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fandom-hoarder · 1 year

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Just wondering if you can please explain to me how it's okay to describe the relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale as a "love story" even though those details are never explicitly stated or seen and are therefore subtext... but you can't accept that there is subtextual evidence in Dean's character development that implied his attraction to both genders as the story continued to develop. Yes, there are canonical instances where Dean stated he "doesn't swing that way", but they also occurred in the early seasons... before Purgatory, before his summer of love and group sex with Crowley. I'm okay with believing people when they state their sexuality... but are you okay with them changing their minds?

Is this actually about canon vs fanon? Or is it just twisting a narrative to suit how much you hate a certain ship?

I could be wrong, but I don't think *I've* described Aziraphale and Crowley as a canon love story? I've reblogged NEIL GAIMAN describing it as such. Furthermore, he never said that love was sexual, and neither have I. I enjoy Aziraphale and Crowley as a representation of queerplatonic love.

But that has nothing to do with what you're actually here to complain about.

Yes, it is actually about canon versus fanon.

In fact, destiel used to be my OTP until hellers became SO GODDAMN INSUFFERABLE in insisting their fanon is canon and attacking people over it. It's not the ship I hate, it's hellers who ruined it for me. Between the way so much destiel fiction is AU and completely changes character dynamics I like; and how hellers call other actual real life queer people homophobic, whilst wielding their own implicit biases to insist certain things MUST BE interpreted as queer NO MATTER WHAT THE CHARACTER AND THE ACTOR AND THE PEOPLE THAT WROTE DEAN SAY.

It's one thing to appreciate things you think are implied subtextual clues or things you personally vibe with and have a HEADCANON about it, but it's another thing to see Dean say on screen that he doesn't swing that way and INSIST he really does! Canon is what happens on screen. You can feel that there's implications all over the place, but that isn't the text. It's not canon.

Even his "summer of love" with Crowley does not make Dean canonically gay or bi. Lmao. First of all, that phrase shouldn't be taken seriously in the context of the show, wherein Sam is still hurt/jealous and jibing Dean about his time as a demon. We also can't take Crowley's comment about them sharing triplets, when Dean is a demon, to mean anything happened between them. He said they did "extraordinary things to triplets." That does not a homosexual encounter make.

Do you also take all the suggestive phrases about Sam and Dean to mean they're canonically incestuous? Cuz I don't, and I ship them!!

Dean is straight. He's said so in his own words many times. He's only been shown and spoken about sleeping with women.

And I'm too tired to search for late seasons dialogue now, but here's the fucking screenshot from 10.07:

[ID: screenshot of Sam holding Dean's phone, displaying Dean's dating app profile. Under "seeking", Dean has listed "women." /End ID]

Now, while anyone can stomp around insisting that a person COULD do all these things and still be gay, or bi, or queer in some way, THE CANON TEXT TELLS US DEAN IS STRAIGHT.

Y'all take all the joy out of having a bi!Dean headcanon because you have to be assholes and refuse to accept (or fucking watch) canon.

Thank you, and goodnight.

#asks #anon ask #fandom wank #dean is canonically straight #tumblr polls #anti hellers

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fincalinde · 1 year

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lwj, for the meme?

Not the Lan bro I was expecting but here goes!

a song that reminds me of them

This doesn't remind me of him because I wouldn't want to ruin it for myself, but I can imagine a sad montage of interregnum LWJ set to I Am Stretched On Your Grave. Anyway, my proper answer is Frostrósir by Eivør. It's in Faroese, which I do not speak, but I pinched something from here:

Each sigh from a lonely soul Every word that was formed without sound Now seems like a frostbitten affair Dressed in the guise of lifeless flowers

what they smell like

We have an answer to this in canon and it's sandalwood, so I don't have much to add.

an otp

I mean, it is the central point of the novel. But even aside from that, LWJ is consistently only ever interested in WWX. I'm not saying he shouldn't be interpreted as gay, but I am saying that even if he is gay it's secondary to his actual sexual identity which is Weiyingsexual. I'm not treading any new ground here.

Personally I don't find Wangxian interesting, but I at least believe they love each other and are compatible in the sense that they are both selfish in slightly different ways that mesh well for their own private universe. Not so great for others in their orbit, but part of that is authorial fiat so I try to be fair about what I hold against them.

I don't think CQL successfully executed the changes it made to Wangxian in having them click and partner up from the beginning, but I do think it was necessary to at least attempt to rebalance the relationship. In MDZS, WWX genuinely does not reciprocate LWJ's feelings in his first life beyond a very deeply buried and not particularly inevitable spark. His first life is really centred on his relationships with JC and JYL and they are the tragic 'romance' (in the traditional sense). LWJ only gets upgraded during the second life. Kind of awkward to do your sweeping romance if it isn't a romance in the 35+ episodes of flashbacks, so I don't blame them for trying. And I do like the Colin Firth vibes WYB brought to his LWJ.

a notp

Aside from not finding the idea of LWJ with anyone else convincing, let me take the opportunity to pettily sideswipe at Chengxian and shoving LWJ in to make it what? Wangchengxian? Is that what it's called? Either way, nooooooo thank you. You can't get much more fraternal than WWX and JC's idiot bickering, and even if they weren't such classic stupid boys together, JC and LWJ loathe one another with the kind of loathing that does not give way to a rendition of I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face. (Incidentally, in the original stage version Eliza walks out on Higgins never to return, and it is awesome.)

favorite platonic/familial relationships

Obviously it's his relationship with LXC (and by extension LQR?). Just absolutely fascinating. Their rapport is very sweet, as is LXC's protectiveness and gentle trolling. LWJ is not a particularly good didi, but LXC both doesn't notice and doesn't mind.

Actually, someone once made a meme for me in relation to this, let me dust it off and drag it out:

More seriously, though he was also raised with harsh discipline, in comparative terms LWJ is the spoilt baby of the family. As is often the result when we encounter morally rigid characters in MDZS, he is also in many respects hypocritical. Clearly I have a lot of negative things to say about him as a brother to LXC, but I'm not interested in demonising him and what's really interesting about it is that by and large this uneven dynamic works for the Twin Jades. Right up until it doesn't.

When LXC really needs LWJ to come through for him, he just doesn't. I'm not even talking about LWJ's behaviour leading up to and during the Temple, which is objectionable in the sense that he refuses to give JGY the benefit of the doubt that LXC extends to WWX. No, I'm talking about the fact that he bods off for literal months after LXC has just been through the worst experience of his life and lost his closest friend and partner. And I don't want to hear it about LXC being the elder and having a responsibility to take care of LWJ. LWJ owes consideration to his big brother and clan leader, even if that consideration might take a different form.

Here's a thought experiment. After WWX's first death, when LWJ has been whipped 33 times by the discipline whip and dragged himself to rescue LSZ and branded himself in drunken grief, can you imagine LXC bodding off for three months without a word to have picnics with JGY? It's inconceivable isn't it.

I didn't intend for this section to become a hit piece on LWJ and he obviously does love his brother, but in terms of actions it is somewhat of a one way street. The fact that LXC has no other expectations doesn't protect LWJ from my croc-hatted judgement face.

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with

Righteous LWJ. Oh, please. In MDZS, righteousness goes hand in hand with hypocrisy, and though I doubt MXTX the human being intended LWJ to be read as thoroughly selfish, the (translation of) the text she wrote is a depiction of a profoundly selfish man. And that's not a bad thing, because his selfishness coupled with the occasions when he is genuinely altruistic makes him more interesting than if he really were a moralising ice cube with a ribbon tied around it.

the position they sleep in

Official Lan Position, and postcanon I probably don't want to know.

a crossover au i’d love to see them in

I'm going to be lazy and suggest X-Men AU again just because his secondary power would definitely be organic diamond form like Emma Frost. I don't think he'd also be a telepath, but the idea of that is funny because he could read WWX's mind and know for certain that WWX isn't (currently) into him. But as a serious answer, organic diamond form as a secondary power and then primary power the same as Alison Blaire. I see no reason why his mutant name wouldn't be Dazzler too.

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn

I think he only has like one outfit. I'm sorry, I'm not cool enough to be able to distinguish between different varieties of plain white robes. In CQL I prefer first life LWJ because they put that massive ornament on second life LWJ's head to make him look older and taller but actually they created an unfortunate perspective effect where he just looks even shorter.

#ask #crashorpie #roquen meta #me when i'm discussing lwj: CRITICAL DIDI FAILURE #me when i'm writing fic from lxc's perspective: precious tragic didi i would die for him

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ghcstvalleychief · 2 years

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What are you hoping / wanting / etc to see from the KP finale? If there is a S2, what do you hope for?

Hmmm, I'm a sucker for happy endings. I'm a hopeless romantic, so I only like to see definitively happy endings. Ambiguous endings aren't that bad but I wouldn't want to see that for any of my faves or OTPs. I know some people like angsty or sad endings, but I am not one of those people. My heart is too sensitive and soft for such a thing.

In the short term, I want to see Kinn and Porsche ride off into the sunset together honestly. Which essentially means I want to see the best, happy mafia alternative/version of that because I'm not naïve enough to believe that that ending is even possible for these two considering the circumstances. So, whatever happy mafia alternative of this ending is available is good for me for the finale. They fight the bad guys, they win, and then they reconcile. Do the Dads die in this scenario? Maybe, maybe not. I actually get a kick out of how awful they are to their sons. It's pretty entertaining to watch.

In the long term (and possibly in a s2 if there is one), I want Kinn and Porsche to get to a better place where they learn to admit that their mutual trust is present. Both of them have a tendency to lie through their teeth when it comes to the trust thing and it grinds my gears. We know you guys trust each other, so why lie? I honestly don't want Porsche to be Kinn's bodyguard anymore; it's not like he'd be able to do so anyway, because Kinn refuses to let him do his damn job. Kinn is not going to let Porsche take a bullet for him. It's just not gonna happen, so how can he be his bodyguard? However, I need there to be some sort of middle ground where Porsche is still a part of this world but also kind of not. I want Porsche to still be included in said mafia discussions and choices but I don't want him to be an active part of it. I don't know what Porsche could do, but that's how I feel about it. Yes, I know there's another thing that happens in the novel that he could do but I'm not even sure I want that for him to be honest.

I don't want them to completely leave the mafia world because there's power in being apart of that world. Kinn is able to do what he does because he's apart of it, so I don't want them to completely abandon that part. Kinn is able to offer Porsche protection because of who he is, and I think it's important for them to keep that layer of protection there because it benefits both Porsche and Chay. They need to learn how to alter their identities in that world to suit their relationship and not the other way around; their relationship is solid, but it's when they remember who they need to be in that world that causes the issues in their relationship. Kinn needs to learn how to find the compromise between being cold mafia prince and loving boyfriend and Porsche needs to continue leaning into his newfound darkness while also allowing himself to be loved by Kinn. He's already halfway there; we just need Porsche to actually grasp the concept that they need to be these other people to survive in that world. Which I think he's starting to understand if this last episode is anything to go by.

Porsche has decided that he doesn't mind darkening his soul and his heart to find out the truth about his family and to keep Kinn. He wants to keep both, and Porsche has drawn a line in the sand when it comes to his priorities and who he considers to be expendable and who he doesn't. I've come to the conclusion that Porsche may be more ruthless and heartless than Kinn. At least Kinn still somewhat cares about other people, but Porsche doesn't even seem to care at all. Porsche cares about Chay and Kinn, and that's it.

Porsche sold out Pete to Vegas to get what he wanted, and he didn't care about what it would do to Pete. It's a crazy world we live in, isn't it? That's wild to think about. Porsche is willing to sell everyone else out, except for those two. I'm shocked! I've read various metas about it, and I've been convinced otherwise in regards to how I feel about what Porsche did. I was looking at him running off with Vegas all wrong, and I can see it in a new light now. He was using Vegas as the scapegoat. He's the fall guy, and I didn't even see it before. I stand by what I said that he's still putting some level of trust in Vegas to not screw him and his plans over. I did not change my mind about that part. That was still a pretty risky decision, and we will see what happens as a result of that in the next episode.

Porsche is finally going through his evolution and we need Kinn to reach out and help Porsche accept and handle this new change. That's what I want. These are all my hopes and wishes, but I doubt they're going to have that much time. Yes, it's a longer episode (by their standards), but I'm uncertain of how much time they're truly going to have. A lot of this stuff could be saved for a s2, if there is one.

#anonymous #answered asks #kinn x porsche #kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #tv: kinnporsche #my only concern is whether this is gonna stick or not #I like this new porsche but will it stick?#will it last?#because porsche has a tendency to make me proud and then he takes four steps back #which makes sense because this is all new to him #but at the same time; it gets to be pretty damn exhausting to watch

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adisgracetotheforcesofevil · 2 years

Text

Left for Dead

Annabeth reflects on a time when she left Percy for dead- and the time when he refused to do the same.

937 words - Complete - Crossposted to AO3

I wrote this in 2014 for a literature class, and then my computer crashed a few months later and I thought I had lost it forever. I was scrolling through my old email archives for kicks the other day and I found a copy of this my mother had sent me becuase only her computer at the time had Word. To date this is the only fanfiction I have ever written, and I was 13. The Mark of Athena had just come out and I was having feelings, apparently. Come with me on this journey to rediscover the past (and teenage otp feels)!

As I ran from the mountain, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen. That stupid, seaweed-brain was going to get himself killed and it was my fault. I left him, left him for dead.

I believed the kelp-head when he said he had a plan. I am not stupid, despite my bright, blonde hair. I am a daughter of Athena. I should know when someone is faking it. I was right. Percy had no plan. Yet I left him for dead. Those telekhines would overrun him, and I wouldn’t be there to save him.

Sure, he is powerful (what son of Poseidon isn't?), but I knew all too well, he didn't have his nicknames for nothing. Yet I kept running. All of the sudden I turned and watched in horror as the mountain exploded. I think my heart did, too.

My feelings overpowered my better judgment, and I ran back inside, only to find that it must have been a hundred-forty degrees Fahrenheit in there. My heart won again, despite Mom's influence. I kept running, running and screaming his name.

“Percy! Perseus Derek Jackson! Once I find you I will gut you like to fish you are!”

After what must have been 3 hours, I collapsed onto the ground sobbing. He was my best friend, the sweet, sarcastic, troublemaker, seaweed-brain. As if my grief could not get any worse, this realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I liked Percy Jackson…Percy Jackson, the son of my mother's rival. Well we never did play by the rules. That made me remember how he snuck off on Zoe Nightshade's quest, which made me remember how he saved me, which sent me into another round of sobbing. Because, after all that, I left him for dead.

I heard a rustle in the grass behind me but nobody was there. Then I heard a soft voice say:

“Do not be afraid. I am Zephyr, the West Wind. Let me help you."

I was transported to Camp Half-Blood, whose campers were in the middle of camp sing-along. They immediately stopped and asked the usual questions. “Oh my gods, are you okay?” “What happened?” But worst of all, “Where's Percy?”

It was too much. I collapsed, for the second time in one day, sobbing. I managed to choke out, “He's…he's in Mount Tam. He s-sacrificed himself for me.” As I sat there shaking, Chiron came over, pulled me onto his strong centaur back and I rode him to my cabin where I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning I walked to the big house. All of the counselors were already there, except Percy. That was almost enough to set me off again, but I reminded myself that I had a reputation to maintain, unshaking daughter of Athena and all. As I recounted my tale, I realized that I had never found his body. I managed to convince myself that he had escaped and maybe ran off and stopped somewhere else on the way here. Maybe…wait, maybe Sally would know! If anything, she deserves to know what happened to her son. I IMd (Iris Messaged) her and found that she didn't know anything either. I talked to Chiron about sending search parties and he agreed.

Two horrible, terrible, unbearable weeks passed with no word, so I had to uphold the tradition of burning the funeral shroud of the missing hero. This had happened for millennia, this two-week tradition, and I wasn't about to mess with the Fates. I began my speech, all because I had left him for dead.

I was in the middle of my first sentence when the kelp-head himself had the nerve to show up at his own funeral! I was slightly miffed that I hadn’t gotten to finish my cleverly written speech, but that was shoved aside as the other emotions came barreling through. Anger, shock, relief, and joy make for a very confused child of Athena, but one thing is clear, I have my seaweed-brain back! I felt like punching him, but instead I hugged him so hard I thought I heard a rib pop out of joint.

~End of flashback~

I remember the feeling of relief that swept through me as I held on to him for dear life. Now here we were, dangling off the edge of Tartarus, and I held on for dear life again. Only this time it was only his hand, and if I let go I really died, no metaphors. I don't fault him in the least, though. It all happened so quickly, my mind was still reeling. The spider, the cars crashing, the webbing-and Oh, Styx!-my ankle. It hurt like Hades. However, through all of this there was Percy. He has always been my constant. I love him, I really do. However, I am a daughter of the wisdom goddess. I know for a fact there's a 99.999% chance that I wouldn't make it out alive. And there was no way he could pull me back up. He should just let me go. Leave me for dead, just as I did all those years ago. It made sense, because he had the same chance of surviving as I did. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard Percy tell Nico to meet us on the other side of the doors of death. He turned to me and said,

“Together. We are going together.”

Then he let go of his ledge and we fell. As we did, I kissed him because my sweet, stupid, loyal, seaweed-brain hadn't left me for dead.

Please don't repost

#percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #pjato #fanfiction #heroes of olympus

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mattdcblog · 2 years

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For the send a character thing, Ted Kord!

Favorite thing about the character:

A lot of these are gonna have multiple answers soz lol, but I genuinely really like his kooky sense of humor. While JLI is where most of my knowledge of the character comes from, theres even stuff from his 80s and Charlton runs that make me laugh, like this:

[Image ID: A panel from the Charlton Blue Beetle comics. Blue beetle fights a clay statue come to life. He thinks, "I'll keep pressing him...try to set him up so I can knock him off balance!" The statue thinks, "Why does he keep fighting me! He should run! He can't win!" In the midst of this, Beetle says, "I hate to tell you your business, but you're missing a lot. /End ID. ]

And the second thing I enjoy greatly about him is how he's portrayed with an incredible sense of humanity, and everything that entails. Like, he isn't the blue beetle because he's been gifted with some kind of incredible power. He doesn't helm the mantle willingly. He's presented with the responsibility and CHOOSES to shoulder that weight. Its like an inversion of the whole "with great power" line - he takes on the responsibility, and in that lies the power. Everything about that really drives home that he really is just a guy (albeit an incredibly technologically smart one) who wakes up every morning and chooses to put on blue spandex and fly around in a big bug airship. There's no divine prophecy, no freak accident, no sudden revelation. The one person in his life whom he trusted the most asks him, in his final moments, to take it on in his memory. When someone you're close to and greatly respect asks you that, in Ted's own words (Blue Beetle 1967 #2): "How can I refuse?"

Least favorite:

Theres really not too much about him that I don't like, honestly. Character flaws are really important things, and yeah he's got a few lol! But outside of that, one thing I don't like with him is more specifically how he sometimes gets written as either "the smart one," or "the guy with a weight problem." Don't get me wrong, these are both true things about the character, but having those be his ONLY traits really, Really hurts his portrayals, because he is So much more than that! He's a goofball sometimes! He can be a total asshole! He's also really funny, and observant, and nice at times! Infinite Crisis wanted so badly to make him this serious, hyper-intelligent guy that was Never Wrong and Everybody Liked Him and Respected Him. Completely ignoring that hes not a God, he's not batman, and he was a human being, yknow? Sometimes there are just gonna be people that you Do Not get along with. And also interesting to consider that Tora did not realy get the same treatment...

Favorite line:

[Image ID: A partially cut-off panel from JLI #21. As the JLI returns from Apokalyps, Captain Atom asks, "Beetle, what's been going--" He's cut off by Blue Beetle responding, "I don't know! I don't care! And if you ever ask me again, I'll shoot off your kneecaps!" /End ID.]

brOTP:

I can't choose just one lol, him and pretty much every member of the JLI (including booster) I would probably agree with having as a brotp, Scott and Bea especially. Barbara is also really interesting friendship, and hell throw Ray in there too why not. Honestly I could see him getting along well with mostly everybody.

OTP:

To the surprise of no one I have to say Booster. These guys are just doomed to be associated with each other until the end of time. If you've got a team name its already too late. I know it says "one true pairing," but truthfully I could see Barbara as well. A few of my friends convinced me of it (giorgia if you're out there...hehe), but honestly my view of ships is just like...if the writer can make the characters work together and interact believably, that's all I'm looking for.

nOTP:

Reiterating what I just said above, but also...I could see ways to pair him with Fire or Ice, but like, I don't want either to happen. Thats just another pair that are kind of intertwined forever in my mind.

Random HC:

I bet he really enjoys making models.

Unpopular opinion:

The rebirth storyline was really weird to me because aside from retconning the scarab to be magic again (which like. Why. Jaimes 2006 run was amazing and there's textual evidence to support why going the alien tech route made SENSE and Keith you fucking WROTE SOME OF THAT ROUTE YOURSELF WHAT WAS THE REASON??!?!?!?!), it didn't really feel like Ted and jaime gelled as a team, and Dan getting completely shafted from the story entirely and just being "Ted's neighbor who shows him a cool artifact" was certainly...A Choice. I get that dan has not had the amount of retooling or development the other two have had, but shouldn't that be More of a reason to make him fit more concretely into the story? Having him just be Ted's neighbor COMPLETELY destroys his entire basis for putting on the suit. This turned into just more of a general opinion oops so ANYWAY

Song:

certain things (read: fan fiction and select comic panels) have assigned Love Shack by the B-52s as Ted Kords Song in my mind. Nothing about it describes his character very much, but every time I hear it I go "this is his favorite song."

Favorite pic:

[Image ID: A lineup of the core members of the JLI. From left to right: Max, Guy, Tora, J'onn, L-Ron, Bea, Ted, Booster. Bea is sticking her tongue out, Ted is wearing a pair of beaglepuss glasses, and Booster is whistling and holding a sign pointing to Ted that reads, "I'm with stupid. " From Who's Who Update '88. /End ID.]

#thabks for the ask!

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morfinwen · 2 years

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For the Fandom Ask Game: The Raven Cycle, Red Vs. Blue, and the Cosmere (feel free to narrow this down to just one series if you need/want), please?

The Raven Cycle

I'm not even going to try to make this explainable to someone who hasn't read the books. Apologies for the incoherence.

favorite character: Richard Campbell Gansey the Third.

least favorite character: Barrington Whelk, devoid of virtually any good traits and holder of several awful ones. Joseph Kavinsky, partially because of his (to me) utterly inexplicable popularity with the fandom, partially because of who he is as a person.

brOTP: Gansey and Ronan. The Gangsey (Gansey, Ronan, Adam, Blue, Noah, and Henry) as a whole.

OTP: Gansey/Blue.

OT3: Not a thing for me.

NOTP: Ronan/Kavinsky. For so many reasons.

favorite storyline: One of my favorite, if not my very favorite recurring element is one or more characters coming to the aid of another, often in a way the other character didn't anticipate -- Ronan facing Adam's dad, Adam saving Ronan, Ronan and Gansey showing up at court for Adam, everyone looking for Blue when she's at Jesse's, everyone showing up when Gansey's underground at the estate, everyone refusing to hurt Adam when he's possessed, etc.

least favorite storyline: I think more could have been done with the demon, frankly.

what I wish had happened but didn’t: I wish there had been more exploration into the "king voice" thing.

what happened that I wish hadn’t: You can try to tell me they all forgot about Noah at the end, but i won't believe you.

Red vs Blue

... Yeah, this isn't going to make a whole lot of sense, either.

favorite character: Leonard Church. Or, more specifically, Alpha!Church and Epsilon!Church, who are effectively the same person. Not including the Director, who is also Leonard Church, and in some ways the same as Alpha and Epsilon, but also not really.

least favorite character: Malcolm Hargraves.

brOTP: Church and Carolina. Almost a literal brOTP.

OTP: Church/Tex and Carolina/York.

OT3: Not a thing.

NOTP: Some ships that are popular in the fandom, but i don't feel strongly negative about any canon ships.

favorite storyline: The Chorus arc is probably my favorite.

least favorite storyline: Well, i stopped watching sometime in season 15. I don't think it's terrible, but it lost my interest and never regained it.

what I wish had happened but didn’t: I would have liked to have seen more of the other AI fragments, especially like what we saw with Epsilon in seasons 12 and 13. A lot more AI bullet time!

what happened that I wish hadn’t: Eh, nothing i feel strongly about.

The Cosmere

Gonna restrict this to The Stormlight Archive.

favorite character: Shallan, followed closely by Kaladin.

least favorite character: Oh, who to pick? There's quite a list. I'll go with Sadeas, but all the prologues have built up Gavilar to be almost as bad (or possibly even worse!).

brOTP: Kaladin and Adolin.

OTP: Shallan/Adolin.

OT3: Nope.

NOTP: Same as above, nothing canon (at the moment) comes to mind.

favorite storyline: Oh, what to pick? I love a lot of things about all of the books, but i think there's something special about Kaladin's arc in the first book. If i could draw or animate or compose music, i would love to do something for the moment where he and the rest of Bridge Four decide to go back for the Kholin army. Just, incredible.

least favorite storyline: Not really a thing.

what I wish had happened but didn’t: Can't think of anything, offhand.

what happened that I wish hadn’t: Poor Elhokar should have had a chance to become a better king. (Not that i think it's bad from a narrative perspective or anything, but the poor guy deserved so much better).

Thanks for asking!

#ask #answer #valiantarcher

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captmickey · 2 years

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Royal guard number 1 for the niche questions please. (Mostly cuz I wanna see what kind of crossover au you think he’d be good in.)

a song that reminds me of them 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton. Mainly because of him handling the chaos in the castle during both King Edward and King Graham's reign.

what they smell like I think I mentioned once in the past that they smelled of probably armor polish and leather.... but a small part of me like to think that he has a hint of mint/tea tree to him.

an otp No one, he seems like someone who doesn't have the time or patience for a relationship. But I did, for a day, thought of Number Two but it didn't go past that and I'll explain that in the platonic answer...

a notp Not much to ship Number One to, really. I guess Manny? Just because I feel like Number One would throw hands with him instead.

favorite platonic/familial relationships BOY OH BOY TIME TO EXPLAIN THE OTP ANSWER!! Number Two, easily is my favorite of their dynamics since it's, as someone pointed out and opened my third eye, is practically brotherly with the way they banter one another. But another favorite platonic/familiar relationship is with Graham. The dry humor yet still attentive nature is just.... -chef kiss-

a headcanon that is popular in the fandom but that i disagree with I mean... there's not a lot of headcanons that isn't from me or two other people?? So I'm going to put an opinion instead of a headcanon: I refuse to believe he ran away when Manny broke in in the beginning of chapter 4. I refuse to believe he is that weak of a leader.

the position they sleep in The real question is what position doesn't he sleep in? The second he can close his eyes, regardless of the position, he is out cold. Desk, couch, chair, bed? Doesn't matter. But he will be more often than not found on his stomach sprawled out if given the chance.

a crossover au i’d love to see them in Hmm... I would love to see him in Three Houses. Would love to see him running things in Garreg Mach... maybe even assist (or butt heads) with Seteth.

my favorite outfit they’ve ever worn Do AUs count? Because uuuuuuuhhhh.... Immortal Guard. Love the vest look. But canon outfit? When Graham becomes king, the red and blue is a nice look.

(x)

#kings quest

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loloooowrites · 2 years

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Hi there writers!!!!

This is my first post about writing fanfiction. The topic of these posts isn't to tell you what you're doing wrong, but rather to give you a new lens to see your writing through. Sometimes, all it takes is a new perspective to get over the writer's block that plagues us all. Check out this rant below:

Improve Your Story by Connecting Your Character's Traits With Their Goals

We all have those special characters that we’re connected to, and that's part of why we're here. There was something that captured you enough to write a story using your OTP, main hero, or even the side characters you're including. But what is it specifically that makes these characters so appealing to us? What can you do, as a writer, to create that connection with your readers through your characters?

A well rounded protagonist needs goals and traits that contribute to the plot. Figuring out these things for your character is essential for your story. That doesn’t mean that the reader should necessarily know all of these things from the first page of the book, but you should have an idea about what your character's goals are (what do they want out of the world?), their character traits (How do they react to the world around them?), and how this all contributes to driving your plot forwards.

What are character traits?

Your character's traits are their personality. How do your characters react to the world around them? Are they mean, generous, empathetic, pious, apathetic? Would they save the drowning villager, or let them drown in pursuit of the enemy? Do they maintain a chill exterior, but care deeply for others on the inside? These inherent qualities of our characters are their traits!

Our character's traits usually connect with what we already know about them. For example, if I'm using Naruto as my protagonist in a Star Wars bounty hunter AU, it's true that his world is different, but the way he reacts to the world should remain similar-ish in order to maintain the integrity of the character. One of his main traits is that he remains loyal. Specifically, he is loyal to his friends and would sacrifice himself to save them, so that might be a trait that I focus on to help him be pushed towards (or away from!) his goal, whatever that ends up being.

Your character’s traits should have consequences (positive and/or negative) when it comes to their goals. For example, one of Harry Potter's character traits is that he is brave. Harry's bravery causes him to strive to protect those who are close to him, no matter what the cost. He is forced into action as a result of this several times throughout the series. For example, Harry rushes to Sirius’ aid in the department of mysteries when he believes Sirius is being tortured by Voldemort. At first, he refuses the help of his friends because he is brave and he does not wish to put them in danger. However, this notion is overruled and Harry decides, begrudgingly, to go along to the department of mysteries with his possy in tow. After all, he still has to save Sirius.

Character goals: How do they fit into the plot?

Let’s take another look at Harry Potter. In the beginning of the first book, the readers learn that the Dursleys, Harry's adopted family, are horrible people and neglect Harry's emotional needs. He's dressed, watered, and fed, but he lacks a sense of family and a sense of belonging. Therefore, before the plot really gets going, readers understand that one of Harry’s goals, or needs, is to feel like he belongs and that people care about him.

This goal is part of what pushes Harry to leave with Hagrid. Harry is touched that Hagrid cared enough to break down a door to bring him a cake for his birthday, and that he was honest enough to tell Harry how his parents really died. It makes him feel like he belongs and is cared for. It is part of what makes Harry trust Hagrid enough to lead him into a world he knows little about, away from what he has known his whole life: The Dursleys. Without an understanding of Harry’s goal, readers may wonder why Harry trusted Hagrid enough to leave the Dursley's care at all.

How do my character's traits connect to their goals?

Harry's goal to feel like he belongs isn’t the goal that takes him to the end of the story, but it does play along with one of his main traits: his bravery. This results in Harry's habit of protecting those who care about him and make him feel like he belongs. This goal and subsequent trait of Harry’s pops up many times throughout the series, and is even a source of insecurity for him when danger arrives and his friends are in the mix. It also gives him something to lose, which makes the reader root and care for him.

Let's connect back to this Naruto bounty hunter Star Wars AU I mentioned to put this practice in the context of crafting fanfiction:

1. Goal: Perhaps a goal of Naruto's is that he plans to make as much money bounty hunting across the galaxy for as long as possible before dying.

2: Traits: Loyalty is one of his traits. In the beginning, he is loyal to himself and his goals only.

We have a goal and a trait, now, enter the plot: While on a bounty hunting job, he lands on a planet in the throes of a civil war. Somehow he finds himself in the middle after hearing the pleas of the oppressed citizens who wish to end the violence. Initially he agrees to fight because they are paying him a large amount of credits, but goes through some internal change and ends up caring for the people. This leads to some dramatic confrontation at the end with a main antagonist. Because I'm in a good mood I'll let Naruto win this story, saving the oppressed people. Because he's changed, maybe he doesn't accept the money and abandons that selfish goal he maintained from the beginning. His trait also plays a role, as he is now loyal to the people he has saved. Yay intrinsic rewards!

Anyway, the point here is to show you how goals and traits can be connected to one another. Viewing your work through this lens can help you drive your plot forwards, keep it interesting, and maintain the integrity of your character. All good things!

So what can you do?

Some exercises to help you find how your character’s goals and traits mix together:

1. List some character goals:

2. List some character traits:

3. Answer one or both of these questions:

a. How do my character’s traits move them along the plot and towards their goal(s)?

b. How do their traits cause issues for my character/push my character away from their goal(s)?

*Remember that some traits will only serve to move your character towards your goals or vice versa. There also may be goals that do both.*

I hope you found this helpful! If you did, feel free to share or follow. See you next time!

#writers #fanfic #favorite characters #writing goals #writing #writersblock #fanficadvice

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snowflake-of-destruction · 4 years

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Terraqua :))))))))

1. How do much do I ship it?: Never heard of it/ Notp / Dislike / used to ship / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / IS IT CANON YET?

This rating applies to canon. Just want to clarify, since I'm going to also talk headcanons for different AUs (go to the asterisk reference sections at the bottom if you want a little explanation of AUs) in some answers, and, in those situations, feelings are different.

2. What non sexual activities do they like to do together?

KH Post Canon: Learning how to be adults together. I know it's not the most "fun" answer, and they deserve a break, but even if things stay stable, they aren't getting one as such. Aqua is now the Master in Residence at the Land of Departure and someone all the Guardians of Light will look to as an authority (and Yensid will reinforce it!) , and Terra will get a lot of the same treatment from multiple factions.

Not only will the GoL look at him as someone knowledgeable (Him! The screw up who not only isn't a master but has a lot less off-world experience where he was actually conscious than most of his new comrades), but, when it comes to the recompleted former Org members, while it's clear he is definitely not "The Superior" and they don't want him to be, even those that glance by Roxas/Sora/Ventus etc. as green behind the ears or "kids" despite their experience are naturally inclined to view him as an equal and/or someone to ask guidance from even if only on a subconscious level because he shares Xemnas features.

And neither has the first clue what they are doing. Hell, they lived sheltered with Eraqus and the Land of Departure Castle probably taking care of a lot of their needs. So, yeah, Aqua and Terra learn to cook together, hone vocabulary and speaking style to sound "like a real adult" and not like teenagers who are using bigger and bigger words to sound mature, practice how to lead meetings without voice shaking and how to make people feel heard (and refrain from interrupting with "you're wrong and also stupid because of Xyz"), read up on history and powers of old keyblade masters like they are cramming for exams (because even stuff they were taught by Eraqus...it's kind of been awhile), bitch together over how to simultaneously be 28 and 18, and basically bond over "fooling" everyone into thinking they are competent.

Then they indulge in a bunch of "childish" things they never did because they were always in a rush to grow up when they were actually younger. They slide down bannisters and have food fights and swing from the rings in the training area, feet lifted and knees near to knocking the ground.

Lost Masters AU*: Finishing growing up in the Mysterious Tower under Yensid's comparatively lax supervision, obviously effected their hobbies as much as their outlook on life. They escaped often to the book(s) where Fantasia sleeps and so they are used to music made through flora, fauna, and movements of their own body. Creating symphonies that are part sparring, part dancing, part gardening and finding out what creates the best music was a passion and it carries on beyond the Tower and beyond having (snuck) access to Yensid's books. Even in adulthood, they both have a tendency to dance when nobody's watching, and, wherever they settle there is a carefully cultivated flower bed they can be found tending to (and humming to them the whole time, teaching them the notes they should be playing but mostly refuse to) when not on mission.

Grass is Greener**: If you asked the couple themselves this question, (more politely phrased of course because you don't say the phrase "nonsexual things" in conversation) Aqua would beam and talk about going out on the boat...that they don't own anymore (Xem bought it off baby sister out of pity. He drew the short straw between him and Ansem), and didn't use much when they did. Terra would shrug and say he hardly remembers anymore, honesty slipping out because he forgets to be guarded until Aqua grips his arm too tight and says that he's joking on his behalf.

With some prompting, Terra will slowly come up with the latest Netlfix series they are binging...separately. Not that he'll say they watch separately, because that's not anyone else's business, and it's not even a reflection on their relationship, just like not remembering what they do for fun isn't as bad as it sounds (Is it? Now he'll brood too much on it). With Aqua working days that start early and Terra working mostly nights, they hardly see each other. Even before that, before Terra's breakdown, which he is more apt to explain away than she is if they ever talk about it (which they try not to at all costs), he was doing his residency at the hospital and worked a lot of odd hours. Med school is actually...wow...more of a blur than Terra realized....but they had fun? Once? Together? Since the college days? Of course they did. They have many activities together. Lots of stuff. Common interests. That's what they do. Common interests.

3. Who does chores around the house?

In General/Canonverse: Split right down the middle. Some tasks they trade off on, and some become full time assignments, like, for instance, Aqua cooks and Terra does the dishes.

Grass is Greener: Terra. Period. It's not discussed, and Aqua would adamantly refute this, but in Terra's mind he has to do everything. He did even when he was working/studying to be a doctor. Aqua knows how blessed she is to have a husband that just full stop doesn't let her lift a finger (because he loves her! And he likes doing house things), but not fully. Eraqus is old money (and so was Aqua's mom, though she barely remembers her before she took off) and Xehanort's "new money" only bolstered it, and besides just living on that kind of cushion, she was the only child with Eraqus who also had to "make up" for being a single parent for awhile, and then the youngest child and only girl when the family became blended, so she was never made to do anything in her life and kind of still believes in the cleaning fairy. She knows housework is difficult, but in the same way she knows what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck now that she and Terra don't accept any help from Eraqus and Xehanort....just live in one of their houses (to take care of it for them!) without paying a dime even towards taxes and insurance much less rent...and Aqua's car insurance is paid for six months at a time as a birthday gift in the fall and an anniversary gift in the spring...but scorn handouts otherwise.

4. Who’s the better cook?

Canonverse/General: Aqua.

Lost Masters: Terra. It starts off being Aqua, but, you know, you forget a lot of things once you're a Nobody.

Grass is Greener: Terra. Though Aqua starts to catch up once they start a couple's cooking class that Terra keeps canceling on, leaving her to take Tifa or Aerith

5. Who’s the funniest drunk?

Aqua, all universes. Terra just gets very quiet and stares at the wall to make sure it doesn't move. Aqua becomes the life of the party. Not a small task, considering their friends.

6. Do they have kids?

Canonverse/In general: Absolutely, eventually, and more than one. It would vary story to story how many, the sexes, and the ages, but they will have at least two.

Lost Masters: I wasn't planning on it, but damn if I don't now want to rework the timeline.

Grass is Greener: "When are you guys going to have kids?" That question is the bane of their existence. "You've been together for a long time." "You'd be such great parents." There's a lot of pressure, but no baby and there's not going to be.

7. Do they have any traditions?

Canon-verse: Even though Eraqus's grave is near enough they pass by it regularly, they (and Ventus) have a yearly celebration of remembrance of his life where they gather by the gravesite and tell stories. Over time they even get comfortable enough to share negative memories. It's not disrespectful. It's remembering the whole man and learning every lesson he taught. Terra and Aqua also go all out decorating the castle for solstices, though Terra takes lead with jokes about how the one time Aqua changed the castle's decor on her own she went a little overboard. Each year picking a different world they went to separately to vacation at and re-experience together in peace.

Grass is Greener: Beach vacation every year. This is carried on from Aqua's family who used to rent a condo on the beach for the first week or so of July (or, when they got older, multiple condos, next door units so there was some pretense of supervision, Aqua, Xemnas, and Ansem sometimes getting to invite friends to come meet them/stay over for part of the time). Aqua and Terra usually do a shorter time because of schedules. They also go all out for Halloween, turning most of the house into a haunted house for touring Halloween and the preceding or following weekend--and Aqua actually does most of the work on this, it's a grand creative project. Ansem's for New Year's. The Dads' for Thanksgiving. Christmas tree hunting for all the households with the Dads, Ansem, and Xemnas. Terra's family for Christmas Eve dinner and service, and then Xemnas's for Christmas because The Dads passed hosting on to him.

8. What do they fight about?

Canon/General: Projecting their own insecurities/sensitivities on to each other and expecting to hear things the other would never say. Take care of yourself statements twisted into assuming Aqua is worried about Terra falling prey to darkness again. Observations that everyone seems to be re-adjusting well to relatively normal/new normal life read as "Stay out of their lives and stop meddling, Aqua. You're what causes things to go wrong"

Lost Masters: There's only the one fight planned. I don't know what smaller fights may be. Aqua handles being passed over for Master while Terra advances worse than Terra does when the opposite happens in canon. It doesn't help that Yensid takes her demands to be given another test right away badly. Terra tries to comfort her. It does not go well.

Grass is Greener: Fight? They don't fight. They didn't fight when Terra was struggling even in his first semesters in med school (with what he wanted in life more than with the program itself, but there was a fair bit of both), confided it to Aqua, and she gently reminded him of what The Plan was--the plan that so much work and her fathers' money when someone lost some of their scholarships was put toward. They didn't fight when Aqua threw her side of The Plan out and decided it would be fun to be a teacher instead of following after Xemnas and going to law school. They didn't fight when Terra discarded more of The Plan after even more work, money, and time wasted, and started bartending of all things when even if he wasn't going to be a doctor there were so many other careers he could build. It's temporary, Aqua tells herself. He's happier, Aqua tells herself. So she's happy for him and she will not mention it and they will not fight. They don't fight over kids, or lack of kids even though that was on The Plan too that they should have one already--so they could space them out and also because Aqua had calculated the optimal age. They don't fight over money. They don't fight over hardly getting to see each other and how one or the other always seem to be late or make other plans when they do schedule off nights to be together. They just simply never argue. They are happy. Couple goals.

9. What would they do if they found their paring tag on tumblr? (If they have one)

General/Canon: They would first worry over who was watching them but then they'd get into pointing out cute art to each other and they may even write their own memoir to pass off as fanfic. It's uncomfortable how often they are the parents or aunt and uncle of the group--they aren't even completely comfortable being leaders like I said before, though they want to try their best--and even more awkward because the other Guardians of Light largely find it hilarious and tease them relentlessly.

Lost Masters: If they find it while they are together, it's cute and a sign that everything will turn out alright. If they find it later, it's devastating for Terra, and ammunition for Dark Aqua

Grass is Greener: Aqua doesn't really get a lot of the content but she likes how they seem to be popular, and she really likes her hair short. She should go back to wearing it short. Terra is into the fantasy anime vibes, and it's reassuring to think they may be together and in love in another universe. He thinks they are canon at least from how a lot of the tag is. It's validating.

10. Who cried at the end of Marley and me?

Neither, though they ended up talking about how Ventus definitely would have cried.

11. Who always wins at Mario kart?

Terra mostly. Aqua will have a well strategized/lucky race once in awhile though

12. One thing I like about this ship?

Even in the moments where they doubt or misunderstand each other or act stubborn, I feel like you can feel love, respect, and just the barest pining tinge even before everything goes wrong and it's cranked up. I'll break examples down when I get to games that include them on my replay I am sure.

13. One thing I don’t like about the ship?

That they are treated as the default and even if you ship them with other people it has to be just for fun or an extra ship because at the end of the day everyone agrees with Terraqua. That's just a lowkey pet peeve though, and for “no reason” since, at the end of the day, I agree with Terraqua.

I dislike the idea that they are "mom and dad" in a lot of people's eyes...in case I didn't give off that vibe already. Let them rest. Whether you see them are near 30 or as 18, they still deserve to just only be responsible for themselves. And, guess what, some of the kiddos have more life experience than them.

14. The song I would say fits them?

You come into my house and keep asking me this question? Be gone with you!

15. Another headcanon about the paring? (Free space)

General: They adopt a bunch of animals. Since they are often on missions and not the most stable parents of even fur babies in the first years post KH3, this, in practice, consists of claiming animals on several worlds and visiting them every time they are there to spoil them and bring them gifts. Prince Eric's dog Max? Terra and Aqua's. Nemo and his father? Marlin resents the implication, but they are their fish. Thomas O'Malley the Alley Cat? You shouldn't be allowed to call yourself a pet owner when you also turn into a cat when you go to visit them, but, yes, he is part of the family.

Lost Masters: Instead of making large wayfinder charms, since it is just the two of them, Aqua makes smaller charms that hang from woven macrame bracelets that morph meaning as they get older. Terra continues to wear his up until "present." Aqua's comes with her even when she's a Nobody, but eventually gets confiscated by Ventus though it somehow ends up with Xigbar who doesn't hesitate to literally dangle the reminder of her human life over her.

GiG: People tend to think Terra not Aqua is the one related to Xemnas and Ansem unless they specifically know better. Sometimes Terra goes along with this. He hasn't found a way to parlay this into some funny prank so far, but is on the look out for a way. Aqua doesn't see (or refuses to see) that Terra resembles Xem a little. Vehement denial is better for the sanity.

*Lost Masters AU is the name for the canon divergence where Xehaqus eloped/ Xehanort chose love over power or darkness, and it changed everyone's fate--though fate still demanded both villains and heroes. Canon divergent post Xehanort's little jaunt to the future and spanning that time of Young Xehanort and Eraqus and up through the sage so far, though, you know, skipping around the years with different protags. Yeah, ambitious, but it would be so cool. I've decided I'm waiting until after I beat Melody of Memory to consider further whether I'm writing it or just posting a skeleton in case we get some Radiant Garden/Ansem the Wise and apprentices/Kairi background I want to work in. Want to know more? Hit me up

**Grass is Greener is a modern au/soap opera-ish au created between me and Shaky. It's on both of our blogs, tagged Grass is Greener Verse.

#grass is greener verse #terraqua #the lost masters #snippets #terra #aqua #shaky-mayhemm

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thekenobee · 2 years

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roominthecastle · 5 years

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I can't help but think you're being a bit too hard on Eleanor because of ship bias. I mean, why would you called her 'her worst self' and 'selfish' when she's always been one to throw stuff to get in heaven (even with the character development)? But suddenly she's being sappy and depending on someone who isn't Michael and the whole M/E fandom is at her throat. I'm as unconfortable as the next shipper with all the C/E scenes but is it really Eleanor and her characterization that's at fault?

Yes, of course I am biased (to a certain degree). When the show caters to my preferences, I’m more docile and much less likely to nitpick and complain, when it doesn’t and it drops the ball to boot, I get grumpy. So I’m your garden variety fan, basically. But I don’t believe I’m “at Eleanor’s throat”. Her and Chidi being together doesn’t make me uncomfortable bc it’s her and Chidi and not her and Michael (+ I often see things popping up in the C/E dynamic that can have potentially interesting implications for Michael’s development and for M/E, too. Generally speaking, the three of them make up a curious whole for me).

I know the chances of (2-sided) M/E happening are somewhere btw zero and never, so I’m not exactly eyeballing C/E as some kind of obstacle to my personal shipper nirvana, jumping at any chance to “punish” Eleanor for choosing the “wrong” partner. But I do feel uncomfortable with the way the C/E romance is written this season. “They are sidelining my no. 1 dynamic”, while frustrating, is not the reason for this, it’s not why I’m not crazy about Eleanor’s behavior and Chidi’s OOC-ness.

Eleanor + character development always resulted in stuff like her being emotional and vulnerable w/o getting aggressive and demanding, her accepting it when Chidi turned her down w/ dignity despite feeling heartbroken, and her being considerate of others to the point of volunteering to go to the Bad Place to save them. This is where she was a year ago and the year before that at the end of each season. This is not where she is now. I’m not saying being selfish and throwing stuff is not in her character make up or her problem-solving toolbox. Her overcoming these impulses, however, is the very point of her character development (made blindingly obvious last season when she lied about passing the Judge’s test and refused to go through the portal to TGP). What we have (currently! so it can change any time) in S3 is the opposite (see the in-your-face door to TGP that won’t open for her), it’s her completely giving in to these impulses to the point of seriously endangering everyone, meaning that she has, in fact, regressed. I suspect it is a point the show is trying to make but we’ll have to wait and see.

In “Janets”, all Janet asks is that they stay put until she and Michael deal w/ accounting. Eleanor works herself into a state over Chidi not opening up to her on command, putting Janet through hell and almost erasing her friends from existence while her own self is also disintegrating. Despite the serious consequences, this harmful behavior carries right over into the next ep where all Michael asks is that they lay low bc folks in TGP are so rule obsessed, they can send all of them right back to TBP. Eleanor immediately smashes stuff at the door to TGP bc it doesn’t open up for her when she demands it. It’s her bullying of Chidi from the previous ep all over again, only in a vase-meets-door form. Even Chidi has to be all about her now as he magically turns into a grossly idealized version of himself (see in S2 how she rejected a similar “fake Chidi”), spending the entire ep trying to prevent her from blowing up again while the rest of the team is cleaning up the mess in the mail room and Michael is away trying to fix the calculation issue. Despite the crazy-intense circumstances, everybody is trying to do something for somebody else except her - she is still hyper-focused on herself and it stands out to me bc this is a version of her I’ve never seen before and it’s def not the best one.

Again, it’s not because she is w/ Chidi but the issues become especially apparent within that dynamic since the second Michael showed her those memories, she just latched onto Chidi, expecting him to fill the void left by her screwed up upbringing that’s been freshly dredged up thanks to her not-dead mother. They made her lurch from “I’m incapable of love” to “I’m madly in love and nothing else matters”, hand-waving determinism while failing to provide any other reason why these 2 are suddenly together again. They are trying to play it as romantic/funny but it’s not romantic when someone’s whole identity has to be propped up by another person and it’s not funny how that other person has to repress his own identity/issues to be able to do this. It’s a suffocating, unsustainable interplay. Or if it’s meant to be interpreted as “love cures mental illness and erases every character flaw in 5 minutes, so you can finally be the proper romantic partner”, then it’s even worse. You don’t have to be a shipper of another ship or look too deep into this story to see these (imo) legitimate problems (but it helps, yes, since it’s natural to be more critical of sth you’re not emotionally invested in and gloss over stuff to preserve the fun potential when it’s your OTP or sth, I do give you that).

Eleanor having to coerce love and attention out of Chidi will never be cute, either, or proof that those feelings were there all along. People pushed some quotes from WJH into my face about how Chidi calms down bc he finally has what he always wanted - interesting choice of words, btw, given the pin Michael gave Eleanor - but 1) an actor’s opinion will not automatically replace my own (no, not even if it’s Ted’s or some other big fave’s) and 2) how exactly were we supposed to glean that Chidi wanted to be with her so much in this reboot? Was it when he went steady w/ another woman despite Eleanor being an option all along? was it when he refused to give private lessons to her bc he was just too busy? or was it when he - despite witnessing her meltdown - sent her packing bc they already had enough material for his study? For some reason the writers missed every opportunity to build this up properly and make this extremely syrupy display stick, but I’ve already said everything about that in another post.

This whole idea of “he felt this way all along, he just didn’t actually show it, so we can skip actual development” is a lazy, corner-cutting approach which reminds me of the worst kind of fanservice attempts I’ve had the misfortune of experiencing with several of my favorite shows recently. I have very low tolerance for that stuff now bc it never ends well. I did not expect to see this particular brand on this particular show, but here we are, I guess. Or if it’s a case of creative exhaustion/boredom where this billion times rebooted couple is concerned, then maybe it’s time to park them and give a not yet over-explored dynamic some attention instead to keep things fresh and fluid as opposed to stale and forced - again, not an unreasonable request, even if it comes from someone who is invested in another dynamic, given the lack of care that was apparently put into developing C/E this season.

I don’t like not liking things on this show (and it’s not Eleanor I don’t like, it’s the way they deconstructed her in order to write her back into a relationship as if she couldn’t exist w/o it), and I am sorry if I disappointed or offended bc it was not my intention. I hope they flip things or introduce a new angle that will make me re-evaluate. I am always open to that whenever new material arrives and I honestly hope they will make me eat my words soon. I will merrily absorb the suckerpuches. But for now, this is my opinion and “you just don’t like that she is not with your fave” - while a natural factor - is not the main reason why I made my comments.

#lewyn-martell #michael x eleanor #long post #musings

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mittensmorgul · 6 years

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do you think it's open to interpretation whether dean and cas are in love with each other? Like is it just as valid an interpretation to say they're not? Whenever anyone calls destiel "one interpretation" or whatever, my hackles rise. And I know I'm overly sensitive about this stuff, being a gay and whatnot, but I mean, is it? Am I just insecure because my otp isn't canon, or is destiel really more valid than other readings or what? What do you think?

Hi there. :)

I’m gonna give you the diplomatic, academic answer, and then I’m gonna give you the grumpy-ass queer lady answer. Hold on to your horses. :)

Polite answer:

All media is open to interpretation. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all interpretations are equally valid, or equally supported by canon, especially when taken in context of the entire body of the work in question.

For example, I replied to a post the other day about 13.17, and that scene where Dean and Sam are-- on first glance-- rather disrespectful of the extremely rare and valuable books in the bunker... but in context of the rest of the episode and the rest of the season, that montage wasn’t about disrespecting those books at all. It had less than nothing to do with the books themselves as objects or as sources of knowledge that should be properly cared for and respected. But out of context it kinda looks that way. So, based on that one short gif set, it might seem like a perfectly legitimate interpretation to suggest that Sam and Dean were careless with the immense knowledge and invaluable books they’ve found themselves in possession of. But in the larger context of their entire history, of all their interactions with the bunker and the untold store of knowledge it holds, and with the context of the specific reasons for their frustration in that particular scene, it seems obvious that there’s a lot more to the story, you know?

You could technically argue just about any weird headcanon can be supported by canon. I wrote this weird little post right after 12.11 aired, and it sat in my drafts for a good long time before I finally posted it. But there’s nothing in canon that legit quashes the possibility that endgame fish!Cas is where the story’s been headed all along. He’s positively swimming in fish metaphors. (sorry, I couldn’t resist) Does that abundance of fish, fishing imagery, and water imagery that have surrounded Cas for years lend itself to a literal interpretation? I mean, it’s definitely AN interpretation that is there if you want to see it, and if in your heart of hearts you believe it’s legitimately what the storytelling is attempting to convey here. But does that make it a valid interpretation that deserves serious consideration? Does it truly make sense when taking the larger story around Cas as a whole? Or is it obviously a literary theme that we’re supposed to consider through the themes traditionally associated with fish and fishing as used in countless other fictional works of the past? I suppose that sort of interpretation has been left open for us to take or leave as we see fit. It invites us to examine those references more closely, to help us understand Cas as a character and the journey his personal character arc is taking him through. It gives his experiences and growth a depth of context that is there to explore if we so choose.

(for more on Cas vs Fish, please see my tags regarding “The Fisher King.” I like to think there’s a more well-reasoned and logical line of thinking for pinning so much fish to Cas than my cracky example of fish!Cas would suggest.)

Now, looking at destiel specifically, if you take any single moment out of context, it’s absolutely possible to make an interpretation that their relationship is clearly more “brotherly,” or clearly more “familial,” or clearly one of “very close friends.” But it requires the same removal from the larger context to explain away what taken with the entirety of their history begins to look entirely undeniable.

I suppose, since Supernatural is an open canon and the story hasn’t been fully told yet, that it’s possible the writers could change course with the storytelling. It’s possible that something might prevent them from taking Dean and Cas and their story to the conclusion they’ve been building to for the last ten years. They could decide to leave this particular “interpretation” open-ended and unresolved.

Since that is always a possibility, and because I’m not psychic, nor do I have any top secret inside information from the writers and showrunners, I can’t say that my particular interpretation is more valid or correct or likely than anyone else’s. But I have yet to come up against a credible, coherent explanation for the entire body of extant canon that invalidates my particular interpretation, either.

The vast majority of arguments against boil down to logical fallacies-- cherry-picking scenes out of context as “proof,” straw man arguments, and ad hominem attacks. Because of this, I’m content to wait for canon to play out. I’ll happily watch the rest of the story unfold, and happily continue to interpret what I’m witnessing as a whole instead of attempting to dissect it out and explain away what I see as an entirely logical progression of storytelling.

As an aside here, I find it entirely fascinating that one of the most common complaints I read from people who deny Dean and Cas are in love is that the writing has become progressively more terrible, that the story of Supernatural as a whole makes less and less sense, and that the characters are behaving in increasingly “out of character” ways. And as someone in possession of rational capabilities, I wonder if their disconnect from the storytelling is simply their refusal to see and accept that perhaps their “interpretation” of the story is just... not correct.

When we attempt to deny or rationalize away certain interpretations of characterization, or certain progressions of events and how they relate to one another, the larger narrative just falls apart, you know? Of course it doesn’t make sense if you exclude large portions of it because you don’t want to see it or believe it’s happening, or important to the story.

Meanwhile, I’m over here loving every minute of it (okay... most minutes of it). So even if my interpretation isn’t absolutely 100% “correct” (and really, with any media, there’s always different ways to interpret everything, from what the color of the curtains might imply to who’s gonna get to fire Chekhov’s Gun in the third act), I’m content to continue to interpret it in a way that not only makes me personally happiest, but in a way that makes the story itself seem both logical and entertaining, as well.

Okay, that’s the end of the rational portion of this essay. Now on to the angry queer lady portion:

There’s more canon evidence for Dean and Cas being in love, or at the very least caring for one another to ridiculous, rather mind-numbing degrees, than there is for practically every canon heterosexual couple on television in the last fifty years. Think of any slow burn, will they-won’t they hetero couple, and do the point-by-point checklist of all the tropes they burned through before they got to the love declarations and the kissing and the happily ever afters (or worse, the dramatic breaking up and getting back together, or even worse, the tragically breaking up forever). I challenge anyone to name one hetero-presenting couple who required as many love tropes for audiences to recognize and acknowledge they were in love. Yeah, I’m thinking of that whole “they shared a pencil” post.

So yeah, there is likely a measure of heteronormativity to it, and a lot of the arguments against also devolve into rather gross denouncements that there’s no way Dean’s not straight, because he said so that one time... Mr. “I lie professionally” who also never actually said he was straight... gah... I’m not gonna dig up every ancient meta post on the subject. If anyone is legitimately interested in understanding why making those same tired arguments just doesn’t have any legitimacy in a reasoned discussion, they can damn well do their own digging. It’s not like any of the evidence is difficult to uncover, and it’s not my job to spoon feed it to every naysayer myself.

I feel like I’m standing on a Mt. Everest size pile of rational, reasonable, well-argued analysis supporting the claim that Dean and Cas are in love. *stands back and points at my whole entire blog again* If anyone would like to come back at me with something even remotely worth my time and attention to persuade me to alter my interpretation, I suggest they get busy. I’ll just be up here on top of my mountain enjoying the clean, destiel-scented air up here.

And finally, who says it’s not canon? Ah, right. Moving goalposts. At this point, I think it’s ridiculous to suggest that Dean and Cas don’t love one another. And profoundly, at that. I mean, you don’t give up an army for one guy if you don’t at least like him a lil bit. You don’t shout down God begging him to bring back that dude you’re kinda buddies with, or sink into a suicidal funk that reverses completely within minutes of finding out said buddy’s alive again. You don’t offer to march to your death with your chum because he’s such a nice guy and all. I mean... honestly. How far in denial does someone have to be to suggest they don’t love each other? At this point, when comparing Sam and Dean’s reactions far into s13 to Cas’s death in 12.23, either you accept that Dean has much stronger and far different feelings about the loss of someone that Sam does love and considers a brother, or else you kinda have to assume that Sam’s just kind of a dick for not being as broken up about Cas’s death as Dean is. So... which interpretation do you think is the one they’re trying to convey?

Bleh, whatever. I await the inevitable inbox full of nastiness that I will cheerfully delete while judging every anon who sends it as someone who really should find a better hobby than antagonizing strangers on the internet over a work of fiction.

Anon, basically, don’t let the bastards grind you down, okay?

Now for some reason I feel like listening to Achtung Baby. Imma go do that and feel the love.

#destiel #the scheherazade of supernatural #btw for anyone who still feels the need to antagonize destiel shippers #that tag would be the one for you to find a lot of that content you'll need to actually address in order for anyone to take you seriously #Anonymous

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wingsfreedom · 6 years

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Gladiator Week: Favorite relation-ship(s)

@seyaryminamoto I either have too much to say or lazy. I think both.

Romantic relationships:

Sokkla, ofc. OTP one.

I love its slow burn development. It went realstic for both characters' personalities. It isn't perfect, but real. And multiple faced. All the stages and arcs they went throw were well-done and interesting, you can't get bored of this ship honestly. I love it. I always thought Sokkla was a healthy ship if you give it the right bulid up, cause I believed they match well. Gladiator is the first Sokkla fic I read, however.

Zuki. I think it's best round for Zuko to be just happy with a small loving family. I can't wait for him to meet Ursa. She would be horrific of what happen to him, but would be heartwarming to meet his family, especially his child.

Mai and Ruon Jian. Wow such great family. It's brilliant how you came up with it. You did great job too of Ruon Jian trying to get Mai attention, and matured a long the way. I'm gald it work so well.

Other relationships

I'll take this opportunity to go into more relationships and characterzations in Gladiator world, since there are too many interesting characters, dynamics and analytical materials. You can say I like Azula's and Sokka's dynamics with other characters too, may or may not be in a shipping way or may develop! :

Azula and Rui Shi. I was really fond of Ruizula for some time during reading Gladiator (still do though sometimes). I don't think he will make Azula feels the way she feels about Sokka. Her feelings toward Sokka are special. But Rui Shi in general is about Protection™. Azula trusts Rui Shi, and Rui Shi wants and will -if can- protect her equally physically and emotionally. When Sokka hurts Azula in ch.27, her tears broke his heart and kept this event secret from anyone and Azula noticed this, he even told her she can confess to him what bothers her earlier if he can help, then Azula ofc brushed him off but was thankful to him. And I think this is enough. If Ozai forced Azula to choose a partner if things developed differently, she may choose Rui Shi. He may or may not had developed romantic feelings for her at that time. I imagine he would be dumbfound if Azula asked him out lol. Though he may accept Azula's porposal out of obligation. There are terrible suitors all over the place, and she choose him out of all these people and he doesn't want to hurt her. If they got married, he will make sure she follows his safety conditions more often than not, he wouldn't settled down when Azula refuse, argue back or brush him off. "You're not only my princess but my also wife now, I must ensure your safety!" Azula might be annoyed by his attitude lol

Azula and Lu Ten. It's a ship (or?) I think it's great and balanced relationship. He's a person Azula has special feelings for too. I think they're cute. I may draw art for them sitting side by side and Lu Ten listens to little Azula's talks.

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. I love them in the show and I love them more in your story. But honestly I personally dislike Ty Lee, always have, cute girls with big eyes were never my thing. I hate to see her shipped with Azula simply due to incompatibility. But I like her and their relationship slightly better in Gladiator because she's more genuine. My favorite Azula-Mai-Ty Lee actively is when they met in the Palace in the first chapters and then their entire journey searching for Sokka a gladiator.

Azula and Toph. I talked about this before. I think it's everyone favorite Gladiator BrOTP.

Sokka and Toph. I'm very happy Sokka had at least one of the Avatar Team in the main storyline to interact with more often. Toph always gets the best of Sokka, and poor Sokka can't argue back especially when she teases him about Azula. Though, Toph gets in Azula's bad side immediately but isn't even scared, opposite, she's in fact become more amused xD. And this made the whole thing incredibly enjoyable to me!

Sokka and Zuko. The ultimate BrOTP in this story and OTP in another story. My favorite intercation of them when they met for the second time in Mai's house. Sokka teasing and mocking Zuko, and Zuko lose his temper and challenging him to a sword fight, before Azula kick both their asses, it was great.

Sokka and his father-in-law, Ozai. Their intercations in Gladiator are gold. It's either fucking hilarious or deadly serious, there's no in between. I think Ozai finds Sokka slightly interesting, he even said he's the perfect warrior for Azula (if I remember correctly), and I think he's low key approve of their relationship; he joked about Azula marrying him, if only Sokka wasn't a water tribe "slave". Oh Ozai you don't know.

Toxic relationships

Azula and Kuan. Hahah, ok it's toxic, I know. But I'm fan for fictional toxic relationship too. For one thing Kuan would be happy, Azula wouldn't. He sees her as trophy. Even making his life miserable wouldn't give Azula any amusement, well maybe some satisfaction. But overall he's just so hateful to her, that he, in fact, will make her life miserable.

Azula and Zhao. Toxic as well. I do not ship them. I like the tention and struggles Zhao brought with his arrival. The backstory and sort of dynamics he has with Azula are really interesting.

Azula and Ozai. Well, I can say this is my favorite toxic relationship. It's toxic and bizarre, and more complex than what people see in or out universe, or even Ozai and Azula themselves. Because the funny thing, I think, is that they've so much psychological power over the other. Maybe due to their isolation from the rest of the family that sort of dependence developed, I think. Though Ozai is less dependent on Azula for external validation for his sense of self than Azula is (or rather was). This role swap in Gladiator. Azula fits the perfect image he has in mind for her, he feels so proud and great about her, and in reflection, about himself as well. When the realization storm comes and he finds out she's trying to shake him and his teachings off and/or turned out to be more like someone he hated and felt lesser to for a lifetime and isn't him (big bro Iroh) he will shatter inside and respond with out rage.

Tbh I hated Ozai too much in Azula's flashback. It was very hard and disturbing to read. I think he deserves this ending for what he has done to her, that's why I think swap the roles this time would perfect lol.

But overall I think their dynamics are very well-excused. I think you're one of two writers I approved of their take on this sort relationship. I feel it's more canon than any other loving/altra abusive dad Ozai fics.

#gladiator week

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