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#is for that dynamic to fit their idea of romance
nereidprinc3ss · 3 days
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i know we’re all excited for part 4 coming and ofc I don’t want you to get overwhelmed but i was wondering if we could have Spencer’s POV?
in one of the scenarios, he stated that he was in falling in love for reader and it has been noticeable that he has gotten laid with more/other women in the past.
i would like to know more about how was spencer as a lover back in that time like how he felt after s*x and stuff, like a flashback or something and how his relationship with reader has changed him, his own perspective. BUT ofc, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. it’s all good if you choose to ignore this; ily. thanks for always feeding us. we love being your children💗💗
hi love i actually do have headcanons for dybmn!spence’s romantic/sexual history and idk if they’re ever going to fit into that series but i’d be happy to share them here!!
18+ under the cut/season 8 spoilers barely
so basically in my head he loses his virginity to elle greenaway (DUH) and they actually have a little bit of a relationship but the dynamic isn’t quite right because she’s going through all her own shit and at that time of spencer’s life it’s more simple for him. like she’s his first everything and he’s super in love with her but she is older and more experienced and really cares for him but knows for a lot of reasons that this wide eyed rose tinted view he has of her and their idealized relationship is never going to work out. #ILOVEELLEGREENAWAY but anyway they are never exclusive and in the dybmn universe i think he doesn’t necessarily SLEEP w lilah archer but they hook up in that pool beyond just making out mwaha but he’s just a little guy like he’s not CHEATING on elle because they’re not exclusive but she realizes she’s way too into him and that actually ends up figuring into why she leaves the BAU like yes it’s everything with her trauma too but that’s part of it because she knows she can’t sustain that relationship and being much older than him she’s the responsible party so yeah. i also think that time he visits her hotel room was maybe the last time they hooked up
after that i think he kind of develops a pattern of sleeping with women who are older/more experienced than him because he’s just used to being around older people anyway and he feels he can relate to them better and im imagining this is like seasons 2-4 spencer so it’s him and a bunch of hot 30-40 year old women (and probably men) and he’s just like a slut honestly like he’s really easy because he desperately craves affection and validation and i’d say he continues slutting himself out in that way for many seasons, but slowly with people who are more his age, probably until like around season 8 when he meets maeve and then all that shit happens and he kinda is just not into sex or romance for a long while. and i think after that he occasionally will hook up w someone but his main slut era was like seasons 2-6. (it slowed down when his migraines started but did not stop because he’s unstoppable) (he also may have had an actual relationship during this season 7 period in my mind. idk why i just sense there was someone before maeve. no i will not be providing reasoning season 7 spencer just looks like he has a girlfriend)
anyway. the number of bodies that man has is unknown. it may be a number so high we can’t conceive of it. he’s a capital doubleyew Whore unfortunately. but he’s rlly reigned it in by the time he meets reader which can be whenever you want but i picture it as being anywhere from season 9-14. and i think by the time he meets her he really is like basically celibate. like he hasn’t been with anyone by choice for a long while by the time he meets her. he is a retired slut if you will.
saliently i don’t think he ever does anything with jj. that is a purely imaginative thing for him and he lowkey has a madonna whore complex about her. i don’t think he was ever really in love with her he just loved the idea of the pretty blonde girl loving him back. but that is a whole other thing. and he’s way over it when he meets reader.
n e way those r just my silly thoughts. like i said i don’t think i’m ever gonna fit this into the actual narrative but yeah that’s what ive been imagining!!
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roobylavender · 2 years
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I just find this need for Selina to be soft so boring. I feel like prior Selina and Barbara (as Oracle) characterizations fall into the same bin so then later they were made into these softer more feminine characters so they were more palatable for audiences to like them more which did the opposite in both cases for some fans of these characters. And then made more so because they are linked to characters who are widely loved and who they are competing with other characters for audiences to like so they can sell the relationship. Which in turn ends up in this weird shaming of those women who fit into those roles a little easier like Talia and Koriand’r.
i don't even have anything to add this sums it all up so well
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squuote · 8 months
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honestly I’ve been trying to word this all morning but I think I will just leave it at this. stanarrator to me is undefinable as a relationship but I do think that is why I enjoy the pair so much. because yeah you could chalk it up to a simple romance but ultimately doing that erases everything else they got going on and as someone who doesn’t have a good understanding of romance in the first place, im all for them making a completely new category for their relationship. also I just simply enjoy their dynamic, whether I label it as ship or not.
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torgawl · 2 months
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unpopular opinion but a ship being queer coded doesn't make it compelling
#the dynamic between the characters‚ on another hand‚ does!#sometimes ships from certain media are carried by 'queer coding' instead of being relevant because of the actual relationship#that‚ to me‚ means very little#what does it matter if their colours compliment each other or that their names are intended to hint at something if the relationship in#the story fails to portray anything romance-like or their dynamic is just poorly written?#i could go on a tangent here because this is coming from me wanting to rant about a specific genshin ship but i will shut up#i just want to be a hater#i don't even hate the ship itself it's the fans who take scenes out of context and depth from the characters to make the narrative fit#also the constant idea in fandoms that friendships/platonic relationships can't have depth or be the reason someone cares deeply for#somebody else. or even the idea platonic feelings can't be complicated.#i think it's also hard for me to swallow every genshin ship because it's obvious they use queer coding without compromise as a way to#profit with both the staights and the lgbts but whatever#yes i am aware of the censorship but i'm also aware they're a multi-millionaire company that keeps repeating the same 'formula'#for marketing everytime new characters are released... and it works.#genshin will never be as gay as actual gay media from gay creators and i think people have a hard time grasping that#a bit unrelated to my original point but also not really because i do think it influences the way people interact with the story#i'm not trying to say people can't have fun by the way 😂#this all started because i dislike a popular ship and that makes you feel like you're somehow missing a few screws#how come i'm the only right person here 🤣 (joking)
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obsidian-pages777 · 6 days
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ASTEROID ASTARTE IN THE ASTROLOGY CHART
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Goddess of love, fertility, and war.
Astarte in each house might signify:
First House (Self, Identity, Approach to Life): Astarte here could suggest that themes of love, creativity, or assertiveness strongly influence the individual's self-image and approach to life. They may be seen as passionate, sensual, or creative individuals who assert themselves confidently.
Very physically alluring and intimidating
Confident, internally beautiful, not fond of chaos
Intense sexual appeal, admired for dominance and sexuality
Feminine yet dominant, authoritative, loves aesthetics and creativity
2. Second House (Finances, Values, Self-Worth): Astarte in the second house may indicate a connection between love, creativity, and the individual's sense of self-worth or financial values. They might find fulfillment through artistic pursuits or derive their value from their ability to attract love or create beauty.
Peaceful, stuck to ideas, authoritative about belongings
Motivated by security, possessive of valued possessions
Physically attractive, attracts wealth, may seem rich
Potential to attract sugar daddies/mommies
3. Third House (Communication, Learning, Siblings): Astarte in the third house could suggest that love, creativity, or assertiveness play a significant role in the individual's communication style, learning interests, or relationships with siblings. They may excel in creative writing, storytelling, or communication-based fields.
Dominant with words, fixed mindset, appeals intellectually
Beautiful thoughts, excels in writing and intellectual work
Good relationship with siblings, possibly over-protective
Admirable intelligence, careful of forceful speech
4. Fourth House (Home, Family, Roots): Astarte here might indicate that themes of love, creativity, or conflict are prominent within the individual's family dynamics or sense of emotional security. They may find emotional fulfillment through creating a harmonious home environment or nurturing family relationships.
Intuitive, nurturing, passive-aggressive at times
Protective over loved ones, especially family
Emotional, loves self-care, prone to holding grudges
Curvaceous, watery-eyed, admired for nurturing nature
5. Fifth House (Creativity, Romance, Children): Astarte in the fifth house could signify a strong connection between love, creativity, and self-expression. The individual may be drawn to artistic pursuits, passionate romance, or activities involving children and may find joy in creative self-expression.
Creative, joyful, loves attention and validation
Dramatic when upset, attracts drama and gossip
Expressive eyes, noticeable sexual appeal, talented
Charismatic, power-hungry towards dreams, loyal in relationships
6.Sixth House (Health, Service, Daily Routine): Astarte in the sixth house might suggest that themes of love, creativity, or assertiveness influence the individual's approach to health, work, or daily routines. They may find fulfillment through service-oriented or creative work.
Analytical, reliable, prioritizes self-care
Timid yet capable, resourceful, high standards
Fit, healthy, cares for appearance, loyal once committed
Organized, notices everything, meticulous in routines
7. Seventh House (Partnerships, Marriage, Open Enemies): Astarte here could indicate that themes of love, creativity, or conflict are prominent within the individual's partnerships or marriage. They may seek relationships that are passionate, creative, or assertive, and may need to confront issues of power dynamics or assertiveness in partnerships.
Prioritizes relationships, internally attractive
Creative, balanced, attracts jealousy
Peaceful, possessive in partnerships, peace-maker
Dominant, attractive spouse, toned-down war side
8. Eighth House (Transformation, Intimacy, Shared Resources): Astarte in the eighth house might suggest that themes of love, creativity, or conflict are intertwined with the individual's experiences of intimacy, transformation, or shared resources. They may have a passionate or intense approach to relationships and may experience transformative changes through love or creativity.
Prominent sexual appeal, attractive and mysterious
Private, vengeful when needed, loyal to loved ones
Rebellious, emotionally intelligent, spiritual
Mixed opinions, admired yet questioned, rebellious
9.Ninth House (Higher Learning, Travel, Philosophy): Astarte in the ninth house could indicate that themes of love, creativity, or conflict influence the individual's beliefs, higher education, or travel experiences. They may be drawn to exploring philosophical or spiritual ideas through creative expression or passionate pursuits.
Intelligent, open-minded, free-spirited
Attractive thighs/buttocks, loves knowledge and travel
Optimistic, skeptical when crossed, stubborn yet kind
Charms information easily, focuses on brighter parts of life
10. Tenth House (Career, Public Image, Authority): Astarte here might suggest that themes of love, creativity, or conflict play a significant role in the individual's career path, public image, or authority figures. They may excel in creative or leadership roles and may need to confront power dynamics in their professional life.
Career-focused, structured, masculine Venusian traits
Stubborn, values worth, prone to fame
Blunt, authoritative, intimidating power over others
Committed, loyal, values honesty and groundedness
Appealing body/face structure, not too romantic
11. Eleventh House (Friendships, Goals, Groups): Astarte in the eleventh house could indicate that themes of love, creativity, or conflict are prominent within the individual's friendships, social networks, or group affiliations. They may attract friends who share their passion for creative pursuits or who challenge them to assert themselves more confidently.
Interest in unconventional activities, out-of-the-box thinkers
Unique beauty and sex appeal, may have online fame
Kind, humanitarian, independent
Fixed on beliefs and hopes, unbothered by others' opinions
Manifestation luck, luck in making things come true
12. Twelfth House (Subconscious, Spirituality, Hidden Enemies): Astarte in the twelfth house might suggest that themes of love, creativity, or conflict are deeply ingrained in the individual's subconscious mind, spiritual practices, or experiences of solitude. They may find solace and inspiration through creative or spiritual pursuits and may need to confront inner conflicts or hidden fears related to love or assertiveness.
Dreamy appearance, self-conscious about identity
Intuitive, attracted jealousy, spiritual, divination tools
Clings to idea of love, desires fantasy
Extremely creative, expresses imagination artistically
Attracts people who want to dig deep, establishes healthy boundaries, creative dreams
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bronzeagepizzeria · 7 months
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TEN AND ROSE: WERE THEY HAVING SEX?
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Disclaimer: I absolutely support people writing whatever makes them happy; this is NOT a criticism of ten x rose smutfic/established relationship/babyfic etc, I’ve read and enjoyed several of those, this is simply my reading of their canon relationship.
Every once in a while, the Rose Tyler tag sees text posts about how, obviously, Ten and Rose were sleeping together throughout Series 2, as evidenced by their absolutely sizzling chemistry in episodes such as New Earth and Tooth and Claw.
Most of them are usually in good humour—a “can you BELIEVE this chemistry” sort of thing, but there does exist a genuine belief among some that they really were sexually intimate already.
So, let's examine this canonically, from a Tentoo lens.
Were they having sex?
Short answer: No.
Long answer?
Throughout Series 1, we pick up on hints of the Ninth Doctor’s feelings for Rose growing, as well as Rose beginning to have feelings for the Doctor. It’s quite subtle in comparison to Series 2; here’s two great friends beginning to fall in love—flirting and bantering and getting jealous of other love interests xD. It’s not a very explicit romance (and this is why Rose haters tend to prefer NineRose, but that’s a conversation for another day) but it is heavily implied, and it is sealed with a kiss in The Parting of the Ways.
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When Rose looks into the heart of the TARDIS and comes back for the Doctor, this romance is made explicit. When the Doctor dies to take the vortex out of Rose, the romance is made explicit. This is no longer a crush, or simple endearment, they’re in love.
The Tenth Doctor is born out of this love. He now knows the extent of Rose’s feelings, and he knows just how far she is willing to go for him. (This is a blessing and a curse, but we’ll come back to that some other time.)
Rose’s immediate reaction to seeing Ten is asking him to change back—(something that noticeably distresses him—the fact that she might not like him anymore). She spends the entirety of The Christmas Invasion mourning him, (which is fair since he never told her the tiny little detail of his ability to regenerate. Sigh.) and only really comes around to him at the end of that episode. We can safely assume, then, that they haven’t had sex.
In New Earth, they’re still very much relearning their dynamic—how do they work together, fit together now? We learn that Rose is physically attracted to the Tenth Doctor, thanks to Cassandra, and Rose's slightly mortified reaction at hearing this from him implies that there's been no confession of the sort to him.
You could argue that maybe something happened off-screen between Episodes 2 and 3, but as Ally on the tentoo x rose server pointed out, that would be shoddy writing. A physical relationship amongst the main two leads that is never even alluded to with a chaste kiss, is odd. So we can assume this major development didn't happen.
Tooth and Claw, the one episode that is constantly subject to 'they were totally shagging' discourse, has exceptionally flirty energy, yes, but this is because Ten and Rose are both very tactile people. Make no mistake, they definitely are flirting and being more touchy-feely than strictly necessary, but it would be narratively inconsistent for the reason for this behaviour to be 'they were having sex.'
Why?
I'd like to point out this dialogue we get from Queen Victoria:
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This moment is extremely important; it plants the seeds for the proper beginning of one of the main themes of S2, which is the biggest reason the two of them are not constantly shagging in the TARDIS.
From this point on, something has been re-awakened in the Doctor, the fear of outliving someone he loves again.
We have to remember the Doctor is a severely traumatised man, a man who has outlived his entire species, and the idea of this girl he loves dying and leaving him alone is unbearable.
In School Reunion we get this spelt out for us. The Doctor sees Sarah Jane again, and reality strikes. This will be Rose, one day. There’s a key confrontation that takes place in this episode, an argument that remains unresolved because there are certain things Ten cannot bring himself to say.
DOCTOR: I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you…
ROSE: What, Doctor?
There is a later confrontation in the same episode, where the Doctor is tempted with the idea of never having to see anyone wither and die again.
Even the infamous The Girl in the Fireplace doubles down on these themes--the Doctor's immortality. Time running out.
The Age of Steel two-parter brings with it the “gingerbread house”. Things we want which we cannot have.
This, in fact, is the crux of their entire relationship, folks. The incompatible lifespans. Rose's mortality. Untapped desire. The unsaid.
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This is why it's important and impactful that Rose, on the last day she gets to see the Doctor, ever, plucks up the courage to actually put words to what she feels. This is why the unfinished confession in Doomsday hurts so much. Because they finally, finally took that plunge but it was too late.
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Assuming that they've been in a physically intimate relationship all the while takes away from the gravity of this moment.
(Not to mention it's super exploitative, considering the inherent power dynamics. To think Ten had sex with Rose all that time--entirely aware of her feelings--and didn't have the decency to say he loved her and then proceeded to force her to choose between him and another version of himself...is problematic.)
I would go as far as saying it's a fundamentally wrong reading of their entire relationship, and of the Doctor himself.
I've seen people say the "baby scare" in Doomsday is proof that they'd been physically intimate, but it is, quite obviously the Doctor being afraid Rose was pregnant with Mickey's baby, not his.
DOCTOR: You've still got Mister Mickey, then? ROSE: There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby. DOCTOR: You're not?
He is, in his not so subtle way, trying to figure out if Rose is back with Mickey. It only hammers in the fact that he's missed his chance---not that the child might be his.
DOCTOR: Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth. You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead. Here you are, living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have. ROSE: Am I ever going to see you again? DOCTOR: You can't.
Again, the narrative hammers this in. Their time is up. Rose will inevitably move on one day, without him.
All this to say…
TenRose in Series 2 is a tale of what could be. Of missed opportunities, and the lives and love we could have had.
But why is this important?
In order to understand Tentoo and Journey's End, it is vital we understand this aspect of TenRose. The yearning, the skirting around feelings in the room, the denial of gratification on Ten's part. The desire he cannot give in to.
Because Tentoo is the realisation of this desire. He is the second chance.
He is the embodiment of the Doctor grabbing hold of his one, short life and deciding to live it to the fullest. Tentoo is making a choice here--a choice to truly love Rose the way he has ached to do for years. This is why it's significant that he was able to get the words out while Ten wasn't.
This is why Rose chooses him.
This snippet of an email RTD received from Pete Bower sums it up extremely eloquently:
“In having one Doctor grieve for his lost love, while the other Doctor went off with that same lost love, you have written of that moment we all have where we make a choice. It is grieving for the love we never had (and the sex we never had) because of the choices we made.”
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saturnrevolution · 5 months
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Unlock your desire using your MARS SIGN
MARS IN ARIES
Your sexual expression is one of the most powerful tools that you have. You are in tune to what gives you pleasure and you know how to go for it. You are most satisfied with action, rather than words. You are all about being led by instinct and love to be taken by surprise. You desire animalistic behavior, one that is dynamic, raw. Arguments turn you on, so having a make out session after a fight is the dream. And if there’s some risky aspect to it, even better!
MARS IN TAURUS
The expression of your desire revolves all around the senses. You need to focus on smell, touch, sound…and make sure that the atmosphere is comfortable and inviting. You like to take your time when it comes to pleasure and allow the tension to build. There’s also a romantic side to you, so lighting up candles or making out in a cozy tent while it rains outside is the dream. Your sexual expression grounds you, so if nature is involved, even better!
MARS IN GEMINI
You enjoy expressing your desire through words. You are a fan of flirting, soft whispers and witty behavior. Hot and cold energy is what keeps you wanting more. There needs to be a lot of openness and flexibility in your sexual fantasies. Sharing what everyone is into and trying on different ideas that both parties enjoy is the way to go. Also, the kiss plays a huge role in your dynamic. Your mind needs to be stimulated, so some dirty talk will do.
MARS IN CANCER
Your sexual expression revolves around emotions. This means that the stronger the emotional bond, the more pleasure it offers you. You enjoy being treated with kindness and cared for. Soft and gentle touch, cuddles evolving into something more and a bit of mystery is what turns you on. You prefer to keep this side of you to those that are lucky enough to experience it and make sure that both parties feel like home. Intuition is what guides your actions.
MARS IN LEO
You enjoy expressing your desire in a direct, bold way, but there is also the side of you that is caring and loyal. You either take on the role of the dominant person or like to let the other take over. There’s always one that is in the center of attention. Either way, you enjoy it when your efforts receive recognition. Passion, romance, fun, playfulness. You are the actors on a big stage, so there is an emphasis on dramatic, bold moves and presence.
MARS IN VIRGO
Your sexual expression revolves around paying attention to details. Your style is grounded in the tangible world, with a focus on the senses and physical body. You have high expectations on yourself and other to perform and you like anticipating how the moments will unfold. The act of intimacy becomes a therapeutic exchange, a moment of connection that relaxes you within the daily life, so having fun while cooking sounds right.
MARS IN LIBRA
You are all about equality when it comes to sexual expression. That’s why, there needs to be honesty involved. You prefer the other person to take the lead and you might be passive at times. This creates a dance of reciprocity, where your give and take contributes to the overall harmony of your intimate relationships. Communication, romance, and aesthetics play great roles as well. You might enjoy dressing up in a hot fit and seducing with innocence.
MARS IN SCORPIO
You are into taboo things, deep intimacy and discovery of one another through physical touch, after admiring from afar. You carry a magnetic allure, drawing you towards experiences that others might find intimidating. There might be secrecy involved in the dynamic or a specific side of you that shows up behind closed doors. Desire is a blend of control and power play and in these private moments the story of your connection comes alive.
MARS IN SAGITTARIUS
Your desires are expressed through exploration and experimenting. You don’t shy away from trying something new and this is your way of learning what you like. You are spontaneous, adventurous and hold strong beliefs about what you are into. You take on the role of the teacher or student and are likely to experiment with people from different backgrounds than you. You don’t like wasting time and jump directly to the fun part, after all it’s all an adventure.
MARS IN CAPRICORN
You approach intimacy with a strategic mindset, viewing it as a part of your life goals and aspirations. You like things to be straightforward and simple. You might be attracted to lovers that are more experienced than you, and sometimes older partners. Consistency and making sure you perfect it to the point in which you know each other’s pleasure points is your approach. You take physical touch very seriously as it helps relax you.
MARS IN AQUARIUS
Your desires are expressed in a direct way. You know what you like and want. When it comes to physical touch, you might be one to turn friendships into something more, but there needs to be an intellectual attraction before anything. You might be into things that others judge as weird or unconventional. You seek freedom and exploring uncharted territories, pushing against societal norms to embrace what feels authentically you.
MARS IN PISCES
Your sexual expression is your door to escaping the reality. You like to let your imagination run wild, build scenarios and you daydream a lot about your desires. The emotional bond you carry towards someone matters a lot, especially the way they express their romanticism. As it’s a way to escape reality, anything that involves fantasy or creativity and imagination is welcome. For you, intimacy is not just a physical act but a spiritual experience.
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lurkingshan · 11 months
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I’m thinking a lot about the scene between Pran and Tian where they discuss the fight Tian and Phupha are having. Not the fake one about who liked who first, but the real one about Phupha refusing to travel home with Tian or change anything about his life to meet Tian’s needs. It’s a funhouse mirror image of the conflict Pat and Pran are having about how much Pran should let Pat help him, and their long-term dynamic of Pat letting Pran win every disagreement and always being the one to compromise or give in when their needs are in tension.
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What I love about it is that Tian doesn’t know anything about their relationship, he’s just (drunkenly) talking about his own experience, and how frustrating and exhausting it is to be with someone like Phupha who never meets him halfway. And Pran is sitting across from this guy who looks like his twin, whose story he has already memorized and connected to, who he now thinks of as a sort-of friend, and he is self-aware enough to see the parallels instantly, and to feel a little embarrassed and ashamed that he is essentially the Phupha in his relationship. And you see him react, just a little, and maybe start to think for the first time about what it must feel like for Pat to yield to him on everything, and never have that reciprocated by Pran.
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Reading this wonderful post from @waitmyturtles earlier where she mentioned how she empathizes with Pran, I was also reflecting a bit about where I see myself in this story, and let me tell you, I am such a Phupha. When it comes to how I want to live my life, where I want to be, and how I want to spend my time and with whom, I am uncompromising to a fault. I completely get where Phupha is coming from - I told you who I am, and now you’re telling me it’s not enough. He is frustrated by the idea that he has to change himself for Tian, and I get that, I really do. It’s something I am personally not willing to do. The key difference between me and Phupha, however, is that I am not in love and I do not desire to be in a romantic partnership. He very much is, and very much does.
So what might a guy like Phupha think, as he is struggling so much with the idea of yielding to Tian, when he is met with someone like Pat? Someone who is so like him in some ways - in his strength, his masculinity, his physicality, his confidence, his loyalty, his desire to help others - and yet so unlike him in other ways - his emotional openness, his vulnerability, his comfort with compromise, his absolute willingness to put his pride aside for his lover. Where Phupha is rigid, Pat is versatile, in every sense of the word. There is a lot Phupha might learn from talking to someone like Pat about how he sees his relationship, why he is always willing to bend to Pran’s needs, and why he ultimately feels it’s worth it, even if he sometimes feels some of the frustration that Tian does. Might Phupha have his own epiphany next week, opening up a path for him to finally compromise on something important to Tian?  
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@dribs-and-drabbles, I’m not sure how this might fit into your theory about the patterns playing out in these episodes, but I really hope we get to see this happen next week, and watch both of these couples learn from each other’s experiences and find a way to meet their partners in the middle. Because as @waitmyturtles said, this is the work of being in a long term relationship.
In the server with @bengiyo @shortpplfedup @kyr-kun-chan @wen-kexing-apologist we talk often about how amazing it is when romances address what happens to couples after they get together, and how exciting it is that we are starting to see more bl shows about the work of staying together, and I’m so glad that the genius minds behind Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars took the opportunity of this special to dig into that so authentically. And to have done it in such a brilliant way, by mixing and matching these characters from beloved shows, putting them side by side and demonstrating how they are similar and also how they can learn from each other, creating a sense of community in this shared universe, and making it all so damn fun along the way, is just an unbelievable treat for us as an audience. Can't wait to see how it all comes together next week.
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wolvesofinnistrad · 22 days
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Read on Ao3 Here.
Its been about 6 months. 
6 of the best months of a relationship Buck has ever had. And its not even about it being a guy, discovering his bisexuality. Its just... Tommy.
Hes great in so many ways, and the dynamic is so different that for the first time Buck has been able to relax, not always feel like hes chasing after someone. Actually, hes found out he quite likes being the one that gets chased, romanced, flirted with.
Everything is going great and hes even, in the back of his mind, been starting to think this might be it, this might be a long term thing after all which he'd have never expected. And then Eddie fucks it all up by telling him his most recent girlfriend, Beatrice or something Buck honestly hasn't kept track lately, broke up with him because quote "i can never have a place in your life when you've got Buck so entrenched in it."
Hes never had anyone imply that his and Eddies friendship, the little family hes made with Eddie and Chris, is somehow wrong or off-putting. Eddie was more annoyed than anything and didn't seem to care. But Buck... Buck got worried. Not because he cared about what Betty or whatever thought, but because he wondered if it wasn't true. If maybe their dynamic would scare people off eventually, and did that mean it would scare Tommy off as well?
So that's how hes sitting here, curled under a blanket on the couch, a new sectional he bought because Tommy's back didn't get enough support in the last one, spilling his guts to his boyfriend. When hes done he looks up at Tommy, expecting, well, something. Anger, confusion, heartbreak, but... Its not there. Tommy smiles at him, placing a hand on his leg over the blanket. "Evan... i understand how important Eddie and Chris are to you. I would never make you choose. I would never try to cut them out or deny you that."
Buck takes that in sits with it for a moment but finds it doesn't fully alleviate his concerns.
"But what if... i mean, if were together, you know, for the long haul. It wont affect you? What i have with them?"
Tommy smiles, he looks away for a minute and laughs.
"Can i be really honest with you Evan?" He says, meeting his eyes now. 
Buck nods.
Tommy inches closer, drawing up one of his legs beneath him. "When we first started dating i knew you all were close, but i didn't really understand until later that you were a 'family.'" He pauses, thinks. "But when i did, yeah, there was a moment i was a little worried where i fit in. Where there was space for me in your life. And then i had an idea, and once i wrapped my head around it that way, re-conceptualized how i looked at things, it didn't scare me anymore."
Now that's surprising to hear, Buck wants to know what could have so easily changed his mind. "And what was it that made you not worry then?"
Again Tommy laughs. "I started thinking of Eddie like he was your ex husband."
Bucks eyes bug out a bit. "My what?!"
Tommy shrugs. "It was easier in my head than just saying your best friend who you're co-parenting with. I've dated guys with kids, with exes before. It wasn't a stretch to think of it like Eddie was your ex and Chris was your kid from another relationship. Once i put it in my head like that, i didn't worry about whether we could have a life together. You'll always be tied to them, but it didn't mean you couldn't have a life with me to." He reached over and took Bucks hand, squeezed it tight. "And honestly Evan? I'm starting to think I'd like that. A life with you."
Despite how weird it is to think of his little family with Eddie and Chris that way, how Tommy sees it, there's something relief and happiness coursing through him. Knowing that Tommy's already figured out how he can keep some of the most important people in his life and incorporate them into a new life hes building for himself. For him and Tommy. 
"Evan?" Tommy asks, scootching closer on the couch, their knees knocking together.
Buck realizes its been too long since he's said anything, but when he speaks he simply says "move in with me."
For all of a second Tommy looks shocked, then elated, then seemingly guarded. "Evan... You don't have to lock me down or something i just exp-"
Buck cuts him off, "its not that. Trust me, I've done that before. Held on so tight, clung because i was scared of being left behind. This isn't that. This is..." he stops, lets his mind and body calm enough to get this right. "This is me holding on because I don't want to let go. Because i want to stay, right here, with you. I'm not scared of being left anymore, I'm scared of not putting down roots. Of not letting the best boyfriend I've ever had,"
"Only," Tommy interjects.
"Best," Buck reiterates, gripping his hand tighter, boyfriend I've ever had know that i want this. I want him. I want a life with you too. And hearing that i think, it was just the final thing falling into place, the last weight weighing on me. I... I've been thinking of asking you for a while, but i wanted so bad to get it right this time. And i think i am, but Tommy." He looks into his eyes. "Tommy you're the first time I've felt like if i got it wrong it would still be okay, we could make it work anyway. So move in with me. Please. Or.. heck, we could get a place of our own if you like?"
Tommy kisses him then. Its slow and passionate but all consuming. Its like nothing hes ever had before. And it feels so right. For once it feels Right.
A week later Tommy sends him a photo of a house for rent. Rent to own actually.
"Wheres that at?" He asks, because its a nice place, he can see the potential.
"Its literally a block away from Eddie's house, I saw it as I was driving away." He says, and Buck can almost hear the laugh and smug smile miles away.
"Its perfect." He writes back. But what he means is, 'you're perfect.'
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violetsiren90 · 1 year
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Blame Me (Teaser) | Jungkook/Reader
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Pairing: Jungkook/Noona Reader (fem reader)
Genre: Best friend's younger brother; slow burn; friends to lovers; eventual romance; eventual smut; neighbors/childhood friends au; forbidden(ish) love; summer love
Summary: Upon returning to your hometown after breaking off your engagement to your boyfriend of three years, you reconnect with your childhood bestfriend as you attempt to put the pieces of your life back together. It seems like nothing has changed in the sleepy little town until your bestie's younger brother returns home from college - very, very grown. As the summer stretches on, the stakes get higher - can you play with fire without getting burned, or have you ignited a flame that won't be extinguished?
Warnings: 18+ (minors, dni); age-gap relationship (between consenting adults); lots of fluff; explicit smut (chapters will have their own warnings); secret relationships; angsty moments; messy situations/relationships; JK on a motorcycle; working through insecurities
Release date: Mid-late May
Author's note: Hello! This will be my first time posting a full-fledged chapter-installment fic here, but I'm excited because I've had this concept brewing in the back of my mind for a while now and BTS Chapter 2 Jungkook, with his curly hair and all his flirty little lives has me soft AF 😂🥰. After launching chapter one, I'm aiming to update twice a month. The teaser below is just a snippet of an interaction to give you a feel for their dynamic.
If you want to be added to the tag list, comment or send me an ask to let me know!
________________________________________
He slug his leg over the bike and settled in, hands on the bars, and flashed a smile over at you that made you suspect he knew just how good he looked sitting there in all that denim.
"C'mon, noona!" He urged, rolling his wrist to rev the engine as his booted foot kicked up the stand. You had never been on a motorcycle before, and if you were being honest with yourself, you were a little terrified of the idea of flying down the road so exposed and precariously perched.
"I don't know, Jungkook..." you wavered, crossing your arms over your chest but advancing a step or two to examine the machine humming under his weight. As you roved your eyes uncertainly over the bike, he reached out and grabbed your arm, pulling you gently but firmly to him. 
"Don't you trust me?" He cooed, batting his long lashes over the most obnoxiously irresistible pair of puppy eyes.
"Don't look at me like that!" you chided. He continued to look at you exactly like that. You sighed in defeat.
"Fine," you mumbled, and he let out a laugh, turning to grab the helmet perched behind him and press it over your head before you could protest. You narrowed your eyes at him, your hair pinned sloppily between the two pads of foam squishing together your cheeks. He stared at you for a moment then burst into a fit of laughter.
"Hey!" you whined, but it was hard to be mad at him with his eyes pressed into little crescent moons and his smile so wide and so gloriously blinding as he held his sides and rocked to and fro like a cartoon character. You smiled a small smile in spite of yourself.
"Okay, okay," you sighed, "I know I look dumb, but that was a bit much, don't you think?" Still smiling brightly and chuckling he reached over and buckled the strap under your chin, then patted the top of the helmet.
"Jolla gwiyeobda!" He giggled, tapping your nose. You felt a flush creep over your face and neck which he seemed blessedly oblivious to as he guided you up behind him onto the bike. As soon as your body made contact with the seat, gravity, that crafty bitch, pulled your hips down snugly against his ass, your thighs sliding firmly against the outsides of his own. You kept your hands gingerly on his shoulders as you activated every muscle in your core in an attempt to sit upright. He pulled a helmet over his mop of curls before plucking your hands from his shoulders to guide them around his waist, pulling your chest flush against his torso.
"Tighter, noona!" You could hear the smirk in his voice. This kid. He damn well better not be able to feel your heart beating at a million miles an hour into his back, you thought to yourself in mild distress.
"Like this?" you asked squeezing harder around his waist, and trying your absolute level best to ignore the definition and firmness of his muscles beneath your touch. He hummed in assent. You could still hear that damn smirk.
One rev.
Two revs.
You pressed your eyes shut and curled your head into his back.
He let out a bright peel of laughter.
And then suddenly, you were gliding forward. Faster and faster. You peeked an eye open to discover that in a few short seconds, you had already almost cleared the neighborhood. You cut through the warm evening air like bullet as trees and quaint suburban homes gave way to rolling fields of fertile green. As your broke into the open farmland, your breath caught in your throat. These were the same planes and hills that had met you for years, and yet it was as if you had never really seen them, not until now - with nothing but the wind between you and all of it, the swells of the earth and the sunset. Is this what it felt like to fly? Every ounce of trepidation in your body had been replaced with a euphoric thrill. Did he feel it too? Suddenly he let out a whooping howl that you could barely hear above the roar of the air whipping around you.
Yeah, he must feel it. You smiled. He had before said that sometimes freedom was just hitting the ground running. He said that sometimes you had to take risks to remind yourself that you were alive. As you pressed your cheek into the strong warmth of his back, you began to think you might have a thing or two to learn. And he might be the one to teach you.
-End teaser-
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Hello hello! Shifting from the romance for a moment would be neat I think — how about full HCs for what the M6 are like as friends for the MC? Like when the MC is in a relationship with one of them/someone else, but is friends with others. Who stays at their place until 3 am sharing Tea? Who's the protective friend? Who's the "hi I'm outside let's go do something" friend? etc.
The Arcana HCs: M6 as friends
~ @nabesima this is such a fresh idea, thank you for sending it to me friend!! hope you enjoy - brainrot ~
Julian
He falls into an older brother dynamic so quickly with you it's almost scary
Which means that, as he is with his younger sister, he is quite protective of you to the point of sometimes being a killjoy
But that's only when he's able to see a bad idea as a bad idea. If it's a bad idea that promises to be a good story, he's all on board
Absolutely the kind of person to keep you company if you ever feel lonely. Is your lover out of town? Let him take you out for the evening for some friendly fun!
The best person to gossip with. You'd think it'd be Portia, but no, Portia's social filter is intact. Julian, on the other hand, will tell you whatever you want to know about and spare no details
Speaking of Portia, it's not uncommon for him to invite her along as well since you fit in with their dynamic so easily. Now you have an honorary brother and an honorary sister!
And oh boy, do you three get into so much trouble together
If you're in a sticky situation and unsure of yourself, call him. He might not have all the answers but that won't stop him from getting involved and suffering through it with you
Asra
The kind of lifelong friend who loves you unconditionally
Has 0 concept of "late." Is it 8 PM? 10 PM? 4 AM? Yeah they're free, what's up? Did you want to hang out? Did you want to process or rant about something? They'll bring tea if you bring snacks
So non-judgemental it's almost concerning sometimes, you could straight up admit to killing someone and he'd just summon a shovel and ask you where the body is without missing a beat
Wherever they're currently residing you are always welcome. No matter the hour or circumstance, if you need a place to crash or just want a change of scenery it's open to you
Of course he won't hesitate to randomly show up at your door to crash at your place either, this goes both ways
Somehow, wherever the two of you might end up hanging out, Asra will 7 times out of 10 find a body of water and suggest swimming in it
Will accidentally forget to tell you when they go out of town and then reappear three weeks later and be genuinely surprised when you're relieved to see them in once piece (they're working on that)
Nadia
Nadia is a jaw-dropping combination of insanely busy and scarily available. After learning what it's like to be lonely once before, she's not doing that again and prioritizes you along with her other friends
For starters, she has a set weekly time for the two of you to meet that she almost never misses and fiercely protects
And that's just the base standard. The palace is permanently open to you, whenever you want to drop by, whether that be to see her or just to enjoy the gardens for a bit
It's a no brainer that she's the best person to ask for fashion advice
There is one thing to bear in mind though - and that is that she is a fixer. She likes to either fix things or come to the conclusion that the issue cannot be currently resolved and then leave it alone
If want someone to verbally process to, you're going to have to let her know that you don't want answers right now, just a listener
That said, if you do want answers, she has them. She has them and she will share them with you and she will help you work through whatever it is that needs your attention
Sends you invitations for every palace event with 0 pressure
Muriel
Muriel has had 1 friend. Now he has 2 and a few acquaintances
So to say that he would move heaven and earth to help you is an understatement. If you need him he's there
Of course, he'd never say that out loud. He still prefers to stay out in the woods, with his chickens and Inanna, and you'll generally have to reach out first if you want to hang out with him
Yes, he will grumble about being forced to be social. Bear with him
Will pretend that he doesn't care about whatever plans or events are going on in your life right now and then stop by a few days later with the most thoughtful, tailored gift to help you perfectly
Which of course he claims he found lying around on the forest floor and just happened to be in town for his monthly errands ... as one does
You won't find this out until the first time you really need a break from chaos, but Muriel extends the special privilege to you of being free to stay at the hut for a day or two if you ever need the solitude
But he'll spend the whole time slowly nudging you into settling what you need to so you can return to your beloved and your normal life
Portia
The bestest bestie you could ever ask for
She is fiercely loyal and down for anything and everything. Sitting side by side in silence? She'll bring a book. Becoming local legends in the Red Market? Sign her up!
You are always welcome at her cottage. If you need to crash, vent, or eat, she's got you covered
And if you're bored and looking for something fun to do? She has a whole list of vaguely reckless ideas to try out
Any of your "bad" ideas is just a good idea in disguise. She will hop on whatever crazy bandwagon you've found and suffer whatever consequences come your way with you (or put them on Ilya)
One of the best confidantes you could ask for. She's a great listener and knows intuitively if it's advice you need or a strong drink and stolen sheet cake
Speaking of advice, she gives the best as far as relationships go
She gives the shovel talk to whichever LI you end up with. That's her bestie, bitch
Will notice when it's been a while since she's heard from you and stop by with a baked treat and a smile. If it's because you've been busy, she'll happily help you with work while you two catch up
Lucio
This is the guy who you'll barely hear from for a week and then stop by your house every few hours for several days in a row
Messages you every time he has a drink to chronicle his party time adventures, which leaves you with some of the most unhinged receipts you've ever had
Never checks ahead of time if you're free, he'll just show up because he felt like doing something fun and wants you to join him so it'll be ten times better
Will act surprised if you're busy
The friend who will jump at any excuse to go out. He is occasionally down for a deeper conversation but he prefers to live in the moment and focus on the good things instead of thinking too much
He develops a strong commitment to being completely honest with you. You're the first one he goes to when he makes an "oopsie" and he will answer any direct question as truthfully as he can
Which is how you also know that his feelings for you walk a fine line between platonic and something more
Don't get him wrong, he respects your decision and supports you! But if you ever find yourself single again, he is right here and ready to be as much as you'll let him
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queen-rhaenyras · 4 months
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Rating Bg3 Ships with the origin companions
Warning: Opinions that may differ from your own. I rated the companions, now it's time to rate the ships.
#1 Lae'Zel/Shadowheart: I'm not into enemies to lovers that much, but I make exceptions for women. Love this ship so much. Also both realizing their goddesses are terrible ad helping each other through that. I love them. They are my fav bg3 ship. Like my lesbian heart can't handle how much I adore them.
#2 Shadowheart/Gale: I love this ship so much it hurts. I played Gale's origin to romance Shadowheart and it was beautiful. (Also the nerd and the goth girl? Adorable). They are perfect together in so many ways. I saw someone else say if Shadowheart was a man, people would love this ship because they compliment each other so well. They are everything people think Astarion/Gale are. Also they both have issues with their goddesses and can never really escape them. Only they can understand that and it would bring them so much closer. Also their cozy good endings in the epilogue! I can see them fitting in perfectly with each other's good ending.
#3 Wyll/Astarion: True foils. Monster/Monster hunter. I'm obsessed with this pairing. If Wyll was a white man, this would be the most popular m/m ship in bg3. Please repeat that last sentence slowly, because I can't say it enough. I don't even like Astarion as a character all that much, but I love this ship a lot. Also Astarion has a crush on Wyll. Why are we denying him his crush? Let's be so for real about this one.
#4 Wyll/Karlach: The fact that Wyll can go with Karlach in the end? Their return in the epilogue and how they speak of each other? It's so cute. I love them together. Another example of enemies to lovers that I actually enjoy because they don't hate each other. As soon as Wyll realizes she's not who he thought she was, they develop a mutual respect for each other. I love that dynamic so much.
#5 Shadowheart/Karlach: Shadowheart's comment about Karlach picking her up and carrying her over her shoulder to safety sold this ship for me. It's cute and f/f so you know I love it.
#6 Gale/Lae'Zel: Also have shared goddess issues. Gale learns Lae'Zel's language if you play his origin to romance her. I haven't done it yet, but omg that's so cute. He also calls her a term of endearment in her language? I'm going to have to play as Gale to romance her asap. Obsessed with the idea of these two together.
#7 Karlach/Astarion: This is a pretty popular ship and It's a popular ship I can get behind. I do like these two together and I think they compliment each other well.
#8 Lae'Zel/Karlach: I mean. It's f/f so I'm a little biased, but I can see the potential. I don't hate it at all. I saw someone who romanced them with each other and they said it was surprisingly sweet.
#9 Gale/Karlach: I can see how it's cute, but I just don't see them together romantically. I do love the idea of them being besties. Karlach's reaction if Orin takes Gale!? When she says, "MY wizard." and the way she wants to cheer him up after Elminster tells him about Mystra's plan for him is precious. So I understand if someone ships them. Maybe if I romance one of them with the other I'll change my mind.
#10 Shadowheart/Wyll: I do not see any chemistry, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I don't mind this ship. It doesn't bother me at all and if there is anyone out there that ships it, good for you. Hope it brings you joy. It's definitely an unproblematic ship.
#11 Gale/Wyll: This is boring I'm sorry. I love both of these men so much, but together? Not so much. But I don't HATE it. It's just not my cup of tea. If you enjoy it though, that's perfectly fine. Like the above ship, it's unproblematic and I understand why someone would like it.
#12 Wyll/Lae'Zel, Lae'Zel/Astarion, Shadowheart/Astarion: Meh. I don't hate them, but I don't love them. I don't really have an opinion about them to be honest which is why I threw them all together.
#13 Gale/Astarion: My most controversial opinion yet because this is such a popular ship. But these two feel so FORCED. If they weren't two white men, they wouldn't be as popular. Let these two dislike each other for the sake of disliking each other. Astarion's dislike of Gale is not cute and it's not enemies to lovers. Also Astarion's reaction when Gale is taken by Orin gives me the ick. He's awful to him. I don't want him touching my favorite wizard with a ten foot pole. Gale deserves way better. Also I relate to Gale more than any other character, and Astarion irritates me as a character and I low-key feel like Astarion would irritate Gale too. In fact, I'm pretty sure he does. I had Gale kick Astarion out of camp after he tried to bite him during my Gale origin run and it was so on brand for Gale. It just felt right. Sorry if you ship this. This is not me saying people shouldn't ship it. Ship what you want if it brings you joy. But I wish people would stop acting like these two are MADE for each other, because that is such a red flag to me.
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burst-of-iridescent · 11 months
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Hi! First I want to say I love your Zutara dissertation. I was in a convo with a friend who said they don’t like Zutara because it hurts Zuko’s arc. I then linked them to part two of your dissertation where you explain how Zuko and Katara getting together would strengthen their arcs and the themes of the show. They then replied, “I see all these points. I just think this can be done via friendship. I think the idea that Zuko heals the world via friendships fits the show more since friendship played a bigger role then love stories.” Do you have any rebuttal argument for this that I can show them?
please give my commiserations to your friend for the frustration they must have felt when avatar: the last airbender ended with a grand romantic kiss because naturally, the all-important question of the finale was whether the hero finally got the girl after spending three seasons suffering in the friendzone. i'm sure your friend, being such a proponent of the importance of friendship over romance, must be just as critical of kat.aang in the finale as they are of a potential zutara relationship (and if they aren't, then you know where this argument is coming from and it's certainly not a place of legitimate media analysis.)
but on the off-chance that we're dealing with that rare breed of zutara anti that isn't a raging hypocrite: i fail to see why there's this weird dichotomy being made between platonic and romantic love at all. what exactly is wrong with zuko healing the world with both friendship AND romance? his platonic bonds with sokka, toph, aang and suki don't suddenly cease to exist just because he's dating katara, so why are we acting as if it's only one or the other?
atla is a story about the power of friendship, yes, but more than that it's a story about the the power of love. love for your family, blood and chosen. love for your friends. love for your countrymen. love for strangers, for enemies, for humanity. at its core, atla is centred around love in all of its varied forms - and yes, that includes romantic love.
or are we saying that sokka's love for yue, katara's romance with jet, sokka's relationship with suki, zuko's feelings for jin all had absolutely no bearing on their individual character arcs and the overall plot of the show? even kat.aang and mai.ko, badly written as they are, were important to aang and zuko's arcs in helping them realize the people they were truly meant to be (at least, before the finale fucked it up).
i, and many other zutara shippers, have always said that we'd have been fine with atla ending with no canonical romances, or with only a hint of zutara. i wouldn't replace the kat.aang kiss in the finale with a zutara one, even if it made more narrative sense, because i agree that romantic love was definitely not the point of atla - but that doesn't mean that it had no significant role to play at all.
given that your friend seems fine with zuko and katara's friendship, i'd love to hear why said friendship turning into a romance would suddenly be detrimental to zuko's arc. was sokka's arc about unlearning his misogyny ruined because he eventually entered a relationship with suki? was suki being inspired by sokka to take a more active role in the war undercut because she became his girlfriend? if not, then why would the zutara dynamic be the only one negatively affected just because they can kiss now?
zuko is a character who is fundamentally defined by love. his love for his people kickstarts his entire character arc. his love for his mother, and her love for him, is integral in reminding him to stay true to who he is. iroh's fatherly love guides him to the path of redemption. the gaang's platonic love, and the love he holds for them in return, gives him the confidence and support he needs to fulfill his destiny. so romantic love, the right kind of romantic love (and notably the only kind zuko never truly receives in the show) would only add to zuko's character - not take away from it.
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denaliwrites · 5 months
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Say You'll Remember Me (Denali's Version)
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Alec Hardy x Bad Girl!Reader
Summary: If "whirlwind romance" were in the dictionary, next to its definition would be an image of you and Alec.
Soundtrack: Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift
Requests: Open!
Warnings: Criminal Activity.
1995
It wasn't like Alec, going and falling in love with one of the people he was sworn to put away.
Yet as you were escorted into the station, all crimson smiles, all confidence, all sauntering hips and deep black leather, he couldn't help the way his heart skipped a beat.
(Little did he know how dangerous that would be for him if this had happened, oh, eighteen years into the future.)
And when your eyes danced across the room just to finally land on him -- tiny, scrawny little Alec Hardy -- oh, he knew he was done for. Not that he minded much... or at all.
Doing your intake was the highest honor that had, in his twenty-six years of life, been bestowed upon him.
"What'd they get a lass like you for?" he asked as he took your fingerprints, his hands surprisingly gentle with your own.
"Defacement," you replied simply with a smirk.
"Of?"
"Churchill's grave."
"Oh," he said, too stunned to move or speak for a moment. It passed quickly, and he resumed his work as if nothing had happened. "One of those counter-culture types, then."
You laughed at that, and it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He could listen to it forever.
"Something like that," you said once your laughs died down. "I'm not big on the punk scene, though."
"Really?" he asked, looking up at you before quickly looking back down. "You look like you'd fit right in with that lot."
"What can I say? They've got a good look."
He hummed in response, then the two of you fell into silence as he continued processing you.
Once he was done, he escorted you to a cell and guided you in by the waist. You said nothing, but the look you sent him and the smile on those bloodstained lips let him know that you knew -- and you liked it.
The gesture was so small, so insignificant, and yet he couldn't believe he'd done it.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered about the power dynamics, and if he was abusing what little power he had in this situation. Then he decided that any power he had -- you granted him, and could easily take away if you wanted.
This suspicion was only confirmed upon your release. He was the one to open the cell -- he made sure of it -- and as you passed you winked at him and slipped him a piece of paper. Where you'd gotten it, or a pen, he had no idea, but when he looked at it at the privacy of his desk there definitely was a phone number written on it, as well as a kiss mark from your lipstick.
Oh, how devilish of you.
He called the number that night, and honestly half expected anyone else to answer. Maybe even no one.
Instead, your heavenly voice drifted down the line. "Took you long enough," you said lightly into his ear, and it took every ounce of control he had over his body to keep breathing.
"I had work," he protested, just as lightly.
"A poor excuse. Do you normally keep girls waiting like this?"
"Only the naughty ones."
Wow, he couldn't believe he'd just said that.
"So it's a punishment?" you said with a laugh.
The note of danger in that angelic sound sent a thrill down his spine. "If it is?"
"I'd like to see you try," you said, still laughing.
He wouldn't. He couldn't imagine it, frankly. Though he could imagine you punishing him, and he, much to his surprise, rather liked the idea.
The hell were you doing to him?
"Do you have a place to stay?" he asked.
"I have a phone number, don't I?"
Oh. Right. That you did.
"Would you like to stay at mine anyway?"
You hummed thoughtfully. "Stay with a random cop I only just met yesterday?" you asked teasingly. "What could possibly go wrong?"
"I promise I won't kill ye," he said quickly, fearfully.
"I know," you said. "You couldn't even if you wanted to."
He gave you his address, anyway, and then the conversation lulled and, rather suddenly, you hung up.
"That was rather rude," he mused.
You arrived just as he set his plate down on the table.
Answering the insistent knocking upon his door, he didn't expect to see you, yet there you stood. You were gorgeous as ever, with wild hair tumbling over your shoulders, no doubt whipped to a frenzy by a car's open windows, and lips as red as they were the moment he'd first laid eyes on you.
"Oh," he said, blinking. "You... came?"
"Well, you did invite me," you said, grinning.
"That I did," he said, and stepped aside so that you could enter. He closed the door behind you and followed you as you took a few exploratory steps deeper into the flat. "Have you eaten?" he asked as he passed you to return to the kitchen.
"No," you replied simply, looking around his kitchen curiously, as if you couldn't believe he actually lived here.
"Well, help yourself." He motioned to the pot on the stove as he sat down.
You must've noticed he wasn't eating -- he noticed the look of realization, the way you hurried to fill a plate and sit down beside him.
Your eyes met, and he smiled at the hint of a blush on your cheeks.
"I hope you don't expect me to say grace," you said to break the silence that had built around the two of you.
"Oh, goodness no," he replied.
"So you're waiting for me."
"Of course." You were the one in charge here, after all. Well, to him you were, at least.
You took a bite and he followed suit, and the two of you ate in amicable silence.
The rest of the night Alec spent discovering all the ways he could make you tick.
1996
Alec had never had a roommate before, let alone one who found themselves in jail as frequently as you did.
He had had girlfriends before, but you were the first one he hesitated to introduce to his parents -- it wasn't that he didn't love you, it was that he wasn't sure his poor mum would survive meeting you. She was a bit traditional, and you were anything but.
Unfortunately, the universe didn't agree with him.
You were home alone, recovering from a hangover when his mother dropped in unannounced -- and about had a heart attack at the sight of you, with all your leather and spikes, and what a "traditional" woman might say was a scandalous amount of makeup.
"Who are you, then?" Mrs. Hardy asked, because you couldn't possibly be Alec's girlfriend.
You were sensible not to immediately correct that assumption, instead simply offering your name before wandering to the kitchen and popping some painkillers.
"And what are you doing here?" she pressed.
"Oh, I live here."
"Does my boy need help with the rent?" she asked, mostly herself -- at least, you were pretty sure she wasn't asking you. "Enough that he'd seek help from..."
"Hmm?" you prompted in amusement, leaning your hip against the counter.
"Well, someone of your profession. Of course."
"What profession would that be?"
"You know," she said conspiratorily.
"Ma'am," you said with a biting laugh, "I work at the pub down the street."
She looked like she wanted to say, no, that's not right, you couldn't possibly be anything but a prostitute. She must've thought better of it, though.
Alec, blessedly, chose that moment to walk in the door.
You could see on his face, the moment he saw his mother, that he almost considered walking right back out.
Instead, he said "Mum!" and pulled the woman into an embrace. "I see ye've met my girlfriend."
You watched as several decidedly not great emotions passed over her features, before she settled on disbelief. "But... darlin', she's..."
You and Alec both stared at her as she struggled to find a delicate way to say it.
"Isn't she a little... bold, for you?" she asked. You had to admit, that was better than you expected.
"That's why I like her," Alec answered, pulling you into a side hug and kissing your cheek. You giggled and instinctively pulled him into a proper kiss, which he happily returned.
"Well... if ye say so..."
1997
The goal had never been to tame you or cage you, and the longer your relationship lasted the more he saw how ill-fitted to domesticity you were.
He didn't want to admit it, of course. He would've been happy to spend the rest of his life with you.
But he loved you, and he could see just how miserable you were living in the same little flat, going to the same boring job every day, talking to the same boring people and having the same boring sex with the same boring partner, day after day, for years.
You'd always been a troublemaker, it was one of the things he'd first learned about you, and it was one of the first things he'd fallen in love with.
For a while, at the start of the relationship, you'd put in effort not to get into trouble. For him, mostly, but he suspected you also had a genuine desire to turn a new leaf.
But you got bored. And when you were bored, you lashed out.
It was at a point now where Alec thought you probably spent more time in a cell than in his bed.
It broke his heart, that you couldn't be happy with him. But it broke his heart more that he'd unwittingly tried to break you, when he should've released you back into the wild. Hell, he never should've captured you at all.
"I want you out," he said one night.
"... out?" you asked, stunned. Confused. Lost. Hurt.
"I can't do this anymore," he said with a sigh. "The constant stints in jail, the drugs, the drinkin'. It's too much. So you need to leave."
"But..."
"No. You need to leave. That's the end of it. You have a week to sort out another place to stay, but then ye've gotta go. Even if it means ye gotta live on the streets."
It killed him inside that he could see a tiny glimmer of relief in your eyes.
And when he got home from work the next day, you were gone.
2004
Honestly, Alec hadn't expected to run into you again. Ever.
Yet as he walked Daisy through the park, there you were, circling the playground like a lion stalking its prey. There was only one child playing there, screaming gleefully as he sped down the slide. You hovered for a moment, watching vigilantly, before continuing your path around the jungle gym.
You looked... stressed. But happy.
Daisy tore her hand out of his and ran for the boy, no doubt eager to make a friend.
He watched as you realized there was an incoming missile in the form of a little girl, your eyes on his daughter as she neared. You eased the moment you realized it was just a kid coming at your... son? Yet you kept an eye on her, easily adopting the role of guardian for her even though she was a strange child who had, by all accounts, appeared out of nowhere.
He slowly made his way over, his eyes never leaving you. He saw, in rapid succession, your expression change from casual, to realization, to deer in the headlights, to flighty panic.
Yet you were stuck -- whoever this child was, you couldn't leave without him, and he was playing with Daisy in a section it'd be near impossible for you to reach before Alec reached you.
And reach you he did.
He said your name, the first time in years, and you closed your eyes at the sound of it. No doubt willing him to vanish.
"Hey."
It was the best he could've hoped for, honestly.
"You look well," he said, before his attention shifted to the kids. "Is he...?"
"God, no," you said with a nervous laugh. "Please. Me, with a kid? That'd be a disaster. No, he's, er... my friend's kid. I'm babysitting for the day while she's visiting her mum."
"Never really took ye to be a kid person."
"There's a lot about me you never really got the chance to learn."
"That's fair," he replied, watching the kids run around the swingset in a game of tag.
"Why did you do it?" you asked after a few moments of silence. "The real why, not the one you gave me that day."
He didn't want to answer that.
"The reason I gave you that day was the real reason."
"Don't -- don't you fucking dare," you hissed, turning to him. "Why lie?"
Because he knew if he'd told you the truth, you never would've gone. Never would've saved yourself.
"I didn't. I'm not. I was so tired of it all."
"And now?"
"And now I'm married with a kid."
He saw a brief flash of hurt in your eyes -- it was a life you never could've given him. Not for any lack of ability, but you both knew that if you'd somehow miraculously allowed yourself to carry to term, you probably would've walked out eventually. The domestic life just wasn't for you. It would've driven you crazy.
He could see that, just in the brief time he'd been watching you with your friend's kid. You were watchful -- perfectly diligent, perfectly protective... but he could see you itching to do just about anything else instead.
"How have you been?" he asked, pulling himself as well as you out of the thoughts circling in your heads.
"Good," you replied simply, at first. After a moment of thought, you added, "I took up a job in a school. Pays better than the pub."
"His age?"
"Yeah. I see him, sometimes."
"D'ye ken Daisy?"
"Your daughter?"
He nodded.
"I think she's familiar, but I'm sure if she actually were a student at my school I would've run into you sooner."
"Nah, my wife does all the school stuff. Tess, her name is."
"It rings a bell, actually."
"Eh? Small world."
The conversation drifted a bit from there, hitting on a few topics before you plucked up your now exhausted six-year-old charge and carried him home for naptime.
2008
Whoever you thought you might run into at an underground rave, Alec Hardy absolutely did not make the list.
Yet, he was unmistakable.
"Hey babe," you shouted into his ear with a grin, your body moving closer to him in time with the pounding beat of the music playing overhead. "I was wondering where you'd gone!"
"What are you on about? I don't know ye--"
Realization dawned in his eyes, and your grin widened. The last thing he saw before you pulled him into a kiss was a flash of danger in your eyes.
"What the hell?" he all but shouted into your lips.
"Play along, dumbass," you said instead of answering.
He seemed to get the hint, though. He was stiff at first as his hands circled your hips, but the two of you quickly fell back into whatever chemistry you'd had thirteen years ago and he loosened up.
You continued to dance, body grinding against his.
He was still, simply holding you, and when you looked up you saw nothing but adoration in his eyes.
"What?" you asked with a confused smile.
"I wish I'd gotten to see this side of you," he said. "This is how you should've been."
"Coked out?"
"Free."
Several emotions flitted over your face, eventually landing on heartfelt appreciation. "So that's why you broke up with me."
"Yes," was all he said. It was all you needed.
"Why didn't you just say that?"
"Ye would've given up yer freedom 'cause you would've thought that's what I wanted ye to do."
He was right.
"Thank you, Alec," you said quietly, and if not for the tender kiss he placed on your forehead, you would've thought your words lost to the blaring music.
You had to admit, he played the role of "boyfriend" well.
Too well.
It was rather funny, you thought, that he was confused for a patron and arrested along with you.
"I'm never gonna live this down," he moaned into his knees.
"Shut up," you told him with a laugh. "You'll be fine. Officer!" you called, waving your non-cuffed hand to get one of the arresting officers' attention. "Officer, can I get leave from these cuffs to run to the restroom?"
"Can't you hold it?" a gruff voice asked.
"Well, I could try, but then you'll be responsible for all the blood I leave behind."
You had to bite back laughter at the disgusted face the cop made. "Fine, but he stays with you," he said, motioning to Alec.
Alec, to his benefit, didn't protest.
You happily bounced up from the floor, dragging Alec along with you, and made your way to the restroom.
Inside was empty and quiet.
"Oh, this is gonna be a problem," you said thoughtfully.
"If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it," Alec said, and you were struck by how genuine he was. After all this time, he still loved you -- enough to help you change your tampon, even.
"Oh, that was a lie," you reassured him. "I'm not on my period."
"Then... what are we doing in here?" he asked, looking around like the answer might be written somewhere.
"Busting out, duh."
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me -- I can't get arrested twice!"
"Yeah, that's why we won't be caught."
He dropped his face into his free hand, and you laughed. Quietly.
"C'mon, Hardy. Help me. You said you would."
"Yeah, when I thought ye needed help takin' care of yer period. I did not agree to help ye evade arrest!"
"Isn't it your career on the line, here?" you asked casually, as you eyed the bathroom window.
You heard a grunt behind you. "Ye always were tricky, weren't ye?"
"Like a fox, babe," you agreed.
He moved to stand beside you, looking at the window thoughtfully. "It should have a hatch release," he said, even though neither of you had found one.
"Could it be... subtle?" you asked. "Like a... tiny button?"
"To open a window?"
"I was hoping we wouldn't need to smash it."
"Sorry, but no such luck."
"Fuck. Okay."
You pulled him close to you, hands working quickly to undo the buttons of his shirt.
"I hardly think now's the time for sex," he gasped. "They'll come lookin' for us any moment."
"Yeah, it also won't help us break the window. You know what will, though? A fist, wrapped up in your shirt."
He really was such a dumbass, sometimes.
Once you got to the sleeve of his cuffed arm, together the two of you made quick work of making the necessary tears to get the shirt off completely.
Alec started wrapping the remains of his shirt around his balled fist, but your hands on his stilled him.
"Let me," you said.
"Now's not the time to be a hero," he replied.
"Please."
"Why?"
"If I get injured, I'm the one who broke the glass. I'm the one who gets in trouble. Your career won't be on the line."
"I'll still have let ye do it."
"Please, there's no 'letting' me do anything."
With that, he let you unravel the shirt from his hand and helped you wind it around yours. Then he double-checked it, and triple-checked it.
"When you're ready," he said after his last inspection.
Without hesitation, you punched a hole in the glass, then started knocking the remains out of the sill.
"Have ye done this before?" he asked, impressed and concerned all at once.
"I will let you believe what you want to believe. Now, c'mon!"
The two of you crawled out of the freshly broken window and ran off into the night, laughing and hand-in-hand.
You were lucky that the shop clerk didn't ask questions or call the police as you and Alec, still cuffed together, stepped up to the counter with a small haul.
Alec, ever the responsible one between you two, held a bottle of water, some painkillers, a sports drink, a protein bar, and your favorite candy.
You, ever the partier, held a bottle of beer and an energy drink.
You paid with the banknotes stashed in your bra and carried your haul out into the night.
The two of you walked a ways before finding a park. You dragged Alec over to the swings with a giggle and happily sat in one. He sighed and rolled his eyes, but sat in the swing next to you anyway.
"You're a right menace, y'ken that?" he groaned.
"It's one of my most charming features," you argued, smirking as you popped your beer open and took a sip.
"Why'd ye kiss me?" he asked, staring out over the park.
You shrugged. "The only way you'd ever end up at a rave is if you were undercover or it was some kind of sting operation -- which meant there were dangerous criminals around, and -- I'm sorry, but you do not blend in."
"So you gave me a cover."
"It was that or get stabbed. I'd like to think kissing me isn't as bad as the alternative."
"It was rather unexpected," he said, but you could see him fighting back a smile.
"Speaking of unexpected, when were you gonna tell me you have a key to these cuffs?"
"Oh, never," he said with a laugh.
"Alec Hardy," you said with a dramatic gasp. "Are you arresting me?"
"I could do," he teased, yanking his arm, with enough strength to send you reeling. Instead, though, you were able to catch yourself and swung to face him instead.
When your swing came close enough to his, his legs caught yours and kept you in place while his lips crashed into your own in a bit of a rough -- but sweet -- kiss.
"Alec Hardy," you said again, breathlessly.
He whispered your name into your lips, and you realized it had never sounded as lovely as it did coming from him.
"I love you," you whispered back, and he pulled away to stare longingly, lovingly into your eyes.
"It's not just the coke or booze talkin'?"
"Does it matter if it is? Even if I were completely sober... what could we do? Date again? Get married? You know I'd rather die than settle down."
He did. It was the whole reason he'd let you go.
"What we can do," he started, pulling you into a gentle kiss, "is get ye somewhere safe and comfortable to sober up."
"Your place?" you questioned with a grin.
"Exactly," he responded, and you felt his own smile against your lips. "And then, once yer sober, we can... talk."
With that, the two of you (reluctantly) parted, and Alec led you away into the glimmering city.
No real talking was had for the week you spent at Alec's flat. Sure, words were exchanged, like "What should we have for dinner?" or "What time should I expect you home?" But for the most part, the two of you didn't talk so much as... moan each other's names in a near-constant state of ecstasy.
And boy, did you get great use out of those cuffs.
2013
Of course you'd heard about the Sandbrook case -- even when you and Alec weren't talking, the two of you still kept tabs on each other.
He'd sent you an email when your aunt died. You'd sent him a text when his mum was diagnosed with cancer (luckily, she was fine now, and you'd sent him a text when she'd gone into remission, too).
All that to say that you knew. About the case, sure, but more importantly, about how devastated he was over it. A text wouldn't do. Hell, even a call wouldn't do.
Last you'd heard, he'd relocated to some coastal town called Broadchurch.
So you followed him there.
You hadn't been expecting a murder investigation when you pulled into town, but it was the only thing anyone was talking about, nor were you expecting to organically run into Alec mere minutes after arriving, yet in he walked as you were grabbing a coffee.
"What're you doin' 'ere?" he asked, completely baffled.
The woman beside him looked... well, equally confused. Maybe more? You and Alec just had a habit of running into each other. For her, this was new.
"I heard about Sandbrook," you said simply.
He sighed dramatically, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for ye right now."
Ouch.
"Just -- go get set up in the hotel. I'm stayin' there, I'll... I'll see ye." With that, he waved you away. Dismissed you like a dog.
Hmph.
You did get yourself set up in the hotel, of course, but you took your sweet time getting there. There was plenty to do in the town, though the constant mistrustful stares set you a bit on edge.
It was about six when you finally went and got yourself a room, and about ten when you heard a gentle rapping at your door.
"I'm sorry about earlier," was the first thing Alec said as you swung the door open.
You looked him over, now that you had the chance -- he looked haunted, haggard. Sleepless...
"Oh, Alec," you sighed, drawing him into an embrace. He melted into you, holding you tight. "I'm sorry. I should've been there."
"Nothin' ye could've done."
You knew that, of course, and you knew your presence alone wouldn't have chased away that haunted look in his eyes, just as it wasn't doing now, but... you wished it could. You wished it were that easy.
He parted from you with a shaky breath, his eyes rimmed with unshed tears.
And then he yanked you into a desperate kiss.
You didn't protest, and in fact returned it. Neither of you parted as he pushed you back into the room and toed your door shut, nor as the back of your knees hit the bed and you nearly collapsed.
He caught you, held you impossibly close, fingered the hem of your shirt in a silent bid for consent.
You nodded, eagerly, and he made quick work of your clothes -- and you.
You weren't surprised how often Alec came to see you during the Latimer case (okay, maybe you were, a little).
You knew he was just using you for stress relief, but you didn't mind (much). You figured it was penance for being unable to help him during the Sandbrook case. You figured things would go back to normal once this new case was over.
Then the fucker went and had a heart attack or something.
So things returned to normal a bit quicker than you expected.
At least he apologized.
Things were a bit awkward at first once sex was taken off the table. Like the two of you didn't know how to do anything but fuck like rabbits. Eventually, though, you found a groove that worked.
Every night that he came "home," you had dinner, watched a movie, and talked about the bits of your lives you'd missed.
You told him where you'd gone after the breakup. He told you about meeting Tess and having Daisy. You told him about your trip to Tanzania. He told you about becoming Detective Inspector.
"Your life has been much more exciting than mine," he said one night as the two of you lay curled up together in bed.
"Maybe," you said with a shrug. "But you actually did something with yours."
"Naaaah," he growled, making you giggle. "Everyone's different... this is the path I was always gonna be on, and that's the path ye were always gonna be on."
"I guess we're lucky our paths keep crossing from time to time."
"I hope they do far into the future," Alec said with a yawn.
You giggled again. "Go to sleep, dumbass. You have a murder to solve."
"God, don't remind me."
2014
You could feel that Alec was at peace, for once.
Sure, Joe Miller had walked. But Alec knew he'd gotten the right man. And he'd solved the Sandbrook case -- finally gave that family justice and closure. Finally erased that blemish from his conscience.
The two of you celebrated in the only way you really knew how, by making love.
Leaving Broadchurch had always been the plan, for you. You'd stayed, because Alec had needed you to, but you never intended to stay anywhere permanently.
So why did it hurt so much when Alec told you he was leaving?
And why did it hurt so much when you watched his train rattle away?
2017
Alec kept the house in Broadchurch -- mostly for you. He knew you weren't a creature of habit, of settling down and growing roots, but he offered it as a sort of base of operations, with no strings attached. You'd taken the offer, simply because it felt like if you didn't, you'd never hear from him again.
Not that he contacted you anyway.
Until one day, when he'd called you to tell you he was moving back to Broadchurch and would need his house back. You were welcome to stay, he assured you, but he also made it seem like maybe you shouldn't. He was bringing his daughter with him, and she seemed to be in a difficult period of her life.
You wondered if Alec remembered how the two of you had met. Apparently not, given he thought his daughter being a troublemaker would bother you.
So you'd stayed, and they'd moved back in.
Things were tense at first, especially given his first big case upon his return, but eventually it all evened out. You even got on surprisingly well with Daisy, all things considered.
2018
You hadn't meant to stay. It had just sort of... happened. And you hadn't meant to fall back into a relationship with Alec. That had just sort of happened, too.
Yet... you were happy.
For the first time in your life, staying... wasn't so bad. You even thought you could rather do more of it. Maybe not a lot. But... some.
2019
You admired the glittering ring on your finger as reflected lights danced on the ceiling and walls of your tiny little home in Broadchurch.
Alec held you in his arms, and you had your legs draped over his lap. Some old black and white film played on the TV. It was dark and rainy. The night couldn't have been more perfect, even if he hadn't proposed to you on top of it all.
Eventually the two of you moved to your bed, and Alec held you impossibly close, his arms tight but tender around you.
"All I ask," he sighed sleepily, "is that if ye leave, ye always come home to me."
And come home to him you did.
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anime-owo-kage-san · 2 months
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*WHEEZE*
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I’m sorry I couldn’t stop laughing when reading 1,2 and 4 😂
I don’t venture to these parts of the internet on my account. I just found it by chance.
Little explanation: personal pass times I have is requesting an AI to write a specific fanfic for me to read.
(Not post-worthy fanfics. It’s just cracky shit that I wanted to read for shits and giggles, but I obviously don’t want to write myself or ask irl people to write).
I decided to see how Capitol AI would write a Pomni x Jax fanfic. And, one thing you should know about this website, is that it would site sources where they got information, like the characters, the show, etc. Even fan contents or fanbase wikipedias. So, when I scrolled down to see which sites it got their material from, I found this.
Hate the ship or not, we can all agree:
- the people on this wiki page, doesn’t actually know who the target audience of the show is.
- zoophilia and bestiality is an outdated and dumb argument for fictional characters. (Do people really think kids want to date animals just because they see different species relationships on TV??)
- The age gap argument is getting stale. (Istg, you can’t even ship a 40 year old with a 30 year old without someone out there considering it as pedophilia these days).
This was just supposed to be a shit post, bc this post is ridiculous and pointless. But, in the middle of writing this, I thought it would be a good opportunity to speak out my opinion.
If anyone here wants to hear the other things I have to say, then continue scrolling:
.
.
.
.
.
.
Can we stop making “puking” posts/slander posts/troll posts just because you don’t like a ship?
Yeah, not every show/story requires romance for it to be good. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t think two characters are cute together. Even if they barely have chemistry, or they’re dynamic is “ToXiC”, or you plainly don’t like it when people change a character’s personality to fit a trope; It’s called FAN content, for a reason.
PLENTY of us are aware that none of the TADC ships are canon. And PLENTY of us are fine with that. Gooseworx has the whole show’s plan in her hands, and no can change her mind on what she can do.
But, we have the HEADcannons and FANarts in ours (emphasis on “head” and “fan”).
We have no control over the show, and that’s fine. Because, we don’t want to change anything in the already perfect show. We just want to come up with silly ideas and silly scenarios. And no one deserves to be slandered or be policed for that.
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Y'know what maybe I'm not done talking about Journeys queercoding actually. maybe I do wanna work out my literary analysis muscles for the sake of Pokemon protagonists. why not
To clarify, this isn't about me personally enjoying the ship between Ash and Gou. I do enjoy it, but I'm making an argument for potentially deliberate queercoding in the writing, I'm not necessarily just here to gush (though that may be a side effect)
I'm also a firm believer that actions or behaviors that we typically think of as romantic are only made romantic if that's how the people involved feel about it. I don't think romance is the only possible way to interpret their relationship.
But when it comes to predicting where a story might be going next, or figuring out what the writers are intending to hint at us, I gotta pull out my textbook of Romantic Tropes first to see what fits the bill.
And I'm sorry, but even if it's not the intended interpretation, you can't include all of these scenes:
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...and assume no one in your audience will think there's anything romantic happening here.
Of course, those are just the obvious visual interactions between them that can come off as romantic, to say nothing of the symbolic visual hints; the no less than four rainbows they've been under (one of which was reflected in Gou's eye), the two sets of heart-shaped pokemon that swam past them in a single episode which also had them falling under a rainbow, stuff like that.
But even all of that is pretty surface-level stuff. If the writing doesn't support a queer reading very strongly, then my argument for the queercoding being particularly intentional would fall flat.
Thankfully, the writing does support a queer interpretation, so I'm in the clear! Since breaking this part down will take a lot longer, I'm putting it under a cut.
So, right off the bat we've got the basic setup for the show. For the first time, the focus is primarily on Ash and one other person, as opposed to two or more people... despite having a third person in Chloe, who could easily make this into a trio dynamic, considering she's friends with Gou from the start. But they choose instead to make the core of the show about Ash and Gou.
This is even reflected in promotional material, where they'll often be placed closer to each other than Chloe:
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Them being roommates is something I usually bring up as a joke, but it is worth noting anyway simply because it's another way the writers have decided they're going to spend almost all of their time together when they really didn't have to.
But now we gotta get into the real Writing Choices(TM) that are the meat and potatoes of this analysis, such as: making brief allusions to the idea that they might like other guys, too
One way to build up a character's orientation is to show them being attracted to people in shorter instances before giving them a main love interest. Think Luz from The Owl House; she had expressed attraction to both boys and girls before she got a girlfriend or started wearing a bi pin.
Likewise, this is Ash when he's thinking about Leon after seeing him battle for the first time:
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I kid you not, he keeps up this blush and zoned-out expression for a solid minute, so caught up in thinking about how cool Leon is that he doesn't even think to eat the scones in front of him.
Now, Ash is a person frequently characterized by his love for food, and in previous episodes he had expressed a particular adoration for Galar scones, so this is pretty unusual behavior for him.
So unusual that it's. literally never happened before, to the best of my knowledge?? I don't think it takes much analyzing to realize that, even if it was brief, you could easily take this as Ash having a celebrity crush on Leon.
(There's even pink flowers in the background but that's probably less important)
Meanwhile with Gou, his "setup crush" in this scenario would be Horace. These two have a whole episode dedicated to their first meeting and the bond they forged, and how that turned bitter on Gou's end when he gets stood up right as he thought he was finally making a friend.
What sets this up for a romantic interpretation is largely the framing of things towards the end of the episode:
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"Why do I keep thinking of him" is historically not the most platonic thing you could be bitterly thinking to yourself while you remember stargazing with someone, even if I do stand by my statement earlier of nothing being inherently romantic by itself
The end of the episode also implies that the feeling is mutual, if this shot is anything to go off of
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(It's just a very shoujo manga-esque frame okay there's no way I wasn't going to point it out)
And the ending scene is two Celebies looking down happily at the two of them while the narrator talks about how pokemon form "many different kinds of bonds"
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Many kinds of bonds, huh? Wonder what he could possibly be implying there
Okay so we've got orientation buildup, next in line is this. suspiciously consistent trend of characters who are close to Ash telling Gou to take care of him, or even going out of their way to test him to make sure he's good enough to be his rival or friend.
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Gou himself even echoes the sentiment completely unprompted once, which says even more to me that they're trying to make a point out of this:
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And here's the thing. None of the other companions have ever undergone this sort of treatment. Nobody questioned whether or not Ash's friends were good enough to hang out with him before, so why now? Why Gou? What makes him different?
Kiawe is relatively easy to explain because (from what I can tell) he's just Like That about rivalries, but why the addition of describing a rival as "the person closest to Ash"? Why does Gary suddenly care about the quality of Ash's buddies when that was never really a concern for him before?
Well gee I don't know about you guys but to me, this feels like the trope where someone's friends and family all start scouting out the guy they're interested in (or who is interested in them) to make sure they won't like, break their heart or something. And despite my best efforts, I'm struggling to see how this wasn't the writers' intention behind these plotlines.
Gou telling Ash's mom that he'll look after Ash on two separate occasions as opposed to the initial one also feels like an easy parallel to someone promising their love interest's parents that they'll be a good partner.
To my understanding, that isn't traditionally something friends also have to promise, even if there's more justification here as Ash and Gou are traveling around and getting into chaotic situations regularly.
So, with all this in mind, it kind of reframes the stuff I mentioned earlier, doesn't it? The blushing, the hand-holding, the spin hug that I'm never getting over, the frequent appearance of rainbows and the heart shaped Pokemon (Luvdisc if you were wondering)... it feels a lot more intentional once you take into account the bigger themes in the writing.
And once you start looking, it keeps piling up. The way Gou hurriedly says that he totally didn't want to help Ash out or anything after Scorbunny gives him a knowing look, like how most tsundere tropes tend to play out:
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Or the specific way Gou is taken aback by one of Ash's compliments before trying to play it off by looking cool, only to be comically shocked when Ash gets distracted by something else:
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I could go on but I'm running out of image space and I think you get the idea.
Ash's side of this whole thing is admittedly a lot more subtle than Gou's (*cough* because he's arospec) which is why I haven't gone over it much - my aim with this post was not to go too far into speculation territory - but we at least have marketing on our side for that
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Gee Ash how come Animedia let you feed Gou two pastries
Anyway, in conclusion: I ran these two through the literary queerometer and the results were positive, thanks for coming to my TED talk
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