appreciate about himself. Other than that, it seems like it would mainly be Rook being odd or showering appreciation for Silver and Silver going, “Um, okay?” The main entertainment would be from the "in-laws,” as Lilia and Malleus don’t seem fond of Rook.
Rook would be a fun yandere for a fanfic, but otherwise doesn’t do much for me. Still, there’s fun to be had with the two if a writer’s willing to put in the effort.
Another pair that got a special mention was SilYuu. I didn’t put this on the poll as it’s basically Silver x OC as Yuu can be interpreted many way.
If we go off “canon” Yuu, however, they’re still cute but are definitely a “quiet” pairing. And I mean that figuratively and literally due to the fact neither talks much.
I don’t see them as an out-there, exciting couple, but they don’t need to be. Silver can be Yuu’s shelter from the madness of Twisted Wonderland and a safe-port in the storm. It’s difficult to explain, but when I see these two, I see a very tranquil pair with the feeling of a warm afternoon, napping in the son till the kids and grampa start making noise.
And I think that’s it!
I’m sure some of you noticed that most of these are based on the stories I think they could produce, but I can’t help it. I like stories, so when I look at a pairing I think how well they get on together and what tales can they create together. That’s how my brain works, which is why I’m a fic writer.
I guess it’s cheating as I base my ships on potential and what I THINK they could be rather than what they are, but eh.
Anyway, my personal ranking of all the Silver Ships mentioned here are thus;
Love: Silver x Idia, Jamil x Silver
Really like: Silver x Azul, Silver x Kalim, Silver x Malleus with a huge "it's complicated mark"
Like: Silver x Jade, Silver x Leona, Silver x Riddle, Silver x Canon Yuu
Meh/Don’t care for: Silver x Rook, Silver Carter
Not for me: Silver x Sebek
So, how about all of you? What’s your favorite pairing for Silver, and why? I would especially love to hear why people like Silver x Kalim, as, despite it being voted so high, I don’t see a lot of content for the two, so I don’t know why they’re so popular. Is it really just because they’re both sweet angels? Or do you see something else that you like?
#mine#twst#twisted wonderland#twst silver#silver twst#silver vanrouge#silver twisted wonderland#lilia vanrouge#oof this was long#and I cut in half XD#oh well#sorry#leona kingscholar#azul ashengrotto#jamil viper#kalim al asim#malleus draconia#sebek zigvolt#jade leech#riddle rosehearts#idia shroud#rook hunt#carter diamond#canon Yuu#twst yuu#disney twisted wonderland#twst wonderland
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I'm thinking about the idea of Oscar joining the "Wants to throw hands with Cinder Fall on sight" squad bc she specifically is the reason things went wrong with the plan. (She's the reason that Ruby fell/died based on what he must be thinking currently.) I can't help it I just love the trope of "character goes absolutely feral when their love interest is hurt" he's already done it once but I want MORE
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT BUT ALSO LISTEN. IT'S NOT JUST CINDER
Like yes, obviously, but Little Prince in the desert with a venomous antagonist Tyrian?? Little Prince who will have just gotten his rose back?? Also just... they way they have focused on Oscar's protectiveness and attachment to her over the volumes in such specific ways??
Yes, we have the scene at Haven where he gets Big Mad™ when he sees Ruby is hurt (meanwhile Weiss is literally dying in the corner, lmao).
EDIT: I FORGOT THE V6 FINALE
But we also see him pay such close attention to her in the quieter moments too. Standing up for her against Jaune when she's looking down on herself:
Remembering her saying that 'food makes her feel better' and making some for when she and the rest of them get back. WE SAW YOU PAUSE AND LOOK AT RUBY BEFORE YOU FINISHED YOUR SENTENCE OSCAR!!! YOU'RE NOT SNEAKY!!!
The DOJO SCENE?? I don't need to put them all here, y'all get the idea.
But Ruby, this light that has inspired so much of his choices over the course of this story is gone. They reunited at the beginning of v8 for no more than an hour before splitting ways again. Then the same thing happened at the Manor right before RWBYJ fell. You think that boy isn't going to get her back after thinking she was gone forever and be watching her as if she might fall through his fingers again at any moment? When this is how he looked at her before that scare???
youtube
That he isn't going to fight tooth and nail to not lose her again?
That there is a very solid argument towards his semblance unlocking in such a moment?
Like, be for real. The kid has been beaten, kidnapped, beaten more, went toe to toe against Salem and not a single one of those instances was traumatic enough for him to unlock it. But both times Oscar's lack of semblance have been brought up? He's been talking to Ruby.
In v5, there's a moment where they focus on Jaune who still hasn't unlocked his and Oz says something about how his journey isn't over, and the same can be said for the rest of them. That unlocking isn't the end but semblances can also evolve we get this framing:
Jaune, who's semblance unlocked that volume finale, Nora, who almost certainly did something to her semblance with her stunt in v8, Ren, who's semblance evolved in v8 as well, and then Ruby... who's semblance and evolution has been teased and talked about for the last three volumes!!
Then in v7, Oscar once again paying such close attention to her that he can tell when she does something differently with her semblance.
I am too lazy to add text to the gif so the convo goes as follows:
Oscar: Have you... always been able to do that?
Ruby: Heh, I don't know! I don't normally think it through that much.
Oscar: You guys are evolving and I still don't even have my semblance.
Ruby: Well, I bet we'll all be jealous when you do.
Like bro, bro, i am shaking you by the shoulders is there ANY OTHER WAY IT PLAYS OUT???? Boy is going to LOSE IT the moment she is in any serious danger and I am so looking forward to it.
#y'all keep leaving me the nicest asks#and i just keep taking them and RUNNING dlksjflk#brainrot go brrrrr#asks#ask#anon#anono#rosegarden#rwby#oscar pine#ruby rose#rosepine#analysis#chainalysis
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