#I'm no human people shipper but I am a gossip

[paolachatters]

So it's either they got married and decided to reveal it on April Fools for maximum chaos and everyone went along with it

Smosh pulled a months long prank Arasha style committing to the bit incredibly hard for maximum chaos

[violetasteracademic]

On the different versions of Elain Archeron

*Deep breath*

Alright. This is a long one. So I went through the transcript of the infamous shipwar podcast on Spotify. I am not going to speak much on it, because it was honestly more disappointing than I could have ever imagined. Some of the worst takes being that Elain could still wind up with Grayson because he isn't dead and is still single. She could wind up with anyone alive and single, because SJM confirmed we have met her endgame love interest and that's it. She clearly doesn't have chemistry with Azriel OR L/ucien. Whoever she gets with next has to be a rebound so we shouldn't even be shipping her with anyone because she can't go into a new relationship without a fuck buddy first. I am going to stop here, because it was honestly over an hour of all of the worst takes I've ever heard about Elain. I do respect that Steph put an immediate stop to Ava trying to use Elain's pelvis as an indicator she and Azriel cannot be endgame, and refusing to engage in or platform that conversation.

It was a lot for me to take in at once. I honestly don't go into anti tags. I see a variety of takes because it simply happens, whether you want or intend for that or not, usually on Insta or tiktok where filters are less effective. I stay in my little bubble and frankly immediately block and do not engage with anyone who shows up in my comments to fight. I am extremely careful with my posts and tagging, and often ask my rebloggers to only use Elriel tags because I am not here to argue with other people online or convince anyone of anything. This is for fun, and more than that, my goal is to provide comfort. If I'm wrong about a fictional ship, I'm wrong. But if I made someone feel better and more hopeful during the process, then I'll never look back on this and be embarrassed about participating here. These are books. This is a fandom. I'm here for the joy. And yes, sometimes I get sassy. And when that side of me emerges, my hope is it can provide some laughter.

All that being said, while I can't say I am glad I read the transcript and overall wish that I hadn't, there is one piece I feel comfortable speaking on that I think distills what I believe to be the largest issue making the different takes people have on Elain's future so volatile, which is that the fandom has chosen to regard Elain as someone who either will be stagnant or move backwards to who she was prior to becoming Fae. Thus, having a completely backwards trajectory from her sisters. If this happens, I actually very much agree that Elain is boring. I just don't think that is going to happen, and I don't know why so many fans are accepting of the only confirmed FMC remaining in such a stagnant place. But let's get into it:

Essentially what we are seeing here is this:

E/lucien makes sense because of who Elain was before becoming Fae. I think what this fandom lacks is the ability to see growth or an arc in a traditionally feminine character.

We (Elriel's) don't expect Elain to become a warrior, but we also don't expect her to spend the rest of her days as a ball host and party planner/gossip queen living out her life as L/ucien's socialite wife without putting herself in danger. So E/lucien shippers are shipping a years old version of Elain because that is the version of her that makes sense with L/ucien. And there is this idea that Elain is the only one of the sisters that doesn't fit in or is unhappy, or wants to go back to being human or living in the human lands again. I've tackled that as well here.

I believe there are enough details in the books to prove that is absolutely not where we are headed (not to mention Elain has already killed a king, beat hellbeasts with her bare feet, and demand she be utilized to serve her court and find the Trove despite the danger, but I digress), but more than that, I think if people are honest about Elain being widely regarded as the most boring character, it makes very little sense to ship a storyline of stasis. People are very focused on who she used to be, versus who she is becoming, because they can't imagine a traditionally feminine character with no warrior training arc being good for anything but gossiping and hosting parties.

I don't want to beat a dead horse and re-write about the same points over and over, so if you are interested- I have broken down the grooming done to each Archeron sister and how it was deeply entrenched and part of all of them and their stories. Elain is likely to both use and overcome hers just as Feyre and Nesta both used and overcame theirs here.

Most importantly, Sarah has already told us that Elain's personality has been a mask, and that she has behaved in the way she thought wouldn't disappoint her family. But with time and safety, a new side of her will emerge.

Sarah showed us that she is aware that fans call Elain boring, and literally reminds everyone that she is not afraid to get her hands dirty and torn up by thorns.

When I see these conversations unfolding in the ACOSF bonus chapter, I see a different side of her emerging. I see we haven't yet seen all she has to offer.

I see growth. Emergence. Depth. Complexity. I see clarity that Elain's pretty, people pleasing behavior is not her. It is who she pretends to be to keep those around her happy.

I see her becoming more confrontational. I see her standing up for what she wants. I do not see her being set up to find her way back to the human lands so she can simply become who she was as a child once again.

It has already been established that a relationship with Azriel is pure risk. It could be destructive. It could threaten fragile peace and allies. Therefore, a relationship has been forbidden.

It has been established that exploring a relationship with L/ucien would resolve all of these pesky conflicts. It would best serve her family and her court and maintain peace. She would be exactly what she was groomed by her mother to be, a beautiful woman whose match and marriage will best serve her family. And her mother stated that it will be THEIR maneuvering's, not Elain's, that would win them an advantageous match:

Elain is not best suited to L/ucien. Her mask is. To believe that they are a good fit is to believe that Elain will not grow beyond being, as Ava says, the belle of the ball. A socialite. A beautiful woman who will marry whoever best serves her family's needs. To imagine Elain and L/ucien is to believe Elain will grow backwards, not forwards. Elain was eleven years old when much of this was established about her.

Elain was never intended to have a choice in her love life, but for her family to work behind her back to provide the most advantageous match. That story is playing out with L/ucien as Rhys has demanded that Azriel not interfere with the mating bond because of the threat it poses to the security of the Night Court's allies.

At the end of the day, there are two versions of Elain. The version of her that was groomed and pleasant and sweet, the version of her that will present herself exactly how her family wants to see her to keep them happy and pleased with her, OR the version of her that is growing stronger and sharpening her teeth. The version of her that may be able to utilize her smiles that can bring kings to their knees and convince anyone to do anything, just as Nesta used her dancing and political machinations, just as Feyre used her tracking and abilities, but will not let it define her.

What the sisters can do because of how they were raised does not inform who they love.

How they've been taught to be is not how they will remain.

And because I'm an Elain girlie first and foremost, I'd rather she start a goddamn war and burn the whole system to the ground to be with the man she loves and the man she CHOOSES for herself. I'd rather she say to hell with the consequences, and take control of her own life and her own narrative. I'd rather see her grooming be a tool in her tool belt that she now takes control of rather than a life sentence.

I want Elain Archeron to grow. I want her to define herself.

I want her to shed her mask and set the world on fire with her strength and her light.

The reason people are seeing two Elain's is because there are two Elain's. The author herself has made that quite clear.

I can't wait to see her tell us once and for all who she is going to be.

[deaneverafter]

The body shaming is transparent and pathetic and vile, and it's exactly what I expected from Misha's cult. They don't care that Jensen is a person, with feelings, because they've never treated him like a human being. Although, clearly someone needs to get their eyes checked, if they're calling Jensen ugly or fat or any of those things (and whilst stanning Misha. Embarrassing). Also, glad they're proving that they're a bunch of teenagers who've clearly never seen a man's body before.

And, more to the point, I'm glad to see that some people are speaking out against it, I really am. But I'm also going to say this: if you're sitting here right now, calling out the bullies and advocating for drowning out the hate, but in two days, you'll be right back there, befriending them and associating with them after all their vile slandering and gossiping and graphic objectification of Jensen, hyping them up when the next time they encroach on Jensen's solo panels (because apparently Misha is better than Jared in a panel - he is not), in general, just letting them pretend that they're actually Jensen's fans and giving their claims validation by being so buddy-buddy with them, thereby letting the general population think that this is how Jensen's fans behave, interacting with and promoting posts by people who sit there and plan his demise in graphic, violent detail and delight over it..... then I'm sorry to have to say this, but your words mean nothing. They're just empty words without actions backing them up, and for lack of a better word, performative. It's not enough. If you defend these people or associate with them, then you're condoning their behaviour and at this point, enough has happened that if you can condone the behaviour and mentality that Misha and his fans embody, then you don't get to call yourself a Jensen fan. We've established that the shippers don't care about Jensen beyond how it benefits them and their fave. I'm going to go ahead and say that anyone who has even a modicum of respect or consideration for Jensen, could not bear to tolerate, let alone encourage, Misha and his fans' behaviour. I just think it's time we start acting accordingly, and cut those people out.

Jared's fans are abusive towards Jensen, I have no problem admitting that, and it isn't as if I'm expecting them to care about Jensen or advocating for us to support their hate campaigns. But just because Misha's fans hate Jared, doesn't mean they hate Jensen any less. From where I'm sitting, they're certainly more hateful and abusive and damaging towards Jensen, they just do it in a different way, while saying they're fans. And, supporting one group that treats Jensen like garbage does nothing to stop the other group that treats him like garbage. All this does is validate one group to continue to slander and bully him as they call themselves fans, while giving the other group more ammunition against Jensen, because these people are always, always saying vile things that then get used against him. Nor does it help Jensen in any actual way, for us to be associated with that hateful group. I'm not advocating bullying. But I am saying that it's time to stop fraternizing with those people, letting them act like they own the place, like they're the blueprint for a fan of Jensen's, when they're the farthest thing from it. I would say that it's also time that we stop letting these two groups drag us in between their fight with each other, let them battle it out amongst themselves, but I know that we can't get away from this mess entirely, simply because both sides are going to continue to abuse and slander Jensen. So stand up to that bullying, defend him, support him. But also have your actions back it up, because words aren't cutting it anymore. I am going to reiterate once again that by actions, I do not mean sink to their level and become bullies. But I am saying cut them out, hold them accountable for their vile behaviour against Jensen, stop encouraging them.

[efoxkitty]

I posted 889 times in 2021

90 posts created (10%)

799 posts reblogged (90%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 8.9 posts.

I added 237 tags in 2021

#3rd life smp - 62 posts

#third life smp - 44 posts

#fanfic - 25 posts

#flower husbands my beloved - 20 posts

#scott smajor - 20 posts

#solidaritygaming - 16 posts

#empires smp - 14 posts

#last life smp - 13 posts

#red emotion au - 12 posts

#smajor1995 - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 91 characters

#and you see evo after and go: so is this just an ex trying to get back with or at their ex?

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Starting today, I'm no longer a #Jornoth shipper but a #Jimnoth shipper. I've been enlightened by the hermbi discord server. (Especially the new arrival)

Now. Let me answer some pressing questions.

Q: Why?

A: Obviously because it's the best ship <3

Q: Are they even interested in each other?

A: Well 👀 Xornoth seems more playful then with the rest.

Q: But what about the headcannon where Xornoth is Scott's brother?

A: All I'll say is that Scott should have been faster.

Q: Xornoth tried burying Jimmy alive!

A: So? Scott killed him twice just for his head. It's how love be on this server.

Now, if you want to see more cursed content, we also spoke about an arranged marriage AU where Jimmy is supposed to marry Joey :)

I'm ready to release ideas next week.

P. S. If you see this Kiki, I am sorry, but not <3

124 notes • Posted 2021-08-26 16:50:58 GMT

#4

As much as I love the divorced flower husbands au on the empires smp, I have come up with like 3 different dynamics for the elven boy and Codfather.

1) Thief AU

It's not a secret in the swamp lands that they are not the wealthiest district, so no one is surprised the king sometimes steals things to help out the citizens and to give gifts to other kingdoms to keep peace. Everywhere else there's tales of a thief, who leaves a fish head as his mark on the places he had robbed. It's never a huge amount, it can be anything from a few pieces of bread to a singular diamond. People had tried to claim they are the thief or caught him, but THE thief always remained.

Scott is an elven king farming in the moutains and one day he stops a thief stealing his goat. The thief is dressed as the fish thief, but Scott will not believe a fairy tale. He captures the thief, learns his name (Jimmy) and the thief promises to serve Scott if he lets him have some of the animals. Scott looks at the obviously amateur thief and decides to accept the deal, because he is a big softie.

They become friends and learn about the different cultures. None of them reveal they are a king. Scott remains to be "an elven farmer" and Jimmy the "clumsy thief". But the outside world notices that THE thief "dissapeared" without a trace and it becames a huge gossip amongs citizens of all kingdoms. And at first Scott brushes it off, because surely, that must be a coincidence, but the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. He managed to capture the most famous thief - Codfather (and his heart). The question is, what will he do now?

2) Princess and the frog AU + selkies

In the original fairytale the princess is disgusted/reluctant to like the frog but circumstances made her tolerate him and eventually accept her frog husband, who gets freed from his curse.

In this AU Jimmy would be a reverse Merman. He can look like a regular fish, but can change into a humanoid creature. Decides to follow the pretty elven king or maybe accidentally ends up in a bucket and that's how they meet. And they slowly become friends and eventualy Jimmy slowly gains more and more of his human form, until he evolves into the slime boi!

For the selkies bit, they are basically water spirits, that have to carry an animal skin (seal) and they can become human for a few hours. If their skin is taken and hidden, the selkie stays human until they find the skin. Maybe something like that but with cod scales?

3) Himbofication (?) AU

I rewatched half of it commentary and was reminded of the "he acts like a golden retriever" thing. So just take the "lost puppy" headcannon and up it even more. No one in this AU is immune to Jimmy's dog eyes. At first people try to act casual, but this swamp king takes every threath as a gift, offer of friendship etc. so it's impossible to declare a war. You are either a friend or bestfriend, no inbetween. And eventually everyone accept that there's just a friendly neighbourhood himbo that is completely neutral in any conflicts.

Just imagine the iconic moments such as Lizzie giving Jimmy horse heads as a warning and him being like "She gave me a gift! Hiw nice :D" or someone pranking him and saying it's a gift and Jimmy beinh like "ofc it is :D" and my personal favourite - Jimmy dying on purpose so they could get heads and everyone asking him if he's okay and needs help :)

124 notes • Posted 2021-06-29 13:00:10 GMT

#3

I love how the fandom collectively decided that any relationship on the empires smp is enemies to lovers.

Fighting? You mean flirting! Threaths? You mean they are interested in each other! Wars? Just gaining attention! Love that for them.

The Mezalean king with his ocean queen (Happy for the confirmation, that yeah :D)

And the swamp boi being bullied by an elf. (It will happen, one day, I belive. In twitch terms - COPIUM)

As an enemies to lovers enthusiast, this is blessed and I hope you all have a great day <3

130 notes • Posted 2021-07-11 11:09:07 GMT

#2

Lovers of cursed AU's and normal AU's alike, I bring you my arrangedmarriage!AU that I fell in love with. Strap in, it's a bit long :D

So basically in the AU Jimmy is Lizzie's brother and they are from the Ocean empire. When they were younger, their fathet had arranged marriages for the both of them, but they weren't told about it. Lizzie had married Joel and that was it. But then the council asks Lizzie as the queen, what will they do about the marriage between the ocean kingdon (Jimmy) and the lost empire (Joey). Lizzie promises Jimmy she will Joey.

Lore wise, those two kingdoms were at war for a very long time and the mers were nearly wiped out, which is why the marriage proposal was originaly written, to make sure the ocen empire survives. Today, tge situation is reversed, if Lizzie wanted, her and Joel's troops would wipe the lost empire from the map. So Jimmy has to decide if he really wants to start a years old conflict again, just because he doesnt want to marry Joey.

So Jimmy proposed to at least visit his "future husband", to give him a chance. But it's bad. Joey and Lizzie keep threatening each other and Joey clearly hates Jimmy. So Jimmy's looking for alternatives, ways to end the conflict in peace. During a huge argument Joey basically says "The only reason I'm doing this is to save my kingdom, but if you want me to be the bad guy so badly, I'll gladly oblidge. Go on, play martyr for someone who has nothing to lose by killing innocent lives. I'm sure they'll all thank you."

Anyway, they have to announce their marriage at the meeting of the kings (monthly event) and everyone can clearly tell there's no love there, not even friendship. The wither rose alliance teases Jimmy about the wedding. It's so akward and uncomfortable and Jimmy has to leave with Joey, as his fiance.

In the following month Jimmy tries to big brain the marriage and find alternatives, that he could present at the meeting. So when the gather again, he proposes an ambitious plan: "The treaty says that the second child of the ocean king will marry the jungle king's son, unless any of them are married beforehand." so Jimmy presents the maps and the families and then says that if he and Joey marry the Rivendell twins, then they have a mediator for the conflict and they don't have to fight. Some kings don't like that, because it would make the alliance of all the kingdoms too big. Katherine loves it.

Joey is a bit mad, because he had admited to Jimmy in a moment of weakness that he likes Xornoth. Jimmy had met Scott a few times. The elfs laugh at Jimmy too and Xornoth mockingly proposed to Jimmy, to prove his plan was naive and stupid. And Jimmy's angry. He spent so much time, so much effort, he's throwing himself into a loveless marriage. So to the shock of everyone and out of spite he says "Thank you prince Xornoth, I Jimmy of the Ocean empire accept your proposal." and slams the door and leaves.

Jimmy goes to a balcony and freaks out, because Scott and Joey looked both hurt by it. Joey will murder him for trying to marry his crush. Scott will hate him now for sure and "Why did I do that?!" His angsty boy phase is interrupted by the Wither rose alliance who come to "congratulate" him on his new engagement and only the girls sound genuine. As per tradition, Scott invites Jimmy to Rivendell to "meet his future husband properly"

So Jimmy takes his things from the lost empire, trying to avoid Joey, because it looked like they were starting to bond (Joey liked Jimmy's plan to marry the twins and even joked he would help Jimmy woo Scott) and now he betrayed him. The last part I have for the AU, is that Jimmy slowly befriends Xornoth and after the discovery that Xornoth likes Joey, but he's just a bit much sometimes, he decides to wingman them.

The ultimate wingman move Jimmy pulls is by approaching both Joey and Xornoth with another proposal - A three way marriage. "I might not marry for love, but I think you should have the chance." and they both accept. So the next month Jimmy reannounces his marriage for the 3rd time. Now it's up to Scott to make a move :)

Bonus bits:

Jimmy: "Remember my stupid plan to avoid war? The plan when we marry the elf twins? The plan that would never work? The plan you opposed? That plan!"

Scott at the altar: Jimmy please, just say "I do"

Jimmy: "This is my villain speech and I want no interruptions. You see I've recently had three fiancees-"

Xornoth: turns to Joey "Are you sure you still want him as your best man?"

185 notes • Posted 2021-08-28 11:00:30 GMT

#1

Introspection for the ideologies/concepts for 3rd life. Including the final fight (last 5 people remaining)

Okay, but how interesting it is, that one of the biggest conflicts through the entire series was the theme of

Loyalty vs Betrayal

And we can see that through the entire series? Like you have chatacters who were and stayed loyal and (from their perspective) got punished for never changing a side. But on the other hand, you have those who betrayed and died from it.

Like look at the first 3 people out. They ALL died fighting for their friends and never betrayed anyone. They were loyal and that led them to their early deaths. So does that mean betrayal is more beneficiary? Let me break it down with the help of the final 5:

Impulse: The guy who betrayed all his enemies for the Crastle, for his "secret girlfriend", dies to Bdubs, someone he trusted, over a clock. From outside perspective, this is the truth, but realisticly? Bdubs had doubts, he never trusted Impulse after he returned and the rest of the Crastle was the same.

Impulse was supposed to prove his loyalty by hurting the red alliance, but unfortunately for him, thanks to the red desert, the Crastle trap was exposed. And now thanks to the desert, Impulse lost his life for being a traitor FOR the people he loved. In his last moment he worries for the safety of his friend (Bdubs) and gets killed by them. Funny, how Skizz died the same way :) Impulse was punished for his betrayal.

Big B: He was neutral for the most part, but you can't deny he was loyal to his friends. It was not his fault Grian and Martyn were on opposing sides. But when the war called for it, he stayed with the king. He kept the "No killing pass" and pleaded for it's usage. BigB was only unlucky, that Bdubs made the final deal first.

But realisticly, B was rewarded. I mean, Scar and Grian actually kept their word and let Bdubs do the deed. They even let him return the pass and had a small bonding moment. BigB's death was unlucky, but I wouldn't consider it being punished. Thus - Big B was rewarded for his loyalty.

Bdubs: Bdubs is a hard one to analyze, because the question here is, was he punished for being loyal and protective of his family, or punished for betraying it? I mean, by not trusting Impulse, he was protecting Cleo and Tango. But by siding with Scar and Grian, he betrayed himself and his quest for justice.

How funny, that Bdubs and Impulses last moment was them being pals, before the horryfing reveal. How interesting, that Scar and Bdubs hung out as coffin bros, Scar encouraged Bdubs to take on Grian, before plunging a sword into his back.

Bdubs was rewarded for being loyal, but couldn't protect his family. And then he kills the last potential ally, so he could die 3rd, thabks to another family. So you decide, was he rewarded or punished?

Scar: Oh boy do I have many thoughts about Scar. The guy went around the whole server scaming everyone for friendship points, which actually were kept track of, so Scar never lied about them. The kill pass is half hit and half miss, as it was purely circumstantial. More of the events in my analysis for Grian, but let's look at one key moment:

Scar tempts Bdubs to betray Impulse, because Impulse is a known betrayer. He will not kill BigB, because he is true to his word and won't break his promise, which is why he convinces Bdubs to kill BigB, indirectly betraying BigB in the proces. And then he realizes Grian, his loyal follower, is yellow. And it hits him, Grian could be dangerous, Grian will betray him. So he throws the pass and hopes for the best.

And then as soon as the pass gets picked up, he attacks Grian, who sounds confused and hurt. Scar betrays their bond first. And then he teams with Bdubs. Talks about killing Grian, bonds with him in the coffin, estabilishing trust between each other. So when Grian asks to meet them, they go. Scar tells Bdubs they will take Grian down, but as soon as he is on the mountain, he messages Grian he has a plan. And when Grian strikes, angry about the betrayal?

He does the only logical thing to prove his loyalty - plunges a sword into Bdubs's back. Betraying someone who he used as a means to an end. And yet... And yet Scar tells Grian that now they are the last two alive, Grian can take Scar's last life. Because it's just repaying a favour, the loyalty Grian displayed. But unfortunately for Scar, even after divine intervention, the universe decided he will be punished for all the betrayals.

Grian: Grian who told everyone he will leave Scar as soon as he dies VS the Grian who made sure Scar is safe, secure and has a chance to keep living. Grian had spoken about betrayal and yet, he always stayed loyal. Sure, he would not care if Scar was alone and surrounded by danger, but he supported him no matter what.

And the final fight. It's the last 3, Grian picks up the paper and gets killed by Scar. He possibly knew it could happen, but the fact he only sees that message? The fact that Bdubs is still alive and with Scar? That hurts. The first thing Grian does when he sees Scar is ramming him and yelling "Traitor!" Because yeah, to Grian Scar is a traitor. And then Scar choses Grian over Bdubs and Grian is conflicted.

He tells Scar to meet him at Pizza's and reflects. Did the betrayal even happened? Was this just Scar's plan? Was he wrong to assume Scar would ever betray him? And then Scar kneels down and tells Grian he can kill him. Of course, he gets stopped by the voices of those fallen, so they agree on a one last fist-fight, but the meaning? The actions? They reflect in their last moments.

They are standing in a cactus ring, in their territory, in their home, surrounded by their walls. And after a few punches, Grian knows he has the advantage. That he will win. So he starts apologizing, because even after all his words, he never wanted to betray Scar, NEVER took the chance. But the worst part will be the knowledge, that Grian is the cause for all of this.

He killed Scar and got indebted. He made sure Scar stays alive as much as he could. He protected Scar during the last moments and now, now he will be the one to take his final life. And Scar is okay with that, Scar is willing to repay the loyalty. So Grian might have gotten rewarded for staying loyal, but at what cost?

So what have I learned through all this?

That loyalty had won in the end. It might have seemed cruel and unfair at times, but in the end. It prevailed and I think there's something beautiful about that.

300 notes • Posted 2021-06-08 18:11:28 GMT

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