#they have an interesting dynamic and god fucking speed to people who ship them so xiao can finally experience some goddamn joy in his life
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Zhongxiao for the ship ask?
ship opinion bingo
Oh, we're getting into ships I've never talked about! I like that.
I personally don't ship them. Xiao is down so bad but it stops there to me! It's a funky pairing though, my full and enthusiastic support to the shippers.
#anon#ask#answer#this ask did make me contemplate how i actually feel about them so i'm thankful for that!#i don't see them as romantic (xiao is pining so hard but to me it's one sided)#i don't see them as familial either zhongli is not the fatherly type and xiao very much doesn't see him as a father figure either#and i don't see them as friends because zhongli wouldn't mind but xiao would never dare#xiao is like#zhongli's rescue#he picked him up from his former absolutely terrible life and looks out for him#and very much would like for him to just be happy and live his life#he cares about him and would appreciate if he stopped being so intensely devoted and persistently self-destructive#xiao only has that setting though so zhongli's hands are full with him for the foreseeable future#it's very specific but it's the best way i can word how i personally view them#they have an interesting dynamic and god fucking speed to people who ship them so xiao can finally experience some goddamn joy in his life#genshin
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Directors cut thing on my story 😘
oh my god...🖤 you mean this story??
~ so much rambling down below ~
o b v i the inception for it was All You talking about myriad activities involving fingers, as one does, but my first instinct is always to take it to a place of webgott because they effectively live inside of me like my head is an apple and they're a worm slowly eating me alive. but the idea was also Very much suited to The AU, and I hadn't written any baberoe since down comes the night, so I took the plunge so to speak.
the thing about writing them in down comes the night is it was still sort of challenging, even though they're barely in it, because I find people either travel blind when it comes to baberoe or they show up with Many expectations, and I'm not really very good at writing to what people necessarily expect because I'm an insufferable contrarian at heart. so what I love the most about The AU is getting to come to a ship that (though I don't Know them as well as I know webgott) I think I'm pretty familiar with, but get to see them as somewhat removed from the expectations I was holding myself to writing them in another fic. that isn't to say it was Easy bc it was not, partially because it was a prompt from a friend, but also because their dynamic was incredibly new so I literally did some stretches (i.e. notes/exercises) and limbered up enough to try and get my hands on them, which was helped along by...
Sometimes when they’re together it’s like his head takes his heart by both shoulders and shakes his entire spirit back and forth yelling: you’re going too fast, you’re going too fucking fast. It can be a helpful brace, that little bit of bone-rattling doubt.
Not of Babe. Never.
Fucking again, he’s going too fast.
He can’t help it that he’s never felt this for anyone else before, this weightless, incandescent, homecoming feeling he gets when he catches sight of Babe’s hair, a flick of his wrist like blades in the light, his smile, his smile, and all that lives inside of it. Maybe they’re going fast emotionally, but that should be allowed, shouldn’t it? If two guys move faster than the speed of light emotionally with each other but nobody is around to hear it does it make a sound?
That second drink might have been a mistake.
the fact that Gene had a really accessible energy to me. dropping into him in a sense I got a lot of tension, but not any sort of rigidity, which created a really interesting tightrope of emotion that he moved across. because I hadn't worked with them really I could have chosen either of them, but I was drawn to the idea that both Babe and Gene are already fully immersed in not just the idea of each other but in realizing the sort of capital r Relationship they want with each other, and yet I got the sense that Gene was more push and pull about it solely because up until this point he hadn't had that kind of attraction to someone before. I see him in many combinations of humans but none really containing much substance, so to then be in a position where he's having Real feelings of connection, partnership, affection etc. it is understandably a little foreign to him. so there's that constant Yes No Yes No with him, because he's head over ass but he's flexing a completely new muscle for himself that he kind of needed Babe to bring out to begin with.
(a mentioned but unexplored tension at play is also the tension of Ari energy and Taylor energy, as they are both intensely powerful but they each trade and pass between each other in their themes, especially at the time the fic takes place, and I think that element adds to a specific rhythm.)
which obviously isn't to say there's any less happening internally with Babe, because he's having a battle of his own on the inside, but the sort of slow reveal of how they work and the story of the night I thought had a little more vicarious pleasure when taken in on the side of a guy who really would have just been happy to have a cocktail and spoon that night.
“Just surprised. Surprised at both of us.”
Babe looked back to him with a gentle furrow in his brow. “Why surprised?”
“I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me before,” Gene admitted, searching down through his own life, sex dotted all through it like stars in the sky, fucking legion, and tries to think of anything that can match what he and Babe have had in their beginning. “Never had to.”
Mouth bunching at one corner, Babe took the words in with a slow nod. “I don’t think anyone has ever let me say it before, so.”
It makes him pull Babe in close, leaning down so he can wrap his arms over his shoulders and kiss into the red shine of his hair in the dim kitchen light. “At least we’re in this together, huh?”
at least in my mind Babe entered into the night Knowing what he wanted to ask for, so everything on his side is leading up to the conversation they ultimately have. and on the surface obviously it's Just a conversation about phalanges but Because they've been taking things incredibly slow it's a statement for him to turn around and say he's going to take it there. which is a favorite trope of mine, I admit, when a truth gets brazenly spoken after being denied/rejected for so long, so obvi I had to shoehorn it here a little bit. because, again, Babe hasn't had a Relationship of this manner before, and has had a past where he was pretty disrespected and not really seen as being a Whole Person (as opposed to a Hole Person lol). so now being in a position with Gene where he's being recognized as a human with singular wants and needs and he's actually experiencing being Heard, it allows him the mobility to control the speed of their intimacy in a way. though it is mutual, I think Gene gives a lot of the power over to Babe at least in this way because not only are they still learning each other but he sees something in Babe's strength and his openness that is sort of humbling to him. so it made the most sense to me that not only should it be Gene's pov but Babe should be the one to ask.
you know I loved writing it, I love talking about it, and now I love writing baberoe (particularly spooky baberoe 🌙🖤)
(also, a Lot of this was written in my journal by the pool because I will admit you caught me at a vulnerable moment on vaca so I just spent days at the beach writing and it was truly heaven, I wrote most of this, I wrote the end of Rivers, I wrote like three prompts, I think I'm supposed to just live on vacation. so this fic is married in my mind to being incredibly relaxed, and feeling dreamy and warm and free of stress lol)
thx babe ~
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Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!
Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel.
If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find.
New Shows!
And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.
Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode.
*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.
Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!
Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!
Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.
Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!
2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.
And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…
Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me.
Honorable mention:
Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out.
Continuing Series!
Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).
Attack On Titan season 4
The Promised Neverland season 2
Beastars season 2
Log Horizon season 3
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2
Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)
Dr. Stone season 2
Cells at Work season 2
Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)
Higurashi New (second cour)
Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour)
Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori.
So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...
#anime recommendations#anime worth watching#dr stone#the promised neverland#that time i got reincarnated as a slime#beastars#cells at work#cells at work code black#log horizon#horimiya#monster incident#kemono jihen#sk8 the infinity#2.43: seiin high school boys volleyball club#re: zero#skate leading stars#heaven's design team#jujutsu kaisen#higurashi new#wonder egg priority
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Fic Recs (cause it's always nice to give a shout out and get people into things I'm into rn)
[The Magnus Archives] (I recently finished the podcast and I fell into a hole for a while so here you go)
Sing a Song of Sixpence by Kaiel
Ship: Jon/Martin
In which Jonathan Sims is a Siren, and he fails to notice any new abilities granted to him by the position of Archivist. Or really anything about the Entities at all.
Takes place in season 1 featuring Jonah Magnus’s slow decent into madness
(The new mythology interwoven with tma's worldbuilding is so freaking good and I love how all the characters change and develop because of these changes. Also, f you Elias)
Along Came a Spider by Dribbledscribbles
Ship: implied Jon/Martin
Sasha James is the Archivist, as expected. Martin Blackwood is menaced by Jane Prentiss, as expected. Elias Bouchard weaves his web, as expected.
All goes as it should.
At least until something calling itself Jonathan Sims steps in.
(Web!Jon in this makes me want to weep, it's so freaking good. A pretty long, very excellent oneshot on what could've happened if Jon got taken by the web when he was a kid. And Sasha as the Archivist is ALWAYS so cool, we love her in this house.)
A Break in the Clouds by Ash_Rabbit
“I’m eight.” the kid sniffs as if eight was any different from four, maybe not an unspeakable horror then, just a regular horror. “And I heard that the Magnus Institute deals with-” his little nose scrunches, cute. “-spooky things.”
“Do you have a-” he cracks a grin, and then rethinks it as small hands tighten against their burden.”-spooky thing to deliver?” gods he hopes not, it’s bad enough when adults walk in and lay out all of their baggage, but for a child-
“There’s a spider in this book.” the kid says solemnly, raising his textbook sized parcel. “It ate Evan Pritchard.” a bloody fucking Leitner. Of course an eight year old would find a murder spider book. “This seemed like the best place to bring it.”
(I never thought about what the Original Elias could've been like AND NOW I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THIS FIC. I LOVE HIM, HE'S COMPLEX AND HE CARES AND JON CARES AND THEY BOTH CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. THIS IS THE CONTENT I WANT, OMG. Also, Jon being even smaller than usual is adorable, so cute. No wonder Elias wants to hug him, a LOT.)
See the Line where the Sky meets the Sea by The_Floating_World
Ship: Jon/Martin, Jon/Oliver Banks
When Jon is a child he looks into the infinite abyss of space. The Vast looks back into him.
(One of my all time fave fics in this fandom, no questions asked. I have reread this three times and am open to doing it again, god. Vast!Jon, such a concept. It's written so beautifully and the relationships Jon develops, so good. ugh. My heart. Please please read.)
Sweet As Roses by Prim_the_Amazing
Ship: Jon/Martin
“Come in, Martin,” he says, not looking up from his notes.
“Hi, Jon,” he says, and Jon stops writing at the sound of his voice. “We’re out of the green tea, but we’ve got lemon?”
Jon looks at him. Martin smiles at him in his usual tentative way as he sets the mug of tea down on Jon’s desk. Heat spikes so sharply in his gut that he twitches with it.
“Thank you, Martin,” he says, mouth dry, and he stands up.
“Oh,” he says, sounding almost surprised. He smiles again. “No-- no problem-- um, what are you--”
Jon takes Martin by the shoulders, leans up on the tips of his toes, and kisses him.
(You have no idea how much I howled through this fic, my god. *buries face in hands* The number of times I wanted to cry from sheer hilarity and horror reading this good lord.)
Things Could Always Be Worse by theOestofOCs
Ship: Jon/Martin, Georgie/Melanie
Sometimes, the most horrifying thing of all is what might have been.
Somewhere, Jon could swear he heard a crowd laughing.
Or: in which Jonathan Sims is forced to swap places with his alternate self—a tall, chivalrous hero extraordinaire, who knows neither fear nor nuance—and is sent to the aggressively straight alternate universe the Magnus Archives was never meant to be.
“Whatever place this is,” Jon announced, “I just want to be sure it knows I hate it.”
(I will say this once, THIS IS THE MOST CURSED THING IVE EVER READ EVER. Like holy hell. I can't believe this thing exists. please read it oh please please please)
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[Supernatural]
heard from your mother (she don't recognize you) by Schmuzz
Ship: Dean/Cas, Jessica/Sam
A man named Cas wakes up in 2003 with no memories, but he's able to piece together a few things:
1. Supernatural creatures exist, and most of them will hurt innocent civilians if he doesn't stop them;
2. He has abilities that no human hunter should have, but he knows enough about human hunters to keep that to himself, and finally;
3. He keeps running into another hunter named Dean Winchester, who seems to be about as lonely as he is if he's willing to put up with those former facts long enough to help Cas unravel the mystery of who (or what) he really is.
For his part, Dean's still (not) dealing with Sam's departure to Stanford, and figures distracting himself with a bit of mystery and intrigue is as harmless as it gets, right? Right.
(THE fic I'm most into right now, been following this from the very start and it's AMAZING. Cas has agency and is making friends and S1 Dean is growing out of John's influence and is becoming a Person and the both of them first being friends then more. The slow burn as their relationship develops, SO GOOD. SO SO DAMN GOOD. *screams* Seriously one of the best spn fics I've read in a long, long time.)
anamnesis by cenotaphy
Ships: Castiel/Dean, Sam/Eileen
Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be.
*
Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19.
(THIS IS THE FIC THAT GOT ME THROUGH THE FINALE OKAY. WHY COULDN'T THIS HAVE BEEN CANON. It's Disturbing and honestly plot-wise this makes more sense. Why couldn't we have had this. *screams*)
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[Avatar: The Last Airbender]
where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor
Ship: Sokka/Zuko
When Azula is nine, she becomes an only child. She hears the Fire Lord call for Zuko's life, and in the morning, her mother and brother are gone. Azula may be young, but she isn't naive. She knows what happened to them.
Which makes it all the more surprising when Azula tracks the Avatar down and fights his group of peasant friends, only to find herself staring into an eerily familiar face.
(The fact one of the tags in this fic is, "Sibling Dynamic: Fucked Up But Wholesome" should give you an idea what this fic is like. Chaotic as HELL and I just love Azula here, she loves Zuko so much in her messed up way and Zuko loves her back in the exact same way lol. It's batshit and I am Here For This.)
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[Naruto]
Eclipse by AislingRoisin (JayBird345) for HybrisAnaideia
Ship: Nara Shikaku/OFC
"In life, it's easier to remain stagnant and wallow in your troubles. But life isn't merely about continued existence, nor is it meant to be gone through alone."
(This is a fic that's slept on and I NEED people to read this. A self-insert fic that I find really interesting in its approach and the worldbuilding for the post-third war shinobi world is fantastic. I feel like there's a certain pattern with self-insert fics, not that is a detriment in any way to how much I enjoy them, so this fic feels fresh to me in a way I haven't read in a while. I am waiting eagerly for this to get updated! Please read!)
On Freedom and Other Formalities by iaso
Ship: Kakashi/Genma/OFC
When push comes to shove, Hiwa Inuzuka doesn't go down easy. Reborn into a new, dangerous world? She puts her past life as a spy to work. Thrown into a war? Hiwa does her duty, for Konoha. And when she's forced into an arranged marriage? All there is to do is beat them to the punch and get married first. Thankfully, Genma Shiranui is willing to lend a hand. Literally. SI/OC
(Listen, LISTEN, it's about the slow burn, the longing, the communication (it both has and hasn't and isn't THAT great??), the messy way you fit three very different people together, it's so freaking good! Also, Kakashi is so Chaotic here this is my fave characterization of him, you can't change my mind. And Genma is a Good Boi who is Doing His Best, along with the Self-insert character who I LOVE SO MUCH, SHE'S FANTASTIC FNEIWOPAF. Sped past this fic in the speed of light, I could not stop reading!)(Honestly, read all of the author's fics, they're all really REALLY good!)
Building a Castle by WhisperingDarkness
Without needing anyone to tell her, Sakura knew that talking to someone no-one else could see or hear would make her weird. It would draw the bad kind of attention to her, something people could make fun of her for.
She didn’t like being weird, but she did like the voice. Her inner voice was helpful and it was a part of her that had always been there. The idea of it not being there would have been so much weirder than anything else.
It was during her first year at the Academy that Sakura realised the voice was not in her head at all, but that it came from a cloudy shape floating next to her.
(Basically a short-ish retelling of Hikaru no Go. Only with more Shogi and Nara and Ninja's)
(Sakura can see ghosts (I'm noticing this is a popular trope for her) and it's really cute haha! Her relationship with Tobirama is sweet and I just enjoyed reading this so much.)
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[The Magicians]
So Long (And Thanks For All The Books) by IncompleteSentanc (Erava)
Ships: Quentin/Eliot, James/Julia, Quentin/Margo/Eliot
When Quentin is told Julia wasn't admitted to Brakebills, he realizes he has a drastic decision in front of him. If he tells Julia about magic, he'll have his mind wiped as well as hers. But he can't just leave her behind, either. He can't lose his best friend, and he can't let her life a life with her magical potential stolen away from her.
So he makes a third choice.
(Really, and I mean REALLY well-done canon divergent fic, this is the Quentin & Julia friendship fic I have been looking for forever. It explores so much of what could've happened and I just love Quentin here, I really really do. Characterization done so right. I also recommend the author's other works too. Been a follower of them for a long time, they're great.)
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[Game of Thrones]
The Road to Victory by writing_as_tracey
Too late in preparing for the Night King and the Long Night, the last stand at Winterfell is close to falling. Bran takes desperate measures to ensure victory, and Jon, Sansa, and Arya pay the price for it in a time unfamiliar to them, on the cusp of another war. [GoT, time-travel fix it]
(I swear, this fic made me laugh so many times, all the Stark are BAMF and fantastic, and Rhaegar gets Wrecked lol. It's crack btw, and the plot goes in directions you'll never guess and it's amazing hahaha!)
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[Haikyuu!!] (I am very very late to the fandom but here I am)
Ballare (To Dance) by MidnightSparks
Ship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, and platonic Kageyama & Kentarou (really love their friendship)
Kageyama’s first love is volleyball. His second, however, is ballet.
In one world, Kageyama Tobio is left behind by his parents. In this world, the existence of soulbonds keeps Kageyama’s parents in Miyagi and leaves Kageyama in the care of his grandma and grandpa.
(In which soulmates exist and that changes everything and nothing at the same time.)
(*buries face in hands* I have fallen for this ship so hard and I can't get out fudge me. I understand now. Their DYNAMICS FIEWONPAF)
Kings of Tomorrow by bokubroya (liarielle)
Ship: Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru
On the eve of Tobio’s 16th birthday, he counts down the seconds to midnight, and emerges with Oikawa Tooru’s name on his wrist.
It’s been two years since then, and Tobio thought they had an understanding. A silent, never spoken about understanding that this thing between them is nothing, and they’re going to pretend it doesn’t exist.
Of course, it’s just like Oikawa to change the game and leave Tobio wondering what comes next.
(I am WEAK for soulmate fics between these two, I don't even really like soulmate fics half the times what is WRONG WITH ME-)(Please suffer with me, I'm begging you. Its a good fic, thumbs up.)
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[Crossover]
Honey and Magic by JustARatherVerySillyWriter, White_Squirrel for Super Carlin Brothers
Fandoms: Matilda (yeah you read that right), Harry Potter
Everyone knew Matilda was a rather extraordinary child, but even she didn't know she was a witch. Matilda Honey receives her Hogwarts letter in the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and soon, she will leave her unique mark on the magical world.
(Do I even need to explain how amazing it is to have Matilda in the wizarding world? And Matilda is a HUFFLEPUFF AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL THIS FIC IS GREAT PLEASE READ!!!)
An Eye for an Eye by DpsMercy
Fandoms: The Magnus Archives, Welcome to Night Vale
In which Jonathan Sims is not from the UK but instead, if you took his origins and turned them sideways twice then flipped them over, he technically would be from the US, the town of Night Vale specifically.
Elias can’t do shit about it and gets a headache and slowly creeping madness instead.
(Look, I know probably everyone has read this because if they haven't, what have you been DOING with your lives??? Jon interning at Night Vale is Incredible, nothing phases this man, it's Delightful. I laughed so many times reading this, I'm not even kidding right now. Read or perish.)
The Favour by R_Cookie
Fandoms: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Ship: Original Percival Graves/Harry Potter
Percival is ten years old when his grandfather tries to tell him that he's ensured the greatness of the Graves legacy for him, that he ought to be eternally grateful - but the explanation is hijacked by a stranger who manages to intimidate Chester Graves with an ease never seen before.
or: Hadrian (Harry) Potter is the Master of Death, who grants Graves a boon. Nobody could have known that the Deathly Hallows didn't turn you so much into the 'Master of Death' as into the anthropomorphic personification of Death. And so, Death becomes Percival's guardian angel, and Percival does not spit out his cereal.
(Look, I don't know how I stumbled back into the FBAWTFT fandom either, it just happened and I'm grateful for that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found this amazing fic. Their relationship is slow and strange and I just love how Percival is characterized here. Also, one of the tag promises that it deviates from canon so I am really, really excited for that! XD)
baby that's what i do by natanije
Fandoms: Naruto, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
"Are you telling me," Hidan exclaims, incredulous, "that you collect money all this time to give to orphans?!"
Kakuzu pauses. He blinks a few times.
"Huh. I guess I do."
(Tsuna reincarnates as Kakuzu and it's HILARIOUS. HE'S SUCH A MOM HAHAHA)
#Fanfiction#AO3#Fic Rec#Fic Rec List#Podcasts#The Magnus Archives#Supernatural#Avatar The Last Airbender#Naruto#The Magicians#Game of Thrones#Haikyuu!!#Crossover#Matilda#Welcome to Night Vale#Harry Potter#Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them#Katekyou Hitman Reborn
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Supernatural s3
It’s so unfair that the season that has Ruby AND Bela is so short :(((. I was done with it waaaay too quickly, and now I’m speed running through s4 xD (which, like the first time around, is Strong Mixed Feelings territory).
-My girl Ruby!!!! I was so happy to have her back, I kept grinning like a loon every time she was on screen. It’s quite interesting watching the 1.0 and 2.0 versions so close to each other, instead of as they air. I have... Thoughts, on whether Ruby as a double agent was something planned or that they decided as they went, but that’s for the s4 post. s3!Ruby really doesn’t come across as one (“I don’t believe in the devil” oh I wish sometimes xD, I love my nonbelievers), imo, but the beauty of such a device is that you can rationalize anything she does as devious if you want to xD
And it goes without saying that I love her interactions with Sam. THIS SHIP ISTG. I love how immediately ~attuned to her he is lol, his present and instinctive concern for her even if he tries to mask his interest as “practical”. And all the repeated times Sam’s conflicted between her and Dean -like when he deviates Dean shot (wasting one of the Colt’s bullets lmfao) or during the argument about the virgin sacrifice xD. And the “that’s my boy”/ “little fallen angel on your shoulder” quotes!!! Ruby 1.0 deserved to be railed by Sam too, smh.
My favourite episode of hers is “Jus in Bello” (which would be my fave of the season just by virtue of having both Bela and Ruby in the same episode lol. Not interacting, of course, the world as we know it wouldn’t have survived). I just love that she gets that final moment of I TOLD YOU SO to the brothers xD. I really like how she expands on the demonic lore of the show- I love, LOVE the detail about how all demons used to be humans, how they’re souls corrupted in hell. And that in her past life she was a witch (there was this really good fic in Spanish fandom about it... I need to hunt it down).
BTW, though I think her interactions with Dean in that episode are interesting, it really hammers home how much I hate him sometimes xD. Can you stop saying misogynistic slurs for TWO GODDAMN MINUTES, DEAN (and as we know from as early as this season, only HE can have demon/monster friends!! What a fucking hypocrite xD). I freaking love the moment in the finale when she viciously yells him about how she wishes she could see him in hell lmao (and how it foreshadows that when she shows sympathy later, it’s actually Lilith in disguise lmfao). I hate Dean gets the last word in their dynamic, tbqh. Until the s15 cameo, at least xDD
One thing that’s been bothering me xD: the French fries. Demons are vulnerable to salt, like other spirits, right? (and hey, look what a nice piece of foreshadowing that was). How does that translate to food lol. Because Ruby adores French fries, and they obviously contain salt. It’s like spicy food for humans? Or like pineapple? Inquiring minds etc. xD
-I still cannot believe Bela Talbot was only on the show for six episodes lmao. Her presence still lingers in the watchers’ heads so much?? Which is understandable because she’s Lead Girl Material if there was ever any lol. The care with which they styled her even?? You don’t do that for just any character lmao (I mean, just look at most of SPN’s female characters for comparison xD).
Her ship with Dean could’ve really been something, too -even if I hate Dean in it, I can’t deny it packs a punch, narrative-wise. I mean, the Batcat undertones alone!! The fake married undercover shenanigans!! And I think it’s really interesting that she’s such a blind spot for him; Dean’s unusually intuitive about people, but with Bela he takes everything at face value and she can fool him like no other (while, OTOH, is Sam who questions her facade and wants to see more). If he hadn’t been such an idiot (and such an asshole) he could’ve had a really powerful ship. Sucks to be him lol.
Anyway. Man, I love her. So much. I love how Gordon’s threats to kill her don’t work on her, and I love that the show basically said “Bela killing her abusive parents is good, actually” (I’m so tired of forgiveness narratives, you guys. This entire show is founded on revenge, so let me get my revenge fantasies in peace!!) xDD. And I love, LOVE that she withheld that truth from Dean, that she decided he wasn’t worth it. OTOH, you know, fuck the fans that got her written out, definitely; but on the other, I do love how her story ended (and that it was a clear "fuck you" to shitty fans). Doesn’t stop me for wanting to read and re-read (and maybe write!) even more “Bela escapes hell” fix-its, but still.
Also, very important question: what happened to her cat?? It’s the cat alright?? I’m going to headcanon that she left them with that cougar friend of hers lol.
-So. THE DEAL. Okay. Oof. I love this storyline, a lot. A loooot. I love the conflict it creates between the brothers (as long as there’s still conflict and Sam hasn’t yet started taking everything lying down I can enjoy that part of their narrative lol). I love Dean’s initial forced giddiness about “making the most out of his last year” and I love the moment Dean decides he does want to try to live because it makes the last few episodes all the most desperate and cruel (and hey, I’ve heard he only went to hell because the season was cut short due to a writers’ strike... if that’s true that’s so funny lmao).
My absolutely favourite part however? That you can FEEL Dean’s unvoiced resentment towards Sam. For Dean having to die for him, even if Sam never asked him to. He lashes out to Sam repeatedly through the season, but it really came to ahead in the dreamspace episode, where Dean confronts another version of himself that talks about how Sam was “dotted on” (the revisionism asldfkaf). This show is absolutely ruthless when it comes to showing you its characters’ ugly, unfair reactions to things and it’s my favourite thing evah.
Speaking of the dreamspace episode, OMFG. I loved both brothers there. Dean’s hallucination, seeing himself as a demon? And how he let out his anger about John?? Beautiful, truly (regarding John, I also loved their different reactions when it looked like his spirit had contacted them: Dean jumping on it and Sam detached skepticism). But my favourite part has to be when Sam uses the villain’s abusive father against him. Like. Damn. That was cold-blooded o.0
The second-to-last episode, when Sam tracked down that Frankenstein doctor to try and make Dean immortal was ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING OMG. I loved that. I love that Sam wanted to use it for both them. It was some scary shit. I also love the scene where the crossroads demon questions whether Sam really wants to break the deal, I’m gathering it’s going to be nice foreshadowing later on in the show lol.
Anyway. I also found Dean’s death scene more impactful than Sam’s. Partially because of the horror of it, but mostly because I think at this type of scenes, Padalecki is better. Sam’s grief felt more real, Dean’s got me out of the scene (it’s the voice, I think. Sometimes Ackles’ voice takes me out of scenes, it sounds... forced).
I also really enjoyed how the time loop episode wrapped around this subplot. It managed to be both heartbreaking and mind-numbly hilarious lmfao. Like?? All the deaths?? Were so pathetic?? I tip my hat to Ackles because I don’t think most actors could carry plots like this half as well lmfao.
Sidenote, it’s always a trip to see The Trickster God knowing that fucker is Gabriel. Archangel “hey Mary do you accept God knocking you up” Gabriel. Which I guess isn’t exactly a thing in this show?? Since according to the wikia SPN Jesus was “just a man” (and let me tell you, I’m tickled pink by the fact that out of ALL mythological figures, specifically all CHRISTIAN mythological figures, the show decided to go “nah” on Jesus Christ. I mean, I guess he’d take away from Dean’s, Sam’s and Castiel’s resurrection narratives, but still. It’s so funny!!).
-Gordon Walker remains a superbly acted and fascinating character with extra racist nonsense alsdkfjasdf. But I can’t deny I loved seeing him as a vampire. He was terrifying. And I’m definitely shipping him with Kubrick, ouch xD
-The Ghostfacers episode is... something. As in, incredibly exploitative and homophobic and with an egregious case of BYG (and the first where I’d say it’s incontestable to claim the trope was used. s1 and s2 are muddy territory given the circumstances, IMO, but this one is 300% BYG), but so successfully manipulative my heart hurt for Corbett and Corbett x Ed still. Fuck them for that ngl. I do still enjoy how anti-Winchesters they all are though xD
-3x01 introduces the one nice marriage of hunters so far, between a black couple. The man dies in a gross, horrifying way within the episode ofc (because he was Mean to the the brothers duh). She makes it out alive, and since she doesn’t reappear in the show she gets to live. So for now black women have a sliiiiiightly better track record in SPN than track guys there: they get to appear in a few more episodes and be more fleshed out (Victor, Gordon), but as long as they’re only in one episode they get to live!! (Cassie, Tamara).
-Rufus and Bobby are exes, right? Right?? Probably still married in some state? You know that post about how when gay marriage was legalized across the USA there were a lot of issues because some couples had split and never bothered to divorce, since it was only legal in one place? That post was made for them. Pity Rufus is a black man, and as such has a limited number of allowed appearances before he’s killed off ¬¬
-I would’ve enjoyed Dean’s moments with Lisa and Ben more (it’s just so RIGHT that in this moment he’d want Ben to be his) if my knowledge of future spoilers didn’t perpetually have me in a state of “pls keep this guy away from kids” lol.
-They had Harmony’s actress (BTVS) and they made her a vampire!! The show’s hard on for the Buffyverse is a bit of a hit and miss but I can’t say I don’t relate xDD.
-I know Jensen Ackles can sing (in fact thanks to youtube I know a few of the actors can... is there a musical episode. Does this show have its own OMWF. I need to know). So why. WHY. Does he sound like that during “Dead or Alive”??? I actually like the scene but he sounds so off-key lmao.
-BTW, I found out that apparently Katie Cassidy and Lauren Cohan originally auditioned for each other’s roles añslkdfjasf. I can’t picture it. Ruby 1.0 is Ruby 1.0 and Bela is Bela xD. Although I’ve seen each playing roles that could meld with the other, just. Nope. Good choice on the casting there lol.
#talking to the void#my thoughts#spn thoughts#supernatural#spnruby#samruby#bela talbot#deanbela#deanruby#sam winchester#dean winchester#gordon walker#ruby 1.0#spn gabriel#ghostfacers#alan corbett#bobby x rufus#spn s3#the winchesters get to have a tag I GUESS
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mtmte liveblog issue 28
catch me completely ignoring dark cybertron lmao
yeahhhh so I'm just gonna skip dark cybertron bc no thanks. I did read the tf wiki articles for the issues tho, which is more than I did in the past, so at least now I kinda know what happened, though I had to suffer thru reading about dark cybertron to learn stuff about it. yikes. reading ABOUT dark cybertron further enforced my decision to not actually read thru it
anyways. the best part of dark cybertron was when chromedome threw prowl off that cliff. that was baller lmfao
a 1 page recap of dark cybertron is about all I can handle. thank you
ooh, the 6 months later smash-cut, I fucking love itttt
nautica’s here!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy I love her. also brainstorm, and I love their friendship sm
hvbjdkhfbshdfj god I love them. they have such a fun dynamic
everyone eavesdropping on a therapy session vhbhdjkhafbhkjsdf. hipaa laws mean nothing as usual
the casual reveal of captain megatron, oh god
the title fucking slaps, as usual. this is one of my favorites - ‘world, shut your mouth.’ great stuff, and a song title/reference to boot! and this being part 1: towards peace...chefs kiss
and then we flash back to 6 months earlier...yknow now that I'm rereading this, mtmte has a LOT of framing devices used - there's story-within-a-story, flashback/flash-forwards, storytelling with narration, etc...I love it
god hbvhjakdfbshjkdf rodimus saying ‘magic’ and then the little *magic = science rodimus doesn't understand HBGKJHSDBFKHJSDF my idiot boy ily
rodimus roasting prowl is my fav hbfjdkafshsbjkf ‘maybe the knights can help us find a cure for your personality’ ily sm
and then prowl agreeing w/rodimus a few panels later about megatron’s guilt...
optimus...don't you think that making yourself chief of justice is...maybe a bad idea...like, maybe there's a conflict of interests here...just a little bit of bias...a bit too much history, perhaps...
the fact that all the big roles in the trial were given to high-ranking autobots who were heavily involved in the war...I see that cybertrons justice system is as much of a farce as their medical ethics and patient confidentiality laws
the ‘you BROKE the MATRIX’ panel is so good bjhkdhfbajskhdf
rodimus: LISTEN dad I just wanna resume my space cruise with my frat bro ship I have no interest in politics
psychiatrists HATE him! local former warlord refuses to recognize the validity of psychological analyzation of people’s actions
ravage casually breaking hipaa laws and chilling in megatron’s therapy session like >:3
I love rung...he’s so good at like, passive-aggressively cutting right to the heart of someone’s issues, and he’s so generally mild that you can’t even really get mad at him
the sudden inclusion of megatron as a major character in mtmte is kinda jarring at first - mostly, for me at least, due in part because I didn't read dark cybertron so this is like, megatron’s introduction as a relevant character in general - but I feel like jro does a great job laying a lot of intrigue down from the very beginning w/his character - like, I already want to know more about what his whole deal is, even though we have, ostensibly, seen pretty much all of his story play out already
rung name-dropping froid...i remember that made me lose my shit bc cmon. FROID....jesus christ
rung and megatron: holy shit! we’re suddenly being drawn in a 90s-esque sci-fi tron-looking retro-futuristic style!
interesting that megatron sought rung out, and not the other way around
RIPTIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my favorite sharkboy is HERE
CREWDITIONS...YES....
‘we’re not allowed to take anyone who might remind rodimus of prowl’ vhbhjdkshfbhaskfd brutal
I love nautica so so much. a perfect autistic scientist after my own heart
I adore that nautica brought chromia along for moral support
hgvbjdakhfbhsj and then swerve saying that rodimus hates ‘trisyllabic names’ and nautica is like....but....‘rodimus’.....
and then nightbeat busts in to get all bbc sherlock on they asses hgbfhjadkfbjaskdf
WHY was perceptor at the crewditions if he was already part of the crew lmao
ooof, and then we have megatron flipping out when chromedome, a mnemosurgeon, shows up
also damn the autobots were rlly like okay so we wanna speed this trial up so lets just like, probe megatrons brain, that seems completely ethical, especially when you consider the history of shadowplay and stuff that our previous government had
I know important stuff is happening but megatron is holding a CUBE and I love CUBES so I'm distracted by that. C U B E
and then right after a scene where we see chromedome willing to perform mnemosurgery again - despite rewind’s like, dying wish for him not to - we hear that he’s been locked up in his room rewatching rewinds goodbye message over and over again :( I'm fucking depressed
I love nightbeat, he’s so funny and kind of an asshole
and then you see more missing letters behind them next panel...clearly nightbeat is right and there’s a mystery afoot...OR somebody is fucking with the ship’s lettering as a prank, which is a plot point I would absolutely buy
yeahhhh skids is right, chromedome is clearly Not dealing
the dramatic graffiti on megatrons door...I wanna know who spray-painted ‘die’ everywhere like they're reaper overwatch
oh god. whirl vs megatron
really cool red lighting tho
GOD its so brutal, all the stuff megatron said about how he told the cons not to kill whirl...and doesn't that end up being false anyways? so he was just saying it to dig at whirl, which is awful
also I'm never over the fact that literally everyone - including megatron and whirl - blames whirl for ‘turning megatron violent,’ as if the entire Point isn't that whirl was a tool for a corrupt system, and if it wasn't whirl it would've just been someone else, and megatron turning away from pacifism was inevitable given the circumstances, AND also a choice on his part, so he really only has himself to blame for his OWN ACTIONS
bye bye whirls right arm, see you in lost light
‘people never stop changing’ that IS something I say all the time...damn you warlord grandpa! how can you steal my philosophies?!
ohhh man and then rewind’s goodbye message being different....oooh
AUGH the fact that whirl was basically trying to goad megatron into killing him, just like he did in issue 1 w/cyclonus...It Hurts Man
also I do love the hint at who he’s talking to w/whirl shooting megatron with the bow and arrow earlier, and we know that atomizer is a fan of those
ok, but here’s where my philosophy diverges - megatron talks about throwing away his past and starting new, but I think that you have to learn from and build on your past...either way, megatron’s arc is one that I enjoy greatly from a character writing standpoint, and I'm excited to get it underway, especially w/how controversial it is lmao
big ole double-page spread...I like how you can pick out individual characters in the background crowd, which is crazy cause that's a LOT of people. also how come cosmos is so HUGE
phewwww 4.6 billion cybertronians died in the war, that’s INSANE. that's like, an incomprehensibly huge number. is there an estimate for their current population? I bet its not a lot. no wonder jro leaned into reproductive themes so much in mtmte/ll - of course the continuation of your species would be a concern for many if your numbers have been that greatly reduced
optimus w/his fancy tyrest-lookin crown
oughdajbfsbdf and the fact that megatron ALSO murdered 100 BILLION non-cybertronians...bruh. I feel like they maybe should've dialed those numbers back a little to allow his ‘redemption arc’ to run a little smoother lmao. but also I admire the commitment either way
and then we end w/megatron doing captain stuff, and seeing The Coffin...and we never did see rodimus in any of the flash-forward parts of this issue, did we???? I love how concerning that is. where's my BOY
also of course we gotta remember the warning from way back at the beginning of mtmte: ‘don't open the coffin’....
and so begins mtmte s2! man I love s2. I love mtmte in general lmao. s2 takes on the impossible w/the whole ‘megatron redemption arc’ thing, and I know that’s like, a divisive plot point and stuff, but from a writing standpoint I enjoyed it a lot...I think it was pretty much as well done as it could've been given the enormity of the task, and I thought it was a really interesting direction for the story to go in
also espec if it’s true that hasbro was like ‘hey jro put megatron in your story and give him a redemption arc’ rather than jro like, planning/asking to do it
anyways. I doubt ill talk much abt the disc horse(tm) here bc this is just for fun and also my own personal opinions and whatever, but I for one am excited to reexperience this stuff
so yeah s2 off to a strong start with some wild shit already happening! cant wait to read more!
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So, my heart keeps circling and circling back to The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, and I was idly prodding at why that is, even more than the other mxtx stories, and then I thought to myself, ‘why not ramble into the internet abyss instead of just in your own head?’ And so here we are.
I love this story so much, seriously. It was maybe the most difficult of the three novels for me to begin, because the translation editing is definitely rougher than mdzs and tgcf, and I think the story itself assumes that readers are kind of familiar with transmigration concepts (teal deer, person from real world reads novel, involuntarily is pulled into novel, often(?) as one of the established characters, lives out the-novel-plot-but-different).
But once I got past like, that first chapter? MAN. I was so hooked.
I think the first thing that really stands out to me is that Binghe as a love interest is...I’m not sure I want to say he’s more “flawed” than the other mxtx love interests, but that’s the best word I’m finding right now. The wangxian ship is mostly in tune with each other in the present, despite a few lingering misunderstandings. And the hualian ship, like, hua cheng rolls up like ‘heyy what up i would do anything you asked of me’ and xie lian was like ‘you. i like you a lottle.’ and their in-book development is mostly about bringing xie lian up to speed on the depth of their history together.
But Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe! The original canon Binghe is specifically a blackened hero, who is casually cruel and manipulative, and has collected up a massive harem of pretty ladies to be his wives and concubines. Pretty much the last straw in that blackening is that his abusive teacher (who he still desperately wanted the approval of) found out he was half demon (also news to luo binghe) and kicked him into the abyss where he had a miserable few years having his demon blood awakened. Later, he came back to the human realm, much stronger and angrier than when he left, and his morally questionable adventures involved de-limbing his old teacher, cutting out his tongue, and keeping him alive for years.
Shen Yuan is a modern-day human bean who has been hate-reading the webnovel of this story, where he can see a lot of interesting potential in the story, but is massively frustrated by the things the author has chosen to do with it. It is a Significant shock to his system when he wakes up inside the story, in the body of Shen Qingqiu. After Luo Binghe has already been his student for some time. Also, there’s a System that’s policing whether or not he acts in-character as Shen Qingqiu, and he’s going to get punished if his points drop below a certain threshold. He gets more freedom to act as the story progresses, but at first he has to do things like argue with the System about why he should be allowed to give medicine to Luo Binghe after he gets beat up (it will shame their sect if outsiders see him with a bruised face). And on the one hand, he’s trying DESPERATELY to avoid a future where he gets mutilated and tortured by his student, but... he is absolutely a massive softy who takes no time at all to start ADORING this kid and being super proud of everything he does. He won’t admit that, even in his own pov, and he has a very, very reserved external manner, but he’s so soft on the inside.
(ps why did using fans as conversational props stop being a thing. maybe sometimes i don’t WANT my face hanging out in public, maybe sometimes it’s extra fun to hide your expression.)
And this makes for a fascinating dynamic, because this new Shen Qingqiu 1) adores Luo Binghe, 2) is terrified of Luo Binghe.
At first, when Luo Binghe is still a teenager, it’s easier to land on the side of just adoring him. The original canon character was a sweet, sweet kid all on his own. And Luo Binghe is still an extremely good boy when this novel starts, even though he’s being mistreated by his teacher and most of his fellow disciples. But when Shen Qingqiu starts giving him support and positive reinforcement, oh my god, he BLOOMS.
But Shen Qingqiu is from outside the novel, and he knows where this is headed eventually. And at the point where the original character shoved Luo Binghe into the abyss for a couple years of misery, the new Shen Qingqiu thinks he’s in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation, and... reluctantly does the same thing.
So here’s the trouble. Luo Binghe is... needy. He’s a needy, needy boy. He loves very hard and cares about his people (person) a lot, but he is also clingy as heck, jealous, and has MASSIVE abandonment issues. Getting this treatment from his favorite person in the entire universe is... not ideal. Having it happen when he’s just found out he’s half demon is even less ideal, especially when the framing makes it look like he’s being rejected because of What He Is, not something he has any power to change. And it ties back into to his oldest, most painful insecurities. His name literally means ‘lowered into the icy river’, because that’s what his birth mother did with him.
So when he comes back to the human realm, he’s not as blackened as he was in canon, and doesn’t have a grudge of the same magnitude as the original Luo Binghe. But the person he loves most in the world hurt him very, very badly, and he :) has :) some :) questions :))))))))))))))
And this is the point where every time Luo Binghe breathes, Shen Qingqiu goes WAUGHHHH
Which is so TASTY, honestly! And the escalation of hurt and mistrust is such a delicious feedback loop! I love a good supportive relationship, but I live for two people who care about each other inadvertently inflicting massive wounds on each other’s hearts.
I don’t want to go into describing the later parts of the plot, because that seems like such a waste, but I feel like transmigration stories are the MOST tasty if having prior knowledge of a novel’s plot makes the leads act as dumbasses in all kinds of new and exciting ways. Which definitely, definitely applies here.
And there are all kinds of DELICIOUS side relationships, which weren’t there in the original canon, and that Shen Qingqiu accidentally discovers/uncovers while he’s fumbling around trying to dodge his canon fate. Like, early in the book, Shen Qingqiu is supposed to kill one of his peers in the sect. The guy was suffering from a qi deviation and the original Shen Qingqiu was like ‘look, he was out of control, and I didn’t want to kill him, but it was him or me.’ Everyone was skeptical, but they didn’t have any evidence to contradict him. This character was the brother of one of Luo Binghe’s eventual wives, so it was pretty much just another bonus reason to hate his shizun once he turned against him.
The new Shen Qingqiu is like ‘okay, so this Liu Qingge is supposed to be strong. Maybe if I save his life he’ll protect me from Luo Binghe?’ And it changes SO MUCH! And Shen Qingqiu is SO DUMB! He’s like ‘wow, liu qingge really hates me, huh.’ And Liu Qingge is like ‘WHY ARE YOU BEING NICE. IT’S WEIRD. ARE YOU REALLY STILL YOURSELF?’ And then later there are spoilery developments, but there’s this act of devotion that moves me so much. (five years!!!!!!!!!!)
And I don’t want to undersell the intense emotions these characters are so frequently feeling in this story, but they are also. so dumb. so frequently, frequently dumb. and I live for it.
Like, I just got past the part in the novel where Shen Qingqiu sees Luo Binghe and Liu Mingyan having their first conversation. Liu Mingyan is a legendary beauty (so beautiful she wears a veil, because otherwise her beauty is just too distracting) and eventually becomes one of Luo Binghe’s favorite wives. So Shen Qingqiu (who hates the original novel, but also sure has a lot of passion for it and remembers a lot of the details, considering how much he theoretically hates it) is like ‘OH, HOT DAMN. MY OTP’S FIRST CONVERSATION. I WANNA SEE HOW THIS GOES.’
And what happens is that Luo Binghe gets so massively jealous. We get a bit of his pov, where almost all of his thoughts are ‘WHY IS SHIZUN STILL LOOKING AT HER?? IT’S NOT LIKE YOU CAN SEE MUCH PAST THE VEIL ANYWAYS. AND ANYWAYS, I’M PRETTIER???????????????’ And finally Luo Binghe goes off out of sight with her so shizun can’t watch her anymore, and Shen Qingqiu is like ‘ah.... alas....... of course the protagonist and his lady get privacy for such an important scene..............’
They are so dumb, guys. They care so much, and they ache so much over each other, and they are so dumb. And the supporting cast isn’t much smarter. Even the smart ones have the dumb ones inflicted on them.
In the extras, at one point demon king Luo Binghe is addressing his main retainers, and he’s like ‘if... hypothetically..... two people’s hearts were out of alignment with each other........ how would u fix that.......... hypothetically..............’ And his poor retainers are like
But I really, really think that the protagonist being afraid of the love interest is a really key point for me, personally. And then it’s extra my favorite, because of 1) him having a good fucking reason to be afraid, and 2) his love interest having no goddamn clue. It makes for such a good blend of humor and sincere pathos. I’m weak to dumbasses-in-love as a dynamic, but it can be hard to have something so lighthearted while also working in painful emotional depths. The premise for this story is hard to replicate, and I’m kind of drawing a blank on anything that I’ve read that measures up to it, and the plot REALLY makes the use of some incredible foundations.
Anyways, thank you for coming to my ted talk, this book is ridiculous and i love it, and it’s also the shortest and most linear of mxtx’s books, and i highly recommend it to everyone.
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Fun challenge for you based on your recent tags: Explain to me, someone who has never watched a single episode of the 100, why you ship Bellarke? I am curious, and I'm hoping this is entertaining for you to do lol
Oh gosh ok you asked for it, the flood gates have been opened. Sorry this took so long to answer but I wanted to explain it in the best way I could (or at least try to). I’m going to do a short version and a long version so people don’t have to read my entire explanation lol. Also I’m only going over the plot as it relates to their story, so there will probably be some holes.
Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake are soulmates, plain and simple as that. The growth that they have had since the first season till now has been a long and winding road. They were enemies then became co leaders then best friends and now are (hopefully) on track to admitting that they love each other. The amount of parallels the show draws between them is insane and they both have such a profound understanding of each other due to their shared leadership role and constantly being the person that the other one goes to when they need someone to comfort them. Time and time again they choose each other, even during some of the most difficult decisions they will ever have to make. Their growth almost always comes back to how they influence each other to try and be better people. Canonically, they make better decisions when they are together: The Head and the Heart. They cannot exist as their full selves without each other in their lives because their lives have become so intertwined with each other that they are fundamentally different people when they’re apart. No matter how often they’re apart, they always find a way back to each other. And if nothing else, the gazes and longing hugs that they give each other just oozes love and understanding.
Ok that was the short version. Here’s the Long Version🤪
Ok so Bellamy and Clarke definitely did not start off this way. From the very first episode they are at each other’s throats. Clarke is trying to be the practical leader to get these kids to survive while Bellamy is the dynamic leader inspiring these kids to “do whatever the hell they want”. They don’t see eye to eye and Bellamy even says he’s willing to cut off Clarke’s hand to get what he wants. This doesn’t change until 1x03 when Bellamy sees Clarke mercy kill Atom, another kid on Earth.
This girl, who he thought was a pampered princess, was able to make this tough decision while he couldn’t. After that they begrudgingly try and coexist together. Then “Day Trip” happens and Bellamy and Clarke go off on their own and almost die by a rogue delinquent. They kill him and while they’re recuperating Bellamy wants to run away from all the hardships and mistakes that he’s made. Instead of holding it against him, Clarke gives him forgiveness (“if you want forgiveness, I’ll give it to you ok, fine you’re forgiven”)
For the first time they are truly vulnerable with each other and make their first decision to lead together. This is the turning point. From then on they co lead together, sharing the burden and responsibilities of leadership and being the person that the other depends on. They don’t always get along but they learn to rely on each other. The season ends with them separated at the end of their first big battle. Clarke closes the drop ship door to save her people from the enemy and she thinks he didn’t survive the blast outside
S2
Bellamy and Clarke are separated (a common occurrence that you will soon find out) Clarke is trapped in Mt. Weather and although the rest of her people are comfortable there, she is determined to get out and find out if the rest of her people -cough cough Bellamy- are alive. Bellamy likewise also starts to look for Clarke. Angst and drama ensues, but the important part is that we get our first ever Bellarke hug and man is it a good one (and an absolute fan favorite)
Like Bellamy is so stunned by the way she RUNS and wraps her arms around him and slowly after the shock hugs her back. But this hug cements just how important they’ve become to each other. From here on out they protect each other. Bellamy saves Clarke from being poisoned, he volunteers to go into Mount Weather and Clarke (originally) violently opposes it saying that “She can’t lose him to” in reference to losing the boy she loved, among other things (imo this is when Bellamy starts to develop real feelings for Clarke). Finally towards the end of the season when they face off against the “big baddie” they have to make the choice to kill hundreds of innocent people among the guilty to save their own people. An impossible choice, and Clarke being the self sacrificial puppy that she is wants to “bear it so they don’t have to”. But Bellamy won’t let her do that, they’re going to share that heavy burden. And they pull the lever together
So they return home, people rescued and the guilt hanging high above their heads. But for Clarke the guilt is too much to bear and she tells Bellamy that she has to leave. And Bellamy BEGS her to stay, even repeating that same line that she said to him in the beginning of the show. However, she leaves him and her people behind, which would lead them both down a path of hurt.
S3
And hurt they do. Clarke leaving didn’t fill the hole of guilt in her heart, and Bellamy was left to (try lol) and heal his broken heart on his own. I will also say that both Clarke/Bellamy get their own significant other with Lexa/Gina respectively and this is because (imo) they both go down paths where the other is not in the picture I’m so certain that if they stayed togehter, they would’ve been together and that’s why they’re always separated. But then for the first time in the 3 months since she left, Bellamy finds Clarke, while she’s being taken captive and literally DROPS EVERYTHING to rescue her. When he finds her it is the most tender thing.
This is soon interrupted when Roan (her captor) comes back and Clarke BEGS him to save his life, saying “I’ll do anything. I’ll stop fighting just please don’t hurt him.” Bellamy gets stabbed in the leg and and Clarke and Roan get away. Unlike a normal person, Bellamy Blake is hopelessly in love and devoted to Clarke so he STILL TRIED TO GO AFTER HER WITH A HOLE IN HIS LEG AND WE GET THIS BEAUTIFUL SCENE RIGHT HERE
Cut back a little while later Clarke is safe in Polis with Lexa, trying to unify their two clans and Bellamy finds her again. He tells her to come back to Arkadia (their home) but she says she needs to be here (in Polis). This breaks his heart and is what sets him literally down a VERY DARK PATH of murder to try and justify a war (complicated stuff, what matter is he fucks up). Clarke eventually does come back to Arkadia only to find a very angry and heartbroken Bellamy who tries to justify his actions (You Left Me). They have a very Bellarke™ talk full of emotion and love.
And just when you think everything is going to be alright, he handcuffs her to a chair lol. And they spend a good chunk of the season apart.
When the going gets tough however, they know that they need each other. And after episodes of not speaking to each other they have another one of their Bellarke™ talks and hugs where Bellamy says “I was so mad at you for leaving. I don’t want to feel that way anymore” And then they hug like this, like c’monnnnnnn platonic my ass.
I’m going to speed up for the sake of getting to more stuff. But they end season 3 as they always do, fighting the evil together. Other highlights include Clarke’s (brainwashed) mom using Bellamy as her 1st choice to sacrifice in front of Clarke. There’s also a cute hand holding scene hgngnghngg
For all the angst however, this is the first season when other people call them out on their feelings (mainly Bellamy’s tho) for each other well Octavia already called him out during the first hug but that doesn’t count because She knows him too well. His other friends call him out for not being devoted to his old girlfriend Gina (who died) and Murphy comparing his feeling for Emori (his CANON love interest) to Clarke.
S4
Ok, I know a lot of this post has been focused on Bellamy’s feelings and that’s mostly because Clarke has had a love interest in every season so she hasn’t had time to recognize her own feelings. However during s4, we get to see the extent of just how much Clarke means to Bellamy as well. There are a lot of moments in this season so I’m just going to try and focus on the big ones/my faves.
(This isn’t super important, but in the 1st episode of s4, Clarke is still grieving her gf Lexa who died and IMMEDIATELY AFTER, we get a cut to Bellamy like way to be subtle guys. no platonic explanation for this edit)
Ok basically what you need to know about s4 is that the world is going to end by a nuclear radiation cloud thingy called Praimfaiya and it’s up to Bellarke (along with some other peeps lol) to save everyone from it. So one of the things Clarke has to do is write a list of 100 people to choose for a potential bunker. So of course Clarke puts Bellamy on spot 99 but can’t bring herself to write her own name. So Bellamy who is sleeping on the couch wakes up because his Clarke is sad sirens are going off to tell her to put her name down. (If I’m on that list, you’re on that list) Still she can’t do it sO BELLAMY DOES IT FOR HER (because this boy needs her to be with him). and then he puts his hand on her AND SHE LAYS HER HEAD ON HIS HAND....so tender.
Ok so a few episodes later Bellamy (and Kane) get held hostage and Clarke has to sacrifice part of a large shelter that they need to escape Praimfaiya for them, it’s a tough decision but one that Clarke obviously makes. (Literally the only reason Bellamy was even taken was because Roan knew how much he meant to specifically Clarke). I can’t find a gif, but trust me it’s worrisome
Ok god next episode is when we start getting into that high stakes shit (THAT I LOVE). So basically Clarke and Bellamy are going to be separated AGAIN and right before he leaves Bellamy says this
LIKE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ARGUE THAT HE WAS NOT ABOUT TO CONFESS HIS LOVE TO HER LIKE CMON PEOPLE LOOK AT EVERY TROPE OF THIS EVER. Clarke of course was like “No, we will see each other again” but uhufhdjejdwkndwk he was going to say “I love you” in my book
Ok now towards the end of the season, most everyone in Skaikru is in this Bunker except for Octavia and most of the grounders (people on earth who survived the original radiation). I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet but Octavia is Bellamy’s younger sister and throughout the show he has sacrificed so so much for her and risked a lot of things to keep her safe. So now when Bellamy learns that Octavia is alive and outside the bunker he rushes to open the door for her. But here’s the catch: if they open the hatch, there’s a chance the radiation is bad and everyone in the bunker (THE HUMAN RACE) would die. However, because Bellamy needs to save his sister he’s willing to take that risk. For Clarke, that isn’t though and POINTS A GUN at him. But Bellamy says if she shoots she’s “going to have to make it a kill shot”. AND SHE CAN’T BRING HERSELF TO SHOOT HIM. CLARKE CANNOT KILL BELLAMY EVEN IF IT MEANT SAVING THE HUMAN RACE. Of course it was fine but still man c’mon.
And then later in order to try and lighten the mood, when they’re trying to drive the rover, Bellamy makes Clarke laugh and IS SO DISTRACTED BY HER SMILE HE CRASHES THE CAR. ok moving on
OK HERE IS THE BIG LEAGUE MY FAVORITE BELLARKE SCENE IN THE SERIES. So Bellamy and Clarke have this big heart to heart cause Clarke thinks she’s gonna die and it is the softest scene ever. So Clarke, thinking she’s going to die says “You’ve got such a big heart Bellamy. People follow you, you inspire them because of this (his heart). But the only way we’re gonna make sure we survive is if you use this too (his head aka what Clarke represents in their relationship” AND TO THAT RESPONDS “I got you for that” IN THE MOST TENDER WAY LIKE THEY’RE SO IN LOVE. And also they have one of the best bellarke hugs of the show.
So Bellarke and like 6 of their friends head off to the space station to avoid the death wave. However, the satellite that allows them to get in isn’t working, so Clarke sacrifices her self to go and fix it while the rest of her friends can go to space. Bellamy makes the HEARTWRENCHING DECISION to leave her behind in order to save the rest of his friends from the death wave. So Spacekrew go up to the station to wait 6 years until Earth becomes habitable while Bellamy grieves Clarke’s death.
Except she’s not dead
Clarke has special blood called “nightblood” that made her immune to the radiation. She spends the next six years on the only available plot of green land left with her adoptive daughter Madi (who has nightblood and she found when she survived the radiation.) So for the next 6 years CLARKE CALLS BELLAMY ON THIS RADIO EVERY DAY. This radio doesn’t even work, but Clarke calls him anyways to keep her sane and (imo) this is when I truly think Clarke realizes the depth of her feelings for Bellamy, because I for sure wouldn’t call my platonic buddy EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for 6 years (THATS 2199 DAYS) like c’mon
S5
Ok so 6 years have passed, and Clarke is waiting for Bellamy + Co (Spacekru) to come back to Earth. But before Spacekru comes back, another ship lands on Earth full of escaped prisoners who have been cryogenically frozen for the past like 150 years. So basically they come to Earth, capture Clarke and hold her hostage, while Madi (her adoptive daughter) escapes.
Literally a little while later Spacekru finds their way back to Earth and stumble upon Madi who tells them Clarke is alive, much to all of their shock but ESPECIALLY Bellamy (cause ya know the love of his life is back from the dead). So he goes to find and rescue her his wife from the prisoners. When he finds her they threaten to shoot him on sight, but he has leverage. He can send a signal back to the spaceship so, he trades 283 lives in order to save Clarke because of course he does.
Bellamy and Clarke finally have their moment to reunite 6 years in the making and it’s as soft and sweet as you could ever expect it to be and they have another one of their classic Bellarke™ hugs.
Ok so happy ending now for them right? They’re finally back together !!! Well NOPE because after Bellamy was done grieving Clarke he got himself a girlfriend :))))))) named Echo (context Echo was an assassin/spy the “bad guys” until end of s4, then she went up to space w/ them) but Bellamys whole schtick is forgiveness, which he learnt from Clarke COUGH COUGH . Anyways when Clarke sees them making out for the first time she is let’s just say ~taken aback~
and the second time she sees them she looks straight up heartbroken !!!
Now that Clarke has finally realized her feelings for Bellamy he’s with another girl :///// But Clarke still holds a very dear position in Bellamy’s heart and we see that when he confronts his sister. Remember Octavia? The sister who he would do anything for??? Well now she’s kinda lost her marbles and became an evil dictator when she was leading everyone in the bunker. So now due to ~plot~ Octavia wants Clarke dead. Bellamy CANNOT have this happen. I mean he just got her back !!! And he pleads for Octavia to save her life and Octavia says this
HIS SISTER WHO KNOWS HIM BEST (well besides Clarke lmao) CALLED HIM OUT ON HIS FEELINGS. And the best part is that Bellamy doesn’t even try to deny it. Then he says “I can’t let you kill Clarke , O” AND PROCEEDS TO POISON HIS SISTER. THE ONE WHO HE HAS RISKED HIS LIFE FOR LIKE FOREVER (she doesn’t die tho) Bellamy choses Clarke over her without hesitation, and that has come a long way my friends.
Ok while, we’re riding this high it gets kinda worse. So, remember Clarke’s adoptive daughter Madi? Well now Spacekrew wants to put this thing called the flame (ok sorry I glossed over it before but it’s really important to the show, I just hate it !) which all previous leaders of the grounder people had, in Madi’s head because she’s the ~destined~ leader (it’s confusing I know just roll with it). Clarke is like fuck no because she also hates the flame (queen) and doesn’t want Madi to become a leader and carry that burden. So Bellamy locks Clarke up to get to Madi, but then Clarke grabs Madi and leaves Bellamy to die in Octavia’s apocalyptic fighting pit to fend for his life.
Not looking great right? Bear with me for a moment lol. So flash forward to the end of the season and one of the prisoner dudes accidentally sets off a bomb that’s going to destroy the one green valley that was left. Bellamy is pissed at Clarke for leaving him to die, but Clarke was only trying to save Madi but doesn’t know how to fix this. Then Madi (our mini bellarke shipper) tells Bellamy how important she is to him. Like this girl probably watched her make these calls every morning, SHE KNOWS
And just like that Bellamy cannot be mad at Clarke anymore, because he realizes the bond and isolation and dare I say LOVE she must have for him to do that. So they all make it back up to space as Earth explodes for the 2nd time (RIP). So remember that prision ship with cryogenic pods? Yea so now basically everyone who is on Earth is going to rest in these pods until Earth heals itself. Except it doesn’t (at least not in the 10 years they had hoped for). So two of Bellarke’s friends and couple named Monty and Harper stay awake and spend their remaining years finding another planet to live on. And when they find one 125 years later guess who they picked to wake up first. You guessed it, the co leaders themselves Bellarke. So they have a tender moment watching the sun rise over this new planet
S6
Ok this is the last season before we’re caught up but my god it’s a big one for Bellarke. Ok so the season starts off on this new planet and everyone is distrustful of Clarke for what she did on Earth to protect her daughter and make ONE personal sacrifice when she sacrifices everything for everyone all the time god Anyways, on this new planet due to this like “red sun” they hallucinate on the surface and Bellamy says to Clarke “I don’t need you anymore Clarke”(remember this it’s important). After the red sun fiasco, the actual residents of the planet show up (they were descended from an earthship that came there like 250~ years ago).
(I can’t believe I almost forgot to put this but Bellamy tells Clarke about the radio calls before they hallucinate and it’s such a whole some scene and helps to bridge the gap between them once more)
So the people show Bellarke + crew their customs which includes a ceremony where they repent and let go of their past mistakes. Clarke uses this to apologize to Bellamy for her actions as she declares to him “Hey, you’re my family too. I lost sight of that. But I promise I will never forget it again” like boyo that scene brings me to tears like fuck !!! and then once again they have a classic Bellarke™ hug and god it’s a GOOD one.
So yay, they’re on good terms !! That means something bad is about to happen again per usual. So it turns out the leaders of this group of people have been alive for 100s of years using these “mind drives” to back their consciousness up and put into new bodies when their current body dies (fun!). And take a guess as to who has the special blood and can be a new host :))))))))))
Clarke gets stolen and *dies* so Josephine can take over her body. While Josie!Clarke fools everyone for like an episode, guess who is the first to think ‘hey that’s not really Clarke’ ofc our boy Bellamy. AND THEN THEY GIVE BELLAMY AN ENTIRE EPISODE TO GRIEVE CLARKE LIKE HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO LOOKS THIS SAD THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE. way to be subtle JR
But then guess what !!! Clarke isn’t dead. She’s trapped in her own mind, but very alive. And you’ll never guess how Bellamy finds out. Josie!Clarke taps her fingers on her legs and Bellamy interprets it as morse code that translate into “ALIVE”. LIKE IMAGINE TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO SOMEONE THAT YOUR SUPPOSED DEAD WIFE BESTIE IS STILL ALIVE CAUSE SHE SENT YOU MORSE CODE, LIKE MY BOY I KNOW YOU LOVE HER BUT THAT’S QUITE A STRETCH.
Anyways, this sends Bellamy into overdrive mode, because goddamn it he is not losing her a 3rd time. Throughout the next episodes we see Bellamy prioritize Clarke over everyone, including his girlfriend Echo when she is in danger. He risks himself and even the lives of others to try and save Clarke to get Josie out of her head. And it all culminates to this masterpiece of a Bellarke scene.
Clarke’s heart stops and she won’t get up and Bellamy arguably becomes the most desperate he has ever been. He whispers, “the head and the heart” before LITERALLY BECOMING HER HEART AND PERFORMING CPR ON HER AND BANGING ON HER CHEST TO GET HER TO WAKE UP (HOW MUCH FURTHER CAN THEY TAKE THIS METAPHOR). Even when Octavia gives up, Bellamy yells at her that she’s not dead. “I need you” the first time he has openly admitted that he PERSONALLY needs her in his life. “You’re a fighter Clarke now get up and fight”. Clarke literally (in her mindspace) finds the will to get up and fight by hearing Bellamy’s voice. And like a miracle she wakes up and AN ICONIC AND BEAUTIFUL Bellarke™ hug occurs, even though it looked like she was literally about to kiss him !!!!!! Like tell me these aren’t heart eyes ?!!??!
So then for the rest of the few episodes Bellamy is still super protective of Clarke but they have to split up again because ~plot~. BUT WE HAVE ONE MORE GREAT HURT/COMFORT BELLARKE MOMENT IN THE FINALE. Clarke’s mother had just died, and who does she seek in a crowd for comfort: Bellamy...hopefully you know this by now. God they give each other such meaningful looks in this last scene and have another once again iconic Bellarke™ hug, but it’s a hug where they run into each other like from s2 !!!!! parallels
So they end s6 closer than ever and now we’re all caught up in the present to s7 and lemme be honest besides 7x11, it’s been a HORRIBLE bellarke season, but last episode has had things shake up finally god. So basically everyone assumed Bellamy was dead (including Clarke!!!), but *surprise surprise* he’s alive, but as they soon find out he’s been brainwashed by an evil cult. NOW IT’S CLARKE’S TURN TO SAVE HIM BY BEING HIS HEAD LIKE HE WAS HER HEART LAST SEASON (or I at least hope so). As of writing this post, Bellarke isn’t canon but I’ve been watching this show for 5 years and these two have such a hold on my heart it’s embarrassing, but I hope this explained to you why I and many others will be ridiculously obsessed when it comes to them hehe. Pray for us to be canon, we only have 5 eps left for this beautiful story to come to a conclusion.
#the 100#bellarke#bellamy blacke#clarke griffin#bellamy x clarke#answered#seriously tho thank you for indulging me#I had a lot of fun#sapphosapprentice
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Tell Him (Colby x Reader)
Hey beautiful people!
Here goes my first Colby fic. I have no idea if its cool or if its shit, but I’m happy with it.
Pairing: Colby Brock x Reader
Warnings: A couple swear words, pink fluffy unicorns, Colby getting a little hurt (not much tho he okay).
Requested: Do I look like-
Notes: The first words are lyrics to It’s A Hard Life by Queen. It has nothing to do with the story but its dope af. Another thing, the reader has brown eyes and is referenced later on in the lyrics of Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison.
Okay that’s it, hope you enjoy, for real!
So you are Sam and Colby’s video editor and obv, you are in love with Colby. This is the first time you go explore with the bois (Sam, Colby and Corey) and a spirit might end up being your wingman.
Word count: 2240
“ You win, you lose, there’s a chance you have to take becau-“
An abrupt break of the car gets you out of your daydream. You hold on tight out of reflex to the car door as you quickly take off your headphones in the verge of screaming. After two seconds that went by in slow motion you hear Sam and Colby laughing their asses off while the car takes up to normal speed again. You were sitting on the left back seat and turn your head to see Corey, eyes extremely wide open, and both hands hanging on for dear life to the car door. You look back to the shotgun, Sam, still laughing his ass off, and understand that you are in no danger and that it was all a joke to scare Corey, who was asleep.
Y/N: Jesus fuck guys!
COREY: You jerks you almost gave me a freaking heart attack I swear to God.
Y/N: Did you even record it?
COLBY: You know what Y/N? Sometimes the best pranks are meant just for us.
You start to mock Colby as he talks, you do that when you can’t come up with a comeback – which doesn’t happen often-, or when you want to make Colby laugh – which is a constant mood in your life-.
SAM: I think we are close now
Close to where? You might ask. Well this story starts about three months ago, when, after a couple months of living in LA unemployed, you went to a job interview to become a video editor for an “online video creator”, in other words, a youtuber. The pay was enough for you to get by, and you would be doing what you love. The story got really interesting for you when you got to the interview and realized that, if you got the job, you would be editing for Sam and Colby, as well as their separate channels. Even though you were freaking out inside you nailed the interview and long story short, you got the job.
Little by little you started to get along more and more with the boys, not only Sam and Colby, but also with the whole gang. After a month and a half, you started appearing in some of their videos. It became a running joke for them to address you as their editor, asking you to put crazy effects in the video, or just talking shit about you. You decided to add to the videos reactions of you while editing. The fans started to love you and wanted more of you in the videos. Today was gonna be the second time you were officially in a video, the first time being a basic-ass YouTube video absolutely irrelevant for the narrative. Of course, people had started to ship you with Colby, which wasn’t unexpected, all you had to do was:
1. Be a girl.
2. Address/talk to Colby somehow in a video.
3. Look at him during said video.
Fans would ship a seaweed with Colby, you weren’t surprised that happened. What fans did not know – and you didn’t want them to – is that you actually liked him. Really liked him. Cantstopstaringatyou kinda like him. Maybe loved him. He obviously didn’t know this either, he is technically your boss, and your job was more needed than romance. Besides, you were kind of confused since you usually never liked babyfaced-hairless-fuckboylooking guys like Colby
So there you were, accompanying the dynamic duo and Corey to explore an abandoned psychiatric hospital. You had asked to come since you love exploring, especially paranormal places, and they thought that you would bring more views since people really liked you. The hospital was an hour and a half away from Sam and Colby’s place, which was kind of a long ride, Colby was driving.
Y/N: So Sam, tell us a little bit about this hospital, what is up with it.
SAM: Oh well, the usual, psychiatric haunted hospital were people hear things and feel people observing them and all that, nothing particularly new.
Y/N: Please don’t make it sound any more exciting or my cranium will explode. (you say sarcastically)
SAM: Well, its juts the same thing over and over. It’s just that something different happens in every place we go to.
Y/N: Okay so I think it’s time for you guys to tell me… how real are your videos? Do I have to like, pretend I see shit or…
They all chuckle
COLBY: Well we exaggerate everything, specially Corey. Like… we hear any sound and we are all like “omG WhAT wAs tHat” you know?
SAM: It also depends on the video, I have faked things in the 3AM challenges ‘cause nothing would happen otherwise and the video would be useless. But we usually don’t fake things in the exploring ones.
Y/N: You know I could expose you right now with this info right?
Sam laughs and then looks dead serious at you
SAM: I would have to kill you then
COREY: Queen Mary was real tho… (says while staring blankly out the window)
Y/N: I know…
Everyone turns to look at you, even Colby through the rearview mirror.
COREY: How can you know?
Y/N: I don’t know I… It feels real I guess.
The car stops, you look out the windshield and see nothing but trees.
Y/N: Is this it?
COLBY: Yes, it’s about half a mile through the forest.
Before going out to explore, Sam and Colby shoot the intro, giving Corey and you facts about the hospital.
We get to the main wing without much difficulty, there was a hole in the fence so in case of having to run away from cops we would be fine.
COREY: Omg it’s so cold tonight
Y/N: Actually I thought it was gonna be colder. This sweatshirt is super warm. (You say referring to the XPLR hoodie that Colby let you borrow for the video)
COLBY: Looks really good on you.
Your brain just short circuits and it takes you a full couple seconds to react. You decide that the best thing to do is to make funny gestures as if you were posing for a photoshoot. Surprisingly, it makes Colby laugh. Everything was being recorded but you weren’t worried about it since it was you who was gonna be editing it HEH.
You explore the ground floor, where nothing paranormal really happens, although everything looks creepy as fuck. When you get to the second floor you feel as if the air is getting thicker.
SAM: You okay Y/N? (Says pointing the camera at you)
Y/N: Yeah its just… the air feels heavier here
COREY: Yeah I feel it too
Y/N: Maybe we should try and contact something here
The guys look slightly surprised about what you just said.
COLBY: Yeah let’s do it (says kind of excited). Do you wanna do the honors Y/N?
Colby takes the spirit box out of his bag. Corey obviously acts as if he was against it. You sigh, a little scared, and take it. You turn it on – it’s not the first one you have ever used -. You take a deep breath.
Y/N: Hello?
The only sound in the whole hospital is the static of the box going through the radio channels, but you feel like you can hear everyone’s hearts beating.
No answer.
Y/N: If there is any entity here with us, please make yourself known.
[?]: Tell him…
Everyone jumps and screams, your eyes wide open, there are some swears from Colby, while Corey does the classical tuning-around-and-pretending-to-walk-away. You glance at Colby for a split second without even realizing, getting the feeling that the entity is talking about him. You make a gesture for everyone to shut up.
Y/N: Tell who?
No answer. You all look at each other in confusion
COLBY: Tell who?
[?]: You (says a female voice) tell her (in a male voice right after) ”the brown eyed girl” (right after landing in that part of the song, the radio goes back to static)
The entity is talking about you. Colby freezes. Sam gasps deeply, he knows Colby is in love with you, and can tell that you love him back. Can this be it?
Colby looks up, your eyes meet.
COLBY: (Looking at you dead in the eyes) What do I tell her?
Your blood freezes. A sudden loud thud makes all of your head’s turn
SAM: We need to go NOW.
You all start running towards the exit, you were really far from it, after a little while, you all stop to check if anyone is following you. There is not a sound around.
SAM: What do we do?
COLBY: It doesn’t seem like anyone else is in here.
COREY: So what the hell was that thud?
Y/N: Maybe it’s just a fucking thud for once you know? (You say irritated)
Corey looks back at you surprised and a little hurt by your answer.
Y/N: Sorry… I’m just a little freaked out.
COREY: It’s okay… me too.
SAM: Should we keep on exploring? Should we go?
Y/N: Let’s keep exploring, if we hear another inexplicable sound we take off.
SAM: Okay sounds good
You keep exploring for another while, nothing weird happens, just the usual painted walls with satanic symbols and dirty walls that make it seem as if there are shadows behind you.
You all exit the room you were in, with less hope to find something each time, and not really wanting to try the spirit box again. After almost a minute you realize Colby is not there.
Y/N: Where’s Colb-
A loud noise interrupts you as if something really heavy has fallen. The loud thud is followed by Colby’s screams. You start sprinting towards the source of the screams, the last room you had gone into. Everyone follows right behind you. When you enter the room you see a wardrobe over one of Colby’s legs. You run towards him.
Y/N: Don’t move Colby stay still! (you yell)
Colby looks at you with terror in his eyes, begging for help.
SAM: (Frozen) What happened?
Y/N: Sam help me lift it up! Corey you pull him out on my sign. (You say almost screaming)
You and Sam lift the wardrobe on three, its really heavy and when it seems like you are about to lift it enough for Colby’s foot to get unstuck, your arms give out a bit. To your surprise, the wardrobe does not fall back on Colby’s leg. Thanks to Sam you manage to lift it enough for Corey to drag Colby out, who instantly helps him up. Colby is almost crying. Both Sam and you let go of the wardrobe, making a huge thud as it hits the floor.
SAM: Let’s get the fuck out of here.
Both Corey and you put Colby’s arms around your neck and walk as fast as possible. You manage to get to the car in no time, with your hearts pounding, your lungs burning and your eyes watering.
SAM: I’m driving.
Corey helps you put Colby in the back seats.
COREY: You sit with him, I’ll go in the front.
You nod rapidly as you get in next to him. All the doors close within milliseconds appart as Sam starts the car and hits the gas.
You tear up a bit, waiting for your heart to stop racing. You wipe out your tears as they come out, trying to hide them.
COREY: We need to go to the hospital.
COLBY: I’m okay guys (with a shaky voice) It’s not broken.
SAM: You don’t know that!
COLBY: I’ve broken bones before and it is not fucking broken we are not going to the hospital.
SAM: What the hell happened?
COLBY: I don’t know... I just stayed behind cause I felt something in the room and next thing I know I am on the floor with a wardrobe crashing my leg.
A few seconds of silence go by until the guys notice you are upset, although you are not crying anymore.
COLBY: …Are you okay Y/N?
Y/N: ARE YOU STUPID WHY WOULD YOU WANDER OFF LIKE THAT? (voice shaking) YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL HOW DANGEROUS IT IS. (You start to tear up again) WHAT IF THE FLOOR GAVE OUT? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA- I- (you stutter) FUCK’S SAKE.
Colby takes your hand and caresses it softly trying to calm you down.
COLBY: I’m sorry.
You wipe out the few tears and breathe deeply as you look away from him.
COLBY: Thank you Y/N, thank you guys… really. That was very scary.
Y/N: Thank Sam… if it hadn’t been for him the wardrobe would have fallen right back on your leg… My arms gave out on me.
SAM: What?
You look up at Sam, confused. He takes his eyes off of the road for a second to look at you. You demand an explanation with your eyes.
SAM: I… my arms gave out midway… I thought you lifted it…
Y/N: What?
You all look at each other with your mouths half open, looking for an explanation from the others. No one says anything.
COREY: We need to look back at the footage as soon as we get home.
You all nod in response.
After a deep sigh you look at Colby, he looks exhausted. You don’t really think it twice and you cuddle up next to him, holding onto his arm and laying your head on his shoulder. You feel his head resting on yours and you breathe deeply as the fear fades away.
#sam and colby#colby brock#sam golbach#corey scherer#jake webber#trap house#xplr#colbyxreader#colby imagine#colby fanfic#tfil#elton castee#overnight#paranormal
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What was the Steroline scene that made you go “uhm yeah this is terrible. I don’t ship this.” ?
You seem new to my blog so you may not know but I used to be a really serious SC shipper and me realizing they were terrible was a sort of a process, first it started narratively and then it led to chemistry.
First, let’s talk about the chemistry I did see with SC. From another post of mine:
It’s crazy how you used to ship Steroline. If someone would have told you in 2014 (early season 6) that they didn’t have any chemistry what would you have told them?
Haha I’m sure there are responses I’ve made somewhere on youtube but at the time I would’ve said that SC had a stormy chemistry and that there was a lot of yearning:
I didn’t say that Paul and Candice don’t have chemistry, sure they have chemistry, but it’s not a chemistry that translates to romance, not to me. In season 6, when I still shipped them, they were good at yearning and I agree that they were able to have an entire conversation simply through stares. I have so many posts about how Steroline had this wonderful stormy chemistry in season 6 because they would both be silent or having a verbal conversation while their true feelings were being expressed through body language and stares and it made a simple scene unpredictable because I didn’t know if they would kiss or yell or Caroline would storm off or Stefan would leave and that was really interesting to me because I hadn’t seen either of them in that kind of dynamic. But of course, Stefan and Caroline weren’t together at that point. They don’t know how to make it feel like they’re a couple and that isn’t because of the writing, they just don’t have the chemistry that makes me believe that they’re romantically involved.
and the thing is, I don’t think that’s wrong. I think they were good at playing two people who couldn’t get on the same page
and Candice was good at playing that yearning
but it worked because it was a dynamic that required Candice to be more assertive and raw and Paul to be reserved, that’s where the angst comes from, the minute they tried to do anything else
I was like oooooh no this is awkward
So let’s get into how they were terrible. It started with Liz’s funeral in season 6 because this was when the show was really going for SC being romantic and narratively that episode pissed me off because of the singing scene.
It was tacky and corny and had nothing to do with Steroline. How does Caroline singing bring Stefan a “it all makes sense” look on his face? It just felt out of place and it felt like a typical teenage cliched moment to speed up the process of Stefan liking her and it was unnecessary because they had just kissed the episode before and I find singing a Mattoline thing because she sang to let Matt know how she felt and he went up on stage and kissed her so if she sang and Matt was in his feels then that makes sense to me but for Stefan to have this huge moment of revelation just turned me off. It also really bothered me that Damon’s eulogy on Caroline made Stefan look at Caroline with a “omg everything he’s saying about her is true” expression because it’s Damon who’s saying this and he raped and abused Caroline
So they were already losing me with the actual way they had Stefan realize he liked her but then they earned back some points because of the rave scene because once again, it was them not being on the same page, it’s them not having to vibe off of each other or pull energy from one another, it’s one person being open and the other person being reserved and I maintain that they were good at that
But then they turned their humanities off and a) again, narratively speaking, I was like ARE YOU KIDDING ME with this no humanity plot? Because a lot of could’ve been done from a writing perspective having the two supposedly repressed vampires turn their humanities off together and go on the extreme but the writing doesn’t go there b) at this point, it’s supposed to be about vibing, it’s supposed to be about them unleashing, it’s supposed to be about them pulling from each other and it’s just SO AWFUL, they are RIDICULOUSLY bad at it
like when you compare Spike and Drusilla:
Even AU Xander and Willow where they’re constantly touching on each other and it’s uncomfortable but still charged
and then every time it was supposed to be sexual or romantic, they failed:
Like this is supposed to be Stefan ITCHING for Caroline even though he’s not supposed to
like this doesn’t look like he’s getting flustered and wants to throw her on the bed but has to hold back because morals:
But I was, like you know what, I invested about two seasons into this ship, I’m not going to give up that easily and then 6x21 happened.
and Paul and Nina, man, Paul lit the fuck up in that scene, it was easy, it was natural, it was chemistry just actual, honest-to-God chemistry and I was like … … … … this is why SC doesn’t work for me when they’re trying to do something that isn’t them being friends or isn’t them being on the wrong page, it’s just, they just don’t have it and frankly, if Paul and Nina had been around each other more in season 6 I don’t think I would’ve been as into SC, I remember being so conflicted about 6x04 because it was just Dobsley being Dobsley and I was like ..............
So yeah, that’s kind of what happened.
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Serious non-troll: What if you like the cop-outs and the scrambled bullshit plots and the nonsense towers of half-constructed ideas? I agree that for example Nomura is a goddamn crazy person but I find his convulsions fascinating and want to see more of them.
i mean, you’re entirely within your rights to do that. it’s just frustrating that there’s visibly no effort put into any of it, and he’s just writing for the sake of what makes the trailer look good, and that’s been 100% to the detriment of the story ever since he’s started doing it
i’m not even inherently opposed to ridiculous convoluted bullshit. i’m one of those pretentious fuckheads that unironically likes End of Evangelion and thinks it made perfect sense, obviously, duh, with all its absolute nonsense of adam and lilith and rei being a god-analogue from absorbing both the white and black seeds and allowing shinji to dictate the ultimate outcome of third impact in the culmination of a couple of really fucking long and extremely obtuse character arcs. i mean, hell, i’m 38 chapters into a fic that is running off nothing but weird high-concept ideas of how reality and parallel universes work and abstract metaphor andsleep deprivation. in any other circumstances, i’m fine with convoluted batshit nonsense.
i think the best way to explain the heart of the issue is to look at what happened to the matrix trilogy. or actually wait this is tumblr, everyone’s in high school and would’ve been foetuses or something when Revolutions came out. homestuck, then. we’ll look at homestuck.
okay so homestuck. remember when that was as big as it was? initially, the big stumbling block was the slow pace of act 1 where john just kind of fucks around throwing glass at clown dolls for a while and if you weren’t into that kind of humour that was where the comic immediately lost you, but what ultimately got the ball rolling was [S] WV: Ascend. the general metric back then was if you weren’t hooked by that one, you wouldn’t like homestuck at all, and for many people that was the point of no return. the reason WV: Ascend was as big of a deal as it was is that we’ve been seeing a bunch of disconnected nonsense happening all over the place, and this is the first time we see our first major time loop actually closed, with the promise of a few more being set up. all that supposed joke nonsense we’d been watching the whole time? it actually mattered, surprise! from there, the narrative spends a lot of time introducing a lot of new concepts – we have captchaloguing and paradox slime, and time travel, and doomed timelines, and exiles and future versions of planets from a parallel universe the metanarrative being perpetuated by the author being diagetic and fuck knows what other things i’m forgetting about. and then, to throw you for a loop twelve whole other characters show up on top of that. so then the narrative needs to spend time establishing who these people are and what their relevance to the story is – which it does, by having them be active participants in the first arc as things go on. this ultimately culminates in [S] Cascade, where we see all these different concepts eventually tie into one another because they were deliberately set up to, and it’s at that point that you figure, well shit we’ve hit a point where all the time travel stuff has finally come to a head. and with it, you’d expect it to also bring all the character stuff to a head too, but instead hussie has an entire extra act to go so we can’t have that resolve yet.
so in the meantime, here are 20-ish whole other characters doing some other things. but we don’t have time to establish what’s effectively the silmarillion by now, so we have to speed past it, meaning we aren’t given a chance to care about these new people. but we can’t have a chance to care about them either, because we still have to tie all this into 5 whole previous acts that are meant to feed into this. at this point, homestuck is visibly collapsing under its own weight. character arcs are forced to fart around in circles because the status quo can’t change because we still need to make it to endgame with these character dynamics more or less intact. but that’s boring to read so we’ll do this entire “what if” thing and then retcon it all out of existence, and then have the fact that you can retcon things suddenly become vital to the resolution of the coming in place of anything we’ve already established previously – not the time travel, not the parallel universe with the trolls, not even the whole thing with the Scratch leading to the alpha kids being here in the first place – when the mechanic was only introduced in the first place to sloppily patch a story together that had long since devolved into infodumps that served to paint hussie further and further into a corner as he was forced to define his lore to get the plot to keep moving forward despite the fact that the narrative wasn’t focusing properly on the people that could make that happen anymore because the story had since switched focus from those people almost entirely.
and in the meantime the damn thing got eaten up by filler, and suddenly characters from that filler are showing up like they were totally relevant to the main story the whole time even though literally nothing they did in their own subplot had any direct bearing on the story at large, unlike the initial 12 trolls. why yes, Alternate Universe Calliope was a completely necessary addition to the story! didn’t you see our important sidestory thing where they do Stuff, and then her showing up in the climax to resolve some other things that are sorta disconnected from the main plot anyway?
not to mention the shipping. nothing ruins a story faster than throwing in a love triangle or eight, and then immediately invalidating all the character growth that happened on top of that anyway by having it literally never happen. not that it would’ve mattered anyway, because remember, we never actually got to have any of this really developed to begin with.
by the time we hit end of act 6, there’s been so many new concepts haphazardly stapled onto the story and so many threads brought up and discarded entirely when we already established back with [S] Cascade that the story works best when they actually do this and it is doable, that it stops being merely complicated and off the wall, and starts being spread too thin, incomprehensible, and ultimately no longer part of a whole narrative deliberately comprised of interlocking storylines. shit’s just kinda happening at you, and rather than getting to see parts of a text interacting as a result of them coming from somewhere for the express purpose of then going to somewhere, you’re just being asked to accept that, yup, that’s a thing that’s going on right now. neato. sure is some stuff happening and whatnot. and in the end, for all that posturing, it didn’t even do anything. in pre-cascade homestuck that wouldn’t have even been a full flash. a bunch of nonsense happens, and then They Fightan Good, and then it’s over and there’s not a single time paradox or meta-interaction to be found. none of the stuff they built up to over all these years mattered, and neither did any of the stuff they just threw in, either.
i’m sure you see what i’m getting at with this.
(also he treats the women in his stories like shit and quite frankly i’m sick of it and even more sick that people keep giving him a pass for it because it’s practically reached parody levels at this point , so there’s that)
i have no problem with convoluted twisty bullshit in and of itself. but it has to accomplish something aside from just existing, and nomura doesn’t do that. by his own admission, kingdom hearts wasn’t planned, and it shows really badly. characters and entire story mechanics and plot lines are introduced solely for the sake of introducing them. they don’t go anywhere or build to anything, because they can’t, because fuck we have to stall for kh3 shhhh just keep adding more soras and hopefully no one will notice. i think the last time any of this actually mattered was kh2, and even that had a lot of the issues i’ve mentioned here. as a result of all of this, the character arcs suffer a lot, and you’re left with nothing but a big ball of plot twists that goes nowhere, and a bunch of characters that only somewhat have anything to do with any of it.
i don’t feel like it’s overly nitpicky to find this kinda gross and seriously insulting of the audience’s intelligence. it’s just lazy time-stalling. i get that people sometimes really don’t care about stuff like narrative and character development and are just here to see riku punching mike wazowski in the teeth or whatever, but i think it’s disingenuous to pretend that these aren’t nonetheless important parts of a game’s construction – especially a studio that used to openly pride itself on selling games with a focus on story.
and the genuinely frustrating part is, no one cares. people are gushing all over everything square puts out because it’s square, so they know they don’t have to put effort into their stories. i’m well aware i’m in the minority for saying that these games are bad. but i also thought we were done with treating, “it’s just a video game, bro! why do you care so much about the story having quality as a narrative? this isn’t an english class!” as a valid rebuttal.
maybe i should’ve used the matrix trilogy instead. most people hate movies 2 and 3 for the weird “YOU’VE ALREADY MADE THE CHOICE/EVERYTHING THAT HAS A BEGINNING HAS AN END NEO” shit and the bonkers christ-allegory ending. i hate it because neo is about as interesting as the rock that cracked goofy’s skull open.
#asks#kangdan horfs#do i put this in the discourse tag even though its's not vii?#squid alienates kh fans#that's a tag now#hamsteak#Anonymous
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Rena Knows Best
Merry Christmas @forfuckssakejim I’m your Secret Santa this year!!! ( @mlsecretsanta)
I was meant to post this yesterday but this last week has been very turbulent and I wasn’t able to. So, better late than never! This has multiple parts and the rest will come later! I hope you enjoy the hilarity within!!
Warning for everyone: this contains minor spoilers for upcoming characters in season 2+. I say minor cos pretty much everyone knows by now.
Part One: Sweet Summer Kitten
Chat Noir would never admit it aloud for fear of offending their newest heroes but he kind of missed the days when it was just him and his Lady. They had a good thing going, a dynamic duo of comic book proportions, and though Ladybug was adored by many, in a way, she’d been his and his alone. The public only saw them when they wanted to be seen. He’d enjoyed their banter, he’d enjoyed their dynamics, and he’d enjoyed the moments where it’d been just the two of them.
Rena and Bee changed everything.
Chat Noir had no idea who they were under their masks but he knew, without a doubt, that prior to receiving their kwami and Miraculous, each had been die-hard fans of theirs. Or, more specifically, hers. They’d spent the first few weeks fawning over Ladybug every moment they could, to the point where Chat wondered if he honestly had competition now for her affections. Mercifully, she did not seem to share their enthusiastic interest.
At first, Chat Noir had quietly insisted that he and Ladybug do their patrols like normal. Without the new additions along for the ride. She’d gone along with it but had quickly seen through his ruse, which lead to a long, awkward, but necessary talk. He hated admitting that he was jealous, that he was selfish enough to want her to himself, but he swallowed his pride and did it anyway because she was his Lady and she deserved the truth out of him. His heart softened when she confessed that she, too, was struggling to adapt to this.
“They act like they know us,” she muttered, “and it…grates on my nerves. Maybe one day we’ll all be good friends but right now they’re….”
“Yeah.” Chat Noir knew full well what she was experiencing and it was something he had grown used to as a model. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes he would meet people—other young models or fans of his—who would act like they were best friends within five minutes of meeting, simply because they’d read an article about him in a teen magazine. He never knew what to do with himself during those conversations but tried to keep as polite as possible. Now Ladybug was doing the same and neither Rena or Bee seemed to realize they were overstepping their bounds.
“But if I tell them that then they might not…y’know…want to work with us.” She gnawed on her lip. “They’re good, so far. They’ve been a huge help…and we needed them, but…”
“It’d be nice if they stopped being fangirls and realized that they’re strangers?” Chat Noir suggested. She nodded.
Of course, he also knew full well how to remedy the situation. So far, the only times their new companions had only met them in battle. They had yet to see the parts of them reserved for their casual meetups. They only knew the warriors, not the humans beneath the armor. If they wanted them to settle down then that would have to change. He was just loathe to welcome them into something that had always been reserved for just him and Ladybug.
Fortunately, they were of one mind.
He and Ladybug officially met up three nights a week for patrol. Rena Rouge and Queen Bee were invited to one of these nights each and in that order. The third night they went out alone and the next week, they invited both of them to come together. It wasn’t as bad as they feared. Battles were public spectacles, a song and dance their most avid fans could recognize and join in on as both Bee and Rena had. Patrols were different, private in a way despite their public locations. There was no script for either girl to follow and with the loss of their comfort zone, they calmed, and just as they began to see Ladybug and Chat Noir, Ladybug and Chat Noir began to see them.
Queen Bee was narcissistic (and, really, her name should’ve been a dead giveaway) and she didn’t quite get how to be a selfless hero. She wouldn’t risk her neck to rescue a civilian but focused on their enemy with single-minded determination. She also adored the press…a little too much.
Rena Rouge was reckless and a bit too sporadic. She had a habit of arriving fashionably late to the fight but when she was present, she often took initiative and had a good handle on her powers. However, she was prone to taking her eyes off the enemy and swooping in to rescue civilians at risk to herself. There was definitely a hero complex there.
They needed work, to be sure, but there was room for them to grow and learn. And learn they did.
Ladybug taught Bee how to utilize her suit’s innate athletic capabilities to perform martial arts moves and parkour, to use the battle knowledge stored within the Miraculous from centuries of warriors before her. Chat taught Rena how to run comfortably on all fours and control her ears and tail, both of which were as erratic as she and subject to instinctual movements. There was a certain transparency that came with artificial limbs respond to your thoughts and emotions in an animalistic way.
Of course, there were other lessons they learned on their own, mostly through combat and observation. When to charge in, when to wait, when to trust Ladybug, and when to make a judgement call and apologize later. What made them laugh and what made them uncomfortable, what topics they could broach, what bits of their lives were completely off-limits, what ‘hero perks’ they could partake in.
Most important of all they learned a simple, irrefutable fact that had been speculated by many but never confirmed: Chat Noir was head over heels in love with Ladybug and Ladybug had no flippin’ idea.
No longer were his subtle hints subtle, nor his gestures ignored or missed altogether. No, Rena and Bee (especially Rena) saw everything. Every look, every smile, every stray touch that Ladybug did not move away from, they saw it all. Queen Bee took this development for what it was and Chat Noir was almost certain she pitied him. Rena, however, she schemed. Oh, how she schemed.
“Don’t worry, Chat Noir, I’ve dealt with this kind of thing before,” she assured him with a solemnity usually reserved for veterans recalling former battles. “My best friend has the hots for this guy and is about as obvious as a sledgehammer to the face about it. All the girls in my class know. It’s ridiculous. But he hasn’t got a clue, the poor guy.” She shook her head. “But luckily for you, there’s no way Ladybug can be as dense.”
Chat Noir smiled uncertainly and Rena Rouge threw her arm around his shoulder. “Stick with me, kid, because I’m gonna help you sail this ship.”
“I—wait—what?” he squeaked.
“You’re adorable, oh my God. Okay, look, it’s simple. From what I’ve seen, you’ve been keeping it subtle. Good, okay, fine, that’s a good way to start. You laid the foundations, now it’s time to build on them. In other words, stop trying to clue her in and start sweeping her off her feet.”
“Um…how?”
“Chat…Chat…my darling, innocent Chat…I’m gonna clue you in on something about us girls.” She leaned towards his ear and he thanked his lucky stars that Ladybug was currently running with Bee several arrondissements away. “The fastest way to our hearts is through our hearts.”
He blinked. “What?”
“You have to show her you care about her. That you like her and not her…assets.”
Chat let out an undignified squawk at the implications and felt his face heat up. “I—I do not—for your information I am not—”
Rena cackled with glee and removed her arm from his shoulders, doubling over to hold her stomach. Chat stood there, flustered and confused and more than a little embarrassed. Assets. Assets?! Surely Ladybug didn’t think that he—well, okay, yes, he’d certainly noticed her body before, it was quite hard not to what with that suit of hers accentuating every curve and hiding nothing with its bright red material, and yes, she was beautiful, and yes, he’d felt certain bits of her pressed up against him again before in battle, but he’d never tried to cop a feel or—or…
Rena wiped at her eyes. “This is great.”
“No, it’s not!” he protested. “You just accused me of trying to get into her pants!”
The Fox straightened up, cocked her hip, and put her hand on it. “You wanna look me in the eye and tell me that getting in her pants isn’t a prospect for further down the road?”
What blood had finally retreated from his face returned with speed and vengeance. Well…quite so. He’d certainly fantasized about kissing her more than a few times and…and…
Oh, fuck, she had him.
His shoulders sagged in defeat. Rena winked. “Don’t worry. It’s perfectly normal. You’re a healthy teenager and you’ve got it bad for someone, of course that’s something you want eventually. What matters is that it isn’t your primary goal here. And, pfft, man, after that, literally no one is ever gonna convince me it ever was. Now you just need to prove that to her. Because, dude, let me tell you, guys in general have a reputation for only being after one thing and we girls know it.
“So, you need to show her that you’re interested in her as a person. That you genuinely care. Convince her that you’re in love and not just horny and you’ll be on your way. At the very least, she’ll have to actually consider what you’re offering her. From there, it’ll be up to her to decide if she wants to reciprocate or not.”
Chat Noir looked at her with awe and, if he was honest, a touch of fear. “How do you know so much about this?”
Rena Rouge grinned with all the slyness of her namesake and tossed her fluffy locks over her shoulder. “Oh, my sweet summer child.”
Of course, there was just one little problem in Rena’s grand plan, and it bothered him all the next day.
In the early days, Chat Noir himself had been…how did she put it? As subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. He’d given her little gifts, flirted, even recited poetry. Hell, the only thing he hadn’t done was whisked her off her feet and kissed her. He wasn’t sure how much more obvious he could be apart from flat out telling her she was his sun and moon and he treasured every moment he spent in her presence. …And since that definitely wasn’t an option, he’d tried to be subtler.
“Well there’s your problem!” Rena exclaimed, smacking her forehead. “You romantic dork. You were being too forward with her. Too…silly. Of course she wouldn’t take it seriously, she probably thought you were joking! Especially since you hadn’t known each other for all that long.”
“Yeah, I figured that one out for myself, thanks,” he grumbled, folding his arms.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that. You’re not hopeless. You just need to find the middle ground.”
“What do you mean?”
“All that stuff you were doing before? Tone it down. This isn’t a cartoon and that kind of stuff doesn’t work in real life. Well, not on most girls and if Ladybug was an exception, you’d already know. She’s much too serious and down to earth for that.”
Chat Noir said nothing. She was right. Man, she was good at this. It was almost hard to remember that Rena hadn’t known either of them all that long. Of course, if she’d been a diehard fan of them, she probably had gleaned plenty of insight from past interviews and things. Combined with what she’d seen in person and her own knowledge of wooing and she was quite a formidable asse—er…ally.
“And…another thing.” Rena’s voice softened. “I know you’ve already thought about this…but there’s only so much the two of you can do without revealing your identities to each other.”
Chat Noir looked away. “The thought’s crossed my mind.”
“You know how seriously she takes being a hero.” Yes, he did, all too keenly. “There’s a very real possibility the two of you can’t happen until Papillon is gone. So, my advice, if you want to really convince her to give you a chance beforehand, you need to show her that you can be sensible about this.”
“Yeah,” he said slowly and nodded. “I get that. That’s…that’s good. I can do that. I think. I just…agh, how?” His hands dropped to his sides and he turned to face her. He didn’t know where this sudden surge of emotion was coming from or why he felt like he could trust her. He’d never had this kind of conversation with Nino before. “I just…I feel so much and I don’t know how to tell her without…going overboard, I guess.”
Rena smiled sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder. “Slow down,” she advised, “and don’t rush things. You’re in for the long haul and there will be plenty of time later to show her how much you love her.”
Chat Noir smiled to himself. He hadn’t told her that he was in love. But if it was really that obvious then how could Ladybug not see? Was Rena perhaps simply more observant?
“For now, take it easy and focus more on showing her your sincerity with smaller gestures. Like…uh…” Rena snapped her fingers. “Christmas! I know it’s weeks away but…never too early to start planning, right? Get her something special.”
Chat Noir considered this. Last Christmas, they’d exchanged presents a few days after the holiday since they’d opted to spend Christmas Eve with their families…and ended up fighting Pire Noel. But it had been pulling teeth just to convince her to do that. He’d been prepared to lavish her with gifts but he knew it would likely make her uncomfortable so he’d limited himself to €50 and tried to keep it as casual as possible.
“Something special, you mean?” he asked.
Rena Rouge nodded. “Something that shows you put thought into buying it, or making it, if you’re that type of person.”
“I’ve got the kwami of Destruction, remember?” He grinned.
“Truedat. So, something that shows you really thought about what to get her and about her. Don’t go too crazy, though. I don’t know how much money you have but, trust me, fancy jewelry is coming on way too strong. Remember: baby steps.”
Chat Noir nodded seriously. Christmas was five weeks away. That was plenty of time to find her something. He could do this. Totally.
…How hard could it be?
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QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE FLASH 3.23: ‘IRIS WEST HAD BETTER NOT FUCKING DIE OR I QUIT EVERYTHING’
IRIS WEST DIDN’T DIE AND I DON’T HAVE TO QUIT ANYTHING
My heart at the way Joe immediately collapses in grief and shock before the big reveal.
Speaking of that reveal, the way that Tom Cavanagh who is very briefly playing as Iris (WORDS I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SAY), really nails the way she picks up the gun to shoot Savitar, realises immediately what’s happened, and is overcome with obvious horror and probable guilt. His quiet ‘oh no’ is very Iris and not HR – it’s a small thing, and it’s really fucking nicely done.
THE DRUMSTICKS. I KNOW IT’S MEANT TO BE SAD AND ALL, BUT I CRACKED UP. THE HIPSTER DRUMSTICKS REVEAL ALL.
I am again trying to think of something I care less about than HR and Tracey’s doomed romance. I am not coming up with much.
That being said, I am super on board with Anne Dudek sticking around because I have had a crush on her since her House days. Coincidence that my interest in House died when her character did? I think not.
Just assume at any point I am Joe and none of this time travel fuckery makes any sense. Just have the characters say ‘paradox’ a lot and there’s your scene.
So unpopular fandom opinion and all, but I’ve never really felt ‘the original Star Labs trio’ of Barry-Cisco-Caitlin. I know there are fans out there that really dig it and feel like that dynamic’s been missing since season one – but I’ve never gotten the same vibe from these three that I have, say, Buffy-Xander-Willow from BVTS. The problem has always been the Barry-Caitlin relationship, in that it’s kind of….well, it exists, and of course they care about each other. But it’s not a hugely strong connection, and I’d say that for Barry it goes Iris->Joe->Cisco->Wally->Caitlin in terms of other characters he cares about (obviously not including his parents).
My point being not to shit on the people who are into that ship, but to say that I do think the show has really sold Cisco and Caitlin’s relationship which is truly excellent, and I do fully believe that it’s by threatening Caitlin that Savitar could get Cisco to even consider helping him.
BARRY SAVING EVIL BARRY WITH THE POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP. SOMEONE WAS CLEARLY A SAILOR MOON FAN.
Okay, but who is going to pander to my self-indulgent ass and write a POTO AU with Barry x Iris x Savitar
“HE STOLE MY FUTURE” Tracey, look, I’d love for you to stick around so this show can raise its number of main female characters to three, but sweetie. You knew HR for about two seconds. Sure, he was cute and funny and all, but I guarantee you after date five you would have been pretending to visit your grandmother for the next six months and throwing his drumsticks out the window. You’ll be fine. Date Caitlin instead.
There is seriously not enough Wally in this episode, and I am 99% sure Keiynan had some other shit going on because he has barely been in the last few episodes.
Also Keiynan is one of maybe five Australian actors on US television who didn’t start out as a baby actor on Neighbour or Home & Away. Truly he is exceptional.
“Because we are connected. Jackass”. I love Cindy.
It is good, correct and important that Cisco a) finally reached the Caitlin in Killer Frost b) let her make the choice about taking the cure and c) some of Caitlin came back and knocked Savitar flat on his ass because Cisco is her biggest connection and her best friend and no one is touching his pretty nerd ass with her around.
God, Caitlin’s so much more interesting this way. They finally made me really care about her. Took nearly three seasons, but we’re there.
Yeah okay, I’m done with the Power Rangers reject. Let’s just end it already.
Oh and hey, Dawson’s dad. Yay to see him again.
I was never sold on the Caitlin/Julian relationship, so I give little fucks about that apparently being over. Frankly he should be happy that he’s survived the season, given her track record. I’d like Draco to stick around, because I do really like his dynamic with the team, especially Cisco.
IN THE TRADITION OF KELLY TAYLOR, CAITLIN CHOOSES NEITHER BRANDON OR DYLAN AND CHOOSES HERSELF.
Christ, I am old.
Barry and Iris continue to be one of five heterosexual couples I give a fuck about. LET THEM BE HAPPY.
THREE SECONDS LATER: BARRY GOES TO SPEED FORCE HEAVEN.
GODDAMNIT SHOW, I LIVED THROUGH THIS SHIT ON BUFFY SEASON FIVE WHY DO I NEED TO DO THIS AGAIN.
DOES THIS MEAN CISCO’S GOING TO SACRIFICE A DEER NEXT SEASON TO BRING BARRY BACK.
I APPROVE OF NONE OF THIS.
Oh my god, Candice is killing me with this. Like it’s stupid as hell and comic booky and of course he’ll be back next season, but she is selling it so well.
LET BARRY AND IRIS BE HAPPY NEXT SEASON GODDAMNIT.
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All images: CBS
Hey, did you hear there’s a new Star Trek show starting September 24? Anticipation is mighty high here at io9—but for everyone who hasn’t been cataloguing every bit of info that CBS has revealed about Star Trek: Discovery on the long road to its debut, we’ve assembled this handy guide to get you up to speed.
Timeline and setting
Discovery, the sixth live-action Star Trek series, was initially announced as taking place in the prime timeline, the same universe as the other TV shows and their related films—but not the recent J.J. Abrams directed and/or produced movies. Since it takes place 10 years prior to the events of The Original Series, it’s more relevant to that show than Enterprise, which took place a century prior. That also means we’ll be seeing some retro-future takes on the classic show’s signature tech flourishes, including a variant on the phaser (though the badges and the flip communicators look fairly familiar). The Starfleet uniforms, however, are closer in look to Enterprise’s blue jumpsuits, rather than the classic colorful costumes of original Trek. (For once, though, away teams will get body armor, an idea that clearly fell out of fashion by the time Captain Kirk and company were boldly going beyond.) As the title implies, most of the action will center on the USS Discovery, though it won’t start there; instead, it seems we’ll first meet the main character when she’s serving aboard the USS Shenzou.
Main characters
Lt. Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green)
Discovery’s protagonist is unique in the Star Trek pantheon for a variety of reasons. One is that—unlike Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer—Burnham is not (yet) a captain. Another is that she was raised on Vulcan after her birth parents (both human) were killed by Klingons. Her adoptive parents just happen to be Spock’s parents, Sarek and Amanda Grayson, and her unusual upbringing means she’s the first human to have attended both the Vulcan Learning Center and the Vulcan Science Academy. (This is the first we’ve ever heard that Spock had a sister, though one of Discovery’s producers insists there will eventually be an explanation for that.) Based on ominous hints we’ve seen in the trailers, an early episode will explain the incident that causes then-First Officer Burnham to leave the Shenzou, where she’s serving under Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), and end up on the Discovery, to be Number One under Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs).
Sarek (James Frain)
We learned way back in January that Spock’s father was joining the show—as a younger version, quite obviously, of the character we first met on The Original Series. But it wasn’t until July’s San Diego Comic-Con that his specific connection to Burnham became known. In the first Discovery trailer, Sarek appears in a Vulcan flashback, as well as in hologram form to Burnham to counsel her about leadership. Sarek has a long history in Trek, first appearing with a strained relationship with his half-human, Starfleet son and eventually dying on The Next Generation, after sharing a number of intense scenes with Picard.
Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh)
As mentioned above, she’s the top commander on the USS Shenzou. In the trailer, we learn that Burnham and Georgiou have been working together for awhile, and Georgiou has become confident that it’s time for her protégé to get her own command. That is, until something (maybe an alien object?) makes something (maybe very bad?) happen to Georgiou. We aren’t certain of her fate yet, but you might not want to get terribly attached to this particular character.
Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs)
He’s the captain of the Discovery—but he’s not the star of the show, and that’s not the only thing that makes Lorca different from previous Star Trek captains. According to Isaacs, the character is “probably more fucked up” than most Starfleet officers, which means he’s been through some exceptionally crazy shit during his time in space. That’s a quality that could create an interesting dynamic between Lorca and Burnham; in the second trailer, he seems stern when speaking with her: “You helped start a war. Don’t you want to help me end it?”
Lt. Commander Saru (Doug Jones)
The alien science officer aboard the Discovery, Saru’s the guy who delivers the trailer’s most chilling line: “My people were biologically determined for one purpose alone: to sense the coming of death. I sense it coming now.” He’s a Kelpien, a race that’s new to both Starfleet and the Star Trek series overall; their ability to sense death evolved on a home planet where they were hunted as prey. He stands almost seven feet tall on his hooved feet. At SDCC, it was mentioned that Saru and Burnham have a “brother/sister relationship;” Jones has also said that Saru is a character equivalent to the Spock or Data of this series. That’s a telling description, since Trek loves to have a character with an alien point of view and, specifically, one who can comment on human characteristics.
Lt. Stamets (Anthony Rapp)
He’s another science officer aboard Discovery, an astromycologist (translation: this dude knows a lot about space fungus). A far more exciting fact about Lt. Stamets is that he’s Star Trek’s first openly gay character (on TV at least; in the movies, Sulu has a male partner). As it happens, Discovery also has Star Trek’s second openly gay TV character as well, in the form of Lt. Stamets’ partner: ship’s doctor Dr. Hugh Culber (played by Wilson Cruz).
Cadet Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman)
She is an eager young Starfleet cadet assigned to Discovery, specializing in engineering and reporting to Lt. Stamets. After she becomes Burnham’s roommate, they form what Wiseman describes as “an unlikely friendship.”
Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson)
This character—full name: Harcourt Fenton Mudd—is a con man, smuggler, and delightful sleaze who first appeared on The Original Series and has since become a cult favorite, largely thanks to Roger C. Carmel’s over-the-top performance. You can get a quick glimpse of Wilson’s take on Mudd as a younger man (“Are you mad?” “I’m MUDD!”) in the second Discovery trailer.
T’Kuvma (Chris Obi)
He’s a Klingon leader seeking to unite the 24 great Klingon houses—no easy task, especially since (as the second trailer reminds us) “the Klingon Empire has been in disarray for generations.” Klingons are the primary antagonists on Discovery, but the show will portray them as honorable warriors with—as you can see on T’Kuvma here—some really fantastic battle ensembles, not to mention new ships, at least one highly elaborate coffin, subtitles (when they’re speaking Klingon), and a biological reason for those distinctive forehead ridges.
Story and conflict
As mentioned above, Discovery will find the Federation at war with the Klingons. The show will run 15 episodes and we know a teeny bit about the first four installments. Episode one is titled “The Vulcan Hello,” and the description is nearly exactly what the two trailers have already revealed:
While patrolling Federation space, the USS Shenzhou encounters an object of unknown origin, putting First Officer Michael Burnham to her greatest test yet.
Subsequent known episode titles include “Battle at the Binary Stars,” “Context Is for Kings,” and “The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry,” though we don’t have plot descriptions for those yet. Based on hints from showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg, however, the season will also focus on how the characters work through their differences together. Based on what the showrunners have said, he war with the Klingons will be in some way a comment on current political events, much like The Original Series reflected then-contemporary Cold War tensions. And Burnham will have to cope with whatever happened on the Shenzou, growing into the kind of leader that Sarek encourages her to be. She may also find herself caught between Vulcan and human cultures, much like her adoptive brother Spock was.
And the rest
The Discovery is a science vessel, which sets it apart from the Enterprise, which, as the flagship, was tasked with all sorts of things; with Voyager, which was designed specifically for long-term exploration; and Deep Space Nine, which was a space station. (And also very different from the Defiant, Deep Space Nine’s ship, which was designed to fight.) According to Memory Alpha, science vessels aren’t meant to be out in space for long periods of time, so maybe Discovery will be docked more often than in the other shows.
The design of the Discovery itself can be described, in the words of io9's Katharine Trendacosta, as being “sort of like Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept art for a new Enterprise and the original show’s ship had a baby. A baby about to go where no one has gone before.”
Composer Jeff Russo’s Discovery theme song calls back to Alexander Courage’s iconic original, while also doing its own melodious thing.
There will be a Mirror Universe episode.
After some initial misinterpretation, it’s actually totally fine to say “God” (as in “For God’s sakes!”) on the show.
There will be Tribbles.
Star Trek: Discovery premieres September 24 on CBS and CBS All Access. The rest of the series runs through November on CBS All Access, before taking a hiatus until January 2018. Each episode will be followed by Talking Trek, a live aftershow available on CBS All Access.
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