.

hi bandit, are you still doing the ‘send me a ship’ list meme? can i ask more than 1 question per ask?

if yes then please can i ask the folllwing question numbers for the wanda x agatha ship please…

3 .. 7 .. 8 .. 26 .. 44

thank you bandit!

send me a ship and a number and i'll tell you:

3) Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?

Define open. Post-Westview and the Hex, it feels very awkward for Wanda to be so public about being in a relationship with Agatha. Even in a world where those things didn't happen, Wanda's not the sort to be super public about those sorts of things or super into extremely blatant public displays of affection. We see this with Vision - not just due to the secretive nature of their relationship as detailed in Infinity War, but also in WandaVision - most of their displays of affection are in the privacy of their own home. Agatha, on the other hand. Agatha is definitely much more public displays of affection. She understands Wanda's particular concerns when it comes to not being open, but she wants to be able to kiss Wanda whenever she wants, to notice when her girlfriend is being particularly anxious and draw her down just enough to kiss her out of it, to cover her hands with her own and squeeze them as a physical reminder that she's there if Wanda needs her. Wanda likes the quiet moments of comfort. She's startled by Agatha kissing her so blatantly and desperately in public, and she doesn't ... hate it but ... definitely they have a discussion about what she's okay with in public and what she isn't.

7) What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?

See above. XD Okay, that's not the thing that bothers Wanda the most about Agatha, but it's definitely one of the things she doesn't like. The thing that annoys Wanda the most about Agatha is how Agatha not even in a derogatory way keeps bringing up how much Wanda does not know about magic. Like yes. Wanda understands that she doesn't know much at all, if anything. She acknowledges that. But it frustrates her that even while teaching her, Agatha will come across something she calls the basics that Wanda somehow still doesn't know and makes a comment like you really don't know anything and then proceeds to tell her what it is, which is great and all, but it's really fucking frustrating! She's not sure she would change it, because she knows Agatha doesn't mean anything by it, but like. There has to be a way to make Agatha understand that no. She does not know anything about magic. Nothing at all except what Agatha has taught her. Eventually, she'll quip back, If I don't know it at this point, that's your fault, but she hasn't gotten there yet. (Agatha will acknowledge it is her fault, and then she won't say it again. Wanda will feel bad. This will fix nothing.) Agatha dislikes Wanda's superiority complex. Which Wanda doesn't really have mostly but certainly does when it comes to Agatha. Like, sure, Wanda might have been corrupted by the Darkhold, but she didn't kill her mother and her entire coven. (And if you don't think Agatha had the Darkhold then, you still get hey, even when I couldn't control my powers, I didn't kill my loved ones like somehow that is better than accidentally blowing up a building or joining Hydra.) Wanda frequently has a tendency to see herself as morally superior to Agatha, and it really pisses Agatha off, and yes, she would definitely change that. She doesn't want Wanda to feel inferior, but she wants Wanda to see her as an equal. And Wanda doesn't. (Which is probably why she keeps bringing up how little Wanda knows about magic. It makes her feel like she has something over Wanda; it gives her something to remind Wanda that she isn't as perfect as she thinks she is. (Agatha is aware Wanda doesn't think that she's perfect and that this assumed moral superiority is just a defense mechanism. She's three hundred years old. She's seen this before. That doesn't mean she has to like it.))

8) What do they like best about their partner?

Wanda likes that Agatha isn't afraid of her (or her power), even when she's wary. Wanda likes that Agatha never holds the death of everyone around her against her, doesn't consider it (or her) a bad omen. Wanda likes that Agatha is human and flesh and blood and warm where Vision was metallic and oil and cold - so cold - likes that Agatha is flexible where Vision never was, likes that when she presses hard into Agatha's skin or sucks at her neck or bites her lip, she can leave marks to see later (bruises, hickeys, split lip). Wanda likes that Agatha isn't the only vulnerable one in their relationship and that Agatha isn't afraid of that vulnerability. Agatha likes that Wanda is willing to learn runes and incantations from her, even though strictly speaking she doesn't need any of them. She likes how frustrated Wanda gets when something doesn't come easily to her, how Wanda persists in learning the hard thing no matter how frustrated she gets. She likes how Wanda hasn't given up, after everything that has happened to her, after how the world has looked at her and twisted her and stolen from her, and yet Wanda is still here trying. She likes how persistent Wanda is. It makes her want to be better. (She will not be better.)

26) How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?

Well, both of their families are dead (as far as we know, unless they decided to throw Nicholas into things or bring Evanora or Pietro back, but we don't know that yet, so), which means I guess we can't really know how they feel! This is probably a plus. Pietro would probably be suspicious, and Evanora would not support her daughter dating the Scarlet Witch. Agatha's friends - the ones who are still alive anyway - would probably also be wary of her dating 1) the Scarlet Witch and also 2) the woman who locked her inside of her own mind for a while, literally forcing her to be tortured indefinitely. They will be suspicious that this is just another one of Wanda's spells, and then they'll be suspicious that, if it isn't, this is less a relationship and more Agatha making sure that Wanda likes her enough to not do that again. It will take a while for them to come around on Wanda, but it's not like Agatha particularly cares what they think. They'll all die soon anyway. She's outlived so many of her friends. So many. And the only one whose opinion she actually cherished is dead. So. Most of Wanda's friends in the Avengers are gone. Not necessarily dead, but gone. Sam seems to have forgotten that she exists, despite their training together, and everything she did in Westview tends to have distanced everyone from her. They haven't come to look for her, and if the events of DSMOM are canon here, they.... Well, she's certain they don't want to. It's likely that the ones who are left will look on her relationship with Agatha as just another indicator of how far she's fallen - if she'll date the woman who apparently tried to kill her before and who practices dark magic and was the previous holder of the Darkhold, then...well, that fits with how Wanda's track record seems to be going. They certainly don't approve, but that...isn't their Wanda anymore, and they're certain she wouldn't listen if they tried to help.

44) Are they comfortable with each other? Anything they have to have their privacy for?

I think they're as comfortable with each other as they can be, considering everything that's happened between them. They try to trust each other as much as they can, but they still keep their thoughts private. Agatha still keeps the basement to herself, warded as a protection so that if she needs a place to hide, she has one, and now that she's taught Wanda the same runes, Wanda has a place much the same for herself (likely in the attic, since Agatha took the basement). It isn't even that they're trying to hide anything, but that sometimes they need to know they can be free of each other if they can. It is impossible to forget what they have each done to each other - Agatha did try to kill Wanda, and Wanda did lock Agatha inside herself for an indefinite period of time - and those things don't just go away now that they're in a relationship with each other. Those wounds are still there. So, yeah, they're not entirely 100% comfortable with each other, and it'll probably be a long time before they get there, if they get there. That sounds unfortunate, but it's still true, and it comes up in arguments every now and again (which usually leads to Agatha conjuring a mattress in the basement and staying there while Wanda sleeps on the couch alone).

5, 11, 12, 13, I don’t think I asked those last time? Do your worst! 😈

5. worst discord server and why?

okay so i used to have a bnha server a few years back. i put up with too much disrespect from people who weren't even that nice to me lol AND one of them literally made an awful threat about mass murder in a walmart so that was...super.

part of why i left the bnha fandom was that server. i had let literally any one in so that's my bad, now i vet people

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered

i've blocked two very VERYYYY popular ship names cause if i see them on my dash it makes me annoyed.

12.the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

So many people hate Elena and most of the time it's never because of real reasons. They'll shit on her for being 'annoying' or 'selfish' when she's literally a depressed teenager who is passively suicidal until later in the show. She's gloomy and not as expressive as say, Caroline, and instead of appreciating her for what she does offer, people put the girls against each other.

She is the main character of the show, because everything actually revolved around her for many seasons. Her blood, her love, her body, etc were desired by those around her and MADE her the center of attention. She didn't ask for it. She didn't want it. She's someone forced to grow up way too fast (she shouldn't have been in charge of Jeremy, Jenna should have, but Jenna sucked at it.) and when she inevitably fails, they crucify her for it.

Or, my least favorite, are people who worship the brothers that love her and hate her for hurting them. Firstly, why are they the center of the relationship? Why is the man babied and the literal teenager demonized? Embarrassing. Oh, it's worse when they love a ship with her in it but hate her by herself.

You are battling with a fictional teenager over a man who is also fictional. Stop centering men in your life lol seek therapy

Secondly, NONE of those characters were free of wrong doing. Each one of them has said something fucked up or selfish or wrong. I'm going to drop it there because if I said my full thoughts this will go on longer and nobody is here for that rn lol

13. worst blorbofication

oh my GOD. I love Klaus and Elijah, but they are uwuified. Once again by people who want to shame the women in their lives for stupid reasons. Klaus gets in his own way and ruins a lot of the good things in his life with his own two hands. I like that about him. We have all been there. DON'T sit there and go 'oh poor him he's never done anything wrong!!!' or 'his feelings were hurt :(' yeah well his feelings are often hurt and he hurts them himself half the time so...

Klaus is a paranoid, possessive, megalomaniac with both an inferiority and superiority complex and he takes it out on everyone around him.

Elijah might be worse actually. Some people act like he's better than Klaus. I think he's worse in some aspects. Klaus is upfront about his violence, Elijah is quieter. He's sneakier and hides behind his words and likes little games. He may be noble in comparison to his siblings, but he is not really that noble.

Elijah is the snake in the grass who bites you when you least expect it. Not all that he does is in the name of family. He's also so hellbent on his brother's redemption that he is willing to let the rest of the world, including their other siblings, suffer for this idea of absolution for the guilt he carries.

They both are vampires. They are over 1000 years old. Their humanity, their morals- both have decayed over time. Vampires are predatory by nature. They are the scorpions to the humans frog, they will kill/hurt because it is in their nature.

Also, I don't think they are the protagonists to The Originals. But that's another post.

So. As a Megatron stanny, I have some serious beef with Getaway I want to get off my chest. You do not have to read this, you are totally entitled to disagree with me. Just be polite.

So. My biggest issue, right out the gate, is that people say Getaway was justified in what he did. He did some fucked up things to get Megatron off the ship, but it was to get the warlord and his supporters off. That, right out the gate, is wrong. He wanted Rodimus and his supporters gone. He and Atomizer made a fake list of those who did and didn’t vote him off. Likely to entice him to use it and make him look bad. Megatron, if anything, was a boon for them. It let them be more open about their plot.  I’d bet they had a secondary plan to get Rodimus off once Megatron was gone even, as Getaway clearly hated Rodimus as well.

I say he wanted Rodimus gone because he says he realised they would never find the knights of cybertron once he saw the rodpod. That means he wanted to find the knights desperately for a while. He wanted to be Prime more than anything.

Also, he clearly doesn’t hate Decepticons that much, because he sided with Scoponok. Yeah Scorponok. In case you didn’t know, for a not insignificant period of time, Skorponok was the Decepticon Supreme Commander for a while. Who continued to commit other war crimes on other worlds. He sides with this Decepticon, despite him not even being repentant like Megatron.

And why does he side with Decepticon? Along with Tyrest, who held him prisoner for likely millions of years. Sides with Sunder, who turned so many mechs aboard the ship inside out, chews on life cords, and made him sacrifice 25 of his own. What could drive someone to do all this?

No one was around to make him Prime. He was mad Rodimus got to be special and chosen by the Matrix, while he didn’t. He sided with them because he was angry, and he wanted to kill Rodimus and friends.

He had done so much for nothing, so he decided the only logical conclusion was to get worse.

He killed both of his best friends, killed those 25 Autobots. Made those who sided against fight the DJD. Hemanipulated Tailgate to be a martyr against Megatron And when found it didn’t mean he would get to be Getaway Prime, he lashed out. He threw a tantrum and tried to kill those he deemed responsible. 

And let's talk about his relationships while we’re here. Let’s start with his first, Skids. Clearly they have some affection for each other. Friendly or not. Yet when he learned Skids wouldn’t side with him for a mutiny, he wiped his memory, and dumped him on a planet with someone he deems (fairly) the worst Cybertronian in history. He must learn at some point that he died. He knew it was definitely likely. And he didn’t seem that bothered. He had everyone’s memories wiped, and kept on trekking. 

Then there’s Atomizer. His co-conspirator. The one who stuck with him through thick and thin. He agreed with the Tailgate and Whirl plan, he agreed with  leaving them at the mercy of the galactic council. He agreed to let the crew's memories be wiped. But when he started questioning Getaway’s cruelty? He was reprimanded. He was made to execute an innocent he never knew, just because he was having some second thoughts. When he couldn’t stand watching Mirage, one of his own, being killed. When he couldn’t bring himself to allow that fate to befall First-Aid, or Riptide, or Thunderclash, he was killed. When Atomizer couldn’t stand the thought of the most universally beloved Autobot being killed, Getaway killed Atomizer, with his bare hands. Whothen proceeded to attempt to have Sunder make everyone believe it was Thunderclash.

And finally, Tailgate. This is where a lot of people draw the line with Getaway that aren’t Megan Stans like myself. His idea here was to get Tailgate to become a martyr to have him get rid of Megatron. Not the worst thing he’s done so far when phrased like this. First of all, let's cut out the argument that Megatron deserves it, that’s irrelevant. If people are willing to ignore Starscream’s treachery to focus on Megatron’s abuse, let's ignore Megatron to justify Getaway’s abuse. Getaway starts initiating a relationship with Tailgate. He does the things with Tailgate that Cyclonus is too proud or self conscious to do. He goes on dates, tells him (quite possibly false) secrets. He butters up Tailgate, feeding into his ego, and giving him the boyfriend he so badly wants. And behind his back? Mocks him, and considers it a necessary sacrifice for justice. He uses Megatron’s phobia, and makes Tailgate trigger it so he Tailgate would die to get rid of Megatron, to likely continue to get rid of Rodimus with an equally underhanded and disgusting scheme. Tailgate only survives because Whirl knew of the plot, had second thoughts, and warned Cyclonus. Someone who had nothing to do with the war, was nearly sacrificed because Getaway felt like it was the only way to kill one of the generals. 

So, how do I feel about Getaway? I hate him. I hate him very much, and given how he acts, if he was given the chance, he would be just as bad as those he wishes to get rid of. I would say he’s even worse than the most morally grey Autobot Prowl, because I could believe that what he does is with a heavy heart. What Getaway does is with minor inconvenience. Heholds no empathy for friends, the innocent, superiors or inferiors. Only himself becoming a Prime. 

I’m interested in other’s thoughts, but I would appreciate everyone being civil.

Since @the-rambling-maiden gave me the kind of validation that makes one cry with joy. I couldn’t wait to publish part 2 of Mahabharata High School AU. Ik it’s too long I’m sorry 🥺.

Senior students in the limelight:

Yudhishthir:

The headboy.

Tries really hard to excell, still is barely above average.

Is driven by the idea that everyone likes him while most of his classmates find him plain annoying. Some of the teachers too.

Is the headboy because for some unknown reason Bheeshma likes him and no one likes to disagree with the principal. Dhritrashtra tried opposing but no one really listens to him.

this kid, Krishna ran a campaign that convinced everyone that Yudhishthir is the best headboy they could have. Without that he had no chance.

Everyone else just accepted and now listens to him because that’s what Krishna wants.

“Okay I’ll give a very interesting lecture in Moral science class.”

- everyone, even the teacher struggles to stay awake.

Draupadi:

Head girl.

Has witty comebacks to everything.

An all rounder.

Looking at her, everyone wonders why someone as under achieving as Yudhishthir gets to be the other school captain.

Changed her name to Panchaali. But everyone still calls her Draupadi. Doesn’t like it, but has made her peace with it.

Is already done with the world’s patriarchal ways which are the basis of the school’s sexist rule book.

Is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY beautiful.

Once, some juniors went to the principal’s office and saw a picture of the first headmistress. They were all admiring her beauty while Draupadi walked in. And suddenly all the admiration shifted to her.

An iconic friendship quadrent of Arjuna, Satyabhama, Krishna and Draupadi exists right since they joined school.

Had a beef with the Geography teacher, Kunti because had a thing going with Arjuna for a while.

“🧚🏻‍♀️🥰 How are we ignoring our beloved head boy today?🥰🧚🏻‍♀️”

Arjuna:

Heart eyes uwu.

Soccer team captain.

Is some sort of a ladies man. However, always prioritises his ECAs and Krishna.

All rounder. Had the achievements to be head boy, definitely not the time.

Girls are always crushing on him.

Dated Draupadi in the freshman year, it didn’t work out. Is still best friends with her though.

Currently in a relationship with Subhadra, she’s two years younger, but our boi doesn’t really care because he’s so smitten by her. Bestfs still above her though.

Is Kunti’s favourite kid. Kunti is an actual sweetheart exclusively to him.

Everyone loves him.

Sometimes sick of all the attention he gets.

Major enimity with the soccer team’s vice captain, Karna.

“I WILL PROVE THE VICE CAPTAIN IS NO MATCH TO ME!”

Bheema:

Really tall, really husky, Fitness freak.

Still loves food more than right about anything.

There’s only one person he’d choose over food. The head girl. Some say he has had a crush on her since junior school. Draupadi values him a lot but doesn’t seem to reciprocate the attention he gives her.

Is stupid, but it’s okay because he’s also the good-est boy in town.

Not very bright academically.

Doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

Literally the BEST basketball player, but all everyone in school seems to care about is soccer and track events :/.

Has anger management issues which land him into trouble very often.

“Panchaali! You should be proud of me, I prevented a murder today, BY CONTROLLING MY ANGER.”

Nakul:

Is a year younger to everyone in his class.

Really cute, really handsome. Is also well aware about this.

Is not much of a ladies man but SO MANY PEOPLE have crushes on him.

Is practically never seen without his guitar and bestf, Sahadev, who is the only one who shares his birth year.

Can be found giving out personalised skin care routines for fun. And Sahadev, being the brains of the duo, charges in cash, that is how both of them get their pocket money.

Goes to the restroom after every period to make sure his hair are still on point.

Has a successful band. Obviously he’s the lead.

“Wow! Who is this beauty!? Oh my God! This is why I use mirrors as mood boosters.”

Sahadev:

Smartest kid in the school. School topper.

Can talk about random trivia for hours, and people like listening to him.

Is either in the library or hanging out with Nakul.

Hates school A LOT.

Sahadev doesn’t attend a lot of classes because he knows teachers aren’t of any help to him.

Always attends maths class, even though he doesn’t like Sir Shakuni. Prolly because he wanted to be Shakuni’s fav but Shakuni only likes the bad boys. Sigh.

Is a walking human encyclopaedia.

“Why is everyone so stupid!? I WANNA GO HOME! I HATE YOU ALL! (Except my boi Nakul).”

Krishna:

(Ik everyone in the fandom loves him v much. Please don’t hate me for this.)

Manipulative to a point its very toxic.

Doesn’t like taking responsibilities and being held accountable

so just tricks people who take up responsibility into listening to him.

The OG heart eyes in the campus.

Still ships Draupadi and Arjuna for some reason. Even though he treats Arjuna’s girlfriend as his younger sister.

So stubborn.

Is good at everything but doesn’t like the lime light.

A Krishna-Shakuni Feud is the best source of entertainment.

Krishna seems to think that every body who disagrees with him is absolutely wrong and would go any length to make a point. Is also sort of disrespectful to the teachers he doesn’t like.

However, has a very captivating charm that makes him most people’s favourite. Shakuni sees through his well planned schemes because he has fully functional brain cells.

Loves his friendship quadrant and a girl from some other school who visits often, a lot.

A feminist. Hates the school’s rule book in a positive manner.

“🧚🏻‍♀️🥰 What mischief should I do today? And how do I trick someone into thinking it was their idea, not mine?🥰🧚🏻‍♀️”

Karna:

Soccer team vice captain.

Here on a scholarship.

Every girl with daddy issues is head over heels for him.

Uses Hating Arjuna as a personality trait.

Also uses his love for Duryodhana as another personality trait.

Has lots of rumours about him. He doesn’t care because all he cares about is defeating Arjuna.

A lot of students ship Draupadi with him. It’s just stupid. Both of them dislike each other, but are too evolved to care about stupid rumours.

Is extremely generous.

Since the owner’s kid, who is RICH is his bestf, he never misses a chance to slide a meal from the overpriced canteen to any one who forgot lunch.

Suffers from classism and tries very hard to fight the inferiority complex he gets because most kids around are super rich.

Dronacharya dislikes him, he dislikes him back, however, still tries to win him.

Has abandonment issues.

Some say he looks upto Ma’am Kunti for validation.

The cricket coach, Pashuram, likes this kid though.

“Are you challenging me Arjuna!?”

Duryodhan:

Thinks too highly of himself.

Being the owner’s kid makes up for half his personality. The other half is his devotion towards his beloved Karna.

Is probably bi and Has a not so subtle crush on his bestf.

Has another personality that is devoted to trying to convince everyone he should be head boy.

He once started an intervention demanding “Duryodhana should be headbody” and he was also the leader on the intervention. Karna was unwillingly in his support.

Is Sir Shakuni’s favourite bratty kid.

Only listens to Shakuni or Karna.

Comes up with evil and downright mean mischiefs but always fails.

He once tried to full on flirt with Draupadi but got his a*s whooped.

Tried to sabotage Yudhishthir’s reputation but Krishna’s interference led him to fail.

“Where’s Mitr Karna!?!? I get anxiety when I don’t have him or Sir Shakuni around for long!”

“I should be headboy! No head girl. Karna should be headboy 2.”

Dushasan:

Befriended Duryodhana first year of school.

Looks up to Duryodhana. Only imitates his bad qualities. That’s it, that’s his entire personality.

Even Shakuni who loves bratty kids, dislikes this one.

Has more haters than the headboy. Except people hate on him openly.

Total failure.

A bully.

Dushasana can be found in the last room on the third floor of the oldest block very often. That’s the detention room.

Tries to flirt with every girl around, and girls just ew this creep AS THEY SHOULD.

Doesn’t have a personality of his own.

“Dury Bro! HOW DID YOU DO THAT? CAN I TOO PLEASE?”

Sikhandi/Sikhandini:

FEMINIST.

Gender fluid and ready to teach a lesson to anyone who invalidates her.

Strong and independent.

Important member of the soccer as well as the cricket team.

Also, a star athelete.

Has a very strong bonding with Ma’am Amba because VERY similar.

Sikhandi/Sikhandni can be seen gossiping with Amba on the stair case a lot, some claim to have heard them trash talk Bheeshma.

Bold and not afraid to stand for what they believes in without caring about the consequences.

Once they gave herself a third ear piercing, using a compass when Kunti told her a double piercing was a distraction after Yudhishthir complained about it.

Emerges as a parent figure to juniors who are bullied for being different.

“As long as you have the right intentions you’re valid okay?”

Drishtdyum:

Introvert.

Minds his own business.

Manages good grades and a spot in the sports squad.

He found out he shared his birthday with the Draupadi in second grade. Loves her like a sister since then.

The basketball coach sees some spark in him that no one else does.

Is liked by all but doesn’t get the attention he deserves.

Is pretty content with life in General.

Ashwatthama:

Soccer coach’s kid.

Is self aware.

Realistic and practical.

Suffers from major attention deprivation.

Duryodhan lent him a pencil case in second standard. Asshwatthama tries so hard to become his favourite ever since.

The Iconic Karna Dury duo however, ignore almost always.

Expanded the “Duryodhana should be headboy” intervention but his efforts weren’t recognised.

Closeted gay.

Respects superiors while disliking them.

Quite bitter.

“Will this win me Duryodhan’s love?”

Subhadra:

Eyes like forest pools.

Looks up to Draupadi as a role model.

Arjuna is her weakness even though she’s dating him.

Kunti likes her. Doesn’t mind if she’s dating Arjuna.

There’s this brilliant student in the junior section, Abhimanyu. Subhadra and Arjuna spend a lot of time with him together. They sort of look like a very happy family.

Always tops English and History class.

Gossip queen xoxo.

“Draupadi Didi and Krishna bhaiya said so, Arjuna you know I cannot say no to them.”

Dushala:

Is the sweetest person around.

Believes there is some good in every person.

Even hangs out with Duryodhana and squad thinking they’ll change some day.

Karna and Dushala often discuss how to mend this group’s ways, assisted by Dury’s girlfriend, Bhanumati.

Is stuck in a relationship with a jerk but doesn’t have the heart to break up with him.

Is literally kindness personified.

Dushala’s favourite teacher is Gandhaari. Probably because no one else gives the teacher validation and Dushala doesn’t like when someone is sad.

Jayadaratha:

Terrible person.

Only the size of a grain of sand better than Dushasana.

Started Dating Dushala Sophomore year.

Dushala really wants to break up with this jerk but she’s too sweet to hurt someone even as terrible as him so she just avoids him.

Once Draupadi slapped him in public. Dushala cheered the loudest.

Is only relevant because of his girlfriend.

Bhanumati:

Says Duryodhana is an excellent boyfriend.

Corrects her man when he’s wrong.

Is also close friends with Karna.

Led the intervention against the “Duryodhana should be headboy intervention.”

It hurt Dury but it’s okay because Bhanumati has her own thoughts and he respects that. Guess he is actually a good boyfriend.

“OMG DURY!!!! STOP IT! KARNA HOW DO WE STOP DURY FROM DOING ANOTHER F*CK UP?”

Yuyutsu:

Is very lovable.

Boy has no hater.

Somehow was befriended by Duryodhan in junior school.

Feels stuck in the Dury gang ever since.

Secretly, very strongly admires Yudhishthir, Arjuna, Draupadi and of course, KRISHNA.

Is everything you’d wanna fix in Yudhishthir.

Yuyutsu, Dushala and Vikarna trio is bff goals.

“Is there any way I can change my friend group? Face palms”

Vikarna:

Counsels Duryodhana on Yuyutsu’s advise.

There isn’t much to say about him. Dude’s a good guy with humanly flaws.

Feels stuck in Dury gang but has made his peace with their ways.

Dushala, Yuyutsu and Vikarna are often found gossiping with Ma’am Gandhaari, she often warns them about how their other friends are bad kids and they should not get influenced.

“Why!? Because yuyutsu says so that’s why!”

Eklavya:

Here on scholarship.

This poor kid was bullied so much initially when he joined school because of his economic status.

Coach Drona wouldn’t let him into the soccer team because he’s afraid someone might out shine his favourite.

Stays away from the dirty politics in school.

Became a star athelete despite all the odds he faced.

Eklavya was once locked in the washroom before a 100m race on the sports day. No one knows who did that for sure. Although some people claim to know it was Coach Drona.

Rukmini:

President of the theatre club.

Crushes on Krishna for an unknown duration.

Krishna does give her attention because EXCUSE ME, she is impossible to ignore.

Rukmini befriended Nakul in the corridors as they bumped into each other after every period, while going to/coming from the washroom to check their respective hairdos.

Satyabhama:

Is Draupadi’s psychological twin.

President of the debating society.

Another one of Krishna’s closest friends.

The school is full of Satyabhama-Krishna shippers. But their friendship quadrant knows Krishna is smitten by this girl from some other school.

Radha:

The girl from some other school.

Probably goes to an all girls convent school.

Is shy but can be seen having a a gala time with Krishna after school. Friends w Subhadra too.

Nobody in school knows much about her but it’s evident Krishna and her are 11/10 soulmates uwu.

Rukmi:

Rukmini’s twin brother.

Is overly protective of his sister.

Thinks he’s well sorted but almost always creates a mess.

Has some sort of minor feud with Krishna.

Is neck deep in a very toxic friendship with Shishupal.

Shishupal:

Rebel without a cause.

A headache.

Wants to fight Krishna but is scared of him.

Wants to join the Dury gang but no on lets him in.

Shishupal is known to spread the most problematic rumours in school.

Hidimbi:

Stays occupied in her small social circle of not so popular kids.

She’s famous, though doesn’t talk to many people.

Proposed to Bheem in middle school.

Bheem gently turned her down because he was already mad about Draupadi. Hidimba moved on with life without sulking about it. Probably still likes him though.

Also, really close to this Ghatotkutch person who is in fifth grade.

Ulupi and Chitrangada:

Dated Arjuna for a few weeks each.

Then bonded over how he’s not a good boyfriend and not as perfect as everyone thinks he is. they do have a point though.

Are now bestfs and don’t like anyone else in school.

Since, I’m an attention wh*re tagging: @bigheadedgirlwithbigdreams @soniaoutloud @supermeh-krishnafan @incorrectmahabharatquotes @chaanv @hoeticulture @lemponkoira @1nsaankahanhai-bkr

Also, link to part 1: https://eclecticwordblender.tumblr.com/post/625462681921568768/foundation

FANDOM HATE PSA

Things that are okay:

Disagreeing with someone's opinion about a character or a ship

Loving a character despite their flaws and mistakes

Enjoying a ship that a lot of people don't like

Writing stories / creating art / editing fanvids for whatever ships and characters you happen to like

Having a polite yet passionate debate / discussion with someone about whether a character is a good guy or not

Things that are NOT okay:

Leaving hateful / rude comments on a post about a ship you don't like

Ignoring / excusing the bad things a character you like did to proclaim them morally superior and blaming things on / adding deplorable traits to a character you don't like to make them morally inferior

Calling a ship you don't like toxic

Hating someone or a community of people based on which fictional characters / ships they like

Tagging hate posts about a ship or character with that ship / character's tag so it shows up in the feed of someone trying to enjoy their ship / character

Just remember, SELECTIVE KINDNESS DOES NOT MAKE YOU A GOOD PERSON. It's okay to love a character who is not morally perfect, and it's okay for people to have different opinions than you. We all deserve to enjoy our favorite characters and ships, no matter what those are, and being mean to people is NEVER okay.

Mind your own business. If you see a post you don't like, just keep scrolling. You wouldn't start screaming at a stranger in the streets over their favorite fictional character / ship, so you shouldn't do it here. By all means, have as many debates as you want! But be respectful, be open-minded, and always, always be kind.

I hope you all have an absolutely lovely day!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Alright, so I’m bad at Tumblr, and though I wanted to just reblog the original post from @strawberrycreampiefluff and put most of it under a cut or perhaps find a way to trim it, I couldn’t find a way to make it work. So, we’re starting a new thread. Here’s the link the other one if anyone reading hasn’t been following the discussion and want to catch up: https://strawberrycreampiefluff.tumblr.com/post/625063196626223104/what-do-you-think-of-this-whole-ppl-shipping

Anyhow, since we discussed this beforehand, I’ll start from the beginning, only working with the storytelling elements from the series, and I’ll leave out the latter part of the post regarding moralizing (which I mostly agree with anyway, so it’s no loss to me).

“I  was trying to convey that considering the methods of storywriting and telling,  it would break the “pattern” Rumiko Takashi built up and lowering the  impact of Sessh character growth he would later experience.  A father-daughter bond is not inferior to a romantic bond, but it  would seem out of place, to have both his father and brother form a  romantic relationship with a human and then Sessh breaking that pattern  by introducing a new kind of relationship-dynamic - when he is the most  crucial character in the series when it comes to demon-human relations.”

I’m still quite unclear HOW the impact of Sesshomaru’s character growth is necessarily lowered from not having a romantic bond with a human. Why is the continuation of this pattern so important, in your view, to the character’s development? From my perspective, introducing a new relationship dynamic into and breaking patterns is actually a good thing in stories - It’s a great way to add variety and a different point of view to a narrative. Having characters take a pattern in a different, unique direction can add meaning in a way the reader couldn’t see coming, give the story unexpected dimension.

And you’ve already said that you and other shippers like yourself don’t see anything romantic while Rin is still a child in the original series, so that is effectively what happened. Since we agree that the relationship wasn’t actually romantic within the context of the original Inuyasha series, Sesshomaru took a love of a human in an entirely different direction than his father or his brother did. Which conveys complexity in how youkai can relate to humans that wasn’t in the established pattern. As a reader, I find that kind of thing fun and engaging, though you may disagree.

“A father-daughter relationship would still put Sessh in a superior position to Rin (as the father), not adding a lot to his character development other than him caring for one other human being.”

I have to wince here, because while yes, technically Sesshomaru is in a superior position to Rin in a father-daughter relationship, the implication here is that this can be compared to the sense of superiority he had over humans as a whole that you referenced earlier. Is a parent-child relationship really comparable to a racist outlook? I feel like these two things are quite unrelated, having two ENTIRELY different connotations from the word “superior”. One is an entirely natural superior position, using one’s greater experience, knowledge, and ability to facilitate the growth and guidance of someone still on their way up. The other is a wholly unnatural and malicious disregard for a person based on superficial features. Sesshomaru’s superior attitude toward humans before he met Rin was not based on a paternalistic concern, but complete disgust and the notion that they were entirely unworthy of consideration. The two connotations of “superior” here are just not analogous in the greater narrative.

“In a romantic relationship, both partners should be equals (anything  other is unacceptable), for this to happen Sessh would’ve had to lower himself  (his pride) to Rins level, since he was the one with the big ego and  humans were regarded as one of the lower creatures of the food chain.”

Again, I think it is entirely possible for Sesshomaru to learn not to regard humans as “lower on the food chain” through a relationship that ISN’T romance, but that aside, this whole notion brings up a question: why didn’t Rumiko Takahashi write Rin into the story as a young adult? We’ve already discussed how romantic implications to the relationship couldn’t exist while she’s still a child in the series, and why Sesshomaru and Rin are definitely NOT equal during the series. So if it was so important for Sesshomaru to be otherwise equal to Rin so he can lower his pride and truly consider her such, why was Rin not written as a fully autonomous adult so we could cut to the chase? It seems that if what you’re describing was really Rumiko Takahashi’s intent, it would have been a lot easier if the girl was already grown up. At the very least, our dear author could have ended the series when Rin was an appropriate age to actually make the point instead of leaving it hanging.

“Doing the exact same thing he criticized his father for, which  for him would’ve been humiliating in the beginning of the series. The  sequel (if you regard it as canon) goes even farther, making him create  his own half demons - the very reason he hated his brother in the first  place. His mother even said he becomes like his father in the strangest  ways - and the only “strange” thing we know about his father was his  romantic relationship with Izayoi.”

Since English isn’t your first language, I’m guessing you’re just mistaken in the map of this sentence, but the word “strange” here is referring to Sesshomaru’s behavior in relation to his father’s. What is strange is how Sesshomaru is like his father, not his father’s ways. This actually makes the opposite point - it seems to refer to the ways in which Sesshomaru is behaving as odd, maybe in relation to a pattern his father fit into.

“That’s why I think it wouldn’t fall apart if we draw the parallel in a wider context as you say, because other characters didn’t have the same starting point  as Sessh. I very much agree with you, that Inuyasha’s platonic bonds  would also count as a dog forming close bonds with humans, but in  Inuyasha’s or Shippou’s case, they didn’t need the same character  development like Sessh, since they had a different attitude towards  humans or “lesser-beings” in the first place (Inuyasha was even past the  stage of lowering himself, also out of romantic reasons btw, since he  was ready to become human for Kikyo).”

I’m curious as to how the parallel and pattern matter if it’s null and void because Inuyasha and the other characters we talked about have different character arcs. Of course they aren’t starting from the same place as Sesshomaru, characters never do. They’re varied and diverse because it would be boring as tar to write them all going through the same issues. My point about the parallel was that even if it could be said that there’s some similarity in how dog YOUKAI form bonds with humans to actual DOGS, it’s not really a good parallel, because there are other “species” of youkai much less friendly with humans doing it too. I’m having trouble understanding what this argument has to do with that.

In reference to the above, I agree, the example characters you cited didn’t have the same level of dismissive racism as Sesshomaru did (I say “same level” because Shippou does carry a bit of prejudice, even as a small child), but when that’s apparent, why is the pattern even relevant? Since the characters aren’t set to all learn the same lesson, their relationships shouldn’t really resemble each other’s in the long run either, should they? Writers use relationships as tools for character development, and they usually want to use the right tool for the right job. Maybe romantic love with a human was right for Inuyasha because he had issues with vulnerability and reconciling his half-heritage. What if SESSHOMARU benefited more as a character from an unconditional bond (free from the conditions of sexual/romantic attraction) to demonstrate to him how even the weakest creature is incomprehensibly valuable for reasons impossible to articulate, and they are worth using his incredible level of “superior” power to protect and defend them? It’s a different kind of humbling oneself than what you were talking about, but I think it’s just as meaningful, and it fits Sesshomaru’s character development neatly into the the original text. It doesn’t require Sunrise make a sequel more than a decade later to wrap up the character development that Rumiko Takahashi meant to do when Rin grew up even though she could have just written her in as an adult in the first place.

“But Rin will obviously not always stay 8/11 years old, she will grow  into her own person and become a woman (while living apart from Sessh),  creating a completely different power dynamic with Sessh. One that would  still be an imbalance, but much different than when she was a child.”

As far as the narrative was concerned, Rin COULD very well have stayed a child forever, though. She was written as a character in a story. When the story is done, so are the characters. You’ve said before and here that Inuyasha is just fiction, and it is, but accepting that means accepting that Rin doesn’t grow up without some prompting. She doesn’t age but through the hand of a creator, fanfiction authors or Sunrise. When you say she’s not going to stay 8-11 forever, what you mean is that actual humans who experience actual time are not satisfied with her age as it stood when the story ended, and actively impose time upon her.

And since applying time to a fictional character is something that has to be intentional, so too do the conditions you mention to create the perfect environment for the ship. The different dynamic that isn’t father-daughter, but still a little bit of not-weird power imbalance. The “lowering” of Sesshomaru’s ego in that specific romantic way (that I’m still not sure I understand, but we’ll go with it). The way in which the romance is developed without either character realizing it so that Sesshomaru can’t be accused of using the power imbalance to manipulate a girl he’s had authority over since she was eight. Returning to what catalyzed the change in Sesshomaru in the first place while carefully treading around the fact that it was built upon an unconditional relationship that now suddenly has conditions on it. That’s a lot of mental legwork to do, which is fine, because that’s part of creative expression. But you have to acknowledge that none of this would be necessary if the pairing were “obvious”.

It certainly wasn’t very obvious to some of us. We came to a very different conclusion, saw everything a bit differently. Now we’re being punished for having a less popular interpretation of this relationship, shut down by SUNRISE and told that we don’t get to have that interpretation, because they’re considered an authority on what is canon in Inuyasha, and they’re taking sides to squeeze more money out of the Inuyasha franchise with a next-gen sequel. It doesn’t seem to matter that Sunrise was never really very good at telling Inuyasha stories, or that next-gen sequels never seem to be any good for lack of stakes and boring plots.

Sunrise’s interpretation is still considered to be more “valid” than ours. And that really hurts. So, if you found yourself wondering why there’s so much vitriol coming from the anti camp, it’s a combination of this, and the fact that they don’t really have the option of avoiding the content they don’t like anymore. It’s kind of EVERYWHERE now.

So, there we are. I don’t want to give the impression from the above that I’m trying to tear apart your arguments to somehow discredit the pairing. Shippers gonna ship, whether it makes sense to me or not. But I did want to highlight how any of the things you bring up can very well be interpreted entirely differently.

Hope you’re doing well, and you did well on that exam. :)

Classic Doctor Who, Season 1 – The Daleks (Technically not bug-eyed monsters).

When Sydney Newman envisioned Doctor Who, one thing he was adamant about is that he did not want “bug-eyed monsters,” or the type of creatures you’d find in a sci-fi b movie, on the show.  And, to be fair, the Daleks weren’t bug-eyed. (those come later in the season).   The thing about the Daleks is that, while they may not be what Sydney envisioned, they were exactly what Doctor Who needed. Created by Terry Nation, the Daleks are evil personified.  They’re blob-like creatures, forced to live in metal shells to survive, that have been genetically modified to feel nothing but hate.  Believing themselves superior, their ultimate goal is to exterminate all inferior species.  Considering the time period, it’s not hard to guess who they were based off of.  The Daleks quickly captivated the British audience and, by the time the seven-part story had finished, the audience for the show had gone up by 50%.  

The story itself is quite interesting.  The Doctor and his companions land on the planet Skaro.  After checking the instruments in the Tardis, the group believes that the planet is safe enough and go outside.  Naturally, the minute they walk away, the instruments show that the planet is actually highly radioactive (maybe next time spend more then 30 seconds checking?) Outside, the group sees a city in the distance.  The Doctor wants to go investigate, but the others want to try to get back to earth.  Once inside the TARDIS, the Doctor sabotages his own ship and says that they can’t take off.  But, hey, maybe they can get what they need from the city (yah, the rest don’t buy this for very long).  

The group goes into the city, but not before Susan finds a container full of vials in front of the Tardis door (which they leave there).  Inside the city, the group becomes separated, and are eventually captured by the Daleks. It turns out the planet is radiated due a war fought on the planet between the Daleks and another species called the Thals.  The radiation is what caused the Daleks to mutate (according to the Daleks) and why they live in the metal cases.  Around this time, the Doctor and the others start to feel sick from the radiation.  The Doctor realizes that the vials they left at the Tardis must be anti-radiation drugs.  The Daleks, who want the drugs for themselves, allow Susan to go and get them.

The Tardis crew are allowed to use some of the drugs from themselves and the Daleks use Susan as a way to broker a peace treaty with the Thals, offering the Thals supplies.  However, when the Thals go to get the supplies, they are ambushed and some of them are killed.  At the same time, the Tardis crew are able to escape from the Daleks and the Thals take them back to where they live.  It is there where the Tardis crew find out that, after the war, the Thals became pacifists.  The Tardis team is about to leave when, the Doctor suddenly realizes they can’t because they still need to fix the ship and what they need is still in the city.  So, they have to go back to the city and retrieve it.  And they only way that’s going to happen is if they can convince the Thals to turn from their pacifist ways and start to fight the Daleks again (the good guys, everyone).  Ian tries to convince the Thals that they need to fight if they want to survive, otherwise the Daleks will take everything from them.  And he does so…by grabbing one of the women of the tribe by the arm and threatening to trade her to the Daleks for the part they need.  (a classic moment of “What the hell, Ian?!”  It won’t be the last).  After the Thal leader punches Ian (because… good Lord, man!), the Thals decide that can use violence in order to protect themselves.  (So, yea?)  The Thals decide to go on the attack.  

Meanwhile, the Daleks have used the drugs on some of their people.  And those people are now dead.  The Daleks realize they can no longer survive without radiation, so it’s time to bomb the hell out of the planet!  However, the Thalls come, are able to defeat the Daleks, and the Tardis crew gets the part they need.  And it’s off to more adventure.  

It’s very easy to see why this episode caught on with the public.  While it might be a bit longer then it needs to be, it’s still has enough going on that it doesn’t feel like much could be cut out.  I also kind of like how morally ambiguous this story can be. Because it’s quite true that the Thals won’t survive if they don’t fight back.  At the same time you can’t say the Tardis crew isn’t doing this, at least in part, for their own gain.  So, I really wouldn’t call them the heroes in this episode.    

I love the design of the Dalak city.  In future episodes it’s very clear that the actors are running down the same set of corridors (maybe slightly rearranged), over and over.  Whereas, in the Daleks, everything about the Daleks is so rigid, it makes sense that the city is completely uniformed and completely sterile.  Therefore, when they do go down the corridors, it makes sense they’re all the same.

And it’s very interesting to watch the first interaction between the Daleks and the Doctor, as they go on to be his biggest enemy.  In the episode, it does not seem that the Daleks have any plans beyond their own planet. However, the next time we see them they have conquered Earth.  Also, the only reason the Tardis crew were in the city was because of the Doctor’s own selfish curiosity.  I’ve always wondered if the Doctor has felt some sort of guilt.  Maybe if he hadn’t interfered on Skaro, the Daleks wouldn’t have left the planet?  Of course, this is speculation as they really don’t say why the Daleks leave.

All and all, The Daleks makes a very strong second story and gives us a glimpse of what Doctor Who will become.  No bug-eyed monsters indeed!

💥🌸🔮💛 for Floyd Ray and Llyr! C:

Ah thank you Marti!!

💥 Are there any emotions your OC doesn’t know how to deal with, doesn’t understand or hates having to feel? Any reason behind this?

Floyd: already answered this with him and it was quite lengthy so linking the post with it right here!

Ray: Alright let’s do this. Ray does Not like to deal with sadness, and especially not grief. Anything that will impact him and cause prolonged sorrow is something he will desperately want to block out because those feelings feel Awful. Being the workaholic he is, this is usually trying to work through those feelings while doing anything he possibly can around the ship. In some more extreme situations, this spreads to roping in the rest of the crew with him, assigning more work and trying to keep everyone occupied so he doesn’t have the time to break down. 

Reasons behind it? I’m actually not sure. There’s definitely something there about why Ray is so insistent on keeping things upbeat and morale high most of the time but, I’ll be honest, he hasn’t revealed a whole lot about his backstory to me yet. I don’t know much of where he came from and what led him into piracy, but I do know a lot about who he is right now.

Llyr: Oh Llyr hates the feeling of humiliation or inferiority. A lot of his time in his story has been spent desperately trying to avoid that but, uh, yeah that hasn’t quite worked out despite what he likes to think. So he’s been miserable and rightfully so. 

The entire concept of him turning to his human form for the first time and immediately this species he’s considered inferior to himself for so long has power over and has to take care of him is. So overwhelming and such an unbearable feeling for him.

The only reason behind it is he was just raised like this. His parents were very against humans, having only had and heard of bad experiences with the species and decided using their human form was just a waste of time and energy when they could have a perfectly happy life living in the sea. They thought very highly of themselves and their family/species and taught that arrogance to their children.

cut because this got Real Hecking Long sorry my dudes

🌸 What’s a sentence that would make your OC’s day better? One that would make them laugh? One that would make their day worse? Why? What words would you have to say to them to completely ruin their day?

Ooooh okay this one’s gonna take some thought.

Floyd:

Make his day: “Need a hug?” or, alternatively but only from Ray, “Wanna cuddle?”

Make him laugh: *merciless tickling* or one of Ray’s puns might get a chuckle out of him. It’s gotta be a new one, though, he won’t take any of that recycling jokes bs.

Worsen his day: “What’s wrong with you?!” or “Why don’t you tell us anything?”

Ruin his day entire life: “I never liked you to begin with. It was all just pretend, moron, can’t you understand that?” or, if you prefer whumper feels, “Good morning, Benedict.” or Anything involving his first name really.

Ray: 

Make his day: “Thank you.” is usually a safe bet, or “I love you.” from the right people.

Make him laugh: any opportunity to tell a bad joke will make him giggle and everyone else groan in advance :3. for example...

The crew is going fishing and at some point someone speaks up, talking about something they saw in town.

“We might need to set sail again soon. Saw some suspicious behavior earlier and I don’t think we want to be part of that.”

Ray hears this and instead of considering the implications of those words, starts to giggle uncontrollably. Heads turn his way with inquisitive looks, and some of them soon fall into despair as they realize what’s about to happen.

“Oh, so, you’d say...” Ray trails off into silence. Everyone’s sweating nervously, waiting to get the punchline over with. The air is thick with tension. “...it’s pretty fishy around here?” A collective groan escapes everyone, but one or two people nod their approval and laugh a bit. The pun sympathizers have a special place in Ray’s heart. Mabel turns to look at him.

“Ray... please...”

“What?” he asks, grabbing the woven ropes they’ve been using to catch fish. “Are you saying that’s net what you wanted to hear?”

“No, it.. I’m...” Confusion And Concern Intensifies

“Come on, no trout these are the best jokes you’ve ever heard. There’s nothing to be scaled of!”

Mabel.exe has stopped working.

Worsen his day: “Ray, I found another problem with the ship--”

Ruin his day: *heard from afar* “Walk, Benedict, we don’t have all day,” followed by the clinking sound of a leash being pulled taut and a strangled yelp. (though, thinking harder into it, this could also make his day. hmn, we’re getting into spoiler territory so I think I’ll leave this up to imagination)

Llyr:

Make his day: “You’re free to go,” would be a nice one right about now.

Make him laugh: “You trust me, don’t you?” might get a small chuckle if said by a human, depending on his mood.

Worsen his day: “Kneel, brat.”

Ruin his day: “I know you’re a selkie.”

🔮What does your OC think is their best trait. What is actually their best trait? What about their flaws? Are they one to admit these flaws or do they like to pretend they’re perfect?

Floyd: Oh hmmm,,, for Floyd this is definitely a complicated one. I think he would eventually settle on his general ability to help others. His most prominent duty on the ship is often more social or medical matters, considering he isn’t especially strong. Like yeah he can do pretty hard physical labor, but not as well as some others. Braining things are more his groove, thinking stuff through and all that.

His actual best trait? Well he’s not as far off as I thought he’d be. His compassion is one of the best and most defining parts of him. It’s not really as much of sympathizing with people as it is just understanding people. He thinks people through well, often good at seeing what someone is like after watching their movements and expression after years of developing that skill for survival. Finding out what will please versus anger them can help him greatly. 

Floyd has a hard time deciphering Percival. He’s just a mess and that makes it really hard to find things the man wants. Well, other than what he asks of Floyd. And doing magic just to get hurt really isn’t his cup of tea most of the time so it’s a bit of a struggle huh.

Ray: Ray definitely thinks of his own compassion as his strongest trait. He tries his best to be understanding and kind, encouraging an atmosphere of love and positivity and offering his help to anyone who may need it. However, this is very prone to get him into trouble and comes in as a flaw just as often as it is positive. He has more of a emotion based compassion than Floyd’s logical thinking based compassion, and even though it allows him to be open with people and vulnerable when he needs it, it isn’t always good.

No, Ray’s greatest trait is his unwavering determination. He is the embodiment of Not A Quitter, and even if it may look as if he’s tossing in the towel and giving up, give it an hour or two and he’ll be back on his feet and trying to push himself too far and put himself in harm’s way all over again. Though this can also be very unhealthy and manifest in worse ways for him, it stands as his best trait to me because it’s so often positive and is the main reason he can effectively lead his crew. He has so much faith in all of them and in himself and that doesn’t give them much room to doubt his abilities.

Llyr: Ahhhhmmm okay. Llyr. He doesn’t have a whole lot of best traits huh. Well. He is resilient. I’ll give him that. He does a good job of hating on mankind through all the hurt he’s already going through. Because yes you’re still Very superior to these people easily dominating and hurting your dumb ass, buddy. Sounds About Right Huh. Listen we are just in a Salty About Llyr mood tonight because he’s. So spiteful. And as much as I love him for it, I’m also sitting here like “........you petty little bitch.” so hm I think that’s all the brain machine is gonna give for this question in particular.

💛 What is your personal opinion of this OC? Do you love them or are they your trash child? Are they your baby?

This was asked last and I’m answering it first because I’m laughing so hard I love this question.

Floyd: Ohhh Floyd is so babie,,, I feel so bad for him because the more I think about him and his character, the more awful stuff I realize he’s been through. And he’s the one still around here getting hurt, in Persistence at least. I love him and he’s wonderful.

Ray: Y’all, I’m love Ray so, so much. He’s really grown on me and considering what I have planned for him in both stories he’s in, he really do be in for it now but I’m so excited to see him deal with these struggles and overcome them. He’s so protective and headstrong at times and I love him so much for it.

Llyr: INDEED THE TRASH CHILD OF THE FAMILY!! HE’S SUCH A STUCK UP, EGOCENTRIC BRAT AND YET HE IS MY CHILD AND I’M ROOTING FOR HIM TO BE LESS OF A JERK EVEN THOUGH HE’S NOT COOPERATING WITH THAT. 

INVADER PINK

Invader Zim x Steven Universe Pitch

INVADER PINK

Synopsis:

   Takes place in Modern Day. Pink is yet to get her colony and there was no Gem War. Pink has yet to be given any chance to prove herself as a Diamond, due to her childish antics, and a few other quirks that tend to lead to destruction (Interest in organics, insistence on doing things by herself, and constant denial of ever being wrong about anything).  Yellow, Blue, and White still baby her which annoys her to no end and threw gas on the fire of her shenanigans. Yellow thinks she’s a nuisance, while Blue thinks she needs constant care and protection. This only intensified after Pink’s biggest screw up that leveled a section of the HW Capital.

   It finally reached a boiling point with Pink Demanding to be treated with respect and given something to do that proves she is just as capable and important as the others. Enter White who gives Pink her wish, telling her that she will take a small entourage to a secret sector to investigate and discover new planets for the empire to conquer. Pink is excited unaware that the sector she was given was a bit of nowhere space the gems couldn’t care less about. White giving her a non-assignment to appease her tantrum and to get her off world for a bit.

   Pink is given a ship a Pearl, a squad of Rubies, a Peridot, and a Sapphire. She takes off to the galaxy and they begin scanning a bunch of lifeless planets. Until they find Earth, Pearl suggests calling the Diamonds but Pink belays that order seeing a chance. She will conquer the planet by herself and prove the others that she is a capable ruler. Due to a fault the ship ends up crashing near Beach City and specifically close to the home of Steven Demayo Universe.

   The 12 year old boy finds the ruler and helps her out, quickly befriending her despite her occasional insults. The other gems find her and attack Steven, but stop on Pink’s orders saying he could be a useful source of information. With Steven’s instruction Pink buries her ship underground and takes residence in the house next to his. She then disguises herself (rather badly) as a 12 year old as well and starts attending school with Steven in order to learn more about humanity. This catches the attention of another new girl in School Connie Maheswaren who quickly sees through Pink’s disguise and calls her an alien despite no one believing her, and she also turns out to be another new neighbor for Steven.

   Thus we follow Pink’s continuous attempts to take over the world and prepare for the Gem invasion. The only thing standing in her way is Connie’s persistence, Steven’s kindness, the beauty of Earth, learning from her mistakes and growing as a person, and her own incompetence.

Characters:

Pink Diamond- The Wannabe Ruler. Not totally stupid, but definitely not evil dictator material. She lives in a bubble of her own self-delusions believing herself to be the greatest thing to grace the universe and constantly spouting Gem superiority. But she knows there a difference between saying your great and actually being it, which she wants to be. She has both an inferiority and Napoleon Complex, trying her hardest to come off as a terror from beyond the stars mostly coming off as adorable, hilarious, or ignorable. She clearly is intelligent able to come up with complex plans for her take overs, but either flubs it at the end or the point of the plan was for something super petty. In her Human disguise she’s as short as Steven keeping her Large Hair, pink skin, and Diamond eyes (She has a skin and eye condition), she wears a Pink T-shirt with a upside down Diamond on it, a skirt, and her little poof shoes.

Steven Demayo Universe- As always he’s our cheery and optimist who see’s the best in everyone even if they aren’t human. Upon seeing Pink he quickly realized she wasn’t the brightest or most capable and thus decides to help her. Even when she declared her plan to take over the world, he didn’t fully buy it thinking she just needed a friend (which she does). Steven became her teacher to being Human (even if every lesson doesn’t fully click). He helps with a lot of her schemes because 1) It always fun doing stuff with her, 2) He knows it’s either gonna fail or be for something dumb, 3) SHE NEEDS A FRIEND!!! Steven isn’t afraid to call her out when she’s being selfish or dumb to the point of hurting someone, and even he has his limits to her antics usually resulting in Steven saying ‘You Jerk’. Steven’s family is divorced, he lives with his father Greg and is constantly being visited by his mom the Brilliant Scientist Rosabella ‘Rose’ Quartzite.  

Connie Maheswaran- A nerdy and socially awkward girl who has trouble making friends due to her interests. She believes in everything paranormal and wants to expose it to the world, mostly resulting in her schoolmates calling her a Crazy Girl and bullying. She is smarter than most kids her age able to do science and work with a variety of machines due to her mother working with Rose Quartz. She is the only one who sees Pink is an alien and thus takes it upon herself to stop her evil schemes, becoming her mortal enemy. She tends to be a little over dramatic and can get a little to “In” to what she’s doing from time to time. She befriends Steven (unaware of how he’s involved with Pink), he’s being her first true friend and goes to him with a lot of her Paranormal theories which he also believes and enjoys.

Pearl- The Lone doctor in this Pink Insane Asylum. She is desperately trying to stay on task despite Pink’s antics, and seems to constantly be on the verge of snapping. But despite that she cares for Pink after a close heart to heart moment the two had before leaving HW. She knows that she is hurting and her attitude is her way of covering it up and hoping to seem bigger than she is. Upon coming to Earth, seeing Pink befriend Steven, and her conquering attempts despite failing have done Pink a lot of good mentally the Diamond being very happy. Thus Pearl plays along and hides their true doings from the Diamonds. Pearl in her human form became a scientist and works with Rose Quartz.

The Ruby Squad- The barest minimum of protection. This squad of Rubies was sent to protect Pink, though they are not the best at it. They follow her orders to a T (only one questioning it, but relents everytime). Though they are mostly left at home and just kinda do whatever until Pink arrives with orders. The Rubies take the form of small dogs whenever they go out with Pink and others.

Random Ideas:

Pink hates School Food, the tastes causes her physical pain. But she loves other Earth food, especially anything Steven cooks

The Gems are vulnerable to certain sound waves, the waves able to disrupt their forms and have different physical effects. Pink while on Earth has been introduced to a Dog Whistle, whenever it’s blown to Pink and other gems it starts feels like they are burning alive.

Pearl pretends to be Pink’s mother and they also created advanced robonoid to act as her father. It mostly opens the door and interacts with humans to keep them from entering the house. Though it can be a little glitchy from time to time.

Peridot mostly stays in the ship to create whatever tech is needed for Pink’s plans and has no interests interacting with humans and just wants to do her job. Though she will be forced to and thus has to take the form of a 12 year old child as well, saying she’s Pink sister (adopted).

Sapphire tries her best to send Pink down the right path even though she doesn’t always listen. Sapphire then spends her time looking down different paths in the future, intrigued by how many there are on this planet. One path that interests her deeply is the visage of a three eyed figure looking at her. She needs to know who or what that is. When going out she takes the form of a 7 year old saying she’s Pink’s sister (also adopted).

Amethyst is a human who likes to be called Amy. She’s Steven’s closest friend in school a year older than him and a whizz at video games and loves Pizza. Almost to an obsessive degree. With a ‘Go with the flow’ attitude she takes everything in stride even more insane space stuff starts going down. She figured out Pink is an alien, but doesn't tell anyone, cause she know Pink ain’t gonna take over anything. She defends Connie one time and befriends her as well, Connie drafting her into her war against Pink though she doesn’t really care, but will step in if things get dangerous for her showing surprisingly capable.

This world is a mesh of Zim and SU, leaning more to the SU side. It’s brighter and a little less cynical and insane. Though it does have its moments and that edge needed for anything Zim related.

Rose and Greg are divorced due to personal reasons, but it was pretty clean and they both love Steven very much. Despite having custody of Steven Greg knows that his son and Rose are close and allows lots of visits wanting Rose to still be apart of Steven’s life. Rose is the greatest scientist on Earth and is constantly busy, but will take any chance and any free time to be with Steven. She can be very eccentric, right on the edge of crazy when talking about science. But has a more calm, emotional, and loving side which she shows to Steven and Greg. She’s terrible at giving advice though usually recounting Steven with stories of her younger more ‘Rebellious’ days as a child, they usually come off as ramblings but Steven after hearing so many can discern the moral of the story.

Possible Episodes:

(This idea is from @bbb35) Pink Diamond believes that boy bands are hypnotic messages by earth government to control the humans, and wants to create a hit song that will be capable of culling the masses.

Pink tries to prepare her Father-Noid for a parent teacher night, thinking she would need both a Mother and Father to appear as normal as possible. But the Father-Noid starts to malfunction.

A field trip to Crystal Labs gives Pink the chance to steal an important piece of tech for her plans. But she has to get through Steven’s eccentric mother who is way into Steven’s new little friend.

When the class gets a bunny for a class pet, Pink thinks it’s cute but also sees a chance to make an adorable army to overrun the humans with. Injecting the Bunny with a special mutagen that causes it to multiply, but it may have gotten out of hand.

Pink attempts to blast Connie and all the other students she doesn’t like into space and towards an abandoned Gem Colony home to an unworldly terror. Can Connie save the day?

It’s Steven’s Birthday and both Pink and Connie are invited, the two determined to prove to the other they are Steven’s best friend and give him the best birthday ever.

(If you like this leave a comment, share your own ideas for expanding this, and maybe this could become a thing in the future. ^^

Hi! Multiples of 4 for Edmund on the headcanon ask??? Thank you so much!❤️

Thank you!!! I know I never shut up about my boy, thank you for continuing to enable me. This is gonna be really, really long I can’t wait…

I’ll tag @princess-of-france too :)

4. What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?

I don’t really feel like Edmund cooks. He’s practical but he’s also rich and has better things to do, so I imagine his diet is like 50% black coffee and energy bars he keeps stashed around the house and 50% super expensive meals he manages to make other people pay for. So in that case he’d probably just eat one of the aforementioned energy bars (or ask some even-richer woman out to dinner for the night, cause he’s like that).

8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging

Oh man. Sex. SO much sex. To the point where it’s a legitimate problem, even though he doesn’t see it as one. The thing is, I don’t think he’s super pro-indulgence as a rule – in fact, he probably looks down on people who don’t have good self-control, especially when it comes to things that are proven to be bad, like over-eating or smoking or things like that. But sex doesn’t fall into that category for him, all the reasons he’s been told to avoid it he sees as moralist bullshit, and it’s fun and it’s not hurting anyone so fuck you, why shouldn’t he do it? The issue is deep down sex is also a huge coping mechanism for him, and the only way he knows how to deal with his intense obsession with affection without just 100% repressing it all the time or, worse, being emotionally vulnerable. But I don’t think he realizes how much it’s become a psychological need for him, and how hard it would be to stop. It’s not that he couldn’t stop, he’d say. It’s just that stopping is exactly what all those moralist assholes he hates would want him to do, so why should he?

12. Favorite book genre?

Edgy social commentary probs. I don’t picture Edmund really being the type to read much fiction, but at the same time, I think certain books mean a lot to him. He’s spent his whole life concealing his controversial views on religion, fate, society, sex, basically everything from Gloucester (and to a lesser extent Edgar) in favor of putting on the guise of a perfect traditionally moral son so I think being able to deal with all those hidden ideas through reading about then would really help. He’s probably got a whole hidden stash somewhere in his room he knows his father will never find.

16. Biggest and smallest long term goal?

His biggest long term goal is just to rise to the top as much as he can. I don’t think he’s the kind of person who likes to set limits on his own ambition – he looks at opportunities one step at a time, but if the doors keep opening, who is he to stop? If he can be Gloucester’s heir? Great. If he can overthrow Gloucester entirely? Better. If he can become king? Best of all, but hell, even then he might not stop. Smallest? Ummm idk maybe get his space totally organized. I feel like he’s the kind of person whose organization never quite catches up with his work, and he always says he’s got better things to do than shuffle papers around, but it secretly kind of drives him crazy so he’d like to be totally neat someday.

20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

I imagine Edmund has always been pretty robust and healthy (unlike Edgar, probably) and never really got sick that often, even as a kid. That said, on the rare occasion that he did, I think it was a really bad time for him. Cause like I’ve talked about a million times I think Edmund is very driven by his constant deep need for affection, but it’s the kind of thing he can usually repress on a day-to-day basis as long as all his inhibitions are intact. When they aren’t intact, 9 times out of 10 it’s because he’s drunk/high, which is almost always in some kind of party setting, which means he’s pretty much guaranteed to be able to find someone to at least make out with for a bit to make those feelings go away. But if he’s sick enough to be feverish, it’s pretty much the only time he’s both emotionally uninhibited and unable to use sex as a coping mechanism, and it doesn’t go well. Plus with Edgar being more fragile (and, in my headcanon, his mother dying from sickness at an early age too) Gloucester pretty much keeps all members of the family away from him for fear of anything spreading, so he’s pretty much all alone and left with all that unadulterated loneliness he’s not used to feeling half this much and it’s bad. It’s really bad. He tries not to think about it.

24. Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?

He’s honestly ahead of the curve in pretty much every subject. He’s a brilliant silver-tongued wordsmith, he’s a super logic and evidence-driven thinker which I think would make him great at math and science, he’s athletic too, and just generally sharp and good at picking up new things. The only thing I think he’d be bad at is any interpretation of art (and to a lesser extent literature) because I think he’d get too frustratingly literal about it – it’s just lines on a page, dammit, it doesn’t mean anything, people will try to find patterns out of anything but the real world is meaningless and there’s nothing really there. In terms of what interests him the most though, it’s politics, which is what drives him insane because that’s the one thing he’ll never be allowed to pursue.

28. Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?

Depends on the era of his life. I don’t think he has anyone he considers even a real friend, let alone a best friend, when we see him in the play. When he was younger he would have said Edgar, but that ship sailed a long time ago. Now, he doesn’t really do genuine friendship. There are people he likes, but no one he wouldn’t throw under the bus in a heartbeat if that’s what it took. Similarly, I think he tries not to see anyone as his worst enemy. It’s the world that’s his enemy, and society, and it’s a matter of a lot more than taking down one person to beat that. But really, I think it’s Gloucester he hates more than anyone. That part of the plan is more personal than he’d probably admit.

32. Thoughts on material possessions in general?

He’s not big on them…until they become something he can’t have. Like he’s certainly not the overly-sentimental type to hang onto things he doesn’t need, and I think he sees a lot of material wealth and status symbols as really inherently shallow. But the second those shallow wealth and status symbols are denied him, or used to mark him as lesser, then he’ll be damned if he’s not getting his hands on them if it’s the last thing he does.

36. What makes them feel guilty?

People actually loving and respecting him on their own, not because he manipulated them or did them favors or somehow cheated to get their approval. So much of how he justifies everything he does is the fact that, as a bastard, he thinks he’ll never have half a shot at the advantages everyone else gets, so if he wants anyone to approve of him or admire him or show him affection he has to manipulate the hell out of them (or the situation in general) to get it. He’s convinced himself it’s the only way, so when that’s proven wrong, it rocks his world. There’s a reason “Yet Edmund was belov’d” comes the line before finally changes his mind and tries to do something good.

40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?

Both? One? Or neither? Neither can be en- just kidding it’s BOTH and it’s a problem. He’s been looked down on his entire life for being a bastard and that cuts deep, it always has, no matter how hard he tries to shrug it off. He’ll never really get rid of the idea that he’s lesser, or at least everyone considers him lesser, so he has to claw his way to every bit of advantage and approval he can get. But he also really believes that birth means nothing, that merit and intelligence and survival of the fittest should determine who rises to the top, and in that respect…he maybe overcompensated. Because he also manages to be a raging narcissist who thinks he’s smarter than everyone around him (to be fair, he mostly is) and is entitled to anything he can win for himself.

44. Religion?

MY EDGY ATHEIST KING. I think he’s super anti-religion, and anti-spirituality even more so – just anything that involves people blaming their fates or their decisions on forces out of their control or pretending like anything is just “meant to be” makes him incredibly angry. That does fall under the category of things he won’t admit to preserve his image though, he’ll grit his teeth through whatever religious proceedings are required of him if it’s to his advantage.

48. How do they express love?

Ummm badly? He craves other people’s love constantly, but him actually being the one feeling Real Love isn’t something he’s really prepared to deal with, and it kind of makes him freak out. By the time he’s really headed down the road of executing his plans, I think the main way he expresses love is by trying to get the people he loves far, far away from him and this world and his path of destruction. On a more general note though like I said in that post I made a while ago I think his main love language is physical touch, so when he’s not in such a dark place that either results in lots of hugs or lots of sex depending on the person.

VLD4x02 – “Reunion”

4x02 – “Reunion”

This is another Pidge-centered episode. As I said in my commentary for last episode, in this episode, Pidge goes off on a personal mission, separate from the other Paladins. She doesn’t get yelled at or condemned for doing so by the other Paladins. Last episode though, she was fully participating with the other Paladins in yelling at Keith for him going off on a mission separate from the group. His mission was for the benefit of the group, hers is purely personal: searching for her brother. It’s like the writers treat Pidge differently than they do other characters, like she’s unnaturally perfect and never does anything wrong. Perfect Pidge.

The episode opens with a flashback. Pidge is sitting in class. The teacher is droning, “Photons from the visible spectrum are manipulated, creating a quantum storage network. It’s the most advanced storage system available.” Pidge, unable to read the mood of the room, interjects, “Actually, the Galaxy Garrison is performing tests using DNA helixes as storage. That’s the same way genetic information is stored in our bodies.” I don’t now why I get caught up on some comparatively minor things here, but I do. Pidge’s interjection is written with the intention of showing that she’s smarter than her teacher. Her specific interjection however isn’t successfully doing that: She cites the GG trying to develop DNA data storage, so that storage system is not one that is currently available, and the teacher was talking about what is currently available for use. If these students can understand the teacher’s words about photons and quantum storage, then I think they know what DNA is, and thus don’t need Pidge’s explanation that DNA is how “genetic information is stored in our bodies,” so that part of the line sounds written to explain it to viewers who don’t know what DNA is.

Me being me, this bit of dialog triggered my creative-writers-need-to-do-research rule, so I decided to do some minor googling. From the quick search (so no where near an exhaustive or scientific database search), there are specific benefits and problems of both atomic (quantum) storage and DNA storage that make both worth exploring, but neither better than the other. DNA storage systems are slow, whereas atomic storage requires ultracold environments to function. The idea in this narrative moment is that Pidge is demonstrating that she’s intellectually superior to the teacher and other students by suggesting potential DNA storage is better than their existing atomic storage, but the nature of both storage methods means she’s not right.

“Nerd!” another student bullies her. The class laughs. The teacher does nothing. I would like to say that, since this is set in the future, the teacher would have reacted to the bullying and reprimanded the bullying students, but the show doesn’t have it happen. It’s a writing choice to have the teacher standby and let the bullying happen. The effect is to make it look like, poor Pidge, so much smarter than everyone around her, and none of them can even see her genius, we should feel sorry for her that her inferiors, adult and peer alike, resent her for her superiority.

On to Pidge’s bedroom, which I really like. Whoever did the background art of her bedroom did a really nice job. I wouldn’t mind my bedroom being a real version of hers.

Matt enters her room, without knocking, and brings her cake. He calls her “Pidge,” and she replies that she hates it when he calls her that. This makes me want to know what the origin of him calling her Pidge is, and why is it such that she hates being called that. This detail is mostly there to set up the idea that her going on to call herself Pidge comes out of her wanting to reconnect with her brother.

“What’s the point,” Pidge asks in response to Matt telling her she has to keep studying hard. As a self-identifying nerd, I would say part of what makes us nerds is that we never feel the need to ask what’s the point in studying: We like learning new stuff, we’re constantly curious, and we pursue that need the same as we breathe because we need air. This “what’s the point” line from Pidge has a hollow tonal quality reminiscent of the post-episode moral moments that a lot of 80s cartoons had. Those moments were cloying to me when I watched them as a little kid back then, so imagine how this feels to me now as an adult.

Matt tells her that he’s gotten notice that he’s been accepted to the Galaxy Garrison. Pidge responds with excitement before grabbing her text book to keep studying. This continue studying moment seems so unnaturally silly.

Back to the current day of the story. Pidge takes off her glasses. The first time I watched this (and the second time too because I had forgotten), I was baffled by why Pidge could see when she took her glasses off. Sometimes, I feel lucky if I don’t walk into walls when I’m not wearing my glasses or contacts. The end of the episode reveals that Pidge wears Matt’s old glasses, and that she does not actually need to wear glasses herself. I’ll grudgingly admit that her wearing them to try to feel connected to him is sweet.

The only concern anyone expresses over Pidge going on her mission alone is that she might need backup. There is no concern that she’s splitting the group, which was such major importance to everyone regarding Keith last episode. The other Paladins are smiling while looking at the display of Pidge during their communication, so no one is bothered by the thing they were bothered by last episode. Pidge says, “Plus you guys still have plenty to do on Olkarion.” So, she is specifically leaving while the Paladins are working on something, which was the basis of their complaints against Keith last episode. Whatever the Paladins are doing on Olkarion is not mentioned, so it feels more like a one-line excuse to sideline their characters.

I could go into detail about the next couple of scenes, there are aspects that could easily be critiqued, but after writing it out, I’ve decided to just quickly summarize the events instead and move on. Pidge meets some alien on a planet because he’s one of only a few sellers of some substance that she’s identified the people in the video with Matt use. The alien and she briefly fight, and she acquires the identity of one of the people in the video. With just a couple of button pushes, she searches some database on the Green Lion and learns the last known location of Te-osh. She arrives on that moon, destroys a couple of attacking Galra fighters. She assumes that the guy running toward her as she lands is a member of the rebels (I don’t know why she makes this assumption). Lieutenant Ozar tells her that they’re trying to evacuate the base before more Galra can arrive. She tells him that the other Paladins aren’t coming (if these people need help, shouldn’t she relay that information to the other Paladins since they’re just sitting around on Olkarion doing an unidentified, and thus narratively unimportant, something?). She asks for Te-osh, who is inside a ship on top of a building, and Pidge goes to talk to her when a Galra fighter that no one could see starts blasting everything. Several other Galra ships join the attack. Te-osh’s ship takes off, pursued by Galra. Pidge jumps back in Green, destroys one Galra fighter.

With the attack on the moon over (Galra are still attacking Te-osh’s ship), the remaining rebels tell Pidge that with their one remaining ship damaged, they can’t go help Te-osh. “What about you?” Pidge asks. “We know what it means to fight the Galra. The supplies on that ship are more important than our lives,” Ozar says. I know the show thinks it’s making some dramatic statement about how the war is and how brave and awesome the rebels are, but I still don’t know why Pidge hasn’t called the other Paladins to tell them these people need help. Or even if not the Paladins, where are the billions of people that should now be a part of the Voltron Coalition that the show keeps having characters, notably Coran and Allura, brag about forming? Pidge refuses to leave them behind and yells, “Everyone aboard, now!” Aboard what? Not the Green Lion, which is what I thought they would have to board if their ship’s damaged. But later, the rebels are on, not just one, but three ships in space when Pidge tows Te-osh’s ship back to them. Whatever this performative decisive moment Pidge has right here telling them to get on board means nothing.

Pidge and Green catch up with Te-osh’s ship, she destroys the Galra fighters with the plant cannon (why not just use the regular cannon?), and boards Te-osh’s ship. Te-osh gives Pidge a transponder that every rebel has that can be used to find other rebels.

This is very important: Te-osh says, as she hands the transponder to Pidge, “He may not have his anymore, but this is his code.” This line of dialog does something very significant to this episode’s narrative: it undermines the emotion of a future scene. In this line of dialog, we viewers have learned something: Pidge will not find Matt when she finds the transponder. The entire point of “he may not have his anymore” is to set up him not having it anymore. There is no other reason to write that into the dialog. So then, when Pidge follows the transponder, and eventually finds what she thinks is Matt’s grave, we know that it’s not. The emotion of that graveside scene is totally undermined.

More flashbacks. Matt’s gotten a message from their dad on a “quantum frequency,” which bypasses Galaxy Garrison protocols. Matt says, “What the Garrison doesn’t know won’t hurt them.” So, the whole Holt family don’t care about safety protocols. For people who supposedly so eagerly want to be a part of the Garrison, this disdain they have for Garrison rules should get them kicked out of the GG. Sam and Matt Holt are characters who are pretty much just extensions of Pidge’s character. This disregard for GG rules comes from her character’s already established disregard for GG rules. That Sam and Matt are fine with violating the rules, and that they don’t get punished for doing so, is just another manifestation of Perfect Pidge.

There’s a long, unnecessarily drawn out explanation about how Sam and Matt have a special, secret, physical book-necessary encryption method to their communication. I haven’t studied encryption, but I imagine that any system that requires looking something up in a book is fundamentally not a complex encryption method. But then, there’s a second portion of Sam and Matt’s special code that involves them having memorized specific “additions and subtractions to numbers we send, so that even if someone intercepts our messages and has the same book, they still don’t know what we’re saying.” This makes no sense. Changing numbers in the message does not change the non-number portions of the message, so they would totally still know what Sam and Matt were saying.

This scene drags on way too long. It’s setting up the next step of Pidge’s journey once she realizes Matt’s not actually dead at the graveside, sure, but the scene is not interesting.

Pidge scoffs at how “low-tech” the method is. Matt responds, “You can’t rely too much on computers. The most powerful processor you have is right here,” and he points to his head. This is a giant cliché. And it’s wrong. If the brain was more powerful that computers, then we would never need computers to do calculations quickly for us. Yes, we have to program the computers to do what they do, but they can do what they do faster than we can mentally do the same processes, thus they are more powerful.

“And it can never be hacked,” Matt adds to his brain comment. Except, yeah, it can be. At this point in the show, we’ve seen Narti do so several times. Yeah, Matt wouldn’t have confirmation that psychic powers exist at this time in his story, but we viewers do. If Matt’s comment here was setting up a plot that involved something happening to hack his brain, then that might justify the inclusion of this line of dialog. But nothing like that happens for him, only for other characters. And the process of it happening to other characters – the clone of Shiro – results in everyone saying that being brain hacked makes a person evil. Knowing that future plot with the clone, I can’t help but be angry at this moment of the show.

Sam’s big message worth breaking Garrison rules and using some special actually-inferior but supposedly-superior encryption method is to tell Matt when his bedtime is. Are you kidding me!? This is neither cute, nor funny, despite the show intending it to be.

Back to now, Pidge finds the graveyard planet. The show again ignores that a planet has gravity in depicting large chunks of rock floating in the air. It’s a significant investment of resources to transport someone’s body to another planet for burial when it would be cheaper to just release their body into the black of space (assuming a space-located death), bury them on a planet in a normal graveyard, or cremate them. So, the setting of this graveyard is contrived. It doesn’t bother me too much, so I can accept it as a conceit for the sake of a good story. The problem is that I don’t feel like I’m getting a good story in this sequence.

Because again, I already know that Matt is not here.

Pidge’s armor translates engraved text: this is a monument to 127,098 warriors who died in a fight against tyranny. She runs toward the graves. The voice acting in this scene is really, really good, which is part of why it bothers me so much that the emotion has already been undermined by that line of dialog earlier letting us know that Matt’s not at the location of this transponder.

The episode overplays its attempt to create the emotion with a series of quick flashbacks that are supposed to make us upset at the idea that Matt is dead, and Pidge has failed to find him in time. Oh! the loss of their special sibling relationship! But this sequence is excessive since we know he’s not dead.

Also, it wasn’t that long ago that the rebels had been working with Matt. Having to bury 127,098 people who died in a war would take time and would have resulted in records as to when that conflict occurred. So, the underlying timing of these two events – the last time Matt was with the rebels and the conflict that killed these people and time it would take to bury them and construct the memorial to them – undermines the expectation that we believe Matt to be dead.

Again, the voice acting is really good in this scene, despite its other problems. Of course, it starts cliché raining.

Pidge says his birthday is wrong. I guess we are to assume Matt put his birthday into the grave’s information system when he buried his transponder here, and he did so specifically in case either Sam or Pidge came looking for his transponder? That is very, very contrived, convoluted, and convenient.

Pidge figures it out that hidden in the wrong birthday are coordinates, and she heads off to them. She’s being followed by the growly guy that interrogated the shopkeeper after her. Pidge makes her way to the coordinates: A large, weirdly shaped asteroid with an old mine carved down into it. Rocks are floating around as they do on this show. Green lands heavily, suggesting there’s gravity, but everything else, including Pidge, floats, which would mean no gravity. She descends further into the dark shaft. At the bottom, she picks up and drops a rock, which falls as if gravity. She’s literally in the exact same area of effect that the rock is in, but the rock is affected by gravity while she is not. This is not how gravity works. “Something must be generating gravity nearby,” she says. Yes, the giant asteroid you’re on right now would be generating gravity. Everything technically generates gravity, even Pidge’s own body. But the largest source of gravity would just be this big asteroid.

She uncovers a hatch down into a massive base with active displays and computers running. Someone attacks her. Oh, the drama, the excitement, the revelation! It’s Matt. (I’m not surprised whatsoever.) It’s supposed to be a touching reunion, but it’s not the resolution of narrative tension that it could be, so that emotion is unfortunately nowhere near as deep as the show wants it to be. “I can’t believe you found me. It doesn’t seem possible,” Matt says. Yeah, not possible except for the trail that you left that only Sam and Pidge could figure out, so not just possible, but specifically only possible for two people. I guess it could be Matt was expecting it was only possible for Sam and that Pidge was back on Earth.

Apparently, the name of Voltron has spread throughout the universe, but the names of the Paladins have not. So, Matt knows of Voltron but is surprised to learn Pidge is a Paladin. One would think that the rebels would by now know.

The growly cliché villain shows up and attacks. He’s a bounty hunter and has been hunting for Matt. The bounty hunter says, “Looks to me like you’re made of meat, just like everyone else.” This is a good line. It’s creepy and the least cliché thing this villain does. While before he was a boring nobody, with this one line, now I’m interested in this villain.

They fight. Matt weirdly yells, “Stay away from my sister,” in a mix of cliché and patriarchy. And yes, it’s patriarchal because Matt, in knowing that Pidge is a Paladin, knows she can fight. The Holts defeat the bounty hunter.

“Good thinking,” Pidge says, “exposing that electric whip to the asteroid’s magnetic field.” This makes no scientific sense whatsoever. One does not become electrocuted due to being in a magnetic field. If that were so, we wouldn’t be able to exist here on Earth. Whatever.

“I have the coolest little sister in the whole galaxy,” Matt says. In the galaxy? This show spans the whole universe, not just one galaxy (again, I think it would have been better had it been limited to one galaxy, but it’s not). So, Matt’s compliment is lacking in scope that matches that of the story’s setting.

More flashbacks. We finally get an explanation to Pidge taking off her glasses when she puts on her helmet. They’re not hers, they’re his. And since he had vision correction surgery, he doesn’t need them anymore. I don’t understand how until this moment Pidge didn’t know that Matt had had the corrective surgery though; if they have such a close relationship, wouldn’t she be privy to when he has surgery? She wants to be called Pidge now because of missing him when he goes on the Kerberos mission. These two elements are decently written, even if I originally was confused with her taking the glasses off at the beginning of the episode.

I am curious if the Kerberos mission was Matt’s first space mission. He acts excited in this flashback before his leaving on the mission as if it will be his first time in space. But no space organization is going to send someone who’s never been in space on a mission that has the long timeframe this one does.

The music of this last scene and credits is really nice.

So, Pidge ends the episode having achieved one of her big character goals: Find her brother. I just really wish the show had managed her progression better in this episode. It really bothers me that we know from the instant she gets Matt’s transponder from Te-osh that Matt is not going to be wherever that transponder is, thus undermining the emotion of the graveyard scene. Writing a fake character death and revelation can be done in different ways. You have to write with a different set of tonal qualities if the audience already knows that the death isn’t real than you would if the audience doesn’t know. The way the graveyard scene is written, it’s with tone suitable for an audience that doesn’t know. But because we do, it makes the fake death and supposed revelation that he’s alive feel hollow. It makes it feel like we’re being jerked around by the show. It further bothers me that this was done because the voice acting on Pidge in the graveyard scene is really good. I want to feel the emotion of the moment, but I can’t because I already know going into that scene that he’s alive.

so

uh. I’d like to talk about some issues I’ve seen in the fandom. and I’m kinda worried y’all are gonna hate me for this but please hear me out. Are people who like Bakugo bad people? No. But he’s at the very least, physically and verbally abused mido and an uncounted number of other kids, to the point of telling mido to kill himself. He has anger issues and an inferiority complex that’s evolved into a superiority complex. People who ship him with mido shouldn’t because Bakugou abused him and there’s no fixing that. You should never get together with someone who abuses you. The way he acts may be due to the way his mother treats him, but sadly, the kind of relationship they have is portrayed as a joke and is fairly common in japan, so it’s not likely the case. Are people who like Shigaraki as a character bad people? No. But he’s murdered people, turned his own parents into dust, and attacked a school with the intention of murdering All Might and the students there. He would have murdered tsu if aizawa hadn’t stopped him. He is an awful human being, who has been manipulated and raised to be the way he is via being raised by AfO. That doesn’t make him any less of a murderer but people like him anyways. Are people who like Dabi as a character bad people? No. But he’s burned people alive, attacked the same kids shigaraki has, and tried to kidnap bakugou with the intent of swaying him over to the LoV. This is likely because endeavor abused him and the rest of their family as a child, he was in an awful situation and I don’t blame him for any of the abuse or for running away. It was right for him to leave that situation. But that doesn’t make him any less of a murderer. Are people who like Toga as a character bad people? No. She’s steals people’s blood, and identities, and has Probably killed people. I can’t remember if they’ve given canonical examples of her straight up murdering anyone, but her general bloodlust at least implies she has. She hasn’t gotten a backstory yet. We don’t know how old she is. We don’t know why she’s doing this. But she’s likely mentally ill and needs to see a psychiatrist and get on medication and never get off, because being mentally ill doesn’t excuse morally wrong actions. so. why is liking endeavor as a character a capital offence? why are people kicked on principle? He’s an abusive father and husband, he’s emotionally and physically abusive. He drove his wife, who he married through a “quirk marriage,” to a mental break. He’s an adult and pro hero and he should know better, he should be punished and realize what he does is wrong, his family shouldn’t forgive him for what he’s done. There is a possibility that Rei didn’t consent for the baby making, which is a nice way to say he definitely could have r*ped her. But they’ve never said anything like that in canon. But if you can like any of the other abusers, the other people who’ve done awful things, without condoning their actions, why can’t you do that with endeavor? Yes, use liking endeavor as a red flag for an abuser, especially when they d o condone his actions, just like you should with people who like Ted Bundy or any other, awful, horrible people. Of course be careful. Of course if you can’t handle him as a whole blacklist the appropriate tags. But for the love of god can we please stop bullying minors into hating themselves and having anxiety attacks over their interests. Because that’s what happened today, to my friend, who is a self proclaimed endeavor-stan, and was kicked from a group chat for it. He wasn’t breaking the rules of the chat, people asked about his endeavor-related username, he gave an explanation, and they kicked him. I’ve known him for over a year, he is not an abusive person, he does not condone endeavor’s actions, but they kicked him anyway.

Please let me know if I need to add a tag, I know this is a heavy and wordy post. tl;dr liking a character doesn’t mean you agree with their actions stop being rude to endeavor stans

Book Recommendations: Da Big List, Fiction Edition

Well, I said I’d do more book recs, so here we go...

(note that some of the series recs are out of date, with additional installments written since I previously updated the list) 

-Devil's Cape by Rob Rogers is the single best work of superhero prose I have ever read. -The Six-Gun Tarot by R. S. Belcher, in which the unusual inhabitants of a Wild West town (a sheriff who can't die, a deputy who's the son of Coyote, a housewife who used to be an assassin, and more) fight an Eldritch Abomination. Has two sequels, The Shotgun Arcana and The Queen of Swords -"Craft Sequence" series (six books and counting, starting with either Three Parts Dead or Last First Snow, depending on whether you want to read 'em in publication or chronological order, respectively), by Max Gladstone. Set in a modern-esque fantasy world that runs on corporate necromancy and "applied theocracy", the first (in publication order) involves a junior associate in a necromancy firm having to investigate the murder of the god who powers a steampunk city. -The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, in which the half-goblin Unfavorite son of the Elven Emperor is unexpectedly raised to the throne after his father and half-brothers die in a zeppelin crash. -Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein, in which a Tokyo policewoman catches a case that involves a Yakuza power struggle and a trio of magic swords, with extensive flashbacks (as in, they ultimately take up about half of the book) to the history of said swords. Has a sequel, Year of the Demon, in which the heroine goes up against a cult revolving around a mask tied to the swords. Also, more flashbacks. Now has a third sequel, Disciple of the Wind; there are also a couple of eNovellas, which I haven't read. -Eifelheim by Michael Flynn, in which a Renaissance-era village in Germany interact with a group of aliens whose ship crashed nearby. -Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, in which the last remnant of a space warship's AI seeks revenge on the ones who blew up the rest of her and...find out why they did it. Has two sequels, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy. -The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont, in which the creators of Doc Savage and The Shadow team-up with each other (and L. Ron Hubbard and someone else who is a minor spoiler) on an actual pulp adventure involving Nazi spies, a Chinese warlord, and something which is actually a BIG spoiler. Has a sequel, The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown, in which Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and L. Sprague De Camp investigate Tesla's final invention. -Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart, in which Master Li, a sage "with a slight flaw in his character", is hired by an immensely strong peasant named Number Ten Ox to investigate a mysterious plague afflicting his village in a "China that never was". Has two sequels, The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen that are greatly inferior but still enjoyable. -The Kitty Norville books by Carrie Vaughn (15 books starting with Kitty and the Midnight Hour; the count includes a short-story collection and a side-novel starring a secondary character), about the host of a midnight radio show in Denver, who is also a newly turned werewolf. One night, instead of playing random music, she starts talking about the supernatural. Then vampires and other werewolves start calling in... -The Inspector Chen novels by Liz Williams (6 books starting with Snake Agent), about a police detective in a near future Singapore who investigates mysteries that require him to liaise with the Chinese versions of Hell and Heaven. -"Barsoom" series by Edgar Rice Burroughs (11 books, starting with A Princess of Mars): The ur-text of the Planetary Romance sub-genre, one of the definitional texts of soft SF. Rollicking adventures with epic characters in a marvelously imagined world. Long story short; a Civil War vet on the verge of death is astrally projected to not-yet-dead Mars, befriends a group of warlike natives, falls in love with the Princess of another, and turns the whole planet upside down in the name of love. Then he has kids... -"Lensman" series by E. E. "Doc" Smith (6 books; starting with either Triplanetary or Galactic Patrol, depending on your preferences): The granddaddy of all Space Operas, a triumphant example of power creep. The forces of Order and Chaos war for the fate of the universe, using the ultimate police force and an army of space pirates as proxies. -Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon: An exploration of the future evolution of mankind. Starting in the '30s with the then-current state of the "First Men" (that is to say, Homo sapiens sapiens) until the extinction of the "Last Men" millions of years hence. Redefines epic scope. -Star-Maker by Olaf Stapledon: A companion of sorts to Last and First Men, except with with the scope turned up to eleven, covering billions of years and the entire universe. -Slan by A. E. Van Vogt: Jommy Cross is a Slan, an evolved human possessed of superior physical and mental abilities. Years ago, the Slans took over the world, but their regime was overthrown and now the Slans are hunted. When Jommy's parents are killed, he must learn to survive in a world that hates and fears him...or does it? Jampacked with twists and turns, not to mention being the archetypical "mutant hunt" novel. -Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. Van Vogt: The best and brightest of man's scientific minds have been sent into space to explore strange new worlds, and then figure out how to keep the life-forms they encounter from killing them. A rip-roaring tale of of space exploration, alien monsters, and an omnicompetent protagonist. Not only was it a major influence on Star Trek, one episode is the basis for Alien. -"Demon Princes" series by Jack Vance (5 books starting with The Star King): Years ago, the five most dangerous criminals in the known universe joined together to murder or enslave the inhabitants of a small colony. Now the sole survivor is hunting them down one-by-one across the galaxy... The narrative is a great combination of action and mystery, and the setting is full of all manner of interesting worlds and civilizations. -"Planet of Adventure" series by Jack Vance (4 books, starting with City of the Chasch): An Earthman crash-lands on a planet inhabited by four alien species, and the humans they've enslaved, travels the world to find a way home. A marvelous exploration of the concept of Blue-And-Orange Morality. -"Sector General" series by James White (12 books, starting with Hospital Station): Life aboard a massive, multi-species hospital space station in a deeply idealistic 'verse with one of the most diverse bunch of aliens ever devised. The first six books are mostly collections of short stories featuring medical mysteries solved by Dr. Conway (the primary exception is the second book, which is mostly a novella set against the backdrop of an interstellar war and brilliantly inverts the "Hard Man Making Hard Decisions" trope), as he goes from being a trainee to one of the hospital's elite, while the latter six are novels featuring an assortment of characters. -"Cobra" series by Timothy Zahn (9 books and counting, starting with Cobra): A multi-generational tale of super-soldiers in war and peace, with a healthy helping of interstellar diplomacy. A really interesting take on MilSF, where out-of-the-box thinking takes center stage. -"Quadrail" series by Timothy Zahn (5 books, starting with Night Train To Rigel): Frank Compton, former agent of the human government, finds himself working for the mysterious aliens who run the local 'verse's sole form of interstellar travel; a train in space called the Quadrail. Intrigue, action, and plot twists abound, including one of the best Heel Face Turns I have ever encountered. -"Stainless Steel Rat" series by Harry Harrison (11 books, starting with The Stainless Steel Rat, and one short story, which can be found in the collection Stainless Steel Visions). In a far future where mankind has spread across the stars, crime has been eliminated. Well, that's what the authorities would like you to believe; in truth there are still a small handful of individuals maladjusted enough to commit crimes and smart enough to get away with them. James Bolivar "Slippery Jim" Digriz, the Stainless Steel Rat, may be the smartest of them all, a white collar thief and con artist who's almost pathological disregard for law and authority is balanced by a surprisingly strong moral code. Which is why when he is finally caught, the authorities put him to work catching criminals who lack those morals. This is classic SF comedy, with a surprising amount of pathos at points. -"The Parasol Protectorate" series by Gail Carriger (five books, starting with Soulless). A humorous and exciting tale of love, intrigue, mad scientists, and fashion in an alternate Victorian era where the British Empire's power derives from steampunk technology, werewolf soldiers, and vampire politicians. Has a sequel series, "The Custard Protocol" (3 books and counting, starting with Prudence) revolving around the daughter of the original protagonist. Has a YA prequel spinoff, "Finishing School" (4 books, starting with Ettiquette and Espionage) revolving around a teenager who is recruited by a boarding school that trains spies. There are, in addition, a manga adaptation of the first couple books. -Ports of Call by Jack Vance. Myron Tany has always dreamed of traveling the Gaean Reach. When his eccentric aunt acquires a spaceship, it seems his dream has come true...until she ends up marooning him on random planet. Fortunately, Myron is able to obtain a position as supercargo aboard the merchant ship Glicca. The story does not really have a plot per se, consisting primarily of a series of marvelous picaresque vignettes as Myron and his crew-mates travel to different worlds delivering cargo, trying to acquire additional cargo, and periodically running afoul of bizarre local customs. The book just kinda stops at one point, and resumes in a second book, entitled Lurulu. I'm not really describing this well, but they're both very fun, beautifully written books. -The Green and the Gray by Timothy Zahn. A night on the town for a young New York couple takes a turn for the weird when they are forced, at gunpoint, to take custody of a 12-year old girl. They soon find themselves enmeshed in a secret Cold War between two alien races that have secretly been living in the city for generations...a Cold War that is threatening to turn hot. -The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. A young woman awakens surrounded by corpses with no memory of who she is. In her pocket is a letter from her pre-amnesia self, one Myfanwy Thomas. It seems that Myfanwy was a senior bureaucrat for the covert organization in charge of controlling magic and other such weirdness in Britain, and that her amnesiac state is something that was done to her. Myfanwy must therefore investigate the mystery of precisely who that is, while simultaneously do a job about which she knows nothing, without letting anyone realize what's happened to her. Ha a sequel, Stiletto, though I cannot explain the plot without spoiling the previous book. -Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed. A tale in which an elderly demon-hunting cleric and his paladin assistant team-up with a shape-shifting barbarian girl and husband and wife alchemists to prevent an undead villain unleash an ancient evil, while trying not get involved between the conflict between the tyrannical ruler of their city and a gentleman thief-turned-revolutionary. Did I mention that the cleric's spells invoke the name of Allah, the paladin is a dervish, the barbarian is a Bedouin, and the whole setting draws it's cues not from Tolkien but the Arabian Nights? -"White Trash Zombie" by Diana Rowland (6 books and counting, starting with My Life As a White Trash Zombie). Angel Crawford is an unemployed high school dropout in rural Louisiana with a deadbeat dad, an asshole boyfriend, a drug habit, and no future. After one particularly wild night of drinking and drugging, she gets into a devastating car accident...and wakes up in the hospital without a scratch on her to find that an unknown benefactor has arranged for her to have a job at the Coroner's Office. Which is good because she now has a hankering for brains... -Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom edited by John Joseph Adams. Exactly what is says on the tin, a collection of original stories set on Barsoom by an assortment of writers. As with any anthology, quality is a bit uneven; some of the stories are excellent Original Flavor pastiches, some are deconstructions or parodies, one or two are just bad. But all in all a great collection. -Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs edited by Mike Resnick and Robert T. Garcia. Same basic idea, but for the entire Burroughs oevure, including some of his non-SFnal work. -"Winter of the World" series by Michael Scott Rohan (two trilogies, the first starting with The Anvil of Ice, the second place taking place before the first and in another part of the world, and which I haven't been able to get my hands on ), an epic fantasy taking place against the backdrop of an Ice Age, in which a young man rises from slavery to become the most powerful smith-cum-magician the world has ever known, and together with some companions fights to defeat the sinister primal forces that wish to cover the world in glaciers forever. Much less generic than it sounds, even without going into the appendixes which reveal the real(ish) science behind quite a bit of the magic. -"Spiral Arm" series by Michael Flynn (4 books, starting with The January Dancer). Moderately Irish-flavored space opera, the first book tells the tale of of how a random space captain found a pre-human artifact, of the various hands said artifact passed into, and the conflicts that sprung up in it's wake. The second book turns the first's framing sequence into an epic of it's own, as a young bard hunts down the truth of her parentage. The series notably involves massive retcons with each volume, revealing that what we thought was going on was actually something else, but does so in a way that's compelling rather than irritating. -Dr. Jay Hosler is an entomologist who has written four edutational graphic novels for children (Clan Apis, The Sandwalk Adventures, Optical Allusions, and Last of the Sandwalkers). I've read three and they are amazing. In Clan Apis, a young honeybee desperately searches for her place in the hive, and ultimately finds an unorthodox solution. In The Sandwalk Adventures, an elderly Charles Darwin tries to convince a follicle mite living in his eyebrow that he's not God, by teaching him about evolution. In Last of the Sandwalkers (no relation)...honestly, the story contains so much epic awesomeness, I just want to list it, but it's all spoilers; suffice to say that the title character is A: a beetle, B: could give Sam Carter and Agatha Heterodyne a run for their money in the mad science department, and C: leads an expedition to explore the unknown and along the way discovers truths about her family and the nature of her people's civilization that some people really don't want her to (also you learn stuff about beetles). -Nightwise by R. S. Belcher. Years ago, Laytham Ballard was the Golden Boy of the occult underworld sub-culture. That was a LONG time ago, and no one would ever mistake Laytham for golden. But he's not so much of a bastard that he'll refuse the last request of one of his few remaining friends. What was supposed to be a simple revenge killing, however, turns out to be a lot more complicated and a lot more dangerous than Laytham ever imagined. Has a sequel, The Night Dahlia, which I have yet to read. -Brotherhood of the Wheel by R. S. Belcher. Jimmy Aussapile is an independent trucker, hauling cargo cross-country to support his pregnant wife and teenage daughter; he is also a member of a secret order descended from the Knights Templar that protects the highways of America from monsters both human and not. An encounter with a hitchhiking ghost finds him heading off on a quest, in which he joins forces with the heir apparent of monster-fighting outlaw biker gang who's military service unleashed some serious inner demons, and a State Trooper who's determination to solve a series of child abductions leads her to go rogue. Together, they must battle an ancient evil involving serial killers, human sacrifice, and Black-Eyed Kids. Note that it's loosely tied to Nightwise, in which Jimmy shows up in one scene as a minor side character; meanwhile, an off-hand reference to Laytham is made at one point in Brotherhood, and a minor plot thread in the later novel relates to a major plot thread in the earlier. They aren't even the same genre, with Nightwise being urban fantasy noir instead of horror. All in all, one doesn't have to have read one to enjoy the other,

Sometimes I stumble on an anti blog and their shaming makes me question it all. And then I think back on all we know, and realize the only *other* explanation for it all is that L and H and their teams are purposefully playing to Larries. But then... that assumes we only like them for being gay? For the ship? And Ed’s news this morning negates that. Has he lost female fans because he’s got a female fiancé? Is this hidden? Does his team play up gay rumors? Does he dress bears up? Nope. Nope.

The antis use an age-old method to make it okay to hurt and bully other people: by setting themselves as more human, and morally superior, to everyone else.They extend this to every aspect, even to the fan creation of art or fiction — the policing of should never be reduced to shouting on tumblr. Freedom of speech is important. By their reasoning, if your enemies are less human, their pain isn’t as legitimate. So it’s okay to shame them, even to doxx them (it has happened).If anyone in your life ever tries to make you feel inferior — not by disagreeing you, but by using ad hominem attacks on you — their arguments are already bankrupt. I’ve sometimes read anti posts that reason it’s okay to target certain Larrie blogs— archiving them, screenshotting, making lists of Larries— because Larries are “invasive” or “hateful.” I don’t even think these bloggers understand the word irony. This question of antis is separate from whether Harry or Louis’ teams use Larries for their own benefit. When I think about management, promo, and branding, I don’t really think about antis’ arguments at all (see above). It honestly drops my intelligence to try to read their posts.

Just admit it. You hate Daenerys because she gets in the way of your stupid ship. So pathetic.

I am just going to pretend you ask nicely and give you an honest answer- even if you don’t want one?

Disclaimer: this is only my opinion, blah blah, I don’t own asoiaf, I don’t know what’s going to happen, blah blah blah. None of this means that people shouldn’t like Dany, or enjoy her character or ship her with whomever they want. You do you and let me do me. blah

First things first: I don’t “hate” Daenerys because she comes in the way of my stupid glorious ship. I actually don’t “hate” her at all. What I do hate is this mindless idealization of her character. I admit, it’s quite tempting to root for her. I understand why people like her, love her, even whorship her. Both characters in the asoiaf-universe and people who follow her story in real life.

A homeless, abused girl who overcomes all obstacles and rises above everyone else. Someone who could be a just, benevolent ruler armed with supernatural forces to further legitamize her superior claim. Her story has so many parallels to every fantasy hero ever created (Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Neo, only to name the first three that come to mind). She is the chosen one, she is the hero, she is the prince(ss) that was promised.

If this was any other story I would buy it. I would believe that Dany is this messiah-figure, prophezised to save us all. To save us from slavery, from the injustices of patriarchy, from a corrupt political system and finally from the big unhuman evil lurking somewhere in the shadows. But this isn’t any other story. GoT/asoiaf isn’t a fairytaile, neither is it the story of absolute good triumphing over absolute evil.  

So if Dany isn’t the Chosen One what is her story about? Many - far more eloquent people - have argued that Danys story is about how power corrupts. That it is inevitable, even for an initially good and decent person like her. (Btw there are countless other stories about this. Power changes people and rarely for the better. Daenerys is not the exception to this rule.) While I agree, I think that’s only half the truth. In the end I, Dany’s overarching theme is the temptation of using utlimate power for good. The fallacy of creating a better world by overpowering your “morally inferior” contesters.

Who hasn’t at some point thought to themself “If I were in charge everything would be fine”. “If only I could, if only I had the power to do so, I would make the world a better place”. “It wouldn’t affect me negatively, I would use all that power for good.” Who hasn’t dreamed of a metaphorical dragon or two to rain down fire on all monsters and evil-doers in the world ? Daenerys, in my opinion, is the ultimate fullfillment of that power fantasy.

The lesson we’ll learn from her is to be careful with this fantasy. Almighty power is dangerous no matter who wields it. We shouldn’t put that much power into one person’s hands nor should we allow them to keep it. We can’t wait for some übermensch to come save us and change the world, because someone like that doesn’t exist. We should refrain from elevating a human being to a god-like status. No one single person is able to handle such forces without causing horrible consequences for the people they wanted to help. No one is “good” enough to be trusted with so much power (=dragons).

All that unchecked power will change her (if it hasn’t already). Her dragons are WMD’s, even if she (still) feels conflicted about that. She will bring destruction and chaos to “her people”, even if she had the best intentions. She’s already showing signs of self-entitlement, powerhunger and ruthlessness. Wether you like it or not, she is heading towards a dark path. She will take what is hers with fire and blood. Does FIRE AND BLOOD sound like a fun party to you?

So no, I don’t “hate” Daenerys. She’s an interesting complex character. I’m annoyed at the naive interpretation of her character and that any criticism of her is automatically reduced to hate. I loathe that people are obsessed with this “saviour” narrative and will excuse and defend any questionable action she takes to keep the bubble from bursting. This “cult” surrounding her, especially if it in any way involves implicated Valyrian genetic superiority, bothers me deeply. This entire targaryen-übermensch concept is so wrong, on so many levels and I’m going to be pissed if the series ends with a targaryen invader on their ~ rightful ~ throne.