#made my little mlm heart so happy!! i loved how it was done in the movie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cassahina · 3 years

Text

Headcanons for my favorite queer Danganronpa ships (+AroAce Chihiro): Dr1 & Udg~

Celesgiri:

- They are the two who start dating after consistent events of being done with everyone else’s shit together. It was probably the fifth time Leon got his good throwing hand stuck in a pickles jar where they decided to say fuck these people and make out in the closest that night, ditching their friends game night in the middle of charades.

- When Celestia first saw Kyoko’s hands without her gloves on, she was shocked. Not so much because of the scars, but because of the look of shame and discomfort that was blatant in Kyoko’s features. That night they had a talk and Celestia repeatedly told Kyoko that she was beautiful and reassured her that Celestia adored her. That would be the same night where they shared their first “I love you”s.

- Kyoko is one of the very few people who know about Celestia’s vampire fetish and always teases her about it. For Halloween she decided to surprise her by dressing up as one, and Kyoko swears she has never seen Celestia blush so much.

- Celestia loves to teasingly flirt with Kyoko whenever Kyoko is busy. She definitely looked up pick up lines and fancy French terms of endearment to use before Kyoko starts her work. Kyoko always rolls her eyes at Celestia’s antics, but deep down inside they both know they are the highlight of Kyoko’s day.

Ikuzono:

- Sayaka loves to kiss the few scars Mukuro has and has only shown her. It’s always a very intimate and vulnerable moment for the two, and Mukuro always gets a bit worried and insecure when she shows them so Sayaka happily reassures Mukuro that she is beautiful before showering her in kisses.

- Mukuro has definitely beaten up a few guys who have stared at Sayaka for too long in a certain way before. Having an idol for a girlfriend is rough, but thankfully it allows her to flex her amazing strength and muscles, which Sayaka always finds hella attractive and will thank her with a kiss, regardless of whether the paparazzi is there or not.

- Mukuro sometimes has nightmares about Junko. During these nights Sayaka will come in, spoon her, and quietly sing Mukuro back to sleep until she is snoozing again while snuggled up in Sayaka’s arms.

- Mukuro has a wolf onesie while Sayaka has a koala bear onesie and they always have cuddly dates in them at least once a month (once it was every night of the week for two months). Mukuro always gets bashful wearing her onesie, meanwhile Sayaka is just gushing over how cute her girlfriend is.

Tokomaru/Syomaru:

- They always share a bed ever since the udg events. Even when Toko got over her worry about ghosts, they still share a bed and stay up late talking to each other until they both pass out. It’s really helpful for times when one of them has a nightmare as sometimes Toko doesn’t wake up, so Komaru just quietly holds her and soothes Toko as she calms down in her sleep.

- Jill loves to gush on Komaru and show off. She’s actually decently strong, so they will carry Komaru around and bench press her at times to show how strong they are and how they can protect her like how they protect Toko. (Jill is a protector alter for Toko’s DID system, and that protective nature rubs off onto Komaru after they start dating and as Jill grows more and more fond of Komaru)

- Komaru and her girlfriends love to take baths together. It started off when Toko was in a depressive swing and Komaru helped her get through the necessities (cooking Toko meals, brushing her hair, etc.) and it ended up making Toko very happy, so they continued to do it. Toko likes bubble baths and Jill loves bath bombs, and Komaru always brings scented candles so it’s always just a nice relaxing moment between the girlfriends.

- Toko is a little spoon who will never admit that fact out loud, while Jill is a big spoon. Komaru loves it because she constantly gets to be both the big spoon and the little spoon, and cuddle times with her girlfriends always leaves her in a state of pure bliss.

Ishimondo:

- Mondo was probably Taka’s last straw before he accepted the fact that he liked guys. Like he is chill with gay people but he never fully saw himself as one, constantly questioning it but thanks to heteronormativity he repressed those thoughts a bit, and then he looks at Mondo and went “ah, so this is what it means to ‘gay panic’”.

- Mondo likes to follow Taka to help him keep the others in line with school rules. Whenever someone seems to question Taka or is about to berate Taka for being so stringent, they get a death glare from Mondo that reads “you better listen to my boyfriend”. Taka always thinks it’s his authority that makes the others listen out of respect, and Mondo doesn’t have the heart to tell him the truth.

- Bro is their casual tough guy way of a cute pet name for each other. This is mainly because Mondo called Taka babes once, and Taka gay panicked so much that he passed out. Poor baby couldn’t handle how soft it made him. It was both very concerning and very cute to Mondo who ended up watching over Taka until he regained his composure.

-they are like so supportive of everyone else, either being the big gay brothers or the dads of everyone else. They have a mlm-wlw solidity with Sakuraoi where they take care of everyone and all the baby gays. They also have monthly game nights where they playfully compete against each other in a joke battle between the gays and the lesbians. Just lots of lgbtq+ jokes and fluff and support, all in good fun and never any hard feelings towards who wins and who loses. Really they are just a badass yet very considerate and soft couple with one another.

Sakuraoi:

- Aoi definitely asked Sakura out first, and knowing her it was either to get something to eat with her or to work out together. They both really admire each other so they would be down for whatever, but neither is big on PDA in public besides hugging and hand-holding and the occasional kiss on the cheek or pet name. It took the others about a month to realize the two were dating because they were so casual about it and both forgot to tell the others, figuring the other had already done so.

- So much body positivity from both of these girls. For real, imagine comments like Ishimaru accidentally calling Sakura a guy happens all the time, so it probably means the world when Aoi just love spams a million gender neutral and feminine compliments telling Sakura how beautiful she is and how Aoi can’t believe she is dating the most gorgeous woman in the world.

- Meanwhile, Aoi sometimes worries about her weight as she is not only an athlete but also from constantly being judged for eating doughnuts so much and her other comfort foods. But Sakura tells her that those things make her happy and when she is happy she is beautiful because Aoi has the most captivating smile. They both in a way just remind each other that they are both beautiful and loved every day, but both know that the other genuinely means it.

- Sakura is amazing at baking and Aoi melts over the wife material her girlfriend is. Whenever she is stressed, Sakura bakes something with one of the other girls to cheer Aoi up, and they end up having a cuddly sleepover. Aoi in return always makes sure to comfort Sakura whenever she is stressed, with Sakura not being the type to let things get to her often so Aoi is always the worried, accepting, and loving girlfriend when Sakura needs it.

Chihiro:

- They are AroAce, but they are open to QPPs. I see Taka and Mondo being the most likely candidates, but they are more like Chihiro’s gay dads though.

- Chihiro has said sexuality can fuck itself. Taka passed out from both the sheer shock and horror of that moment.

- They probs have the worst anxiety when trying to explain the Aro spectrum and how QPRs work, so they are extremely appreciative for their friends who accept them and love them for who they are.

- They are the softest thing, I would imagine them being an amazing snuggler platonically cause they still love cuddle time, they just ain’t into romance. They are also super supportive and great at being a hype person. They are generally just precious and deserve the world and all the validation it has to offer to them.

255 notes · View notes

insomniac-dot-ink · 4 years

Text

Books I’ve Read in 2020

AHello! I’m trying to read as many books as I can during the quarantine, here’s what I’ve finished so far:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (literary fiction): a son writes a letter about his life to his illiterate mother. Breathtakingly beautiful with it’s way with words this book is lovely and real in the hardest and sweetest ways. The author’s combination of prose and poetry is dazzling and intricate, this book has stuck with me for days afterward. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (fantasy): a money-lender gets in trouble after bragging she can turn silver into gold and is kidnapped and ordered to do so by a fey creature. It may be that I am the perfect audience for this type of book, but it’s my favorite thing I’ve read all year. It’s a book that equally takes on the fantastical and real-world with compelling female characters at the center of the whole thing. A wonderful fantasy journey inspired by eastern-European Jewish folklore. 5 out of 5 stars.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (horror graphic novel): a series of short horror comics. Absolutely bone-chilling! This was a really fun type of scary story, especially the last one which made my skin absolutely crawl. Deliciously eerie, this was treat to read if not a little too short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (magical realism): a young girl can taste other people’s emotions in their cooking and begins to understand her family in new ways. This was a weird book, but it has everything you’ve got to love about that combination of the surreal and mundane. It’s sense of character was electrifying and I had fun engaging with this type of off-kilter real world. I was a little frustrated in parts bc of some characters choices, but that too was true to life. 4 out of 5 stars.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela (steampunk fantasy wlw): about a Made automaton heir to a throne and her human hand-maiden that is trying to kill her. This was an easy read with a lot of tension between the two main characters that I liked, but the writing itself was very weak. There was waaay too much exposition in parts and the dialogue had some really hockey lines. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the middle of the book, but the beginning and end didn’t have much movement. 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (historical fiction): honestly, I’m a little disappointed. This book just did not hit my sweet spots, it wasn’t fast-paced enough for me to get immersed in the plot, and the characters weren’t real enough to be wholly invested in them. That said I adored Nina Markova and the Night Witches, so that did help. 3 starts out of 5.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (horror sci-fi retelling): HAND IN UNLOVABLE HAND. A retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s wife and my God! The characters! The plot was well-enough, but the characters took the whole show for being complex and compelling. The main character was breathtakingly layered and I was wholly invested in Elizabeth and her story and the triumph at the end of this story was tangible. 4 out of 5 stars!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy): A story of a young woman who lives in a valley where a girl must go live with a wizard for 10 years. She is certain she won’t be chosen, but ends up having to be “uprooted” herself. I enjoyed most of this book! However, I think I liked “Spinning Silver” a lot more just because the ending of this one somehow lost me. The characters were good and plot compelling, but (SPOILERS) the big battle at the end seemed to drag and didn’t interest me somehow. 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (fantasy): excellent read! A story of a young woman in Jazz Age Mexico who goes on an adventure with a Mayan death God who is trying to regain his throne. A romp across the country absolutely brimming with likable characters and fairy tale twists. My only complaint would be that most of it felt a little predictable due to the fact we knew where we were going throughout the whole story, However, it was still greatly enjoyable for the heroine herself, Casiopea. 4 out of 5 stars!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (literary): a story of two families in a progressive “planned” community, how their lives intertwine, their secrets, and a central question surrounding motherhood. Deeply empathetic to its characters and introspective, this is an every-day story of people in suburbia that reads like a thriller. I could barely put it down and felt deeply for its characters and situations, 5 out of 5 stars!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA sci-fi suspense): a story of a group of girls at a boarding school on an island affected by the “tox” which alters their bodies in strange ways like giving them scales or an extra spine. This was an eerie, interesting read with a wlw romance! Watch out for the body horror in this one, but it was very gripping and held my interest. Some of the pacing was off in places (like the romance), but had a very creepy atmosphere that did it for me. 3.8 out of 5 stars!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (thriller-mystery): A thriller about a group of Shakespeare actors in their last year of college and one of their classmates who turns up dead. I enjoyed the murder mystery part of this novel more than I expected despite the fact I had guessed who had “done it” pretty early on. I really enjoyed the James-Oliver dynamic with its growing homoeroticism, but I didn’t like how the character of Meredith was handled at all. She felt like a one-note aside. I might have given this book four stars, but the ending was EXTREMELY frustrating for me and I did not like the “open-ended” conclusion. 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): a weird character-driven comedy about an old grumpy man and a new family that moves in next to him. Warning for themes of suicide. Anyway, I don’t normally indulge in cliches like “I laughed, I cried, I loved one Cat Annoyance.” However, that’s exactly what I did. I laughed out loud, I cried my eyes out (THE CAT’S HEAD WAS IN HIS PALM), I loved this book. It was sweet and compelling and thoroughly immersive. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (historical fantasy): set in the early 1900s comes a story of a young girl and her experience with “Doors” that lead to different worlds. This book had a lot of great character development and really interesting descriptions, however, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I found it hard to get myself to sit down a read it. There was just something missing with the push to “page-turn,” but it was still a really good book. 3.7 out of 5 stars!

Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (high fantasy, kinda gay): I AM FILLED WITH EMOTIONS. This was book was definitely a page-turner. I was very confused with it at the beginning, but the characters and their interactions were, forgive the expression, the life blood of the story and kept me wholly invested. The ending has CRUSHED my heart, but damn did I have a good time reading it. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Harrow the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (sequel to Gideon the 9th): I really enjoyed this book. It was just as strange and twisting as the first book, though I think I enjoyed the first one a bit more since I love Gideon. It was fun ride overall, though the ending was kind of really confusing. So 4 out of 5 stars.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (historical fiction): Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was personable and grounded in reality. I found myself really liking the main characters and the exploration of the life of a bi main character was really well done I thought. A solid book with drama and glamor to boot. 4.6 out of 5 stars!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction): A story of two sisters during WWII and their resistance to Nazi occupation. To be honest, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was compelling, but also wholly depressing and I felt like gloried in the pain of the two main characters too much. The history was wonderful and realistic, but it didn’t make me feel anything good afterward. It was just dark. 3 out of 5 stars.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (mlm romance): I finally finished this after the heaviness of The Nightingale. This is a story of the First Son of the USA falling for the prince of England. And it turned out to be a very fun and light hearted read! Some of it was kinda generic and too political, and it coulda been shorter, but I thought the romance itself made up for it. It just made me feel so sweet and lovely inside. 4 out of 5 stars!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): I’m searching out heartfelt books and this one ticked off all the marks on my “sweet” list. A lovely book that made me cry more times than I would like to admit. Compassionate beyond belief, funny and heartfelt. I think I enjoyed A Man Called Ove slightly more, but this book was also dear to me and something I hope to reread in the future. 4.2 out of 5 stars!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (sci-fi): A post-apocalyptical story about a group of traveling Shakespeare actors and a symphony. Overall, an excellent read that somehow pictures a more realistic or even softer version of the apocalypse. At first, I wasn't happy with the jumping around of the story, but as I progressed I grew fonder and fonder of the interwoven characters and their journey. A very fascinating read about a world that hits a little too close to home. The appreciation of the arts and preserving humanity was somehow very hopeful and I was fully engaged with this story. 5 out of 5 Stars!

Up next: The Hidden Life of Trees by by Peter Wohlleben (nonfiction science), The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (urban fantasy), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (fantasy)

#I'll keep this list updated!#am reading #bookblr #IA talks #I've mostly read books I've really liked this year!#then again I rarely finish books I don't like

2K notes · View notes

experiment-000 · 3 years

Text

My Top 10 Ships of 2020

It's been a weird year but I've seen other people doing this. Plus this year I've been way more into gen fics (love a bit of found family especially in clone wars and marvel) than anything shippy. So I genuinely don't know what imma put on here aside from two ships for sure. Sorry this post is super long idk how to do the below the cut thing and I've had this app for 5 years...

10) Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki - Yuri!!! On Ice

It was a real toss up between this, supercorp, kanera and wolfstar cos they're all very integral ships to my fan heart but this son because of the Yuri on Ice fandom's rebirth this year. I've never stopped shipping this, never stopped reading fanfic of them for any extended period of time, they're still my most bookmarked ship on ao3 (although I think now star wars - all media types may have overtaken them for fandom). They were one of the first things I watched where the queer ship I loved became canon and I can't wait for the film (and hopefully someday a season 2). Heck I even made my mum watch Yuri on Ice with me so I think that says it all.

9) Edelgard Von Hresvelg and female Byleth - Fire Emblem: Three Houses

My first fire emblem game was fates when I was like 14 (and finally gay awake lol). I was so disappointed that I had to be with a guy character because the only female option was kinda creepy and also I wouldn't get the character of kana. So when three houses came out I was so happy because finally there were beautiful incredible female characters my female byleth could romance (I'm so sorry mlm you deserved so much more than you got). I got the game as soon as it came out (had to search a lot of shops let me tell you) and started on black eagles. I was actually kinda disappointed back in 2019. I didn't like the explore the monastery bit (still find it kinda tedious) and the battle mechanics weren't quite the same as fates (no pairing up?! Aka my main battle technique for protecting the weaker units). So I got like 20 hours in and put it down. Came back to it in lockdown and finally finished it! I'm so proud of myself I virtually never finish games. And I fully fell in love with the useless lesbian edelgard in the process. When I started back playing in 2020 I was like eh I wish I'd picked a different character to romance (like shes an emperor that's morally very shady) but then the romance stuff started with edelgard and I fell the heck in love.

8) Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter (and Topanga Lawrence) - Boy Meets World

Disney+ was released in the UK this year and I finally got the opportunity to watch boy meets world in its best quality (aka not on YouTube). I watched it back when I was like 12 or 13 and it's such a nostalgic show for me. Watching it again I still absolutely adore it (and my bi ass was low-key crushing on Shawn especially in chick like me - I'm 18 btw and I got so scared for a sec but rider strong was 18 when chick like me came out so it's fine woah). And of course now I see the possibilities of the beautiful Cory and Shawn relationship like they were so bromance it was basically romance and throw in topanga it's the perfect ot3 (but I'm also fine with just Cory and Shawn or just Cory and Topanga). Read some good fanfic for them this year. My favourite was one about Shawn stealing makeup and stuff and exploring gender (need more fics like this I'm biiii).

7) Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes - Marvel Cinematic Universe

I rewatched all the MCU films this year too. And got really into Peter parker whump and irondad. Plus my eternal obsession with identity and relationship reveals of course led me from Spiderman identity reveals (and found family cuteness) to stucky coming out. Especially when it involves the internet and social media. Not my favourite ship but it's been significant to my year due to the sheer amount of marvel stuff I've read.

6) Satine Kryze and Obi Wan Kenobi - Star Wars

I rewatched clone wars in prep for season 7 and wow Satine's death was sad and sudden. She first appeared in S2 E13 I think and just the sheer sexual tension of their bickering. "The sarcasm of a soldier. The delusion of a dreamer." Just ugnnhhh my bi ass can't take much more of this. And Anakin just sipping his wine in the background grinning. And I fully believe korkie is a Kenobi.

5) Commander Cody and Obi Wan Kenobi - Star Wars

I am very much an Obi wan multishipper. I don't really have a favourite but I fully believe he was with satine and Quinlan in his life. I don't think be would've actually done anything with Cody because of the whole superior officer thing. And this probably isn't even my favourite Obi wan ship - that honour probably goes to quinobi or obitine. However the most popular ships in the fandom are codywan, quiobi and obikin. No offence to anyone who ships these they're just personally not to my taste, but I can't stand quiobi, and obikin I find only slightly more tolerable and I think that's just because there's so much obikin content so if I like the concept of a fic that happens to be obikin I'll read it. I'm just not a fan of the mentor/student relationships. So I generally favoured the codywan fics when there was shipping involved meaning I read a lot of them this year. Needed that nice fix it content post season 7.

4) Zuko and Katara - Avatar: the Last Airbender

Again I am a multishipper I have nothing against zukka it's cute. But I'm a zutara shipper first and foremost because when I first watched avatar I was like 13 and denying my gayness and gayness in general so I shipped the straight things and the straight things only. Most of these ships I stopped shipping - dramione, spuffy, some my little pony ones which we don't talk about. Zutara stayed. (I have nothing against any of the things I used to ship I just stopped shipping them so much/shipped new things more). I've continuously shipped zutara since I first watched avatar even if I didn't necessarily spend that much time on it it has always been here as one of my favourite ships. It has such good fanfic I swear including my favourite ever fanfic from any fandom - love thy enemy. Plus like the black games (reread this for the millionth time this year), a delicate subterfuge (which I read for the first time this year and damn it's so good) and so many more. With the avatar resurgence this year I haven't actually rewatched avatar aside from my normal random episode every now and then when I feel like it. But there's been a lot of avatar on my dash from people I follow getting into it and people I followed for avatar returning so naturally I returned to the fandom and read quite a lot of fanfic. I also read just a lot of avatar gen fics which were great at the whole found family thing I've been so obsessed with this year.

3) Catra and Adora - She Ra and the Princesses of Power

Catradora is canon! They kissed! What more is there to say. Arguably they should've been top but I never shipped them that much since I was always very much a multishipper when it came to she ra so yes I was very happy it became canon because we actually won for once but also I've never read much fanfic for them etc. But they are very much a dynamic I love and watching she ra all again in prep for season 5 I really enjoyed the build up of their relationship. The other two only go above because Buffy is my favourite show ever and damn there's some good fuffy fanfic and Aphra and Tolvan is both fresh in my mind and star wars owns me. Would love some catradora fic recs btw if anyone has them tho.

2) Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I didn't realise it was last year that I got super into them but according to my ao3 bookmarks it was lol. 2020 I swear it's lasted an eternity. I got into them about a month before lockdown (which feels like another lifetime). I've loved Buffy since I first watched it when I was 13. It's arguably still my favourite TV show. I've been through a lot of ships for Buffy - bangel to spuffy and now fuffy. I still think angel and her were a beautiful ship back in season 2 and especially in the angel episode I will remember you. But faith and Buffy had so much chemistry in season 3 - she would've been a fresh start for Buffy and the amount of fix it fics I read I swear. My favourite has to be one where they met in LA during Anne and how that changed everything feat Buffy's internal homophobia.

1) Cheili Lona Aphra and Magna Tolvan - Star Wars

I read Darth Vader (2015) and Doctor Aphra (2016) for the first time at the end of 2020 (got a comic subscription which has served me very well already I've nearly finished the star wars canon comics). Just to see canon queer ladies in star wars was so magical for me as a queer lady. I didn't think star wars would be so overt yet as to have a queer kiss in canon (even if it's in the comics) and especially not with the main character of arguably their main comic series. Now we just gotta hope that we'll get it in live action someday soon. They weren't the ship I consumed the most content of in 2020 but they were the highlight of my 2020 because star wars did that and I finally found out about it

Honourable mentions: Vivian and Elle - Legally Blonde, Candace and Vanessa - Phineas and Ferb, Stevie and Alex - Wizards of Waverly Place, Xander and Spike - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I actually don't ship this but damn some authors are good - this was the ship that made me realise I don't need to like a ship if the author is good enough to write it well), Eli Vanto and Mitth'raw'nuruodo - Star Wars (started reading the books last year but finished this year and only started with fanfic this year), Villanelle and Eve - Killing Eve, Kanan and Hera - Star Wars, Barriss and Ahsoka - Star Wars, Remus and Sirius - Harry Potter, Kara and Lena - Supergirl (let's hope this becomes canon next year!) (Those last four are ones I've shipped forever some of my og ships but nothing particularly big has happened for me this year with them so)

I got Disney+ this year so rewatched a fair few things from my youth and though hey my obsession with that character may have been a little gay.

69 notes · View notes

eradicatetehnormal · 3 years

Text

Time For Me to Get Real and Slightly Hypocritical I Guess

So I don't know if you could tell or not but... I LOVE shipping. Especially when it comes to a little series called Kingdom Hearts, but I do it with other series to. Here's the deal though, as much as I like this part of fandom, I noticed that it can become obsessive. I'm not talking about stuff like people attacking the creators or people shipping real people (though that's important too), I'm talking about something much more small-scale, much more personal to me. Queer, slash, femslash, wlw, mlm, whatever you want to call them, type ships. NOW DON'T GET IT TWISTED, I am not out to attack queer fans of any ship (I am queer myself), I just want to talk breifly about how we can make the mistake of getting overly attached, and then disappointed. With me personally, I like shipping characters because I like thinking of fun scenarios and dynamics that would otherwise not be explored in canon, but for other shippers, it's much more intimate than that. Shipping has became their way of expressing themselves and most unfortunately, it's became their main sense of representation. That's almost heart-breaking to me. That someone could latch onto, not even a shown, canon concept, but an idea for that concept in their own minds, that it can genuinely affect their love of something, their interactions with a community. To think about how this idea turns out to not be true, and to have reality crashing down on them, that's just...sad. No one should have to do that. No one should have to rely on a concept that was likely never seriously considered to feel like they are getting the stories that they not only want, but need. Now I would say "queer people need to make their own content so we wouldn't need the fandoms of say, Kingdom Hearts, or Hannibal to feel represented", but here's the good news sis, WE'RE ALREADY DOING THAT! A bunch of queer people from all over the world are out here making LGBT movies, music, short series', tv shows, even some video games. I think that if we truely want to watch stuff that makes us feel seen, then we shouldn't just be making our own content, we should look for other content from other creators like us. (quick note: writing is hard my dude, so yeah, I say our here, but that's general. I feel like that's extra incentive to seek other content from queer creators though). There are apparently a bunch of free LGBT movies you can watching on Tubi. There are great short films, and animations that are ON YOUTUBE that you can be watching RIGHT NOW, and you don't even have to look that hard, just be like "free queer movies" "queer animations" "queer short films" AND BOOM BABY, it's all right there for you to be happy over! Now be NO MEANS, am I telling you to stop shipping f/f and m/m ships and go seek real queer content or whatever, hell, i'm about to start working on a Soroku oneshot compilation after i'm done writing this. I'm just saying that it's not good to rely on the idea of two characters that aren't your own, for representation or to get to emotionally attached. Though it's sad to say, we can't rely on major studios to give us content that authentically encapsulates us, our lives, our feeling, or our wants. Quite frankly, most of them have no real interest. While the battle to make our lives more "mainstream" is important, it's also important to acknowledge at least some of the lesser known, genuinely queer content out there that was made under harsh circumstances. (this is just me rambling at this point but holy moly, I just realized how much relevancy that many fandoms, and therefore series' would lose if most obsessive LGBT fans actually started doing this, and were less interested in their ships. My god, Kingdom Hearts would be almost COMPLETELY whiped from exsistance because the fandom would be almost completely silent. Whether you want to admit it or not, a HUGE portion of this fandom thrives off of ships wars between you-know-who and you-know-who. If it weren't for the shippers feasting off of that part in 2 where Sora and Riku reunite, would we have ever gotten another game after KH2? I'm

serious, really shit down and think about the state of Kingdom Hearts as series if hardcore SoRiku shippers weren't as intense as they are. lol) anyways that's the true end and OMG you read that much? Thank you. You've probably already seen this, but here, something special just for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cD4f6fH6Mk //This has conversation therapy in it// I LOVE this movie, it is HILARIOUS. I hope you like it too.

#fandom #fandom ships #shipping #fandom discussions #fandom discourse #lgbtq #lgbt fandom #personal #lgbt media

1 note · View note

alwaysahiccupandastrid · 4 years

Note

what are your thoughts on the skeleton twins

Hi! I finished watching it last night but desperately needed sleep after because I knew I had things to do this morning, and I also wanted to process it (sometimes I have to take some time to process movies, other times I just word vomit about them).

This is kind of long but I’ll add a read more later when I have the chance!

Anyway; The Skeleton Twins...I really enjoyed it! I went in knowing absolutely nothing except that Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig were in it and playing twins, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think, given the two actors I mentioned, I was expecting pure comedy or something? But I was so blown away by the film and the performances they gave.

Obviously I love both Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig anyway but this movie really showed their serious acting chops. There were some funny moments too, of course, but they’re both really talented doing genres outside of comedy too, and it sometimes takes me aback when I see comedians do such a good job with non-comedic roles - then again, comedy is probably the hardest genre to pull off, and so it’s no wonder they’re both talented anyway. (I’m rambling, sorry!)

{below here I’m talking about themes related to mental health/suicide, and I can’t put a read more at the moment because I’m currently on my mobile - I will be putting a read more here when I get the chance later!}

I was so taken aback though because the film starts with Milo attempting to commit suicide and Maggie contemplating it, and I guess...it’s something I have struggled with, and so it really made my heart drop especially when I saw Milo in the bathtub and the water turn red. It doesn’t show him actually cutting but we all know what happened. Without going into too much detail, SH and mental illness is something I really struggle with, even though I’m slowly recovering these days - it never truly goes away though, you know it’s there even if you’ve gotten better and it’s something you learn to cope and deal with.

Honestly, I was sort of pleasantly surprised by how well the film portrayed mental illness and suicide with both the main characters. I felt at times I should have hated Maggie for cheating and lying to her husband but I also sort of empathized with her (not with the cheating, just the whole situation and being in a huge mess), and I think what made the film was the relationship between the two siblings because it’s so real and natural, especially if you consider the circumstances when they were younger. Their interactions as siblings was so believeable too, like sometimes you’ll watch movies with siblings and the siblings are all mushy or too at each other’s throats, and it’s unrealistic. They both feel so relatable and easy to connect to, though I suppose I am kind of more biased towards Bill’s character because he’s the reason I watched it (after seeing the clip of him dancing online - that was literally the only part I had seen before).

This is kind of dumb, but as I said, I thought they did a great job portraying depression and the aftermath of the suicide attempts? Like when Maggie was drowning herself and then panicked and tried to swim back up but couldn’t - I’ve heard stories of people who have survived jumping off of bridges or whatever, and they’ve said that after making that jump they instantly regretted it. I think that’s so accurate - it’s not glamourizing suicide either, like it would have been so easy to have her sink peacefully and be rescued without her wanting it and then realize what she’s doing but instead they showed the panic, the regret.

I think what especially caught my eye, however, was the fact that Milo was wearing bracelets on his wrists later in the film to hide his scars and like...? That is so relatable, that is something I do during the summer if it’s been one of those instances, I wear bracelets and wristbands and sometimes even tie a bandana around my wrist to hide it.

I don’t know if that’s just something I do/have done and I’m projecting, or if it’s because actual research/thought was put into it, but either way it was something that really stood out to me and made him more relatable?

I can’t remember the name of Milo’s ex teacher but he can get fucked for all I care. He took advantage and manipulated a teenage boy and I think that’s important to remember. It would be easy to just freak out because omg cute gay couple but to me I just saw it as a one-sided unhealthy relationship where one is manipulative and abusive to the other who feels like they need their love, and it’s kind of depressing - but then Milo basically says “fuck that” by the end, and it’s beautiful because it’s like he’s deciding “you know what, I deserve to be treated better” - and he does, he really does. Beforehand it felt (to me) like he allowed himself to be used and mistreated because he felt like that was the only way he could feel worthy, but then he grows and develops and I think that’s so important.

I think I should also briefly mention that the scene where Maggie tells Milo “maybe next time you should cut deeper” genuinely broke my heart for many reasons - because she’s so upset and her marriage is ruined and everything is a mess, so much so that she actually says that to him before immediately regretting it. And ofc I was so upset because that’s literally something your brain tells you when you’re depressed and suicidal/self harm, that maybe next time...yeah. You can see the flurry of emotions on his face as he processes what she said, like he’s in genuine disbelief that she - his own sister, his twin - said such a cruel and disgusting thing to him like that. It genuinely broke my heart to see, though I was glad they did eventually mend things between them.

Some other things I want to mention but don’t have the brain capacity to talk about properly because I’m exhausted and a dumbass:

The Marley and Me joke was so relatable omg, I read the more child friendly version when I was little but I had no idea the dog died and it broke my damn heart, so that little joke about Marley and Me was hilarious to me

Honestly I’m talking a lot about Bill Hader but I do truly adore Kristen Wiig too, like she’s probably one of the most diverse actresses who does all sorts of genres and projects - from voice acting to drama to SNL etc - and she’s incredible in this film.

Lance was a sweetheart and I feel sorry for him? Like he genuinely loved Maggie and was such a nice guy, and while some of the stuff he said wasn’t always helpful or correct, it came from a place of caring and that’s what matters. Also he was totally cool with his brother in law who he never met before coming and living in his house, and he even helped Milo get some work (even if said work WAS clearing brush away)

The scene where the twins go out and Bill Hader is dressed in drag is honestly a highlight of this movie

Actually the scene where he sees himself the first time in drag is also a highlight

The scene where the mother is making a long ass toast while everyone is waiting to drink their wine, and Maggie/Kristen Wiig just downs her glass before she’s finished is so relatable

Okay but there’s a scene where Milo goes to a gay bar looking for a lay and just...the night he goes, of course it’s fuckin “Dyke Night” (their words, not mine!) and then he comes home absolutely pissed and telling his sister and his brother in law that he just wanted “some c*ck”, omg I was laughing way too hard. Also let’s not forget that he said the two “lesbian ladies” he met were lovely and taught him to play darts, we love mlm and wlw solidarity!!

Well since we’ve already established I’m fucking trash for Bill Hader, let’s just include that moment where his character is shirtless (kinda) in bed

That scene where Maggie meets up with some woman she knew (in high school I think?) and that woman has a son, and the son is a little dick and the mom and the son are cussing at each other was a whole new level of hilarious I didn’t expect, like I was deadass expecting this chick to go on about how wonderful it is to be a mother even when he’s a dick to her, how it’s a great gift, but nope, she knows and even says he’s a fucking dick 😂

THE DENTIST OFFICE SCENE JESUS CHRIST I HAD TO PAUSE BECAUSE I WAS GENUINELY PISSING MYSELF WITH LAUGHTER?!

THAT DANCE SCENE AM I RIGHT, OMG, like he’s so cute and happy in that scene and then she joins in and it’s so dorky and fun??

I LOVE all the water imagery and shit, like maybe it’s just because I’m an absolute geek for swimming (it’s one of maybe three sports I don’t totally suck at??) and I love the cinematography underwater, whether it’s the skeleton key ring sinking or the scuba diving or Milo’s goldfish. So much wonderful cinematography and imagery!

This film has ultimately shown me that Wiig and Hader deserve Oscars and awards ASAP

Also this is just a general note to anyone reading, feel free to recommend movies to me anytime because I’m a cinephile and love getting to watch new films!

#the skeleton twins #kristen wiig #bill hader #asks #long post #will put a read more later!!

67 notes · View notes

alrangerz · 4 years

Note

If you are free, can you do a Rook x Doc fluff for the R6S prompts? Surprise us with the Valentine's romance?

I tried my best with this one since it’d be my first mlm oneshot, but I absolutely loved writing it! Thank you for this cute ship :D I hope you like it.

Doc x Rook Oneshot - Love and Lunch

Being an operator was an extremely grueling job, but it was one that allowed them to create relationships with each other, on the field and in private; that the job made it difficult to find time away for love. At least that’s what Doc always said when asked about his opinion on dating while being in Rainbow. The whole question came up due to Echo wondering what everyone was getting their significant others for Valentine’s Day, or what the current couples would be doing that day. Only because Harry allowed them the day off.

“So, what will Doc be doing today? Maybe telling a certain someone how he feels?” Echo set his phone down and smirked at Doc who was casually humming a tune to himself as he wrote something down in his notebook. “Hey, old man, are you even listening?”

Doc shut the notebook and nodded slowly. He glanced at Echo and placed his forefinger to his lips, silently telling him to be quiet. “What I will be doing is none of your concern. Now, if you will excuse me, I must get going.”

“Wait, come on! I was just messing!”

Doc smirked to himself as he walked away from the lounge area. He sighed quietly and checked his watch for the time, huffing when he noticed that he only had an hour to get ready.

Valentine’s Day wasn’t a day he normally deemed any different than every other day, but this year was different. He was going out on a lunch date with someone who made him feel special. Someone who made him happy, and who showed him that he was important no matter what. Those gorgeous blue eyes and charming smile that lit up the whole room he was in. That’s what Doc loved most about his partner, Rook.

Doc was always grateful for Rook on the battlefield and the armor he provided to the team; some even claimed that he and Doc were almost deadly together. They were, technically, with Doc giving Rook that extra stim before the younger man would rush out and take down as many enemy operators as he could. At least they were considered deadly in simulation training.

But when they were sitting on base almost six feet apart, they turned into blushing messes, fumbling over their own words as they looked for something to say to the other.

“Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s Day.”

“If you are wondering if we are doing anything, just be ready by 1400 hours. I will come by your room.”

Doc smiled to himself as he mulled over the few words Rook had spoken to him before the young man left the room, but not without pulling the combat medic in for a quick kiss. The French man pressed his fingers to his lips just at the thought of kissing his fellow operator. He shook his head and rushed to his room to begin getting ready. He was more than ready to know what had planned for them.

When 1400 hours struck, Doc was just finishing putting on his shoes before he looked over his form in the mirror. He looked decent in light blue, which was the color of his button-up which he paired with white pants and white dress shoes. He had put on his silver watch and sprayed a small amount of cologne over himself. Just as he finished, a light tapping sounded from the other side of his door. He ran a hand through his hair and quickly opened it, smiling softly when he saw Rook standing before him with a single rose between his fingers, and a box of chocolates in the other hand. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Gustave! I brought you a rose and some chocolates. I hope you will accept these gifts from me.”

The sight alone was enough to warm Doc’s heart; he took the chocolates and the flower from his partner and leaned forward to give the younger man a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, mon chéri. I will eat each one and appreciate what you’ve done for me while I take good care of the rose. Let me just put this somewhere and then we can go.”

Rook nodded in understanding as he watched Doc rush around the room trying to hurry up as he put the rose in a vase with water and set the chocolates on his bed. It was kind of adorable watching the usually calm doctor become frantic in his movements as he tried to hurry. Then he noticed what Doc was wearing, and suddenly he felt underdressed. Rook was wearing a pair of light blue denims and a black polo shirt with black boots. It was formal casual, unlike Doc who was dressed in formal.

“Julien? Is everything okay?”

The young operator looked up at his partner and smiled. “Oui, I was just thinking about the fact that I am a little underdressed.”

Doc shook his head and joined him in the hallway. “You look fine. I am just a little overdressed.” The statement was followed by a chuckle, and that alone made Rook’s heart skip a beat. It was a lovely sound, and he would never get tired of hearing it. He shook his head and held out his hand. “Come on. I want us to get there on time.”

“Where are we even going?”

“You’ll see when we get there. It isn’t that far from here, so we will be walking.”

Doc hummed in agreement as he took Rook’s hand and followed him out of the building. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and he knew the little town in Greece would be bustling with local townspeople. His suspicions were correct the moment they arrived in the town. Some of the smaller kids who recognized them greeted them until Rook took Doc down a closed off path.

The path was gated and the sidewalk was lined with flowers of all sorts; beautiful flowers that smelled divine. Nature truly was amazing. They continued to walk until the path led to a small area with a table in the middle. On the table were wine glasses, plates, and even small menus.

“Julien…this is-“

“A lot, I know I’m sorry. I just wanted our first Valentine’s to be perfect.”

Doc smiled like an idiot. “It is perfect. Just being able to do this with you makes it perfect. Come, let’s sit and enjoy.”

Rook rolled his eyes, but kept that grin on his face as he followed Doc to the table. He slipped in front of the older man and pulled his chair out for him, and pushed it in slightly when he sat down. He took his own seat moments later, and everything went perfectly as soon as he did.

The lunch was amazing; Doc had enjoyed the food very much, but he was saddened that their date was almost over. Before he could voice his thoughts, Rook pulled out a box from under his seat. It wasn’t a ring box, which Doc was a little grateful for.

“Julien, my love, what is that?”

Rook shook his head and slid the box over to the doc.

“My gratitude and love for you all in one. I wanted to give you this and show you how much you mean to me. I hope you will accept this gift.”

Doc was at a loss for words even when he took the top off the box. It was a necklace, a silver one, with the medical symbol on the chain and Doc’s initials in the middle. Upon flipping it over, he noticed a little message.

My dearest Gustave. I will forever care for you as long as I live. Take this as a reminder of me whenever you are away. I love you.

-Julien

Doc closed his hand over the necklace and looked back to his partner. “This is perfect. I…Thank you so much for this. I will treasure it forever. And…I love you too.”

Rook felt so much joy hearing those words. He got up from his seat and rushed to Doc’s side to envelop him in a tight hug. After a few moments, he pulled back to give the older man a soft kiss.

Doc melted into the kiss immediately. He wrapped his arms around Rook’s waist and kept him close. “Thank you for today,” he whispered after pulling away.

“No need. You deserve it. All of it. I can assure you that.”

#ask #mirrorworldangel #rainbow six siege #r6s #doc #rook #gustave kateb #julien nizan #mine #doc x rook #r6s rook #r6s doc #my writing

25 notes · View notes

writteninsunshine · 4 years

Text

I Like The Universe - Saïx/Xemnas - NSFW

Title: I Like The Universe

Author: Donnie

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Setting: The Castle That Never Was, Xemnas’ Room

Pairing: Saïx/Xemnas

Characters: Saïx, Xemnas, Axel

Genre: Romance

Rating: M

Chapters: 1/1

Word Count: 14450

Type Of Work: One-Shot

Status: Complete

Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, MLM, Oral Sex, Vague Master/Pet, Blowjobs, Face-Fucking, Skull-Fucking, PWP

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything.

Summary: The universe didn’t always have to be stars and planets.

AN: Hey guys, it’s me again! Just thought I ought to say, if you want vague updates and to talk to me more, I have Twitter and Tumblr, too! Twitter is Sunshinecackle, and Tumblr is Writteninsunshine! I also have a writing Discord that is currently pretty dead. xD I can PM it to people who want it on FFN, for everyone else, it’s here: https://discord.gg/FyaWw25

I had this thought in my head last night and had to write it, I guess. I’m glad to get something written, I’ve been using writing sprints to get something done. It helps me to focus, so that’s good, at least. I’ve been needing to write more.

Kingdom Hearts Fic Masterlist

I Like The Universe

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Saïx liked the universe.

Something about the vastness of it, the sky spattered with stars, the knowledge of other Worlds, it all settled the anxiety in his chest. He could look out of the windows, or go to a high place to think, and the universe was always there to comfort him, to wrap its inky tendrils around his mind. It soothed his non-heart until it didn’t scream anymore until it was silent, and the silence was better than the loudness of his thoughts.

Saïx liked Xemnas.

He shouldn’t have, and he knew that, deep down. Axel and himself had gone into this not wanting to fall on his side. The unfortunate part was that it seemed that he was going to be left in the dust, their plan forgotten. There was nothing left of what they had once wanted to accomplish, and Saïx had been left behind, abandoned for the next cool thing. His heart, or lack thereof, had ached for days.

That same silence he craved in his head became his entire personality, his loyalty in the right place to be swayed. Xemnas was nothing if not practical, and he’d seen it fit to call Saïx to his precipice, to draw him in and welcome him home. If he could keep someone’s loyalty, well, that was better than all of these little plots among his supposedly happy family.

“You wanted to see me, Superior?” Saïx asked calmly, watching the elder man as he gazed at Kingdom Hearts.

“Yes,” Xemnas spoke plainly, turning slowly, ethereal in all of his movements, “I am glad you arrived when you did. Has everyone checked in that was supposed to?”

“Yes, Superior.” The blue-haired man nodded, “Everything seems to be taken care of for the day.”

“Good. I was hoping you could join me in my room.” The elder man told him, stepping closer. A gloved hand pressed into Saïx’s cheek and he leaned into it, eyelids slipping closed. “Would you care to?”

“Yes, Superior.” He craved the attention, no matter what it was.

“Good.” Opening a corridor, Xemnas gestured for the other to enter, “Please, after you.”

“Yes, Superior.” Those words left him so often, but they made him feel obedient, which was something Xemnas sought in him constantly. Perhaps he wanted it, too, because it earned him nothing but praise. As he walked through the portal, he let the other lead him, feeling a hand taking his own. It brought a soft smile to his lips, and he allowed himself to be taken to the elder man’s room.

A companionable silence overcame them as they entered Xemnas’ room, and the nightly ritual of undressing and laying together began. Xemnas’ hands worked through his hair, pulling a soft noise of contentment from the blue-haired man, and Xemnas simply smiled for him, closed-lipped and soft.

“What would you like to do tonight, pet?” Xemnas asked him, finally, his head tilting against the pillow.

“I… Want to be touched,” Saïx responded softly, head tilting as those dark-skinned hands worked under his jaw to scratch there. It felt good, and his head fell back to grant him more access. Every gentle scrape of the other’s perfectly trimmed nails left him adjusting just slightly into the next touch and he sighed softly, content.

“Then I shall touch you. A loyal pet deserves nothing less.” The silver-haired male replied, kissing the scar between Saïx’s eyes and nuzzling his neck gently with his nose. Sitting up slowly, he let the blanket fall down to his hips, pooling there as his hands moved down Saïx’s chest. “On your back, pet.”

Rolling over and spreading out, Saïx bared himself to the other, watching as the elder man leaned down over his stomach. Soft hair tickled his abdomen as gentle kisses and sharp bites pressed into his skin. A soft throbbing began between his legs as those nails dug into his sides, scraping down to his thighs. Softly, a keening whine left him, and his back arched as the elder’s tongue swirled around his nipple, leaving him panting softly. Xemnas always knew how to touch him to set his every nerve on fire.

Saïx whined again when the other’s mouth found his hip bone, biting into it and sucking until his cheeks hollowed. The younger man wriggled beneath his mouth, only stilling when one of those deft hands wrapped around his cock and began to stroke. It was times like these that made him feel important when Xemnas would focus entirely on <i>his</i> pleasure, and not his own.

After a moment, those teeth left him and Saïx peered up just in time to watch Xemnas get up, settling between his legs. All of that dark skin pressed to and between his own left Saïx breathless, and he gasped as the elder’s tongue swirled around the head of his cock. No matter how much he wanted to watch, he found himself unable to, eyelids fluttering shut as he groaned.

Xemnas’ tongue played at the elastic bit of flesh beneath the head, and he sucked softly, leaving a panting groan pulled from Saïx’s lips. His hands fisted in the sheets, and the blue-haired man whined when he felt the other’s hand begin to stroke what wasn’t in his mouth. The other hand slipped down to roll his heavy balls, expertly pulling more gut-punched moans from his lips.

Finally, Xemnas’ mouth dropped lower, slowly taking in more of him, sucking him deep and moaning around him. Swallowing around the head in his throat, he delighted in the howl of a moan leaving the other man, his back arching and hips threatening to leave the bed. He slurped loudly, sucking his way back to the head, before giving a little purr of a moan.

“You may thrust if it suits you, pet. You’ve been so good for me.” Xemnas couldn’t have said anything better, and the second that his lips closed around his prick again, both of Saïx’s hands flew to his hair. Thrusting up into the hot, wet cavern, his eyes rolled back, mouth open as he leaked precum down the other’s throat already. Xemnas gagged a little, at first, before relaxing his throat and letting Saïx have his fun. Sometimes that was all he had to do, let himself be used and the other was only that much more obedient afterward.

Even if that wasn’t the goal, Xemnas rather did enjoy how the other’s cock bulged his neck when he thrust, and he found himself closing his legs to try and mitigate some of his own arousal. Saïx was a handsome young man, and a good person to have on your side, even if he occasionally dallied with the wrong crowd. All he cared about at the moment was Xemnas and the pleasure that the elder could give him, and sometimes, that was enough.

Saïx worked himself into a frenzy, bucking off the bed wildly and force-feeding the other his cock with each erratic movement. It felt too good to finally be able to get some of that wild energy out, and all he had to do was chase his orgasm like it was the only purpose left for him. Xemnas would let him use him, and it was possibly the best thing anyone could have given him at this point in his life.

Throat spasming around him as Xemnas gagged again, Saïx felt the heat pooling in his stomach twist and he gave a loud howl, tossing his head back as his body went stiff. Both feet dug into the bed and pushed down, and he thrust up as he came, filling the other’s belly as he swallowed. Fists turned to soft palms, smoothing down Xemnas’ hair as he came down, hands quaking. He felt so good, now. It… Really was amazing how much more relaxed Xemnas could make him.

Slowly pulling off of his cock, Xemnas let it fall from his lips with a gentle ‘pop’ and laid it on Saïx’s belly. He smiled up at the other as he pet his milky thighs, and he kissed one of them before rising and falling in bed beside the other. Saïx was too tired to do much, smiling and nuzzling into him, holding the other male close. Asleep in a matter of seconds, Saïx remained curled around the silver-haired man for the rest of the night, Xemnas happy to work himself off slow and careful under the covers beside the other. Tomorrow would be a productive day, for sure.

Saïx loved the universe, but when he thought about it, he wasn’t thinking about planets and galaxies. It was Xemnas; even if they couldn’t love, his heart had figured it out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Alright, so that is out of the way! I’d had this idea even if I didn’t know where it was going last night and finally sat down to write it. I hope you guys enjoyed it!

#Kingdom Hearts Fanfic #Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction #SaiXem #kingdom hearts saix #kingdom hearts xemnas #saix x xemnas

2 notes · View notes

ebiizaleth · 5 years

Text

so season 8 was a shitstorm

DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. HUGE RANT AHEAD.

First, we need to talk about Allurance. So few were rooting for it, and so few were actually expecting it, which made it even more disappointing than it was in the pure essence of the show. It was poorly developed and made practically no sense at all. Lance was after Allura since season 1 and every time he made any romantic advance on her, she shut him down, damaging his self esteem and fueling his insecurities.

The first time she ever showed any kind of romantic interest in him (s7 ‘blush’ scene) was out of the blue, had no development, and most of all, made no sense whatsoever. So, now Allura’s agreeing to go on a date with him as the first notable event in the season, which, again, made no sense and seemingly came out of some kind of Senseless Abyss. Originally, she didn’t even seem enthusiastic about going with him until Romelle encouraged her. And then the dinner, which felt forced and gave no extra insight to the characters except that Lance felt uncomfortable with his childhood stories being revealed to Allura (again, she fuels his insecurity). Even worse, Lance dropping the big “I love you” on their first date was from nowhere and completely abandoned any sense of his character the season hadn’t already stripped from him.

Worse, Allura wasn’t what Lance needed. The show is made for children, if I’m not mistaken, meaning it should give at least some lessons to kids about how life is. In that, you don’t always get the girl, and definitely not by pining after her for years. Allura didn’t do anything for (much less ‘develop’) Lance’s character. Lance needed someone who could empower him, aid him in overcoming his insecurities and helping him to develop as a person and bring out his positive qualities. Instead, she stripped him down to a tiny part of his character and made him solely for the purpose of being a love interest. If Allurance had actually been developed and made Allura a character who checked the boxes in that she is what Lance needs, I’d be far less infuriated and more just disappointed that it wasn’t a ship I prefer. Honestly, I could go on more about how annoyed I am by the Allurance clusterfuck but I’m going to show some mercy.

Second point. The characters. I mean, the characters are what make Voltron what it is, right? The characters are what the audience fell in love with at the start. But season 8 completely ruined any idea of that. Threw it all out the window. All logic seemed to depart the writers when actually writing the characters. Keith’s character and style was just... not. He was a lot softer than he was in previous seasons, which was nice to see, but there was pretty much nothing that led to him acting that way. A random change of heart isn’t exactly Keith’s (or anyone’s???) style.

Pidge was decent this season but had no development yet did get some good ‘look-at-me-I’m-smart’ moments (which, let’s be honest, we have seen too much of before). Hunk, again, was reduced to a fat joke and ‘likes cooking’. Shiro was practically nonexistent this season, which was one of the things I was really afraid of in the build-up to the season. Shiro’s irrelevance was so obvious that it made him relevant. And just for the brownie points, they throw in a wedding scene with some random background character and a good old mlm kiss to spice things up. Then there’s Allura. Who, to be honest, hasn’t changed much as a person through the course of the show. The only real change we saw in Allura was that she suddenly started to have feelings for Lance.

The person everybody’s talking about (and who am I to break a trend?), however, is Lance. This season, in my eyes, didn’t even include Lance. The ‘boy from Cuba’ on the screen was not any Lance I’ve ever seen. By halfway through the first episode, there was practically none of Lance left, and no clear reason for his abandonment of character other than Allura. His inner insecurity vanishes, any cockiness or arrogance disappeared, and he had little to no ‘funny’ and/or ‘dumb one’ lines. He was kind, calm, emotional and mostly collected throughout. Which is definitely a part of Lance’s character, but only a small segment.

And the plot? Didn’t understand about nine-tenths of it. In fairness, it may have been because I was pretty much bored out of my mind and stopped focusing, but either way, it was boring as fuck. It was frustrating, confusing and made almost no sense. From the random fight scenes to the overabundance of mechas and robots, I was done from around the fourth episode. I was confused for the entire thing.

We all already knew that Altean Lance was quite a popular concept, but not like this. Never like this. First of all, for about the billionth time I’ve said in this post, it makes zero sense. Is Lance part Altean now? Does he have any special powers or just the markings, an imprint on Allura’s unfortunate permanence on his character? So he can be sad about her for the rest of his life, and never move on? And for him to go on to be a fucking farmer and his whole life to revolve around Allura? That is not the Lance that we knew for seven seasons. I call bullshit. I’m genuinely really pissed off about this because Lance was such a fan favourite and they did him so dirty, just like they did us all dirty.

Finally, the whole thing felt so odd and disjointed. It didn’t feel like a season of Voltron, it felt like one huge mess. The characters’ interactions, of the few that actually mattered outside of Allurance were weird and felt forced. Even the Klance-y moments felt slightly wrong in that Lance went to seek out the one person on the team he’s always struggled to get along with to have a heart-to-heart. The episodes all seemed to blur into one mix of bullshit and there were a shit ton of loose ends/unexplained bits of plot from both this season and previous ones that leave us all clueless as to what became of certain characters, why some events went the way they did, etc. The rest of Voltron, for the most part, managed to lead on well and keep the characters’ personalities consistent (even if they weren’t being developed). This was a shitshow.

By the end, with all the shit it had thrown at us, like going in Honerva’s mind, the fucking Altean markings, everyone being a shitty character and Allura dying having no lasting repercussions except turning Lance into some ridiculous stagnant idiot, I pretty much lost all sense of caring. To be honest, they could’ve ended it at the end of season 7 (minus the “It’s an Altean!!11!!” thing) and everyone would’ve been happier.

While I hated a lot about the season, there were a few things I did enjoy:

- Pidge with bunchies and she looked great this season

- Keith being soft (irritatingly without reason)

- Bae Bae

- Getting to know the MFEs (and Kinkade’s vlog/passion being shown)

- Colleen Holt (and her liking ‘Plance’)

- Veronica/Axca interactions

- Matt Holt

- The animation improved a bit??

- Ponytail Keith

- Shiro did get a happy ending, no matter how shittily done

95 notes · View notes

santiagonex · 6 years

Text

listen up bottoms, I just realized this year was really kind to me when it comes to gay themed mlm movies that got released/I’ve watched in 2018 so let me make a quick little sum up of the ones I enjoyed...

120 BPM – sad but touching, saw the movie in a cinema full of het couples so that eased the fear of something bad happening as the worst possible scenario already happened with the straights making out RIGHT in front of my eyes... cute little 7/10

Alex Strangelove – I didn’t know what to expect when first watching the movie, but I enjoyed how casual it all was, the story just flowed with some offensive jokes here and there and with some cringe moments here and there but at the end of the day, these kind of movies are relaxing to watch and I didn’t regret seeing it, but it still could have been done better in my opinion 6/10

Call Me By Your Name – this one sparked a cute little controversy by people who should probably get out more often, but anyways brilliant Oscar-nominated masterpiece... the scenery... the acting performances... the dad’s speech at the end that made me come out to my parents... well it will always be a special movie to me at least... 10/10

God's Own Country – when I watched this for the first time, I was a little disappointed given how many people were praising it and I just didn’t enjoy it that much, the scenes and the story were amazing and that one gay resembles Matthew Daddario a little so... WHEW... but still there’s something missing for me, amazing movie tho 8/10

Ideal Home – this was so unexpected but honestly Paul Rudd in a gay movie? iconic confirmed... heart-warming cute little comedy slash other genres... I genuinely enjoyed it for what it is + happy ending... 6/10

Jonas – this one in particular has something special that made me finish it despite knowing something bad had happened right off the bat... two intertwined storylines coming together, stunning camera work... but if you don’t want to be crushed by the end of the movie, please don’t watch 5/10

Just Friends – this one is a fucking gem... such an amazing gay rom-com I still can’t believe it’s just a television movie... the gays have chemistry, the storyline is amazing and upbeat... if you want to watch a cute happy movie, definitely go for this 10/10

Love, Simon – that was a classic, that was a classic.gif... despite some imperfections, we finally got our gay commercially successful high school rom-com movie and for that alone it deserves 10/10

Mario – the whole concept of two football players in the same team falling for each other is a complete SNATCH and something I’d want to read on AO3 but the execution alone wasn’t really IT in my opinion... there was chemistry but the whole gloomy vibe wasn’t something I expected... I guess 6/10

My Best Friend – I don’t want to spoil since the movie is still in a limited release so all I can say is that this movie will make you dive deep into nostalgia, it’s about something most of us gay youth had experienced at least once, astounding scenery and chemistry... 10/10

Saturday Church – enjoyable movie, I was happy to see Indya and Mj in it, the songs were.... not IT, but the movie has a heart and you can really feel the love despite some technical... issues + it’s the most diverse gay movie of this year so far 7/10

Sodom – well... took me like 20 minutes to realize the whole movie will include only two actors... and it’s something different... but it just didn’t do anything for me but at least it had that king from Chrolli ship... 4/10

watched but eh: Postcards from London, M/M released/plan to watch: A Moment in the Reeds, Grimsey, Hooked, Paper Boys, Riot, Sorry Angel, The Happy Prince, The Revival yet to be released: Boy Erased

#gay rec #gay movies #made this a cute lil directory yall can use when wantin to watch some ghey movie from 2018 #lgbt #i need to watch sorry angel already its the only one out of the bunch that looks really budgeted nnnn #text

179 notes · View notes

theliterarywolf · 5 years

Text

So, Let’s Talk ‘Love Death and Robots (Episodes 10-18)

Hey guys, I finally decided to finish off my write-up on Netflix's Love Death and Robots, even though I hope that anyone who wanted to give the show a chance has by now. If you need a bit more coaxing, I covered the first 9 episodes here (you can also find my rating system explained there) and I go over the last 9 episodes here.

Oh, also... I know that there's the whole 'Netflix arranges to episode order based on your sexual orientation' thing going on. Even though I think that's kind of bunk because I don't recall Netflix sending me an email to ask 'Hey, so... can we know if you're straight or not?'

I’m going by the episodic order on my first and second viewings.

Let's get started.

Episode 10 – Shape-Shifters

I know people have been making the jokes of 'Lol, who was the closeted gay Republican furry who wrote this short~?” But, God, can... Can we please get more domestic supernatural pieces like this?

Homoerotic subtext or not, watching this story reminded me of one of my grievances whenever I try to wade through the muck and the mire that is the Kindle Store: that being, in regards to MLM writing, you're either a cowboy or a werewolf.

And no one does anything unique with writing gay cowboys or gay werewolves. It's always 'I'm a closeted, homophobic son of a bitch who needs my heart melted by the northern newcomer and their high-falutin' ways' or 'we're werewolves so we have to live by A/B/O-Omegaverse rules, I guess???'

The execution of this story, the melding of fantasy and the real world is something that I like to see in media but, more than often, is shat out into a mess of awkward writing and characters. I'm looking at you, Bright.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

No, this is more of a fantasy, horror, military-drama combo that does wonders.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I mean, with Teen Wolf gone and Supernatural on its way out, I think a fully-developed series leading up to the short that we get here, talking about the main two characters growing up as werewolves and how the world treats them would have a great place in prime-time.

Episode 11 – Helping Hand

127 Hours, eat your fucking heart out! I felt more from this one short about suffering and sacrificing for the sheer essence of surviving the insurmountable than I did with the whole of 127 Hours. Which is kind of bad considering how the latter is based on an actual true story.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The main reason the main character has to do what she does is because she's doing maintenance on a space-station.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I think this stands better on its own as is.

Episode 12 – Fish Night

(No Gif for this one. Pity...)

Allow me a second.

…

Okay.

If you've ever watched something like Disney's Fantasia or James Cameron's Avatar (Disclaimer – If anyone tries to insinuate that I would ever put Avatar on the same level as any Disney film in terms of quality/re-watchability, I will slap you), you get the sentiments of: 'this exists to be a very, fancy, elegant tech-demo. I know I shouldn't think about story, but I am, and all I see is a very fancy tech-demo'.

That's the notion one gets with Fish Night. Another 2D addition to LDaR, the story of two business men stranded in a desert and the beauty of the natural world of past and present is visually stunning but, as soon as that night falls, you're going to know exactly what is happening for the rest of the story.

But it sure is pretty, though!

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Nope. It was just really pretty.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Nope. It's just really pretty.

Episode 13 – Lucky 13

The second of the stories in LDaR that has a 'last-stand' tilt, even though it doesn't kick in until the end. However, before that, I really enjoy what is another story with a legitimately strong female character, who also happens to be a woman of color, who comes up from the adversity of being a novice pilot and being given an airship with the most unfortunate of reputations to manage.

The relationship between the main character and the ship 'Lucky 13' is really what makes this story stand out.

Which... is ultimately bad for the story that rounds out the collection. But, that will come later.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The characters are essentially space-marines and they drive around in airships, what more do you need?

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Maybe a feature film. But it would have to devote every minute of a film's run-time to developing the universe and personalities of the human characters.

Episode 14 – Zima Blue

Admittedly, this one managed to keep me in suspense until the focus of the story first made himself visible. After that, we're taken on a minute trip through the phenomena of true talent, existentialism, and the concept of joy and self.

And... that's all I will say on that one.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Ooh, does this one have a robot...

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

You know, this one is a bit tricky. Maybe not a feature-length film but not pulled out into a TV series either. A thirty-minute short film, perhaps, would let the setting and artwork shine more.

Episode 15 – Blindspot

(No Gif again...)

You know, I keep forgetting that this one exists. It's not even that it was bad, it just...

Okay, so I watch a review channel on YouTube from time to time called “Double Toasted” and, even though I don't agree with about 75% of their stance on LDaR, what they said about this one was pretty spot on.

It's reminiscent of the classic Saturday Morning Cartoons of the 80s... Just with more swearing and death.

Because, yeah, this story follows a team of multi-colored androids driving EXTREME! vehicles while trying to steal a secret computer-chip from a carrier convoy. And all of the androids represent a common character trope seen in those sorts of cartoons: the Cool Dude leader, the brawny idiot, the smart-talking girl, and the green-behind-the-ears junior character.

I actually liked the animation to this one but story-wise it really is just your EXTREME! Saturday Morning cartoon with cursing and violence.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Yeah, the entire cast.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Maybe a TV series... Ooh, especially if it was done by someone like Christy Karacas (Superjail! and BallMasterz: 9009)

Episode 16 – Ice Age

(I should probably come to the conclusion that no one on this site cared enough about these last few shorts...)

Okay, this one I feel cheated in order to be included in here because it honestly feels so out of place. You get to follow a new, quirky couple moving into their first place together and, whoa-oh! They find an old freezer and decide to look inside to decide whether or not they should keep it!

… And, inside, is a micro-ecosystem that shows the entire past, present, and future of the human-race before blazing out in a fluorescent heat-death in front of their eyes.

All while said quirky couple makes commentary on what they're seeing.

I still don't know what animation was used for a good portion of the freezer-scenes. Was it CG combined with scaled-down camera or what?

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

Tech... nically...

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Oh, honey, no... A feature-length film of this would be on the same level of all of those ironic romcoms we got in that painful period of the early 2000s and a TV series of this would be canceled after three episodes.

Episode 17 – Alternate Histories

Look, I get where people come from with Alternate Histories: 'this one was goofy', 'it ran a bit too long', 'fake news'. And, honestly, when the title first showed up on my screen, I was cringing because I was sure they were going to spend 8 or 10 minutes of talking about a certain annoying pumpkin man.

However, I actually had fun with this one. Yeah, it seems like the flow and writing seems more like it would be at home on something like Robot Chicken at times, but I still liked it.

Besides, we get to watch a little Cartoon Hitler being killed over and over and over. What's not to like?

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

The Alternate History software in of itself is reminiscent to your 'what-if' tropes in science fiction. Just condensed and split apart into a few different scenarios.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

I couldn't see a full film or series of this working but maybe, like I said, if an entire episode of something like Robot Chicken was just dedicated to making up a dozen different ways to kill Hitler, that would be pretty interesting to watch.

Episode 18 – The Secret War

This, I feel, is the true casualty of LDaR. Not because it's bad on a technical level, it's actually visually stunning. Not because it's bad on a story-telling level, the writing is actually solid.

No, the main fault of The Secret War... Is that it is the last story in LDaR.

That it's the THIRD 'Last-Stand' story we've seen in an anthology of 18 different stories. I can understand the team behind LDaR wanting to have something like this be its finisher because, as I said, the art direction and writing behind it are really worthy of some fine cinema.

But it would have been better for everyone involved if they had swapped this one's position with something like Zima Blue or Lucky 13. By this point in watching the series, you're kind of reflecting on the darker stories but appreciating the lighter ones as well. So you'd want something with a little bit of hope to finish things off with.

And, trust me: those who know me know that I'm a proponent of 'more dark stories in media/not everything needs a happy ending'. This one just needed to be earlier in the anthology because, oof, I just was not able to get invested in the characters and their struggle. You know that it's not going to end well, you're just watching characters march towards their deaths.

And, again, this would have been fine... Had it been episode 6 or 8. But, no, this is how we decide to end off this cavalcade of high-concept art.

Think back to Night on Bald Mountain from the Original Fantasia. Yes, the initial orgy of horror and fright from Chernabog and his minions is a decadent display but a lot of its weight and impact would have been lost if the film just ended with that. That's why having the brief ending of the Ave Maria segment works: to keep things balanced so that everything in Fantasia can be appreciated in checks and balances.

LDaR unfortunately didn't have that foresight. So, what should have been a feast feels more like a push to get through.

Did it Have a Robot – Yes? Or No?

No, this was one of the fantasy/horror pieces.

Could this Stand Its Own as a Feature Film/TV Series?

Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe a feature-length film just so that the universe and characters can present themselves on their own, rather than having to bear the weight of being the big finisher to the impact of 17 other stories. But it would still be a risk.

So, those are my thoughts on Love Death and Robots. Personally, I would LOVE for there to be a season 2 of this with more writers involved so we can get an overall more distinct portfolio of writing approaches (as well as maybe serve as a springboard for up-and-coming writers, hm..?)

I do acknowledge the risk of making something like this a yearly thing (many critics of Black Mirror insist that the series' recent low-points are due to the writers having to constantly come back and try to one-up their poignancy), but I think the risks would be dealt with if, again, more writers were allow to join in.

Oh well, feel free to tell me how you felt and what your personal favorites were. Thanks for reading and have a good one!

#Wolf Watches #love death and robots

14 notes · View notes

blayzez · 5 years

Text

I'm sorry, I know I don't usually post discourse on my blog. I'm just... really hurt right now.

At the age of 24, after spending my entire childhood forcing myself to believe I was straight because that's what my family and religion said I was supposed to be, I finally acknowledged that I was bisexual. Even then, I was still second-guessing myself: What if I only think I'm bisexual because the internet/social media makes it seem like the "In" thing? What if my sexuality is just a mask and not who I really am? What if, what if, what if. It was hard.

Then I saw Voltron. Lance seemed to have a bisexuality arc laid out for him, and it was obvious that he didn't quite know he was bi and/or wasn't emotionally ready to acknowledge it.

That was just so validating. It made me happy to know that being confused about your sexuality -- not being sure if you're the sexuality you think you might be -- was common enough to include it in a kid's show and it made me feel so much better! I was so happy, and with Lance's help (and the help of my friends and therapist), I was able to finally accept my sexuality for what it was. And I'm an adult. Think about how many kids his arc could have helped! Kids who were questioning, kids who were unsure, kids that might not being surrounded by a good support system and have to hide who they are. Lance was shaping up to be someone kids could really look up, admire, and in turn accept themselves for they are because of him.

And now that's washed down the drain. It meant so much to me, perhaps meant so much to a lot of kids that needed that role model, but it clearly meant nothing to the writers and that is just so disheartening.

This isn't even about shipping. I love K/ance with all my heart, but I would be okay with any endgame ship so long as it was written well. This includes keeping the characters in-character and allowing the romance to help in their character development. Keith was the most likely candidate -- he really did make Lance a better person and vice versa -- but if someone else filled that role and filled it well, I would have been perfectly fine with that! But that's not what we got. Instead, the boy who has been insecure ALL SERIES has to spend his only romance building up his partner and have that not be reciprocated. That most-likely-candidate boosted him up more than Lance's actual romantic partner, and that is just bad writing. That's not a good relationship. Relationships are two-way streets; you can't have only one of the partners be supportive -- they have to be EQUALLY supportive. And A//urance was not that. A//urance was rushed, did not help the characters develop in the slightest, and took away TWO great role models.

I don't like Allura. I think I've made this clear before, but I really don't like her. I was neutral to her in s1, then the whole Not-All-Galra arc happened in s2 and my opinion of her started going down at that point.

But she didn't deserve the hand she was dealt. She was the only woman of color in the main cast, and they KILL HER??? WHY????? I may not have liked her, but that doesn't mean she was a bad character! On the contrary, she was a great role model and I'm sure many girls of color looked up to her. And then they just kill her? First they take away the great role model Lance could have been as a confused bisexual character, and then they take away the only woman of color on the main cast. WHAT. THE. FUCK. You can't just do that! I feel so horrible for the kids who looked up to those characters only to have it all ripped out from under their feet.

Oh, but there was a random gay wedding at the end, so that makes it alllllllll better~

Except it doesn't. Adding in a gay wedding/kiss with little-to-no build-up is more likely to cause confusion than anything else. And it doesn't erase how dirty they did Lance and Allura. Both characters deserved better.

On the topic of shipping, yes, it was queerbait. I refused to believe the showrunners were doing that -- I absolutely refused because I trusted the showrunners completely. Surely they wouldn't have ALL OF THESE ROMANTIC PARALLELS between K/L with other canon romantic couples for nothing. Surely they wouldn't have developed K/L's relationship more than any other relationship unless there was a really good reason for it. SURELY THEY WOULDN'T BE OKAY WITH VAGUING ABOUT THE SHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND BEING OKAY WITH DW USING K/L FOR MARKETING PURPOSES IF IT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.

But nope. All of the media techniques to subtly hint at a romance used specifically for K/L meant nothing. It was just bros being bros nothing gay here.

And that is BULLSHIT.

Honestly, the whole season just screams, "SHOCK VALUE," to me. They wanted to shock people, but I don't think they really considered the repercussions of how they were doing it. I get shock value, bringing up the interest and encouraging audiences to rewatch the series to understand why the shock was actually built-up from the beginning, but there's right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. Voltron took the wrong way and screwed it up royally.

To be clear, I am not against straight ships. Far from it, some of my favorite ships are heterosexual. Nor do I fetishize mlm relationships -- K/L is only the second mlm relationship I've come to really love (the first being Hau and Gladion from Pokemon Sun & Moon). It's just that K/L really struck a chord with me and with so many other people, and to take that away for the sake of a straight ship and some shitty shock value? Dirty thing to do to the show's audience. Don't build up proper LGBT+ rep UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY FUCKING HAVE IT. The only rep? Shiro, and a hastily-added Zethrid/Ezor ship. Blaytz, too, but that was glossed over tbh and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the audience (not on tumblr because we analyze everything to death lol) completely forgot about Blaytz's interaction with that make Galra. That's not proper rep. That's throwing it in and thinking, "It exists so our job is done."

Media in general has being doing LGBT+ rep dirty for SO LONG. Even when we had positive LGBT+ characters in media, they were still characters based off of gay stereotypes. They were good positive characters, but were still perpetuating a certain bias against LGBT+ by displaying these stereotypes as fact. Times are supposed to be different now. We're supposed to be progressing, making it BETTER. I really thought Voltron was going to be part of that progress, that it would give us a well-written, well-developed, well-loved LGBT+ representation for kids of this generation to look up to and admire and learn acceptance -- about themselves and about others -- from. Instead, the showrunners three half-assed, tacked on LGBT+ reps and called it a day.

THAT'S NOT COOL.

This isn't about ships. This is about proper media representation for the LGBT+ community -- something that is really scarce, even now -- and how it affects the LGBT+ community when it's done badly. This also goes for racial rep. You can take two misrepresented groups and treat them horribly and then call it good rep. IT ISN'T. The poor representation of the LGBT+ community has proved to be detrimental in society's view of them. THIS DOESN'T HELP.

*sigh*

Off the topic of that, can we talk about how shit the writing was? Because it was really shit.

I'll admit that while I like s7, it wasn't written amazingly-well. Still, it wasn't bad and did have plenty of interesting episodes. Even with all of the asspulls we got in the last episode, it was still awesome because we got to see Shiro back in his element after losing almost everything in prior seasons. It was a mix of good writing and bad writing, but the good writing made up for the bad.

The seasons previous to that were well-done. Maybe not s4, but the other seasons were well-written and really enjoyable! There's a reason the show took off; the plot maybe standard, but the characters, character dynamics, and relationships were fantastic and were the true driving force behind the series and its success.

So why was s8 so all over the place? Why were plot threads that had been hinted at or outright confirmed left hanging or tied together hastily? So many things were alluded to in previous seasons only to lead to NOTHING. WHY???

Why did everyone BUT Lance get an arc?

What was the point of Lance getting a sword if it was never going to be brought up again?

Why was Keith's arc suddenly thrown to the wayside?

Why did Allura have to DIE for her arc to reach its conclusion?

WHY?

So many people complained about bad writing in Voltron, but I had always believed that the writing in Voltron was relatively good. Sure, it had its problems (like the entirety of s4, and the MFEs being boring as shit), but it was mostly a well-rounded show with well-rounded characters.

And s8... just threw all of that away.

All of that potential, all of those good arcs -- wasted.

The writing went downhill SO fast, and it's just such a shame. Something that meant so much to me has dissolved into the mess s8 was. It's disheartening.

I also want to apologize to all of my followers who followed me because my K/L optimism and metas. I'm sorry if I got your hopes up; I really thought K/L was the logical conclusion -- everything was building up to it, right from the first episode and even continuing in s7 (hell, even s8 added to it) -- and I truly thought the writers were going to follow through with all of the logical conclusions the previous seasons built up. I had faith in them, but I was wrong. For that, I apologize. I know it's just a cartoon show, but I also know how influential and meaningful media can be -- especially for marginalized groups -- so if my hype bringing you up made your fall harder when s8 was released, I am so sorry. You didn't deserve that; nobody in the fandom did.

I'm so jaded and disillusioned right now. Voltron has been a major inspiration for me; I originally decided to be a cartoonist to bring LGBT+ representation to children's media because of Steven Universe, but it was Voltron that really motivated me to reach that goal. I looked up to Voltron -- it was my muse, my main inspiration. I've learned so much about writing -- writing character arcs, relationships, etc. -- from Voltron and all of the analyzing people did. Seeing it devolve into what it did is upsetting. Something I loved so much has let me down, and I'm hurt and disappointed.

But more than ever, I want to create cartoons that don't do this; cartoons that tie up its loose ends, follow through with obvious character relationships, puts the main characters through complete arcs, and give proper development to them all. Cartoons that have proper LGBT+ and racial representation -- with LGBT+/characters of color that can be admired, that won't fall flat, that will teach the children of the generation about acceptance of others and acceptance of yourself regardless of sexuality, skin color, gender identity, etc. Voltron failed in that aspect; it was a compelling show that failed in everything it needed to succeed in. I refuse to make that same mistake.

With that, let's all look ahead to future and enjoy the fanworks that do these wonderful characters justice. Let Voltron's failure inspire you to create and make something better, something that will be much more impactful, much more meaningful.

Don't let it get you down; let it bring you up.

#voltron #voltron s8 spoilers #discourse #negative #im sorry to have this on my blog #but i needed to let this out #my post #reika rants

28 notes · View notes

insomniac-dot-ink · 6 years

Text

The Peacock Prince pt 3

Genre: fantasy, fairy tale, mlm

Words: 5.6k

Summary: A young man who is banished to a vast garden to spend the rest of his days, cursed to grow peacock feathers from his skin and walk the grounds.

A wandering soldier is charged by the neighboring town to fetch three feathers: one for health, two for luck, and three for wealth. Unfortunately, plucking the feathers off a reluctant peacock-boy is not as easy as it sounds.

A love story of avian dimensions in 4 parts

PART 1 ~ PART 2 ~ PART 3~ PART 4

Ko-Fi ⭐Patreon ⭐ WordPress

PART 3

The room smelled like heavy smoke, thick ale, and the tangible garble of voices in the air. Daven’s thoughts were buzzing slightly and he hiccups gently, the room only spins ever so slightly for him.

“A bastard,” he says loudly into the empty air, “a right definition of bastard.”

The garble of voices increases and one old sallow face leans in toward him from across the counter, “so we’ve heard.” Daven shakes his head, “bloody garden, bloody villagers. Let it burn!” The man’s lips twitch up, Daven recalls his name might be Bin or something similar. “You won’t be the first person frustrated with that place.” The man spit on the floor, “it’s evil.” “It’s ugly is what it is,” he takes a deep gulp of his beer, “and petty.” He finishes with another hiccup.

Bin snickers a little bit and another man near by turns toward him on the bar stool, “I take it you’ve met the prince then?” Daven’s eyes flick over to the new fellow, “who?” “The peacock prince,” The man had on a loose red shirt and a brown cap, he had shaggy dark hair and a brazen look to him. “You’ve been calling someone ‘a welt’ for the last hour, so I can only assume.” Daven raises his eyebrows, “you know him too?” He takes another deep gulp of his beer. “My condolences.” “Well, I know of him.” The man clarifies, “everyone that lives near that blasted garden does.” “We should burn it down,” Daven repeats darkly.

“If only!” The man calls, “I did hear though,” his eyes bore squarely into Davens, as if catching them in a glass jar and watching them glow like fireflies, “you got two feathers from the place.” “From the boy,” Daven finishes his beer. “I’ve heard of people getting one,” The fellow was fully facing him now, “but I haven’t heard of anyone managing two in years.” Daven’s face heats up at the memory, he had found a pair of pants drying out on clothes line, but he had to wait buck-naked in the bushes for hours until he could creep out and claim them.

“Well I did,” he scowls slightly, “and let’s just say after all that I could use another beer.”

The man laughs heartily, “Bin, get this man another drink. On me!”

Daven blinks a couple times and sits up straight, “That’s very nice of you,” he finally focuses on the fellow, he also had a long sword at his hip. “I’m Daven. You?” “Thatch,” the man puts his hand out, “nice to meet you lad, I expect we have a lot in common.” Daven tilts his head to the side, “besides the same tavern?” He grins, “you seem military.” Daven sinks into his shoes a little further and tries to his face completely neutral. “You too?” He shrugs, “retired.”

Daven exhales, he wouldn’t know. “Cheers then.”

They clink another round of beers and two of Thatch’s friends come over, he had five men under him and they were guards for hire for the local road. They traveled alongside caravans to keep them safe from robbers.

Daven just nods along and blinks away every thought of Ellis and arrogant flashes of liquid green eyes. He’d done his job, he’d delivered the two feathers to Mary Lee. They’d have a dinner in his honor the next day, it was over.

He was focusing on that and not the idea of whatever his shoes and socks were doing right now.

He nods again as Thatch says his name.

“So, you see Ferin, our new friend Daven here,” there it was, “broke into the gardens and managed to get not one, but two of those blasted feathers.” Daven wipes his mouth, “I don’t plan to do it again.” He tries to clarify, he gives a small smile. “I’m retired.” Thatch just grins and puts a mighty hand on his shoulder, “Wouldn’t ask you to, just a good story.” He hums, “hopefully it will be just a good story soon.” He exhales, “with a happy ending if those fields start growing in.” “Oh they will,” Ferin, an older man with a deep scar over his right eye says. “They always do once you put a little blessing in ‘em.” “Blessing?” Daven’s head was swimming, he tries to drag himself back to the present like hauling a dead body through a swamp.

Ferin nods and his companion gives a low grunt, “curses come wit’ blessings, that’s how the witch worked.” Daven sat up completely straight and looked both directions, “don’t tell me there’s a witch here too.” It almost sound like a long whine.

“Not anymore,” Thatch smiles good-naturedly, he winks, “she’s retired.”

Daven still doesn’t like the sound of that, “so she’s the one that made that place.” He says bitterly, “and… him I take it.” Thatch scratches his chin, “it’s a little… fuzzy. But close enough.” “I heard that prissy prince tried to bed the witch's daughter so she created that ugly maze for him to be trapped in.” “No no, the garden was separate,” Ferin says steadily, “that was all for the mad King Cephissus, for his arrogance for trying to create a place more beautiful than the Gods.” “The witch was no God,” Yeezus, the big fellow, says with a frown. “Just demons and curses this way out. Demons and curses.” Ferin puts a finger up, “and blessings. That’s how the witch worked.”

Daven hiccups gently and tries to follow all the back and forth, “so he… hit on the witch's daughter?” He tries to piece it all together like threading a needle through a cluster of nettles.

“That’s what the bards say.” They all agree with a nod.

“I heard he tried to have all the peacocks in the whole kingdom exterminated for being more beautiful than him,” Thatch says slowly. “That’s why he got those feathers.”

Yeezus chuckles, “I heard it was just for being a cocky little shit.”

“I wouldn’t doubt that,” Daven finishes what felt like his sixth beer. He hoped the party for him tomorrow would be a quiet one for his head’s sake.

“Preening’ and flirting and opening his legs to anyone that will take an arrogant blue blood-” “Yes yes,” Thatch waves his hand. “But those feathers.” The man pet his short beard. “It’s a shame he isn’t… reformed.” Daven leans down on the sticky counter and closes his eyes, “Good people don’t get cursed,” he says slowly with a yawn, “so I wouldn’t hold your breath on reform.” Thatch pats his shoulder, “you should rest up, I hear you’re a hero.” He wipes at his eyes, “for now.” He groans into the counter, “until they ask again.” Daven doesn’t completely remember the rest of the night.

----------------------------

Three for Wealth

Daven curls up into himself, his head pounds like a great wave crashing through his temples every few seconds. “Oh my God,” he covers his face and groans deeply as he hears tickles of noise outside.

Bam bam

Daven reluctantly turns over in bed at the thumping and grasps for his short sword, he’s scowling when he comes up empty. Right.

Bam bam

He glances at the barn door and narrows his eyes at the the large wooden door, it was painted with a fine red sealant and it’s windows were at least glazed over. He collapses forward into a ball and takes a moment to gather himself.

Bam bam

He forces his eyes open and calls out, “who is it?” “It’s just us good sir,” Mary Lee calls out, probably referring to the rest of the village representatives as well.

Daven scrubs his face furiously before reaching for his shirt and edging closer to the end of his loft. “Good morning.” He tries to not sound like he was about to find out the contents of his stomach at that moment.

The air shimmers with his own headache and he wobbles upright, “how may I help you good lady?” He tries to sound like he didn’t hate himself a little bit for phrasing it that way.

Mary Lee clears her throat from behind the door, “we were hoping to talk to you.” Oh no.

He considers reaching for his sword again.

He blanches and wishes they at least gave him 42 hours before asking again. “May I get dressed for you first my lady?” “Oh yes,” she says quickly, “it’s nothing pressing. It’s just about upgrading you to different accommodations.” He takes a deep breath in and manages a smile, “oh,” he blinks, “oh yes. That might be nice.” Mary Lee gives her warm laugh, “then come out, Mrs. Shawley was ecstatic about putting you up.” She takes a deep breath, “the villages hero!”

Daven puffs out his chest and quickly fastens his pants and goes to the door.

“Of course,” Mary Lee was blinking at him as he opened the barn door, “we might be able to offer even better accommodations if the inn was still open.” Her face is splashed in light and features shifting like a practiced symphony, “it’s a shame it’s been such a rough couple years.” Daven’s heart sinks and he swallows thickly, “it… it is.” Mary Lee’s eyes flash up, two other representatives stand behind her. “Poor villages can never really get ahead in this world, can they?” Daven gives the longest internal sigh.

Three for wealth.

“The world is unfair,” he says instead and doesn’t meet any of their eyes.

--------------------------------------

“We really can’t afford to pave this road.” Daven hears from the young girl as he walks past.

-------------------------------------

“My son would be going to school right now, but his shoes are worn too thin to make the walk.” The old man at the market sighs, “so many of the village children can’t make it these days.” Daven doesn’t meet his eye as he picks up an apple, “I’m sure once the crops come in…” “Oh yes,” the old man grins at him, “that was you, right young man?” He pats him on the back, “we have no savings, so now at least we won’t starve in the winter!” He laughs and Daven turns back to the road.

-----------------------------

“That old window is broken, just can never save up enough to fix it.”

----------------------------

“My daughter has a toothache but doctors are expensive, he only comes around when we pay.” ----------------------------

“I need at least three more cows to make this a right business, but it feels like the wallet is always empty around here. No one can get ahead.” “I GET IT.” Daven stomps away from the communal bathroom and goes sit down angrily at his own party. He fumes silently.

He imagines Ellis’s smug face looking down at him and just saying slowly ‘I told you so.’ That image alone just makes him angrier.

He bends over and sighs into his hands until it feels like there’s no more air left in his lungs.

He almost jumps out his skin when he feels a soft hand land on his shoulder, “woah.” He almost elbows Mary Lee in the stomach as she wanders over with her old grandma in toe.

“Miss Henri,” he nods, “Mary Lee.” She smiles plainly down, “how are you finding your party?” His eyebrow twitches, “it’s… nice.” His jaw clenches, “though several villagers have been informing me of their… financial troubles.” Mary Lee puts her hands on her hips, “I hope you don’t mind.” She simpers slightly, “they just are looking for hope.” She puts a hand on his shoulder, “they haven’t had hope in so long.”

He looks down at his hands, “I can’t go back.” He grumbles. “He took my sword.” “We can get you another sword,” Mary Lee says happily.

Daven just shakes his head, “I have a bad feeling about going back there. I got lucky so far, but those gardens,” he licks his lips, “there’s a reason no one goes a third time.” Mary Lee’s golden curls bounce loosely as she cocks her head to the side, “I know.” She squeezes his arm, “you’ve already done so much for us.” He exhales slowly, “so you understand…” “But it would be a shame if the military had to know about a deserter that ran away all the way out here.” There it was.

“I thought we were past this,” he mumbles mostly to himself.

Mary Lee’s hand becomes an iron grip, “they haven’t had hope in so long.” Daven grits his teeth and looks up, “I hear you.” He meets her sharp gray eyes and she lifts her chin, a queen with no crown. “I don’t think you do.” She points around, “it’s illegal to run out from the army in the middle of a war.” Daven sinks down into the floor and let’s himself become a puddle, “I hear you.”

-------------------------------------

The war in the Southern Groves was not so much a war as it was a furious attempt to put down a bloody rebellion in the Hanivery county. Daven didn’t know much about it, even after being covered in mud, dirt, and blood for it.

Daven is chewing through his own life decision as he holds a new broadsword in his hand and stands outside the gates of a tall marble wall. The smell of marigolds and mildew wafts out from inside and birds call like hunting dogs from within.

He closes his eyes and rests his head on the thick oak doors. He takes a deep breath, “oh bloody mother, bloody mother. Show us the oysters legs and bring us heaven’s hellfire.”

He hears the click just as it always did. The lock clicks and the doors start creaking and rumbling on their own, he steps back.

An ax falls right where he was standing, he creeps in past the first defenses, watching his footwork and holding up the sword. He doesn’t hear it, but the first creatures eyes are on him faster than a pair of street rat hands on a gold watch.

He lifts his head and turns around in circles until a vivid white panther comes into view, he holds his sword up. “Bloody mother, bloody mother, sleep while you can. Show me the diamonds crown and the King’s grace.”

The panther bares her teeth briefly and turns around, Daven exhales and starts walking. He may or may not have been telling the rest of the village he’s been battling a panther each time he enters.

He does stab a vine as it lashes out toward his ankle and then put his back to a wall and edges his way past the first pit filled with albino spitting lizards.

He passes a clearing with a family of white deer inside and keeps his head down as a sleeping cheetah lies on the corner of the next bend. It feels like any of the times before, but Daven’s insides feel covered slime and a cold gasp.

The air was thicker, he could smell a storm in the air and rumbling clouds in the distance. He secures the scarf around his neck and slashes his way through more outgrowth.

“Stupid village,” he curses, “stupid curses.” He slashes again, “stupid,” he exhales slowly, “me.”

He just had to pick up in the middle of the night one camp-out and run the other direction as fast as he possibly could.

He’s angrily kicking a stone across a wide pool of acid when he hears it skid and sizzle there, a squeak follows. A distinctly human sounding squeak. Daven turns around quickly, eyes darting back and forth.

“Oh fuck,” Someone mutters and Daven’s head jerks up as he recognizes the voice.

His mouth hangs open, “That was quick.” He hears scrambling and flustered footsteps from just around the corner, Daven quickly leaps over the puddle and jerks toward the sound. “This is the last time! I swear.”

Green tail feathers disappear around the next corner, Daven gurgles in the back of his throat, “fine.” He huffs and starts running, “the hard way. Again.” For someone carrying at least five pounds of feathers he is still surprisingly fast and Daven is panting and gasping for air by the third corridor. He’s sprinting around foliage and the snapping jaws of different booby traps as he skids left and right.

He calls out when he can, “please,” he rasps, “can we just talk? A good, reasonable talk. I can even take my clothes off again!”

He hears a rough laugh from ahead, but the feathers are whipping around the next corner.

“Oh come on.”

He sees seven cherubs and a deer up ahead.

Daven groans loudly and holds the stitch in his side as he comes galloping into the seven cherub square. “Ellis,” he says weakly, “I’m not as young as I look.” “You look at least twenty-five!” He hears an answering call, just as he sees a trail of feathers disappearing up the tree like the tail of a disappearing house cat.

Daven slows down and gasps for air, “you are nothing if not predictable.” He says mostly to himself as he approaches the same tree he found him in the first time. He grins up as he reaches the trunk, “But you’re not the only who can climb.”

Ellis just returns a slow grin back at him, Daven scowls. He puts his hands around the trunk before gasping and leaping backward, a sharp pain sizzling through the pads of fingers. He retracts his burning skin from the white bark. “Fuck!” He curses and clutches his hands to his chest. “Goddammit.” A fair head peaked out from the lowest branch and looks down, “everything’s poisoned here, remember?”

Daven sucks on his bottom lip and clenches his eyes shut for a long second, water leaks out, “right.” He counts back from ten before unfurling himself again and standing up straight. The pain dulls quickly, he looks up, “And here I thought you were just being foolish.” He gives a grave laugh.

Ellis peeks down at him and looks nonplussed, “most people do.” Daven lets his head fall backward, “Any chance I have something I can bribe you with now?” Ellis shakes his head, “absolutely not.” “Well then,” he straightens his shirt, hands still stinging, “I guess we’ll have to see how long you can stay up there.”

Ellis makes a face at him, “you’re fighting a losing battle. So far you’ve only gotten some feathers by your own dumb luck and my own good will.” “Good will?” His mouth falls open hotly, “You made me strip for you.”

“My own goodwill, yes,” he repeats and Daven would have laughed if he wasn’t mentally preparing himself for a war of attrition.

He juts his jaw out, “We could both be reasonable men here-” “Absolutely not.” “Ugh.” Ellis winks, “thanks for stopping by. I was almost getting lonely after not seeing you here for a whole five seconds.” Daven crosses his arms over his chest, “I’m doing good deeds.” “Sure are champ.” “Fuck you.”

Ellis laughs a dry and thoughtless sound, “you wish.” Daven raises his eyebrows, “Well I mean... for 3 feathers maybe, hmm?”

Ellis fluffs his hair absently, “are you really that desperate?” He asks flatly, “because trust me when I say I have better options. The albino alligator perhaps, or a very willing looking rock.” Daven kneels down and sits cross legged on the ground, “fine.” He says roughly, “I guess we’re waiting then.” He pouts slightly, “you’ve already given me 3 already. What’s 3 more?” “What’s 3 more fingers says the man after he’s already lost five.” “They aren’t fingers!”

Ellis just shakes his head, “I wasn’t talking about me, I was telling you your future.” Daven raises his head, “Fine. I’ll tell you yours as well.” He clears his throat, “incredible gentleman bird gives local hero three feathers to help a group of innocent people, right?” Ellis makes a face, “Piss off.” “Revised: bird boy accidentally finds his own reflection and drowns trying to make out with it.” He makes sure Ellis is watching as he makes a sardonic jerk off motion as he finishes that story.

Ellis pushes his bottom lip out. “So be it.” He leans down, “as long as one living hemroid-man doesn’t get any more feathers off me I’ll have died fulfilled.”

“Oh? What’s this? I found something else for you,” he reaches into his pocket, “it has your name on it.” He takes out his middle finger and shakes it in the air.

Ellis snorts, “you wouldn’t be quiet insufferable if you weren’t half as dumb as most of them are greedy.” Daven squints at him, “yeah. I didn’t catch that. Just a lot of you choking on your own spit.”

Ellis swings his legs back and forth as he sits on the low branch and looks down, “It’s funny you’re willing to wait, you know I don’t eat right?” “Yes you do,” Daven snaps back.

“How would you know that?” Ellis says with his teeth gleaming.

Daven grins lowly, “I told you before. You’re easy to read.” “Right, right,” he waves a hand through the air, “because good people don’t get cursed.” “And bastards get what’s coming to them,” Daven nods in agreement with himself.

Ellis’s face falls, “you really believe that?” “Yes! You are selfish! It’s just three feathers.” He looks off into the distance, “I’d rather die of starvation up here then give them to you, funny how that is.”

Daven blows air out of his nose, “are you serious?” “Are you desperate?” Daven growls, “maybe we could just wait in silence until you come to your senses.”

He wags a finger in the air, “I have never had any sense and you of all people are not going to give it to me.”

“Look at me, ignoring you. Waiting patiently for you to give in. Like you did before.”

Ellis rolls over on the tree branch, feathers splaying out behind him, “a sudden error in judgement, yes, but…” He gives him a knowing look, “aren’t the villagers satisfied yet?” Daven looks down at his hands, he takes a deep breath in and then sighs.

Ellis chuckles, “that’s what I thought.” Daven looks up sharply, “they just need like… new windows and cows and medicine.” Ellis visibly rolls his acid green eyes, “wake up. They’ll always need more things.” He scowls, “that’s why I’m up here.” His lip curls back, “You can always grow more feathers.”

Ellis shakes his head, “you don’t know anything about this curse.” Daven snorts, “and what should I know fair prince? That you hit on a witch's daughter and got trapped in a hell maze? Which is terrible, but there are better ways to deal with than becoming an ass on top of a peacock.” Ellis gave a slim light smile, “you’ve finally been listening to the town gossip I see.” Daven sniffs loudly, “I talked to some folks.” Ellis’s face disappears as he seems to sit up on the branch, “I never did understand it…” A long pause follows, “understand what?” Daven prompts after a long moment.

Ellis peaks over the edge, “I like your first idea. Let’s wait in silence for starvation.” Daven blows air out of his nose, “fine.” “Fine.” “Fine!”

A long silence descends as they quietly fume at one another. Daven starts counting the feathers he can see hanging off the tree branch and calculating how high he’d have to jump to grab one. Screw asking.

Ellis seems to just lie his head against the tree and close his eyes, some curiosity tickles in Daven’s gut but he can’t place it. What didn’t he know about the curse? He figured there wasn’t much to know.

It was bad, this boy messed with a witch and now I had to deal with the consequences. He watches the boys long eyelashes and measured thoughtful face. This was all harder than it needed to be.

His thoughts weave in and out of each other, possibilities hopscotching over each other: a cold military jail cell, the sharp musical smile of Mary Lee, the girl with no shoes glancing up at him like a question. Ellis, broken as a fine-tuned violin finding the ground, falling from his perch up high.

Daven sighs and leans his head back and closes his eyes. A cold jail cell.

It’s quiet as he ignores his hunger and sinks lower into the hard dirty marble, the material is cutting into his ass and making his back stiff. Not that he would ever admit that at this point. He breathes in the thick air and listens to the nothing.

Something rustles above him, “you should leave.” Daven looks up to see Ellis standing up and looking off in the distance, Daven sighs, “yeah yeah.”

Ellis frowns deeply and narrows his eyes before looking down, “I’m serious. You need to go.” Daven lifts his eyebrows, “hungry, I take it?” Ellis makes a deep rumbling noise in the back of his throat and his lip curls, “look at the sky.”

Daven’s brow furrows and he leans back past the heavy branches above him and looks up at the grey horizon. He hums, the sky was a pure puffing white, thick and milky it lay above them in a billowing current.

Daven shrugs loosely, “so?” “Fog,” Ellis says darkly before crouching on the branch, “the fog is rolling in.” “I guess?” Ellis’s expression goes wild, “you need to leave!”

Daven tenses and feels a shift in the young man, he suddenly wasn’t mocking and brisk. A hardness had entered his movements.

Daven sits up straight, “is this some new secret young prince?” Ellis hunches over and bristles, his feathers fluffing up, “you’re going to die if you…” He huffs and Daven can’t make sense of what exactly he’s getting at.

Daven settles down in his seat and makes clear that he’s not going anywhere, “nice try.” “Ugh!” Ellis throws his arms in the air, “fine then.” Daven looks away and picks at the stubble on his chin, “it sure would be nice to have three feathers to get me to le-” “This isn’t the time!” The young man growls, “give it a rest.” Daven clenches his jaw, “maybe it’s nothing but a game to you, but this is life or death for… some people.” Ellis’s eyes flick back and forth from the sky and Daven, “this is life or death either way.”

Daven cocks his head to the side, “don’t tell me the fog is a poison.” He picks at his scarf and starts edging it up to cover his mouth and nose.

Ellis just shakes his head, “you don’t know.” He sighs, “of course you don’t.” Daven rolls his eyes, “do you make a career out of being cryptic?” Ellis’s mouth was hanging open and he looked spooked, his eyes drag from the descending sky and Daven again. “I can’t believe,” he groans deeply and leans over the ground, “Don’t fucking tell anyone.”

“What? About your obtuse difficultness? They might be able to guess.” “Shut up,” Daven jumps as Ellis leaps to the ground, “shut up while I save you life.” “Wait, wait,” Ellis swiftly strides over and grabs his arm.

“You better run.” Ellis’s eyes were trained on the fog rolling in on the other side of the square, snaking over the ground and flattening itself across the walls and plants.

“What?” Daven’s heart squeezes, his senses revving up at his strange behavior.

“Do you see that?” Ellis points with his chin, Daven takes a step back. He squints his eyes and studies the thick white wall of moisture. His breath catches in his throat as he sees a gasping dark mouth and a pair of eyes. Daven takes a step back, “What the hell?” Ellis pulls him the other direction, “they roll in the fog.” Daven picks up their pace and they jog out of the square, “spirits?” Ellis meets his gaze, “ghosts.” Daven gulps and turns to start running. He tells himself not to look back, but he can’t help but stumble and look over his shoulder.

He sees hungry smokey hands grasping and clawing out of the whiteness, an empty gaping dark mouth behind them. Daven runs harder, he jumps when he feels a hard prod to his left side.

“Go left!” Ellis says shrilly and forces him to take the next turn.

Daven skids but manages not to fall down as they weave and bob away from the impending natural phenomena. Daven tries not to flinch as a chorus of voices filter through the damp air, they were whispers at first, dark hushes with no words.

And then they form like pieces of silk being fashioned together through his ears: grating and smooth all at once, chilling him to the bone.

“Return, return, return,” they murmured, “he’s taken, taken.” It’s like a sickening echo that becomes a louder rushing wave. “Whore,” the voices slither and crash down upon them, Daven keeps running, keeps not looking back. “Whore!”

“Fuck,” Ellis skids and grabs the end of Daven’s sleeve, “we’re not going to make it.”

The sweat drips down Daven’s brow, his eyes go wide as he sees the end of the next pathway: a thick, wall of shifting whiteness. Ghastly pale hands tumble on its insides and Daven blinks back at a number of black-hole eyes staring back from the depths.

“Whore!”

It comes rushing toward them in one lumbering crawl, like a living beast fumbling for its prey.

“I hate you,” Ellis says through gritted teeth and then he grabs Daven and swings him around, the air is knocked out of Daven as he hits the nearest wall. Ellis pushes him up against a wall and digs his forearms into Daven’s chest as he pins him there.

Daven gasps, a wall of beautiful green plumage fans out around them, encapsulating them like a dome as Ellis held him up against the wall.

The forces crescendo into a wordless murmur of white noise and every part of him stiffens, Daven screws his eyes shut and braces himself for impact.

The forearms dig into his chest and Daven feels a warm puff of breath against his cheek. “Don’t move.” Nothing arrives but the sound of their labored breathing.

Daven cracks his eyes back open and looks anywhere but down, “Did you just…?” Save me?

“Don’t mention it.” Ellis says in a strained tone as they they stand, toe to toe, lingering in the shadow of his great tail as it protects them from the ghouls of the fog. “Your corpse would really ruin the mood of the place.”

“I mean-” He opens his mouth but it quickly interrupted.

“Blood traitor.” The voices rasp. Daven’s body shakes as he feels the wispy of tickle of something around his ankles but it doesn’t latch on. The air is cold and clammy around them, muttering and calling from some veil of the unknown. Something evil really was here.

One deep gravely voice rises from the chorus, “Disgrace,” it was a hiss, “Liar.” A deep rolling murmur hits them, “Whore.” Daven searches above him for something, but he feels Ellis shift against him, Daven sneaks a look down, snatching a brief private glance of Ellis. The prince’s eyes are clenched shut and body hunched over. “Good to hear from you too, father.” He says bitterly. Daven’s mouth becomes a hard line, his whole being pulsing with a confusion he couldn’t name.

“Indignity, disgrace, blot, blot, blot, taken-” “Wow!” Daven doesn’t know where that comes from, “Some fucked up weather we’re having.” He glances down, “you bring this on us with your piss-poor attitude?” He barks it as loudly as possible.

Ellis’s eyes fly open and he looks up with a confused grimace, “what are you going on about?” The voice shrieks, “Whor-” “This is what happens when you leave the shower on!” Daven is louder, “You’re the type to do that, right? Leave the hot water on, for hours. I can see it in your princely face. Fog the whole place up.” Ellis cracks a slight smile, “I would.” He says evenly, “If I ever took anything other than baths.”

“Who-” “Of course!” Daven was practically shouting at the top of his lungs, “I can see it now: fifty perfumes and those fat white towels they use on people with sensitive skin and purebreds.” “I do have sensitive skin.” “Really?” Daven huffs a laugh, “It seems pretty thick. Or else you might have it in your heart to give me three more feathers!”

“You’re a fool,” Ellis almost whispers, something soft. “You could take them right now.” It was an even lower whisper.

Daven looks all around he sees that it’s true: He was surrounded by feathers, golden eyes that stared at him from all directions. All he had to do was reach out and take one. His right hand vibrates, he sees Mary Lee’s face again in his mind’s eye. And then a cold military jail cell.

He wiggles right his arm free and reaches up, slowly, tentatively, he can feel Ellis’s eyes on him as he does- a challenge or maybe something else. Something open, a wound even, a hare caught in a trap.

Daven can only guess why.

Daven delicately takes one of the closest feathers in hand, holding the very end of it loosely. It’s soft.

His fingers slowly trails down one of the long feathers, feeling the soft plummy texture in between his fingertips. His hand goes down the length- from the colorful tip to the base on Ellis’s shoulder. Ellis still doesn’t move.

Daven exhales slowly. He holds the base of the feather for a very long moment, his heartbeat caught in his throat. Then he leans back.

He retracts his hand and lets it fall loosely to his side. He closes his eyes for a long moment.

A whole-body shiver goes through the other boy in front of him, a choked sound follows and Daven just leans into him.

“I bet,” Daven swallows thickly, “You spend at least five hours in the goddamn bath. Have the servants keep filling it up for you until your just a prune. A huge prune.” Ellis laughs, a surprised sound, wet and free- like it was dislodged from deep inside of him. “Sure.” He chuckles, “go on.”

“You use perfumes, like lavender and persimmon.”

“I don’t think persimmon is a perfume,” he was still laughing.

“See? You know that!” He keeps going.

Daven isn’t sure how long he stands there yelling over the voices of the dead, pressed together with his savior and greatest challenge. Yelling and shivering and waiting for something.

It’s almost twilight by the time the fog finally clears. He is weary and stiff, his voice completely lost and chest aching.

He doesn’t remember saying goodbye, or anything much after that, they don’t meet eyes as he leaves this time. But he does lean into him for just a moment.

“Thank you.” It was a hush of a word, spoken into Ellis’s soft fly-away hair. “Yeah,” Ellis grunts back and they stay there, for a heartbeat, just a heartbeat. And then Daven turns to leave, he tells himself it’s for the last time.

<======= PART 2 ⭐ PART 4=======>

#the peacock prince #fantasy #gay fairytale #short story #writing #original short story #mlm story #my work

235 notes · View notes

mostlyvoidpartiallysmog · 7 years

Text

Just finished the second Night Vale novel It Devours! that I got my hands on when I got a hold of my pre-order yesterday. (So sue me. College strike up here gave me some free time)

So some thoughts?

BIIIIG SPOILERS obviously.

Firstly I’d just like to say that I LOVE the ending. Specifically I love the way the relationship between Nilanjana and Darryl ends. GOD that was so refreshing! Honestly their relationship felt rushed and empty anyway and it was SO fucking nice to see a realistic potential end to a new adult relationship.

In regards to the early parts of the relationship? The writing seemed to have a preoccupation with kisses and lips that squicked me more then anything, but I’ve never been a big kissing person in general so maybe it’s just that.

The sex mentioned, especially with how explicitly they did so, kind of felt... I’m just going to say it, a little annoying? *sigh* Now I get that there aren’t too many places where even this minor level of detail and frankness about sex could come up, but seeing what felt like the first slightly more explicit handling of it then like, Carlos jokingly getting turned on by science or some such as the podcast has done (Not counting the semi-obscure and one time live show they recently did of course. Night Vale after dark I THINK it might have been called? With Cecil and Dylan reading some nsfw content?) what felt like the first more explicit handling went to... well a hetero sex scene and, eh, call me a bitter queer but like, ANY thing else would have felt more interesting. Idk, I was just rather meh about the whole thing.

Oh and well I’m at it, “Sex in Night Vale take’s a little longer, but when it starts it happens much like anywhere else.” also felt kind off to me. Just picky queer sex positive feminist things I guess. It ain’t a big thing, but if anyone else had written it I’d be rolling my eyes going “yo there’s more then one way to fuck my hetero dude friend. It’s not all about cis ass, able bodied penis in vaginal sex.) but again, that’s just me being picky as SHIT because I, to be frank, expect a heckuva lot from Night Vale what with them consistently delivering for 3 year (Specifically how long I’ve been listening I mean. Don’t recall how many year’s they’ve been around in general.)

Also like, the lead up TO the sex was weird? We had a window into both their heads but at no point were we lead to believe they were physically particularly attracted to each other before the sex? It jumped from “maybe he’s kind of cute” to fucking? Like give us a few bits of her (preferably her because fuck yes not shying away from female sexuality) eyes getting caught on his body or some overt desire or something. Direct us to something that says “physical” attraction. (and let’s REALLY not have it be a possessive stereotype about her getting jealous over some female friend of his and taking it out by getting touchy feely with a guy she barely knows for that matter) It just felt really flat. Really lacking it what should have been easy build up. Minor build up, because sex can absolutely and should absolutely be shown sometimes as something human, and pleasant, and potentially just chill and fun to do, but like, we have an internal view of their heads, as such we should have seen SOME small nudge of physical attraction before hand. Some tug. Don’t give the audience nothing and then expect them to buy a relationship that, as it turns out in the end, was largely just based on good/fun sex.

Um, also; IF anyone else had written that whole “let’s cosign forms and get blood work done, lol look how long this is taking” pre-sex bit, then I honestly would have taken it as a “consent is a mood breaker and millennials are prudish idiots ruining sex with their safe sex and their checks for consent.” Idk. That joke felt a little off the mark. Just me being picky again.

Another thing? Nilanjana is fat! Yaaay! That was unexpectedly cool! (Would have preferred if they had said “fat” versus “overweight”. Fat’s not a dirty word, being fat isn’t a reflection on your morals and all that, but hey, not everyone is up with the latest fat acceptance stuff I guess. But like, “over” weight. Over whose weight? Over what supposed perfect weight? Is that supposed to be your short hand for “doesn’t exercise” ‘cause those sure as hell aren’t inherently connected. Correlation doesn’t equal causation. Pbthhh. >.>)

Speaking of being picky, or maybe this was just a very clever sign that Darryl and Nilanjana’s relationship wouldn’t work out in the long term, did Nilanjana REALLY have to get so jealous and competitive with Stephanie? Did she have to instantly dislike and distrust her because of “the way Darryl looked at her”? Because to recap that made all the women in the book in relation to Nilanjana, judgemental, shallow, and foolish (Lusia), cold, untrustworthy, and naive (Stephanie. “Naive” because of her religion in Nilanjana’s books and soooort of by the narrative as well), literally just a world threatening zealous cultist (Munn), or a goofy, initially untrustworthy sidekick (Jamillah).

I mean even Josh Crayton got better billing in this round then either his mum or Jackie who got tiny cameo’s each. =/ I would have liked to see more of those two.

While we’re on the subject of female characters. NIGHT VALE PLEASE. PLEASE give us some more background or remotely confirmed wlw!!! Jeeze. Seriously! We got another random background guy, or at least person getting refereed to with he/him pronouns who got a boyfriend, (The helicopter fellow) and though we already knew Josh was bi/pan otherwise not straight, he got a briefly mentioned boyfriend in this one! And of course the show focus is always Cecil and Carlos which racks the points waaay up for amazing, awesome mlm representation. We DID get a tiny cameo from Basimah Bashara which was neat, and a small moment with Michael Nguyen, but that’s the thing with those two and wlw in Night Vale in general isn’t it? While one can... hope? Somewhat with evidence? That Maureen and Michael might be a couple now, might be positive wlw representation, that was never actually made super clear. (Looking back on it it WAS made super clear with Basimah, so good on them with that!)

There’s also Jackie and Sheriff Sam. I HAVE to say, I was absolutely PREYING Jackie and Dana got together when Jackie mentioned she was dating someone from “high up in the government” so the let down I felt from finding out it was Sam instead came mostly from that. =p (Give Dana a girlfrieeend. Sure there’s always Alice Isn’t Dead but that ain’t the same. =p) Sam uses they/them pronouns and we can probably safely assume from that that they’re meant to be NB, genderqueer, genderfuild, or otherwise just not a cis character, so that’s wonderful, and Jackie dating them pretty much pings her as some variety of queer (or at least queer friendly, but then the majority of Night Vale is.) as well, so that’s also neat! I dooon’t think we had that from her before? Maybe there was something in the first book I’m forgetting. (I am personally mad happy that Jackie is queer or at least chill with nb folk, as she reminds me of myself in way too many ways. Awkward high-fives and “dude’s” and all.) That being said, how old is Sheriff Sam? I always pictured them at like 40 something from the voice. >.> Lol apparently not.

So on a more world building, less representation based note; Kevin.

Kevin is a prophet in the churches lore apparently. That’s neat? I guess? Here’s the thing, when WAS the Joyous Congregation founded? And my main concern; when did Kevin go through the Old Oak Door that showed him the smiling god for the first time??? The Congregation, or at least the general concept of the religion of the smiling god seems fully formed back during the Strex arc, and more then that Kevin hasn’t (as far as we know. Also please Finknor give us more Kevin. Triptych Broke. My. Heart. and I’m begging you.) been back to Night Vale or otherwise out of the desert other world since the time Steve pushed him in at the end of the Strex arc.

I don’t WANT to think that Kevin founded the whole religion. It’s always seemed very much like a thing that existed before him and more importantly not a thing he did before Strex!him if you will, but who knows I guess. =/

That’s the thing. I always thought of the smiling god AS ENTIRELY a Strex concept, and I’m going to wager a guess that at least at the start Finknor did too. It’s so tied into Strex. Inseparable from Strex’s meaning and purpose. Smile. Work. Be empty. Pretend to be happy. Smiling IS Strex, it’s a Strex thing, so it kind of made me feel... like it felt a bit rewrite-y to not even mention Strex at all during this book?

I mean was the smiling god NOT behind Strex? Was the congregation not at least back a couple years ago indistinguishable from Strex? Idk. These are all questions I have.

Talking about things that feel rewrite-y, I’m not sure I did the idea of Carlos actually being in the desert other world for TEN YEARS. Here’s the thing. We were, at the very least, as the audience lead to believe that Cecil and Carlos were thinking of LIVING there. Of moving there. a MASSIVE freaking part of the Carlos in the desert other world arc had us second guessing Carlos and Cecil’s whole relationship ffs! That WAS the subtext of the arc! The purpose! That Carlos seemed more interested in science and research of the desert other world then getting back to freaking Cecil! And now you’re going to claim that not only was he there ten years, which we had NO foreshadowing of during the arc at ALL as far as I can see, but he only ever wanted desperately to get home? Again the twist at the end of the desert other world arc is Cecil unexpectedly NOT MOVING THERE. WHAT? Nah man. That was some silly re-write stuff right there. Contradicting what world building we have on the desert other world until now.

Another thing highly related to that? Where the fuck was the nomadic giant army?? Or hell, even just Kevin and that dumb roller coaster they built? (I GUESS you could say that they all... died... ? And the roller coaster... vanished completely? But nah. Not really because aging doesn’t work there now does it?) Doug and Elisha thanks? Yet more stuff that made Carlos seem at home (and for that matter time passing relatively similarly from the sort of relationships he formed and reported on) in the desert other world. Ugh. I really don’t like that whole ten years thing. It seemed excessive too. Like two or even three years would have been more believable from what we saw of Carlos during that time, and even with only the single year I could already understand Carlos being traumatized from the event. Idk.

Speaking of world building for the desert other world? Assuming we keep with previous would building regarding it we are NOT done with it yet. Or rather, we probably shouldn’t be. There’s WAY too much going on there. Kevin’s still in there, he named it DESERT BLUFFS ffs. (I’m still waiting for the day we get the plot twist that the other world IS the desert bluffs we know from the past or something very similar to that. I also noticed a hella conspicuous absence of talk about desert bluffs OR the desert other world during the Huntokar revelations of the last finished arc. That place is MAD secret to the point that it’s not even on the radar of Huntokar, and probably The Glow Cloud, Distant Prince, Woman from Italy and other elder god type things.)

Then there’s Dana’s drawings up on the mountain. The spiraling murals of triangles I believe it was? We are NOT done with that place. I know at the end Darryl is like “well maybe the smiling god wasn’t that stupid centipede” and we’re supposed to at least sort of think like Nilanjana and be like “Yea huh. Sure. You just want to think that to protect your beliefs.” but honestly yeah, I don’t remotely think the centipede was really... the smiling god? Unless like I said, Kevin started the religion all together which I very much hope he didn’t? So yea, probably not the smiling god, DEFINITELY not the biggest threat in the desert other world. Up until now the “light” trying to get into Night Vale has been really obtuse and obscure. Really vague and therefore menacing and cool. I don’t think Finknor are bad enough writers to just toss all that away on a giant centipede. I’m a cynical person. Usually I’d add “At least I hope not” to that sentence, but damn it all if I don’t KNOW that Finknor are better writers then that.

Also there was the whole “hey wait the “ritual” to summon the god probably wasn’t just a coincidence” idea dropped in there to explore. So yeah. Lot’s to look at still.

Speaking of the ritual? Did you guys caaaaatch iiiiiit??? The jumping. How frantic jumping was a big part of the ritual? Maybe I’m just reaching but it sounded SO much like Kevin’s narration jumping bit from way back in The Sandstorm that Cecil mirrors with his own narration bit in his episode.

I’m SOOOO glad we got a glimpse into additional meaning for that kid jumping trying to recapture the feeling of flight scene for Kevin. It would be cool if more meaning was discovered for it in the future.

I’ve always read Cecil’s retrospective kid scene in those episodes as maybe relating too whatever happens in Cassette Tapes, or maaaybe some weird shit with Kevin himself in a metaphorical or otherwise obscured reference to why the heck the whole doubles thing happens anyway. (Also again, doubles, Desert bluff weirdness. Another thing I attributed to possibly the smiling god that could definitely not be if it were just a centipede, but honestly whether it’s a centipede or not I think it would be much more interesting if the smiling god was only a corrupting force for Desert bluffs and not the “weird Night Vale thing” that causes them to exist in the first place. And like I said? What’s cool is that it seems to not be Huntokar’s fault either that Desert Bluffs exists so that’s neat. That mean’s there’s some other weird shit going on there for us to find out.)

Ok one thing I forgot about the time rules of the desert other world and Kevin? You don’t AGE in the desert other world. Kevin when he contact Cecil in the last section of Triptych say’s he is very old. Now he could mean ancient as in “lived a very long time” but he specifically says “very old” and seems like his health might even me failing. Certainly he puts on a different voice. Anyway, all that leading up to the theory that we can extrapolate from that that Kevin will escape the desert other world at some point. Which isn’t too much of a stretch, and I think we all kind of expected (and I desperately hoped for after Triptych tyvm. FFS Cecil if you know how he ends up and also what he used to be like why not GO SAVE KEVIN FROM THAT FATE! Jeeze man! I really wish that had been part of the arc following Triptych and genuinely thought it might be. Like please. Cecil how can you just leave him there???)

All and all I liked the first novel a LOT more, but I liked this novel. Heck if it it wasn’t from Night Vale crew, meaning I had kind of hyped standards for it already, it probably would have been super awesome.

I mean there were some parts of the first novel I didn’t like, and I’m feeling some similar feelings regarding how the smiling god and desert other world turned out looking a bit mundane in this story and left a lot of “but if they were really just this, then why this old plot point” feelings just like the Man in the Tan Jacket did last novel (WHY was he interested in the underground city damn it? Especially with what we now know about Huntokar? WHY was he working with the Apache Tracker? What the hell were they doing? What was the post office all about?) but all and all I still preferred the first novel to this one. It felt more... human I guess. Had that good good recognizable story about a mom and her kid, growing up, parents, relationships, becoming an adult and a helluva lot of other stuff. Not that this one didn’t have a neat story about religion and science (that part honestly felt a little too basic for me) and fitting into one’s communities (that part was alright) but the first novel just hit the right cords more. Personally at least I felt more attached to everyone AND enjoyed the treatment of the themes more. Idk exacccctly why, but I absolutely enjoyed the first novel way more. It felt more like it’s own entity. A valid reason to use a different medium. A really new and cool thing where we could step into the shoes of likeable, fully rounded characters. This novel felt a lot more like a sometimes wacky one off live show with new characters or something. =/ I still enjoyed it, but not as much, and mostly the parts I did enjoy were all humor and surreal Night Vale goodness.

Alright. Well. That ends my rambling for now. I’m sure I’ll have many instances of trying to get to sleep and thoughts of the novel bouncing around in my head begging me to write them down or otherwise talk about them, so I guess I gotta emphasize the “for now” part.

This is long as shit and I’d be mildly surprised and utterly flattered if anyone can make it through my rambling.

#welcome to night vale #It Devours!#it devours #spoilers #it devours! spoilers #welcome to night vale spoilers #wtnv #wtnv spoilers #wtnv novel #welcome to night vale novel #night vale presents

2 notes · View notes

slashtakemylife · 5 years

Text

Shiro (Voltron) is Steve Rogers (Cap/Marvel)

Personality

“I can do this all day” Self-sacrificing, brave leader, is not afraid to f*ck you up if you are a bad guy, total softie with other people, protective, many times goes into Dad Mode, PTSD, soldiers that are willing to break the rules for the better good, big hearts, adorable sweet lovable puppies that need to be protected and loved and...Ok my fan side is showing, sorry

Love Interest 1

Sort of slow burn, (Peggy goes steadily along the plot in Cap1 and we see that relationship develop / Adam we mostly asume since they were flightparters and roomates), one happy goofball, the other a serious looking badass brunette, Peggy fell in love with the little guy, Adam stayed with his man despite his illness (he broke up with Shiro because of Kerberos not his illness, otherwise he would’ve done it a while ago), they both saw more than just the suit and wanted the best for the man beneath, end tragically when one dies

Love interest 2

Are shown to exist and what they can do (shield agent/altas officer), interactions with love interest are not explicit or very watered down (Curtis only talks as a subordinate to Shiro and are never seen talk casualy/ Staron 1: Keep your distance but not too much, Staron 2: Conversation about his dead ex that gives us closure to the past relationship but very little about this new one)

Out of nowhere they are very much in a relationship (Staron kiss and she says “finally” when 3 seconds ago we just saw Steve let go of Peggy and being more like an acquaintance rather than a love interest / Shiro marries Curtis)

Both are good characters that deserve love and recognition but writters paid no mind or attention to them because each has just one role in the story, causing writters to not care to develop any further personality to them (Curtis came out of the LGTB backslash to show mlm rep last minute / Steve needed a new love interest because all heroes have one and for hetero rep)

Often hated because the are ‘in the way’ of a more popular ship (interestingly in both is their best friend) or fandom just likes love interest 1 better since we got more emotionally attached to them than poor love interest 2 since they don’t have enough development but sadly it’s not their fault they are not given any

Best friend

Knew each other from childhood or at an early age, supported each other when things went down pre-main story plot, during main story plot one gets really f*cked over (get’s kidnapped by the enemy and made to fight for them, even gets temporary amnesia), one does everything in his power to save the tragic one, canon wise they have a very strong platonic bond but their romantic fanon pairing is amongst the most popular ones due to the sheer intensity of their bond shown in canon

Ending (almost close)

Dedicated soldiers that recieved something that makes them better prepared than most to contend agains threats, their amount of dedication makes them want to use it to the max, but only in one we ever see the bad repercussions it may have when in the other they just trash all of this (I’ll explain)

Steve is given the serum, so he is better equipped to face threats and is willing to use it to his last breath, repercussion? He is so dedicated to his job he doesn’t know how to live without a war, we would be a lost man in an era of peace yet he is willing to fight tooth and nail for it, with this premise we see 2 options to his ending, dying in the battle field (most likely theory) or learn to finally settle down with love interest 2, which is a little less, say believable, after seeing him be so dedicated, will he really give up the Cap mantle when he still has the ablities to keep further helping? It’s not impossible but certainly less believable, the MCU literaly has to kill him to explain why this problem is happening and Steve is not there wanting to help (even Clint got out of retirement in Civil War)

Shiro in canon does marries and retires without a problem, however this has left fans dissappointed because, like Steve, we know this character, he gave up his relationship to explore space and later on help others, he is now not held back by a dissease that will terminate his life early, he is still a young and promising pilot and now he is the captain of the Atlas! He has the potential to do so much more and we know this character would take the chance and the opportinty to do so, but he doesn’t? Especially since we very well know the wedding was just for brownie points and not really thought profoundly based on the character they’ve created and built in front of us for 8 seasons, we do want him to rest and be peaceful but we understand and accept that this man is an unstoppable force and in fact we love him exactly because of that

So in conclusion, I just love them so much *cries* but seriously, Shiro needed a better ending, they could’ve gone together to space to help people, they both work in the Atlas! Why retirement?

#voltron #voltron legendary defender #takashi shirogane #shiro #vld shiro #steve rogers

0 notes

writteninsunshine · 3 years

Text

You Know I Love You Too Much To Be Crushed Like That - Combeferre/Courfeyrac - SFW

Title: You Know I Love You Too Much To Be Crushed Like That

Author: Reno

Fandom: Les Misérables

Setting: Various

Pairing: Combeferre/Courfeyrac

Characters: Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Grantaire, Enjolras, Joly, Jean ‘Jehan’ Prouvaire, Dog OC: Porkoy

Genre: Romance

Rating: K

Chapters: 1/1

Word Count: 1351

Type Of Work: One-Shot, Gift for Punkocalypse

Status: Complete

Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, MLM, Unrequited Love, Pining, Five and One, Grantaire has good advice, Side Grantaire/Enjolras

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything.

Summary: Five times Courfeyrac proved his love, and one time Combeferre proved his own.

AN: Hey guys, it’s me again! Just thought I ought to say, if you want vague updates and to talk to me more, I have Twitter and Tumblr, too! Twitter is Sunnywritings, and Tumblr is Writteninsunshine! I also have a writing Discord that is currently pretty dead. xD I can PM it to people who want it on FFN, for everyone else, it’s here: https://discord.gg/FyaWw25

I have fanfic requests up on my tumblr! Link Here: https://writteninsunshine.tumblr.com/post/633894090732421120/requests-open

So, this is a gift fic for @punkocalypse, because we really ended up liking this ship. I hope that you like it, honey! At any rate, I really enjoy writing these fics lately, and I’m so glad that I’m finally getting some writing done. Hope you like this, guys!

I should probably mention that I’m terrible at poetry and so it’s a bad poem. I’m so sorry.

Les Misérables Fic Masterlist

You Know I Love You Too Much To Be Crushed Like That

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first time, he was drunk.

So drunk he could barely stand, could hardly keep his eyes open, but he managed to storm the table Combeferre had taken up with Joly and Jehan despite this. With both hands on the table, shaky arms barely holding him up, he forced his eyes open to stare directly at the object of his overwhelming desire.

“What are you doing?” Combeferre asked with a raised eyebrow, only getting an odd grin from his friend.

“I love you,” Courfeyrac told him with conviction, only sending both of Combeferre’s eyebrows into his hair. Joly and Jehan snickered, awaiting Combeferre’s response.

“You… Do, do you?” He asked, then held up a hand to stop Courfeyrac’s response, “How drunk are you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Wine was called Liquid Courage, wasn’t it? He couldn’t admit such a thing while he was sober.

“You’re too drunk to know any better.”

But he wasn’t.

If he doesn’t believe you, don’t give up hope. Grantaire had told him with a little smile, Prove yourself to him. If I can do it, so can you.

The second time he couldn’t say it.

Courfeyrac was painfully sober as they waited in line at the cafe to make their food and drink orders. It wasn’t like him to spend the night absolutely plastered as Grantaire often did, but he’d been doing it more often lately. Since his initial rejection, it helped to soften the blow, even if only a little bit. Still, he was thinking about Grantaire’s words, about not giving up so easily. Not proving Combeferre right when he said that he couldn’t, and didn’t, love him.

“What do you want?” Courfeyrac asked, finally, when there were only three more people ahead of them. “I’ll buy, you can go on up.”

“You sure about that?” Combeferre returned with a raised eyebrow, head tilting slightly. When he only got a definitive nod in response, he answered. “Coq au vin and wine.” It wasn’t like there was much more to drink, “Anything is fine, but red is preferred.”

“Of course.”

When it was finally delivered by an antsy Courfeyrac, Combeferre regarded him with a small smile and a soft thank you. The pair ate in silence while they awaited Enjolras and his newest speech, no doubt written in a manic state during one of his various law classes. Most likely, it would be in response to something ‘insensitive’ that a teacher had said, but that always lead to a night to remember. At least, for most. Grantaire usually walked away only knowing that Enjolras had graced him with his presence.

The third time, he couldn’t stop staring.

Combeferre had been sipping wine with Joly, talking about something that Courfeyrac didn’t really care about. It was something simple, a small part of life that was just on the side of annoying, but the words didn’t seem to reach his ears. Instead, he was focused on the drip of wine down the other’s chin, Combeferre’s lips moving and forming around his words so precisely.

It was beautiful, the red tint to his lips, the soft shine on them, and he was going crazy thinking about how soft they looked. Without thinking, he finally shot forward and, in the last second, he reached his hand out instead of his puckered lips. Smearing the wine against Combeferre’s lips and wiping it away, he didn’t seem to notice the odd stare it earned him.

“Courfeyrac?” Combeferre asked, turning to look at him, bewildered.

“S-sorry.” He murmured in response, cheeks on fire. “You had a….” His voice cut out and he looked away, but not before he saw a rare hint of a smile.

The fourth time, Courfeyrac was beside himself.

Combeferre had needed someone to walk his dog one evening, because he had class and Enjolras was otherwise busy. The Briard, known as Porkoy, was a shepherd dog and couldn’t sit still around five o’clock. Courfeyrac offered himself up before he had realized just what he was getting into. The dog could be a terror when he wasn’t entertained, and he knew it would make Combeferre much happier to have him worn out when he got back from class.

That, of course, signed him up for a nearly eight kilometer walk around Paris with a dog that wasn’t his. Of course, he was occasionally stopped, asked about the dog, and told the questioning party all about him. A couple women used the dog to flirt with him, but he was so focused on his love for Combeferre that, for once in his life, he just played it off. It was strange to him, to be honest, not to be interested in a potential lay, but he had to remind himself that he had to prove his love to Combeferre, and nothing would stop him from doing it. He’d been working too hard to mess it up, now.

When he finally brought the dog back, Combeferre was so thankful that he gave him a long hug, and it left him feeling more than love-drunk when he left the apartment to walk to his own, calves ablaze.

The fifth time, Courfeyrac was dying for more affection.

He had been good, a perfect gentleman. Laying all the ground work for so long, he only hoped that he could be loved someday. Unfortunately, he found himself at a disadvantage. He’d been drinking with Grantaire since the two of them had eaten dinner together, and he was feeling like confessing again.

He had written a poem, as well, and slipped it over to the other when Combeferre was talking to Jehan.

The sun in the sky wishes

It burned half as bright as you

Love is a word that could never compare

To the things that I feel in your light

I want to make words, to create things that fit

But nothing seems to work and all I can do

Is say that I am absolutely enamoured by you

Combeferre read the note after a moment, blinking a little before looking over at the other. Courfeyrac had been putting in the time and effort to prove himself, and he smiled at him sweetly. Their hands touched and Combeferre rubbed a thumb over his knuckles. Courfeyrac melted in his seat, dumbstruck and happy with their hands intertwined.

Combeferre was not a man that showed a lot of affection. He was not the most romantic person in a room, he often had a hard time expressing things that weren’t his deeply held opinions. But, when it came to Courfeyrac, his heart had softened. The confession had been drunk, but even when he was sober, he did his best to try and give what he could. These thoughts brought him to helping Courfeyrac home after a night of drinking.

“You were great tonight.” Courfeyrac was saying, drowning in the scent of the other’s cologne. Combeferre shook his head with a smile.

“I hardly said a word.”

“Yeah, but you kept Enjolras from punching that guy.”

“Someone has to keep him out of prison for bar fights over politics.” And that someone was usually Combeferre.

“You still did great.” Courfeyrac babbled, nuzzling his face into the other’s shoulder. When they made it to his doorstep, the door was unlocked and Combeferre grabbed his wrist. Pulling him in for a slow, gentle kiss, he cupped the other’s face to hold him in place. When they pulled back, Courfeyrac happily stared at him, leaning back against his door.

“I might be falling for you.” Combeferre admitted, “You’ve been doing so much…”

“I wanted to prove to you that I love you.” Courfeyrac replied with a blush, happy to be in the other’s warm embrace.

“You’ve been doing so well.”

“You’re the greatest.”

“Hardly.”

“To me, you are.”

“You really are blinded by love.”

“All I can see is you.”

“You should get to bed.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, off with you.” Courfeyrac headed inside, crashing on his couch and thinking of nothing more than being held on it by the other man. He should have invited him in.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: I hope you liked this, guys. I had a lot of fun with it! I honestly have been so happy with how much I’ve been writing lately. See you in the next one!

#Les Misérables Fanfic #Les Misérables Fanfiction #Combeferre x Courfeyrac #SFW

0 notes