#Anyway I think the clown rant can be saved for an actual post maybe. and not the tags of this post lol

[senotsuri]

What kinds of religions are there in Gundalia? Let's put in Vestals too come on, since it seems to be famous in your blog ahaha.

Vestal religion is, to me at least, an exaggerated version of what happened with early NV, where it's revealed the Vestals know about humans and Earth, and especially what happened with Naga.

Gundalians are more "our saints are alive, able to speak with us", but they do have a "god", if you can call them that.

Under the cut there are headings for each section, but this will get long

Vestal

Necessary context; I do headcanon two things. 1. the vestals are not the only natives to Vestal (kind of? they came from Darkus an uncountable amount of time ago), and 2. the other natives are able to see the future a little, and write down what they can perceive from elsewhere. As a result, these darkus aligned vestal vampires that eat dreams wrote down visions of a future from elsewhere. This then resulted in Vestal's knowledge of Earth, of humans, and of Naga. These visions really only worked if bakugan were present to see through, and it didn't matter which Earth was being looked at.

The creation of the Interspace, and Vestroia in BB is like this to begin with, essentially creates a multiverse by being a place between spaces; this essentially means the canon is canon, but so are OCs and fanon interpretations, but only to the Vestals unless proven otherwise (case in point for that; Shun showing up in the Alpha City Doubles Tournament proves he, at least, exists for that universe's vestals.)

Some Vestal denizens are likely to exaggerate this, and given that they were written down fragments of future visions (though they could be extrapolated to be of the past, if anyone wants to say that vestals are the successors of humanity), it's understandable that this would inadvertently create a pantheon of brawlers. Major players in canon and fandom pieces are at the top of the pile, no doubt.

Without the two pieces of context, I'd argue vestals are not religious until given something to devote themselves to (see: whatever the hell Gus has going on for Spectra.)

Gundalia

Gundalia has bakugan on it, and these bakugan are part of the half that know about the Sacred Orb. Unclear, but it is likely, if they know about their greatest grandmother (and child playing with their dolls) Code Eve.

And then there's the Dark Tribe. The Dark Tribe are defined as generally having a secret, evil power within them; they can destroy a planet using this power (or as Linehalt lets us find out, reverse that and heal a whole planet, including some newly dead, which happens to be everyone that isn't Dan.)

Because of this, and given their sheer proximity to their bakugan, I think Gundalians worship Dark Tribe bakugan similarly to how saints are worshipped, but with added fear of what they're apparently capable of. It's also likely they worship the mother of the original bakugan (though it is a plot point I wish wasn't a thing, because it screws up Dan's trial's sheer existence by making him the chosen one. What a way to waste a trial.)

[actuallysaiyan]

Can I request some headcanons of how the different sayians (If I spelled that right, I’m sorry) would comfort their s/o when they’re sad please? Like, Gohan, Vegeta, Goku and Trunks ❤️

(and possibly Vegito and Gogeta if you don’t mind, I absolutely love those fusion bois)

Thank you in advance, hope you’re doing good!

Word count: 1,323 Pairings: Son Gohan x Reader, Prince Vegeta x Reader, Son Goku x Reader, Trunks Briefs x Reader, Gogeta x Reader and Vegito x Reader Warnings: Fluff, slight smutty references, some violence references. A/N: I’ve done Gohan and Vegeta before in a similar post, but it was fun to revisit the idea of what they’d do to help cheer up their loved one! Thanks for the awesome request! I love those Saiyans so much!

Gohan knows immediately that you aren’t feeling happy. He’s quick to come to you and ask you what’s wrong.

You might not want to talk about it at first, and Gohan respects that. He’ll give you space if you need it.

If you want to vent and rant, Gohan will lend an ear and not be judgemental at all. He’ll just listen and you can vent to him.

If you want advice, then he will give it to you. He’ll hold you close and play with your hair while he explains the situation to you.

If you cry, Gohan will hold you tight and rub your back soothingly while praising you and whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

He’ll buy you some comfort food and watch a silly movie with you. 

If you want to have sex to relieve some pain, Gohan is going to be so slow and sensual with you. Your pleasure will go before his own, and his aftercare will just be him pampering you.

Gohan will snuggle with you and maybe even make a blanket fort to see you cheer up.

Gohan loves you so much, he hates seeing you sad. He will literally do anything for you.

Vegeta isn’t used to being very emotional, but if you aren’t feeling happy, he’s going to know right away.

He’ll give you space at first, seeing as he knows that’s how he deals with his own sadness. 

If you come to him and you’re crying, he’s going to be so damn flustered.

“Who did this to you?! Who would dare hurt you?!” He’s ready to get vengeance if he needs to.

When you tell him that you are just sad, he’ll just be speechless. He knows how to beat up enemies and save the world, but he’s completely clueless as to what to do when it comes to cheering you up.

If you crumble into his arms and sob hard, he’ll wrap his arms around you and bring you closer. His heart aches hearing you cry like this.

“Please, just cheer up. You are so strong and wonderful.” He’s not sure what to say, but he tries his best.

If you want to cuddle and watch a movie, Vegeta will make an exception for you. He’ll hold you close and play with your hair and kiss you.

He doesn’t know many jokes, so he might not go that route to cheer you up. He thinks about getting Goku to help him, but he hates the idea of having to ask that clown for help.

If you need him to fuck the pain away, he will. Except, he’ll be very soft and sweet with you, making sure you know that you are loved.

Goku isn’t the smartest emotionally, but he catches on to sudden changes in your mood kind of quickly.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he’ll ask you all oblivious. If you break down in tears, his heart will instantly break.

He brings you into his arms and holds you close and just lets you vent. Goku isn’t the best with words, so he just wants you to know that he’s there to listen.

“You know what always makes me feel better? Lots of good food and training!” This is his way of telling you he wants to order food.

You’ll get cozy with him and convince him to not train, unless you really were into that and wanted to blow off some steam.

Goku will try his best to sit still and watch a movie with you, but he might get easily distracted.

He’ll say something funny without realizing it and it makes you laugh, and this makes Goku feel very relieved.

Once the movie is over and you’ve both eaten loads, he’ll ask you if you’ll watch him train. Just say yes, and it’ll make him happy. If Goku is happy, it’s hard not to be happy by extension.

If you insinuate that you’d like to fuck the pain away, Goku is actually super into that. Sex to him is like a different way of training.

Goku gets very rough during sex sometimes, and this is no exception. He’ll praise you very well for taking his cock though.

Afterwards, he’ll cuddle you and just praise you, realizing you need lots of words of affirmation and love.

Trunks is very sweet. He’ll realize immediately that you aren’t feeling well and he’ll just come up and give you a hug.

“Are you okay, sweetie? Is there anything I can do for you?” He’s always making sure you’re okay.

If you want to cry, he’ll hold you in his arms and just kiss you while you cry and vent. He adores you and wants you to be happy.

Trunks will run you a bath and set you down in it, allowing you to relax fully. Trunks will also make sure you’ve got something good to drink while you’re relaxing in the bath.

While you’re soaking in the tub, he’s going to order some of your favorite food and set up a mini blanket fort in the living room.

Trunks will cuddle you after eating and you’ll watch a funny movie with him. He kisses you softly and just whispers praise in your ear.

He’ll actually spoon you and maybe even cockwarm with you if that’s something that would make you feel better.

If not, he’ll give you a nice massage and rub you all over to make sure you’re feeling very relaxed.

Do you want chocolate? Nachos? A special snack that you don’t have at home? Trunks is rushing out to get it for you.

Lots of soft kisses and cuddles all night, as Trunks wants to make sure you feel much better before going to bed.

He’ll probably sing you a lullaby while you sleep, and he’ll hold you close the whole night through.

Gogeta isn’t very sure how to comfort you. He wants to see you smile, but he’s not sure if he’ll mess up.

He’ll probably just come over to your place and spend time with you. If you need to be quiet and alone, he’ll give you space.

Gogeta is actually a huge fan of fucking the pain away, but he won’t force you into it.

If you want to though, he’ll actually be super sweet and sensual.

Expect a full body massage and just funny jokes from the Goku side of this fusion.

He’ll even threaten to kick someone’s ass if he knows they hurt you and made you sad.

Loves you and wants you to feel good. He hates seeing you sad.

Might buy you snacks on his way to your house, might eat them all before he can give them to you.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!” You just hold him close, and he rubs your back soothingly.

He’s literally going to threaten to beat up whoever made you sad. If nobody’s made you sad, he’ll probably offer to beat up somebody anyway.

If that’s not what you want, he may panic a little. He wants to see you smile.

Will give you an awkward hug to start with, but as you melt into the hug, he’s going to hold you closer.

“Don’t cry. You are beautiful, strong and so amazing.” You can’t help but smile at his attempt to cheer you up.

He’s very interested in just being here for you as much as he can, but doesn’t know how to show you that he loves you.

You’ll probably end up eating so much food and watching funny shows, which amuses him very much.

If you need some physical release, he’s going to treat you right. Vegito will put your pleasure first...but it might turn into overstimulation if you’re not careful.

Struggles with the right words to tell you, but he always ends up saying something very sweet.

“You’re wonderful. Don’t forget that,” He kisses you softly while you try to forget about your sadness.

[infartoomanyfandoms]

I'm in a ranting mood now so I'm gonna give my 2 cents on Supercorp.

Season 2:

In season 2 Kara and Lena were actually written pretty well. They were friends, they hugged, snuggled on the couch had food together, went to gala's together, defended the other behind their back and that kind of thing. And of course all the times Supergirl saved Lena. We'd be here forever if I mentioned everything lol. There was definitely some flirting happening. They were written as friends but there was absolutely something there the writers could have explored.

Season 3:

A little odd in terms of Kara and Lena. It's like the CW said 'I see you Supercorp shippers and I raise you a season of them barely interacting alone.' They fought and made up again at work, Kara tried to convince drunk Lena that she's good, they were sweet at the Christmas party with everyone, just all of 3x12, and then there was the hugs in 3x18 and 3x21. We had some Supergirl saves but Lena's relationship with Supergirl ended up on the rocks. They were written very much 'no homo' this season compared to season 2. There wasn't really any super obvious flirting, there were romantic parallels with the risking of identity though. Overall we didn't really get to see much of them existing together. Plus Lena started dating James. Alex and Lena got some really good development though so that's a plus.

Season 4:

They definitely interacted much more than in season 3. They were happy to see each other at the beginning, 4x02 was a goldmine of hugging, Lena protecting Kara, Kara protecting Lena, the works. Lena made the power rangers suit while she was still mad at Supergirl, she broke up with James, she was worried about Kara at the hospital, they had an argument in 4x19 and made up (after Kara longingly stared at a picture of Lena on her phone), Lena cried on Kara as Kara waxed poetic about how wonderful Lena is, just the entirety of 4x20. Plus Lena and Supergirl's relationship was mended. Season 4b had a lot of romantic undertones imo. The classic red/blue colour scheme, Kara staring at the picture, the sheer concern they both had for each other, how hurt Lena was that she hadn't seen Kara for a while after not seeing her for weeks on end just the season before, and where do I start with 4x20!? The looks they gave each other on the plane, how worried Lena was for Kara when the plane was crashing, all the physical contact, Kara's tape recorder stopped Lena from being stabbed, the concern and hugging again at the end, how defensive Lena got over wanting to apologize and the almost reveal. They obviously love each other, platonic or otherwise. Kara gives much more platonic love vibes at this point. Although the raw panic and concern and "Thank god you're okay"s from Lena this episode made me think that she loves Kara a little more than platonically. I'd always shipped Supercorp for fun but 4x20 made me wonder if they were really going to go down that road. This is me > 🤡 Because then we had the reveal.

Season *gags* Season 5

You watched it, we've all seen it. I'm terribly sorry to bring it up again. Season 5 I understood why people called them queerbait. Up until then I'd been like "yes to us these two are super gay but this can all (mostly) pass as platonic, I understand wanting them together but I don't think it's queerbait." And you don't have to come for me, because season 5 came for my JUGULAR. What the hell. Kara telling Lena she's Supergirl was heartbreaking, Kara has very rarely been that upset, don't even talk to me about the Romeo and Juliet ass shot 5 seconds beforehand. Then at the beginning when everything is 'fine' Kara seems unable to stop comparing herself and Lena to Alex and Kelly. You know? The canon lesbian relationship!? "For a friend like you there are no boundaries" Kara flying around the world to get Lena's favourite food...In the show that said "Maybe giving food is Brainy's language of love." 💀 "You Mean the World to Me" Playing over Kara and Lena scenes and Alex and Kelly scenes. Lena, even though she's mad, knowing that Kara will always save her. Lena's speech in the fortress deserves a post of it's own holy shit. She shot Lex for Kara, Kara made her trust people again, she loves Kara so much and I personally think that part of her anger stems from loving Kara in a more than friendly way and she's mad at herself for allowing that to happen and being so hurt and heartbroken after she finds out Kara's Supergirl. (watching this scene again hurts me just so y'all know) Kara is SO upset. Then we have 5x08 when Lena is panicking when the kryptonite cannons won't go off. "SHUT IT DOWN NOW!" Then there's 'Head Above Water' playing over Andrea and Russell. And then Kara and Lena staring at the same picture of them together. Come on. The whole 100th episode was about their relationship. She followed Kara out of the room Lex was celebrating in to give her a book on grief. Then Lex screams in her face and when she turns up at Kara's door after leaving him, her speech is so heartbreaking. She clearly misses Kara...a lot. Then she looks so SAD when she sees Kara and Alex hugging. She misses Kara's hugs 😭 Then "You can scream at me if you like I know I deserve it." - I hope we unpack that at some point. And she is so so upset when Kara doesn't accept her apology initially. (Although I have to say I find it interesting how much she brings up Kaznia, 5x07 and 5x19. You know how I feel about ep 4x20) Then she lays her life on the line for Kara. And when they FINALLY make up Lena's relief is actually palpable. Even if the writers don't follow through with this, they way they've written season 5 is undeniably romantic. I still get platonic...ish vibes from Kara, but definitely not from Lena.

Season 6:

Episode 2? I don't know her. But omg 6x01. Kara trusting Lena with Myriad "No matter what's happened I know what's in your heart." Kara talking about self sacrifice and Lena "I won't let you turn this into a suicide mission, I can't!" And why not Lena hmm? (This is very canon couple dialogue). Also they are SO VERY CATRADORA ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Kara the self-sacrificing hero (Adora) and Lena, the one who refuses to just accept the hero's sacrifice (Catra). Please even the whole evil or not evil, terrible family, traumatic childhood and hair colour are the same 😂. Anyways then we have "You're the only one in the galaxy I know would do right by it." I don't even know how that could be spun platonically. Kara really just said she trusts Lena more than her own sister. You two just made up 5 minutes ago. Kara opens up about her trauma to Lena!! Lena codes 'Lena Luthor Protocol' in about 2 minutes maybe? Because she needs Kara to stay alive. And to round it all out, she tells Alex to tell Kelly about Kara, because Kelly is Alex's person. Implying to us humble clowns that Kara is Lena's person.

The fact that I've written more about 6x01 than the entire season of flirting and flowers speaks volumes to me personally.

In conclusion, Supercorp is Catradora with a pair of glasses and it's hair tied up. I will go down with this ship and good night.

[im-justso-bored]

Week 3 of clown theories and analysis

S3E03 - Meetings Have Biscuits

OH BOY. what a lot to unpack here. so im gonna save that Scene™ for last because i’ll never get to everything else if i don’t. i’m actually having to rewatch while writing this review because honestly what even happened other than The Bus Scene™??

The Tuning Fork Kills - i’m not a big fan of these kills, they were so unrealistic lol everything else about this scene was gold though. V going back and forth between the maid and the baby was hilarious. im disappointed we couldn’t actually see V steal the baby. does V even know how to properly hold a baby lol

I Have All My Best Thoughts In The Bath - Such a Carolyn thing to do here lol idk about anyone else but when Eve came into the bathroom, i got so excited, you can just tell when she walks through the door that she’s back to her old self. also this might be an unpopular opinion but i like Mo. i saw some posts about how unusual it is that Eve trusts the Bitter Pill team so quickly but i think it’s less a matter of trust and more a matter of resources. both Bitter Pill and MI6 need something from the other and Eve surely can’t do it all herself. Also each group is invested with Kenny working at Bitter Pill and then of course, Carolyn being invested as his mother. i dont think either group is really happy about the arrangement but they’re working with it to achieve a common goal

I’m Not Ready - i love how Dasha just casually puts the baby in the trash and literally no one notices lol. I’m actually really surprised that V didn’t hop on the next flight to London after processing that Eve is alive. i guess that really shows just how much V actually feels when it comes to Eve that she LITERALLY HAS TO SORT OUT HER FEELINGS BEFORE SEEING EVE, she’s such a gay mess and im here for it

6 Million Euros - so im a little confused by how willing Konstantin was to loan Charles 6 million euro that he doesn’t have. it seems that they’re old friends based on their conversation about their families but it sill seems a bit strange to me how Konstantin agreed to give him the money. Also if V was tasked with killing Charles, wouldn’t Konstantin know this if he’s supposedly still working for The Twelve? so why go through the trouble of looking for the money if he was just going to die anyway? This makes me believe that Konstantin is working for someone else entirely. what do you guys think?

Roman Centurion - can we talk about how V is literally everyone who has ever gotten their heartbroken? she gets to London fully expecting to see Eve and instead of putting on La Villanelle, she decides to go for a “powerful” scent to show Eve just how much she’s moving up in the world and has “moved on”. she’s so dramatic 😂

Poland - Niko is moving further and further out of Eve’s life and as much as i want it to be Eve who is done with him, i’ll take it at this point because finally.

Who Doesn’t Answer Their Phone On A Stakeout?! - what a GREAT scene. Other than The Bus Scene™, i think this is my favorite scene of season 3 so far. This scene really brought me back to season 1 with the music, the tension, the coldness and calm with how V carried out the kill. 10/10. this is also my favorite kill of season 3 so far. everything about this scene was perfect. This scene was also a great tribute to Killing Eve: No Tomorrow! the tension was sooooo good, this scene actually gave me chills. like i was pretty confident that Carolyn wasn’t going to die but they had me second guessing myself. also the way Mo reached out for Carolyn and was so relieved when she opened her eyes! Both of their performances here was incredible. Especially when Carolyn went home. We’re seeing so many different sides of Carolyn this season and Fiona is nailing all of them!

I’m Wearing Power - I love Villanelle and Konstantin’s relationship so much, i totally thought V was going to say something about how Eve kissed her and Konstantin would be the disapproving best friend who has told her countless times to stay away from her “ex”. im really curious to see where Villanelle’s interest in finding her family stems from. she said that in order to have power, you need knowledge and that’s why she wants to find her family which i believe is partly true but i also think there’s another reason. we’ve seen her having more feelings this season like when she was empathizing with Felix and then when watching the news with the father and the baby. Maybe she wants to know what that feels like? To have someone so happy to see you again after thinking you were gone? maybe she saw herself as the baby? Her family thinks she’s dead and maybe she’s thinking she’ll get that same reaction when returning to them. if that’s the case, that will reunion will end badly for her. im excited to see how much episode 4 dives into this storyline.

Admit it, Eve. You Wish I Was Here - okay so this scene was just as gay as The Bus Scene™, if not more so. Eve went through so many emotions here. Confusion as to where the voice was coming from, realization when finding the bear, anger at the thought of V toying with her again, and then ending with just pure fucking longing and acceptance as she replayed the voice over and over again. she’s so gay and i’m so glad she’s finally giving into it

The Bus Scene™ - it’s been 18 hours and i still haven’t processed that this actually happened. we were all satisfied with them beating the shit out of each other but they really went above and beyond with this scene. everything about this scene was perfect. the way Villanelle walked up Eve just radiated confidence and big dyke energy and i think i speak for all of us when i say, Jodie could step on me and call me a piece of shit and i would thank her. Eve was ON SIGHT and I STAN. Eve’s reaction was absolutely perfect. I love just how completely she caught V off guard and got a couple of hits in before V regained her composure and ABSOLUTELY TOOK CONTROL OF EVE AND MANEUVERED HER AROUND THAT BUS WHILE SMILING. Like godDAMN, that was sexy, the power struggle between the two of them is just perfect. and the wAY V FUCKING HOPPED OVER THE SEATS AND SO EFFORTLESSLY STRADDLED EVE. i don’t think i’ve ever been more attracted to anything else. and in the midst of all of this, V had the audacity to say “Smell me, Eve”, i love how unpredictable she is because that sure as hell caught me off guard but at the same time, sexy as hell, only V could make something so outrageous sound so sexy. and the fact that Eve kissed her is sooo important. V was never going to do it first, not after Eve stabbed her and i’m so glad the decision was made to have Eve initiate the kiss. it wouldn’t mean as much to us as fans and to V if V were to do it first. I love how all of V’s confidence and “power” just evaporated when Eve kissed her, we stan a soft Villanelle! and the way they paused to look at each other before EVE HEADBUTTS HER WHICH IS JUST PERFECT. Everything about this scene is so in character for both of them. As outrageous as this scene may seem for anyone from the outside looking in, it was fucking perfect for these characters and everything we needed for a first kiss from them. i’m really excited to see them together again later in the season. i’m really curious to see how or if this changes the dynamic for them. look out for a fanfic about this soon, i think that’s the only way im going to be able to fully process this

OVERALL - i really enjoyed this episode, the tension was just perfect, the plot is picking up and really seems to be going somewhere which im really looking forward to. as of right now, this season could really go anywhere and im really excited to see how it all plays out. i cant believe that after next week we’ll be halfway through season 3, it’s all going by so fast! thanks for letting me rant!

[tonyglowheart]

This entire thing is a rant, feel free to ignore it, but I saw your post about how destiel fans can’t win in this context, and yeah. So have some rambles.

I’ve been thinking about the fact we (current spn/destiel fans) can’t win all night... I’ve seen so many people talking about how homophobic it is - and while I would very much like to argue, as every point I’ve seen made by a non-spn fan has been wrong so far, if I did everyone inside the fandom would agree and everyone outside would either call me straight or pity me for believing it’s okay.

(Cas wasn’t even sent to hell lmao. He was sent to angel death (the empty), a place he has escaped in the past. Other points, like that meta about spn has been predicting exactly this for months, that Dean ended up sobbing on the floor because he was so upset, like that death means next to nothing on spn, like that there is two episodes left, etc etc. you feel me right? I just don’t want to post wank to other spn blogs atm, we’re getting enough frustration as it is, no need to add to it.

It’s also worth pointing out that the bar is very, very low. Spn is a prominent TV show - not a Netflix show, or indie, or whatever - and it just said “main character in gay love saved the world”. [insert gif of ghostfacers dude saying that gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day here]

I just saw someone saying that spn having Naomi try to brainwash Cas out of loving dean makes spn homophobic (it is a conversion therapy parallel). My first response to that is that Naomi was the villain lmao? I guess we can’t write villains doing anything homophobic because having villains do homophobic things makes, uh - checks notes - villains look homophobic, and clearly we can’t have that.

There certainly are legitimate things to criticise spn about, but this isn’t it lol.

Also now some people are unironically trying to cancel Jensen because “his acting was homophobic, and so he’s clearly homophobic”, nevermind that he’s an actor and his character struggles with understanding his emotions (which I think he played excellently, myself. That scene had a very Dean delayed emotional response), nevermind the support he’s given to us queers in the past. Like. Idek man.

We would have been laughed at if we got no destiel, too.

It would have been worse, had the writers pulled a dumbledore. At this point I also trust the writers not to pull a GoT - they have explicitly criticised that ending in spn’s canon.

Spn’s writers did that by making the main villain of this season, Chuck / God, say GoT had a good ending. To reiterate a previous point I had: villains do bad things because they’re bad. And the bad things they do make them bad. For the people out there not still following, if someone does something in a story and it makes them a villain, that is explicitly telling you the story (and probably the writers) thinks that thing is bad. In this case, Chuck likes to write things for him, and we the audience have been shown and told that is bad.

Apparently thinking a gay confession is good in 2020 makes me straight. Seems unlikely, but whatever. Sorry for the length, I guess I went overboard, I’ve been holding it in lol. Anyway, DESTIEL IS CANON 💚💙 hope you have a good night

Helloo supernatural anon I hope you are living your best life right now. Yeah I’m like..... skeptical and leery myself but having lived through some absolute garbage discourse that is general purity wank, as well as the C/QL greater fandom here and on Twitter I find myself... much more wanting to question the “general wisdom” of things esp in terms of negativity, bc a lot of the time I find.... it’s wrong? Like so wrong. Or at least presents such an incomplete picture of the whole situation and also presents it in such a removed context that words that have meaning and are operationalized in a certain way for a reason, no longer have meaningful usage.

Anyway I don’t... know too much about the specifics of Spn but someone I follow is into it and talks a lot about the Gnostic stuff and that all was very fascinating to me, and I also have been grappling a lot with cultural Christianity bc of cmedia and the way ppl just *clenches fist* unthinkingly or uncritically slap some Christian norms on it and call it a day 😩 help I’m Tired. My thing here being... I actually got tired of the uncritical “superhell”s at some pt bc I am, in fact, incredibly exhausted with cultural Christianity, and because it does seem like, even possibly(?) without the Gnostic stuff it’s different from a “hell” or other Protestant-derived afterlife concept, and also yeah that it wasn’t seeded out of nowhere, it was set up to happen, which then... lends credence to the idea that whatever the current era of Spn is doing, the current showrunners are doing it with purpose.

And idk I just... refuse to believe the concept that ALL of the fans of Spn - esp the ones who have been following it still, or got back into it and are following it currently, are acting under delusion or are fooling themselves into liking it or thinking it’s good or whatever. I personally find that kinda infantilizing and patronizing and playing into issues of dismissing things women and/or other marginalized identities like.

Plus I find the concept that (from what I think I’ve been seeing Spn fans say) that the current era of the show is quite actively grappling with itself, its past, its legacy. to be very interesting and compelling; it hearkens back to like an old lore kind of feeling, of a thing that has grown into a nigh undefeatable monster and realizing that, also realizing that the only way to defeat itself is through grappling with its own nature and transforming and transmuting itself into something else. I personally find that more plausible and compelling than “Supernatural has been actively and continuously queerbaiting for 15 homophobic homophobic years., so right now we’re all very sorry for you because this maybe is no longer queerbaiting but it’s still homophobic and it can never be anything different ever.” I’ve been sort of tangentially aware of Spn thru the years and didn’t we agree, around the time of that in-universe play about Spn and with the lil Destiel shoutout, that Spn has come a ways as far as coming to terms with its fandom and working to treat its fans better? Why the sudden regression into “oh no, Supernatural is and forever will be homophobic and a hate crime”? 🤔 

The rest under a cut bc the ask is already long and then my rambling will get longer-

But yeah I mean..... I get that the legacy of Supernatural has been certifiably Rough, but I think people also forget how different of a time 2005 was? Hell, how different of a time 2015 was, even, prior to, say, Obergefell v. Hodges. Now I’m not saying that to blanket-excuse Supernatural, but like, you look at mainstream shows from the era and... there’s a lot of shit lmao. The fact that Supernatural has existed this long seems to me like.... maybe we CAN look at how it’s developed through the years vs just insisting it is what it was 15, 10, hell, 5 years ago. Especially since, to my knowledge, there’s been showrunner changes? Which seems to me like it would... affect things? I mean honestly, I remember back when I got into Spn for a hot second because of Castiel, I remember watching panel, Q&A, etc vids thru the years, and like... I thought we agreed that... it was the fans who were going a bit far pushing the shipping question like literally ALL the time to the actors, who are not in control of the show and.... like at the time.... that could have had personal implications for them? And yes homophobia bad, and people can still be allies despite that, but again like.... I do feel like - from what I’ve seen - that these guys were NOT ready to deal with a lot of that but they’ve (okay Jensen I’m talking about Jensen here) genuinely grown and learned? Also how many years ago was the essay autograph thing that people keep trotting out, like what year was it in and what year of spn was it, and what were the prevailing opinions on LGBT issues and bisexuality then.

I’ve been seeing some murmurings of identity politicsing surrounding ppl who enjoy Supernatural, and I’m sorry that that’s happening to you, it really fucking sucks and it’s also the dumbest way to “make” or “win” an argument because it shouldn’t ever be a final determiner, just factors to consider when considering what life experiences might have informed someone else’s PoV and views as well as maybe how you can better communicate with them. Instead of it being a “weapon” or “tool” to either dismiss someone or de facto validate an argument.

Also yeah I get it that you don’t want to send discourse to spn blogs bc I imagine you guys ARE actively grappling with all the bs rn and it’s a lot. Even just from like, the stuff I see around, I’m like tired of it. I’m genuinely having more fun with ppl who are having a good time with Supernatural than the ppl who are hating on it, even in this sort of backhanded “oh we’re not clowning YOU we’re clowning the writers and showrunners who think you should be satisfied with this,” when... yeah? the people who HAVE been watching the show and therefore... know what’s up.. DO seem to be? And all this based on *fake gasp* context. And that’s where the backhandedness becomes kind of poisonous to me, because it implies that it IS bad, and that you SHOULDN’T be satisfied, but poor little you are but don’t worry, we’re not making fun of YOU for liking garbage, you’re just the hapless victim who is consuming the garbage bc... idk, whatever reasons ppl are coming up with ig.

idk man it’s 2020. Fandom isn’t activism, performative or otherwise, it’s okay to let people enjoy things even if you think they’re “objectively” bad, and like... I don’t know if people can call something bad when they’re not even working with the whole context and instead are dealing with rumor and reputation. 

[bagels-and-seagulls]

You’re gonna have to write that essay on why each of those gifs belongs to each au world (if this makes sense) ;)

okay, okay okay, i’m going to put it all under the cut because this is going to be a little obnoxiously long and i don’t want to clutter people’s dashes. but i do have many, many thought that are probably going to play out like a madman’s rants, so let’s just start from the top

badboy!david and normal!matteo

so one of the things that matteo is called in this verse is baby matteo (a little mishap when i called badboy!matteo bb!matteo, but yet very fitting) and does this gif just not scream big baby energy? you have matteo who is soft and sleepy and curled up with the boy he likes, and in this verse, matteo is still quiet. he’s a little shy, a little withdrawn. and that’s because he’s still trying to deal with a lot of stuff, like being out and trying to put himself out there in the world and the tension between the guy he likes so much and his friends and just everything really. so sometimes he just needs to relax and take a breather from the world. and you have david who’s awake and wrapped around him and being very protective because he knows that’s what matteo needs, because david likes this boy so much, care for him so much, that he can hardly breathe with it. and when matteo needs to crash, he’s going to be right there for him to crash into and watch over until it feels okay again. they have little, quiet moments like this where they both can just chill out because they have each other all to themselves for a bit and just try to catch up with reality. 

okay, okay, okay. this scene in cannon is just out of this world. i could write odes about it- no tomes- given the time and the energy, but as someone who has to remind themselves frequently to stay on the question and not go on tangents, i will stick to the verse. so imagine with me, matteo just said something super sappy and super random, like i love you or something similar, when david was not saying anything really important and matteo immediately just smashes his lips together because he for sure did not mean to say that just then. and david is just looking at him, grinning ear to ear, because david has been the one to lead in this relationship, right? he’s the one to introduce himself. he’s the one who to ask matteo out. he’s the one to kiss him first. he’s the one to get them to talk to each other after their time apart. he’s just taken the lead for most of the relationship, and he doesn’t mind that at all. but now, matteo is the first one to take a step, and all on his own, too. and even though david is just so outwardly ecstatic at it, matteo is still a little bit nervous, a little bit like of fuck i just said that, but a whole lot a bit like kissmekissmekissmekissme. 

this is high key one of my favorite moments from one (1) mr. david schreibner. just look at it. the confidence, the suaveness, the cockiness, the way he can just look right through you, the little walk around and holding the gaze. it’s all just… i have no words. and this is how i see bad boy david. he walks with his chin up and his shoulders back and looking you directly in the eye, just knowing who he is and not afraid to show it because people get out of his way, not the other way around. david knows what he stands for, and more importantly what he doesn’t. and doesn’t this moment say that? and with matteo, too. he looks down because he’s never done this before. and david sees right into it. he knows that there’s tension between them. he knows that matteo is into him. he knows what he’s doing right now and the effect it’ll have. and matteo has to look away because this boy that he likes so much has bonfires in his eyes, and it’s heating matteo all the way up. there’s this cat and mouse thing happening in this, and that’s what gets me, that’s what makes me think about bad boy david. that feeling of the thrill of the chase. 

does this one even need an explanation? you have a soft and affectionate matteo who wants nothing more than to curl up on david’s shoulder and take a nap, and david who is protective and strong and has a cold gaze that’s just asking someone to say something about it because he knows they won’t, that if they were to, he’s going to say something back to put them in their place. like my harvest was truly saved when they posted this clip. i still haven’t gotten over it.  just the naturalness of this dynamic, the way that they fall into each other, like matteo is going to crash and david just let’s him. it’s so bad boy david i can’t even explain it more than that. 

bb!david and bb!matteo

god, the whole first meet scene is so bb!david and bb!matteo, i really just have no other way to describe it besides just pointing to it and going like look, look, this is them. like in the verse, they get formally introduced when they’re both going to vandalize the same politician’s ad, like they meet already going something they aren’t supposed to. and david is mysterious and cool and a little bit skeptical, and matteo is immediately just entranced by this guy when they first see each other, this guy he’s never seen because he would have known if they had crossed paths before. and matteo checks in a little from his usual spacey kind of expression when they’re talking for the first time because he doesn’t want to miss this. there’s also this feeling that they’re kind of checking each other out, both ways, like there’s that physical attraction, but also they’re trying to see if the other is the same as them, a misfit trying to make their way in the world. 

so i know this one doesn’t seem to obvious, but i really think that bad boy matteo is still a little bit of a joker, like still a bit of a clown. like he has kind of a rough exterior and he’s manipulative and snake-like and a bit self-centered, but he also makes jokes and likes when people laugh with him, which is one of the things that people still kind of flock around him for. there’s also a bit of laziness in this that is very matteo in all the universes, like he’s making a little joke, but he’s not putting too much effort into it.  he doesn’t want to seem like he’s trying even though he is. 

so this, is just, wow. anyways, matteo and david hang out a lot, before they’re officially a thing even though there’s this feeling that they are a thing, just without the acknowledgment. so i could totally see this moment happening, where david comes over after a shift at work, and it’s dark and quiet. matteo has a couple of blunts that he didn’t sell at the party he went to, but he isn’t feeling any of the pressure to actually sell them. so when david stops by, he offers one up for them to share, and they’re laying there, passing it back and forth. and matteo is like you need to share more, when he thinks that david has been hogging it a little too long. and david just looks at him with a smirk and takes another hit before he goes to pass it, but before matteo can grab it, he just holds it up to matteo’s mouth instead because if matteo wants to whine about it, he can work for it a little bit. and maybe david is hoping to feel the press of matteo’s lips against his fingers. and there’s just this exploding amount of tension between them where matteo thinks david might finally kiss him or something because david is watching the way that matteo’s lips are wrapped around the end of the joint. but he doesn’t, and matteo just feels itchy on the inside. 

matteo is a mad boy in this verse. he’s got a lot of emotions and sometimes doesn’t process them very well which means he lashes out at people and he starts shit just because he wants to. and like you can see on his face in this that he’s got more things to say, but he’s thinking better of it. he’s thinking that maybe he shouldn’t open his mouth right now. and that’s something that he has to work on with david, something they both have to work on, because they’re both a bit hot-headed and much more likely to act before they think. so i can just see them both running high on emotions from things that don’t even involve each other, like matteo gets over charged by his supplier and david just got into a fight and got a split lip to prove it, and they get into a spat over something stupid, like matteo flirting with someone so they’ll buy from him. and they’re getting a little mean right now, and matteo is about to say something phenomenally stupid but catches himself, closes his mouth, with his hand still falling through, hitting david in the chest, who looks mad as hell still. but matteo is so over this right now, doesn’t want to fight over something stupid, so he grips at david’s scarf and hauls him in so they can get rid of their energy another way. 

so this one is more the way they hold themselves than anything, like david looks a little mad and matteo looks a little lazy but completely focused on david, and they’re both strutting down the hallway like they don’t care who’s coming towards them because they know that they’ll get out of they’re way when they see david coming, even if they don’t know who the other guy is. and maybe david is thinking about something that he knows is going to work him up, and matteo can see it and is trying to have a quiet night in without david raging about something. so he goes to say a joke, be the kidder that he is, and it lands a little flat. but david sees that he’s making an effort, so he tries to go with it. 

hot jock!david and bb!matteo

listen, i haven’t come to terms with this yet. i still think about this all the time, like david really did that, just straight up sent coordinates like geocaching was still in and when questioned was like, well i’m here what else do you need? like the confidence and the cockiness of it is insane! and hot jock david is so like that to me. he can put on this front in a second that he knows he’s the hottest shit out there, and no one can tell him different. he’s the wonder boy of the town, and he knows it! he knows that no one can touch him. he knows that if he sends out some vague text with a time and location that anyone would come out just because he asked. but matteo is the only one that can see into it. he knows that david tries so incredibly hard to keep this front up and uses it as a defense against the whole world, that david tells the world it can’t get to him because it does all the time. matteo is the only one that david doesn’t have to do this for. he doesn’t have to be cool and mysterious and thoughtful and interesting. he can be a dork and an idiot, and matteo will like him the same. 

the gay panic in this scene is just hilarious to me. truly iconic. so like, i just talked about how david has this front, right, that he is purposefully cool and on a pedestal and seems like out of everyone’s league. but he genuinely likes matteo and that makes him a little nervous because he really wants to be what matteo wants, and he thinks that’s the cool guy. but trying to be cool just makes him more nervous because hes’s trying so hard. the paradox of it! anyways, i’ve talked a lot about like matteo’s insecurities about their relationship and haven’t really touched on david’s, who feels seen and understood and enough for the first time with matteo. so i guess this is a different side than i’ve written about too much. this stuttering, nervous guy with a crush that he met in the library and keeps running into. 

this scene. god. so i have a whole bit about how one of the ways that david tries to help mitigate matteo’s insecurities is by constantly reaffirming that he’s matteo’s boyfriend to people around them, and it actually was inspired by this scene and how his face is very much says that there’s no room for argument, that he is his boyfriend, but his face also says that’s he’s really proud of that fact, that being matteo’s boyfriend is important to him and also won’t hear any criticism about it. 

matteo has game. it’s one of those things that people forget, but matteo has got game. and in this verse, he’s the one that went up to david first and he’s the one to ask david to be his boyfriend. but he’s also never really dated before, so like he knows how to hang out and how to kiss and stuff like that. but anything beyond that is very much new to him and makes him incredibly nervous, and david can see that. so when matteo invites him up to to watch a movie and david suggests that they do something besides that, matteo practically short circuits. and while david is nervous to, because he likes this boy so, so much, he’s still confident and can play it up to help make matteo feel more comfortable. 

matteo smoking a joint, leaning against david who is being super sweet and openly affectionate? total hot jock david and bad boy matteo. like i don’t really have a scenario for this one besides that this is just the mood, you know? like matteo just occasionally checks out. he takes too much in, sees too many people, thinks too hard for too long, everything is a little too loud, and he just shuts down for a little bit to recover from all the stimulus. and david gets it. he’s used to running a million miles a second all the time, so he understands the need to slow down every once in a while, even if he doesn’t do it too often himself. so it actually is good for both of them. matteo takes a minute to breathe and david takes it with him. and they both just relax together for a while until they both feel okay. 

[daeneryses]

so

here’s what i think abt the episode

it wasnt as BAD as it seemed it would be but that doesnt mean it was good but my expectations were so fucking low that i could sort of enjoy it. 

but well lets unpack that shit

it began alright, the funeral was emotional, not much to be done there i suppose. jon’s speech was good. nothing spectacular. 

then the feast, which was also okay. but here begins one of my most serious concerns. what the fuck is up with sansa? in past episodes i could see her point, the north has been betrayed too much, it has bled too much, and southern rulers don’t quite get the north. but at the feast she was straight up dropping attitude towards dany, like damn girl aren’t u supposed to be a diplomatic figure in order to be a political mastermind? but well i’ll rant more about that later on. also dany legitimizing gendry was something we all saw coming i believe (even before the leaks i mean lmao) and it was a smart choice on her behalf really bc as tyrion pointed out gendry would never betray her, out of pure gratefulness if anything.

the feast lasted a lot lmao am i the only one who feels that way? 

we started to see dany drifting from jon bc for some reason my tiny brain cannot comprehend people seem to want him as a king and she know he could be king if the truth gets out (WHICH DESERVES A WHOLE ASS POST TO RANT). she also sees tyrion laughing with jaime and brienne and i just felt so bad for her? like everyone was ignoring her she was clearly uncomfortable there ;( maybe it just hit too close home ahah. Anyway, I understand her becoming wary, and i understand why she doesn’t want anyone to know abt jon’s parentage. which, ofc, jon doesn’t give a flying fuck so we end up in a very bad place (which, again, i’ll talk more abt later on)

i was pretty nervous abt the gendrya breakup ahah but it really wasnt that bad, i didnt really see it as a breakup as much as a  “c ya later” and im allowing myself to be hopeful for them. they’re both clearly very much in love but my boy’s a whole ass clown if he thought she’d say yes THAT quickly.

but im actually nervous about arya’s fate??? did she even say goodbye to sansa? bran? what the fuck was that??? she really plans to kill cersei and i just have a feeling in my HEART that she’s not gonna make it out alive and she won’t succeed either. why would u have her lecture jon abt the importance of family if she’s just going to clock out the next day. ALSO what the fuck was that line of her never returning to WF????? 

??????????????????????????????????????????????????

if she dies im gonna become a full blown alcoholic. its even worse if she dies by the mountain or some stupid shit like that.

anyways

lets fast forward shall we

when they were at the war council room (idk the name im sorry) SANSA WAS STILL PROVOKING DANY. WHAT THE HELL? was it ever explained why she distrusts her? or are we just supposed to go with it? i loved that jon for once in his life stood up for her. she lost so much, she lost her khalasar, she lost most of her unsullied, she lost JORAH. and you don’t even want to send men to fight a much less scary enemy? gtfo here. i have always always always loved sansa, and i could see where she came from when she initially didn’t trust dany, but this? dany gave them everything and more, what do they want from her. im also emo bc i always thought dany and arya would get along :( and now im wearing a clown costume. 

then the jon’s dumbass who’s a targaryen but inherited ned stark’s ability to disclose very sensible information at the WORST possible timing goes “hey, u know what will make them be at peace with dany ruling? knowing that i’m a secret targ and i can be king instead of her ahah :)x” and tells them. which, ofc, has many many consequences.

god they really are setting everything up for dany going nuts i hate this i hate this so much

everyone is plotting behind her back. that sneaky little treacherous rat varys is going to get dracarysed very soon and i will REJOICE. 

and i truly fail to see why, all of a sudden, varys doesn’t want her on the throne. i cannot see what she has done wrong, and i mean this. if it’s all bc she burned down the tarlys i s2g.... if this was all done properly, if this was well written, if dany had truly started to show signs of madness, i would not be complaining. but the second she suggests using heavy force on KL to end the war once and for all, she is MAD!!!1111! aerys reborn!11!!! get the fuck outta here w that im fuming

but well im just rambling now. we all know that rhaegal survived a fight with his undead brother but died bc apparently NO ONE saw the massive fleet that was somehow hiding behind a rock. god i wish i was joking this sounds like bad fanfiction. also they killed missandei just for the lulz apparently and to give us what they believe will be a justified reason for dany going mad. thanks i hate it.

the way she said dracarys though ;___; she wants dany to obliterate the whole lot of them.

also the show really sad fuck jaime lannister huh. 

like, it’s the same shit guys. amazing episode if you look at the technical aspects, the music was great as usual, the photography is impressive, it feels like you’re watching a blockbuster movie not a TV show and that definitely counts for something, but the story is simply not good anymore. they are crushing everything they’ve built up to this point character-wise. everyone’s acting so so so ooc it’s unbelievable, and sadly i can only see one way for the “story” they have begun to tell us. they are going to destroy the single most important character of the show, the most ICONIC character in the story of TV, one of the most beloved characters of our times, and turn her into a monster just so jon can save the day. if that ain’t trash writing, idk what is. 

i also want to point out how great the cast is. it amazes me each episode. this time in particular emilia was amazing.

i guess that’s the sad part, that this show has it all to be the best of the best, but they decided to butcher the story, which cannot be saved, no matter how amazing your crew, cast, and production is.

[natsubeatsrock]

If you give Natsu a Lisanna...

It’s been a while since my last long post, hasn’t it?

I find it hilarious that if I were to say something along the lines of “Stories where Natsu kicks Lucy off the team for Lisanna lack creativity”, on my main blog when I started getting into Fairy Tail, I’d probably be considered a pissed off FT fan who likes Nalu.

But my negative thoughts on Nalu were obvious when I did just that here.

Since then, I’ve come to have more problems with these stories that I might talk about one day. But I want to spend some time talking about how these stories fail as arguments against Nali.

It probably sounds weird that a Nali shipper will argue that the thing wrong with these is that they don’t lean hard enough against their ship. But that’s not what I want to argue. I would say that these stories don’t make good arguments against what canon tells us about Nali. I can already hear the snickers of the antis reading this post.

That’s right, I know you’re here.

Let’s start with the beginning. It’s funny that these stories expect us not to question Natsu and Lisanna getting together after she returns. Now, I know what a problem someone could have with this. If you remember, there was no canonization of Nali after Edolas. They just ended up not having many interactions with each other before chapter 199.

And that’s exactly my point.

That kind of a thing is a dream come true for Nali shippers. I think I can say with a good amount of confidence that there aren’t many Nali shippers who would have problems with these two getting together after Edolas. In fact, I’ve read stories where that’s what happens: Natsu and Lisanna get into a relationship right after she comes back.

Then comes the “important” part of these stories. Lucy gets kicked off Team Natsu. The way this is presented, it’s supposed to be a bad thing. (Who knows, this might be another rant for another day.) I’m not going to argue that Lucy not being a part of Team Natsu is good, just as I won’t argue against it. Here.

However, I will argue in favor of the thing this distracts you from: Lisanna becoming a part of Team Natsu. Natsu and Lisanna wanting to work on the same team? That’s amazing. Ship biases aside, their team up would mean more screen time, and hopefully development, for a character that fans complain shouldn’t have come back because of their lack of impact.

The way it happens aside, what are the actual drawbacks to the Lisanna joining Team Natsu?

She’s not all that strong? She’d get better by taking more missions. Not to mention that one of the newest members of the team has proclaimed not to be all that good at fighting one arc before, so experience shouldn’t be that big a deal to them.

The team will make less money? That’s just a matter of being smart with job choices and money. Make Natsu actually have to act smart for once in these stories. You have the power!

She wouldn’t be working with her siblings, just like the old days? They probably couldn’t anyway considering Mirajane works as both a bartender and model. Even Elfman has probably grown used to working with other people or by himself. And it’s not like they wouldn’t see each other.

If they didn’t “have” to kick Lucy out to get her on Team Natsu, I wouldn’t be able to think of a downside to letting Lisanna work with Natsu. It’s almost as if this trope exists to precondition fans to not want Lisanna to work with Natsu, even though it isn’t a terrible idea…

On a completely unrelated note, I know what a possible argument to this may be. Of course all of this is supposed to be negative. The idea is to show a worst case scenario for Nali happening in the series. Which would make sense as an argument…

If it was actually done well. Because as it turns out, they don’t even do that all too well either.

Natsu and Lisanna are class clowns by nature. They’re more inclined to mess with people’s heads than actually try to hurt them out of malice. (Except maybe Gray.) I’d quicker believe kicking Lucy off the team was a prank they pulled on her gone too far than an actual idea either would come up with.

A lot of people talk about how terrible Lisanna is in these stories, but Natsu isn’t all that good in these stories either. He cares more about forming a strong team and/or getting tons of money than one of his best friends. You know, because this happens before Natsu gets mad at Sabertooth doing basically the same thing to Yukino. That means he totally would have done it before going through the events on Tenroujima.

Often, he takes command of team decisions without consulting any of the other members. Because he can totally take the lead of a team that includes someone who’s about the same power level as him and an S-Class Mage fans argue he’s terrified of. If he does talk with his OOC friends about the matter, he’s the one leading the movement. 

Even more baffling, he’s forced into dropping Lucy by Lisanna.

Really?

Very probable strength disparity between them favoring Natsu aside, he can’t drop a nakama speech on Lisanna in order to save his friend from leaving the team or guild? Guess he really isn’t all that good at saving Lucy…

And what’s the actual worst case scenario Nali creates in these stories? Only the most terrifying scenarios that Fairy Tail fans would never want to happen. Sure, some fans want Lucy to get hurt for Nalu, but no one would ever ask for situations like…

Lucy becoming a better mage.

Natsu and Lisanna breaking up.

Natsu losing in a fight with Lucy.

Natsu getting into a romantic relationship with Lucy.

Lucy taking her place back in the guild and the team.

And Lisanna leaving Fairy Tail/Team Natsu.

So terrible. I make light of the fact that some of these scenarios comes often at the cost (?) of Lucy no longer being a member of Fairy Tail, but seriously? 

This may sound weird, but this isn’t nearly enough bad to make Nali happening sound terrible. I could get behind the argument that they want to make the consequences of Nali happening seem realistic and grounded. But all that goes out the window the instant you introduce a Celestial Dragon to help Lucy. If it were up to me, I’d go big in making Nali happening sound terrible.

One of the most memorable (not sure I can say favorite or best) examples of this I can think of from fan fiction involves a wedding scenario with Nali. It’s likely you’ve seen this setup before somewhere else. Lucy still has feelings for Natsu before he’s about to get married and can’t work up the courage to tell him. So he’s about to go through with it, and when he gets to the altar, he gets stopped…

By his daughter.

By Lucy.

From a post apocalyptic future.

And she’s being born in his present.

During the wedding.

Which ends up being responsible for his daughter’s terrible future.

Why can’t I remember this story’s title?

Whatever your take on that premise is, compare that to the average Lucy leaves story. For the most part, the consequences of Nali are pretty okay. The obvious worst thing is Lisanna leaving the guild. That would be a pretty bad situation, but it’s nowhere near as bad as a post apocalyptic future.

But the weirdest thing to me about this is that, if the purpose of these stories is to dissuade people from shipping Nali, there should be no reason to create these kinds of stories to begin with. 

As far as I can tell, there’s nothing inherently wrong that canon Nali could possibly create. There’s no reason for fans to think that one is scared of the other (reason people don’t like Natza) or one is obsessed with the other (reason people don’t like Gruvia). There’s no issue of an age gap (reason people didn’t like Graytear) and one hasn’t done anything terrible to the other throughout this series that they haven’t apologized for (reason people don’t like Nalu or Gajevy). And for the record, I don’t believe some of those arguments.

Nothing we know about Natsu and Lisanna’s relationship convinces me that there is any reason they shouldn’t get together. About the only reason people argue against them being together ultimately boils down to “lack of development” and/or *insert ship here*. That’s more along the lines of why they couldn’t/wouldn’t get together. Why do you need to make this ship look bad?

Now, I have a reason why this probably is. When Lisanna was first introduced, people were probably scared of the possibility that she could end up with Natsu instead of Lucy. These stories are, more likely that not, the results of imagining what that would be like.

Of course, that doesn’t mean those fears were legitimate then. What’s more, that doesn’t excuse the fact that this trope exists and is popular, even though we all know they make no sense. Sometimes writers will fully acknowledge that their story places the characters in OOC situations. Those are often the fun one’s to read. 

I like to think that fan fiction trends show what a fandom thinks about a series. What kind of ships do fandoms favor? What decisions in canon do fandoms like or dislike? Often, how much does a character death mean to people.

Considering that these stories are still being written and have their own fans, that tells me some people would be fine with Nali happening.

So long as some really weird strings are attached.

I wonder how Mashima would feel about that…

In Conclusion:

“Lucy leaves” stories aren’t good for making arguments that Nali becoming canon would be a bad idea. They do everything a Nali shipper would have wanted and don’t make them ending up together seem bad enough.

[scoutshonor56]

Code Red

- A Few Good Men, Revisited -

 Well, as we all know by now, yet another book is coming out (official release date next Tues, 9/11) raising more shades at the White House as America gets a clearer view into the psych ward located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave…or maybe that should be cannibal shark tank, with all the blood in the water…

This time it’s simply titled “Fear”, by award-winning investigative journalist at the Washington Post (where he is currently associate editor), Bob Woodward, author (or co-author) of 18 best-selling non-fiction novels.

Woodward bases his book on the interviews and recollections of high-level insiders, all with the caveat that none are identified by name. I’m still a little confused on this, as preview excepts have names attributed throughout – but that being said, let’s just say“allegedly”, during Woodward’s interview for the book with presidential legal advisor John Dowd, Dowd recounted how the idea was floated that they would stage a mock interview between the president and head investigator into the Russian collusion scandal, Robert Mueller.  You know, to give Donny Clueless a warm-up batting session before/if he were to actually testify, or possibly be interviewed, in collaboration with Mueller - which is laughable in itself.  At the beginning of 2018 the Liar in Chief was quoted repeatedly saying that he was actually “looking forward” to testifying under oath in cooperation with the Mueller probe, when we all knew Bozo would shave his head, take up yoga, and lose 40lbs before he would do any such thing.

Anyways, during the dry run, this orange-skinned clown and presidential imposter “allegedly” repeatedly lied and contradicted himself, insulted the former F.B.I. director, James Comey, then exploded in anger, ranting for a half-hour about the whole investigation being a hoax.  Later (again “allegedly”), Mr. Dowd tried to demonstrate why their meeting was reason for Mr. Trump not to do an interview with Mr. Mueller, citing the president’s schedule demands (wink, wink).

“I’m not going to sit there and let him look like an idiot,” Dowd said.  Later that month (“allegedly”), Mr. Dowd told Mr. Trump why he should avoid an interview: “It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit.”

 *Dowd, who served as the president’s personal attorney since last June and was the lead lawyer for the Russian investigation team resigned this past March, joining the ranks who received an “I WORKED FOR TRUMP AND QUIT!” T-shirt as a consolation prize on their way out the door.  The only other alternative in this administration is “I WORKED FOR TRUMP UNTIL I WAS TWEETED!”

My mind being an endless jukebox of random cultural references, it didn’t take me long to envision a different take of the famous courtroom exchange in the climactic scene from “A Few Good Men”, featuring Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, prosecuting Col. Nathan Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson.  Let’s listen in – the actual dialogue from the movie is in italics, followed by Trump and Mueller as they give the heated scene a fresh, 2018 reboot:

Jessup: You want answers?

Kafee: I think I’m entitled to them.

Trump: You want answers?

Mueller: I think I’m entitled to them.

Jessup: You want answers?

Kafee: I want the truth.

Trump: You want answers?

Mueller: I want the truth.

Jessup: You can’t handle the truth!

Trump: I CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!  (gasping silence in the courtroom)

What…… oops, wait a minute, I think that came out wrong… (Giuliani seen covering his face with both hands at the defense table)  

Jessup: Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.

Trump: Son, we live in a world that should have walls.  Big, beautiful walls!  And those walls are to keep all the foreign cockroaches on their side of the fence.  Who’s going to build these walls?  You?  I have a greater responsibility, to make sure Mexico builds and pays for my wall.  You weep for the children of criminals who have the luxury and privilege of living in American holding cages while their drug dealing, murdering parents are sent back to where they came from, and then curse our American immigration policy. Their interment and eviction saves lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, is, is…. Melania, I see you smirking!

Jessup: (continuing)…You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You want me there!  We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline.

Trump: (continuing)… Truth isn’t truth, right Rudi?  Deep down you want that wall!  We use words like hugely, covfefe, loser, tremendous, hombres, rocket man, crooked, amazing, fake news, son-of-a-bitch, moron, cow, pig, witch hunt, disgusting, shit-hole, bing bing bong bong bing bing bing…

Judge: Mr. Trump, please answer the question.

Jessup: (continuing)… I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I'd prefer you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to.

Trump: (continuing)… I don’t have time to explain myself to a smarty pants lawyer! I’ve got Air Force One waiting to take me to my private club in Bedminster, New Jersey for a 1:00 tee off! I’d prefer you to just say “all charges dropped” and went on your way.  Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a golf club and hit the links!

Kafee: (quietly) Did you order the code red?

Jessup: I did the job you sent me to do.

Mueller: (quietly) Did you order the obstruction of the investigation into possible collusion with the Russians?

Trump: I did the job Vlad told me to do.

Kafee: Did you order the code red?

Jessup: (pause) You’re goddamn right I did!!

Mueller: Did you order the obstruction of the investigation into possible collusion with the Russians?

Trump: YOU’RE GODDAMB RIGHT I DID!! (Gasp heard throughout the courtroom, cut to Giuliani’s head falling to the table with an audible thump)

Ahhh, if only life were more like Hollywood – sigh…

Well, Dowd’s shared recollection was certainly no surprise or grand revelation to anyone; I mean let’s face it, Trump’s babbling testimony would sink his case in less than five minutes against a high school debate team member.  But don’t worry all you Trump fans, there’s already in the making Donny’s back-up plan, his “ace up the sleeve”: the appointment of a ringer to the highest court in the land, Brett Kavanaugh!

VP Pence: Here’s the short list and stack of resumes for the Supreme Court nominee you requested sir…

Trump: (briefly glancing at the 18” high stack of folders) Never mind Mike, I think we found our man!

VP Pence: But sir, that was just a tweet…

Trump: I don’t care Mike, I’ve got a gut feeling about this guy – I like the cut of his jib!  Give this Bart a call!

VP Pence: Brett…

Trump: Whatever!

Kavanaugh tweet: “I favor presidential immunity and pardons!”